Ellen: Hiya! I came up with this idea kinda fast… I hope you like it! There will be NO DxLeon, so don't get your hopes up, but I hope you'll read this anyway! This story is dedicated to Chippi!

Disclaimer: I don't own PSoH (or any other anime/manga/…anything really, if I forgot to say it in my other fics) or Chippi, but Diana Kimura is mine and mine alone!

With a start, Count D awoke from what he dimly remembered was a pleasant dream to a relatively unpleasant squawking sound. 'Oh, P-Kun, I guess it's time for your nightly feeding,' thought the count, as he rose from his bed in a room in the back of his pet shop. 'This is the best part of raising baby phoenixes!' Even though he was barely awake, the Count managed to find his way down the hallway of his shop toward the hungry phoenix. There always seemed to be a soft glow emanating from the walls at night, so lighting was never really a problem. However, on the way to the bird's cage, where the floor should have been flat, there was a rather large lump, which the lighting couldn't really pick up, that D managed to trip over. As D massaged his bruised pride on the floor, the lump moaned and squirmed. With a start, Count D jumped up and turned on the lights. What should befall his eyes, but the small form of a girl, huddled in front of him.

Count D looked at the girl in surprise. "Who might you be, little one? Store hours ended quite a while ago."

The small child, who couldn't have been more than four years old, uncurled herself from her huddled position, gazed up at D, and stammered, "Mistew Cownt D? My mommy an' daddy tol' me ta come hewe, 'cuz dere was a stwange man in da house and I wan befowe he could see me but I dunno wha' happened to my mommy an' daddy-" she took a huge breath, "-but I came hewe 'cuz dey know you but da door was cwosed but I saw a wittle door on da side so I came in an' I guess I was a wittle sweepy 'cuz I fell asweep an' den you were hewe…" The girl then blinked a few times and said slowly, "My name's Di…ana… Ki…mu…wa!" Diana smiled upon the successful completion of her name. "But most pepowe caw me Di."

The Count thought for a moment. "Diana Kimura… Ah, yes! The one I sold the parakeet to last week. How is E-Chan?"

Di gasped. "How do you know E-Chan's name? It's my secwet name! To evewyone ewse I caw him Buttewcup."

The Count smiled. "Don't worry about it. Now, you said your parents sent you here?"

The girl nodded gravely. "They got weawy scawed. So… so… can I stay hewe fow a whiwe?"

With a slight hesitation, D nodded. "Of course. There's an extra bed in – " He was cut short by a renewed bout of squawking from P-Kun. Di covered her ears.

"Hold on, Diana. P-Kun is very hungry!" As D moved around the dimly lit shop, Di followed him with childlike wonder every step of the way. Once D had finished mixing the phoenix's meal, he carried it over to the scrawny-looking bird that had just begun to grow some of its trademark beautiful orange-red feathers, which became silent as soon as it saw that D had food. Before the count was able to satisfy the bird's growing appetite, however, Di's voice piped up.

"Can I feed him, Mistew Cownt D? He wooks wike my E-Chan! I'we be vewy cawefuwe! Pweese?"

D sighed, and closed his eyes. "Diana, baby phoenixes are very difficult creatures to handle. He might bite your hand off if… you…" Di had begun to feed P-Kun on her own, and the bird was gurgling happily as it ate from her hand. As soon as D realized this, he opened his eyes in astonishment. "My goodness!" was all he could say. Di looked up at the count with a big grin on her face as soon as the bird was finished.

"Dat was fun!" She yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm tiwed. Good night." With this she heavily sat down, closed her eyes, and began to breathe deeply. Count D gently picked up the sleeping girl, and laid her in the bed of a room down the hallway from his.

"Good night," he whispered as he closed the door. "Don't let the pets bite…"

Ellen: Writing Diana's dialogue is so fun! If any of you reviewers (hint hint) have ever played Chrono Cross (the best yet most addicting game for PS1 EVER!!! I'm fighting the urge to play it right now!), I modeled her speech on the Pip character, because he is soooo adowable!

Fwooshy: Remind me to hide the controller tomorrow morning…

Ellen: Hey!!

Cheddar: I hope everyone reading this can read between the lines! Or do I have to repeat myself like I do in every other fanfiction we write?! mutter

Ellen & Fwooshy: ;;