Author: Alana Winters
Warnings: AU, OOC, yaoi
Disclaimers: GW is not mine
Pairings: current part = 2x1
: ... : telepathy
~~~ scene break
[1,2,3...] author's notes at the end
Author's notes: this is the sequel to Cat's Eyes. I suppose it could be read alone, but it would probably be better understood after reading Cat's Eyes. Shameless plug?? You bet! ^_~ This fic is in thanks to everyone who commented on CE and requested a sequel. One more thing, when I refer to Heero as... Heero -_-, I will write him as male... when referred to as Kiseki (the panther) I will write him as female. Also, because it's becoming so long, I've decided to break it apart into a few parts.
Kitty Litter Part 1
[takes place after Cat's Eyes]
The Sank Zoo was awash with bright light as the sun cheerfully shone down on the exuberant visitors, the day beautiful and warm. Cheerfully stuffed with popcorn, hot dogs and peanuts, children yelled joyfully while they ran ahead of their parents. Their arms were filled with stuffed toys while festive balloons remained securely tied to their small wrists. Families, couples, and school trips happily made their way amongst the observation decks, watching the animals enjoy the lazy afternoon sun.
Zookeepers walked amongst the visitors, going about their duties of the day. They carried on with their daily tasks, stopping to answer the questions from the more curious and knowledge-seeking members of the crowds, and then continuing with their work. Some carried animals around for special presentations, giving wide-eyed audiences a more face-to-face exposure to some of their more amenable denizens.
The feline enclosures were always a popular attraction, many would congregate there to watch the large cats in all of their grace. Many artists would set up easels around the observation decks, hoping to capture the cats' lithe grace with their charcoals, pencils, and inks. The cats themselves would go about their daily routines unconcerned with the humans who watched them, lazily basking in the sun or hiding amongst the provided foliage.
Visitors would watch these powerful cats, slightly awed yet envious of their natural grace and beauty. Yet as fascinating as these animals were, there were many more exhibits that attracted attention and demanded to be seen. Most visitors stopped for awhile, taking the time to appreciate the majestic beasts, before moving on through.
Because of this, nobody bothered to take notice of the older looking man standing by the railing of the black panthers' exhibit. His hair was white, parted on one side, and worn on the longish side. A small pair of glasses perched on the end of his hawk-like nose, threatening to fall off at the slightest provocation. Dressed in a pair of non-descript khakis and collared shirt, he appeared to be just another zoo visitor admiring the specimens.
He ignored the bustling crowd that surrounded him, hands lightly resting on the bright railing. His gaze was focused down, into the panther's pit, bypassing the tall transplanted trees that rose from the lowered ground. His eyes were riveted on the two black shapes that lay in the pit, curled up around each other in shared companionship.
The two black cats lay curled up on the sun-warmed rock, opting to bask in the warm glow rather than hide among the leafy branches of the provided trees. Dozing quietly, they ignored the hullabaloo going on above them, unconcerned with the activities of humans. The smaller of the two lay on the rock, head on its paws, eyes firmly shut and tail twitching every now and then. The larger of the couple lay by its companion's side, tail every now and then gently caressing and intertwining with its friend's.
The man's face suddenly broke out in a questionable smile, his somewhat craggy face becoming slightly twisted with glee. Murmuring under his breath, not loud enough for anyone to hear him over the din of the other visitors, he spoke, "Well, well, well. You lead me on a merry chase, my friend, but I've finally hunted you down, Shinigami. And it looks like you have found a new friend."
So deeply enraptured in his own thoughts, the man didn't notice the unlikely couple watching him from several feet away. The slender blonde woman glanced at her rather burly companion before returning her narrow gaze back on white-haired man. They watched in silence as he nodded to himself and turned to walk away, heading away from them towards the exit of the zoo.
They watched for a few moments, to ensure that he had left, before taking his place at the railing. Both man and woman looked down into the pit, their expressions softening for one brief moment. The man placed a large hand on the woman's slim shoulder, his posture one of comfort and support, yet strangely radiating relief as well. The woman reached up with one of her own, to briefly cover the man's and give it a soft squeeze.
Her voice was a soft whisper as she said, "We haven't a moment to lose, Rashid. Quinze has found Duo again and this time Duo's not alone. We must act quickly. For their sake and all of our peoples'."
~ ~ ~ ~
Trowa and Wufei knocked politely on their boss' open door before stepping into his rather cluttered office. Their collection of keys on their belts clanked as they moved, both reached up to turn their walkies down in volume. The European and the Chinese gave their ginger-haired zoo master brief nods, which were returned with equal curtness.
Treize Khushrenada, frazzled zoo master of Sank Zoological Park, indicated the two, surprisingly clear chairs before his desk. "Have a seat, gentlemen." He closed the current logbook that lay before him, moving it aside to one of the many piles on his desk.
Both zookeepers took a seat, Trowa speaking first. "What's up, sir?"
Folding his hands on his desktop, Treize looked both feline zookeepers in the eye and said, "I'm not going to beat around the bush, gentlemen, so let's get right down to the point. Since both of you are head keepers of the feline houses, this topic concerns you. Sank Zoo has recently received an offer of one million dollars for Kiseki." [1]
Treize prepared himself for their objections and he wasn't disappointed.
"You can't possibly be thinking of selling her sir!"
"I have to strongly object to this, Treize."
Treize held up one hand even as he began to reason with his keepers. "Look gentlemen, one million dollars is a lot of money. A lot of money that I can't reasonably dismiss without serious consideration." Running his hand through his hair, he took a breath before continuing. "I'm not going to lie to you both, the zoo is in serious trouble. We are sorely in need of funds that just aren't coming. Structures are in disrepair and exhibits need to be desperately redesigned. Even with the rather sizable donations we received two months ago, it's still not enough, and several programs will have to be shut down at the end of the month. I've already discussed this with the board and they've decided we either sell Kiseki or we close some of the more high maintenance exhibits in the zoo."
Both keepers looked stunned at Treize's revelation, their arguments quickly killed by his matter-of-fact statement. Wufei looked angry, but refused to say anything, holding his tongue in check. Trowa gave his friend a quick glance before saying, "Are we selling Shinigami then?"
Treize shook his head before replying, "No, the offer only pertained to the female panther."
Wufei mumbled under his breath, "Leopard. They're black leopards."
Treize smiled at the Chinese with an exasperated grin before saying, "I stand corrected, Wufei. The sale was only for the female leopard."
Trowa had to raise his objection at this. "But you can't separate them! Shinigami and Kiseki are a mated pair now and it will more than likely be impossible to find suitable replacements!"
Treize shook his head and answered, "Remember Trowa, we don't have any idea where Kiseki came from. She wasn't here one day and suddenly appeared the next. Unfortunately all the cameras were deactivated the night she arrived, the tapes either wiped or switched. We contacted other zoos about her origins but no other zoological park reported missing a female panther... er, leopard. They weren't brought together or matched up by the breeding program and who knows what might be genetically wrong with her that she may or may not pass on to future offspring. The board and I feel it's better to get her off our hands now, especially since someone is offering a substantial amount of money for her."
"Who?" came the blunt question.
Treize looked around his desktop before spying a slip of paper. He peered at the document for a minute before saying, "A man named Quinze something or the other. He's the head of the Romefeller Breeding Center and wants to acquire Kiseki for their program."
Wufei frowned, his eyebrows drawing together as he finally spoke up, "Why Kiseki? Why not any of the other unmated leopards?"
Treize shrugged and said, "He was quite adamant about Kiseki and we weren't about to question his reasons. It was out of my hands. The board decided that unless I can come up with an alternative solution then the sale proceeds this Friday."
Both keepers took on dejected looks as their minds came up blank with any other arguments. They knew the zoo had been suffering, but they didn't know that money was that badly needed. As much as they would hate to break up the newly mated pair, the practical side of their minds knew that the zoo couldn't afford to turn down the sorely needed funds. And since the origins of the female panther were murky to begin with, they really didn't have a leg upon which to stand.
Wufei eyed Trowa before muttering, "Shinigami's not going to take this well."
Trowa replied quietly, "And we won't have any other way of controlling him after we separate them."
The three men went silent as they all thought upon the formerly unruly male cat. After the mysterious disappearance of keeper Heero Yuy, they had believed that no one in the zoo would be able to care for the taciturn animal. However, ever since the appearance of Kiseki, he had been surprisingly manageable and almost tame... well, as tame as a feral animal can be.
Treize looked at Trowa with a sympathetic gaze and asked politely, "Have the police obtained anymore clues on Heero's whereabouts?"
The lanky European shook his head and said, "No, they haven't. Since there were no signs of foul play, and they couldn't find anymore clues, they've moved his case to inactive status. His apartment hasn't been touched these past two months and he hasn't contacted anyone."
Treize helplessly said, "I'm sorry. We all miss him, you know."
"Yeah, thanks," Trowa said listlessly. He missed his best friend more than anyone else, even though he had his own suspicions about his disappearance. He was desperately racking his brain for any excuse to stall, if not stop, the sale of the female panther. Some uncanny part of his mind recognized that the feline was more than meets the eye, indeed an irrational part of his mind even whispered that Kiseki may very well be Heero.
He had yet to approach anyone with his theory, since they'd probably cart him off to the loony bin at the first available moment and Kiseki was female, but something nagged at the back of his mind. Perhaps it was Kiseki's dark, Prussian blue eyes. Those same eyes had often stared at him from his friend's human face and he couldn't ignore the intelligence that radiated from the cat's orbs. That, combined with the fact that he had found Heero's clothing torn on the floor of Shinigami's enclosure, yet no traces of blood or bones had been found. No evidence had indicated that Shinigami had attacked Heero and Trowa had kept the discovered torn clothes to himself.
Trowa was dragged from his thoughts by the sweeping entrance of fellow keeper, Mariemeia Khushrenada. [2] The fiery redhead ignored the seated keepers and stalked to her father's desk, planting her hands face down on the edge. Treize raised one elegant eyebrow at his tempestuous daughter before saying calmly, "What seems to be the matter, Mariemeia?"
"Don't give me the innocent routine, Father!" she practically snarled. "Tell me truthfully, are you and those stuffy members of the board planning to sell Kiseki to Quinze or not?"
Treize thinned his lips and said, "It's not really any of your business, but yes, we are. And how did you find out?"
The young woman practically radiated her fury at her father's statement, ignoring the fact that he was also her boss. Slamming one hand on the desktop for emphasis, she declared, "It doesn't matter how I found out, but I'm glad I did. You can't do that!"
"We don't have a good reason to keep her, Mariemeia. And-"
She interrupted her father, her hands giving a brief, sharp gesture of dismissal. "We do now, Father. You can't separate a mated pair."
"They're not mated according to-"
Once again Mariemeia cut off her father's objection again, much to the amusement of the other two keepers. Seeing her father's annoyed expression, she hurriedly said, "You can't separate a mated pair, especially if they're expecting."
Mariemeia's simple statement caused a flurry of reactions amongst the three men.
"Are you sure?!"
"When did you discover this?"
"Do you have proof? I know you love those two felines, Mariemeia, but are you telling the truth?"
Mariemeia gave her father a quelling glare before she turned around and said, "You can come in now, Sally."
Sally Po, one of the keepers that specialized in the zoo's breeding program, walked into Treize's office with a serene smile. As her gaze fell upon the seated Wufei, she gave him a quick wink, causing the Chinese man to blush and mutter under his breath. As her gaze fell on Treize's expectant face, her own fell into a serious expression and she said sincerely, "Mariemeia is telling the truth, Treize. I tested Kiseki myself yesterday and the results came back positive. She's expecting. She should drop the litter sixty or so days from now. [3]"
Treize sighed as Mariemeia looked at him triumphantly and his lips thinned in resolution. "I doubt this is going to change anything. The board is still going to go through with the sale, only this will encourage them to see if Quinze is willing to take Shinigami as well. The best we can do is forestall the sale using Kiseki's pregnancy as a deterrent. Since she is pregnant, perhaps we can talk Quinze into taking them both."
"But is he equipped to handle them?"
Treize picked up a portfolio and handed it over to Mariemeia. "Read this. This is the information that Quinze gave the board on the Romefeller Breeding Center."
Mariemeia opened the folder and the other three keepers moved to read over her shoulders. Sally frowned as she looked at the material, then raised her head to ask, "The Romefeller Breeding Center? I wasn't aware that Romefeller had one."
Treize's frown deepened as he replied, "Quinze stated that it has been around for fifty or so years and all the documents have it listed as fully sanctioned and accredited by the Wildlife Breeding Program. We called the numbers provided and it checked out."
Sally crossed her arms over her chest and replied, "I've been working with the WBP for five years, Treize, and I've never heard of the Romefeller Breeding Center. If it's been around for fifty years, I would have at least heard of some of their successes and failures through the WBP."
Treize leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This does put a different light on things. Since their documents looked authentic, we didn't bother verifying it with WBP." He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers and deciding, "Sally, I want you to place a call to your WBP contacts and ask around about Romefeller. If no information comes up, I'm going to tell the board the deal is off."
"Sure thing, Treize."
Their meeting was suddenly interrupted by a soft knock on the door. The group turned around to see Une, Treize's assistant and advisor, standing in the open doorway. "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but these people insisted upon seeing you. They said it was about Shinigami and Kiseki."
Treize nodded and said, "Let them in."
Une stepped aside to admit entrance to a couple, one blonde haired woman and a darker, swarthier man. The woman smiled gently at the gathered keepers while the man's face remained noncommittal. The keepers parted ways to let them approach Treize, who stood up and offered his hand. After the initial greetings, the woman introduced herself and her companion.
"Hello Mr. Khushrenada. My name is Iria Winner and this is my husband, Rashid. We've come to you on behalf of the Winner Foundation concerning two of your melanistic leopards."
The name Winner immediately registered with all of the keepers, as it had recently been honored at a charity event for donating a substantial amount of money to the park. In fact, the reception had been the last event that Heero Yuy had been seen at before his mysterious disappearance.
Treize smiled warmly and said, "How can we help you, Mrs. Winner?"
"Please, call me Iria. Let me be perfectly blunt, Treize, may I call you Treize?"
At Treize's nod of consent, Iria proceeded with, "We've been researching the history of your male black leopard and have come to learn that his origins were in the southwestern regions of Asia. As you surely must know, melanistic leopards are an extremely endangered species in Asia, in fact they are almost extinct. What we propose to do is to take Shinigami and his mate back to Asia and relocate them in their natural habitat."
Mariemeia turned the group's attention on her by speaking up, "Surely you don't mean to release them in the wild! Shinigami has been in captivity for a long time and as far as we know Kiseki has been in captivity all her life. Releasing them into the wild would be the equivalent of a death sentence! There is no guarantee that they could care for themselves alone and may end up some trophy hunter's prize!"
Iria nodded and replied, "We understand your concern, and no, our intentions are not to release them into the wild, per say. We would take them back to Asia and release them in the Winner Feline Reservation. We have several groups of felines that have been successfully reintroduced into their natural habitat in the reserve, while remaining protected from outside poachers at the same time. Also, we have a full staff of personnel that keeps an eye on the cats, to ensure their health and fitness. Our goal is to eventually have enough of them born in the wild that their numbers will once again thrive and become self-sufficient."
At her explanation, the keepers nodded their understanding as they clearly became enamoured with her idea. Treize said, "I must admit, Iria, your proposal is definitely worth considering. However, it won't be our decision, but the zoo's board of trustee's."
Iria's smile was wry as she said, "We understand the politics of zoological parks, Treize. The Winner Foundation is willing to compensate Sank Zoo for their loss with six million dollars. That is, of course, in addition to the million grant that we are willing to give every year that SZP is open."
The keepers gaped at the perfectly serious woman, stunned by the generous donation. "That's a lot of money, Iria," Treize needlessly said, at a loss for a better statement.
"Indeed. But this shows you how serious we are in obtaining the two leopards for our reserve. We've been tracking Shinigami down for quite some time, and are relieved to find that he has finally settled down. It is our wish to bring him home now."
Treize stood up and extended his hand to the blonde woman. "Iria, I do believe this news will stun the board members completely. In fact, I have a meeting with them in an hour. Will you join me there to discuss your proposal?"
"Gladly," came the answer.
~ ~ ~ ~
Duo grinned at his mate, trying to uplift sulky spirits. Lying down so he was eye level with Heero, he tried to cajole him out of his mood. :Ah Heero, it's not so bad. It's only for a few months and then you'll be able to turn back.:
:Then you carry them,: came the sulky reply.
:I would, lover, but I'm not the female.:
:Don't remind me,: Heero thought, burying his muzzle in his paws.
Duo sighed as he got up and padded over to the barred window of their night enclosure. He stared up at the evening sky, at the pregnant moon that shone down on him. Flexing his fingers, he stared at his bare hand for a brief moment, marveling in the fact that he was able to change shapes without the full moon. He had known that once he found his soul mate and claimed him/her, he would be able to change at will, but it had still come as a shock.
Duo was so deeply wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Heero getting up. He was jostled out of his musings as a furry head butted the side of his legs, drawing his attention down. Duo sat where he was, allowing Heero to settle down next to him, his head in Duo's lap. Duo lovingly stroked his mate's dark head, relishing the silky fur that covered his lover's animal form. His sharp, supernatural gaze easily picked out the slight rosette pattern that lay masked within the fur, hidden by the black color.
:I'm sorry,: came Heero's apology. :It just came as a shock when I heard them talking about it.:
:It's all right, Heero. I would have been shocked too. But I'm so happy!: Duo replied. Gently relinquishing Heero's head, he scooted around until he was facing Heero's stomach. :May I?: he asked.
Heero didn't give an answer, but rather sent a pulse of wordless love along their psychic link, and obliged him by turning on his side. Over the two months since Duo's claiming of the Japanese man, they had experimented with the link, finding it strong enough to surpass anything except when one of them was unnaturally knocked out. They could communicate via thought or just send each other emotions.
Duo smiled before he leaned forward to press his cheek against Heero's exposed abdomen. He knew they were probably too small to be felt yet, but he imagined he could feel his unborn children in Heero's womb. He sent wordless feelings of love and happiness to those fragile forms of new life, telling them through his heart that he couldn't wait to greet them and introduce them to life.
Duo felt his emotions welling up in his heart, threatening to overflow. After being alone for so long, he was finally going to have a family again. The only thing that could make this complete would be returning to his home with his mate. But since that wouldn't be possible at the moment, he was content with what he had. Duo could feel tears pricking the edges of his eyes and he made a gargantuan effort to subdue them before they could fall. Unfortunately for him, his mental link with Heero allowed his currently feline mate to pick up on his wavering emotions.
:Are you all right, Duo? What's wrong?:
Duo sniffed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. :Nothing, Heero. It's just, well, I found you and soon I'm going to be a father. I-I'm going to finally have a family again.:
Duo blinked in surprise as Heero suddenly rose, forcing him into a sitting position. The next thing he knew, he had a furry head nuzzling him under the chin, a rough tongue gently swiping his bare skin. The cat before him started a deep purr, trying to give comfort to his emotional mate.
Duo smiled and buried his fingers in Heero's soft neck, nuzzling the fur with the side of his face. The mated pair stayed intertwined for a long time, taking comfort and pleasure in just being near each other, their spirits joyous. They were so deeply involved with each other, they never heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor beyond or saw the dark shadows stop before their cage door.
They became aware of the intruder as a telepathic voice invaded their heads, causing both to whip around to face the barred door. Duo's eyes went wide with surprise as Heero bared his fangs.
The figure chuckled for a brief moment, a throaty, feminine laugh.
:Hello, Shinigami. Remember me?:
TBC...
[1] Kiseki is Japanese for miracle
[2] Here's me playing with ages again! Mariemeia isn't the little girl from the Endless Waltz series, rather her age is on par with the others.
[3] A leopard's/panther's gestation period is between 90 - 96 days. Kiseki/Heero's been pregnant for about a month before they verify it.
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