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All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven	By : cor-te-reducit Category: Death Note > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1362 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own no aspect or part of the Death Note community (characters, storylines, etc) I make no money off of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Title: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

Author: kathleenrose747

Pairing: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own the song 'Perfect' by Alanis Morissette or 'Un Giorno Per Noi' by Josh Groban. I attribute the translation of the Josh Groban song to Sandy on the AllTheLyrics.com boards.

Authors Note: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :) ALSO: Michiko and L are written in their alternate personas. When people go undercover, it is generally a complete transformation and I’m trying to show that.

Ch. 11- Danger on the Dance Floor

Michi and L calmly strolled up to the front, personas firmly in place. When they got to the door, they looked at each other and nodded at the subtle transformation. They were no longer L and Michiko. Karina and Denueve crossed the threshold and walked up to the coat closet to drop off their jackets. They were told that the party was in two adjoining studios that were on the third floor. Karina groaned in displeasure, since she knew she would have to climb three flights of stairs in two inch stillettos. Denueve shook his head at his bride to be as they slowly made their way up to the third floor.

Karina was amused at the party’s layout. The lovebirds walked down the hall towards the cluster of voices and music. The two studios were across the hall from one another. The studio on the left held a small table of food and various pieces of artwork. The floor to celeing windows at the far end of the studio showcased the beautiful front of the building and the rows of trees that were slowly changing colors. Here, people milled around and chatted while looking at obscure pieces of work. Karina couldn’t really be bothered to show much interest in art. Her father had taught her at a young age that hard work was worth more than any painting that could be slapped together in couple minutes. She turned around to look into the other room.

The other studio was cleared out with exception to a small D.J. booth. Clearly, this was the area where people would be expected to dance soon. What really caught Karina’s breath was that this set of windows was framing the rising moon. It had been said that tonight would be a full moon, so dancing in front of it would certainly be beautiful. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked over at Denueve. He tilted his head towards the room with the food and Karina stayed close to his side as they walked in.

They stayed away from the alcoholic beverages and went for very mild sodas, ginger ale for Karina and C.C. Lemon for Denueve. But it was when the two of them turned around to look at the art near the doorway that they felt their hearts stop in unison. On a large piece of canvas, some unknown artist had decided to splatter read paint all over a white front. The red paint helped to accentuate a very large, black letter L in the style of Old English computer font that resided in the center of the canvas.

L’s symbol.

Karina took a long gulp of her ginger ale before setting it aside on the table. She looked over at Denueve, who looked as passive as ever. Almost too passive. It looked to Karina as if he was trying to make a point of pushing his reactions back. She sighed and moved towards the painting, feigning interest in the ‘modern art’. As she stood in front of it, she could not help but feel a chill go down her spine. And for good reason...

“Ah! Ms. Volkin! I was wondering when you would arrive.” Karina turned to look to her left. The old man from a few days ago was grinning at her. Beside him was a young man, most likely his son. The son had on round wire rim glasses, slicked back brown hair, and a generic black suit. It was his height that struck Karina on first glance. While his father was just below eye level of Karina’s current height of five feet seven inches, the son towered over Karina. She had to guess he was about six feet tall and change, if she had to guess. ‘Adopted? Maybe a recessive gene?’ Karina shook herself from her reverie and leaned forward to kiss the older gentleman on both cheeks.

“How are you, sir? I really don’t think Denueve ever gave me your name.” Karina turned up the simple Russian girl persona to full volume.

“Oh that’s right!” The man laughed. “Abram Obarin, my child. And this is my oldest son, Ruslan.” The son smiled and nodded towards Karina. Abram then leaned close enough to Karina that she could smell the combination of tobacco smoke and heavy cologne. “You know, my son is looking for a pretty Russian girl such as yourself to start a family with. Would you humor him with a date or two? Show him the sights?” Here, Abram made a show of looking Karina up and down, pausing his visual apprasel at the level of her breasts.

“I’m afraid she is already spoken for, Mr. Obarin.” Denueve spoke from behind Karina and wrapped his right arm around her waist. He then made a point of grabbing her left hand and bringing it up so that Abram could see the emerald ring on Karina’s finger.

“Oh my goodness! Pozdravleniye to you both!” Abram grabbed Denueve and kissed him on both cheeks and then did the same to Karina. “When did this happy incident occur?”

“Shortly after our last meeting. I realized that I couldn’t let her get away from me. Thankfully, she only fought my advances for a short while.” He then winked at Abram and the two men shared a laugh. Denueve then turned to the picture that Karina had been looking at. “What is the story behind this piece?”

“So far as I know, a former FBI agent turned to painting some of his important cases. I think this one is about someone he once worked with.” Abram looked at the small card. “The man’s name is Bill Waterson. He calls this piece ‘Bloody Anonymity.’ I guess the letter is associated with someone he may have worked with.” Denueve nodded solumnly. Abram then changed the subject. “So, Karina. Even though you are already spoken for, would you do the honor of being the first woman of the night to dance with my son?” The double entendre was not lost on Karina. Nevertheless, she took it in stride.

“I would be honored, Mr. Obarin.” Karina then linked her arm through Ruslan’s and allowed him to lead her towards the dance floor in the room across the hall. Their movement seemed to be a cue to the rest of the party guests as they all followed the couple into the dance hall. The party guests formed a large circle around the two dance partners as they set up for their impromtu dance. Ruslan leaned close to Karina’s ear and she felt a twinge of fear.

“Are you okay with a waltz? I am afraid that is as far as my repitoir reaches.” His smile did not reach his eyes as he held out his hand to her. She let out a breath and nodded as she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms. She quickly noticed that she felt a sharp twinge of guilt as he wrapped his arm around her waist. It almost felt like she was... cheating on someone?

‘What the hell did I tell you about personal feelings! Drop it, Michiko!’ But the guilt hit her double time when she glanced over at Denueve. His eyes were glazed over as he looked at her. She almost detected a hint of hostility towards Ruslan, but it could not be founded.

Right away, Karina noticed the sounds of the waltz playing over the loudspeaker. ‘Oh great. The Emperor Waltz. This is going to be a long seven minutes.’ Karina had lied when she had told Denueve that she had never danced ballet before. This was one song she knew all too well; as a waltz and as a ballet movement. After she had broken her ankle at the age of thirteen, she took over hip hop and jazz full time. But now was not the time for her to focus on a past that should not exist in this context.

The two strangers twirled around the floor, the woman clearly compensating for her other half’s clumsiness. But she made them both shine. It was clear to the guests that she was a gem and secretly wondered among themselves as to the relationship status between the guest of honor and the mystery woman. It was rumored that Ruslan was coming into a lot of money, so this woman would be well taken care of, if she was ‘the one’. However, when the song ended, she gracefully curtsied to her partner, accepted a kiss on the hand, and walked over to a tall, dark haired man by the door.

Karina walked into Denueve’s arms and leaned in for a hug. The facades dropped for a moment as L whispered in her ear.

“Any information?”

“We never spoke, outside of him asking if I was okay with a waltz. I think he is awkward around women.” Michiko turned around in L’s arms so that her back leaned against his chest as he rested his head on her right shoulder so that they could communicate better.

“So you never danced ballet, huh?” Michiko could swear she heard a smirk in L’s words.

“Only for a few years. Twisted ankles changed my course.” Michi perked up when she heard a particular song come on. “You know, I have been meaning to ask about your translation skills. Would you mind translating this one for me?” When silence was the only response, she decided to clarify what she meant. “I just want to know if you are a word for word translator or if you allow for ‘artistic license’. This way, I will know how I can best help you with my translation work.” Michiko turned her head to look at L. When he saw that she was being sincere, he closed his eyes in order to drown out the guests voices and only focus on the song in question. Michi faced forward and leaned back so that she could feel L’s voice reverberate through his chest as he spoke.

A time for us, someday there'll be

When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free

A time when dreams so long denied can flourish

As we unveil the love we now must hide

A time for us, at last to see

A life worthwhile for you and me

And with our love, through tears and thorns

We will endure as we pass surely through every storm

A time for us, someday there'll be a new world

A world of shining hope for you and me

For you and me

And with our love, through tears and thorns

We will endure as we pass surely through every storm

A time for us, someday there'll be a new world

A world of shining hope for you and me

A world of shining hope for you and me

‘Sometimes I hate how the universe works.’ Michiko cursed to herself. L had decided to go for a creative license translation, which was far more accurate. ‘Un Giorno Per Noi’ was a hard song to translate, word for word. Yet, L had had no problem with it and had spun the words into pure poetry.

Michi felt L tense up and realized that they needed to put their game faces back on. Karina and Denueve then joked for a bit about the various styles that the guests wore, danced a few dances (thankfully, no tangos), and mingled among the various guests. When the buildings intercom chimed the twelve hours of midnight, the guests began milling out to the first floor to collect their jackets. As they got ready to leave, Denueve was pulled aside by Abram. Karina pulled on her jacket and pulled a compact mirror out of an inside pocket. As she checked her lipstick, she tilted the mirror to look over her shoulder at the two men. She saw Abram hand Denueve a white envelope and then kissed him on both cheeks before patting him on the shoulder. Denueve then pocketed the envelope in his jacket before turning around. Karina snapped the mirror shut and put it away just as she felt Denueve’s right hand slip into her left. As they walked out towards the sidewalk in front of the museum, they kept an eye on the various security details that wandered through the crowd.

Finally, their car pulled up. Denueve opened the door and the couple quickly slid into the backseat. After knocking once on the glass, both detectives let their alternate personas slip away.

Michiko kicked off her heels and rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks in them. As she leaned back, she dared to glance over at L. He was sitting in his standard crouching pose, tie loosened, and top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. He was nibbling on the end of his thumb, staring off into space. Michiko leaned back and closed her eyes, letting all of the stress drain from her body. She let her mind drift back to when she had leaned against L, listening to his warm voice, letting herself relax further into her meditation.

An hour later, the car rolled to a stop. Michiko reached over to open the door on her side, only to find that it would not open. She turned to look at L. He tilted his head in her direction as he pulled out the letter that had been handed to him earlier.

“I have to go to London.” Michi’s heart stopped at the proclaimation. Her head began to spin and she leaned forward slightly to get her bearings. After a moment, L continued; “I’m going to be gone for almost a month. I’m leaving the apartment in your care while I am away. Don’t worry about any bills, they have all been paid in advance. Also, you do not need to go into the office. I alerted the chief to the status of our investigation. All you have to do is send him weekly update reports, of which I will provide information through email.” L paused and looked Michiko in the eyes. “Do you have any questions before I go?”

“You’re leaving now?” Michi started.

“Yes. I have to go train some new intake students at Whammy House. The Japan facility is only a satellite office. We have one satellite in every major country, but London is our headquarter house.” L tilted his head, inviting more questions. But Michiko had none.

“Well, I will try to not be useless on my end. I”ll hunt down what info I can and send it to you. Don’t worry about replying.” Michi forced a smile on her face, grabbed her shoes, and opened the now unlocked door. “One last thing, L,” L leaned over to hear Michi’s last words “Just send a cortesy text every once in awhile to let me know you are alive. Stay safe.” As the door closed, L sat back, shocked that someone had expressed concern for his well being. He sighed and knocked on the window, indicating that he needed to get to the nearest airport.

Michi watched the car drive off until the red lights could no longer be seen. She then turned around and walked up the stairs into the apartment. It felt so cold and empty already. Michi turned on the fireplace and dropped her coat on the couch. She then walked into the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of the peach tea that L had first made for her when she had come over. She dumped a handful of sugar cubes into her mug and pulled her hair out of her ponytail. As she stirred her tea, she walked over to the couch and sat down.

Michi closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. The taste of peach and rose swirled in her mouth and brought back fresh, days old memories. Hours at the computer with L. Translating obscure Russian conversations with L. Visiting L’s fake grave. Every memory from the past few days were heavily flavored with L’s presence. And now that he was not here...

She started as her phone vibrated, alerting her to a text. She pulled it out of her jacket and flipped it open. I’m safely at the airport. L. Michi was touched that he had taken a moment to send her that message. Because who knew when his next text would come around.

Michiko wiped the tears that were falling down her cheeks. ‘Stop it! You don’t miss him. I don’t miss him. I don’t miss him...’ Michiko kept up the mantra until she fell asleep, fully aware of how lonely she truly felt for the first time in days.

Song: Un Giorno Per Noi by Josh Groban (translation provided by Sandy on AllTheLyrics.com message board http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/italian-lyrics-translation/17469-english-translation-for-lyrics-for-un-giorno-per-noi.html)
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All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven