I was entranced from first seeing this summary mainly because I'm an enormous B/Mello fan... something about the pairing is so incredibly enticing. So of course I had to read it, as I'm seeking to snap up every B/Mello I can find... and I was delighted to realize this was the best one I've read yet.
First of all... your characterization of B. It deserves praise. He's, possibly, one of the most complex and interesting of all the Deathnote characters, and also the most open to interpretation since so very little of his actual personality is revealed anywhere. As such there are a lot of versions of him, but yours goes deeper and rings truer than a lot I have read. More than simply finding that upon cutting him open he consists of "jam" and "mad" as most people mistakenly do, you have a wonderful complexity to him that has me hooked. His thoughts are maddening, intricate, and interesting... and I adore being able to get into his head, unlike the way the rest of the fandom seems to have him sealed off from me, totally unidentifiable.
Then again, you're excellent at getting into anyone's head, and anything psychological, so I shouldn't be surprised.
I'm... looking forward to being horrified. I'm looking forward to you scaring the mess out of me, if that's what you plan to do. I want more, if you'd be willing to give it. In english... Hurry up and update!
...I wrote a long and far too rant-y review, but I'm going to pretend it doesn't sound like crap and such. And hope you intend to keep going with this one. I wouldn't be displeased in the least if this kept going beyond (har, har, Beyond) five to seven chapters :D

Oh, wicked! Your B is very, very scary. I really hope there'll be more of this fic.

Also, thanks to you I discowered the wonders of Oingo Boingo :)

This is probably the best fic I've ever had the pleasure to read. It scared the living sh*t out of me, and I can't wait for the next chapter. The way you make B think is scary as Hell, and so very realistic. (that goes for Mello as well). For the first time in my life I can't guess what's going to happen next.

Keep up the fantastic work! You're GREAT!

OMG, another Oingo Boingo fan! Who ALSO loves the song "Insanity". And managed to tie it in a fanfic, with *B*! Oh my gosh you are my hero I had to bite my lip to prevent the squeal. excellent chapter, im going to work on the second righty now

Oh, WOW.

Oh...wow.

I realize I should probably give an actual, you know, review, since this is positively amazing, but I'm not quite sure I can say anything right now. That's how amazing. dsaflkaweosdjnx

Hey, yeah, I was planning on reviewing this sooner, but... bad week for me too. All I can say is that I hope your puppy is okay because my kitty just died.

Okay, head first into your review! I like how your definition says 'alleged' power, so you're leaving it up to the reader to decide if there's any truth behind it.

Dude, your Wammy's House is overflowing with children! That's intense. Haha, 'those who didn't survive that portion of the test...' makes it sound like the children are too exhausted to complete it and die or something. It makes the exam seem entirely difficult.

The testing is so rigorous... I love it. I really do. It's rather what I always imagined Wammy's was like. Especially the part about 'A.'

Poor B and the psychological tearing open of his mind. You paint a rather bleak and heartwrenching picture of him and the lethal injection metaphor is AWESOME.

I like how B is like a stray cat with mange... he's not just a random cat--he's diseased.

Wait... is the 'proprietor' Wammy? That's what I'd been thinking until I reached the part about how "the proprietor had undergone the same training... and was also allowed his little quirks." With that sentence, I first thought, omg! Wammy was trained like that too? And then I realized that quirky was a word more likely to be applied to L and now I'm not sure who the proprietor is. Clear that up?

Typo/missing punctuation: "they were always at each other['s] elbow"

I'm basking the in beautiful warmth of your Matt and Mello scene. Ah, thank you for writing.

What?! Nothing like what?! (You've got me at the edge of my seat now... holy crap, that writing was AMAZING and definitely works as appeasement. I am more than appeased. XD)

Hm, here's my thought: does B care is the staff is following him around? I thought he tended to drift away from himself a bit and ignore the staff entirely. If that's the case. why would he be thinking about avoiding detection for a few more hours on the back staircases?

That is *such* an interesting thought, B. Making someone believe they are going to die and then just leave them... alive.

"...but none seemed to hear the crimson glimmer of his eyes." Oh, *shiver* that was powerful and I can't remember the word for description using one sense in place of another like that, but it's awesome and one of my favorite things.

When B and Mello first begin speaking, there's a bit of confusion with who speaks. I can figure it out after I've read the dialogue, but when you begin with "Mello jumped when he spoke" it sounds like Mello is the one speaking because Mello's the antecedent for 'he' in that sentence.

Oh wow, I just read through the rest... too intense and amazing to stop for comments there. I'm loving this story way too much, Mikanis. The tensions you bring about between Matt and Mello and B and Mello are so intricate and thick, making them a fabulous read. Gah! I love it. Keep it up, my friend, and I hope you're doing okay with the rest of life. :)

Oh my goodness, Poor Mello! You write B so incredibly cold and sinister... much more so than the canon. Not that I find that to be a bad thing, however; you've made him a wonderfully dark and frightening character, and if there was anybody on this site who could so aptly pull off writing such a psychologically twisted and tormented being, it would be you for sure! (And I totally mean that as a compliment, rest assured, haha...)

Because, when I think about it, B would indeed realistically have to be a very mentally disturbed and amoral individual to have actually carried out the brutal murders that he did in "Another Note." So I do find your expansion and altering of his characterization actually to be very believable.

It's a very different thing to see him fixating on Mello instead of L, to be certain... And honestly, I actually wasn't totally sold on the idea at first, simply because it felt almost unnatural.. Like he was "cheating" on L or something, if that makes any sense, hahah. I just couldn't really wrap my mind around the idea that B could possibly hold such an obsession for anyone other than L at first.

But now that I've read these first two chapters, and I've seen how you once again have skillfully taken these Death Note characters and ripped them wide open, expanding on their every motivation and personality trait-- making them human, and making them real-- it has sold me on the concept completely. I am very intrigued to see what other sort of dark twists this story is going to take.

Not to mention, your detailed expansion of the inner workings of Wammy's House is very impressive to me. I remember how in the manga, when it comes to describing how exactly Wammy's House functions, there are just so many vaguenesses and blanks left to be filled in. Not to mention, more than a few inconsistencies between the manga and the novel regarding the same things. So, I found your version of the establishment's functions, and the way the aliases work, etc., very impressive and believable as well.

In all, excellent as usual. I look forward to an update!

I would have reviewed the first chap but I didn't get around to it, sorry.

I gave a little cheer at the possibility of having my mind screwed with, oddly. I'm used to messing with other people's minds, so it's a welcome change.

Okay, so I have two words to describe this fic: delightfully creepy. I love creepy/disturbing/etc. things, so this is right up my alley. I just got Another Note and I can't wait to see Beyond in action. He seems like an interesting character that I'll like, and this fic increases that chance. Then again, I always like the psychos... (Light fangirl.)

I'd love to read more of this. Good job! Oh, and I cheer the fact that you might be writing a Light/Matsuda fanfic. I don't know if it will be the pairing or not, but I happen to really like it. The idea sounds pretty interesting.

Anyway, that wraps up this review!

Another amazing chapter.

Amazing amazing amazing! I love it! You write Beyond really well. I felt like I was reading Another Note again--only more detailed on BB. I hope the rest of the week is good to you.

First off, as noted in your AN, I'm sorry you've had a bad week. I also have had a bad week (the usual, work sucks, etc.) But guess what? This new chapter totally saved the week for me. Not only did it turn a nominally bad Tuesday into a SPECTACULAR Tuesday, but I think it's actually pepped me up enough to make it through the rest of the week. ^_^ Your writing is as splendid as always, and I think you've really outdone yourself with the characterization here. Matt and Mello are slightly different from the personas they have in Morning Star, definitely younger and more immature. That works so well for throwing Beyond's utter neurosis into contrast. Honestly, your portrayal of Beyond is my favorite out of all the B fanfics I've read... please continue to keep up the great work. Thank you for such good writing!

this is...i'm not sure how to put it...deep? perceptive? anyway, everything is put under a magnifying glass, and if this was done to any character that isn't from Whammy's House, it would've been WAY too much. but for some reason, for B, it's ok. the way you explain his thought process is probably a part of the reason why it doesn't seem so insanely long-winded.

i'm very interested on how this'll turn out... i'll be waiting for your next update ^ ^

I'm not scared yet (although I have a feeling I will be soon enough). This is hauntingly beautiful, and as startlingly true as your other work.

Matt and Mello are a past time that I occasionally bother to indulge. However, your stories could hardly be called an indulgence. If anything it's a study of the horrible torments you can inflict upon these two boys who probably have an intenesly natural connection as Light and L do but with the ease of trust, true friendship and a lifetime of belonging to each other. Is no one safe from the macabre when you decide to make them your subjects?

Nice usage of those Music Lyrics.

This is, I think, the most brilliant thing you've ever written, and there's not even a second chapter yet. Guh. Yes.