FIC: Daiki, Part 14 (of 22)

[geri_chan]

Title: Daiki, Part 14 (of 22)
Rating: R overall, but mostly PG-13
Pairing: Leon/D
Word count: ~10,310
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.

Thanks to: Spare from the Petshop discussion group on Yahoo, who planted the plot bunny in my head about the Dolls shopkeeper being Leon and D's child! ^_^

Summary: A crossover between Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino and Dolls by Yumiko Kawahara. Chris courts the new Count; things get more serious between Daiki and Raphael; Daiki sells a Plant Doll to a troubled family. This chapter features a retelling of the "Princess Jewell" story from Book 2 of the Dolls manga.

Part 1a, Part 1b, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13

***

Chris stopped by the San Francisco petshop frequently, always bringing pastries or candies for the young Count, who had as strong a sweet-tooth as Leon's D, whom the young Count referred to as his older "brother". That was as accurate a description as any, Chris supposed, since the young Count had been born from the body of D's father, although Leon had given him the impression that the baby D had been more of a reincarnation than a son.

The Count always thanked Chris for the gifts he brought, but he remained cool and slightly remote, his smiling face as beautiful and emotionless as a porcelain mask. However, Chris did not let that discourage him, because he remembered how long it had taken Leon to win over his Count. Chris was prepared to be patient, to wait as long as it took to win the heart of his own D. He supposed it was crazy, falling in love with a guy he barely knew, but he had already been half in love with the young Count before ever meeting him, growing increasingly obsessed as he searched for clues to the new petshop's location, and when they had finally met face-to-face, Chris had instantly been smitten. Surely it could not be mere coincidence that the new Count had decided to set up shop in San Francisco where Chris worked--it must be fate.

The first time that Chris had visited the shop, Q-chan had fluttered around him, squeaking in an agitated manner, as if he did not approve of Chris's presence. Maybe the babbit was afraid that Chris would tell Leon about the new shop or try to shut it down himself, or maybe he just didn't like the idea of a human courting his son. (Chris wondered for a moment if the young D should actually be considered Sofu D's grandson, but the Count always referred to him as "Father".)

Chris knew, because Leon had told him, that Q-chan was actually Sofu D, but he kept that knowledge to himself because he wasn't sure whether young D was aware of it. The Count told everyone that his father was away on business, but that could be a polite fiction for the sake of the customers.

But whatever the reason for Q-chan's disapproval, Chris did not intend to let the eldest D drive him away. The babbit seemed to have resigned himself to Chris's presence, and no longer squeaked in protest. He would even nibble on the sweets that Chris brought, although he would look a little worried as he watched Chris and the Count chat, but at least he didn't seem angry. Chris was still fond of Q-chan even though he knew his true identity, and he didn't want his old friend to be mad at him.

***

"Why did you set up shop in San Francisco, anyway?" Chris asked the Count over tea one day. "I'm glad that you did, but I'm surprised that you chose a location so close to your brother's shop, relatively speaking."

Young D usually avoided answering personal questions, but he was in a mellow mood today, having been plied with a Chocolate Decadence cake from his favorite bakery, a confection that consisted of a rich dark chocolate cake topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. It made Chris's teeth hurt just to look at it, but the Count always went into raptures over it. D swallowed the last bite of cake and set aside his empty plate, then leaned back against the couch with a sigh of satisfaction. His tongue darted out to lick a stray smear of chocolate from his crimson lips, causing Chris's face to flush hotly. He had dated several women before meeting the young Count, but none of them had ever provoked such an intense desire in him. Then again, none of them had been as beautiful as the Count. Every move he made was graceful and sensual, even if it was something as simple as walking across the room or lifting a cup of tea to his lips.

The Count smirked, as if he could read Chris's thoughts. "Father wanted to set up shop in Europe," he replied casually. "Or on the East Coast, if I was insistent upon opening a shop in the United States. But I admit that I chose California precisely because my brother lives in this state. I was curious and wished to learn more about him, I suppose."

"Then why don't you visit him more often?" Chris asked, feeling confused. "Leon says that your father has visited the shop only a handful of times over the years, and you've only stopped by once, years ago when you were a child."

The Count smiled, and although his face was serene as always, Chris thought that he detected a hint of sadness in that smile. "But my presence seems to distress my brother, and I do not wish to cause him pain," the young D said quietly. Q-chan flew down from his perch to land on the Count's shoulder, looking worried and a little guilty.

"Kyu?" he squeaked softly.

The Count reached up to pet him reassuringly and continued, "I remind him of his...I mean, our father, I think."

"Er...so you know about your father?" Chris asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure how much Sofu D had told his son/grandson; if he knew that Leon had killed his predecessor, he might well hold a grudge against the Orcot family, although he had never displayed any hostility towards Chris.

"I know that he died when I was a baby," the Count replied casually, and Chris could not tell what he was really thinking or how much he knew. "I was too young to remember it, of course. My grandfather, the one you refer to as Sofu D, is the only father I have known. But to answer your question, Agent Orcot, I am content to watch over my brother from a distance." He gave Chris a charming, mischievous smile. "Besides, I think that your brother would prefer it that way, would he not? He does not trust Father, and he probably wouldn't trust me. And I would prefer to carry out my business without constantly being hounded by the police."

"I hope you don't mind the presence of the F.B.I., then," Chris chuckled.

"As long as you do not intend to arrest me, Agent Orcot," the Count said coyly. "I could never turn away a guest who brings me such wonderful sweets."

Chris knew that the young Count's flirtations weren't serious, but he enjoyed them anyway. Besides, the older Count D used to tease Leon the same way, so that was a good sign, right?

"Then I must never forget to bring sweets when I visit, so that I will always be welcome," Chris said lightly.

He never forgot to bring sweets with him, and he was always welcome at the shop. The Count seemed to enjoy hearing anecdotes about Chris's childhood and the news that Chris shared from his letters from home. Chris usually focused on D and Daiki, though, and didn't mention Leon much, in case the young Count was aware that Leon had killed his previous incarnation. He hoped that if he and the young Count got together, he might be able to arrange a family reconciliation someday. Both Ds were dear to him, and he wanted all the people that he loved to be happy and get along with each other.

But to his dismay, Chris soon discovered that the Count had many other suitors, who also came bearing gifts--gifts much more expensive than Chris could afford on an F.B.I. agent's salary. He silently cursed himself for being so stupid; he should have expected this from his experience growing up in the L.A. petshop, where D's clients used to shower him with gifts. Chris felt that he had a slight advantage in that he was a part of the older Count's family, and could provide the young D with news about his brother. However, as far as he could tell, the Count did not favor Chris any more or less than he did any of his other suitors, and many times Chris found himself grinding his teeth in jealousy and frustration when the Count gave gushing thanks to some smug-looking rich guy who'd paid an exorbitant amount to have some fancy chocolates specially flown in from France, or to some millionaire restaurant owner who'd had a world-renowned chef create a unique dessert in Count D's honor.

There was no way that Chris could compete with them financially, and he fretted, wondering what he could possibly do to distinguish himself from those other suitors...

***

Meanwhile, things were going fairly well for Raphael. The geezer's commission and the payment for the mural would cover the rent for the next few months, and he had taken a part-time job as a museum tour guide. It wasn't quite what he had planned to do with his college degree, but it would help cover expenses until the next commission came along, and since it was part-time, it still gave him free time to draw and paint--and to see Daiki, of course. One benefit of his new job was an employee discount, so he could take Daiki to the museum for inexpensive dates on his days off, to look at the exhibits and have lunch or dinner in the museum cafe.

Raphael grinned, delighting in the knowledge that he and Daiki had officially been dating for a few weeks now. Their dates were mostly casual and informal--tea at Daiki's shop, lunch at the museum, or a picnic in the park--but still, they were dates, and usually ended with at least a goodbye kiss. They'd made out on the couch in the Plant Dolls shop a few times, but so far things had not gone any further than that. It was a little frustrating, but at the same time, it was kind of fun, necking and petting like a couple of horny teenagers--although he wasn't really speaking from experience, because his lovelife in high school had pretty much sucked. He'd had crushes on a few of his classmates, but he had never dared to ask any of them out, for fear of not just being rejected, but also harassed and beaten up if word got out around school that he was gay. Things had been better in college, and he'd had a few boyfriends over the years, but none that had lasted very long; they either got freaked out by his curse, or refused to believe in it and thought he was nuts for believing that he could kill people just by painting their portraits. Besides, he had never felt as strongly attracted to any of them as he did to Daiki, as if what he felt for Daiki was not just desire, but need--a need to be with him, the same way that one needed to eat or drink or breathe.

Raphael wanted to make love to Daiki, of course, but for now, he was content just to be with him, and was willing to wait as long as it took until Daiki was ready to take their relationship to the next level. But he was a little puzzled as to why Daiki was holding back, because shyness and prudishness didn't seem to be factors. He was a little shy at first, but he obviously wasn't completely inexperienced, and he seemed to take sincere pleasure in their encounters without any shame. And it wasn't as if he was saving himself for marriage, since same-sex marriage still wasn't legal in the U.S., although Vermont did have domestic partnerships. Of course, they hadn't known each other long enough to be talking marriage, and it was logical to assume that Daiki might want to take things slow and make sure that the relationship was going to work out before they slept together, but Raphael had the strange feeling that Daiki was waiting for something...what, Raphael couldn't say, but something more mysterious and significant than a pledge of commitment.

At least he was getting along with Daiki's parents. He'd had dinner at the petshop several times, and Count D seemed to approve of him--partially because Raphael always brought a box of chocolates or pastries as a gift, but he suspected that it was also because the animals seemed to like him. The cats in the shop would always wind themselves around his legs, purring happily, and Pon-chan liked to climb onto his lap, and Daiki would always smile in amusement while Leon smiled wryly, although Raphael wasn't sure why. Daiki would just laugh when Raphael asked him about it. The big wolf-dog liked to be scratched behind the ears, and even the huge lizard seemed to regard him in a friendly manner.

In fact, the only animal in the shop that didn't seem to like Raphael was the orange goat, Tet-chan, who would always growl at him sullenly whenever they met--which was frequently, since he would turn up at the Plant Dolls shop from time to time, even when the Count and Leon weren't around. "Tet-chan just stopped by for a visit," Daiki explained with a cheerful smile, as if it were perfectly normal for the goat to visit the shop by himself without his owner.

Then again, maybe it was perfectly normal, at least to Daiki. When Raphael mentioned the incident to Jason, his friend told him, "Well, if the Count is a god, doesn't it stand to reason that his pets are more than ordinary dumb beasts? You know, according to my parents, there was a rumor going around years ago that Roger T. Stanford bought a Kirin from the petshop back when he was just a junior Congressman."

"A what?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"A Kirin," Jason replied. "It's the Asian equivalent of a unicorn--"

"I know what it is!" Raphael interrupted. "Well, not exactly, but I know that it's a mythical beast! I can't believe that the petshop has unicorns for sale!"

"If you can believe in a god, why not a unicorn?" Jason asked matter-of-factly. Perhaps because he had grown up in Chinatown as Daiki's playmate, he took all the petshop's oddities in stride. "Anyway, it's just a rumor; I don't know if it's true or not. But compared to a Kirin, a goat traveling a few blocks by himself is nothing. We see Tet-chan walking through Chinatown a lot, sometimes with the Count or Daiki, but sometimes by himself, and it's no big deal. It doesn't even have to be something magical; if dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs or rescue people or act as seeing-eye guides, why can't a goat manage to find his way through Chinatown? He's been living here for years, so he's certainly familiar enough with the place. The Count acquired him before Daiki was even born, back when the Detective was still 'investigating' the petshop."

"Really?" Raphael asked. "That's more than twenty years ago! Do goats live that long?"

"I don't know," Jason replied with a shrug, unconcerned. "Maybe normal goats don't, but like I said, the animals at the petshop aren't necessarily normal. The wolf and the raccoon have been with the Count a long time, too--as long as Tet-chan, maybe even longer."

That was definitely not normal. Raphael's family had owned a pet dog when he was a kid, and he knew that a dog that managed to live into its teens was pretty old. A normal dog would not live for more than twenty years, and even if it did, it ought to look old and decrepit, but Lupin had the health and energy of a puppy.

"Look, if you intend to become part of Daiki's family, you're going to have to get used to all this weird stuff," Jason warned, looking more serious now. "If you can't handle it, you'd better break things off now before you break Daiki's heart. The Count and Leon are protective parents, and I've already told you about the things that happen to people who try to hurt the Count or his family. I don't want to find you torn to bits in a dark alley one day, or hear that your bones were found in the belly of a giant fish. And that's not even taking into account the Detective's bad temper--"

"Okay, okay, I get the idea," Raphael interrupted. Jason's words ought to terrify him, but instead, they filled him with determination. He was not going to let anything drive him away from Daiki, not even man-eating beasts...and he was finally beginning to believe that they might really exist. But he loved Daiki, and if he had to put up with police detectives and mysterious gods and mythical creatures to be with him, then so be it. And he should be safe from being devoured by the Count's pets, because he didn't intend to ever do anything to hurt Daiki.

A moment later, Raphael's cynical nature asserted itself, reminding him that it was impossible for two human beings, however well-intentioned, to go through their entire lives without ever quarreling or hurting each other's feelings. According to Jason's stories, the Count and the Detective had quarreled quite a bit during their courtship, and Raphael knew from watching them at dinner that they still did, although their bickering was more playful than serious. Raphael silently promised himself that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt Daiki, and if he should hurt him inadvertently, he would apologize and do his best to set things right. He was willing to accept the risk of the Count's vengeance.

"I can handle weirdness," Raphael told Jason firmly. "I'm no stranger to it myself, after all. My portraits cause people to die. If I can accept that, I can accept the idea of unicorns and man-eating beasts. And intelligent, long-lived goats, I guess."

Jason smiled at him in relief. "Yes, I think you're probably better prepared than anyone else I know to deal with Daiki's family. Maybe that's even why the Count seems to like you. You may not be a god, Raf, but you've got a bit of magic in you. I suppose that makes you an appropriate suitor for the son of a god."

"Hardly," Raphael laughed self-deprecatingly. "Magic or not, I'm still just a starving artist." But secretly, he was encouraged by Jason's words, and for once he was grateful for his curse, if it really was responsible for the Count's approval.

He was invited to dine at the petshop the next evening, and along the way, he stopped by one of the Count's favorite Chinatown bakeries to buy some almond cookies as a gift. Apparently, word had gotten around Chinatown that he was dating Daiki, because the old woman who ran the bakery smiled at him knowingly and threw in an extra half-dozen cookies at no charge. "Since it's for the Count," she said with a wink, although he had not told her who he was buying the cookies for.

The Count was happy with his present, and dinner went smoothly enough, although Leon's acceptance of him was a bit grudging, as if he still didn't approve of his son dating a starving artist. He seemed slightly mollified to learn that Raphael had picked up a steady job at the museum, although he frowned when he heard that it was only a part-time position.

"But Raphael also works as an artist, Dad," Daiki said tactfully. "So he is, in essence, holding down two jobs."

"Have you received any portrait commissions recently?" Leon asked skeptically, and Raphael was forced to reply that he had not.

"Such commissions are by their nature unpredictable," the Count said, coming to Raphael's defense. Pon-chan nodded her head emphatically, as if in agreement. "It is the same with the petshop and the Plant Dolls shop," the Count continued. "We do not always make a sale every day. We might go for several days without a single sale, and then have a customer make a very expensive purchase."

"That is true, especially with my shop, since the dolls are so expensive," Daiki agreed. "But I happened to make a sale today--a most profitable one."

He smiled smugly, which caused Raphael to smile in amusement. He knew that Daiki was kinder than he appeared to most of his customers, who thought of him as a charming but shrewd merchant who drove a hard bargain, and Raphael knew that Daiki would lower the price of a doll significantly if the customer truly could not afford it, but he did seem to take great pleasure and pride in persuading his wealthy customers to spend as much as possible.

"Please tell us about it, then," the Count said encouragingly, while Leon grunted, looking slightly annoyed, as if he knew that they were deliberately changing the subject, but at the same time, he looked intrigued. Daiki had told Raphael once that his father enjoyed hearing about his customers' eccentricities.

"A married couple came into my shop; the husband was very friendly and polite," Daiki said. "He explained that they had been shopping for antiques in Chinatown, and the display in my shop window happened to catch their eye. The wife was pleasant, but a little remote--not in a rude or aloof manner, but as if her mind was someplace else. Her eyes had an unfocused look, as if she was staring at something that only she could see."

"You mean she seemed a little loony?" Leon asked, spinning his index finger in circles beside his temple.

"You are as tactful and sensitive as always, Leon," the Count said sarcastically.

"I never claimed to be politically correct," Leon shot back. "Let the kid finish his story."

The Count sniffed disdainfully, and Daiki smiled and continued, "But then her eyes seemed to light up and come into focus when she spotted a particular Plant Doll, a very beautiful doll with golden hair. She was asleep at the time, of course, but when the customer approached, she immediately awakened and opened her eyes."

"A good sign, right?" Leon asked.

"Yes, there was very good rapport between them," Daiki replied. "The doll seemed very taken with the customer, and my customer was equally taken with the doll. I had dressed the doll in a green silk gown and an emerald pendant, and the customer remarked on how beautifully the green jewel complemented her fair skin. The gentleman seemed shocked and turned pale when he laid eyes on the doll, but when his wife insisted on purchasing it, he consented without any argument."

"He probably turned pale at the thought of how much that doll was gonna cost him," Leon said with a smile.

"He did wince at the price," Daiki said, "but he did not haggle overmuch. Normally I would have let them take the doll home themselves, but he asked me to come with them and help the little one get settled in, and to give instructions to the servants on how to care for her."

"Servants?" Leon asked disgustedly. "Another snobby aristocrat, like that D'Amato guy."

Daiki shook his head. "No, the gentleman was not at all snobbish; in fact, he seemed like a very kind person. I think that he wanted me to instruct the servants because he was afraid that his wife...well..."

"That she wasn't up to caring for a child by herself, since she isn't all quite there?" Leon finished cynically.

"I don't think that she would harm the doll, or I would not have sold the doll to her," Daiki said. "But she seemed a little dreamy and forgetful. I was pleased to know that the gentleman wished to ensure that the doll would be cared for properly, so of course I consented to his request."

"Of course he'd want to take care of such a major investment," Leon pointed out.

"There was more to it than that," Daiki said, smiling. "But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I delivered the doll to her new home--a very lovely estate, and when I commented on how beautiful the garden was, the gentleman gave me permission to walk through it. So after instructing the servants and seeing that the doll was happy in her new home, I took a stroll through the garden, and frightened the couple's child, who had not been informed of my presence and had not expected to encounter a stranger in the garden. The child appeared to be a beautiful girl about twelve years old, with long dark hair, and she looked disturbed when she was introduced to the Plant Doll."

"Wait a minute," Leon said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "'Appeared' to be a beautiful girl?"

"Ah, you are observant, as always, Dad," Daiki said with a grin. "It must be your detective instincts. The 'girl' was actually a boy, although most people would not have seen through the disguise. But the gentleman must have noticed that I realized the truth, because he felt obliged to explain to me why his son was dressed as a girl. It seems that when their daughter died, the mother went into a state of shock and came to believe that the boy was actually the older sister. And the son, in an effort to console his mother, has been acting the part of the sister, to the extent of growing out his hair and wearing dresses. But the doll, it seems, resembles the sister greatly, which was why the poor man was so shocked when he first saw it; it must have been like seeing his daughter's ghost. His wife was instinctively drawn to the doll, although she still does not remember her daughter's death. The gentleman hopes that the doll will help her to remember and recover, so that his son can go back to leading a normal life."

"That's very sad," Raphael murmured.

"I think that's twisted!" Leon exclaimed. "That family is as messed up as the D'Amatos were! Pretending that the daughter's death never happened, and letting the son pretend to be his sister? The mom might be out of her mind, but how could the dad let his son do such a thing?!"

"I got the impression that the young man insisted upon it over his father's objections," Daiki replied.

"But still, the dad shouldn't have let the kid do it!" Leon insisted.

"You are probably right," Daiki agreed serenely. "But at least he is trying to mend things now."

"But are you really going to entrust the doll to such a freaky family?" Leon demanded.

"The Plant Doll seems happy, and that is what matters as far as I am concerned," Daiki replied. "Oddly enough, she seemed to like the young man, and he treated her kindly even though he was clearly flustered by her resemblance to his sister. My customer has named the doll 'Princess Jewel,' and she does indeed treat the doll as if she were a precious treasure. Despite the unusual circumstances, I feel confident that Princess Jewel will be well cared for in that household."

"Your shopkeeper's intuition, huh?" Leon asked, smiling wryly. Daiki just smiled back and winked at him.

After dinner, they had tea and cookies in the lobby of the shop, relaxing on the couches there and chatting casually. Pon-chan sat next to Raphael and Daiki on one couch, nibbling on an almond cookie, and Leon and the Count sat on the other couch, with the Detective's arm comfortably and unselfconsciously draped over the Count's shoulders. Count D leaned against his lover, smiling contentedly, and Daiki smiled at his parents fondly. Raphael was suddenly struck by the thought that he was in the midst of a warm and loving family, even if they were a bit unconventional.

Despite what Jason had said about becoming part of Daiki's family, Raphael had been thinking mainly in terms of wooing Daiki. He had been thinking of Daiki's parents as an obstacle to be overcome, of having to win their approval in order to win over Daiki. He had come to respect and even like them, but for the first time it dawned on him that if he and Daiki became a permanent couple, he would essentially become part of the Orcot family. And for the first time since his parents had died, Raphael let himself imagine what it might be like to be part of a loving family once again.

Tears filled his eyes, and Daiki reached out to clasp Raphael's hand with his, and he asked in a soft, concerned voice, "Raphael, are you all right?"

Raphael blinked back his tears and looked into Daiki's golden eyes, which at the moment did not look mysterious and godlike at all. Instead they were filled with concern and affection...and did he dare to hope...possibly even love?

"Yes," Raphael replied with a smile, squeezing Daiki's hand reassuringly. "I was just thinking about how happy I've been since I met you."

Daiki smiled at Raphael in a way that warmed him to the core of his body--not in a lustful manner, but more a feeling of belonging and contentment that he had not felt in years, since before his sister had died. The Count smiled at them indulgently, and even Leon's stern expression softened a little. And that gave Raphael hope that they would eventually accept him as Daiki's lover and welcome him into the family.

At that moment, he was so happy that tears started to well up in his eyes again, and Daiki reached up to gently touch Raphael's cheek with his free hand. Every time that Daiki touched him, it felt like a miracle to Raphael, like a dream come true, and this was no exception. Raphael shivered at that light touch, and he was so overcome with love and awe that he almost forgot himself and kissed Daiki right then and there, in front of his two overprotective fathers.

Or rather, he would have kissed Daiki, except that as he leaned in to bring his face closer to Daiki's, a sharp pain erupted in his ankle, as if it had been pierced by needles. He shrieked in pain, jerking his leg up off the floor, to discover the orange goat-thing hanging from his ankle, its teeth firmly embedded in Raphael's flesh.

"Tet-chan!" Daiki shouted, jumping to his feet. "Let go of him at once!" Through the haze of pain, it occurred to Raphael that this was the first time he had ever seen Daiki look so angry--the first time he had ever seen Daiki look angry, period. He had never seen the serene shopkeeper lose his temper before, not even when he thought that Raphael's portrait would kill his precious Plant Doll.

Tet-chan let out a muffled growl, his jaws still wrapped around Raphael's ankle. Daiki opened his mouth to shout again, but the Count said in a quiet but firm voice, "That is enough, Tet-chan. Please release our guest."

The goat growled again, then reluctantly let go of Raphael's ankle. "Bad goat!" Daiki scolded, and Tet-chan growled at him sullenly. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself; your interference is completely unnecessary," Daiki said, and Raphael suddenly got the weird impression that Daiki and the goat were carrying on a conversation with each other. Raphael frowned, his common sense rejecting that notion at first, and then he shrugged. Well, Jason claimed that at least some of the pets in the shop were magical, and that Count D was a god, so why shouldn't a half-godling like Daiki be able to talk with a magical goat? It was no more ridiculous than believing that a painting could kill a person.

"Go to your room, Tet-chan," Count D said sternly, although Raphael thought that he detected a hint of amusement in the Count's eyes. "I will deal with you later. Pon-chan, please fetch the first-aid kit."

The goat skulked off, looking downright sulky, and the raccoon quickly scampered out of the room. Meanwhile, Daiki knelt down on the floor to examine Raphael's wounded ankle. He gently rolled back the cuff of Raphael's trousers, which now showed several small puncture marks and were stained with blood. "Damn," Raphael muttered under his breath. "And these were my good pants, too." Or rather, the least-shabbiest that he owned; he didn't want to show up at the petshop in clothes that were faded or covered with paint stains. He supposed he would have to shell out for a new pair of pants now.

"He got you pretty good, huh?" Leon asked sympathetically as he gazed at Raphael's bite wound. "Don't feel too bad; I've got lots of scars from that stupid sheep. See?" He pulled up the cuff of his jeans to expose several small white scars arranged in a half-circle the exact size of Tet-chan's mouth. "And over here, too."

Leon started to tug at the waistband of his jeans, and the Count snapped, "Stop that, Leon! I am sure that Raphael has no desire to view your...your derriere."

"True," Leon agreed, leering playfully at the Count. "That's a privilege that you prefer to keep for yourself, right?"

"Oh!" the Count exclaimed indignantly, stamping his foot on the floor. "I do not know why I put up with such a crude and vulgar man as yourself!"

"Because I'm the father of your son, for one thing," Leon said cheerfully.

"Yes, I suppose I must bear with you for the sake of our child," the Count said, heaving a very dramatic and much put-upon sigh.

Despite the pain in his ankle, Raphael chuckled, and Daiki smiled although he still looked worried. Just then, Pon-chan came running back into the room with a first-aid kit; she was carrying it in her mouth by a handle set in the top of the box. She set it down on the floor beside Daiki and Raphael, and Raphael reached out to pat her head gently in thanks.

"My savior," he said with a smile, and the raccoon seemed to preen, looking very pleased with herself. "Thank you, little one." He winced slightly as Daiki cleaned the wound with some herbal-smelling liquid that stung painfully, but since the Detective was watching him, Raphael was careful not to utter a sound and bear his pain stoically. Cops tended to be pretty macho (even, apparently, a gay cop like Leon), and he didn't want to seem unmanly by whining about a little bite.

"I'm so sorry, Raphael," Daiki apologized. "I have no idea what got into him. Well, no, actually I do. He's very protective of me, and he's probably a little jealous of you. He's watched over me ever since I was a child."

"I understand," Raphael assured him. "I've heard that sometimes cats and dogs get jealous when someone new comes into their owner's life."

"He's not so much a pet as he is a friend," Daiki said, and he seemed to be watching very carefully for Raphael's response.

"Obviously a very close friend, if he's so protective of you," Raphael said, trying to sound as matter-of-fact as Jason. After hearing Jason's stories and seeing the way Daiki and his family interacted with the animals in the shop, treating them as if they were people, he knew that it would be a mistake to belittle Daiki's statement or laugh it off as a joke. "I just hope that I can convince Tet-chan that I'm not his enemy."

Daiki smiled, looking relieved, and the Count smiled approvingly. Leon smiled wryly and said, "Good luck. Tet-chan still tries to use me as a chew toy, and I've been living with D for over twenty years. I've got scars here, and here, and here..."

"Leon!" the Count snapped.

"I'll have a talk with Tet-chan," Daiki said, still looking a little distraught. "I'll make it clear that this sort of behavior is absolutely unacceptable."

A little sigh of pleasure escaped Raphael's lips before he could stop it, as Daiki's fingers gently stroked his ankle, applying a cool and soothing ointment to his wound. Then Daiki bandaged the wound, still making fretful little noises, and Raphael decided that it had been worth having his best pair of trousers ruined to have Daiki fuss over him like this. It had even brought him and the Detective closer together, as Leon now seemed to be treating him with an air of camaraderie, as if being the objects of Tet-chan's disaffection had given them something in common. He insisted on giving Raphael a beer ("for the pain") and drinking one himself, over the Count's objections, as he entertained Raphael and Daiki with stories about all the times that Tet-chan had attacked him. He drank a few more beers, and his stories seemed to grow even more entertaining in proportion to the amount of alcohol he consumed. The Count just sighed and rolled his eyes, but in an almost affectionate manner.

When Daiki and Raphael were ready to leave, Leon slung an arm over Raphael's shoulders as he walked them out of the shop. "You've gotta keep an eye on that little beast all the time," he said sagely, like a grizzled old cop giving advice to a rookie. "And cover your ass, kid, literally, unless you want a set of teeth-marks on it."

"Yes, Detective," Raphael said obediently.

"And what's with this 'Detective' shit?" Leon demanded, slapping Raphael on the back heartily. "I told you to call me 'Leon,' kid. You're practically part of the family, after all."

"Yes, Leon," Raphael said, grinning widely.

"I'm really sorry about Tet-chan," Daiki apologized again on the drive home.

"Don't be," Raphael laughed. "I think that your orange-furred friend actually did me a favor! Getting bitten turned out to be a bonding experience for your dad and me. Although if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not get my ass bitten."

"No," Daiki agreed, his golden eyes sparkling mischievously. "I think it would be best if...ah...that portion of your anatomy remains unmarred."

"Of course, you don't really know if it's unmarred, because you've never seen it," Raphael said slyly, and to his delight, Daiki--calm, cool, collected Daiki--turned beet-red. If Jason's words were true, he had managed to make a demigod blush!

Raphael laughed out loud, and Daiki said, still blushing, "I think you've been spending too much time around my Dad. Papa has always said that he's a bad influence."

They made out in the car for a few minutes outside Raphael's apartment building. (More teenage fantasies come true!) When they finally pulled apart, Raphael asked breathlessly, "Do you want to come up for..." He was about to say "for tea," but they both knew that he wasn't really interested in tea right now. "Do you want to come up for awhile?"

"I'd love to, but I can't," Daiki said regretfully. "Not tonight."

"Listen, Daiki," Raphael said hesitantly, "don't get the wrong idea; I don't want to pressure you or anything, but...do you just have to get back to your shop, or is it something more? I get the feeling that you're waiting for something to happen before we, well..."

Daiki looked startled for a moment, then smiled. "You are very perceptive, Raphael. Yes, I am waiting."

"For what?" Raphael asked in confusion when Daiki did not explain further.

Daiki reached out and gently laid his hand over Raphael's. "We will be together when the time is right," he replied serenely.

"And...um...not to rush you, but when might that be?" Raphael asked, still feeling bewildered.

"When the time is right, you will know it," Daiki said, giving him a smile that was filled with tenderness and amusement.

Raphael didn't understand the amusement, and had the sneaking suspicion that he might be the butt of a private joke in the Orcot family. However, the tenderness in that smile made it impossible for him to be angry with Daiki. When he had met the beautiful, mysterious shopkeeper on that stormy night when he had first come to look at Rainy Moon, he had never dared to imagine that Daiki might someday smile at him that way. So despite the physical frustration that he was feeling right now, he was willing to wait until "the time is right". He supposed that Jason would say something like you couldn't rush the gods.

"Until the time is right then," Raphael said, giving Daiki a final kiss goodnight, although his body thought now would have been just fine. However, when he was alone in his apartment after Daiki drove off, he suddenly cheered up when he recalled that Daiki had said "when" the time was right, not "if". That sounded pretty definite, and Raphael went to bed, grinning and thinking to himself that maybe the right time was not so far off after all.

***

Meanwhile, Daiki also felt the frustration of thwarted desire as he drove home, but it was tempered by the sweet thrill of anticipation. He had promised himself that he would not sleep with Raphael unless and until the young artist could see the pets in their true forms, because he had already decided that he would keep no secrets from his lifemate, and he liked Raphael too much to just have a casual affair with him. It was asking a lot of a human, even a human who believed in supernatural curses, to accept the existence of near-divine creatures called kami and animals that could take human form. But he had seen Raphael looking strangely at the animals in the petshop, rubbing his eyes and looking confused, as if he had seen glimpses of their human forms. And he seemed to accept that Daiki and D could converse with the animals in the shop, and he spoke to the animals politely, as one would address a person, even if he couldn't understand their responses. Also, Papa's gossip network had reported that Raphael was friends with Jason Chow, and had been seen visiting him in the Chinatown art gallery. Jason was one of Daiki's old childhood playmates, and he and his family were longtime Chinatown residents, so they understood that Count D was more than human, even if they did not fully comprehend his true nature. Presumably, Raphael had asked Jason for advice or information, and Jason had probably explained some of the petshop's history to him. Of course, if he had told Raphael some of the bloodier stories about the shop, it was something of a miracle that Raphael had not fled in terror, as anyone with common sense would. But perhaps Raphael had become inured to the presence of death because of his "gift". Either that, or his feelings for Daiki were strong enough to overrule his common sense.

All this gave Daiki hope for the future. He had felt that it would be too much to try to reveal the entire truth to Raphael at once, and was letting Raphael gradually come to understand and accept the magical nature of the petshop and his family, through observation and through the stories of people like Jason. Daiki was confident that someday soon, Raphael would be able to see the human forms of the pets.

But no matter how many stories Raphael heard about magical beasts living in the shop, it was bound to be a shock the first time that he saw the true forms of Pon-chan, Tet-chan, and the others, and Daiki grinned when he imagined Raphael's reaction. It would give Raphael and Dad one more thing in common that they could sympathize over, although the pets had said that Leon had taken the shock surprisingly well under the circumstances.

So Daiki hummed cheerfully to himself as he made one last round of the Plant Dolls shop, checking on his charges before closing up for the night. On his way out, he passed by the large dragon statue in the corner, and paused to pat it fondly on the nose. "Perhaps soon there will be another person in this household to keep you company, Ti-Lung. It must get a little lonely when I am gone, since the dolls sleep most of the time. But then again, maybe you prefer the quiet." The statue gave no response, and Daiki went up to his apartment, still humming. When the time was right, he would ask the shop to create a new room, one large enough to serve as an artist's studio...

***

About a week later, Daiki closed up shop a little early in order to make a special delivery of new dresses for Princess Jewel. He found her playing in the garden with her owner, and the doll seemed very healthy and happy. The owner, too, seemed very happy; she was a pretty woman, but whenever she looked at the doll, her face lit up with a radiant smile that made her downright beautiful.

On his way out, Daiki overheard some of the servants gossiping. "Things seemed so hopeless at first, but the mistress is getting stronger and stronger. She even warms the doll's milk by herself," one of the maids said.

"Perhaps the young master will finally be freed," another maid added.

Daiki smiled; the servants seemed to be genuinely fond of the family, and pleased that the mistress's health was improving. It confirmed his belief that the family, while perhaps a little odd, were essentially kind and that the doll was in a good home.

As he was opening the car door, a pebble struck the ground beside him, and Daiki looked up to see the son/"daughter" peering down at him from the top of the high, ornate, iron-barred fence surrounding the estate.

"Aren't you hot, dressed like that?" the child asked, smiling mischievously. His/her name was Anthony/Antonia, if Daiki recalled correctly. He still looked like a girl, with his long dark hair braided into plaits, but he was dressed a little more casually, in a blouse and shorts instead of the lace-trimmed dress he had been wearing when they first met.

"Good evening," Daiki said politely. "I have just delivered some new dresses."

"I know," Anthony replied. Then, as if the idea had just occurred to him, he added, "Hey, give me a ride in your car."

If Dad were here, he would absolutely forbid such a thing on the grounds that Daiki would be opening himself up to accusations of kidnapping, child endangerment, and a host of other charges. But Daiki's kami instincts were telling him to go along with the child's request, although he wasn't exactly sure why.

"Where to?" Daiki asked, as Anthony nimbly climbed over the fence.

"I don't care," Anthony replied. "Wherever."

"So you actually are a rebellious young lady," Daiki said with a smile.

"Huh?" Anthony asked, looking startled. "Didn't Father tell you?"

Since Anthony had been playing the role of a girl, Daiki had played along as well, but all he said was, "Now that you mention it, I was informed."

"You must think we're a weird family," Anthony said as he hopped into Daiki's car. Dad would probably have a fit about that, too, and lecture the boy about going on rides with strangers.

"I do not hold an interest in my customers' personal lives, so..." Daiki replied.

"That's how it is, huh?" Anthony asked.

"As long as the Plant Doll likes the customer, there is no problem," Daiki told him.

"Hmm," Anthony said thoughtfully. "Hey, I know! Can I go to your store?"

"I do not mind, but is there something in particular you seek?" Daiki asked.

"Nah, not really," Anthony replied, staring out the car window with a pensive expression on his face. "I'm just really curious about Plant Dolls."

They rode in silence the rest of the way to Chinatown, and Daiki did not press the boy for more information. When they arrived at the shop, Anthony wandered through it, looking around wide-eyed. "Wow, what a weird store!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you," Daiki replied serenely. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," Anthony said distractedly, most of his attention focused on the dolls. "There sure are a lot of different kinds."

Daiki let the boy browse through the shop while he heated up water for the tea. He returned with the teapot in time to see a little blonde Plant Doll jump up and grin at Anthony, squeezing one of his hands in both of her little hands. This particular doll was a newly-grown Plant Doll, who looked a little younger and a little less elegant than Princess Jewel, with a round, cheerful face.

"Ah..." Daiki said in surprise.

"This one sure is affectionate," Anthony said as the doll hugged him.

"Excuse me, sir," Daiki said, tugging on the doll gently at first, and then with more force, but she stubbornly clung to Anthony and would not let go. "Oh dear, I see now," Daiki sighed. "You are one of those with instant rapport."

"Rapport?" Anthony asked, looking puzzled.

"They do come here on occasion," Daiki replied. "Without fail, these people gain the affection of a Plant Doll."

"That's unusual?"

"Seldom, if ever, does such strong attachment happen at first sight."

"Let me go meet some other dolls," Anthony said eagerly.

"Please, anything but that!" Daiki cried in alarm. He didn't mind losing one of the dolls to Anthony, but it would be disastrous for both himself and the boy if every doll in the shop bonded with him. Even a family as rich as Anthony's was not prepared to care for that many Plant Dolls, and Daiki would lose his entire stock in one sweep.

The boy jumped, and Daiki explained in a calmer tone of voice, "They'll require maintenance. Once awakened, a Plant Doll can no longer be sold as is."

"How about this one?" Anthony asked, indicating the Plant Doll that was still clinging to him.

"If it were to be purchased, there would be no problem."

"Don't they become attached to you?" Anthony asked curiously.

"I'm just the one that provides the food," Daiki replied.

"I'm sorry, little girl," Anthony said, smiling at the Plant Doll kindly. "But you're so pretty and cute, I'm sure someone will snap you right up." The doll's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she stared at Anthony pleadingly. "But..." Anthony protested weakly. "Plant Dolls don't play fair," he complained to Daiki. "When they look at you like that, you can't help wanting to give in. I guess all Plant Dolls are Princess Jewels."

"Is that a slogan from a certain jeweler?" Daiki asked, smiling. "I know a man who might say those same words."

"No, it's a fairy tale," Anthony replied. "'Jewel' isn't meant literally. It's a story that all girls are born with 'jewels'. And the more 'jewels' a girl has, the more she'll be loved and the happier she'll be. Mother always called Sis that, and now the doll, too." He smiled sadly. "I don't have any, because I'm a boy. But you know, what's so different? Is it the color of my hair? Is it the color of my eyes? Even so, Mother believed that I was Sis." His voice was filled with pain and just a hint of resentment, but he sounded more resigned than angry. "So why did she have to go and find a doll that looks exactly like Sis? She used such a kind voice whenever she called my sister's name, but it's not easy to take. Why am I still a forgotten child? Even my name is like an afterthought. My sister's real name was Antonia, and my mother named me Anthony, as if she couldn't be bothered to think up something more original."

The little Plant Doll suddenly yanked on Anthony's cheeks, pulling the corners of his mouth up. Then she clambered onto his lap and snuggled against him almost fiercely.

"Wh-what's she doing?" Anthony stammered. "Is she mad at me?"

"She thinks she is consoling you," Daiki replied. "At least, I think that is what she is doing."

"She's...consoling me?" Anthony asked, looking startled, as the doll hugged him tightly.

"She really has taken quite a fancy to you," Daiki said, frowning slightly as he tried to figure out how he was going to persuade Anthony's father to pay for a second Plant Doll. It wasn't really about money, of course, but it offended his merchant's pride to give away a doll for free unless the customer was truly destitute, and more importantly, he didn't want word to get out among his clients that he was in the habit of giving away dolls. Most humans subconsciously valued expensive objects more than they did cheap ones, and if the monetary value of the dolls was lessened, then the dolls would no longer seem like precious angels and princesses to be treasured and cherished.

Anthony looked down at the doll and gazed into her eyes, and she smiled at him in the way that Plant Dolls did when they first bonded with their owners--a smile filled with complete love and trust. There was also a gentle, reassuring quality to her smile, as if to assure him that everything would be all right.

"Oh," Anthony whispered, more to himself than to Daiki or the doll. "Maybe I wasn't really consoling my mother. When Sis died, I secretly felt it wasn't fair. She was going out to see her love, although Mother had forbidden it. She died trying to sneak out the window. She died on a path of her choosing, and I bet she was feeling happy when she died. So why does Mother keep blaming herself? And why does everyone cry 'poor thing' so much?" His eyes filled with tears, and he cried out in an anguished voice, "Why is she loved so much even after her death?"

The doll stared up at him with concern in her eyes, and he continued in a softer voice, "I was jealous of Sis. That's why I pretended to be her. The first time Mother looked at me and called me by my sister's name, I felt a little bit happy. That voice...it was Mother's kindest voice, the one she used only for Sis. I thought if I pretended to be Jewel, then I'd be loved. But I was terrified that if I stopped pretending, I'd become an invisible child to my mother. But..." Tears welled up in Anthony's eyes, then spilled down his cheeks. "But the truth is...I was already an invisible child."

The doll reached up and gently wiped away Anthony's tears with her little hand, and he smiled at her. She smiled back at him, looking relieved, and then hugged him again. Anthony returned the embrace, weeping on her shoulder, and she patted him comfortingly on the back.

Daiki's kami intuition told him that the tears were tears of healing, so he discreetly made himself scarce while the doll comforted Anthony, and he retreated to the kitchen to reheat the tea, which was by now cold anyway. He smiled to himself as he made a new pot and also heated up some milk, deciding that he wouldn't mind giving away the doll, after all. But still, Anthony's father was wealthy, so perhaps he could convince the man to pay half-price on the second doll; he would call it a discount for a double purchase. Buying a Plant Doll to console his son was the least that the man could do to make up for not seeing how much pain Anthony was in even before his sister's death.

Maybe Princess Jewel would heal Anthony's mother, and perhaps in time, he would no longer be invisible to her. Daiki hoped so, although he was far from certain of it. But no matter what else happened, at least Anthony would have one person who loved him completely and unconditionally--the Plant Doll. He would always be the center of her world, and he would never be an invisible child to her.

Daiki returned to the main room after Anthony had time to compose himself, and offered the boy a handkerchief and some tea. Daiki would have served the doll her milk, but Anthony insisted on doing it himself--a good sign, Daiki thought. She drank it all down, then beamed at Anthony, and the boy could not help but smile back at her; there were very few people who could resist the smile of a Plant Doll.

After Anthony finished his tea, Daiki drove him and the doll back to the estate, where the boy's anxious father was waiting. Anthony calmly explained that the Plant Doll had bonded with him and that they needed to purchase her.

The father was very obviously struggling to keep his temper under control, perhaps not wanting to blow up in front of an outsider like Daiki. A vein visibly throbbed on his forehead in an angry tic, reminding an amused Daiki of his own father.

"You suddenly disappear, causing all kinds of worry," the father said through gritted teeth. "And when you come back, you have this...this..."

"Um, he said that he'd arrange a loan," Anthony said brightly. "And since we're buying two, he said he'd give us a discount and throw in some free goodies."

"Forty percent off the second doll," Daiki offered, figuring that he'd leave himself a little room to bargain.

"Who said that we'd buy it?!" the father shouted, finally exploding. "We can't buy TWO of something this goddamn expensive!"

"Oh, how cute," Anthony's mother said, as she walked into the room and spotted the little Plant Doll.

"Dear..." the father said nervously, as if sensing impending disaster--at least to his bank account.

"Oh my, Princess Jewel's little sister, how splendid!" the mother said cheerfully as the Plant Doll smiled at her.

"Yes, don't you think?" Anthony asked sweetly.

"Oh," the mother said, looking startled to see Anthony. "Who are you again...?"

The anger and nervousness vanished from the father's face, to be replaced by a look of anxious concern as he glanced from his wife to his son and back again. "D-Dear..." he stammered.

"Yes?" she replied pleasantly.

"I'm your son, Mother," Anthony said calmly, his hands resting on the shoulders of the Plant Doll. "Did you forget?"

His mother stared at him in shock, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of recognition in her eyes before it faded again. "Is...that right?" she asked, giving him a warm, if slightly puzzled smile.

"It's okay, take your time," Anthony said kindly. "Maybe slowly you'll remember." His father, still looking concerned, gently laid a hand on Anthony's head. "I'm okay, Father," the boy assured him confidently as the doll leaned back against him, practically glowing with love and happiness. "It's all thanks to her. So...please?" He gave his father an imploring look, one that rivaled the look the Plant Doll had given him back in the shop; the boy was a quick learner, Daiki thought approvingly.

"Please?" Anthony cajoled.

The father's shoulders slumped in defeat. For all his faults, he was a devoted husband and father, and he couldn't deny the combined wishes of his wife and son. He drew Daiki aside and said in a resigned voice, "Let's talk price. I'm pretty well-off, as you can see, but I'm not so rich that I can afford to buy two Plant Dolls without batting an eye."

"The little one is less expensive than Princess Jewel," Daiki said placatingly. "And, as the young master said, since you are buying two, I can give you a discount, so it is quite affordable."

The father gave him a wry smile that seemed to say that they had different definitions of "affordable," but he gave in with only a token amount of haggling. They agreed on an installment plan, signed the contract, and shook hands.

By the time they had finished conducting their business, Anthony was introducing the new Plant Doll to Princess Jewel. "Look, it's your little sister," he told the older doll. "Be friends, 'kay?" The two dolls greeted each other delightedly, as if they really were sisters, so it seemed that they would get along just fine.

Anthony saw Daiki to the door, the little Plant Doll tagging along at his side. "I'll cut my hair tomorrow," he told Daiki. "I'm going to go back to living as a boy."

"I am glad for you," Daiki said, then smiled. "Although you made a very charming girl."

Anthony laughed, then said, "I know it'll take time, but I feel like everything will work out okay. Oh, and I've decided on a name for her." He smiled at the doll and clasped her hand in his. "I'm going to name her 'Hope'."

"A very fitting name," Daiki said, patting the doll on the head. "I will stop by tomorrow to deliver the 'free goodies' I promised you."

"I could stop by the shop to pick them up," Anthony said, grinning at him mischievously.

"With all due respect, sir, I think it would be better if you did not--for both your father's sake and mine," Daiki replied, and the boy laughed. Hope started giggling, and Daiki laughed along with them.

Part 15a, Part 15b, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19a, Part 19b, Part 20a, Part 20b, Part 21, Part 22a, Part 22b