Failure (A Death Note/L Love Story)

Chapter 57

I hoped I wasn't too late. I couldn't be. If he was doing what I thought he might have been doing, then he was going to do it right after I had left, and there just wasn't time. If I were lucky, he'd be furious and tell me to leave again. I just wanted to hear that. It would be the one time I'd be happy to be told that, and I would be thankful for that moment for the rest of my life.

It took about fifteen minutes to get back to headquarters. I bolted through the building, knowing Watari was the only one watching the cameras and wouldn't stop me. I just had to get to the interrogation room. It was the only place. Not only was it soundproof, but it was rarely used by any of us.

As I was running down the hall, Rem spotted me, "I thought you left."

I stopped and panted, "Where's Ryuzaki?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. That meant he probably wasn't with the others. Goddamn it.

"That doesn't help!" I shouted, frustrated. I left her and quickly made the rest of the way to the interrogation room.

I unlocked the door with my keys as fast as I could and slammed the door open. "L?" I exclaimed. All of my hope deflated. I closed the door behind me and whispered, "I was hoping... but I knew it. I'm too late."

The Death Note was on the table, and the cover had just fallen back into a closed position. He was shocked and dropped the pen he had been holding. We stared at each other for the longest time because... I wasn't sure either of us truly knew what to say. "You're not supposed to be here," he managed.

"You're not supposed to use that," I countered, walking to the table to face each other, but I could only look at the Death Note. "I knew you were going to use the two-name rule. It was the only thing that made any sense. How else are you supposed to catch Kira? You think the rules in the back of the notebook are fakes, and that Light is Kira again, too. You have to draw him out."

"You figured it out. How did you figure it out?" L questioned. "I planned out all my words carefully. You couldn't have."

"Besides using everything I had ever mentioned about how to get me to leave against me? You told me you weren't lying. You never do that because you always lie. It's one of those things that come with the job. It helps keep your emotions under control. But you never would have said that. Not to me, at least. That's how I knew you were lying. You're not mad at me at all." I laughed bitterly. "It was all a ploy. You knew the only way to get me to leave was to hurt me. To use the one thing I was most afraid of you saying."

L apologized, "I'm so sorry, H. There's only one way to catch Kira, and I didn't want you in the line of fire."

I sighed, "I know. And when I realized that maybe there was a chance everything had been fake, I knew you were going to do this." I motioned to the Death Note helplessly and shook my head. "Damn you, L. Your distraction was too good. That wasn't fair." I couldn't move my eyes from the black notebook in front of me.

He leaned over the table and put his hands on my shoulders. He begged, "H, please, leave now. Go back to the orphanage, and I'll come get you when this is over. But I need you to be far away from here until then." I opened the notebook, ignoring him since I wasn't going to do what he was saying. I flipped through the pages, seeing the hundreds of names written. "Are you listening to me?"

I found the last page that had been written on, and a small smile broke onto my face. "Lawliet." I looked at him finally. His eyes went wide at the word. "That's your name? L Lawliet? That's.... It's amazing. I can't imagine anything better." On the page was written, "L Lawliet dies painlessly of heart failure in twenty-three days."

He said in a soft voice, "You shouldn't say it out loud."

"I can't help it. Besides, no one will hear. But wow, I actually know your name. I can't believe it; it feels like I'm meeting you for the first time," I told him. "Your name is Lawliet!"

"It feels strange hearing you call me that."

I laughed, "It's strange saying it! I can't even be properly furious with you now. Well, I'm still mad, but it's been pushed to the side. I'll punch and yell at you when it wears off."

He stressed, "You can be mad at me and call me by my name all you want later. You can even break my arm, for all I care. I just need you to leave now. You can't be here when I finish this. It's too dangerous."

"Lawliet, I love you," I finally said, placing my hands on the sides of his face. I pecked his lips.

"I love you, too. That's why I can't let you die, H," L replied.

"And that's why I can't leave. I can't undo what you've done no matter how many times I scribble your name out. That means I have to compress a life that was supposed to last many years with you into twenty-three days. You're not stealing that away from me," I vowed, kissing him again. "Nothing has changed since the first day I began traveling with you. I'm here to help. Tell me what you need me to do, Lawliet."

He frowned, "I have no chance of getting you out of here?" I nodded in confirmation with a smile. He sighed, closing his eyes. "Then, I think I have an idea."