Chapter Ten: Haru's Idea

Muta was laughing his head off, keeping his niece on his lap while staying close to the campfire, despite the fact that she was too old to sit on his lap. He squeezed her affectionately. "That was brilliant, Chicky! Did you see the looks on those stupid soldiers' faces, when they couldn't find us?!"

Haru laughed at him. "Yes, Uncle Muta. The whole point of making our company invisible with the same consistency as ghosts was so that we wouldn't have to fight them." She decided not to tell anyone about the little fact that the king used to be able to check in on her, since one of her little tunes had ensured that he could never spy on the company again. But she knew better than most that it wouldn't be enough to deter the king, and she knew her body could only handle playing the violin for so long. Her arms were still aching from keeping the soldiers running after figments of their imagination.

Baron was settling a small skirmish with two blacksmiths, which was why the brunette was finally able to get some time with her uncles.

Toto was grinning at her while adding a little more wood to the fire. "I wish your dad could have seen you do that, Haru. He would have been so proud."

Muta stiffened. "So would her mother! You know how much Naoko liked to mess with people, especially Hasho."

Haru giggled, remembering the stories her mom used to tell her about the conquest of her husband. As far as the slim brunette could see, things would be a lot smoother for her and Baron.

But… was this right? Was she really going to eventually marry Baron, just because some strange witch said she would? The young woman sighed and stared into the flames as they danced for her. 'I know the king will never stop looking for me. I don't know why I know this, but it's true. For all I know, I might not live long enough to have a future with Baron.'

A tanned hand offered her a bowl of stew. She looked up to see Prince Lune, who was smiling warmly. A larger bowl was in his other hand, clearly meant for Muta. As she looked into his mismatched eyes, she realized that although the coloring was the same, they were not truly the same eyes she had seen in her dream.

"It's a good thing Father had no clue about your little talent."

She smiled back at the crown prince while accepting the stew. "No kidding. I still don't know how versatile this gift is."

Yuki appeared with a bowl for Toto and sat down next to her boyfriend on a log opposite of the little family.

Lune shyly reached out for her hand and gripped it softly as she did the same to him. But his eyes were still on Haru as he shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry Haru, but I just can't see you as Shadow. I always thought that he was a demon or something that Father had bound to his service. The first time you looked at me with that hideous mask, I got nightmares for a week."

She cringed after swallowing her mouthful. "I got a bad nightmare about your dad, after waking up from the collar. Does he have slightly crazy long gray hair?"

Lune nodded, a slight smile on his face. "He also calls people 'babe' a lot. It kind of grates on one's nerves after a few years of it."

Haru looked down at her stew and started rearranging the vegetables with her spoon. "He was a cat, and so was I. It was so strange." She was about to mention Baron's strange entrance into her dream, but then Lune started laughing.

"That's a lot more appropriate than you'd think, Haru. Father thinks that he was supposed to be a cat or was one in a past life. It's partially why I hate fish with a passion; he likes to have it served with every meal. I could tell you more about his feline habits, but you're eating, and I'd rather not see my supper again."

Muta and Toto started laughing, but for some reason Haru couldn't.

Her eyes widened. "He wants to be a cat?"

"Oh yes. It's the only thing that money and rank can't give him, and it drives him insane." Lune stopped chuckling. "Now that I think of it, it does explain his uncalled-for behavior."

Haru stared at him, seeing in her mind's eye the cat version of the king. "Of course," she whispered before taking the spoon out of the stew bowl so she could drink it down like her uncle Muta was.

Yuki stared at her, since the petite brunette usually had better table manners than that.

Once the bowl was drained, Haru jumped out of her seat and ran to the mess tent in order to put the bowl and spoon with the dirty dishes. "Thanks for the tip, Lune!"

He blinked his eyes with confusion. "What tip?" he asked Yuki while Baron walked up to them; a small bowl of stew in his own hands.

"Why on earth did Haru run off like that?" he asked; concern evident in his gaze.

They looked back at him, wondering the same thing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hoping that Yuki wouldn't mind her using the small mirror, Haru angled it on the floor of their tent so that she could see herself while standing up. She took a deep breath before pressing her father's instrument against her shoulder and placing the bow gently across the strings.

'Okay, how would a cat sound?' To start off the song, she tried a leisurely ballad, similar to how she thought a cat nap must feel like. Her fingers started dancing across the strings as the cat in her mind woke up and began to look around for its breakfast. Seeing a mouse, the song became short and measured as the cat began to stealthily stalk its prey. The music gave a great leap as the cat did, and the mouse was in between the paws.

Haru kept her eyes on the little mirror, praying to see some difference.

There! Her ears were becoming more pointed, and fur was beginning to grow.

Just as whiskers began to sprout, Yuki walked in. "Haru, what's-AAAUUUGH!" the blonde nurse shrieked, staring at the half cat.

The sound startled the girl enough to make her break off the song. The brunette gasped and held one padded hand to her heart. "Yuki! I'm working here!"

Shadows appeared outside the tent.

"What's going on in there!" Baron demanded.

Before Haru could answer, Yuki tore the flap open so that the men could see. Haru's uncles were with the Rebel leader, as well as the prince. Their jaws dropped, looking at the half-cat. The brunette guiltily held her violin behind her back, but Baron guessed what she was doing.

"Haru, why on earth are you doing this to your body?!"

She laughed a little nervously as he came into the tent to hold her by the shoulders. "Lune gave me the idea. I just wanted to try it out to see if it was any good."

The nobleman glared at the crown prince, who put up his hands defensively. "How was I to know what she was planning?!"

Baron growled, but then faced the brunette again. "You haven't said why you're doing this yet."

She was a little scared by how angry he sounded but didn't dodge the question. "Lune said that his father wants to be a cat. If I can change him into one, the kingdom won't follow him anymore, and Lune can take the throne and fix what his father's been doing, since he's the only heir to the throne. I just wanted to be sure that I can change someone into a cat before asking for help with storming the castle."

Baron blinked once, and then twice. He opened his mouth a little, and laughed softly, his anger gone. He kissed her furry forehead fondly, getting her to blush slightly, but the fur disguised the action wonderfully. "Haru, that's a brilliant plan, and I love it. But you forgot about something."

She cocked her head at him, since her eyebrows had disappeared into the fur. "What is it?"

He laughed at her softly. "If you changed fully into a cat, you wouldn't be able to change back. You can't play the violin with paws."

She flushed and looked down at her padded palms while laughing nervously. "Oh, dang, that could have ended badly. Thanks for stopping me, Yuki."

The blonde nodded, still staring at her best friend as the prince held her close.

Baron kissed the brunette's cheek. "Why don't you change back now? If you had just said that you needed a guinea pig earlier, I would have volunteered."

She blushed. "But Baron-"

He cut her off by pressing two fingers to her soft lips, although he wanted to use his own lips to silence her. The tawny lord wasn't about to say this out loud, especially in front of other people, but he privately thought that Haru looked absolutely adorable as a half-cat.

"No buts. I love your plan, and you do need to test this theory. Now change back and start again with me. I trust you, Haru."