I'm back! Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 2.


Chapter Two: Sadness and Betrayal

Ten years later…

Haru hummed quietly as she gently plucked the weeds from around the vegetables in the garden. Despite the drought, her crop looked to be a fine one this year. Luckily there might even be enough to sell in town. A little extra money would never hurt, especially since her father had taken ill.

Father.

He couldn't even leave his own bed, that's how dire the situation had become. Her strong father, who could carry her on his back for hours, now forced to be spoon-fed like a child. Haru sometimes questioned the will of the Jade Emperor, but she knew sometimes that tragic things happen so that she could cherish what she currently had in life.

She paused in her weeding. Haru had always believed in that ideal, but lately it seemed as if the world only showed evil and not good. The land suffered from drought and forced families to share homes to conserve resources. Recently she and her father moved into a seamstress shop after their home became unlivable. That's when Haru's life became a living nightmare.

Though they were equals in the hierarchy of society, the seamstress' daughter, Kaoru lorded over Haru and forced her to perform the menial labor in the house. Cooking, cleaning, sewing…the girl would not lift a finger to even aid our lovely heroine. It seemed, to her, that the tasks were too far beneath her to even think about doing! Haru could never complain of course. They had no where else to go and she wouldn't dream of moving her father in his condition.

So this is where we find her. Tending her garden was one of her ways to escape Kaoru though never for a long period of time. The cruel girl always found something for Haru to do. Most likely the task came with a torrent of taunts too.

A quiet meow dragged her away from her dismal feelings.

"Baron!" she exclaimed ecstatically. She kneeled besides him and gently brushed her face against his soft fur: her usual greeting for him.

"Oh, you've come at a bad time," she said regrettably. "I have to prepare food for my father but please come find me later."

She fed him a small piece of a carrot and laughed as his velvety tongue tickled her fingertips. He promptly disappeared with a swish of his tale.

"I have to figure out how he disappears so quickly," Haru thought to herself.

Ever since she returned from running into the forest after her mother's funeral, her favorite companion was a tawny cat that appeared from time to time. He came and went as he pleased but he was always welcomed in Haru's eyes. She named him "Baron" after the Eastern Prince that lived at the far end of town. The Prince was so mysterious that no one had ever seen him, though he was rumored to have the head of a cat but body of a man. He was a servant to Heaven after all and they often took unique forms. His many heroic exploits included leading a battalion to defeat the reptile army who tried to take over the Jade Kingdom, a realm where only the gods, their messengers, and a chosen few could only enter.

But those feats were way out of Haru's sphere of life. Gathering her vegetables, Haru prepared a meager stew with a small portion of meat for her father. He needed to keep up his strength after all. It was a good day for him; he managed to feed himself when she came into the house.

"You shouldn't be here Haru," he murmured quietly. "Imagine a young girl taking care of an ill man like me when she could be with her sweetheart right now."

"Father, if any man even looked in my direction, their eyes would soon fall on Kaoru's and be under her spell."

Kaoru, with her cold heart was also the local beauty, but little did Haru know that she too was admired by many for her sweetness and generosity.

"That's nonsense my daughter! You are beautiful because you look just like your mother."

Haru always loved it when her father recalled her mother. Amasawa Shizuku nee Tsukishima was her lovely mother. Before she died, Shizuku was an avid reader of books and always had an expressive face and was a favorite with children. Haru and her father mourned deeply when she died from the same illness that was currently destroying him and her eyes would always tear up at her memory.

After speaking with her father, Haru left her father, wanting to take a bath. Unfortunately, she ran into Kaoru.

"Oh Haru! Is that you?" Kaoru said in her haughty voice.

Haru groaned inwardly. The seamstress always said that her daughter had a voice that rivaled the birds. Haru often thought that she meant a crow's harsh tone.

"Oh Haru, I barely recognized you under all of that dirt!" the girl continued on.

"I've been working in the garden, Kaoru. What have you been doing?"

"This and that," was the answer (meaning she was doing nothing at all!).

Unable to abide with any more inane chatter, Haru turned to leave.

Kaoru couldn't help but throw one last remark. "Make sure you use lots of soap for that awful smell!" and then she flounced off.

Haru wanted to scream! That child wouldn't know a hard days work to save her life! She claimed she was exhausted with just a single errand into town!

"That's probably why she makes me do it," Haru thought grudgingly.

She sighed audibly. Haru really wanted that bath now.

Sinking into the warm water in the seclusion of the bathtub, she allowed the tension to slip away from her tired muscles. It had only been a few minutes when a sharp voice broke the silence.

"Hurry up Haru! I want to take a bath now!"

Of course it was Kaoru and when she wanted it, she wanted it now. Haru would never dream of telling the seamstress about her cruel daughter. It would all be just lies to her mother's unconditional love anyways. She bathed quickly, changed and gathered her things. Night was coming and it was getting chilly.

"Nevermind I changed my mind!" Kaoru cried out again, from the warmth of the kitchen.

"Odd," Haru thought. Her voice seemed much closer earlier.

Digging through her bundle, Haru sought out her most prized possession: Her mother's necklace. It was a simple crescent moon made out of silver, but it was passed from mother to daughter for three generations now and priceless to Haru. She grew alarmed after not seeing it amongst her clothes.

Desperately she searched the surrounding area but could not find it anywhere, which only meant one thing: Kaoru…

Seizing her by her shoulders, Haru questioned the vipress where she sat in the kitchen.

"Where is it!" she shrieked. "Where's my mother's necklace!"

Not even bothering to hide her conniving deed, Kaoru uttered the words Haru feared to hear: "I've sent my mother to sell it in town."

Haru released her and flew out the door, but it was too late. The woman was long gone. The necklace was probably sold and she had no money to buy it back from the pawn shop. She turned back to Kaoru and vented her anger.

"That was my mother's necklace! The only item I had left from her! You have plenty of money, why did you have to take my necklace and sell it?"

The girl replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I needed the money to rent a carriage. The new queen of the Eastern land must travel in reflection of her future station, of course."

Haru openly gasped. This of all things was not what she was expecting.

"New queen?" she whispered. Haru knew that the Eastern Prince was looking for a wife and that all woman of the eligible age was flocking to his palace but she never thought that Kaoru would go seek him out. She had just assumed that the selfish girl would accept a proposal from one of the foolish rich gentlemen that courted her.

"Well future queen," Kaoru said flipping back her jet-black hair. "I'm going to the Eastern palace tomorrow. I'm the obvious choice of course. You should be careful of how you speak to your ruler, but I'll overlook this offense. Think of it of how benevolent I am."

This was the last straw. Her? Queen? The world would be thrown into chaos by her idiocy!

Bursting into tears, Haru burst out of the kitchen and ran blindly. She collapsed in front of a stately elm tree which marked the edge of the woods. As she lay on the hard ground she wept and cursed the gods mentally. How could this have happened? What did she ever do to deserve such a cruel fate? To lose her Mother's necklace seemed to crush her very soul.

During her sorrow Haru felt a familiar presence. Reaching her hands out, her fingertips brushed against Baron's comforting fur. She hugged the cat close to her body and fell gratefully asleep. She could always count on him.

In her dreams she walked in darkness. Suddenly a weak beam of light shone on a standing figure but the light did not illuminate him entirely. Haru froze and could barely see amidst the darkness the figure's silhouette. He, she guessed, wore shoes, a light colored suit, but that's all Haru could discern in the murky ink. As in most dreams, the auburn haired girl found that she could not speak, but the figure was silent also.

He outstretched his arms to reveal something shining between his hands: her necklace! She rushed to try to take it from him but found that any movement she tried to make was impossible. She was frozen in place. Solemnly the man placed the necklace around his neck and fastened it and then placed his hand over his heart.

Haru's mind sped trying to understand his actions. He was keeping it safe for her? Maybe it meant she would get it back in the future! She managed a small bow and mouthed a thank you to him. A low voice was heard.

"Don't give up, Haru. Believe in yourself."

Unexpectedly twin beams of light seemed to sparkle from where his eyes were. They rapidly became brighter until it engulfed Haru and she had to shut her eyes to keep from being blinded.

Blinking a couple of times, Haru awoke with a start. In her confusion she realized the light in her dreams came from the sun, just rising in the distance. Glancing around she found curled in her arms was Baron who licked her face gently.

"Oh Baron, my friend. What would the world be like with Kaoru as queen? The treasuries would have to be emptied just to buy her a fraction of the things she thinks she's entitled to."

The cat seemed to bristle at the mere thought.

"I'm glad you agree with me too."

She continued to lay on the ground, running her hands comfortingly through Baron's fur. Most likely Kaoru stole all of the Amasawa money in order to make it to the Eastern Palace. This meant that the money Haru was depending on to support her and her father was gone. Thank the gods she had not sold the vegetables yet. The little income she would make from there should last until… until what?

Haru would have to earn some money somewhere even if it meant… Yes, even if it meant leaving her father.

Coming to a decision, she rose and cleaned her face in a nearby river. It was strange that no animals had tried to attack her when she was so close to the woods. She was glad that Baron was looking out for her that night. Despite his small size, he was fiercely protective of her. Sometimes to Haru he almost seemed regal and even human.

"I should check on Father," she exclaimed but bent down and gave her friend a kiss on the nose and a heartfelt thank you. She rushed back into the house, however, if she had only turned around, she would have seen the cat blush from head to tail and then disappear into thin air.

Haru found her father awake and watching the sun rise.

"You should be sleeping," she whispered.

He chuckled. "I'm not going deaf, Haru. You don't have to whisper."

She rolled her eyes. Her father, the eternal joker no matter what his health was.

"Kaoru stole and sold Mother's necklace," she told him bluntly. His face contorted in anger, but Haru stopped him from speaking.

"She's going to see the Eastern Prince. Most likely she took all of our money to make the journey too." She paused thinking silently. "The vegetables I grow won't last us forever, so there's only one thing I can do."

"I am going to see the Prince and ask if I can be a servant in the palace."


Sorry for the lack of detail.

Please review,

Grignard