The Sweet Shop Next Door

pass the broccolini

Author's Note: A few of you have mentioned that Eliza is a Mary Sue. If you have any comments on how to correct her Marysueishness, please leave a review. The problem is that the likelihood that Count D would fall in love with a human girl is rather remote. I've tried to make it seem like he's interested in her for her mind, not her average looks. Well, it is fanfiction, so reality can be suspended for a little bit. Maybe some intelligent conversation between the two? Anyway, thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter Nine:

D had left the shop tentatively the next day. Despite his father's threat, he had promised Eliza he would meet her at the park. Besides, he needed some fresh air. As he walked to the park, he glanced behind himself more often than usual. Any minute now, he knew his father would just pop out of no where and go on a killing spree. Worst of all, Dewei would leave D to clean it up.

But nothing happened.

Eliza was already there, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, and waved to him from the picnic blanket she had set out. It was beneath the shade of a large oak tree, a perfect viewing spot for the monarch butterflies. He immediately recognized the sound of her voice.

"D!"

A small smile crossed D's face as he gracefully strode to her and took a seat beside her on the light blue fleece blanket.

"Good afternoon, Eliza."

"Hey, D. You're just in time. The butterflies are just starting to arrive. Look!"

She pointed to a group of three lone monarchs fluttering through the sky. D followed her finger with his eyes and saw the beautiful ladies gliding together. Their long hair fell gracefully behind them as they fluttered through the breeze. It amazed him that creatures so small could make such a long journey.

"I brought some food, since it might be a while."

D's eyes lit up as Eliza opened the picnic basket at her side. Homemade fudge, fruit tarts, oatmeal-raisin cookies, and strawberry cream puffs were piled up inside. Eliza didn't have much else in her life besides her cooking. It gave her joy, relief, and an outlet for negative energy. Lately, she had been baking even more due to the ever-growing feeling of love in her chest. She knew it probably wouldn't work out, but at least she had finally made a friend in this depressing, saturnine city.

"Thank you. It looks wonderful."

Eliza smiled and took a strawberry-cream puff for herself and munched on it quietly. D removed the fruit tart and sat it aside for later. Fruit tarts were one of his favorites, and he wanted to enjoy it to its full effect. Saving the best for last, he ate some of the other treats while searching the sky for butterflies. They remained in silence for about an hour, occasionally exchanging awkward glances.

D realized how being around his father had socially crippled him. He had no idea how to engage in polite conversation. Luckily, Eliza took the initiative.

"So, how are your kids?"

Kids? What was she talking about? "I don't have any offspring."

"No, I meant your foster children. T-Chan and Pon-Chan. They seemed really nice."

Oh yeah. The incense. "Oh! They're doing fine."

Eliza smiled and nodded. They remained in silence for the next half-hour.

Then he heard it. The flittering sound of thousands of wings. Apparently, Eliza had, too.

"Oh my gosh!"

Her mouth widened as she looked up at the sky. Thousands of butterflies flew above their heads towards their destination point. The sky was a mixture of yellow and black, and all the people nearby stopped and stared.

"I've never seen so many in one place before!"

"Are they real?"

"Where are they coming from?"

"Joanne, look!"

Even D was left speechless. He had seen five or six hundred migrate at a time before, but never this many. One paused in her migration and called out to him while she kept herself aloft, asking him to join them, as usual. It was common for D to fly with them, but today he had...other activities. D smiled softly and shook his head. Sorry, but thank you. Have a safe journey, miss. The butterfly nodded and joined the others. Her knee-length hair trailed elegantly behind her as she swam through the wafts of wind created by her companions.

Eliza and D watched in awe for the next ten minutes. Then, it was like a plug had been pulled. It seemed almost like an instantaneous disappearance. After the enormous mass passed, there were only two or three stragglers, and the migration was over.

The detective had been wandering through the park looking for a hot-dog vendor to provide him with lunch, but had found none. Spotting his favorite pet-shop owner, he shouted loudly, disturbing the elderly residents practicing T'ai-Chi.

"YO D!"

Leon walked over to where D and Eliza were sitting. Eliza looked at the detective and remembered him from the "health violation day". It seemed that he and D were friends, though Leon hardly seemed his type. Leon sprawled out on the blanket, between D and Eliza. A small frown crossed D's face.

The plebian Leon picked up the tart and ate it, chomping noisily as he introduced himself to Eliza. D let out a small cry of outrage, but it was unheard due to the noisiness of Leon's eating habits.

"You're that girl who tipped me off about the health code violation, right? Name's Leon Orcot. Detective."

Eliza smiled politely, restraining a giggle at D's stolen tart. "Eliza. Nice to meet you."

Leon finished off the last bite with a loud chomp. As usual, he lacked tact and grace.

"So, are you guys dating or something?"

Eliza and D both paled and glanced at each other warily and felt their faces redden. They were friends. Just friends.

"No...we're...we're just friends. D and I just came to see the butterflies migrate. We're just friends."

Leon glanced at D for confirmation, but instead received an angry glare. You eat my tart and embarrass me in front of a talented chef.

The radio walkie-talkie on Leon's belt suddenly beeped. Leon stood up to check it. "Hello?"

"WHERE ARE YOU? YOU HAVEN'T FILLED OUT HALF YOUR PAPERWORK! GET YOURSELF BACK IN THIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!"

A small, weak smile crossed Leon's face. "It's Jill…I have to go. See you guys later."

Leon calmly exited the park until he thought D and Eliza could no longer see him. Then he dashed towards the office at a blistering pace, leaving the two alone once more. Eventually, they got over the awkwardness of their situation and were actually able to enjoy each other's company.

Months passed, and they continued to spend time with each other. Their second "date" had worried D. He had expected his father to come in any moment, but strangely, nothing happened. Their friendship continued to grow over the next three months, and Eliza had, in a sense, become part of the family. T-Chan and Pon-Chan always welcomed her when she joined the Count for tea, although that may have been mostly due to her basket full of goodies.

It was exactly one year and three days later that D realized he loved Eliza.

"D?"

"Yes?" D sipped his tea slowly as he glanced up at Eliza. They had made a ritual of their afternoon tea sessions.

"The shop is opening a new store in San Jose."

"Ah, business is doing well, I presume. Congratulations."

An uneasy smile crossed Eliza's face. "Yes…they want me to go with them."

D, shocked, sat his cup down on the table and leaned into the conversation. He could feel his slender fingers shake in the same way they had when his beloved Medusa had died. She had been such a wonderful pet.

"Do...do you have to go?"

D had a bit of a collection obsession. He collected kimonos, different types of tea, and of course, his pets. He had come to consider Eliza part of his collection, part of him, and he wasn't about to let her go so easily.

"Yeah...but it's only for a few years. We'll still keep in touch."

The Count shook his head. He understood human nature far more than she did. Once she left for San Jose, she would never come back. Sure, they'd write back and forth for the first year, but then their friendship would slowly fall apart. Their relationship wasn't physical. The only kiss they had ever shared was the one his father had seen, but he found that he enjoyed her company. She amused him. Not to mention that she was a great cook. He had never wanted a mate. Modern-day kamis rarely ever found mates anyway. But he had always desired a companion and had found one in Eliza. Humans didn't live very long, so if he was going to spend time with her, he had to spend as much time as possible before she died. Or before his father decided to murder her.

"Eliza?"

"Yes?" She looked up from her lavender tea with a spoonful of sugar and honey and D felt his long, pale fingers slightly shake around his cup of tea.

"We have been friends for some time now."

"...yes." She was confused as to where D was going with this. It was uncharacteristic of him to make such obvious observations.

"We get along well."

"...yes, we do."

"We should get married."

Eliza's eyes widened. She hadn't expected anything like this. At least, not so soon...and not from Count D. D's pale cheeks began to show hints of color. It was rare for him to step out like this. He always seemed so in control of his emotions. He never gave others an opportunity to hurt him. But there's a first time for everything.

"Married?"

She thought about it for a while. D was a nice guy and a true friend. Getting married to your best friend might not be that bad of an idea. Besides, she would probably never meet anyone like him again. And if she rejected his proposal, she knew she'd regret it. In all likelihood, she would never care about another man the same way she cared about D. He was everything she wanted to be: mysterious, calm, collected, caring.

"Ok."

A small smile crossed D's face. Even if neither of them would ever find love, at least they had true friendship. Friendship was stronger and truer than physical lust or attraction anyway. Eliza returned the smile, and they sat together in silence, sipping tea for hours.

Meanwhile, Dewei watched the screen of his computer with a mixture of hate and repulsion. Had his weak idiot son actually thought he could get away with something like this? That his father wouldn't know what he was up to? He had known the day he saw the two together that this was a larger problem than it seemed. D had always been weak for humans. He saw them as pets to add to his collection, not as a plague that needed to be stamped out immediately. And granted, humans did have their moments. The microscopic-size camera Dewei was using was definitely an impressive invention. He had set it up before D arrived, so he could check up on his rebellious son. It required proximity, but San Francisco was a city ripe with sinning humans. Once all the humans were exterminated, it could be a rather pleasant place.

But marriage? He had never thought his son would stoop so low as to consider a human an equal. Was D completely delusional…or was there some sort of mind-altering drug in the tea? Marriage was a repulsive mockery of true love, something humans could not possibly begin to understand.

Well, his son wanted a wedding, did he? Dewei would make sure it was a wedding no one would ever forget. A slow, dangerous smirk crossed his face as he turned off his PC. The night was still young and there were humans to be slaughtered.

Well…what do you think? This chapter took a long time to write, partly because I didn't think the D proposing scene fit. I thought that D wouldn't be so passive as to accept a marriage just because Eliza proposed, but I dunno…there's something about him proposing that just doesn't seem right. And what about the cliffhanger? Finally, some conflict! Was anyone out of character? (Besides D, who is out of character just by associating with humans besides Leon, of course for pleasure). Please review! That's the only way the story can get better!