Disclaimer: If I was the creator of Death Note, would I really have to resort to posting this on FF. net?
She slips through the wall and into the deserted room next door. Misa may be in danger.
He slips out of the door and into the lift down the corridor. L may be in danger.
Fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the penalty for her actions, she opens the notebook regardless. Three deaths tonight, but none of them Misa's.
Fully aware of the potential danger and the apparent hopelessness of the situation, he sprints down the hallway anyway. There had been enough death already - like hell he was going to allow this to happen!
The pencil scratches the first few letters of a name.
Q. U. I.
Tap tap…
What was that? … No matter - this is urgent.
L. L. S.
Tap tap…
H.
"Ahem…"
What?! She turns around.
"I think you should hand that over to me, don't you, young lady?"
Young? She's so old she can't even remember her exact age…
"No, I don't."
W. A…
"Give me the notebook…"
"Make me."
M.
"I doubt there's very much I could do to force you into submission," he admits, "but… I don't think you really want to do this, do you?"
She blinks at him, astonished. This human… how could he tell?
He smiles, all fatherly wisdom, genuine sympathy and just a hint of pride. Compared to L, this shinigami was easy to read.
"Come on… Put the book down…"
His voice is stern but gentle.
Humans are such confusing creatures…
--
"…I don't get it. Why hasn't… Oh." L's eyebrows rise ever so slightly as the elderly man enters the room. "Watari, there you are… What is the shinigami doing with you?"
Rem glances uncertainly at Light Yagami, then turns her attention to the large monitor on the wall. Misa's still okay…
Light Yagami forces himself to contain his rage.
"I was watching you lot on the CCTV when I saw Rem here disappear into the room next door… I got suspicious and so left my post to investigate. Ever so sorry." Watari inclines his head in L's direction before continuing. "I believe she was about to kill me." His voice is calm as he displays the relevant page of Rem's notebook for visual evidence.
"Kill you…?" L chews his thumb thoughtfully.
"Indeed. She tells me she planned to kill you next, Ryuzaki, as she saw the two of us as threats…"
"Threats… Hmm… Rem-san." L turns his chair slightly to face Rem. "May I assume then, that you are in some way fond of Light-kun… or perhaps Misa-san?"
Rem says nothing.
A bead of sweat trickles down Light's face.
Watari nods.
L grins.
"So… I was right…"
Rem looks pointedly at her feet.
Kira's anger rises out of control.
"Rem! What have you DONE, you MORON?! Why did you stop? Why did you tell him all that?"
Rem glances sheepishly at Light, then at Watari. Still she remains silent. L replies in her stead.
"Because no-one," he says, with conviction, "messes with Watari."
"Quite so," Watari agrees with a wry smile.
Author's note:Basically this fic spawned out of a random conversation and an intense desire I have (undoubtedly shared by many DN fans) to prevent L's death. Okay, so it's a completely implausible and probably very dumb idea, BUT… L doesn't die, and neither does Rem - Watari wins! :D Quite how Watari managed to convince Rem to lay down her pencil (or how he got there so fast to begin with…), and what happens to Light and Misa now they've been rumbled is up to you…