A/N: So I've planned the next couple of chapter out as to what I want to be in it… though not so much the order. This whole Wammy's age is going to be fun to mess around with! I think afterwards, when he leaves, is going to be most difficult but… that's to be thought over on another day I guess. Ha, I'm ranting… I know, I'd be surprised if anyone reads these…

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters that are used in these. Hell, I don't even know if I own the theories that are in this story!

Chapter 9: The Day I Met L

Wammy's wasn't a hard place to take over, at least not when I was the one doing it.

People there found out quickly that if they even tried to stand in the way of me and my ultimate goal, that I would forcibly move them.

Most people there didn't try that though, and if they did they never posed a threat that was worth looking in to.

But I soon grew bored of being able to grow better than everyone else just by simply using my own skills.

More and more I found myself kept up at the dead of night in the empty library, only a single light made activities possible; the growing tower of books kept me company.

I never did this because I felt threatened in the least.

I suppose I only did it because I'd convinced myself that there was some kind of false competition before me that I couldn't see.

Or perhaps I felt that I was now in competition with only myself.

Hell, I would even go so far as to think that maybe, somehow, I knew of the events that would soon take place.

All I remember thinking during those long, solitary nights of pointless studying, was: 'study more' 'I need to be better…'

And every week I did do better. It only took me a couple of months before I surpassed Matt and held the number one spot. Though, ironically, I don't think I'd call that day my favorite, or even place it in my top five favorites.

Over the years I've both seen and completely registered the effects that holding that number one spot for so many months had on me.

At that time I was the best. My grades and accomplishments astonished everyone.

I think it would have been slightly easier to live in second if I had never tasted the fruits of first place for so long.

But that explanation is for another time, when I've finished explaining about the times when I was the best.

That day that I received the news from Matt that I'd finally beaten him, I was overjoyed to say the least. In my mind I knew that by getting this I'd proven that I was worth something.

But that day was meaningless compared to what came later.

It could have been days, or months later when it finally happened, since my sight on time began to blur together. One day seemed to always followed another without the intermission of night.

The day I'm talking about is the day I met L for the first time.

Somehow, I didn't hear about this event until that morning, though.

But that didn't matter afterwards, because this event was a huge deal to me, just like it would be for any of the other orphans at Wammy's –it was the day I would finally meet the person that I'd been fighting to succeed for so many months.

I was positive that meeting this L guy, the man who was supposedly the three greatest detectives this century had ever seen, would only make me want to fight harder to retain my top position.

The day was normal –a winter morning in late December. (I don't remember the specific date, but it was sometime after Christmas but before New Years.)

This morning of bitter cold had left me laying in my bed under the warm blankets that I'd refused to move from; such warmth and security as these brought me felt so good that they should be illegal.

I watched the snow fall gracefully and serenely past my window to the Earth, and to the waiting, giddy, children below. Time meant nothing and it fell away with little worth to me.

I lay there, watching and contemplating what was left for me, since I'd become number one at something and found a bit of worth in myself.

'What else is left for me?'I thought with a sigh, all my thought came to nothing.

Then all of a sudden the door to the room slammed open.

I didn't have time to turn and look before a body flung itself onto me. "You're so lucky, Mello!" Matt's voice said happily, "maybe I should have just kept my number one spot so I could get a chance like this!"

I turned under his weight just enough to see the stupid grin on his face and the humor in his eyes that were hidden behind his goggles.

"Get off me, Matt, you're crushing me!" I couldn't fight the smile on my face when his look dropped –yet he still didn't move.

"What's that supposed to me? Are you calling me fat?" He then purposefully put more weight on me.

"Maybe I am!" I told him, holding back the cringe at the increase of weight.

"Hey! I'm not the one who eats his body weight in chocolate every day!"

"Well I'm not the one who is lazy and only plays video games all day!"

I laughed at his annoyed face when he realized he had nothing to come back with. "So what are you talking about, Matt?" I finally asked as he got off me and sat on his own bed; I bundled myself back up into my blankets as he began to explain.

"I'm talking about your meeting with L of course! I'm surprised to find you here and not down bragging to anyone within hearing distance." He stated, yet all I'd heard was, 'meeting with L.'

Yes, somehow everyone else had heard about this except me. I'm still not too sure how that happened.

I was frozen in place in pure shock. "If you're joking, Matt, I swear I'll throw you down a flight of stairs."

He just grinned again as he pulled out one of his games; it was like he'd expected that response from me. "I'm serious. You get to meet L later today."

My eyes widened, at either the suddenness of this or the realization of the situation.

I leapt from my bed, no longer feeling the bitter cold that'd once chocked the room. "I get to meet L?" I asked; in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think it was about time I met this guy and got some real answers.

The rest of my mind raced with questions on what I was going to ask him and what was going to happen at this meeting.

"I thought we'd already established that." Matt said with the majority of his attention down at his game.

"When?" I asked as I began searching through my clothes for something I wanted to wear.

"I don't know. Roger would have probably told you, but you've been kept up here all day. No wonder you'd the only person who doesn't know about this."

"Damn it." I growled in annoyance. I was excited about this opportunity but I couldn't help the natural nervousness either. The description of L that I'd been given was vague and the more I heard the more I got the idea that none of the people even knew the answers themselves.

It sounded more like they were idolizing this detective simply because it was expected of them, more than they really would on their own.

This had to be true, after all, how could a person idolize a person they'd never met before?

'Finally,' I thought, 'I'll be able to put a face to a name… or a letter, I guess.'

Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't know how wrong I really was.

-

It was late in the afternoon when Roger called me from the lower floor where I'd been hanging out with Matt and told me to follow him.

"Do I get to meet L now?" I asked anxiously, looking up at the old man hopefully.

He smiled, "yes Mello, you get to meet him now."

I could barely hold back the excitement that I had as we walked down the hallway that, at the time, seemed to be too long.

My mind began to conjure up different images of what this L guy could look like. There were just so many options and I couldn't begin to try and decide which one I would hope for the most.

When we finally stopped in front of the room, I could hear my heart slamming against my rib cage in my ears. This was it, the day I'd been waiting for such so long; I tried to bring some intelligent thought to my mind, but couldn't –I was frozen and this also restricted my thoughts.

Roger opened the door and motioned me in first.

The room was of a moderate size and was completely empty except a wooden desk on the far side of the room where a laptop sat and a chair was in front of it.

I stepped in, not thoroughly confused by what was around me. 'Where's L?' I thought to myself.

All of a sudden the laptop slicked on to a screen with just a black, old English L on it; the light from the laptop filled the dimly lit room with an eerie glow. I froze in place once more.

"It's alright, Mello." Roger said from behind me, "why don't you take a seat?'

I didn't respond back, I just did as I was told and waited.

It didn't take but another moment for the sound of the microphone being switched on to fill the room, followed by the sound of L's scrambled voice. "Good evening, Mello, I'm L."

Every time I think of that first thought that crossed my mind after L said that, I can't help but laugh: 'L's a computer? Wow, wait until I tell Matt!"

I wasn't sure what to say back to him. I was usually pretty good at thinking quickly and coming up with responses fluidly, but this was different. This wasn't just another person who was below me, this was L –the one being I was trying to become someday.

He was the one person I needed to impress.

At least… that's what I thought at the time.

It didn't even occur to me until later that L was a human as well and he didn't care so much about who was better at what –he just wanted to know who his successors were as people.

But as I said, I didn't know that then, so I as left to simply reply, "I'm Mello." He already knew that, but honestly what else was there for me to say?

"I heard you like chocolate, Mello, here." Just then Roger appeared beside me with a large bar of chocolate in his hands.

My eyes widened at it but I took it gratefully; my fingers ran across the colored paper while my eyes tried to read and comprehend the foreign language written on it.

"I got it from a candy store in Belgium but I thought you'd like it more than I." He explained.

"Thank you." I said while still looking down at the candy in my hands. "That's very generous of you." I said the words nearly under my breath.

It wasn't that I was ungrateful or what not, because I was glad he'd done that. There was just something in me that made it hard to give a simple 'thanks' or to admit defeat.

"Go ahead and try it." The unnatural voice that the computer emitted requested; I complied.

L was one of the only people I ever let control me during the few meetings that we had. I still don't understand why I was so unnaturally okay about that fact –I just was.

I suppose it could be because he controlled it all so subtly and so carefully that is almost felt natural to do as he wanted. It could also be because he was always so gentle with me… or anyone here, really.

For so long I'd been told the many stories of L, justice, who fought to punish evildoers as they were meant to be. He came across as more of a fictional hero in my stories than an actual person.

But now, as I listened to the words he said to me, he sounded so much more human.

It was later that I realized that he had a thick line drawn between what he liked doing -his work- and his person affairs. He was almost a completely different person from when he was solving cases as opposed to hen he was interacting with us –his successors.

The chocolate he gave me was slightly bitter to my tastes but I didn't mind that so much. The fact that L had gotten it for me meant so much more. It meant he had been thinking about his newest successor… and had known enough about me to get something I would actually enjoy. In a way it meant more that he had even noticed and acted on it.

"You don't have to be so cordial, Mello, I know how you normally act and that's what I would like to see."

My blue eyes shot up to the screen, 'if that's how he wants it, then fine.' I thought to myself.

"What's the meaning behind this meeting, L? I'm not seeing the point of this." I can imagine him smiling at the sudden one-eighty change that my personality took.

"It's for you to know me better. I heard you ask a lot of questions; this is to be expected considering how little you were told in the beginning." He explained to me.

"That's not why I asked the questions." I told him, my voice hard and defensive.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I asked the questions so I could find out who exactly I was fighting to become."

"Even better," he said, "those kinds of reasons make for an even better detective. However, observing is just as important as those inquisitive qualities."

"Well perhaps I'd be able to do that more if you were actually here for me to observe." I shot back, ready to give him a verbal fight if that's what he wanted.

I can imagine that he smiled again, "that's true. Well, anyway, what would you like to know?"

I pushed the thought that he was once again controlling the conversation out of my mind to instead think it over. I knew I had question after question lined up somewhere in my mind, but now that I was actually here, with L willing to answer any of my questions, nothing came to me.

I suppose part of it was because it'd all drained during the initial nervousness.

"Why don't you ever come here?" I finally asked.

"It's simply safer to keep Wammy's a secret. The last thing that'd be needed is for the wrong people to find out where the successors of L are." He explained; it did make sense. "I do go back there sometimes, though it's not very often."

"So why didn't you come for this meeting?"

"I'm working on a case right now."

I nodded, though unsure of whether he saw it or not. "So… why are you a detective?" I asked, "Why that profession over anything else?"

"Well, when I attended Wammy's when it first started I was trained to be a good detective. I've always liked puzzles and such. Over time it became a passion of mine. So, it's more of a passion than a job."

I listened intently to what he said, memorizing each word as he said them. I observed the differences between us in that way.

He did what he did because he loved it… I was trying to get close to him so I could beat everyone else, not because I had any real desire to become a great detective.

Looking back, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew that right then.

But even still, we continued to talk and I continued to memorize his words. We talked about everything that I wanted, from a bit about his past, about the case he was currently working on; he even graced me with techniques I could use to become a better detective.

Later on that evening I left from the meeting with my half eaten chocolate bar grasped firmly in my hands and a new set of thoughts in mind.

L had given me a new reason to continue.

Now, not only would I succeed him, but I would make sure his legacy was continued on –one way or another.

I wanted to have as much passion about being a detective as he did. That's why later on that night, and all the ones that followed for the next couple of weeks, the stacks of books that kept me company in the library were all on crime and old cases.

I devoted everything I was to furthering any fascination I possessed on crimes and forensics.

In those following weeks after the meeting, I knew I was the best, but more and more I began to believe that I was the only one who deserved to be in that top spot. I worked too hard to not be.

I was the only one who posed any threat against me now. The only downfall I could find in myself was the barriers that seemed to always keep me from reaching a level of intelligence I thought I should be at.

But other than that, I was on top of the world. I lived in the glory of being number one every day and appreciated every moment of it. It was where I felt I was supposed to be.

That is… until that one fateful day that initiated the change of both my life and my actual personality. I'll never forget that day, and the time that happened after that for the rest of my life.

It was a rainy and dreary day. There was no class in session but I didn't care enough to remember why. All that mattered was that the less hours I spent in a classroom meant more time I could spend in the library, or playing with the other kids.

I was walking downstairs, searching for something to do to ease my mind that begged for something to do; I vaguely remember considering going and asking Matt if we could play one of his games. Sure, I knew I'd lose to him… but it didn't matter as much.

I had just began to ascend the stairs in the entry way when all of a sudden the front door to Wammy's opened. I turned around to see, and possibly question, whoever was coming in from the rain.

But I was paralyzed in place by what I saw there.

Watari walked in from the doorway, he closed his wet umbrella and set it off to the side as he also took off the black hat that sat atop his head of white hair.

But what caught my attention so much was the albino-looking being, who stood dripping wet next to him.

A/N: Ah! Am I cruel or what? I give you a good chapter and then end it off with something as cruel as that! Well, I suppose you can all guess what's coming up next based on what I told you… Actually, I don't think you will get it, because I'm gonna kind of throw you for a loop with this one. Well, what can I say, I have to keep things interesting.

Tell me what you think!

Please review!
-Forbiddensoul562