Ukita always dies in the end. . .

They had been sitting for almost an hour when his father returned. Light stood quickly as his father entered the room, face blank. "Father." The Death Note never fails.

His father looked at him, eyes sad and distant. "Dad," Light repeated. "You don't know what's going on. . . but I think that if you did, you would understand what I'm doing." his father watched him, looking as if his world had shattered.

Light reached his hand out. "Dad,"

His father looked at him, sighed, and reached for the briefcase. He spun open the combination, and let the lid fall open.

It was empty.

"Dad?" Light asked. "Where's the Death Note?"

"You said that I would understand what you were doing," his father said, voice shattered with pain. "But I don't, Light. I don't understand how you could do this. I don't understand how you would be able to do all of this without feeling any remorse."

There was the sound of many footsteps, and the Task Force members appeared on the second floor balconies, aiming their guns at Light and Misa. Shoko Maki ran out from behind a column and grabbed Misa, pinning her to the ground.

"Light!" the girl screamed. "Help!"

"I'm sorry, Light-Kun," Light's head whipped to the stairs, and he paled. L sat on the handrail, holding up the missing Death Note.

His lip quivered. "How – you're dead! What's going on?" he demanded.

"We saw everything, Light," his father said, sadness mixing with the anger in his voice. "We saw what you tried to do."

"But. . . but it didn't work!" Light protested stepping back. "How – " he sucked in a deep breath, furious. "Misa!" he roared. "You betrayed me!"

"What?" she screeched, eyes wide. She tugged at Maki's arms, but she held her firm. "I would never do that – I love you!" Maki winced.

"Then how – " he stepped back, and there was the sound of four safety triggers being pulled. A sudden realization hit him. "You tricked me! You switched Misa's notebook!"

"An eye for an eye, my friend," L slid down the banister, eyes cold. He hopped off the banister and walked to face Light. "Light Yagami. . . you are Kira."

Light glared at him. You bastard. "How are you alive?" he demanded. "You died! I saw you!"

"You saw what I let you see," L hopped up onto one of the chairs in the lobby and held up the notebook. "This, Light Yagami," he flipped the notebook open to a blank page, where a single name and a line of English words were written. "Is my real name, which you had been searching for for so long." he smiled grimly. "I had almost forgotten it, until Rem spoke to me last night – she's dead now, isn't she? I would assume that you would have found a way to cover your tracks."

Light stared at the page. L. Lawliet will die peacefully of heart failure in 23 days.

"L. Lawliet," he said, voice quivering. "L. Lawliet."

"You cannot change what has already been written," L said, closing the notebook and tucking it behind him. "I gathered this much after I spoke with the Shinigami – my life is a small price to pay for the peace of the world." Light grit his teeth.

He stood, shaking, in the middle of the room. I'm finished! he thought. He's figured it out, and he's alive! I've found his name, but I can't kill him! He felt like tearing his hair out and screaming. Instead, he laughed.

Quietly at first, then louder and louder. He could see everybody tense up, hold the guns a bit tighter. When he had at last calmed down enough to form coherent words, he took a deep breath and said, "That's right. . . I am Kira."

The Task Force members all stiffened their muscles, aiming their guns directly at his head and chest. He laughed again and saw everybody tense. "So, what are you going to do? Kill me?" he turned away from L, walking leisurely towards the other end of the room. "Kira has become law in the world in which we live," he said, casually brining his right arm forwards. "Organized crime is in shambles, wars have stopped, and even petty criminals shudder in fear at my name." he reached for his watch, slow enough not to catch their attention. "I am justice."

"No," L's voice rang out, and Light whirled around to see the spidery insomniac sitting in his seat. His father had handcuffed Misa, who stood there, crying and useless. Shoko Maki now stood next to L like a guard dog, glaring at Light. L himself had fixed Light with a stare so intense that, for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. "You are not justice." L said firmly.

"And you are, I suppose?" Light asked sarcastically, playing for time. I can probably write everybody else's names, if they don't see what I'm doing, but Shoko Maki is going to be a problem. . . L I can probably take, but she's going to be difficult. . . and Misa's no help at all. he gnashed his teeth. Fine. Let's do this.

"No," L said as Light turned away again, quietly reaching for his watch. "I do not claim to be justice – I am as far away from it as you are."

Naomi, standing in her post behind L, narrowed her eyes slightly. Why does he stand with his back to us? she wondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gurgle from the second floor. Ukita fell from the balcony, landing on the floor with a loud crash.

"He's hidden a piece of the notebook!" Mogi roared.

Light whirled around, pen hovering over the watch. Just then, Misa shouted out. "Naomi Misora! Light, her name's Naomi Misora!"

Naomi's heart skipped a beat as Light brought his pen to the paper. Just then, L, moving faster than she had ever seen him, leapt off the seat, racing across the room. He grabbed the pistol that Ukita had been holding and shot at Light. At the same time, Matsuda had fired at him from the second floor. Matsuda's bullet hit Light's hand, making him drop the pen and roar in pain; L's bullet hit his watch, shattering it and going right through it, into his wrist.

Light dropped to his knees, roaring in pain. Naomi ran over to L, who stood up. "Are you all right, Naomi?" he murmured, watching Light writhe around on the ground.

She nodded shakily. "Alive."

L chuckled. But his laughter died as Light rolled over onto his back. "Ryuk!" he screeched, thrashing on the ground. "Ryuk!"

A creature flew through the roof, landing behind him. L's breath caught in his throat. Dark blue skin, a light blue chest and torso stitched roughly to the body, torn, bat-like wings, huge yellow eyes, and a clown's grin stretched across an inhuman face. A Shinigami.

The Task Force all directed their guns to the new Shinigami. Having touched Amane's notebook before, they could all see it.

"Ryuk. . ." Light dragged himself towards the creature. "Ryuk. . . I'll show you something interesting."

"Oh?" the Shinigami tilted its head, leering.

"Kill them," Light panted. "Kill them all!" he finished in a scream. "Write their names, Ryuk, write them now!"

The Shinigami was silent. Then, it reached to its side and plucked its own Death Note from his thick belt. "All right," he said, cackling. "I'll write them."

The Task Force members all began shouting, shooting at the creature. Only L and Naomi remained still.

"Is he actually going to kill us?" Naomi whispered, unable to keep the fear from her voice. She was surprised to feel L grip her hand.

"Don't worry," he replied soothingly, eyes never leaving the Shinigami, Ryuk. "When I spoke to Rem, she let slip a bit more about this Ryuk Shinigami than I think she intended." he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "You will live."

"All right, Light." the Shinigami said, interrupting Light's mad laughter. "I'm done." he held up the page, and there was a collective intake of breath as everybody saw the name that was written.

Light Yagami.

There was a silence, broken by the tortured scream of a broken, dying boy.