A/N; First off, to the ones that are curious, my sister's wedding went great, my new brother in law gets cooler every time he opens his mouth, and I nearly finished knitting a pair of socks over the week of vacation. My hands are still recovering. But I am so glad that I updated early, because I was kept too busy to even THINK about asking my aunt for the internet password. Which is okay. More time to help and play with nieces and nephews.

Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: No Rhyme or Reason

There's just no rhyme or reason.

Only the sense of completion.

And in your eyes,

I see the missing pieces.

-Savage Garden, 'I Knew I Loved You'

xxXxx

'Holy bananas; days are long here!' It felt like she had been there for a week, but it was only her third day on this strange planet. At least her new body was responding well to the food and exercise Muta and Dona were giving her. She could now walk for short distances by herself.

Haru had to conclude that the biggest problem with relearning how to walk was her new tail. It always wanted to be in the way, throwing off her balance before she could get it!

Muta caught her by the shoulders again, saying something with an encouraging grin as he held her steady.

"This is really frustrating," she muttered mutinously while sneaking a hug out of the huge feline. "How do cats deal with these blasted things?" She gave a glare to the tip of her tail as it swayed under her new lilac dress to the side as if to say 'here I am!'

Dona had been enthusiastic about making her new clothes, but Haru was just grateful to have shoes between her feet and the cold floor.

Muta gave a loving smile and set her back on the bed. Pointing at himself, he faced away, and paced in a straight line a few times. Haru kept her eyes on his tail, still a bit clueless on how his was cooperating without a fuss.

'Because he was born with a tail and would have similar problems if he was the one that changed species? Oh man, he'd make an ideal sumo wrestler if he were a human.' It didn't take much to picture him in sumo attire. A series of giggles escaped her throat before she could control them.

Muta stopped walking to give her a deeply suspicious look.

"No, don't mind me," she struggled to say without laughing. "Just a random thought."

His suspicious look deepened.

"Besides, you're too nice to get into fights. Don't worry about it, Muta." To reassure him, the new cat managed to get to her feet and use the bed to help her get close to the larger feline.

Muta intentionally stepped away from the bed, but held his arms out to the young girl with an encouraging word or two. Trying to hold her tail the way he had, Haru let go of the bed post and made her first unsteady step to him.

Haru made it to two and a half steps before she fell again. Muta wasted no time in catching her, but he did hold her close like a treasure for a few minutes. She wrapped her own arms around as much of his middle as she could, wishing that she had memories of her dad teaching her to walk the first time. She had so few good memories of them…

Dona came through the door, and stole a hug from both of them before announcing something. Muta seemed worried, but his wife seemed confident.

"Is something happening?" Haru asked, but Dona was already wrapping one of her charge's arms around her neck.

The beautiful cat looked straight at her. "Baron," she stated simply.

Haru flinched, but nodded. "I guess I can't avoid him forever." 'He's been nice enough to leave me alone for this long.'

Muta patted her arm encouragingly before wrapping it around his own. With one person on each side, Haru was able to walk more or less in a straight line out of the room.

Cats. Cats were staring at her again. So many of them! Haru kept a nervous smile on her face as they blatantly stared at her. Muta and Dona made random small talk with some of them as they passed down a hallway and a set of stairs.

The stairs were a bit more difficult. On an impulse, Muta detached her from Dona and himself in order to place her hands on the railing.

Somehow Haru was able to manage it without tripping, although her legs were shaking badly by the time they reached the bottom. She sat down on the bottom step in order to catch her breath. "Okay… that's about…. all I've got right… now," she panted tiredly, still gripping the railing like her life depended on it. 'Boy, am I missing laughter as an extreme exercise!'

Grinning, the fatter cat swept her into his arms and kissed her cheek before carrying her toward a door Dona had opened.

The first thing she noticed was the roses. They appeared to be in a protective circle like the ones at home, except the areas near the door were much tamer here. 'Maybe because he has better control over the ones here?'

Dona led them toward a strange stone labyrinth that was literally draped with the roses. As they moved farther from the castle, Haru looked around Muta's shoulders to get a good look. A warm smile overtook her face at the sight.

A large mountain provided the backdrop against a perfect sky. The stone of the castle was grey like the puzzle they were walking towards, and the roses covering it were silver, but the emerald green vines holding the roses in place were artistically scrolled about for one of the most beautiful sights of her life. The only thing marring the scene was one tower that had blackened stone underneath the roses decorating it, but only near the top. Some cats in a strange version of overalls were painstakingly removing both the roof and blackened stone on that tower.

With magic.

'Is that where Baron brought me back to life? Why is it always a tower? Oh, right, lightning. It wouldn't be very smart to try anything with lightning in the basement.' "The roses are everywhere," she said conversationally. "The monochromatic look is awesome, but is there a rule against other colors?"

Muta gave her another warm hug as he asked Dona something. Her answer was reassuring as she kept moving forward. But then she stopped short, played with the longer fur on Haru's head until it lay nicer, and then they continued on their way.

"You sure like playing with my hair, don't you?" Haru sighed as Muta followed the woman around the bend… to where Baron was waiting outside an entrance to the labyrinth.

He was sitting on a stone bench, but hurriedly stood up with a warm smile, just for her. "Haru."

She had to fight back an involuntary shiver at the way he said her name. It wasn't a bad one, but…

Even if nothing else had given his feelings away, that one word would have been enough.

"Baron," she answered politely, although her breakfast was now churning unsteadily in what she assumed was still a stomach.

Muta told Baron something with an undeniable pride as he set Haru down on the bench. Whatever it was made Baron's smile deepen happily as he replied something that sounded pleased.

Dona said something worriedly as she squeezed one of her charge's hands, but Baron didn't share her concern as he expertly checked the pulse in the girl's wrist.

Haru could feel her heart speed up from the contact, but didn't do a thing to stop him.

Whatever Baron found was enough to satisfy him. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he said something else that seemed to have a polite tone.

Muta nodded and kissed her hair as Dona gave her a warm hug. The obsidian cat whispered something encouraging just before she and Muta linked arms and walked back to the castle.

"Whoa, wait a second! You're leaving?" Haru asked in a panic. 'Me alone with him?' Since that first night, she'd always had at least one of them close by, and that was the way she liked it. So why were they leaving now?

Baron said something warm and soothing as he gently guided her face to look at him as he sat next to her on the bench. The feelings he had for her were still more than clear, as well as a spark of determination. He kept speaking, even though there were a few pauses when his irritation became too much. Probably from the communication gap between them.

"Erm… I know you can't understand me, Baron, but is this supposed to be our first date?" Haru couldn't help but ask through her nervousness. "You of all people know how little I know about dating, but I'm pretty sure you didn't have them take me out here to talk about the weather."

Baron closed his eyes in agony, and seemed to do the local equivalent of counting to ten. Changing his tactics, he skipped the monologue, stood up, and simply held his hand out to her.

Haru stared at it, and then looked at him nervously. Was he asking what he appeared to be asking?

Baron asked her a small question, his eyes pleading for mercy. Mercy?

Or maybe it was for her trust. Yeah, trust would be easier for her to cope with. Taking a deep breath for courage, she placed a hand in his before his expression could get any more intimidating.

To her relief, Baron's expression immediately changed to deep gratitude. Smiling happily, he kissed the hand in his possession before taking another step forward to grab her other elbow for support.

It didn't take much to figure out what he wanted. Adjusting her grip to his arms, they were able to get her on her feet and balanced on one of his arms. He kept his free arm on her until he was certain she was steady, and then gave an inviting gesture into the maze.

Haru glanced at it nervously, but nodded. 'He gave me Muta and Dona, as well as a second chance at life. I can be nice to him.'

Baron was extremely careful about how he led her into the strange labyrinth. Being slow enough for her to walk at a comfortable pace and lending as much support as she needed.

He was still giving her less than Muta had, forcing her to compensate on her own as they slowly left the entrance behind them. But that was okay with Haru. She needed to start walking on her own sooner or later.

After a while, Baron noticed that her step was faltering. Saying something that was warm and gentle, he let go of her long enough to sweep the girl into his arms. Haru mewed in surprise, but all he did was resume walking through the labyrinth at a leisurely pace.

'Should I put my arm around his neck? No, that might send the wrong message. But what's the right message? I literally know nothing about him except that he's crushing on me bad enough to bring me here. Comfortable arms, though…'

Baron suddenly looked down at her, making her look away on reflex.

'Great, now he caught me staring at him. Ergh, this is so awkward. Even if we could talk, what could I say to him? Dang it, I wish I knew what to do. It was so much easier with Tsuge.' "I hope I'm not too heavy, Baron."

His eyes sharply looked at her once more, looking a bit distressed. He spoke very gently to her while stealing a small hug. Haru didn't stop him, even though the action made her feel a little uncomfortable. She looked down at her lap, almost wishing she hadn't said anything.

Baron seemed to sense her unease. He reluctantly ended the hug, but did nothing to release her. After maybe an hour of him carrying her, they managed to reached the center of the labyrinth. Haru couldn't help but gape in surprise.

The center was a glorious garden, the first hint that flowers other than silver roses could take to this soil. She couldn't name half of the pastel blossoms that grew over the rich emerald grass and bushes, but decided not to waste energy trying to. The silver roses were still around, but now they accented the other colors the way baby's breath always seemed to add that last special touch to bouquets back home.

"Wow," she breathed, looking around with amazement. "This place is beautiful, Baron."

His eyes glowed happily, probably able to guess from her tone that she was impressed. He stole another hug before reluctantly setting her down. The girl teetered unsteadily, but was able to stay on her feet while gripping the tall cat's shoulder. Baron responded by gently placing his hand on her waist, and urging a slow walk around the labyrinth's garden.

But then he stopped unexpectedly and pointed to one of the stone walls surrounding the garden. His voice was as gentle as ever, but there was also something in his tone that reminded her of a school teacher. Feeling curious, she looked at the wall he indicated. The roses and vines were parted as if they were curtains of a distinguished art gallery.

The large carving couldn't have been more realistic if it had been a colorless photograph. It depicted a war, but unlike the pictures she had seen at home, this one was brutally honest. Haru fought the urge to gag at how many feline bodies were lying around, even tripping one cat right into a spear head.

Baron quickly placed himself between her and the wall, his expression apologetic as he kept one of her hands on his arm for balance. He began speaking again, gesturing at the wall with his free hand before making a slow motion into the distance.

"This is based on a real war? Um, long ago? Far away? Both?" Haru guessed at random.

Baron was nodding frantically, placing one hand on her cheek to urge her to look at the wall just beyond the war one.

It seemed the same, although the cats were clearly fighting with magic. Baron gestured at both of them, bringing them together with his hands.

"Okay, two wars at the same time? Or one led to the other? What are you trying to tell me?"

His eyes were pleading as he again gestured to the magic one, helping to move her closer for a better inspection.

Haru studied the stone wall, since that was what he clearly wanted.

It really was chaos. Lightning shot from the heavens, earthquakes were splitting wide to swallow as many cats as possible. Many cats were struggling hard against a violent snow storm, and a tsunami in the background was threatening to engulf everyone present.

But the worst part was that not everyone suffering was a magician. There were bystanders getting caught in the feud. She brushed her fingertips over a young woman trying to shield the babe in her arms with a hopeless expression.

It had to be centuries ago. The details were clear, but somehow the feel of the carved stone was ancient. The story in the labyrinth's walls was older than she could begin guessing at.

Baron's fingers wrapped around hers with a somber expression, gently taking her hand off the old carving. His voice was low and sad as he kept speaking, guiding her to the next wall.

This carving wasn't so graphic. Four battle-weary cats were seated at a round table, discussing something that seemed to be very melancholy.

"This one's a peace conference?" she guessed, spontaneously spreading her hands apart in a soothing gesture.

Baron nodded again with a wide smile of delight. He couldn't restrain himself from stealing another hug, deep and warm.

Haru's heart jumped uncertainly at the contact. 'Oh boy, should I put my arms around him? Dang it, why couldn't there have been a class in high school on how to deal with smitten guys, let alone alien ones?'

Then again, even if they had offered such a class, she wouldn't have known to take it. She settled for awkwardly placing one hand on his arm and giving a gentle squeeze.

Baron ended the hug, still reluctant to put any distance between them as he led her to what was the last wall carving in the beautiful garden.

It was divided into four sections in what she recognized in a heartbeat as the four seasons, one of the previous four cats in each of their elements. Haru cocked her head and looked clear on the other side of the garden. 'Come to think of it… a lot of the magic fighting looked like different seasons happening all at the same time. Is there any significance attached to that?'

The tawny feline gently guided her face back to focus on him. He was speaking, first pointing at her and then making a circular motion at the seasons.

"Yeah, you've managed to say that a lot of years have passed by since then, but what does that have to do with me?" she wondered aloud.

Baron held up a hand to stop her. Looking more determined than ever, he repeated the gesture to her and turning the seasons. Then he pointed at himself, and put both of his hands directly on the carving. He kept his eyes on her, though.

Haru tilted her head at him, completely confused as she balanced herself against the same wall. "Okay, you lost me, Baron. I have absolutely no idea what you're trying to say."

He growled low in frustration and took his hands off the carving. His words were slow and deliberate as he first pointed at her and knelt down to pat the ground. He pointed at her again, and then at each season on the carving in the proper order.

Then the feline pointed at himself, gesturing around before patting the ground again, and put his hands strictly around the spring depiction as he spoke slowly and pointedly. His eyes were still locked on her, begging for comprehension.

Haru blinked in surprise. "I'm almost positive that I'm misinterpreting, but are you trying to say that the seasons on this planet don't move? Um, this place is Spring," she tried again, placing her hand against the right season while gesturing around with the other.

Baron nodded eagerly.

"But it doesn't move?" she asked while making a strange 'sit' gesture with the hand that wasn't holding her up.

The tall cat nodded again, saying something with delight while sneaking another hug from her.

"That's a bit weird," she commented while placing her arm on his shoulder, only a little less hesitant than before. "Shouldn't the trees get tired from never getting a break? Then again, these aren't Earth trees," she mused out loud, still wishing that he could understand her.

He gave her another affectionate squeeze, saying something as he released her. His eyes were glowing with admiration… and more.

Haru could feel her face grow warm underneath the toffee fur, and gave another look at the carving to avoid his gaze. "Okay, this is just a guess," she tried again, pointing at the cat inside the spring depiction. "That is your ancestor?" She accented the question while slowly lowering her hand in small spurts before pointing at him. "Muta and Dona respect you so much because you're the ruler of Spring?"

Baron's eyes glowed again as he nodded, saying something that sounded heavily impressed. He gently grabbed her hand and pressed it against his cheek as he kept speaking in a strangely hopeful tone.

The slim brown ex-human looked up at him, suddenly noticing just how much taller he was than her. He towered over her a good head and a half, and solidly built. Not skinny, but not bulky either. No wonder he could carry her around without a sweat, but it also made her think of that first time she had seen him.

Even with her new strength, she wouldn't be able to fight off someone like him if he decided to insist on more attention than she wanted. But he was doing everything in his power not to push her past her comfort zone, even if he couldn't keep from cuddling her like a teddy bear- would plush kitten be more approapriate?- if given half the chance. Heck, he'd settle for a fifth of a chance, proven when he gently pulled her close for another warm embrace.

Haru sighed in frustration and resignation, her cheek pressed against the breast pocket of his strangely formal grey jacket. "Just why do you like me so much, Baron? There couldn't be a shortage of girls on this planet. I saw plenty just being escorted around your castle, plus you'd probably have first pick if you wanted. What's going on?" she asked tiredly, letting herself lean into his warmth. "Is any of this ever going to make sense?"

Baron increased his squeeze, but not enough to make her gasp for breath. His own words were warm and reassuring as he ran one gloved hand over her longer head fur in a comforting manner. He pressed his own cheek against her triangular ear, trying his best to console her even as his words took on a tone of deep apology and regret. He finished by releasing her to arms' length, grabbing her hand, and then uncertainly linking her pinky with his.

Haru blinked, able to tell that he had never done this before. 'He saw me do this with Tsuge.'

The tawny feline locked eyes with her, stating something that sounded like a promise that he meant with everything he had. His pinky tightened uncertainly, waiting for a reply.

"I really wish I knew what you're trying to say," she said aloud, slowly tightening her own pinky. "But… I'll give you a chance. There's a lot I don't understand, and I wish I could know if I ever will, but I won't shut you out before I know you. That's really all I can promise right now."

Baron's smile was warm and thankful as they slightly shook their pinkies like she had with Tsuge. As he released her finger, he let go completely and took a step back.

The tan and brown feline gave him a confused look, but then followed his gaze to her feet.

She was standing solid on her own.

Haru looked up while offering a nervous smile. "Standing isn't so bad. It's walking that I'm having trouble with." One step forward sent her falling face-first against the ginger with a yelp.

He grabbed her in less than a heartbeat, his touch as gentle as ever as he helped her back to her feet. Giving her a hopeful smile, he adjusted one of her arms over his own and inclined his head to the opening they hadn't taken to get into the center of the labyrinth.

Biting her lip, she nodded. "Yeah, I can handle more walking."

Giving her another warm smile, he led the way out of the perfect garden to find their way back.