"I appreciate that you have stopped smoking, Detective," D was saying, "but those patches that you wear make your blood just as bitter as before."
"Hey," Leon said, "If you don't like it, why don't you go find a nicotine-free human to feed off of, huh? This is southern California, you know; there's plenty of non-smokers around."
D gently placed his cup on the table, and took a seat right next to Leon, leaning his head against the human's outstretched arm. "Because it is a very intimate thing," he cooed, lightly touching Leon's face with gentle fingers, "And you are the only one I wish to be intimate with.." Snarling could be heard from under them. "Hush, Tet-chan. Jealousy does not become you." D scolded. The jilted tou-tetsu slunk from the room and into the shadows, tail tucked between his legs.
D relaxed and settled his head back against Leon's arm again. Leon was tense, but did not move away as he once would have. "Um..yeah. If you want to be so..intimate...with me, then why the fuck don't you call me by name? It's not like I'm investigating you anymore..." *I've already seen more than I ever wanted to know...*
"I could...Leon," he said, snuggling closer, "But old habits are so difficult to break..."
Leon rolled his eyes at D's teasing. He hadn't really decided what to do about his friendship/relationship with D, and the latter was taking his silence as encouragement. Testing his limits, D slid a hand under Leon's t-shirt and slowly ran his hand up his stomach, to his chest. He knew, and he had known for a long time, that his friend's reluctance was due to prejudice and uncertainty, not a lack of attraction. But oddly enough, since he'd had his daughters, the human had been more tolerant of D's touch, even responsive at times. Funny that seeing him for what he truly was made the detective friendlier, and not the opposite.
Leon's breath caught and he trembled slightly as D's long slender fingers lightly teased one of his nipples. He quickly snatched D's arm and pushed it away. "Anyway...about what you were saying before, what do you mean all the forests are gone? There's plenty of wilderness left, as far as I can tell."
"I mean the old forests. Places that were more than just a place where trees grow."
Leon frowned. "Isn't that the definition of the word? I mean, the trees are what make a forest, you know."
"It is difficult to describe," D said, smoothly rising to his feet, pulling Leon with him. "I should show you. Come."
*Not again.* Leon thought. *I guess I was asking for it, though.* He generally tried to avoid thinking about what D was, but ever since...*that*... D had been trying to show him all kinds of things. (Not those kinds of things, you dirty minded people....that comes later. ^-^) Explanations he didn't want about the long past, about the world in general. And here was another one coming.
D stopped by Madame Sultana's door quickly to tell her that she had charge of the children for the evening. She nodded in understanding, and D returned to Leon, taking him by the hand and leading him to the study.
Leon sat on the chaise and watched as D carefully put incense into several burners. Once finished, he placed them in a circle around the blond detective and sat down in Leon's lap. The human stiffened, which was to be expected, but Leon made no move to get rid of D. Instead, he hesitantly planted a quick peck of a kiss on D's forehead and loosely embraced him.
"Mmm..." D murmured happily, lifting his head to meet Leon's. Instead of kissing him on the lips, as he had hoped, Leon kissed his cheek and worked his way down D's jawline, his breath quickening and the intensity increasing with each contact of his lips to that soft, exotic skin. D felt Leon's grip tighten around his waist, hands slipping and clutching him spasmodically. He couldn't help but moan softly as he felt Leon's hot mouth descend onto the front of his throat. He quickly undid the clasp to his collar, and slid his fingers into unruly blond hair, pulling it out of it's accustomed binding. "Ah," He exhaled softly as Leon's tongue explored the newly exposed flesh. The human made his own soft moan of desire, and was about to push D down on the chaise and have his way with him when he suddenly had the feeling of something's-not-quite-right-here.
The sweet fresh smell of vegetation filled his nostrils. He looked up to see where D had brought him. Tall, stately trees stood majestically upon islands of soft grass, almost floating in a lake so crystal clear one could see the shallow bottom. Bright sunlight filtered down between the massive boughs to play among the moisture in the leaves of the trees, and shimmer along the surface of the water. It was achingly beautiful, but it had an ominous feel to it, at least to Leon. It was the pervasive silent stillness in the place that got to him; not even the sounds of birds or insects could be heard, just the faint sound of the occasional waterdrop in the distance. Not even the slightest breeze stirred the air. It should have been peaceful, and soothing, but to the city-born cop, it was anything but. It felt wrong.
"This is what you wanted to show me?!!" Leon exclaimed, his harsh voice echoed through the grove.
D, who had slipped away from him while he was gawking at his surroundings, merely stepped out onto the water. Smiling, he beckoned for Leon to follow. Water rippled slightly under his feet, dancing outward in widening circles, as if he weighed no more than a feather. Leon just stood there and gaped at him for a moment, not because of shock; there wasn't anything D could do anymore that would suprise him, but for his beauty. The kami stood motionless on the water, his auqa-blue Cheongsam decorated with silver and white lotuses conforming to and emphasizing his slim, graceful form. Wisps of his silky raven hair waved in a non-existent breeze as he waited, water still rippling under his feet, though he himself was as motionless as a statue.
Leon shook himself out of the trance he had fallen under and stormed toward the edge of the water. "Dammit D, stop showing off already!!" He splashed noisily as he waded toward his goal, stopping waist-deep in water in front of D, looks down at him sadly. "You still do not trust me," he lamented, "There was no reason for you to get wet."
"Why not?" Leon responded, "It's just water, anyway." He smiled mischieviously. He had decided to pay D back for some of his teasing. "Aah!!" D yelped as his friend yanked him down into the chilly water with him. Suddenly Leon was wrestling a very miffed Chinese kami underwater.
"Oh, you...I can't believe you!!" D sputtered as they returned to the surface. Leon laughed and kissed him roughly on the mouth, the force of long suppressed emotions fueling Leon's passion.
"Mmmm...mmm..ah!" D gasped as Leon finally released his lips. "Airen...over there..." he whispered, gesturing with one arm. Leon scooped him into his arms and waded across to the island D had indicated, the glistening water just barely reaching his shoulders at the deepest point. The coolness of the water hardly dissuading his ardor, Leon tried to put D down in the grassy bank.
"No, no," D said, "Over there, among the trees." Leon sighed in frustration and took him there. This really wasn't his idea of a romantic place to make out. Too eerie. Well, D himself was eerie at times, but he had gotten used to that. This...this place was just *weird*. If he hadn't wanted D so badly, he would've been gone in a second.
Leon sank to his knees in the small alcove surrounded by the ancient giants. The myriad of boughs above them blocked out all but the smallest specks of sunlight. "Is this it? What were you going to show me here?"
"I think that it can wait for a while, don't you? We do have several hours in this place, Det-...Leon." D said seductively, his breath tickling Leon's ear.
Leon made a growling noise and went for D's magenta lips again. As they kissed, they started to peel their sodden clothing from each other. Having had a bit more practice, Leon easily undid the fastenings on D's cheongsam and slid the wet material off his shoulders. Then he let D lift his t-shirt off over his head. Now that they were both bare-chested, Leon pushed D down onto the forest floor, doing his best to ravage his lover's mouth with his tongue. He was doing a good job, if D's soft whimpers were any indication.
A rattling sound caught his attention. Leon lifted his mouth from D's to find himself face to face with a little semi-transparent, white...thing. It looked at him with its inky black eyespots. As he stared at it, it turned its head sideways and released it, making the rattling sound he had heard before.
He shot up to his knees. "WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?!! A GHOST?!!!"
"No, it is neither living nor dead," D said soothingly, "The kodama merely is."
"It's merely what?!! What is that thing, D? Shit, couldn't we do this in a bed like normal people?!"
"It merely exists, Leon. It is a manifestation of the life force of the trees here. The healthier the forest, the more numerous its kind is. And the forest here is indeed in good shape. It is this force that the forests of today lack." he said with a wistful smile.
Still feeling uneasy, Leon looked up. Hundreds of little faces peered down at him from between the leaves. "Oh, hell no. The last thing I need is an audience."
"They are no more intelligent than the trees from which they came. Pay them no mind."
"Are you kidding?! There is no way..." D sat up suddenly and sunk his teeth into Leon's shoulder. The human moaned and fell back down on top of the smaller man. "No fair..." he murmured.
"Make love to me now," D whispered after pulling away.
"Cheater." Leon pouted, but he did resume the lovemaking, no longer aware of the kodoma's presence. Kissing D's nipples, he slid a hand under the thin material of the kami's pants and caressed his inner thighs. D moaned in pleasure. "Airen..."
With a little effort, Leon removed the rest of D's clothing and explored his body with his mouth and hands.
Tentatively, he touched D's sex with a tenderness that was in contrast to his earlier haste. D bucked slightly under him at the touch. He moved his hand down further, his fingers searching...one finger slipped inside. D's inner walls were slick and yielding as Leon added another finger. D gasped and held tightly to Leon's shoulders.
Finally, unable to hold out any longer he removed his jeans and positioned himself kneeling between D's long, pale, slender legs. "Are you ready for me?" he asked.
"Yes, you won't hurt me," was the response. Leon pulled D onto his lap and hooked his lover's knees over his arms, bending over him as far as D's flexibility would allow, which was actually quite a bit. Leon easily slid himself into D's body and started to move in and out, his pace quickening with every stroke. Soon their bodies were covered with sweat as they moved together, limbs inertwined. D cried out and resisted the urge to change form, knowing Leon wouldn't be able to handle it. "Harder," he gasped.
Leon complied to the best of his ability. Soon he was moaning just as loudly as his lover, and came violently, spilling hot seed into D's body.
"Don't stop," D pleaded as he felt Leon slow down.
Leon nodded, panting hard, and continued to pump himself into D. Leon felt the grip on his shoulders tighten, and he grimaced. D seemed to forget his strength sometimes. The tall blond became aware of a constant rattling noise that was steadily increasing in volume. He willed himself not to pay attention to it. D shrieked and came, sprurting sweet, sticky cum all over Leon's stomach. Leon allowed himself to collapse into a heap of flowers next to D. *Whoa, where'd all these flowers come from...no, never mind, I don't want to know.* D had something to do with it, no doubt. The next thing he noticed was the source of the rattling noise. The kodoma were still there, very happy and rattling their little heads off.
*Son of a bitch!!* "Enjoying the show, you little perverts?!!" Leon snarled.
D laid a hand on Leon's shoulder. "No, they are not excited because of that. Something else..." he said, placing his other hand on his abdomen. Leon looked confused for a moment, but then the lights came on. "Oh shit, I really am going to be a dad this time..."
D had explained shortly after the twins' birth that Leon's presence had caused them to recognize him as their 'father'. Leon's response had been, "What, me?! I don't know the first thing about being a dad!!" But he did come by on a regular basis to see them and D, visiting much more often than he did before.
*Serves me right for not using protection,* he thought. But then, D looked like a guy, so he tended to forget that the kami wasn't entirely male.
D said nothing more, licking the blood from his nails, grimacing slightly at the bitter taste. The kodoma gradually settled down and disappeared. The couple lay together in the bed of multicolored flowers. "Wo ai ni," D sighed happily as they drifted off to sleep...
The twins were giggling. Although still infants, they could already walk around on their own, well enough
to catch their 'parents' making out on the chaise.
Leon was the first to wake up. "Fucking son of a bitch!" he yelled, turning bright red. He fumbled for his discarded clothing. "Damn incense," he muttered.
D was a little more dignified in his response. "Please do not use such language in front of the children, Leon. Not caring for his nudity, he quickly herded them out the door. "I can see that I must find someone more capable of keeping up with them than the Madame," he sighed, "She is getting too old for this."
"Uh, D," Leon started...
"Yes?"
"Did we knock over a fishtank or something?" he asked, holding up his dripping shirt.
"No, I do not believe so."
Leon shook his head and started to wring out the t-shirt, wincing at the sudden pain in his shoulders. *D's venom must be wearing off* he mused, looking at the red, swollen flesh around the bite marks on his shoulder. "Ow...shit. D, the next time we decide to get our freak on, I'm handcuffing you to the bed. My shoulders hurt like hell."
"I am sorry, Leon, I did not mean to hurt you." He came up behind Leon, and licked up the remaining blood from the scratches on his upper back. Then he kissed them, causing the wounds to heal up. "Is that better, airen?"
"Uh, yeah! It doesn't hurt at all now," Leon said, surprised.
"Good," D said, taking the now almost dry shirt from him, not even scolding him for wringing it out over the carpet. He put it on himself, the oversized yellow shirt hanging down to his knees.
Leon gave him a weird look, but just shrugged and struggled back into his jeans. "Hey, um, D, do mind if I stay the night?"
D smiled mischieviously. "Stay forever, if you wish."
"Er..."
D left the study, and Leon followed him to the bedroom. They once again stripped and got into bed, D curling up against Leon and falling asleep almost immediately. Leon lay awake for a while, resting with one arm behind his head and the other wrapped around D's waist. He was thinking. Not so much about the prospect of being a father- he was still trying to process that he had actually been intimate with the kami. *Damn incense,* he thought. They always seemed to get hot and heavy during these 'lessons' lately. Leon decided that this had been inevitable. Not that he really minded anymore, but still...it was strange, sleeping with another man.
He started to drift off to sleep when the sound of giggling brought him back to awareness. *Oh no, not again.*
Two little kami girls climbed onto the bed and jumped on top of Leon. "What are you two doing?" Leon whispered, "You're going to wake your, um, daddy."
"Sleep here ." was the response.
Leon sighed in defeat. "Fine, just settle down, and go to sleep, ok?"
They nodded in unison and made themselves comfortable.
********************************************************************************************
Q-chan was perched outside the bedroom. A pity the human would be an old man before his child would be born. Oh well, his grandson would learn the hard way why it was unwise to mate with men. Then he flew away into the shadows of the darkened petshop.