I Know Your Secret-Death Note

Epilogue

       Five years. That doesn't seem like a long time, but for the sake of being dramatic, it felt like five decades to Lawliet. Before the Kira Case, he solved cases he was interested in, and then he moved onto the next one and it didn't bother him. He had a routine, and he was content with it. Now, it felt monotonous and a chore to solve each one. They felt too easy. At least if Ori was there, he'd have someone other than Quilish to talk to. No disrespect against the old man, but Lawliet couldn't kiss him without it being weird. 

       Every year, on his birthday, he would have gifts sent to him. The first was a small scorpion and a bull. They were made from wood, and painted meticulously. The scorpion was mainly black and dark brown with small accents of red on the pinchers and along the stinger. The bull was a light brown with golden horns and hoofs. Both figurines had been dotted with stars and constellations. There was a letter attached. Lawliet instantly recognized that messy scrawl, a mix between print and cursive.

       Scorpio and Taurus are said to have good compatibility. I guess we're in luck, Scorpio.

       The gift had come from Lapaz, Bolivia.

       Each year he was given small nicknacks from different areas of the world, and they always came in two, like she was sending off her own so they could share when she came back. Lawliet would never complain.

       This latest case was no different from the others. It was too easy, just some doctor who had gone on a murder spree in her own home and killed her whole family. She had done a good job cleaning up any traces of her, but her big mistake was taking her coat with her, which had excess blood on it and had dripped onto the carpet. Her's was the only one gone and none of the other coats had blood on them. It didn't help that she was the only one unaccounted for. Two children and one wife dead. L didn't know where the woman was yet, but he had narrowed it down to the upper Midwest, somewhere around Indiana and Michigan. It wouldn't long for the police to zero in on the doctor. 

       "Sir, there's something in the lobby that needs your attention," Quilish said. 

       "I'll be right there in a moment," Lawliet said.

       "It'd be better if you didn't wait, sir." Lawliet looked up from his spot on the floor. 

       "I see." He stood up, knees popping after sitting on the ground for so long. They were in a hotel in Iowa, ready for the snow to fall. Lawliet distantly remembered that tomorrow was his birthday. The only reason why he remembered anymore was because of the packages he waited for. 

        Down in the lobby, it was almost completely empty. There was the receptionist, looking bored and playing on his phone, a young couple whispering and sharing small kisses in a far corner, and a young woman sitting by the window, gazing outside, suitcases sat untouched at her feet. Watari cleared his throat gently, and the woman turned her head. 

       The first thing Lawliet noticed was her sea-colored eyes. Flecked with gold. 

       Time slowed down. 

       The leather bracelet on his wrist felt warmer.

       Her face was darker, kissed gold by the sun. Her hair was shorter too, settling just past her chest in looser curls. 

       Lawliet couldn't move. She had to stand up and walk to him. 

       Upon further inspection, he noticed that the gold in her eyes had darkened, now appearing to be amber instead of gold, but just as beautiful. Her freckles were darker, stark against tan skin. 

       "Hey," her voice was smoother than it used to be. It used to be rough around the edges, always sounding like she was on the verge of yelling. 

        "Hey," he said back. Ever the eloquent one. Her hair was lighter. Still brown, but the golden and white-blond was easier to pick out. She was a little taller, now standing eye-level just below his shoulder. 

       She had aged like a goddess. 

       No words could describe the swelling in his chest. He didn't know what to say, so he did the only thing he knew to do. He grappled for her, pulling her into his chest and hugging her close. He had to make sure this one was real. He'd had far too many hallucinations of her next to him, her tucked into his chest while they slept, her joking around while she ate a plate of eggs doused in ketchup. Her. 

       "You're here." His voice sounded ragged in his throat like he had ripped the words from his soul to speak them.

       "I'm here." She confirmed. And that was all he needed. He pulled her back, running his thumbs under her eyes where the dark circles seemed to permanently reside. They were still there, but lighter.

       "You're beautiful." He croaked and she laughed, the sound a lovely melody in his ears.

       "Not so bad yourself, Scorpio." Her warm, small hands wrapped around his, her cheeks turning a gentle pink. 

       He brought her closer, swept up in her tropical smell, and caught her lips. She tasted like fresh air, like the ocean. She laughed against his mouth, and Lawliet captured the sound greedily. 

       "I missed you." She whispered. "So much."

       "Too- me too- missed you." She laughed at him, letting her forehead bonk against his softly. 

       "As nice as this is, I don't want to continue our reunion in a shitty hotel lobby."

       "I see you haven't changed." He said dryly. She pulled away, walking towards the elevator. 

       "Why would I change? I'm great."

       "Yeah, sure," but he didn't fight the smile on his face.

       With the case practically solved, Lawliet had time to properly spend with Ori. She told him about her adventures from Bolivia to Spain, from Spain to Russia, from Russia to Mexico, and from Mexico to London before finally coming to America to find him.

       "Every time you went somewhere new, Quilish would let me know." Lawliet turned to his caretaker with a look of betrayal. 

       "How come you never told me?" The old man just shrugged with a smile before leaving the room.

       "I wanted it to be a surprise when I came back." She said giddily. Twenty-four and she still got excited like a child. 

       "Honestly? Best birthday ever."

       "I'm glad." She said with a blinding smile. Something was bothering Lawliet, though. 

       "Did you ever find your father?" He asked. Ori dropped her happy smile for a smaller one, scratching the back of her neck.

       "It's-uh-it's a long story." Lawliet nuzzled into the warm crook of Ori's neck, breathing in the scent of salty sea air and honey. 

       "As long as you're home."