It was late when Amelia finally returned to headquarters, overwhelmed by a mental numbness after spending so long thinking about her situation. Once she passed through the numerous identification points as she had done so often during her previous mission, she stepped into the empty elevator. The young woman reached out to select the floor that she resided on, but a sudden thought left her finger hovering over the button. A few moments passed before she moved and pressed the one next to it. She was lifted to the floor directly above hers and made her way down the hall to a room that she had been spending increasingly more time in over the past few months. She took a deep breath and pressed her lips together before hesitantly knocking on the door and letting herself in. Matt stepped out from his bedroom with a smile, but upon noticing her expression the corners of his lips tugged into a slight frown. Amy was able to take a few steps forward before halting, another wave of terrified chills wracking her body as she looked down and sucked in a breath.

As the redhead stopped before her, he gently touched her arm. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-I was wrong," she began as she looked up at him. "Light really is Kira. He wants me to give him Ryuzaki's name and eventually yours and the others' too."

His eyes went wide as he whispered a horrified, "What?"

"He knows my name... He said that he already wrote it in his Death Note," she told him.

Matt's eyebrows pinched together as he glanced around, mind racing. "No... that- that can't be." He looked back at his girlfriend with a panicked expression. "Maybe he's just bluffing – he has to be."

Bambi frowned. "He called me 'Amy' and he knows Melinda's name too. He has to be the person she messaged."

"But... h-he has a crush on you! He wouldn't..."

She tightened her lips into a thin line before whispering, "Miles, I'm sorry... Ryuzaki said he would be desperate."

"It's not your fault," he shot back with a shockingly harsh tone before realizing what he had done. "Sorry... Why don't we tell Ryuzaki?"

"He still doesn't trust me," she argued. "Physical evidence would be best. Without his name, Light will still write the name of the first criminal to be safe. He clearly can't hack into Wammy's, otherwise he never would have gone this far." She sucked in a breath to calm her escalating nerves before telling him, "I-If I'm going to die, I'm doing it to protect the people I care about."

"Don't say that. Please, don't say that," Miles begged.

Amelia clenched her fists slightly as she yelled, "He knows my name – he wrote it down! I have twenty-three days to live at most and I'm trying my best to stay calm and rational."

"I know!"

Her eyes went wide as she backed down, watching as Matt trembled and began to tear up.

"I know..." he quietly repeated. "I just... I-I can't lose you too."

She couldn't resist her own tears as she suggested, "I'm sorry... Maybe it would be best if we stopped seeing each other so you can move on after... after I..."

"No, I won't do that," he affirmed. "I love you, Amy, and that's not something that can go away so quickly. I'm going to stay by your side until the end – I promise you that."

* * * November 21 * * *

Several days had passed since Light made the mistake of revealing his identity to Amy and he was currently sitting in his room at the Yagami residence. Through the clever wording that had allowed him to give Rem permission to return to the shinigami realm, she was also able to stay at the investigation headquarters with the Death Note when he wasn't there. While this gave him more room to act in secret, it didn't save him completely. Bambi still hadn't told him L's name yet, claiming that she was having difficulty getting into the Wammy servers from so far away.

He scowled as he clenched his fists and paced around the room. Damn it! Why didn't I expect her to switch sides? If it weren't for Rem going against my instructions, none of this would have happened! He slammed his hands on his desk. If only I had her surname! Then I could actually write her name and just make her do it.

Kira roughly ran his fingers through his hair as he backed away. I need to calm down and focus on what I can do. That man needs to die tomorrow to keep the illusion of the thirteen-day rule true. He pursed his lips as he drew a knuckle to them. I could dig up the Death Note myself, but I don't have the time. Besides, if all else fails or if she tells L, not having it in my possession would make it a matter of her word against mine, and L still seems suspicious of her. He frowned. I could wait for Rem to kill him – she would do anything to protect Misa.

A few moments passed before his eyebrows twitched downward. No, there was supposed to be an alternate plan on how to deal with Kira. If they managed to come up with something, Rem wouldn't bother to risk her life... and I wouldn't be surprised if L was keeping that solution from me.

Light reached down to his watch and opened the secret compartment. The name 'Rin Tamura' was carefully scrawled on one side of the piece of Death Note. He flipped it over before carefully setting the test subject to die the following afternoon of a heart attack.

* * * November 26 * * *

A few days had passed since L announced to the Task Force that the thirteen-day rule was true, therefore Kira was already dead. Using the ruse of testing the other written rules and identifying the original Kiras, L kept the investigators working at headquarters. Light had noticeably relaxed since then, but he was still trying to discreetly get L's name from Bambi; of course, Matt's constant presence around her made that even more difficult – something she was grateful for. The way Amy saw it, Light could either take that as if Matt knew the truth and was being protective or he could see it as Matt being jealous in some way. To be perfectly frank, she didn't really care which he thought it was. All they needed now was that final result of the secret test, and Miles, L, and everyone else would be safe from him.

Everyone was currently on the investigation floor, L sitting a short distance away from Light at the wall of computers. Bambi and Matt were sitting at a table not too far away from Kira, as was Mello, who was intently watching the suspect from afar as he munched on a bar of chocolate. Without warning, the screens above the great detective lit up with an Old English 'W'.

L grinned. "Ah, Watari. Do you have the results?"

"Results...?" Matsuda paused to ask.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You did another test without telling us?!"

Light tensed as he watched the detectives out of the corner of his eye.

L ignored the investigators, instead listening as Watari announced, "Marcos Silva is still alive."

Matt tightened his hand around Bambi's as Mello stood from his spot.

"What does that mean?" Soichiro asked. "What did you test?"

"It means," L began as he stood from his seat, "that your son is Kira."

"What?!"

Light quietly stood, eyes widened slightly as he likely put together the truth. He began to slowly back away while the others were preoccupied.

"While we did test the thirteen-day rule on that first man and he did die of a heart attack in the specified time period, he was not the only criminal we tested," L admitted. "That night I had Watari fly to Brazil to have another man, Marcos Silva, write a name in the Death Note in secret. Only the five people I trust were made aware of this: Watari and my successors."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows and exchanged glances with Matt.

"If both men died, then the rule would be deemed true and Marcos Silva's test kept a secret," the head detective continued. "If only the first man died, then it was because Kira killed him to preserve his own life and try to make the rule seem true." He turned around with a sly grin. "Isn't that right, Light?"

The suspected teen clenched his fists as he narrowed his eyes slightly. A few tense moments passed before he threw his head back and began to laugh in complete hysteria – his sanity clearly slipping with every passing moment.

When he faced L again, the corners of his lips were extended in a wide grin. "That's right... I'm Kira, and the God of this new world."

Gasps erupted from the investigators.

Soichiro furrowed his eyebrows, deepening the creases on his forehead. "No.. tell me it's not true, Light."

The younger Yagami narrowed his eyes. "I am Kira! What will you do? Kill me here and now?!" He glanced to Rem. "In the world we live in, I am law and I protect order. I am justice. Can you really kill me?" He glared at L. "You're the one who has to die if the world is to achieve order – you will all die and I will finally be justice!"

"Well, that was easier than I expected," L admitted. "Mello."

Almost instantaneously he tackled Light to the ground and handcuffed him.

Soichiro frowned as he looked his son in the eye. "I am so disappointed in you."

Kira's mental state spiraled further as he kicked and screamed, eyes narrowed at the only woman on the Task Force. "You lied to me! You were supposed to get L's name and you lied!"

Mello and Mogi forced him out of the room as the eyes of the others landed on Bambi.

She tightened her lips into a thin line before she looked L in the eye. "He threatened me. When I went on that walk with him, he told me the truth and tried to threaten me into getting your name. He wanted to kill everyone on the Task Force!" She took a deep breath before explaining, "He said that he already wrote my name... I would have told you, but I didn't think you would believe me after you interrogated me."

L was silent for a few moments before confessing, "Actually, I had Watari install listening devices in the belts, so I heard the whole exchange."

"What?!" Matt stood from his seat, eyes narrowed at the great detective. "Then why didn't you do anything?"

"Between his confession to her and the results we got from the test subjects, we have a goldmine of evidence. We just need the Death Note now," he explained. "I have been wary of her this whole time." He gestured to the space between them. "You'll notice that I have been keeping my distance in the event that her name was truly written and she was controlled to kill me herself."

"Wait, can't Rem see lifespans?" Matsuda suggested. "She would know if Bambi's name was written or not."

"We can only see a human's original lifespan," the shinigami told him. "I have no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth."

L was silent for a moment before announcing, "Now that that's settled, Bambi will be placed in solitary confinement with no technology for the safety of everyone until December 6th. According to the rules we heard from Rem, she could be controlled for twenty-three days before the Death Note kills her – if her name was truly written."

"What?! No way!" Matt argued. "How could you make someone spend what could be their final days like that! What's wrong with you?!"

Amelia was shaking, but gently touched his hand. "Matt, please... If he wrote my name, he could have controlled me to attack you or break him out. It's the only way to keep everyone safe."

He furrowed his brows as he tightened his lips and avoided eye contact, his voice low. "But..."

"You will be allowed to visit her once a day," L told him, "but it will be supervised."

* * * December 7 * * *

Nearly two weeks had passed, as did Bambi's final day – or what would have been her final day if her name was written in the Death Note. Miles stepped into the room one last time, a smile on his face as he ran to Amelia and pulled her into a tight embrace. Neither teen could stop the relieved tears that streamed down their cheeks, mixed with sighs. A few minutes passed before L joined the couple.

"Well, it seems that Light was bluffing after all," the head detective announced as the teens separated. "Now that you are a part of the investigation team again, there is much to fill you in on."

Matt frowned. "Can't this wait? She shouldn't have to-"

"Not if we want to end this," L told him before looking to the brunette. "Light has refused to speak with anyone but you, though he did admit that Misa was the second Kira."

Bambi's eyes went wide. "But... we let her go..."

"Rem told us that Misa has no memories, and she said that she would kill everyone if we pursue her," he explained with a huff. "As far as Light goes, while we still haven't found his Death Note, everything else is so damning that there is no real need to find it anymore."

"Did you go through with the plan yet?"

"Actually, I want you and Rem to do that."

"She shouldn't have to face him after what he just did to her!" Matt argued.

L narrowed his eyes slightly at the young man. "That's why I'm not letting you down there – or Mello, for that matter..."

After some consideration, Amelia spoke. "I'll do it."

With that decided, L brought her down to where Light was being detained. It was the same room where L had interrogated her, and Kira's wrists were chained to the table just as hers were. He scowled as he looked up at the newcomers, though upon spotting the young woman, he grinned.

"You came."

The agent frowned slightly as she took the seat across from him.

Light leaned forward as he whispered, "Now you can let me out."

"I'm not going to do that," she told him. "You're familiar with the concept of giving up the Death Note, right?"

He frowned.

"Well," she began as Rem passed through the wall, Death Note in hand. "It turns out that giving it up six times permanently erases your memories of it."

"Five for him," the shinigami corrected.

Bambi nodded. "Okay... five, then."

"No. No!" he cried out in hysteria. "Why aren't you helping me?"

"I'm saving your life."

"You're ruining it!"

She deadpanned. "You tried to kill me."

"Only because you weren't cooperating!" he retorted. "You're Robin Hood – you were supposed to be on my side!"

"People change, Light." Amelia sighed. "I learned over time that my actions were wrong. When I was in Yotsuba, I learned firsthand that I only made things worse. No matter how good your intentions were initially, Kira is the same. Only time away from it will let you see that."

He clenched his fists as he glared at her. "No. I will not give up the Death Note. I am the God of this world and that's how it's meant to be!"

Rem opened her Death Note. "Relinquish the Death Note or I will kill you."

Light and Bambi looked up at her with wide eyes. When Kira made no motion of compliance, the shinigami began to write.

"Stop!" he screamed. "I forfeit! I give up the Death Note!"

With that, she close the notebook and Light froze.

The young man furrowed his brows for a moment before looking back to the hacker before him. "This is ridiculous. Bambi, I'm not Kira, and you know it. I would never threaten you like that."

She was silent, instead listening to Rem. "He can't see or hear me anymore. He'll only be able to see the Death Note when I release it. You must make him touch it; if you do first, you will be the official owner of the notebook. This will only work if he owns it."

As Light questioned her ignoring of his words, Rem dropped the notebook in front of him. He jumped back as his eyes went wide.

"W-What the Hell?" He looked up to Bambi. "D-Did you just see that?"

"Yeah... freaky. Why don't you see what's in it?"

He reached out for the notebook and the moment it touched his fingers his eyes went wide and his pupils briefly dilated.

Immediately, he frowned. "This is a mistake. I'm supposed to be the God of this world. Please, Bambi, don't make me do this."

"It's either this, the death penalty, or death by shinigami," she dryly told him. "You don't have much of a choice."

He hesitated before asking, "And what will happen to me when my memories are gone?"

"You'll be monitored for life."

He sighed. "Fine. Rem, I give up the Death Note."

Again he was wrought with confusion as he looked down at the book in front of him. "...Death... Note...?" He looked up at Bambi. "I'm telling you, I'm not Kira! It doesn't matter if I agree with him somewhat because I could never do what he does myself."

"I know, Light. Just look inside." She gestured to the notebook.

Just as before, he tensed when his memories returned for what was the third time. Kira clenched his teeth and looked away as he relinquished ownership again. As expected, he became frustrated and the process repeated two more times. Surprisingly, when he lost his memories for a fifth time, he remained looking down. Bambi scrunched her nose as she carefully scrutinized him before glancing to Rem.

"It worked," she assured the teen.

Light hesitantly looked up, tears having accumulated in the corners of his eyes. "Please, stop this. I'm not Kira and I'm sick of being treated like him."

She frowned, taking on a slightly apologetic tone. "I know, Light. Just... humor me one more time."

Not giving him room to argue, Amelia dragged his hand to the Death Note. For the last time, his Kira memories returned. Rem took the Death Note from the table and passed through the wall, her task complete. Light was silent for a few moments before heaving a sigh.

"Amy... I'm sorry for what I did," he began, catching her off guard. "I never intended for you to get hurt. I only wanted to help the world."

She gave him a sad smile. "You can do that in other ways. Look at me, I had the same frame of mind and I'm back here helping Ryuzaki with cases and being an upstanding citizen." She laughed. "Look, you're smart and you're into justice. I think you'll do just fine."

He smiled softly, though his eyes were still sad. "Thank you..." He took a deep breath. "I give up my ownership of the Death Note... and my role as Kira."

The now memory-less Kira was silent, having given up on his argument against being the mass murderer.

Bambi gave her best forced smile. "Hey, great news! Ryuzaki believes you now. Sorry you had to go through all that."

As Watari came in and unchained him from the table, Light grumbled, "Finally..."

The trio returned to the investigation room, where everyone else was waiting. As Amy joined Matt's side, L addressed the former Kira.

"We located the true Kira and the second Kira while you were being held," he explained. "It turns out that she was a young teenager, just like you suggested."

Light furrowed his brows. "How did she die?"

"Car accident," Mello grumbled with folded arms.

L addressed the rest of the investigators. "Congratulations on catching Kira. You can all go home now."

* * * December 18 * * *

No announcements had been made about Kira's capture to prevent an outcry from his followers for as long as possible. The Task Force had been disbanded and the headquarters building put up for sale. Only L, Watari, and the Wammy Teams remained in the building, and that would only be until their flights back to their respective cities later that night. All but Watari were gathered in the investigation room with bags packed as L gave them their final instructions.

"I have new assignments lined up for each of your teams," he began as he handed out folders.

Mello was silent for a few moments before returning the files to the great detective. "After a lot of thinking, I've decided that I need to work on my own."

"In doing that, you will forfeit the title of L."

"I know."

Matt chimed in. "Well, in that case, I'm out too. I never wanted the title anyway, but it was kinda cool investigating for a while." He smiled at Amy.

L nodded. "Very well. Bambi, you have another two years before you are allowed to make your decision. You will continue working with Near, but you will also take the title of Deneuve. Your team will take on both assignments now."

With that decided, the young geniuses made their way to the airport where Watari had two planes stationed for them.

Despite heading for private airplanes, they still needed to go through the public airport to get to them. Of course, given space issues, they were on opposite sides of the grand place. Still, the pairs of geniuses would have had to go their separate ways at some point anyway. Mello had already gone ahead, and Near was patiently waiting nearby and Miles and Amy exchanged their goodbyes for now.

"Once everything's all settled, I might come out to DC to be with you," Matt told his girlfriend. "Maybe I could help with some cases too, until you're done."

She smiled softly. "I would like that."

The pair embraced as she told him, "I'll miss you."

"Me too..."

They stood their in each other's arms for a few moments, ignoring the other travelers who flowed around them. Come on, Amy. Now's you're only chance for a while. Just do it! Taking in a deep breath to calm her rising heartbeat, Amelia closed her eyes and twisted her head, pushing her lips against his cheek. When she gathered the courage to look, she found Miles staring back at her, cheeks bright red and lips half pressed against her own.

Apparently she wasn't the only one with that idea.

She felt her own cheeks burn as she pulled away and joined him in a bout of laughter, somewhat masking her embarrassment. Bambi tucked her head against him, unable to look up. Soon after, she felt a hand under her chin, gently pulling up and making her face Matt.

"It's gonna be a long time before we get the opportunity again," he reminded her, cheeks still rosy. "If we're gonna do this, we might as well do it right."

Butterflies flooded her stomach as her heart began to pound. Mirroring his movements, Amy closed her eyes as she carefully moved closer, lips meeting his in a gentle kiss. The world melted away in those moments as they held each other. When they finally pulled apart, both were blushing. Miles couldn't help the goofy grin on his face, while Amelia couldn't help but giggle as her expression began to match him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, they separated. Matt waved as he ran to Mello, who was undoubtedly going to tease the redhead over taking so long. Bambi waved back as she watched him go. It was only once he was out of sight when she returned to Near.

He was grinning slightly as he commented, "I'm surprised it took you two so long to get together."

She laughed. "Yeah, me too."

Once on their plane, the pair of investigators got straight to work.

"I think that you should focus on the Coil investigations," Near told her. "It's more related to your expertise than mine."

"Sounds good, but what about the Deneuve investigation? We'll need to get an agent in there."

"Gevanni is still contracted with us," he reminded her. "It has been a while, but I am certain that he will be capable of it."

"Alright, so what do you think about this..."