Dai 24 Shou: Seimei ha Modoru
When L looked again, Emi had fallen to her knees, and was sobbing quietly. L walked over and looked down at her, only able to ask, "Why?"
"I heard everything…" she said, tears running down her face. "We were just pawns, from the moment he had the Death Note. He was out to kill the entire world, and the Shinigami too. Then I knew, he had gone too far; he wasn't the man I loved anymore, and he hadn't been for a long time."
L leaned down, picking up the red notebook from the floor, seeing his name written almost completely: 'Lawliet Corbea'. Like Near before him, someone with a gun had shown up at just the right moment. He retrieved Himeko and Mizuki's notebooks as well, knowing that he now owned four out of six. Emi looked up, rubbing at her tearstained face, and said, "I brought Light's and mine. They're yours. I don't want them. Shidoh… I forfeit!"
L took the notebooks, setting them out in a half-circle around him. Emi gasped quietly, her memories gone. She took in L, covered in blood, and the form of her dead boyfriend lying with a gunshot wound to the head, and screamed. The scream carried on for a long moment, before it faded away as she fainted.
L lifted the white notebook, as it fluttered open on its own in some unseen wind. The pages zipped by, until they settled on the final page of rules.
There can never be more than six Death Notes active in the human world at once.
If there is a seventh, it will not have any effect until one of the others is destroyed or returned to the Shinigami Realm.
If one person is the owner of all six active Death Notes…
The unfinished rule stood out starkly from the page. L glanced down at the five notebooks lying on the floor around him, then back at the book he held. They were all his. What was the answer to that final rule?
He gasped as the page began to glow, and as if by a giant invisible pen, words flowed onto the page to complete it.
If one person is the owner of all six active Death Notes… they shall temporarily master Death itself.
L stared at the words for a long moment, taking a deep breath. Mastery of death? L knew what he wanted. He closed the notebook, clutching it to his chest and hoping against everything that it could tell what he wanted, too.
"Aren't you going to write in it?" a voice asked. L turned, seeing all six of the Shinigami hovering nearby. He stared at Ryuk, who had spoken, in confusion. Ryuk chuckled, adding, "You have to write what you want, or it won't happen."
"Do something!" Gukku and Deridovely chimed in. "It's boring when nothing happens. And it's been so long since a human had all six…"
L considered for a moment. "If I use it for this, and then give it up, will my memory be lost?"
"Not if you don't want it to." Zellogi said. L's eyes widened, actually realizing the scope of the power he'd been given. He bent to pick up Drevan's fallen pen, and Zellogi said in warning, "But you only get to write in it for this purpose once, so make sure you cover everything the first time."
L could see what Drevan would have written. The crazed murderer would have written a world without Death Note rules, a world where a simple sentence would be enough to kill millions, or even Death Gods themselves. He touched the pen to the paper, knowing what he wanted, and began to write.
Emi remembers everything concerning the Death Note, even after giving up ownership. I keep my memories even if the notebooks are destroyed or if ownership is given up. I retain my ability to see the Death Gods attached to these notebooks…
He paused, biting his lip, and finished quickly, And I want Light Kagayaki back, with all of his memories of these events, alive and whole. He closed the notebook, holding it in both hands unsteadily, waiting.
Ryuk chuckled. "Aww. It's no fun if you make the good choice. Whatever. We'll leave you to that, then." The Shinigami drifted away through the wall, though Kinddara glared at him. L waited, hearing footsteps coming through the hall connecting the warehouses, and refused to turn to see the door.
"L?"
The notebook dropped from L's numb fingers, fluttering harmlessly to the floor. He wrapped his thin arms tightly around himself, as if trying to keep himself from falling to pieces. He would not look.
"L…" The voice was soft, gentle and understanding, and L hugged himself tighter. He would not look. Orpheus and Eurydice, and he would not look. Orpheus lost his love because he looked to see her spirit following him out of Hades. He would not turn around, no matter how much the voice coerced him. He heard quiet footsteps and shuddered, choking on a sob. Tears gathered in his eyes.
Warm arms slid around him, wrapping around his waist and pulling him close. The tears spilled over as soft lips pressed just under his ear. "It's okay, L. I'm here. I'm real."
L turned around, throwing his arms around the boy standing behind him. He buried his face against Light's chest, unwilling to show the tears he knew were falling. Light held L tightly against him, smiling as the detective nearly crushed his ribcage.
"I know… I'm a dumb-ass, right L?" He laughed as he felt L nod against his shoulder, saying softly, "I'm sorry."
"You were dead…" L cried, muffled by Light's shirt. Light nodded, running his hand through L's hair.
"Yeah. Not an experience I'd like to repeat anytime soon." he said softly. L pulled back to stare at him, then wrapped his arms around Light's neck and kissed him. Pulling away, he said quietly, "I love you."
"I love you too, Lawliet." Light said. He kissed L again, then looked at where Emi was still unconscious. L was certain that her mind had simply shut down, unable to cope with memory loss and the situation presented to her. "What do we do with her?" Light asked.
"I don't know. She willingly followed Kira." L replied. "We've never had a living Kira to punish before."
"I guess we should…" Light trailed off, turning to look at the door. L looked too, having heard the footsteps coming their way.
"We got them all…" L said. "There is no one else…" Both waited, holding their breath, and Taro tore through the door and crashed headlong into L.
"You're alive!!" he cried. Looking at Light, he stared for a minute before hugging him too. "And you! You're okay too! You're not bad anymore!"
"Taro?" L asked. "What's going on? How did you get here?"
"Near brought me!" Taro said happily. L looked up in time to see the white-haired man walk through the doorway, stopping to smile at them.
"It seems we're late." he said.
L nodded. He pointed at Drevan's dead body, saying calmly, "This was your real culprit. Drevan Ricter. He wanted to kill off most of the population." Pointing to Emi, who groaned faintly like she was trying to wake up, he continued, "This is his girlfriend, Emi. She came to realize the wrongness of what he was doing, and was the one to shoot him to death."
Near appraised everything silently, then said, "We'll take her into custody, and I'll see what I can do. Gevanni is good at faking things, and we may be able to lessen her punishment slightly. Like Misa Amane, from what you have said she seemed to have been simply following."
"She saved my life." L said quietly. Light's arm tightened around his shoulders.
Near watched the two of them for a second, then said, "Is there anything that you need help with?"
"We'd just like to go home. It's been a long week." Light said. Near nodded.
"Very well. Halle can give you a ride. Go home and rest. You look like you've been through hell, actually."
"You have no idea…" Light muttered, turning and walking with L to the door, leaving Near and the SPK to clean up what was left of Kira's failed attempt at victory.
Chapter 24: Life Returns
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Next chapter and the epilogue will be up at the same time, at least two weeks from now. You're lucky you're getting this one now, because I didn't think I'd have any time to get it up.
There is a place in the interview in HTR13 where Ohba-sensei is talking about how she came up with DN rules. I believe the quote was, "I even thought of some really stupid ones, like 'Get all seven notebooks and your wish will...'" I changed it to six, and took out the 'wish' part, but the fundamental idea is the same.
I wanted a happy ending! If bringing Light back to life is cheating, so be it! (I actually think I'm breaking the last rule. "Once dead, they can never come back to life"... But who cares about that one?) So, happy endings abound next chapter, and Near didn't win. Everyone should be happy!
Love and hugs,
Li