Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any character or situation in it.
Chapter 1
L yawn and stretched lazily, the completed case file still open on the laptop in front of him. It had been one of the more difficult cases he had taken on, lasting two weeks as he waited for more information to come in. But now it was done and he could finally rest.
He slowly stood up, feeling his muscles uncramp as he did so. After sitting in one position for so long, it would take some time for his body to move smoothly again. Perhaps I'll ask Watari to spar with me, he thought to himself. A quick check at the time made him amend his decision. Tomorrow, then.
The carpet muffled any sound his bare feet made as he padded to one of the rooms. He didn't bother changing into anything more comfortable, choosing just to lie down on top of the comforter and close his eyes. Due to his insomnia, the only times L could sleep was when he was totally and thoroughly exhausted, too exhausted to even climb under the blankets. He knew Watari would tuck him in when the older man awoke.
L had only a few moments to marvel at the dedication of his guardian before he fell into a deep sleep.
When he awoke, it was with a suddenness that always accompanied the end of his rest. L sat up and ran a hand through his hair to remove it from his eyes. It was beginning to hang to his shoulders. No doubt Watari would want to cut it for him soon. Not that L minded, of course. It didn't matter to him what he looked like, only that Justice was served.
He slid off the bed and walked back to the sitting room of the hotel suite he and Watari had been staying in. The laptop he had been using the night before had been set carefully out of the way. In its place was a plate of strawberry shortcake, his favorite.
L munched on a bite as he retrieved his laptop. He had gone to bed before he knew the result of the raid that the police had carried out. With the case file he had sent him, his involvement in the case was officially over, but it was still satisfying to know that his hard work hadn't gone to waste on a raid gone wrong. With a few clicks, he brought up the information on the screen. Devert Arton was now behind bars awaiting sentencing. He saved the information under a file that he would come back to in a few weeks. With all the evidence L had compiled, it should be a short trial, but it never hurt to be certain.
"Good morning, sir," came a quiet voice. L slightly turned his body to face the man who had cared for him since he was a child.
"Good morning, Watari. It seems I need a new case." He gestured to the laptop in a helpless gesture. He never knew what to do with himself in between cases. Watari smiled and set aside the towel he had been using to dry his hands.
"I believe I sent a few to your inbox. They may interest you."
L clicked through and nodded in satisfaction. Watari had chosen well. With another bite of shortcake, he got to work.
A few hours later, L had still not resurfaced from the case files on his laptop. It wasn't abnormal for him to become so invested in his cases, Watari mused as he set down a plate of fresh-baked cookies in front of the raven-haired boy. No, it was actually quite normal.
Watari glanced at L one last time before opening his own laptop and pulling up the items he had been working on the night before. The orphanage he had set up would need a few more teachers with the way it was expanding so quickly. He had decided to expand the institution for all geniuses, not just ones that could succeed L. But with that growth came more work.
He sent out emails to some of his colleagues to ask them for their advice and recommendations. After that, he began to research other cases for when L finished his current ones. The quality of the cases he had sent L that morning would only keep him busy for a few days. Watari wanted to have a line of new cases ready when L requested them. It was beginning to become difficult to keep up with the young genius.
Watari shifted in his seat, his body unable to sit still for long periods of time like L was. He looked at the young man out of the corner of his eye, noticing that the cookies were gone. Another dessert to prepare then, plus a refill for his tea. With a large bowl of sugar, he added with a chuckle. How that boy could eat so much sugar and not gain weight was beyond his understanding.
As he moved to stand up though, a notification flashed on his screen. He looked at the message and his eyes grew wide. All thoughts of L's desserts flew out of his mind as he hurriedly opened the email that had just come through. M had not contacted him once since the girl had left the orphanage all those years ago. Why now?
Watari scanned through the email as fast as his eyes would allow. It seemed that three inmates in the Japanese major prison had all died of heart attacks within the span of a few days. But the interesting part came after that. None of those prisoners had previously had any heart condition that would have led to this. All of them were healthy men in their prime, and all of them were now dead due to heart attacks.
He sat back in his chair, a frown creasing his forehead. Three inmates? It was possible it was just a coincidence. But then, why would M send him this if it wasn't important?
With a hurried search, Watari found the reason why. It wasn't just the prison in Japan. Inmates were dying of mysterious heart attacks all across the world. He sent back an email to let M know that he received the message and would pass it on before beginning to compile all the information he could about this phenomenon. L would most certainly be interested.