FIC: Daiki, Part 19a (of 22)

[geri_chan]

Title: Daiki, Part 19a (of 22)
Rating: R overall, but mostly PG-13
Pairing: Leon/D
Word count: ~7,110
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. Joshua and Mel deliver Moon Blossom to Reynard's mansion, but have second thoughts.

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, Part 15b, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

***

Mel and Joshua returned to Reynard's mansion with Moon Blossom, and their employer seemed overjoyed that they had been able to obtain the Plant Doll.

"I shall have your rooms prepared immediately," he declared. "I would like you to reside in my mansion."

"Myself as well?" Mel asked coyly.

"Of course, madam," Reynard replied with a courtly little bow. "Consider this your home while you live here. Allow me to pay your fee right now as well."

Mel was beaming ecstatically at the thought of living in the luxurious mansion until the Tiara Flower blossomed, but Joshua frowned, still thinking about what the shopkeeper had told them. "Excuse me..." he said nervously. "Is it true...? Are you really...going to cause her to wilt?"

"Big mouth," his sister muttered under her breath, shooting a glare his way. No doubt she was worried that he might cause Reynard to change his mind and thereby lose her chance of winning a fortune. But Joshua couldn't help but wonder if any fortune was really worth Moon Blossom's life. He glanced down at the Plant Doll, who was hiding behind him, peeking out timidly from behind his back, like a child who was shy around strangers. Did she somehow sense the fate that awaited her, or was she just nervous because there were so many unfamiliar people around? Besides Reynard, there were a number of servants working in the mansion, including a pair of maids who seemed to be waiting to take Mel and Joshua to their rooms.

"Wilt?" Reynard asked with a smile. "That's not a very pretty way of wording it. It's going to make a contribution to the momentary beauty of the tiara."

"But if I'd known from the start," Joshua protested, "I would never have gone to buy the Plant Doll."

"Exactly," Reynard replied calmly. "That's what is important." Joshua gasped, staring at him in shock. "You will care for this doll tenderly and lovingly, yet with a sad heart," Reynard continued. "Moon Blossom will sense this, and her body will build up stores of this beautiful sweet melancholy." Reynard smiled with satisfaction, looking almost smug. "I have little doubt that I will be able to see a beautiful blue 'Tiara of Melancholy'. It will be just the color of Moon Blossom's eyes."

***

"Score!" Mel exclaimed triumphantly as she looked around their luxurious new quarters. "Lucky us! This job is ours!"

Joshua sighed heavily, unable to take any pleasure in the situation. "Huh?" his sister said, turning to give him a puzzled look.

"You really think he'll plant the tiara?" Joshua asked, staring gloomily at Moon Blossom, who was contentedly curled up on his lap, apparently unaware that she was intended to become fodder for the Tiara Flower.

"What else would he do?" Mel replied with a shrug. "Unless, perhaps, you want to pay for Moon Blossom by yourself?" Joshua groaned in despair. Mel lit up a cigarette and looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment, then said, "I guess you have no immunity to girls since you've never been popular with them. You're okay with a doll? The doll seems okay with it."

"You say such harsh things--and you mean it, too," Joshua said reproachfully, blushing as Moon Blossom snuggled against him. He frowned as he tried to think of how he could possibly earn enough money to pay for her. "That loan...how long of a term did he say he could offer?"

"Ahh!" Mel exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "Are you serious?!"

"I hate the thought of Moon Blossom becoming food for the tiara," Joshua said quietly. "But even more than that, I hate that man and his way of doing things. I don't want to be here."

Mel coughed as she exhaled a small cloud of smoke, then sighed and patted him on the head. She leaned down to gaze into his eyes solemnly, and asked, "Are you really serious?"

"Huh?" Joshua said. He had expected his sister to throw a fit at the idea of giving up their cushy job for Reynard.

"If you're really serious," Mel said, "your big sister will help you."

"Really?" Joshua asked, still feeling a little stunned.

"I've never heard you talk with such conviction," Mel told him. "You surprise me. This is the first time I've seen you so motivated about anything." She smiled mischievously. "I'll even allow this forbidden love with a doll."

"That's not a compliment," Joshua said dryly.

"You're right," Mel replied, smiling sweetly. "It's not. But I'll do anything for my precious little brother! Rest assured."

"Sis..." Joshua said, feeling deeply touched. He knew how badly she'd wanted this job, but she was willing to give it up for his sake. But then again, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. She had always looked after him, defending him from bullies when they were little, then looking after him when their parents had died while he was still in high school. Joshua had always suspected that Mel's marriage had failed partly because her husband had thought of his wife's little brother as an unwanted burden, although Mel had assured him that it wasn't so and the ex was just a jerk. It was after the divorce that Mel had become obsessed with money, and despite what most people thought, Joshua knew that her mercenary ways weren't due solely to greed. True, she liked the finer things in life, but Joshua thought that what Mel wanted most was security--the security of knowing that both she and her brother would be taken care of and would want for nothing for the rest of their lives. He couldn't really blame her, since she had worked hard earning a living for both of them after Mom and Dad died.

"Manual labor will be the easiest way," Mel said brightly. "So I'll knock myself out finding you work. So you work hard and earn lots of money!"

Joshua sighed, then shook his head and laughed. He should have known better than to get all sentimental about his practical and bossy older sister! But still, he was grateful that she was going to let him save Moon Blossom.

But he discovered that things weren't going to be that simple when they went to talk to Reynard. "What's this?" their employer asked. "You want to default on the contract right off the bat?" Strangely, Reynard didn't look at all perturbed, and he smiled pleasantly at them as he asked, "Care for some wine?" He held up his own glass, which a servant--"A master sommelier," Mel whispered into Joshua's ear--had just filled. Joshua didn't recognize the label on the wine bottle, but he had no doubt that it was a priceless vintage.

"No thank you," Mel said politely. "We will, of course, pay the breach of contract fee, so if you would please forgive us..."

"What?" Joshua hissed. "You're kidding! You already signed a contract?"

"What can I do?" Mel whispered. "It's my policy to settle payment terms right away."

"I'm afraid I can't," Reynard said pleasantly, interrupting the siblings' hushed argument.

"Excuse me?" Mel asked.

"I have already transferred the payment into the store's account," Reynard explained. "Therefore, Moon Blossom belongs to me." He smiled at them cheerfully, and his tone of voice was light and unconcerned, but Joshua could detect an underlying hint of steely resolve.

Damn! Joshua thought, his body tensing with fear and anger. I should've known he wouldn't let us off that easy! The billionaire had a reputation for being both stubborn and ruthless, and he had purchased an exorbitantly priced Plant Doll just on the mere chance that the tiara might be able to grow on the doll. And of course, tracking down the tiara seed itself had probably not been an easy task. Someone that obsessed would never just let them walk away with what might be his best chance of growing his precious tiara.

"If you insist on leaving," Reynard continued, "let it be just the two of you...or so I would like to say. However, it would pose a problem if the person caring for the Plant Doll were to leave. If your brother, at least, were to stay behind with the--"

"Wait!" Joshua cried. "Wait just a minute, please! I'll pay you back the money...no matter how many years it might take, I swear!"

"It is actually very hard to gain possession of a Plant Doll of Moon Blossom's quality," Reynard replied, still with that cheerful, pleasant smile on his face.

"Please...I'm begging you," Joshua said desperately, trying to project all his emotions, his fear and despair, into his voice, hoping that he could somehow move this cold-hearted man and appeal to some hidden seed of compassion inside him. Even if her words had stung, Mel was right when she said that he had never really spoke with conviction or cared about anything before. He had never really been close to anyone but his family, had never formed strong attachments to friends or lovers, or even a job or hobby. Even Mel and Reynard, who didn't seem to care much about people, were passionate about money and beauty, respectively, but Joshua had never been moved by anyone or anything that way...until now. He cared about Moon Blossom so much that it hurt, and for a moment, he wished that they had never gone into the Plant Dolls shop, and that they had left Moon Blossom there, still slumbering peacefully.

Reynard looked into Joshua's desperate, pleading eyes, then asked, as if he hadn't even heard Joshua, "So, did you like your room?"

"Why...?" Joshua whispered. How could the man possibly be so heartless as to kill a little girl? "Why do this?!" Joshua demanded in a stronger voice. "That tiara of yours could grow on any Plant Doll. It doesn't have to be Moon Blossom!" It occurred to Joshua that perhaps he was being heartless himself--after all, whatever Plant Doll that Reynard bought to replace Moon Blossom would die in her place. But it was his fault that Moon Blossom had awakened, and it was Moon Blossom who was here clinging to him right now, and he had to at least save her, even if he couldn't save those other Plant Dolls.

"I've waited for many years, you see," Reynard replied quietly. "I've waited for a doll that can make a Tiara of Melancholy bloom. And for a person who can supply the doll with sweet melancholy. So many years..."

"Then why don't you do it yourself?" Joshua retorted angrily. "You raise the Plant Doll! And then YOU can make it be food for the tiara!"

"Unfortunately," Reynard said calmly, "Plant Dolls don't like me. Look at Moon Blossom--she's hiding behind you and won't come out."

Joshua glanced down at Moon Blossom. She had seemed perfectly happy and content a few minutes ago, when the three of them had been alone in the guest quarters, but now she had ducked behind him, as she had earlier when they had first arrived at the mansion. It seemed that it wasn't shyness, after all, but a reaction to Reynard.

"They probably understand that in my eyes, a Plant Doll is merely a host for the tiara," Reynard said. He smiled, his eyes taking on a dreamy, faraway look. "Perhaps...even that will eventually be stored away as sweet melancholy."

Mel and Joshua returned to their quarters with Moon Blossom, leaving their employer staring dreamily into space, no doubt picturing the Phantom Blue Tiara in his mind.

"Hmm," Mel said, lighting up another cigarette. "Just as I thought...he's totally obsessed."

"That's not all!" Joshua shouted. "His head's messed up! There's definitely something wrong!"

"Now, don't talk crazy," Mel cautioned him. "The last thing we want is to make an enemy of a crazy rich man." She pulled back the drapes, and for the first time, Joshua noticed that there were heavy iron bars set over the window from the outside, rendering it useless as a possible avenue of escape. Mel gestured for him to peer through the window, and he saw two guards patrolling the grounds near their quarters. Not only were they wearing body armor and carrying guns, they had a very large and vicious-looking dog with them.

"Then whaaaaat?!" Joshua cried hysterically. "What are we going to do?!" Good Lord, those men looked like they were patrolling a war zone instead of trying to keep a harmless Plant Doll from escaping!

Mel remained remarkably cool and collected, puffing on her cigarette absent-mindedly. "For awhile, we'll simply observe." She frowned, looking a little annoyed as she gazed at the bars outside the window. "I was careless. The curtains were closed earlier, so I didn't notice."

"But what if he plants the tiara during that time?!" Joshua demanded.

"I think we're fine for awhile," Mel replied calmly. "He won't want this to fail. I'm pretty sure he won't start until Moon Blossom is in prime condition. That means we can use this time to think."

"About what?!" Joshua asked impatiently.

"Oh, like whether I should use my seductive charm...or my pretty tears..." Mel replied, pondering the possibilities thoughtfully.

"Stop joking around," Joshua groaned.

Mel's eyes widened as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Or steal the tiara seed..." She lifted a finger to her lips and said, "Shhhh," although Joshua hadn't said a word. "Am I a genius?" she whispered triumphantly.

"Yes," Joshua whispered back. "A brutal one."

"I'll ferret it out somehow," Mel whispered. "The terms will be our freedom and a written promise to the effect that he'll never lift a finger against us again."

"I knew I could count on you, Sis!" Joshua said admiringly. Mel was tough and she never let anything keep her down for long--not even her divorce or their parents' death. Surely a pampered aristocrat like Reynard was no match for Mel!

"And I'll demand that he release us in writing from any money we owe him." She giggled happily. "Maybe ask for a ransom, too."

"Um...Sis, don't go overboard," Joshua said nervously, that brief feeling of confidence instantly evaporating.

***

The following night, Joshua found himself creeping through the mansion with his sister after everyone else had gone to bed. They padded down the halls in bare feet so that the sound of their footsteps wouldn't wake Reynard or the servants, and they used only a single candle to light their way. In order to get to Reynard's private study, they had to get past the butler, who apparently kept late hours, but Mel managed to knock him out by snatching up a nearby flowerpot and breaking it over his head before he could raise an outcry.

"Are you sure about this?" Joshua whispered. "How did you find out so fast?"

Mel smirked. "I lavished my seductive charms on the butler--finished him off with a little leg."

"I'd say you finished him off with that flowerpot," Joshua muttered under his breath. Hopefully Mel could persuade Reynard not to press assault charges against them as part of the ransom for the tiara seed.

"Here, hold this so I can see," Mel said, handing him the candle when they arrived at the study. She crouched down in front of the door to pick at the lock with a couple of hairpins, squinting in the dim light as Joshua brought the candle down closer to the lock. He gave her a questioning look, and she explained, "When I started the handyman service, I took a class in picking locks."

"You sure are handy," Joshua said with a grin.

The lock gave way with a click, and Mel exclaimed proudly, "See? It opened!"

"Shhh!" Joshua hissed.

She smiled at him sheepishly and tiptoed into the room. "The bottom drawer in the study," she murmured, heading straight for Reynard's desk. "He said that's where he normally keeps important things." As she rooted through the drawer, something caught Joshua's eye on a small table across the room. "Hey, don't take away the light!" Mel complained as he walked away with the candle.

"Mel, look," Joshua said, holding up the candle to illuminate a tiny porcelain flowerpot not much larger than a teacup. It contained a small sprout, no more than a few inches high: a thin gold stem with three tiny green leaves.

Mel came over to take a closer look. "It couldn't be...could it?" she asked uncertainly.

"But doesn't it kind of look like the plant in the video?" Joshua replied.

"Plants this small all look alike," Mel said, frowning. "Besides, I  thought they could only grow  on a Plant Doll host."

"But still...it's been bothering me ever since I heard the story," Joshua said thoughtfully. "I keep wondering how he's going to plant it. I mean, he's not going to dig a hole in her head to plant it in. I think if you grew a seedling...with sprouted roots...it would be simple. That would explain why he can't wait anymore. It has already sprouted. That's why he needed a host as soon as possible."

Then the door suddenly swung open and the lights came on, and both Mel and Joshua gasped in surprise and turned to see Reynard and the butler walking into the room. The butler had a bandage on his forehead, and Reynard had a squirming Moon Blossom tucked firmly under one arm.

"Ah, good evening," he said, as pleasantly as always. "And what might you be doing?"

"Agh!" Mel and Joshua exclaimed in chorus.

"Checkmate, my friends," Reynard said, then shook his head. "Tsk, tsk...what were you thinking, leaving a delicate Plant Doll all by itself?"

Joshua glared at Reynard and snatched up the little flowerpot. "Unhand Moon Blossom!" he shouted, brandishing the candle threateningly. "Or I'll burn the seedling!"

"You really shouldn't be so violent," Reynard gently chided, pulling a gun out of his pocket with his free hand. He pressed the tip of the gun against Moon Blossom's head and asked, "Tell me, who do you think has the advantage here? Now, think very carefully."

Joshua's bravado melted away, and he and Mel stared at their employer in dismay.

"Stay calm," Reynard said, and what Joshua found eerie was that he was still smiling pleasantly, and his voice was calm and steady, almost indifferent, as if they were merely discussing the weather. "Just put the seedling down, go back to your room, and go to bed. If not, then your pretty little Moon Blossom's head will crack open like a beautiful pomegranate."

Ugh, Joshua thought, his eyes squeezing shut in horror as he tried to block out that horrible mental image.

"Go ahead," Mel said defiantly, grabbing the seedling from Joshua. "Do it."

"Oh?" Reynard said, looking a little taken aback.

"I thought about it," Mel said, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket. She stuck it in her mouth and leaned forward to light it with the candle that Joshua was still holding. "And I realized that it's no problem for us. You, on the other hand? You would lose your one and only tiara seedling...and your Plant Doll host, too. I think you're the one who'd have a problem."

"Well, well," Reynard chuckled. "You sound so confident."

"Because it's true, right?" Mel said, cackling gleefully. "It's obvious that we have the advantage. Go ahead--make a pomegranate out of Moon Blossom! We don't want this job. We'll walk out on our own two legs."

God, Sis, I hope you know what you're doing! Joshua thought, sweating with nervousness as he gazed at Reynard and Moon Blossom. What if he called her bluff? Reynard looked way too calm for someone whose cherished dream was about to go up in smoke; he must have some other trick up his sleeve.

"Are you forgetting the contract?" Reynard asked Mel.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Mel retorted flippantly. "You're the one ruining the plant. The loss isn't coming out of our pocketbooks...and since we won't have to see your face anymore, we'll be ecstatic. While we're at it, what if this seedling just happening to burn up in an unfortunate accident?" She held the cigarette close to the seedling. "What do you say?"

"You care very much about your brother," Reynard replied.

"Excuse me?" Mel said.

"You thought your speech would strike me with fear and make me release Moon Blossom, didn't you?" Reynard asked calmly. "In the first place, you were the one who wanted to nullify the contract for your brother's sake--even if that meant paying exorbitant amounts for the breach of contract and the plant."

"E-exorbitant amounts?!" Joshua stammered, looking to his sister for an explanation, but she was busy glaring at Reynard.

"Your long-winded yammering is annoying!" she shouted. "I'm really going to burn it! Like, vwoosh!"

"I think it will burn well," Reynard said cheerfully. "It's not your run of the mill replica." He laughed as Mel and Joshua stared at him, stunned into silence. "Do I look like someone so careless that I'd leave something so important just lying around?"

Mel flung the flowerpot down on the floor, where it shattered with a loud crash. "AAARGH!" she screamed in frustration. "You really piss me off! So it really was a fake?!" She turned on Joshua and shouted, "Idiot brother!"

"Why is it my fault?" he asked plaintively.

"You thought little of my butler, too," Reynard said mildly.

"By the way, it's not in the drawer, either," the butler added.

"Great!" Mel snarled. "You must have thought this was just hilarious!"

"You acted just as I thought you would," Reynard said.

"You monster!" Mel shouted. "You're sick! We'll retreat for tonight, but pray take care not to get strangled in your sleep!"

"That made me think of something very interesting," Reynard said in a conversational tone, motioning carelessly with the gun. "Just as your brother said yesterday, it does not have to be Moon Blossom that makes the blue tiara bloom." He pressed the gun firmly against the Plant Doll's head once more.

"What?!" Mel cried.

"As long as I have the tiara seed and a Plant Doll, the contract with you remains active. However, the Plant Doll does not necessarily have to be Moon Blossom."

"Wha..." Joshua gasped.

"What are you thinking?!" Mel shouted.

"By doing this, I can make it clear to you that I'm dead serious," Reynard replied. "I'll also be able to wound your brother's heart."

"Why?" Mel asked suspiciously. "What purpose would that serve? Other than to be mean."

"It would have great significance," Reynard said. "The more your young brother's heart is wounded from the loss of Moon Blossom, the greater the possibility that he can make a blue tiara bloom. I just realized this."

"What?!" Mel exclaimed. "What kind of idiot are you?! Without a Plant Doll, you--"

"It would be simple enough to get another Plant Doll," Reynard interrupted, unflappable in the face of Mel's anger.

"That guy won't sell you one if he knows you're just going to kill it!" Mel retorted.

"Oh really?" Reynard asked, looking amused. "He gave you Moon Blossom even though you told him about the tiara, didn't you? He let you take her without even receiving a down payment. I have been doing research on the Tiara Flower and the Plant Dolls for a very long time...long before young Mr. Orcot was running that shop. He plays up his role as salesman, but the truth is, he does not choose his customers; the dolls do. Once the doll awakens and bonds to a customer, he has no choice but to allow the sale, otherwise the Plant Doll will wilt and die anyway. All I have to do is walk into the shop with your brother and let him bond with another Plant Doll. And if worst comes to worst, there are other ways to obtain a Plant Doll--for instance, by persuading someone who already owns one to sell it, although I would prefer not to risk using secondhand merchandise as the host for the tiara."

"Another Plant Doll isn't necessarily going to form an attachment with my idiot brother!" Mel snapped.

"I wonder...?" Reynard mused. "To form an instant attachment with a doll of Moon Blossom's quality...I would say that he is very compatible. I have been told that there are people with what is called 'instant rapport,' the ability to instantly bond with any Plant Doll. The son of one of my business associates possesses this type of rapport, and the family already owns two dolls. He has been forbidden to set foot in the Plant Dolls store again by both his father and the shop owner." Reynard smiled cheerily at Mel. "I believe that your brother possesses this type of rapport, or at least, something very close to it. As I told you, I've waited a very long time. I didn't purchase Moon Blossom for the sake of the tiara. I purchased your brother. The greater the sadness over his loss...the more he becomes the perfect intermediary to make the Tiara of Melancholy bloom."

"Intermediary...?" Joshua whispered, more to himself than to Reynard.

"His anguish and suffering, his desperate choices, and throughout it all, his unfailing love!" Reynard declared, his mild-mannered voice finally showing a hint of passion, while a glint of triumph and fanaticism flashed in his eyes. "All those feelings will result in a very fine quality of sweet melancholy. Your brother is very well suited for that. That is why the Plant Doll chose him."

"You are completely--!!" Mel raged.

"Just stop!" Joshua finally shouted, stepping between the two of them; his sister gave him a startled, puzzled look when she realized that he was addressing her as well as Reynard.

"I understand," Joshua said quietly. "So please let Moon Blossom go."

Reynard put away his gun and gently set the Plant Doll down on the floor. She ran straight towards Joshua, flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, then smiled up at him in relief. He wondered if she had any idea of what was in store for her. Was she resigned to her fate, or innocently oblivious?"

"Is it...me?" Joshua whispered. "Is it my fault? This whole time I've been thinking that I was just caught up in this whole mess. But if it weren't for me...Moon Blossom wouldn't have gotten mixed up in this. Right?"

"You can make the blue tiara bloom," Reynard said softly, that dreamy, faraway look in his eyes again. "The Plant Doll knows this. That's why it chose you."

Joshua felt tears sting his eyes as he looked down at Moon Blossom, who smiled at him trustingly. He had considered it a burden and an inconvenience when she had bonded with him at the shop, but in just two days, he had grown to love her so much that he couldn't bear to lose her. He felt sorrow and despair fill his heart--which was probably exactly what Reynard wanted.

"I probably don't have to say this," Reynard said as he stepped aside to let Mel and Joshua leave the study. "But I am willing to obtain as many Plant Dolls as necessary to produce a blue tiara."

***

Back in their quarters, Mel was chain-smoking as she paced back and forth across the bedroom floor, ranting furiously. "So he's saying that if we don't do as he says, he'll turn Plant Doll after Plant Doll into pomegranates! I'm so pissed off! That rich scum!"

Joshua tried to shush her, because he had just put Moon Blossom to bed, but it was impossible to stop Mel once she got going. Fortunately, the Plant Doll had no problem sleeping through Mel's tirade.

"Well then, we'll raise her with so much love that the tiara will bloom a blazing red coral color. That'll show him! Agh! What am I saying? If that happens, Moon Blossom will wilt, too!"

"Um...um..." Joshua interjected timidly.

Mel didn't even hear him. "I know! We'll ask that guy at the doll store! He said that they destroy them all. We just need to find out...aagh! But we can't get out!" She flung open the window and rattled the bars in frustration.

"It's okay, Mel," Joshua said in a resigned voice. "Let's give up."

"Give up?!" Mel shouted incredulously.

"I think I kind of understand," Joshua sighed sadly as he looked down at the sleeping doll. "Just as he said, maybe Moon Blossom did actually choose me to make a blue tiara bloom."

Mel slapped him hard on the back of his head. "You've got a bad habit of just swallowing what other people say!" she scolded. "That's why guys from shadowy cults always like you! You need to be less gullible and stop believing every word anyone says! How can that be true? Who would be happy about becoming plant food?!"

"B-but..." Joshua protested weakly.

"Where's that fiery spirit I saw when you lashed out at that man?" Mel demanded. Then she calmed down slightly and sighed, "Aw, man. Okay, your sister blew it. I should have stopped when you said you had a 'bad feeling about this'. The money clouded my vision."

"It's not your fault," Joshua assured her. "But don't sign any contracts again without my knowing."

His sister looked abashed--a very rare occurrence, in Joshua's experience. Then she frowned, a look of intense concentration on her face. "I'll make this work out somehow..."

"I said it's okay, Sis," Joshua said comfortingly.

"It's not okay!" Mel snapped. "I'm pissed off!"

"Fine," Joshua sighed as his sister went back to pacing the room. He pulled a chair up beside the bed and looked at Moon Blossom's sleeping, innocent face. He couldn't stop thinking about the word that Reynard had used: "intermediary". There were people in the world like Reynard and Mel who actively chose what they wanted in life. And on the other hand, there were others who simply waited to be chosen by something or someone. If non-human things could also choose or wait to be chosen, perhaps the tiara and the Plant Doll had chosen an "intermediary" in order to come in contact with each other.

All this time... Joshua thought to himself. I hadn't understood how the Plant Doll in the video could look so joyous and beautiful...

***

The following evening, Daiki and Raphael came over to the petshop for dinner to sample Pon-chan's cooking. She was taking her duties as Tet-chan's apprentice very seriously, and she beamed proudly when they assured her that the food was delicious. It wasn't just flattery; although the dishes weren't quite up to the gourmet quality of the ones normally prepared by Tet-chan, they were still very tasty. "Not bad, kid," the Tou-Tet said grudgingly to his apprentice, which Raphael figured was high praise by Tet-chan's standards, since he rarely said anything complimentary to anyone.

Chris had returned to San Francisco, which was a relief to Pon-chan and Honlon, since their recent heartbreak was still fresh and it hurt to watch him be happy with Tet-chan. Time and distance would hopefully ease the pain. Pon-chan seemed to be taking it pretty well; she seemed a little sad, but resigned to the situation. Honlon, on the other hand, was alternately sulky and weepy, and Raphael was a little worried about her.

He tried to distract her by telling her the story of the siblings who had bought Moon Blossom, and asking Daiki to explain more about the Tiara Flowers. "You say you've never seen one, but you seem to know a lot about them."

"Mr. Hua told me about them," Daiki replied. "He first encountered the Tiara Flowers many years ago when he was doing business in Europe and Asia. Most of them have been eradicated by people who wish to protect the Plant Dolls, but he feared that a few of the seeds might have survived, so he wanted me to be aware of their true nature in case I ever came across them."

"A Plant Doll must be raised with love in order for the flower to bloom, right?" Raphael asked. "How could someone plant the tiara on a doll that they supposedly love, when they know that the tiara will eventually kill her?"

"Well, when the Tiara Flowers were first discovered, the owners did not realize that their Plant Dolls would wilt when the tiaras bloomed," Daiki said gravely. "They were greatly dismayed and remorseful when their beloved dolls wilted, and they set out to destroy all the Tiara Flowers that they could find in order to atone for what they had done."

"Well, sure, I can understand that they didn't know what would happen," Raphael said. "But now that people know what the tiara does to the doll..."

"It is a very rare plant and not many people have heard of it," Daiki replied. "The Spencers, after all, had never heard of it before they met Mr. Reynard. So it would be easy for someone unscrupulous--like Mr. Reynard--to trick the owner of a doll into planting the tiara on it. The owner would raise the doll in blissful ignorance, never knowing that the tiara would kill her until it was too late. However, that would only work for a Coral Tiara Flower, which grows on a Plant Doll that is perfectly happy and content. The Phantom Blue Tiara that Mr. Reynard so desires will only grow on a doll raised with sweet melancholy--and what could be more bittersweet than loving a doll that is fated to wilt as soon as the tiara on its head blossoms?"

"Plenty of people hurt the ones that they love, Raphael," Leon said with a sad and cynical smile. "I see it all the time--men who beat the wives or girlfriends that they claim to love, parents who abuse or neglect their children, pedophiles who think that they're showing 'love' to the children that they molest. And I also see people who allow their loved ones to be hurt through inaction, like a mother who's too scared of her husband to stop him from abusing the kids."

"There are a few people who can love the dolls and still sacrifice them for the sake of the tiara, although fortunately, that type of mindset is very rare," Daiki said gravely. "They might rationalize it by saying that it's better for the doll to go out in a blaze of glory, at the height of her beauty, rather than grow old and wilt."

"Some humans think that way about themselves, usually young ones," Leon said wryly. "To quote The Who, 'Hope I die before I get old'. Although most people tend to change their minds once they start getting near the age that they used to consider 'old'."

"I think that Joshua Spencer is the type who tends towards inaction, though," Daiki said. "He was clearly disturbed by the idea of Moon Blossom becoming food for the tiara, so I don't think that he would willingly plant the flower on her. However, it remains to be seen if he has the strength to defy his employer and save Moon Blossom."

"Couldn't he just raise Moon Blossom on his own?" Pon-chan asked, looking worried about the Plant Doll even though she had never met her. Her natural kindness was one of the things that Raphael liked best about her. "He could raise her on his own if he was willing to take a loan to pay off his debt to you, right?"

"It's not that simple," Raphael replied. "Reynard's the ruthless type. If he's fixated on this Tiara Flower, he won't just let them walk away with Moon Blossom. My friend Jason has told me stories about this guy. Once he wanted a painting, and the owner refused to sell it, so Reynard hired a private eye to follow the guy and get some dirt on him. He took photos of the guy with his mistress and threatened to send them to his wife unless he sold, which he did. There was another guy who had a vase he wanted, and this guy didn't have a mistress or any dirty secrets, so Reynard sent him a schedule detailing all the movements of his wife and daughter right down to the minute. He didn't do anything so crass as to make an overt threat; it was enough to let the guy know that Reynard could get to his family at any time. As you can imagine, he handed over the vase pretty quickly after that."

"I've never met this guy, but I really don't like him," Leon growled.

"You don't want to mess with him, Leon," Raphael cautioned. "Even the rich and powerful are afraid of him. He could have a police detective fired without blinking an eye."

Leon scowled, a look of defiant stubbornness on his face, and Raphael immediately realized that he'd used the wrong tactic. Telling Leon that he couldn't do something probably just made him all the more determined to do it.

"Please, Dad," Daiki said quietly. "I ask you not to interfere in this case, not just because Mr. Reynard is a dangerous man, but for the sake of my customer."

"Huh?" Leon asked, the anger on his face fading away to be replaced by a look of puzzlement.

"If Moon Blossom is to be saved, Joshua Spencer must be the one to do it," Daiki said firmly. "It's difficult to explain, but I cannot interfere with the bond between a Plant Doll and her owner, much like the relationship between Papa's customers and the pets."

"It is true," the Count murmured, a pensive look on his face. "Once the contract is signed, I have no right to interfere between owner and pet unless the terms of the contract are breached. Sometimes the pets make choices that I did not expect, such as Medusa choosing to kill herself and follow her love into death, or the stray dog Daisy protecting the very girl who once abandoned her. However, although I may not agree with their decisions, it is their right to make them, and I am not allowed to intervene."

"In any case," Daiki said with a regretful smile, "you have no legal authority to go after Mr. Reynard, Dad. Technically, he is the owner of Moon Blossom, since he is the one who paid her fee. In fact, he had the money transferred into the store's account that very same evening--he was taking no chances of her getting away from him. And unfortunately, there are no laws against someone destroying a plant that they own."

"You gave Sleeping Beauty away to her first owner because he couldn't afford her," Leon said thoughtfully. "Well, allowed him to steal her, actually, but it amounts to the same thing. Why didn't you just give Moon Blossom to this Spencer guy? Then Reynard would have no right to take her away from him."
 
"Ah, but price is a mysterious thing, Dad," Daiki said with an enigmatic, D-like smile. "When one acquires something cheaply, then strangely, one's feelings about it are proportionately lessened, too."

"Hmm, come to think of it, Hua told me something like that once, too," Leon mused. "He said that the high price was like a test of sorts, to see how much the customer valued the doll."

Daiki nodded. "It is all about choices--the doll's choice, and the customer's. Moon Blossom chose Joshua. Now Joshua must choose whether or not he will save her. Even if I had given Moon Blossom to him for free, that would not have solved the problem. Reynard could still have used bribery and given Melanie Spencer money to convince her brother to bring Moon Blossom to his mansion. Or he could have used coercion and held Melanie hostage until Joshua agreed to his terms, or he could simply have kidnapped all three outright. Somewhere along the line, Joshua must decide how much he loves Moon Blossom and how much he is willing to risk in order to save her."

"It seems that they went to Reynard's mansion willingly," Raphael said uneasily. "But I'm not sure that he'd just let them walk out again if they changed their minds."

"Then that's kidnapping!" Leon shouted, banging his fist on the table. "That's grounds for the police to interfere, surely!"

But Daiki smiled sadly and shook his head. "We have no proof that he is holding the Spencers against their will. They haven't issued a cry for help, that I know of."

"Well, if he's kidnapped them, of course he won't allow them to communicate with the outside world!" Leon said.

"But without any concrete evidence, you would not be able to obtain a warrant to search the mansion," Daiki said. "And if you broke in illegally, he could have you arrested at the very least. At worst, he could have you shot as an intruder; I am told that he has a team of armed guards patrolling his estate. They could claim that they didn't know you were a police officer, and thought that you were a burglar."

"Or they could simply bury your body someplace in the wilderness where it would never be found," Tet-chan said with morbid glee. "A rich guy like that, he wouldn't bother to report your death, even if the law couldn't touch him. He'd cover it up, to avoid the publicity."

"Gee, thanks, Tet-chan," Leon said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just pointing out the facts to you, Mr. Detective," Tet-chan retorted. "Don't shoot the messenger."

"Don't tempt me," Leon growled.

"Even if you could charge in, guns blazing, and rescue Moon Blossom, it still would not matter in the end," Daiki interrupted in a gentle voice. "A Plant Doll thrives on love, and Moon Blossom does not love you, Dad; she loves Joshua. For all to be well, it must be his love that saves her."

"Or it will weaken the bond between them, huh?" Leon asked thoughtfully.

"Possibly," Daiki replied. "Probably."

"Well, I guess that's the way it's gotta be, then," Leon sighed. "A prince has gotta rescue his princess on his own. He can't let someone else do it for him."

"Exactly," Daiki said with a smile.

"I hope this Joshua person can be a true prince, then," Pon-chan said, still looking worried.

Part 19b, Part 20a, Part 20b, Part 21, Part 22a, Part 22b