The Bureau Files: Series 3

ooOoo

A/N:Today's case is brought to you by a guest writer - the lovely KuraiArcoiris. I have been hugely privaleged to work alongside such a talented writer, who has brought such a fantastic story to my series.

Cat.

ooOoo

Episode 7: The Prison (Part 1)

Written by: KuraiArcoiris

The rain pounded outside of the windows of the shop as Haru leaned against the counter. Everything was rather quiet inside the shop, even the animals. Apparently the pounding rain had sapped their energy as much as it had Haru's. She wished she had brought a book to read. All her normal tasks around the shop were done, and now she would probably be waiting for another hour and a half with nothing to do but stare out the windows. She couldn't even look forward to conversation until her shift was over since Michael was out buying supplies and Hiromi wouldn't get off work until after she did. And she highly doubted a customer would be coming in this kind of weather.

The bell above the shop door tinkled, and Haru immediately straightened. A tall man in a long coat stood in the doorway carefully shaking a black umbrella. Haru stared at the man for a moment longer than polite before making her way over to him.

"Good afternoon, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I believe it is I that can help you," said the man with a wide grin that caused every goosebump to rise on Haru's flesh. Dark grey eyes grinned into hers. "I'm making a delivery."

"Oh? The owner didn't tell me we were expecting any," said Haru backing away as casually as possible. The store didn't get packages. Not through the front door. Mr. Banner usually received them at the back door, or Michael would go and fetch them himself.

"As I heard tell, a business partner sent the surprise," said the man, and Haru noticed his words sounded like he was trying very hard to sound native when he was a foreigner. He certainly looked like one. Haru forced herself to relax. Maybe the man was telling the truth and simply was new to town and didn't know about the backdoor. And maybe she should angle herself closer to the horse whips. He stepped forward and deposited the package in her arms before she could get closer to the equestrian section. He gave her a strange salute. "Have a good day, ma'am."

Awkwardly holding the medium-sized package in her arms, Haru stared after the stranger who walked out the door without grabbing his umbrella. His dark suit was already darkening as he turned the corner. She stared down at the unassuming brown package. Haru knew one thing for sure. She wasn't giving the box to Mr. Banner.

ooOoo

The usually squabbling could be heard as she carried the box into the Refuge. The insults ceased flying as both insulting and insulted parties turned to stare at her.

"Hey, Haru," said Toto, seamlessly untangling himself from the argument to greet her. "We weren't expecting you until later, and especially not in this weather."

"Yeah, the rain just let up a couple of minutes ago," said Muta, sinking his body into a sitting position.

"Baron kicked us out the moment it stopped because this sorry excuse for a lard ball wouldn't let him concentrate," said Toto.

"Yeah? And your annoying tweeting didn't distract him?"

"If you would have kept your giant trap shut—"

"Take that back, birdbrain!"

"You need new insults, you uncreative ball of fat!"

"Why you—"

"I think that is more than enough you two," said Baron as he stepped out of the Bureau. His posture was stiffer than usual, and his face was pinched with annoyance. His features softened a bit as he looked at Haru. "You've been at it for more than three hours. Besides, you are ignoring Haru in favour of your bickering, and she appears to need our attention. Haru, what are you doing here at this time? You told us you wouldn't be done with work for a few more hours."

"Yes, I did," said Haru as both her and the package shrunk to Baron's size. She touched the necklace around her neck gently, grateful that its magic shrunk her and the package. She had purposefully left the umbrella in the entrance to the Sanctuary since she didn't want test its ability to shrink along with the box. Getting squished by one thing was bad enough. "But I closed up the store early. I'll explain to Michael and Mr. Banner later, but I thought it was important to get this here."

"What is it?" asked Baron, glancing at the box in her hand.

"I don't know. But the man who brought it was… weird. And it feels weird too. So I brought it here. It's better to be safe than sorry, right?" said Haru, walking past Baron and into the Bureau with plans to place the box on the table. She looked over her shoulder as Baron and the other two followed her in. "You can check it for anything dangerous, can't you? Just in case the man wasn't telling the truth. I mean, he could just be a weird foreigner who just moved here, but with us, it never seems to be just a coincidence with us, so…"

"I will check it over. As you said, with us it is rarely coincidence," said Baron as he neared the table.

"Thank you, Baron. I'm worried I'm being just paranoid, but I'd rather be sure," said Haru. She caught sight of the back of the Bureau. Papers, files, and books were strewn about along with empty and half-filled boxes and shelves. She shifted her grip on the box. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Just Baron's annual reorganizing," said Toto.

"He gets a little annoyed when he's interrupted," said Muta as he crossed his paws. "At least he does when we do it."

"It is hardly good manners to leave a lady waiting, Muta," said Baron. He stepped forward to take the box from under Haru's hand, but she moved it away.

"I'll bring it back tomorrow, then," said Haru. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Haru, this is urgent. That can wait. A quick check won't take too long."

"Fine," said Haru, still keeping the box out of reach. "But then you have to let me help."

"With what?"

"That, of course," said Haru gesturing the mess of documents and pulling the box further away.

"I appreciate your offer, but it isn't really fair since you would have to help me for hours in return for a few minutes of my time."

"Considering I probably came in and made you lose your train of thought, I think it's fair enough. Besides, those are records of all your former cases if I'm not mistaken. I think it'd be fun to go through those. Unless you have something in there you don't want me to see?"

"I have no secrets from you, Miss Haru, but I must insist on helping you without receiving anything in return," said Baron.

"And I insist in helping you in return. So I guess we're at an impasse."

"Apparently."

"Why doesn't Chicky just open the box and let us see what's in the box, and then you two can continue with your lover's quarrel."

A blush decorated both Haru and Baron's cheeks to differing degrees, but Haru quickly recovered.

"You do know that curiosity killed the cat, Muta?"

"Considering that Baron's still here, I consider that saying's invalid."

"Considering your big mouth, I consider everything you say invalid," said Toto.

"That's it, I'm feeling like chicken stew tonight!" yelled Muta as he leapt at Toto.

"Well you're going to have to find one then, because I'm a crow not a chicken," Toto yelled back as he jumped back in a flurry of feathers and out of the Bureau. Baron sighed as Muta followed Toto outside and the near-unending bickering continued. The gentle-cat turned to continue his discussion with Haru when he noticed she had opened the box. His fur stood on end as he felt the magic drifting from the opened box.

"It doesn't look dangerous," she said quietly as she reached into the box and pulled out a bouquet of single-striped cloth lilies. "They're beautiful."

"Haru!" shouted Baron as he snatched the bouquet out of the surprised girl's hands. An instant later, she was left staring at the empty spot where Baron once stood.

"Baron," whispered Haru, hoping that her eyes were fooling her. Her call went unanswered.

ooOoo

The shaking did not wake Baron pleasantly, but it did wake him. He blinked as he looked into familiar blue eyes. His own widened as he stared into them, shocked at seeing them so close and alive and real. But he quickly narrowed his gaze in confusion. Why would it be surprising to see his fiancée's eyes?

"Baron," sighed a sweet voice in a feminine version of his own accent. "Why do you always insist on doing this to yourself?"

"Doing what?" he whispered in a hoarse voice. He pulled himself off the floor and nearly groaned as pain battled with soreness up and down his back. His attention was briefly caught by a pile of lilies that lay crushed beside him, but his fiancée quickly stepped into his line of vision again.

"It never goes well, so I don't know why you insist on poking your nose in other people's business," said the dazzling white Half-Cat bent over him. Her vivid blue eyes glazed over as she stared at something over his shoulder. "And it almost couldn't have gone worse this time."

Baron followed her gaze to a black Half-Cat he was sure he was sure he hadn't seen before. The black Half-Cat held his head in one hand and barely responded to the full grey Cat on the tall stool touching his face. A flashlight was being shone into the Half-Cat's unfocused eyes by a young woman.

"What happened?" asked Baron, straightening himself and dusting himself off, fully intending to make his way over to offer whatever help he could. Gloved hands grabbed his arm.

"Stay here," she said. "He probably won't want to see neither hide nor fur of you for a while. Or drive a carriage, I expect."

"Carriage?"

"I suppose you took a hit to the head this time," continued the white Half Cat with a resigned air. "For future reference, your attempt to keep cats from getting run over ended about as well as your attempt to help kittens down from trees."

"A cat was run over?" asked Baron, quite alarmed.

"No. And it was never going to be run over. There was, however, a traumatized carriage driver who had to swerve out of the way to keep from running over a reckless, somewhat well-meaning Half Cat."

"I suppose that 'reckless, somewhat well-meaning Half Cat' comment would be referring to me."

"Unfortunately, dear, I am. You caused the entire carriage to turn over. Thank God there wasn't anyone inside."

"I should go apologize," said Baron making to go over to the fallen Half-Cat.

"Neither hide nor fur, dear," Louise gently reminded him as she held fast to his arm. She firmly but kindly led him away. "Doctor Thomas already wanted you to go get your head more thoroughly checked."

"Considering my lack of memory, going in for some tests sounds like a fine idea."

"I don't think he meant the same tests you do, my dear."

Without further argument, Baron allowed Louise to lead him away from the white room that had to be an infirmary. He struggled to remember how exactly he ended up in this situation or anything leading up to this moment. Perhaps because of the accident or something else, he could not remember anything past Louise. A vague image of brown eyes flashing away from something and towards him interlaced deep soul-filling panic and unexplainable affection that teased the edges of consciousness, but he couldn't grasp anything more of the memory. Seeing as the eyes were brown and not clear blue like Louise's or deep blue like the black Half-Cat's, then perhaps the memory was a bit older and therefore harder to reach. His mother perhaps? But he didn't have a mother. Did he?

The two Half-Cats finally arrived at a familiar grey, green-trimmed house, and Baron stared at in relief. He had recognized and remembered this place. This was his home. He even recognised the houses surrounding it. But… He glanced at the woman dragging him towards it. Why did he feel like she didn't belong there? Again, the almost memory of brown eyes nudged its way forward as did blurs of cream fur and black feathers.

Meanwhile, the white Half-Cat dragged him into the house, and Baron's thoughts were interrupted when she sat him down in his chair.

"Baron, I know you hate it when I do this, but we need to talk," said Louise remaining standing and fiddling with her gloved hands. "I was serious this time. This getting involved in other people's problems isn't... well, I think it has been well proven by this point that these… attempts ever end well."

"But I have always preferred a life of sticking my nose in other people's problems," said Baron, another vague image – or rather feel – of a sword and amusement mixed with slight admiration and that persistent image of brown eyes.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, but I understand, Baron, I do. However it would be one thing if you asked people before you got involved or if you made a reasonable plan, but the way you go about it only ends with people hurt, so the best solution would be to cease helping all together."

"How can I ignore someone who needs assistance?"

"By remembering that people get hurt when you 'help,'" said Louise. "And since you lack some of your memory at the moment, I will gladly remember for you. First, there was the incident with the kitten. You managed to climb the tree well enough but your weight caused the branch holding the kitten to snap. Poor child was recovering from various broken bones for months. And then that time with the Count's lost watch. You found it only after burning a whole wing of his manor. And the time we went to the seaside and the woman was drowning…"

The words seemed to fade as the brown eyes beckoned him to an image of them wide in terror and a wide fin and barrel all-too close, an almost gigantic human male screaming with a wildness to his movements, those brown eyes again drowning in pain and surrounded by scarring fur... How could fur be scarring? For some reason, he didn't want to recall or know why. How could he helping anyone have caused such a horrifying vision?

"Are you listening?"

Baron's attention snapped back to the female Half-Cat. He started to open his mouth, but the other Half-Cat cut him off.

"Never mind. I know you weren't. Baron," she said in a sigh, "I'm only telling you this so that you won't end up hurting someone and regretting it for your entire life." Gloved hands reached up to stroke his furred cheeks. "I love you too much for that."

When the sparkling blue eyes looked into his own, Baron pushed back all thoughts of those haunting brown. He placed a gloved hand over the one of his right cheek, sure of one thing.

"I know. But I cannot ignore those in need."

"I know," she echoed his words as she drew nearer. The motion should have caused him to draw closer, but those brown eyes would not be pushed away so easily. She noticed his hesitation and drew no closer, instead starting to speak again. "It's one of the reasons I love you so much. But Baron, you are hopeless, you know that? Even if people are in need, as you put it, they do not need your help. It will only make things worse for those around you."

"I must always try."

"Then I am afraid you will have to learn the hard way, dear. And all I can hope is that you will not suffer too much from it." Louise removed her hands. "And that no one else will."

Baron said nothing. Outside the window, a little boy with a newsboy's cap stared at the silent Baron with interest. This one would be particularly hard to break.

ooOoo

"Calm down," Toto said trying to unruffled his feathers. "Okay. Let's try again. What happened?"

"I don't know!" cried Haru. "He was here, and then he wasn't!"

"Calm down, Haru," Toto repeated. "We're just trying to help."

Muta grunted in agreement. Their argument had been interrupted by a scream the likes of which Muta hadn't heard since the Cat Kingdom incident. He'd forgotten what a pair of lungs their Haru had.

"I know, I know," said Haru, taking deep breaths. "It's just… I don't know what happened. I took the flowers out of the box and then he grabbed them out of my hand and disappeared into thin air."

"So you've said," said Muta. "Honestly, I don't know why Birdbrain asked for you to tell us again. It's not like the story's going to change into one where Baron doesn't disappear."

"I thought she might have something to add," said Toto. "I'm only trying to help, Pig-Cat."

"Overgrown chicken."

"Unimaginative fatso."

"Why you idiot Bir—"

"Enough!" said Haru, her volume rising enough for the threat to be made clear. "We're never going to find Baron like this!"

"Find him? Chicky, Baron's been in tougher scrapes. He'll be back soon enough. Baron knows how to take care of himself."

"I know that," snapped Haru. She took a deep breath. "Sorry. I don't mean to be so short. But how can you be so calm? Baron's out there somewhere, and somewhere for us is so much bigger than somewhere for everyone else. How are we supposed to find him?"

"First, somewhere is the same size for everyone, it's just that we know exactly how big 'somewhere' is. Second, are you going deaf? I said that Baron knows how to take care of himself. He'll figure out how to get back to us on his own."

"So we're going to wait around for Baron to come back on his own?"

"It's worked for us before," said Muta with a shrug.

"Baron has disappeared from time to time. He's always made it back in one piece. Don't worry so much, Haru. Trust Baron," said Toto.

"I can't believe you two," Haru growled, her voice not raising but lowering. "You say Baron's your friend. Your best friend! And you're just going to leave him to fend for himself?"

"We already told you, Chicky—"

"Don't you Chicky me, Muta! When you were missing, Baron didn't stop searching for you. And I doubt he would for you either, Toto."

The stone crow fluttered his wings in an embarrassed manner while the fat white cat grunted.

"Do you really want Baron to come back from who knows where, assuming you're right and he does, to find us all here twiddling our thumbs? What are we going to tell him? That we knew he was going to make it back so we didn't even try looking for him? Can you honestly tell me that in any of the other times that Baron took off, you didn't have some idea where he went or why?"

"He does usually leave a note," Toto admitted. "But Baron's been capable of taking care of himself long before he met any of us."

"Well now he has us to help take care of him too. So are you going to help me find Baron or not?"

"Fine, Chicky. We get the idea. We'll help you find Baron if only to shut your trap."

"Good," said Haru. She looked at the mess in the back of the Bureau. "And I have a good idea of where we can start. Baron recognized those flowers and grabbed them out of my hands, so maybe something in his files can tell us what they were."

Quickly, Haru waded carefully through the strewn papers and books and started to pick some up. The other two exchanged glances.

"Looks like that didn't work."

"What did you think was going to happen, you dumb pig-cat? You thought that she'd hear that Baron could take care of himself and leave it at that? Even you aren't that dumb."

"It was worth a try, you overgrown pigeon. Whatever took Baron isn't going to be nice, and he wouldn't want her dragged into it. He did push her out of the way."

"Yeah, but keeping Haru out of the search was never a real option. We've simply have to keep her out as much trouble as we can."

"'Cause that's easy."

"Whatever whispered argument you guys are having over there, you can have it later. Get over here and help already!" called Haru, the files in her arms threatening to spill back onto the ground.

"Yes, ma'am," the two said in perfect unison. Exchanging one more glance, they called a wordless truce. They doubted that Haru would be as forgiving of their squabbles as she usually was, and they both didn't like to bleed from their ears.

ooOoo

Baron's hand rose to his smarting cheek as the beautiful black-haired woman marched away.

"What happened this time?" asked Louise as she took her place by his side.

"All I did was pick up her handkerchief," said Baron, still confused by the turn of events.

"Did she drop it near another man?" asked Louise.

"She might have."

"Then it wasn't meant for you to pick up," said Louise. She sighed quietly as Baron's ears tilted the slightest bit downwards. A small smile crossing her face, she said, "Thankfully, I didn't have to use any of those kind of methods to catch your attention. Being made for one another does have its perks."

"I was only trying to help," Baron defended straightening himself.

"And I've warned you repeatedly not to." Her eyes flicked towards a woman glowering at them from the corner. "I had hoped after this morning, you would have finished for today."

Baron followed her gaze and flinched.

"I have already apologized repeatedly to Lady Rei. I did not mean to expose her undergarments to the whole street, only help her up."

"This is why I want you to stop. You mean well, but sometime good intentions do not translate into good actions. And in your case, all the good intentions in the world do not change the fact that you shouldn't help."

"I cannot—"

"You cannot ignore a person in need. So you've said time and time again," said Louise. She met his gaze only for his eyes to look quickly in another direction. Another human woman had drenched herself in liquid, and Baron's hand inched towards his handkerchief. His hand was soon caught in a far daintier one. "But enough is enough for today. Don't you think?"

"I hardly see how offering a handkerchief would cause any harm."

"Why don't you watch then," said Louise. A human man stepped forward and offered a handkerchief. The woman blushed and took the offered handkerchief. "See. As I said, I am glad I didn't need such methods, though that looks entirely accidental. Sometimes, you have to let actions take their course without meddling."

"I see," said Baron, allowing his arm to drop. "Though I am certain that is not always the case."

"In your case, it is."

"We'll see," said Baron as he watched the other gentleman escort the drenched lady out of the room. For a moment, he had thought he had recognized the woman. Maybe she had been the nurse with the doctor from the carriage incident? And why did he feel like she reminded him of someone else? Light brown hair and honey-coloured eyes… or were they light brown? The dark brown eyes that lurked in the back of his thoughts returned to the forefront, and a wrongness that continued to reappear filled him, a sense that his very life wasn't what it should be. Or could be. He pushed the thoughts back.

"Baron, are you all right?" asked Louise.

"I'm fine. Would you like me to fetch you a drink? You haven't had much to eat since this morning, and the dinner part of this party doesn't seem to be starting any time soon."

"I appreciate the thought, Baron, but I will go get my own drink. I meant what I said about enough being enough. But I would very much enjoy a dance when I return."

Baron managed a smile at the request, although the brown eyes continued to exert their presence in his mind.

From the corner of the room, a child dressed in fancy dinner clothes and a child's riding cap sat. He stared and shook his head as Baron moved towards a blond Half-Cat struggling with moving a pianoforte from a corner. As Baron helped the Half-Cat lift the pianoforte, the Half-Cat lost his balance, and the pianoforte landed on the blond's foot. Baron quickly made his way around the instrument, but the blond pushed him away and in so doing twisted his ankle. Before Baron could do anything else, Louise appeared and caught his arm and dragged him away. Again, the boy shook his head. He didn't want to take more drastic measures, but apparently this Baron would learn no other way.

ooOoo

Haru rubbed her forehead as she picked up her 33rd file. She skimmed through it, and as she did so, a brief smile came to her face. So Baron had cases like this one too. After reading about aiding successions and corralling monsters and discovering lost histories, it was fun to read about how Baron had helped a girl find her lost guinea pig. She giggled at the side note that guinea pigs did not make good mounts.

"Find something interesting, Chicky?"

"Nothing of use, Muta," said Haru, putting the file on the already-read pile. She slumped further into her chair as she grabbed another pile from the to-read pile. "These files would be more interesting to go through at about any other time, but right now, it's just frustrating. Even if Baron wasn't in the middle of reorganizing, I can't figure out what method he was using. None of the files were by year or alphabetical order—"

"Actually, they are in alphabetical order," interrupted Toto as he placed another file in the already-read pile, "by their titles in German. Baron's first language is German."

"German? But all of these are in Japanese," said Haru.

"That's where you're wrong. The files are in German, but you're reading them in Japanese because the Sanctuary is helping you."

"Oh," said Haru. She already knew that the Sanctuary's magic helped her with understanding and speaking other languages. Why not reading them too? "Did either of you find anything useful?"

"Nothing. Though I finally figured out what happened that time we had an unscheduled lunar eclipse," said Muta. His muzzle wrinkled. "He's such a show-off sometimes."

"He's a show-off a lot of the time, but that doesn't help us find him," sighed Haru as she set down a file describing an underwater fortress that kept getting infested with air bubbles. Not one mention of flowers. Let alone single-striped lilies.

"You should call it a night, Haru," said Toto. "We'll keep searching through the files, and I'll come get you if we find anything."

"No," said Haru firmly. "I'm not leaving until we find something."

Half an hour later, Haru's head and arms lay spread on the cluttered table. Carefully, Toto placed the soft throw over the sleeping girl. She showed no sign of disrupting the papers, so Toto didn't feel the need to move her from her slumped position between the couch and table that had her cheek pressed to one of Baron's many files. The crow worried that if he tried to move her, she would wake up and insist on continuing to look through the files instead of sleep.

"She's going to wake up with quite the pain in the neck," grunted Muta softly.

"Yeah, but at least she'll get some sleep. She's going to burn herself out," replied Toto just as softly.

"I don't want to be the one to tell her, but this is going nowhere," said Muta. "Those things are endless and I can't understand half of what Baron was writing about. I don't think he meant for anyone but himself to read those things."

"Maybe he meant for someone closer to his intelligence level to read them," said Toto, not resisting the opportunity. A sharp glance from the fat cat who quickly gestured with his eyes to Haru caused the crow to shift in slight embarrassment. He couldn't believe the ill-tempered cat had to remind him of their truce. If anything, it should be the other way around. Coughing a bit, Toto continued, "Baron does like to be overly detailed sometimes. The simpler cases without too much magic involved are easy to read, but even I can't understand most of his explanations."

"And looking for someplace that Baron talks about flowers in all that gibberish is like looking for a yellow needle in a very boring haystack. Baron doesn't mention flowers unless they have to do with a spell or are part of the problem. And it's usually roses or poppies or even those stupid talking flowers."

"So you're saying we need a new source of information," said Toto putting a wing under his beak.

"If that's what it takes to stop reading Baron's show-offy writing."

Toto opened his beak to comment on Muta's choice of words, but Haru shifted slightly and ended his comment before it began. Instead, another idea took root.

"Where's the box the flowers came in? I have an idea of who could help us."

ooOoo

Haru groaned as she lifted her head off the file she had yet to finish reading. Blinking, she registered the sunlight streaming in through the windows. In a slight panic, she searched for the clock on the wall.

"Ten thirty! Muta, Toto, how could you let me sleep this long?!"

"Easy. You didn't fall asleep until five in the morning. I don't know how you think you're going to help Baron on less than six hours of sleep in the last three days, but I can tell you you're deluding yourself."

"I'll get some sleep when we get Baron back."

"Seeing as you just got up, he'd better get back in the next fifteen hours."

"Muta, are you reading the paper?"

"I am," said the fat cat folding back said newspaper to get a good look at Haru. "So what?"

"You're supposed to be looking through these files!" said Haru, her volume slowly rising. She gestured wildly at the stacks of files sitting in front of her. "Why are you reading the newspaper!? And where is Toto?!"

Haru's breaths came out ragged and thick as if they were losing the fight to keep from becoming sobs. Haru dropped her head into her hands as she half-slouched over the files she had fallen asleep on.

"Who am I kidding?" she whispered. "We've been looking through these for days, and I can't understand half of what Baron put in here. Magic's so confusing."

"That's what I told Birdbrain. That's why the feather duster's out. He had an idea of who could help us find Baron."

"Really?" said Haru lifting her head from her hands.

"Really. He went to see if the guy had any way of figuring out where Baron is."

"When will he be back?"

Muta shrugged. "Sooner or later. But by how fast Birdbrain left, it shouldn't be long."

"Not long indeed," said a voice from the door. "In fact, he has already returned."

A somewhat familiar figure stood at the entrance to the Bureau. Haru stared at the short man (who was weirdly only a quarter of an inch taller than her current height) for full minute before her foggy, tired mind finally registered who he was.

"You're Toto's creator, aren't you? Professor Pit or something…or was it Dr. Ninibrik?"

"Both are practically correct," said the man. "I go by Professor Pipt nowadays, but I was once known as Dr. Nikidik. Toto told me of the good Baron's disappearance, and so I made haste to come over and help you. I even brought an… acquaintance of mine."

"After all this time, I am still merely an acquaintance, am I? I was having tea with your family when young Toto came to call," said a female voice. It oddly reminded Haru of a bell in an almost literal way.

"I do not recall inviting you," said Professor Pipt.

"But your 'son' did, in a matter of speaking. She said she was going to visit, and I came along. I could hardly leave my newest apprentice alone, could I?" continued the female voice as a woman (taller than the man but still around Haru's height) with long rich, red hair and bright, blue eyes. Her white dress sparkled and added light to the room. Haru knew her Wizard of Oz enough to know who this was.

"Glinda the Good?" Haru whispered.

"That's right," said the gorgeous woman. Her hands clapped together as she grinned widely at Haru nearly blinding her. "It's such a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you, and I've wanted to meet you for the longest time."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," said Haru still dazzled from the woman's—sorceress's entrance.

"You're such a sweet girl, aren't you? I'm glad I came. It's not like Pipt here could have come here any other way."

"Because someone sealed my magic," the professor grumbled.

"And someone withheld the location of the heir to Oz, so I believe we are more than even," answered Glinda without losing her smile. "Now, let's get to finding the lost Baron, shall we?"

"Of course," the professor said above a grumble as he stepped further into the Bureau followed by the dazzling vision of a woman.

"Haru, are you all right?" asked Toto.

"Yeah, I think so," said Haru as she rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry about the unexpected guest," said Toto as he perched himself on the second story balcony. "With a little help from Jules, I went to see if Dr. Nikidik could help us out, but Glinda the Good wanted to come too. And as you can see, it's not like I could stop her or would want to for that matter. She's the greatest magic user of multiple dimensions. If anyone could help us find Baron, it's her. However, her effect on the unprepared mind is a bit… disorienting."

"Disorienting's one thing, but that lady's another," muttered Muta.

"I heard that," called Glinda over her shoulder as she examined the box the lilies came in. She flipped it around two times before turning to face the Bureau agents. "Well, it's a good thing I came. This is some foul magic."

"Foul?" asked Haru nearing the impressive sorceress.

"Yes, foul," said Glinda wrinkling her nose and holding the box as far from herself as possible. "Wicked magic always has a foul feel and scent. A person's intention always mixes itself with the spell. Not everyone can notice it, but I can. And it was a specifically aimed spell too. It would only effect one person, which in this case was your Baron. Hm… tricky thing. Doesn't want to let me know where it took him… It's one of those taking here-there spells like the ones on those useful silver shoes. But it smells so bad I can barely get a… Aha!" The box bounced a bit in her hand, startling Haru into jumping a bit back. "You can't hide it from me! I'm not Glinda the Good for noth—oh dear. It's taken him there."

"There? There where?" asked Haru. Not-as-bright blue eyes turned to her, and Haru's stomach lurched and dropped.

"To one of the few places I cannot send you. I had hoped to make a here-there spell myself and send you to wherever you wanted to go as a thank you for all your help with Ozma and an apology for not coming to the aid of your friend. I was otherwise occupied at the time, you see. But whoever set this spell send him to a place no one has gone since before I was born, and believe me dear, that was a long time ago. I was warned of the place myself when I was just a child and trying out my here-there into different dimensions. Usually, it's impossible to get there, but this spell was made using Creation magic, as in magic used by Creation. And that kind of magic is, if what I heard about this place is correct, quite compatible with that world."

"How so?" asked Haru, though Glinda was talking almost faster than Haru could follow.

"I would explain but time is of the essence now that we know where he was sent. I'm afraid if you don't get to him soon, you might not get to him in one piece," said Glinda. Haru's face paled, and Glinda waved the hand holding her wand in what she probably meant as a reassuring way. "In a manner speaking, I mean. Anyway, I'll have to cast a here-there spell to take you to another place instead. Straight to Absolem for you. Now remember, ask him about CAP and for the ring. Demand it really, since he owes you that much now. Got that?"

Haru stared at the glamorous woman, and the word "no" formed in Haru's mouth. Time was of the essence… Haru squared her shoulders and nodded. She understood enough for now.

"Send me to Absolem."

Glinda smiled. "You are quite something, aren't you dear? If you had been around several decades back, perhaps my little windstorm would have blown your way. Oh well. Here you go."

A wind suddenly whipped around Haru and made her increasingly glad she hadn't worn a skirt to work today. Or rather yesterday. Before she could give her wardrobe choice another thought, she was gone.

"What did you do?" demanded Toto. Honestly, the whole conversation had gone at such a quick speed, he had barely gathered his thoughts together quickly enough to frame the question. A discreet glance at Muta confirmed that the white cat was reeling from the onslaught of information and words too. Toto took note. Blackmail for later. The greatest sorceress to ever grace the Land of Oz tucked her wand away and gave the Creation a secretive smile.

"I sent her to Wonderland, of course."

ooOoo

Orange-furred ears lowered further as the grey-striped Half-Cat's tirade continued.

"—you do know that we almost lost three firemen trying to get you out. And you nearly died yourself! I don't care if you thought you heard yelling, you do not run into a burning building. You allow us professionals to do our job!"

"I think he understands," said Louise from where she stood at his side. "Now, if you'll excuse us. He needs to do come with me to check on some wedding details."

"Wedding details? Are you getting married to this madcat?" demanded the fire chief.

"Yes, I am," said Louise drawing herself up to her full height. "He is a good cat, if a little bit too well-intentioned."

"Well make sure he doesn't go running into anymore fires to save little boys screaming in an entirely different building! And what if the boy had been in there? We would have had to split our attentions between saving the boy and saving this imbecile here."

"We are aware," said Louise. "And he won't go running into any more burning buildings, right Baron?"

"I will endeavour to stay away from fire of any sort," said Baron. Louise took and squeezed his hand. His wildly beating heart reduced its clutch on his chest, and his frenzied mind calmed at Louise's understanding smile. For an instant, the background memory of brown eyes pushed its way forward, but he pushed it back equally hard. He could not bear to think about how those brown eyes seemed so much truer than Louise. The comparison did not do him nor Louise any favours. And they weren't real. Instantly, his heart hesitated a beat. Why did they feel more real? More real even than the fire that licked at his fur and the smoke that crawled up his throat.

"Baron," said the white Half-Cat's soft voice. Baron realized he was still staring into her blue eyes. She had lead him away from the burnt building. "Please, listen. You need to stop putting yourself into these situations."

"I thought I heard someone screaming from inside the building. The firemen were nowhere close. I could not allow them to burn," said Baron.

"And you nearly burned yourself in the process. I know you're not overly fond of fire, but you jumped in anyway. Your bravery is commendable, but it was reckless. No one was in the building, so you faced fire for no reason. Please try to save the bravery for when you really need it."

"Like when?"

"Like when you have to greet all those people at the wedding reception. Or when you stand at the altar and see me coming down the aisle," said Louise. Baron gave her a weak grin.

"I doubt I'll need much courage for that."

"I should hope not," said Louise with a grin of her own. Suddenly, the grin gained a fragile bitter edge, and then disappeared altogether as Louise placed her head on Baron's shoulder. Her unsteady breath whispered near his ear, "Please, Baron. Please, stop this."

His arm automatically circled her shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his chest in reply.

"Why do you insist on doing this? Sooner or later, it will cost someone dearly. And I am worried that it is going to be me."

"No, my love," said Baron, barely having to put any effort into pushing the brown eyes away. He squeezed his fiancée harder in an effort to keep his heart from aching and dropping to his shoes. "I won't let that happen."

"If you really meant that, you would stop trying to help others," said the white Half-Cat, nuzzling her head into the side of Baron's neck. Soon, they were sitting on the couch of his home. "Why do you insist on trying to help? None of your attempts truly help people."

A flash of kitten brown ears, a small pink nose, and wet, terrified brown eyes followed by those same unforgettable brown eyes over a very human smile… And words so muffled he could barely hear them. And then his own from a time and place he couldn't bring to mind.

"If you find yourself troubled by something mysterious or a problem that's had to solve, there's a place you can go where you always find help. You just need to look for it."

"Because I made the decision long ago to always be there to help when I am needed," said Baron, those words seeming truer than anything solid in this life of his. The flash of images replayed in his mind. "And because, on occasion, I can make a difference."

A hoarse bark of a laugh coughed into Baron's shoulder.

"When?" The question came out harsh and rough, and the hands gripping his suit coat grew sharp. "When have any of your attempts to help gone well?"

Baron opened his mouth, but it remained silently and gapingly open. He could hardly put a flash of images into words. And he was reluctant to share them, even with his fiancée.

Unseen on the counter of the kitchen, a boy with a deerskin cap clenched his small fists. For the first time in eons, he regretted what he had to do before he did it. But he had to do it regardless. He had tried almost everything else, and the Baron had been warned. He hopped off the kitchen counter and ceased to exist. At least in physical form.

ooOoo

Teaser: "To be honest, releasing him is impossible, but then you appear to be the same." / "What makes your friend dangerous?" / "Finally, remember this if nothing else girl: Be careful. Nothing there is real. Nothing, except those trapped there and it." / "Why do you do it?" she asked. "Why do you keep helping when you know you're so bad at it?" / And then his eyes were drawn to a young tan Half-Cat staring blankly in the corner. He would have let her be, but her eyes… they were brown. Those brown eyes. / "What about her?" yelled the Half-Cat. "Did you know the carriage would miss her too!?" / "What have you done?" whispered Haru.