When asked what makes his apple pies so delicious, Harry will smile and say it's all about the magic. It also helps to have a Shinigami guinea-pig to experiment on. Don't pay attention to the floating apple near your head.

Aux Pommes

| I can feel, the cycles in |

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It's an odd vision; the universe that shudders.

It barely lasts a second, just enough for an earthquake of magnitude 4.56 on the Richter Scale somewhere in the middle of the equator, a tsunami in Asia and for an entire government to fall in Europe.

Whenever a new master of death is born, the earth shivers – Death is too preoccupied for a moment, throwing the world off its axes – the sun lingers a tad longer, the moon stays hidden for a minute.

Harry wakes up from a dream, a very bad one, every memory tainted with blood and war and death. But as he fully awakens, dark eyelashes fluttering, he realizes that he can't remember anything besides this.

There's a cloak draped around his shoulders, bound to him by blood.

In the middle of the forest, hidden away between trees, there's a stone on the ground.

As ruins surround him, his hands shake breaking the slender piece of wood.

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When people ask; what makes Harry's apple pies so damn delicious, the boy answers with a smile that it's all about the magic. Most people will brush it aside, say that he has a special ingredient that he's not ready to share.

Then there are those who witness floating apples and when you see a floating apple well… No, it's just too improbable, so they pretend it never happened and continue to happily eat the pie and cookies and bread, all made with apples of course.

Ryuk cackles above his head, the sound truly disturbing. It's a good thing that none of his customers can see him – for one, he'd be out of business. The decaying face of a Shinigami would make one lose their appetite.

"Those donuts seem to be very popular, Harry." The Master of Death hums at the now empty basket. Apple donuts; the mixture consists of apple cubes simmered in a mix of honey and maple syrup, then added still warm to oatmeal, flour and baking powder. Deep fried from a few minutes and then covered with a blend of cinnamon and white sugar.

Harry was actually hopping for apple crumble, but the donuts are a pleasant surprise. And after the Shinigami who lives in his shop steals more than a dozen, the former wizard decides to sell them.

He settles for looking up at Ryuk. With the shop, still full of customers, Harry can't be seen talking to an empty patch of air. That and he's still pretending to be mad at the creature for finishing his batch of Cortland apples.

It's only later, when Harry waves at the last customer and has the key placed in the lock that he finally pays attention to the Shinigami – the creature hovers in mid-air, hand wrapped around yet another apple, his abnormal eyes a shade of yellow.

"You know, Light will find this place eventually." The Master of Death pauses, hands on the perfect and smooth glass. "It's only a matter of time till he figures out where I am during the day."

"If I wanted to have a philosophical discussion with a mass murderer, I'd just resurrect a Dark Lord and have a tea party with him." Ryuk chortles, releasing his hold on the apple and dropping it into his opened mouth.

For a second, both the occupants of the shop are just content with ignoring each other. Harry moves around the tables, pushing chairs under tables and wiping the usual crumbs. Ryuk hovers near the front, always close to Harry, but even closer to the kitchen door.

"But you won't stop him from coming in, will you?" The dark-haired boy blinks.

"I really don't care what you do, Ryuk." It should be said that the Master of Death is wrapped in a thick exterior of lethargic calm, that a boy with the intentions to rid the world of evil is not something he concerns himself with.

Life is not something he concerns himself with and Ryuk chuckles and chuckles, until there are no more apples in the shop.

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"One of each flavour, a dozen donuts and also an apple crumble." Tuesdays are exceptionally slow, especially during the afternoon – Harry smiles at the man, not quite surprised, appreciative of the large order.

"I'm afraid I ran out of apple/sugar pies. I hope you don't mind waiting while it cooks." There's a twinkle in the man's eye and his face is full of good intentions. He reminds Harry of someone from a very long time ago.

"No, of course not – take all the time you need." Ryuk has that particularly disturbing grin on his face as the man takes one of the tables near the front. Harry whispers under his breath, the sound of the oven door closing.

"Here, on the house, while you wait." When the man smiles, Harry can see every wrinkle, every line. It makes the Master of Death blink, because it's only a cup of tea.

"Do you run this place all on your own?" Harry nods. "Ah, to be young again. I'm afraid my knees aren't quite what they used to be, and my back." And then the man laughs in that way that the Master of Death can't possibly understand.

It's a deep rumble, full of warmth and nostalgia. Harry Potter decides that this man can come into his shop any time and have tea and tell him about his life.

"Did you notice?" Ryuk stops, apple in hand, to look at the man's retreating back. Of course, neither he nor Harry are actually looking at the man, but at the top of his head; the numbers are red.

Ryuk eats the apple, his eyes on the dark-haired boy – this is an interesting development.

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It's the third week of January when Light Yagami, seventeen, walks into the shop.

Harry already knows all about the boy and his alter ego Kira. Ryuk hovers over the cash register, yellow eyes amused and with an apple dangling from his fingers.

"So you're the one who's been feeding apples to Ryuk?" The Master of Death looks up, dark eyelashes fluttering and the hint of a smile on his lips.

"A Shinigami is an odd choice for a pet. Didn't you want a dog?" Kira and the Master of Death walk into a pie shop with a Shinigami, this is what happens.

"Dogs don't talk back." Both turn to look at Ryuk then, who is amused beyond words. He's even pushed aside his beloved apples to watch the scene.

"I suppose they don't." Light smiles then, well not exactly. But to anyone else it would look like a smile, to anyone who cannot see the mask crack around the edges, weary because of its use.

"I'll have tea." Harry nods, waving his hand.

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Death likes to check up on his Master.

He/She/It wanders into the shop after closing time, wearing someone else's skin and sits at one of the table near the front. Harry looks up at the disguise, a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"It's a shame, really. There was a bus full of them today." Yes, it has been a particular busy day for Death.

For once, Ryuk isn't hovering above his head.


a/n: If anyone is interested in this very weird idea, let me know! I seem to have a passion for putting characters into shops and make them bake and I thought apples and Death Note and Harry and mix them all together you get this! I don't know exactly where I'm going with this fic, but if any of you would want to read more, I'm sure I could develop this better. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!