"Congratulations!" the whole Von Gikkingen staff shouted as the newly engaged couple entered the mansion along with Toto and Muta trailing behind. Haru and Baron stopped and smiled. They waited as the staff congratulated them individually with a hug or shake of the hand. Once everyone spoke to them, Baron led Haru up to his room.
"Haru, we have so much to talk about," Baron said as he pulled Haru into his room and closed door, "but I actually wanted to talk to you about tomorrow first."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes. I'm afraid I won't be here tomorrow" Baron said sadly.
"Why?" Haru said. Her eyes were wide and full of worry.
"I have some business to attend to. I'm going to try to get in contact with the Cat Kingdom so that you can talk to Lune. I wanted to let you know, so that you aren't worried when Toto and Muta burst into the room and tell you that they can't find me. I should be back by the morning of the day after tomorrow.
"You're not going to tell them where you're going?" Haru asked.
"No. You know they don't let me go anywhere on my own. I have no idea why they don't trust me" Baron said as he grabbed Haru's hand and led her to the bed. They both sat down on the edge.
"Well I heard quite the story about you yesterday. I heard you used to be quite the vigilante" Haru teased. Baron blushed.
"I wouldn't call myself a vigilante. I was just doing the right thing" Baron said in embarrassment.
"I know. It's magnificent. I'll keep your secret. Please, be careful though" Haru said as she gently gripped the sleeve of Baron's jacket.
"I promise I will" Baron said.
"You better" Haru muttered. "Now, let's talk about the wedding!" Baron chuckled.
"Planning the wedding already, my dear?"
"You wanted to talk about it too! That's what you meant when you said we had a lot to talk about" Haru said in defense.
"Indeed, I did" Baron said. "How about we pick a date first?"
"Hmmm…how about next month?" Haru suggested.
"Next month? You're quite anxious to get married to me, aren't you?"
"Baron!" Haru laughed as she playfully slapped his arm. "I think it is you who is anxious to get married to me!"
"Alright! Alright! You got me. Next month it is then" Baron declared. Haru smiled.
The next day…
Haru was sitting in her room getting some rest like Abigail advised. Abigail told Haru that today was the last she had to take it easy. Tomorrow, she could spend her time however she wanted without having to worry. Haru was sewing a new handkerchief for Baron. Yesterday while they were at the orphanage, there was a girl that was around thirteen speaking with Baron and blushing around him like no tomorrow. Baron was kind enough to give her his handkerchief as a present. The girl ran off giggling afterwards. Now he needed a new one. Haru was making his new one a dark emerald green to match his eyes.
"Haru!"
"Bother" Haru grumbled as she set her work down in her lap. She had been waiting for this moment since she woke up.
"Haru!"
"I'm in my room" Haru said with a roll of her eyes. Loud footsteps were heard as they got closer to her bedroom. The door opened and Toto and Muta strode into the room.
"Where is he?" Toto growled.
"Where is who?" Haru asked innocently. She batted her eyelashes at the duo.
"You know exactly who we are talking about" Toto said angrily.
"No I don't" Haru said.
"Chicky, where is your fiancé?" Muta asked more calmly. His hand reached up to scratch at the bandages on his face. Apparently, Toto's scratches were deeper than they looked, and Muta had to get stiches in each one.
"I haven't seen him since last night" she said honestly. Haru glanced at her nightstand to where her gold pocket watch was propped up against a lamp. "It's still pretty early. How did you lose him so fast?"
"Forget that! He had to tell you something!" Toto said in aggravation. He didn't seem all that threatening though, especially with his black eye.
"He said that he was going to be busy today but that's about it" Haru said. She picked up her half-finished handkerchief and continued sewing gold thread along the edge. She wanted to put Baron's initials in the fabric. She knew he wouldn't like it, but she was going to write 'Baron HVG' in it anyway.
"Let's go, Toto. She obviously doesn't know anything" Muta said as he grabbed Toto's arm. Toto reluctantly followed.
Haru watched as they began walking back to the door. It wasn't until recently that she learned that Toto and Muta were actually cousins. It was funny seeing them hate each other one minute then be friends the next. She always wondered what they were like as children. Did they play with each other often? Not at all? Were they even really close as children? All Haru knew was that Toto moved in with Muta's family once his parents died when he was about ten years old. They lived under the same roof, but they had a strained relationship once they began living together. Muta's parents always paid a little more attention to Toto, most likely because they felt for him after facing tragedy. Muta and Toto constantly got into fights, enough to send them to the hospital a few times. Once they turned sixteen, they met Baron when Muta's family had to talk to Baron's about officially adopting Toto. Ever since then, Muta and Toto became Baron's closest friends. The cousins were forced to get along and that led to all three becoming like brothers. Once Baron's parents died from being attacked by robbers attacking their carriage, Baron took over the business at seventeen then asked Muta and Toto to become his advisors and second in command. It was a very heart wrenching story when she heard it. Haru even cried. Oh, how Toto and Muta could act so hot and cold still.
"I bet's she is just hiding him" Toto mumbled as he closed the door to Haru's room. Haru smiled to herself once the advisors left, but her smile soon turned to a frown. She lowered her head, creating a shadow over her face. A lone tear slid down Haru's fair skin. It dripped off her chin and onto her hand that was gripping the handkerchief tightly into a ball. Something didn't feel right.
With Baron…
Baron padded down the cobblestone street and past people's tromping feet. He took extra caution to make sure nobody stepped on him or his tail. His mouth was hanging slightly open as he tried to scent where some cats might be hanging around. He was finding no such luck to easily locating any felines. Baron shook his head and swiveled his ears around. He decided to go check out some alleys instead of wandering in the street where he could get harmed.
Baron spotted an alley up ahead and went up to it. He poked his head around the corner and saw that the coast was clear. He placed one paw in front of the other to make sure he didn't step on something sharp and cut his pads. "Hello?" Baron meowed. No response. Baron's ears flattened. He went through the alley until he reached the other end. He came out onto another street. Baron ran into the crowd of people and darted past them to the next alley. "Is anyone out there?"
"Yes?" a voice answered. A black cat came out of the shadows to stand in front of the tawny cat.
"Hello, I am Humbert" Baron introduced with a bow. The black cat stared at Baron with calculating eyes. He didn't say anything. Baron took a step back. "Uh, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the Cat Kingdom. It would be a tremendous help."
"I can" the black cat said. He sat down and curled his tail around his front paws. Baron unsheathed his claws and flexed them repeatedly.
"Could you take me there?" Baron said warily. The black cat nodded. He turned around and jumped up onto a crate behind him. He continued jumping up the stacked boxes of wood until he reached the wall at the end of the alley. He jumped on top of it. Baron followed him closely. The black cat turned around, his amber eyes bore into Baron's. His eyes flickered and searched Baron's face. He snorted then turned back around, jumping off the wall to land on the ground. Baron followed suit. They were now outside the city. Baron padded after the black cat all the way to the woods. They went deep into the woods before taking a break.
"It is dangerous out here. The Cat Kingdom is in the middle of the forest. We need to watch out for other animals" the black cat said gruffly. He began to give himself a quick wash with his tongue. Baron copied his actions. He didn't want the shifty cat to seem like there was something off about him. Suddenly, there was a snapping noise. It sounded like a branch snapping. Baron and the black cat snapped their heads in the direction that the noise came from. Baron's fur spiked up in fear. Two glowing eyes were staring at the felines.
"Stay calm" the black cat hissed. "Come on!" He darted to the left and jumped over a fallen tree. Baron ran after him. Behind him, he could hear the beginning of an animal taking chase. Baron glanced behind him to see a fox chasing him. Baron's fear heightened, giving him a burst of adrenaline. Baron speed picked up. He could feel the fox's hot breath on the back of his legs. Baron ran as best he could until he slipped on a rock. Baron's body twisted awkwardly as his tried to regain his balance. One of his front paws got caught under a tree root as he rolled on the ground, twisting it painfully. Baron yowled in pain. He rolled onto his back to see the fox standing above him with its teeth bared. Baron squeezed his eyes shut and swiped at the fox. The fox yelped as Baron's claws scratched its muzzle. Blood splattered the ground. Baron scrambled to his feet and limped after the black cat that was pretty far ahead by this point. His whole body was aching.
The fox shook its head and took off after Baron again. It jumped and tackled Baron to the ground. They rolled around until gravity stopped them from moving. Baron was pretty sure he was bleeding because his fur felt damp. The fox pinned him to the forest floor. It opened its mouth wide above Baron's throat. Baron panted as he closed his eyes and waited for his fate.
"Haru!" his mind screamed mentally.
With Haru…
The mattress groaned under Haru's weight as she shifted her position. She was curled up in a ball on her covers. Her body trembled as she cried. Her hands crumpled the recently finished handkerchief up. She opened her eyes to look at it. The whole square was green. There were gold vines with leaves bordering the edge. In the bottom right corner were Baron's initials. In the top left corner was a small heart with her initials beside it. Pounding was heard as the servants tried to open the door. They were yelling for her to let them in. Haru locked the door earlier to prevent them from disturbing her.
"Miss Haru, please open up!"
"Chicky!"
"Haru, what's wrong? I didn't mean to be so cruel earlier" Toto called out with worry lacing his voice.
Haru curled up even further. She rubbed the soft material of the handkerchief against her cheek. "Baron, where are you?" Haru sobbed.
She cried for another hour or so until no more tears would come. Haru frantically climbed off the bed. She shoved Baron's handkerchief into the pocket of her riding pants. Haru stumbled over to the vanity. She looked in the mirror. All she saw was her hair comb glittering in the light. Haru's lower lip trembled then she screamed. Haru swung her arm to the side and side-swiped all of her make up off the vanity. Bottles of perfume shattered on the floor and powder went up in the air in clouds. Haru went over to her dresser and pulled out all her nightgowns, not the silk ones though. She grabbed the gowns and tore them in two. Haru cried out in frustration as she flipped the chair. She threw the pillows off the bed and began ripping the feathers out of them. Fresh, new tears began pouring out of her red puffy eyes.
"HARU!" a voice bellowed.
Haru ignored the frantic call. She focused on destroying anything she could. All of a sudden, the door flew off its hinges and into the room. The two bodyguards that rammed the door down ran over to Haru and grabbed her arms. Haru screamed and kicked her feet. She struggled to get away. "Let go of me! Let go!"
"Haru, what's wrong?!" Abigail shouted as she placed her hands on Haru's shoulders.
"He-He-He's not okay! I don't know where he is! Something is w-w-wrong!" Haru cried. She swung her foot forward and kicked a nearby Muta in the shin. Muta grimaced.
"Who's not alright? Baron?" Toto asked desperately. Haru stopped wriggling around in the bodyguards' hold and fell limp. The bodyguards let her fall to her knees. Haru brought her hands to her face. She wept into her hands. Toto fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Haru. He gently rocked her back and forth.
"It will be okay" he said softly. Haru turned and buried her face in Toto's chest.
"Baron!" Haru sniffled. What was happening to her? Or to him?
A/N: Comments are much appreciated. Lune and Yuki in the next chapter! Any suggestions to the story you might want me to add?