Summary: In order to catch Kira, L has written his own name in the Death Note, giving himself 23 days left to live. When his fellow Kira investigator, Annie A. Cohen, confronts him about it, she accidentally confesses her love for him after years of harboring secret feelings for the panda-eyed detective. What do the next 23 days have in store?

Important Notes:

1. Annie A. Cohen is a prodigy of the Wammy House. The third child to be brought in by Watari after BB. Her codename is Orphan Annie (the cosmic joke of the century).

2. The story follows the live action version where L writes his own name in the Death Note, not Light.

23 Days of L

Day 1:

I place the Death Note down on the table beside him, leaving it open to the last written page. "L Lawliet will die peacefully of a heart attack in 23 days." That's what it says. And when I found it this morning, it shattered my entire world. It was written in L's own hand. He made this move not Kira, and it was irreversible. I shouldn't be surprised. Nothing L does should ever surprise me anymore. But I am devastated, I am angry, hurt, confused, lost… and I demand an explanation.

L looks down at the Death Note with those wide, dark-ringed eyes. Though his expression betrays no emotion I can tell he hadn't expected me to find it. I feel a certain amount of bitter satisfaction in this. I lean over the book, my fingers digging into the gray desk as I glare down at him. Now it was my turn to stare into his soul, to invade his personal space and make him squirm in his seat.

"I know there's a reason for this..." I tell him. My voice wavers between two octaves, my emotion barely contained, and I take a moment to gather myself. His toes grip tighter on the seat cushion as I swallow down my tears. "I know you have some brilliant explanation... But I just can't see it," I say, feeling the utter hopelessness of my words. Behind them lies a deep sadness that cuts through my anger and lays my heart open to him. I don't know if he realizes it or not, but I feel utterly, painfully, exposed. "You're not going to tell me are you? Why should L Lawliet, The World's Greatest Detective, explain himself to me? The answer is probably painfully simplistic but did you ever once think of me when you chose to do this? Did you think of Watari or anybody else! Did you think about what it would do to us!" I'm yelling now, my tears flow freely, staining the Death Note as I let into him. "No, of course not. For you, it's always about the game... and winning at any cost. Tell me, is this your final sacrifice? Or should I buckle my seatbelt and wait for the world to come crashing down in the next 23 days?"

L looks up at the ceiling like he's trying to see his thoughts play out above his head. I can see the analytical gears turn in his genius mind. "If sacrificing my life in order to catch Kira resulted in the destruction of the world, it wouldn't be a logical move." He explains, as if that would comfort me.

"That's not what I meant! Look at me goddamn it!" I cry, banging my fist on the table. L's eyes turn to mine, quietly waiting for me to explain myself. His shoulders round into a slightly more protective position, like he was shielding himself from me. "This isn't about winning or losing or even making the right decision. Do you not see that there are people in your life who need you?" … love you? My inability to say the words are more frustrating than trying to break through to him.

"I've made all the necessary arrangements, Annie-san," he tells me. "The world will be left in good hands. Once I'm gone, Watari will know what to do."

I nod sarcastically and pretend like everything is now crystal clear. "Alright, okay, that's good. And what about me?"

"I don't understand," he says.

"Were you just going to die quietly and not say a word to me about it? After all these years of knowing one another, you didn't have a single thought for me in your grand scheme to take your own life. Lovely."

"That's not true," he says, swiveling his chair to face me directly. "I've thought about you a lot, actually. You've been one of my only true friends, Annie-san. Besides Watari, you probably know me the best out of anyone. Therefore, I want you to care for Near and Mello. One of them will be my successor. With your instruction it should be easier to determine who it should be. You play an essential part in my plans." He gives me this silly, lopsided grin then and I lose it once more.

"God, you stupid, blind bastard!" I yell.

Without thought, I grab hold of the back of his head with both hands and smash my lips to his. My fingers grip determinedly into his wild hair, holding him in place as I have my little tantrum. L is completely ridged, his lips cold and deathly still against my own. I think it's the first time he's ever sat up straight in his life. An angry cry escapes me as I finally tear myself away.

"Annie…" he says, looking up at me with those dark, panda eyes. Finally, he understands.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you, I don't want to have to find you a successor, and I don't want to wake up a month from now and remember that you're no longer here!" I tell him. I feel as brittle as sugar glass, about to cave at any moment.

Unable to gather myself, I hug my arms around my middle and head for the stairs. I hear him say my name once more but I can't bring myself to stop.

I walk around the city for the rest of the day with no purpose other than to keep going. I walk and walk and walk and never once look at who keeps calling my cell phone. Eventually it stops buzzing around 12:00pm and I go home. When I open the door to my flat, I see Watari standing in the sitting room with a pained expression on his face. He knows. His eyes are filled with sympathy for me. Dropping my bag in the entryway, I run to him and he holds me like he used to when I was a child.

"I'm so sorry, Annie," he says, having known my feelings for L all along.

I just cry into his trench coat, feeling like a lost orphan once more.

AN: I would love a review everyone! I probably won't update without one (just being honest lol).