Title – The Pet Shop of Love and Dreams
Rated – M
Couple –Kagome/Leon
Genre – Romance/Mystery/Horror
Summary – In Chinatown, in a most unlikely place, there is a world of mystical and magical dreams, a world of hopeless love and romance. In Chinatown...there is...a pet shop. The only rule the customers must follow, are those of the contract. If the contracts terms are breached...then the shop keeper comes to retract the pet. The owners who have broken the terms, have been known to meet...unfortunate ends.
Key – Key
FlashbackFlashback
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
-x-x-x-
A Shop for Love and Dreams
-x-x-x-
"One kid, one kid,
which my father bought for two zuzeem.
One kid, one kid."
In the back room of a pet shop in Chinatown, a sweet child's angelic voice could be heard singing. The song wasn't adorable like many of the ones that other children sang, but something still drew others to listen.
"Then came the cat and devoured the kid,
which my father bought for two zuzeem.
One kid, one kid."
A little yellow bunny with black bat like wings flew over the small girls head before landing on her shoulder. She turned her head to the side and smiled happily at rare animal friend.
"Then came the dog and bit the cat,
which devoured the kid,
which my father bought for two zuzeem.
One kid, one kid."
-Ding- -Ding-
She turned to the door behind her that led to the main room of the pet shop where the sound of the bell on the door sounded from someone opening it.
"Then came a staff and beat the dog,
which bit the cat,
which devoured the kid,
which my father bought for two zu―"
-CRASH- -CLATTER-
"...Papa?" She stood up and placed a lizard that she had been holding back in it's terrarium before closing the top and running to the door to see what had happened.
"Sir, were you not pleased with the merchandise." It wasn't a question, more like a mocking exchange of words.
"This-WHAT IS THIS!?" The man yelled furiously at her father. Her father glanced to the cage that his customer had thrown to the floor. He moved the straight silky black locks that stopped just past his chin.
"It's a Zhen."
"A ZHEN JUST ATE MY SNAKES!"
"Then you broke the contract terms."
"What...WHAT DOES THAT WRITTEN RUBBISH HAVE TO DO WITH MY SNAKES!?"
"The terms of your contract specifically state, you can not show her to anyone, you must only feed her small rodents, and finally, you must make sure to feed her twice a day. You forgot to feed her so she fed herself." The man stared at her father, glaring coldly at him.
"This is no pet shop! THIS SHOP IS INHABITED BY MONSTERS! And you Count, are the monsters breeder!" He stormed up the stairs and out the door without another word.
"Papa..." The Count turned in surprise to see his daughter come out from behind the back door. She moved to the cage where a beautiful bird lay inside with a broken wing. "Papa, she's hurt!" She cried out, opening the cage she carefully pulled the silver feathered bird out, its tips of the wings and eyes were an emerald green color and its beak black. The bird was only the size of a cardinal, but the little girl knew it was deadly. It could easily consume a boa constrictor, but if it ate that man's then it was a viper that it had done away with.
"Yes, let's take her to the back and wrap her wing." He watched her carry the bird and followed. Grabbing two pieces of flat light and thin wood and some gauze he placed the wing between the two pieces and wrapped it in gauze. "She should be fine." Count said.
"Papa...why was he so mad. He broke the contract, so it's his fault."
"Yes, Kagome. But some do not understand what responsibility is. He was not responsible."
"Papa?"
"Yes Kagome?" Count asked as he placed the Zhen in the cage hanging from the ceiling. He got on his knees before his six year old daughter and took her hands in his. He wore a Chinese robe that clung in a loose/tight fit to his body down to his feet. One molten gold eye and one violet lavender eye stared into her indigo blue orbs. Her black hair was shoulder length in silky waves.
"Why did he call them monsters. This place...it's so beautiful."
"Your right Kagome, it's very beautiful. Not everyone understands that though."
"They need to! This is a place for love and dreams! Isn't that what you always tell me!?"
"Yes, it is. It will always be. Some dreams however, are never nourished, they die. Some love, never blossoms and in the end, it doesn't grow." Kagome held back tears as he pulled her into a hug.
"My dear, I wan't you to go live with you mom."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "WHAT! Why, aren't I helpful? Am I annoying? Or do you think I'm too childish?"
"No, that isn't it. I just want you to have a more versatile life. You'll grow up suffocated in this shop. I want you to have a better life. For me, live with your mom for me."
"...Yes papa. But I'm not happy about it!" She pouted.
-x-x-x-
'That was fifteen years ago...fifteen. Father, I miss you.'Kagome kept her arm going in a pattern as she cut pictures with a paper cuter. Her boss sat across from her with another pile of pictures, going through the keep and toss. She was a designer and Kagome was her secretary, the pictures were the clothing prints.
"You got quite a collection Madam. What is this collection going to be titled?" Kagome asked, looking over the design that she had just framed in a scrapbook.
"Well, its spring time so...I was thinking something like a Trendy Pastel's, Spring Romance or Chic and―"
"Dolce and Gabbana will be present at the fashion show for the spring collection of Jade Dragon's Apparel."
"...Have you got the guest list?!"
"Yes Madam, I received it earlier today. Also, LA Made sent over one of their winning designs. They send you their best wishes." Kagome said, opening her drawer and pulling out a black box with the name LA Made in the center of the lid in bold white writing.
"Oh, goodness, Miranda...she's darling isn't she?"
"Yes, Madam, though I do think it kind of her, don't you think it would further your lines rating if you wore your own design to the show?"
"...yes, your right." She looked at the Ombre longingly before folding it and placing it back in the black box neatly. The modal fabric shimmered in the light before she placed the lid back on the box.
"Would you like for me to place it in your office or take it back to your suite?"
"Oh...let's keep it in your drawer till we're finished."
"Yes Madam." Kagome admired this woman greatly. She had started out as a low class school girl who went to a mediocre middle school, high school and got a scholarship into one of the top 5 Designer Colleges. She was a secretary at Dolce and Gabbana at 19 and with the help her boss, she had her first show at 21, making her own designer name, Jade Dragon. Her name was Abel Sile. She had strawberry blonde waves to her shoulders and brown doe eyes.
Kagome ran into her while she was running back and forth trying to plan out her second show. Her secretary was never answering her phone and though Kagome was laughing at the frantic blonde, she helped her out. The woman was 22 at that time, Kagome was 16. That was Kagome's first paycheck, and to her surprise, that was the first job offered to her. She found out that Abel was from England.
"Madam, you still haven't come up with a title."
-Thump-
Kagome looked up at the sound and smiled sheepishly. Abel's forehead was planted against her dead.
"Madam...how about Chic Romance or...Spring Romance?"
"AH, you're a genius Kag's! Spring Romance, the color scheme for the show...how about...Pearl Pink, Lavender, Light Blue, Smokey White, Mint―"
"Pastel's, Madam?"
"YES! For the stage, which do we have to choose from?"
"Well, where will it be?"
"I think Japan will be nice. It's the time of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Okinawa, right?"
"Kyoto actually."
"Ah, of course."
"In Japan, we have..." Kagome turned her chair to face her laptop and started a quick search. "The Tokyo Girl's Auditorium is free for three days in another 2 months. The closest opening will be on the 11th, then...the 17th and finally...the 23rd."
"Hmm, how about the 17th. It's right in the center of April."
"Sounds good. Have you decided on Model's Madam?"
"...Tokyo girl's, those...uh..."
"Harajuku?"
"YEAH!"
"Those are a four girl group of dancers in music video's. However, Geisha's are similar, only their hosts and for hire. I would have to get in contact with a respectable Mistress before the show, then we could meet them about―"
"NOW!"
"Uh...yes, of course." She looked on her computer and typed a few things in. Finally finding what she was looking for she smiled and pulled up a blank screen before typing a few things in. "I set up an appointment for a week from now. If you want to make it we need to pack all of the shows designs and get tickets. Also, your designers need to get there now so that they'll be ready when we arrive. I'll get tickets to Japan's Airport and―"
"Kags? Didn't you live in Japan?"
"Yes, My mom lives in Osaka and my father lives in Nagasaki. I haven't seen my father since I was five and I grew up with my mother from five to 16, when I met you. Then I traveled with you throughout the states and different countries."
"That was four years ago...hm, why don't we stay close to your parents?"
"Not possible, Osaka is inside Japan, Okinawa is a couple of islands near Japan. It would take the ferry to get to and from the boarder islands."
"Then...will go closest to your father. You mentioned that he owned a Pet Shop. I want to see it."
"Oh, of course Madam."
"Ah, Kags, ple~ase, cal me Abel."
"...alright then. I've finished. The tickets will be at the Airport, 1st class."
"Wonderful, shell we?" She motioned to the papers and her black designer case.
"Yes Ma...uh, Abel." Kagome gathered the papers and scrapbooks and placed them in the designer case before grabbing the box in her drawer and following Abel with the case, her bag and the box.
'It's been fifteen years...Father...I'm coming back, back to the place for love and dreams!' Kagome smiled happily at the thought.
-x-x-x-
Me: I hope you guys like it. Please Read and Review. ^_^''