A/N: Apparently I never my account to allow anonymous reviews. Well, I fixed that so yay. This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far; I've certainly enjoyed writing it.
Read, review, and enjoy!
There was no pain. Everything just became sort of swirly and L felt woozy. He stumbled a bit, staring at his stomach. Blood drenched his shirt, spreading across the fabric until he thought he would be sick. He desperately tried to remember how it happened, but nothing struck his memory. A gun never fired in his general direction and he couldn't recall anything penetrating his gut. So what happened...
Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees. His vision traveled up to the sky and for a moment he thought he was only looking up. Light's head suddenly appeared over him. Scars and cuts ran across his face like rivers. L touched his cheek carefully. His own hand was drenched in blood.
"God, Lawli, no," Light pressed his hand on L's gut.
L tried to ask him to stop; the pain became unbearable. The pressure wracked through his body, snapping at every nerve and bone. His spine contorted as Light's hand pushed harder. A salty, sweet taste stung L's tongue. Above Light's head, a strange flicker obstructed his view of the sky. Two red eyes formed and the rest of the frighteningly familiar face slowly appeared.
"Have you come to take me away?" L murmured. Ryuk's disgusting smile widened as he cackled softly. Light suddenly jumped, turning to face the ex-shinigami.
"What are you doin' here?" he snarled, cradling L's head closer to his chest.
Somehow, pressed against Light's chest, listening to his heart beat frantically, L felt dizzy with happiness. When they were young, he always promised he would be there. And here, while L's blood leaked across the sand, Light cradled him, protecting him from death. Of course, he couldn't save L, but his attempt was all L wanted. L's stained fingers touched Light's disfigured cheek.
"Light," he breathed. "It's okay."
Light turned away from Ryuk, gazing down at L. His eyes widened as if he realized he had little time with L left. "Don't worry," L murmured. "I'll be okay. And we'll see each other again. Just live a happy life until then. And forgive yourself, Light."
"Forgive myself?" Light blubbered, tears pouring down his cheeks. "For being a fuckin' murderer? What have I done to repent? Who have I helped in return?"
"Me," L smiled softly, wincing as he felt his body temperature dropping rapidly. "You've saved my life more than once. You reminded me of love and what it means to be a human. No matter what anyone said, you stuck to your beliefs and resurrected one of the world's most precious gifts."
"But it's gone, Lawli. The fountain's gone."
Suddenly, Ryuk sighed heavily behind them. "This is touching and all, but you should hurry up."
"Please, give us a few more minutes," Light muttered, keeping his eyes on the fading L. "Please."
Who was L to judge Light? Light's passions may have strayed him on a horrid path, but he found his way back. He found his way to L. If anything, L was the one wrong in the situation. He denied Light forgiveness for too long; he tried to kill Light. Yet, Light never stopped thinking about him. He always loved him.
And L-and Lawliet loved him too. Lawliet smiled softly as Light's wet, trembling lips pressed against his own. For Lawliet, this was heaven. He yearned not to part from Light, but he knew he would see him again in that paradise; the place of full of green.
"I love you, Light," he murmured and for the first time since his father's death, he let himself cry.
"No, no, no," Light moaned, sobbing into Lawliet's neck. "Don't leave-not now."
Ryuk's horrifying chuckle suddenly subdued his grief. Anger began to boil in his stomach. He snapped his neck, glaring at Ryuk. "Why are you here? To laugh at my pain? Why are you tauntin' me like this?"
"Isn't it obvious? I've been sent here, I told you that a few days ago. The gods seemed to be-smiling down on you."
"What? Is that some sort of sick joke?" Light sobbed, gripping Lawliet's limp body tighter.
"You have a choice, Light."
A long, spidery finger reached for Light's forehead. Memories of the past years suddenly flooded Light. The bloodshed, the repentance, the discovery. All those nights camping with Lawliet. His months with Misa and the possibility of the child. Lawliet's small smile when he walked into the barn. His ambitions to morph the world, to fix the world. The fountain and it's promises. Haunting words wracked his head, sending surges of misery, pain, and love.
The fountain can only be granted to the world when the gods were satisfied that humans deserved it. When the gods could truly see compassion lurked somewhere. And with compassion came love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.
"Are both Lawliet and the fountain that important to you?" Ryuk asked. Light nodded softly, finally understanding why Ryuk reappeared.
Ryuk reached into his pocket, pulling out a black notebook. On the cover, spidery letters spelled out, 'Death Note'. His eyes widened. Ryuk pressed his pen against the page and began to scribble something. Light's body froze as Ryuk held up the page for him to read. Scrawled across the middle of page were two words: Yagami Light.
"You have forty seconds."
Forty seconds until everything Light Yagami was evaporated. He trembled, staring down at Lawliet; he would be the last thing Light saw. Was everything worth it in the end? Taking others lives without second guessing, destroying others so he could survive, trying to fix the world by creating more problems. He became so obsessed with the power of taking lives. He thrived on the control; he felt like a god. Sure, he fought for something he believed in, but it turned him into what he wanted to destroy. He was a murderer. Did he really deserve forgiveness?
And then there was Lawliet. Beautiful, intelligent, spontaneous Lawliet. He wanted Light dead, but Lawliet made his own mistakes. His deep depression caused him to shut down and sleep with Beyond. Light couldn't be angry with him, though, because he understood fully. Lawliet deserved life and to be happy. Maybe death was Light's ultimate punishment for his sins. He stared down at Light, running his fingers through his hair. No-death wasn't a punishment; it was his gift to Lawliet. He granted Lawliet life. With his sacrifice, L would have another day to enjoy the world and appreciate humans for all they could be. The fountain promised the world peace.
Finally, in the end, Light believed he achieved the one thing he truly hoped for. After all the wrong roads and the horrifying decisions, he somehow managed to give the world what it deserved: a second chance. But it wasn't the only thing that had a second chance. Lawliet admired Light, finally. After claiming Light was nothing but trouble and cruel, Lawliet still loved him.
Only twenty seconds now. Light kissed Lawliet's cold lips, wiping the blood from his pale chin. He lay Lawliet on the floor and curled up next to him, placing his head on Lawliet's chest. He wanted to hear Lawliet's heart beat before his own stopped. He gripped Lawliet's drenched shirt tightly, watching the dried up fountain with anticipation.
Maybe death wouldn't be too bad. He couldn't say good-bye to his parents or his friends, but he knew he would see them again. If shinigami's existed, then God did as well.
"Lawli," he murmured. "I think I do believe in God."
Light closed his eyes, breathing in the stench of blood and Lawliet. So this was heaven. He knew he would revisit this moment in death. He smiled softly, wondering if he would run into A and all the others who never had their chance.
Suddenly, something echoed in his ear.
"Light," Lawliet coughed, gasping for air.
"Lawli," Light smiled softly. Lawliet gazed at him with large, bloodshot eyes. Light couldn't bear to tell Lawliet what would happen soon. With his remaining few seconds he asked, "Do you think I should forgive myself?"
"For what?" Lawliet smiled softly.
Light pressed his trembling lips against Lawliet's. He felt the pain creeping up in his chest. He gasped as his chest exploded in agony. He trembled, clutching onto Lawliet's shirt tightly. His body withered in pain. It was as if he was drowning. He gasped for air, trying desperately to hold onto any piece of life left, but it was escaping through his lips. The pain smothered him, suffocating him until he felt a strange release.
Darkness clouded his vision. His life never flashed before his eyes, but his memories granted him complete happiness. Even the death of his unborn child and that night trapped in the prison seemed to have it's own beauty. Everything bad he's done he suddenly regarded as just a mistake, and nothing more. He finally found peace; he finally forgave himself. He heard Lawliet crying out his name, but he couldn't see him anymore. "I love you, Lawli," he muttered, happiness enveloping him. It was all worth it in the end.
And just like that, his feet touched cool, moist grass.
A/N: Well...that was quite a journey for Light, but he was happy in the end. Only the epilogue is left to get closure with the rest of the characters. Please, please, review. I'll get like three most for a chapter at points (many times none) and it's breaking me heart :[. So if you read the story, just send a quick review so I know whether or not there's more than three people reading this. Thanks!