Man, look at me, yet another story. If you don't know me, I have an issue with making multi-chapter stories as I'm writing five or six other stories. :| Anyways, I watched The Cat Returns, and read a few Baron/Haru stories (mostly YarningChick's stories), and this hit me like a brick wall. So I decided to write it. Let's see what I conjure up this time.

Now, if you're expecting a sappy love story, well guess what—you're not getting that. For some damn reason beyond me, the only time I can write a love story if it is a one-shot. But a multi-chapter fic? Nope. Nope. Every time I have to put a murder or a crazy psychopath or child abuse or rape or so extremely dark that I scare myself (or have all of the listed). If you've read Greek/Roman mythology, I'm the same way when I write. It's not always happy; someone (or persons) ends up dying or somebody getting raped. But I always have some humor in my stories, even if it is sparse (but since Muta and Toto are total comedians, there will be lots of humor with them). But, to make the story even out, there will be lots of Baron/Haru. :) Oh, yes, there will be OCs, but none of them are getting with the canon characters.

So, if you're going to read this, expect that. If you wish to continue, I hope you "enjoy." Forgive me, but this might go slow at first.

Echoes of the Heart

Bodies

I

There was hissing sounds. Loud hissing sounds—it sounded mixed like a snake and a cat's hissing. A feline—a grey and white one—was completely horrified. He was pressed to the wall, blue eyes wide as saucers, his fur on end, his tail erect, claws unsheathed in his fear. He had escaped from being captured for . . . days . . .

"Get away from me!" he screamed, his paw lashing out, unable to see who was trying to get him.

"Hey, kitty, kitty," taunted a voice.

"What do you want?" he yelled, reducing his form to all fours and rushed, cold bricks under his paws. "Leave me alone!"

The voice continued: "Oh, kitty, why are you so afraid? Don't be afraid—I just want you."

The cat moved like his wild relative the cheetah, sweat dampening his multi-coloured fur, mouth agape, tears poking at the corners of his eyes. "Leave me alone!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I don't want to die!"

"But, kitty, I do."

The voice swirled in the air, hovering eerily over the cat like a dense fog. The cat paused, yelping, scared out of his wits, knowing that he would end up dying, but not without a fight. He stood up on his hind legs, his paws out, claws out.

"I won't go down without fighting," he said bravely.

The voice chuckled, and the mist swirled downward to the hard brick ground. "Oh, you're a brave little kitty," the mist said. "I like it when my prey fights back. It makes the hunt more interesting—more for me than you."

The cat swallowed thickly, his body trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. This was the first time that he had ever been referred to as "prey." He stumbled back, heart pounding from within his furry breast, and his legs felt like jelly.

The mist inched forward, and eyes appeared from the said mist, staring at him with those glossy green eyes. "Run, make me feel alive," the voice snickered, emerald eyes staring at the feline.

"No, fight me," the feline snapped, fur bristled. "I won't give you the satisfaction."

"Ohh, a cat with a bite. Alright, then . . ."

The mist launched forward, and there was a painful scream.

A certain orange and cream feline sat in his cushioned chair, book open in his lap, his right hand gripping the page, ready to turn it, and his other hand held his cup filled with tea. He took a sip, his tail twitching lazily, and he continued to read. Life had been slightly hectic lately; there were stories—scary stories. Bodies of felines all around the city and he had been worried about Muta leaving the Refuge. Baron's ear twitched, staring out the window and saw Muta opening the mailbox, pulling out a newspaper, looked at it, and then he entered through the door. Family members would run to Baron, but soon leave after a day when the person they were looking for turned up as a lifeless body. It was rather depressing.

"Hello, Muta," Baron said, his bright emerald eyes returning to the text on the page, and flipped it. "How are you?"

"Eh, I'm okay," Muta said, holding up the news paper to his eye-level before slapping it down on the table, "but I'm sure they aren't."

Baron blinked, moving forward, staring at the newspaper that read:

"MISSING: HAVE YOU SEEN THESE FELINES?"

The picture on the right was a female cat with brown and black fur with golden eyes and the one on the left was a male cat with bright blue eyes with grey and white fur. Baron stared hard at the photographs and sighed deeply, shaking his head as he sighed deeply. Below their pictures were other descriptions of their coat and their patterns.

"How heartrending," he whispered, furry brows knitted as his continued to stare hard at the newspaper.

Muta twitched, plopping down on the couch, tapping his foot on the floor. "Tell me about it," the heavy-set cat said. "They just keep disappearing left and right."

Baron hummed in his throat, and closed the book, placing it onto the table, and reached for the newspaper, staring hard at it. "Muta, I have some fears with these missing felines," he said. "I'm surprised that none of the families end up finding their family members alive. Then there are families that don't come at all . . ."

"Well, I guess it's because the bodies are found lifeless in the human world," Muta said, a frown upon his furry lips, and he sighed. "There's no reason to come if you find what you're looking for."

Baron glanced up, his mouth pressed tightly together, and his ears flattened against his head. "Muta, I think you should stay near the Cat Bureau," he said, still gripping the paper. He was afraid for his friend's life.

"What?" Muta said, staring at the human-like feline before scoffing. "Don't worry your pretty head over me." He snickered, and motioned his paw. "I'll be just fine."

Baron was silent, but he just stared at the heavy-set feline with those slanted emerald eyes of his. Muta twitched under the stare, and leaned back into the softness of the couch.

"Ugh, alright, fine, I'll stay close to home," Muta said, rolling his head to the side. "But what should we do? Most of the cats that are going missing are ones in this world, not the Cat Kingdom."

"I'm not sure, but we should look into it," Baron said, licking his lips before taking another sip of his tea. "But even if we do want to help, we need a lead."

"Yeah, they're all dead," Muta gruffly said, his foot twitching. "We can't talk to dead people."

Baron looked over the rim of his cup, staring at the fat cream-furred feline. He narrowed his eyes, deeply thinking, and his lithe tail twitching from side to side on the cushion. "Well, we should do something," he noted. "More and more cats are dying, and their families are suffering."

Muta was quite. There were some ruffles of feathers, and Toto swooped in, mulberries in his beak. He shuffled, staring at the cats below. He shifted from foot to foot on the perch he was on, and placed his berries on a small table, and peered at them.

"Baron? Muta? You alright?" Toto called warily, sensing the thick angst in the air.

Baron glanced up, staring at the crow hard. "Look," he said, holding up the newspaper for the avian creature. "Two more cats have gone missing."

Toto frowned, his entire body language ridden with aches and emotional pain. "Oh," he breathed, hanging his head. "Those poor cats . . . Who is doing this?"

"How will we know, birdbrain," Muta hissed, eyes narrowed.

"I wasn't talking to you, fatty," Toto snapped, flapping his wings. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Toto, Muta," Baron chastised, his ears low, and his upper lip curled. "Not now."

The avian creature and the land-dwelling animal kept silent, before the crow spoke: "Shouldn't we do something?"

Baron sighed deeply, hanging his head before taking a drink from his now warm tea. "I was just talking to Muta about that," he said in a low tone. "Sadly, there is nothing we can do until someone gives us a lead."

Toto's eyes searched the orange and cream cat doll's face, and sighed, eating his berries in silence. Muta snorted, crossing his legs and relaxed against the couch.

"This bites," the fat feline muttered. "This is happening all around us and there's nothing we can do."

Baron stared at the surface of his warm drink, seeing his faint reflection of his orange and cream face and emerald eyes. He sighed.

Run. Run.

The bleeding feline ran crazily, panting heavily, blood seeping from his cuts and scratches. He had got away. He was going to live! He was going to live! He was going to see his father! He was going to see his mother! His love . . .

"Where do you think you're going?" taunted a voice.

"Leave me alone!" the male cat screamed, his feet moving faster than his mouth.

Blood speckled on the ground, making pools of crimson on the brick.

"Like I am, stupid."

The feline ran, panting, tasting his bleak saliva and metallic blood. His padded feet slammed into the stone, and jumped, landing painfully on the bottom, and sprinted as fast as he could. The mist followed, hovering over the ground as it stalked its "prey."

"I promise that it won't hurt . . ."

"Lies!" the feline screeched.

He belted into the city, winding his way through humans that did not notice him. He knew where he had to go: the Cat Bureau. They could help him. He could not return to his family now—no, not now. He continued to run, his heart pounding in his furry breast, and the mist followed. However, the humans could not notice it—all they saw was a cat running as if it was running for its life. Ironically, he was. The mist, however, was becoming agitated; it was losing sight of the cat as he zipped around wildly. Soon, he was gone, and the mist hissed. It was the first time his prey was able to evade him. He paused, hovered in the air, and swished around, hoping to find the feline, but to no prevail.

"Watch where you step, little missy."

Haru paused, seeing quilt patterns lay across the floor like plush tiles. Her mother glared at the cloth in front of her, her foot tapping against the floor and one of her hands in her thick reddened hair. There was a white bubble of light that surrounded her mother in its bright whiteness. The brown-haired female tip-toed around the cloth pieces, and approached her mother's side.

"Mom, it's getting late," Haru said, and she rubbed at her eyes at the little light that was left in the room. "You should get some sleep."

She hummed to herself, her hands tapping like Morse Code on the hard surface of her table. "I know, I know, but I have to finish this," Naoko said, rubbing her fingers into the wood. "You get some sleep, okay? I'll be fine."

Haru looked right at her mother, a slight frown on her lips. "Okay," she said, though not completely agreeing. "But get some sleep soon, alright?"

"Deal," her mother said, staring up at her daughter with a grin.

"Right," Haru replied, pressing a kiss to her mother's temple.

"Goodnight."

"'Night, Mom."

And with that, Haru left the living room, marking sure to walk carefully around the pieces of quilt that lined the floor. She moved along to her messy room, staring down at her floor, noticing that there was no floor left. Haru sighed, shuffling through the mess, flipping off the light, and flopped onto her bed. She was glad that tomorrow was Sunday—a day off from school. Wait, school was over. Thank God. Perhaps she could go see Baron and the others. She sighed dreamily as she turned onto her back, staring up at the dark ceiling. Silly to think that after all this time she still crushed on Baron—or love, if it was that dramatic. Crazy to think that she was in love with a cat doll, but she was.

Haru sighed, turning to her side, and stared at an orange cat doll that she had bought a week after first meeting Baron and the others. There was a crow plush as well, and a large white cat toy. She pulled all three plush-toys to her chest, putting the orange one closest to her heart. It looked nothing like Baron (he was far more handsome), but it was closest she could get. She wondered how they were, because, after all, all those horror stories about dead cat bodies laying around were scary. She made sure to visit the Bureau, making sure that they were alive and well. She often worried for Lune, Yuki, and the other cats in the Cat Kingdom. But she had recieved letters from them, telling her (and the others) that they were safe, and cats within the Kingdom could not leave until further notice. She was pleased by that. The thought of any of them getting hurt ran shivers up her spine.

Haru pulled back, staring at the orange cat toy fondly in her arms. "I wish you were Baron," Haru said, rubbing her finger and thumb against the ear of the toy. "You look nothing like him, though . . ."

The toy did not respond.

Haru rolled on her back, smiling up at the doll. "He's so nice, and smart, and a complete gentleman," she said, grinning softly. She pulled the toy plush to her breast. "And handsome for a cat."

Perhaps she would get to hear more of his poetry books when she got there. She then groaned, turning into her bedding. She was foolish; she was in love with a doll! A gentleman-cat doll, she added in an after-thought. But there was no use for she was human, and he was a Creation. Haru sighed sadly, kissed the top of the toy's head anyways, and yawned, falling into sleep.

"Tohru!" a female screamed, searching the streets, ducking in the shadows, her lungs aching from the yelling. "Tohru! Where are you? I'm worried!" She was searching for her love—he had been missing for three days. Cold panic pumped through her body like her heart pumped blood. Her jaw was slack as her golden eyes searched the alleyway she was in. Could he be dead like the rest of the felines? No. Oh, God no!

The female rushed, her head whipping from side to side, her voice strangled.

"Tohru!" she called, her heart beating in her chest wildly.

Cold panic ran through every fiber of her being, and she dashed off, calling the name: "Tohru! Where are you?" The soft sounds of her padded feet hit the ground, and she continued onward.

Muta was asleep on the couch (upon Baron's request to stay), Toto in his stone shape outside, and Baron was in his couch, stiff, and staring hard at the window, as if he was waiting for someone. He then snorted, turning to the roaring fireplace, watching the bright yellow and orange flames that licked the atmosphere of the room. He couldn't find it in himself to sleep—he just couldn't. Baron blinked slowly, still staring at the flames that trembled from within the fireplace. It was late, he soon noted as his eyes moved to stare at the old-fashioned clock, noting that it was twenty past ten. His tail flicked from side to side, and it slipped onto his lap.

He thought of Haru, and a smile spread across his mouth. She was probably going to come over tomorrow, and he turned to the cupboards, remembering that he had bought some crumpets and new bags of tea for her, anticipating her to come and visit. Nowadays she was coming over to check up on her friends, knowing about the dead cats that were turning up. His gloves fingers ran against his palm, aching to have her over again. He shook his head, sighing, and rubbed at his temples.

Knock. Knock.

Baron blinked, looked up, staring at the door with a confused expression. "What?" he whispered, sitting up from his favorite chair, and approached the door, opening it.

What he saw surprised him. There, before him, was a grey and white cat with piercing blue eyes. It was the cat he had seen in the newspaper—this was the cat that had been missing for three days. He stood on his hind legs, panting, leaning against the doorframe, his paw clutching his side, and blood coated his probably once elegant fur. Baron's eyes quickly glanced over the feline before him, noticing missing patches of fur and claw marks along his chest, leg, and face. The cat's expression was mixed between pure agony and fear. Baron twitched, eyes wide, jaw slack; staring at the feline with utter surprise as the breath left his throat.

"Is this t-the Cat Bureau?" he asked, saliva mixed with blood spilling from his lips as he spoke. He groaned, as if speaking made him ache.

"Yes," Baron said quickly, reaching out to grab the cat, who then promptly fell into his arms.

"H-help me, please . . ."

The reference with the cat doll is from a TCR story called Soul Searching. Haru, in that story, has a cat doll, and she "asks" it advice. I thought it was funnier (and cute, and so like Haru) than shit, so I added my own reference. :3