Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue

x

Chapter 21: Something New

"Nope..." Doctor Thomas withdrew the stethoscope and started to put it away; leaving Baron sitting on the doctor's wheeled bed, letting his feet swing off it like a small child at the hospital. "Everything seems in order."

"Are you sure? There isn't anything you missed, nothing... maybe there was–"

Doctor Thomas dumped the stethoscope on the table. "Baron!" He sighed and moved the instrument, as if on second thoughts deciding that breaking it would not be a good start. "You're fine."

Baron slipped off the bed. "You just don't know what caused the reverse change."

"My understanding of the curse was sceptical to start with, to put it mildly. So, no, I don't know why you lost the whiskers. But are you really going to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"It's more like wondering where I could find another gift horse, actually."

Thomas chuckled. "Okay, if you say so."

"I don't suppose you'd know if–"

"The reverse change appears to have stopped," the doctor said before Baron could finish. "You didn't need me to tell you that."

"No, but I just needed to hear it."

Again, Thomas sighed, glancing over his spectacles at the feline lord. "Baron, this is only one change. Who knows whether it'll happen again..."

"But it's a change," Baron said eagerly. "It proves that a reversible change is possible, that maybe..."

"Maybe you could return to human?" Haru offered quietly from the door.

Both the doctor and the Baron jumped.

Haru walked forward, stopping by the desk and staring over at the slightly-more-human-than-before Baron. There was something unreadable in her expression.

"Doctor Thomas asked me to wait outside until he had checked you over," she said as minor explanation. "I figured he had finished. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than fine. I'm whisker-less! This is... unbelievable."

"Yeah," Haru echoed, "unbelievable." She smiled weakly. "What's your diagnose, doctor?"

"Nothing more than what you've already worked out. Yes, he's more human – or less cat, at least – but I don't know how or why." He threw his hands up in the air, adding, "For goodness sake, my area of expertise is medicine. I'm a doctor, not a wizard. I don't know why you think I'd know anything."

"But he's okay?"

"Yes, even I have to admit he seems in good shape. The fact that he didn't even realise the counter-change had occurred fortifies that. In fact... I can't believe I'm saying this... but you're free to go."

Grinning, Baron turned to leave, but Haru didn't move. She saw his glance, and waved it away. "I just want to ask Doctor Thomas a few things," she said vaguely. "I'll find you later."

He looked between them, as if trying to work out what was on her mind, but eventually took her hand and, giving it an encouraging squeeze, said, "I'll be in the library."

Haru maintained the smile until the half-cat had left before letting it slip. "Doctor Thomas," she said gravely, "are you sure he's fine?"

"Miss Briar, the nature of the change implies that he's nothing but in the peak of health."

"But this is the first time he's had a reversal change?"

"Yes."

"So how can you be sure?" Haru moved away from the desk, moving round with the curve of the wall. "I mean, what if there's something vital that you missed? Maybe this is only a reprieve or something... maybe the curse is about to get much worse..." She arrived at the wheeled bed Baron had been sitting at only a few minutes before and sat at the edge of it. "How can you be sure?"

"Do you have any evidence that things are going to get worse?"

Haru sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "No. In fact, I expect things are going to be getting better. But... all the same..." She picked her head up. "This has given Baron a lot of hope, hasn't it?"

"I know he hopes this is only the first of many reversal changes."

The brunette smiled. "I know. I can see it in his eyes. But maybe he's only living on a false hope."

The doctor sighed. "Briar, perhaps hope – even false hope – is better than none. Baron lost hope for his humanity long ago... This has given it back to him."

"False hope only serves to make a person bitter," Haru muttered. "I should know. It makes an impossibility seem possible, but then rips it away from you."

"Was this what you wanted to talk about?"

"Doctor, I don't want him turning bitter like I did. I want him to be happy."

"Then let him be happy for the moment. Let him live in his hope, however temporary. Now, maybe you should head out. There's no use worrying over something you can't change."

Haru didn't move from her spot. "That wasn't all I wanted to talk about. Doctor, I think I may be getting sick."

The bespectacled man tilted his head. "How so? You appear quite alright."

"It's my head and my stomach. They both ache."

"Ah, you caught a cold of some type," Thomas said. "That was to be expected really. You've been stuck inside the estate for a while so you were bound to catch something. I suppose I should have foreseen this. Ah well, I'll prepare for the cold to spread; I can see I'll be busy over the next few weeks or so..."

"No, it's not that," Haru insisted. "I've caught colds before. This is something else. This is something new."

"Okay then, try and explain it."

Haru motioned vaguely for a few seconds as she attempted to pin down exactly what she felt. "My head feels too full; it feels..." She closed her eyes and groaned as no words came to mind. "I don't know! It feels weird. And then I feel dizzy at times and my heart seems to be racing almost continuously."

Doctor Thomas gave her a worried stare. "Are you serious? Dizziness?"

"At times, yeah." Haru tried not to think about the way the doctor was suddenly rushing to the cabinets. "And my stomach... it feels like a- a... Well, it just won't settle down. Dammit, there's a word for it, but I can't... I can't remember it..."

The doctor paused in his raiding of the cupboards. "Butterflies?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes! That's it!"

Thomas retreated from the cabinets, smiling slightly. "Let me guess the other symptoms. You're having some trouble sleeping?"

"A bit, yeah. The butterflies make it somewhat difficult."

"You're having problems concentrating?"

"Yes."

"Problems breathing at times?"

"Yes."

"You find yourself laughing at small things; getting happy for no reason?"

"I was worried it was some type of delirium fever," Haru admitted. "Some illnesses mess up the mind. Hypothermia for example... it messes up your body thermometer and you react as if it's too warm and then you die of cold even quicker. I've seen it happen. I was thinking..."

She trailed off as Doctor Thomas began laughing.

"It's no laughing matter!" she snapped.

Thomas wiped away the stray tears that were rolling down his cheeks. "Of course it isn't," he finally managed to say. "It's just that... I've never heard love being described as an illness before."

Haru snapped her mouth shut and was suddenly scrambling off the bed, making a beeline for the door. "Oh, no... no, no way," she was gabbling. "I'm not... I'm not in..."

"Miss Briar, I have been a married man for many years. I think I should recognise the symptoms of love when I see them." As he spoke, he slipped off his glasses and cleaned them with a spare cloth. "And you," he said as he returned his spectacles to his face, "are most certainly displaying them around the good Baron."

She knew her blush was only solidifying the doctor's words, but she couldn't do anything about it. "That's... impossible."

"Why? Because you didn't think you could fall in love with what he is?" Thomas chuckled. "Miss Briar, love looks far beyond appearances."

"No, I didn't mean that, it's just... just..." She sighed and finished with, "complicated."

ooOoo

"So what did you want to talk to Doctor Thomas about?"

Haru picked a book off a shelf and idly flicked through it. She reddened a little at the thought of the previous conversation. "Not much." 'No, not much at all. He only diagnosed you with being in love,' her mind admonished.

"And how am I meant to take that?" Baron asked.

"I just was feeling a bit under the weather, that's all." She smiled to him. "I'm fine." 'According to Doctor Thomas, I'm better than fine. If only things were simpler...'

"I shall take your word for it then." Baron looked over her shoulder at the title she was holding. "Did you ever read a lot?"

"I do know how to read, if that's what you mean."

"I was just asking."

"And why were you just asking?"

Baron slipped the book out of Haru's hands. "I was just asking because a) this is an encyclopaedia on gardening, and b)" at this point he turned it around and gave it back to Haru, "it's upside down."

"Huh, I guess I wasn't paying much attention," Haru murmured, blushing again. She sheepishly returned it to the shelf before he could comment on it further. To her surprise, she felt his arms embrace her from behind. She laughed despite herself and leant into the embrace. "You've been in a good mood ever since this morning."

"Can you blame me since losing the whiskers? Think about it Briar – I could be human again!"

Haru sighed and turned around so she could face Baron, although she remained in his arms. "Baron... we don't know if another reversal change will happen. Maybe... maybe this is just a one-off."

"Now you sound like Doctor Thomas."

"Well, perhaps Doctor Thomas has a point," Haru mumbled.

"He usually has a point; that's what's so infuriating."

"Baron, all I'm saying is that you should be aware that you might not return to human."

"Is that what Thomas told you to say to me?"

"Actually, he told me to let you live in hope," Haru said flatly.

Baron considered her answer. "Did he? How uncharacteristically optimistic of him. Is he feeling well?"

Haru smiled a little. "Very droll, Baron. You should be nicer to Doctor Thomas; I'm sure he's just trying to do what's best for you. And, apparently, you're not the easiest patient to care for."

"That he's told me plenty of times before. I believe he said the same thing of you."

Haru's smile widened as she found herself relaxing. She returned the hug, breathing in his homey scent. After a moment, she lifted her eyes to his. "Baron, what do you think is reversing this change?"

"Doctor Thomas said he didn't have a clue."

"I was asking what you thought."

"What I think is ridiculous."

"So you do have an idea."

He smiled down at her. "I do, but it's... silly."

"Not it's not. Tell me."

"Well I thought it was... you."

Haru pulled away from his embrace. "Me? But..."

"Briar, the curse was done out of anger and grief, possibly out of hate too. Maybe the opposite will reverse it. Maybe falling in love is undoing the spell."

The brunette was moving away, shaking her head fretfully. "What are you saying?"

He moved towards her, taking her hands in his. "I'm saying what we've known since the dance."

She tugged her hands loose from his. "It's too early to know whether these feelings are true," she muttered.

"Then you share the same feelings!"

"Maybe I do, but Baron, I'm... I'm no good for you."

"And what is that meant to mean?"

"It means things are too complicated between us," she whispered.

"Is this because of what I am? Briar–"

"No, it's because of me. I'm..." Her hands moved to her neck, feeling the blue butterfly hidden beneath her blouse. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but she had kept her past hidden for so long that the truth wouldn't come. She closed her mouth and looked away. 'I'm falling in love and I don't know what to do about it,' she thought. 'I'm scared by this new feeling. There's too much meaning for it. It's too... complicated.'

"Briar?"

She jumped at his voice; jolted out of her thoughts. She looked up into those familiar emerald orbs. "I need some time to think things through," she whispered and fled out of the room.

To her surprise, he didn't call her back; he just let her go. She paused for breath several corridors away, leaning against the wall for support. "What's wrong with me?" she murmured. "Why can't I handle this? Ten years of living on the street should have toughened me up, so why does love scare me so?"

"Love? And why would you be talking about love?"

Haru tensed and saw the dark form of Toto's brother, Machida, arrive in her corner of the corridor.

"Go away," she muttered. "I don't want to have to deal with you right now."

"You still haven't answered my question. What's all this about love?" When she didn't answer, a knowing smirk lit up his features. "Let me guess; it involves my cousin."

"It's no business of yours," she retorted.

"The welfare of my cousin no business of mine? Oh, but you are mistaken."

"You don't care for him. You just want to inherit."

"One meeting with me and you can already tell that?"

"One meeting was enough for me to guess your intentions," snarled Haru. She didn't need his meddling words right now. She needed to think.

Despite her words, the youth smirked again. "And one meeting with you was enough for me to guess your past, Miss Briar. Or, should I say, Miss Haru."

The brunette froze. "What...?"

"It really was quite simple, especially on seeing your little trinket."

Haru moved on hand up to her neck; the butterfly remained hidden.

"Yes, I meant that little necklace," Machida said smugly, taking her panic as confirmation. "It's exactly the same as the one my cousin described. And then there was all those other little clues you left... like your family, and then how all my cousin's seizures corresponded exactly with your anger. Falling in love with him even reversed it slightly."

"Coincidence," Haru croaked.

"I'm surprised no one else pieced it together, but then, you did throw them that false line about knowing Haru. Threw most people off your scent."

"I only told Baron that," Haru said quietly. "How–"

"Gossip," he answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "I pick up a few things here and there. But... what are we going to do with you now, Miss Haru?"

"Don't tell him," Haru begged. "Please don't tell Baron who I am."

"And why not? Surely he has a right to know..."

"It would break his heart to know I've been lying to him for so long. Please, keep it quiet."

"You can't keep this hidden forever."

"And why can't I?" Haru demanded.

Machida moved quickly, too quickly, and Haru found herself pinned to the wall. "Sooner or later, someone else will work out who you are, even if I keep this secret," he said in a forced whisper. "Sooner or later, all your little lies will catch up on you. Sooner or later you'll make a mistake and bring everything you've built crashing down around you. You can't keep hiding forever. And, oh..." He grinned. "What would Baron say?"

Haru tried to look away, but Machida forced her to make eye contact. "What would he think when he's discovered he's been harbouring the very thing that cursed him all those years ago? Do you think he'll let you stay?"

"You don't know what he'd do..." Haru said, barely able to make the words slip past her lips.

"Of course I do. I've seen what the curse has done to him over the past five years. I've seen him slowly being turned into what he is now; slowly losing his humanity. How much of the original him do you think there is left? Is there enough for mercy?"

"You're speaking lies," Haru whispered. "All lies."

"Maybe, but it's what you fear, isn't it? The sorcerers we brought in told us that if the person who created the spell dies, the curse dies with them. It's a possibility anyway. And do you think Baron would pass up an opportunity to return to human?"

"Not if it meant hurting me," the brunette replied.

"Oh yes, of course." Machida rolled his eyes. "Because he loves you. Right. But you can't handle such a big emotion, can you? You've spent too long on the streets, living by your wits alone. How much is compassion worth out there? Tell me, Miss Haru, how much is compassion worth?"

She cringed away.

"You don't know how to love, do you? You've forgotten how to."

"I know how it feels," she murmured.

"Is that enough though? If you can't return his feelings, how long do you think it'll be before Baron's patience runs out? Before he decides you're not worth it?"

"Stop it."

"Then would he choose you over his humanity?"

"Stop it."

"Or maybe, he wouldn't do anything," Machida added. "Maybe, out of the compassion that you can't feel, he would let you remain here. Where you would have to watch him slowly change. Every time you get angry–"

"Stop it."

"You would have to watch him change. Watch your own anger and grief hurt him."

"Stop it!"

"You're probably doing it now. When you return, you'll probably find he's collapsed with another one of his seizures." He grinned. "Perhaps the whiskers will have returned."

Haru slid out of Machida's grip and knelt against the wall. "What do I do?" she whispered to herself.

Machida knelt down before her. "There's only one option left."

She looked up into his glittering obsidian eyes.

"Run."

ooOoo

A/N: The chapter title and starting lines were borrowed from Doctor Who, but apparently is an old well-known wedding poem. I chose it because each line can refer to something. Sort of. Well, coming from an English Literature student (at the time of this being written), that could probably vary depending on how much you squint. Nope, no wedding in this chapter, even with the poem being a wedding one.