Title: N/A
Fandom: Shounen Onmyouji/Petshop of Horrors
Pairing: N/A
Rating: G
Word Count: 517 words



Afternoon at the street outside the Abe manor was bustling, as usual. The odd oxcart rumbled along, its passengers hidden by screens and layers of brightly-colored silks, but the majority of the traffic passed by on foot. Mothers and servants hustling by with goods from the market clutched under their arms, men lugging lumber across town on a delivery. The chatter was mild in volume, but pervasive.

Mokkun yawned. Hardly any of the pedestrians glanced at the gates to the home of the famous onmyouji Abe no Seimei, and of the few who did, even less noticed the small mononoke curled by the foot of it. And if someone did see him, well, wasn't it the residence of an onmyouji? It was par for the course for an abnormality or two to be hanging around. With the afternoon sun warm on his back and the familiar sounds of the city passing by, Mokkun crossed his paws in front of him and gave up the battle to keep his eyes open.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been resting when he gradually became aware of another presence. Someone had stopped in front of the gates. Probably just a possible customer, or a gawker--

"Oh my," a smooth and faintly-accented voice murmured. "What do we have here?"

Mokkun's eyes shot open, coming face-to-face with a set of delicately-embroidered slippers just as a pair of long-fingered hands closed around his middle and lifted him up. "O-oi!" he yelped. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The man--was it a man?--who had picked him up gently changed his grip to better cradle Mokkun against his chest. "Ah, you are a special one, aren't you. My apologies. It was not my intention to offend." His fingers, tipped with nails long enough to nearly qualify as claws, immediately found the sensitive spot behind Mokkun's long ears.

The front of the man's clothing smelled like silk and cloying incense, but below that there was the scent of animals and something old. His dress was foreign, but that wasn't the only thing odd. It wasn't threatening per se, but there was something not right about him.

"Ah, Count!" Seimei's cheerful voice broke through Mokkun's reverie. Squirming free from the strange man's arms, he launched himself at Seimei's shoulder, curling protectively around the old man's neck and glaring. The man--the Count--smiled back at him, his mis-matched eyes unreadable. Seimei's hand came up to reassuringly rest on the top of Mokkun's head. "I hope Guren hasn't been rude to you."

"Not at all! I can't believe being lucky enough to meet one of the Twelve Shinshou, especially in such a cute form!" The Count sighed dramatically, fanning himself with a hand.

Seimei chuckled. "Hooohhh? If that's so, I'll have to introduce you to the others. After tea, of course. I believe I remember you're fond of sweets?"

"You're too kind!"

As Seimei ushered his odd guest inside, Mokkun realized with a start what had been bothering him about the man.

He felt strangely similar to the foreign ayakashi.