Within a few minutes Beyond found himself surrounded by people, none of which seemed particularly interesting. There wasn't anything special about the place, nor was he entirely sure why he'd ended up there and yet... somehow it felt important - like something big was going to happen here.

Beyond closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. The bitter smell of diesel mingled with a faint scent of sweat, adrenaline and pollution. Nothing smelled fresh anymore. It was surprisingly disappointing.

"What now?"

Now we look around and pick our next victim. There are hundreds of people here right now. One of them is going to come to an end today.

"But who..."

Beyond sucked on his canine as he looked around the multitude of people. Surprisingly, no-one paid attention to the ten year old boy who was seemingly on his own in the middle of a high street but perhaps they just didn't want to get involved in something they didn't have to. Not when they all had so long left to life... it was infuriating.

Out of all of these people was there honestly not a single one of them waiting to die today?

No.

But there might be two.

Beyond's eyes locked on to his victims, assessing the potential risk they posed to him. A woman and young child. Mother and daughter, perhaps? Older and younger sisters? It didn't matter. Their gravestones would be side by side either way... Or perhaps there would be only one... perhaps they would share the same space.

The young murderer found himself uncaring.

He didn't bother to look before crossing the road. He was finished with waiting for things to happen - for moments which allowed for him to do as he pleased. From now on the world would bend to his will and there was nothing which could get in the way. So when the car horn blared and the brakes screamed in panic, Beyond didn't flinch or look away from his target; his mind was too occupied with planning.

How would he do it?

What would he aim for?

How would he hide it?

Was this going to be possible?

It would be. He'd make it so it was. He'd been waiting for far too long - been behaving for too many months to let this be taken from him now. Even if that meant a quick getaway.

But what approach would he take?

Simple. He was granted youth for a reason so he would use it as he pleased.

Beyond turned on the waterworks and started sniffling - the perfect source of sympathy. To the normal, human eye, he would have looked like a scared and alone child out in the world when perhaps he shouldn't be. However, to you or I who have read through this story and understand just what a monster this boy was, the subtle glint of disgust and resentment would have been perfectly visible and the murderous threat rolling from the child would have been thicker than the air we breathe.

But these two innocents did not previously know Beyond, nor were they given the opportunity to read his history before their encounter and so, as much as I would wish for it not to be true, their paths crossed and they were drawn in by the fake tears rolling down the soft cheeks.

"E-excuse me. I-I can-can't find my-" A sniffle interrupted his attempts to speak, simply deepening the pity the woman already felt for the child. "my mummy or daddy. I lef-left the shop and they w-we-weren't there anymore."

Like a moth drawn to a flame, the woman crouched before him and smiled sweetly, completely taken with the killer's act.

"Oh you poor thing! Do you know where they might be? Would you like me to take you there?"

The small girl who had previously been hiding behind her mother, believing in the protection the slightly taller human offered, suddenly found a new wave of confidence and stepped forward, deciding it was entirely appropriate for her to make herself known to the similar child.

"Don't cry! Mummy will help you! Mummy can do anything, right mummy?"

The woman nodded kindly and held out a hand for Beyond to take.

"Come on, sweetheart. We'll walk you home, okay? Do you know your way home?"

Beyond nodded. The tears stopping almost too quickly but the smile which replaced it was clearly enough to cease the woman's concerns.

"Thank you. You're a nice lady."

Which is why she will be easy to kill.

Beyond's smile spread into a grin as he slipped his smaller hand into her outstretched one, his fingers tightening around her own to express the ruse of fear. It was only as they approached a seemingly harmless alleyway that he released her, rushing ahead a few steps before turning to face her and pointing down into the shadows.

"This way is a short cut. Daddy takes me down here all the time!"

The excitement in his voice had perhaps stemmed a few concerns within the woman's simple head but Beyond did not care to consider that. He was so close to achieving what he wanted and he was not going to allow anything to change that.

"Okay, sweetie. As long as you're sure."

Beyond nodded enthusiastically before disappearing a few steps ahead. He could sense the child pulling slightly closer to her mother as she sensed something wasn't right - whether it be the seemingly encroaching shadows or the bloodthirsty feel the boy was suddenly emitting that worried her, Beyond didn't know. All he knew was that he was about to get away with murder.

Literally.

He stopped to stare at the brick wall in front of him, the grin growing ever wider as he heard the pair of footsteps draw to a stop as well.

The mother or the child first?

"Oh. You must have gotten confused. It looks like this is a dead end. Let's go back and carry on, it must be around here somewhere."

"No. This is it."

Any childishness had dropped from Beyond's voice now, instead being replaced with the sinister, dangerous tones more commonly associated with him. He could feel their confusion. He relished in it.

"I must say though, you have been disappointingly easy to fool. But perhaps you let your motherly instinct overlook that little voice of survival I know must exist in the back of that small mind of yours."

He turned to face the pair, smiling at their clear lack of understanding.

"But to endanger your poor daughter so carelessly as well..." Beyond tutted, his head shaking in disappointment. "I expected better of you."

"Mummy...?"

The woman drew her child closer to her, one hand on the side of her head, the other around her shoulders as she pressed her tightly against herself.

"Quiet, sweetheart."

"Yes, Bella. Listen to your mother. We don't have time for your pointless ramblings now."

"How..."

"How what? How did I know her name? You took such care not to include it anywhere, after all. A smart move considering the amount of pedophiles out there nowadays, but that doesn't stop me. You see, Margery, it's all in the eyes."

Two minutes for the mother. Four for the daughter. Get moving.

"I don't need to. I have all the time in the world."

"Excuse me?"

Beyond raised a finger to his mouth to silence her, his eyes narrowing at the interruption.

"Quiet, woman. Don't set a bad example for your poor daughter."

He took a deep breath and expelled it again, his hands slipping into his pockets as he assessed them both. They were pathetic really, but they offered the possibility of a fight if it came to it.

"Now. Let me explain what's going to happen. In about fifty seconds, I am going to move forward and slit your throat, cutting both the internal and external jugulars and killing you from blood loss in approximately thirty to forty seconds."

The woman gasped but, again, Beyond raised his finger, the knife now clasped in his hand adding an extra threat to the command.

"I am then going to kill your daughter with a stab from behind, straight into her little lungs - halting the scream she will undoubtedly attempt to release by the sudden inclusion of blood. She will then die beside you a minute or two after. It will be slow and it will hurt her, but you should take comfort in knowing that you won't have to experience it due to your inevitable status of being dead."

Beyond smiled and dropped his hands to his sides.

"Now, any questions?"

The mother opened her mouth to speak but Beyond was in front of her before any words could form. His blade slit through her skin as though it were butter and her lifeless body dropped to the floor a few seconds later. However, the girl was smarter than her mother had been and had decided to try to run as soon as she saw Beyond move.

That wasn't the plan.

Beyond did not intend to tolerate it.

Without faltering, he set of running after her before her mother had even hit the ground. The entrance to the alleyway was close now and Beyond could see the hope in the child as her stride increased slightly along with the opening of her mouth. However, no sound managed to escape the lips of the six year old. No. Instead, blood rushed to the surface, forcing it way up her throat and past her tongue eventually taking flight into the air as she coughed.

But none of that was visible to any of the oblivious shoppers due to the simple fact that Beyond had pulled the girl back from view the moment his knife had entered her soft, previously unmarked skin. The girl was then dragged and placed beside her mother's corpse as she died, her last memories being filled with Beyond wiping the blood from his knife onto her mother's shirt.

Her mother's favourite shirt.

Father was going to be angry.

Beyond looked over the two, both now lying completely still in seemingly perfect peace, and sighed. He was entirely content with life at this moment in time and the fact that he still had to return to the orphanage did not phase him in the slightest.

But do you have to return?

"If I don't I will be collected by another orphanage and the process will have to completely restart."

Not if you stayed in the shadows.

"I don't want to be inconspicuous anymore. I want to make my mark on the world. I want to surpass L."

And you will. But that won't happen at that orphanage.

"Perhaps not. But it will happen."

And what about your scene here?

"It will be difficult to clean given how public it is, but I specifically chose one with the large bins for that very reason. If I am able to cut them into smaller pieces, perhaps I can store them inside the black bags already inside. They will remain unnoticed until the collection day at least and by then I will be long gone."

Unless you don't clean the scene...

"... And why would I do that? I would be leaving evidence."

You would be leaving a message.

"I would be caught."

No. You wouldn't.

"What would I have to do?"

Simply set up the scene and wait. You can remove your fingerprints and leave. That will be it.

"A message..."

Beyond moved quickly but methodically, making sure not to make any mistakes in what he was doing. Covering his hands with his sleeves, Beyond positioned the bodies until he was happy, stretching out both of their left arms and turning their heads so they were looking at the far wall. They had to draw attention. They had to indicate to where he wanted. They had to make a statement.

Next was the hard part.

There was not much which could spread blood in the alleyway, nor did Beyond simply carry that sort of equipment on him in this early stage of his life. However, it was not difficult to find a wad of tissue from inside one of the bins (something Beyond did not particularly want to discuss again) and dip it into the pool of blood forming from both mother and child.

It wasn't quick work but it was expertly done. The fingerprints were removed. The bodies were positioned. The message was written. The blood dripped down the walls, joining the large letters in thin lines. But not everything could be perfect, much to Beyond's annoyance.

Are you proud now, L?

A question for the world to see. A consequence of L's work. His standards for accepting cases would be dismissed thanks to the direct challenge. There would be outrage across the world were he not to accept.

And so Beyond would become a case. A case L would be unable to solve because he would have no direct evidence.

Not yet anyway.

The gate hadn't even closed behind him before that familiar and yet still annoying voice pierced his silence.

"You left."

She was in a tree this time, leaning against the trunk as she watched him. Always up high.

He didn't engage her, instead choosing to simply carry on walking. Perhaps if he ignored her she would go away.

He was wrong.

She dropped down from her place in the branches and quickly fell into step beside him, blatantly staring at him. He did not make eye contact. He didn't even acknowledge her existence. He didn't have time for her.

"You're not meant to leave, you know that right?"

Silence.

If she was met with silence she may stop talking altogether.

"There's blood on your neck, you know."

Beyond's hand instinctively rose to cover the spot she indicated, his mind working quickly to decide when it could have gotten there.

"I scratched myself while I was out."

"I don't see any wound."

"I heal quickly."

"Liar."

Silence.

His hand dropped and he turned right, quickening his steps. It bothered him that it was there. It was... unclean.

"Why did you go outside?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well what did you do?"

Beyond stopped suddenly and turned to face her, stopping a few inches away from her face as he glared.

"What I do is none of your bloody business and you'd be wise to remember that. You have no right to ask me questions. You have no right to talk to me. You have no right to even look at me. So how about you do us all a favour and piss off back to your rafters?"

Her reaction wasn't quite what he had expected... or wanted for that matter. Instead of looking startled or scared she simply looked... bored? Bored and indifferent. With an obvious sigh, Taylor crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her head to the side.

"Are you done trying to be threatening? Because it's really not working for you."

"..."

Beyond couldn't believe it. The arrogance! The nerve! Didn't she know who she was talking to?! The danger she was putting herself in?!

"What's up? Cat got your tongue?"

The smug smirk on her face as she lifted a hand to tap his nose did nothing but confuse him further. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want to have to talk to her. He just wanted to go and take a hot shower. Was that too much to ask?

"Don't touch me."

She leant forward, her head turned slightly to the side. "What was that?"

"I said," His hands shot out, each grabbing one of her wrists and pinning them to the wall behind her. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Now that got her attention. This time, the startled expression on her face was more than satisfying. It wasn't panic. It wasn't fear. But it was something. It wasn't just ridiculous indifference.

"Alright. Alright. Jeez. No need to get all temperamental."

Beyond didn't let go, in fact his grip tightened on her wrists as he looked down at her.

"What do you want with me?"

She was silent for a few seconds, but each second felt like an hour as he stood there waiting for an answer. This wasn't going quick enough.

"Don't make me ask aga-"

"I want to go outside."

What?

"What?"

"You heard me."

She looked up and stared straight into his eyes. The look of determination on her face was actually a little bit impressive.

"I want to go outside. And I want you to take me."

*Authors Note*: It's been a while. Hello! So sorry for my absence. The truth is, I became a little distracted and lost my love for writing for a little while. My life got too busy and this wasn't at all at the top of my to do list. However, things have settled down a little now and I'm hoping to continue. I'm not going to promise frequent updates because whenever I attempt that, something seems to get in the way, but I am going to promise to try.

Thank you to those who have read, recommended, favourited and reviewed this while it's been inactive. You people are wonderful. Sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoy.