Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ The Chase ❯ Chapter 2
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Nova Starlight 
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 09.24.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 337 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 09.24.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 337 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors or any of its characters
Author’s Notes: When the character’s words are within parentheses it denotes that they are supposed to be speaking in another language.
The Chase
By: Nova Starlight
Part 2
The illustrious Count D was sitting in his shop, having a cup of tea with his near constant companion, Woo Fei. As usual his guest was sipping at his tea and carrying on a mostly one-sided conversation. It crossed many subjects from his business interests and accomplishments to his chastising D for not having the shop open normal business hours and having strange and most likely illegal animals. He smiled and remembered when there was another who used to sit there and lecture him, Leon. For a second, his body responded with surprise at thinking of him. His eyes were wide open and his smile faltered momentarily. He took a sip from his teacup and calmed himself.
It had been nearly six years since he had left Los Angeles and left Leon behind. It seemed strange to him that after all of this time the detective still managed to worm his way into his thoughts at all. What was more alarming than the fact that he had managed to intrude into his thoughts once more, but that it seemed to be happening increasingly frequently in recent weeks. Even that afternoon as he had turned to greet Woo Fei with the tea tray in his hands, he had said, “You are just in time for tea De-.” He had managed to stop himself in time, but he could not deny that he had almost addressed Woo Fei as detective. Luckily for him, Woo Fei had paid no notice to his slip up and had taken his seat gracefully across from D.
It struck him how different Leon and Woo Fei were, though they seemed to be occupying the same role in his life. Woo Fei was graceful, composed, though he could be brash when he wanted. Leon was loud, rambunctious, and always spoke his mind. It had been one of his favorite things when spending time with Leon to tease him and provoke a reaction. He could feel himself smiling as memories replayed in his mind. There was a sensation of warmth spreading through his body. He recalled all the times he had served tea to Leon and Chris. Their playful and sometimes not so playful banter as Chris played with the animals. It had been fun, they had been like a …., he nearly gasped aloud as he thought the crucial word; family.
He took another look at Woo Fei who was amazingly still talking. It was implausible to him that anyone could go on and on without any input from the person they were supposed to be conversing with. Once again, he found himself recalling spending time with Leon. Usually Leon asked his questions and when he did not get the answers he wanted, or that he could understand, than he would simply be quiet and listen to what D had to say.
With a sigh he thought, “I guess there is no use fighting it, I cannot seem to stop thinking about Detective Leon today.” His sigh finally drew Woo Fei’s attention and he asked. “Are you all right, Count?”
“Why of course,” he assured. “I was simply remembering something a little nostalgic.”
Woo Fei regarded him suspiciously before stating, “I must admit that I am somewhat curious over what you would be nostalgic.”
D gave his polite guarded smile and mused, “Only somewhat?”
Woo Fei retained a gruff expression and answered, “Well, If I wanted a Chinese History lesson, about some evil in the past, I am sure I could get more straightforward answers from a Buddhist monk.”
D almost sighed again. Although he had snapped back his own witty response, his reaction was nowhere near satisfying. Given the same provocation Leon would have been flustered and blustering. He would have most likely delivered similar lines but with far more emphasis and expletives thrown in.
Thinking of Leon, he could not help but wonder if he was still out there looking for him. It seemed impossible to him that Leon would still be searching after so many years, but there was always a slim chance. He did not really understand it, why he had started his journey in the first place. From what he had observed in the past, whenever the shop had moved on to a new location, the people had moved on in their lives. Aside from FBI Agent Howell, no one had ever seemed to give the pet shop or any of their kind more than a passing thought once they were not a part of their everyday lives.
It was with this in mind, that he had gone to Berlin to start his own shop. Without his Grandfather by his side. It was the first time he had truly been alone. He had thought that he was alone in Los Angeles had missed his Grandfather but had still felt ready to take on the challenge or running the shop. However, in the end he had discovered that his Grandfather had always been there watching over him as Q-Chan. He had felt a little betrayed at that moment of realization. Then he had watched as his grandfather had taken the reincarnation of his father and left to raise him.
He had seen his Grandfather only once since that day. He had appeared at his pet shop when he had set it up in England for a few years. It had been strange to see him and the toddler that was his father. There had been so many questions he had wanted answers to but had trouble finding the words. His Grandfather had seemed worried about him, asked him how he was coping. It had been on the tip of his tongue to say that he was lonely, but he had held it back. It was strange to him that he would even consider that he was lonely, he had never felt this way in Los Angeles. “Of course not,” he thought to himself. “There you had Chris and Leon to keep you company.“ His Grandfather had seemed distressed by his silence.
After a few moments, they heard the bright laugh of the little D as he played with Pon-Chan. He had not been able to stop himself from smiling a little and remembering when he had been able to laugh and play that same way. Long before he had been charged with the task of getting revenge against mankind. As they watched his Grandfather commented, “I heard a little rumor, about why you left Berlin.” His eyes became wide open with surprise. How on Earth would he know that Leon had been looking for him? “I will assume by your silence, that it is more than just a rumor,” he continued.
He simply nodded, and could not meet his eyes. Instead he continued to watch the little D play and laugh.
“So, since you are here now?” he asked. “How long do you plan to remain?”
“For a short while,” he answered. “I am considering going back to Asia afterwards.”
“You mean China?” he clarified, “You do realize that will be the next place he would most likely search for you?” D kept silent and waited for his grandfather to continue. “Or maybe that’s what you want,” he mused. “Maybe you want him to find you.”
“Don’t be absurd!” he retorted angrily. “Why on Earth would I want him to find me?” His grandfather did not answer but when he looked into his eyes the expression there spoke louder than words. “I believe I will travel to Japan,” he continued as if his grandfather had not insinuated anything with that look in his eyes. “Even if the Detective comes looking for me in China, I doubt he will go looking in Japan.” Then he let out a sigh that sounded sadder than he had intended, “Besides, he will most likely not look for much longer. He will give up and go back to Los Angeles, maybe he has already.”
Once again the expression on his grandfather’s face seemed concerned, but his only question was, “If I may ask, how close did he come to catching you, in Berlin?”
“I discovered that he had been given the location of the shop by a merchant who possessed a copy of your photograph. He had given him this information only about an hour before I arrived. Luckily, I managed to return to the shop and vacate before he was able to locate it. Why do you ask?”
Sofu D had sighed at hearing this news. “No real reason,” he responded. “Well…I am afraid that we must take our leave for now.” He turned and called out to the young one and watched as he bounded over to him.
D had been sad as he watched his grandfather and the young one leave, completely unaware of what his grandfather had been thinking as he left.
Sofu D thought over everything he had spoken of with his grandson as he exited the new shop. The boy was a fool if he believed that the Detective would have been dissuaded from searching for him. In his own observations of the crude, brash, man, he had seen his determination first hand. He would most likely feel motivated and invigorated by having been so close to finding D, that he would search even more enthusiastically now. Nonetheless, he would not speak a word of this to his grandson. D seemed to foolishly believe that the Detective would not continue his search and he felt no need to argue with him. This was especially the case due to his continued denial of his feelings for the detective. It was strange to him that he had told D when taking his father away that he would raise him with a love for humanity, for they were creatures of this Earth. Despite their flaws, they were there to protect them. The contracts and animals were simply a way of balancing the good and evil of man. He could only hope that his grandson would realize this as he made his own way in the world. The original intention of their kind was to seek revenge against humanity, now it sought to preserve a harmonious balance in the good and evil of humanity.
…
Now, D sat recalling all of this and had become so lost in his memories that his tea had become cold in his cup. Woo Fei’s words once again broke through his concentration. “My family’s shipping interests have expanded in Shanghai. I have just returned from a trip there to meet with my father. He was interested in hearing about the state of my businesses here in Japan.”
“And what did you report?” he asked casually, as he reached for the teapot, and slowly poured more of the warm tea into his cup.
“That everything is going well, except for my problematic merchant and his pet shop,” He countered with a pointed glance.
“I see,” D ruminated thoughtfully. Ignoring his glance and comment he continued, “Did you hear of anything else interesting while in Shanghai.”
“As a matter of a fact, I did,” he answered. “The dock workers were abuzz with stories of a foreigner who had been working on the docks for months as a day laborer. He was a generous and polite Caucasian who was near fluent in Chinese.”
Suddenly, D heard the crash of his precious teacup as it shattered on the floor; even before he realized that his grip on it had slacked.
“Count?!” Woo Fei exclaimed, “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly and moved to gather the broken shards into his napkin. “It must have just slipped from my fingers.”
Woo Fei did not seem entirely convinced that the Count was all right, but did not dispute his claim. He simply continued speaking as if nothing had happened. “So, this stranger was, so they said, incredibly eccentric but very polite. They kept going on and on about his long blond hair that fell nearly to his waist. He stayed with one of the dock workers and his family for a few weeks, and the wife cut his hair for him. She apparently kept the hair because of how beautiful she thought it was. Have you ever heard anything so ludicrous?”
D was barely able to answer around the lump in his throat. “Yes, how strange,” he agreed. Immediately, he considered the possibility that it was Leon. That Leon was still searching for him, after all of this time. Why had he not gone home after Berlin? Could he really be that persistent? It appeared that he just might. His mind considered everything that Woo Fei had just told him about the foreigner in Shanghai. They said he was polite? That certainly did not remind him of the Detective. Though Leon had blond hair, would he really have allowed it grow so long?” He shook his head and squared his shoulders. It had to be a coincidence. There was no way that Leon was this person they were telling stories of on the docks in Shanghai.
“Well…” Woo Fei began, breaking the tense silence. “I suppose I should be returning to the office.”
“Ah…yes,” he agreed. “Sayonara, Woo Fei.”
When he heard the click of the door as it had closed behind him, D relaxed back into the sofa with a deep breath. As he convinced himself that Leon was no longer searching for him, he felt a mixture of sadness and relief. The relief was easy to understand, the sadness confused him. He had been told for many years what his purpose was on this Earth and it did not involve a rude, crude, American, named Leon Orcot.
To Be Continued…
Author’s Notes: I apologize for the short chapter. Stay Tuned for the Exciting Conclusion of The Chase!
Thanks Again To Everyone Who Reviews/Subscribes/Favorites My Stories!
Author’s Notes: When the character’s words are within parentheses it denotes that they are supposed to be speaking in another language.
The Chase
By: Nova Starlight
Part 2
The illustrious Count D was sitting in his shop, having a cup of tea with his near constant companion, Woo Fei. As usual his guest was sipping at his tea and carrying on a mostly one-sided conversation. It crossed many subjects from his business interests and accomplishments to his chastising D for not having the shop open normal business hours and having strange and most likely illegal animals. He smiled and remembered when there was another who used to sit there and lecture him, Leon. For a second, his body responded with surprise at thinking of him. His eyes were wide open and his smile faltered momentarily. He took a sip from his teacup and calmed himself.
It had been nearly six years since he had left Los Angeles and left Leon behind. It seemed strange to him that after all of this time the detective still managed to worm his way into his thoughts at all. What was more alarming than the fact that he had managed to intrude into his thoughts once more, but that it seemed to be happening increasingly frequently in recent weeks. Even that afternoon as he had turned to greet Woo Fei with the tea tray in his hands, he had said, “You are just in time for tea De-.” He had managed to stop himself in time, but he could not deny that he had almost addressed Woo Fei as detective. Luckily for him, Woo Fei had paid no notice to his slip up and had taken his seat gracefully across from D.
It struck him how different Leon and Woo Fei were, though they seemed to be occupying the same role in his life. Woo Fei was graceful, composed, though he could be brash when he wanted. Leon was loud, rambunctious, and always spoke his mind. It had been one of his favorite things when spending time with Leon to tease him and provoke a reaction. He could feel himself smiling as memories replayed in his mind. There was a sensation of warmth spreading through his body. He recalled all the times he had served tea to Leon and Chris. Their playful and sometimes not so playful banter as Chris played with the animals. It had been fun, they had been like a …., he nearly gasped aloud as he thought the crucial word; family.
He took another look at Woo Fei who was amazingly still talking. It was implausible to him that anyone could go on and on without any input from the person they were supposed to be conversing with. Once again, he found himself recalling spending time with Leon. Usually Leon asked his questions and when he did not get the answers he wanted, or that he could understand, than he would simply be quiet and listen to what D had to say.
With a sigh he thought, “I guess there is no use fighting it, I cannot seem to stop thinking about Detective Leon today.” His sigh finally drew Woo Fei’s attention and he asked. “Are you all right, Count?”
“Why of course,” he assured. “I was simply remembering something a little nostalgic.”
Woo Fei regarded him suspiciously before stating, “I must admit that I am somewhat curious over what you would be nostalgic.”
D gave his polite guarded smile and mused, “Only somewhat?”
Woo Fei retained a gruff expression and answered, “Well, If I wanted a Chinese History lesson, about some evil in the past, I am sure I could get more straightforward answers from a Buddhist monk.”
D almost sighed again. Although he had snapped back his own witty response, his reaction was nowhere near satisfying. Given the same provocation Leon would have been flustered and blustering. He would have most likely delivered similar lines but with far more emphasis and expletives thrown in.
Thinking of Leon, he could not help but wonder if he was still out there looking for him. It seemed impossible to him that Leon would still be searching after so many years, but there was always a slim chance. He did not really understand it, why he had started his journey in the first place. From what he had observed in the past, whenever the shop had moved on to a new location, the people had moved on in their lives. Aside from FBI Agent Howell, no one had ever seemed to give the pet shop or any of their kind more than a passing thought once they were not a part of their everyday lives.
It was with this in mind, that he had gone to Berlin to start his own shop. Without his Grandfather by his side. It was the first time he had truly been alone. He had thought that he was alone in Los Angeles had missed his Grandfather but had still felt ready to take on the challenge or running the shop. However, in the end he had discovered that his Grandfather had always been there watching over him as Q-Chan. He had felt a little betrayed at that moment of realization. Then he had watched as his grandfather had taken the reincarnation of his father and left to raise him.
He had seen his Grandfather only once since that day. He had appeared at his pet shop when he had set it up in England for a few years. It had been strange to see him and the toddler that was his father. There had been so many questions he had wanted answers to but had trouble finding the words. His Grandfather had seemed worried about him, asked him how he was coping. It had been on the tip of his tongue to say that he was lonely, but he had held it back. It was strange to him that he would even consider that he was lonely, he had never felt this way in Los Angeles. “Of course not,” he thought to himself. “There you had Chris and Leon to keep you company.“ His Grandfather had seemed distressed by his silence.
After a few moments, they heard the bright laugh of the little D as he played with Pon-Chan. He had not been able to stop himself from smiling a little and remembering when he had been able to laugh and play that same way. Long before he had been charged with the task of getting revenge against mankind. As they watched his Grandfather commented, “I heard a little rumor, about why you left Berlin.” His eyes became wide open with surprise. How on Earth would he know that Leon had been looking for him? “I will assume by your silence, that it is more than just a rumor,” he continued.
He simply nodded, and could not meet his eyes. Instead he continued to watch the little D play and laugh.
“So, since you are here now?” he asked. “How long do you plan to remain?”
“For a short while,” he answered. “I am considering going back to Asia afterwards.”
“You mean China?” he clarified, “You do realize that will be the next place he would most likely search for you?” D kept silent and waited for his grandfather to continue. “Or maybe that’s what you want,” he mused. “Maybe you want him to find you.”
“Don’t be absurd!” he retorted angrily. “Why on Earth would I want him to find me?” His grandfather did not answer but when he looked into his eyes the expression there spoke louder than words. “I believe I will travel to Japan,” he continued as if his grandfather had not insinuated anything with that look in his eyes. “Even if the Detective comes looking for me in China, I doubt he will go looking in Japan.” Then he let out a sigh that sounded sadder than he had intended, “Besides, he will most likely not look for much longer. He will give up and go back to Los Angeles, maybe he has already.”
Once again the expression on his grandfather’s face seemed concerned, but his only question was, “If I may ask, how close did he come to catching you, in Berlin?”
“I discovered that he had been given the location of the shop by a merchant who possessed a copy of your photograph. He had given him this information only about an hour before I arrived. Luckily, I managed to return to the shop and vacate before he was able to locate it. Why do you ask?”
Sofu D had sighed at hearing this news. “No real reason,” he responded. “Well…I am afraid that we must take our leave for now.” He turned and called out to the young one and watched as he bounded over to him.
D had been sad as he watched his grandfather and the young one leave, completely unaware of what his grandfather had been thinking as he left.
Sofu D thought over everything he had spoken of with his grandson as he exited the new shop. The boy was a fool if he believed that the Detective would have been dissuaded from searching for him. In his own observations of the crude, brash, man, he had seen his determination first hand. He would most likely feel motivated and invigorated by having been so close to finding D, that he would search even more enthusiastically now. Nonetheless, he would not speak a word of this to his grandson. D seemed to foolishly believe that the Detective would not continue his search and he felt no need to argue with him. This was especially the case due to his continued denial of his feelings for the detective. It was strange to him that he had told D when taking his father away that he would raise him with a love for humanity, for they were creatures of this Earth. Despite their flaws, they were there to protect them. The contracts and animals were simply a way of balancing the good and evil of man. He could only hope that his grandson would realize this as he made his own way in the world. The original intention of their kind was to seek revenge against humanity, now it sought to preserve a harmonious balance in the good and evil of humanity.
…
Now, D sat recalling all of this and had become so lost in his memories that his tea had become cold in his cup. Woo Fei’s words once again broke through his concentration. “My family’s shipping interests have expanded in Shanghai. I have just returned from a trip there to meet with my father. He was interested in hearing about the state of my businesses here in Japan.”
“And what did you report?” he asked casually, as he reached for the teapot, and slowly poured more of the warm tea into his cup.
“That everything is going well, except for my problematic merchant and his pet shop,” He countered with a pointed glance.
“I see,” D ruminated thoughtfully. Ignoring his glance and comment he continued, “Did you hear of anything else interesting while in Shanghai.”
“As a matter of a fact, I did,” he answered. “The dock workers were abuzz with stories of a foreigner who had been working on the docks for months as a day laborer. He was a generous and polite Caucasian who was near fluent in Chinese.”
Suddenly, D heard the crash of his precious teacup as it shattered on the floor; even before he realized that his grip on it had slacked.
“Count?!” Woo Fei exclaimed, “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly and moved to gather the broken shards into his napkin. “It must have just slipped from my fingers.”
Woo Fei did not seem entirely convinced that the Count was all right, but did not dispute his claim. He simply continued speaking as if nothing had happened. “So, this stranger was, so they said, incredibly eccentric but very polite. They kept going on and on about his long blond hair that fell nearly to his waist. He stayed with one of the dock workers and his family for a few weeks, and the wife cut his hair for him. She apparently kept the hair because of how beautiful she thought it was. Have you ever heard anything so ludicrous?”
D was barely able to answer around the lump in his throat. “Yes, how strange,” he agreed. Immediately, he considered the possibility that it was Leon. That Leon was still searching for him, after all of this time. Why had he not gone home after Berlin? Could he really be that persistent? It appeared that he just might. His mind considered everything that Woo Fei had just told him about the foreigner in Shanghai. They said he was polite? That certainly did not remind him of the Detective. Though Leon had blond hair, would he really have allowed it grow so long?” He shook his head and squared his shoulders. It had to be a coincidence. There was no way that Leon was this person they were telling stories of on the docks in Shanghai.
“Well…” Woo Fei began, breaking the tense silence. “I suppose I should be returning to the office.”
“Ah…yes,” he agreed. “Sayonara, Woo Fei.”
When he heard the click of the door as it had closed behind him, D relaxed back into the sofa with a deep breath. As he convinced himself that Leon was no longer searching for him, he felt a mixture of sadness and relief. The relief was easy to understand, the sadness confused him. He had been told for many years what his purpose was on this Earth and it did not involve a rude, crude, American, named Leon Orcot.
To Be Continued…
Author’s Notes: I apologize for the short chapter. Stay Tuned for the Exciting Conclusion of The Chase!
Thanks Again To Everyone Who Reviews/Subscribes/Favorites My Stories!