Pet Shop Of Horrors Fan Fiction ❯ Pink Moon ❯ The Dress in the Coun'ts Wardrobe; Leon's Amazing Romeo Complex; Workin'...and Coverin Up ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Pink Moon
**************
Disclaimer: ....No own D, no own Q or Orcot.... Me DO own Imitator and band of elite warriors. (Oh! And no own the song "Kiss the Girl" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid"...)
<...> = someone talking in another language besides English
::.....:: = flashback
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"Welcome to your room..." D showed Shava a reasonably sized bedoom, furnished with a rather comfortable bed, a dresser, a vanity, and a door next to the bed.
"Uh..." Shava pointed to the door.
D smirked. "That's the bathroom, Miss Muhammad...but be careful, it's connected to my room also."
Shava sweatdropped, a blush line over the bridge of her nose. "Thanks for the warning."
D smiled. "Why, I've never seen you blush before!"
"You only saw me for only one day...."
"Yes...well.....you..."
"What?"
"Never mind," D petted Q-chan. "Goodnight, Miss Muhammad. Sleep tight...."
"Chi!" Q-chan waved at the young woman.
"Goodnight, Q-chan..." Shava said, grinning. She turned to the shower. "I wonder what D was gonna say?"
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As Shava slept, she tossed and turned. She wasn't used to such comfortable conditions. AND she wondered what D was gonna say. Probably "you were pretty savage back there..." or "you looked almost like a man back there...". Shava chuckled to herself.
"Piii?"
Shava's eyes immediately snapped open. "Oh, it CAN'T be...."
Her eyes followed the door to her room. It seemed something was trying to get in, but it didn't know exactly how to use a doorknob. Shava's chest tightened as she got into a fighting stance.
"D....?" she started, then she scolded herself. 'Why the heck am I calling him?!'
"Come on in, mofo, and FIGHT!" With an angry growl, she opened the door only to find....
San San?
"Puu...." The young Strelitzia had followed her to D's little apartment!
"San San? What are you---" she gasped as the bird jumped into her arms and nuzzled his face next to hers.
"Oookay...." Shava set him down. "Guess you were feelin' lonely down there, eh?"
As if he understood, San San nodded, his eyes (which were usually so focused) now teary and sparkily.
"All right, you can stay with me, San San. But--" she said before the Strelitzia could cheer. "Only for ONE night. And you have to stay quiet. I don't know what D does with pets that continually stray from their cages..."
At the nod of her head, San San jumped into the bed, wrapping himself, wings and all, in her covers.
"Oyah...you are a silly little thing , aren't cha?"
San San just grinned mishchievously at Shava, then dived deeper into the bed.
Shava laughed. Which was also very rare. "Haha...you're really a baby, right?"
She got into the bed and as her head touched the pillow, she saw San San standing on the other side, his eyes closed and a sweet lullaby pouring from his lips.
"Oh....such beautiful music....." Shava thought before drifting off to sleep.
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D arose early in the morning , which would be a good time to get those candies, buuuut, he had a fellow employee to wake.
He knocked on the bathroom door. No answer. Taking a deep breath (and holding a hand over his eyes), he opened the door.
"Miss Muhammad?" Still no answer. Then he heard an array of loud wheezes and grunts from the other room. In spite of himself, he paled. 'What is she doing in there?'
He decided to stop being such a chicken butt and open the door. 'Whatever happens, happens....'
"Oh..."
Shava paused from her handstand pushups. "H-hey...I can't really talk in this position, Count..."
D could've slapped himself. Well, duh, she wasn't going to let herself be seen!
"I am so sorry, Miss Muhammad...." With a bow, D exited back into the bathroom.
"....."
Shava grinned. Now what got him so riled up? The words of Ishigami started to play with her mind....
::""Besides, I SAW the way he looked at you."::
"Oy, Ishigami and Fang are BOTH pests...."
Shava shook her head clear and resumed her warm-ups.

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D still wasn't speaking to her even during breakfast time. Actually, for a good part of the morning, he was avoiding her.
Shava didn't care. She just wasn't drinking this tea. Actually, she broke the silence by stating another difference between them.
"I don't eat candy."
((O.O)) D nearly spit his tea back into the cup. "You don't WHAT?"
"Eat candy. I hate sweets."
D held his hand across his chest. "HOW can you NOT love sweets?"
"Easy, I wasn't raised on sugar..."
"Not even pie?"
"Not even pie."
D sighed. "Well, what do you eat?"
Shava narrowed her eyes at him, but not without a grin. "I eat normal food. Y'know, the rest of the four food groups."
"That explains your movie star smile."
"Excuse me?" She didn't expect that.
D shook his head. "Nothing. I just think you use every part of your body as a weapon."
Shava's eye twitched. "WHY are you talking about my body?" she said with gritted teeth.
"Uh..." D sweatdropped. "I didn't....mean it that way. Sorry."
Shava raised an eyebrow. "You'd better not. Now, about this tea."
"What about it?"
"I'll make my own. Don't EVER make tea for anyone else again." At D's quizzical look, she added, "It's good for the Earth." She flashed a half smile at him (not to knock him out, just on stun).
"Ah..." D said, nodding. "Even though I don't see what the problem is."
"Why don't I make my special tea? My mother taught me how to make it when I was little...." Shava reached for some honey and walked over to the refridgerator to look for milk.
"Your special blend? What's it called?"
"........"
"What?"
"Can't tell ya, family secret."
Actually the name of the tea was Keepaman, but Shava would NEVER tell anyone that name. Not even if they tortured her. She took out the milk and started mixing the plain tea with a little of each ingredient.
"So...how does it taste?" D was curious.
"My, my, aren't we curious today?" Shava poured some for him. "Here you are."
D tasted it. "......"
"Well? Didn't my mother teach me well?" Shava grinned. Then she yelped when something latched onto her.
"San San?!! I oughta---- what?" She looked down to see the Count staring at her with puppy dog eyes (not unlike San San). "Errr...."
"Marry me."
"EXCUSE ME????!!!!" Shava jumped out of his grip a good two feet away from the Count.
The Count looked at the empty space his arms now encircled. Then he realized what he just said.
Horrified, he covered his mouth, his two tone eyes wide.
"Sorry! Sorry!!!" he tried to say through his muffled mouth, but it came out sounding more like, "Srry! Srry!"
Shava stared at the tea pot. What had she created? Then she realized, her mother told her NEVER to make Keepaman tea unless you really wanted to keep that man! She chuckled. 'Well well well, it does work...'
However, D wasn't amused. "Let's just open the store....and keep to our seperate teas."
"Whatever." Shava went to open the door, but the Count stopped her.
"Wait, do you REALLY want to wear that?"
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Well, you wore them yesterday, " D whined. "Why not wear something that says more like "Welcome to Count D's" than "Welcome to the Dojo"?"
Shava wasn't even thinking of changing, but if he had something in her size....why not?
"Alright."
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"Awww! THIS would look SO nice on you, Shava!" D cried happily.
Shava just sat cross legged on the floor of the Count's bedroom, grumbling. Whatever happy feelings that were at breakfastime melted away at 10:00 AM.
"Are you done cooing over your own clothes please?" she asked venomously. "Lemme choose my own clothes! Besides, I don't like to spend too much time in some guy's room."
D smirked, and raised an eyebrow. "Reeeeally?"
"Get out, please."
"Yes, ma'am!" He and Q-chan both saluted her and scurried downstairs to let in the customers.
"Geez, I can hear the idiots banging on the door downstairs," she said to herself. "I guess this place is really popular."
Suddenly, she wished she had her own little animal on her shoulder to talk to.
"Nnngh!" She shook the feeling off. She opened up the wardrobe and peered inside. Since the clothes were all Chinese styled and designed with an array of colors, it seemed to Shava that she could pick any one.
But, she wasn't feelin' ANY of them.
Desperate, she sighed, and reached into the very back of the wardrobe, expecting a wall.
But no....
Her hand felt a piece of cloth.
"Uh....?" She pulled the other clothes apart and stared at the obviously feminine Chinese dress hanging on the wall of the wardrobe.
"This CAN'T be one of his..." It seemed she was right, she took the dress off the hanger. It was royal purple, with designs of gold cherry blossom trees wilting all over it. Shava couldn't believe it. She turned around to D's vanity and held the dress up. It wasn't sized for someone as tall and narrow as D, but someone as medium sized and curvy as her....Shava briefly flicked away the last remaining thoughts of Ishigami and Fang's teasing words and put the dress on.
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As Shava modeled the dress in the mirror, she noticed something else. A twinkling sound caught her attention, and she immediately turned around (in a fighting position *sigh*).
Two lovely fairies entered the room, flying around like little balls of light.
Shava smacked the side of her head a couple of times. When that didn't work, she just deduced that she must be dreaming and stood still.
It was only then that the fairies stopped flying and rested on the top of the wardrobe. They were lovely creatures, dressed in the finest of flowers. Their gossamer wings bent the sunlight, causing mini-rainbows to seep through.
Shava stared at them, a weird thought teasing her. 'D sent them, didn't he?'
"Nah nah nah.....this is all wrong! It's gotta be....."
But before she could explain away THIS situation, the fairies divebombed after her.
"Grrr....." Shava growled angrily, but the two little sprites just laughed.
"Come on now! Come on now! We're WAY too small for you to catch!" the fairy dressed in rose petals said in her squeaky voice.
"Yah!" said the one dressed in tulips. "We came to do your hair an' everythin'!"
"We came to make you look your best!" they both said happily.
Shava couldn't help thinking if D used these fairies himself.
She smirked. "All right, ladies. Then let's go."
"Yay!"
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"Good morning, Detective..." D said, the usual smirk on his lips.
Leon glared at him. "Where's Shava?"
D winked. "I think I know why you wanna know!"
"Really? PLEASE enlighten me, oh Doctor D."
D grinned. "You like her don't you? And she IS your type. A "hot" blonde or redhead, yes?"
Leon mirrored the Count's grin. "Man, she IS beautiful!" His expression turned misty. "I still remember her on that stage...Whooo!"
"Well, that's all nice and sweet, Leon, but, I'm afraid you can't have her..."
Leon's eyebrows went up. "And why not, D? She's single, she legal, and she's defintely not interested in that stick guy."
D narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't allow anyone to date my employees...."
"Oh really? You mean she's like a...oh I don't know....slave?" Leon fingered his handcuffs. 'YES! I'm gonna catch 'im in the act!'
D eyed Leon's right hand. "She's NOT a slave, Detective." Then he smiled, briefly. "Please leave."
"Hey, you guys...." Shava came downstairs, the two fairies on her shoulders. When Detective Orcot turned his head, they disappeared.
Leon's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Instead of the tomboyish, exciting girl he saw yesterday, he saw a lovely Arab beauty in a royal purple colored Chinese dress, her sweet bow lips a royal purple themselves, enter from the backroom. Her hair was done up into two buns and holding them together was a lovely array of dark purple flowers and golden trinkets hanging down from the sides. She had two simple gold drop earrings tinkling from her ears. When she saw how Leon was staring at her, she blushed. (Causing him to drool.)
"Um...detective?" D waved his hand in front of Leon's eyes. "You're drooling on the floor...."
Seizing his chance, Leon grabbed Shava's hands and bent on one knee.
"Marry me....PLEASE!"
Shava laughed merrily (wow, that's REALLY rare...). "Hey Count, at least HE said "please"!"
"Hunh?" Leon rose up. He faced D, his eyes ablaze. "YOU proposed to her?!"
Shava patted his arm. "Calm down. It's an inside joke."
Leon glared once again at D. "How about I stay for awhile, eh, Miss Muhammad?"
Shava flashed a stunning smile, catching Leon off guard. "Sure...you're welcome to stay..." she said while totally ignoring D and Q-chan's frantic pleas to kick him out.
"Awww..." D groaned. He faced Q-chan. "It seems that Leon's won THIS round...."
"Chii..." Q-chan kicked the Count's shoulder in disgust.

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(LUNCHTIME!)

In the afternoon, Shava regretted her answer.
"Um...you CAN stop staring at me, Detective Orcot...." Shava said, a huge sweatdrop on the side of her head.
"Please..." the blonde haired man said in a surprisingly soft voice, "Call me, Leon, alright?"
Count D could've thrown up in his teacup. The way Leon was making googly eyes at Shava.......HIS Shava!
Waitaminute, where did THAT come from?
"What is wrong with me, today?" D mumbled, scratching his head. Q-chan just shrugged.
"Uh...." Shava wasn't used to being so close to a guy. Especially THIS dude who didn't seem to understand the meaning of "personal space". She cast a pleading glance over to D, who immediately took the hint.
"Umm...no cases that lead up to my "suspicious little shop", Detective?" D asked, breaking the Shava-spell for a minute.
"Whu--? Ah no, not today." Leon resumed staring at Shava.
"!!!!"
"Wow, Miss Muhammad, you are SO beautiful. If my mind were a computer art program, I'd copy and paste your picture into my mind forever...." Leon said dreamily.
"I...see......" Shava immediately got up and sat next to D. "Ahahaha...how flattering, Leon!"
"You're braver...." D whispered to her.
"Dude! I can see why you don't like him! He's creepy!" she whispered back.
D sighed. "Leon's not really what I'd call "creepy" in the sense of what you're thinking, Miss Muhammad....he's more like "that friend that follows you around" creepy."
Shava laughed lightly. "Heh. By the way, I feel a LOT safer over here."
Across from them, Leon stared at the two, chuckling to themselves. 'What the---? But she said---? NOW I'm confused....'
While, they were talking, Q-chan pulled his yellow cheeks and stuck out his tongue at the Detective.
"Why you---!" Leon picked up a HUGE book and prepared to smack Q-chan with it. Well, he smacked SOMETHING.
Only it wasn't Q-chan.
Shava's eyes flashed when she saw 1) Leon staring at her with the deer-in-headlights-look, a book raised over his head and 2) an unconscious Count D in her lap.
Suddenly, all sense left her.
"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr................." she growled with the fierceness of a lioness.
Leon sweatdropped. Oops, he hit D, yes, but he realized that he had forgotten how powerful Shava was.
A yellow battle aura surged around the young woman.
"Uh...Shava? It was a big mistake? Really!" Leon backed away, making sure his eyes never left her for a second.
"GRAWWRRR!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Ahhhh!" Leon screamed like a little girl and high-tailed it out of the store.
"Hmmph," Shava watched as he ran away. "Idiot..."

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So, from then on, after Count D had been nursed back to health yet again, Shava helped out in the store.
You all know, the usual.
Feeding the pets, grooming them, cleanin' out their cages...and one more thing.
Keeping people from breaking their contracts
"Look, D," Shava explained, (She had found yet another lovely Chinese style dress hung up on the wall of D's wardrobe. This time, it was buttecup yellow...) "If people keep on breaking the contract rules, their fates are gonna attract the police precinct...and who works at the precinct around here?"
"Detective Orcot."
"Good! And what detective do you want to rid of?"
"Detective Orcot?"
"Good! A gold star for you!" She placed a golden sticker on D's forehead. The ornaments around her bun hairstyle tinkled merrily.
D thought hard. ( How hard can you think with a gold star sticker on yer forehead?!) "So, you are saying that Leon will not come around here if there's no case that has anything to do with me?"
"Most likely."
"Well," D said cheerfully, "we'll give it a try! But--!"
Shava stopped.
"We can't interfere with the personal problems alright? Only the ones that will cause harm for everyone."
And THAT'S how Shava ended up on the rooftop on Mrs. Geriden's house.
It was nighttime and Shava had seen Mrs. Geriden purchase a rabbit that looked exactly like her dearly departed (and very spoiled) son. [Sound familiar,eh?] Shava kept a close watch on the rabbit and the middle-aged lady.
`]
2=1"So far, so good..." Shava was just about to turn away and go home, until....
"Here, dear, you can have ONE pixie stick..."
"Holy sh---!"Shava immediately rushed through the window and snatched the pixie stick before the Rabbit could eat it.
"What in the WORLD?!" Mrs. Geriden's eyebrows twitched nervously as the "ninja" unmasked herself. "It's YOU!"
Shava glared at her. "Yeah well, I may not be subtle as Count D, but I'm waaay more aware." She thrust the sugary stick in Mrs. Geriden's face. "WOMAN! Did you even READ the contract?!"
"Y-yes, I did...."
"Hey!"
The Rabbit/boy reached for the pixie stick, but stopped when Shava gave a him a death-glare.
"No." she said sternly. The Rabbit/boy pouted and resumed eating his lettuce.
Mrs. Geriden looked at Shava in awe. "H-how did you DO that?"
"Do what?" Shava asked, a little puzzled.
"Say "no" like that? I could NEVER do it!"
Shava sweatdropped. This was gonna be one of those long nights.....

(Later on...)

"Thank you, Miss Muhammad!" Mrs. Geriden waved as Shava bounced from building to building back to Chinatown. The woman turned to face the Rabbit/ boy. "No more sweets for YOU, young man! Only veggies!"
"Yes, mama...." he said, downcast.
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"Whew! I am POOPED!" Shava relaxed on the couch, still in her ninja clothes.
"You say that every night," D said, grinning.
"And YOU always grin when I say that," Shava smiled at him. She smiled more often these days.
D blushed a delicate pink. "W-well, so what? You and your killer smiles...." He "hmmphed" as he carried the tea tray into the kitchen.
Shava smiled even wider (Whoop whoop! Too dangerous for human eyesight! :D) and sipped her Keepaman tea [Stop laughing!]. "Ahh, delicious..."
D snuck a look at her from behind one of the privacy screens. "Hmmm..."

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Down in the everlasting "jungle" known as the room of unsellable pets, a certain Imitator had recieved news from a VERY unlikely informant. The creature heard a flutter of wings and knew he had come back with even more info.
< Good evening to you, Master San San...> said the creature in Strelitzia talk.
<Please,> the young bird said, insolently, <spare me your mock respect. I'm only here to give you informtion. NOT to be your friend!>
<Now, now...is that anyway to talk to a true and powerful magical creature?>
San San sweatdropped. <Yeah right. Anyways, it seems that Master D and the lovely lady are getting closer...they seem to enjoy each other's company more and are excluding the annoying detective out of their conversations...>
<I see....> San San looked inside to see a stretched outline of goop that represented a grin. San San shuddered.
<Well, what next, "oh great and magical creature"?>
The Imitator laughed. <Why...we get her to stay forever. She may have changed the contract but she won't change the Count's mind if he feels he'll need her all his life....>
San San grinned. What he wouldn't he give to have the angry, but now strikingly flashy female, stay here forever! He'd live forever just for her!
<Alright, what's your plan?>

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In no time at all, the unsellable creatures had formulated a plan.
<She's gonna stay forever!?> the Harpy crowed. <Isn't THAT nice? Oh I cannot wait to see their children!>
The Imitator stuck out one of its many mouths and stretched it all the way to the Harpy's cage.
<You're NOT going to eat them,> he said sternly in Harpish.
<Hmmph!> the Harpy turned around, pouting.
< Well, I for one think it's a very stupid plan,> said the local loup-garou. The other wolves agreed with him with howls.
<SHUTUP!> snapped the Imitator. <Do you WANT us to be found out?!>
<No....> the wolf whined, slinking back into its cage.
The Imitator cleared his voice, but not until Finesse, the Atlantic mermaid, had her say from her fishbowl.
<Well, I for one think it's a rather lovely idea!> She stuck out her tongue at the group of loup-garou. <I just LOVE the way Miss Shava seasons my food!> She clasped her hands together and fell back into her aquarium dreamily
<A-HEM,> the Imitator cleared his throat once again. <Then it is settled....on the third night of the third day we get Miss Shava to stay forever!!!>
The creatures all cheered.
<Here here!!>
<Cheers!!!>
<Good one, Master Imitator, good one!>
<Heh....> the Imitator settled back into his cage. <I've never felt so respected in my life....>
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:: "Hello? What is your name, young girl?" a sky blue haired young man asked an auburn haired girl. The girl looked into his handsome face and was, for the first time in her life, unable to say a word....
Finally she said her name. "My name is Shava Muhammad! I have come to your village for rest and food!" But she was shaking as she said it.
The young man pulled his light blue robes about himself. There was something about her that moved a sleeping part of himself.
"You are so beautiful..." he breathed, "Stay as long as you want...."::

"Mmmm...Yuni....," Shava mumbled in her sleep. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched by the manager.
'Why do I feel so attached to you, Miss Muhammad?' D thought as he paused to listen to her talk in her sleep. The mention of the name Yuni startled him a little. Who wasYuni? A brother? No. A friend? A boyfriend? D's eyes immediately drooped when he thought the prospect of this "Yuni" as being Shava's boyfriend.
"Hmmm...if she had a boyfriend, she wouldn't be here...." D grumbled to himself.
He entered his room in a daze. But before he could flop onto his bed, he noticed a shadow sitting up on it. He smiled when he recognized the silhouette.
"Hello San San..."
D turned the light to dim as the Strelitzia moved over so that D could sit also.
"What do you need? And don't look at me that way...." D said to San San's confused look. "I know you've been sneaking up here and singing lullabies to Miss Muhammad."
"Pii!" San San smiled. Then he handed a piece of paper to D.
D smirked. "What's this?" He read it. ""Tea time on the third night of the third day....?" Very interesting, San San." The Count turned to the bird. "Who gave you this?"
San San put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Then he flew out of the window.
D hurried after him. "San San!!! San San!!!!" He looked out the window. No sign of the Strelitzia. The Count relaxed. He looked at the small note in his hand. The writer was excruciatingly neat--- as if the person wasn't comfortable with writing yet.
"Hrmmm...."

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(On the third day of next week!)

Shava gasped when she found two dresses in the back of the count's wardrobe. Smiling at the hot pink Chinese style outfit (this time with golden Phoenixes flying all over it), she took it out. But the second one made her heart skip.
It was a simple strapless black dress (More skin than she EVER wanted to show...) with a ornate green and red eyed Eastern dragon stitched in the left bottom corner. (Well the right bottomed corner since Shava was looking at it from the front...).
Shava's mouh twitched as always when something irked her. And this black dress REALLY irked her. Too many times had she heard Fang and Ishigami talk about the "wonders" of the little black dress.
::"No matter what size it is, or what style, it ALWAYS leads to marriage, Shava!" Ishigami nudged the Muslim girl in the ribs. "Eh? Eh?" Fang squeezed between them both. "Haha! I'VE worn the L.B.D. for only TWO men in MY life!!" The two Asian girls erupted in giggles while Shava sweatdropped. ::

Shava sweatdropped. Now it was HER turn it seemed.....only......
Only it seemed like the Count had NO idea what he just ignited.
"....." A sneaky smile crept across Shava's face. So he thought he just bought her a lovely evening dress, eh? He had no idea!
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Shava crept downstairs only to find the Count shaking the hand of one of his longtime customers.
"I will see you soon, Monsieur Agnew!" D called as the short blonde haired man exited the store.
"Agnew?"
D nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oookay...Good morning, Miss Muhammad. I didn't know you could do that..."
"I can be silent if I want to..." She looked at the "OPEN" sign. "Are we closing early today?"
D smiled. "Yes, yes we are. Tonight's a special night for us!" He rubbed Q-chan's back. "We're going to have tea time....on the ROOF!"
Both Q-chan and Shava facevaulted.
"I-I thought we were going out....." Shava stammered. Why did her stomach feel like it weighed twenty pounds all of a sudden?
D noticed her disappointed look. "Y-you really wanted to go out?"
Shava played with her fingers. "Well, I guess....I mean I wasn't expecting....."
D placed his hand on her shoulder. He smiled a genuine smile at Shava. "How about after our tea time on the roof we go out and explore Chinatown alright?"
Shava felt her cheeks heat up. 'Oh, brother.....noblushingnoblushingnoblushing.....'
"Okay, D. It's a date..."
Just then a mailman knocked on the petshop door.
D opened it. "Yes? May I help you?"
The mailman hefted the package and the covered bouqet of flowers into the store. "Package and bouquet for...," he read the card, "Mizz Muhammad?"
Shava held up her hand. "I'm Miss Muhammad. Are these for me?"
"!" The mailman's eyes grew wide. Whoa....MISS Muhammad.
"Uhhh...here you go, Miss Muhammad, " the mailman said nervously. "And might I say the man who sent you these is very VERY lucky..."
"All right all right, get out..." D pushed the mailman out of the store, while he still struggled to get a glimpse of "Miss Muhammad".
Shava opened the bouquet of flowers, which were plump velvety red roses with Queen Anne's Lace placed here and there to add to the bouquet.
"Oh wow...." She set down the roses and started to open the package. "!"
Inside was a poem written in Arabic and a velvet blue jewelry box. Also inside was a rectangular black jewelry box.
"Oh...oh....." Shava read the poem first. It said:
"My Dearest Shava,
Just the sound of your name excites me
The fiercest of fierce...an electric beauty
Bearing angel wings so white
The feel of your hands are like processed silk
Soft and delicate
Your body is a work of art
Your eyes even more beautiful than a bird of paradise
Your voice shames the sirens and mermaids
And your manner would make a strong man quiver in his boots
If only you could be mine, my dear Shava
I would never ask for anyone, or anything, else.."

Shava giggled. "Oh, Count, if only you could read Arabic...."
"Oh I don't NEED to read it to know what it says...or who it came from." D fingered the small blue ring box. "My god, Leon...you've really outdone yourself THIS time..."
"You think Leon brought me this?" Shava held up a golden chain necklace with a figure of a flying emerald dove on it. She wrapped it around her neck, looking into the mirror.
"Hmmm...."
Shava grinned. "You don't have to be so jealous, Count. I don't like Leon."
D was about to ask her, "Then who DO you like," when a customer came rushing in, blabbering about needing a frog for his daughter's school play.
"PLEASE! She's the princess and she needs a well trained frog that can sit still without moving for a while!" The man ran his hands through his frazzled dark brown hair.
D smirked. "I think I have the perfect frog for you...."
The man with the brown hair caught sight of Shava picking up her things. "Wha--?" Then he looked at the Count. "Ahhh...I see..."
"What do you see, Mr....uh...?"
"Feldman. That's a lovely young girl you've got working for you, Count. She's a dream."
D grinned. "Maybe she is....maybe she isn't. " They talked no more until they reached the back rooms.
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(Night time is ALWAYS the right time!)

<They're doing it, Imitator!> San San squealed. <They're setting up a table right on the roof!>
The Imitator grunted. <HOW in the world did you get in my cage in the first place?!>
San San grinned. <It's a seeeeecret!>
<.....>
<:D>
<ANYways...how close is the table to the air vent?> the Imitator wanted to know how long he could stretch his many goopy green mouths so that the plan would work.
San San counted with one eye closed and one finger pointing. <Ahm....its about a foot away....is that good?>
<Heh, that's excellent!> the Imitator laughed gruffily. <Bring the mermaid over here...>
<Aye aye!> The Strelitzia mock saluted the blob and scurried through an opening in the side of the Imitator's cage.
<Oh ho ho ho! THAT'S how you got in here!> he exclaimed in a grumpy old man's voice.
<No way!> San San called. <You couldn't even see because its so DARK in there!>
San San grabbed the ends of Finesses' fishbowl shaped home.
<HEY!> Finesse growled. <Be a little more careful, eh?>
<Geez, Atlantic mermaids are SO rude...> San San smushed his face against the glass, pushing it forward.
<That's it...Thats it, San San...> the Imitator cheered on in Count D's voice.
<We'll help too!> Two of the loup-garou got at the bottom of the tank and helped push the bowl over to the Imitator's side of the room.
<How in the world did YOU two get out?> The Imitator switched back to his gruff voice.
<We picked the lock with our claws....> one of them explained.
<Ugh...I'm getting too old for this...> The blob shifted as Finesse picked at his lock with her sharp nails. After a while, it clicked open.
<Whoop! Alright!> She gave a little victory splash nearly wetting the Imitator.
<Ugh! Salt water....Watch where ya splash, all right? > he grumbled in a whiny teenager's voice.
<Geez, you don't haveta switch voices on me, Imitator....>
****************************************************** ****************** *************************************************************************** ********************************************

"Hey D!" Shava had long dropped the title "Count" seeing as she grew bored with it rather quickly. "Look at the moon!"
D grinned. "Why, it's red tonight."
"What an odd color for the moon to be...." Shava smoothed down her black dress, which was lifting up because of the wind. Just before the store closed, the "hair fairies" as Shava called them, attacked her again and swept up her unruly locks into a dignified updo, leaving one curl at the side. Her auburn hair shone along with the stars tonight (mainly because there were sparkles in them too).
D was wearing what looked like the male version of Shava's dress. It was also black and sported the same dragon in the bottom left corner.
'Aww...he wanted us to match...' Shava thought slyly. 'How...sweet.' She grinned at his two tone eyes.
"It's pink."
"Wha--?" Shava didn't expect him to speak.
D moved by her side. "It's more pinkish on this side than the rest of Chinatown....."
It was true, for the full moon looked like a big blush mark, matching the dark blue night sky.
Shava laughed nervously. "It's a good things the sky decided to stay bluish for awhile...I don't wanna think about a pinkish moon in a pitch black sky. Ewww, Planetary Fashion Police!"
D laughed. ""Your under arrest for clashing with the atmosphere!"" he said, imitating a cop on a bullhorn.
They both laughed for awhile until it died into mere giggles.
"Mmm...come join me. The faster we get this over with, the faster we can spend time in Chinatown!" D walked/skipped over to the circular table. He had chosen a white tablecloth to cover it, just to make it look fancy. All over the surface were cakes, cookies, and of course, Shava's food. (The REST of the food pyramid...)
"Where did you get this idea from anyways, D?" She asked as she glided into a seat.
D sweatdropped. "This may sound strange, but a little birdie told me...."
Shava laughed. "Hahaha...come on, that's an expression, silly! No, for real, where did you get this idea?"
"San San."
Shava stopped. "Okaaaay....so you said San San "told" you to do this?"
"Not really "told" me, more like wrote it down...." D hid his grin behind the teacup.
"Really?"

******************************************** **************************** *************************************************************************** *********************************************

<Master Imitator! It is TIME!> the loup-garou growled.
The Imitator "grinned". <Alright, everyone ready?>
The creatures ( now stuffed into the Imitator's cage) who were to play the music nodded quietly.
<Songs make EVERYONE happy...> he mumbled to himself as he stretched his goopy mouth through the slits in the vent.
<A-hem....Percussion?>
The loup-garou group beat a gentle rhythm on their makeshift drums.
<Strings!>
Finesse and San San sang thin high notes that sounded eerily like a string orchestra...
<Winds!>
A couple of sirens sang lower notes.
<Words...>

Imitator: "There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say,
But there's something about her.
And you don't know why,
But you're dying to try
You wanna,
Kiss the girl..."

"All of a sudden, the stars seem brighter....." D thought as he put down his half eaten sweetbread. Wait...was that music he heard? He looked over to Shava, who hadn't touched her food at all, her chin resting in her hand, swaying to an invisble band. The Imitator stretched up an eye, noticing this. Chuckling, he added two more mouths.

"Yes, you want her
Look at her you know you do
Possible she wants you too,
But there's one way to ask her.
It don't take a word,
Not a single word, go on and
Kiss the Girl..."

The creatures sang with the Imitator.

Creatures: "Sha la la la la la
My oh my
Look like the boy too shy
You wanna kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Ain't that sad
Ain't it a shame too bad
You're gonna miss the girl..."

D and Shava both walked aimlessly around the roof, looking for the source of the beautiful calypso music. Shava gave up. "We're never gonna find it, D..."
But D had long given up before Shava. "It's so beautiful....let's just listen." He felt small, but strong fingers entwine between his.
"Shava...."
"Shhh..." she said, her finger on his lips.
The Imitator sweatdropped. He didn't think it would be THIS easy. 'Oh well...' he thought.

Imitator (and mouths): "Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word until you, kiss the girl..."

The creatures grew excited as they all tried to peep through the vent opening.
<I see them!> San San said. <Their faces are getting closer! I think it's gonna happen!> He shook his fist at the "orchestra". <Full Force!!>

Creatures: "Sha la la la la la
Don't be scared
Go on and move your head
You gotta, kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it now, you wanna
Kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Float along , and listen to the song
You wanna, kiss the girl
Sha la la la la
Let the music play
Do what the music says
You gotta, kiss the girl..."

<Ooooooo....> The creatures who got a chance to see through the air vents watched intently as the couple got closer.
*You gotta kiss the girl...*
"Shava...." D breathed. "You are so beautiful.....you can stay as long as you want...."
*You gotta kiss the girl...*
Shava just smiled and blushed as their lips met....
*You wanna, kiss the girl...*
They wrapped their arms around each other...
*Go on and, kiss the girl...*
The moon never looked so beautiful....
********************************************************* *************** *************************************************************************** *******************************************

The creatures in the room cheered. And the ones who couldn't get to the Imitator's cage heard the news from various loup-garou.
<Ahwoooooohooooo!!!! We DID it!> A brown furred wolf somersaulted from cage to cage.
<Shava is staying! Shava is staying!!!!> Finesse and San San chanted as the Strelitzia and the mermaid splashed in the salt water.
The Imitator just settled his gloopy mouths down. <Alright everyone! Let's get this place back in order! The Count can't know what happened tonight, alright?>
So the loup-garou and San San pushed Finesse's bowl back to its original place, while everyone else returned to their original cages. Soon the room was back to the way it was.
San San grinned. <I'll see you all tomorrow!>
The Imitator grinned. 'Let's just see what happens tomorrow....'
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End of Chapter Three
Heh heh...I am tired tonight. I did this late. I think my friends are right...night time is when weird ideas get put into someone's head....U__U() Anyways...wasn't that sweet? No one would ever know creatures wre that conniving! (Look out for your cat and dog!) :D
Have a good night, everyone and read and review!