There are kings and there are soldiers, but sometimes, soldiers rebel.
Pomme d'Api
| dance, dance, who am I |
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Somewhere in the universe, where there are riptides caused by time and space, the Master of Death shuffles on the newly conjured up throne and tilts his head to the side with just the right amount curiosity laced with a hint of boredom.
"Not that I mind the invitation…" And he doesn't, not really. It's not like he actually has to be in the same plane of existence for the shop to function properly.
In front of him, the King of Death has a hand inside the burlap sack Harry carried with him, filled to the brim with apples (and they are red ones, luscious and fresh and they taste like sweet honey, perfect for an apple pie or a crumble). Even without eyes, the creature – which Harry dubs Grandpa the first time he meets him – sighs.
"Death has been…" And there, he has to actually think about his words (Death is fond of its Master, very much so, but the Shinigami King – not so much, he's mostly there for show and because Death, like any deity, is too lazy to change the hierarchy).
"Death has been complaining about the increase of work lately."
Ah, well that certainly explains why Death's visit had become sparse and by complaining, the old man probably means that Death has been moody and insistent (but Death is never truly happy, either complaining that business is a bit slow because of those new science strides – a pacemaker, how ridiculous – or how business picked up – pesky dictators and their bloodlust).
"Well…" Harry starts out, not really concerned. "There is a Death Note loose in the human world." Harry supposes that Light's idea could be considered noble, but his standards are pretty low and no one asked him.
"Not anymore." Pretty eyes shine just like diamonds and the Master of Death's curiosity spikes up suddenly. "There is a second one now." Ryuk will be very pleased, more entertainment coming his way.
There is a pause, the Shinigami King picking up an apple, touching it like one would a prized jewel, rubs it on his spidery thin leg to make it shine just a tad more and, when finally satisfied with the appearance, gulps it down in a swift movement.
"If one Death Note makes Death mad, I can't imagine a second one." Ah, Harry nods.
"So, you want me to take care of the second notebook?" There's a slow nod – because once a Death Note makes it into the human world, Shinigamis can't do much about it.
But apparently, he can (Harry isn't human, but he isn't entirely inhuman either and the rules, well, they've always been a little bent when it comes to him, so why would it change now, why should this world make more sense than the previous one where eleven-year-olds are meant to fight dark lords and collect fragments of souls to destroy).
The first-time Harry finds himself in the Shinigami realm, there are creatures everywhere around him; the world is in ruins, tattered and bruised by time and souls – if you can call them that – aim around, sleeping and gambling (but there's Ryuk and Ryuk is something else entirely, bored and in desperate need of entertainment, unsatisfied with the way things are, and he latches onto Harry probably seeing a way to be rid of the boredom and Harry, under his mask of indifference, doesn't mind the company).
Deep and endless black holes stare back at him, already on the fourth apple (and Harry knows just what his 'grandfather' expects of him, but he'll never quite come out and say it) and finally, Harry shrugs his shoulders.
"I'll find the notebook; the second one." Finally, he stands up from the throne, his clothes not quite sticking to his skin anymore, floating like specks of dust and catching the sickly grey light and the Shinigami King looks quite content (kings have soldiers, soldiers to fight the wars while they remain up in their castles and wait).
But the King of Death forgets one crucial details – Harry said he'd find the second notebook, he never said what he would do with it – you should never trust the Master of Death (especially those who strike up friendships with bored Shinigamis who cling to them in search of entertainment).
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"Harry." Ryuk gushes excitedly, popping up three inches away from his face before Light has even pushed the door of the shop. "Harry, you'll never guess what happened." Honestly, with Ryuk, you never know – but with Light's face (the last time the teen had looked so gloomy was when he had actual cameras in his bedroom) it's pretty obvious the Kira business went a little sour.
"How was your first day? Did you make a lot of friends?" Isn't that what concerned parents would ask their child when they come home from their first day of school? Light's teeth clench and Ryuk laughs to the point where he hiccups.
He hasn't reached for an apple yet, so this must be good.
"Oh, you'll never believed who tied first place in the entrance exams with Light." But that sentence comes out distorted and the Shinigami keeps choking on air.
Ah.
"He was there. He was there and he was baiting me." Harry pats Light's back with a calm expression on his face. "He tried to make a fool out of me, even gave me a fake name just to test me…"
"You need some pie, Light." And the teen nods robotically (that's Harry's answer for everything; pie and a cup of tea), still mumbling under his breath and gritting his teeth as he sits at his usual table near the front of the shop.
Ryuk and Harry exchange a look, the Shinigami sending a grin his way, all sharp teeth yellowed with time, before dipping in the air, wings carrying him in the back to look for red, luscious fruits.
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"Hi." Rem - Rem is petrified.
Harry finds her way too easily and that's just no fun.
She is blonde and perky and wears almost all black and there's the humongous creature that follows wherever she goes (apparently, Ryuk is not the only one seeking companionship, must be a trend or something).
"Oh, Hi." And she's a model, apparently famous, charismatic and pretty. "Are you a fan?" He bobs his head and doesn't met the Shinigami's eyes, keeps them entirely focused on one Misa Amane.
"Let's make a deal, Misa. If you give me that notebook of yours, I'll take you to Kira." At first, the blonde's eyes widen and she takes a step back (they are in the middle of the street and this boy who doesn't look much older than her talks about such things with an unbelievable amount of calm and aloofness).
"Misa-Misa doesn't know what you're talking about…" Her eyes try to reach Rem's, but those distorted pupils are focused entirely on the dark haired teen, wary of his next move.
"I'm sure your friend can fill you in." He tilts his head to the side and offers a smile. "So, what do you say? Your notebook for Kira? Seems like a nice bargain and he's a such a handsome boy too, you'd like him very much."
There's a moment of hesitation and then a very, very slow nod.
"Misa always keeps the notebook on her…" She reaches for her purse and Harry pats her on the head, completely throwing her off once again.
"You're a good girl. Now, how about some pie?"
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"What exactly did you do with the second notebook?" Harry simmers apples with raw brown sugar, nutmeg and a little cinnamon.
In the shop, that has been closed for about an hour, Light looks like he's one migraine away from throwing up – Harry doesn't offer pie this time, just some aspirin and green tea to calm the nerves – and Misa chatters on excitedly, Rem's distrustful eyes moving back and forth from Light, to Ryuk and then, occasionally, to him.
"Oh." Harry says, adding just a tad more sugar. "Let's just say I…" No, now it needs more cinnamon. "Well, I evened out the fields." And Ryuk stares and stares and stares until finally he throws his head back (probably wondering why he didn't think of it first).
Because anyone else would miss it. The old man comes by on Tuesdays like always and has tea and regales Harry with tales that the Master of Death couldn't possibly understand because they sound so normal. He leaves with the usual eleven boxes, all wrapped properly and beautifully, but –
There's one box that's a little too heavy.
And anyone else would miss it.
But not L.
a/n: Hi! I'm sorry for the long wait. It's just, I wasn't sure about a few things concerning this story (at first, I wanted to kill Misa off, but then I didn't because she always gets the short end of the stick) and well, I wondered what to do with the second notebook and I wanted Harry to have a scene with the Shinigami King (or the King of Death, whichever you prefer). So, this happened.
Someone asked if Harry would regain his memories. My answer is, Harry does have his memories. He remembers everything about his previous life and everyone in it, it's just that he also has every memories from every Master of Death that ever existed before him; so to him, these memories are just that - memories. Like waking up from a bad dream.
Anyways, thank you so much for all your lovely feedback. I mean, it was pretty impressive the amount of love you all sent me. I read all your reviews and I appreciate all of them. Now, as for - you know - pairings; would you like some? I'm not sure myself. Honestly, this story is fine without any or maybe some unconventional one, like NearxHarry? Let me know. So, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, drop a review. Till next time ~
