Haru and Baron finished their breakfast with everyone else in the course of an hour. Baron was kind enough to let all his servants eat with him at the table since it was big enough and just because he was that kind of guy. Baron told Haru that he had some paperwork to fill out. He promised to see her later and Haru was free to do as she wished for the day.

Haru almost wished she worked for Baron to show how grateful she was to him and wasn't just freeloading. However, Haru did have plans for the day. Most of the servants cleared out already, save for Toto, Muta, Yuki, and one or two people she recognized but didn't know by name. This was Haru's chance to speak with Toto. She causally slipped out of her seat and walked over to Toto, who was holding a fork in his hand and pointing it threateningly at Muta with an angry gleam in his eye.

"I never called you a tub of lard in my life!" Toto growled as he banged a fist on the table making it rattle. Muta shrugged as he got another serving of food for himself.

"I didn't say you did. I only implied it" Muta said as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. Haru hesitantly tapped Toto on the shoulder. He spun around to glare at her, "What?!" Haru jumped and flinched away.

"I just wanted to talk with you" Haru said. Her voice trembled in fear.

"Fine" Toto said as he stood up. He grabbed his glass of water and drained it before following a timid Haru out of the room. They went into an empty sitting room. "What did you want?"

"Um…I just wanted to say that I know you hate me. I don't blame you. Not many people like me. I'm not saying you have to like me, but I was hoping we could try to be friends. I've never had a friend before Baron. Maybe, you could help me build up my circle. But even if we don't become friends, I won't hate you for hating me" Haru stated while staring at the floor. She bit her lip, afraid of what Toto would say. She was surprised, however, when he put a hand on her shoulder. Haru looked up at him in shock.

"I don't hate you" Toto said softly. "I'm just not willing to trust you yet. Baron really cares about you. I don't want you breaking his heart." Haru looked at Toto quizzically.

"Break his heart?" Haru said. Toto stiffened.

"Nevermind. I hope in the near future, you can prove yourself to me that you aren't a bad person. I'd love to be your friend when that time comes" Toto said sincerely. Haru sniffed.

"Thank you. I was so worried you'd say no. Having friends…I never knew I'd be lucky enough to have them" Haru said as she flung herself at Toto and wrapped her arms around his neck. Toto uncertainly wrapped Haru in a hug as well. Baron, who was walking by, stopped in his tracks to stare at the two. He only smiled before continuing to his destination.

Toto was the first to pull away. "Hey Toto, I was going to go visit the orphanage. Can you tell Baron that if he goes around looking for me? I don't want to worry him" Haru explained.

"I don't think Baron would want you to go out alone" Toto said unsurely.

"Toto, you sound like you're worrying over me" Haru teased. Toto didn't make eye contact. A small blush tinted his pale cheeks.

"I'm only stating what I think Baron would want" he said defensively.

"Relax. I never had a chaperone before. I'll be fine. If I'm gone more than three hours, then you can send someone to get me." Haru left before Toto could say anything more. He sighed when he heard the door open then close.

Haru wove through the crowd of people as it slowly grew in size. The afternoon was always the busiest time of day. She neared the orphanage and smiled at the sight of it. She didn't get to go last week because of her mother, but maybe she could still make quilts for them. Sure, her mother never helped make the quilts for the past two months, but it still wasn't the same without her mother around to give her pointers.

Upon entering the orphanage, Haru was greeted by dozens of children ranging from toddlers to teenagers. The number of teenagers was small though because most teenagers that reached the age of sixteen were sent to the Von Gikkingen Shelter in the city. There they would live until they got a job and place to live.

"Haru!" All of the children cheered and screamed. Haru laughed.

"Hello everyone, how are you all?" she questioned as she squatted down to be face to face to some of the smaller children.

"Good, but where have you been?" a blonde girl around ten years of age asked. "You didn't visit us last week."

"I'm sorry, guys. I've been mourning. I regret to inform you all that Naoko has passed away" Haru said tearfully. All the kids stared at the brunette in disbelief.

"What?! No!" a teenage girl said. Almost everyone broke out into tears. They swarmed Haru into a group hug. Haru cried with everyone. An employee that worked at the orphanage, who knew Haru and Naoko since they first started going there, walked over to Haru slowly. She rested a hand on Haru's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss, my dear" she said. Haru only nodded. She gave a weak smile and wiped her tears on her sleeve.

"But you all don't have to be so sad. I've been very grateful for what happened. Guess what? Mr. Von Gikkingen took me in to live with him himself" Haru said cheerfully. The workers and children stared at Haru in shock.

"Mr. Von Gikkingen? He only visits about once a month, twice sometimes if he can spare the time. Each time he comes, he's always so nice. He's the best employer in the city" a male employee whispered to himself.

"Really? Really, Haru?" a little boy asked as he tugged on Haru's coat. Haru nodded.

"He's very nice. He's my best friend in the whole wide world. Maybe, he'll visit you guys with me one day. He even bought me these clothes" Haru explained with a twirl to show off her new outfit.

"Your shirt is pretty" a girl said. Haru smiled proudly.

"Isn't it? Mr. Von Gikkingen got them specially made for me. He didn't want me wearing boys' shirts anymore. He wanted me to look more girly I think."

"Does he like you?" a teenage boy asked.

"Of course he does" Haru said in a huff. "We're best friends." The boy shook his head.

"No, does he love you?" the boy restated. Haru gasped and took a step back. There was a blush on her face.

"Of course not!" Haru said flustered. All the children smiled. They began singing and dancing to themselves.

"Mr. Von Gikkingen loves Haru! Mr. Von Gikkingen loves Haru!" they sang. Haru's blush deepened.

"He does not!" Haru protested with a stomp of her foot.

"Do you love him?" the blonde girl asked Haru.

"No" Haru said. "He's my best friend. That's all he is. If I loved him, then you guys would be the first to know." Haru picked up the nearest toddler and balanced him on her hip. She turned to face everyone. "Now, who needs a blanket?" Three hands shot up. All of the children knew that Haru would only make them a quilt if they really needed one. "Okay. Go play. I want you three to tell me what you want your quilts to look like." Children ran off in different directions screaming and laughing. Haru stayed and listened to the three kids to see what kind of quilt they wanted. After getting an idea on what to make, Haru stayed another hour or two to play. Just as she was about to leave, Toto, Muta, and Baron all walked into the building. Everyone gasped.

"Baron!" Haru shouted excitedly as she ran over to him.

"Haru" he breathed as she hugged him. Baron nuzzled her head.

"Has it been three hours already?" Haru questioned as she pulled out her pocket watch to look at the time. Her eyes widened. Four hours had passed. "Oh my goodness! The time just flew by. I probably made you worry. I'm sorry." Baron shook his head and smiled.

"There is no need to be sorry. I did worry though" Baron confessed. Haru blushed. Giggling was heard from behind her. Haru spun around to glare at all the kids spying on her and Baron as they peeked around corners. Baron eyed the kids skeptically. "Why are they looking at us?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because Mr. Von Gikkingen came to the orphanage" Haru said nonchalantly. Baron raised an eyebrow at Haru.

"Is there something I should know about?" Haru blushed some more.

"No" she said quickly. She swiftly walked over to the donation box in the room and took all the donated fabric out. It was what she would use for the quilts.

"Mr. Von Gikkingen loves Haru! Mr. Von Gikkingen loves Haru!" the children sung again. Baron joined in on Haru's blushing. Toto and Muta started laughing. Baron glared at them.

"W-W-What gave them that idea?" Baron said in embarrassment. The little girls of the orphanage surrounded Baron. They smiled up at him.

"It's okay. We won't tell anyone" a little red head giggled.

"Maybe we should go" Haru stated. All the kids began to whine.

"But Mr. Von Gikkingen just got here. Can't he play with us, Haru?" a little boy said sadly.

"That is up to him" Haru said as she gazed at Baron. He seemed flustered. The little girls were grabbing at his clothes and giggling at him.

"Hey, you're handsome" one said shyly. The teenage girls were blushing in his presence. Hey, if Baron wanted to, he could probably marry one of them. He was only twenty two. Nobody in their society would think Baron strange if he married a young pretty girl. But then again, he is probably expected to marry an upper class lady.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I only came to escort Haru home. I still have business to do at home. We were going to stop and buy boots on the way" Baron apologized. All the girls pouted. The boys looked down at the floor dejectedly.

"I know! How about he comes with me next week when I bring back the quilts? Will that make everyone happy?" Haru suggested. Everyone cheered. Haru looped her arm with Baron's. Baron bent down to whisper in Haru's ear.

"As much as I love visiting the Shelter and Orphanage that my family owns, I have work to do" Baron whispered. Haru looked at Baron with big eyes.

"Please" she begged.

"Oooh, Mr. Von Gikkingen is going to make Haru cry" one child said. Baron's eyes widened.

"Okay, but only because I can't say no to you" Baron consented. Haru smiled.

"See you guys later" Haru said, waving goodbye in the process.

"Bye-bye!"

Baron led Haru out of the building and down the street. Toto and Muta flanked the couple. They stayed silent until reaching a shoe store. Haru was led inside. During their visit, Haru got three pairs of boots. Baron insisted she get a minimum of three pairs even though Haru would have been happy with one new pair. Her purchases consisted of two pairs of brown boots and a black pair. One brown pair of boots reached Haru's knee when put on. The other two reached mid-shin like the pair she was currently wearing. Being a gentleman, Baron opted to carrying Haru's boxes for her.

As the four were walking down the street, Haru saw a cat sitting outside a butcher shop. "Lune!" Haru cried as she sped off down the street and towards the cat. The dark grey feline flicked its ears towards Haru. She picked him up before he realized what was happening. Lune squeaked in surprise. Haru cradled Lune in her arms. She began walking again, what looked like a heated discussion started between her and the cat. Baron, Toto, and Muta only caught bits and parts of it.

"Did you pick yet?"

"Meow…meow…meow-meow."

"Did he really? When?"

"Meow!"

"No?! He didn't!"

"Meow."

"The nerve!"

"Meow…hiss."

"She's great! I can ask Baron."

Upon hearing his name, Baron strode to Haru's side. He tipped his top hat to Lune. "What is it, Haru?" Baron asked as he eyed Lune suspiciously. Lune's gaze travelled back down to his cat's eye ring just like last time. Baron gripped his cane harder and moved the boxes in his hand, so Lune couldn't see his ring. Lune's mismatched eyes flicked to Baron's curiously. Baron looked away.

"Oh! I was wondering if I could take Lune to the mansion. I know Yuki likes cats. I think Lune and Yuki could get along swimmingly." Baron's eyes narrowed at Lune. The cat looked harmless. He guessed it couldn't hurt.

"Anything for you, Haru" Baron said. Haru smiled and snuggled against Lune's fur. Baron hair bristled slightly. It went unnoticed by Haru because of his top hat, but Muta and Toto could easily spot Baron's agitation.

The instant they reached the mansion, Haru ran inside looking for Yuki. Haru found the young bleach blonde servant polishing silver in the dining hall. "Yuki!" Haru called out excitedly.

The sixteen year old girl looked up in surprise. "Haru?" Haru smiled.

"Look what I brought you" Haru said as she held out Lune for Yuki to hold. Yuki set down the silverware carefully and gently took Lune from Haru to set him in her lap. She began petting his back.

"I hope you told master about this" Yuki said seriously.

"I did." Yuki nodded and smiled at Lune. He stared up at Yuki with wide eyes. He bowed his head slightly in greeting.

"Wow, he's gentleman isn't he? He's a really pretty shade of grey too."

"Meow." Haru giggled.

"He said thank you" Haru supplied. Yuki looked down at Lune. She began scratching under his chin then behind his ear. A loud purr erupted from Lune. "You're really good with cats."

"So are you, Haru" Yuki said.

"Thanks. They were my only friends as a kid. I'm going to the parlor. Just bring Lune in when you're done with him. I want to say goodbye before he leaves." Yuki nodded.

Haru left the room and went to the parlor hoping to find Baron. However, to Haru's disappointment, Baron wasn't present. On the bright side, there was a hot batch of tea in the teapot. Haru smiled to herself as she sat down on the settee and poured herself a cup.

"Meow."

"Huh?" Haru said as she looked over at the parlor door, in the crack of the door stood an orange cat. "Hello. Who are you?" Haru said as she set her teacup down to go to the door. She gently crouched down and held out her hand for the cat to sniff, but to her surprise, it skipped the sniffing and jumped into her arms. Haru almost fell backwards, but she caught herself before completely falling.

"Heehee. What is your name?" Haru asked.

"Humbert" the cat meowed.

"Humbert? Are you Baron's cat? Did he name you that? But why would he name you Humbert if he doesn't even like his own name? Maybe he was trying to be funny? He never told me he had a cat before. I guess this is a big house. Maybe I just never noticed you before" Haru said to herself as she carried Humbert over to the settee and sat down. The cat flattened its ears at Haru words.

"Can you understand me?" Humbert hissed out in surprise. Haru nodded.

"I can talk to cats. Don't ask me why or how. I just can" Haru said giddily. Haru began to stroke Humbert's back with her hand. Humbert's back arched to the touch. Haru smiled and picked up her teacup. She took a slow sip. She lowered the cup to see Humbert staring at the drink.

"Do you like tea?" Humbert nodded his head. "I guess you are Baron's cat. You are bound to like tea." Haru grabbed the teapot and filled the empty teacup with the brown liquid. Without even asking, Haru poured a little milk into the mix. She mixed it then replaced the teacup in her hand with the milk infused one. "Here you go" Haru said as she held the cup to Humbert. Humbert sniffed the liquid before lapping at it. Haru scratched behind his right ear. Humbert began to purr.

"Haru?!" an angry voice called out. Haru jumped in surprise. She steadied herself so the tea wouldn't spill. She sighed and pulled the tea away to set it back on its little plate.

"Yes?" she called out in annoyance.

"Haru! Have you seen—?" Toto began as he entered the room. He stopped short at seeing Humbert. Humbert jumped up and buried himself in Haru's arms all while hissing at the intruder.

"Haru? Where did you get that cat?" Toto asked slowly. Before Haru could answer, Muta pushed the door open all the way. He was huffing and puffing for breath.

"I couldn't find him" Muta wheezed.

"Find who?" Haru asked.

"Baro—" Muta began but was stopped when Toto elbowed him in the gut.

"Oomph" Muta gasped at the blow to the stomach.

"No one important" Toto said quickly. "Now, where did you get that cat?" At Toto's question, Muta's eyes flew to the cat in Haru's arms. Humbert was still purring, but his lips were drawn back in a snarl at Baron's friends/bodyguards.

"Isn't this Baron's cat? I didn't find him. He came into the room on his own" Haru answered.

"I see" Toto said distastefully. Toto seemed to frown at the cat before turning around. "Let's go, Muta."

"But—" Muta tried. His eyes never left the orange cat in Haru's arms.

"Now!" Toto barked. "He's made his choice." Toto stormed out of the room. Muta was hot on his tail.

"What was that about? And don't you like them or something? If your Baron's cat, I figured that you would be friends." Humbert growled.

"They just don't understand" he hissed. His ears flattened. "Please Haru, can I just lay here…with you" Humbert meowed softly.

"Of course!" Haru arranged herself on the settee so that she was lying on her back. She picked Humbert up and nuzzled her cheek against one of his furry ones. Haru giggled. "You smell like tea leaves. You must spend a look of time with Baron. That's his own personal scent too." Humbert purred as she set him down on her stomach. Humbert circled her stomach before curling up and going to sleep. "You better be careful. Even if you are Baron's cat, he's quite fond of me. I think he'd get jealous of you sleeping with me" Haru teased before drifting off to sleep also.

Two hours passed before Haru woke up again. Humbert was no longer on her belly. He was lapping at the cold tea on the coffee table. Haru stretched and smiled at the sight. She decided Humbert was Baron's cat. They were just too similar.

"Haru, I have Lune" Yuki said as she opened the door to the room to peek her head in. Lune jumped from Yuki's arms to land on all fours. Yuki shut the door and left. Lune walked over to Haru, but as he went to jump on her lap, Humbert jumped onto her legs and hissed at Lune. Lune's back arched, and he hissed back.

"Stop it you two!" Haru scolded.

"I just wanted to say thank you, Miss Haru for introducing me to Yuki. She is just as wonderful as you described her. I plan on coming back to see her. I'll warn you ahead of time" Lune said in a polite voice. He studied Humbert closely. Humbert growled.

"You're welcome, Prince Lune. I look forward to our future meetings" Haru said. She lifted Humbert into her arms and curtsied. A blue portal mystically appeared out of nowhere and Lune bowed his head before disappearing into the swirling mass of blue. As soon as it came, it vanished.

"I must be going now. I hope we can see each other again" Humbert said. His whole attitude changed from hateful and menacing to polite and orderly in a matter of seconds. He hopped from Haru's arms to look at her.

"As do I. I'm going to have to tease Baron about you later. I never pictured him as a cat person; especially earlier when he didn't seem to like the idea of me bringing Lune here. Maybe it was because of you, either way. See you soon" Haru said. Humbert nodded and scurried out of the room.

It wasn't until later that Haru heard Baron arguing with Toto and Muta.

A/N: How's my updating? Should I slow it down? Keep it as is? Are you catching on to the curse yet? Leave a comment.