Chapter Seven: Daydreams
Finally, the two worked their way into sight of Haru's window. The older guard made a swipe at the falconer's feet, who in turn jumped into the air and landed safely in one piece. The darker man swung his own sword, and it clashed with the lighter man's.
"Give it up, old man! You couldn't even beat your own grandma!"
Muta flinched at the painful memory, and swung his sword to the ground so he could swing a fist at his opponent's face.
"She snuck up behind me! How was I supposed to know that she had a great right hook?!"
Haru started laughing hard as the cat gaped in astonishment and amusement. But as the steel and insults flew, the brunette calmed down, and started focusing on the fighters again while her fingers kept dancing like they were on fire, more and more lace falling from between them.
She knew better than to make this known to the two fighters, but their techniques strongly reminded her of the dance. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to make a story out of their movements.
In her mind, Toto and Muta shifted into slim young maidens, as different as day and night. The dark one grinned maliciously as she spun, creating a tornado with her body. The lighter one gracefully bent backwards to avoid the sharp wind, and then became one with the ground. While the dark maiden looked around with confusion, the lighter maiden sprang up behind her, with a cape of earth, which she used to throw the dark one to the ground, and under the cool grass.
The dark one managed to break free, and move her arms about like claws, determined not to be defeated.
Haru's heart began to pound louder and louder, and her eyes seemed to pulsate with a strange unknown power. Who would win this duel, dark or light?
Suddenly, a slightly rough tongue licked her cheek, breaking the brunette's trance. She inhaled sharply, suddenly remembering that she wasn't breathing. Haru blinked a few times, looking into Baron's worried eyes.
"Meow?" he asked her. She laughed nervously and rubbed one of his velvety ears, suddenly realizing how sore her fingers were.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, Baron. It's… just…" she sighed. "I can't help but be a little envious of them, sometimes. It's hard to always be optimistic."
He nodded gravely, licking her cheek once more. He started settling back into her lap, but then apparently got a better idea.
"Meow! Purrrrr," he said to her before hopping off her lap and going out the little door that led to the gardens outside. She giggled softly, guessing that nature was calling for him. Well, that was what the door was for, after all. As long as he went outside and not on her or anywhere inside, there wouldn't be a problem.
She looked down at her hands again, and started the familiar dance, but slower, since her hands were getting sore. She'd have to remember to slather them with that special ointment her brother got for her before getting to bed, to give them a chance to heal.
Within a minute, a familiar ball of orange and cream fur had catapulted himself into her lap. Startled, she stopped working again.
Baron now had a lovely blue flower in his mouth, and he was obviously holding it carefully so that his sharp teeth wouldn't cut the stem short. Haru took the offered flower, stunned that he had gone outside just to get her one. She held the flower close to her nose, and took in the scent lingeringly.
"How did you know these are my favorite?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around her beloved cat after tucking the flower into her hair. He started purring deeply for her again, obviously pleased that she had liked his gift.
"You are by far the strangest cat I have ever met, Baron. But I wouldn't trade you for the world." She kissed his forehead again, and held him close as he continued to purr for her, knowing how much she loved the sound.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Machida had to move quickly, in order to make his plan work. Dressed completely in black, he stealthily made his way closer to the Yoshioka manor, if it could even be called that. The viscount shook his head while tiptoeing through the gardens, in order to reach Haru's window.
'Honestly, you'd think they'd be grateful that a high-ranking nobleman like myself was interested in that wisp at all.' He unhooked two metal tools from his belt, and used them to silently open the window, like his tutors had shown him how to. They had demanded a special price for the knowledge, but Haru's work would eventually replace what he had lost to gain her. As silently as he could, Machida slipped into the room, and started feeling around his belt for the gag. His instructors had been very clear about the need to gag the kidnapee, or have the whole house on him.
But then, he saw something that made everything that he had ever known go flying out the window.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Baron laid his head on Haru's pillow; watching her sleep peacefully. He tightened his grip on her softly, loving how she felt to him as a human. He had no clue why he regained his human shape while his lady was in slumber, but the fact would soon not matter.
He could have broken the curse on himself two months ago, when he had been with Haru an entire month, to the day. But, she still needed him, and he had never been good about denying help. If only there was a way to make this work. He would certainly run out of time if he dragged this out too long, and then his chance would never come. He wanted so badly to truly talk to her, tell her about his life before he was a cat. She would surely love to hear some of the tales he could tell…
The tawny ex-cat suddenly heard a noise, making him look up. His eyes slit in anger.
The viscount was in Haru's room, and staring at him like he was a ghost. Baron had only to see the long white piece of cloth trailing from the man's fist to his pocket to connect the dots. Despite the fact that he wasn't a feline at the present, Baron started growling.
"Over my dead body, viscount."
That's when Haru shot up from Baron's arms, and started screaming fit to raise the dead.
