Mother Dearest
IX
Haru gently banged her fists into her forehead and whimpered. "I can't believe this is happening," she said, opening her eyes to look at her mother, who was now lain upon the couch. "She wasn't supposed to faint."
"Miss Haru, she'll be fine," Baron said with a gentle tone in his voice. "She was just surprised to see us, that's all."
Muta was smirking and snickering under his breath. "Man, this is rich," he scoffed smugly. "Her face before she hit the ground was priceless."
"Shut your mouth," Toto hissed, staring at the fat cream cat with daggers in his eyes. "Show some dignity."
Muta grunted, rolled his eyes, and looked away from the avian Creation. Kimiko was frantic as her little paws held a damp cloth to Naoko's forehead. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare her," she said, her ears flattened to her head. "I hope she didn't hurt her head."
"Oh, I don't think so," Tohru said, running his paw down Kimiko's side. "She just fainted, that's all. She'll be just fine."
Toto fluttered over, landing on the couch's backing, staring down at Naoko with a worried face. He sighed, shaking his head. "Now what are we going to do?" he asked, looking to Baron. "When she comes to, what are we going to say?"
"Well," Baron said, running his fingers along the rim of his top hat, "we'll just tell her the truth. That's all."
Muta grunted again, and sat up, approaching the kitchen. Haru turned, watching as the heavy-set feline opened the door to the refrigerator. "What are you doing?" she called.
"What do you think?" Muta answered as he rummaged through the shelves of food.
"For God sake's, Muta, do you have any self-control?" Toto cawed, fluttering his wings as he shifted from foot to foot. "Is that all you think of? Eating?"
"Lay off, feathers," Muta said, staring at the bagged fruits and vegetables in the cooling space. "I just want something to eat, that's all." Muta licked his furry lips, staring at the large slices of angel food cake that was left unguarded in the refrigerator. He approached it quickly, and using his tour de force of eating skills, he gulped down each piece greedily. He chewed loudly for a few moments, swallowed, belched, and rubbed his stomach. "No match for me," he murmured contently.
Toto shook his head and peered back down at the mother. "Maybe we should get her some water for when she wakes up," he suggested.
"Good idea," Haru said, moving to stand up.
"No, don't worry, Haru," Toto said, placing his wing to his chest. "I've got this." He turned his head to the cat licking his furry lips by the refrigerator. "Hey, fatty."
Muta sharply turned his head, glaring at the crow.
"Be useful and get Mrs. Yoshioka a glass of water," Toto snapped.
"I'm not your personal slave," Muta grumbled, scratching his stomach.
"You're over there, so do it."
"Make me!"
"Gentlemen! Please, for the love of God, stop fighting," Baron snapped, his ears down against his head as his upper lip curled up in a scowl.
Muta and Toto grew silent, and Tohru snickered. "Boy, you two don't let up," the grey and white feline said with a grin gracing his face.
"It's rather weird," Kimiko said, turning over the damp rag as she dipped it into a bowl of cool water. "Seriously, is that all you two do?"
"No," Muta and Toto answered in snappy unison.
"Okay," the kitsune said, damping the rag on Naoko's cheeks. "But it surely seems like it."
Baron shook his head, a gentle smile upon his lips. "Perhaps the both of you should take up a different hobby other than insulting each other," he said, his whiskers quirking with that smile of his.
Muta glared at the tawny Creation and Toto shifted uncomfortably on his perch. Haru chuckled, but was obviously trying to hold back her laughter. There was a moan that caused her to look down at her mother, worried for the elder female. Another moan. Just then, Naoko started to stir, and Haru became alert.
"Mom," she said, inching closer to the couch where her mother was rested upon.
Naoko opened her eyes, staring at her only child. "What happened?" she murmured, sitting up, and her eyes immediately fixed on the suit-wearing feline.
"How are you feeling, Mrs. Yoshioka?" Baron inquired worriedly.
Naoko then screamed. The group of non-humans jumped at the loudness of the scream as the human inched away from them, but her gaze never left them.
"What is that?" she hollered, practically jumping from her skin the minute she saw the creatures around her. "What are they?"
"They are my friends," Haru said calmly, placing her hand behind Baron.
Naoko was hyperventilating, clutching the couch as if it would protect her. Haru shifted on her knees, turning her attention to her friends. "This is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," Haru said, smiling gently.
"But you may just call me Baron," the orange and cream cat said placidly.
Naoko blinked, looking up and down at him. Haru then shifted to Toto, who was still perched on the couch. "That is Toto," she said.
Naoko hadn't even noticed the abnormally large crow that was sitting perfectly on her couch as if it were a perch. Toto bowed his head, placing his wing to his chest.
"This is Kimiko and Tohru," Haru said, placing her hands to the kitsune, who still clung to the moistened rag. The brunette then turned, noticing that Muta was approaching the scene. "And lastly, this here is Muta."
"Lastly?" the fat feline echoed irritably. "So I'm just an after-thought?"
"Quit your kvetching," Toto hissed, his plumage fluffing as he puffed his chest. "You're lucky that she even mentioned you."
"Shut up," Muta grumbled.
To Naoko, all she heard from the cat was a bunch of meowing sounds. The mother inched closer to her daughter, pointing at the fat cat. "Can you understand him?" she whispered hoarsely.
"Yes, and Tohru too," Haru said.
The grey and white feline nodded his head at the older human female.
"See? I can talk to cats," Haru chuckled, staring at her mother's surprised face. "Now can you see why I didn't introduce you to them earlier?"
"Y-yes, I can see why now," Naoko stammered, looking at the strange group of friends before her. "B-but how can this be?"
"Please, allow me to explain," Baron said formally, taking a step forward. "Kimiko—" He pointed to the kitsune. "—Toto—" He pointed to the avian creature. "—and I are what are called Creations. When someone creates something with all their heart and soul, the thing they make gains a soul, and becomes alive as well. That is why you can understand us, but Muta and Tohru you cannot. I assumed that you had your daughter's gift when talking to cats. I assumed wrong, so I see."
Naoko felt like she was in a dream, but this was all real.
"Do you want a glass of water?" Haru asked her mother.
"Um, no, I'm fine," Naoko said, sitting up, and waved down her hand. "B-but I'm being a terrible hostess. Do you want something to eat?"
"Terrible's right," Muta muttered hoarsely under his breath.
Haru then gasped, turning to the kitchen. "My tea!" she said, quickly standing up. "I almost forgot about it."
"I handled it when you were upstairs," Naoko said, standing up, and went to the kitchen.
Kimiko placed the rag into her lap, watching the older woman with curious eyes. "I think she's handling it well," she said with a toothy grin.
Tohru looked to Baron, remembering that he wanted to get him together with Haru. He knew that he had to get the mother to like Baron if she were to ever allow her daughter to date him (when the soon-to-be couple would get that far). The thickly bandaged feline moved closer to the half-feline.
"Um, Baron," he called.
The orange and cream cat looked at the grey and white one. "Yes, Tohru?" he said.
"Why don't you talk to Mrs. Yoshioka a little more," Tohru said, bringing his voice down to a whisper. "After all, she is Haru's mother. She should get to know you a little more."
Baron blinked, and then turned to Haru, who was now sitting on the couch, watching her mother with a worried expression. The feline Creation's ear twitched out of reflex, and he moved his head to look at the mother, who was returning with a platter of cheese and crackers.
"Right, of course," the Creation said, rubbing his palms against the rim of his hat.
Tohru beamed like the sun as the Baron moved over to the older female as she sat down on the couch. She seemed startled, but quickly settled down. "Ma'am, I think you should know how we came to meet your daughter," he said curtly. "I think it would be best."
Naoko blinked, looking over the orange and cream feline before sharply swallowing. "O-okay," she stammered down, her eyes looking him over.
Baron sighed, and placed a gloved hand to the woman's shoulder in a comforting way. "Ma'am, we're harmless," he said, trying to cease her worry. "We won't hurt you or your daughter. You have nothing to worry about."
The redheaded woman glanced him over, feeling a wave of calmness flush over her breast as she looked at the cat Creation. "Okay, right," she said, her body becoming relaxed as the tension melted away like butter on popcorn. "Thank you . . . um . . .?"
"Baron."
"Right. Thank you, Baron."
Haru smiled at the interaction. If her mother continued to grow more comfortable with her friends, this could be very promising in the future! She could bring them over all the time and have little tea parties and get-togethers. Haru smiled at the little day-dream appearing in her head . . . Before flashbacks of her nightmare from last night ruined it. She shivered, gripping her knees in a vice-hold and coughed awkwardly. Kimiko glanced up, seeing the stiffened human and cocked her head to the side.
"Haru, are you well?" she called, one of her many tails twitching.
Haru snapped her head up, looking at the kitsune Creation and the others. Nodding her head, Haru flashed a smile and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said.
Baron looked at her, obviously concerned for her well-being, and he gripped his top hat to his chest. "Are you, Miss Haru?" he called.
"Baron, I said I'm fine, don't worry," she said quickly as she smiled. "So, Baron, care to tell Mom about how we met?"
Muta chuckled as he grabbed a slice of cheese and a cracker. "And what a story that is," he said around a chuckle.
"Well, let's begin," Baron said, his tail swishing from side to side. "This all happened about two years ago . . ."
Yami looked through the window of the Bureau, surprised to see that Baron and the others were not there. He cocked his head to the side, his ear twitched, and his tail flicked from side to side. He moistened his lips, and phased through the solid wall, and glanced around. Yami blinked, his pink eyes moving left, right, up, down—no one was there.
"Hello?" he called. "Baron? Here, kitty, kitty."
Nothing.
His fingertips were pressed together as he stood in the middle of the room. "Huh, interesting," Yami said to himself. "I wonder . . ."
He turned around, going back outside where he saw Bonita sat on the cobblestone ground, and turned to look at her master as he approached her. Yami crouched down to her level, and stroked her neck fondly as she purred in her throat. He grinned, his other hand rubbing her throat soothingly and lovingly—treating her as if she were made of glass.
"My dear pet," he began, "Baron and the others are not here."
Bonita crooned.
"This city is large—he could be anywhere," Yami said as his dear pet's eyes opened to look at him. "But, something is telling me that he's with Haru."
Bonita chirped.
Yami's eyes became dark, and he hummed. Scratching his chin, he looked off into the distance, his mind drowned in thought. "I can't just go to them in broad daylight—no, not now," he said, running his tongue along his sharp teeth. "They are probably in a group, and I need to get them while they are alone. But they have that Tohru. I should have stolen his soul when I had the correct moment."
Bonita nuzzled against her master, crooning.
Yami licked his lips. "He probably told them everything," he grumbled, his ears flattened against his skull. "Little bastard."
Bonita purred, rubbing her head against Yami's.
He pulled back, cradling her head in his hands. "Let's think, now," he said, pulling her head to his chest. "What should I do? They'll probably go to the Cat Kingdom, and ask the royals for help. Then I'll be very screwed." His brilliant mind wracked with some solution to the major problem that he was faced with. Bonita squirmed against his grip, finding it hard to breathe, and she yanked her head free, landing promptly on her hindquarters. His now free hands were placed upon his waist as he stood up. "I can't let them stop me—it'll be the end of me. And I can't die. I need to live forever." He touched his youthful face, and shivered at the thought of becoming old and dying.
Bonita got to her feet, stretched her wings, she approached his side, peering up at him with a curious expression. His pink eyes were distant as he thought—he hummed loudly in his throat and tapped his foot. Just then, he had a sudden epiphany; he snapped his fingers, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and chuckled cruelly. Bonita jumped, and looked at her master in alarm.
"No, let them come to me," he said in a dark tone. "Let them come to my world. I may not be familiar with their world, but they are not familiar with mine." Yami licked his lips, tasting the hint flavor of mint. "They won't survive, because I will get them before they can even rationalize what has even happened." The feline grinned, bending down to pet his precious pet. "What do you think, my dear?"
She cawed happily.
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple.
" . . . And that's what happened, and that is why Miss Haru wishes to accompany us on our newest quest," Baron finished.
Naoko was deathly silent as she stared at the cat Creation with closed lips and wide eyes. She swallowed thickly, finally turning away to stare at her daughter, who was silent as she stared at her mother. Muta held the large, round dinner plate against his stomach as he finished the last bit of cheese and crackers. He licked his lips, and scratched his stomach.
"Mom, I want to help them," Haru said at last. "I want to go and help them."
Naoko looked hard her daughter, then to Baron, then to the strange couple beside each other, the abnormally large crow that perched on the couch, and to the freakishly large cat that ate her food, and then back to Haru.
"No, no, I can't."
Baron let out a sigh of relief within his head. Haru frowned, staring hard at her mother. "Mother, I must go," she said. "I'm an adult—"
"But you are my daughter first! I don't want you to get hurt!"
"So my friends can? Is that okay?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Naoko said hurriedly.
"Ma'am," Baron called, both females breaking from their small fight. "I understand that you wish your daughter to be safe. I wish that as well—"
"No, I don't want her to get hurt by some murderer!" Naoko stated, staring at the cat Creation with wide eyes.
"I don't wish for her to get hurt either," Baron said, his ears twitching along with his tail.
"Good, because she's not going."
"Mom," Haru said, gripping her knees. "I understand that you don't want me to get hurt or anything like that. But I want to protect my friends."
"Miss Haru," Baron whispered, his ears flattened against his skull. "Your mother is right, maybe you should stay here—"
"No, Baron," Haru said in a quickened tone of voice. "Not you too."
"Listen to the talking cat, Haru," Naoko said roughly as she jabbed a finger at Baron. "He has a point."
"So you think that I should stay at home, worry my head off because my friends are in potential danger, and do nothing?" Haru snapped; her voice was becoming heated and angered.
"Um, excuse me," Kimiko said in a soft voice.
"But you are my daughter, my only family," Naoko said, placing a hand to her chest as her eyes narrowed at Haru. "I don't want to lose you."
"Excuse me," Kimiko started again.
"But, Mom—"
"Hey, I'm trying to talk!"
The group all turned to the cream-furred kitsune Creation with surprise. Kimiko clasped her mouth closed, and her little paws wrung as they rested in her lap. Tohru leaned in, whispering to her before Kimiko sheepishly stood up. "Um, hi," she said meekly, waving her little paw in the air. "Can I, um, speak?"
Everybody exchanged looks before they all nodded in unison.
"Okay, thank you!" Kimiko said as she moved to stand in front of Naoko. "Okay, hi, Ma'am. I understand that you're worried for your daughter. When Tohru went missing, I was so frantic. Whenever I could, I ran all over the place, searching for him. He's someone I love, and I know how it feels to be so terrified about losing someone you love. But when Haru told me that she and her friends found Tohru, I was so happy—the love of my life was safe.
"I can't describe the feelings that welled inside of me when I saw my Tohru safe at Baron's home. They saved him, and I can't thank them enough for what they have done. So I understand why you are fearful for your daughter. She's the highlight of your life, and the thought of her getting hurt really scares you. I know, because I felt the same thing, and I saw it in your eyes. But, Haru needs to help us. The Cat Kingdom will not allow her to die—they owe her a great debt. We will protect her as well. I promise."
Naoko stared at the cream fox, who now had her paws rested upon the older woman's knees. The redheaded woman let out a deep sigh, and rested her hand over the said paw. "Thank you, um, Kimiko, was it?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Thank you, but . . ."
"I know, she's your girl. You have every right to worry. You're her mother! But, right now, we need her help. So please, let her go. I promise that we will protect her with every fiber of our being."
"Yes," Toto called, "we will even bring the King and Queen to swear by our words. If that is okay?"
Naoko looked between both Creations, and then back to her daughter, staring hard at her only child. She gently pulled away from the kitsune Creation, and went to her daughter, embracing her tightly. Haru held her back, and mother and daughter stayed there, just holding each other with all their might.
"You be careful," she whispered into her daughter's ear.
She did not want to let her go. Naoko wanted to hug her daughter forever. Her eyes turned up to Baron, who looked upon the duo with a certain softness in his eyes.
"You take care of her, Baron."
The half-feline swallowed thickly, but showed no fear as he nodded his head. "I give you my word as a gentleman," he said. "I won't let her get hurt."
I promise . . .
