Birthday Bash 2022

20th Anniversary!

Prompt 6

Role Swap AU

Or

Part 2 of Role Reversal

xxXxx

Haru wasn't really reading the book on her lap. She hadn't been in the mood to do much for the past two weeks but was getting tired of having everyone worry about her not acting like her normal self. She sighed and leaned more completely on the tree branch that grew just next to her balcony. She looked up into the thick foliage as well as the patches of blue and white that were able to peek through the canopy of leaves.

'I need to get over it,' she told herself yet again as her heart continued its pathetic attempt to keep beating. 'Romance isn't everything. I've got Dad, my honorary uncles, plus a lot of the servants like me just fine. Love me, even.'

But it wasn't the same love she desperately craved. Against her wishes, her right hand came to rest on her left sleeve and began patting it, rubbing it. She could feel the pressure just fine, and she could tell the size of her hand and what direction it was going.

How would this simple action feel if she didn't have fur? How would she look if the experiment that saved her life didn't have the side effects? What kind of life would she have led off the island?

… Would she have met someone? Thanks to how many times her father had recounted his romance with her mother, Haru wasn't opposed to the idea of marrying someone that had little to offer but happiness and loyalty.

It was knowing that there were some very silver-tongued gold diggers that was the terrifying part, though perhaps her appearance would be enough to keep trash like that far from her.

But that didn't stop her heart from pounding painfully.

After a while, she heard her door open, and the pattern of the footsteps announced her visitors before they could call out.

"I'm out on the limb, Dad, Uncle Muta!" she called out while finally closing her book.

"Oh good, you're getting fresh air!" her father sighed happily as he quickly walked out to the balcony with Muta hot on his heels. As usual, there was only love in his eyes when he looked at his only child, but his lips were set in a worried line. "Would you mind joining us, Sweetheart? Something's happened, and I don't want you falling in surprise."

"Please," Haru sighed dismissively, easily making the jump from tree limb to the edge of the balcony despite her depression. "The one time I did fall, I still caught a vine."

"Don't remind me," he moaned with a shudder, even as he gently led his feline child to the metal table and chairs she kept on the balcony.

"Dad? You're starting to worry me," she told him nervously when he made her sit in one of the chairs and dragged the other close enough for him to sit and hold her furry hands between his own.

Even then, he took a few seconds to breathe in and out before speaking. "It's the hire that's replacing Machida. We think he's going to be trouble, despite his protests to the contrary."

Haru winced at hearing the name. "Why? Does he think I'm a freak, too?" Despite the self-control she'd struggled to learn over the years, more than a little bitterness still escaped her tone.

"Haru Naoko Yoshioka, you are never allowed to use that word again!" her father barked angrily, despite the fact that she was no longer a teenager.

"Answer the question," the cat girl responded without batting an eyelash, though she was surprised that Muta winced. "Something?"

Muta took in a deep breath. "After the video and I asked the usual 'any questions', Baron asked if you were single."

She blinked, not completely sure that she heard him correctly.

"Then after I punched him, he told me to answer the question as soon as he got his wind back. Also, if you thought that worm was attractive, this guy's worse. He modeled to pay for his degrees." He spat the word 'modeled' as if it were a euphemism for 'covering yourself in mud'. "Baron's apparently been modeling since he was a kid."

After thinking it over, Haru shrugged off their concern. "The fact that either of you think I won't be intimidated by someone apparently that attractive is flattering, but misplaced."

"It's not just his looks, well, partially his looks," her father continued nervously. "It's his speech, his mannerisms, everything. He's made up his mind to at least try for you."

"Me? Or my inheritance?" Haru asked, giving a pointed look at the jungle view from her balcony.

"… It's you," her father affirmed after a hard effort to swallow. "Baron even offered to write up and sign a contract stating that he won't touch your assets and getting thrown to the sharks is reasonable if he breaks your trust. He admitted he never learned how to swim."

Haru swiveled her head to look at him with surprise. "You're sure you didn't misunderstand him?" she couldn't resist asking.

"He's writing up the contract as we speak, and he doesn't mind us going over it with a lawyer and a fine-toothed comb before turning it into a legal document. As if we'd do anything less," Muta scoffed, clearly not happy despite the proof.

Hasho squeezed his daughter's hands briefly so she would focus on him again. "The reason we aren't still arguing is because Baron pointed out it's ultimately your decision if you find him suitable. He's been informed about Machida-"

"Can you please stop saying the name?" she begged, making her father almost bite his tongue as if to punish himself for forgetting.

"Well, he knows that you're very vulnerable right now, and swears he will be sensitive to your needs. Around his duties, naturally."

"Naturally," Haru agreed without thinking, since even she needed to learn how to manage everything on the island for when it was her turn to take over.

Her heart trembled at the thought of losing her father. She honestly didn't know if she'd survive losing him.

Everything still felt raw. Too raw.

"Is it okay if I think it over?" Haru asked, feeling like a little kitten in spite of herself.

"Take your time, Sweetheart," her father encouraged before tackling her with a hug. "I want to give him a more thorough background check, just in case."

"I'll get on that," Muta promised, turning around in a heartbeat to leave the room.

Haru stayed on the balcony with her father, switching to his lap so they could cuddle. She didn't know if it was her cat blood or human nature, but she could never get enough cuddles.

Her face turned hot and uncomfortable underneath her fur as she wondered if this Baron enjoyed cuddling. 'That's probably going to be the deal-breaker. I don't think I can handle being with someone that doesn't enjoy holding me.' "Did Baron happen to mention why he wants to pursue me, if money's not the reason?"

Her father burst into a wide grin. "I'll give him credit; he had the good taste to gush about how adorable you were growing up."

"Dad!" she protested while covering her face with her hands. "Are you ever going to update that silly thing?!"

"I do, every year," he protested with a wide grin. "Muta's the one that insists on keeping it only ten or so minutes long for the introductory flight. The extended copy is for my own pleasure, thank you very much."

"Oh, Dad," Haru sighed tiredly, even though it still felt good that he considered every second of her life to be a treasure.

He rubbed his head between her triangular ears to get her to purr in contentment. "He also liked that you have a fantastic personality and a sweet disposition. Honestly, if he hadn't seemed so genuine about his gushing, I would have shipped him right back to the mainland after introducing him to Toto."

"That option will still be on the table if I don't like him later," she mused while hugging him a little tighter.

Her father pressed his face into her soft brown hair and inhaled the scent deeply. "Sweetheart. I want the best for you. I want you to have what I and your mom had."

Haru closed her eyes, unable to fight back her tears. "I want that too," she whispered while burying her face in his shirt. "I just don't think I can take being rejected like that again."

"Which is why Baron knows that whatever it is I do to him if he gets that stupid, it will be long and painful. Emphasis on 'painful'."

Haru let herself have her tears, now that she was in her safest zone. 'Who knows? If he still wants to try after that many death threats… maybe this time will be better.'