Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, I am only borrowing the characters for entertainment.

Author Note: I had some free time today in class, so I finished up chapter three and typed it up for you guys. Hope you enjoy it.


The sky was the same winter grey, the children's laughing as they continued their snow ball fight was the same, his body, other than vomiting, felt the same, but something was not the same. L wiped his mouth, shuttering slightly as he tried to relax his body from the motion sickness. He let his eyes drift around, trying to see if he caused any damage to Wammy's. Nothing appeared to be changed. The building stood tall just as it did before. But didn't he learn very well from Raito that nothing was ever as it seemed?

L stood, slipping both notebooks inside his hiding place. It was uncomfortable to have the thickness of both notebooks under his shirt and rubbing against the skin over his abs, but he shrugged it off. Once inside, he could easily dispose of the Death Note.

As he walked the distance from the docks to the door, Ryuk began his banter of complaints, "Is that really all? That can't be all. That was too quick. Do something else."

"I took the Death Note from Raito. He never found it, therefore the Kira case never existed. No one knows about you but me. So I will have to ask you to refrain from speaking to me, or, in the very least, be prepared to have me not answer to anything that you say. If people see me talking to myself they will question my sanity. Does Ryuk understand?"

Ryuk huffed in annoyance at L's child like tone. "Keep on thinking with that attitude. You forget that just because you have half your remaining life span, does not mean I can't write your name down anytime I want."

L was a little surprised by the threat, but he said nothing as he stepped through Wammy's front doors. He went strait to the kitchen were a cake and a basket full of apples always awaited anyone's appetite. L was glad to see they were still there. Grabbing the biggest red apple in the bunch, he tossed it in the air. "Satisfied?"

Ryuk caught the juicy fruit, munched happily, and said nothing. L smirked. Typical of you, he thought.

"Ah, L! There you are." L turned to see Watari making his way into the kitchen with a hand full of files. "I have been looking for you. I have one you will definitely be interested in for sure this time."

"And what is that, Watari?"

"A case of course. Now look at this." The older man sat at the table, spreading his files out for L to see.

L knew this would happen, because it had happened before. Without Kira to focus on, he was bored. He could remember just before Kira, how he was finding every case to be exhausting and tedious. Then Kira had announced himself to the world and made things interesting again. Kira was an unsolvable case, a direct challenge. Without Kira, L was back to the repetitive murderers, thieves, and psychopaths who were all too predictable. "Watari, do you think we could perhaps discuss this later?"

A little startled, the old man nodded. L didn't wait for him to speak, he cut himself a slice of cake, before asking where the boys were.

"I believe all three are in the game room. Mello and Near are competing in a game of chess. Matt is lounging on the couch."

The three successors, in their usual positions.

L shivered. He remembered Raito describing, in full graphic detail, the death of two. Raito had mentioned Near's cold, calculating methods, Mello's emotional meltdown at having finally won, and Matt getting shot to death. Looking back, L never really spent quality time with them. He had expected, with their IQ's, that they could look out for themselves, learn right from wrong at Wammy's, and become just like him, following his footsteps.

Clearly, he had made an error. "I believe I will go join them."

Watari looked up from his files confused. L… wants, to join them? Had Watari's old ears heard correctly? "Join them, L?"

"Yes." L took the first bite of his cake. It was a creamy, delicious, chocolaty cake with a thin layer of strawberry frosting hidden in the middle. It three more bites it was all gone and L was left with the amazing aftertaste and crumbs. "We will discuss the new case later."

"Very well. We will be leaving for the United States in just a few hours. The FBI is already awaiting your arrival."

L sighed as he moved to the game room from the kitchen. The Federal Bureau of Investigations. They were not the easiest people to get along with. However, L could take some comfort in knowing Naomi Misora should still be alive. Thanks to the Time Note, Kira never happened. She was probably married by now to Ray Penber, who was also still alive.

"Check." Near twirled a strand of hair with a smirk.

Mello growled, his fist bashing against the table and knocking Near's queen over. If he lost this game, Near would have won three times in a row. How was this little snot capable of winning everything?

L watched Mello's eyes from the door way fascinated. Those yellow eyes were glowing with a small rage. The boy was getting angry over a board game. Perhaps a lesson was in order. L stepped behind Mello, and leaned down to his ear whispering, "Move your knight up two spaces and to the left."

Mello was more than a little stunned. L never helped in a game of chess, and he didn't stick around to see the outcome. He moved to the couch where Matt was cursing at his video game.

"Die! Haha I got you now! You can run but Matt will-" L snatched the game console from the teens hands, switching it off.

"What the? Hey!"

"Video games rot the mind."

"That's just what some loser said because he could never win."

"That may be true, however, try to spend more time with Mello and Near. Play the winner."

Matt rolled his eyes. "No way. They are way too competitive. Besides, I can never beat them. I'm better at action and diving in head on. Chess is not action. It's plotting ahead." With that said the teen snatched his game back mumbling something about having to start all over again.

Ryuk's eyes started to go wide. "Raito and I use to play video games. Hey you should show him the Death Note so I can play too."

L ignored the ignorance coming from the shinigami's lips. He looked at all three disappointed in himself. The were already following in his footsteps weren't they? They each had an addiction, and they each had their own worlds.

Well, L was going to have to fix that. He snatched the game back.

"Hey!"

"You will do as I say." These boy will become closer. If L and Kira could fall in love, then Near, Mello, and Matt could be friends. "Near? After you have won, play against Matt. That is not a choice."

Matt groaned, Near smiled, and Mello's left eye twitched.

L hid Matt's game in the drawer of his desk inside his personal office, as well as pulling out a lighter from said drawer. L had locked the door behind him, and now he closed the window's curtains. All alone in the small room he glanced around. He recognized everything. His computer, the mouse pad with the red, decorative strawberry design, the rather large copy of Rembrandt's "Night Wish" handing on the wall, and a silver tea trey, but no photograph of Raito. No, the office was simple, cold, and without evidence that he and Raito were once aware of one another.

He pulled both notes from the space between his pants, laying the Time Note on the desk, and holding the Death Note between index finger and thumb. He took a breath, then clicked the lighter, watching the little flame dance.

As he allowed the red-orange flame brush against the bottom right corner of the note, Ryuk began to cry, "No! Why are you burning it?!"

"I have to." Came the calm, cracking voice.

L laid the note on the empty tea trey, and watched the flame eat away at the pages, leaving nothing but vulnerable ashes.

"Whatever. That's not going to get rid of it. I have to haunt you until your death, or until you give up ownership of the Time Note."

"I didn't do it for you." L's black eyes rimmed with tears. Saving Raito meant giving up Raito. He had known that all along, but still there was a heavy, painful burning inside that ached and in everything Watari taught L, there was never a lesson in how to stop the hurting.

Would it ever go away?

Throwing himself into his chair, L drew his knees into his chest protectively. He had no photo of Raito now. Only his memories. He closed his eyes picturing the face. In a few years time would take it's toll, and the face, the smell, the laugh, the sharp tongue, would all disappear. L wouldn't remember Raito anymore. Not as he truly was.

Suddenly, L dropped his knees and grabbed the mouse as he realized what he could do. He could pull up Raito's permanent record, print a copy of his school ID, and frame it. He, of course, would need to hide the photo to keep another from seeing it, but he would have a permanent image of the seventeen year old. No one and nothing could take that from him, ever.

L typed and clicked until the name Yagami Raito was displayed in bold print. It told him everything he already knew. As he waited for the printer to give him a copy of the 5x7 photograph, L's curiosity peaked. He scrolled down to find that Raito was still majoring in law. His grades were perfect as expected, not a single grade below an 'A'. But something caught L's eyes and took away his breath.

Yagami Raito's attendance was terrible. He missed at least three classes a week with no excuses. L clicked out of Raito's school records to his health records. No hospital visits through out the entire year.

Why was he missing classes? Raito had always been a diligent student. What was going on? Had Raito gotten bored of school?

Maybe.

But he had always wanted to be a man of the law.

L clicked around, looking more into Raito's personal date. That's when he saw it, and the word's hit him like a dagger.

Yagami Raito was placed on a one month probation in February, just before his birthday. Then three months in September.

A crime?

Raito had committed a crime?

A voice inside L's head said not to interfere, this was Raito's life, and according to the new time line you created, you can not be involved in his life. You have done your job of protecting Raito.

But another voice, the one inside of his heart, the one that had not spoken in years, told him to go to Japan.

Struggling to figure out the right thing to do, L picked up the printed photo, and after taking a good hard look at the boy, he realized what that was.


Author Note: Why and How L is able to just casually browse through people's files is because…well, he is L? lol