Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Predator and Prey ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Predator and Prey

Disclaimer: Petshop of Horrors not mine, someone else's. I just wished I lived there. Also, Lee Sinhg, Coyote, and Entai are the sole property of Akita and Subu-chan, who have graciously allowed me to write my own fic that ties in with their PSOH fics. Any other characters from any other series that may pop up also belong only to their respective companies.

Co-authored by: Kita and Subu-chan.

Chapter Three:

Ducking into what was normally referred to as "Tetsu's Domain", better known as the kitchen, Ten snorted wryly at the sight that met his eyes. Tetsu was wearing a frilly yellow apron while he carefully washed the dishes. Out in the sitting room, visible from the kitchen, Chris played with Pon-chan. "Damn, really the housewife, aren't you, Tetsu?" he asked with a laugh. He decided it would be safer not to mention the apron aloud, but he resolved to ask Chris later just where the Totetsu had gotten it.

Glowering at the intrusive fox, Tetsu shrugged. "It's not like any of you know how to cook human food. Chris needs to be fed. What'd ya want?"

Sliding into a chair at the table, Ten-chan smiled wolfishly. "The Count sent me. The rescue is awake and up and currently in the Library. He asks that you fix up a plate of light food for her to eat." Swiping an apple from the basket on the table he took big bite out of it, all the while smiling one of his trademark cheshire cat grins.

"What is your problem?" snarled Tetsu, even as he moved about gathering the makings for a snack plate.

Laughing, Ten-chan took another bite from the apple and deftly dodged as a pot was chucked his way. "So what is your connection to all this anyway? D said something about a disturbance last night."

Huffing, T-chan snagged another apple from the table basket, quartering it with vicious strokes. From his expression, it was clear he'd like to do the same to the annoying nine-tails seated across from him. "I was awakened by something happening outside the main entryway. When I investigated the girl was being attacked and I chose to intervene. I brought her in and the Count called Lee Sinhg to tend to her injuries."

Ten could tell the Totetsu was leaving something out, but he didn't really feel like pressing his luck with the growling creature. Realizing he'd forgotten something, he gasped. "Damn! I forgot to tell the Count about that!" he yelped.

Looking up from the counter where he was carefully putting the girl's snack on a plate, Tetsu was surprised at the shock that lit Ten-chan's face. "What'd you forget?"

"T-chan, she sees us! Or at least she saw me. She saw me the way you, or the Count, or Chris sees me. I forgot to mention it to Count D. I need to go find him so he knows. See ya!" Sprinting out of the kitchen, Ten-chan turned a corner and was quickly out of sight.

Looking into the sitting room, Tetsu abruptly changed his mind and picked up the plate himself. He had originally intended to have Chris take it to her, but after Ten's statement, he wanted to test the girl's ability. If she could see through his other form to the truth beneath, then he could honestly say it was a good thing he'd rescued her. Grunting in annoyance, he realized that although Ten had met her, he hadn't thought to pass along her name. Sticking his head into the sitting room, he quickly asked Pon-chan to keep an eye on Chris.

Finding his way to the library he stuck his head in the doorway and looked around, spotting the girl sitting in one of the few armchairs D kept around the place. She had curled up into a ball with her feet on the edge of the cushion and a thick leatherbound volume braced on her knees, staring so intently at the pages of the book that she paid no attention to the soft sounds Tetsu made as he slid over to the massive, tan colored chair and the small round table beside it. Looking over her shoulder briefly informed him she was reading some sort of fantasy

"Hey! Wake up, little girl." he barked. She started and dropped the book as a wince crossed her face from the abrupt movement.

"What the hell was that for?!" she exclaimed in return as she tried to bend over far enough to reach the book now on the hardwood floor. She had felt better after crying on Ten's shoulder, and much clearer in the head. Now that she was certain she was fairly safe in this place, she was reverting rather quickly to her more usual attitude. Hissing as the stitches in her side pulled painfully, she finally managed to snatch the book from the floor and sat back up, ready to bury herself in her best-loved story. With practiced fingers, she found her page again and used a finger to mark her place, while she turned to look at Tetsu.

She was completely arrested by the sight that greeted her eyes. A tawny haired young man stood watching her from out of amber eyes, dressed in a blue vest embroidered with the outlines of clouds in white, which showed off his toned and tanned midsection quite well, and a pair of loose, plain white pants. He was barefoot, she noted, but his ankles were adorned with heavy gold bracelets about two inches wide. As her eyes traveled back up his body, she noticed that identical bracelets were on his wrists and his upper arms. Finally coming back to his face, her eyes completely bypassed everything else to focus on the pair of spiraling goat horns that rose out of the wavy, tousled mess of hair. "Goat horns?" she blurted. Then a moment later, "Well, I suppose it's no weirder than a man with fox tails," she murmured, and turned back to her book with a last dismissive look at the Totetsu.

Looking shellshocked for the space of half a breath, Tetsu put the plate down on the side table and cocked his head at her. It seemed that Ten-chan's words proved correct. She really could see their true forms. Taking a second to analyze her as she had him, he saw a small young woman, certainly several inches shorter than him, with dark golden brown hair and matching eyes. She had a heart-shaped face with full lips and a small nose. She was slightly underweight, but he could feed her up fairly quickly. "You're still wearing the nightgown?"

Wrinkling her nose, she looked over at Tetsu and lifted an eyebrow. "It's what I woke up wearing, and seein' as no one has offered me anything else, so yes, I am. What's it to ya?"

He sighed. "I'll see what the Count says. He may have someone go get you something better. Eat, and don't try to move about outside this room. By the way, what's your name?"

"Ronan Ransom. And yes, it's intentional."

He blinked, not understanding what she was referring to. "Right. Whatever. Listen, if you ever want something to eat, come ask me. I'm Tetsu and I'm in charge of the kitchen. Don't take anything out of it without my permission, or suffer an ugly fate." Raising a hand in a dismissive wave, he turned and walked out the door, intent on finding D.

He didn't have far to go, for as soon as he opened the door Count D was there, several of the shop's other inhabitants close behind.

Looking at the girl with a very intent expression, Count D merely gestured to the others to stand next to the Totetsu. Striding forward he tapped the book to gain Ronan's attention. "Excuse me."

Closing the book with a sigh, she looked up at D and waited.

Deciding to come straight to the point he pulled a small footstool over to sit on while asking "Tell me, what did you see when you saw Ten-chan earlier? And, the truth, please."

Halting in the process of putting the book on the table next to the food, it slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor. "W-what do ya mean?"

"Ten-chan tells me you mentioned seeing that he has tails. Tell me what you saw. I must know as it will aid me in deciding what to do with you." Settling his hands on his lap he waited for her to speak.

"Ah ... well ... it's just ..." she stammered.

"I assure you that I can see what you have seen as well. If you did indeed see what I see, that is," D taunted subtlely

Ronan spluttered. "O' course I do! That man has nine fox tails! He has green eyes and red hair. And him over there has goat horns, fangs, and claws, for cryin' out loud! What kinda loony bin am I in?" She gestured toward the startled Totetsu.

In the shadows of the room lit only by the lamp on the table for reading, the other creatures who had followed the count in made shocked exclaimations. Ten-chan flushed and shrugged with a wry smile when several took sneaking glances at him. "The kind that may understand you better than even you yourself, dollface," he answered dryly.

D shot a silencing glare at him. "I am afraid Ten-chan may be correct. Have you had other such visions outside of my petshop?"

"Nah. Well, maybe. There've been a few times when I thought I saw something, but ... no one want to be seen as a crazy, so I didn' say a thing. A coupla' times I thought I saw fairies, ya know ... little people with wings ..." She trailed off.

"Hmm. Would it surprise you to dicover that all animals possess a human form in the minds of those rare humans who can see them?" the elegant Count asked.

Cocking her head at him, Ronan considered that. "So, mebbe what I were seein' was the birds?"

"Correct. I believe that is more than enough for now. I doubt your ability will stay a secret for long, so do not be surprised if many of the other inhabitants come to see you." Rising, Count D began to head for the door, quite ready to leave her to her own devices.

"Um, Count D? Before you go, could you at least tell me what they really are? Ten-chan and Tetsu, I mean," Ronan asked a little hesitantly.

"Ten-chan is a nine tailed fox, such as those found in Japanese myth. He has certain powers of shapechanging and misdirection. As for Tetsu ... I believe he can speak for himself. I am putting him in charge of seeing to your needs." Sweeping out of the library, D cast the now fuming Totetsu a quelling look. "She is under your protection now, T-chan. Do not fail."

The rest of the watchers trailed out behind him, the last one closing the door on Ronan, Tetsu, and Ten-chan. Coughing awkwardly, Ronan turned toward the other two with a question in her eyes that had nothing to do with what she said. "So ... Yahtzee, anyone?"

Snorting to hold back a burst of amazed laughter, Ten pulled up a few pillows from where they lay on the floor and lounged on them. "So, doll, how'd you get such an ability?"

Trembling in every limb, T-chan stifled a growl and spun on his heel. "I'll look for more suitable clothing for you, since it seems that it is now my duty," he tossed over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him.

Frowning, Ronan heaved a sigh and shrugged. "What's his problem?"

Snickering, Ten-chan rearranged himself on his pillows. "He's not much of a one for responsibility. He likes Chris, so he's willing to take care of him, but he doesn't know you. So, he's mad that he got stuck with you. Though ... I can see why D would turn you over to him. He is the one who rescued you." Slanting her an amused look, he pointed at her book and made it float to the table, neatly flipping open as it did. "Here, take this back and read until he gets back from rummaging in storage." Snuggling into his pillows he looked for all the world as though he had dropped right off into a nap.

Staring at the snoring fox, she automatically took the book and opened it. Right back to where she had been, she noted dryly. So the storming Tetsu had rescued her, had he? He sure didn't act like it. Curious, she looked over at the door for a moment before shrugging and sticking her nose back in her book.

Growling under his breath, Tetsu yanked open one of the storage chests, hoping to find something in the heaps of stuff that had been given to D over the centuries that would fit the new resident. He knew where all the clothing was kept, so that narrowed down his search. Pulling out a light, silk shift he set it aside and looked through the stacks of other things, finally finding a pair of loose legged white pants made from heavy silk-like cotton and a short-kimono in crimson embroidered with white cranes and a few scattered green leaves. He put the shift back in the chest and located a white under-kimono. Looking at his selections he nodded to himself. The colors would work, he decided. Lastly he reached in and carefully pulled out a matching obi in white and green. He was fairly certain she wouldn't know how to tie it, but figured one of the females could help her with it.

Tossing the rest of the stuff back into the chest, he bundled his choices into his arms and closed up the storage closet. Much to his surprise, outside the room was the Great Hawk, Entai, who smiled enigmatically at him. "The shop is all a twitter with news, Tetsu-chan. They are saying that we have a new permanent resident, a human," she said in a soft tone.

Glaring at her, T-chan stalked right past her deftly avoiding the hadn she tried to halt him with. "Yeah, so what?" he demanded when she chose to follow him.

She laughed. "The whispers say that you rescued her from an attack. How unlike our beloved Totetsu!" She exclaimed gaily.

Reluctantly smiling at Entai's attitude about all that was happening, he sighed through his nose. "She can see us, Entai-san. The same way Chris does," he offered in an attempt to change the subject.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected!" she replied, eyes wide and startled.

Snorting, he cast her a disparaging glare. "The Count collects all sorts of interesting things. The idiot Detective is the only one that's defective. Chris is tolerable, for a human." Finally stopping at the door to the Library, he eyed Entai for a moment. "The Count has put her in my care for the moment." He hesitated. "But ... I believe she would eventually like a female to talk to."

Frowning at the revelation, Entai nodded, understanding. "I will see to it."

Quietly opening and closing the door, Tetsu vanished into the Library.

Ten-chan watched the girl through slitted eyes, not even looking away when Tetsu returned, a small bundle of cloth under his arm. "Don't bother," he whispered. "She's asleep. She must be exhausted, poor thing."

Setting the clothes on a nearby stool, Tetsu bent down to pluck the book from sleep-limp fingers and place it on the table. Shaking his head, he retrieved a small blanket and placed it over her.

"How touching, T-chan!" sniggered Ten.

"Might I remind you that she is injured and recovering? I take my responsibilities seriously, unlike certain foxes who have no regard for anything beyond their own personal desires." The words were sharp, but Tetsu spoke without heat.

"It's my nature," quipped Ten.

"I am aware," Tetsu said dryly as he laid out the clothes for her. She could put them on when she woke, he figured. He looked at Ten. "Are you staying here?"

Nuzzling into his pile of pillows, which seemed to have grown from the last time T-chan had seen it, Ten sighed happily. "Yup. She needs someone to keep an eye on her right now, and you have other duties." He yawned. "Just bring me something to eat later, 'kay?"

Staring with displeasure at Ten, the Totetsu huffed. "I will if you would be willing to hold back your usual perversity and help her with the obi without lettng your hands or attention wander."

Waving a hand from his position on the floor, Ten yawned again and smiled. "Sure, no problem."

Resisting the urge to throttle the fox, T-chan slipped out of the room and trotted back toward the recieving room. He really did have other things to do, not the least of which, on his list, was giving the Detective his daily bite.