Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Chapter: 8/9

Chapter Summary: Everything goes down the drain. . .

Chapter Eight: Traveling

"Humph, fucking British, putting their cars on the wrong side of the street."

A man reached his hand reached out of a car window and flicked a smoldering cigarette butt onto the street. The tall American stretched as he stepped out of the taxi. "Ah! Watch it, you bastard!" He stumbled onto the sidewalk as the bright yellow car speed away. Dark sunglasses tumbled onto the street and cracked.

"Man, these were new too." grumbled the man, running fingers through strands of blond hair that came loose from his ponytail. Blue eyes narrowed in annoyance and he pocketed the broken sunglasses.

Ring. Ring.

A cell phone was swiftly pulled from its belt holder. "Hello?"

"Hey, Leon! Found your Count yet?"

"Yeah, Jill, wha―" Leon stopped when suddenly absorbed what the woman had said. A rich blush suffused his cheeks and he scowled horribly into the phone. "He's not my Count."

"Whatever you say, Leon."

"Shut up. Or I won't tell you the bit of news I have."

"What? What news?"

"I was looking in the local paper this morning and ―"

"Oh my gosh! Did you see the story about that Chocolate Factory closing down? It was all over the news back at home."

"Yeah, I saw that. But that's beside the point. You would never guess what I found."

"Tell. Now."

"It said a nearby town has been experiencing some strange deaths."

"Seemingly to be caused by animals?" There was a hint of excitement in Jill's voice.

"Damn right, it seems that there's been a new pet shop opened by a Chinese man."

"When are you going?"

"As soon as I can. But there seems to be a bad storm coming up, so I can't get any of the fucking taxies to take me."

Leon's scowled even harder as Jill's sympathetic laughter sounded through the earpiece.

Break.

"Grandpa Joe! Grandpa Joe!" Charlie hurtled through the dining room entrance and waved the morning paper around wildly.

Mrs. Bucket cast a disapproving look towards the boy's direction. "Now, Charlie. No yelling at the breakfast table. You'll give us all heart attacks."

"But mom," The paper was unfolded and he thrust it forward for the whole room to see. "He. . . he. . . why'd he do it?" Charlie rushed to Grandpa Joe and put the newspaper in the old man's hand. "Read it out loud, grandpa. Maybe I'm seeing it wrong."

Wonka's Factory is Closed!

Many years ago, Willy Wonka expelled all of his workers from his factory, and claimed to shut down the factory. After a long time passed, his factory opened up again, creating even more wonderful candies for the public to enjoy. Eleven years passed and more and more candies were shipped out of the factory. One year ago, the world was caught up in finding the Golden Tickets hidden beneath the wrapping of five ordinary Wonka bars.

But troubles seemed to be plaguing the factory when a contaminated box of Wonka bars was found by health officials. They urged Willy Wonka to shut down his factory temporarily. Now. . .it has been done. No more smoke rises from the tall chimney stacks. No more candies make their way out of the factory.

No one has been able to get a hold of the elusive candy maker so many questions remain unanswered. How long will the factory be shut down? For what strange reasons? What has been causing trouble for Willy Wonka?

There are many opinions about the safety and usefulness of the factory all around the world. Though, this city will mourn the closing of its most famous landmark for the second time.

Grandpa Joe shakily set the newspaper down, breakfast was forgotten as the adult Buckets all cast wary glances around the table and then towards Charlie, unsure of what to say. A reporter on the television stood in front of the bleak gates Wonka's chocolate factory. His words only reinforced the point made in the paper.

Dr. Wonka's lips tightened into a thin line but he continued to cut and eat his steaming breakfast. The only sound in the room was his clanking silverware and the breathing of the building's inhabitants.

Charlie's jaw began to tremble and he drew in a weak breath. Feng Huang's soft tail feathers curled around Charlie's neck and she trilled softly before gently nibbling his ear. He slowly backed out of the dining room, blue eyes wide in shock.

"Wait, Charlie." Mrs. Bucket called out with a soft voice.

The sound of footsteps pattered out of the room. A door swung open and slammed shut. Silence returned to the room.

Out the window, Grandpa Joe could see the figure of a boy racing out among the bright flowers before falling into the deep grass out of sight. He took one last look at the newspaper before pouring the rest of his coffee over it. His chair scrapped against the wooden floor and the elderly man made his way over to the living room. 'I never thought I'd live to see the day that Wonka's factory would close down again.'

Break.

Tears ran down Charlie's face as he flung himself into the sweet smelling grass of the meadow. 'Why? Why Mr. Wonka?' Feng Huang fluttered down from above and landed lightly on his back.

He carefully sat back up and pulled the almost full-grown avian into his arms. Charlie choked on a sob as she began preening his hair. A beautiful and haunting melody reverberated from Feng Huang's throat. Charlie's heart ached as he inhaled the scent of melted chocolate and perfumed incense in her brilliant red plumage. They never should have left the factory. He might have been able to stop Wonka from closing the factory. Maybe.

"D-do you think Mr. Wonka is alright?" Charlie managed to gasp out between sobs. "What if Slugworth did something to him?"

Feng Huang stopped her preening and looked back at him with doleful obsidian eyes.

"I've lost my home. I can't loose Mr. Wonka. . .Willy as well."

Charlie started as Feng Huang hopped back from him. She shook herself furiously and he blushed when flecks of his tears flew off her body. If his situation wasn't so glum, the sight of the bird would have been quite comical. For a moment, her feathers stayed puffed up into the air. Quickly, they receded back to their normal position. Flashes of gold blurred his vision when she stretched out her wings.

"Would you go check on Mr. Wonka? Make sure he's alright?" He whispered, hoping she could understand. Feng Huang's head bobbed back in response and she produced a loud trill before vaulting into the air. He squinted as she seemed to circle around the outline of the sun once. When the speck of red and gold disappeared into the sky, Charlie felt his heart lighten.

It would probably take a couple of days for Feng Huang to make it back to the factory. The elevator needed a few hours to get to Dr. Wonka's house and Feng Huang was definitely not as fast as it was, and she needed rest and food.

Silently, desperately, Charlie latched on to hope that everything would be alright.

Break.

It was quiet. Much too quiet.

Wonka nibbled his bottom lip as the sound of his footsteps rang loudly through empty hallways. His gloves squeaked incessantly as he rubbed latex fingers around the plastic of his new cane.

There were no tiny voices to be heard anywhere. Wonka poked his head into the Butterscotch and Buttergin room. Rows of amber-colored bottles glistened merrily on tiers of shelves, but other than that, the room was empty. There were no Oompa-loompas in here today. Most of the small people had sequestered themselves into the Chocolate Forest room, attempting to patiently wait out the week till the danger was over. Despondently, he closed the door.

The Candy Horticulture room came just around the corner. Violet eyes widened in delight when they saw clusters of plumb colored chocolates hanging off of swudge stems. Wonka popped on of the Cocoa Crème berries into his mouth and reveled in the sweet and tangy flavor exploded over his taste-buds. For a moment he forgot all of the troubles that were surround him and his factory. He whipped around with a handful of berries in his palm, ready to bombard Charlie with the finally ready candy. All he found was empty space. Wonka's shoulders sunk, Charlie was still gone, and he would have to stay gone until the danger was over.

Heaviness settled in Wonka's chest his footsteps once again rang through the halls.

Charlie had been gone for three days, Willy Wonka had begun to miss him after his father's building disappeared from sight. The chocolatier passed by the Inventing room. Nothing was going to be done there. He had already attempted. But with Charlie gone, a cloud of gloom seemed to follow him everywhere. All of the experiments turned out horribly.

Not for the first, or the last time, Wonka wished for the week to be over.

Footsteps rang down the halls. Another door opened and closed.

Break.

"Fuck that!"

Leon slammed the phone back into its cradle, earning a few incredulous stares in the inn lobby as he did so. He glowered back in their directions and stalked out onto the streets. A car rushed by splattered a wave of muddy water towards him. Quickly, he jumped out of the way and glared at the back of the quickly receding driver.

Great, just great. His day was swirling further down the tube. The town's only taxi had fallen into a ditch and needed repairs. He wouldn't be able to get out of this town for another day or two. Leon ground his teeth and ran his fingers through his matted hair. D could be anywhere by then! Anywhere!

Out came his cigarette and a lighter. Leon inhaled the calming smoke into his lungs and sighed. The cloudy sky flickered with light and threatened another storm. He blinked when he thought he saw a speck of scarlet weave through the angry grey clouds. A runaway balloon?

He ducked into a nearby café and hunkered into a small booth. A frazzled waitress took his order and quickly brought him a cup of steaming black coffee and a tray of sunny-side up eggs. The sound of rambunctious laughter interrupted his thoughts and he glared back in annoyance at a bowler hat that peeked over the top of his seat. Sounded like some sort of celebration. Feh, business men. His eyebrow rose when he heard hushed voices instead. Some sort of secret or something?

"How is the animal?"

"Growling in his cage. I can't believe that Chinaman thinks that it can eat, or even kill people. Sean, he must have been pulling your leg." murmured a much quieted voice, the others chuckled.

Leon's eyes widened and he pressed himself further against the booth seat, his ears strained to hear the conversation. A Chinese man who sold an animal he claimed was a man-eater? Those mysterious deaths in the other town? 'Count D. . .' It was too much of a coincidence. But what were these guys doing with a dangerous animal like that? He crushed his cigarette butt in a small glass tray.

"It doesn't matter, Philus. Charlie will be coming with us, and then, we can set the animal loose into the factory. No more competitor. Not to mention, we can buy the factory ourselves and see how in the world Willy Wonka created his candy."

"Not to mention we'll be the ones using them now."

"A toast then, to the success of our plans, gentlemen?" a third voice chimed in.

"A toast it is! A toast to the success of our plans and the riddance of that abhorrent Chinaman."

The mug that was gripped in Leons hands shattered and he hissed as the hot coffee scalded his skin. A head popped over the edge of the booth. Bowler Hat stared at him coolly, as if saying 'Is there a problem?' Leon forced a nonchalant smile and shrugged. "These mugs are so damn cheap." The man seemed to take the excuse and nodded slowly. Two other men followed quietly as Bowler Hat strode out of the building.

Leon slammed a tip on the table and rushed out after them. They were no where to be seen. The sound of a car's engine revving up reached Leon's ears. He ran into a nearby alley and crept up to the rumbling vehicle. It was empty.

"What the ―"

"Looking for someone, sir?"

He whipped his gun out of its holster. "Fre― ah!"

Through his rapidly darkening vision and the ringing in his ears, Leon could barely make out that the sound of the engine seemed to be much closer. The world turned black.

Break.

This was it. Wonka peered out of the shadows of his factory and stared at the stars above. They were no where to be seen. The shape of an Oompa-loompa gave a thumb up from inside sugar-frosted windows. Slowly, the gates creaked open. One week had passed.

His shoes clicked on the cool pavement as he exited from the factory gates. A gust of spring air blew past him and Wonka found himself shying away from the bright street lights that stood nearby. The sound of an engine made him turn slowly. Fifty meters away stood a tall figure swathed in a dark trench coat. A bowler hat topped the man's head. Wonka swallowed an audible gulp and strode resolutely towards him, his cane tapping crisply on the silent city streets.

There was confusion at first on the man's face and Wonka lightly smirked. "What are you doing here, Mr. Slugworth? Don't you have more important things to do? Like, run your own factory?" his tone was seemingly innocent.

"I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, Willy Wonka." Slugworth replied after a moment of contemplation. Wonka tightened his lips when he saw the man's eyes dart towards the car.

"Ah, of course, you were expecting dear Charlie, weren't you?"

"Why yes, and where might he be? Have you locked him away in your factory?" It was Slugworth's turn to smile. "Was that because you knew he would come to us?"

Violet eyes hardened and latex squeaked as Wonka tightened his grip on the cane. "On the contrary, Mr. Slugworth, Charlie has no intention of coming to you. Instead, I have come."

"And why might that be, Willy?"

"I want you to never bother Charlie again. I want you to stay away from my factory and my heir and his family!" Wonka stepped confidently up to Slugworth and prodded the man's chest, emphasizing his point. "If you don't you'll be very sorry."

Something jabbed back against his own chest and Wonka startled away. His eyes widened when he saw a pistol in Slugworth's hand. The car doors flung open and Wonka's expression turned sour as Ficklegruber and Prodnose exited the vehicle, carrying between them a large covered cage. "I told you to be careful, Willy, when you first came into the candy business. But did you listen to me? No. Now, you'll have to face the consequences." chuckled Slugworth as he glided his finger over the trigger affectionately.

Wonka just stared at the gun and slowly began to reach into his pockets. A shot rang in the air and he jerked his hand back. Smoke from Slugworth's gun drifted lazily into the sky.

"Keep your hands where I can see them."

Reluctantly, Wonka pulled his hands into the air.

A tongue darted out of the corner of Slugworth's mouth and the candy maker flashed a rotten smile. "You have no idea of how long I have waited for this day."

"S-so why are you still waiting? Huh?" Wonka retorted.

Slugworth's smile curled into a frown. "Count yourself lucky that I'm not the one that will be killing you." The door to the cage slid open and a feral growl began to rumble from its depths.

"How are you gonna do it then?"

"You will be eaten, like the confections that you create, you will be savored. A fitting death actually."

"You're going to eat me?" Wonka squeaked.

Prodnose snorted and kicked the cage. "We're not cannibals," Wonka visibly relaxed. "But what we have here definitely will like eating you." Wonka's skin turned as white as a sheet.

Two yellow eyes glowed hungrily in the darkness of the cage. As the being emerged, Wonka's expression turned from surprise, to confusion, and then to horror. "You! Y-you c-cannibal!"

T-chan stared back at him distastefully and growled threateningly. The teen seemed be rather gaunt and haggard, as if he hadn't been fed for days. But instead of pouncing towards the chocolatier, he instead turned to the man nearest him: Ficklegruber.

Screams filled the night. Wonka stared in revulsion as the man was ripped apart. Shakily, he tottered towards the solid factory gates. Two shots sounded. Wonka collapsed as he felt something pass painfully through his shoulder. Blood began seeping through the hole in his velvet coat. The bullet had gone clean through. T-chan on the other hand was on the ground as well, in a pool of blood. Whether or not the blood that covered him was his own or Ficklegruber's was not clear. Slugworth was the only one remaining, for Prodnose had run at the first sign of trouble.

A familiar cry entered Wonka's hearing and he felt small hands gently grasp his arm. Obsidian eyes watered mournfully and pearly tears began sliding out. They steamed and sizzled as they made contact with his wound.

Slugworth leveled his gun once again, this time he aimed towards Wonka's heart. Before he could pull the trigger, Feng Huang flung herself up. Shock began to set into Wonka's body and his vision began fading. He heard angry screams and panicked shouts. One last shot thundered in his mind before everything faded away.

Break.

"Humans, they carry death and destruction everywhere, do they not?"

Count D gazed sorrowfully at the blood covered pavement. Parts of Ficklegruber's body lay strewn around. T-chan was unconscious, the bullet had grazed the totetsu's temple. He turned his attention instead towards the man that cowered on the ground, holding his bleeding face.

"Who's there?" was the demand.

A smile graced Count D's lips as he bent over near the man's vulnerable neck. "Your destiny." One swipe. Blood spurted into the air and the body convulsed. Count D tentatively licked his nails and grimaced at the taste of the bitterness in the man's blood.

"Kami. . ."

He rapidly turned and gasped at the sight of the phoenix's broken body. The shape of the crimson bird shifted into a more familiar form. Feng Huang smiled weakly as blood steadily trickled from her crimson and gold robes. Ornately black done hair had come loose and hung messily down her back. The diamonds and rubies that adorned her no longer seemed to be glow on their own accord.

"Feng Huang."

She gave him one last contented smile before her body was suddenly engulfed in flames. The fire continued to burn until all that was left was a fine ash, and one pearl pin. Count D dropped to his knees and meticulously scooped the ash into a silk handkerchief.

Lights began flickering on in nearby buildings. Count D frowned and quickly cleaned up the mess on the sidewalk with a gesture of his hand. No one could know of this. The corpses were quickly carried away by scavengers. Now, he focused his attention on the unconscious chocolatier.

Break.

Darkness, he awoke to darkness. Leon struggled to get up but found himself bound tightly. He swore angrily and strained even more. The sound of voices outside made him stop. Then, there were gunshots, and screams. What was going on out there? What was going on! He kicked hard against whatever was holding him in. Was he trapped in a fucking car trunk? A case banged against his head when he knocked it over and he swore again.

The screaming had stopped. Instead he heard an insane amount of scratching and pattering of tiny feet. Then, it came. That voice. His voice. It was D. It was Count fucking D! He was this close to finally finding that bastard! His struggles increased. A swish of silk sounded close by, and was that the crackling of a fire?

"No! No!" Leon tried to shout through his gag, but all that came out were muffled noises. He tried to listen to the noises outside, but everything was silent again.

To be continued . . .

Oh my, an update finally. I apologize for being so slow with this chapter. School has been so freaking busy, wow. Hopefully the last chapter/epilogue won't take so long.

This is un-betaed since my beta has been quite busy as well. I'll probably post the beta-ed version on this weekend when she can look at it. Hopefully, this almost last chapter was up to all of your standards and I apologize if it isn't. Constructive criticism please?

Ack, my first time portraying Leon. How was it? Read and Review, it is my live almost.

Preview for the epilogue:

"Are you going to be alright?" Charlie took Wonka's, for once, ungloved hand in his own. Thankfully, the man didn't flinch much and Charlie smiled.

Slowly, the chocolatier pulled the cap off his head. He sat back up again and flashed a confused smile. "I. . .I think so." With a free hand, Wonka slowly touched his linen-clad shoulder. Charlie's own confusion grew as a look of shock flickered through Wonka's eyes.

-Hellsfire.scythe