"Well, as far as long days go, this one's been a doozy." muttered Hikari as she wandered around the Crossroads district. "I wonder what Haru meant by a Cat Bureau..." Her mind flashed back to earlier that day around lunch, when her classmate and friend Haru had told her about the bureau.
"Hey Hikari, are you okay?" asked Haru, sitting next to her on the bench.
"No Haru, I'm not. You know how I got called out of class yesterday? Well, it turns out my parents were in an accident." she replied.
"Oh my gosh! Are they okay?!" gasped Haru. Hikari shook her head.
"They died in the hospital last night." she said in a flat tone. Haru gasped again.
"Oh Hikari, I'm so sorry..."
"And that's not even the worst part. Just before they died, they told me I wasn't even their kid...they found me by Kohaku river in a little basket with a this note attached to me." she pulled out a small, tattered piece of paper and handed it to Haru. "It's in some weird writing I can't read. What do you think Haru?" Haru took the paper and her eyes widened.
"I know this writing!" she said quickly. She looked around to make sure no one was looking and turned back to Hikari. "Listen, I can't help you with this, but I know someone that can. Here's what you have to do..."
Hikari's mind returned to the present.
"Find a white cat named Muta at the Crossroads, ask about the Cat Bureau..."Hikari continued to mutter to herself as she entered a small square with a few tables and chairs. "I'm starting to think I may have damaged her brain when I hit her in the head with that soccer ball last month." She started to sit down in one of the chairs when she heard a soft grunting sound. She looked behind her and saw a large white cat with a patch of brown on his left ear. She sat in the opposite chair facing the cat.
"Well hello there." she said in a friendly tone. Hikari had always loved cats. "You're a nice looking fellow aren't you? You should be more careful, people might think you're a cushion and sit on you." The cat just stared at her in a bored way. Hikari laughed.
"Hehe, I wonder if you're the white cat Haru was talking about." she said. At the sound of Haru's name, the cat perked up his ears.
"How do you know Haru?" he whispered. Hikari stopped laughing and stared at him.
"Y-you talked!" she whispered back, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. "Wait, then you must be him! Are you Muta?"
"Yeah. Who's asking?" A man nearby stopped to look at the pair. Was that cat talking to that girl? Hikari quickly scooped Muta up into her arms.
"Oh, Buyo! It is you! Thank heavens I found you!" she cried. The man smiled. Good, the girl was just making sure it was her lost cat. He continued walking on his way
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Muta hissed. Hikari settled him in her lap.
"Shh! Just relax and whisper to me. That guy saw us talking. The secret could have been blown wide open." she murmured. She began to stroke his fur gently.
"Nice plan, so how do you know Haru?"
"She's a classmate and friend. She told me I could come to the Bureau for help with my problem."
"What problem?"
"Take me to the bureau and I'll tell you." Muta sat up and hopped off Hikari's lap.
"Fine. Follow me and try to keep up." he said.. Hikari followed hot on his heels through a labyrinth of buildings and alleyways. They were running on top of the big tin roof when Muta called to her.
"Not bad kid, Haru lagged behind the whole way, but you're staying right next to me. You a track star or something?"
"No, but I've been climbing around on rooftops since before I can remember. My friends used to say I must be part cat." she replied. A few minutes later they came to the entrance to the bureau. Hikari looked around as Muta grabbed his daily newspaper and sat down to read.
"Hey Muta, is this it? Is this the bureau?" she asked. Just then, the sun began to set. Its reflection glinted off the windows of the other buildings and shined directly onto the prettiest house on the square. Muta held his newspaper up to shield his eyes.
"Again with the light show Baron? I told you before, no one's impressed!" he growled.
"I am." said Hikari. The lights faded and the lights inside the building winked on. Hikari gasped as the doors opened and a doll sized cat walked out.
"This must be the Baron Haru told me about." she thought as the figure swept off his top hat.
"Good evening, welcome to the bureau." he said. Hikari remembered her manners and bowed low.
"Thank you for your warm welcome Baron." she said. Baron looked mildly surprised.
"How did you know my name?" he asked.
"She's Haru's friend from school. She has a problem, so Haru sent her to find me." said Muta from the side.
"Oh, so the marshmallow finally proved useful?" cackled a voice from the pillar. Hikari whirled around to see a large crow where there had only been a statue before.
"Right, right. Refuge for creations. Stone or wood statues given souls." She muttered in an attempt to keep from freaking out. Toto looked at her.
"Another guest Baron? My, my, business is picking up. She's even prettier than Haru was."
"Indeed. So, Haru sent you to us did she?" said Baron, turning to Hikari.
"Yeah. She told me all about you and what happened to her last month. By the way, my name is Hikari." she replied.
"I see. Why don't you step into the bureau and tell us your problem and we'll see if we can help." said Baron kindly. Hikari followed him into the bureau and sat down on the chest. She found a minuscule teacup pushed gently into her hands.
"You seem rather haggard. This will make you feel better." said Baron.
"Thank you Baron." said Hikari softly. "Haru told me you were cool, but she never mentioned how kind you were." Baron cleared his throat awkwardly and sat down in his chair.
"Yes, well...you said you had a problem that needed solving?" Hikari set her teacup down.
"Yeah, but I don't know how much you can help." She said, pulling the letter from her bag. "My adoptive parents showed me this letter before they died. They found it with me in a basket on the banks of the Kohaku River. Haru said that you would be able to read it." she handed the scrap of beaten paper to Baron, who scanned through it. His eyes widened as he read the letter three times over.
"Miss Hikari, are you very sure you want to know what language this is?"
"Yes! Please tell me."
"Very well. This letter was written in Paw-paw, the language of the Cat Kingdom, by your mother, who was herself a cat."
"What?!"
"Read the whole thing out loud Baron." Said Toto from the balcony railing. Baron cleared his throat and began to read.
"To whoever finds this letter,
I beg of you, whoever you may be, to care for this child. I cannot care for her as I have been fired from my job and evicted from my home. By the time you have found her, I will have already passed on to the land of eternal summer and cat tails. If something should happen to you before she is fully grown, give her this letter and tell her of her adopted status. Otherwise let her live in ignorance.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Lunesta."
Hikari sat speechless on the chest.
"My mother was a cat...and she's dead." She stared into nothingness, unable to believe what was happening. Muta looked far more shaken.
"It couldn't be...but her name was Lunesta..." he was muttering. "They can't be the same cat. they just can't." Baron looked at his friend in concern.
"Muta, are you alright? You seem upset." Muta stopped his mutters.
"Baron, do you remember that letter I gave you years ago? The one I told you to keep locked up until it was time?"
"Yes, it's in a locked drawer in my desk. You never opened it did you?"
"No...can you go get it?"
"Of course." Baron left to get the letter and Muta put his head in his paws.
"Please...please don't let them be the same cat. Let it be a coincidence..." Toto flapped down from his perch to land on the arm of the couch. He set his wing on Muta's shoulder.
"Muta?" he said gently. "Are you okay?" Muta shook his head. He spoke very softly so only Toto would hear.
"I'm not sure yet, but I think Hikari's mother was my little sister."
"What?!"
"She sent me a letter years ago, but I never opened it. I was still hiding from the Cat Kingdom after eating all the fish in the lake and I knew if I read it I'd go dashing back there to check on her."
"So that human girl could be..."
"My niece, yeah." They looked at Hikari, who was still in a trance like state. Baron snapped them all out of it with his return.
"Here it is. It took me a moment to find the right key." He handed the letter to Muta, who slitted it open with a claw. He scanned the letter and began to shake. Tears filled his slitted eyes and ran down his cheeks. He handed the letter to Hikari.
"H-here kid." he sobbed. "Read it. You'll be able to now." Hikari took the letter and read it out loud.
"Dear Renaldo,
I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote, but my job has been keeping me busy. Prince Lune is getting so big now, and he's a real pawful. I pity his poor mother. Queen Solara is still sick in bed, so I'm at her side night and day when I'm not busy with the prince.
But that's not what I wrote this letter to tell you about Big Brother. I have good news bad news and worse news. The good news is that you're an Uncle now! Yes, last week I gave birth to the most adorable little female. She looks just like mother used to, pure white with brown spots over both ears.
The bad news is how came to be carrying her. Do you remember Natori, the kings advisor? The gray one with the glasses and long robes. Well, a few months ago, I was walking back to the house after work and I met him on the path. I could smell catnip wine on him as though he had bathed in it. I tried to politely step around him, but he kept blocking my path. He was mumbling some nonsense I couldn't understand, but I heard the words 'you will be mine' very clearly. Then...I don't remember clearly, it all happened so fast. One second I was running for the house, and the next he was on top of me and I was in agony. I must have blacked out sometime during the attack, because when I woke up, it was the next day and I was alone. When I went to work that day, I stopped at the healers to see if Natori had injured me too badly. That's when I found out that I was carrying his kitten. I told the Queen and she urged me to tell the King. I was terrified, so she came with me. She gave me the strength to announce what Natori had done to me in front of him. I wish you could have been there to see the look on the kings face when I announced to the royal court that his right paw cat had gotten drunk and attacked a female against her will.
But, that's where the worst news comes in. Even with his queens testimony, The king refused to believe me. He called me a lying hussy and dismissed me as the Queens head servant. I still can't believe what happened next. Natori confessed that he did attack me and said he wanted to take responsibility for his crime. I swear brother, that king must be half mad. He wouldn't even listen to Natori! He still blamed me for the attack and told me I would never find work in the Kingdom again. Even in my delicate condition, I was thrown out the window like a bad performer. Don't worry, I'm alright, I wouldn't be writing this letter to you if I weren't. After that I ran home and ended up crying myself to sleep. When I woke up, I heard someone knocking at my door. It was Natori. I tried to slam the door in his face, but he held it open. He begged me to let him take care of us, the kitten and I, but I told him that if I had any say in it at all he would never see his kitten. I can't believe he would have the nerve to ask me to marry him after what he did! I told him to just get out and leave us alone, but he refused, so I finally just back pawed him. The months passed and I became an outcast. Her highness still came to visit and comfort me, and when the time came, she was my midwife. I've decided to name the kitten after our Mother, Selene.
But I'm afraid I can't care for her. You see, the attack weakened my immune system greatly and I've come down with an illness that none of the healers can cure. It's terminal...I've set a spell on Selene and taken her to the Human realm where she can be cared for. She'll look just like a human and with any luck, she'll never find out about me.
You're probably wondering why I didn't just bring her to you. The reason is simple: I know you're on the run for that fish stunt you pulled (by the way, shame on you!), and I didn't want to add another problem to your load.
In case I'm gone before you read this, I love you big brother...
Your sister,
Lunesta.
The letter fell from Hikari's hands and her voice broke as she began to sob.
"M-mother...you went t-through so much just to die?! W-why? Why did this have to happen?" she sobbed, tears running down her face in long streaks. Baron patted her knee comfortingly.
"There, there now. It's alright. Everything's going to be okay miss Hikari." Hikari looked up.
"That's not my name anymore. My name is...Selene.