Powdered Sugre : Chapter 1

Turbulence

They thought they had won:Scrape: They thought they had him beat. :Pound: They thought that was the end. :Drag: This was just the beginning. : Shuffle, scrape, pound, drag: Just the beginning. With an inhalation, free air was sucked into lungs that were quick to freeze as a sentry walked by. No, he had come too far to be caught. Too far indeed. He would have him... before he spent any more time in prison, he would enjoy the sweetness of Ryo. Yes, he thought as he shoved away from the building his battered clothes blowing in the chilled night breeze. The sweetness would be his.

Break

"Stop it Dee," Ryo grumbled even as his face flushed betraying his words. "Dee," Ryo gasped when Dee's hand squeezed his bottom through the softness of his silk pants. "We are at work," The last word was expelled as Ryo forcefully shoved away from Dee. "What is wrong with you?"

"I am just trying to distract you," Dee said sitting down he dragged a hand over his stomach where Ryo had shoved him.

"Distract me from what?" Ryo asked as he sat down with his files open on his desk. He straitened his glasses and shoved his hair behind his ear.

"You are a bit on edge baby, I know today is the first day that Lyo was left at school without us and..." Dee paused when Ryo looked up and frowned at him. "You're still mad at me."

"I'm not mad," Ryo said sitting the file down when it began to smoke.

"You are a terrible liar." Dee came around and knelt by Ryo's chair. "Baby,"

"Don't 'Baby' me," Ryo said looking away from Dee. "You dragged me out of there like... And... he was..." Ryo sighed his own eyes watering as he thought of Lyo screaming bloody murder as his parents had left him in his class. For two weeks they had went with him for the early part of the day leaving just before nap-time to take him back to the Honlon for the day.

"We were only supposed to be there to help him become acquainted with the room. We have to work, we can not stay with him everyday, unless you want to give up your badge and become a full time house...spouse." Dee had to bite his tongue to stop the word 'wife' from leaving his lips.

"Why do I have to give up my badge?" Ryo asked offended that Dee had even suggested it.

"Because you are the one that is concerned," Dee said.

"I just don't see how leaving him screaming is good for him," Ryo said looking at Dee for the first time seeing that Dee was as upset as he was.

"He needs to be around children his own age, human children. He needs to be in an educational environment." Dee explained trailing an hand over the legs he was kneeling between. "In order to make him more comfortable they put him in Nicklaus' class because he knows him. Now...let's get to work, we have a homicide to solve."

Ryo and Dee both startled at the sound of someone clearing their throat in their open doorway. "If you are going to blow him... shut the door," Berkeley said with a laugh at Dee as he still lingered between Ryo's legs. "Before you do, mind briefing me on the Scanlan case?"

"Whatever..." Dee said getting to his feet. Ryo was just opening the file when the telephone on their desk rang.

"MaClean here," Ryo answered. "Yes Sergent, yes... you mean...oh... Okay, thank you." Ryo was silent after he hung up.

"Hey, baby?" Dee asked standing beside Berkeley he had a great view of the top of Ryo's head. Ryo looked up and the sun shining off of his honey colored hair shimmered making his pale skin seem to glow. "What's up?" Dee asked when he saw the troubled look in Ryo's dark eyes.

"Randolph... he escaped from prison." Ryo said he looked at the phone as if it would magically ring again and tell him that they had captured the deranged stalker. "That was the prison warden, he wanted to warn us, so that we could be prepared."

"You think he will come after you again?" Dee asked unconcerned. His faith in Ryo's ability asserting itself.

"Yes, but the best way to harm us, is not by harming us... he can't..." Ryo sighed his eyes lowering. "You or I could easily take him. I fear what he would do when he realizes this."

"Something underhanded, sneaky, dangerous," Berkeley said adjusting his spectacles. "You are unabashedly sexy, who knows what he would do to possess you?"

"I'm not that sexy," Ryo got to his feet to refill his coffee mug. Dee and Berkeley just stood watching him go.

Break

Leon looked up as Ryo walked into his office with a heavy sigh. "What's up, Ryo?" Leon asked as Ryo simply sat. "I am sure Lyo is fine." Leon said with a smirk. "Hey," Leon said when Ryo stared into his coffee mug without saying a word. "You really are freaking out!"

"Yes, well, Randolph has escaped from prison, and all signs indicate that he will attack us." Ryo explained. He would have said more but his cell phone disturbed him. "Yes," Leon wondered why Ryo panicked until he looked over and saw the number on the phone was from the daycare where Lyo was attending. - "Detective MaClean,"-

"Yes, this is me, is everything alright? How is Lyo?" Ryo said his voice rising as he spoke into the phone.

"Oh no, sorry to worry you," - Miss Joy said into the phone when she heard Ryo panicking. - "I just thought, it being nap time and all, that Lyo would settle down better if he heard your voice. He keeps saying Da-Ryo, and whimpering. Little Nicklaus has tried speaking to him, we put their cots next to each other, but... nothing helps."- Miss Joy was quiet for a moment then Ryo heard Lyo sobbing.

"Lyo," Ryo said softly into the phone. After a moment the sobbing stopped and Lyo called his name. "Sleep, little angel, close your eyes and sigh, sleep little angel know that I am nearby ." Leon paused and gasped as Ryo began to sing. "Kono, chi ni chikara o, no ni hana o, kokoro, ni ai o..." Ryo continued his song and Lyo sighed in the phone. When he was done singing Miss Joy's voice came back. - "He is already asleep."-

"Thank you for calling me. I hope he was not too much trouble." Ryo spoke a few more minutes with Lyo's teacher before he hung up. "We have time to interview a few suspects before we have to go pick him up." Ryo said to Leon as Dee came looking for him.

"That is one of X-Ta-C's isn't it?" Leon asked looking at Ryo. "You have a nice voice." Ryo blushed his eyes roaming the room for anything that would draw attention away from him.

"Hey sexy," Dee said standing in the doorway waiting for him. Ryo turned redder then got to his feet to follow Dee from the room.

Break

Count D lay with his head in Pon-Chan's lap as his garden surrounded him. Plants ad flowers clamored to get to his side, each one blooming their sweetest smell as they caressed his flawless skin. A rabbit waited a moment in between bites as she passed small cubes of sugar into his mouth. Aoi shifted where she had laid her small head on the round indent of D's tummy. With a great yawn she rolled down to his lap and snuggled in. "Count D," T-Chan said his claws gentle as they moved the small child to lay comfortably in the grass. "I am sorry about... I mean... that you can't..." T-Chan grumbled then a growl escaped as his eyes filled and fat drops of remorse fell onto his furry cheeks.

"Shhh," Count D said after he swallowed his sugar. "I am too busy being thankful that this life has been saved," Count D placed a hand on his tummy. "To worry about a life that never was." Count D sighed as a young man with ram horns hugged him tight. "You all did what you could... If I had thought about it, I could have defended myself better. Shh," Count D said when T-Chan continued to weep. "If I had trained better, more... at all," D sighed thinking that his chi-gong abilities would have come in handy had he thought to use them. "Come now, Chris will be home from school soon. Let us make a snack." Count D got to his feet with a bright smile on his face hiding the tears he wanted to shed. The honlon was silent as Shuki (MAKE SURE THAT IS HER REAL NAME) shed tears for what might have been.

Break

"Shh," Ryo paused placing a hand on Dee's arm as they peeked into Lyo's room. At first they worried that he would still be sobbing, or playing alone. Ryo gasped and smiled to see the small boy sitting with three other children, including Nicklaus playing with puzzles. Miss Joy sat with them helping the younger children place the pieces. The rest of the class roamed around in the different play centers with her assistants. Ryo opened the door and stepped inside. "Lyo-Chan," he called softly.

"Da-Ryo! Da-Dee!" Lyo jumped to his feet running headlong to his parents. Ryo knelt and spread his arms wide catching the little body as he launched at him. "I teach Miss Joy to spell the alphabet, and my name, to count. You know," Lyo said with a thoughtful frown on his little brow. "She not know in Chinese or Japanese, just English."

"Just English, huh?" Dee said kissing Lyo's cheek.

"He is a very intelligent child." Miss Joy said coming to speak with Ryo and Dee. "It is a joy having him in my class. Who is, HoLo? He kept saying that he needed them. Well, sometimes he said her, other's he said them."

"That would be because they are triplets and he can not tell them apart. They are his babysitters sometimes," Dee answered for Ryo had paled and said nothing. "Ah, Ryo, we really need to be going, Rain has rehearsal." Dee said trying to hurry them out of the brightly colored class. Ryo accepted the paper that had a detailing of every time Lyo had gone to the potty, what he ate, when and how long he slept. Ryo smiled at Miss Joy conveyed his thanks and left with Lyo content in his arms.

"Triplets?" Ryo said once they were in the car and buckling Lyo's car seat.

"Well you explain that it is a three headed dragon."

Break

Rain was smiling as he walked the halls of the Arcadian Palace with Ryo heading to rehearsal. Bikky had soccer practice, so he would be seeing him later that night at Carol's house. Rain rounded the corner and paused at the piano music he could hear. Daphnus must be warming up. The song was soft building in passion. Rain halted his movement when he heard a clear voice singing. The voice was sublime, full of life, clear and ringing. Ryo paused and looked back as if to make sure that Rain was still beside him. There was a difference in the voice, it was distinguished from Rain in the pitch, but similar in it's pure beauty. Entering the room Rain and Ryo stood in the doorway listening to Daphnus and his son.

"...and then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on, and you cast your fears aside...and you know you can survive. So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong, and you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you." The last note was held perfectly and Rain gasped as the boy looked up at him smiling.

"Ah," High Prince Daphnus said when he saw them in the doorway. "Ryo, Rain, you remember my son right?" Rain nodded feeling his heart sink as the other boy beamed at his father. Daphnus grinned at his offspring. "Since you are here early, that gives me time to speak to you both. Ken...ah whatever, Ken," Daphnus gave up using a royal name with his son. "Why don't you and Rain go find some sweets, I think Andy is making peanut butter cookies, if you hurry you can bring me back a treat. Ryo a word?" Ryo watched as Rain left with the taller boy. Where Rain was caramel colored this boy was a pale as milk, like his father. Rain's hair was longer, and figure slimmer. Next to Young Prince Daphnus, Rain really did look like a girl.

"Why does he want us to hurry?" Ken asked matching his longer strides to Rain's.

"He's your father," Rain said feeling odd to speak to his replacement. "Don't you know?"

"Well, we only met a few weeks ago," Ken admitted with a sheepish grin.

"He likes cookie dough. He wants us to get him some before Andy ruins it in the oven." Rain said letting go of his resentment. He could not blame Daphnus for wanting his own son to sing with them as opposed to him. Ken laughed then followed Rain down the hallway.

Ryo sat across from Daphnus at the table and partook of the tea that the other man gave him. He sniffed the hearty flavor and sipped with a smile. "Delicious," he said wondering what the high prince wanted. Surely he did not need his permission to replace Rain. Maybe he wanted to ask Ryo to break it to him gently. Ryo sighed, Rain was a smart kid, he was sure that he had already figured it out.

"Glad you like it, one of Lord D's recipes," Daphnus said with a grin. "Naturally I took out some of the sugar."

"Naturally," Ryo laughed at ease with Daphnus relaxed pose.

"I am going to ask you for a personal favor." Daphnus said sitting up straighter in his chair. "Now I understand that you would have to talk this over with Dee, but I would like you to consider it. If you agree, do not agree because I am royalty, do it because I am a friend. With that in mind, if you refuse, refuse out of friendship."

"What it is?" Ryo asked starting to think that it was perhaps not what he thought it would be.

"Ken is not used to living in palaces, and he wants to go to school. He is a sophomore this year, after the test scores, they wanted to make him a senior, but I thought that he needed as much normalcy as possible. All those older kids... anyway. I live a dangerous life and I just thought... with your boys, you have experience and I suck at this dad business... What I mean is," Ryo stared at the beautiful man before him and he felt his own heart break at what he feared he would say. "Can he stay with you?"

Ryo took a deep gulp of air, then expelled it. He reached for his tea, then frowned and heated the small cup in his hand. His head swum with all that Daphnus had said to him. "I want to help you," Ryo said looking at the prince and seeing for the first time the strain on his brow. Daphnus pulled an inhaler from places unknown and breathed deep. "I know it can be daunting, the decision to be a father, but... I will discuss it with Dee, but I have to tell you, I think the answer will be no. Because we are friends, I can tell you that he does not need a father, he needs his father. What do you mean, you suck at being a dad? Everyone does until they get the hang of it. Now I will not begrudge him the chance to visit us, we have so many kids in and out of our house on a daily basis that I feel like I have at least eight teenage boys instead of just two and a few girls besides." Ryo laughed and shook his head. "You are welcome as well." He looked up and Daphnus felt tears as he stared into Ryo's deep eyes.

"I wasn't ready for this," Daphnus confessed.

"None of us ever are," Ryo informed him and reached over. He heated the high Prince's tea then sat back to sip his own as he heard Rain and Ken come running back with a bowl and Andy chasing after. "Rain," Ryo asked with horror as Andy approached looking fit to murder the two boys.

"He said he wanted dough," Rain said with a grin.

"I should have known it was your fault," Andy pointed at Daphnus. He smiled his most beautiful smile as he took the bowl from Ken and shoved a spoonful in his mouth. He then offered her the bowl.

"Yuf wanf if backf," He asked around his mouthful of peanut-buttery goodness.

"Ugh," Andy said walking away with a laugh. "Good thing we made two bowls. We have learned to expect some hair brained scheme from him." Andy explained to Rain and Ken. "I never thought you would have sunk so low as to use children."

"Yuf donf unferstanf," Daphnus said chewing. "Raif, I wanf to talk to you," Daphnus swallowed sipping his tea the last of his sentence came out perfectly. "I hope you don't mind working with Ken. I want you both to be a part of the team. He has a great voice to compliment your own. I look forward to great duets."

"You mean you want us both?" Rain asked smiling at Daphnus.

"Yeah, did you think I would take him in and boot you out?" Daphnus licked his spoon. "Yuf dif, difn't yuf? Yuf shuf yuf don'f wanf some. Thish ishf goodf."

"Eew," Rain said looking at Daphnus trying hard not to laugh. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full."

"There are many things my mother tried to teach me. I didn't listen to nary a one," Daphnus said with a smile. "I learned how to make babies, long before I learned how to speak English properly," Daphnus said with a sigh. Ken looked at his father and grinned. "Come on boys, we have rehearsal."

Break

The night wore on dark and cold a testimony to the many things that scurried about in the deep shadows. Randolph climbed the fence and gasped. When had they done this? There was now a much larger area. A pool? A play set for the youngest boy? A hot tub? A gazebo? Not to mention the many flowers and trees that went around the circumference of the yard. The place was a paradise. No matter, Randolph thought as he hunkered down and scooted on his belly to his familiar spot and stopped cold. A bench? They took his tree and put a bench in... Randolph stifled a howl of pain as he saw that he could not go up, could not look in. Curtains hung in the window, though they were left open they were there. Not that he could see in. "How could you?" Randolph asked as his shoulders slumped and he prepared to leave the backyard. Then he firmed his spine. They would pay for this.

To Be Continued

And now a word from your Author(s) I hope you all have enjoyed the many seasons that have gone into the wacky alternate universe where anything is possible. Lots of time and dedication goes into this effort and it is largely for you, the fans. So sit back and enjoy as another season kicks off with new characters, new adventures and as always, expect the best of lemon. Ta

Chi

et

The French One.