Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ Paradiso ❯ Not Quite Paradise ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Kita and Subu-chan 
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Drama / Post-apocalyptic | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.07.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 395 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction / Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Horror / Drama / Post-apocalyptic | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.07.2007 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 395 | Status: Work In Progress
Paradiso: Chapter Two-Not Quite Paradise
“Are you sure about this?”
D cast a glance over his shoulder at the figure sprawled on the grass behind him. “What should I have to be unsure about?”
Leon shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems a little unfair to me.”
D turned to stare at him in frank astonishment. “Unfair? What do you mean?”
“The world.” Leon rose to his feet and gestured at the unending grass plain around them. “They’re waiting for paradise. This isn’t it.”
Dee sighed. “No. It isn’t. For all my pretensions, the pet shop is no paradise. But I do not wish for them to slumber forever. I have no such illusions about the world left behind.” He knelt and cupped a tiny, white flower between his hands. “Even this one does not have the strength to restore a whole world without much more time than you can imagine. She would stretch herself far too thin.”
“But isn’t that what she promised?”
D looked up at him and Leon was struck by the sadness in his mismatched eyes. “I have struggled long and hard to save everyone I could. Yet I still failed. I could not save the one who needed me the most. I could not save the world.”
Leon knelt and cupped his hands around D’s. “She will. Just give her the time.”
D sighed. “But they do not deserve to sleep so long. None of them do.” One sharp fingernail touched the white petals with an infinitesimally gentle gesture. “She doesn’t either. While the part of her that is the flower maiden of legend struggles to restore the world, the part of her that loved these five sleeps here too. She no more deserves to slumber for an endless time awaiting the reawakening of the world than they do, trapped like this. To awaken like that is a betrayal. A false paradise.”
“What do you mean?”
“This before you is her truest form, that of the flower commonly known as the lunar flower. The form she had then was a perversion. One created by the humans, the Nobles, in their futile attempt to understand and control the legend. But she loved that form because in it she could run with the ones she adored.”
“I don’t get it.”
“In her natural form, she is thus, a small flower that can easily be crushed underfoot. But she has been changed by the humans, like I have. She cannot run with those she loves more than her life itself.”
Leon sat back, resting on his heels. “I’ve seen plants take on human form here in your shop, same as the pets do.”
“A fleeting, spurious form that does not last past the dawn. It is in their nature to do so. They wither away, like the plant that saved your life.”
“Gattolotta…” Leon said softly.
“Yes. She bloomed to save your life all that time ago and withered away, her function spent.” D stared at the fragile bloom sheltered in his cupped hands. “This one is different.” He caught Leon’s hand and touched one of his fingers to the bloom gently. “Can you feel it? Can you feel the bitter tears?”
Leon winced and drew away. He shook his hand, trying to rid it of the stinging sensation left there. He still wasn’t used to all the weird things he could do now. “Pain. She hurts.” He looked down on the flower, awed at all the power and potential in the tiny thing. “Sorrow. She knows… she knows she will never be with the ones she loves the same way she was before.”
D nodded. “You see my dilemma. Even when she restores the world, it will never be paradise for her. Only for others.”
Leon looked over the grass at the moonlight-gilded forms of five sleeping wolves. He rose and went to them, resting his hand on each of their heads in turn. He paused with his hand on the head of the pack leader, the massive white wolf. A spasm of pain flashed over his face. “Not for him either.” He told D. “Without her, he will go on searching until he dies. He can’t stop or rest. She is his paradise.”
“Yes.”
Leon pulled his hand away with a pained grimace. “Well, that just sucks.”
D sat in the grass; heedless of the damage he might do to his silk cheongsam. “You understand why I am troubled?”
“Yeah.” Leon came back to his side and sat, staring at the white flower and a little further away, the forms of five sleeping wolves. “Y’know something, D? They all care for her as they knew her. From what I get from them, she was the glue that kept them together. I think without her the-oh, hell, what’s the word? The things that make them a pack?”
“Pack-bonds?”
“Yeah. Without her, the pack-bonds will break.”
D stared at Leon for a long moment, a small smile curving the corner of his mouth. “Sometimes you still surprise me.” He murmured thoughtfully.
“Thanks, I think. So, what can we do?”
“Therein lies the problem.” D sighed and rested his head on Leon’s broad shoulder. “I want her to restore the world, for the sake of all creatures, but I do not want to be the cause of her unhappiness. Even as she sleeps I can feel the anguish she feels at being apart from those she loves most.”
Leon stared pensively at the white flower. “So while she sleeps here, she’s also working on restoring the earth?” He had an idea, but wasn’t sure if it would work.
“Yes, in a way. The earth slumbers too, beneath a blanket of snow and ice. She seeded it before we found her and the rest of them. When the ice thaws and rain falls, the lunar flowers will bloom and begin the restoration. Some of her energy remains here, in this tiny bloom, but a great deal of it lies on the sleeping planet below.” D explained. “That which is her personality is here, in this single bloom.”
“Could you wake her without screwing things up down there?”
D looked at Leon thoughtfully. “Possibly, but why?”
“I’ve seen you do some seriously weird shit before. If I helped you, could you pull off one of the weirdest?” Leon was smiling now, a fierce, wolfish smile that would have done any of the sleeping pack proud.
“In what way?”
“I have an idea, but it’s a crazy one. I don’t know if it will work. I don’t know if you can pull it off, even with my power added to yours.”
D pulled back, a little offended by the doubt in Leon’s voice. “I can do many things. Did not I prove that to you? You are what you are now because of me.”
Leon hid a sly grin. D was well and truly hooked now. All he had to do was express a little doubt in D’s abilities and he had D eating out of the palm of his hand.
“It’ll take some doing.”
“What is it?” There was impatience in D’s voice now and Leon stifled a chuckle. Oh, yes, D was in too deep now to back out now.
Leon just grinned. “You said it yourself, D. This may not be paradise, but it’ll be closer than the earth. We can do it.”
“What? What is it?” D stared at him in annoyance.
Leon stood and pulled D to his feet. “Why, we’re going to make a paradise for them!”
“What?” D sat back down abruptly.
“Are you sure about this?”
D cast a glance over his shoulder at the figure sprawled on the grass behind him. “What should I have to be unsure about?”
Leon shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems a little unfair to me.”
D turned to stare at him in frank astonishment. “Unfair? What do you mean?”
“The world.” Leon rose to his feet and gestured at the unending grass plain around them. “They’re waiting for paradise. This isn’t it.”
Dee sighed. “No. It isn’t. For all my pretensions, the pet shop is no paradise. But I do not wish for them to slumber forever. I have no such illusions about the world left behind.” He knelt and cupped a tiny, white flower between his hands. “Even this one does not have the strength to restore a whole world without much more time than you can imagine. She would stretch herself far too thin.”
“But isn’t that what she promised?”
D looked up at him and Leon was struck by the sadness in his mismatched eyes. “I have struggled long and hard to save everyone I could. Yet I still failed. I could not save the one who needed me the most. I could not save the world.”
Leon knelt and cupped his hands around D’s. “She will. Just give her the time.”
D sighed. “But they do not deserve to sleep so long. None of them do.” One sharp fingernail touched the white petals with an infinitesimally gentle gesture. “She doesn’t either. While the part of her that is the flower maiden of legend struggles to restore the world, the part of her that loved these five sleeps here too. She no more deserves to slumber for an endless time awaiting the reawakening of the world than they do, trapped like this. To awaken like that is a betrayal. A false paradise.”
“What do you mean?”
“This before you is her truest form, that of the flower commonly known as the lunar flower. The form she had then was a perversion. One created by the humans, the Nobles, in their futile attempt to understand and control the legend. But she loved that form because in it she could run with the ones she adored.”
“I don’t get it.”
“In her natural form, she is thus, a small flower that can easily be crushed underfoot. But she has been changed by the humans, like I have. She cannot run with those she loves more than her life itself.”
Leon sat back, resting on his heels. “I’ve seen plants take on human form here in your shop, same as the pets do.”
“A fleeting, spurious form that does not last past the dawn. It is in their nature to do so. They wither away, like the plant that saved your life.”
“Gattolotta…” Leon said softly.
“Yes. She bloomed to save your life all that time ago and withered away, her function spent.” D stared at the fragile bloom sheltered in his cupped hands. “This one is different.” He caught Leon’s hand and touched one of his fingers to the bloom gently. “Can you feel it? Can you feel the bitter tears?”
Leon winced and drew away. He shook his hand, trying to rid it of the stinging sensation left there. He still wasn’t used to all the weird things he could do now. “Pain. She hurts.” He looked down on the flower, awed at all the power and potential in the tiny thing. “Sorrow. She knows… she knows she will never be with the ones she loves the same way she was before.”
D nodded. “You see my dilemma. Even when she restores the world, it will never be paradise for her. Only for others.”
Leon looked over the grass at the moonlight-gilded forms of five sleeping wolves. He rose and went to them, resting his hand on each of their heads in turn. He paused with his hand on the head of the pack leader, the massive white wolf. A spasm of pain flashed over his face. “Not for him either.” He told D. “Without her, he will go on searching until he dies. He can’t stop or rest. She is his paradise.”
“Yes.”
Leon pulled his hand away with a pained grimace. “Well, that just sucks.”
D sat in the grass; heedless of the damage he might do to his silk cheongsam. “You understand why I am troubled?”
“Yeah.” Leon came back to his side and sat, staring at the white flower and a little further away, the forms of five sleeping wolves. “Y’know something, D? They all care for her as they knew her. From what I get from them, she was the glue that kept them together. I think without her the-oh, hell, what’s the word? The things that make them a pack?”
“Pack-bonds?”
“Yeah. Without her, the pack-bonds will break.”
D stared at Leon for a long moment, a small smile curving the corner of his mouth. “Sometimes you still surprise me.” He murmured thoughtfully.
“Thanks, I think. So, what can we do?”
“Therein lies the problem.” D sighed and rested his head on Leon’s broad shoulder. “I want her to restore the world, for the sake of all creatures, but I do not want to be the cause of her unhappiness. Even as she sleeps I can feel the anguish she feels at being apart from those she loves most.”
Leon stared pensively at the white flower. “So while she sleeps here, she’s also working on restoring the earth?” He had an idea, but wasn’t sure if it would work.
“Yes, in a way. The earth slumbers too, beneath a blanket of snow and ice. She seeded it before we found her and the rest of them. When the ice thaws and rain falls, the lunar flowers will bloom and begin the restoration. Some of her energy remains here, in this tiny bloom, but a great deal of it lies on the sleeping planet below.” D explained. “That which is her personality is here, in this single bloom.”
“Could you wake her without screwing things up down there?”
D looked at Leon thoughtfully. “Possibly, but why?”
“I’ve seen you do some seriously weird shit before. If I helped you, could you pull off one of the weirdest?” Leon was smiling now, a fierce, wolfish smile that would have done any of the sleeping pack proud.
“In what way?”
“I have an idea, but it’s a crazy one. I don’t know if it will work. I don’t know if you can pull it off, even with my power added to yours.”
D pulled back, a little offended by the doubt in Leon’s voice. “I can do many things. Did not I prove that to you? You are what you are now because of me.”
Leon hid a sly grin. D was well and truly hooked now. All he had to do was express a little doubt in D’s abilities and he had D eating out of the palm of his hand.
“It’ll take some doing.”
“What is it?” There was impatience in D’s voice now and Leon stifled a chuckle. Oh, yes, D was in too deep now to back out now.
Leon just grinned. “You said it yourself, D. This may not be paradise, but it’ll be closer than the earth. We can do it.”
“What? What is it?” D stared at him in annoyance.
Leon stood and pulled D to his feet. “Why, we’re going to make a paradise for them!”
“What?” D sat back down abruptly.