The barefoot man sat with his knees pulled to his chest. His breathing was slowing and his dark eyes grew heavy. Sleep was coming fast. The room he was in looked very comfortable. The lights were dimmed, almost as if a candle lit the room. It almost seemed intimate, as if the occasion called for it. Along three of the far walls, ancient Japanese paintings hung. Water lilies in sat in the corner, drooping down depressingly. It made the room seem elegant. The fourth wall held the ominous air that now filled the dimly lit apartment. It was filled with monitors. Each screen held the reflection of the barefooted man on the couch, like they were staring at him. All, but one, that is. One monitor was lit, a countdown was running. One minute left. One minute until his heart stopped.
His eyes dropped down to the small golden picture frame. Watari. He was the closest thing that Lawliet ever had to a father. He was always there for him, from the moment he stepped foot in the Watari House. He was there for him when Lawliet was appointed the position of L, Watari had never been so proud. Lawliet could see it in his eyes. Watari was there for L for the easy cases and the though. Through the BB Murder cases in San Francisco to the Kira case in Japan, where ultimately Watari lost his life.
While Lawliet knew the sacrifice was for the greater good, he couldn't help but wish that Watari could be here with him. In his final moments. He pulled his knees to his chest a little tighter and eyed the countdown.
Forty-Five seconds left.
Light Yagami had lost his mind minutes before the police opened fire on him. He was bleeding out when Ryuk had written his name down in the Death Note. Lawliet had watched on from the balcony above. He was glad that he knew his death would be peaceful as dictated in the Death Note. To die of heart failure twenty-three days later.
His eyes glued to the countdown, but he was no longer seeing the numbers the decreased at a rapid rate. Instead, he saw the faces of Maki and Near. The two children who helped him not only save the world, but the way he perceived it. He remembered the innocence of the two and smiled. He reached to a table on his left and picked up his favorite candy, a big chocolate bar. He pulled back the wrapper and gave it a nibble. His eyes focused on the numbers again.
Thirty seconds left.
A single tear drop fell from the corner of his left eye. Love. He had never experienced love. He felt a pang in his heart for the ghost of a feeling that he would never experience. He looked again at the picture of Watari and at that moment he knew he was wrong. He knew love. The love of a parent. Watari's love.
A smile crept back onto Lawliet's face as the countdown edged near the end.
Ten seconds left.
He took another big bite of his chocolate bar and savored the sugary taste before swallowing. It would be his last bite. He set the chocolate bar on the table and pulled his knees tighter to his chest. He was no longer afraid of the event that was only seconds away. He looked on at his coming destiny and took it in stride.
Five seconds left.
A sudden dreariness overtook his senses. His eyelids grew incredibly heavy. Sleep was coming soon. He held the picture of the only thing he ever could call "father" close to his chest. A feeling of nirvana overtook him as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
The countdown had reached zero.
L Lawliet, the world's greatest detective, had passed away with a whisper.