I watched curled up on L's bed as he used his Naruto workout stimulation for the last time. He was practicing with his nunchakus again. I was still in awe of him. I couldn't get over his gracefulness, the apparent ease he fought with, no matter the weapon. After that day, almost three years ago, he hadn't bothered trying to hide his workout sessions from me. If anything, he showed off, getting in my face about how much better he was than me, which always resulted in me trying to wrestle him to the floor, and always being the one pinned to the floor, gasping for breath underneath his dead weight. My bottom lip trembled, as my thoughts wandered yet again to our separation. 

One day. 

Only one day was left. 

One day, and he turns 18. 

And I'd have to wait a full year to be reunited with him. What would happen? I'd never went a single day without seeing L's face, talking, laughing, and scheming with him. I needed him. I always told myself that I was strong, that I was independent. But the truth was, I had an Achilles heal; one thing that could bring me to my knees. 

My fear of being alone. 

L was my shield, has been for more than ten years now. I didn't want to think about how it would feel to be on my own once more. At least I knew L didn't want to leave either; he abominated the connecting port just as much as I did. Especially now that he knew that Illusion, was in truth a lie, a danger to all. The idea of a metal port being implanted into the base of one's neck sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't imagine anyone wanting such an unnatural thing to be a permanent part of themselves, no matter how beautiful Illusion was. 

I turned my attention back to L, who had moved on to fencing, gripping the light ing weapon firmly in his hand. The foil was a blur, as L parried, , and attacked almost inhumanely fast. I wondered what level he had set Naruto on to be training at such a difficult level. After another five minutes, he finally took a break, and his t-shirt was soaked with sweat. He took off the VirtualGlasses off, and pinched at the wet cloth glued to his skin. After a moment of deliberation he pulled off his shirt and grabbed a towel to hang around his neck. He sat next to me, and glanced over at me to see me leaning away from him, precariously balanced at the edge of his bed. 

He narrowed his eyes.

"What? Why are you leaning away from me like that? You're going to fall off the bed!" 

I wobbled, but clutched at the bed sheets to regain my balance. 

"You know, you smell terrible. Stop showing off your abs and go take a shower!" 

He laughed but stood up, grabbing some clothes from a drawer. "I'll be out in ten minutes." 

I nodded, and shuffled back to the center of the bed, tucking my chin on top of my knees. After a while my legs grew cramped and I groaned, throwing my arms back and falling backwards. I wriggled, kicking off the blankets and pounding on the pillows. 

"Aish!" I shrieked, pounding on the bed even harder. I continued on with this behavior for a couple of minutes, before wearing myself out. I laid there, chest heaving and felt my nose sting, the pressure build up behind my eyes. I sniffed, as snot started to run down my nose, and I blinked rapidly, holding back a stream of tears. 

The bathroom door opened, and a puff of steam billowed out. I sniffed hard once more and tilted my head back, trying to blink back the tears. L stepped out wearing a loose white tee and some basketball shorts. He was smiling when he came out, but his eyes landed on me. They narrowed, scrutinizing my red nose and trembling smile. 

In one long stride he approached the bed and pulled me against his shoulder. Finally, the tears I'd been holding back starting streaming down. The little whimpering snorts that I was producing almost disgusted me, but I couldn't stop them from coming out. 

"Aww, Bae..." he murmured softly. "I'm sorry. I don't want to leave. But I have to. If I resist, they might investigate me, which could mean that they find out what we've been doing, endangering you." 

"I-I just..." I sniffed loudly. "I d-d-don't w-want y-you to go. I need you." I finally admitted. I looked up at him, and was puzzled as a small smile spread across his face. 

"You need me?" 

My head bobbed up and down rapidly. 

He wrapped his arms around me tight, rocking my body back and forth. 

"W-why do you seem so happy?" 

"Because," He placed a hand against my head, cradling it against his shoulder. "It means I have a chance." 

"What?" I froze. He was bringing up a taboo subject. 

"You said you couldn't like me because all I was to you, was a friend. Not a necessity, but a want." 

I abruptly pushed away from him and swiped at my eyes furiously. "Never mind. I take what I said back." 

"But you already said it!" he teased. "No way you're going to be throwing me away, I've got plenty of time to win your heart." 

I blushed. I hated it when he said things like that. I punched his arm. "Shut up." 

He cupped my face, his cool fingers bringing relief to my burning cheeks. He traced both thumbs underneath my eyes, gently wiping away the tear tracks. "You stopped crying." 

I laughed, placing my hands over his and gingerly removing them from my face. He let me, but instead gripped a hand in compensation. I felt myself flush again and glared at L as he chuckled seeing my blush. 

"I used to do this all the time, and now you barely let me touch you. At least you have some sort of response for me." 

I hissed at him. "Shut. Up." 

He stuck out his tongue.  

I tried to pry his fingers off my hand, but his hands were firm and unyielding. All I managed to do was leave red marks on my own skin. 

"Oh c'mon Bae. I leave tomorrow. This much you should let me do." 

He got me there. Grumbling I let him, but I grew more and more wary of the warmth emanating from his hand. My heart didn't flutter... no nothing even close to that... but it definitely felt nice. He lightly traced a thumb over my knuckles and I gave an involuntary shiver. L didn't say comment on this, but I could just about paint the walls with the satisfaction just about oozing out of him. 

11 years now... I had known this kid for 11 years