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
Chapter 2 - Finding D again
Detective Jill Petersen and Detective Leon Orcot picked their luggage up and went through customs.
Leon followed Jill without saying a word.
She traded their coach coupons for a boarding pass, and they sat down next to each other.
'Leon?' Jill said softly.
'Um?'
'Are you all right, Sweetie?' she asked very gently.
'A bit tired,' Leon answered.
'What about D?' she insisted.
'What do you mean?' he wondered sincerely.
She sighed and took her friend's hand before going on. 'I know you've been trying to find information about D, and tonight you're going to see him again. I know that in spite of everything you've said before, you consider him as a friend.'
Leon sighed in his turn. Jill was right, and if he considered D as a friend, Jill was one as well, and she deserved the truth. 'I did more than just look for information about him. Do you remember when our Boss forced me to take a two-day leave and I combined it with a weekend?' he asked rhetorically.
It was not the kind of thing Jill would forget because she'd been so surprised that she'd almost slid off of her chair when Leon announced it. She nodded.
'Well, I followed a lead and took a flight after D. I almost caught up with him, but he was too fast,' Leon confessed.
'It's not your first time in Japan, then?' she wondered.
Leon sighed, shook his head and handed her his passport.
'Germany?!' she exclaimed.
Leon sighed again. 'God, I feel like an idiot,' Leon said very softly.
Then and there, Jill started wondering what Leon's exact feelings for the Count were.
Was it a very intense friendship? After all, D was the only adult male Leon had truly befriended since Jill had met Leon seven years ago.
Was it a kind of twisted worshipping? If D truly was a deity - and Jill thought Leon and Kitano hadn't lied - then Leon could well be fascinated by the true nature of D.
Was it more than just friendship?
Jill had a huge slashy side - and she knew it.
When D had been courted by that Asian cook version of Hannibal Lecter, she'd teased Leon mercilessly about D while they watched over the pet shop owner on his date with the alleged serial killer.
Leon's apartment was full of Playboy magazines, and the walls had been covered with posters of scantily-clad women - until D complained about it, but Jill had never seen Leon with a woman.
She'd thought that Leon was married to the job - the way she was herself - but now that she gave it some thought...
Jill shook her head violently, refusing to go down that lane. Leon didn't notice her reaction because he was lost in thought and looking at the road.
'You're going to see him tonight,' Jill pointed out joyfully.
Still looking at the scenery, Leon said, 'Yeah... Well, he didn't send a postcard, did he?'
There was something so bitter in Leon's voice that Jill froze. She still didn't know what Leon felt for D and she didn't know what to say.
After the tension of escorting Narayama, she began feeling a bit tired. She leant over and placed her head on Leon's shoulder. He looked at her, smiled, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Jill was falling asleep when she saw a crane flying above a rice field that was being prepared for planting.
'Oh! Look!' she exclaimed happily.
Leon gently kissed her brow and whispered, 'I'm glad you convinced me to do this with you - and I don't mean because of D. I really needed a break.'
Jill beamed.
They enjoyed the scenery together, occasionally commenting on something.
'It's a good thing the boards are bilingual,' Jill declared as they approached Tokyo.
Leon nodded.
Jill knew her friend well. 'Can you read the signs on the boards?' she asked.
Leon's cheeks turned pink as he said, 'I understand what some of them mean, but I can't pronounce them.'
'I'm really impressed,' Jill admitted.
Leon gave her a small smile and shrugged.
The countryside around the airport had been rather wild, but as they reached the suburbs of the biggest capital of the world, they found themselves surrounded with buildings, their coach running on and under bridges.
'Have you seen that?' Jill inquired.
'If you mean the tiny temple with a cemetery trapped between two buildings and a canal and stuck under a bridge. Yes, I did,' Leon said.
'Wow.'
'I like it,' Leon said, grinning happily.
Jill nodded, chuckled, and grinned in her turn.
They slowed down as they reached town and they found themselves stuck in the morning traffic.
The first stop was finally announced, and they prepared to get off. They gave their tickets to the attendants so they could get their luggage back, and the coach left.
They found themselves in the middle of the morning rush hours in one of the busiest areas of the city.
'You're the one with the map,' Leon said.
Jill smiled and took out the sheet of paper the travel agent had printed for her. She looked around to find landmarks.
'If the station is there,' she said, pointing her thumb behind her, 'then our hotel is this way.'
Leon looked at Jill's finger, which was pointing straight ahead.
Leon followed Jill as they crossed from one bus platform to the next. When they reached the last one, they could only go downstairs to the underground that led back to the station, or walk back to an actual pedestrian crossing.
Jill almost growled with frustration; she looked at the traffic lights and signalled Leon to follow her when there were no cars coming their way, and they ran to the other side of the street.
'Very discreet, Petersen,' Leon teased her.
'Oh, belt up, Orcot! We'll do things the Tokyoite way when we no longer have our luggage in tow,' Jill protested.
They kept walking straight ahead.
They reached another intersection and Jill groaned. They had to either deal with a very complicated crossing, or go up a pedestrian bridge that allowed crossing in several directions. From the number of people on the bridges, it was obvious that it was the easiest way to cross fast.
Leon grabbed Jill's luggage and jogged upstairs.
'Where?' he asked her.
She looked at her map, looked around again, and guided her friend across the boulevard.
They walked onto a small street where the contrast was astounding.
'Wow! Welcome to the Twilight Zone,' Leon said.
From an area with huge buildings, they'd just stepped into a district where the highest house was five stories. There were small shops and electric poles.
'That's so weird,' Jill said.
'I really like it,' Leon confessed.
'So do I,' admitted Jill.
They smiled at each other.
'Are you sure this is the right way to our hotel?' Leon inquired.
'Well, not entirely,' Jill admitted.
From one of the houses, a middle-aged lady came out, and she saluted them with a bow and a formal morning greeting.
The time spent with D made Leon react formally, and he bowed back, which made the lady smile.
'Excuse me, Ma'am,' Jill said.
The other woman tilted her head.
'Do you speak English?' asked Jill.
'No,' the woman answered, shaking her head for good measure.
Leon asked her if she spoke Mandarin in that language, which surprised her even more - she could acknowledge English and say that she didn't know it, but a blond-haired and blue-eyed American speaking Chinese was strange, to say the least.
Jill took a step towards her and showed her the map.
The woman launched herself in a long explanation, pointing towards the boulevard Jill and Leon had just crossed.
Seeing Jill's lost expression, the woman called a young boy who was walking down the street. She told him something, and the boy blushed crimson.
He looked at Leon and asked, 'You go to that hotel?'
One of the boy's fingers was pointing at the exact location on the map.
'Yes,' Leon answered.
'My aunt say I show you,' the boy declared.
'Maybe you could just explain,' Leon suggested.
The boy shook his head vigorously. 'My aunt want I show you,' the boy said.
'Thank you,' Leon said.
Jill beamed at the older woman, who bowed and smiled very kindly.
The boy started walking towards the boulevard.
'Lemme guess,' Leon told the boy, 'your aunt wants you to train in English with us on the way to the hotel.'
The boy blushed, but nodded.
'I do not speak English out class,' the boy said.
'I wish I knew as much of your language as you know of mine,' Leon said slowly.
'Really?' the boy asked eagerly, while he blushed deeper.
'Yeah, kiddo,' Leon answered honestly.
'Are you on holiday?' the boy asked as they crossed the boulevard.
'Yes, we'll stay until after the Golden Week,' Jill said.
The boy blushed even deeper because it was Jill who had answered. He looked at Leon, who winked; the boy smiled.
They crossed yet another street.
'Oh!' Leon exclaimed.
The boy and Jill looked at him, and he pointed a finger at a building.
'Metropolitan Police Headquarters,' Jill read aloud.
'Yes,' the boy said proudly, 'my papa work here.'
'We are police officers,' Jill said.
'Where?' the boy asked warmly. His shyness was completely forgotten for the moment.
'Los Angeles,' Jill answered.
The boy grinned and beamed.
Leon and Jill told him what it was like to work in the City of Angels, and two streets down, they reached the hotel.
'It's huge,' Leon commented.
'You OK, now,' the boy said.
'Thank you, we were lost without you,' Jill said kindly.
The boy grinned, but shook his head and said, 'Only little help.'
'Much more than that,' Jill insisted.
'I can go now,' the boy said.
'Just a moment,' Jill said.
She took one of her cards and gave it to the boy.
'Miss! Thank you!' the boy said joyfully.
Leon did the same, and the boy was impressed to read the officer's name in katakana.
'Leonu Orucottu,' the boy deciphered.
Leon smiled and bowed.
The boy bowed back very formally.
While Leon and the boy had that little exchange, Jill had taken one of the small gifts she'd packed in her bag. It was just an L.A.P.D. pen, but it made the boy tremendously happy.
Leon and Jill were still waving at their improvised guide when they walked into the hotel.
'He was nice,' Jill said.
'Yeah,' Leon agreed.
They checked in and were escorted to their suite by two bellboys, who were fussing around Jill.
'What a success!' Leon teased her when they were alone at last.
Jill groaned.
'You must be a fantasy come true for them,' Leon added.
She groaned again and said, 'I'm really not your type.'
'You're my friend, and my partner for most missions,' Leon pointed out.
Jill smiled, paused briefly and asked, 'What's your type?' hoping that Leon was tired enough to answer honestly.
He blinked and said, 'I no longer know.'
There was a very awkward pause.
'I want a shower, and I need a nap,' Jill said.
'Sounds like a plan!' Leon admitted.
'It's nine. We could sleep till noon, and then go out and have lunch somewhere,' Jill suggested.
Leon nodded.
They shared a lounge and a bathroom, and each had their own room. They put their respective luggage in their rooms, and Leon rushed into the bathroom when Jill shrieked. In fact, she reacted that way when she saw how nice it was.
'You can have a bath while I take a shower,' Leon suggested.
'You're an angel,' she purred.
It was far from being customary for police officers of both genders to be so comfortable around each other in a bathroom, but after some strange missions, they'd found themselves forced to share showers in emergency. They'd talked about that afterwards, and had admitted to each other that they didn't mind.
Jill thought that they were almost acting like brother and sister.
When Leon got out of the shower, he saw that Jill was falling asleep, and he urged her out of the tub.
At noon, their respective alarms sounded, and they groaned in perfect synch.
They got dressed for the day and left the hotel.
'Where shall we go for lunch? I'm starving,' Leon said.
'Trust me?' Jill asked.
Leon growled.
Now that Jill had slept a bit, she could read her maps much better, and she guided Leon back to the station where they took the tube.
They ended up in a traditional restaurant in Ueno. It was rather quiet, and they devoured their first Japanese meal in relative silence.
'Are you going to kill me if I suggest we go to the National Museum and the gardens nearby?' Jill asked.
'No... sounds good,' Leon said quietly.
Jill noticed that Leon was becoming more and more quiet.
They didn't tour the entire museum because it was too big, but they enjoyed the displays of old weapons and precious historical scrolls.
When they decided it was time to leave if they wanted to have time to see the gardens, they had to stop by the souvenir shop to buy an umbrella because it was raining cats and dogs. The advantage of the rain was that they had the gardens nearly all to themselves.
'Look!' Jill said enthusiastically.
They had found rows of lanterns that seem to lead to a temple.
Leon had an arm wrapped around Jill's waist, and he was holding their umbrella with his free hand.
Jill couldn't say what, but there was something different in Leon as they neared the temple.
'Leon?' Jill said very softly, holding her friend tight.
'Um?'
'What are your feelings for D?' she asked bluntly.
Leon laughed bitterly.
'Leon?' she insisted.
'I don't know, ok,' he answered in a whisper.
She held him tighter.
'I mean... For so long I thought he was in the Chinese mafia, and then he became a friend. He's the one who took care of my baby brother and made the kid feel better,' Leon said. 'There is that deity thing to take into account, as well.'
'And he left without warning and didn't send a postcard,' Jill added.
Leon nodded.
Jill tried to imagine how she would feel if Leon had done to her what D had done to him. She reflected that Leon had to be all the more hurt since he seemed to know that D must have means to contact him.
They finally reached the temple. An old gentleman was taking care of its shop.
Jill walked towards it and checked what was on display. She spotted exactly what she needed: a lucky charm, which she bought for Leon.
Leon pecked her cheek to thank her.
'Your brother?' the old gentleman asked her.
'Yes,' she said, nodding happily.
The old gentleman smiled, and Leon beamed.
They kept walking in the gardens, and even reached another temple. They were about to go up its stairs to visit it when Jill's phone rang.
'Must be Kitano,' Leon said with an annoying sing-song voice.
Jill glared, but answered the phone as fast as she could.
Leon had been right, and their guide for the evening was ready to start his after-work duty. He asked where they were, and told them to wait for him there. Thirty minutes later, Kitano joined them.
'How was your day?' Leon asked Kitano.
'Drowned in paperwork, which is far from being my favourite activity,' Kitano answered. 'How was yours?'
Leon let Jill speak. In the meantime, Leon got lost in his own thoughts, and there were only two things he was nearly sure of - he might be seeing D again before the end of the day, and he didn't know why he felt so exhilarated and troubled at the same time.
Jill and Kitano kept chatting quietly, and the Japanese officer led them to his car and drove them to a place where Leon could buy a treat for D.
'Do you think he might still like the kind of things I brought him in L.A.?' Leon asked Kitano.
'I'm sure he'd be delighted,' Kitano answered. 'The few times I had the honour to be invited for tea, the Count mentioned your country several times.'
Leon bought a white chocolate cake with a topping of fresh fruits.
While he was paying, Kitano whispered in Jill's ear, 'What's wrong with Leon?'
'I think I have an idea, but I need you to tell me more about D's true nature. Over dinner?' Jill whispered back.
Kitano nodded and grinned.
'It's rather unusual, you know. My mother lectured me when I told her I would probably have dinner with a female officer from the US,' Kitano confessed.
'It's true that now that you mention it, the few couples Leon and I saw on the streets were not very demonstrative and merely holding hands for the boldest ones,' Jill said as Leon joined them.
'This is the way we are brought up. A kiss is considered a sexual gesture and not something to share before witnesses. Our culture and education are much different,' Kitano explained.
'How do you meet?' Leon asked, his cheeks turning pink.
'Wooing is an art - an intricate one,' Kitano said.
Leon merely nodded and turned his attention to his thoughts again.
Kitano drove them to Neo-Chinatown. He showed Leon where the nearest station was, and he stopped in front of the pet shop.
'Would you like me to park and go with you?' Kitano inquired.
Leon didn't trust his voice, so he shook his head.
'Phone us if you need anything, ok?' Jill said.
Leon nodded.
He finally got out of the car and managed to wish a pleasant evening to Jill and her knight.
Soon enough, the car was out of sight, and Leon was trying to take calming breaths in front of the pet shop.
He just hoped that it wouldn't be like in Germany, because this time he couldn't bear for his stupidity to have witnesses.
Leon walked into the shop, the white box of the cake turning into an anchor and a security blanket of some sort.
There was the same parlour as in L.A., the incense, the rustle of silk and...
'Irassh...' D began to say to greet the one he thought to be a common customer.
He never finished his sentence.
Then and there, Leon lost it.
'Damn it, D! Am I such a lowlife to you that you so completely burnt the bridges between us?' Leon asked, almost sobbing the words and hating himself for it - and D for doing that to him.
Suddenly, it was too much for Leon. He shoved the cake into D's hands and left the shop.
D suddenly understood what he'd felt in the air since he woke up that morning. It was Leon's arrival in his new territory.
D went to sit on the sofa, and he placed the box on the low table nearby.
D opened the box, looked at the cake, and felt tears in his eyes.
::Leon!:: his soul called.
The blond detective heard him loud and clear, but he was so hurt that he didn't answer.
D felt Leon's feelings and gasped.
The deity closed the box, and a single tear fell on its lid.
A tiny frog was looking at her Master. The other inhabitants of the shop had told her all they knew about the Count and the time he spent with the Orcotts - and especially the eldest. She decided that her Master needed some help, and she hopped out of the shop. Outside, she looked like any Japanese teenager on her way home from school.
The little frog listened to the town, and followed the silent cries of Leon's soul.
When she caught up with Leon, he was in a small street of Neo-Chinatown. He was trying not to cry or hyperventilate.
'Leon-sama?' she called softly.
He turned towards the gentle voice and only saw a schoolgirl in a black or navy blue uniform - he wasn't sure.
He tilted his head and asked, 'What are you?'
'A frog from an island in the south of the country,' she answered honestly.
'You're very young,' he stated.
'Yes.'
There was something soothing about her.
'What are you doing here?' Leon inquired.
'I've come to beg you to come back to the shop,' she declared seriously.
At that moment, if Leon hadn't stopped her, she would have knelt in the street.
'Why?' Leon asked.
'I know I am young, but the others know the Master well. In all the years they've known him, they'd never seen him cry until tonight,' she said.
'What's your name, little girl?' Leon asked her.
She was so happy that he accepted her the way she was and looked that she beamed when she said, 'Aogaeru. The others call me Ao, Leon-sama.'
'Just Leon, kiddo, ok?' he said.
She grinned.
Leon could not stand the idea that maybe D was crying because of him, so he walked back to the shop with the little frog.
'What does your name mean?' Leon inquired.
'Green frog,' she answered innocently.
'Are you really green?' Leon asked as if it were the most normal and natural thing to ask a teen.
'No, I'm brown,' she said.
God! He'd missed the weirdness that surrounded D and his shop!
D was still pointedly looking at the lid of the box when Ao hopped next to him on the sofa.
'I brought him back, Master,' she announced.
D looked up, his mismatched eyes strangely shining as he noticed his guest.
'A cup of your insufferable tea would be nice with that cake. I wouldn't want you to dehydrate as you tell me what you've been up to since you pushed me back to earth,' Leon said.
'Leon,' D sighed.
The Kami smiled and patted the sofa next to him.
Now that most of the tension was gone, the inhabitants of the shop resumed their activities, and within seconds, D and Leon were provided with everything they needed for tea and cake.
They shared what they'd done in their respective little corners of the world.
They ended up sharing dinner, which was delivered from the Chinese restaurant next door.
Finally, Leon mentioned Germany, and D blushed.
'I almost caught up with you that day, right?' Leon asked.
D blushed deeper.
'Why have you been avoiding me? Why didn't you do something to let me know you were fine?' Leon asked softly.
'I... I... was afraid,' D confessed in a whisper.
'Why, for God's sake?!' Leon exclaimed. 'No pun intended,' he added to lighten the mood.
'I don't know.'
'D...'
'I'm not sure.'
'D!'
'You make me feel different. It confuses me,' D admitted.
'I'm sorry,' Leon said sincerely. 'Would you like me to leave? And never come back?'
When D's eyes met Leon's, it was as if Leon could read D's soul.
'No!' D answered immediately. 'I'm confused, but I missed you, which might be what confuses me.'
'You're not supposed to care for a pet like me,' Leon stated softly.
'No, you don't understand, Leon,' D said.
Leon tilted his head.
D looked straight at Leon when he said, 'You've become much more than the other humans.'
Leon positively beamed, which made D smile widely.
'I'll deny ever saying so if you repeat that to Jill or anyone else, but I really missed you, partner,' Leon said softly.
D blushed at the friendly endearment without really knowing why.
After dinner, D offered to escort Leon back to the hotel so D could say hello to Jill and Kitano.
'Maybe we could take a cab,' Leon suggested. 'I don't fancy taking the tube without Jill to guide me, and I bet it'd be too much for you with your pretty dress.'
'It's not a dress!' D exclaimed indignantly.
Leon chuckled warmly and said, 'I missed you more than I can say.'
There was an uncomfortable silence.
D had his little, annoying Kami-smile when he said, 'You know, Leon, at this time of the day, the traffic is horrible in Neo-Chinatown. It'll be faster to take a train, and I really do not mind going with you in that means of transportation.'
Leon was clearly surprised, which was what D had wanted.
Ten minutes later, after having said goodbye to some of the pets, and especially Ao, the odd couple headed for the nearest station.
D bought their tickets, and Leon obediently followed him.
It was a long ride with several changes back to Leon's hotel. Leon was truly surprised to see that the only ones looking at D and him strangely were Westerners. Businessmen on their way home after dinner and ladies in kimonos didn't glare at them.
Leon kept chatting with his friend; he hadn't felt that good since D left.
When they reached the last platform for their trip, Leon gasped; it was way past overcrowded.
'I can't put you through that. Maybe we could get out and take a cab now,' Leon suggested.
'No, Leon, this is a part of the Tokyoite life to which I'm used. I was born in this area of the world,' D said.
D took Leon's hand and managed to slither the both of them into a car. D found himself with his back to the door on the track-side, face to face with Leon, who was doing his best to protect D from the crowd around them.
'Couldn't you use one of your little tricks?' Leon asked.
'There's not much I can do, since I didn't bring one of the pets along with me,' D said, clearly teasing Leon.
Leon growled.
At the next station, even more people got in, and Leon was forced to hug D.
Leon felt confusion. He was feeling something stronger than friendship, something different. He looked into D's eyes and saw - no... felt - his feelings mirrored in the other being.
They reached Shinjuku-Station and got off the train.
Leon was reluctant to lose contact with D, who smiled and took Leon's arm to walk.
They arrived at the hotel, and Leon wasn't surprised when the receptionist didn't tell him that guests were not supposed to be entertained in the hotel rooms, but in the main lounges or the bar.
'D...' Leon began to say in the elevator.
D places a finger on Leon's lips to silence him.
Leon wondered what was wrong with him because he wanted to kiss that finger very much.
"It has to be jet lag! I need to sleep," Leon thought.
Jill and Kitano were not there yet.
Leon ordered tea.
They went on chatting quietly. Both were enjoying being reunited, but Leon's tiredness made itself known. D announced that he'd go back to the shop.
'I can't leave you to go back alone,' Leon protested.
'Leon, my car will be waiting for me at the door when I leave,' D announced.
'Really?' Leon asked.
D nodded.
Leon smiled and said, 'I don't want anything bad to happen to you.'
D beamed as if he'd been given the rarest Swiss chocolates.
Before rational thoughts came back, Leon hugged D, and they melted against each other.
Before his macho brain could protest, Leon pecked D's lips. It was something his mother had done with him, and something he did with Chris and Jill.
With D, it was more than just friendship. Leon knew it, but he was physically and emotionally too exhausted to analyze the situation.
'You won't disappear again, right?' Leon whispered.
'I could be your guide in Japan if you want,' D whispered back.
'You'd travel with me... us, I mean?' Leon asked.
D nodded repeatedly.
'Please do!' Leon begged.
He hugged D again, and D kept nodding.
The door opened silently, and Jill and Kitano saw Leon and D guiltily jump apart.
Then, D had to stay for a bit longer; he finally left with the promise to come back after breakfast to guide them in the city.
Leon was about to excuse himself to leave Jill and Kitano alone, but Jill felt that her best friend needed help.
Kitano was the first to speak. 'It's not unheard of, but with the grandfather he has, it's going to be tough.'
'Really?' Jill inquired.
Kitano nodded and said, 'Some of us are meant to do more than worship their kind.'
'Uh?' Leon said.
Jill looked at Kitano and said, 'He's much more gifted usually. He must be overworked and lost.'
'It's understandable,' Kitano granted.
'Uh?' Leon said again.
'You're in love with D,' Jill said.
'And he's in love with you,' Kitano said.
Leon felt faint.
And yet... The pieces of the puzzle were finding their places.
'What am I going to do?' Leon sighed. The young man had in mind his career and his macho colleagues.
Kitano surprised the hell out of him when he said, 'You've got to woo him.'
'I'll help,' Jill said.
'So will I,' Kitano promised.
Leon blinked, but then and there he knew that he'd do anything to get to hold D just once more - the prospect of getting even more was exhilarating.
'What do we do?' Jill asked.
Kitano grinned.
Leon thought, "I'm screwed." and the double entendre of such a statement made him blush furiously.
His two friends didn't comment on the colours in his cheeks, and they started devising a strategy.