Chapter Six: Pianist's Call
The noise outside Haru's window increased, making the brunette almost cry with frustration. Ever since she called the people organizing her wedding to say it wasn't going to happen, paparazzi had been banging on her door, demanding to know what went wrong between them. They obviously weren't satisfied with what she let her representative tell them.
This was the part of being famous that she hated with a passion; everyone assuming that they had a right to know all the intimate details of her demolished love life. Even Machida came and tried to get through her door, but Haru had put a hot iron on the handle, being an old fan of Home Alone, so he just burned his hand. Despite the dire circumstances, she kind of enjoyed hearing him scream in pain. He should have guessed by now that she would never take him back, now that she knew the truth about him.
Yuki hopped onto the couch to lick Haru's face consolingly as the brunette lay in a fetal position.
"Don't worry; they're bound to get bored sooner or later."
Haru smiled warmly and buried her face into the cat's soft fur, praying that the paparazzi weren't going to be the only ones leaving soon.
The crow had settled himself comfortably into a tree outside her front window, which was now covered with a large sheet so that the photographers and bird couldn't see her. She was more grateful than ever that she had thought to stock up on enough food and supplies to last her for months, certain that she would need the stash eventually, if she could learn to cope without eggs and such. She even had to unplug and shut off her phones, since the paparazzi weren't satisfied with destroying only her lawn with their feet and equipment. That and she really didn't want to talk to Machida's mother, whose voice could make dogs a block away howl in pain when she got really irritated at someone.
She shook her head, disgusted at herself for curling into a ball and crying. Her mind was just playing tricks on her last night, and she was easily spooked because of the thing with Machida. What she needed was something that could distract her from the pain, from the fear. From the annoying people outside her home.
Her eyes trailed over to her beloved grand piano, making a smile finally appear on her face. An old favorite of hers would be very appropriate right now…
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Baron bounded after the ex-prince, now fully in his cat form, without a suit. Although his original form was somewhere between feline and human, he could fully morph into either side of his heritage.
All of the true royal cat line took human brides, except for the rare cases when a royal fell for a cat instead, but such inconsistencies weren't as important to them, caring more for the people than for image, although their image was always sparkling.
Baron had decided that it might be safer for Muta to remain in the Cat Kingdom, since Haru probably would do something terrible to him if she saw him again too quickly.
The two cats were just approaching a group of loud humans outside a modest home when a burst of angry music assailed the cats and confused the humans.
After the shock wore off, the Cat King recognized the music to be from the overture of a play he went to years before with his father, to further round out his education. He didn't remember much about the plot, but knew that it somehow involved a hideous man in a mask and a beautiful singer in an opera house (if you can't guess what play it is, I feel really sorry for you). He shrugged off his ignorance and listened to the music as Lune led him to the small hole in the fence that led to the back of Haru's house.
The notes had an angry passion, like the pianist was trying to beat something distasteful out of herself, but the music itself was uncompromised in its execution, beautiful in its intensity. Lune stopped before entering the cat door in the back of the house.
"She usually doesn't mind when I bring a friend over, but since her nerves appear to be short at the moment, it might be best if you stay out of her sight at first."
Baron nodded before following the gray cat through the clear flap in the back door.
He came into a beautiful kitchen, which was certainly big enough for his fiancé and her cat. He nearly tripped on a cord, and looked up, surprised to see a glowing iron on the doorknob. Evidently, his betrothed was not one to be lax about security. Baron inched his way softly towards the living room, determined to see Haru again.
Her back was turned toward him, her head slightly bent downward as her slim fingers flew across the grand piano's keys. Her head bobbed with the passionate melody, obviously not noticing her visitors. Lune crept up behind a pretty white cat on the couch and licked her cheek. She turned, surprised when he beckoned her to the kitchen, and even more so to see the tawny cat inside. She followed him back, a skeptical look on her face.
"Lune, as much as Haru likes meeting your friends, now's not a good time; she's going through a bit of a crisis."
"Because I was right about the magician?"
The white cat stared.
"How could you know that?"
The tawny cat gave a formal bow to her.
"Because a good friend of mine intercepted her on the way home."
The blue-eyed cat glared at him.
"If you're talking about a fat white cat, I doubt you'll be welcome here. I haven't seen Haru that scared since her parents died in a car crash a few years back. She still hasn't completely told me what happened."
Lune stepped in front of Baron before she could go any farther.
"Yuki, do you remember when I said that I wasn't the true prince?"
She nodded, confused as to why he was mentioning this now of all times.
"You said that you were supposed to be a steward, even though the real king's been lost for about sixty years. Why are you bringing this up?"
Baron raised one paw, and allowed it to shift into a hand. He held the hand towards the white cat so she could see the ring on his finger. Yuki's jaw dropped, and she backed away slowly. She bowed low as the music continued to flow through the house.
"Please forgive my manners; I'm just concerned for my mistress."
He smiled indulgently as the hand shifted back into a paw.
"That's quite all right. Lune says that you know Haru better than anyone, so could you tell me what she'd do if I waltzed into the next room in my true form and told her that she had unintentionally proposed to the true king of cats, and that he had accepted?"
Yuki stared at him.
"No wonder she's at wit's end. She'd probably flip, and try to tell you that she's still recovering from Machida. And if you insisted on following through with the agreement, she'd do everything in her power to make you lose interest in her. One thing Haru hates more than anything is being told by someone she barely knows that she has to do something. When Lune's father tried to propose to her, she tore him apart."
Baron's eyes took an angry glint. So his title wasn't the only thing Phoebus had tried to take. Yuki kept talking.
"She said that the fact that she could talk to cats didn't mean she was destined to marry one, and that it was very arrogant of him to expect her to fall all over him for being a royal, and that she goes for a guy with depth, not wealth." She nervously put one paw to the back of her neck. "I'm sorry; this isn't helping much, is it?"
Baron lost his anger and grinned.
"Actually, this is most helpful. Lune, if you could introduce me as another friend, perhaps I can gauge the best way to tell her."
It was funny, how relieved he was that this wouldn't be as easy as he thought.