A What if Story Titled:

Springs of Horror!

I don't own Pet Shop of Horrors or Ranma 1/2

-o-0-o-

It feels so good to be home! Chris thinks privately to himself as they walk out of the airport, heading for his brother's car. Count D's busy trying to sooth T-chan down after being stuck in that cage since they made it to the Chinese airport to board a flight back home. As D's doing that, Leon seems more focused on not looking in D's direction. Chris can't help but wonder if the pair of adults got into another fight as he waits for the car doors to unlock.

As Leon opens the car doors, he moves to the back of the car to put their baggage into the trunk, he's careful not to glance in T-chan's direction since most of the time, he can see that 'ghost' that's attached to the shaggy beast. A ghost that just might be linked to the fact that Tetsu can talk, something that Leon can't seem to tune out as he listens to the conversation going on between the shaggy goat like creature and the pet shop owner.

Soon enough their bags were in the trunk and once the trunk is shut, the blond cursed cop heads for the driver's side to get into the car. A few adjustments to the side mirrors and he turns on the engine of his car, Leon turns to face the back window, smiling at his little brother before focusing his eyes on what's going on behind them.

"Hey D? How come you don't know how to drive a car? You're old enough to be able to." Chris asks the man with two eye colors. The bidanshi man doesn't get a chance to reply as T-chan pipes in with a dry tone, "Chris, not everybody wants to be able to drive a moving battering ram."

To say that Leon was more then happy to arrive in Chinatown since it would give the blond a chance to spend some quiet time alone, away from the shaggy goat related being known as Tetsu and from the one who owns the pet shop that the beast lives at. D notices the odd behaviour going on with the cursed blond, but doesn't say anything since the bidanshi looking man believes that Leon just needs some time to adjust and that some time alone was all that the detective needed.

"Are you sure you want Chris to stay?" Leon asks at the door leading into the shop as the detective puts down the two bags that he was carrying onto the ground. Chris looks between the two adults, tore between his desire to spend the night at the shop and his desire to go home with his elder brother. T-chan was busy eyes the closest ankle that belongs to Detective Leon, contemplating if it was worth the bother to attack or not.

"I'm sure, my Dear Detective." Count D answers, Leon's blue eyes flicker to T-chan before shrugging. "I'll pick him up tomorrow then. Get some rest, Chris. I think we're all going to be suffering from some Jet lag soon." Leon says jokingly as he ruffles his little brother's hair.

Chris beams up at his Leon, nodding in agreement. "Bye big bro! See you tomorrow!" Chris calls out as his brother reaches the top of the steps. Leon holds up a hand for a few seconds before it goes back into Leon's jacket pocket.

- - -

Time seems to have grown wings and flew by, as Leon finds himself sitting at his desk, staring up at the ceiling. The blond detective really can't believe out lucky he's been considering how his curse works. Not that it's been easy for Leon to keep his secret, though so far, other then a few odd comments about his new phobia of cold water, nobody ever seemed to care as long as he does his job.

And of course D's been getting suspicious about the fact that I'm avoiding his place. Chris is beginning to notice too. . . The cursed detective muses to himself. But then, it's hard for him to stick around for long, he really can't help the fact that seeing those ghosts that were attached to those animals that live at Count D's pet shop.

Or whatever the heck they really are. Leon muses darkly as he recalls seeing all those various ghosts, chatting away as if he couldn't hear them. Maybe it's because they're accustom to doing so. . . The thought didn't exactly calm him one bit.

Dismissing those thoughts, Leon then returns to filling out recent arrest reports that lie on his desk top.

- - -

Chris watches as D paces with his thumb nail at the corner of his mouth, showing just how worried the pet shop owner. It's been a while since Leon's stuck around for any great length of time in the pet shop and even the rest of the pet shop is beginning to feel the affects of such a disruption. Even T-chan isn't immune to the effect that's caused by a worrying Count D.

"Things really have changed, huh?" Chris asks Pon-chan as their eyes follow the pacing figure of D. "And it's all Leon's fault, too!" T-chan grumbles as the sheep looking beast brings in a tray of food and sets it down on the table.

Many of the animals within the shop agree with Tetsu though Pon-chan stays silent, it seems as though the little racoon is thinking about something. Chris only sighs, but nods in agreement. While he does love his brother, the younger Orcot can't help but admit that ever since they returned back from China, the older Orcot has been acting oddly, true, Leon is now cursed but its not as if Leon goes through a major transformation, right?

"Next time I see him, I'll tear off one of his fingers." T-chan growls as the horned looking teen sits down on the couch. Chris sighs as he picks out what he wants off the tray.

With the next few minutes, the door finally opens and the man with mismatched eyes pauses to look at who's entering into the shop. As the door moves, Leon pauses slightly at how he just became center of attention. "…"

"Leon, we need to talk." The silence is broken by Count D and within seconds both of the adults were gone from the inside of the shop, leaving pretty much everyone wondering about what just happened.

Although, unknowingly to the others, somebody sneaked off out the door and followed the pair…

- - -

Leon allows the Count to drag him out of the shop as he tries to get over having so many eyes staring accusingly at him, two sets pre animal within the shop. Though D has let go of his arm, the blond continues to follow the China man through the streets, wondering where they're heading to.

D himself couldn't really say what possessed him a few minutes ago to drag the detective out the front door, but once out on the street, he heads to a place he knew, a spot where he sometimes head to where he could view the city from the building's roof top.

It seems that something of his winged lion form has manifested itself already. The bidanshi looking Chinese man muses as he listens to the much softer foot steps of his companion. Now the question is just how much has Leon changed since he's been cursed? And also, how affected he was by spending those first few days in that form?

Soon enough, D turns into an alley way and then into the back door. Leon blinks as he notices the number of stairs as D begins to climb, not noticing the fact that something has slipped into the building through the still open door that he's holding open.

With a sigh, Leon moves out of the door frame as Pon-chan hides in the shadows, waiting for Leon to walk up the stairs after Count D. Once Leon's disappeared around the bend, she hurries after, intent on finding out what's wrong with Chris's older brother and to help fix it if she could.

Soon enough, D reaches the roof top and as he waits for the cursed blond, D takes time to study the city from this roof. He watches as humans walk on the side walk or drive their polluting machines on the road. A bitter taste fills his mouth as he imagines what the area might have looked once upon a time.

If it's not the natives it's the immigrants. The bidanshi man with mismatched eyes muses to himself. A metal clank sounds the arrival of his current problem; thoughts of how the land ran with blood are pushed aside for the time being.

Leon blinks slightly in the sunlight before his view adjusts to the increase of light. The blond studies the bidanshi for a few minutes as the Count seems busy studying the sights down below. A slightly familiar feeling seems to fill the space between them and once he allows the door to close, it seems to snap D out of it.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Leon walks to the right side of where the Count is leaning. Leon uses those few seconds to try to gather his thoughts; neither of the mature beings noted the presence of the young racoon who's beginning to have second thoughts about following them out of the pet shop. . .

"So, what do you want to talk about, D?" Leon asks, breaking the tension around them. "You've been avoiding the shop." D states soberly and Leon fills a bit of a twist in his midsection.

"It's not the shop that I'm avoiding." Leon says truthfully, it's the animals in the shop that he's trying to avoid. D searches Leon's face, trying to figure out if the blond human was lying to him.

"If not the shop, then who? Chris?" The bidanshi man asks and Leon winces but shakes his head. "It's definitely not Chris." Leon says and then looks away from his companion.

"You're seeing something though, aren't you? You're seeing them aren't you?" D says shrewdly and Leon gives him a quick and slightly guilty look before returning to studying the street below.

Pon-chan's eyes bug out a bit as she realises just who them are. A flash of guilty erupts within her for a few seconds before reminding herself that this was for Chris.

"So, now instead of confronting the problem, you just want to keep ignoring it until it goes away?" D asks and Leon replies, "Look, it's just plain freak, alright? I see the animal and then I see this … this… ghost or spirit hanging over, behind, to the side of them. It's like they're haunted or something."

D blinks, adamantly that was new, usually that happens when one of the animals parading in human flesh and not when they're in their truest forms. No wonder he's avoiding the issue! The bidanshi man thinks as an amused smile grows on his face.

"So its ghosts now, is it?" D muses out loud, his tone oozing with humour. Leon growls and sends his best glare in D's direction while Pon-chan giggles slightly at the thought of ghosts hanging around the pet shop. She can't wait to tell Chris and the others!

"Well, what the heck would you call them?" Leon snarls out, much like the lion that he transforms into. "One would say that their how the animals like to think of themselves as." D replies lightly causing Leon to groan.

"Should have figured you won't give me a straight answer." Leon sighs in defeat, Pon-chan couldn't suppress a loud giggle from escaping her.

Both adults seem to pause before turning in her direction. Leon seems to groan on seeing the over lapping 'self' image of a human girl in a frilly dress hanging over the form of Pon-chan the racoon.

"Pon-chan." D says in a slightly scolding tone. Both the image of a girl and the racoon both seem to put their arms behind their backs and stare down at the floor of the roof. "Sorry Count, but I really wanted to try and help. Chris has been worried about what's going on with Leon, so… I just… followed you." Pon-chan says.

Leon sighs as once more the lips of the 'ghost' girl move and he hears what the racoon girl is saying. Though when it was with T-chan a few weeks ago, it seemed kind of like listening to Chris talking, now though, whatever it is that's causing him to see these 'ghosts' and hear them talk, it's seems to have settled for making him think that he's hearing the words with his ears then in his mind, which might mean that if he decides to plug his ears…

"Well then, now that we know what the problem is, we can start trying to get use to having the detective see and hear you all." D says, slightly glad that the problem has come out.

After all, without having Leon around the shop… it just didn't feel right some how. But then, D dismisses it as the fact that he's worrying about it since Chris was worrying about it, after all, how could he fall for such a rude, short sighted, and ill-mannered human that he knew Leon Orcot to be?

Once gathering Pon-chan in his arms, the three of them then head off the roof top, for now, they've only slightly scratched the surface of the changes that the water based curse is causing within the blond detective.