Suddenly her entire body stiffened, her knuckles going white from gripping the steering wheel and the shifter. Her foot slammed the accelerator to the floor, and they jerked forward as the engine responded.

"Hitomi," he began, but when she looked over she had the look of someone who couldn't wake from a nightmare.

"L-san, I have to tell you something." Her voice was a horrified whisper. "I have to- you're going to want to stop me, or ask questions or something, but just let me finish, okay? I don't have much time." L nodded, staying silent in response to the urgency in her voice. She took a deep breath and turned back to look out of the windshield.

"I'm the third Kira."

"Wha-" he began, barely stopping himself when she glanced at him.

"I know. None of my explanation can either prove what I'm telling you is true or make any difference. I've killed people, and I deserve to be punished. But I'm still telling you, because I can't let Raito get away with this."

(Was a long and dark December

from the rooftops I remember

there was snow, white snow)

"You mean he's-"

"Yes. Him, and Misa. My word probably isn't much as proof, but it's the truth, and I think you believe me." Her voice cracked, and L realized two things. First, they were nearing ninety miles per hour, and second, Hitomi was crying.

"Hitomi-chan, slow down. When we get to New York, we can talk about this rationally."

"I can't."

(Clearly I remember

from the windows they were watching

while we froze down below)

"Can't? Just take your foot off-"

"Don't you get it, L-san? I'm confessing as a last resort, Raito is making his move. I'm not going to make it to New York... I can't slow down." He leaned over and grabbed her leg, and to his dreaded surprise, no matter how he pulled, he couldn't move her foot from the pedal. He leaned back into his seat and tried to keep his cool even though Hitomi's actions were making him more than a little uncomfortable.

"Controlling the victim before death... I see." She nodded, and he turned to her again. "Hitomi-chan, how does he kill? How does it work?"

"It- it's a notebook." She cut him off as he were about to speak, hardly paying any mind as they swerved around a corner, almost knocking L's head against the window. "It sounds impossible, I know. I don't have the time to explain everything, but I took the precaution of hiding all the proof when we arrived for the funeral, In my final report. On the bookshelf in the guest room," she paused, wiping a tear from her cheek as they took another sharp turn, "the s-second book from the left on the second shelf from the bottom. You have to promise me that you'll stop him, L-san. If I can't see this through, you have to."

(When the future's architectured

by a carnival of idiots on show,

you'd better lie low)

"Are you trying to say that that's your motive?"

"I know it's no excuse. I knew as soon as the killings started he was the only one that could do it." Hitomi's voice was getting frantic again. "The only one! I thought if I could get his attention, I could get him to stop- That I could talk him out of it s-somehow..." As they flew through a stop sign and made a tire squealing left turn her voice broke again and she sobbed, "I'm sorry, L-san. I know it's impossible to forgive my methods, but I- I swear if I'd have known I'd meet you, I never would have-"

"Hitomi-chan, panicking isn't going to get us out of this, you have to remain calm." Without a thought, he continued, not sure why he was saying what he did. She was right after all, if she was Kira, he had no choice but to have her arrested, but still something drove him on. "Besides, if you'd have never tried this so-called plan to catch Raito, you'd never have met me in the first place. Also, I have no intention of letting you die without facing proper justice."

"L... you don't get a say in this. Once a name is in the notebook, there's no avoiding it." She let out another sob. "I'm so sorry, I'm- Kuso!" L looked out the windshield in time to see a semi that they'd veered into the path of, and on instinct grabbed the wheel, jerking it out of the way. The car skirted the truck then skidded sideways on the wet road for a few seconds, before throwing its balance and flipping. Within seconds he blacked out.

(If you love me, won't you let me know?)

"Oh God... ahh kamisama... kamisama..." His eyes opened slowly, head full of a throbbing pain. In the moments it took for his vision to clear, he realized he must have a concussion and that a cut somewhere on his head must be why his left eye was darkened with slowly running blood. But more importantly, the constant mantra of mixed English and Japanese was definitely coming from Hitomi. He lifted his head from the cracked window with a groan and looked over to her.

(Was a long and dark December

when the banks became cathedrals

and the fog became God)

"Hitomi-chan..." She looked up at him, her eyes bright with fear and pain. Her breaths were erratic, and though L could see that there was a little blood in her mouth, he couldn't tell if it was his concussion or some unseen injury that was causing the sight. Speaking turned out a difficult task, the words coming in clips and phrases he couldn't seem to piece together. "... what... are you..."

"Oh God, L, I-" Her voice was cut off by a loud metallic groaning, and the detective squinted in the dim light to discover they'd tumbled down a hill through some woods and were about to finish the trip.

"Hitomi-chan, hold on, the car... its going to fall again," he mumbled, all he seemed capable of getting out even as his head cleared a little. She set her jaw with determination, a look that was belittled by the look in her eyes and the tears flowing freely down her face now. Another strained groan from the car was followed by a small moan from Hitomi, and her hand shot out to grab L's. Looking down at the motion he realized why she was in this state, for seemingly sprouting from her stomach was what looked like a branch.

(Priests clutched onto bibles

hollowed out to fit their rifles

and the cross was held aloft)

"Oh, God," he echoed her, but before either of them could say anything else, the car gave way again. The last thing L heard as his face met with the dashboard was a scream being ripped from Hitomi's throat as the branch was freed and their fall began again.

The radio was still playing. That was ironic, he thought, that after all this, the airbags should malfunction and yet the radio remain in perfect condition. He struggled to open his eyes again, his chest emitting a searing pain that assured him he had broken a few ribs and his left leg feeling even worse. This time his doubled, spinning vision kept him from lifting his head from the dashboard, but he could see Hitomi next to him, feel her hand still in his. She sat still, unconscious-

'she's only unconscious, right?' that nagging voice bringing panic up into his throat-

looking as peaceful as if she were asleep. Her forehead had a nasty gash where it rested against the steering wheel.

"Hitomi-chan," he croaked, vocal cords barely working, "wake up..." Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, then she was looking at him. "Are you okay? We-" L gritted his teeth as he shifted and sat up, holding onto her hand as if she'd disappear if he let go. "We have to get out of the car." She nodded slightly, clearly putting on a brave face, and he wondered for a fleeting second how she'd managed to transfer all her fear into him. But when she opened her mouth to reply, bright, arterial blood spilled out and down her chin.

(Bury me in armor

when I'm dead and hit the ground

a love back home unfolds)

"Okay, don't worry. I'll help you... just hold on a second..." he said, trying to appear as calm as possible. By the time he'd forced open his crumpled door and moved to get out, she'd grabbed his hand with a sudden surprising strength.

"L." Her voice was faint. "I never wanted... never meant to..." He pulled from her grasp and stood, almost falling when he put pressure on what he was sure was at least a shattered foot and ankle, if not the leg as well. Hobbling around the car as fast as he could, he was grateful to find that her door was virtually unharmed. Gratefulness turned back when he attempted to pull her from the car, the realization hitting that he was in worse shape than he'd thought, as he was only able to get the girl a few feet from the wreck before collapsing beside her. Managing to remain sitting upright, he took her hand again, pressing the other to her abdomen in what he knew was a futile attempt to stop her bleeding. The action drew her glassy eyed gaze back to him, though she looked as if she hadn't seen him in ages.

"L... I thought you'd left me..."

(If you love me, won't you let me know?)

"I'm right here. Hitomi, the ambulance is on its way, I can hear th- the siren.""

"Sore wa kankeinai... listen, I have to tell you-"

"Save your strength."

"Iie. Kore o kiite... I may have... hid all this from you... may have killed, but... when I said-"

"Hitomi-chan, don't," He warned, not wanting to hear what he knew was coming. "You know I can't-"

"When I told you I loved you," she continued, ignoring his protest, "I meant it. Hontou ni. I-" The girl's voice faded out, and the realist in his head whispered cruelly that she wouldn't make it until the ambulance arrived.

"Hitomi, listen to me, you can't die." He leaned down next to her ear, speaking softly. "Not like this, I can't forgive this, do you hear me? You can't..." She turned her head so that her cheek pushed gently against his.

"Doushite?"

（I don't want to be a soldier

who the captain of some sinking ship

would stow far below）

"B-because..." Hitomi said nothing, but her question hung in the air. Unable to think of anything except the question of when he'd developed a stutter, he forced out a chuckle. The sound was hollow as it hit his ears, and his ribs exploded in fresh pain. "Because you'll prove my theory that every girl I sleep with dies."

"Not... funny."

"Right... I know. I'm sorry, I-"

"Can you just kiss me please?" He flinched at her moment of clarity, gaining a wince from both of them. But the detective recovered quickly, bending back down to her and pressing his lips softly to hers. When he pulled away he cringed inwardly at how cold her lips were and how pale she'd become.

（So if you love me why'd you let me go?）

"Hitomi, just stay with me a little longer. Just-" The look in her eyes was show enough that he should stop lying to himself. If she could accept the inevitable, then surely a top level genius could. But wasn't it practically a miracle she'd made it this far already? And if she could just last a bit-

"Lawlieto." He gasped in a painful breath. How did she know his name? "Aishiteru.. totemo. Atashi wa-" Hitomi coughed, more blood spilling from her mouth. "Gomennasai. Atashi-"

"No Hitomi!" He cut her off, squeezing her hand tighter and bringing her face back to look at him. "No, you can't die, I won't allow it!" The scared childish tone of his own voice frightened L, but she was hardly breathing and her eyes... they were so vacant...

"You- you just ... I can't-" L finally broke, the lower part of his vision clouding up. The panicked shortness of his breaths and the throbbing in his nose and skull made his head swim again, and his body trembled from the effort of staying up. He slumped down and laid next to her, laying his head on her chest, looking up at her face. When he spoke again his voice was a harsh whisper.

"...okite kudasai... i can still hear your heart... wake up... hitomi... i'm a liar too... can you hear me? ...It's the truth- hontou ni..." The detective choked back a sob of his own as the sound of her heart failed and her hand went limp in his.

(I took my love down to Violet Hill

there we sat in the snow

all that time she was silent still

So if you love me, won't you let me know?)

"... no no no no no," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"I love you! You can't-" Again L stopped, as a sudden vice-like crushing sensation seized his chest. Unable to breath, the detective's grip on Hitomi's hand tightened before the swirling nausea overcame him and he was engulfed by cold blackness. Just as his eyes slipped shut, the meadow the wreck rested in was filled with the blaring sirens and flashing red and blue lights of the ambulance arriving behind them.

(If you love me, won't you let me know?)