Chapter Text
The end of the Yotsuba arc
L stood on the roof of the task force headquarters considering things. There was a certain air of pathetic fallacy in the weather. The rain was pouring. Gloomy, like his mood. Light was no closer to being caught despite him obviously being Kira. He would have to escalate things.
He had two options. He could involve Near and Mello or he could do something else. He didn't want to involve the children from Wammy's. They deserved to have a better life. Better than the one he had. They deserved to have the last remnants of their childhood.
And so, he would fake his death. There was no doubt that Light was planning to kill him. And considering he had recently been strangely happy but withdrawn, it was going to happen soon. So he would have to get there before Light. He would have to fake his death so well that not even Kira would notice he was still alive.
"What are you doing standing out there by yourself?"
Light was here. He would pretend not to hear him for a time. Perhaps the rain would hide him.
"What are you doing standing out there by yourself?" Light repeated.
There was no hiding then. He smiled. It was a smile that would come across as teasing, but it carried much more depth than that. It was a smile of grief. Grief of the life he had and the life that Light had lost after submitting to Kira.
"What are you doing, Ryuzaki?"
So it seemed that Light would not give in. Perhaps he should confuse Light. Make it seem that he was dying. A sombre, but true thought.
"Oh, nothing worth mentioning… It's just…I hear the bell."
"The bell?"
"Yes. The sound of the bell's been unusually loud today."
"I don't hear anything."
"Really? You can't hear it? It's been ringing incessantly all day. I find it…very distracting. I can't stop thinking about it. I wonder if it's a church—maybe a wedding, or perhaps a—"
There. That would scare Light. Make it seem like he knows something. Well, he did. But unnerving him was the goal more-so than actually scaring him. And this was working.
"What are you getting at, Ryuzaki? Come on, cut it out—let's get back inside."
Of course Light would show how down to Earth he was. He was fitting right into what he thought would happen. 'Well', he thought, 'my deductions are never wrong'.
The conversation went on for some more time, both of them becoming more and more unnerved by what the other was saying. It was as if the gossamer thread that connected them to each other had snapped without warning. Every decision the other made was impossible to follow. The chess game they were playing had suddenly become three dimensional and the only way to keep going was to pretend that everything was actually okay. It wasn't.
As L dried Light's feet, he felt that it was impossible to show any more intention with his movements. He was playing the part of Jesus and Light was Judas. A close friend who would inevitably betray him. Perhaps it was conceited to say that he was in the place of Jesus, but it felt like this exchange transcended reality.
L stood up abruptly.
"We ought to go to the task force. I have something to tell them."
"Oh, I see. Well let's go then. I hope it's something good."
"Oh Light, of course it's good. In fact, I think you will be overjoyed." L's voice betrayed something of sorrow. It was even more toneless than normal. "Come on, Light."
As they headed down to the main room, L's step was lifeless. Light followed behind him wondering what was happening.
He sat down and look towards L.
"I have called you here today to present to you some information that is rather beneficial to the case." L took a sip of the tea in front of him, and made a look of disgust. Strange. His tea was normally far too sweet. "I believe that we have a new suspect for the Kira case."
The man continued to speak for around twenty minutes, barely saying anything. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. Far wider than they usually were. He began to breathe faster and and he clutched his chest. His skin went white and his eyes rolled back. L fell forwards. At the same time, the room started flashing red and several alarms started blaring. There was only one conclusion that Light could possibly come to. Rem must have killed both L and Watari.
Light could barely contain his smile. He covered his mouth to hide his grin, but he just hoped no-one was looking at him. Victory. Finally. After months of effort, his plans had finally paid off. His greatest adversary was dead, and Light could finally be free to start his new world.
Now he could figure out how to dispose of Misa and begin cleansing the world of criminals. He wanted Misa out of the way because she made everything much more difficult. She didn't follow the divine way of things. She would write the names of anyone who went against her whereas Light just wanted to write the names of criminals. He never wanted to get rid of L. He would have been a wonderful addition to his cause. But, alas, it was not that easy thanks to the meddling of the police.
That evening, Light was lying in his bed thinking. He thought about L and Misa and– Well, he didn't have many friends actually. L was gone and there was no way for him to return. And Misa? Well, she was Misa. He missed L. L was the only person who could match his intelligence.
No. He mustn't tell himself that.
L was an obstacle to his new world. Life imprisonment would have been preferable to death but that wasn't an option now. He had to move on. He had to find a new way to live without L. Without the one true friend he had– No. Stop.
Perhaps he ought to give up thinking about this. He would finish his considerations in the morning. Perhaps he was just tired. He would go to bed and face the truth tomorrow and adapt his plans to fit the current situation.
He wasn't tired.
Inside the draw that he kept the Death Note in, was another notebook. Well not a notebook per se. A diary. Maybe it would be good to write in it. The police wouldn't look in there anymore because he was head of the investigation team now.
He padded over to his desk and opened the draw. He pulled out the diary and opened it. Picking up a pen, he began to write.
Dear Diary,
I don't know what I'm doing. I managed to get Rem to kill L but I'm not sure if that was the right decision. Of course L is dead now and I can't do anything about it so I ought to just move on. I don't think I can though. He's been on my mind so much and just stopping thinking of him would stop most parts of my routine.
And now the only person I have is Misa. Misa who thinks I'm in love with her yet remains oblivious to my blatant disgust. But she is the only one who knows the true me. The me that doesn't hide behind the façade of a perfect schoolboy. L knew the real me. I miss L so much. Yet I can't have him because of his different issues. And of course that he is dead.
The monitor showed a steady heartbeat. His breathing was normal. His chest went up and down and his eyes fluttered every so often, as if he were dreaming. L Lawliet would wake up soon. The digoxin had left his veins, and the heart attack he experienced did not affect him much.
Digoxin was a drug that was often taken by people with irregular heartbeats, however taken by a healthy person, it could cause a heart attack. Knowing when the heart attack would occur was the best way of stopping it killing L however a heart attack would work to prove to Light that L had died.
A nurse entered his suite and went to check up on him. He was currently lying in Japan, in another purpose-built building close to the task force headquarters. When he woke up, he wanted to be able to keep an eye on what was happening and perhaps get some revelations from simple observation. This was more familiar territory to him than the hands on investigation that had occured with the Kira case so far.
L's eyes snapped open, revealing the deep brown pools underneath.
"I will prove that Light Yagami is Kira."
"Wait– Mr Lawliet, please take your time. We have to make sure you are fine first."
"I am fine. Let me go and let me catch Kira and then maybe I can rest."
"Mr Lawliet, I must insist—"
"Call me L. And I must insist that you let me leave. Feel free to contact me if you have any concerns besides me not staying here."
The nurse sighed and said, "If you insist, Mr Law– L, you can leave soon. We need to make sure you have the correct medication. An overdose on digoxin is a serious thing, you know."
"I require my laptop then. Please tell Watari to fetch it for me."
"Ah. L, I am afraid Watari is not doing very well. He is in a coma, and should make a full recovery… but an overdose on digoxin for a seventy year old man is not something to be taken lightly."
L simply stared at the nurse. He wouldn't react. That wasn't something he did. He had made sure Watari had taken a smaller dose of the substance, but clearly that didn't make enough of a difference.
"I see. May I have my phone."
The nurse looked taken aback at the lack of reaction from L. She glanced at him and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Yes L. It's right beside you."
"Thank you. You can leave now. Tell me when I can leave this place." L paused and then continued. "However if you do not have my medication in six hours, I will simply leave."
The nurse nodded and left, looking slightly defeated at being unable to convince L to stay however she clearly knew that it was a lost cause.
The moment the door closed, L picked up his phone and began frantically typing. He needed to call Wedy and ensure that he would have some Watari-type person helping him. He simply could not survive without Watari.
"Wedy, this is important. Can you help me?"
"L? But you're dead!"
"Well clearly I'm not." He gestured towards himself, even though Wedy couldn't see. "I have faked my death in order to trick the man I know to be Kira. I hope you're not too busy?"
"No, don't worry. I can put my things aside. What do you want?"
Wedy was competent. She would be able to handle a few extra duties. It might be a difficult adjustment in comparison to Watari, but it would be better than nothing.
"Watari is not currently available and won't be for some time. Don't worry about him he will be fine. I need you to fill in for me."
"Of course, but what exactly does Watari do? We know that he looks after you, but to what degree? I will help you as best I can."
L breathed a sigh of belief.
"I need you to come and collect me from the hospital. Don't worry, I'm fine. I need you to take me to a specified location that I will provide. Once we arrive there, I will explain our routine. You will be in charge of making sure I eat, sleep, and drink. I often forget. You will also be my primary liaison with the police as I can't show my face there anymore. In return, I will pay you all that you need." L paused. This wouldn't be enough to convince her. Wedy was often difficult to bargain with. "And of course, I am the one thing stopping you from being arrested for all the things you have done."
"I don't suppose you'll let me abstain this time? That's okay. Where can I pick you up from?"
"I'm close to the task force headquarters. Let me send you my location."
"Great. When do you need me?"
"Please come here as soon as possible. We won't be able to leave for a few hours but at least we can iron out some plans."
I'll see you soon."
L hung up and lay back down again. He really was tired. Perhaps he ought to get in some sleep before Wedy arrived.
Light put the diary down, feeling much better. His emotions had somewhere to go that wasn't killing people. Of course, the people he was killing deserved it, but Light knew that it wasn't good for his mental health to bear the conscience of the entire world.
The more he thought about it, the more he realised he was basically the second coming of Jesus! He has studied Christianity a bit in school as it was a major religion, but he'd never really cared. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realised he was saving the world and taking the sins of humanity from them. He was killing criminals. Yes, they deserved to die, but he was also killing. But he was killing for the good of humanity, just like how Jesus died for the good of humanity.
Of course, he didn't believe in the Christian god. He didn't believe in any Shinto god either. He was an atheist. He had to be, otherwise there would be some godly figure stopping him take the credit for saving the world.
Well now he did believe in a god, he supposed. That god was himself. He would rule the new world, make it like Eden once was. A paradise for those who do not sin. And he would smile down upon his subjects, his worshippers. For he would be praised for having godly powers, for being godly. And he would revel in it. The kind of pride, showing how good his Eden was; lust for power; greed for more; wrath against those who had done him wrong; envy for those who had always had an easy life; gluttony of his one food, power; and sloth for simply letting this power wash over him that only Satan could feel ruling over his subjects in hell. But he was clean, pure. For he would save the world and it's subjects. And he would become their God.
Some kind of cross between a sneer and a grin flicked over his face and he picked up his notebook, fuelled by the fires of the future he envisioned. He would slaughter as many criminals as he could tonight. In the coming months, he would reveal who he truly was to the world, and once every nation was down on their knees towards him, he would ascend to his rightful place as their god.
Light wrote names and names and names, letting them die by heart attack in forty seconds. Before he knew it, an hour had passed, and his collated list of names had lost around eight hundred people to heart attacks. He wrote and wrote and wrote, ignoring anything else but writing. Another name, another warm feeling rising within him. It was addictive but he knew he could control it. After an hour, he stopped. He didn't want to, but his hand was cramping and there was a little bit more writing he wanted to do.
He closed the notebook gently, and pulled out his diary. This time, a softer smile crossed his face. He had already written in the diary today, but he wanted to do so again. It made him happy.
Dear Diary,
I talked to you earlier today but I simply can't stop myself. I think the shock of L's death is starting to wear off, but I still feel the grief bubbling below. He really was my closest friend. In L's memory, I want to continue fighting criminals, making safer world. But of course, I will be better equipped with the emotions required to truly stop them. L's memory will become just as godlike as my existence. I can't wait to rule them! They will bow down to me and kiss my feet, not knowing that I was once a mere mortal like them.
In time, I will dispose of Misa when she is no longer a threat to me. She is also a criminal; one who has done far more heinous things than some of the ones I kill. Perhaps eventually, you – my diary – will become my only true friend. But that's okay. I can live with that.
Light felt much better after he had written in his diary. It felt freeing to let his emotions and feelings leave his mind. Yes, this was definitely something he would continue. He smiled once more and placed his diary in his drawer.
As Light fell asleep, the thoughts within his mind twisted and created some strange story of L as god, giving out divine judgement.