Wow, some people actually reviewed and supported me to continue this story .. I can't express how lucky and grateful I am.. I'm so touched.. really.. *bows*
So I decided to make a very long chapter for all of you! :D
Hopefully my writing style has not changed that much and I'm very sorry for my bad grammar D: English is not my native language.
Lots of hugs and thank yous for : Sav, LoreilDarksky00, Catsafari, and aznchocoholic. My replies are at the bottom of this chapter :D
Disclaimer : I Don't Own The Cat's Return!
Chapter 9 : Clues and Mistakes
'The Cat Kingdom is still ever so sunny and bright..' Haru scowled.
The sun was shining brightly on clear blue sky, gentle winds carressed the wide meadow just outside of the castle. If you looked closely, You can see kittens playing tag with butterflies on the meadow. Laughing and running happily.
Daylight never looked so awful for Haru. The weather contrassed badly with her mood.
She was sitting on a chair in the Royal Library with a tall window right beside her and a wide desk in front of her . Stacks of books was there, She was determined to look for clues about spells to get back to human world and spells to return her human form. Well.. at least until she realized that the whole books were written in Cat's language. The symbols were like mocking and challenging Haru to read them.
For the umpteenth time, she sighed. A chuckle can be heard at the background.
"Sighing won't help you Haru." Teased Baron. He's walking towards her with a book in his hand. Adding it to the great amount of books on the desk.
"I know.. but it upsets me that I can't help with finding the spells. It's like I let you do all the job and I don't like that!" Haru said with a mix of sad and angry face.
'And now she's angry with herself..' Baron noted. He sighed softly, opens a thick and old looking-book then sat beside Haru. "It's not your fault Haru. It's normal that you don't understand a Cat's Language. Most people doesn't even know that it exist."
"Yes..But are there really nothing I could do for you? I can bring you some coffee-"
"You don't know where the castle's kitchen is, Haru. You'll get lost."
"I can put back the books you've read-"
"The books are needed to put on the highest stack since it's in the Ancient directory. I don't want you to fall when you tried to reach it." Baron said while flipping the book.
Silence. Baron opened another book.
"..you always knew what words to use to cheer me up, aren't you?" Haru said dryly. Baron only smiled in return. Glad to 'save' Haru from other 'misfortunes'.
"Your company is more than enough Haru." Said Baron which is half joking and half true. He flexed his shoulder, a little sore from all the reading. Suddenly, Haru's eyes lid up.
She stood behind Baron and started to give him a massage. To said Baron was surprised was an understatement.
"Haru, wha-"
"If you enjoy my company then you would enjoy this!" cut Haru happily "-and don't you dare saying that I can't do this as well!". Haru flushed red. The more reason for her to not allow Baron turn his head. Of course she's embarrassed to boldly touch her 'love-interest' like that. But to do nothing and sit quietly was even worse! She hate it when she felt useless. After some hesitance, Baron continued reading. He decided to enjoy her offer.
She focused on carressing his shoulder, behind his head, his scalp, then behind his cat ears. Giving gentle pressure every so often. Suddenly, a soft voice can be heard.
"Baron.. are you purring?" asked Haru, quite astounded. She always knew there're some possibility that he can purr. But to hear it so suddenly and.. dare she thought that the voice was surprisingly cute? It made her heart flutters.
"I'm part cat afterall and your hands are so pleasant.." said Baron, still reading but he leaned to Haru's hands more. That surely brighten her day. She smiled shyly then continued her work. She was massaging his scalp when he suddenly stood.
"I found it!"
"So.. we can use a mirror to go to the human world.. and this VERY LONG scroll contains the ingredients to change me back to my human form?" Haru asked. She's sitting in a room with a round desk in the middle. Baron sat on her right-side, then Muta, Toto, Natori, The ex-Cat King, Lune, and ended with Yuki on Haru's left side. The ex-Cat King insisted to help them while muttering something about returning a favor.
"A mirror is connected to the other dimentials. So I'm sure we can go to human world if we use it. But we have to be careful with the spell or it will send us the the other worlds and let me tell you. The other worlds are not pretty." warned Baron.
"Just don't let Muta get near the mirror or the spell caster when the time comes and everything will be fine!" cawed Toto smirking as best as he could with his beak.
"OI! That's my line, Bird brain!" hissed Muta and there they went insulting each other again. The insulting lasted for 5 minutes until Baron sighed and continued.
"We also need 5 spellcaster and some items from human world."
"We can use my dress, higheels, and hand bag for the items!" said Haru.
"We can also use my ribbon if it's not enough." Yuki followed. Baron nodded.
"I believe we will need the assistance of the 5 mages again." He looked at Lune and He nodded his confirmation. Baron smiled and silently thanked Lune . " -And this scroll indeed contains all the ingredients we need to make Haru human again. It contains 1322 ingredients with measurements for each ingredients."
Silence ensued..
"Well.. I'm certain that we can collect the ingredients, Right Natori?" asked The ex-Cat King to Natori.
"Of course, but with this many ingredients, we need at least a month.."
"A month?! If it took that long, My mom will actually go to Hawaii just to pick me up!" Haru started to panic again. Yuki held Haru's left hand to calm her.
"Can't we make it in a week? We can send all of our soldiers to collect them from the villagers." Asked Yuki.
"There is that option too.. But we can't possibly send all of our soldier and leave the castle unprotected." Said Lune sadly.
"Actually, we can make it in 3 days.." whispered Baron while holding his chin. Lost in thought. But everyone heard him.
"3 days? Isn't that impossible?" asked Natori.
"Actually not if I had King Lune's permission." Baron said confidently.
"-And that permission is to..?" Lune asked, curiousity was clear in his mismatched eyes.
"I know of a spell that can mass collect items from my surroundings. If I do the spell here, it will be from the castle and the villages. As long as I have your permission to do that, it will take 3 days for me to cast the spell. I need to add the ingredients names with the measurements for the spell to collect them accurately." Baron explained.
"But.. doesn't that mean that you'll have to chant the spell for 3 days straight?" Lune asked disbelievingly. Baron nodded while Haru's eyes widened.
"I'm originaly a statue. So I don't really need food or water. So it's possible." Hearing that, somehow Haru's heart ached.
"Permission granted. I'll send some notifications to the nearby villages." Haru worriedly looked at Baron when she heard that. When their eyes met, Baron eyes soften and he smiles reassuringly. But that didn't make Haru any better.
"Baron!" when the meeting finished, she immediately called him.
"What is it Haru?" Baron turned to meet her eyes. She had a sad expression on her face.
"Um.. about the spell.. you said yo need to chant it for 3 days straight. Can't we get help from the 5 cat mages too? That way, we can divide the list and it will take faster and less strength."
"Unfortunately no, the spell must be controlled only by one person or it will be confused with the multiple commands."
"B-but.. are you sure you'll be alright? Can't I do something to help?" Haru's worry was evident in her eyes.
"Haru, I'm happy that you're worried. But trust me. I know what my body's limit is." Baron smiled.
"..Does that mean that there's nothing I can do?" Baron thought about it a little.
"You can visit me in the chanting room to help with the collected ingredients. Obviously we can't talk to each other while I'm chanting." Haru looked pleased with Baron's answer. At last something she can do for him.
Day 1
"Here, don't lose this scroll and learn it carefully. You need to chant it perfectly by 3 days. Do you understand?" asked King Lune to the 5 cat mages in front of him with Natori stood beside him.
"Yes, your majesty." Said them in sync.
"We'll make sure the incident with the pillar will never be repeated. Please excuse us." Said the middle mage cat. Lune nodded, after the 5 cat mages bowed one last time, they exited .
"How about the notifications Natori? Are all of them already send?"
"Yes, my king. The preparations are complete. It's all up to Baron now." Lune preparations are complete and all he can do now is waiting.
'.. all up to them now.' With that one last thought, he went to find his Queen.
Baron was standing in a huge room with many opened glass windows and a big door resembling a gate. He already made a massive magic circle with a big pot in the middle of it. The magic circle had many symbols and strange 'worm-like' writings on it. Baron said that it was a spirit language. This way, he could communicate with the spirits and ask for their help to find the ingredients.
Haru stood not too far, still amazed with the magic circle Baron made. He made it with chalk so it looked so fragile. Haru didn't dare to step on it.
Then someone knocked, it was a servant.
"The king said that all the preparations are completed. You may start Sir Baron." Baron nodded to the servant. When the servant left, Haru shot him an encouraging look. Baron took a long breath and start chanting.
Little by little, the magic circle on the floor started to glow. Many symbols started to glow brightly then they floated like fireflies. After like a thousand fireflies flocked in the middle of the room, they shot out of the windows like shooting stars.
Meanwhile..
Toto was perching on a low willow tree near the castle's lake while Muta was relaxing under the tree when tiny lights shot out on the sky. Three lights went under the lake for a brief moment before returning to the surface and flew back to the castle's direction. Their lightning-fast speed surprised both Toto and Muta.
"That must be Baron's spell! I can't believe how fast the spells worked!" Toto said excitedly.
"Bah, show off." Muta muttered and then closed his eyes. Toto only laughed in amusement.
'Now.. what fun I could do in 3 days..?' Toto thought mischievously while glancing at the sleeping figure under the tree.
Day 2...
'Time is so slow when you're in Cat Kingdom..' thought Haru while she turned a huge hourglass prepared just for this event. The hourglass counted 24 hours a day so when the sands were all gone from the upper bulb, that meant a day has passed.
The Cat Kingdom was always daylight so a day felt longer than usual. Haru glanced at Baron's direction. He's still chanting while the lights restlessly get in and out from the windows. When a light went in, it carried an item which is dropped into the big pot. Haru's job was to ensure that the item went right into the pot. Sometimes, some items missed the pot so she had to put it in. Now, all of the symbols on the magic circle are gone. There're only writings left on the huge magic circle, so Haru can move in it quite also stirred the pot often to mix the ingredients. Yes, A little boring but at least she's working and helping Baron.
The second day went without anything interesting.
Lune and Yuki went to work on the castle's documents with the ex-Cat King and Natori and handling complaints came from some villagers complaining about some 'flying- lights' disturbing their sleeping or napping hours. Every so often, Yuki would go and checked on Haru if she needed anything. She refused to leave Baron's side. She said that Baron needed her help, but Yuki knew better. She already told the servants to serve meal three times a day for Haru, so food won't be a problem. She also prepared a futon for Haru so she could sleep. Still, she worried.
Muta and Toto spend the day insulting each other—resulting in 'free-amusing-drama' for the servants of the castle who often watched them fight each other— and of course they knew better than trying to stop the fighting.
When the hourglass was half empty on the upper bulb, Haru looked at Baron's direction and met his eyes. She stared at him for a moment then mouthed 'are-you-okay?' to Baron. Of course, he didn't reply. He just shook his head slowly.
'His eyes looks tired though..' Haru frowned. When Baron noticed this, he straighted his back and continued chanting with a determined face. Like he's trying to tell Haru that he's alright.
'..Just a day and a half left Baron.. Hang in there.. ' Haru said in her mind. Her eyes never strayed from Baron's .
Day 3...
Haru was very excited that day. Her face was glowing with happiness.
'At last, the spell will be complete, the pot is almost full, the lights are starting to fade one by one, and most importantly Baron will be able to take a rest!' Haru thought cheerfully
Haru already prepared a comfy sofa and her special blended tea with lemon creamed sponge cakes on a small table just for Baron(She asked Yuki to led her to the palace's kitchen). She knew that even though Baron was originally a statue, 3 days had pushed him near his limit. So when the last light had faded, she rushed to Baron's side and supported him. She hold his left arm with both of her hands, led him to the sofa, and served him a cup of the tea. Baron sipped the tea slowly and sighed pleasantly.
"Thank you Haru." He smiled gratefully. His voice was still a bit hoarse from all the chanting.
"You're welcome." She beamed. After Baron finished the tea and two slices of the sponge cakes, Haru went behind Baron then massaged him again. Immediately followed by Baron's purr.
"..Haru, you're spoiling me."Baron chuckled.
"What's with spoiling a hard working man? You deserved it Baron." She said while massaging his rather stiff shoulder.
"Just.. telling you.. not complaining at all.."He leaned a little when she massaged his scalp.
Just then, the 5 cat mages complete with the ex-Cat King, Natori, Natoru, Lune, Yuki, Muta, and Toto entered the room.
"Well, well, well, lookie there, Baron is treated like a king!" cawed Toto teasingly while Muta snorted. Yuki giggled while Lune smiled. The ex-Cat King and Natoru joined the laughing while Natori just tipped his glasses. Haru flushed a cute shade of red and Baron just smiled.
"Um.. W-why are you guys here?" asked Haru.
"We'll never missed the moment of you turning back to your human form!" Yuki said happily.
Toto cawed. "Exactly! Not that I'm complaining about your cat form though." Toto smirked knowingly at Baron. While the group continued chatting, The 5 cat mages quickly checked the huge pot with a serious expression. They stirred and sniffed the contents.
"Hey, an ingredient is missing!" said the second mage from the right.
"Really? What is it?" Baron frowned. He was sure that he got everything on the list.
"Oh.. wait.." the mage walked to Muta then muttered " ...Sorry.." before jumped and took about 2 of his moustache. Everyone in the room gasped while Muta howled in pain.
"WHY – YOU – LITTLE- !" Muta hissed with tears on his eyes. Toto never laughed so hard in his life.
"Oh.. that.. I saved it for last because the spirits seems afraid of you. I apologize Muta." Baron said with an amused face. Haru was holding her laughter so hard. If looks could kill, the cat mage would be dead a thousands times. Toto and Lune held him back so he won't hurt the mage.
"HE COULD HAVE ASKED FIRST!"
"-And if he asked, you'll run and never return, Muta." countered Lune. Muta flushed red, bull's eye.
"Oh come on, Moo-ta! At least you're helping! Pfftt- Ahahahaha!" Toto still can't contain his laughter.
"STOP LAUGHING YOU BIRD BRAIN!" Muta hissed then tried to bite his wings but Toto flied before he managed to bite it.
"Too slow!"
"I SWEAR ONE OF THESE DAYS I'LL GET YOU!"
"Yeah, Sure." Toto mocked while he perched on one of the windows.
"Alright, done! We also brought the mirror you requested. So we're ready anytime you want Sir Baron." Said the second mage from the left. Just then, 2 servants entered the room and put a tall mirror with cat carvings on it's frame.
"Please wait for a moment. I need to explain the procedure to Haru." When all of the 5 cat mages nodded, Baron turned his attention to Haru. "Haru, as you already know, the huge pot contains a huge amount of magic potion. Don't worry. You don't have to drink all of it." He teased a little. Haru nodded, laughing a little. "Well actually, the potion will work similarly like the one we worker earlier for the castle's pillar. It will move like a living-object then formed itself into a giant ball. You have to get inside it to start transforming into your human form. The ball will not break unless it's magic is drained or your transformation is complete and the transformation will took about ten minutes or so...any questions?"
"Um.. will I be able to breathe in it? It's like water, right?"
"Yes, I'll cast a magic on you so you can breathe in it."
"Then It's fine. I trust you Baron.. I'm ready anytime you're ready!" Haru said gleefully. Baron nodded then told the 5 cat mages to start chanting the spell on the potion.
When the magic potion squirmed and turned into a floating giant ball, Haru suddenly got nervous. Somehow that ball looked rather intimidating.
"I'll cast the last spell on you now Haru. Look at me in the eyes." Baron hold both of her hands and when their eyes met, Haru was pulled by some invisible force.
Her minds were floating. Her surroundings blurred and sparkles of emerald – the color of Baron's eye—were everywhere. She can heard Baron chanting a spell but it sounded so far away. She noticed that her hands were warm.
'Oh, he's holding my hands..' she blushed. Still floating, she focused on his warm hands, wanting this moment of peace to last. But then she was back to reality when Baron released her hands.
"Haru?"
"O-oh it's finished? Then, here I go!" Haru blushed, a little surprised that Baron's face were so close to hers when she snapped from her dreamy state. So she quickly walked to the giant ball's direction.
' Something is wrong.' Baron thought. Something was disturbing him. But he can't put his finger on it. But when he saw Haru safely went into the giant ball and can breathe in it, he shrugged the uneasy feeling and focused on the chantings. Readied himsef in case something went wrong.
5 minutes later..
Haru looked at her feet paws when they slowly transformed into a normal human's feet. She's very happy that he got her hands and feet back. Now the only thing left were her cat ears and tail. Then she will be human again. But then, her body suddenly glowed white. Then everything went wrong.
When she inhaled, it's not air that went into her lungs. It's the magic potion! It's suffocating her like crazy! The magic potion felt sticky and her lungs burned every time she inhaled. Haru desperately tried to get into the ball's surface or get out of it. But it wouldn't even budge. She heard panicked voices around her but she's too much in pain to understand what the voices were saying. Black spots started to invade her sights when..
Baron and the others watched as Haru slowly transforming into her human form. Yuki cheered when Haru got her foot back. She looked so happy. But then something went wrong. Haru's body glowed white, signaling Baron that his spell had ended.
'What?! The spell shouldn't ended until 10 minutes more or so! What happened?!' Baron panicked when he saw Haru choked and started struggling inside of the ball. The 5 cat mages noticed this but they can't do anything to help. If they interfere with this magic, there's a chance that Haru will never regain her human form again.
" NO!" Yuki gasped. Lune looked horrified when he saw that glow too. Natori, Natoru and the ex-Cat King were panicking. They didn't know what to do.
"TO HELL WITH THE PROCEDURE! SAVE HER LIFE FIRST!" Muta shouted then quickly pounced the magic ball but then he bounced back, the ball reflected his attacks. Toto tried to help Muta but their attacks are useless against the huge magic ball.
"Do something Baron!" Toto shouted.
'Think! There's got to be a way to safe her!' Baron thought hard. With each second passed Haru grew more weak and her struggling almost ceased when an idea popped in his head. He rushed with all his might while chanting a spell. When his hands touched the ball, they glowed then went through the ball, wasting no time, Baron went inside of it, then blew air to Haru's lungs. Mouth to mouth.
Haru was just about to lose her consciousness when sweet air blew into her lungs. Something furry was touching her lips, the but it isn't uncomfortable. In fact the furry feelings slowly vanished, it turned into something soft and it fitted her lips perfectly. She welcomed that feeling. She can breathe easily and It felt like there're a pair of strong arms holding her, when she circled her arms around she felt another body pressed closely against her own.
...Wait... this feels too realistic for a dream...
Panicked, Haru pushed hard. Then the huge magic ball broke, splashing magic potions everywhere. Haru coughed a little then looked to her right.
Yuki looked relieved while Lune, Muta, and Toto looked in awe at her direction.
"...What?" a cough was heard from in front of her. She slowly turned her face. In front of her was a man with dark blond hair. He had a pair of orange-ish cat ears and a tail with the same color. She touched her head and butt.
"...I still had my cat ears and tails.. and you.. " She pointed at the man. Who opened his eyes, revealing a emerald green eyes and handsome face. "That suit.. and that face...I remember that face.. it's from the video I gave my mom.. wait...BARON?!"
To be Continued...
Am I evil to left a cliffy right here? But it's almost 4000 words and I need to stop here ^^;
anyway, here's my replies!
Sav : 6 years? Really? O.O wow, that somehow makes me feel better! But I still feel bad for leaving this story for a whole 2 years L I'm sorry!
LoreilDarksky00 : yup, I'm planning to update one per 2 weeks for now :D and if I'm lucky I can give you one chapter a week. Wish me luck and sorry to keep you waiting! *bows*
Catsafari : your review means a lot to me :'D thank you! And I'm so glad that you like the video scene. That's my favorite chapter too :D I remember that I had a lot of fun writing it. Once again, thank you for your understanding and encouragement!
aznchocoholic : of course, I'll finish this story! :D please be patient with me though. I'm still struggling with college's fast-pace.
What do you think about my writings now? Did they become any better? worse? or still the same?
Love,
Lorie