The sound of a ticking clock droned loudly in Jubilee's ears as she sat miserably on the couch in Misa's room beside the blond pop star. Across from them sat Light and L on an opposite couch. The only other sound apart from the clock and the awkward silence was L munching noisily on a slice of cake, courtesy of Watari, whose baked contribution sat on the coffee table between them.

"Man," said Misa, her annoyed tone cutting through the silence at last, "This has got to be the lamest date I've ever been on."

Jubilee would have agreed, except that she had never been on a real date. One night stands usually skipped those. She said nothing.

"No, no, please," L spoke through a mouthful of cake as he reached over for another slice, "Just pretend like I'm not even here."

Misa glared at the black-haired man. "You're such a pervert! Could you stop it with your creepy hobby?"

No one deigned to make any response to this; L too busy wolfing down his second slice of cake, Light staring off into space in boredom, and Jubilee focused on looking anywhere but at the detective sitting across from her. Misa huffed angrily.

"When can Misa be alone with Light?" she asked.

"She can't," replied L shortly, before reaching over again for his third slice. "Cake?" he offered politely.

Misa huffed again. "Cake makes you fat. I'm not gonna eat any."

"Actually," said L, his mouth full as he chewed, "I've found that you don't gain any weight as long as you burn calories by using your brain."

"Hmph!" The pop star sat up, fists clenched. "So now you're calling me stupid?"

Somewhere in the midst of her inner turmoil, Jubilee felt the caretaker side of herself that had been ingrained into her at Wakahisa kick in. "No, no," she placated the blonde, shooting L a reproving glare. "You're thin, Misa…therefore you must've been effectively using your brain to burn off calories this whole time."

"Oh." Misa sat back on the couch, processing this explanation. "So it wasn't all that cardio?" she wondered.

"Er…I'm sure it was a combination of both," offered Jubilee lamely.

"And dieting, most likely," piped up L matter-of-factly, ignorant of Jubilee's efforts at negotiating peace in the room. "Which suggests that your brain didn't have too many calories to burn in the first place."

"Wait…" Misa scrunched up her forehead, thinking hard, before indignant revelation broke out across her face. "You are calling me stupid!"

She jumped to her feet and was about to launch herself across the table at L, tiny fists swinging; when Jubilee deftly intercepted her with a yank on the back of her shirt that sent her backwards onto the couch with an oomph.

"Sit down, Misa," Jubilee calmly ordered the younger girl. "It's not worth it to mess up your nails."

Misa thought about it. "Hmph!" she said at last, crossly. "That's too true!" And then she proceeded to hurl a verbal barrage of very loud, very crude insults at L.

Jubilee put a palm to her face. "I give up," she murmured.

"You can call me whatever you like," the detective was saying, his tone one of complete apathy as he reached out for the last slice of cake. "Last chance for cake."

Jubilee swooped in and grabbed it. "I'll take that," she snapped. Digging into the slice with a fork, she grumbled to herself, "I'm not getting paid enough for this."

L graciously ignored the latter statement. "Very well," he sighed, and leaned back into the couch despondently.

Light suddenly spoke up. "What's wrong with you?" he asked L. "I thought moving here was supposed to help us catch Kira. But since we've been here you haven't seemed very motivated at all."

Jubilee glanced up from her cake, surprised to hear the brown-haired young man speak. He had been silent during the date until this moment. As usual, he glowed a pale yellow.

"Hmm." L thumbed his bottom lip in thought, before grimly declaring, "You're right. Actually, I'm depressed."

"Depressed? What for?" Light demanded.

Jubilee felt herself stiffen. She knew why—had known why since that first night that she had started feeling…something…for L.

"Well, truthfully," began the detective, "All this time I thought that you were Kira…and my entire case hinged on that fact." He sighed dejectedly. "I suppose I just can't get past the fact that my deduction was wrong. Although, having said that…I am still suspicious of you." He held up an arm, indicating the handcuffs connecting them. "That's why we're still wearing these." Letting his arm drop, he continued in a glum tone, "So far we know that Kira can remotely control people's actions. That explains all the criminal deaths that weren't induced by heart attacks, such as the motor accidents and the suicides. Which means it's highly likely that Kira was controlling your actions so that I would suspect you—and Misa as well." L paused for a moment, gripping his knees fiercely before sticking a finger in the air. "The two of you were Kira. I don't think I could have been wrong about that. And I don't believe it is coincidence that as soon as you were confined, all the killings stopped. Until then, everything pointed to you being Kira." He dropped his finger, despondent again. "But after two weeks, criminals began dying again. Based on that evidence, I can only conclude that Kira's power passes between people."

Light had been listening attentively, and his eyes widened at this last statement. "But if that's true, it'll be nearly impossible for us to catch Kira."

"Yes," agreed the detective gloomily. "That is why I am overwhelmed. Even if we catch someone who is under his control, they are likely to lose their powers and any memory of their crimes. So in the end, pursuing them becomes futile."

There was a beat as everyone in the room processed this pronouncement.

Light finally turned away, crossing his arms. "But at this point, we have no way of knowing if that is truly the case. Cheer up, would you?"

"Cheer up?" echoed L, as though the concept were foreign to him. Which, Jubilee thought to herself, it very well might be. "No, I'm sorry. I can't."

"Come on, Ryuzaki."

"It's probably better if I just stop trying so hard," L went on, ignoring Light. "By chasing Kira so desperately, we are only putting our live sat risk for nothing. Yes," he declared at last, bowing his head, "It's just a waste of time."

Jubilee tried to tell herself not to look at him, but her brain wouldn't listen. She looked from Light to L, and saw it once more…the gray haze, hanging heavily about the detective's shoulders. No beautiful light made its way through the dark cloud. This would have made her feel some relief, except that she found herself also feeling what she had felt that first night—compassion…concern…the desire to reach out to him, and…

Jubilee violently squashed down the feeling and ducked her head down. Get a grip, woman, she told herself sternly, and managed to quell the insane notion to go over and hold the man in her arms. The man who had arrested her and locked her up for fifty days, she reminded herself reproachfully.

Meanwhile Light had quietly gotten to his feet. The yellow hue around him was a tad darker than usual. "Ryuzaki," he said solemnly.

The detective turned to look at him—and was met with a fist to the face.

In hindsight, Jubilee felt that she should've seen this coming. The darker yellow, the clenching of Light's fist, the way everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Light raised his fist and let it fly…they had all been indicators of what was coming. There was also the fact that irony was a force to be reckoned with, and if she had kept one fight from happening earlier, then wasn't it just like fate to bring about another one through some unexpected source?

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But in the moment, it all happened too fast—and came as a complete surprise. Misa screeched as Light's knuckles made contact with L's jaw. Jubilee gaped, all other thoughts fleeing from her mind as it was assaulted with a senseless garble of excited colors and panicked sounds.

The effect of Light's punch was immediate. L went flying off the couch, which, in turn, sent Light flying off the couch too—because the idiots were handcuffed to each other. The two of them knocked over the coffee table in their connected flight across the room and into the opposite wall, which they smashed into before falling to the floor in an undignified heap.

Jubilee jumped up, her Wakahisa instincts suddenly kicking in all over again. Before she knew what she was doing she had run across the room, knelt down, and gathered L's crumpled form into her arms.

"L," she breathed, concern etched into her features as she worriedly ran a hand down his face, checking for cuts. "Are you alright?"

The man's pale jaw was starting to develop a delicate bruise. His gray eyes were wide and disoriented as they struggled to focus on the face of the woman holding him. Slowly, recognition and surprise registered on his face.

Jubilee's brain was catching up to her actions at an excruciatingly slow pace. Vague realization began to settle on her as she noticed just how close they were, her face inches from his. Between them, a soft, pink mist was rising. They were looking into each other's eyes, staring. A strange sound hummed in her ears like a bright, ringing echo. And her arms were holding on to him tight. Exactly what she had told herself not to do.

She dropped him unceremoniously. His head hit the floor with an abrupt thud. The mist and the ringing stopped.

"Ouch!" he hissed, rubbing the back of his head.

Jubilee ignored him. Getting to her feet, she turned on her heel and retreated back to the other side of the room as quickly as possible, not sparing the detective on the floor a second glance. She hadn't meant to drop him. But she hoped she'd given him enough of a concussion to forget this whole incident anyway.

Behind her, the two men were getting to their feet.

"That really hurt," muttered L, before turning on Light. "What was that for?"

"For your attitude!" yelled Light. "What, you don't feel like doing anything anymore, just because your—your genius deduction was wrong, and I'm not Kira?"

L regarded the other man coolly. "Fine. Perhaps I phrased that wrong. I meant that it would be pointless for us to make a move."

"If we don't chase Kira, he'll never be caught." Light marched up to L, lifting him by the collar. Despite herself, Jubilee had turned back to watch, transfixed along with Misa at the scene that was unfolding. "If you're just going to give up," Light continued, voice rising, "Then what was the point of letting all those people die?" Small flares of orange curled up like flames of fire around the yellow glow that Light cast. "What was the point of locking me and Misa behind bars?"

Jubilee looked nervously between the two men, feeling more and more guilty as the tension rose between them. Perhaps she should've helped to diffuse the situation, rather than walked away.

L's gray haze had darkened until it had become like a storm cloud. His eyes were hidden beneath black wisps of hair that grazed Light's fingertips, still gripping him by the collar.

"I understand," he said in a low, calm voice. "But, whatever the reason…" He suddenly dropped low to the floor, bringing his foot up to meet Light's face in an unexpectedly well-executed maneuver. "An eye for an eye, my friend," he finished, just as his foot made impact.

What a time to be quoting Leviticus, Jubilee heard a voice remark flippantly by her ear, just as the two handcuffed men went flying back across the room from the force of the kick, knocking over the couch along their way. They landed in a heap on the floor across from the two women. Misa made a small squeak and promptly fainted.

Jubilee turned on Hellenos. "What?" she hissed under her breath, as the two men continued to shout at each other from the floor. "Yeah, what a time! Is this really the time to turn this into a Bible study? And what are you doing here?"

I'm always here, said the angel flatly.

"No, I know that, I just mean…" Jubilee bit her lip. "I thought I wouldn't be seeing you for a while, after…you know."

The angel gave a quick sigh, then smiled and shrugged. Grace, he said simply. Speaking of which...are you going to do something about those two?

"Me?" Jubilee glanced at the two men who were back on their feet and at each other's throats. "What, you gonna ask me to throw myself into a den of lions next? Who do you think I am, Daniel the prophet?"

Hellenos laughed heartily. Despite her own words, Jubilee felt a foreign sense of confidence inch its way into her heart at the angelic sound. Behind her the two men had broken apart and were conversing in lower, but still threatening voices.

"It's not my deduction that was wrong," she heard L saying quietly. "The fact is, I can say that Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the second Kira. But it won't be enough to solve the case. And that is why I am a little depressed. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Yes!" cried Light. "It's as if you won't be satisfied unless I'm Kira!"

Jubilee noticed that Hellenos' attention was still fully on her. He was smiling, and his usual heavenly glow was growing brighter than ever. From his expression of serenity it was as though there was no fight going on in the room whatsoever. And somehow, under his gaze, she could almost feel the same way.

You're not Daniel, you're not Jonah, and you're not Elijah, he told her. You're exactly who the Father made you to be…Jubilee Jenkins.

The statement rang through her soul like a bell that drowned out all other sound. She looked up at him, the fight forgotten. Slowly, vaguely however, the image of L in her arms, gazing up at her with a look of confusion, crept to the forefront of her mind. When all this was over, she would still have to face that—him, and her feelings. But she didn't want to. All she wanted to do was run and avoid the situation for as long as she could.

"I'm afraid," she confessed quietly.

The angel reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. That's alright, he said. So were they.

Slowly, in a daze, Jubilee turned to face the two men in front of her.

"There may be some truth to that," L was saying. "In fact, you're right…" His unblinking gaze became harder and his voice lowered. "I wanted you to be Kira."

Faster than his namesake, Light's fist was in L's face again.

Miraculously the detective held his ground against the punch. "As I said, an eye for an eye," he growled. "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

Jubilee saw him whirl and duck to execute another roundhouse kick. Where did he learn that? she wondered. She started to take a slow step towards them—hopelessly, for what could she do? It turned out the guy really was like Batman.

By the way… said Hellenos' voice from behind her. Leviticus isn't the only place that phrase shows up.

She quickened her steps and suddenly, unexplainably, was between the two men in time to intercept the kick. L's eyes widened and he just barely managed to halt the trajectory of his foot inches from her face.

"That's Old Testament," she heard herself say calmly.

The two men stared at her like she was nuts. L still had his leg extended in the air; Light had an arm outstretched to block it. Both gaped at her uncomprehendingly.

"'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,'" she quoted. "Leviticus, chapter something verse whatever."

"Twenty-four twenty," corrected L, lowering his leg and giving her a wary look. "And also Exodus twenty-one twenty-four, and Deuteronomy nine—"

"Yeah, yeah." Jubilee waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off. "But there's a New Testament context. Remember? 'You have heard it said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you—"

"Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," L finished. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you suggesting, Miss Amachi…that I literally turn the other cheek in this situation?"

"Well." She shrugged. "This might have been over a lot faster if you had." She glanced sidelong at Light. "If both of you had, really."

There was a beat as the two men digested this. The swell of tension in the room seemed to ebb. Jubilee was just starting to congratulate herself on a deed well done, when Light spoke up suddenly.

"If everyone in the world did that every single time, then there wouldn't be any justice," he said, putting a hand on Jubilee's shoulder and gently but firmly steering her aside. "Stay out of the way, Julie, or you'll get hurt. This doesn't concern you." He turned back to face L, raising his fists once more.

"Wait, what?" said Jubilee dumbly. She turned to Hellenos with a helpless look. It was all going so well, too, she thought sourly. What happened?

Hellenos shrugged. Humans, you know. Free will.

With a groan, Jubilee turned back to watch as the two men continued where they had left off, throwing punches and kicks at each other. Strangely, she felt a lingering remnant of boldness left in her spirit, despite her agitation at this turn of events. Best to make use of it while it lasted. She cast a quick glance skywards. Dad, need some help! she thought, and then blindly threw herself into the fray.

Fist came up to meet with foot just as Jubilee stepped between both. This time it seemed like there was no way the blows were going to miss her. She closed her eyes and braced herself, prepared to receive major damage to her cranium.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Both men froze. Jubilee cracked an eye open. Hellenos stood before her, glowing brightly, a hand held up against each young man. Slowly their fists lowered. L dropped to the ground where the phone was ringing on a low end table. Picking up the phone between a thumb and forefinger, he answered. "Yes?" The garbled sound of Matsuda's voice spilled from the phone. He was yammering excitedly. Something about "Misa-Misa's" ratings in a popularity poll. "I see," said L, before dropping the phone back onto the receiver with a sharp click.

"What was that?" asked Light.

"Matsuda's acting stupid again," replied L simply. "Will you help me return the furniture to order, please?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," the younger man complied easily, and went over to join L. The two of them proceeded to right the overturned couch together, as well as the coffee table and a few of the potted plants.

Jubilee let out the breath that she had been holding and looked up at Hellenos, who still stood before her. She gave him a grateful grin. "You almost let them hit me," she accused mockingly under her breath.

He glanced down at her and smiled. But I didn't, did I?