Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Event Horizons ❯ One- Morning ( Chapter 2 )

Event Horizons

A Petshop of Horrors Fanfiction

By: Sanjuno Shori

Rating: R

Pairing: DxLeon

Warnings: YAOI, AU, something of a TWT (meaning I've taken certain canon events and switched their order around, or ignored them all together so that the story makes sense. Nyah!) implied Non-Con,

Disclaimer: If D ever manages to get Leon into a chenogsam, in canon mind you, then back out of it and into bed with him, then there will be a slim chance that I have taken over the world and all the Animanga belongs to me. However since I assure you that this is not yet the case, I do not own anything beyond this story itself, a rubix cube, my cat, some fish, and more than a few tons of miscellany stuff. I do not lay claim to PSoH. So nyah! No lawsuits please.

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AUTHORS NOTES:

Sanjuno looks slightly, and rather exaggeratedly, offended.

"My Authors Notes are not longer than the Prelude. It's just that the Prelude is several paragraphs while the AN's are several single sentences. I'm certain that if you checked the AN would only be about half, maximum, the total length of the Prelude. Feh."

"Maa, maa Meijin-sama. I can go kill `em if you want."

"Eh, don't bother Shinma-kun. I expected it really because the Prelude itself was so short."

Sanjuno is sitting in her usual chair by the computer; Shinma perched atop her head in chibi form. The blond from earlier is now sprawled across a folding couch in one corner, for all appearances fascinated with the ceiling… Seeing as how Sanjuno's ceiling is no longer actually visible thanks to a plethora of posters, tapestries, wind chimes, wiki-stix, handcuffs and various other sundry items that may conceivably be stuck to a ceiling, it's very possible that he was completely absorbed in his observations.

This is what Reiai was greeted with when he and a pale Chinese man with mismatched gold and violet eyes walked into the room.

"Tadima~a!"

The pale man raised one eyebrow at his guide before noticing the blond on the couch. Sanjuno grinned as Reiai-chibi popped into place on her head.

"Okeari, Reiai-kun, I see you found him."

"Hai-hai."

The three of them watch as the blond tares his attention from the mystery of the ceiling handcuffs to the new arrivals, then stands straight up, anger clear on his face.

"You!"

"Think we should start before he breaks something?"

Smirk.

"Yosh'."

= Whoosh! =

"The Chinese guy looked really surprised."

"How often do you think the ground opens up under his feet and swallows him?"

"Hmm, point."

Snicker.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

= Present day =

"Mama!"

He woke up screaming.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Event Horizons

Chapter One: Morning

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A panting, suffocated, and sweating Detective Leon Orcot of the LAPD heaved himself upright. His body was shaking, wracked with an ominous chill. He slid his hands up into his long blond hair and clenched his fingers, trying to focus himself with the pressure-pain.

He could remember breaking into the delivery room on the day his little brother had been born. His mother had died seconds after he had reached her. He choked on the grief that swelled up in his throat, inhibiting his breathing.

He could still remember her last words, the way she told him to `take care of each other', he…

Wait.

His mother hadn't said anything before she died so why… why would he remember her saying something in his dream? As many times as his nightmares were haunted by his mothers death, they had never deviated from his true memories of that day.

Leon frowned, leaning back against the headboard of his bed as he tilted his head back, impacting on the wall with a gentle thud. The entire dream was hazy in his waking mind, but strangely lucid impressions of fear and biting cold, a twisting heat and a gentle touch teased the edges of his memory.

The detective sighed and looked at his alarm clock.

It was earlier than he usually got up, but too late to bother with trying to go back to sleep. He might as well get up…

The young detective winced as he finally calmed down enough - or woke up enough, whatever - to notice the pain his abrupt movement upon wakening had encouraged. A pained curse hissed out through clenched teeth as he hunched forward.

"Shi~it…"

The events leading up to his injuries were hazy at best and nonexistent at worst. All he knew was that it involved Count D, genetic experiments, one of D's relatives, and a really big explosion. Most of what he knew came from reading the reports. The doctors said it was expected that his memory of some things would be fuzzy, due to the head trauma, and that he may find his memories of the events returning on their own. If not then there was still no real reason to worry.

He had just gotten out of the hospital yesterday morning. He'd had to ask one of his coworkers to come in to pick him up and drive him home. For some reason he had felt… disappointed.

He hadn't seen D since before he'd woken up in the hospital.

…

Why the hell was he thinking about D? This was entirely the Count's fault anyway!

What did he care. If the damned Chinese bastard wanted to ignore him then who was he to complain about the fact that he had a huge gash across his stomach and up one thigh? Or a broken ankle, a cracked collarbone and a dislocated shoulder that hurt like a stone bitch on top of the various other bruises and contusions that plagued his body with screaming pain? It was D's fault that he was practically bedridden.

The only reason he was out of the hospital so soon was because he had signed himself out. The doctors had finally given into his demands and let him out on the provision that he rested and didn't overwork it until he was fully healed.

Bah.

Leon was just glad that he had gotten out of the damned place in time. He had to pick his little brother up at the airport today. At least the apartment was clean. He'd made sure of that before he went to bed last night. All the pinups and other `questionable' materials had been either thrown out or hidden; all that was left was to hop into the car and…

Fuck.

Jill was out of town for the weekend and his car was still at the office. Not that it mattered much; he couldn't drive anyway, not with the entire left side of his torso mangled and his right foot in a cast. Really though, even if he was rather estranged from his little brother, he couldn't leave the kid to make his way here alone, and calling a cab would be expensive as hell.

Leon sighed, got up, made coffee, and took his pain meds before he sat down in a chair beside the phone with a mug and a small address book in his useable hand.

An hour and a half later he was still lacking a ride to the airport.

"Damn it!"

Running his good hand through his long blond hair in a vain attempt to get it out of his face distracted him and made him lose his place, the address book flipping closed.

"Aw hell."

Awkwardly opening the book again his eyes fell on the very last name he wanted to see.

`Count D's Petshop'

The number was written in the detective's own typical scrawl. Leon cursed, wondered why he had the Count's number in his address book, cursed some more, and picked up the phone.

Well, he reasoned to himself, it was probably D's fault that he was in this condition so the Count might as well help him out. He'd play the guilt card if he had to, if he didn't find a ride soon he'd be late, and he really didn't want to pay the exorbitant amount a taxi all the way to the airport and back would cost. Even if he was on medical leave with pay it was still less than he was used to making, and with Chris here his expenses were sure to increase.

He'd deal, though. He'd promised his mother… even if it was only a dream. He wasn't about to let the only family he gave a damn about get shipped off to a mental hospital. It had taken him this long to get custody of the boy from his bastard Uncle, he wasn't about to screw up what might be his only chance of having a family again… Even if his relationship with said family was somewhat lacking.

"Count D, how may I help you?"

"Hey Count, can you do me a favor?"

A favor, bah, like he wanted to owe the crazy Chinese freak anything.

"Detective Orcot? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen Count; do you think I could borrow that car and driver of yours for the day? I need to get to the airport by one this afternoon."

"Hmm, I don't see a problem with it Detective, but why would you need to go to the airport? Are you not in the hospital?"

"Nah, I got them to let me out yesterday. I'm supposed to be picking someone up today but my cars at the office and I really don't want to pay for a cab. So… yeah, thanks for the favor."

"…"

"… Count?"

"You… are at your apartment?"

"Yeah, so you can just have the car pick me up around noon if it's still no problem."

"I see…"

"Count?"

"No, no problem at all Keiji-san. Noon is fine."

"Right, uh, bye then."

"Goodbye Detective."

Leon hung up and stared at the phone for a long moment.

What had that been? D had sounded… off. Almost like he was upset about something. Maybe it was something he said, D had been pretty quiet after he'd said he was at home…

Huh.

Leon shrugged and got up to get dressed. D was weird at the best of times, how was he to know what had set the guy off now.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

That idiot human!

D seethed quietly as he closed up the shop. Conveniently ignoring the fact that he hadn't been invited along.

Of all the foolish, stubborn things to do! Leon had almost died in the aftermath of the fight against D's father and he leaves the hospital not even two weeks later! Not only that, but he was staying, all alone, in his apartment. If Leon had wanted out of the hospital so badly he should have gone to a friend's home, or had a friend stay with him while he recovered.

D knew that there was no way Leon would follow the doctor's orders without the supervision of another person. It was obvious that the detective had not informed any others of his early release though, D knew that Jill at least would not have left Leon on his own if she suspected the man had left the hospital already.

The various animals watched their master warily; even the tou-tetsu was silent. D rarely got in a mood this bad, but when he did it was best to stay out of his way.

Q-chan blinked from his perch near the ceiling, wondering what the blundering human had done to upset D now, and when his grandson was finally going to stop lying to himself and accept the inevitable.

The count looked around one last time before heading up to the street, doors locking behind him. The car pulled up as he reached the curb and D climbed in. The limousine pulled away and headed for Leon's apartment without any prompting.

D took a deep breath and calmed himself.

If the Detective thought he could get away with risking himself like this then the man was severely mistaken! A small smirk lifted D's lips as a hard look entered his mismatched eyes, a plan already forming in his mind.

If Leon wouldn't take care of his own health properly, why then, D would just have to take it upon himself to see to the Detectives well being. After all, the blond detective had been injured aiding D against his father. What else were friends for? It was the least he could do in return for all the sweets the Detective had brought him.

D relaxed against the limousine's cushioned seat.

He had a plan to follow and a Detective to coddle. Whither said Detective wanted, or would agree to the before mentioned coddling was immaterial.

Count D always got what he wanted.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Back in his apartment Leon shivered as a chill ran down his spine.

Shrugging the odd feeling off he made his way from the elevator to his apartment door, awkwardly holding his mail, crutch, and keys as he somehow managed to get the door unlocked and opened without dropping anything.

Making his way over to the couch he tossed his mail and keys onto the coffee table, propped the crutch against the side of the couch, and wearily lowered his body down onto the cushions. Leaning back with a heavy sigh the injured blond rested a moment before straightening and reaching for the letters.

There were few things of any importance. A letter for the Chief cursing his idiocy and ordering him not to show up at the office for at least two months and then only after he passed a physical. A bill for something or other, a letter from Chris that also contained a short message from his Uncle detailing when and where the rest of Chris's belongings would show up, and an eviction notice.

Shit.

If it wasn't one thing it was another.

Leon had hoped that the rumors about a new owner for the apartment complex were nothing more than that, or that the deal would fall through. Unfortunately it seemed that this was not the case. He had a month's leeway to find a new place before the new owner tore the place apart.

Fuck.

Still, it wasn't too bad. He would have needed to find a new place anyway now that he was going to have Chris staying with him. Leon had just hoped that he would have all the time he wanted, more time than a single month at any rate.

The Detective reached for the letter from Chris again, skimming over the contents. It was more of a note really, not much more than a half page long. Leon had the feeling that the kid had probably written it on the order of his Uncle, there was nothing personal about the missive at all. He snorted quietly to himself, putting the letter and the information from his Uncle back into the envelope.

His father's family had taken Chris in when the old bastard had died, while Leon had gone off to finish school. After he'd gotten a job and settled in the new detective had tried to get custody of his brother but was refused, being told that it was better for Chris that the kid have a normal family life.

Fuck that, Leon had never liked his father, or the man's family. It was nothing reasonable, and Leon had never been able to discern the reason for it, but he held a deep-seated resentment for his mother's husband and all of the man's kin.

Leon reached for a cigarette, remembered he was out, cursed. Remembered that he was encouraged to avoid `unhealthy habits' while he was recovering, cursed again. Brooded at the papers in front of him, snarled at nothing in particular, and stalked, or limped rather, off to the bathroom to have a shower.

He remained completely oblivious to the slim Chinese man who opened the door behind him, raised his eyebrows at the Olympic-class sulk, and gently closed the door before heading into the kitchen to make tea.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

D was very much amused, and highly curious as to what had set his detective off this time. After putting the water on to boil the count walked into the living area and looked through the papers on Leon's coffee table.

The letter from the Chief was chuckled over, though D was in full agreement with Leon's boss, and he found the man's wording to be highly entertaining. The letter from the boy was a revelation, D hadn't known Leon had a younger brother, or any family at all really. D suspected he now knew whom they were going to be picking up at the airport later. The eviction notice however caught and held the majority of D's attention.

This was worrying. D knew from the Chief's letter that Leon was still being paid due to his injuries being work related, but he also knew that his Detective would not be making the money he was used to. Add a dependent on top of that and it was no wonder he had arrived to find his lion in full pout.

It was obvious to D that his favorite detective was in a tight spot, or soon would be. The kami paused and smirked as a plan formed in his mind. D had plenty of room at the pet shop, more than enough for a pair of humans. Leon obviously, from the unadorned state of his apartment, didn't spend much of his time at home, and human children spent most of their days at school.

If nothing else having Leon and his little brother staying with him would allow D to keep an eye on the detective as he recovered. Perhaps he could use the boy as an assistant with some of the less exotic animals. At any rate, there was a chance D could use the child in his quest to ease the detective's suspicions a little. It would be nice to talk to his Leon about something other than the man's newest murder victim.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

One might be curious to find that as often as Count D thought of Leon Orcot as `his' detective the kami never really took the time to consider the implications of said thoughts. D paid no attention at all to how he went, what was for him, absolutely ballistic when Leon was in any way threatened. Or that he was inexplicably joyous when Leon defended him.

No, our dear count is very firmly in a state of unaware denial, although it is no mystery that a nature kami can be so in tune with a river.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Leon sighed deeply, absently noting that he seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and let the hot water soothe his pain tensed muscles. Pain wasn't the only thing making him tense; he could admit that much to himself. Stress and worry were also playing a part, along with uneasy sleep that, while not leaving him obviously tired, did little to refresh him.

Right now the main issue on his mind was Chris. Eight years ago, when Chris had been born, Leon had only been fifteen. Nowhere near old enough to take responsibility for his younger brother. His father had stuck it out for about a year before the `burden' of being a single father had caught up with him and the man turned to drink.

Luckily Chris had been too young to be of much notice. Leon had learned early on that hiding the younger boy before his father came home was the easiest way of ensuring his baby brothers safety. Being older, Leon was a bigger, sturdier target for their father's rage anyway. Fortunately for all involved the man died in a car wreck shortly after Leon turned eighteen.

Leon had tried his best but had been denied his plea to be granted custody of his younger brother. Instead Chris and Leon were separated. Chris was shipped off to their Uncle's home while Leon in had entered the law program on scholarship.

Chris was eight now, and hadn't spoken a word to anyone for the past year or so. They were going to send him to some children's mental hospital and only Leon's intervention had prevented that. He was going to take care of his little brother if no one else would. It had been eight years since his mother's death. It had been a little more than that since he and his mother had run away.

Wait.

Run away? What was that about? His mother had never -

== Run through the forest and the rain falling like icy slivers of cold that pricked his too hot skin with needle pains eyes blurred with exhaustion and pain and grief Papa was dead had died to save them Mama was running she couldn't risk fighting them or it might hurt the baby… ==

Leon gasped, clinging to slick tile and trying to find some sort of support against the onslaught of sensation and memory.

== He hurt it hurt so bad with a twisting ache in his gut that he knew wasn't supposed to be there not yet not now he was too young Mama had said he was too young had told the ones who had started this pain that before Papa had come to help save him and then they'd killed him… ==

Coming back to reality practically on his knees and scrambling to get back up, forgetting his injuries. Twisting the water off and pathetically glad he'd finished washing before he'd decided to start daydreaming. Tripping over the edge of something his panicked mind wasn't paying attention to and barely managing to take the fall on his right side so that he didn't end up back in the hospital.

Not now not today of all days he needed to be there needed to see that his little brother was really coming. Pain was ripping into his mind, coming from his side and he remembered warnings about cracked ribs and fuck how was he supposed to rewrap his bandages if he couldn't even breathe.

Then the bathroom door opened and a familiar -worried? Strange, and certainty unexpected…- voice filled his ears.

"Keiji-san, are you all right? What are you doing on the floor?"

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END NOTES

= Whoosh! =

TH-THUD!

Poke.

Moan.

"Oi, Meijin-sama, the blond guys out cold again."

"I expected as much, he rarely expressed more than anger, suspicion, curiosity, and stubbornness in the series. The roller coaster I've put him on is really gonna be hard on him. How's Count D?"

"The Chinese dude? Can't see much of him. He landed on the bottom."

"Is he dead?"

There's another muffled sound as D shifts Leon to one side and sits up; looking rather disheveled and very much put out. The kami glares at the Authoress and her muses.

"I take it you are to blame for this?"

Sanjuno grins as her muses' snicker.

"Yeah, I am. Drag him over to the couch if you want. We're gonna go finish this bit up."

"Whatever do you mean?"

In response Sanjuno and her muses adopt pleading looks.

"Give us reviews pwease? I've been a good authoress."

Looking faintly ill D picks Leon up and carries him off to take care of.

Leer.

"If you really want to see D… take care… of Leon, reviews are necessary. You know the drill. Anything you want to say, send it so I know that you've said it! Onegai minna-san?"

Sh-thunk!

"Ano, I don't think Sanjuno-sama will let you use a heavy crossbow on the readers either Shinma-nii."

"Kuso."