Totetsu Lessons – Cut Short by Unexpected Events

"You can't just free a criminal from the prison! And especially not a criminal who's in prison for eating humans!" Leon yelled.

D glared. "You wanted to know about the shop and its inhabitants!" he gave back hotly. "Now you will have to live with the consequences. And besides, Tetsu is not human. He was just using a human disguise."

"That doesn't make this any better, D." Leon glared right back. "He still is guilty of killing over forty humans. I arrested him myself, dammit, because he wanted to chew on you, if I may remind your kami highness of that!"

"My memory is quite intact, Detective!" the kami snapped. "I was aware of what Tetsu would try to do. In fact I was rather displeased that you arrested him. I would have preferred not to have to free him from prison to get him into my shop."

The blonde gaped. "I can't believe you sometimes," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You'd've let him eat you up just so he would stay in the pet shop?"

D smiled his best infuriating smile. "I assure you, he wouldn't have had much success. I was fully capable of handling the situation."

Leon turned around. "In short, my worry was superfluous," he said curtly. D bit his lip and scolded himself for not harking up better before. Rising, he went to stand behind Leon, nestling his head against his shoulder blade.

"But I still was glad that you came," he whispered. "You burst in through that door like a fury, just to save me… nobody has ever tried to save me."

The blonde kept still. "Really?" he asked then.

The young kami nodded, hiding his smirk. Leon could be so easily distracted. "You do so many things for me, and most of them aren't necessary at all. But I know you do them because you believe them to be and I honour and appreciate them as if they were. Only that you took T-chan to the prison was rather unkind…"

Leon snorted at that. "Well, it's not exactly as if you'd told me he wasn't human, but a freaking totetsu or whatever you call that and that you wanted him for your collection of scary pets. Which is, if I may point that out, far too big for my taste anyway."

D chuckled. "No, I didn't," he admitted. "But I rather disliked the prison…"

The human sighed deeply. "And now?" he asked helplessly. "What am I to do now? I mean, I'm a detective. I can't just let Tetsu stay here when he's guilty of murder."

"You cannot throw an animal into prison. Just think of him as a dog. You wouldn't throw a dog into prison for eating a rabbit, would you?"

"D, that's different," Leon pointed out. "A dog and a rabbit are both animals. If one eats the other, it's nothing that concerns the police. But if Tetsu goes out and eats some humans, it's my job to stop him."

The young kami sighed impatiently and tried to suppress the sudden queasy feeling in his stomach. Such talks usually led nowhere except anther fight. "But he doesn't anymore. He barely ever leaves the shop. And besides, you wouldn't put a dog who killed a human into prison either, would you?"

"No, that dog'd be shot and his owner held responsible for not watching it better. Who in this case would be you," Leon countered, raking a hand through his hair. "Dammit, D, 'tis not exactly like Philippe or Kate or even Honlon!"

"I can't change the way it is, Leon!" D snapped, let go of the human and returned to his chair, pressing a hand on his revolting stomach. "Tetsu needs to eat human flesh every now and then to survive! Am I supposed to let him die or what?"

The blonde groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. "No, course not," he moaned. "God, Chris would be devastated! Not to speak of Dana."

"I -" All of a sudden D felt horrible. He retched dryly and bent over. Leon let go of his face and watched him, confused.

"D, what's the matter?" he asked. "You sick?"

The young kami would've liked to answer, but he already felt the tea and cake make their way back up into his mouth. Hurriedly he jumped up and ran to the bathroom, reaching the washbasin just in time. Supporting himself on both sides, he vomited and vomited until only bitter acid came up.

"Hey, take it slow."

Warm hands kept the hair out of his face and supported his weight when suddenly his knees buckled. Leon rested D's head against his broad shoulder and handed him a glass of cold water. The kami took it greedily, trying to get rid of the nauseating taste in his mouth. Leon rocked him until his body had stopped trembling, and D thankfully leaned into him. "Oh my goodness," he finally moaned. "I hate that!"

The human chuckled. "Well, you're not alone with that, honey. Most people hate vomiting." He let go of D to scrutinise him. "Anyway, why did you…? I mean, that's never happened before, has it…?"

He trailed off while D's eyes widened. He'd been so preoccupied with the fight and then with his nausea that he hadn't drawn the logical conclusion. Now he carefully placed a hand on his abdomen and concentrated. It was weak, small, barely noticeable, much fainter than when he had noticed Dana for the first time. But it was there.

Leon couldn't help but start laughing at the completely nonplussed expression on D's face. Helplessly he giggled while he embraced his boyfriend tighter. "So, that heat was over, you said?" he teased and nuzzled his nose into D's neck, breathing in his scent. "Well, seems you were wrong 'bout that, D."

"I – Leon, I was not!" D protested furiously. "I know what happens in my body and when! I know my heat definitely was over, and you know, too. We haven't had sex every night since a week."

Laughter greeted this statement. "Is that a complaint about not enough sex?"

D pushed at Leon's chest. "No, it isn't, you insufferable impolite lecher. I was merely remarking on a fact that confirmed my assertion of the situation."

"God, I don't think I know anyone else who can sound so much like a dictionary. What's wrong with it?" Leon kissed the soft spot behind D's ear.

"It shouldn't have happened," the kami insisted weakly. "I didn't think it could happen again. I don't know!"

"Why shouldn't it have happened?" Leon let go off him, a baffled look on his face. "You know, we didn't use any protection, no tea, no condoms, nothing, and we did it like, three times a day. I'm rather surprised you didn't think you were pregnant."

"But that is not as it should be!" D insisted and wriggled around. "My heat didn't last long enough for me to conceive."

"Well, Dana only took one time, too." Leon really didn't understand why D insisted on it being impossible so much. After all, this was what they had agreed on.

D took a deep breath, closed his eyes and started another lecture. "Leon, I told you about the hormones and how my heat is triggered. But the point why it is so difficult for my species to fall pregnant is that it takes a long time before we conceive. It is a mechanism that is meant to ensure that the child will be cared for by both parents. Two weeks of heat at the least are required to conceive."

"Why?"

"Because -" D sighed. "The body needs time to form a seed of life. If the hormones suddenly stop being compatible during this process, then the development of the seed is also stopped. And just like a human woman doesn't automatically become pregnant after her ovulation, impregnation isn't guaranteed either after the seed of life is fully developed."

"My god, can you become any more complicated?" Leon shook his head and pulled D closer again. "I mean, truly! It's only a baby!"

"Only a baby, you say." D's voice suddenly was sharp. "If I may remind you, only a baby was your idea. Or was that just the excuse to convince me to have sex with you again?"

Leon suddenly pushed away from him and stared at the kami. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded. "I don't need an excuse if I wanna have sex."

D didn't reply to that. Leon's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you think the same as Jill does. That I don't really wanna have another child. Well, tell you what now, Count D, after all the trouble I had with my first kid, it's a wonder I even wanna have a second! And I'm not stupid, you know? I know that kid's not gonna resolve anything in our relationship."

"Then why did you insist on it?" D hurled back. "Did you think I wouldn't agree if you said that you only want sex?"

"No, because I know how damn horny you were," Leon snapped and batted D's hand away. "Don't dare to hit me! I know you wouldn't have been able to resist much longer, and that wasn't why I said what I did! D, can you not understand what this is about? You had Dana to yourself all those years, you had the chance to see her grow up, to see her learn and grow. But I didn't!"

Uncomfortable silence fell. Leon tugged at D until the kami again was sitting on his lap, and buried his head in the crook of neck and shoulder. "I just wanna see my own child grow up, D. You know what it's like to look at Jamie and see him growing, and then look at Dana and realise that I can't even know what she looked like at his age, because you don't even have photos?"

D tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I just wanna know what it's like to raise a kid with you. I wanna know what you're like when you're pregnant, I wanna be there to see it for myself. I wanna hold my own child in my arms, and not only when it's almost two years old. That's all. Is that so wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Leon. I am so sorry for what I did. I am so sorry…"

"I know." D could feel Leon's throat working and didn't know what to say. This human – he was the only creature on the whole planet to make him lose his calm, to silence him with a few words, a look, a gesture. The only one to make him laugh like nothing else mattered, the only one to aggravate and excite and thrill him. And he still hurt him so often, knowingly and unknowingly.

"But -" Leon spoke up again, his voice trembling a little. "D, if you really don't want to have a child…"

"Be quiet at once!" They both listened a moment in shock to the sharp echo of the words. Then D softened and closed Leon's mouth with a finger. "How could I deprive you of that? How could I shut you out once again and make a decision solely for and because of myself?"

"You're the one who's gonna have to deal with it. For a long time."

"If you look at it like that, then tell me: how could I kill an innocent child? How could I kill my own child? I have no right to decide if this child is going to live or not."

Leon smiled crookedly. "And that's coming from someone who's selling murder pets to people."

D wanted to say something, but he quickly waved him off. "No, D, just don't. I know what you're gonna say, and I honestly don't want to hear it. You know, I actually did learn something during all those years. You're as much black as you're white, and the grey zone in between is too complicated for me to comprehend, so I'll just take it as it is and try to find some sort of sense for myself."

The kami gave a soft little laugh and caressed Leon's cheek, looking him deep in the eyes. "Those were very wise words, my darling."

"Stole them from you," Leon countered and D chuckled for real this time. He took Leon's hand and placed it on his abdomen.

"Well, then I have only one thing left to do," he said, feeling his insides slowly warming up, glowing with joy. "Congratulations, Leon. You are to become a father again soon." He pressed a soft kiss to Leon's forehead, who, despite the fact that he had been the first to realise, looked stunned at hearing it spoken out loud.

"A father…" Hesitantly he moved the hand over D's belly. "So it is real, isn't it? It wasn't just indigestion or something like that?"

D wanted to burst out. Chuckling, he nodded. "Yes, it is a baby, Leon. I have never had indigestion in my whole life. I will just have to accept the fact that I obviously do not have to complete the heat to fall pregnant."

"Perhaps that what's your degeneration really is. Perhaps your body doesn't stop developing the seed when the heat stops, so that you can become pregnant easier than your ancestors," Leon suggested.

D pondered it for a moment and then smiled. "Yes, maybe. Well, in that case, we might even become grandparents one day."

The ocean-blue eyes that had been rather dark until now lit up. "Hey, don't start planning the kids' future before they're even old enough to have a boyfriend. Or girlfriend, if the new kid's gonna be a boy."

"It could be gay," D suggested and couldn't help the sudden chuckle that bubbled up. Without knowing why, he laughed, feeling dizzy and free and happy at the same time. "Leon, I am pregnant! We are going to have a baby!"

Leon laughed, too, and squeezed him tight. "Yeah, we are. Wonder what the others will say – Dana and Chris and Pon-chan, and Honlon… that means, if Honlon doesn't already know." His face clouded. "How does she know such things, anyway?" he inquired.

D smiled. "She is a dragon, Leon," he answered softly. "Dragons are known to detect secrets and unravel the future. Be glad Honlon is yet very young. Her ability to foresee the future will grow with the years."

"Could be useful." Leon pondered that for a moment and then grinned again. "Think she could find out the Lotto numbers?"

"Leon, do not be silly!" the kami chided and then smiled, resting his head on his shoulder. "But I do hope she does not know yet…" He turned pleading eyes up at his mate. "Would you mind keeping it a secret for a little while?" he asked almost timidly. "I – it is just – only we both know now, and as soon as the pets know, they will be all over me…"

Leon tightened his arms around him. "Sure, babe," he said. "The baby's gonna stay our little secret for a while."

D smiled thankfully. Then he paled and hurriedly stood, bending over the washbasin again. The blonde couldn't suppress a chuckle then. "If you continue to throw up all the time, I doubt you'll be able to keep it a secret for very long," he commented and went to help the father-to-be.

Tetsu was not really excited about Leon taking him aside. "We've gotta talk," the human growled and dragged him into the parlour rather unfriendly, which was pretty deserted at the moment. The pets were reclining in their rooms and not populating the front as usual. It seemed as if life was taking a break in the shop, though why was beyond Leon's knowledge. He didn't care much either, if he was to be honest.

"And what about, if I may ask?" the totetsu snapped and freed his arm from the human's grip, rubbing it with a pout on his face. "Don't know what we'd have to talk about."

"Well, we could maybe talk about Mr. Wong and his 'death'," Leon suggested, the blue eyes hard.

Tetsu's eyes narrowed. "Don't know what you mean."

"You know fucking well what I mean!" the blonde snapped. "You murdered over 40 people!"

"Yes, and I also cooked and ate them, so what?"

"I knew why I don't like D's freaks."

"And I know why you don't like the Count either, but still cling to him like a lifeline."

They glared at each other. Leon's eyes sparkled in plain anger, while Tetsu's were both triumphant and excited. He obviously relished in the old rivalry flaring up again. "And before you start getting any funny ideas in your head, I won't give any promises I won't keep anyway."

"You're not going to kill one more human! I swear I'll kill you if you do!" Leon growled, his voice dark and threatening.

Tetsu showed off his fangs, grinning even broader when the human shuddered. "Oh, dear Leon, don't you worry about that. Lucky for you, the Count took his promise more serious than you him, and forbade me to kill any more humans."

"But -" Leon's brow wrinkled. "You have to eat human flesh. D said so himself."

"I do." There was an aura around the totetsu Leon had never noticed until now. When before he'd not felt good near this particular pet because it obviously disliked him (and the way D cuddled him all the time unsettled him), now there was a challenge to him, one that Leon knew he would lose.

"Then where do they come from? D breeds them in his cellar for you or what?" he snapped, not wanting to show his fear, although Tetsu could probably feel it anyway, being the predator he was.

T-chan's grin could only be described as "really mean". "As if the Count would do that. No, it's much easier. Where in this city do dead humans turn up with some frequency?" he challenged the human.

Leon went pale in the blink of an eye. "Don't tell me that – no, Tetsu, you can't do that, it's – oh my fucking god."

"I like mortuaries. And they offer quite some change in food," the totetsu announced, seemingly undisturbed by Leon's reaction. "Only last week there was such a delicious young girl there, and no one knew who she was – true, she'd been taking drugs, but with the help of some sharp sauce, that stale aftertaste can be rendered to almost nothing."

Leon turned green. "Never – and I mean, never, ever – tell Chris or Dana about that!" he hissed. "If I one day hear that you've told one of them what you're eating – god, you're such a sick bastard -"

"Oh, probably I am." Tetsu looked at his fingernails with some interest. "I'd say that with the exception of the Count and a few other vegetarian pets in here, we can all join the club of sick bastards. Meat-eating's just what most of us do."

"But not human flesh," Leon protested wildly, but knew already that he couldn't argue much there. Even if Tetsu might look like a human (at least, while he was looking at him through Kanan's eyes), he wasn't. So that didn't even count as cannibalism.

Still, it made him sick to think that his little brother and daughter played day to day with someone who searched the mortuaries of Los Angeles for food.

"Oh, snap out!" Tetsu growled, looking at him again. "I wouldn't eat either Chris or Dana, if it's any consolation. There're humans who eat other humans, too. It's perfectly natural. After all, if you take the soul away, you're just a bunch of flesh and muscles like any other living creature on this planet, too."

That was, without any doubt, a point of view that was very straightforward and also true. Nevertheless, it took some getting used to, and Leon tried to look at it from Tetsu's point of view for a moment, tried to imagine that for him it was the same as Leon's steak was for Leon – but there still was something in him that refused to agree with what he was doing.

Luckily for him, right then D entered, carrying a large tray with several dishes on it. Pon-chan was trailing after him. Leon jumped up at once and took it from his hands, leaving Tetsu to himself, who blinked in surprise. "Dammit, D, be careful!" the human scolded.

The young kami wiped away a strand of hair and glared at him. "I am not a child, Leon," he replied icily. "Do not start treating me like one!"

The blonde blushed, but he still carried the tray into the kitchen, closely followed by D, arguing with him. "You should be careful, is all I'm saying," the pets heard before the door closed behind them. Pon-chan sidled up to her best friend, oblivious to the conversation he'd just had with Leon.

"Say, T-chan," she started, "Leon's really protective of the Count lately, isn't he?"

The totetsu eyed the door behind which they could hear that D hadn't been angry for long with his mate. "Yeah, pretty," he stretched and then cast a sharp glance as Pon-chan's point hit home. "Oh no," he said, stunned. "That can't be. Why would they… no, surely not."

The raccoon's eyes sparkled. "Why no? After all, Leon's said more than once that he wants another baby. And we all know they barely slept at night during his heat…"

"But – that's a stupid idea! The Count said so himself!" T-chan protested. "He can't have a second kid with him. Dana's enough work as it is. Not to mention Chris and Jamie."

His friend barely chuckled at that and hopped off. "Well, I'm just saying. Why not?"

T-chan stared at the door to the kitchen. The Count was laughing, a soft, happy sound that he only ever made whenever Leon did something he liked. He groaned. Not that he really minded another child in the shop – but shouldn't they at first work out their problems?

On the other hand, if they were really having a second child together, it might just solve some…

He shared his suspicion with his best friend that evening, having tea after the children had gone to bed. Leon and D were looking at some papers at the table, and Ten-chan had sat down on a cabinet with his teacup, dangling his feet and watching them.

Tetsu climbed onto the cabinet to sit beside him. "Why's he not eating cake?" he asked without any kind of introduction and Ten-chan glanced at him in obvious bafflement, then back at the Count, who was just stepping a little closer to Leon.

"Why would I know? Perhaps he doesn't feel like it today. He's been a little strange…" His voice trailed off as he stared at his master. "No way!" he cried out, face bright with joy. "No way! You're pregnant again? Oh, wow!"

D and Leon at the secretary startled, and the kami hastily took his hand away from his abdomen, where he had unconsciously placed it and blushed, a shy smile on his face. Leon wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "So much to keeping that a secret," he said, but his grin told a different story. "What was it that tipped you off?"

"I don't know, I was just – well, Tetsu-" Ten-chan didn't know what to say, but finally he decided to simply be overjoyed. "Oh my, congratulations! Did you already tell Dana and Chris?"

Leon and D exchanged a little grimace. "Originally we didn't want to tell anybody so soon," the blonde said, holding D tighter. "We found out only a few days ago, too, and we wanted to wait a little while longer…"

"Oh, nonsense!" Ten-chan jumped down from the cabinet. "Hell if I'm gonna leave the shop in the next months! I already skipped on the first baby!"

D winced, remembering what had driven the fox from the shop back then, and not entirely happy about having the hyperactive kitsune in here during his pregnancy either. "Now, Ten-chan, calm yourself and for once keep your mouth shut. The children will be told in due time, and that's not now," he admonished, looking at Leon for support. "Let us please get used to it before we tell them."

Ten-chan blinked in obvious surprise. "What's there to get used to? It's just a pregnancy," he said, as if this was an everyday occurrence. D sighed and shook Leon's arm off.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am not feeling all that used to being pregnant, and Leon, too, has to learn a lot. For example, that a baby in my belly hasn't suddenly rendered me to a fragile porcelain doll which has to be wrapped up in cotton and silk so that nothing will happen to her."

Leon took the reprimand with a guilty grin. He knew he was getting on D's nerves with his overprotective behaviour since he'd gotten to know about the baby, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't quite calming for his nerves when D jumped out of their bed in the middle of the night to go vomit a little. He tried to keep track of when and what D had eaten last, but that was difficult since he was at work and D only managed to keep half of what he was eating down.

"Seems like you're gonna be a very concerned father, at least for the new kid," Kanan cut in and entered the front room, smirking. "And what about us, Daddy?"

Everyone else laughed while Leon snatched her and good-naturedly ruffled her hair. While they were busy with her and Leon, Shuko came closer to D. "You truly shouldn't complain about him staying close," she said, smirking too. "After all, it's going to be much easier for you."

D looked at her, astounded, but unfortunately Leon started to wrestle with Kanan in that moment and their conversation was cut short rather roughly by the dragon's body moving elsewhere. Shuko laughed and turned her attention to Leon and Kanan, too, leaving D to think.

Dana's voice woke him, and for a moment D looked around his bedroom, completely disorientated. Where was Leon? He knew the human had gone to bed with him last night, stating that he had to take care of him should he be sick again. Against D's will, needless to say, although in the end, it had turned out to have been quite a… delightful idea.

Now Leon was obviously taking care of their first child, trying to keep the noise down so not to wake D.

How strange it felt to suddenly be thinking of Dana as their first child. Since D had realised he was going to have a child, the thought of having more than one had only crossed his mind as a fantasy or a wild, desperate scheme.

But yet again, his body had surprised him with being capable of accepting Leon's seed outside the time it was supposed to do so…

If he was to be completely honest, he had not exactly been sad realising that his heat was over. However glad Leon might be about this, the nausea was not something D had been looking forward to.

The door went. Leon came in and smiled at his lover, curled up on his bed like a cat. "Hey babe. You're okay?"

D raised his head and returned the smile. "I am fine," he replied. "Just a little tired…"

"You just slept for more'n eight hours on end." The blonde sat down on the bed and followed D's hand until he was curled up around the kami. "Do you want anything?" he asked quietly.

D shook his head. "No, I'm alright. Like I said, only tired."

"I wish I could do something to make this easier."

"You are doing something. You are here," D answered, closing his eyes with an expression of bliss. Leon laughed softly, unhappily. "More, D, more. You shouldn't feel like shit."

That made D laugh, too. "I do not feel that bad, Leon. It is normal, you know that."

"Doesn't mean that I like it better. I mean, I'm responsible for it. Partly."

"And that is why I do not mind," D finished firmly and grimaced when his stomach clenched. "Would you please let me go to the bathroom?"

Leon, of course, went with him and took him into his arms when D had finished, sighing. "Hell, D, how long's this gonna take? The vomiting and stuff, you know?" He let go off D to look at him with renewed interest. "D, how long is a kami pregnant?"

"Roughly three months," D answered flatly, his eyes closed. "Maybe four, if it's a difficult pregnancy, but usually around three months."

Leon stared in disbelief. "Three. What the hell, D, that can't be enough for a child to fully grow."

"This is why we need our mate nearby," D replied swiftly. "Because they have to help us deal with all the problems. And because both partners can be very preoccupied with the pregnancy, it takes short time so not to burden the parents to the point where they won't be able to care for the baby later because of exhaustion. It is very simple nature."

Leon just shook his head. "And how long will you be pregnant, then?" he wanted to know. "I mean, three months, that'd be… hell, damn short! The baby'd have to be born in less than six weeks, and you're not even – you don't even have a belly yet."

D sighed, his eyes still closed. "Yes, I happened to notice that, thank you very much. I am carrying a human child, and those happen to have a longer pregnancy. Dana took 10 months to grow and be born. But that was without you near."

"So how long's it gonna take this time?"

The mismatched eyes snapped open and glared. "How am I to know?" D demanded, his patience obviously thin. "I will know when the child is ready to be born, but I cannot foresee the future. Go and ask your daughter if you are so intent on knowing beforehand."

He roughly pushed himself up and left Leon in the bathroom on the floor, shaking his head in something resembling exasperation. Mood swings. Just great.

A/N: anonymous: I'd help Ten-chan... no problem at all ^^ Well, seems as if the pets have little to no inhibitions about nakedness xD But yes, you're right, Jill's been having an extremely hard time lately. I promise it'll get better sooner or later, kay?

sess18: I tried... sorry for not making it, but well, one week is perhaps ok?