It's my birthday, so I'm updating early. Go ahead and pout.
No? All right then. Enjoy the updates.
Chapter Nineteen: The Request
"Hashi, can you get some more water?" Haru asked, passing back an empty watering can while taking the full one that her dear brother gave her.
The human boy turned on his heel, and ran out of the beautiful greenhouse made of tinted glass to the stone well thirty paces from it. He carefully moved the bucket into the well, and then dropped it, allowing the bucket to soar downwards until making a faintly audible 'splash'.
The dark lad moved to the handle at the side of the well, and began cranking the bucket back up.
Just as he eased the bucket onto the side of the well, a familiar hand gripped his shoulder, making the boy wheel around fast in surprise and with one raised arm ready to attack.
But it was only Baron, who caught the arm almost like a reflex. He grinned at the human boy, a soft chuckle issuing from his throat. "My apologies if I frightened you, Hashi."
"Uh, what? Oh no, it takes more than that to frighten me," Hashi said aloud, though his heart was silently racing. He turned around again to empty the bucket into the metal watering can that he had almost sent down the well.
"Of course. Might I ask where your sister is?" the tall employer asked politely.
"In the flower greenhouse, sir," Hashi said while carefully taking up the heavy watering can with both hands.
But surprisingly, the feline lord took the watering can from the boy's hands. "I'd like to talk to her about something important," Baron all but whispered. "Could you go read a book for a while?"
"Uh, sure," the boy said dubiously before running back into the house. But as he shut the door behind him, a knowing smirk crossed the human boy's face.
Feeling more than a little apprehensive, Baron switched his hold on the watering can to the other hand, and moved on soft feet to the closed door of his favorite green house.
Haru must have heard the door open and close, for the click seemed very loud both times to the orange and cream cat. He walked through the simple maze, which was heavily scented with the various blossoms. Baron walked past a corner, and stopped short.
The human housekeeper, with her feline charges off at school, was very carefully watering a lemon-yellow rosebush. The very last one his wife had been able to plant before her death. After a few seconds, Haru placed the watering can aside, and started snipping off the leaves and buds that had a slightly unhealthy brown cast to them and tossing them into a small basket for later disposal. And after she was done, the slim brunette moved onto the next one.
After three more rosebushes, Haru suddenly stiffened, and looked behind her. Baron stiffened as well, wondering why he had been staring at her for so long.
She smiled politely from behind her impossibly thick glasses, although a twinge of nervousness showed through the gesture, and bowed. "Hello, Baron. Is that for me?"
Suddenly, the tawny feline remembered the watering can that was still hanging from his hand. "Ah, yes, actually." He walked forward enough to hand it to her, and she took it with a smile.
"Miss Gachi finished the dress today, so everything's looking good for Yuki's little surprise."
"That's wonderful," Baron said, trying to remember the exact reason he had hunted her down this time. Why had his mind suddenly gone blank like this? He had sent Hashi into the house for a reason…
Oh, right.
"I wonder if it might be possible to ask a small favor of you, Haru."
She sharply looked up at him, with one eyebrow rising from behind her glasses, and set the watering can on a nearby table. "What kind of favor?" she asked politely. Baron took an extra breath for courage, although he wasn't entirely sure as to why he needed it here, instead of on another dangerous mission. "Would… you mind accompanying me to Lune's ball?"
Both of the human girl's fine dark eyebrows shot up from behind her glasses. "Excuse me?" the girl asked, her voice turning a higher soprano than her employer had ever heard from her before.
"Well," Baron said hastily. "You're sort of coming anyway, and it would be terribly rude on my part to kick you out the door, so to speak, after you're finished with Yuki."
"Uh, I appreciate the thought, Baron, but… I'm not really a 'ball' type," she admitted. "I wouldn't really be comfortable at the palace, and I… I can't, really…" the slim brunette kept stammering as a slight blush stained her cheeks once more.
Her employer sighed a bit. "I'll admit to having an ulterior motive, Haru. The king's made a proclamation that all bachelors attending Lune's ball must bring a young lady, and to be honest, I know I won't die of boredom if I bring you."
The housekeeper stared at him, a little incredulous. "What kind of a king makes a proclamation like that?!"
"Lune's father, unfortunately. It appears that he's beginning to fall victim to the berserker blood that pops up in the royal line every few generations, so I'll probably need to pull a few strings soon, and convince him to abdicate the throne to Lune. But still, would you come with me to the ball? As a friend? You know you can trust me."
Just barely, the gold and ivory feline could see the girl subtly biting her lip in careful contemplation.
"On one condition, Baron."
"Name it."
"Don't ask me to dance, and back me up if anyone else asks."
The tawny cat cocked his head at her, not quite expecting her to say that. "Are you poor at it, Haru?"
The slim brunette had to bite back a bitter laugh, turning so that she could pick up the watering can, and resume her work. "Being 'poor' couldn't begin to cover it, Baron. Let me put it this way; my father, the man that I love and respect more than anything in the world, tried to teach me for six months before he gave up, and two-thirds of that time he spent recovering from the wounds I didn't want to end up giving him. And if he didn't have the patience to teach me, I can't think of a single person that could."
The tawny half-feline stared at her. "Six months?"
Haru nodded solemnly, her head hanging slightly between her shoulders in shame. "That's right. Mother insisted that he stopped trying to teach me before he became permanently damaged."
Baron started shaking his head in denial. "There is no possible way you could be that clumsy, Haru!"
"Well, I am. At least on the dance floor."
"With how well you fight?!"
The watering can crashed to the floor, spilling the fresh well-water as a deadening silence filled the greenhouse. As slow as eternity, the human girl turned around to stare at her employer, who had one hand up to his mouth in shock.
He had obviously not meant to ask that last question.
"You knew?" she whispered in horror.
Baron blinked once, and then lowered the hand while nodding firmly. "I've known for quite a few months, Haru. I've watched you fight your brother on a number of mornings, when you thought everyone was asleep."
Her heart turned cold as ice. "And you never said anything?!" she whispered shrilly.
The orange and cream cat nodded. "I figured that you would tell me the truth when you were ready. So tell me, how is it you can possibly manage to maim someone you obviously care for deeply without meaning to by dancing, when you can fight with such liquid grace?"
Haru turned a bright red, and looked down at her feet. "I… well… it's a long story."
Baron smiled softly, and pointedly leaned against a table covered with pots of roses. "I have the time for it."
The slim brunette took a deep breath for courage. "My… my father was raised as an elite mercenary. Everyone in his forefathers' ancestry, for more generations than we can track, fought and killed for gold, but after my father got enough to retire on, he quit and moved to a remote village in the mountains, where he used the money to build a bookshop and marry a nice girl so they could raise a family, because he didn't enjoy killing people and he had always been fascinated by knowledge.
"But my father never forgot about the monstrosities he had witnessed in his former career, and he didn't want his children to fall prey to someone that would want to take advantage of me. I started my training when I was four, but Father didn't think about teaching me to dance until I had started noticing boys. But by then, the natural instinct to hurt was so deeply ingrained that it's impossible for me to dance without hurting anyone. Father says I do more damage by dancing than I ever could by fighting." The human girl sighed. "But he was proud of me, no matter what. And I repay him by passing along my knowledge to Hashi, since Father died in an avalanche before he could complete my brother's training."
Baron stared at her, a little dumbfounded. "I see. Does your brother also suffer from this peculiarity?"
"Oh no. Father saw where he went wrong in me soon enough to prevent Hashi from being as deadly as me, so he can dance pretty well when called to. He can get pretty smug about it." The girl sighed tiredly again. "We were scared that you would think we were assassins if you knew about our fighting abilities, but I swear on everything that's good that we mean no harm to you or your children, we are prepared to fight to the death for you, and I apologize for keeping this a secret. It was my idea not to let employers find out. Hashi was the one that wanted to tell you."
That strangely made Baron feel better, and a light chuckle escaped his lips. "Apology accepted. All right, since I know that you can't lie worth anything, I promise on my honor not to ask you to dance, and I'll assist you against anyone else that asks for the honor."
Haru looked up at him sharply.
He grinned back at her, even the faint stiffness gone. "Lune's ball, remember?"
With a start, the brunette realized that she had forgotten about the baron's intent. "Oh, right. Okay, I'll come with you."
Baron smiled warmly at her, and tipped his hat respectfully. "Thank you, Haru." With that, he turned and walked out of the greenhouse.
Feeling strangely numb, and yet alive with sparks, the bespectacled brunette kneeled over in order to retrieve the watering can she had dropped earlier. 'It's just a polite outing with a friend. He's just being nice, there's no reason for me to think that it might mean that he's… just forget about it. He's a friend. Just a friend. Stop blushing over nothing, already!'
Although she had no way of knowing that her feline looks had returned with a vengeance once more, the human wasn't surprised when her ears began moving in an unaccustomed cat-like fashion.
However, the feline lord was much calmer, as he walked back to his home for a cup of tea, and to bring Hashi back from his temporary banishment. 'This is surprisingly good news. I was starting to worry that she was perfect. This flaw definitely makes her seem more like a person instead of an angel someone was good enough to send down from the clouds.' Without warning, he stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape with shock.
'Wait, since when have I thought of her as an angel?!'