Chapter Twenty: The Journey

Tsunami carefully buttoned the back of the soft yellow dress where the human couldn't reach it. She and Haru had made the dress together, since Miss Gachi had become swamped with too many orders to expect Haru's to be done in time for the ball. Luckily, the housekeeper had insisted on a simple design, and she had to admit that the cool satin cloth felt nice against her skin.

A small part of her wondered what Baron would think of it.

"There. Now hold still while I tie on the choker," the black feline said absently.

The bespectacled brunette bit her lip nervously as the dark cat wrapped a thin black ribbon around the human's slim throat and clipped it from the back.

Smiling smugly, Tsunami turned the girl around to display to the female kittens covering the housekeeper's bed. "Well? What do you think, girls?"

"She looks nice," Elly said enthusiastically, cuddling Haruka like a doll.

Lily nodded her head, but her green gaze was calculating while rubbing Haruna's belly. "Can you leave your hair down for tonight, Haru? The pony tail doesn't work with the gown."

Haru sighed, and reached up with one hand to pull out the cord that usually held her hair in place, sending chocolate colored strands cascading over her slim shoulders. "I guess you're right, but I still have to do something with it."

Tsunami sighed, looking at her paws, which had lengthening fingers. "I can't help here, Haru. Cats don't usually have to worry about hair styling."

"I know," Haru said soothingly, looking at the mirror that the von Gikkingen girls had carried up to her attic room earlier that day, since the housekeeper usually avoided mirrors whenever possible. Curling her upper lip in contemplation, the brunette placed her thumbs at her temples, and drew them through her hair until meeting each other at the back of her skull.

Biting her lip again, Haru tied the left side of her hair with a ribbon that matched her yellow dress, so that she could braid the right side without hassle. After repeating the process on the left side, she tied the ends of the two braids together at the base of her skull, and allowed the rest of her hair to flow freely, making the hairstyle look almost like a modest crown.

"How's that?" she asked, looking towards the cats covering her bed, so that they could get a better look at the new hair style.

Lily's eyes were wide and appreciative. "I wish my fur were long enough to do that. It's perfect, but are you sure you don't want to get rid of the glasses?"

"Very sure," Haru said firmly, adjusting them on her nose before slipping a special silver brooch into a hidden pocket in her skirt. "There's no point to going to a party if you can't see what's going on." She took a deep breath for courage, and kissed each of the children goodbye before hugging Tsunami.

"I guess I'm off then," the brunette said reluctantly, throwing a dark cloak over one shoulder of her sunny dress.

"Have fun with Daddy," Elly said softly as her beloved nanny made her exit.

Behind the von Gikkingen girls' backs, Tsunami was gloating with triumph.

ooOoo

"And make sure that you keep her away from the dance floor," Hashi begged Baron, who was waiting at the base of the stairs for the slim brunette. "Trust me; this is for your own good, as well as anyone else that might be in the room."

"Yes, Hashi. Haru has warned me about her 'meowsy' dancing," the orange and cream cat said distractedly as his heart thumped uncertainly in his chest. His usual grey suit had become replaced by a classy black tuxedo for the ball, but he was ill at ease without his favorite top hat, having to replace it with a black one for the formal occasion. About the only thing that had stayed the same of his attire was the polished cane at his side.

And in the corner, Muta seemed somehow caught between satisfaction and chagrin.

Slowly, the human boy laughed. "That's a new word for her dancing, but it works. Oh, hey Haru."

Baron casually glanced up the stairs, and his eyes became firmly glued to the brunette that descended with a peculiar sort of grace that he hadn't quite noticed before, if that was the way that she usually walked.

The simple yellow dress that graced her form didn't quite have the fullness that was popular nowadays, but was obviously more comfortable. The modest sleeves that covered her shoulders and upper arms had the same flowing style as the skirt, and the warm color seemed to give the brunette's pale skin a soft golden glow that somehow reflected her wonderful personality. Even the new way she was wearing her hair seemed more relaxed than the usual ponytail.

About the only thing that had stayed the same about her were the huge glasses that covered half of her face like a mask. Idly, Baron wondered just what she would look like, if she'd ever take them off in his presence.

"Hey, Hashi," Haru answered her brother casually, whipping a dark cloak over her shoulders to combat the chill in the night air outside. "You'll help Muta and Tsunami out with things, right?"

"Sure, but I doubt we'll be able to do too much damage in just a few hours."

"Just curb any attempts for mischief," his sister said firmly, hugging her brother tenderly before turning to look at the feline lord.

His heart began to pound loudly in his ears, and he irrationally wondered if she would approve of him.

His fears were banished by the shy smile on the girl's lips, as dazzling as the rising sun.

"Shall we, then?" she asked.

Unable to make his vocal chords work, for a reason he wasn't quite aware of, he offered his arm to her. She placed her hand on it, subtly biting her lip again as he guided her out the front door.

"Try not to demolish the house," Baron managed to say over his shoulder before closing the door behind himself.

It was a good thing that the door was shut, because Muta and Hashi might not have been able to conceal the smug smirks on their faces, as well as a few slightly evil chuckles.

"You know too, don't you?" the huge bodyguard asked the slim human, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Only for several months. I just wish they'd figure it out and stop dancing around the issue."

ooOoo

"Are you sure about this?" Haru asked nervously as her employer gently pulled her onto Toto, behind himself.

"Very sure," Baron said as the girl hesitantly placed her hands on his shoulders. He grimaced slightly, strangely put out for some reason. "You'll want a better hold than that, if you want to stay on after takeoff."

The words had the desired effect, since the nanny immediately wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed fearfully. The tawny feline smiled, and patted her hands, which were now resting close to his heart. 'Much better.' Satisfied that his date was secure, Baron gave the okay for Toto to begin his flight.

Struggling to suppress a slightly smug smile of his own, the dark crow gently took to the air, making an extra effort to keep the relatively short trip to the Cat Castle nice and smooth for the new passenger.

"Come now, Haru," Baron chuckled after a few moments of feeling the poor girl tremble against his back, patting her hands again with one of his own, since he needed to keep at least a partial grip on Toto. "You even said that flying is one of the things that you haven't been able to do yet."

She mumbled something incoherent into the space on his back between the shoulder blades.

"I can't understand you," Baron said gently, now rubbing her hands. He could hardly believe that the girl was scared, of this of all things! "Just trust me, Haru. Open your eyes, it's safe. I promise."

Her hands gripped the front of his jacket uncertainly, but then he felt her unbury her face from between his shoulder blades, and gave a soft gasp. "Oh," she breathed softly, watching the stars above and the torches beneath pass by almost like comets, and the beautifully lit castle in front of them come ever closer. "Wow."

"There now. This isn't so bad, now is it?" Baron said softly, as her grip on him loosened slightly.

"No. It's beautiful," Haru agreed reverently, like speaking too loud would shatter the glorious scene before her.

Another glowing smile crossed his face, and he reluctantly pressed one hand against Toto's back. "Can you drop us off here? And we'll call you when it's time for the official entrance."

"Sure thing," Toto said, coming down for a landing.

"What? But…" Haru floundered as her escort hopped off of their ride and reached up to help her down.

"We don't want anyone to learn of our little plot, do we? Our best course of action is to sneak you inside the castle, you do your thing with Yuki, and have you come back out so we can make a loud entrance after Yuki shows up. That way no one will suspect a thing."

Haru smiled at him from behind her glasses, and allowed him to help her off the crow. "Great, so now the real question; how do we get inside the place without anyone the wiser?"

Baron grinned confidently, and wrapped her arm in his after tipping his hat at a retreating Toto.

"Just trust me."