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FIC: Daiki, Part 22b (of 22)
Title: Daiki, Part 22b (of 22)
Rating: R overall, but mostly PG-13
Pairing: Leon/D
Word count: ~7170
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. Ti Lung attempts to tutor Honlon, and the day of the weddings finally arrives.
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, Part 19a, Part 19b, Part 20a, Part 20b, Part 21, Part 22a
***
The pets congratulated the newlywed couple, and Ti Lung continued to comfort Honlon until she finally stopped crying--and just in time, too, because there was a knock at the door and Jill's voice called out, "Hello? Anyone home? Leon, surely you're not going to be late to your own wedding!"
"Be there in just a minute!" Leon said.
"Ah, Souki-sama, would you mind changing into something a little less..." D let his voice trail off tactfully.
Souki pouted, and Leon couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. "Is there something wrong with my attire?"
"What Papa means is, could you tone down your splendid magnificence just a touch, Souki-sama?" Daiki said, bowing low to the Kirin and giving him a charming smile. "The full unshielded glorious beauty of a Sacred Beast such as yourself can stun mere mortals into a state of shock, sometimes even drive them into madness. And I would not want any harm to befall Aunt Jill and her family, or Jason." Then he added with a mischievous little glint in his eyes, "Besides, it is a breach of etiquette for a guest to outshine the bride--or in this case, the grooms--at a wedding, and none of us can compare to you, Souki-sama."
"Oh, Daiki-chan, you're such a shameless flatterer!" Souki giggled, hiding his face behind his sleeve as if embarrassed, but Leon thought he looked quite pleased. "Very well, then," the Kirin agreed. He snapped his fingers and instantly transformed into a very normal looking human man--well, normal for Chinatown, anyway, more or less. His features looked the same, and he was still very handsome, but his hair was cut short at the nape of his neck, and was an ordinary shade of light brown instead of sapphire-blue. His clothes, too, had transformed into a long, Chinese-style tunic with a mandarin collar and a pair of silk trousers--both blue. He was also wearing a pair of dark glasses to hide his sightless eyes.
"Do you think I need a cane or a guide dog as part of my disguise?" he asked teasingly.
"I'd be happy to volunteer, if you like, sir," a golden Labrador puppy said timidly.
"Oh, what a charming little lady you are!" Souki exclaimed delightedly, patting the puppy on her head as she wagged her tail happily.
"How come she's not scared of him?" Leon asked D.
"She is too young to know that she should be," D replied, looking amused. "Besides, Souki-sama loves cute, cuddly creatures, so she can probably sense that he means her no harm." He turned to Souki and said, "But no, I do not think you need to go so far as to use a guide dog or cane. I shall introduce you as an old friend, which is true enough, and it is quite reasonable that an old friend would be familiar enough with my shop to move around unassisted."
"You must also disguise yourself, Lady Honlon," Ti Lung told her kindly, and brought out a set of white robes that D had prepared ahead of time. The sleeves were long enough to cover her hands completely, not even showing her fingertips, and the skirt trailed along the floor, hiding her feet. A hood covered her hair, and a gauzy veil hid her face. Not a single inch of her skin was left uncovered. She looked a little odd, but Jill and Terry were used to seeing odd things in the petshop, and there was no reason for them to suspect that she was really a dragon.
"It's like wearing a tent," Kanan said grumpily, sounding more like her old self.
"It's only for a little while, Lady Kanan," Ti Lung coaxed. "You do want to watch the weddings, don't you?"
"Yes," Junrei replied. "It's better than having to sit around the Crystal Chamber by ourselves while everyone else is at the party."
"That is true," Shukou agreed.
"I suppose you're right," Kanan sighed, giving in without further argument, to Leon's relief, and he unlocked the door to let Jill and the others in.
Jill gave Leon and Daiki quick hugs, then turned to Chris and said, "Let me get a good look at you, Chris! My, you look so handsome!" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, while her eyes eagerly sought out Chris's mysterious lover--who had of course been quite familiar to her in his animal form, unbeknownst to her.
"Jill, this is my new, um, spouse," Chris said.
"I am Tetsu Huang," Tet-chan said politely, giving her the alias he had chosen for his new human identity. "Tetsu" was a fairly common Japanese name that was close enough to his old name to allow Chris to still use "Tet-chan" as a nickname, and he had chosen "Huang," which was actually pronounced "Wong," as his surname, as a sort of sly tribute to his former chef persona.
Tet-chan bowed gracefully to Jill, with some of Wong's old charm and suaveness. "I am very pleased to meet you, Detective Jill," he said. "Chris has told me so much about you."
"Well, meaning no offense, but he's hardly told us anything about you!" Jill exclaimed, wagging a finger in mock-admonition at Chris. "Where have you been hiding this handsome young man, Chris? Were you afraid someone might steal him from you?"
"Not at all," Chris laughed. "Tet-cha...I mean, Tetsu has assured me many times that his heart belongs solely to me. I didn't mean to hide him; we were childhood friends, but I hadn't seen him for many years until just recently." Strictly speaking, this was true, since Chris had not been able to see Tet-chan's human form until the day that he had adopted Beauty.
"I was living in China for the past several years," Tet-chan lied smoothly. "But I never forgot Chris. When I returned to the U.S., I naturally looked up my old friend, and much to our surprise, friendship blossomed into love."
Jill's eyes had narrowed in thought when Chris slipped and almost referred to "Tetsu" by his old name. She gave Tet-chan a long, speculative look, then smiled and said, "Well, I'm very happy for you both, although I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see your wedding ceremony." She kissed Chris on the cheek and handed him a large gift-wrapped box with a pink bow. "But I got you a wedding present, anyway."
"Thank you, Jill."
"By the way," Jill added casually, "whatever happened to your little pet, that goat creature...what was his name again...?" Chris broke out into a sweat, while Tet-chan stared back at Jill coolly, pretending not to know what she was talking about.
"Tet-chan, Mom," Jill's daughter Lian supplied helpfully. "Although Uncle Leon usually calls him 'that little monster'. Come to think of it, I don't see him here today."
"Well, he was...is...actually the Count's pet, not mine," Chris said nervously.
"Tet-chan is prone to biting strangers," Daiki said cheerfully. "So Papa thought it would be better to lock him in one of the back rooms during the weddings."
"Oh, of course," Jill said amiably. "Too bad, though, I'm rather fond of him. He's a handsome beast, with that fur that's such a unique shade of red. Hmm...rather like Tetsu's hair, come to think of it..."
"Ah, Miss Jill, please allow me to introduce you to my friend, Souki-sama," D interrupted hastily, much to Chris's obvious relief. "And to my grandfather and younger brother."
"And to my new assistant, Ti Lung," Daiki added brightly.
Jill allowed her attention to be diverted, but she gave Leon a quick wink to let him know that she wasn't fooled. Terry just smiled blandly, and Lian didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. And soon Jill really did seem to forget about the resemblance between Tetsu and Tet-chan in the excitement of meeting Ti Lung, Souki, and D's family.
Sofu must have transformed his appearance when Leon wasn't looking, because when he turned to face Jill and her family, his face was no longer smooth, but creased with a few wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes, and his black hair was streaked with gray. He still looked a bit young to be D's grandpa, but no one seemed to find it surprising that Sofu was "very well preserved for his advanced age," as Souki put it, smiling mischievously as the eldest D glared at him. Count Junior, of course, had no need to disguise himself, although Jill and Lian did exclaim over how alike the two brothers looked. Both of D's relatives were on their best behavior, with the young Count greeting his brother's guests with the smooth, professional charm of a Count D, while Sofu was coolly polite, which was probably the most that one could expect from the cantankerous old kami.
Somehow, Leon was not surprised when Jill and Souki immediately hit it off, squealing together like long-lost friends as they complimented each other on their attire, gushed over how lovely little Beauty was in her bridesmaid's outfit, and got into a discussion about different types of tea.
"Hope you don't mind that D's friend stole your wife," Leon said wryly to Terry.
"No problem," Terry replied good-naturedly. "Besides, a guy that pretty can't possibly be straight!"
Souki's eyes flickered over towards Terry, and all the pets held their breath for a moment, and then Souki turned back to Jill and picked up their conversation as if nothing had happened. A collective sigh of relief fell over the room.
"Just to warn you, buddy, that guy has excellent hearing," Leon whispered, although he knew full well that wouldn't stop Souki from overhearing him. "And he's some sort of big shot in, er, China. He's, well...special. Like D, if you know what I mean."
"Ah, I see," Terry whispered gravely. "I'll be careful to treat him with respect."
"Uncle Leon, how come I have to wear pink and Mom doesn't?" Lian complained, tugging at Leon's jacket to get his attention.
"Well, she's sort of wearing pink, sweetie," Leon said. Jill was dressed in an elegant black silk sheath dress with a pink sash and a choker of pink pearls around her neck. She looked quite stunning, and even though they were an old married couple now, Terry gazed at his wife with an admiring look in his eyes that made Leon grin. He and Jill had both done pretty well for themselves in their choice of partners.
"But her dress is black, and I have to wear this pink one," Lian pouted.
"But you look lovely, sweetie," Leon said, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Honestly, it would be fine with me if you wore a t-shirt and jeans to the wedding, but your mom and D decided on pink, and it would take a braver man than me to argue with them when they have their minds set on something!"
He and Terry exchanged knowing smiles. "He's right, Lian," Terry told his daughter. "You should count yourself lucky that Daiki managed to talk Mom out of adding all those lace and frills on your dress, like Beauty's."
"Ugh!" Lian gasped, shuddering. "I mean, no offense to the Plant Doll--it looks adorable on her, but lace and ruffles just do not suit me!"
"Just bear with it, for your old Uncle Leon, okay, kid?" Leon laughed, wrapping an arm around and giving her a hug.
"Okay, Uncle Leon," Lian sighed.
A few minutes later, Raphael's best man Jason showed up at the shop, and they went through the whole round of introductions again. He seemed to sense that there was something odd about Souki and Ti Lung, because he immediately treated them with the same kind of respect that he showed D, and his eyes went round with shock when Daiki introduced him to Lian.
"Silly, don't you remember me?" Lian laughed. "I remember that you and your brother used to play with Daiki sometimes when Count D and Uncle Leon were baby-sitting me."
"Yes, but who would've thought that little tomboy would grow up into such a beautiful woman?" Jason replied gallantly, bowing and kissing Lian's fingertips as she giggled. It was true that Lian had changed dramatically in the past ten years or so. She really had been a tomboy, as Jason said, or "a little hoyden" as Jill had sometimes said in loving exasperation. She had never liked playing with the dolls, instead preferring to play rough-and-tumble with the boys, and trying to get her out of t-shirt and jeans and into a dress for a special occasion had been a major battle. But today she looked beautiful in her pink silk dress, with long, straight hair that was black like her father's, and Jill's fair complexion, willowy build, and shapely long legs.
Terry sidled up to Jason and smiled at him pleasantly. "She's seventeen and a high school senior, you know," he said in a conversational tone of voice.
"Daddy!" Lian protested, glaring at her father. "I'm almost eighteen, and I'll be graduating soon and going to the police academy."
"We'll see," Terry said, the way a parent might when a young child was asking for something unreasonable.
"Daaaddy!" Lian wailed, in a voice that clearly stated that her father was being impossible.
"Oh, and by the way, you do know that I'm a cop, right?" Terry asked Jason in that pleasant voice, but his smile had a rather wolfish edge to it. He pulled open his suit jacket slightly to reveal a holstered gun.
"Honey!" Jill cried, breaking off her conversation with Souki. "Are you wearing a weapon at Leon's wedding?!"
"What could be more appropriate at a cop's wedding?" Terry countered unrepentantly. "Besides, I know that you have your gun in your purse, Jill."
"But at least I'm not wearing it! And behave yourself! No threatening to shoot the wedding guests!"
"Yes, dear," Terry said meekly, but he gave Jason a pointed look before backing off.
"I meant no disrespect, Detective Hu," Jason said nervously. "I was just surprised to see Lian looking so grown up, that's all." And he quickly ran over to hide behind Raphael and Daiki.
Lian heaved a dramatic sigh. "Daddy's scared another one away," she said in a resigned voice. "You have no idea how hard it is to get a date with a father like that!"
"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," Leon chuckled. "But don't worry, sweetheart; when the right guy comes along, he'll have the guts to stand up to your dad."
"Well, I hope he comes along before I'm old and gray," Lian grumbled.
"Well, now that everyone's here, shall we get started?" Jill suggested.
Everyone got into place for the second ceremony, which would be Daiki's and Raphael's. Sofu left the brazier in place, although he replaced the narcotic herbs with normal, sweet-smelling incense. Chris, Leon, Ti Lung, and the Ds stood in place as Daiki's groomsmen, while Jason took his place on the opposite side of the brazier as Raphael's best man. And because Raphael was lacking in family to stand beside him, Honlon, Ten-chan, Lupin, and the lizard-lady Sesha all elected to stand in as his groomsmen and women. The Hu family looked a little bemused, but said nothing about the oddity of a fox, a wolf, a lizard, and a veiled figure taking the role of groomsmen, and Jill only commented on how cute the first three looked, with their pink ribbons--because that was all that the normal humans could see, animals with pink bows festively tied around their necks.
That was how Pon-chan appeared to them, too--the only visible sign of her bridesmaid dress to them was a pink bow, but Jill and Lian patted her on the head and told her how pretty she looked, and the raccoon seemed pleased. Once more, Pon-chan and Beauty played the role of flower girls, scattering petals on the red carpet. Lian seemed a little bemused by the sight of a raccoon skipping down the aisle on her hind legs while carrying a basket of flower petals with a front paw, but Jill and Terry were unfazed.
After the flower girls made their way over to stand beside Leon and Chris, Lian and Jill slowly walked down the aisle carrying small bouquets of roses, both looking lovely and graceful; Leon couldn't really blame Terry for being an overprotective dad.
There was no bride to be "given away," so Daiki and Raphael walked down the aisle together, hand-in-hand. And since this was not a religious or legal ceremony, they had decided that there was no need for a priest to officiate, and that they would simply exchange their vows in front of their family and friends.
"Here before our family and friends, I pledge my love to you, Raphael," Daiki said solemnly. "As everyone in Chinatown knows, my family is a little...different."
"You can say that again," Lian muttered under her breath, but quickly fell silent when her mother elbowed her sharply in the side and gave her a stern glare.
Daiki smiled at them, his eyes twinkling with amusement and affection, then continued, "I often felt like an outsider while I was growing up, set apart from all the other kids at school. I remember being worried as a teenager because I couldn't find a girlfriend or boyfriend that I really liked, but Aunt Jill told me not to worry, that someday the right person would come along, and as usual, she was right." Jill grinned proudly, and a little smugly. "Because I met you, Raphael. You saw me, and accepted me, and loved me for what I truly am. And for that, I love you. I swear that I shall love you, and be faithful to you, and stay by your side for as long as we both shall live."
By this time, Jill and D were both dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs, while Leon remained determinedly stoic although his eyes were a little shiny. And then it was Raphael's turn to say his vows.
"Here before our family and friends, I pledge my love to you," he said, looking a little teary-eyed himself. "If I accepted you, then you also accepted me, and my curse of a gift. After my family died, I gave up on love and was just drifting through life, but you pulled me back into the world and gave me hope again. You offered me not only your love, but made me part of your family as well." Jill and D were openly weeping by this time, and Leon had to quickly brush a tear from his eye as he smiled at his son-in-law. "When I first met you," Raphael continued, "I really wanted to paint your portrait and capture your beauty, even though I knew that I couldn't. But now I don't need a portrait, because I'll have you by my side every day, and I can gaze at your face whenever I want. Besides, no matter how good an artist I am, I don't think that paint and canvas could ever duplicate your true beauty. I love you, Daiki, and I'll stay by your side for as long as we both shall live."
He pulled out two slim gold bands from his pocket and placed one on Daiki's finger and one on his own. As wedding bands went, they were relatively plain and inexpensive, purchased from Snow White's owner at a discount. But still, Raphael had purchased them with his own money, and he placed the ring on Daiki's finger with pride. Leon could understand his feelings; although he earned more than Raphael did, his detective's salary was still a pittance compared to D's wealth, and sometimes giving one's beloved a gift earned with one's own hard-earned cash was a matter of pride. D could afford pieces of jewelry much more expensive than the gold-and-ruby dragon pendant Leon had given him, but it was special precisely because it was Leon who had given it to him.
There was a brief moment of silence as the pair gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, then Souki applauded and shouted, "Congratulations! Kiss the bride! Ah...I mean, groom!"
The pets burst into cheers and applause then, and Daiki and Raphael laughed and kissed each other, just long enough for the kiss to be tender and more than a perfunctory peck, but not long enough to make Leon uncomfortable. Even if he approved of his new son-in-law, Leon still didn't want to watch Daiki and Raphael making out in front of him, after all! Pon-chan laughed, jumping up and down excitedly, tossing the rest of her rose petals at the happy couple.
And then it was Leon's and D's turn to walk down the aisle. The rose petals were hastily swept up and the flower girls' baskets refilled with fresh petals, and the groomsmen rearranged themselves, with the Ds standing on one side, and Chris, Tet-chan, Daiki, and Raphael on the other. Ti Lung and the pets who had served as Raphael's groomsmen and women found seats among the rest of the audience.
Once more, the flower girls and bridesmaids formed a procession down the aisle, but this time every songbird in the shop burst into song, filling the room with the most beautiful music Leon had ever heard in his life, so lovely that it brought tears to his eyes. Jill gasped in surprise and delight, and to Leon's surprise, so did D.
"You didn't know?" he whispered.
D shook his head. "They didn't tell me that they were planning this," he whispered back, tears welling in his eyes.
"They must've wanted to surprise you," Leon said with a smile.
"Well, they did, and it was a wonderful surprise," D replied, brushing the tears from his eyes with a quick swipe of his hand. "Come now, my dear Detective, everyone is waiting for us."
The bridesmaids had reached the end of the aisle, and Jill, Lian, and Beauty were standing beside Chris, while Pon-chan had gone over to stand next to Sofu and the young Count. They were all grinning at Leon and D, except for Sofu, whose face remained expressionless, but then he smiled in a resigned manner as he looked over at D.
"I give you my blessing, Grandson," he mouthed silently, and tears filled D's eyes again. Leon reached out and took D's hand, and they walked down the aisle together. When they reached the end, the birdsong faded away, and they turned to face each other, and D said, "You are infuriating, arrogant, stubborn, and bad-tempered."
"Somebody tell me why they're getting married again?" Tet-chan muttered, and Chris hissed, "Shh!"
"However," D added, smiling at Leon with both mischievousness and tenderness in his eyes, "you are also brave, loyal, and compassionate. You have taught me that people can mature and change. Mind you, I still think that most of the human race is worthless and headed for destruction, but still...you give me faint hope for the future."
"He talks like he's not human himself," Lian whispered to her mother.
Jill gave her daughter an incredulous, almost pitying look. "Sweetheart, for such an intelligent girl, you can be rather slow at times. Now shush; I've waited over twenty years for this wedding to happen, and I don't intend to miss a moment of it!"
"I tried to run away from you, but you tracked me down no matter how far I ran," D continued. "You wore down my resistance, and I surrender to your stubbornness, my dear Detective, my beloved Keiji-san, my Leon. I love you with my whole heart, and I am yours for so long as I live."
"D, you've driven me nuts over the years, too," Leon said with a grin. "You've made my life infinitely complicated, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You said that you surrender, and that's good, because if you tried to run away from me again, I'd follow after you to the ends of the earth, even if it took my entire life to find you. We were meant to be together, D. The fact that we brought this wonderful child"--he gestured at Daiki--"into the world proves it. I love you, D, and you're stuck with me for so long as I live."
"You have already given me a symbol of your love, my Leon," D said, touching the pendant at his throat. "So allow me to give this gift to you."
Leon knew that D had been planning something like this, but he had refused to tell Leon what his wedding gift was, wanting to keep it a surprise. He had thought maybe D was going to give him a ring, but instead he reached into his sleeve, and like a magician, pulled out a pendant strung on a gold chain. It was a near-twin to the one D wore: a serpentine gold dragon coiled around a gemstone, but a sapphire instead of a ruby.
"To match your eyes," D said, handing it to him with a smile. "I had it custom-made at the shop where Snow White's owner works."
"It's beautiful," Leon said sincerely. He didn't normally wear jewelry, but he was touched by the thought D had put into it, and even if it had been as ugly as sin, he would still have gladly worn it because it was D's gift to him. He fastened the chain around his neck, and found that it was longer than the one D wore, long enough to be tucked out of sight beneath his shirt if necessary.
"So it will not get in your way when you work," D explained.
"You may--" Souki started to say, but Leon didn't wait for his permission, and kissed D soundly on the mouth as the room erupted into wild cheers--although to the normal humans, most of it probably sounded like barks, howls, chirps, and other various animal noises.
When they separated, D announced, "Let us go to the dining room and celebrate with a feast!" and everyone cheered again.
A little while later, they were all seated in the dining room eating the delicious meal that Tet-chan and Pon-chan had prepared. It was a little difficult for poor Honlon to eat with her veil and long sleeves, but she managed by using long chopsticks and carefully slipping the food beneath her veil.
"So where are you going on your honeymoons?" Lian asked eagerly.
"I'm too busy with the shop to travel," Daiki replied without any regret.
"But it doesn't matter, because every day we spend together is like a honeymoon to me," Raphael added, staring at Daiki lovingly.
"And we've been together for over twenty years, so we're already like an old married couple and don't really need a honeymoon," Leon added casually, winking at D. "But I've got plenty of vacation time saved up, so I'm taking a few days off to hang out at home with D."
"Oh, Uncle Leon, you're so boring!" Lian sighed, and Leon had stifle a laugh. Little did his niece know that there was no need for him and D to travel on their honeymoon to exotic locations when they could walk right down the hall to find a beach with pristine white sands and clear blue water to swim in, or a lush jungle to hike through, or a sunny little meadow that was perfect for a picnic.
"What about you, Chris?" Lian demanded, and Chris smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I managed to take a week off from work, but we won't have time for a honeymoon. We'll be spending that time getting Tetsu moved in and helping him set up his shop."
"Shop?" Lian asked curiously.
"He's a chef," Chris explained. "He's going to open a restaurant in San Francisco. The Count--" He nodded at the young D. "--helped us find a nice location in Chinatown. But we'll have to sign the lease, buy equipment and supplies, and get everything set up..."
"A chef?!" Lian exclaimed. "Is he the mysterious chef of Count D's that no one's ever seen?"
"No," Tet-chan lied without blinking. "But I did train the Count's current chef." That part, at least, was true enough.
Lian didn't look suspicious, but Chris quickly changed the subject anyway. "So, Lian, you're going into the police academy after high school?"
"Yes," Lian replied, at the same time that Terry said, "We'll see."
"We've had this discussion a million times, Dad!" Lian said in an exasperated voice. "Why don't you want me to become a cop? I should think you'd be proud!"
"It's such a dangerous profession, sweetie--"
"But it's okay for you to be in danger?" Lian retorted. "Or Mom? How come I don't see you telling her not to be a cop?"
"Because he knows that Mommy would kick his ass if he did," Jill replied sweetly. "I can't say that I'm not concerned, either, darling. No parent wants to see their child put in harm's way, and we both know how dangerous this profession can be sometimes. But I am proud of you, and I think you'll be a good cop." She patted her husband's hand comfortingly. "She's all grown up now, Terry. The bird's got to leave the nest sometime, and we've got to let her choose her own path."
"I suppose," Terry sighed helplessly. "But Lian, why don't you at least go to college and get a degree in criminology, like Chris? Maybe you could even go into the F.B.I.--"
"And being an F.B.I. agent is safer than being a police officer?" Lian asked skeptically.
"Well, maybe if you became a profiler--"
"I don't want to work in an office," Lian said stubbornly. "I want to be out in the field. I'm going into the academy, and I'll probably start off as a beat cop, but I want to work my way up to detective and join Homicide someday, like Mom and Uncle Leon."
Jill and Leon both grinned proudly, and Terry sighed in defeat. "Well, I can't say that I like the idea, but your mother and I will do our best to support you. And even though I'll be pulling my hair out with worry, I want you to know that I am proud of you, Lian."
"Thanks, Daddy," she replied, kissing him on the cheek. "And thank you, Mom, for understanding."
"Oh, my parents were even more outraged than your dad when I told them that I wanted to be a cop," Jill said with a wry smile. "So I can relate, sweetie."
"By the way," Souki said coyly, turning to address the young Count, "should we be expecting another wedding in the future? I hear that a certain detective has been paying court to you..."
Sofu glared at the Kirin while the young D laughed and fluttered his eyelashes. "Oh, it's a little soon to be planning a wedding," he replied, just as coyly. "But yes, Mr. Holland has been a frequent visitor at the shop, and I find him quite a charming man."
Sofu rolled his eyes heavenward and asked of no one in particular, "What have I done to deserve this?"
When the meal was over, Tet-chan brought out a multitiered wedding cake that everyone oohed and ahed over. It was made of chocolate cake, D's favorite, covered with thick white buttercream frosting and decorated with borders and swirls of pink icing. Leon was relieved to see that there were not two little plastic grooms on the top of the cake, which would've been kind of tacky, but instead a bouquet of spun-sugar roses. The three newlywed couples each picked up a knife and simultaneously sliced into the bottom tier. Daiki and Raphael fed each other bits of cake, and it was clear that Raphael was too besotted and Daiki too well-mannered to even think of smashing cake into each other's faces, but there was a certain gleam in Tet-chan's eyes that made Leon think that he was at least contemplating the idea. However, Chris sternly cautioned, "Don't even think about it, Tet!"
"Think about what?" the Tou-Tet--no, former Tou-Tet--replied innocently, and offered Chris the slice of cake. Chris took a bite of it, then offered the cake to Tet-chan, who took the cake from his fingers with his mouth, and very deliberately and sensually licked off the remaining bits of crumbs and frosting from Chris's fingers.
"Tet-chan!" Chris protested, blushing, forgetting to use Tet's new name. Lian giggled, blushing as well, as her father belatedly covered her eyes with his hand.
"She'll see worse than that when she becomes a cop, dear," Jill said calmly.
"Don't remind me!" Terry groaned.
Leon took a neat bite out of the slice that D cautiously proffered. "I'm not dumb enough to smash the cake in your face," he whispered to his spouse. "And Tet-chan kinda has the right idea, but I'd prefer to, ah, enjoy dessert with you in private."
D gave him that slow, sensuous smile that never failed to stir Leon's blood, even after all these years, and purred, "Then I shall save some cake for a midnight snack, my dear Detective."
"Good idea," Leon croaked hoarsely. If he could have, he would've thrown all his guests out of the shop right then and there, but instead he managed to endure while everyone ate their dessert and then Jill insisted that they open their wedding presents.
Jason gave Chris and Tet-chan a small wall scroll inscribed with the Chinese character for happiness, and to Raphael and Daiki he gave a pair of lovely little porcelain tea cups painted with images of tiny red bats--D had a set just like them. Leon remembered that D had once told him that bats were a symbol of good luck in China. And for D and Leon--although Leon suspected the gift was mostly intended for D--Jason had selected a teapot that had been whimsically molded into the shape of a dragon. It looked old and valuable, like an antique; Jason had probably purchased it from the shop where he worked. Leon hoped that the kid hadn't spent too much money on it.
"It is lovely," D said, caressing the pot gently. "Thank you very much, Jason. I shall be honored to use it next teatime."
Jason smiled with pride. "I'm glad that you like it, Count."
Souki's gift to all three couples was a very rare type of tea made from leaves that only grew on a particular tree found on a certain mountaintop in China. "My favorite!" D exclaimed. "I shall brew it in Jason's teapot!"
"And we shall serve it in Jason's cups," Daiki laughed.
"But...but this is so rare," Jill said, staring at Souki in awe. "It's more than worth its weight in gold; however did you obtain it?"
"Ah, a discerning connoisseur, I see," Souki said approvingly. "The average layman has never even heard of it. In that case, please accept this as my gift, Lady Jill." The Kirin handed her a small packet of the same tea.
"Oh, but I couldn't possibly accept--" Jill protested halfheartedly.
"I insist," Souki said firmly. "In fact, I shall be offended if you refuse." He waved his hand dismissively. "Please do not concern yourself; it was no trouble at all to obtain."
"It really is no trouble for him," D whispered to Leon. "He can leap to the top of a mountain in a single bound."
"Well then, I shall most humbly accept your gracious gift, Souki-sama," Jill said.
"Such a nice girl," Souki told D cheerfully. "I like her very much."
"Indeed," D whispered in agreement. "She is one of the few exceptions to my generally low opinion of the human race."
"Ahem," Leon coughed.
"Along with my mate, of course, which goes without saying."
"Thank you."
The Hu family gave identical gifts to Chris and Tet-chan, and Daiki and Raphael: a pair of elegant crystal wineglasses and a bottle of a nice vintage of red wine, a fairly typical wedding gift. But Leon's and D's gift had obviously been chosen by Jill personally with D in mind. She gave them a huge picnic basket packed with everything that a chocolate lover could possibly want: boxes of chocolate truffles and caramels and chocolate-covered cherries, a box of fancy chocolate-covered biscuits, a tin of gourmet dark chocolate cocoa mix, a packaged mix for making chocolate mousse, blocks of chocolate for melting, and a little fondue set.
"Chocolate fondue!" D exclaimed delightedly. "Ooh, I cannot wait to try it out! Thank you very much, Miss Jill, for such a thoughtful gift!"
"I'm glad that you like it, Count," Jill replied, looking rather smug.
"There are some strawberries growing in the garden that would be perfect for a fondue!" D said happily.
"Strawberries?" Sofu asked hopefully, perking up a little.
"Hey, it's not your wedding gift, Q-chan," Leon muttered, and the old kami glared at him.
"Be nice, Leon," D chided. "I would be happy to invite everyone over for a fondue party sometime, Grandfather, but tomorrow..." He smiled at Leon. "I think that tomorrow, Leon and I will go on a picnic, just the two of us, for our honeymoon."
Jill sighed happily, and Lian admitted, "I guess that is kinda romantic. But still, I think I'd rather go to Hawaii on my honeymoon." Her father looked alarmed, and she added impatiently, "Hypothetically speaking, Dad. I'm nowhere near getting married, seeing as how you scare off all my potential boyfriends."
Terry relaxed and slumped back in his seat. "That's a father's job, sweetheart."
After all the presents had been opened, Jill said they should be going, and the Hu family left, after a round of hugs and congratulations. Jason also excused himself, and Daiki said that he and Raphael and Ti Lung should get back to the shop. D offered to make up guest rooms for his grandfather and brother, but the young Count smiled and said that their chartered jet was scheduled to return to San Francisco tonight.
"But we'll return again soon, Brother," the young Count promised.
"Please do," D said. "Perhaps we can have a fondue party next weekend?" He winked at his grandfather. "With fresh strawberries, of course."
"We'll be there," Sofu said eagerly.
Chris and Tet-chan left with the Ds, obviously eager to begin their new life together. "I shall be expecting an invitation to the grand opening of your restaurant when it is ready," D told them.
"Yours will be the first one I send out," Tet-chan promised with a grin. Beauty smiled and cheerily waved goodbye as she left the shop, holding onto Chris's hand while Chris reached out to take Tet-chan's hand with his free hand.
"I should be going, too," Souki said. "It's your wedding night, after all, and two's company, three's a crowd, as the saying goes. But I'll stop by for a visit again."
"Make it soon," D urged. "It's been much too long since your last visit."
Souki sighed. "There was some trouble among the Celestial Guardians that was rather tiresome and time-consuming, but now that has been resolved, and I look forward to stopping by again soon, Count. Besides, you seem to know some interesting people, and I could use a little entertainment." He transformed into his unicorn form, and galloped off without waiting for a reply.
"We'll clean up," Pon-chan said, and the other pets nodded. "You and Leon go off and, well...enjoy your wedding night."
D blushed and smiled as the pets grinned and winked and snickered suggestively. But before he and Leon headed to their bedroom, he took the top tier of the wedding cake with him.
A few minutes later, they were undressed and in bed, feeding each other bits of cake, and the normally fastidious Count didn't even seem to care that they were dropping crumbs on the sheets. Leon licked frosting off D's fingers, as he had promised to do earlier, and D kissed away a smear of pink icing on the corner of Leon's mouth. Then he scooped up a fingerful of frosting and playfully dabbed it on Leon's nose.
"Oh, so that's how you wanna play, huh?" Leon said, grinning widely, and smeared some frosting across D's bare chest, then very thoroughly licked it off. D retaliated by smearing some frosting...well, a little lower on Leon's body, and Leon groaned as D cleaned the frosting off with his tongue.
When he was done, he lifted his head, looking as smug as a cat with a bowlful of cream. Leon pulled D into his arms and kissed him, then groaned, "We should've done this a long time ago!"
"Oh?" D asked archly. "I was under the impression that we do 'this'--" He placed his hand where his mouth had been a moment ago. "--quite often, my dear Detective."
Leon gasped, then retorted, "I meant, getting married, silly."
"You're the one who looks silly," D pointed out, gently touching Leon's frosting-smeared nose.
Leon took that as a challenge. "Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that!" A food fight broke out, and soon most of the remainder of the cake was smeared all over their bodies, and they fell into each other's arms, laughing breathlessly.
"I love you, Leon," D said.
"Love you, too," Leon replied. "Let's get married again sometime."
"Idiot," D said affectionately.
"No, seriously," Leon insisted. "We should renew our vows every year, and there should definitely be cake involved."
"Hmm," D said thoughtfully, and a wicked smile slowly spread across his face. "Not necessarily cake, perhaps. I have a few ideas for using that fondue kit that Miss Jill so graciously provided..."
"I can go for chocolate sauce," Leon said with a grin. "But you know, a year's a long time from now. Maybe we ought to test it tomorrow, y'know, just to make sure the fondue pot works okay."
"I think that would be wise, Leon," D agreed. "I think that in the meantime, though, we ought to get cleaned up. Don't you?" He kissed the tip of Leon's nose, and his tongue darted out to lick up the frosting that was still smeared there.
"Absolutely," Leon replied, kissing D's mouth and tasting chocolate and buttercream. "Happy wedding day, D."
"Happy wedding day, my dearest Detective."
THE END.
***
Afterword: I've uploaded some scans of Souki in his human and unicorn forms to my ScrapBook, in case you're not familiar with Genju no Seiza. (That's also Souki with D in the icon for Part 22a; that pic is the inspiration for the scene where D and Souki squeal like teenage girls upon their reunion. ^_^) If you haven't read Genju, I highly reccommend it; it's my favorite Matsuri Akino series after Petshop. I really love Souki, and I plan to feature him in follow-up stories, though I'm debating about whether to change the spelling of his name to the Tokyopop version. I guess I should to avoid confusion, but I find it distracting when I'm writing, because I'm so used to writing "Souki" that it throws me off. I could just write it the old way, and then change it after the story's done, I suppose.
I also added a color picture of Leon from Akino-sensei's artbook (published only in Japan), which I used as the inspiration for his wedding outfit.
And I guess I should disclose that marriage ritual with the cords for Chris and Tet-chan wasstolen inspired by a somewhat (though not completely) similar scene in Lois McMaster Bujold's novel "Beguilement (The Sharing Knife #1)". It's a really great fantasy novel, and also highly recommended.
The pets congratulated the newlywed couple, and Ti Lung continued to comfort Honlon until she finally stopped crying--and just in time, too, because there was a knock at the door and Jill's voice called out, "Hello? Anyone home? Leon, surely you're not going to be late to your own wedding!"
"Be there in just a minute!" Leon said.
"Ah, Souki-sama, would you mind changing into something a little less..." D let his voice trail off tactfully.
Souki pouted, and Leon couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. "Is there something wrong with my attire?"
"What Papa means is, could you tone down your splendid magnificence just a touch, Souki-sama?" Daiki said, bowing low to the Kirin and giving him a charming smile. "The full unshielded glorious beauty of a Sacred Beast such as yourself can stun mere mortals into a state of shock, sometimes even drive them into madness. And I would not want any harm to befall Aunt Jill and her family, or Jason." Then he added with a mischievous little glint in his eyes, "Besides, it is a breach of etiquette for a guest to outshine the bride--or in this case, the grooms--at a wedding, and none of us can compare to you, Souki-sama."
"Oh, Daiki-chan, you're such a shameless flatterer!" Souki giggled, hiding his face behind his sleeve as if embarrassed, but Leon thought he looked quite pleased. "Very well, then," the Kirin agreed. He snapped his fingers and instantly transformed into a very normal looking human man--well, normal for Chinatown, anyway, more or less. His features looked the same, and he was still very handsome, but his hair was cut short at the nape of his neck, and was an ordinary shade of light brown instead of sapphire-blue. His clothes, too, had transformed into a long, Chinese-style tunic with a mandarin collar and a pair of silk trousers--both blue. He was also wearing a pair of dark glasses to hide his sightless eyes.
"Do you think I need a cane or a guide dog as part of my disguise?" he asked teasingly.
"I'd be happy to volunteer, if you like, sir," a golden Labrador puppy said timidly.
"Oh, what a charming little lady you are!" Souki exclaimed delightedly, patting the puppy on her head as she wagged her tail happily.
"How come she's not scared of him?" Leon asked D.
"She is too young to know that she should be," D replied, looking amused. "Besides, Souki-sama loves cute, cuddly creatures, so she can probably sense that he means her no harm." He turned to Souki and said, "But no, I do not think you need to go so far as to use a guide dog or cane. I shall introduce you as an old friend, which is true enough, and it is quite reasonable that an old friend would be familiar enough with my shop to move around unassisted."
"You must also disguise yourself, Lady Honlon," Ti Lung told her kindly, and brought out a set of white robes that D had prepared ahead of time. The sleeves were long enough to cover her hands completely, not even showing her fingertips, and the skirt trailed along the floor, hiding her feet. A hood covered her hair, and a gauzy veil hid her face. Not a single inch of her skin was left uncovered. She looked a little odd, but Jill and Terry were used to seeing odd things in the petshop, and there was no reason for them to suspect that she was really a dragon.
"It's like wearing a tent," Kanan said grumpily, sounding more like her old self.
"It's only for a little while, Lady Kanan," Ti Lung coaxed. "You do want to watch the weddings, don't you?"
"Yes," Junrei replied. "It's better than having to sit around the Crystal Chamber by ourselves while everyone else is at the party."
"That is true," Shukou agreed.
"I suppose you're right," Kanan sighed, giving in without further argument, to Leon's relief, and he unlocked the door to let Jill and the others in.
Jill gave Leon and Daiki quick hugs, then turned to Chris and said, "Let me get a good look at you, Chris! My, you look so handsome!" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, while her eyes eagerly sought out Chris's mysterious lover--who had of course been quite familiar to her in his animal form, unbeknownst to her.
"Jill, this is my new, um, spouse," Chris said.
"I am Tetsu Huang," Tet-chan said politely, giving her the alias he had chosen for his new human identity. "Tetsu" was a fairly common Japanese name that was close enough to his old name to allow Chris to still use "Tet-chan" as a nickname, and he had chosen "Huang," which was actually pronounced "Wong," as his surname, as a sort of sly tribute to his former chef persona.
Tet-chan bowed gracefully to Jill, with some of Wong's old charm and suaveness. "I am very pleased to meet you, Detective Jill," he said. "Chris has told me so much about you."
"Well, meaning no offense, but he's hardly told us anything about you!" Jill exclaimed, wagging a finger in mock-admonition at Chris. "Where have you been hiding this handsome young man, Chris? Were you afraid someone might steal him from you?"
"Not at all," Chris laughed. "Tet-cha...I mean, Tetsu has assured me many times that his heart belongs solely to me. I didn't mean to hide him; we were childhood friends, but I hadn't seen him for many years until just recently." Strictly speaking, this was true, since Chris had not been able to see Tet-chan's human form until the day that he had adopted Beauty.
"I was living in China for the past several years," Tet-chan lied smoothly. "But I never forgot Chris. When I returned to the U.S., I naturally looked up my old friend, and much to our surprise, friendship blossomed into love."
Jill's eyes had narrowed in thought when Chris slipped and almost referred to "Tetsu" by his old name. She gave Tet-chan a long, speculative look, then smiled and said, "Well, I'm very happy for you both, although I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see your wedding ceremony." She kissed Chris on the cheek and handed him a large gift-wrapped box with a pink bow. "But I got you a wedding present, anyway."
"Thank you, Jill."
"By the way," Jill added casually, "whatever happened to your little pet, that goat creature...what was his name again...?" Chris broke out into a sweat, while Tet-chan stared back at Jill coolly, pretending not to know what she was talking about.
"Tet-chan, Mom," Jill's daughter Lian supplied helpfully. "Although Uncle Leon usually calls him 'that little monster'. Come to think of it, I don't see him here today."
"Well, he was...is...actually the Count's pet, not mine," Chris said nervously.
"Tet-chan is prone to biting strangers," Daiki said cheerfully. "So Papa thought it would be better to lock him in one of the back rooms during the weddings."
"Oh, of course," Jill said amiably. "Too bad, though, I'm rather fond of him. He's a handsome beast, with that fur that's such a unique shade of red. Hmm...rather like Tetsu's hair, come to think of it..."
"Ah, Miss Jill, please allow me to introduce you to my friend, Souki-sama," D interrupted hastily, much to Chris's obvious relief. "And to my grandfather and younger brother."
"And to my new assistant, Ti Lung," Daiki added brightly.
Jill allowed her attention to be diverted, but she gave Leon a quick wink to let him know that she wasn't fooled. Terry just smiled blandly, and Lian didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. And soon Jill really did seem to forget about the resemblance between Tetsu and Tet-chan in the excitement of meeting Ti Lung, Souki, and D's family.
Sofu must have transformed his appearance when Leon wasn't looking, because when he turned to face Jill and her family, his face was no longer smooth, but creased with a few wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes, and his black hair was streaked with gray. He still looked a bit young to be D's grandpa, but no one seemed to find it surprising that Sofu was "very well preserved for his advanced age," as Souki put it, smiling mischievously as the eldest D glared at him. Count Junior, of course, had no need to disguise himself, although Jill and Lian did exclaim over how alike the two brothers looked. Both of D's relatives were on their best behavior, with the young Count greeting his brother's guests with the smooth, professional charm of a Count D, while Sofu was coolly polite, which was probably the most that one could expect from the cantankerous old kami.
Somehow, Leon was not surprised when Jill and Souki immediately hit it off, squealing together like long-lost friends as they complimented each other on their attire, gushed over how lovely little Beauty was in her bridesmaid's outfit, and got into a discussion about different types of tea.
"Hope you don't mind that D's friend stole your wife," Leon said wryly to Terry.
"No problem," Terry replied good-naturedly. "Besides, a guy that pretty can't possibly be straight!"
Souki's eyes flickered over towards Terry, and all the pets held their breath for a moment, and then Souki turned back to Jill and picked up their conversation as if nothing had happened. A collective sigh of relief fell over the room.
"Just to warn you, buddy, that guy has excellent hearing," Leon whispered, although he knew full well that wouldn't stop Souki from overhearing him. "And he's some sort of big shot in, er, China. He's, well...special. Like D, if you know what I mean."
"Ah, I see," Terry whispered gravely. "I'll be careful to treat him with respect."
"Uncle Leon, how come I have to wear pink and Mom doesn't?" Lian complained, tugging at Leon's jacket to get his attention.
"Well, she's sort of wearing pink, sweetie," Leon said. Jill was dressed in an elegant black silk sheath dress with a pink sash and a choker of pink pearls around her neck. She looked quite stunning, and even though they were an old married couple now, Terry gazed at his wife with an admiring look in his eyes that made Leon grin. He and Jill had both done pretty well for themselves in their choice of partners.
"But her dress is black, and I have to wear this pink one," Lian pouted.
"But you look lovely, sweetie," Leon said, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Honestly, it would be fine with me if you wore a t-shirt and jeans to the wedding, but your mom and D decided on pink, and it would take a braver man than me to argue with them when they have their minds set on something!"
He and Terry exchanged knowing smiles. "He's right, Lian," Terry told his daughter. "You should count yourself lucky that Daiki managed to talk Mom out of adding all those lace and frills on your dress, like Beauty's."
"Ugh!" Lian gasped, shuddering. "I mean, no offense to the Plant Doll--it looks adorable on her, but lace and ruffles just do not suit me!"
"Just bear with it, for your old Uncle Leon, okay, kid?" Leon laughed, wrapping an arm around and giving her a hug.
"Okay, Uncle Leon," Lian sighed.
A few minutes later, Raphael's best man Jason showed up at the shop, and they went through the whole round of introductions again. He seemed to sense that there was something odd about Souki and Ti Lung, because he immediately treated them with the same kind of respect that he showed D, and his eyes went round with shock when Daiki introduced him to Lian.
"Silly, don't you remember me?" Lian laughed. "I remember that you and your brother used to play with Daiki sometimes when Count D and Uncle Leon were baby-sitting me."
"Yes, but who would've thought that little tomboy would grow up into such a beautiful woman?" Jason replied gallantly, bowing and kissing Lian's fingertips as she giggled. It was true that Lian had changed dramatically in the past ten years or so. She really had been a tomboy, as Jason said, or "a little hoyden" as Jill had sometimes said in loving exasperation. She had never liked playing with the dolls, instead preferring to play rough-and-tumble with the boys, and trying to get her out of t-shirt and jeans and into a dress for a special occasion had been a major battle. But today she looked beautiful in her pink silk dress, with long, straight hair that was black like her father's, and Jill's fair complexion, willowy build, and shapely long legs.
Terry sidled up to Jason and smiled at him pleasantly. "She's seventeen and a high school senior, you know," he said in a conversational tone of voice.
"Daddy!" Lian protested, glaring at her father. "I'm almost eighteen, and I'll be graduating soon and going to the police academy."
"We'll see," Terry said, the way a parent might when a young child was asking for something unreasonable.
"Daaaddy!" Lian wailed, in a voice that clearly stated that her father was being impossible.
"Oh, and by the way, you do know that I'm a cop, right?" Terry asked Jason in that pleasant voice, but his smile had a rather wolfish edge to it. He pulled open his suit jacket slightly to reveal a holstered gun.
"Honey!" Jill cried, breaking off her conversation with Souki. "Are you wearing a weapon at Leon's wedding?!"
"What could be more appropriate at a cop's wedding?" Terry countered unrepentantly. "Besides, I know that you have your gun in your purse, Jill."
"But at least I'm not wearing it! And behave yourself! No threatening to shoot the wedding guests!"
"Yes, dear," Terry said meekly, but he gave Jason a pointed look before backing off.
"I meant no disrespect, Detective Hu," Jason said nervously. "I was just surprised to see Lian looking so grown up, that's all." And he quickly ran over to hide behind Raphael and Daiki.
Lian heaved a dramatic sigh. "Daddy's scared another one away," she said in a resigned voice. "You have no idea how hard it is to get a date with a father like that!"
"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," Leon chuckled. "But don't worry, sweetheart; when the right guy comes along, he'll have the guts to stand up to your dad."
"Well, I hope he comes along before I'm old and gray," Lian grumbled.
"Well, now that everyone's here, shall we get started?" Jill suggested.
Everyone got into place for the second ceremony, which would be Daiki's and Raphael's. Sofu left the brazier in place, although he replaced the narcotic herbs with normal, sweet-smelling incense. Chris, Leon, Ti Lung, and the Ds stood in place as Daiki's groomsmen, while Jason took his place on the opposite side of the brazier as Raphael's best man. And because Raphael was lacking in family to stand beside him, Honlon, Ten-chan, Lupin, and the lizard-lady Sesha all elected to stand in as his groomsmen and women. The Hu family looked a little bemused, but said nothing about the oddity of a fox, a wolf, a lizard, and a veiled figure taking the role of groomsmen, and Jill only commented on how cute the first three looked, with their pink ribbons--because that was all that the normal humans could see, animals with pink bows festively tied around their necks.
That was how Pon-chan appeared to them, too--the only visible sign of her bridesmaid dress to them was a pink bow, but Jill and Lian patted her on the head and told her how pretty she looked, and the raccoon seemed pleased. Once more, Pon-chan and Beauty played the role of flower girls, scattering petals on the red carpet. Lian seemed a little bemused by the sight of a raccoon skipping down the aisle on her hind legs while carrying a basket of flower petals with a front paw, but Jill and Terry were unfazed.
After the flower girls made their way over to stand beside Leon and Chris, Lian and Jill slowly walked down the aisle carrying small bouquets of roses, both looking lovely and graceful; Leon couldn't really blame Terry for being an overprotective dad.
There was no bride to be "given away," so Daiki and Raphael walked down the aisle together, hand-in-hand. And since this was not a religious or legal ceremony, they had decided that there was no need for a priest to officiate, and that they would simply exchange their vows in front of their family and friends.
"Here before our family and friends, I pledge my love to you, Raphael," Daiki said solemnly. "As everyone in Chinatown knows, my family is a little...different."
"You can say that again," Lian muttered under her breath, but quickly fell silent when her mother elbowed her sharply in the side and gave her a stern glare.
Daiki smiled at them, his eyes twinkling with amusement and affection, then continued, "I often felt like an outsider while I was growing up, set apart from all the other kids at school. I remember being worried as a teenager because I couldn't find a girlfriend or boyfriend that I really liked, but Aunt Jill told me not to worry, that someday the right person would come along, and as usual, she was right." Jill grinned proudly, and a little smugly. "Because I met you, Raphael. You saw me, and accepted me, and loved me for what I truly am. And for that, I love you. I swear that I shall love you, and be faithful to you, and stay by your side for as long as we both shall live."
By this time, Jill and D were both dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs, while Leon remained determinedly stoic although his eyes were a little shiny. And then it was Raphael's turn to say his vows.
"Here before our family and friends, I pledge my love to you," he said, looking a little teary-eyed himself. "If I accepted you, then you also accepted me, and my curse of a gift. After my family died, I gave up on love and was just drifting through life, but you pulled me back into the world and gave me hope again. You offered me not only your love, but made me part of your family as well." Jill and D were openly weeping by this time, and Leon had to quickly brush a tear from his eye as he smiled at his son-in-law. "When I first met you," Raphael continued, "I really wanted to paint your portrait and capture your beauty, even though I knew that I couldn't. But now I don't need a portrait, because I'll have you by my side every day, and I can gaze at your face whenever I want. Besides, no matter how good an artist I am, I don't think that paint and canvas could ever duplicate your true beauty. I love you, Daiki, and I'll stay by your side for as long as we both shall live."
He pulled out two slim gold bands from his pocket and placed one on Daiki's finger and one on his own. As wedding bands went, they were relatively plain and inexpensive, purchased from Snow White's owner at a discount. But still, Raphael had purchased them with his own money, and he placed the ring on Daiki's finger with pride. Leon could understand his feelings; although he earned more than Raphael did, his detective's salary was still a pittance compared to D's wealth, and sometimes giving one's beloved a gift earned with one's own hard-earned cash was a matter of pride. D could afford pieces of jewelry much more expensive than the gold-and-ruby dragon pendant Leon had given him, but it was special precisely because it was Leon who had given it to him.
There was a brief moment of silence as the pair gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, then Souki applauded and shouted, "Congratulations! Kiss the bride! Ah...I mean, groom!"
The pets burst into cheers and applause then, and Daiki and Raphael laughed and kissed each other, just long enough for the kiss to be tender and more than a perfunctory peck, but not long enough to make Leon uncomfortable. Even if he approved of his new son-in-law, Leon still didn't want to watch Daiki and Raphael making out in front of him, after all! Pon-chan laughed, jumping up and down excitedly, tossing the rest of her rose petals at the happy couple.
And then it was Leon's and D's turn to walk down the aisle. The rose petals were hastily swept up and the flower girls' baskets refilled with fresh petals, and the groomsmen rearranged themselves, with the Ds standing on one side, and Chris, Tet-chan, Daiki, and Raphael on the other. Ti Lung and the pets who had served as Raphael's groomsmen and women found seats among the rest of the audience.
Once more, the flower girls and bridesmaids formed a procession down the aisle, but this time every songbird in the shop burst into song, filling the room with the most beautiful music Leon had ever heard in his life, so lovely that it brought tears to his eyes. Jill gasped in surprise and delight, and to Leon's surprise, so did D.
"You didn't know?" he whispered.
D shook his head. "They didn't tell me that they were planning this," he whispered back, tears welling in his eyes.
"They must've wanted to surprise you," Leon said with a smile.
"Well, they did, and it was a wonderful surprise," D replied, brushing the tears from his eyes with a quick swipe of his hand. "Come now, my dear Detective, everyone is waiting for us."
The bridesmaids had reached the end of the aisle, and Jill, Lian, and Beauty were standing beside Chris, while Pon-chan had gone over to stand next to Sofu and the young Count. They were all grinning at Leon and D, except for Sofu, whose face remained expressionless, but then he smiled in a resigned manner as he looked over at D.
"I give you my blessing, Grandson," he mouthed silently, and tears filled D's eyes again. Leon reached out and took D's hand, and they walked down the aisle together. When they reached the end, the birdsong faded away, and they turned to face each other, and D said, "You are infuriating, arrogant, stubborn, and bad-tempered."
"Somebody tell me why they're getting married again?" Tet-chan muttered, and Chris hissed, "Shh!"
"However," D added, smiling at Leon with both mischievousness and tenderness in his eyes, "you are also brave, loyal, and compassionate. You have taught me that people can mature and change. Mind you, I still think that most of the human race is worthless and headed for destruction, but still...you give me faint hope for the future."
"He talks like he's not human himself," Lian whispered to her mother.
Jill gave her daughter an incredulous, almost pitying look. "Sweetheart, for such an intelligent girl, you can be rather slow at times. Now shush; I've waited over twenty years for this wedding to happen, and I don't intend to miss a moment of it!"
"I tried to run away from you, but you tracked me down no matter how far I ran," D continued. "You wore down my resistance, and I surrender to your stubbornness, my dear Detective, my beloved Keiji-san, my Leon. I love you with my whole heart, and I am yours for so long as I live."
"D, you've driven me nuts over the years, too," Leon said with a grin. "You've made my life infinitely complicated, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You said that you surrender, and that's good, because if you tried to run away from me again, I'd follow after you to the ends of the earth, even if it took my entire life to find you. We were meant to be together, D. The fact that we brought this wonderful child"--he gestured at Daiki--"into the world proves it. I love you, D, and you're stuck with me for so long as I live."
"You have already given me a symbol of your love, my Leon," D said, touching the pendant at his throat. "So allow me to give this gift to you."
Leon knew that D had been planning something like this, but he had refused to tell Leon what his wedding gift was, wanting to keep it a surprise. He had thought maybe D was going to give him a ring, but instead he reached into his sleeve, and like a magician, pulled out a pendant strung on a gold chain. It was a near-twin to the one D wore: a serpentine gold dragon coiled around a gemstone, but a sapphire instead of a ruby.
"To match your eyes," D said, handing it to him with a smile. "I had it custom-made at the shop where Snow White's owner works."
"It's beautiful," Leon said sincerely. He didn't normally wear jewelry, but he was touched by the thought D had put into it, and even if it had been as ugly as sin, he would still have gladly worn it because it was D's gift to him. He fastened the chain around his neck, and found that it was longer than the one D wore, long enough to be tucked out of sight beneath his shirt if necessary.
"So it will not get in your way when you work," D explained.
"You may--" Souki started to say, but Leon didn't wait for his permission, and kissed D soundly on the mouth as the room erupted into wild cheers--although to the normal humans, most of it probably sounded like barks, howls, chirps, and other various animal noises.
When they separated, D announced, "Let us go to the dining room and celebrate with a feast!" and everyone cheered again.
A little while later, they were all seated in the dining room eating the delicious meal that Tet-chan and Pon-chan had prepared. It was a little difficult for poor Honlon to eat with her veil and long sleeves, but she managed by using long chopsticks and carefully slipping the food beneath her veil.
"So where are you going on your honeymoons?" Lian asked eagerly.
"I'm too busy with the shop to travel," Daiki replied without any regret.
"But it doesn't matter, because every day we spend together is like a honeymoon to me," Raphael added, staring at Daiki lovingly.
"And we've been together for over twenty years, so we're already like an old married couple and don't really need a honeymoon," Leon added casually, winking at D. "But I've got plenty of vacation time saved up, so I'm taking a few days off to hang out at home with D."
"Oh, Uncle Leon, you're so boring!" Lian sighed, and Leon had stifle a laugh. Little did his niece know that there was no need for him and D to travel on their honeymoon to exotic locations when they could walk right down the hall to find a beach with pristine white sands and clear blue water to swim in, or a lush jungle to hike through, or a sunny little meadow that was perfect for a picnic.
"What about you, Chris?" Lian demanded, and Chris smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I managed to take a week off from work, but we won't have time for a honeymoon. We'll be spending that time getting Tetsu moved in and helping him set up his shop."
"Shop?" Lian asked curiously.
"He's a chef," Chris explained. "He's going to open a restaurant in San Francisco. The Count--" He nodded at the young D. "--helped us find a nice location in Chinatown. But we'll have to sign the lease, buy equipment and supplies, and get everything set up..."
"A chef?!" Lian exclaimed. "Is he the mysterious chef of Count D's that no one's ever seen?"
"No," Tet-chan lied without blinking. "But I did train the Count's current chef." That part, at least, was true enough.
Lian didn't look suspicious, but Chris quickly changed the subject anyway. "So, Lian, you're going into the police academy after high school?"
"Yes," Lian replied, at the same time that Terry said, "We'll see."
"We've had this discussion a million times, Dad!" Lian said in an exasperated voice. "Why don't you want me to become a cop? I should think you'd be proud!"
"It's such a dangerous profession, sweetie--"
"But it's okay for you to be in danger?" Lian retorted. "Or Mom? How come I don't see you telling her not to be a cop?"
"Because he knows that Mommy would kick his ass if he did," Jill replied sweetly. "I can't say that I'm not concerned, either, darling. No parent wants to see their child put in harm's way, and we both know how dangerous this profession can be sometimes. But I am proud of you, and I think you'll be a good cop." She patted her husband's hand comfortingly. "She's all grown up now, Terry. The bird's got to leave the nest sometime, and we've got to let her choose her own path."
"I suppose," Terry sighed helplessly. "But Lian, why don't you at least go to college and get a degree in criminology, like Chris? Maybe you could even go into the F.B.I.--"
"And being an F.B.I. agent is safer than being a police officer?" Lian asked skeptically.
"Well, maybe if you became a profiler--"
"I don't want to work in an office," Lian said stubbornly. "I want to be out in the field. I'm going into the academy, and I'll probably start off as a beat cop, but I want to work my way up to detective and join Homicide someday, like Mom and Uncle Leon."
Jill and Leon both grinned proudly, and Terry sighed in defeat. "Well, I can't say that I like the idea, but your mother and I will do our best to support you. And even though I'll be pulling my hair out with worry, I want you to know that I am proud of you, Lian."
"Thanks, Daddy," she replied, kissing him on the cheek. "And thank you, Mom, for understanding."
"Oh, my parents were even more outraged than your dad when I told them that I wanted to be a cop," Jill said with a wry smile. "So I can relate, sweetie."
"By the way," Souki said coyly, turning to address the young Count, "should we be expecting another wedding in the future? I hear that a certain detective has been paying court to you..."
Sofu glared at the Kirin while the young D laughed and fluttered his eyelashes. "Oh, it's a little soon to be planning a wedding," he replied, just as coyly. "But yes, Mr. Holland has been a frequent visitor at the shop, and I find him quite a charming man."
Sofu rolled his eyes heavenward and asked of no one in particular, "What have I done to deserve this?"
When the meal was over, Tet-chan brought out a multitiered wedding cake that everyone oohed and ahed over. It was made of chocolate cake, D's favorite, covered with thick white buttercream frosting and decorated with borders and swirls of pink icing. Leon was relieved to see that there were not two little plastic grooms on the top of the cake, which would've been kind of tacky, but instead a bouquet of spun-sugar roses. The three newlywed couples each picked up a knife and simultaneously sliced into the bottom tier. Daiki and Raphael fed each other bits of cake, and it was clear that Raphael was too besotted and Daiki too well-mannered to even think of smashing cake into each other's faces, but there was a certain gleam in Tet-chan's eyes that made Leon think that he was at least contemplating the idea. However, Chris sternly cautioned, "Don't even think about it, Tet!"
"Think about what?" the Tou-Tet--no, former Tou-Tet--replied innocently, and offered Chris the slice of cake. Chris took a bite of it, then offered the cake to Tet-chan, who took the cake from his fingers with his mouth, and very deliberately and sensually licked off the remaining bits of crumbs and frosting from Chris's fingers.
"Tet-chan!" Chris protested, blushing, forgetting to use Tet's new name. Lian giggled, blushing as well, as her father belatedly covered her eyes with his hand.
"She'll see worse than that when she becomes a cop, dear," Jill said calmly.
"Don't remind me!" Terry groaned.
Leon took a neat bite out of the slice that D cautiously proffered. "I'm not dumb enough to smash the cake in your face," he whispered to his spouse. "And Tet-chan kinda has the right idea, but I'd prefer to, ah, enjoy dessert with you in private."
D gave him that slow, sensuous smile that never failed to stir Leon's blood, even after all these years, and purred, "Then I shall save some cake for a midnight snack, my dear Detective."
"Good idea," Leon croaked hoarsely. If he could have, he would've thrown all his guests out of the shop right then and there, but instead he managed to endure while everyone ate their dessert and then Jill insisted that they open their wedding presents.
Jason gave Chris and Tet-chan a small wall scroll inscribed with the Chinese character for happiness, and to Raphael and Daiki he gave a pair of lovely little porcelain tea cups painted with images of tiny red bats--D had a set just like them. Leon remembered that D had once told him that bats were a symbol of good luck in China. And for D and Leon--although Leon suspected the gift was mostly intended for D--Jason had selected a teapot that had been whimsically molded into the shape of a dragon. It looked old and valuable, like an antique; Jason had probably purchased it from the shop where he worked. Leon hoped that the kid hadn't spent too much money on it.
"It is lovely," D said, caressing the pot gently. "Thank you very much, Jason. I shall be honored to use it next teatime."
Jason smiled with pride. "I'm glad that you like it, Count."
Souki's gift to all three couples was a very rare type of tea made from leaves that only grew on a particular tree found on a certain mountaintop in China. "My favorite!" D exclaimed. "I shall brew it in Jason's teapot!"
"And we shall serve it in Jason's cups," Daiki laughed.
"But...but this is so rare," Jill said, staring at Souki in awe. "It's more than worth its weight in gold; however did you obtain it?"
"Ah, a discerning connoisseur, I see," Souki said approvingly. "The average layman has never even heard of it. In that case, please accept this as my gift, Lady Jill." The Kirin handed her a small packet of the same tea.
"Oh, but I couldn't possibly accept--" Jill protested halfheartedly.
"I insist," Souki said firmly. "In fact, I shall be offended if you refuse." He waved his hand dismissively. "Please do not concern yourself; it was no trouble at all to obtain."
"It really is no trouble for him," D whispered to Leon. "He can leap to the top of a mountain in a single bound."
"Well then, I shall most humbly accept your gracious gift, Souki-sama," Jill said.
"Such a nice girl," Souki told D cheerfully. "I like her very much."
"Indeed," D whispered in agreement. "She is one of the few exceptions to my generally low opinion of the human race."
"Ahem," Leon coughed.
"Along with my mate, of course, which goes without saying."
"Thank you."
The Hu family gave identical gifts to Chris and Tet-chan, and Daiki and Raphael: a pair of elegant crystal wineglasses and a bottle of a nice vintage of red wine, a fairly typical wedding gift. But Leon's and D's gift had obviously been chosen by Jill personally with D in mind. She gave them a huge picnic basket packed with everything that a chocolate lover could possibly want: boxes of chocolate truffles and caramels and chocolate-covered cherries, a box of fancy chocolate-covered biscuits, a tin of gourmet dark chocolate cocoa mix, a packaged mix for making chocolate mousse, blocks of chocolate for melting, and a little fondue set.
"Chocolate fondue!" D exclaimed delightedly. "Ooh, I cannot wait to try it out! Thank you very much, Miss Jill, for such a thoughtful gift!"
"I'm glad that you like it, Count," Jill replied, looking rather smug.
"There are some strawberries growing in the garden that would be perfect for a fondue!" D said happily.
"Strawberries?" Sofu asked hopefully, perking up a little.
"Hey, it's not your wedding gift, Q-chan," Leon muttered, and the old kami glared at him.
"Be nice, Leon," D chided. "I would be happy to invite everyone over for a fondue party sometime, Grandfather, but tomorrow..." He smiled at Leon. "I think that tomorrow, Leon and I will go on a picnic, just the two of us, for our honeymoon."
Jill sighed happily, and Lian admitted, "I guess that is kinda romantic. But still, I think I'd rather go to Hawaii on my honeymoon." Her father looked alarmed, and she added impatiently, "Hypothetically speaking, Dad. I'm nowhere near getting married, seeing as how you scare off all my potential boyfriends."
Terry relaxed and slumped back in his seat. "That's a father's job, sweetheart."
After all the presents had been opened, Jill said they should be going, and the Hu family left, after a round of hugs and congratulations. Jason also excused himself, and Daiki said that he and Raphael and Ti Lung should get back to the shop. D offered to make up guest rooms for his grandfather and brother, but the young Count smiled and said that their chartered jet was scheduled to return to San Francisco tonight.
"But we'll return again soon, Brother," the young Count promised.
"Please do," D said. "Perhaps we can have a fondue party next weekend?" He winked at his grandfather. "With fresh strawberries, of course."
"We'll be there," Sofu said eagerly.
Chris and Tet-chan left with the Ds, obviously eager to begin their new life together. "I shall be expecting an invitation to the grand opening of your restaurant when it is ready," D told them.
"Yours will be the first one I send out," Tet-chan promised with a grin. Beauty smiled and cheerily waved goodbye as she left the shop, holding onto Chris's hand while Chris reached out to take Tet-chan's hand with his free hand.
"I should be going, too," Souki said. "It's your wedding night, after all, and two's company, three's a crowd, as the saying goes. But I'll stop by for a visit again."
"Make it soon," D urged. "It's been much too long since your last visit."
Souki sighed. "There was some trouble among the Celestial Guardians that was rather tiresome and time-consuming, but now that has been resolved, and I look forward to stopping by again soon, Count. Besides, you seem to know some interesting people, and I could use a little entertainment." He transformed into his unicorn form, and galloped off without waiting for a reply.
"We'll clean up," Pon-chan said, and the other pets nodded. "You and Leon go off and, well...enjoy your wedding night."
D blushed and smiled as the pets grinned and winked and snickered suggestively. But before he and Leon headed to their bedroom, he took the top tier of the wedding cake with him.
A few minutes later, they were undressed and in bed, feeding each other bits of cake, and the normally fastidious Count didn't even seem to care that they were dropping crumbs on the sheets. Leon licked frosting off D's fingers, as he had promised to do earlier, and D kissed away a smear of pink icing on the corner of Leon's mouth. Then he scooped up a fingerful of frosting and playfully dabbed it on Leon's nose.
"Oh, so that's how you wanna play, huh?" Leon said, grinning widely, and smeared some frosting across D's bare chest, then very thoroughly licked it off. D retaliated by smearing some frosting...well, a little lower on Leon's body, and Leon groaned as D cleaned the frosting off with his tongue.
When he was done, he lifted his head, looking as smug as a cat with a bowlful of cream. Leon pulled D into his arms and kissed him, then groaned, "We should've done this a long time ago!"
"Oh?" D asked archly. "I was under the impression that we do 'this'--" He placed his hand where his mouth had been a moment ago. "--quite often, my dear Detective."
Leon gasped, then retorted, "I meant, getting married, silly."
"You're the one who looks silly," D pointed out, gently touching Leon's frosting-smeared nose.
Leon took that as a challenge. "Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that!" A food fight broke out, and soon most of the remainder of the cake was smeared all over their bodies, and they fell into each other's arms, laughing breathlessly.
"I love you, Leon," D said.
"Love you, too," Leon replied. "Let's get married again sometime."
"Idiot," D said affectionately.
"No, seriously," Leon insisted. "We should renew our vows every year, and there should definitely be cake involved."
"Hmm," D said thoughtfully, and a wicked smile slowly spread across his face. "Not necessarily cake, perhaps. I have a few ideas for using that fondue kit that Miss Jill so graciously provided..."
"I can go for chocolate sauce," Leon said with a grin. "But you know, a year's a long time from now. Maybe we ought to test it tomorrow, y'know, just to make sure the fondue pot works okay."
"I think that would be wise, Leon," D agreed. "I think that in the meantime, though, we ought to get cleaned up. Don't you?" He kissed the tip of Leon's nose, and his tongue darted out to lick up the frosting that was still smeared there.
"Absolutely," Leon replied, kissing D's mouth and tasting chocolate and buttercream. "Happy wedding day, D."
"Happy wedding day, my dearest Detective."
THE END.
***
Afterword: I've uploaded some scans of Souki in his human and unicorn forms to my ScrapBook, in case you're not familiar with Genju no Seiza. (That's also Souki with D in the icon for Part 22a; that pic is the inspiration for the scene where D and Souki squeal like teenage girls upon their reunion. ^_^) If you haven't read Genju, I highly reccommend it; it's my favorite Matsuri Akino series after Petshop. I really love Souki, and I plan to feature him in follow-up stories, though I'm debating about whether to change the spelling of his name to the Tokyopop version. I guess I should to avoid confusion, but I find it distracting when I'm writing, because I'm so used to writing "Souki" that it throws me off. I could just write it the old way, and then change it after the story's done, I suppose.
I also added a color picture of Leon from Akino-sensei's artbook (published only in Japan), which I used as the inspiration for his wedding outfit.
And I guess I should disclose that marriage ritual with the cords for Chris and Tet-chan was
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Thanks for sticking with this long story, and maybe it will cheer you up to know that I'm already working on a couple of shorter sequels, though they focus more on some of the supporting characters than Leon and D.
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And yes, I do think Genju is a good series. I rank it just a little below the first Petshop series, mainly because there are no slashy overtones, and well, no one can compare to Leon and D in my book. ;) But it has a really interesting plot and characters, and of course the artwork is beautiful.
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I hope when you write your sequel you keep Souki as Souki no matter what Tokyopop has....it's the same as if you called Victor Wescar's reincarnation!
Loved this series adn I look forward to anything you write in this universe.
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Waits patiently.... LOL
Yeah for future Sofu/Souki.
Haha, the way you have written Sofu's personality though he will have a really hard time submitting to Souki and I wonder if Souki would humour him....after all in the whole rank-and-file system here, I would assume that Souki outranks Sofu! He would have to put his pride aside and re-visit his non-anal days.
This would really be interesting to read, I really really look forward to it now^^
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name change...
Re: name change...
I also don't like when the US publisher Americanizes the characters' names, as in Case Closed and Initial D. I actually like Initial D, and I bought the first volume where they used the original Japanese names, and then it was changed starting with the second volume--"Natsuki" became "Natalie," and Itsuki became "Iggy," etc. I found it really annoying, because the story is still set in Japan, and it makes absolutely no sense to have all these Japanese kids with American names. I refused to buy it after that, but since I wanted to keep reading the story and my Japanese isn't fluent enough to read the original version easily, I borrowed them from the library, and I tried to substitute the Japanese names for the English ones in my mind while I was reading. ^_^