Watari sat silently by the bed, watching its occupant closely even as thoughts raced through his mind. Perhaps he was getting too old for this kind of thing, following the children around...

The door creaked slowly open behind him, stopping halfway.

"There's been no change," he mumbled. "And you shouldn't be up."

"I'm sorry, Watari-san. I had a bad dream, and I figured while I was up I might as well check on the two of you." He turned, offering a small, tired smile.

"It's no problem, Ooka-san. In fact, if you're feeling well enough, I'll make you some tea, and we can both sit in the other room for a while. To finalize your plans..." Her eyes dropped, no doubt already filling with tears.

"Of course. If it's not too much to ask, could I sit here for a bit, alone? Just until the tea is ready?" He nodded and got up, moving to meet her in the doorway. Pausing for a second, he put a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry to have upset you so much. You can have as much time as you want, and we can talk afterwards." She leaned on her crutch and swiped at an eye quickly, shaking her head.

"It's fine. Just the hormones playing games with me. We have to talk about it anyways, it can't be put off forever." He nodded again and left, disappearing down the short hallway. Alone, she moved slowly to the side of the bed, propping the crutch against the nightstand before lowering herself into the chair. For a few minutes she didn't move or make a sound, sitting as quietly as Watari had before her. But then she looked down, and the floodgates broke.

"No one will say it, but this is my fault, you know. That you're like this..." she trailed off as a small sob shook her shoulders. "That I'm like this." She reached out and touched the cold hand that laid on top of the covers.

"L-san, I'm sorry. I should be the strong one now, ne? And here I am, crying like a baby." A short laugh mingled with her crying. "-a baby. You know, they told me what it was today. I thought for a long time that I would wait to find out, but I changed my mind... Do you want to know?" She waited as if he might answer, her other hand unconsciously going to her swollen belly.

"Ooka-san, the tea is ready," Watari's voice drifted down the hall to her. She stood, taking her crutch and wiping her face. She stood an extra moment at the edge of the bed, looking at the man laying there. Underneath the faint scars and the medical equipment, he could've been sleeping, but to see past that was hard.

"Just wake up already, alright?" she whispered, brushing some of the hair from his forehead.

Hitomi was barely sleeping, and having nightmares when she did. Watari could hear her crying in her room, or moving around in the lack of rest. It showed too, in shadows under her eyes and a sullen silence that crept over her day to day. When it came close to the time that she would leave, he decided to speak to her again. She sat on the couch, looking at the television but not really watching it, somewhere in a half doze with her eyes still open.

"Ooka-san." She jumped at the sound of his voice, coming around slowly and rubbing an eye as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She sat up straighter, blinking the last of the sleepy look from her eyes.

"No, it's ok. I was just watching TV, and I must've fallen asleep. I've been so tired lately... What was it you wanted, Watari-san?" He sat in the chair opposite her.

"You're scheduled to leave tomorrow."

"Yes, I know." Her eyes flicked briefly in the direction of the bedroom where his ward lay. "Is there something wrong?"

"As you know, Ooka-san, L has not woken up yet, even this long after the accident. The Kira case was solved and in the events corresponding, the Yagami boy and his girlfriend are both dead. You even confessed to the task force, some of whom spoke out for your incarceration, and some whom did not. As of yet, nothing has been said to the authorities on the matter- since the killings stopped and the world had two culprits. But you have taken it upon yourself to confess to the world and accept your punishment, after the birth of your son."

"Yes."

"I trusted in your judgement before this, but now I must ask if you think that this is what's best."

"It's justice. I was Kira, and I must face justice. It's... what he would have done."

"Be that as it may, he is not here to mete justice onto you. Is it not enough that you proved the other two guilty and had them stopped?"

"No."

"And what of your son, then? When you are put to death, or imprisoned for the remainder of your life- what will he have?"

"He'll have his father."

"And if he never wakes up? You know as well as I that after this long, the probability of it now isn't high."

"Then he'll have you." He smiled graciously, accepting the woman's trust in him.

"I am old, Ooka-san. I will not live forever."

"Take him to Wammy's house, then. There are other children there, other adults to take care of him when you can't. L was raised there himself, wasn't he?" Watari sighed, letting his shoulders slump a little.

"What I'm trying to say to you, Ooka-san, is that you needn't go through with this plan. You may feel guilt over what you did, but losing your mother and father and catching Kira in the end more than pay for what you did in order to get close to him. You served L as well as anyone ever has." She dropped her gaze, trying not to cry.

"You forget that it's my fault he's in there like that. I may have solved the case for him, but only because I was guilty, and only at the cost of the world's greatest detective himself." There was a lingering silence, neither of them knowing what else to say, until a sudden idea came to the old man.

In the minutes that followed, he voiced his plan to the young woman. At first she protested, insisting her idea of justice be upheld, but in the end she was resigned to her own sense of guilt and agreed to his plan. His only concession to her was that she still leave as she'd planned, still distance herself from what she viewed as too plush of a life after what she'd done. When Watari left her to make the proper arrangements, she got up and moved into the other occupied bedroom, pausing only a second before climbing up onto the expanse of empty space on the large bed that L lay in.

"I'm leaving in the morning. Watari-san hasn't told me where he's going to send me yet. He's promised there'll be a good hospital, of course, but other than that, it's going to be a surprise." She lay her head on the empty pillow, curling up as if they were spending the night together. "I never got to tell you about him, did I? About your son, I mean. You're going to have a son. I know you said you didn't want any kids, that I should've... But after everything, I couldn't bring myself to. Sometimes I wish I could take it back, I feel so bad... but I didn't do this on purpose. Just like everything else with this whole mess between us and the case, it was an accident." She reached out slowly but couldn't bring herself to quite touch his hand, tears flooding her eyes at her own fear .

"I'm not sorry though, not anymore. I think that now, at least if Watari holds to his plan, that I'll be able to have a little bit of you with me for a while. And then, I guess the world will still have the legacy of the great detective L. If you don't wake up." She groaned, wiping her eyes and blinking the tears back into submission. "I don't want to be so cliche, but I guess you bring that out in me. You make me act like the dumbest, most star-struck girl in the world." She paused again, laughing harshly at herself.

"Listen to me, telling you all of this as if it makes a difference. You can't even hear me. You're practically dead as far as most people are concerned, and I'm here telling you about our baby as if you'll hear it. The last thing you heard was me telling you I was Kira..." At that she trailed off, lost in her own world for a few minutes. When she finally returned to the world around her, she was feeling more tired than before, but the prospect of getting up and trudging back to her own room seemed more unappetizing than struggling to stay awake in her present spot. She curled up, pulling her skirt she wore as far down over her legs as it would go, then laid back against the pillow.

"So I told you I was leaving, right? I guess that makes this our last goodbye, ne, Lawlieto-san?" He didn't reply, of course, but being able to say his name aloud made her feel a bit better.

It was raining outside, the wind whipping it into cold little darts that stung the skin. Well, they would, if anyone at the school dared to venture outside in weather like this. The thought crossed his mind briefly that he should be looking at the slew of new case requests instead of staring out the window, but it seemed awfully tedious at the moment. He was still sitting motionless when a black car came over the hill, stopping in the main loop by the front doors. None of the children or teachers were out today, and not knowing who had come to this secluded place piqued his interest. By the time he had crept downstairs, the car was pulling away, and Watari was talking with a few of the other teachers in the small office he kept for appearances. Standing just inside the doorway, staring at his feet, was a little boy, however. A new student perhaps? He straightened up a little and came fully down the stairs, making sure the boy saw him before stopping to speak in a quiet voice.

"Why're you here?" The boy only gazed at him for a few seconds before looking back down.

"My mom said I was gonna go to school here."

"She left you here then?" Small hands gripped the edges of his coat, the knuckles turning white.

"No."

'A stubborn one,' his inner voice noted. Maybe an interesting kid.

"If she didn't leave you, then why isn't she here? Why are you going to school here?"

" 'Cause she- she..." his voice dropped to a whisper, clearly trying not to cry in front of this strange new man. The kid finally looked up, matching his gaze with an angry one of his own. Even past the tears filling his big eyes, the older man was immediately struck by the intensity of his stare.

"She died," he whispered before the boy could finish. At that moment, the door opened and two older women emerged, followed by Watari. The women were clearly surprised by the presence of the younger man at the door, but they were too busy to stop and acknowledge him, disappearing down one of the hallways. Watari lingered, standing next to the boy and putting a hand on top of his head.

"Ah, I'm glad you came down, actually. I was going to come up and talk to you, but it seems you've done my work for me." He motioned into the office, letting L take the lead, careful not to make it look as if he were giving deference to his protege's slight limp. He stood behind the chair closest to the door, waiting for Watari to lead the boy in. Once the door was closed, the old man sat, pulling the boy onto his lap and motioning for L to take a seat. The detective did, reluctantly, assuming his normal posture perched in the chair. This seemed to cheer the kid up a bit, putting a small smile on his face as he fought to keep his manners in front of adults.

"What's this about?" L began, not giving his mentor a chance to explain. "This kid-"

"Katsutoshi. He goes by Toshi, mostly," Watari interrupted. "Isn't that right?" The boy nodded, eager to please, but L ignored the exchange.

"He's too young for schooling here, isn't he?" Watari smiled faintly.

"He's a little young, but I have it on good faith that he's very smart. And he hasn't anywhere else to go."

"Smart? For what, three years old? Can he even go to the bathroom on his own?" L drawled, trying to get a reaction from his mentor.

"Yeah!" the boy mumbled, angry in return to the scorn from the detective. Watari gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, reassuring him, then looked to L.

"Now, now, I don't see why you're so angry. You were just as young when you came here, and you did very well." L swallowed, a sick feeling settling in his stomach and a knot in his throat at the comments. Something wasn't right about this. Time to get a real answer from the man, and get out of this office. Maybe get some coffee on the way back upstairs, to dispel his mood.

"Well," he pouted, feeling rather childish himself, "he's not me, is he? And besides, if the mother is dead, just send him to be with his father. That's what should've been done." Watari sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment before speaking again. His words were slow and careful, as if L were indeed a child, and he felt a flush of anger at that too, until he realized Watari was speaking both to him and the boy.

"That's what has been done." There was a long silence, the two men staring at each other across the space of the desk.

"What, you-" he began incredulously. Then L looked down, catching the gaze of the boy who still watched him. His eyes. How hadn't noticed before? They were so immediately striking, like this child- barely out of diapers, if that- was looking directly into his innermost thoughts. So familiar, down to the tiny flecks of gold that brightened the dark brown. The wide innocence paired with the fatigue that came with knowing too much, seeing too many unpleasant things. He stood, almost knocking the chair over as he did.

"You didn't tell me she- sh-" he trailed off, stumbling on his own words. Watari nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry. I did what I thought was best. When you awoke, you agreed easily enough to let her live out her days in isolation. You didn't even ask where I'd sent her. Things would not have been different had you known-"

"They might have!" He surprised even himself with the outburst. The boy- Toshi, he reminded himself subconsciously, looked like he was about to cry again, and he lowered his voice. "They might have. I would've..." He sank back to the chair, knowing Watari was right. No one said anything for a few minutes, until L looked back up.

"How did it happen?"

"L, I don't know if that's the best-"

"I want to know." Even though his normal objective tone was back, Watari felt the danger of the situation. He looked down to Toshi, setting him on his feet.

"Toshi, can you check for me and see if one of your teachers has come back? Just step out into the hall, and if they have, go with them and they'll show you your new room, okay? And if not, just wait by the door." The boy nodded and left, even closing the door behind himself. L stared after him for a few seconds before looking back up at Watari.

"The two of them were living in New Zealand. There was an earthquake, just outside of Christchurch, and she was killed. I heard they found him in the rubble of their home, right next to her body. If you want to look up full details of the event, I'm sure you can find it easily enough. The thing that surprised me is how much she told the boy. He doesn't know all of it, or think all of it real, I'm sure, but she talked to him about almost everything that happened. And the rest of it, she's recorded it for him. It seems that she knew she was going to die, and did all of this."

"She knew?" L's voice was a whisper now, choked off almost completely. "How?" Watari slid a small flash drive across the desk at him.

"She left this for you after the accident, before she left for New Zealand. She asked me to give it to you when this happened. I can tell you though, it's mostly about the Kira case." L rose, taking the drive and turning to go. But the old man's voice stopped him.

"L... I know this is a lot. But what's important is what you're going to do about the boy. I apologize for both myself and Ooka-san for keeping this from you. Blood tests were done, at her own insistence, so that you would be sure of it when the time came. It may be difficult at first, but don't be too hard on him. For her sake."

"I told her that I couldn't. My work... He'll be in danger." Watari shook his head.

"Staying here, he'll be safe. You can spend time with him if you want, and it doesn't need to leave these grounds what his relation is. As it is, I haven't told the teachers about it, only that he will be a student with the others. For now, just take it slowly. Go and talk to him. He's had a rough couple of days, with everything that's just happened." L didn't say anything as he left, but outside the door, he found the boy still waiting, looking pretty much recovered from his upset and eager to run or play or something. Whatever it is that kids do.

His hair was a mess, as if whoever had been in charge of him hadn't bothered to comb it. But as he thought it, he knew that they had, but it was just that unruly that it hadn't done any good. L stopped in front of him, crouching down so that they were almost eye to eye.

"So your mom told you that she was going to die?" No tears this time, he simply nodded. L bit his thumb, trying not to question the kid too harshly right away. Watari was right, he seemed to be practically in shock still. Maybe an easier question to start with.

"What was she like?"

"Pretty. She sang to me a lot, I liked that. She made really good cake too. But..."

"What?"

"She was sad. But she didn't know I knew." Now L nodded once to note the statement, standing back up.

"What else did she tell you?" The boy thought for a minute.

"She said she used to hurt people. And that's why we lived alone, without my dad-" He seemed to realize what he'd said, and immediately clammed up again. Feeling the urge to do the same, L took a deep breath and spoke up for Toshi.

"Would you like to have some cake now, Katsutoshi-san?" He hesitated, then nodded slowly. L felt the corner of his mouth twitch, almost smiling to himself at how much the boy looked like his mother when he was acting timid. He turned quickly, refusing to let anyone else see the weak moment, and began to walk down one of the halls toward the kitchen. It didn't take long to hear the short footsteps of the kid trying to catch up, but he didn't expect the small hand that grabbed at his sleeve. He stopped, staring at his own arm, unsure for a few seconds what the boy wanted, then relented and offered his hand. Once they'd set off again, Toshi looked up at him, surprising the detective once more with how intuitive he seemed to be.

"I'm not actually three, you know." He didn't reply. "I'm almost five." A few more feet and they made a turn, finding an equally empty hallway stretching ahead of them. At this point, L was hoping half heartedly for one of the other children to happen upon them, to take the boy off his hands, but it seemed that everyone was hidden away from the gloomy weather. The pair had almost made it to the kitchen when Toshi spoke up again, in a much smaller voice.

"Ne..." A chill ran down L's back, the idiom and the tone of it completely like her.

"Hmm?" The lump in his throat wouldn't allow him anything but the choked grumble.

"Are you really my dad?" Before he could muster an answer, they turned into the kitchen, an older woman greeting them enthusiastically. She recognized L, of course, and quickly retrieved two plates, serving a piece of cake each and ushering them through into the adjoining dining room where they could sit alone. L sat across from the boy, intent on studying him to the point that he almost forgot the question he'd been asked. But when the boy picked the strawberry off the top of his slice with the thumb and forefinger, touching it as gingerly as possible, L felt the lump in his throat drop back down to his stomach. Clearing his throat and picking up his own fork, he muttered across the table,

"I could be. As of right now, though, I'll have to look into it. See the reports Watari mentioned to me. Until then, I can only give it about... A little less than a one percent chance." The boy was shocked for a second, but he seemed to have been warned about this too, and he smiled, digging heartily into his own dessert.

A/N: well, i hope at least some of you readers out there enjoyed my little story. Even though it had some inconsistencies, even though it took me forever to write it. even though i couldn't decide on what ending to use, so i m. night shamylan-ed y'all by using both together. thanks for sticking with it through 30 something chapters, and being so kind, and for the constructive criticism when you offered.