Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own I/Ai/Isis.

After the event in the workout room, Ai had not left her dorm room for two days. Despite the anguish she had caused him, L still felt worried about her. As the hours went by working on the Kira case with Light and the other investigation members, the detective found that he couldn't fully focus on capturing the world's most dangerous criminal. His mind kept drifting to the woman he knew was upstairs, probably being persuaded by Watari to open her door and let him come in with something warm to eat, to offer kindly, comforting words, or perhaps even a fatherly embrace…

"Light-kun, Yagami-san, everyone, please listen." The Kira case members looked up from what they were doing to listen to L. The detective shut down his computer, surprising everyone. Whirling around in his swivel chair, the raven-haired man said calmly,

"I realize that this case is taking its toll on all of you, so I've decided to give everyone two days off, to recuperate. Catch up on sleep and whatever you've left undone these past few months." He then prompted Light to shut his computer down before dragging him by the handcuff to the dorm elevator, much to the disbelief of everyone. Sure, it had crossed their minds that they needed more rest than they were getting. But this was the Kira case! It had to be solved as soon as possible, or else more and more people would die. However, they had also chosen to follow the number one detective in the world, and his order they could not disobey. Carefully setting down what they had in their hands, they shut off every electronic device, filed away paperwork for later reference, and at last left the investigation room. Puzzled as they were, they were also glad this opportunity had presented itself.

L left his Kira suspect in Misa's annoyingly loving hands, trusting Watari to look after them on the monitors in his room. Slowly, he made his way down the hall to Ai's room, making sure to make no noise as he slipped his skeleton-cardkey through the identification reader. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with darkness and the soft sound of rain hitting the window.

"Isis?" he whispered. "Where are you?" He heard a small sniffle, and the rustling of bed sheets as Ai rolled over in her sleep, clutching at the smooth fabric as though she were in pain. L closed the door swiftly behind him and crossed the distance between them in only a few strides, leaning over the distraught woman.

"Isis…?" the detective's breath caught in his throat as he saw what looked like scratch marks on her palms and neck. There were weary red rings around her eyes, and twin trails of tears streaking down the sides of her face, which made the raven-haired man worry. What had she been doing to herself?

"No… L, please…" L froze upon hearing his name whispered in such a… needing voice.

"L… I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Ai began to sob, her nails scraping the sheets. The detective stared down at her still form, wondering what she could be sorry for.

"Isis, tell me what's wrong," he said softly, taking her hand in his as he sat beside her on the bed. The young woman moaned a little in her sleep, her speech coherent, but broken.

"… Didn't mean… make… you… feel bad… L, I… I love…" Unexpectedly, Ai breathed in deeply, a sign that she was waking up. Her bright eyes opened just as a lightning bolt flashed through the night sky, illuminating L's surprised face only inches from hers. The woman's eyes were red and puffy as she blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from them.

"L…" The detective nodded slowly, leaning away so she could sit up. "What are you doing here?" He looked at her, considering, before lifting a slender, pale hand and placing it gently against her cheek.

"Why were you crying, Isis?" The woman started, before hastily wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her blue, button-up nightshirt.

"I wasn't crying," she said, defiantly. L felt sad and elated at the same time, that he was the only one who'd ever seen her cry, but also that she didn't seem to trust him enough to tell him what was wrong. He caught her hand as she wiped away her tears and held it to his lips. Ai shivered as she looked at the detective, wishing she wasn't such a weakling when it came to him. L softly kissed her hand, saying,

"Isis… I remember what you said two days ago…" the woman flinched at his words, but didn't pull away. The detective looked up at her, his wide eyes pleading. His voice dropped to a whisper. "…But I forgive you, Isis, because I-"

"Don't say it. Please don't say it." Ai's voice choked and she jerked her hand away, biting her lip as she curled into a ball on the bed, facing away from the detective.

"… Do you really hate me that much…?" The brunette didn't respond. She felt her heart breaking as she spoke.

"You can't love me. I don't deserve it…" She felt L's weight shift as he lay on the bed behind her, slipping his arms around her slender form.

"But I do love you, Isis," he whispered, burying his face into the back of her neck. They lay like that for a while, and eventually, Ai's sobbing quieted, and her breathing regulated until she no longer gasped.

"L…" The detective watched her as she rolled over to face him. Even when she had been crying, she was still beautiful.

"What?" Ai felt her face go hot as she spoke.

"Would you stay with me tonight?" L smiled and nodded, pulling the woman closer to him as he drew up the comforter. Ai snuggled closer into his embrace, relaxing as she felt L's arms around her. After a while, she looked up into his wide, dark eyes, only to see them closed in a light doze. Blushing, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, lingering only long enough to remember the feel of his soft, smooth lips on hers.

"I love you too," she whispered, before finally falling asleep. L waited a full five minutes before opening his eyes. Ai had a small, contented smile on her face, one which the detective thought would never be replaced or replicated. He looked at the clock on the bedside table, which read 11:58.

"I'd better call Watari…"

A/N: Yes, I know it is horrible. No need to tell me that. My muse has gone off somewhere, and I am stuck trying to figure things out without it. Hope it doesn't seem too mushy, and I'll try to get better chapters going.