Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Troubled Waters ❯ chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Copyright: I don't own the main guys of Pet Shop I'm just playing with them. Anyone not seen in the delightful mangas belong to me.

 

This chapter is dedicated to my Mother January 30, 1952- November 28, 2005

 

 

Troubled Waters

 

Chapter 3

 

By Vidalark

 

Rated R

 

Leon awoke awhile later feeling much better after having had a forced nap, a good round of love making with D, and nice after sex nap after round of said lovemaking as a matter of fact Leon felt rather charged up and ready for anything, which D told him quickly was good considering that they really had no idea as to what to expect from Leon's communion. Each communion was a personal and unique experience so no two were ever alike enough to be able to predict what could or would happen. D informed Leon that he would be entering the special room in less than an hour, just after sun down so it gave him just enough time for a quick shower and a bolted meal of tea and sandwiches. D silently prayed that the cubs wouldn't be violent with Leon like they were with so many of the others who have ever dared to enter their domain aside from D himself. However if D were perfectly honest they were just barely tolerant of his presence which made him always bring at least one of the stronger animals to guard him when he had to see them.

 

"T-Chan, Seki, and Heero will be going with you to watch over you." D told Leon as he watched him eat. The three aforementioned just nodded their heads to let Leon know that they knew this also so it wasn't news to them.

 

"Is that a normal part of the communion thing?"

 

"Yes, a young kami will normally take a guardian or several guardians with them to ensure that while they are dealing with the aspect or in some cases aspects of nature that they need to deal with nothing else may harm them sometimes though the guardians are there to protect them from what they must commune with though that is very rare and has only happened three times as far as I know."

 

"Okay so how were my guardians picked? Was it luck of the draw or something?" Leon remembered Heero and Seki from the battle between Khan, D's cousin, and D. He'd seen the pair around the shop but they generally kept to themselves so he couldn't really say that he knew them on a personal level. Totetsu was another story completely since they had only started to get along but then again when he thought about it Totetsu, just as Heero and Seki had, had voluntarily appointed themselves as his guardians back then when he was being stalked by Khan.

 

"I volunteered before you go thinking that I might try something." Totetsu said quickly not wanting D to sugar coat anything. "I also hand picked Seki and Heero as my second and third to help me considering he territory that we are going to be going into." to say the least Leon was shocked to find that his once mortal enemy had actually volunteered to act as his guardian during what was obviously a very important rite of passage for kami kind.

 

"We will guard you well Leon." Seki said with a bow. "It is actually a great honor for us to be able to serve once again as your protectors."

 

"We will not fail you or the Count." Heero echoed in a very somber but serious voice that made Leon wonder exactly what it was that had everyone so worried. He had the feeling that there was a bit more going on than he had been informed of and highly doubted that he would get any straight answers from them considering how they seemed to skirt the subject all the while reiterating how important it was that he go through with his communion. His gut feeling was telling him that there was something in that so called special room that scared them and if given the choice they wouldn't let him go into it, but considering that this was something that he had to do lest he go insane from all of the emotional static or from being locked away in his or D's room where it would be blissfully silent.

 

"Well then I should have nothing to worry about then right?" the answering looks he got didn't help with his wavering confidence in what he was leaping into. "So um is there anything I gotta remember to do, or wear, or say, or whatever when I do this?"

 

"Perhaps wearing something a little more traditional would be visually acceptable but I doubt that you'll need to be dressed up. May I suggest that you wear something comfortable, neat, but you can easily run in should the need arise?" more so now than before did Leon wonder what was going on. He honestly hadn't felt this clueless since he was a mortal. Why would D put appearance for something that was obviously very important behind the need for wearing clothing that he could run in. Yes whatever it was that was in the room he was going into had to be dangerous for D to throw any part of tradition out the proverbial window.

 

"Okay uh I think I know just the thing. Um let me get changed real quick and we can finish this conversation." Leon quickly left seeing how close to time it really was. He had only another thirteen minutes before he had to leave.

 

Leon noticed as he headed towards his room that for some odd reason despite the obvious nervousness everyone around him in the shop seemed to display Leon couldn't help but feel oddly calm about his situation. Admittedly he was a touch bit nervous but that was mostly with how everyone seemed to be acting as if he were made of glass and would break any second. The only edge of irritation he actually had was from hearing the muffled buzz of the emotional static that he knew would overwhelm him should he set foot past the walls of the pet shop. This ceremony, or communion as it really was, was something very much unknown to him and yet he felt as if it was something that he had been waiting to do for all his life. He felt as if he was finally being given his chance to undo a great wrong that he had committed sometime during his human years that had unknowingly weighed very heavily on his heart and soul and he was more than ready to go it alone and fix whatever it was however he knew that D wouldn't let him leave by himself and neither would any of the other shop in habitants. If anything he knew that Yue was find a way to sneak into the room and play protector for his master with a pissed off Totetsu not all that far behind him. He decided that he had to attribute some of this strange sense to that dream he had, had since it seemed to have held some deeper meaning. The two voices seemed familiar and yet not since he was sure he had never heard them before though he was sure that he knew their owners somehow. That dream seemed to link him more to the one that he'd had so long ago about that prehistoric place he'd been in with D. Somehow he knew to the very marrow in his bones that the two dreams were linked somehow and that somehow had to do with the two voices.

 

He shook these thoughts from his mind and hunted for the clothes that he figured would work best. He found a cream colored polo shirt that D had made him buy when they had gone out once and a pair of fairly new jeans, new meaning that they weren't so faded and worn that one was left to wonder how many moons and washing they had seen. He slipped on his trusty sneakers that he knew could handle just about any terrain considering the line of work he was in. Just as he was about to leave his room he decided that he needed something very important from his dresser. Atop his dresser was a cherry wood box with etchings of a Chinese lion and phoenix very similar to the one on the cheongsam that Wong Lau had made for him. D had, had it made specially for him to hold the few pieces of jewelry he actually owned, which admittedly was a very small amount basically boiling down to a pair of cheap brass cufflinks, his parents wedding rings (which he planned to give to his younger brother many years down the road when he was old enough and perhaps becoming serious with a young woman), and the jade medallion that D had given him the night he had taken Leon out on what had been a very life altering night for him. He took the medallion out and placed it around his neck allowing the beautifully carved jade to rest on his chest and be seen. This was as close to traditional as he was going to be able to get since he doubted that the two Chinese outfits he owned (the only two he owned for that fact) fit under the description of what D told him to wear. Now feeling that he was properly dressed he returned to the kitchen.

 

"You look good but I don't think that, that necklace is going to be of much use." Seki told him the instant he entered the kitchen. D however felt his heart warm seeing that Leon was wearing the necklace had had given to him on the very night that Khan made his move to try and steal Leon from him. In truth it did surprise D since he figured that there would be to many bad memories tied to the piece of jade to make Leon ever want to wear it again.

 

"No the medallion is the perfect touch it is just enough for the traditional need. There isn't anything else for you to do other than face what you must to gain peace from the world my Golden Lion. Please remember not everything may be as it seems and sometimes the answers you need or seek just might be the ones you would normally never think of first and most of all trust your gut instincts as you always have my Love for you do seem to have the most wonderful ability to figure out things that way." D removed the hair tie form Leon's hair allowing the golden locks to fall free somehow completing the he needed look in D's mind. This was the vision that he wanted etched forever in his mind. Leon standing proud and ready to face the unknown with such an air of determination that he was sure would make even the temperamental twin cubs cower with some fear to even think of crossing his path the wrong way.

 

"I will D don't worry." Leon gave him a smile and quickly found himself being pulled down just enough for D to crush his lips to Leon's in a desperate kiss. This kiss stole both of their breaths away as the final rays of daylight vanished from the windows signaling that it was now time for Leon to go.

 

"I will wait here for you." D whispered as he pulled away reluctantly. "T-Chan, Seki, Heero I am counting on all of you to protect my Golden Lion, do as he says to a point but should you need to drag him back to me should things become to dangerous." the three animals knew what D was talking about and had no need to say anything and honestly didn't need to be reminded of what their true duty to Leon was they knew what danger lay before them and they all felt that this was a great honor for them. "T-Chan shall lead you to the room now. Good luck my Golden Lion." the last was said so softly that Leon had believed it was a sigh.

 

Totetsu led the small group to the mysterious double doors that Leon now knew by heart and more or less how they really worked considering he was still learning and the pet shop had yet to disclose all of her secrets to him though he had been assured that one day he would know all that there was to know. The shop whispered to him late in the night slowly spilling her secrets to him and weaving her magic tighter with his own so that one day he too would be able to use all of her rooms as D did. One day he too would fully become one with the small shop and know all of the secrets of the trade.

 

The walk down the long hallway was rather uneventful and seemed fairly anticlimactic to Leon. He swore that there should be some sort of mood music playing to set the right atmosphere for them or to at least let him know what sort of hornet's nest he was heading in to. A few of the animals peeked out to watch the precession and some of the older and more exotic animals bowed low and respectfully at their passing. A group of night birds raised their voices in a soft chorus of strength and love that seemed to give Leon renewed purpose though he hadn't lost sight of what he was really there to do. Finally they reached another door that had a carving of several prehistoric beasts.

 

"This is the door. Once we're inside we will basically be in another world as you all well know so just about anything can happen so be on your guard. Leon as far was what you have to do we won't be able to help you only watch over you so if you get stuck mentally, which I expect will happen considering your puny brain, you're on your own." Leon sneered at the obvious jab but made no comment realizing that Totetsu had only done that to bring back some air of humor to a situation that had become serious.

 

"I'll try to keep that in mind the next time some kid decides that they want to pull on your horns because they don't believe that they're real." that made Totetsu color a little since that incident had been a one time deal but had been a huge humiliation when it was Leon who had, had to assure the five year old twins that had thought Totetsu was funny looking and that his horns had to have been glued on and decided to remove them from the poor sheep. Leon had just managed to ward off the children by having them play with a small fox terrier that their father ended up buying. Leon hadn't let Totetsu live it down for a week.

 

"Anyways Seki, Heero you both know what we must do and whom we must watch out for."

 

"Of course but you know that we won't be able to do anything unless they play their hand first." Seki reminded which made Leon wonder just who they were now talking about without letting him know.

 

"Hopefully the won't try anything but we all know that this communion is a very unpredictable event and anything can happen." Heero reminded.

 

"Alright enough of the avoiding talking about something thing and either spit out what you're all pussy footing around or just shut the hell up because you guys are really starting to annoy me with this avoidance thing." Leon snapped finally having had enough of the fragmented conversation.

 

"Fine the Count should have told you but I guess he didn't. This room is known as The Twin's room. Inside here are a set of twins that only the count and themselves know how they had arrived and none of them are willing to tell anyone. The reason the Count is so worried is because the twins don't seem to let anyone near them and only barely tolerate the Count. We all avoid this room and only come here when the Count needs to feed them. They were here before me but are fairly young but they aren't a pair to be taken lightly. They are very dangerous and if given the chance will kill you, and rust me Leon you still can die from a severe amount of blood loss so don't even think that there isn't anything that they can do to you Heero, Seki, and myself are here to make sure that they can't harm you."

 

"I know that I can die that way, that was one of the very first things that D taught me and you know that because you were there. So what are the twins?" Leon had never heard of any animal that D couldn't fully handle and wasn't so sure that he wanted to meet one let alone two but as all things in the world generally worked for him he didn't have a choice in that so he would just have to march on and hope for the best.

 

"Honestly we've never asked the Count and I've never seen anything like them before so I honestly don't know. None of us have been able to figure out what they are and asking them is suicide plain and simple."

 

"Oh well I guess that I'll just have to find out the hard way then." the three animals for a moment were shocked that Leon was still willing to brave such an unknown as what lay beyond the door, but realized that, that was what had attracted the Count to him in the first place. Leon wasn't one to run from danger or try to hide from it, no he was the type that would run head first and then maybe ask questions later while he was in the hospital recovering. Totetsu felt that it was really a shame that Leon had been born human since he really had the spirit that was best suited for a guardian beast. "Well what are you three waiting for a carve invitation or what? I'd like to get this communion done sometime tonight so that I might be able to catch a couple hours sleep before I have to go to work in the morning. My boss isn't exactly going to give me an award if I'm a complete asshole yet again which is what I'm going to be if I don't get enough sleep." a smile curved Totetsu lips. Yes it was a shame that Leon hadn't been born as some form of guardian beast because he would have bee fun to run with but as the man turned kami he had a feeling that the greater spirits knew what they were doing when they had formed this one. Yes Leon may not be a grand beast like Totetsu but the mythical beast was more than sure that as the kami he was now and would soon be once he finished his communion and made his peace with nature he would be one hell of a guardian spirit of the earth.

 

"After you." Totetsu pushed open the doors and made the exaggerated motions of a doorman just to annoy Leon.

 

"Keep it up goat and I'll really make you into a rug."

 

"Just try I have a new recipe for American kami that I've been wanting to try out. Though I highly doubt that you`re really up to the quality I prefer to work with when cook but you`ll do." the pair began to chuckle at their comments to each other knowing full well that they were only trying to keep a light hearted mood.

 

"Sometimes I wonder just what it is about them that the Count likes so much and other times I can see it." Seki whispered to Heero. The two had been watching this playful banter without a word since they honestly didn't quite know if the insults and half threats were really mean but they eventually decided that, that was their way of expressing their unique friendship.

 

"Would you care to enlighten me because I really can only see a pair of fools at the moment." Seki saw the slight smirk on Heero's face which told him that the panther knew but only wanted to hear it from someone else.

 

"That is what they are. They can be serious as hell one moment but when you boil it all down and put the two of them together in a room and they start to act like a couple of kids."

 

"You know Tetsu I think we've just been insulted by these two."

 

"I would have to agree with you Leon in this matter but let us not forget that they are really an over sized cat and a half wolf and not a couple of asses like they would appear to be right now." that got both Heero and Seki to stare at the two with their jaws dropped. It was scary enough when the pair got along but it was down right terrifying then they both agreed on something and even worse they realized when they both agreed on an insult.

 

"Well enough fun and games the midnight oil is burning and I don't want to waste any more of it." with that said Leon braved the first steps into the room not knowing what it was that really awaited him on the other side but also knowing that he really didn't have much choice if he wished to keep what little sanity he had left.

 

In the kitchen while Leon was entering the door to the cub's room D was silently praying to whom ever would listen to him that someone would watch over his beloved Golden Lion and return him to him un harmed and fully healed in heart, soul, and mind. He now knew though what his own Grandfather must have gone through though when he himself had to go to his own communion with nature and in all honesty D never wanted to go through it again and this one hadn't even started yet.

 

Elsewhere two figures awoke with anticipation they had never felt before and only one thought ringing through their minds. “He's here.”

 

 

To Be Continued…

 

 

Author's Note:

 

I am so very sorry that it has taken me well over a year to get back to work on this story but I thank you all who e-mailed me and told me that you really wanted to see this story finished your words of encouragement really helped to get me back to work on this. TO offer some real reason though as to why I hadn't been able to work on this story well honestly for the most part it was that I had writer's block and honestly had no idea as to what I needed to do. As it happened though in November I started to finally get some ideas as to the direction and was very eager to get back to work when tragedy hit my family. My mother passed away November 28th and that crushed me. My mother was a main source of encouragement in her own way for me even though she didn't know that I actually write/read yaoi but through my talks with her she somehow always gave me the right idea or sometime information on things I didn't know the loss of her was the loss of one of my most important muses. I will be the first to admit that I actually lost the will to write for the longest time and it was with the help of my dearest Soul Sister Hauduck that I was able to get back into writing but it wasn't until just recently that with people's e-mails, Hauduck's encouragement, and possibly a little guidance from my mother in her own way I am able to get back to work on this. I admit this part is a bit short and yet another cliffy but I assure you that I am working very hard on the next chapter because this is now a story that I must finish.