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L would love to say that he knew that this was coming. That he used his insightful nature once again to outsmart Light. That he would finally put an end to the dreadful reign of underserving punishment plaguing the criminals of Japan, and in extension the entire nation. But, he did not know this would happen, at least he hoped it wouldn’t.
It was rather moronic for him to see Light as nothing more than a means to an end. He knew the boy was not his friend. He knew that if the path would not stray, that his life may cease before the case does. That is sacrifice. That will forever be his sacrifice.
L covertly swallows his own saliva that is unnaturally pooling in his own mouth as his hand twitches. A button is pressed, a silent alarm to those he trusts that the worst case scenario will most likely happen. He glances at Light, eye slightly narrowing as he observes the boy’s expression.
Light looks pleased and looks at him for a mere moment, but that is enough for L to confirm his hypothesis. He comes to terms with it quite easily, how can he not? This is his future, he knows it. His own lifeline will be cut short so the rest of the world can live on. The rest of the world has to live on, he has put far too much effort into all of this for some idiots to destroy it all.
He does not think that Light will ruin it, quite the contrary. While the boy is rather intelligent, he has always played into L’s hand quite nicely. An egotistical nature will always be someone’s downfall when they refuse to look at the bigger picture. L should know, it is his own flaw as well.
L would be the first to admit that Light and him are far too similar to each other. At first it was annoying, having to deal with a boy who perfectly mirrors himself, yet L now finds it intriguing. Because at some point, the similarities between Light and L ceased, only to come back and intertwine with each other, tangling like a ball of yarn. For a short amount of time, L saw true potential in Light, only for it to vanish the moment the chess pieces were closing in. He watched as Kira possessed this boy once more, the former life and existence of a well-meaning individual killed in favor of a monster.
L was finally able to know every single answer to every hole in the case, yet he knows his time is approaching. Perhaps that is why he met Light on the roof. Perhaps that is why he called Light his friend. Friend…that is quite a strange word. He has never seen himself using it. But, he does think that accurately describes whatever they have going on between the two of them.
But he has plans, he knows how this will end. He knows that he has gathered more than enough to accurately give any successor the leg up on Light. He has complete confidence in his successors, knowing that they are ready. After all, he did most of the work himself.
L’s eyes glance over the screen, darting over all the information as if he will be able to retain it. He could, he already has most of it memorized, but he also knows receiving this information is useless. L knows that he will die today, yet he still wants to learn. He still wants to think.
Kira and L danced for far too long, and L is beginning to grow weary of it all. To know your demise is on the horizon for so long is absolutely exhausting, making L want to curl up on an armchair and doze off. The music has changed too much, the style of movement growing sluggish. He was never the one to be graceful, instead the one to step on his partner’s toes and refuse to apologize.
But Kira can take many things, even his life, but mind will remain. His life’s work will remain. L will continue to live on, the world may not realize that he is gone, but his life’s work will thrive under the current circumstances. His words will whisper in Light’s ears, just as he intended. He will live on, just because his words do.
Every note, every letter, every click of a keyboard will persist and slowly close in on Light until there is nowhere he can hide, nowhere to run. Light can try, but death is absolute. It comes for everyone eventually, even if one wishes not to think about it. L can almost see it, his life line counting down. The thread is being pulled by the fates, rusted scissors lining up to finally cut.
It is like he can see Light’s as well. It is longer, far longer than L’s, but it has an end. Because all of this has to end. Light is no good, just as L is no longer mortal. Just like how L’s work will be studied by thousands as the time goes by, Light will fade into obscurity, the world forgetting the tragedies that he left.
Because the world will not learn. History repeats itself, but the people who live it refuse to listen. This will repeat over and over until they are forced to listen. How many people have to die before the reality of it all crashes on the world? How many times does a egotistical megalomaniac have to threaten humanity before humanity changes its ways?
L does not know. For the first time, he does not know. Because some things are beyond his own comprehension. The flaws of humanity are his expertise, and a form of humanity without such is unknown. He would be lost.
He feels it, the pressure in his chest, incessant ringing overtaking his senses. He hears the screams of shock as he falls, eyes wide. He could have prevented, that much he is sure of, but doing so would doom humanity in a way he just cannot bring himself to do.
So he dies, for the very people who never even know his face, merely his words.