Chapter Five

Baron ran his fingers through Haru's hair again, kissing her ear.

"Maybe she just needs time to-" he was cut off as a streak of red flew over his head, slamming solidly into something behind the couple. He and Haru broke apart into a fighting stance, which melted as they got a good look of what was behind them.

An aging red cat was on top of what looked like a feline made of shadows. A little distance from them, a jagged dagger had been thrown. The red cat hissed at the shadow one.

"Don't…touch…my baby!" Haru's eyes shot open, recognizing her mother's voice and vocal capacity. Baron stared disbelievingly, and then laughed.

"Looks like our boy's been tampering again. Thank you, Mrs. Yoshioka."

"That's 'Mom' to you." Naoko glared at the cat beneath her paws as he trembled in fear. A hole appeared next to the red cat, Jonathan clearly heard to be laughing.

"My gratitude, Grandmother. I'll take it from here." A hand came from nowhere to grab the shadow cat, Naoko reluctantly getting off so her grandson could pull it into the hole. A few seconds later, what she had done hit her.

"Why, that tricky little…he knew I'd do that!" Haru laughed, and walked up to her mother to squeeze her.

"Does this mean you don't hate cats anymore?" Naoko growled again as she hugged her daughter for the first time in six years.

"Just the ones that threaten my girl. Haru, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" The brown cat stared in amazement as her mother broke down into real tears, never letting go of her. "I'm sorry for letting you down. I'm sorry for not being a better mother. I'm sorry that I never told you about your father. I should have…I should have…" Over her mother's shoulder, Haru could see the royal family running up to her, probably from the loud yell her mother gave. Muta was holding Sweet Pea as he screeched to a halt, recognizing who the red cat was. His eyes widened in astonishment, unable to even breathe. The king and queen looked back at him, and then understood who the cat was. Naoko's face was still buried in her daughter's shoulder, not noticing anything else.

"What I did to your father was inexcusable by any meaning of the word, and I don't deserve to be his wife. I should have accepted him and you the way you both were, and nothing I can do will replace the years we've lost. Whatever it takes, Sweetheart. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness and your father's. But I doubt he'll even want to talk to me, considering what I put him through." Haru locked eyes with her father, whose own was filled with conflict. He bit his lower lip as he set Little Haru down, the princess staring at the cat that her big sister had told her so much about. The elder Haru wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed.

"I'm just happy that you want it, Mom. Are you aware that you're a feline?" This caused the red cat to stiffen, and she stepped away from her daughter to examine herself. The paws were very delicate, and her new fur was soft and silky. Somehow, she had lost her clothes jumping through the time rip, but she didn't feel naked. She felt her new face and tail with both paws, Muta slowly walking up behind her.

"This is really weird."

"Don't worry; you get used to it." Her ears perked upwards, and she jump-turned to look at her husband, his expression unreadable. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Naoko's tail twitched nervously. She bowed down low before the man she let down, her cat nose touching the hallway tiles.

"I'm sorry, Renny." Everyone besides Muta gave a jerk, never hearing that version of his name before. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to get sound to issue, but it wouldn't. A few more seconds passed, every muscle in Naoko's body stiff and rigid as she struggled not to cry again. He sighed and touched her shoulder.

"Come walk with me. We haven't really talked in a while."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru watched her parents with pride as they walked side by side down the corridor, her mother almost having to run in order to keep up with her husband's long strides. Baron wrapped his arms around her again.

"So, miracles do happen." Haru nodded, wrapping one arm around his, the other one being occupied. By what? She looked down, surprised to see a bulky package. Baron looked at it too, grinning.

"I wonder what Jonathan's up to this time." Haru giggled as she started opening it.

"I'm getting the feeling that our boy's going to get blamed for a lot of things from now on."

"The real question will be if he deserves it." She nodded again, the wrapping beginning to come loose. A letter stuck out first, Baron taking it. The royal family drew closer to hear its contents.

Dear Mother and Father,

This is for cheating you out of punishing Artemis. It's made out of a high durability material, so be as harsh with it as you want. But don't try anything with acid.

Love,

Jonathan

"I wonder what it is," Haru mused as the wrapping fell away to reveal a neatly folded hide with black fur. Baron's heart sped up, seeing red streaks within the folds. He took the bundle from his fiancé and shook it out. The princess shrieked, thinking that a certain rebel leader had risen from the grave. Haru laughed as the princess clung to her.

"Don't worry, Sweet Pea. It's just a throw rug."