Haru leaned forward, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Baron? Just for the record, I think I may have a little crush on you."
I smiled, and responded in kind. "Just for the record, I admire a young woman who speaks from the heart." I reached up and placed my hand on her cheek. "If you ever need us, you will always know where to find us again, and the Bureau's doors will be open for you, be it day or night." Turning around, I touched the brim of my hat. "Until then, trust yourself!" I jumped off the edge and landed on Toto's back as he swooped back down.
As we flew away, I heard her shout one last goodbye: "I'll miss you! Toto, Baron, and Fatso!"
"Fatso?! I heard that!"
"She's only telling the truth!"
"Shut up you birdbrain!
"Hey, don't give me the 'birdbrain' thing again, or I might accidentally drop you!"
"Shut up you birdbrain!"
While Toto and Muta bickered, a small smile spread across my face. I knew that I would miss her too.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
In a little green and white house in a very small town, an orange and cream-colored cat sat at a desk, tapping his fingers on the wood. His other hand balanced his chin as he sat in deep thought. He started to reach for the feather pen in the inkpot when his hand tensed, and he flopped it back down and went back to tapping his fingers.
He was bored. No, he was very bored. A thought not involving a certain high school student with short brown hair and big brown eyes hadn't crossed his mind in… well, even he had lost track of the days.
As he sat at his desk, a large white cat pushed through the double doors and strolled into the spacious room. He walked over to the large cabinets lining the wall and began rummaging through them. The orange cat stopped tapping his fingers and laced them together. "Can I help you, Muta?" he asked, a hint of irritation tingeing his normally placid voice.
The fat cat grunted something as he pulled out a silver-covered plate. He set it down on the table, lifted the lid, and greedily licked his lips as his eyes fell upon a still-steaming apple pie. "Wanna piece?" he asked.
The orange cat sighed, but he nodded in defeat. The white cat reached for a knife and cut two pieces out of the pie, one significantly larger than the other. He then handed a plate to his friend before flopping down on a red loveseat.
The orange cat sat in his armchair, the plate resting on his lap as he watched his friend gorge himself on the pie. As he did, his mind wandered, and he didn't hear his friend when he started talking to him again. "I'm sorry Muta, could you repeat that?" he asked, moving his plate to a small table and rubbing his temples.
Muta sighed, then reached over and picked up the other cat's plate. "I asked if you had any whipped cream 'round here," he said, digging into the slice of pie. "Jeez Baron, what's got you so out of it? I haven't seen you this googly-eyed since Lou—"
"Please leave her out of this," he said, closing his eyes. "And there is some whipped cream on the upper right shelf in the blue cupboard."
Muta stood up and walked to the cupboard, extracting the bowl and ladling a generous spoonful onto the rest of the pie. "You know, ever since we got back from the Cat Kingdom, you've been out of it," he said, jabbing the spoon in Baron's direction.
Baron sighed, continuing to rub his temples. "I know," he mumbled, closing his eyes.
The fact was, he did know. Ever since his adventures in the Cat Kingdom, his thoughts were constantly wandering to a certain teenage brunette, and no matter how hard he tried to distract himself, he couldn't keep her out of his mind. And, honestly, he was starting to get used to it, the whole daydreaming thing.
Despite being as smart as he was, Baron still couldn't figure out why the brown-eyed girl kept invading his thoughts, but it certainly didn't help matters when even his own friends could read his thoughts.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging from outside, so Baron pulled himself up and walked briskly to the door. As soon as he swung it open, a young woman with daffodil-yellow hair fell into the cat's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh Baron, it's awful, simply dreadful!" she cried, clinging to his vest.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Baron carried the woman over to his armchair and gently set her down in it, careful not to crush the glittering yellow wings protruding from her backside.
"Now now Belinda, calm down," he said, offering her his handkerchief. "Take a deep breath and relax."
Belinda dabbed at her eyes with the cloth and took in a shaky breath. Baron smiled and patted her shoulder. "There you go," he murmured. "Now, would like some tea and pie? I think there's still a slice left."
"W-W-What kind of pie," she asked, her lower lip quivering.
"Apple."
"A-And do you have any h-h-honey?"
His smile widened. "I do."
She nodded. "I'd like that very much," she said."
Baron nodded before standing up and walking to the stove to brew a kettle of tea, handing a clean fork to Muta, who was grudgingly handing over the rest of his pie.
As Baron poured two cups of tea (Muta had said he wasn't interested in drinking boiled grass), he found a jar of honey next to a pitcher of milk, and his mind drifted back to when she had drank tea in his little house…
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
I strolled over to a cabinet and pulled open the doors. "Milk with your tea, or lemon…?"I asked, reaching in for two teacups.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her face instantly brighten. "Milk please!" she chirped, and I heard one of the doors click shut as she tried to crawl through.
Smiling behind the doors as I poured the tea, I replied, "Good choice."
As I added her milk, I watched Haru reach behind her and carefully push herself through, careful because she wasn't trying to tear the door off its hinges. Once she was inside, she rose to her feet. Apparently she was admiring the room, because I heard her give a soft 'ooh' before murmuring, "You have great taste Baron."
She was about to sit down on an old green chest when I handed her the teacup. "Here you are."
She grinned, smoothed out her skirt, and sat down before taking the cup from my hands. "Thank you," she said, and I couldn't help but smile at her. She really was a fetching one.
Haru giggled as she looked at the cup. "How cute," she said.
I turned to her again. "That's my own personal blend of tea," I said. "It's a little different each time, so I can't guarantee the taste."
She raised the cup with her thumb and forefinger, looking at the miniature cup before bringing it to her lips and swallowing it all before I even finished speaking.
At first, she looked surprised, and I was afraid it had been a bad batch. I was afraid she would resent me and my kindness would be for naught, but then her eyes widened and she leaned back. "Wow, that's the best tea I've ever tasted."
I couldn't stop the small smile from spreading across my face. "Then you're lucky."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Quickly shaking his head, Baron carried the two teacups over, handing one to Belinda before taking a seat next to Muta. She took a large gulp of her tea, closing her eyes as she did so and happily sighing as she licked her lips. "Ah Baron, your tea is as yummy as ever," she said dreamily, and Baron smiled as he took a sip of his own cup.
"So, Chicky," Muta said, using his nickname for anyone of the opposite gender, "what's got your panties in a twist?"
Baron closed his eyes, his whiskers twitching, and whacked Muta soundly upside the head.
"Oooooww! What was that for?!" the fat cat snarled, rubbing the spot where Baron had smacked him.
Baron took another sip of his tea, his whiskers still twitching. "Muta, that is no way to address a lady," he answered, turning his eyes to glare at the larger cat, "especially one in need."
Muta grumbled something very unflattering concerning Baron's mother (though, being a doll, he has no parents), but Baron chose to ignore him. Instead, he placed his empty cup on the table in front of him and laced his fingers together. "Belinda, would you care to explain why you're here?" he asked, turning his attention back to his latest client.
Belinda took another gulp of tea before setting the cup in her lap. "Well… I was in the Human World today, granting the cutest little girl her wish for a new doll for her upcoming birthday. She was at the Crossroads with her mother, doing some shopping in this quaint little flower shop. Anyway, after I granted her wish, I stopped inside the shop to pick up some honeysuckle and… and…" The woman burst into tears again and buried her face in her hands.
Muta rolled his eyes. The overweight cat was nowhere near as patient as Baron, who reached forward and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Now Belinda, you're all right," he said. "If you tell me what's wrong, we can solve your problem as soon as possible. What happened then?"
Belinda wiped her eyes and took a series of shallow breaths before finding her voice again. "I-I-I went inside, and I set my wand down for just a second. A-A-And when I looked back…" she sniffed, tears oozing out from her closed lids. "W-When I came back, my wand was gone!"
Inwardly, Baron sighed. This was not the first time the fairy ha lost her wand. Actually, ever two or three months, Belinda would show up on the cat doll's doorstep, bawling hysterically about how she set her wand down for just a moment, and when she looked to retrieve it, it would have mysteriously disappeared. And then Baron would have to retrace her footsteps, be it to a babbling brook, a grocery store, or a baby's stroller. But he always managed to find her wand, and she would squeal and embrace him, telling him how great he was and that she could always count on him and so on…
But afterward, the fairy would always try to thank him. Despite being very absentminded, Belinda's job was to grant wishes, and she had become quite good at it. And of course, after saving her job once again, naturally she'd want to repay him, so she would always ask what he would like.
The trouble was, Baron never really wanted anything. Oh, sometimes he'd ask for a new book for his library, or a new cane when his was no longer straight, or a new tea kettle after Muta tried to make something called a fruit smoothie in his, but he knew they were superficial desires that would earn him a dejected look from Belinda when he'd ask for them. After all, her job, and specialty, was granting the heart's deepest desires, which she said dwelled in everyone's hearts, even stuffy old cat dolls. But Baron, being as humble, selfless, and completely clueless on his own heart's desires as he was, could never come up with anything more than a book or a tea kettle.
Baron was suddenly snapped back to reality as a large paw poked his side. "We gonna do this or what?" Muta asked gruffly, clearly still upset from the slap to his head earlier.
The cat figurine nodded before giving Belinda a gentle smile. "Of course we are," he replied calmly, standing up and striding over to his hat stand. "The Cat Bureau will always help anyone in need."
A glowing smile bloomed on Belinda's face as she set her cup on the table. "Oh Baron, you're absolutely wonderful," she said, admiration obvious in her tone. "How can I ever repay you?"
Because he was turned away from her, Baron rolled his eyes at the clichéd remark. "Well, I've been needing to get a new mattress for quite some time now..." he replied jokingly, pulling on his coat.
Belinda apparently didn't catch the teasing tone, because she, quite seriously, said, "Oh no, I am not granting you another practical wish."
Baron grinned as he placed his hat on top of his head. "Really?"
"Yes, really." Belinda stood up and walked over to him. "I'm tired of your wishes for new books and tea kettles."
He lifted his cane up and gripped the shaft in his gloved hands. "Are you?" He turned to walk to his door, but the yellow-haired fairy had stepped in his path. If Baron had eyebrows, one would be raised very high as he looked down into Belinda's gold irises, which were sparkling with determination.
"Yes," she said, poking him in the chest with a long, slender finger. "I swear that this time, I'm going to grant you your deepest, fondest wish."
"And how do you propose you do that?" he asked, clearly skeptical. "Even I don't know what my fondest wish is."
Belinda raised a yellow eyebrow and gave the cat figurine a sly smile. "Oh, I have my ways Baron. Don't ever underestimate a fairy."
At that, Baron chuckled. "Are you going to remove my heart and ask it yourself?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his slanted jade eyes.
Belinda rolled her eyes. "Silly cat, if I did that it would kill you." Her irritation faded and was replaced with another mysterious smile. "But you're on the right track."
Deciding that deciphering Belinda's words would be far too much work, Baron sidled past her and headed for the door, Muta and the fairy right on his heels.
Once outside, Baron inhaled a lungful of fresh air and sighed. At least I'll be busy for the rest of the day, he thought, strolling toward the big archway that led to the entrance of the Human World.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
A/N: I know, I know, I still have to finish From the Heart, but I thought of this one day and, because I support BaronxHaru, I wanted to write a story to support them to. I'd also like to thank YarningChick; I've read so many of her stories that I became inspired. Tell me what you think!