Notes: A little nothing chapter in which D yells and Tet sulks and Pon-chan is adorable. The "real" story will continue in the next chapter.


Chapter 2: Lost and Demanding


Tet-chan was seriously displeased.

He lounged on the couch, swinging his claws just above the thick carpet, and whined to Pon-chan in a voice that the little raccoon often used to get her own way. "I hate him!" he said, frowning. "The count's always all over him like... like... ugh, sauce on meat or something."

"Butter on bread," Pon-chan replied, dipping a strawberry in a cup of milk and shaking it a little. "It's not like he's staying with us forever." She glanced up at the man-eating beast who was sulking into a brocade pillow. "Besides, if it was you or him, I'd rather he stayed." And she giggled.

"Stupid rodent."

"Selfish goat."

Tet-chan sighed heavily.

D entered the room almost silently, but his brow was furrowed, and he was carrying the remains of a delicate china cup. He seemed not to notice the two pets sharing food and drink, but instead moved quietly over to the telephone.

Tet-chan stared after him with undisguised longing.

"You're jealous," Pon-chan said calmly, rinsing another strawberry in her milk. The other pet did not reply.

D dialed the number with the long nails on his right hand while holding the receiver to his ear with the left. He pursed his lips just a little, eyeing the broken cup. He didn't want to have to call his grandfather (he'd rather wait), but he did want to make sure that everything was okay with some of the pets they had exchanged. Plus, he had to tell someone about the whole fiasco with Leon. It would make him look underhanded if he just showed up one day toting the blond around behind him. Of all people, he didn't want his father to be able to accuse him of anything. Even though his father was now a seven year old human child who remembered nothing of his past life, D was not willing to relent towards him.

"Count D's Petshop, how may I help you?" came the smooth, comforting voice of D's grandfather over the phone.

"Grandfather?"

"Son of my heart," he sounded warm. "Where are you now?"

"Washington." D twisted the phone cord around his right index finger. "Grandfather, I need to tell you something."

Sofu D was silent.

"Leon... he found me."

A sigh.

"He wants to... he's working here."

"My child, you cannot keep him."

D could feel his body stiffen almost automatically. He felt like telling his grandfather that he wished to make his own choices, but instead, he just said, "We've been over that."

"You should erase his memory and send him on his way." Sofu D's voice was gentle, but firm. "Our duty is to punish the sins of human beings and to protect those animals who are losing the battle against them. You know that."

"He is going to stay with me for a while to work."

"My child..."

"Grandfather, I didn't call to ask for your permission." D's voice became clipped. "I called to tell you that Leon is here. He is going to work in my shop for a while, and he has asked to become one of my pets."

A sharp intake of breath.

"I do not know what will happen, but he has been searching for me for seven years- not to kill me or to take my power, not to protect humans or gain riches- he has missed me, Grandfather. Seven years is a long time in the short life of a human, but he has given up his life, his job, his family, his time... and he has come to find me. I will not allow you to take away that which has come to me of its own will. You and Father said that I should no longer hope to save humanity. I don't. I have seen what humans can do. But I will save this one. This one will be mine. You deceived me, Grandfather, by pretending you were my familiar. Now, I will take what is given to me without lies from this man. He is not hiding under a cloak of cute familiarity. He is mine, Grandfather, mine!" D could hear his voice escalating as he talked, and was almost amazed to find his body shaking with suppressed anger.

Sofu D was silent for a moment, and then said, quietly, "As you wish. You may yet live to regret this."

"I will take responsibility for my own feelings."

"Do you want your father notified of this?"

"Is he my father, or my son?"

"Does it matter?"

D sighed. "No, it doesn't."

"You will give birth to a child of your own body soon. Perhaps you should still call him Father." Sofu D sounded almost amused, as if he was selling a dark pet to a human.

"How do you know what I will be doing with my own body!"

"It is almost the age at which all our kind are able to yield up another. Unless you wish to start again within a year, I expect you will have a child soon."

"And you will take it, because I am unfit."

"I didn't say that."

"And I didn't say that I would keep the human as a pet."

"So shall I tell your father of your... misdeeds?"

"You will do what you want anyway, so I say go ahead."

Sofu D laughed and hung up the phone, leaving D fuming to himself that once again he had been bested. He was not particularly hateful towards his grandfather, but he hated being beaten- particularly by his own kind.

"D?" Leon was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He looked absolutely ridiculous (darling, thought the count) in a large button-up shirt and a pair of boxers. "God... is everything okay?" He yawned, revealing white teeth and an unusually long tongue for a human. "I heard you yelling."

"It's nothing." D looked down at the cup fragments that were sitting on the table next to the telephone. At Leon's silence, he sighed and gave in a little. "I had to tell my grandfather that you were going to be here with me. I cannot keep this a secret."

"He didn't like it, then?" Leon wandered over to where Pon-chan was seated, ruffled her hair, and made himself comfortable next to her.

"I can make my own choices," D replied, sweeping the cup's remains into a wastebasket.

Tet-chan made a light growling noise.

"Hey, Tetsu," Leon offered, on seeing him.

The maneater returned his greeting with a toothy grin.

When D turned around, his china-doll smile was again on his lips, and his eyes were narrowed like a predator. "I will have my way," he said in a soft, dangerous voice. And then his eyes opened a little more. "I made some tea."

Pon-chan's eyes glittered.
"Not for you, Pon-chan," he added quickly. "You know what it does to you."

Leon looked at her curiously. "What does it do to you?"

She made a face. "I can't sleep too well if I have a lot of it. Plus the way that the count makes it (with all the sugar) I get a little hyper."

Tetsu laughed. "A little? Last time you stayed awake for nearly a week and practically destroyed Honlon's room while Kanan was asleep. We were all in big trouble for that until the count found out it was you."

Pon-chan sniffed.

"Honlon?" Leon frowned a little, trying to place the name.

"She's our child," D said, amused.

"What!"

"The three headed dragon. I suppose you remember that." D handed Pon-chan a cup of ice water, and laid tea for the rest of them. "Kanan takes after you. Hot headed and quite proud of herself..."

"Oh the dragon thing!" Leon took a gulp of tea, which burned his tongue.

Tet-chan glared over the top of his cup at the former detective.

"You should meet with her one of these days," D said calmly. "Perhaps after we close the shop this evening." He raised one eyebrow and smirked. "And certainly after you change and get a shower, Keiji-san."

"You really should start calling me Leon."

"Of course."


To be continued...