Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or the characters
His heart pounded in his chest as he ran through the alleys. He paused in the doorway of an apartment building scheduled for demolition. He couldn't hear anything. Damn. Why couldn't he have stayed at the hotel?
In his craving to be alone he soon wandered into a remote part of town where he is found by none other than Beyond Birthday. Then, suddenly, he could hear it. The soft padding of bare feet across cement.
"L, where are you?" Beyond said with a soft laugh. "I want to play. Don't leave me all alone." He whined.
L's heart pounded faster and he could only hope Beyond couldn't hear it. He had to get away without Beyond catching him. The soft footsteps came closer. There was no choice; he couldn't stay put any longer. He tried the door to the apartment, it was open. He crept inside, taking care not to make any unnecessary noise.
He came to a stairwell and climbed the stairs, freezing in place when he accidently knocked over a discarded beer can with his foot. He continued with his climb when he failed to hear anything. Moving backwards through the dark hallways, the detective's hand brushed against the wall and he felt something wet and sticky. He peered closely at the wall using the little bit of moonlight there was. The substance was red, he sniffed it. Strawberry jam.
"Hello, Lawliet." L spun around and saw Beyond staring at him through the window.
L took a step back. "How did you know where I was?" He mumbled.
"I heard you knock over the can." Beyond smiled maniacally at him. "Well, Lawliet. It looks as if I've won."
It was L's turn to smile. "You haven't caught me yet." He ran up another flight of stairs toward the roof. If he could get to open area he had a chance.
He could hear the creak of stairs with every step, his heart rate accelerating. He made it to the roof, breathing heavily.
"Aw, L. I'm hurt." Beyond laughed as he stood in front of the detective. "You keep running from me."
"Yes, well, that's all life's about. Running." L said between breaths.
"Give it up L. I've won." Beyond took a step toward L, leering the entire time.
As soon as he was within range L aimed a kick upward, knocking Beyond's head back. Beyond flipped backwards, landing neatly on his feet. Springing forward he threw himself at L, knocking them both back. L untangled himself from Beyond's grasp and skipped backward out of the serial killer's reach.
"You can't get away from me, Lawliet." Beyond reached out and tried to grab L's shirt but the detective leapt back. His eyes widened with shock when he ran into the low wall, built for safety.
His hands grasping at air as he fell backward and he looked once more at the crescent moon above, the air turning his hair into a chaotic black halo around his head, his shirt billowing around his body. Breathtaking. That's all he thought. He was falling and he didn't care.
At first his vision was filled with the purplish hues of the night sky but that image was replaced by Beyond, jumping off the roof, hand outstretched to latch onto L's. As soon as he had L's, he grabbed hold of the drain pipe attached onto the side of the building.
"You're an idiot." L whispered. "From this height I can easily live."
Beyond grinned. "Yes, well, I'd like you alive and unhurt." He looked frightfully at the drain pipe as it bent and creaked, detaching itself from the wall because of the combined weight. "Well it looks like we're about to go down."
"There's no 'we'. Let me go and you can climb up." L stated. He looked down. Maybe if Beyond let go he could make it and run. He couldn't let Beyond win, it went against his very nature.
"There's no way I'm letting you go. It's taken me much too long to catch you. I won't let you go now."
L began counting under his breath. 6-5-4-3-2-1. The drain pipe broke sending them hurling toward the ground. They clung to each other, neither truly afraid of the fall but clinging just to know that they weren't alone.
L hit the ground…hard. He landed on his back, head hitting the ground with sickening sound.
"You," Beyond stood over him, "are an idiot." He picked L up.
L's head and back hurt unbearably and he felt himself on the verge of blacking out but he mustered up the energy to ask, "What are you going to do now?"
"Shut up." Beyond commanded. "You'll find out soon." He giggled maniacally.
L sighed and let himself sink into oblivion.