Penguin: Don't worry about it~ It may not seem like it under the guise of the internet, but I myself am a weird person, so I enjoy weirdness! :D
BB: 'Great Authoress,' eh? I'm...flattered.
Oh, BB... Why am I not surprised, haha... Though sometimes just listening to a person and analyzing their behavior can teach you a lot about a person. And oh, goodness, I do so love humans~
I do not consider you a monster, dear BB. I think of you as a human, and even a likeable one, at that. I understand your motives and such, and I actually rather like you.
I never would have taken you as a karaoke singer. I'll be honest with that. Though, yes, I have heard of Blood On The Dance Floor. I personally don't like them all that much, but I do like the messages they have and the lyrics within the songs. I will admit to liking that; definitely. Real-life Sam actually really, really likes them.
Who knew BB would be distracted by such a thing? Haha... I think perhaps I could do it... I just can't currently. If I tried something worthy of being called 'gymnastics' now... I'd probably snap my neck.
I'll be sure to stock up; I promise. We shall most certainly be prepared for you, and it was nice speaking with you as well!
Random: Que sera sera is a saying that simply means "Whatever will be, will be." :) It originally came from a song, but I'm not going to bore you with origins and stuff like that. xD
Random's right, Gevanni. Arguing with the universe leads to nothing. Fight it, and it will strike you down. Yep.
It's actually today that I think to be L's mother's birthday: May twenty-third. It's no particular reason, although... In my head, there is a full story behind L's past, and its details include even his mother's birthday. ...Which would be, in my head, today. Not any real reason, though, really. Just my mind. xD
The Reading Kind: Looking back, I'm kinda sad I didn't write from her view more often. I guess I just didn't really like Near... ...Yeah, that was probably why. Sorry, Near. xD I do feel bad for Sam, though. B's going to haunt that girl to his death, I swear. *shakes head* Poor, poor Samsam.
That would be amazing; listening to L's theme while doing schoolwork. Oh yes.
And don't worry. I think your review's fine, and I perfectly understand either way.
Yeahh, BB be creepin'. It's funny you mention closets, considering I've actually heard knocking from the closet in my room. That's not normal. Though I suppose it would be interesting to have a character stalk you...
An ant has scared you? Goodness, I feel bad. That would be terrible being that easily frightened... and... goodness; that poor ant! D:
Yaaay! We can lack athletic ability together! :D
Reader: I'm wonderfully happy to have amused you, dear reader. C: Sorry I can't help with the strawberry jam cravings though...
Mysterious Guest: You never have to apologize for not reviewing, dear reader. And if this tale you tell is true, you have perfectly good reason not to...
Goodness; that's terrible; all of it. But don't get too depressed... because I promise you things will get better eventually. They won't be the same, maybe, but it'll get better. I hate that feeling, going back to it over and over and over again only to think you're over it every time. I get like that a lot. Usually I sleep it off, but I have had a time where it just kept coming back. *shakes head* Terrible.
My life is comparably nice. Not too much going on save for the stress that's starting to build for exams. But really, other than that... I'm doing alright.
Enjoy your extra chapter~
Sierra sat on the floor, staring at Mello from below like a cat waiting to pounce. Well, actually, she wasn't staring at Mello. She was staring at his chocolate. "…I'm hungry," she stated.
"I know," Mello replied, looking down at her. "That's why Matt's getting food."
"Can I have some chocolate?"
He snapped off a piece with his mouth, still looking at her without tilting his head downward. "No," he replied around the chocolate.
"Why not?"
"I'm using my supply sparingly," he said. "I don't want to run out."
"Yeah, that'd be horrible…," she said absently, still staring at his chocolate. "Can I please have some chocolate?"
"No."
"Please?" she repeated.
"No, Sierra."
She frowned, then slowly got to her feet… and snatched the chocolate from his hand before proceeding to run like hell.
"Hey!" he yelped, jumping to his feet. "Give me back my chocolate!"
"No!" she called back.
He glared after her. "Give me the chocolate," he said firmly.
"No-oh!" she sang joyously, then took a bite. "Yay!" She knew that Mello was too 'mature' to run after her anyway.
Mello took a step towards her, and she bolted farther back. Mello's mouth twitched, and he broke into a run.
Sierra glanced behind her, saw him running, and released a yelp of surprise, running faster. "Nooo!" she wailed. "I want the chocolate!"
"That was my chocolate in the first place!" Mello countered, still chasing her around the hideout. A smile was actually beginning to form on his lips….
"Sharing is caring!" Sierra snapped.
"Too bad!" he replied, and pounced on her, grabbing the chocolate out of her hand. "Aha!" he cried in triumph, and they both fell with a thud to the ground. The chocolate broke in two.
Sierra looked down at her knee; a sharp stone was digging into it. I cut my—
"I cut my chocolate!" Mello exclaimed, and almost started to laugh at the irony, but stopped short. "Damn it, Sierra, you're screwing up my speech!"
Sierra laughed. "Don't you mean you broke your chocolate?" she asked, still laughing.
"Of course that's what I mean!" he snapped. "Your thoughts messed me up!"
"Sorry," Sierra giggled. "…Um, can you get up now?"
"Yeah," he grumbled, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. Sierra did the same.
There was the sound of the opening of the door, and Matt entered with some bags – food. He came in to find Sierra and Mello picking themselves up from off the floor, disheveled and out of breath.
"…What'd I miss?" he asked blankly, staring at the two of them.
Sierra laughed again. "Mello cut his chocolate!" she grinned.
It was Sunday, then, and as always, Light came for dinner. What with the Kira case bringing Sam and L closer to home, both of them were also joining us. "I love it how no one questions why L is just not eating," Sam remarked amusedly, then forked some of her beef and put it in her mouth. "Mm, good."
"Glad you like it," I said.
"He's L," said Anna, in what I'll call her 'duh' voice. "Of course he's not eating. He never eats food at the same time, and even when he does, he always eats sweets."
"That's true," Light agreed. "L, I sometimes worry you're going to end up getting sick because of that."
"Hm?" asked L, looking up at him. "Oh, no, I'll be fine."
"What are you, magical?" asked Anna, cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes," L responded seriously.
I laughed, and Light chuckled slightly. "I highly doubt you're magical, L," said Light.
"You're right, I'm not," L responded.
"He's just awesome," said Sam matter-of-factly, giving a curt nod.
"You have to admit, though," I pointed out, "that it's a little… worrisome that he doesn't sleep, either."
Sam shrugged. "I don't need to," L told me dully.
"You have slept before, though," said Anna.
"Yes, I have," he agreed. "Every human needs sleep."
"I mean the 'lay down on the bed and actually sleep' sleep," she frowned.
"Yes, I've done that too. Not so very often anymore, but it happens." He took a sip of his tea, then made a face. "Natalie, where is your sugar?"
I laughed. "Of course," I said, getting up to grab the jar of sugar from the counter. I placed the jar on the table as I sat down, and L scooped up spoonfuls of it and poured them into his cup. When he thought he'd put in enough, he just stirred, and the only sound was the clinking of the cup, the scrape of a fork; just the sounds of eating. Even after everything, Light and L still did not mix well, and there was a second layer of silence now that Sam and I were connected to the two.
"Well," said Light eventually, "it really is good to know you're back on the Kira case."
"Oh?" asked L, looking at Light intently.
Sam scoffed.
Light smiled lightly. "Of course, L. I want the new Kira to be caught, and in all honesty, I can't help but think back on the undeniable – albeit forgotten – truth, and feel a bit guilty."
"It truly is good to know you have your conscience back," L remarked, his tone flat.
Anna was watching the conversation quietly, her eyes going from one speaker to the next.
"Sometimes I wonder if it was ever gone to begin with, actually," Light replied, his eyes distant. "Didn't I believe I was a martyr of sorts?"
"Uh-huh," said Anna, her mouth full.
He shook his head. "Stupid…."
"Incredibly so," L agreed.
Light frowned ever so slightly.
"What was that case you were on about a month ago, anyway?" I asked. "It lasted awhile, didn't it? And didn't it jump around the globe?"
"It was a serial killer giving L a challenge, that's all," Sam shrugged.
"That's all?" Light repeated, raising his eyebrows. "It took a bit longer than the average case. It took at least a month, whereas the case in India took only a few days."
"Some serial killers are more intelligent than others," L responded. "And in any case, the killer was caught."
"Wasn't Sam nearly killed, though?" asked Anna.
"Twice," Sam answered dully.
"Jeez," Anna remarked.
"Here's a note: it's not fun being almost killed."
"I know the feeling," Light came in, smiling crookedly as his hand unconsciously went to the unseen scar on his left side.
"No shiz," Sam said. "I was there, at the warehouse, remember?"
"So was I," said Anna, raising her hand, "but I was outside the door…."
"All of us were there," I said dismissively. "That doesn't change the fact it happened."
"Don't forget the incident where Near died," Anna came in. "That was horrible, and people were shooting at Light then, too."
"Nice," Sam stated, cocking an eyebrow.
I squinted a little at the memory. "I could feel Light's pain at that point, so it wasn't all that pleasant…."
"Aw!" Anna cried. "I didn't know you—"
"It's fine," I said hastily. "You had reason to shoot him."
Light was nodding, his hand to the back of his head in an almost sheepish manner.
"It's a good thing you weren't at the final stage, then," L commented, then took another sip of his tea. He seemed satisfied with its sweetness this time.
I blinked. "That's true, too," I agreed. I remembered the pain I was in – the same pain Light felt. But it was different, because if I stretched, it wouldn't get worse. If I rubbed it, there would be no change. There wasn't a real wound there. It'd be much worse if both of us had the same injuries….
"It is pretty weird, though," Anna sighed. "This whole 'last stage of the mind sync' you guys are at. It was more amusing when you weren't there yet."
"More amusing?" Sam repeated, taking a bite of food.
"Yeah," Anna confirmed. "That was back when you were still confused about it all, and L laughed randomly that one time, and you interacted with each other more. Plus… you're not as fun at the final step."
Sam and I looked at one another, then back to Anna.
"It's true that those at the final stage tend to not interact with the one they're Bonded to…," L agreed.
"It's because there's no point," said Sam. "They're in sync, literally. You know what the other's thinking, what they're about to say, their thought processes…."
"Conversation is really just exchanging information," L continued. "If you already have the information on either side, you simply tend to not speak to them."
"I agree," said Light. "But then, if one of us were to say something aloud that both of them know… or if they were to say something out of place and random merely for entertainment, it can still get a reaction."
"Uh, what do you mean?" Anna asked bemusedly.
"For example…," said L, then paused, thinking.
Sam's mouth twitched as she took a sip of her drink.
L stood up on his chair and struck a proud pose. "I am Batman," he said, in all seriousness.
Sam sputtered, choking.
L curled up to crouch on his chair again. "See? There we are. Interaction. She knew what I was about to do, but she still reacted."
Anna was staring at L, her mouth agape in shocked silence before she started laughing. Both Light and I were just staring. "That was an… interesting demonstration," Light commented.
I coughed, trying not to laugh along with Anna.
"Well, I doubt you would have done it," L pointed out.
"Probably not," Light conceded.
"Dananananananana—L-Man!" I sang, and gave into my laughter.
Anna giggled. "But another thing I miss," she said eventually, when my laughter had died down and Sam had stopped choking, "is that you guys never show it when you fangirl anymore."
Both Sam and I froze. "…What do you mean?" Sam asked slowly, setting down the forkful of food she'd been about to put in her mouth.
Light quirked an eyebrow at her. "When was the last time you pet L's hair?" I asked simply.
Sam frowned deeply. "I don't remember ever doing that."
"That would be my memory, and she was half-asleep," L said. "And yes, it hasn't happened since the final stage was reached."
"U-uh…," Sam said like she was trying to decide between being surprised or embarrassed.
"And you, Light, don't tease Aunt Natalie or be all… Light-y anymore," said Anna.
Light raised his eyebrows.
I facepalmed, turning red. Or at least, it felt like I was. "Maybe that happened for a reason," I grumbled.
Sam giggled happily. "What do you mean by 'Light-y,' Anna?" she grinned.
Anna, thankfully, waved her off and continued, "My point is, it's almost like you aren't the same people."
I lifted my face from my hand and looked over at her. "…I'm sorry," I said sincerely.
"Yeah," said Sam, scratching the back of her head, "well, I don't know how someone could prevent a little bit of change in character. I understand a lot of things now…."
"Although, Anna," said Light, "there's a bit of a change in L and I, too, isn't there?"
Anna tilted her head. "Yeah. Mostly in L, though."
"Well, I hope it's for better," L remarked, then downed the last of his tea.
"Henh, henh, henh…," B chuckled, looking at the night's handiwork. His work was much easier now that Sophia was at his side. Sophia thought so too. But of course she did; she was molded from Beyond's character, after all….
Through Sophia's observations of the Bond between Light and I, B had made a few theories about how the Bond differed among pairs. Sometimes it could be equal changes among those Bonded, but B figured it had to do with strength of will and the character of each person. Then there were the different ways those Bonded could feel towards one another. There were lots of ways a Bond could go. B and Sophia had a strong Bond almost like that of a father and daughter, or loving siblings. If two who were Bonded were a couple, like in Light and my or Sam and L's case, then it would make it only stronger; more pronounced and more in tune. If two were to hate one another, it could very well be Bond of hatred. That wouldn't end well, B had concluded.
But that was beside the point.
Right now, he had to finish his work before the victim's blood became too sticky for use.
Sophia was already on it.
B smiled slightly despite himself, then did his own work, propping the body up against the wall. Teamwork between the cold killer and the not-so-innocent nine-year-old. Then he leaned down to place his own hand in the crimson liquid, and helped Sophia with their little display. She couldn't reach the high parts after all, could she?
And as they painted the wall of the alley in red, Beyond couldn't help but think how important they were to each other. Maybe it really was only because of the Bond. Maybe it was only because he knew that she was him in her own right, and vice versa. Maybe it was only because of the fact they bled together, they burned together, and they died together. No matter what. Maybe it was only this, but what did that all matter in the long run?
B believed in fate.
He also believed in time.
But most of all, Beyond Birthday believed in death.
And, even as he painted a dead girl's lifeblood on the wall with Sophia right beside him, he thought of how one day Sophia would have to die. But he supposed that wouldn't matter, because he'd die at that time too. She and him would die together when it was time; it couldn't happen any other way. And he knew his eyes would tell him when to worry, when it would happen, because although his and her lifespans were ever-changing, he knew how to read death. That was who he was. The human reaper surely should know when he and his other half would die. Death made up Beyond's being.
He simply couldn't imagine his eyes ever betraying him….
Fun Fact: Real-life Sam was the one who made the suggestion to have Mello say "I cut my chocolate," but for awhile it seemed like that was impossible to fit in. But then came that scene. xD To this day, Real-life Sierra is amused by that scene...
Review? For Mello cutting his chocolate!