-Roses-
The bagpipes droned on in the back of his head as he closed his eyes, a wind picking up across the green grassy field and blowing the long emerald strands in a wave all around him. Amazing Grace..it had been one of Watari's favourite songs.
He swallowed harshly, feeling his throat begin to close and behind his eyes burn..he needed everything to be perfect though. No one was wearing all black, even those who chose to wear black had atleast a white button-up shirt or a colorful bracelet. Something that made sure their entire being was not black.
His coffin was a dark, oak. The inside a dark purple velvet, his favourite color. He always said it calmed him to see purple, and even though he knew well that he would never see that old man again, it comforted him to think that he was smothered in his favourite colour..
A beautiful grassy graveyard, the exact plot he wanted next to his mother and father.
And finally a plethora of bright red roses. These were not his favourite flowers, but...
Everything had to be perfect for him. For Watari and he had made sure of that because to him...to L, Watari had been his father..
He pinched the stems of the white daises...those had been Watari's favourite flower. And how ironic it was that they were the flower of death.
He swallowed again as he felt the eyes upon him in the cold breeze of a winter's afternoon. Even though this was a time for Watari..for everyone to look at Watari..for the attention to be diverted from himself..everyone still looked on at him, waiting for him to crack.
They all figured this would be the time for him to crack beneath the pressure. They knew that Watari had a sort of secret favouritism to L because he saw him as his son and L had secretly gotten a liking to Watari as well as a Father. Yes, they knew this very well..
L let his eyes wander across the crowd. He stood right in line with the other Wammy children because now, to be honest, he couldn't himself as anything different than them...at this moment, without Watari, he was lost..
Who was he? Where was his place? Why was he here? Without Watari..life was...meaningless...
No, he had to snap out of this before he had to go up and speak. He had to to get out of this confused state or he knew that he was make a fool of himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath, deeply breathing as he stood patiently for the song to end. Watari requested of him to make sure the song was played three time before he was put to rest.
He wanted his funeral in a certain order which he had told him one day when they were all alone inside the apartment before the Task Force came to be, but shortly after he had begun to take an interest in the Kira case. It was quite random and L would even admit that it disturbed him a bit to hear the man speak in such a way about his own death, but he sat and listened. He could never deny a man's last request.
He wanted the song to play right before the speeches were made; and there he noted that he wanted L to do one even though L had already planned on doing one anyway, which he did make sure to point out to the elderly man. Next, he wanted everyone to view his body and the bagpipes to play the same song again. Then after that, he wanted his body to be lowered in. And again, the song to be played just before everyone left.
The reasoning behind this exact order of events he would never know and had never asked.
He felt his heart leap and his head spin slightly when he finally heard those words he had been waiting for hit his ears.
He walked by the Task Force who had been invited there by none other than himself, he couldn't not invite them. They had known him for quite some time by then and to simply not invite them would be quite cruel in his opinion. Some of them had taken quite the liking to him.
L couldn't imagine not being invited so he decided it was unfair and unjust not to invite them. In this one instance he actually thought through the phrase, Treat others how you would want to be treated and acted upon this.
"Now, Rue Ryuzaki will be delivering a prepared a word on Quillish Wammy's behalf."
L bit his bottom lip, feeling his mouth go dry but walked up anyway Daisies still in hand beside him. Cursing lightly beneath his breath over the request from Watari to wear a suit to his funeral. Watari said he had never gotten to see him wear so he figured if he couldn't wear one when he was alive, then he should wear one when he was dead.
He swallowed and took up the position behind the podium looking at the two main groups of people who were seperated, Wammy Children and The Task Force.
He kept his face blank and unreadable but all the same finally took a breath and begun,
"Quillish Wammy was his full name, but we all called him Watari. Why, I can't even remember myself so I know it must not have been that important."
A few small chuckles came through the crowd and L even managed to lift the left side of his mouth just slightly upwards.
"…well, when Watari told me about a year ago about how he wanted his funeral to go, he didn't request very much out of me. He only asked that I saw a few words and wear a suit. I told him that I would do one of those things..but here I am doing both.."
Another round of chuckles came through but L continued on in the same steady voice, it never faltering.
"…Not many of you know this but- Watari was a hero..and still is to be quite honest. He not only invented for the good of the people and to make their lives easier, but also created an orphanage. Wammy's House as we call it. Watari made this orphanage not for money, but for the good of children because he knew and saw the children who lived in the streets. He saved more lives than he could probably count. I was one of them. Quillish Wammy, Watari, saved my life when I was six years old. He brought me back to Wammy's House and I went on to become a detective. I thought then that, that would be it. That he and I would split paths. But he came with me on all my cases. I suppose you could say we were inseparable I was grateful for that because I wasn't sure how I was going to carry out life without him to be quite honest. I depended on him greatly.
"To be quite frank, I lived in a childish dream where I thought Watari was going to live forever. That he was immortal. I never considered this day to even be possible….still at this moment I catch myself in a delusional world where I think that he will just suddenly open his eyes and ask what is wrong with all of us. To think that he could even possibly die.
"However, I don't think…no in fact I know that Watari does not want us to look at this as a sad day. That is why he requested that we not all wear solid black clothing. He wanted us to remember not the day he died, but the days leading up until he finally went into a deep sleep. In fact, even when I was very young, he would remind me that death is not a day of sadness. Death is not something tragic or horrible for the person at rest. It's only tragic and horrible to those who will never see the person again. Who will never get to speak to the person again. That is what is sad about death. But the person who has died is finally at rest with no fears or cares in the world. Death is not sad, death is a time to rejoice for the years that you got to know that person."
L paused here and studied his hands that were practically gripping the wooden podium. "Even though he constantly told me this…brainwashed me into thinking this in fact…I'm not sure if any of us can truly be at ease with his death just yet."
He paused again and closed his eyes, "..I'd like to Thank you all for coming. Watari would be quite happy to see you."
With that he stepped down as everyone began to clap in admiration he dug on hand in his pockets and the other gripped the daises as he finally took his place beside Chief Yagami.
"That was a very nice speech, Ryuzaki." He commented as he begun to nod calmly.
"Thank you, Soichiro Yagami."
"I didn't know Watari as well as I would have liked to, but I believe I can say with much confidence that Watari would be very proud. Especially of you wearing a suit."
L gave a slightly grin in amusement. "I hope that he would. I feel very uncomfortable.."
It was but another five minutes that the bagpipes began to play again and each of them went up to look at the cold embalmed body of Quillish Wammy. The Wammy Children went first and then The Task Force politely waited behind them.
L took the caboose position himself and as each person walked away after spending a small amount of time with the body, the line dwindled in hardly anytime at all.
Before he knew it, L was standing before the body looking down at it was a great amount of hesitiation, the wind coming at him against from the side.
He placed the daisies in his hands firmly and looked down at the pale pallor his skin tone had taken on. Even though they had done a fine job with make-up, clothing, and the hair, he couldn't bring himself to see that this was the same person.
He swallowed down the lump in his throat and put his hand on top of the other mans hand. Freezing cold.
He drew back slowly but before he figure out what he was doing, he leaned down slowly and put his ear right in front of his nose. No breathing. Right in front of his mouth, no breathing. Then on top of his chest..no heartbeat…no rise and fall…
He was dead.
He drew back and looked for a couple more seconds, feeling his world begin to crash right in front of his eyes as the song came to an end.
He walked slowly away from the body and this time when he came to stand beside Chief Yagami, the only comforting words he could offer did not come in the form of actual words but a hand on his shoulder.
Yet still..that one small touch meant the world to him, even if he would never allow anyone to see it. That one small touch were so many words that never had to uttered.
Just as Watari and himself had done so many times before. The only man he had ever allowed the touch him was Watari. Now, he barely even flinched at the contact.
Just like Watari…the words were transmitted through the words.
Because good fathers could say a thousand things to their sons without ever saying a single thing.