"Are you.. L?" she asked me. I looked the medium height woman up and down. Her black hair went to her shoulder blades and her bangs were brushed to the side. Her attire consisted of a black leather jacket zipped securely around her, a pair of tight legged jeans, and some black lace up boots.
"Are you Naomi Misora?" I countered. She nodded. "And I presume you are L?" I nodded this time. She dropped the single grey suitcase she was carrying and jumped towards me, throwing her arms around my neck.
I stumbled back, slowly wrapping my arms around her waist loosely. She pulled away and smiled softly. It was gentle, and her light pink lips turning up at the corners made my breath get caught in my throat.
"Thank you so much for allowing me to meet you," she thanked, her cheeks rosy and eyes sparkling. "It was no problem," I responded as calmly as I could despite my flustered state.
"So, w-what now?" she asked, looking up at me. I bent down to pick up her suitcase for her and carried it towards the exit of the airport. I glanced over my shoulder at her, as a cue for her to follow. She nodded and walked quickly behind me. Yet again,
she smiled at me.
It was eight months later.
We were standing together on the rooftop of my apartment. She was admiring the city lights and stars against the sky line. She was smiling her beautiful smile that still absolutely took my breath away.
With determination in my heart, I took her hands in mine and gently turned her to face me. She looked surprised and her cheeks were dusted with pink. "Naomi Misora, will you please be my girlfriend?" I asked her, feeling warm.
She bit her lip through her wide smile and hugged me tightly. Once she pulled back, I pressed my palms against her cheeks and brought my lips to hers. And with our lips moving in sync,
she smiled at me.
We were holding hands in the park. It wasn't too long after we first got together. She was smiling widely and laughing with her arms wrapped around one of mine. Her head leaned on my shoulder as her laughing subsided.
I was smiling pleasantly myself when she stopped in her tracks. I frowned slightly and looked at her delicate face. "What's the matter?" I asked. She looked up at me and a small smile ghosted her perfect lips. "L, I love you."
My heart beat grew faster and I smiled softly in return. "Naomi Misora, I love you as well." She grinned at me and threw herself at me in a hug. I happily accepted it and nuzzled my face in her neck. And as we continued our walk,
she smiled at me.
She was sitting beside me on a bench three years later. She was dressed almost exactly as the day we met, her makeup done the same as well. She was leaning on my shoulder, occasionally turning her head to kiss my arm. I smiled softly as she smiled and muttered "I love you" into the fabric of my shirt.
With a heavy sigh I pulled away from her, leaving her confused. "L..?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Naomi, I've been in contact with you for five years now. I owe you so much. You are the cause of my happiness, my peace, and reason to live. So, Ms. Misora," I said, bending down on one knee. "Would you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?" I asked.
She covered her mouth with both hands and tears began slipping down her cheeks. She nodded profusely, standing up to run to hug to me. I wrapped my arms around the crying woman before me, pressing gentle kisses to her neck. She pulled back and wiped away her tears as she perched on my knee.
I took her left hand in mine and shakily slid the engagement ring on her finger. She let out a watery giggle and kissed my lips quickly before pulling away.
And she smiled at me.
It was the night of our wedding and we were simply laying in my bed, bodies pressed against each other's. Her arms were wrapped around my torso, face pressed into my chest. I stroked her soft hair as I peppered the top of her head with kisses.
She whispered sweet nothings into my chest, and I could feel her smile against my skin. "I love you so much, Mrs. Lawliet," I murmured. She unwrapped her arms from me and pushed on my shoulder, flipping me on my back. She stared down at me from her spot above me with her hair framing her face.
"And I love you, Mr. Lawliet," she whispered, leaning down to capture my lips quickly. After pulling away,
she smiled at me.
We were sat in an examination room, clutching each other's hands. The doctor was supposed to be back soon, along with the results of my tests. She rubbed small circles on my knuckle with her thumb, trying to calm my nerves. I bounced my knee up and down quickly, biting my lip.
"Mr. Lawliet... I'm sorry to inform you that it's not going to get better. The sickness came back, it appears suddenly, and there simply isn't a cure. I-I really am sorry.." Dr. Nolan said solemnly, offering us a tissue box. I nodded in response, staying silent.
I couldn't hear anything, the world all sounded as if I was underwater. I looked around at Naomi's shaking hand in mine, her tears staining her cheeks, and her lips moving in my direction. I cocked my head to the side and suddenly all the sounds hit me.
And it hit me how real the situation is. "It'll b-be ok, b-baby," Naomi whispered, squeezing my hand a little tighter. "I'll always be with you, love," she mumbled against the back of my hand which she had moved to her lips.
I smiled through my sadness and in response, despite her wet cheeks,
she smiled at me.
Naomi got sick.
Far sicker than I, but she was so strong. She was going to be ok, the doctor promised. She promised me one night in bed as I held her tighter and kissed her harder and proclaimed my love for her louder.
I promised myself that nothing would hurt her, not my Naomi.
So how did we get in this position? She was screaming for me from our bedroom, to which I ran to from the living room. "Naomi! What's the matter!?" I asked, running to find her laying on the carpet, gripping her stomach. Blood trickled down her soft and gentle lips.
"I-it's happening.." she said quietly. I began crying, tears running down my face and dripping onto hers. "L, I love you so much, ok? Y-you're going to do great things, d-darling'. She said. She shakily reached her hand up weakly and pointed in the direction of our bedside table. I nodded at her, trying to muster up a sad smile.
I had called 9-1-1 as soon as I had found her, and they were going to be there in "a few minutes". Every second that passed she seemed to worsen, her eyelids growing heavier, her cheeks growing redder, and the tears flowing faster.
I leaned down and kissed her gently, muttering as many "I love you" 's as I could against her lips. She nodded softly,groaning in pain as I pulled away. "I l-love you, L Lawliet..." she whispered, using my full name as her hand found mine to hold. "I love you too, Naomi Lawliet," I replied, trying to stop the tears.
Naomi's eyes grew wide before taking a sharp inhale of breath. She smiled sadly at me before closing her eyes.
As she stayed perfectly still and never exhaled, I collapsed into tears atop her body, gripping her jacket with my fist, sobbing into her chest. The medics soon pulled me off her, and as they wheeled her away,
she smiled at me.
It was the day before she was to be lowered into the ground. With a solemn expression, I sat on our bed, staring straight ahead at the pale yellow wall. I replayed the recent events in my head, feeling tears well up as I buried my head in my hands. I mumbled words I wished I had said before my downcast eyes caught sight of the bedside table Naomi had pointed at.
I slowly dug around before finding an envelope. Opening the letter addressed to me, I pulled out a piece of paper.
Dear L,
In the event that you find this letter, it most likely means I'm gone. I'm sorry we couldn't achieve some of our goals. I know you wanted children, and I'm so so sorry I couldn't provide that for you. There were so many adventures we planned, please, complete them. Go out and explore.
Carry on, ok? I know you tend to shut down when things.. change. But you'll be alright. I know you will, you're strong. You're going to do amazing things if you give yourself the chance. Best of luck, sweetheart.
And in the event that you fall in love again, go. I want you to be happy. They're going to be very lucky, I know it. I love you so much, Lawliet.
Stay strong for me.
XOXO, Naomi Misora-Lawliet
I cried harder upon finishing the note. I covered my mouth with my hand, choking back sobs as best as I could. She really loved me... I smiled sadly and clutched the note to my chest. It smelled like her rose perfume she wore daily. It was so calming... Maybe she still owned a bottle I could "borrow".
I kissed the letter, not wanting to let it go. I sighed and laid down on my back, curling into an upside down fetal position. Sleep seemed like my best option...
2 years later:
A song Misa had been singing played like a music box in my head. "Careful what you do, cause God is watching your every move.. Hold my hand in the dark street, for if you do I know that I'll be safe.. Even if I'm far away and alone, I can be sure that you'll find me there.. This I know.. You pull me close for a while, so quiet.. You tell me everything, and if I forget what you say then you'll come to me, and tell me again... Yes you'll tell me once again.. But what happens when I know it all.. Then what should I do after that? ... What then?" I began to whisper the song aloud, repeating it as if I was a broken record.
It was short and sweet, a leering lullaby of sorts. I looked out before me at the city skyline. "I'll see you soon, love.." I mumbled, standing on the platform around the roof. I wasn't coping. Two years seemed long enough to try, and the world had L's successors to follow my footsteps. The world would be ok.
Watari had already passed, leaving me just yesterday. We had shared a hug two days before, thankfully for my sanity. The KIRA investigation would be alright, I was sure of it. So I looked down at the rain covered pavement. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, visions of Naomi flashing through my mind.
I grew silent, hoping I would see Naomi in a few short moments. So, I hovered one foot over the edge, gulping down my fears. As I was about to jump, a hand wrapped around mine, tugging me off the ledge. I turned around to see the short woman known as "Misa-Misa". She was pretty, but could never compare to Naomi. In fact, she was like an exact opposite.
She was small and childish, obsessive, obnoxiously loud, and extremely prone to jealousy. Naomi was nothing like her. My Naomi was nothing like her. "What are you doing, Miss Amane?" I asked in an exasperated tone. I looked back out to the city. I, and now Misa, were soaked in rain.
"The better question is what are you doing?" she asked accusingly. I sighed. "Please go back inside. You'll catch cold and that simply won't do," I tried to persuade. "Tell me!" she whined. "Misa, please," I said sadly, using her first name for the first time. She gasped a little bit, to my surprise.
Grabbing my hand, she pulled me far away from the ledge. "Stop being upset! What's the matter, Ryuzaki?! You're scaring me!" she exclaimed. I shook my head and looked away from her again, shoving my free hand deep inside my pockets. Her grip on my hand grew tighter and I could here a sniffling noise from her spot. Looking behind me, I turned around to face her before wiping away her tears with my thumb.
"Calm yourself.." I said quietly, looking down again. "Why do you want to leave us?!" she pouted. I thought for a moment. "You know how you love Light with all your heart?" She nodded profusely. "Well, I loved Naomi more than anything. More than humanly possible. And shes gone.." I said, blinking away my forming tears.
"Naomi was your wife?" she asked. I nodded, smiling sadly at her memory. "She was stunning.. she had such pretty eyes, and her hair was gorgeous. And her lips were so... soft. She smiled, almost every day." I mused. "Then what happened?" Misa piped up. "Well, Naomi got very sick. She passed away suddenly, and painfully. I was there with her," I explained. Misa nodded.
"She wouldn't want you to leave." I looked to Misa quickly. "What?" How did she know anything about what my Naomi would want? "If she loved you, she would want you to stay here and be happy.. That's what I would want for Light.." she spok gently, absent mindedly playing with my fingers in her small hands. "But I miss her! I don't want to be without her anymore!" I explained, looking at Misa with widened eyes. I fell to my knees, unable to support my own weight anymore.
I couldn't stop sobbing and whispering about how much I loved Naomi. Suddenly, a pair of arms were wrapped tightly around me. I glanced and through my blurry vision, I saw Misa on her knees as well, pulling my head onto her shoulder as she stroked my hair. "L, Naomi loved you so much, I can tell. You gotta stay strong for her." I cried into Misa's shoulder, still unaware of what I planned to do after this.
Misa hummed quietly as my arms found their way around her waist, squeezing her as if my life depended on it. Some time later, my tears stopped and Misa pulled away, wiping my tears off of my cheeks. "How about we go inside?" I nodded.
Misa stood and helped me up to go inside. As we neared the building, she turned around and
she smiled at me.******