The bells are unusually loud today.
He despised it. The sounds of bells reminded him of the church somewhere in England. The orphanage he used to live in, was located next to a church. The bells ring every few days. Someday, there will be a wedding of a couple vowing to prove their loyalty towards each other, and someday, there will be a funeral greeted with tears and screams of sorrowness. He could hear it. Someday it was laughter filled with joy and happiness. Someday it was filled with nothing but a deadly silence of humans finally giving in on their last piece of happiness, that soon will be taken away from their uncaring hands.
He can hear it anywhere, in every inch of this building. It doesn't leave him, like a constant reminder about what used to be his home, somewhere in England, that was filled with nothing but dusty toys and books. He was indeed lonely. He will always be lonely no matter where he goes, or how many people surround him.
He didn't hate the orphanage, but he rather not visit nor remember about how it used to be. It scares him. The church bells, the dusty toys and books from forgotten children who lived in that house years ago. The smell of the same burning candles every night.
He began to grow exhausted of the sounds.
While no one was watching, he left his workplace, and decided to go somewhere he had never been in this building. Somewhere only him will be standing.
His mind wanders as he walks with no exact place to go. He pushed the elevator button to the highest level. He did not care about the rain. He just wants to be somewhere where the bells don't ring.
As the elevator arrived to the highest level, the door opened, revealing a room with an exit door in front of him. He walked in, with his hunched back and hands in the pocket. He pushed the door, and the sudden rushes of wind greeted him. At first, he didn't move a muscle. He stayed motionless for a few seconds, letting his clothes become wet because of the droplets of rain, with no exact reason.
The weather was cold. So cold that it leaves his pale white skin turned red.
He made his way to the center of the rooftop. The sound of rain finally leaves him deaf. He couldn't hear anything else other than the sound of rain crashing the earth. Though it was only for a second, as the slow but sharp sound of bells ringing again. Somewhere far, but was close enough to be heard.
He looked up at the sky.
For once, he pleaded for the rain to stop.
The rain doesn't ease his sorrow, nor his fear towards the world.
Since he was a child, the thought of the world as a scary place never leaves him.
It had been on his mind since the day he knew the harsh truth.
Everyone in this building knew that L is such a great young detective. He was the man everyone wants to be. Genius, wealthy, and successful.
But he himself knew the truth about L.
L is just a name. L is just a seat that awaits to be replaced someday, and maybe soon.
L is not him, and he is not L.
and if that makes L, what makes him as himself then? Who was him again? The parentless child? The scary child from the orphanage? or the child that yearned for love and a normal life?
The bells rang louder, snapping him back from his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat.
The bells are very loud.
The bells are unusually loud today.
The sound of bells ringing are very loud today.
It scares him. It makes the deepest part of his heart tremble in fear. It shook something in him that he never knew existed.
" Ryuuzaki!"
Someone was calling him. He heard it between the overlapping sounds of the rain and the bells.
He turned his head towards the expected direction.
It was Light. The man was looking at him with a sheer look of confusion.
His mouth moved, uttering some words that can't be heard by L.
L leaned his body, putting his left hand behind his ear, signing that he couldn't hear him.
Light spoke louder, but it was a waste since all L could hear was inaudible mumbles. He began to lean more, with a grin on his face, finding it was hilarious.
Light sighed, before finally walking towards his working partner.
" What are you doing here?! It's raining heavily!"
The grin on L's face began to grow larger.
" I'm trying to find the source of the sounds. The sounds are really distracting me from work," L murmured. Light can see, the unusual grin.
" What are you talking about?" He asked, with a clear confusion on his face.
" The bells? Can't you hear that, Light? The bells are unusually loud today," L replied. There was only a small smile on his lips. He no longer grinning widely.
" I don't hear anything except the rain, Ryuuzaki,"
" Nothing. Nothing I said makes sense anyway," He stated, playing it off.
The rain will not stop at any moment for now. The sky became darker, the rain became heavier.
" I know. If I took your nonsense seriously, I would eventually become insane," Light agreed, with a tone of sarcasm.
" It's the same for you and me. Tell me Light, from the moment you were born, is there even a moment where you're honest?"
Light's heart skipped a beat. L looked away from the sky, before locking their gaze together.
Light doesn't understand what the gaze means. It's the same empty gaze, but something about it was missing. L's gaze softened. There was no hatred, not this evening, under the heavily pouring rain.
" And if you said it so, what if I say that I hate you? What if I say I hate your guts, deeply, Ryuuzaki?" Light questioned. His tone was slightly trembling. L couldn't pinpoint, either it was from the burning hatred, or something else.
" Continue it. Whatever it is. Hate me with your whole heart. Love me with your whole soul. Adore me with both of your eyes. I wouldn't mind, Light. Even now, you're lying. You took the opportunity of my loneliness. You took the opportunity of my breath that I don't know how much it left. You're a wicked man, Light,"
There was silence for a few seconds. Even the sounds of the rain couldn't surpass the loud silence between them.
" We're the wicked men. We're the nuisance for the world," The silence broke once Light replied.
A smile creeped on L's face. He began to chuckle, before playfully hitting Light's shoulder. Light couldn't ignore it, finding it quite hilarious too.
They both laughed. Carefree for a moment, forgetting that they were rivals, and both of them can't stand on the same stage.
The bells didn't stop, the curse wasn't lifted, but L seems to be accepting it. Whatever happens, justice will find its own way.