Here's the updated version of L'amour Pur! Not too many changes, since so many people liked it (why fix what ain't broke?) Anyway, enjoy the new version!
"Did you hear? There's a new L! And he defeated Kira!" The orphans whispered amongst themselves excitedly.
A girl sitting in a corner reading David Copperfield looked up momentarily. She had only been at the orphanage for a few months, but through eavesdropping, she knew what was going on outside the safe gates of Wammy's House. L versus Kira, the serial killer with a supernatural means of killing criminals without being near them. From what she understood, it was the intellectual battle of the century.
"Who's the new L then?" Another asked.
"It's Near! Mello and Matt were killed during the case."
The girl sighed and looked back at her book, her thigh length blonde hair tucked behind her ears.
Sam wasn't very interested in L, or even being a detective for that matter. She had a much stronger love for writing and books than for solving crimes. And it wasn't that she was ungrateful of being here at Wammy's, she liked it there, it was just she hated that they were being groomed to be L's successor and that the chances of being L was one out of forty seven. She also hated that none of them even had their names anymore. As soon as they walk through the gates, they are slapped with a new identity and told to never tell anyone their real name. No, she didn't agree with the way Wammy's ran at all, but who was she to complain? She was content here and with her place at number fifteen.
The children were still talking of the new L and when it became too noisy for her to read peacefully, Sam closed her book and decided to go back to her room. As she passed the front door, it swung open, and four people shuffled in with the gust of frigid wind.
The first was a tank of a man with graying blond hair slicked back from his face. His expression was guarded as he gazed around the lobby, though he looked mildly interested.
The second was a tall woman with feathery blonde hair and gold, hawklike eyes that scanned the room. She gave a tiny nod of approval before standing beside the tank man, her ruby lips pursed together. She was holding the hand of a small child, a little girl. The girl looked similar to the woman, only instead of golden eyes, she had blue. Her eyes were downcast and she looked sickly. Sam didn't need to guess what the girl was doing here and felt sympathy toward her. Then, she looked at the last person.
He was a short boy with curly white hair. He was dressed in white pajamas, oddly enough, and he wasn't wearing any shoes. He shuffled in and Sam had the feeling that he wasn't too used to walking as she studied the way his socked feet slid awkwardly along the wooden floorboards. He had the darkest eyes she had ever seen, which contrasted greatly with his lack of pigmentation in both his physical attributes and clothes. His face gave no indication of what he was feeling or thinking. It both intrigued and disturbed Sam.
She studied the four of them curiously while the white haired boy walked, or rather shuffled, over to her. They were about the same height, which wasn't saying much on the boy's part since she was just about five feet. She leaned back from him, deeming him standing too close for comfort, but he either ignored her obvious discomfort, or he wasn't aware of it in the first place.
"Is Roger here?" His voice was quiet and she had to lean forward to hear him.
Sam pointed to his office, eyeing the boy oddly. The boy nodded back at her and his two companions followed him through the oak door, the little girl trailing behind them. The minute the door was closed, Sam pressed her ear against it, dying to know his identity.
"Near...nice...of course...Watari..."
She sighed and pulled back. She could only hear fragments. Then, she paused. So that's Near? She wondered. He seemed, physically, to be no more than twelve. She had heard from the others he was actually eighteen, though seeing him now made her seriously doubt that. Perhaps he suffered from stunted growth? Or a delayed growth spurt?
She didn't notice the door opened until someone ran into her and she let out a squeak as she fell to the ground. She let out a whine and rubbed her sore bottom before peering up at who had knocked her down. Near and his companions were standing in front of her, all with a raised eyebrow, except for the little girl. She was shamelessly staring at Sam whose face was beginning to burn with mortification. She clumsily got back to her feet, brushing dust off herself.
"S-sorry!" She quickly mumbled before running up the stairs to her room.
She wasn't planning on coming out of her room for the rest of the day, horrified that that had even happened. She suddenly recalled she no longer had her book with her and her heart stuttered.
"Oh, no! I left my book down there!" She groaned, flopping back down on her bed.
"Well, I'm not leaving. Nope, I'll just go get it later." She rolled over and buried herself in her covers, nodding once.
She remained there for the duration of the night, staring up at her ceiling. She listened to the old building groan as the wind blew, shivering when she felt the chill through her window. Her room was so quiet, not even filled with the snoring of a roommate. She was the only "S" in the orphanage at the time, but doubted another would be coming any time soon. She closed her eyes. It would be nice to have a roommate, even if most of them didn't get along. Just to hear another person breathe would be enough for her. Not this deafening silence that made her ears ring. She nestled deeper into her covers and behind her closed lids, she counted sheep. She got to fifty before finally drifting off.
The next morning, she opened her door and gasped. Her book was lying in front of her door with a note on it. The script was elegant and neat and said only two words: Dear Sam.
She picked up the book and hugged it to her chest, peering down the hallways. She didn't see anyone; most of the children were already eating breakfast. She took the note off the book, stuffed it in her pocket, and went to the dining hall. She sat cross legged in her chair and placed her book before her, flicking through the pages until she returned to her spot.
She hated eating breakfast; she had a weak stomach that disagreed with her when it came to eating in the morning. The first morning of her residence, Roger and the other staff forced her to eat when she vehemently refused. However, when they witnessed her vomit the oatmeal back up after complaining her stomach hurt, they disgustedly decided to leave her alone when it came to the "most important meal" of the day.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
Sam looked up and her cheeks flared up with a pinkish hue. Near was standing beside her, clutching a toy robot to his chest. He was noticeably without his companions. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes decidedly on the book resting on the table.
"No. I get sick if I eat breakfast." She murmured, turning back to her book.
"Ah, I see. I used to be like that, too." He moved to take the chair across from her, pulling one of his knees up to his chest and twirled a piece of his hair idly between his fingers. "What is your rank here?"
"Fifteen."
He frowned and her face flushed again. It made her nervous when it seemed someone disapproved of her. Even more so when that someone was the new L.
"You're much smarter than that." Near stated it like it was a fact; no question in his mind at all.
It was her turn to frown. "How do you know that?"
He looked down at his robot, halfheartedly playing with it. "Because I was first here and I am L. It would be a disgrace to both titles if I couldn't read people. You're intelligent, so much more than a fifteenth rank, but you don't want to move up. My guess is either you have been threatened or you don't want to become L's successor."
How could he possibly know that just from studying my face? That's creepy. "I-I don't want to be a successor." She admitted.
He moved the robot's clenched fist so that it was aimed at her."Why?"
She had learned a little about Near prior to his arrival yesterday afternoon. As far as she knew, he held virtually no interest in social interaction and it was beginning to make her grow suspicious of the boy. He only spoke to others he either decided was intelligent enough for him or he was planning on using them as a pawn. She had a feeling it was more of the latter than the prior in her case and it made her bristle with indignation. She had no intention of ever being his pawn.
"What's with all the questions?" Sam demanded, violet eyes narrowing slightly.
Near stopped playing with his robot and looked up until he met her gaze, unwavering. "Curiosity; it is very rare for any child here to not want to be L. Why don't you want to be a successor?"
She blinked, uncertain if he was telling the truth. She answered slowly, "I just don't want to become a detective and be known only as a letter. It sounds so lonely."
He nodded as though he understood, which she felt like he didn't, and set his robot down on the table. She gestured at it. "What's with the toy?"
"They help me reenact the crime."
Yeah, right, I bet he just likes playing with them.
"How old are you anyway?" She asked.
"I am eighteen." Sam was surprised. He noticed and his eyebrow twitched.
"Yes, I know I look much younger than I actually am. You suspected you were older than me then? You most likely thought I was twelve and figured there would be a year or two difference. You are between thirteen and fifteen years of age."
Sam looked a little perturbed, bothered by him guessing her age range. "I'm fourteen."
The bell rang overhead and Sam automatically stood up, closing her book. He stood up as well and his two companions walked over to him. The little girl was absent.
"Sir, the plane will be leaving in an hour." The man said.
Near nodded and Sam tilted her head. "Where are you going?"
"I've begun a case. I should have it finished in a couple days, then I might come back here. Why, are you going to miss me?" He teased, though his face gave no indication that he was even teasing her.
His companions seemed surprised at the playfulness in their superior's voice as was Sam. She scoffed and turned from him. "As if! You're really weird."
She spun on her heel and stormed to her class, hearing him give a soft chuckle before she rounded the corner.