1 Year Later


I sighed as I looked at the chiseled tombstones that stood somberly at the top of the grassy hill. A feint wind blew past, letting my grown out black hair flow in the wind. My dark shawl rippled along with the breeze, as did the vibrant red roses in the bouquet I held in my arms.

As I walked quietly down the carved dirt I held my sad look as I glanced at each and every one of the headstones.

"So... it's today? Isn't it?" A quiet voice spoke from behind.

I turned to look at the messy mat of black hair that had crept up silently on the hill with a dazed glance.

"Yes..." L and I were the only ones who cared to remember this date. Yuki and Amaya had glared at me when I mentioned it while Near, Matt, and Mello were either busy or couldn't care less.

But L and I cared. And we both decided to make the climb.

"Why did you ask for him to be buried here?" I asked and my lover sighed at the marked grave.

"It seemed only fair. It was my fault he died, after all" I nodded as another gust of wind blew past.

Alexander Amsterdam
A, We Miss You
Born - March 4th, 1982
Died - December 1st, 1997

My voice surfaced from my throat without me thinking, "Does Beyond ever visit him?"

He nodded, "He comes at night, trying to make sure nobody is around. Sometimes when B was on the run I could see his silhouette on this hill..."

"Why didn't you arrest him?" I blinked.

L merely shrugged, "As much as I wanted to blame his death on Beyond, seeing as he was the one who watched him hang himself, I could only have myself to blame. Beyond was only a grieving friend, after all"

"I see..." I muttered, before looking around all the other gravestones. There must have been twenty at least, "Who are the others?"

The detective cast a dark shadow over his eyes, "Thomas Clearson... Bianca Lauter... Yong Sao... James Cien..."

"They're all of the students who were killed or died..." A small breath of sadness left my lips.

"How-" "-Did they die?" He finished, "Valerie had run away because she was scared of me and I never saw her again. Lillian had accidentally challenged a mafia while trying to solve a case on her own. Judan was killed... trying to impress me... and went after a local bank robber..."

I quickly pushed a finger to L's lips, cutting him off from whatever he was trying to finish. "You blame yourself?"

"Yes. If I had either been more welcoming or treated them all better then there would have been no drive to endanger their lives"

"No L. They died because they were orphans, plain and simple. They were confused and sad which made them do dangerous things"

Once again L was dead set on having a debate with me but before he could talk I spoke first, "Besides, do you really think they would have wanted you to feel guilty?"

Silence gripped the area and L grudgingly shook his head.

With slow grace I delicately placed a flower on each and every grave, reading off all the names of the poor kids who had died at Wammy's House. That was until I had one rose left. And only one grave was unoccupied.

The lone marker was a bit farther away from the others. It was buried around a patch of abandoned, dead leaves. The grey material looked old and cracked, even though it was only about a year old.

Approaching the headstone I could almost feel a devilish gaze resting upon me as I stepped closer, as if something were trying to ward me away and try to keep me far away from the haunted territory.

But when I felt L's cold, pale fingers intertwine with mine all fear was lost. And a strong comfort was draped around me like a warm blanket, fresh from the dryer.

"Thank you..."

A feint smile fluttered across his monotone expression, his lips curving into a childish grin. "No problem..."

When I crouched down to set the rose on top on the mound I could feel as though I was at ease. Like I had appeased the spirits of the dead, even though that wasn't true.

But when the frost bitten, crimson petals licked the icy stone my body stopped moving for a moment and my sight settled on the words carved into the rock.

"Come on. It seems like a storm is coming in. I suggest we get inside..." He muttered, pulling me away from the grave.

As Lawliet and I walked down the grassy slope I spared one look behind me. Behind to the grave site.

And, even though I know I sound crazy, I think I could see a feint outline of a boy. Barely ten years old, with bright brown eyes sparkling with happiness and a bright blue school notebook in his hand. His brown hair swayed in the wind while I was mainly drawn to the smile that brightened his entire prescence.

And those lips were mouthing something... Something I could just barely make out...

'Thank you'

Light Yagami
Goodbye.
Born - February 28th, 1989
Died - January 28th, 2013