In the instant that L freezes, Kira briefly feels something he later likens to… anything but guilt.
But that's precisely what it is.
In what may as well be slow motion, the spoon hits the floor, the sound deafening in the suddenly-silent room.
It's followed by the great detective himself.
It's as if he's watching this all from the outside, watching himself lunge forward and catch L with a convincing look of panic distorting his handsome face.
The red light tints everything and lends the room a bloody glow, and as he looks into the genius's grey, dark-shadowed eyes, the halting quality time has gained suddenly overtakes all.
He's not seeing the wide-eyed L lying on the cold floor in his arms, but the L hunched in his chair, soft tone even as he speaks of capturing Kira and bringing him to justice.
He's seeing the dangerous gleam in L's eyes as he proclaims that Light is a suspect.
He's seeing L, quietly, almost offhandedly, announcing to an entire room of grown men that "Light-kun is his first-ever friend."
Killing L is a necessary thing. Entirely necessary…
Yet a great injustice. A great loss to the world to be robbed of this individual, of his magnificent intellect. It's sacrilege comparable to destroying a precious work of art.
Who is he to do this?
But even as he comes to this sickening realization, it is already far too late.
And as the life begins to fade from L's stunned eyes, Kira, even as a cold smirk turns up the corners of his mouth, has inwardly decided that any exhibit at the Louvre would most certainly be a smaller price to pay. With an air of finality, he draws his last shuddering breath, and the great detective is no more.
With him perishes the greatest chance of solving the Kira case.
Light Yagami is undeniably free.
So why does he regret what he has done?