Prologue
A small homeless woman, around the age of twenty, with long black hair, held a small baby boy. "I can't believe it…" She said, smiling down at him. A middle aged man, tall with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes, the age of 46, sat beside her, putting a blanket over her shoulders. "Shh Reo, you must rest. Please, give me him" He smiled at her. Reo lifted her weak, skinny arms, and handed the boy over to the man. She trusted his kind smile and friendly eyes, and knew that he would take good care of her baby "Please look after him, please…" she stuttered, as her heavy eyelids began to close. The man smiled kindly at Reo "Don't worry, I promise I'll take good care of him." He said, as he watched Reo take her last breath, and drift in to an endless sleep.
The man stood up, and looked at the baby boy. "What shall I call you?" He asked, smiling at him, the boy gazed up at him with big dark-brown eyes.
The man walked down the pavement, out from under the bridge, and put his umbrella up as large raindrops fell from the sky. "What a typical England day for you to be born on, ey?" he laughed kindly, as he opened a large gate. Ahead of him was a huge house, with a looming clock tower and a crucifix on top of the roof. The man walked down the path to the house, and opened the front door. "Watari, Watari!" Cried a young child with dusky blonde hair, running to Watari. "James hit-" He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the baby in Watari's arms. "Who's that?" he asked timidly, as he slowly approached the baby as if it could suddenly pounce at any moment, and eat him. "I rescued this baby boy from a homeless woman, Richard; do you have any ideas for a name?" He asked Richard, getting down on one knee as to be Richard's height. Richard carefully examined the boy. "He doesn't look English" he remarked. Watari nodded "He's Japanese, although it looks like he could have a bit of English in him" He winked at Richard. "You're Japanese aren't you?" Richard asked Watari. Watari nodded. "You have weird names over there, how 'bout something weird, like 'cheesebob'?" Asked Richard. Watari laughed, "We do not have weird names" He said, standing up.
"He has a strange birthmark on his back!" Richard pointed at the baby. "It looks like an L!" He said. Watari smiled "How about we call him "L" then?" he asked Richard.
"He has to have a surname!" Richard said "How about your surname?"
"L Wammy? Doesn't sound quite right" laughed Watari. "Besides, his mother did have a surname. 'Lawliet'" Watari said.
Richard grinned, and stood on tiptoes, looking at L. "Hi L Lawliet! I'm Richard Jenson!" he laughed "We can be friends!" he said.
Watari smiled at Richard's innocence. "I'm sure you and L will get on like two peas in a pod!"