23-Mar-2002
Pet Shop of Horrors: Blood
by bonnejeanne and cassiopeia
Title: Blood
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and Cassiopeia (cassiopeia@gundamwing.net)
Archive: http://www.no-assumptions.com/gundamwing/
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: Series
WARNINGS: Lemon/Limey stuff, AU
Disclaimer: Pet Shop of Horrors characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
As with all our fics, while our goal is to stay as in character as possible, any discrepancies are our mistakes.
Feedback: Any and all comments welcome, be they short or long.
NOTES: We started writing this based only on what we had seen in the anime. I hadn't done any research on the web and so was not aware of the information from the manga at all. Therefore this can be considered an Alternate Universe fic. It is kind of interesting that while I did not know anything about kami, some odd similarities showed up - they were entirely unintended. ^__^;;;;
Blood Part One: First Aid
"Well Detective, it looks like you are going to finally get what you wanted," the Chief said as the door of his office closed. He didn't look very happy about it, in fact he looked suspiciously worried.
"What?" Leon asked, leaning against the wall by the office door rather than taking a seat. He wondered what the old man had come up with now.
The sour look he got for his trouble skipped off Leon and glanced through the glass of the windowed cubical, to fix on someone waiting outside. Leon had seen him when coming to answer the summons. 'Old guy' - which meant somewhere on the high side of middle age, iron gray hair, hard black eyes, dated mustache, chiseled Asian features. Though wearing civilian clothes, it was just too easy to picture the man in some kind of uniform, not a cop's... His expression was forbidding to the point of near-repulsion. The scar down the side of his face didn't help either.
"That guy's from Mainland. Has cop credentials but I'd bet he's army," the Chief muttered under his breath. "Got his papers and clearances, authorization." The scowl increased slightly as the Chief picked up a sheaf of officialese and waved it, then put it down. He picked up another paper and shoved it at Leon.
It was a search warrant, made out to serve on an address in Chinatown that Leon knew all too well.
"Guy?" Leon wondered softly, startled by the paper shoved into his hands. The startled expression faded slowly as he read over the warrant, turning to one of pure bliss. Finally!
The detective couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he looked up at his chief, a little confused. "But I thought..." He didn't finish the question, his mind already racing with scenarios of how he, Leon, would be the one to break up the Count's drug trafficking operation, smuggling ring... or whatever else the man happened to be into.
The Chief grimaced even more. "I know you thought... more to the point, you didn't think. You might consider it as an option sometime... preferably soon." He shook his head. "That gentleman, name of Su Chin, says he's here to retrieve a shipment - been following it from Singapore. You're to pick it up. That's all - just take the warrant, retrieve the shipment. Bring it here."
"But," Leon started to argue, the look on the Chief's face stopping him. They were throwing away a golden opportunity to ferret out all of D's illegal activities - the ones Leon *knew* were going on right under their noses, day in and day out. Nevertheless, he got the distinct impression that his superior would not look too kindly on his pointing that out just now.
Folding the warrant neatly in his hands, Leon straightened up a bit. "Got it," he said.
The Chief eyed him, the expression in his eyes continuing to hold an aggravation and a troubling that went more than a bit beyond what the situation would call for. "Just this once," he growled as he stared at the handsome young detective, "Use what's above your collarbone for something besides drinking and eating hamburgers..."
Leon blinked, thought about refuting the statement, then realized the mention of hamburgers had actually made him hungry. The look in his chief's eyes gave him a moment of pause, then he nodded his head, already on his way out the door. "I always do," he muttered, unable to resist the comment.
The man outside, Su Chin, watched him exit the Chief's office but did not rise, did not offer any kind of friendly banter, did not even appear to regard him as anything more than some kind of errand boy. He'd been informed that even with all his official paperwork, he could not serve a warrant on US soil, so he was waiting here for the package to be brought. If it did not appear in due course, he would chew his way up the chain of command until he got what he'd come for.
As he closed the door behind him, Leon caught sight of the man who he knew had to be Su Chin, his features vaguely reminding him of the Count's. He didn't like the look of this one and regarded the man with immediate suspicion. Moving closer to the area where Su Chin sat, Leon leaned against a nearby desk, making it clear that he was unimpressed with the man. "You have a shipment you need?" he asked casually, not meeting the man's eyes.
The man looked at him and then away. The information was all on the paperwork.
"Ah," Leon said, shaking his head. Pulling away from the desk, the Detective began to search through the crowded room with his eyes, finally sighting his quarry. "I guess I'll go get it, then," he said quietly, mostly to himself.
He moved through the desks and chairs to the edge of the room, to the spot where Jill stood, hunched over a stack of file folders, arms full of papers. "You see that guy over there?" Leon began, indicating Su Chin with a backward thrust of his head.
Slightly startled, Jill looked up from her filing. The last time she'd checked, Leon had still been posturing across the room. "Yeah," she said warily, not sure she wanted to know what he had in mind.
"Watch him," Leon said, then headed from the building without another word, leaving Jill to stare after him, the traces of a bewildered look beginning to form on her face.
Moving through the crowded streets of Chinatown, the detective walked at an unhurried pace, reviewing the search warrant as he went. It was surprisingly vague on details... A live animal? That made sense, given this was a pet shop. Smuggling... that made more sense, given the proprietor of said shop.
He put the warrant away in a shirt pocket, and looked up to find that he had come to D's shop. He frowned, noticing the front door wide open, and set himself on guard. His quick eyes took in all in the people around him, choking the sidewalks, and he moved slowly, purposefully to the doorway. Drawing his gun, he stepped inside, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness.
He was greeted with an agitated chorus of howls, squeaks, hisses, and other cries as the shadowed cages and hutches in the outer shop vented the anxiety of their residents. It wasn't an unusual greeting, but it normally brought the graceful silent form, whose presence would immediately calm the inhabitants and quiet the noise.
This time however, no slim form in exquisite silk and brocade slippers came forth.
Leon's frown grew worse, and his instincts began to scream at him that something was wrong. He moved further into the shop, wishing he could do something about the general racket D's beasts were making. It was giving him a headache, not to mention keeping him from hearing anything beyond the front room.
Finally, he gave in to the temptation to call out. The detective didn't want to give away his location, but at the same time, he found that the worry he felt for the Count was highly... uncomfortable. He wanted to know where the other man was.
As he moved further inside, his nostrils were assaulted with an odd musk that caught in the back of his throat. There were as many strange smells as sounds in the shop on an average day, but this was one he had never run across before, he was somehow positive. It was unpleasant and seemed to make the hair on the back of his neck stand up, as if his senses were reporting the recent presence of some primordial enemy. It seemed to go with the frantic timbre of the animal cacophony.
Edging around a doorway, he saw a familiar lacquer table, usually topped with flowers or some other elegant decorative piece. Today it was clear except for a packing case, a large one, made of wood with steel reinforcing bands around it in several directions. One side was pried open and the case appeared to be empty. The musky scent was strong.
The detective lowered his gun for a moment and put it away, running his hands carefully over the opened case. He purposely took in a lung-full of the odd scent, trying to determine all he could about it, and only managed to choke himself in the process. He did not find the aroma pleasant.
With little difficulty, Leon pried the case the rest of the way open, bits of fresh straw falling to the floor with the effort. His eyes widened at what he saw inside.
"A... nest?" he said aloud, taking in the sight of the slight depression in the straw, two light-colored ovals seeming lonely in the middle. The discovery only made Leon's concern for the Count grow, and he shut the case, drawing his gun again.
As he moved around next to the table, his foot nudged something on the floor. Looking down, he saw that he was practically stepping on a small dark wing. A double-handful sized bundle was attached with light tan fur and little ears. A pathetic squeak was so faint he couldn't have heard it over the other animals if he hadn't seen the tiny mouth move.
Leon retracted his foot quickly, kneeling down to the small creature. "Q... chan," he added the honorific without thinking, and reached his unoccupied hand towards D's favorite pet, nudging it. When it didn't budge, only moved its mouth a little more, Leon laid his weapon aside, taking the animal up in his arms. He didn't much like touching the thing, but... it seemed to be hurt.
"Where's D?" he asked, not expecting an answer, but *really* wanting one.
Q-chan mewled again softly, and then the little creature did the one thing he might have expected on any other day. It turned its head and sank its teeth into his thumb. The bite stung but the sting seemed to abate almost instantly. It did not relieve his outrage at the creature. However the little beast lapped with a pink tongue at the little rill of blood before he could drop it. Flapping its wings frantically, it somehow managed to make it into the air and began flying in a wildly erratic path deeper into the large room.
Leon stared after the animal, the wound on his thumb almost forgotten. He followed its erratic flight, mumbling to himself, "Little vampire..." Would it lead him to D? he wondered, and quickened his pace, staying right on Q-chan's tail.
He stayed so close in fact that when the little creature finally dropped exhausted to the ground he still took a few steps and then his foot ran into something soft that yielded a little before he could draw back. Looking down it took a moment before the black silk resolved around a shape in the dimness of the room. A pale crescent was a chin, the only part of the face not covered by a black-sleeved, upflung arm. Count D was lying on the floor as if he'd been shot.
Startled by the body connecting with his foot, it took Leon a moment before he dropped to the ground, checking the man for vital signs. He found a pulse, but it was not as strong as he would have liked, and he carefully moved the Count's arm to uncover his face. Leon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was unmarred... in fact, he could find no visible signs of injury.
Leon shook D's still body, calling harshly, "D!"
One arm moved sluggishly and Leon spotted what his first quick look over had missed under the edge of the long sleeve. A mark on the hand, just above the wrist. A bite, to be more specific, complete with the deep punctures of fangs. The holes were bloodless and surrounded with an odd purplish color. And as he raised the hand to examine it more closely, the musky smell was evident.
The shopkeeper mumbled something in a language other than English, eyelids fluttering but not quite opening.
Though he knew the Count would most likely object, Leon began to dig through his pockets, searching out his cell phone to call an ambulance. With the phone in one hand and D's wrist in his other, he started to dial as he examined the wound more closely. He had trouble imagining the Count being careless enough to get bitten by one of his charges, but maybe... the thing in the case...
The wrist in his hand felt like it could break if he squeezed it, so delicate were the fine bones. As he thumbed the buttons of the cell phone, something fluttered and then landed on his hand, attempting to knock the phone from his grip. Q-chan squeaked at him. Little eyes looked at him with an uncanny semblance of intelligence and even at this juncture a tiny spark of anger.
Leon stared at the animal, deciding with finality that he didn't like it. Not at all. "Fine," he muttered and put the phone away, knocking Q-chan from his hand. Not knowing quite what he was doing, he leaned over closer to the Count, pulling open one of the man's eyes with two of his fingers.
What he saw was enough to cause his hand to move back. Instead of the expected, slightly rolled up eye of an unconscious or semi-conscious person, he saw a swirl of milky white and deep gold that did not look like anything he had ever seen before.
Q-chan, undaunted by the swat, had fluttered around to his other side and was trying to climb to the wrist he still held in his hand. The creature was still uncoordinated and weak. It tried to reach the punctures of the bite and lick them with its tongue but it couldn't cling strongly enough to his arm to reach and tumbled to the floor again.
Leon watched the creature's actions, confused for a moment. Was the little vampire trying to... bite D? Then it dawned on him, and he swallowed hard. The poison had to be... removed.
Holding D's wrist tightly, he brought the soft flesh to his lips, pausing to stare at the Count's finely featured face, his eyes lingering on the delicately painted mouth. Leon swallowed again, not at all liking the strange fluttering he felt in his stomach, and he covered the wound with his mouth, attempting to draw the venom out. After a moment, he found that his breath had quickened, and he couldn't keep from letting his tongue run over the smooth skin of D's wrist.
The wound tasted bitter. As he sucked at the punctures, his thumb gripping D's hand, it seemed to press against something and his mouth was suddenly invaded by a noxious substance, thick and liquidy, that tasted so acrid he could not forestall the impulse to turn his head and spit it out as soon as possible. Looking down at the wound, he saw something purplish still oozing from it, along with a very faint thread of reddish hue - a little blood.
Still spitting away the poison, Leon moved his thumb over the crimson trail of blood. So D was human after all, he thought offhandedly. He'd wondered about that before, during the frequent occasions upon which he contemplated the strange shopkeeper.
The detective shook his head, trying to dissipate the odd, trance-like state he could feel overtaking him, and he wondered if the removal of the poison would have any immediate effect. He thought of rechecking D's eyes, but didn't want to see... *those* eyes again. Instead, he felt for the man's pulse, finding it a little stronger, but still not normal. Then he sighed, realizing that nothing about the Count was ever 'normal' in the first place.
The bitter taste in his mouth lingered unpleasantly, and he realized he was feeling a bit warm. The atmosphere in the shop was usually cool and he didn't feel as if the heat was coming from outside but rather from him.
The figure beside him shifted and the wrist in his hand moved a little. A pair of oddly colored eyes opened slowly and a red tongue moved over darkened lips.
"Detective," the low voice said, barely a thread above a whisper, quite a bit of surprise packed into the weak but strengthening voice.
Leon watched the man's tongue move over his lips, temporarily transfixed, and then let out a long, soft breath, relief washing over him. "What happened?" he asked, suddenly realizing that perhaps he should have been keeping an eye out for whatever it was that bit the Count.
"Please, help me... up," Count D asked, but it was a little like a royal command as far as its effect on the policeman. He found himself helping D to sit up on the floor. Somehow he still had that delicate wrist in his hand. At first D seemed quite distracted, looking around as if seeking something and then scooping up Q-chan with his free arm with a look of distress on his delicate features. "I have to find... it must not get away..." Then suddenly the mismatched but beautiful eyes fell on the wrist in Leon's hand. He looked from the wound to Leon's face and back and his eyes widened.
"You didn't.... did you?"
Leon's eyes fell upon the wrist as well, and he felt as though he should drop it. But he didn't want to. No, of course he wanted to.
Letting D's hand fall from his own, he found himself staring into the Count's wide eyes. He paused for a moment, then a worried look crossed over his features. "Didn't... Yes, I did. You were... and I couldn't... it wouldn't let me..." The detective stopped, recollecting his thoughts. "Why?"
A little hiss of intaken breath answered his admission. The hand so recently in his grasp lifted and cool fingers brushed lightly against his cheek, and then lifted to his forehead. They felt good against the heated skin.
"Oh Leon," the words came out making little sense. Neither did the accompanying expression of concern and something else. Regret? Not quite that but something...
Count D shook his head. Too many things to attend to at once. Some would have to wait. "How advantageous for me that you happened to visit today, Detective," he said, his tone a little more like the one Leon was accustomed to. "I'm afraid not so for you... Tell me please, was the door... open or closed when you entered?"
Leon blinked, his vision not quite right, and found that he had to put an actual amount of thought behind answering the question. "Open," he said, distracted by the look on the Count's face. He didn't like it when anyone looked at him like that, least of all D. "What... what's going on?"
"Something unfortunate," The Count answered quietly. His fingers stroked Leon's cheek a last time and fell away. "We will do what we can. Door open," he repeated, shaking his head. "I apologize for imposing on you, Detective, but could you assist me to rise? I'm afraid it would be best not to let any more time pass without taking some actions."
"Unfortunate..." Leon said, eyes going wide. Then he shook his head, launching into the Count. "Would you stop being so vague? Damnit, what bit you? What was in that case?" Even as he helped D up from the floor as requested, he continued with the tirade. "Is it still loose? Did it get out? Is it dangerous?" At the last question, he finally shut his mouth, realizing that it was a stupid thing to ask, given the Count's current condition.
Using Leon's arm to steady himself for a moment, the Count took a deep breath and then straightened, still cradling Q-chan against him with one arm. As soon as he was steady on his feet, he began walking back in the direction Leon had come from, pausing at the case.
"Something that was not on the manifest," he said, answering Leon's second question. "Something we did not order. Therefore we can not assume any liability for the consequences..." However his serene features seemed ever so slightly troubled. He reached into the case and turned one of the two eggs cradled in the straw. By turning it, he revealed a pair of punctures in the shell. Then he turned the other. The same. Shaking his head, he murmured, "These were eggs from a rare species of bird nearly extinct in its home. Not protected by any laws, you understand. We had hoped to hatch and raise them, assisting in ensuring the species survival. But something else was in the case. I do not see how it could have been an accident."
The detective moved forward after D, shaking his head emphatically. "You're not getting out of this that easy! That thing came out of *your* shop..." He stopped speaking for a moment, furrowing his brows, and looked worriedly around the shop. "What is it, anyway? A... bird? Bit you?"
"No, not a bird," the Count answered calmly. "I can not say with certainly what it was. I told you, it was not on the manifest. And if you wish to assign responsibility, it must go to the dealer who sent the shipment, not to me." In his arm, Q-chan mewed as if agreeing. After a brief pause, D turned back to Leon. "However... I am concerned for the plight of the poor creature. If it has found its way out of the shop..." He cocked his head, and Leon realized the chorus of howls and cries had quieted. "And I am afraid it must have... it is in peril. Chinatown will not resemble its native habitat. It will be... frightened. It may be hurt by those who know no better. I think... I must in good conscience attempt to help the poor creature by finding it and returning it to where it came from."
"I'll need the name of that dealer," Leon began, his eyes falling briefly on the case, and then back to the Count. "And if you want to help me look for the... creature, you're going to have to follow... orders..." As his speech ended, Leon's face began to take on a slight shade of green, and he swayed a little, incredibly nauseous. He swallowed, then asked, "Where did it go," his voice lacking the force it had had a moment ago.
D studied Leon's face, stepping closer. "You look ill, Detective," he said gravely. "I hoped the effects might not begin quite so soon."
"I'm fine," he tried to snap, but the words lost their sting before they'd left his mouth. "We have to find that thing before it starts chomping everyone in the city." He tried to focus on the Count's face but his eyes wouldn't cooperate, and the next time he spoke, his voice carried a hint of self-concern. "What's... what's happening to me?"
The Count did not answer immediately, reaching up to test the temperature of his face again. His fingers felt cool and soothing. "I'm afraid you have ingested something that is affecting you. Just a tiny amount, but it seems that is enough. I was hoping you might have a natural immunity. It is unfortunate that we have so little time... The longer we wait, the more peril that creature is in. I need your help to save it, Detective. But if something is not done, you will not be in any shape to do so, I'm afraid."
The detective's first instinct was to remove D's hand from his face, but his skin had grown so hot, and the fingers were so cool... and he wasn't even sure if he could expend the amount of effort it would have taken. He settled for giving the Count the harshest look he could come up with. "Do something? Then do something!" Accepting medical assistance from D was not at the top of his list of desirable activities, but he was starting to realize he didn't have much of a choice.
"Very well," the Count replied. His oddly matched eyes held that strange expression again. "If the substance you have ingested truly takes hold in your system, it will be difficult to cure it. It will take time. But you will be ill until a cure is discovered, if it even can be. For now, all that can be done is to administer a temporary antidote. But this will only last for a while and then you will need more. And more again. If you do not have it, you could die... It is possible that if this temporary measure is not taken, you might throw off the effect of the original exposure in a few... weeks of being ill. You are certain you do not want to try that route?"
As another wave of nausea rose in Leon's stomach, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, he shook his head with as much force as he could. "No, I don't think..." Before he could continue the thought, Leon bent over behind the lacquer table, emptying the sparse contents of his stomach onto the floor. When he had finished, he straightened again, unsteadily, and tried to meet D's eyes. "No. Not that route."
Making a "tch, tch" sound, D took Leon's arm. His steps were a little firmer than before as he drew the policeman through a door into another room. There was a small counter with a hotplate, a tea kettle and a small sink. Taking a glass from a cabinet above the small sink, D poured water into it and offered it to Leon. "Rinse your mouth," he said calmly.
Taking the glass, Leon examined the contents a little less carefully than he normally would have. When he was reasonably satisfied that he would only be putting water into his mouth, he rinsed as instructed, darting glances at D the entire time.
D was tending to Q-chan. He placed the little rabbit-bat on the counter and opened a small refrigerator built into a space under the counter. Taking from it a small kiwi fruit, he sliced it and placed the slices on a small plate and put the plate next to Q-chan, who began eating the fruit one slice at a time.
Turning back to Leon, D looked at him closely. He could tell that the man's fever was slowly increasing even though his face appeared paler than usual.
Shrugging, he said simply, "There is nothing else to be done."
Turning Leon away from the sink, he took the glass from his hand and set it on the counter. "This will help you feel better for a while," he said. Sliding his hands around Leon's face, he drew the man's head down and pressed his lips to Leon's mouth. His lips pressed Leon's open and his tongue darted into the man's mouth. The taste was unlike anything Leon could remember, clean, somehow warm yet cool, and a little bit sweet. As the Count's tongue slid along his, he felt something shiver through his nerves. The nausea subsided and the fever seemed to edge back down slowly.
Leon started in the man's grasp and tried to pull away, but found that he could not. His heart thudded in his chest and he made as many sounds of disapproval as he could, but as his body began to cool, the mystical effects of the Count's kiss becoming evident, he relaxed a bit. Medicine... he was simply receiving medical attention from the man. Leon had to stop himself from pulling D into an embrace.
The feeling of D's lips against his, and his tongue gently moving against his own, was incredibly pleasant. When that tongue withdrew he had an strange urge to follow it with his own, to seek some more of that lovely taste. D's mouth parted from his own and his hands fell away from Leon's face. For a moment he studied the policeman, then he sighed briefly. Turning, he moved to the other side of the counter to pet Q-chan. "That should help for a while," he murmured. "If you feel better, we should try and find the missing animal now."
Blinking, Leon watched D's hand move along Q-chan's back, and tried to reason out what the man was saying. When he found himself wanting to move towards the Count again, push the man against the wall... Well, the thought bothered him. "What did you do to me?" he asked, sure that D had done more than he was letting on.
D moved around him, turning on the water at the faucet. He held his wrist and hand under the stream. Leon could see that the bite had closed. The punctures were now smooth flesh, unmarked save for a purple-ish bruise ringing each absent wound. "I haven't done anything to you, Detective. Your caring nature has done it, I am afraid. If you hadn't assisted me as you did so unselfishly, I might have been... very sick. But there are consequences." Turning off the water, he dried his hand on a towel that was folded neatly by the sink. Turning back to Leon, he said, "I am going to search for the creature. I think it would be wise for you to stay close to me for a while."
Leon scowled. "Yeah, well, it's my job to 'assist'. Where do we start looking?"
D's mouth curved slightly before the small smile disappeared. "Outside." Giving Q-chan a pat as he passed, the Count moved back towards the room they had left, passing the table with the crate on it and moving in the direction of the front door. "You asked about the dealer. I believe his name is listed on that piece of paper in your pocket."
"Huh?" Leon said, instinctively moving his hand to the warrant he'd stuck in his pocket upon entering the shop. "That guy," he said softly, more to himself than D. "Su Chin? I'm supposed to pick up his 'shipment'."
"You are welcome to the container," D said, taking a pair of black gloves from a drawer in a small lacquer cabinet. "I might hesitate to give you the creature, assuming we are successful in finding it. Since it is not listed on the manifest, it can not be the property of the dealer..."
Leon eyed the empty container, doubting that it would satisfy the man or his chief. "He can wait. We need to find that animal." As he spoke, the detective moved towards the shop's front door, giving no indication that he was inclined to wait for D.
Drawing on the gloves, D followed, his light steps catching up with Leon without appearing to hurry. Just as they left, Q-chan appeared and took his place on D's shoulder. As he closed the pet shop door and turned a key in the lock, D tucked something in his hand into a hidden pocket in his robe - a double handful of some kind of mesh.
Ascending the steps to the street level, they walked into the foot traffic of the late afternoon. Looking around, Leon could see about a million places an animal small enough to have fit in the crate could hide or escape through.
His eyes darting in and out of side alleys and shop doorways, Leon sighed loudly in frustration. "How do you plan on finding it out in all of this? It could be anywhere."
"That is true, it will be a difficult task," the Count answered mildly. "However, in this foreign environment, perhaps it will seek something familiar. There are many gardens in Chinatown. If one resembles the habitat of its home, perhaps it will rest in that place. The eggs in the crate came from a rare bird only found in the jungles outside of Singapore. I know of a man who had a garden that was made to resemble that area. He was a Chinese military officer who spent time stationed there as a youth. He keeps a home here, although he seldom uses it. I think he still works for the government of China in some capacity."
Leon nodded, expecting D to lead the way, and began sifting through his pockets, looking for a cigarette. They helped him think, and he had a lot to think about. The Chinese military... the Chinese government... that had been popping up all day. What interest could they have had in some bird? What interest could that guy, Su Chin, have had in it?
D turned and began walking along the street. "The difficulty is that this man is not well known for his hospitality. If he is there, I think it unlikely he will allow us to look in his garden. However his visits are infrequent and usually brief. If he is not in residence, perhaps his staff will be more accommodating."
Leon looked fairly horrified. "This is police business! They'd best not interfere. Whether this guy is there or not doesn't matter. Finding that thing is a matter of... of national security!"
One slender eyebrow lifted slightly. "Really? So serious? I am merely concerned for the welfare of the poor lost creature."
Snorting, the detective shook his head. "Maybe you don't care if the entire city goes down, poisoned by some freak animal, but I have to. Poor creature... it seems to me like it can take care of itself."
"It is in unfamiliar territory, Detective. Of course it must feel threatened, and use whatever natural defenses it has," the Count returned as they walked through Chinatown. "However it is unlikely to find any protector who will understand it. So of course it is in danger. And it is true - anyone it encounters may be in some peril from a misunderstanding. I doubt there exist any anti-toxins for its bite. And few people would be brave enough to do what you did for me."
Leon's scowl increased. "Is that what you had with it? A misunderstanding?" He lowered his voice a little before continuing. "That thing almost killed you."
D took a long breath and released it slowly. He did not look at Leon, his head dipping down for a few steps, covering his face with the swing of his dark, shining hair. "It is possible..." he said slowly, "...that was the intention."
"And you're worried about it?" Leon shook his head, not understanding at all. "The people of this city are what I'm worried about. You want some kid or something to get bitten and then drop dead?" The detective looked away, feeling a little light-headed. "You Chinese are... weird."
"Of course I would not want that," the Count said. His mouth curved slightly at the 'weird' remark. "Perhaps we too may be misunderstood by those unfamiliar with our ways, Detective."
They had been walking through the streets, and the Count now paused in front of a house surrounded by iron fences, protected by an ornate iron gate. There was no name in English on the gate or mailbox, just some Chinese characters. Looking up at the house beyond, D sighed. "Our luck is not the best. It seems he is here on one of his infrequent visits." Reaching up to press a gloved finger on the buzzer, he added, "Well, we will see whether he is feeling more generous than usual."
Leon watched D's hand on the buzzer, and began searching for his gun. If he had to force his way inside, he would. With a start, the detective realized the weapon was not on his person, remembering with a bit of disgust that he'd left it back at D's shop. Well, he could always menace his way inside.
A voice, which sounded ancient, answered the ring from a speaker in the gate. The inquiry was in Chinese and D answered in the same language. A brief exchange took place. Then the gate clicked open.
"We have the smile of fate after all," D remarked quietly. "He is here - but away from the house. Something about official business. However the house man has agreed to let us into the garden for a little while. If his master returns unexpectedly, we are to leave immediately, and silently."
Nodding his head, the detective was already walking through the gate. No way was he leaving before he'd had a chance to look around, but he wasn't about to tell D that. This 'master' guy didn't sound like much of a threat, anyway. "You coming?" Leon called over his shoulder, smiling to himself. It seemed there was something the Count was afraid of, after all...
D once again caught up with him without appearing to hurry. They were met at the door by an aged Chinese, who ushered them quickly through the house, not allowing them any time to look around, and out a back door into the small, but lush garden.
Thanking the man as the door closed behind them, D turned and surveyed the garden closely. His hands were folded together in the sleeves of his robe as he stepped slowly down the small path, looking from right to left and back.
Leon immediately began searching through any tree or bush he came across. He figured that was the best place to look for a bird, alternately straining to his full height and crouching down on his hands and knees. By the time he had sufficiently dirtied himself, he was starting to feel ill again. But he was reluctant to admit it to D, wary of the man's "treatment".
D stayed on the path. At one side, there was a small bench, and he seated himself on it. "Our quarry is not a bird, Detective," he said. "It is rather a natural predator of the bird whose eggs I was supposed to be receiving. I admit, I did not get a good look at it. It might be either reptile or possibly a carnivorous mammal."
Swaying, Leon rose from where he'd been digging through the low lying branches of some prickly bush, dusting the dirt from his knees. He'd just performed an exhaustive search, pointlessly, which only added to the impatience he already felt with the Count. D never told him all he knew, was always impeding his investigations, and that greatly annoyed the detective. "Why didn't you tell me that? Before?" Leon growled, indicating his now filthy pants.
D sighed. He patted the bench beside him. "Let us sit quietly for a few moments. Perhaps things will clarify themselves."
Leon frowned and looked away, focusing on the growing ache in his head for a moment. Then, while trying to give the appearance that he'd decided all on his own to sit down, Leon moved onto the bench next to D. The count looked nice, lounging in the oriental garden, but Leon tried not to stare. D was in his element, Leon realized, and felt his temperature begin to rise. Yes, he really was starting to feel ill again...
Leon became aware as he sat next to the Count of a scent, a little like jasmine, a little like sandalwood, that he began to associate with the man. The scent seemed to comfort his physical symptoms. It recalled to mind the taste he'd had so recently on his tongue. The fever seemed to be coming back... but it was a little different this time. It centered lower in his body.
D glanced surreptitiously at the tall blond specimen of American law enforcement who sat beside him. He hid from the young policeman his very real concern for his well-being. He also hid his regret and the mild sadness that the detective was going to have to go through a rough time, simply because of his instinct to help someone in need. It was a poor reward for such a rare and positive quality.
"How are you feeling?" he said softly.
Leon's first thought was to confirm that he was okay, maybe a little woozy but not too bad off, but the nearness of the Count and the warmth he felt spreading throughout his body pushed him towards another option. "Not good," he began, his eyes fastening on D's darkly painted lips, "I think I need... another..."
D's eyes flew open and he turned to look at Leon. His mouth opened and a brief touch of a red tongue to burgundy painted lips showed his rare nervousness. "Please wait," D said quickly. He placed a gloved hand on Leon's knee and patted him gently. "Wait and be still. He nodded towards a small bush at the left side of the path. A pair of gleaming eyes could be seen in the shadow under the lowest branch.
Nodding his head, Leon felt a small trace of guilt for misleading the other man, but quickly brushed it off. To feel too badly about it, he would have had to admit that the Count was concerned for his well-being, but all D cared about was that damn 'poor creature'. The man had said so himself. The detective turned his head a bit, slowly, his eyes coming to rest on the indicated bush. "Damnit," he said lowly, "I know I looked over there."
D nodded placatingly but gave Leon's knee one last pat as an admonition to keep still. He bent down and did a very curious thing. He stretched out one gloved hand towards the bush.
After a moment, something moved out from the shadow under the shrub. It was about the size of a large rat, but more slender. It moved slowly at first, and then more quickly, coming right up to the bench and looking at the Count. It looked a little like a lizard, but more like a small, wingless dragon. Gleaming gold eyes watched the two men. A forked tongue tasted the air. The tongue flickered along the glove. Then the creature suddenly scampered up into D's lap.
Leon watched the exchange, sky blue eyes as wide as they would go, and he involuntarily moved back from the Count a little. "How..." he started to ask, then thought better of it. D wouldn't tell him, anyway. "What is it?" he finally asked, thinking that the animal didn't look as dangerous as he'd thought it should.
D observed the little animal in his lap. "I'm not certain. I did not think there were any creatures like this still in existence." He cocked his head. The creature looked up and suddenly hissed. It did not sound like an angry noise however, more like a sound of distress. "Oh... I'm sorry, little one," he answered it softly. Turning his head away from Leon almost coyly, D lifted his gloved hand and delicately spat in the palm, then held it down to the small animal. The "mini-dragon" flickered its tongue at the offering and then it lowered its muzzle and began to drink the tiny bit of clear liquid.
"This is what bit you?" Leon asked, watching the creature lap up the fluid in D's hand, and finding himself very glad that D chose to transfer his fluids to him in a more pleasant manner. But he had to wonder... what the hell was in the Count's spit?
D nodded and lifted a gloved finger towards the creature's mouth. Having pointed it out, Leon could see a pair of rather long, retractable fangs in its mouth, folded back now that they weren't being used for defense or aggression. They fit the size of the bite. The animal finished drinking, leaving only a damp spot on D's glove. It curled up in his lap and looked like it was going to take a nap. "Poor thing is suffering from the same malady you are," D said softly, stroking a finger along its back.
Leon couldn't keep his eyes off of D's hand, and wished for a moment that the Count were as sympathetic to him as he was to the animal. "Which is?" he asked, leaning back further on the bench, his legs starting to feel weak.
D sighed. "I'm very sorry, Detective," he said, his pleasant voice low. "I should explain..."
Before he could say anything further, however, Leon heard a sound that raised every instinct in him - the click of a gun being cocked.
"How convenient," a dry, rough voice said from the path a few feet away. Looking up, Leon saw the man from the police station. Su Chin. He was pointing a large caliber revolver precisely at D's chest.
TBC