Wow, wrote this one quick. And it's longer! A little BxH romance for ya'll ;p

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Baron wasn't quite sure what to do with the unconscious Haru in his arms, especially since his heart was pounding in his ears so loudly. After a moment he swung her up so he was carrying her bridal-style and sidled into the house. He glanced around and spotted a couch, strode over to it, brushed off the paint tubes, and gently laid her down on it. After a moment of hesitation, he sat on the edge of the cushion beside her and reached forward, tenderly brushing a lock of dark hair away from her eyes.

He'd imagined their reunion for so long—days had been entirely spent on it—and now that it was really happening, he was a little disappointed. There was supposed to have been tearful embracing, and happy catching-up, and perhaps a kiss or two… but Haru fainting was definitely not part of his plan.

Then Haru opened her eyes, and Baron's heart started thumping again.

"Glad to see you're awake," he said softly, hoping she couldn't hear his frantic heartbeat. "You're lucky I was there to catch you, or that would have been quite a nasty fall."

Haru's eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. "Do… do I know you?" she murmured, reaching up to touch her forehead. "I… I think I do, but I'm not entirely sure. What's your name?"

"I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," he responded, just like when they first met.

"Baron? No, no way! There's no way!" Haru had sat up and was staring at him like he was crazy, and he'd leaned back in surprise. "Last time I checked, the only Baron I know is a cat figurine."

"Well, yes, I used to be," he explained. "This is just a temporary state I'm in because of a very stubborn fairy. I'll be back to myself in one week."

Haru narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do I know you're really Baron?"

This was an understandable conclusion to come to, Baron thought. She had never seen him as a human, and she had no reason to believe he was who he said he was. He shrugged. "Ask me something. Anything."

She pondered that for a moment. "Was I turned into a cat?" she asked finally, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes."

"What color was my fur?"

"Light brown, but your tail and ears were a slightly darker shade."

"Where do you work?"

"At the Cat Bureau."

Her arms remained folded, but her eyes had softened, as had her voice. "When we met, I asked if there was something I could do to help you. What did you say to me?"

Baron tilted his head and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling…

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"Thank you for your help, Moo-ta." Haru, realizing her mistake a hair too late, reached up and covered her mouth, but not before exclaiming, "Oh!"

Muta whirled around on the couch to glare at her. If Toto and I weren't used to it, it might have been frightening. "What? Moo? Are you saying that I'm a fat cow?"

Haru tried to fix her mistake. "No, you're just fat!" Unfortunately, she only succeeded in making it worse. "Oh!"

Behind her, Toto was cackling. "I like this girl more every minute!" Even I couldn't help but crack a smile.

Muta, fuming, stood up abruptly, puffing out his chest. "I'm outta here!"

I decided it was time to rescue Haru and make sure Muta didn't actually follow through with his threat. "That's too bad," I began, pretending to rub my chin thoughtfully, "because I was just going to get out some angel food cake I have in the cupboard."

Muta's chest sagged and he waddled off in the general direction of my cupboards. "Where in the cupboard?" he asked.

"Uh, it's in the upper right shelf," I answered, gesturing to the cupboard as I followed him. I had offered my angel food cake; I was not about to offer all the food in my house.

Muta pulled open the cupboard doors, easily locating the cake, and he took out the silver platter I had placed it on. "Why didn't you say so?" he said, lifting up the cover and licking his lips greedily.

"I think our guest deserves a proper afternoon tea," I replied, leaning forward to grab my pen and inkpot as Muta elbowed over a stack of books on my desk to make room for his precious angel food cake. Oh well, I could goad him into cleaning it up later.

"This calls for some of my special mulberries," Toto said. I presumed he hopped out the balcony doors to go retrieve some of these special mulberries.

"You're too much Baron," Haru said admiringly from behind me, "a tea party and everything? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She was such a dear. However, there wasn't much for a human to do to contribute, considering my house was doll-size to them. But, as I stood there, making sure Muta cut the pieces of the cake evenly, a thought occurred to me. "Hmm, yes, there is something," I said thoughtfully, striding toward her. She knelt down further so we were almost at eye-level, and I lifted up the fork I was holding, using it to emphasize my words. "What I need you to do is to learn just one thing: always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

Haru nodded. "Mm-hmm," she said.

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Baron tilted his head and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "I said… 'Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.' " He smiled slightly. "Does that sound familiar to you, Miss Haru?"

Haru stared at him, completely speechless, then she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Baron, I can't believe it's really you," she mumbled into his shirt. His hands hovered in the air above her shoulders, but after a moment they came to rest lightly on her back and he gulped, praying she couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I… I've missed you too, Haru," he whispered, tightening his hold on her. She didn't seem to mind.

Their embrace lasted a few minutes longer; Haru was the one who finally pulled away. "Oh my gosh," she murmured, reaching up to brush back wisps of blonde hair that had fallen onto his forehead. Baron resisted the urge to close his eyes and purr at her touch. "I can't believe it's really you."

"It's really me, I assure you."

Haru tilted her head and smiled, and inwardly Baron melted. He'd forgotten how truly pretty she was when she smiled. "I'm being a terrible hostess. Would you like something to eat, or drink?"

As if in response to her question, Baron's stomach grumbled. He pressed a hand to his middle, embarrassed. Being an inanimate object, he'd never really felt hungry before, but now…

Haru laughed and her smile widened. "Here, I'll feed you," she said, getting up off the couch and offering him her hand.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," he said quickly, standing up without her assistance. "I'll be fine. Perhaps you should lie down…"

She waved her hand as if dismissing the notion. "Oh, don't be silly Baron. I'm fine, really." She looked up at him. "You know, this is a little unnerving. You being taller than me and all."

"Sorry," he said. What else was he supposed to say? Haru smiled, and Baron melted all over again.

Haru led him into the kitchen and sat him down at a little table while she bustled around, opening and closing cabinets and assembling something on the counter. She filled a kettle and set it on the stove, tossing tealeaves and other herbs into it. When she was satisfied, she carried two sandwiches over to the table, set one in front of him, and seated herself across from him.

"So, tell me what's been going on since I left," Haru said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Lifting the sandwich to his mouth, Baron shrugged, then he took a bite. "Nothing much, really. This is really good, by the way."

"Thanks. Then tell me how you ended up like…" She gestured at his body.

Baron took another bite. "The work of a misinformed fairy," he replied, frowning slightly. "I helped her find her wand, again, and she insisted upon granting me a wish, claiming that to be human was my 'heart's desire.' However, I believe her good intentions were a bit misguided." He sighed. "Now I'm stuck like this for a week."

"I see." The kettle whistled, and she stood up to get it. Pulling two ceramic mugs out of a cupboard, she poured the steaming tea into them. "Would you like anything with your tea, Baron?" she asked, looking up.

"Milk would be fine, thank you," he responded. She smiled, walked to her fridge, grabbed a milk carton and added a generous amount of the creamy liquid to both mugs. She carried them both over and set one before him before retaking her seat. Baron took a sip. It was divine. "This is splendid, Haru. I don't think I've ever had this blend."

"You probably haven't," she replied. "It's my own special blend. I kind of stole your idea." He shrugged. "Jeez, I haven't made it in ages." Sipping from her own mug, her eyes widened and she pulled it away from her lips. "And it hasn't actually tasted good in ages either," she murmured.

"Pardon?" Baron asked, peeking at her over the lip of his mug. Now that he was human, his hearing wasn't nearly as good as when he was half-feline.

"What? Oh, nothing." She went back to drinking her tea, a curious look on her face. Baron thought it only made her look more adorable.

"So, what has been happening in your life since you left us, Haru?" Baron asked lightly, returning to his sandwich, secretly hoping there would be no mention of a significant other.

"Oh jeez, where do I start?" Haru started ticking off everything that happened on her fingers. "Well, I'm taking art classes now; apparently I'm good at it. And I took a couple self-defense classes, which were totally fun. I tried dancing lessons, but after a while no one wanted to be my partner. And now I'm taking piano lessons 'cause my mom said, 'Why not? You've tried everything else.' And so," she swept her arms out, "here I am."

"Sounds like you've accomplished quite a lot since last time we saw each other."

Haru's ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, I had a lot of free time in those two years, eight months…"

"Four and a half days," Baron automatically finished. He paused, his eyes widening, and he looked up to meet Haru's gaze. Immediately, they both looked away, Baron's cheeks growing hot. "Not that I've been counting," he mumbled, pretending to be absorbed in his swirling tea.

"Oh, well, um…" They fell into awkward silence, and for a moment there was only the sounds of a bird twittering outside the kitchen window. "Hey, Baron?"

"Yes?" He lifted his head, perhaps a bit too eagerly, and willed his heart to slow down.

"I was wondering if, maybe… could I sketch you?" Haru fingered her skirt sheepishly. "It's just… I haven't had inspiration in a while, and I thought, maybe, sketching something new might help." She shyly lifted her bright, brown eyes up to meet his, and he gulped. "Of course, you don't have to—" she said quickly, misconstruing his gulp for one of unwillingness, not nerves.

"No no, I wouldn't mind at all Haru," he said. "Of course you can sketch me." He smiled brightly, and Haru eagerly returned the grin.

"Great! Wanna do it now?" she asked, although she'd already grabbed his hand and was leading him back out to the living room. Seating him on the couch, she practically sprinted off down a hallway and just as quickly returned, clutching a sketchbook and several pencils to her chest. "Okay, now…" She reached forward, took his chin in her hand and gently turned it to the right. "There. Perfect. Don't move."

Since he couldn't move his head, Baron's eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, mostly in an effort to not focus on the lovely young woman seated inches away from him. He thought girls were supposed to be tidy; then again, this was Haru, and he knew she was a bit of a scatterbrain.

The large desk in the corner was completely covered with papers, clothes, and other pieces of junk. A little silver trashcan beside the desk overflowed and was oozing paper balls and pencil shavings. In another corner an easel with a blank canvas stood, surrounded by various paintbrushes and rolled-up tubes of paint. Piles of clothes concealed most of the carpet and an old, beautifully engraved piano. Despite being a little cluttered, it was… nice.

Baron remained perfectly still for forty-two minutes (he'd begun counting) while Haru sketched him. It wasn't entirely difficult; being a cat figurine by nature, he'd had plenty of practice standing perfectly still for hours on end. Besides, this way he got to gaze at her lovely face and not feel like he was gawking at her. After forty-two minutes and thirty seconds, Haru broke the silence with a "Done!"

Baron blinked rapidly for a few seconds, then reached up to scratch his head. Haru dropped her pencil and wiped her forehead, then turned the sketchbook around for him to see. For a moment he forgot to breathe.

It was amazing. It was more than a sketch; it was a complete drawing, with shading and delicate lines for the creases in his shirt and each individual eyelash and everything. And it was like looking into a mirror, it was so well done. She had captured him perfectly, and he reached up a little self-consciously to touch his mouth—did he really look that goofy when he smiled?

"Do you like it?" Haru asked, a little breathless herself.

Or did he just look that goofy when he was looking at her?

"It's brilliant, Haru," he said, reaching out to brush his fingertips against the paper. "It looks almost real. Like a reflection."

"Really? Thanks! That's totally what I was going for." He looked up, and their eyes met again. He was just about to lift his hand and lay it against her cheek when she broke the gaze and stared down at her lap, and he curled his fingers instead.

"It's getting late." Baron lifted his head and followed Haru's gaze out the living room window. She was right. The sky was turning shades of coral pink and burnt orange, and soon it would darken to a sheer navy blue.

This was a problem. Baron had no idea where he was going to stay the night. He supposed he could go back to the Refuge, but then he would be far away from Haru, and he'd have to deal with the frustrating task of locating her house again. If only he could…

"Would you like to stay here Baron?"

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