Together We Stand—Forever We'll Fall

Chapter 2: Old Acquaintance-New Friend

A.N.: Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. Also, I don't see a need to put a disclaimer on every chapter, so go to the first one for that. Enjoy!

Misa turned slowly as the crouching figure regarded her location on the precipice "You-you died..."

"Misa, I am regretful of what happened, how it ended, but this doesn't have to mean the end for you too, please, there isn't a reason to jump." He said, offering his hand, which she stared at for some time.

"I miss him." She whispered.

"Yes, in the short time we were acquainted, Light had an impact on my outlook of life."

"I suppose you want to turn me in."

"No, my crime fighting days are…maybe not over, but postponed indefinitely."

"You're not locking me up. I'll die before I'm locked away and left with only memories!"

"Then your crime was its own punishment. I suppose your reasons for working with Light are...debatable. In a way...he was sort of…well, he was very vengeful, and while outside of the law…I wonder, had I been young and impressionable, would I have done the same, I ask myself this everyday now, ever since I heard. He was a bright boy, a shame to have wasted his talent, but he thought it was right, if only he knew how wrong-"

"It wasn't wrong, L, it wasn't!" she screamed fiercely, "It was right, always!"

"Except for when it was wrong. Misa, you never had doubts that maybe his idea of justice and what justice really is are two different things?" L asked, watching her as she stepped forward.

"What does it prove anyways, that big brain of yours?"

"Nothing, it just searches the intangible. Something that I can't see...something that, unlike real evidence, only I can...feel." She saw him gazing up at the slowly appearing stars, certain that he knew they were always there, only hidden behind the light of the sun, then she ducked back under the railings and sat next to him.

"I got all dressed up for this, you know." She said, gazing at his eyes and wondering what he was thinking.

"Hmm? Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"You know, I—actually, it doesn't matter…. I'm sorry about…Watari."

"Yes, I cannot believe…he's gone."

"But how did you…you were…wasn't your name written down?"

"No, not really, I knew the Shinigami was probably going to kill me, though I knew it probably wouldn't…the medicine took effect sooner than I thought it might."

"What? What medicine?"

"It looked like I had a heart attack…it only caused paralysis, Light's fa—Mister Yagami…he and Matsuda, they carried me out, no one there suspected I was alive, I suppose the Shinigami never suspected anything either."

"No, she…Rem died that night, I think it was so I could be happy with Light, but I regret everything now."

"That's natural, but so is everything else…except that notebook. It seems the possibility to do infinite good blinded Light, and he didn't realize he was wrong because he had been deceived by his fantasy of a perfect world. That dream blurred all logic, it's like suffering and everything else, it's human emotions controlling everything and giving us little say in it…but that notebook...it never should have happened to him...or you."

"L, I'm sorry about Watari, it's my fault, if I never searched for Light-"

"It doesn't matter now! You can't change the past with your apologies and I can't bring him back just because I want him back! He was my friend and advisor. He organized every detail for travel, offered insights and opinions, quilled my fears and doubts, he…he was always there, ever since I was a boy, and it's just not easy for me…I never think of him much." He said in pained tones, Misa gasped in emphatic horror, but he shook his head, "It's easier to think of nothing than anything at all, it's been easier for me to occupy myself with modern conventions-Mario, for instance. I never thought I'd want to speak to you again, but last night I was listening to the bug—one of several—that had been installed in your home."

"You spy on me?!"

"Yes, well, I thought something like this might happen."

"Wait, since when does it matter to you what I do?!"

"It matters because…I'm a fan of yours, remember?" They stared in silent awkwardness as those last words settled, and then they shared a brief laugh, "I suppose that would account for some things, but spying isn't nice."

"What can I say? Mario isn't the only modern convention at my disposal, and…it was nice to know that you were still there…I don't know why, maybe I didn't feel alone…to be honest, I'm not sure how it felt, I tried to put myself in your shoes, but I couldn't-"

"They were probably too small."

"Heh…ha, ha, maybe your right, but in any case, I tried to forgive you and Light, but then I asked myself why, and the answer was that…on some unconscious level, I trusted you both, and maybe just hearing your voice, however pained, it made me think only of how things used to be, in the early days of my investigation of the Kira case, but whenever you finally fell asleep, I was alone again, and worse than that, I was here again, and it was in those late hours that I remembered Watari, and it became so much harder…eventually you broke schedule, so I went to your house to see why you weren't at the graveyard, which I admit had several wires, in case I heard you say something indicative of previous circumstances. Anyways, I was glad to see you leave, but I had to follow you, you had a quiet air about you, something I couldn't put my finger on. I saw you purchase a ticket, I had been holding the phone and making gestures as though I was in deep conversation, when you bought a ticket the conversation took a turn for the worse, and I asked for a ticket, whining about being fired, and then…some time later…I found you here."

"I should have jumped by now."

"That's stupid, Misa, it's terrible, think about the millions that might be effected, you could have started a chain reaction, and their deaths might not have been so quiet, they might have hurt not only themselves and their families, but others as well, car crashes, house fires. People love you, they care about you. Even though no one knows my face or my name, it's still important that I focus on trying to get the most out of life. Believe me, Miss Amane, your time will come much sooner than you can know, you might not see it, but everyone else will, you gait will become baby steps and your light voice will quiet to a mere whisper, and then…you'll be gone…and no one will know where the time went." He looked away from her as she stared in disbelief, of what, neither could say.

"Tell me, Misa, where will your time have been spent. I know I'll have squandered mine piteously, in the near future, but you, Misa, you're a celebrity, you're a star, but instead of basking in in the glow of fame, you're here, previously plotting to kill yourself. I don't know, I just hope that isn't what you really want, maybe you got tired of having no one to cry too. I see now my words were hasty, if they were unkind, forgive me, being famous cannot be easy, so much is expected of you…maybe that's why you chose this secluded place."

"I don't know, what does it matter, this is as good a place as any, isn't it? And being unknown can't be easy, you do all this stuff and nobody knows."

"Yes, well you know, Light knew, Watari knew."

"We both had friends, even in each other."

"I could never say I had friends, even now the term seems undeserving, the entire time I had to stay on my toes, ever knowing but never proving…and even when the case is closed, I can never say, 'Hey, look at what I did, that's me, doing something potentially dangerous, or maybe it's perfectly safe, and people can be hurt, but it's still my work'…I've always wanted someone to know that."

"Well…I'm here, if you ever need to talk."

"Hmm, it looks like we'll both have to stay alive, huh?" he smiled a small smile as she giggled softly, and they stared at the stars for a while before leaving the roof.

Their destination unknown.

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