Chapter Seven: Baron's Cry
'Mom says every girl loves a musician. Well, here it goes.' Machida took a deep breath, and started singing.
"You've been searching the world to find true love, looking in all the wrong places. When all of the time you have been blind to know it's as plain as the nose on your fair face."
ooOoo
Muta was instantly awake, hissing terribly on the couch.
"What's with the serenade?!"
Baron stretched from his place on the arm of the couch, a little put out from more than just the ruined rest.
"Must be an admirer of Haru," the Cat Creation said reluctantly.
"You've been down on yourself, thinking something is wrong. You have wondered why love has never found you."
A little curious, Baron hopped off of the couch in order to land on the table in front of the window. As discreetly as possible, he peeled a corner of the curtain away to peek at the musician.
It was a young man, more than likely close to Haru's age. He was dark haired, and, to women at least, possibly handsome. The boy was dressed in tight black pants and a loose tunic-style shirt that opened at the throat so that passers-by could see his muscled chest. He was sitting on the stone wall in front of the house, with a guitar across his lap as he strummed the strings. The dark youth's eyes were locked on a room above and to the left of the one Baron was peeking through, possibly Haru's room.
"Love has been right by your side, so close that you couldn't see. If love could speak, it would shout to the sky 'I've always been here, I always will be'!"
Baron dropped the curtain firmly and turned away from the window.
'I shouldn't be surprised. Haru's a fetching young girl that's fun to be around. Of course men would be attracted to her. Perhaps this gentleman is her boyfriend.' He silenced the way his heart howled, having known that this day would come eventually. Although his crush on her-
Baron shook his head angrily. Her crush on him!! He was certain that she would get over her crush on him! So, why did his heart ache like this, if he knew it would happen eventually?
It's not like he could ever court her. She should be with someone like the fellow outside, who could share a future with her.
"Open your eyes to love, open your heart to-"
The singing left off to something that sounded like a quack. Baron's ears perked up, and he turned around in order to peek again. Muta seemed to appear from behind him and just tore the curtain aside, making the Creation press himself to the side, hoping that no one was looking at this particular window.
The young man outside had dropped his guitar and was holding both hands to his throat, his panic increasing with every second as even the quack faded away.
Muta jumped away from the window to start rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. Toto started chuckling from his perch, having a completely good view of the boy as he started pacing the yard and popping cough drops.
"Looks like Romeo there is going to have to take ten."
Baron bit back a laugh of his own, watching the boy run out of the yard, barely remembering to take his guitar. Up the stairs, two girls could be heard clearly laughing.
ooOoo
Haru was in much brighter spirits when she came down the stairs with Rosemary for breakfast, although she was tired from staying up the entire night. Baron was sitting next to the curtained window, Toto was still on the chair, and Muta was wiping away the tears of mirth from his face.
"Did you do that to Romeo?"
Rosemary cocked her head, then looked at Haru.
"I thought his name was Machida."
"It is. Muta's making fun of him."
"Ah. Yes, I disabled his voice for a month. His vocal abilities were distressing Haru."
Baron cocked his head as the lovely brunette headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
"So you didn't want his attention?"
Haru shook her head while getting out some bread for toast.
"Of course not. The only reason he's stalking me is because I don't want him to. I think it's more about his ego than me, anyway. No girl before me had ever resisted him for months, and it's driving him crazy."
Baron chuckled warmly, strangely relieved beyond words, but then took notice of her red eyes, and how slow her movements were.
"Haru, did you stay up all night reading Rosemary's story?"
She stiffened guiltily, answering his question in full. He shook his head, having suspected it since last night.
"With all due respect, Miss Haru, I think it would be best if you rested for a few hours before doing anything that involves sharp or hot implements."
'Does that include you?' Haru didn't dare say that out loud, but smiled. "Is that an order?"
"No, that is a polite request." He knew she never paid attention to orders. The brunette sighed and started walking up the stairs, shoulders down in defeat.
"All right. It was still worth it, though."
Baron chuckled as Muta started a coughing fit. One of the coughs sounded suspiciously like 'whipped'.
ooOoo
Haru yawned while slipping between the covers of her bed, a dark sheet over the window so that her room was darkened.
'If I had known Rosemary could give Machida laryngitis for extended periods of time, I would have answered her sooner.' She sighed happily, knowing that by the time Machida got his voice back, it would be good and decided who got the leads in the play. 'I'll have to remember to ask Takima-sensei for the smallest part available, so I'll have more time to finish 'Rebel of my Destiny' as soon as possible. Despite what everyone says about me and Belle, I've never been the best actress.'
The brunette yawned one more time before giving herself up to sweet sleep, partially grateful that Baron had all but ordered her to do so.
Haru dreamed sweetly of dancing in a ballroom with a certain Creation who never let her outside of his warm embrace. Muta was in a corner with an accordion, looking bored out of his skull while Toto flew over the dancing couple, keeping a spotlight on the two as they danced into eternity. Machida was chained to a wall, his mouth flapping uselessly as he tried to scream in frustration while Rosemary laughed at him, making a bell-like accompaniment to the music.
Baron leaned in close to whisper into her ear, his eyes filled with undisguised emotion.
"I love you, Haru."
Hey… she could dream, couldn't she?
ooOoo
For the record, the song Machida was singing was 'Open Your Eyes to Love' by LMNT. I was trying to find a sappy love song for him, but that was the best I could do. Hope it got the point across.