16

Light felt uneasy as he saw the shadow approaching him. He was desperate to tell anyone of his ordeal, but right now he was starting to regret it.

"Don't worry, Raito-san" the elder man assured him. "I will not tell anyone you don't want to know"

"Wh-what's going on, Watari?"

"It is unfortunate that I heard your conversation with L a while ago, I know that you were only intending for him to know. But L has been wary of his life being in danger, so it can't be helped"

Light did not know what he was going on about.

"I am afraid that there is nothing that L can do at the moment. He is currently busy with solving this case, as you are aware" he continued. "But I can offer you something"

"Huh?"

"If I may ask, what are you planning to do now, if you are indeed pregnant?" Watari pried. "Will you get rid of it? Or will you get it to term?"

"I-I don't know yet." Light said honestly. "I was hoping L would…"

"I can help you" Watari insisted. "You don't have to think of anything else"

Light wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"I can get you away from this investigation, I can get you as far away from L as possible"

"Wh-why would I want to do that?"

"He is still suspecting you as Kira. We are all suspecting you to be Kira"

"What do you mean…"

"But I can get you as far away as possible. Whether they prove you as Kira or not they wouldn't be able to find you. You can have another life away from this"

Light was very confused. He has been confused the whole day, ever since Ryuuk dropped that information on him.

"How can I trust you?"

"You don't have to, but at the moment I am your only option"

Light could not really think straight, but he is curious of what the man was trying to offer.

"My only condition is that you give us full custody of that child as soon as he is born"

Oh. So that was what he wanted.

"I can provide the best medical care available, no one will have to question how it happened. But I am interested in that child's well being"

"Why…"

"Because he is potentially L's child. I want to nurture him and provide the best environment for him so that he might someday take over his father"

"Huh? You still don't know what will happen! Why are you planning his future already?"

"I need to secure a future for L, I am not going to last for longer. The next generation has to be someone who can carry the burden of the past…"

"I don't even know if I want to keep it or not!"

"Well, you can clear your head first and think about it" Watari insisted. "I can bring you somewhere safe for now, far away from this environment."

"You can make a decision later" Watari assured him. "So what do you say, Light?"

Light was still very confused and uncomfortable being bombarded by these questions.

"I-I want to talk to L first….and my dad…." He insisted.

Watari stopped for a while.

"As you wish, Raito-san"

…

He went back to the investigation room, and saw the two people immediately. They were in the middle of a heated argument of whether it was right to use death row convicts to test the death note.

His father was adamant on not using the notebook, and just keep it as an evidence for now. It was out of the question to damage their morals just to prove a point.

However, L could not accept that, as such evidence will not hold in any court, being that this is such a supernatural event, he wanted to document if this actually works and not a work of pseudo-science.

Light could only watch the scenario unfold. He wanted to say something, but they were focused on the case, they hardly noticed him. It was as if he was on another world, with a different set of problems. He didn't want to cause his father any additional grief if he finds out about this, and it appears that L has also got his plate full at the moment. He had to be the one to make a decision.

He got back to that private room, where Watari was waiting for him.

"Alright, what do I have to do?"

…

Light listened to Watari's terms. They were simple and straightforward, however slightly harsh. The moment he left this place, he is no longer allowed to contact L or any of the investigation team, including his father. In fact his number will be blocked by the system.

He has at least two months to decide what he was going to do, and he should tell them immediately of the choice or else they will make a choice for him. Also during that time, he is required to go to his medical check-ups, just as a precaution.

He also needs total cooperation on every house rule put in place in the institution he is going to, and will need to actually work or study to earn his keep. Also, he is not allowed to tell anyone where he is going, or what was happening to him. It was Watari who will be in charge of that.

It sounded too rigid and final, that Light was having second thoughts about this deal. However one thing that makes him consider accepting the deal was that he will be able to walk away a free man after all of this is over, baby or not. He can leave the place and have a second lease in life, without being arrested for being Kira. Of course there was no evidence against him yet, but in all honesty, he just wanted to forget it ever happened. Not after what happened to him.

"Can I just talk to L before I go?"

Watari considered for a moment.

"You can, but you are not allowed to tell him anything other than you are leaving" he said.

"Then, I will wait for him here"

It took hours before L returned in the room, looking very exhausted from arguing with people the whole time. It was almost midnight. He was surprised that Light was still there waiting for him.

"I am sorry it to a while, Raito-kun" he apologised. "Are you feeling better?"

"Uhuh…" Light hesitated, but decided to go for it. He put his arms on L's neck, and gave him a quick kiss.

"I know it is still too early but, Happy Birthday, L" he smiled at him.

"H-how did you know…"

"You told me when we were having our date, right?" he reminded.

"I didn't realise you were listening"

"Anyway, I think I'm going to leave right now" he was a bit vague about it.

"I guess, it's already late." L replied. "Take care Light"

"Just don't overdo it, okay L?"

"I can't guarantee that" L gave him another kiss as he headed to his room. "Good night, Raito-kun"

Light watched him until he disappeared.

"Are you ready to go now?" Watari asked finally.

"Yeah"

…

When he woke up, he found himself sitting at the back of the car, his body feeling heavier than usual. He still felt a little groggy, that he found it hard to keep his eyes open. They were entering a gate of a Victorian style establishment. He couldn't remember how he got in the car, or how long he was asleep. The last thing he remembered was being offered tea during the almost ten hour flight, on one of Watari's private plane.

"We are here, Yagami-sama", the driver, who also happened to accompany him during the apparently self-driving plane, informed him.

"Thank you…er…"

"You can call me Roger" he introduced himself as he got out of the car and opened the door for Light.

"Where are we?" Light asked as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight. It felt like he was about to have a headache.

"I am not allowed to answer, unfortunately," the man answered. "But it is safe to assume that we are in England"

Light took a while to comprehend that he really was in a far away place. He has never even been overseas before.

He opened the door to let Light in.

"Shall we discuss your arrangements here?"

Light nodded. Roger led him to an office at the end of the corridor.

"Take a seat, Yagami-sama"

"Ummm…you can call me Light." He was starting to feel uneasy with being called like that.

"As you wish." Roger acknowledged. "I have received Watari's instructions about you and you can be rest assured that I will keep it with utmost care."

"What were the instructions?"

"You're going to work here, Light. As embarrassed as I am, I have to admit that we are a bit short staffed at the moment" Roger explained. "I act as the caretaker here, but I had to also come to fetch you, at Watari's insistence. Needless to say I was forced to leave this place to…able hands.."

Light was confused at what he meant.

"As you will find out, this is an orphanage, but a special one at that. It houses intellectually gifted children" Roger continued. "Of course, not all of them are gifted, and we employ our own. The older children get to take care of the little ones until they can legally leave this place."

Light was starting to get an idea of what kind of place this is.

"I believe you are with child at the moment? Are you going to entrust him to our care?"

"I'm not sure yet!" Light quickly said as he instantly covered his stomach.

"Watari told me to make sure you get to have a look around this place and see what it's like." Roger dismissed. "However I think that it is best to do it tomorrow. For now you can take the entire day off to rest."

He gave him a key with a number on it.

"Your room is just upstairs, at the end of the corridor." Roger simply said as he started working. "Have a good rest, Light"

Light quietly nodded and left the room. He was not sure what to think of this place, and he was not sure if he can trust Roger, but he felt that he was right. He was still tired from the trip there, and it was a good idea to sleep for the whole day. It didn't take him too long to find his room. He opened it with key and locked it again, making sure he was alone. The room was not so big. There was just a bed with plain white sheets, a small desk and chair and a closet. The light was dim, and he figured that it would still get dim when it was actually night time, but he could not think of anything at the moment but to sleep. Fortunately the curtain was good enough to remove any light coming through the window. He did not bother to change clothes, and just fell in bed as he started feeling the headache grow worse, and he found his eyes closing again.

…

L was very disappointed when Light did not come to visit him that morning. He was hoping to see him again, as they had much to talk about.

He still could not believe that Light could be pregnant, and at first thought he was just playing a joke on him, but as soon as he cried he knew that it was serious. L felt sorry for not being there for Light during this most desperate time in his life, but he was being forced to finish the case, and no one was agreeing with what he wants to do.

If Light was here maybe he would give a better input. Admittedly, Light has the same morals as his father, and would not let the task force suddenly sacrifice innocent lives just to prove something. However, as he had fondly remembered, at least Light thought of alternative ways to approach the situation, instead of just saying that it can't be done because it was illegal. He realised that at this point he was alone in the investigation, and it was really frustrating for him to have no one agree to him anymore.

L could still not really comprehend what Light just said to him. Light was pregnant because of him. He could potentially be a father. The thought seemed really foreign to him. Perhaps he heard wrong. Maybe the teen was just troubled about something else. He really needed him to clarify. L was starting to regret immediately taking off the cuffs and letting Light go where he wants. It was better when he can see him 24/7.

Soon, all members of the task force entered the building. They were still discussing what they needed to do with their superiors, and were not having any luck. They insisted that they can technically conclude the case by reporting that Higuchi is Kira, based on recorded evidence from Misa and all incidental evidence from the chase they did a few days ago. Their superiors were willing to conclude that as well, as there has been no more killings since the arrest has been made. It may be unfortunate that Higuchi had died during the chase, but they can just work with what they have and finish the case after almost a year of investigation.

Understandably, the police force was already tired, and in post euphoria phase that they just want everything to end. L wanted to investigate a little further, based on his gut feeling that there still might be two notebooks. However, even that was a problem. They were still not able to prove if the notebooks were working or not. And they were not going anywhere with all the argument.

"They decided to re-hire us, L" Souichiro Yagami told him. "And I cannot say no at this point. I have to think of their future as well. I mean, Matsuda and Mogi are offered promotions for catching Higuchi, and I am due for retirement in a few years anyway."

"This isn't like you at all, Yagami-san" L inquired further.

"I, have to admit that I'm having marital problems Ryuuzaki" the former police chief said. "I forgot to inform my wife that I had quit, and she had to find out from Aizawa when she was looking for Light and me in the police headquarters"

"Are you okay, Yagami-san?"

"I'm fine, I just need to sort this out privately" he was a bit embarrassed to say it. "Besides, you still have my son along the investigation, right?"

"I have not seen Raito-kun since yesterday." L was feeling a bit worried.

"What? I thought he was still staying here? He didn't come home yesterday."

L was slowly feeling like something awful has happened.

"Watari!"