Chapter Twenty Eight: Contentment
The woodcutter blushed hard, but finished tying off Haru's sash. "We adopted each other, you bird brain! I never would've done what you're suggesting! Naoko wouldn't have either!"
"What is he suggesting, Father?" Haru asked curiously, turning so that her aunt and cousin could see her face. Nirami gasped in surprise as Muta blushed even harder from the thought of explaining what Toto meant.
"Never mind," he said shortly, patting her on the shoulder. "Well, Nirami? Is this a good enough reason for you?"
The light brunette couldn't speak, still staring at the green girl. "Yes," she whispered, pulling the green girl close, despite the girl's confused yelps.
Hiromi stared in shock as her mother warmly embraced the green child, and ran her fingers through the poor girl's hair. "Mommy?" the lighter brunette asked.
Without warning, there was a banging on the door.
Haru looked over at it with fear, and started trying to detangle herself from the woman's grasp. "I need to hide," she whispered insistently as her new father approached the door, and began yelling through it.
"What do you want?!"
"We want the Green Child, Muta! Send her out, and you'll be unharmed!"
He growled with exasperation. "She isn't in here!"
"Cut the act, Muta! Woodcutters spend their time cutting wood, not hiding out in their homes. Now I'm only going to say this once before we cut down the door. Give up the Green Child, so she can be brought to justice!" Mute shouted, accenting his speech with shouts of agreement from outside.
Nirami gasped, and turned to her niece. "Quick, change back into a cat!"
Haru shook her head sadly. "That won't work anymore. He knows I'm a witch, or at least could be one." The dark brunette bit her lip nervously, trying to think of a plan, despite the fact that she was the youngest one in the group.
Suddenly, she got a very evil smile. "Father, are we ever going to come back to this place, after we leave?"
"I doubt it," he grunted, holding the door in place with his girth.
She smiled prettily, and bowed a bit. "Then you won't mind if I break it with a diversion?"
xxXxx
Haru opened the door, and led the small group out into the open air. Lune inhaled the fresh scent of the grass and trees greedily, still not being used to the Mountain Witch's castle, as the two human girls stealthily snuck up on the men in the fields, Haru not wishing to disturb practice a second time.
Lune looked up from her slim shoulder, and squinted his mismatched eyes at the dueling pairs. "Which one's Baron?" he asked politely.
Haru pointed to the one fighting with her father, who was sweating profusely with the exertion.
Yuki took a calculated look at the dark man, her gaze steady. "He seems like a good man," she said carefully as her old mistress bit her lip tightly.
Haru bit back a giggle. "He's very good, and about as protective of me as Father is. We better wait a little longer before we introduce you. They're just about finished with practicing for today."
"Naturally," Hiromi grumbled as Haru leaned one arm against the trunk, softly gazing at her sensei.
He seemed very business-like, now that he didn't know that she was around. He grimly blocked all of Muta's blows, and gave his own as he deemed necessary. He occasionally barked an order to one of the men that was lagging behind, and didn't hesitate with giving out suggestions.
Lune cocked his head a bit.
Something wasn't quite right here. The young monarch couldn't put his paw on what it was exactly, but there was definitely something… off, about this Baron character. But what?
Haru suddenly smiled warmly, and gently removed the Cat King from around her neck to set him on the ground.
"Hey," he protested, since he had been very comfy around her shoulders. She raised one finger to her lips, which were curved in a mischievous smile as her body slowly shrank and grew fur. By the time she was done, she looked like a lovely brown cat, one that anybody could find on a street.
"What are you up to this time?" Hiromi demanded sharply as the slim feline began walking leisurely towards the practice grounds.
ooOoo
Baron sighed, finally deciding that this group had shown enough progress for the time being. Any longer, and they would collapse from exhaustion, and he was well aware that they had other duties to fulfill. "I believe that concludes the lesson for today," the young sensei announced, blocking one last blow from Muta, who still looked a bit disgruntled.
Everyone else, though, breathed a long sigh of relief, piled their pretend swords into a wooden two-wheeled cart, and began returning to their various jobs. It was harvest time, after all, and no one wanted to go hungry while there was still snow on the ground.
Baron set his own stick in the cart, since this had been the last group for today, and moved to grab the smoothly polished handles, but Muta beat him to it.
The fatter and older brunette smiled a bit as he tossed the stick over his huge shoulder to land on top of the pile in the cart. "I think we made some excellent progress today, Baron-sensei."
The young sword master nodded gravely and started walking to the castle. "Not as much as I would prefer, however. I'll have to speak with Haru on finding a firm practicing ground when the snow flies."
"That can wait a few seconds, Baron."
The dark youth immediately turned around at the tone. It wasn't a dangerous one, but it was certainly a serious one.
The older and fatter man bit his lip a bit, obviously trying to think of the right words to say. "Do you like fishing?"
Baron blinked, not exactly expecting the question. He thought about it. "I haven't done it since I was a child. Life's been pretty busy for years. I remember enjoying it, though."
Muta grinned a bit as he let go of the cart in order to pick up a neat brown cat that had been rubbing against his leg and purring softly. He scratched its ears softly, so tenderly. "Then why don't you come with me tomorrow? I have it on the best authority that Haru's planning another Random Day."
The brown cat's ears flicked upwards as Baron quirked an eyebrow.
"She didn't mention one to me," the younger man said slowly, wondering if Haru was keeping secrets from him again.
Muta smiled a bit, but there was something tight in the gesture. "Just trust me," he replied, attempting to mimic his instructor's accent.
Baron chuckled a bit, thinking about it. He definitely wanted to stay on the good side of the giant man, and it wasn't for his size alone. "I would be honored to fish with you, Muta, but I must confess that I might not be very good at the sport."
He laughed a deep laugh, stroking the cat lovingly as it purred. "If you can whip our men into shape, you can handle a few trout."
Baron nodded, but for some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of the slim brown feline. "Is that cat yours? I don't recall seeing it around."
