Colliding
Petshop of Horrors/Eyeshield 21 Crossover!
The final piece of my Christmas Special! (Even though it's only the first chap...)
Disclaimer: I own neither of them!
Starring:
Leon and Count D!
And
Sena and Hiruma!
This will be an AU, (As in, way, way out there,) and some characters will be OOC, but that's ok. It may also contain some spoilers, probably more so for PSOH than for ES21.
This is my FIRST EVAH CROSSOVAH!! W00T!
For those of you who may read one of these mangas, but not the other, here is a brief description of the mangas and the two characters that will be the romantic interest from each story! I might also include short profiles of the other characters if anyone needs information.
Eyeshield 21 is a manga about a boy named Sena who is constantly bullied into being a gopher and running errands for people. After years of this, he has become extraordinarily fast, and when Hiruma, the captain of the school's American Football team, catches sight of his running abilities, he recruits him to the team, placing him under the secret identity of Eyeshield 21! (For his eyeshield and number)
Hiruma Yoichi, the devilish captain of the Deimon Devil Bats, rules about half the school with an iron fist. He harbors a deep love of football and guns, and uses a threatbook to get what he wants. He is the worst of the worst when it comes to fiends, but he seems to have a soft spot for his team… sometimes. He has spiky blonde hair, sharp teeth, and is very tall and skinny. Attitude-wise, and in some physical aspects, he bears great resemblance to the Deimon American Football team's mascot, the Devil Bat. Also swears a lot.
Sena Kobayakawa is a short, scrawny kid… who is the secret hero of the Deimon Devil Bat's American football team! With his abnormal running skills, he has quickly made a claim to fame… although Hiruma makes sure that the young runner doesn't reveal his identity. Sena tends to be very timid, but is gaining confidence in himself as his team makes their way closer and closer to the grand tournament finals, known as the Christmas Bowl! Sena, again, is short and thin. He has short brown hair and generally has a disposition as a pushover.
Petshop of Horrors features a strange petshop in Chinatown run by a very feminine man who claims to sell "love and dreams." Unfortunately, his pets tend to be a little strange… so strange, in fact, that they catch the eye of Detective Leon Orcot of the LAPD (LA police department). While Count D is selling his unique and bizarre pets, Leon is trying to bust him as a murderer, a drug-dealer, and a smuggler, but so far, he hasn't had much luck.
Count D is the owner of Count D's Petshop, and although the name of "Count" really belongs to his grandfather, this doesn't stop everyone from calling him by that title. He sells strange animals ranging from ordinary kittens to man-eating totetsu. All of his pets seem to have an animal form and a human-like form. He has a very feminine appearance, and every now and then is mistaken for a woman. He has cropped black hair, and bi-colored eyes; one purple, one amber. He prefers to wear dress-like attire, which probably lends to the fact that he is occasionally mistaken as a girl.
Leon Orcot is a detective from the LAPD, and is dead set on getting Count D behind bars. He believes that D means for his pets to kill and maim all of the people he sells them to, which makes him very suspicious of Count D. He has a little brother who lived with Count D for a little under a year, who could see the human-like forms of the animals. Leon has shaggy blonde hair that is usually pulled back into a short ponytail. He isn't abnormally tall, but has a bit of height over Count D. He is also well-built.
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Sena looked around the Chinatown, bored. When you lived in Japan, nothing in Chinatown was all that new. Really, he couldn't figure out why their teacher had brought them here just before Christmas break. For one thing, no one wanted to go stand out in some cold alleyway, walking up and down aimlessly as they stared at trinkets, half of which were not from China. For another, it had been a surprise trip, so none of them had any money to buy anything even if they had wanted to.
He sighed as he wandered about, looking for something to catch his attention. After passing many signs for seafood, fortunes, and other items, he found himself looking at an elaborately decorated sign reading "Count D's Petshop." He frowned.
"That's odd… I don't remember a petshop being here last time…" he muttered to himself. He shrugged and decided to check it out. He walked down the stairs and pushed open the two heavy wooden doors.
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"Well, Detective, here we are!" Leon opened his eyes and saw Count D standing in the tea room of the petshop, instead of at the wheel of a giant ship floating in the sky. He shook his head, certain that he'd never get used to the transition from boat to shop and back.
"Where exactly is here?" Leon asked the enigmatic Chinaman. Instead of the raven haired beauty answering, another voice from the corner of the room replied.
"We're in Japan," it snapped, "just where I told you we were going the last fifty times." In the corner of the room sat a small, blood-red bat. He had a spiky look to him, all the way from his pointed ears to his barbed tail. Four silver rings were pierced into his ears, two on each side, and his sharp-looking teeth gleamed as he spoke. "Why the fuck do you keep asking?"
"Hiruma," Count D gently admonished, "please don't swear at the detective."
The bat scoffed. "Please, like he really cares," Hiruma cackled, before flapping out of the room and into one of the back rooms. D sighed.
"Is he in one of those moods again?" Leon asked his love. "'cause last time he was acting like this, he nearly bit my finger off."
"It's not his fault," D protested, sticking up for his animals. "It's just that he lost another owner. He really does want a home; he just doesn't want to admit it."
Leon walked over to D and wrapped his arms around him. "I know it's not his fault; and I know that you're doing your best to find a good home for him," he told D. "But maybe you should just wait a little bit. You know that eventually, his owner will walk through those doors and give him a good home."
D sighed again and rested his head on Leon's chest. "I would, but he's so impatient. It's hard to get him to sit still for so long."
"Maybe you should talk to him then," Leon suggested. "Why don't you ask him why he's so impatient? Then when you know, you can do something about it."
D thought about it. "You know, I think I will." He pulled away from Leon and gave the former detective a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, my dear detective." Leon smiled.
"No problem D."
D walked out of the room and began to search the never-ending corridor of the petshop for Hiruma. Finally, he found the red bat in a dark, empty room that resembled a dank cave.
"Hiruma?" he called, catching sight of the bat. The 'bat' was now a young man with spiky blonde hair. He was clad in a white t-shirt that had blood-red spots splattered across it, and red dyed jeans with matching red boots. He had two pointed ears, each with two silver rings dangling from them. He turned and scowled at the count, showing off his pointed teeth.
"What do you want?" he snapped irritably.
"Oh, not much. I just wanted to ask if you were feeling well," the count replied disarmingly. Hiruma looked suspiciously at him.
"I'm fine."
"It doesn't seem that way," the count pointed out. "After all, you've been more irritable than usual since your last owner returned you."
Hiruma stared at Count D for a moment, then sighed. "I hate it when you always guess things right," he growled. "It pisses me off, you know that?"
"Language," Count D replied automatically. "Hmm, so there is something wrong?"
Hiruma lowered his gaze. "Not really… well…" D waited for Hiruma to continue. "It's just that… I'm tired of being moved from home to home. I really do like the owners I'm sent to… but after that happens- and it always does, so don't even say what I know you will- they all end up terrified of me and send me back to this dump. It would be nice to have an owner that actually wants me for a change, and not…" he paused and put a hand to his forehead. "I don't know…"
Count D smiled a little. "It's funny, because you almost sound like I did before I fell in love with Leon," he told the bat. Hiruma looked up in surprise.
"What? But you're not a pet, you don't need an owner-" D cut him off.
"It's not a matter of needing an owner, it's a matter of needing someone to accept you and love you regardless of… your more unpleasant features." He gestured vaguely about. "Like Leon and the petshop. He doesn't like the fact that I sell pets that give some humans what they deserve, but he tolerates it because he loves me."
Hiruma snorted. "I bet I know what about you he loves!" The count blushed.
"Well, yes, that too, but that's not the point! The point is that, eventually, you'll meet the person who will accept you for what you are, and all of these owners who aren't that person will make you more appreciative of that person when he or she comes along. Who knows; maybe our first customer here will be right for you!"
Hiruma shook his head. "The chance that that will happen is about .0005," he muttered, "and that's not calculating the fact that it's only including people in Japan!"
"Oh Hiruma, you shouldn't have such a negative view of things," D told the sulky bat. "You never know when that small chance will pop up." Hiruma just muttered something unintelligible to himself and turned his back on the count. D sighed. "I suppose you won't be joining us for tea then?" When Hiruma just grunted in reply, he nodded and left the room, shutting the door and leaving the bat in the pitch black of the room.
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Sena walked into the shop, expecting another tourist trap. He was extraordinarily surprised when he entered through the doors and found himself in a richly décored parlor. There were a few doorways in the back, but they were covered in curtains, so he couldn't see through them. He looked around in awe. This place couldn't be a petshop- it looked too much like a palace!
"May I help you?" Sena jumped and spun to face the voice. A person emerged from the shadows. It was a young, beautiful lady with short, chin-length hair and a thin, pale face. She wore a long silk sarong painted with black and blue flowers on a white surface. Her eyes though… one was purple, the other amber!
Sena realized that she was still awaiting his answer. "Um, well, actually," he stumbled, "I was uh, just looking around and wandered in, so…" he trailed off, trying not to feel stupid. The woman just smiled at him.
"While you're here, then, would you like something to drink?" She gestured to one of the doors. "I was just having tea with a friend of mine."
"Um." Sena could see a few things wrong with doing that, but for some reason, he didn't think he had it in him to say no. "Ok." He bowed. "Thank you very much."
The woman led him through one of the doors, smiling. "You're welcome." This new room was similar to the first, only smaller. It had two couches in the middle of the room facing each other, with a table in between. A young man with shaggy blonde hair was sitting on the couch facing the door. He was sitting with rather poor posture, and he had a cup of tea in his hand. He looked up as they entered.
"Hey count, is this your first customer?" asked the man. The lady shook her head.
"No, he'll just be joining us for tea," the woman replied. Sena looked at her in surprise.
"Count?" he asked. Count was a male title… right?"
"Oh, how rude of me, I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Count D, the caretaker of this petshop."
"Oh!" Sena hid his embarrassment. So he was a guy! "I'm Sena Kobayakawa."
"Nice to meet you, Sena," Count D replied, walking over to the teapot resting on the table. "Why don't you have a seat, and I'll pour you some tea?"
"Thank you." Sena took a seat across from the blonde-haired man. The man nodded to him.
"I'm Leon Orcot, formerly of the LA police department," he said. Leaning forward a little, he added in a stage whisper, "Be careful; the tea is very sweet!"
"I heard that!" the count snapped, glaring a little at Leon. He poured a cup for Sena, then for himself, and took a sip. "It's fine!"
Sena also took a sip and choked back a gag. He'd have to agree with Leon- the tea was far too sweet!
"So Sena, what grade are you in?" the count inquired politely. Sena told them about Deimon High School and the activities he participated in, and became very talkative when he started discussing American Football with Leon, (who as it turns out was an American himself!) The count, however, became more interested in the conversation when Sena mentioned the team mascot; the Devil Bat.
"What does it look like?" he asked when Sena brought it up.
"Well, it's got two pointed ears… and a spiky tail, two wings and sharp looking claws. Oh, and it's red. I don't really know how that mascot was picked, since it was there before I joined the team."
"You don't say," the count murmured thoughtfully. Leon glanced over at him, positive that he knew what was taking place in his lover's head.
Neither of them mentioned any more on the subject though, and the conversation continued peacefully until Sena glanced at his watch.
"Oh, the school bus will be leaving soon!" he exclaimed. He stood and bowed. "Thank you very much for tea. I have to go now."
Count D also stood. "Thank you for joining us. Before you go, though, I have something you might be interested in."
Sena checked his watch again. "I really have to go…"
"I promise you won't be late for your bus; it will only take a minute," Count D reassured him. "I'm sure you'll be interested."
"Well…" Sena paused, unsure, then gave in. "Alright."
Count D smiled. "Follow me, please," he told the boy, walking back through another doorway. Leon looked over to where D had disappeared through the doorway.
"D, you're not going to try and sell him to this kid, are you?" he asked, quietly enough that Sena couldn't hear. D nodded.
"I think he might just be what Hiruma is looking for," D replied in the same manner. He turned to Sena. "This way."
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Sena heaved an inward sigh of relief as Count D finally moved to a door on the wall of the endless corridor that they had been walking down. It had seemed like ages, but Sena's watch still stubbornly displayed the same time it had when they had entered the depth of the petshop. Count D turned to him and smiled.
"The pet I want to show you is in here," he told Sena, gesturing to the door. "It would be best if you entered first; this particular breed of animal likes to get to know his owner firsthand."
"Uh, ok." Sena stepped forward and opened the door, wrinkling his nose at the blast of musty air that hit him. "What the-?" Light flooded into the "room", which consisted of cave-like walls and small pools of water that reflected the light. There was a small squeak as the light came into the room. Sena looked up where the squeak had come from and was surprised to see-
"Is that a- a devil bat?!" he asked as the red mammal swooped down from its perch on the ceiling. Count D nodded.
"I've never heard anyone call it that, but based on the description you gave me of your mascot, I would assume so." Sena stared in awe as the bat darted around in front of him, its wintergreen eyes locked with his. There was obviously a good deal of intelligence in those eyes, and they were calculating as it stared at him. Finally, the giant red bat dove down towards him with a strangled screech. Sena winced, expecting claws to dig into his face, and was startled when it landed in his hair and settled down.
"He's got nice hair," commented the bat in a voice only D could hear as Sena tried to catch a glimpse of the bat on his head. "What's he doing here?"
D ignored the bat's question. "Well Sena?" he asked the boy. "What do you think of Hiruma?" Sena turned his head, being careful not to disrupt the bat.
"Its name is Hiruma?" He asked, still trying to catch a glimpse of the bat without knocking him off of his perch. "I think he's amazing! I didn't know devil bats actually existed!"
Count D smiled. "Well, perhaps not many exist. I know that Hiruma here is one of the few."
Hiruma flapped off of Sena's head and flew over to where D was standing and hovered around his head. "D, are you selling me again?" he cried, partially dismayed.
D ignored him once again and continued. "Hiruma has also had a couple of owners; unfortunately, they found that he was not their kind of pet and returned him to the petshop. He's still looking for a good home, if you're interested…" he paused, smiling inwardly. He knew that Sena would be interested.
"Why would someone return him?" Sena asked, puzzled. "He doesn't seem unfriendly or anything… and he's a very handsome animal… if not a little scary."
"Devil bats tend to be very protective of their owners," explained Count D, "and some of his owners were tired of that over-protectiveness. Others just got bored with him. They… weren't the best owners."
The devil bat fluttered back to Sena and sat almost sulkily on his shoulder. Sena watched him. "How much does he cost?"
D smiled. He knew it had only been a matter of time. "Do you intend to buy him?"
Sena was captivated by the small red creature. "I don't have any money on me, but I can pay you later, or…" he trailed off, realizing that no one would accept that. D, however, nodded.
"You can pay me when you're sure you're satisfied with Hiruma," he told Sena. "Now, all you need to do is sign this, and then you better go catch your bus." He handed Sena a piece of paper. Sena looked it over, then looked back at D.
"A contract?"
D nodded. "It says that you agree to care for Hiruma in the ways mentioned on the sheet, and that we are not responsible for what may happen should you decide to break a clause of the contract."
Sena looked back at the sheet and read over the clauses. "What would happen if I didn't give him sugarless gum?" he asked D.
'Finally, a smart human!' D thought to himself. "He likes having something to chew, and sugar makes him too excitable to be manageable."
"And if I let someone else take care of him?"
"Devil bats are very prideful creatures; he might attack anyone but his owner if they try to take care of him."
"And what about not putting him on a collar or in a cage?"
"He'd go crazy in captivity. He won't run off, so why put him in a cage to begin with?"
"Alright, that sounds reasonable." Sena checked his pockets. "Um, do you have a-" D skillfully pulled a pen seemingly from midair. "Oh, thank you." Sena wrote his name on the line. "Is that all?"
D gave him a mysterious smile that sent shivers up his spine. "That's all." The scary smile disappeared and was replaced by a friendlier one. "You'd better go, or you'll miss your bus."
Sena found himself a moment later standing in the parking lot. He looked around. Hadn't he just been standing in the petshop?
"Oi!"
Sena turned, surprised. The devil bat was flapping behind him, but there was no one else to be seen. He blinked.
"Hello?"
"Right here," the voice snapped again, coming from the devil bat. It landed on his shoulder, being careful not to dig its claws into Sena's skin. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Sena stared at the bat for a moment in shock, then shook his head. "I hope I do too," he told the bat, jogging back to the bus.
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"I can't believe you just did that," Leon commented as D cleaned up the tea table. "D'you really think that kid is up to taking care of Hiruma?"
"Oh, I think they are more than up to taking care of each other," D smiled. "I think he's the one Hiruma's been looking for."
"What would make you think that? Just because he happens to have a football mascot that looks like Hiruma?" Leon shook his head. "They're like polar opposites! Hiruma's psychotic and threatening, and Sena doesn't look like he could hurt a fly!"
D glanced over at Leon, a little frown on his face. "Speaking of opposites, what about us?" he pointed out.
"That's different, D," Leon argued.
"Oh?" D replied icily. "How so?"
"Well, uh-" Leon started, realizing that he had just dug a hole for himself. "We've known each other for longer!"
D smiled that mischievous smile of his. "Time doesn't matter if two are destined for each other," he pointed out. "Try again."
Leon stuttered something incoherent, trying to come up with another reason. D sighed. "Well then, detective, I guess that makes us the same as them. And since polar opposites seem to make such a difference to you…" He walked back into the depths of the petshop, Leon staring after him. When he was gone, the blonde haired man put his head in his hands.
"Damnit D, why do you have to use all my words against me?" he grumbled before getting up and following his lover into the petshop
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"SENA!" Monta shouted from the back of the bus. "Over here!"
Sena sweatdropped as he walked back to sit next to the monkey-like receiver. "Hey Monta." He sat down. "Did you see anything in Chinatown today?"
"No, but-" Monta stopped as he caught sight of Hiruma. He gaped at the red bat. "Awesome MAX!" he whispered. "Where did you find that?"
"Uh, there was this petshop nearby, and while I was talking to the owner, I mentioned our team mascot, and he showed me Hiruma."
"I thought you didn't have any money," Monta replied. "How'd you buy him?"
"Count D- um, the owner- said I could pay for him when I knew I was satisfied." Sena shrugged. "I don't know why I wouldn't be."
"Strange MAX!" Monta rubbed his chin. "Maybe other people owned him?"
"Actually," Sena replied, "I think he did mention that Hiruma had been returned a few times."
"Quit talking about me like I'm not here," snapped a voice next to them. Both boys looked over in surprise.
"Who are you?!" Monta asked in surprise. "You're not a Deimon student!"
The spiky blonde-haired boy next to them scoffed. "Duh." He reclined in the seat next to them, crossing his long thin legs. "I'm Hiruma," he added by means of introduction. The two boys stared at him.
"Wh-wh-What?!" Sena stuttered, amazed. "B-b-but Hiruma is…"
"The bat!" finished Monta. "How can you be Hiruma?"
The blonde claiming to be Hiruma yawned, displaying a mouthful of sharp-looking teeth. "Obviously, you've never dealt with someone like D before, then," he told them. "He loves to sell people things that play tricks on them." He glanced over at them with a grin. "And, just for the record, you two are the only ones who see me like this at the moment."
"S-so when you talked earlier," Sena asked, "that really happened?"
"Are you that slow?" demanded Hiruma. "Yes, that happened."
"Sena, who are you talking to?" asked Kurita, poking his chestnut-shaped head over the seat in front of them. He spotted Hiruma. "Oh my!" he gasped. "Is that a devil bat? I didn't know they existed!"
"We didn't either…" Monta told the large linebacker. Hiruma grinned at Kurita.
"Well well well," he commented, "that's some bulk, there." He glanced over to Sena. "Is there a football team at your school?"
Sena opened his mouth to reply, then remembered that Kurita couldn't see this human Hiruma. Instead, he quickly nodded while Kurita wasn't looking. The human-bat grinned.
"This will be fun," he chuckled to himself, closing his eyes and settling back for a nap.
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When the bus finally got back to school, Sena nervously glanced over at the blonde… only to find that the bat had returned to its animal form. Monta looked at the snoozing bat over Sena's shoulder.
"Weird MAX."
Sena nodded in agreement. "Am I supposed to just pick him up, or should I wake him?" he asked, turning to Monta. The other boy shrugged.
"Just pick him up, I guess."
Carefully, Sena scooped up the sleeping bat, who stirred a little but didn't wake up. He put him in his front coat pocket, being sure to put him in tail first so the red bat could breathe. Then he and Monta got off the bus and headed back to the American Football clubhouse, discussing the strange events of that day.
"What are the chances?" Sena asked Monta. "A petshop that I would swear has never been there before shows up out of nowhere, and the owner just happens to invite me to tea, then just happens to have a devil bat, which we didn't even realize really existed until today!"
"And then, it turned into a human!" Monta added. "That's a pretty slim chance."
Sena nodded. "Maybe we're both having a weird dream!"
"At the same time? Of the same thing?" Monta pointed out. "That's an even slimmer chance, I think." They reached the clubhouse, walked in, and got their stuff from their lockers. "Besides, would we know it was a dream?"
"I dunno," admitted Sena. "I guess not…"
Monta checked the clock. "It's starting to get late. My mom might get worried if I'm not home soon."
"Yeah, we'd better get going." Sena glanced down at the bat in his pocket. "We can figure this out tomorrow at practice, with the rest of the team."
"Yep!" Monta replied cheerfully. "We'll find out what's going on!" He bounded out the door. "See ya tomorrow Sena!"
"Bye." Sena slung his backpack over his shoulder and began to walk home. Usually, he and Mamori-ni-chan would walk home together, but unfortunately, his friend was home sick today. He looked up at the horizon as he headed past the beach. The sun was beginning to go down. He sighed.
"I had hoped to get home before dark…" he said aloud to himself, "but unless I run home, at this rate I won't make it." He glanced down at the devil bat in his pocket again. "Well, I don't want to wake him by jostling him around too much, so I guess I'll walk."
He proceeded without a problem until he passed by a group of older, bigger teens hanging out on the street corner. He tried to pass by unnoticed, keeping a good distance. Unfortunately, it didn't work. One of the guys threw a beer can at him, but missed.
"Hey! Kid!" he shouted. "Why don't you come over here?"
Sena ignored him and began to walk a little faster. Running would only lead to harassment later, even if he was fast enough to get away. Another guy caught him by surprise as he walked out of the shadows and grabbed his shoulder. Sena froze, and the man glared at him.
"My friend just invited you over," he told Sena. "It's rude to ignore an invitation." He steered him back towards the group. "And you don't want to be rude, right?" The whole group laughed at that, and Sena tried to think of some way to get away. Before he could formulate a plan, however, there was an enraged screech from his pocket. The guys stared at the squirming pocket, and the one holding Sena reached into it and pulled out the furious Hiruma. Sena was horrified at what the bat was screaming, and prayed to whatever gods were listening that the thugs could not hear anything but a bat squeaking.
"Damn it, you fucking pieces of shit!" screamed the bat, wriggling out of the man's grip and taking flight. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my owner, you drunken pricks? Take your filthy hands off of him, you son of a bitch!" He dove for the man's head, who let go of Sena to protect himself from the bat's relentless assault. The other guys tried to help, but only got their arms and hands cut as Hiruma's razor sharp tail flailed about. He glanced over to Sena.
"What are you just standing there for?" he demanded. "Run, you idiot!"
So Sena did. He ran all the way home and stood outside for a moment on the porch, trying to catch his breath. He turned and looked the way he had come. Hiruma didn't seem to have followed. He felt a little worried about the bat, but he reasoned that he could take care of himself. He walked into his house and got ready for bed. He was about to go to sleep when he decided, on an impulse, to open the window so Hiruma could get in if he came back. He lay down on his bed and quickly fell asleep, worn out by the day and his run. He didn't wake up when a tall thin blonde snuck in through his window and closed it. The blonde glanced over at Sena and let one of his rare smiles sneak across his face.
"Thanks," he whispered to his sleeping owner. Then he sat in Sena's desk chair and fell asleep.