Jay's POV

It was already raining when I sat up in bed that morning, fully clothed.

Hang on…How did I get up here? The last thing I remember is staying up late downstairs…Did someone carry me up? Shrugging, I yawned loudly, stretching as I stood.

After changing, I stood silently at the window, watching the rain fall down past the building. I didn't allow myself to think, or to feel. I simply watched, allowing the emotions to drain out of me.

"I find that worrying about something will not change the situation; only actions can do that."

L's words from the previous day played over and over again in my mind. True to his word, he had supplied the strawberries for my cupcakes, which now sat in the refrigerator downstairs. Once I had gotten around to finishing them, they had been a huge success. Everybody had eaten at least two, even Watari. Ryuzaki, of course, had eaten the most out of everyone, devouring no fewer than five of my creations (not including the cupcake he had snatched before the freezer incident).

I heard someone open the door behind me. I didn't turn around, keeping my eyes on the darkening sky outside.

"Jay?" You all right? Olivia's mind-voice was filled with concern as she walked up behind me. I turned to face her, a blank expression on my face.

"Hey, Olivia."

"I was wondering when you'd get up."

"Yeah…I was up late last night…" I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. "What time is it?"

"It's almost four."

"That late, already?" I blinked in surprise.

"Yeah…" Ryuzaki's already up on the roof.

Okay…Did you tell Abo about our plan?

Yeah…He says he'll be ready if we…if anything goes wrong.

Right, then…

Without warning, Olivia stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back, my eyes prickling.

You ready for this?

Yeah. You?

Yeah. Let's go kick some Kira butt.

Definitely.

As we opened the door, I stopped, turning back to give the room one last glance. My eyes rested on the small, white refrigerator tucked next to the counter. I hesitated only a second before stooping to open it, swiping a can of root beer from one of the shelves and sliding it into my pocket. Olivia raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment as I stepped past her into the hallway.

As we stepped out of the elevator into main H.Q., my anxiety began to rear its ugly head. I quickly forced it away, trying to clear my mind. The four former police officers were all crowded around a single computer, talking amongst themselves. Rem was standing off to the side, and, as usual, gave Olivia and me a long, intense stare as we came into the room. Matsuda looked up as we approached.

"Oh, hey! You're up, Jay-chan! I was wondering when you'd get down here," Matsuda grinned. I forced a smile on my face.

"Yeah…" I yawned, blinking my eyes sleepily. Slipping the can of root beer out of my pocket, I popped the tab, taking a long draught of the soda. After a few moments, I felt the caffeine begin to take hold; some of my weariness vanished.

"I cannot believe this!" Aizawa slammed his hand down roughly on the countertop, making me jump and almost drop my can of root beer.

"What's the matter, Aizawa?" Matsuda turned back to the others, his voice confused.

"It's Ryuzaki! He's gotten permission from another country to use the Death Note!"

"What? Why would he do such a thing?" Mr. Yagami ground his teeth with frustration. "How could he go ahead and make plans like this without telling us anything? I thought we were supposed to be working together on this case!"

"Perhaps you should discuss this with Ryuzaki himself," Watari sighed through the computer's speaker, his voice obviously weary. "I will call him down."

Here we go, I thought at Olivia.

Now, all we have to do is wait.

You remember what you have to do, right?

How could I forget it?

Right…Remember, as soon as I've finished dealing with Rem, I'll come in and help you if you need it, okay?

Jay, we've gone over this a million times…

I know…last minute jitters…

We'll be fine. We'll be fine, Olivia repeated, sounding anxious herself.

The elevator doors slid open. Light and L stepped out into the room, their hair still dripping from the rain, although their clothes were dry.

It happened in an instant. Ryuzaki lifted his head from his usual hunch, peering out at me from behind his dark bangs. As soon as our eyes met, I felt myself freeze. I forgot to breathe; my muscles were locked into place. I tightened my grip on the root beer can, fearing that I would drop it as I felt my hands tremble. The sheer intensity of L's gaze was incredible; it was as though a curtain behind his eyes had been pulled back, revealing all of his emotions at once. I saw determination, anger, sadness, fear, passion…

Something's changed, I realized. Something about him is different…What is it?

Without warning, the curtains swiftly closed, masking his emotions once more. The moment passed. L tore his gaze from mine, continuing to walk farther into the room. The whole encounter had taken less than a second; I hadn't even had time to show a reaction on my face before it had ended.

What…the heck…was that?

As I puzzled over what had occurred, everybody turned to face the detective. "Ryuzaki! What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Yagami stepped forward, his tone accusatory.

"You've somehow gotten approval from another country to use the notebook… for an execution?"

"Watari, thank you for your excellent work," L muttered to Watari through the computer, crouching on top of his usual chair. "Now, please make all of the necessary arrangements needed for the notebook to be transferred safely."

"Of course," Watari replied, switching off the microphone.

"Ryuzaki, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to test the notebook," L stated matter-of-factly.

"What? We can't do that," Aizawa burst out. "We already know what the notebook can do; why do we need to try it out?"

"And, besides, who's going to write the name?" Matsuda began to sweat. "If somebody writes a name in that notebook, then they'll have to keep on writing names forever! Don't you remember that Thirteen Day Rule inside the cover? If someone writes a name down, they'll have to write another name within thirteen days, or they'll die!"

"I am aware of that," L replied, taking the spoon out of his tea and fiddling with it, tapping the metal against the pages of the Death Note. "The person who writes the name will be a criminal, scheduled for execution in just over thirteen days. If the criminal is still alive thirteen days after writing the name, then he'll be pardoned."

"But, still…to sacrifice a human life, like that-" Mr. Yagami's protest was cut off.

"We're very close!" Ryuzaki's voice was filled with emotion. "If we can just manage to do this, then the entire case will be solved!"

That's the line…I snuck a look over my shoulder, just in time to see Rem disappearing through the wall behind me. I immediately headed towards the door at the back of the room, heart pounding franticly. Behind me, I heard the other members of the task force continue to argue, their voices angry.

Olivia, I'm going!

Okay…Jay?

Yeah?

Good luck.

…You too.

I flung the door open, stepping into the hallway beyond. Before I closed the door behind me, I took one last look at the room. My eyes focused on each person in turn; Aizawa… Mogi… Matsuda… Mr. Yagami… Light… Olivia… L. I bit my lip, sadness tightening its grip on my throat.

Olivia…If I fail…

You won't fail.

But if I do…just tell them…

Jay!

Tell them that… I tried.

I will. And, with that, I turned away from the task force, closing the door behind me. As I quickly stepped down the cold, empty corridor, I felt completely alone. My footsteps echoed softly up and down the hall, though the noise was mostly drowned out by my pumping heart. I held the root beer loosely at my side, holding onto the can with my fingertips. The liquid inside rhythmically sloshed against the sides of the can with every step I took. Fighting the fear and anxiety threatening to consume me from within, I wrenched my eyes closed, continuing to walk. I can't afford to be distracted by my emotions right now! I've only got one chance at this, and I can't mess it up.

Taking another gulp of root beer, I repeated a mantra to myself in my head.

Only actions can change things…only actions can change things…

All too soon, I stood outside the door to Room Twenty-five. Taking a last steadying breath, I reached out for the handle, turning it beneath my hand. As the door swung inward, the lights flickered off, turning my world into a sea of blackness.

Here it goes…

Olivia's POV

Tell them that…I tried.

I will, I promised her, my voice ringing with sincerity. Jay closed the door behind her to follow Rem, her face lined by pain and fear.

Oh, god…I hope she'll be all right…The gravity of the situation was slowly starting to sink in; I was only now beginning to feel the anxiety that Jay had been feeling for days.

My hands were clammy as I turned back to face the task force, slowly stepping forward to stand with the others. Nobody looked up as I approached; they were too involved with the discussion taking place. Moving into position behind Light, I waited, my teeth grit in anticipation.

"Look, I'm telling you, we can't-" Aizawa's rant was cut off as an enormous boom shook the whole building. The lights promptly snapped off, shrouding the room in darkness. I felt a shudder of foreboding crawl up my spine, my heart fluttering inside my chest.

"What the-?"

"What happened?"

"The power's gone out. It must have been a lightning strike from the storm…" L mused.

Okay, here we go…

Author's Note: Aaaahhh! It's so intense! The suspense is killing me! And I already know what's going to happen! What's up with that?

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