Hi guys! I've updated a few chapters of this on my Ao3, but in the meantime I figured I would upload the current chapters on here too. Enjoy!

As Light came to, he knew that he was not anywhere on Earth. He awoke to a dark courtroom with seven banners bearing various creatures draped over seven thrones, with one extra throne elevated in the center of them all. Five creatures bearing the facades of fair men regarded him with varying gazes of curiosity, contempt, and amusement. Through the narrow slits of the windows of the wall, he could see the soft silver moonlight filter in from the giant body - much larger than it should appear on Earth, leading him to believe he was somewhere high in the sky. Surprised by how the room differed from Ryuk's description of a "barren wasteland," he was determined not to show the same kind of fear and weakness that he did when Ryuk first showed up. Tilting his head slightly back so as to bear his neck in a gesture of mocking vulnerability, he spoke, "This isn't quite what I pictured the Shinigami Realm to look like." The creature in the red coat in the center moved to speak.

"Ahahaha! You mortals have the funniest sayings!" Light stifled his displeasure at this creature's audacity to pull him out of his own home against his will, only to mock him. As he settled down, he began in a more somber tone, " No, Light. I am here to welcome you to the Devildom. Oh, pardon me. You must be feeling a bit shocked." Light gently nodded as he waited for the creature to get on with his point. "Well, that's understandable. You've only just arrived, after all. As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom. Ha! As if we would treat a human as awful as those lowly Shinigami!" The man dissolved into laughter again, while Light was left to reply to this.

'He didn't know I was involved with Shinigami. I'm not sure how this is possible, but I fear I've already said too much.' Snapping his head completely upright, he decided to use a diversion tactic. "What exactly is the Devildom?" This was information that he needed to figure out, especially since it sounded like he might be stuck here for an extended period of time.

The creature, seeming amused, decided to tease the human. "Asking questions already, are we? I see that you catch on quickly. Excellent."

'Of course I catch on quickly, you prick," Light internally seethed. 'Why would you pick someone who doesn't even have the sense to do that much?'

"I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Diavolo." Light's breath hitched as he recalled the name from the mysterious letter he had touched.

'I suppose that means that he's the one in charge of things around here.'

The creature's, no, Diavolo's demeanor grew a bit chillier as he continued on with his monologue. "I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom."

'So he's the Prince, or whatever the equivalent is. Why is he so certain that day will come so soon? And why do I get the feeling that I have some role to play in his crowning? Something feels off about him.'

"This is the Royal Academy of Diavolo... though we just call it RAD. You're standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where we officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I'm the president of said council."

By this point, Light was more confused than anything else. 'Why do these demons have a school set up? And why do they have a crappy student government set up?' One issue needed to be addressed above all else, however. "Why am I here?" he questioned.

"I will explain everything to you," the voice of the eldest-looking creature - no, demon - boomed as he descended the steps to meet Light.

"Light, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride," Diavolo practically cooed. "He's also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man... and not just in title, I assure you. Beyond that, he's also my most trusted friend."

As Diavolo said this, Light sharply inhaled a shallow breath as he purposefully narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly, gaze sweeping to assess Lucifer in greater detail. The menacing demon spoke up with eloquence and the slightest hint of exasperation. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Diavolo."

'So this the Lucifer. The original fallen angel' Light mused. 'The demon that the world has compared me to ever since I became Kira. Someone who seems uncomfortable with Diavolo's insipid praise, and is somehow stuck serving him anyways.'

Turning to Light, Lucifer's voice began to boom again as a sadistic glimmer found its way into his eyes, "Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours... I offer you a most heartfelt welcome, Light."

'I'm impressed by this guy's charisma and speaking ability,' he admitted to himself. 'If I were any other human, I would probably cower in his very presence. But I'm not any other human - I'm the only one who can handle this!' Purposefully widening his eyes to appear more innocent, he filled his voice with the rich honey that only he was capable of; the kind that could drive nearly any creature in all the realms to worship him. "I appreciate your welcome very much. However, I would like an answer to my question: why am I here?"

"...Interesting. This one certainly isn't afraid to ask for what he wants," Lucifer rumbled mirthfully, more for his and Diavolo's benefit than anyone else's. Raising his voice to a proper volume to address the human so skillfully concealing the anger he could sense, he continued. "Diavolo believes that we demons should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm. As a first step toward this goal, we've decided to institute an exchange program. We've sent two of our students to the human world and two to the Celestial Realm. And we're welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm. So, I take it you've probably put two and two together at this point, right?"

'First of all, the Celestial Realm agreed to this? Second of all, demons in the human world? Third, does he truly believe I'm so stupid that it took me that long to figure it out?' Deciding to only tackle his own problem, the one that he could actually do anything about, his voice took on a slightly sharper edge as he asserted "I've been chosen for this program. I'm the new exchange student." A brief pause on Lucifer's end. 'Good. Let him see that I won't be intimidated so easily.'

Lucifer's mouth curled up on one side as he let out a small, amused huff. "Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on assignments that you will receive in your classes from RAD. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in the Devildom."

'Perhaps my classmates were right when they said that the concept of school came straight from Hell itself. Still, going to school here for a year could be interesting. Yes, it will put a hijink in my plan to find and eliminate L, and these demons are absolute bastards for daring to drag me down here like this, but I'm nothing if not adaptable. Besides, if I'm careful, I'm sure there's something I can learn down here that can make my plans even better.' "Alright," he spoke in a careful lilt. "That sounds manageable."

"Excellent," Lucifer chuckled in glee. "I see you have no protests about this year. Don't worry- it's not like I will abandon you all by yourself here in the Devildom. You need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother Mammon." He paused as he furrowed his brows. "He's the Avatar of Greed and... how should I put it...? Oh well, you'll understand soon enough," he sighed.

'I really hope that wasn't intended to be comforting. Surely they wouldn't put someone incompetent in charge?' Light hoped.

Lucifer then handed the young god a sleek black machine before explaining, "Here, take this device. It's called a D.D.D. It's a lot like the cell phones of your world. This will be yours to use for as long as you're here. Now, go ahead and try calling Mammon with it." Deciding to ignore the ominous time marking on the device, Light unlocked the device, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed Mammon's number.

Ring, ring. "Yooo," an unrefined phantom drawled on the other end of the line. 'Why is such a high-ranking demon so unpolished?'

"Hello." A rather bland greeting, yes, but this "Mammon" wasn't exactly giving Light a lot to work with.

"Huh? Who the hell are ya? You ain't Lucifer," the mystery demon bit out. 'No, I'm not, but I'm sure you know you're supposed to be my guardian; there's no way that you don't at least have an idea of who I am.'

"I'm a human." Cool, collected on the outside, while annoyance simmered on the inside. 'The one you're supposed to guide through this new place.'

"Whaaa? A human?" ' Yes, you dolt.' "Geez, I was gettin' all chilly here thinkin' it was Lucifer again. Ya should've told me right away." 'Didn't you just say that I'm not Lucifer?' "So," Light could practically hear this infuriating demon's shit-eating grin, "what business does a human got with THE Mammon?"

'Other than you doing your fucking job?' "Let's be friends." 'Best to not make an enemy immediately if I can help it.'

"Eh..." The demon sounded incredibly confused. "What're ya even sayin'...?" And then he reached a sudden revelation. "AAH! I get it now, you're the other human - the new exchange student!" 'It really took him this long to figure it out?!' "G'luck with that, and see ya." Glancing over at the demon who seemed to inspire fear within the imbecile he was currently speaking with, he decided to pull his trump card.

"Lucifer called for you," he declared with a calculating expression on his face.

"Pfft, whatever," the fool droned. "Ya think THE Mammon would listen to ya just 'cause you're tryin' to scare me with that name?"

Within nanoseconds, Lucifer had managed to transport himself to Light's side and project his voice at a volume that even Mammon could hear on the other end of the line. "You've got 10 seconds...9...8..."

"YESSIR!" the Greed demon yelped out as he hung up the call. "Sounds like you had a nice chat," the fallen angel smirked.

"He seems..." 'Like an absolutely useless moron.' "reliable." Only a slight tilt of his head to betray his true meaning.'More like reliably stupid, but I'd better not insult anyone until I have some allies of my own down here.'

"You really think so?" Lucifer looked quite annoyed, having expected something... different... from this particular human.

"Well," Diavolo interjected, wearing the face of a helpful, gentle lamb, "if you were suddenly brought to a strange place and then get told that an unfamiliar face will now take care of you, you'd certainly feel anxious." 'Something tells me that Mammon won't exactly be taking care of me.' As if reading Light's mind, the Prince then continued, "However, Mammon isn't the only one to help you out. Now then... we still need to introduce our new friend to your brothers, Lucifer. And it's probably better that you do that instead of me, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes..." the demon in question sighed as a look of exhaustion flickered across his face for a brief moment. "As much as I dread the idea of doing so, you're right."

"Oh, come now," an androgynous figure slightly smaller than Light whined as he descended the steps with the other figures in tow. "Really? You should be honored that you get to introduce such a sweet and charming little brother like me!" He sauntered up to Lucifer as he took a closer look at the new human.

"This one here is Asmodeus. He's the fifth eldest," the eldest demon introduced as briefly as possible. "He is the Avatar of Lust."

"Wh.. I can't believe you just totally ignored what I said!" the fair demon pouted.

'I would've expected the Avatar of Lust to have a voice that wasn't so entirely nerve-grating.' "And not only that, you referred to me as this one. How rude!" 'He seems whiny, almost as if his sin were Envy. The only indication that his sin is Lust is that tasteless quick-release knot he has on his uniform.'

"Hmph," the blonde, impeccably-dressed demon murmured. "At least he didn't ignore you altogether. How do you think I feel?"

"That one there is Satan, the fourth eldest of us," Lucifer explained quickly. "At first glance, he may seem like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving."

"Aha, so I'm that one, am I?" he hissed out. Turning to Light, he softened his tone and plastered on a smile. "Nice to meet you, Light. I am Satan, the Avatar of Wrath."

Being a master of donning masks, Light could immediately notice the switch when Satan strapped his on. 'I'd better be careful with this one, but I think I can read him pretty well. He's good at faking nice, I'll give him that, but I have more practice with this sort of thing than any other human in the world.' Dipping his head toward Satan in an outward display of respect, he replied, "It is very nice to meet you too, Satan. I look forward to getting to interact with you during this year." Switching his gaze towards Asmodeus, he smiled, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Asmodeus."

Asmodeus smirked, "Care to know me a little better? Let's give you a little demonstration of my power! Light, could you gaze into my eyes for a moment?"

Quickly assessing the request, Light acquiesced. 'The others won't want the exchange program to fail this early on, so if it's something truly dangerous, then they'll stop it before this power can cause any severe damage to me. Even if it's not dangerous to me, I should still know what it is and learn more about it to protect myself.'

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. Come on, don't be shy..." the lust demon cooed as Light met his eyes. "Yes, great! That's perfect! Now, keep your eyes fixed on mine. Just like that..."

'I know how to look into someone's eyes, you idiot.'

"...Wait a minute," Asmodeus paused in shock. "There's something about you...hmm..."

'His power doesn't work on me!' he realized as he fought to keep the self-satisfactory smirk off his face.

"I should probably warn you, Light: you'd best be wary of Asmodeus's gaze," the black-haired demon interjected. "He can charm and manipulate people and use them to his own advantage."

'So can any human who knows what they're doing - he might have magic to back him up, but apparently it doesn't work on me. Perhaps it has something to do with coming into contact with the Death Note?'

"If you're not careful, he'll charm you. And once you're under his spell, he'll eat you." 'If he has to charm me to eat me, then I guess I'm safe from him. I still have to worry about the others, however.'

"Hey, don't go around saying things like that... hmm... regardless, my power doesn't seem to work this time for some reason. I wonder why."

'I wonder too.'

Tired of Asmodeus going around in circles, Lucifer sighed loudly, "Are you done? Now, the one

there with the very grumpy look on his face is Beelzebub. He's the sixth oldest." "Lucifer, I'm hungry," the ginger-haired demon grunted at the eldest.

"That's too bad," he dismissed. "Now behave yourself."

"I'm Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony," the giant demon whimpered out.

'If his cardinal sin is Gluttony, then it's no wonder he's hungry.' Suddenly remembering an important detail, he reached into the pocket of his pajama pants. See, as a result of having had a pet Shinigami for an entire month prior, Light had grown used to constantly having apples on-hand - yes, even in his sleep. Pulling out the Red Delicious and letting it gleam in the moonlight spilling across the room, the audacious human held it up to the gaze of the seasoned demon as if it were the fabled Forbidden Fruit of old. Softening his voice, he murmured "I have an extra apple with me." Extending his arm, he cooed, "Would you like it?" with the barest hint of a smile on his face.

A questioning look flickered across Beelzebub's face, before he lit up and gobbled the apple happily in one bite. Afterwards, he flashed a bright smile while uttering a quick thanks to the human. 'He kind of reminds me of Ryuk, minus the nasty face and questionable fashion taste.'

"So...", interjected Lucifer after a brief lull, "there are seven of us brothers in all, and I am the eldest."

'I figured both of those points out already; you're the Seven Deadly Sins, and you're the one who seems to corral the rest of your brothers.'

"Mammon, the second oldest of us, will be here soon."

'That idiot. And he hates me. Perhaps I'll be able to make a better impression if he can see my charm in person...?'

"My other brothers aren't here at the moment, but... well, we can get to them later. All in good time."

Finally, Diavolo began giving information in the conversation again. "During your stay in the Devildom, the seven brothers will watch over you. To keep you safe, you are to stay with them at the House of Lamentation."

"And what," Light asked in an innocent tone, "would you be keeping me safe from?" 'I already have an idea, but I'd like to hear you say it yourself.'

Lucifer, a little bit too gleefully, answered, "Most agree with Diavolo, but that doesn't mean that there aren't vulgar demons out there who wouldn't harm you. If anything were to happen to you, it would be our responsibility."

'Yes, that's exactly what I thought.'

"And I won't betray Diavolo's expectations. So, I will do everything in my power to make sure you survive your stay down here in the Devildom. Although we will all be living together, you should still have the means to reach us at any given time. All of our phone numbers are already in there. And your D.D.D. also has a messaging app. Make sure to add all of us."

Diavolo chirped out, "I'll go ahead and send you a message!"

Satan, voice dripping with plastic saccharine, cooed out, "Isn't that nice, Light. Now you will be friends with the future king of the Devildom!" Light externally beamed in response, while he was truly mulling over how the term "friend" seemed like a stretch here.

Light went ahead and added the brothers in his messaging app, receiving inane, overly cutesy stickers and sending back the ones that he imagined were expected of him. At the end of the ordeal, Lucifer hurried everyone along, stating "Well, you've got that done now, and it seems the idiot has arrived as well."

"HEY!" the greed demon screeched out as the doors were busted open and he ran up to the human in his charge. "Just who do you think you are, human? You've got a lotta nerve summoning the Great Mammon!" He paused as he began to throw a fit. "Listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once. If you value your life, then you'll hand over all of your money now! And anything else of value, too!"

'Is this demon for real? Surely he's not this stupid all of the time - there's no way he could be as infamous as he is without a hidden clever streak.'

"Otherwise, I'll wipe that stupid, happy-go-lucky look right off of your face... by eatin' you! Startin' at your head and working my way down, until-"

Lucifer cut his tirade off by growling, "Mammon, shut up or I'll punch you!" and then, immediately proceeding to punch the second-born. Mammon immediately whined about Lucifer's punch as Light fought the urge to massage his temples. Fortunately, Satan cut in as the closest resemblance to a "voice of reason."

"Light, Mammon here is the Avatar of Greed. He governs and oversees all forms of it. Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash in money. But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They're left without a Grimm to their name."

'Isn't that what the Americans call a "sugar daddy"?'

"And he's also a masochist," Asmodeus piped up. "That part's important." Filing that away for later, Light listened to Mammon's protests to that statement, but he couldn't bring himself to disagree with the information that Asmodeus had provided him. Listening to the brothers' antics was exhausting him, and they weren't coming to any new conclusions by bickering amongst themselves. Just as Light suspected, Lucifer intimidated Mammon into accepting his assigned duty for the moment.

Approaching him the demon whine, "All right human, listen up. As much as I don't want to look after you, I've got no choice. It's a huge pain in the ass, and I'm too important for this kind of thing, but Lucifer told me to do it, so I will. But in return, you better make sure you don't cause me any trouble, got it?"

Well, causing "trouble," could be a pretty flexible term, and Light was a master of bending all the rules to work in his favor. Deciding not to antagonize his guardian for the moment, he smirked, "All right, deal."

Mammon seemed relieved as he huffed, "Good, that's what I want to hear. As long as you do as I say, we won't have any problems. Just be sure you don't forget which one of us is the boss here."

'I think you're underestimating my ability to cause chaos, you greedy fool.' Light was sure that Mammon would come to regret those words.

"Now Light," Lucifer gestured to the human. "I believe we have covered everything, but to summarize: you will be an exchange student here at RAD for one year, and you must attend classes and complete your assignments and tests. And when your exchange period comes to an end, you are to submit a paper about your stay here in the Devildom. It's as easy as pie, don't you think?"

'It's a little off-putting to hear THE Lucifer himself use crappy foreign slang, but I suppose I'll get used to it.' Light smiled up at Lucifer and tilted his head slightly to the left as he donned his trademark "angel smile" and extended his right hand to shake Lucifer's. As the demon reciprocated the gesture, the young god proclaimed "I am looking forward to spending this year with all of you. Let us all make this a time which we may look back upon fondly."

Everyone looked at Light as if he had grown seven extra heads. Mammon in particular was puzzled by Light's positive exterior. Still, he relented, "I won't stop ya from havin' some fun."

Diavolo gleefully whirled Light around for one final recap. "Light, from now on you will be living in the House of Lamentation. You'll be staying there with Lucifer and his six younger brothers." Then his demeanor darkened and something, some sort of well-crafted mask, was briefly dropped. "Humans, angels, demons. I imagine a universe where each accepts the other. Where we are brought together as friends." Then, his cheerful expression worked its way back onto his face again: but it was too late. Light had seen a glimpse beneath the cheerful facade, a peek at something more sinister than he had ever faced before. "This is my dream, and I'm asking you to be the foundation for it."

'Somehow I don't think it would matter, even if I protested with every fiber of my being.'

"One year, that's what I ask of you. Good luck, Light." And with that, Light and the brothers proceeded to leave the student council room.

Don't forget to review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't, etc. Thanks for reading!