Chapter One

Still inside the strange time bubble, Naoko moved past the soldiers, having to bend a bit in order to squeeze between them. Suddenly her frame shook.

'What am I doing? My baby's in the middle of a hostile army, and I'm running away?!' She turned and tried to maneuver around the big black cats again. Just because she was fighting with her daughter didn't mean that she was going to leave Haru alone in her hour of need. A firm hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, making the red-haired human turn and shriek from surprise. A strange red cat was behind her, wincing from her vocal talents.

"Yes, that is definitely the side of the family Mother got her lungs from." His voice was deep tenor, with a heavy British accent. Naoko stared at him, stunned to see a cat wearing clothes, let alone a crisp cream-colored suit complete with a top hat. She tried to shake off the hand (?!) that he was still holding her with.

"I still don't know what you cats want, but my girl's in danger, and I'm-" the cat raised his other hand to silence her, and then pointed in the direction Haru was in. She turned, and gasped in astonishment. A red cat just like the one next to her was removing a dagger from her frozen daughter's grasp, slipping it into an unseen pocket, and then picking her up awkward way, like she was a statue. Naoko turned back to the cat next to her, more confused than ever. He grinned.

"As you can see, my past self is already removing your daughter from the danger zone. She will shortly be with her fiancé." Naoko relaxed a bit, the important part taken care of.

"Just who are you? What's going on around here?" He chuckled, removing his hand in order to place his top hat over his heart in a gentlemanly greeting.

"I probably should have introduced myself first thing. I am Jonathan Renaldo von Gikkingen." Naoko's eyes clouded in confusion.

"Renaldo?" she whispered, suddenly knowing why the shade of his fur looked so familiar. He chuckled again as she raised one hand to her hair, reading her mind.

"That's right. When I'm born about a year from your time, I'll be your first grandchild." Naoko could hardly breathe, stunned beyond words.

"But…how…" He grinned again.

"I'm a time-traveling Creation, and certain events necessitated my presence before and during my parents' courtship. Come along; there are a few things that you need to see." He waved his hand slightly, and a hole appeared in front of them. On the other side, Naoko could see a cozy office set in a homey atmosphere. Jonathan took a step towards it, and then noticed her reluctance. He smiled and held out his arm to her. "Don't worry; the sensation's similar to walking between rooms." Still feeling a bit weird, she slowly put her hand on the offered arm and let him guide her into the office. He settled her down in a cozy couch before hanging his coat and hat on the rack behind the oak desk.

"You like green mint tea with a slight squeeze of lemon, correct?" Naoko nodded, studying the strange cat as he made tea for both of them. Besides the red hair, she couldn't really tell any similarities between him and Haru. Her daughter had never been one to be obsessive over good behavior, and this cat's manners were smoothly cut and polished like a faceted jewel.

"You take after your father, don't you?" Jonathan nodded, a smile creeping across his lips while his green eyes lit up.

"Mother's always been tickled by the fact, and likes to say that the world could use more men like Father." He walked up to her and offered a steaming teacup. She took it, inhaling the familiar fumes gratefully. He sat in the seat beside her, taking a sip. "Her plan to have you go to the portal tower was faulty, so I would have had to intervene, even if I had nothing to tell you." Naoko's senses were returning with the warm beverage.

"You said you were a Creation. What does that mean?" He looked at her, and then chuckled.

"I can see this is going to take a while. When someone creates something with all their hopes and dreams, the object is given a soul, like Father. I'm actually half Creation, but that's beside the point. Tell me, do you know why that cat would want Mother to return to being human badly enough to drag you into the picture?" She shuddered, remembering the kidnapping process.

"I don't have a clue; does it have to do with her turning him down for a date or something?" Jonathan just laughed.

"Not quite. The body used to belong to a moronic cat that pursued Mother despite the fact that she didn't want anything to do with him. The soul inside the cat was a servant of an enemy of mine. He was trying to make sure that I and my siblings would never be born." Naoko looked at him.

"How many siblings do you have?" He grinned and shook his head.

"If I won't tell my mother, than I can't tell you. Just bear in mind that her life's been lengthened tremendously by human standards, she's marrying an attractive mate that admires her greatly in body and spirit, and that he will live as long as she will. That's as far as I'll go on the subject. Returning to the prior one, my parents both possess a strong knack for sticking their noses in others' business, a factor greatly magnified in their offspring. At least we use the knack to advantage of those who truly need it, but we have gained a few powerful enemies that are less than amused by our activities, hence why that servant traveled back in time to try and change Mother's destiny." Naoko took another sip, pondering.

"Why did you wait to freeze time until after she chose to fight? She could have chosen to become human again." He nodded.

"Granted, but if I had interfered sooner, than the unanswered question would have torn her apart, and I've put her through enough grief to last the rest of her life." She looked at him.

"What do you mean?" He sighed, setting his teacup aside.

"In order for me and my siblings to be born under the correct conditions, I had to put Mother through a series of trials to make her stronger than she would have been otherwise. After she found out what I had done and why, she even thanked me for it, but I can't help but still feel guilty for everything I had done to her. I didn't and still don't enjoy making my mother cry." Jonathan looked down, a terrible expression on his face as he struggled not to succumb to tears. Naoko placed one hand on his shoulder for comfort, confused at what he was trying to say. He suddenly turned and embraced her hard. She stiffened for a second, but then put the teacup down in order to hug him back.

'All right, now I see my daughter in him. She loves hugs too.' Jonathan finally released her, a sad smile still present.

"That's partially why I brought you here. You need to see for yourself why Mother chose that moment of all times to be selfish." He faced the opposite wall and concentrated. Naoko turned toward the wall too, slightly surprised when a mist gathered to form a picture of a high tower slightly off-center, dust still settling from who knows what. Jonathan leaned back. "This will be similar to a movie to you. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have started some popcorn."