It likely would not have taken a genius to determine that using the Death Note was the best way to get Kira out of hiding. So, when the world's greatest detective wrote his own name in the notebook it had felt only natural. His days since the Kira investigation had been filled with other cases and the newest addition to the Wammy's children.
Without really thinking about it, L looked at a calendar which sat on the table before him.
11 - 5 – 04
There was something almost haunting about those numbers.
FLASHBACK
The boy who could have been L's younger brother ran into Roger's office after a few minutes of pounding at the door with no response. He ignored the elder boy, but ran straight to Watari. What words he said were jumbled and muffled by Watari's suit jacket which the child held tightly in his grasp.
The old man didn't seem bothered. The patted the child's messy hair and told him to take deep breaths.
"All right, B. Try again and tell me what is wrong."
"It's A. His numbers are running low. He's gonna leave me."
It was utter nonsense, of course. A was still young and the orphanage would not turn him away until he was able to live independently. Still the boy, B, was panicking over something he didn't understand. Watari seemed to agree.
"B, A is not leaving anytime soon. He still has exams, just as you do. Roger says you are both doing well too, so I expect great things."
"You don't understand, Wammy. His numbers are running out."
"That is enough, Back-up." Roger looked bored and held no interest in the boy's claims. "There are no numbers and A will be fine. Now, go to bed."
L just stood in the corner watching the entire interaction play out. It was odd, but the older men were not worried so he saw no reason to be.
END FLASHBACK
'Such a strange thing,' the detective thought, 'to be thinking of in my final hours.'
He took another bite of his chocolate bar as the morning that had followed that night flashed through his mind. In hindsight, they were all to blame for that morning in some ways. Still, who would listen to hysteria rather than reason?
FLASHBACK
The next morning, L had breakfast in his room and was talking with Watari about his most recent case. There were still three possible suspects and they were not helping him narrow it down. The old man was mostly helping by listening to the young detective speak out facts. Then Roger knocked on the door.
"Watari, there appears to have been an incident last night."
"Explain, please." It was an order, not a request. Watari owned the orphanage, after all.
"It would appear that A died last night. It was a suicide."
"Oh, dear. Are the other children all right?"
"Back-up has refused to leave the body since he stumbled across it earlier."
Watari was on his feet and out the door before Roger finished his sentence. L followed the two through the halls until they reached what had been A's room. It looked perfectly normal except for the boy slumped over in front of the window with a pool of blood surrounding it. The child B was sitting at the corpse's side with dead eyes and both hands limp in his lap.
"B?" Watari approached the boy. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"There isn't anything there. No numbers, no name. Nothing."
Very odd. L moved closer to the small group to get a better look. It was a clean suicide. Alternate was dead.
"Do you know why A did it, B?" Roger asked that one.
"He was tired. Always tired." B looked up at the adults. "Why didn't you help? You could have helped!" The boy jumped to his feet as his voice rose. Even the detective could see he was upset, but no one could guess why.
END FLASHBACK
That morning had been the first time L had seen another of Wammy's kids dead. Since then, many had been lost to them. Watari was gone too. That hurt more than any of the others. Watari was L's family and the case that was the detective's death sentence had killed the old man too.
B died in the Kira case too. He was one if the early victims when Kira went international. Of course, it was unlikely that he would have been overlooked anyway. Serial killers were criminals and Kira seemed to want all criminals dead.
The LABB murders... That was perhaps L's only memory of Back-up where they had not interacted. Naomi Misora had caught him before the boy had committed suicide as well. Had he succeed, B's plan would have been brilliant. Oh well.
The next and final time that L and B met, it had been in a high security prison in L.A. where B was to serve his sentence.
FLASHBACK
L came into the visitors' room where B was already waiting. No longer did the boy look like his perfect double. His black hair was singed and there were some pretty severe burn scars visible beneath his prison jumpsuit. His hands were cuffed to the table, but the boy wore a smile. It was somewhat disconcerting.
"Hello, Back-up." L could not keep the hint of malice out of his voice. B had once been his successor, now he was a disappointment.
"Hello, Lawliet."
Two words, but they froze L to his core.
"That name is not something I expected out of you."
"True. I like Lawlipop instead." His smile went serious. "Why are you here?"
L sat across from the restrained boy in his normal crouched manner. He could see that B wanted to change position ad well, but was prevented. In a cruel way this pleased the detective.
"I came to say farewell, B, before I head to my next case."
B snorted, "And what case would that be?"
"I am going to take on the Kira case."
B's eyes widened and darted to look above his head. L followed the gaze, but saw nothing. The wall behind him was bare, save for the door, but B would not need to look up to see that.
"Eleven five oh-four..." B muttered under his breath. When he spoke normally again, it was with an undertone of concern. "Lawli, don't take that case."
That time, L was the one amused.
"What cases I take, Back-up, are of no concern to you."
"But they changed. It isn't your time."
"You are being ridiculous and I am no longer interested. Goodbye," L sneered, "Beyond Birthday."
The twisted boy looked almost ready to scream or cry. "Goodbye, Lawliet. Remember me at eleven five oh-four."
With that heard, L left the room without a backward glance.
It was the last time he ever saw B.
END FLASHBACK
As the memory faded, L looked at his calendar again. 11 - 5 - 04. Who would have thought that the nonsense B had spoken was the day of L's death. With only minutes to go, he took another bite of chocolate and touched a photograph of Watari.
'Back-up was right about the numbers... No, Watari. Beyond Birthday, not Back-up. He tried to warn me, but I had a case to solve. Now it is over... I will be joining you and Beyond soon.'
L gave a relieved sigh before his heart stopped. It was not slow or painful and when Matsuda came to check on him, the former detective wore a peaceful smile.
Just as he had written in the Death Note.