This is my first Pet Shop of Horrors fic. I hope yu'll like it. ;)

Disclaimer: The original story is not mine. I'm only using it to have some fun! XD

Warnings: The story is rated M for later chapters. I'll write warnings in each chapter. This one is safe. ;)


Chapter 1

Tea at the Police Station.

It was a day like all the others before, but with only one slight difference. Count D, the current owner of the pet shop in Chinatown, was walking through the busy crowd of the late afternoon towards the police station where a certain Detective worked. All of the officers knew him by now although D didn't visit the station very often, but when he did it was always spoken of for days after. He was only slightly aware of it, but never, ever imagined what gossip was circulating through the whole place. Whenever D visited detective Leon Orcot the gossip only grew stronger so that by now everyone thought that the exotic and eccentric pet shop owner and the detective were lovers that didn't want to be out in the open.

Today's weather was very nice. D thought about having a picnic in the park, but somehow it didn't feel right to go out by himself. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had gotten used to his detective's presence at the shop and in his life even when it was utterly annoying. After so much time spent together, going on a picnic to the park without Leon was just not acceptable. So it was not really odd for him to walk into the police department in an attempt to find out how much more time the detective would require to end his current case before they could go on a picnic. D knew that the detective was working on a very complicated and time consuming case. Not because Leon told him that, but his lack of visits to the pet shop was indication enough.

He greeted some of the officers he remembered from his previous visits and headed to the part of the building he knew Leon and his partner Jill were occupying. He was well aware of the glances he received, but chose to ignore them. There was no point in saying that it was very impolite to talk about someone behind their back, especially when the person was present. D knew that the hushed murmurs were firstly about him and secondly about Detective Orcot so he could put up with it [them?]. The more he could ruin Leon's reputation of being a womanizer the better, even if people would say that HE was the cause of Detective Orcot's lack of interest in women. D didn't care what others thought. He knew that there was nothing between him and Leon, unless one wanted to count that despite a whole lot of bickering and fighting, they were friends, as much as possible anyway. D hadn't been very happy about it at the start. It looked like detective Orcot thought that since he visited the pet shop so often and brought sweets that the two of them could become friends just like that. He had even brought his younger brother by to stay in the shop for the time being while he worked on a case.

D was as much annoyed by that as he was happy. It proved that despite all of the accusing, Leon didn't really believe that D did all those things the detective accused him of doing. He wouldn't let his precious younger brother stay at the shop if he thought that there was a possibility of Chris being in danger there. It was a very reassuring thought, and even when D didn't want to really acknowledge it, he actually was relieved by knowing that. This shouldn't really matter, not for him anyway, but apparently it did matter. Else he wouldn't be walking through the police station, watched by many curious eyes, looking for a certain detective.

"Hello, Miss Jill. How has your day been?" he asked politely as he came to a stop at her desk. Said woman looked at him, startled by his sudden appearance. She hadn't noticed him coming in, too absorbed by her work.

"Count D! Hello. I'm sorry; I was lost in thought and didn't see you approach. Please sit down. Would you like a cup of tea?" Jill scrambled from her place and made her way to the tea pot, knowing that D would most definitely want tea.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Jill. I would love something to drink. The weather is not too hot, but still too warm for my liking. I had thought it was cooler outside." D sat himself at her desk and looked around, noticing the mess on Detective Orcot's desk. He sighed. It was so like Leon to make a mess like that. D noticed one more thing about that desk. It looked like nobody had tried to clean it for a while now. D wasn't sure what to think about it.

"The weather is changing very fast lately. One day is filled with rain and heavy clouds, and the next one we have sun," mused Jill, making a cup of tea for the Count and coffee for herself.

"But today is just the perfect weather for a picnic. It must be really nice to sit on the grass in the shadows of a tree and watch the world."

"Well, I don't have much time to appreciate the weather or the world outside. We have so many things to do lately that I have been barely off duty. There are just too many cases to solve and we are short on staff," Jill sounded really tired. D wondered if Leon was as tired as his partner seemed to be. If so, then a short break to lay in the shadows, or the sun, as D thought the detective would prefer the sun, was really in order.

'So that's exactly as I thought. Leon is too busy with work to visit the shop,' thought D. Although that was a very reasonable excuse to be absent for so long, he just couldn't stop a frown from forming on his perfect forehead. Even when Leon was buried in work he came by, even if only for a few minutes, so D couldn't help but feel a bit irritated by the detective's current behavior. Was it really that hard to find a few minutes to visit D? Leon had made D take care of his brother for so long, was always accusing him of wrongdoings and now he just stopped coming to the shop because he had work? Wasn't watching D supposed to be Detective Orcot's main occupation? If he abandoned that task did it mean that Leon didn't care for D anymore? And why had that thought stung?

He was a Kami. He wasn't human and shouldn't be wasting his time on any humans. He could occupy himself with other things that were more important and worthy. Like animals. Although humans were inhabitants of the Earth as well, the way they acted made D disgusted with them. He knew not all of them were bad, egoistic and greedy, but those that weren't should be doing something to stop those who were. Just like Detective Leon Orcot. Although he wasn't considerate when it came to animals, D didn't see him hurting other beings on purpose no matter what it was. How you treated animals was a good indicator of what type of a person you were. His influence on Leon made D almost absolutely certain that if the detective saw an animal that needed help and he could help, he would. D thought that maybe some more time spent with the detective would change him even more, make him more nature friendly. Maybe one day Leon would be able to see D's pets' true forms. He could imagine what a face Leon would make, and he was so much looking forward to that day. However, if the detective isolated himself from D then D wouldn't be able to see that day ever come, so right now he pouted at Leon's inconsiderate behavior.

"So my dear detective is busy as well, I presume?" he asked. Something in his voice must have made Jill realize that he wasn't the happiest of people right now.

"Ahh, Count. He hasn't shown himself in your shop lately, right? You know nothing can stop Leon from coming to the shop. It's just-" Jill didn't know what to say. She had thought that Leon had found a few minutes to visit D, but apparently he hadn't. Now she knew the cause of D's visit. He missed Leon.

"Yes, I know, work." D wasn't a person to interrupt while somebody spoke, but the gentle, understanding and comforting tone of her voice didn't make him feel any better. It had the opposite effect on him. D felt that since she was trying to cheer him up there was a reason for it. He knew it wasn't logical, but his thoughts regarding Detective Orcot never were. He should slowly get used to it. D sipped the tea his host had given him, wondering how Leon could awaken such strong and mostly conflicting feelings in him. That was a mystery to him, something odd since he thought he knew both himself and humans pretty well. It really looked like he knew neither himself nor the humans well enough, since one human could throw him so much out of balance, as Leon Orcot did.

"Yeah, work," Jill sighed. "I'm sure Leon will come to the shop soon. It's not like we will be so busy for the rest of his life."

"I know, Miss Jill. It's all right. I just needed to distance myself from the shop for a moment and thought I would come by. Too bad our dear detective isn't here." D felt embarrassed. What had he even thought? Coming here after the human detective was just… he couldn't even articulate how stupid it was. Why did seeing Leon even matter? It shouldn't matter at all. He should go to the park and have a picnic by himself, but somehow the thought of sitting alone didn't appeal to him. He knew he would be annoyed with the detective if they went out together, but it looked like he would feel even worse if he didn't go out with the detective. D wanted his life to be as simple as it had been before he met Detective Leon Orcot. He had enjoyed himself immensely those years ago, but if he needed to tell the truth, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying himself even more now when he had the detective in his life. D was so confused and lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Jill replying nor did he hear the Chief of the station coming into the room.

"Count D! I haven't seen you around for a while now. To what do we owe this visit?" The Chief's clear voice startled D. He looked around and saw the man standing in the doorway, watching him with curiosity and something he couldn't quite recognize.

"I wanted to take a walk and thought that since detective Orcot hadn't visited the shop recently that I would give him a visit for a change," D smiled his sweet smile. During the years he had spent among humans, he had learned to fake his smile really well. Nobody could tell that most of his smiles were false. He could smile with joy when Leon was around. To be specific, he teased the detective and the smiles that he gave the human when Leon got all worked up were his real smiles. He liked to tease the man, and to not have been able to do so for so long made him feel miserable. D shouldn't be feeling this way, but after being able to really smile from his heart, not being able to do so anymore was sad. He noticed that he could smile this way only when Leon was around. That knowledge was annoying and sometimes D was nasty toward the detective because of this, but he couldn't afford for the other to know what influence Leon had on him.

"So he didn't have time even for you?" The Chief shook his head. D didn't like the implication behind those words. It looked like the Chief thought that D was Leon's top priority, the one above everyone and everything else. He wasn't sure if he liked others thinking that way. He wasn't sure if he liked it. 'What if that isn't true…?' D shook his head when he realized what he was thinking. The Chief, however, thought that that was an answer to his question and made an annoyed face. D was oblivious to it, he didn't like the way his thoughts were drifting recently. He caught himself thinking more and more about the detective. It wasn't a problem, but if it continued or increased, it would start to be a problem. Suddenly Jill's voice brought D out of his thoughts.

"You were the one who gave him so much work that he doesn't have time to visit our dear Count, Chief. Now don't get mad at him for it," she said in an accusing tone. D felt as if he had missed a part of the conversation and wondered what they were talking about. The Chief shrugged his shoulders as if to dismiss Jill's words.

"It won't be long 'till he'll have more free time. Those two must bear with it a bit longer."

D didn't like when people talked about him in his presence and acted as if he wasn't even there. He coughed and got the attention he wanted.

"Excuse me, but I think I should be going now." 'Leon isn't here so I don't have anything to do here anyway.' He stood up. "Thank you, Miss Jill for the tea. I hope you'll visit the shop sometime soon."

Before Jill could respond the Chief spoke, "Count, can I have a few minutes to talk privately with you?"

"Yes, of course," D said politely, not letting them know how curious he was. Curiosity was the second of his greatest vices. The first was his sweet tooth, combined with the fact that he was easily bribed with sweets, and the second was curiosity. Now his vice was getting the better of him and even when his instinct told him to just walk away, he wanted to know what Leon's Chief wanted from him.

"Good. Then let's go to my office." D followed the Chief to the man's office and sat himself in the offered chair in front of a desk. He watched the other circle the desk and sit in a much more comfortable chair. D didn't say anything; he waited for the other to enlighten him as to why he was there in the first place. The man before him seemed a bit nervous and looked like he didn't know how to begin. D thought that maybe he should help the poor human, but decided against it. If Leon's Chief wanted to talk with him then D would simply wait for the other to begin.

"Recently there were some suspicious occurrences in the 'La Volupté'. Unfortunately, we can't even grasp what is happening there. All we know is that the customers of that club are vanishing. Of the total amount of people that are being reported missing those few from 'La Volupté' don't seem to be much, but are enough to evoke questions," the Chief paused and D nodded for him to continue. He was very curious why the human told him all that. "We are currently preparing to investigate the club."

"And why are you telling me this?" D asked after a moment of silence.

"I was hoping that you could help us infiltrate the club." At D's raised eyebrow the Chief continued, "To get inside you must be a member of the club and they don't let just anybody join the club."

"You think they would let me join and I could look around there, and since there is nothing suspicious on the outside, maybe I will be lucky and find something from the inside, yes?" D wanted to make sure he understood the man right.

"That's exactly it, Count. I was hoping you would help us with the case," the man said happily.

"Why do you think they would let me join?"

"From what I know, you have all the required characteristics needed for joining 'La Volupté'," the chief simply said.

"And that would be…?" D asked. He was very curious what the Chief was hiding from him.

"All of the members are in some way unique; they stand out in the crowd. All of them are intelligent and well mannered. Most of them are eccentric and doing things that an average person wouldn't normally do," he sent D an apologetic look and continued, "I would think you'd fit in there nicely. Besides, as far as I know all of the members are, err…" The Chief had a problem speaking so D encouraged him with a smile. He was really interested in what made this man so uncomfortable.

"Yes? The members are… what?" he asked very politely. He had used a tone of voice he always used to make Chris speak when the child was too shy or uncomfortable, and then thought that that was a mistake. D was speaking with a fully grown up man, not with a child. The man before him could get mad at him for it, but it was too late to take back his words.

"Their… sexuality isn't… normal either." Noticing D's raised eyebrows and somewhat shocked look, he continued, "The members are homosexual; they are either gay or lesbian. I'm sorry, Count D. If I had somebody else to ask this favor from I would, really, but none of my men could ever go into 'La Volupté'," he ended with an apologetic look. D sat there and tried to gather his thoughts and understand what the man had said.

"Are you… implying that I'm… gay?" D couldn't believe it. How was it possible that this man thought something like that about him? He wasn't gay. Being gay would mean being attracted to men, and D wasn't attracted to men. Yes, he spent a lot more time thinking about the detective than he should, but Leon was an exception. There was Wong some time ago, but D treated him more like an animal than a partner so he didn't count, and Detective Orcot counted even less. He was D's friend, not lover or beloved or anything else, so why was this man in front of him implying that D was gay?

"I'm sorry Count. I know it's none of my business with whom you sleep with, but I really would appreciate your help with this case."

"How come you think I'm homosexual?" D was really stunned.

"That's quite obvious. The way you and Orcot behave, how you treat each other, makes it perfectly clear that you're… more than friends." The Chief looked really uncomfortable. It was clear that he didn't want to speak about that matter. D understood him perfectly, but he was a curious creature by nature and how people came to their conclusions always interested him, especially if those conclusions were about him.

"I don't really understand what gave you that impression, but I can assure you that the nature of my relationship with detective Orcot is purely platonic. We are merely friends," D stated.

"That's not really the issue here. What's important is that people think that you and Orcot are together so you won't have any problems with becoming a member of 'La Volupté'. You will fit in just perfectly there," said the Chief with more confidence now. Apparently he saw that D wasn't mad at him.

D didn't know if he should feel offended or not. It looked like Leon's Chief didn't really care which way he swung. It was useful for the human and only that mattered, or so it seemed to D.

"So you want me to investigate the club, yes?" D asked and the Chief nodded. "But I am not a police officer."

"If something odd is going on there and you by any chance stumbled upon it, your statement as a member of the club would be sufficient to fully investigate the place," the Chief clarified.

"And if I don't find anything?" D started to like the idea. He wasn't so happy that people thought that he was gay, but the club looked like fun. If the people there were only half of what the Chief described them to be, they should guarantee entertainment for him. If Leon was still so busy, D would not sit and wait for him to make time for poor D, but seek his own entertainment elsewhere.

"People are disappearing, Count. There should be something, and even if they hid it well it's always worth trying, don't you think?" The Chief wanted to convince D very badly. D had fun observing the human. 'It was worth coming here after all, even if just to see this man so worked up.'

"Yes, but…" he sighed. 'I'll have a bit fun. What could it possibly harm to help?' "All right, I'll help you infiltrate 'La Volupté'."

"Thank you, Count. I really appreciate it. I'll be in your debt," the Chief said, shaking D's hand vigorously.

"Then you can start with giving detective Orcot a sunny day off soon. I would be truly happy if I could have a nice little picnic in the park." With that said, D went to the door, leaving a stunned officer behind.

"Good bye, officer."

"Yeah, have a nice day Count D," said the man a second after D closed the door behind himself.


Note: Here you have the first chapter. Leon is absent in this chapter, but it is full of D! ;) I hope you enjoyed reading my fic. Please, tell me what you think.