AN: To the readers that follow me, Purkso Livin, here is a story for yet another new fandom. Really, credit for writing this goes to the authors Catsafari and YarningChick. Their Cat Returns stories, especially those focusing on the Baron x Haru ship, were imaginative and stirring for my imagination. Wishing for more quality stories focusing on this pairing and finding very few, I decided to do one of my own. I'll let you all know now that this won't be a particularly long story, just six chapters total. I'll also go ahead and say that some plot points to come may be obvious to some of you, but please be courteous to those who aren't as trope savvy if you decide to leave comments. Go ahead and say you can see something coming if you wish, but don't reveal it to those who don't and wish to be surprised. Thank you and enjoy.

Ch 1: Visions

The near full moon shines down on a group of buildings. These buildings would be seen as dollhouses by anyone human sized. Then again, the Sanctuary isn't part of the Human World. The archway which leads to this gathering of buildings serves as a gateway for anyone from any and all worlds to find their way if they need help.

On a nearby pillar is a stone gargoyle in the shape of a crow. However, this isn't just any gargoyle. This is a Creation.

Creations are made when an artist places enough of their passion into their work that they feel an affinity for their project. They gain a soul and life from this.

The crow gargoyle comes out of his stone state. The Creation, named Toto, flies into the open window of one of the dollhouse sized buildings. He sets himself on a railing that had been made specifically for him. Toto looks down from his perch at the room's only other occupant.

Standing in the front window's another Creation. This one's a wooden statue with a form that's human like. He's wearing a white suit, a matching top hat, a red waistcoat, brown shoes, a blue bowtie, and white gloves. The only thing that makes it clear he's not human (besides being made of wood) are his tawny colored tail and his cat head. Despite currently resting in his wood state, the emerald green eyes of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (Baron is his preferred name) are still sparkling with life. Suddenly, the feline Creation comes out of his wooden state with a gasp and a stumble. Baron's hands rest on the front window as he attempts to collect himself, his face clearly showing despair.

Toto feels tempted to reveal his presence in order to comfort his fellow Creation and best friend. However, he wants to see if what he suspects will happen ends up actually happening.

Baron turns away from the window and rushes to a nearby door. His hand reaches for the doorknob, but he stops just short. The feline Creation forces himself to keep calm as he grips the doorknob, turns it, and quietly opens the door to peek inside.

Lying in the guest bed is the sleeping form of Haru Yoshioka, a brunette human woman.

Baron smiles.

Haru had initially sought out the Cat Bureau as a high school student after saving the life of a cat that turned out to be the prince of the Cat Kingdom led to her accidentally being engaged to him by authority of his father, the Cat King. When the forces of the psychotic king kidnapped Haru, the Cat Bureau followed them to save her before the magic of the Cat Kingdom forced her to be a cat forever. It was fortunate for them that the previously absent Prince Lune returned and revealed he was just as opposed to the marriage as Haru (partly because he wanted to get married to a castle maid named Yuki). When the stubborn Cat King tried suggesting to Haru that she get married to him, the partially transformed girl told him exactly what she thought of that idea right to his smug face. Once the Cat Bureau was able to get the human girl away from the lunatic king and out of the Cat Kingdom, Baron told Haru (who was restored to human form thanks to having escaped on time) that the Bureau's doors would always be open to her.

It surprised the Cat Bureau when Haru returned a few years later to inform them all about trouble going on in the Human World. She hadn't experienced it herself, but a cat had sought her out and informed her (Haru can speak to cats, an ability she had since she was a little girl and not a leftover affect from her time in the Cat Kingdom). When the Cat Bureau went to deal with the issue, Haru followed after them and proved herself vital to resolving it. Since then, she has been involved in many of the Bureau's cases, her human empathy becoming invaluable for resolving a majority of them. It wasn't long before she was invited to officially become a member of the Cat Bureau.

Baron quietly closes the door to the guest room so as not to wake Haru and starts walking away, the feline Creation comforted by the human girl's presence.

"Will you finally explain this to me?" Toto asks Baron from his perch.

The tawny tom looks up at the crow gargoyle. "What are you doing awake at this hour?" he asks in an aristocratic British accent.

"Checking on you. That's why I decided to rest early. Now, stop avoiding the question."

"I was…checking on Haru."

"Four nights in a row?"

The feline creation frowns while tugging at the collar of his shirt, a sign that he's nervous.

"Before that, you woke me one night and demanded I take you to Haru's place."

"I did not demand anything of you, Toto."

"You're right. You told me to take you out on patrol in the Human World around the city Haru lives in. During the patrol, you then strongly suggested we stop by to check on Haru. The whole way there, you gripped my feathers very tightly."

Baron feels guilt at causing his old friend pain. "My apologies for that."

"When we did get there, you spent the whole time staring at Haru lying asleep in her bed before you sighed with obvious relief. Then, you had us come back here."

Baron looks away from the crow. "You're acting as if there is something unbecoming of my wish to check in on a friend and colleague."

"You've been getting Haru to stay late enough where she has no choice but to sleep in the guest room ever since. Let's not forget the four nights I brought up. Each night, you came out of your wooden state looking completely scared before rushing over to the guest room and checking on Haru. Something has clearly been affecting your peace of mind, Baron. As your best friend, I ask that you tell me what it is."

The feline gentleman clearly doesn't want to admit anything, but he knows Toto won't let this go. So, he takes a seat on the nearby couch. "I have been experiencing something I've only known mortals to have."

The crow tilts his head. "What would that be?"

"These past few evenings, I've had nightmares."

Toto feels concern, but decides not to voice it yet. "What happened in them?"

"It's always the same. I'm sprinting through a forest. It's late at night, a full moon shines down from above, and the ground is covered in snow. For whatever reason, I feel desperation to reach my eventual destination. I make it out of the trees and find myself at a cliffside. Standing at the edge of it…is Haru." Baron's eyes become unfocused and his hands grip the couch tightly. "I call out to her, she calls back. Then…the portion of the cliff she's standing on crumbles away. I rush to grab her hand, but…I'm too late." The feline Creation shakes his head. "I must stop all this panicking and worrying. This is merely a nightmare." He gets up and starts walking away.

"Baron," Toto hesitantly calls after his friend. "You know I'm even older than you. You also know I've gained knowledge about everything that has to do with Creations."

The tawny tom looks up at his old friend. "What's your point, Toto?"

"Baron…Creations don't have nightmares."

The feline Creation is confused and also scared as a suspicion enters his mind. "What do you mean?"

"We don't have nightmares. But, we do have…visions."

His suspicion confirmed, Baron becomes horrified. "No. No, that can't be true."
"Listen—"

'Haru can't die. She can't!"

Toto shushes his panicking friend, using a wing to point at the door to the guest room that Haru is sleeping in.

Baron shuts his mouth, but he's clearly still distraught.

"Baron…I think you know what this means. To keep Haru alive…"

"…we can no longer allow her to be a member of the Cat Bureau." The suit wearing tom looks dejected. "I'm dreading that conversation."

"Because you love her."

Baron glares up at the crow. "That is preposterous."

"Me and the fatso have both seen how you look at her."

"You and Muta agreeing on something? A rare occurrence indeed."

Toto shakes his head at the blatant attempt to change the subject onto trying to make him feel embarrassed about any form of agreement between the crow gargoyle and the rotund mortal cat that serves as the fourth member of the Cat Bureau. "If even that moron can see it, you know it's true."

Baron scowls and starts pacing the room. "You know I'm meant for another."

"Not Louise again," Toto says with a groan.

Louise was a Creation crafted by the same artisan who made Baron. She was meant to be the Baroness to Humbert's Baron. Louise had snow white fur to contrast with Baron's tawny fur, bright sapphire blue eyes to his vivid emerald green ones, a dark green dress to his white suit, she carried a green parasol with purple trim while he carries a brown cane, had a purple capelet over her shoulders while he has a red waistcoat, and she wore a small purple hat on her head while he has a white top hat.

Baron glares at the crow for how he talked about his intended. "She was made to be both my partner and my equal."

"But then you were separated by World War Two," Toto points out. "It took nearly half a century for you and Louise to reunite. When you did, you both discovered the time apart and the differing life experiences severed your bond. You wanted to recreate it. Louise didn't."

The tawny cat Creation turns away from the gargoyle and resumes pacing. "She is aware of my location now. When Louise is finally ready to put in the effort to resume our relationship, I'll be waiting here for her."

"That note she left behind for you seemed to spell out pretty plainly that she wanted to go find her own path."

"We have strayed too far from our original topic of conversation," says Baron. He really doesn't want to acknowledge the likely truth that Louise has no desire to return. "Haru cannot be a part of the Cat Bureau after what these visions have shown me. It saddens me to be forced into saying goodbye to her because she is a valued member of the Bureau and a dear friend, Toto, and not because I have any romantic interest."

"The way you look at her, Baron," the crow reminds his friend.

The tawny feline glares at Toto for continuing this. "As a Creation, it is natural to study a human such as Haru."

"You used to call her Miss Haru. You recently dropped the 'Miss' part and went with the more intimate Haru."

"Because she has been a close friend that I value dearly."

"I've seen you bleed."

Baron freezes. "I…haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me. You've been getting injured during some of our recent cases. Instead of turning to wood, your wounds bled. You tried to hide them and bandage them up with as much discretion as possible, but I saw all of it. You knew you had to keep that secret because you knew you'd have to explain the reason for it to Haru if she saw. Creations become mortal if they no longer wish to be immortal. The most common reason…falling in love with a mortal."

"I still become wood to rest," the feline Creation points out. "If I was mortal, I would no longer be capable of that."

"The change hasn't fully set in because you're fighting your feelings."

Baron turns away from Toto. "This is all pointless. Haru has to be sent away for her own protection."

"Breaking the new connection and making you immortal again."

Sighing in defeat, the tawny tom looks back up at the crow gargoyle. "Even if the visions were not a factor, I'd still never tell Haru what I feel for her."

"Why not?"

Baron gestures to himself. "Look at me. If I allowed myself to become mortal for Haru, it would not change my appearance. I may walk and speak like a human, but I otherwise appear feline. I have the fur, head, and tail of a cat. Just as magic is required to shrink Haru down to be able to comfortably fit inside this building, magic would again be necessary to make me a human size and to appear human if we wished to spend time out in the Human World."

"Certainly would be quite a sight to see a human woman out on a date with a foot tall cat man," Toto says with a chuckle.

"Complicating matters further is the fact that Haru's mother knows of our existence."

"Don't forget Haru's friends Hiromi and Tsuge."

"Being introduced to such important people in Haru's life as a friend and colleague is one matter. Being introduced as her mate would likely be problematic." Baron sighs before going to the front window. "Haru deserves to be with someone human like herself. Someone she'd never have to hide…or be ashamed of. Good night, Toto." The feline Creation becomes wooden.

The crow gargoyle stares at his friend. 'Baron, I wish it didn't have to be like this. Haru is the best friend our group has ever had. Being able to talk to cats without any translation spell required, history tells us how humans with abilities like those are meant to have special destinies. I've always hoped that destiny would include Haru taking you as her husband. After all, Baron, you deserve someone spirited like her.' Toto flies out of the building and returns to his pillar.

The next morning…

Haru wakes up in a large bed. Recognizing that she's in the Cat Bureau's guest room, the brunette human frowns as she sits up. "It was only a dream."

In her dream, Haru was on a grassy hill being led through a waltz by Baron. Though they were alone, Katzen Blut, the song that accompanied their dance back in the Cat Kingdom, played in the background. The tawny cat Creation could always make the brunette woman's clumsiness go away whenever they danced. No longer did Haru have two left feet. When Baron dipped her, he told the mortal woman how his soul burned for her, his emerald green eyes almost glowing as he stared into her earth brown eyes. Just when she was about to respond, Haru woke up.

The young woman gets out of bed and starts preparing for the day. 'What are you doing? As if Baron would ever say anything like that to me. Get over him already, Haru. It's not gonna happen. Ever.'

When Haru first met Baron, the only guys she'd ever really known were classmates (this included her first crush Machida) who always laughed whenever she came to class late or she did something clumsy. Considering she did those things constantly, the laughter was just as constant for her. When the then high school girl went to the Cat Bureau to solve the problem of her being accidentally engaged to the prince of the Cat Kingdom, she was thrown off by just how much of a gentleman Baron was and how much he complimented her (such as saying she was fetching out of the blue). After she was taken to the Cat Kingdom and the feline Creation came to rescue her, the magic that was changing Haru into a cat would get stronger every time she focused too much on the charming Baron. Once they were all able to get back to the Human World, the once again human Haru found herself confessing to the foot tall Creation that she had a crush on him. She felt simultaneously flattered and shot down when Baron simply said he admired a young woman who spoke from the heart. Telling her the Cat Bureau's door were always open to her, the feline Creation proceeded to leave with dramatic flair.

In the few years that followed, Haru bettered her life. She stopped being late to class and other appointments. Her clumsiness was greatly reduced (though not completely gone since she is still Haru). After having stood up to someone as forceful as the psychotically senile Cat King, the human girl's self confidence rose exponentially. It did not escape notice from Haru's mother, her best friend Hiromi, and especially boys from school. Machida (who'd recently ended things with his girlfriend) was one of the first to ask Haru out after her sudden personality change. Her response to all of them was that she wasn't interested in dating at that time. The truth behind this was that she didn't want to date anyone that wasn't Baron Humbert von Gikkingen.

Despite all the reasons that should've deterred her (him not being human, only a foot tall, and having the features of a cat), Haru couldn't help but be smitten with the memory of him. His gentlemanly manners, his emerald green eyes, his refined voice, the way he danced with her back in the Cat Kingdom, and how determined he was to rescue her had left Haru utterly enchanted. It was obvious to her that trying to date would be pointless since none would ever be able to hold a candle to Baron.

One day, after Haru had graduated high school and was attending university, the brunette was approached by a cat who heard all about her. He let Haru know some creature from another world had holed up inside an abandoned building, but it was only a matter of time before humans stumbled upon it. The cat would've informed the Cat Bureau himself, but since he and Muta are at odds and the fat cat was the only one who knew the way to the Bureau, he decided to tell Haru due to her previous association with them. So, she went to the Crossroads where she knew Muta would be. The fat cat led her to the Cat Bureau and she told everyone what she'd heard from the other cat. When Baron, Toto, and Muta left, Haru couldn't help but feel like she'd been brushed off. Angry, she decided to follow them.

When Haru caught up, she found the others dealing with an aggressive dragon. When the large creature breathed in to build up fire, the human charged in without thought or hesitation so she could try protecting the others. The dragon was confused and caught off guard by the action. This allowed Haru to realize the dragon wasn't attacking out of malice, but because it was afraid. Despite the objections of the others (especially Baron), the human woman approached the dragon while she spoke to it in soft tones. While it didn't understand her words, the dragon was soothed by Haru's gentle aura and even went as far as letting her place a hand on its head. It then shrank down until it was small enough to be carried in Haru's arms. The whole group then went back to the Sanctuary and sent the dragon back to its world.

Since then, Haru has involved herself in as many Bureau cases as she could until the day the others decided to make her an official member of the Cat Bureau.

Of course, with so much time spent around Baron, Haru's crush only grew until it became love. This only served to hurt her when she heard about Louise.

Haru had asked about the portrait of the cat lady who dressed in clothes of a similar time period to Baron's, which led to him telling about the female cat Creation who'd been made to be his partner in life. The brunette felt her heart break a little hearing the man she loved talk of this absent lady as if she was his perfect mate. It didn't help any when Toto and Muta told her that it was unlikely that Louise would ever come back since Baron talked of the lady Creation as if she was his one and only. 'How could I ever compare to someone who was literally made for him?'

Ready for the present day and wanting to stop these unhappy thoughts, Haru finally exits the guest room.

AN: And that's Chapter One. These two lovesick fools are so unhappy with the prospect of not being together, but believe being together would be impossible. Even worse, Baron is planning to kick Haru out of the Cat Bureau in an attempt to keep her safe after those visions he had of her death. Could they be wrong? I'd like to point out now that the idea of Baron becoming mortal through his love for Haru was inspired by Catsafari's one shot story For Good, possibly my favorite of that author's works. Anyway, some of you might be wondering where both the empath and the mystery the title promises are. They'll be showing up in the next two chapters, so look forward to that. See you guys on Wednesday!