Hey, here's the next chapter. It's a tad short and sort of rushed – but I got it done. Forgive any glaring spelling errors or the such, I was trying to finish and post this quickly considering I was supposed to be doing other things. Heh. Poor Raising Kouryuu, it was so close to getting an update, too. Curse you PSOH and stealing my attention in the middle of writing other fics!

Chapter 2

Leon groaned a little as the sunlight floated down onto his face from the window. He shoved his face into the soft, feathery pillow in an attempt to block out the offending light. As he snuggled in deeper, the thought briefly crossed his mind that he didn't own a pillow this soft. When said thought jolted Leon out of his pleasant slumbers, he found himself in a room that he didn't recognize. As his breath slowed, Leon slowly remembered D escorting him to a Taxi that dropped him off in front of a really ritzy hotel. Leon blushed as he recalled the really, really cute hostess that had come out to greet him. And the other cute hostess that took him up to the private suite he currently inhabited.

The detective fell back into the soft blankets and wondered what time it was. Considering his jet lag, for all he knew it was two in the morning or ten at night. Well, it was sometime during the day anyway considering how much light was filtering into the room. Or something. His brain wasn't ready yet to start calculating times of the day. He yawned again into the pillow and considered getting up. As comfy as he was, he really did need to go see D and sort out whatever it was that was left unfinished.

Assuming D hadn't lied and his shop was still sitting where Leon had left it.

But this was an awfully soft bed.

After a good ten minutes more of telling his legs to move, the signal from his brain finally made contact and Leon found himself tumbling out of bed. Hell, even the carpet was soft in this place. He should just move into this room and stay here. It would definitely beat the park benches he had been using. Standing up and stretching, Leon took a good look around the giant room and wondered just what kind of a favor this guy owed D. This room had to have cost a fortune!

Finding the time to be around two in the afternoon, Leon continued his day with a quick shower and dressing in the clothes from his bag. After discovering the room key on the dresser, the detective wandered out of the luxurious suite and made his way downstairs to the elevator. Leon was fully prepared to go confront D about whatever they needed to talk about and he did have a few questions he wanted to ask. Like where the hell D went after the boat event. Or what was up with the pets in that place for starters.

Or more importantly – why the hell the guy couldn't be bothered to send a letter or something if he was still on earth.

Taking his first steps outside into the afternoon streets of Kabuki-chou, Leon found himself whistling a bit. Despite all his frustrations about the Count D and everything he entailed, a good night's sleep and the lack of stress from looking for that bastard deity did wonders for one's health and state of mind. And it seemed to be a nice evening to boot. The lovely ladies that had just walked by had nothing to do with it either. An even bigger grin adored Leon's face as he turned the corner towards his favorite pet shop.

He was sure that last girl had winked at him.

You know, Count. If the detective being here is getting you this frazzled, I could always eat him. T-chan yawned as he sprawled out over the couch. That damn human always set off his buttons and T-chan really couldn't figure out just why that was. It either was because he liked him, which there could be no chance of, and it was bothering him for even thinking it – or it was because that bastard put D in such weird moods. Seriously, it would save us all some trouble.

Frazzled? He wasn't frazzled was he? D wiped off the small tea table for the fifth time in the past hour before staring at his rag. He had been rubbing hard enough to flick off little bits of the wood varnish. Maybe he was just a little, tiny bit frazzled. "I'm sorry, T-chan. I'm fine, really. There will be no need to eat the Detective."

Unless he shows up drunk again! The little badger giggled as the Count started blushing and wringing out his cleaning rag. Pon-chan smirked a little as she turned towards T-chan and shoved her man-eating friend in the side. And who are you kidding anyway? You wouldn't really eat Leon.

Oh shut up. You don't know that!

Yes I do! You like him!

I do not! There's no way I'd like that idiot!

Then why do you always bite him when he show's up? Pon-chan widened her grin. And why do you always sit under his chair or near him when he's here?

T-chan blushed a little and growled to cover it up. Because I'm trying to eat him! That's the only reason I'd bite him! And I only sit near him so I can git'um if he tries anything funny on the Count!

Liar. The 'tee hee' she made afterwards caused T-chan to jump her. Thankfully Pon-chan was saved when the Count grabbed T-chan and her by the scruffs of their necks.

"Could you two, maybe keep it down a bit? I'm trying to think." And D was thinking. His dear Detective wasn't as much of a problem as the Count had originally thought. The Detective would always be the Detective, after all. He was more than sure he could handle this situation, and was fairly certain depending on how things played out over the next few days that he could turn it into something rather pleasant. However, that wasn't to say there weren't problems that D could foresee in the near future.

It was Taizu that was the issue.

D was sure that if his dear Rau Wu Fei got in contact with his Detective, alone, that things would be very, very bad. His little pet wasn't the brightest light bulb in the bunch, and D was sure that if Taizu wanted information - he'd get it. He was sure the Detective would never tell him anything intentionally, but Taizu was crafty when he wanted to be. Worse, he probably equaled the American in stubbornness. "I wonder where the Detective is, anyway? I figured he'd be busting down my door by now."

He's probably sleeping. The totetsu flattened his hair down as he sulked on his new seat after the Count had put him down. T-chan rolled over and started giggling though as amusing thoughts hit his mind. Or he got distracted. Kabuki-chou does have a rather large Red Light district. And he is a pervert.

D scowled viciously at the Totetsu. "I'm sure that the Detective is behaving himself."

Just keep telling yourself that.

Pon-chan plopped herself down onto the ground and brushed herself off before looking at the door. I'm more surprised that Taizu hasn't shown up yet. He's almost at the point where he shows up as much as Leon did back in Los Angeles.

"That just means he's up to something." D sighed. Thankfully, D wasn't given another chance to sigh as he heard the front bell door ring. As T-chan leaped off the couch and ran past into the main foyer, the Count didn't need to hear the shout that followed to know the Detective had finally made his appearance. He wasn't sure who T-chan was trying to kid. Most of the pets were as found of the Detective's company as he was, most of the time anyway.

"Get the hell off you, little goat bastard!" Leon kicked at the savage little beast clinging to his leg. That really smarts! "I missed you too, now let go."

"I'm rather surprised you would miss that, my dear Detective." D chuckled as his amusing friend continued to try and pull T-chan from his leg.

"It kept me on my toes, what can I say." Leon growled as he finally gave one final shake. The little monster let go, but Leon swore that it stuck its tongue out at him. He nearly returned the favor when his other leg was hugged rather tightly. He tried not to wince at the contact. As much as Leon hated to admit, his leg was still a little sore when it was jolted too hard. "Well, hello to you too, Pon-chan."

Yay! You remembered! The little European badger grinned as Leon picked her up to pat her on the head. She gave him a big hug and held on as tightly as she could. She had always liked Leon and Chris a lot and it was great to see them again. She would have rather seen Chris, but that just meant she had to hug Leon for the both of them.

"Yeah, yeah. You're still cute." Leon set the little lady down on the ground before turning back to D. "It's still weird seeing them as animals again after that boat. Them lookin' like humans is still stuck in my head."

"Ah yes, that is true." D smiled softly and slowly removed the scarf from the top of his head. The Detective could have at least had the intuition to wait until after D had cleaned himself up before making an appearance. "I'm rather surprised that you can't see their other forms after that event. But it has been a few years, you may have regressed without my guidance."

"Regressed? What the hell."

"It's a lovely evening, Detective. Don't you think? Why don't we go out for dinner? I'm ill prepared to be serving you since you've arrived so suddenly."

"Hey! What's with the subject change?" Leon could feel his blood start to rise. The Count knew how to press all of his buttons with that smug attitude. "I thought we were going to talk."

"I thought it might be more prudent to talk over dinner." The Count smirked as he watched Leon started twitching in the corner of his eye. It was really too easy. "Or have you already eaten?"

"Fine, we can go to dinner." Leon looked off to the side with a huff. "I was getting a little hungry."

"Good then, it'll be my treat."

"Hey! Knock that shit off. We'll go dutch."

"Don't be silly, you couldn't afford where we're going." The Count was sure he could see smoke coming from the Detective's ears and it made him smile a bit. "Now let me go change into something more appropriate. Why don't you keep T-chan and Pon-chan company for a bit?"

"Whatever, I swear you're such a woman."

Leon tried not to wince when the tea cup hit him in the head.

You're sitting next to him. Pon-chan teased.

The Totetsu stared at her for a moment before realizing that he was indeed sitting in the seat next to that idiot blonde. To save face, he kept his reply limited. Oh shut up.

Leon stared at the two animals and had to rub his ears. He could have sworn he heard them say something. Not that he'd find that weird now, but still. Thankfully, Leon didn't have to wait long for the Count and was impressed. Considering the swanky outfit D had changed into, he would have assumed that took a few hours to put on. "Whoo, don't think I've seen that one before."

"It's new." D smiled and was internally grateful the Detective had noticed the new outfit. He had bought it last week in one of, ironically enough, Taizu's shops and had yet to wear it. This seemed as good as night as ever to show off a couple thousand-dollar cheongsam. "Though, I am surprised you noticed. I thought you said all my 'dresses' looked the same."

"It'd be kind of hard not to notice. There's a whole lot more embroidery on that thing than usual and it's got a nice pattern."

"Ah, it's so nice to know you've gotten a little culture in our time apart." D laughed slightly as he reached for a cloak. As the sun was setting it was getting a tad cooler. He walked out of the door knowing that Leon would be following close behind. "And do watch your language while we're out. I know we're speaking in English, but that is a rather common language, even here."

Leon was indeed following the Count, but his temper was flaring slightly. Who did he think he was to order him around like he was a pet? Oh well, he wasn't happy about it but that was okay. Granted, it was a pretty sweet deal getting a ritzy meal without paying a cent. The walk was nice and Leon found himself reaching for a cigarette to accompany the beautiful weather. "I'll say what I want, I'll have you know."

"Of course." D looked up into the night sky and felt that slightly nagging feeling come back to tug at his ribs. He had always enjoyed his time with the Detective, and it still bothered him. Though, not nearly as much as it had when he first realized it that one Christmas long ago. "Ah, here we are."

Leon had to whistle as he looked up at the heavily ornamented building. "You know, I take it back. You go right ahead and pay."

"I thought you'd say as much. Shall we?" D took a step back to allow Leon to enter through the doors first. It may have been one of the most expensive restaurants in town, but it did have a very nice selection of vegetarian dishes. But more importantly, it had atmosphere and private tables. Their conversation wouldn't be well to be overheard by curious ears.

A waiter arrived fairly quickly the moment D was spotted in the doorway. Leon should have been surprised that they were escorted off to what looked like the ritzy section of the already rich interior, but he'd been around D enough to know better. They took a seat in a booth, were handed menus and a curtain was drawn to enclose them. He still wasn't used to that VIP feeling that came with being in the Count's company. "Still making connections, I see."

"It's the only way to get anything accomplished, I feel." D smiled and lifted the menu while watching the Detective over the top. Apparently Leon was having issues. "See anything that looks good?"

Leon frowned and made a show of poking the menu with his finger. "You know damn well I can't read this thing."

"Shall I order for us both, then?"

"Do what you like. Just make sure there's some meat." Leon put his elbows on the table and leant to one side. The elder Orcott decided now was as good a time as ever to get things down to business. "So, what was the deal with the boat, anyway?"

"I thought you had figured out that it was the pet shop." D set the menu down and crossed his hands in his lap. The Count should have known the other man would get straight to the point. And he was hoping for a bit of small talk first, for once. "Manners, Detective. Do take your elbows off the table."

"The curtain's closed and no one can see us. I'm not exactly dressed to be in here anyway, so what does it really matter?" Leon flipped his wrist to further enhance his rudeness and point at the Count. "So, your pet shop is a giant boat that moves?"

"More or less." The Count leant back into his seat. He should have known the Detective would have to be stubborn about this issue. D considered playing with the man's head and telling him that it also fit entirely in a single suitcase if he wanted it to. "Among other little tricks."

Leon was interrupted from answering the Count's vague statement as the waiter returned with two cups of tea. The Count rattled off something in Japanese or Chinese or some other language Leon didn't know, and the waiter bowed and left. Alone once again, he continued. "So how often do you move that thing, anyway?"

"It depends on the location, really. How much work there is to be done or how pleasant the area, things of that nature sum it up." D hoped that the topic would switch soon. The Detective didn't need any more ammunition than he already had. "My stay in Los Angeles was quite unusual, I will admit. I don't think I had ever stayed in one place that long before."

"Huh," Leon took a little sip of tea from the cup in front of him. It wasn't as good as the stuff D usually made. Leon wasn't sure quite how to respond, so he changed the subject slightly. "Though, one thing's been bugging me. Chris, when he saw all the animals he saw the human versions, right?"

"In the beginning, yes, he could only see their other forms. It was rather amusing whenever I'd sell a 'pet' and he'd watch a young child leave the room. Poor boy was confused for quite some time. However, he lost the ability to see them when he chose his family over the pet shop." D turned his cup slightly at the memory. Honlon still hadn't quite gotten over the loss of the young master. "I think it was quite a shock when he couldn't see them anymore."

"Yeah, doesn't help that no one, save for Sam, believed him, either."

"Yes, that was regrettable. But probably for the best, he couldn't have stayed in the shop forever." The Count looked up when the waiter delivered a plate of steaming vegetables between the two of them and set out the empty plates. The disappointed look on Leon's face helped to lighten the mood. "The meat will come later, Detective."

"Good." Leon took the spoon and served a portion of veggies out onto his plate. He had nothing against the green stuff, he was just a meat sort of guy. He still didn't know how the Count pulled off that veggie-sweets diet of his.

"How is Chris doing, by the way?"

"Pretty good, last time I checked. Him and Sam are all patched up so it's life as usual in the household." Leon spoke between bites. He was almost a little shocked that the Count had even asked about Chris. It seemed a bit off for his normally uncaring nature. "What about you? Still up to the same old tricks?"

"Like I'd admit to anything if I was, Mr. Detective. You know quite enough all ready if you ask me."

"Hey, knock it off with the 'Mr. Detective' stuff." Leon's face settled into a slight frown. Guess he couldn't keep it hidden much longer. Ah well, no time like the present to get things off of your chest. "I'm not on the force anymore."

That bit of information came as a bit of a shock, even for the calm Count D. He didn't think anything could rip that badge away from the Detective. "What do you mean? You adored being a police officer."

"I didn't pass the yearly physical examination. After failing twice they told me to just give up." Leon gave a bitter laugh. "My leg never healed right from that little survival adventure with the monsters and your old man. I was on a crutch for a good year, too. But anyway, it was either office work only or nothing. I'm just glad they somehow passed it off as worker's comp so I didn't have to pay the hospital fees."

D set his cup down gently on the table. "Oh, I am sorry to hear that, Detec…no, Mr. Orcott."

"Leon's fine." The former detective took another large bite out of the food from his plate to force a better mood. "We're friends. Really, really weird, awkward, odd ones, but friends nonetheless. And would you eat something already? You're thinner than you were before if that was even possible."

D had to laugh as he finally dug into the vegetable plate. Friends. Yes, that's what they were, wasn't it? "I guess I should be flattered you noticed my figure."

"Don't even start."

"Of course not, dear Leon. I'd hate to tease you like that, darling."

Leon grimaced and averted his gaze to a spot on the wall to avoid meeting those grinning mismatched eyes. D was such a prick sometimes. "Maybe you should just stick with 'Detective.'"

"But it has such a nice ring to it, my dear Leon. Or maybe Darling Leon would be better after all?"

"D!"

"There has to be some way to use that American to get what I want out of D." Taizu mumbled to himself as he sat in his plush office chair. It was the first time that he had ever seen the Count lose his calm, smug exterior and that was his Achilles heel. This "Detective" would be D's downfall and Taizu would make sure of it.

Surely someone who knew D well enough to talk to him so informally without being beat to a pulp by that woman-like man must know something about his underworld dealings. And considering the man seemed like an idiot, D might have let his guard down around him. Taizu just had to figure out the right questions to ask and he'd find out everything.

This Count D was going to boy down at Taizu's feet and either get with the program or get the hell out of his city.

But first things were first. Taizu pressed the button on his intercom. "Get in here."

The office door opened cautiously as the secretary entered slowly. Taizu had been in a foul mood as of late. The poor man had a hard enough time as it was already. "Yes sir?"

"The Count's new blonde friend. Find out everything about him and have it on my desk tomorrow morning. I don't care how you do it, who you hire to do it, or how legal it is to accomplish." Taizu swiveled in his chair to make eye contact with the employee. "And I mean, everything. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!"

As the indiscriminate man dismissed himself, Taizu stood up from his chair to look down out of his window. The lights of the many hotels and streets glittered up at him and he felt his heart warm. This was his Kabuki-chou, and the Count would learn his place.

"Well, that was a lovely dinner, Leon."

Said blonde begrudgingly opened the door to the pet shop for the waiting Count D and cracked an awkward smile onto his face. He really was such a woman. "No 'dear' this time?"

"I thought I'd be nice since you were such entertaining company all evening."

"Yeah, well." Leon paused as he shut the door behind the two of them. The pet shop's lights were low and the entire room at a dark sort of glow. It felt warm and comfortable. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, at least."

D faked a pout. "You're not happy to spend time with me?"

"Don't start that again." It was odd how quickly they had fallen back into their old routine so quickly. The atmosphere was even a tad lighter around the two of them, and Leon finally felt relaxed in his own skin for what seemed like the first time in years. "This is so weird."

D draped his cloak over a chair in the main room and as an afterthought, lit a lamp that was hanging low. He felt the little ambiance created a more pleasant atmosphere. "What is?"

"That it feels like we were just doing this the other day. But it's been years since we last saw each other."

"And?" The Count laid a finger on the edge of the lamp and pushed. The night had been going so well, too.

"I don't know. It's just weird."

"Perhaps it is just a bit, but I think that it might be our relation to time is a little different." D's smile was bitter as it spread across his face.

"Yeah, that whole hundred years older than me thing. I guess." Leon rubbed his hair.

"If you plan to stay, Leon, why don't you have a seat?"

"Eh, it was a good night D." Leon smiled. "Why don't we leave it at that and I'll see you tomorrow or something. I'm scared if I sit down that we're going to start fighting again, and I just don't think I could handle that right now. Spirit's not in it, ya' know?"

"Of course, good night." D waved quietly as the Detective, it would be so hard to break that habit, walked out the door. Maybe it was for the best that they split on good terms for a change. They had tomorrow and the next day to fight and bicker, but for now, everything had a warm glow around it. And D hoped that it remained.