Chapter Twelve: Confrontations

Toto was somehow able to ride the air current back down to the shaken group. He could see the king and his soldiers marching toward the tower remains as he landed next to Muta.

"So do we wait for them?" Baron finished brushing off his suit with his handkerchief and glanced up towards the exit. The portal was now broken, with no prayer of getting fixed in time to save Haru. At least his blush and Haru's had gone down enough that his two friends didn't notice anything wrong with either of the two half-cats.

"Looks like we have no choice." His heart ached when he thought of Haru's fate. There was nothing more he could do for her. Louise looked extremely pleased with herself as her son and guards followed close behind her, even the king unable to match her enthusiasm. Baron, Haru, Muta, and Toto had lined themselves against the wall, each sitting in their own way.

"You were right Renaldo; it is a good idea to keep explosives around in case of an emergency." Haru gave him a funny look until Muta turned red.

"Uh, misadventures of a beloved childhood."

"Sounds interesting." Haru wished she could have learned what had inspired Louise's comment. The king had finally caught up to his mother, and all of his guards passed out after entering the enclosure.

"Gikkingen, so nice to see you again!" The king had obviously changed his tune from when they last met. Purring like a broken motor, he looked at Haru.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to return my daughter-in-law."

"She's not married yet!" Toto was a bit indignant that the king considered her already won.

"It's not so bad, being a cat." Muta informed the girl-cat, although his tone suggested that he wasn't being entirely truthful.

"It's going to take me a while to get used to eating meat again," Haru answered sadly. Baron heard something from the other side of Muta. Leaning a bit to see what it was, his smile returned in full force.

"I wouldn't give up quite yet if I were you." Everyone turned to see what the cat doll was looking at, including the king and Louise. Haru could recognize the gray cat that she had rescued, although the collar was gone, replaced by a white soldier uniform decorated with medals. He had emerged from an underground entrance, along with a uniformed regiment of his own, and was now marching toward the tower with purpose.

"Father, Grandmother!"

"Prince Lune has returned! Line up quickly!" The robed cat, which had previously been gasping for breath, quickly made the guards form a line so that there was room in the enclosure for Lune's soldiers.

"I should have guessed that something like this would happen. Who is responsible for all this?" The crown prince did not look too pleased.

"Lune, sweetheart." Louise addressed him in a sickeningly sweet voice. Muta pretended to throw up, causing Toto to laugh softly. "We found you the perfect human bride that we've been searching for! You remember that young lady from yesterday? The one that saved your life?" Lune looked at Haru with regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for getting you caught up in my family's politics, miss." Baron and his friends, including Haru, looked up in shock. That was not what they had expected him to say, coming from the obviously disturbed royal family. Turning to face his father and grandmother, Lune continued. "I believe I made it clear that I did not want to marry a human." His grandmother shook one paw indulgently.

"No, you said you didn't want to get married quite yet. There's no problem with her staying at the palace until you feel ready-"

"No. There shouldn't be a problem with that since I will never marry her." The king stood up on his hind legs, a hint of the previous madness setting in.

"Lune, do you have any idea what we've gone through to keep her here? I even blew up the tower-"

"No, I did! I'm the one that pushed the button!" Louise was angry that her son was trying to take all the credit. "And if it weren't for me, you never would have known that Lune was even in danger."

It figured that Louise was behind this mess as well. Baron narrowed his eyes at her, angry for the chance of a normal life that she made slip through Haru's fingers.

"Not now, Mother! I had the tower blown up so that she can never go home! You know that the knowledge of reconnecting the worlds has been lost for centuries."

"Father, I can never marry the young lady that rescued me. I doubt my wife would appreciate it all that much." Louise gasped while the king stared at his son in amazement.

"You're already married? When did this happen?"

"Shortly after the young lady here saved my life. I was hoping for a way to break the news gently, but this will have to do." He motioned for the guards to part, revealing a stunningly pretty white cat with a pink ribbon tied around her neck. Blushing slightly, she bowed to the king, who was struck speechless.

"I guess that explains why he was in such a big hurry," Haru commented, grinning broadly.

"You know, I think I like this prince." Baron couldn't believe that someone from this royal line was being so rational. But he wasn't about to complain about Haru's continued single status.

"Father, Grandmother, this is Yuki." The prince then turned to direct his wife's attention to Haru. "Yuki, this is the young lady that saved me. You did say that you hoped to meet her someday." The adoration for his bride was clear in his voice. The white cat looked at the ex-human and gasped.

"Haru, is that really you?!" Everyone turned to the half-cat in surprise.

"Um, yes?"

"Oh, Haru!" The white cat lunged for the half-cat, enveloping her in a warm embrace. Haru had a blank look on her face like she didn't have a clue on what to do, her arms limp at her sides. "It's been so long since I've seen you last! I should have known that you were the young lady that saved my Lune." Her husband was the only one that seemed to understand what his wife was trying to say.

"You mean this is the Haru you've told me so much about?"

"Yes." Yuki looked her in the face again, and seemed a bit hurt by how the girl was looking at her. Like the white cat was as crazy as the rest of Lune's family.

"I'm afraid that I don't remember you. Sorry." Yuki backed up from her slowly, her eyes becoming soft with tears.

"You don't?" Lune took her by the arm.

"Maybe she'll remember if you show her my engagement gift to you." Yuki seemed to break out of her trance, and a smile graced her face once more.

"Of course! Great idea Lune." Waving one soldier holding a bag forward, Yuki rummaged around in it until she pulled out a small yellow box, tied shut with a red ribbon.

"Hey, that's the box he almost got killed over." Haru knew that much, at least. The prince's bride gave it her, a trace of fear in her eyes.

"Please look inside." Feeling a bit silly, she carefully untied the ribbon, placed it on her lap, and slowly opened the box. Everyone waited for her reaction. Her eyes widened as far as they would go, and her face turned pale underneath the fur. Reaching inside, she pulled out a single small pastry shaped like a fish. Her breath became unsteady.

"It's just a fish cookie, you silly girl. Nothing to get upset about." Haru slowly turned her head toward Louise before answering with a glare.

"This fish cookie happens to be the same kind that my father used to buy for me before he passed away. I was still a small child at the time, so I'd say it is something to get upset about, since I haven't been near them since then." She rubbed the unshed tears from her eyes and looked at Yuki. Slowly, a blinding smile consumed her face. "You must have been that tiny kitten I shared these with all those years ago. You've gotten so pretty that I didn't recognize you." Yuki gave a cry of relief and flung herself again at Haru, who placed the box and cookie aside to hug the white cat back.

"If I didn't meet you that day, I would have starved on the streets!" Lune kneeled beside his wife.

"And if you hadn't come to my rescue, I wouldn't be here either. So it's really your fault that we're together." Haru laughed.

"I don't mind being guilty of that. Especially now that it means that I'm off the hook!"

"Not so fast." The Cat King had regained his voice. "Lune, you know full well the reason why our family has been taking human brides for over four thousand years. How could you turn your back on one of our oldest traditions?" Lune stood up to face his father.

"Maybe because of the sad look that never left Mother's face. You knew full well that she had a sweetheart before you carried her away, but you didn't care! You got your human bride, and she had to sacrifice everything and everyone she knew for a life she never wanted." Lune looked at Haru and smiled sadly.

"I didn't want to make some human girl as sad as Mother was. There's also nothing really wrong with the royal family branching out. And after I met Yuki, well, I was toast." The king stared at his son for a moment, and lowered his head.

"All right, Lune."

"That's it?" Louise interrupted. Her eyes seemed to spark fire.

"What do you want me to do, Mother? We don't have divorce here."

"So Lune gets away with it, and Haru is supposed to hang around here and what? She was brought here to be a bride, but now she can't even return to her world, so what are we supposed to do with her? And these ruffians?" She pointed a disdainful figure towards Baron and his two friends. The Cat King scratched his whiskers for a moment, and then slammed one paw into the other.

"I've got it! I'll marry Haru!" Everyone gaped at him as he towered over Haru.

"How about it, babe? If you marry me, you can have all the fish cookies you want."

"Just change us back, and I'll call it good."

"That depends on your answer." Baron had only seen the look on Haru's face twice before. Once was at the antique store when the shopkeeper tried to sell Baron for a dollar. The other was right before she charged into the street, with Hiromi's lacrosse stick held ready to swipe a cat out of danger. That look? Yeah, it was dangerous. Haru got to her feet, all her fur rising in hostility.

"Are you out of your mind?" Her voice was in a forced whisper. Building up to a crescendo, she continued. "Considering everything that you and your mother have put me and my friends through, do you honestly think for one second that I would ever consider marrying you? You dirty old cat!" Her last words were loud enough to force the king to stumble backwards until he fell over. Looking at his advisors, he asked,

"Was that a no?" Muta and Toto laughed hardily while Baron's smile widened. He had no doubts about Haru's reaction, but it was still nice to hear her rebuke on their behalf.

"You better believe it was a no!" Haru couldn't believe that the Cat King thought that she might go for an offer like that.

"Well, no wonder Baron's smitten by the girl." Toto managed to whisper to Muta after they stopped laughing. The large cat blinked.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Come on. Can't you tell, or are your fat eyelids blinding you?"

"Take that back!" Toto and Muta start fighting again as Lune apologetically walks up to Haru.

"Sorry about my father; he has a one track mind. Yuki and I owe you for our lives, and we owe you for what you've been put through. If you want anything from us, just name it." She thought carefully.

"I suppose there's no way that we can return home?"

"None that I'm aware of." Haru's ears pointed down, but perked up after a second.

"Can you change my friends back to the way they were? Or me?" Lune looked down in defeat.

"I'm sorry, Haru. There are only two ways to reverse the Cat's Eye's power, and both are beyond me." She cocked her head to one side.

"Cat's Eye?"

"The purple gem my father's wearing. My grandfather used it to curse your friends. Anyway, either the original caster of the spell must reverse it, or the recipients must find something that's stronger than the Cat's Eye's magic. And I doubt that my grandfather would have been too willing to reverse his spell, even if he was alive." Haru blinked for a moment.

Something stronger? She looked over to Baron, who had stood up and was looking at her with an expression that she couldn't quite read. Come to think of it, how did Baron and Toto become flesh and blood if they were wood and stone the day before? The orange cat answered her unspoken question.

"The spell started weakening the very night you brought me home, so I assumed that you have something stronger than cat magic. I was obviously correct."

Was that why he helped me? Deal with that question later.

"No!" Louise wasn't about to take this. She ran for Haru with her claws extended, but got intercepted by Muta, who firmly sat on her. "Agh..." was all she could say, crushed by the pig-cat's weight.

"I've been longing to do that for years!" He said, smirking.

"Can't think of a punishment better than that. Good kitty." Toto couldn't help but add. Haru didn't bother to listen to Muta's comeback.

How could I have something stronger? I'm just a painter, this doesn't make any sense. But somehow, it did make sense. She had been able to see through the invisibility spell that had covered Baron, and she definitely felt something when she first saw him. She thought about the previous two months, all those times when she felt him watching her, but had just brushed it off. How did she know to treat him like a person instead of a carved piece of wood? And then there was everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She had heard his voice telling her not to jump in front of the truck, and than again to warn her of the danger when she had heard the meowing inside her apartment. Then there was Baron himself. He had come after her, even though he was still paying the price for his last visit here. She thought about the way he made her dance, how he could take down cats with a mask or cane, the way he spoke to her, his gentle touch, the look on his face after that accidental kiss…

Oh, big flipping duh.

She smacked herself on her forehead and started laughing hysterically. It's funny, how everything's funny when one happens to be sleep-deprived. Baron looked at her with alarm.

"Haru? Are you all right?"

"Looks like the pressure of everything that happened finally went to her brain." Muta said somberly. Toto had a comment ready for him.

"Funny, I'd have thought that you would be the first one to crack."

"Take that back!" Baron ignored them and held Haru by the shoulders so that she looked at him.

"Haru…" He was surprised by the look on her face when she glanced up at him. Her eyes were starting to tear up, and she looked ecstatic. A lot like the way she looked when she got the idea to paint his portrait.

"Sorry, Baron, it's just so funny! I figured out why the spell's been steadily breaking!"

"Don't go there, girl!"

"Keep silent, witch!" Muta shifted his position slightly to make the troublesome she-cat groan in pain. Haru was impressed that Louise could gather enough breath to say anything, let alone at that volume. She looked again into Baron's eyes. She wasn't sure how he would react to what she was about to tell him, or how things would work out later. She only knew that it needed to be said, even if it did nothing to help Baron.

"Baron…" He tightened his grip slightly as he pulled her a little closer, nodding to say he was listening. "I had better say this before I regain my senses. I don't really care that you're sixty-plus years older than me, or if this will help, but I love you!"

The gem on the Cat King's forehead shattered into pieces as fine as dust, and blew away with the wind. Louise screamed as the world itself seemed to shatter like Muta's window prison, and then dissolve into darkness.