Thank you very much YarningChick for the advice! I threw in what you said about Naoko in this chapter, though not in quite the way you suggested. Hope you, and all the other people who're reading it, enjoy it!
Baron yawned as he flipped through a book he'd found in Haru's room, barely glancing at the words on the page. Normally he appreciated great literature, but he couldn't focus on the somewhat slow-moving plot of Pride and Prejudice. He didn't like how wealth could decide the fate of a marriage and he didn't like how Mr. Darcy rejected Elizabeth purely because she was lower than he was and he especially didn't like Mrs. Bennet's interference in trying to force her independent daughter to wed.
Toto said he was a hopeless romantic.
Mostly he was just trying to pass the time until Haru came back. She told him a string in her piano needed to be replaced, so she had to go to the music store to buy a new one. Mrs. Yoshioka, who was becoming better adjusted to his presence as the days went by, had gone to a hobbies store for more fabric for her quilts, leaving him in the house by himself.
Tossing the book onto the coffee table, he sat back and stared at the ceiling. He was bored out of his mind. He hoped Haru would return soon.
Someone up there either liked him or pitied him, because no sooner had he thought this he heard the familiar turn of a key in a lock and the door opening. Sitting up eagerly, he watched as his favorite brunette entered the house, carrying a plastic bag and a large, rectangular instrument case.
Rising, he strode over and relieved her of her burden and held it in his arms. What on earth would Haru need another instrument for?
"Thanks," she said, bending down to pull off her sandals. "That case was getting heavy."
"What is it?" he inquired curiously, running his fingers along the brand name embossed in gold paint.
"A present for someone."
"Anyone I know?"
"I think so." She walked past him into the living room and pulled a thick booklet out of the plastic bag. Shrugging, he dutifully followed and set the case on the table.
Baron watched as she struck a few keys on the piano before spinning around to face him. "You didn't get a piano string," he pointed out.
She grinned sheepishly, gesturing at the case. "I know," she replied, "but I wanted this to be a surprise."
He arced a brow. "Is this for me, then?"
"Yep. Open it."
Fingering the silver latches a moment, he flipped them up and lifted the lid, his eyes widening as the contents of the case was revealed. Reaching in, awestruck, he wrapped his hand around the neck of a beautifully carved violin. "Haru..." he breathed, "what... I don't..."
She giggled at his lack of intelligible thought and began to explain. "I remembered what you said at the restaurant a couple days ago," she said. "You said one of your hobbies is, and I quote, 'plucking on the violin whenever I feel so inclined.' Don't give me that look; I didn't buy the thing. I just rented it from the music store for a little bit, hoping you would 'feel so inclined' to play a little."
He held the elegantly carved instrument in his hand, dragging his fingertips along the finely polished wood, up the neck and around the spiral at the end, marveling at its beauty.
"It's been so long since I last played..." Playing, strangely enough, reminded him of Haru. "It won't be as good..."
"That's okay. The clerk at the store already tuned it, and I'll provide accompaniment." Her eyes glittered as she looked up at him and continued, "That way, if you blunder too terribly, I can drown out the sound with my own equally flawed playing."
He laughed as he carefully replaced the instrument to draw out the bow and run the little block of rosin down the length of the horsehairs several times. Then he placed the wood beneath his chin and ran the bow across the strings gently, eliciting a soft, lilting note to float in the air above them. He heard Haru sigh dreamily behind him.
Now… what to play? He dragged the bow across the strings languidly, enjoying the sounds ringing out from the strings, as he pondered the tune to pick.
Soft notes began to tinkle out from behind him, encouraging a specific one. "Know this one?" Haru asked, tilting her head back slightly.
"Mm," was his reply. The melody sounded familiar, though he wasn't quite sure exactly what it was. As it always seemed to be doing these days, his mind wandered as his gaze fell upon the lovely brunette pianist before him.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Taking two steps at a time, I flew up the staircase after Haru. I could hear the prince panicking about where the Cat King had disappeared to, and I knew I had to reach Haru before he did.
As I was passing a window, a sword flew from across the way, the tip burying itself deep into the stone. I leaned back, wrapping my hand around the brim of my top hat, and followed the direction the sword had appeared from, where the Cat King was climbing through the opposite window with another sword buckled to his furry waist. "Fight like a cat you chickennnn!" he screamed, his lavender fur standing on end as his mismatched eyes bulged from his skull in opposite directions.
"With pleasure!" I declared, pulling the sword from the stone. I wasn't risking anything by being here—I was already a cat. And I was tired of this king's insolence, thinking he could propose to Haru like that.
Muta appeared at my side. "Need help?"
"Take care of Haru," I said, looking up at him.
"You got it." We nodded at each other before he dashed past me and I climbed out the window, still brandishing the weapon the king had been kind enough to bestow upon me. As I had already proved to my brunette client, I was capable of defending myself quite efficiently with my cane, and a sword would only speed up the process.
The Cat King scrambled through the window and hissed at me. "A duel for the princess," he snarled as I calmly folded up my coat and set it on the ledge.
"Fair enough," I replied, placing my hat on top of the bundle, along with my cane. "If I win, she returns to her world."
"And if I win, she stays and you and your fat friend beat it."
"Agreed."
I strode past him, ignoring the glare burning into the back of my head. It didn't faze me, and the duel didn't either; I had confidence in my abilities, and if I had to beat some sense into this arrogant king in order to secure Haru's freedom, I would be sure to enjoy it.
Grasping the hilt in both hands, I raised the sword high above my head. The king decided to go for a more direct approach—he aimed the thing directly at me.
On an unspoken count of three, we both ran at each other. Our swords clashed with a loud clang and I leapt into the air, flipped, and landed on my feet with the sword at my side.
Behind me, I heard a loud crack and the king's horrified shriek. I resisted the urge to grin as the jewel atop his head shattered and fell to the stone ledge we stood on.
I straightened, bringing my heels together. "I win, King." A gust of wind blew, taking with it the violet fur off his torso and legs and creating a great pile at his feet. I swung the sword slightly, knocking the few clinging hairs off the blade.
"I'd heard rumors about a nosy cat figurine that liked to stick his nose in other's problems," the Cat King grumbled behind me. " I figured you were just some kitschy knickknack that had collected dust. Had I known you were this good I would've asked you to come and work for me."
Work for him? The thought was laughable. Between working for him or the lovely Miss Haru, I would pick the timid female any day. The remark was insulting so I turned to him, a slight smile on my lips. "I prefer a life of sticking my nose in other's problems," I said curtly.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
A dreamy smile graced his lips as the notes hovered in the air and his eyes drifted closed. He agreed with Toto; he was a hopeless romantic.
Both musicians were startled out of the reveries they'd sunken into when the sound of loud, excited clapping reached their ears.
Mrs. Yoshioka stood in the doorway, beaming. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed, rushing forward. "The piano and the violin complimented each other beautifully! Baron, where on earth did you learn to play like that?"
He shrugged modestly. "Self-taught out of boredom," he explained quietly.
The older woman squealed. "You are amazingly talented Baron. What you two just did would put an orchestra to shame."
"Mom," Haru groaned as both their faces turned pink.
Her mother, however, remained unfazed. "What was that you played?"
The young woman shrugged. "It was 'Country Roads, but my teacher hasn't exactly instructed me how to play it yet, so I was basically sight-reading. I made tons of mistakes, but Baron's playing masked them for me."
He smiled sheepishly. "I'm not that talented. I tripped along the melody as well."
Mrs. Yoshioka threw up her arms. "Musicians… Oh, Baron?" He inclined his head toward her. "Do you by any chance know the song 'Think of Me' from The Phantom of the Opera?"
The bow slid up and down the strings again, drifting up into the higher range before wandering back down. With a photographic memory, the sheets of music he owned of the song hovered behind his eyes as the notes rang out, clear and strong. They floated in the air, soaring along the scales as the women's voices lightly imitated the sound. The song ended with a gentle decrescendo until he finally drifted off into silence.
Both women stared at him before breaking out into enthusiastic clapping, and he ducked his head modestly, his cheeks darkening. When one of them spoke, he lifted his head quizzically and asked the one—Mrs. Yoshioka, as it turned out—to repeat it.
"I asked if you've ever seen the movie, Baron. Have you?"
He shook his head. He was old-fashioned and although he knew television sets and movie theaters existed, he was perfectly content with his many, many books to keep him company. He knew Haru must've known this for she had been in his house before, but she imitated her mother's look of shock so perfectly it was easy to tell the two women were related.
Before he knew it Haru was digging through a cabinet for the video and her mother had disappeared into the kitchen to make them popcorn. She returned as Haru was fast-forwarding through the previews and offered Baron a handful of the lightly buttered snack.
Haru explained it was the 2004 version, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. Although it was originally filmed in English, they owned a Japanese-subtitled version. He had no idea what any of that meant, but he nodded as if he understood as the women seated themselves on either side of him.
Not even halfway through the movie, Haru was nodding off and, after exchanging a set of looks with Mrs. Yoshioka, he gently allowed her head to come to rest on his shoulder. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer.
Mrs. Yoshioka glanced over at him. "You like her, don't you?" she whispered, careful not to drown out the music or wake her daughter.
He turned to her abruptly, almost dislodging the sleeping girl on his shoulder. Then he cringed. "Is it really that obvious?" he murmured in return.
The mother nodded, popping another handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Almost painfully, kiddo." He groaned, but she reached over and patted his leg. "No, I understand. Haru's a likeable girl. I'm just glad that the man she chose to drag home was at least an honorable one."
He stared at her, and she shrugged before glancing at the screen. "There are way too many bad, indecent men out there today," she began, "and even though we didn't meet under the best circumstances, I don't believe you're like them." She sighed, biting her lip in a way similar to her daughter. "I've watched you, and you're kind and sweet and patient and gentle with her. You make her laugh and smile for no reason at all, and you treat her with manners and respect in a way that deserves to be admired." Her eyes, almost perfect replicas of Haru's, fell to him again and she smiled. "I don't know anything about you, Baron, but I just have this… this feeling in my gut that you're decent." Her eyes narrowed. "You better hope I'm right, or so help me…"
"No, no, you're right," he assured quickly. "I would never dream of hurting your daughter," then to himself he added, "I'd rather die than do that."
Mrs. Yoshioka stared at him for a long time as the music droned on in the background. "I believe you," she murmured. "I don't know why, but I do. I want to trust you Baron." Slowly she rose and passed him the almost empty popcorn bowl. "I'm going to bed."
"But… Mrs. Yoshioka…"
"Baron." He stopped and looked at her as a smile broke out across her features, features that were reflected in the young woman beside him. "I said I want to trust you, so I'm going to. I like you kiddo, and it's obvious Haru does too. So I'm going to trust my female intuition—it hasn't failed me yet." She turned toward the staircase, waving over her shoulder. "You can stay up and watch the movie. Good night Baron."
"Good night Mrs. Yoshioka. And thank you."
Haru's mother paused for a moment at the bottom of the staircase before proceeding up it, and he was almost positive he heard a soft, feminine chuckle in the relatively quiet room. Sighing, he tilted his head until it was balanced on the top of Haru's head. He had earned the approval of her friends and her mother. Now he had just two days to earn hers.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Do you like it so far? Am I boring you? Remember, although I adore flattery and being told my story is awesome and everything, I appreciate suggestions and criticism too. Just so you know.