A/N: Regine, I missed you so much. I hope you like my printed out copy of Never the Same Again…
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. I wish I do.
--Chapter 3--
--The Death of A--
It has been years now since that scene inside a tent in a forest somewhere in Gloucestershire. B is now a five-year old boy, who had since learned the difference of Lira from a real mother. The same fact goes for L whom he still looked up to as a brother. Lira, on the other hand had learned more things about the orphanage as the years had passed. She learned that L really is the top student of the orphanage and a lot of children looks up to him. They said that he may someday be the world's greatest detective judging by the way he thinks and concludes stuff about things. You see, the boy, though he is only eight years old had started working on cases and solving them, using the advances in technology to be able to speak to the police and command the people he needed without them doubting his conclusions because of his age. Mr. Wammy, or as L called him, Watari, acts like a faithful middleman all the while to help L in connecting with the police. Being a fully fledged secret detective now meant that L had to stay in his and Lira's room for long periods of time at length, surviving only by Mr. Wammy's supplies of cakes, sweets, sugar cubes and L's new addiction, coffee. Lira did not mind this at all since he rarely disturbed her during these times. He rarely even talked to her since he spent the entire time staring at the computer screen and telling commands through a microphone that masks his voice. L had unknowingly distanced himself more from the world that even B had to learn to sleep alone at night.
Two children were said to be next in line for L. One of the two is B and the other one goes by the alias of A. Nobody really knows much about A since he was also someone who had distanced himself from the real world. They say that all he does is study and can rarely be seen talking with friends, if they really were friends to him. It seems that the kid had taken it personally that he should always be the second best to L. he should never leave his position for only L could surpass him. He was like a complete opposite of B who seems to be becoming a social butterfly ever since L started working on his cases. Sure, the boy still visits his 'big brother' only to be told not to bother the older one and to sit tight and receives the customary slab of cake from a strained Lira who always suggested that L needs a break. B doesn't even seem to mind that he was only second best next to A. In fact, he was one of the few people that A speaks to.
On the other hand, the seven year old Lira had finally discovered her worth, the reason why she was taken in at the Wammy House. She seems to be the stealthiest person to ever enter the orphanage. She had discovered that talent ever since she started pondering on why L could move so quietly from place to place that she started trying to do it herself and had discovered that she could fit into almost every nook and cranny of the orphanage. She felt like a spy doing it, though. Also, she had also learned much about technology that she had learned to do stealth operations with computers. Mr. Wammy had once joked that if Lira had been present during the World War II, the battle would be won by Japan because of her superb spying abilities. Also, she could follow you anywhere and you wouldn't even know she's there. She's like a shadow, a dark entity that has always existed yet you never felt that it was there. She therefore had been nicknamed Shadow by the older people of the orphanage; yet, Lira still preferred the first alias she had ever used in her life, Lee.
It was a bright morning when it happened. Lira, being the stealth expert, had snuck into the kitchens of the orphanage without anyone noticing her. She then tapped the head cook and flashed him a really big smile that clearly meant she was up to something not so good. The poor man jumped in surprise but soon caught up with his thoughts and spoke up.
"Why are you here now, Shadow?" The cook asked.
"Geez, I told you to call me Lee and not Shadow. I feel like a billiard player or something when people call me that name," Lira exclaimed, leaning at one of the empty countertops.
"Alright then, Lee, if you insist. Now, tell me why you are here?" The cook said in an apologetic tone.
"Well, you know it is B's birthday today, don't you?" Lira said, crossing her legs as she sat at the countertop.
"Well yes….Oh, I get it!" The cook said, comprehension dawning on him. Every year, during Beyond Birthday's birthday, Lira would sneak into the kitchens to request a special cake for the younger boy. It would consist of a large, round cake, several strawberries on top (L and B have very similar taste buds when it comes to sweets) and candles representing the number of years that B had existed in this world. It was like a mother's affection for her only son, or a sister's love for her younger brother.
"Now, you get it!" Lira exclaimed flashing that big smile of hers again at the cook.
"Don't worry. I'll prepare it just the way you want it for your little brother," The cook winked at her.
"Thank you. And let me clear it to you again just like how I always clear it to you every single year. B is not my little brother. I'm just that attached to him. We'll, goodbye then and thank you for always making B's birthday special," Lira said and started walking towards the door.
"But, Lira, I never got to prepare a cake for you. When is your birthday, anyway? I never got a request from you," The cook called to the retreating girl.
"Bert, I like the plain chocolate cake just fine. Chocolate had always been a weak spot for me," Lira said as she smile reassuringly to the cook who eyed her thoughtfully.
"You're very selfless, Lira. Just tell me then when is your birthday if you really don't like to have your cake in any special way," Bert asked the girl smiling at him.
"Well, since you're very insistent, it's on valentine's day. Pretty funny since my real name is Lira Valentine," Lira said and without another word, she had disappeared in her usual quick manner from the kitchens.
Meanwhile, L's bare feet padded onto the wooden floor of the hallways of the orphanage. For once, he had left his solitude in front of the computer and walked again on the dusty hallways of the orphanage. He wanted to see him. He wanted to see B and give his gift to him personally. But, every door he opened revealed not his so-called little brother. Where could the kid have gone? He was not in his room. L stopped for a moment to scratch his bare foot against the rough denim of his baggy jeans as he pondered where the child could be. His thoughts landed on one particular orphan residing in the orphanage too whom B had mentioned so much during his long talks with Lira inside the room that L shared with the girl. From what he have heard from this long-winding conversations, the child's name was A. B never mentioned a real name but the kid seems to have taken a liking on that boy and spends time inside the boy's room for hours in length. A also seemed to be like L who has distanced himself from the world, preferring to bury his nose on the pages of a book, which gave him more fun than any person could.
Let's see. Third door from the left side from the landing. L thought to himself as he climbed the stairs to reach the highest floor of the orphanage and, turning left, he counted the doors. He approached the door that he counted as three and stretched his thin white fingers on the doorknob only to see it locked. His hand reached inside his pocket instinctively to pull out a hairpin he had nicked from Lira's things. He inserted the hairpin into the keyhole and started working it expertly until he heard a faint click and he knew that he had unlocked the door. His hand turned the doorknob again and saw, a boy standing with his back to the door. But taking a closer look told L that something was really wrong with the picture.
The boy's feet were brushing against the wooden floorboards of his room as his body dangled from a thick rope hanged at the top of a high dresser cabinet. It was tied to the boy's neck. L, out of instinct, ran and untied the rope and shook the boy as if urging him to breathe. But the boy remained pale blue and flopped hopelessly in L's arms. L cried out as loud as his husky, rarely used voice would allow him. He called for help. Moments later, the elder people of the orphanage rushed to his aid, and all that came next was in such a blur that L could not remember the exact details of it. Or maybe, he really did not want to remember. The elders later found a letter of the child written in a very neat, almost girl-like handwriting expressing the boy's fears of not meeting up to the requirements needed for him to be L's successor and how he had finally given up for he felt like his head would crack open or maybe even explode if ever he tried to push himself to learn more. The kid then decided to hang himself as the final bid for freedom from all the pressure he felt for being L's successor. Anderson Anywhere, also known as A, the top of the first generation of the children trained to be L's successors committed suicide. He was the first failure of The Wammy House.
The cake was larger than usual with about ten strawberries perched on top of it, and set into place by large blobs of sugary whipped cream. Red icing on top of the cake declared the words "Happy Birthday B" for everyone to see. Seven small candles perched on top, burning with fire for the birthday celebrant to blow them later on. The children beamed at Beyond Birthday as he stood on top of a stool and smiled at everyone who is nearest to him, especially Lira who was standing behind him, holding him still. A rush of air surged through the dining hall as a lone figure entered the scene with a horrible posture and his head bent low, causing the candles in B's cake to turn off. L paid no attention to anyone who shot him questioning looks and walked towards Lira who gave him the same look. He just shook his head, placed his arm around the girl's shoulder and the other hand onto B's as he bent down and whispered as quietly as he could so that only Lira and B could hear him. "A is dead." B, upon hearing this, bent his head low so that his hair covered his face and cried the silent tears over his untouched birthday cake.
A/N: (yep, another author's note): Thanks to all those who have reviewed. This is just a short chapter I wrote coz I can't sleep and our fridge had run out of apple juice. I don't know if there was any mention of A's real name in the novel. I can't really remember. Please correct me if there really is a mention. Anderson Anywhere was just a name I came up with. Please correct me if you do know A's real name. Cheers to Regine, my friend who has finally returned to planet earth. Again, I hope you like your 'autographed' copy of Never the Same Again. It's the best I could give you…lol… I hope you readers will enjoy this and keep reading! Have a very nice day!