When the three of them entered Misa's room, there was no preamble.

"Misa Amane," said L without greeting as he strode up to where the pop star was sitting, tugging Light unceremoniously behind him. Anchoring a foot on the arm of the couch, he leaned down to peer into her face. "Do you love Light?"

"What?" Misa looked equally as confused as Light and Jubilee did from where they were standing behind L. "Well, yeah, of course I do!"

"But you also worship Kira, as you revealed during your interrogation," said L without pause. "So, between the two of them, who would you choose?"

"Huh?" Misa's eyebrows shot up, then furrowed downwards again as she leaped up from the couch and ran to Light, entwining him possessively in her arms. "Light, obviously! I'm grateful to Kira for avenging my parents' deaths after they were murdered, but that's not love. I choose Light, all the way!"

"But Light is trying to catch Kira," L pointed out. "Isn't that right, Light?"

"Of course," said Light, looking slightly annoyed.

"He's trying to catch him," L said again to Misa, as though it had not just been said. "Now what will you do?"

"Light's my boyfriend," Misa declared with a defiant pout. "If he wants to catch Kira…then I want him to catch Kira."

"Then," returned L without missing a beat, "Would you be willing to help him by joining the investigation?"

In the brief silence that ensued, Jubilee thought she could've heard a pin drop. Then, both her and Light were protesting at the same time.

"Wait, you can't—" she began, just as Light interjected with, "Ryuzaki, what are you thinking?"

But Jubilee could see that they were both already too late. The pink aura around Misa was bubbling up around her small form like cotton candy, and had taken on a noble blue hue at the fringes. The sound of chimes around her intensified into what sounded to Jubilee like a joyful war cry, if such a thing were possible.

I think she's going to say yes, quipped Hellenos unnecessarily.

"Yeah!" the blonde girl announced happily. "Misa-Misa will do anything for Light!"

"To answer your question, Light, here's the plan," began L, as Jubilee looked on helplessly. "One of the 'sources' that the Yotsuba group thinks they have is a detective by the name of Eraldo Coil, who is in fact one of my alter egos…but they don't know that."

"You have an alter ego?" said Jubilee, amazed. Was there no end to the string of things that he had in common with a shady superhero?

"We'll have Aiber pose as Coil," L went on, ignoring her. "And he will tell those seven at Yotsuba that he learned Misa Amane may be able to help them identify L…and that L detained her for questioning in the past, on charges of being the second Kira."

"Which is true," Misa pointed out sulkily.

"Then," continued L, paying Misa no heed either, "Because of Matsuda's screw up earlier while pretending to be Misa's manager, they will agree to hire her as a promotional model to appear in their commercials, with the intention to get close to her and ask her questions."

"Ohhh," cried Misa. "I see! So Misa will be going undercover to spy on them!"

"It's too dangerous," Light managed to get a word in at last, echoing Jubilee's concerns.

"Aww!" Misa turned on him delightedly. "Are you worried for me?"

"Of course he is," cut in Jubilee. "And so am I. Ryuzaki, we can't just send her in like that. If they think that Misa can reveal L's identity to them, then we don't know what means they might use to try and get it out of her."

"Don't worry, Misa-Misa won't say anything under any kind of torture!" said Misa, pumping a tiny fist in the air that shot through some of the cotton candy fluff around her which only Jubilee could see.

"I can attest to that," said L, his expression deadpan.

"And," added Misa, her eyes shining, "It's nothing if it's for Light." The pink fluff took on an even rosier hue and the blue became even bolder, and for a brief moment Jubilee's worries for her friend fell away from the sheer force of fearless devotion radiating from the other girl.

Light took Misa by the shoulders. "Misa, you're forgetting that Kira can control people's actions," he told her very seriously. "What if he uses his power to force you to talk, and then kills you once you reveal L's identity? They won't need you anymore once they find L."

"Oh," said Misa, her eyes widening. The blue around her faded just a tinge. "Well, I…wouldn't like that so much."

"You all are forgetting something else," said L, coming forward. "If we win, Misa won't die."

"If we win," Jubilee burst out, coming back to her senses.

"Besides," L continued, cutting her off, "As long as Light and I are handcuffed, we share the same fate. If I die, he dies too. In that case, Misa is the one who will grieve the most." Jubilee felt a pang at being blatantly omitted in this statement, but L gave her no time to express it. Turning to Misa, he held out a hand in inquiry. "It's either we both die, or we catch Kira. Which is it?"

Misa pumped another fist in the air, completely re-enthused as the blue fringe came surging back. "We catch Kira!" she cried. "I wouldn't dream of living in a world without Light."

"Yes, that would be dark," L pointed out.

Light shot L a furious look. "Cut it out! This is serious."

"I am being completely serious," returned L. "We have only a month to catch Kira. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Count Misa in!" declared Misa cheerfully.

As the smaller girl embraced Light and proceeded to give him a string of assurances, Jubilee turned to L. "You've managed to convince her without adequately addressing the issue of her safety at all," she muttered under her breath.

L didn't bother to look at her. "Take a page from Miss Amane's book, Miss Amachi, and have a little faith."

The statement stung, like a small dart piercing through the protective layer that had been hovering over Jubilee's mind and heart for the past three days. Around her, the bright colors surrounding her friends turned slightly less vivid.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

More loudly, L added so that the others could hear, "Indeed, I am impressed by Misa Amane. Her bravery and love for you, Light, know no equal."

Jubilee could see the wavering line over L's head, could see that he was manipulating the situation to his advantage and, if the brightening hues around Misa were any indication, was succeeding. But it gave her little comfort.

I love you, the unbidden thought came. I would grieve the most if you died. So why was he only pointing it out in someone else?

The thoughts appalled her almost as soon as they entered her mind. She knew why he was doing it. He was simply manipulating Misa to do what he wanted. That was all. No need to become petty.

"Wow, Ryuzaki," said Misa, her eyes wide and bright. "I think I may have misunderstood you all this time. I said a bunch of not so nice things about you…but it sounds like you really do get me."

"Yes," agreed L. He turned to no one in particular, addressing the ceiling. "Misa Amane is the perfect and most worthy woman for Light."

"Yay!" cheered Misa joyously. She ran over to the detective and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, startling everyone—L most of all.

"Thank you, Ryuzaki," chirped Misa, running back to take her place beside Light and clinging to his arm. "I won't let you down!"

L was taking a second longer than usual to regain his composure. Putting a hand to his cheek, he looked after Misa in a slight daze and murmured, "I could actually fall for you."

This time, the line over his head did not waver, and Jubilee felt her heart crash upwards into her throat.

What?!

"Eh, let's not go that far," said Misa. "But, we could be friends!"

"Friends?" echoed L, like the word was foreign to him. Then, schooling his features back into a stoic expression, he gave a slight nod. "Very well."

"Yay!" cried Misa again, then ran forward and grabbed both L and Jubilee by the hands, pulling them into a group hug along with Light. "We'll all be the best of friends," she declared, then gave a squeal of excitement. "We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Yes, fun," repeated L, in a failed attempt to mimic the girl's enthusiasm. "Yay."

Jubilee wasn't listening to any of it. In the midst of her sudden distress, another vision had formed within her mind's eye. It was of Light, Misa and L, standing on the sidewalk outside of To-Oh University in the middle of the afternoon. L was staring at Misa with an uncharacteristically starstruck expression. Jubilee instantly understood this to be their first meeting.

"You're a lucky guy, Light," L was saying to the other man. "I've been a fan of Miss Amane's ever since the August issue of Eighteen."

To Jubilee's horror, there was just the slightest hint of a gentle pink mist emanating from the detective—the same shade as the one that hovered over herself, every time she was in his proximity.

No, she thought, aghast. That? From him? And then, as a shocked afterthought, L reads pop culture magazines?!

The vision continued, with L soon recomposing himself back into his usual unreadable demeanor, before proceeding to apprehend Misa for questioning on suspicion of being the second Kira. But Jubilee hardly paid any attention to the rest of it. She was still stuck on L's initial reaction to the young pop star.

Up until this point, she had assumed that L simply had no interest in women whatsoever. She hadn't realized it then, but this had given her some measure of comfort over his rejection of her. But now, knowing that there existed women whom he preferred—whom he preferred over her…

"Julie?"

The vision in her mind's eye suddenly dissipated and was replaced by a view of Misa's large, brown eyes staring up into her own and filled with concern. Next to her, L and Light were also giving Jubilee curious looks.

"You look sad," the blonde said. "Is it because you are worried for Misa-Misa?" The line over her head showed that her concern for Jubilee was genuine.

"I—yes," said Jubilee, her throat dry. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not. She had been worried for Misa's safety, yes, but now her anxiety was also tinged with an unbidden resentment towards the other girl. A cloud of uneasy green wafted over Jubilee, much to her dismay, and further obscured the lights and colors around her friends.

What is wrong with me? she thought, disgusted with herself. She stared down at the floor as she tried to forcibly brush away her bitter feelings. There are bigger things to be worrying about right now. Like the fact that people were dying. Like the fact that Misa could be next, if they weren't careful. Like the fact that Light was the first Kira, and Misa was probably the second Kira, and sooner or later she was probably going to lose them as her friends.

But none of these thoughts made her feel any better. Furthermore, trying to force herself to stop feeling what she felt only seemed to make it worse. And being reminded of what—or who—she could lose next, only served to pain her.

Loss. It seemed like the past eight years were full of it, and like she couldn't get away from it. Was she going to lose Misa as a friend even now, before anything had yet happened to her, due to her own petty jealousy?

Not if I can help it, she suddenly decided. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up into Misa's eyes, willing herself to see past the green haze. The other girl gazed back at her, her expression innocent and entirely guileless. Jubilee felt her heart ache. Misa was just like a child. What was more, she was her friend. How could she be mad at her, for something that wasn't even her fault? And for the same reason…how could she be mad at L? Hadn't she herself developed an attraction towards him without meaning to? What he may or may not have felt did not change who he was. L was still L, and Misa was still Misa—people whom she loved. She remembered how L had given her encouragement to overcome her fears, during the rescue of Matsuda, even though all she could manage to do at the time was resent and insult him. I trust and believe in you, he had said—and this had been without the ulterior motive of any attraction. She thought of all the times Misa had tried, in her own way, to cheer her up or extend companionship to her, even when Jubilee herself had neither appreciated nor sought it out.

In that instant, Jubilee made the decision that, from now on, she only wanted to see what was true, and not what her tumultuous emotions tried to dictate to her. Slowly she heard the faint chorus of chimes and laughing children return, and saw the pink aura around Misa brighten again, dispelling the green haze around herself. Beside Misa, a golden glow returned to Light along with an undertone of bells, and vivid colors swirled over L once more as clarity returned to her vision. This time, the hues around the detective appeared even clearer, brighter and more beautiful than they ever had before. Jubilee found herself smiling at L, in tenderness and a kind of happy relief.

Love casts out all fear.

She let out the breath she had been holding. "Yes," she repeated, turning back to Misa. "I was worried about what could happen to you. I would hate to lose you. I—I'm tired of losing people," she heard herself add, this time to everyone in the room. Her own openness surprised her, but she kept going before her bravery could run out. "And I think that makes me lose sight of how things really are, sometimes. But…I'll have a little faith." She caught L's eye briefly. His expression didn't change, but the lights flowing forth from him seemed to soften slightly. She smiled again and continued, "So if you choose to do this, Misa…then I choose to believe in you."

Misa's face broke into a huge smile. "Julie is such a good friend!" she cried, clapping her hands before clasping them together over her heart. "Misa promises to keep herself safe…for you and for Light."

The line over the girl's head remained steadfast and true, and the bubblegum pink aura around her fluffed out a little bit to encompass Jubilee in its warmth. Jubilee felt the last vestiges of her previous bitterness melt away completely. The colors around her brightened even more then, and became even more vivid.

Before her Hellenos rematerialized, and it was only then that she realized he had disappeared from her sight at all. She sighed internally at herself. She should've known that jealousy would be a blinding emotion.

You lost sight of me sooner than that, he pointed out, giving a nod in Misa's direction. Fear for others is still fear, you know. It's probably what made you susceptible to what came next. But, he added with a smile, I see you managed to pull yourself out of it. He gave her an appraising look then, as though peering straight through her head and into the cogs in her brain. Looks like you acquired a bit of an upgrade for yourself in the process.

"And you don't have to worry!" Misa continued, stepping forward and throwing her arms around Jubilee. "Julie will never lose Misa-Misa as her friend!"

Jubilee laughed and gratefully returned the embrace, noting that the straight line over Misa's head appeared clearer and sharper to her eyes than it ever had been. When she pulled back, however, she noticed the line doing something strange that she had never seen before. Though it stayed perfectly straight, it started to fade very slowly. As Jubilee watched, it disappeared entirely.

What does that mean? she wondered, as the others around her fell back into casual conversation. Even as she thought the question, sudden understanding flooded her mind and her smile fell.

Though Misa meant the words she had said now, they would prove to be untrue.