Chapter 10

Suzaku looked over at Lelouch. There had been a total of twelve false starts in the past ten days, four of which had been overnight. And all of them had been while in his Black Leopard form. Because of the inspections, the pregnant male had been almost ordered to stay in his feline form, and Suzaku could tell that the other was starting to hate it.
"Are they over, yet?" Lelouch asked as he chewed on his craving food. It was an apple crumble pie, and looked very strange given he was a Leopard eating human food.
"Today's the last day." assured Tammy. She changed the bags that hung on the rail. "So far we've been at or above standards, so today should just be getting the certificate of approval."
Lelouch sighed, finishing his pie, and started pacing. Suzaku got up and followed to make sure the lines didn't get caught on anything.
"You gonna be ok?" Suzaku asked.
"It started, again." Lelouch replied. "I'm trying to walk with it, see if that will get anything going further." He climbed the central rock, looked around, and carefully climbed back down. Turning, he rubbed against Suzaku's legs affectionately and purred.
"Love you, too." Suzaku smiled.
"It's still not gone?" came a haughty voice. Suzaku glanced over. It was the bitch in the red dress.
"That creature can't even get well in the ten days it was given?" asked the rude prick in the starched green suit.
"It takes time." Suzaku replied. He noticed Lelouch wanted them away, that something was different this time. The breathing was heavier, and he could see the other's sides heaving. "Everything's going to be ok." he reassured Lelouch, petting his head.
Lelouch whined, then padded away, lying down near some of the leafiness he'd become fond of.
"What are you two doing over here?" asked Tammy.
"We came to see if that pathetic Black Leopard was well or not." snorted the red lady.
"It can't even walk without limping, now." scoffed the green suit guy. "It's should really be put down, it's so pathetic."
"She's pregnant." Tammy returned. "And until she has her cub, she remains here, under our care."
"You're treading a very dangerous line, Tamara." said the green suit man. "Remember who owns this zoo."
"As I understood, it was Princess Cornelia li Britannia and her husband Dalton, wasn't it?" asked Suzaku. He noticed Lelouch was trying to get comfortable. "I have her permission to be here with my Black Leopard."
The wind taken out of their threat, the red dress lady and the green suit guy started to leave when they heard a growly whimper from the cage. "What was that?" asked the dress lady.
"It's the Leopard." Tammy replied. "Now leave. Too many people around can cause issues."
Suzaku looked at Lelouch. "Is something happening?" he asked.
"Sort of." Lelouch whispered. "It's hurting more, but I'm not sure of anything else. It's all inconsistent, but painful." He lay on his side. "I get the feeling nothing's going to happen . . . unless . . ."
"You want to try as a neko?" Suzaku asked.
"Things actually might get somewhere, then." Lelouch panted. He looked at Jodi as she stepped into the cage.
"Tammy said you might need some help." she said.
"Yeah." Lelouch grunted. "Is anything happening, or am I just wasting my time?"
"What do you mean?"
Lelouch winced again.
"He means, will it always just be a lot of pain, and no actual birth while he's a Leopard, or are they actually coming this time?" Suzaku replied. "He's worried." Carefully, he knelt next to Lelouch and caressed his shoulder.
Jodi felt along the heaving side. "These feel stronger than before." she replied. She felt under his belly, then looked at Suzaku. "I'm going to get Nanny."
"Who's Nanny?" Suzaku asked as Jodi headed away.
"She's an old Leopard." Lelouch gasped. "Called Nanny because - *gasp* - she helps the newer Leopards - *gasp* - with their young." He made a sad whimpering sound. "If Jodi - *gasp* - if she went for Nanny - *gasp* - I'm doing something wrong."
A nose suddenly prodded Suzaku out of the way as a large, white-speckled Leopard padded over. She sniffed Lelouch over, then prodded him to move. He wasn't lying the way he should.
"This is Nanny?" Suzaku asked.
"Yeah." Jodi replied. "It's our last resort before human intervention. If things can be done naturally, it's best they be done that way."
Lelouch started to cry. "Suzaku." he whimpered.
Nanny looked back and grunted at Suzaku to get over there and comfort the crying Leopard.
"Go. Nanny's letting you be there."
Suzaku hurried over, gently stroking the longer hairs from Lelouch's face. "It's ok. I'm here for you."
"It hurts." Lelouch mewled. He suddenly lurched forward, letting out an almost ear-shattering yowl, then lay down again. Looking back as Nanny seemed to be instructing him with her grunts and snorts, Lelouch saw what had caused all his pain.
There, eyes closed and crying, was a human baby sized cub. Lelouch carefully licked the baby over, then pulled them close to his side. He looked back at Suzaku, tears in his eyes.
"It's not over, is it?"
Lelouch looked back at the cub, his sides still heaving. "Suzaku." There was another yowl, and he lurched again, nearly collapsing to the ground this time. Looking over, he turned a little to find his second cub of about the same size.
"Is it over?" Suzaku asked.
Lelouch nodded, trying to follow Nanny's instructions and clean this second one as well. He shifted how he was lying and tried to get the cubs to nurse.
Nanny started to pace, growling at Lelouch when the two didn't do what they were supposed to.
He tried again, whimpering. He couldn't get them close enough, and Nanny was starting to belittle him. Lying on his side completely, Leouch used his paw to get the cubs close enough to him.
Nanny charged at him, growling and snarling. With one powerful strike, she knocked Lelouch away from his cubs.
Lelouch struggled to stand. He wasn't going to be pushed around by this cat anymore. She'd helped with the birth, it was time for her to leave. She wasn't going to make him abandon his young. He snarled, putting himself between Nanny and the twins.
"What's she doing?" Suzaku asked.
"Grab the cubs." said Jodi. "We're about to have a cat fight." She scooped one up and headed for the veterinary door. As they stepped in, she shouted, "Two tranquilizers, female dose, NOW!"
"Oh shit." said Tim. "Nanny's bullying him?"
Outside, Lelouch and Nanny were at it. The older Leopard leapt back, dodging Lelouch's swipe, then came at him with her own claws. Lelouch howled with the pain, then leapt at the older one, biting her. There was no way he was going to abandon the cubs, like she'd kept telling him to. Those were his; his and Suzaku's. No old flea-bag was going to tell him to abandon them and let them die just because they were strange or weak.
Nanny's paw came around and struck Lelouch's sore flank, making him let her go. Lelouch leapt up the rock, his back paw slipping from having just birthed. It was enough time for Nanny to bite him there, causing him to cry out again. He turned, but couldn't reach her. She had him at a disadvantage, and knew it. Her paws came up, digging their claws into his furry rump, and dragged back down. At the same time, she pulled back, making Lelouch fall from the rock.
Tim stepped out and aimed the gun, firing on Nanny. The other howled as she was hit with the tranquilizer, letting Lelouch out of her grasp. She dropped to the floor only seconds later, and Lelouch with her, without the tranquilizer.
"Shit." said Tim. He hurried over, Tammy and Casey following. Together, they lifted the battered Black Leopard and carried him into the care room, leaving Nanny out in the cage.
"Oh, man." said Jodi. "She really did you in."
"I will not - *cough* - not abandon them simply because - *cough* - because they don't smell like Leopards." Lelouch lay on the table, but still tried to look around. "Where - *cough* - where are they?"
Suzaku came over with the one, putting it down right next to Lelouch. "Here. Nurse him."
The cub sniffed around a bit, then latched happily to Lelouch. Moments later, the second cub was there, nursing as well. Lelouch relaxed, watching his twins, while Tammy and Jodi tended to some of the wounds that didn't need stitches. Tim held a towel to the leg wound.
Lelouch lay down on his side as the cubs crawled closer to his chest to sleep. "Go ahead. I need some rest anyway." He dropped off to sleep.
It was still three hours under the knife before they finished repairing the damage Nanny had done to his leg. They'd had to remove the cubs from near Lelouch, leaving Suzaku to hold and cuddle them while they mewled and cried for their mother.
"Shush. It's ok. Mommy will be alright. Daddy's got you." He smiled, marveling at how the pair currently looked like little cubs. Already, a fine fur covered their little bodies, and their paws looked big on them.
Suzaku sighed, softly singing to the pair in his arms. He'd sung this many times while Lelouch had been pregnant with them, and the pair settled as he sang.
"I didn't know you had such a good voice." said Jodi.
"Hmm? I was just trying to calm them." Suzaku replied.
"You sang that before."
"I sang it every day to try and help calm Lelouch's belly." Suzaku replied. "It's a war song, though."
"What's it called?"
"Thousand Year March, or something like that." Suzaku replied. "I'm not as good as the program that sings it, but thanks for the compliment."
"Well, we finished. He going to have trouble walking for a while, but thanks to his strange healing powers, he should be better in a week."
"Even with the Geass powers, it's still going to be a week?" Suzaku asked.
Jodi nodded. "It'll give us some time to teach you and Lelouch the basics of taking care of cubs."