A Year of Jubilee [The Death Note Fanfic]

Chapter 27

She was starting to see Light, in particular, as a younger brother of sorts. The boy had struck her as kind and reliable ever since they began working together, but now she had a new appreciation for him, both for his dedication to the case and for the way he always looked out for others. She thought of how quickly he had jumped to her defense just now in the conversation with L. Then she remembered something else, and a pang pierced her heart.

That boy is the first Kira, she reminded herself. Best not to become too fond of him.

Hellenos hmmed softly next to her but she didn't pay him much mind as she continued her rounds with the pastries. After a quick run upstairs to Misa's room—where she dropped off a small plate of low-carb brownies—she returned to her workstation, a smile tugging at her lips from seeing the swirls of colorful delight that had decorated her friend's features after being handed the treat.

Friend. That word had been popping up in her mind involuntarily and often of late. Yes, she had begun to see everyone at headquarters as her friends...had actually begun to love them as her friends. And that included Light and Misa just as much as it included L.

Light. The first Kira. And, if L's deductions were correct, that would make Misa the second Kira.

Sudden uncertainty hit her, along with a tinge of dread. She didn't want her friends to go to prison, even if they were murderers. Was that wrong of her?

That is called compassion, child, said Hellenos. It's something that comes with having the Father's love in you.

She bit her lip. Hellenos, she thought worriedly. What will happen to Light and Misa once we prove that they are Kira?

Hellenos' expression became more somber. There is compassion and mercy, he said. But there is also truth and justice. He looked down at Jubilee. Humans often do not know how to balance one side with the other...but both sides are of the Father.

"This is disgusting," Soichiro muttered from a few feet away. A live stream of the men from Yotsuba was playing across the large plasma screen overhead. Their voices were a quiet but audible murmur as they sat across from each other at a round table and debated over which business officials to have Kira kill next. There were seven of them now since, as they had revealed in their discussion earlier, Kira had recently offed one of them—Hatori was his name—due to wavering loyalty.

"How can they talk about murder so casually?" the former chief of police continued. He turned to L then. "I think the evidence for their guilt is clear. It's more than enough to get a warrant for their arrest. We should go in and apprehend them, before any more innocent people die."

"That would be premature," replied L, not looking up from his dessert. "If we were to arrest them now, before their named targets died, then we would not have hard proof. Furthermore, since we have not yet apprehended Kira, we would lose whatever leads we have gained on him so far, and have to start this case all over again from square one."

Soichiro's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying that you are willing to let innocents die, just to ensure that you catch Kira?"

L didn't miss a beat. "Yes."

This time it was Light who objected. "No! We can't just sit by and let them kill more people. I won't allow it!"

This time L did look up. So did Jubilee, taking note of the unwavering line that had formed over the Light's head. An uncomfortable knot formed in the pit of her stomach. The boy was so earnest, so genuine. How could someone like him, who clearly valued human life, have been the first Kira?