Chapter Fourteen: Silent Cries

Baron looked up as Rosemary reappeared inside the cave they had been hiding out in. Rowan was passed out on a bed of soft green moss as the Cat Creation finished sewing his leg back together. The tawny feline smiled a little grimly, still put out that she hadn't waited for him to finish Rowan's leg before visiting the brunette, so that he could have gone as well. His heart seemed to thud with a dull ache, missing the girl sorely.

"How's Haru?" he asked, tying off the knot in the thread in Rowan's leg before wrapping a gauzy bandage around the wound. The witch princess seemed to sparkle like stars in the night sky, as she sat down on her beloved's other side so that she could hold his limp hand.

"She's doing well. She says that the story's going to go a bit slower until Rowan heals enough to fight."

Baron looked down at the leg as he tied the end of the bandage neatly.

"Then it will be a few weeks, at least."

Rosemary nodded, gorging herself on the sight of Rowan's sleeping face.

"I wish I knew what I could possibly hope to repay Haru with, for doing all this."

The fat cat woke up enough to snicker a bit.

"Why don't you ask Baron? He knows what Haru wants more than anything."

The raven-haired beauty looked up at the Cat Creation, who suddenly looked nervous. He looked away guiltily.

"She can't have that, and she knows it."

Rosemary smiled grimly and prodded the half-cat's elbow.

"Come now, you can tell me. What does she want more anything?"

Baron sighed sadly.

"She… has made it clear to me in the past that although we are good friends, she feels a bit stronger for me than as a friend alone."

Toto started chuckling a bit.

"Translation: Haru's smitten by him." He laughed again before flying out of the cave to serve as a lookout.

Rosemary's eyebrows shot up with disbelief. But the Cat Creation's face made it all too clear that the Crow Creation had nailed the situation down. She tilted her head a bit, studying him a little.

"So that was what she meant," she murmured softly. "Haru said that she'd be really impressed if I could get her what she wanted more than anything."

Baron nodded gravely, and then stood up, his medical task completed.

"I better go find some firewood. If we move deep enough into the cave, no one will notice the smoke."

"Wait, Baron," Rosemary called out, one arm still around her beloved. "How do you feel about Haru?" She could see his shoulders tense up, and his grip on the polished cane turn harder.

"She's a wonderful girl that will go far in whatever she dedicates herself to, and as such deserves someone that can age with her, preferably even the same species as her." With that, the tawny feline marched out of the cave, and into the dense forest. Muta sat up and stretched a bit.

"Translation; he's just as crazy about her, but he can't do anything about it, thanks to all of the obvious barriers. Things would have been a lot simpler between them if Haru had stayed a cat, but-"

"Haru was a cat?!" Rosemary asked, completely shocked, since she had seen the girl come to the library practically since she was a baby. The fat white cat sighed, and waddled a little closer. Toto was off to gain information from the local crows, so it wasn't like the obese feline had anything better to do.

"It all started a couple months ago…"

ooOoo

The beeping returned. It always returned.

Haru sighed tiredly as she reached over to stop the alarm clock, getting out of bed as she did so, so that she wouldn't fall back asleep the way she used to. Numbly, she got ready for school while looking at the manuscript.

'Do I dare take it to school and work on it during breaks? No, that will only endanger it.' Sighing, the teenager closed the manuscript, emptied out the basket she kept her yarn in, and then carefully placed the papers inside before covering them with the yarn again. Checking the clock, she was grateful that she had enough time to make herself a bento box and some breakfast before going to school.

She settled for some quick sandwiches for both meals, pouring some of her special tea blend into a thermos for lunch while sipping a cup.

'I'll need some time to think about where I want to take the story from here anyway.'

Finished with her bento box, she wrapped it up in a pink handkerchief before slipping it inside her schoolbag. Sighing a bit, she slipped on the shoes that were at the door before stepping though and locking the house up tight. Her mother, theoretically, should be home by the time school was over, so Haru had left some tea in the pot for her. Her mother was hopelessly addicted to the girl's personal blend.

Deciding that she'd like a bit of exercise, the slim brunette began jogging at a decent pace, fully aware that she had plenty of time to get to school. She had never really noticed the simple beauty of the trees and flowers that lined the path to school until after her adventure in the Cat Kingdom had cured her of most of her worst habits, including tardiness. But now, she felt blissfully calm about everything.

As the gates to the school came into sight, the young lady slowed down to a regular pace, and stepped lightly through the barrier between the educational system and the rest of the world.

Hiromi jumped on her as soon as the brunette passed the gate, happily riding piggy back on her surprised friend.

"Could you carry me inside, Haru-chan? I'm still tired," the blonde yawned while nuzzling the brunette's shoulder playfully. The slim girl laughed, and just wound her arms around Hiromi's legs for a better grip before continuing on her journey, making sure that her blonde friend's skirt covered everything it needed to.

"One of these days, I'm going to have to start charging you for using me as a taxi."

"What?! Would you do that to a friend?" the blonde pouted, stretching an arm out in order to try to open the door. But a fellow senior rushed up and held the glass door wide open for the girls. He grinned a little nervously.

"Ladies first."

Haru smiled warmly at her classmate while easing her way through the door.

"Why thank you, Toru. Have a nice weekend?"

The boy flushed a deep crimson as he followed the girls into the building, and walked beside the brunette.

"It was pretty good. I've been reading up on all the versions of Beauty and the Beast that I could find, so I can be better prepared for the tryouts after school."

Haru's smile became a little faded, remembering what Hiromi had told her the day before.

"I'm certain that your hard work will pay off, Toru."

He blushed deeper, and smiled happily as another boy came up, a book in his hands.

"I've been working on my singing, Haru! Listen to this… no-o beauty could move me, no-o hope left within me-"

"Hey, I was talking to her first!" Toru protested angrily as the redhead was cut off.

"Oh? And what if she wanted to talk to me instead of you?"

"What if she doesn't like your singing?"

"I think I'll head to class now," Haru said in a monotone, weaseling her way past the upcoming feud and past the counselor's office. 'Since when was I this popular with the boys?'

From behind the glass separating the room from the hallway, a strange pair of eyes followed the brunette with interest as she set her friend down so that they could go to their separate lockers before class.

"… and that should cover everything you need to know. Are there any other questions, as long as I have you in here?"

The young man nodded, craning his neck a bit in order to keep his gaze on the slim girl as she disappeared around the bend.

"One more should cover it, I think. Who was that rather fetching young lady that walked past us just now?"

"Eh? Which one?"

ooOoo

The few words that got sung were from the Beauty and Beast Broadway play, and were sung by the character of Beast in 'If I Can't Love Her'. It's a very beautiful song that makes you want to break down and cry.