Death Note: A Mother's Love (Light/L)
Title: A Mother's Love
Pairing: Light/L
Word Count: 1,257
Rating: P13
Notes: Alternate Timeline
Summary: Raito learns that some things are simply inevitable and no amount of foresight or genius can prevent them from happening.
A Mother’s Love
When they told her that her son, the child she had carried in her womb for nine months, was the most renowned murderer of their time, Sachiko refused to believe them. She insisted that her son, the gentle, polite boy she’d raised, would never commit such crimes.
When Souichirou told her that her son, the child he had helped to conceive, was the most renowned murderer of their time, Sachiko refused to believe him as well. She had cried, and screamed, and punched him over and over until she could do nothing more than weakly resist his attempts to comfort her, and fall to her bed where she would sleep alone.
She remembered the tone in his voice, or rather the lack of tone to his voice, as he relayed to her that their son was to be executed for the murders of countless prisoners. It had been detached, and disappointed, and had held not a hint of the man she had married.
Sachiko had pleaded with him to do something, anything, to keep her son from facing, not only prison, but a death at the hands of some device other than nature’s course. The blank eyes of her husband had stared back at her apathetically and he had resisted every angle she could throw at him. He denied her the life of her only son.
She had to wonder when Souichirou had stopped being a father first, and a law enforcer second.
----
She vaguely remembered her first trip to prison to visit her child, her innocent baby boy with perfect grades and outstanding features. The majority of the memory had been suppressed, for Sachiko was appalled by what she had seen.
Her son, her beautiful Light, had been covered in bruises. His soft hair matted with blood and his lip swollen and bloody.
All that had separated them was a pane of bar-enforced glass as she had insisted that he tell her who had hurt him. He had smiled wryly at her and responded rather simply, “Kira is not very popular among criminals, Okaa-san.”
And she had begun to cry because his tone had been so empty and defeated.
When she had returned home, Sachiko screamed at Souichirou until her throat was raw. Then she threw a lamp at him, and demanded he leave the house and never return.
He complied without a word.
----
Two days before Light was to be executed and one month after his initial arrest, there was a polite knock upon her door, which Sachiko ignored - for the first three minutes.
However, when it had become apparent that her visitor was not going to leave, she reluctantly opened the door a crack, prepared to slam it shut again should the caller turn out to be a reporter.
What she did not expect to see, was what she saw. It was a disheveled man, who was quite young despite the slouch in his posture and bags under his eyes. He had smiled wearily at her and introduced himself as Ryuuzaki.
“May I come in?” he had asked in a quiet voice that was neither polite nor intrusive, but rather, neutral.
Sachiko had hesitantly allowed him entry to her home and watched as he slid off his worn runners to reveal bare feet with curled toes. The man, Ryuuzaki, had immediately moved to the leather armchair Souichirou had always occupied, and brought his knees to his chest. His wide, clouded eyes observed her almost critically as she moved to the sofa across from him and delicately sat down.
Neither said anything for quite some time and rather just sat there. Ryuuzaki watched her with an intense gaze and Sachiko shifted awkwardly every so often.
“Your son is essentially a good person,” Ryuuzaki finally remarked quite suddenly. He was chewing on the tip of his thumb and staring at her with a strange expression that she couldn’t quite name.
“Ah,” she had replied rather awkwardly - then, “You know Light?” Her voice was hesitant and almost wary, as if she had been waiting for him to tell her that though Light was essentially good, he had become a monster of child.
“Quite well, actually. I am L.” Ryuuzaki had cocked his head to the side, thumb still in his mouth as he awaited her reaction. Sachiko, quite surprised at that piece of information, narrowed her eyes almost immediately.
“You… are L,” she had repeated in a flat, protective tone. “You are the reason Light is going to be executed.” She glared at him, trying to keep her voice steady as she admitted her son’s fate aloud.
L nodded. “Yes.”
This had thrown Sachiko for a loop and she frowned thoughtfully at him. “Why are you here?” she asked invasively and placed her hands on her knees with a tight grip.
“I wanted to meet the woman who had raised my best friend.” L’s eyes smiled comfortingly at Sachiko even if his mouth remained straight.
Then he had stood suddenly and made his way to the door. He had paused in the entryway, looking thoughtfully at a picture of Light, and Sachiko had realized in that moment that what she had seen in L’s gaze had been more than friendship.
----
The day that Light was executed, Sachiko dressed in all black and drove both herself and a tearful Sayu to the specified location. Her lips were clenched in a tight line the entire drive as she tried to keep from crying.
When they had arrived, Sachiko had taken Sayu’s hand and led her daughter to the room, where there was a small gathering of people. She saw Souichirou in the group and felt her hand tighten around her daughter’s.
The sudden urge to walk over to him and slap him had been overwhelming, but at the exact moment she was about to break, Ryuuzaki had approached and smiled warmly at her. “Yagami-san,” he had greeted softly and taken her free hand in his own.
She had raised an eyebrow at his cordiality and nodded slightly in return, not speaking for fear she would break.
----
All that separated her from the beautiful baby boy that she had carried in her womb for nine months was a window of glass. She felt sick, watching her child’s murder as if it were some sort of event.
Light’s eyes were dull and revealed nothing as he stared out from the glass, briefly glancing at her and slipping on a small smile. Sachiko felt tears well in her eyes as she realized that she had failed him as a mother.
Her arm wound its way around Sayu and she pulled her daughter close, promising herself that she would never let anything happen to her, ever. Within her arms, Sayu began to shiver and whispered, “Kaa-san, can’t you stop them?”
Sachiko wished so desperately that she could but as the needle slowly drew nearer to her son’s arm she knew that she was too late.
She was eighteen years too late.
And when the needle finally pulsed its contents into Light’s delicate expanse of skin, Sachiko stared at his dimming eyes, only to realize he was not looking at her with that adoring smile as he died. But rather he was looking at Ryuuzaki, who’s face was pale and stricken.
Sachiko swallowed around the lump in her throat and dabbed at her eyes as she realized it was no longer a pane of glass separating her from her son.
But rather life.
----
~Fin~
Pairing: Light/L
Word Count: 1,257
Rating: P13
Notes: Alternate Timeline
Summary: Raito learns that some things are simply inevitable and no amount of foresight or genius can prevent them from happening.
A Mother’s Love
When they told her that her son, the child she had carried in her womb for nine months, was the most renowned murderer of their time, Sachiko refused to believe them. She insisted that her son, the gentle, polite boy she’d raised, would never commit such crimes.
When Souichirou told her that her son, the child he had helped to conceive, was the most renowned murderer of their time, Sachiko refused to believe him as well. She had cried, and screamed, and punched him over and over until she could do nothing more than weakly resist his attempts to comfort her, and fall to her bed where she would sleep alone.
She remembered the tone in his voice, or rather the lack of tone to his voice, as he relayed to her that their son was to be executed for the murders of countless prisoners. It had been detached, and disappointed, and had held not a hint of the man she had married.
Sachiko had pleaded with him to do something, anything, to keep her son from facing, not only prison, but a death at the hands of some device other than nature’s course. The blank eyes of her husband had stared back at her apathetically and he had resisted every angle she could throw at him. He denied her the life of her only son.
She had to wonder when Souichirou had stopped being a father first, and a law enforcer second.
----
She vaguely remembered her first trip to prison to visit her child, her innocent baby boy with perfect grades and outstanding features. The majority of the memory had been suppressed, for Sachiko was appalled by what she had seen.
Her son, her beautiful Light, had been covered in bruises. His soft hair matted with blood and his lip swollen and bloody.
All that had separated them was a pane of bar-enforced glass as she had insisted that he tell her who had hurt him. He had smiled wryly at her and responded rather simply, “Kira is not very popular among criminals, Okaa-san.”
And she had begun to cry because his tone had been so empty and defeated.
When she had returned home, Sachiko screamed at Souichirou until her throat was raw. Then she threw a lamp at him, and demanded he leave the house and never return.
He complied without a word.
----
Two days before Light was to be executed and one month after his initial arrest, there was a polite knock upon her door, which Sachiko ignored - for the first three minutes.
However, when it had become apparent that her visitor was not going to leave, she reluctantly opened the door a crack, prepared to slam it shut again should the caller turn out to be a reporter.
What she did not expect to see, was what she saw. It was a disheveled man, who was quite young despite the slouch in his posture and bags under his eyes. He had smiled wearily at her and introduced himself as Ryuuzaki.
“May I come in?” he had asked in a quiet voice that was neither polite nor intrusive, but rather, neutral.
Sachiko had hesitantly allowed him entry to her home and watched as he slid off his worn runners to reveal bare feet with curled toes. The man, Ryuuzaki, had immediately moved to the leather armchair Souichirou had always occupied, and brought his knees to his chest. His wide, clouded eyes observed her almost critically as she moved to the sofa across from him and delicately sat down.
Neither said anything for quite some time and rather just sat there. Ryuuzaki watched her with an intense gaze and Sachiko shifted awkwardly every so often.
“Your son is essentially a good person,” Ryuuzaki finally remarked quite suddenly. He was chewing on the tip of his thumb and staring at her with a strange expression that she couldn’t quite name.
“Ah,” she had replied rather awkwardly - then, “You know Light?” Her voice was hesitant and almost wary, as if she had been waiting for him to tell her that though Light was essentially good, he had become a monster of child.
“Quite well, actually. I am L.” Ryuuzaki had cocked his head to the side, thumb still in his mouth as he awaited her reaction. Sachiko, quite surprised at that piece of information, narrowed her eyes almost immediately.
“You… are L,” she had repeated in a flat, protective tone. “You are the reason Light is going to be executed.” She glared at him, trying to keep her voice steady as she admitted her son’s fate aloud.
L nodded. “Yes.”
This had thrown Sachiko for a loop and she frowned thoughtfully at him. “Why are you here?” she asked invasively and placed her hands on her knees with a tight grip.
“I wanted to meet the woman who had raised my best friend.” L’s eyes smiled comfortingly at Sachiko even if his mouth remained straight.
Then he had stood suddenly and made his way to the door. He had paused in the entryway, looking thoughtfully at a picture of Light, and Sachiko had realized in that moment that what she had seen in L’s gaze had been more than friendship.
----
The day that Light was executed, Sachiko dressed in all black and drove both herself and a tearful Sayu to the specified location. Her lips were clenched in a tight line the entire drive as she tried to keep from crying.
When they had arrived, Sachiko had taken Sayu’s hand and led her daughter to the room, where there was a small gathering of people. She saw Souichirou in the group and felt her hand tighten around her daughter’s.
The sudden urge to walk over to him and slap him had been overwhelming, but at the exact moment she was about to break, Ryuuzaki had approached and smiled warmly at her. “Yagami-san,” he had greeted softly and taken her free hand in his own.
She had raised an eyebrow at his cordiality and nodded slightly in return, not speaking for fear she would break.
----
All that separated her from the beautiful baby boy that she had carried in her womb for nine months was a window of glass. She felt sick, watching her child’s murder as if it were some sort of event.
Light’s eyes were dull and revealed nothing as he stared out from the glass, briefly glancing at her and slipping on a small smile. Sachiko felt tears well in her eyes as she realized that she had failed him as a mother.
Her arm wound its way around Sayu and she pulled her daughter close, promising herself that she would never let anything happen to her, ever. Within her arms, Sayu began to shiver and whispered, “Kaa-san, can’t you stop them?”
Sachiko wished so desperately that she could but as the needle slowly drew nearer to her son’s arm she knew that she was too late.
She was eighteen years too late.
And when the needle finally pulsed its contents into Light’s delicate expanse of skin, Sachiko stared at his dimming eyes, only to realize he was not looking at her with that adoring smile as he died. But rather he was looking at Ryuuzaki, who’s face was pale and stricken.
Sachiko swallowed around the lump in her throat and dabbed at her eyes as she realized it was no longer a pane of glass separating her from her son.
But rather life.
----
~Fin~