FIC: The Guardian, Part 1

[geri_chan]

Title: The Guardian, Part 1
Rating: PG
Pairing: Leon/D, potential Ti Lung/Honlon
Word count: ~3,290
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: Daiki (last chapter ended here)

Summary: This is part of my Petshop series, but it focuses more on Honlon and the OC dragon Ti Lung introduced in "Daiki" than on Leon and D. Ti Lung hopes for a chance to prove his bravery to Honlon.

***

Two months had passed since the triple wedding ceremony between Chris and Tet-chan, and Daiki and Raphael, and Leon and D had taken place, and everyone had settled back down into the daily routine of their lives. The petshop and the Plant Dolls shop were doing a brisk business as usual, and unfortunately, the homicide rate in L.A. remained brisk as well, keeping Leon busy.

But today was a Sunday, and both shops were closed, and Leon had the day off, so Daiki, Raphael, and Ti Lung came over to the petshop for lunch. Pon-chan prepared the meal, proudly showing off her cooking skills, which had not yet reached the same level as Tet-chan's. But the food was tasty, and she had done remarkably well given the short time that she had apprenticed under him, and she smiled and flushed with pleasure as everyone praised the meal.

"I know I'm not as good as Tet-chan yet, but I'm working hard and practicing every day," she assured the Count.

"I know you are, Pon-chan," D said gently. He had initially complained about the loss of his chef, but had stopped when he realized that he might hurt Pon-chan's feelings, since she was feeling a little nervous about taking over Tet-chan's duties. "Truly, the food is delicious."

Pon-chan sighed with relief. "I've been careful to follow the recipes that Tet-chan left, and he says that when I get more experienced, I'll be able to experiment and develop my own recipes."

"How is Tet-chan's restaurant doing?" Raphael asked. It had officially opened for business a few weeks ago, and they had all flown to San Francisco for a private pre-opening celebration for the family.

"It is doing very well," D replied. "The restaurant received good reviews in the local papers, and it has been growing in popularity since word has begun to spread that my brother is a frequent customer there."

"And of course any place patronized by one of the Count Ds must automatically be trendy and cool," Leon said wryly.

"A bit crudely put, though essentially correct," D acknowledged disdainfully. "Our patronage naturally gives a business a certain...shall we say, cachet. However, though they may have been initially drawn there out of curiosity, it is the food that keeps the customers returning."

"I can't deny that the monster's a good cook," Leon admitted. "And as long as he keeps human flesh off the menu, I can't complain."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say," Kanan muttered with her mouth full, but Ti Lung gave her a sympathetic look. Everyone knew that Honlon missed Tet-chan, although Kanan and Shukou, at least, would never admit it.

"And how are your meditation exercises coming along, my Lady?" Ti Lung politely asked. He had been attempting to tutor Honlon in using her dragon magic, but had been largely unsuccessful, mainly because the three sisters--or more accurately, Shukou and Kanan--were incapable of cooperating. He had told them that they needed to learn to work together, and had suggested meditation to help calm themselves and synchronize their powers.

Kanan flushed and stared down at her plate, avoiding the other dragon's eyes. "Okay, I guess," she mumbled.

"They have not been going well at all!" Shukou protested. "Kanan is incapable of sitting still and being quiet for more than five minutes at a time! She's always squirming and complaining, and makes it impossible for us to concentrate!"

"But it's boring, just sitting around and meditating," Kanan whined. "And anyway, you're not exactly quiet yourself, Shukou! You're always opening your mouth to scold me!"

"Well, if you'd behave yourself, I wouldn't have to!"

"Please stop fighting!" Junrei wailed.

"Now you've made Junrei cry!" Shukou accused.

"Me? You're the one who started it!"

"Please, my Lady," Ti Lung interrupted soothingly, gently but firmly grasping Kanan's hand to stop her from slapping Shukou's face--which was, of course, also her own. "There is no need to quarrel. Even a simple meditation exercise takes time to master; you should not feel discouraged just because things are not going smoothly right from the start. Lady Shukou, you must be patient and set a good example for your sisters with your calm and serenity."

"I will try to do so," Shukou replied, with a rather superior smile, and Kanan snorted mockingly.

Shukou frowned and opened her mouth to reply, but Ti Lung gently reminded her, "A good example," and she heaved a sigh and remained silent. "As for you, Lady Kanan," he continued smoothly, "meditation does not come easily to someone of your outgoing and passionate nature." This time it was Shukou's turn to snort, although it came out as more of a ladylike little sniff. "I will bring some music and incense that will help to put you in the proper frame of mind."

"But this meditation thing is so boring," Kanan sighed.

"You do want to learn how to master the powers of illusion and shapeshifting so that you can appear human in public, don't you?" Ti Lung reminded her. "Then you could walk freely around the city and come visit me and Master Daiki at the Plant Dolls shop."

"Ooh, I would love to visit the shop again!" Junrei said eagerly. "The dolls were so beautiful--I would love to have one of my own!" She asked wistfully, "Do you think that one of them might awaken for me?"

"I cannot imagine that at least one of them would not be captivated by your charm, my Lady," Ti Lung replied.

"Just remember that if one of the dolls bonds to her, someone will have to pay for it," Daiki told his parents, smiling sweetly with all the charm of his professional salesman persona. "However, I would be happy to offer a slight discount, since we are family."

"That's still highway robbery, you little con artist," Leon grumbled, but D just smiled.

"I am sure that we can reach a suitable agreement if that should happen," he said calmly. "Besides, it will be some time before Honlon is able to master her powers and visit the shop, and even then, we do not know for sure if a doll will bond with her. Let us cross that bridge when we come to it, my dear Detective."

"Please don't worry about it, Leon," Junrei told him earnestly. "I can sell some of my jewels to pay for the doll."

"Our jewels," Kanan corrected, a bit pointedly. "Just because you want a doll, it doesn't mean that I do." Junrei's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip began to quiver, and Kanan sighed disgustedly but gave in. "Oh, all right! I guess you can trade some of our jewelry for the doll if you want. It's not like Leon could ever afford it on his civil servant salary!"

Raphael grinned mischievously and said, "You can always try to bargain the price down. After all, the shopkeeper can't sell the doll to anyone else once she's bonded with someone."

"Raphael, are you trying to drive me out of business?" Daiki protested, and everyone laughed.

"Say, if you're the guardian of the Plant Dolls shop, how come you're always visiting over here?" Kanan asked Ti Lung suspiciously. "What if something happens while you're away?"

"When I made my contract with Master Hua, the original owner of the Plant Dolls store, a bond was created between myself and the shop," Ti Lung explained patiently. "If an intruder attempted to break into the shop, I would sense it, and of course I would immediately rush over to defend the shop."

"The shop has a few other defenses besides Ti Lung," Daiki added, smiling serenely. "And even if anything does happen, the shop is only a short distance away from here. Besides, now that Ti Lung has awakened from his dormant state, it wouldn't be fair to keep him cooped up in the shop all the time like a prisoner."

"I am a little worried, though, now that you mention it," Leon said, frowning. "People know that the Plant Dolls are outrageously expensive. That's the sort of thing that attracts thieves--to steal the dolls, or to rob the store, if they think you have a lot of cash on hand."

"The dolls are useless to a thief, since they will only wilt if they are cared for by anyone other than myself or their chosen owner," Daiki replied, sounding unconcerned. "And most of my customers pay me through direct bank transfers, so I keep little cash on hand at the store."

"But your average thug wouldn't know that," Leon objected. "They might just assume that you have a lot of cash at the shop, or that they could sell the dolls on the black market."

"Please don't worry, Dad," Daiki tried to reassure him. "There haven't been any problems since I took over the shop, and I'm sure that Ti Lung would be more than a match for any potential thieves."

"Yes, I guess a dragon should be able to handle a robber just fine," Leon admitted. "Still, I can't help worrying a bit."

"He can't help being an overprotective father," D said with a smile, patting Leon's hand fondly.

"How often have you had to defend the shop, Ti Lung?" Pon-chan asked curiously. "When you first woke up, that time that we all visited Daiki's shop, you said you had been sleeping for years."

"Only a handful of times, to be honest," Ti Lung replied. "And not at all since the shop moved to L.A. The last time was...hmm, well, I'm not really sure. I didn't keep track of time until Lady Honlon awakened me. We were in France at the time, so...maybe fifty years ago? Give or take a decade."

"So you haven't really been earning your keep," Kanan teased, and the other dragon looked a little chagrined.

"That is not at all true," Daiki said, coming to Ti Lung's defense. "Actually, he's been working much harder than his contract requires, helping me tend the Plant Dolls and wait on customers. He is very much earning his keep."

"I'm sure that he does a lot more to earn his keep than you do, princess," Leon told Kanan pointedly. "At least he helps Daiki around the shop; when's the last time that you lifted a finger to help out here?"

"How rude!" Kanan said indignantly. "I honor this shop with my mere presence!"

"The presence of a dragon bestows honor and good luck upon the household that it resides in," Shukou said in a more cool and dignified voice.

"Is that true?" Leon asked Ti Lung suspiciously.

"Ah...well...in a manner of speaking," Ti Lung replied hesitantly, obviously not wishing to either lie or to contradict the object of his affections. "Dragons can use their magic to bestow good or ill luck upon the lands that they live in. For example, back in the old days in China, the farmers would leave offerings for me, and in return, I would use my powers as a Dragon of Earth to make the lands fertile and give them a good harvest. Similarly, a dragon whose powers reside in Air and Water could make the rain fall to water the crops, or withhold the rain and cause a drought if he or she was offended."

"Hmm..." Shukou murmured speculatively, and then a wicked glint appeared in the dragon-girl's eyes as her personality shifted back to Kanan.

"However, you need to learn more control before you are able to exercise your powers in such a fashion, my Lady," Ti Lung added, and Leon breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess it's back to the meditation," Kanan sighed glumly.

***

But Kanan's words had stung Ti Lung more deeply than he let on, and he was frowning as he, Daiki, and Raphael returned home to the Plant Dolls shop.

"You mustn't let what Kanan said bother you, Ti Lung," Daiki said kindly. "She was only teasing, and truly, you have been doing a wonderful job at the shop."

"Besides, it's not as if we want someone to actually rob the store, just so you could stop them!" Raphael said with a grin, and Daiki laughed.

"Yes, it is a good sign that there has been no trouble at the shop since Master Hua set up business here," Daiki assured the dragon. "Perhaps the thieves have stayed away because they can subconsciously sense the power of your aura, in which case, you are indeed performing your role as guardian!"

Ti Lung's pride was soothed by Daiki's words, and he politely bid his Master and Raphael good night, and they retired to their apartment upstairs. But still, Ti Lung sighed wistfully, half-wishing that someone would break into the shop, so that he might bravely defend it and win Lady Honlon's admiration.

But perhaps he should have remembered the old saying about being careful what you wish for...

***

As if the gods were answering Ti Lung's wishes, two men clad in dark clothing with ski masks pulled over their heads were lurking suspiciously outside the Plant Dolls shop later that night. However, no one was there to witness them, as the occupants of the shop were all sound asleep, and the other stores on the street had closed hours ago.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Bob," one of the thieves whined anxiously.

"Oh, shut up, Fred," the other thief retorted as he picked the lock on the door. "This job is gonna be a piece of cake! The alarm system was an antique, and a baby could pick this lock--you'd think the owner would shell out a little more for security, considering how expensive his dollies are. Eh, then again, maybe he's just stingy. That's how rich people make their money, right, by spending as little of it as possible?"

"I heard that the shop is protected by magic," Fred whispered fearfully. "The owner's father is Count D, right? The people in Chinatown say that he's a sorcerer, or maybe even a god..."

"Yeah, right!" Bob scoffed. "What the hell would a god be doing running a petshop in Chinatown? I'm not afraid of some fruity little Chinaman! His son's a fairy, too--shacking up with some pretty artist boy. I'm not afraid of a bunch of faggots."

"But I heard that the shop has a bodyguard--some Chinese guy," Fred argued. "A martial artist, maybe."

"He's probably a fairy, too," Bob said scornfully, as the lock gave way with an audible click. "And anyway, I doubt that his kung fu can stop bullets." He patted the handle of the gun that was sticking out of his jacket pocket. "So quit your yapping and let's do this job, already. Unless you don't want your cut?"

"I didn't say that," Fred hastily protested, and followed his partner through the door. He reached into his own pocket, but instead of a gun, he pulled out two small slips of paper, inscribed with Chinese calligraphy. "I got these protective charms from a shop a couple blocks away--it's supposed to ward off magic spells."

Bob impatiently slapped his hands, and the charms fluttered down to the floor. "Will you knock it off with this magic crap already? How many times do I gotta tell you, there's no such thing as magic!" He turned on a small flashlight and swept it across the room, illuminating the forms of the exquisitely beautiful dolls, who lay slumbering on couches, or just sitting quietly on chairs with their eyes closed.

Fred shuddered. "They're pretty, but they give me the creeps. They just look too real, you know? How can a plant look like a human being?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Bob replied. "All I care about is how much they're worth. They can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe even a million. And they'll be worth even more on the black market--there's a lot of rich people out there who want one of these dolls, but the owner is really picky about who he sells them to." He grinned. "But me, I'm an equal opportunity kind of guy--I'll sell to anyone who's got the cash."

"Let's just grab them and get outa here," Fred said nervously. "Which ones should we take?"

Bob hesitated, eyeing the dolls greedily. "It's a pity we can't take them all, but even just a couple will make enough to set us up for life. I heard that the 'Moon Blossom' model is supposed to be top of the line."

"And what is it supposed to look like?" Fred asked, staring at the dolls in confusion.

"I read a magazine article that said it has silvery white hair that looks like moonlight spun into thousands of shining threads," Bob replied, rolling his eyes. "Just look for a doll with white hair."

"Okay," Fred said obediently, but as he walked under a hanging basket of ivy, a vine reached down to wrap itself around his neck, and he let out a strangled cry, flailing about wildly until he ripped the basket loose from the hook it was hanging from, and it fell to the floor with a crash, and the vine released its hold on his throat.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Bob demanded in a hushed voice. "Are you trying to wake everyone up?!"

"It attacked me!" Fred cried hysterically, backing away from the plant fearfully. "It tried to strangle me! I told you that the shop was magic!"

Bob stared down at the plant, which lay unmoving on the floor. "You idiot; you probably just panicked when you got tangled up in a vine that was hanging down. All those stories about magic are screwing with your head. Look, forget about the Moon Blossom--just grab a couple of the nearest dolls and let's get out of here."

Just then, an Asian man clad in silk pajamas rushed into the room and shouted, "Intruders! How dare you break into my Master's shop? Surrender now, and I shall spare your worthless lives! Defy me, and you shall feel the power of my wrath!"

"Guess this is Mr. Kung Fu," Bob muttered, and whipped out his gun. As the man ran towards them, he noticed that Kung Fu's eyes seemed to be glowing red, but chalked it up to a trick of the light. He fired two shots, but the bullets just bounced off the man's chest.

"What the hell?!" Bob exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's the magic," Fred whimpered, frozen in place with fear.

"Shut up!" Bob snarled, and the dolls began to cry and whimper as well, apparently woken by the shouting and gunshots. He kept shooting at the man, and but the man kept coming at them, unaffected. His eyes were definitely glowing red now--it wasn't just the dim light--and his fingers seemed to be lengthening into claws as his hands stretched out towards the two thieves. He seemed to be growing taller as well, and his tanned skin was slowly being covered with shiny bronze scales.

"I AM TI LUNG, DRAGON OF EARTH AND GUARDIAN OF THIS SHOP!" the creature bellowed, in a deep, rumbling voice that sounded like thunder. "FEEL MY WRATH!"

The two thieves screamed in terror and flung their arms around each other as the dragon reached for them with his razor-sharp claws--and opened his jaws wide to reveal a set of equally long and sharp teeth.

Just before they fainted dead away, they heard a voice call out, "Wait, Ti Lung, don't kill them!"

***

Afterword: Bwahaha--I'm know I'm evil to end it there! Will try to have the second half posted tomorrow. ^_^
Now posted.

Part 2