And I return! I got so wrapped up in getting this done... I looked at my clock once I was finally finished and it was around three in the morning. And I asked myself...how am I not sleepy?

Anyway, the 200th reviewer will still be getting something special. We're also approaching 100,000 words for the fic (sweet baby Jesus!). This is the longest project I've undertaken and it's been incredibly fun. I've decided that after this chapter there will be five more chapters, one for each of the remaining days of December and January first, along with an epilogue of some sort. Moreover, in the epilogue I plan on shedding some light on the little goodies I've scattered here and there in the fic. You know, such as some sneakily-placed foreshadowing and symbolism. I hope to evoke "ohhhh"s of realization. It will be fun.

Also, we're making some more Shakespeare allusions this time around. A few lines of Sonnet 73 will be mentioned, and the full poem will be posted at the end of this chapter if you desire to analyze it further. It's just too perfect for this. I would hug it if I could.

Finally, I made a lovely little ficmix for this story, inspired by the lovely author halfpromise. She does this for her amazing DN fic as well. In mine you'll find the songs I've mentioned from chapter to chapter, along with other songs that have inspired prompts and fueled my writing. I think it's rather spiffy. You can view it here (replace the parenthesis stuff with dots, of course): www(DOT)8tracks(DOT)com/madamejelly/happy-holidays-december.

Or you can go to the link on my fanfiction author profile page for the link. I don't suggest listening past the Journey song, though. Anything after Journey is a spoiler. But if you happen to be one of those people who go on anyway, keep it a secret from the others, pretty please. :)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I loved each one to pieces.

Minor update: I noticed some formatting things (Light's thoughts) that I forgot to fix. Also, I had promised to my friend (who authors here as well) Abbey Mae to give her a shout-out, as December 28 is also her birthday. A (belated) happy birthday to anyone else with a December birthday!

I don't own Death Note.

December 28
Chocolate Day

If there was anything that Sayu was particularly knowledgeable on, it was chocolate. She couldn't recall a day when she hadn't had any at all. There was always a stray box of chocolate cereal, perhaps some powdered chocolate milk mix, left-over chocolates from whatever holiday was last, chocolate ice cream in the fridge…. Even if she couldn't satisfy her need at home, there were always vending machines just down the street. She could remember those cold, numbing February days just before Valentine's Day. By that time all of the Christmas chocolate was long gone, and she'd have to trudge through snow and ice to those vending machines. It seemed like it took miles on those days, but she would not be deterred. Chocolate was a necessary and irreplaceable part of her life.

So naturally, she knew of every single holiday that had anything to do with chocolate. There were the ever-obvious ones: Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. But, there were other holidays, less known and hardly celebrated that were centered around that delicious food of the gods. There were eight total holidays in the year that were devoted to chocolate foods and most importantly…Chocolate Day occurred twice each year. Not just once. Twice.

Perhaps the most important detail was that one of those days happened to be today.

Almost every year she'd just celebrate by scouring the house high and low and hoarding each and every bit of chocolate she could find, even her mother's chocolate chips for baking. The first couple years she'd always get in trouble for it, but Sachiko had quickly learned that there was simply no stopping the girl. It would just be best to conserve her energy by buying more of the stuff the following day when Sayu was in her chocolate-induced coma.

This time, however, was going to be different. She still had business to attend to.

And she would execute her final, most decisive strike.

Victory would be assured.

So that December morning, the teenage girl woke up at precisely half-past five in the morning. Her parents would be asleep still, but she still had to act quickly. Silently and furtively she hopped out of bed, clad in pajamas and fuzzy slippers. She went to one of her bottom drawers and pulled it open fully. There, on the left, was her emergency chocolate supply: a heart-shaped box of Godiva. She'd only go into it for what the name implied or the two Chocolate Days of the year. Sayu had planned on eating it all throughout the course of the day, but…things had changed. She had to make a sacrifice this time around.

Well…just think, it won't be that long until Valentine's Day… Her fingers still rested on the handle of the drawer, staring solemnly at the chocolate that would leave and not make its way to her tummy. You'll be breaking out those snow boots in a while, there's no doubt about it…. I'm going to miss that naked lady on the horse.

Before she got a chance to change her mind or feel her will to resist dissolve completely, Sayu stuffed the chocolates in a very nondescript, brown box along with a special note written on scented pink paper. It was swiftly sealed with clear packing tape. Now, if her father was as consistent as he'd always been, she could find him currently making a pot of coffee for the day. It was time to move on to phase two.

Box under her arm, Sayu padded out to the kitchen. She rubbed an eye tiredly. It didn't take long to fully feel the effects of waking up early for the first time since…probably the last day she'd been in school. Now that was ages ago.

Sure enough, there her father was standing near the coffee pot. He brought a cup to his lips, not quite noticing her yet. She took this opportunity to get close.

She didn't predict that he'd burn his mouth on the coffee when he found a large pair of eyes staring directly at him from maybe a foot away, at most.

He set the cup down and still tried to get over the initial pain.

"I'm so sorry, dad!" Sayu suddenly said, backing up a bit. The box was still firmly in her grip.

"It's…fine, Sayu. Just don't startle me like that again, all right?" He took a class from the cabinet to get cold water from the sink. "But, I have to ask…. Why is it you're up so early during winter break? You usually wake up at the crack of noon."

"Hey! I so do not!"

"Shhh. Your mother is still asleep."

"Oh, right…" she said, in a more subdued tone. "Anyway, I needed to tell you something. Otherwise, I kinda would still be in bed, eheh…"

Soichiro swallowed some of the blessed cool water. He eyed her through his glasses with curiosity, waiting for her to continue.

"Okay, here's the thing. Light emailed me last night and told me that he left something important in his room. He said he needed it for some project or something. I guess he meant it's for school? It was just this random brown box sitting in the corner. I have no idea what it could be, and there's no way I can even peek. It'd be a no-brainer for him to figure out if anyone tried to sneak a look, because of that tape on a cardboard box… But, the point is, he needs it this morning. Like, now, I think. Soooo…."

He sighed. "So you want me to take it to him?"

"Yeah! Is that okay? I mean, I'm not old enough to drive or anything and I have no idea where he –"

"It's fine, Sayu. I understand. I'll be sure that this gets to him this morning. I'll leave in ten minutes or so, okay? Go back to bed."

Sayu was not one who had to be told twice.

When Light first started to enter the currently-hazy world of consciousness that morning, he could feel a distinct warmth. Something in the recesses of his mind told him that this was an abnormality, but he couldn't quite place why yet. He didn't mind the warmth at all, actually. In fact, it was incredibly nice and it encouraged him to just go back to sleep. Now that would be easy to do. He was never a one for sleeping in, but now it was almost too tempting.

Finally, his brain supplied him with an answer: it was perpetually just slightly chilly in the task force building, even in the winter. Perhaps L wasn't one for warm weather. It was never above sixty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. Not once. Light would walk past the thermostat and see a sixty-two or a sixty mocking him. If he fiddled with it just slightly when L wasn't paying attention, within minutes the super-sleuth would've already figured it out. It was if the man was a walking thermostat, detecting slight changes in the air's temperature. So Light would have to settle for a jacket and L would still go around barefoot. Though, he did learn that L had his limits with the cold first-hand.

So, why was he all of a sudden so blissfully snug and warm?

Even though he very much did not care to open his eyes and return to the land of the living, Light started to open his bleary eyes. He couldn't see all that much in particular, at least not yet. There appeared to be an empty portion of the bed where L usually sat, or rather, crouched. While Light contemplated where the detective could've gone off to, he came to a sudden realization: he could hear someone else breathing very, very close to him. Not only that, but he then registered that that warm feeling he'd been reveling in came from one source in particular. The source being a lithe body curled up against his chest which he happened to be holding onto securely.

To confirm his deduction from some overwhelming clues, he peered down ever so slightly. Sure enough, he was met with a mess of wild, black hair. He could feel L's nose and forehead pressed against the area directly under his collar bone. His breaths were slow and rhythmic. L was still fast asleep.

Well, isn't this déjà vu….

They weren't like this upon initially going to bed. That was for certain. L had to have tossed in his sleep enough or felt compelled to find more heat in his sleep for it to have happened. Light may or may not have been roused by that kind of movement, but he certainly welcomed the added heat. The detective snuggled against him with his eternal state of a bed-head was proof enough. The last time he'd tried to get out of this kind of a situation, it had ended up with a not so fun time on the floor. Light wasn't too keen on repeating that experience. So, with the option of escape out of the question, he could only wait it out. Surely L wouldn't be out for that much longer…?

The top of L's head was just close enough that it touched Light's chin. Curious, he moved his head ever so slightly over the detective's wispy locks. He nearly shivered at the sensation; L's hair was unbelievably soft. Whether or not it was a jumble of knots and snags, he couldn't tell, but it was softer perhaps than a rabbit. He could barely remember how it had felt that day they stood together in the kitchen. L for that moment hadn't been hiding behind his letter. He hated to admit it, but even then it didn't feel so bad to hold the detective against him. He felt human and fragile, as well as distinctly lonely. He clutched to Light as if it was his first and last opportunity at feeling that sort of closeness, feeling that kind of security. How would have been to live a life with little to no contact at all with other people? Not experiencing a simple touch, such a holding someone's hand?

In formal dancing lessons that L had mentioned in passing, such touches were empty gestures. He'd undoubtedly felt uncomfortable during the entire experience, Light mused. L never attempted or appeared to enjoy touching others. That is, until very recently. Why was that? Why did L not try to wriggle away from him, or choose to ignore the mistletoe? It would have been easy enough.

And yet L had stayed. He had even initiated those kisses. When Light had doubts and anxiety toward the act, L had not wavered at the slightest. Not only that, but Light had enjoyed those times. He remembered old dates. He could hold a girl's hand and perhaps even give her a kiss, but only because it was expected of him. He had tried to feel perhaps something, anything at all. But like a dancing lesson, they were only empty and easily forgotten. But now, simple brushes of skin or a hug…held something deeper.

That almost frightened him. Why L, of all people? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Like Takada, perhaps. She was smart enough and fairly pretty. Still, it had been forced. Walks with not too eventful conversation, lunch dates that hardly stuck in his memory…. And now every kiss from L still burned against his skin, moments still played in his mind perfectly as if they were a movie. How had it gotten to this? Why was the person he was determined to kill the first to ever feel real?

Light still had to kill L. If L had even the slightest clue that proved he was Kira, no amount of kisses in the world could possibly save him. The game would be over. Just as he was supposed to achieve his new world, L was supposed to make criminals face justice. Nothing could change that. He had four days left chained to the detective. This was perhaps the last chance he had to see him sleep, however. It strangely bothered him. Only three more mornings of waking up to see a mess of black hair and owlish eyes staring at him. Light released a shallow sigh, causing some of those strands of hair below him to blow around just slightly. He hadn't planned on anything like this….

And then that breathing pattern that had been so consistent below him subtly quickened its tempo. Light still didn't dare to move. It was a fragile moment that would all too soon be broken. What time he had left he'd enjoy but…when that time ran out, he would act. Kira would not hesitate. Wouldn't L do the same, after all? Surely he was still playing at this game. Perhaps that was all it was. His stomach clenched just slightly.

L still did not make a sound. It had been just a few minutes. Perhaps he still was trying to take in his surroundings, making sense of the situation? He likely didn't remember anything from the night before, either. A heavy sigh came from the detective's body. It startled Light a bit and he peered down curiously. L's face was still pressed against him, hands still clutching the fabric of his shirt. But, he heard a voice speak so lowly and so quietly that he could scarcely make out the words had it not been so silent in the bedroom.

"'That time of year thou mayst in me behold when yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang upon those boughs which shake against the cold….'" L paused, then released another sigh. He did not continue whatever it was that he was saying. Could he have just been dreaming, and for that reason speaking in his sleep?

"L…?" Light said hesitantly.

"Good morning, Light," the detective swiftly replied. He still did not loosen his grip.

Light moved his head to peer down a little. "Uh, good morning. I thought you were still asleep." And why are you still clinging to me?

"If I am able to give proper verbal responses, I assure you that I am awake, Light," L said, though sleepiness till clung to his voice, which also was muffled against his chest. "Hmmm…you're quite comfortable."

Was this what happened when L got a full night's sleep? Still thoroughly uneasy, Light said, "Thanks…?"

"You're quite welcome." Finally he raised his head and met the younger man's gaze. His eyes were still half-lidded, instead of wide and calculating as they normally were.

Their faces were only inches away. L's body was so relaxed and warm, and despite the drowsiness in his eyes, Light felt as though he could see perhaps –

A knock sounded at the bedroom door, both bodies stiffening at the sudden sound. L immediately drew away from the startled teen and slipped off the bed, padding towards the door.

Light was alarmed at how cold he felt.

But, of course, the chain had its limits. Half-way to his destination, L was forced to stop. He looked back at Light expectantly. It took the other a moment to gather his wits and roll off the bed himself. As he started to make his way toward the door, L had gained enough chain length to get there himself. His pale hand took hold of the knob and pulled the door open fully. There stood with a flat brown box in hand Watari. Perhaps he noticed L's still-sleepy eyes, perhaps he didn't.

L was given the box and he eyed it strangely.

Watari said, "Yagami-san brought it a while ago this morning. It has gone through screening, of course, and seems to be harmless. It is addressed to Light."

"I see. Thank you very much," L responded, still focused on the box in his hands. The older gentleman left at this while L closed the door with a hand.

Light advanced toward the detective to get a better look at the thing. His father wouldn't have taken a box from just any stranger and brought it to the task force building, that was for certain. But, who could have had a reason to give him anything? He tried to analyze the handwriting to perhaps see if it matched anyone's he knew. It was hopeless, though. The handwriting was very nondescript, almost as if –

"Whoever sent this purposely wrote your name in such a way that their handwriting couldn't be recognized. Very uniform, I must say." L lifted the box over his head to examine the bottom and not disturb the contents. "Now, who sent it and who could it be from? If your father brought it, I would assume it's from a family member or close friend. Tell me, Light, would there be any friends who'd want to send you something? Though it's curious that they wouldn't want you to know who they were…."

Light shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I'd assume it's from home."

L held out the box to him. "In that case, I believe you should open it. Clues will follow, I'm certain. Perhaps your mother wanted you to have some more clean underwear?"

Light rolled his eyes and took the box from him. He went back to the bed and sat down on the edge, going to work at peeling some of the packing tape off. L stood across from him and watched the process with interest, as if he'd get some of whatever was inside. The detective probably clung to the small hope that perhaps Light's mother had sent some baked goods. Once he finally did get the thing open he eyed the contents with a blank stare, as if there was a dead frog in the box.

There sat a heart-shaped box of Godiva chocolate with a pink note taped to the front. It read:

To: Ryuuzaki

From: Light

And there was also doodled on the paper a profusion of little hearts. A profusion! It was in what appeared to be his handwriting, no less. Before he even managed to get a word in about the whole thing, L had already snatched the chocolates up and separated the note from the Godiva box. He even…sniffed the paper? However, the paper was quickly forgotten as he opened up the box and peered in at the perfectly packaged little chocolates.

Who other than his father at home could've known about Chocolate Day? Suddenly, all the pieces fit together. Pink paper. Chocolate Day. His house. It was none other than his sister. This would've been one of the days she turned the kitchen upside-down in her search for chocolate while Light avoided it all by holing himself up in his room. It just wasn't worth it to dare step out. Undoubtedly she'd snuck into his room and gotten a sample of some of his handwriting, then made up some excuse for their father to bring in the chocolates and the false note. However, with the situation he was in, perhaps it was best to just go along with things…. Even if L came to a similar deduction, Light was fairly sure he cared more about eating sweets than solving a case as petty as this.

"It was incredibly kind of you to purchase chocolates for me for Chocolate Day, Light." He looked inside the lid of the heart box. "A shame, there's no guide…. Oh well. In any case, I'm very fond of Godiva. You have very good taste. The pun was intended, by the way."

Light still couldn't quite decide how to proceed as L chose to sit on the other side of the bed and start to go to work at the chocolates. He took one out delicately between two fingers and popped it into his mouth. Lightly briefly noticed the detective's toes curl, seeming to be enjoying the candy immensely. Just as he was about to take another from the many that were still in the box, his fingers paused in mid-air. L's eyes flashed back to Light.

"Would you care for one? They're very good." L held out the opened box of chocolates.

"Well…"

"But I insist. I would feel bad eating all of this in front of you. Now, please take one."

L then set the box down between them and while Light eyed the variety of little chocolates he plucked another from the box. While L began to chew on his second, Light went ahead and pulled a rather nondescript one and popped it into his mouth. It did turn out to taste fairly pleasant. It wasn't overly sweet, though it had a smooth texture and rich flavor. Perhaps there was a sort of chocolate mousse inside? Hardly a moment later he heard a mild sort of revulsion come from L. He paused eating his own chocolate to see what was the matter.

L swallowed the thing with a shudder. He said in his usual detached air, "Coconut. I despise coconut. And that isn't the worst of it, you see. There are two pieces for each kind of chocolate. They all look similar, but there are subtle differences with each variety. The first I had was a chocolate mousse and you ate the second chocolate mousse while I had to eat a revolting coconut piece. It's hardly fair."

A devious grin found its way onto Light's face. L was most clearly not pleased, but that did not mean anything to him. Rather than apologizing, Light resumed chewing his chocolate a bit…then promptly stuck out his tongue at the detective and showed off the remnants of the beloved chocolate mousse piece. He fully expected L to become even more annoyed, which would perhaps result in a slap/punch. Or, he'd turn his back and gorge himself on the rest of the box and ignore him for however long until it was empty. So Light continued to chomp away at the candy, rather pleased with himself and expecting some kind of reaction from the stunned detective at any moment.

And a reaction he did receive.

L was never very pleased when a box of chocolates didn't come with a guide for what was inside. So then he would have to try his luck and sample each kind. He'd be delighted when he came across those pieces with caramel inside, or perhaps molasses and cherry ones. And they typically always did come in pairs, if not more, so he then knew which ones to go back to. Chocolate boxes always were a fun sort of game. However, it was not a game if there wasn't a possibility of losing. If there was one sort of chocolate he particularly didn't like, it was coconut. He couldn't place why exactly he hated the flavor…perhaps it was its texture? In any case, L couldn't stand coconut in anything. Even candies, it seemed, had their risks.

There sat between them a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Light had given it as a gift to him for Chocolate Day. How odd, this child's game of picking through the nasty and delicious candies was so much like his current situation. What if he placed more trust in Light and lowered his guard? What would the end of the month hold, the new year hold? Would he come across that caramel candy, or that toffee piece, and find himself happy? Would Light stay on that other side of the bed and not be holding a knife to his back? Or, would he find himself faced with coconut? Light could simply want him dead. Every fiber of his body screamed that only Light could be Kira, no one else fit the profile so perfectly…. But his contents, what the younger man truly had on his agenda, remained a mystery to L. He hid behind that simple chocolate exterior. L would have to gamble as he did with those chocolates. He could either find himself happier than he had ever been before or…one of them could very well die. If he wanted that chance of finding chocolate mousse, he would have to play the game.

These thoughts whizzed through his mind as he observed the childish display from Light, who had shown him a chewed-up piece of chocolate. He shot L a triumphant look, just daring him to do something about it. However, L most certainly did.

In one fluid motion the detective made his way over to Light and brought his lips to the other man's. The chocolates still in the box fell and scattered to the ground, overturned. Neither seemed to care at the slightest. Light could barely comprehend what was even happening at first. One of L's hands had made its way behind his head and pulled him close to allow better access to the mouth he was doing nothing short of ravaging. The other had traveled some other place, perhaps his back. It was as if the detective was trying to find and collect every remnant of the chocolate that was still in Light's mouth. He felt himself fall back onto the soft bed, but L was not deterred from his mission. Light felt a moan rise up in his throat.

Caught still in the haze of the kiss, he made some weak attempts against the tongue that had so suddenly assaulted his mouth. L would only meet the challenge, still searching every last inch for the chocolate he had been robbed of. He could feel those long strands of hair hanging down and tickling the skin of his face, unable to think of anything at all besides L's taste mixed with the sweet chocolate they had eaten. He didn't ponder once why during it all he never felt the need to resist. Even after L should've had his mouth completely cleaned, he did not draw away. Any concept of time that Light had was long gone. It had been perhaps an eternity that they could've been kissing atop the bed. He couldn't tell.

Though at one point or another he felt L pull away, both with left with ragged breath and still-closed eyes. L rested his warm forehead against Light's. He held himself up over the younger man with weary arms. The detective barely resisted as he felt a pair of arms snake across his back and pull him down, causing him to lie flush against Light. While their foreheads no longer touched, Light could feel L's chin sitting on his chest. Still trying to grasp at any sorts of logic and reasoning that had so easily left him, Light opened his eyes ever so slightly to look down at the man who for the third time now had kissed him senseless.

Sure enough, two enormous black eyes dazedly looked back at him. In those eyes he saw something he hadn't ever quite seen before, something that perhaps only came in brief flashes that he'd barely even notice. It was as though in L's eyes there was a distinct look of affection. Light could feel his stomach flip at the realization. Before he had the chance to begin to sort through his mental dilemma, L tilted his head and placed a pair of kisses along his neck. It was perhaps even more intimate than the kiss had been, despite how simple it was in nature. Light was at a loss of what to do, much less what to say. He was almost frightened to break the fragility of the silence, as if it would all end and they'd be forced to face reality once more.

L's head was to return to Light's chest. His cheek rested against him and he did not say a word, only releasing soft sighs as he felt Light's fingers travel along his back. They remained like that for what could've been hours before he heard L's low voice reach his ears.

"You're probably curious as to why I kissed you, I'm assuming." He paused, and then languidly resumed, "One, I did want my chocolate back. Two…I merely wanted to. That's all."

Somehow, Light had found his voice though it was by no means as strong as he'd hoped. "That's all?"

"Mhm."

Peering through his eyelashes at the face buried in black locks before him, he asked again, "Why did you want to?"

Another heavy silence hung in the air. L took his sweet time before responding, leaving Light to stare at that face hidden in a mess of hair. His hands on his back had slowed considerably.

"'Reply hazy. Try again.'"

Light fought the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn't quite capable of being all that annoyed, at the present moment. If it had been L's plan to make him totally docile, it certainly had worked.

"L, you're not a Magic 8 Ball."

"Very well. In other words, ask me again later. My brain is comparable to pudding."

The rest of the morning through the evening proceeded in a similar fashion. It was as if an unspoken realization had made them not question the ceaseless kisses and caresses. They drank it in greedily, knowing it was the poison that would only assure the fast-approaching end to it all.

Nothing was questioned as L felt a pair of lips travel across his neck as he started the coffee machine or when they sat in the living room with the television spouting senseless programs and Light drew him against his own body. It reminded L of their actual first kiss that Christmas Eve, but he remained silent.

If he spoke of the past or the future, their illusion would be shattered.

No kiss thereafter was the same as the first they had shared that morning. They were all soft, chaste kisses, each as heavenly as they were painful. When the day would end and they would fall asleep once more, the two would cling to each other desperately knowing that it was not permanent. They would awake and find themselves in their respective roles as Kira and L. The dream they drifted through would end. The nightmare of reality would serve only to pull them apart and remind them of their duties and the futility of their hope.

Watari sat in the private observation room, the wall lined with television sets and a few computer screens along the bottom. His tea had been cold for some time and he took one last drink before completely draining it. He'd busied himself with the usual, which entailed helping L sift through countless emails or placing orders for meals for the following day. His only company was the hum of the various computers and the faint static of television sets. It was a customary nightly ritual, however. L would occupy himself by poring over clues into these late hours, hardly finding time to do anything other than breathe and cram sugar down his gullet.

He was fast approaching his stopping point, Watari knew. One computer on his far left began to shut down while he still busily typed at the keyboard of another. There were a number of emails from task force members regarding primarily when exactly the investigation could resume and they could return to the building, though they only were a small minority. He currently only sifted through one of the many email addresses L possessed. Not even the most brilliant hacker could manage to locate each one, though they had most certainly tried.

Just as the final computer was being put to rest for the night and all of the television screens turned to black, Watari turned his chair around to face a raven-haired man standing right next to the door. His eyes were tired.

Watari spoke calmly to the silent detective, "L, is something the matter?"

A/N: A couple little notes.

I haven't forgotten about Misa. ;) But, rest assured, I promise that the end will not be disappointing. Stick around for the ride and you will be a very happy camper.

Anyway, here's the Shakespeare sonnet I promised. L says the first three lines in this chapter.

Sonnet 73

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after the sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.