(A/N: I really like this chapter. It gets a little mushy at the end though. Actually, I'm not all that good at romance. I'm getting better though, I think. But I'll let you guys be the judge of that.)
Disclaimer: Hey, wait, this isn't mine.
Chapter 6: Shizuku's Big News
Now that Shizuku and Seiji knew that the Baron and Baroness were real, they doubled their efforts at trying to find the Baroness. Unfortunately, they were still coming up empty handed. Mr. Nishi was curious about the teens' increased interest about the search, but didn't say anything; he just wished he could do more himself. The teens had considered telling the old man the truth about the cat figurines, but decided against it for two reasons; one, the shock of seeing the residents of the Cat Bureau might be harmful for someone his age, and two, Muta would have their heads.
Two weeks had gone by since Haru had revealed her secret, and right now she was in the Earth Shop with Seiji, Mr. Nishi, Yuko, and Sugimura, whom she had been introduced to awhile back, waiting for Shizuku who had called them saying that she had big news and would meet them at the at the Earth Shop.
"What do you think she wants to tell us that's so important?" Yuko asked.
Seiji shrugged. "Not sure, but she was very excited about it."
"Maybe she found the Baroness." Haru wondered out loud.
Sugimura looked confused. "The what?"
Yuko nudged her boyfriend. "The cat doll she's been looking for."
"What cat doll?"
"Ah, dimwit!"
"What?"
Mr. Nishi chuckled. "Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough."
The door opened and a very, very excited Shizuku ran in. "SEIJI!" she cried, throwing herself at her boyfriend. Seiji nearly toppled over as he caught Shizuku in her embrace. "I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!"
"That's great Shizuku." Seiji said, trying to gulp down some air. "What did you do?"
Shizuku let him go as she ran over to a place that she could see everyone. "Ok, ok, so I was getting the mail this morning and I got a letter addressed to me. At first I didn't think anything of it. But it was… it was…" she couldn't contain her excitement any longer as she cried out in a single breath, "theyregoingtopublishmystory!"
The others hadn't caught a single word she said in that last bit.
"Can you say that again, slower?" Seiji asked.
Shizuku took a few calming breaths and repeated what she had said a little slower. "It was from one of the book publishing companies that I sent my story to and they said that they're going to publish my story!"
There was a moment of silence as the others digested this information. Once the news registered they burst into a series of applause and cheers.
"Shizuku, this is wonderful!" Seiji cried, hugging her.
"You're dream is coming true!" Yuko cheered.
Mr. Nishi smiled knowingly and nodded. "You see; I knew you could do it." He said.
Shizuku had tears of joy in her eyes. "Thank you, all of you. I couldn't have done it without your support. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."
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"Well, I guess congratulations are in order." Said Muta in a bored voice.
"You guess?" cried Toto, outraged. "This is great news! Shizuku's book is getting published. She's worked hard to have this. She deserves it."
Baron nodded. "I agree completely. I'm very proud of you, Shizuku. You've worked hard and never gave up hope. I'd take my hat off to you if it wasn't already off."
Shizuku beamed. "Thanks Baron. I owe you a big thank you too. After all, you are the hero in my story."
Muta cleared his throat. "What about me? I was the one that led you to the Earth Shop. Without me, you would have never even seen Baron's statue."
Toto flew down and whacked Muta over the head. "You did nothing. Shizuku would have become a great writer anyway."
"How about I give her a few quills to write with; from you're feathers!"
"Hey!" Haru snapped. "Now is not the time to be fighting!"
Baron nodded. "Yes, this is a happy time. We should celebrate." Muta and Toto turned away from each other stubbornly, but didn't argue further. As Baron prepared a bunch of treats for a party, he questioned Shizuku on how getting a book published worked. "I'm not exactly familiar with the subject."
"Well, I was asked to come to New York for an interview." Shizuku explained. "It's for a book tour, it will really help to sell my book."
"Really? How interesting. When do you leave?"
"In a few weeks." She turned to Seiji. "I wish you could come, Seiji. You were the one who inspired me."
Seiji smiled. "This is your moment in the spotlight, Shizuku. You take it. I'll be wishing you luck the whole time, and I'll be here when you get back."
Shizuku beamed. "I've decided that I'm going to dedicate my book to you."
Seiji blushed. "Aw, Shizuku, you don't have to do that."
"I want to!" she insisted. She turned to Baron. "I wish I could dedicate it to you too, but people would think that would be kind of weird, you know; dedicating my book to a magical cat."
Baron nodded. "I understand."
"I'm sorry."
Baron waved it off. "Don't dwell on it for a moment. I am the hero in the story. That's more than enough for me." He said with a smile.
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Time had literally flown by. Shizuku would be leaving for New York tomorrow. Her sister, Shiho, would be accompanying her on the trip; although Shizuku would much rather have had Seiji. They really didn't want to be separated from each other, so they were spending as much time together as possible.
At the moment, they were in the Earth Shop's workshop. Shizuku was sitting on Seiji's lap as he showed her how to put a violin together. Shizuku had asked him awhile back to teach her and he was happy to oblige. As of now, her violin was a little more than halfway done. It wasn't as good as any of Seiji's, but it was rather good for a first timer's; but that was to be expected since she had such a good teacher.
"So this part goes here?" Shizuku asked.
"Yup, right there." Seiji confirmed. "You're a fast learner."
Shizuku chuckled. "I learned from the best, but I think my talent rests with writing."
"Your talent rests with everything you do." Said Seiji, lightly planting a few butterfly kisses on her cheek and neck.
Shizuku sighed in pleasure as she leaned back to give her boyfriend better access to her neck. When Seiji lightly nibbled her ear she gave an amused squeal and turned around in his lap to plant a big kiss on his lips. The pieces of the violin lay forgotten as the couple kissed passionately, only stopping for air before locking their lips again.
After a few minutes, or was it hours, they ceased their moment of passion and rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily. Shizuku had her arms around Seiji's neck as Seiji's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist.
"Oh Seiji, I don't want to go to New York without you." Shizuku muttered. "I'm going to miss you too much. I need you."
"Shh." Seiji placed a finger against her lips. "Shizuku, I need you too, but we both need to be strong. This is what you've been dreaming about and working so hard to get. You're going to go to New York and have your book published and be well on your way at becoming a great writer. I'll be here encouraging you the whole time. And when you get back, we'll never have to be apart again." He little planted a kiss on her lips, followed by her nose, her eyes, and her forehead.
Shizuku tightened her hold on him, burrowing her face in his shoulder. "I love you so much, Seiji. I don't know what I would do without you."
"And no words can express how much I love you." Seiji replied, nuzzling her neck. "You mean everything to me."
"I'm going to miss you so much.
"And I'll miss you, but like I said, I'll be here when you get back, ready to sweep you off your feet."
For a long time, the couple just held each other in their loving embrace. Nothing else mattered but each other.
(A/N: This chapter is kind of reverse from what happened in 'WotH'. This time Shizuku is leaving. I'm not all that sure with the whole process of how a story gets published, so I jumped forward a bit, sorry. I'll update soon. Bye.)