‘Tis the Eve of All Hallows, boys and girls! My favouritest international “holiday”! Huzzah!

So I always post something in the spirit of the day, and this year it’s Death Note again… Mainly because it’s L’s birthday on Halloween. Yayz for him. He’s twenty-nine. Or would be if he wasn’t dead. Whatevs. O.o

And it has B in it too, because he’s special. :)

All Hallows

Perhaps Beyond Birthday was desensitized to the notion of personal space due to his ability to see death. That is, he saw humans for what they were – walking clocks, which breathed and bled, but one day would breathe and bleed no more. This constant reminder of mortality, no matter where he turned his eyes, was perhaps responsible for the way in which the walls of society, etiquette, even humanity itself, were stripped away to leave only the barest core which, B considered, couldn’t put up all that much of a fight.

He wasn’t afraid of anyone, in other words. He wasn’t afraid to be close to them, to invade their personal space so obtusely that it was almost suffocating—

It didn’t seem to bother L as much as it did everyone else, however.

B was sulking. He’d found L alone in an empty room, towards the back of Wammy’s House, with a book and a cup of tea. He seemed quite content, not even raising his eyes when B padded into the room. That in itself, that ignorance, whether feigned or genuine, was what made B decide that he must disrupt him, become the focus of his attention at all costs.

L, it turned out, wasn’t very easy to distract. He didn’t offer B his attention when the younger boy placed himself right before him, leaning over the book with the impression of attempting to read it upside-down; nor did his dark eyes flicker even once in B’s direction when he changed tactics, moving behind the sofa on which L was comfortably curled in the corner and half-hoisting himself over the back of it.

As before, L was either very steadfastly ignoring him or was genuinely so removed from this world by his book, he simply wasn’t aware of him.

Eventually B flopped right over the back of the couch, lying on the seat. He curled up on his side, hugging his knees to his chest, and rested his head against L’s arm.

“L,” he said.

Nothing.

“L,” he said again, almost whining.

Still nothing.

“It’s your birthday,” B said blandly; and, finally, L looked at him.

“What did you say?” he asked, his voice cool and guarded.

“I said it’s your birthday.” B grinned with glee, having successfully arrested L’s attention. “Today. The thirty-first of October. Halloween.”

“And how do you know that, B?”

B shrugged.

“I know these things,” he said, the graveness of his tone only half-mocking. “I have magic eyes, L. I see the dead walk, every day.”

“Is that right.” Despite his reflexively-suspicious nature, L lost interest in B again at that, going back to his book.

“You don’t believe me, do you, L?”

“I’m afraid not, B.”

B gave a little sigh.

“That’s okay,” he hummed. “Do you like having your birthday today, L?”

“Makes no difference to me. I don’t celebrate anyway.”

“I’m quite jealous, really.”

“Mm.” L didn’t even really answer this time.

“All Hallows. The night the souls of the dead walk the Earth, traditionally.”

“Commercialised nonsense,” L muttered. “All this dressing up in costumes and parties and gaudy decorations… People don’t even know what they’re celebrating.”

“Never mind, L,” B murmured in a sing-sing voice, kneeling up on the sofa. “Maybe the wandering souls will get them on their way to their parties.”

“Maybe.”

“Or maybe…” B’s eyes gleamed. “…They are the wandering souls of the dead. Maybe we all are. Right, L?”

He leaned in towards the older boy when he didn’t answer him.

“Your birthday is a day of restless spirits,” B whispered delightedly. “On the day you were born, the souls of the dead walked the Earth, just as they do every year, in hope of salvation. That’s just lovely, isn’t it, L?”

He kissed L on the cheek; at which the young detective actually shuddered a little.

“Go away, please, B,” he said icily, pushing him away.

B gave a little laugh, really quite happy, and got off the couch, starting to head towards the door.

“How old are you today, L?” he asked nonchalantly over his shoulder.

“Twenty,” L replied emotionlessly, already turning his gaze back to his book.

“Not a child anymore, then.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Not like me.” B gave another little giggle and slipped out of the room.

Nobody was like B. L disliked him very much; perhaps even hated him. Every time he met him, he felt as though he walked away from the experience coated in a layer of silvery oil – uncomfortable, wretched, permeated, as though nothing was private from him—

“Oh.” B suddenly leaned back into the room. “Happy birthday, L. Or…” He smirked. “Would you prefer Happy Halloween?”

L slammed down his book.

“Get out!” he snapped, finally unnerved into losing his temper with the younger boy.

B grinned and sauntered back out of the room.

L closed his book and curled up a little tighter, worrying at his thumbnail with his teeth.

Really, who was worried about a few walking souls when L was faced with a demon such as Beyond Birthday every day of his life, birthday or not? After all, B had said that he saw the dead walk every day.

It didn't matter that it was Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Samhain, whatever:

With B, every day was exactly the same.

Well, it doesn’t have much direction but it’s kind of creepy, I guess…? O.o

Yay Halloween! Unlike L, I totally buy into the whole commercialization thing. I love pumpkins and bats and all that good stuff you can buy at obscene prices all throughout October… :)

Well, also posted today is the penultimate chapter of Poison Apple. Oh noes! So, yeah… if you read PA, I hope you enjoyed Silence!

Woot for my fourth Halloween on FFNet! Oh yeah! Happy Halloween, everyone! (And Happy Birthday, L!)

RobinRocks xXx