The Bureau Files: Series 3

by Catsafari

When magic is accidentally released upon the world, new Creations spring to life, causing chaos wherever they go. Now it's up to the Bureau to mend their mistakes before it's too late. But as the year comes to its end, time is running out for Haru Yoshioka. Cover art by Angie/drawerofdoodles.

11. Linked (Part 1)

The Bureau Files: Series 3

ooOoo

Episode 11: Linked (Part 1)

"Haru? Haru!"

Haru jolted out of her thoughts, nearly slipping her elbow off the table in the process. "W-What?"

Michael chuckled and leant into her line of vision. "Don't tell me another case kept you up all last night."

"No… No, I was just day-dreaming." For once, it was true. They hadn't had a case since the animatronic incident. She blinked and took fresh notice of the inventory form she was meant to be helping to fill out. "Where…? Where were we up to on here?"

"Dog food."

"Okay. Dog food… Dog food…"

"So, how are things at the Bureau?" Michael asked, returning to the food aisle to count out the bags they had remaining. "Everything okay?"

Haru shrugged and finally located the dog section on the paperwork. "It's fine."

"Fine?" He paused in his counting to lean back around the aisle and raise an eyebrow at Haru. "Usually you have a little bit more to say than that."

"It's fine," she repeated.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Just… things."

Michael looked to her, looked back to the dog food he was meant to be taking stock of, and then gave up entirely. He returned to the desk with a sigh. "Haru… has anyone ever told you how terrible a liar you are?"

"Only when I'm not really trying," she replied weakly. She dropped her gaze to the forms, idly trailing the blunt end of the pen along the paper. "It's Baron." There was a silence, and she glanced up to see an unreadable expression crossing Michael's face. "He's… not been himself recently."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when I suddenly asked for a few days off?"

"Yes. You were saying something about Baron going missing."

Haru nodded. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Strange box, magical flowers, a sentient prison…" She tried to shrug it off, attempting a half-hearted smile. "You know, the usual kind of thing. It's just… the prison tried to 'correct' Baron, and kind of ended up… breaking him instead…" She dropped her gaze again, this time before Michael could catch full sight of the pain in her eyes. "He's getting better," she was quick to add. "But… slowly. And I can't help worrying, you know?"

"Yeah, Haru. I understand." Michael pulled forward a chair and sat down at the other side of the desk. "Sometimes it can be difficult to see those you care for suffer."

Haru paused in the nervous movement of the pen. Her eyes flickered up to the young man opposite her, and then flickered back down just as abruptly in acute shame. "It's not fair on you," she said

"What do you–?"

"You've always been so understanding, standing on the side-lines while I disappear off into goodness-knows-where. It must be so difficult to run this store with an employee who keeps vanishing without notice. I mean, I try to warn you when that sort of thing happens, but sometimes…"

"Sometimes things get out of hand. I understand," Michael repeated.

"It does bother you, doesn't it?"

"That you regularly run head-first into death-defying situations? Sure. It bothers me. How can I care for you and not be bothered that you're in danger?" he asked. He motioned loosely towards her. "Sometimes you come back with fresh scars, or bruises, or even burns – and that bothers me. But there's not much I can do about it, short of ordering you to stop working with the Bureau." He quickly raised his hands defensively before Haru could comment. "Not that I would. I'm just saying – there's not much I can do about this."

"You could… always come along," Haru offered.

Michael scoffed. "Right. Me, tagging along on your crazy cases. I think we all remember how that went last time."

Haru paused, and then gave a weak shrug. "Actually, I can't remember much of that case. Everything's a bit fuzzy from the memory disease."

"Look, I'm not cut out for the Bureau's world. That's what I learnt last time–"

"Nobody starts out knowing how to deal with the Bureau's cases," Haru insisted. "It's been over two years since I joined, and it hasn't always been plain-sailing–"

Michael chuckled lightly. "Haru, the difference is… you need to get out there and see other worlds. I don't know; it's like the inter-dimension equivalent of a travelling bug. But me…" and here he motioned gently to the store around them, "well, I guess I'm more of a home kid. I'm happy here, without all this life-on-the-line business. We're just different that way."

"I guess we are."

"Anyway, the Bureau is your space." Michael shrugged with a smile. "Just… please come back safely. That's all I ask."

What had she asked Baron? Don't leave us like that again. The same sentiment, different situation.

"I will. I promise."

ooOoo

When Haru swung into the Bureau after her shift, she was greeted with the unexpected image of Baron investigating a box.

Or rather, the box. The box in which the lilies had been transported in. Baron had attempted to investigate it shortly after the CAP incident, but had soon discarded it. It seemed that, now, he felt up to tackling the task at hand.

"Hey, Baron. What…? What are you doing, exactly?"

Baron momentarily paused in scattering the bottle of purple dust over the box, choosing instead to glance over to the young woman. "This, Miss Haru, should amplify the magical residues left by whoever handled the box. If I can get a clearer understanding of the nature of the magic from them…"

Haru perched herself on the armrest of an armchair, watching Baron at work at the desk. "Yes, but I carried it in, so surely it's going to be contaminated with residues of my magic too, right?"

"Unfortunately, that is the case. Not only that, but the transportation magic of the cuffs – the lilies – has soaked into the box and makes it hard to distinguish little else. And, with all that included, some of my magic has also become entangled in the mix."

"Who would hate you that bad that they would want to send you to CAP?" Haru asked.

"I have made quite a few enemies in my long lifetime, Haru."

"Yeah, the CAP plan just felt… I don't know… personal. Calculated and cold, but if they had wanted to kill you, then CAP was hardly going to be the most efficient way of doing that, right? I mean, I think CAP would actually have tried to avoid a death of a prisoner. Whoever sent you those lilies can't have wanted to kill you, so much as to… well, break you."

Haru's words again caused Baron to pause in his investigation, but this time he kept his gaze on the box. "I have a theory as to who the culprit may be," he said, quietly, "but I didn't speak of it because I had hoped my theory was wrong."

"So you do know who did it. How?"

Baron motioned to the box. "The cuffs."

"The lilies?"

"The lilies were only a front; the cuffs can be made to vary their form so as to catch the wanted prisoner unawares. The selection of lilies for their appearance leads me to a single conclusion."

"Which is…?"

"Louise, kid." Muta squeezed his way through the open Bureau door and immediately headed to the cupboards. "Used to be her favourite flower. You know, in the short time she and Baron actually knew each other."

"Muta, I was explaining."

"Yeah, yeah, and taking forever about it."

"Louise?" Haru echoed. Her mind jumped back to the beautiful white cat she had seen in CAP's world. Louise. His lost fiancée. No, the fiancée who had become lost to the darkness within herself. "She's the one behind this?"

"Nah. You kidding? Where she is, she can't do any damage."

Haru rubbed her temples at Muta's unintentionally mystic response. "What? But I thought she had been lost." She groaned and looked to Baron, her expression steely. "Baron, I think it's time you told me exactly what happened to Louise."

Haru didn't miss the significant look between Baron and Muta.

Muta gave a half-hearted shrug. "Hey, she's your fiancée. You do the talking."

"Does everyone know about Louise except for me?"

"Eh, pretty much, Chicky."

"Please, Muta; you're not helping matters." A faint reddening began to creep under Baron's fur as the situation tipped further from his favour. "Haru, the circumstances are not one I like to dwell on; regardless, that is not sufficient excuse for keeping the truth from you. I should have shared this with you from the moment my future self warned me of the danger you were in."

"You… make it sound as if Louise is the one I'm in danger from," Haru said slowly.

Baron didn't answer, which was all the confirmation she needed. Instead he merely lowered the box and bottle to one side and glanced over at the painting hanging above a low-slung cupboard. It was one that Haru had noted before, for it held the image of a familiar white feline. Louise.

"Baron…"

The Creation had gone still. So still that, had Haru not known him so well, she might have wondered whether he had reverted to his wooden form. She walked over to him and gently touched his shoulder.

"Baron?"

"This is her, Haru. This is Louise."

She looked at the painting. Within its depths was a white cat, painted in a faded forest-green dress and an old-fashioned rose-coloured cape, matched with a hat adorned with white lilies. A parasol rested on her shoulder.

"I know that," Haru said, a little miffed he was taking some metaphorical route to explain Louise's fate. "I saw her in CAP's world, remember?"

"Nah, Chicky," Muta snorted. "He means that's really her. The cat herself."

Haru opened her mouth and then, when the full force of the realisation hit, closed it. She swallowed nervously and tried again. "What?"

"This is where she is, Haru. This is where Louise remains."

"I… I don't understand." 'Yes, you do, Haru,' her mind scolded. 'You still remember what happened when the other Barons came. You remember what you learnt about Baron's fiancée that day.' "Why…? Why is she here?"

"There was nowhere else secure or safe enough to trap her." Baron stepped forward, and Haru could see him drawing his hands back to himself, as if they itched to reach out to the painting. "No," he quietly amended. "There was nowhere else I could bring myself to put her. The Sanctuary is a safe haven for Creations, memories, people… I had always hoped that it could also save what little strands of goodness prevailed."

"I'm sorry, Baron."

"It didn't work out that way, however. The war had changed her, and so the Creation I found was not the one I had been made alongside. She had been left bitter and cruel, but she had not been able to separate herself from it like I had. She became like the Duke."

The Duke. The version of Baron that he had discarded years ago. A version that was more an echo of Baron, but one born in the rage and sorrow of war. One who had absorbed the terror and hatred from those years of the Second World War, and now, separated from Baron, would never be fully complete.

And Baron's fiancée had become the same.

"You said that you found her again, eventually," Haru cautiously prompted.

Baron nodded, no longer really seeing the house or Haru, but the memories of a bygone era. "Yes. I spent many years searching for her after we were originally separated, and when we did reunite, I discovered the truth. She turned her back on me to be with the Duke; a being who was perhaps more her true companion than I was by that point."

"That can't be the end of the story, though. I mean, she's here now–"

The Creation was silent for a long while, and Haru couldn't bring herself to ask again. She started to turn away from the picture.

"It's okay, Baron. You've said enough. I don't need to know–"

She halted as a gloved hand caught her wrist. Baron's eyes were cast down, his top hat overshadowing his face as he held on to Haru.

"No. You should know."

"It… It's okay, really."

"I've kept this secret for too long, Haru. You've been so patient all this time, waiting for the truth to come eventually. It hasn't been fair on you."

Those same words came echoing back to her. 'It's not fair on you,' she had told Michael only hours before. Haru turned her head away, but she felt the burn of her blush spread across her cheeks. "Life isn't fair, Baron. Sometimes we just have to accept that."

"And sometimes we can change it. Haru, I'm not proud of what I did in my past–"

"The Duke isn't you," she said. "It's who you are now that matters."

"I'm not referring to that, Haru. You see, it is one thing to realise the truth; it's quite another thing to accept it. And I did not accept Louise's fate. I fought to find a way to bring her back to the Creation she was meant to be – the Creation your father had imagined. But it turns out that the damage could not be undone. Perhaps, when I realised that, I should have turned and left her be. But, between her and the Duke, they had the potential for such harm…"

His hand dropped away, but he didn't move from the shadow of his hat. "What the war did to her… It left her hating the world, hating humanity. I could not… I cannot…"

"It's okay, Baron," Haru repeated. "I understand."

"The painting will contain Louise for as long as it remains," he continued, hollowly. "But, given the potential and the magic of the Sanctuary, she will be able to shape the painting's world to her will."

"Like the Duke did with the other house," Haru recalled. And like how there had been a whole, warped world inside the Fabricated World painting.

"Indeed. So, while Louise can create anything of her imagination, she can never escape. And we can never enter, for we would be at her mercy. We are at a permanent impasse."

"So why would I be in danger from her?"

"There is only one individual I can think of who knows of her and would attempt to free her. The Duke."

Haru paused, her mind whirring through the realisations. She gave a small, weary smile. "I think I might know where he is."

ooOoo

"No. Absolutely not."

The Bureau stood around the table where Haru had carefully deposited Absolem's ring. She frowned a little at Baron's absolute response.

"You could have given it a little bit more thought."

"Haru, do you recall the state you were in following the last time you used that ring?" Baron curtly reminded her.

"It's not the ring that's the problem," she retorted. There was a pause, and she quietly added, "It's just the getting back out of the Wood Between Worlds that is."

"Exactly. Haru, that ring is a one-way system; it draws an individual and all touching them to the Wood Between Worlds. There were once rings that transported the wearer out of the Wood Between Worlds, but they have been long lost. Now the only way out of the Wood Between Worlds is your portal magic, and it drains you to carry more than just yourself between worlds."

"I think I only felt sick last time because I lingered between dimensions," Haru said, a little sulkily. "If I can just take us all straight to him–"

"No. I forbid it. You'll have to take all three of us and who knows how far your power can be pushed?"

Haru raised an eyebrow. "Right. You 'forbid' it. Baron, please; we'll never know how far my magic can be pushed if we never try. And how else are we going to find the Duke?"

"She's got a point," Muta said. "It's not like we have any clue where he is."

"Look, when I tried to get to you for the animatronic case, I was drawn in two directions," Haru insisted. "One to the restaurant, and the other… to some sort of museum, I think. I was following your magic – so who else could it be?"

"It could be your father," Toto gently reminded her. "He did create Baron, after all."

"My father isn't in this world anymore."

"We don't know where he is."

"It's not him. I… I would know."

"Would ya, Chicky? Or are you just wishing that?"

"Either way, this is a possible lead," Haru said. "It has to be worth checking out."

Her eyes were trained on Baron, willing him to see things her way. But he wasn't looking at her; instead, he was staring down at the little ring that was causing so much trouble. "Haru…"

"I know the risks, Baron. And I want to do this."

"What if this is the same road my future self took?" he asked. "What if this is how we lose you?"

"I don't know. But you can't just wrap me up in cotton wool, Baron. I've know the dangers since I started. Please. Just trust me."

He finally looked up. Green eyes met brown.

"Okay."

ooOoo

Haru stood before the pool to the Human World, a Creation on each shoulder and Muta in her arms. The forgetfulness of the Wood Between Worlds was lessening with every return, which had been a small mercy for Toto and Muta. It had taken a little longer to coax Baron's memories to return, however they were eventually gathered, ready to step into the portal.

Baron felt Haru's hesitation. "We don't have to do this, Haru. It's okay to be afraid."

"Afraid? Who's afraid? I'm just hoping that I don't lose one of you on transport. Muta, stop that."

Muta, who had started to squirm at Haru's words, stilled, but that didn't remove the scowl. "Lose one of us?" he repeated. "Is that possible?"

"How should I know, Muta? I've only done this once with passengers before. Just don't wriggle and I'm sure you'll be fine. Probably."

"Right. I feel so much better now knowing that."

"Shush, Muta," Baron warned. "Haru, whenever you're ready."

She nodded and stepped forward.

The pool rose to meet Haru's portal magic almost instantly. It sucked in its guests and attempted to drop them down into the Human World, but here Haru pushed against the pull. She tapped into that strain of magic – a mixture of hers and Baron's borrowed spark – and felt through the world for the echo.

Around her, the depths of the portal swam about her; shifting, changing, swirling with images. Wisps of conversation and human noise wove about them – words, cars, alarms – all so loud and shrill. And then, she found it. That resounding echo of magic. She pulled them to it – or it to them – and suddenly the world solidified about them.

Haru dropped down onto a tiled floor, and the sound bounced off about the room.

Like she had seen before, the place was a museum of sorts. Silent and still, and empty save for the exhibits that stood to attention within their glass cages. Fangs from creatures too large to be real, the white scaly hide of a slender dragon, tiny forest spirits frozen in the jar they were pickled in.

Haru raised her hands to her mouth, fighting the urge to gag – and not just from the travel fatigue either. Her feet threatened to give way, but she caught herself against an exhibit before she could fall. "I… I thought this was a museum," she whispered. "But it's not. It's a…"

"Collection," Baron finished. "Haru, are you alright? It took a lot of power to bring us through that pool, didn't it?"

"I'm fine. I just need to… sit down for a bit." She slid slowly down to the floor. "Wait… Where's Muta? Toto?"

Toto dragged himself from behind an exhibit, wheeling a little as he joined them. "Hey, Chicky, I don't feel so good… Are ya sure ya didn't make a mistake?"

Muta appeared from the other side, adopting a strange sort of hopping motion as he went. "The only mistake that was made was when you fell on me, fatso. I think you've broken a wing…"

The two animals stopped as they came into sight of one another.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO US?!"

"Calm- Calm down, Toto – er, Muta… This must just be a temporary glitch… right, Baron?"

Baron leapt down from Haru's shoulder, landing lightly on the floor between the two switched individuals. "I must confess, Haru, that I have never seen this happen before."

"I am NOT gonna be stuck as a birdbrain for the rest of my life."

"Hey, do you think you got the hard end of the bargain, lardball? How do you think I feel, stuck in the body of a cat so fat he can't even see his toes?"

"There has to be a way to reverse this," Haru said. "Baron, you'll have some way to undo this, won't you?"

"It may be that travelling back through the portal will be enough to reverse the effects – but, if not, I'm sure I can find a way to return things to normal. Back at the Bureau," he added before either Toto or Muta could intervene.

"This ain't gonna happen every time Chicky wants to take a trip, is it?"

"No, I doubt it," Baron assured him. "I expect that carrying three passengers merely strained Haru's magic, and it tried to compensate."

"Yeah, by switching us around. Why are you two okay?" Muta accused, waving a dishevelled wing towards them.

"I'm sorry, Muta–"

"Do you have any idea how many times I've been shapeshifted about? First it was into a cat, and I spent twenty years getting used to that, thank you very much, and then that potion happened and suddenly I was a human losing his mind, and now THIS."

"You're… You're not exactly the only one who's gone through some changes," Haru weakly reminded him. "Anyway, the more important thing right now is working out where we are."

"That seems to be pretty clear," Toto said. "We're in a collection of sorts." He waddled over to Haru, almost falling over his paws in the process. "Hey, fatso, how do you walk on these tiny paws?!"

"Yeah, well, what's wrong with your stick legs?"

Haru glanced to Baron. "A collection for magical and fantastical creatures," she said. "Do you think that the Duke might have been… collected?" She hesitated. "Do you think…? I mean… where does that leave you, Baron? You're clearly not just a talking animal… What if the owner wants to collect you too?"

Baron nodded, with an expression that said these thoughts had already crossed his mind. "Then we'll have to keep a low profile so as to avoid unwanted attention."

They both paused, and then burst into laughter.

"Okay, but seriously, what are we going to do?" Haru asked.

"Ya can turn us back to normal, that's what you can do!"

"Muta, I believe we have more pressing issues at hand," Baron said. "Haru, did you bring the lapis lazuli and my temporary human spell?"

"Yes…" She slowly retrieved the items, raising a curious eyebrow as she went. "You're going to attempt to turn yourself fully human, aren't you?"

"With the extra power retained in the stone, I believe it is possible. Thank you." He took the items, although both had grown with Haru upon exiting the Sanctuary, and so there was some fumbling before Haru gave up and deposited them onto the ground instead.

"You're… uh, not going to lose your clothes again, are you?" Haru asked after she dubiously remembered the last incident.

If Baron's blush was any indication, the events were still fresh in his mind also. "I doubt it. The magic contained in the lapis lazuli should be enough to ensure full transformation."

"And what about the time before that? I… I'm not going to be turned into a cat or something, am I?"

"I can assure you, Haru, that I have everything under control."

"You say that a lot, but I never quite believe it." With an air of cautiousness, Haru rose to her feet and stepped away from Creation, stone, and spell. "Whenever you're ready."

Baron nodded and lowered his hands onto both items. Haru felt the magic pulse through from the lapis lazuli, through Baron, and then finally into the paper with the spell. The symbol glowed, and then that same glow engulfed the Creation. He changed within it, shifting and growing until before them knelt a very human Baron.

The young man slowly pocketed the stone and spell – taking exaggerated care as he acclimatised to his new body – and then, equally deliberately, stood up. He swayed a little, and once again Haru found herself staring at Baron's chest, albeit clothed this time.

"I see you managed to keep your shirt on," she squeaked. She stepped back and tilted her head to meet Baron's gaze.

His human form was not unfamiliar; in fact, Haru had seen it once before. When a well-meaning kitsune had changed his form in the belief it would aid his task. It hadn't, since the transformation hadn't been complete; his eyes had been feline and his veins had bled sap… but this form looked entirely human.

Without thinking, she began to reach out, as if to check that he was real, and then suddenly remembered herself. She blushed and hurriedly withdrew her hand. "How…? How are you feeling?"

"A little dizzy, but I think that's to be expected. How do I look?"

"Human." She gave a blushing grin and quickly added before she could lose her nerve, "And not a bad-looking one, either."

He was passing a hand over his jawline, feeling the strange human shape of his face, and at Haru's words he returned her grin. "Really?"

"Okay, okay, enough flirting already!" Muta stumbled over to the two humans, struggling to gain his balance in Toto's body. "Can we just do whatever we came here to do and get outta here?"

Before anyone could answer, chaos broke loose as alarms began to blare.

"Ah. I see our low profile has been upgraded," Baron calmly commented. "And now we shall find out who is in charge of this… eccentric collection."

Haru eyed the cameras she hadn't spotted before now, a sinking feeling travelling through her. "Do you think they spotted your transformation?"

"I hope not. But we shall see."

"What do we do now?" Toto waddled over to them, and Haru took pity on him. She lifted up the hefty form of Muta, of which Toto was still struggling to become accustomed to.

"Hey! Why don't I ever get carried anywhere?"

"You've lived with this body for the last twenty years," Haru reminded Muta. "Toto's had two minutes." She looked to Baron. "Well, Toto's got a point. What do we do now?"

"We wait. There's no real point in going anywhere; this way we should be led straight to the heart of the matter."

There was a cacophony of footsteps and the Bureau shuffled a little closer together. "They… They don't sound too friendly," Haru said. When a set of armed guards came running onto the scene, she added, "They don't look too friendly either."

"Identify yourselves!"

A woman stepped forward, her gun lowered but her expression giving away that she was ready to use it in an instant if necessary.

"Didn't you hear me?" she snapped. "Identify yourselves!"

"We're… uh, lost?" Haru tried with a smile.

"Don't get clever with me. How does anyone end up 57 floors underground by accident?"

Haru smiled innocently. "We're pretty good at getting lost… or, rather, bad."

Muta snorted. "Yeah. You'd be surprised."

"Sure. You just happened to wander into one of the most secure buildings in Japan," the guard retorted. Her eyes passed over the talking crow, an eyebrow raised but no further comment made.

"Ah, so we are in Japan," Baron said. "That does narrow things down a bit. If you wouldn't mind entertaining the notion that we are indeed lost travellers, perhaps you could enlighten us a little further on the exact nature of our location."

Unsurprisingly, the woman gave him a blank stare. "You're in the Keightley Collection," she replied.

Beside her, Haru heard Baron murmur, "Ah. Of course."

Another guard leant over to the leader. "I think they might be telling the truth."

"Quiet, Saito. Even if they are, they're still trespassing." She cast her gaze over the strange crew, and shook her head. "If you are indeed lost, how did you end up here?"

"That is an answer we will gladly give, once we are acquainted with whoever's in charge here," Baron said. He motioned to the corridor the guards had come from. "Please, lead the way."

The leader retrieved a radio from her belt and slowly lifted it up, her eyes warily fixed on the newcomers. "Miss Keightley, we have the intruders. Should we bring them up?"

"Please do, Rikku." A woman's voice crackled from the other end. "I'm rather curious about our little trespassers."

"Okay." Rikku, as the guards' commander seemed to be called, latched the radio back onto her belt, still warily watching the Bureau. "Come along, then. You don't want to keep Keightley waiting."

"Who's Keightley?" Haru whispered to Baron as they were prompted towards a set of double doors and up a flight of stairs. "Do you know them?"

"Not personally," he said. "There was a man named Thomas Keightley who took great interest in mythology and folklore, but he was before my time. I did not realise he had a collection, or even an heir…"

"You can't know everything, Baron."

"No, but I should have thought things through before taking such a risky leap into the unknown."

'Especially with the Duke on the loose.'

Haru stopped.

"Keep moving, please!"

"Haru, is something the matter?" Baron's hand curled around her wrist and prompted her onwards, even as she gained glares from the guards for her impromptu halt.

"No… Nothing." She looked to the ex-Creation strangely, subconsciously leaning her head away from him as she continued walking. "Did…? Did you just say something about the Duke?"

"I don't believe so."

"Are ya hearing voices again, Chicky? Should we check ya into a loony bin–"

"Oh, stop it, Muta." Haru shook her head, trying to empty the words from her head. "It was nothing. I guess this place is just getting to me." She leant around Baron to get a clear look at Rikku. "How many more stairs do we have to go?"

"Heh, perhaps if you dropped the birdbrain, Chicky, it'd be easier."

"Perhaps if you had lost some weight," Haru threw back to Muta clambering up the steps behind her, stuck in Toto's body as he was, "then I wouldn't have a problem."

"Just through the next doors," Rikku replied, deciding to ignore the unruly banter following her. "And, please, show some respect when you enter. You'll be greeting Catherine Keightley."

"Who?" Muta asked.

Rikku again ignored him, and opened the doors. "The intruders are here, Miss Keightley."

The Bureau was ushered into a modern, well-lit office, mundane save for the lack of windows. Haru supposed they were still a good many floors underground.

"46, to be precise," Baron said.

"What?" she whispered.

"You were wondering how many floors we are below ground," he replied. "46."

"I was wondering, but I didn't ask," she said, eyebrows raised. Her attention was caught when the woman at the desk of the office gave a sharp, deliberate cough.

"I believe you wished to see me."

The woman was well-dressed, with a pale, freckled complexion and blonde hair. Her accent, now no longer hidden behind the radio's interference, had a slight Irish lilt to it. She raised an immaculately-kept eyebrow at the group. "Well?" she prompted when no immediate reply came.

Baron stepped forward, sweeping his hat in his best bow.

'Show off,' Haru thought to herself.

"Miss Keightley, what a pleasure it is to meet you," he greeted. "A truly unexpected pleasure."

"Yes, yes." She waved the welcome away. "Rikku, bring Tomoko and Hakamada in here – I have a feeling I'm going to need their expertise. Well…" and now she propped her elbows on the desk and leant towards the newcomers, "it isn't just anyone who can break their way into my collection. What were you doing there?"

"It's as we told Ms Rikku," Baron said. "It was merely an accident–"

"An accident is, say, walking into a lamppost," Keightley said in a bored tone. "It is not breaking into a high-security underground vault, 56–"

"57," Haru unhelpfully amended.

"57 floors down."

The doors opened up behind them, and Keightley nodded to the newcomer. "Ah, Tomoko. Just in time, I see. Ladies, gentlemen… and assorted pets," she added with a thin smile, "I'll need you to give some details to Tomoko here. He's very good at his research."

There was a familiar, uneasy chuckle from behind them. "That… shouldn't be too difficult."

Haru spun round.

The last person she would ever imagine getting caught up in magic or fantastical creatures now stood in the doorway of Keightley's office.

"Tsuge?"

Hiromi's boyfriend gave a sheepish grin, nervously messing up his hair with a hand as he surveyed the group. "Hello, Haru."

"But you're a… You're just a journalist! Hiromi read your article on the ko– on the shrine attacks!"

He shrugged. "It doesn't exactly pay a lot." His eyes moved over her companions; visible surprise passing over his features at her strange companions. "And it doesn't look like I'm the only one who's been hoarding secrets, either."

"Tomoko, where's Hakamada?" Keightley asked.

"He said he was going to check out the security footage of their arrival."

"Fine. Fine. Someone tell him to get here as soon as he's done. So, Tomoko, who are they? Friends of yours? You know I disapprove of mixing work and home."

"I only know one – she's a friend of my girlfriend," Tsuge said. "I… wasn't aware that she was mixed up in anything more… you know."

Keightley didn't look impressed. "I pay you to know this sort of thing, Tomoko. So, please, do what you earn your paycheque for, and find out exactly who they are." Her eyes rested on the suited human form of Baron. She pointed a sleek pen towards him. "Starting with that gentleman there."

Through Haru's mind, there was a sudden flurry of horror. What were they going to tell them? They hadn't worked out any sort of pseudonym for Baron to go by – usually there was no need… Even the name 'Humbert von Gikkingen' would probably come up with a few internet hits – after all, Baron had been about quite a bit. A range of names and images flickered across her mind – not all ones she recognised – until it finally rested on the form of her father.

"Drosselmeyer," Baron said. "David Drosselmeyer." He approached Catherine Keightley with an open hand.

"Unusual name," Keightley said. "Foreign, too."

"I'm not the only one."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Touché. So, how did you get here?"

"I have a little magic," he said. "But you know, I'm sure, how temperamental magic can be at times."

'He's lying,' Haru thought. 'Why? To keep me safe?' She shifted her grip on her bag, suddenly very aware of the golden ring it contained. 'Or perhaps to keep something like a portal ring out of her possession?'

"Who are they?" Keightley asked, motioning to the rest of the Bureau.

"My companions."

"You all have high magic readings."

"Which is what will happen when one is transported through portals," Baron calmly assured her. "As well as when a communication charm is cast," he added, gesturing to Toto and Muta.

"Let us see an example of this magic of yours then. Do something. Impress me."

Baron opened his palm and a sphere of light – his usual vein of magic – blossomed into being in his palm. In the few seconds that its golden glow bathed the office with light, Haru saw his shoulders trembling from the effort. So much of his magic – and the lapis lazuli's – was being poured into keeping him human already.

The hair at his neck began to grow back into its furry form.

Haru grabbed his arm before the change could noticeably spread. "Enough. Please. You've spent too much magic already today."

The light collapsed in on itself. Baron exhaled a breath he probably hadn't even realised he had been holding, and lifted his gaze to Keightley. "Is that evidence enough?" He was sweating; something that the woman didn't fail to notice.

She looked disappointed. "I was hoping for something… more from a self-proclaimed sorcerer."

"I didn't call myself a sorcerer. I simply said I had magic."

"True." Her icy gaze passed over the rest of the Bureau again, as if trying to gauge their place in this situation. "And, pray tell, what exactly were you trying to achieve when you were accidentally deposited in my lovely little collection?"

"I was searching for something. An item."

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a little bit more specific. As you can tell, Drosselmeyer, we have many items here."

"A figurine. About this high." He motioned a foot off the desk. "Half-feline, probably well-dressed, and probably dark-furred."

"That's a lot of 'probablys' for such a simple-sounding item."

"It's been many years since I last saw it."

Keightley leant away from the desk, her back straightening as she furrowed her brows in concentration; an expression Haru felt was a little bit too much for show. "I believe we have something that fits your description. I can show it to you, if you want."

Haru felt Baron almost jump at the opportunity, but his response was measured. "That would be appreciated."

"Good, good. Ah, just yourself, mind you. Your… companions can stay with Tomoko while he conducts his research." She gave a sharp smile. "After all, we still have no proof of your real identity, David."

'Great,' Haru mentally moaned. 'So we're basically hostages. Fantastic.'

"In which case," Baron said, "I may need a moment alone to speak with my companions before we separate. If you wouldn't mind?"

Keightley considered this, before evidently coming to the conclusion that the intruders, as a whole, weren't the most dangerous of individuals. "If you must. You may borrow the secondary office for five minutes. I shall be counting."

"Thank you." With a surprisingly tight grip, Baron took Haru's wrist and led her – and the other two – to the door Keightley had gestured to. Haru pulled her hand free as soon as the door swung shut behind them.

"Baron?"

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean, what's going on?" she retorted. "How should I know?"

"Okay." Baron swayed slightly, as if resisted the urge to pace, and instead ran his hands stressfully through his hair. After a moment he halted the restless action as he remembered his human state. "Okay," he repeated, thoroughly un-Baron-like in his unease. "Something… Something is going on…"

"Well, duh. Great big magical collection 57 floors underground," Muta snorted. "Gee, how long have you been sitting on that realisation?"

"We've seen stranger," Haru said.

"I wasn't referring to that," Baron amended. He abruptly stilled and turned to the brunette at his side. Haru leant a little way back as Baron's face was suddenly startlingly close to hers. "Haru, I need you to think of a number between one and ten."

"What?"

"Please, just do it. Think that number… loudly."

Haru raised an eyebrow and swayed further back. "Okay, now you're acting strange."

"Please, Haru."

"Okay. Okay." She shrugged and closed her eyes, imagining the number in her mind. "Okay, I'm thinking of a number–"

"Five. It's five, isn't it?"

She peeked an eye open. "How–?"

"And again. Pick a different number." Baron paused, and then repeated, "A different number, Haru."

"Ah, drat. I thought that might throw you off. Fine."

"Seven."

"Okay, now that is getting creepy." She opened both her eyes and stepped back. "Since when has telepathy been a skill of yours?"

"It's not."

"Um, Baron?" Toto flew over to the man's shoulder. "Could you explain what's going on?"

"Yes," Haru said. "Please do."

"It must be a side effect of going through the portal," Baron said. "Muta and Toto were physically switched around, while you and I, Haru, were switched… more subtly."

"Our minds got mixed up?" Haru asked. "Is…? Is that possible?"

"Given that I've been listening to your mental commentary for the past ten minutes, I suspect it is," he said. "Oh, and 'show off'?"

Haru recalled when the thought had crossed her mind. "Well, you are."

Muta snorted.

"And is that really important right now?" she continued. "So, if you can hear my thoughts, why haven't I…?" Wait, she had. Momentarily when Baron had been asked for a name. She had felt that surge of panic, the whir of his mind rush over his options.

"The connection will not be perfect," he said. "It will vary depending on the vivacity of the thought, the clarity, the strength of the emotion..."

"Alright, I get it. So, what do we do about this? Do we just… carry on, or…?"

"Hey, if I've gotta stick around as birdbrain, then I don't see why ya should get any special treatment."

Baron shrugged lightly at Muta's complaint. "We have bigger fish to fry for now."

"Including the fact that you only have three-quarters of an hour until you can't maintain the human spell anymore," Toto added. "We're running out of time."

"True. You three will have to accompany Mr Tomoko, while I'll…"

"You're going to see if you can find the Duke," Haru finished. "Fine. But be careful. And, just for the record, what exactly is your plan if this figurine does turn out to be the Duke?"

The human Baron gave a wide, feline smile. "Improvise."

Haru tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowing at him. "You really don't have a clue, do you?"

"Yes–"

"No, you don't. I just heard your thoughts–"

"I assure you–"

"No, you don't," she repeated. "You don't even have the beginning of a plan. Do you do this a lot?"

"Only occasionally."

"Liar."

ooOoo

"So how did you end up with tall, dark, and mysterious?" Tsuge looked up from the database he was searching, leaning away from the keyboard to glance over to Haru. "There looks like there's quite the story between you two."

"What are we?" Muta muttered. "Furniture?"

Haru, who had been gently swivelling round on the wheeled computer chair, came to a slow halt. She felt strangely embarrassed to have had her secret life unceremoniously revealed before her best friend's boyfriend. Hiromi was going to go nuts if she ever learnt that Tsuge had learnt the truth before she did.

"Not really," she murmured. "I guess I just kinda… fell in with him and his work."

"His work? And what would that be?"

"You're the researcher. You tell me."

Tsuge motioned lightly to the screen. "Well, we don't seem to have many records on a David Drosselmeyer. There's mention of a man by that name being around… oh, about fifty years ago, but he seems to vanish off the face of the Earth not long afterwards. So either there's something funny going on or your man is much older than he looks."

"Ah, magic. Who can tell?"

"Of course, this is all assuming that 'David Drosselmeyer' is his real name," Tsuge said. "Is it, Haru?"

She held his gaze. Her heart was hammering as the lie caught in her throat. "His history is complicated."

"Who is he, Haru?"

"He's a busybody who likes to stick his nose in other people's business." She paused and added, "He means well, Tsuge. He's no danger to anyone."

"Someone who can bust their way into a high-security vault 57 floors down isn't someone who we can easily dismiss as harmless."

'Yeah, but he wasn't the one who got us here. I was.' She kept that thought to herself. Baron had deliberately taken the credit for their appearance here. After all, what would a woman like Keightley do with the power to jump to other worlds? "He's kind, Tsuge," she said. "And I trust him."

"Says the woman who's been keeping a double life for goodness knows how long."

"Okay. True. But–"

"To be honest, it's a relief to finally find out what the big secret was," Tsuge continued. "I knew there was something going on, but I couldn't simply ask, could I?"

"Wait – you knew?"

"I knew that there was something more to you than you made it appear. For one, I think we all remember what happened at Fenland House…"

Haru repressed the shiver. "It's been hard to forget."

"You took charge of the situation as if it was something you did every day. And, for another, you practically radiate magic. So I knew you were doing something magic-related in your spare time. That, or the pet shop was just a front."

"It's not," Haru quickly interjected. "Michael has nothing to do with any of this."

"Already worked that much out. I went in one time and, except for the magic you had left about, there was nothing particularly special about it."

"You… seem to have done quite a thorough job here… How did you know about the magic?"

"With this little beauty." Tsuge retrieved his phone and clicked onto an app of sorts. It gave a clear, high ring that intensified as he held it out towards Haru. "Technology is amazing, isn't it?" He turned the detector off and pocketed his mobile. "It's not particularly good at telling us exactly what kind of magic we're dealing with, but it's a good start."

Haru's mind made a jump. "Wait, so if… let's say… something suddenly gained magic, you'd be able to tell?"

"Yes."

"So… the figurine that Keightley is showing my friend? Has that been… acting strange at all?"

Tsuge turned fully to her. "There was a sudden surge of magic a couple of months ago, but it's been stable since then. In fact, the main point of interest has been the hoax taxidermy creature that came to life around the same time…"

"What?" Haru shot up in her chair. "Show me."

ooOoo

"Ah, Hakamada. So good of you to join us." Catherine Keightley scowled towards the newcomer. "Tomoko told me you were going over the security footage. Tell me you have good news."

"I'm afraid not. It looks like the electronics were disrupted by whatever magic they used to arrive." The man hurried along the corridor to catch up with his employer and Baron. He was tall and rather monochrome in colour; a long black coat silhouetted his form, brightened only by the white shirt he wore beneath. He smiled pleasantly at Baron. "Talking of which, here's one of the troublemakers himself. Hakamada, at your service," he said, offering a hand to the Creation. His accent was unremarkable, save for the occasional strange pronunciation.

"There'll be plenty of time for extended pleasantries later," Keightley interrupted in a bored tone. "Let's just cover the basics for now. Hakamada, this is David Drosselmeyer; Drosselmeyer, this is one of my chief researchers. He's the one who studies and catalogues the curiosities that are collected. Drosselmeyer here claims to be a magician of sorts."

"I have magic. Let's just leave it at that," Baron said. He shook the offered hand, returning the smile. "A researcher, you say? You must see quite a lot in your line of work."

"I've seen enough to be good at my job. And what about you? You must have seen a few sights as well, being a magician and all. What about your companions? Don't tell me they're magicians too."

"No, it's only myself, I'm afraid. The others are… simply friends."

"Ah, well; everyone needs company. Although the girl looks like more than simply a friend, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you, Hakamada."

The researcher grinned, even with Keightley's deadpanned response. "You'll have to excuse me. There isn't much around in the form of gossip here, so you have to take what you can get."

"That's because I pay you to work, not to chatter. Okay people, we're here." They turned a corner and came face-to-face with a small display cabinet. "Say hello to Hakamada's favourite little project. Is this what you were looking for?"

Baron stepped up to the glass. His eyes travelled over the foot-tall, semi-feline figurine, familiar in so many ways. The fur was the same, like a darker counter version to his own markings, but the eyes were hollow. Even though he could sense the magic surrounding the Creation, it was dormant. It felt… muted.

"Yes," he breathed. "Yes, this is him."

ooOoo

Teaser: "There aren't a million possible combinations; there are thirty-six. Haru, get out of there!" / "Oh, my dear, you will be a far more valuable acquisition to the collection than even your little Creation friend…" / Haru stared down the barrel of the gun, into the face of the Creation. "Don't test me. You don't know what I'm capable of." "Oh, but I do. You and I, Haru, are not that different after all. We'd both do anything to keep those we love safe." / "Don't you see, Baron? Don't you see what you turn people into? Miss Haru, you'll never be like him, because you're human and whole. But him? He's shattered."