Work Text:
Lelouch strolled through the halls of the school making his way to his next class. Lately, nearly everything had been going according to his plans. Although he was pleased with his success, he couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed with how easy his recent victories had been. I need a real challenge. All of my opponents have been so predictable he thought.
"Do you really want a challenge from a like mind?" an unfamiliar female voice asked him. Lelouch paused, searching for the source of the voice. There was no one else in the hall.
"Who are you?" Lelouch questioned.
"I am the one who creates non-canon worlds known as fanfics. If I say something happens, it does, no matter how OOC it may be," she replied.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I've had enough mysterious women in my life who refuse to give me worthwhile answers. Leave me alone."
"Sorry, but I'm the author, so you can't get rid of me," she replied.
"Author of what?"
"That's not important. Now then, please answer my earlier question."
"No, I don't want a challenge because I'm sure there will be a catch to all this," Lelouch snapped.
"Well, I'm not giving you a choice," she responded.
"Then why did you ask?"
"Cause I felt like it," she replied cheerfully. There was a sound like fingers snapping, then he vanished from the hall before he could respond.
Where am I? What just happened? Lelouch wondered. "Are you going to answer?" he demanded. There was no reply. "Guess I'm on my own..." He glanced around, trying to determine his location. He noticed that all the nearby signs were written in Japanese. So I'm still in Japan. But if everything is written in Japanese, does that mean Britannia doesn't control this city? He approached a nearby woman. "What is today's date?" He asked her.
"The tenth of March," she answered.
"What about the year?" He asked.
"2004," she answered with a bemused expression.
Then this is the past, even before Japan and Britannia were at war! He thought. "Wait, I have one last question," he said to the girl as she started to walk away. She looked back at him. "What can you tell me about the Britannian Empire?"
"The what? Sorry, but I've never heard of it," she replied.
How can she have never heard of the Britannian Empire? Even if Japan and Britannia aren't currently at war, she should still know something about it. He sat on the nearest bench and looked down, lost in thought. What do I do now? He let out a long sigh. "Couldn't you at least tell me where I am?" He demanded, glaring at the sky. The mysterious voice still refused to answer him.
"Is something wrong?" someone asked. Lelouch looked down to see a boy about his age giving him a quizzical look.
"I'm lost," Lelouch responded.
"Where are you trying to go?" The boy asked.
"I don't know. I don't even know how I got to this city," Lelouch admitted.
"How did that happen?" the boy questioned.
"It's a long story."
"I don't know if I can do anything to help, but my father is the chief of police; maybe he can help you," the boy said.
"It's worth a try," Lelouch said.
"Come with me to my house, he should be home tonight," the boy said. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Light Yagami."
"Mine is Lelouch Lamperouge."
"Welcome home, Light. Who is this young man?" Sachiko asked as Light and Lelouch stepped through the door into the Yagami's home.
"My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. Your son offered to help me with a problem," Lelouch answered.
"Do you know what time Dad will be home?" Light asked.
"Around 8:30 P.M." Sachiko answered.
"A guest? We haven't had one of those in a while, especially not one as cute as him, " Sayu commented as she walked into the living room. "My name's Sayu, what's yours?"
"Lelouch," he responded.
"Do you have a girlfriend, Lelouch?" Sayu asked. Lelouch grimaced.
Light must have noticed Lelouch's discomfort, as he quickly intervened. "You can come to my room while we wait for Dad to come home." Lelouch nodded and followed Light to his room. "Where do you live?" Light asked.
"I live at Ashford Academy," Lelouch said.
"How did you end up here?"
"As I said before, I don't really know."
"You don't have any idea at all?"
"Maybe. But if I told you, you wouldn't believe me."
"I've experienced some unbelievable things myself, so you might as well try to explain what happened."
"I was at school and heard a voice. I never saw who was speaking, but after she spoke to me, I suddenly found myself here. This place isn't just a different city from where I live, it's from a different time. It seems like I was transported into the past," Lelouch explained.
"That's quite a story. If that's true, then I doubt my dad can do anything to help," Light said with a smirk.
"I didn't expect you to believe me. This was just a waste of time," Lelouch said as he turned toward the door.
"Wait. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but do you have any proof?" Light questioned.
"No. I'm not even sure this is real. I'm beginning to think it's just a dream," Lelouch said with a sigh.
"Maybe something supernatural happened to you, or maybe this is some kind of elaborate setup; either way, you should try gathering more information," Light said.
"I don't even know where to start," Lelouch said.
"You can stay here for the time being. Even if my Dad can't help, you'll at least need somewhere to stay until you can figure out how to get back home," Light offered.
"Thanks, but why help me?" Lelouch questioned.
"I have to admit that I'm curious about what happened to you. I want to find out more as well," Light said. They fell silent, both lost in thought. Light turned on the TV. On TV, a news reporter was talking about Kira and L.
"Who is Kira?" Lelouch asked
"You haven't heard about him?" Light asked with a surprised expression.
"No. I haven't heard about this L either," Lelouch responded.
"Kira is a mysterious mass murderer. No one knows exactly how he kills people. L is a famous detective who has been trying to catch Kira," Light answered.
"How many people has Kira killed? And for what purpose?"
"No one is sure exactly how many people he has killed, but so far, they have all been criminals. Some people think he is a hero, purging the corruption from our society. Other people believe that he is simply a crazed murderer."
"Which do you think?" Lelouch asked.
"I think that what he's doing is good. If it wasn't for him, some of these criminals would have never been punished."
"But did they all commit crimes worthy of death?"
"It doesn't matter what crime they committed, they are all punished."
"Even something like petty theft?" Lelouch questioned.
"Yes. If enough criminals are killed, then crime will stop, or so he says," Light said.
"How foolish, you can't stop crime. As long as people exist, there will always be crime. You would have to take away all free will to stop it, and that would be a crime itself," Lelouch said.
"Crime rates have dropped drastically since..." Light began.
"Kira and his followers are naïve. He won't live forever. As soon as he dies, crime rates will rise again," Lelouch said.
"Not if he finds someone to take his place," Light argued.
"What if they decide to kill people the original didn't want killed? Or they get caught and let Kira's secret out?" Lelouch questioned. Light stayed silent. "Besides, what's the point of life without free will? It wouldn't be a life worth living."
"Would you rather keep murder, thievery, and rape?" Light questioned.
"If it means losing free will, then yes," Lelouch answered. Light scowled and walked out of the room. Lelouch smirked as he looked back at the TV.
Who is this fool? Light thought angrily. Well, if he gets in my way, I'll take him out...
Lelouch continued to watch the news with interest. I wonder if it would be possible for me to meet this L somehow... He thought.
Lelouch had grown bored of watching TV, so he had challenged Light to a game of chess. So far, Lelouch had won every match. With every loss, Light's scowl grew deeper. This guy's a tactical genius! But this is only chess, in a true battle of wits, I'm sure I could defeat him Light thought.
Sayu was enjoying watching her brother be humiliated. "Go Lelouch!" she cheered.
"Shut up!" Light snapped.
"Sore loser, are we?" Lelouch taunted.
"You shut up too," Light growled. Lelouch smirked. They all turned their heads toward the front door as they heard it open.
"Dad's home!" Sayu announced cheerfully as he came into the living room.
"Who is this?" Soichiro asked when he noticed Lelouch.
"My name is Lelouch Lamperouge. Your son said that you might be able to help me. Could we talk in private?"
Soichiro nodded and motioned for his family to leave the room. "What do you need help with?" He asked after his family had left.
"I need you to answer some questions," Lelouch said as his eye began to glow. "Have you ever met L?"
"Yes. I work for him," Soichiro replied.
"Could you tell me his location?"
"Yes. He is currently staying at a hotel. I can give you the address." Soichiro replied. He quickly told Lelouch the address.
"When will you be meeting with him next?"
"Tomorrow at 7:30 A.M.," Soichiro answered.
"Thank you," Lelouch said as he canceled the geass.
"What do you need help with?" Soichiro asked.
"I don't have anywhere to stay right now, so I wanted to ask if I could stay here for the night."
"Yes, you can stay. If you need help finding a place to stay tomorrow, I may be able to help," Soichiro said.
"Thank you. If you don't mind, I'll sleep on the couch," Lelouch said. Soichiro nodded.
Lelouch awoke at 7:00 A.M. and left for the hotel Soichiro had described. He approached the room and knocked on the door. "You're early," L said.
"Oh, am I?" Lelouch said as he walked in.
"Who are you?" L demanded.
"I am here to speak to L, who I'm guessing is you," Lelouch said calmly.
"How did you know about my location?"
"I have my ways, and they could be useful for catching Kira."
"How do I know you're not Kira?"
"That's true. You can't trust me unless you know for certain I'm not," Lelouch said. "I'll tell you how I can be of use, then it will be up to you to decide what to do."
"Fine, let's hear it. But first, I need to remove all weapons and electronic devices from you," L said. After searching Lelouch, he only found a cell phone on him. "Now, please, take a seat." Lelouch sat down across from L.
"I have a power, known as geass. It gives me the ability to make anyone do as I please. For example, I was able to find this place by using it on Chief Yagami. At my command, he told me everything I needed to know," Lelouch said.
"And I'm expected to believe that?" L said skeptically.
"No, but I will show you my power. I just require someone to use it on," Lelouch said.
"Why not me?" L asked.
"Because you would have no memory of me using it on you, no one does," Lelouch explained.
"How about hotel service?" L suggested.
"That would be perfect," Lelouch said. L called for room service, and shortly after, a young woman came into the room.
"What do you need?" she asked. Lelouch's eye began to glow.
"Hand me your wallet and car keys," he ordered.
"Yes, here you go," she said as she handed them to him. He accepted them and put them in his pocket. She blinked for a moment and then repeated her earlier question.
"We don't need anything. It's already taken care of," Lelouch said. Her expression turned confused, then she left, muttering under her breath something about him wasting her time.
"That was a nice trick, but you just stole from that woman," L said.
"Don't worry, I'll turn them in at the front desk. Do you need me to show another example of my geass?" Lelouch asked.
"No, that's enough. What do you want with me?"
"To help you catch Kira. Do you have a suspect? Or should I ask, do you suspect Light Yagami?"
"Yes, I do, how did you know this?" L asked.
"Just a lucky guess, his father is working with you, and he seems to be a strong supporter of Kira. In fact, I talked with him the other day about it. He seemed very defensive of Kira and his followers," Lelouch said.
"I'm sure most of his followers would be," L said.
"That's true, but I'm good at telling when someone's hiding something, and there is certainly something off about him," Lelouch said.
"How can you help me?" L asked.
"We can bring Light in for questioning. I can use my geass to make him tell us the truth. Of course, you could think he was in on it and this is all just a trick, but the fact that I found you so easily should show you how serious I am," Lelouch said.
"Hmmm, well, wait for the others to get here," L said. Lelouch nodded. He looked around the room and spotted some old board games for people staying at the hotel. He walked over and pulled out a chessboard.
"Care to play?" he asked.
"Fine," L said. They played several matches, and Lelouch won every time. "I've never been beaten so many times, you're quite the strategist, aren't you?"
"I've only ever been beaten by my half-brother."
An hour later, the other members of the Task Force had arrived, and everything had been explained to them. They agreed that Lelouch should question Light, though Soichiro wasn't happy about it. Lelouch decided he would question Light at the hotel. "I'll tell Light that Lelouch is staying here now, and he wants Light to visit him," Soichiroi said.
"We'll have cameras placed in a separate room, where Lelouch will question Light," L said.
A while later, Light arrived at Lelouch's hotel room. "Hey," Light said as he came in. "Dad got off early and said you wanted some company. Why didn't you ask my sister?" he teased.
"I've got enough fangirls to deal with, thank you," Lelouch replied. His eye began to glow. "I need you to answer all of my questions truthfully," he ordered.
"I will," Light said.
"Are you Kira?" Lelouch asked.
"Yes," Light answered.
In the other room, the members of the Task Force reacted with shock. "There's no way it could be that easy!" Matsuda exclaimed.
"How do you kill people?" Lelouch asked. Light then told him about the Death Note and its rules and powers. He also told him where it was hidden and how to get it. Lelouch grinned as he canceled the geass. Light blinked, looking slightly confused. "Want to play chess?" Lelouch asked.
"Fine. I will beat you this time," Light said cockily.
"Oh, really? Well, we'll see," Lelouch said with a smirk. They played chess while Soichiro and Aizawa retrieved the death note. Eventually, Soichiro and Aizawa return to the hotel with the death note.
"We should test if it's real," L said.
"On who?" Matsuda asked.
"How about Light? If it's real, then he would be executed anyway," Lelouch suggested.
"Why aren't you with Light?" L asked.
"I told him I needed to talk with someone on the phone in private and that I would only be a minute," Lelouch said. "Let me use the death note, if it's real, then none of you will be held responsible for killing Light."
"No! Not my son!" Soichiro exclaimed.
L hesitated, but Lelouch snatched the death note out of his hand before L could react. Mogi approached Lelouch, whose eye began to glow. L motioned for Mogi to back off. "If we try to stop him, he'll use his geass on us," L said.
Lelouch started to write Light's name into the death note.
"Are you sure you want to do this? It says the user's soul is cursed," L warned.
"Ha! My soul is already cursed. One more sin won't make a difference," Lelouch said coldly. Everyone stared at him in surprise. Lelouch wrote Light's name down, and shortly after, he died. They all entered the other room and checked Light's pulse to confirm. Soichiro began to cry. Matsuda attempted to comfort him, while L stared at Lelouch with an unreadable expression.
"I'll need that back, since it's evidence in this case," L said, while motioning at the death note. Lelouch handed him the death note.
"Lelouch Lamperouge, what will you do now?" L asked.
"I must find my way back home. I have a rebellion to run, after all."
"A rebellion?" L asked.
"Yes, as I explained to Light, I don't come from this world. In the world I come from, I am Lelouch vi Britannia, prince of the Britannian Empire and its greatest enemy." Lelouch said.
"Another world? Do you have any idea how to get back there?" L asked.
"No, but I will find a way."
"Perhaps I can help," L said, then he started writing Lelouch's name in the death note.
"What are you doing!?" Lelouch screamed.
"Your power is just as dangerous as this book, I cannot allow it to exist," L stated.
"I've been betrayed once agai-!" Lelouch suddenly sat up in his bed. What a weird dream... he thought. He realized that he was sweating. It seemed so real... He thought as he lay back down and started to doze off.
"Good night," a female voice whispered.