It has been said that humans die as they live, and as a Shinigami, I know that this is true.
Yagami Light, for instance, died screaming and whimpering like a child. That was all he was; a spoiled, demanding child who should not have held the Death Note in the first place. Stripped of his dignity by the rightful successor of his old enemy, Yagami Light died in betrayal, humiliation, and fear—things he had inflicted on others since becoming Kira. It is conceivable that one might even feel sorry for him.
It has been said that Yagami Light died justly.
Yagami Soichiro definitely died as he lived—for his family. For his son and the rest of the taskforce, Soichiro took the Shinigami's eyes. Soichiro saw the true name of the man—no, boy—who had kidnapped his daughter and taken the Death Note, the boy who would have died in his place. Soichiro refused to take this child's life. He died, however tragically, convinced that his son wasn't Kira.
One might say that Yagami Soichiro died happily.
Miheal Keehl died frightened and lost in what seemed like Hell. Mello, Miheal, died in the chaos of his very own mind. Those seconds, the time it took for his heart to stop, were an eternity. He died unhappily. He died after his best friend, his only friend. Miheal had died as he had lived, second best to Near, because there was no way he would be able to be better. His emotions had clouded his judgment, and so he made the fatal mistake of helping his rival, the one who he thought of (though he would never admit it) as his younger brother.
Miheal Keehl died in emotion.
Mail Jeevas, the unfortunate boy with the unfortunate name. He died recklessly and laughing, taunting his killers. He died painfully, believing in the false truth that he would not be killed. He died somewhat foolishly, brutally, but died honorably. He died unafraid. Mail… Matt died for his friend.
Mail Jeevas died loyally.
Amane Misa died by her own hand. She died suffering, surrounded by sorrow and her own broken heart. As Misa died, she clung to her sad idea that she would get to see her love, the one she had longed for, when it was over.
Amane Misa died in false hope.
L, L Lawliet, he was a different story. L, he was a possible exception to this reliable rule. L had lived in loneliness, but he had died surrounded by others. Most of those others had grown to care about him. L Lawliet, however, died with unwavering certainty that he was right, which really wasn't that different from how he had lived. But the horrible, crucial detail was that when L Lawliet died, he had lost, however momentarily.
L Lawliet had always been an exception.
A/N: My first foray into the Death Note fandom, so please tell me what you think! I know Misa's and Matt's were short (and probably horrible, in the case of Misamisa), but I hated Misa until very recently (Light-kun is mine… MINE) and Matt's was very hard to figure out. The one I had the most trouble with was Mello's, actually… but enough about that! Just… tell me what you all think, okay? Bye!