I pretty much tuned Aizawa out, mostly because I had scrapped the idea of first fake rule due to the fact it didn't really matter if I were caught or the book were destroyed now. It's already set in stone and that was pretty much all I could think about lately. However, I have been doing an exceptionally good job of keeping it off my face. Although, I did write the rule claiming that the user will die if they don't use the notebook for thirteen days, mostly in an attempt to clear Misa.

"Rem, was it?" L spoke up suddenly. "That's your name isn't it? The white thing over there."

"Ryuzaki, isn't it a bit rude to go around calling someone a white thing?" Matsuda asked.

"What do you want?" Rem responded.

"There's more than one notebook in the human world, isn't there?" He asked.

"Who knows? There may be and there may not be." She told him.

"If there are other notebooks, either here or in your world, would they all have the same rules as this one?"

"Yes, they are all the same. There are many notebooks in the shinigami realm, but they all have the same rules. Even the rules for when humans obtain them."

"Ryuzaki, Miss Amane and Light have both been cleared of suspicion. They shouldn't be under surveillance any longer." Aizawa said, walking forward.

"That's right! It's crystal clear!" Matusda said.

"I suppose you're right." L said, sounding a little dejected. He went to put another tiny creme carton on his tower, but then stopped and decided it was tall enough. "I understand. Please accept my apologies for all the trouble."

They let out a sigh of relief as Dad approached me, but my chest seized painfully again as he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank goodness." He said.

"Y-Yeah…" I responded, then stood up. "But we still can't say we've solved the case until we've figured out everything. Would it be alright if," I paused, almost reluctant to say the next part I was supposed to as I lifted my arm. "I keep investigating with you, but without the handcuffs on?"

"Yes." L responded.

And so, after a few hours of having the handcuffs off, I dismissed myself to go take a shower.

After I had finished and was reaching for a towel, I found that I had forgotten to hang them on that bar again.

"Hey, could you hand me a towel?" I asked, holding out my hand for a second before remembering that he wasn't going to be there anymore and stepping out to grab the towel off the counter myself.

The pain in my chest made me grip the fabric of my towel to my heart as I thought of how stupid it was to miss being constantly with a creepy guy like that at a time like this. I should be happy he isn't in the room when I'm showering. I should enjoy my last week, not resent my freedom. Without really realizing it, I backed up to the wall behind me before sliding down it to pull my knees to my chest with my free hand. I put my forehead down to my knees and shut my eyes tightly against the stinging sensation.

I only have a week to live. I only have six days at most to prepare and figure out if I'm going to tell anyone. I only have that short amount of time to prepare to die alone because I am a horrible, selfish person who knew just a bit too much for her own good. I have to wonder if I did something horrible in that old life that I just can't remember and that this is my punishment. Never mind the nothingness that will come after I die. Or the fact that I will forever believe that a peaceful death in my sleep is far better than anything I deserve for all of this. Worse yet, I can't help but feel like the people who are most important to me will never forgive what I've done. To them, to others, or to myself. Why did I have to actually do it?

. . .

"Oh, Light, be sure to text me every day, okay?" Misa asked, hugging me when she was supposed to leave.

"Oh, after all this time we're saying goodbye to Misa-Misa." Matsuda said sadly.

"Knock it off, Matsuda. Let's leave them alone." Aizawa dragged him off.

"Goodbye, Misa-Misa!" Matsuda cried as I hugged her back, feeling horrible about everything.

"Enough!" Aizawa yelled as they got on the elevator and I checked the surveillance cameras.

"Misa, I need you to do me a favour. You have to go somewhere and dig something up, but you have to make sure that no one is watching." I told her, reluctant to involve her anymore, but still telling her about the place.

I had left a note for her in the notebook. I only hope that she follows my instructions to burn it and the notebook and never look back. I don't know how many times I've told her I planned on dying and that I didn't want L dead, but hopefully she'll believe that I really do consider her a good friend and that it's important to me that she live a normal, happy life, no matter what. I might have thought she was a bit annoying before getting to know her, but she really is a great friend. I'm the one that has the problem in that friendship. I asked her to give Ryuk a few apples and apologize to him before she did burn the thing and send him back to the shinigami realm though. It's the least I could do to make it up to him for being so roundabout.

. . .

Misa came by the next day since we couldn't turn our cell phones on. So, I went to see her. She hugged me when she saw me, then decided to bring it up.

"Hey, Light, I'm so sorry! I went to that place you told me about." She then frowned in confusion. "But when I was there, I forgot what I was doing and there was something burnt laying at my feet…"

I hugged her tightly. "That's okay, Misa. As long as you're safe. Please forgive me, but all I want is for you to enjoy a long, happy life, so…I have to ask you to stop coming to see me." I kept a firm grip on her when she tried to jerk away, mostly due to the fact my eyes were watering and I didn't want her to see that.

"B-But, Light! We're best friends!"

"I know, but…This investigation is too dangerous for you to stay near it any longer. Please understand, Misa." I said, collecting myself and moving to have my hands on her shoulders and push her back to arms length. "This is goodbye. Please be happy without me."

"But I can't-"

"You can. You are very important to someone. I promised that you would not die because of me, so please don't make me break it. Please, Misa." I pleaded, trying my best not to show how much I wanted to say it properly, but couldn't. This goodbye where I push her away is the only way I could think of. I turned my back on her. "I'm going to tell them not to let you in anymore. So, don't come back here. This is goodbye, Misa. You were a very good friend to me. I appreciate that."

Without listening to her protests, I walked to the elevator and kept my back to the doors as they closed behind me. I didn't go back to the others, instead, I went to my room and grabbed my game system before going back and pretty much ignoring all of their questions about what had happened between Misa and I.