Chapter Five: Silent Cries

Haru didn't know how the human doctors would take her sudden disappearance, but she wasn't caring anymore, already feeling better underneath the care of Saka, Sango, and Polo. They managed to make a spell to ease her breathing, and gave her some catnip tea to help her relax, although she wasn't a feline. Her mother had gotten a hold of a medallion that kept her to her human shape, but the teenage girl wouldn't have minded so much if she turned into a cat again. There were a lot of things she was no longer caring about, and a few other things that she was.

Baron hadn't left her side since she was brought back to the Cat Kingdom, his hand gently over hers, wary of hurting her. That fact alone made the trip worthwhile, plus getting to hear Muta and Toto bicker. She had no idea why, but it made her feel better as Baron would firmly push them out of the room until they could behave themselves. Her mother hadn't left either, on the other side of her daughter as the doctors did their work.

But the cat doll's hand over her daughter's hadn't escaped her notice. Neither did their behavior towards each other.

When Haru was finally asleep, she gestured to Baron to follow her out of the room and to the library. If the brunette was better, she probably would have loved to see all the books. Being denied physical activity, she had always taken solace in literature.

The red-haired woman wheeled around to the orange cat, who looked confused as to what she was thinking.

"I want to know something, Baron, and if you lie, I will do several nasty things to you."

He cocked his head at her.

"I never lie, if I can help it."

This made her relax a little.

"Good. Now, are you, or are you not, crushing on my daughter?"

His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak. His jaw moved around, but no sound was issuing from his throat. He blinked, and then laughed lightly as he sat on a couch in the middle of the library.

"I guess I am. I thought it was just concern for a dear friend, but…" he sighed. "It doesn't matter. Even after she gets better, I could never court her."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she sat down next to the Creation.

"Why not? She's obviously crazy about you."

His shoulders fell, as did his ears.

"If all there was to consider were her feelings and mine, I wouldn't hesitate. But there's a bit more than that. I'm an immortal, and she isn't. She will eventually die, be it next week or decades from now, and how you see me at the present is the way I'll always be." Now that he understood his own feelings for Haru, he knew why his heart felt as heavy as lead.

Despite all his efforts, she would eventually be taken from him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Absolutely nothing.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was a glorious summer night, with stars twinkling above and moving ones dancing around a small girl, maybe six to eight years old. She was running around a field with a glass jar and lid in her tiny hands, trying to catch some fireflies, which somehow always managed to stay just beyond her reach. Suddenly, a man came up behind her and swept her into his arms.

"Sweetheart, you know you shouldn't be running around like that. Remember what the doctor said?"

She struggled a little in the tall man's arms.

"But Daddy, I need to catch a wish so I can get better!"

He looked at her, completely confused.

"Haru, what are you talking about?"

She pointed at the stars.

"You said that if I wish on a star with all my heart and never tell anybody, than it will come true! I've made thousands of wishes, but it's never been granted. It's because I'm too small for the stars to hear me, so I need to talk to a firefly, since they're kind of like stars."

He stared at her a little longer, and then laughed while holding her close.

"Oh, Sweetheart; you're just too adorable. You can't wish on a firefly."

She stopped struggling, tears beginning to run down her face.

"But I don't want to be sick anymore! I want to run and play with my friends! Why did I have to get sick?"

The laughter faded from his face, her pain hurting him as well. He walked back to a blanket and sat down with her on his lap. His wife was gone at a quilter's convention, and he was given enough time off work so he could be with his daughter up in a mountain retreat for some father-daughter time.

"I don't know why, Princess. Sometimes there's a good reason for people to get sick. We just don't know why you had to." He used the corners of the blanket to wrap his daughter and him up. "The thing is, it takes more than a wish to make things happen. It takes determination and willpower. I know you have plenty of both. And when wishes do come true, it's because time and effort have been put into it. Even then, they don't always happen the way you want them to." He sighed, making a wish of his own as a comet crossed the sky.

"Whatever you do, don't stop wishing, though. If you want something bad enough, then nothing will be able to stop you. Always remember, Princess; wishes can be very powerful if there is enough force behind them. Keep wishing and hoping; you never know what could happen."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru's eyes began to stream, remembering her father.

He had died in a monorail accident about two months after the firefly talk. Her wishes became different then; she wanted her father back far more than she wanted to run and play. But it still didn't work. Her mother started taking Haru into the same bed as her, clinging to her for comfort like she was one of the stuffed animals the tiny brunette collected.

Squeezing her mother back, those long lonely nights after her father's death, she began to realize that she felt best when she was making her mother feel better. Knowing she had caught onto something special, she started helping others too, like making her friends laugh after they lost a lacrosse match or taking care of someone's pet while they were on vacation.

Or feeding a hungry kitten some fish crackers. Or sweeping another one out of an oncoming truck's path. She had made so many friends by her acts of kindness, but she had long stopped wishing, since it never seemed to work for her.

But… what if it would work now? What if the stars could hear her now?

She knew what she was thinking was irrational, but in times like this, it surely couldn't hurt to put forward her part. She took in a deep breath and started concentrating on that glorious sky, the night of the fireflies. The stars were always more beautiful in the mountains than in the city.

'I wish there was a way I could get better. I wish there was a way I could be with my loved ones longer.' Her heart quivered. 'I wish to spend more time with Baron. I wish to know if he could ever love me the way I love him.'

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Naoko's jaw dropped.

"And you're engaged to a regular doll?"

Baron nodded miserably.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to Haru. The last thing she needs right now is demoralization."

The red-haired woman nodded slowly.

"But if this Louise doesn't have a soul, are you really engaged?"

The cat doll threw his hands into the air.

"Unfortunately, yes. The artisan had enough magic put into her to bind us together in that sense. But… what's the point? She isn't alive! Yes, she's very beautiful, but even being the most beautiful doll in the world won't be enough to compensate for no soul. And Haru-" he broke off, finally letting his emotions out.

"She's amazing. The only reason she was in trouble was for saving a life, practically a girl after my own heart. She's smart, sweet, and honest nearly to a fault, but when the pressure was on, she wouldn't hesitate to speak for herself, in very loud terms, if memory serves. She may have needed me to escape the Cat Kingdom, but she didn't need me to make any decisions for her. She's so much braver than she gives herself credit for. I wish I had checked on her sooner. I wish her body was as strong as her spirit. I wish…" he trailed off, tears beginning to choke him as Naoko gripped his shoulder for comfort.

"I wish… it was her… I'm supposed to spend eternity with… instead of… an empty shell." He doubted he could ever look at Louise again without regret.