Author's Note: I know alternate ending concepts have been explored about a million times before, but I had an idea bouncing around my head and just had to share. Basically: What if Light hadn't broken down when he was caught? How would he have tried to slip out of the situation.

Near held the notebook aloft steadily. Seven names, only seven, with one missing. Everything went silent. No one moved, even Ryuk stayed uncharacteristically silent.

Then a single sound broke the silence, a sharp clap. "Well done Near." Light smiled calmly, but inside his mind was racing. The charade was over, but the game wasn't. "I am Kira." He had made a blunder somewhere, somewhere he had messed up. Or Mikami had messed up, it must've been him, somehow he clued them into the location of the real notebook. He must've felt he had to kill someone, Takada, it was the only possibility. Near thought he had won, Light could recognize that childish pride, but if L had taught him anything it was that the game was never finished.

By the time Near had finished his arrogant explanation, Light had his plan. The most important part was to keep things under control, if people panicked, anything could happen. "So, I lost because..." Light allowed a small tinge of anger into his voice, just enough to sell it, "Mikami panicked, but not just that, he acted like an idiot today." It took some force of will to suppress a smile. "Near, how long did it take you to decide to use the death note?"

The question hung in the air. It was a shot in the dark, one that could be disproved easily with enough time, if it really was false, but that didn't matter. No matter what he tried to do, having the SPK and taskforce distrust Near would be invaluable. "What do you mean?" The young man's childlike appearance was too convincing to be believed.

"I've dispensed with the lies, surely you can too. Mikami isn't an idiot, he would've tested the note before coming here today...unless of course you wrote that he wouldn't. You won after all Near, surely you're proud of how you did it?" As Light spoke his eyes darted from person to person gauging their reaction. The sideways glances directed towards the young genius made him confident, none of them were dumb enough to trust him unconditionally.

Near remained silent. Thoughts danced behind those young eyes, and Light felt smug, the boy had no clue what he was playing at. He reached for the book, and Light responded immediately. "Don't insult the intelligence of our companions, you destroyed the page as soon as you wrote it. It's exactly what I would have done." Light had to pace things perfectly. "If I had to guess, you wrote that he would kill himself, no one would think twice given the circumstances."

"Near would nev-" Rester interjected. Light could hear the lack of conviction in his voice. He sent a glare towards the detective, and was happy to see such a small gesture was enough to cut him off.

"Oh come on, Near is in this to win. He isn't like L; L believed in what he was doing, he believed in justice as much as me." Light wondered how well Near knew his predecessor. He knew the taskforce would buy his line easily, and if the SPK were anything like most agents they'd be quick to follow. Casually, he began to walk over to the wall as he spoke. He let out his best sigh of regret.

"Don't pretend you cared about L." Near seemed to be actually riled up a bit at that. "You plotted to kill him ever since you met him. Kira, you're a serial killer with a god complex, a deluded sociopath who thinks anyone with the audacity to defy him is worthy of death. You came here today hoping to kill every single one of us for that sin."

It took all of Light's willpower not to snap. He was at a disadvantage, he couldn't let the boy get into his head. "I didn't choose the name Kira, and I never called myself a god." His eyes glinted as sunlight filtered through the skylights. "Those titles were given to me by people across the world. You call me a serial killer, but I gave them justice. I gave the whole WORLD justice. If I hadn't done it, who would have? Who COULD have? Would anyone else have KEPT GOING?" Light let his eyes scan across the rest of the room. He wondered if he had pushed too hard too fast.

Hands were straying towards pistols. "You preach justice, but what about all the innocents you killed? What about justice for them, Kira?" Near treated the name like a curse. Light was getting to him, and he had walked right into his response.

False tears formed in the corners of his eyes, just enough. "Perhaps...you're right." The boy looked visibly shocked at Light's response. "Maybe I do deserve to die," He made sure his softened gaze passed over the others. If he could just convince the taskforce, he could still win. "but if I do...what will happen? You all saw what happened when the judgments ceased. War is a thing of the past, crime is all but eliminated, but if I stopped, everything we gained will be lost." His hand went to cover his eyes. "Sometimes I still see L, I dream we're still chained together and..." Light let himself trail off; choking up would've been too much.

Every second was counted, timing was everything. "I can't expect any of you to understand or condone what I have to do, but you don't have to." Light let his hand fall away and raised his eyes again. This was the moment. "Please, let me take my book and leave. Please, let me preserve what the world has become." He stretched out his hand in the most friendly gesture he could, and wondered if Near, or anyone else would notice the implication of his wording. The threat was ready to fall back on if his persuasion failed.

His reply came quickly. The SPK drew their weapons, and the taskforce was soon to follow. Some of them had red eyes, even tears, but none of them showed the slightest sign of budging. They had come this far, they knew what he had done, and no honeyed words from him Kira, the nightmare they had stalked for half a decade, could sway them.

The warm smile slipped away from Light's lips. Red rays of the sunset glinted off his eyes as his expression turned sour. The voice that came from him was quiet and laced with venom, the kind facade of Light Yagami completely worn away to show Kira beneath. "It's not like you have any choice." He hissed, and his lips shifted back into a smile unconsciously. "What will you do? Shoot me here?" He threw his hands to either side confidently. "You really should, but no, that's Kira's justice. You're too noble for that aren't you?"

He stared them down one by one. The mask was gone, now they could all see that glint, that flame burning in his eyes. "A trial? The governments of the world grovel at my feet already, none of those cowards would dare defy me; none of them would risk what would happen to them afterwards." Light grew louder as he continued speaking, his hidden confidence re-emerging. "And even if they did, the world won't accept it. I showed them what the world could be!" He spun around and struck the metal gate with his fist. "I never forced anyone to follow me, they did it because they knew I was right, do you really think that will stop if I'm in a cell, or in the ground?" Light clapped his hands together, using the distraction to twist his watch off. Four clicks, the sound completely drowned out by his speech. "Thousands, millions will keep fighting if I die." He craned his head back, pretending to fold his arms. The needle was wet with his blood. "Do you really think those who find the note afterwards will be as restrained as me?"

The words lingered in the air. Light finished unfolding the square of paper. "So, are you going to arrest me and watch the world burn, or," he held the pause as long as he could, "are you going to kill Near?" The sun shifted behind a cloud, sending a black shadow over Kira. He silently cursed the English alphabet, he didn't have enough room for all their names. Cautious glances went from one group to the other, the distrust was building. Kira knew none of them were going to be fooled, but that didn't matter as long as they didn't know that. "are shot." The cause of death was written. How many names could he fit. Near, he thought, whatever happened he wouldn't have the satisfaction of victory.

"Is it really that hard to decide Aizawa? What kind of world do you want your daughter to live in?" That traitor would get what he deserved. Matsuda too, he was an idiot but a good shot. Lidner, no Bullook, he couldn't forget the real names. Why couldn't they have shorter names? "What about you Gevanni? Surely someone as talented as you understands the reality of the situation." Last name he could fit, the rest was down to luck. He counted down the ticks of his clock, waiting. It would work, it had to work. Everything would go according to plan.

"Stop letting him mess with you." Near said, cold as ice. Ten. "You're bluffing about the notebook. If you had the real one you'd have written everyone's names that you knew before coming here today as insurance. You'd have done that if you even had so much as a page saved, ergo-"

Mikami yelled and grabbed for Lidner's gun. Multiple gunshots rang out in unison. Kira rushed for cover. Screams tore through the air, more gunshots, then even more. Ryuk laughed.

ooo

"Why weren't you armed yourself?" Light winced as a young nurse bandaged his shoulder. Rester had been faking and shot when he went to get the notebooks. Thankfully blood loss had ruined his aim by that point. Really it was the perfect injury to help sell Light's story when officers arrived in response to a call about gunfire.

"I..didn't think it would be necessary. It was just supposed to be a meeting on neutral ground to share information." The pang of regret and loss in his voice was well practiced. The conversation ended there like he had hoped. A detective walked over to him soon afterwards and spoke in a low whisper.

"We found an evidence bag on one of the taskforce members. It had been torn open. Was this evidence related to the case?" The inflection on the last words told light why he was whispering. Light nodded quietly. The officer hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry, but your investigation was disowned by the NPA. I'm...going to need whatever was in there."

Light pulled a battered notebook out of his jacked. It looked like it was once black, but it was hard to tell. The cover was ripped to shreds, as was the back. Bloodstains covered most of the writing, sticking the pages together. Light sighed, resigned as he handed it over. "It was some kind of log of the victims, it was all we had. There's no point anymore, the investigation is done." His head lowered, his hand wrapped his hand around his waist, fingers brushing the two concealed notebooks. "Kira wins."

THE END