A glass of champagne raised as a timid brunette chuckled and adjusted his tie before reaching to a nearing table and grabbing a spoon with his fingertips. Clearing his throat, Matsuda gently tapped the spoon on the flute filled with alcohol. "A toast, to the couple we all saw coming, but weren't sure they'd ever get the balls to tie the knot."

A room full of people all politely chuckled as Matsuda tipped his glass slightly in L and Light's direction. Laughing quietly, Light lifted his glass and nodded to Matsuda. "About time, you know, for geniuses, you guys are kind of dumb." The room erupted in laughter as side conversations picked up.

The doorbell rang through the house. Sayu chirped happily as she trotted to the door. "I got it!"

L shifted a glance towards Light while narrowing his eyes in slight suspicion. "Did you invite anyone else?" The brunette shook his head but quickly had his attention grabbed by another party goer.

Sayu opened the door with a cheerful smile and was met with a folded note and a small package. Her eyes landed on a hauntingly familiar figure, but she couldn't place him. The young man met eyes with hers before pulling a baseball cap over his face. "Can you make sure L gets this?"

She tilted her head to take in the rare sight of the scarlet eyes behind messy onyx tresses, hidden under a hat. "Um, sure… Who?"

The young man turned on his heel, bringing his shoulders up towards the base of his skull. "Just tell him it's from an old friend."

Sayu nodded slowly and turned to give L the piece of paper accompanied with a small package; only to be met with the sight of Light leaning in the doorway. "Who the hell was that?"

Sayu shrugged and walked over to L, handing him the ominous duo. L slowly opened the piece of paper as his face paled as his glance shot up in the direction Light wandered. "Light! No! Let him go!"

The brunette lightly jogged trying to catch the hooded stranger. "Hey! Wait up!" He huffed as his face flushed from the alcohol. "Hey if you know L, you should just come in."

The figure stopped and stared up at the night sky that was beginning to cloud over. "No. I don't think that would be a good idea. L doesn't want to see me, I only gave him what belonged to him a long time ago."

L ran after Light and froze at the sight of the other person. Dressed in a simple navy blue hoodie, dark jeans and a baseball cap. "Light. Come on. Leave him be. Let's go back."

Light glanced his eyes back to L whose face seemed to be teetering on panic. "Why? Who the fuck is that?" Light's eyes fell on a golden crucifix that wasn't around L's neck before the stranger arrived. Narrowing his amber eyes in anger, Light set a heavy hand on the shoulder of the stranger and gave a strong tug to turn him. "Who the fuck are you?"

Crimson eyes fluttered in confusion, as the hat flipped off of his head and landed on the ground, the stranger wildly flicked his eyes around before landing on L and quickly departing and landing back on Light. "You don't know who I am?" The scarlet gaze landed back on L that seemed to be pained at the interactions. "You didn't tell him?" His voice fell flat and carried a saddened tone as L hung his head at the question.

The brunette nearly growled in frustration. "Tell me what!? What are you to him? An ex!?"

L sighed out while reaching for his fiancé. "Light, come on, it's not worth it. Leave Beyond alone. He just returned something of mine. It isn't important who he is."

Beyond lowered his head before bending over to pick his hat up. "He's right. It's not important. I was never important to him. So, if thinking I'm an ex makes it easier for that thick skull of yours to wrap around, sure, whatever." The raven slid his hat back on and turned as he shoved his hands in his pockets, slinking off into the darkened night.

Watching Beyond walk away unscathed seemed to drive Light's temper further. "You know when we get home you're going to explain that." The brunette angrily pushed past L and back towards the house.

From inside the house, the note was left abandoned on the couch, partially opened. Sayu curiously unfolded the note that the man handed her. Script like handwriting became visible. "Reading of the Will, Macy Lawliet, May 28th." Sayu glanced up at the calendar. "That was today."

L timidly followed Light back towards Sayu's house. "Light. It is most definitely not what you think."

The angry brunette shot a menacing glare towards L. "No? It isn't? So who was he? You know what? No. It doesn't matter. What matters is he was important enough to cause you to nearly panic and him to be disappointed that I had no clue who he was. So, it doesn't matter who he was. But, as long as you keep keeping things from me, I'm not sure I can fully commit to this. I love you, but I'm not willing to keep guessing. You either let me in fully or leave me out of it. I think I'm just going to sleep on the couch tonight. I don't feel like staying anywhere other than home."

L bit his bottom lip and hung his head. "You're in no condition to drive."

"I'm certainly in no condition to stay here, the freak literally knows everything about us, up to and including my family and where they live. So, I will be going home. With or without you."

The raven flashed a panicked stare towards Sayu who lingered in the doorway with a saddened expression. "He hasn't had that much and it was pretty weak alcohol. I think he'll be okay. You're welcome to stay if you want L. Nate and I really don't mind, I'm sure he'd be thrilled if you wanted to stay."

Dropping his head in defeat before flicking his eyes towards Light who angrily waited by the car for his decision. "I appreciate the offer, Sayu, but I should go home too. It seems I have some explaining to do."

She nodded sorrowfully as she timidly approached the raven. "Okay guys. Don't worry about everyone else. I'll smooth everything over and make sure everyone gets home safely." Light nodded and pulled the driver door open aggressively before slamming the door and starting the car. Sayu hugged L tightly. "Don't let him talk over you… oh…" She handed L the folded note. "That might help your case, and, sorry for your loss."

L stared at the note and sighed softly and returned the hug loosely while gripping the paper tightly. "Wasn't much of a loss." He patted her back and quietly opened the car door, slipping into the vehicle as silently as he could.

-x-

Light remained silent for the duration of the drive until they reached the outskirts of London. The light flashed red forcing him to come to a stop. L opened his mouth to speak but could only muster a meek, "I'm sorry."

Light shifted an annoyed stare towards the raven. "Nothing to add to that?"

"You're right. I shouldn't keep you in the dark like that. When we get home, I'll be able to explain everything a lot better, with supporting evidence." A small smile crept along L's lips as Light gently held his hand.

"I just don't like the feeling of being left out. I need to know everything. I understand if it's hard to talk about, but I think I should know at least the basics." The light turned green as the vehicle coasted to an acceleration.

L nodded and squeezed Light's hand gently. "The bells are loud today."

Light wrinkled his forehead in confusion as his gaze drifted towards L. "The bells?" His stare landed on headlights speeding into the side of the vehicle, impacting before any reactions could have been made.

A vicious sound of scrapping and crashing metal followed by a solitary prolonged car horn resounded through the quiet dimly lit streets.


5 Months Later


A heavy set, blonde nurse hurried through the doorway to check the ICU room over for the medical students that would soon be touring the ward. As she stepped through the door, she sighed sadly at a sleeping figure slouched in a chair opposite of a bed, ebony hair disheveled with deep sleep bruising under the eyes. "Sir, you'll need to leave, visiting hours ended two hours ago."

The figure startled slightly and pulled his hat back down over his face. "Right. Sorry." The man hurried out of the room after giving the comatose patient one last sad look. "Please let me know if anything changes." He muttered as he brushed past the nurse.

She sighed heavily as she made her rounds of the room. Checking the vitals of the occupant, refreshing the water in the numerous vases of flowers, and straightening the sheets. Humming a light tune as she worked, she lifted the clipboard at the end of the bed to sign the check sheet but sadly tipped the clipboard to look at the young man. "You poor thing."

"Patient Name: Raito Yagami

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A positive

Diagnosis: Hemorrhagic Brain Injury

Prognosis: TBD: Comatose State"

She signed the room check sheet with her initials as a group of medical students shuffled into the room with the attending doctor. "This patient is starkly different from the other patients and is kept separate. He is in what some medical professionals call a modified coma. His body responds to stimuli and all of his testing usually comes back "clean". Other professionals call it an idiopathic coma. The trauma has healed, but the mind still refuses to come back. This is a medical phenomenon that is fairly rare in frequency."

The nurse busied herself with some menial room tasks while keeping a close eye on the students, to ensure no one touches the machines or bothers the patient. One of the students watched Light closely as the others filed out behind the doctor. The young student gasped slightly before stuttering out. "D-doctor!? Are his eyes supposed to open randomly?"

The doctor whipped around to see the brunette had opened his eyes and were focused outside, seemingly dazed. "Holy shit! He's awake!" The doctor pressed a button on the wall and the students were ushered out of the room as it filled with nursing staff. "Contact the family."

"Should I also phone the benefactor?"

"Later! The family is more important!" He shouted at her as he flashed a pen light into the amber eyes. "Sir, can you hear me?"

The attending nurse nodded as she jogged out of the room to the main nursing station. She lifted the phone and dialed the number listed in the file.

-x-

Snow lazily drifted over a couple that held each other with a single arm connecting them in a hug fashion. Sayu rested a single white lily on a grave plot as her cellphone rang.

"Hello?" Nate shifted his eyes towards the young brunette woman as tears ran down her face as the voice spoke to her. "He is!? Yes! We're on the way, right now!" Her golden eyes shifted to the young man with silver hair with elation. "He's awake! Light is awake!"

Gray eyes fluttered rapidly in surprise before he grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. "What are we waiting for?" They both ran towards their car, leaving the solitary plot behind. The breeze lifted some snow from the nameplate. "In loving memory of L Lawliet, beloved friend and son. October 31st 1995 - May 29th 2023."

As the car peeled away into the silent winter night, a single dark crimson rose was laid next to the white lily. A solitary figure released a shuddered saddened breath. "I'm glad you finally got what you wanted… I'm just sorry how it ended, isn't that just how life works? Finally had a family that loved and cherished you, only to have it ripped away in the most violent way." The man removed his hat as a cold wind ripped through the graveyard, sending his onyx tresses in every direction. Sorrow filled scarlet eyes lifted from the ground. "But, you aren't here, are you?" Beyond crouched to the grave stone. "What now, L? What do I do now… it was so much easier to handle your absence when you were out there, somewhere living your life… but, what hope is there now? Why does everyone else deserve closure?"


Sayu slammed into the hospital doors and impatiently bounced as the automatic doors slid open in what felt like slow motion. As they parted enough to get through, the brunette darted for the elevator. A silver haired man not far behind her. "Have we thought about how we're going to pay for all of this? L's funeral service set us back pretty far."

"Nate! Not important right now!" She impatiently waited for the elevator before groaning loudly and darting to the staircase, speeding up them, skipping steps as she ran.

Dashing down the hallway as tears streamed from her eyes she shouted Light's name. Light snapped his gaze from the doctor and into the direction of his name. Tears welled in his eyes as Sayu stopped in front of his door, bent over panting heavily to catch her breath.

Near stepped off the elevator and bitterly smiled at his happily wailing wife. He glanced over towards the nurses station while putting his hands in his pockets as he approached. The nurse at the station glanced up with a smile as he cleared his throat. "Yes. We are here for room 451. Uh, are you able to discuss billing?"

The nurse quickly typed on the computer. "Oh. Once room 451 is fully recovered he's all set."

Staring at the young woman in disbelief he felt a tightness in his throat. "There is no charge? How is that possible?"

Glancing back up to the minorly distraught man in mild annoyance she clicked the mouse a couple of times. "It's already been paid for, but the benefactor opted to remain anonymous to all sources except the billing department." Near glanced back towards the room containing his wife and her brother with bewilderment.

Light hugged his sister as tightly as he could muster the strength to do. "I'm so happy to see you… Where is L?"

Sayu stiffened at the question. "Oh… Light… I… I don't know how to tell you this…"

A hush came over the room as Sayu delivered the bad news. Light let out a shallow huff of laughter. "That… That can't be true… He was just here, not even a couple hours ago. The nurse told him to leave… It had to be him… It sounded just like him." The nurse wrinkled her brow trying to recall the man she had told to leave before removing herself from the room.

Sayu shook her head as the sting of tears threatened her eyes. "No, Light… That's impossible… He died five months ago… He died on the way to the hospital…" Light shot panicked glances around the room.

The doctor cleared his throat and motioned his head for Sayu to follow him to the hall. Sayu squeezed Light's hand softly and kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back, okay?"

The man stood stiffly as he lifted a clipboard containing Light's chart. "Physically he's weak. We suggest physical therapy to regain some strength, high protein diet and I'll prescribe an antidepressant, to err on the safe side. On your transit here, we tested his responsiveness. Overall, he's of sound mind and remembers details of his life, however, given the news he's just received, I'll assume he'll likely need to participate in therapy. However, within the week he should be able to be discharged, assuming all continues to improve."

Placing herself at a computer within the nurses station the nurse searched the archives of files for "L". Her eyes widened when the file loaded.

"Name: L Lawliet

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O Positive

Diagnosis: DOA, Resuscitation attempted for 45 minutes.

Surviving Next of Kin: Beyond Birthday"

The nurse furrowed her eyebrows trying to recall the incident of their arrival. "I remember him…"

Another nurse leaned over from the terminal next to her. "Huh? Remember who?"

"Oh. The next of kin to a previous patient who passed. Jeez, what a sad state of circumstances. He was an odd guy. Didn't say a lot, but a mother knows, he was feeling a lot. The look on his face, the poor guy was devastated; those eyes, so hurt. I remember him because of his name, it was so strange, it's obviously an alias. But, he provided photo identification." Her eyes narrowed as she shifted a glance towards the room as she picked the phone up and dialed the benefactor number.

The phone rang twice before the line answered and a monotone voice came over the line. "Yes?"

"Uh. Room 451 has awakened. I was told to inform the benefactor."

A thick silence consumed the line before a shallow breath was heard. "Thank you. Please ensure everything is taken care of. If there are any further expenses accrued please send the bill to the address on the file."

The nurse felt the close of the conversation coming before she hurriedly spoke again. "Wait! Don't you want to see him?"

Another long silence breached the air before the voice continued. "No. I'm glad he's okay. Thank you for yours and your team's hard work."

The line went dead and the nurse stared at the phone oddly. The nurse's eyes drifted towards Light's case file on the computer screen. "Uninsured, total balance 72,874, payment type: cash. Total payments accrued total: 63,500." She let out a sigh recounting the young man she'd shooed out of the room. Frighteningly thin, somewhat tattered clothing and worn down shoes. "He didn't even have a coat. Who are you?"

-2 Weeks Later-

Sayu quietly drove Light to the home he and L once shared. "Light… it isn't a problem, I really think you should stay with Nate and I, especially with Christmas right around the corner." Her golden eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror to look at the brunette in the backseat.

Nate turned in the front seat to look at him. "You really wouldn't be a burden. Please, it's fine. You're family, you are no trouble."

Light watched out the window hollowly before sighing quietly and speaking. "There are things I need to take care of. I have to make sure the pipes don't freeze, make sure the pilot light doesn't go out, winterize the house, and probably pay the bills." The countryside home came into view as they turned down a long driveway. A lonely dark house with a field to one side and a forest on the other. Light quietly wiped tears away from his eyes.

"Do you want us to stay with you for the night?" Sayu's voice trembled slightly, already knowing the answer.

"No. I think I need some time alone. Thank you, Sayu." The car rolled to a smooth stop. Nate and Light exited the car, Light walked towards the trunk of the car to remove his bags.

Nate stared at fresh tire tracks in the snow on the driveway. "Light. Please let us at least spend the night."

The brunette sighed exasperatedly as he shut the trunk before speaking in an annoyed tone. "Nate. I will be fine."

The silver haired man sighed in annoyance to Light's defiance. "Fine. But let me at least help you inside." Light rolled his eyes as he stepped up the stairs leading to the wrap around porch. As the key slid into the lock, Light took a shuddered breath before turning the mechanism and pushing the door.

The door creaked open and slowly fell open. Near leaned in and clicked the main room's light on and shifted a suspicious stare around the living room and up the stairs that was a near straight shot from the front door. "Okay. Well, I guess if you need anything, don't hesitate to call us, no matter what it is." Nate set one of the bags down on the couch as Light slowly walked into the room, tears welling. Near stepped into the kitchen that sat behind the living room, turned the kitchen light on and shifted another uneasy stare around the room.

The brunette's voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah. I will."

Near awkwardly bobbed his head as he approached the distraught brunette and tucked Light into an equally awkward hug. "Love you, bud. Keep in touch, I doubt Sayu will let you off the hook this easily. Call us everyday, okay?"

Light nodded as he untangled himself out of the awkward embrace. "I will." Near awkwardly clapped his hands together before nodding to him and walking out of the door, shutting it behind himself. Sighing sorrowfully, Light dropped himself onto the couch and lifted his eyes. Pale cream walls, pictures of himself and L still clinging to the walls, black slate fireplace. His eyes narrowed slightly at the fresh firewood sitting on the hearth. As he drifted his eyes along the room further, he'd realized the window sealing for the winter had already been done as well.

Closing his eyes Light huffed in defeat. "They didn't even think I could get my own house in order." Light flopped over on his side nearly lifelessly as more tears threatened to spill. He clutched a throw pillow from the couch and hugged it tightly. "I miss you so much, L. Please let this just be a bad dream."