Ryuk's shoulders lifted in surprise at being addressed by L. "Eh?" he said. "Yeah, that's me. Heh." With a chuckle, he turned to Light. "Let's see you try to talk your way out of this one."

Light didn't acknowledge the shinigami, or look as though he'd heard him at all. Instead, he seemed frozen, staring at L with wide-eyed panic and hatred.

"In conclusion," finished L calmly, "You, Light Yagami...are Kira."

The colors within the haze around Light died. For a long, tense moment, the roiling black mass became horribly still. Light suddenly looked very small, like a little boy who was lost. He lowered his eyes.

Jubilee's heart pounded painfully. An ominous intuition made her uneasy about whatever was coming next.

Without warning, the blue and orange flames roared back to life around Light. They surged through the middle of his black haze, tearing it in two like it was nothing but a thin veil, as he bent over and began...to laugh.

It was an awful, maniacal sound. Light laughed long and hard, gasping for breath as he clutched his sides and threw his head back. Jubilee caught a glimpse of unearthly, malevolent red glinting in his eyes, and she took an involuntary step backward. The line over his head twisted and crumbled in on itself in a way she'd never seen before. Light laughed and laughed until tears ran down his face.

The sight made her stomach lurch. It was almost as bad as witnessing him take a life.

No one in the Task Force said anything, only watched him in uncomfortable silence.

At last, Light spoke. "That's right," he wheezed between bouts of laughter. "I am Kira." He straightened and turned to them, wearing a disturbing grin. "You've caught me. So...now what?" He spread a hand towards them in invitation. "Are you going to kill me?"

No one moved.

Light sucked in a sharp breath and dropped his hand. Then, he shouted, "I—am—Kira!" His voice echoed through the rafters."I am the god of this new world, I am the law, I am justice. I am the world's only hope. Are you going to kill me?" His voice lowered. "Is that really the right thing to do? To capture Kira...for your own satisfaction?" He brought a hand to his chest. "Judge me for yourselves! The world's worst criminals have died, the crime rate has gone down by over fifty percent, and even war has begun to fade. Do you really want things to go back to the way they were before that happened?" He swung to face Aizawa, Matsuda, and Mogi. "Admit it, you guys. This world is rotten. People are rotten. You three know that better than anyone else."

"Light..." It was Matsuda who spoke, his voice a tremor. "How—how can you say all that? Your father...he died because of—"

"My father died because there is no—justice—in this world!" Light roared, all pretense of reason gone. "Because evil is allowed to exist! If some people—" His gaze swept furiously over L and Jubilee. "Hadn't tried to stop me, hadn't taken it upon themselves to try and save the lives of dirty criminals, then my father might still be alive right now." Breathing heavily, he continued in a low voice, "There are some people who are better off dead, who deserve to be dead, for the sake of the rest of the world. Can't you see? I maintain order," he whispered. "I create peace. Only by killing off the vermin of this world is that possible."

"Somebody make him shut up," Jubilee heard Mello growl quietly behind her. "Before I follow his advice and kill him myself."

L gave the boy a imperceptible, warning shake of his head.

Light caught the movement and locked eyes with L. "Somebody has to do it," he snarled. "Somebody has to exterminate all the pests on the earth. If not me, then who? You obviously won't." Light's gaze passed to Jubilee, who suppressed a shiver at the insane gleam in his eye. He raised his voice. "Who then?!" he demanded, and she wondered if he was asking her. "Who will extinguish all the evil from this world? God?" He laughed, flinging his arms wide. "I am God! With the Death Note, I am God, me! Only I can do it. I'm the only one who's willing to cleanse this world, who can make it right, who will create a new world. A world in which no one will make a wrong move ever again, and anyone who tries to won't be allowed to exist." He raised a finger to slowly point at L. "If the rest of you are going to follow his version of justice, then that is folly," he spat. "The world will never be free of crime. Evil will breed more evil, and you will always be chasing after criminals, again and again, and it will never end. Is that the kind of world you want to live in?" Lowering his hand, he hissed, "Make your decision. Will you choose L and a future filled with crime—or will you choose Kira, the god of a new world?"

In the quiet that followed, all Jubilee could hear was Ryuk chortling. "My, my, Light," he said. "How you can talk up a storm."

L glanced sharply at the shinigami, before looking back to Light, his eyes hard. "You are not God, Light," he said softly. "You are just a murderer. And for that, you will face the consequences. That is justice."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Light's eyes widened with fury and alarm. He took deep, rapid breaths, but it was like he couldn't get enough air. Jubilee watched the black haze thicken and press against him, as though it was trying to drown him in its darkness. Before anyone could react, Light's hand suddenly flew to his hip. Pulling out his gun, he started to swing it in L's direction.

Several things happened in rapid succession. Aizawa, Matsuda, and Mogi all drew their guns on Light, flipping the safety catches off their weapons in a series of swift clicks. Aizawa was yelling orders at the others. Somewhere in the midst of all the commotion, Jubilee's body moved before she could think. She threw herself into the space between L and Light, her arms spread wide, shielding L from Light—and Light from the police officers.

"Don't shoot!" she screamed at them all.

Aizawa swore as he and the other officers held their fire. Light hesitated before her, his finger shaking on the trigger as he stared at her. Against all odds, no bullets flew.

A hand rested on Jubilee's shoulder, startling her for a second. L was too far behind her for it to be him, and no one else was near her. Then she realized that the hand was Hellenos'. His touch was warm, strong, and comforting. It quelled the sudden fear for her own safety, holding it at bay as she stared down the barrel of Light's gun.

"J," she heard L say from behind her. If not for her heightened senses, she might not have heard the slight tremor in his voice. "Step back. Please."

"Light Yagami," Aizawa bellowed. "Put—the gun—down!"

Light didn't comply, but he didn't move or speak either. Beside him, Ryuk raised an eyebrow at Hellenos, then eyed Jubilee with distaste.

"You don't quit, do you," he said to her, then addressed Light. "Do yourself a favor and take her out now, will you?"

"J," L pressed, more urgently this time.

Light didn't answer the shinigami. He continued to stare at Jubilee, like he was seeing her for the first time. Underneath his black haze, she saw a faint yellow glow weakly flicker.

Hellenos' presence became undeniably strong, his radiance basking her with a sudden wash of heat. She glanced over at him, squinting. His face was too bright to see clearly, but he gave her an assuring nod.

And then she heard another voice, not the angel's, speaking. I am with you.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. Then she twisted her neck to look at L and the others.

"Give me a minute to talk to him," she said.

L started to shake his head, his mouth a tight line. Mello looked at her like she was insane, motioning furiously for her to retreat. Even Wedy and Aiber seemed tense with concern.

"Trust me," she said, addressing L. When he didn't reply, she added, "I'll be safe. Don't worry." And as she said it, she believed it. Hellenos was there with her. Dad was there, even though she couldn't see Him. What was the worst that could happen?

L hesitated for a long moment, as though reading her thoughts. Then he shot Light a dark, threatening look, before giving Jubilee a grim nod. Beside him, the police officers lowered their guns warily.

Jubilee turned back to Light. His gun was still pointed at her. She ignored it, as well the demon next to him. Taking a tentative step forward, she locked eyes with the boy.

"Light," she began. "This isn't you. This is—this is something else, using you. Something dark that was never supposed to be a part of you." She sensed Ryuk's silent scowl, but still she ignored him. "The Light I know cares about justice," she went on, "But he cares about people's lives, too. He's firm when it comes to what's right, but he isn't cruel. He...he makes allowances for other's faults. He's kind to me when I'm not at my best, and...and he does things like forgive L for locking him up and handcuffing him, a lot sooner than I ever did or would have." A small laugh escaped her, induced by both the memory as well as her taut nerves. Hellenos' hand squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, and the heat of the light around her increased. Her expression softened. "He's—you're...our friend. And you're your father's son. That's the true Light."

Something in Light's eyes shifted into a shuttered, defensive expression when she mentioned Soichiro.

"That's right, Light," remarked Ryuk softly. "Let's remember just why your father died the way he did, and who was responsible."

"Your father died believing in what was right," Jubilee asserted. Suddenly more courageous, she added, "He died believing in a world that has both justice and mercy—and that he hopes to see you again in one day. He died believing in you, and in the goodness you're still capable of choosing." She swallowed, then opened her hands to him so that she stood in a defenseless position before him. "And...so will I."

Light looked down at her. A war of emotions crossed his face—first hate, melting into fear, and then remorse. For a moment he looked lost, and torn. Next to him Ryuk was silent, glowering but seemingly unwilling—or unable—to speak. Finally, Light's expression settled into something cool and unreadable. The gentle yellow light was nowhere to be seen, but neither were the raging orange and blue hues. He lowered his arm slightly, cocking the gun so that Jubilee's head was no longer in the line of fire.

Jubilee started to breathe again.

"So you will," Light echoed slowly. He reached out with his free hand and squeezed Jubilee's shoulder, the one Hellenos wasn't holding. "Since," he continued softly, eyes downcast, "From the time we met, and even up to this very moment, you have always..." His gaze lifted to meet hers. "Been in my way." Before Jubilee could process his words, he straightened his arm and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot was the first thing which registered with Jubilee. Even then, her brain couldn't quite catch up to the danger. Maybe it was because she expected the bullet to somehow miss her, or for Hellenos to step in and block it. But all her awareness of the spirit world vanished the moment the gunshot rang out, so loud that it shook every other thought from her head, making her stumble backwards. Its echo drowned out all the other sounds around her—of more shots, shouting, and running footsteps—which followed.

Then a sharp, searing impact hit her. Her hands unconsciously grasped her abdomen, where a warm, sticky liquid flowed out from between her fingers. Slowly, she looked down at the blood.

And then she felt the pain.

It was a blinding sensation that blossomed from her belly and spread out to the rest of her body like fire, dulling all her other senses. The shouts around her grew dim, and her vision darkened. Just before it went black completely, her knees buckled, and she felt a pair of strong, warm arms catching her.

Dad...? she thought faintly.

Then, it was all gone.