Delphinium chapter 4

Hey, hey, hey~ It's been a while hasn't it? God so much stuff has happened and Real Life rearing its ugly head, along with my yearly pilgrimage to Sakura-con…it's hard to get a break. Not to mention keep the creative juices flowing inside my mind palace. But fret not…I am not abandoning this story and others. It just had to take time to have each chapter completed. I know that there are a lot of demands for certain ones, like Ostara, but I will get to them at the moment.

Ok, in case there are people who have gotten all, here is the complete list of character cameos along with the media that they're from, in order of appearance:

Nightlight, Katherine, and Kailash – The Guardians of Childhood novel series William Joyce/ the Atheneum

Jim Hawkins and Morph – Treasure Planet Disney

Jenny Foxworth and Oliver – Oliver and Company Disney

Karen Schneider and Dreizehn/Dora-chan – Pet Shop of Horrors volume 1 Matsuri Akino/TokyoPop (formerly)

William Foster and Lady – Pet Shop of Horrors volume 2 Matsuri Akino/TokyoPop (formerly)

Kubota and Tokito – Wild Adapter Kazuya Minekura/TokyoPop (formerly)

Badou and Heine – Dogs: Bullets and Carnage Shirow Miwa/Viz Media or Viz Signature

Toothless and Hiccup (obviously) – How to Train Your Dragon Cressida Cowell/DreamWorks

Thought I might let everyone know that I added a few more cameos in this chapter as well, so, to the winner who managed to get them all (or some) from this chapter, will get a cameo as either a background character with the role of occupation of choice, or an honorary Red Shirt who will die in the next chapter. Please state name, character info, etc in the comment box along with your review.

Oh and also, I'm gonna place in more of cameos in future chapters, so just have fun with recognizing some characters that became the patrons of Count D's Pet Shop :)

A hum was heard as Count D read the newspaper article while relaxing on the couch, with a cup of tea upon the coffee table and Tetsu snuggled up to his side.

"What a lovely restaurant, I have to see if I can make a holiday to New Orleans someday…" he mused to himself.

His ears picked up the familiar sound of his telephone ringing, prompting him to set his paper down upon the table. Upon the front page, it shows a picture of a smiling couple standing before a restaurant that says "Tiana's Palace". The man is smiling brightly as he carried the woman as if they have just married.

D smiled at the picture before answering the phone from its cradle and brought it up to his ear.

"Hello, Count D's Pet Shop…" The Chinese man blinked once before smiling at the recognition of the voice on the other line.

"Ah, Mr. Bjorgmam, it's been a while…" then he paused as he listened, before chuckling. "Of course, Kristoff, my apologies, how is Sven? I hope he is doing well…"

…

"I see I'm glad that you're both doing well…oh? Who is the lucky girl then? …." He listened to the other line before laughing softly. "So that is how they both met. Please give my regards to the both of them. Including his future sister-in-law…"

Count D looked up and heard the familiar chime of his front door opening. He smiled when he saw two familiar figures come in.

"I have a customer at the moment, I will see if I can visit you and Sven eventually…oh and before you go, I'm glad that Sven was able to bring you boundless love…" then he hung up the telephone before turning to his familiar customer.

"Jackson, it has been too long," he greeted before turning to the taller man. "And I see that Bunny was treated well."

Bunny smiled as he raised an eyebrow at him. "Nice to see ya too, Count."

"I hope we're not intruding on anything," Jack spoke, smiling politely. While his tone was pleasant, D could pick up the sheepishness underneath. Not the type you see in teenaged demographic these days but rather refreshing. Compared to his first meeting with the boy those couple months ago, he seemed to be happier right now.

D just gave them his trademark smile as he straightened his robe sleeves a bit.

"Not at all, I just had a phone call from another customer of mine," he reassured him. "Currently having a holiday in Denmark with a lady friend of his…" D gestured his manicured hand over to the comfy suits before them.

"If you please, take a seat."

Jack took a seat, taking notice that Bunny sat close to him as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Not that he minded, since it was his way of showing affection…and speaking of that…

"So, what brings you here today?" he heard the Count spoke, seeing him pour tea into the ornate cups. "Advice about Bunny?"

"Well, you can say that, more or less," Jack replied as the taller man relaxed against his side, he could feel Bunny's nose while his hair was being nuzzled against the white strands. "Bunny has been…a bit clingy lately."

"Oh?" the Count said as he poured himself a cup before picking it up delicately and took a seat across from them. "Please, elaborate."

Jack tried to collect his thoughts, which is easier said than done since Bunny kept nuzzling into his hair. He could push him away, but that would just encourage him further. Besides…he kinda liked it…

"W-well, he became a bit more…affectionate to me when spring rolled in," Jack began, listing off the things that he noticed. "I could barely get out of bed for school no thanks to him, and he would ask these questions about the notes that I got in my locker and a week ago, he was complaining that he was too hot, even though it was slightly chilly. Oh and he was really aggressive to any person that comes near me."

The particular memory of exemplified the incident the best is still fresh in his mind. It was only a month ago, but he could still recall every detail. It was supposed to be a study session over at his house for a class, over fractions he recalled. They were in his room, and Pitch was out for some errands while Cora was at a friend's place. He didn't remember his classmate's name but he did notice the latter scooting closer to him. Just when Jack was about to look up, his study partner instantly scooted back until he was against his clothes drawer.

And that was then that he noticed that Bunny somehow materialized by his side, practically snarling at him.

After that fiasco, Jack hasn't talked to him again. Nor seen him since the next quarter rolled in.

In fact the only time that he cross paths with him was on the school grounds, the latter only took one look at Jack before stiffening up and practically speed-walked as far away from him as possible until he vanished into the growing crowd. It was almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"And that was it…" then Jack looked up to the older man, his blue eyes were wide and somehow teary, this made him looking younger than his own age. "Do you think something is wrong with him?"

The way he spoke is like a young boy asking if his pet was going to be ok.

The Count sipped his tea before softly placing his tea cup down as he gave the young boy a gentle smile.

"From what I hear, these are normal for him," he spoke. "Jackson, you are familiar with rabbits, yes? Let's just say that this is a…special time of year for them."

Vague answers that make you think about them…why do they always do that?! Just when he was about to question him, he suddenly remember a couple of things. The first one is the term "going at it like rabbits". The second one is Animal Planet channel.

…Oh…

D didn't need to hold back a smile when the younger man finally connected two dots together. It was quite understandable; Jack was only a boy and still learning. But despite of that, he was still a bit more intelligent than a certain detective.

"So, do I need to, um…fix him?" the white-haired teen asked hesitantly. His attention was on the Count the whole time when Bunny stopped nuzzling his hair and stared at him in shock.

No…he wouldn't…he couldn't!

The Count let out a mirthful chuckle at their respective reactions. "Oh, no…I can assure you that this is a temporary thing." When he looked up, his dark hair parted a bit to reveal the familiar glow in his mismatched eyes. "But please…do keep in mind of the third clause of our contract."

Jack nodded, remembering that particular clause. "I do, had to stop a kid from feeding him a chocolate bar one time." He was actually going to ask him what would happen if he were to feed Bunny the particular confectionary but decided to drop it.

If what he learned in life, some questions just lead to more questions.

"So, I'm guessing that I should just, wait it out right?" Jack asked.

Count D smiled mysteriously as the familiar bat-like creature flew by his shoulder, chirping out what sounded like "kyu-kyu". "It would seem so, unfortunately," he replied. "I know his behavior is rather uncomfortable at first but he would be back to his normal self within a week or so."

Jack listened in before giving him a short nod as he felt the top of his head being tucked in by Bunny's chin.

"I'll keep that in mind…thank you again, Count. Hopefully we'll see you next time."

"How is this even possible?! That thing's friggin' huge!"

Leon Orcot stared at the image of a large rabbit nibbling grass that was displayed on his computer screen before taking a sip of his coffee. It was amazing how you get used to the piss-poor taste on how many years on the police force. But what is even more amazing is how the death toll was rather low; lately all he had to deal with are purse snatchers and jaywalkers.

Not even one incident from a certain pet shop in Chinatown…

His train of thought was broken when he felt something bop him on the top of his head, Leon blinked as he looked up to see his partner glaring at him disapprovingly while holding up a file folder.

"If you still value your job, I highly suggest not dilly-dallying on the net and actually do a real job." She scolded.

Leon simply rolled his eyes as he closed the youtube page. "Yeah, yeah…it's just that…it was so boring lately. Not even one interesting case."

"You miss the Count?" her tone was low and teasing. The latter looked up and scowled when he saw a small smirk on the woman's red lips.

"Oh, shut up, Jill!" he grumbled. "I'm still going by my gut that he's on to something!" The Leon turned his attention back to the computer so that he wouldn't show his partner that he was pouting. "I…just need to find something to pin on him…"

The brunette woman just smiled before taking her seat across from her male counterpart and look through the files. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he glared at the computer screen before him. As much as he hated to admit it, but in a really odd and somewhat fucked up way that is enough to make the Twilight Zone look like Sesame Street, Leon –not that he is ever, EVER, going to admit it to Jill- does miss the enigmatic Count.

Even though his superior-than-thou attitude drove him up the wall, D seemed to have grown on him. Not to mention that he is a huge help of taking care of his kid brother.

But nowadays Count D had been selling some mediocre pets from hamsters and goldfishes to cats and dogs. Not to mention that he has been busy.

Kind of…

Leon blew up a stray blond hair as he glared at the screen. Then he looked over to see Jill looking over to his partner in crime as she scanned the documents.

"So what do you got there?" he asked. Just out of pure curiosity, it was not like he had anything better to do for today.

Jill shrugged as she flipped to the next document.

"Just some noise complaints from the neighbors," she replied. "Said something about a kid constantly screaming and crying every night…"

Leon blinked as he looked up at this information. "It's not child abuse, right?" People can say what they want about him being uncouth and (in Jill's words, not his) piggish, he does take his job seriously as a cop. And kids having terrible things done to them, those are one of the things that he would not stand.

Fortunately for him, Jill shook her head as she adjusted her glasses. "Not really, it was confirmed by the parents that their daughter is having constant nightmares. Been going to therapists and tried some meds."

"Huh…nothing major, I hope."

"Oh don't worry about it. It was just bad dreams."

Later that night…

"We're at the end of our rope..." a dry swallow was followed as he took a careful sip of the tea that he was offered, finding his words in order to continue.

His wife sat by him, slightly rocking a small girl with pigtails, somewhere around the toddling age, who clenched her mother's shirt. The poor thing looked exhausted, nodding once in a while against the familiar bosom. Both of them look worse for wear, and considering their rather…casual attire, it was no surprise that they forgo of actually dressing up more properly.

"We…have tried therapists…some medicine…none of them work," then the man looked up to the Count, his brown eyes almost looked watery. "But…the nightmares kept coming, and our daughter won't sleep at night. One of the neighbors threatened to call the child services but I…I…"

He choked up as he covered his face and silently sob.

His wife stared at him worriedly while rubbing his back comfortably. "What my husband is trying to say, Count, is that…we need your help. We got no one else to turn to."

The Count nodded as he placed his tea down before standing up from his seat.

"I see, so that is why you come to see me," he finally spoke while straightening out his changshan. He looked up to them, smiling mysteriously as he raised his manicured hand before the young girl. "I believe I have a pet to remedy that. But in order to do so, your child must be the one to come with me. It would be better for the pet in question to recognize its master when she is alone."

There was reluctance and hesitation was evident on the Mother's face as she glanced at him before at her daughter. Not that he could blame her...maternal love is a rather pleasant feature. But if past experiences have taught him something about that particular aspect, too much of a good thing would end up in terrible consequences. However, this one is rather careful when raising their child, so he is willing to give the couple the benefit of a doubt.

A little bit…

After a while, the Mother finally sighed as she gently aroused her daughter awake.

"Baby, wake up," she softly urged her. "Come on, Mary…this nice man is going to show you something…"

That must have given the small girl enough motivation to wake up; a soft groan was heard as she rubbed the sleep away from her brown eyes. Mary, her name he assumed, blinked a few times before wordlessly stared up at the Count. It was stared at him for a good minute before looking at her mother, whimpering softly; almost as if she was silently telling her mom that she didn't want to go.

Her mother seemed to have gotten her silent plea and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, sweetie, we're here to get you a present…something that would keep the monsters away."

Mary blinked once before turning to the Count and softly spoke out "ok". This signaled her mother to gently let the small girl down from her lap; the dark-haired girl toddled over to the Chinese man's side and shyly grabbed the fabric of his changshan. She smiled at her, whether it was to comfort her child or herself, D does not know. But he kept his face neutral as she looked up at him.

"Are you sure she can be safe?" A typical response of a mother expressing her last minute concerns. D just gave her a reassuring smile as he gently patted Mary's head.

"Please do not worry, I am sure that she would safe…" then his smile grew mysterious when he looked up to her.

"The pet that I have in mind for her will protect her as long as he lives…"

The last thing she remembered when she woke up from that scary dream is that Mommy said that they are going to a pet store.

She and Daddy are going to get her a pet that would drive the scary dreams away.

At least that is what Mommy said before she fell asleep in the car. And then they went to one of the pet shop with the prettiest smells that reminded her of grandma.

The next thing Mary knew that she was following a man that looked like a lady, and leading her down a really long hallway with a lot of doors.

The further they head down, the darker the shadows seemed to be around them.

A whimper escaped from her lips as she clung closer to the man (or is he a lady?)

The strange man (she was guessing for now) seemed to know and placed a hand upon her head. Just like how Mommy did whenever she was scared.

"It is alright," he spoke to her softly. "Your pet is just right up ahead."

Mary nodded, walking closer to him. If she wanted to be honest- honesty is the best policy- she always wanted a pet of her own. A hamster is too small and easily to be lost, birds are too messy. Dogs are ok…but she does like kittens the best.

"Here we are…" the man spoke as soon as he stopped walking. Mary blinked as she looked up and saw a door. There was nothing special about it, while she noticed that the other doors are rather pretty with strange shapes…this one is rather plain. It was made of some sort of dark wood, almost reminding her of a closest door…

She blinked her brown eyes before looking up to the man in curiosity.

"Your pet is beyond this door…a pet that would be with you for a very long time." And with that, he slowly opened the door before them, revealing a very dark room. She couldn't see a thing within the room, until Mary saw that it was not entirely empty.

It was rather large, and hulking…and it seemed to have horns…

And glowing blue eyes…that are staring at her…

Mary blinked once. Then twice…and then after a while, she smiled, and reached out before the strange creature before her.

"Kitty!"

I have to find some way to include Leon in this story ;) I hope this would make up my absence.