[A/N: Hey, this is Moriko220. I lost my old log-in information, so I had to make a new account T~T Sucks... Anyhow, I decided to repost this story on here, so that all of my stories, new and old, can be in one place.]

{Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of its characters. The only character I own is Moriko, who is of my own creation.}

Chapter One: I'll Be Here

Moriko answered the door to her small apartment-like complex in the Taskforce headquarters. "Oh, Ryuzaki! Was there something you needed…?" L nodded, nibbling at his thumb nail as he stood slouched in the doorway.

"Yes, there is a rather pressing matter that I must discuss with you. It will not take long, I promise." She quickly moved aside and allowed him to enter, closing the door behind him.

"I'm so sorry, if I'd have known you were coming then I would have prepared something for you to eat…I have cheesecake in the fridge, if you'd like some of that." L felt his stomach growl quietly at the thought of her homemade cheesecake.

"Perhaps in a moment, but right now we have important things to talk about." He walked through the living room and into her bedroom, taking careful consideration not to knock over her large stack of books beside the door. Moriko followed him in and closed the door behind her, sitting on the bed with her knees tucked underneath her. L, not receiving any invitation to but knowing it was alright, sat a few feet away next to her.

"So…what is it, Ryuzaki? Does it have to do with the KIRA case?" she asked, wondering why he hadn't immediately began telling her what was so obviously important.

"No, this matter has no relation to the case at hand…rather, it's a little case of my own that I've been investigating on the side."

She nodded, "I see…I'll be sure to help in any way I can." Neither of them spoke for a moment and, to help relieve her nervousness, Moriko began to twirl her long, black hair around her fingers. "What is it? You can tell me, I promise I won't tell anybody." L felt his heart rate increase slightly as her tried to remember what he'd read on Google. 'Men with a more confident appearance and air about them seem to be found more attractive to the majority of women.' That was what the article had said, though most of it was about how there is no real definition for it which really meant that they didn't know. Feeling the silence begin to make even him nervous, he looked over at her and leaned in closer. She didn't seem to notice as she continued to play with her hair. Finally, feeling the pressure increase, he gathered up his courage and moved in even closer.

"Moriko…I love you," he said, leaning forward and capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. Her eyes went wide at the blunt confession and even more so at the kiss, to which a quiet gasp escaped her lips. 'H-…H-he loves me?…' Worried at the lack of a reaction he received, L pulled away slightly to look at her. She was trembling slightly, surprise evident on her normally calm features and her lips parted from the small gasp she'd made. He could tell from her eyes only that she was shocked but nothing more. He greatly disliked that he couldn't tell what she was thinking, and he felt his stomach grow heavy. 'I do not understand why I feel so…the only chance that she will say no is a 50% chance…however, the chance she will say yes, that is also only 50%.' He watched with worried fascination as she began to fidget with her hands, staring down at her lap nervously. 'Never in my life have I ever felt this way. Everything she does seems to lower my deductive abilities, and even more so whenever she speaks to me in her soft, kind voice…' He felt his head droop slightly as he now stared down at her shaking hands, resting in her lap and scrunching the material of her skirt. 'Perhaps she would better prefer a more normal man than I, with my strange ways…' L felt his eyes sting as tears began to prick at the corners of his charcoal eyes. 'She is not safe for me…Every time I am around her, I cannot think clearly. My deductive ability, my reasoning skills, everything decreases dramatically around her…except…the affection I have for her.' He was startled out of his thoughts as he felt a warm hand gently touch his own, and he now noticed that his hands were also shaking ever so slightly.

"Ryuzaki…I-I don't…" He felt his heart throb, I don't feel the same way. He could hear her voice already, sympathetic and pitying. "Um…I-I don't know what to say…e-exactly…" she said, a blush staining her cheeks the lightest shade of red. Feeling already defeated, L stood and headed for the door.

"Please do not worry about it…I am sorry for imposing on you, Moriko," he said, his voice shaking only the slightest bit. Suddenly, he felt something grasp his sleeve gently, just enough to return his attention to her.

"N-no, that's not…th-that's not what I meant…p-please…" She pulled lightly on his sleeve, telling him that she wanted for him to sit down again. After a moment, he did so, sitting in his normally abnormal fashion, with both knees drawn close to his chest. Once he was perched on the edge of her bed once again, she took a shaky breath and tried to find her words. "I-I meant only that…I-I didn't know how to react right away. I mean…n-no one's ever um…k-kissed me before…I also never expected you to…t-to say something like that…a-at least, not to me…" Her blush returned full force as she stuttered nervously. L, in the back of his mind, thought it to be extremely cute, but didn't say anything. "R-Ryuzaki…I-I always…always thought of this moment… I-I never thought it would actually come, I only dreamed about it…" At this her blush intensified, and L couldn't help but wonder what exactly she had imagined in her mind. "B-but…I-I…I care very much for you…a-and admire you. You're risking your life for everyone else…Trying to catch KIRA…you're very brave for that. I think you're amazing. You…you must have been so terrified, when you saw Ukita die…discovering that KIRA could kill with only a face…you must have been so afraid for your life. But, while others were panicking, you tried to think straight…you tried to make sure we all made it out alive…and we did." She spoke more quietly now, so much that L had to strain to hear well. Her free hand was twisting the material of her skirt relentlessly, her face stained crimson. "R-Ryuzaki…I-I never…wanted to say anything because…I-I figured you'd just turn me down, b-but…" She gripped his hand a little tighter, struggling to meet his eyes with her own sapphire, tear-filled eyes. "For the longest time…I-I've wanted to tell you that I…I-I…" She was trying to force herself to say what she'd wanted to for so long, but found that her voice had died in her throat. Tears of embarrassment, happiness, and sadness rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto her hands and bed. 'I've finally gotten the chance to talk with him…but I still can't say it. Why…what good is this time alone if I can't even tell him how I feel?' L now felt his eyes sting more fiercely, his hands shaking enough to see clearly. He didn't know why or how, but he'd somehow fallen in love with her, and, KIRA case or not, he wasn't going to let her run away from him. Gently and hesitantly, he touched the side of her face with his free hand, wiping away the crystalline tears with his thumb. She looked at him ashamedly; he could tell how desperately she wanted to return to staring at her lap. He looked at her and felt something wet slide down his cheek; he did not stare blankly and piercingly the way he usually did. His eyes and expression were gentle and warm, even as a single tear fell from his dark gray eyes.

"I will make this more simple for you…Do you feel the same about me?" he asked, trying to suppress the earnest in his voice. Moriko felt her face heat up immediately as her blush increased more, if possible, and she tried to look down again. L stopped her, holding her hand more tightly and raising her face up to meet his. "Please…a yes or no will suffice…do you love me?" His voice was now desperate, as if he would be unable to survive if he did not receive an answer there and then. The raven haired girl's entire body was trembling and, unable to find her voice, let her heart take over. She slowly leaned forward, touching his cheek with a shaky hand, and met his lips with her own. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best, as she had never kissed anyone before. L felt his own face heat up dramatically as he also blushed, his eyes slowly closing on their own accord as he gently pushed back, deepening the kiss. Tears slipped from his eyes, feeling his heart swell and his head swim with warm, fuzzy feelings. It was an unknown feeling to him, one he himself had never experienced, but he found it to his liking. 'So…this is what love feels like…' He hesitantly pulled away from this kiss, his face flushed and his breathing irregular. Moriko also pulled back, opening her eyes and looking at him.

She smiled and giggled quietly, "I-I guess it's a bit difficult…what with your knees in the way." He also felt himself smile happily, not in the way he had in front of the Taskforce. Now, he smiled with his entire being: his eyes glowed, his face brightened considerably, and with the rosy color added to his cheeks, he appeared healthier than he'd ever looked before.

"Yes, you are correct…perhaps it would be easier if I were to…" he drifted off as he put his feet down flat onto the floor and straightened his posture. Moriko gasped; he was nearly a head taller than she'd thought he was. "Now," he said, smiling at her shyly, "would you care to try it again this way?" She blushed darker, to L's amazement, and nodded, suddenly feeling very shy. Scooting closer to L, until they were just about touching, she leaned in closer. Their faces were mere centimeters apart when-

"L- I mean Ryuzaki! We've gotten a new lead on the KIRA-…um…Ryuzaki? Moriko? Where are you?" Matsuda came in, without a single knock, and was looking for them in her apartment. L nearly growled in frustration, 'Stupid Matsuda…'

Moriko got up and quickly opened the door, "Matsuda, we're in here! Sorry to keep you waiting!" She closed the door most of the way and looked back at L, smiling, and held out her hand for him to get up. He took her hand and, just as he was about to pull himself up, Matsuda pushed the door open and knocked Moriko off balance.

"Oops, sorry about that, Mori-" he stopped when he saw the two of them. To keep her from falling, L had grabbed her, and they had been knocked backward onto the bed, with her lying on top of him. "…-ko…um….did I come at a bad time?…" The young police officer looked away embarrassedly, feeling more than a little foolish. Moriko was unable to speak she was blushing so badly, and L was far too angry at Matsuda to say much. At that moment, the cameras were turned on in the room, and Light, Soichiro, Aizawa, and the shinigami Ryuk could see them.

"Whoa! Hyuk hyuk, who knew L was the type?" They found themselves as stunned as Matsuda, who had since apologized and run out of the room, his face beet red. After a moment, Moriko realized she was still lying on L and quickly got up.

"I-I'm so sorry! I-I was, I-I didn't mean to land on you like that!" Feeling his anger at Matsuda for ruining the moment for him fade, he sighed quietly and pulled her back down onto him, moving so his head rested on one of her seemingly hundreds of pillows. The once again stunned girl could only look up at him. "R-Ryuzaki…?" He hugged her to him tightly and felt his eyes grow heavy.

"I find myself in need of sleep…though I am sure I will be unable to attain it. Will you lay with me here for a while, Moriko?" Her heart jumped at the sound of him saying her name in such an endearing tone, but she calmed once she saw just how exhausted he really looked.

"Yes…I'll lay here with you for as long as you like, L," she said, moving a lock of his jet black hair out of his face. He smiled and hugged her as close to him as he could.

"We may not be able to stay here that long…but I believe tonight will be long enough. What I would really like is to hear you say my name once more. You called me 'L'." A smile graced her lips as she moved to look up at him, her eyes full of warmth.

"L…" L pulled her up to meet him and kissed her sweetly on the lips, feeling his love swell every time he heard her voice utter his name. 'Her voice, so soothing and calm…I feel as if I might fall asleep just from the sound of it,' he thought to himself as his eyelids grew heavy. "You should sleep L…I'll still be here in the morning when you wake," she said, resting her head on his chest. Quickly, L reached down and grasped a blanket, pulling it over Moriko and himself.

"I will try, though I do not know if I will be able to. I have not slept properly in a long while." He knew, though, that in no time he'd be dreaming. Dreaming of her, as he had for the past few months. His eyes closed, and sleep began to overtake him. However, just before both of them slipped into the warmth of sleep, he heard her voice, soft and sweet.

"I love you, L…"