Part Twenty- One – 'I Hear the Bells'

'Must it be today? The day I die…'

It's all for the best. L believed that wholeheartedly.

Sure, he was afraid of what his death would bring.

But… it would keep her safe.

And no matter what, Kira would be caught.

Light Yagami will not win.

'The bells… the ever-ringing bells…'

*******

When I woke up the next morning, L was gone. That much was to be expected, really; the man never seemed to sleep. I was glad he'd stayed with me, especially after I'd blindly attacked him.

I could tell that it was raining outside; I could hear it drumming angrily against the windows. I sat up slowly and yawned, thinking of the strange detective. I wondered what he'd been thinking as I'd fallen asleep in his arms, fears momentarily deterred by his presence. He'd seemed a bit worried about something, but I figured he'd just been tense about the case. He'd probably worked it out by now, at any rate…

I hopped out of bed and crossed over to the closet, grabbing the nearest sweater and pair of pants that I could find. My mind was on auto-pilot as I changed out of my pajamas, and once finished, found myself rummaging through the drawers of the desk right outside of the closet. I pulled out one of my old journals and flipped through the pages, glancing briefly at the messy scrawl that made up the entries. I smirked slightly and placed the notebook on the top of the desk, making a mental note to read it once I got the chance. It would be interesting to relive what I used to believe was my life; to see how my views had changed.

I hummed contentedly to myself as I walked down to the lobby, my mood better than it'd been in a long while. I reached the stairwell and began my descent, pausing only slightly as I passed floor number seven: Misa Amane's previous place of residence. I grinned as I remembered her walking into the lobby and sitting on Light's lap, earning her a bewildered and embarrassed look from the bronze-haired man. I almost laughed as I thought of the reception I'd get if I tried that on L, but then I had to think again. He never really seemed to do what anyone expected. Although… I certainly wasn't going to try it, anyway. I wasn't sure of whether or not L wanted the other investigators to know about us yet or not, and I hadn't asked him. I never seemed to think quite clearly when I was around him…

I absentmindedly made the rest my way to the lobby, and pushed past the glass doors. I crossed over to the desk and sat down, noting from the clock on the wall that it was about nine thirty. I glanced swiftly to my right and noted that L wasn't there; it was just Light, Aizawa, Chief Yagami, and Matsuda. Ide, the man who'd helped Aizawa set up the police blockade when they'd captured Higuchi, wasn't present. I'd never really seen much of him, except for a few times after I'd been rescued; and even then it was only for a few minutes at a time.

I rested my head on the table, not sure of what to do next. I don't believe I'd ever been in the lobby without L in there, too, and I felt a bit out of place. I sat there patiently for a while, and then spotted the Death Note lying on the opposite end of the desk I was at. Just seeing it lie there sent a feeling of unease through my body, and I wondered where the shinigami, Rem, had gone. It made me feel nervous that no one, not even L, could be able to keep an eye on the shinigami at all times, especially after I'd witnessed her and Light's conversation a few days earlier. Needless to say, I didn't feel comfortable around either of the two, not at all.

Matsuda had been half asleep when I'd arrived at the lobby, and he now looked up, a tired expression on his face. "Oh, hello Adelynn… when'd you get here?" He sat up and yawned, and I grinned. What a professional. Matsuda glanced over at Light and Chief Yagami, blinked, and then said, "Where's Ryuzaki-san? He was here just a little bit ago…"

Light shifted slightly in his seat and said in a bored tone, "He left about an hour ago, I believe. He seemed a bit distant. More so than usual." He smirked, and I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. My dislike of the young investigator seemed to be growing more steadily each passing day.

Not much seemed to be getting done at the moment, and I sighed, bored out of my mind. What now? I stood up and walked silently out of the lobby, deciding I'd go and search for L.

I walked through the halls of the building, making sure to stop and look in the kitchen first, but hadn't seen any trace of him by the time I reached my floor. I stood in the stairwell by the entrance, tapping my foot and debating on where to go next. I hadn't ventured much in any of the floors above mine, and for some reason felt uneasy about searching them now. I shrugged that feeling off, however, and walked at a slightly quicker pace into the next hallway.

I wasn't completely sure how much time had passed as I searched the various floors of the building, but I hadn't been greeted with anything new. I was going to give up after a few more minutes of searching, but then stumbled across a room that wasn't quite like the others. It was filled with various electronic devices, the walls were light gray instead of the regular blue, and was tiled instead of carpeted. It was also a lot larger than the others, and I stepped into it, curious. I walked slowly past a few monitors that looked to be hooked up to surveillance, and saw the lobby I'd been in earlier. Nothing much had changed, except that Light was now typing in something on the computer before him.

The other screens were full of videos of other parts of the building, and I quickly scanned them, looking for L. There were so many monitors switching screens all at once that I gave up and turned around, preparing to leave.

I took a few steps towards the door when I heard a familiar voice say, "Good afternoon, Adelynn."

"Oh!" I half-yelped in fright, and spun around. An elderly man with gray hair and kind eyes sat in a chair in a far corner of the room that I'd overlooked, and I said, "Hello, Watari-san. I was just, uh, looking for Ryuzaki. Sorry to disturb you."

Watari chuckled, and motioned to a seat near him. I sat down in it, happy to see him again. Like Ide, I had only seen Watari a few times; but I really did like him.

"That's quite alright, Adelynn. I believe Ryuzaki is up on the roof presently."

I looked at him quizzically, "Really? That's odd. I don't think I've ever seen him anywhere but the lobby." I grinned, adding as an afterthought, "And the kitchen."

Watari smiled politely, but said somewhat glumly, "Yes, well, I daresay he's not feeling quite like himself today."

This piqued my curiosity, "Why is that?"

The elderly man looked away for a moment, and said, "I don't believe I'm at liberty to discuss these matters freely."

I nodded to show that I understood why, and said somewhat deviously, "Oh. I see. I guess I'll go talk to him, then."

Watari chuckled again, a humorous light dancing in his eyes, "I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

I smiled at him. There was something about him that made me feel at home whenever he was around, kind of like he was the fatherly figure I'd never had. I was glad to have met someone like him.

"Adelynn, if you don't mind my asking, what are your plans for once this case is over?"

This question caught me off guard, and I said automatically, "I dunno." I paused for a moment, trying to think of a reasonable response, "I haven't thought that far ahead. I can't imagine, or want, my life to be any different than it is now."

I grinned at him apologetically and said, "I guess I should be thinking of the future now, though. When Ryuzaki catches Kira, things will inevitably change…"

"Yes, they will." Watari agreed softly, "But only time will tell."

I wondered vaguely why he'd asked me this now; but thought better than to ask. He must have his reasons.

"I suppose," I replied, and stood up, "Well, I guess I should get going now… Thank you, Watari-san."

Watari nodded, and said as I turned to go, "Adelynn?" I swiveled around again and looked to him. He seemed to be picking his words carefully as he said, "When you figure out what to do once this case is over, don't forget to look back and see how things have changed. If you can figure out your next course of action then, the rest will work itself out for you."

I nodded slowly, trying to figure out exactly what he meant, and said, "Alright. See you, Watari-san."

"Good-bye, Adelynn."

I walked out of the control room, and stood outside the door for a moment. I was glad that I'd been able to see Watari again, but slightly alarmed by what he'd said about L. At least I knew where to look for him, though, and I started over to the stairwell. I quickly traveled the many flights of stairs that led to the roof, still refusing to take the elevator, and soon ended up right outside of the exit.

There was barely any light in this hallway, except for the red glow coming from the small 'exit' sing above the doorway. It made the hallway seem extremely eerie, and the rain beating on the door from outside didn't make things any less ominous. I wondered if L really was out there, with the weather so dismal, but decided to trust Watari's information. I pushed open the heavy metal door, and cringed back against the shower of rain that greeted me.

Glad that I'd brought a hooded sweater with me, I put up the hood and stepped out into the freezing downpour. At first I couldn't find him, with the rain obstructing my vision, and the strong winds blew my hood back down. I moved farther out on the roof, and soon enough I saw the slightly hunched over figure of the dark-haired detective. I sighed in relief when I saw him; I wasn't sure I'd be able to find him if the weather had gotten much worse.

"Ryuzaki!" I yelled, seeing if I could get his attention. He didn't hear me, and so I tried again, "Ryuzaki!"

Again, I got no response.

The rain beat down in an unrelenting torrent as he and I stood there. He was staring up at the sky, his hands buried in his pockets. He didn't seem to take notice of me, so I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Startled, he half-smiled down at me, and circled his arm around my shoulder. He looked back up to the sky, a far away look on his face. His unruly black hair fell in his eyes, water dripping from the tips. It was freezing out here in the rain, and I felt his arm tighten around me when I shivered. I looked up at him, and he was looking down at me, a puzzled look mixing with his still too distant expression.

"Aren't you cold?" I yelled over the pounding of the rain. He shook his head glumly, looking back to the sky. I wondered why he seemed so depressed, and asked, "What are you doing out here?"

He once again reluctantly pried his gaze from the overcast sky, and studied my face carefully. "I'm not doing anything in particular, really. It's just—I hear the bells."

Confused by his response, I replied, "Bells?" I couldn't hear anything but the steady thrum of the rain.

He gazed at the clouds once more and said thoughtfully, "You can't hear them? They've been unusually loud today; I find it very distracting. I wonder if it's a church, maybe a wedding. Or perhaps a—" He didn't finish his sentence.

I didn't know what to say to this, so I just stood there with him, wondering. I shivered again as the wind blew in our direction, and L looked down at me, concerned.

"Let's go inside." He said quietly, and I could barely hear him over the rain. He took my hand and led me through the door and to the stairwell. The building didn't do too much to warm us up, but at least we weren't still getting drenched outside. L wordlessly found some towels in a cupboard by the doorway, and handed one to me. I tried drying my hair, but gave up quickly, not wanting to fight a losing battle. We walked down a few flights of stairs, and then through a door to a room I hadn't seen before. It was large and empty, with a few stairs leading down to a large expanse of black tile. I wondered how such a room would be used, but figured that it wasn't worth asking. L and I walked to the steps and I sat down, trying effortlessly to soak the annoying water out of my hair. A few moments later, I tossed the towel a few feet away, fed up with its inability to do as I pleased. I expected L to smirk or comment as he usually did when I acted so childishly, but he just stood on the steps next to the railing, not seeming to move at all.

"Ryuzaki… what's wrong?" I got no response from him, and began to feel a bit panicked. He hasn't acted this way before; not rationale, reasonable L…

I couldn't stand to see him hurt like this and not know why. I wanted so badly to help him, but couldn't. He stood there on the steps, his slouch more pronounced than usual, and his messy black hair shielded his dark eyes. What could I do but wait, and hope that he would open up to me sooner or later? He'd always helped me, and now, when I needed to help him, I couldn't do anything.

"L." I got up and walked to the top step where he was standing, "Please. Tell me what's wrong. This isn't like you." I was greeted once again with silence, but then he looked to me. His usually unreadable eyes were full of pain; dark memories and foreboding thoughts swimming in their depths.

I couldn't say anything: too afraid to say the wrong thing, and also of the answer I'd get. From the way he looked at me, I knew I wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon. I sighed wistfully, kissing his cheek softly and turning to leave. I took two steps away from him, and was surprised when his arms wrapped around my waist from behind. He held me close as he buried his face in my hair, and I was close to breaking down. I didn't want him feeling this way; I needed to help him. But how?

"Let me help you." I whispered, and he rested his chin on my shoulder. I tried twisting around in his arms to see his expression, but he wouldn't let me move. He grabbed my left arm and pushed up the sleeve, trailing his long fingers along with white scars that almost matched his own pale skin.

He sighed heavily, and said, "Things will happen to us, but we'll move on, correct?"

I nodded slowly, unsure of where this conversation was heading. He dropped my arm and placed one hand on my stomach, the other on the side of my face. Pressing his lips just under my jaw, he murmured, "Being involved in this case involves a certain amount of risk. Things will happen. We will need to adapt, move on from them."

I tried to reply to this, but couldn't quite concentrate as his lips traveled farther down my neck, causing me to involuntarily tremble. He held me closer then, and said, "I believe we will be parting ways soon… but there will always be a future, no matter how impossible things may seem. Please… remember that."

I wasn't quite sure of what I could say about this cryptic message; and I didn't really believe myself capable of comprehensible speech as his lips moved slowly at the base of my neck. I attempted to turn around, and this time wasn't stopped. L's eyes were shut when I first looked at him, but he opened them as he rested his forehead against mine. I couldn't read the look in his eyes, and still felt uneasy about his current mood.

"I'm not going to leave you." I said quietly, and placed my left hand on the side of his face. The skin of my left arm was still exposed, and L turned his head to press his lips lightly to it.

He looked back at me, undeniable hopelessness flitting quickly through his eyes, and he said, "That's not what I'm concerned about, Adelynn."

He didn't give me a chance to reply or even think as he crushed his lips to mine, causing us both to stumble backwards against the railing. I would've tripped over it, but he steadied me while keeping one hand tangled in my hair and the other around my waist, holding me close to him. I locked my arms around his neck and kissed him back shyly, my heart rate picking up drastically. Sensing my acceptance, he deepened the kiss, causing my lips to part slightly as his tongue traced their outline. I could tell that my breathing had rapidly turned to panting, but couldn't be embarrassed about it as our bodies molded together, and we quickly forgot about anything and everything around us. He clutched my body to his, his hand gently stroking the side of my face. I let forth a moan as our tongues battled with each other, which excited both of us even more. I felt L's long fingers trailing up and down my spine, and I trembled. I held him tightly and wished this would never end, and was confused when I heard a shrill ringing noise break through the heavy atmosphere.

L reluctantly pulled back, his breathing uneven. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a cell phone, which he glared at before turning back to me. He didn't say anything, but brushed his fingertips over my cheek, his eyes boring into mine. Keeping one arm around my waist, he took a deep breath before pressing the 'go' button on his cell phone, and held it delicately to his ear.

"Yes?" His dark eyes never left mine as he listened intently, and I saw something- dread?- flit through them as he replied, "I understand. I'm on my way."

L snapped the cell phone shut and put it back into his pocket, sighing. He kissed my forehead lightly and said, "Come on, let's go. It seems like it's all worked out."

He grabbed my hand and I, still trying to return my breathing back to normal, followed him willingly.

My pulse was still thudding in my ears as L and I walked to the stairwell, hand in hand. His expression was still distant and slightly sullen as he led the way to the lobby, but when he glanced sideways at me he half-smiled and squeezed my hand reassuringly. I grinned back and decided to ask, "What'd you mean when you said 'it seems like it's all worked out'?"

L thought a moment before answering, "I'm testing the Death Note today."

I gaped at him, "What?"

He shrugged and said, "I've requested that a criminal in another country use the Death Note to write the name of a separate criminal on death row, to see if he dies after thirteen days. To test the validity of the thirteen day rule."

I shook my head, grinning crookedly, "Light's not going to like that."

L looked amused, "Exactly."

We reached the lobby in a few moments and walked through the doors, still holding hands. I blushed furiously, but L looked quite indifferent when Matsuda regarded us with curiosity and was momentarily stunned. He got over it quickly though, and said, "Ryuzaki? What's the meaning of all this? You somehow got approval from another country to use the notebook in an execution?"

L ignored him and walked over to the desk, looking to the monitors which had an ornate 'W' for Watari on them. Disregarding the incredulous glares he was receiving from everyone in the room, he said, "Watari, excellent work. Thank you."

Watari's kind voice answered in a business-like manner, "Not at all."

There was a cup of coffee before the detective, and he absentmindedly loaded it with sugar. I smirked as he added more than any normal person would have, and then he said, "First things first, Watari, please make arrangements to transport the notebook immediately."

"Right." He answered immediately.

L went back to stirring his coffee thoughtfully, and Light said a bit too calmly, "Ryuzaki, what are you trying to do?"

I held back a smile as L replied, "I'm going to try out the notebook for real." He took a large sip of his coffee and put it down, staring directly at Light.

Light didn't move or say anything, and Aizawa yelled angrily, "We can't do that! And there's no point in testing it now when we know that notebook's power is real!"

I remembered how Aizawa had been upset with L's decision making earlier on in the case; and he had ended up storming out of the investigation. I hoped that this wouldn't result in a similar scene.

Matsuda stomped over to where Aizawa was, taking his side apparently, and said to L, "And besides, who's gonna write the name? If someone starts writing in the notebook, they'll have to obey the thirteen day rule and keep writing names forever."

L sighed, growing impatient, and said tonelessly, "It's already been worked out. The person who'll write in the book is a criminal scheduled to be executed in just thirteen days. If he's still alive thirteen days after writing the name, we'll pardon him from the execution." He fiddled with the spoon he'd used to stir his coffee, already finished drinking the caffeinated substance.

I turned to Light to see his reaction. He didn't seem upset or nervous at all, and I was disappointed. But then I remembered that someone like Kira wouldn't be foolish enough as to crack under pressure, and rolled my eyes. 'Just give it up, Light Yagami. You're not going to win.'

Chief Yagami looked furious by this point, and said quickly to L, "But still, to sacrifice a—"

L sat up slightly in his seat, his patience apparently gone, "But we're very close! If we work this out, then the entire case will be solved!"

Chief Yagami stood back, deciding it was best not to test the younger man. I felt bad for him; he'd been on the police force for so long before this case, and his morals were definitely being tested by this.

"Yagami-san," I said quietly to Light's father, "When this case is over, you'll be able to go back to your family again. I know you want to see your wife and daughter. That's worth a thousand scum's lives."

He nodded slowly, closing his eyes and sighing.

Suddenly, I heard something coming from the monitors on the desk, and turned quickly to figure out what it was. L was sitting up, a panicked look on his face. "Watari?"

Watari didn't respond, and L yelled, "Watari!"

Just then, all the lights went out and the screens where a 'W' had just been were replaced with the message 'All Data Deletion.' An alarm went off then, and I jumped nearly ten feet in the air in fright.

"What the Hell is that? What's wrong with Watari?!" I shouted, whipping my head around to see L. His expression was angry and panicked, and I yelled, "Ryuzaki?!"

"I told Watari to make sure that he would erase all information if something should happen to him," L said severely, and I froze.

"If something should happen?" I looked to the other investigators, who were wearing the same confused and frightened expression that I was. The only light in the lobby was the red of the monitors, the only sound being our panicked breathing and the alarm in the background.

L rotated his chair around and said darkly, "Where's the shinigami?"

Chief Yagami glanced around and urgently replied, "Good question. I don't see it!"

Matsuda let out a frightened yell, "It disappeared!"

"Ryuzaki, what's going on?!" I shouted over the panic, and he turned back to the desk.

"Everyone!" He demanded, "The shiniga—"

Almost everything in the lobby seemed to stop, including my heart. L dropped his spoon and it clattered to the floor as he clutched at his chest, his expression going blank. He tipped to the side and began to fall out of his chair. Light and I almost at the same time lunged towards him, but I reached him first. I lifted L's body partly off the floor, and Light kneeled down beside us both. I felt nothing but numb shock as the brilliant detective's dark eyes began to close, and I yelled, "L!"

L's body went limp in my arms, and I wasn't able to comprehend what had just happened. I shook his lifeless body, yelling, "Come on, L! Wake up!" He looked so peaceful that he could have been sleeping if I didn't know any better. I hugged him to my chest, and sobbed brokenly, "Not you too! Not you…"

Light jumped up, shouting out in panic. Everyone made a start towards him, and he shouted, "We're gonna die! Can't you all see? First it was Ryuzaki, and it's us next!"

Aizawa stumbled backwards in shock and Matsuda crouched down, hands over his head. Chief Yagami yelled out in fright and Light looked down at the ground, his hair covering his eyes. "Damn it! Where are you shinigami?!"

I stayed kneeling on the ground, frozen with disbelief and shock; I didn't even care that all of our lives could be over almost as abruptly as L's. Light continued shouting, "You know something about this, don't you?! Come on out!" Light stormed to the exit of the lobby, a look of grim determination on his face as he began his search for the terrifying creature.

Everyone followed Light out of the room, except for Matsuda, who stopped just outside the doorway. "Adelynn…"

I glanced up at him; tears welled up in my eyes. "Go search for the shinigami; it's what he'd want you to do."I said this in a choked voice, but Matsuda still looked torn between staying or not. A second later he walked quickly out of the lobby, a guilty look on his face.

I rested my hand on the side of L's face, willing for his eyes to open, for him to be alive. The tears spilled over onto my face, and I cried for him, and cried for Watari, who'd undoubtedly suffered the same fate. I cradled his lifeless body in my arms, rocking back and forth and mourning the passing of the world's greatest detective. The man I'd come to love was now… dead.

--

A/N: -hides- Please don't hurt me! Keep in mind that this is only the halfway mark of my story... keep reading!!

Sorry this wasn't out on Saturday like it usually is; I was violently sick on Friday and didn't feel in the mood to type up or write anything. But now I've gotten better, and should get back on my regular schedule!

If I don't update before Thursday, I'd like to wish you all a Happy Christmas!

Thank you for all the reviews sent; I've just noticed that I'm past the 50 review mark. You all are amazing. Please keep on doing it! Reviews are like Christmas presents. ^_^

-Sydney :3