DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Death Note, etc.
There really wasn't much that I looked forward to in the winter. Except for snow. Oh, and Christmas, of course. I didn't really know anyone who didn't like Christmas. There was a huge Christmas tree in one of the biggest rooms on the main floor at Wammy's, in front of a giant window. That was probably my favorite part of winter. Roger would call us all down and try to get us to stay quiet while he attempted to explain to us what was about to take place. After he finally got around to telling us not to break anything, all of the kids would tear into the boxes and pull out shining ornaments, which we were all-too-happy to put on the tree. There were always so many of us, so it didn't take very long to finish decorating -especially not with out high level of enthusiasm, fueled by the rush of downing more sugar cookies than we should have eaten.
I remember the year that I was nine. I couldn't sleep that night, which wasn't surprising. It was Christmas Eve, after all. What kid in their right minds could get any sleep on Christmas Eve, anyway? For what seemed like years, I lay on my back in bed, waiting for either morning to come or a chance to fall asleep - whichever came first.
"Hey, Mels, are you awake?" I whispered, peering through the darkness at the bed on the other side of our shared room. Mello replied with a loud snore, which pretty much answered my question. How could he be asleep? It was Christmas Eve night! "Fine, I'll go without you, then," I grumbled, throwing back the blankets and sliding out of bed. The wooden floors were cold beneath my bare feet, but I didn't care. I began to navigate my way to the stairs. I'll admit, I was pretty stealthy for a nine-year-old. All those late-night trips to the refrigerator with Mello had certainly helped me get a good feel of what was where and which floorboards creaked when you stepped on them; the last thing I wanted was for Roger to catch me. As quietly as I could I made my way to the stairs at last (the floor on which my room was on, was the floor just above the one where the Christmas tree was), which I practically fell down as I stumbled over my own feet.
My ninja skills just haven't kicked in yet, is all, I told myself. I was very close now; I could see the faint glow of lights in the entryway.
And there it was: the greatest tree in the world, in all of its glory. It was strung with multi-colored lights, which gleamed off the reflective tinsel and the metallic ornaments. All sorts of colors bounced off of these decorations and onto the ceiling and floor. There was a huge, shining star at the top of the tree, which seemed to have captured all sorts of impossibly-beautiful colors and trapped them behind its glass exterior. Behind the tree, was the window. There was a gap between the thick curtains where I could see outside. It was snowing! A white Christmas…it couldn't get any better than that. My gaze strayed to all the packages under the tree, wrapped in shiny red and green paper. They had bows on them, too, and name tags. There were one for Linda, Near, Mello, BB- then I saw the one with my name on it. Childish desire over came me - I was only a child, don't forget - I began reaching for the box. But something stopped me.
"Mail.." I must have jumped four feet in the air. Though quiet and monotone, it hadn't been expected at all. Only one person ever called me that anymore, besides Mels when he was mad at me…
"L..!" I turned to face said detective, his very name coming out as nothing more than a reverent whisper. He smiled at me, kindly and almost amused. My face flushed red at the realization that I was wearing only my Mario-themed boxers. L only chuckled light-heartedly.
"I won't tell Roger, if that's what worries you."
All I could think to say was, "Thank you." I simply stood and marveled at the world's greatest detective. He looked as if he had been trying to sleep, though I had heard a popular rumor that he never slept. His dark hair was ruffled and even more wild-looking than usual. His skin looked as white as the snow outside, his dark-rimed eyes studied me inquisitively, and his baggy pajamas looked all frumpy.
"You should go to sleep," he said.
I nodded. "Right…" I began to walk away, but not before I smiled and said, "Merry Christmas, sir."
"Merry Christmas to you, too."
I smiled to myself as I mounted the stairs. I had seen true kindness in L's eyes. There was still some human left in him, no matter what everyone else said. I just knew it.