Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I intended to do at least one a weekend now that school is back in session, but I ended up being kind of busy this weekend. So here is the chapter now. Oh, and I still don't own Death Note.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! Now please enjoy your future presentation.

OOO

"My lawyer?" Light repeated dumbly.

"Yes, Daddy. I want to be your lawyer," Rem told him as though there were absolutely nothing strange about the request.

"You're four. I'm not sure that anyone will except you as a viable defense attorney," he said, trying not to offend the child.

"Think about it, Dad. The people creating this new court all want you dead. Are they really going to say no if you make a decision that seems destined for failure," Hikari pointed out.

"If it's destined to fail, why should I go along with it?"

"Because Rem is brilliant, but no one else knows that yet. Besides, what the hell do you have to lose? You already seem pretty convinced you're going to die."

Light had no response to this. The boy was right; he had hit rock bottom. He couldn't possibly make a decision that would put him in a worse position. Yet, he still hesitated, if not for his sake than for the sake of his children. If Rem were to fail, as he was sure she would, she might blame herself for his death. He couldn't do that to her.

Seeing Light's hesitation, Hikari made one last pitch, "Think about it, Dad. Grandpa can argue that you shouldn't see your children because it's bad for us. But no one can deny you your legal council. You can ask for that whenever you want."

That did it; Hikari could tell immediately. Light sat up straighter and his eyes grew brighter. His decision was clear before he answered.

"When you put that way, I don't see how I can say no. I'll take any chance I can get to see you two. Especially since my days are numbered…"

"They are not, Daddy. Just inform those in charge that you have chosen someone to represent you, and you will have nothing to worry about," Rem told him gently, turning around in his lap so she could see him better.

"Rem, I want you to understand right now that if we lose, it's not your fault. I am being tried for one of history's most heinous crimes. It would take a miracle to save me. Promise me you won't blame yourself," Light said, as he looked his small daughter directly in the eyes.

"I will promise you that, if you promise to follow my plan precisely," She responded holding out her pinky very solemnly. Thankful for his well-honed acting skills, Light locked pinkies with his daughter without portraying any amusement on his face.

"What exactly is the plan, Rem-chan," He asked.

"It is really very simple," She told him, "We're going to tell the truth."

"The truth… How is that a plan?" Light questioned, trying his best to understand.

"I have it all thought through. Just trust me, Daddy. All you have to do is tell the truth, no more secrets."

OOO

"This is really getting fun," Ryuk said, "I think it might end up being even more fun than when you were killing people."

"I'm glad you're sufficiently amused," Light replied in a bored tone. He was stretched out on the uncomfortable bed in his cell and was staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, this is a lot better than the last time you were locked up. I have people to go visit now, people who can give me apples. But I really can't wait to see what happens when the TV stations learn about your choice. I mean, they shoulda announced it by now, but they haven't. They just keep talking about boring junk, like how the court is gonna work."

"Than why is this more fun that last time?" Light asked, moving slightly to look at the shinigami.

"Well, I guess it's not fun just yet, but it might be. If the shouting at you're parents house is a good representation of what's going to happen. Things should heat up."

"Is it really that bad? I thought things would cool off eventually. Unless…" Light paused for a moment and sat up nervously, "Someone who's dealing with the legal proceedings already told my dad about Rem."

"Oh, yeah. I thought I told you about that. He got a call at the house this morning and then started trying to talk to your kids about it. I left around then, since I figured he would definitely be showing up here eventua-"

The door of the cell swung opened to reveal Soichiro who was practically seething where he stood. Light stared at his father in shock; it was the first time they'd seen one another since his arrest.

"Maybe I should have mentioned that before…" Ryuk mumbled, and faded through the wall before any attention could be turned on him.

"Light, how could you do this? It's absolutely insane. Do you know what sort of pressure you are putting on your children? Reconsider this. They haven't brought it to the attention of the court yet; you can still change your mind."

"It's been three days since I made my decision. What are they waiting for?" Light asked angrily. It seemed best to return his father's fury with his own; he had no idea how else to react.

"I believe they were trying to decide whether you were being serious, and whether it would be best to have someone reason with you," Soichiro said, trying his best to remain calm.

"I'm not changing my mind, Dad. It's the only way they can easily visit me. And besides, when I really think about it, they're the best chance I've got," Light felt his anger subside quickly, and he sat on the bed with his head in his hands. He was just so tired of all the emotions; the drama with his father just seemed unnecessary.

"Light, they're only children. It's going to be difficult enough for them to live all this down, without them getting involved. It's best if they simply try to be normal kids," Soichiro said. He went and sat down next to his son. The emotional exhaustion was mutual.

"Dad, they're not normal. You can't just send them off to school and tell them to fit in. Rem, has trouble enough with that anyway," Light lifted his head, and for the first time, met his father's eyes. "I was worried about it too, but the more I think about it, the more I think I made the right decision. Rem isn't the kind to dwell on guilt or self-blame, but I think she needs this chance to prove herself. She's brilliant, Dad, more so than I'll ever be. I used to be so bored; I can only imagine it's worse for her. This is the best chance she has to use her mind to its fullest."

"You're mother and I always thought it was best for you to be with children your own age. We were worried that if we so much as let you skip a grade you would have some sort of social problems," Soichiro said staring at the floor.

"Considering the whole sociopath thing, I don't think that worked out to well," Light observed his father, and saw the older man's face grow suddenly guilty. "I was just joking, Dad. You and Mom are great parents; you don't need to blame yourself for anything."

There was an awkward silence. Light stared at his shoes and rubbed his hands together nervously. Soichiro watched Light, who was so clearly miserable and guilt ridden that the older man temporarily lost his better judgment.

"If I'm such a great parent than why won't you take my advice about your kids?" Soichiro asked, giving his son a small smile. Light stared at his father in shock for a moment as it became clear that he had just made a joke.

"Because it's my turn to worry about every little decision I make, and blame myself for all their little problems, whether they have anything to do with me or not," Light said, returning the smile. Soichiro's expression softened further before growing suddenly harder. He stood up quickly and went towards the door.

"I suppose you're staying with you're decision than. I can't persuade you otherwise." Light watched with some confusion as his father stalled in the doorway. He turned towards his son and said rather sadly, "I haven't forgiven you yet, Light."

"I know, Dad."

The two men looked at one another, and found themselves incapable of expressing precisely what they were feeling. Soichiro turned and left, locking his son in behind him.

OOO

"Mom, why don't you let me do that?" Sayu went over to her mother who was standing in the middle of the floor clutching a broom and not moving. Sayu glanced at the floor only to discover that it was spotless, so she simply took the broom and put it away. "Sit down, Mom. I'll make you some coffee."

"Thank you, Dear. I suppose I've cleaned the house as much as I possibly can," Sachiko did as her daughter asked and sat at the table. She sat and listened to the sounds of Sayu fussing with the coffee pot, before suddenly bursting into tears.

"Oh, Mom. It's all right. We'll be all right. Please, just don't cry," Sayu rushed over with a box of tissues and handed them to her mother. She hugged her tightly, and mumbled words of comfort.

"I don't know what I'm crying for anymore. I don't know if I'm sad because I failed as a mother, or because I feel guilty for all those poor souls he killed, or simply because I don't want my son to die. I fear your father has given up on him, but I just can't," Sachiko sobbed deeply before continuing, "Perhaps it's for the children. The poor little things didn't do anything to deserve this. Maybe it's for you Dear. You've lost you're job over this, haven't you?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Mom. Nate's still getting money for detective work; after all no one knows who he is. My family is fine. Besides I'm glad I have the time to be here with you," Sayu leaned back and gave her mother a melancholy smile. They were distracted by a sudden knock on the door and Sayu stood up to go get it.

"Be careful. It may be more of those horrible news men or paparazzi."

"I know, Mom." She walked to the door and opened it slightly. On the front porch she found Mello with Izador clinging to his leg. She stared at him in surprise, before calling for Near.

"I'm not here to talk to him. We just got a call from-"

"From L?" Sayu asked excitedly, leaning forward.

"No. He's still out of contact," Mello was seized by a quiet anger, that didn't disappear until Near made his way to the front door.

"What are you doing here, Mello?" He asked shortly.

"I got a call from, Hikari and Rem. They wanted Izador to come over. So here he is," Mello pushed the little boy forward. He smiled joyously up at them, and held out a thin case.

"I'm going to show Rem my new laptop!" he announced, and then he marched by to go find his friend.

"What the hell are they up to? They pulled Chiro aside earlier, and they've all been together ever since," Sayu said wrinkling her brow.

"Well, Near said they've been plotting stuff for awhile now. This is probably just the same thing," Mello offered, sounding mildly disinterested.

"Oh, no. We found out what that was. I suppose I forgot to tell you," Near answered.

"You would forget," Mello mumbled. He glared at the white haired man before growling, "Well, tell me already."

"Rem is going to be Light's lawyer," Near said, as though it were very commonplace.

"Wait. What!?"

"That's what I said," Sayu commented. "They visit Light a couple days ago and this morning we got a call from the NPA. Apparently, Hikari and Rem asked it they could be his defense and he agreed."

"He's lost it," Mello said, but he suddenly seemed more concerned by something else, "Wait, then what the hell are they using are kids for?"

OOO

"Finally!" Izador walked into Hikari's room only to be greeted by a frustrated Chiro, "They called me up here hours ago, but they wouldn't talk until you got here!"

Chiro was sitting on the floor facing his cousins who sat on Hikari's unmade bed. Everything else in the room had a neat, unlived in, feeling to it. It was Light's old room, and it had barely been touched since he'd moved out.

"Welcome, Izador. Take a seat," Hikari gestured to the floor. "We have some important business to discuss."

Izzy hadn't been expecting a meeting, so he was silent as he sat on the floor. He did, however, wave to Rem and mouth 'hello'. Gently, he places his new laptop on the floor in front of him, before returning his attention to the two siblings.

"Alright guys now that you're both here, I'd like to ask your help in saving our dad," Hikari began.

"Rem is going to be a lawyer?" Chiro told Izador.

"Really?" Izzy asked. Rem nodded. "I've got some games where you get to be a lawyer. You can borrow 'em if you need to practice."

"I think I'll be alright, thank you," Rem told him.

"Listen guys. I need you to focus, because this is really important." Chiro put down his action figure and Izzy stopped grinning at Rem. "What we're trying to do is damn near impossible." The little boys laughed at the word damn. "FOCUS. Rem is going to be bringing our father into court with the full intention of telling only the truth. If this were a regular court than this would cause serious trouble. As you guys know, however, this is a brand new court system. Once Rem is announced as Kira's defense, she should have some say in how it works."

"Our plan is to argue that assembling a jury that accurately represents the make up of all Kira's victims would be completely impossible. Instead, I am going to suggest that the proceedings be televised, and that people all over the world get to vote," Rem told them. The little boys balked.

"That'd be real expensive!" Chiro shouted.

"Yeah. And most people don't like Kira!" Izzy added.

"Those facts are both true," Rem conceded. "However, trying to make the court fair to all countries is causing tension all over the world. We are positive that the UN's member nations would rather front money than have this erupt into a world war. As to all those people who hate my father, I am convinced that the truth will change their minds. The influence of the death note is immense, and I am sure that my father will come across as remarkably reformed. We will have the people vote as to what punishment he should receive. I am sure they will let him off, and if he is let off, Misa-san will be as well."

"I'm not nearly as convinced as she is that people will be reasonable and listen to the truth. So I've decided to leave the court to her and set up a little PR team," Hikari said.

"Is that gonna be us?" Chiro asked. Hikari nodded.

"I've already decided that I am going to talk to all the news people who harass us. If I can come off as somewhat likeable, but a little angry as well, I might be able to whip up some support in our favor. If I seem like a generally good kid with some issues, we could get some pity votes. Chiro-chan, I want you to cry. I was going to give this job to Marius, but he's not on our side. Whenever, you're with you're mom and news people bother you. Just cry and say you miss your uncle, got it?"

"I can do that," Chiro said happily.

"Izzy, you're job might just be the most important. You have a blog, right?"

Izador enthusiastically whipped out his laptop and went to his webpage. He turned the computer around so that everyone else could see. The website was an impressive one designed and used by Matt for his internet high jinks. He bequeathed to his son, a small corner of the site for his blog. The four year old manned it proudly.

"You know all that stuff you were asked not to put online? All the videos and pictures of get togethers involving my family? I want you to put them on your site. Talk about our family and how we get along. Just blur Father's face, and call it a day. In keeping with Rem's ideas I want complete honesty. You do this, kid, and your website will be more frequented than Google."

Izador's eyes got huge. "You really think so?"

"I know so!" Hikari smiled at the two boys, and then at his sister. "If we do all this I think we might actually have a fighting chance."

Their future accomplishments seemed so close, that the hope within the room grew palpable. They grinned at one another, reveling in their secret plot. Suddenly a shout from Sayu downstairs interrupted their meeting.

"Damn it the house is one the news again!"

Wordlessly Hikari turned on the television, only to see the very house he was sitting in. At the bottom of the screen the caption read, "Kira's Infant Lawyer". The news had broken, and there was no going back now.

OOO

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things should really start moving with the trial soon enough. Enter the Prosecutor next chapter.