A/N; Sorry about not updating last week; I left town with the family and I had bigger problems than updating a story, no matter how much I enjoyed writing it. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years!
Chapter Fourteen: A Discreditable Act
The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.
-Henry Louis Mencken
xxXxx
For some reason, the portal was still filled with periwinkle lights when Baron and Toto passed through it for the third time within two days. Even the sound of Toto's wings was strangely loud, and echoed forever into the long tunnel.
Since they had entered the exact same way as the first time, the large crow was able to narrowly avoid the large rock hanging over the mouth of the human side.
"You know, this is really unfair to everyone, including us," Toto commented as he settled on the soft grass. "If Haru ever finds out that the king's intentionally breaking the contract-"
"She will have our hides," Baron finished numbly, rolling off his friend's back so that he could take off his pants, shoes, and gloves again. "Unfortunately, the king doesn't care, as long as he gets his way."
Toto cawed angrily, throwing his head from side to side. "I hope if she does find out, she'll take out her anger on him. She knows no one else wanted this, right?"
"Yuki's doing everything in her power to help her see that. But you can never tell with Haru; that girl definitely has her own mind," Baron responded miserably, dragging his things to under the familiar bush. 'Why did I have to be dragged into this? Wasn't my life complicated enough before adding someone like Haru into the mix?'
"On top of that, how can we possibly retrieve something from the bottom of the sea?"
"Ocean," Baron corrected absently. "Haru says it's an ocean."
"What difference does it make?"
"Oceans are deeper, according to her."
"Oh, that's just perfect," Toto griped as Baron remounted him. "So, what do we do now?"
The little kitten sighed in resignation. "We head for the open water, and start looking for the cliffs. It will be within walking distance to her home, I think."
Toto nodded, and took to the sky. "I'm going to go ahead and not get too close to her house. The fatso's probably figured out that we have something to do with her disappearance."
"That would be best," Baron agreed, feeling his guilt double.
Renny had to be worried sick by now.
It didn't take long to find her human home, but the small feline was privately impressed at the distance between it and the cliffs he saw in the king's sphere. How had she kept from freezing that night, to walk over a mile to get home?
'Her stubbornness probably had a part in it,' he concluded as Toto flew between the large rocks at the bottom of the fated cliffs.
"Any idea where to go from here?" Toto asked over the roar of the ocean, landing on the same rock that Haru had first clung to, after saving Lune.
"… I haven't the foggiest, my friend. Perhaps I should have taken up a study of magic as well as human knowledge."
"Baron, you barely had time for even human studies, and your body's too weak to handle magic."
The little kitten heaved an agreeing sigh, looking at the water beneath them. It was deep grey, reflecting the sky above, which was still covered with clouds. It wasn't as bright as it had been on his first visit, almost as if this kingdom's nature was mourning the loss of Haru.
He shrugged off the ridiculous thought. If anything in nature had the right to mourn, it was the sea. But the only mood he could decipher from the noisy waves was almost a mockery, a scorn to think that the ocean would return the locket.
What sort of pictures could one fit into such a tiny trinket? Wouldn't they be ruined by now?
Toto's claws slipped slightly on the rock as a more violent wave crashed against it, making him take to the air once more. "I don't see how it's possible, Baron. The only one I can think of that might be able to do it is Haru, and I have doubts about even that."
"I'm not entirely sure she could, my friend. She needs to breathe like anyone else, and these currents are very strong. I'm impressed that she managed to escape this area while carrying Lune."
"No kidd- hey, what's that?" the crow suddenly asked, looking towards shore.
For a split second, Baron feared that it was Renny. But then he looked to the shore, seeing a creature he had only read about.
It was large animal, almost three times as big as Baron. From this distance, it appeared to be black as tiny flippers swam for shore. Although the pace was something to be admired in the water, something appeared to be… off.
"Get closer," the kitten insisted as his heart sped up.
Toto complied, and flew until he was hovering over the creature's head.
"Oh no, I don't have time for this!" the aquatic animal complained with a gasp of pain. "Can't you find someone else to eat?"
"We're not here for a meal, Mr. Turtle; you seem to be in distress of some sort," Baron replied, leaning over Toto's side to get a better look of the sea creature.
Now that they were this close, the kitten could see tiny yellowish markings on the wide back, as the saltwater beat against it like a tiny rock.
"Yeah, well if you were the one with a fish hook in your flipper, I'd doubt that…" The turtle stopped swimming entirely, staring up at Baron with astonishment until the waves threatened to pull him down.
"If you can make it to shore, Toto and I would be more than happy to help you with your injury," Baron promised, urging the crow to fly closer to the white beach ahead.
Toto landed on the sand with some distaste as the kitten hopped off his back to await the sea turtle.
The strange creature hesitated a bit, before swimming to the edge of the waters. "This isn't a trick, is it?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course not; I merely want to have a look at your flipper," Baron comforted, bracing himself as he walked on all fours into the water, until it was up to his ankles. Once he reached the sea turtle's side, he gently took the front left flipper between his paws.
He had to fight back a wince at the sight. Human fishhooks were much bigger than what he was used to, and there was a thin, see-through thread that was tied to one end and led back into the sea. The thread tugged hard on the hook, making the bleeding worse as the sea turtle fought back a moan.
"Hold still," Baron urged him, taking a firm grip on the thread before cutting it with a claw. Whatever had been on the other end must have been heavy, or perhaps the sea current was enough to tear the thread from his weak grasp.
Trying not to think about the disgusting wetness, Baron placed both paws under the flipper, and found the curved end of the hook. "This is going to hurt," he warned his patient.
"I'm prepared. Do it," the turtle begged, bracing himself for the coming pain.
Baron quickly yanked the hook out of the soft flesh, hating the soft cry that followed. Not knowing what else to do with the piece of dangerous metal, the kitten pocketed it inside his jacket while pulling out a slightly sea-drenched handkerchief.
Although it was more difficult with paws than hands, Baron wrapped the cloth firmly around the flipper, although he couldn't tie it up.
"I'd best keep pressure on it until it stops bleeding," the little kitten reported, trying desperately to ignore the water that was climbing up his legs and arms. "I'm afraid there's not much else I can do."
"Thank you, this is plenty… You're not from around here, are you? Either of you," the sea turtle added, sparing a glance for Toto.
"That's right; we're on a mission from the Cat Kingdom, over a human named Haru," the crow summarized, wisely leaving out the worst details.
The sea turtle gasped softly. "You know Haru?"
Baron looked at his patient with surprise. "Tall girl with long brown hair and large eyes?"
The sea turtle grunted with pain as he laughed. "There is only one Haru in these waters. But I haven't seen her sail for a week; did she get grounded again?"
"You could say that," Baron said carefully, struggling to keep his voice level. "She saved a friend's life last week, and her stepfather was less than enthusiastic about the incident."
The sea turtle laughed again, sounding much better now. "That man is ridiculously protective of her. It's a good thing she loves him so much."
"Indeed," Baron choked out, feeling like even more of a slime bag.
"Hey, maybe you could help us," Toto said with realization. "We're trying to retrieve Haru's locket for her, but the thing is that she lost it in the water."
"Ooh, that's not good," the sea turtle countered, looking worried. "The world beneath the waves is more intricate than land creatures think."
"She lost it while jumping off those cliffs, if that helps," Baron replied, pointing one paw at the rocks before reapplying pressure to the wound.
The sea creature looked at the cliffs, deep in thought. "Those waters can sometimes be rough; if it's been a week since she lost it, the locket might be to San Francisco by now."
"Is that far?" Toto asked worriedly.
"It takes a while to get there, yes." Then the turtle sighed with contentment. "I'll tell you what; you've doctored my flipper, and Haru's been giving me fish cookies for years. I'll go over and see if I can find it for you. I owe her enough to try, at least."
"We are grateful for your assistance," Baron informed him with a relieved smile that was a tad strained.
"However, it could take me a while to find it, if I can."
"If you can't find it in a week, it will no longer matter," Baron said sadly. "There's a bet involved, and… it's complicated."
The turtle looked at him worriedly. "I'll do what I can. What is a locket, precisely?"
"Haru described it as a golden pendant with a pearl set into it," Baron provided, though not entirely certain that the creature knew what a pendant was.
"Oh, the thing she wears around her neck? I'd know that thing anywhere," the sea turtle assured him, testing out his flipper. "She's been sailing these waters for the past eight years, and I've never seen her without it."
"She claims it is her most precious possession, other than her stepfather," Baron replied numbly.
"I'm not surprised. Thanks again for help me out, but I'd better get back to deeper waters. Her locket's fairly small, so it'll take some time to look for it."
"We'll be right here when you get back," Toto informed him with a grateful bow.
The sea turtle did a bow that was remarkably similar, and started slowly maneuvering his large, tear-shaped body to the ocean again. "Oh, what were your names, again?" he asked curiously.
"I'm Baron, and this is Toto," the kitten introduced, certain that they were past formalities at this point.
The turtle smiled, and began swimming out to sea. "I'm Noq, but Haru calls me Kuro."
With that, he dove beneath the rolling waves, a slight disturbance in the surface telling of his journey.
"I think I'm going to have to call this a sheer stroke of luck," Toto commented as he hopped onto a nearby log. "I mean, a sea creature that's friends with Haru?"
"Leatherback sea turtle," Baron provided automatically. "The main portion of his body wasn't as hard as most varieties are refuted to be."
"Still… something like this has to be fate. Don't you think?"
The little kitten sighed, and padded his way out of the cold sea. "It must be. I just wish that…"
The crow looked over at him curiously. "Just wish… what?"
Baron looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. "… When I told her why she couldn't return to her world, she called me a snake and slime bag."
Toto flinched. "Ouch."
"The worst part is, I'm starting to think she's right," the little kitten admitted as he curled up underneath the log in misery.
The crow immediately hopped off the log to nudge his friend with his long black beak. "Baron, you didn't have a choice, remember? If anyone's the slime bag, it's your king."
"… I just feel so helpless, Toto! I didn't want anything to do with bringing her to the Cat Kingdom, I didn't want to trick her, and I most certainly didn't want to circumvent the contract that was my idea in the first place! Haru's a good person; she doesn't deserve to have her last hope torn away. Why do we have to be the ones to do this?"
Toto sighed sadly. "Baron, I think she's the reason we were put in our current positions. You're right that she doesn't deserve this, but who knows? Maybe after she gets to know Lune, she'll thank you for this."
"I highly doubt that," Baron growled, burying his face between his paws to hide the tears of frustration. "It will take years, just for Lune to relax in her presence. Not to mention Yuki…"
Poor Yuki. Forced to watch the cat of her dreams marry the human that saved her life. The one girl that Yuki would never be able to hate, or even think about hating.
"Yes, Yuki. Perhaps she'll find someone else?" Toto supplied hopefully.
"Not likely, and not in the near future," Baron replied, fighting back the abyss in his soul.
Lune or no Lune; she would never consider a runt as a possible mate. Especially since she'll probably find out about the deception before long.
"It's just not fair, Toto," Baron sighed, feeling a little childish for putting it that way. Even if it was accurate for how he felt right now.
The crow sighed, and wrapped the kitten into one comforting wing. "Humbert… you of all people know that life isn't fair. If it were, my wife would still be alive, and your brothers would have been decent people."
Baron nodded, burying his face deep into the soft feathers to disguise the tears threatening to surface. "I just feel so ashamed!"
Toto made soft, reassuring noises as he wrapped the kitten into his wings for a hug.
They stayed in that spot until after the sun went down, huddling between rocks as the ocean tried to deafen them with its roars.
By the time Baron had calmed down, a light was clearly visible from the far-off tower, which explained how Haru hadn't gotten lost that night. He kept staring as the beam of light spun around, sending its aura over everything in the vicinity.
For five days, he hardly took his eyes off the tower, numbly eating the travel rations that Toto kept in his amulet and sleeping when the crow made him.
By the dawn of the sixth day, Baron couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm going to Haru's home for a bit," he announced as he finished his bit of dried fish.
"What? Baron, have you forgotten what Renny's like?"
"No. I haven't. That's why I have to go and see how he's holding up without Haru." He started walking on all fours across the sand, which was clinging to the cuffs of his sleeves.
Toto sighed, and managed to catch up with the kitten in a heartbeat. "Climb on. Tomorrow's the last day, and it would take another week for you to walk, even if you were healthy."
Trying hard not to think about the terrible truth, Baron climbed onto his friend's back, and held on as the crow took to the skies.
In truth, he didn't know why he needed to see Renny so badly. Considering what he had seen the week before, it wasn't such a stretch of the imagination that the huge human would shoot them out of the sky.
As it turned out, shooting was the last thing on his mind.
Toto was careful to stay far up in the air, as Renny sluggishly walked out of the base of the tower, and locked it tight. Then the human dragged himself into the house close by; his pace that of a tired old man.
"There; he's miserable or tired. Can we go now?"
"You can if you wish. But I want to see him a little closer."
The crow sighed as he dove for the house, and perched on the same branch as before. "You're suicidal, have I ever told you that?" he whispered as Renny appeared in the kitchen.
It was much dirtier than last week, but Baron couldn't be sure if that was because cleaning was Haru's job, or if Renny's been too distracted to think about tidying up.
Almost as if he were a sleepwalker, the fat human stumbled around the kitchen, pouring contents of a box as well as a white jug into a bowl, and sitting down at the small table to eat miserably.
There were large dark circles around his eyes, which were vacant and lost. He stared off into the space in front of him, sometimes forgetting to chew before swallowing.
When the bowl was half empty, he started crying for no apparent reason. He pushed the bowl away so that he could bury his face in his arms, now resting on the table.
"Why?" he choked out angrily. "Why did she have to be taken from me, too?"
Baron's heart broke for the man. If the villagers were as cold as they appeared, Renny had likely not gotten much help looking for her, if any. Did he think she was kidnapped or killed? Although he knew it should have been the last thing on his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if this was what his father had looked like, after Baron's 'death'.
The thought made his blood run cold. If his father, who had usually been careful all his life, could be accidentally killed by a spot of grief, it was entirely possible that Renny would have the same fate. After all, that tower likely had a long winding staircase; all it would take is one little slip.
Baron refused to let that happen. "Fly toward the window she slipped out of," he whispered to Toto, who was all too happy to fly out of sight before the human saw him.
"What are we up to, Baron?" the crow whispered, only able to hover next to the window, since the sill was too slim for him to land on.
Nonetheless, the kitten hopped off, and took a close look at the latch holding the window shut. For some reason, it was on the outside, and very tiny. Just enough to keep the window closed.
It didn't take long to figure out how to open it, although Toto needed to catch him by the arms as both sides flew open.
"What are we up to?" Toto hissed again as he set Baron on the sill and landed next to him. It was only then that a larger lock for the window was seen on the inner side of the window.
Baron looked around the room carefully. It was one of the messy rooms he had seen before, but now that he was looking at it carefully, he could see that it was Haru's. After all, it was highly unlikely that Renny would own such feminine furniture, as well as a tall thin mirror, a corner modestly stuffed with bags of yarn, a harp-
Wait, a harp?
Baron hopped off the sill to the instrument, resting peacefully on an old pillow on a small chair.
It was a different make than his mother's, and had a different number of strings on it. There were no carvings on it, save for what appeared to be a date that was obviously very old. It was also huge, but proportionally speaking, was it bigger than his mother's?
Did it have the same sound as his mother's? He reached forward with one paw, about to find out for himself.
"Baron, stop playing around; what are we doing here?" Toto demanded in a whisper, flying into the room to nudge the kitten with his beak.
The tawny feline broke free from his thoughts with a sharp gasp, and shook his head to clear it. "We're going to leave a note for Renny," he explained, moving to another chair in the room, one that was perched next to a desk.
He became temporarily distracted by a strange figurine, made of gold on a shelf over the desk. For some reason, it reminded him of a tall tombstone, pointed at the top.
"Oh, wonderful," Toto said sarcastically as the kitten hopped onto the chair, and then onto the desk. "What shall we say? 'Please don't kill us, but we stole your Chicky'?"
"Perhaps not that wording," Baron admitted, pushing some huge books aside so that he could look at the slimmer one, which had small blue lines across the paper.
It was open to what appeared to be a hand-drawn equation. That happened to be wrong.
"Clearly, math is not her strong suit," he muttered to himself, using one paw to turn the page.
Since nothing was on the new sheet, he started looking for something to write with. But all he could find were some strange wooden sticks with a yellow coating. Then he noticed one end of them was sharpened to reveal a lead core.
"What a strange invention," he sighed, taking the stick between his paws, although he had to use his claws to even pick it up.
The stick did not wish to cooperate! However carefully Baron traced the paper, in order for the marks to be seen, he had to press hard enough to make the stick almost slide out of his paws completely.
But the kitten gritted his teeth, and kept readjusting his hold until his message was complete, even if it was a mockery of his normally neat handwriting.
Your Chicky is safe, and in good hands.
Why did even that much feel like a lie?
But since Baron didn't feel like adding more, and that much should be enough to get the idea across, he set the stick down, and fought with the book until it was propped against the thicker ones, facing the plain door that had hooks dangling from the top. One of the hooks had a black jacket hanging from it.
"Yes, that should do it," Baron said in satisfaction, hopping from the edge of the desk to the sill, although he almost fell to the ground and had to claw his way up the painted wood.
"You know, he might not ever come in here," Toto pointed out as he flew to the window and allowed the kitten to climb onto his back. "How do you know he'll ever see it?"
"Like this; meow!" Baron yelled at the top of his lungs, directing the force of the shout into the house.
From the direction of the kitchen came a violent crash, and then the sound of heavy footsteps.
"Fly, now!"
Toto didn't need to be told twice. He shot into the air like an arrow, making sure to take them out of sight of the window as the door could be heard slamming open.
"There; I'm certain that he'll find the note on his own," Baron exulted, feeling better already.
"Do you think he'll believe it?"
"I think he will. What choice does he have?" 'Would such a note have saved my father's life?'
Toto sighed as they soared to the ocean again. "You know, he could have killed us. What if he had heard the window opening?"
"A battle would have likely ensued. But he deserves to know that Haru's fine. Or, as fine as she's going to be for a while," he added lamely.
Toto shook his head as they landed next to the log again. "Baron, that's the craziest thing you've done since we met!"
"What about tricking the Sea Maiden?" the kitten answered defensively.
"You were put up to that, remember? I mean, that's the craziest thing you've decided to do of your own choice since our first flight."
Baron thought about it. "I suppose so. But he deserves to know she's not dead."
"Admittedly," Toto agreed, settling into the cold sand again. "But give me a little notice next time you decide to do something crazy on your own, all right?"
"As you wish," Baron complied, since he owed his oldest friend that much.
By some strange coincidence, or perhaps fate, the waves weren't quite in harmony anymore, thanks to a small portion that was bobbing on its own.
The reason why became clear as Noq lifted his head out of the water, and waded the rest of his way to shore.
Grateful for any distraction, Baron walked into the edge of the water to greet him. "Did you find it?" he asked politely.
Noq gave a muffled sound, and spat something yellowish into the shallow water. "If that isn't it, I'll let the next human I see turn me into soup."
Although he had a natural revulsion of water, Baron reached for the thing with both paws, sandwiching the cold metal between them as he took it out of the water.
It was precisely the way Haru had described it. A simple circle with a glossy white stone buried in the center. It was perhaps three inches big, and a bit thicker than he thought it would be; about the same as a modest pocket watch.
"It was caught between two rocks at the bottom of the cliffs; we're quite lucky that the current wasn't able to take it to San Francisco after all," Noq exulted with a grin.
"Indeed," Baron whispered as he found the latch. Although he knew he shouldn't, he carefully used one claw to view the locket's secrets.
It snapped open to reveal pictures of breathtaking quality. On the right was a human male, garbed in a military uniform that gleamed with a modest number of medals. By his side was a woman that could have easily been Haru's twin, save for the soft red hair. In her arms was a baby, smiling beautifully up at her parents. Everything about this picture spoke so strongly of love that it nearly broke Baron's heart.
On the left was a picture that was almost ordinary by comparison. It was Renny, looking a few years younger, with a miniature Haru in one arm as she hugged him around the neck, laughing about something he couldn't guess at. Both of them were dressed much plainer in this picture, almost like they hadn't known that it would one day be captured forever in this simple pendant. Yet it spoke just as much love as the other picture had done. Both of the portraits were protected by glass; ensuring that no amount of water would be able to ruin them.
This pendant, strung on a pink ribbon for Yuki, represented her family. No wonder it was her most treasured possession.
"… Baron? Baron!" Toto yelled, budging the kitten with his beak. "Answer me!"
The little kitten gasped deeply, and forced himself to shut the locket. "I apologize. Thank you for retrieving this, Noq; Haru will love to see this again."
Why did that have to feel like a lie?
The sea turtle smiled at him, and began turning his body toward the ocean again. "Be sure to tell her hi for me, and that she should stop getting herself grounded."
"… I'll be sure to do that," Baron promised with a weak smile. "Thank you again."
One more wave of the flipper, and Noq was gone.
"Well, that's that!" Toto exclaimed, nudging the kitten with one wing. "Let's get back to the Cat Kingdom while we still have time."
"Of course," Baron answered numbly, pocketing the priceless heirloom.
ooOoo
Subtlety was the only way that Haru wouldn't find out that she was being tricked. So Baron approached the palace alone; Toto waiting for him by the portal, and impatient to be on the way home.
Yet as nervous as the little kitten was, he couldn't help but notice that both of the soldiers guarding the southern gate were wearing bandages over their heads, and one of them looked like he was suffering from a monumental headache.
"Did the Sea Maiden try to escape again?" Baron asked with surprise.
The guard without a headache grunted a laugh. "Worse. The king attempted to teach her how to play golf yesterday, but she kept hitting heads instead."
Baron winced. "I feel fortunate to have missed that."
"You should be," the other guard nearly whimpered as the two opened the gate for them.
"May I inquire where she is?"
"Somewhere in the palace, I suppose. The servants will help you," the first guard told him with a slight tightness in his eyes.
'So the entire palace knows she's being tricked.' Baron sighed, and started marching toward the usual entrance.
"My lord," one of the butlers interrupted him, beckoning from behind a bush.
The little kitten nodded, and followed him into a hidden entrance. He didn't completely understand why the palace was riddled with secret corridors, but it nonetheless served their purposes.
The butler noticed after several minutes that Baron was starting to fall behind, so he swept the kitten into his arms to keep going.
"Thank you," Baron panted politely, although he hated needing the help.
"Don't mention it. Really," the butler said with an uneasy smile, maneuvering the corridors like he knew them like the back of his hand.
Which was quite likely, all things considered.
After what felt like eternity, the butler moved a small latch, and entered into the prince's chambers.
Lune looked up from a book he had been reading and groaned. "Oh no. Don't tell me you actually did it!"
"Fine. I won't," Baron replied, feeling worse than ever as the butler put him down. He reached into his coat pocket, nearly stabbing himself with the human fishhook, and pulled out the locket.
"Blast it all, Baron! Couldn't you have failed, just this once?" Lune demanded, throwing his book to one side and standing up from the chair to reluctantly accept the trinket.
"I'm sorry, my friend. It wasn't meant to be," Baron answered sadly, wishing that he could have had one last look at the pictures within.
Lune shook his head and fought back tears as he pocketed the locket. "I hate being the prince," he snarled under his breath, looking at the butler. "Do you know where she is?"
"Currently, I believe she is in her room. The dance instructor needed to visit the hospital wing halfway through her lesson."
Lune laughed humorlessly, and marched out of his chambers. Before Baron knew it, he was following him. Why, he didn't know, but he wanted to see Haru's reaction to having her locket returned.
'I must be a glutton for punishment,' he concluded sadly.
Word must have passed through the servants that the kitten had returned, because the king intercepted them in one of the many hallways. "Well?" he demanded.
"Yes, Father," Lune answered with a large amount of sarcasm. "I just returned from a world I hate to return a bauble to a girl I have no desire to marry. Duty decides all, after all."
"I'm glad that you're finally seeing the light, son!" the king gushed, wrapping his heir into a warm hug.
Baron bit back the flare of jealousy. Even if the king wasn't the best cat he had ever known, he was still around.
Lune pushed his way out of the embrace. "I just want to get this over with," he snarled, marching away from them.
The king smirked at Baron. "Let's see her reaction, shall we?"
Unable to say anything without revealing his true feelings, the kitten nodded, and followed after the monarch.
They turned a corner just in time to see Lune knocking on a large pair of doors.
Yuki opened one of them a bit to see who it was, and flinched at seeing Lune. He couldn't look at her for more than a second, lowering his eyes shamefully.
The beautiful maid swallowed hard, and opened the door to admit him. "The prince has returned, my lady," she announced, probably for the benefit of anyone within hearing distance.
"A day early? Did you give up?" Haru asked hopefully as Lune entered.
Yuki made to close the door after him, but a cough and gesture from the king was enough to make her leave the door open.
He and the king leaned over enough to see into the room. It was a grand one, clearly one of the best the palace had to offer. Ivory-colored silks were everywhere, draping over the walls and over the large bed; a stark contrast from her human bedroom.
That, and the fact that she now had a maid to clean up after her.
Haru must have been convinced at some point to let go of her human attire, because she was now in a periwinkle dress that looked elegant on her. Lune had appeared to have interrupted a hair-brushing session, since she was sitting in front of a mirror with a brush in one hand.
Lune slowly approached the girl, but he kept his gaze on the deep emerald carpet. His fists were tightly clenched, and shaking a bit.
Haru worriedly stood up and touched one shoulder. "Your highness? You did fail, right?"
Lune took a deep breath, and grabbed the hand as he reached into his pocket. "I'm afraid not. It looks like you will need to start calling me by name," he informed her as he set the locket into her grasp.
She looked down in confusion, which quickly turned into shock and denial. The brush fell from her grasp as she cradled the trinket between her hands, and a click was heard as she opened it.
Haru stared at the pictures within before holding them to her heart. "… I thought you said you didn't want to marry me," she whispered angrily.
"I don't," Lune muttered, studying his shoes.
"Then why did you succeed? For crying out loud, I couldn't have done it, and I love the water!"
Lune didn't answer that. He just kept staring at the ground.
Haru collapsed into the chair she had been in earlier, one hand still holding the locket to her heart. "… We have to go through with it," she whispered numbly. "There were no loopholes in that stupid contract."
'Hey!' Baron thought defensively.
"That's right!" the king reminded her cheerfully, now coming into the room. "The quest is completed, and the obligations have been met. Do you have anything to say, daughter?"
Haru was now staring off into oblivion, her sweet caramel eyes turning hollow and lost.
"Well? Anything at all?" the king pressured.
"… You win," she hissed at him, her eyes turning cold as well as empty. "But don't expect enthusiasm, and don't call me 'daughter'."
"That's good enough for me!" the king cheered, nearly dancing around in his excitement. "So, when should we have the wedding, hmm?"
'One would almost think that she had agreed to marry him,' Baron couldn't help but notice.
"Wait a minute; the timing might be important! Let's go find Vulcan!" the monarch exclaimed, grabbing his son to drag him from the room, right past Baron, and down the hallway.
The little kitten watched them leave without comment. But then his disobedient feet made small hesitant steps through the doorway.
"Oh Yuki," Haru sobbed, launching herself at the maid for a desperate hug.
The white cat was more than happy to wrap the girl in a deep embrace, although the agony in her eyes said that she needed the comfort as well as her half-human friend cried on her shoulder.
But for once, Baron's attention was focused on someone else.
"… Miss Haru?" he said hesitantly, not quite sure of what else he could say.
"Go away," she snarled between her sobs.
"But-"
"If you have a shred of decency in you, please just leave me alone!"
That hit a little too close to the mark. He looked down at his feet, feeling more like a slime bag than ever.
But he did still have a shred of decency, so he walked out of the room, and gently closed the door behind him. Even though the action muffled her cries, his mind unwillingly reversed and replayed the terrible sound.
Her cries followed him as he walked down the hall, not really caring about a destination. Any distance between him and the girl he had hurt would be welcome at this point.
'The reward,' a small thought whispered around her echoing sobs. It was a thought that made Baron stiffen in horror.
Ever since Baron became the king's glorified errand cat, the king had rewarded him with a gift of his choosing, or with a large bag of gold. Baron always used the rewards to better the common conditions in his baronetcy, but the thought of accepting anything for his heinous act was well nigh unbearable.
Not caring what the king would think for once, Baron marched out of the palace, through the gate, and back to where Toto was waiting for him.
They were halfway home when Baron remembered that he still had the Fish of Nilpan. But it would take more than enchanted jewelry to make him consider returning to the palace anytime soon.