A/N: Here's the next to the last chapter. I have to say I was never expecting this story to turn out as long as it has. It's really crazy! I didn't enjoy writing this chapter at all. The reason being because most of the dialog I had to copy straight from a fan translated manga. Because there was so much going on, I didn't get a chance to include L and B as much as I had originally wanted. L didn't really play a part at all other than just being around to witness and exchange words with B. So 80% of this chapter is nothing but a recap of what happened in the Death Note series (manga scenes and dialog lightly mixed with anime scenes and dialog). I can't stand copying dialog. I hate it with a passion! But here it is none the less. I'm not taking time to proof it tonight because it's after midnight, but it shouldn't be too bad. I know the next chapter will be a lot more fun to write !


"That's… supposed to be me?" L's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the mask that Near was wearing. "My eyes aren't that round, are they?"

An unlikely companion answered, though his voice was surprisingly serious and monotone. "You spent most of your life depriving yourself of sleep—keeping yourself wired on sugar and caffeine in an effort to make up for it. The mask depicts you perfectly." B smirked only slightly. "That's one of Near's custom made 'toys'. No doubt about it. I'm surprised he knows your face so well considering he claims he's never seen you in person."

It was the day of the final showdown between Kira and Near. With so much at stake, L and Beyond Birthday had decided to overlook their differences so as to avoid distractions from the upcoming show. Every living individual who knew anything of the Death Notes were present— Near, Kira, the SPK, and the task force members. The vacant warehouse was dead silent, save for the slow turn of an exhaust fan and the heavy breathing of very nervous taskforce members.

The shinigami, Ryuk, had only briefly acknowledged L and B's presence with a short coughing laugh. He knew that neither the reaper nor the water spirit would interfere with the show. They were both waiting—waiting on human ownership of the Death Notes to expire. Once that happened, Ryuk could expect a new battle to begin. Who would get the Death Notes— the reaper or the water sprite? Ryuk was bursting with curiosity. 'If Near wins, what will the two spiritual misfits do to get the notebooks away from him? If Light wins… then there's nothing else for me to see in the Kira drama. I'll write Light's name down in my own notebook. That way, I can move straight to the match between L and the reaper. This should be so interesting!'

L looked at Near's mask again before replying to B. "His claim is in fact a lie. Though I never introduced myself to him as L, I once played a game of Go with him while I was visiting Wammy's House on business. I'm sure he figured out who I was before the game ended. I would imagine the only reason he isn't sharing it with anyone is because he sees it as his memory and his alone." L shifted nervously and turned his attention back to B. "Though I can't be completely sure, I get this strange feeling that Near is staring at me through that mask— like he knows I'm here."

B shrugged and stretched out lazily. He wasn't hiding most of his body in darkness today. Instead, he was wearing an illusion of L's usual jeans and white t-shirt. His form had taken on the appearance of a burn victim, though he was perfectly capable of making himself appear completely healed. The scar tissue from his burns had meant something to him. Because of such, the look would more than likely become irreversible with time.

"You're spooked? A spirit is spooked by a living, breathing human?" B let out a quick laugh. "He certainly does resemble you, don't you think? I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't somehow related to you. Perhaps a cousin, uncle… half-brother…"

"Where are you going with this, B?"

"Surely you don't think a spirit as old as Lawliet only fathered one child. You're not that damn special! As far as I know, Lawliet dated all the way back to the Mesopotamian civilization. You're probably only the youngest of many. There's always a possibility Near is one of Lawliet's decedents. God knows, he has the features for it! Hell, Near could pass as your son— assuming you conceived him when you were 13 or 14! Did you kidnap one of the girls from the east building and experiment with her in that stupid little private room you had? Who was she? I bet I know her!"

Ignoring B's accusation, L studied Near hard, almost hoping he would take his mask off. "Near… can you hear me?" He waited for a response to his elemental tongue, but there was nothing. L repeated the question and waited. No reply came from Near, but Matsuda managed to break the silence of the warehouse. "I can't accept this! You freely accuse someone here of being Kira, and the sole person wearing a mask is you! How selfish can you be?"

"Matsuda, Near thinks that I'm Kira, so it can't be helped." Light Yagami remained calm in his response. In his mind, today was his big win. Today was the day he could fully claim his throne as God of the new world.

L's attention immediately focused on Kira. 'Today is the day, Light Yagami. Today is the day it all ends.'

Matsuda continued to whine about Near's mask. "But he himself is the one who shamelessly asked to meet us! Something about this just doesn't seem fair!"

"Near is doing this because he has his own way of thinking. If we sit here and complain about the mask, nothing will get done." Light was still calm, yet L knew him well enough to know that he was getting annoyed and overly eager.

"This mask…" Near chimed in, "is a precaution."

"A precaution?" Matsuda raised an eyebrow.

'Still stupid, I see.' L sighed to himself as he studied Matsuda. 'It's a good thing he has his heart to make up for it.'

Near offered his explanation. "I feel confident that Kira, and the one now judging under Kira's instructions, X-Kira, haven't seen my face. However, everyone else's faces ay have already been seen. Of course I think L is Kira… In other words, I worry because the time and place were decided as of three days ago. And that means everyone here, except myself, has the possibility that their names have already been written down and could therefore die at any moment."

Uneasiness filled the room. "My, what a smart boy he is." B grinned from ear to ear before returning to his 'serious' face.

L wasn't feeling so humorous. In fact, he was starting to lose himself in anger again. The mention of Light Yagami holding L's name, thus L being Kira had made him literally boil. It was taking every bit of self-restraint L had to keep himself from making his presence known. 'I can't… control it. I can't control my anger! I just can't… I just want him to die!'

B looked over at L and frowned. "I have to admit, I'm jealous. I was supposed to be the one who pushed you over the edge, not Kira." B's words went unheard by the struggling spirit beside him. In response, Beyond Birthday took his scythe and cut straight through L's left leg, causing him to lose his balance.

L looked up and glared at B, who in return resorted to resting his hands and chin on the handle of his scythe and pouting. "Hmph!"

Meanwhile the rest of the room (save for Ryuk) was completely oblivious to L and B's antics. Near was still speaking. "If that's the case, Kira and I will be the only ones left, with Kira free to write my name in the notebook that Mr. Aizawa now has. Although in accordance with my judgment, the Kira here now shouldn't be able to kill people with only their face. That's why, for one hour— no, for thirty minutes— I would like for you to allow me to see if anyone here is being manipulated and dies."

"W—what the hell? Wait to see if we don't die?" Matsuda was afraid— and with good reason.

"That should be fine, right?" Light said calmly, "We need to do whatever Near feels is necessary here. If not, he won't feel at ease. Near, I believe that you are indeed Near; but matters involving your face don't concern me at all. I'm more interested in what you said you wanted to show us regarding the Kira case, so please enlighten us."

Near began twirling his hair around his finger. "As for that — that is something I can't show you until I take off my mask."

"You can't show us what it is if you don't take off your mask, but you're not taking off your mask. Aren't you contradicting yourself?" Matsuda was making all of the outbursts today. L concluded Matsuda had been hanging around Aizawa for far too long.

Light once again tried to sooth Matsuda's nerves. "He means that once he confirms that everyone is safe, he will take off his mask and show us what it is, right?"

"Yes." Following Near's reply, all was silent for 30 minutes. Aside from the occasional cough or sneeze, no one made a sound. Even the spirits in the room were silent. The tension was high. Each member of the task force struggled to stand still, knowing that they could die at any second.

Not surprisingly, Matsuda was the one who broke the silence. "Near, it's been well over 30 minutes and nothing has happened."

"Of course that's the case, because Kira is not here among us." Light stated it smoothly and matter-of-factly.

Near was apparently satisfied with the amount of time that had gone by. "Alright, everyone seems to be okay. I'll take off my mask now." Without any hesitation, Near removed his mask and met eyes with Light Yagami— wearing a very L-like smile on his face.

"Sweet Hell… he really does look just like me…." L brought started biting his thumbnail nervously.

"You know…" B saw the nervous look on L's face. "There's always been a rumor around Wammy House that a certain genius had a little too much fun on his 14th birthday. A group of kids apparently put something fun in his drink during a Halloween party and it made him do… 'crazy' things. But I guess you wouldn't know— or remember— anything about that, would you?" B suddenly laughed hysterically at the dumbfounded look on L's face.

"Beyond Birthday, don't be ridiculous. Near is not my offspring. I think I would know if I experienced sexual pleasure at that—" L stopped after he realized he had said the exact same thing to Raine after their first sexual encounter (which of course, he couldn't remember). L glared at nothing in particular. "Near is not mine. Leave it at that, B."

If anything at all, B had managed to distract L from his anger. 'I can help you rebuild your walls. Perhaps then you'll be a worthy opponent again— and Kira will be completely out of the picture.'

"Well, there you have it! You took off your mask! Now what were you going to show us?" Matsuda apparently didn't work too well in the presented level of stress.

"Matsuda, don't be so pushy." Ide tried to calm him rather than Light this time.

"I'm sorry," said Near, "Please just wait a while longer."

"Wait again? What are we waiting for now?"

Near smiled. "For the one who will complete our circle to come. He'll definitely come and we are waiting for him. This building is a sealed room, and only by opening that door can one see inside. For sure… he'll come through that door— or at least try to peep in from it."

"Who are you saying is coming?"

"Generally speaking, no one except the people here now have been told about this place— which is why the one coming is the person working under Kira." Near held up his finger puppet of X-Kira. "X-Kira was told about this place by Kira himself. Mr. Aizawa, you always kept an eye on L, even after Takada's death, right?"

L balled his fists up as tightly as he could. "Stop calling him that."

"You mean calling Light Yagami 'L'?" B chimed in cheerfully. "Who would have thought that L and Kira are the same person. I, for one, thought—"

"That's enough." L was stern. "I've waited too long for this day. I don't want any more distractions. From this point on, I'm ignoring you."

B tried to look hurt. "Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine." B said it again.

"Fine."

"Whatever."

"Whatev—" L slowly turned his head toward B and gave him his version of a death stare.

B then smiled and waved. "Hi!"

Clearly frustrated, L forced his attention back to the Kira conversation. Aizawa had confirmed Near's question, leaving it open for Near to make his point. "In that case, there's no doubt he'll come. Kira was using Takada to contact X-Kira. On the night the time, date and place for this meeting were settled, L and Takada met. It was through him that L told X-Kira the date. However, neither I nor L were aware of Mello kidnapping Takada. With Takada's death, L lost his means to communicate with X-Kira. He could no longer send an 'abort coming' message. In fact, there would be no point to such a message. For each of our respective scenarios to play out, he couldn't afford changes."

"How can you possibly be sure that L is Kira?" Now Matsuda was saying it.

"Stop saying that." L almost growled.

Near went on to explain his theory and what he intended to do to prove it. The task force members scoffed at the idea of letting X-Kira write their names down while they stood by and waited to die. At one point, Aizawa went so far as to suggest that Near was actually Kira. Regardless of the accusation, Aizawa still agreed to do what Near said. Reluctantly, the others followed Aizawa's lead. Aizawa had always been L's favorite of the task force, second to Soichiro. Aizawa had highly disliked L, of course, but L expected it.

It didn't take much longer for Teru Mikami to show up. He opened the door just enough to peep though it. His eyes moved to every individual in the room, stopping on Light Yagami. The absence of a visible lifespan was all Mikami needed to confirm. "God!"

Almost immediately, Mikami began writing down the names of everyone in the room—save for Light Yagami— as the members of the task force tried to wait nervously. Matsuda was the one to crack. "T—this is bad you guys! If our names are really being written down at this very moment, then we needlessly—"

Matsuda pulled out his gun, only to have the SPK members pull out their guns as well. "Please don't move."

Matsuda was dumbfounded. "W—what kind of stupid…"

"It's okay. We won't die. Please, just stay where you are." Near sounded confident. It's fine. Even if your name is being written down, you won't die. And with this, the shadow over Kira will be unveiled."

"A-and how can… you say we won't die, Near?" Aizawa was trying his best to keep himself calm.

Near picked up his tiny notebook toy. "I modified the notebook. I replaced the pages when I was in direct contact with the notebook. The one outside now, the person judging for Kira, was writing precisely one page per day. Even if he writes our names, we won't die because I replaced the page set for today and thereafter."

L could see the gleam in Light's eye. He could see light was silently claiming his victory. Near had just explained his original plan, the plan he had put into play and counted on for victory. It was just like the game of Go he and L had played. All of Nears actions had been so clean, organized… and painfully predictable. Had Mello not have thrown in a single moment of chaos, Near's plan would have ended in everyone's death.

It had been such a close game. And still, even knowing what the result would be, L still couldn't bring himself to stop hating Light Yagami. Even if Light were to be brought to justice that day, it wouldn't be enough. Even if Light were to die right there… it still just wasn't what L needed to move on.

Light Yagami glanced at the door, fighting a smile of triumph. "Whoever's outside, are you done writing the names?"

"Yes, I am."

Near was coiling up for the strike. "Isn't it a little strange? Why does he answer your question 'Are you writing down the names' so honestly?"

Light answered cunningly. "Who knows? Maybe he's an honest guy or maybe he has some room to spare. Maybe your plot has been seen through…" Light raised his voice. "Teru Mikami, if you don't mind, would you come in please? Teru Mikami, right? Don't just hide there. Come inside."

Near chimed in. "Teru Mikami. I know you're taking over Kira's judgments now. If you wrote down the names, there's nothing to fear, is there? Please, come in. You at least want to join with Kira, don't you?"

With that, the door was pushed open. The crazed look in Mikami's eyes was the same look L had seen on Light at the cemetery. 'Teru Mikami. He was once on the path of the straight and narrow— just like Light Yagami. It just goes to show; even the most well-meaning people have a dark side. It's human nature. The true challenge is keeping it in check. But… once one lose themselves to it, is there anything left of the former? Anything at all?' It had been a question long nagging at L's mind.

Kira addressed his most loyal follower. "How long has it been since you wrote down the first person's name?"

"Three seconds left! 36, 37, 38, 39…"

It was then that L heard the words that he had so desperately wanted. He had worked so hard to pull a confession out of Light Yagami, but had died in vain. Now— NOW he could finally hear it. "Near, victory is mine."

Light Yagami enjoyed rubbing his opponent's face in their own defeat. He found the urge irresistible. It made the win worth even more. L knew this about Light's personality. Though he had not witnessed the deaths of Ray Penber and Naomi Misora, L was more than sure that Light had arrogantly used their own defeat as their final fatal blow. And even here, as Light was confident he had won, he had to make sure that Near knew he had been defeated. It wasn't enough that Near just die.

Even more satisfying than hearing Light's confession, a full minute passed with no deaths. An almost euphoric feeling overcame L as he studied the expression on Light's face.

"W—we… didn't die. One minute passed… and we didn't die." Matsuda and the others looked themselves over in disbelief.

"Which is why I said we wouldn't— many times over." Near's expression had not changed.

Mikami appeared to be in even bigger disbelief. "W—why? Why won't they die?" He looked to Light and addressed him. "G—God… I— I only did as you wished…"

Near gave the order. "Rester, Giovanni, detain Mikami." Within seconds, Mikami was being apprehended, his notebook falling to the floor. "Giovanni," commanded Near, "Hand me the notebook." "

Everyone, please confirm this with your own eyes." Near held up the notebook so everyone could see it. "The first four names are without a doubt the SPK members' real names. And.. the only one here without their name written down is Light Yagami. Mikami called you 'God' and said he did as you said. It's settled."

L beamed with pride. Had Light not been screaming "Trap, it's a trap!", the room's occupants may have just heard L's proud whisper. "Near… "

Light in the meantime, had completely lost his cool demeanor. "This is a trap! In order for Near to frame me, he devised a trap! Isn't it strange, writing the names in the notebook and not dying? That proves that this is a trap!"

"I told you that I modified it so we didn't die, didn't I? Near remained unshaken by Light's sudden outburst.

"N—no… you… you are— no… I can't believe it…" Light looked over at Mikami. "It's a trap! I don't even know that guy!"

Hearing those words from his savior cut through Mikami's heart like a sword. He hung his head down in defeat. "God."

"Light…" Aizawa had rested his hand on Light's shoulder. "It's already too late. Near won. You just said 'victory is mine'. How much more of a confession do we need?"

Mogi walked over to Light and took his wrist to cuff it. "S—stop it!" Light jerked away and stumbled to the right side of the room.

B started to laugh, while L looked on. "What will you do now, Light Yagami? What will you do?"

"Light Yagami… L… Kira… you lose." Near was moving in to claim his win. "Just now, you proclaimed victory. Granted… originally you had won and I had lost. You had Mikami using a fake notebook all this time. All along, showing it to us as the real thing. You read as far as 'my altering the notebook so even if my name were written I wouldn't die' and proceeded forward. We successfully did just as you predicted and altered the fake notebook. Secretly changing the pages of the notebook so that we wouldn't die even if our names were written, and then taking that as evidence… that was my original plan. And making us purposely take that plan… having the notebook I altered be a fake, then having Mikami use the real notebook to kill everyone— that was your plan."

"When said in the beginning I had altered the notebook, it applied to the real one as well. In other words, the real notebook and the fake one have both been altered. The fake one had just a part of it altered while the real one was replaced entirely." Near suddenly pulled another notebook out of his jacket. "This is the real notebook. Giovanni made the fake one for us in one night. Whether or not we would make it in time for the switch was the key."

Light was speechless, so Near continued. "Because I've touched the real notebook, I've been able to see the shinigami ever since you guys walked in here. Shinigami, it's nice to meet you. I'm Near."

It wasn't hard to see that Ryuk was enjoying the whole scene immensely. "It's nice to meet you too! I'm Ryuk!"

"Ryuk…" Near replied, "I believed up until today that shinigamis were skull faced and carried a scythe."

"Well, there are those kinds too." Ryuk laughed his smoker's cough of a chuckle.

"Hey, that's me! He's talking about me!" B chimed in happily, despite the fact he couldn't be heard. He looked at L and smiled. "I can make my face look like a skeleton's, you know. Here, watch this!"

L refused to look at B's transformation. Instead he continued to focus on Light and sighed. "You can't make anything enjoyable can you, B?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" B sounded hurt.

L ignored B, instead choosing to listen to Near's question to Ryuk. "If you look closely at this notebook, there are traces of a number of pages being ripped out. Does that mean that if someone's name were written on those ripped out pages, they would die?"

"Yeah," replied Ryuk nonchalantly, "They'd die."

"Ripped pieces can be used as well… I wonder just how many people you killed, and how many times you fooled us by this means, Light Yagami?" Near pointed at Light with an accusing finger. "Light Yagami, you are Kira."

It all made sense now. 'So Light used a hidden piece of the Death Note to kill Higuchi. That I'm now certain of. It worries me though. If Light Yagami can use torn pieces to kill people, then he could very well have a piece in his possession now. That means he could still win.' L frowned. 'I'll have to watch him carefully. If he tries to use a piece, I'll have to intervene— regardless of the consequences.'

Light Yagami was no doubt backed in a corner, trying get his thoughts together. He began to question a betrayal on Mikami's part; yet Near interrupted the thought, leaving Light to wonder if Near was telepathic. "You're wrong. It was all thanks to Mello. Knowing you, that's all you'll need to put two and two together."

L watched Light intently as Near explained how Mello had made Near's win possible with Takeda's kidnapping. Mello had sacrificed everything to bring Kira down. He was without a doubt, the other half of L's legacy. L had not had the chance to be with Mello on the day he died. He managed to hold on to a small shard of hope that perhaps Mello had managed to escape his body though the use of solar energy.

L forced his concern to the back of his mind and focused again on Light as he listened to Near, who was still explaining how Mello had changed the outcome of everything. "It's probably true that he believed he would get ahead of me with his actions. But Mello's actions were not just that. Even if Mello couldn't surpass me…"

Near paused, and then repeated himself. "Couldn't surpass me… Mello was always trying to be number one and said that surpassing me meant surpassing L. But he knew… he knew that I could never surpass L. Perhaps I lacked dynamics, while Mello lacked composure. In other words, by ourselves, there was no way either of us could ever hope to surpass L. But together…" Near held up the finger puppets of himself and Mello, followed by L. "Together we are as able as L! Together we can surpass L! And now… the Kira who L was not able to bring up any evidence against, the Kira L lost too… We have concrete evidence on!"

L looked slightly depressed by Near's words, though he knew them to be true. "Ouch." It was all he could say.

Near glared at Light. "If you can talk your way out of this, by all means please do."

It was at moment that the monster that had taken over Light Yagami fully emerged with its madness. Kira erupted into a mad cackle— one that made even Beyond Birthday cringe. "Wow. He really is a crazy bastard, isn't he? No wonder you're so in love with him."

L quickly cut his eyes in annoyance at B. "In love, am I?"

Kira's mad laughter echoed throughout the room, lasting for what seemed like a lifetime. Once he finally gained his composure, the words L had been dying to hear were finally delivered. "That's right. I am Kira."

The attention was all on Light. It was his moment and his alone, despite the fact he had just given both Near and L a reason to wear a smile— while the members of the task force stood gaping in shock. Kira's smile was even bigger. " In that case, what will you do? Kill me here? Listen, I am Kira, and also… God of the new world. Are you going to kill me? Is that really okay? Catching Kira in the past may well have been justice; however, it is now clearly a crime. The peoples' will has changed. Or is it just that you want the personal satisfaction of catching Kira? It's been six years since Kira's first appearance. War no longer exists. All brutal crimes have nearly died, and worldwide crime has been reduced by 70%. However, the world is still despicable. There are too many rotten people. Therefore, the world must be rid of them. "

Light ended up delivering a sermon of what made Kira true justice. He ended it with "Think about it. Do you want to return to a rotten world? Do you want to take back the changing thoughts of the people? Even you should understand. There are people in this world that we would clearly be better off without. If it's justifiable to kill harmful pests, then why is it wrong if I kill harmful people? Is it really best to destroy Kira here? Would it really be beneficial to the world? Isn't it only serving to satisfy yourself— for the sake of your own ego? If it's just to avenge L… that in itself is the stupidest course of action. The person you see before your eyes may be Kira, but also the God of the new world!"

"No…" said Near coldly, "You are just a murderer. And this notebook is the deadliest killing device in all of history. If you were a normal person, if you had used this notebook just once and seen the extent of its power, you would have been horrified by what could be brought about with it. You would have feared it, and regretted what you had done. You never would have used it a second time. You lost yourself to the shinigami and the power of the death note, mistakenly thinking you could become God, but in reality, you're just a crazy mass murder. That's all you are… nothing else."

Light Yagami glared at Near hard. "Near…You're the one that's mistaken. I am already justice."

"That may be so. What is right from wrong? What is good from evil? Nobody can truly distinguish between them— even if there is a God. Now suppose a God and his word in fact existed— even then, I'd stop and think for myself. I'd decide for myself whether his teachings were right or wrong. Afterall, I am just the same as you. I put faith in my own convictions as to what I believe is right and consider them to be righteous. You are most certainly no 'God' for one— and having you tell people how to live their lives, and how to act accordingly is neither peace nor justice as far as I'm concerned. And what about what the others think? What do they believe to be right? What do they feel is true justice?"

The looks on the other's faces told Kira everything. Desperate, he developed a ploy about the possibility of the notebook Aizawa was carrying being a fake. He turned around as he was talking, and quickly clicked his watch open. Both L and an SPK member screamed at the same time. "There's a piece set in his watch!"

Surprisingly, Matsuda's quick draw and shooting was faster than L. The bullet struck Light's hand before L could. Light groaned and slumped over in pain as L turned to Matsuda. "Matsuda…"

Seconds later, Light was screaming. "Matsuda, you idiot! Who do you think you're shooting? Don't fuck with me!"

"You're father? What did your father die for?" Matsuda kept his finger on the trigger.

Kira's answer was a cold one— one that he used as a last effort to buy him time. Quickly, he began finishing Near's name by writing with his own blood.

"He's using his blood!"

The scream was quickly phased out with the sound of more gunshots. AS Light fell to the ground, Matuda rushed up to him with his gun in a mad rage. "I've got to kill him! He has to die!"

"Stop it, Matsuda!"

"You've got to calm down!"

Aizawa and Mogi pulled Matsuda back, causing his final bullet to hit the floor directly beside Light's head.

"Mikami, write their names! Where's Misa? Where's Takada? Someone… kill them all!" Light's calls went unanswered. Even Teru Mikami was helpless. L was watching the entire scene intently. His emotions were many on both ends of the spectrum—yet the overall tragedy of it all seemed to be taking away his hatred. He found that he no longer felt anger, but rather a numbing feeling in the core of his sole.

B had enjoyed the whole show beyond words. "It's about to get even better, L! See Mikami over there? His halved lifespan is about to expire! I might not have any obligation to take his soul since he used the death note, but that doesn't mean I can't still have a little fun!" B quickly made his way over to Mikami and whispered something in his ear before quickly running his hand over his shoulder. As soon as B released his shoulder, Mikami took his pen and stabbed himself, leaving B in his usual mad fit of laughter as Mikami's blood started pouring out.

L shook his head at B and sighed. "This is very quickly turning into a twisted circus."

From the corner of his vision, L caught sight of Light pulling himself out the door. Mikami was serving as the perfect distraction for Light's escape. "Light? Light!" L followed Light out the door. There was still time— time to forgive and move on, but that time was very quickly running out. What was worse… L still wasn't completely sure he could do it.


Until next time...