Chapter 6
Lelouch blinked awake to find Suzaku was still in the room. He yawned and stretched, suddenly startled to realize he was still human. He looked over at Suzaku, who was on the phone.
"Yeah, I have a problem, Nunnally. - No, I can't . . . it's not that simple." He sighed and looked over to see Lelouch was awake. "I don't even understand why you need me in on a Saturday, anyway." Another sigh. "It can wait until Monday, Nunnally." He closed the phone.
"Suzaku?"
"I'm so sorry, Lelouch." Suzaku said, sitting on the bed. "I don't even know how it could have happened."
Lelouch looked at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?"
"You didn't turn back into a cat." Suzaku explained.
"Oh, that." Lelouch sighed. "We probably got the wrong hole some time while I was on top of you. Aim isn't my strong suit, even with cat's eyes."
"That means we're going to be parents." Suzaku said. "And before you even suggest it, I don't want you to hurt yourself or the baby, alright?"
Lelouch nodded. "Actually, I was going to suggest figuring out how we're going to explain a pregnant seemingly male neko following you to work tomorrow to hiss at and catch mice."
Suzaku blinked at him. "You still plan on following me to work?" he asked once his brain managed to process what Lelouch had said.
"Yeah." Lelouch replied. "Being alone . . . it makes things happen." He looked down.
"What things?"
"Thoughts and Geass memories start to flood and pour in. I start to see things flash in front of my eyes, things that happened ages ago, when the Geass was worshiped by cults." Lelouch looked at him. "I see my mother as well."
Suzaku walked over a scratched Lelouch behind one of his ears. "These aren't pointed like most cats."
"Technically, I'm not a house cat." Lelouch replied.
"Oh, then what are you?" Suzaku asked.
"Black Leopard." Lelouch answered. "Also called. . . "
"A panther?" Suzaku asked. "Why were you still so small?"
"Like I said, I was reborn without any fur. I was equal to a week-old panther cub. Just old enough to open my eyes and move around. I got caught, by the zoo, and they did their best to care for me when I was a little thing. It wasn't until about a month later that I started to change into a human-like form overnight. I had all my fur then, so I escaped, leaving the zookeepers a note saying thank you for caring for me. They're probably confused as all heck, but I wanted to let them know it was appreciated."
"You know, maybe we should go back to that zoo, now that your like this. They may be able to help."
Lelouch thought a moment. "Ok, if that's what you want."
"I want to make sure you're going to be alright through this pregnancy. We have no idea how long it's going to be, even."
"That's true." Lelouch leaned on Suzaku. "I'm hungry, though. Can we eat first?"
Suzaku laughed. "Yeah. I've got some more of those beef hot-dogs you like."
Suzaku dressed Lelouch in a black shirt and pants, though it was hard with the tail, and thus a hole had to be made for it to hang properly. The trip out to the zoo was interesting, given that it had become common knowledge that Zero was the owner of the black cat, and thus it was in his Zero uniform that Suzaku made the trip.
"You wanted to see our Leopard keepers?" asked the head of the zoo.
Lelouch stayed crouched on the ground, pawing at the grass. "Mowr." he said.
"Yes. It concerns my pet." Zero reached down and scratched Lelouch's ear, and he purred warmly.
"That's a human." said the zoo head.
"Correction, he's a Black Leopard with the ability to look human. I believe your zookeepers were caring for a tiny leopard cub a few months back that suddenly disappeared. There would have been a note left behind, thanking them for the care?"
"How would you know this?" the zoo head asked.
"He can talk, he just chooses not to right now."
"Oh, a butterfly." Lelouch lept after it, very cat-like despite his humanish appearance, only to tilt his head. "Aw, it got away." He padded back to Suzaku. "Rowr."
"It's ok." Suzaku scratched him behind the ear again.
"It's human." said the zoo head. "And I won't interrupt my keepers for nothing."
"Did Jodi have her baby yet?" Lelouch asked, making the head stop.
"What?"
"Jodi, the woman came out and picked me up when the restaurant owner found a sickly little leopard cub on his back step. She would have been due by now, wouldn't she?"
"Yes, she's on maternity leave. But how do you know about that? She doesn't work out in the open."
"Like I said, she picked me up, nursed me back to health." Lelouch replied. "Please, can we see the keepers?"
"This way."
The four keepers remaining were surprised to see Zero walk in with the zoo head, and even more startled to see the humanoid cat that padded in beside him.
"What is this?" one asked.
Lelouch padded over and sniffed his pocket. "Meow?"
"Meow?" The guy looked at him. "Oh my gosh. Is it you?" He scratched under Lelouch's chin. "Hey guys, it's Blackie!"
Lelouch purred as the others came and pet him.
"Blackie?" Zero asked.
"It was what they called me when they took care of me." Lelouch replied.
"Oh, gods, he talks now?" asked one of the girls.
"He spoke the first night he turned human-like." said another. "We just kept quiet, cause we knew he'd just become a study animal. To us, he was our little Blackie." She looked at Zero. "So, after he vanished from here, he went looking for you?"
"Yeah. He was the size of a house cat, so that's what I thought he was. I guess I didn't notice he was still growing."
"Yeah, well, why's Blackie look like this?" asked the first guy. "He should look like a cat right now."
"About that." said Lelouch. "I'm pregnant."
There was silence for a few. "Blackie, how'd it happen? None of the other Leopards have been out."
"Tammy, do you know what this is?" Lelouch held up his hand, the one with the Geass mark on it.
"I always thought it was a birthmark." she replied. "Is it something else?"
"Yeah, and the reason I am the way I am." He sighed, suddenly feeling dizzy and faint.
"Whoa! Tim! He's fainted." Tammy and Tim got Lelouch up onto one of the feline medical tables.
"Who are you?" Tammy asked Zero.
"I'm Zero."
"I mean to our little Blackie."
Suzaku sighed. "I'm his murderer, his friend, his bed mate."
"You said murderer." said Tim.
"Yeah. Your Blackie is the reincarnation of Lelouch, given a second chance to do something better with himself." Zero replied.
"Well, looks like Jodi was right about you, huh?" said Tammy. She gently felt him over. "Well, he's gotten some meat on his bones, that good. We were so afraid he was going to end up eating out of trash cans again."
"He was before he got to the palace." Zero said. "But I tried to feed him. He hates cat-food, though."
Tammy giggled. "He preferred human food when we had him, too. So, what do you call him?"
"Lelouch, after a friend I had before the war." Zero replied. "My friend was . . . he was a good big brother to his crippled little sister. Something happened to him after we were forced to part ways, and when I saw him again, he'd become the tyrant."
Tim nodded. "It's best to remember the good parts." He pet Lelouch's head. "So, when did you find out he was gonna have cubs?"
"This morning." Zero said. "He mentioned the zoo, and I figured you guys might how to help him through this."
"Well, if Jodi's notes on him are anything to go by, you probably just got him pregnant. So that means weekly trips here with him for us to monitor things. If he follows the way things go for Leopards, it'll be 13-15 weeks before the cubs come. If he follows humans, well, that's 36-42 weeks, and out of our jurisdiction, mostly."
"What do you mean, mostly?" Zero asked.
"Well, given he's at least part feline, I doubt any human doctor would care for him."
"True." said Zero. "Is he going to be alright, though?"
"He just fainted." said the second girl. "I'm Casey, an intern here. My first day was when Jodi brought Blackie to us. Er, Lelouch. I've been wondering what happened to him ever since he vanished on us." She gently ran her hand along Lelouch's back. "I'm glad he found someone like you to take care of him."
"Thanks, but I'm going to need to know what he's going to need to eat to make sure he and whatever is growing inside him are alright."
"Here." said Tammy. "It's a generalized list for pregnant Leopards. You might want to modify it a bit for some more green vegetables in his diet. And, if you want, we can get you a pass so you can just bring him right here when you come by weekly so we can check on him."
"It might be helpful." Zero replied. He looked at Lelouch, who was awake, just lying there on the table. "You're going to be ok."
Lelouch nodded. "Sorry. I guess I wasn't really prepared for this."
"Well, looks like I'm sending someone grocery shopping later to make sure you're going to stay upright through this."
"Thanks." Lelouch pushed himself up to sitting, looking around. He tilted his head and slipped off the table, walking over to one of the other patient cages.
"I'd watch out." said Tammy. "Erika's been crabby all month."
However, as Lelouch got closer, the white Leopard in the cage came close, too. Both sniffed at each other, then started purring. Quite loudly.
"I think he found out what's wrong with your Erika." said Zero.
"Oh, goodness. Tim! Tim, Erika's pregnant." said Casey. "Oh my gosh." She headed over and scratched Lelouch behind the ear. "Can you talk to her?"
Lelouch looked at Casey, then back to Erika. There were a few rumbles in his throat, and his tail twitched some. The other cat lay down and purred back.
"She says she's scared of you." Lelouch replied. "But I don't seem scary, because I smell like Leopard." He looked back at her, flicking his ears and making some sounds again. Looking back, he sighed. "She won't let you, Casey. She said Tammy's better right now, because you don't really have experience. Erika said it's ok to observe, though, so you can learn."
"Ok. I can still feed her, right?"
There was a sound from Erika, and Lelouch laughed softly. "She said that's fine, and you can pet her then, too."
"Thank you." Casey smiled. "You're so pretty, Erika."
"Rowr." the Leopard yawned and lay down to sleep.
"We'd better get going, Lelouch." said Zero.
"Coming." He padded over, finding the more feline-way of walking a bit easier, even though he could walk like a person. Tammy said he must have earned a cat's flexibility to be able to do that, and he stuck his tongue out at her playfully before leaving.
"So, it's weekly visits here now until the baby comes." said Zero as they got into the car.
Lelouch sighed. He felt tired, and fell asleep on the way back to the palace. Suzaku carried him in, putting him to bed in his private chambers before asking a maid if they could fill out a strange grocery list for him.
Lelouch looked over, still sleepy, and then curled up. He was going to need all the rest he could get right now.