A/N; Well, I know it has been a long time between updates, but life has become rather busy with uni work and finding something to do after uni. The most difficult part of which is finding out who I am to go with it, suddenly choosing a uni four years ago looks like a very easy choice compared to this one. Though I will try to find more time to write, and a way to get rid of the damn writer's block that fills my mind. So hopefully this will be the first of a steady stream of updates, as if there is any story that I want to keep going it is this one. Thank you for bearing with me through all of this my wonderful readers, your patience is much appreciated.

http :// www .formspring .me/ Dragonrider4000 Please feel free to go here and ask me questions. I shall try to keep up with them even if I'm not posting regularly! So please feel free to come and visit. (The spaces will need to be removed first, but it was the only way I had to share this with you.)

May I also advertise the works of my wonderful friend Dotti55, she has recently begun writing Death Note fanfiction and her stories are definitely well worth the read. I hope that you will take some time to go and read them.

I shall stop babbling on now. Please read and review!

Chapter 6

Mello smiled as he awoke to the gentle kiss that was laid on his cheek, his grin broadening as another was quickly placed on his other cheek, brushing over his scars. His lovers were the only people who knew how to wake him, and to wake him in a happy mood; around them he rarely thought of his scars either. He would never admit it, but he always felt a small bout of self consciousness when he went among large crowds of people. Matt and near were gradually helping him forget though, he only ever seemed to think of his scars now when they were either touching or kissing them, it made him happy.

Of their own accord his arms rose and pulled the two other men close against his chest. He opened his eyes briefly to see them both exchanging a happy smile. For a moment he wondered whether to comment on it, but after the night they had just shared anyone would be full of smiles and it was far too early in the morning to start teasing them...

"What time is it?" Mello asked, his voice quiet and brittle from his long sleep.

"Ten thirty," Near sighed, and he sounded just as tired and lazy as Mello. It was quite the feat and the blond couldn't help but feel a moment's pride.

"Matsuda has been in twice by the way," Matt added, his voice still filled with its usual bubbly happiness, "He brought coffee but you wouldn't wake."

"We work better in the afternoon anyway," Mello sighed, unwilling to leave the bed. He was far too comfy and peaceful where he was.

"Only because you like to lounge in bed all morning," Near said with a smirk, he knew Mello was a firm night owl and would stay up long into the night working while he and Matt slept, but Near couldn't help but dig a little.

"Well it's not as if we have anything pleasant to do today," Mello muttered, some of his happy mood leaving him, "I'm not looking forward to phoning L again and telling him that the case he never solved is back on the table because more people have died."

"Well it needs to be done," Near replied, "I'm sure he will understand."

"Near's right," Matt sighed, sitting up to slump on the bed, gaze fixed on the sheets, "Not telling him would be worse in the long run, and as it stands he's the only 'witness' we have."

"I know," Mello said harshly, and he stared up at the ceiling a frown wrinkling his brow as he contemplated the day before him, "I think we should tell Light first. L may need him."

"That may be the best thing," Near said, "He may need to be prepared, we do not know how L will react."

"I think things will be alright," Matt said suddenly, "He told us about it after all."

Mello smiled, Matt was right.

"I think it's time we got up," Mello commented as he finally sat up, and he gave his two partners one of his trademarks smirks. Today wasn't going to be as bad a day as he had thought, and this realisation made his smirk deepen. Besides he had a contact to talk to.

...

The three of them hurried along the corridor to the main living space of the mansion, a spacious two room spread that began as a library filled with ancient books and finished in a large seating area that surrounded a not so ancient and well used set of games consoles and TV.

They all felt guilt for leaving Jo for so long without debriefing her, but they knew Matsuda would have talked to her almost immediately... and they also knew he would have come and informed them of anything of importance immediately no matter what they were doing. However they knew they had passed rudeness a long time ago and no doubt an apology of some type would be needed soon; no matter how much such a thing gnawed at Mello.

To their great surprise then, they found her not waiting for them with an annoyed expression but sat next to Matsuda as they played one of Matt's many racing games. By the grim look of determination on both their faces it was evident they were taking it quite seriously.

"Who's winning?" Matt asked, the only one of the trio able to make a comment about what they were seeing and not laugh.

"He is," Jo ground out her teeth gritted, and to the trio's surprise Matsuda gave a small wicked laugh that was so unlike him. It was not often the relaxed man showed such a fervour for competition, in fact they had only ever seen him like this once before. When he had been doing some target practice with Mello, it seemed his ability to use a gun was a skill the man held close to his heart. Mello hadn't had to let him win, Matsuda had won outright. Matt had a sneaking suspicion that was the day Mello had truly considered the Japanese Detective his equal.

"How many races have you done?" Near asked then, and his voice carried with it a small sound of disbelief, or perhaps even slight censure.

"This will be race number thirty three," Matsuda replied casually, not taking his eyes off the screen where the two cars were racing, well ahead of the rest of the group.

"Why so many?" Near inquired, obviously totally confused by the pair's activities. It was far outside the usual behaviour for the two people. Though Matt thought he already knew the answer, they had become quite bored with waiting for the trio to appear and this was a very logical conclusion.

"Whoever had one less when we reached an agreed end point argued for the number to be increased," Jo explained, her words almost spoken through gritted teeth.

"Does everyone inherit L's dislike of losing when they're around him?" Mello commented, flopping down with his usual smirk onto an unoccupied dark leather sofa and gesturing at Matt and near to join him. He couldn't help grinning though as Near curled up at his feet, knees drawn close to his chest, and head resting against his leg, sometimes the white haired man was just too cute. His grin broadened as Matt's head landed in his lap, hands already holding a DS above his face. For a brief moment everything felt truly right with the world.

He said nothing as he watched Matsuda and Jo continue to race, he knew that he would not have to say anything for it to be the last race. No-one who worked for them would ever need such a hint, they would do it without thinking. More than once he felt grateful for the stringent level of training and choice making that L and Wammy had employed when choosing his staff. Mello was proven right as the game was swiftly closed and tidied away by a very smug looking Matsuda; the smugness spoiled perhaps by the almost infuriating level of innocence he managed to exude despite the passage of years.

"So what do you have to report Jo?" Mello asked, finally fishing in a pocket for his bar of chocolate. If he was now forced to work again it was more than necessary.

"Nothing of great importance," Jo sighed becoming her usual serious self once more, "The usual scandals and political rumours. There were a few interesting local cases that you might have been interested in, but the local police forces seemed more than capable at dealing with them. I do have some information on E but I'm not sure it tells you anything beyond the information you have already provided me with. Though –"

"No matter what it is please share it with us," Near said suddenly, "We do not know what information may become useful in the future."

"It seems he was approached when he was staying with the family Wammy sent him to live with after the fire," Jo said quietly, "Not after he left. Whoever they were it seems they knew he was there and was important enough to deal with."

"This is not useless information Jo," Matt muttered, and his tone was almost chiding. Again Mello and Near couldn't help but acknowledge that underneath that happy go lucky appearance was perhaps a brain to rival even L's.

"From what we could find out he was approached only because they thought he was a member of the mafia, not because he was from Wammy's. From the little information we have, it seems he let them believe that until they were in too deep. Probably because he liked the deal they were offering."

"So he never betrayed Wammy's then," Mello growled, taking a bite of chocolate.

"He was about to though," Near countered, "It's the only reason we came into contact with him."

"I'm not so sure," Matt muttered, "The more I think on this, the more I think E was the leak that gave us the break on the case. He was far too unsurprised at our presence. He knew."

"We'll never know his true motives now though," Mello said, his voice harsh, "now someone's shot him in the head, now that he didn't see coming."

"The only thing I wonder on," Matt added slowly, as he brought his game back up, "Is why he chose now to break cover. He must have had something to tell us."

For a moment the others in the room considered the implications of this. Yet they all knew that they were unlikely to know just what E thought so necessary to share that he had to meet the trio, and couldn't share on the phone. That was, if Matt was right.

"Anything else?" Near asked at last, looking up at Jo questioningly.

The trio sat in silence and listened to the now mundane chatter Jo had to share about the goings on in a surprisingly quiet Europe. They supposed they should only be grateful, it gave them more time to work on the complex case in hand, and work out the puzzle about E. Throughout it all Mello continued to fret about phoning L.

...

Quiet typing filled the sunlit room, the silence heightened by the sound of laughter from the garden outside. The dark haired man at the desk smiled as he heard them, he would have loved to be out there with them, but occasionally the cases he worked on nowadays called for his attention within due time; particularly if his trip to the UK was going to take up his time from tomorrow. Curled up beneath the desk a black cat meowed quietly and L smiled, pleased that he wasn't entirely alone in here.

He looked over the scanty case notes before him, and for the first time since beginning his new career he was at a loss as to how to continue. Or rather, he still hoped he could find an alternative way to the solution he had already found and indeed was travelling back to the UK for, but he couldn't. He was going to meet a client face to face for the first time. He didn't have to, he knew that, but he knew that in this sort of instance anything else would stand out more and he didn't want that. Besides when the lady in question was in her seventies...

Maria Casteley first contacted police on the fifth of March 1974 on the sudden disappearance of her daughter Danielle Casteley, 26 at the time, leaving her two year old son and husband of four years behind. At the time police tried all methods at their disposal then in order to locate her, but were unable to do so. Initial reports suggested that she may have been kidnapped, but it was later found that she had been saving for many years and on the day of her disappearance she withdrew those savings. This was the last verified sighting of her in the country; she was never seen again. Neither her mother, nor her husband had known of the substantial savings and the reason for her disappearance was never found. However it did insure that police at the time changed her case from that of a kidnapping to an unknown disappearance. After several months the police declared the case cold and the files put in storage until any further information became apparent.

Her mother, Maria, never stopped looking though and to this day continues to strive after the daughter she lost. Despite the lack of any recent clues and the lack of contact between Danielle and anyone in her previous life it is doubtful that she could ever be found unless someone with greater reach than the police takes charge.

"And that would be me," L murmured, staring at the final line. He wondered if Wammy had sought to guilt trip him into taking on this case for what was an obviously still distraught woman – L's gaze flicked to the letter from Maria – he knew he would never have needed guilt tripping into taking such a case, even before he had met Light this would have been a case well worth his attention.

He also knew with some sense of pride that he was still faster at this than the trio, he had not been able to resist going head on with them over a case. They had never known it was him, and he had revelled in finding the answer two whole days before them. Sometimes he wished that he had actually sent his information to the police and claimed the reward, it would have been so nostalgic; but he knew that if he had then the trio would have chased after their competitor ruthlessly. It would have been what he would have done. So he continued on as he was, and he had to admit to being happy in a whole new way when working like this. When he was working like this it was all about the mental challenge and the satisfaction that at the end of the day he was making everyone happy at the end of it and never once had to talk to the police about any of it.

L smiled, and his hand moved to pick up a small cupcake from a tray nearby, the decoration was haphazard and bright, neon green he wished his daughter hadn't picked such a.. vibrant... colour. He didn't like having a tray of cakes that he felt slightly apprehensive about eating, but they tasted delicious. He had spent the morning with Eleanor and Light in the kitchen helping her cook them. He was still sure that much of the decorations had disappeared inside her before they had ever reached the tops of the small cakes, but he couldn't complain he too had found the small baubles difficult to resist. It hadn't help that Light had kept feeding them to him either...

L shook himself as he realised how distracted he had become, he knew he was developing quite the bad habit in always doing this when he was working. Yet he couldn't seem to stop himself from thinking about his family at every turn. He tried to be annoyed with himself and failed, he couldn't get angry at such a slip, he enjoyed thinking about his family too much.

L frowned then, turning to stare at the photo of the happily smiling woman in her late twenties, Danielle, why would she leave her family? From what L had been able to learn she had just a happy family life as he did, nothing to want for and so much to look forward to... so why leave it so willingly. L could think of nothing that would entice him to leave all that he had built here. Suddenly this case felt oddly personal, he wanted to find this Danielle and ask her why she had needed to leave. Meeting her mother in person seemed far more necessary now, and a burst of eagerness passed through him as he contemplated his new thoughts about the case.

Absently he reached for another cupcake and turned back to his work. With great reluctance he tidied away the papers about the missing Danielle and turned towards another case. Despite his interest in the case he already knew there was nothing more that could be done until he met Maria. He worked on, solving three apparently tricky cases in the space of an hour as he spotted things that the police had not, or accessing services that the police didn't have access to. Occasionally he reached out for more of the vibrantly coloured cakes, more than once briefly startled by the decorative silver balls that Eleanor had insisted on using. A small smile was always on his face as he heard the occasional sounds of laughter from the garden, or Light's

"That's enough for today," L said with a small sigh as he finished consuming the final small cake and smiling down at Rigel, "Besides, I have run out of cake."

L rose from his chair and looked back across the small space that was his office. More of a private landing it looked out over the main open plan living space down onto the collection of sofas and seating by the large glass windows that looked out over the garden, the kitchen area directly beneath. It was perhaps an unusual place for his office he knew, but his cases were no longer as confidential as they once were, and Wammy's security technology could protect a space without doors as well as they could a space with them. He supposed he had chosen such a space over others because there was room enough for Light to be up here writing as well, and even if he was working he was never truly separated from his family.

Crouching down he helped Rigel up onto his shoulders, a position that the black and white spotted cat still favoured despite being slightly too big to sit comfortably there. At least from L's point of view, if he had ever any reason to hunch before it was now caused by a cat instead. He headed out towards the sounds of Light and Eleanor in the garden, he shook his head slightly in amusement as he heard the slightly annoyed tones his partner was using. It was always funny to see Light trying to be mad at Eleanor for misbehaving, he was never able to stay angry at the little girl for long.

He was therefore taken completely by surprise as the phone rang behind him; his head jerked round to stare with wide, round eyes at the offending object. He always hated phones; they were useful for contacting people with, but receiving calls... that was one of the reasons he had always appreciated having Wammy around. One of many reasons to be sure. With another sigh, a hand rising to run in abjection through his hair he went and answered the phone. He didn't know whether to be reassured or not that the ID told him it was Mello.

"Hello Mello," L said with no trace of his inner musings in his voice, "Which old Wammy's house resident has been found this time? Or have you found a new cake based description for me?"

"No, nothing like that L," Mello replied, and the serious and completely adult tone to the blonde haired man's tone put L immediately on edge.

"What's wrong Mello?" L asked, his stance subtly shifting back into the one he always used to have all those years ago.

"It's difficult to explain," Mello sighed, and there was the definite sound of him falling back onto something that was almost certainly a sofa.

"That just makes me even more worried," L commented, and he padded in bare feet out of the house, through the small courtyard and onto the lawn beyond, "I assume you want Light to know this as well, and even if you don't, I do."

Mello said nothing to this and L took it as quiet acceptance; yet another thing that put him on edge. He realised he didn't like it at all when the usually boisterous mafia leader was serious and so mature.

"Ah, coming to join us?" Light said happily as he saw his lover approaching, looking up from his almost horizontal position on a blanket spread out on the lawn, "Jason and I were just discussing having a barbecue..."

His words trailed off as he saw L's face, and the detective could only assume that his emotions were showing clearly on his face.

"What is it?" Light asked, forcing himself up to his feet to stand by L looking decidedly concerned.

"Daddy?" Eleanor murmured, and L looked down to see her staring up at him with wide worried eyes.

"It's nothing to worry about," L managed to say, "You just stay here with Jason and plan the barbecue. Surprise us with something exciting."

In silence L padded back into the house, phone held between finger and thumb at his side as Light strode beside him. His worry almost completely diffused as Light's hand suddenly found his and squeezed it gently, but then his presence had always helped him. He put the handset on speaker and placed it on the kitchen counter and hopped up onto a stool as Light closed the door.

"Okay, Light is here now. Mello, what are you calling about?" L asked, gaze fixed on the phone as Light shifted to perch on another stool at the long breakfast bar; his gaze mostly curious as it fixed on L.

"L, how much do you remember about your early cases these days?" Mello said, and L would have smiled at Light's reaction to the tone of the leader of the trio's voice, but he was too concerned about it himself to be amused.

"I remember brief overviews of a great deal of them," L replied, "Many were pivotal cases in my early career. They were worth remembering. Which in particular did you want to dredge up today?"

"The case that Wammy never let you finish," Mello said, his voice cautious and every word seemed carefully chosen as if he was expecting a very bad reaction indeed.

For a moment L stared down at the floor, his face dark as he tried to bring to mind the case Mello was referring to. It wasn't hard. This case had been the one that had made Wammy lay down some ground rules. L had fought against them at the time, but it had been the first time in his life that he had seen such images. As first times went it had been one of the worst ways to be introduced to what a dead body looked like, and he had been only seven at the time. It had been one of the reasons he had wanted everyone who came to Wammy's House to be given a childhood, to be allowed to have fun while the content they viewed was strictly monitored. He supposed he had never really wanted to return to the case, despite never solving it, because of the way his mind remembered those images even now... and for the fact that this was the case that had first disturbed his sleep and begun his never ending cycle of insomnia. Something that had only ended when Light had come into his life.

Yet now it seemed he was going to be made to feel guilty once more for not doing something. Yet again he was confronted with a situation that was caused because he had not acted; for he knew that Mello would only be calling about this if the killer had returned. People had to have died, a lot of people, it was the only way the trio would have ended up with the case.

"L?"

L started as a voice cut through his dark thoughts, and he blinked as he heard his name called again.

"L?"

He shook himself slightly and looked up into Light's worried eyes.

"I'm sorry," L muttered, "I was just thinking back over this case. It's not the most pleasant of experiences. There were reasons I never returned to this case after all... I assume you are contacting me because several deaths have occurred that relate to this case, or have the potential to be a continuation of this case?"

The last was said towards the phone and in a much more confident tone.

"Yes." The reply sounded out of the small device, this time in the voice of Near.

"And we need to know what else you can recall," Matt added, "The records left by the police are near useless, they can tell us nothing."

At Matt's words L sighed, and his thumb rose to his mouth as he hunched over further in the seat.

"I'm the only surviving 'official' aren't I," L said suddenly, and he glanced at Light to see that he too had come to the same conclusion; at least that's what he took the horror struck expression to mean, "The killer found all the police."

"Yes," Near said again, and he sounded as tense as Mello.

Light couldn't help staring at L again at Near's tone. He had already realised that this case was something special, something extreme, for it to be one L never completed, he had not thought such a thing was possible. L had told him of hundreds of cases, had spent what had to be weeks just sat talking with him about his cases; something which counted as something of a past for the detective. Light was sure he would have remembered such a case from those wonderful days, but there was nothing. So this had to be something that had hurt L deeply, and so that cut at Light as well.

"I'm travelling to the UK tomorrow, so I can meet with you any time about this," L said quietly, staring at Light as he did so, "I need to think about this before I answer any more questions you have."

Light knew what L meant with that stare, L was asking him to not begin interrogating him the moment the trio were off the phone. He gave him a small understanding smile in return, he hoped L already understood that he would never have to worry about Light doing that. He would always wait until L was ready; it was the way things had always been between them.

"L," Matt said suddenly, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, quite alright," L replied, and only Light could see the shadows that lingered round his eyes. It pained him that L's past was filled with so many haunting memories, he was only grateful that he was able to change that. "Is there anything else you wanted to share with us?"

"No, it was just this," Mello commented, his voice almost back to normal.

"Then I'll speak to you again when I arrive back in the UK," L said softly, rising from his chair and reaching for the phone, "Goodbye."

Before Light or the trio could even say goodbye to each other L ended the call, and stayed hunched over the counter, hands pressed against the cool marble surface staring wildly down at it. He started in surprise as a hand came to rest on his shoulder and he looked up into Light's worried gaze.

"I really am alright Light," L said hurriedly, and he managed a smile. He really was alright too; it had just been a shock. It had taken him quite some time to forget the images of that case, and he had shied away from ever looking at it again despite being tempted to several times. He was only grateful Wammy had taken it from him; it made the case not seem like a loss and allowed him to stay away from what had shaken him so much mentally. He smiled as Light wordlessly drew him close and held him in the comfort of his arms.

"I know you asked me not to ask you what that was all about," Light said suddenly, sounding like he was trying to suppress a laugh something L knew was all for show, "but I'm dying of curiosity here."

"You know I began solving cases for the police when I was only six," L began, "but I never had to deal with a murder case, well a murder case with pictures until this particular one. It was not like most cases, and I don't think I've seen many like it or many worse-"

L paused briefly as Light's arms tightened round him slightly at those words.

"-Wammy did not know what cases I was taking till then. I don't think he truly understood the extent of my abilities to gather data or find out about cases that were not public knowledge. Before that point I had been chronically bored and this outflow for my mind was too much for me to be long hindered by obstacles. All I was thinking of then was solving the puzzle before me; it wasn't till this case that I truly comprehended the world I was joining."

"I don't know how long I stared at the crime scene photos of the victims, all I know was that Wammy was suddenly lifting me up and away from them forbidding me to look at the case again. The day after he had begun the initial set up for what would become 'L the Detective' and all my cases came through him first. I suppose he had decided that if he could not stop me from doing this or stop me from moving on to the more complex but more horrific cases, then all he could do was regulate how I did it."

"A few months later there were a series of bomb attacks in Winchester, and I was able to track down the terrorists that had done them and stop several more attacks. This announced me onto the international scene as a credible private detective and cases began to be directed to me. These were almost always more complex than anything I had before so it was easy to 'forget' about the one I was not allowed to touch."

"I never really noticed then, but that was when he and a few others arrived at Wammy's house," L said, continuing to explain why he had not solved this case, he felt Light's arms tighten even further around him and he wondered how he was still able to breathe, "It was my guardian's subtle attempts to ensure that the sudden drop in crime that I created, and the power I wielded was not lost should I die. I had already comprehended then that I was a great target for people wanting to ensure they could commit a crime more easily and I began to hide myself away from even some of the people at Wammy's... You know well what that caused."

"How could I not?" Light whispered, and L hoped he hadn't worded it badly or caused Light pain, "And you don't need to justify yourself to me L."

"I'm not," L said, sounding surprised and to Light's own surprise slightly ignored, "I felt that the case needed explaining in such way, I was just explaining the circumstances. Plus there is really very little besides the pictures, and the names of the officers involved that I remember at the moment. I am upset that this case has resurfaced once more, but I do not know how what I know can aid the trio. Of course I may remember something before I meet with them; this was many years ago after all."

"I wish you didn't have to think about this at all," Light commented, "I barely know what's going on and it's still enough for me to worry for you."

"They need me to remember," L replied, pulling away from Light to sit on one of the nearby stools again, "There is no-one else who can. I know they would never bring it up unless it was absolutely necessary. There must be no other clues about this case that can help them."

"That's what worries me the most," Light said, his voice harsh, "whoever this is doesn't take kindly to having anyone knowing of their presence. I don't want you to go back to the UK, if they've removed the police who worked on the case then it's only a matter of time until they come after you."

"That will not happen," L said quickly, trying to reassure Light, "They do not know I ever looked at the case, I was an unknown then. I have too many things arranged for me not to go back to the UK now. There is no reason to assume that the killer knows of me just because I'm responding with childhood fears."

"How could you on despite what you had seen?" Light asked.

"Because I realised then that I could make a real difference, and I really did, and I still do, enjoy solving cases. Albeit at a much different level now," L explained, his legs falling out of their customary position to swing slightly off the edge of the stool as he gave a heavy sigh, "I suppose you could call what I had then an addiction. I was addicted to the feeling of success and the emotional rush of working through a case... despite my outwardly stoic appearance. By the time this had worn off and it became a pleasing activity that could potentially be ignored occasionally it was too late. It was a part of my lifestyle and I was known worldwide. Even I defined myself by the job I now had, and I still did enjoy it greatly, though I think the reasons had changed from what they had once been."

There was a long silent pause between them as Light contemplated all he had been told. He had known all of this himself, it had been quite easy to figure out when he had first met L, but to have L finally admit to it and to seem almost annoyed at himself for some of his actions was quite the revelation. He fought unsuccessfully to hold back a smile, this was one of the reasons he loved L, no matter how well he could do something he always strove to do better. There was no wonder he left all his competitors in the dust.

"Don't you dare put any of this in those books," L said suddenly, laughing quietly at Light's shocked expression. He stopped laughing though as Light simply smiled at him and rose up from where he was sitting.

"Stay here," Light said, almost ordering L to stay put as he moved past him and headed towards the small corridor that lead to their private suite of rooms, "I will be right back."

He sat there nervously on the stool his legs still hanging and diminishing his ability to think, but he left them where they were. He wasn't sure he wanted to put his full thinking capacity to the task of working out what Light was planning.

Light felt an undue amount of nerves pass through him as he pulled what he wanted close. He knew this was what the both of them wanted, but still to make this something official between them once more. He stared down at his right hand before clenching his remaining fingers together to form a fist; it felt like this would be the final line in his recovery.

With a more cheerful smile he walked back out into the main room, a small wooden box held in his left hand. He only hoped L would be as pleased as he thought he would. His smile turned into a smirk as he saw L's worried expression, and he strode towards him saying nothing about what he was holding.

"What are you planning?" L asked slowly, his voice tinged with sudden apprehension and Light had to bite back a laugh. Somehow his lover's apprehension made this easier.

"This wasn't the moment I originally chose to give you this," Light said still smirking as he stood before L, "I was going to give this to you tomorrow over lunch. However I think with current events now would be better-"

With that Light handed the black haired man the box and sat back down on a stool.

"-I give this to you with the same proviso as the last, and with the hope that you remember you asked for this."

L felt his stomach tighten nervously at Light's words and his hands were nearly shaking as he opened the varnished wooden box. He nearly dropped it as he saw the contents. There, nestled against the smooth velvet cloth in the tray was a thin, white leather collar. He almost felt he could cry from the burst of joy that passed through him; he knew now without a shadow of a doubt that he had his Light back.