Title: Dagger

Rating: PG-13

"Hello, may I help you?" D opened the door of his shop. A man in a ski mask put a cloth over D's mouth. D quickly fell limp in the stranger's arms, and he was whisked away into an idling car. While T-chan ran after the getaway car, Pon-chan was frantically looking for something akin to a phone book. She didn't find one. Finally, she gave up and ran as fast as her little European badger legs could carry her to the police station where Leon worked. She knocked open the doors and weaved in and out of peoples' legs to get to Leon's desk. She found him taking a nap at his desk, apparently "hard at work." She started pulling his hair and yelling to wake him up.

"Wake up! Leoon!" She leaned back while pulling on Leon's ponytail. He woke up, and she toppled off his shoulders.

"Somebody kidnapped Count D!" Pon-chan squealed frantically, tugging on Leon's hand.

"Somebody kidnapped the count?" Leon held Pon-chan up at eye level to him.

"Just came in, and took the count with him!" She cried. Leon set her down and pulled on his jacket.

"Lead the way, Pon-chan." She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the station.

D awoke to find nothing but darkness. His arms were tied together behind his back, and his ankles had been bound together as well. He wiggled in the ropes.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

"What do you plan to gain from kidnapping me?" D asked.

"Your grandfather's a count, and your father is a bio-technician, D. We're holding you for ransom to get a little piece of the pie."

"You've certainly done your homework. Just one problem: my grandfather is currently in Europe on a business trip, and I haven't seen my father in over 20 years."

"Yes, but if I tell them to cough up 10 million dollars or else their precious progeny comes to harm, I'm sure they'll give me what I want."

"Despite Grandfather's title I assure you, no one in my family has 10 million dollars. The pet shop is all we have." D's head turned from the force of his kidnapper's attack.

"Bullshit! I know your family has some cash stashed away somewhere!" D heard a crash off to his right.

"LAPD! Nobody move!" A heroic voice yelled.

"Detective Orcot!" D yelled. He heard shots fired, and a solid thump.

"Gotcha, you idiot." D's kidnapper said.

"No! Detective Orcot!" D cried.

"He can't hear you. Big doofus." Sounds of someone struggling with a heavy object. D felt his wrists being untied, and calloused, warm hands being thrust into his. Their wrists were tied together tightly, and the full weight of the unconscious detective was put on D's back. The cold sting of handcuffs being slapped on D and Leon, Leon's right wrist handcuffed to D's left wrist, creating a weird twist of irony.

"Release us at once!" D said sternly. "Detective Orcot needs medical attention!"

"I'm not going to release you yet. I've got far too much planned to let you go." D felt a blow to his ribcage that sent pangs of pain shooting up his left side. He blacked out almost immediately.