The Gift of Choice

Chapter 1

Gift Received

Haru shut the door to her small apartment and toed off her shoes. "I'm home," she said cheerily. She smiled as an orange tabby kitten came up to her, twined itself about her feet and insisted in it's own language that it was starving for attention and food. "I know, I know, I'm late, I'm sorry, really. But I had to buy groceries. She shifted the plastic bags on her arms which had been growing heavier by the second. Something about the last stretch always was the worst, she thought to herself. She carefully danced around her kitten and made her way to her small but tidy kitchen. Once they were on her small dining table she reached down and picked up the orange ball of fluff.

"Hello there, Kyo-chan." she still smiled at the name. Perhaps she should have been more original then naming the kitten after a Manga character, but Kyo honestly had the type of personality that she'd named him after. Very fiery, temperamental, and only adored one person well enough to behave for. It was a lucky thing she was that person.

Kyo purred loudly while she scratched under his chin then between his ears. In the midst of lavishing her cat with the attention he was demanding, her phone rang. She shifted the small cat to one arm and reached for the receiver, "Hello, Haru speaking. Oh hi mom. Yes, I'm fine. No I don't have plans... It's just my birth- - and I am very grateful you gave birth to me twenty - four years ago, but really I don't want to do anythi- - Honest! I've been so busy with work- Having tea with you would be fine mom. WHERE? That tea house is brand new we'll never get it!" she hesitated as her mother explained her plan, "You had reservations weeks ago? Well if you're sure you want to go there... I love you too. Thanks. Bai."

She hung up the phone and sighed. "No one can lay a guilt trip like a mother." She nuzzled Kyo's wet nose with her own dry one. "It seems this Sunday mom's taking me to the new tea house in celebration of my twenty - fourth birthday." Kyo just looked at her curiously, "I know my birthday's tomorrow, Kyo, but we're both so busy... Anyway, I'll come home early and we can eat fish and play tag with your new toy tomorrow. I even saved up enough money for a harness and leash so we can go outside on a walk." She put Kyo down with a smile.

Everything was perfect. She'd taken several college classes, had gotten a job, rented a small apartment, and was now on her own. She'd not been on her own long, just two years, and it wasn't easy, sometimes she barely scrimped by, but the new experiences made her stronger and while she was still clumsy, and sometimes a little shy and quiet, she had fought long and hard to build up her confidence and had in the eyes of others, become a self confident and assured young woman. She felt as if she could still learn more, but she was proud of herself for having come so far.

'And this would never have happened if it hadn't been for rescuing Prince Lune... without that, I never would have met the Baron...' she smiled peacefully, a warm feeling settling on her cheeks, as it often did when she thought of him.

Strange as it was to have feelings for a cat, it was stranger still that he wasn't even a cat. He was a figurine. A charming, witty, intelligent, cunning, chivalrous, figurine. That could still send her heart pounding when she dreamed of his eyes staring into hers...

'No, concentrate on something else,' she ordered herself. So she turned her focus onto the food she was making.

"--Eow!"

"Huh?" Haru jolted her head up at the sound of her cats mewing. What on earth was wrong with Kyo? Her eyes took a moment to adjust and she faintly saw the outline of Kyo at her door, pawing at it. She wasn't worried until he started hissing.

She listened and thought she heard a muffled... something, but perhaps it was her imagination. Although- - Kyo was acting oddly. OH NO! What if she'd forgotten to lock her front door and there was some pervert out there! The thought alone sent her heart racing, her tongue going dry in fear. Oh dear... a weapon! She needed a weapon and a phone- - No! Her only phone was in the kitchen!

She pulled back the covers and slowly eased herself off of her bed. Her body was shaking badly, fear and adrenaline mixing together. She went to her dresser and grabbed a figurine from off of it. The solid weight comforting her she eased to her door. Was there anyone out there? If only her heart weren't in her ears! Oh no... Please let it be nothing. Though Kyo's hissing had gotten louder, his tail was fluffed, and now he was growling. No, someone was out there! I should lock my door and pray they leave. I'm no hero. Decision made she reached out a trembling hand to her door knob and gently eased the lock to push in. Oh don't let them hear that! She prayed silently.

She backed away from the door and eased herself to the furthest corner in the room, and slowly sank to the carpet. As terrified as she was she felt herself begin to drift into a doze. And by the time Kyo had calmed down, she was in a fitful sleep, unaware that the danger had left.

Haru's first conscious thought was of the painful crick she was feeling in her neck. The next was that her poor rear was asleep and tingling in pain. Shifting her position so that the blood could flow better the feeling came back as pins and needles. What the? Hadn't she been in bed?

Kyo was curled beside her, asleep, a ray of sunshine making his orange fur glisten. Kyo? Floor? OH DEAR LORD. The burglar!

She jumped to her feet, dislodging the poor cat from his position and ran for her door, and opened it, the door clicked unlocked and she lurched into her living room, sure that she'd find it devoid of her precious items, and the more expensive ones.

Only to find that it wasn't. The tv, her small boom box, her used love couch, the old wood table and two chairs... the paintings... all there. She went about numbly checking her belongings, but no, they were all there. And somehow all the locks on the door were locked. The windows had been secured... Maybe it had been her imagination. But Kyo only reacted that way around strangers.

She put the statue on a cabinet as she walked into the kitchen, a survey of the cupboards and drawers and yes, even the refrigerator confirmed that nothing had been taken. And on her small little kitchen table was a package. Gold, purple, and silver. It was beautifully wrapped and on the little card it said, "Happy Birthday, Haru, May All You Dreams Come True."

"Maybe it was mom!" she gasped. "But why would mother sneak into my house in the middle of the night?" she asked Kyo, who had trailed after her. She sat down at her chair and pulled the present towards her. Kyo lept onto her lap and hissed, looking at the box. "Kyo-chan?" she tried to soothe him but he would have none of it. He lept onto her table grabbed the small box by the very ribbons that held it together and jumped down and dashed off before she could stop him. What on earth had possessed Kyo!

"Kyo!" She jolted out of her chair and chased him to where he was hiding under her bed. And he wasn't coming out. "Kyo..." she pleaded, half whining, "What is the matter with you!" She could see him, unhappily gnawing on the box as if trying to kill a mouse. "Well he'll never be able to get into it at least." she murmured. Kyo's ears went flat but he didn't stop. "I just don't get your weird mood swings Kyo. I really really don't." She sat up. Kyo was obviously not very happy. Maybe he'd be calmer later and by then will have forgotten her present. Then she could try and get it to open it.

"Alright, Kyo, you win. I'm going to eat breakfast." and with that she went into the kitchen to fix herself an egg and some tea. It wasn't any use, she'd drained her cup and was still exhausted. Sighing she went over to her phone and dialed the number to her job. "Taru - san? Listen, I really can't make it into work today... Last night was horrible... I heard someone trying to break in- -" the girl on the other end screeched in horror and began speaking so quickly Haru found it difficult to understand her, "N-no, everything is here and I'm fine, so he didn't manage to get in- - but I was up in my room all night... I didn't fall asleep until early in the morning. Yes I'll file a report. Yes... Yes, thank you Taru - san. Yes. Alright, good bye."

She sighed and hung up the phone and feeling very very worn out she went back to her room and shut the door behind her. A glance under the bed showed her that Kyo was still there, and still looking excessively unhappy.

She climbed into her cold bed and snuggled down into the covers and fell asleep, to exhausted to care that her present was presently being held hostage by her psychotic kitten.

Around noon she finally woke up, still bleary, but if she stayed in bed too long, she'd never get to bed early enough to be fresh for work tomorrow. Kyo was sprawled on top of the covers on her legs, asleep. Smiling she picked up her kitten and slowly shuffled to the living room. She turned on the T.V. and while listening to the news she opened Kyo's new toy and teased him with it, laughing whenever he over shot or caught the toy and tried to run off with it.

It wasn't until she'd finished her late lunch that she remembered her tattered gift under her bed. Smiling she went back to her room, Kyo was mauling his new toy before the T.V. hardly noticing his mistress' passing by. Once inside her room she flattened herself and after much wiggling and stretching, pulled the box out. Yes, it had taken quite a beating. She hoped her mother hadn't bought her something breakable. That would just be horrible if it had broken.

She stood up and opened her window, letting the light shine in. She placed it on her dresser top and tore open what was left of the wrappings. A white scratched up box was beneath. Smiling she opened the top of it and was rewarded with a loud 'POP' and powder exploded up into her face.

She coughed and wheezed, the stuff was strong and smelled oddly familiar. Ooo... She fanned at the air with her hand and finally cracked open an eyelid. Inside the box was nothing. It was empty.

She looked over to her small mirror. There was nothing to show for the explosion of powder, not even a speck of dust. Though her skin did feel kind of itchy. "Oh, I hope I wasn't allergic to that! But what was it-" Behind her she heard a meowing and saw Kyo, sitting on his hind legs, looking at her. And if she hadn't known any better, he looked very unhappy.

"Kyo?" she murmured. Funny, her eyes were beginning to itch and burn too. In fact, the whole of her body felt as if she were on fire. "I don't feel so-" she barely reached her bed before she fell into a very unnatural sleep.