Baron crossed his legs on the cobblestones. "The couch is no feather mattress, but she cooks well and enjoys my company."
Toto nodded. "So you like being human."
"Really, the only major difference is my height. Everything I could do before I can still do now, so I'm not missing anything."
"Have you kissed her yet?" Muta sneered as he poked his ridiculously large head out between the double doors of Baron's house.
"No, I have not," he replied sternly, frowning at the obese feline, though his face was turning ten shades of red. "It would entirely improper."
"Besides," Toto added, plucking at disorderly feather on his chest, "what makes you think Baron would kiss and tell?" Eleven shades of red. "Especially to an uncouth fatso like you?"
"You wanna say that to my face?!" Muta snarled, waving a clenched paw at the cackling crow.
"I would be glad to!"
"Can you two please not argue for once?" Baron said tiredly, reaching to rub his temples as he felt a headache approaching. "I'm surprised the place hasn't been torn to pieces in my absence."
The two bickering animals relented, promising to pick up where they left off the moment their humanoid friend left.
"So, are you gonna kiss her?" Muta asked, waddling over and plopping down on the cobblestones beside his feet.
He sighed, pushing a hand through his thick hair. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I want to I suppose, and I almost have several times, but something always interferes. Her, me, her mother…" He shook his head darkly. "I'm afraid of that woman. I think if Haru hadn't made up that story about my father disowning me, I would have spent the rest of this… this spell on the street."
At the description of Mrs. Yoshioka, Muta sat up and laughed; Baron reached over and calmly knocked him forward, squashing the cat's nose in the stones and causing him to yowl angrily.
"What do you mean you 'suppose'?" Toto inquired, returning to the real topic of concern. "I thought you loved Haru."
Was it that obvious how he felt?
Muta grinned evilly. "Baron and Haru sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-"
"Don't sing that song," he snapped.
"What's wrong Baron? A little sensitive?"
"You can go find someone else to cook you angel food cake Muta." He knocked the fat cat over again.
"Owww!"
"You two are being ridiculous," Toto chided irately. "What is really important is what Baron is going to do, right? And it's not like Muta needs more cake."
Baron's head dropped until his chin hit his chest. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's come over me. This whole ordeal has got me on edge." He reached over and scratched Muta's head. "Forgive me?" he asked quietly, a small smile playing on his lips.
Having associated with him for years, Baron knew exactly which spots Muta liked to be scratched best—one was located just behind his left ear. The cat stretched and purred loudly, sounding like an automobile's motor.
"You owe me a cake when you come back," Muta grumbled, and Toto laughed.
"So what are you going to do Baron?" Toto asked, fluttering off his pole to land lightly on one of Baron's broad shoulders.
"Go back to Haru, I suppose. I have four days left and, being actually human with an appetite, she can feed me properly. I'll come back on Sunday—she has an art class again and I do not relish of the idea of staying in the house with her mother by myself. What happens, happens, and what doesn't, doesn't."
The white cat and the black crow exchanged a worried set a looks. "Baron…" Toto began, but Baron wasn't listening. Like so many times recently, his mind was wandering through his blissful memories…
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
While Muta nimbly darted along the tops of the walls, Haru and I made our way through the winding maze. A left here, then a right, then another left, backtracking if I led her into a dead end. The sounds of heavy bodies hitting dirt and moans echoed behind us, and I smiled—the guards shouldn't have tried to chase after Muta. He was more graceful than he looked.
We turned a corner, I just a few paces ahead of my half-cat companion, when I spotted two guards rolling on the ground in front of us, directly in our path. My feet skidded to a halt, Haru following suit. I lifted my cane and stuck out my left arm as a barricade to prevent the girl from behind me, and the cats before me, from passing in other direction. I wasn't going down without a fight.
"Stay behind me Haru," I commanded, inching forward. The guards rose and faced me. I noticed they were both armed with swords.
The first guard gave a battle cry and raised his sword high above his head, obviously preparing to cut me down where I stood. Holding my cane with the crook up, I bounced a little on my feet and silently counted.
One. Two. On three, the cat brought his arm down, but I was ready for him, and I jabbed the crook of the cane into his gut, grabbed his fur with my free hand, and flipped him over me. He landed with a heavy thud on the ground and didn't get up.
I glanced back at Haru to make sure I hadn't accidentally crushed her with the giant buffoon lying behind me, but thankfully she was still in one piece, though the look of fear in her eyes had been replaced with awe.
I turned to face my next opponent. The second cat gasped in shock as he saw what I had done to his friend so he raised his sword too, but I deftly swung my cane, hitting him first in the forearm to bring his arms down. Next came the armpit, which brought his arms further down, then the wrist to knock the sword out of his grasp. I whacked him in the shin so he was clutching his wrist and hopping on one foot, which looked dreadfully silly. Finally I put him out of his misery—I rushed forward, hitting him with enough force to knock him back into the wall behind him. My arm fell to my side and he fell to the ground, unconsciousness.
Haru, who had mysteriously manifested beside me, was apparently fascinated by use of what you would commonly think a rather useless object, if one would consider her gasp of, "Wow!"
I held my cane up at eyelevel to inspect the damage. When I had hit the thugs, it seemed their hulking bodies had chipped the wood and bent it towards the left. However, it had no sentimental value and was easily replaced; mostly, I was glad Haru still remained unscathed.
She peered over my shoulder as I peered at it and asked, concern tingeing her voice, "Oh, how's your cane?"
"Bent," I spun it once before letting the shaft rest across my shoulder, "but it's about time for a new one anyway." We sidestepped the fallen guards and resumed our running.
Behind me, the interest in my skills was still clear in her voice as she remarked, "I never knew they were so useful."
I smiled. Haru was so easily impressed.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"Oww!" Baron cried out, clutching his ankle and turning to glare at the pig-like cat at his feet, his left claws dripping blood. "Muta! What was that for?"
He smirked as he wiped the claws on Baron's pant leg. "You were off in La-La Land. I decided to bring you back to reality."
Baron glared at him, and Muta shrugged. "Don't be a baby. I barely broke the skin."
Toto swung his wing out to smack Muta in the head. "Barbarian."
"Birdbrain!"
"Fleabag!"
"Chicken wings!"
"Stop it!" Baron growled, wrapping his arms around Muta's enormous girth and holding him to his chest as Muta struggled to attack the smug crow perched on his shoulder. "Honestly, you two… I don't know why I put up with this…"
He rose, dumping Muta unceremoniously to the ground and dusting his hands off. "I think I would rather be ruthlessly interrogated by a protective mother than remain here. Plus, I'm bleeding." He shooed Toto off his shoulder and turned to go. "I'll be back on Sunday."
He headed for the archway, paused before it, sighed, then turned around. Strolling back over to the pole in the center, he scratched Muta's head fondly and ran his hand the length of Toto's body twice. "Try not to maul each other while I'm gone."
"We won't," the two animals chimed in unison.
Baron smiled and this time continued through the archway—he had to duck his head to avoid banging his forehead against the stone—stuffed his heads in his pockets, and headed back to the Crossroads. Haru was meeting him there, and his heart began to race at just the thought of her sweet face. He couldn't wait to see her again.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO