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!).

Beta: Mikee. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.

Deity Wooing

Chapter 7 - Divine Bond

They were sitting side by side, and Leon was still holding D's left hand. The moss on which they were sitting was very soft and comfortable; the pond, where the moon was reflecting, was quiet, and a few local frogs were croaking around it.

'Are they cousins of our daughter?' Leon inquired.

D was so proud that Leon considered Aogaeru as their daughter - even though the young creature was a frog - that he could have cried - or snogged his mate senseless. Being a reasonable deity, D beamed at Leon and said, 'They're distant cousins, indeed.'

Leon smiled.

D's heart skipped a beat - or two.

Leon gracefully knelt next to D and he asked, 'Are there special words to bond? What are we supposed to say?'

D knelt right in front of Leon, and he took Leon's hands in his. 'There is nothing special to say to actually bond together. I want to become your bondmate, Leon Orcot. Will you be mine?' D asked.

'Yes!' Leon almost yelled, frightening the frogs, a few birds, and probably one or two koi in the pond. 'I want to be your husband for as many days, months or years as I'm given on this earth,' Leon declared, his words coming from the bottom of his heart.

D beamed. 'Really?' D inquired.

'Yes, Airen, now that you're in my life - and that you love me, too, I long to spend my life with you,' Leon said.

'Kiss me,' D said as he beamed.

Leon obeyed.

Their bond was sealed, and the song of heavenly birds reached them in the night - and woke up all the inhabitants of the temple, but they didn't dare go out and investigate.

The happy couple was breathless when they stopped kissing. They grinned at each other and blushed.

'I think you might have forgotten one possibility on your list,' D said softly.

'What do you mean, Airen?' Leon wondered.

'I think we might be linked together - linked in a way that might cause my death, were anything to happen to you, or that might have you sharing the length of what is considered a normal life-span for my kind,' D explained.

'What do you mean?' Leon went on.

'We are one, Leon. If you die, I'll follow suit, but as long as you don't get yourself shot in the line of duty, you might get to live as long as the average Kami,' D said.

'Just out of curiosity, D, how long could that be?' Leon asked.

'A few hundred years,' D answered.

'Do you mean that I could live with you for hundreds of years if no one mistakes me for target practice, or as long as I don't get hit by a bus?' Leon asked.

D nodded. He looked a bit embarrassed, but the feeling flew away when Leon kissed him as if they were scheduled to be executed in a minute and there was no time to lose.

'That's brilliant, D. I was miserable, fearing that I'd never see you again in my life, and now we're married, and you gifted me with a part of your nature that will allow me to be happy for centuries!' Leon exclaimed.

Leon was beaming.

'I must say I'm relieved to see you so happy,' D confessed.

Leon smiled and looked tenderly at his mate. 'I've changed a lot since I met you, Airen. You're making me a better man for sure,' Leon said.

'You're changing me for the best,' D whispered.

Slowly, Leon brought one hand to D's neck, and he encouraged his mate to lean towards him. Their lips met in a sweet, slow and tender kiss.

Leon smiled again and asked, 'How do I adopt Ao now?'

'She's already yours,' D said simply.

Leon grinned this time. 'We should tell her she's got too dads - officially that is,' Leon suggested.

D nodded.

The husbands got to their feet and walked towards the temple's main building.

'We should go and see Kitano, and then tell the ladies,' Leon suggested.

D squeezed his husband's hand, glad that Leon cared more about others now.

They found Kitano pretending that he was reading some sacred text in the room they shared. There was no way in hell he hadn't heard the song of the celestial birds, and he was dying to discover what they heralded.

'We're back, Kitano-san,' D said softly.

Kitano opened his mouth, but Leon spoke first, 'There's something D and I would like to share with you all. We should go and see them.'

Kitano blinked, but he put his book down on the tatami and followed D and Leon.

The husbands were talking softly, which allowed Jill to hear them approaching, and she opened the door before Leon had the chance to knock.

'Did you hear the birds?' Jill asked. 'Ao and Inoue say that it's most assuredly a good thing.'

D and Leon traded looks and beamed at each other. They still were their own persons, but there was a new link between them, and Leon just knew that D was happy to let him speak for them both.

'They're right,' Leon told Jill. 'Something happened to us at the station. Something very good. Something great,' he added.

'What?!' Jill asked eagerly.

'Did you complete another stage of the ritual?' Ao wondered.

'We completed it all. We bonded when we got back here. We're married,' Leon said.

Kitano, Jill and Ao gaped. D noticed that no one had translated for Inoue, therefore he did so, and she beamed and then bowed.

Leon opened his arms to Ao and she leapt to him. 'You're my daughter now - officially,' he whispered in her ear.

'I'm so happy for you and Count D, Dad,' she said softly.

'Thank you, Baby,' Leon said. He kissed her brow and hugged her gently.

Jill saw D's ring, and she almost cried.

'Miss Jill?' D said gently.

She waved her hand in dismissal and said, 'It's nothing, D.'

He observed her and understood that it was Leon's gift that was causing such a reaction. D held his hand out, and Jill took it.

'It's beautiful,' she commented.

'It's unique,' D said.

Jill gently squeezed D's hand and said, 'It is. For many reasons.' She paused and blushed. 'I don't know if it's a proper thing to say or not, but I wish you to be very happy with Leon,' she said.

'Thank you,' D said, obviously deeply moved.

'Oh, for God's sake, give him a hug!' Leon told her.

D and Jill were somewhat clumsy, but they did what Leon suggested.

Inoue and Kitano congratulated the happy couple very formally.

Leon took two steps towards his husband while their daughter was still in his arms and while Jill was still hugging D. They ended up sharing a family hug that made Inoue smile widely.

'When would you like a ceremony to be performed?' the old lady asked D and Leon in Mandarin.

Leon looked at D and shrugged, letting the Kami choose for them.

D looked at Ao and declared, 'A simple blessing on the island where Aogaeru was born would be nice.'

Inoue counted the days before they'd reach Miyajima and she started nodding fervently. It was a short notice, but D had said he wanted a simple ceremony - and not something that would trap them in a temple for hours on end. However, Inoue wanted to start planning everything straight away. She began plotting with Jill and Ao.

It soon became obvious that it would be better for the men if they went back to their own room, which they did.

As they were approaching their door, Kitano opened his mouth to offer to go and sleep with the monks, but Leon spoke first.

'There's no need to leave us. Nothing's going to happen tonight,' Leon said.

Kitano blushed while D hid behind his hair.

Kitano went straight to bed (he'd been careful to have it placed as far as possible from the two other beds).

Leon and D undressed and donned yukatas to sleep in. Both were terribly shy, but D caught a glimpse of Leon's tanned chest, while Leon admired the milky quality of his husband's skin.

They slithered under their bedcovers and looked at each other lovingly.

'Ai ni,' whispered D.

Leon brought D's hand to his lips and reverently kissed D's fingertips.

They fell asleep holding hands.

D and Leon fell asleep rather fast, but their friends didn't.

Ao was very excited for her adopted fathers. She'd never thought that Count D and Detective Orcot would wish to adopt her, but she'd felt that it was a very good thing to run after Leon when he fled from the shop after seeing that D was alive and well and had not contacted him after coming back to Earth.

She'd felt that it was important to run after Leon and beg him to come back to the shop.

Now Count D had adopted her, she'd helped Leon find a ring for his beloved, and her dads had bonded for all eternity.

Ao was in her bed, trying to find sleep when she realized that she was calling D and Leon her "dads" in her thoughts, which was rather bold when referring to the Count. She blushed deeply, but realized that she'd really come to think of them as her parents.

Besides, she was still a frog, but there was much more stability in her human form now, and she controlled it much better since D had made her his - and there was something new since her fathers had bonded.

The young girl was emotionally tired, and she reflected that she could analyze the situation more clearly in the morning. She was the first to fall asleep after her fathers.

The next to fall asleep was Inoue. The old lady was delighted and proud to be included in the ceremony for D and Leon, but she was pragmatic enough to plan the basics and see to the details after a good night of sleep.

The two, who tossed and turned, were Kitano and Jill.

Kitano was really impressed to witness the wooing of a Kami by an American police officer. And tonight D and Leon had bonded! Kitano knew that D and Leon had been unofficially courting each other for months when the shop was in Los Angeles, but it was strange for him to see the couple so close - and married - now.

Kitano was a bit uncomfortable because he was sharing the couple's room. The situation was already awkward earlier, but now that the two other men in the room were a legitimate item, it was even worse for Kitano. If he were honest with himself, he didn't really understand why D and Leon were in love - or why people of the same gender fell in love - but at the same time he didn't really care. In fact, love was a bit of an alien topic for Kitano.

Kitano was tossing and turning - while the happy couple was sleeping peacefully - because he was wondering what love was exactly, and why in hell D and Leon were not making love right now. Everything about them was way too strange for Kitano. He was beginning to think that it might be a good thing to talk to someone, but his relatives were out of the question, and his friends were either as lost as he was himself, or would be too embarrassed to answer honestly and accurately.

Kitano's last thought before he finally fell asleep was that maybe one of the priests might help him - or maybe a Kami would hear his prayer for help.

Jill was just too excited to find sleep easily. She was so happy for her best friend and his fiancé that she felt a bit as if her little brother had just got married.

Truth be told, their story was so much like a twisted fairy tale that she found it easy to begin having hope for herself. If after many months of playing cat and mouse, a separation and a weird reunion with reconciliation on the side, Leon and D could so easily complete a ritual that looked pretty intricate and tricky in the beginning, then there was definitely hope for Jill, and she would find a nice man to love her.

She was the one who had the gay links on her laptop, and now she was picturing her friends trying a few of the things she'd read about - and that was not the kind of images that would help her find sleep.

Jill wondered when they'd become husbands and share the same bed. She imagined that they might wait to be in a quieter location, or even maybe to be back in the shop. They certainly had time, and they were unquestionably taking one step at a time.

She finally fell asleep and dreamt of Leon and D in exotic positions.

For the first time, Leon and D's bond allowed them to share a dream as husbands. They could have dreamt about sex, but they started planning their future and what they'd do when they were back in L.A. They talked about what they wanted for their first daughter, but D explained how they could have children of their own. Leon blushed in his sleep.

Inoue, Ao and Jill were already up when Kitano opened one eye early the next morning. It took him two seconds to remember where he was and with whom he was sharing a room. He opened his other eye and turned his head towards the sleeping husbands; Leon and D were breathing evenly, which told Kitano that they were still sound asleep. He rolled out of bed as silently as possible, and he left the room.

Kitano nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that the ladies were on the other side of the door. Ao giggled, hiding behind her left sleeve.

'Are they still asleep?' Inoue asked.

Kitano nodded.

'Let's go and have breakfast. They don't need to find us behind the door when they come out,' Inoue said.

Jill looked at her adopted niece because the few words they'd all been teaching her in Japanese were far from being enough to allow her to understand anything - well, she understood that food had to be involved because "breakfast" in Japanese was ringing a bell, and it had to be the name of one of the meals, but she was in a blur about the rest.

Ao translated and Jill agreed with Inoue; Leon and D didn't need to find themselves nose to nose with them. It was not their "wedding night" because Jill knew there was no way in hell they did anything horizontal with Kitano in the same room, but it had to be strange enough to join their friends after a first night together as a legally married couple.

Jill took Ao's hand in hers, and they followed Inoue. They were all wearing the yukata provided by the temple, and Jill felt eerily comfortable in such an item of clothing and in the heart of the temple.

'Did you sleep well?' Jill asked Kitano.

Kitano shrugged.

'What's wrong? I'm nearly a hundred percent sure the boys did nothing that could embarrass you, and I know that Leon doesn't snore - and I have a hard time picturing D snoring,' Jill said.

Kitano turned towards her abruptly and asked, 'How do you know Orcot doesn't snore?'

Jill was about to cuff him with her free hand when melodious laughter surprised them all. There was a young woman following them; she'd apparently appeared out of thin air and was probably treading on clouds.

'You are so innocent - and somewhat hasty in your conclusions Kitano-san,' the woman said.

She wore a magnificent golden sari that complimented the tone of her skin, and her very long hair was so black that the light dancing on it made it look dark blue. She looked Indian, but at the same time she looked a bit like D and his relatives.

There was another odd thing about the newcomer that Jill noticed immediately. Her lip movements didn't match what Jill was hearing; it was as if she were inside a dubbed film.

'What language do you speak?' Jill asked the newcomer.

'My native language, but you hear me in yours,' she answered with a wink.

'How is that possible?' Jill squeaked.

'It is in my power. I am a cousin of Count D, and I travelled all night to congratulate him and his husband,' she said.

'How did you know about their bonding?' Jill wondered.

D's cousin smiled warmly and answered, 'The completion of the ritual and their bonding was heralded in a way that made us all aware of it. How could I explain it? It's almost as if there was something in our blood that told us they'd tied the knot.'

'Whoa! That's astounding!' Jill exclaimed.

'Not that much, I assure you. That's just a part of what our instincts allow us to feel and know,' D's cousin explained. She turned to Kitano and said, 'Your instinct about love is approximately as good as a blind man can differentiate colours. Leon and Jill are like siblings, and in their line of work they must have been on the watch together, which explains why she knows that Leon doesn't snore.'

Kitano couldn't say a word to the other deity because he was very impressed, but he nodded fervently.

D's cousin smiled widely and looked at Ao, who didn't know what to do or say. 'I'm Homa, your cousin, Ao-chan,' she said.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Homa-sama,' Ao said, bowing low.

Homa opened her arms and said, 'Come and give me a hug, little cousin! And it's just "Homa", please.'

Shyly, Ao hugged the deity. Ao had the strange feeling that Homa was really moved to hug her, but that didn't make sense.

Homa looked at Jill and said, 'Your turn, Cousin! You may not share a drop of blood with Leon, but in his heart, you're his little sister.'

Jill was happy to hug Homa.

Homa took Ao and Jill's hands and looked at Inoue. 'I think it's time to join the priests for breakfast, isn't it?'

Inoue nodded and led the way again.

When they all walked into the hall where the priests shared their meals, quite a few priests froze and gaped. It was the first time they were honoured to welcome two deities in their temple. They wondered if other deities would wish to come and congratulate Count D.

Homa was a deity whom neither the priests nor Inoue knew, but they could feel that she was related to D's family because the vow they'd all taken allowed them to feel the deities they swore to worship.

Even though she was a powerful deity, there was something definitely motherly about her, as if she cared for all mankind as much as she cared for her own relatives. She was obviously quite fond of Ao; it was as though she saw something even more special than the young being already was.

After the priests greeted her, she made it clear that Count D and his husband were the ones who were important, and she warned the priests that she'd leave the grounds instantly if they treated her as if she were more important than the couple. The priests felt that she'd do so, and they didn't want to offend a visiting deity.

They were all finishing breakfast when D and Leon finally began to stir.

During the night, they'd moved towards each other. Wrapped in only one of their blankets, they now shared Leon's bed, and D had been sleeping on Leon's shoulder. Leon had wrapped D in his arms, and he was smiling in his sleep.

One of them started to wake up, and it woke up the other, too.

D's weight in Leon's arms made him feel happier than he'd been in years; in fact, Leon was beginning to wonder if D was not his source of happiness since his mother died - the few happy memories he had in the recent years he owed to D even if they often also involved his younger brother or Jill.

Leon brushed D's hair away from his beautiful face and he lovingly pecked his husband's lips. 'Morning, Airen,' Leon whispered.

'Good morning, my Love,' D answered.

D was waking up slowly; he was so overwhelmed by the recent events that, when he moved his hand to wrap Leon in a morning hug, he realized then that his hand was under the yukata - and not on it - as his fingers encountered Leon's warm skin. Leon shivered and D froze.

'Sorry,' D squeaked in a very un-Kami way.

'T's okay,' Leon said, kissing D's brow. 'It's interesting.'

D blushed and hid his face in the crook of Leon's neck.

'Do you think we can leave the kid with her Auntie Jill tonight and go out on a date? I bet we can find a place even quieter than that garden at the station,' Leon said.

D nodded fervently, but he simply couldn't say a word.

Leon chuckled warmly and said, 'I love you so much.'

'I love you, Leon,' D answered, barely above a whisper.

Their room was still very dark because no one had dared come in and open the blinds. Leon looked towards Kitano's bed; he couldn't really see anything, but he heard nothing and concluded that if he didn't hear the third man, who was supposed to be in the room, then it had to mean that Kitano was already up and out somewhere.

'I didn't hear Kitano leave the room,' Leon declared.

'Neither did I,' D admitted, quite surprised that Kitano's going out didn't disturb him.

Leon kissed D's cheek and said with a chuckle, 'I'll ask Auntie Jill if she'd lend us her laptop for our date. There are files I'd like to read with you - especially now you've told me how we can have a child together.'

'Keiji-saaaaaaaaan!' D protested.

Leon laughed heartily and proceeded to tickle his husband.

When they stopped playing, they got up and went to join the others.

Homa was sharing wild tales about D's and her youth when the husbands walked into the hall. D froze on the spot.

'What's wrong, Honey?' Leon asked worriedly.

D shook his head to concentrate and whispered, 'Nothing's wrong. My cousin Homa is here. She's always been very nice to me.' There was something in D's tone that bothered Leon, and it showed. D sighed deeply and explained, 'When Father ignored me, or when Grandfather was disappointed in me, Homa always found a way to send me something to cheer me up. She's younger than I, but there is something so maternal in her that she can sound wiser than my older blood relatives.'

Leon looked at Homa, who was still telling her tale with wide gestures, much to Ao's delight.

'She was nice to you, and she likes Ao. That's all I need to know to love her,' Leon declared.

D gently squeezed Leon's hand and at the same time, Homa turned her head and looked straight at Leon as she beamed with love. Leon started grinning like an idiot.

They walked to their friends and family, and D introduced Homa to his husband. The female deity and Leon hit it off instantly.

Leon noticed that D was very happy to see his cousin, and he asked D if he'd like to invite Homa to stay with them - at least for the day. The suggestion made D as happy as if Leon had given him a box of the finest chocolates in the entire world.

Homa told them that she was planning to visit Miyajima, and Inoue pointed out that they were heading there next. Homa agreed to keep them company - mainly to share old tales about D with Leon, Ao and Jill, and to gently tease her dear cousin. Inoue offered to ask the priests to give her a private room, but the female deity pointed out that she could share the room the ladies already occupied.

Inoue was old and wise enough not to overreact because another deity would share a room with her. Jill did not fully grasp the exact nature of D and Homa (she hadn't seen as many weird things as Leon had after he met D and when Leon was still trying to understand what was going on in the shop); she was delighted, but not impressed. Ao felt an odd connection with her cousin, but so many new things were happening to her that she didn't question the feeling.

The happy group still had many places to visit in Kyôto, and they left as soon as they all got dressed.

When Kitano saw that Leon was putting on his kimono again, he did the same because he didn't want his grandmother to scold him yet again.

Ao decided to don one of the new furisode she'd discovered in her luggage - and that seemed to have been brought from the shop by magic (or maybe the luggage were an extension of the shop and could contain anything that was stored in the shop).

When Jill looked at Homa, who was wearing a sari, and Inoue and Ao, who were wearing kimonos, she decided that she wouldn't put on Western clothes, and she asked Ao to help her put on her kimono.

Outside, their party had quite a lot of success. Most people only saw a "family" possibly going to the temple, but a few people did acknowledge the nature of D and Homa, and they were even more impressed to see them walking in town.

Soon after leaving the temple grounds, Leon called Jill and he asked her if he and D could borrow her laptop. That started a colourful conversation that made them all blush in turn at one point or another.

Inoue noticed that Ao was observing her fathers and that the girl was clearly puzzled. The old lady walked more slowly on purpose and asked Ao to lend her her arm; that allowed Inoue to help Ao understand what her fathers' love entailed.

Kitano heard a few words of what his grandmother was telling Ao, and he was so embarrassed that he walked faster, but not too fast because he didn't want to hear what the husbands and their adopted sister were talking about.

'Kitano-san?' Homa said gently.

He bowed.

'I am not from here, Kitano-san. There's no need to be so formal. Besides, I'd really like you to relax around me - and I bet my cousin would like that, as well,' Homa declared.

Kitano bowed again and said, 'I cannot relax, Lady. You are deities.'

'Yes, but as you can see, we are very much like you. We live and we love. Some deities will savour worship bordering on fear, but our family needs love more than anything. We don't want you to be afraid. We don't want you to have empty respect for us,' she said.

'But I must respect you!' Kitano exclaimed.

'No, you are not required to respect us. What we need is your love or your affection given freely,' she explained.

Kitano looked utterly lost.

Homa smiled benignly and began explaining the difference between what Kitano was trying to do and what his grandmother was feeling. After a few minutes near the female deity, Kitano began to truly understand.

Homa smiled discreetly, and then she started explaining what he needed to know to understand love. At one point during their talk Kitano found himself surprised to see that his prayer had indeed been answered. When they visited yet another temple that morning, he prayed more fervently, thanking whoever had heard him, and he had the feeling that someone was really listening.

In the fifth temple they were visiting, priests and attendants started bringing D and Leon small gifts that had been sent by other deities. Apparently their wedding was well accepted, and they gathered quite a few charms and protections for their couple - as well as a few blessings for their future activities in bed.

Late in the afternoon, they were about to visit the Golden Pavilion when the abbot himself ran to meet them.

'There's something strange in the air,' D said before the abbot even said one word.

The old man caught his breath and looked at D as he gasped, 'Your parents are in the tea-house.'

D froze, but Leon's hand in his, and the weight of his ring on his finger, made him take a deep breath.

'Who's waiting for us exactly?' Leon asked the abbot in Japanese.

'Count D's grandfather and his brother,' the old man answered.

Leon squeezed D's hand and said, 'He didn't try to stop us. It can't be bad.'

D nodded. He looked at the old priest and said, 'We'll follow you to my relatives.'

Leon turned around to wink at Ao to reassure her that everything was fine, and he saw that she was in Homa and Jill's arms. If the eldest Count D tried anything against their kid, he'd have a deity and a great policewoman after his hide.

They followed the priest. Most of the normal visitors were wondering who those people escorted by that serious looking old priest were.

The other priests were busy around the tea-house.

Only the abbot entered the tea-house with the family, Inoue and Kitano said that they'd wait outside.

The abbot was leading the way, D and Leon were holding hands and following, and behind them, Ao was sandwiched between Jill and Homa.

The main room opened onto the garden, and the eldest and youngest D were sipping green tea when the others walked in. The youngest D put his cup down and stood up hastily to meet his brother, his brother's husband, and his niece; the eldest did the same, but very slowly.

'I see you managed to complete that improbable bond,' the eldest said in way of greetings.

'Yes, we did. Thank you,' Leon said evenly.

'I wanted to congratulate you,' the youngest declared excitedly, much to the eldest's despair.

Leon and D had been talking about the youngest D in the family, and they were wondering how he would react when they met again. D had explained how he could pick up the mood waves from his relatives when they were close enough, and right now Leon was closely observing his husband to know if he should worry about the two other D. Leon's D felt that his grandfather had merely come here to please his new trainee; it was the youngest who wished to meet and congratulate the one he now considered as his brother.

Ao was quite impressed to meet the other two D, but since the youngest was being so nice to her, she relaxed visibly.

Homa was sending special vibes to the eldest D, who ended up acting less haughtily.

The priests served tea, but the piece of sweet served with it on a saucer was not nearly enough for the taste of the three male D. Leon won the hearts of the eldest and youngest when he opened a bag of sponge cakes filled with red bean cream that he'd been keeping in his sleeve.

'Sweet tooth,' Leon told the eldest affectionately. The old deity hadn't always been honest with Leon's D, but when Leon remembered the eldest stuck in the skin of a flying bat/rabbit, he couldn't help remembering the eldest wrestling with strawberries on a few of the cakes Leon used to bring to the shop.

The eldest almost blushed, which made Homa laugh heartily.

The eldest swirled towards her and asked, 'The youngest wanted to meet the happy couple, but what are you doing here?'

'I was invited to stay with them, I'm teasing D like hell with old stories about our youth,' Homa answered. She looked at the eldest with something strange in her eyes and then added, 'I wanted to meet Aogaeru, as well.'

Ao, Jill, D and his brother were chatting together, but Leon kept an eye on the eldest - just to be cautious. Leon saw that the eldest gasped slightly and even paled a bit. He was about to loudly ask what was going on when Homa leant towards him and cryptically whispered in his ear, 'Protection.'

Leon found that nicely puzzling, but he trusted his beloved husband to pick up any weird vibe if need be.

All in all, tea was pleasant, and the youngest D was delighted that D and Leon got married and that they'd adopted such a nice daughter and a strong sister.

Strangely, the eldest was very nice to Jill, and he almost seemed annoyed to have to leave her. However, he nearly forgot about that when his youngest said something about finding himself a nice companion, just like his elder brother.

Homa chuckled softly.

'What?' Leon inquired.

'I can see bits of the future, and the youngest D is going to find a human mate in a few years when his training is complete,' Homa said.

'What will Grandfather say about that?' D wondered.

'Your eldest relative understood that he'd been wrong about the way he begot your father, and by the time your little brother meets his future mate, your grandfather will have found a mate of his own,' Homa said.

The eldest and youngest went back whence they came, and the others visited the grounds of the Golden Pavilion.

Homa couldn't help chuckling from time to time.

'Why are you laughing, Cousin?' Ao inquired in a whisper.

'Because your fathers didn't ask me who would become their relatives' mates,' Homa said.

'Tell us?' Jill asked.

Homa smiled and whispered, 'It will take time, but in a few years, the youngest will meet Leon's brother by chance - and there is undeniably chemistry between the line of the D and the Orcots.'

Jill giggled and declared, 'I am not going to spill the beans - I promise - but I've got to tease Leon!' She walked to join the happy couple.

'Cousin Homa,' Ao said timidly.

'Yes, Dear?'

'What about Great-grandfather?' Ao asked.

Homa grinned and asked, 'Can you keep a secret?'

Ao nodded enthusiastically.

Homa hugged her and said, 'Of course, you can. Well, you see, there's something special about the Orcots. Your first father, my cousin, fell in love with your human father, and I am convinced that your uncle D is going to fall head over heels for your Uncle Chris. The youngest D and Chris will meet because the eldest D will be travelling around the globe with his wife.'

'Who?' Ao wondered.

Homa pointed at Jill discreetly. Ao immediately looked at Kitano and frowned.

Homa shook her head and whispered, 'Jill could accept the way of the Kitanos, but he will never be able to embrace her ways. A marriage has to be both ways, or it doesn't work.'

Ao looked at Kitano and then Jill, and she nodded. She turned to her cousin and asked, 'May I tease Aunt Jill a bit?'

'Be my guest; little one,' Homa answered lovingly.

Ao joined her fathers and their adopted sister. She looked like a very happy child.

'Pardon me, Lady Homa, but doesn't your cousin know why you joined us?' Inoue asked Homa.

'I made him forget my duty in our family,' Homa answered sadly.

Inoue bowed reverently.

'Don't, dear Inoue, I will need your help when the time comes. I'll need your heart, not prayers,' Homa said.

Inoue nodded. 'When?' she simply asked the female deity.

Homa looked around and spotted Narayama in the crowd. 'When we reach Miyajima,' Homa said.

'Fate,' Inoue said philosophically.

Homa was astounded to see a human being take things so quietly. It would never cease to amaze her.

'I was hoping that my grandson would marry Miss Jill,' Inoue said quietly. She slightly turned to look at a very surprised deity and added, 'He's too childish for her. She'd be perfect for him, but he's not enough for her.'

'You remind me of my nanny,' Homa said a bit out of the blue.

'Lady Homa?' Inoue almost squeaked.

'She took life the way you do. I'm sorry your grandson isn't a potential husband for Jill, but he'll find someone in a few months,' Homa said.

Inoue beamed. 'Thank you,' she said warmly. She looked around to make sure neither her grandson nor Jill would hear her and she added, 'There's a lot he can learn from her, and I hope that the talk you had with him will start changing him. I was hoping to get a new granddaughter, but if our family gains a friend, it is already a very good thing.'

Homa leant towards Inoue and whispered in her ear, 'Well, thanks to Leon and his unofficially adopted sister, your grandson and the younger members of your family will begin to view our family in a different way.'

Inoue smiled. 'Leon, Jill, and Aogaeru will certainly change the way our youngest relatives are introduced to the way we worship. A tiny change might be for the best,' she declared softly.

Homa looked at the others and smiled.

Hiding behind trees, she saw that Narayama was still observing the two Americans in their party. She fought not to react because it was not her place to warn D, Leon and Jill. However she was greatly relieved to see that the eldest and youngest D were observing the observer; it was a very good thing because it meant that the eldest was allowing the youngest to have feelings for his brother and his new human mate - and it certainly also meant that the eldest was already beginning to be seriously interested in Jill.

Homa could see bits of the future, but sometimes she merely had impressions or feelings about what would happen.

Right then, she knew that someone would come and warn D and the others.

What happened was something Homa could not have imagined; it was so farfetched it sounded like a story out of a children's book.

D and Leon were admiring the Golden Pavilion. D was telling his husband, their daughter and sister that the phoenix on the roof was the original one; it hadn't burnt down in the arson fire that destroyed the temple decades ago. The official version was that it was because the phoenix had been sent to be restored before a young priest reduced the pavilion to ashes; the truth was that the real phoenix that dwelt on the top had convinced the abbot of the time that it needed a holiday.

Ao waved discreetly at the phoenix, and when it winked at her; it looked as if the sun were reflecting off it.

'Show off!'

They all turned towards the voice and were surprised to see Akemi, the magpie who was teaching the kitten that D had rescued. She was looking human, and stood close to the granddaughter of the shop owner and to the young boy, who was holding the little girl's hand as if he were her brother.

Leon looked at Akemi and said with a warm chuckle, 'Look who's talking.'

Akemi looked very surprised and that made the girl and the kitten looking like a boy laugh softly.

'I knew I'd find you here today. Your mother is so predictable,' a man said to the girl.

The kitten looking like a boy hissed at the girl's father and took her in his arms. The magpie stood between the children and the unworthy father.

'Will you need help?' Leon asked Akemi very seriously.

The girl's father was a bit surprised to hear the stranger address the young woman in front of his daughter in Japanese. He was even more surprised when he realized that a Kami was glaring at him.

The father didn't know what to expect.

The two protectors were ready to strike.

Suddenly, the father yelled quite loudly. He had quite a good reason to yell: a kitten - an absolutely normal kitten - was clawing its way up his leg, and the tiny beast with razor-like claws had made its way up to parts that had rather remained claw-free. He decided to flee, but the normal kitten and Akemi ran after him.

'You're safe,' the special kitten told his charge.

'I know,' she said softly with a small smile.

'Meow?'

It turned out that the kitten was the son of Neko-chan. The big cat and his son were wandering on temple grounds again; the father had escaped his human friend's watch, and his own son had disappeared in his turn.

'He's gone with Akemi-san. They'll be back soon,' D answered Neko-chan.

The bus driver and the shop owner joined D and the others by the lake. They'd merely finished formal introductions when the magpie and kitten came back.

'There's a man observing you, Count,' Akemi said. 'The baby spotted him,' she added as she pointed towards Narayama.

Leon and Jill understood that the psychopath was after them.

'He wants me,' Jill declared philosophically.

'I wish I had my gun,' Leon said.

'What would you do? Try to shoot him on temple grounds?' Kitano spat.

'I could threaten to arrest him when he comes near us. I know I don't know enough self-defence to match his karate skills,' Leon growled back. 'He's obviously after Jill, and I won't let him hurt her!' he added vehemently.

'Easy boys!' Jill intervened. 'I'm not entirely unable to protect myself, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Besides, he saw us and he's gone now; we know his MO, and he's not going to show himself again today. We have a bit of time to plan something.'

The shop owner and the bus driver allowed them to change the topic, which was an excellent thing because they didn't want to tell Ao too much about that criminal.

The bus driver was very embarrassed that his cats had escaped his watch again, but D pointed out that there was nothing he could do if his furry friends wanted to wander. The special kitten agreed with D, which made his little human protégée giggle.

'Your kitten helped us. I'm grateful,' the shop owner told the driver.

While the two men kept thanking and apologizing to each other, the kitten had jumped into the little girl's arms, and he was chatting with the two Protectors. One thing led to another, and the normal kitten was adopted by the shop owner. The bus driver and Neko-chan were invited to visit the shop whenever they wished to see the kitten.

Akemi-san promised the bus driver that she'd phone him when Neko-chan escaped to see his youngest son. The bus driver looked at his cat, and he just knew that he'd have to go to the shop regularly to bring his big kitten back home.

The shop owner finally noticed that his creation was on D's finger. D bowed slightly; when Leon noticed what was going on, he winked at the shop owner.

Akemi looked at D and said, 'Congratulations, Count. If you allow me, I can tell my owner and his family what happened.'

'It would be perfect if you told them tonight,' D said.

Akemi smiled and nodded. By telling her new family that once they were back home, she would spare D and Leon very long congratulations and formal blessings.

The divine party and their friends wished the Kyôtoites luck with the pets and said goodbye.

Inoue guided them to the next place she wanted to show them. En route, Jill started talking with Leon about Narayama's MO. D was silent, but he was listening to everything.

In spite of the fact that a mad serial killer, with a family who was protecting him, was most certainly after Jill now, the day was pleasant.

They visited beautiful sites, ate in colourful places, met interesting natives and tourists, and they bonded as friends and family - even Kitano began to truly relax.

In the evening, D and Leon said goodnight to their daughter and left the ladies to plot things together for the rest of their trip. The fact that Homa was now with them added a new dimension to the surprises the husbands could expect.

They told Kitano to go to bed and not wait for them, and then they left the main building. It was already dark outside.

'Airen, where are we going?' Leon asked softly.

'I don't know,' D admitted. 'Would you like us to go back to the station?'

Leon looked around. 'Why waste time going back there? All the priests are inside. We could go and hide in a corner of the garden; I'm sure there's a quiet spot that you know of,' Leon suggested.

D nodded enthusiastically and said, 'There's a bench in the heart of the bamboo grove.'

'Where's that?' Leon asked eagerly.

D pointed one elegant finger to show the way. Leon surprised the hell out of his husband by picking D up and carrying him to the secluded bench that D mentioned. Leon sat down and kept his husband on his lap. They'd save time by staying on temple grounds, and now they could talk.

It was astounding how a quiet place in the dark could unleash inhibitions. Soon, the husbands' shyness was forgotten and they had a proper date - and a bit more. The one time they stopped kissing and caressing each other was when Leon stuck one of his hands in D's sleeve and he collided with things.

'What's that?' Leon wondered.

'I don't have pockets. I keep a few things I need in my sleeves,' D explained.

'A few things? You've got half the shop in there!' Leon teased his husband.

'Keiji-saaaan!' D protested.

Leon kissed his husband lovingly. At the same time, Leon tried to make a quick inventory of the things in D's sleeves; in the process, Leon cut his finger on a piece of paper.

'Ouch! Are you keeping contracts in there?' Leon asked as he withdrew his hand.

D took Leon's hand in his and looked at the cut in the very faint moonlight. 'It's not a contract, it's Miss Jill's prediction from the Asakusa temple,' D explained. He licked Leon's finger, and the slight cut closed itself. D's magic aroused Leon even more than he already was.

'God! D! You can't imagine what that does to me,' Leon gasped.

D tenderly wrapped his arms around his husband's neck. They cuddled in silence, fireflies dancing around them.

Two hours later, they were still kissing and holding each other as if the world didn't exist and only their love mattered.

D shivered.

'Are you cold, my Love?' Leon inquired.

D bowed to hide his embarrassment, but now Leon could read his husband very clearly.

'Let's go back inside and share another dream,' Leon said. D was about to protest, but Leon placed one finger on D's lips and added, 'We've got time to date under the stars, and I don't want you to catch a cold.'

Leon pecked D's cheek, and they walked back inside hand in hand.

Once in their room, they both felt that there was something odd - the room felt empty. Leon's instinct kicked in, and he decided he could always apologize to Kitano if they woke him up, but he turned the lights on. There was no one in their room, and the three beds were still untouched.

'Kitano-san left a note,' D said, pointing at a piece of paper on Leon's bed.

Leon read the note and handed it to D. 'He's a good cop,' Leon declared.

In the note, Kitano told his fellow police officer that he, too, knew Narayama's modus operandi, and there was a slight chance that the criminal might try to observe Jill in her sleep - he'd admitted doing so in a few cases. The fact that they were in a temple, and that Jill was staying with friends - two of whom were deities - would not prevent Narayama from coming if he fancied it. Kitano even pointed out that the fact that Jill seemed so protected might encourage Narayama to try something on temple grounds; therefore, Kitano would spend the night in the closet next to the ladies' bedroom, making sure that they were safe.

'Kitano-san is a good man,' D said.

Leon nodded.

'You said something about making our two beds one,' D whispered.

'Or we could share only one,' Leon answered, blushing slightly.

'It might not be very comfortable,' D pointed out.

'Then let's make one big bed with those two,' Leon said.

They worked in silence, rearranging mattresses and covers. They undressed for the night and slithered into their bed.

'You do realize, of course, that we're alone for the night?' Leon said very softly as he turned the bedside lamp off.

D squeaked in the now pitch black room.

'You okay, Honey?' Leon asked lovingly.

Leon felt D nod against his shoulder, but he didn't get an answer in words.

Leon moved one hand towards D's yukata belt. The Kami never protested.

The next morning, the husbands were a bit late for breakfast. No one would have suspected anything if Homa had not started squeaking and hopping excitedly.

'What's wrong, Cousin Homa?' Ao asked worriedly.

Homa pointed at D.

'What is it, Cousin?' D asked quietly. D was slightly annoyed that his cousin reacted so strongly to the fact that he had spent the night with his husband. Homa may be from India, but she should have known that it would be embarrassing to mention the fact that Leon and he had done a lot more than just sleeping in each other's arms last night.

Homa took a deep breath and said, 'No, nothing, Cousins.'

'Come on! You hopped as if you were walking on hot coal, and then you say it's nothing!' Jill teased the other deity.

'Can she see what we did?' Leon whispered in his husband's ear.

'Apparently, yes,' D whispered back.

Leon groaned.

Jill looked at the couple, added Homa's reaction into the equation in order to understand what was going on, and then she squeaked in her turn.

Ao looked completely lost.

Jill froze, and then looked at Kitano. 'Where were you? Aren't you sleeping in their room?' she asked him.

'The temple is big enough for me to sleep in another room and give them privacy,' Kitano half-lied.

Jill swallowed the lie and focussed on the fact that Leon and D had finally made love. 'I'm so happy for you,' she said warmly.

'It's not that!' Homa said.

'Then what is it?' D and Leon wondered in synch.

'If you don't know, maybe I shouldn't mention it here,' Homa declared.

Leon growled this time, and D looked a bit angry.

'I thought you knew and that you'd made it on purpose,' Homa said with a small voice. She looked really mortified.

'What?!' D asked.

'You have achieved the first stage of a pregnancy,' Homa explained.

D and Leon squeaked in synch.

'Uh?' said Jill.

Leon felt a giant headache coming.

D was busy impersonating a goldfish out of its vital bowl of fresh water.

'Am I going to have a sibling?' Ao asked. She looked so happy and excited that her fathers started feeling the magic that Homa had instantly felt when they entered the room.

D had told his husband how they could have a child together. It was rather easy actually; all they needed to do was make love and exchange vows of love so strong that D would create a seed, then they'd have to wait for the seed to mature a bit, and finally D would be able to plant an actual seed in one of the shop's special rooms where it would grow and produce a Kami baby.

Leon was tempted to hug and kiss his husband, but he knew that D wouldn't be happy if their love had too many witnesses - and the entire body of priests qualified as "too many". Leon gently squeezed D's hand and whispered, 'Are you all right, Airen?'

D came out of his trance and he nodded several times.

Leon looked at their daughter and said, 'We didn't plan this, but yes, Darling, you're going to have a sibling.'

Ao grinned and beamed.

'How is it possible?' Jill asked.

Leon could see that she was just curious. 'It's a gift of D's,' he said softly.

Jill looked at D and asked, 'Are you really going to have another kid?'

'Yes, we are,' D answered.

Jill launched herself into D's arms and hugged him. He was surprised, but didn't protest.

'If we're turning this into a family hug,' Leon said with a chuckle as he wrapped D and Jill in his arms.

Homa grabbed Ao's hand and joined the hug.

Leon managed to kiss D's cheek discreetly, and that made D very happy.

'You need to eat breakfast, D-sama!' Ao declared seriously.

'Aw! Your little bird is so protective of you!' Jill cooed.

'She's our little frog,' D joked, as he winked at their daughter.

Ao beamed, took her fathers' hands and led them towards their table. They were all sitting down when Homa laughed softly.

'What is making you laugh, Cousin?' Leon asked.

'We have visitors,' Homa answered as the eldest and youngest D walked into the hall.

D blushed instantly, but his blush subsided a bit when Leon patted his hand, and D saw that Leon was blushing, too.

The two other D joined them and congratulated D and Leon. Of course, they were both invited to share their meal, and the temple hosted the weirdest divine family reunion ever. Homa was beginning to see the future of all the D more clearly, and she understood how important the presence of the eldest and youngest D was that day. Jill and Ao were having fun, thinking of the identities of the future mates of the two visiting Kami - though Jill ignored half of that story.

The youngest leant towards his brother and asked in a whisper, 'How does it feel?'

D smiled softly and whispered back, 'I have the feeling that there's a bubble of love inside me.'

The youngest D beamed at his brother. 'We could move the shop for you if you want,' the youngest D suggested. He turned towards their eldest and paled, realizing that he may have spoken a bit hastily.

The eldest shook his head, sighed theatrically and said, 'Your brother does as he pleases with his shop.' He turned to D and added, 'However if you want us to help you, we could bring the shop back to the City of Angels for you.'

'Would you, Grandfather?' D asked, blinking with surprise.

The eldest bowed.

'Moving the shop is certainly not your usual method of moving, but maybe I can help you,' Leon said.

The eldest smiled warmly and said, 'You are a good and caring soul, Orcot, but moving the shop requires powers that you don't have.'

'Not yet,' the youngest intervened.

'It will take your brother-in-law a few decades to understand how to channel the powers that your brother shared with him when they bonded,' the eldest explained.

'Whoa,' was all that Leon could say.

'I am grateful for your help, Grandfather, Brother. If you move the shop for us, Ao and I can keep travelling with Leon and Jill without having to stop in Tôkyô to pack everything,' D said.

'I'll have to try and book the same flight we have for you two,' Jill said.

'There shall be no need for that. We will go to the airport with you, and you will take your plane as planned, and then we'll welcome you in Los Angeles when you land,' D said.

'Another part of your magic?' Jill asked.

D nodded.

'That's whoa!' Jill said.

'You are taking all this rather well,' the eldest D pointed out.

Jill shrugged and said, 'I liked fairy tales when I was a little girl, and all I see now is that your family has the power to make things much simpler for its new members. D can come back to L.A. right when we must go back to work, and that way he and Leon won't get separated if you're the ones who move the shop. I can show Ao around L.A. while our lovebirds take care of whatever they've got to do to give Ao a sister or a brother.'

'You are a fascinating human, Miss Jill,' the eldest said.

Ao was too impressed by her great-grandfather to say anything, but in the mean time, Homa was beginning to find it extremely hard not to laugh because the eldest D was definitely attracted to the female human, and he wasn't even conscious of it. Jill was exactly the kind of challenge the eldest needed in his life - and she would easily tame him. Homa decided that hiding behind her bowl of soup was a brilliant idea - no one noticed anything extraordinary.

'You're quite interesting,' Jill conceded.

The rest of breakfast was spent planning the move, and then a few things the three D-Orcots would do in Los Angeles.

The eldest and youngest D borrowed D's seal to enter his shop, and they left the temple to pack everything and move the shop back where Leon had seen it the first time.

'We'll come back to you as soon as it's finished,' the eldest promised.

Leon noticed then that the eldest was looking at Jill a lot, and he decided to mention that fact to his husband as soon as they'd have some privacy.

That day and the next, they continued to visit Kyôto.

The day after that they were going to the island of Miyajima.

They packed their bags and shared one last breakfast with the priests.

Jill had decided that jeans would be much more comfortable for travel; she was surprised to see that Leon was wearing a kimono matching D's outfit.

'D-sama cannot enter Miyajima on the ferry; he and Papa will have to board a shrine boat and enter the island through the o-torii,' Ao explained in a whisper.

'Does Leon know about this?' Jill asked with a chuckle.

'If he's donned a new kimono, I'm sure D had to explain why they're wearing matching outfits,' Homa intervened.

D looked at them from the other side of the table and winked.

'Good ears,' Jill commented with a warm chuckle.

They left the temple right after breakfast, thanked the priests, and went to the station by bus. Homa told them that she'd meet them on the island, and she melted into thin air.

'Now that was impressive,' Jill said.

They all boarded a train to Hiroshima; there, they took a slower train to Miyajimaguchi. On the port, a delegation of priests from the Itsukushima Shrine was waiting for D and Leon. The boat they'd sent was a bit small to welcome Ao as well.

'D-sama, if I stay with Aunt Jill, we can go to the forest, and I can show her where I was born,' Ao said.

'You must enter through the o-torii, too,' Leon told their daughter.

'Once we're in the shrine, you won't have to stay for the welcoming ceremony, though,' D said.

'I have a map of the island. I could meet you behind the temple. Just call me when you can sneak out discreetly,' Jill told Ao in a whisper.

It was decided that one of the priests would take the ferry with Jill, Inoue and Kitano, while the three D-Orcots would board a traditional boat rowed by priests.

D, Leon and Ao boarded the boat and started their trip to the island a couple of minutes before the ferry started moving. However, it was obvious that the ferry was much faster than their boat once it started.

'We left dock first, and yet they'll arrive before us!' Leon mock-complained in a whisper to his husband.

'Yes, but we get to enter through the prettiest door,' Ao declared.

'It may be slower, but it is the way of the D. It is our way,' D said.

Leon and Ao beamed at him as their boat started its slow journey to the island.

The ferry arrived long before them, and the shrine boat was already making people talk - there was no festival programmed, therefore it had to mean that important people being escorted to the island on the boat, and people wondered who those important people were. The priest excused himself and ran to the shrine to welcome the party.

Jill and the Kitanos entrusted their luggage to the driver for the inn where they'd stay, since they'd called him to tell him their hour of arrival.

Then, Inoue guided Jill and her grandson towards the shrine, but they walked through the main shopping street instead of taking the street on the shore. When Jill realized how many food shops there were, she understood that Inoue was planning to buy a few dishes so that they could have a picnic on top of Mount Misen.

They were still shopping when Ao called Jill. Inoue had sent Kitano down the street, and he never suspected that his grandmother would fail to tell him that Jill was joining Ao behind the shrine.

There was no one in the park where Jill met Ao. Ao was praying at a small shrine that was carved in the side of a rock when Jill caught up with her.

Ao finished her prayer and looked at her aunt, who was carrying two bags of food.

'Oh, my! Don't tell me that Inoue-sama is still shopping!' Ao said with a giggle.

'She is, and so is Kitano. If I'm not mistaken, they're going to take the cable car to join us on top of the mountain with a few more snacks,' Jill answered with a chuckle. 'How are your fathers doing?'

'Papa is trying not to laugh. The priests and attendants are quite surprised that D-sama married a mortal man and shared his divine gifts with him. The welcoming ceremony wasn't too long, but they asked D-sama to bless the shrine, and he couldn't refuse,' Ao explained. 'Papa said they'd catch up with us as soon as possible.'

'Are you sure your kimono won't bother you in the forest? I'd like to see the primeval forest, but we can see it as we walk back to the harbour after lunch,' Jill said.

'It's fine, Aunt Jill. Since D-sama gave me a drop of his blood, wearing traditional costumes is more natural than anything else for me - and I was born here. I was hopping around when one of the deer talked about me in the shop and D-sama came to invite me to join him and the other pets,' Ao said.

'If you're done praying, we could start climbing. You could show me your favourite old spots,' Jill said.

Ao hopped with joy, and Jill put her bags down to hug her adopted niece. Ao hugged her back and smiled happily.

'I'll take one of the bags,' Ao declared.

'You don't have to,' Jill protested.

'Then I have something to give to the deer we'll meet. The messengers of the gods deserve treats. I owe them so much,' Ao said ingenuously.

Jill looked at the two bags and gave one to Ao. 'That one's got the cakes,' she said.

Ao giggled and said, 'We can both feed them. I remember that it takes time to reach the top of the mountain.'

'And we must give your dads the opportunity to catch up with us,' Jill added.

Ao and Jill started to follow the path leading up Mount Misen. Jill was quite surprised with the peace and quiet of the primeval forest, but she was even more surprised by the path itself. Instead of a winding path up, they had to climb flights of stairs.

They met a few people, but they were going down the path, as most people took the cable car up.

'There's another shrine in the side of a rock up the path. We could stop there and wait for my fathers; they shouldn't be long, now,' Ao suggested.

'Great idea! And I think I'd like a cake,' Jill said.

'You're reacting like a D!' Ao exclaimed, hiding her grin behind her left sleeve.

Jill chuckled.

When they reached the shrine of the Fox, they sat down on the stairs of stone. A few deer came to get a treat. One ran down to warn D and Leon that a man with a black soul was hiding and waiting to strike.

'Shall we go and find Jill to take the cable car? Surely we have enough food now,' Kitano told his grandmother when he joined her again.

'No, Ichigo, we must go to the shrine. This is where we'll be needed momentarily,' she answered.

'What do you mean?' he inquired innocently.

'Lady Homa is a special member of Count D's family. She told me to wait for them there,' Inoue said.

'Why is she special?' he asked, dreading to hear the answer.

'She is a Goddess of death,' she said softly.

Kitano looked around, trying to locate Jill, panicking slightly.

'There is no way to escape Fate, Ichigo. Let's go to the shrine. If you have an ounce of affection for Count D and his family, that is where they'll need us,' Inoue declared.

'Maybe I can warn Count D or Leon. Maybe I can do something,' Kitano said desperately.

'Homa-sama will do what she has to do. You would never reach any of them in time. It has to happen,' Inoue insisted.

Kitano dropped his bags and started running towards the shrine.

'ICHI!' yelled Inoue.

He stopped, turned around and walked back to her. With tears in his eyes, he obediently followed his grandmother to the shrine.

Homa appeared inside the shrine just as D finished his blessing.

This time, she did not prevent him from remembering her duty in their family. She was the one who collected the souls of their family members and guided them to the Above.

Homa was not the kind of deity who made social calls, if she was visiting a relative, then it meant that Death was about to strike.

D took his husband's hand and proceeded to explain Homa's duty. By the time Leon knew why D looked so spooked, Inoue and Kitano were joining them, and with thunder, the eldest and youngest D arrived at the shrine, causing even more commotion than the couple and Homa already had.

'We remembered your duty the instant we deposited the shop in the City of Angels!' the eldest barked at his niece.

'You can't take my brothers!' the youngest added vehemently.

The deer who had seen Narayama ran into the shrine - by then, nothing could surprise the priests anymore.

//Count D! A dangerous man is spying on your daughter and sister// the deer said.

Leon didn't question the fact that he could understand the deer and asked, 'Where are they?'

//Up at the Fox shrine, my Lord// answered the deer. //My family won't be enough to protect them, you should hurry!//

The three D surrounded Leon and wrapped him in their magic to bring him to the mountain shrine with them.

The deer started running back whence he came.

Homa held out her hand to Inoue and said, 'She's already dying. Will you come and help me save her soul?'

Inoue took her hand without hesitation.

'Lady Homa!' Kitano exclaimed.

'Kitano-san?'

'Take me with you, Lady. Maybe there's something I can do,' he said.

'I invited your grandmother because she is prepared to do what it takes to help my cousin. If I take you there with my powers, you will pay the price for travelling with Death,' Homa explained.

'I am ready, and I want to help,' Kitano declared seriously.

Homa held out her free hand, and Kitano took it without hesitation. The next instant, they were with Homa's relatives at the Fox shrine.

Narayama observed Ao and Jill before he moved. He asked his men up and down the path to tell him if there were people coming their way, and when he was satisfied, he left his hiding place among the trees and walked up to the shrine where Ao and Jill had given their last piece of cake to the five deer that had come to them.

'The good thing is that I bet Inoue will have bought some more!' Jill joked as she attempted to convince the deer that they were out of treats.

'The good thing is that you're going to be mine, Miss Jill,' Narayama said.

Instantly, Jill got up and placed Ao behind her in a feeble attempt to protect the girl. She looked up and down the path, but no one was coming, and she could hear no little bell that most Japanese wore as charms.

'No one is coming to your rescue. My men told me that we are all alone. You're mine to play with,' Narayama said as he unsheathed the blade of a short sword.

Jill was trying to find a way out and a way to protect Ao - if Narayama had men on the path, she could not risk sending the kid away alone and unprotected.

'Stay behind me, and call your dads,' Jill told Ao.

She was expecting the girl to use her phone, but Ao used her divine powers and called the animals of the forest. The deer had already taken position between them.

'What can the kid do? Call your colleague and his fairy shopkeeper? And is your collection of Bambis supposed to impress me?' Narayama spat.

He was so harebrained that he was not able to see the true nature of D and his adopted daughter.

Ao considered that it was her duty to defend her new family name. She moved to stand in front of Narayama and declared, 'I am D Aogaeru of Miyajima. My father is a Kami, and my other father is sharing his nature, and he's a gifted police officer - as is my aunt Jill.'

'You are but an obstacle, child,' Narayama spat.

He took a ninja star from one of his pockets and threw it at Ao without any other warning. It hit her human form just below the heart.

Jill yelled and gathered Ao in her arms.

The deer attacked Narayama, not caring if they got injured or killed in the process.

Strangely, Jill trusted the deer to keep Narayama at bay, and she took her phone with one hand as she tried to assess how badly Ao was hurt.

Jill was about to call for help when the D and Leon arrived.

The eldest and youngest D went to stop Narayama. The two Kami were so afraid and angry that they summoned strong vines and immobilized the crazy human.

Leon felt a bit disoriented. When he saw the blood on Jill, he thought that she was the one injured, but then he remembered that the prediction she'd got in Tôkyô was in D's sleeve and that, therefore, she was protected by D's powers - and it made no sense for Ao to be on the ground if it was Jill who was hurt.

D's cry broke Leon's heart and made him realize what must have happened.

Both fathers knelt next to their daughter.

'Papa, it hurts,' Ao gasped with difficulty.

'I don't know what to do,' Jill sobbed.

Leon looked at the wound, and he just knew that there was no way to save Ao.

Homa arrived with Inoue and Kitano.

Ao looked at her cousin and understood that she was dying.

'I'm sorry,' Ao said, looking at Leon.

'It's not your fault, Sweetie. I love you,' Leon said softly, trying not to sob.

'Love you, too, Papa,' she whispered.

Ao's pastel furisode was soaked with blood; her end had to be near.

Ao looked at D and said, 'I love you, Daddy.'

D wailed as he held his first child. 'I love you, Daughter.'

Ao gave her adopted fathers a small smile, and she closed her eyes.

Homa started praying as she harvested Ao's soul, which was like a tiny bead of white light.

'Take good care of her,' D beseeched his cousin.

Homa bowed and said, 'I swear.'

Trembling, Leon stood up and declared, 'I'm going to kill him.'

'Death would be too nice for him,' Jill said. She was no longer crying; she looked cold and determined.

'What do you suggest?' Leon asked, tears rolling down his cheeks.

'You should leave him with me.'

They all turned towards the voice. A Fox god was standing before the mountain shrine.

'We're not allowed to intervene,' the eldest D whispered sadly.

'All you have to do is tie him to the back of my shrine, and I'll keep him until his soul is taken by demons,' the Fox declared.

Leon took a step towards Narayama, but D took his hand. 'You're one of us. You can't do it.'

Leon sobbed and closed his eyes.

Jill was about to go and do it herself, but Kitano beat her to it.

'What do you think you're doing?' Narayama spat.

'I'm avenging the sweetest Kami,' Kitano declared. He took the vines that were holding Narayama; the magic in the vines obeyed Kitano, and he didn't have much work to do to tie the criminal to the shrine. The vines wrapped themselves around Narayama, securing him to the rock.

'My men will free me!' Narayama screamed madly.

'If they can find you,' Inoue said.

'What do you mean, hag?' Narayama barked.

'The lady means that you are wrapped in my magic. No one will ever find your remains,' the Fox explained.

Narayama's yell became fainter and fainter, and he disappeared.

'No one will find him. Ever. I'll make sure that the native animals can come and make him pay for what he did to your daughter,' the Fox said.

Homa, the eldest and the youngest bowed. D and Leon were in shock.

'You must bring Ao back to the shrine. The priests will pray for her,' Homa said.

One of her tears fell onto Ao's furisode, and Homa began to dissolve in the air.

'Homa!' D called her.

'Yes, D?' she asked shyly. Her position in their family was always very difficult.

'Narayama killed our daughter, but you were here to harvest her soul. Take her to our relatives and take care of her,' D said.

'The form of your daughter changed, but she is not lost,' Homa said cryptically.

Homa left her relatives.

'The prayers must be said,' Inoue declared.

'I'll carry her,' Leon told D.

'You cannot,' Inoue said.

Leon was about to growl, but D placed his hand over Leon's and said, 'A mortal has to carry her.'

'I will, then,' Jill sobbed.

'You were her aunt in Ao's heart,' the youngest D intervened.

'I will carry the Lady Aogaeru,' Kitano declared.

Kitano knelt in front of Ao and waited until his heart was strong enough to carry the little Kami back to the shrine.

The youngest D plunged his right hand into the earth and made the plants thicker around the shrine to be sure that no one would spot Narayama. Inoue walked to him and gave him a small smile.

'One day, you'll be as good a father as your brothers,' she told him in a whisper.

'May you be right! I'm so afraid of doing wrong,' the youngest confessed.

Inoue caressed the hair of the youngest.

'May I walk with you?' he begged.

'I will need help on those stairs,' she said as she held out her hand.

The youngest D clung to her as if she were a life-line.

Leon looked at the eldest; Leon had killed D's father, the eldest D's son and a part of him, and now he'd lost his own daughter. Leon walked to the eldest.

'I never had the opportunity to tell you that I'm sorry,' Leon said.

'You were right, Leon. You were right, and I was wrong. The youngest is my redemption. My grandson, your husband, has better instincts in spite of all the silly things I taught him. I'm sorry you had to lose your daughter. She was a worthy great-granddaughter,' the eldest said.

'Thank you,' Leon almost sobbed. He turned around. 'Could you do something for me?'

The eldest nodded.

'Take care of Jill. She's going to feel guilty because of Narayama. We love Ao dearly. It was instant magic,' Leon said.

'I'll wrap her in my magic, and I'll take care of her. She's a good woman,' the eldest promised.

'Thanks, Q-chan,' Leon said as he walked back to D.

The eldest blinked, but he didn't bark at Leon for giving him his old nickname. Truth be told, the eldest felt as if he'd been welcomed into a real family at last.

The eldest glided to Jill, gathered her into his arms, and let her cry her soul out on his shoulder.

Leon helped D up, which allowed Kitano to finally gather Ao in his arms.

Kitano was praying so sincerely that he erased all traces of the aggression on Ao. Her furisode turned completely white - as did Kitano's hair.

'What's that?' Jill gasped.

'The price for helping Death,' the eldest explained.

Kitano started his slow descent to the shrine, chanting prayers softly.

Leon and D walked after him. The eldest and Jill came next, and then the youngest and Inoue.

They met a few people who were walking up the path. When they saw the party, most of them prayed for Ao - one man ran to the shrine to warn the priests.

The entire shrine was bubbling with activity when they entered it again.

Kitano deposited Ao inside the main building.

Jill cried even more when she saw that the room was full of frogs who'd come to pay their last respect to their little sister who had become a Kami.

The news travelled throughout the island, and everybody prayed for Ao.

The ceremony for Ao itself was a blur for D and Leon.

At one point, Inoue ordered one of the attendants to bring cakes for the D. The old lady forced them all to eat at least one cake; she was particularly determined with D, and she stopped bugging him only when he finished the one sponge cake she gave him.

Five minutes later, D shivered and squeaked.

'Airen?' Leon asked worriedly.

'I feel strange,' D admitted.

'Homa-sama wanted to do something for you two and Ao. She thought that reincarnation was a much better option. I agreed to help, but I had to trick you. I apologize,' Inoue said.

D placed one hand over his stomach and squeaked again. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

Ao was dead, but she wasn't completely gone - indeed.

The priests and Inoue took care of the funeral.

Inoue called a few of her relatives, who helped her change the programme for D, Leon and Jill. They all stayed on the island one more day than initially planned - they had to wait for Ao's cremation.

They had not planned to stay in an inn, but D and Leon could not stay in the shrine so close to Ao's body. The owner of the inn where Jill, Inoue and Kitano were staying invited the three D and Leon to stay even though they had no reservations; she wanted her divine guests to stay in individual rooms, but Leon suggested that their family stay together.

Inoue convinced them all to eat because Ao would be disappointed in them if they were too sad when she had been given the opportunity to come back among the D. They had dinner in the room Inoue and Kitano would share; Jill discovered that she was included in D's family when she saw a bed for her in their room, and she ended up crying again on the eldest's shoulder.

They all had a hard time finding sleep.

Leon woke up in the night when D tried to leave their bed.

They had not closed the shutters, and Leon could see the youngest turned towards the window and the eldest curled around Jill as if to protect her.

D got up in silence, and Leon followed him.

The night concierge was flabbergasted to see them arrive in the lobby.

'Is there anything I can do for you, D-sama, Orucotu-sama?' he asked kindly.

Leon shook his head as he followed his husband.

'Where are you going, Airen?' Leon asked when they found themselves on a deserted street in the middle of the night.

'To a shrine. I didn't say goodbye properly,' D explained.

Leon stopped his husband and faced him. 'D, Honey, you're wrong.'

D umphed indignantly.

Leon took his husband in his arms, placed one hand on D's heart and said, 'Our little frog is coming back to us. We should be thankful that she's not completely gone. Maybe she'll even remember who she was before we had her again. D, it's a bloody miracle, and we should celebrate that!'

D blinked several times. He placed his hands on Leon's arms to keep his balance, and he sobbed. 'I miss her.'

Leon took D in his arms and whispered in his ear, 'Homa saved her, and our love is bringing her back. We're together, married for all eternity, thanks to D Aogaeru of Miyajima, and she'd hate to see you so upset when you're pregnant!'

D sniffed loudly and asked, 'When did you become the sensible one in our relationship?'

'The moment I let Ao convince me to come back to the shop even though I was pissed off,' Leon answered good-naturedly.

A few deer had felt D's distress, and they came to meet the couple and offer their condolences.

A very young deer surprised them all by nuzzling D's belly. 'Aogaeru-sama will be a full Kami when she comes back,' he said.

Leon rubbed his forehead because he definitely understood the deer when they spoke.

D knelt in front of the young deer and hugged him. 'You're right! I completely overlooked that aspect of our adoption,' D admitted.

'D, Honey, you lost your human detective here,' Leon intervened.

While still holding the deer, D looked up at Leon and said, 'Ao was our daughter, and she shared our nature, but not fully.'

Leon analyzed what D had just said and asked, 'Do you mean that we'd have lost her because she wasn't born a Kami, and she didn't bond with one in matrimony?'

D nodded sadly.

'My Love,' Leon said, his voice thick with emotion, 'our daughter is coming back to us and she will grow up a D to whom you can entrust the shop one day. We did lose Ao, but Homa gave us a great gift.'

'You must plant her seed and watch her grow,' another deer said.

D nodded furiously. He looked at Leon as if to say something, but not daring.

'We will do what we must here, and then you'll place her in the birth room as soon as we're back home,' Leon said.

D nodded again.

'Do you want to go and pray now?' Leon asked gently.

'I... I'd like to say goodbye, nonetheless. I need to say goodbye to Aogaeru to welcome her new incarnation,' D admitted.

Leon wrapped an arm around D's waist, and they walked to the nearest shrine they could find. It was a very small one. More deer and other animals came to join them.

When they were done praying, they reopened their eyes, and Leon was surprised to see the Kami he'd seen when he prayed before his bonding. She was holding Ao's hand.

D squeaked. Leon wondered if it was because of their late daughter or because of the other Kami.

'This form came to join us, but her new incarnation is ready to come back. We'll take care of her. Do not worry, my sons,' the lady said.

'Thank you!' Leon said with all his heart.

'You'll have to break the family tradition and give her siblings,' she added.

D and Leon blushed furiously.

'I'd like that,' Ao said.

'We'll see what we can do,' Leon joked.

D glared at his husband.

'Goodbye, Papa! Goodbye, Daddy!' Ao said as she dissolved into thin air.

'Goodbye Ao,' her fathers said in unison.

'Oh, D, tell my son that he should trust his instinct - and he'd better not hurt her if he doesn't want me to come and haunt him,' the other Kami said before disappearing.

'Who is she?' Leon wondered.

'My mother,' the eldest said.

The eldest, Jill and the youngest had woken up and hunted the couple down at the shrine.

'What did she mean?' the youngest wondered innocently.

Leon saw that the eldest was holding Jill very kindly, and he understood what their relative meant.

'You'd better be nice, or I won't give you any strawberries, Q-chan!' Leon teased the eldest.

The eldest huffed indignantly, but all the others chuckled.

'Q-chan?' Jill wondered.

'It's a very long story, Jill,' the eldest said.

'I've got time,' Jill retorted.

'That you have, indeed,' Leon murmured.

The youngest put the pieces of the puzzle back together. With all his innocence, he said, 'You should woo the lady, then!'

'Huh?' Jill said.

'I cannot,' the eldest declared.

'Hell, why?!' Leon barked. 'You don't want me to call your mother, do you?!'

The eldest sighed and said, 'If I were the one to woo her, I wouldn't be allowed to share my nature with her.'

'Then it will have to be the other way round, just like Leon did,' the youngest said excitedly.

'Excuse me, but huh?' Jill intervened.

'Q-chan has a crush on you the size of a galaxy,' Leon told her.

She looked at the eldest, and both blushed like schoolchildren on their first date.

'We definitely need to talk,' Jill said.

'Yes, Jill,' the eldest obediently answered.

D, Leon and the youngest traded looks - the future would be interesting.

'Now, I know the night is warm, but you're pregnant with my niece, D. Let's go back to the inn,' Jill said.

'How do you know Ao will come back as a girl?' the youngest inquired.

Jill blinked and whispered, 'I just know it.'

'Fascinating,' the eldest said. 'We definitely need to talk.'

'That won't be a hardship,' Jill murmured.

They walked back to their room in companionable silence.

The youngest settled again in his bed near the window, and he began to dream about the future. His soul began calling out for a compatible mate - he felt something, something that told him that there was someone waiting for him, but it was very faint. He understood that he'd have to wait.

Much to the eldest's surprise Jill invaded his bed, but he didn't protest.

D and Leon looked at each other and knew that come one day, Jill would agree to woo her own Kami. They slithered into bed and held each other; their intertwined fingers were resting on the bubble where the seed of their future child was harboured, thus feeding the magic in it.

It was painful for D and Leon to receive the ashes of Ao. Once they had them, they left the island.

Inoue insisted that they should visit a few more sites, and they went to see Hiroshima, Himeji and Ôsaka.

They were nearly all rather gloomy on the first sites they visited in Hiroshima.

Inoue saw that her grandson was annoyed to see the D, Leon and Jill so sad. Kitano exploded as they explored the Shukkeien garden.

'She'd hate to see you reacting like that! She's coming back right now. She's coming back to you. What were the odds?' Kitano growled. He turned towards his grandmother and said, 'I'll go straight to the Peace Memorial Park.'

Inoue allowed him to leave with a wave of her hand.

Kitano almost ran to the gates.

'He misses her, too,' Inoue said as she kept walking towards another part of the garden.

'He's right, but we lost Ao nonetheless,' Leon whispered sadly.

'Maybe we could remember her by starting to plan things for the next Ao,' Jill suggested.

The men looked at her and nodded; she had a point.

'She's right!' Inoue said loudly over her shoulder.

/Best idea/ a koi bubbled from its pond.

'Okay, first things first. Why can I understand what the animals say?' Leon asked.

The three D launched themselves into an explanation a mile long. Jill didn't help by asking tons of questions about Leon's new powers.

It was only five minutes after constant questions from Jill, mostly to D and Q (as Jill now called the eldest), that Leon realized that his colleague might be personally interested in knowing the changes a mortal-turned-Kami had to go through.

'Aunt Jill doesn't even know why she's so curious,' D whispered in his husband's ear.

'We're going to end up being a very complicated family,' Leon whispered back.

'Aren't we already?' D said.

Leon nodded and smiled.

The three D kept talking about their nature, and they started talking about the seed of the next D - the first girl born into their family since the birth of Q's mother.

The eldest realized that if anything happened between him and Jill, his companion would be equipped to carry a child; he suddenly became very interested in a variety of moss - he reflected that growing his short hair again might be a good idea because he had the strange feeling that he'd blush a lot with Jill around.

Not seeing Ao around, hopping around them in her Kami furisode still hurt like hell, but planning things for her new incarnation was keeping them busy.

Jill had a lot of fun observing Q, D, Leon and Inoue chat about babies while the youngest looked completely at sea. Jill decided to call the youngest C because she found he was entirely too Cute.

'Auntie Jill, you'd better not give another letter for a nickname to our daughter, your future niece,' Leon warned her.

That remark started a brand new talk about potential names for the baby. They were right in a middle of a list miles long when they joined Kitano again.

Kitano looked happy to see them in a less gloomy mood, but Jill and Leon noticed that something seemed to bother him. It soon became obvious that a few people were looking strangely at Kitano because of his white hair.

There was nothing they could do about the way some people would treat Kitano, but there was one thing D and Leon did to cheer Kitano up; they told him he'd be the baby's godfather, which was a bit ironic.

Kitano squeaked a lot, and then he started beaming quietly.

'Will you be our baby's godmother?' Leon asked Inoue.

'I'm too old to be tied to a baby Kami, Leon-san. I can be another aunt to her,' she said. She grinned and added, 'There's someone who'd be a loving godmother.'

'Who?' C inquired.

'Lady Homa,' Kitano answered.

D and Leon traded looks; Homa would be the best of godmothers.

In one of the many gardens they visited, Leon saw a camellia, and he remembered how kind and open-minded Mrs Ford had been.

'Say, D, how do you say camellia in Japanese? I forgot,' Leon said.

D remembered the kind lady, too. 'Tsubaki,' D said.

'That's a nice name,' Leon said.

D nodded. 'Countess Tsubaki,' D murmured.

The seed that D carried vibrated, showing that Tsubaki was a suitable name.

Then, it was time to go back to Los Angeles.

D, Leon and Jill promised to keep in touch with Inoue and Kitano.

Q promised D that he'd come and visit him and Leon in L.A.

Leon whispered to Q that if he warned him, they could invite Jill for tea at the same time. Q blushed again and vowed to grow his hair even longer than D's.

Thanks to D's connection, D got a seat in Leon and Jill's plane. He could have reached Los Angeles thanks to his Kami abilities, but he didn't want to be separated from his husband.

A car was waiting for them at the airport. They first drove Jill to her place, and then the husbands finally arrived home, to the shop.

There was a letter from the eldest and the youngest waiting for them on the door. Their relatives were telling them that they hoped Leon wouldn't be angry with them because they'd moved Leon's possessions to the shop.

D looked at his husband, waiting for his reaction.

'It saved time. We'll really have to invite them for tea,' Leon said.

D beamed at Leon. He placed his seal on the door, and the locks clicked open.

D was about to walk in when Leon stopped him. 'What do you think you're doing?' Leon asked.

'L... Leon?' D wondered.

Leon scooped D up and said, 'Since I was the one who did the wooing, I get to carry you over our threshold.'

The few people on their street and their neighbours were looking at them, and D blushed deeply.

'Open!' Leon ordered the door.

The shop opened wide to welcome its masters. Once in their foyer, D thought that Leon would put him back on his feet, but Leon walked straight to their bedroom.

'Keiji-san?' D said with a small voice.

'We have a seed to harvest, Airen,' Leon explained.

Leon was not surprised at all to find everything they needed to make love next to their bed.

They exchanged even more vows of love, and with the appropriate prayer, a glowing seed came from D's left nipple.

'Shall we go and plant Tsubaki?' Leon asked.

D was speechless, but he nodded several times.

They went to the Birthing room and planted the seed in a huge bowl that was filled with shimmering sand.

'How long?' Leon asked.

'I'm not sure. A few weeks if we're lucky; maybe a few months,' D said.

Leon caressed the rim of the bowl and whispered, 'I love you, Daughter.'

The sand glowed, and the seed instantly sprouted a small plant.

'Maybe just a few weeks,' a flabbergasted D squeaked.

Most of the inhabitants of the shop came to welcome the Kami plant and their future little Kami. The love of Tsubaki's future friends made the plant grow even more.

D and Leon had an early dinner, and they both crashed in bed - the next day, D was reopening the shop, and Leon was going back to work.

Both D and Leon were surprised to adapt so easily to their new life. There was no awkwardness between them, and they loved that - maybe it was the result of the many months they'd spent practically together.

In the morning, D scolded Leon when he only drank half a cup of coffee and nibbled at a piece of toast before rushing to the station. Leon merely smiled at D's reaction, and he kissed his husband on his way out.

'Have a nice day, Airen!' Leon said merrily.

'You, too, my Love! And have a healthy lunch! I'll have tea ready when you come back!' D shouted after his husband.

Leon was grinning when he left the shop. He was not surprised to find his car parked next to the shop.

The news that D and the shop were back in town travelled fast, and many people came to the shop that day. The Mayor and the Governor came to pay their respects to D and to congratulate him - even though both mortals had a hard time understanding how D's wedding to another male had been officially registered in a state where it was not legal yet.

The beginning of Leon's day was much less pleasant. Someone had already noticed his change of address and of status, and the word was all over the station.

A few of the men in uniform were having a lot of fun at Leon's expense.

'What's your problem?!' Jill barked at them. 'Are you jealous because you can't even get a date, and he got married?!'

'Married!' one man snorted.

'That's imp... imp... impo...' another tried to say.

Leon grinned, turned to Jill and said, 'I didn't know what to expect when D told me no one would be able to say anything against us, but I must admit he's good.'

'I can say all I want aga... aga... ag...' the same officer tried to say.

Jill chuckled and said, 'That's a good one!'

Those who tried to make fun of Leon ended up stuttering pitifully.

After a few hours, Leon was left alone.

After a few days, those who were prejudiced against same sex relationships stopped minding the fact that Leon was married to someone they only saw as a weird Asian man.

There were more and more people at the station who were beginning to see Leon just as another detective. What Leon did, and where he went after work, was not important, not really.

A week after Leon and Jill came back, a letter arrived for Leon. It was a letter that reconciled him with the entire staff of the station, but that came with a price.

'Ya got mail, Orcot,' one of his colleagues told him when he arrived that morning.

'It's been known to happen,' Leon growled.

'Yup, but not with stamps that would be nice in my daughter's album,' the man answered.

'Where is it from?' Jill inquired from her desk as she put her bag down on her desk and started checking her e-mails.

'Japan,' their colleague said. 'Very cool stamps.'

'Quit drooling, Jensson, I'm going to give you the envelope,' Leon said good-naturedly.

'Maybe it's from Inoue,' Jill said.

'I don't think so. It's from Kyôto,' Leon told her.

Leon opened the envelope, handed it to Jensson and only then looked at the contents. Leon sat down and sobbed.

Jill rushed to his side and asked, 'What's wrong?'

Leon handed her the pictures and tears welled in Jill's eyes, too.

'Oh, guys! What's wrong?' Jensson asked.

Jensson looked at the pictures; there were geishas and one girl without make-up, but in kimono, too.

'They were taken the day I bought D's ring,' Leon told Jill. 'The photographer promised to send me copies, and I thought he'd do so by e-mail. I'd forgotten about them.'

By then, Leon was crying, and the entire staff on his floor was looking at him.

'What's going on, Orcot?' their captain asked as he rushed to Leon's desk.

'I got pictures of my daughter,' Leon said between sobs as if it explained everything.

The captain and Jensson looked utterly lost; they were wondering why pictures of a daughter they'd never, ever, heard of was making a tough cop cry like a baby.

'Narayama killed her,' Jill explained.

The Captain and Jensson shuddered.

'I'm sorry, man!' Jensson said. His daughter was younger than Ao, but in his line of work he knew what criminals could do, and he knew Narayama's record.

'We never should have agreed to let that madman go to Japan. I hope they catch him and make him pay,' their Captain said.

'I'm sure the Above will deal with him, for killing Ao and for all his victims,' Leon said as he dried his tears.

Leon looked at the picture of him with Ao and the three maiko. 'My little frog,' he whispered.

'On lunch break, we'll go shopping for frames and tissues because D's going to react the way we did,' Jill said.

'I got an address if you want,' one of their colleagues said from the other side of their corner of the floor.

At one point or another, everyone in the department came to Leon's desk to see the pictures of the late Ao. Leon didn't get much work done, but after Jill told him the story - the edited form at least - their Captain didn't growl at Leon.

As predicted, D cried a lot when he saw the pictures. The very simple and elegant frames Leon and Jill had bought were placed in the room they used as a family parlour. The pictures of Ao, smiling, alive and beaming were put all around the urn containing her ashes in the shrine her fathers had built for her.

Right after doing that, they went to the Birthing room and gave more love to the plant, making the kind of fruit where their future baby was grow even more.

Thanks to Ao, Leon's marriage was accepted, and life became normal again at work - if there is such a thing as normal.

There were two funny moments in the following months.

First there was the day when Q came to invite Jill for lunch. He was dressed just like D, and his hair was then as long as D's; Jill's colleagues mistook him for D.

'Dating Leon's guy, are you, Jillie?' one said.

The eldest D swirled to face the man and hissed, 'How can you confuse me with my grandson?'

When Jill's colleague took a closer look at Q, he got an instant headache, which amused Jill a lot.

Leon and Jill's colleagues learnt to look at the colours of the eyes of the visiting Kami, so as not to make mistakes about the exact identity of their visitor of the moment.

Then there was the day when Leon got a call on his cell phone, and he ran out of the station yelling that they were having the baby. That one made everybody go silent.

Jill called Q and C.

Leon must have almost broken a zillion laws when he rushed back to the shop, but there must have been something (or someone) that protected him and allowed him to reach his home right in time.

He found D kneeling in front of the plant that contained their daughter.

'The fruit is opening. She's going to be born any minute now,' D told his husband.

'What can I do to help you?' Leon asked as he crouched next to D.

'Take a towel on the pile over there, and join me. I think she'll need us both to clean her up,' D said.

Leon did as he was told.

The fruit creaked and cracked and started to deliver Tsubaki. The fruit disintegrated like a water-melon hitting something hard.

D and Leon caught their baby and cleaned her up of the vegetal goo that wrapped around her. When she was clean and wrapped in a piece of silk, she took her first breath and cried.

'She's beautiful,' Leon almost sobbed.

D wrapped an arm around Leon's waist, and he placed his chin on Leon's shoulder. Without his noticing it, D slightly dug his nails into Leon's waist.

'Ouch, Airen, mind the claws!' Leon said gently.

'Sorry,' D apologized as he caressed Leon's waist.

Tsubaki had a few black hairs, D's completion, and her eyes were so light blue that she would surely end up with Leon's eye colour.

When they got up with their daughter in their arms, the plant melted away, and the sand was ready to be used again.

They took Tsubaki to her room, which was next to theirs, and they introduced her to the pets who would be her Protectors.

'Shouldn't we call Q-chan? Leon suggested.

'I'm sure Jill warned him. Let's call her to tell her she has a niece. They'll all come to meet our baby, and then we can go to her future godmother's,' D said.

Leon nodded and went to call Jill from D's study.

Jill drove even faster than Leon had - if the state of Q and the youngest D was any indication; they both looked as if a dragon had mistaken them for chewing-gums.

They all melted when they met Tsubaki.

D took her in her cradle, and they all walked to the back of the shop. Leon took his own seal, and he opened a door that led them directly into Homa's courtyard.

She was baking small cakes in her kitchen when she felt that she had visitors. She rushed outside and was very surprised to see the D, Leon, Jill and Tsubaki.

'I'm so happy you came to introduce me to your baby,' Homa said joyfully.

'Weeeeell, not only that,' Leon told her.

Homa blinked several times.

'You're to be her goddessmother,' D declared.

'And we'll have to find a way to invite Kitano here, because he's her godfather,' Leon added.

'Really?' Homa asked.

'Yes!' D and Leon exclaimed together.

Homa beamed and grabbed the hand of the eldest D. She practically forced him to run with her to the door in her home that opened into Tôkyô, and she pushed him there ordering him to go and come back with Kitano.

Homa knew that Tôkyô was a busy town, but after over one hour, she began to wonder why Q was so slow. After two hours, Homa was practically growling, but she cooked dinner for her guests.

They were about to start eating when they all heard noises coming from a cupboard, and Homa went to investigate. She placed her hand on the door and felt that the eldest was on the other side; she opened the door.

The eldest saw that Homa was about to demand to know why he'd needed so long.

Before Homa could utter a word, Q said, 'I had to find a way to go to Kyôto; that's where he was.'

Q walked into Homa's home again. Kitano followed him, and his grandmother walked in after him.

When Jill greeted Inoue in Japanese, they all realized that she must be spending quite a lot of time with the eldest.

Leon looked at his husband, and without a word, they agreed not to tease either Jill or the eldest - it might not be wise.

Homa asked Inoue why they weren't in Tôkyô. Inoue explained that the priests in their family and the other priests they knew had been so impressed with Kitano's behaviour and sacrifice that they'd recommended him, and the abbot of a temple in Kyôto wished to introduce him to his daughter.

Inoue had understood that this was the good match that Homa had promised, and she'd promoted that union. They were visiting the abbot and his family when the eldest D found them and announced that D and Leon wanted Kitano to be linked to their baby; Inoue was convinced that the abbot and his daughter had been impressed beyond words.

They all shared a quiet meal, and after dessert Homa and Kitano were officially made Tsubaki's godparents.

Tsubaki fell asleep in Leon's arms.

'Isn't she too heavy?' Jill asked.

'Not at all,' Leon whispered.

'Maybe she'll start growing up very soon,' the youngest said.

'Not her,' the eldest intervened, 'she's a full, normal Kami. She won't grow up as fast as D, or you, did.'

'It'll be slightly easier to introduce her,' Jill pointed out.

'Yup... She'll grow up like a normal baby, but she's got two dads. Piece of cake,' Leon said softly.

'She'll be just fine,' Homa said.

'Of course, she will,' Kitano whispered. He was looking at his sleeping godchild with a gentle smile.

D and Leon were convinced that their daughter would have everybody wrapped around her finger. She was a D and a little angel.

'While we're all here - and now that you've got a kid - you could ask Inoue to give you that blessing she spoke of when we were in Kyôto,' Jill suggested.

'Can you do it without waking Tsu up?' Leon asked.

'Tsu?' D repeated.

Leon blinked and said, 'Well, it came naturally.'

D looked at their daughter and said with a sigh, 'Why not.'

'I would need a few things,' Inoue pointed out.

'Come with me. I'm sure I've got everything you need,' Homa said.

Homa knew what Inoue wanted to use to give D and Leon a blessing, and she showed Inoue to the room where she kept her supplies.

When D and Leon came back home, Tsu had loving and devoted godparents, and her dads had tied the knot a bit more, thanks to Inoue's blessing. They promised to come and visit Homa regularly.

Kitano and Inoue travelled through the cupboard again. On the other side, they were warmly welcomed at the temple, and the abbot beseeched Inoue to welcome his daughter into the Kitano family. Inoue told him that she would be delighted to welcome the young woman into her family, but only if she and her grandson were a good match and wished to marry. The abbot found Inoue's suggestion to be wise.

'Is there anything you want to ask us?' Inoue asked the abbot's daughter.

The young woman remained silent, but Inoue was convinced that there was something she wanted to ask.

'I know there are many rumours about my white hair. Would you like to know the truth?' Kitano asked his potential fiancée.

She nodded once.

'I felt guilty for not being able to protect the Lady Aogaeru. She was a gentle soul, and at that time I thought we had lost her forever. All I could do was pray for her and make her presentable. Having my hair turn white was a small price to pay for being allowed to do something for her after her murder,' Kitano explained.

'Is she really back?' the abbot's daughter asked.

'She is now my goddaughter, Lady Tsubaki D'Orcot,' he answered.

'One day, she will understand that you helped her come back. Your hair is a reminder for her,' she said.

Inoue knew then that they had found a perfect mate for Ichigo.

In the meantime, in Los Angeles, Q and his youngest apprentice had to say goodbye and go back to their shop. The youngest didn't want to leave his niece, and Q didn't want to leave his great-granddaughter and Jill. With each passing day, Q felt that he'd have to hasten the training of the youngest in order to be able to leave the shop entirely to him. He'd also have to work on convincing Jill to woo him reasonably soon.

Their strange family was beginning to be really happy.

One day, almost a year after Tsu's birth, Mrs Camellia Ford came to the shop to find a pet - a normal one.

Mrs Ford had found the shop by chance, but she instantly remembered D. Before showing her cats that she could buy, D had tea with her in the lobby and told her what happened to Ao. She was sincerely distressed by the fact that such a lovely girl had been coldly assassinated.

D and Mrs Ford were talking about the kind of cat she'd like when they were interrupted.

'TSU!' Leon shouted.

Leon rushed into the lobby, running after Tsubaki.

He caught her in his arms just as she was reaching D and their guest.

'Well, good news: she walks. I bet her sitters are going to be thrilled,' Leon told his husband. He looked at their visitor and said, 'Hello, Mrs Ford.'

'How kind of you to remember me,' she exclaimed.

'You were very kind, and our new baby is a Camellia, too,' Leon said.

'In Japanese,' D pointed out.

'She looks like both of you,' she said, quite surprised.

'She is our daughter,' Leon said honestly.

'How is that possible?' she asked. She took a closer look at Tsubaki and squeaked, 'She's the child I met in Tôkyô!'

Leon decided to tell her the truth, 'My husband is a deity, Mrs Ford.'

The old lady was surprised, but she understood. 'She is a miracle,' she said.

Tsubaki giggled, escaped from Leon's arms and ran towards her room.

'There we go again!' Leon said with a huge sigh. 'Excuse me, Mrs Ford, I must catch her.'

Once more Leon ran after their daughter, who, for such a tiny baby, was running like a greyhound.

D knew where Tsubaki was going, and he didn't want Leon to be alone to catch her. He looked at Mrs Ford and asked, 'I apologize, but would you come with me? Tsubaki is curious about something new in our household.'

'I could wait for you, here. I don't want to intrude into your lives,' she said.

'Maybe you'd like to see our next child,' D pointed out.

'Now you woke up the cat in me,' she admitted.

In the Birthing room, Leon was kneeling next to a new plant. Tsubaki was patting the rim of the bowl and babbling to the plant.

'Does the fruit look all right to you?' Leon asked D.

D tilted his head. 'I don't know, Airen. Maybe we should call Grandfather,' D suggested.

'Yes, please. Tsubaki's fruit was all round, and this one is oddly shaped,' Leon said.

'Amazing,' Mrs Ford said softly. 'How does it grow?' she asked.

'With love,' Leon answered.

To demonstrate what he meant, he placed his hand on the rim of the bowl, and the plant grew a bit.

Mrs Ford cooed.

'Meow.'

A tabby walked into the room with difficulty; one of his front paws seemed to be in pain.

'What happened to that poor baby?' Mrs Ford asked.

The cat was far from being a kitten, but just like the bus driver in Kyôto, Mrs Ford saw the kitten in the eyes of a small panther.

'He was hit by a car. He'll walk normally again in a few months,' D answered.

The cat rubbed his nose against Mrs Ford's leg, and the old lady crouched to pet the cat, who started purring loudly.

'Is he a candidate for adoption? I'd love to help him get better,' she said.

'He's yours,' D said.

The cat walked to the bowl and rubbed his cheek against it. The plant shivered and changed.

Tsubaki giggled, and Mrs Ford did, too.

D and Leon were busy blinking.

Finally, D gave the cat to Mrs Ford and even had his chauffeur drive her and her new friend home.

'We definitely need to call Q-chan,' Leon pointed out.

D nodded.

Tsubaki was cradled between her fathers, who sat next to the plant. The fruit had taken its final shape, thanks to the love given by a resident of the shop.

'The colour is different. Do you think it indicates the gender?' Leon asked.

D nodded.

'Yippee,' Tsubaki said.

'I will not have our daughter sounding like you,' D huffed.

Leon smiled with love at his husband. He took Tsubaki in his arms and got up as he said, 'Tsu, what do you say we go to Daddy's study, and we call Great-granddaddy to tell him that you're going to have twin brothers?'

Finis