FIC: Daiki, Part 15b (of 22)

[geri_chan]

Title: Daiki, Part 15b (of 22)
Rating: R overall, but mostly PG-13
Pairing: Leon/D
Word count: ~8,016
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. Honlon throws a tantrum; Chris shows up at the Plant Dolls shop with surprising news that leads to Daiki making a trip to San Francisco.

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, Part 14, Part 15a

***

Chris said goodbye and left the shop, and Daiki stared after him, looking very troubled. Raphael was about to ask him about this uncle that Chris was in love with--he hadn't known that Count D even had a brother--when Tet-chan suddenly let out a loud, mournful wail. It was an utterly heartrending sound, full of infinite pain and sorrow.

It was also a dissonant screeching sound, rather like an out-of-tune violin, and it nearly caused Raphael to jump out of his borrowed pair of pants. Daiki, however, immediately knelt beside Tet-chan and wrapped his arms around the animal, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Tet-chan, I'm so sorry. I had no idea..."

The scent of incense in the shop seemed stronger than usual, although it had been normal just a minute ago. But the sweet smell intensified to the point where it made Raphael a little dizzy. For a moment, he thought he saw a red-haired man in Daiki's arms instead of a goat--a red-haired man with horns. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, thinking that he must be seeing things. He glanced at them again, and the image of Tet-chan kept flickering between that of the animal and the man, until finally the two coalesced into one solid, clear image: a young man with red hair and two curving, goat-like horns growing out of his head. He was dressed oddly, like a character out of Arabian Nights or something, in a vest, loose harem-style pants, and heavy gold bracelets on his wrists. He was very handsome, except for the horns, and Raphael might have felt jealous that his boyfriend was holding a handsome man in his arms, except that he was too shocked to feel much else. That and the fact that the man--Tet-chan--was not embracing Daiki in a prurient manner, but was sobbing as if his heart was broken.

"Holy shit," Raphael said weakly, bracing one hand against the wall to steady himself, because he was feeling a little faint. And then he thought to himself with ironic amusement that his exclamation was probably very apt. After all, Jason had said that Count D was a god. Was Tet-chan some sort of goat god? Or maybe he was some sort of divine servant to the Count, like an angel or something, and then Raphael remembered his wounded backside. No, definitely not an angel, but he could certainly be a little devil at times.

"Raphael?" Daiki asked, looking up at him in concern. "Are you all right? You look a little pale."

"No, I'm not all right," Raphael said, still leaning against the wall. "Because either I'm losing my mind or Tet-chan..." Raphael hesitated; as long as the words were left unsaid, he could pretend that everything was still normal, and maybe pass this off as some kind of incense-induced hallucination. But once he said the words out loud, he couldn't take them back. What if Jason's stories were just the result of the Chinatown residents' overactive imaginations? Then Daiki would think he was crazy. On the other hand, if Jason's stories were true, then Raphael would have to acknowledge the existence of gods and unicorns, and apparently, goats who could turn into human men. And quite frankly, he wasn't sure which prospect he found scarier.

But he had pledged to Jason--and to himself--that he wouldn't let anything drive him away from Daiki, not even gods or man-eating beasts. So Raphael took a deep breath and continued, "Or Tet-chan has just turned into a man. Or something man-like, because most people I know don't have horns."

"You can see me?" Tet-chan asked, startled out of his tears for a moment.

"You can see him?" Daiki asked excitedly.

"Yes, and apparently I can hear him, too," Raphael replied. "I mean, I can hear him speaking English, not goat. Please excuse me, I think I need to sit down." Raphael's legs felt wobbly--it must be the shock--and he slid down against the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

Daiki came over to him and laid his hand on Raphael's, and Raphael wrapped his fingers around Daiki's hand. It felt warm and solid and real, reassuring him that this wasn't a dream or hallucination. As if reading his mind, Daiki said gently, "You are not going crazy, Raphael."

"Oh good," Raphael said, still feeling a little dazed. "Because seeing goats turn into men usually wouldn't be an affirmation of sanity."

"I am not a goat," the red-haired man growled in a low, gruff voice. In a weird way, it still sounded like Tet-chan--or at least, it sounded the way he would have imagined Tet-chan sounding if he could speak. Which apparently he could.

"I'm sorry," Raphael said politely, just on the off-chance that Tet-chan really was a god. It probably wasn't a good idea to piss off a god, although it was probably too late for that, judging by the bite mark on his ass. "Um...what are you, then?"

"I'm a Tou-Tet," Tet-chan said sullenly.

Well, that wasn't very enlightening. "Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm not sure what a Tou-Tet is," Raphael said.

"I'll explain it to you, later," Daiki said hastily. He placed his hands on Raphael's shoulders. "I know that this must be a big shock to you, but I need you to get ahold of yourself."

"Jason said that the Count is a god," Raphael said, trying to calm down. He took a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Which I guess makes you a demigod?"

"Not exactly, but close enough," Daiki said, giving him an anxious smile. "I must say, you're handling this pretty well, under the circumstances."

Raphael managed a shaky smile and asked, "This is what you were waiting for, wasn't it? Before we...um...got serious. You wanted me to understand that you're a...a demigod or whatever it is that you are. Not just sort of half-believe in a Chinatown fable, but really believe it. And that the pets in the shop aren't just pets. Pon-chan, Ten-chan, and the others...they're like Tet-chan, aren't they? I mean, maybe they're not the exact same species, but they're people, aren't they? That's why you always talk to them like they're human."

"Very good, Raphael," Daiki said, his smile growing warmer, and Raphael smiled back at him more sincerely.

"Excuse me," Tet-chan said indignantly. "I'm glad that you two lovebirds are getting along so well, but what about me? What am I going to do about Chris?" Despite his anger, tears started to well in his eyes again. "You said that eventually Chris would get his Sight back and that things would work out between us," Tet-chan wailed accusingly at Daiki.

"I'm sorry," Daiki said, leaving Raphael's side to comfort Tet-chan. "I never dreamed that anything like this could happen. I never thought that my uncle would set up shop in San Francisco. I had thought that he and Great-Grandfather were still in Europe."

"Do you think that it's just a coincidence?" Tet-chan asked suspiciously, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Or are they up to something? Do you think that Count Number Three might be planning to use Chris to get revenge on Leon? Because if he is, I'll make him regret it." His lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl, exposing sharp fangs; it seemed that his horns were not the only non-human thing about him. Raphael also noticed that Tet-chan's eyes looked the same as they did in his goat form: yellow with cat-like slit pupils.

Daiki frowned. "I do not think that Great-Grandfather would allow his son to physically harm Uncle Chris. But I am worried that the Count might have some sort of ulterior motive in befriending Chris." He turned back to Raphael. "I know that you must have many questions, and I'm very sorry to have to leave at a time like this, but I must fly to San Francisco at once. I promise that I'll explain everything to you when I get back."

Raphael did indeed have many questions for Daiki, not just whether or not he was a god, but why he was afraid that his uncle might hurt Chris, and why he didn't know that his uncle was living in San Francisco. But Daiki looked so worried that all Raphael wanted to do was make him feel better. So he swallowed his questions and said, "All right. I've known for awhile now that there was something...uh...different about your family. So I guess I can wait a little longer to ask my questions."

He was rewarded with a dazzling, grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Raphael," Daiki said. "Can I impose on you a little further and ask you to stay here at the shop with Tet-chan while I'm gone?"

"Sure," Raphael replied; he would have walked through fire for that smile. "But I don't know much about selling or caring for Plant Dolls."

"I'll close the shop, so you won't have to worry about dealing with customers," Daiki said. "And I should be back in time for the dolls' evening feeding. You don't really have to do anything, but I'd feel better if there was someone here in case of an emergency. You can call my cell phone if something comes up. If it's a real emergency, you can call Papa, but only in a last resort. He'll ask questions, and I promised Chris that I would keep his secret. Maybe I shouldn't have made that promise, but I did, and I can't break my word lightly."

"I understand," Raphael said. "But is it okay for you to go there alone?" The way that Daiki and Tet-chan had been talking about this other Count made him sound dangerous.

"Yeah," Tet-chan said fiercely. "Maybe I should go with you."

"No," Daiki said firmly. "You--like Dad--have a hot temper and a habit of speaking without thinking. And even a Tou-Tet is no match for two kami in a fight. Not to mention all the Count's pets."

"And what about you?" Tet-chan demanded. "You're only a half-blood. Can you take on Count Junior and Grandpa?"

"I don't intend to fight with the Count," Daiki replied calmly. "At least, not on his home territory. I'm only going to talk to him today. And besides, I am family. They will not harm someone who shares their blood, even if I am half-human. But they might not be so careful of people who are not related to them, which is why I am going alone. Stay here, Tet-chan."

"You don't need two people to baby-sit the dollies," Tet-chan said sulkily. "Or did you ask Raphael to stay here to baby-sit me, not the dolls? Because I don't need a baby-sitter."

"I just don't think that you should go home right now," Daiki said reasonably. "Papa will want to know why you're upset. Please, just stay here with Raphael. Maybe you can explain a little about the petshop to him. Besides, I thought that you'd want to be here to find out what I learned in San Francisco when I get back."

"Fine," Tet-chan said huffily. "I'll stay here with the starving artist."

"Thank you," Daiki said, smiling sweetly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"But if you go now, you might end up on the same flight as Chris," Raphael pointed out. "You don't want him to know that you're checking up on his boyfriend, do you?"

"Oh, I have a client with a private plane," Daiki assured him. "I'm sure that he won't mind loaning me the use of his plane and pilot."

The client, of course, did not mind, and Daiki locked up the shop and hurried off, leaving Raphael and Tet-chan alone. "Uh...so what's the deal with this uncle?" Raphael asked hesitantly. "Are he and Count D estranged? And isn't it kind of weird for Daiki's two uncles to be dating each other?" It sounded like Chris and this other Count weren't related by blood, but it still seemed a little incestuous to Raphael.

"It's a long story," Tet-chan sighed wearily. He stared at Raphael for a moment, then said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Raphael asked.

"To see if Daiki has some booze in the kitchen," Tet-chan replied morosely. "He usually drinks tea, but I think that he keeps some wine and sake on hand for some of his choosier customers. And if I'm going to tell you about the history of Chris and the three Count Ds, then I'm going to need a stiff drink."

"I'm not sure that's really a good idea," Raphael said nervously. Tet-chan was pretty bad-tempered when he was sober, and Raphael would hate to see what he was like when he was drunk. And Tet-chan only seemed to listen to Count D and Daiki, and neither of them was here at the moment to protect Raphael.

"Listen, kid," Tet-chan said belligerently, "you don't wanna argue with a Tou-Tet."

"And what exactly is a Tou-Tet?" Raphael asked.

Tet-chan gave him a sharp-toothed grin that was more threatening than friendly. "A mythical Chinese beast that feeds on human flesh. Only I'm not really mythical at all." His grin grew wider. "In fact, I'm quite real."

Raphael turned pale and took a step backwards. "So what, were you tasting me earlier?!"

"Nah, I was just mad at you," Tet-chan said casually. "You see, I've looked after Daiki ever since he was a baby, so he's kind of like a little brother to me. I guess I was being overprotective and I kind of got carried away."

"No hard feelings," Raphael said with a nervous smile. Surely Daiki wouldn't have left him alone with a man-eating beast; maybe Tet-chan was just pulling his leg. But still, he figured it was better to be safe than sorry. "I can understand that. But I want you to know that I really care about Daiki, and I would never do anything to hurt him."

"Humans make promises so easily," Tet-chan said cynically. "And break them just as easily. But Daiki thinks that you're trustworthy, and he'd get mad if I ate you." He sighed regretfully, running his tongue across his lips. "A pity, since you were rather tasty. So don't push your luck and make me lose my temper."

What have I gotten myself into? Raphael wondered, then said meekly, "Yes, Tet-chan."

The man-eating beast seemed appeased, and his mood improved further when they found a bottle of sake in the kitchen. "Good stuff," Tet-chan said approvingly. "I think this was actually a gift from one of Daiki's customers; he brought it back from a trip to Japan." They sat down at the kitchen table and Tet-chan poured out two glasses. Tet-chan slowly drained his glass, obviously savoring the taste, then he belched and sighed with satisfaction. Raphael took a small sip from his own glass. Even to his untrained palate, the liquor was obviously of high quality, but he didn't want to drink too much, figuring that one of them ought to remain sober.

"Well, you've got balls, kid," Tet-chan said with grudging approval. "You haven't gone nuts or fled in terror, not even when I mentioned the flesh-eating bit. You're either pretty brave, or too stupid to be scared. Or maybe a little of both." He snorted with amusement. "The Detective falls into that category, I think."

"I love Daiki," Raphael said, meeting Tet-chan's eyes unflinchingly. "I won't let anything scare me away from him. Not even gods or man-eating beasts."

Tet-chan chuckled. "You're a lot more like the Detective than I thought--stubborn as a mule. Okay then, so you want to know about Daiki's family..."

***

Daiki made a stop at Madame C's before heading out to the private airstrip where his client's plane was kept. He arrived in San Francisco and caught a cab to Chinatown, where one of the local merchants was happy to give him directions to Count D's shop once he explained that he was a relative of the Count.

"Indeed, I can see the resemblance, young sir," the merchant murmured, bowing deeply to Daiki. He made no mention of Daiki's blond hair, but Daiki supposed that his golden eyes were proof enough of his relation to the Count.

Daiki thanked the man and continued on his way; he found the petshop without any problems, a few blocks away from the merchant's store. He took a deep breath, then pushed open the door and walked into a dimly-lit lobby that was eerily familiar, right down to the heavy scent of incense hanging over the room.

A figure that was a near-twin to Daiki's Papa glided forward and said smoothly, "Welcome to Count D's Petshop. We have all manner of animals here--" Then the Count broke off his rehearsed speech and stared at Daiki in surprise. "Oh my! Can this be...Daiki?"

"Greetings, Uncle," Daiki said, bowing politely. "I apologize for dropping in unannounced, but I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought that I should pay my respects."  He held out the Madame C's pastry box. "A souvenir from Los Angeles; it's one of Papa's favorites, so I hoped that you might like it, too."

"You are too kind," the Count said, opening the box. "Ah, a fruit tart!" he exclaimed with what seemed to be genuine pleasure. "That is your favorite, is it not, Q-chan?"

"Kyu!" the little babbit squeaked, fluttering down to land on the Count's shoulder. He eyed the tart hungrily, but gave Daiki a concerned look. Daiki just smiled and nodded at Q-chan, choosing not to address him as "Great-Grandfather" since he wasn't sure if the young Count knew his true identity.

"Please have a seat, Daiki," the Count said, gesturing towards the couch. "You are just in time for tea, which will go well with this tart."

A few minutes later, they were having tea and making polite small talk. There were a number of pets in the lobby watching Daiki with mingled curiosity and wariness. A woman dressed in a slinky leopard-print gown perched on the arm of the couch and smiled at him seductively. A sleekly handsome dark-haired man with a studded collar around his neck stood behind the Count, watching over him with the protective air of a bodyguard, and growled softly as he stared at Daiki with suspicious eyes. Across the room, a beautiful young man with snow-white hair hid in the shadows, watching shyly from a distance; there was a small silver horn growing in the middle of his forehead. And over in the corner, a small turtle-like creature--a kappa, Daiki thought--was intently playing video games on a computer, oblivious to the petshop's new guest. Daiki smiled slightly as he noted that not everything about the shop was the same as his father's; Papa did not think very highly of modern technology, and still used an abacus to do his accounting, although he had grudgingly allowed Leon to buy a computer for Daiki when he had been in school.

Q-chan pulled a juicy strawberry out of his piece of tart and munched on it, but he still gazed anxiously at Daiki and the Count as they continued to utter polite, meaningless pleasantries. Finally, the Count said, "So truthfully, what brings you to San Francisco, Daiki?"

"Uncle," Daiki started to say, but the Count smiled and waved his hand carelessly.

"It seems silly to call me 'Uncle' when we are but two years apart in age, and besides, it makes me feel old," the Count laughed. "I think that we are more like cousins than uncle and nephew. Or you could just call me 'D' if you like, but perhaps that might be a bit confusing, considering that there are three of us." He smiled impishly. "Our family is rather unimaginative when it comes to naming their children, aren't they?"

"Perhaps just a little," Daiki said with a smile as Q-chan indignantly squeaked, "Kyu!"

"Well then, Cousin," Daiki continued, "I understand that my Uncle Chris has been a frequent visitor to your shop. Might I respectfully ask what your intentions are regarding him?"

"Very protective of your uncle's virtue, aren't you, dear cousin?" the Count asked, looking amused. "But if I am not mistaken, Christopher is a grown man, capable of making his own decisions, and hardly a virgin." He lowered his eyes demurely. "Although I am not speaking from personal experience, of course."

"I am not concerned about Chris's virtue," Daiki said impatiently, "but rather, his heart. He is in love with you, or at least believes that he is. If you do not return his feelings, then please do not toy with him. I do not approve of the Ds' tradition of revenge, but it is not my place to interfere with your business--except when it comes to Chris. He is not just any human; he is my family."

"I cannot fault your loyalty, Cousin," the Count said, his voice light and unconcerned. "But it is not I who am toying with Chris's feelings. If anything, it is the other way around."

"I do not understand," Daiki said, frowning.

"Don't you?" the Count asked with a serene smile. "You seem like a very intelligent young man. All this--" He waved his arms in an expansive gesture that seemed to take in the entire shop. "--the shop, the animals, the incense, myself, even dear little Q-chan--it is all like a re-creation of Christopher's childhood. He doesn't really love me, Daiki; he only seeks to return to the happiness of his childhood through me."

Daiki went cold with fear for a moment; Chris might have unwittingly offered insult to the Count by courting him under false pretenses--even though Chris believed his feelings to be sincere. If the Count chose to take offense, he could demand satisfaction. Sofu D would probably try to keep things from getting out of hand, but things could get ugly when a kami wanted revenge on a human--this petshop was a prime example of that. The Ds were still taking revenge for a massacre that happened over a thousand years ago.

Daiki dropped to his knees in front of the Count and bowed low, nearly touching his forehead to the floor. "Please forgive my unthinking words, Cousin; I misunderstood the situation. And please forgive Chris; he intended no offense towards you. I do not think that he understands why he is so drawn to you--"

"Please, Cousin, there's no need to grovel," the Count laughed, waving off Daiki's apology with a careless flick of his wrist. "I assure you that I am not offended. Please get up and finish your tea." Daiki rose to his feet and resumed his seat on the couch, watching his cousin carefully. Q-chan anxiously looked back and forth from Daiki to the Count, his half-eaten strawberry lying forgotten on his plate.

"I know that Chris truly believes himself to be in love with me," the Count said; there was no anger in his beautiful face, but only a look of slightly detached amusement. "For an F.B.I. agent, he is charmingly naive. He is competent in his profession, yet somehow manages to maintain an air of childish innocence that is quite refreshing, compared to most of the cynical and jaded humans who patronize my shop. I allow him to visit me because I enjoy his company." He smiled mischievously. "And of course, because he always brings me the most wonderful sweets." He added almost as an afterthought, "Oh, and the animals like him."

"Can he see their human forms?" Daiki asked.

"No," the Count replied, with a smile that was almost sympathetic. "But I think that he believes that he will if he becomes my mate, the way that his brother became your Papa's mate. I feel a bit sorry for poor Chris, who longs so desperately to return to the past, for all that he claims that he loves his human family. Perhaps it was a mistake for my elder brother to make him leave the petshop."

"Perhaps," Daiki sighed. "But Papa thought he was doing the right thing at the time. He had intended to leave Los Angeles and my Dad behind forever, and he couldn't permanently separate Chris from his brother and parents."

"Well, what's done is done," the Count said philosophically. "But Chris is filled with a sense of desperation that would make him a prime candidate to become one of my customers, except that his needs are so broad that I cannot think of a single pet that would fulfill them." He laughed at the look of alarm that filled Daiki's face. "Don't worry, Cousin," he laughed. "Father has forbidden me to sell Chris a pet." He smiled slyly at the babbit. "Haven't you, Q-chan?"

"Kyu?!" Q-chan squeaked, his little beady eyes going wide with shock.

Daiki was nearly as surprised as his great-grandfather. "You know who Q-chan is?"

"Please," the Count said, rolling his eyes. "It was only so obvious. He appeared as soon as Father supposedly went abroad, and he and Father never appear in the same room together when Father does return home to visit."

"Papa never guessed that Q-chan was really Great-Grandfather," Daiki said stiffly, because the Count's words seemed to be an indirect insult of Daiki's father. Or maybe he was just being too sensitive.

The Count smiled at him placatingly. "Your father was a loving and trusting grandson, from what I hear. I am a bit more cynical, and I know what a devious bastard Father can be at times."

Sofu D assumed his true form and smiled sheepishly. "I only wanted to watch over you," he protested.

"Why bother with the charade, then?" the Count asked. "I played along to humor you, but we could run the shop together if you like."

"It would confuse the humans if there were two Count Ds," Sofu replied.

"We could be twins," the Count said with an impish smile. "Or you could really play the role of my aged grandfather and assume the form of a wrinkled, gray-haired old man." Sofu sniffed disdainfully and the Count laughed. "I know what it is--you're just too vain to take the shape of an old man! You would rather be a cute, cuddly pet than a wrinkled old man."

"And you are a most disrespectful child," Sofu said sternly, but there was humor and affection coloring his voice.

"So...you aren't angry at Uncle Chris?" Daiki asked anxiously. "You won't do anything to hurt him?"

"I am not angry at Chris," the Count assured him. "I have not discouraged his visits to my shop, but neither have I made him any false promises. I have not 'led him on,' as the humans say. I will not harm him physically, nor will I allow the pets to harm him, but I cannot promise that I will not hurt his feelings, although I do not wish to. I like Chris, but I do not love him. I find humanity amusing, but I do not think that I could ever take a human as a mate the way that my brother has done. So Chris is bound to feel hurt when he realizes that his love will remain forever unrequited. Or perhaps he will simply grow out of his crush and find a new love."

"I hope so," Daiki sighed. "I thank you, Cousin, for your consideration to my uncle. It is most generous of you."

"Not at all," the Count said lightly. "It is completely selfish. I am kind to Chris so that he will keep bringing me candy and pastries."

Daiki laughed politely, although he was still worried about Chris. They chatted for a few more minutes, and then Daiki took his leave, saying that he needed to get back to his own shop.

"I will call you a taxi," the Count offered.

"Thank you, Cousin," Daiki said. He hesitated, then added, "Uncle Chris told me that you wished to see a Plant Doll someday. You are most welcome to visit my shop at any time. And I know that Papa would be happy to see you, too."

"Would he?" the Count asked, looking a little wistful. Perhaps he had told Chris the truth when he had said that he wanted to watch over his brother. "Would my presence not cause more grief than happiness?"

"He does feel sorrow when he remembers his father's death," Daiki said gently. "But he feels joy as well, to know that his father lives on in you, Cousin."

The Count smiled, for the first time showing a hint of genuine warmth. "Thank you, Daiki. Chris is right when he says that you are a kind man. Perhaps I will pay a visit to my brother in the near future. But will that not cause problems with his mate?"

Daiki wondered just how much the young Count knew about his predecessor's death. "I think that Dad would call a truce if you would, Cousin," he said carefully. "He does not approve of how you run your business, but he loves your brother very much, and he knows how much Papa cares about you."

"You are very diplomatic," the Count said with a smile. "I would like to visit my brother, but I wish to talk it over with Father first. I would appreciate it if you did not mention my presence here to your parents in the meantime."

"As you wish, Cousin," Daiki said. He didn't sense any malice in the Count, at least, not towards his family, and he didn't want to jeopardize the possibility of a family reunion.

The Count called a cab for Daiki, and Sofu accompanied him outside to await it. Passersby on the street gave them a few odd looks, but no one really seemed to find it strange that a blond man in Chinese garb was standing outside the petshop talking with a figure shrouded in a long, hooded cloak.

"I see that the shop has been here long enough for the locals to be used to odd sights," Daiki said wryly.

"Yes, but I should not linger out here too long," Sofu said. "Although if anyone sees my face, they will probably just mistake me for my son. I just wanted to assure you that I will let no harm come to Chris."

"Thank you, Great-Grandfather," Daiki said gratefully. "The pets have told me that you were fond of Uncle Chris."

"I would not say that I was 'fond' of him, precisely," Sofu protested, looking embarrassed and offended at the accusation that he was "fond" of a human. "But young Christopher was tolerable, for a human. And my grandson is fond of Chris, and it would grieve him if harm came to the boy."

"Yes, Great-Grandfather," Daiki said meekly. "I apologize if I gave offense."

"I knew that it was a bad idea to set up shop in San Francisco," Sofu said morosely. "But my son insisted. He was curious about his brother, and wished to be near him without actually making his presence known. We are of necessity a solitary species, and each Count usually goes off and establishes his own shop once he comes of age. We do not normally intrude on each other's territory."

"Is that why you had to disguise yourself as Q-chan?" Daiki asked with a smile.

"I wanted to let your father and my son run their shops independently," Sofu said, flushing a little. "They could not do that with me constantly standing over their shoulders. But I wished to watch over them without interfering--well, not too much, anyway--so I took the form of Q-chan."

"Does my cousin know how his father died?" Daiki asked quietly.

"I did not tell him the specifics, but then again, I did not tell him that I was Q-chan, either," Sofu said helplessly. "I do not know how much he really knows. He was intrigued when Chris found our shop, and I was worried. I did not wish for history to repeat itself, if you know what I mean. Chris is different from Vesca Howell, of course; for one thing, he understands what we are and believes in our magic, but still..." The eldest D sighed. "It is rare than any good comes of our kind consorting with humans."

"I am the result of a kami consorting with a human," Daiki pointed out.

"I said 'rare,' not 'impossible,'" Sofu retorted testily. "I admit that you somehow got the best traits of both parents, which is quite a miracle, considering what your human father is like." Daiki chuckled, and Sofu glowered at him, but Daiki thought that he detected a glint of humor in the old kami's eyes. "In any case, I was very worried when Chris showed up at the shop. My son does not have the obsessive hatred for humanity that his predecessor had, although he shares his predecessor's fascination with that species. I would say that he neither loves nor hates humanity, but merely finds them amusing: he enjoys watching their weaknesses, their vanities, their contradictions."

"Like a scientist observing a colony of lab rats," Daiki murmured, disturbed by the idea.

"There is a sort of ironic justice in that, considering the experiments that humans have carried out on animals," Sofu said with a bitter smile. "But amusement aside, I have raised my son to do his duty as the current Count D, since my grandson is too softhearted to continue that task."

"In other words, the task of taking revenge upon humanity," Daiki said quietly.

"If the customers abide by the terms of the contract, no harm comes to them," Sofu snapped defensively. "If they are weak and foolish enough to break their sworn word, then we are not responsible for the fate that befalls them."

"Yes, you are," Daiki said, politely but firmly. "That is the reason for the petshop's existence, is it not? But I do not wish to argue with you, Great-Grandfather, so let us agree to disagree."

"Very well," Sofu said. "I did not explain the details of his predecessor's death, so as far as I knew, my son had no special reason to hate the Orcots. However, he had no special reason to be fond of them, either. I feared that he might treat Chris like a normal customer, and I feared that Chris would be foolish enough to sign a contract. He is disturbingly trusting and idealistic for someone who witnesses crime and murder on a daily basis."

"He grew up in Papa's shop," Daiki said. "It was his home, where he was loved and accepted when the human world had rejected him. Everyone there treated him with kindness and affection, and I think that he cannot conceive that anything or anyone in the petshop could hurt him even though Dad did explain to him about the contracts and the Ds' mission to avenge themselves on humanity when he was old enough to understand."

"But this is not the petshop that he grew up in," Sofu argued.

"I know," Daiki sighed. "I told you that he has been trying to regain his Sight, but has so far been unsuccessful. He sees this shop and the new Count as a substitute for his old home and friends. The fact that you're there makes it seem even more familiar."

Sofu actually looked a little guilty. "I tried to discourage him from returning, but he is as stubborn as his brother, if somewhat better-mannered. And my son will not discourage anyone who brings him sweets. So I made him promise not to sell Chris any pets, and he agreed for my sake, and for my grandson's, when I explained that your father would be upset if anything happened to Chris."

"Thank you, Great-Grandfather, for protecting Chris."

"I told you, I did it for the sake of my grandson," Sofu grumbled. "And I was afraid that my son might actually fall in love with the boy--what a nightmare that would be, having both my grandson and my son mated to an Orcot! Although Chris is preferable to Leon."

"But my cousin does not love Chris," Daiki said, feeling both sad and relieved at the same time.

"No, but Chris refuses to see that," Sofu sighed. "Or at least, he refuses to let go of the notion that he can eventually win my son's heart. And my son is fond of Chris, in the way that a human might be fond of a pet cat or dog." Sofu smiled ironically. "Which gives Chris just enough hope to imagine that mild fondness might grow into something more. In that, he is very human; he deludes himself into believing what he wishes were true, despite the evidence to the contrary."

"That is true," Daiki said sadly. "The pity of it is, there is someone who truly loves him, but he is blind to that person's feelings."

"You mean the sheep?" Sofu asked.

"How did you know?" Daiki asked, startled.

"Well, it was obvious that Tet-chan loved Chris," Sofu pointed out logically. "He did take a bullet for him, after all. Although I had assumed that it was more of a brotherly sort of love. But Chris is all grown up now, and I suppose that he is handsome, for a human."

"You are very wise, Great-Grandfather," Daiki said, bowing slightly to the old kami.

"I should hope so," Sofu said tartly. "Considering that I have a few centuries' experience more than you, child!"

Daiki laughed, and just then, his cab pulled up.

"Go home," Sofu said in a resigned voice. "There is nothing more that you can do, save be prepared to comfort Chris when his heart is broken by my son, as it inevitably must be."

***

"Hi," Raphael said when Daiki arrived back at the Plant Dolls shop, looking sad and worried. "I'm guessing by your expression that things didn't go too well, huh?"

"Yes and no," Daiki replied with a faint, halfhearted smile. "Where is Tet-chan?"

"Sleeping it off on the couch," Raphael said, gesturing towards the back room. They looked in on Tet-chan, who lay snoring loudly on the couch; there were several empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor.

"He's going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow morning," Daiki said, shaking his head slightly. "I'll make sure to prepare some herbal tea for him. But at least things will be quiet for now. Thank you for waiting so patiently, Raphael. I know that you must have many questions, and I will try to answer them now."

"Actually, Tet-chan already explained most of it to me," Raphael told him. "My head is still spinning; my curse sounds almost normal in comparison! And I'm still not exactly sure what a kami is."

"It's usually translated as 'god,'" Daiki explained. "But it's a very general term that can mean anything from the Christian God to a minor nature deity. People have worshipped us as gods in ancient times, but although we do have powers that most humans do not possess, we are not truly gods. Think of us as being something like the Sidhe or fair folk of Gaelic legend: beings with great beauty and magical power, but still less than gods."

"I guess that makes sense," Raphael said. "If your ancestors were gods, they could have stopped that prince and his army who killed them."

"You seem to be handling this well," Daiki cautiously, peering closely into Raphael's eyes, as if searching for signs of insanity.

Raphael grinned. "It's true that there's a small part of my mind that's gibbering madly, but I've got it under control. And I've been preparing for this moment ever since Jason first told me that the Count was a god. I don't care what you are, Dai--a god, a kami, a fairy; it doesn't matter. I love you and I want to be with you. And not even that man-eating beast on the couch can scare me away. He's not really so bad when you get a few drinks into him. Although I do have to question your motives, leaving me alone with a monster who thinks human flesh is a delicacy, especially since he's already had a taste of me twice."

Daiki laughed, although there was still a bit of sadness lurking in his eyes. "Tet-chan is more bark than bite, but don't tell him that I told you that; it would hurt his pride. He would never hurt anyone that I cared about, and I care about you very much, Raphael." He wrapped his arms around Raphael's neck and whispered, "I love you, Raphael."

Raphael felt like his heart would burst with joy, and suddenly it really didn't matter that Daiki was a not-quite-god or that his relatives were vengeful beings bent on exacting revenge on humanity by selling them killer pets. Maybe when the euphoria wore off, he would go back to questioning his sanity, but right now, nothing else mattered but the fact that Daiki loved him.

"I love you, too," he said, and kissed Daiki. That kiss was perfect, even better than their first kiss; it was so intoxicating that it made Raphael feel dizzy again. "Wow," he said giddily when they finally came up for air. "Kami are really good kissers!"

"And how many kami have you kissed, my love?" Daiki asked playfully, touching a long, elegant finger to Raphael's lips.

Hearing Daiki call him "my love" made Raphael deliriously happy. "Just one," he replied, kissing Daiki's finger. "That's all I want or need, just you."

"I'm glad," Daiki said softly, embracing him. "I'm sorry that you had to go through such a shock, but I'm glad that you know the truth now. It would be so hard to have to deal with this mess between Chris and Tet-chan and the young Count, and not be able to talk to you about it."

Raphael felt a little guilty about having briefly forgotten about Daiki's family problems. "Sorry," he apologized. "I forgot to ask you what happened with the, uh, other Count. Tet-chan was worried that he might be plotting to hurt Chris to get revenge on Leon, because...let me get this straight. Leon had to kill the Count's father because he was planning to release some kind of biological weapon that would wipe out every human on Earth. And the kid, the new Count, isn't supposed to know about it, but Tet-chan thinks he might have figured it out."

Daiki shook his head, smiling sadly. "I do not know exactly what he knows, but my cousin--well, actually he's my uncle, but I'm supposed to call him 'Cousin' since we're almost the same age. My cousin has pledged not to harm Uncle Chris, and my great-grandfather has also promised to protect him."

"That's Sofu D, right?" Raphael asked, trying to keep all the Ds straight in his head. He wondered if it was some sort of kami thing that they all had to have the same name. Except for Daiki, but maybe he was an exception because he was half-human.

"Right," Daiki replied. "But they have only promised not to harm him physically. They cannot spare him from emotional pain, because my cousin does not love Chris. To him, Chris is nothing more than a charming customer, and perhaps, a kind of in-law. The Count means Chris no harm, but he cannot return Chris's feelings."

"Is it really love, or just infatuation?" Raphael asked doubtfully. "From what Tet-chan said, it sounds to me like Chris really idolized the Count. I mean, your Papa. Maybe he's just projecting his feelings onto this other Count?"

"You are very perceptive, my love," Daiki said. "My cousin said much the same thing. Although it's not just the Count that Chris wants, but the security and happiness of his childhood."

"I can see that," Raphael said quietly, thinking of the geezer and his other clients, who had sought happiness in his portraits, even if it resulted in their deaths. What would Chris do when the Count rejected him? Would he be suicidal, or would he realize that he hadn't really loved the Count after all?

"I don't understand why he can't see and hear the pets like Leon can," Raphael said, frowning thoughtfully. "He knows that they exist; it's not like he doesn't believe in the petshop's magic."

"I don't really understand it myself," Daiki confessed. "I wish that I could do something to help him."

He looked so distressed that Raphael gave him a hug. "You flew all the way out to San Francisco to help him, Dai. You did everything you could. If it's just an infatuation, maybe it will wear off in time."

"I hope so," Daiki sighed, not very hopefully. He clung to Raphael for a little while longer, then reluctantly pulled away. "I have to feed the dolls," he said regretfully. "But...will you stay with me here tonight? I don't really feel like being alone." Raphael's heart skipped a beat, and Daiki smiled at him wanly. "I'm not sure that I'll be good company, though," Daiki said apologetically. "I'm not really in the mood for..." A faint blush stained his fair cheeks.

"Oh, of course; I understand," Raphael agreed hastily. He was disappointed, of course, but he understood that Daiki was worried about his uncle, and maybe felt a little guilty about finding true love when he knew that Chris's love for the Count was hopeless. Raphael felt a bit guilty himself, although that wouldn't have stopped him from sleeping with Daiki if Daiki had been willing. He repressed a sigh; was the time ever going to be "right"?

Daiki kissed him gently on the mouth and said, "It is only that I want our first time together to be a time of joy, not sorrow."

"I understand," Raphael said, kissing Daiki on the forehead. "I love you, Daiki. I do want to make love to you, but most of all, I just want to be with you. To be by your side, for as long as you'll have me."

"Then that would be forever," Daiki said, giving him a real smile this time. He clasped Raphael's hand in his. "Will you help me warm the milk?"

"Sure," Raphael said, and together they fed the dolls, picked up the liquor bottles and draped a blanket over the snoring Tet-chan, then went upstairs to Daiki's apartment and went to bed. Daiki was so exhausted that he almost immediately fell asleep in Raphael's arms. Raphael smiled tenderly down at his sleeping lover, happy that he was able to comfort Daiki, and proud that he was the one that Daiki had come to for comfort. And for tonight, he was content just to lie there with Daiki in his arms, and eventually he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

***

Afterword: I realized that I was still thinking of Pon-chan and Honlon as being kids, and I wondered how much they would have aged in about 20 years, if they should be adults by now. So I compromised and made them teenagers.

Also, I added some pictures of the teenage Junrei, Kanan, and Shukou to my Daiki ScrapBook gallery. They're actually scans of Sunako from the Wallflower manga. She has such a wide range of emotions and appearances that she was a perfect model for the split personality Honlon! ^_^ There's one of her in tears as crybaby Junrei; one of her looking cool and elegant as Shukou; and one of her with an angry look as Kanan--and it even has an illustration of a dragon in the background (although it only has one head).

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