Title: Che Sarà, Sarà
14. Defend: To repel danger or attack from a fort.
"Is the coast clear, L?" A disembodied whisper echoed through the hallways of the dark orphanage, as a teenage L Lawliet glanced around his surroundings. Lawliet beckoned the young voice forward as a shadow hesitated for the slightest of moments before making himself known to the 18 year old in question.
Slightly shaggy chestnut hair hung over chocolate brown eyes as a now 11 year old Yagami Raito nodded solemnly as the adolescent reached the older boy as quickly as he could. Raito now reached Lawliet just below the chest, as he bleakly stared up at the teenage. L had been gone for the past six months on a new investigation, and had not been able to even talk to the youth for about a year, let alone see.
'He's grown so much since the last time I've seen him...' Lawliet thought silently to himself. The two boys stealthily snuck out the orphanage (as both were used to doing, obviously) and made their way outside, a backpack now visibly swung over the younger genius's shoulder.
"Wow…" Lawliet jokingly began, as he took in the scenery around them. " I forgot what the outside actually looked like." Raito frowned to himself, but otherwise didn't say a thing. Lawliet quirked an eyebrow at the unexpected reaction as they made their ways to the outdoor tennis courts located in the back of the orphanage. Raito was completely silent for the rest of the walk, so for once, Lawliet followed his lead.
Once they got to the courts, Raito set down the heavy looking bag and pulled out the equipment inside of it. Still, he remained quiet. Lawliet began to grow annoyed at the 'silent treatment' as Raito roughly handed him his racket and made his way to the other side of the court.
"Will you continue this for the rest of the night, Raito-kun?" Lawliet lazily asked as the younger boy served. Lawliet struck back at the ball, as the hidden aggravation became known with the heavy handed swing.
"Continue what?" Raito coldly asked back, as he hit the tennis ball with equal ferocity. Lawliet gracefully ran after the ball and swung once again as he narrowed his eyes in growing anger.
"You know what, Raito-kun." The older man countered along with the ball. "This unnerving silence and your apathetic stares are growing to be annoying." The younger prodigal genius dove for the ball with a vicious look on his face as he caught the ball with his racket just in the knick of time.
"Does it matter?" Raito snarled. "You'll just be leaving tomorrow, anyways. It's not like you'll actually be thinking about me, or what I did while you were actually here!" Lawliet frowned at the boy before hitting the ball with all of his might. Raito attempted to dive once more for it, but this time came up short.
"15-Love."
Raito got up to retrieve the ball, but was stopped just when he was about to reach for the ball. A hand grasped his own as Raito looked up unexpectedly, only to be overwhelmed by coal black eyes. The young pre-teen blushed a small bit at the contact, but did not snatch his hand away. Raito gazed into Lawliet's eyes as the young genius reached over and pulled the child to his chest.
"Do you even miss me at all? Even if… even if it's just a little?" The young boy quietly questioned his only friend. Lawliet slowly closed his eyes as he pulled Raito closer to his chest, laying his head directly on top of the other's silky brown locks.
"Raito-kun knows that I miss him where ever I go. That is why I cherish the time we have together, even if it is brief." Lawliet pulled the pre-teen away from his chest to look into those wide mahogany eyes he cared so much about. "When Raito-kun is a couple years older, we will be able to spend more time with each other, but until then, you must continue to study at Whammy's. I know Raito-kun misses me, but he should know that I would never abandon him..."
Lawliet brushed away a lock of hair from the younger genius's eyes as he smiled down at the angelic face gazing up at him. "You are my only true friend, Raito-kun, and I will never leave you behind."
Raito's eyes mysteriously glimmered for a moment as he gazed at Lawliet with an emotion even L himself couldn't describe. The look was gone before he knew it, the teenager silently mourning its loss. It was in these small moments that Lawliet realized just how much this one boy was growing attached to him, L Lawliet, the most unsociable, underhanded genius detective with a stubborn streak to take out an army...
And vice-versa.
"Promise me... promise me you'll always come back for me, Lawli. I can't go through this again..." Raito looked down at the ground before grasping for the older boy once more and burying his head into his shoulder. "I can't be left alone, again."
Lawliet hugged the young boy once again, before the words were ripped out of his mouth, whether the young detective liked it or not.
"I promise."
Before anyone says anything, yes, ooc-ness (like the whole fic isn't ooc! XD) up the ying-yang. Hm... oh well. I like the way this au is going. Cute, with an awesome mixture of angst. Awesome.