Chapter 1 – The Little Girl and her Kitten
Naoko looked up as a loud screeching noise echoed through the house.
"What on earth...?"
She stood from her position in her chair, hunched over her newest quilt, and picked her way around the scraps of fabric scattered around the floor. She descended the stairs quickly, having heard her husband moving around in the bedroom. If he came out...
Naoko sighed. As soon as Hasho agreed to let her continue her quilting career, instead of insisting that she stayed at home with her daughter where she 'belonged' then Naoko would forgive him. But right now, the only words ever exchanged between herself and her husband were screamed accusations and angry insults, and she didn't want Haru to hear that today, which meant she needed to put a stop to the screeching before Hasho came down.
As her foot hit the bottom step of the stairs, her mouth fell open in astonishment. "Haru, what on Earth are you doing?!"
Her eight-year-old daughter looked over at her from her place on top of a chair next to the kitchen counter. "I was just-"
But Naoko didn't give her child a chance to explain. She walked over and firmly lifted her off the chair, noting how heavy her child had grown. "Yoshioka Haru, I thought I taught you better than this! Standing on a chair, at your age? If you'd have fallen and hit your head, you could have killed yourself!"
Haru wriggled out of her mother's arms, hoping her mother wouldn't notice the bulge in the pockets of her pink overalls. "Mother-"
"Mom," Naoko reminded her daughter, internally reminding herself to talk to Hasho about his insistence that Haru call them Mother and Father. It was growing into a bad habit.
Haru's face turned pink as she started again. "Mom, I wouldn't have died. You know I'm too careful for that."
Naoko could feel her face growing hotter with anger. "Haru, you have klutz attacks every second day! You can't even walk up the stairs without tripping, so how am I supposed to react when you're standing up on a rickety chair, hmm?! What were you even doing up there?!"
Haru looked down as her little bare feet, her eyes growing huge and watery. Naoko felt a twinge of guilt, but then shoved it away, determined to get rid of her child's habit of standing on chairs before it became a problem.
"Well, Haru? Why were you up there?" her mother insisted.
Haru bit her lip before answering in a quiet voice. "I just wanted to get some food, Mom. I didn't mean to make you worry."
Even though she was still examining her bare feet, Haru could feel her mother's disbelief radiating off her in waves.
His green eyes glowed, the gratitude radiating off of him in waves as he grinned at her, the picture of a perfect gentleman.
Haru's cheeks flushed even hotter, although this time it wasn't from shame. It was from happiness.
But that happiness evaporated when her mother looked at her. She didn't yell, or scream, or scold her like Haru had expected. She just looked at her like she didn't even know her, and the look of blank disappointment broke Haru's heart, but she tried her hardest not to cry. He was watching, she could feel it. She had promised herself to be brave for him.
"You are very brave, Miss Haru," he praised, holding his top hat to his heart in a gesture of respect and bowing his head, letting some of his tawny locks of hair fall over his eyes.
"Haru," her mother said in a flat tone. "Do you know how much you weighed when I lifted you down just then?"
The little girl blinked, not expecting that question. "No. Why?"
"You weighed at least three times as much as a girl of your age should. It's a wonder it hasn't shown up yet. No more snacks during the day, young lady. In fact, I think it would be best if you didn't have dinner tonight either," Naoko said in a firm tone.
Haru blinked, the tears finally streaming down her face. "What?" she said in a hoarse whisper. "No dinner? But I didn't even get lunch today."
"No dinner?" came Hasho's voice as he entered the kitchen. "You'll starve the child, Naoko, and remember, you were the one that wanted her."
"No, I didn't!" Naoko exclaimed, angrily rounding on her husband. "You're the one who wanted a child, just so I would stay home and throw away my own dreams, while you could fulfil yours!"
"That's not true!"
And little Haru just shook her head and slunk away, out the back door, making sure no one was looking as she pulled packets of sultanas and crackers from her pockets, along with a sandwich wrapped up in cling-foil and a juice box.
"I'm not heavy," she whispered. "I just needed to get these."
Her huge brown eyes faded out a little as she remembered why...
The little girl skipped down the road towards home, her backpack bouncing against her back and her slim hands tucked into the pockets of her pink overalls. Her parents had forgotten to pick her up from school, again, but that was okay. They had their jobs to think about, so she had told them she could walk herself home. She had been slightly disappointed when neither of them had put up a fight, but didn't have it in her to argue. It was, after all, her suggestion.
She stopped suddenly when the sound of weak, pitiful meows drifted to her ears. She tiptoed towards the sound, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was screaming at her to run home to her parents. She rounded the corner into a dead-end alleyway, a gasp escaping her mouth at what she saw.
A filthy little orange kitten lay in the centre of the alley, with its eyes shut and another quiet, pained mewl coming from it as a rock was thrown through the air and slammed into its back. The little girl's eyes followed the path the rock had made through the air and found . . .
"Machida!" she yelled at the top of her lungs – which was impressively loud for someone of her size.
The boy in question flinched and dropped the next rock he was preparing to throw. "Oh, Haru! What – what a surprise."
Haru ignored him – the usual way she dealt with Machida. Very slowly she crept toward the orange kitten, freezing when it shifted its head towards her and opened its eyes.
She forgot to breathe, the sorrowful green swallowing her whole. A soft meow issued from the kitten's mouth, snapping Haru back to the present.
"Hey, kitty," she whispered, crouching down and gently reaching out towards the cat. She stopped and retracted her hand when the kitten tried to stand and move away. It trembled on its legs for a moment, then collapsed tiredly to the pavement. It was only then that Haru realised that she could see each of the kitten's ribs through its fur.
"You must be starved, poor thing," she mumbled. "Machida, why were you hitting him?"
"How do you know it's a him?" Machida fired back. "It's clearly an it."
Haru tore her gaze away from the cat to glare a Machida. "He's a person, not a thing. Now, why were you hitting him?!"
Machida shrugged, tossing another rock from hand to hand as he stared her down. "That stupid cat was begging for food near my house. It was trying to steal from the kitchens."
"Then you should have fed him!" Haru fired back, standing up to fold her arms and treat him to her scariest glare.
Apparently it worked, because Machida flinched back and mumbled some random gibberish under his breath before grabbing his bag and practically running away.
Haru sighed, and looked back to the kitten. It had one slitted eye open, and was staring at her with a mixture of distrust and confusion.
"It's okay, kitty," she breathed, sitting cross-legged on the ground so that she could gently touch the cat's back. He stiffened, but did nothing as she gently stroked his soft fur. After a moment, the cat leaned into her touch and made a strange growling noise. Haru flinched back immediately, and the kitten mewled in protest of the lost warmth.
"I...I'm sorry, kitty," she mumbled, looking down at the ground. The kitten struggled to its feet, and limped over to butt its head against her hand. It made that strange growling noise again, and this time Haru realised that there was no anger in the noise. Just...happiness.
A small memory tweaked at Haru's mind, something from a while ago that she had discussed with her school librarian. "A...purr?" She whispered, her hand unconsciously curling around the cat so that she could rub at his chest. "Are you purring, kitty?"
The kitten nodded his head, and then crawled into her lap, rolling so that she could reach his cream-coloured chest better as she rubbed his fur. He closed his eyes and pointedly purred louder. She giggled at his antics, abandoning rubbing at his chest for a moment, making him open one eye and meow in protest. But then she started to scratch behind his ears, turning his amused purr to one of pure pleasure.
"Haru!" came a voice from the end of the alleyway, disrupting the happy moment. The cat opened both eyes this time and hissed in annoyance as a middle-aged woman almost skipped around the corner of the alley. Machida slunk in behind her, having the decency to look sheepish.
"Oh, Haru, honey!" crooned the woman, holding her arms out towards the girl, but stopping short when she saw the kitten curled up in the girl's lap. "Haru, it's so good to see you again!"
"Hello, Mrs Mishuzi," Haru said politely, her arms curling protectively around the kitten as if she could hide him from the elder woman.
"My Machida is so very, very sorry for what he did," exclaimed the woman. "Machida, apologise!"
Machida looked down at the ground in embarrassment, his ears turning red. "Mom!"
"Machida Mishuzi, you apologise immediately!" his mother snapped, making him flinch and look up at Haru, his eyes pointedly avoiding the kitten still lying comfortably in her lap.
"I'm sorry, Haru," he mumbled, a bashful look on his face as he stared at the disheveled little girl.
"It's okay," Haru replied with a bright smile. "Forgive and forget, right?"
The kitten's growl said all to clearly how he felt on the matter. Machida and his mother flinched away from the angry sound, but Haru just giggled and scratched the kitten's ears again. The growl dissolved into a soft purr as the kitten curled in closer to the little girl, its thin and shaking body showing how cold it was, despite the fact that winter was still a month away.
"Oh, that's right. You were supposed to stay with us tonight, Haru dear. Your parents need their peace and quiet to work, but don't worry darling, they've said that tomorrow you get to go back home for dinner." Mrs Mishuzi bustled forwards, yanking Haru to her feet almost painfully. The little girl barely managed to keep a grip on the tiny kitten, but she did drop her school bag.
Machida saw the opening and swooped in, picking up the bag for her and holding it out for Haru to slip her arms through the straps. The little girl giggled, and shifted her grip on the kitten so that she could slip the bag over one shoulder, and then the other.
"Thank you, Machida. Thank you, Mrs Mishuzi." Haru looked down at the kitten, still shivering in her arms. "Would you like to come with me, kitty?"
"He can't answer you, Haru," Machida pointed out, although it was politer than the tone he'd used with her before.
Haru giggled. "Well I know that. But it wouldn't be nice to just take him away without permission. He might have a home. Although if that's true, with the way he looks, then I'll be having a talk with his owners."
The last part was mumbled under her breath, but the kitten must have heard, because he reached up to lick her chin. Haru blinked, locking eyes with the kitten in her arms. "Do you have a home?"
The kitten shook its head.
"Would you like to stay with me?"
The kitten nodded as fast as it could, mewing affirmatively.
"Good." Haru decisively nodded her head, and shifted her grip on the kitten to give him a hug. "You wouldn't mind if I took him with me this afternoon, would you Mrs Mishuzi?" she asked, giving her best puppy-dog eyes. The kitten copied her expression, mewing in question.
Mrs Mishuzi took one look at the two adorable children and her heart melted. "Oh, alright," she grumbled, pretending to be reluctant, but the guise was see-through. "But you'll have to convince your parents if you want to keep him. You know your father's allergic to cats."
Machida watched as Haru squealed happily and hugged the kitten tightly, spinning around. The kitten in question mewed happily and licked the girl's wrist affectionately. Machida's eyes followed her as she giggled, grinning as she skipped down the road beside his mother, the little orange-and-cream kitten bundled into her coat, purring as he nuzzled into her. Machida's eyes narrowed as the girl sighed happily, rubbing her cheek against the kitten's furry one.
His blood boiled. Haru had never shown him that much affection! But she would be his, no matter what.
He had decided her fate the day he had first seen her, on the first day of school, creeping into the back of class late and trying to hide from the teacher. Everyone had laughed then, just like they did every morning when she snuck in. Even he laughed, but he knew he could fix her up, given time. His mother had agreed as well that Haru would be perfect for him.
The perfect future wife.
Chapter 2 – The Curse
Haru could feel Machida's eyes on her the entire time she was over at their house, but she stubbornly ignored it, choosing instead to focus on the adorable little kitten in her lap. They were sitting in front of the fire, with him curled up in her lap, and her fingers buried in his tawny fur. He was no longer shaking from cold, due to them having been sitting in front of the fire for the better part of an hour before he had fallen asleep in her lap, his breathing soft and slow. Haru's heart turned over in her chest as the tiny kitten mewed and shifted around in his sleep so that he was curled up against her. His soft purr was constant – a gentle melody that was slowly lulling her into dreamland. It was taking all of Haru's willpower not to just grab a blanket and lie down with the kitten curled up in her arms.
Haru's parents had called to say that she could come back at nine o'clock, but no sooner, so Haru knew that she had time for a nap, but that little fact just made it all the more hard to keep her eyes open.
"Haru, do you want to sleep in the spare room bed, so that you're comfier?" asked Machida, not really caring about how comfortable she would be – but what he did care about was that stupid cat that was the focus of her attentions.
"No thank you, Machida," she replied, exasperated at his constant attention. "I don't want to wake him." She nodded to the kitten who was currently having his back stroked by the gentle brunette holding him.
Machida huffed and left the room, hating that cat for stealing Haru's affections so quickly. Haru just sighed, ready to collapse onto the floor now that he was gone.
Now that the fire was dwindling, instead of an oppressing heat – like it had been when they had entered the house – it was radiating a pleasant warmth. Haru glanced back at the blanket lying across the back of the sofa, and deliberated whether or not moving would wake up the kitten. Eventually, she decided the risk was worth it, and stood up while shifting the tiny body into her arms. The kitten mewled in protest, rubbing its body into her in an effort to keep itself asleep. Haru shushed him gently as she grabbed the blanket to wrap around her shoulders as she crossed back over to the fire.
"It's okay, kitty. I'm just grabbing a blanket so we won't be frozen when we wake up," she cooed, rubbing gently at his ears.
The kitten's purr returned as the little girl lay down in front of the fire, keeping him in her grip.
"Goodnight, kitty. I'm really glad I met you."
—
The kitten watched the little girl's peaceful face as she slept with him in her arms. His own eyes were drooping, but he pushed off sleep for a little longer as he studied the girl.
She had helped him and held him when he was at his worst, and so far she had shown no inclination to leave him. He had never met a more pure-hearted individual, even with all the people his mother had shoved on him.
He shuddered to think of his mother. He was almost glad about his fate, if it would mean never seeing her again. And nothing would make him regret leaving Louise. It was unbearable enough that she had apparently staked some claim on him, but to be forced to be forever bound to her? He would never return to his old life. That was gone and behind him now, and he would much prefer to stay with the little girl that was currently hugging him closer in her sleep.
His heart softened as he stared up at the brunette. Such a kind, pure girl was surely a thousand times better than any of the other humans. Machida had proven that to him.
The girl shifted slightly, a frown creasing her face as she blinked her eyes open.
"Kitty? Are you okay?"
It was only then that he realised he'd stopped purring somewhere through thinking about his past. He immediately remedied that, purring loudly again as he licked the girl's wrist. It was as close as he could get to kissing her hand in his current form.
The small brunette truly must have been an angel, because she seemed to guess his thoughts exactly, and reassure him perfectly.
"Don't worry, kitty. Anyone who hurt you before will never be able to hurt you again. I'll protect you from them, and Machida. I don't care whether my parents allow me to keep you or not – I'll find some way to help you, no matter what it takes," the girl vowed, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of his head.
His purr became less of one forced for her sake, and more naturally brought on by the happiness he felt in knowing that she, at least, would not leave him.
"I shall always protect you as well," he vowed in return, although all that came out were meows.
—
"Thank you for having me over, Mrs Mishuzi," Haru said politely as she shrugged on her coat and school bag. "Come on, kitty," she coaxed, holding her arms out to the orange-and-cream kitten that was currently trying to soak in as much warmth as possible from the blanket they had slept in.
"Kitty, if you wanted to stay here, you could have just said so," Haru teased, her remark having the expected result. The kitten immediately leaped into her arms, his familiar purr back as she wrapped them both up in the folds of her coat.
"Haru, wait!" called Machida from the kitchen. He approached her shyly and held out a single flower for her to take.
It was a daisy, which would have been pretty hard to find considering how the weather was nearing winter for them.
"Thanks, Machida," Haru said, gratitude lacing her tone as she took the flower from him and tucked it into her braid. "I'll be sure to put it into water the second I get home."
"Are you sure your parents are waiting for you out there, dear?" queried Mrs Mishuzi, peering past the girl and out the door, into the pitch black of night.
"Of course I'm sure," Haru lied, stepping out of the house. "Goodbye!"
Haru turned and quickly ran up the road, in the direction of her house. The Mishuzi's watched her go, the mother's expression hardening into one of triumph and the sons into one of hatred.
"Good boy, Machida," his mother approved. "She was very happy with your gift."
Machida just grunted, looking after the brunette girl he was to make his wife.
'Stupid cat!'
—
Haru's parents were not waiting for her. In fact, she knew that they would have forgotten all about her by now, but all it had taken was a few convincing words to the Mishuzi's and they were eating from the palm of her hand.
In the church across town, the large clock began to chime nine o'clock, and the effect on the kitten in Haru's arms was instant, making Haru slow to a stop, panting.
"Kitty, are you okay?" she asked in concern as he wriggled out of her arms to hop onto the pavement in front of her. "Kitty?"
His green eyes locked onto her chocolate ones, and held them, even as the rest of his form became shrouded in silver mist. Haru's mouth fell open as the mist shifted and grew taller, and the green eyes changed shape, becoming less like the eyes of a cat and more like the eyes of…
A dull thunk was heard as Haru's school bag fell to the ground. Her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Her eyes were as wide as they could go, searching the sight before them, looking for any way it might have been a trick. But it was no trick.
Standing before Haru was a tall boy – a tall human boy – in a grey suit with a matching top hat, and with a cane hooked over one arm. His hair was the same tawny colour as the kitten's fur, his skin the same colour as the creamy part of his fur, and there was no mistaking the green of those eyes. He grinned at her, and even that action reminded her of the kitten.
Haru finally managed to draw in a breath between her lips, and she opened her mouth to scream, but the tall youth before her quickly reached forwards to place one gloved hand over her mouth.
"My apologies for startling you," he began, in an aristocratic accent, "but it was rather unavoidable, I'm afraid."
He noted the look on Haru's face with caution. "Miss Haru, if I take my hand away, will you promise not to scream?"
It took Haru a while to comprehend that question, but when she did, the slow nod she gave to the tawny youth seemed to relieve him. He removed his gloved hand from her mouth, gripping his cane nervously.
Haru didn't scream, but it did take several more breaths for her to calm down enough to form words.
"Are…are you the kitten?" she asked timidly, drawing her coat tighter around herself.
The kitten-turned-boy grinned, happy that she had been smart enough to reach the correct conclusion. "Yes, I am. Once again, I apologise for startling you with my appearance, but there wasn't really any way to warn you about what would happen."
"No, no, it's okay," Haru insisted. "I was just…startled."
"You seemed a little scared too," mumbled the boy, looking at her sadly.
"You turned into mist," Haru deadpanned, raising one eyebrow and folding her arms over her chest. The look apparently worked on him as well as Machida, because the boy also flinched back, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner.
"Well, as I said before, the curse hardly allowed for me to inform you of what was to happen," he pointed out.
"Curse?" asked Haru curiously, seeming to get over her fear.
The boy cleared his throat, grabbing her school bag off the pavement and holding it out towards her. "Yes. I suppose it would be better to give you the simplified version of the story."
Haru just nodded, taking her bag back off him, and beginning the climb up the long road to her house. "We've still got a way to go before we get to my place, so you should have time to explain."
The tawny youth followed her up the hill, coming to a decision about where to start his story.
"Well, to begin with, my name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."
Haru blinked. "Um…I think I'll just call you Baron."
Baron smiled at her. "It would be a lot easier that way, yes. And as for why I was a cat, it was because I was cursed. It was a fairly recent curse, cast on my tenth birthday, which was…around a week ago? No, two weeks ago. I was cursed by my mother, for disobeying her. She had ordered me to stop befriending the poorer people in our village, you see, so when she discovered they were going to be present a my birthday party…well, she was angry to say the least. She cursed me to wander as a cat during daytime, and a human at night."
"But the sky turned dark ages ago," Haru pointed out. "Shouldn't you have turned back then?"
Baron shook his head. "My mother failed to specify the exact time I would change, so the magic of the curse took its own timeline – every time the clock strikes nine, I change forms. It is actually rather convenient in the evening, since people are mostly home by nine, but it is a fair bit harder in the mornings, since that happens to be around the time everyone is heading for school."
"I can see why that would be hard," Haru said distantly, staring up into the stars. "You…you're a cat."
"Yes."
"And I befriended you."
"Yes."
"But you're also a human. So…how are you going to stay at my house without my parents noticing you?"
Haru noticed Baron staring at her in shock. "That is, if you still want to come back with me," she offered timidly.
Baron pulled himself together, issuing a small laugh. "Trust me, Miss Haru, it would be an honor. After all, you were the one to save me from Machida. Did I ever thank you for that, by the way?"
He stopped suddenly, and Haru turned to look at him. His green eyes glowed, the gratitude radiating off of him in waves as he grinned at her, the picture of a perfect gentleman.
"You are very brave, Miss Haru," he praised, holding his top hat to his heart in a gesture of respect and bowing his head, letting some of his tawny locks of hair fall over his eyes.
Haru could feel her cheeks heating up. "Thanks, but I was just doing the right thing. And you can just call me Haru."
Baron offered her a grin. "Well then, Haru, I would be honoured to stay with you."
And Haru was so happy that it didn't even cross her mind what her parents would think.
The shouting from the house brought Haru back to the future, and out of the happy memories. She held her breath as she tiptoed out of the front gate, and down the road to where the old manor house sat on the hill.
She had made a promise to Baron, that she would help and protect him, and she fully intended to honour that promise until the day she died.
Chapter 3 – The Newbie
Baron lifted his head, his ears perking up, as the sounds of curses and accusations reached his corner of Haru's cozy little room. She had taken to letting him stay in her house instead of the old manor, since her parents were away more often than not these days. They were always off on some business trip or another, and sometimes the weeks they were away blended into months, so there wasn't any real risk of them finding him here. Since he wasn't a real cat, he didn't shed, and his fur didn't spark up Hasho's allergies, so they weren't clued in to his presence the rare times they were home. But Haru had known better than to ask her parents if he could stay, knowing what their answer would be. Honestly, somedays Baron knew that he was the only thing keeping Haru together. She was just so lonely.
The girl in question slipped into the room a moment later, gently shutting the door behind her and twisting the lock. The tawny cat meowed at her, making her lift her head and offer him a sad smile.
"They're sending me to a boarding school," the twelve-year-old whispered, creeping over to the bed and sitting down next to him, absently rubbing his fur. "I managed to convince them to send me to the closest school, which thankfully allows pets. But since the school is over an hour away, they have to board me."
Baron looked up at her and mewled nervously. Haru gave him a weak, flickering smile, and concern immediately sparked inside his chest. He leaned over to affectionately lick her wrist, a gesture for her to speak her mind. She laughed at the gentle action, rubbing his back.
"Don't worry, Baron. I would never leave you behind. There...there was one other thing, though, and it will make it a lot more difficult to hide your curse." Haru took a deep breath in for courage. "I'm going to have a roommate."
Baron nearly fell off the bed, he leapt up so fast. He started meowing insistently, nudging his head against her arms in a silent prompt for her to put her arms around him. She gladly drew him into a warm embrace, stopping his protests momentarily as she rubbed her fingers through the fur between his ears, just the way she knew he liked it. His reluctant – but still warm – purr filled the room, and that was the precise moment that Haru noticed that her parents had stopped shouting. She buried her face in Baron's soft fur, as if his familiar scent alone could block out the horrible things she had heard her parents say and do to each other. Sometimes she wondered if they ever meant to get married, or if it was all just a mistake.
Baron leaned up and gently licked the salty tears off of her face. The tightness in his chest increased, seeing the lovable brunette cry, but until nine, he couldn't hold her the way he wanted to, and reassure her that everything would be fine.
Haru blinked out of her stupor and raised a shaking hand to her cheek. "Thanks, Baron." She only had to glance at his face to know what he wanted, a gentle smile spreading over her face. She pointedly looked at her watch. "Only three more minutes," she chirruped happily, rubbing her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad have gone to bed already, anyways."
"Haru!" called Hasho, as if summoned. "I'm leaving for another trip now! Goodbye!"
"Good-" Haru began, but the slamming of the front door cut her off. "-bye."
She sighed, gently rubbing Baron's ears. They both listened intently as Naoko tripped across the landing, and into bed, locking the bedroom door behind her.
"Thank god the walls in this house are soundproof," Haru mumbled. "We could do whatever we wanted and she wouldn't hear us."
At that precise moment, it struck nine o'clock, and Baron's body dissolved into mist. The mist altered its position as it grew, so that when Baron solidified into his human form, he was sitting behind Haru on the bed, his arms wrapped firmly around her slender form and his chin resting on top of her head.
Both teenagers breathed in sharply at the change in position, but neither protested to the sudden change. If anything, they both seemed to enjoy it more, as Haru snuggled deeper into his arms and Baron gently ran his gloved fingers through her hair.
Since the curse was attached to Baron's subconscious, the transformations tended to obey what his subconscious wanted. So this embrace wasn't that much of a surprise to the two of them, but the suddenness of it startled them sometimes, especially Haru, when Baron suddenly went from being able to fit comfortably in her lap, to it being the other way around. He was strangely tall, considering he only had half of the day to grow.
"Don't worry, Haru," Baron whispered. "Everything will be fine, I promise."
Haru wished that Baron was in human form, so that she could hide behind him as she walked through the halls of her new school, attracting weird looks from the other students. She probably did look a little strange, wearing casual clothing with a bag on her back and a cat on her shoulders. The deputy principal – a young woman that had introduced herself as Ms Jannali – stopped in front of a purple door and handed Haru a small copper key.
"This will be your dorm room, Haru. Your roommate should already be inside. I'm sorry I won't be able to stick around to introduce you two, but I'm late for a board meeting. I'll see you tomorrow to give you your schedule for when term starts, okay?"
Ms Jannali waited until Haru nodded before flashing her a smile and striding away. She stood before the purple door nervously.
"This is it, Baron," she whispered to him, shifting him from her shoulders to her arms. He reached up and licked her cheek tenderly, making her cheeks go red.
"Flirt," she muttered, and without waiting for his answer, she twisted the key and opened the door.
—
Haru's roommate Hiromi had proven to be unable of keeping silent, babbling on about this and that and the other while Haru unpacked, and then again when they were getting ready for bed. Haru had spoken three very quiet sentences to Hiromi throughout the last five hours, and kept shooting Baron desperate looks, but he pointedly stared out of the window or at the school map, committing as much of the grounds to memory as he could, in case of emergency.
"…and there's this one guy here who's really cool – not that he can compare to my Tsuge," Hiromi added quickly, giving Haru a side glance. "But yeah, everyone else is practically in love with him. His name's Mishuzi Machida and he-"
"What?!" Haru practically screamed, leaping off of her bed in horror. Baron yelped in protest as he was thrown off of the brunette girl's lap, where he'd been sleeping.
"Sorry, Baron," Haru said to him, practically seething with hatred as she paced up and down the room, Hiromi looking at her like she'd grown an extra head. "Machida's back."
Baron's ears became flattened to the top of his head as he issued a low, menacing growl. Hiromi squeaked, falling backwards off of her bed at the angry sound, watching with utter astonishment as Haru's bad mood evaporated as she stared fondly at her cat.
"How...how are you not scared?" Hiromi said, her voice higher than usual because of the death glare the tawny cat was giving the dorm room door, as if Machida was somehow on the other side.
Haru giggled, crossing the room to scoop her cat up into her arms, pressing gentle kisses on Baron's head and ears, listening to his soft purr from the sweet attention.
"It's sweet, the way Baron is completely willing to protect me," Haru said, practically cradling the tawny cat in her arms as she sat back down. "He'd do anything for me, just the way I'd do anything for him."
Hiromi stared, realising she'd been completely forgotten as Baron nuzzled his head against Haru's arms, giving a soft purr that he only did for the brunette girl who'd offered him sanctuary. Haru was rubbing her face into his soft fur, breathing in the scent, and Hiromi knew, instantly, that while she may have a chance at becoming Haru's friend, she could never compete with Baron for the place of best friend.
That didn't matter, though. She didn't need to be Haru's best friend to copy off her homework. Maybe with this smart girl as her new roommate, Hiromi could finally get her grades up.
The next year was chaotic to say the least for Haru's roommate. Hiromi had eight different classes to take every day, since she had worked hard to make sure she had the same schedule as Tsuge, and what with the lacrosse team and their late practice schedule, she sometimes didn't even make it back to her own dorm before falling asleep.
But one night, when Hiromi stumbled in a nine thirty - which was late even for her – she was completely surprised to hear Haru laughing quietly, and exchanging soft words with someone who sounded an awful lot like one of those English nobles you hear in the movies.
Hiromi grinned as she unlocked the door and stepped into the room, taking care to lock the door behind her. This should be good.
But even though she had heard the two of them talking, what she saw when she turned around still made her startled enough to drop her lacrosse stick.
Holy cow, he's hot!
Just because Hiromi was in love with Tsuge, didn't mean that she was blind to the charms of other guys. And this guy was tall, handsome and-
And he had Haru comfortably nestled against his side, both of them wearing matching smiles of contentment. Haru's tablet was propped up on some cushions in front of them, playing out some movie that Hiromi had never heard of. The two had yet to notice her, still completely absorbed in the movie and each other's presence.
The tall, tawny-haired guy carefully took his gloves off – and it was only then that Hiromi took in his formal button up and slacks – placing them on Haru's bed-side table. In doing so, he caught her eye, and flinched slightly.
"Haru?" he said quietly, reaching over to gently brush the brunette's hair away from her eyes.
For the first time since entering, Hiromi tore her eyes away from the handsome guy and took in Haru's appearance. She had the sheets covering her legs, and was wearing a casual grey t-shirt with black pyjama-shorts, with her hair down and flowing across her shoulder blades. Her eyes were shut, her posture relaxed as she leant against the guy's shoulder. When he gently ran his fingers over her cheekbone, she shifted slightly, a soft sigh escaping her, but then sank back into sleep.
The tawny-haired youth chuckled, glancing back at Hiromi. "It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Hiromi. Haru speaks about you quite a bit."
"Oh, um, cool, cool, yeah," Hiromi managed to stutter, still eyeing the man up and down. He shifted uncomfortably from the attention, causing Haru to stir against his side.
—
Haru felt Baron's fingers – ungloved, for once – gently caress her cheek, and she inhaled his scent, leaning into the touch. He continued to softly run his fingers along her cheekbone for a few moments, before stopping and shifting his position.
Haru frowned slightly, feeling suddenly cold now that Baron had moved. She's been drifting before then, but she'd gotten so used to having Baron right there against her side that now it was hard to sleep without him.
"Mm…Baron," Haru moaned, curling tighter into his side. "Is it morning yet?"
Baron chuckled, and ran his fingers gently through her hair, soothing her.
"No, love, it's still night," he reminded her softly.
Haru shivered at the endearment that he'd only used a few times before, and moved so that her head was laying in his lap. She heard his sharp intake of breath, and she thought she heard an echo of the sound from across the room, but brushed it off as her tired mind playing tricks on her.
"Then go back to sleep," she mumbled sleepily, barely decipherable through a yawn. But, as always, Baron understood her.
"No can do," he told her softly, his fingers still playing with her hair. "Miss Hiromi is back, and she seems to want an explanation."
—
"What?"
Hiromi watched as this piece of information made Haru drag her eyes open, blinking a few times to adjust to the light in the room. Baron, seeming to sense what she wanted, reached over to flick the lamp off.
"Thanks," Hiromi heard Haru say in response to the sudden darkness, and she heard the ruffling of bedsheets, which could only mean that her brunette roommate was getting up to talk to her.
But, to Hiromi's surprise, when her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, she saw that Haru had just drawn the sheets up to her shoulders, and still had her head comfortably positioned in Baron's lap.
Hiromi faked blindness for another few seconds, so that she could watch the two. Unlike when he had received her attention, Baron was practically basking in Haru's.
"What did you want me to explain, Hiromi?" asked Haru, jolting Hiromi out of her private thoughts.
"Well, for starters, who is this guy, exactly? I also just wanted to know if you wanted to stay up late to help with my homework," Hiromi said hopefully.
By 'stay awake to help with my homework' she meant 'I'll pretend to know what you're talking about while you give me all the answers'.
But to her dismay, Haru firmly shook her head – or, as firmly as she could while it was still in Baron's lap.
"Sorry, Hiromi, but I'm just too tired tonight. As for who this is, this is Baron Gikkingen, a very dear friend of mine who's going to be staying tonight. Please be nice to him."
Hiromi shrugged and batted her eyelashes coyly at Baron, hoping that he could see the action in the dark.
"Sure. I'll be nice."
For the next few minutes, Hiromi gathered her sleep clothes, and changed into them in the bathroom adjoining their room, all the while wondering what the two were talking about.
—
Baron watched the sleepy brunette who was currently using his lap as a pillow as she sighed and allowed her eyes to slip shut. Hiromi had gone to change in the bathroom, so now it was just the two of them lying there in the dark. Because of Baron's curse, he could see perfectly in the dark while in cat form, and his night-vision was better that most people's while he was human, but the darkness still cast shadows on Haru's peaceful face.
"Do you think she bought it?" Haru mumbled through another yawn.
"Bought what?" asked Baron, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he shifted her to lie her head on the pillow. "Technically, none of that was a lie."
Haru grinned at him, nestling comfortably into bed. "True. Now, please, go to sleep."
When Hiromi entered the room again, she blinked in surprise and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things, and then pinched herself to make sure she wasn't asleep. But no, this was really happening.
Haru – plain, sensible Haru – was lying in Baron's arms, sound asleep. The expression on her face matched the one on Baron's – one of peaceful happiness. But the part that startled Hiromi the most was the fact that Haru trusted anyone enough to let them hold her like that. She'd never shown that much trust towards Hiromi.
In fact, the only one Haru seemed to trust was that cat of hers, and now this Baron person.
"Huh," Hiromi said, staring at the couple lying across from her.
It looked like there was a little more to Haru than met the eye.
Chapter 4 – A Selfless Act
"Seriously, Haru, who is he?" Hiromi was needling the seventeen-year-old brunette, a few years after first meeting Baron in his human form.
Haru was walking down the road next to Hiromi, her usually pale cheeks flushed as she avoided her friend's swinging lacrosse stick. "I told you, Hiromi, he's a friend."
Hiromi rolled her eyes at her roommate, unintentionally hitting a passer-by over the head with her lacrosse stick. "Yeah right, like I'll believe that after finding you two in the position you were in last night."
Haru's cheeks grew hotter at the memory. Baron had been teaching her to dance after one of her more disastrous accident in gym class, and Haru had been doing surprisingly well under his tutelage until Hiromi had walked in just when Baron had been dipping her. Nothing had actually happened between them, but Hiromi had always been one to jump to conclusions. Yes, they had been incredibly close, and she may have been feeling slightly dizzy from the intensity of those glorious green eyes...
Haru involuntarily gave a dreamy sigh, and Hiromi giggled, guessing where her friend's mind was wondering. "Even if nothing did happen, it's obvious that you wish something had happened."
Haru attempted to stutter out a response to that, and only succeeded in tripping over her own feet…
A.N. Aaaaaaaaand that's it for this story. The thing you'll notice about these stories is that they'll just stop randomly. That's why I'm putting them all up on this book and calling them 'unfinished works'. I felt like I needed to publish something after years of reading via many different accounts, but at the same time I couldn't be bothered to pick one of my million unfinished stories and then actually think up an ending for it. So, you have this.
If anyone wants to finish any one of my unfinished stories, please PM me and I'll get back to you.