The Sweet Shop Next Door

pass the broccolini

Author's Note: Wow! I'm still amazed at all the reviews and comments I've been getting! It's your reviews that keep me motivated! So…hope you enjoy the scene of Eliza and D's first date! Oh, also…I fixed the 'jaguar/panther' problem in the fourth chapter.

Chapter Seven:

D felt nothing short of awkward as he walked beside Eliza down the street towards one of his favorite Chinese restaurants. It had been where he had obtained one of his favorite pets, the totetsu. The entrées were entirely vegetarian and the tea was rather splendid. It was a shame that only true Chinese food lovers actually visited it. For some reason, humans didn't like eating at places where serial killers, even if they were quite adorable, worked. The pair walked down the sidewalk together in silence. Neither felt that conversation was actually necessary. Besides, what would they say? After a few minutes, D was finally given a reason to speak.

"Ah, here we are, Miss Eliza."

Eliza glanced up at the restaurant's sign ("Chef Peng's") and entered the building with D. The short, chubby Chinese man at the counter enthusiastically greeted both of them with outstretched arms. D was able to escape the hug as for some reason, Eliza offered herself as bait. She seemed to enjoy this strange, grasping method of interaction. Humans were so strange.

"Mr. Peng! It's so good to see you!"

Chef Peng usually didn't leave the kitchens, but business had been slow and he had to usher in as many customers as possible. The restaurant had been practically deserted ever since the newspaper had reported that the psycho serial-killer had worked here. It was a shame, too. That man was a great chef.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Eliza! It's been too long! And you've brought my other favorite customer! Count D! How wonderful!"

Count D politely smiled and nodded. He already knew that Eliza was a vegetarian, but a vegetarian American that liked authentic Chinese cuisine and frequented his favorite restaurant? What a small world Chinatown was.

"Two, please."

Chef Peng hid a smile behind the two menus he carried as he led the pair towards a private room for two in the back. Count D with a girl? Maybe they would fall in love and site this restaurant as the source of their romance! Maybe they would get married and need a caterer!

Count D and Eliza sat across from each other and sipped their tea slowly, basking in the ambiance.

"Do you come here often, Miss Eliza?"

Eliza sipped her tea slowly and spoke over the edge of her ceramic cup. The tea felt good down her throat. The lavender smell sifted through her nostrils and calmed her senses.

"Occasionally. I make the pastries they sell here, so I get to see Mr. Peng a lot. It's a nice place. The dishes they prepare here are all wonderful."

"I agree. I hear it tastes better than actual meat."

And so Count D and Eliza talked about food, tea, and vegetarianism until they ran out of tea. Since it was already noon, they decided that they might as well stay and have lunch. The hours passed by, and Eliza and D began liking each other more and more. D was amazed that he could share an actual conversation with a human being. Sure, Eliza was a human and thus had a bit of innate greed and deceit in her, but it wasn't her fault. She actually seemed like a nice, decent person. The other girls he encountered, like the big-chested blonde who worked the cashier at Eliza's shop, were so superficial and cared only about looks and guys. Eliza was pretty in a different way. She was honest, kind, and had interesting things to say. D found that he actually cared about her opinion.

Their meals came with a complimentary wink from the Chef. Count D taught Eliza how to hold chopsticks correctly so that her fingers didn't become coated in the sesame oil from her noodles. Eventually, she got it.

"Thanks. Hard to get used to."

"You'll get it. It just takes practice."

Eliza grasped a noodle and put it into her mouth. Unlike Leon, she actually waited to speak until after she finished chewing. A miracle!

"Did your parents teach you?"

D was one of those people Eliza could never imagine having parents. He seemed so mysterious and solitary, like he wanted nothing to do with any of the people around him. She couldn't imagine D as a child. Did D play when he was little? Did he go to school and do his homework? Did he ever try out for team sports? Did he ever have fun? He seemed like the type of person that was born an adult.

The small smile that had been on D's face as a result of Eliza's amusing attempts to eat the Chinese way slowly disappeared.

"It was just something I ended up learning. I was never really taught."

"Oh."

Eliza ate another noodle before continuing out of pure curiosity. "Not to be rude, but what's your family like? Got any siblings?"

D paused before answering. There was no harm in discussing food or tea, but there was only so much he could disclose about his personal life. He wanted to share his secret with someone, but it was too risky.

"I…never really had a mother and my father has never been a really stable figure in my life. He's always traveling. My sister died a few months ago."

Eliza mentally berated herself for asking about his personal life. What a conversation killer. Well, the only thing to do was to disclose information about herself.

"I never really had parents either. I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They were good to me, but too old to really raise a kid."

Count D and Eliza ate their food in silence, neither really sure of what to say. Count D fished through his dish for a water chestnut and popped it into his mouth, savoring the sweet crunch.

"Miss Eliza?"

She looked up from her slowly decreasing pile of noodles. "Yeah?"

"I really enjoyed having lunch with you. You're quite remarkable."

Eliza blushed into her tea. Inside, however, she was leaping for joy. She was liked! No, she was remarkable.

"I…uh…thanks. Yo-you're not bad either. Come over to the sweet shop anytime."

D smiled. For some reason, though, he wasn't satisfied with just entry to the shop. It wasn't just about revenge or the procuring of sweets anymore. Eliza was actually a decent person. His mouth emitted words before his mind had time to suppress them.

"Would you like to go to the park with me tomorrow? The butterflies are expected to migrate."

"Sure, I'd love to."

They finished their meal by chatting about butterflies and dessert and left a nice tip. They walked back to their respective stores together.

Eliza smiled at D, oblivious to the other people passing by them on the sidewalk.

"I had a really great time."

"I enjoyed our outing as well, Miss Eliza."

"Please, call me Eliza."

D nodded and a small smile crossed his face. For some reason she couldn't calculate, Eliza began leaning forward to meet D's lips with her own. For some reason he couldn't calculate, he did the same. Their kiss was short and didn't involve the disgusting habit of swapping spit that most humans seemed to enjoy. It was a mere shared tap of affection on the lips. An understanding of some sort. As she pulled back, surprised at her own audacity, they both blushed and said their awkward goodbyes. Parting at the entrance of the pet shop, D couldn't help the bubbling emotion in his chest. Of course, this wasn't love. He knew that for sure. A kami falling in love with a human? Disgusting and unheard of. He'd never fall in love with a human. Ever. It just wasn't…possible. He just liked her because she drank tea. That was all. There was absolutely nothing between them. Nope. Nothing at all. Still, she was a nice girl and they could be friends. Her lips were soft, too.

As he entered the shop, a dark figure awaited him with a condescendingly superior smirk on his face.

"Tsk, tsk. Fooling around with the humans, are we?"

At this, the light red color on D's face vanished at the voice of the familiar anathema in his life. Oh no. That voice was familiar. He could tell who it was just by the arrogance in the man's tone. The elder man's smirk widened into an almost feral grin as he noticed that he still was able to instill fear in D. Spotting D engaging in romantic activity with a human and liking it? What wonderful substance for blackmail!

"Come in, son. We have much to discuss."

Cliffhanger, I know. D and Eliza's relationship needs some upheaval! They can't just drink tea all day or else Leon would have a fit. Review, please! Your opinions matter!