Daiki, Part 20

by Geri ([email protected])

My homepage: http://www.geocities.com/geri_chans_fics/index.html

Rating: R (actually, mostly PG-13, but R for one steamy scene in Part 1, and for Leon's bad language throughout)

Pairing: Leon/D

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Matsuri Akino and Yumiko Kawahara. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

Sequel to: This can be considered a continuation of my earlier series of stories (Revenge, The Day After, Spirits, Blodeuedd), but it can stand on its own as my version of what happens after Book 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Contains spoilers for Book 10 and the Shin Petshop of Horrors series currently running in Japan.

Summary: A crossover between Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino and Dolls by Yumiko Kawahara. The family reunion of the Ds takes place.
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When Daiki and Raphael arrived at the petshop, they found Count D dashing around the shop frantically, wielding a feather duster in one hand and a vacuum cleaner in the other. Raphael's jaw dropped open in shock; the Count had tied his hair up in a kerchief, and was wearing an apron over his elegant robes, causing him to look more like a harried housewife than a supernatural being with godlike powers.

The Count swiped at a vase with the feather duster, although Raphael could spot no sign of dust on the vase, or indeed, anywhere else in the room. He shoved the vacuum under the couch, causing the lizard-woman to dart out from under it with a startled and indignant yelp.

"Please help us, Daiki," the lizard whispered plaintively, as the Count muttered to himself about how much there was to do before dinner. "He's driving us all crazy!" Several pets peeping from behind the doorway nodded; they were obviously afraid to come anywhere near the Count while he was in this state.

"Where's my Dad?" Daiki whispered back.

"Hiding," the lizard replied, motioning vaguely in the direction of the winding corridors of the petshop. "He got home from work about fifteen minutes ago, and ran out of the room as soon as the Count yelled at him for tracking in dirt on the carpets."

Daiki cautiously approached his father and said, "Papa?"

"Oh, Daiki," the Count said, looking frazzled and distracted as he greeted his son. "This place is a mess, and our guests will be here any minute!"

"Our guests will not be here for another two hours at least," Daiki said gently, resting a hand on the Count's shoulder. "Why don't you go and get ready for dinner, and leave the cleaning to us?"

"But the place is a mess!" the Count wailed.

The place looked immaculate, as always, but Daiki did not contradict his parent. "But you do not want Great-Grandfather and your brother to see you like this, do you?" Daiki asked in a reasonable voice, gesturing at the Count's kerchief and apron. "You should go and soak in a hot bath, so that you will be relaxed when they arrive."

"But--" the Count protested.

"Perhaps you could use those bath oils that Aunt Jill gave you for Christmas," Daiki continued, "so that your skin looks smooth and lovely as always. And you should pick out the outfit that you wish to wear tonight--the black cheongsam with the gold dragon is your favorite, isn't it? I think that would be a good choice. And then you can have the cat-girls do your hair and nails. You do want to look your best for Great-Grandfather and your brother, don't you?

"Oh yes, of course!" the Count exclaimed, hastily pulling the kerchief off his head. "I must bathe and properly attire myself before our guests arrive! Thank goodness you reminded me, or I would never be ready in time! You will take charge of things here, Daiki?"

"You may leave everything in my hands, Papa," Daiki said reassuringly.

"You are a good and dutiful son," the Count said, patting Daiki fondly on the cheek, then he hurried out of the room, the silk skirts of his robe rustling softly.

"Oh, thank the gods!" the lizard-woman sighed, and returned to her favorite space beneath the couch.

The other pets came out of hiding, also sighing with relief. "You really know how to handle the Count, Dai," Ten-chan said admiringly. "He was driving the rest of us crazy! Even Leon couldn't deal with him."

"He is understandably nervous," Daiki replied calmly. "But hopefully his mind will be set at ease once he sees his brother again, and realizes that the young Count is just as nervous and eager about meeting him."

"I just hope this family reunion goes smoothly," Ten-chan said, sounding a little worried. "It's a bit of a volatile combination--three generations of kami, plus the Detective."

"Great-Grandfather, my cousin, and Dad each love Papa in their own way, so I think that all of them will try to make this reunion work," Daiki said confidently. "Things may not go smoothly, but I think that in the end, everything will turn out all right."

"I hope you're right, Dai," Raphael said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
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Much to everyone's relief, the Count spent most of the two hours before dinner bathing and primping, and peace and quiet returned to the petshop.

"Thank God," Leon sighed to his son. "I never would've suggested inviting Grandpa and Junior over if I knew it was going to cause this much fuss!" The detective had "dressed up" at D's insistence, grudgingly giving up his usual t-shirt and jeans for a deep blue blazer and slacks that brought out the color of his eyes, and a white dress shirt. He drew the line at wearing a tie, however. "Bad enough I gotta wear this damn monkey suit," Leon grumbled under his breath. "I'm not wearing a dog collar, too."

"Papa will calm down once they get here," Daiki said soothingly. "You know that this is really important to him."

"Yeah, I know," Leon sighed.

Sofu D and the young Count arrived at the appointed time, just as D had begun to pace back and forth in the lobby. By now, Leon was used to Sofu's youthful face, nearly identical to D's, although he still found it a bit creepy, so he wasn't taken aback to see that Count Junior also looked just like D, only with shorter hair and two gold eyes instead of one gold and one purple. Raphael, however, looked stunned although he had been warned about the Ds' nature and how they were all near-clones of each other. But Leon could sympathize; knowing it was one thing, and seeing it in the flesh was quite another.

"They really do look alike," Raphael marveled as Sofu greeted his grandson with his usual reserved affection, and the two younger Ds smiled at each other nervously. "They look like triplets! It's hard to believe that man is the Count's grandfather; he doesn't look a day over twenty-five, at most."

Leon smiled approvingly at his son's boyfriend. He hadn't cared much for Raphael at first, but all in all, the young artist was handling himself pretty well. He had received one shock after another since he had gained the ability to see the human forms of the pets, and even if he hadn't exactly taken it all in stride--Leon would have been suspicious if he had--neither had he run away screaming in terror. In fact, Leon was pretty damn impressed by the way Raphael had stood his ground against an angry Honlon. He had shown bravery and compassion and a touch of foolhardiness in the way that he had befriended the dragon, and that was when Leon had decided that Raphael was worthy of being Daiki's life partner.

"There are subtle differences between them besides the eye color and hair length, if you look closely enough," Leon said, clapping a friendly hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Even though Sofu looks young, there's something in his eyes that's different from the other two. It's hard to put into words...I guess there's a kind of wisdom and cynicism in them. If you just look at his eyes and not his face, you get the impression of something very old...ancient, even, and not at all human."

"Yes," Raphael murmured, taking a closer look at Sofu. "They're like the eyes of a god. I can understand why the Ds were once worshipped as deities."

"And the young Count has an air of youthfulness about him," Leon continued. "He looks nervous, and a little excited about meeting D. That's natural, I suppose, since he hasn't seen his brother for so long. But even if Sofu felt nervous, he'd never let it show outwardly." The nervous excitement and the hint of eagerness in the young D's eyes made Leon feel a bit more kindly towards him--it made him seem vulnerable, almost human, instead of an emotionless and untouchable godling. Leon still didn't entirely trust Junior, but at least his desire to meet his brother seemed sincere.

"You're right," Raphael agreed, looking impressed. "I guess that's why you're such a good detective, Leon, because you're able to notice little details like that."

Leon grinned proudly; he wasn't immune to a little flattery, especially compliments on his detecting skills. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though, because the Ds finished greeting each other and turned towards Leon and Raphael.

"It is good to see you again, Detective Orcot," the young Count said politely, bowing slightly--just enough to show respect without indicating deference. For all that D complained about Leon being uncouth, he had managed to pick up on a few subtleties of Asian customs during the time he had spent traveling in China and Japan looking for D, not to mention the past two decades or so he had spent living in Chinatown.

Leon bowed to the exact same degree that the young Count had, and not an inch more or less. "It's good to see you, too," he replied, stretching the truth slightly for the sake of politeness. "D is eager to get reacquainted with you," he added, a bit more honestly.

Sofu just nodded coolly at Leon, and Leon nodded back at him. The two of them were never going to be friends, but at least the old D was refraining from uttering his usual insults, so Leon figured that he'd hold to the truce as long as Sofu did.

"Great-grandfather, Cousin, this is..." Daiki hesitated for a second, then continued firmly, "my mate, Raphael Van Horne. Raphael, this is my great-grandfather, whom you may address as Sofu D, and Papa's younger brother, who is also known as Count D."

The young Count bowed and greeted Raphael politely, and Raphael returned the favor, greeting the two Ds in carefully pronounced Chinese that Daiki must have taught him. The young Count smiled, and Sofu just nodded and said casually, "Ah yes, the young artist with the unique gift of painting death."

"You know about that?" Raphael asked, looking startled.

"Of course," Sofu replied, smiling in an amused and slightly condescending manner. "Even if I do not visit in person very often, I still like to keep myself informed about what is going on in the lives of my dear grandson and great-grandson."

"What he means to say is that he has been spying on us," D said in an exasperated yet affectionate voice.

"Well, I would not have phrased it so bluntly," Sofu protested, with a contrived--at least in Leon's opinion--look of wounded innocence. The eldest D frowned disapprovingly and added, "You have been picking up bad habits from the detective. Let us say, rather, that I am concerned about you, and have listened to the bits of gossip that happened to come my way."

"In other words, spying," Leon said pointedly, as he and Sofu exchanged glares. The truce, it seemed, was off.

But the young Count disarmed the situation by laughing and saying lightly, "Now, now, Father, you promised to behave. Please don't spoil dinner by fighting with Detective Orcot."

Sofu harrumphed, sounding more like the old grandfather that he really was than the beautiful youth that he appeared to be, but he looked away, breaking off the glare, and said coolly, "No one is fighting, child. The Detective and I were merely having a discussion."

Leon knew D would kill him if he ruined this dinner, and Sofu had backed down first, so he said amiably, "Yeah, just a discussion. No big deal."

Everyone seemed to relax a little, and the young Count presented D with a Madame C's pastry box. "A gift for you, Brother. Daiki tells me that the fruit tart is your favorite."

"Why thank you," D said, smiling at his brother warmly as he accepted the box. "We shall serve it for dessert tonight. But truly, your presence here is gift enough. You did not need to trouble yourself."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Brother," the young Count assured him, an oddly mischievous and merry glint in his golden eyes. It made him look almost human, a far cry from Sofu's cool disdain or Papa D's sadistic smile, and Leon hoped that meant that Junior wasn't going to turn out like his predecessor, after all.

"Father and I enjoy the chance to eat Madame C's delicacies just as much as you do, so it isn't really a proper gift, since we will be partaking of it as well," the young Count continued. "Therefore, we have brought you a second gift."

"A second gift?" D asked, looking puzzled. "You really should not have..."

"Don't be so quick to say that, Count," a cheerful voice said as the doors to the petshop swung open.

"Chris!" Leon exclaimed, as his brother walked into the shop, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't forget Beauty," Chris said, smiling fondly down at the Plant Doll who was walking beside him, her little hand gently but protectively clasped in his. "Sofu and the Count kindly gave us a ride down here."

"By boat?!" Leon exclaimed, thinking of the flying ship he had sailed on with D.

"By plane, Leon," Chris laughed. "The Count chartered a private plane to fly us all out to L.A."

"It is a pleasant surprise, and a gift that I shall gladly accept," D said, smiling at Chris and the young Count. "But we were not expecting you for dinner, Chris, as you had said that you did not think you could get away from work."

"Well, we were able to close the case I was working on sooner than expected," Chris said. "You know, it's the strangest thing, but the suspects suddenly turned themselves in and confessed to all their crimes. Although their lawyers may try to plead insanity, because those men claim that they were attacked by monsters." He gave the young Count a wry smile.

"Monsters?" Leon asked suspiciously.

"Massive hounds with glowing red eyes, and bodies so black that they seemed to be made out of shadows rather than flesh and blood," Chris elaborated. "Their teeth, however, were substantial enough, because the suspects were wounded, and their clothes torn and bloodied. They said that they would rather go to jail than face those hounds."

"A bunch of hardened criminals were afraid of a few dogs?" Leon asked, although he already knew that whatever creatures had chased the men into the arms of the F.B.I. were more than mere "dogs".

Chris smiled wryly again. "They said that the dogs weren't just trying to kill them, but were going to consume their souls."

D muttered something that sounded like "hellhounds," and Leon wasn't sure that he really wanted to know what they were--something nasty, by the sound of it. "You turned monsters loose on the streets of San Francisco?" Leon demanded angrily of the young Count. "What if they had hurt innocent people instead of Chris's suspects?"

Count Junior just smiled at him innocently. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Detective. I am merely the owner of a humble pet store--"

"Oh please, spare me the 'I'm just a humble shopkeeper' speech!" Leon snapped. "I've already heard it a thousand times over from D, and we all know that it's a load of bull!"

"Your mate is so uncouth, grandchild," Sofu sighed to D, clucking his tongue in disapproval, but Junior just looked amused.

"The men that you were pursuing were drug dealers, were they not, Agent Orcot?" the young D asked sweetly, and Chris nodded. "Perhaps they sampled a little too much of their own product. Most likely they were attacked by a pack of feral dogs, and the drugs caused them to hallucinate and think that the dogs were monsters. After all, everyone knows that there's no such things as monsters."

"I've seen many different types of monsters," Leon shot back, thinking of the murderers and rapists and child molesters he had arrested over the years, although those weren't the type of monsters that Count Junior meant. "Some human, and some not." In fact, the human monsters were worse than the non-human ones. A dragon might destroy a city in a rage, and a Tou-Tet might eat human flesh, but at least they were only acting according to their natures. The human monsters preyed on their own kind, and sometimes Leon could agree with D that humans were the most deadly predators of all.

"Even if there were such thing as 'hellhounds,' which of course there aren't," the young Count continued, "they would pursue only the guilty, not the innocent. And these were very bad men, were they not?"

Chris nodded. "They were guilty of drug trafficking and murder, to say the least."

"Then isn't it wonderful that such men are behind bars, where they will not be able to hurt anyone else, and that Agent Orcot was able to join his family tonight?" the young Count asked cheerily.

While Leon was trying to decide whether to pursue the matter further or not, Tet-chan showed up and announced, "Grub's on." Then he caught sight of Chris and shouted delightedly, "Chris, you made it! I thought you weren't coming!" He ran forward and embraced his lover, while Beauty pouted. The Plant Doll tugged on Chris's shirt to get his attention, and he released Tet-chan and smiled down at her. "Sorry, Beauty, we didn't mean to forget about you."

"Hey, it's the plant girl," Tet-chan said cheerfully, patting Beauty on the head. Either the bad-tempered Tou-Tet was mellowing out a bit, or seeing Chris had put him in such a good mood that he was being nicer than usual. "I wasn't expecting you, but I'll heat up some milk, and we have some cookies that Pon-chan made the other day." The Plant Doll smiled shyly at him, and Chris beamed, obviously pleased that his two loved ones were getting along.

A short time later, everyone was seated around the dining table, enjoying the feast that Tet and Pon-chan had prepared. Beauty, of course, had only a cup of milk and a sugar cookie, but that seemed to be feast enough for her, because she was clearly enjoying her meal.

Leon scowled at Chris and Tet-chan, who seemed to be enjoying the feast a little too much, staring at each other over their plates all goo-goo eyed as Tet-chan kept feeding Chris tidbits, deftly picking up choice morsels with his chopsticks and popping them into Chris's mouth, saying, "You must try this tofu in black bean sauce, Chris," or "What do you think of the spring rolls?"

"Mm, delicious," Chris would say after each bite, not looking embarrassed in the least. It was enough to make Leon roll his eyes in disgust, although D smiled at them like an indulgent parent.

"You are so fickle, Agent Orcot," the young Count teased. "Not so long ago, you were declaring your undying devotion to me, and now you have cast me aside for a new love." He sighed dramatically, his crimson lips forming a pout that looked both ridiculous and beautiful at the same time--a familiar expression, since Leon had seen it on his Count's face often enough.

Chris just laughed and said, "I apologize for my fickleness, Count. But somehow I doubt that your heart has been broken--I hear that Mr. Holland has been a frequent visitor to your shop recently."

Sofu scowled and the young Count smiled coyly. "Yes, indeed, Victor has been visiting the shop quite often, and he always brings me the most delicious pastries and candies."

"So it's 'Victor' now is it, not 'Mr. Holland'?" Chris asked with a knowing grin, and Sofu's scowl deepened, frown lines furrowing the smooth skin of his forehead.

"Stop that, Father, or your face will freeze in that expression," the young Count teased, and Sofu continued to glare at his son, but Leon noticed that he was careful to smooth out the lines on his face. Maybe even near-immortal kami worried about getting wrinkles; Leon grinned at the thought.

"Yes, Victor has asked me to call him by name," the young Count replied in response to Chris's question. "He assures me that he just hates being called 'Mister' and that it indicates no affection or feelings of friendship on his part."

A smug smirk on Junior's face indicated that he was aware that it was pure denial on Holland's part, and Leon felt a kind of rueful sympathy for the private detective. No one knew about denial better than Leon, and he hoped that Victor Holland wasn't going to be as stubborn as he had been, because trying to hold out against the determination and charm of a D was a losing battle. He took another look at the young Count's smug face, and while he felt a little sorry for Holland, Leon wasn't as concerned for him as he might have been before tonight. He had been afraid that Junior would turn out like crazy, megalomaniac Papa D, but he was tentatively inclined to trust the younger D's motives, at least in regards to Holland, if not his customers. In fact, he was surprised to find that he was beginning to like Junior, whose playful mischievousness made him seem a great deal more human--not to mention much less stuffy--than Sofu, and even to a certain extent, his own D. Of course, D had his playful side too, but he rarely revealed it in public, and he liked to keep up an air of reserve and control--which Leon had always taken pleasure in breaking, even back in their adversarial days, although it was all in fun now. That air of mischief, however, seemed to be the young Count's natural state.

"So if there's no friendship on his part, why does he keep coming to the shop?" Leon asked, although he already knew the answer.

"He claims that he is investigating me," Junior replied, still smirking. "However, except for the first case that he came to see me about, none of his clients have any connection to my shop. In fact, his employer, the head of the detective agency that he works for, complained most vociferously about him 'chasing down phantoms on company time,' so his visits to my shop must now take place during his off-hours."

"Did he ever find the missing girl he was looking for?" Daiki asked. It was a question that Leon had deliberately avoided asking because he didn't think that he would be able to control his temper if he found out that an innocent teenage girl had been turned into pet chow. Beside him, he sensed D growing tense, anticipating a possible argument between his brother and his lover.

But the young Count said casually, "Oh yes, Victor found the young lady well and unharmed. It turned out that she had run away from home to escape her abusive father--the same reason, I imagine, that she came to my shop to purchase a guard dog. She told me that she needed protection, although she did not say whom she wished to be protected from."

"Your detective didn't take her back to her father, did he?" Pon-chan asked anxiously, and the young Count smiled and shook his head.

"The father died of a heart attack shortly before Victor located the young lady, so all's well that ends well."

"A heart attack, huh?" Leon asked suspiciously, but didn't feel any pity for the abusive father. As a cop, he shouldn't approve of vigilantism, but he had to privately admit to himself that he took satisfaction in seeing justice done, especially since it probably would have been difficult to convict the bastard in a human court of law.

"A heart attack," the young Count agreed sweetly. "The coroner ruled it a natural death. And now the young lady lives happily with her mother and her pet dog Grim."

"Grim?" Raphael asked, looking startled.

"What?" Leon asked.

"I've been doing a lot of reading on myths and folklore since I met Daiki," Raphael replied. "In British folklore, a Grim is an omen of death. It's supposed to look like a shaggy black dog with fiery eyes."

Junior laughed as if he found the idea absurd. "Grim is shaggy and black, to be sure, but he is merely an ordinary dog." He smiled innocently. "A stray that I found and took in."

"Ordinary, my ass," Leon muttered under his breath.

The young Count politely pretended not to hear. "Victor can certainly attest to the fact that Grim is real and not a myth," he continued. "The dog was a bit overprotective of his mistress, and bit Victor on the leg when he arrived to rescue the young lady."

"Does every human who hangs around a petshop end up with scars?" Raphael asked with a wry smile. Junior looked puzzled until Raphael explained about the scars that Tet-chan had left on him and Leon, and the youngest D laughed along with him while the Tou-Tet grinned, looking sheepish and yet proud at the same time.

"Well, soon you and Detective Orcot will not have to worry about gaining more scars," the young Count said with a smile. "Agent Orcot--"

"Chris," Chris interjected. "You might as well call me by name, since we're practically in-laws."

"Chris says that Tet-chan will soon be moving to San Francisco to join him," the young Count continued.

"Yep, soon as I finish training my apprentice," Tet-chan said with satisfaction. "She's nearly ready, I think." Pon-chan smiled proudly until Tet-chan added with an arrogant grin, "Of course, even with years of training, she'll never be as good as me, but she can handle basic meals on her own, and I'll come over to help out if the Count needs a fancy feast prepared for some reason."

Pon-chan stuck her tongue out him, and Tet-chan stuck his tongue out right back, and the petshop residents all laughed, but Chris sighed heavily. "What's wrong, Chris?" the young Count asked. "I thought you would be happy to be reunited with your mate."

"Yeah, why so glum?" Tet-chan chimed in, looking a little hurt, although he tried to make a joke of it. "Not only will you be getting the handsomest Tou-Tet in China as your mate, you'll be getting your own personal chef and a baby-sitter for little Miss Beauty."

"Oh, of course I want us to be together, and I've missed you so much since we've been apart," Chris quickly reassured him. "But I really hate the idea that everyone will think of you as my pet, not my lover."

"Oh, is that all?" Tet-chan asked, looking relieved. "I told you that I don't care about that."

"But I do," Chris said unhappily. "And even if I try to pass you off as a pet, some things will still be hard to explain. One of my neighbors has been looking after Beauty while I'm at work, and how am I going to explain that I won't need her to baby-sit anymore because my pet goat will be heating up milk and baking cookies for Beauty? And I was looking forward to your home-cooked meals, but then I started thinking that my neighbors will think it's strange if they smell food cooking when I'm not home."

"I never thought of that," Tet-chan admitted, frowning.

"If only there were some way to make your human form visible to everyone," Chris sighed.

"Well, you'd still have to explain away the horns," Leon pointed out. "But I guess he could cover them with a hat or something."

Tet-chan looked indignant for a moment, then shrugged in a resigned manner. "It's a moot point, anyway. Even with the incense, most humans can't see our true forms. It's impossible for me to appear human to all of Chris's friends and neighbors."

Sofu D was silent for a long time, a thoughtful look on his face, and then he said slowly, "That is not necessarily true..."

"Grandfather?" D asked, looking startled--no, not just startled, but shocked. "You always told me that only those humans with a particular need to be fulfilled, or those few who naturally have the Sight, can see the pets in their human forms."

"Yeah!" Tet-chan said indignantly. "Daiki asked you for advice on how Chris could regain his Sight, and you just told him to meditate! Have you been holding out on us all this time?"

"If you will be quiet long enough for me to get a word in edgewise, I shall explain," Sofu said crossly. Tet-chan continued glaring at him, but fell silent and waited for Sofu to continue. "First of all," Sofu said coolly, "Daiki told me only that Chris wished to regain his Sight. He did not mention anything about you, nor did he tell me that you wanted to make Chris your mate."

"Oh yeah," Tet-chan said sheepishly, the anger draining from his face. "I didn't think that Chris could possibly fall in love with a sheep, so I didn't want to say anything to him until he could see me as human."

"Furthermore," Sofu continued, "what you refer to as 'the Sight' is merely a matter of perception. One person might see you as a sheep while at the same time, another might see you as a human, but your body does not change. The ritual that I have in mind is an actual physical transformation, and is not something to be undertaken lightly."

"Transformation?!" Tet-chan exclaimed. "You mean, turn me into a human for real?"

"In a manner of speaking," Sofu replied. "In the distant past, before the massacre of my ancestors, there were--on very rare occasions--marriages between kami and humans, or between humans and some other type of supernatural creature, such as dragons."

Daiki, who had loved fairy tales as a child, smiled and said, "In Asian legends and folktales, dragons often have the power to take human form, and there are stories of dragon princes and princesses who fall in love with human women and men."

"However, fairy tales aside, such unions are almost certainly fated to end in sorrow," Sofu said. "After all, a kami or a dragon is near-immortal by human standards, and will likely outlive his or her human spouse by several centuries."

"Yes," D said quietly. "That was why I feared to let myself love Leon at first--the knowledge that I would someday lose him."

There was still a hint of fear in D's eyes, and the mischievous young Count's face suddenly turned solemn; perhaps he was thinking of what might happen between himself and Holland. Leon hoped that they would be able to work things out this time around, but his main concern was for D.

Leon grinned reassuringly at his lover and said in a deliberately casual and arrogant voice, "Hey, what're you worried about? I told you before, it's much more likely that I'll outlive you! You've got your weak heart, after all, and I'm healthy as a horse!"

Sofu looked appalled by his words, but D understood his intent and managed a weak smile. "Nonsense, my dear Detective!" D retorted. "With all the nicotine and alcohol and junk food you have consumed over the years, it is a miracle that you are alive at all!"

The two of them laughed, and Sofu shook his head disgustedly while Junior gave them a bemused look. Truthfully, Leon wasn't sure whether it would be better for him to outlive D or not. Of course a life without D in it would be empty and lonely, but neither did he want D to go through the pain of living through the centuries alone, mourning his loss. In a way, Leon thought that he was tougher and better able to handle the loss than D would, because in spite of all his powerful kami magic, D was a little fragile emotionally. Maybe it came from having a madman as a father, but whatever the reason, Leon still remembered how D had fled from his home and the people who cared about him after his father had died. D had already lost his father and his "sister," and Leon wasn't sure if he could handle another loss like that. Leon had lost people that he cared about, too, including his mother, but because of their limited (by kami standards, anyway) lifespan, humans accepted that death was a part of life. Maybe it was harder for a near-immortal being to deal with death when it touched their life personally.

Then Leon shook his head impatiently. He knew that he would die someday, but there was no point in worrying about something that he had no control over. As he had once told D, it was better to live for the moment and enjoy the time that they had together. And who knew? Maybe when the time came, they would go out together--at a ripe old age, after a long and happy life together, maybe with a few grandkids at their bedside. He hoped that Daiki and Raphael would be able to have a child together someday, as he and D had, but if not, there was always adoption. He smiled as he thought of Daiki caring for the Plant Dolls, and the way that Raphael had befriended Honlon. He was sure that they would make good parents.

"Can we get back to the point?" Tet-chan asked impatiently, interrupting Leon's hazy daydream of grandchildren. "What's this ritual you mentioned?"

"It is a sort of marriage rite where the non-human partner transfers some of his or her magic and immortality to the human partner," Sofu explained, then paused to correct himself. "Well, we are not really immortal, but close enough that it makes little difference to a human. But to be accurate, let us say, rather, transfers some of his or her extended lifespan to the human partner."

"What?!" D exclaimed. "Why did you never tell me this before, Grandfather?" he demanded. "If it is possible to share some of my kami powers with Leon to extend his life..."

"That is precisely why I never mentioned this to you--for fear that you might do something foolish!" Sofu snapped. "Because by sharing his powers, the non-human partner loses some of his magic and shortens his own life!"

"But I would not mind if it meant that Leon would live longer!" D protested. "I would not mind having a shorter life, if it meant that Leon would be by my side for all of it!"

"You do not understand at all!" Sofu shouted, his golden eyes blazing with both fear and anger, his normal cool kami serenity completely shattered. "For a healthy kami, going through with the ritual would mean that he and his spouse would share a more or less equal lifespan, much longer for the human and much shorter for the kami. That would be bad enough, but need I remind you, Grandchild, that you are not healthy? I have no idea what effect the ritual would have on you, but it could drastically shorten your life, to even less than a normal human lifespan, and perhaps even kill you immediately!" His already pale face turned dead white, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "I have already lost one son, and even without the ritual, I will most likely outlive you, child. It is a most terrible and unnatural fate, for one to outlive one's children and grandchildren. I beg of you, Grandson, do not make me mourn you any sooner than absolutely necessary."

In that moment, Sofu was not an arrogant demigod, nor even an annoying, meddling in-law, but only a grandfather who feared to lose his precious grandson, and for the first time, Leon could sympathize with him. He knew that he'd feel the same way if it were Daiki in D's place, offering to cut his life in half for Raphael's sake.

"Grandfather..." D whispered, looking shaken and humbled. His voice trailed off uncertainly, as he glanced from Sofu to Leon, obviously torn between his love for each of them.

But in this case, Leon was on Sofu's side. He reached out and gently clasped D's hand in his, then said firmly, "I'm not greedy, D. I won't ask for more life than has already been allotted to me."

"But--" D started to argue, and Leon laid a finger tenderly across his lips.

"I told you before, let's just make the most of whatever time we've got. What if Sofu's right, and this ritual kills you? Do you think that I'd want to live at your expense? What good would a long life do me if you aren't there in it?"

"But..." D protested again, a little more weakly this time.

"Besides, life is uncertain," Leon said quietly. "I know that you don't like to think about it, but let's face it, I'm in a dangerous line of work. It would be pretty dumb to give me an extended life when I might get shot the next day."

"Leon, do not even joke about that!" D cried. "Besides, perhaps I would be able to transfer some of my healing powers to you, and then you would have a better chance of surviving if you are wounded in the line of duty."

"The effects of the ritual are unpredictable," Sofu interjected in a quelling tone. "There is no way to determine how much of your magic he would receive."

Leon almost said, "And even a kami can be killed by a bullet in the head," but glanced over at the young Count, and just barely stopped himself in time. If Junior didn't know how Papa D had died, then it was better to leave well enough alone, and even if he did, it still wouldn't be a good idea to rub it in his face. Instead, Leon said, "Look, D, you didn't want your sister to sacrifice her life for yours, right? So why should I want you to sacrifice yours for me?"

D sighed unhappily. "I do not wish to sacrifice my life, precisely, just give you a few of the extra years of life that I have..."

"But Sofu says it's dangerous," Leon reminded him. "Gaining a few years isn't worth the risk of losing you." He squeezed D's hand gently and smiled at him. "Don't worry; I'm in good health, and I intend to be around for quite a few years more. We've been happy together, and raised a wonderful son. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world; I can't ask for anything more."

D smiled tenderly, if a bit tremulously, at his son and his lover. "I suppose it would be hubristic to ask for more," he said reluctantly, and squeezed Leon's hand in return. Then he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Leon's, right in front of Sofu and Junior without any self-consciousness, and whispered, "I love you, my dear Detective."

Leon was a little embarrassed, but at the same time delighted by the unexpected public display of affection. He supposed it was a bit petty, but the sour look on Sofu's face only added to his pleasure. "Love you, too," he whispered back.

Leon half-expected Junior to look as disgusted as Sofu, but the youngest D only gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment, then murmured to Chris, "Your brother is a very...interesting...man." Remarkably, it didn't sound like an insult. Maybe it was even a compliment of sorts, because he added, "I am beginning to understand what my brother sees in him."

Chris grinned, but Tet-chan fidgeted impatiently and demanded, "Can we get back to the ritual, please? What exactly does it do, and how do we perform it?"

"Hold on now, Tet-chan," Chris said, looking alarmed. "Let's not rush into anything. If this ritual is dangerous..."

"It is dangerous to my grandson because his health is something less than perfect," Sofu said, looking more composed now that D had decided not to undergo the ritual. "It should be safe enough for Tet-chan, relatively speaking. He would be giving up a portion of his lifespan to you, of course, but he would not be in any immediate danger."

"How long does a Tou-Tet live, anyway?" Chris asked, gazing at his lover with a troubled look in his eyes. "I wouldn't want you shortening your life for my sake--"

"And how do you think I'd feel, living for centuries alone without my lifemate?" Tet-chan interrupted.

"You will not just be giving up your near-immortality," Sofu warned him. "You will also be giving up some of your inherent magical ability, including your power to transform from human to animal and back again."

"So...I'd be completely human?" Tet-chan asked hesitantly.

"Not completely," Sofu replied. "You would retain some of your supernatural powers, but they would be significantly weakened; it is difficult to predict by exactly how much. As I said, you would lose the ability to transform, although you would probably retain greater-than-human strength and agility. You would lose your horns." Tet-chan automatically reached up to touch his curved, ram-like horns as Sofu continued, "Part of the purpose of the ritual, beyond giving an extended lifespan to the human spouse, is to allow the magical partner to pass as human so that he or she might live in harmony in the human world. Most likely, though, you will still look a bit otherworldly--retaining a golden tinge to your eyes, for example. Your non-human nature cannot be completely suppressed, but you'll look human enough to live openly with Chris."

Tet-chan and Chris stared uncertainly at each other. "I can't ask Tet-chan to give up his magic for me," Chris said.

But Leon was more concerned about something else. "What will happen to Chris if they go through with this thing?" he asked sharply. "You said that some of Tet-chan's magic would be transferred to Chris. Will it just extend his lifespan, or will he start growing horns and craving human flesh?"

"Oh!" Chris exclaimed, and Tet-chan looked just as startled. "I never thought of that!"

"Hmm," Sofu said thoughtfully. "I have never heard of a marriage between a Tou-Tet and a human, so I cannot predict exactly what will happen. But nothing so drastic, I think. It would be counterproductive for the ritual to transform the human partner so drastically that he no longer looks human."

"Right," Raphael said, nodding. "Because you said that the magical partner becomes more human in order to fit into the human world, so there would be no point to that if the human partner suddenly grew horns or whatever."

"My, my," Sofu said, elegantly arching an eyebrow in surprise. "Brains as well as looks--how remarkable. At least you have chosen a more intelligent mate than your Papa did, Daiki."

D, who ought to be offended on Leon's behalf, just snickered, damn him. Leon glared at both of them, but Daiki just smiled serenely and pointed out, "Dad was clever enough to track down a kami who didn't want to be found."

"Proof of my skills as a great detective," Leon said proudly.

"Hmph!" Sofu snorted, sounding like a crotchety old man in spite of his youthful face. "It is sheer animal instinct, no different than the way a bloodhound can trace a scent. It has nothing to do with intelligence."

"Why you--" Leon growled.

Daiki chuckled softly and laid a hand on Leon's arm to restrain him. "Perhaps you and Great-Grandfather can quarrel later, Dad, but I believe that right now we should be discussing Chris?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," Leon muttered, grudgingly subsiding.

"Very well," Sofu said coolly, returning to the original topic as if nothing had happened. "Tet-chan's powers are mainly those of a superior sort of predator--heightened senses, speed, and strength. The transfer of power might cause Chris to grow a little stronger, and perhaps develop a keener sense of sight, hearing, and smell, but nothing that would be dangerous to him. If anything, it might even prove to be an asset to him in his work. The only truly extraordinary power a Tou-Tet has is the ability to put on the body of a corpse like a second skin, in order to disguise himself as a human to get closer to his prey. But I do not think that Chris will receive this power in the transfer, and even if he did, I am certain that he would choose not to make use of it."

"Of course not!" Chris exclaimed.

"And I doubt that Chris will receive the desire to consume human flesh, either," Sofu continued calmly. "Although he may develop more of a taste for meat than he has had in the past."

"I learned to like vegetarian dishes when I was living with the Count, but I also love a good steak," Chris said with a smile.

"So in conclusion," Sofu said, "I believe that the ritual poses no danger to Chris, if he and Tet-chan decide to go through with it."

Leon just grunted in response. He still wasn't sure that he liked the idea, but he didn't believe that Sofu would deliberately put Chris in danger. The old kami was fond of Chris in his own way, and according to Daiki, he had protected Chris by forbidding Junior to sell him any pets.

"I don't know about this," Chris told Tet-chan, his smile fading. "All joking aside, I don't want you sacrificing anything for me, and like Leon said, there's no need to be greedy. A normal human lifespan is enough for me."

"Just out of curiosity, how long would Chris live if he and Tet-chan performed the marriage rite?" Ten-chan asked.

Sofu shrugged. "It varies slightly, depending on the power and normal lifespan of the non-human partner, but from what I have heard...I would expect both Chris and Tet-chan to live for more than a century in very good health, but probably not more than two."

"It's not worth it," Chris said quietly, "to gain a few extra years at the cost of your magic and the rest of your life, Tet-chan. You still haven't answered my question about how long a Tou-Tet lives, but I suspect that it's a good deal more than two centuries."

"Well, you've told me what you want, but you haven't asked me what I want," Tet-chan growled, glaring at Chris defiantly.

"Do you want to give up your magic?" Chris demanded. "Do you want to become mortal for my sake? Do you think I want that kind of burden on my conscience?"

"Oh, so now I'm a burden!" Tet-chan snapped.

"That's not what I meant!" Chris shouted.

"Ooh, a lover's quarrel," Ten-chan said, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Their first fight, I believe, since becoming all lovey-dovey. Actually, I feel reassured. It was quite disconcerting to see Tet-chan being so sentimental."

"Maybe they'll break up," Kanan muttered, half jokingly, half hopefully.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, both of you!" Pon-chan said, glaring accusingly at both the dragon and the kitsune.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Pon-chan," Ten-chan said gently. "It's easy to get along during the first stage of infatuation, when you're all caught up in the euphoria of love and everything seems perfect. But eventually you realize that your partner isn't perfect, and you have to learn to deal with each other's differences and annoying little habits. Even people who love each other sometimes quarrel, and Chris and Tet-chan's relationship will become all the stronger if they can recognize that and still love and respect each other even when they disagree."

"Oh, I get it!" Pon-chan said brightly, her eyes filling with comprehension. "Like how Leon and the Count always fight, but still love each other."

Leon glared at the kitsune, who just smiled back at him cheerily, and then Leon gave in and laughed. "You're pretty clever, for a smart-mouthed little brat," he said with gruff affection.

"Well, I am a fox, after all," Ten-chan said modestly.

Meanwhile, Tet-chan was insisting, "I want to do this, Chris! And not just to extend your life, although that's part of it!"

"Then why?" Chris asked, staring at him in confusion and distress. "Explain it to me, because I sure don't understand!"

"Because you were right," Tet-chan said quietly. "I thought that I wouldn't mind being your 'pet' as long as we could be together, but I was wrong. Our relationship...it's never been one of equals. When you were a kid, I was your guardian, and if I move to San Francisco like this, I'll have to pretend to be your pet. But I don't want to be your big brother or your pet, Chris--I want to be your partner. I want to be your lover." He stared at Chris, a hungry and possessive look in his golden eyes. "I want to meet your friends and neighbors and coworkers. I want everyone to know that I belong to you, and you belong to me. I don't want anybody hitting on you, thinking that you're single because they don't know that I'm your boyfriend and not just your pet sheep."

Chris blushed and smiled. "You know that I don't want anyone but you, Tet-chan, and I'd certainly never go out with anyone else."

"I know," Tet-chan said. "But I still want everyone to know that you're mine. I want to be part of your life, in every way that matters. I don't want to just be your secret lover."

"I...see," Chris said, wavering slightly. "I think I understand how you feel, but still, it's such a huge sacrifice--"

"I don't consider it a sacrifice," Tet-chan interrupted in a determined voice. "Because I'm gaining something in return--you. My lifemate. I want to share my life with you, every moment of it, no matter how long or short that might be."

"But..." Chris started to protest, but his voice trailed off as Beauty walked over to Tet-chan to stand by his side, firmly clasping his large, taloned hand in her dainty little hand. It was the first time that Leon had seen the Plant Doll display any affection towards Tet-chan; the two of them tolerated each other, but each seemed to consider the other a rival for Chris's affection. "So," Chris said, smiling helplessly at Beauty, "you're taking his side, too?"

Tet-chan looked startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and said firmly, "See? Miss Beauty agrees with me, don't you?" Beauty nodded and reached out with her free hand to grasp Chris's hand. "Even the doll gets it," Tet-chan continued. "All three of us, we're meant to be together, Chris. We're a family."

"I guess I'm outnumbered, then," Chris said, laughing even as tears welled in his eyes. "But Tet-chan...are you really sure? Will you really be okay, living as a mortal? I don't want you to do anything that you'll regret later."

"I'll be okay, Chris," Tet-chan said, smiling at him reassuringly. "It's not like I've done much with my so-called magic for the past couple of decades. We haven't had much trouble at the shop since the detective started living here." He sighed, looking a little regretful at the thought of having no intruders to devour. "So I've practically been living like a human, anyway, working as a cook for the Count. I can do that just as well in San Francisco as here." His face brightened as an idea occurred to him. "You know, maybe I could get a job as a cook during the day to keep busy while you're at work. No, that wouldn't work, 'cause I've gotta baby-sit Beauty, but if I opened my own restaurant, then I could keep her with me."

"That would cost a lot of money, Tet-chan," Chris cautioned him, but began to look excited as well. "I've got a bit saved up, but not enough to pay rent on a restaurant, and besides..." He gave his nephew an ironic look. "I'm still paying off my loan from the Plant Dolls shop."

"Well, maybe I could work from home, doing a bit of private catering," Tet-chan suggested, but D waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Money is no object," he said airily. "If Tet-chan wishes to open a restaurant, I would be pleased to invest in it and provide him with the necessary capital. It is the least I can do after all his years of service to me."

The young Count said eagerly, "I too, would be pleased to invest in this restaurant. Chris and Father have told me much about my brother's famed chef, and from tonight's dinner, I can see that they were not exaggerating about his talent." Tet-chan grinned proudly. "My only request is that you provide an extensive dessert selection on your menu." He smiled slyly at Sofu. "Including a strawberry shortcake."

"Done!" Tet-chan said, and shook hands with the young Count.

"Why do I feel like I have just handed my chef over to my brother?" D pouted.

Junior gazed at D anxiously for a moment, then looked relieved when he saw that his brother was only teasing him. "Well then, Brother, you will have to come visit me often in San Francisco, so that we can dine together at Tet-chan's restaurant!" he laughed.

"I look forward to it," D said, smiling at his brother warmly.

Setting up a restaurant in San Francisco sounded pretty permanent, and Leon wondered if that meant that Chris wouldn't request a transfer to L.A. after all. Then he decided that it didn't really matter, as long as everyone was happy. San Francisco was close enough that they could visit often, and it would give D a good excuse to see his brother. Junior seemed like a decent sort, for a D, so Leon didn't mind the idea of visiting him in San Francisco, but he was glad that D's little brother didn't seem interested in moving to L.A., because Leon preferred to keep the young Count and his murderous pets out of this city. Leon figured that a little distance between himself and the in-laws would help keep family relations running smoothly, and he suspected that Sofu probably felt the same way.

"I take it that the two of you intend to go through with the ritual?" Sofu asked, and Chris and Tet-chan nodded. "All right, then give me a few weeks to properly research it and make the preparations."

"A wedding," cooed one of the cat girls. "How romantic!"

"We will hold it here, of course!" D declared happily, his eyes growing a little unfocused as he began planning the wedding in his mind.

"A wedding..." Leon murmured thoughtfully, his gaze falling on the ruby pendant that D was wearing around his neck, the one that Leon had bought him as an "anniversary" gift. He and D were like an old married couple, but they'd never had an official ceremony. Leon wasn't much for ceremonies and fancy parties, but D was, and Leon wondered if D ever regretted never having a formal wedding.

"Hey D," he said hesitantly. "How about you and me getting hitched, too?"

D's jaw dropped open, along with everyone else seated at the table. "B-but you s-said that you did not want us to perform the ritual," he stammered.

It was actually kind of amusing to see everyone staring at him slack-jawed, and Leon grinned. "Nah, I don't mean the ritual, but you and I never did anything official. I just thought that, well, maybe we could exchange vows, like a whatchamacallit..." He gestured vaguely, trying to recall the proper term.

"Commitment ceremony?" Daiki helpfully supplied.

"Yeah, that's it," Leon agreed. "I mean, it wouldn't be legal in the eyes of the government, of course, but you've made it clear that you don't care much about human laws, and well...if Chris and Tet can get married, I don't see why we can't. Let's make it official and do things properly, till death do us part and all that."

D suddenly burst into laughter and tears at the same time, and flung his arms around Leon. "A rather inelegant proposal, my dear Detective," he laughed, with tears streaming down his face.

"Uh, sorry," Leon mumbled, his face turning red. He wasn't really good with words, and it had been a spur of the moment thing, but he was absolutely serious about this proposal. Still, even Leon had to admit that "let's get hitched" wasn't exactly romantic, and he wondered if D was disappointed that he hadn't gone all out with roses and champagne and going down on bended knee with a diamond ring and all that. "I could, uh, do it again if you like," he offered. "Do it right this time--get dressed up and take you to a fancy restaurant and--"

"Oh no, Leon!" D laughed, hugging him tighter. "It was inelegant but perfect, awkward and yet completely sincere--just like you!" While Leon was wondering if he ought to be offended, D kissed him soundly on the mouth and said, "I love you exactly the way you are, Leon, and yes, I would be delighted to marry you!"

Leon forgot about being offended, and returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around D as everyone in the room cheered and applauded, except for Sofu and the young Count.

"Well, it looks as though it will be a double wedding, Father," the young D said with an amused smile, and eldest D heaved a sigh of resignation.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So your parents are finally getting married after more than twenty years," Raphael chuckled as he and Daiki left the petshop and got into Daiki's car.

"It's a bit backwards, I suppose," Daiki laughed. "Most people get married and then have children, but my family has always been...unique."

"I think it's safe to say that there's no other family like them in the entire world," Raphael said, grinning widely.

"But actually, I'm happy that things turned out this way," Daiki continued. "If they'd gotten married before I was born, I wouldn't have been able to take part in the ceremony. This way, I get to be part of the wedding, too."

"It is nice, when you think of it that way," Raphael agreed. "So, I imagine this wedding will be a big deal in Chinatown--the social event of the year, maybe even the century. Everyone thinks that the Count is a god, and it's not every day that a god gets married."

"Oh, I don't think that they'll publicize it," Daiki laughed. "Uncle Chris's and Tet-chan's marriage rite will have to be private for obvious reasons, after all. And Dad doesn't like big parties. So they'll probably have a small, private ceremony with just family and a few friends. Dad probably hasn't thought that far ahead, but Aunt Jill will kill him if he doesn't invite her to the wedding. And she's dying to meet you, by the way."

"She's not as overprotective as your dad is, I hope," Raphael laughed nervously.

"Not at all," Daiki replied cheerfully. "She says that I'm sensible and capable of making my own decisions. And she's a romantic at heart, so she loves seeing people in love. She knew that Dad and Papa were in love with each other long before they did." He paused to think for a moment, then added, "Of course, if you were dating her daughter, it might be another story. She's fierce as a mother lion protecting her cubs, and Uncle Terry is just as bad as Dad is. Lian is always complaining that boys are scared off by the fact that she has not just one, but two parents who are cops."

"Poor kid," Raphael chuckled, then noticed that they had pulled up next to the Plant Dolls shop instead of heading back to his apartment.

"Is it all right if we stop by the shop?" Daiki asked. "I have something I want to show you."

"Sure," Raphael said. He was always happy to spend as much time as possible with Daiki, and stopping by the shop late at night held the possibility of some make-out time on the couch--without any interruptions from Tet-chan this time, since he was back at the petshop with Chris.

Daiki led him through the lobby of the store, past the sleeping dolls and down the hallway to a door that Raphael could swear that he had never seen before in all his many visits to the Plant Dolls shop. Raphael waited for Daiki to open the door, but he stepped to one side and motioned for Raphael to open it.

"What's in there?" Raphael asked curiously.

"It's a surprise," Daiki said, smiling mischievously.

"So what's the special occasion?" Raphael joked. "It's not even close to my birthday." But Daiki just smiled at him in reply, so he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it.

The door swung open and Raphael gasped as he stepped into a large, spacious room with a high ceiling and excellent lighting--perfect for an artist's studio, which it was obviously intended to be. There were easels and blank canvases of varying sizes propped up against the walls, and a table and shelves laid out with sketchpads, brushes, paints, and various artist's implements. There was even, Raphael noted with a touch of amusement, a brand-new palette knife like the one Daiki had used to slash the portrait of Rainy Moon.

"Do you like it?" Daiki asked, watching him anxiously.

"It's wonderful," Raphael said softly, still in awe at the sight of the studio. "Is this really all for me?"

"Of course," Daiki replied, smiling almost shyly. "You see...I've been wanting to ask you to move in with me for some time now, but I wanted to wait until the studio was ready."

"Really?!" Raphael exclaimed, even more thrilled by that statement than he was by the studio.

"But of course the studio is still yours to use if you prefer to remain in your apartment," Daiki added.

"You idiot!" Raphael laughed, sweeping Daiki into his arms. "Of course I want to live with you!" He sealed his words with a kiss, and it seemed that Daiki didn't mind being called an idiot, because he returned the kiss quite enthusiastically. When they came up for air some time later, Raphael asked hesitantly, "Um...Daiki?"

"Yes, Raphael?"

"This room...it wasn't here the last time that I visited, was it?"

"Well," Daiki said, with that enigmatic little kami smile that he used on his customers, "let us say that it was not yet visible. It took awhile for the shop to create the room, as it has never made an artist's studio before."

"It 'created' the room?" Raphael gasped, his eyes widening. "Is the shop...alive?" He had already suspected that the room had been created by some sort of kami magic, but it still took him by surprise when Daiki casually talked about things like the shop creating a room, as if it were completely normal. Then again, it probably was normal to someone like Daiki who had grown up in Count D's petshop, with a kami for a father and mythical beasts for his playmates.

"Well, I'm not sure you could say that the shop is sentient, precisely," Daiki replied thoughtfully. "But it does respond to the wishes of its owner, so I suppose in that sense it is alive." He gave Raphael a worried look. "Does it bother you that this room was created with magic?"

"No," Raphael replied instantly. "I mean, the thought of it is a bit unsettling, but after everything I've seen, I don't think that anything can really shock me much further. This--" He smiled as he gestured at the room. "--is a lot less shocking than a three-headed dragon, after all. And you told me that your master, the previous owner, was a kami as well, so it's natural to assume that the shop is magical like the Count's. Just promise me that you won't turn it into a boat and fly off without me someday!"

"That I can promise you, my love," Daiki laughed, embracing Raphael again. "I want to be by your side, always."

"You know," Raphael murmured into Daiki's ear, "that sounds almost like a marriage proposal."

"Should we tell Great-Grandfather that it shall be a triple ceremony, then?" Daiki asked impishly.

"Are you serious?!" Raphael exclaimed, pulling away for a moment to look at Daiki's face to see if he was joking.

Daiki smiled at him tenderly, and although there was still a glint of humor in his eyes, he replied, "I am perfectly serious. I don't need a ceremony to know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, but I think it would be nice to make it official and say the words in front of our family and friends. But we don't need to do it right now if you aren't ready."

"I..." Raphael whispered hoarsely, suddenly finding it hard to speak around the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. His first thought was that he had no family to invite to the wedding, but that wasn't really true. He was Honlon's "big brother" now, and Leon and D had welcomed him into the family, and he had even grown fond of the bad-tempered Tet-chan. He would have happily married Daiki solely for himself, of course, but he was also overwhelmed by the thought that he would be gaining a family along with his lover.

Raphael coughed and tried again. "I'd love to marry you, Daiki, and officially become part of your family."

"Even with all the strange in-laws you'll be getting?" Daiki teased.

"Even so," Raphael said firmly, kissing his boyfriend--no, fiance. "Should we call your folks with the good news?"

"Well, it's rather late right now, so I thought that we could stop by the shop tomorrow morning to tell them," Daiki said with a coy smile. "And seeing as how it's so late...I thought perhaps you would like to spend the night here."

"Oh," Raphael gasped breathlessly. It wasn't really that late, but he certainly wasn't going to argue the point with Daiki, not after weeks and months of longing for this moment. "Does this mean that the, uh, time is right?" he stammered, recalling what Daiki had once told him, that they would be together when the time was right.

"I would say that it could not possibly be any more right than it is now," Daiki replied, holding out his hand. Raphael took it, brought it to his lips, and reverently kissed it, then followed in a daze as Daiki led him upstairs to the apartment above the shop, to the bedroom which Raphael had not set foot in until now.

Raphael felt as if he were in a dream that he never wanted to wake from, and later when he tried to recall the details, they all seemed to melt into a hazy blur of pleasurable sensations--smooth skin beneath his hands, the warmth of Daiki's lips pressed against his own, the wetness of his tongue, the ecstasy of being sheathed inside his lover with Daiki's arms and legs wrapped around his body. Afterwards, utterly sated and content, he started to drift off to sleep when a thought occurred to him and reality suddenly intruded, causing him to sit bolt upright in bed.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Daiki yawned, blinking at him sleepily as he reached over to switch the bedside lamp on.

"We didn't, you know, use any protection," Raphael replied in a nervous and agitated voice. "I was so caught up in the moment..."

"Oh, it's all right," Daiki assured him. "We're both healthy, and besides, kami don't normally contract human diseases."

"That's not what I meant!" Raphael snapped, blushing. "I'm clean; I've been tested, and I wouldn't have slept with you if I weren't."

"Of course, my love," Daiki said, stroking his arm soothingly. "So what is bothering you, then?"

"Ah, sorry," Raphael apologized, blushing again. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just...gay guys don't usually have to worry about birth control, but I was wondering...is it possible for us to have a child the way that your parents had you?"

"Oh!" Daiki exclaimed, his golden eyes going wide and round with shock. "Oh my, I suppose I should have considered that as well. I do not know, Raphael. Kami-human hybrids are extremely rare, and I'm not sure that even Great-Grandfather knows if such a thing is possible. For the Ds, a conscious intent is usually required to create a child, but my own birth was a happy but unplanned accident. Although there was a certain combination of desperation and passion after being reunited after a long absence that might have created the proper circumstances in which to conceive a child. Hmm..."

Daiki frowned thoughtfully and Raphael stammered, "Is...is it possible that we could have, well, conceived right now?"

"Oh no," Daiki laughed, to Raphael's relief. "If we had, the room would be covered in vines. The Ds give birth through a plant surrogate, you see."

"Yes, Tet-chan explained it to me," Raphael said, smiling sheepishly. "So we're safe for now?"

"Yes, but I'll speak to Papa and Great-Grandfather later," Daiki replied. "They may be able to give us some advice on how to prevent an unplanned conception, although come to think of it, it might be unnecessary. I'm not sure that I can conceive in the manner of the Ds, because flowers and plants have never sprouted from my blood as they do from Papa's."

"I see," Raphael said, his mood unexpectedly shifting from relieved to disappointed. "That's too bad. I mean, I'm not ready to be a dad right now, but I would like to have children with you someday."

Daiki smiled at him tenderly. "Well, I don't know that it's impossible. We could try, when the time is right, and Great-Grandfather might be able to give us advice on how to conceive as well as on how to prevent a conception."

"Yes, I'm sure your great-grandpa will be thrilled to have more part-human grandkids running around," Raphael said dryly, and Daiki laughed.

"You're right, he will complain, but I think that he would rather have part-human descendants than see his race die out entirely. And I'm almost certain that my cousin and his detective will be having children together someday."

"Poor Sofu," Raphael chuckled.

"It's not a bad thing," Daiki said. "The Ds have been inbred for too long, and human blood will probably make us stronger. As for you and me, even if we can't have children of our own, we can always adopt. There is more to a family than blood ties."

"True," Raphael agreed, smiling as he thought of Leon and D, Honlon, Pon-chan, and all the other petshop inhabitants. He turned off the lamp and sank back down onto the bed, pulling Daiki into his arms.

"Are you happy now, my love?" Daiki whispered.

"I've never been happier in my life," Raphael replied truthfully, and soon fell into a deep, peaceful slumber with Daiki by his side.

Daiki 21

Petshop Horror Index