Chapter Ten: A Happily Ever After
Baron looked over at Haru the day after the confrontation with the Cat King, as she quietly made notes in her mother's spell and charm book. He set his alchemy book down, and tried to gain the needed courage.
"Haru?"
She looked up from the thick book.
"Yes?"
"You know how you said that you can fly without a broom?"
She cocked her head at him.
"Yes."
"What is it like, up there? What is it like, to race the wind?"
The brunette stared at her companion, trying to think of a way to describe it. She hadn't flown since the day before they met, and she had thought it was selfish of her to drag him along on a joy ride. She looked at him carefully, noting the longing in his eyes. Did he have the right temperament?
"Would you like to find out for yourself?" she asked softly. Her companion didn't say anything, but she could clearly see the answer in his eyes.
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Hiromi held her little basket closer, to make sure that the groceries didn't fall out. She didn't mind having to do all the errands into town, since everyone there adored her. She just wished that they could see that her sister was just as cool.
When she was about ten feet away from the front door of the manor, it burst open. A very angry Duke stepped out and took the basket from her.
"Can you do something about your sister?!"
She blinked at him.
"What's she doing?"
"She's stealing my light!"
If Hiromi wasn't a twin herself, she wouldn't have understood what he meant. He pointed upwards, and she saw the two half-cats doing circles around a cloud to get it to change shape. They were firmly holding hands, since Baron would have dropped like a rock without Haru's assistance. Was that their laughter, in the air?
She looked back at Duke and grinned.
"It looks to me like your light is stealing my dark. When you can control your twin, I'll do the same."
His shoulders sagged a bit, realizing how impossible the task was. He glared up at the two figures as he opened the door for Hiromi.
"I guess I should be happy for him. He's never been one to go after a girl."
Hiromi stared at him.
"Snow got hurt badly by a boy when we were younger, so I'm impressed that she's willing to take one flying with her, even if she can't do it without him anymore."
Duke shuddered.
"No offense, but you couldn't get me up there. I like to have solid ground underneath my feet; thanks all the same."
Hiromi laughed.
"It took a solid month for Snow to get me to go above a tree, and I still don't like flying, with or without a broom. Good thing there's more to life than magic."
The dark youth had to smile.
"Such a comment from a witch?"
The redhead shrugged.
"I've never been a good one. I like having fun too much. Snow can have the magic in the family; I'm satisfied with everything else."
His blue eyes lit up further.
"I feel the same. Baron's always so serious; I swear when we were born, he looked around the room and frowned in worry. He doesn't know how to have fun, or he's afraid to try it; he's too busy studying or fencing."
Hiromi looked out the window, wondering when the other two would come down. She had suspected that Baron and Haru would wind up together, but actually seeing it happen hurt her a little. Snow had always been hers, and hers alone. She knew she should feel ashamed for thinking this, but she was partially grateful that the village was ignorant as to what a great person her dark twin was. If they fully realized what a treasure she was, then she wouldn't have been able to keep Snow to herself, and they might not like the light twin as much.
The townspeople may like her better and come to her with their problems, but Haru's the one that could help them. They needed her dark half, but wouldn't admit it to save their lives.
They were lucky, that the Cat King made Haru's eventual departure impossible. Hiromi could never do a third of what they expected from a witch, and they wouldn't like her as much, if she was all they had for a witch.
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Haru gently floated back to the ground, her hand hurting a little from Baron's strong grip. He moved his feet around to find his bearings; his eyes alight in a way she didn't see too often.
"Well? What do you think?" she asked him.
Instead of answering, the orange cat suddenly embraced her hard. For the first time since getting cursed, she heard his purr. She laughed lightly; finding the sound to be very much to her liking. She hugged him back, suddenly seeing her father over Baron's firm shoulder. He looked like he wanted to get angry, but couldn't muster up the enthusiasm for it. He was breathing heavily as tears squeezed past his guard, looking at her. The brunette grinned warmly at him, pointedly tightening her grip on Baron.
That was the final straw for the cat. Shameless tears started rolling down his face, and he nodded slightly, giving his consent. She smiled brighter, and tightened her hold again. With each time she had increased the pressure, the orange cat had equaled it, clearly saying that he wasn't planning on letting go any time soon.
She didn't mind much; now that she had seen him pass the aerial test flawlessly, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that even if they weren't bound together, they would have chosen to be.
'I'll wait, Baron. I'll wait until you're ready to ask. And I will accept.'
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Eventually, when the Baron von Gikkingen decided that they had known each other long enough for propriety's sake, he did ask Haru Moon to be his wife. This caused great joy in both their families, not just for the couple's happiness, but for the fact that the rest of them would be able to have their own sleeping chambers and lives again, and leave the two to worry about their curse.
After Duke von Gikkingen took Hiromi Sun to be his wife, having found someone he could flawlessly communicate with, they moved back to Duke's estate. Baron's people complained bitterly about the loss, but slowly grew to realize that Haru wasn't as grim as they had thought her to be, for the witch could smile much easier, always having her husband close by. Eventually, they even started ignoring the fact that the landlord and his wife were part cat.
The Cat King died a week after making his oath, and King Lune had proven himself to be a capable ruler. The only times he bothered Haru was to ask for more mice or when he and his wife wished to just talk.
Haru did eventually find what her heart desired. And she saw it, whenever she looked into Baron's eyes.
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Lots of love to; InkyManipulation, Watersoul the Head Star Walker, Lanari, Kittydemon18, EarthGurdian, QuickStar, reddevil1120, Elvin Magi, and Thundercat for the great reviews.
I hope that everyone enjoyed this story. Sorry about not including the wedding scene. More stories on the way!
YarningChick