Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ The Gift ❯ The Gift ( Chapter 9 )

The Gift 9 by Kaialicious

Disclaimer: I make no profit from the characters of The Pet Shop of Horrors. They do not belong to me. Li and Shang however are of my own creation and do belong to me…, D…, and no one else...for now.

Warnings: This story contains suggestions of a Yaoi relationship. If you don't like Yaoi, then you're not even supposed to be reading this warning because I previously warned you about it in the description!

Author's Note: Leon steps out of the office for this one. No intimate action, but this chapter contains important stuff for the following chapters.

*****

Leon had almost forgotten his little problem by the time he reached home late in the evening. The bottle of beer smashed on the floor just behind the door was what jogged his memory.

He had an uninvited guest in his apartment.

"Remind me never to be polite to you again," he said aloud.

He took off his jacket and slung it over the back of the couch. He was tired, and hungry. All he wanted to do was eat his pizza and go to bed. He had a big day tomorrow. He was going into the west district to find a suspect from one of his cases. He needed all the rest that he could get.

He carefully picked up the large pieces of broken glass and discarded them in the trash. He returned with a broom and dustpan to collect the rest.

The menial chore done, he washed his hands and opened the refrigerator -only to find that everything was in shambles.

"Great…"

It was a disaster. More broken beer bottles and containers upended, creating one big pile of mess that seemed to mock Leon.

"I'm seriously considering an exorcism." He told his mischievous guest.

There would be no dinner tonight, not unless he wanted to eat canned anchovies or soup.

"Maybe I should have brought home the salad."

He grabbed a plastic wrapped package of salted crackers from the cupboard and was pleasantly surprised to find a can of tuna there as well. He checked the expiration date. It still had a couple of weeks left on it, so there was no worry of getting food poisoning.

He opened it and started eating it right out of the can with the crackers.

It wasn't so bad.

He drank a glass of water and headed for the bathroom. The mess in the refrigerator could wait until tomorrow. Right now, he needed to take a shower before he fell off his feet.

Was it his imagination, or had his exhaustion tripled since he entered his apartment?

In the shower, he leaned against the cool tiles and let the warm spray wash over him. His blond hair clung to his skin.

He watched as the suds that were rinsed off his body spiraled down the drain. The ordinary action mesmerized him.

You're tired, he told himself. Go to bed.

He turned off the water, dried off and went o his room, running a towel through his hair.

One look at the bed and Leon simply removed the towel around his hips and crawled on to the white cotton sheets. He pulled a blanket over his waist. His eyelids grew heavy, and just before he nodded off to sleep, he saw a light mist hovering over him.

*****

D awakened with a start. He had had the most disturbing dream. Li had come to him, beckoning him with his lovely amethyst eyes. D had not flown into his arms. He'd told him to go away. Li had turned into a most frightening abomination -a dragon of immense proportions complete with lengthy black horns all over his head, shoulders, and spine. The creature had towered over him. Its long, agile neck swooped down, the massive jaws parted and had swallowed D whole. It was then that D had awakened.

The dream had made no sense. Li had never wanted to hurt him. He did not possess the power to do so. Moreover, Li was dead. He was buried in his homeland, his spirit long since ascended from his physical form. He was at peace.

D rolled over and hugged his down filled pillow. Q-Chan was nestled in the middle of another silk covered pillow, quietly snoring.

The dream had unsettled D. he was certain that it held some meaning. No longer able to sleep, D climbed out of bed and donned an ivory colored robe. He went downstairs to the shop and checked on his precious pets.

They were all asleep, but each wakened when he stroked their heads and sleepily greeted him with their individual sounds. He recovered their cages with the swathes of silk.

The newest cage, identified by the bright blue silk that shielded it from prying eyes drew D's attention. He knelt before the cage, removed the covering and opened the golden door. Before reaching his hand inside, he spoke soft, soothing words in his native tongue, calming the creature. His fingers touched the cool surface of its skin. He felt the vibration as the animal gave a low growl.

"You sound much better tonight."

A brief examination of the animal's food and water dish showed D that the animal had eaten a little. It was a vast improvement, considering that the animal had been nearly at death's doorway when it arrived at D's shop. Such neglect of an animal had angered the count, especially since the creature was rare. The most shocking aspect was that its owner had not cared. He had called it a thorn in his side. So cruel were those words.

D wished that he could keep the creature.

Why did animals have to go through such torment?

The creature's sharp teeth nipped his fingers, scraping D's tender flesh. "Now, now, none of that. Be a good boy," D gently admonished.

The animal was testy, and quite strong for its miniscule size despite its ailment.

D pulled his hand free of the cage and closed it, then drew down its covering. The creature settled and went to sleep.

The count let his mind wander to thoughts of the blond detective. Was Leon dreaming about him? Did he still want D, or had he decided that the wait was too much for him? D refused to believe that the detective had given in so easily. He had been furious with D for misleading him.

D stood and looked around. Everything was in its place. All was well. There was no need to worry.

*****

"D!"

Leon abruptly wakened from his sleep. The clock on his bedside table read five thirty. He pulled the blanket off and sat down on the edge of the bed.

The damn tuna had given him nightmares.

He had dreamed of Li. The Chinaman had attacked D, sexually.

Leon hoped that his sex-depraved body had not conjured up the disturbing image.

At first, Leon had thought that it was himself caressing and tasting D's soft flesh. But then D had tried to push him away.

A long gray strand of hair had brushed against D's shoulder.

The Chinaman handled him roughly, bruising his arms with his unforgiving grip. His kisses were forced; D would not let them touch his lips. Li bared the count's other shoulder and savagely bit him.

D's eyes had been wet with tears.

Leon could not bear to see D in pain and had awakened.

He tied back his disheveled hair and pulled on a pair of navy blue sweatpants. Maybe cleaning out the refrigerator would clear his mind and get him in gear. He had a big day ahead of him.

*****

Winston McNeal was a small time con man who had gotten himself into hot water with a Chinese gang. He had swindled them out of a shit load of money. Normally, the Chinese mob would have put him out of their misery, but McNeal was an untouchable. He was the son of Marianna McNeal Massoni, the Italian mafia princess, wife of Victor Massoni an alleged mafia boss of four major cities. If the Chinese killed Victor Massoni's stepson, they would start a war of immense proportions, one that they knew they could not win.

McNeal was running about freely, staying clear of Chinatown. Leon had to bring him in for questioning. No one else would touch the case. They argued that messing with McNeal was like begging for early retirement without ever collecting a pension.

Well, Leon never thought that he would make it to retirement in his line of work any way.

He found the green eyed, brown haired McNeal coming out of a bar. The twenty five year old was casually dressed in dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather sports jacket. He looked normal, down right harmless, but Leon knew better.

Leon followed him on foot for a block, and then hesitated when the con got off the sidewalk and turned down into an alleyway.

He knows he's being followed, Leon thought. Either that or he has to take a leak.

Leon had one of two options: wait for McNeal to come out or follow him. The latter option could be dangerous. McNeal's family was known for their cutthroat activities, and Leon was certain that the man carried a gun.

He reached beneath his jacket and touched his gun, flicked the leather strap off its butt, and removed it from its holster. He carelessly darted into the alleyway and regretted his decision when he saw that it was a dead end littered with garbage and metal trash bins.

McNeal was nowhere to be seen. He had to be hiding behind one of the metal bins.

"Come out McNeal, I'm not in the mood for hide and seek."

"Who sent you?" asked a voice from behind one of the trash receptacles.

"I'm detective Leon Orcot. You're wanted for questioning."

McNeal laughed and said, "I'm wanted everywhere. I'm famous you know."

"I bet. You coming out or am I going to have to come and get you?"

"Nah, I'm coming."

Leon breathed a sigh of relief. That was all too easy.

McNeal came out with his hands up.

"Used to this?" Leon asked.

"Oh, yeah," McNeal shrugged.

Leon reached in his pocket for his handcuffs. Before he knew what was happening, McNeal had reached into the lining of his sports jacket and pulled out a .38 caliber handgun. He fired two shots after Leon.

Leon was on him in a heartbeat.

He grabbed McNeal by the neck with one hand and hoisted him into the air, choking him. The gun fell to the ground.

The man struggled to free himself but to no avail.

Leon felt the indelible urge to snuff out this man's insignificant life. How dare he try to kill him? He would make the alleyway run red with his blood. He would crush the fragile bones in his neck until his head popped off and rolled into the filthy street.

"Please, mister! I'm sorry! Don't kill me!" the man pleaded for his life. "I'll give you whatever you want! What's your price?"

A sudden awareness snapped within Leon.

My God, what am I doing?

He released him and watched in horror as his victim gasped for air.

He had almost killed him.

It was then that Leon noticed the thick mist floating around his feet. He had seen the mist before, in D's shop. Li had caused it. He had also seen a lighter version of it hovering over him in bed.

Why was it here? What did it mean?

"What the hell is going on?"

*****

Yeah…what the hell is going on? I actually got help on this one form my brother. He didn't know why I was asking him all those weird questions but he deserves a big thanks anyway! ^_^