An epilogue of sorts.

Baron turned the page of the book in his lap, his ear twitching slightly out of reflex. Through the open balcony doors, he could hear Muta's rather loud, obnoxious snores as he snoozed on the cobblestones; Toto, thankfully, was not in the immediate area to disturb the obese feline.

His ear twitched again as the sound of rapid, excited footsteps came down the stairs, but before he could look up to greet their owner soft, furry paws were covering his eyes.

"Guess who?" his love murmured.

He smiled. "Hmm, I wonder," he said thoughtfully. "It's not Toto because he has feathers, not fur. It's not Muta because Muta's voice has never been that sweet." He tapped his chin. "Haru?"

The half-cat behind him giggled as she removed her hands so as to press her lips to his cheek in a chaste kiss. "Yep!" she chirped, scurrying around so he could see her. She was garbed in a yellow blouse and a blue polka-dotted skirt, colors that really did amazing things to her beauty. Not that she needed anything to enhance it; she could've worn a paper sack and he still would have found her dazzling. However, his attention was drawn to the large canvas she was cradling to her chest.

"A painting?" he asked curiously, closing the book and setting it on the table beside him.

She smiled mysteriously. "A surprise. Will you call Muta and Toto in? I want them to see too."

Happy to oblige his love's request, he rose to the door and prodded Muta in the gut until he finally stirred. Toto, by this time, had returned and was perched atop his pole, preening.

"Haru wants to show us something," he said simply—being the one with all the food, it didn't take much coercion on his part to get them to follow commands. Toto alighted upon the balcony and poked his head through the doors while Muta grumbled the whole way from the cobblestones to the front door.

"Whatta you want Chicky?" he growled, following Baron inside. "I was sleepin'."

"You are rude as usual, Butterball," Toto muttered, glaring down at the fat feline.

"You wanna take this outside Birdbrain?!" Muta snarled.

"I would be glad to Fatso!"

At the sight of Haru's quivering lip, Baron reached out and whacked his cane against the side of Muta's head. The cat yowled, a huge exaggeration because it was barely a tap against his skull, just enough to get him to pay attention.

"Why am I always the one gettin' hit?" he hissed at the orange and cream cat.

"Because you started it," he stated simply, returning to his armchair. "And because I can't reach Toto," he added thoughtfully, earning one glare fit to kill, several cackles, and Haru's lighthearted grin. "Please continue Haru."

"Okay," said the female half-cat, pausing dramatically. "I've been working on this for several weeks now, and I think it's the best one yet."

"Well go on Haru," Toto said, his eyes glinting, "show us."

Slowly she pulled the canvas away from her chest and spun it around for the three of them to see, and Baron smiled knowingly as he recognized the scene she'd rendered quite spectacularly.

Three months ago Haru had handed her silver digital camera over to a woman so he could take her for a twirl in the cement square of the Paruko no Ume while a quartet of talented musicians played behind them. It was quite a good photograph he had to admit, because it featured both of their faces, imprinted with rather silly grins, as he spun her around under his hand.

Toto whistled softly. "It's quite a likeness of the two of you," he said, cocking his head slightly. "You did such a marvelous job, it could be mistaken for a photo."

She smiled shyly, letting her hair fall forward to conceal her incredibly adorable blush. "Thanks Toto."

"Eh, it looks pretty sappy to me, all lovey-dovey and stuff," Muta said, shrugging and turning to the door.

"You have no taste in fine art," Toto snapped.

"You have no taste in food Worm Breath!"

"Says the fat cat willing to eat out of a garbage can!"

"You know what?!"

Fortunately the walls, windows, and doors were thick enough to keep out the sound of the animals' frequent fights, and Haru sighed a little dismally.

Baron laughed. "I agree with Toto, Haru," he said, "only more so. It's beautiful."

The compliment brought a radiant smile to her face as she set the canvas on top of the rack containing bottles. Then she turned and slipped her paw into his extended hand, letting him bring her closer to climb into his lap. She draped her head on his chest, her tail languidly swinging against his legs, and she sighed as they admired the painting.

"And to think," she began softly, lazily dragging her fingers down his chest, "you almost didn't let Belinda grant you your wish and turn you into a human."

The thought had crossed his mind, but he just sighed as he ran his fingers through her long hair. "Let's just focus on the present for now, my dear," he whispered, tilting her chin so he could gently press his lips to hers. After a moment she leaned back and reached her arm up to scratch him just behind his right ear, earning her a low, rumbling purr for her efforts.

She grinned. "Okay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When I first met Miss Haru Yoshioka, I didn't know what to expect from her. She was a perfectly innocent young lady caught up in the gratuitous gestures of the Kingdom of Cats, a young lady who would turn out to be sweet, kind, and beautiful in her own way. The first time we parted ways, I never expected to see her again. And when I ran away, I didn't expect her to chase after me either.

But I'm glad she did.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Yay, final chapter! Whew, glad I finally got this finished! I really, really hope everyone who read it liked it, and I hope I gave it a sufficient ending.

Very many thanks to all of the people who took the time to review the story and continued to read it after I slacked off considerably. I'd like to thank you all, but I don't feel like typing all those names. You know who you are, that's what counts. Extra special thanks to YarningChick for giving me advice and commenting on every single one of these chapters - it's very time-consuming and I appreciate it so very much.

I have another Cat Returns story in the works (case you're interested) and I promise I'll be much better about updating this time.