Influenza: A Tale from the Bureau.
By: Mask
Disclaimer: The characters within are © Studio Ghibli I bear no claim upon them.
Prologue: The Storm Breaks.
The grandfather clock gave a low and mournful peal, its chimed notes echoing down the darkened halls of a quiet and peaceful bureau.
A figure, settled into a lovely red armchair by the fireplace, absently set aside the small porcelain teacup from which he was drinking. His pale peridot eyes looked up sharply from their occupation of reading a handsomely bound book, flickering to a much smaller timepiece that rested on the mantelpiece above a marble fireplace.
One' o'clock-Mail-time
With a small sigh Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen set aside his novel and pushed himself up from his chair. The day outside the bureau was cold and grey and he paused to gather his necessities before venturing out into the stormy world. Overcoat, cane, and top hat were collected from the hat rack and placed in their proper positions. The door gave a displeased squeak as he opened it.
"I must ask Muta to fix that sometime."
The afore-thought of cat was sitting in his chair just outside, reading his newspaper. Baron suppressed a chuckle. Here it was on the eve of a storm and the fat cat would not be denied his tradition of reading the news in the well worn comfortable armchair that he called his own.
The fat cat glanced up, "Hey Baron,"
"Hello Muta."
"Storms coming in, better warn that stone headed feather-butt to get inside."
"Toto will be fine. You know he likes the storms. Are you coming in yourself?"
"As soon as I'm done."
"As you wish, is there any other mail?"
"Sure, some down in the business mail-box."
Baron nodded. The oversized tom was referring to the second mailbox the bureau had. Since the Cats business office served as home and Bureau for the pair it had been allotted two. One small red one for personal letters and the hulking dark brown one with its brass knocker in which business addressed letters were delivered. The later was kept across the square, just at the end of the narrow alley that served as an entrance. The dapper cat thanked Muta and with measured strides headed across the square in the direction of the business mailbox. Lately it had been empty, business reaching its first and all time low since…She had been here. Since Haru's adventure in Cat kingdom the name of the Bureau had spread far and wide across the cat world. Problems came flying in and the staff had found themselves increasingly shorthanded. It had seemed as if every cat in the world had a problem that needed attention….. And the bureau could not handle them all. Baron and Toto had flown far and wide gathering information and helping the ones who had requested. Muta had stayed home and attempted to handle the legal papers, though his secretary methods involved only a little time and a blazing fireplace. Baron winced as he thought about it; Muta had burned nearly all the important documents, his excuse being, "Eh, I thought they were for lighting the fire?" The bureau desperately needed another pair of hands, where there was none. Baron had few people he could trust, and most of them were busy with their own problems. Lune was entitled to the Cat Kingdom now and a ruler had no time of his own, after a wait of nearly four years he was just getting ready to marry Yuki. The beautiful white she-cat had sent a lovely wedding invitation to both him and Muta and Baron found himself eagerly awaiting the arrival of the appointed date. Not just eager to see the wedding, but finding himself eager to see… her… The beautiful she-cat he had met in the kingdom. She had attended Lunes Commencement ceremony when the gray tom had been appointed as the ruler of cat kingdom, dressed in a gown of light blue & brown. Her loveliness had rivaled even that of Yuki's. He remembered how he had taken her paw in his and led her sweeping across the dance floor, how he had found himself suddenly experiencing an emotion he had long thought was dead within his wooden heart. How he had begun too…
Baron's thoughts stopped abruptly as he reached the large box.
His gloved hand took hold of the handle and he opened it with a creak, hand extended to search the contents of the brown structure. It felt cold and empty to his touch. He sighed, slightly exasperated.
"Really Muta, of the two of us you could use the most exercise…You should have just told me it was emp..."
His gloved hand brushed against a parcel in the far back. With a careful effort he brought it out. It was a largish rectangular piece, strangely heavy for its size. He held it at arm's length and discovered as he turned it about that although it was addressed to the bureau…it had no sending address in return. Odd. He tucked it under his arm and walked back to the office. Muta was still out in his chair reading the final and back page of his newspaper. He didn't bother to look up as Baron walked by into the office with the package tucked under his arm.
The door creaked as Baron shut it behind him. He removed his effects and placed them carefully on his hat rack and settled down slowly to rest in his armchair before the fireplace…in which had been lit a blazing inferno. He spotted several documents on the floor before it and immediately guessed at the culprit. Muta had actually gotten up and lit it for him; Baron gave an appreciative eye roll and settled the package on his lap, although the fat cat acted as though he could care less he DID care.
The sky outside gave a threatening rumble and the lights inside the house flickered and then went off completely. Alone in the dark before the fire Baron fingered the package on his lap…and opened it.
When the lights went off, Muta groaned and set his paper aside. Heaving his body upright the fat cat tottered to the door and came into the bureau not a moment too soon. Rain began to pound relentlessly against the windows. It was opaquely dark inside except the orange glow of the fire. A fire before which crouched the shadow of the cat figurine, sides heaving in the firelight.
"Baron?"
The tom looked his way and the storms light gave a great flash, illuminating the orange furred figure…and the blood which dripped from him to pool upon the floor below
"BARON?!?"
The figure tottered and strove to stand making the blood splatter everywhere, he fell and tried again, managing to rise halfway and whisper to the cat before him in a voice strained and shaky.
"Get …help, Muta."
The fat cat could only stare in horror at the blood that dripped on the floor. Baron's body slumped lower, his voice no more than a painful murmur
"Please…Muta."
As if in a daze the cat turned and fled out into the rain. Leaving behind the broken and bleeding body of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen.