Daiki, Part 21

by Geri (gerichan@gmail.com)

My homepage: http://www.oocities.org/geri_chans_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. Honlon acquires a suitor.
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"Oh my God!" Jill squealed excitedly, flinging her arms around Leon. "I can't believe you and D are finally tying the knot!" She punched him in the arm and added, "Took you long enough!" Then she hugged him again and said, "Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" And then she hugged a startled D, who managed to accept the embrace politely, although he usually did not allow any human other than Leon to touch him in such a casual and familiar manner. But Jill was not just any human; she was Leon's best friend and Daiki's "Auntie".

"Ah, thank you, Miss Jill," the Count said, with as much graciousness as he could muster. Leon chuckled at the sight of a flustered D, and at the way he addressed Jill. Even after she had married, the Count continued to refer to her as "Miss" Jill, but fortunately, her husband Terry was pretty good-natured and didn't seem to mind. Then again, although he never talked about it, Terry seemed to know that D was something more than human, and perhaps, like most of the Chinatown residents, he believed that the gods were entitled to their eccentricities.

"And you, too, Daiki!" Jill exclaimed, releasing a relieved D to hug Daiki. Then she released him and took a step back to look over Raphael. "So this is your artist? Can't say I blame you for falling for him; he's very handsome." She winked at both of them. "If I were single, I might make a play for him, myself!"

Raphael glanced nervously at Terry, who just laughed and smiled at his wife fondly. He had long ago learned to accept Jill's eccentricities as well as the Count's.

"Thank you, Detective--" Raphael started to say, extending his hand politely, but instead of shaking it, Jill enveloped him in a hug.

"No need to be so formal, since you'll be part of the family soon," she said. "Just call me 'Aunt Jill'."

Raphael looked nearly as flustered as D had, but he smiled and said obediently, "Ah...yes, Aunt Jill."

"Good boy," Jill said approvingly, kissing him on the cheek. "You'll make my nephew happy, won't you, Raphael?"

"Yes, ma'am," Raphael said firmly. "I mean, yes, Aunt Jill."

"Good boy," Jill repeated. She sighed happily and beamed at everyone, then said briskly, "Now then, let's start planning these weddings. For starters, have you set a date yet?"

"Um...well...not really," Leon said sheepishly. "Everything happened so fast."

"Men," Jill sighed, rolling her eyes. "They never stop to think about the details." D nodded sagely in agreement, even though he was also male and hadn't worked out any details yet, either.

"It doesn't have to be a big deal," Leon said defensively. "It's just going to be a small ceremony--er, ceremonies--with a few friends and family members."

"It is a big deal, Leon," Jill retorted indignantly. "Even if the ceremony is a small one, you're getting married to the person you love, and that's important."

"You are very wise, Miss Jill," D said.

"Hey, are you two ganging up on me again?" Leon complained.

Jill and D gave each other conspiratorial looks and giggled in chorus. "Only when you deserve it," Jill said sweetly.

"It cannot be helped that we are more sensible than you, my dear Detective," D added with an arch smile.

"Fine, I give up!" Leon said, throwing his hands up in mock-disgust. "I know when I'm outnumbered."

"That is very sensible of you, Leon," D cooed, winding his arms around Leon's neck and planting a kiss on his mouth.

"I don't know why I want to marry someone so demanding and manipulative," Leon grumbled, but he smiled and kissed D back.

"It must be my charm and good looks," D replied, batting his eyelashes.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Leon laughed, pulling D onto his lap.

"Leon!" D protested, making a show of struggling in Leon's embrace, but not making much of a real effort to break free.

"Ah well," Jill sighed to herself, rolling her eyes again. "I can see that those two won't be much help in planning the weddings."

"They act like they're already on the honeymoon," Terry chuckled.

"Never mind," Jill said determinedly, rolling up her sleeves, and she smiled at Daiki. "Don't worry; just leave everything up to Auntie Jill!"
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Raphael had to leave for his job at the museum soon after that, but when his shift was over, he stopped by the art gallery where his friend Jason worked to tell him the good news.

"Congratulations!" Jason exclaimed, clapping him on the back heartily. "I'm invited to the wedding, aren't I?"

"Of course," Raphael laughed, grinning widely. In fact, he'd been grinning like an idiot all day, still floating on cloud nine after receiving Daiki's proposal, not to mention finally consummating their relationship. The thought of that made his grin grow even wider. "In fact," Raphael said, "I wanted to ask you to be my best man."

"Of course I will!" Jason replied, grinning back at him. "Need you even ask? I'll be the envy of Chinatown, attending the nuptials of both the Count and his son!"

"You can't tell anyone," Raphael cautioned him. "Leon and the Count want to keep this low-key."

Jason sighed regretfully. "All right, far be it from me to go against the Count's wishes. By the way, how did Daiki's parents react when you guys told them that you were getting married?"

"Oh, Leon made a few grumbling noises about his son marrying a starving artist," Raphael replied, still grinning. "But he and the Count both seemed happy for us. Maybe they would've given us a harder time if they hadn't been so excited about their own wedding. They've been together for over twenty years, but they're acting as giddy and infatuated as newlyweds."

"So it will be a triple wedding?" Jason asked. "You said that it was the Detective's little brother's decision to get married that set off a chain reaction? And tell me more about his fiance. I had no idea that Chris Orcot was gay, but then again, I hear that Leon used to be interested in women until he met the Count."

"Um..." Raphael said hesitantly, unsure of how much of the truth he was allowed to reveal to his friend. "Yes, it will be a triple wedding, but Chris's ceremony will be private, with just the family. It's a...er...religious thing. His fiance is, um, a friend of Count D's from China. That's how they met, through the Count."

Jason's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "I shouldn't ask too much about it, huh? It's not safe to meddle in the business of the gods, like my grandparents always say."

"Something like that," Raphael said, relieved that Jason wasn't going to pursue the matter further.

"So when's the happy occasion?" Jason asked. "And do I need to rent a tux, or does the Count want us to wear formal Chinese clothing?"

"We're still working out all the details," Raphael replied. "Leon and Chris and Daiki's Aunt Jill and Uncle Terry all need to check their work schedules and find a day that they can all take off. My job is only part-time, so it shouldn't be a problem for me, and I can always switch days with one of the other part-timers if I need to. And the Count's grandfather says that he needs a few weeks to...er...make the proper preparations, so it will probably be in about a month. I'll let you know as soon as I get the exact date."

"Grandfather?!" Jason exclaimed. "The Count's family is going to be there, too?"

"Yes," Raphael replied, taking amusement in the look of shock on his friend's face. "His grandpa and his little brother."

"Good Lord," Jason said, turning a little pale. "A whole family of deities! Would that make them a pantheon...?"

"Believe me, I know how you feel," Raphael said wryly. "I just had dinner with the in-laws last night. Grandpa is a bit intimidating, but he's given his blessing to the proceedings--or at least, accepted the inevitable. And they're not precisely gods, by the way, but..."

"But close enough that it doesn't make much difference to us mere mortals," Jason said lightly, but his face remained pale. "Well, I will be careful to be very, very polite to the Count's family." Then he grinned again, looking more like his old self. "But I don't intend to miss the weddings of the century!"

"As for the rest of it," Raphael said, "it seems like Daiki's 'Aunt Jill' is going to be organizing the wedding--the flowers and wardrobe and such. When I left, she and Daiki were still making plans, but Leon flat-out refused to 'wear a dress,' as he calls it, so I think we mere mortals will be wearing suits. Anyway, as soon as they let me know what's going on, I'll let you know."

"Fine," Jason said amiably. "I'd happily wear a dress to be able to attend the Count's wedding, and I shouldn't have any trouble getting the day off if I tell my boss that I'm doing a favor for the Count. Everyone in Chinatown--"

"Believes that he's a god, I know."

"Yes, they revere him," Jason replied, "but they genuinely like him, too--and the Detective. They say that the Count has become friendlier and more approachable since Leon moved in with him. And Leon is a bit gruff, but he's a good guy. He looks after the people in Chinatown, plays with the neighborhood kids." He smiled and added, "So, are you okay with letting the lady detective plan your wedding?"

"Yes," Raphael replied, smiling contentedly. "I don't care when the wedding is, or what I have to wear, as long as I get to marry Daiki."

"Well, don't tell Detective Jill that, or she really might make us wear dresses!" Jason laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.
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Jill very efficiently took over the planning of the wedding, ordering the flowers, arranging suit rentals for the non-kami members of the wedding party, and consulting with D on the decorations. She had offered to help with the menu, but Tet-chan adamantly told the Count that he was taking charge of that portion of the wedding plans, and Jill accepted Leon's explanation that Count D's personal chef was rather temperamental. She never questioned why she had never met the chef in person, because like her husband and the Chinatown residents, she had long ago learned to take all of the petshop's oddities in stride. She knew that there was something magical about the Count and his shop, but what was most important to her was that D made Leon happy. The magic and the strange pets didn't really matter, compared to that.

A festive mood filled the petshop, and even Pon-chan was excited about the upcoming ceremonies. She still felt a touch of sorrow and wistfulness when she thought about Chris, but she felt like her brief talk with Leon in the kitchen had helped her to say goodbye to Chris, and she genuinely wished him and Tet-chan well.

Honlon, however, was having a harder time adjusting to the idea of Chris getting married, and alternated between bouts of tears and tantrums. The L.A. residents experienced several minor tremors during the weeks leading up to the wedding, and Daiki and Raphael were frequently called upon to calm the dragon down.

One night, when Daiki and Raphael were having dinner at the petshop, Daiki casually mentioned that the bridesmaid outfit he had custom-ordered for Beauty had come in. (It had been decided that Beauty, Pon-chan, and Jill's daughter Lian would be bridesmaids for the weddings.)

"Ooh, can I come over and see it, Daiki?" Pon-chan asked eagerly. "I love the dolls' dresses; they're all so pretty!" She sighed wistfully. "Chris is so lucky that you sold him a doll. Do you think one will ever bond with me?"

"Even if it did, how would you pay for it?" Tet-chan asked cynically. "You don't have any money."

"Well then, I could always work for Daiki," Pon-chan said indignantly. "I could cook for him, or help him take care of the dolls."

"I will not let you steal away my second chef, even if you are my son," the Count told Daiki, only half-jokingly.

"If a doll should choose Pon-chan for her owner, then I'm sure that we can work out some arrangement that would not interfere with her duties at the petshop," Daiki said serenely.

"Just be careful of that little con artist," Leon warned Pon-chan, who just giggled. "He'll have you signing yourself into indentured servitude for the next ten years!"

"Nonsense, Dad," Daiki said with an innocent smile. "I'm just a humble shopkeeper trying to find good homes for my Plant Dolls."

"Yeah, right," Leon snorted. "And not so incidentally, make a profit while you're at it?"

"Well, I do have expenses to pay," Daiki replied cheerfully. "But seriously, Pon-chan, you're welcome to come over to the shop tomorrow to look at the dress and the dolls. In fact, I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, what is it?!" Pon-chan exclaimed.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a secret," Daiki pointed out. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Ooh, a surprise!" Pon-chan laughed, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait!"

"I want to go to the Plant Dolls shop, too!" Junrei suddenly announced, in such a petulant voice that everyone mistook her for Kanan for a moment. But her lower lip was quivering, and her eyes were glistening with tears, and Kanan never cried.

"You know that is not possible, Junrei," D said gently. "Mass panic would break out if the humans saw a dragon walking down the street."

"But I want to see the dolls, too!" Junrei wept. "It's not fair that Pon-chan gets to see them and I don't!"

"Do not be such a child, Junrei," Shukou scolded in a stern voice.

"Well, it isn't fair!" Kanan shouted, injecting herself into the argument. "It's not fair that Pon-chan and Tet-chan can come and go as they please, but we never get to leave the shop! It's like we're prisoners here!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Kanan!" Shukou snapped. "It's not like we're kept locked in a cage and fed bread and water."

"The Crystal Chamber may be a gilded cage, but it's a cage all the same!" Kanan retorted. "Any place, no matter how luxurious, is a prison if you're not allowed to leave it!" She stomped her foot on the floor angrily, and even though she was still in human form, the room shook a little.

"Please don't fight," Junrei whimpered. "I only wanted to see the dolls, that's all."

"There are some things we just can't do, Junrei," Shukou said crossly. "It may not be fair, but sometimes life isn't fair. Don't be such a baby!"

"Hey, don't pick on the kid!" Kanan yelled. "She's upset about Chris getting married!"

"No, I'm not," Junrei protested, not very convincingly.

"And so are you, even if you won't admit it," Kanan told Shukou, ignoring Junrei's protests.

"I don't care if Chris gets married!" Shukou shouted. "I said all along that a human couldn't live here with us!"

"Yeah, and you were wrong, 'cause Leon's been living here for the past twenty years, or hadn't you noticed?!" Kanan shouted back.

Leon shot a frantic look at his son that silently pleaded, "Do something!" But before Daiki could speak, Raphael said hesitantly, "Um, excuse me, but maybe there is a way that Honlon could visit the Plant Dolls shop?"

The dragon-girl stopped arguing with herself and turned to stare at him, along with everyone else in the room. "I am sorry, Raphael," the Count said. "But that is not possible. Normal humans will see Honlon in her dragon form, and as I said, that would cause a panic."

"But what if they couldn't see her?" Raphael asked. "What if she rode in a palanquin, like a princess in ancient China? She is royalty, after all." He smiled at Honlon, and Junrei shyly smiled back at him. "I remember seeing something like that in a movie."

"Hmm," the Count mused thoughtfully. "Actually, that might work. Very clever of you, Raphael."

"So I can go to the Plant Dolls shop?" Junrei asked eagerly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Let us see what the shop can provide," D said with a smile. He led them down the winding corridors of the petshop, to a room that he claimed was a storage closet, and no one was surprised to find that it contained a small but ornate palanquin.

"Ooh, it's so pretty!" Junrei exclaimed delightedly, running her fingers along the frame of the palanquin, which was carved with a design of serpentine dragons and gilded with gold leaf.

"By the way," D said casually, "I hope you realize that a palanquin requires bearers."

The others stared at each other blankly for a moment, then comprehension dawned in their eyes. "Well, I guess it was my idea," Raphael said, smiling ruefully. "So I'll be one of the bearers."

Leon glanced at D, who said firmly, "I am much too delicate for such crude manual labor." He stretched out his long, elegant fingers. "Besides, I might break a nail."

"It looks like a two-man palanquin," Daiki said helpfully. "We'll only need one other person to help Raphael carry it."

Everyone stared expectantly at Leon. "Why is everyone looking at me?" he grumbled.

"Because brute force seems to be your specialty," D said sweetly.

"Please, Leon?" Junrei begged, staring at him pleadingly with wide, soulful eyes. "I really want to see Daiki's shop!"

"It's not very far," Raphael said encouragingly. "And she can't weigh very much," he added, gazing at Honlon's slender figure.

"Depends on whether we're carrying her girl weight or her dragon weight," Leon said sourly, but when Junrei's lip began to quiver again, he sighed, "Oh, all right!"

"Thank you, Leon!" Junrei exclaimed, her tears evaporating as she flung her arms around him.

So a short time later, Daiki led the way to the Plant Dolls shop, followed by Raphael and Leon carrying the palanquin, with D, Pon-chan, Tet-chan, and Lupin bringing up the rear. The Chinatown residents stared at the strange procession as it passed by, whispering to each other excitedly.

"What do you think is going on?"

"A special customer of the Count's, no doubt."

"A foreign dignitary, perhaps? Someone who needs to remain incognito."

"Or royalty, from some faraway country! Like that young prince who came to the Count's shop many years ago to find his pet cat."

"Or maybe a beautiful princess!"

"Certainly someone very wealthy, if they're going to young Master Daiki's shop!"

"They think I'm a princess," Junrei giggled happily.

"We are a princess," Shukou said haughtily. "Dragons are one of the four sacred beasts, after all."

"This thing isn't as comfortable as it looks," Kanan complained, squirming inside the palanquin. "Do you have to bounce us around like that?"

"Yeah, well, if you don't like it, you can always get out and walk, princess," Leon grumbled. "Your Royal Highness seems to have put on some weight. Maybe you oughta cut back on the cheeseburgers, Kanan."

"How rude!" Kanan exclaimed. "Maybe you ought to hit the gym and build up those muscles, if you're too wimpy to carry a delicate maiden such as myself!"

"The palanquin itself weighs quite a bit," Raphael said diplomatically, glancing nervously at it as if he expected a three-headed dragon to burst out of the palanquin at any moment.

"Leon!" D hissed. "Do not upset Honlon! It would be disastrous if she lost her temper and took her true form here, out in the open, in the middle of the city!"

"Oh yeah," Leon said, grinning at him sheepishly.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Daiki called out encouragingly. And soon enough, they entered the Plant Dolls shop, and Leon and Raphael set down the palanquin as Daiki hung up a "CLOSED" sign on the door and locked it, then drew drapes across the windows to prevent curious onlookers from peeping into the shop.

"Oh, thank God," Leon groaned in relief, rubbing his aching arms and shoulders. Raphael also rubbed his sore limbs, a little more quietly and discreetly than Leon.

"Oh!" Junrei gasped, glancing around the room, her head turning in all directions, as if she couldn't decide where to look first. "They're all so pretty!" She gently sniffed at one of the sleeping Plant Dolls. "And they really do smell like flowers!"

"That one is a potpourri doll," Daiki replied with a smile. "They are fed special scent balls so that they will give off that lovely scent. It is one of our most popular models."

"I would love one," Junrei sighed wistfully, running a finger along the doll's cheek. "But she's not waking up, so I guess she doesn't want me to be her owner."

"Big surprise," Tet-chan muttered under his breath. "Who'd want to be owned by a dragon with a split personality and a bad temper?"

Fortunately, Junrei was too distracted to hear him. "Why is her skin so cool?" she asked Daiki.

"That is because she has not yet awakened," Daiki explained.

Junrei smiled. "Then they're sort of like us when we were an egg waiting to hatch."

"In a manner of speaking," Daiki agreed.

"Yeah, except for the fact that dolls don't have eggshells," Tet-chan muttered sarcastically.

This time, the dragon overheard him, and Kanan struck him on the head with her fist. "Oh, shut up, goat-boy," she growled. "Come on," she said, seemingly to herself--or rather, to her sisters. "Let's go look around the shop."

Honlon walked around the shop, examining the dolls, until she came face to face with the large dragon statue in the corner. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening with surprise, and it wasn't clear which sister was speaking.

"Pretty neat statue, huh?" Leon said. The Asian-style dragon was made of bronze, with glittering red stones for eyes, and it certainly was impressive in height; the dragon was standing upright on its hind legs, and the top of its head nearly reached the ceiling. "Cousin of yours?" Leon joked, grinning at Honlon.

"Wh...what is this doing here?" Honlon whispered, pointing at the statue; Leon thought that it was Shukou speaking, but he still wasn't sure.

"It's just a statue," a puzzled Leon said, then turned suspiciously towards his son. "Isn't it?"

"Well..." Daiki started to reply, but then bronze eyelids closed over the red stone eyes of the statue, once, twice, three times as the dragon blinked slowly. Then its jaws opened in a yawn, and the serpentine coils of its body moved, stretching as if the dragon had just woken from a long nap.

"You never told us that you had a dragon in your shop!" Kanan said accusingly to Daiki.

Raphael smiled wryly at his lover. "Somehow, I'm not really surprised. After seeing a Tou-Tet and a three-headed dragon, nothing much surprises me anymore."

There was a flash of light, and a huge cloud of smoke filled the room, obscuring the statue and causing everyone to cough. The smoke slowly cleared, to reveal a handsome man clad in a robe of brocaded bronze silk standing in place of the statue. He appeared to be Asian and in his mid-thirties, with black hair braided into a plait that hung halfway down his back. He looked perfectly human except for his ruby-red eyes.

"Master Daiki!" the man exclaimed. "Who is this vision of loveliness standing before me?"

Daiki looked startled, but he recovered quickly and said, "I see that introductions are in order. Ti Lung, the young lady standing before you is known collectively as Honlon, and she has been entrusted to the care of my father, Count D. Her individual names are Junrei, Kanan, and Shukou. Honlon, this is Ti Lung, the guardian of the Plant Dolls shop."

"Hello," Junrei said, smiling shyly at the strange dragon. "I'm Junrei. I've never met another dragon before."

Her expression shifted without warning, and a puzzled frown creased Shukou's forehead. "We should have sensed the presence of another dragon in the city."

"Allow me to explain, my Lady," Ti Lung said, bowing towards Honlon in a courtly manner. "I am a Dragon of Earth, and I once made my home in a peaceful little valley in China. However, one day the humans built a factory there that polluted the earth and air and water of my lovely valley."

D flashed Leon a look that seemed to say, "I told you so," and Leon sighed, repressing the urge to apologize for the entire human race.

"And how does this explain why we weren't able to sense your presence?" Kanan demanded.

Ti Lung did not seem to take any offense, and just gave her a charming smile and said, "Patience, Lady...Kanan, is it? I am getting there. The pollution in the earth was making me ill, and would eventually have killed me if I had remained there, but I did not know where else I could go. It was then that Master Hua came to me, and asked me if I would like to travel with him and become the guardian of his shop. As a Dragon of Earth, I can take the shape of any element found in the earth, such as metal or clay, and I spend most of my time in my statue form, dormant and sleeping, which is why you and your sisters did not sense my presence, Lady Kanan--and why I did not sense yours. Normally I awaken only when an intruder enters the shop, or when the Master of the shop calls on me, but the presence of another dragon--" He gave Honlon a charming smile. "--and a very beautiful one, might I add?--in my home caught my attention and woke me from my slumber."

"Hmm," Kanan said, gazing at the other dragon a little suspiciously.

"Why did you never tell us that you had a dragon in your shop?" Shukou asked Daiki.

Daiki smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Shukou. I never thought to tell you, since Ti Lung spends most of his time sleeping, and I didn't think it was possible for you to leave the petshop to visit him, anyway."

"I was essentially in hibernation for many years, waking only on the few occasions that I was called upon to defend the shop," Ti Lung explained. "And briefly, when Master Hua introduced me to his successor, Master Daiki." A melancholy look fell over his face. "I missed my home in China, so I preferred to remain in slumber, dreaming of the days when my valley was still green and beautiful and untouched." His expression brightened as he gazed at Honlon. "But I see now that I was wrong to live in the past!"

Junrei smiled at him sympathetically. "I was lonely, too, when my sisters and I lived all alone in the Crystal Chamber, before Chris came to visit us. So we'll be your friends, if you like, Ti Lung."

Ti Lung looked confused by the mention of "Chris," but he smiled warmly at the offer of friendship. "Hold on just a minute now," Kanan protested. "Don't go offering 'our' friendship when Shukou and I haven't agreed to it yet!"

"Don't you want to be friends with Ti Lung, Kanan?" Junrei asked in a puzzled voice.

"I don't know if I trust him yet," Kanan replied, glaring at the guardian dragon. "He's too much of a smooth talker."

"I don't know why you always have to think the worst of everyone, Kanan," Junrei protested. "Shukou, what do you think?"

"He is a stranger to us," Shukou replied calmly. "Therefore, I will reserve judgment until I get to know him better."

"But you do think that we should get to know him!" Junrei said triumphantly.

Ti Lung watched the three-sided argument with growing interest and admiration, and suddenly he knelt before Daiki and exclaimed, "Master Daiki, I beg your permission to pay formal court to the Lady Honlon!"

"What?!" Tet-chan exclaimed.

Leon's jaw dropped, while D raised his eyebrows and murmured, "Now this is an interesting development..."

Daiki looked startled, and Raphael asked, "Um, does that mean what I think it means?"

"Indeed, it means that he is asking for her hand in marriage, or at least, for permission to court her with the intention of persuading her to marry him," Daiki replied. To Ti Lung, he said, "However, Honlon's guardians are actually my fathers, Count D and Detective Leon Orcot, and they are the ones you should be requesting permission from, not me."

He gestured towards his parents, and Ti Lung rose to his feet and bowed deeply in their direction. "Then, as Lady Honlon's guardians, I ask for your permission to pay court to her."

"Now wait just a cotton-picking minute!" Kanan shouted indignantly. "Don't we get some say in this? And what the hell is wrong with you, anyway?!" She glared at Ti Lung. "We only just met five minutes ago; how can you say you want to marry us?!"

"'Cotton-picking'?" Raphael asked Daiki.

"Papa says that Kanan has picked up many bad habits from Dad," Daiki chuckled.

"Time out!" Tet-chan said, waving his arms in the air. "First of all, you do realize that Honlon is not your typical dragon? I mean, you do realize that she has three heads and only one body? That means if you marry one, you're marrying all three of them!"

Kanan glared at him, and Tet-chan quickly moved out of her reach. Ti Lung just smiled and said, "Yes, I can see Lady Honlon's true form, as well as that of her human body. It is quite intriguing; I have never met another dragon like her before."

Shukou gave the other dragon a cool, appraising look, as if she were trying to determine his motives. "Our birth resulted from unusual circumstances," she explained calmly. "Shortly before we hatched, we were handled in the egg by three different parties: Count D, Leon, and some children, customers of the Count's, who took us home by mistake in place of the turtle egg they had bought. Thus, we had three different personalities impressed upon us. I take after the Count; Kanan takes after Leon; and Junrei takes after the innocent children who briefly had the egg in their possession."

"I see," Ti Lung said. "That explains much."

"So you don't mind marrying a three-headed dragon?" Tet-chan asked incredulously.

"Indeed, not!" Ti Lung replied. "Rather, I would consider myself lucky to be her husband! First, you have the sweet and innocent maiden, Junrei." Junrei blushed. "And her sister Shukou, lovely and wise. And last but not least, the fiery and passionate Kanan. What man would not consider himself blessed to have a wife with these three diverse ideals of womanhood all in one?"

"Never thought of it that way before," Tet-chan muttered skeptically.

"Would that make him a bigamist?" Pon-chan wondered out loud.

"And of course," Ti Lung continued, ignoring Pon-chan, "there is the fact that physically, she is the most beautiful creature that I have ever laid eyes on, in either dragon or human form."

"You don't think my three heads are ugly?" Junrei asked uncertainly.

"Certainly not!" Ti Lung said fervently. He took her hand, bowed over it, and kissed her fingertips. "You are positively magnificent!" Junrei blushed deeply.

"Well, he's pretty smooth; I'll give him that," Raphael said wryly.

"Take a cold shower, lover boy!" Kanan said, snatching her hand out of Ti Lung's grasp and slapping him sharply across the face. It didn't seem to do anything to dampen his ardor, though, and if anything, he stared at her even more admiringly.

"Ah, such passion!" he sighed.

Leon had been sent into a state of shock by Ti Lung's proposal, but he finally recovered his wits and shouted, "Now hold on just a cotton-picking minute!"

"You see?" Daiki murmured to Raphael.

Leon stepped between Honlon and Ti Lung, and glowered at the latter fiercely. "Honlon is just a little girl, and if you think I'm gonna hand her over to some creep twice her age..."

D tapped Leon on the shoulder and whispered, "First of all, you cannot judge a dragon's age by his or her appearance, although I do believe that you are correct in assuming that Ti Lung is a full-grown adult, and secondly, it is never wise to anger a dragon. As a full-grown adult, his powers are likely even greater than Honlon's, and Honlon nearly destroyed the city in that little incident during Christmas when she first met Chris."

"I don't care if he's a bad-ass dragon," Leon said stubbornly, still glaring at Ti Lung. "Kanan is right; you can't possibly judge if you want to marry someone in just five minutes, and besides, however many years old she is in human years, Honlon is still a teenager in dragon years, right? If I had a human teenage daughter, I'd never let her get married at such a young age, and certainly not to some older guy! So I'm not giving my dragon daughter's hand in marriage to anyone, either! Not until she's old enough to make a mature and responsible decision on her own."

Daiki and D both moved closer to Leon, ready to defend him from Ti Lung, if necessary, but the dragon regarded Leon with a look of respect, and bowed deeply once more. "Lady Honlon is lucky to have such a loving and protective foster father," he said. "But you mistake my intentions, Detective Orcot. It is true that Lady Honlon is an adolescent in dragon terms, although she is of marriageable age, just barely. But age means little to a creature who lives for centuries, and a proper dragon courtship takes many years, sometimes even decades. I swear upon my honor, and that of my ancestors, that I only wish to court Lady Honlon honorably, and that I shall not take advantage of her, and that nothing...inappropriate...shall happen between us if and until we are honorably wed. Because of her youth, I will not object if you assign a chaperone to supervise our visits."

Leon looked somewhat taken aback by Ti Lung's response, and D smiled sweetly and said, "Well, that seems fair enough. I see no reason to object; do you, Leon?"

"Um...well..." Leon temporized, still gazing at Ti Lung suspiciously as he tried to come up with a reasonable objection.

Kanan stomped her foot on the floor petulantly. "Excuse me! Would everyone stop talking about us like we're not here? Shouldn't you ask our opinion before you marry us off to Mr. Bad-ass Dragon?"

Ti Lung knelt in front of her and said gently, "I beg your pardon, Lady Kanan. As you are still in their care, it was only proper of me to get your guardians' permission before I paid court to you. Now that it has been obtained--"

"Hey, I didn't give my permission yet!" Leon interrupted, but D shushed him.

"--I would like to start seeing you and your sisters," Ti Lung continued. "I know that this is all very sudden, but as soon as I laid eyes on you, I was struck by the certainty that we were meant to be together. I believe that the humans call this 'love at first sight'?"

Kanan seemed thrown off by his gentle manner. "But is it really love at first sight if it's not mutual?" she argued, sounding confused, but a little less hostile.

Ti Lung smiled. "Then will you give me a chance to get to know you and win your affection before you turn me down?" he persisted.

"I'm sorry," Junrei said softly. "I cannot accept your proposal. I...you see...there's someone that I like. He's in love with someone else, but still...I can't think about being with anyone else right now." She stared at the other dragon with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ti Lung."

Ti Lung looked disappointed, but he took her hand in his and said kindly, "Then can we at least get to know each other and be friends, as you suggested earlier? And perhaps with time, your broken heart will heal, and you might learn to look at me as a suitor instead of just a friend. But for now...shall we be friends?"

Junrei wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smiled at him shyly. "Okay," she whispered. "Friends."

"Lady Shukou?" Ti Lung asked. "Lady Kanan?"

Shukou regarded him coolly for a moment, then shrugged and replied, "As I said, I shall reserve judgment until I get to know you. And I suppose I cannot do that unless we spend some time in each other's company."

"I'll go along with this for now," Kanan growled, "but if you do anything to hurt Junrei, I'll kick your ass!"

"Kanan, don't be so rude," Junrei scolded, but she looked a little pleased by her sister's concern.

"Very well," Ti Lung said, bowing his head. "If I ever do anything to hurt Lady Junrei's feelings, then I would indeed deserve Lady Kanan's wrath."

Pon-chan giggled. "He really is quite smooth," she whispered to Raphael. "I think it will be good for Honlon to have someone to distract her from her feelings about Chris."

"And what about you, Pon-chan?" Raphael asked, affectionately ruffling her curls. "Would you like a handsome distraction as well?"

Pon-chan shook her head. "Not him, anyway. He's a bit full of himself, although he seems kind enough." She grinned. "But he'll keep Kanan on her toes, and vice versa."

Leon was still frowning disapprovingly at the two dragons. "Well, I hope that they don't tear down the petshop with their arguments!"

Lupin scratched his ear with a hind paw and asked, "By the way, how is this courtship thing going to work? Will Honlon have to use the palanquin every time she visits Ti Lung? Or will he come to live at the petshop with us?"

"I am not carrying that thing over here every time the dragons want to go on a date!" Leon groaned loudly.

"We're not dating!" Junrei protested, her cheeks turning red. "We're just friends, right, Ti Lung?"

"As my Lady Junrei says," Ti Lung agreed amiably, although a certain glint in his ruby eyes indicated that he had not yet given up hope of winning her heart. For the first time, he seemed to notice the other people in the room, and his eyes widened with interest when he caught sight of Lupin. "A wolf spirit," he murmured. "What an interesting place the petshop must be." He bowed and added, "I am honored to meet you, sir."

"Likewise!" Lupin barked cheerfully, and extended a front paw, which Ti Lung graciously shook. Daiki introduced everyone to Ti Lung, including Raphael, whom he described as "my mate".

"I am greatly honored to meet you, Master Raphael," Ti Lung said, bowing very low.

"Ah, just call me 'Raphael,'" Raphael said, looking rather embarrassed. "I'm no one special; just a starving artist."

"That is not quite true, for you are special to me," Daiki said, smiling at him lovingly. "And you do have a very unique artistic gift, but I think we can explain that to Ti Lung some other time."

"I shall not inconvenience you, Detective Orcot," Ti Lung promised, turning back to Leon. "I swore an oath to protect the Plant Dolls shop, but with Master Daiki's permission, I can leave it for short periods of time to visit with Lady Honlon."

Daiki nodded his agreement, and Leon said, "Um, but won't the humans see you in your dragon form? That was why we had to carry Honlon in the palanquin, so she wouldn't cause a panic."

Ti Lung smiled almost smugly. "Lady Honlon is young, as you pointed out, and she is still untrained in her powers. I have the ability to take a human shape that appears normal even to humans who are not touched by magic."

"Oh!" Junrei cried eagerly. "Can you teach me to do that, too?"

Ti Lung scrutinized her closely, long enough to cause Kanan to emerge and stare at him suspiciously. "I believe that you have the power, my Lady," he finally replied. "You have just not been properly trained to use it. I shall do my best to teach you, but it will be a lengthy process." He did not look at all perturbed by the prospect of giving her frequent lessons.

Kanan shrugged. "It ain't like we've got anything better to do," she said with feigned indifference, but there was a hint of Junrei's eagerness in her eyes as well.

"I would be most interested in learning to make full use of my abilities," Shukou said coolly.

"It would be so great if we could learn to take human form!" Junrei exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Then we could walk around Chinatown like Pon-chan and Tet-chan do!"

"Then I shall call upon you tomorrow to begin your lessons," Ti Lung said, bowing gallantly. He glanced at Leon and D and added, "With your foster fathers' permission, of course."

"I would be honored to welcome you to my humble shop, Ti Lung," D said serenely, while Leon scowled, then sighed in resignation.

"All right, but you are going to be chaperoned!"

"As you wish, Detective Orcot."

As things began to settle down, Pon-chan reminded Daiki of his promise to show her Beauty's bridesmaid dress. So he brought out the garment, a lovely little dress made of pink silk and frothy pink and white lace.

"It's so pretty," Pon-chan sighed, and Junrei sighed in agreement, although Kanan shook her head in disgust.

"Looks like some sort of spun-sugar thing that D might eat," Leon said, siding with Kanan.

"Well, I like it!" Pon-chan said defensively. "In fact, I would love to have a dress like that!"

"I thought you might say that," Daiki said with a smile. "Here is the surprise I promised you."

He handed her a large white box, which she eagerly opened, and squealed with delight when she found that it contained a matching dress in her size. "Oh, thank you so much, Daiki! It's beautiful!"

"Well, you are a bridesmaid, too," Daiki pointed out. "So I thought that your dresses should match."

"You are not gonna get Lian into pink lace," Leon said, staring at the lacy dresses doubtfully. His "niece" was a bit of a tomboy, and was determined to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a cop, somewhat to her father's dismay.

"I had a different dress made up for Lian," Daiki reassured his father, and showed them the dress that he and Jill had ordered for Lian, a simple pink silk sheath with no lace or ruffles.

"Well, she's not too fond of pink, but I think she'll agree to that, especially if you show her the alternative," Leon said with a grin.

Daiki brought out some refreshments, and they all chatted over tea and sweets for awhile longer, until D finally said they had to be getting back home, and Honlon was coaxed reluctantly back into the palanquin with the reminder that her new friend and tutor would visit her tomorrow.

"What a remarkable young lady," Ti Lung sighed dreamily after Honlon was gone.

"Just remember that Honlon is very precious to all of us, and Junrei is very sensitive and easily hurt," Raphael said sternly, but he wasn't as worried as Leon was, because he could see that the dragon was as smitten with Honlon as he was with Daiki.

"I understand Mas...I understand, Raphael," Ti Lung replied solemnly. "Lady Honlon's happiness shall always be foremost in my mind."

"I think it will be good for Honlon to have a new friend," Daiki said, smiling. "She has been very depressed lately, since her first love, my Uncle Chris, has recently become engaged to Tet-chan."

Ti Lung raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I question your uncle's taste, Master Daiki, but I shall not complain, since his loss is my gain. Meaning no offense, of course."

"None taken," Daiki assured him.

"Now that I am awake, do you mind if I remain in my human form?" Ti Lung asked. "You could tell your customers that I am your bodyguard, which would be true enough, or I can remain out of sight when customers visit the shop."

"You can be my bodyguard and assistant, sent to me by Master Hua from China," Daiki decided, after thinking about it for a few moments. "We do have to come up with some sort of cover identity for you, anyway, since you'll be visiting the petshop frequently, and people are bound to notice. And since you'll be in human form, you can use the guest bedroom for now, while I have the shop create a suite of rooms to your liking."

"Thank you, Master Daiki," Ti Lung said, bowing. "And if I might be so bold as to ask one more favor of you..." Daiki nodded, and Ti Lung smiled sheepishly. "I would like to bring Lady Honlon a gift tomorrow, so I hoped that you might give me some advice on what might win the lady's favor. Flowers? Jewelry? Silk robes?"

"Nothing too extravagant to begin with," Daiki replied. "She is still recovering from a broken heart, so you should take things slowly. Some pastries from Madame C's bakery will appeal to Shukou and Junrei, and Kanan likes cheeseburgers."

"Then I shall follow your advice, Master Daiki," Ti Lung said, looking a little puzzled. "But you shall have to explain to me what 'cheeseburgers' are."

"Don't worry," Daiki said, laughing. "I'll take you to Madam C's tomorrow, and to Dad's favorite burger joint."

Daiki22

Petshop Horror Index