Epilogue: Final Challenges and Bright Futures

"I don't want to."

"Light…"

"You weren't there! He found out I was Kira and he tried to shoot me! He didn't want to hear anything I had to say! He knocked you unconscious for trying to stop him!!!"

"Light, the Trial of Souls was meant to prey on your nightmares. I doubt reality follows it's machinations exactly."

Light glared at the detective, who stared back with a cool, impassive look on his face. Light broke eye contact first, throwing out sharply, knowing it was unfair, "Beyond Birthday really didn't try to carve you up, then? You don't have scars all over your back?"

"From what you have explained…" L said rationally. "The challenges involving my life were taken from my memories, naturally of things that have already happened. Whereas yours preyed on your fears of what would happen."

"Or my hopes and desires…" Light murmured, remembering the fairytale challenge the Trial had thrown him into. The hardest one to leave.

L nodded, walking over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Precisely. Which is why there is no basis in reality for you to be afraid of facing your father. The task force cannot object to what plan we have come up with. Being under permanent house arrest with me is much preferable to the Death Penalty. I doubt that any of them truly want to see you killed." He smiled. "Telling them… simply think of it as your final challenge, Light. The last thing you have to face to be free of the Death Note."

Light nodded, reaching to grip the detective's hand. L returned the grip, starting to walk towards the door, but paused when Light didn't immediately follow. "What's wrong?"

"What were you going to say?" Light asked. L frowned in confusion, and Light continued, "You were telling me, right before Rem appeared and everything went wrong… You were telling me that I should just admit that I was Kira. You started to say 'I would', and then never got to finish. You would what, Lawliet?"

L stiffened at the use of his real name, in reflex, but relaxed a moment later. "I would do my best… to protect you." he whispered. "It was… not something that I liked to think. I have an obligation, as L and as a detective, to see you brought to justice. But I cared about you, Light, more than I wanted to admit to myself, and… I still do. I have the right to be selfish, just this once." He met Light's eyes, something determined flickering in his own ebony orbs. "Interpol can't have you."

Light smiled broadly, pulling L close by his captured hand to kiss him properly. "Well, then…" he said quietly, when they pulled apart. "I suppose my father can't have me either. I'm yours." He squeezed L's hand as the sleuth grinned in return, and hand-in-hand, they walked from the room to face the task force.

Happy January 28, 2010! Today, besides being the end of this particular story, is the actual real-time date of the end of Death Note! (I wanted to post at one, when Near met Light at the warehouse, but I was taking exams at the time. Stupid school.) Hooray!

With this, I have to tell you all that I am leaving for the Kingdom Hearts section for a while. I have an idea for a sequel to this, but it needs a lot of work to be coherent enough to publish. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this story, and it's been a blast!

For all my readers, love and hugs,
Li