Daiki, Part 13

by Geri (gerichan@gmail.com)

My homepage: http://www.oocities.org/geris_petshop_fics/index.html

Rating: R (actually, mostly PG-13, but R for one steamy scene in Part 1, and for Leon's bad language throughout)

Pairing: Leon/D

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Matsuri Akino and Yumiko Kawahara. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

Sequel to: This can be considered a continuation of my earlier series of stories (Revenge, The Day After, Spirits, Blodeuedd), but it can stand on its own as my version of what happens after Book 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Contains spoilers for Book 10 and the Shin Petshop of Horrors series currently running in Japan.

Summary: A crossover between Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino and Dolls by Yumiko Kawahara. Raphael is invited to dinner at the petshop.
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Daiki was aware of Raphael's attraction to him, of course, although he pretended not to notice. Years ago, during one of his visits to assess Daiki's potential powers, Great-Grandfather had told him that the Ds had the ability to see into people's hearts and read their deepest, innermost desires. Daiki also possessed this power, although it was not quite as strong as the Count's or Sofu D's, but he was able to read in a general way, a person's character and emotions--to be able to tell which of his customers were capable of providing the kind of love that a Plant Doll needed in order to thrive. He had been immediately able to sense the kindness and compassion in the "thief" who had "stolen" the angelic brown-haired Plant Doll, and had also sensed the loneliness in him that the Plant Doll would be able to ease. It was tragic that the young man had died, but Daiki did not regret letting him take the Plant Doll, because love was a gift to be cherished, even if only for a short time. During the months that the young man and the doll had spent together, they had brought each other a joy that they would not otherwise have known, and despite her sorrow, Daiki did not think that the doll regretted choosing the man as her owner.

Unlike the young thief, the jewelry store manager had been filled with brisk efficiency, impatience, and the ambition of a merchant devoted to his work. But beneath all that, Daiki had sensed a seed of compassion that might bloom if tended properly, and so he had directed the man's attention to Snow White, and everything had turned out quite well. Snow White had found her prince, and the manager had won his princess and obtained something even more valuable than the "Tears of Heaven".

Daiki's instincts were not always infallible--he had sold Angel to the young office worker who had loved her too well and turned her into an adult. But ultimately, it was the dolls who chose their owners--much as Count D's pets did--and it had been Angel's choice to go with the young man, weak and foolish though he was.

As for Raphael, he acted flippant and uncaring on the surface, but the truth was that he cared too much, so he used that pose of cynicism and jaded indifference to keep people from getting too close to him. There was an air of wistful sorrow surrounding the artist like a dark cloud, and Daiki didn't need kami intuition to tell him that Raphael still mourned his lost family and probably feared to love anyone else, lest he lose them as well. But if Raphael was as cynical as he pretended to be, he would not have hesitated to accept the substantial commission from the elderly gentleman that he referred to as "the geezer". And he would not have risked losing his large fee by warning Daiki about his curse and giving him the opportunity to ruin the painting. Raphael had said it himself: he didn't stop his work because in a sense, he gifted his patrons with eternal happiness as well as death. Perhaps that was not so different from the love, hope, and dreams that the various Count Ds sold.

Daiki wasn't sure if he wanted Raphael as a lover, but he was intrigued by the artist. He felt compassion for Raphael's sorrow, and admiration for his determination to continue working in spite of all that he had lost, for recognizing that his unique ability was a gift as well as a curse.

And there was the gift itself--or the curse, depending on how you looked at it. The fact that Raphael believed that his paintings had the ability to cause the deaths of their subjects meant that he had more belief in the supernatural than most normal humans. As a child and later a teenager, Daiki had never been able to form close attachments to his classmates because he had always had to keep a large portion of his life hidden from them: that he was half-kami and had been born from a vine; that he could communicate with plants and animals; and pretty much everything to do with the petshop. He now realized that this was why his halfhearted attempts at romance in high school had all failed: how could he possibly fall in love with someone that he couldn't share his entire life with? He couldn't imagine getting married and living with someone who thought that Tet-chan was just a weird type of sheep, a mere pet, instead of his surrogate big brother and lifelong friend. He wanted a union like the one his parents had, which meant that he would have to find a lover with the ability--or at least the potential--to see the pets in their true forms. He would have to find someone who believed in magic, and that was incredibly rare in this day and age.

Daiki wasn't sure if Raphael would believe in animals that could take human form, but he had some belief in the supernatural, which was a good start. At the very least, he was probably more open-minded about such things than most humans would be. So from a practical point of view, Raphael was a good candidate to become his lifemate. However, from a romantic point of view, Daiki was still undecided as to how he felt about the artist. Raphael was certainly very handsome, and Daiki had enjoyed their conversations over tea. In fact, he found that he missed Raphael's late-night visits now that his job for "the geezer" was finished.

Daiki decided to take things slowly; there was no need to rush. Raphael still stopped by for tea frequently, although not quite as often as when he had been working on the portrait, so there was time for them to get to know each other, and if nothing else, at least he had made a new friend. The best types of love started from friendship, anyway--like Dad and Papa, and Aunt Jill and Uncle Terry. Aunt Jill sometimes said that you ought to be able to think of your lover as your best friend--and she didn't seem to consider it a contradiction that she was best friends with both Leon and her husband. Daiki could understand that; he thought of Tet-chan, Ten-chan, Pon-chan, Lupin, and Uncle Chris all as his best friends, so he thought that it was possible to have more than one best friend. But not more than one lover--Daiki smiled, thinking of how jealous Dad still got whenever one of Papa's admirers dropped by the petshop, even though he knew that Papa wasn't interested in anyone else.

So right now, Daiki and Raphael were friends who chatted together over tea a few times a week. And one day, Raphael asked, "How did you come to run a shop at such a young age? Is it a family business?"

Daiki smiled in amusement. "No, although my father does run another shop in Chinatown. I met the previous owner of the Plant Dolls shop by chance as a child, and he saw that I had a gift for working with the dolls and he made me his apprentice. I inherited the shop after he retired."

"But your father's a shopkeeper, too?" Raphael asked curiously. "What about your mom?"

Daiki knew that Raphael was curious about his family and background, although he'd held off from asking outright up until now, perhaps out of politeness, or perhaps he was just reluctant to break the air of mystery surrounding Daiki and the shop. Although Leon had done his best to find out the truth about Count D and had eventually succeeded, most of the Count's customers were drawn to him precisely because he was so mysterious. They would have been disappointed to have the illusion broken and have the Count exposed as just an ordinary, mundane human--except, as Leon had discovered, it had not been an illusion and the Count was all that he appeared to be and more.

"Would you like to see a picture of my family?" Daiki asked sweetly, and had to repress a laugh at the eager expression on Raphael's face.

Raphael quickly got himself under control, however, and leaned back against the couch in a pose of feigned indifference. "Oh, sure, if you'd like to show it to me," he replied casually.

Daiki went to his office and quickly returned with a framed picture of his parents and himself at a younger age. "Aww, you sure were a cute kid," Raphael said with a grin. "Ah, and so you are half Chinese; I was wondering about that. Your mom is very pretty."

"Oh, that's not my mother," Daiki said, choking back his laughter and presenting Raphael with an outwardly serene and innocent smile. "That's my father, the one who is a shopkeeper."

"Huh?!" Raphael exclaimed in confusion. "This is a guy?! But he's so...so..."

"Pretty?" Daiki asked sweetly. "Sometimes people say the same thing about me."

Raphael laughed, grinning sheepishly. "Really?" he teased. "I never would have guessed. But if this is your father, then who is this other man?"

"Oh, he's my father, too," Daiki replied cheerfully, as Raphael gaped at him in shock. "Well, it's a bit confusing when I phrase it that way, I suppose. This is my Papa." He tapped the photograph with his finger, pointing first to D and then Leon. "And this is my Dad."

"Oh," Raphael said, still looking rather flustered. "I suppose it's not all that uncommon these days, especially in L.A., but...are you adopted, then?" He stared at Daiki, frowning in a puzzled manner, the way most people did when they learned about his fathers, trying to figure out which of the two men was his biological father. The fact that he physically resembled both D and Leon confused people to no end, since it was impossible for two men to have a child together--impossible for humans, anyway...

"Of course, it's none of my business," Raphael said hastily, as if he had just realized that his question might be considered rude. "Feel free to tell me to go to hell if you like."

Daiki just smiled at him and replied, "You might say that I was born from a surrogate mother." That statement was a little deceptive, but not entirely untrue, since the vine made from his parents' blood and body fluids had been the one to actually give birth to him. "But that doesn't really matter," Daiki continued. "Both my fathers raised me with love and care, and I think that is what truly makes a parent, more than sharing the same genes."

"Yes, of course," Raphael agreed quietly, smiling wistfully at the picture, perhaps remembering his own parents. "They clearly love you a lot."

Before Daiki could reply, Leon walked into the shop, carrying a grease-stained sack that smelled deliciously of french fries and bacon cheeseburgers. "Have you had lunch yet, Dai?" he called out, then he noticed Raphael. "Oh, excuse me," he said. "I didn't realize you had company." He eyed Raphael's shabby clothes and asked, somewhat dubiously, "A customer...?"

Leon had been too busy with a string of gang-related murders to visit the shop much for the past several weeks, and so he had not yet met Raphael. "No, a friend," Daiki told his father with a smile. "This is Raphael Van Horne, the artist that I've been telling you about. Raphael, this is my father...my Dad...Leon Orcot."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Raphael said, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to Leon.

Leon shook it, but gave him an appraising and slightly suspicious stare and said, "Hmm..."

Raphael smiled nervously, then gasped in shock when Leon took off his jacket and casually threw it across the back of the couch, exposing his holstered gun. "Oh, excuse me," Daiki said politely. "I must have forgotten to mention that Dad is a detective. I should have introduced him as Detective Leon Orcot." He had not forgotten, of course; the mischievous side of him had wanted to see Raphael's reaction when he discovered it for himself.

"Detective?" Raphael asked weakly. "As in, police detective?"

Leon nodded, grinning in a predatory manner that would have done Tet-chan proud. "I'm in Homicide."

"I see," Raphael said, turning a little pale. But he smiled gamely and said, "That must be interesting work."

"Oh, it is," Leon said, still grinning fiercely. "You wouldn't believe how many different ways human beings can kill each other."

Daiki thought that perhaps it was time for him to step in before things went too far. "Now, now, Dad," he chided gently. "Let's not talk about such things during lunch."

"Oh, all right," Leon said, relenting, if a bit grudgingly. "I guess it's lucky that I brought an extra burger. I was going to eat two, but I guess I don't really need the calories or the cholesterol." He gave Raphael another suspicious glare. "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

"No, sir," Raphael replied. "Those burgers smell delicious."

"Good," Leon said, handing him a burger with an approving nod. "I don't trust a man who doesn't like a bit of good red meat at least once in awhile."

He and Daiki laughed together, and when Raphael looked puzzled, Daiki explained, "It's a long-running family joke. Papa is a strict vegetarian, so Dad has to eat his meat on the sly." He smiled at his father fondly. "That's the real reason why you stop by my shop so often, isn't it?"

"Can't a man visit his only son without being suspected of ulterior motives?" Leon demanded, pretending to be offended. "Come on, guys, dig in. No sense letting the food go cold."

So the three of them ate, and it seemed to please Leon that Raphael obviously enjoyed the meal. "So what kind of shop does your father...er, your Papa run, Daiki?" Raphael asked between bites.

"He runs a petshop," Daiki replied pleasantly.

"That must've been fun, having all those animals around when you were growing up," Raphael said.

Leon snorted in amusement and said, "Oh, you have no idea..."

As they ate, they chatted a bit about Raphael's patron, the elderly gentleman that both Leon and Raphael referred to as "the geezer".

"I hear the old geezer made a miraculous recovery," Leon said with his mouth full.

"Yes, indeed," Daiki replied. "He comes to visit almost everyday. He was here last night visiting Rainy Moon, as a matter of fact."

"Good," Leon said. "I like that old man. I hope he hangs around for a long time and frustrates those greedy relatives of his who are just waiting for him to kick the bucket so that they can get their hands on his inheritance."

"He's a tough old geezer," Raphael said in a tone of admiration. "I wouldn't be surprised if he outlived us all."

"So are there any signs that Rainy Moon is softening up?" Leon asked.

"Hmm, well, she remains aloof," Daiki said thoughtfully. "But occasionally she wakes for brief periods in his presence, although each time she snubs him."

"Like Snow White!" Leon said with a grin. "She really made that manager work to win her over! Just the fact that she acknowledges him, even if it's only to snub him, is a good sign, right?"

"Perhaps," Daiki said with a smile. "It might be just as well that she remains elusive for now. It gives the gentleman a goal to work towards and a reason to live."

"You mean that he won't kick the bucket until he makes Rainy Moon his?" Leon asked. "Yeah, I can see that. He's a pretty stubborn old geezer. But do you think that if he actually gets her, he'll be content and die afterwards? That could be bad for the doll, right? Don't they usually wilt when their owners die?"

Raphael looked a little pensive. Probably he was thinking about how his portrait had been intended to give the old gentleman his dearest wish--to in a sense, unite him with his beloved Rainy Moon. And if the portrait had been completed, he would have died as soon as he achieved his wish. "So maybe sometimes it's better not to get what you want?" Raphael murmured.

"Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination," Leon said sagely.

"Why, how profound of you, Father!" Daiki teased.

"I got it from a fortune cookie," Leon laughed. "I thought it fit the situation better than 'You will go on a long journey'. But seriously, Dai, is it really a good idea to sell a doll to a man who may not have many more years to live?"

Daiki said solemnly, "It is always the doll's choice, Dad. Just as that little sleeping beauty--" He gestured towards the back of the shop, where the brown-haired Plant Doll whose owner had died slumbered on a couch. "--chose that dying young man as her owner, and brought him joy in his last days. I cannot truly know what the dolls think, but somehow I believe that she knew of his illness and chose him anyway." He smiled tenderly at his father. "Wasn't it you who told Papa that the two of you should simply treasure your time together, however much time that might be, and not worry about what might happen in the future?"

Leon turned bright red and took a big bite out of his burger, and focused intensely on chewing for awhile. Daiki laughed, then took pity on his father and changed the subject, making harmless small talk about some of his recent customers.

After he finished eating, Raphael said, "Thanks for the tea, Daiki. And thank you for the burger, Detective Orcot. I should be getting back to work."

"Have you received another commission?" Daiki inquired.

"Not exactly," Raphael said, smiling wryly. "Not a portrait, anyway. The geezer recommended me to one of his business associates, and I've been hired to paint a mural at a new restaurant that's opening up." He added hastily, "I won't be painting any people; it's a seafood restaurant, so I'm painting a seascape. Lots of ocean--in a soothing blue color to relax the diners--and seaweed and fishes." Daiki frowned slightly, and Raphael said, "I'm painting the fishes from my imagination, so I won't have to use any...er...models."

"Ah, that's good," Daiki said with a smile, feeling reassured. He wasn't sure if Raphael's "gift" worked on animals, but he thought that it would probably be better not to test it.

After Raphael was gone, Leon said, "I heard that guy's been hanging around here a lot, so I looked into his background."

"You really didn't have to do that, Dad," Daiki said mildly.

"Yeah, well, call me overprotective but when I hear about a guy who can supposedly kill people with his paintings hanging around my son's shop, I get just a little concerned," Leon said sarcastically. "In the old days, I would've laughed it off, but I've seen enough freaky shit happen since I've been with D to take it seriously."

"How did you find out about Raphael's 'gift'?" Daiki asked. He had not told his parents about it, precisely because of their overprotectiveness, especially Leon. All he had said was that one of his customers had hired an artist to paint a portrait of one of the dolls.

"Please!" Leon scoffed, sounding a little offended. "I am a detective, after all."

"I apologize, Dad," Daiki laughed. "I did not mean to denigrate your detecting skills."

"Hmph!" Leon snorted, pretending to be angry. "You sound just like D sometimes. The way you say it makes that apology sound more like an insult."

Daiki just laughed again, remembering Raphael's complaint that Daiki's remark of "You are very skilled, but..." didn't sound like praise at all.

"Well, anyway, this is what I found out," Leon said briskly, getting down to business and pulling a notebook out of his jacket pocket. "Raphael Van Horne: twenty-five years old; has no criminal record, not even a single parking ticket to his name--of course that might be because he doesn't own a car. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California. When he first enrolled, he was considered an incredibly talented young artist with a great future ahead of him. However, he hasn't achieved any degree of monetary or critical success as an artist. He works at odd jobs to keep afloat in-between his intermittent portrait commissions. It seems that no one will hire him or pose for him because of his alleged 'curse'.

"It all started back when he was in high school. He painted a portrait of his little sister for an assignment in art class, and not long after that, she was diagnosed with an acute case of leukemia and died within weeks. Of course, no one suspected a curse back then; it was merely a tragedy that could have happened to any family. The doctors did think it was strange that the disease seemed to develop so suddenly and quickly, because the little girl had been quite healthy up until then, but there was no reason to connect the disease with Raphael's portrait.

"And then a couple of years later, after Raphael started college, he painted a portrait of his parents as a present for their wedding anniversary. The three of them had dinner at a restaurant that evening, where Raphael presented his parents with his gift. Afterwards, Raphael went back to the university to work on a project, and his parents were killed in a car crash on their way home. One of the tires blew out, and the car spun out of control and slammed into a telephone pole; they both died on impact. That was when people started to whisper that Raphael might be jinxed. What clinched it was when the model for Raphael's Life Drawing class died. She just keeled over and dropped dead on the day that the class completed their portraits. The autopsy said that it was an aneurysm, but the model was a young and healthy woman in her twenties, with no previous history of health problems. After that, no one would pose for Raphael.

"He still managed to get his degree without using any live models, but as you can imagine, work was hard to come by after he graduated. A few clients have deliberately sought him out, people who want to die but don't want to do the deed themselves. One was a man with a terminal illness; he was in a lot of pain that drugs couldn't relieve. Raphael painted him as he was before the illness, healthy and happy, and the next day the nurses found him dead in his hospital bed with a smile on his face. Another client was a single mother whose child had died. Raphael painted a portrait of the mother and child together, and the woman died the same day that she received the portrait. Cause of death was undetermined; her heart just stopped beating for no apparent reason. There were a few others, but you get the picture. No pun intended."

"Yes," Daiki said solemnly. "I do."

Leon leaned forward, his eyes boring into his son's with an intense, steely gaze, and Daiki had a sudden appreciation of what it must be like to be a suspect interrogated by Detective Orcot. "Just what is this guy to you, Dai?" Leon demanded.

Daiki fought the urge to squirm nervously and gave his father an innocent, guileless smile. "Why, he is my friend, Dad," Daiki replied sweetly. "We chat over tea, that is all."

"And that's all?" Leon asked suspiciously. "Just a friend?"

"What else would he be?" Daiki asked, feigning a puzzled look.

"Don't play dumb with me," Leon said with a scowl. "There is one more piece of information that my investigation dug up that I haven't mentioned. Raphael is gay."

"And is that a crime?" Daiki asked with a smile. "Because if it is, wouldn't you have to arrest yourself and Papa first?"

"I don't care that he's gay," Leon said impatiently. "Or if you are, for that matter. If you want to date a guy, that's fine. I just don't want you dating a guy who could kill you by drawing your picture. He hasn't offered to paint a portrait of you, has he?"

"Of course not," Daiki replied calmly.

"But what if he made one without your permission or knowledge?" Leon fretted, more to himself than to Daiki.

"Raphael is not that sort of person," Daiki said firmly. "He would never paint someone without their consent."

"So sure of him, are you?" Leon asked, giving Daiki another suspicious look. "He didn't exactly ask Rainy Moon's permission, did he?"

"Well, not exactly," Daiki admitted. "But she could not give it, since she does not speak. I, as her guardian, gave consent for her, although I did not know about Raphael's gift--or curse--at the time. I think at first he did not think it would affect her because she was a doll. But after he began the portrait, he did inform me that his subjects always die. He didn't have to do that; he could have remained silent, completed the portrait, collected his fee, and let Rainy Moon and the gentleman die. But he did not. He warned me and gave me the opportunity to stop him, which I did. And Rainy Moon and the...ah...'geezer' are still alive."

"Hmph, well, I'll give him credit for that," Leon said grudgingly. He got up to leave and said, "I've gotta get back to work. Are you coming over for dinner tonight? We haven't seen you for a few days."

"I've had some business at the shop that kept me occupied, but yes, I will come over tonight."

That night at dinner, Daiki found himself being interrogated by his other parent. "So tell us all about your young man," the Count said, smiling sweetly. However, despite his smile, his tone of voice indicated that it was more of a command than a request.

"He is not 'my' young man," Daiki protested, than gave Leon an accusing look.

"Hey, don't look at me," Leon said with a grin. "He heard about your artist friend on his own, not from me."

D sniffed disdainfully and told his son, "Surely you did not think that you could hide it from me. I hear about everything that goes on in Chinatown."

"He's got a great gossip network system in place," Leon agreed, looking impressed. "I wish that I could have such good informants on my cases."

"I was not trying to hide anything," Daiki said, trying to project an air of innocent puzzlement. "I did tell you that an artist was painting one of my dolls."

Unfortunately, the innocent act did not work very well on another kami. D's eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized his son more closely and pointed out, "But you did not tell us that he was continuing to visit your shop after the commission was fulfilled."

"I did not think it important," Daiki said with a shrug. "He stops by for tea once in awhile, that is all."

"He has stopped by three times this week already," D said, not relaxing his scrutiny of his son. "Are you certain that he is merely a casual acquaintance?"

"Maybe you should be the detective," Leon joked, but D ignored him, all of his attention still focused on Daiki.

Although the Count was usually the more permissive parent, he could, in his own way, be even more stubborn than Leon when his mind was set on something. Daiki knew that he wasn't going to let up unless he got what Leon would call "a straight answer". "Truthfully, Papa, I do not know if Raphael might become more than a friend in the future," Daiki sighed. "I am not currently pursuing such a relationship, but neither have I ruled out the possibility entirely. For now, I am content to simply enjoy his company at tea. That is all."

"Hmm," Ten-chan said slyly. "If you haven't ruled out the idea of dating him, I'd say that isn't all, after all--if you know what I mean."

Daiki glared at his friend, who just grinned at him mischievously, and Tet-chan growled, "Want me to bite him for you?"

"No, but thank you for offering, Tet-chan."

"And if you're worried about this artist guy painting a picture of you, I could eat him," Tet-chan said hopefully.

Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully, muttering, "You know, that's kind of tempting..."

"Tet-chan!" Daiki scolded, glaring first at the Tou-Tet and then his father. "Dad!"

D said firmly, "No one will be biting or eating anyone." He smiled sweetly at his son and said, "You will invite your young man over for dinner, so that we may get to know him."

"But he's not 'my' young man," Daiki protested weakly.

"I think that was a command, not a request," Ten-chan whispered helpfully into his ear.

"Yes, I know," Daiki sighed in a resigned voice. "I will invite Raphael over for dinner."

"Good, then everything is settled," D said cheerily.

"I can't wait to meet him!" Pon-chan said eagerly.

Daiki sighed again.
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The next day, Raphael received a call from Daiki, informing him that he was invited to have dinner with Daiki and his family at Count D's petshop.

"Your dad...er, I mean, your Papa is a Count?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"It's a long story," Daiki sighed. "The short version is that some European aristocrat conferred the title on one of Papa's ancestors hundreds of years ago."

"I see," Raphael said to be polite, although he didn't really.

"My family is a bit eccentric," Daiki said, in an odd tone of voice that seemed to be half apology and half warning.

"Yeah, no offense, but I kind of got that impression already yesterday," Raphael said wryly. Daiki laughed then, and Raphael felt pleased that he had been able to make Daiki laugh. He cherished each emotional response, however small, that he was able to provoke in the serene young shopkeeper.

"Well then, what day would be convenient for you, Raphael?" Daiki asked cheerfully, that odd note of apology or warning gone from his voice.

"Let's see...I need a couple more days to finish the mural. Would Saturday be okay?"

"That would be fine, Raphael. I'll see you then."

Raphael hung up the phone, feeling both delighted and terrified at the same time. Delighted, because if Daiki's family wanted to meet him, that must mean that Daiki thought of him as more than a friend. And terrified, because he didn't want to blow his chances of impressing Daiki's parents. Not to mention that Daiki's Dad was an overprotective police officer who owned a gun.

Raphael tried to calm down, telling himself not to get too excited or jump to conclusions. He was acting like a nervous prospective groom about to meet the in-laws, but Daiki still hadn't given any indication that he was interested in pursuing a romance. Just because they chatted over tea every now and then didn't mean that Daiki wanted to marry him or anything like that. And maybe the parents wanted to meet him because they were curious and/or suspicious about the impoverished artist who was hanging around their son's shop--especially if they knew about his unique "gift".

Raphael decided that it would be prudent to do a little research beforehand, and called up a college buddy of his named Jason Chow. They'd both been Art majors, but had specialized in different fields: Raphael in drawing and painting, and Jason in history and restoration. Jason worked in a small art gallery in Chinatown that specialized in antiques, where he cleaned and repaired old wall scrolls, vases, and other art objects. The geezer was a frequent customer at his shop, and he was the one who had put the geezer in touch with Raphael when the old man wanted a portrait done of Rainy Moon.

"Hey, Raphael, how's it going?" Jason asked.

"I need a favor," Raphael replied.

"Another one?" Jason laughed. "I already got you that fat commission from the geezer."

"I didn't ask for that," Raphael retorted. "And what's the matter with you, anyway, sending one of your customers to be killed?"

"Hey, it was his choice," Jason protested. "I warned him about your 'gift,' but he'd already heard about it, and he was adamant that you be the one to paint the portrait. All I did was give him your phone number. I figured if he was determined to off himself anyway, why shouldn't you get the commission? Besides, he's still alive, so I don't know what you're complaining about. If anything, he looks way better than he did before--last I heard, he was practically on his deathbed, and then the next day he walks into my shop looking as healthy as a horse! What happened with that portrait, anyway?"

"I never finished it," Raphael replied. "The shopkeeper slashed it with a palette knife when he thought it was affecting the Plant Doll."

"Well, that's rather unexpected!" Jason laughed. "But then, the Orcot family has always been unpredictable. Honestly, I never thought the doll would be affected by your 'gift,' or I wouldn't have acted as go-between for you and the geezer. It's never a good idea to offend Count D or his family."

"So you know about Daiki's parents?" Raphael asked eagerly. "His two dads?"

"Yeah, sounds like a sitcom, doesn't it?" Jason laughed. "I grew up in Chinatown; my folks run a restaurant there, and my little brother is the same age as Daiki, so we played together a lot as kids. He was a really nice kid--a little odd, but nice. He always let us play with his toys, and the Count always fed us sweets. So anyway, what was the favor you wanted?"

"Well, actually I was hoping you could tell me more about Daiki and his family," Raphael admitted, a bit sheepishly. "You see, I've been invited to have dinner with them, and I...er...wanted to make a good impression."

"Oho!" Jason exclaimed. "So you and Daiki are an item? I always wondered if he was gay..."

"We're not an item!" Raphael protested, blushing, glad that Jason couldn't see his face over the phone. "But...well...I do like him, and his father...the detective...acts as if he thinks there's something going on between us. I think this is a 'meet the parents' dinner where they decide if I'm worthy of their little boy."

"I feel sorry for you, Raf," Jason said, sounding amused. "The Detective is a very protective father. And the Count...like I said, it's not a good idea to offend him."

"So what is this about Daiki's father being a Count?" Raphael demanded. "And why is an aristocrat running a petshop, anyway?"

"You've been spending all this time in Chinatown and you still don't know anything about Count D?" Jason asked incredulously.

"The only place I go to in Chinatown is the Plant Dolls shop," Raphael said irritably. "And Daiki's never mentioned anything about his family to me until yesterday."

"The Count is a legend in Chinatown," Jason informed him, and told him about the petshop, and how the rich and powerful were among the Count's customers--even a former President, it was rumored--and how it was whispered in Chinatown that one could obtain one's deepest desire at the petshop, if one was willing to pay the price.

"Sounds kind of shady to me," Raphael said skeptically.

"Detective Orcot thought so, too," Jason said, sounding amused again, and told the story, which had been told to him by his parents and grandparents, of how the detective had begun investigating the mysterious deaths connected to the petshop, and how the investigation had turned into a weird sort of courtship. According to Jason, everyone in Chinatown had known that the two were in love with each other--everyone except the Count and the detective themselves.

The Count had disappeared after his father died in some sort of terrorist incident, and the detective had quit his job and gone chasing after him. And two years later, he had returned with the Count and a beautiful blond baby that they said was their son.

"And they've been living in Chinatown ever since," Jason finished. "They've never explained who Daiki's mother is, if he was adopted or if they used a surrogate mother or what. And no one's ever questioned them too closely about it."

"Why not?" Raphael asked.

"Don't laugh," Jason said. "But people in Chinatown think that the Count is...well...that he's like a god. And people do not question the gods."

"What?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"I know it sounds weird when I say it like that," Jason sighed. "It's just...the weird things that happen at the shop, the way that the Count's enemies tend to disappear or die in a violent manner... When you meet the Count, you'll understand. He has this air about him that's more than human. Don't you ever get that feeling from Daiki sometimes?"

Raphael did, although he wouldn't have worded it that way. But he couldn't help thinking of Daiki's air of cool serenity, his incredible beauty, and those peculiar golden eyes...

"So let me get this straight," Raphael said, laughing nervously. "My potential boyfriend is a sort of demigod. His father is a deity with the power to grant wishes and command wild beasts. And his other father is a homicide detective who might shoot me if he decides I'm not good enough for his son. Is that about the size of it?"

"Yeah, that's about it," Jason said cheerfully. "But while the Count has power over animals, Daiki's power seems to be with plants--which is why he runs a Plant Dolls shop, I guess. So anyway, be nice to Daiki, or you might find a tree branch dropping on your head while you're walking down the street one day. Things like that used to happen to the kids who picked on Daiki when we were in school. Or you might get mauled by one of the Count's pets."

"Well, thanks so much, old buddy," Raphael said sarcastically.

"One last piece of advice," Jason said. "If you want to make a good impression on the Count, bring him some pastries as a gift--he has a huge sweet tooth. Madame C's is his favorite bakery, and he's partial to the fruit tart. He also loves chocolates, but only the high-quality stuff--think Godiva's, not Hershey's."

"Thanks, Jase," Raphael said gratefully. "What about the detective?"

"Oh, he'd probably like a good bottle of liquor, but I wouldn't advise getting one," Jason replied. "The Count doesn't like it when he drinks too much. And Count D is the one who wears the pants in the family, figuratively speaking."

"I see," Raphael said. "Thanks for the advice."

"No problem," Jason replied. "Let me know how things go--if you survive the experience, that is."

"Yeah, thanks a bunch," Raphael muttered as he hung up on a laughing Jason.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Saturday arrived, Raphael dressed in his best (which meant his least-shabbiest) clothes, and following Jason's advice, he picked up a fruit tart at Madame C's on his way to the petshop. It cost an ungodly amount, at least from the point of view of a starving artist: the cost of that fancy tart would have paid for two days' worth of meals, but Raphael figured that it was a good investment if it made Daiki's father happy.

Count D certainly seemed pleased when he accepted the pastry box from Raphael and said, "Why, how thoughtful of you, Mr. Van Horne!"

Raphael guessed that he did owe Jason thanks, after all. "You're welcome, Count. And please call me 'Raphael'."

The Count smiled at him sweetly and said, "Thank you, Raphael." He looked even more feminine and beautiful in person than he had in the photo; it was hard to believe that he wasn't a flat-chested woman, although his smooth, dulcet voice was definitely male. And he understood Jason's little joke about who wore the pants in the family when he saw that the Count wore the same long Chinese robes that Daiki did, although he actually did wear pants beneath them.

And seeing him in person, Raphael could understand why some people thought of Count D as a god. Objectively speaking, he was even more beautiful than Daiki. But it seemed like beauty too great for a mortal man to touch, and Raphael thought to himself that he preferred Daiki's golden beauty to the Count's perfection--it seemed warmer and less intimidating, somehow.

"You're so easily bribed with a few sweets," Detective Orcot muttered to the Count, who glared at him.

"Ah...it's good to see you again, Detective," Raphael said nervously.

The detective gave him a long and suspicious look, before he finally said, "Just call me 'Leon'." From behind Leon's back, Daiki gave him an encouraging smile, so Raphael decided to take that offer of informality as a good sign.

Finally, Daiki stepped forward to greet him. "It's so good to see you again, Raphael," he said with what seemed to be a sincere but slightly nervous smile. Raphael wasn't sure whether to feel worried or encouraged that Daiki was nervous, too. If Daiki didn't like him, then there was no reason for him to feel nervous, so that was a good sign. On the other hand, maybe he was just nervous because he was afraid that his parents might shoot Raphael or feed him to a hungry lion. One of the stories Jason had told him about the petshop was of a Chinese mafia boss who had threatened the Count and then wound up dead a few days later, looking as though he'd been torn apart by a lion or tiger.

Feeling as though he was entering into the lion's den, Raphael followed Daiki deeper into the petshop. Throughout the shop, there were animals running around loose and uncaged: dogs, cats, birds, a monkey clinging to the trunk of a small potted tree, even a huge lizard resting under the couch, its forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth lazily. Raphael was glad to get past the lizard; it looked as though it could easily make a meal out of one of the cats or dogs (or maybe a starving artist), and he wondered how the Count kept the animals from eating each other.

There was a strong smell of incense in the shop, similar to the incense that Daiki used in the Plant Dolls store. In contrast to the well-lit doll shop, the lights in the petshop were dim, creating a mysterious and rather eerie atmosphere: the lanterns hanging from the ceiling seemed to distort the shadows of the animals, causing them to look almost human. Raphael rubbed his eyes and shook his head slightly, telling himself that it was just a trick of the light.

"Are you all right, Raphael?" Daiki asked.

"Yeah, fine," Raphael replied quickly. "It's just taking my eyes a little while to adjust to the change in light. It's a lot brighter outside."

"Hmm..." Count said thoughtfully, exchanging a significant look with Leon, although Raphael was not sure why his simple reply had provoked such a response.

Three animals came running up to them as they entered the dining room: a raccoon that chittered at him in an excited and friendly manner, a huge gray dog that looked almost like a wolf, and a much smaller and sleeker dog with a pointed fox-like muzzle and what appeared to be numerous tails.

"This is Pon-chan," Daiki said with a smile, and the raccoon rose up on its hind legs and reached up towards Raphael with a small, hand-like paw. Raphael gently shook it, and he noticed that Daiki and the Count both smiled approvingly.

The big dog jumped up, placing its paws on Raphael's chest and licking at his face; Raphael staggered backwards, nearly falling beneath the dog's weight.

"Lupin, down!" Daiki scolded, and the dog dropped back to its feet, wagging its tail. "I'm sorry about that, Raphael. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Raphael assured him, and he reached down to scratch behind the dog's ears, and it wagged its tail even more enthusiastically. "He's a friendly guy." The many-tailed dog did not try to jump on Raphael, but just sat there and gazed at him with a mischievous and strangely intelligent look in its eyes.

"And this is Ten-chan," Daiki said, as if introducing a person; the dog nodded at Raphael as if it could understand Daiki's words.

"What kind of dog is it?" Raphael asked curiously.

Daiki hesitated for just a second, then replied smoothly, "He is a very rare type of fox. And this is Tet-chan."

A strange, orange-furred sheep or goat-like creature with long, curved horns sauntered into the room and growled at Raphael in a manner that did not sound friendly.

"Be nice, Tet-chan," Count D said in a voice that was sweet, but with an underlying note of sternness.

The animal growled sullenly and backed off, and Daiki led Raphael to the table, saying, "Oh, don't worry about Tet-chan. He's just a little overprotective of me."

Raphael groaned inwardly. Not only did he have to worry about an overprotective police officer and a deity, but now he had some sort of guardian goat to watch out for, too! It was odd that the huge wolf-dog was so friendly, while the goat looked so fierce.

To Raphael's surprise, the animals climbed up onto chairs and seated themselves at the dining table, except for Lupin, who had a water bowl and a dish filled with raw meat laid out for him on the floor.

"The pets are like family to us," Daiki informed Raphael pleasantly.

Well, that was a little odd, but the animals turned out to have better table manners than a lot of humans he knew, especially the little raccoon who daintily picked up a porcelain tea cup with her paws and drank from it.

There was a magnificent spread of food laid out on the table, and the various platters were passed around the table, with the humans serving themselves, and Daiki and the Count serving the animals, who would indicate what they wanted by pointing at it with a paw.

The food was delicious, and Raphael said so. "My chef will be most pleased," the Count said, and for some reason, Daiki laughed and patted the goat on its head. The goat just snorted and tossed its head in a haughty manner.

They made polite small talk for a little while, and then Leon said, "Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? What are your plans for the future, Raphael? You're not really making much of a living doing portraits, are you?"

"Dad!" Daiki protested, sounding more like a mortified teenager for a moment than a confident, serene shopkeeper, and Raphael smiled in spite of himself.

"The payment for my last portrait was quite generous, but it is true that my commissions are few and far between," Raphael replied in an even voice. "When necessary, I take other types of jobs: some advertising work, and I just finished a mural at a new restaurant. I worked as a cashier at an art supply store for awhile until they went out of business."

"Have you ever considered doing other types of paintings, ones that would not be affected by your...ah...gift?" the Count suggested gently. "Landscapes, or still lifes, perhaps?"

"I have tried my hand at that," Raphael replied, "but it is portraiture that is my true talent and passion. A landscape or still life painted by me would never sell, because my heart would not be in it, and what truly makes a piece of art more than mere paint and canvas but passion? No matter what I have to do to pay the rent, I will consider myself an artist in my heart, and I will continue to do my portraits so long as I can find willing patrons, no matter how much or how little money I make. Is it not the same with you, Count D? Could you imagine running, say, a bookstore or a flower shop instead of a petshop? And surely you must also have a passion for your work, Leon, since I know that the city does not pay L.A.'s finest all that well."

"Well, that's true," Leon conceded with a chuckle, and he regarded Raphael with a little more respect.

"I can see that you have a great passion for your work, Raphael," Count D murmured, and the look in his oddly-colored eyes seemed to be approving. Those eyes might be another reason why the people in Chinatown thought that the Count was a god--after all, what normal human had purple and gold eyes?

"But...well...your paintings..." Leon said quietly, his voice trailing off, and there was an unexpected hint of sympathy in his eyes, as if he knew how hard it was for Raphael to know that the art that was his passion resulted in the deaths of his subjects.

"Yes," Raphael said, smiling sadly. "I know that my paintings cause death, and yet I do not stop painting. For an artist, painting is as necessary as eating or breathing. But I never paint anyone without their informed consent."

"You're helping them to commit suicide," Leon said bluntly.

"But their happiness lives forever in the portraits," Raphael said. "For some people, that is worth the price. I never try to solicit a commission, Detective. All my patrons seek me out of their own free will."

"That doesn't make it right," Leon argued, but the Count came to Raphael's defense.

"It is his gift, Leon. It must have been given to him for a reason."

"Gift or curse?" Leon asked.

"Both, perhaps," Daiki said softly. There was a long, awkward silence while the pets glanced back and forth from the Count to Leon to Raphael and back again. Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at Raphael with a look of mingled suspicion and sympathy on his face, but he didn't seem outright hostile.

The Count finally broke the silence by saying brightly, "Well then, if everyone has finished with dinner, let us serve that delicious tart that Raphael brought for dessert!" And somehow, the mood seemed to lighten and everyone relaxed a little.

After the last crumb of tart had disappeared, Raphael offered to help clear the table and do the dishes, but the Count assured him that it would be "taken care of". Raphael supposed there must be servants in the house, although he had not seen any humans other than Daiki and his parents. But there was an unseen chef, after all, so there was probably a maid or housekeeper around somewhere, too.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, Leon, Count D," Raphael said politely as he bid his hosts goodnight. "And please give my compliments to the chef."

"Oh, we will," the Count said in an amused voice while the orange goat at his feet growled softly. And since when did goats growl, anyway? And weren't goats herbivores? He had noticed during dinner that the goat had sharp teeth much more like a carnivore's.

"Thank you for the lovely tart," the Count continued. "And please stop by again for dinner sometime."

Daiki's eyes flickered over to Leon, who hesitated, then nodded.

"Thank you," Raphael said, smiling with relief. It seemed that he had passed whatever test Daiki's parents had set for him. "I look forward to it."

"How are you getting home, Raphael?" Daiki asked.

"Oh, I thought I'd walk off this excellent dinner," Raphael said lightly. "The food was so good that I'm afraid I overindulged a little."

"It's late," Daiki said. "Let me drive you home."

Leon scowled and the goat growled again, but Count D said cheerfully, "Drive safe, Daiki."

"I will, Papa," Daiki promised with a smile, hugging both of his fathers before he left.

"I'm sorry about my parents," Daiki apologized on the drive home.

"No, it's okay," Raphael said. "I understand why they'd be concerned about a guy like me hanging around your shop." He grinned. "Not that I wasn't sweating a little. I felt sort of like I was undergoing an interrogation. Your Dad must be really good at his work."

"Oh, he is," Daiki laughed. "I can feel a little sympathy for his suspects now."

When they arrived at Raphael's apartment building, Daiki said, "Let me walk you to your door."

"A true gentleman, huh?" Raphael asked with a grin.

"Of course," Daiki laughed. "My Papa brought me up to have good manners." It pleased Raphael that Daiki's smiles and laughter were more frequent and natural now than when they had first met. He felt as if some sort of ice between them had melted during tonight's dinner. Maybe it was the knowledge that Daiki's parents had granted Raphael their approval, although he suspected that in Leon's case, the approval was conditional and that he would have to further prove himself to the detective. But Raphael didn't mind. It was worth putting up with a potentially homicidal Homicide detective just to be near Daiki--which was an indication of just how much he had fallen for the mysterious young shopkeeper.

As he unlocked his door, Raphael cleared his throat and asked, "Um...would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Daiki said, sounding genuinely regretful. "I need to get back to the shop. I don't like to leave the dolls alone for too long."

"I understand," Raphael said. He was a little disappointed, but he hadn't really expected Daiki to take him up on his offer. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner. I like your folks and I had a good time."

"Even with the interrogation?" Daiki asked, smiling mischievously.

"Even so," Raphael replied firmly. "The fact that they're so protective of you proves how much they love you. I can't fault them for that. And besides..." He hesitated, then took a deep breath and said, "Besides, I enjoy any time that I get to spend with you, Daiki--even if that involves being grilled by a police detective."

For once, Daiki seemed at a loss for words, and he just stared at Raphael silently. The polite mask that he normally wore had vanished, leaving something vulnerable and hopeful and somehow receptive in its place.

Or maybe it was all wishful thinking, but before Raphael could lose his courage, he leaned forward and kissed Daiki on the mouth. He kept it light and gentle, afraid to be too pushy, afraid that he might scare Daiki off, but the shopkeeper returned the kiss, tentatively and almost shyly at first, and then his lips pressed against Raphael's more firmly. It was the sweetest, most perfect kiss that Raphael had ever experienced in his life.

They pulled apart a long moment later, Raphael feeling slightly dizzy and gasping for breath. Daiki was also breathing heavily, his porcelain skin flushed and his golden eyes looking slightly dazed and unfocused.

"I...uh...should get back to the shop," Daiki said breathlessly.

"Okay," Raphael said. He wanted to kiss Daiki all night long, but this single kiss was enough for now. It was enough to give him hope for the future. He felt as if the sweetness of that brief kiss could sustain him for a long time, but he hoped that it wouldn't be long before he had the opportunity to kiss Daiki again. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Raphael," Daiki said, still looking a little dazed. That was almost as encouraging as the kiss. He turned to leave, then paused and turned back and said in an uncharacteristically hesitant voice, "Will you stop by the shop for tea tomorrow?"

"Yes," Raphael replied, smiling ecstatically. "I will."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Daiki drove home in a daze, feeling like he was floating on clouds. He done plenty of kissing with his friends at the petshop, mainly with Ten-chan, during his "experimentation" phase, and it had been pleasant, but his kiss with Raphael had been way beyond "pleasant". It had been a heady experience, like breathing in the fine perfume of the rare tropical flowers in the petshop's gardens.

He wasn't quite sure how, but he managed to make it home without getting into an accident. Still half in a daze, he walked through the shop, checking on the dolls one last time before heading upstairs to his apartment and going to bed. He slipped between the sheets and drifted off to sleep, still imagining the gentle touch of Raphael's lips against his own.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, in San Francisco, Chris was filling out some paperwork at the F.B.I. office when he overheard two other agents talking.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Another one?"

"Yes, the victim's a young male, twenty-two years of age. And like the others, he had recently paid a visit to a petshop in Chinatown."

"This one's mine!" Chris shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Huh?" the first agent said. "Hey, Orcot! Wait!"

Chris found himself standing outside an elegant-looking shop in Chinatown. There were no windows, just a very ornate set of double doors, nor was there any indication of what kind of shop it was, just a simple sign that read "Count D's". He knocked on the door, shouting, "This is the F.B.I.! Open up! I have some questions for you!"

A smooth, dulcet voice with a slight Chinese accent replied, "If this is about that poor man's accident, then there is nothing more to discuss."

Okay, the Leon approach definitely wasn't working, so Chris said in a more polite tone of voice, "They're not. They're about your father, actually."

"Father isn't here right now," the voice behind the door said.

"Well, that's a shame," Chris said, feigning a regretful tone of voice. "I brought him some cherry tarts."

There was a pause, and then one of the doors slowly opened with a creak. Behind the door stood a beautiful young man who looked exactly like Count D, except that his hair was combed back and cut short above the collar of his cheongsam, and both of his eyes were golden, unlike the Count's mismatched gold-and-purple eyes.

"Well," said the young Count, with the faint, enigmatic smile that Chris was so familiar with, "we can't have those go to waste. Would you like some tea?"

Chris smiled euphorically and stepped through the door.

Part 14
 

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