14-Aug-2002
Pet Shop of Horrors: Earthsong
by bonnejeanne and cassiopeia
Title: Earthsong
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: This is a sequel to our first fic, "Blood". See Part One for full Notes.
Extra Note: "Lui Yat Siu" - the Laughing Guy, i.e. head baddie, was borrowed from one of my fav Hong Kong movies - Jet Li's 'Last Hero In China' (which is a send up of his other Wong Fei Hung movies)
Earthsong: Part Twelve
Leon got an eyeful of Hong Kong on the ride. The streets were narrow, traffic insane, people everywhere, buildings, old and decayed next to new and shiny modern. Traditional next to high-tech. The temperature was very warm, and very humid, the breeze coming off the bay cut off by tall buildings that would have shamed Los Angeles or New York.
When they came to a stop, it was in an older-looking but thriving neighborhood, and Chang left the car and led them through a maze of alleys to get to a beautiful old building that seemed to be a temple of some kind, though the mix of Taoist, Buddhist and other religious statues and amulets, scripts on pieces of paper, fluttering, and the haze of incense gave no clue if the place were dedicated to any particular deity or discipline.
They were greeted by an older man in monk's robes who bowed to Chang and Leon, but almost stared at D. "Kami," he murmured, his voice almost too low to hear. D's expression was calm but remote.
While Leon had made up his mind to just deal with all of the crazy crap that was going to happen, he still had not managed to quell any of his discomfort over the way these people looked at D. Treated D. The Count got looks at home, it was true, but the looks he got here were decidedly different.
Leon could imagine the thoughts behind all of their dark, odd-shaped eyes, and he did not like them. They made him want to move closer to D, lay an arm across the other man's shoulder, glare at all offenders. Anything to make sure they knew that D had not come here alone.
As it was, Leon only frowned and barely managed not to ask the man what the hell 'kami' meant. He had a good idea already, anyway.
Chang spoke to the old man rather sharply and he blinked, and then apparently apologized, from the bowing and expression, and turned to lead them into the building. They went past the shrines and down a set of stairs into a room below the first floor level. The room was large and there were a number of older people there, with a low table in the midst of them. In one corner, a large-screen TV seemed a bit incongruous. The sound was turned down but the pictures indicated it was a news channel. An old woman among the group held the remote, flicking the button to change from one news program to another.
They looked up when the monk entered with Chang, and keen eyes in aged faces examined Leon quickly. When D entered the room, however, their expressions went through a range, from disbelief to skepticism, to shocked awe.
Slowly, the oldest man in the room rose, and then kneeled, pressing his hands to the floor and lowering his head to the ground.
One by one the others followed suit.
D's beautiful mask-like expression shifted. He frowned.
"Get up," he snapped, in English.
This sent a second wave of shock through the room. Chang was standing to one side, arms folded, watching, and not without a hint of satisfaction. The old folks had been running him around pretty strictly and he didn't have a problem seeing their feathers ruffled.
Leon had watched the scene with a deep frown on his face. Just when he'd been about to ask Chang if he could do something about all of it, about *them*, D had snapped. Leon could never recall having seen him do something quite that abrupt. It managed to somehow make him both more and less angry. So far, he wasn't liking China much. He wanted to get away from these people.
The eldest man was the first to react, standing up slowly. He looked at D with an expression of almost curious comprehension. With a look, he gave the signal to the others, who stood as well. With a bow to the visitors, they resumed their seats.
"I am Shen Nung," the leader of the council said. "Out of respect to our guests, we will speak English. Chang Fei Hong, what is your report?"
The young man bowed slightly and made it brief.
"The Earth Dragon of our province was found in Los Angeles, in the care of Count D. However, representatives of the government took him away from there by force. Detective of Police, Leon Orcot's brother was also taken at the same time."
The elders had managed to resume more impassive expressions, but there was a stir at the short report. However, after a few moments, all their faces turned as one to Chang.
"This is difficult news. However I see that you have not given up our future yet. It rests on you, Chang Fei Hong. You are the one who must do this thing." The elder's comment did not seem to make Chang any happier, although it was pretty much what he expected.
"Detective Orcot, we are sorry to hear of your misfortune. Chang has already pledged to assist you, has he not?" the old woman with the remote in her hand said.
The detective's frown increased. The exchange struck a familiar chord in him, and he felt a hot flash of understanding run through his chest. Understanding for Chang's position in all of this. "Yeah," he said evenly, "we're going to get them back together." As he looked away, he added, "The three of us," now *really* wanting not to be there.
The old woman's mouth twitched in a slight smile. The American was brash. He matched Chang well. It was better to think about that, than to speculate on the appearance of the one called Count D.
Chang coughed into his hand. "Excuse us to make our preparations," he said, with superficial courtesy and obvious impatience.
"Go then," the elder said. Chang bowed and held the door for the two visitors.
"I will join you in one minute," D said, his expression back to the serene mask. The next thing Leon knew, the door had shut and he was on the other side of it, in the hall with Chang.
Chang blinked at the door, and then looked at Leon and shrugged.
Leon only wasted a second or two blinking at the closed door before moving forward to try and reopen it. He didn't appreciate being kicked out into the hall, and cursed D silently, reserving the worst of his language for when he got back into the room.
When he couldn't get the door open on his own, he looked behind him to Chang. "WELL?" he said, a little incredulous that the boy had not moved up to help him with the door already.
Chang looked back. He figured he knew when to stay out of it.
The door opened in front of Leon and D walked out. "It has been less than a minute, Detective. You are so impatient. But there are preparations to be made, are there not?"
Leon's mouth would have fallen open, had he not been so busy grinding his teeth together. After an angry stare, he let out a loud breath and turned to head down the hall. "Yeah. Just... Yeah." He left it at that and kept the rest of what he wanted to say to himself. 'Just don't do that again,' he thought, and because he did not release the words, kept them caged in his mind, they circled relentlessly.
A hand fell on his arm, stopping him without using any strength at all. When he turned, D was looking into his face intently.
"Forgive me, my detective," D said quietly. "I won't do it again."
A frown formed on Leon's face, and he was suddenly disgusted with himself. He had no right to expect... but... "I don't trust them." Leon shook his head as it traveled to the side. "I don't like the way they look at you." The frown had already begun to fade, replaced by something a little more thoughtful.
D touched the side of Leon's face briefly. "That look does not mean anything. They will have to learn to do better. It was time to remind them that it was their generation, not Chang Wu's, that lost the earth dragon. They should have kept him safer from Chin Su. It doesn't matter what fantasies they think about me, just that it makes them listen."
Chang overheard these words and stopped in his tracks, turning his back to both of them rather abruptly.
Leon's mouth turned up quickly, but he didn't turn to face D. "So you were telling them how they'd screwed up, huh? I'm sure they were thrilled to hear that." After that, Leon swallowed, trying to think of a way to say what he wanted to. That he knew he needed to learn that D could take care of himself, that he really did know that, but... it was hard. "I guess if they tried anything, you could do... something," he said finally, bringing his head back around at the end to smile at D.
D's eyes softened at the corners. His hand found Leon's and twined fingers. "Now I understand," he said, and smiled, ducking his head. "Forgive me. Next time I will let you protect me."
Leon frowned a little at that, though it was obvious the look wasn't quite genuine. "It's just that... bad things seem to happen when I'm not around." He thought of his brother again, how the boy had been taken while he was gone, how D had been... hurt while he was gone. Leon did not like the fact that he had not been given the chance to *do* anything... he wasn't there, so he couldn't act. He did not want to let that happen again. "While we're here, at least, I think... you need to be... watched."
D's hand tightened in his in a silent assent.
"I think you both need to take a pill or something," Chang said, without looking back. He led the way down the hall, moving in front of Leon without asking for permission.
Offering no comment (since to comment, he might have had to agree with the boy's assessment), Leon followed, matching the tightness of D's grip.
Chris and his companion were carried inside the dark box, first by several men, then in some kind of vehicle, then by men again, down steps, through doors that opened and closed, down more steps, along passages that seemed to twist, and finally into a room that seemed large, if the echo of footsteps and movement inside was any clue. Chris's nose detected the scent of incense, which he knew from being at the pet shop. But the type was different - more cloying, not as pleasant. In his lap, Ti-lung sneezed, and Chris felt a puff of hot air and the momentary tang of sulfur from it.
They hadn't any time, when the box was finally opened, to try and make a break for it. Several pairs of hands grabbed Chris, almost wrapping him around the little dragon, and shoved him out of the box and into something that snapped closed before he could get a good look at it. The next thing he saw was a curved wall of little gold wires going up and down, with others twined around them. The two looked out from what they realized resembled a very large bird cage.
Chris breathed a small sigh of relief over the fact that they had been put in the same cage, not separated, and looked around the area briefly before sitting down on the floor, cross-legged, as he pulled Ti-lung into his lap. The lizard almost felt like a shield against him, and he only sighed over their circumstance.
But he was frightened. More so even than when they'd taken him away from his father. Or his father had sent him away, depending on who was telling the story.
Chris stroked Ti-lung's head and shoulders gently, and he felt a little better.
/Are you okay?/ he asked. Ti-lung had been awfully quiet since they'd been stuck in the box.
The little dragon shifted restlessly on his lap. He'd been tensed for an opportunity to bite any of the ones around them, but they'd effectively protected themselves by using Chris's body. The gold wires of the cage were many and close together but he was certain he could bite through the soft metal with one snap. The incense however was making him feel weird, sort of dizzy.
'Fine,' he snapped, in a voice only Chris could hear. To the others it sounded like a low rumble or growl. 'I will bite that big one... I will bite him first thing when I get out of this stupid flimsy cage...'
Chris knew the snap wasn't aimed at him, but it still made his heart jump a little. Angry voices bothered him. /How are we going to get out?/
'This cage is flimsy, I can get out of it...' the dragon answered, but he found himself snuggling back into Chris's lap to make his head stop pounding.
Before he could say any more, the "big man", now dressed in a red traditional tunic, stepped towards the cage, his hands behind his back and an unpleasantly wide smile on his face.
"Comfy?" he said in English. "Just settle in. You might even enjoy your visit. Keep your little friend happy for me and I will make sure you are treated well!" His tone was good-humored to an exaggerated degree, and ended with a loud, extended laugh.
Chris looked away for a moment when the man stepped towards the cage, but quickly turned his head back to the front. The man needed to be watched, and Chris knew he would be much more useful to them all if he paid attention, kept an eye on everything.
But he could turn his head to the side and drift away... could leave this place and retreat. If he chose, he could go to the place inside where it was safe. But that would leave Ti-lung alone. He wouldn't do that. A friend would not do that.
The man's voice made his stomach hurt, and he began to fidget. Chris wanted them all to go away, especially the big man.
"So you don't talk," the man said. "That is fine. It's better for children to listen. Don't be afraid - *I* won't hurt you," he put the emphasis on the pronoun. "As long as your little friend minds his manners, you will be just fine."
Chris stopped fidgeting. He realized, quite suddenly, that they were afraid of Ti-lung. He held the lizard in his lap a little tighter, and hardened his eyes. He'd seen his father do that, his brother do that, and it somehow made him feel stronger. Chris didn't look directly at the man but towards the man, close enough so it seemed like he wasn't avoiding the other's gaze.
The man seemed to recognize the expression and it only caused him to laugh even more robustly. Stepping back, he said, "Good, you are a fighter underneath all that weakness!"
Ti-lung growled and tensed as if to dart at the flimsy gold wires. The man snapped his fingers and a chain attached to the top of the cage was pulled at the other end through a series of wheels and pulleys, and the cage began to rise in the air.
The little dragon's clawed feet dug into Chris's legs as they lost contact with the ground beneath them. Ti-lung hissed, angry and disoriented. It wasn't as bad as the plane, but it was just enough, with the odd-scented incense, to confuse the young dragon.
The cage was pulled higher until it hung, suspended from a vaulted ceiling, a good ten feet above the ground.
The movement jarred Chris as well, though certainly not to the same degree as Ti-lung, and he almost let go of the lizard-dragon in his confusion. He made himself reorient quickly, and scooted towards the middle of the cage, away from the bars and the edge. Looking up, Chris tried to focus on the chain that now supported them, wondering if it was strong enough. Wondering if they would fall...
"That's right, stay safe in the middle, little boy," the man below called up robustly. "Once we bring in that charlatan priest for the binding ceremony, we will bring you down. Once we make sure your little friend will serve our needs."
The cage still swayed a little from being lifted off the floor, and Chris was concentrating more on that than the man's words. But he still managed to catch some of it... /Binding ceremony.../ he repeated softly, then louder, to Ti-lung, /What's he talking about?/
'He would not dare to try such a thing,' the little dragon growled, but he pressed his head down against Chris's lap.
Chris wasn't satisfied with the answer. /What *is* it?/ he asked again, sounding forceful when he was really only desperate. He wanted to understand so he could help.
'Some stupid magical incantation, probably,' Ti-lung sounded sulky, but it was from the disorientation. So short a time back in contact with his Mother Earth, and then lifted from her steady embrace yet again. He could feel Her, not far away, but the separation made him feel weaker, and he hated that. 'No one does those any more. The last one who did was eaten by my great grandfather, shortly before that crazy human became first emperor of the land he selfishly called Chin-a, after himself.'
/Oh./ Chris still didn't understand, but he knew that magic wasn't supposed to be quite real, so Ti-lung's explanation eased his mind a little bit. But something else troubled him. /So if they try it... will you... have to eat... one of them?/
'They're not worthy of being eaten,' the little dragon pronounced. 'I don't want a stomach ache, on top of this stupid dizziness. But I will bite that man... I will bite him good.'
Chris was glad Ti-lung wasn't going to have to eat anybody. /Oh./ He shifted a little in his position on the floor of the cage, and brought his knees up closer to his chest, resettling the lizard against himself. For the first time, he noticed that the room was too warm, the floor of the cage was too cool, and he was hungry.
He sighed a little and stroked Ti-lung's back.
The dragonet pressed his chin down and closed his eyes for a moment, the touch easing the crawling sense of nausea that was trying to resurface. He knew that he could bite through the cage wires... but he'd fall to the floor. And his friend might fall too - and Chris's body was fragile. They would have to figure something out... in just a few minutes, when the cage stopped swinging that last little bit...
It wasn't a complex plan, but it was solid enough to work. Chang arranged for his people - triad members, Leon realized eventually - to set up a distraction by making a raid on the trading company's warehouse. This would draw off at least some of the guards, and hopefully distract the others enough for Leon, Chang and D to get inside, along with a couple of his best fighters.
The brief planning session went quickly and smoothly until Count D brought it to a halt with a single sentence.
After a rather longish silence, Chang's lieutenant Chen said, "Uh... what do you mean, no killing? You mean no killing civilians, right? Not no killing Lui's goons...."
D folded his arms, his upper body swathed in a dark silk wrap one of the gang fighters' mothers had produced from somewhere. "No one."
There was a mild uproar and then all the triad guys looked at Chang, waiting for him to refute the strange looking man's order. They were aware their boss deferred to the man, but this was surely the limit.
The silence stretched. Finally Chang lifted his head, his eyes fixing on Leon, for some reason.
"Count D says, no killing. No killing it is. Take them out without killing them. Yeah, it's harder but we're supposed to be the best, aren't we?" His gaze left Leon's face and swept from one to the other of his men, until each of them looked away.
"You can bet they won't be playing by those rules," Chen muttered.
"I think that may be the whole point," Chang said, not without a hint of a sigh. "We don't let them dictate our rules. Just do it. No cheating. This is a lot bigger than anything we ever had to do before. Whether you believe or not, we are fighting to rescue the Earth Dragon. I can tell you that in the folklore of our ancestors, wars have been fought over such things, thousands of men have been put to death over it. But maybe that's what was wrong. We do this without taking a life... maybe... maybe we can make the next age here in Hong Kong one of peace."
Leon kept quiet. At one point, he'd been about to protest, much as Chen had done, until it hit him. He wasn't sure as to all of D's reasons for demanding his out of place policy, but Leon thought of a very good reason of his own. And he wasn't even sure that they could stick to it... in the midst of a firefight it was hard not to give in to the instinct to shoot anything that moved... but he hoped... He hoped to god that Chris never had to see anything like that.
It was a very serious and sober group that finally split into teams for the mission. Using a small explosion to set off the diversionary raid, things got very noisy on one side of the trading building's complex, as Leon, D, Chang and his two soldiers - a young, serious-faced Eurasian called Blank and a tough looking girl who went by Nine - circled around to the back of the main building, penetrating the fence and breaking into the old building through a delivery entrance.
Once inside, the place seemed a bit like an ant-pile that had been stirred with a stick by a curious child. Nine and Blank took point and dealt with most of the hostile persons they encountered, but even Leon had to take a turn when a small group of guards stumbled upon the party from the back. D ducked behind Leon, holding the silk shawl around him with one hand as the American reacted to the situation.
Without his anger, Leon was cold. It was like a jacket he could wear, keep him company, help him to get through things. But he wasn't angry.
He wanted to get his brother, get the lizard, and go home. That was the objective. He'd beat the shit out of anyone who got in his way though, and the men in front of him now had definitely gotten in his way.
They went down easy. A fist, an elbow, a knee. He didn't even feel it. It was like pushing through a spider's web.
When the way had been somewhat cleared, he reached behind him to make sure D was still nearby.
His hand met silk over a slender but surprisingly solid form.
The other's presence confirmed, Leon continued moving forward again, his eyes discontent. They would not be content until they found what they were looking for. Leon addressed Chang. "How much more of this do we have to go through before we get to them?" He kept moving as he spoke, really only voicing his impatience.
Chang glanced back and shook his head. "Not much more I think, but the last will be the worst," he predicted, knowing Lui.
As they passed a hallway, D's head turned, his beautiful nose wrinkling slightly in distaste. "They are down here," he said quietly. Chang's eyebrows went up but he signaled the others to change direction.
The hall turned, and a quick peek around the corner revealed a stairway going down with four guards standing in front of it. All armed with automatic weapons.
"Shit," Chang muttered, his active mind scrambling for some kind of plan that would get them past the danger of weapons fire.
After a moment he shrugged, and with a slight apologetic glance at D, pulled a Glock from a concealed shoulder holster and darted around the corner, where the sudden riot of gunshots told a frightening story.
"Boss!" Blank and Nine yelled and ran after him.
Even Leon winced at the sounds coming from around the corner, and darted quickly after the other two, making sure D was right behind him.
The scene that met his eyes was remarkable. The four guards were all down or going down, all of them with visible gunshot wounds in either a leg or a shooting arm. Chang was on one knee, his weapon still leveled, as his two soldiers took care of knocking the wounded guards who were trying to get up into insensibility.
As Leon came even, Chang stood up, putting the heated piece of machinery back into its holster. His expression was cool, but Leon could see the shine of an extra coat of perspiration on his face that had not been there when he went around the corner.
"No problem," he said, his tone casual, a glance flickered at D and quickly away. He'd been afraid he couldn't take all four of them down without killing at least one. That is, and not get killed himself.
Leon was impressed. "That all of them?" he asked, giving no sign that he thought the boy had done anything more spectacular than wash his hands.
Chang shrugged. They all paused at the top of the stairs. The scent D had detected was evident to the rest of the party now, even through the cordite. Some odd, almost unpleasant incense was rising from below.
D stopped on the top step, his head tilted slightly. This time it looked as if he could hear something from below which the others did not.
"They are conducting a binding ceremony," he said, his gold eye glittering with something closer to malice than Leon had ever seen in his face before.
"... shit," Chang growled, signaling to Nine and Blank to take point again and scout down the dark stairway quickly, as the others followed.
"A what?" Leon asked, confused by the two men's reactions. He was annoyed that there was something going on that he didn't know about.
"To make Ti-lung a slave for the rest of his life," D answered as he flowed down the steps beside Leon, and just behind Chang. His tone was low and might almost have been pleasant if it hadn't been so very, very cold.
Leon was a little taken aback, though he showed no outward sign of reaction, other than to quicken his steps a little. "Can they? Is it... possible?" His voice was even, without a drop of condescension. Leon was taking everything the Count said very seriously.
"It was done... once," D answered as they neared the bottom of the stairs. "Today it is a place called Vladivostok."
Leon wasn't familiar with the place, but judging by D's tone of voice alone, he gathered that it wasn't a pretty picture. "No one's making anybody anyone's slave," the detective said firmly, and it was easy to tell there was no doubt in his mind. Under his breath he added, "It's against the law. Probably even here..."
D seemed to come out of his mask for just long enough to let a glimmer of affection and pride sparkle from his eyes to the detective next to him.
At the bottom of the stairs, Blank and Nine waited for them, Blank with one ear to the closed door there. "Some kind of chanting," he murmured. After another moment of concentration he said, "Big room... can't tell how many inside. At least three or four, could be more than that if they are keeping still."
Chang took a deep breath, started to pull out his gun again, then slowly put it back. "You two stay out here, keep anything from sneaking up on us and blocking the way out," he said in a low voice. The expressions on his soldiers' faces were silent, but stringent protests. He simply shook his head. "Last word - get the boy out - the American kid. Get him out safely, no matter what. Got it?"
After a moment they both nodded.
Chang glanced at Leon. "Lui will be waiting for us. They probably heard the gunfire above. But he won't stop the ceremony until it's complete. That's all we have."
Leon nodded his head in agreement. "I figured. No problem, right?" he said, a bare smile on his mouth.
Chang grinned like a shark. "No problem, Mister Detective," he answered. Glancing briefly at D and then away, he placed a hand on the door and prepared to enter.
TBC