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 blood relatives (if you don't believe it's a threat... too bad for you!).
Beta: Mikee. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.
Deity Wooing
Chapter 5 - Surprise and Change
Leon and D spent that day with their chaperone, Inoue, and their self-appointed bodyguards, Jill and Kitano.
Sightseeing was good fun, but Leon was looking forward to spending some time alone with D. Soon enough, it became obvious that Inoue might not agree to that, and Leon decided to enlist Jill to help him - he was convinced that she would understand his need for privacy.
They went to visit the gardens of the Imperial Palace, and Inoue herself provided Leon with an opportunity. Leon was talking with D constantly; therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if Leon kept talking in English after Inoue sent her grandson after one of their relatives, who was visiting the gardens, too, to ask him to have bento boxes ready for when they'd travel to Kyôto. Kitano had to run after his relative, explain the whole situation, and make sure they'd got everything Inoue wanted in time before they leave Tôkyô.
'D?' Leon said softly, not to attract Inoue's attention.
'Yes, Leon?' the Kami answered.
'Is it okay if I conspire with Jill to get us some chaperone-free time together?' Leon inquired.
D gasped with surprise, recovered almost instantly, smiled, and nodded.
Jill was listening to them, but pretending that she was looking at Kitano.
'I can't plan that without your help, little sister,' Leon said, looking at D to trick Inoue.
Jill nodded discreetly.
'I really don't know what we could do,' Leon admitted both to his boyfriend and to his best friend.
D and Leon got some unexpected help when Inoue's relative waved to her, and she excused herself. D heard her mumbling something about her grandson not being trained enough to deal with such situations.
'Could we get some help from your shop?' Jill asked D.
'What would you need?' D asked her.
'I would need someone for a diversion, someone from your shop who'd come and say that you must go back to the shop for whatever reason. If we time this right, I can help you escape their watch,' Jill said.
'Maybe we could ask Ao,' Leon suggested.
D nodded.
'Who's that?' Jill asked.
'She's one of D's pets, but she looks like a schoolgirl,' Leon said, as if it were perfectly normal.
Jill looked around and spotted a very big tree that would hide her from the Kitanos. She turned to D and asked, 'What's the shop phone number?'
D answered, and Jill ran to phone a brown frog, who was called Green Frog in her native language.
'Now that Jill is gone, I bet that Inoue is going to send Kitano back here to keep an eye on us,' Leon whispered.
'You're right, but we have a moment together now,' D said.
'True. I guess it wouldn't be fair to Jill to try and run somewhere quiet without warning her,' Leon said with a cocky smile.
'It wouldn't be good for Inoue either. She feels as if she's got to protect us by being a good chaperone. We must provide her with an excuse to let us go,' D said.
'All right, Honey,' Leon purred in Mandarin.
D beamed.
'Where shall we go when Ao comes and helps us?' Leon wondered.
'Did you forget the wonders of the shop?' D teased his boyfriend. 'We must escort Ao back to the shop because she's such a young pet, and then we can visit one of the special rooms.'
'That would be nice,' Leon admitted.
'Where would you like to go?' D inquired.
'Maybe somewhere not too exotic to begin with. I don't fancy exploring with a flashlight,' Leon said.
'Not all the rooms open onto the same daytime as the parlour of the shop. I could take you to a beach, or to a mountain,' D announced.
'I'll just follow you anywhere,' Leon answered.
Kitano was joining them just as they had predicted, therefore D could not answer Leon, much to their chagrin.
'Where's Jill?' Kitano inquired.
'I think she spotted a butterfly or something. She wanted to investigate,' Leon lied with a poker face.
'I'm glad she's enjoying the garden, but maybe she shouldn't have left you,' Kitano suggested.
'I wouldn't do anything improper with D in public, and I'm not saying that just because we're in your country. And I can protect my boyfriend, thank you,' Leon declared.
Kitano bowed, while D beamed quietly - the weight of the bracelet on his wrist reminded him that he was being officially wooed.
Jill joined them again.
'So, did you catch that butterfly?' Leon asked his friend.
Jill instantly understood that Leon had had to lie to Kitano; she liked Kitano, but she was closer to Leon and D. She caught up with Leon's lie and said, 'No butterfly, but there was an adorable green frog.'
'I love that variety,' Leon exclaimed happily.
'They are very nice,' D agreed.
Kitano noticed nothing out of the ordinary, and D and Leon began expecting Ao to come and rescue them.
When Inoue joined them, D suggested a restaurant, not too far from the pet shop, where they could have dinner. Leon and Jill enjoyed their trip to the restaurant. Their guides told them stories about the stores and the streets they walked on, and they thought it was exotic to walk among Tokyoites.
They were a block away from the restaurant when Leon spotted Ao, who was running towards them. The young frog still looked as if she wore a dark school uniform; she really could have been any regular teen girl.
'D-sama,' Ao said respectfully, bowing very low when she joined them. 'You are required at the shop,' she said.
'Is it very urgent, Ao-chan?' D asked quietly.
'Yes, Master,' the frog declared seriously.
D turned towards the others and said, 'I'm afraid I will have to leave you for a moment.'
'We could start ordering for you, D, and you can join us as soon as you can,' Jill said.
'I would hate to be a bother and ruin your dinner,' D answered.
'We can wait for you, and you can never be a bother,' Jill declared warmly.
D beamed.
'I will be back as fast as possible,' D said.
'I can't let you two walk alone back to the shop. I'll go with you,' Leon announced.
Kitano was caught between his grandmother for whom he had to translate, and his duty to D, which demanded he didn't let Leon be with D without a chaperone.
'I should be the one doing that!' Kitano protested.
'I beg your pardon?' Leon growled.
Kitano paled, and Inoue asked what was going on.
D answered in Japanese and said, 'I apologize, but I must go back to the shop for a moment. Leon will come with me, and Jill will order for us.'
Inoue wasn't fooled. 'Be back for dessert at least,' she said.
She knew it was a magic word with Count D. D bowed, and walked away with Leon and Ao.
'Grandmother! It's not proper!' Kitano exclaimed.
'What would you do if Jill-san asked you to go somewhere together? What would you do today?' Inoue asked.
Kitano blushed deeply. Even if he liked Jill, it was too soon to try anything - it simply was not in his education - and he guessed it would be the same for D and Leon.
'My point exactly. It's too soon to worry. They're not even holding hands,' Inoue said as she walked to the restaurant.
The old lady didn't know the extent of magic in the shop, but she imagined that it was really too soon to worry about what D and Leon could do together.
'What did she say?' Jill asked Kitano, whose cheeks were still coloured.
'That there was no reason to be afraid and they would behave correctly,' Kitano said.
'Why, of course! They don't have the handbook yet,' Jill answered.
Kitano froze, and his blush returned with a vengeance. Inoue looked at Jill, and she needed no translation to understand why her grandson was reacting thus; the old lady winked at Jill, who winked back.
Inoue started teaching Jill a few new words in Japanese.
They walked into the restaurant, and were given a good table when they said Count D would join them momentarily.
Inoue and Jill conspired together to order dishes that D and Leon would like.
'Thanks for your help, Ao,' Leon said warmly.
She bowed. 'It's a pleasure to help you, Leon-sama,' she said.
'Just Leon, kiddo,' he said.
She grinned.
'I'm afraid we can't stay away too long,' D apologized to Leon.
'It's not about the amount of time we get to steal. It's just about being together,' Leon said.
'I'll run back to the shop,' Ao announced.
'Don't even think about it, Ao-chan,' Leon growled, putting the accent on the fact that the little frog was still very young. 'You can hop around as much as you want when we're back in the shop.'
Ao looked at her master, and D nodded. Leon held out his hand to Ao, and the blushing frog took it.
Without thinking, D said, 'You were already amazing with Chris, I'm sure you'll be a great father.'
Leon decided to tease his boyfriend. 'It's good to hear I get to be the dad next time. I didn't mind being our dragon's mama, but it was different. What's good is that you already wear dresses,' Leon said.
'Keiji-saaaan!' D protested.
Leon held out his free hand to D, offering only his little finger to his boyfriend. If D agreed to hold little fingers with Leon, it would show the world - or at least Tôkyô to begin with - that they were an item.
D looked at Leon from under his eyelashes. He blushed and accepted Leon's finger.
'Say, D, can we really have a kid together?' Leon asked in a timid whisper.
D was too moved to speak, so he only nodded. Leon grinned.
'That is more than a miracle,' Leon said softly, deeply moved.
'A child is always a miracle, Leon,' D declared seriously.
'You are right, my Love,' Leon agreed in Mandarin.
D beamed quietly.
They were close to the pet shop and were waiting for the traffic signal to turn green for them, and some kind of music, or bird song, to announce it was okay to cross. An old American lady was next to them, and she looked at Leon and who he was holding hands with.
'Such a cute daughter you two have!' she exclaimed sweetly.
Ao blushed deeply and was about to protest vehemently, but Leon squeezed her tiny hand. He turned to the old lady and smiled brightly as he said, 'She's really precious.'
'I didn't know they accepted different families here. It's comforting because we mustn't forget that we're all on the same planet, and the guarantee of liberties everywhere around the world is vital to our general enlightenment,' the old lady said.
'We're not official yet,' Leon pointed out.
'But you're together, and you have a charming daughter,' the old lady insisted warmly.
'Actually, she's our third,' Leon added.
D understood what Leon meant, and he joined the conversation. 'I'm the one who was proportionally most involved in their upbringing. I hope you will help me more with the next,' he told Leon.
'We'll be living together by the time we have that fourth kid. Of course I'll help more,' Leon teased his boyfriend.
'Listen to me, boys, and always keep your love alive - even when you fight together over trifles. What you have is precious, and never ever let anyone tell you anything to the contrary,' the old lady said.
'Yes, Ma'am,' D said courteously.
'Thanks for being so open-minded, Ma'am,' Leon added.
The old lady looked at Ao and added, 'And love your dads without caring for what anyone might say. Love is love, Sweetie.'
Ao was about to say that they were not her dads, but Leon tugged her hand to bring her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
'She's a sweet kid,' Leon praised her.
Ao was rendered speechless. The day before, she was just another pet in the shop, today she was asked to help her master, and now her master and his future companion were treating her like a relative.
Electronic birds chirping announced that pedestrians could cross - at last.
D offered his arm to the old lady, and she gladly accepted it.
'You are such an angel, my dear,' she said happily.
'May I inquire your name, Ma'am?' D asked.
'I'm Camellia Ford, from Los Angeles,' she said.
'What a beautiful name!' D exclaimed.
The old lady giggled.
'Isn't it a flower?' Ao asked Leon in a whisper.
D heard her and translated the name in Japanese, 'Tsubaki.'
'Beautiful!' Ao agreed with her master.
'What's your name, little girl?' Camellia asked.
'Aogaeru, Ma'am,' Ao answered.
'Does it mean something?' Camellia asked.
'Yes, it means "green frog", Ma'am,' Ao said.
'I'm sure you're keeping your dads on their toes with such a pretty name!' Camellia said with a chuckle.
Ao blushed.
Camellia let go of D's arm and said while pointing down the street, 'I'm going this way.'
'We're going the other way,' Leon announced.
'The world is small, maybe we'll meet again. Have a good evening, boys!' Camellia said joyfully.
'Goodbye, Ma'am,' the three of them said in perfect synch.
She beamed at them and waved goodbye.
'I apologize,' Ao mumbled.
'What for, Sweetie?' Leon asked rhetorically. 'There are worse things in this world than having a charming old lady think you're our daughter.'
'But I'm just a baby frog! And our Master is your fiancé,' Ao whispered.
'And I care for you a lot, Aogaeru,' D said formally.
'Yes, kiddo, we wouldn't be here if you hadn't caught up with me the other night,' Leon said. He gently cupped her cheek and added, 'And you could be training for the kid D and I might have someday.'
Both D and Ao blushed, but they liked the idea.
'I think we need tea,' D declared as they reached the door of the shop.
'I could take care of it,' Ao offered.
'Yes, please,' D said.
The few animals that were in the parlour waiting for their master and his Leon gasped when they heard the Count. If Ao made the tea, it meant that she had moved higher in their internal hierarchy.
Ao ran to the kitchen while D and Leon sat on one of the luxurious sofas. They were still holding fingers, and Leon did what he'd been dying to do since they started that, he brought D's hand to his lips and reverently kissed the silky, pale skin.
'It is so clear now,' Leon declared.
'What, Leon?' D inquired.
'That I love you,' Leon answered as if it were as obvious as the sun by day.
'And you slithered into my heart,' D said.
Right then, Leon wanted very much to kiss D, but he didn't know if his Kami would welcome the attention. Leon caressed D's hand and looked at the bracelet.
'What do we have to do now to complete this?' Leon asked.
D blushed again, hiding behind the dark veil of his hair, and answered in a murmur, 'Maybe we could ask Inoue-sama.'
Leon was an expert at deciphering D now and he said with a chuckle, 'You know what comes next, but you're too embarrassed to tell me, aren't you?'
D nodded and blushed even more.
'Say, D, do you think we could keep the kid with us? I don't know why, but I really like her,' Leon said.
'If I adopt her, she can be our daughter when we get married,' D answered.
Leon froze for two seconds, shook his head and said, 'I meant tonight, when we go back to the restaurant, but you know what? That's brilliant. I'd be back to L.A. now, and we'd both be miserable if it were not for her.'
'Don't you mind that she's a frog?' D asked.
'She's a sweet creature. The size and form is not important,' Leon said.
'Then, there is a room we must visit,' D said.
He got up and dragged Leon behind him.
D and Leon entered a room where there was a beautiful garden; it looked occidental rather than oriental - if Leon could judge from the few gardens they'd visited that day.
In the middle of a beautiful lawn, there was a water basin.
'We can see the future in the water,' D announced.
'Our future?' Leon inquired. He'd seen weird stuff at the shop, but this one was on the top-ten list.
'Yes, but we will not see our life in ten years. It shows us only what is going to happen very soon,' D answered.
Leon nodded, lost in his thoughts. Finally, he said, 'This is a gift.'
'Let's hold hands and look into the water together,' D said.
Leon obeyed.
They both saw Ao dragging Leon behind her. Leon only saw that his little frog was very happy, but D saw much more. The Kami saw that their vision was in Kyôto, which was their next destination, and Ao was wearing a ceremonial furisode, which certainly meant that they'd do something in a temple together as a family.
Leon saw something else, too - something future, but much closer to them.
D squeezed Leon's hand and put an end to their vision.
'I will adopt her,' D declared seriously.
'We will adopt her,' Leon corrected his boyfriend.
D nodded.
'I will start the procedure immediately,' D said.
D took a step towards the door to go back to the parlour, but Leon stopped him.
'I saw something else, something more immediate, didn't you?' Leon asked softly as he caught D by the wrist.
D blushed again, and shook his head.
Leon let his hand trail up on D's forearm up to his elbow, and D's blush deepened. Leon moved closer to D, and he leant down a bit until his lips brushed against D's.
D blinked several times and grabbed Leon's forearm to steady himself.
Leon moved backwards to look at the one he loved. Leon smiled and leant down again. He pecked D's lips repeatedly, his lips staying on D's longer and longer. Leon wrapped his free arm around D's waist, and he brought D closer.
D was deeply surprised to find himself held this way against the human he'd come to love. There was both strength and tenderness, and D reflected that it was as pleasant as a good cake - or possibly even better. D knew that Leon's kisses were definitely better than any sweet when Leon's tongue stroke his and started a sensual dance.
Leon pecked D's lips one last time, and he held D with both arms after manoeuvring his hand out of D's sleeve.
'Ai ni,' Leon said.
'I love you, too,' D answered breathily.
Leon held D even tighter, and he kissed D's cheek. D smiled, and Leon let go of D.
'That was what I saw,' Leon said.
'I should bring you here more often,' D whispered.
'There's no need for that, Honey, because as soon as we're back to our hotel tonight, I'm going to ask my adopted little sister - and by the way this has to be adoption week here! - where I can find information about tango, and when I know a thing or two, I'll share that with you, and we can explore that aspect together, without Galadriel's water basin,' Leon said.
D blinked, but nodded.
'I want to date you and love you and make love to you. I'll listen to my heart, and I'll go as slow as you want,' Leon promised.
D nodded, but Leon noticed that his boyfriend was frowning slightly.
'What is it, Honey?' Leon asked taking D's hands in his.
'There's only one thing, Leon,' D said, blushing again.
'What?' Leon asked patiently.
'I'd like us to keep our love to each other quiet,' D murmured.
'Of course! I will never snog you in public! Not because I'm ashamed of you, but I know this is not your way. We could resume what we had in L.A., and add tango when we're alone,' Leon said.
D slowly framed Leon's face and tiptoed slightly to briefly peck Leon's lips.
Leon had the feeling that he was a bird flying high in the sky and he beamed at his boyfriend.
They each took a deep breath and smelled tea; they grinned at each other and walked back to the parlour, where Ao was pouring tea into delicate white china cups.
Leon and D sat side by side and accepted the cups that the little frog gave them.
'Have tea with us, Ao-chan,' D said.
The shop went silent. There was something important going on, and the shop's inhabitants could just taste it in the air.
'Master?' Ao asked timidly.
'Leon and I would like to keep you for ourselves,' D told her.
'Do you want me to be your pet?' she asked incredulously.
'Daughter,' Leon corrected her.
Ao froze. She knew Count D would find her a good family, but she'd never imagined that he would keep her for himself - and not as a mere pet!
'We really want you,' Leon promised.
Ao blinked.
Other animals came a bit closer; they wanted to be there.
'I guess this is the perfect occasion to introduce you to a part of my magic,' D told Leon.
Leon didn't have to wait for long to see what D meant. With one of his nails, D picked one of his veins, gathered a drop of his blood and poured it into Ao's cup of tea. D's wound closed instantly, and Ao's cup glowed as the drop of blood mixed with the warm liquid.
'If you want us, drink it,' D told Ao. 'If this is too much for you, nothing will change between us, and we will love you nonetheless.'
It was as if the shop itself were holding its breath.
Ao looked at the cup, at her Master, and at Leon-sama. Truth be told, she loved them both, and she knew that the Count would not make such a cruel joke as to make her believe he wanted her only to reject her a moment later.
Ao realized that they were the best family she could dream of, and she drank.
The parlour was instantly invaded by Ao's friends, who congratulated her.
'I'd better phone Jill to let her know she's got to order for her niece,' Leon said.
D smiled.
Leon called Jill. 'Hey, Jillie-girl!' he exclaimed joyfully. 'We should join you in about twenty minutes. Could you double what you ordered for D? We're coming back with our daughter.'
Jill agreed, but Leon was sure that she was blinking and was almost frozen on the spot. He said
goodbye, and drank his tea quietly with his chosen family.
'What's wrong?' Inoue asked Jill when the young woman put her phone down on the table.
Kitano didn't have to translate his grandmother's question, but Jill's answer puzzled him.
They'd just finished their drinks when Leon, D and Ao joined them.
'So what's going on?' Jill asked immediately.
D and Leon were holding Ao's hands.
Inoue was used to dealing with Kamis; therefore she instantly noticed that there was something slightly different about the young girl. 'Kami-sama!' she exclaimed.
D looked at Inoue and laughed softly.
'D adopted Ao, and I'll adopt her, too, when D and I are married. Conclusion, you've got a new niece, Jill. She'll stay with us from now on,' Leon said.
'Ao?' Jill said, looking at the girl. Ao tilted her head. 'Come sit with me, Sweetie,' Jill said.
'How is it possible?' Kitano asked. He wasn't aiming his question at anyone in particular.
Inoue cuffed the back of Kitano's head, and she welcomed Ao formally.
Dinner was served, and Jill started recommending schools in L.A. Leon turned to D, and D nodded, agreeing to allow Jill to integrate their family and let her make suggestions.
Ao would have tutors, but D was beginning to be interested in the lycée français in L.A.
Leon knew he had to change topics slightly.
'Kitano, I need you to ask your grandmother what we have to do next,' Leon said.
Kitano translated, and Inoue's answer made D chuckle.
'Um?' Leon said.
'She said the next thing we have to do is pack for our trip to Kyôto,' D said.
Ao decided to help, and she began chatting with Inoue in Japanese.
Inoue could not tease Ao; she was D's adopted daughter, and she was entirely too cute. Inoue told Ao what she knew about the end of the ritual wooing.
'So what did she say?' Leon asked Ao, while D was busy blushing.
'The next stage is to give the one you love an immortal proof of your love,' Ao said.
'How do I do that?' Leon wondered aloud.
Ao grinned, and whispered something into Leon's ear.
'Would you help me?' Leon asked.
Ao nodded.
'In Kyôto?' Leon asked.
Ao nodded.
'Right, if it works, what's the next stage?' Leon asked.
'That's the sacrifice or surrender part I didn't understand,' Kitano whispered to Jill.
Jill nodded, and they both waited.
'You have to tell the one you love how much you love him and what he means for you,' Ao explained.
'Just that?' Leon asked.
'Leon, by opening your heart, you will link our souls,' D explained.
'I should have paid attention to those ritual words. I didn't do my work. I haven't been serious enough,' Kitano admitted in a sad whisper.
Jill patted his hand kindly.
'I must do better,' Kitano said.
Jill smiled warmly, and Kitano smiled back. Inoue didn't need a translation to understand what was going on.
Leon looked at D and drowned in his eyes for a few minutes.
The others looked at them, convinced that they were witnessing something beyond magic and divinity.
D and Leon talked with their friends, but they were both lost in their own thoughts, planning what they had to do next.
D and Leon were sad to have to part after dinner, but they both had a lot to do.
D's car was waiting for them outside of the restaurant when they got out. They went back to the shop first because Ao had to go to bed, then the driver took them to Jill and Leon's hotel, and last, he drove Inoue and Kitano back to their house.
The next day, they were going to Kyôto.
D and Ao's luggage was already packed when they arrived.
The other Kitanos had taken care of Inoue and her grandson's suitcases.
Jill and Leon were packing their bags together quietly.
'Jill?' Leon called softly.
'Yes?' she answered.
'I need help,' Leon said softly.
'To woo D?' she asked.
'Yes and no, I don't know what to do... after,' Leon murmured.
Leon was too cryptic, but his blush made Jill understand what Leon needed to know.
Jill took her laptop from inside her bag. She started it, and connected it to the hotel wi-fi. She clicked on one of her favourite links and handed her computer to her friend.
'There's all the theory you need to know here,' Jill said.
Leon blushed, but he started reading - eagerly.