A Year of Jubilee [The Death Note Fanfic]

Chapter 41

Time slowed as the image before Jubilee overlapped with one from deep within her subconscious—a familiar, recurring vision of a man falling from his chair...falling, falling—and a sudden feeling of dread seized her even before her brain could catch up to what was happening. All around her red lights flashed, the siren continued to blare, and there were shouts and gasps. She couldn't feel Hellenos' presence at all. Only an overpowering, unavoidable sense of dread.

She started to take a helpless step forward, towards the falling man, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure dash past her. It was Light.

He rushed forward and, almost too late, caught the detective before he hit the floor.

"Ryuzaki!" he cried.

L didn't answer. He hung limp in Light's arms, his eyes still wide but growing slowly vacant as they stared up into Light's face. Around him the gray haze was starting to fade. Jubilee felt the ember within him grow dim.

She stood frozen mid-step, paralyzed with horror. Light's back was to her as he kneeled over the fallen detective and cradled him in his arms. She could hear nothing; no hint of anyone's thoughts, no word from Hellenos, no sound of Dad's voice. There was only a long, loud stillness. Even the blaring siren grew distant and dim in her consciousness. Then, she heard one, final thought sound from the detective's mind.

I was right.

L's head fell back, his eyes closing, and the haze around him dissipated. The ember within him went out.

Time sped back up. With a cry, Jubilee flung herself forward.

"L!" she screamed, falling to the floor beside him and Light. "L!" She grabbed the detective's shoulder and shook it frantically.

"Julie," said Light softly, not looking at her. He continued to stare down at L's still face. "I think he's gone."

"No!" she shouted. She threw herself onto L's chest and balled the white material of his shirt between her fists, shaking him. "L, come back," she demanded. "You've got to come back!" I never got to tell you...

Around her there were gasps and cries of, "Ryuzaki!" She heard none of it, only stared down at L's face, now even paler than it had been before. In sudden desperation, she clasped her hands together over the dead man's chest, burying her face into his shirt.

"Dad," she whispered. "Please. Please, bring him back."

Nothing happened. Beneath her, the body was cold. She could feel no heartbeat.

"Please!" she cried, more loudly this time. "I'll do anything, just, please—" Please don't take him from me. Not another person that I love. Not again.

"Hey." It was Aizawa's voice next to her. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You have to let go of him. Come on." He tried to help her up, but she shook him off. "Julie," he said, grabbing ahold of her arm and taking a more firm tone. "I know this is hard, but we need to get up and look for that shinigami. We can mourn for Ryuzaki later."

"Yeah," piped up Matsuda in a trembling voice. He had come to kneel beside her as well, and now cast L's body a sorrowful look. "I—I'm sorry, Julie. But, at least—at least he's in a better place now."

Jubilee froze at those last words.

"It's okay, guys," Light was saying. "Leave her alone. We can go and look for the shinigami in a little bit. Let her have a minute."

Jubilee had raised herself back up onto her knees and now turned to stare at the men. "A better place?" she repeated softly. Her eyes were still glazed over with shock, but suddenly they went wide with fear. "But...how do we know that?"