Welcome to chapter twenty! There's not much to say about this chapter, actually. So, thanks if you left a review on the last chapter! To Blazedoll and anyone else who's curious: while there will be quite a bit of action at the Teito Hotel, the story's climax won't take place there, and there are still quite a few chapters until the apex of the action. I'd tell you how many chapters are left, but I kind of want it to be a surprise. And also, Beyond will have his time to shine…but just not in this chapter ;)

Chapter 20: Twilight

There were six days until New Year's Eve.

L's plan was coming together. First he reinstated himself as the head of the task force, working alongside the others in the investigation room. He put himself back on good terms with the task force members and steadily began to rebuild his relationship with his successors. He hadn't put much effort into speaking to them during the past three weeks, and he missed their company. Though, he mused, not as much as he missed Light's.

Though the pain of losing Light wasn't gone—it wouldn't be gone until he got him back—it had eased slightly with the knowledge that L was seemingly at an advantage, thanks to his knowledge of Light's location and the all powerful bullet. Every time that dull ache started up in his heart, L told himself that he would have his Light back soon—and though it wasn't enough to make the hurt go away, it was enough to dull it just enough to make it bearable. It was using this method that L kept up his farce of being almost completely healed and focused entirely on the case. He had a routine going—he would walk into the investigation room in the morning before anyone else and get to work on his fake attempts to locate Kira. Then, a few hours later, Matt, Mello, and Near would arrive and talk to him for a few minutes before getting to work on the case. Despite their intelligence, they hadn't even come close to discovering Kira's location. Although, L pondered, it wasn't because they were missing something. Kira and Beyond working together were simply too intelligent to make a mistake or leave a trail. If the King hadn't told him, L would probably never have figured out Kira's location.

Several hours after that, the task force would arrive. They would stand around chatting for several minutes before seating themselves and continuing in their pointless efforts. Soichiro, of course, would avoid L at all costs. L knew that he wouldn't be able to face him until he rescued Light. And even then, he wasn't so sure that Soichiro would accept their relationship. He might try to take Light away from him. L shuddered at the thought of Light, newly rescued, being hauled off by his father. He had, of course, already played out several scenarios in his mind and planned for every possible outcome—if need be, he'd snatch Light away and hide him from his father until things calmed down. But it was hard to focus on things like that when Light wasn't safe yet.

Light… L spent most of his time thinking about him. Since he was only pretending to work, he had a lot of free time, and most of that free time was spent daydreaming. More often than not L found himself fantasizing about Light. He dreamed about every aspect of him. He dreamed about his hair. That beautiful tawny hair that hung about his face like a halo, hair that barely brushed his cheeks. He dreamed about how silky it was to the touch, how the strands would fall through his fingers beautifully whenever he reached a hand out to touch it. And his eyes… L could never contain a smile at the thought of those eyes. Deep, deep amber orbs flecked with the tiniest hints of ochre. Eyes that pierced the very soul, laying L's deepest thoughts out for examination. They were beautiful. He dreamed of his clothing, clothing that was always perfectly pressed, crisp and unstained no matter what. He would always wear variations of the same outfit—black or dark brown slacks, dress shoes, and a collared, button-up shirt. L shivered pleasantly at the thought of Light walking into the investigation room in his black slacks and crisp white shirt. L loved the purity of that white shirt, as ridiculous as it may have sounded. He loved Light's uncanny ability to keep that white shirt clean and untouched throughout the day, loved how the milky fabric contrasted with his beautiful tanned skin. Or maybe, L thought, he liked the black slacks with the scarlet shirt more. Oh, yes, he liked the scarlet shirt more… it hugged his form perfectly, showing off his toned body and bringing out the deep color of his eyes.

And beneath those perfect clothes…

This was the point where L had to stop thinking, for if he continued he would surely develop a problem right in the middle of the investigation room. He would try to keep his mind off his angel, hoping to focus on something else for a few minutes. But it was never long before his mind wandered right back to the amber-haired beauty—his eyes, his clothing, his hair…

But, of course, Light didn't have that amber hair anymore. It was red now. A brilliant scarlet fit to match the shirt L so enjoyed. L couldn't help but admit that the color looked fabulous on the teen—if the hair hadn't been a result of Kira's control, L might have enjoyed it. Perhaps he could convince Light to leave it red for a while, and wear that tight shirt with it, and a pair of his seldom-worn jeans—

And once again L had to stop thinking, save he embarrass himself in front of the task force.

When L wasn't fantasizing about Light or devouring sweets, he was working on his plan. The first step of said plan involved getting his hands on several doses of sedative, the use for which he would detail later. In order to do this, he used the same exact strategy he'd used the first time. He waited until it was almost time for the task force to go home, and then he announced, "I appear to have developed a headache, as unfortunate as it is. You have my apologies, but I will be heading up to the infirmary to retrieve some pain medication. I will converse with you tomorrow, members of the task force. And successors, I will meet you in our bedroom."

He received a general nod of the head from the task force, and a murmur of sympathy from Matt. L rose to his feet, ignoring them all, and marched over to the intercom on the far wall. Making sure his voice could be clearly heard, he requested, "Watari, I'm afraid that I have quite a craving for shortcake. Would you please deliver some to my room before I return there?"

There was a moment's pause before the inventor responded. "As you wish. I will prepare some now, and it will be waiting for you when you arrive at your quarters."

"You have my thanks." Good. That would keep Watari away from the monitoring equipment while L did what had to be done. It would take long enough to prepare the shortcake, and L only needed a few minutes to carry out the first step of his plan.

L stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the infirmary. The door was locked with a passcode, but that was easily overcome. The door slid open, and L strolled into the room with no resistance. He shot a glance at the security cameras in each corner of the room. A red light flashed on and off, blinking accusingly at L as he moved further into the infirmary in search of his prize. Just as he'd done before, he headed over to the far left side of the room to one of the many sets of cabinets. He yanked open the one closest to the wall and stood on his toes in order to reach the shelf that held several wax-sealed vials, all arranged in rows and organized according to what sort of liquid drug was held within. L easily spotted the set of vials he was looking form, marked by the absence of several of said vials. He'd had to sedate Light a few times, using up a few doses, and then he'd taken one more to use on Misa. There was already quite a dent in the supplies. And now, he knew, that dent was about to grow.

L reached up and scooped up four of the tiny vials, slipping each one into his pocket carefully. They barely fit, and created quite a bump—but the hem of L's shirt reached practically to his knees, so it wasn't hard to hide it. Four vials should be more than enough for his plan, but he still needed syringes. And so he reached down to one of the lower shelves and snatched up four of said syringes, shoving them into the opposite pocket. Good…he hadn't been caught, and he had everything he needed for step one of his plan.

L stepped back and closed the cabinet, making it look as if it had never been opened. He left the infirmary swiftly and quietly, and headed down the hall to the elevator. He took it down to his floor, then headed to his room. He had no doubt that Watari was finishing up his preparation of the cake, and would soon be heading down to his room.

A few minutes later, L was situated on his bed, sedatives and syringes hidden away in his bedside drawer. Watari entered with his cake, L smiled and conversed with him normally, and he left soon after, suspecting nothing.

The first step had gone over well.

The second step of L's plan was to get his hands on a gun. Ever since Kira's victory over Light and L's mental breakdown, L had been forbidden to have access to a firearm. The successors had essentially put him on suicide watch, concerned that his ever-growing depression would send him down the path of taking his own life. That was ridiculous, of course—he could never leave Light alone. But nevertheless they had still locked up all the guns in the building and informed Watari that he was not to give L a gun or weapon of any kind. This made L's plan difficult.

At first he'd thought that after he proved that his mental health was improving he would be given his gun back. But that had not happened. The successors were still suspicious, and therefore had not seen fit to provide the code for the gun safe. The task force, while they carried guns, were also forbidden from providing L with a weapon. That meant that L would have to get a gun from an outside source, or crack the code on the safe. He had but a few precious hours in which all three successors slept. But Watari would still be monitoring the cameras, making the chances of L getting his hands on a gun nearly impossible. So L did something incredibly stupid.

He went to Misa.

Well, not in the literal sense. He waited until he was alone and Watari was away from the monitoring equipment, then he pulled out a cell phone and called her, making sure his call was untraceable and completely secure. He didn't want anyone to figure out what he was up to—although, if Rem was still watching over Misa as she should be, they she would most likely figure out what was going on. That could be good, though. Perhaps she would help him. Or, L thought dismally, perhaps she would do nothing per the Shinigami King's order for her to remain uninvolved. She was a wild card, L knew, and he wasn't sure what to make of her. He could guess what all of the other variables to the equation would do: Kira, assuming he had no idea L was coming, would stay up in his hotel room. Upon L's arrival, if the detective was unable to shoot him before he was detected, then Kira would most definitely reach for the Death Note and attempt to kill him. Despite his promise of killing L on the New Year, and not a moment sooner, if Kira thought his life was in serious danger then he would no doubt use the notebook. Or maybe he wouldn't…and if that were the case, then he'd most certainly attack him by physical means instead, hoping to overpower him. Quite honestly, L wasn't sure which one of them was physically superior. He'd been the one to dominate Light, yes, but the teen had never attempted to resist, and had never deigned to use his full strength against his lover. As unfortunate as it was, that meant that L had no idea just how strong Light—Kira—was. For all he knew, he possessed a physical prowess even greater than his own. And if that were the case, then L didn't want to think about what would happen if it came to a physical fight. No matter how many different forms of martial arts he knew, if Kira was stronger than him, he'd be hard pressed to win.

But he'd gotten sidetracked—the next part of L's plan was the phone conversation with Misa. It was around midnight when he called her, so she was naturally displeased to be woken up again by the eccentric detective who was holding "her Light" captive. In fact, L had to call her a grand total of five times before she picked up.

"Mmph…" she groaned when she finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Miss Amane."

Her groan was immediate. "Rukzaki, do you know what time it is?"

She seemed too tired to remember that she was supposed to be mad at him. "Yes," L responded, hoping that she wouldn't wake up enough to become upset. "I apologize for the late hour, but I need to ask you something."

"Ask me…?" she paused, and L suspected that she was yawning. "Come on, what's so important that you have to call me so late? It's just as bad as last time…" she trailed off. "Hey!" she snapped suddenly, her voice becoming clearer as she no doubt became more aware. "You knocked me out!"

Ah…so she remembered. How unfortunate.

"Ryuzaki, you meanie!" she shrieked, her voice becoming so loud that L was forced to hold the phone a few inches away from his ear. "You wake me up by banging on my door, and when I let you in you knock me out! You're such a pervert, I bet you did weird things to me when I was sleeping!"

"W…what?" L questioned, completely taken aback. "You think that I…?"

"I knew it!" she cried, as if L's stuttering had been confirmation. "I knew you weren't in love with Light, you're just using him to get close to me! That must be it, because there's no way that you're really in love with him, because he's mine, and you know it! You've just been acting like you're close to him so you can get to me and do weird, creepy things to me! That's why you came to my apartment, isn't it? That's why you want to keep me away from Light, because you want me all to yourself!"

L's mouth was hanging open stupidly, and he couldn't bring himself to care. Misa…was she an idiot? No, that wasn't the question; she was an idiot. Her words were so out of left field that he couldn't bring himself to respond.

"Well, it's not going to work!" Misa went on, oblivious to the confusion she was causing. "I'm going to have a date with Light on the New Year, and you're going to let us kiss without being a pervert and watching!"

"You…you think that I'm in love with you."

"Well, duh! Who wouldn't be in love with me? That must be the case, that has to be the case, because there's no way you're seriously in love with Light! He's not gay."

"Misa, I'm afraid that you may be slightly delusional. Would you care for me to find you a doctor? I assure you, there are treatments for your obvious delusions."

"What? Ryuzaki, cut it out! Why are you even calling me at this hour anyways, huh? Is this because you wanted to hear the melodious sound of my voice?" She broke of to laugh shrilly.

L wasn't sure whether to be furious or to laugh. But after a moment he decided to do neither, and said, "I assure you, I am not in love with you. Attempting to rationalize my involvement with Light by pretending that I am in love with you is foolish and moronic."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she wailed. "You're so mean! I'll never help you with anything ever, so you can just hang up right this instant!"

Oh dear…it was at this point that L remembered that he needed this girl to help him. But no matter—he had an ace up his sleeve. "Misa," he said slowly, "please listen to me. You don't have to do anything I say, but can you at least hear me out? It's for Light."

"That's what you said last time," she muttered, but she clearly had no intention of hanging up.

"Thank you. Now, listen to me—Light is in great danger, and I need a weapon to protect him. However, due to circumstances that are out of my control, I have no way to get my hands on any sort of firearm. Without said firearm, I believe—no, I know that Light will die. I know that you love him dearly, Misa, so wouldn't you do anything to save him?"

"Oh," she gasped out, "Anything! I'd die for Light!"

Of course she would. She was just that obsessed, wasn't she? But then again…hadn't L promised to die for Light as well? He knew that his lifespan was dwindling, and yet he was still determined to go after Light rather than making an attempt to save his own hide. Perhaps L was just as obsessed as Misa. "Good," L went on, pushing those nasty thoughts to the back of his mind. "Then I need you to do something for me, Misa. You see, as I said, I need a firearm and am unable to acquire one at the current moment in time. I need you to acquire one for me."

"Huh? But Ryuzaki, you know how strict Japan is on firearm usage and ownership!" Misa whined. "How do you expect me to get one? Do you think I can just waltz into a police station and take a gun?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," L assured her. "With your level of fame, I'm sure you can whip something up. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to work. And if you can get your hands on a gun, then think of how pleased Light would be with you once he found out what you did! He'd be so happy, Misa, all because you did this one, teeny, little thing for me." Perhaps he was taking his manipulation a bit too far…he knew full well that Light would never be happy with Misa, no matter what she did. "Do you think you can do it?"

Misa gasped, sounding utterly starstruck. "Oh, Ryuzaki, of course I can do it! I don't care how hard it is, I'll be sure to find a gun and get it to you as fast as I can!"

Hook, line, and sinker. It was just too easy. "Thank you, Misa. I'm executing my plan to keep Light safe tomorrow night, so I'll need you to take the gun to HQ tomorrow. You already know where we are, but I can't have you walking in the front door and just handing me a gun. I'll route you to a bunker in the front yard so you won't be spotted by security cameras. There is exactly one way in and out, and it is the only place in the entire area that isn't under constant surveillance. Once you're within a block of headquarters, I'll direct you to the entrance and tell you exactly where to place the gun so I can find it. I'll call you back from this line tomorrow at five o'clock exactly, so make sure you're in position by then. Do we have a deal?"

"Get a gun to headquarters by five tomorrow?" she asked, sounding a bit overwhelmed. "It might take a little longer than that for me to find a gun."

"Misa…" L murmured. "It has to be tomorrow. And if you do this, then Light will have no choice but to see you for the beautiful, intelligent woman you are." He parted his lips to say the next part—he will love you for the rest of his life—but he couldn't do it. He couldn't say something that untrue, something that manipulative. He just…couldn't.

Fortunately, if Misa's sudden, elated gasp had anything to say about it, she didn't need to hear the second part of L's speech. "Really? Wow!" she breathed. "If that's the case, then of course I'll get the gun to you on time! Just leave it to me, Ryuzaki!"

"Good," L responded calmly, a sour taste in his mouth. "I'm glad we agree on this Misa." And he was even more glad that he'd been able to draw her attention away from his relationship with Light. Things would have gotten quite messy if she'd remained determined to debate over it with him. "If you have no questions, then I must go. There are other things I must do, you see. To protect Light."

"Oh, of course!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You can count on me!"

"Thank you, Misa. Goodbye." He didn't wait for her response before hanging up and slipping the phone back into his pocket. He had no doubt that Misa would be able to accomplish this task, no matter how formidable it was. With her level of influence and shameless flirting, she would certainly be able to get her hands on a firearm of some sort—and, L reflected, it only had to work well enough to fire off a single shot.

But, of course, the gun and the sedatives weren't the only thing required for his plan. They were just two parts of a much more extensive strategy. So that night, just after hanging up on Misa, and about two hours after the successors went to sleep, L rose from his bed and headed down to the room that was currently being used as an armory. L knew that Watari was watching him and wondering what he was up to, but he hadn't yet deemed his intervention necessary.

L walked into the armory with no resistance. The gun safe, a massive bulletproof box guarded by several coded locks, stood in one corner. L had no doubt that if he walked anywhere near that safe he would have Watari questioning him in an instant. He, like the successors, didn't believe that his mental health was healed enough for him to be handling a gun. Deciding to put Watari's mind at rest, L walked to the opposite side of the room to the rack of bulletproof vests and other such pieces of equipment. The vests were lying on a rack that stretched nearly wall to wall. They came in all sizes and weights, some of them sporting camouflage patterns or other methods of disguise. L picked out a vest about his size and tried it on over his baggy white shirt. It was uncomfortably heavy, forcing him to hunch his shoulders even more than usual. But if it did its job well he didn't care how it felt. He took the vest off and went to drop it near the door. He then moved to the next rack, the one holding helmets with see-through shields over the front. L picked one of those up as well, but pushed the shield up. There was no point in hiding his face from the monster that already knew his name. He put the helmet in the same place as the vest, then moved to the next rack. He picked out a pair of boots, then a belt, and finally padding for his arms and legs. The pile near the door grew.

He had reached the weapons. Much to his irritation, not only were the guns locked away, but so were the batons, canisters of pepper spray, and tazers. Muttering irritably, L snatched up a pair of gloves from the adjacent rack and threw them towards the rest of the equipment he'd gathered, recognizing his inability to get his hands on any sort of weapon. When L dropped the gloves into his pile and moved back to observe it, he found himself staring at a jumbled but complete uniform. He had everything he would need to go after Kira without fear of being injured.

"Are you planning on going somewhere, L?"

L's head whipped up to look for the source of the voice. Watari was standing calmly at the door, eyes locked on the pile of equipment at his feet.

"Ah," L said nervously. "No, I wasn't planning on going anywhere. I just wanted to be ready in case something happens. I thought that perhaps we should pick out bulletproof vests and the works for the rest of the task force. There's no telling when Kira might make his move, after all. I just want to be prepared."

"L…" Watari sighed. His expression was pitying. "You can't seriously expect to wear all this around every day until the New Year."

"I can't," L agreed. "But I am feeling rather insecure at the moment, Watari, and having this equipment with me will make me feel much better. Please, allow me this." L had been playing the pity card a lot the past few days, but it seemed to be working, so he was more than willing to abuse it.

Watari's gaze softened even further. "Well… if it will make you feel better, then I don't think there's anything wrong with it." His eyes darted to the pile on the ground. "Would you like some help?" he asked. "That looks quite heavy."

"Yes, please," L said, a small smile on his face. "It is rather late, and if you would be so kind as to help me then I would be able to get to bed faster."

That was a lie. L just wanted to have a little more time to organize the finer details of his plan. If everything went according to plan, he would act tomorrow night. But first Misa would have to get him the gun. He'd have to make sure that he made time to call her at five o'clock the next day in order to direct her to the underground bunker. That way, when he snuck out that night he could retrieve the gun with no trouble and go on his way.

"Here you are," Watari said, opening the door and setting his armful of equipment on the dresser. He helped L to bed, though the detective very adamantly declared that he didn't need assistance. Clearly, the inventor still believed that L was highly unstable. "Goodnight, L," he said politely, once the detective was settled into bed. "I hope your dreams are pleasant." Then he turned and left, shutting the door quietly. Miraculously, none of the successors had woken up through the whole thing. Matt and Mello were still curled around each other, and Near was lying facing the wall, his thumb between his teeth.

L waited a few moments to make sure Watari was really gone. Then he rose, placing his feet carefully on the carpeted ground, and headed to the dresser. Pulling open one of the drawers, he withdrew a garbage bag that he'd stashed there earlier. Then he reached up to the safety equipment and lumped everything into the garbage bag as quietly as he could. Sparing a glance at the successors to make sure they were still asleep, he gathered up the bag and crept over to the closet. With searching fingers he located the small door in the right-hand side of the space. One push revealed a hidden opening, standard issue in all bedrooms in headquarters. It was just large enough for L to stuff the garbage bag full of equipment inside. He pulled the small door shut silently and removed himself from the closet. For a long moment he simply stood there, staring at the closet where his equipment was hidden, allowing his gaze to momentarily observe the nightstand where he'd hidden the sedatives and the syringes. He considered moving the contents of the nightstand to the compartment in the closet, but thought better of it—it was better to keep the components of his plan in separate places. That way, if one were discovered, the other one would remain untouched. He'd only have to rebuild a bit of his plan, not the whole thing.

L realized suddenly that the successors could awaken at any moment—and if they did, then it would seem a bit curious that he was standing stationary and staring down the closet door. And so, soundlessly, he slipped back into bed and got under the covers, not bothering to change out of his long-sleeved white shirt and baggy jeans. He felt a momentary feeling of awe as he realized that not only was his plan working, but he'd gotten through the first three stages without anyone realizing what was happening. Not even the successors had figured out what he was up to. Perhaps…perhaps this would actually work. Maybe, just maybe, L's death wasn't as close as he feared. The Shinigami King had told him, in as many words, that if he changed the path he walked, maybe made a few different decisions, then his lifespan could be altered. L wanted desperately to believe that he'd just made one of those life-altering decisions in deciding to go after Kira without the successors. Though, L knew, that alteration could just as easily be negative rather than positive. He just as well may have decreased his remaining lifespan. Hopefully, he mused, that was not the case. Being dead would rather mess up his plans for the future.

But it wouldn't come to that. L would make sure that it didn't come to that. With this, with his plan, everything would be okay. He could save Light, imprison Beyond, and show the successors just how wrong they were. And after…

L frowned. What would come after he saved Light? That should be easy, he thought, unnerved. You made a promise to Light. You promised him that you wouldn't leave him. And that means staying here in Japan, so he can join the police force like he always dreamed. There isn't even a question as to what will happen once I save Light—I'll stay. I'll remain in Japan for… L shuddered. For…for the rest of his life? He'd stay here forever? Yes, forever. I'll stay here because Light wants me to. That's enough for me…so long as he's happy.

L realized with a start that he hadn't really considered the implications of the promise he'd made to Light. He'd have to set up a permanent base in Japan, somewhere where Light wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life. He'd have to find a way to hide himself without moving around constantly, and he'd have to stay away from Wammy's House for years at a time…

L found that he was beginning to stress slightly—but then he realized just how ridiculous he was being, and forced those intruding thoughts from his mind. He still had a long ways to go before he could even begin to think about the future. There would be plenty of time to concern himself with such matters later. It would still be some time until he could think about the reality of him having to stay in Japan for the rest of his life. No, no! L corrected himself. I don't have to stay, I want to stay! And either way, it doesn't matter if I don't want to stay in Japan for the rest of my life—Light is here, and so here I will stay. I love him too much to leave, even if it means staying in one place forever. I'll gladly stay here for him. Without hesitation and without question.

That was it, then. L forced himself to shove everything out of his mind. He was quite tired, and wanted a chance to rest before the morning came. And so he lay back against the pillows, closed his eyes, and willed himself to drift off to sleep.

It took a long while for his breath to even out, and for his eyes to glue themselves closed. But should he have managed to keep his eyes open for just a moment longer, he would have seen a pair of brilliant green eyes, glimmering in the darkness and gazing curiously in the direction of the closet.

†††

There were five days until New Year's Eve.

That morning, when Matt awoke, he spent at least half an hour staring up at the ceiling without moving a muscle. He kept replaying the events of the previous night in his head. He'd been completely unable to fall asleep the previous night, no matter what he tried. The past few weeks had been very trying on him, both emotionally and physically—he cared deeply for L, and didn't want to lie to him…but it seemed to be the only way to end this. He'd done everything in his power to convince himself that what he was doing was correct, but as time went on, he doubted himself more and more. Was this really the right thing to do? Was killing Light really the best way out of this situation? Over the past few weeks he'd grown quite close to the teen, and the idea of killing him was just…wrong. He didn't want to kill Light. He didn't want to lie to L, and he didn't want anyone to get hurt. But he'd fallen into Mello and Near's plan, and was fully supporting them despite his reluctance. Perhaps, he thought, he'd accepted that while this wasn't the plan he preferred, it was the plan that was best for L. Best for Light. Best for everyone.

It was with those thoughts in mind that Matt had laid there, completely unable to find rest. He'd barely felt it when Mello curled up beside him, wrapping his arms around his middle and burying his head in his chest. He hardly noticed when Mello's chest fell into a steady rise and fall, signifying his departure from the waking world. A few minutes later, he saw that Near's breathing had evened out as well. But as he turned his eyes on L, Matt realized suddenly that he wasn't sleeping. It wasn't really a surprise—L rarely slept—but what was strange was the fact that L seemed to be pretending to sleep. Normally, when L couldn't sleep, he sat up and worked on his laptop. But he'd just been lying there, breathing controlled, as if he were trying to convince anyone who looked at him that he was asleep, for hours. Matt thought it was strange, but he passed it off as another one of L's oddities.

That is, until the clock struck twelve, and L quietly removed himself from bed. Matt watched through narrowed eyes as the detective quietly shuffled out of the room, eyes flitting about the room, no doubt checking if any of the successors were still awake. Matt closed his eyes just long enough for L's gaze to leave him before reopening them to watch the detective fully exit the room.

After that, Matt intentionally kept himself awake just to see when L would return. What was he up to, and why had he snuck out?

About thirty minutes later, the door opened, and Watari and L entered the room carrying an armload of unidentifiable gear. Matt listened carefully through the following conversation, his eyes firmly closed so neither would notice that he was awake. It took only a few moments for Watari to wish L goodnight, then leave promptly. After that, Matt thought it would be over. He thought that L would just get into bed and fall asleep, but…after a few moments, all Matt heart was rustling, and he became suspicious. He opened his eyes just a fraction of an inch, and shifted slightly so he could see what L was doing.

The detective was staring at the pile of equipment before him, thumb pressed to his lips thoughtfully. A heartbeat later he moved to his dresser and removed a black garbage bag, then shuffled back over to the equipment. He began to sort through it, moving each item into the bag. It was so dark that Matt couldn't tell quite what he was doing, even if he strained his eyes to their fullest extent. But even though he couldn't see what L was doing, he still watched. He watched as the detective finished moving all the pieces of equipment into the garbage bag, tying off the top and moving towards the closet. Matt nearly laughed when he saw where L was hiding the garbage bag—he was acting like a teenager, hiding things he didn't want anyone else to see in his closet. He wondered what was so important that L would try to hide it in there of all places.

After that, L simply stood there staring at the closet for a long while. But after a few minutes he visibly tensed, turned, and slipped into bed. It took a long while for his breath even out, for his eyes to slip closed. But finally, after what felt like forever, L drifted off to sleep, leaving Matt alone in his wakefulness.

For the rest of the night, Matt couldn't sleep.

†††

That morning, when the sun finally rose, Matt stayed in bed while everyone else got ready. L left well before six, his process of getting ready involving only brushing his teeth, running a hand through his hair, and changing into a new shirt. A few minutes later, Near got up and blinked sleep from his eyes, heading for the bathroom and turning on the shower. Ten minutes after that he emerged with soaking wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist to pick out a new pair of white pajamas. Ten minutes after that he was gone, off to the investigation room. Meanwhile, Mello got up and spent a few minutes in the bathroom brushing his teeth and doing his hair. He was the type that took showers in the evenings, so his hair was perfectly dry and styled when he emerged. He dressed in leather pants, boots, and a vest.

"Matt?" he asked. He moved over to his lover quietly, settling on the bed and reaching out to stroke his hair. "Are you going to get up?"

Matt raised his head and stared up at Mello. He resisted the urge to glance towards the closet, where he knew L had hidden the garbage bag. He wanted desperately to go over and check what was in that bag. "I'll be in in a bit, Mells," he said softly. "I'm not feeling very well; I'd like to stay in bed a while longer."

Mello's brow scrunched in concern. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay here with you? I can look after you if you're not feeling well." He cupped Matt's cheek caringly. "You don't seem to have a fever, but I could still stay. I'll get you something to eat if you want."

Matt smiled up at him, fighting the swell of doubt and nervousness in his chest. "No," he said, "You should work. I'll be fine, I just need to wake up a little." He leaned up and pressed a short kiss to Mello's lips. "I'll see you in a while, okay?"

Mello stared suspiciously as he leaned back. "You'd better call me if you feel any worse," he threatened, rising and backing up towards the door. "I'll come back here the instant you call, you hear?"

"Got it, Mells. Go catch Kira."

Mello backed up a few more steps before turning around and heading for the investigation room. The door closed softly behind him, and the sound of his boots striking the tiled hallway soon faded into nothing.

Matt waited for a few minutes to make sure Mello wasn't coming back. Then he leapt to his feet and dashed to the closet with every intention of looking at what L had tried to hide. He wrenched open the door, expecting the garbage bag to fall out, but…there was nothing. The closet was simply full of L's clothing. Nothing more, nothing less. But Matt was sure that L had hidden that bag in here! Where could it be? The successor got down inside the closet on his hands and knees and crawled into the closet, running his hands over the carpet probingly. When that brought up no results he moved his search to the walls. He pulled his fingertips along the smooth walls, searching for…well, he wasn't really sure what he was searching for.

And then, he found something.

His fingertips struck a narrow slit in the wall, running about three feet up from the carpet and three feet across. Matt traced the outline with his fingers, frowning deeply. He dug his fingernails into one of the small openings and pulled with all his strength. For a moment, he felt nothing. But then, a small click met his ears, and the panel of the wall came loose. Have I broken off a part of the wall? Matt thought, surprised. He gave the wall an experimental tug, and much to his surprise, it swung outwards even further. It was on a hinge. It was…

A door?

Matt squinted into the darkness of the closet. He couldn't see much, but he was certain that he'd just discovered a hidden door inside the closet. Which meant that this was almost certainly where L had stashed the garbage bag. This was worse than he thought…if L was so desperate to hide this thing, then it must be important.

Matt reached into the compartment with searching fingers. Something, distinctly plastic, crinkled beneath his touch. He hooked his fingers in the plastic and grasped the garbage bag, pulling it out of the closet. It's heavy, he realized. What the hell did L put in here? He hauled the bag across the carpeted ground and laid it on the bed he shared with Mello. For a long moment he simply observed the bag, not wanting to believe that it existed. It's existence alone proved that L was not okay, proved that he wasn't recovering mentally. The fact that he didn't trust the successors enough to tell them about this bag just further enforced the sad truth that he didn't trust them. He'd seemed to be getting better lately… but now it seemed that his behavior was just a part of his act. But what was that act meant to hide?

He could wait no longer to answer his burning question. Matt opened the bag, his fingers slowly pulling apart the plastic, and peered inside. The black plastic made it difficult to see just what was contained within. He frowned squinting. Then he reached inside and pulled out the first item. He held it up to the light, twisting it this way and that. It was…a safety vest? No, it was a bulletproof vest. From the armory. His frown deepening, Matt pulled the next item from the bag. This one was a helmet with the visor pushed up. More safety equipment. Next he withdrew padding that strapped to the arms and legs, then boots with gloves stuffed inside, then a armored belt.

Matt ran his hands over the equipment strewn about the bed. It was all safety equipment, all meant to protect the wearer. What on earth could L be doing with all this stuff? And why did he feel the need to hide it?

Was…was he planning something?

Matt's mind raced. It was possible, he reasoned, that L was withholding information. After all, he'd had that conversation with Kira without anyone else watching, which meant that he could have easily lied to the successors and the task force, and they would have believed it. And that meant that it was more than possible that he was using his hidden information to fabricate a secret plan involving this gear. But then… why did he need this stuff? The only time anyone wore something like this was when…

Oh.

Oh no… he wouldn't… would he?

Matt stared down at the equipment through new eyes. If it was true that L was withholding information and using it to make a plan, and if it was true that this equipment was a part of the plan, then the only information that L could possibly have kept secret was…

Matt closed his eyes. It was so obvious. So, terribly obvious. L… he knew where Kira was, didn't he? He knew, and he was planning on taking him on alone. Matt ran his fingertips over the bulletproof vest that suddenly held much more meaning. It was the vest that L would be wearing when he went to his death—for there was no way he could survive going after Kira on his own.

Matt began to pack the items back into the garbage bag, realizing that he needed to pack everything away before anyone came back into he room. He arranged the bag the exact way he had found it, then swiftly hauled the thing back across the carpet and shoved it back into the hidden compartment of the closet. He closed the tiny door, being sure to erase all signs of his tampering, then withdrew from the closet and closed the rather large door entirely.

For a long while after that Matt just stood in the center of the room and stared at the wall, perfectly mimicking L's behavior from the previous night. He'd thought that L was getting better. He'd thought that he was recovering mentally. But now… it looked like he was no better than the first few moments after Light had been taken away. He might as well have been the shell-shocked detective sitting on the lid of the toilet as Near wrapped bandages around his knees and dabbed at his tears. So what was he supposed to do?

He knew that L was planning on going after Kira, and that he would most likely be going alone. He had no idea when, but it would most likely have to be sometime before the New Year. That meant he had five days to act. The problem would be figuring out just when he intended to act. And what was more…

Should he…tell the other successors?

He knew what would happen if he did. They would say, wonderful, let's just follow L when he leaves. He'll lead us straight to Kira. We'll kill him there. And they would, Matt knew. They wouldn't hesitate to kill Kira the instant they saw him. He could see it now—the successors would follow L to Kira's location and wait for the two of them to meet face to face. Then they would strike. They would barge into the room, drawing a stunned, horrified expression to L's face. Matt would be the one to go to L and restrain him, holding him back against the wall. He would kick and struggle with all his might, but he wouldn't stand a chance. Matt would hold him fast, and L would be forced to watch as Mello and Near held their guns on Kira and pulled the trigger. Afterwards, Kira's body would strike the ground, blood pooling around him as he convulsed on his way to the afterlife. L would scream, horrified, and Matt would release him so that he could run to his lover's body. Near and Mello would stand back, cold and impassive, and wait for L to finish sobbing. And once he did, once the final tear had dried on his flesh, they would pry him away from Kira's body, overcoming his screaming and mindless thrashing and forcing him away from the corpse of the one he loved so dearly. After that, L would hate them. He'd despise them for months, for years, until one day, he would finally meet with them again, and the words of forgiveness would be exchanged. L would never be the same, though. There would always be a hint of sadness in those obsidian eyes, sadness that could be traced back to the bones of Kira, decorating the earth of his final resting place.

Could Matt do that to L? Could he just…let Kira die? Let Light die?

It took a long time of thinking. Matt lost track of time as he stood, his legs eventually beginning to tingle and go numb.

When he finally left the room, nearly two hours later, he had a plan of his own.

†††

On the fifth evening before the New Year, L's plan came to fruition.

It was easy, easier than L predicted. The task force headed home earlier than usual, and after that, L's plan was set in motion.

First, he called Misa. At five o'clock, just as he'd promised, he contacted Misa Amane and led her through security and to the hidden bunker. She deposited the gun into said bunker, and that was that. Yet another stage of his plan had been carried out flawlessly.

Next, L went up to the kitchen under the pretense of wishing to procure cake. Once there, he removed a teacup from one of the cabinets, swiftly fixing up a serving of Watari's favorite tea. His eyes flitted up at the security camera directly in front of him nervously. He had no doubt that Watari was watching. And so when he removed a vial of sedative from his pocket, punctured the lid, and poured half of it into the tea, he made sure that his back was carefully shielding himself from the camera's view. He knew that the sedative was tasteless, so there was no way that Watari would figure out what L was up to until it was too late to stop him.

After he prepared the tea, L left it in the microwave so it wouldn't become cold. Then he headed over to the cabinet and snatched one of the chocolate bars from Mello's stash. He carefully unwrapped it and spread half a vial of sedative over the chocolate, swiftly rewrapping it a moment later. After that, he grabbed a pastry from the cupboard and repeated the process. And after that he prepared another cup of tea, repeating the process yet again. That was it—he had everything he needed. But first…

L spread out his four syringes on the counter and paired each one with the remaining half-vials of sedative. He drew the remainder of the substance from each vial into corresponding syringe, then tucked the syringes under his shirt and disposed of the empty vials. Now he was ready.

First, L headed to Watari. He piled everything he'd prepared onto a serving tray and went up to the surveillance room.

"L?" Watari asked, turning his chair around to watch the dark-haired detective as he entered the room..

"Hello, Watari," L responded calmly. He moved to Watari's side and set the serving tray down on the desktop, reaching for one of the cups of tea and handing it to the inventor. "I made you tea. I admit, I feel quite bad for my actions over the past few months. I realize that I've caused you a great deal of trouble, and I want to begin to make up for it."

Watari smiled warmly. "You're correct in that regard, L. You've caused me a stunning amount of complications over the past few months." He took the offered teacup and held it in both hands. He didn't drink from it, much to L's irritation.

"Yes," L agreed, stalling for time until Watari took a drink. Ingesting the sedative orally would knock the inventor out, but it wouldn't be for very long, and it wouldn't be very effective. That was why he'd only provided half a dose in the tea—once Watari took a drink and began to fall asleep, L would inject him with the remainder of the dose. This way was safer. If L just outright injected him, then there was every possibility that he'd contact the successors before passing out, thus alerting them that something was amiss. And after that, L wouldn't be able to execute his plan; the successors would be watching too carefully to be fooled. "I thought that I should begin to make reparations, so I made you a cup of tea."

The old inventor offered L a small smile. "How thoughtful, L." He paused to take a sip, and L's stomach flipped excitedly.

It was working! It was really working! L waited for Watari to slump over, but it wasn't that easy—it would take a few minutes for the drug to go into effect.

"You know," Watari went on, drinking more of his tea, "I was afraid that you weren't going to come to your senses."

"Wait…come to my senses?"

Watari frowned. "Well, yes. You've been quite out of it lately."

"My mental health has been steadily increasing," L said hurriedly.

Watari chuckled, "Don't try to lie to me, L. I've known you since you were five; I think I can tell when you're only pretending to be okay. But now, today, you seem…focused. Like you've finally found your path." He offered L a warm smile, taking another sip. "You've had a rough life, L, and I wish that I could have done more to help you through that life. Over these past few weeks especially, I feared that you might have been damaged too severely to repair. But now, it seems that you might finally be about to recover."

Oh, how wrong he was. "Yes, I think I am beginning to recover as well."

"Good." Watari took another drink. "I'm glad that you…" he paused. Then he slumped to one side, raising a hand to his head. He set his cup of tea down on the table, murmuring, "Ah…I'm feeling a bit under the weather all of the sudden…"

L, sensing the impending collapse, darted forward and placed his hands on his former mentor's shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, though he knew full well that Watari was not okay.

"I'll be fine…" the inventor murmured, eyes clouding over. "I just need…" He trailed off.

A moment later, his head struck the desk, and his whole body lurched to on side, barely steadied by L's firm grasp.

A moment after that, L darted forward and jammed the needle of the syringe into the inventor's neck, compressing the plunger forcefully. Watari showed no signs of waking up, even as L gently lowered him to the ground. Good…this would keep him sedated for a good couple of hours. That would be all he needed in order for his plan to work.

After that, L quietly took the serving tray in hand and headed down to the investigation room.

He had a conversation with the successors, but his stomach was twisting and turning so nervously that he barely understood what they were saying. He just smiled and nodded, and said what was required of him. He handed a cup of tea to Matt, the chocolate bar to Mello, and the pastry to Near, hoping that they would take the bait. He explained to them what he'd explained to Watari—that he felt bad for causing so much trouble, and wanted to begin to make amends. He was sure to add just a hint of sheepishness and embarrassment to his tone for good measure. If they thought he really felt bad, they wouldn't question his intentions.

There were a few more minutes of talking, and then Mello began to eat the chocolate bar provided by L. A moment after that, Near started nibbling at his pastry. A few minutes after that, the both of them showed signs of drowsiness.

"Woah…" Mello murmured, swaying in his seat. "I don't feel so good…"

"Yes," Near agreed in a low whisper. "I feel rather tired…"

Matt, L noted, hadn't touched his tea. He almost seemed suspicious of it, as if he knew what L was planning. But that was impossible. There was no way he'd figured it out…right?

L was drawn from his thoughts as he heard a loud thump. It appeared that Mello had fallen asleep, and had just descended rather unceremoniously from his chair. A moment later, another thump followed as Near crashed to the ground. L hid a triumphant smile. The drug was stronger than he hoped. They'd gone down without a fight. And now, the only problem was—

"Mello! Near!" Matt gasped, lurching to his feet and moving to their sides worriedly. He dropped to his knees beside his companions, shaking them harshly. "Come on, wake up! What the hell…?" He turned back to L. "L, get over here and help! No, wait—call Watari! He'll know what to do!"

L wasted no time. He moved up behind Matt, withdrew the three remaining syringes from beneath his shirt, and plunged one of the needles into Matt's neck.

"…L!" he rasped out, eyes glimmering with horror as he realized what was happening. But even as he raised a hand, clearly intending to fight, it was too late. He sagged into L's hold, and the older detective lowered the younger to the ground caringly. It took only a few heartbeats for him to repeat the process with Mello and Near, and it took even less time for their breathing to even out entirely as they fell into a deep sleep. Not all had gone to plan thus far…because Matt hadn't consumed his tea, he'd only received half a dose of sedative. And unfortunately, L didn't have the time to run up to the infirmary to retrieve more. He'd just have to hope that Matt didn't wake up prematurely. And even if he did, L reasoned, it wouldn't matter. Matt would have no idea where he was going, so there was no way he should be able to follow him. And with that thought in mind, L rose and stepped away from the sleeping forms of his successors, heading for the elevator.

After that, it was simple.

L retrieved his gear from the compartment in the closet. He put it all on, made sure the bullet was secure in his necklace, and headed for the door. The halls were eerily quiet as he went, the lights dimmed just enough so that the shadows had enough light to flicker and dance like dark flames. The boots made his footsteps too loud. The sounds echoed around the empty halls, bouncing around him endlessly until he reached the door of the building. L stopped for a moment, the echoes taking longer than they should have to fade. Then there was silence, and he was staring at the door. He turned his head for a moment to look back into the darkened rooms of the building, questioning his plan wordlessly. He wasn't a fool. Even with the bullet, he knew there was a very strong possibility that he would die this night. And he had made his peace with that. He regretted, of course. He regretted many things. He regretted dragging his successors into this mess. He regretted not tracking Beyond down after he escaped capture during the Los Angeles BB Murder Case. He regretted not being smart enough to catch Beyond before he had a chance to hurt Light in the first place.

He regretted, and he lamented over those regrets. He wished he could snap his fingers and go back in time, even if it would cost him his own life. Then he could stop this from ever happening.

But that wasn't going to happen. And here L was, hand on the door, pushing it open and leaving the headquarters. It was dark out. The moon was small in the sky, washing the outside world in a very dim, silvery light. L walked in slow motion to the bushes near the entrance and pushed them aside, for they were fake and hiding something beneath. It took L only a moment to push the dirt away with his hands, revealing the handle of a door in the ground. A few twists and turns had the lock falling away, a single tug sent the rest of the dust and dirt flying up in clouds, spilling down into the bunker and up into the sky, billowing about in a gritty cloud. L flicked on the lights as he climbed down the small ladder leading to the bunker. Once inside, he headed to the desk and opened the first drawer.

There it was. There, on top of a stack of dusty papers, was a gun. A simple handgun, the apparatus dented, battered but still functional. Misa had come through for him. It wasn't much, but it would be enough to save Light. L picked up the handgun and ran his fingers over the muzzle. He removed the clip and found it fully loaded. A flick of his wrist emptied all the bullets into his other hand, and he tucked those bullets away in the pocket of his vest. He popped the compartment in his necklace open with one smooth movement, removing the bullet and slipping it into place. One, singular bullet. The bullet fit perfectly into the gun it was being loaded into—and L had a suspicion that the King's power would easily change the bullet's shape so that it would fit into any gun he pleased.

L snapped his amulet closed, mindful of the Death Note page still within, and secured the clip back in place, making sure the safety was still on. This was his only shot; he wasn't going to waste it. Then he climbed back out into the night air, drawing in a deep breath as he slammed the bunker door shut and scraped earth back over it. He set the bushes back in place carefully.

"Now, then," L said aloud, heading out to the roadside. "There is approximately an eighty-nine percent chance that having heard the conversation I had with Misa, Rem will have figured out what I am attempting to do, and will follow me." He looked around hesitantly. He couldn't see the shinigami, but she could easily be nearby or on her way. Perhaps she was waiting with Kira, waiting for L to arrive—or maybe she wasn't coming at all. "Rem?" he called out, half expecting her to materialize out of thin air. However, she did not appear, making L feel only slightly like a complete idiot who stood on the street and talked to himself. Luckily, it was so late that there weren't many people around.

L took off down the street, walking briskly towards the hotel Kira was residing in. It was only a few blocks away from the headquarters, and L would much rather walk and blend in with the few people still walking the streets at this hour.

As L's shoes struck the pavement, he thought he heard something. He frowned, pausing and cocking his head to one side curiously, lips parting slightly in order to catch the noise.

After a few moments the sound still hadn't repeated itself, and L frowned, slowly beginning to move again. Funny…

It had almost sounded like a bell.

Ooh, things are heating up! The next chapter is one of my favorites…seriously, I'm super stoked about it. I've been building up the story all this time, and now I actually get to do something with it! Hell yeah!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you're still with me then please leave me a review!