The wind and rain beat against the outside of Leon's building chasing people off the streets. The temperature had plunged with the onset of the storm making the air cool and damp. Inside though Leon and D were snuggled together in a warm nest on Leon's bed. D laid back against the deep wall of Leon's chest and sighed. He was settled comfortably between Leon's thighs their legs intermingling underneath the covers. He hadn't fully realized how taxing his life had been running the petshop. His very soul was tied to the store and it's cool dark interior but his heart was completely twined to Leon Orcot. For what it was worth D was willing to shut out the problems that loomed large and enjoy the stolen moment of contentment. Leon's strong arms were wrapped loosely around his waist in an embrace that spoke of warmth and understanding. D reached behind him to twist his fingers through Leon's hair stroking his face. He murmured appreciatively when Leon turned his head suckling on his fingers licking the pads with the tip of his tongue.

"You like that, huh?" D smiled lopsidedly and brought his hand down to rest on top of Leon's forearms.

"Yes, I appreciate 'that'." Leon dropped a kiss on top of the black head and pulled him a little tighter against his body. A comfortable silence reigned in the room both men lost in their respective thoughts. Leon rubbed his cheek against the soft hair thinking over the very long conversation they had had. D, he didn't think, had held anything back. Every bit of instinct Leon possessed and good deal of his ability to read people from years of working in law enforcement told him that D was being honest. As improbable as it was it still rang out with the ring of truth. Leon allowed himself a tiny bit of sadness and fear. He didn't want to break the quiet spell that weaved around them both just yet because he didn't know how many times he would have the opportunity to be with D this way.

"Leon?" D asked softly.

"Yeah, babe." D shook his head at the odd sound of Leon calling him by an endearment. He traced intricate patterns in the gold hair on Leon's arms to distract himself.

"What now? You surely must see why it is necessary for you and I to.., I mean that is.." Leon stopped D's tracing covering the small fine boned hand with his own.

"No."

"But surely to keep you safe..."

"No."

"But you do not understand the magnitude..."

"No."

"My grandfather would say you have no say in the matter. You are a human and..."

"I said no. I meant no. I'm not leaving, your not leaving, and I could give a rat's ass if your psychotic family likes it or not." Leon fumed above his head.

"Leon!" D's voice admonished him.

"I cannot blatantly disrespect the wishes of my family. It is not done!" D spat at him in a high voice.

"It's not the wishes of your family. It's the wishes of your father. And as far as I am concerned he can kiss my ass. You are not a f***ing piece of meat to auction off to the highest bidder." Leon's voice raised and octave or two higher then D's . D turned in his arms and looked up at him.

"Leon it is not simple in that way. You realize this." Leon pecked his mouth lightly and leaned against the headboard of the bed. He shook his head at the kami rejecting the words.

"D it's not fair. Your father hates the idea of you 'mingling' with humans so much that he sends four of them to rape you to teach you how evil we all are. That is just twisted. It's even more twisted to promise you off to some demi-god in exchange for more power all because he considers you to be some kind of 'defect'. That's just wrong. I won't sit back and watch that happen. Don't look at me like that!! I'm not going to, period." Leon shushed him before he could respond by laying his finger across his lips.

"I mean it D. It's slavery. I won't stand for it." D kissed the knuckle of Leon's finger and snuggled back against his chest.

"I do not mean to offend you or your intent to protect me, however, I am very sad to say I do not believe it can be stopped." D's word were calm and matter of fact. Leon couldn't envision how he could keep his composure in the face of what he knew. Leon stroked his hair more to comfort himself then to comfort the kami. They had talked all day and well into the night. D had opened a whole new world to Leon. One of great beauty and power but also one of great treachery and deceit. He had listened to everything D had said. He'd asked questions when he could and had him go back over things when necessary. Still it was a lot to take in and most of it made Leon's human mind reel. A gentle purring came from D who had gone limp in his arms already asleep. Leon rocked him softly unwilling to let go.

A light but insistent knocking on the apartment door forced the issue though and Leon reluctantly laid the sleeping Count down into the indention their bodies made. Leon pulled his gun and held it tucked against the back of his leg and approached the door as quietly as possible. Something was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and considering all the new knowledge he had he thought he'd rather play it safe then sorry.

Peeping through the eyehole Leon could see two figures standing in the hallway. One was Q Chan dressed rather impeccably in business suit the other was a very small woman. She stood no higher then Q Chan's breast. The family resemblance was too much for coincidence. She looked up at the eyehole and smiled.

"Come on Detective. Open the door so we may check on my great grandson. And you can put your weapon away I assure you I mean you no harm." She addressed him through the door. Leon felt almost an electric spark in his lower back and jerked backed from the door. It was unnerving to be able to feel someone's presence so strongly. D started purring again the sound coming louder from the bedroom.

"You hear my grandson? He knows I have come. Now open the door young man. Please." Leon could feel the affection in D's purring, it was a nearly tangible force pushing over him. Resigned Leon put his weapon in the waistband of his sweat pants and opened the door.

Q Chan bowed low to his mother and let her enter first. Leon closed the door behind them locking it with a decisive click.

"Hello, again detective. May I introduce my mother?" Q Chan asked politely. The little woman bowed lightly and gifted him with a radiant serene smile.

"Please excuse our rudeness. I would like to see my grandchild now. May I?" Leon gave her a lopsided grin. For one second something in the way she held herself had reminded him of his own grandmother.

"Sure, I take it you can find your way? Just follow the sound." She grinned back at him and headed towards the bedroom Q Chan on her heels. Leon shook his head and went to go put water on for tea for his guests.

Tea laid out in the living room Leon went to check on the group of them. Q Chan had settled in a chair in the corner of the room. D's great grandmother was sitting on the side of the bed stroking the hair from D's face tenderly. Leon leaned against the door jam and watched intently his arms crossed against his chest. D's eyes were open but it was apparent that no one was home. Leon would have been concerned except everything just felt so right. He wondered if it would be considered rude if he came in and pulled a shirt on.

"No child, I will not be offended if you choose to cover yourself." She turned and looked at him over her shoulder her eyes crinkling a bit.

"Of course it is a shame to cover such a handsome sight." Leon started a bit. He hadn't spoken out loud. D couldn't do that. He was sure of it, nor could Q Chan. Leon crossed over to his dresser drawer and pulled on a t shirt. She had returned her attention back to D, soft liquid words in Chinese flowed from her. Whatever she was doing must have felt good because D's eyelids fluttered and closed. Leon watched his chest rise and fall in deep even breaths. The purring lowered and then finally faded away. She carefully stood careful not to disturb him. Leon couldn't help staring into her eyes when she looked at him. Gold, both of them. Lighter in color then D's one but deeper in every possible way.

"Come child. We have much to talk about." Leon felt a wave of dejavu. He nodded and backed out of the room. He waved them both to the couch. He was fighting a very strong urge to kneel at her feet and wanted to put some space between them. Her skin was every bit as clear as D's, only a few wrinkles around eyes belied her age. He didn't even know how to address her. D had explained that he, his father, and Q Chan were all D their other names were never used, it gave power to the one who uttered them.

"You may call me Nana if you like Leon." Leon winced it was unnerving have someone able to wander around in his mind. Leon licked his lips and nodded. He settled the stubborn desire to kneel by sitting on the floor near her feet crosslegged. She laughed at that amusement on her face.

"So, um, Nana, it's a pleasure to meet you and all that. Um, look, I don't mean to be forward or anything but what's going to happen. I mean about D and all." Leon felt like he was five years old beneath her steady gaze.

"He has been promised to the halfling dragon Wu Long. Wu Long attends to fulfill that promise and claim him as his chief concubine." Leon knew this already.

"Yeah, but D tells me that his father did not seek the approval of you two guys first. So it's questionable at least isn't?" Nana patted him on his head and reached for a cup of tea. Q Chan chose to answer him.

"Yes, without our consent the contract is flawed, however, still valid Detective. He has been free so long as Wu Long did not insist, now, he insist most strongly." Q Chan broke off with a sigh. His English was clipped and stilted. Nana spoke it more clearly but then perhaps she had had more reason to use it.

"Why now?" Bitterness crept into Leon's voice. His little conversation with D had revealed a lot to him. D could recall almost two hundred years and could expect to recall several more hundred before he 'dissolved' as he put it.

"You know the answer to that Detective. You just do not like it." Nana answered over her tea. Leon scowled at the floor wanting to just out and out punch something. D had told him but Leon had hoped to hear something different.

"Yeah, I know. He wants an heir. So why can't he go barkin up somebody else's damn tree." And stay away from mine Leon thought vehemently. Nana blinked at the strong emotions pouring from the human. She sipped thoughtfully at the tea.

"He wishes to breed Leon. There are not many species he can do that with successfully. Ours is one of his best choices." The human nearly seethed with anger. Nana sifted through the different strands. Buried not to far from the surface of Leon's mind was the one that was shocked that the kami was hermaphroditic in nature and could bear children. It was crushed however beneath the stronger urge to be the one that seeded her great grandchild and to kill anyone or anything else that tried to. She smiled. Her son and grandson just did not appreciate this species enough.

"That's one thing. But what's all this other bullshit about, huh? So why's it got to be permanent. D tried to make it sound different then what it is dressing up what basically comes down to D giving up his life to this dude. I don't care how you say it being unable to leave or make your own decisions is slavery. Pure and simple. He's not some damn dog you keep in a kennel a pull out when you want to have f**kin puppies." Nana quickly reached out and put her hand on the irate human's brow. Leon felt the anger drain away before he could reach full pitch. It was replaced by a deep mellow feeling where he could still feel his anger but could not react on it.

"How you do that? Nevermind. It isn't right. I can't believe anyone's father could be so cruel. All because his heart isn't strong? I just don't understand." Leon sighed and leaned into the palm of Nana's hand all the fight draining from him.

"I know child. His father believes because he used human blood to create D that D isn't truly one of us. It's hard to explain. It is no more true then were one of your kind of mixed descent to be less human because of it but prejudice is hard to change. You love him very much don't you? You know the risk and yet you are not detained. Tell me detective were circumstances different would you take Wu Long's place? Even though you know to do so would bind you to D forever, unable to as you say change your mind?" Leon could feel the power pulsing into him from her hand but nuzzled deeper into it unafraid. Nana smelled like his grandmother he realized drowsily.

"Yes." Leon muttered his eyes closing. A welcome darkness swept up through him and he slid away into dreams where he wrestled with a red dragon to free his beloved from a prison of vines and metal and to take back what was his.