Chapter 5 - Apples
Yuki smiled seeing Baron and Haru cozily walk together back to the gathering place. This was turning out to be better than her wildest dreams! Lune poked her in the side to quiet her ecstatic bouncing.
"Calm down, my dear."
"But they're so cute together!"
The blissful human girl could only bow several times in gratitude as she held her basket of strawberries, disbelieving that they were in her grasp.
"Thank you all so much again for your kindness!"
Lune bowed lowly before Haru, "No, thank you. Without your kindness, my Yuki would have died in the streets, and we wouldn't have met or had a lovely representative for May."
"What happened to the previous May?" Haru questioned.
Baron answered, "She gladly retired and left the office to Yuki seeing how well she fit in with everyone. Last I heard she was serving as the Jade Emperor's personal gardener."
The brunette's eyes widened to hear news of the Celestial Emperor so casually in conversation. No one could ascend to his realm without express permission from the deity.
What adventures everyone must have, she thought.
Baron personally escorted her to the edge of the circle, wrapping her in her scarf and jacket himself. Bending down to whisper low in her ear, he uttered, "Remember Haru, always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear, but should you be in any danger, use the ring." He looked deep into her eyes, "Please be careful about who knows about us, I'd hate for any harm to come to you."
"I promise, Baron."
The girl departed safely through the woods, but Baron kept his eyes on her for a long time even through the blinding snow flurries.
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*Scarf* *Slurp* *Munch*
"These are delicious, Haru, where on earth did you find them?" Lin spoke piggishly with her mouth full of ripe strawberries. Her mother equally delved in with the same atrocious manners.
"In the same meadow as the violets," Haru half lied. A meadow that turned into different seasons by a command from walking, talking animals may have been hard for them to believe.
The greedy pair gobbled down the fruit until the basket was empty and left to bed to sleep off their gorging.
The poor girl sighed. It was up to her to clean up their mess again. She tidied up the sitting room and washed the pile of dishes. Who knew two people could use so many plates?
Only the basket left overturned due to her cousin and aunt's overindulgence remained.
Haru righted it and felt a strange tingle against her fingers. Beneath the basket lay a ripe, red strawberry. There was no way the women could have missed this beauty. She grasped it with shaking fingertips, savoring her first bite slowly.
It was delicious, and Haru felt deliriously happy with every bite.
She turned in herself for the night only thinking with pleasure about a refined cat in a blue bowtie.
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"Get up you lazy girl!"
"Wha…" Haru could only groan out.
She had been having the most wonderful dream by the fire. She had fallen asleep after doing laundry all day for her aunt and cousin. She and Baron had been dancing; him in a gentleman's masked costume with high boots and she in a gorgeous yellow dress. Haru felt graceful in their steps together and could have danced all night with him. What a rude awakening from her aunt.
"That same nobleman from two nights ago returned to this village. They said he's an envoy from the princess herself so we need to look impressive for him. He's our ticket to getting into her majesty's good graces."
Haru doubted that the two could attract any attention from this man or the royal, but dutifully she dressed them up but just as they were out the door, Lin threw an unexpected tantrum.
"I want apples! Get them for me Haru right now! I'm not leaving until I get apples!"
Was she a child? A baby who could only communicate through shouts and cries? Haru had had enough. She had to stop it right now or else their requests would go on forever!
"No, Lin. I gave you violets and strawberries in the dead of night. Enough is enough. You cannot have apples in winter. There aren't even leaves on the trees, much less fruit!" she shouted.
The unattractive girl plopped herself into the nearest chair and refused to budge no matter the bribes or intimidations from her mother. "Haru will get me apples. If she doesn't come back before daybreak, I'm going to call the constabulary and say that she's been stealing from us. They'll hunt you down like a dog."
Cackling vindictively the aunt agreed with her daughter's threat. Like so many times before, instead of reprimanding her child, she merely gave in to the spoiled girl's whims. The two turned cruel eyes onto Haru forcing her out the door without even her jacket on.
She raced through the woods now familiar with the path to the great bonfire. She stumbled shivering and apologetic amongst the group who crowded around her in concern.
"Apples…" Yuki groaned. "What will they want next?"
"Calling in the royal law enforcers would be terrible. They'd comb the forest for Haru," Natori fretted.
The months would be discovered.
"Couldn't you move the bonfire?" Haru questioned.
The others looked nervously around each other.
"We'd need all 12 to do that," Lune explained.
Haru wasn't sure why they were so nervous about that answer. Surely any fairy or human could fill the role.
A great emerald green cloak was wrapped around the shivering girl. Haru couldn't help but turn into Baron's warmth as he placed an arm around her.
"We have to stop meeting like this," she joked.
Baron smiled squeezing her shoulder affectionately. He raised his voice with force addressing the others, "I think it's high time we did something about those two." He shot a glance over to Muta who gave a sadistic grin.
Muta strode over to the Cat King yanking the staff from his paws.
He struck the ground with a thunderous sound. Green leaves sprouted on the staff's tip sprouting delicate, white pear blossoms soon after. The air turned not balmy but cool, and the leaves which sprouted on the trees around her were red and gold instead of forest green.
In a patch of bare grass, a shoot broke through the ground and then thickened into a tree trunk that shot upwards towards the sky. Branches extended out from the top in different directions and sprouted green leaves within no time. Moments later ripe, red apples hung from each bough.
The debonair figure dressed in a suit scoffed, "You're going all out."
"You better believe it!" the fat cat snapped back in return.
"Wow, Muta," Haru breathed. "That was amazing."
The cat grinned, "You should see me eat a lake full of fish."
Baron whispered into Haru's ear, "You do not want to see that." She giggled in response.
"Come here, kid," the large cat beckoned. "Shake the tree."
The girl did as he ordered, and one large ripe fruit rolled to the ground. Another followed quickly after.
"That's enough, chickee."
Haru frowned, "Lin's expecting a bushel full."
"Trust me," he muttered. "They'll only need two. They're poisoned."
"What?!" the girl shouted in shock. All of the other occupants in the area gave him a dirty look.
He sheepishly hung his head, "Alright, they're not poisoned. They're just enchanted with a memory wipe. One bite of these apples, and they'll forget they even asked you for anything at all. Eat the whole thing, and they won't remember their names, even who they are."
The girl shivered. Here was the justice of the fairies. "I don't know if I can give these to them willingly, knowing it'll wipe them of their identity."
Baron calmed her with a touch against her shoulder. "Just let them take a bite. The magic will decide what their fate is to be."
Haru hesitantly agreed, but knew it was the only way where she could keep the months' secret. She bit her lip nervously, glancing at Baron. The others, sensing their need for privacy, cleared the area leaving the pair alone.
She turned brown eyes up towards his, "I'll have no reason to come see you. Does this mean we'll never meet again?"
In response, he merely pulled her close to him, engulfing her in a warm embrace. Haru couldn't help but indulge herself by wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. His steady breaths soothed her anxiety.
"I didn't know you until three days ago, and now I don't ever wanted to be parted from you," she admitted.
"And I have watched you from afar, and discovered it's only but a shadow of how wonderful you really are," he confessed in return. He hugged her close to him, "Give the apples to your cousin and her mother, then return back here. We'll decide what to do after you take care of them."
Haru's eyes lit up. "I can make it seem like I ran away or even died in the snow!"
Baron winced picturing his dear Haru frozen to death in the wastes. He managed a nod, "But they must eat of the apples first, or else your cousin and aunt will carry out their threat, and the royal guards will scour the countryside looking for a thief."
She agreed, and after they spoke quietly together for a few moments' time, made their way to the forest's edge.
"Be safe, Haru." He seemed especially reluctant to let her go tonight. Something felt wrong.
"I will, Baron. I'll come right back. Lin and my aunt will scarf down those apples in no time." Haru was sure the plan would work. She placed his cloak back over him, pressing a gentle hand against his cheek in a quiet goodbye.
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Haru entered the doorway of her home, using the whole force of her body against her hands to close the door against the biting wind. Speaking aloud without turning her head from the closed door, she addressed her family, "I have your apples Lin, now don't ever bother asking me for anything else again."
A swift strike against her head had her sprawling on to the floor.
A beautiful woman dressed in a rich gown of gold smiled maliciously from above Haru. Cowering in fear behind her huddled Haru's cousin and aunt.
"No, you're wrong about that, my dear."
Finally the action starts. Muta is especially hilarious and vindictive in this chapter. Again many points are taken from the Cat Returns movie, the original Russian fairy tale and the animated film.
Thank you again to those reading,
Grignard