Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Your Heart's Desire ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Your Heart's Desire

By: Nova Starlight/Dannielle Johnson

Part 2:

Count D walked around his pet shop brooding quietly to himself. All of the pets had been attended to and would not require looking in on again for at least a few hours. He hated to admit it, but he was bored. He also had a nagging feeling of loneliness deep within himself. He frowned as he considered the possibility of his actually being lonely. Why would he be lonely? He had a shop full of pets to keep him company. However, even as he argued within himself, the frown remained on his face.
"What has you so pissed off?" he heard a voice ask from behind him.
"It could not be who he thought it was," he reasoned with himself. "Leon had left and sworn never to return." He turned around slowly and found that his ears were not deceiving him. There stood Leon Orcot, dressed once again in his ratty jeans and worn t-shirt that D had become accustomed to seeing.
"You look like you have seen a ghost," Leon commented.
"I surely hope not, Detective," he replied, perhaps a bit too rashly. He looked down towards the ground and offered Leon a seat with the wave of his hand. He seated himself across from Leon and allowed his normal composure to slip back into place. "Why are you here, Detective?"
"Gee," Leon replied. "So, much for you offering a normal greeting or some stupid bullshit about being in time for tea."
"I only ask, because the last time you were here you claimed that it would be, the last time," D said softly. "I assumed it must be something pretty important for you to go back on that and come here."
"It's not anything important," he said with a deep sigh. "I actually just came here to get a pet."
"Are you joking?" D asked incredulously.
"No," Leon replied. "Somehow, I now wish that I was. I want a pet and I guess I just figured your pet shop would be as good as any. Besides, you have put up with me so much that you probably know the best thing for me." D was flattered and still slightly suspicious.
"What kind of a pet were you looking for?" he asked.
"I was thinking about a cat," he commented.
"Of course you were," D thought to himself, as he remembered the feminine little sex kittens that were kept in one of the many backrooms. "Leon would probable be most pleased with something as perverse as a pet to service his needs." He snorted in derision at his own thoughts which drew Leon's attention.
"Is there something wrong with wanting a cat?" he asked curiously. D's haughty little snort had him very confused.
Leon's comment snapped him out of his reverie. He knew that the cats in the backroom would be most likely the perfect pet for Leon, but for some reason he had a deep sense that he should not sell Leon that pet. "I'm not sure if I have anything you would desire," he commented softly.
As soon as the comment slipped past D's lips, Q-chan began to chirp loudly and flap his wings. "You sell him a pet," Q-Chan commanded to D telepathically. "It is what we do, and besides you said there was nothing special about this human right?"
"What's his problem?" Leon asked.
"Oh excuse Q-Chan," he replied with a small smile. "He has just had a horrible bout of diarrhea recently and has been very grouchy." Q-chan's chirping became worse, but only D knew he was cursing his grandson. Then he turned to Leon and said, "Actually, now that I think about it, I think I have just the pet you want." Then he stood and began to walk down the corridor behind them. Leon quickly followed behind him becoming more and more nervous about this venture by the second.
Finally, the pair reached a set of ornate double doors. D opened the doors and then motioned for Leon to enter ahead of him. The room was completely dark until D lit a hanging lamp in the corner of the room. He also stopped to light a tray of incense nearby. As the light began to filtrate the room, he saw the silhouettes of women, and as he could see more and more detail he saw just how beautiful they were.
"What are they?" he asked.
"They are a very special breed of cat," D replied. He watched Leon's face intently trying to gauge his reaction to these animals. He had expected him to instantly be pleased by the sight of these beautiful cat women. Instead, he seemed nonchalant and unsurprised by the selection in its entirety.
"No, thanks," Leon finally commented.
"What do you mean?" D asked incredulously. "Are they not to your liking?"
"No," he replied. "They are actually not to my liking." Then as he turned to glare at D he commented, "I know I should not be surprised that you have such a low opinion of me, but even I do not want to buy an animal I could sleep with." Then he turned away to face the doorway they had just passed through. D was totally perplexed and had no idea what to say in response. He certainly had not expected this kind of reaction and was somehow remorseful of that fact.
"I'm sure we have something that would be perfectly suited to your needs," D said softly as he moved in front of Leon and led him from the room.
"If you have any normal cats, I would be interested," he replied.
"Very well," replied D with a small smile. He was beginning to feel incredibly delighted by being wrong about Leon's preferences. He led him back down the hallway towards the foyer. Just a few steps before reaching it, he stopped in front of another set of double doors.
When Leon pushed open the door and entered the room he was greeted by the sight of about fifty normal looking cats. "Pick any cat that you wish," D said softly. "I'm sure these pets will be exactly what you are looking for."
Leon wandered around the room surveying all of the cats. Each of them seemed decently beautiful and unique, but no cat really seemed to stand out to him. Finally, he felt his eyes being drawn to corner of the room and when he turned to look he was greeted by the sight of a cat that grabbed his attention.
It was a black cat, sitting proudly on the armrest of a sofa. He approached the animal slowly, afraid that he or she would bolt. The cat did not budge and did not seem in the least affected by his presence. He had no idea why he was drawn to the simple looking cat but he was and he could not deny it. He ventured out his hand to touch the cat and then picked him up with both. As he held the cat, it relaxed and began to purr softly.
"I'll take this one," he said, as he carried that cat over to D for his inspection. D felt an intense wave of jealousy overtake him. However, he could not understand why he felt this way. He knew deep down that this emotion would have been understandable if Leon had picked one of the special cats he had shown him in the backroom. There was no explanation for his jealousy over a normal housecat. The entire situation was completely ridiculous. "I assume there is no contract with this cat," Leon continued.
"You assume correctly Detective," he replied. "However, I must ask if you even know how to properly care for a cat."
"Yes, actually I do," he replied with a laugh. "I got a book on them a few days ago when Jill first recommended I get a pet."
"I see," he said softly.
"Well, I suppose I'll pay for the cat and then I can be out of your hair." D's head snapped up at Leon's comment.
"There is no need to rush Detective," he said. "I could prepare us some tea and cakes." Leon looked at him as if he were perplexed by the question. He simply nodded his head in response and returned to the foyer.
After he had taken a seat, D left the room to prepare some tea. He was chagrined when he discovered that Q-chan had followed him. "I bet you thought you were pretty cute telling that human a story about me having diarrhea," he commented.
"It was rather funny," replied D. "You just need to have a sense of humor."
"And you just need a renewed sense of duty," he snapped in return. "I'm starting to wonder what happened to the grandson I raised." Then he flew off to return to his cage. D's shoulders slumped as he rested his hands on the countertop. Why was his grandfather doing this to him? Why was his every action followed with more guilt from his grandfather? As he pondered these questions the water began to boil.
Leon sat on one of the opulent sofas in the other room waiting for D to return with tea. The cat that he had just picked out had curled up in his lap and promptly fell asleep. "You're my kind of cat," he said softly. Then he smoothed his hands over the soft fur. He did not even know if the cat was male or female. Trying hard not to disturb the animal, he lifted him up so he could check. Ok, so the cat was a boy. The cat had been upset at being moved but once put down immediately resumed his slumber. He wondered what would be a good name for the cat.
At that moment, D returned to the room with a tea tray loaded down with goodies. D sat down the tray and then began to pour them some tea. As he did this he considered why he was behaving this way. Everything just seemed to be out of sorts today. Once the tea was poured Leon reached for his cup and began to sip it as he continued to pet his cat. He was amazed at how someone with such a macho complex as Leon had seemed to have been becoming so infatuated with a small animal. Finally, to break the silence, he asked, "What will you name him Detective?"
"I'm not sure yet," he replied. "What would you suggest?" He did have suggestions but he did not speak them. Q-chan began chirping and he took another sip if his tea.
"It is your cat, Detective," he answered. "I'm sure you can come up with a reasonable name all on your own." Then he put his teacup down on the table and reached for one of the small pieces of cake on the tray.
Then it was Leon's turn to break the silence as he asked, "D, I know this is going to sound strange, but has it seemed different, with me not being around?" This time D was truly shocked. Could today be any stranger? Did he somehow realize that D had missed his presence?
D looked away from his gaze as he said what he knew he had to say, "You are no more important to me than anyone else that wanders into this shop," he said softly. "Why would I miss you?" D gazed through the strands of ebony hair that fell delicately over his face to see Leon look away from him.

"Oh, I see," he commented. "I guess I should just pay for the cat and then I'll be on my way."
"There is no charge for the cat Detective," he replied. D heard his grandfather's insistent chirping behind him, but chose to ignore it. He had a feeling that he actually hurt Leon's feelings, and that had not been his intention. Leon looked at him strangely and then walked out of the shop with his new pet.
As soon as Leon left, D hung his head and walked away from the cage where his grandfather was currently sitting. It was already time to tend to the animals again.

. . .

As Leon drove towards his home, he was so angered with himself that he almost forgot that he had a cat. How could he have said something so completely stupid? What had he been thinking? He continued to drive in silence completely confused as to why he had even gotten a pet in the first place.
After making a stop to pick up cat food and litter, Leon and his new pet arrived at his apartment. He left the cat with the litter box and decided to take a nap. Today had been a long day and he needed to rest.

To Be Continued. . .

Author's Notes: I hope everyone likes the story. Thanks for all the reviews. I live off praise! Anyway, trust me I know a lot did not happen in this chapter but the next chapter is going to be better and should be posted within the next two weeks, college schedule permitting