Phantom and Angel

PART 1

T-Chan studied Leon's face for some time after Ten-Chan returned by the back way to the kitchen to try and learn more.

Leon's eyes had started darting benieth their lids, and his body flinched several times. As the totetsu watched silently, the detective began releasing short, troubled sounds from low in his throat, and his breathing would quicken for a few seconds.

As Count D walked with her from the kitchen to the main entrance, Jill stopped and then went over to where her coworker was still sleeping. She crouched down beside Leon and reached a hand to his face to move a tendril of hair resting across his the bridge of his nose.

Wild, preditory eyes snapped open, and Leon's hand was suddenly locked on Jill's throat. "—pieceofshit—" Leon growled fiercely. Before Count D could interviene, Leon Orcot had shot out from his sleeping position on the couch to pin his collegue to the floor.

Airway closed off, Jill knew better than to fight back, and relaxed her body to cut down the need for oxygen. There was a chance of her and Leon coming out of this situation without serious injury. She stayed calm, gambling on the belief that not moving would keep him from feeling there was any threat.

T-Chan was too stunned and too inexperienced to know how to help humans in a situation like this, but Ten-Chan showed true to his tails and moved, in a flash over to the two detectives. Before anyone could grasp his intentions, he wrapped himself over Leon's face.

Leon was knocked backwards and instantly reacting out of instinct to pull off whatever was covering his head. Ten-Chan heard Jill's gasp for air when Leon's hand released her throat, and rolled his body over the top of the man's head. The kitsune was safely out of Leon's reach, just as the situation was quickly defused.

Realizing what Ten-Chan was doing, Count D quickly made it over to the two detectives and knelt, placing one hand on Jill's shoulder and raising the other in defensive readiness between them.

Jill's coughing drew Leon's attention back to her, but he was fulling awake now, trying to figure out what was going on. "SHIT!" He jumped away from his fellow police officer with a look of abject horror. Count D's eyes met his, sparing him any hint of accusation, and quickly turned back to examine Jill.

"Jill-" Leon breathed in disbelief, then covered his face with his hands in dispair. "Oh shit…" he groaned brokenly.

"Are you alright?" Count D asked calmly as he helped Jill sit up.

To everyone's surprise, Jill grinned and started to chuckle when her panting receeded. She nodded vigorously to the worried pet shop keeper. "Quite relieved, actually," she said wryly. She pulled away from Count D and closed the distance between her and Leon by placing a gentle hand on his knee. "It's alright, Leon," she told him soothingly, "I know you were having a bad dream."

Leon's bowed head thrashed from side to side. "Doesn't matter! I shouldn't've—"

Before her partner could finish, Jill took his face in her hands. "Don't let'im win, Leon," she said determinedly.

PART 2

Leon stared back at Jill with stricken eyes. "Why didn't y'break my arm when I grabbed you like that? I know y'could've!" He was too overwhelmed with contrition to manage any kind of believeable outrage.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Right, just what we all need at work—a 24 hour grouchy Leon Orcot that complains all day about cast-itch." She smirked all too knowingly.

T-Chan guessed that there wouldn't be anymore sudden movements to warrant him sinking his teeth into anyone, so he went over to Leon's side. He spared Jill a token glance and then gave his full, undivided attention to the more familiar detective.

"You sure picked a lousy time t'stop tryin t'take pieces outta of me." Leon stated when he noticed T-Chan next to him and looked into his expectant face.

Jill's attention was imediatedly drawn to the veiled form of the totetsu. A bright grin quickly replaced the grim sympathy on her pretty face. A faint, amused giggle was politely contained in her throat. "Is this the 'goat-thing' that you think is so—"

"Miller's been asking when you're gonna have an evening free so he can ask y'out!" Leon abruptly cut her sentence off with the odd, run-together statement, and held her gaze with a smug glint in his eyes.

After blinking at her coworked for a couple of bewildered seconds, her eyes narrowed menacingly when she realized she was being threatened with blackmail. She risked a sly glance over her shoulder at Count D and then acknowleged her understanding with silence and a barely discernable nod. Her hand reached out for the small looking totetsu to gently stroke the long hair with one finger.

The light touch sent a slight tingle through T-Chan's scalp, which was more annoying than pleasant. He shuddered, and then ducked away from the woman and decided to shove the top of his head into the nearest spot on Leon's side, right onto a rib.

"Ow—" Leon's eyes widened in consternation, then he remembered that the creature had been sleeping soundly next to him when he suddenly attacked his own friend. He curled the nearest arm around the unusual looking little guy and carefully drew him against himself with a brief, firm squeeze.

T-Chan recognized the simple gesture of comfort and reassurance, and marveled at the fact that Leon was trying to give him that. He wasn't sure how to react at the moment, other than to simply relax and rest his chin on the top of Leon's forearm. He could always eat him later, he decided distantly.

Leon's eyes fixed on the reddening splotches on Jill's neck. "Shit. We should get you t'a hospital and have a doc check y'over." His voice was filled with remorseful shame.

Jill's face puckered with distaste at the suggestion. "Nah. I'll just wear a scarf…or—I could just look pleased with myself and tell anyone who asks that it's nothing I have any complaints about…" She batted her eyelashes at him suggestively.

Count D chose that moment to rise, with seemingly no effort, and then bent to offer Jill help getting back up. "I have a salve and some healing herbs that will eliminate the marks before the morning sun rises," he offered as well.

"I don't want to put you to any more trouble…" Jill looked up with guilt darkening her expression.

A familiarly warm, dissarming smile curved the corners of Count D's mouth. "It's no more than what you, yourself, do to care for others, officer," his voice seemed to hint some sort of indirect gratitude.

Freshney gave up any pretense of arguing him out of it. "Thank you," she said, and let him guide her to sit comfortably on sofa.

Count D began making his way to the other side of the room. "Detective Orcot,"he began, and then paused to turn and look at Leon, "would you go into the kitchen and start some water boiling for the herbs? The kettle is in on the stove. You need only to empty what's in it into the sink and fill it halfway, if you would, please." He stood and waited patiently for Leon's reply.

Leon struggled to his feet, leaving T-Chan where he sat. "Uh, yeah, sure, D." He started to head for the kitchen, then turned back to Jill briefly. "Be back in a moment," he said in his eagerness to do something to make things up to her. He stopped where T-Chan was, crouched down to gather him in his arms and set him on the sofa next to her. "Don't dazzle her too much with your charms, dude, or you'll ruin'er for all the other guys," he said looking straight into T-Chan's eyes. With that, he whirled around and was swiftly off to boil water.

Jill rolled her eyes, but then gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Leon," she said with slight sarcasm to his retreating form.

When both men were safely in other rooms, Jill leaned down and murmered in the totetsu's nearest ear. "Leon says that he thinks you're.." she paused and glanced to check the door Leon had dissappeared behind, then dropped her voice to a mere whisper 'totally wicked cool.'" She quickly sat upright and looked down at him with a sparkle in her eyes"—but don't tell'im I said that," she finished with a short giggle, then winked mischieviously. "Not his exact words, mind you, except for the 'wicked cool' part, but close enough." She crossed one leg over the other, laced her fingers over her knee and began rotating her foot in small circles to ease her restlessness. "I hope whatever it is, isn't gonna make me smell like a tube of Ben Gay."

Phantom and Angel part 3

"I'll go make sure the guy doesn't destroy things while he's in there," Ten-Chan had said before leaving for the kitchen after Leon in a swish of tails.

—wicked cool—

T-Chan's eyes darted descretely from detective Freshney's face to the quickly worsening marks on her neck.

Leon had interrupted her with that weird question when she was asking if T-Chan was the 'goat-thing' that he thought was— That was what? Totally wicked cool? Was that what she was about to say when Leon cut her off?

What a rediculous thing for the woman to be worrying about; how she'd smell after Count D gave her stuff to help heal her.

Sharp preditory vision could make out the tell-tale signs of deeper tissue violation. The glow of heat was building underneith the reddening patches of skin, and the pristine valleys of feminine neck were rising where Leon's powerful grip had crushed into them. That must have been why Count D had asked Leon to go start some water boiling for him.

Impressive to a young totetsu. After all, Leon had dissarmed him only by using his skill with a tool, rather than his own natural strength.

It was ironic. Leon's smoking habit may have actually saved his own life. No. It had saved his life. As Wong, T-Chan had eyed Leon, at the very first sight of him, with emence dissappointment. He would have been nearly as exquisit to feast on as Count D—if his body hadn't reeked of toxins.

T-Chan willed away a shiver that threatened the length of his spine. Those same hands had ensnared him, when the detective had barged in, and he'd lunged at the human in his still-fresh hunger for vengance. Those same hands had done nothing more than cage him, and sheild human vital spots from his eager fangs and claws. His mind replayed the image of the female detective's face as it began to turn a dangerous shade of purple before Ten-Chan's intervension. Leon could have done that to him, if anything, as a show of strength…

'Fucking' wicked cool?

T-Chan turned to look over at Count D, an alien sense of concern for Leon's feelings was rising in him. "Orcot's gonna totally flip out when he comes back in here and sees how much worse his friend's neck is getting."

Then I don't want him to come in here…yet. Count D told Q-Chan quietly in Chinese.

Q-Chan fluttered off grimly in the alternate route to the kitchen.

Leon had just finished pouring out the unused tea water from earlier into the sink. When he started back to the stove with the freshly filled kettle, he found Ten-Chan sitting on the kitchen floor watching him. He stopped in his tracks, and returned the interested gaze. He smirked slightly. "Did y'get sent in here t'make sure I don't burn the water?"

"Nope. I volenteered," Ten-Chan replied proudly, although, to Leon's mind, he merely barked a couple of times.

It was at that moment when Q-Chan entered the kitchen and perched on the counter next to the stove.

Leon shrugged and finished getting the water on the burner. "I'm not out of my element yet," he told the kitsune, smugly. "Havin' broken coffee makers—or no coffee maker at all, got me t'learn the fine art of boiling water REALLY well. He reached out and twisted the knob to HI, then let his arm flop to his side and noticed that Q-Chan had joined the audience. "It's when I try t'take it a step further an'do something like…oh, cook rice—well, I stopped trying after I emptied the third fire extinguisher." He bent down and folded his arms at the edge of the counter in front of him. "And it's all D's fault," he stated to Q-Chan casually.

"kYU!" Q-Chan bellowed in outrage. Small claws balled into fists at round, fury sides, and the little creature trembled angrily as he stared back at the human.

"Oh, sure…jump at his defense, like always." Leon rolled his eyes dramatically. "Le'me tell y'something…D was totally SELFISH. He had that grandfather of'is, with the headful of worldly knowledge and social ettiquite and time t'spend with'im…" He waved his arm around to emphasize his words. "If he'd shared the guy, once in a while, with other kids, instead of hogging'im all to'imself, there'd be more guys like the one in the room with Jill and fewer like the one in here." His arm flopped back over the other with a soft thud.

Ignoring Q-Chan's usual ire, Leon scowled at the little winged ball of fluff. "I was just joking, dude." He breathed out a long sigh of resignation, rested the side of his head on top of his arms and looked at the kitchen door while stabbing the toe of one foot into the floor. "I wonder if D knows what a lucky kid he was t'have someone like'is granddad teach'im all those things when he was growin' up..." he said dreamily.

Q-Chan's taut muscles snapped slack like a rubberband, and he blinked as though he'd been stunned senseless. When he'd regained his barings, Leon was staring across the kitchen, at some distant memory, perhaps. He waddled over to Leon's arm and placed a paw carefully on it. "Q?" He looked into Leon's face, searching intently.

Leon flinched out of his reverie and lifted up his head to look at Q-Chan. "Huhn? Oh, yeah." He spoke, as if he'd actually heard Q-Chan's question about his parents. "I had parents, but my dad was working most of the day." He frowned, "The summer break, after my very first year of school, I realized I could learn all of the things that my parents knew." He smiled whistfully. "One day, mom was starting to cook dinner, and I asked if she could teach me how t'cook. She seemed kinda happy that I wanted t'learn, so she showed me what I could do t'help that wouldn't get me burned'r cut." He straightened up and turned his gaze to the warming kettle. "I was impatient, though…" he cast a quick glance at Q-Chan, "if you can imagine that…" He averted his eyes quickly to watch the kettle again. "I wanted t'learn t'make everything she knew how to…that day." He folded his arms and leaned against the edge of the counter with his hip. " Dad came home that evening, and found out that I wanted mom to teach me how t'cook. After dinner, he talked her into taking care of the laundry while he and I cleaned the kitchen back up for her. When we were drying the dishes, he told me that I shouldn't bother mom any more when she was trying t'get things done, and just help out when she asked…that I should go play with the other kids in the neighborhood and stay outta her hair." He shrugged, looking down sadly. "I didn't realize that I'd just been bothering her, or wanna be in'er way, so I did what my dad told me."

The human bolted up, suddenly agitated, and twisted to glare at the kettle with fists planted on his hips. "How come this shit always takes forever t'boil when you're not trying t'do something else while you're waiting for it t'fucking boil?"

Q-Chan launched himself determinedly to perch on Leon's nearest shoulder. He stroked the the taut cord in Leon's neck and made soft trilling sounds in the man's ear intended to soothe him.

"What in thee fuck?" Leon restrained himself from turning his head so that he didn't make the tiny creature fall off. He reached across with the opposite arm and plucked Q-Chan off of himself. "We interrupt this program to give you an important announcement:" Leon began in miniturized King Kong fashion, "I'm twenty fucking four years old now, and make a living hunting and catching murderers. Kindly knock off the mush and just go the fuck back t'bitching at me like you usually do." He set Q-Chan back down on the countertop like an unneeded poofy salt shaker. "Why ruin a good thing, anyway?" He asked the now-hissing kettle irritably.

"Q…" Q-Chan murmered with feigned indignity. He eyed Leon for the rest of the time it took for the kettle to finally let out a whistle. The expression on his tiny face was far from indignant, though.

Ten-Chan had stretched out on the floor silently, a forgotten audience. He'd stopped paying attention to Leon when he saw something in Q-Chan's eyes that he'd never seen before whenever Leon was around: sincere interest.

PART 4

Count D covertly started a special incense burning before returning with a small silver tray to where Jill was waiting. He noticed an odd expression on T-Chan's face as he placed the tray on the table. There was a small, ornate jar in the center of the tray He began to busy himself with removing the lid from the jar and setting it down noiselessly on the tray, then picked up what looked like a small, flat stick of jade with rounded, smooth edges. "Is everything all right?"

T-Chan's keen hearing told him that the question was actually directed at him, although he knew the woman would assume she was the one being asked.

"Yes," Jill answered as expected. "I just feel as though I should go, and let you get back to bed. I've got a lot of lightweight knit tops that would cover my neck until-"

Although it was a bit out of his character to do so, unless the situation warrented, Count D interjected. "If I've done or said anything that is making you uncomfortable with the idea of staying here any longer, then you have my deepest apology." He bowed his head and brought it back up with contritely downcast eyes.

Jill gave the faithfully kind man a sympathetic smile, "No. You haven't," she tried to reasure him.

Count D smiled warmly and dipped the tip of the stick into the jar, and then brought it to one of the discolorations on her neck.

Count D's question wasn't an unusual one. Ever since he'd come to the pet shop, T-Chan would withdraw from the others from time to time, adjusting to new ways of thinking than what he'd arrived with. Now that his ways of thinking were changing, he felt somehow embarrassed by it. And that, he was now suspecting, was something that he had in common with Leon.

Why should it matter if Leon thought he was 'fucking wicked cool'? What kind of decent totetsu would he be if it did? Damnit, but he wanted some reason to be in the kitchen where Leon was. New ways of thinking, notwithstanding, it seemed that reverse psychology worked almost as well here as it had out in the world of humans.

T-Chan leaned his face towards Jill and sniffed accessively, then tilted his head in contemplation before turning to Count D. "She smells a lot better than Orcot. If I ate her, she wouldn't have to work with that pain-in-the-ass anymore. Wouldn't that qualify as an act of mercy?" He blinked with an innocently casual look, as if expecting Count D's approval.

Jill merely saw and heard Leon's 'freaky goat' bark softly a couple of times to the pet shop owner.

Count D's eyes slid over to peer at the totetsu. "Perhaps." With a calmly amused smile, he reached over to the tray with his free hand and picked up a small cloth pouch which was closed with string. Holding it in his palm for T-Chan, he asked smoothly, "Would you please take this into the kitchen, T-Chan, so that it can be prepared. I think the water should be ready by now."

BOOYAH!

"Sure. If you hear yelling, though, I'm just adding a little protein t'the stuff." T-Chan took the bag of herbs from Count D's hand as if he were bored and there wasn't anything else to do. In truth, he'd wanted to grab the thing and be in the kitchen five minutes ago. With one of the greatest exertions of self control, he headed for the kitchen without the slightest hurry.

"Of course, T-Chan. I'm sure Detective Freshney will greatly appreciate it." A note of warning in Count D's voice followed the totetsu on his way to the kitchen entry.

PART 5

Leon's attention had been drawn back to the kettle when the hissing died down and changed to a soft sort of rumble. He waited for the tell-tall waft of steam to spew out of the spout. A few seconds latter, he was seeing it, as well as hearing a cheerful whistling begin. A corner of his mouth twitched up in a pleased smile, when a flash of memory unexpectedly came to him of a similar kettle his mother used. Strangely, the simple idea of something that was not only ordinary, but something from the years of his childhood, seemed to make up for all the strange things that nagged at his gut about D. Well, almost all of them.

The young detective's smile deflated, after the image of his mother became clearer and suddenly reminded him of Jill. Being careful, due to previous experiences, to keep his arm from coming directly over the small fountain of steam, he turned the burner down to LOW. At that same moment, his ears picked up the faint sound of claws clicking softly on the floor behind him. He turned to find T-Chan coming toward him with a small cloth pouch in his mouth.

T-Chan stopped, and looked up at Leon, waiting for him to figure out that the cloth pouch was for him to deal with. His skin prickled slightly at seeing Leon at the stove.

The totetsu had come to considered it his stove, and his kitchen, the only part of his old life that hadn't been ripped from him after Leon had captured him as Wong. It had been the only thing that D could offer him in exchange for agreeing not to continue feeding on the local humans as he had been. Now, here was the very man who had ended his freedom in the world of humans.

Feelings that had been safely hidden from his awareness were now rising back up—and clashing with ones that were newly forming. His stomach suddenly fluttered, and he felt like he needed to sit down. Forgetting about what Leon would actually see, T-Chan went over to the small table that still had the scent of Detective Freshney clinging to it. He pulled out one of the chairs, sat down, and dropped the pouch onto the table, then became lost in a swirl of memories and feelings.

Leon had been expecting T-Chan to come to him and either wait for him to take the pouch, or drop the thing at his feet. What he saw T-Chan do next brought him back to the feeling of surreality in this place. For whatever reason made him do it, he looked to Q-Chan and Ten-Chan for some sort of clue to whatever this situation meant. To his unease, he found them both looking at each other with disturbed confusion.

Shit. If something was weird to them, he was in serious trouble. After a moment of indecision, he went over to T-Chan and lightly grasped what he thought were the little guy's shoulders. "You alright, T?" Leon's eyes searched T-Chan's face with unchecked worry. His thumbs unconsciously began stroking up and down over the curve where his arms connected to his body.

Even after what had happened recently, T-Chan found himself shocked at being the direct recipient of Leon's concern. He was so use to seeing contempt and doubt, anger and confusion on this human's face, the expression he was seeing now just seemed...wrong. If he hadn't felt Leon's hands on his shoulders, and the large thumbs moving up and down gently, he might have turned away, or at least squirmed. At first, he could only stare back, unsure of what to do, but wanting things to go back to...whatever it 'should' be. An unexpected idea came to him suddenly, and it took a second or two for him to decide whether or not to act upon it.

Before Leon could fully realized what was going on, T-Chan's head had quickly darted towards his face, and he'd felt something warm and soft with a slightly rough surface brush the tip of his nose. He flinched back a bit, and frowned in confusion. "Did you just LICK me?" The man sputtered out the question in utter consternation.

T-Chan simply sat, looking back at him calmly, with one swish of his tail in answer.

PART 6

Leon stood up and looked down at T-Chan, bringing a hand up to his nose and wiping it slightly. There was a sly smirk on his face now. "Dude, y'r'gonna make y'r'self sick if y'keep doing that kinda shit." As if completely disregarding the unexpected occurrence, he picked up the pouch and pulled it open to look into it. "Must be the herbs D mentioned."

A few short strides brought the human back to the stove to lean his head over the kettle. Seemingly at a loss, he gripped the handle and pushed the 'button' down that made the whistle/cover over the pour-spout open. "Am I suppose to just dump the stuff in there with the water?" In all appearances, he seemed to be wondering out loud.

"KYU!" Q-Chan's screech alarmed everyone in the room. His wings opened suddenly and his arms flailed in desperate warning. "Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu!"

As if completely expecting the reaction from at least one of them, Leon grinned wickedly and slowly straightened. Seeing Q-Chan's earnest aggitation, his face softened with amused compassion."Easy, Q! I was just joking! You're gonna blow out your vocal cords doin that, dude, and then who's gonna help D bitch me out, cuz y'know very well that's more than a one-person job."

Q-Chan didn't so much calm instantaneously as he more or less froze in mid-panic. His wings retracted cautiously, and the little 'hands' came together primly. He looked up into Leon's face with a deadpan expression. A perfect moment later, the little creature replied with an erie air of dignity, "Kyu."

It was a warm smirk that settled on Leon's face this time. "That's what I thought," he murmured ruefully. He plunked the small sack on the counter near Q-Chan and turned to T-Chan. "Okay, T! You're gonna have t'take over now, unless y'wanna see how much damage I can actually do in a kitchen."

Not even daring to take this cue as a joke, and because he actually wanted to do something that made him feel like he was on solid ground, T-Chan got off of the chair, and then hauled it with him over to where Leon was.

Too stunned to think that the little guy might hurt his teeth or jaw dragging a probably-good-quality wood chair across the kitchen like that, Leon watched until T-Chan made it over to him. Again, before Leon could come to his senses, T-Chan was on the chair again, and pulling the top drawer open, seemingly with his mouth. A moment later, he brought out a small handled strainer that would easily submerse in a teacup. Dropping the object with a clank on the counter, T-Chan was opening the cupboard door above the counter.

To Leon, it appeared as thought T-Chan had jumped from the seat of the chair to the counter-top to reach the cupboard he was opening. Seeing comparatively plain teacups arranged neatly inside with small matching saucers on the shelf above them, he moved to help.

T-Chan moved aside without protest as Leon took down one of the teacups and saucers. As soon as that was done, though, he picked up the strainer and set it to rest with the net inside the cup.

"Here." Leon picked up the sack, thinking it was going to be too much trouble for a little goat creature to deal with effectively. "The whole thing?" He looked to Q-Chan for help, and was answered with a reassuring nod. Animals couldn't possibly understand people's words so well, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled softly. Regardless, he held the pouch upside-down over the strainer mouth, and dumped the entire contents of it out. He noticed, unconsciously, that T-Chan was moving on the opposite side of the teacup as he was waiting to see if any more herb flakes would fall out. Holding the mouth of the pouch where he could look into it, he tossed it down onto the counter, and then realized with horror-widened eyes where T-Chan was.

Quickly, but gingerly, Leon's arms shot out to swiftly scoop the little goat creature off of the stove-top and transfer him down to the seat of the chair.

"You idiot!" T-Chan was surprised only long enough to be moved to where Leon had put him. "I know a whole-hell of a lot better how to handle myself in the kitchen then you do!"

"I don't care how well D's trained you in the kitchen, or even if you know how t'cook as good as Wong did, I'm not lettin you get burned! End of discussion!" Leon shot back stubbornly.

T-Chan stared up at Leon, not sure whether to feel incensed or complimented.

Leon noticed that there was a sudden stillness in the kitchen that went beyond silence. He toned down his attitude a few notches and added with quiet resolve. "I'm not letting anyone else in this house get hurt, if I can help it , especially not because of me." He let out a disheartened sigh. "If y'could tell me when I've poured in enough water...Jill wouldn't have t'keep waiting..." If T-Chan could really understand him, then he needed to get across just how much he meant what he'd just blurted out. "Please." His voice had the faintest quaver to it.

It finally dawned on T-Chan why D was so patient with Leon. Even though the guy argued at the drop of a hat, he wasn't hell bent on insisting that he was always right. It was just that he seemed to insist on things being his way so that he felt like he knew what to do...to protect other people, most times. "O-kay." He gave a half swish of his tail in relenting.

Okay, Leon thought, maybe it was because of how late it was, and/or that he hadn't been sleeping that well lately, but the idea that his kitchen companions actually understood what he was saying... Since he couldn't just walk away and leave the unsettling thoughts behind him until he knew that Jill was going to be okay, he reached for the tea kettle. "Um...okay, then. Here goes." He pushed the lever to the spout cover, and tipped the steaming water out slowly.

When the water had come just above the top of the herb flakes, Leon heard T-Chan bark softly. He quickly righted the kettle and pulled it away from the cup. "There?"

T-Chan made a soft grunt in his throat and gave a full swish of his tail in affirmation.

"Kyu." Q-Chan's tiny chirp-squeek sounded almost encouraging.

"Alrighty, then." Leon was talking to himself, more than he was the others, because he was trying to recover from the idea that he wasn't doing damage in an unfamiliar kicthen because D's pets were in there helping him. He looked down and the teacup, and realized that the strainer was going to have to be taken out before Jill could drink from it, and it would be dripping all over whatever had the misfortune of being under it. With that thought, he opened the cupboard again and looked at the upper shelf. There was a single, glass tray, big enough to hold two teacups with saucers under them. He pulled it down carefully, and set it on the counter, then took another saucer and teacup from the lower shelves and set it on the tray, before adding the stewing one to it.

"Kyu." Q-Chan seemed to be giving Leon a due bit of praise.

"Well," Leon had only guessed what sort of comment Q-Chan had made, "I probably couldn't have done as well as I have if D wasn't so good at organizing his kitchen. That's probably just another one of the things his Granddad taught him." He shrugged, trying not to let the feeling of relief show that he had for the things to be found easily enough for even him. He looked down at the tray in contemplation of anything he might need to add to it.

Q-Chan made his way carefully to Leon's left hand as it rested on the counter by one side of the tray. He peered up at Leon's face questioningly again. "Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu?"

Leon's gaze went to the flying fluffball. He felt like he'd swallowed a huge chunk of glacier that was sitting heavily in his stomach. "He taught me that a man doesn't let the one's he's suppose t'take care of ever see'im bleedin." His voice was soft and solemn. With that last confession, he picked up the tray as carefully as he could, and headed for the room where Jill and D were. "I hope y'got a thingy of sugar in there, just in case this stuff needs it!" He bellowed after pushing open the door. Once again, he was acting his usual, snarky self.

Phantom And Angel PART 7

Jill was still sitting patiently on the sofa, her head tilted slightly so that D could see where to apply the salve.

Leon had set the tray that he was carrying right up against the edge of the one D was working from. Looking at Jill's throat, and then meeting the softly smiling eyes of hers, he let himself down next to the table in a kneeling position. "Too bad I don't have a camera on me. I could make a few bucks with a picture of you posing like that."

Q-Chan fluttered from behind Leon to land on a vacant space of the table's surface.

Jill's eyes seemed to ignite with a sparkle as they narrowed slyly. Her jaw moved, and the two men were expecting some sort of comeback. She merely poked her tongue out briefly between her lips at Leon .

Leon snorted softly. "Picture o'that woulda gotten me f-lippin' rich."

Jill clamped her eyes shut, and held back a laugh as she blushed prettily.

D chuckled softly at his guests' interactions, then he turned his head to look at the two teacups, noting that one was empty. He realized he'd forgotten to ask Leon to do just so. "Apparently Q-Chan and T-Chan were able to help you out sufficiently?"

Leon's face began to color, and his eyes glazed as they seemed to begin a search for something on the rug. He finally lifted his head up, more or less, but he wouldn't meet his eyes. "Well, you don't think any of us woulda come out alive if I'd done a solo performance, do you?"

Setting the jade stick down on its tray, D twisted slightly to pick up the empty teacup and hold it over the edge of the other as he transferred the strainer. "Mmm. I suppose you could have a point, my dear detective." His eyes flicked to meet Q-Chan's long enough to give the creature a wink. Setting the first cup down, he picked up the other with the warm, fragrant liquid in it, holding it up to Jill in offering. "Please-" he urged gently.

"Kyu! Kyu-kyu-kyu!" Q-Chan said enthusiastically as he looked up at D.

D turned his head and was listening intently to his friend, then slid knowingly amused eyes in Leon's direction, "Apparently our dear detective possesses greater modesty than he lets on."

Leon's eyes locked on the little creature for a moment until he smiled innocently and casually turned his head to release a combination cough/sneeze into his fist that sounded suspiciously like, "snitch!"

Jill straightened her neck and took the cup, bringing it to her lips immediately and sipping experimentally. "Mm. It almost has a minty flavor," she commented appreciatively.

Leon seemed to be watching with a slightly dazed expression, and then frowned after Jill finished and handed the cup back to D . "Is she gonna be able t'drive after drinking that?"

D stilled, and then turned to give Leon a chilling glance.

One of D's usual snippettier-than-thou answers was what Leon expected, a thing that he hadn't consciously realized had become dependably reassuring. That look, though, was like a long, narrow arctic ice-cycle plunged with an assassin's expertise into his chest.

This time, he actually hadn't meant to suggest that D might be slipping Jill something along the lines of controlled substances. It was just that he'd suddenly remembered Jill telling her how the chamomile tea her mother gave her whenever she was sick never failed to knock her out until she was in her late teens. What if this stuff had the same affect when she was between here and her apartment?

No. He realized, albeit to late, that D would have had that in mind before offering it to her, and would have mentioned it. His eyes slid shut in self loathing. "Fuck." He breathed out the curse of disgust at his laps in thinking. Here D was trying to help Jill, and he'd been a blithering idiot asking a question that suggested Jill might be at risk. The sudden pain and self-directed fury tapped his adrenalin, and he was able to shoot up from his kneeling position. With a renewed, anger-fueled grace, he stalked back to the kitchen.

"He's actually good at reasonable deduction—when he isn't running himself into the ground." Jill's soft voice had quavered just enough to send an alarming ache though the Asian man's being.

Returning his attention to her, D found a forced smile of bravery on her face and pleading eyes cradled in welling tears. "Would you excuse me long enough to go make my apologies to our dear…Leon?"

Jill's throat flexed in a swallow to push down the crushing ache that had been threatening to burst out in a sob. She blinked the unshed tears back to wherever unshed tears went, and replied with a nod and obvious relief, "Absolutely." She looked at him for a moment with additional gratitude, but then struggled with what she wanted to tell him. "I really need to get going…" She seemed anxious and apologetic again.

D nodded in understanding, then reached out and gently squeezed Jill's forearm with a warm smile to reassure her. When he was certain she would be alright alone, he went to the kitchen…as though approaching a guillotine.

Leon was sitting at the table, an unlit cigarette between his lips, and his right hand twirling the metal lighter on the table top by one corner.

"I came to offer an apology, detective." D found himself doubting that was being sincere enough in his effort.

Leon's ever so slight shoulder twitch was the only visible change in his reaction. " 'make my own bed. Don't got any right complainin' when I roll onto a lump."

It startled D, that Leon could reveal so much recognition of when he was at fault for his circumstances, and with such a mundane clichet . He was certain, however, that trying to offer a pardon for his slight was going to be met with resistance. Fortunately, he was starting to get a feel for how to dispel Leon's brooding. "She dreamed that you'd been murdered, detective."

Leon looked up and simply stared at D for a few seconds, fighting not to shiver from the cascade of chills blossoming up his spine. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

The barest upward movement of an elegant ebony brow brought Leon's attention to the violet circle that lit with the faint flicker of amusement. "I suppose that was because I felt that there were more important things to focus on, detective."

Leon's head lowered in shame and he stared bleakly at the floor. He lifted it up again, with a searching expression when he felt D's hand on his shoulder.

D's eyes were filled with more intense warmth than Leon was use to perceiving. "She's expressed a desire to return to her home, and I'm in agreement. She should get as much as sleep as possible now. Perhaps we should walk her to her car and see that she's on her way home safely."

Leon nodded silently, the darkness replaced by an almost boyish expression of purposefulness. He let D guide him with a gentle hand on his back to where Jill was waiting. He gave his coworker and friend a shy smile tinged with uncertainty and guilt, and found himself being clung to, almost feeling her anxiety and relief as strongly as his own. He hugged her back carefully, feeling as though he might be doing something wrong.

"I need to get back home," she said softly into his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Leon said with a little more of his old self confidence. "We'll walk y'out t'your car, 'kay?"

Jill pulled away and looked into his face fondly, "Yeah. I'd appreciate it." She picked up her purse and turned to look at D as he moved toward the door. "Thank you, so much, again."

D bowed his head slightly, "Think nothing of it."

Jill stopped toe to toe with him, childlike mischief brightening her face, "Yeah-right."

The smile on D's face brightened by mega-lumens as he held the door for her and Leon to exit the shop ahead of him.

They reached Jill's car, where she pulled a collection of keys out of her purse and started to unlock the door to the driver's side.

Leon took a reluctant step towards her, taking a hold of the top of the door, debating whether to say what he was thinking or not. "Look, uh, Jill…if there's anything I can do t'make all this up t'you, don't hesitate t'ask."

Jill looked into his face in mild irritation that he wouldn't forgive himself. The light in the lot showed her what she hadn't seen in the light of the pet shop. It wasn't just the circles under Leon's eyes, but the alien lack of clarity in them. Her brow drew down severely with her concern. "Maybe you should let me drive you home. I don't think you've had a decent night's sleep in over a week now. You can nap on the way to your apartment."

Leon stiffened, sensing a change in expression on D's face, but resisting the urge to turn and look. He shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "Nah. I'll be fine, plen'y of time t'sleep."

"You're welcome to spend the night here, Leon. "

Leon had to fight the urge to shiver again at hearing D call him by his first name.

Jill had to refrain from literally jumping at D's suggestion. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Leon. You should stay here tonight. I'd give you a little extra time to sleep."

It took a force of will for Leon to keep from actually yelling, "Outta the question-especially not after what I just did t'you! Everyone's better off with me locked away in my own apartment where I can't hurt anyone."

Jill's eyes seemed to challenge him stubbornly. "You said anything."

Leon almost stumbled back at her words, but managed to stand steady. He glanced down for just a second, then met her gaze. "Yeah, I did…and I meant it. Alright, I'll crash out here the rest of the night."

"Don't worry." D's hands slid over one of Leon's shoulders. "I promise not to let any of my demonic creatures eat anything that you can't live without."

Leon could only manage to give D a wry smirk before turning back to Jill. "I guess no'n'll notice any difference if I come t'work with nothin' in the space b'tween my ears, hunh?"

"Leon!" Jill's head dropped to one side and she planted a fist on one hip in exasperation.

Leon's eyes crinkled in a mischievous smirk, and he poked his tongue out briefly at her, the way she'd done to him earlier.

Jill's head dropped forward as she surrendered to laughter, which ended shortly. She moved forward quickly enough to kiss Leon's cheek before climbing into the car and letting Leon close the door for her.

Leon stepped backwards until he was leaning back against his own car and watched until Jill's car was out of sight. He let his eyes slide shut with relief and his head drop back until it was resting on the roof of his car. It was a mistake. Not only did he feel like he wasn't going to be able to move again, but his legs were sending him messages of impending failure.

"I believe my bed would be considerably more comfortable, my dear detective." There was the unmistakable sound of a suppressed smile in that silky voice.

Miraculously, Leon was able to bring his head back up to gape at D. "Your bed?" Leon lifted a dubious eyebrow.

D's eyes slid to one side, and he brought a shapely nailed index finger to his lips. "Well, it's actually my grandfather's bed…although…he did often tell me that all that was his was mine as well." His eyebrows lifted in overly pleased musing, and then he looked to Leon's face once more to see the reaction.

His sleep-deprived mind wasn't working as quickly as he was use to, and he realized that he'd been watching D with a muddled admiration for the subtle theatrics. Leon, being who and what Leon was, got eventually got caught up to where he would be if he hadn't been so sleep deprived. "T…J…S…W…" he stated with quiet, unflustered conviction. That said, he let his head drop back again to the car top, with a rather disturbingly loud thud. "—ow—" The word was little more than a pathetic whine.

"Leon!" D rushed to the detective's side and pulled the man's hand around his own shoulders like a badly made shawl. "Up you go, detective. I'll not have the rumor of transients camping in my alley dampening my business." He pulled back, trying to haul the tired officer upright.

"Uuuuunh-maaaaaam-jus five more minutes-pleeeeeease-" Leon whined playfully.

"Don't 'mom' me, young man." D playfully scolded back.

With an over exaggerated huff, Leon struggled to stand. "Ooookaaaay. I'm up-I'm up. Yeesh!" He staggered slightly. Trying to regain his equilibrium, even with D helping him, was becoming an increasing challenge. The ground was suddenly in his line of sight, and his mind seemed to be making randomly off-the-wall connections. "I suppose that asphalt isn't as spongy as it kinda looks, hunh?" He was beginning to sound as though he might be drunk.

"Hardly." D replied with wry amusement.

Leon stopped letting himself be propelled forward, and struggled to contemplate something. "Tha—that's almost a play on words."

"You're starting to scare me, Leon." D's voice was thick with sarcasm.

The detective blinked. "I'm sorry." There was practically no hint that he even slightly fathomed what he was saying.

D froze, looking at him sternly. "Congratulations, Leon. You've scared me."

The gaze Leon fixed on D was broken by another slow blink. "I did?" More gazing—another blink. More blinking—another gaze. "You don't look scared." His observation had a rather innocent sort of wonder.

"I'll try to work on it. Will that help?" D had gone back to his more engaging sarcasm.

"Help what?" Leon managed to ask with a rapidly shutting down brain.

Mismatched eyes looked the other man over, "Help me take care of the things that I used to treat Miss Freshney."

The innocent stare soon clouded over with guilt. "Uh, yeah, sure." The strong emotion led him to more wakefulness, and he allowed D to finish guiding him back into the shop.

By the time they'd entered the front door, though, Leon had forgotten that he'd said he would help with something, or that there had been anything to help with. He'd become focused on comprehending what was in front of him, the lighting and fatigue making things seem less recognizable.

They were stopping. There was a bed in front of him. The bed was clicking. No. The floor was clicking. No. Something on the floor was clicking. A lot of somethings on the floor were clicking. "Almost reminds me of tap dancing…" The quasi disconnected thought floated through Leon's brain, and out his mouth.

"Don't let T-Chan hear you say that," D warned quietly.

Not connecting the tapping sound and T-Chan, Leon turned to D in renewed confusion. "Don't let T-Chan hear me say what?"

"That you want to throw yourself at my mercy and let me tear your liver out through your throat." T-Chan stopped to stand with D and Leon.

Leon looked down to where the voice had come from. He saw T-Chan. He forgot that he'd never heard T-Chan speak. He forgot that he'd never heard any animal speak…that wasn't in a movie. His brain had interests of its own. It wasn't interested that a doggish looking sheep just said something. It was interested in matching images to the words the sheep shouldn't have said. "Would my liver even fit through my throat?"

D was completely startled by Leon's question

"Is he drunk?" T-Chan demanded with distaste.

"No I'm not drunk, y'bitchy little rave wig." Leon's face twisted into one of his fiercer scowls, and he pulled himself loose from D's hold, then stood, readying himself for…whatever. He failed.

Just as D gasped and let out a scandalized, "Leon Orcot!", T-Chan processed what Leon had hit him with—and crumpled to the floor in a twitching heap.

Both Leon and D crouched down to the floor with mutual panic for T-Chan.

"T-Chan?" D reached a hand to the totetsu fearfully.

T-Chan shoved himself over onto his back with a thrust of his hind leg…and let out a howl of laughter. "B-BI-BITCHY—RA—RAVE WIG!" He'd totally lost himself to hysteria.

"Oh-honestly!" D hissed in exasperation. He looked up accusingly at Leon. "Detective, I believe you're contaminating my children."

Of course, Leon had to contemplate just how to answer. He was supposed to answer, wasn't he? He looked back down at T-Chan, and seemed to be struggling with another troubling thought. "Didn't think what I said was that funny…even if I did say it myself." He forced his thoughts forward again, but missed. "Wouldn't my stomach block my liver?"

D stared at Leon blankly, sensing that he might be on the edge of defeat. He wasn't going down without a fight…of some kind, at least. He parted his lips with the tip of his tonge, and pointed a lethal looking index finger in front of Leon. "Bed!" The word was dripping with dire finality.

Still having to blink a couple of times before responding, Leon gave D an irreverent salute, "Aye-aye Cap'in Croonch," he said with a half-assed Spanish accent. As soon as his reply was out of his mouth, he shot up, went over to the bed, and sat down on the nearest side of it with a satin and down quilt poof.

A/N: I want to say a word of thanks for the encouraging reviews and 'faving'. They've really given me the motivation I need to keep working on this story, especially during my spells of writers block.