He had seen her in his dreams.
The few times that sleep seemed to visit him, she had been there.
She was always beaten. Bruises seemed to mare her beautiful porcelain skin. She was dressed in what could hardly be counted as even rags. She sat, staring out of the dark dainty window. The world outside seemed to beckon to her. She would turn and give him a smile... Then... She would dissolve into dust where she sat.
That was about when he awoke, screaming.
The first time the dream had occurred to him was during his first night at the orphanage. He was only five and rather unstable after spending most of his short years watching his mother abuse him and his other siblings.
Watari had just removed him from the police scene covering in blood.
His mother had decided the only way to stop the 'voices' was to murder them all. The four other children didn't stand a chance. Each being repetitively stabbed with a large steak knife at the different chime of the grandfather clock. The one thing that had stuck out in poor L Lawliet's mind was the bells.
Then that damn dream. Watari had calmly woken him and persisted that it was only a dream.
It seemed way too vivid to be some dream.
He desperately tried to find her identity throughout the years. Asking around, making bribes, and using his connections around the world had seemed like the most logical course of action. He had first began to shuffle through human trafficking cases in his free time. When those results came up empty he began looking elsewhere. Maybe she was a victim of abuse? To shuffle through all of those files would be more trouble than it was worth.
He began ignoring the dreams when they came.
That was until she had turned to speak to him.
"You always seem to come here, eh?"
The casual way she seem to speak unnerved the normally stoic man.
"Yes, I suppose," he tried responding, just as casual.
Her twinkling laugh made him nervous. Did she find his behavior strange as well? Was she like all the other cruel children at the orphanage? Did she find his posture odd? Was she going to comment on his bloody thumb nail? Was he considered a 'freak' in her eyes?
"I would never find you a freak, Lawliet." she responded smoothly with a slight scold. Her emerald green eyes softening seeming to contrast with her tone.
"Why are you always here?"
Her eyes widened at his boldness.
He mentally smacked himself. 'Damn it! When have I ever let my emotions run wild like this?' His eyes traveled down to his bear feet. He stared intimately at the patterns in the wood on the floor. The wood boards looked as though they would cave at any moment.
"Don't you recognize me, Lawliet? Ryuzaki? Eraldo Coil? Denevue? Hideki Ryuuga?" His eyes widened at every alias she mentioned. "L?" As that left her pale lips he couldn't help approaching her. "Kira?"
Kira...? He recognized that name. It was the name of that self- righteous serial killer. The one who killed with heart attacks. The one who passed judgment with just a name and a face. KIRA.
"I'm not Kira," he answered swiftly and he turned away from the floor to her frail form. "I would never be Kira. Who would wish to be some mindless killing machine, hell-bent on making the world a better place? Kira is wrong. I plan to stop Kira before he even has time to begin."
The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver up her spine. Lawliet had stared at her as if she was Kira. He wouldn't falter his gaze at all.
He was L. Not the scum of the earth, Kira.
"What would you do if you possessed the same power as the evil Kira? Would you kill like he can? Or would you use it for the good of the world?" The question unnerved him and his true emotions crossed his palled face. First surprise, then a calculated, yet guarded look.
"You are wondering who I am, yes?" The question seemed to be thrown out. She continued to stare at the window as he brought a pale finger to play with his thin bottom lip.
"It comes at a price, does it not?" his listless voice rung through her ears. He gazed as she brought a hand to the lock on the window.
"You are a clever boy," she answered with a slight chuckle. "Yes. The price is rather simple: I shall tell you my name and then disappear from your dreams forever." she gazed longingly out the window as she spoke. He simple stared at the expression on her face.
So many pros and cons to this situation... He thought bitterly, as he began to bite his thumb nail. What would happen to her after she left his dreams? Would she die or move on to someone elses dreams? Would he ever meet this frail creature again? He decided to take a gamble.
"I will accept these terms," He spoke simply to her. Almost immediately after he said this she threw open the window and repositioned herself in front of it.
"You are wise beyond your years, Lawliet. Please remember though: the thing that holds the most value that you will ever own is your name."
She started falling backwards out of the window before Lawliet could stop her.
"My name is Vanya."
He would never forget her name.
