Title: Deity Wooing [Series: Pet Shop of Horrors]
Author: Drusilla Dax (drusilladax@free.fr)
Pairing: D/Leon Orcot
Rating: 12, post-PSoH with big hints of Shin-PSoH and fairly AU.
Summary: When Leon Orcot goes to Japan, he gets to understand some of D's reactions.
Disclaimer: I'm just playing with someone else's toys. May I be forgiven in my next incarnation! Flamers will be adopted by my family (if you don't believe it's a threat... too bad for you!).
Betas: Mikee and Starkindler. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.
Deity Wooing
'ORCOT!'
Detective Leon Orcot winced. He knew he was a bit late with his paperwork, but he hadn't thought his captain would yell at him for that.
'Captain?' Leon asked as serenely as he could.
'We've got a problem with Narayama,' the captain growled as he stomped towards Leon's desk.
'Problem?' Leon asked worriedly.
The Japanese man, who was convicted the prior day, was arrested by Leon himself, and that murderer was such a beast that the detective was convinced he had to be one of D's lost pets.
It was because of that criminal that Leon had really started looking for the pet shop again.
After Count D sent Leon back to his world, Leon had needed a week to recover, and when he went to the pet shop in Chinatown, it had simply disappeared. Leon was pissed off that D had left without saying goodbye properly.
Two months later, a wave of strange, brutal crimes had Leon working 24/7 until he finally managed to find a trail that allowed him to arrest the culprit. It turned out the criminal was a Japanese citizen, who had been sent abroad by his family so he wouldn't humiliate them at home. Leon had really thought the serial killer was more than just what he appeared to be, but the man was only human. Leon thought at the time that it would have been nice to have D around because Leon was sure D could have done something.
Takeshi Narayama was arrogant, cruel, and twisted - an uncommon criminal, and Leon had trapped him. Detective Jill Petersen had slapped her friend when she was told that Leon went to arrest the murderer all by himself, when he'd been supposed to wait for her and a dozen uniforms. Their captain had been torn; he was very proud of Leon, but he hated that one of his best officers endangered himself thus.
Narayama's case had been easy after that. The L.A.P.D. carefully documented his crimes, and even the brilliant lawyer the family had hired hadn't been able to prevent Narayama from being convicted. He'd been sentenced for so long for taking eight lives that he'd spend at least his next two incarnations in jail.
Four hours ago, Leon himself had phoned the jail to make sure Narayama's transfer went smoothly - and it did. He'd warned the wardens to be wary of that convict, because the man was utterly vicious. Leon even told them to "think of Hannibal Lecter, only in real life"; it had seriously chilled the mood, but Leon hoped Narayama wouldn't try anything while in custody.
Now their captain was telling Leon there was a problem.
Captain Isaacs looked deeply embarrassed and pissed off at the same time.
'What's going on?' Leon asked.
The captain sat down heavily in the chair next to Leon - the one for witness and criminal.
Leon looked puzzled.
'We've been asked to escort him to Japan so he can be tried there as well,' Captain Isaacs said.
'WHAT!' Leon yelled.
His captain winced, his colleagues turned towards his desk to see what was wrong, and Jill rushed to his side.
'What's going on?' Jill asked straight away.
'A Japanese judge wants to try Narayama,' Captain Isaacs said. 'Apparently, when we arrested him, people decided to talk in his native district. He did stuff that prompted his parents to ship him over here, but now there are people investigating the case - and for political reasons, we've got to hand him over.'
'Damn it!' Jill growled.
'You two want to do it?' their captain asked.
'Do you mean I might get to shoot him somewhere really painful if he tries to escape?' Jill asked with a vicious smirk. 'Would I pass up such an opportunity?'
Her last question was purely rhetorical.
The captain smiled.
Leon was still a bit stunned by the annoying piece of news.
'I don't like this,' Leon said.
'It's not the first time something like this has happened,' Jill pointed out.
'Yeah,' Leon conceded, 'but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I've got a bad feeling about him.'
'There's nothing he can do,' Isaacs promised.
'Well, I don't know, Captain,' Leon answered. 'It wasn't that easy to trap him, and if his parents are so rich and so blind about their precious son, maybe they could try to have people help him escape. Even if that were to happen in Japan, I couldn't stand it. He deserves to be in jail.'
'I understand how you feel, but there are people in Japan who need closure,' Isaacs explained.
Leon sighed and said, 'You're right.'
'What do you want us to do exactly?' Jill asked.
'I only need you to escort him to Tokyo. From there, our counterparts will bring him to his region to be tried. He'll fly back here to do his time when the trial is finished,' the captain said.
'Just that?' Leon said.
His captain nodded.
'That'll take us only two days,' Leon said.
'Captain?' Jill intervened.
Their superior smiled warmly; if he wasn't mistaken, he knew what the young female officer was about to say. He nodded to encourage her to speak.
'Are we required to fly back home right after handing Narayama over to the Japanese authorities?' Jill inquired.
'No,' he answered.
Jill grinned.
'Huh?' Leon said.
'Leon,' Jill said patiently, 'it would be a great opportunity to take a few days off. When was the last time you had a vacation?'
Leon blinked, which made Jill grin even more widely.
'We could kill two birds with one stone,' she suggested. 'We could escort him and then visit the country a bit; maybe stay just for a week.'
'You deserve it,' their captain said. 'It's going to be hell without you two here, but you need a break.'
Leon saw Jill and the captain trade a look, and that made him want to roll his eyes.
Of course, Leon hadn't taken a day off since he'd been released from the hospital after Count D pushed him back to earth. The doctors had thought he remembered hallucinations when Leon mentioned D, the pets and the flying boat.
The truth about his constant work was that Leon was still terribly sad and disappointed that D had left so entirely. Leon was not expecting a postcard from D, but a sign, a dream, something would be nice.
D had disappeared about ten months ago, and Leon still missed his evenings with his strange friend.
Each time Leon thought of D, he felt a pinch near his heart.
When Leon met D, he was convinced that the Asian man was nothing but a common criminal, but each new visit to the pet shop helped Leon understand that there was more to D than met the eye.
It took Leon time to start understanding what D was. Leon knew he'd just begun seeing the very tip of the iceberg.
D could be absolutely infuriating, but he was the one who'd taken care of Chris.
There were a lot of things Leon didn't understand about D, but - ultimately - Leon knew that in his own twisted way, D could be trusted.
Leon was not ready to face the truth, which was that he was missing his best friend. Of course, there was Jill by his side, but she was like Leon's Jiminy Cricket, and she was a girl for God's sake! There were things that Leon could have told D - if Leon had wanted.
Since D floated away to God knows where, Leon was all alone. Chris was on the East coast; Jill was like a mother hen... Conclusion: Leon felt as if he were stuck with only his work.
'Okay,' Leon conceded.
Jill beamed.
'You know, Orcot,' the captain said, 'it's not a sin to stop sometimes. We need to rest to keep fighting.'
Leon nodded.
'How are we supposed to work with our Japanese counterparts?' Jill inquired.
'All you have to do is go and fetch Narayama in jail, bring him to the airport, keep an eye on him during the flight, and hand him over at Narita,' Isaacs said.
'When are we leaving?' Jill asked.
Captain Isaacs smiled warmly at his younger detective and said, 'You have five days to plan your trip.'
Jill grinned.
Leon knew he was in trouble.
At the end of their shift that day, Leon told Jill that he trusted her to plan their holiday.
She smiled and rushed home to surf the web for info and reservations.
Five days later, Detective Petersen and Orcot were ready to take Narayama back to his native country.
Narayama was dressed in orange, and his hands and feet were cuffed. In spite of that, the man was still unbearably arrogant, so much that everybody in jail was delighted to see him go - some of them even hoped the plane would crash.
While Jill was signing the documents they needed to take Narayama away with them, Leon noticed that one of the officers was trying to attract his attention. Narayama's chains were being checked, therefore Leon took a few steps away, and the officer joined him.
'Is there something you want to tell me?' Leon asked the other man softly.
'That man is evil,' the officer said.
Leon shivered. He'd been chasing Narayama for months, and he was unfortunate enough to be there when the C.S.Is worked on victims number three to eight - it had not been pretty.
'I know,' Leon said simply.
'No, I mean, truly evil,' the officer insisted.
Leon slightly tilted his head. He looked at Narayama, then at the officer and asked, 'What do you mean?'
'We had to find a way to have him in a cell all alone; the others are afraid of him. I mean, we have pretty tough guys in here. There are Mafiosi who have committed nasty crimes, but that guy makes them all nervous. Some of the guys heard that he was to be shipped back to his native country, and some cheered,' the officer said.
'Well, you should tell them not to open the champagne yet because he'll be brought back here right after his trial in Japan,' Leon pointed out.
'It hasn't been a week, and they all want him dead, but...' the officer could not finish his sentence, which worried Leon deeply.
'But, what?' Leon wondered.
The officer looked embarrassed.
'What?!' Leon insisted.
'You know how the jail grapevine works,' the officer said.
Leon only nodded. It was always someone who heard something from someone else - you never, ever reported anything yourself; it was the surest way to find yourself the target of the man who was in charge of your area in the jail.
'Well,' the officer went on in a whisper, 'it looks as if they all want him dead, but there's no one willing to give it a try. They're afraid of him - all of them.'
It was a piece of information that was a bit disturbing. There were tough criminals in that jail; men who'd kill their mothers if they could gain something for themselves.
'It was impressive how you caught him,' the officer went on.
Leon shrugged.
'No, but, really... Do you think it's safe to travel with your cute colleague?' the officer asked.
'Detective Petersen helped me put him behind bars. If he tries anything against her, he'll land in Japan with bits of his anatomy stored in his back pocket,' Leon said.
The officer blinked.
Leon reflected that being close to D had provided him with the best training possible. Without all the weird stuff that kept happening to him while he was chasing after - and then working with - D, Leon was sure that he wouldn't have been able to track Narayama down.
'Be careful,' the officer said.
Narayama had exclusively targeted young women, and it was true that Jill fit the profile of his victims, but Narayama knew she was very strong, and trying anything against Jill meant that Leon was free to shoot him. Narayama had seen Jill and Leon work together, and Leon had absolutely no doubt the man was very intelligent, even if he was a twisted fuck.
What Leon truly feared was what would happen once in Japan.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his foreign colleagues, but only God knew what Narayama could do in his home country with his beloved parents ready to cover for him. That was the bit about criminals that Leon had difficulties understanding - he'd seen parents of drug addicts and petty delinquents stick by their children, but when people turned to serial killing (and in such a cruel and nasty way), Leon could not understand why parents kept protecting their kids.
He'd tried to imagine how he'd react if Chris were to become a criminal like Narayama. Maybe it was because it was a weird idea, maybe because Chris was his brother, or maybe it was because Leon was not a parent, but he had a hard time imagining himself protecting a criminal. Maybe it was because he was a cop.
Leon let his weird ideas rest. It was time to bring Narayama to the airport.
Jill was coldly polite with their prisoner. She told him that if he tried anything - and she made it clear that she did mean anything - Leon or she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him.
'I don't think your superiors would appreciate your killing me, Jill-san,' Narayama said as he got into the police car that would bring him to the airport.
Leon cleared his throat.
Narayama looked at him.
'It's keiji-san(1) to you,' Leon said.
'And don't think my superiors would give a damn. I've been ordered to deal with you if need be,' Jill added.
Jill didn't see Narayama's reaction, but Leon did, and he was happy to be able to surprise that monster. There was something very faint that passed in Narayama's eyes.
'Besides, I bet there are eight families who would cheer and celebrate,' Leon said.
'You must be terribly disappointed that I wasn't sentenced to death,' Narayama commented.
'You're completely wrong,' Leon answered. 'I don't believe in the death penalty. If you'd been sentenced to death, you'd be on your way to your next incarnation. Criminals like you deserve to be caged for decades.'
'Is it because you believe in redemption, keiji-san?' Narayama asked.
'There is no redemption for people like you,' Leon said. 'I believe in suffering for animals like you.'
'Keiji-san,' Narayama purred as if Leon were a child who had just said something worth noticing.
'Another rule, Mr Narayama,' Jill intervened.
He looked at her as if she were one of his possessions, but Jill didn't even flinch.
'From now on, I advise you to remain silent. If you don't, my gun will do the talking. Understood?' Jill asked.
Narayama opened his mouth to answer. Before he could utter a single sound, Jill had her gun on his lips.
The jail officers were gaping, completely in awe.
Narayama blinked and only nodded.
'Good boy,' Jill purred viciously. 'And don't forget that if I miss you, Detective Orcot is my back up.'
Narayama nodded.
The trip to the airport was very quiet.
The security there was very well organized.
The two officers and their prisoner were the last to board. Their captain had already registered Jill and Leon's luggage.
They went through security and were allowed to keep concealed weapons. The head flight attendant had been informed of that, and the shrew was not too happy about it. They were given three seats at the very front of the plane.
Narayama pretended to smile timidly at the flight attendant.
'He's not going anywhere. Must you keep him chained?' the annoying woman asked haughtily.
'It's all right, Ma'am,' Narayama purred seductively.
In the next three seconds, Jill's gun was discreetly - but firmly - poking Narayama's ribs.
'Got the pictures, Leon?' Jill asked.
'Of course,' Leon answered.
'Show the lady what our precious cargo did to his victims,' Jill said.
Leon took pictures from his jacket. The flight attendant turned green in one second flat.
'You see,' Jill said pleasantly, 'this is what he can do. He's not allowed to speak or move. Understood?'
The flight attendant nodded, turning from light green to pale as a shroud.
'You,' Jill said, punctuating her speech with a poke in Narayama's ribs, 'will keep your mouth shut, or it's a coroner who will fetch you at Narita.'
'And she can kill with her bare hands,' Leon added.
Narayama nodded.
They finally took off, and another flight attendant offered them earphones. The detectives refused politely.
'Are you sure?' the young man insisted. 'It's a long flight.'
'We're working,' Leon said. 'And he's not supposed to enjoy the trip.'
It was a long flight, indeed.
When dinner was served, they were given miso soup, and Narayama almost purred with delight.
'I must say this is good,' Leon declared.
Narayama put one hand up.
'Do you want to say something?' Jill asked.
Narayama nodded.
'You may speak,' Jill said.
'Do you think I might do my time in a Japanese jail after my trial?' Narayama asked.
'No,' Jill told him.
'Our DA was adamant on that point. It was all too obvious that you'd like to be in your home country, and your sentence is meant to make you pay. Whatever the sentence in Japan, you'll be shipped back to the US as soon as possible,' Leon explained.
Narayama nodded and remained silent after that. He closed his eyes, but the detectives were not fooled - he wasn't sleeping, and he was planning something.
Half an hour before landing, the captain had the head flight attendant tell the detectives that Narayama's welcome committee had arrived safely at the terminal.
They landed on time, but it took them some time to reach the terminal.
The captain asked the passengers to be patient while the two police officers got off with Narayama. Some growled a bit, but when the identity of the prisoner was revealed through the grapevine, the growls died down rather fast.
Leon and Jill were impressed by the Japanese policemen, who were waiting for them in the lobby.
Narayama tried to escape Jill's hold because he felt disgraced to be held by a woman. With a good kick, she made him land on his face, and she and Leon had their guns aimed at their prisoner long before any of their counterparts could even blink.
'That was very impressive, Detective Petersen,' one of the Japanese officers said.
She looked at him and answered, 'Thank you, Kitano-san. May I add that the picture in your Interpol file doesn't do you justice?'
Kitano was young. As young as Leon and Jill, and as experienced.
He was very good looking and smiled warmly at Jill. He bowed his thanks.
Leon noticed that there was something different about Kitano; he didn't look as uptight as his colleagues. Leon wondered if it was because of a different background. Leon and Jill had been told that the escort would be composed of men from the Metropolitan Police and only one Interpol officer. Somehow Kitano looked a bit less Japanese than the others.
'Will you behave, or will I have to shoot you in front of your compatriots?' Jill asked.
'I'll behave,' Narayama answered softly.
Leon grabbed their prisoner by the neck and forced him to stand up.
'We have some files you must sign,' Kitano said.
'So do we,' Jill said.
They traded paperwork while the other passengers walked towards the luggage claim area in relative silence.
Kitano gave sharp orders to the officers, and Narayama was taken to a police vehicle that would take him to his native region in the south of the country.
'Your captain called my captain,' Kitano told his American fellows, 'and I volunteered to help you, should you need anything during your stay.'
'Won't you go back home for the Golden Week?' Jill inquired.
Kitano smiled widely and said, 'I'm going to visit family in Kyoto and Miyajima. You will find me on your path.'
'Our captains certainly had very long chats!' Leon pointed out.
'My captain grew up in Washington, and she misses the States,' Kitano explained. 'She enjoyed talking with your captain.'
Leon smiled.
Kitano took a small box from his pocket; from it, he took two cards and gave them to Jill and Leon.
'If you need to contact me for anything, please, do not hesitate,' Kitano said.
Jill took one of her cards and gave it to Kitano.
'My cell phone will work here, so if you want to contact us for anything, don't hesitate either,' she said.
Leon could have rolled his eyes, because it damn-well looked as if Jill and Kitano were flirting a bit, but after all, why shouldn't they? Over the years, Jill had become the sister Leon never had, and it was tough for a policewoman to find a companion who didn't freak out about her job.
Leon took one of his cards and gave it to Kitano as well.
'My cell phone should work as well, and if Jill and I decide to go separate ways, you can reach us both,' Leon said.
'I'm impressed, Orcot-san,' Kitano said.
Jill tilted her head, wondering why Kitano was impressed. Kitano turned Leon's card to her so she could read it. Jill gaped when she saw that Leon had had cards printed with a transcription of his name in Japanese.
'OK, I'm impressed, too,' Jill conceded.
'What can I say?' Leon asked rhetorically. 'D had me well trained.'
'Dear Count!' Jill said fondly.
'Count... D?' Kitano gasped.
'An old friend,' Leon explained.
'I bet!' Kitano exclaimed. 'I'm surprised to see Western people so well acquainted with his kind.'
'Do you know him?' Jill inquired.
'My family vowed to protect his kind. I came to Tokyo when he arrived nine months ago,' Kitano explained in a whisper.
Leon looked at Kitano as if he'd told him that, during the day, he was keeping the moon in a jar in his kitchen, only to put it back in the sky at night. Then Leon reflected that they were speaking of D and his crazy family.
'Could you tell me where the Count relocated his Chinese arse?' Leon growled.
'Leon!' Jill scolded her friend.
Kitano laughed heartily and said, 'What do you say you go to Tokyo, rest a bit, and then I take you to the pet shop in Neo-Chinatown after my shift? You won't find it without a guide.'
'Deal!' Leon said.
Leon and Kitano shook hands.
'Once you've brought me to the door, maybe you and Jill could have dinner together - unless you've got to go back home to your family,' Leon said.
'There's only a bonsai waiting for me at home,' Kitano answered.
Jill rolled her eyes, but now she knew Kitano wasn't married. She hoped to learn more in the evening.
'I must go back to the office,' Kitano said.
'We'll go and catch our coach,' Jill declared. 'We're on holiday after all.'
'I'll have to find a sugar fix for D - something to give him right before I kick him somewhere painful for leaving the way he did. Stupid Chinese man!' Leon hissed.
'The Ds are not exactly Chinese,' Kitano said.
'He's not exactly a man either,' Leon whispered.
'What do you mean?' Jill inquired.
The two men traded a look. Kitano was embarrassed; Leon only shrugged.
'Remember the crazy stuff I said in hospital?' Leon asked Jill.
She nodded.
'Well, it was true,' Leon said.
Jill looked lost.
'D is a deity,' Leon declared.
Kitano nodded to confirm. Jill squeaked inelegantly.
It was going to be one weird trip.
'Call us when you're free,' Leon told Kitano.
'I will, and if you want, I could show you a shop suitable for the Count's needs,' Kitano offered.
'Great!' Leon exclaimed.
A thought occurred to Leon and he asked, 'It's only one D, right? With too big a heart and mismatched eyes.'
'The younger, yes,' Kitano said.
'Granddaddy is raising the youngest somewhere else,' Leon stated.
'Last we heard, yes,' Kitano said.
'Good, I wouldn't like to have to fight against that one,' Leon said.
'You'll have to tell me more about all that,' Jill ordered both men.
They both nodded.
It was going to be a long day.