Cat Returns - Unfinished Stories

Far From Perfect pt 3

Chapter 3 – The Newbie

Baron lifted his head, his ears perking up, as the sounds of curses and accusations reached his corner of Haru's cozy little room. She had taken to letting him stay in her house instead of the old manor, since her parents were away more often than not these days. They were always off on some business trip or another, and sometimes the weeks they were away blended into months, so there wasn't any real risk of them finding him here. Since he wasn't a real cat, he didn't shed, and his fur didn't spark up Hasho's allergies, so they weren't clued in to his presence the rare times they were home. But Haru had known better than to ask her parents if he could stay, knowing what their answer would be. Honestly, somedays Baron knew that he was the only thing keeping Haru together. She was just so lonely.

The girl in question slipped into the room a moment later, gently shutting the door behind her and twisting the lock. The tawny cat meowed at her, making her lift her head and offer him a sad smile.

"They're sending me to a boarding school," the twelve-year-old whispered, creeping over to the bed and sitting down next to him, absently rubbing his fur. "I managed to convince them to send me to the closest school, which thankfully allows pets. But since the school is over an hour away, they have to board me."

Baron looked up at her and mewled nervously. Haru gave him a weak, flickering smile, and concern immediately sparked inside his chest. He leaned over to affectionately lick her wrist, a gesture for her to speak her mind. She laughed at the gentle action, rubbing his back.

"Don't worry, Baron. I would never leave you behind. There...there was one other thing, though, and it will make it a lot more difficult to hide your curse." Haru took a deep breath in for courage. "I'm going to have a roommate."

Baron nearly fell off the bed, he leapt up so fast. He started meowing insistently, nudging his head against her arms in a silent prompt for her to put her arms around him. She gladly drew him into a warm embrace, stopping his protests momentarily as she rubbed her fingers through the fur between his ears, just the way she knew he liked it. His reluctant – but still warm – purr filled the room, and that was the precise moment that Haru noticed that her parents had stopped shouting. She buried her face in Baron's soft fur, as if his familiar scent alone could block out the horrible things she had heard her parents say and do to each other. Sometimes she wondered if they ever meant to get married, or if it was all just a mistake.

Baron leaned up and gently licked the salty tears off of her face. The tightness in his chest increased, seeing the lovable brunette cry, but until nine, he couldn't hold her the way he wanted to, and reassure her that everything would be fine.

Haru blinked out of her stupor and raised a shaking hand to her cheek. "Thanks, Baron." She only had to glance at his face to know what he wanted, a gentle smile spreading over her face. She pointedly looked at her watch. "Only three more minutes," she chirruped happily, rubbing her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad have gone to bed already, anyways."

"Haru!" called Hasho, as if summoned. "I'm leaving for another trip now! Goodbye!"

"Good-" Haru began, but the slamming of the front door cut her off. "-bye."

She sighed, gently rubbing Baron's ears. They both listened intently as Naoko tripped across the landing, and into bed, locking the bedroom door behind her.

"Thank god the walls in this house are soundproof," Haru mumbled. "We could do whatever we wanted and she wouldn't hear us."

At that precise moment, it struck nine o'clock, and Baron's body dissolved into mist. The mist altered its position as it grew, so that when Baron solidified into his human form, he was sitting behind Haru on the bed, his arms wrapped firmly around her slender form and his chin resting on top of her head.