Snuggled beneath her warm blankets, Kokoro had been sleeping the morning away when she had suddenly awoken to a loud tapping sound outside her window. Groggily shoving her comforter away, she sat up in bed and glanced outside, and was rather surprised to see a black bird pecking at the glass.
Kokoro leapt out of bed and threw open the window, inviting the bird inside. "Toto!" she cried, grabbing the bird and hugging him to her chest, which, in the months that had gone by, had begun to fill out. "I missed you Toto."
The crow reached up and patted her on the shoulder with a large wing. "Likewise," he replied as she relinquished her grip and he fluttered over to her desk. "We all have."
"Really?" she asked excitedly, flopping onto the end of her bed. "Muta? And Baron?"
"Yep." Toto began to smooth out the feathers she had rumpled in her eagerness. "Actually, Baron sent me here. He wanted me to ask you if you'd stop by the Refuge this morning."
"Really? What for?"
The bird Creation shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me exactly, just said he had some news he felt he should share with you."
Kokoro had already made up her mind before he even finished explaining. She sprang off her bed and rushed to her closet, where she proceeded to dig through every article of clothing she owned. "Wait outside for me," she called from the depths of her closet. "I'll be down in ten minutes." The sound of flapping wings assured her the bird was gone, so she stripped off her pajamas and changed into a casual outfit. She combed her hair, brushed her teeth, and, at the last minute, plopped a black beret on her dark hair before racing down the stairs.
"I'm going out Dad!" she shouted, yanking open a cabinet and snagging a protein bar.
"Where to? And with whom?" Her father stepped into the kitchen, clutching a ceramic mug as he scratched his stubbly chin.
"The Crossroads," she answered, tucking the bar into her bag before grabbing her shoes. "I'm meeting friends there." Which wasn't a total lie. Not only was she going to see her friends from the Cat Bureau, she had already planned to meet her boyfriend, Takashi, there later that afternoon.
She leant up and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she wrinkled her nose. "Please shave today Dad. It's unbearably itchy."
"Really?" He scratched his chin again. "But Emiko kinda likes it. She says it makes me look rugged."
"Maybe if you're a construction worker, or a lumberjack," she remarked. "Right now, you kinda look like a bum."
He looked down, took in the threadbare T-shirt, the faded sweatpants, and the grungy socks with a hole in the toe, and sighed. "I kinda do, huh?"
"I'm only telling you this because I love you," she said. "She liked you before the fur, she'll like you when it's gone. See ya later!"
"Home by six!" he shouted out the screen as she tugged on one shoe, then the other.
"Okay, bye!"
Toto was perched on the freshly painted white trellis outside her bedroom window, preening. He perked up when her heard her voice, then flew off and landed on her shoulder. "Ready?" he asked.
"All set," she said. The bird nodded, then launched himself off her shoulder to hover in the pale blue sky.
Kokoro jogged along the sidewalk beneath Toto's shadow. It was so early that Sunday not many people were up yet, so there was virtually no one for her to avoid and peacefully quiet. Finally they reached the Crossroads, and Toto guided her through alleys and back streets until she was passing beneath the familiar arch and entering the Refuge.
She had only been there once before, but it was still as quaint and beautiful as ever. When she had entered, Toto cawed and Muta appeared out of nowhere and began rubbing against her legs. She laughed, knelt down, and scratched his brown ear. "I missed you too, Muta," she said, wrapping her arms around Muta's enormous girth.
"Easy on the ribs, Chicky," the large cat said, purring into her shoulder.
"Yeah, if you can even find them," Toto scoffed, and Muta scrambled out of her arms.
"Why don't you say that to my face Birdbrain?" Thus beginning another argument.
Kokoro sighed. "I even missed this. Sort of."
"Some things never change, do they?" Smiling, Kokoro rotated on the balls of her feet until she was facing the one she owed her life to, and who had summoned her that morning. "Baron," she breathed, unable to stop her cheeks from flushing.
Smiling back, Baron elegantly swept the white top hat off his head and extended his hand. "Miss Kokoro," he said as she stuck out her index finger, and they shook hands. "You look lovely."
Even though she had a boyfriend, her cheeks darkened in color at the compliment. "Thanks. So do you."
"Would you like to come inside?" Baron offered, gesturing toward his little green-and-white house. "I was just in the middle of brewing a pot of tea."
"I would love to." She smiled as she stood up and followed the cat figurine to the door. "I miss your tea."
Once inside the cozy house, Baron continuing blending the tea mixture while informing her of current news.
"King Lune received his stone without any more mishaps," he began as he dug through a drawer for a spoon. "He and his wife send their thanks. They wanted to send you a gift, but I persuaded them otherwise." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "The last time the Cat Kingdom 'thanked' a human, there was quite a bit of chaos on both sides."
"How is Queen Esmeralda?" she asked.
"Moping about in her retirement. Once Prince Aidan married Belinda, she had to relinquish her power to him."
"Are they doing okay? Belinda and Prince Aidan, I mean."
"Happily in love and running the kingdom quite smoothly, last I heard." He turned a slanted eye up to her and winked. "I also heard Queen Belinda is expecting her first child soon."
Kokoro could barely contain her joy. "Really? Oh, I'm so happy for them!"
"I also seem to have acquired a new job," he added, pouring their tea. "After my little performance at the former Queen Esmeralda's ball, King Lune decided to add the job to his list of staff."
"Really?" she asked, taking sip of her tea. It was as warm, sweet, and delicious as her first cup.
"Yes," Baron replied, sitting in a red armchair and chuckling, his jade eyes twinkling merrily. "I will actually be paid to wear that ridiculous green outfit."
Kokoro laughed, setting her cup down so as not to spill any of Baron's special blend on her coat.
"And," he began, sipping his own tea, "how have you been faring since our last meeting?"
Kokoro sighed, leant back in her chair, and smiled. "Great!" she replied happily, ticking off her fingers as she counted off how great her life had become. "First off, I dropped out of the Environment Club. Don't get me wrong, I care about the environment and all, but I only joined the club because a boy I liked did." She giggled. "Speaking of which, I got over that boy, because he never would've noticed me anyway. I'm doing phenomenal in school, and I joined the track team and plan on joining the cross county team next year. My dad is seeing this totally awesome woman, Emiko, from work. And…" She fidgeted with her sleeve as her eyes fell to her lap, trying to conceal the blush blooming on her cheeks. "I asked out this boy I know and he said yes, and we've been dating for three months now." Lifting her head and brushing the hair away from her face, she looked up to meet Baron's warm smile.
"I'm very proud of you Kokoro," he said, setting the cup down and rising from his chair. He walked forward and placed a small, gloved hand on her knee. "I never doubted you for a minute. I knew, from the moment we met, you had the talent to be good and happy. The difference now is that you know it too. "
Tears welled up in Kokoro's eyes and threatened to overflow at Baron's heartfelt words. Reaching down, she carefully picked the cat figurine up by the waist and hugged him to her chest. "Thank you," she murmured, "for believing in me."
Baron patted her shoulder. "Good job Kokoro."
After a minute or two, and her tears had subsided, Kokoro gently set Baron back on the floor and dabbed at her eyes. "So, I guess this time it really is goodbye?"
Baron nodded. "Most likely. With you doing this well, you'll probably never need our help again."
"Too bad." She smiled, then gazed out the glass balcony doors. "I think I'll miss the constant bickering."
They burst into fits of laughter, and they giggled until it was finally time for her to go. She crawled back out the double doors, stood up, stretched, and gazed around the miniature town set aside from the rest of the world. She was going to miss this place.
For once, Muta and Toto were silent as Kokoro walked over to say her goodbyes. She coddled Muta like a baby, scratched his mismatched ears and nuzzled her cheek into his soft, creamy fur. "Thanks for watching over me," she said before setting him back down on the ground.
"No problem Chicky," he grumbled, but there was a slight smile between his whiskers.
Next it was Toto's turn, and she let him perch on her shoulder as she stroked his glossy feathers. "Thanks for taking care of me."
"I enjoyed every minute," he replied, then he fluttered off her shoulder and took his place atop his stone pole.
Finally, she turned to Baron Humbert von Gikkingen; to some, a busybody cat doll. To her though, he was her heroic feline friend, and she would never forget him.
Baron smiled cordially at her and tipped his hat. She laughed and did a little curtsy in response before sighing. "I'll miss you all," she said, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Promise you won't forget me?"
The threesome nodded. "As long as you do the same," Toto said, grinning.
She nodded. "Deal." Glancing back toward the arch, she sighed. "I guess I better get going. Goodbye." She spun around and slowly left the Refuge.
Ducking beneath the arch, she followed the alleyway until she stepped out onto the black asphalt street. Twisting a lock of dark hair in her fingers, she fought back the urge to cry and continued walking along the street to the Crossroads.
Once she'd arrived, she bit her lip and looked around, searching for Takashi.
"Kokoro!" Recognizing the familiar timbre of the voice, she whirled around… and collided into someone else. The two tumbled to the ground, and Kokoro immediately began spluttering apologies.
"I'm so sorry!" she cried, shoving chunks of hair out of her eyes and sitting up. Noticing objects scatted across the pavement, she began reaching for them. A quilting magazine, a camera, a purple wallet, some teabags, and a yellow box of fish crackers like the ones she used to eat when she was little. She clambered to her feet, then reached down to help up the unfortunate person she had hit.
It was a young woman, maybe a couple years older than her, with cropped brown hair. She accepted Kokoro's offered hand, and Kokoro pulled her to her feet. Now she could get a better look at the girl.
She was a couple inches taller than her, wearing a yellow dress with capped sleeves and sunglasses perched on top of her short hair. Her big brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and she was holding a bag to her chest.
Kokoro hastily bowed and apologized again as she handed the girl back her things. The girl then carefully placed the items back in her bag, and smiled.
"I'm really, really sorry," Kokoro said for the third time.
The girl waved her hand. "No big deal, really," she said. "I'm not hurt. Are you?"
"No…" A voice cut her off, and both girls turned to see Takashi jogging toward them.
"Kokoro, are you all right?" he asked as he reached them, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm fine Takashi," she said, patting her boyfriend's shaking hands. "I'm okay, I promise."
"Good." He ran a hand through his raven hair, made unruly by his mad dash down the street and through the growing crowds. "I almost went into cardiac arrest when you fell."
Kokoro smiled, then turned back to the girl. She was about to confirm she was all right to the young woman when her words stuck in her throat. Her eyes had fallen upon the young woman's bag.
There was nothing unusual about the bag, at least to most people. It was a pale blue canvas sort, simple really. Painted on the front of the bag were three animals. A glossy black crow grinned up at her from the left, a fat white cat with a brown ear glowering from the left. In the center was an orange and cream-colored cat, smiling warmly, tilting a white top hat with a gloved hand.
Her grin widened as she entwined her hand with Takashi's. "Nice bag," she said, pointing at the canvas.
The girl glanced down, a bit surprised, but she smiled and hugged it to her chest. "Thanks," she replied brightly, but the two girls shared a secret look that the still-shaking boy missed. "Well, it was nice bumping into you," she said after a moment, slinging the bag over her shoulder and walking away.
Kokoro sighed and fell into Takashi's chest. He glanced down at her, brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "Did you know that girl?" he asked.
"Nope." She shook her head. "Never seen her before in my life."
"Huh." The couple gazed after the mysterious girl, but after a moment Kokoro began to tug Takashi down the street. "Hey, watch the arm!"
"C'mon, you can't be checking out other girls while I'm with you!" she said playfully. "I'm your girlfriend!"
"You know you're the only girl I'd check out," he replied, letting his girlfriend pull him to her. Once their fronts touched, he bent his head and pressed a sweet kiss to her mouth.
"Okay, you're forgiven," she said dreamily as he looped his arm around her waist, their fingers still intertwined. "Have any place in mind today?"
"Well," he tapped his chin, "I was thinking we'd grab some lunch and have a picnic in the park. You know, that one with the cherry trees? What do you think?"
Kokoro sighed happily, leaning her head against his shoulder and giving his hand a squeeze. "Sounds great."
So, the last chapter. Took me long enough, right? Not only did I have writer's block for an incredulous amount of time, I went back and edited all the previous chapters. Now I can finally work on A Heart's Wish, and get started on some other ideas I have most.
Many thanks to YarningChick, Lunarobi Pride, and Thundercat.