White Magical Hat
Author: Chaos Valkyrie
First Conceptualized: July 13, 2005
Posted One-Shot: July 14, 2005
Updated: December 22, 2005

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own The Cat Returns. 'Cause if I did, the Cat in question would've never left Haru at the end…

Author's Note: I'll bet my reviewers from my other stories are PO'd with me right now. I have updated three of my other stories – CoD, HLH, and OFD – but the others still need some editing… and instead of finishing them, I'm writing another Cat Returns one-shot. Methinks there must be an orange kitty mixed in with the plot bunnies… Oh well. Here's a little bit of fluff to make your day…

Hiromi ran through the Crossroads, looking frantically about her. It was already three o' clock, and today, of all days, Haru had to call her out for a mysterious meeting. But Haru had sounded so hysterical that Hiromi had swallowed her rebukes and ran out of her apartment as fast as she could. And now here she was, running like a maniac through town, trying to find her best friend.

Hiromi finally found Haru at the café at the center of the Crossroads district, sitting at an outdoor table, a mug of tea clutched in a death grip. It took Haru a minute to realize Hiromi was there, and when she finally did, her hands started to tremble, as did her lower lip. Hiromi was worried. She hadn't seen Haru act like this since before that whole "cat thing" a couple of years ago.

"Haru! What happened! Why aren't you getting ready for prom?"

This was the wrong thing to say. Haru threw herself at Hiromi, sobbing into her shoulder. Hiromi sat there for a moment, stunned, trying to make out Haru's heaving words.

"Machida… broke up… today…" Haru sobbed. Hiromi's eyes widened.

"Machida broke up with you – on the day of the prom!" she gasped, holding Haru away from her. Haru nodded, gulping and trying to get a grip on herself.

"He's… taking that junior… he used to go out with…" Haru gulped. Hiromi swore.

"That bastard. That good-for-nothing bastard!" she growled, eyes glinting dangerously. Haru heaved a sigh, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Haru started.

"Don't be. I can't believe his nerve…" Hiromi growled.

Haru tried to smile. "I'm still sorry to pull you away from getting ready. You and Tsuge will have a great time…"

"Not without you we won't," Hiromi said determinedly. Haru looked slightly taken aback.

"But I'm not going…"

"Uh-uh. You are going to go, even if it's just to show him that you're better than him! C'mon, Haru, you're not going let him think that something like this can break you?" Hiromi's voice took on a distinct inspirational speaker tone. "You've grown into such a confident, beautiful young woman in the last two years, Haru. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to show everyone what a mature, proud, wonderful woman you've become?"

"Well…"

Hiromi switched tactics and started begging shamelessly. "Besides," she said with a perfect whiny pout, "You know I could never enjoy myself if my best friend doesn't come to prom? Who will Tsuge and I have to talk to if you're not there?"

"Or who will chaperone you two if I'm not there?" Haru asked sarcastically, a slight smile playing on her lips. Hiromi's parents had threatened to follow their daughter the entire evening if Haru and her date didn't accompany them. Hiromi snorted.

"Whatever. C'mon Haru. Show them all how great you are. It'll make him look and feel like a loser in comparison."

"Well…" Haru began to cave in.

Hiromi went for the final blow. "Besides, don't you think you owe it to this Baron-person to go, after all he's done for you?"

"How'd you know about him?" Haru's face turned beet red.

"I didn't. But you sometimes mumble to yourself when you fall asleep in class." Hiromi grinned as Haru spluttered.

"You're horrible!" Haru yelled, swatting at Hiromi. Hiromi cackled.

"So, are you still going to come?"

Haru sighed. "I guess… but I hope someone else will be there alone, or I'm going to feel like such the third wheel."

The two friends got up to leave, talking about dance preparations, Haru rather half-heartedly. Meanwhile, a large white cat's ears twitched nearby.

'Yes, I was right all along,' Haru thought grimly to herself several hours later. Here it was, her senior prom, and she had let Hiromi talk her into going in spite of her horrible break-up earlier in the day.

Haru brushed an imaginary wrinkle from the skirt of her dress. Two months ago, Haru's mother had gone shopping for patterns, and after a month of waiting and teasing, she had finally finished Haru's dress. It was pale green, the color of spring's first growth, according to her mother's fond smile. Haru liked it because it was strikingly similar to a pair of green eyes she had known long ago…

She sighed again, crossing her arms. Her senior prom, and here she was, acting the part of a wall flower while everyone else enjoyed themselves. It was bad enough that Hiromi and Tsuge had disappeared into the crunch of bodies that was the dance floor, but seeing Machida… that was almost more than she could bear. But she kept her chin up, refusing to let him see her as anything other than strong.

A slow dance started, and Haru let out another long sigh, dropping her head into her hands, feeling her pinned curls jangle about her ears. Just what she did not need, a long romantic slow dance sitting by herself…

"Excuse me, but may I have this dance?" a voice said in clipped tones. Haru felt all the blood rush to her face as she peeked out from between her fingers. A man was standing there, and she couldn't tell if he was her age or older in the dim light. She lifted her head for a better view.

He had light hair that appeared to be orangey-blond in color, and the most piercing green eyes she had seen since the Cat Kingdom. His white gloved hand held a single yellow rose out towards her, and he looked resplendent in a white tuxedo and dark green vest. His eyes glittered with amusement as he patiently waited for her reply.

"Um, okay," she gulped, aware that she must look like a total fool sitting there with her mouth open, staring. But really, the coincidence was way too much…

Haru took the rose from his hand, pinning it to her gown with trembling hands. She then gracefully rose to her feet, take his proffered hand. "I warn you, though, I'm a…" she paused, biting back the word that almost came out. "I'm a lousy dancer."

He smiled slightly. "Trust me… I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."

Haru's face turned red again. It couldn't be…

The man led her to the dance floor and into the crowd, his white tuxedo glowing among the dark suits of the other men present. He turned to face Haru, keeping her hand in his as he put his other on her waist. Her eyes were wide, and she followed his lead instantly as he pulled her into the dance. She couldn't think, and a thousand fond memories flashed before her as she tried to focus on the amused, cool green eyes before her.

The dance ended, and gave way to another slow dance. There were fewer couples on the floor, however, as most of them had stopped dancing to watch the perfect pair. Haru and her partner took no notice, however, as her attention was focused solely on the man before her as he swirled her about the floor. Somehow… he couldn't be, but somehow, he was so much like…

Haru blinked, as if awaking from a dream as clapping and loud pop music broke through her haze. Her partner smiled, bowing slightly to the crowd as they slowly left the floor, and other couples moved back out to dance to the faster tune. He pulled a watch from his pocket, and Haru watched his eyes wince as he noted the time. She opened her mouth to ask him any one of a thousand questions, but before she could…

Someone glomped her forcefully, tearing her hand from his near the edge of the crowd.

"Oh, Haru, you looked wonderful out there!" Hiromi gushed, hugging her friend delightedly. "See, I told you you'd have a good time! Machida looked so jealous! Who is he!"

Haru looked wildly about for a glimpse of white tuxedo. She broke away from Hiromi, muttering an apology as she searched frantically for some sign of him…

There. A glimpse of white through the glass of the doors that led outside. She flung the doors open, running out into the yard. "Wait!"

He paused at the bottom of the steps, one hand at his side, the other hidden before him. "I cannot stay, Haru. It's almost midnight… I must depart."

Haru smirked. "Before the magic runs out? Who are you, Cinder-fella?" she asked.

Her smile faded as he turned serious eyes towards her over his shoulder. She ran down the rest of the steps, pausing at his eye level.

"Please, just tell me who you are," she asked.

He paused, a small smile gracing his lips. "I am exactly who I appear to be."

Haru went cold, unbelieving, her eyes wide. "Please, just give me your name," she begged, needing to know for certain.

The man turned to her, and her eyes stayed focused on his as he took her hand. "Haru, I…" he sighed, biting back his words, and brushed his lips against the back of her hand before turning to leave once more.

She wouldn't let go of his hand, however. Not when she was this close. Not when he made her feel the way he did, a way she hadn't felt since another dance two years ago. He turned back, looking at her hand as it clung to his.

"Please," she whispered, not really sure what she was asking for anymore as he closed the distance between them…

His lips met hers, briefly, and she felt a jolt of pure thrilling electricity run down her spine. She stared into his eyes as he pulled away, his hand reaching up to run through the curls at her shoulder, once. His face was sad, regretful, and full of longing.

"I'm sorry, Haru. I'm… truly sorry," he finished, pulling away and disappearing into the night.

Haru stood, frozen, staring into the darkness where he had disappeared. Reality slowly came back to her, the loud music behind her awakening her from her stupor. She turned to go, but glanced back once more before she headed inside. She stopped as her eyes caught sight of something, and she nearly collapsed on the step right there as a sudden dizziness took hold.

For there, sitting primly on the bottom step, was a white silk top hat.

End Note: All right, I couldn't help giggling like a little girl while I wrote this. Normally, I write very little pure, fluffy romance, since I'm really not a fluffy person. Actually, I'm about as cold prickly as they get, but we all have weak moments, so enjoy it while it lasts.

The title is actually a Yu-Gi-Oh! reference, but it was the best I could do, because I ran out of Cat-themed titles for this one… well, I did have a cat-themed title, but that's being saved for the chaptered fic. This one-shot will have something to do with the chaptered ficcie, but since its all still being plotted, I wanted to set this one out now because it doesn't fit with the main story. So, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll probably start posting the Cat Returns fic after I get DWG:TWT, KC, DC, and HitSR updated. Whew!

Oh, and for further reference, the human-Baron was inspired by kiwifluff's picture… go check it out! I followed her links from someone else's story here, and… whoa. Human Baron is HOT!