Before Another

[KLV]

The cloudless sky seemed to be mocking the people below with it's warm and bright atmosphere. They weren't outside for the singing of the birds or the smell of the flowers blossoming, nor were they out simply to enjoy the sun; in fact strictly speaking they weren't out enjoying anything although it was a beautiful day. Joy, among other things was not a common emotion found at a funeral service. The small crowd gathered closely around the rectangular hole to watch as the casket that held what was left of the woman they knew was carefully lowered into the ground next to her life's partner. All she had to leave behind was a lone child.

What few family she had left was much too busy to bother to take in an extra child. And in any case they were all in Japan save for a sister in Law who would rather come down with the flu than be responsible for that child. She watched him through watery eyes unsure of whether to feel sympathetic or angry at his lack of emotion. Surely there had to be something wrong with a kid who attended their own parent's funeral and couldn't even shed a tear. She was sure she wasn't alone in her thoughts though. Who would want the kid who walked around with death on his lips?

He was the black sheep, the outcast, the kid who while other children played in the mud would rip the wings off butterflies. The one who while others played fetch with the dog sat wondering how long it would take the dog to die if you tore off it's legs. The one who deliberately touched a burning stovetop simply because their mother said not to. Having intelligence that far exceeded that of anyone beyond his age proved more of a speed bump in socializing. Making his ability to connect or otherwise form lasting relations with those close in age a challenge to say the least. With no proper guidance in a more advanced level of edification his brilliance was merely wasted in the frivolity of taunting anyone holding a more authoritative role. That was why as brilliant and curious as he was no one wanted him. Although to be honest his aunt was half expecting him to kill himself the second everyone turned their backs so she figured there was no point to in reaching out to him.

She had no way of knowing what he was thinking though, or how he had felt. It would have been a lie to say he was saddened by this. Sad was too strong a word alone, was how he felt. Not lonely but simply alone. But alone was how he had felt for years before her death. He became alone the moment he realized her time was running out, and cut himself off from her emotionally to avoid any attachment that would lead to unnecessary grievances when the aforementioned event came to pass. Not that he minded being alone, he usually kept himself detached from others, what was the point in growing close to someone when they were just going to die? Eventually the thing that most people feared above all else, their own demise, would close in on them. He was reminded of that continuously, and even knew exactly when they would die. Even so death did not scare him, very few things did. What did scare him was not knowing what was going to happen. The uncertainty of standing at a crossroad and being unable to choose a path because both were completely clouded over, and that was where he stood.

As he lay on his back across "his" bed he tried to imagine what was going to happen next. How long would he be with this family before they got sick of him and he would have to move? Where would he move to? He hated the uncertainty, he liked having a plan, he hated being left in the dark, and he loved being prepared. He loved the feeling of watching everyone else jump back in surprise while he watched, his prediction playing out before him. Which was not what was happening now. He had no way of knowing for sure how long he'd be there and until the time came, there was no telling where he'd be next. He could just run away…but then where would he go? Without knowing what he was going to do all the only option he had was to stay put.

A knock on the door interrupted him from his thoughts. Sluggishly he lifted himself from the bed and moved to answer the call. On the other side his temporary guardian waited with a strange man. A man too old to call someone's Father, but not old enough to refer to as elder. The man named Howard Shaw had come on behalf of Wammy's House.

Wammy's House? "What's that?" the boy asked flatly. He took note of the out of place accent, wondering if perhaps this Wammy's House was somewhere in the United Kingdom.

"It's a Special Orphanage for particularly gifted children" It is not run like a regular orphanage, its purpose is to instruct children in a higher manner than that of an ordinary orphanage or school." Howard was withholding. Everything he said was true however, should David Beck return with him there was something exclusive in store.

He didn't particularly like the sound of such a place, but it wasn't as if he held any regard to the home he was in presently. He simply stared into the face of the older man before him mildly curious.

"And I'm supposed to believe that's why you're here?" There was his attitude showing up, a distinct quality of his character that never failed to give his parents a headache. He would be forever questioning authority and denying any evidence of genuine obedience.

"I am here to determine if you are suitable to be taken in by us." Howard said discontented by the boy's lack of respect.

"How will you do that?" asked David leaning forward ever so slightly in a sort of mock interest.

Howard pushed himself to ignore the obvious contempt and simply passed on a sheet of paper containing a list of seemingly arbitrary words. The boy took the paper in his hands much more eagerly than expected.

David couldn't tell if he was being made fun of or if the man was serious. He made no change of expression while his eyes inspected the words.

"Can you tell which of these words is out of place"?

The boy refrained from letting a smile creep over his face. Of course no single word on the list was in fact random. Holding the paper up as if it were a sign he pointed with two fingers at two separate words.

"I can assuredly tell you which words are out of place." The sheer confidence and egotism that seeped out of his voice along with his statement served only to persuade the man. He gave what may have passed for a half of a smile and took back the paper saying;

"It is up to you to decide whether you'll join us or not." He said finally. "That was however, only a first test." Truly an insignificant test it was. David could see that, Howard and whoever it was he was speaking for was already aware of his academic levels, but the limits of his mind were far from being touched. It was not something that could be reached with such a simple test. In fact with such a young mind the boundaries could only be expanded.

"So what is the next test?" The boy had to admit that while he wasn't sold on the idea he was genuinely curious.

"You are to write a comprehensive paper summarizing everything you know. Within a thirty day period."

The idea itself was ridiculous enough without even touching the fact that what they were potentially doing was dragging him halfway across the world to test and then throw him aside. That particular test had an ulterior motive. What simple facts he knew at this point were only second to proving by completing the test that the taker had the mental capacity to do so. And it was only a part one. The second was an expansion of the first in which the taker would magnify what they had previously written using any source they could reach. Although this served more as an exercise than a test.

These of course were accompanied by some close to unnecessarily detailed psychological tests primarily rather to be observed more than taken. Of course the subject would be initially unaware they took place unless at a point afterwards it was deemed necessary to reveal the results for further explanation or in a worst case scenario to provide the taker with the appropriate help.

The test would essentially either fuel their need for understanding or break them. At such an early stage in the project it wasn't clear as to whether this was an appropriate approach or not. Nothing was completely sure at the present time. Given that this had only been done once before any serious flaw the approach held had yet to surface.

It was his choice to go or not, England was an unfamiliar place to him, but what did he have to leave behind? Nothing was the answer; he would miss nothing and had nothing to lose. So as he later was walking out the door with his few belongings he felt no grief in leaving. As others said their goodbyes he only nodded. They wouldn't miss him either. Not only had he been there for a short time but he was sure he wasn't leaving a particularly good impression.

Blankly staring when he was being spoken to, laughing to himself for no apparent reason, and most obnoxious of all the habit of pointing out other's intellectual flaws. He was what most adults referred to as a smart-aleck. It was safe to say that as much as he pushed others away, they did the same to him.

It wasn't until they were sitting in the car about to arrive at Wammy's that Howard brought up the true nature of his coming.

"Are you familiar with L, the detective?"

David could only shake his head, if he had heard the name before, he had long forgotten.

"You will be. L is the real reason I brought you here."

"What is that?" The boy spoke up for the first time since they're first meeting.

"To create a successor for L, a copy in manner of speaking. As of now there is only one other child taken in for this purpose. Since you are the second you will be known as B." so presumably this other kid was A?

"Just B?"

"Only B, it stands for Backup. You are not to give anyone your real name; in fact… it would be better if you simply abandoned that name. Of course if you prefer you could simply be assigned a number."

"I'm not complaining." David, now B said in response. In truth he had never felt his own name really fit him, in looks or personality. Such a western name did not very well match a child with a substantially Asian face any more than a name meaning beloved fit a child who refused to build friendships. He liked the idea of starting over, however the word Backup stuck in his mind like a train wreck. He was unsure of how he felt about that. In the very least it would take some getting used to.

As the car pulled through the opening gates at the entrance B peaked out the window cautiously as if he didn't want anyone to know he was looking. Most of the building's young occupants were seizing the opportunity due to the unusually pleasant weather to play outside. For the first time in eternities he felt nervous as he stepped out of the car. The building seemed to look down at him dauntingly as if it were scrutinizing his every move. He kept his gaze halfway between the floor and the man in front of him as Howard led him down the hall towards his new room. They passed another kid who B only took a quick glance at and speculated to be close in age to himself on the way.

Howard left B to himself in his room; he had better things to do. Of course. B didn't mind though. He would rather have it this way. Somehow, although the room in its ordinary state held no particular interest, he felt as if he'd been thrown into another dimension. He dropped himself on the bed and looked up at the ceiling hanging on arm off of the bed. There was no guarantee he would like it there, the idea was nice enough but it was so foreign a territory he didn't want to allow himself any assumptions just yet. At least he would wait until he was familiar with the run of things. For now he was content in thinking it couldn't be any worse than where he was.

 

[Batman]

Ciel was not a social butterfly. He did not have friends, but that was strictly by choice. He felt that their social intellect was lacking. They were so unaware of everything that went around them. While Ciel did engage in sports, he would most likely would be reading or pointing out holes in England's political system. Once in his life he would like to have a conversation that actually held some type of value. His butler and his fiance approached him. Yes he was engaged, but not by choice. If he could one day escape this blasphemous place, he would indeed break off such a rediculous future. His fiance suggested playing tag.

Ciel was not in the mood for such childish games that were offered to him. They weren't amusing in the slightest and he was rather insulted that they had even suggested the idea. He looked up at his father who was chewing on his pen at his study.

"One hundred people die of choking to death on a ball point pen... Did you know that?" Ciel said.

That was such a wretched habit. It rather sickened Ciel to his very core. However, not long after Ciel had something, his father started to choke and die. Ciel was not able to do anything seeing as he was not strong enough to perform the heimlich maneuver. His father made no sounds, save for high pitched noises.

"I told you so..." Was all Ciel said.

His mother was not happy with her son. The reason they were standing at this funeral was because Ciel had somehow cursed his father. That was not the case. Ciel simply stated a fact in hopes that his father would quit such disgusting habit. His death was his own fault. If he had listened, the old man would still be here now. Ciel did not cry, but he was simply amused with the reaction of his family and the reason for his father's death. Everyone is family knew about his habit and they all thought that only smoking a pipe would kill you. They were gravely mistaken. This was proof right here that almost anything could kill you.

Ciel left his mourning family and headed off to the tea shop across the street. An elderly man offered Ciel of game of chess and he eagerly obliged. After about ten moves, Ciel was already predicting checkmate.

"You see this structure here? It's known as the knight's outpost and something I like to call the queen's demise. You can not capture my knight because it is protected by my pawn. Should you capture my knight, you will suffer the loss of heavy material. Secondly, if your queen moves anywhere, I will capture it. The most I would sacrifice would be a knight and then I would push with Rook threatening your bishop and your knight. Rook captures Rook. Queen take knight. King E1, Queen takes Bishop. Rook checks my king, bishop takes rook, King to D1, Queen H1 checkmate."

The oldman shook his head and disbelief and was even more shocked to find out that he did exactly what the boy said he would, losing the match. Ciel bowed and was ready to take his leave when he almost ran into a man standing before him.

"Excuse me sir..." Ciel started to say before he was stopped by the businessman, "Sir, is there something you want? I can assure you, I did not take your wallet."

The businessman shook his head, "You've passed the test."

"Excuse me sir, what test?" Ciel asked, getting a little irritated. He was not in the mood for idle chit chat.

"I was actaually coming to see if you were the boy that I was to take with me, but you impressed me with your game of chess."

Ciel just smiled, "I have actually never played a game of chess in my life. But if you think about it, life is a game a chess and it is up to you whether or not you are a pawn... or the king."

The businessman said nothing. This definitly had to be the kid. There was no way it couldn't be.

"You have a choice you know... about whether or not you wish to join us." The businessman said.

"If what you say is true, I will say that I most definitly intrigued. However, I sense that is not your true business and if you want me to accompany you, I would say that you start spilling."

The man was shocked at the boys words. Ciel had read the man like a children's book. He had no choice but to cough up his real reasons for having such an interest in him.

"Have you ever come across someone by the name L. He is a detective."

"I don't believe I have. Speak your mind commoner!" Ciel said, his temper finally coming out.

"Calm down you will soon learn of L. We need create a sucessor... or rather a replica if you will. You are the first and there is one other, but since you are the first, you will be known as A."

A? What type of nonsense is this? His parents' name was more than satisfactory. A was not something he wished to be called. It made for the opening to be the butt end of a lot jokes.

Ciel, well A, thought all of this over. He had no desire to stay with his parents. In truth, they were not even his real parents. A was adopted. He thought that his English name fit him quite well. Though if he had the option of staying and living among the foolish rich or leaving and living among the ingenious commoners, his choice was already well set in stone. A already lived in England and so getting to Wammy's took no time at all. He was in fact eager to meet this B, if there was even going to be one.

A walked in to his room. It was smaller than what he was used to, but he took no mind to it. A few days later, another boy joined the house and A found it safe to assume that this other boy was B. So A had an opponent. He was eager to meet him, but he would wait until B got settled. Then he would formally introduce himself as A, the sucessor to L.

 

[KLV]

Silence hung in the room as B lay across the bed looking up at the ceiling. He was swinging between a state of being asleep and wide awake. Most of him screamed to just slip into oblivion but his mind continued on a steady thought path. The idea of succeeding someone else seemed ridiculous at first, but the longer he thought on it the more sense it made. Like a master and apprentice. However B had no idea who or what he was expected to succeed. Oh and there was that paper Howard had mentioned. He hadn't been told much about it yet, but perhaps he was supposed to figure that out on his own, or maybe that was the main task for the next day. There was also A to consider. Who was A and what would he be to him? Were they competing? The more he thought the more B realized that he had no real idea what he was doing there. This gave him a feeling of uneasiness. Of course he had come following the promise of a better place to live, a facility more fitting to groom his abilities, but he had chosen to come out of curiosity. What would a place like that be like? Surely it couldn't have been any worse than the foster home he had been in.

Now wasn't the time to be sleeping, it was still light out...Whatever time it was it was too early to think about it. Before his mind had wandered far enough to leave him asleep B pushed himself up, forced his eyes back open, and looked down at the bag on the floor. He supposed he ought to deal with it before all of his clothes were completely crumpled. If they weren't already. He willed himself to stand and drag the bag over to a dresser on the opposite wall.

One look at the contents of the bag put a frown on his face…Wrinkled. A small sigh escaped his lips as he pulled open a drawer; it was useless worrying about them now. He wondered silently as he took each individual clothing item from the bag and placed it neatly in a drawer. He wasn't one to doubt himself, and wasn't about to start now but, there was no telling what would be in store from this point on. At least not that he could see from where he stood at that moment. It was far too early and also uncharacteristic to entertain such thoughts. He pushed the notion back and focused on the chore before him.

B stood back up with the bag and its remaining contents then tossed it on the bed. As much as he wanted to do the same and simply drift off something else drove him to the half open door. It was a mild curiosity, which would probably only be disappointed in finding there was nothing particularly extraordinary or unusual to discover.

He had left the room to wander the building and familiarize himself with its halls and rooms. Of course judging it only from the outside it would take quite some time. The wide hallways made him feel particularly small creating in him a feeling of insecurity he was unaccustomed to. That he strived to hide behind an uninterested expression. Silence and emptiness filled the polished halls with only the occasional distance shout or squeal drifting from the outside. Most of the rooms were locked or simply void of any sort of life worth looking into.

It had only taken one corner turn and the boy to step out for a collision with another body. A slightly shorter girl with curly brunette hair and glasses looked up at what she had rammed into from her position on the floor. She really hadn't expected anyone to come around at that moment obviously and was only puzzled by the unfamiliar face before her. He made no move to help her up and she in return sought none, but only stared back. Hannah Evans, he noted seemed rather klutzy and he set that back in his mind on the off chance he ever happened to run into her again.

The way he stared gave her a rather awkward sensation she imagined someone in a horror movie might feel when they realized the killer was behind them. It was the uncomfortable silence that drove her to stand and shyly give a "Sorry" before hurrying off in the direction she had been headed before the crash, but not without sending back a suspicious glance. B knew what she had wanted to say and it wasn't sorry. If she had had the courage to do so she would have asked why he didn't help her up when the incident was half his fault to begin with. Naturally she would pick herself and B felt no obligation to assist knowing she was perfectly capable of doing so on her own. He simply watched silently and left the doorway when she was out of sight.

Wandering into an open room he glanced around with a mildly amused expression. It was littered with lounge furniture and shelves of books running back farther than he cared too look. Although he had never held any particular interest in libraries it seemed fitting for a place centered on training the most brilliant of minds to require a most extensive collection. B made a mental map of the area and turned around. The entire place seemed quite enough, he thought perhaps it wasn't such a bad time to close his eyes. Since no one would be looking for him he probably wouldn't be disturbed. He headed back in the direction he had come in.

Since everyone else seemed to be outside he questioned if that was where A was as well. He wondered but didn't really care, what kind of person A would be. Of course he told himself it wouldn't matter, if David…or B found the drive to reach for something it didn't really matter who the competition was. That is of course when he found the motivation. He continued down the hall towards his room sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked.

 

[Batman]

A had already finished his paper was now looking for something to amuse himself with. He did not want to go outside and expose his porecelain skin to the elements. Those times of his life had ended. However, he would still exercise to maintain his amazing physique. There would be time for A to do that later. He did not expect anyone to be inside and he saw another boy. The boy was unfamiliar to A and he was indeed intrigued by the new face. For the time being he took no notice of him and went to his own room. He opened a book and began to read it. It was Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. The books were dark, but in his opinion they were more real than a lot of things these days.

On A's desk was a notebook, Edgar Allan Poe's complete collection of works, and a book called Principles of Chess. On the bed was a chess board complete with pieces. A had gotten in the sport of chess and he often challenged himself seeing as no one else had gotten into the game. A had become a master of the game and had beaten everyone who said that they could play. He missed his butler immensely, but there was nothing that could be done about that. His parents weren't missed so much. They were a imbeciles the both of them.

Reading the book, he started to wonder about his own life here. He was supposed to be the successor of someone he was not the most familiar with and thinking of it, he went back to the study and searched for a book about this mysterious L. After finding one that would suffice he went returned to his room and began to read about him. So this L person was a genious like himself. A pulled out a sucker and continued to read the book. L was certainly interesting to say the least and this new information was quite useful. A had not thought about competing with B, but simply because he thought that two minds were better than one and there was no need for such pointless competition. He had not come here in search of being better than someone else. He just wanted a better life with better opprotunities and this foster home provided it for him.

A got a little ways through the book about L when he became distracted by something else. There was a small scratching noise and he looked around searching for the source. It stopped suddenly and when he heard it again, he snapped his head in the direction and saw that the noise was nothing more than a kid who had wandered accidentally into his room. A looked at the kid and allowed him to see his way out before continuing to read his book. The kids here made him wonder. Why were they all here? Were they just some sort of cover up or were they chosen like him?

 

[KLV]

B kept an unimpressed expression on his face, more to keep himself calm than to appear so. He couldn't help that despite knowing it made him look ever so childish he was curious, mostly to know who L was and A as well. He had half a mind to just go up to someone and ask what they knew. But it was very rare for him to engage in conversation with someone he didn't know, unless they had initiated it. That being said he could also be just as reluctant to strike up a casual conversation with someone he did know well. Not because he was shy, far from it really. It was simply that he had no desire to. Perhaps it was that he was just ever so slightly asocial or perhaps it was only that he had yet to meet anyone who was capable of conversing on his level. Either way he came off as unapproachable.

He rounded the corner and made way for his room leaving the door open behind him. Just in case someone like A came by…He didn't know who to expect but if someone did happen to wander by he was determined to ask even if he made himself look foolish. He slid open the drawers of the desk not expecting anything interesting but just to have something to do. A top drawer held several packets of paper. Presumably to write that paper. He pulled out a stack and tore off the plastic wrapping then dropped a few sheets on the top of the desk. He sifted through the mostly empty drawers looking for a writing utensil, finding a small compartment holding several. It seemed they had wanted him to get started on it right away.

He put a sharpened pencil to the paper then dropped it a few seconds after. Leaning back in the chair he frowned back at the annoyingly blank paper. Where to start…? With such a big project it would have been nice of someone told him how to begin such a vague task. Then again that would have been counterproductive. He could simply start by making a general list with some notes and going on from there. B picked up the pencil again and began putting things down as they came to his mind, in small but very neat and even hand writing.

It wasn't long before he grew tired of the tedious act and felt the need to pause and stand. Stretching his arms and legs B stepped away from the desk. He supposed since he still had twenty nine days not counting the present one he didn't need to be in such a rush.

He left his own room to see someone else exiting the one next to it leaving the door half way open. He moved closer and glanced inside. Its occupant didn't seem to be any more social than he. He nudged the door all the way open with his foot and stood in doorway with his hands in his pockets and leaned against the frame. He had no drive to announce himself or to be the one to start up the conversation. He simply stared wondering if boy in this room was A or not.

 

[Batman]

A heard his door open and saw the boy from earlier. He seemed to have about a different air about him from the other kids. Though he found it quite rude that he didn't knock, but rather opened the door simply because he had the desire to see who was inside. A shook his head. There was no need to ponder about a such a thing. However, it would be rude of him not to invite the boy in. A made a motion for the kid to enter the room. It was completely spotless and when A picked up his chess set from the bed, it looked as though the bed had been freshly made. Which was true for the most part. A didn't like messes or dirt. He returned to his desk and opened the dresser. It was his paper and a rather thick one at that. It had to be a little more than two hundred pages long.

A's paper was organized like a timeline. His knowledge was always increasing. He personally liked explaining about Vlad Dracul. Vlad Dracul was a sick man, but he ruled none the less. On top of that, there was no crime. With a ruler like him, it was madness to oppose him. Most people suffered execution through impalement and not through the chest or throat. Most times the impalement was done anally or vaginally. This made for a very painful and slow death. Vlad Dracul had also been known to make mothers eat their own kids as a punishment. That in itself was intriguing.

A also had a section in his paper about his theories. He had a theory about time travel. He always thought of it to be a state of mind. You can not change the past, but you may refer back to it and gather information you may not have remembered, granted you had written it down or a good memory. One also need think about possibilities to travel to the future. It's always changing so it's different almost eveytime you refer to it for ideas, but this was only a small portion of his theories. He had several hundred of them, most of them containing math equasions or the graphing of equasions.

Returning to the present, A shut the dresser containing his paper and waited for the boy to say something. From the looks of it, the boy did not appear to be social in the least. Though this did not bother A. He was not a social butterfly himself. He often tended to shy away from the masses. A deemed his looks to be too inviting to most. When people talked to him, they got the sense that they were talking to someone who knew a bit more than they did. A bit more was an understatement. A great deal more seemed to be the better expression for it.

 

[KLV]

B took only a few steps in and gave the room a sweep with his eye and watched as A picked up after himself. He seemed to be rather clean, not to mention a bit particular, B noted seeing A's organized desk drawers. Of course he himself was rather OCD sometimes, especially with his clothing.

There didn't seem to be anything marking this other boy as standing out B was debating about asking this at all. "Are you A?" He asked. If so his appearance on the whole seemed threatening to B. Not because he looked unapproachable, quite the opposite. He seemed significantly more pleasant the B, of course he was only guessing without knowing anything. If someone had entered in to B's room uninvited he would have stared them down until they walked away feeling awkward. He could tell though that this boy at least possessed manners something B obviously seemed to be lacking. A simply glance at A's accomplishments showed rather remarkable extra-curricular activities. B had little than less to show for himself at the present. Clever he was, but experienced could not describe him.

B's lack of achievements gave him an unfamiliar feeling of inferiority that he tried to cover with a careless attitude. Usually when someone attempted to put him in his place he could just brush them off or otherwise completely confuse and irritate them. It seemed those days were gone and he wanted nothing more at the moment to build himself up again. Maybe that was what he was there for…to reach after the knowledge he desperately wanted. A mind as curious and brilliant as his longed for understanding, it hungered for it, needed it even. He had never been so privileged to fuel it so. When he thought of his situation as only that, simply a greater learning opportunity it made him somewhat excited. But considering the circumstances in which he was brought, an attempt at making a successor, a backup, a copy. Things seemed little more to him than a competition.

As he saw it there could only be one right? Only on successor, only one L. But then again he had no idea who this L was and if he really wanted anything to do with him. And in any case as he looked into the face of Reita Onagiri, B wasn't sure why he felt so threatened to begin with. This kid whether he was A or not wouldn't live long enough to succeed anyone. For the time being there was nothing wrong with simply acting casual, maybe this kid could tell him something about L.

 

[Batman]

"Indeed I am A. Welcome to my quarters, though I'm a little doubtful that you're here for idle chit chat. You'd like some information on this L, correct?" A asked curiously, "And the fact that you are here means that you are B?"

A was undecided about his latest guest. B to him was not a rival or at least not yet. There was perhaps only one L, but there were two great minds in this house now. A sat in his chair much like a king would sit in his throne. One leg crossed over the other and his head resting calmly on fist made for a very regal appearance. His clothes were richly made and a walking cane was close by.

The meeting between A and his counterpart B seemed to be lacking a little something, though it was hard to tell what. Pondering such a thing was just a waste of time, but perhaps A would find what he was looking for and carry on about his business. B was curious like him about this L they were to be the sucessor of. It seemed a little strange to ask, but why have only one remain superior when two would be better than one. That would be two times what L would have hoped to be, but the public did not work in such ways. It was because of this that there was always war. Someone always tried to be on top. Even if the two countries would be better off working together, someone always tried to one up the other seeking supremacy they should not and would not get.

A looked at B. He wondered what was going on inside his head. Perhaps B sensed that they were connected in such an odd way. The two of them were adopted and had great minds, but only one of them would remain on top. It was disappointing really. Why would one go through all the trouble of searching for great minds only to keep one. A did not even know his real name. When he was adopted, he was given the name of Ciel. A wondered if B even knew his birth name. It was highly unlikely. Most foster children or orphans did not. Ciel's parents had long since died. It just so happened that he was adopted by a rich family much to his advantage. The rich had acess to resources the poor would never be able to reach. There was nothing anyone could do to change that and maybe that is the true reason he was A, though he could not be sure. He still needed to measure this B's intellect before giving an accurate analysis.

 

[KLV]

B was a little less than alarmed at A's response, but did his best to hide it. Not only did A possess a very high refined manner that annoyed B a little more than it should, but A also read him like an open book. Was he that easy to figure out? Genius or not B did not like anyone being able to pinpoint him so easily, nor was it something he was accustomed to. This undoubtedly would be something he would have to learn to deal with.

For a few minutes he refused to reply simply giving the other a good look over with his eyes as if he were trying to determine if A was worth talking to. It seemed as though A and B were two pieces pulled together by a magnetic force. Just considering their appearance only they seemed to be opposites. A held himself in a most dignified manner adorning himself with rather tasteful and most likely quite costly clothing, while B stood with his hands in the pocket of a pair of plain worn jeans. It was accurate to say that he didn't put much thought into the things he put on his back, so long as he didn't get any unwanted attention it didn't really matter to him. Of course the comparison didn't end there, but it seemed he was comparing apples to oranges. The two of them obviously came from completely different backgrounds. That was a given. Anyway there they were now, as if drawn in by some strange tide trying to string together their fates, and anything that had happened in their lives before didn't matter. If that were true then perhaps the mingling of two very different individuals was intentional. As if bringing together two opposite forces to set in motion something greater.

Well it was far too early to say they were nothing alike they had both made it here anyway. B had to keep telling himself not to jump to conclusions. He knew next to nothing about A and didn't want to make a fool of himself in thinking something that would end up being false. And in any case fate wasn't something B like to put much weight on. With only one exception he refused to believe there was some sort of greater force that drove everyone to do its will. No he hated that thought in fact. He wanted control, control over his own life at least.

He knew of course that wasn't entirely possible, to have complete control over one's own life. If that were true then one would also have control over their death. Something he had learned was impossible despite one's best efforts death was manifest. Just like the sun setting in the evening or rain hitting the ground when it fell. Everyone would die eventually. And they had no say in when or how. Mankind would be forever looking for something to stop or put off their own demise remaining unaware that they had no say in the matter. You would die when your time was up, whether you wanted to or not, and you would live whether you wanted to or not until your time was up. It was something, B admitted to himself that puzzled him for a while. How was that possible, and more importantly why? Was it just something that was arbitrarily determined at birth, like drawing lots? Or was the world working towards some enormous goal? Honestly he suspected the former, it just seemed to naïve to assume the latter and frankly he didn't like the idea of it. It went back to the fact that he didn't like thinking there was something controlling his thoughts and ultimately his actions.

Finally he nodded, and then gave a second nod confirming both of A's suspicions. Yes he was B, and yes he did want to know about L. Although it wasn't the first thing on his mind. He had been wondering what A stood for. He speculated that the reason for him being B and A being called A was the order in which they had arrived. But he had been told before he arrived that B stood for Backup, so he wondered if A had any significance as well. Like Another, Alternate, Always, Absolute… Asphyxia…He had to hold back a smile and a laugh at the last one, now he was just being silly it seemed.

"Who is he anyway?" B asked without changing his expression. Was it possible A had met L? It was something B wanted to do only because it seemed natural. Why wouldn't you meet someone you were expected to succeed?

[I think I got a little carried away...I told you I do that...in some irrational attempt at sounding intelligent. Sorry >_<]

 

[Batman]

A thought about L. Even in the rather brief biography much wasn't explained. It was all very vague and it was apparent that this L had many aliases. He prefers solitude to protect himself and he often worked through others. So this L seemed to be somewhat of a coward, though his methods were understandable. L's mind was the equivalent to five detective organizations and seven intelligence agencies. If anyone were to discover L's appearance, they could kill him, with almost no chance of being discovered. A rather amusing bunch of facts those were. And A or B was to replace him it seemed.

"As you previously found out, L is famous detective, but he is a genious. He prefers his solitude and works through others and reasonably so. I've come to the conclusion that L is such a threat to criminals that anyone who knew of his whereabout and of his appearance he would be killed and the murderer would have little to no chance of ever being discovered. Though that's the more relevant thing I've come up with. This book is a load of rubbish giving you the absolute minimum of information about this L we're supposed to be succeeding." A said tiredly.

He yawned and begged for B's pardon as A felt it was rude to yawn in front of guests. A repositioned himself so that he once again gave off the appearance as someone of royal standards. He looked in his dresser searching for something sweet. Finding another sucker, he held it rather delicately as if it would break as soon as it touched his lips. A offered one to B pondering over whether or not B had a sweet tooth. Irrelavant to there current conversation? Perhaps, but it wouldn't harm A to be curteous would it?

Now that A had finished his rather brief explanation about L, he wondered about B. How did he come to be here? What was his family like? Or more importantly, where did he come from? A highly doubted that it was England. Perphaps eastern Asia, but he could not pinpoint the guess. A himself was from England, but he did not look to be English in the slightest. He originated from Japan, though he himself was not aware of having ties to Japan at all and hadn't given it so much as a second thought.

 

[KLV]

B listened attentively to what A was saying on the matter. A detective was he? The thought brought a smile to B's lips as he imagined himself as such. Although it was never a path he would have chosen for himself, but it had an appealing ring to it nonetheless. As he entertained the thought for a moment the smile grew larger. If he were to succeed and become this L, how convenient would it be for a detective to be able to see people's names? He had never found his eyes particularly useful or anything other than a strange reminder of man's mortality, but for a moment it amused him. Being able to see when a person would die, and their name. The scenarios that ran through his head quickly fed his interest, and he found himself wanting to know more. What did L look like? How old was he? What was his name? Especially his name, B loved knowing a person's name; he was near obsessed with names. It didn't seem though that A knew anymore. Who could he ask that would be able to tell him more?

It was strange though for someone with such a huge reputation to be so obscure. Although when A mentioned that the reason for L's anonymity B thought it to be a necessary oddity. On a what if basis if the first L had died or something equally incapacitating happened to him then the second could step up and resume his purpose and the world would never have to know. It was like a perfectly acted scene from a play, or a game. A game with most unusual rules.

B took the sucker offered to him and gave a small "thanks" in return. Was this usual for A? Did he have a craving for sweets or something? B pondered this as he twirled the stick in his fingers. He didn't mind sweets, most people didn't really, but at the moment it wasn't something he particularly cared about. He stared back as A looked him over. Possibly just because he was the only other being in the room, or that he was trying to discern what type of person B was, or perhaps he waiting for him to say something. B hated to think that A was judging or analyzing him, it didn't seem fair to him. They were both in the same boat, stuck in the same position, between the starting line and the finishing point. Granted that saying so didn't mean A wasn't ahead of him, but until he reached the goal it was never too late to switch things around. All in all B felt that A had no place judging him, unless he could do the same.

So he simply stared back at A wondering how he had gotten there. B had been brought in part he guessed because he had no family willing to take him, he didn't really have a permanent home, and he had rather hoped to find some sense of belonging here. With A there, it didn't seem quite so certain. Which led him back to wondering if A was a threat to him or not. A seemed rather intelligent, but was he really something special? Be unwrapped the sucker and gave it a lick, not wanting to seem too rude, he imagined he came off as such often, and although he didn't usually care, he wasn't about to show his every weakness to A at that moment. He searched his mind for something to say, preferably a question in which he could determine A's intellectual nature, but such a question that also kept a casual nature escaped his grasp. "What does A stand for?" He asked instead wondering if he was even told such a thing.

 

[Batman]

A pondered over B's sudden question. He had not been told what A stood for. He always assumed it meant Artificial. He could not be another L, but rather an artificial one. It was then that A began to wonder. HE was well aware that B stood for Backup, but A found the name to be quite unbecoming. If A was not a sure thing, then why shouldn't B stand for something different. Perhaps Better or Brilliant? Befitting, even Beneficiary? It was apparent that the two of them had the chance of successing L. However, A could only wonder why they did not make use of both great minds. It would mean that if one got killed, then there would be another to carry on. It was even possible that the two of them could surpass this L and render him obsolete. Would that not be a goal to work towards?

A stared intensely at B. He was not analyzing him or even judging his character. That did not make it right to assume that A was not curious about B, but that did not give him a reason to prod his life. On top of which, A did find B to be a little rude, but such a quirk could be overlooked as a minor flaw in B's character. In which case, A was not really trying to judge him and did not have any interest in doing so. If anything, he found that communication and interaction with him, would be the best way to judge a person's character. A found that looks were often deceiving and to judge a person simply after a few exchanges of words was simply rude and ignorant. After several moments, A responded to the question that still resided in the air.

"I was not told what A stood for, but I prefer to think that it stands for Artificial. Like an articial L if you will. Since you have asked this question and judging by the silence that puts a damper on conversation, you want to know more about me and about this L, correct? If we look in the right places and ask the right questions, I'm sure that we'll find the answers," A answered, his expression unreadable.

A once again took his regal pose after taking out yet another sucker and held it delicately in his hands. It was as if the sucker would once again break as soon as it touched his lips. A was obscure and for reasons unknown to most. Upon extremely close inspection, one could see that he wore make up. If A was asked about this he would say it was simply to accentuate his porcelain skin. This was not the case. A had a birthmark right beside his left eye that ironically was shaped like an A, but it was always covered. Without his make up, A would most likely be unrecognizable, giving him absolute anonmynity. However, most people overlooked this aspect as a very peculiar and odd quirk. A wore eyeliner to which gave him the appearance of being a little wide eyed since he wore on both the top and bottom of his eyes.

 

[KLV]

B stuck the sucker in his mouth and twirled in with his tongue waiting for A's response. He imagined he came off as rather ill-mannered, in comparison. He was not accustom to going out of his comfort zone for such formalities, even though he had been taught better. One could say it was in part because of his inability to connect with others on an emotional or intellectual level. But it was simply his nature or perhaps his habit to act so aloof around others, particularly those he didn't know well. Or on the chance he found someone he really didn't like he could be downright offensive. He doubted that A and he would get along much, but of course that also depended on A. If he was willing to take the initiative, because B certainly wasn't going to by choice. Then again perhaps A would rub off on B.

B was in an ambiguous situation. Everything that had happened prior to arriving at Wammy's had been abandoned at this point and with such an uncertain path ahead almost anything could become of him. He sat still like a lump of clay ready to be molded, for better or for worse.

He used the silence to try and piece together his own thoughts of A. He seemed flawless. Like a doll. He certainly looked like one. It was partially his mannerisms that gave B this impression though. Although A was indeed composed and no doubt highly intelligent it seemed painted on. B found it hard to believe that anyone could be so perfect and the image he was receiving from A seemed to give off such an air. He forced himself to shake the thought, it was infantile, he was thinking too much on what his eyes were seeing and not enough on what he should have been seeing. A was a child just like him, there for the same purpose and although holding a completely different personality they had no choice but to walk side by side until someone could step in and direct them. That someone would probably be L.

When A finally did speak up B only raised his eyebrow and stared back, sticking one hand in his pocket and pulled the sucker out of his mouth with the other. Artificial…? That made him sound like a robot or something. But perhaps that was the intention, that they were merely little copies being thrown together on an assembly line. B wished A would give some sign of weakness, or flaw if only to make him feel more at ease. He let out a little silent sigh thinking he would be moving on soon. Since A didn't seem to have anything to offer more about L. He wondered if they would be able to meet L, one would think they'd have to but given that he was extremely secretive the possibility seemed remote. He was interested in A himself however he hated to be the first to ask the questions. Plus he was terrible at small talk, every conversation he directed ended up somewhere along the lines of I bet you could kill someone with that, or how would you prefer to die? He had almost convinced himself that anything could be a weapon if used right. Somehow he imagined this wasn't the time for such discussions.

"Artificial…" He said softly to himself, it didn't sound any worse than backup. It seemed odd that B would stand for something and not A.

What makes you think you could succeed L? He wanted to ask, but thought for once it was better not to come out sounding rude and immature. "I suppose so." He said finally hating to break the silence but also hating the unnaturally awkward feeling it was bringing. "There must be something about him somewhere, if he's that big of a detective surely there's some kind of documentation on a case he's solved. Like a newspaper article mentioning his involvement or something like that." He felt like he was rambling now. A wasn't stupid of course he'd think of that, he probably already check up on that as well. "So what do you make of this place so far?" He said trying to cover up with what ended up being an equally lame question. It wasn't meant to come out so, but he did want to know a little bit more about Wammy's.

[OK there it's finished, for some reason I had many issues with it. I hope it's not too lame.]

 

[Batman]

"I have to say I feel rather indifferent about it. I must say however, I do miss my butler. As of late, my time here has been rather uneventful and quite the disappointment. I have to admit that I am glad to have met you. You are much more entertaining than the children that were here previous to us," A said with utmost sincerity, in an attempt to make B's acquaintance. He preferred a friendly rivalry rather than a hateful one, "If you don't mind me asking, would you care to help me badger the authorities about this place for more information about L. They would be better suited to help us than these books so to speak. As much as I would rather meet him myself."

A was not in the least bit bothered by B's ramblings. He was rather glad for the conversation. However, A felt that there was another question that hung in the air. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable. A wanted to ask some rather peculiar questions about B and it was safe to assume that B would like to do the same. The question was when they would arrange a time for something like that. He pondered over the questions in his head and simply pushed them aside. The time for that would come. A would just have to be patient. When the time came, B would be free to badger A all he wanted, though A was doubtful that B would be able to discover much about him seeing as A didn't know much about himself.

The statement about A not knowing much about himself was odd. He didn't really see himself as having a personality, though it was quite obvious to others that he had more than enough personality. A's reasoning for this assumption about himself was that he rarely ever showed his faults though he had many. On top of which, A had never gotten extremely angry or extremely sad. Those parts of him seemed to have been erased if that was the proper term for it. He was brought up by rich folks and loneliness. A himself had not had a single friend. He was aware of how unusual this seemed to be among children at his age, but it had not bothered him until now.

A wanted to carry on an idle conversation about something, anything, but no one ever would. A snapped himself back to the present as he tried to wipe those thoughts from his mind. He waited for B's response, looking wide eyed as he tossed away his sucker stick in a nearby trash can.

 

[KLV]

A smile, or rather a smirk threatened to creep up on B's face as A stated his request. "Of course I would." He'd be all too happy to pester anyone he could that would possibly know something about L. Not only was he hungry to know more, but irritating adults; was a talent of his. Between the two of them surely they could find out something. He found it interesting that A mentioned having a butler…Interesting because it was foreign to him; it just showed how different their backgrounds were. The slightest hint of curiosity for the other was filed away to be brought up at a later time.

So Wammy's may have not been the most interesting place in the world. Even if it ended up being nothing more than an unusual waste of time, B found it worth wile. It wasn't as if he had been particularly happy, or amused at where he had been before. Even his own home, his parent's and eventually just his mother had been only a place he lived because he simply had nowhere else to be. Although in all honestly he had be somewhat attached to his father. It was only natural for small boy to admire his father regardless of the latter's lack of parenting skills. No one had seemed to notice, but it was his death that had driven the young B to cut himself off from the rest of the world. But that was years ago, and B pushed the thought back. His thought trail had gone far astray for too long now.

Trying to hastily throw together another thought topic he shoved the sucker in his mouth to try and make the awkward silence seem more natural. But the conversation about the Wammy's House seemed to be exhausted after A expressed his lack of fascination. Perhaps something about A himself, but B was only mildly curious about the other. His thought drifted in circles for a few minutes before landing back on the essay he was currently avoiding. After a minute of pondering he removed the sucker to say "You had to write an essay didn't you? Is it finished?" There was a second motive to asking that, being somewhat stumped at the moment it was his secret hope that he could get A to spill some useful ideas on the matter.

B was rather proud of himself in a way. This was the most successful conversation he had had in ages. Successful in that it had lasted longer than five minutes and he wasn't irritating the person on the other end or being told off for it. He noticed after a few minutes of being in A's room that his own manners (or what remained of them) had increased. Compared to his usual self he was being uncharacteristically well behaved. Perhaps it was the new environment and he was simply waiting until everything sank in to bring out his more…obnoxious side. Obnoxious in that the comments he made were often unwanted or bizarre in natured, but not necessarily loud or interruptive. He closed his lips over the candy to free his hand and then stuck both hands in his pockets and leaned against the door frame looking around the room, simply for something to do. Apparently staring at the other boy lost its appeal quickly.

[I do not know what my problem is lately so I have no idea what to apologize for.]

 

[Batman]

Irritating adults was a favorite past time of A's as well. However, most did not know this. It is not until one has spent a lot of time around A to know that he toys a lot with people's mind, simply for the joy of doing so. In this way, A was human, but A himself was more robot like than anything. He had the inability to really process emotions thoroughly, but he could easily identify the reason a person was feeling such a way. The way A handled things was robotic also. He talked to one as though he'd like to remain a certain distance from them. There were several reasons for this behavior, but most of them are kept under wraps. However, A found himself to be a little less robotic when speaking to B, but he did not ponder the reason why, nor did he care. It was bound to happen sooner or later and he had predicted that it would happen at this place anyway.

A was proud of himself too. His shocking politeness usually got the better of people and caused them to be annoyed or irritated. On top of which, his annoying habit of reading people hadn't seemed to get to this person just yet. A was still trying to learn what about being read made people so annoyed. From what A had observed in the past, people preferred it if people had their minds read. He didn't ponder the thought for too long before returning to the task at hand. Which currently was the question B had just asked.

"The essay is completed. I am going to assume you were asked to write one as well. And correct me if I'm mistaken, but you're stumped as of where to start, correct? You want me to give you some ideas? Well, how about some advice? Don't tell them everything you know," A answered. He hoped that B would catch on quickly.

The reason A had not written down everything he knew, was that people weren't ready to know what he knew. He did not believe the world was ready to hear his theories or puzzles he had put together. Or diagrams of inventions that many scientists would kill to get their hands on. There was one puzzle in particular that A had begun to put together that would seem rather illogical to most. He labeled this part of this knowledge, I-note. The I stood for, Illogical because everything about this discovery seemed surreal in every way, yet it made sense and that part was scary.

A's thoughts wandered back to the questioning of adults and pumping them of information. He would take great pleasure in doing so and with an intellect like B on his side. It would be all to easy.

[I had writer's block for the longest time. I am really sorry for the delay. I think I rambled a bit in this post too.]

 

[KLV]

B shifted his weight from one leg to the other and made no effort to hide his discontent in being read so easily. But of course in the end he had gotten what he wanted to hear. It wasn't that he needed help really, if he took the time he would eventually figure out what to do on his own, but starting proved rather difficult. He was thinking at first A was making fun of him when he said "Don't tell them everything you know", well that was contrary to what he had been first told, but as the thought settled in the more he decided there were some things better kept to himself, a few things that need not be listed at all, and a few things he really would rather not explain how he came to know.

The foot he was holding himself up with began to complain as the other had done only moments ago leaving booth feet rather tired and aching. All of him really, he was beginning to regret leaving his room in the first place as his not so considerate jet lag tugged at him. Pushing away from the door frame with the slightest effort he lowered himself to the floor and crossed his legs. A probably already thought his manners were nonexistent so he had nothing to lose really. Neither did he really have a reason to stick around in the other boy's room. He had gotten what he came for and was now siting awkwardly on the floor of someone else's room looking around whilst searching for some kind of appropriate comment.

In his searching's he wondered if they were using this orphanage to find a replacement L were they also using others as well? Shaw had said that He and A were the only ones there in line to succeed L, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be others elsewhere. Although he thought it was highly unlikely, in which case he wondered why HERE? Was it just randomly chosen or was L somehow connected to Wammy's House?

He was about to ask A's opinion when a particularly bouncy little girl with dark hair and a complexion to match ran by. She had to backtrack a bit to get to her destination. She twirled a lock of her curled hair as she popped in. Quickly his eyes snapped from her rather large eyes to the pretty name above her. Josefina Torres…She couldn't be more than seven which was a pity; the poor thing had less than a month.

"A aren't you coming to sup- who's that?" She asked changing her thought midsentence and extended one finger pointing at B. Her voice spilled out a foreign accent that led B to assume he had been saying her name wrong even if it was only in his head. Her attention span seemed to extend as far as her manners, although she was not so much intentionally rude as just very silly and distracted.

B had the sudden animalistic urge to bite of her finger until his previous thoughts returned to question what the other kids were doing there. Not that they couldn't be, he just wondered how this was going to work. He and A were the first baby Ls so…great they were guinea pigs. Looking back at her briefly he wondered if the others were given new "names" as well or if they got to keep their own and this silly alphabet system was new as well.

[It's OK. At least your ramblings sound halfway intelligent unlike someones...Sorry it's short. And that it took me a while, I've been busy and tired.]

 

[Batman]

"It's incredibly rude to point. And you know I highly dislike your company, so please enlighten me with an answer as to why you're here?" There was a rising intonation in A's voice as if he was a professor asking a group of students a question that he was sure they did not know the answer to. In short it was almost rhetorical, but A still expected an answer nonetheless.

A didn't say anything about B's slight discomfort. He just noted it and carried on. It seemed as though A had not even noticed the gesture at all.

"And please, sit in a chair or the bed. Those items are much more comfortable than the floor I assure you."

A did not look back at B, but simply at the girl, whose name he did not know. In fact, he hadn't really taken the time to get to know anyone. It was mostly out of the fact that he found everyone to be completely uninteresting. They were all lacking a highly developed intellect and it just bored him. The only person who had managed to even get a few words out A was B. What B probably hadn't known, was that A was almost as he had suspected. A robot. A was emotionally undeveloped, some could say. In the sense that, he completely disregarded anyone's feelings. He is brutally honest when it comes to those that he does not particularly like.

It appeared that A enjoyed B's company. It was not painfully bland or pointless. After a few moments, he allowed himself to glance back at B. A's midnight blue hair covered his left eye. If A hadn't blinked, one could mistake him for a doll in terms of appearances. The way he stared through others and seemed to hear your every thought.