Me: Second installment of 'Serendipity!'

Leon: Takes place shortly after Count D leaves.

Edo: She doesn't own anything, but she would ask that people check out her profile poll, there should always be one there…

Warning: Highly suggestive content at the end, proshipping fluff.


Detective Leon Orcot was flipping channels in a lackluster fashion in his room. His flight to Berlin Germany was next month. And he should go to work until then, if only to keep his job. Yet, nothing really seemed to matter much since his count left.

Yes, HIS count. He remembered when it had started…Well, officially, they had later realized something had been going on before the young duelist, Edo Phoenix, had turned up in the shop one night.

Yet it was thanks to Edo that they had made it official. He had said something that triggered Count to ask Leon to stay the night.

Edo…He had been in the news a while ago, issuing a challenge to a student, then announcing his upcoming stay at Duel Academy. His disappearance. A great deal of gossip about him and Ryou Marafuji, that may or may not be true. Of course, his reappearance was in there somewhere.

The boy had been sixteen that night in the shop.

He was twenty now. Six years younger than Leon, one year younger than Marafuji, and possibly several thousand younger than Count.

There it was again. Count. Count. Count.

All he could think of.

'He LEFT!'

He was supposed to forget the man after that.

But could he? Noooooo. The count needed to hang onto every little memory Leon held. That was usually a good thing when one was in love. Of course, having the recipient of that love push you from a ship several miles from earths surface…It was usually something that caused at least a break-up. If not a broken-neck.

'Maybe a walk would help?'


The Marafuji Pro-circuit was doing wonderfully. Edo had gladly signed on to help Ryou. That's why he was here in Los Angeles again. His next duel was against….Some…Guy. He really didn't care, nor remember the man…woman…persons name.

All he really knew right now was that Ryou had rolled his eyes as he handed Edo the file for his next duel. File meaning the place, time, country, name and dueling history of the person he was to face, all in a pretty manila folder. You got them in all of the Pro-Leagues.

He had to say though. The Marafuji brothers had done a wonderful job cleaning up the circuit. Little, if any corruption, decent pay, usually decent opponents. They actually arranged circuit dues, pitting Kaiba against Ryou. Never little Shou though. His talents lie in gaming. And he did a good job with it. Even their opponent, Kaiba, liked the idea, he had grown fond of the brothers, and Edo, their current star, by default.

Edo wasn't the only good duelist in the league. But he spent more time with the elder Marafuji brother than the others, which led him to be in the media more often.

Marafuji and Phoenix seen together at Watari's Coffee Shoppe.

Phoenix joins elder Marafuji for dinner in Marafuji's three story manor.

Marafuji and Phoenix. A couple?

Phoenix grinned, the past two years the media had been claiming he and Ryou were together. For the last two years Ryou and Edo had been driving the paparazzi insane. Whenever they asked, the two gave them a quizzical look and said 'Fishing?' As in, fishing for stories. They never accepted or rejected the notion in public, or replied in the affirmative or negative. In short, they played coy, and kept the world guessing.

Edo stopped his musings and realized he had reentered Chinatown. He still loved it here. He wondered if the count and his detective were still here. He could check that out later. For now, he wanted to relieve some stress, a nice walk would be heavenly.

He did much of what he did the first time he was here, walked, got a vegetarian lunch and slammed a glass of lukewarm milk to wash it down. The milk he could have lived without. Hey he was allowed disgusting milk, granted he didn't partake often, it was gross cold, but he was vegetarian. Not vegan.

He saw a woman with a young girl that appeared around nineteen walking with what appeared to be her mother and her mothers two friends. The young Chinese girl stopped to stare at him for a moment, and her mother turned to see who had caught her attention.

The mothers eyes widened and she grabbed her daughter and bee lined for the Phoenix.

"Why look who finally stopped by again!" She exclaimed "Sure you don't want my daughter?"

The girl flushed heavily "This is the man you told me you were marrying me off too?"

The Phoenix jerked in a spastic way

The woman laughed "Don't worry dear! I'm kidding. Really though, want her?"

A short conversation later and Edo was laughing once more as he parted ways from the woman yet again.

Of course, much like last time the moment he started back to the city, it began raining. And when he reached the center of town, hail began falling. This time he simply ran to the nearest awning, taking no time for reflection.

When he was at last in a safe place he realized someone else had appeared next to him. He would have apologized to the person, had they not just been noticing him as well.


Edo Phoenix…

"So, come here often?" Leon inquired

The young mans wide blue eyes widened for a moment before glancing over his broken body.

"Detective…What happened?"

Leon smiled ruefully he knew he was made predominately made of assorted casts and bandages at this point.

"Sorry, Phoenix, ya wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

The Phoenix smiled wryly "Try me."

And Leon did. They talked outside of the abandoned shop until the rain stopped falling. Leon told him about he and the counts relationship, how he felt when he left, what he was. Honlon. His life now….

And Phoenix listened. He understood the feelings and most importantly, he believed him.

Phoenix in turn told the detective about Ryou, his happiness that the man was getting to the top. He told Leon about what had truly happened in Ryou's dark spot. About Edo's own anguished childhood, about Saiou and his treachery, even after the light had left him, Edo's own psychic powers. The way he was terrified when things froze over in his presence. The knowledge of immortality, and how to recreate it. Things that had been on his chest for so long, him only being able to tell Ryou.

The detective nodded and smiled, and he asked occasional questions. When the words stopped, so did the rain and hail.

"It's amazing." Edo said "I come here for peace and every time I make a new friend."

Leon laughed "Serendipity my friend! I went to Chinatown to make an arrest on a strange man named Count D for drug possession, slave trafficking, and illegal animals."

"What did you find instead?" Edo asked slyly

"The love of my life." Leon said softly "I think he altered my personality a bit, I'm not very loud or confident anymore."

Edo laughed "That's depression, dear. I'll tell you what, if I ever see D in my travels, I'll point him in your direction. I probably won't tell you, 'cause then you'd be sad if he never showed, but I'll tell him where he's needed."

Leon widened his eyes "Thanks.." It was more than he expected

"But If you choose, in a few months you could just come stay with me. The economies better, there are plenty of jobs, and I'd be more than happy to help you find him. No need to worry about cost."

"Thanks, I'll consider it. But I really don't know you that well."

Edo pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and snatched Leon's arm. Quickly, he scribbled down a number.

"What's yours?"

And he wrote that number on his own arm.

"Now we have a few months"

Leon pulled the younger man into a one armed hug with his good arm. "See ya kid. A few months it is. But I pay for shipping my stuff and my plane ticket."

Edo narrowed his eyes playfully "Deal." And he went back to his hotel.


Edo programmed the number in his cell, and began washing the number from his arm when he heard the door open.

"Should I be worried about whose number that is?" Ryou questioned

"Maybe, he is hopefully moving in with me in a few months."

Ryou narrowed his eyes "Who?"

"Detective Leon Orcot. He's looking for Count. I told you about them, remember?"

"Right sorry. Jealousy and all that."

"I can't fathom why. It's not like I want anyone else, or like I deserve you. I'm damaged, mentally, and I was pretty close to being damaged physically in my childhood. I am damaged physically now. I can't run or jump, or anything that requires me to go quickly with my legs, after the dark world. And I really screwed up your life." He said softly, placing one hand over Ryou's damaged heart

Ryou used his own hand to cover Edo's on his chest. "I'm damaged too. And you never meant to harm anyone. Think of it in store terms."

"Store terms?"

"You technically broke my heart, right?"

"Right." Edo said with downcast eyes

"You break it, you buy it, no return policy."

Edo grinned. "That was delightfully cheesy."

"Sorry."

"I liked it."

"I'm kinda sorry about that too. What poor guy likes that much cheesy?"

They both chuckled

"Ryou?"

"Mmm?"

"I don't want to pretend like we're not together anymore."

"Why?"

"If it hurts you or anything to do with the circuit, I won't say a word. Or even if you don't want to stop hiding. I just…Wanted to say I was done hiding. I won't say a thing, I'm just, the lying and-"

Soft lips covered his own for a long moment.

"Been waiting to hear that, what changed your mind?"

"Talking with Leon today.."

"Mmmm?" Ryou seemed to be done using words as his mouth attacked Edo's neck and throat. Both the bluenettes hands were sliding around Edo's back.

"And I realized, you don't have any idea how long you have with anybody." He gasped as his now bare back made contact with the sheets, the elders weight resting slightly on him.

Ryou delivered a soft lick to Edo's throat before looking into his eyes and showing the Phoenix the two little scars on his own throat.

"Immortality, honey. We have forever."


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