Chapter 1 : A kind of pet

Saya looked at the small creature in front of her, so amazed that she forgot to blink. This was the first time in her entire life, she had seen something like that. Strange. Weird. Unbelievable. Word flooded her mind but she just couldn't find the right description for it.

It was supposed to be a pet.

Since Kaori shown Saya her new pet, which was an adorable newborn kitty, Saya had been constantly struck with jealousy. She had never had a pet in her life. Her father didn't forbid her to have one, but her older brother hated the noise and smell of animal so Saya couldn't buy any dogs, cats or birds. Only hamsters didn't make noise. The problem was Saya hated rats and anything rat-related. Hamsters were no more than a kind of rat. They might be cleaner, might have different color and might not live under the trench but they were still rats. Seeing Kaori's kitty, Saya suddenly felt the urge to have one for herself. She couldn't borrow Kaori's pet forever.

That was why she went to a petshop.

She had searched on the Internet and found this shop. A Chinese shop called Count D's petshop. Although Saya had never heard of it, this shop was rather popular. Its motto was to sell love, dreams and hopes. Strange. Saya wondered if she could find what she wanted here.

Intended to surprise her sister, Saya went there alone. From the first look, this shop was't like any other petshops. It looked like some sort of Chinese temple she saw on TV. She wouldn't regconize it if there weren't the sign 'Count D's petshop'. Hoped this shop was legal.

Saya exhaled a deep breath and pushed the door open. She was even more confused when the owner greeted her. Like the shop, Saya couldn't regconize that this person was actually a man if he didn't speak. He was wearing a Chinese dress that Saya often saw in Chinese drama. He had pale skin, due to the fact that he didn't go out very often, and silky black hair. One could say he looked like a gorgeous lady in mid twenties. Though he greeted her with a polite smile, Saya somwhow didn't feel much comfortable.

" Good morning, lady ! How may I help you ? " Saya had assumed that he was a foreigner, but this man spoke Japanse very well.

" Uhm... I'm looking for a pet. I think you can hel with that."

" Ah, I see. To tell the truth, it was my grandfather, count D, that owned this shop. Since he has been travelling around the world looking for new kinds of animal, I'm in charge of this shop. This shop carries everything from dosmetic dogs and cats to wild beast which just barely make it past the Washington treaty, and all that fall in between. I'm sure that you'll find what you need.

" Uhm, actually... I don't know what I need. I mean, I want a pet that doesn't make noise or smell, because my brother doesn't like it. I also want a pet that I can hug and play with, so I don't want a bird. Something's cute like a puppy or a kitty. But they're kind of noisy. "

" I see. What you want may be hard to find at other shops but there's nothing impossible at Count D's shop. I think we can provide a suitable pet for you." The young and beautiful owner assured her with another gentle smile.

" Really ? Thank you so much."

" You needn't to thank. It's our job to satisfy the customer's need. Do you want to come inside with me to take it ? "

" No, thanks. I think I'll wait outside. "

" Then, enjoy the tea. This morning, I've just brought some cakes. They go well with the tea."

" Uhm, thanks. What should I call you ? "

" You can call me 'D' for short. Now, if you excuse me."

D's friendly attitude erased her uncomfort feelings, which she had had when first entering the shop. While waiting for him, Saya enjoyed herself with the tea. However, after taking kust one sip, she decided it wasn't a good idea.

" Too sweet !! How much suger did he put in ? A ton ? "

...

He didn't let her wait for long. After a few minutes, D went back with a big black box about the size of a fish tank. It really tickled her curiosity that what was inside.

" Here you are. I believe this little one will suit your desire perfectly. Wait, don't open it here ! " D stopped her when she intended to open the box.

" There's a contract w have to make. This pet requires a special care. The shop won't take any responsibility if you break the contract. "

" I think I can do it. "

" That's good. The first point is, don't let anyone but you sees him. "

Saya's intention to show her new pet to her sister and Kaori was shattered.

" Why is that ? " She protested.

" He's kind of shy. If he sees anyone but his own master, he'll probably be scared. "

" I got it. " I'll train him to be more sociable.

" Second, be sure you're the first one he sees when you open the box. He's like a birdie. He regconizes the first one he sees to be his master and he'll obey you and only you. "

" Uhm, I see. Anything else ? "

" You can feed him any kind of food, except raw food. He's extremely allergic to it. And that's all "

" OK. May I ask you what kind of animal he is ? "

" It's a rare species. Chevalier. "

" Chevalier ? I've never heard of it. "

" That's because it's rare. I can assure you that he meets any of your requirements. Oh, almost forgot." The young owner went to take a small box. " It's a toy for him. It's free so don't worry. "

" Thanks. If there's any problems, may I return the pet ? " Saya asked, while receiving the box of 'toy'.

" If you aren't sure about him, we can provide for a cooling-off period. Within a week, you can return him and get your full money back."

" I'll keep that in mind. Does he have anme ? "

" He's called Haji. But you can call him anything you like ? "

...

Later, in the shop, when Saya had already gone home, a teenage boy in strange outfit and a little girlcame out from inside.

" Count D, are you sure it's a good idea to sell her our 'Haji' ? The boy with pink hair strange horns on his head sopke with a rather harsh voice.

" Ara... I don't know. I just have a feeling that Haji will like her. She seems to be a nice girl. Besides, I don't think any others would meet her requirements. Can't sell you or Pon-chan to her, right, T-chan ? "

" I'll eat her ! " T-chan growled.

" Count D, what should we do with the other one ? " The little girl with blonde, curly hair spoke. She was the 'Pon-chan' Count D had mentioned.

" It's a little hard ! He's not as obedient as Haji ."

" We can't let him sleep inside the box forever. "

" I know. But ha has to put up with that, until we find a master for him. "

" Why don't we sell her both of them ? "

" Pon-chan, it's not that easy. One Chevalier, one master. That's the rule. You know how jealous they can be if they have to share one master's love. "

" They'll kill each other. " Pon-chan shuddered, remembering the last time two Chevaliers had been sold to the same master.

" We lost both of them."

" That's right. And the customer would never come to our shop again. "

...

And that was how Saya got her new pet.

When she got home, no one was there. Her father had left the town a few days ago for business. Her brothers and sister were probably haning out with their friends. No one would question her about the stange box she was carrying. Moreover, she could enjoy herself with the new pet.

" I wonder what a 'Chevalier' is ? " Saya spoke to herself while carefully unwrapping the box. Her heart sped up a little bit as the last layer was gone.

" What is it ? " Saya was shocked to see what was inside. This 'pet' wasn't actually a pet. Despite fluffy dog ears and tail, he looked no difference from a normal boy. A boy who was 'chibi-fied". She had never seen something that strage in her life. Something that cute.

The young boy ( or pet ) was sleeping quietly. Saya couldn't bring herself to wake him uo, so she just silently adored her pet. Yes, he was her pet. Like D said, he would obey her. A pet like this, a puppy or a kitty simply couldn't compare. It was reasonable that she shouldn't let anyone sees him. He was so cute that Saya only wanted to keep him for herself.

A few minutes after the box had been opened, her pet woke up. At first, he sat up and rubbed his eyes with his tiny hands. Then, he looked at her, his new master with big, watery, smokey-blue eyes.

" Master... ? " The pet murmured with soft voice, whcih was like the voice of a boy who was afraid to meet a stranger.

So he can talk. That's so cute !

" I'm Saya ! Your... uhm, master. "

" Saya ? " The boy slowly repeated what he heard.

" Yes, Saya. You're Haji, right ? "

He nodded. Still a little afraid.

" How old are you ? "

He shook his head slightly.

" Uhm... that doesn't matter. Call me Saya, OK ? This is gonna be your new home. "

" Saya. New home. "

The little boy went on tiptoe, examining his 'home' with curiosity. However, due to his size, which was slightly bigger than an infant, he couldn't see much. So, Saya picked him up and showed him round her room.

" This is my bed. You can sleep here with me. That's my bookshelf, next to my table. The bathroom is over there. This is your home, you can go anywhere you want, except that door. " Saya pointed her finger at the front door.

" Hai." Haji replied

" Good Haji ! " Saya rewarded him with a kiss on both his cheeks and hugged him tightly to her bosom, which made Haji blush, without her notice.

" Oh, I'm so absent-minded. You must be very hungry now. "

---------

Note : As you have already noticed, the shop mentined in this fic is Count D's shop, in Matsuri Akino's 'Petshop of horrors'. For those who haven't read this manga, this shop's owner is Count D's grandson, who is usually called 'The Count', 'Count' or 'D' for short. He looks very much like a young woman in mid twenties ( though his real age is unknown ), clad in Chinese traditional outfit ( like Karl's outfit, only more colorful ). He's usually calm and soft-spoken, if he's not extremely angry at someone or something. He likes tea and sweets and has a very bad habit of putting too much suger in the tea.

The motto of this shop is to 'sell love, dreams and hopes'. In this shop, there are normal pets like dogs or cats, as well as many legendary animals like dragons, unicorns... Every pets in this shop have human appearance, only they want to show the customer or not. D and a human child named Chris can see this form. It is revealed at the end of the first series that D is not a human.

When selling a pet, a customer often has to sign a contract with three major points, differed for every kind of pet. Breaking the contract will result in tragic consequences.

However, there's a few ones that aren't meant to sell. T-chan and Pon-chan are examples. T-chan is a totetsu, an carnivorous beast in ancient China. Despite that, his human form is a teenage boy with pink hair and goat-horns. His normal form is a combination od a small goat and a small is rough and often asks D whether he could eat the customer or not. Pon-chan is raccoon, appeared in a form of a little girl. She is much nicer than T-chan.

That's all for the note. Hope you enjoy the first chapter. This fic is actually Chibi HajiXSaya ^^