The Bureau Files: Series 1

by Catsafari

Ten years later, Haru finds herself dragged back into the world of Creations, catastrophes, and one dapper-looking cat. Cover art by Angie/drawerofdoodles.

1. For the Birds (Part 1)

The Bureau Files: Series 1

ooOoo

A/N: Ever since first seeing The Cat Returns, I've been dying to write a series of stories that explores the other cases that the Bureau has covered. Finally, the idea has taken shape and yielded... this.

In this, I am trying out a completely new format; it isn't a single story at all, but takes the form of seven episodic, short stories over fourteen chapters, brought together over a story arc. Each story in this series/season is based around a classic story, film or mythology that will be noted at the end, along with a teaser for the next 'episode'. Think of this as a TV series with seven two-parter stories.

Well, I promised you something New, didn't I? That said, after writing this, YC posted her To Know Oneself 'fic, which is noticeably episodic, so perhaps this isn't as new as it was when I first wrote it. Regardless, this is the first self-proclaimed The Cat Returns 'Series'. I will pride myself on that.

This is The Bureau Files. Enjoy.

Simply Cat.

EDIT: Cover art was done by the wonderful Angie, on her Tumblr blog: drawerofdoodles. Please check out her lovely art!

ooOoo

Episode 1: For the Birds (Part 1)

The Paradise Pet Store was a quaint little shop located just off the Crossroads; it was a building that the brunette had passed by many times before but, until now, had never entered. Upon stepping inside, the air became alive with the trill and twitter of the birds, off-set only by the background rumble of the machines keeping the tanks clean. She eased the door shut behind her, whereupon the bell situated above the entrance jangled and added its merry chiming to the birdsong.

The young woman peered into the heart of the shop and, while the room was alive with the animals, it was otherwise devoid of human life.

"Hello?" Her voice was swallowed up by the animals. She tried again, louder this time. "Hello?"

"Hello!"

The woman jumped out of her skin, laughing hesitantly when the source of the greeting was seen to come from a bright yellow cockatiel. She approached the desk, drawling alongside the spirited creature. "Hello."

"Hello. Hello! Hel-lo..."

The brunette giggled and the bird added its contribution with a whistling noise that sounded rather like a laugh. "Very charming, I'm sure."

Another whistle, this time followed by an imitation of the counter bell. Another whistle. However, this time it was quickly tracked by a very human voice from the store room.

"Give it up, Tippi! Nobody's listening!" A man appeared from the room, his arms preoccupied with a large box which hid his face from view, and making his way in the general direction of the desk. He stopped by the counter to glare at the cockatiel. "At this rate, you'll be next Sunday's roast."

The creature whistled but quickly quietened down.

Peering from around the side of the box, the young man spotted the brunette; his dark eyes widened and his grip slipped. The brunette jumped forward to catch it before it fell.

"Careful, you nearly–"

"I'm so sorry–"

The two paused and then both chuckled nervously. The man took the box back and steadied it onto the shop counter. He offered a hand. "Michael Banner."

She took it. "Haru Yoshioka."

"I really am sorry for that – the cockatiel, you see..." He gestured lightly to the bird which, to Haru's eye, seemed much too pleased with itself. As if to prove his point, the creature indulged in imitating the phone and Michael was already reaching for the desk by the time he realised the trick. The bird received another glare, which it obliviously ignored. "See what I mean?"

Haru only laughed again and waved his apology away. "No explanation needed," she assured. "I can see she is quite the troublemaker."

"Thank you. Anyway, Miss Haru, what can I help you with?"

"Well, truth be told, I was rather hoping I could be of help." The young woman waved in the direction of the door, where a Help Wanted sign was hung. "If you get my meaning."

"Ah, of course. Well, really my grandfather owns the shop, so the person you really should be talking to is him, but..." He shrugged, a warm smile directed to the brunette. "Considering the lack of applicants we've received, I'd say you stand a pretty good chance."

"And when you say lack?" Haru prompted.

"I mean complete and utter absence of hopeful employees," the man laughed. "My grandfather will probably want to give you a trial period – he's not in at the moment, but perhaps you could leave some contact details and we'll get in touch with you as soon as possible?"

"Sure thing."

Michael began searching for some paper and pen, but soon realised the disarray of the desk made the task significantly more formable than it first appeared. That same warm smile was directed to the young woman. "Bear with me for a moment..."

Haru retrieved her diary from her bag, quickly followed by a biro. "There's really no need. Would my phone number suffice?"

"I would expect so." Michael laughed again, more than just a little embarrassed by the mess. He started to move the box to give some room for Haru to write, but at that point she intervened.

"Really, there's no need," she insisted, for the second time that minute. "I'll just perch on the side..." In this case, perching on the side consisted of balancing precariously along the edge of the counter, scribbling down her details in increasingly illegible print. She grinned to Michael. "Well, we've barely met and, here I am, giving a complete stranger my number." She finished writing and tore the bottom of the diary page out. "You'd think I know better."

"Oh, I'm not that strange."

"It all depends on your perception of normality." She handed him the ripped page. "How soon will I hear from you?"

"As soon as the old man gets back, I expect. Tonight, probably."

"I'll be waiting." Her phone decided to pick that particular moment to ring, which quickly set off Tippi into a case of mimicry which resulted in the ringing lasting long after she answered her phone. "Would you excuse me?"

Michael only shrugged and tucked the phone number into the desk. "Go ahead. I think we're finished here."

Haru nodded a quick thanks and, hoisting her bag back onto her shoulder, headed in the direction of the door. She was talking before she was halfway there. "Yes, Hiromi, it's me – well, who else did you think it would be? Why would it be the police?" She paused, then laughed. "I can only conclude you watch too much, Hiromi..."

Michael grinned as he watched the brunette leave. Working at the shop was about to get a lot more interesting...

"And, no, it wouldn't be my boyfriend," Haru continued, quite oblivious to the attention she was receiving. It appeared that today Hiromi was in a particularly amused mood. "Why not? I'll tell you why not – I don't have a boyfriend." She opened the door and slipped outside. "No, not even a secret one."

"If you did have a secret boyfriend, you wouldn't tell me though," Hiromi chimed from the other end of the line. She sounded so pleased with herself that Haru couldn't help but think of the cockatiel she had just left behind. "Therefore your argument is invalid."

"Arguing with you is always invalid," Haru sighed.

"Glad you agree."

"I wasn't complimenting you, Hiromi."

"I know. I just chose to take it that way. Because I am a good and lovely person with the temper of an angel."

Haru bit back a laugh and paused as she came to the Crossroads. "You might need to check your halo then; I think it's slipped."

"It hasn't slipped. It's just at a jaunty angle."

Haru sighed and pulled the conversation somewhat back on track. "Hiromi, what are you calling about?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd see how the job hunting is going for my best friend and flatmate-who-owes-half-the-rent. You find any leads?"

"I have a potential offer from Paradise Pet Store so, yeah, I'd say it's looking up."

"Oh, I've been in there..."

Haru scoffed. "You? Please, you hate looking after animals."

"I do not."

"Liar. You looked after your cousins' stick insects for a day... and they died."

"Really–"

"They were stick insects, Hiromi. How do you kill stick insects?"

"Meh. Hey, there was a cute-looking guy at the counter; why wouldn't I investigate?"

"You're appalling, you know that?"

"And yet you still love me."

"Only because you know too much. You're too dangerous as anything but my best friend. Even then, it's not a safe guarantee..."

"I'm your best friend because I'm amazing and awesome and just too epic for words. Anyway, did you see the hot guy? Does he still work there?"

"Well, there was a guy..."

"Was he hot?"

"I wasn't looking, Hiromi."

The lighter brunette made a noise that sounded very much like a raspberry. "Phooey, you're no use. Guess I'll just have to come and see you working on the job so I can check him out myself. You will introduce us, right?"

"Hiromi, I want my employers to think I'm a perfectly ordinary girl, not best friends with a lunatic."

"Ouch. That hurt."

Haru sighed and raised her eyes to the sky, almost, but not quite, rolling them. "Okay, there was a guy and he wasn't half bad-looking and I may have flirted a little... Happy now?" She frowned and her attention became focused on something other than the phone call.

"Delirious! All my bad influence hasn't been for nothing! Hey, Haru? You still there?"

"Yeah..." Her brow furrowed further, but she didn't add anything to her friend. Instead she stared up at the mob of birds forming above. This wouldn't have been that remarkable – had it not been mixed species.

"Haru?" Hiromi's teasing tone had faded away into genuine worry. "Is everything alright?"

"I hope so..."

ooOoo

"Hiromi! We're out of milk!"

"Hm?" The lighter brunette flicked through a few more channels, attempting fruitlessly to get the hang of the various remotes. "Are we?"

"Yes!" Haru appeared into the lounge, a coat already half pulled on. "We're running low on bread too; I'll just head out and pick some up."

"No, I'll do it – you've been out all day job-hunting."

Haru shook her head and wandered over to her friend. "No, it's okay. Anyway, I'm halfway out the door already." She watched Hiromi struggle with the TV system for a few seconds longer before finally taking pity. "What are you trying to do?"

"There's meant to be a film on, but I can't get to the FreeSat channel..."

"Give it here." Haru leant over and picked up one of the lounging remotes as well as the one Hiromi held. She changed a few settings and, apparently miraculously, the opening credits appeared. "Happy?"

"Fantastic. You're one in a million, Haru."

"So everyone keeps telling me." Haru tossed the remote back to her friend and started buttoning up the coat. "Is there anything else I should know to pick up before I leave?"

"No, I think we're good."

"Are you sure?"

Hiromi leant her head back to look in Haru's general direction. "Haru, if there's anything I forgot to add to that list, I'll get it myself. Now go – before you start getting tea withdrawals."

Haru grinned at Hiromi's last comment and made her way to the door. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Her friend waved vaguely, already absorbed by the film. "I'll send for the police if you're not."

"Glad to know you care."

The flat that the two women shared was one of many; all perfectly identical except for the touches of home that the occupants cared to add. All perfectly ordinary.

She liked that, she guessed. Ordinary wasn't too bad; it was certainly safe and mostly predictable. But she was still occasionally caught with her head in the clouds and her mind wandering, and whenever people asked, she would only smile and wave it away. "It's nothing," she would insist, and she tried to believe that. After all, what could come of dreaming back to a single day?

A single day, her head reminded her as she descended the stairs, that had shown her that life was far from the mundane run it was presented as – at least, it could be far from mundane, if one only knew where to look. Unfortunately, Haru Yoshioka wasn't sure anymore whether she had the sight to see such things.

She reached the ground floor and made her way across the parking lot. She had stayed in contact with the Cat Bureau long after the Cat Kingdom adventure – for the two years during her sixth form years, and then less frequently in the holidays between university term time. And then, after that... she had moved to another town, another place, and somehow, without warning, she had left the Bureau behind. She had moved on.

It was five years since she had graduated and she had never thought she would come back to stay in the home of her upbringing, but then, one month ago, Hiromi had called. Hiromi Tomoko, who had been Haru's closest friend all the way through secondary school, had called with an offer for Haru to stay as her flatmate after her previous one had bailed out. And Haru, much to her own surprise, had agreed.

Haru shivered and tugged her coat collar around her neck. Spring was on its way but, in the meantime, they were being treated to temperamental winds and rain with the mood-swings of a teenager. She glanced up to check the weather, but instead her eyes trailed to the power lines above.

It would have been unnerving enough had the line been filled with just one species of bird – crows or sparrows; preferably some sort of flocking bird – but there, before her, stood crows, pigeons, thrushes, and even some form of falcon balanced on the wire. It sagged a little from the weight, and Haru entertained herself with the thought that if the falcon left, the rest of the birds would be pinged off. She smiled at the thought, but the amusement didn't last long.

The birds were watching her.

Whether this was paranoia or not, she regardless picked up her pace and hurried to the small co-op that bordered the edge of the road. She began to increase her speed until she ran into the shop and slammed the door behind her. She was gasping; she hadn't even realised until now.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"Fine," she gasped between wheezes. She looked up and saw that the store wasn't so sleepy she had been expecting. It was a modest family that ran the shop and by ten-to-ten in the evening the place usually had the lone customer idly browsing the aisle, at most. But today there were a couple of people, all drawn round the counter. More curious because anything would be better than mulling over the freak gathering of birds outside that out of actual curiosity, she approached the small crowd. "What's going on?"

On nearing, she saw that the attention had been attracted by an elderly man who was having his hand bandaged up. Haru winced.

"That doesn't look good. What happened?"

Some of the other onlookers rolled their eyes. "Don't ask, miss. You'll set him off again."

"I'm telling you! It really happened!" The man tried to gesture with his injured hand, only to have the shopkeeper grab it and continue bandaging it. "It was the birds!"

Haru's blood began to run cold. "I'm sorry?"

"The pigeons attacked me – I'm serious!" He had to shout to drown out the sniggers. "There's something wrong with the birds!"

"Yeah, yeah, old man, we believe you." Some of the younger men were still having trouble restraining their laughter. "Ooh – scary." Most burst out into full chortles. "What are a load of overgrown pigeons going to do? Peck us to death? Last I heard, old man, humans were smarter than any birds – well, most humans. I don't think we have anything to worry about–" The self-appointed leader grinned at his peers "–after all, the bird probably mistook you for a haddock–"

"I think that's quite enough, boys." The shopkeeper scowled and nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Go on, scat if you're not going to buy anything." He glared after them until the door had swung shut on the last one. He sighed and turned to the man he had been treated. "If you're okay to head out, I guess you should be heading home too. How is your hand?"

"Better, thank you." The elderly gentleman still looked rattled, but as he made his way towards the exit, he caught Haru's eye. Something in her gaze must have caught his attention, for he paused. "You believe me," he murmured, "don't you?"

Haru nodded. It was only afterwards that she realised she had been telling the truth.

There was something wrong with the birds.

And she didn't like it.

ooOoo

To Haru's eyes, it was darker when she left the little co-op; the air seemed colder, the wind sharper, and even the streetlamps seemed to give a weaker glow than before. All in all, she could safely say that the hair on the back of her neck was up and she had developed a well-established spreading of goose-bumps all the way down her arms during the walk back. If that was all she gained from it, she would have been relieved.

However, she had just reached the parking lot when something black and feathered swooped down. She felt the shadow approach and swung round just as searing pain shot along her shoulder. Her hand spasmed and she dropped the shopping bag; in the same moment she staggered and turned wildly in search for her assailant.

Her hand shot up to her shoulder and moistness met her fingers. She drew them away and in the dim glow of the streetlight saw the glimmer of blood.

Before she had time to process this, something came at her again. She ducked and threw back an elbow; she met a feathery body and received an angry caw for her pains. Still she couldn't make out exactly where or what was attacking her – only that it was. For here, in the middle of the parking lot, the nearest sources of light were the streetlamps bordering the road and the yellow glow of electric lighting from the block of flats; her attacker could move in the shadows and never been seen.

She sensed it come at her again, but this time her reactions had been too slow. She only had time to bring her arm before her face and the same searing pain ripped across her skin. She lashed out and, hitting the creature again, swung it far enough off course for it to swerve into the light.

Like the attacker from the man's story, it was a bird. A raven. She should have known.

She risked a quick glance to her arm. Three reddening scratches were drawn across her and already they were beginning to clot. She tenderly prodded the wound. Unsurprisingly, pain shot up her arm. "What in the world is going on?" she whispered.

The crow came again, but this time Haru was quicker. She grabbed the bag she had previously dropped and, using the weight of it to give her momentum, smashed it into the creature. The plastic bag split open and the milk smacked into the raven. There was the crack of the carton breaking and suddenly the bird was covered in white and was half-buried in the bag, struggling to escape from its plastic prison. Haru released the bag and sprinted in the direction of the building.

She was nearly there when there was the cry of something behind her... Something huge. She glanced behind her and suddenly her feet had forgotten how to run.

She had seen the bird before, but had initially dismissed it as a falcon. But this... this was no falcon. While its appearance suggested it to be an eagle, the wingspan of this monster was at least three metres... And its talons... The curving, black, huge talons were heading straight for her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should run – anyone would run; why wasn't she running? – but nothing moved. She merely stared, somehow captivated by the gleaming talons that were bearing down on her, that were going to rip into her, tear her to shreds.

That were surely going to kill her.

And then something small – tiny in comparison to this leviathan – collided with the monster's chest. Haru only had time to register the presence of black feathers and blacker-yet beak before eagle struck back and it became a blur.

"Run, Haru!"

Whether the voice had been imagined or not didn't matter; Haru's feet finally broke their strike and started her in the direction of the block. She didn't look back – she couldn't, she had precious few seconds head start and any moment now the creature was going to catch her – but she knew it wasn't far behind. If she looked again... If she became frozen by her own fear and impending death... well, she didn't want to think about that.

She came within yards of the building's door, and in the windows she could see the huge reflection of the beast behind her. It was so close; she could nearly feel its claws upon her skin...

Then the same cannonball of feathers struck the monster and it was slowed long enough for Haru's fingers to curl around the door handle, wrench it open, and slam it solidly behind her.

There she leant against the door, her heart in her mouth and her ears pounding with the rush of blood. Alive. She was alive. Despite her breathlessness, she cracked a small smile between her gasps. For a few seconds there, she had actually thought... and she would have... had it not been for her helper...

Her thoughts, congealed by adrenaline, were so jumbled that she struggled to make sense of them. She only knew that some form of terrifying bird had nearly killed her and that she had only been saved by the appearance of another bird... While it had been black, it had not been the raven from earlier – it had been smaller than that, and it had been on her side.

And... had it... talked?

She shook her head. She had only ever met one bird that had talked – truly talked – and that hadn't been a real bird at all, but a Creation. But... it had been black. Toto had been black. Maybe...

She shook her head again, knowing she couldn't make assumptions on such lousy evidence. But... she couldn't dismiss the thought. Perhaps it really would be worth dropping in on the Bureau again. After all, they might know something.

Something about the birds.

ooOoo

When Hiromi heard the slam of the door she leant her head back over the edge of the sofa and muted the TV. She surveyed her tired friend. "You took your time. Hey, where's the milk?" Now her eyes picked out other discrepancies, but they rested heaviest on the lines of red streaked across Haru's arm. She was up like a shot. "Haru? Hey, what happened? Why are you bleeding? You didn't–"

"Please, can you just help me clean it up first?" Haru hadn't realised it before, but she was now shivering. Effects of the adrenaline leaving her system, she supposed. The shock was also beginning to make her exhausted; she wanted nothing more than to curl up and collapse. But, knowing her friend was unlikely to let her do that without an explanation and first aid, she shuffled her way to the lounge sofa.

"Um, sure... I think we have some bandages and disinfectant in the bathroom cabinet, so if you just sit here, I'll go and fetch them..." Hiromi glanced back to the wounds and was about to open her mouth to comment when she decided against it – at least until the injuries had been tended to.

She came back with the whole box of first aid, which she dumped right onto the low coffee table. "Do you need anything to drink?"

"If we had any milk, I'd ask for tea..."

Hiromi smiled sympathetically and began to sift through the tin. "Funnily enough, I was thinking of something stronger..."

"All I want to do is sleep, Hiromi..." To prove her point, Haru bit back a yawn and resisted sinking further into the aged settee. "I'm fine, really I am."

"You come back with scars as long as your hand and you wonder why I don't believe you." Hiromi rolled her eyes and finally located the disinfectant. "Keep still – this is going to sting, I'm afraid."

Haru tensed, her hand clenching into a fist when Hiromi applied the antiseptic cream. It was nothing compared to the pain upon receiving the scratches, but the reaction came all the same.

"These don't look like just a fall, Haru..." the lighter brunette started slowly. She turned her attention from Haru's arm to her face. "In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say some bird did these. What have you been doing, Haru?"

"Nothing, I was just walking." Haru winced again at the sting, her breath abruptly coming out between clenched teeth. "The birds... There's something wrong with the birds, Hiromi. They just attacked me... Just out of the blue, like that."

Hiromi dropped her attention onto the task of applying bandages, but her silence was uncanny. Eventually she ventured with, "You're right; birds don't just attack for no reason, but what other explanation is there? Why now? Why would they change now?"

Haru was about to answer when the TV captured her eye. "Hiromi, I thought you were watching a film?"

"Hm?" Hiromi glanced behind her to the screen. "I was, but it breaks in the middle for the ten o'clock news. Why? Is there something wrong?"

Wordlessly, Haru leant forward with her uninjured arm and turned the sound back on.

"–and reports today have been flooding in of bird attacks in the local area. Uniquely, this strange behaviour doesn't appear to be restricted to species, as crows, pigeons, and even sparrows have allegedly turned aggressive. Rumours are spreading that this is a new form of rabies, specifically focused on avian wildlife and while scientists have assured us that there is no reason for panic, people injured by unusually aggressive birds are advised to check with their local doctor–"

Haru switched the TV off. There was a long silence.

Hiromi looked back to Haru. "Do you think it's really rabies?"

Haru thought back to the monster. If it was rabies, then it was unlike any kind of rabies she had ever heard of. And there had been something... different in the eyes of the bird. Not just madness or aggression, but... cruelty. Hatred. Was it even possible to see those kind of emotions in the eyes of a bird?

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know." Haru flexed the hand of her injured arm and almost smiled when she found the pain bearable. "But I'm going to find out."

ooOoo

Haru stopped by the Crossroads the next morning, but there was no fat cat claiming any of the chairs that day. It worried her, and not in a way she could easily brush off. Muta was nearly always at the Crossroads – she had often felt this was more because of the scrounging possibilities and less about leading potential clients to the Bureau – and when he was absent, it was usually due to a case. If the case was the issue at hand, then that meant that something terrible really was going on... and if it was another case entirely then... well, it meant that they weren't here to help.

She wasn't sure which worried her more.

She stopped by the same table that she had first found Muta at, all those years ago. Thinking about the time that had passed made her feel old... especially when considering Baron and Toto's immortal, never-aging statuses. Of course, Muta would be old by now – if he wasn't dead already. Haru felt hollow at the thought. That would explain his absence, but somewhere inside her, Haru couldn't come to believe it. Muta, she had always felt, wasn't the kind of cat to simply die. He was too stubborn.

She stared down at the table and chairs, as if willing Muta to appear would bring him about. But the chair remained frustratingly empty and Haru realised that if she wanted to find the Refuge, and the Bureau that lay inside, then she would have to make her way alone. She had done so many times, but that had been five years ago, at least. Time had passed and eroded her memory and her head wasn't so sure which way was the right one.

Luckily, her heart chose this moment to intervene. Suddenly, inexplicably, she found herself walking away from the table and heading out of the Crossroads. She detoured from the main road and disappeared down an alleyway; before she had even realised exactly what she was doing, she was leaping up a series of low ledges and landing on a tin roof. She was running now, clambering over a fence and still running as she careened her way along a thin wooden beam. In her mind's eye, she could see the image of Muta leading her along this merry chase even as she hastily apologised for her earlier words.

Now she was along another familiar alleyway and she was sprinting. Her heart knew this way, even if her mind no longer did, and suddenly, in a strange wave of nostalgia, she felt like she was coming home.

She skidded to a halt when the alleyway opened out – and before she even looked, she knew she would see the archway of the Refuge to her right. Her breathing slowed even as adrenaline shot through her system. The strange combination made her giddy. She approached the archway and, although from her angle she could not see the Bureau yet, she paused. Her hand rested against the ancient stonework and she drew support from its steady sureness.

It was at that point that she remembered exactly why she was finding the Bureau – this wasn't just a courtesy call; this was a quest for answers. Answers, she hoped, that the Bureau would be able to provide. But, most of all, she hoped they would provide the greatest thing she lacked right now.

A solution.

So, picking up her head and trusting her heart, she took the final steps into the Refuge.

ooOoo

Teaser: "Welcome, Miss Haru, to the Bird Kingdom." / He looked up, his eyes trailing to the shop and now his eyes froze. Long clawmarks rang along the open door. "HARU!" / "You know he's not going to be able to out-run that monster. He's not going to make it."