Jubilee cleared her throat. Stepping forward, she took the Death Note from L's hands and flipped to the back cover, holding it up to show the group.

"This rule addresses someone who has written in the notebook, in general," she told them. "It does not specify that that person must write a name."

Surprised expressions came over the faces of the task members—including Light. And this time, his was genuine.

Mogi spoke up. "But—but what does it matter, even if that is the case? If you have someone test the rule, even without writing a name, then if that theory is true and the rule is real, that person will still die."

"Correct, Mogi," L said, turning to the other man. "But at least that would rule out a second person definitely dying. You have accurately described the dilemma that remains, however. There is still the matter of the tester possibly dying, which—" He paused, before continuing, "Is not ideal."

"We're talking about a criminal on death row who would be testing it, right?" asked Aizawa. "Hypothetically."

"Correct," answered L.

"And you're saying that it wouldn't be ideal, in your opinion, to risk that criminal dying as a result of testing the thirteen-day rule," continued Aizawa, giving L a dubious look. "Am I getting that right?"

"Yes, Aizawa."

Aizawa turned to Matsuda and muttered under his breath, "Looks like he really has changed."

L graciously ignored the comment and addressed Light, who had been silent this whole time. "What do you think, Light?"

Light raised his eyes to meet L's, hesitating.

"Of our options," L prompted. "And of Miss Amachi's theory that anyone can write anything."

Light slowly stepped forward, taking the notebook from L's hands. "Is that what it says?" he asked, with a tone of just barely hidden reluctance. He glanced down at the back cover, his eyes quickly scanning the words there, before a dark orange glow lit up the black haze around him like angry flames. "So it does," he said evenly.

Jubilee heard a sharp thought projected from somewhere within the fiery haze.

That stupid shinigami.

But then, just as quickly, the thought quieted and became calm, losing its tone of fury.

This changes nothing.

"I guess," continued Light, with a carefully feigned tone of uncertainty, "That what Julie is saying could be true."

Soichiro and the other members had joined him to look at the book. Aizawa took it from him and flipped to the front cover, scanned its contents, then flipped to the back again and did the same.

"Yeah," he said. "There's no context in any of the other rules that would contradict that possibility."

"Even so, Ryuzaki," said Light, "Mogi is right. This doesn't change the fact that, according to the rule, someone would die if they didn't continue writing in the notebook...which you're now saying you'd rather not risk."

L returned Light's gaze. "Yes," he affirmed, sounding almost unhappy about the fact.

Jubilee finally spoke up. "But how certain are you that this rule could prove to be false?"

L glanced at her. "At least ninety percent," he answered softly. The line over his head was thick and straight, though it wavered very slightly.

"What?" cried Matsuda, just as Aizawa exclaimed, "That's ridiculous!"

"I don't understand how there's even any chance," commented Mogi.

"But—" interjected Matsuda nervously, "If...if Ryuzaki thinks that there might be a chance, then...that's gotta mean something at least, right?"

Soichiro eyed his colleagues, listening intently to their exchange, before taking Light by the arm. "Son," he said, "Can't you think of any other way we can test the rule?"

"Chief!" cried Aizawa. "Are you really buying into this? You know that Ryuzaki wants to do this because the first person it would implicate would be Light!"

Soichiro's brow furrowed, but he didn't look away from his son as he answered Aizawa. "It may do that, but I'm confident that there is some other explanation," he said firmly. "In the meantime, we must be open to uncovering every clue that we can, in order to catch Kira."

Jubilee's eyes remained on L as the other task force members argued around them. She cast a quick glance of scrutiny at the quivering line above his head, then returned her attention to him.

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"At least ninety percent, huh?" she echoed quietly. Slowly her lips upturned. "Seems to me like you're being incredibly humble about your deductive reasoning skills."

He stared at her for a second, then the corner of his mouth turned up as well, ever so slightly. "Common sense says to posit at least five to ten percent of a chance that I could be wrong."

"Uh-huh," she said with a grin, then sobered. "Common sense aside...you truly believe that the rule is false. Yes?"

"I'm not sure I can condone the phrase, 'common sense aside'...but, common sense aside, yes. I am sure."

"Guys!" Aizawa was shouting at the others in the background. "I don't know why we're even debating this! It's a complete waste of time. The rule is in the book! Why are we questioning it?"

A brief silence met his outburst, and Jubilee sensed the tide of thoughts in the room ebb uneasily, before they slowly started to turn.

"Aizawa has a point," Mogi began slowly.

She kept her gaze on L. Bright colors were swirling gently around him—a dusty lilac intertwined with cerulean, emerald and gold—and the effect was breathtaking.

Love is seeing and believing the best in someone...even when no one else does.

She smiled brightly at him all of a sudden. "Then I believe you," she said. Leaning over him, she reached across the table and grasped the edge of the Death Note, where it lay forgotten behind Aizawa and the others. "Let me see what I can figure out," she said, picking it up.

L eyed her curiously but nodded, his eyes trusting. She opened the book and flipped through a few pages, stepping away to pace the length of the table as she did so. Having distanced herself from the others she looked to her right, where Hellenos was now clearly visible.

"Sorry," she murmured under her breath. "Forgot about you for a minute there, with all the excitement going on."

Humans, said Hellenos, but grinned. Apology accepted.

She looked back down at the notebook in her hands. "Hey, Hellenos," she said quietly, fingering a blank page. "You once told me that Kira can't touch me. Isn't that right?"

Nice to know that you actually remember some of the things I say.

"You know something else I remember you saying?" She looked back up at him. "'Nothing shall by any means hurt you.'"

Hellenos crossed his arms. That was because you wouldn't take the time to read it yourself.

"Read what?" she retorted with a smug smile. "Luke ten-nineteen?"

The angel's lips quirked. Been studying, have we?

She turned to face him fully. "So what do you say?"

He feigned ignorance. What do I say to what?

"You know what it is I'm thinking."

Hellenos carefully wiped his face of any expression. You have free will. I am not a cheat sheet.

"But Luke ten-nineteen and the rest of the book that it comes from is?"

He retained a steady poker face. I will neither confirm nor deny whether that statement is accurate.

She smirked, then turned to glance back at where L stood. He was still watching her inquisitively. She gave him a tender smile.

I believe in you, she thought. Even if no one else does.

Then, quicker than anyone could blink, she snatched a pen off the edge of the table and hastily scribbled three words onto the page before her.

Love Never Fails.

The words flashed brightly before her vision like a beacon in the night, just as they did when she had read them on Christine's postcard.

Then the radiant light winked out, as did Hellenos' presence from beside her, as someone's hand clamped down over her own with a vice-like grip. Cries of alarm sounded from around the room and the pen dropped from her fingers to the floor with a clatter. The notebook was torn violently out of her grasp. She looked up to meet a pair of stormy gray eyes.

"What have you done?" said L, in a voice so low that she could barely hear him. His hand was gripping hers so tightly that it was just short of painful.

She could say nothing for a moment, too startled by the intensity in his gaze. "I'm testing the rule for you," she managed at last. "Without killing anyone."

His eyes slid to the open notebook in his other hand, flitting over the three words she had written. It was then that Jubilee noticed Aizawa had a gun pointed at her from across the room, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"Aizawa," barked L without turning around. "Put away your weapon, for heaven's sake. She didn't write down a name. Obviously."

The police officer looked down at the firearm in his hands as though surprised to see it there. He hastily sheathed it.

L returned his attention to Jubilee. His expression had not changed, and the colors around him were dark and had receded into himself. He said nothing.

She fidgeted nervously under his gaze. "In thirteen days," she said quickly, "If I'm still alive, then we have our proof that the rule is fake. Right?"

L stared hard at her for another long moment, before finally releasing her hand and looking away, towards the ground between them. His hair fell forward to hide his eyes. "That is something you should have asked before you wrote in it," he said, his voice deceptively even.

"Why?" she said. "Would you have let me do it?"

L didn't answer for a second. Then, still not looking at her, he grit out, "Why would you do something so reckless?"

"Because I believe in you," she said, somewhat defensively. "Which means I believe what you believe. And you said that you're sure the rule is fake."

At this he looked back up at her, a wave of otherworldly orange and red exploding around him into flames of angry concern. "I also said that we need to allow a five to ten percent chance that I could be wrong!" It was the loudest he had ever raised his voice at her. "What if I've missed something? Do you have any idea the danger you have just put yourself in?"

She stared back at him defiantly. "I trust you," she reiterated stubbornly. "So I trust that I will be fine. Besides...I always am."

The flames melted away from him, to be replaced by a dark, somber blue. L continued to stare at her, looking stricken. He placed the Death Note down on the table behind him and took her by the shoulders.

"You don't understand," he said, his voice low once more. "Even if that rule is fake...you are now in danger."

Jubilee returned his stare with her own, first in stubborn defiance and then, gradually, in confusion. The line over L's head was thick and straight, and a reddish fear pulsed out from the haze of sorrowful blue all around him. She looked up at the other members of the task force, who were all staring at her with equal amounts of concern as well as shock. Light, in particular, wore the expression well. But there was something else in his eyes also. It was a look of rage mixed with resolve. Jubilee gulped then as sudden realization hit her.

In thirteen days, he was going to kill her.