Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Ex Machina ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Dragon Ex Machina

 

DISC: I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors or its characters. These are the property of mangaka Matsuki Akino and publishing house Tokyopop (in the U.S., anyway). I make no profit from this story. Please don't sue.

 

 

Chapter XIII

 

 

It didn't take long for Leon to be truly, truly grateful for Ayumu-san's assistance. He thought he knew big cities. But, DAMN! Tokyo was HUGE! It went on and on and on. It was mindboggling.

 

Ayumu-san explained that there were 23 special wards of Tokyo. When Leon asked if it was like the burroughs of New York. The Japanese businessman had looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “Somewhat.” What he should have said, Leon thought as he looked at the map and out the window of the train as they rode was, “Yeah, but on serious steroids.” It was really like taking 23 large cities and smooshing them all together.

 

And worse, he felt like a gawking tourist. From experience, he knew that his inexperience would have made him a target for anyone with ill intent as he tried to find his way in this completely foreign place.

 

Also, while there were a lot of signs that had English translations on them, there were even more with just kanji (or was that katakana, or hiragana - or a mix of all the above?), and some of them were definitely in Engrish (yes, Engrish - such poor translations that the English speaking reader would blink in amazement and say, “What the fuck?”). Without Ayumu to translate, it would have taken him all night just to find his way to Chinatown - if he had even managed that. Hell, he might not have made it out of the damned airport.

 

After they exited the plane and made it through customs, they went down to baggage claims. Leon busied himself with taking in all the advertisements in the airport. And vending machines. There were vending machines everywhere. Candy. Hot drinks. Cold drinks. Ramen. Umbrellas. Flowers. Flight insurance. None had panties in them as far as he could see. That was good. That rumor he'd heard about Japan had always freaked him out a little.

 

It wasn't long before Ayumu made his way back to Leon, bag in tow behind him. He turned to inquire about Leon's bag, but he shrugged and said, “This is everything I own.”

 

Ayumu blinked, and then he looked awed. “I see. Well. I called my coworker while waiting for my bag. It seems fortune is smiling on you. My friend said the store is not in Chinatown in Yokohama - which is the Chinatown most people think of at the name. Rather, it is `Neo-Chinatown' in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku. Not only is this is a bit closer than Yokohama, but it is smaller - and should take much less time to find.”

 

And so, he'd followed Ayumu to a currency exchange booth, and then to the train station. Holy crap, these trains were cramped. People in this country didn't seem to have any sense of personal space. They were packed in like sardines.

 

After the fifth stop, a couple seats became available. Leon thought he'd still continue to stand, but Ayumu said, “We have 15 more stops. I recommend taking a seat now while there's one available.” He grunted again and sat.

 

Somehow, he couldn't help but stare out the window. Ayumu would point out areas of interest as they rode. On and on they rode. The city was just too huge. If this wasn't the right shop, how the hell would he find D? It was a bit disheartening.

 

“Our stop is the next one,” Ayumu-san said, standing and moving toward the doors. Leon followed suit.

 

Shinjuku station was a zoo. He'd never seen a train station that busy. Luckily, Leon was larger than most of the populace in Japan. At 6'1” tall, most of the people he passed barely came up to his chin - if that. The crowd parted for him, which made it much easier to get out of the busiest train station in the world.

 

As they continued walking, Ayumu explained, “I should warn you that the district we are headed to, Kabukicho… it is a red light district. It is good to be aware that this neighborhood is considered `shady,'

 

“I tell you this so that you can be on your guard. I will walk with you, in case this is not the correct pet shop. The distance from here to Chinatown proper - in Yokohama - is at least another half hour. I would hate to leave you lost. …I do hope this is the place. As the Chinatown there is the largest Chinatown in the world, if your friend is here rather than there, the gods are truly smiling on you.”

 

The businessman smiled as Leon's pace sped up at the prospect of seeing his “friend” once again. Within minutes, they were at the New Chinatown building. Ayumu read through the directory on the building and said, “There is a pet shop on the 13th floor. Count D's Pet Shop. And judging by that look on your face, I believe it is time to take my leave.

 

“I do hope we'll get another chance to talk while you are here in Tokyo. I would love to hear how your reunion fares.” He bowed and Leon bowed in return. He smiled and then turned and left the building.

 

Leon barely noticed - as he was headed for the elevator. He pressed the button to call the lift and turned to look out the building's window front. A small animal - looked somewhat dog-like - winked at him, then scampered off. That clinched it.

 

He was here. D was here.

 

Holy…

 

 

X

 

 

In the elevator, he began to panic a bit. Was his hair brushed? Did his shirt look clean enough? How was his breath? Cupping a hand over his face, he breathed and sniffed. Damn! He dug in his briefcase for the gum he'd bought at the Honolulu airport, unwrapping it and chewing it furiously. He pulled out the comb and ran it through his hair. Then, the box of chocolates for D.

 

Holy Hell. D.

 

Why was he breathing so heavily? His heart was pounding.

 

He was here. Finally.

 

D.

 

The elevator dinged. Floor 13. This was it.

 

Taking a deep breath, he got off the elevator.

 

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