LOVE BLOSSOMS
BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY MATSURI AKINO FOR THE MANGA SERIES, PET SHOP OF HORRORS.
CONTAINS SPOILERS ~ GUESS WHICH ONES
THE VISIT
On a beautiful, warm evening:
One of the little things he always noticed, but never really thought about, was how this pet shop never smelled like a pet shop. In the past, whenever he had been in a pet shop, usually in a mall, they always had a very "animal" smell. You could smell the musky odor of the animals, the odor of their food, the odor of cages, especially if they hadn't been cleaned that day, as well, as the odor of the people crowded within the shop. But this little shop in Chinatown never had those odors. In fact, this pet shop always smelled of incense. The scent of the incense was always subtle and calming. The scent was perfectly suited to the owner. Both, mysterious and irresistible, once encountered, you could never forget them.
Before he walked through the main entrance, he checked to make sure that he had his customary gift. The gift was always something very sweet and edible. This time he bought with him, a dozen custard pastries from a local and very expensive bakery.
Damn, when did this become a habit? I only did this, in the beginning, to get the man to talk. Now I do this because.well,.I want too. Damn, damn, damn, he thought to himself. When did I start to look forward to his, almost, daily visits here? When did I start to care about what he thought and did each day?
He nervously ran a hand through his hair, causing more strands to come loose from the band holding it back. Ah well, a fashion plate, I'm not. He swung the front door open and walked down the steps to the shop it's self. There wasn't any customer currently looking around or making a purchase, but the owner was at a small and intricately carved desk, looking through some paperwork. The main room and he suspected the rest of the shop, as well, as the owner's living quarters, we very opulent. This room was in rich, deep red and gold colors. Very elegant and obviously expensive; I would have thought it would make it look like a whorehouse, right out of the old west. But the walls and trimming were carved with a floral and mythical animal designs. On top of all of that, there were green plants everywhere in the room.
"May I help you?" the shop owner asked in his soft, slightly accented and educated voice, prior to turning around and after he did turn, "Oh, it is you detective."
Damn it, I know, he knows, that it was me, and not, a customer. A very disgruntled detective thought. But it had become a habit between them. Kind of like a habit between a couple.whoa, let's not go there. No way, not goin' there Leon, so stop thinkin' about it.
"Hey, D, what's up?"
" Nothing is up here, detective. Can I help you with another investigating? Or have you come to accuse me of some nefarious deeds, again? I can assure you none of my pets or I have been involved in anything; at least not lately and not to my knowledge."
"Yeah, well, I'm not investigating anything today. But as soon as some weird shit death comes up, I'll make sure a visit here is at the top of my list of things to do." While saying this he handed D the pastries he had brought with him.
The Count's eyes, the right, a beautiful shade of deep lavender and the left a sparkling gold, lit up with happiness at seeing the box. He clasped his long fingered and delicate hands, with equally long and well manicured nails, painted a dark purple, in front of him.
"Ah, I see it is tea time, detective, let me prepare some nice white tea, I have just had imported from China. It is flavored with orange blossoms. It will only take me a few minutes to prepare. Please have a seat." He placed the box on the low, dark table situated between several chairs and a couch.
"It's always tea time with you, even in the middle of the night." Leon grumble, to himself.
The Count walked over to his tea tray and began to prepare his new, imported tea. While the Count had his back to him, Leon Orcot thought about the Count's appearance as he sat in one of the chairs.
The Count is a slim man, perhaps five ten or five eleven. Although he was obviously Chinese in appearance, his skin tone was creamy and pale with just a hint of yellow. His dual color eyes were tilted at the corners, with thick, long lashes and above them were beautifully arched eyebrows. His nose was straight and long and his lips were almost a deep mauve color. Leon always thought that he wore lipstick, but now, he believed it was the natural color. His hair was chin length, black, thick and straight, that seemed to reflect the colors of the cheongsam he wore that day.
Today it reflected shades of purple, gold and green. The silk cheongsam was full length and a deep purple. There were flowers and vines embroidered all over the outfit in a gold metallic thread. The rolled, wide cuffs of the long sleeves, the hem of the cheongsam and the edges of the mandarin collar, were trimmed in the same type of gold material as the thread. The frogs used to keep it closed, in the front, were braided, in a mixed metallic purple and green. A rich green silk sash was wrapped and tied around his waist, the slits up the side of the cheongsam, revealed he wore traditional, slightly loose pants beneath it. On his feet he wore the, also traditional, Chinese slippers.
Hell, why am I thinking about him like this? For God's sake he's a man! I'm thinking about him like he's a woman. Ok, maybe he could be mistaken for one, but he's not. So snap out of it Leon. This is not healthy or sane. Damn, damn, damn.
Without realizing it, he was furiously tapping his foot in frustration on the floor. He must have also had a look upon his face, because, when the Count turned towards him with the tray of tea, he paused, a little startle at the black look upon his face.
"Detective, are you all right?" he asked, as he place the tray on the table, took a seat on the chair opposite of his and began to pour tea into small porcelain cups. He only put a single teaspoon on sugar into Leon's cup, before handing it to him.
"I'm fine, but thanks for asking." Leon forced himself to reply in his, hopefully, normal sounding voice. He reached out and accepted the cup of tea from the Count. At the moment he touched the teacup saucer, his fingers brushed against the Count's fingers. Without thinking, he immediately jerked his hand away, causing half the tea to spill. If not for the quickness of the Count, the cup and saucer would have fallen and shattered on the table.
"Detective, are you absolutely sure you are all right? You do not seem yourself today." The count asked as he used a linen napkin to soak up the spilled tea.
"I told ya D, I'm fine. So stop pestering me!"
"Of course. And I will try to stop pestering you, as you say detective." the Count responded, rather miffed.
As the Count refilled the cup, Leon looked around a suddenly realized something was missing.
"Hey, where's your weird little pet, Q-chan?"
"He is sleeping right now. A customer, earlier today, had some cookies with her and allowed him to eat as much as he wanted. Unfortunately, he ate too much and is now recovering from a stomachache. It is nothing serious and he will be back to his normal self by tomorrow." He answered between sips of his tea.
Leon sat there watching D sip his tea. Watching his every movement while he did. It was fascinating to watch; He was fascinating to watch.
Shit, shit, shit.as this was repeated, over and over again, in his head, the Count must have been speaking to him while he completely zoned out, because when he finally focused, D was kneeling in front of him and waving a hand in front of his face. His other hand gently rested upon Leon's left knee.
"Detective, I know you are fine, but would you like one of the pastries you brought with you?"
It took a second to focus on reality again and as soon as he did, he focused on the hand upon his knee.
Shit, shit, shit.oh, no, I'm not zoning again, he thought, I've got to get the hell out of here, NOW!
Leon stood up quickly, almost causing the count to loose his balance and fall against the table. Bracing himself, D looked up at him with a look of concern and hurt in his eyes.
"Detective.?" he questioned.
"Sorry, D, I've got to go. Enjoy the sweets and maybe save one for Q-chan, for when he feels better."
As he quickly walked up the steps and out the store entrance, without looking back, he could hear a soft questioning voice, again say.
"Detective?.Leon?."
He didn't stop to think about it, but immediately got into his car and drove to the nearest bar, outside of Chinatown, to get rip, roaring drunk. He wanted to try and forget the thoughts and feeling he was experiencing, whenever, he was around the Count.
Deep within the pet shop, in his own private quarters a young, Chinese kami was curled up upon his bed. Tears fell silently from his beautiful eyes and in the main entrance room, the tea and pastries lay untouched and forgotten.
The animals, within the shop, sensing their caretaker's sadness, were quiet. The plants, also sensing the sadness within the shop, seemed to have curled their leaves within themselves.
Q-chan, sensing D's sadness, flew down from the corner he slept in, to comfort him. As he gently chirped to him, D sat up and picked him up and held him close.
"Q-chan, what should I do? Why have I allowed myself to feel for him, when I have not allowed another to touch my heart?" he whispered, tears still falling. "Why, with him, whom I know, would not allow himself to feel for me, even if he did?"
Q-chan only chirped in response.
"What should I do? Even if nothing ever happens between us, I feel happier when he is simply near me. I know he does feel something, but even I can not force a him to love me, if he does not want too."
D lay down and tried to will himself to sleep, while Q-chan lay upon his chest, wide awake with concern. After what seemed like eternity, D's eyes began to close, but before he allowed himself to sleep, he whispered.
"Now I know why we should not let ourselves love humans. Oh, grandfather, what should I do?"
But as D finally fell asleep, Q-chan could give him no answer. He only hoped that for his grandson's sake, somehow, some way everything would work out.
This is why we should not feel for humans, my grandson. They will always break our hearts.
Q-chan fell asleep on top of D's chest, wishing his grandson's broken heart could be as easily healed, as his stomachache.
BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY MATSURI AKINO FOR THE MANGA SERIES, PET SHOP OF HORRORS.
CONTAINS SPOILERS ~ GUESS WHICH ONES
THE VISIT
On a beautiful, warm evening:
One of the little things he always noticed, but never really thought about, was how this pet shop never smelled like a pet shop. In the past, whenever he had been in a pet shop, usually in a mall, they always had a very "animal" smell. You could smell the musky odor of the animals, the odor of their food, the odor of cages, especially if they hadn't been cleaned that day, as well, as the odor of the people crowded within the shop. But this little shop in Chinatown never had those odors. In fact, this pet shop always smelled of incense. The scent of the incense was always subtle and calming. The scent was perfectly suited to the owner. Both, mysterious and irresistible, once encountered, you could never forget them.
Before he walked through the main entrance, he checked to make sure that he had his customary gift. The gift was always something very sweet and edible. This time he bought with him, a dozen custard pastries from a local and very expensive bakery.
Damn, when did this become a habit? I only did this, in the beginning, to get the man to talk. Now I do this because.well,.I want too. Damn, damn, damn, he thought to himself. When did I start to look forward to his, almost, daily visits here? When did I start to care about what he thought and did each day?
He nervously ran a hand through his hair, causing more strands to come loose from the band holding it back. Ah well, a fashion plate, I'm not. He swung the front door open and walked down the steps to the shop it's self. There wasn't any customer currently looking around or making a purchase, but the owner was at a small and intricately carved desk, looking through some paperwork. The main room and he suspected the rest of the shop, as well, as the owner's living quarters, we very opulent. This room was in rich, deep red and gold colors. Very elegant and obviously expensive; I would have thought it would make it look like a whorehouse, right out of the old west. But the walls and trimming were carved with a floral and mythical animal designs. On top of all of that, there were green plants everywhere in the room.
"May I help you?" the shop owner asked in his soft, slightly accented and educated voice, prior to turning around and after he did turn, "Oh, it is you detective."
Damn it, I know, he knows, that it was me, and not, a customer. A very disgruntled detective thought. But it had become a habit between them. Kind of like a habit between a couple.whoa, let's not go there. No way, not goin' there Leon, so stop thinkin' about it.
"Hey, D, what's up?"
" Nothing is up here, detective. Can I help you with another investigating? Or have you come to accuse me of some nefarious deeds, again? I can assure you none of my pets or I have been involved in anything; at least not lately and not to my knowledge."
"Yeah, well, I'm not investigating anything today. But as soon as some weird shit death comes up, I'll make sure a visit here is at the top of my list of things to do." While saying this he handed D the pastries he had brought with him.
The Count's eyes, the right, a beautiful shade of deep lavender and the left a sparkling gold, lit up with happiness at seeing the box. He clasped his long fingered and delicate hands, with equally long and well manicured nails, painted a dark purple, in front of him.
"Ah, I see it is tea time, detective, let me prepare some nice white tea, I have just had imported from China. It is flavored with orange blossoms. It will only take me a few minutes to prepare. Please have a seat." He placed the box on the low, dark table situated between several chairs and a couch.
"It's always tea time with you, even in the middle of the night." Leon grumble, to himself.
The Count walked over to his tea tray and began to prepare his new, imported tea. While the Count had his back to him, Leon Orcot thought about the Count's appearance as he sat in one of the chairs.
The Count is a slim man, perhaps five ten or five eleven. Although he was obviously Chinese in appearance, his skin tone was creamy and pale with just a hint of yellow. His dual color eyes were tilted at the corners, with thick, long lashes and above them were beautifully arched eyebrows. His nose was straight and long and his lips were almost a deep mauve color. Leon always thought that he wore lipstick, but now, he believed it was the natural color. His hair was chin length, black, thick and straight, that seemed to reflect the colors of the cheongsam he wore that day.
Today it reflected shades of purple, gold and green. The silk cheongsam was full length and a deep purple. There were flowers and vines embroidered all over the outfit in a gold metallic thread. The rolled, wide cuffs of the long sleeves, the hem of the cheongsam and the edges of the mandarin collar, were trimmed in the same type of gold material as the thread. The frogs used to keep it closed, in the front, were braided, in a mixed metallic purple and green. A rich green silk sash was wrapped and tied around his waist, the slits up the side of the cheongsam, revealed he wore traditional, slightly loose pants beneath it. On his feet he wore the, also traditional, Chinese slippers.
Hell, why am I thinking about him like this? For God's sake he's a man! I'm thinking about him like he's a woman. Ok, maybe he could be mistaken for one, but he's not. So snap out of it Leon. This is not healthy or sane. Damn, damn, damn.
Without realizing it, he was furiously tapping his foot in frustration on the floor. He must have also had a look upon his face, because, when the Count turned towards him with the tray of tea, he paused, a little startle at the black look upon his face.
"Detective, are you all right?" he asked, as he place the tray on the table, took a seat on the chair opposite of his and began to pour tea into small porcelain cups. He only put a single teaspoon on sugar into Leon's cup, before handing it to him.
"I'm fine, but thanks for asking." Leon forced himself to reply in his, hopefully, normal sounding voice. He reached out and accepted the cup of tea from the Count. At the moment he touched the teacup saucer, his fingers brushed against the Count's fingers. Without thinking, he immediately jerked his hand away, causing half the tea to spill. If not for the quickness of the Count, the cup and saucer would have fallen and shattered on the table.
"Detective, are you absolutely sure you are all right? You do not seem yourself today." The count asked as he used a linen napkin to soak up the spilled tea.
"I told ya D, I'm fine. So stop pestering me!"
"Of course. And I will try to stop pestering you, as you say detective." the Count responded, rather miffed.
As the Count refilled the cup, Leon looked around a suddenly realized something was missing.
"Hey, where's your weird little pet, Q-chan?"
"He is sleeping right now. A customer, earlier today, had some cookies with her and allowed him to eat as much as he wanted. Unfortunately, he ate too much and is now recovering from a stomachache. It is nothing serious and he will be back to his normal self by tomorrow." He answered between sips of his tea.
Leon sat there watching D sip his tea. Watching his every movement while he did. It was fascinating to watch; He was fascinating to watch.
Shit, shit, shit.as this was repeated, over and over again, in his head, the Count must have been speaking to him while he completely zoned out, because when he finally focused, D was kneeling in front of him and waving a hand in front of his face. His other hand gently rested upon Leon's left knee.
"Detective, I know you are fine, but would you like one of the pastries you brought with you?"
It took a second to focus on reality again and as soon as he did, he focused on the hand upon his knee.
Shit, shit, shit.oh, no, I'm not zoning again, he thought, I've got to get the hell out of here, NOW!
Leon stood up quickly, almost causing the count to loose his balance and fall against the table. Bracing himself, D looked up at him with a look of concern and hurt in his eyes.
"Detective.?" he questioned.
"Sorry, D, I've got to go. Enjoy the sweets and maybe save one for Q-chan, for when he feels better."
As he quickly walked up the steps and out the store entrance, without looking back, he could hear a soft questioning voice, again say.
"Detective?.Leon?."
He didn't stop to think about it, but immediately got into his car and drove to the nearest bar, outside of Chinatown, to get rip, roaring drunk. He wanted to try and forget the thoughts and feeling he was experiencing, whenever, he was around the Count.
Deep within the pet shop, in his own private quarters a young, Chinese kami was curled up upon his bed. Tears fell silently from his beautiful eyes and in the main entrance room, the tea and pastries lay untouched and forgotten.
The animals, within the shop, sensing their caretaker's sadness, were quiet. The plants, also sensing the sadness within the shop, seemed to have curled their leaves within themselves.
Q-chan, sensing D's sadness, flew down from the corner he slept in, to comfort him. As he gently chirped to him, D sat up and picked him up and held him close.
"Q-chan, what should I do? Why have I allowed myself to feel for him, when I have not allowed another to touch my heart?" he whispered, tears still falling. "Why, with him, whom I know, would not allow himself to feel for me, even if he did?"
Q-chan only chirped in response.
"What should I do? Even if nothing ever happens between us, I feel happier when he is simply near me. I know he does feel something, but even I can not force a him to love me, if he does not want too."
D lay down and tried to will himself to sleep, while Q-chan lay upon his chest, wide awake with concern. After what seemed like eternity, D's eyes began to close, but before he allowed himself to sleep, he whispered.
"Now I know why we should not let ourselves love humans. Oh, grandfather, what should I do?"
But as D finally fell asleep, Q-chan could give him no answer. He only hoped that for his grandson's sake, somehow, some way everything would work out.
This is why we should not feel for humans, my grandson. They will always break our hearts.
Q-chan fell asleep on top of D's chest, wishing his grandson's broken heart could be as easily healed, as his stomachache.