Authors Rambling- This is the first fanfiction I've written in years, and Death Note has also been the first show that has captured my interest in quite some time. I am very much looking forward to continuing with this fic, please review my story and tell me what you think. I need the motivation after all!

Title: All is Fair in Love and War
Summary: It is war, genius vs. genius. Both believing themselves righteous and just. What will happen when the two collide? LxRaitoxL YAOI
Pairing: LxRaitoxL (I won't give it away quite yet)
NOTES: I decided to start this story before they meet at To-Oh and take my own little twist on things. I've read quite a few fics set during the time Raito has lost his memories, I wanted to do something a little different, please enjoy! And also please REVIEW!

Sorry for such a short prologue! The chapters will get longer!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters pertaining to Death Note, this is just for fun.

PROLOGUE: War

Hanazawa Ichiro, swift strokes of the pen...onto a seemingly harmless piece of paper. Dark eyes looked up with glee at the television, and the countdown begins...a figurative hourglass drains its sand...40...39...38...37...the evil deserved their punishment. Deserved a death far more painful and agonizing then the one he bestowed upon them, especially this one. 30...29...28...He had murdered his entire family, to collect the insurance money to further fund the lifestyle his mistress demanded. Maybe he should kill her too? 25...24...No he wouldn't do that, not only did he not have a name nor the face but while she was tainted, sleeping with a married man...there were those who's sins ran far deeper, far blacker. 15...14...13...Did he look into the eyes of his children as he drove the knife through their little chests? See the looks of horror and betrayal on their faces? 10...9...8...Probably not, the wicked were such cowards. Although the same logic could be applied to him, killing from afar...but he was different. They were evil, he...was justice.

A small smirk played at his lips as he mouthed out the last numbers, "5...4...3...1." He whispered to the seemingly emptiness of his room, the smirk growing slowly wider as the man police had been leading towards the court house began to convulse. Maybe he should have given him a more painful cause of death? Make him attempt to escape, steal a car and drive off...and while crossing a train tracks is mowed down by a freight train? No...this way, he got to watch as the man collapsed to the ground, the news camera zooming in as the body gave a final twitch before it became motionless.

"I-It appears that the suspect, Hanazawa Ichiro h-has died of a heart attack," the newscaster managed to stutter, her eyes wide in a state of shock. "Could this be the work of the mysterious Kira?"

Of course it is you fool, Raito thought looking at the woman in mild disgust. The News casters and directors...although they did provide him criminals to punish, they too were disgusting. Anything for higher ratings, which equated to higher salaries. Such selfish...selfish fools. Ah well, for now they were necessary, and a majority of them seemed to support Kira...so their lives would be spared...for now, after all greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

"Oi Raito..." the looming figure of the shinigami spoke, and Raito turned his attention to Ryukku and raised an eyebrow to show that he was listening, "I want an apple."

Raito snorted, everyone is so selfish...he thought as he stood up, even shinigami...no, especially shinigami. To drop the Death Note...to give a human the power to cause mass destruction...just for the sake of entertainment? That was selfish. There were so few people who were no longer selfish...such as himself. Raito chuckled at the thought as he began to walk down the stairs, there were those who would disagree with that...but they were wrong. The world was lucky that the Death Note had fallen into his hands, and not the hands of some selfish person, who would use it for personal gain and profit. He used it to help the world, to make it a better place...yes he eliminated those who stood in his way, because they not only stood in his way...but in the way of those who were pure, who understood that what Kira was doing was making the world better...safer.

Raito picked up the largest apple in the fruit bowl, and once more began the walk upstairs. People in his way...Raito's confident smirk turned into a small frown, L. That bastard...Raito thought as he reached his room, entering and shutting the door behind him a small click assuring him that the door was locked as he tossed the apple over his shoulder to an eager Ryukku. Bastard he was, the challenges that the mysterious detective presented was definitely amusing...to a point. The little game of chess they played were interesting, a challenge like Raito had never had before. Raito turned off his computer and television, sitting down at the edge of his bed. Who was this "L"...was L male or female? It was rather difficult to tell with the computerized voice...heh what did it matter? L would have to be eliminated anyway, but it was probably a good idea to begin profiling his enemy...as he was sure the famous detective was doing with him.

Age...age...instinctively Raito wanted to say that L was an adult, but dismissed the thought as soon as it came up. No...too immature, too many underhanded tactics, such as the stunt with Lind L. Tailor or putting camera's in his room...not that adults couldn't do such things as well, but Raito was almost positive that L had to be young...not too young -his ego wouldn't allow him to believe that- someone his age...maybe a little older. An interesting thought...with a small sigh Raito lay down on his bed closing his eyes, enjoying the soft feeling of his bed and comforter. He hadn't been sleeping that much lately, to focused on punishing criminals and maintaining his grades...not that he had to try very hard at the latter, but it would be best to go to sleep a little early tonight, since his entrance exam was tomorrow, if any more criminals popped up they would be in the morning paper and he would "handle" them then...best too keep his wits about him...and wait for L's next move. One of them was going to slip up eventually...and Raito was going to make damn sure that it wasn't him.

After all...it was War.

Light brown liquid swirled in the porcelain cup as L twirled a silver spoon before removing it from the cup and giving it a small lick. The 6 investigators from the NPA were strewn through out his suite, most asleep or in the process of falling asleep. L glanced to the side, noting that Yagami-san was half asleep, still holding one of the many files that they had compiled on Kira's victims...useless really. L himself had gone over it several times himself, the only similarities were what everyone already knew. Heart Attacks...Criminals, well...except the FBI agents.

L calmly set the spoon onto a napkin and took a careful sip of the hot liquid, sweetened to the point that it was practically no longer coffee. The FBI agents, their deaths were his defeat...but they had provided a hint. Particularly, Ray Penber had provided the necessary hint...Kira was in either the Kitamura or Yagami families...and everyone in this room knew just which member of the Yagami family L suspected. Yagami Raito.

L rewound the tapes once more, his eyes were unblinking as he watched the rewound tapes. There was something that he was missing, there had to be. Granted the percentage of Yagami Raito being Kira was less then 5 percent but that was still higher then anyone else. His IQ, age, and attitude perfectly characterized L's profile of Kira, a genius who hated losing, immature but brilliant. It had to be him, right? L's instinct told him it was, and his instinct had never been wrong in a case before...but in order to prove that Yagami Raito was Kira...he needed evidence, or...a confession. Both of which he was unlikely to receive, he highly doubted Kira would leave too many clues -the ones he had left had been intentional- and while any "normal" criminal L could trick into confessing...however it was obvious that Kira was no normal criminal.

He lowered the cup onto the coaster and raised his right thumb to his lips as he paused on the image of his face. A handsome young man by most standards...a very handsome man, still it was nothing out of the ordinary. Am I wrong? L wondered as he studied the others face, those eyes...seemingly focused on the problems in front of him, held in them something that made L even more suspicious. 2.3 percent probability...still far short of the 100 percent he would need to actually convict Raito, but he was sure of it. The youth he was looking at right now, the son of the man who was near passed out on the table across the room from him, was Kira. He had to be Kira!

L chewed on the tip of his thumb for a moment, his wide dark eyes further studying the others face. How...would he catch this one? Attractive and brilliant, it was a deadly combination...and he was sure if pressured that Yagami Raito would respond with a challenge, just like Kira would...or would he simply let it slide?

One...two...three more sugar cubes into his coffee and a casual stir of the silver spoon later, L decided. He would present himself to Yagami Raito...as L. L had toyed with the idea of sending in a proxy but dismissed it, Yagami Raito had the highest chance of being Kira...he would not risk the life of another on the investigation. Especially that since Yagami Raito's father was the super-intendant of the NPA...it was likely that the youth might have seen the other members of the investigation team before. Watari? No no...he would keep Watari hidden, as his trump card...

The entrance exams...for To-ou University...they were tomorrow, weren't they? A little smile danced on L's face, yes...that would be acceptable. Now the question was simply how to approach the situation...

Turning off the televisions, L pulled his knees closer to his chest and shut his eyes, best to sleep now...he had to be awake for his exams in the morning...and to War.

Both men, both enemies. Tomorrow they meet and the battle begins, those who attack win first, right? Or will that be L's undoing. Drifting towards the comfort of sleep, both are determined to catch the other. Their audience, the shinigami Ryukku finishes the last of his apple and chuckles. He has not seen L, but knows...that if L is anything like Raito...things would unfold soon and prove to be very, very amusing.

"人間は面白い(1)" He cackled as he floated over Raito, who simply grabbed one of his pillows and placed it over his head and ears, making Ryukku cackle more. Interesting...very...very interesting. Let the battles commence!

(1) 人間は面白い - Ningen ha Omoshiroi - Humans are Interesting

Hope that the Kanji is right for "omoshiroi" I would have preferred to use hiragana but sadly what I use to type in Japanese isn't working on this computer so I had to use babel fish...

EDIT: changed the kanji

I hope that you enjoyed the story. In the next chapter the L and Raito shall meet! Since I'm going to try to keep the two in character as much as possible, the..."smut" might be a while in coming, but the sexual tension won't be!

Please REVIEW!

ありがとう