Disclaimer: I own very little.
A/N: It may be just me, but I've always thought it was stupid of Light to bet so much on his watch.
Simple Things
Even the greatest plans can sometimes fail due to trivial obstacles.
No matter how much of a genius you are, you can't always prepare for everything. There is no way to account for every variable imaginable. In fact, it is sometimes impossible to account even for all the known facts.
Like the fact that small, delicate mechanisms sometimes get broken at the most inconvenient of times.
It coudn't be true, Light thought. His genius plan couldn't fail this easily. Something as simple as a watch shouldn't be able to keep him from regaining his mastership of the Death Note. However, it seemed this was indeed the case. No matter how many times he tried to pull the bit four times, it just wouldn't open.
"Is something wrong, Yagami-kun?" L asked. "You're being awfully quiet."
"Ah – nothing's wrong, Ryuzaki," Light replied. Yes! The mechanism worked. Now, he had to hurry... "As far as I can see, the names all match. I've just checked the latest pages, and even the very last names are correct. Shall I check for any unannounced cases in particular?" He needed time. So little time...
L seemed to consider this for a moment. Finally, he said, "I think we'd better not, actually. It would take too much time right now. We can get back to it later on." He reached out a hand. "Give it back to me now, please."
Light almost thought to protest. Surely he could hold onto it for just a few seconds more. It would be suspicious, but he could probably write it off as innocent interest. Everything would be all right if he just held onto it...
L wasn't about to wait, though. He snatched the Death Note from Light's hands, just like Light had done to him.
Five seconds later, Higuchi died.
Kira was gone from the world.
It was never publicly announced, but people understood as much. There were no more punishments, no more mysterious deaths. The crime rate soon increased as criminals got more daring, but it never rose as high as it had been before Kira's appearance. People were still afraid.
Light, however, feared not. He was confident they had succeeded in destroying Kira once and for all. L was convinced there was another Kira in the world, and Light had to admit the chances of another notebook existing were very high, but as time passed and no more judgement did, he let his suspicions fade to the background of his mind. Therefore, he lived on peacefully, persistently pursuing his dream of becoming a police officer.
Misa, of course, stayed by him. She still stood by him when he entered the force and his parents started to talk about making more permanent plans. In the end, it was Misa that Light made his wife, and he never regretted his choice.
Although L left, he kept in contact, insisting that as they were his only friends there was no way he would just forget about them. Sometimes he asked for Light's opinion on this case or that – why he did so, as their opinions were bound to be exactly the same anyway, Light didn't know, but he was more than happy to help. It gave him something to do when the usual police work just wasn't enough of a challenge.
All good things will end sometimes, though. And thus, Light's life was soon to take a change for the worse.
It was quiet, quiet and empty at the graveyard. Nobody else was around, leaving Light alone as he looked down at the grave.
Yagami Light did not cry. However, if he had been inclined to do so, this would probably been the moment he did it.
"Light-kun." Although it was sudden, somehow it didn't surprise him at all to hear the familiar voice behind him. Out of all the people in the world, of course it would be him.
"What is it, Ryuzaki?" he asked quietly.
"I'm sorry." L walked closer, looking at the gravestone as well. "I'll miss her as well. She was a wonderful woman."
"Of course she was," Light said with a weary, non-amused chuckle. "Did you ever think I'd marry anybody but the very best?"
"Naturally not. After all, this is Light-kun we are talking about." L gave him a scrutinizing gaze. "Blaming yourself?" he asked then.
"Yes. No. I don't know," Light said, hating himself for having to admit this but unable to lie to L. The other man would have known anyway. "It is my fault, isn't it? Indirectly, at least. And yet, I did not cause it."
"Indeed you did not." L nodded. "Even in today's world..."
"A woman may die in childbirth, yes," Light finished with a sigh. "I learned that the hardest way, Ryuzaki."
"No, you didn't. She did." L glanced up to the sky. "Maybe some god decided he liked her so much he took her away."
"That's not like you, Ryuzaki, talking like that," Light said quietly. "Rather, a God of Death hated me."
"Wouldn't they have rather killed you, in that case?" L asked reasonably. "Gods of Death don't understand human emotions. They would not think to make you suffer through a loss, but rather finish you off right away."
"Perhaps." Light shrugged. "Either way, if some divine force does harbour a grudge against me, they must be very happy now."
"Indeed." L nodded. "Losing both your wife and newborn son... It is a bad strike to anyone."
Light nodded wordlessly, doing his best not to think about the issue.
"Light-kun," L suddenly said. "I understand this is probably not the best time for this, but... can I ask you something?"
Somewhat confused, Light nodded. Thus L asked him a question.
The time itself seemed to have frozen, enveloping the silent graveyard as the two men stood, facing each other. Only L's words echoed in the still air, circling them like birds of prey.
"Will you work with me as L?"
Light though about it. Just a little while ago – a month, even less – he would have told Ryuzaki no. He'd had too much to lose, too many reasons not to tour the world to solve case after case. At the moment, though...
At the moment, his two most important reasons lay in the grave before him.
"Fine, Ryuzaki," he thus said, determined. "I shall share the name of L with you."
It was Christmas Day, Light thought vaguely. He'd never paid much attention to that particular holiday, except for the fact Misa had always thought it was the perfect occasion for a date. After Misa, though… such things had simply escaped from his mind.
This, however, was not Japan. He was in America right now, and would be for at least the next five days it would take them to solve the current case, at minimum. Light was fairly sure it wouldn't take more than the designated five days, though. After years of touring the world with L, he'd come to learn as much.
In America, Christmas was a big deal. So big, in fact, that L had claimed the day perfect for sleeping in. Never would he have taken a day off, not in the middle of a case, but sleeping a bit later than usual could not hurt, right? Light had agreed wholeheartedly. In his opinion, L slept far too little. No human could forever survive with so little rest, especially not one whose brain was constantly working overtime.
There was movement by his side, skin brushing against his, and he turned to his side to find a pair of eyes looking right into his.
"Merry Christmas, Light," Ryuzaki said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "I've got a present for you."
"You didn't have to," Light replied, and meant it. Knowing Ryuzaki and his usual way of presents, there was no telling what it might be. A rubber duck, perhaps, or a teddy bear or –
"I'm going to tell you my name."
– Or L's true name or – wait, what?
"What – what did you say you were going to do?" he asked, hardly believing his ears. Even after all these years, to even think of such level of trust…
"My true name, Light," Ryuzaki whispered into his ear, leaning closer. "Do you want to hear it?"
Light's breath caught in his throat. "...You'd trust me?" he asked quietly.
"Like no one else." A gentle finger wiped a lock of hair from his face. "Light... my name is L."
Light didn't know whether he should have been amused or upset. "That's not funny, Ryuzaki," he murmured.
"No, I'm serious." Ryuzaki placed a light kiss on the side of his neck. "My name is L Lawliet. You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but... it's true."
Now, Light smiled, a genuine smile. "I'm glad," he whispered. "I'm glad you'd put so much trust in me... L."
He felt there was something important he should have remembered but had forgotten. Then, however, he decided it probably wasn't that important anyway.
At the moment, the only thing that mattered was L.