[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 Two: When You Awaken

The moon shone brightly through the nearby window, casting a white shadow over the two sleeping figures. With such minimal amounts of sleep during the last few months, L now slept soundly with Moriko in his arms. He dreamt of happier days, without KIRA or Matsuda to ruin anything, and of a world where he and Moriko could life peacefully. In his mind he could hear her voice, repeating the thing he had always wanted to hear most in his life.

"I love you, L…" Moriko said, smiling as she always did. She walked alongside him, holding his hand gently in hers. He laced their fingers together as he stopped, looking deep into her sapphire blue eyes.

"Moriko…there is something I must ask you."

She turned and looked back at him, smiling calmly, "You can ask me anything, L. What is it?" L's face flushed as he fumbled around in his jeans pocket, searching with his fingers.

"Well…I apologize if I do not perform this correctly, but…" Finding his prize, he carefully pulled out a sparkling silver ring with a heart in the center, encrusted with small diamonds. In the center of the heart was a large, shimmering sapphire that seemed to glow in the sunlight. Moriko stared in shock and awe first at the ring, then into L's hopeful eyes. "Moriko…will you remain by my side forever, no matter what may come in the future, not only as my love and my life…but as my wife as well?" She stood silently for a moment before smiling, tears present in her beautiful eyes.

"Oh, L…I-I've never even dreamed of…Yes…Y-yes, of course! Of course I will!" she said excitedly, hugging him tightly around the neck. L embraced her, feeling as though his heart may burst as tears of happiness welled in the corners of his eyes, and gently held her hand as he prepared to slip the ring onto her finger. Just as the sterling silver touched her skin, a voice came from behind them.

"I've got you now, L…" Light Yagami was sitting beneath a nearby tree, a black notebook in hand. Smirking, he flipped it open and began writing, "M-O-R-I-K-O…K-U-R-A-T-…" L ran toward him, yelling at the top of his lungs as his heart raced in panic.

"NO, DON'T!"

"…-A." Light closed the notebook and disappeared, laughing as he went. L stood staring where KIRA had disappeared, 'Damn you, Yagami!' He was too focused on Light to notice until it was too late, and he heard her cry out.

"A-ahh! …Eh...Eh-L…" He whirled around and saw Moriko clutching at her chest, her normally calm features contorted in pain and terror. She fell to one knee, reaching out to him as she began to lose her strength.

"Moriko!" L ran back to her as fast as his legs could carry him, but every step he took seemed to only increase the distance between them. Then, almost as if it were in slow motion in a movie, he watched her collapse to the ground, her long black hair covering her like a thick, dark coverlet encasing a corpse at an open casket funeral. He felt his heart wrench painfully in his chest as he saw the light leave her once dazzling blue eyes, and the life left her body which was, only moments before, so vividly animated. The raven haired detective stopped in his tracks, staring in disbelief and horror. "Mo-…Moriko…no…" He felt himself begin to shake, so badly he fell to his knees. He fought back heartbroken sobs as he finally realized what had occurred. "…Sh-she's gone…b-but-"

'You should sleep, L…I'll still be here in the morning when you wake.' Her voice revisited his mind as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hoping he'd see her alive and well once again, he slowly turned. Light stood behind him, smirking malevolently as he pulled a hand gun from his jacket, pointed it at L's head, and pulled the trigger.

"I've got you now, L."

'I love you…L.'

L awoke with a start, his body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears, deafening him, and his breathing was irregular and ragged. He lay there momentarily, laying an arm over his eyes as he tried to recollect his thoughts. He then quickly sat up, feeling something was very wrong: Moriko was gone. "…Moriko…?" He received no answer. The detective felt himself begin to panic slightly, 'Did I imagine all of that? …No, I would not have been in bed otherwise…' He bit his thumb roughly, 'I greatly dislike this. She said she would be here when I woke…Moriko does not lie, so where could she have gone?' L sighed, "I will wait for her." He sat in her very comfortable computer chair and attempted to wait.

After five minutes, what seemed like an eternity to the now very worried L, passed by, he began to pace about the room and gnawed on his thumb roughly. 'This is ridiculous…Because I experienced that such an overactive display of my sleeping subconscious, I am not thinking as clearly and therefore worrying about foolish, irrational things,' he thought, watching the door every few seconds. L glanced at the clock and, when he saw it read "12:00A.M.", growled quietly. 'Unacceptable! She is supposed to be here. Where could she possibly have gone off to so late at night?…KIRA. However irrational the thought, if there is even a 0.1% chance that KIRA has somehow gotten to her, then I have wasted too much time already! I must go after her at once!' He quickly went to the door and opened it. WHAM! "…?" Confused, L looked past the door and saw a silhouette in the darkness.

"O-oww…um, g-good evening…or, actually, it's 'good morning' now," a soft and slightly groggy voice said.

"…Moriko?" he asked hopefully, trying to see in the dark hallway.

"Yes? …L, are you alright?" The man sighed in relief, feeling his panic subside.

"You know how early it is. Why were you not in your room sleeping?" he asked, heading back into her room. He flipped the light switch by the door on his way and, pausing a moment to see if she'd follow and join him, sat perched at the foot of the bed. After a short while she did follow, rubbing her reddening cheek, and she sat next to him.

"Um…w-well, I woke up and I could hardly breathe…you were embracing me so tightly, and you were repeating my name in your sleep." She looked at him worriedly for a moment before continuing, crumpling the fabric of her pajama pants in her hands. "Then, at one point…" she began hesitantly, "you started crying out in pain…and whimpering…Y-you held me so tightly that I started bruising, and I thought you might actually end up breaking one of my ribs…s-so uh…I eventually got up and went to the kitchen." L saw her glance at him sheepishly, "I-I figured if it was a nightmare then some strawberry shortcake might help…" Moriko then touched his hand gently, her eyes shimmering. "I'm sorry…I didn't even think that you might have preferred me to be here when you awoke from it…" He leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck lovingly.

"Do not worry about it much. I am just glad that you are still here." He then felt something wet land on his cheek. "…Moriko?" She was crying; hot tears were spilling from her sapphire eyes as her face began to flush slightly. Worried, L sat up and turned to face her, gently pushing her bangs away from her eyes. "Why are you crying? …What is wrong?"

She shook her head quickly, even a little too quickly as she replied. "I-I'm not c-crying…I'm f-fine…" she whimpered, willing herself to stop crying. 'He's on the KIRA case…we both are. It's sad…It's so sad. My heart feels like it's moaning in anguish…Even though we're finally together, KIRA could kill us…L could die…' Moriko struggled to silence the sobs that were wracking her small frame. Though she tried to force them down they still escaped as quiet whimpers. L watched her for a few moments before pulling her into a warm, comforting embrace.

"Moriko…Who is it you are trying to convince? Because you are not sounding very persuasive at the moment…What has upset you so greatly?" he asked her gently, leaning back enough to see her flushed, tear-streaked face. After a moment of staring at the blankets on her bed, she sighed shakily.

"I-I…I j-just realized…h-how close t-to death you…w-we are…" She closed her eyes tightly, "I-I'm w-worried…y-you might d-die and…a-and l-leave me all a-alone…!" Sent into a new fit of quiet sobs, her thin form shook in L's arms. He wiped her tears away and held her: the only thing he could think to do then. He understood how she felt. He himself had worried about those things himself many times since meeting her, though before he had no understanding of why. Losing someone is something that is very painful, and though everyone fears being alone, for Moriko that fear was enough to break her. 'I myself cannot imagine how I would live on in a world without Moriko…' L sighed quietly, caressing her hair gently.

"All living things die at some point, so I cannot tell you that I will never die. However, I can promise you that KIRA will be brought to justice," he said, pulling her back just enough for their eyes to meet. "When this case is solved…we will be able to live with less fear. Together…" Moriko looked up at him then, understanding that, so long as she was with him, she would always be at risk of being sought after by people who want to kill him. She knew this, and though normally that would have been more than enough to drive any normal woman away, she way not a normal woman.

"…Right," she said quietly, touching her forehead to his. "As long as I'm with you…none of that matters to me. I will go to hell and back for you…I will be with you when KIRA meets his end…" L felt his heart skip a beat, realizing that she meant every single word. 'Her love for me must truly be amazing…'

"Moriko…" She smiled up at him lovingly before pulling away completely and lying under the covers. The detective quickly got up and switched off the lights before settling into bed himself beside her, taking her into his arms. She sighed contentedly and moved as close as possible to him, hiding her face in his neck. L felt himself smile, "Are you turning into a feline?" He heard a confused noise escape her, making his smile widen.

"What do you mean…?" she asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.

"You are being very feline-like…I believe the word is 'snuggly'." L could feel her face heat considerably against his neck and he chuckled quietly. "I may just become a cat person." She didn't respond to this because she had already fallen asleep, her breathing slow and deep. He hugged her closer to him, being sure not to squeeze her too tightly, before nuzzling his nose in her hair ever so slightly and falling asleep himself.

I love you, L...