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catsafarithewriter · 8 days ago

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Title: at the end of may Rating: G-PG for some implied character death Characters: Natoru, Natori, Haru, occasional glimpses of other characters Ships: none, this can all be read as platonic Warnings: Implied character death(s), It's A Mess, and potential tonal shifts all throughout orz Summary: Someone’s working through some things, and it’s not Natoru’s place to hurry them along. This is fine. The end of May had a lot going for it. A/N: This is a companion piece to The Good End but told from the perspective of Natoru, because I had the idea for the original fic that Natoru is the only one who never puts together that she’s in a time loop. Or maybe she just doesn’t care that much. Why, just look at the above summary. She’s having a grand time. It's not 100% finished, but enough so for me to post it with just a few hours to spare before the week is over (in my own timezone)

May 26th, 20xx

Natoru’s day-to-day schedule isn’t unique to any other inhabitant of the kingdom or even all that particularly robust despite her high status within the Cat King’s court. A pointed check-in with the kitchen staff here, a Quality Check of the noontime meal there. She doesn’t load her days with managerial tasks and duties like Natori does, being far more interested in reaping the benefits of her new carefree home. Sometimes she is certain her senior coworker goes looking for unfinished work to take under his proverbial wing. As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate already.

Today he has tracked her down just as she was preparing to settle down for a nice nap in what looked to be the most perfectly sun-drenched patch of long grass in the entire kingdom, and she can’t say she’s feeling much up to humoring his nervous habits.

“It’s directly from His Majesty, so don’t whine,” Natori says with a certain expectation in his tone that has Natoru even more so indignant, even if she doesn’t exactly show it. “He would like for you to follow up on the gifts, ensuring Miss Haru is satisfied.”

Still gazing at her chosen napping spot from the corner of her eye, she asks, “An’ it needs to be done now..? Now-now?”

“You and I both know the king appreciates punctuality,” Natori answers tiredly.

Natoru catches his eye there, and he holds it long enough for her to glean that they’re thinking the same cynical thing, though he’d probably banish himself before ever admitting to it aloud.

“Fine, fine, I’ll follow up on Miss Haru. Right now.”

“Thank you.”

May 27th, 20xx

That Baron guy sure is cool, Natoru thinks silently to herself. He’s strange for a cat, though. Most of their captives unlucky enough to find themselves in the king’s maze tended to submit themselves to their fate rather quickly. In her experience, and while existing as a prime example, cats tended toward a more laid-back, lackadaisical approach to most problems.

Baron is an outlier, she thinks, watching the ginger cat effortlessly evade two of their burliest guards with nothing more than his wits and a wooden cane.

“She’s almost halfway through,” Natori remarks mournfully beside her to the king. She can’t say for certain. She’s never really memorized the maze, actually. She’ll just take Natori’s word for it. He’s a bit of an outlier, too.

May 27th, 20xx

She’s certain someone else— an entire crowd of cats, actually— must have seen Natori and the king descending the tower’s (new) last staircase together, but no one is talking about it. She’s never seen a half-naked cat, either, but surely someone else noticed Natori guiding his morose companion by the arm like he was an orphaned kitten. Surely someone else noticed.

June 3rd, 20xx

The Cat King is in the throes of an exceedingly poor mood, but unlike any Poor Mood he’s ever entertained before… at least as far as Natoru’s ever seen. She tells him a harebrained knock-knock joke (“You have to start it,” she’d said, casually, as if that wasn’t an absolutely bonkers way to start up a knock-knock joke) in an attempt to rouse him and he doesn’t even have her thrown out the window for her trouble. Rude.

Maybe he’s sick, Natoru reasons to herself. He’ll come around again eventually.

She goes to see if her sunny spot in the grass is still there for another nap.

May 26th, 20xx

Does Natori truly never tire of sniffing out extra work for himself? Natoru squints up at him from her exquisitely warm spot curled in the sun— well. What was the sun before he showed up to block it all by standing over her, that is. How inconsiderate.

He has a telling look on his face, half-lidded eyes tempered only by an exasperated half-quirk to one side of his muzzle so that he doesn’t appear utterly repulsed by her laziness. Just a little resignedly triumphant, perhaps. Like he’d just won a very cynical personal gamble.

But she’s too cute to be mad at, he’s too nice to hold a grudge, and they both know it.

“Do you mean to sleep until the very last minute, or were you simply hoping someone else might go to conduct Miss Haru’s escort to the kingdom..?”

“Would you send someone else if you couldn’t find me?”

“I would have to, yes.”

“They wouldn’t be as fun, though,” Natoru complains a little. “She’d miss out on the ride.”

Natori’s response to this is only to loose a defeated sigh and deflate. “...Just be careful. That’s all I ask. I know I can’t stop you.”

“You could if you put your all into it.”

But he doesn’t, so she goes her own way. Haru has a great time, anyway— she makes it to the kingdom without so much as a bruise or a scratched knee.

She sure yells a lot, though. And her grip is no joke.

May 27th, 20xx

Haru is returned safely to the kingdom, but she doesn’t go home. And it’s kind of a shame, Natoru thinks, after such a strong attempt at solving the king’s maze all on her own. She even sussed out the fake walls. That never happens.

She seems pretty put out by the failure though. She must be devastatingly hard on herself. Natoru tells her so in the hopes of cheering her a little, and that she did leagues and leagues better than their usual victims, but it doesn’t seem to help. Haru only nods at her and bows her head, and then asks quietly if she can have some time alone to rest after such an eventful day.

May 26th, 20xx

“It’s directly from His Majesty, so don’t whine,” Natori says with a certain expectation in his tone that has Natoru a little indignant, especially when he so rudely interrupted her nap. It must be quite late in the afternoon in the human world; it feels warmer than usual in the Cat Kingdom’s sun right now.

“Now when have I ever whined, sir?” She starts lightly in protest. And then, for extra emphasis and a bit plaintively despite her best efforts, “I’m no whiner.”

“You’re whining now.”

“Just because it sounds a little whiney doesn’t make it a whine.”

The deadpan patience with which Natori regards her really says enough. She concedes, gives her beautiful, cozy, plush patch of grass a forlorn glance, and leaves for the noisy human world. It’s kind of silly, really, to go back to Haru just to ensure she liked her rewards. Not to mention surprisingly diffident of the king, who’s never once shown even a hint of self-consciousness for as long as Natoru’s known him.

Long, soft grass, catnip, mice… what wasn’t to like?

May 26th, 20xx

She meets Haru on her walk home from school— the teenager recognizes her almost instantly, stopping in her tracks with a curiously irked look upon her face and gesturing in Natoru’s general direction in front of her.

“You again!” She first says, only to hastily duck into a nearby alleyway when one of the closest passersby to her turns to assess the situation in confusion.

Natoru follows after her blithely, like a loyal, indiscreet moth to the flame… and regrets it quite swiftly when Haru shakes her around a bit by the ruff.

“You don’t like the presents..?!” Natoru manages in between lurches.

“Not when they swarm around my feet and become a graphic smorgasboard for a bunch of stray cats!” Haru says, dropping Natoru so that she can put her head in her hands. “I’ve had a wild day thanks to you cats.”

“That sounds nice—”

“Well, it wasn’t! Not really!”

“I-It wasn’t? But— but the whole kingdom is putting so much work into trying to repay you!” Natoru hangs her head. “Ohhh, this is so sad. Everyone’s gonna be so disappointed to hear that. Specially after we all finally came to an agreement over them.”

Haru leans back, looking a bit dejected herself.

“I’m sorry,” she relents. “I wish I could enjoy them after all the hard work of putting them together for me, but they’re just not my style— cattails make me sneeze, and humans don’t have any reaction to catnip. It’s just another plant to us.”

Natoru can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Just another plant..?! What a sad life humans must have!”

“Just because we don’t have catnip doesn’t mean we don’t have other—” Haru starts in a faint huff before almost immediately cutting herself off, “—I mean, that’s not important to go into here. Listen, cat—”

“Natoru,” Natoru supplies amiably.

“Natoru. Listen, I really do appreciate the lengths the king and your whole kingdom is going to to thank me, but— um, well I’m just sorry to be… difficult. Knowing of the kingdom’s gratitude is really enough for me, you know.”

“Oh, Miss Haru!” Natoru cries. “I had heard that you might be so gracious, but you really are too modest. It’s not enough, it’s nowhere near enough for the favor you so kindly bestowed on us. You saved Prince Lune’s life— our kingdom has vowed to repay you for that momentous good deed to the absolute best of our ability! It’s going to take a little finagling, but just you wait. You’re going to be the happiest young lady in the world once we’re finished.”

Here Haru nearly drops her schoolbag. “You’re not done yet..?”

“Of course not! And don’t you worry, Miss Haru, you can’t appreciate catnip and mice now, but after your own private tour of the kingdom, you’ll be able to in no time.”

“Wait— a tour of the kingdom? I’m being taken to the Cat Kingdom itself..?”

“I’ll be by later with your escort,” Natoru explains, leaping onto a nearby trashcan and then up to the top of a worn ledge which runs along the wall of an apartment complex’s balconies.

“Wait, wait—” Haru says again below her, following along the wall at an erratic pace as she tries to swerve around obstacles and keep up at the same time. “—what do you mean I’ll be able to enjoy catnip and mice after..?! What happens in the Cat Kingdom?!”

“Good things! But I can’t ruin the surprise!”

May 27th, 20xx

Haru isn’t returned to the castle, and she doesn’t go home again.

May 25th, 20xx

Lune doesn’t come back home. Natoru wants to believe he finally ran away to live beside one of the seas in the human world, but she knows he didn’t.

May 26th, 20xx

“His Majesty is requesting that Miss Haru’s escort to the kingdom be hastened,” Natori tells her with a weary-sounding sigh. “And that is coming straight from him, so don’t whine, please.”

Natoru whines very slightly anyway and watches one of his eyes twitch faintly. He’d come to her just as she was eyeing up an impeccably soft, radiant spot in the sunny grass, the kind of velvety perfection that didn’t happen everyday, even in the pastoral Cat Kingdom, and the very idea that a work responsibility of any kind is what’s going to keep her from indulging..! If she does this too many more times, she might end up just like him, and that’s too harrowing a thought to bear.

“Well, what’s got him in such a rush?”

Natori shakes his head wordlessly, looking more wan and prim with each passing second. She gets the distinct impression that if she pushed him over right now, he’d shatter like glass.

“Just another of his moods, huh. Okay.” Here she takes a readying stance. “Well, you convinced me—! For the sake of your peace, sir, I’ll go and pick up Miss Haru early. Hope she likes roller coasters."

Natori eyes her with a penetrating concern that seems more brittle than usual. Maybe he really is made of glass this time. “No. No roller coaster,” he stresses sharply. “It’s unnecessarily chaotic. And I do not wish for Miss Haru’s first glimpse of our fair kingdom to be sullied by distress. I won’t have it.”

Natoru hesitates. “...But I always do it that way.”

“Absolutely not— not this time, Natoru, I expressly forbid it—”

It’s here that Natori also pauses, aware himself perhaps that he has lapsed into a tone which is not entirely appropriate with her, his coworker. Not his little sisters. Not Lune. Not a young niece or a nephew. For a second she’s certain he’s steadying himself to apologize, and Natoru decides then that she doesn’t really want to hear one.

“Okay, okay,” she starts instead. “No ride. See? I told you you just had to put your all into it.”

She leaves with a maybe too-casual ‘Toodles!’ before Natori can scarcely register the interaction.

May 26th, 20xx

Natori tends to wake people gently. A curt clearing of his throat, a gentle touch to a limb. In this case, however, light sleeper that she typically is, Natoru later surmises that only the long-suffering fatigue radiating off him in waves, laser-focused upon her slumbering person, was enough to wake her out of her nap. She does so to find him staring at her with no small amount of subdued disappointment, or perhaps suspicion, and gets some little unexplained squiggle of amusement.

Feeling no sense of haste in spite of his evident chagrin, she stretches and yawns mightily as she pushes herself up into a sitting position, and eyes Natori a little blearily while his outlines wiggle in her watery vision.

“Sleeping on the clock again, I see.”

“Mm, and it was a good nap, too.” She pauses just for a moment, feeling something is not clicking into place, before wondering aloud, “Wait a minute, wasn’t I supposed to go follow up with Miss Haru? Did I sleep through it?”

The look Natori gives her in response is too contained and small to be legitimate panic, but it’s quite recognizably uneasy nonetheless. She might even think he had surreptitiously taken a teeny tiny step back from her.

“...yes,” he eventually answers, stumbling over his words like a drunk, “But— but you looked so, ah, tranquil, I thought it a shame to disturb you for once. I went to follow up with her in your stead.”

“Kind of you, sir.”

Natori smiles at her like she’d just tracked mud through the spotless sitting room. Because she’s endearing and they both know it.

May 26th, 20xx

“Well, I don’t know what makes you so bold.”

Haru is towering over her with her arms crossed and an equally cross look upon her face and Natoru can not for the life of herself figure out what she’d done to warrant it.

“What? Bold? Not me, Miss Haru, I’m not bold at all.”

“You could have fooled me. What does the king want with all of this anyway? I’m not going to marry him, no matter how many times he asks.”

This has Natoru scratching her head, as well as in an earnest rush to explain (not to mention reassure). Goodness, but she wouldn’t want to marry the king, either. That has to be what has Haru so upset.

“Oh, no, Miss Haru, never! It’s the prince that you’re meant to marry, not His Majesty! He’s way too old to marry you!”

Now it’s Haru’s turn to scratch her head. She doesn’t uncross her arms, but she does lean back, staring at the cat before her with a look that tells Natoru she’s still trying to stoke the embers of her skepticism… but it’s a losing battle. That skepticism is dying a sad, lonely death, and she knows it.

“Prince Lune,” she says, like she’s clarifying to someone, and Natoru nods. After a moment, Haru continues, but mildly, as if she is only recounting the morning weather report to a work acquaintance, “I’m working with the Bureau again. We’re going to figure you cats out, I hope you know. Whatever’s going on, and for whatever reason, it’s not going to work.”

Just when she thought she was getting a handle on the conversation! Natoru hangs her head in a brief show of contrition.

“Miss Haru, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a clue what you’re referring to! The king only asked me to make sure you got our gifts, and that they were to your liking. At least I think he did.” Reminded there of the true purpose of her visit, she asks, “Speaking of, how were the gifts? Yummy, right?”

Haru pauses, rapidly glancing to her right and then back to Natoru and responding maybe a touch too fast. “Y-Yes. Yummy. I love… mice.”

Natoru claps her paws together. “Good deal! The king will be so happy to hear that!”

After another fleeting pause, Haru crouches to more closely mirror Natoru’s height, leaning in on the balls of her feet, and the tan-colored cat gets the distinct impression they are about to share a sensitive, time-honored secret, so she lopes a few paces closer to the gate between them with a matching conspiratorial seriousness.

“Can you pass along a message to the king for me?” Haru asks her.

May 26th, 20xx

“It’s directly from His Majesty, so don’t whine,” Natori says with a certain tired expectation in his tone that has Natoru a little indignant.

“I wouldn’t whine,” she protests lightly. “I might ask why it needs to be done now, and in a maybe whiny kind of voice. And am I still going out to fetch Miss Haru later, too? The Silvervine Kingdom is so far out there! …Hope I’m back with enough time…” This last part spoken quite pointedly no matter how much feigned absentmindedness she tries to smother it in. Natori barely glances away from his overstuffed planner.

“You shall have more than enough time to complete both tasks if you’re prompt about it.”

Immoveable as always. He has a small burr stuck fast to the side of his collar. She wonders if he knows that. She stretches contentedly as she pushes herself up and leaves without a fuss, thinking all the while that Miss Haru is in for quite a treat. Not every human gets to experience the wonders of the Cat Kingdom, after all.

May 26th, 20xx

Haru is strangely very hard to find in the human world this time. Natoru is left wandering in circles in the Crossroads for a long while before she happens to glimpse a faint flicker of some shimmering thread languishing on the irregular cobblestones of a narrow alleyway, and from there it’s a relatively straightforward trek.

What’s not so straightforward is that Haru is standing near the middle of the tiny courtyard she emerges into as if she is waiting for her. And she’s not alone, either. Behind her is the biggest cat Natoru has ever seen, slumped in a lawn chair eyeing her like she just interrupted his own nap, and what kind of looks like a very small doll which is (comically) standing quite still and straight by Haru’s side, seemingly none the wiser to or perhaps choosing to ignore the fact it is being utterly dwarfed by her human height.

“You’re running late,” Haru says, and she doesn’t sound angry, but there’s a certain frustration that she’s not doing a particularly good job of hiding.

“It’s not my fault!” Natoru cries as if she’s about to receive a bad grade in message delivering. “Natori had me running all the way to the farthest kingdom in the realm just to hand-deliver a letter no one really wanted anyway! I would have been here on time if not for that.”

“That sounds like him,” the white cat drawls flatly from his chair, reaching for his nearby newspaper and flapping it open with more force than necessary.

“You know Natori?” Natoru gasps.

“Nope.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

“More to the point,” the doll starts firmly, and Natoru thinks that his voice carries pretty far for such a little thing, “Miss Haru should like for her family to accompany her to the kingdom. A marriage is in essence a melding of two families, after all. We would like to give our blessing, as well. Meet the in-laws.”

She sort of doubts that. The in-laws have lactose intolerance and a bad temper. Natoru spends an extended moment looking back and forth between the three of them, and it’s long enough that it appears to make Haru nervous.

“I’m adopted,” she declares, a bit too quickly.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Natoru says. “Nobody told me anything about this being a family affair, but I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

“Fantastic.” The white cat throws his newspaper down and slides out of his seat. “Let’s get this tired old show on the road.”

May 26th, 20xx

Seems Natori was unaware of the in-laws tagging along, as well, which in hindsight makes Natoru feel a bit better about her own lack of knowledge on the plan. He manages to snag her as she passes by the heavy curtain obscuring a doorway. For a fleeting, terrifying second, she remembers old stories of the great monstrous creature which emerged from piles of clutter and garbage and ate unsuspecting cats sniffing around where they weren’t welcome, and briefly bargains for her life in exchange for finally cleaning under her bed.

“What are they doing here?” Natori whispers, gesturing wildly in the direction of the curtain with the paw that’s not currently resting on her shoulder.

“They wanted to meet the in-laws,” Natoru says. For some reason, she adds to herself.

Natori doesn’t say anything for what feels like a very long hour. Finally, he only hangs his head and releases her shoulder, turning with just a weary, “Then I will inform the kitchen staff we have two extra guests.”

May 26th, 20xx

“It’s directly from His Majesty, so do not whine,” Natori all but snaps.

Natoru doesn’t respond immediately, but she does gaze upon her senior coworker with a searching sort of curiosity which apparently quite unsettles him, as his previously drawn manner dissipates in seconds. She watches him sort of deflate, before a comfortably familiar look settles on his countenance instead— frustrated, exasperated, but with that traitorously sad quirk of the muzzle so that he instead looks vaguely hapless. Mm. Taking on too much unclaimed work, probably. He’s quite funny sometimes for a cat.

“Maybe you should borrow my napping spot while I’m gone, sir,” Natoru says, and Natori laughs, bows his head, and looks away.

May 26th, 20xx

Natoru goes to find today’s perfectly warm, sunny spot in the grass for a nap.

#tcr birthday bash 2025 #day 5 time loop #masha writes #tcr ficlet #ayyy this was fun #i loved haru almost admitting to natoru that there are human drugs #and then immediately realising How Bad An Idea that would be #natoru just being so not bothered by the time loop as everyone around her is getting so so tired #haru's “im adopted” lie that would only ever have worked on natoru

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catsafarithewriter · 9 days ago

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catsafarithewriter · 9 days ago

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Day 7: Free Day/Happy Birthday

A/N: Hello, hello, and we come at last to the final day of the Birthday Bash! For the first time in the BB's history, we opened the Free Day to original work - since it seemed like several of y'all are working on OG content - and I thought I'd join in!

This is the first 500 words of a short story called There is a monster that I submitted to an indie anthology on the theme of metamorphosis, and is my first fiction published.

Enjoy!

There is a monster in the Sunweir Mines.

It is no ordinary beast, no creature fit to suffer sunlight. Instead it dwells in the darkest part of the deepest heart of the mines, so old as to almost have grown past the limits of the cavern it calls home. Its claws are like daggers, its teeth like knives; its leathery hide boasts the envy of every tanner, and its scales – though tarnished with time – rival any blacksmith’s steel. It is an abomination, sustained by shadows and driven by bloodlust.

A monster.

And for every monster, there must be a hero.

(This is your story.)

On the eastern outskirts of Sunweir – a town that was once a village, that was once an empty hillside – there lies an arch through which the morning rays spill. The valley beyond catches its beams, and the ridge forms a natural weir over which the light trickles. From the pools, radiant blades are crafted for sunslingers and kings alike: light-tipped arrows and sun-touched sabres and dawning morning stars.

In the heart of Sunweir, there is a stone.

In the stone, there is a sword.

Unlike its glimmering, sun-bathed cousins forged fresh from the sunweir’s waters, this one is old and unassuming. Its hilt is worn, carvings etched long ago now faded, the cross guard chipped, the pommel eroded smooth. Crafted from the sunweir when its waters were young, back in its dawn when the light was still dusky, its blade is dark, iridescent and slick as an oil spill.

The stone beneath is thusly engraved: By this sword alone shall the monster be slayed.

It is Dawnreaper. First forged of the sunweir.

It is not difficult to pull it free. It is not assigned for kings, nor holding out for a hero; anyone can wield it, if they so wish. Many have. And every time, the sword reappears in the stone. Sometimes it takes hours, returned by the hands that took it – folk bluster into the mines and quickly discover how deep these proverbial waters dive – while for others, it is a matter of days. Weeks.

Those kinds of heroes are never seen again. Dawnreaper returns though.

It always does.

You, however, are different. You will be different.

(You shall be the one who succeeds.)

(After all, this is your story.)

The sword calls to you in a way it surely never has for any other soul, and you know – you know – that this is your chance. This is your beginning. When you claim Dawnreaper, it sits perfectly in the palm of your hand, naturally balanced, as if it were made for you, or you for it.

(You are no hero yet. No songs are sung in your glory, nor tales told of your exploits. You are a no one, a throwaway thread in the tapestry of life, a footnote in the narrative.)

The Dawnreaper bestows no destiny, conveys no crown, but succeed and you will forever be the one who slew the Sunweir Beast.

(You will be Someone.)

After all, to use a phrase so oft misquoted: All heroes start in Sunweir.

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catsafarithewriter · 9 days ago

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Day 7: Free Day/Happy Birthday

This is the first 500 words of a short story called There is a monster that I submitted to an indie anthology on the theme of metamorphosis, and is my first fiction published.

Enjoy!

There is a monster in the Sunweir Mines.

A monster.

And for every monster, there must be a hero.

(This is your story.)

In the heart of Sunweir, there is a stone.

In the stone, there is a sword.

The stone beneath is thusly engraved: By this sword alone shall the monster be slayed.

It is Dawnreaper. First forged of the sunweir.

Those kinds of heroes are never seen again. Dawnreaper returns though.

It always does.

You, however, are different. You will be different.

(You shall be the one who succeeds.)

(After all, this is your story.)

(You are no hero yet. No songs are sung in your glory, nor tales told of your exploits. You are a no one, a throwaway thread in the tapestry of life, a footnote in the narrative.)

The Dawnreaper bestows no destiny, conveys no crown, but succeed and you will forever be the one who slew the Sunweir Beast.

(You will be Someone.)

After all, to use a phrase so oft misquoted: All heroes start in Sunweir.

#day 7 happy birthday #tcr birthday bash 2025 #cat writes #not tcr fic #i had so much fun writing this #especially with playing around with the second person pov #and the entire location originally began as a pun on the 'everyone has to start somewhere' line #needed a location for a hero's origins. realised i could pun. came up with 'sunweir'. then had to figure out how you could have a sunweir #anyway I hope people liked this snippet #it's the first OG fiction I've actually properly finished in. a while

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catsafarithewriter · 10 days ago

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for the dandelions prompt for the birthday bash! i'm still very attached to lune's childhood in the cat kingdom being looked after by natori and natoru

my original idea was a lot more uhhh. humorous but mean, with natori telling lune about the wish thing and lune promptly wishing for his mom to come back home while natori Discharges From Life right then and there from sheer guilt

and then natoru comes in to throw some gas on the fire by admonishing lune like 'well now it won't come true bc you told us what what it was! rookie mistake'

please ignore my missing word. apparently i do that even when handwriting things now, not just when typing lmao

#tcr birthday bash 2025 #day 4 dandelions #okay but this is adorable #masha draws #tcr fanart #natori is so adorably good natured with babby lune #alsjdjkla I've just seen that the roots are still attached

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catsafarithewriter · 10 days ago

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Day 6: Mistaken Identity

A/N: Hello, hello, this is my ficlet for Day 6 of the TCR Birthday Bash: Mistaken Identity. Hiromi is one of my favourite characters to write (she's just a lot of fun!) and it was interesting to pit her against Machida (who, let's be honest, doesn't really get much personality from the film). This was an idea that was rolling around my head and wouldn't leave until I penned it.

Enjoy!

As Haru's bff, it was Hiromi's responsibility to support her friend in all her romantic endeavours.

Even if she had a terrible taste in guys.

Well, that wasn't entirely fair. There was nothing actually wrong with Machida. Machida was... fine. He was easy on the eyes the same way unseasoned rice is easy on the palate: tastefully neutral. (Unlike her Tsuge, who was the picture of perfection, even if he didn't know she existed, and, no, she wasn't being biased.)

So when she heard Machida haggling with a schoolmate to swap clean-up duty - and that clean-up duty just so happened to be Hiromi's - she knew exactly what to do.

"Haru, swap with me," she hissed, sliding with practiced perfection into the seat in front.

Haru looked up from the bag she was unpacking. "Swap what?"

"Clean-up duty. Today."

"Why, is Tsuge playing again?"

"Even better," and Hiromi leant in for a conspiring whisper. "Machida's on duty."

Haru blinked. "Okay?"

"What do you mean 'okay'? This is Machida we're talking about!" Hiromi hissed, as loud as she could while still technically whispering.

"What do you want me to do, ask him out? He's dating," Haru said. "We've talked about this - I'd look like a jerk."

"You don't have to ask him out - you could just, y'know. Employ some moves." Hiromi waggled her eyebrows for emphasis.

Haru was unmoved by the eyebrow waggling. "Moves?

"Yeah, moves. Like, you drop a blackboard eraser near him, be all like, 'oh no, my bad, I'm so sorry' and then reach for when he does-"

"And if he doesn't?"

"Well then, he's obviously no gentleman and you'll have to set your standards higher."

Haru snorted.

"Anyway, then when you go to grab the eraser at the same time, your hands will brush and then there'll be, like, sparks, and he'll look into your eyes and suddenly realise that the girl he was looking for was in front of him all along-"

"You really have this all figured out, don't you?"

"-and he'll fall madly in love with you, which can only happen if you swap clean-up duty with me today."

Haru paused. A furrow dipped into her brow as she considered this, frankly from Hiromi's perspective, flawless plan. Then, "So what's the real reason you're trying to get out of clean-up duty?"

Hiromi slapped Haru's shoulder. "Fine. Next time I won't try to orchestrate the perfect meet-cute."

"The perfect meet-cute is during clean-up?"

"Shuddup."

And that was how Hiromi ended up sharing clean-up duty alongside Machida, trying not to glower at how her perfect solution to the Perpetually Pining Haru dilemma had been so stone-heartedly rejected.

She scowled through sweeping the floor, and she brooded through brushing the chalk dust off the eraser, and she trampled her way as she took out the trash.

(She was handling this so well.)

"Hey - hey, wait up!"

She paused in her righteous glowering.

"You're Hiromi, right?"

Hiromi turned the glowering back on in full force, with a side helping of indifference. She couldn't act like she recognised him too easily - after all, they had barely ever shared a word, so any overfamiliarity might make him suspect Haru's crush. "Who's asking?"

Machida faltered. "We've been in the same class since we were five."

"And? You think I bother to learn the names of all my classmates?" She turned on her heel and carried on walking.

Machida followed after.

"You're Haru's friend, aren't you?"

Hiromi's feet halted. She hadn't actually intended to stop, but bff sensibilities had taken over, and who was she to deny them? "Best friend," she said.

"Oh. Good."

"So let me make this clear," she said, stalking towards the guy as if he wasn't half a head taller than her. "If you're intending on hurting her or breaking her heart or messing with her, I'll bury you so deep not even the worms will find you."

Machida's feet hadn't moved, but he was leaning perilously back. "Okay."

"Good. Now, she likes cheesy chick flicks and salted popcorn, but anything with second-hand embarrassment will make her leave the room, so choose your film wisely."

Machida blinked. "What do you think I'm talking about?"

"Dating advice. Obviously." A little of her innate confidence flickered. "Aren't you?"

"Should I be?"

"Of course you should! Haru's smart and funny - although a little bit sarky sometimes, if you ask me - and kind - she nearly died saving a cat, that's how kind she is! - and you'd be lucky to dating her."

"Okay."

There was a dubious pause.

"So... are you going to ask her out?" Hiromi asked.

"I'm kinda seeing someone right now."

"Kinda?"

"It's complicated."

"So uncomplicate it. Dump her and date Haru. Otherwise what are you doing stalking me here?"

"I'm not - I'm not stalking you!"

"You followed me out to the bins," Hiromi said. She gestured to the paper ball in his hand. "What, am I meant to believe you came all the way out here just because I missed a bit of trash?"

Machida glanced down to the aforementioned trash. "No one else found it weird."

"Did you chase anyone else down?"

Machida started to answer, before he realised this was a trap that was only going to detract further from the conversation. "Look, I didn't follow you to... stalk you."

"So you do admit you were following me."

"Yes! But only because you're Haru's friend."

"Best friend."

"Best friend," he amended.

"And you wanted to ask my advice on how to date her."

"No!" Machida took a sharp breath. "I wanted to know if she seems different to you too."

Hiromi's first instinct was to laugh it off - after all, it was such a nothing comment, a nonsensical request. But there was something uncomfortably sincere and just a little bit desperate about him. "Different?" she asked instead. "Different how?"

"I don't know - I was hoping you'd know. You're her best friend!"

Hiromi rolled her eyes and turned back towards the bins. "If you can't even tell me what I'm meant to be looking for-"

"She's changed," Machida said, "since the day all those cats followed her to school."

Hiromi hesitated. She didn't look back at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"And there was the - the cattails that grew outside her house," he continued, scooting round to her front. Hiromi didn't brush him aside. "And the lacrosse sticks - I heard you complaining to Chika about how your entire flat got flooded with sticks after your last one broke."

"How do you know about all of that?"

"You talk really loud."

Hiromi glowered. "Stalker," she said, mostly because she had no other real comeback to that.

"She's not late anymore," he said, bypassing her accusation entirely. "She's confident. She actually speaks in class-"

"It's called growing up."

"Overnight?" Machida demanded.

"I did mention she nearly got run over saving a cat, right? Maybe it's one of those life-changing things-"

"I saw her!"

Hiromi gave Machida her best judgemental look. And she was damn good at judgemental, if she did say so herself. "Yeah, so did I. Half an hour ago when school broke up."

Machida groaned in frustration, his hand mussing up his hair in what Hiromi, if she were feeling generous, would call kind of adorably. But, she wasn't feeling generous, she was feeling scathing. So it wasn't adorable.

Not even a little bit.

"A few weeks ago," Machida said, "I saw her - or someone who looked like her - landing on the school roof."

"What?"

"It was really early in the morning," Machida persisted, visibly relieved Hiromi hadn't shut him down yet, "just after the sunrise. I was woken up by a - a whoosh of birds, a whole flock, flying past my window, and when I looked out I saw Haru." He hesitated, like he was only just now realising how crazy it all sounded. "Walking on the birds."

"You were dreaming-"

"That's what I thought! I mean," and Machida looked like he was one red-stringed corkboard away from a full conspiracy breakdown, "it's nonsense, right? There were birds and Haru and cats-"

"You didn't mention cats before."

"There were two. One was wearing a suit."

"Sounds like a dream."

"Right? But I couldn't stop from - from wondering, you know? And then the next day, Haru turns up on time to school, and she's actually being, you know..."

Hiromi did know. Haru hadn't shed all her teenage ways, but she seemed... more content now. More focused. Sometimes Hiromi felt like she'd tripped and missed a couple of years and Haru had matured without her.

"So?"

"So it's gotta be linked, right?" Machida insisted. "All that strangeness happens, then Haru just... lands out of the sky, and suddenly it's like she's a whole new person? It has to be."

"How?"

"I don't think that's Haru anymore."

Hiromi snorted and moved around him. "Okay."

"She's been replaced!" Machida cried. "Like in the - the European folktales - you know, stories about fairies stealing people away and taking their place!" He caught Hiromi's arm. "Please just - just consider it. You'll see I'm right."

Hiromi snorted again for good measure, and shrugged him off. "Sure, Machida."

It stuck in Hiromi's mind though, like a burr on a dog's fur. Something was different about Haru, and it wasn't in any way she could explain. And if Haru had had any epiphanies since her near-death experience from saving the cat, she hadn't told Hiromi about it, so that couldn't be it.

They met up on a weekend, actually in the morning as opposed to midway through the afternoon as was Haru's norm. Or ex-norm, Hiromi supposed. Haru was wearing her new skirt, the cream midi piece that she had been eyeing for weeks (lamenting that she didn't think it would suit her) with her new hair cut (the one Hiromi hadn't even known Haru'd wanted until she'd ducked into the hairdressers last weekend) still looking like Haru, but somehow... more.

It was like the Haru who Hiromi had known had been Haru Lite, and this new version was the full experience.

And Machida's theory niggled.

Still, there was one way to tell if this was Haru, one thing that the real Haru would have to respond to. And if it meant Hiromi was going to have to resort to a little bending of the truth, then so be it.

"So," she announced, "I've got some big news you're gonna be excited about."

"Yeah?" Haru asked. "What is it?"

Hiromi skipped round in front of Haru. "Machida broke up with his girlfriend!"

Okay, so it was about 50% correct. Hiromi had done a little digging, and Machida's 'kinda' comment from the other day had been the tip of an iceberg which seemed to be mostly his girlfriend being understandably confused and frustated with her boyfriend's sudden fascination with a classmate.

And, when Machida was proven wrong with his stupid little changeling theory, Hiromi could leverage his mistrust as blackmail to get him to ask Haru out.

Perfect! Hiromi could see nothing wrong with this plan!

Haru halted, her eyebrows dipping in... sympathy??

"Oh. That's too bad."

"What? Are you kidding?"

The eyebrows changed from sympathy to confusion, as if Hiromi hadn't been listening to her best friend pine for months now. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be completely ecstatic."

"Not really." Haru smiled. "Doesn't really matter anymore."

Ice poured through Hiromi's veins. Machida was right.

This was a changeling.

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catsafarithewriter · 10 days ago

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Day 6: Mistaken Identity

Enjoy!

As Haru's bff, it was Hiromi's responsibility to support her friend in all her romantic endeavours.

Even if she had a terrible taste in guys.

So when she heard Machida haggling with a schoolmate to swap clean-up duty - and that clean-up duty just so happened to be Hiromi's - she knew exactly what to do.

"Haru, swap with me," she hissed, sliding with practiced perfection into the seat in front.

Haru looked up from the bag she was unpacking. "Swap what?"

"Clean-up duty. Today."

"Why, is Tsuge playing again?"

"Even better," and Hiromi leant in for a conspiring whisper. "Machida's on duty."

Haru blinked. "Okay?"

"What do you mean 'okay'? This is Machida we're talking about!" Hiromi hissed, as loud as she could while still technically whispering.

"What do you want me to do, ask him out? He's dating," Haru said. "We've talked about this - I'd look like a jerk."

"You don't have to ask him out - you could just, y'know. Employ some moves." Hiromi waggled her eyebrows for emphasis.

Haru was unmoved by the eyebrow waggling. "Moves?

"Yeah, moves. Like, you drop a blackboard eraser near him, be all like, 'oh no, my bad, I'm so sorry' and then reach for when he does-"

"And if he doesn't?"

"Well then, he's obviously no gentleman and you'll have to set your standards higher."

Haru snorted.

"You really have this all figured out, don't you?"

"-and he'll fall madly in love with you, which can only happen if you swap clean-up duty with me today."

Haru paused. A furrow dipped into her brow as she considered this, frankly from Hiromi's perspective, flawless plan. Then, "So what's the real reason you're trying to get out of clean-up duty?"

Hiromi slapped Haru's shoulder. "Fine. Next time I won't try to orchestrate the perfect meet-cute."

"The perfect meet-cute is during clean-up?"

"Shuddup."

And that was how Hiromi ended up sharing clean-up duty alongside Machida, trying not to glower at how her perfect solution to the Perpetually Pining Haru dilemma had been so stone-heartedly rejected.

She scowled through sweeping the floor, and she brooded through brushing the chalk dust off the eraser, and she trampled her way as she took out the trash.

(She was handling this so well.)

"Hey - hey, wait up!"

She paused in her righteous glowering.

"You're Hiromi, right?"

Machida faltered. "We've been in the same class since we were five."

"And? You think I bother to learn the names of all my classmates?" She turned on her heel and carried on walking.

Machida followed after.

"You're Haru's friend, aren't you?"

Hiromi's feet halted. She hadn't actually intended to stop, but bff sensibilities had taken over, and who was she to deny them? "Best friend," she said.

"Oh. Good."

Machida's feet hadn't moved, but he was leaning perilously back. "Okay."

"Good. Now, she likes cheesy chick flicks and salted popcorn, but anything with second-hand embarrassment will make her leave the room, so choose your film wisely."

Machida blinked. "What do you think I'm talking about?"

"Dating advice. Obviously." A little of her innate confidence flickered. "Aren't you?"

"Should I be?"

"Okay."

There was a dubious pause.

"So... are you going to ask her out?" Hiromi asked.

"I'm kinda seeing someone right now."

"Kinda?"

"It's complicated."

"So uncomplicate it. Dump her and date Haru. Otherwise what are you doing stalking me here?"

"I'm not - I'm not stalking you!"

"You followed me out to the bins," Hiromi said. She gestured to the paper ball in his hand. "What, am I meant to believe you came all the way out here just because I missed a bit of trash?"

Machida glanced down to the aforementioned trash. "No one else found it weird."

"Did you chase anyone else down?"

Machida started to answer, before he realised this was a trap that was only going to detract further from the conversation. "Look, I didn't follow you to... stalk you."

"So you do admit you were following me."

"Yes! But only because you're Haru's friend."

"Best friend."

"Best friend," he amended.

"And you wanted to ask my advice on how to date her."

"No!" Machida took a sharp breath. "I wanted to know if she seems different to you too."

"I don't know - I was hoping you'd know. You're her best friend!"

Hiromi rolled her eyes and turned back towards the bins. "If you can't even tell me what I'm meant to be looking for-"

"She's changed," Machida said, "since the day all those cats followed her to school."

Hiromi hesitated. She didn't look back at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"How do you know about all of that?"

"You talk really loud."

Hiromi glowered. "Stalker," she said, mostly because she had no other real comeback to that.

"She's not late anymore," he said, bypassing her accusation entirely. "She's confident. She actually speaks in class-"

"It's called growing up."

"Overnight?" Machida demanded.

"I did mention she nearly got run over saving a cat, right? Maybe it's one of those life-changing things-"

"I saw her!"

Hiromi gave Machida her best judgemental look. And she was damn good at judgemental, if she did say so herself. "Yeah, so did I. Half an hour ago when school broke up."

Not even a little bit.

"A few weeks ago," Machida said, "I saw her - or someone who looked like her - landing on the school roof."

"What?"

"You were dreaming-"

"That's what I thought! I mean," and Machida looked like he was one red-stringed corkboard away from a full conspiracy breakdown, "it's nonsense, right? There were birds and Haru and cats-"

"You didn't mention cats before."

"There were two. One was wearing a suit."

"Sounds like a dream."

"Right? But I couldn't stop from - from wondering, you know? And then the next day, Haru turns up on time to school, and she's actually being, you know..."

"So?"

"So it's gotta be linked, right?" Machida insisted. "All that strangeness happens, then Haru just... lands out of the sky, and suddenly it's like she's a whole new person? It has to be."

"How?"

"I don't think that's Haru anymore."

Hiromi snorted and moved around him. "Okay."

Hiromi snorted again for good measure, and shrugged him off. "Sure, Machida."

It was like the Haru who Hiromi had known had been Haru Lite, and this new version was the full experience.

And Machida's theory niggled.

"So," she announced, "I've got some big news you're gonna be excited about."

"Yeah?" Haru asked. "What is it?"

Hiromi skipped round in front of Haru. "Machida broke up with his girlfriend!"

And, when Machida was proven wrong with his stupid little changeling theory, Hiromi could leverage his mistrust as blackmail to get him to ask Haru out.

Perfect! Hiromi could see nothing wrong with this plan!

Haru halted, her eyebrows dipping in... sympathy??

"Oh. That's too bad."

"What? Are you kidding?"

The eyebrows changed from sympathy to confusion, as if Hiromi hadn't been listening to her best friend pine for months now. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be completely ecstatic."

"Not really." Haru smiled. "Doesn't really matter anymore."

Ice poured through Hiromi's veins. Machida was right.

This was a changeling.

#day 6 mistaken identity #tcr birthday bash 2025 #the cat returns #cat writes #and with that. i have everything written XD

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catsafarithewriter · 10 days ago

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Birthday Bash 2025

Prompt 5 - Time Loop or Part 2 of Mystic Library

I will admit this was my favourite prompt of this year's Birthday bash 😄

Are you up yet?'

Her mother's words filtered into her sleepy mind. Suddenly Haru's eyes snapped open with a groan.

'Not again!' she exclaimed as she threw the quilt aside.

She raced around her room finding her clothes and tugging them on. Oversleeping two days in a row at her age was just embarrassing. After a quick inspection in the mirror she then threw her bag over her shoulder and left the room. As she arrived at the bottom of the stairs her mother's head emerged from the living room.

'I know, I know! I did it again.' sighed Haru knowing what her mother was thinking 'I really should have grown out of this at my age.'

Her mother gave her an odd look.

'Oversleeping once in a while can't be helped.' she replied.

Haru was a little puzzled by her response. Didn't her mother say that before? Besides oversleeping two days in a row wasn't exactly once in a while.

'I've got to go.' she said realising further loitering would mean she would be even later arriving at work. Muta would kill her.

'Have a good day dear.' smiled her mother 'Oh by the way Mrs Adachi will be visiting this evening to collect the quilt she ordered.'

'Okay.' nodded Haru as she slipped out of the door before coming to a stand still. 'What? Argh, never mind I need to go.'

She could hear her mother laugh as she fled down the pathway and out onto the road. Haru ran on autopilot towards to Crossroads. She was positive that Mrs Adachi had picked up the quilt the evening before. Not having the time to dwell on that now she put it to the back of her mind.

Haru arrived at the hidden entrance to the Mystic Library and pushed it open. She managed to get inside and close it behind her before leaning over with her hands against her thighs breathing heavily.

'You would be better standing up straight to get more air into your lungs.' observed Muta from the hallway door.

Haru flashed him a tired smile.

'I know you told me that yesterday but it seems I never learn.' she groaned. 'Sorry for being late again.'

Muta threw her an odd look.

'Look kid being late once in a while isn't going to get you into trouble with me. I'm not that heartless.' he snorted.

'But I ...' began Haru looking confused.

'Now come along.' Muta interrupted ' We need to discuss the next book display we should have. I know you had some ideas.'

When Haru seemed frozen in place Muta frowned and walked over.

What's wrong?' he asked.

'Didn't we discuss the book display yesterday?' she replied.

Muta snorted again.

'Of course not. The library isn't open on Sundays.' he answered before placing a large paw on her forehead 'Are you feeling all right? Maybe you didn't get enough sleep.'

Haru just stared up at him.

'So you're saying it's Monday?' she asked.

'Yup. One hundred percent Monday.' he confirmed.

Haru let out a nervous laugh.

'You're right I must still be a little asleep. I'll just go and splash some water on my face. That should help me wake up.' she murmured.

'Sure thing. I'll meet up with you afterwards.' nodded Muta before plodding his way towards the library office.

Haru raced to the toilet slamming her way through the door. What was going on? How could it be Monday! She had already been through Monday. With a shaking hand she reached for her phone. Surely Muta was just playing some weird trick on her. She swiped to unlock the screen and the words on it caused her eyebrows to raise. Even her phone was declaring it was Monday.

As she stared at the screen a message popped up from Hiromi. The beginning stated 'You'll never guess what...' Haru sighed. If this message was to tell her that Hiromi had made the national lacrosse team she knew she was losing it. Reading the rest of the message Haru slid down the wall, her hand covering her mouth.

'What the hell!' she hissed.

The rest of Haru's day was surreal. Living through the same twenty four hours was strange although it did have some perks. She had managed to save the newly created book display from one particularly rambunctious fae child who had previously decimated it within minutes of completion. She was also able to prepare customer requests before they had even asked. This had lead to a number of them asking if she was indeed sure that she didn't possess any magical abilities herself.

Haru let out a sigh before looking at the clock. It was nearly three which caused a smile to appear on her lips and a light blush to her cheeks. He would be here soon. Baron was always prompt. She closed her eyes recalling what he had been wearing the day before. It had been an emerald green bowtie like his eyes and a blue waistcoat. Haru felt slightly embarrassed that in her panic this morning she had grabbed the same dress she had worn the day before, not that anyone else would realise that. She heard the door open and she looked up in anticipation.

Good afternoon Haru.' Baron greeted with his usual bow.

Haru's smile dropped off her lips and a look of confusion spread across her face.

'Is everything all right?' he continued, tilting his head slightly.

'Oh yes.' nodded Haru feeling flushed 'You're here to look at the books on chrominance again?'

'Indeed.' he replied 'I'm having some issues with this part of my studies.'

His chuckle seemed nervous giving Haru suspicions that what she was experiencing may be his fault. The fact Baron was wearing a different set of clothes to what she recalled seeing him in yesterday screamed something was off even if the conversation was flowing the same.

'No problem, we can get them set up in cubicle six for you.' she smiled before moving from behind the desk and started walking towards the reference section.

Baron followed behind her.

Oh and tea at five, yes?' she asked.

'Tea at five?' replied Baron ' Didn't we ...'

As he trailed off Haru looked back over her shoulder to find him covering his mouth with one gloved hand.

'I knew it!' she muttered quietly to herself as she turned to face him.

Baron was still looking at her wild eyed.

'Baron what day is it today?' she asked casually.

'It's Monday.' he responded but looked confused as to why she was asking.

Haru nodded.

'So what day was it yesterday?' she continued.

'Well I umm well you see...' he flushed.

Haru couldn't help give a triumphant smile. Baron was terrible at lying. There was just something inside him that prevented him from doing so.

'Baron what did you do?' she sighed.

He squirmed slightly.

'I take it that I'm not the only one experiencing a repeat of today.' he finally responded.

'That would be correct. No-one else appears to be affected though.' murmured Haru.

'What gave me away?' he enquired curiously.

'You're wearing a different outfit.' answered Haru praying he didn't comment on her own.

'Ah.' he finally replied.

'So what did you do?' she asked again.

'Well as I said I'm currently studying chrominance and appear to have accidentally created a time loop.' he explained.

Haru suddenly stepped into his space causing him to flinch.

'Well Baron you had better fix whatever you did as I really do not want another day of running to work because I overslept.' she stated.

Baron nodded. Her voice may be sweet but Haru's eyes were fierce and a little scary.

Haru turned on her heel back to her desk.

'See you at five for tea.' she called over her shoulder.

Baron gulped and headed towards the research area. He really didn't want to face Haru's wrath.

'Are you up yet?'

Her mother's words filtered into her sleepy mind. Haru's eyes snapped open with a groan.

'Damn it Baron!' she exclaimed.

#tcr birthday bash 2025 #Mystic Library #ahaha i cackled at this #day 5 time loop #the moment i saw that baron was studying chrominance i was like !!!#i know who's to blame XD #'what day is it?' 'monday' 'and what day was it yesterday' 'uhhhh' XD

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catsafarithewriter · 11 days ago

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Day 5: Time Loop

A/N: Hello, hello, and this is my offering for Day 5 of the TCR Birthday Bash: Time Loop! This was a ficlet that I did intend on writing as a whole story, but then just the introduction got a lot longer than expected, so you're just getting the first couple of scenes.

I do know how this story would finish, so let me know if you're interested and hopefully I'll pick this up another time when I'm not working to a deadline :D

Enjoy!

"I am," the ex Cat King announced, "an old cat."

He had been an old cat when Haru had been a kid, she privately thought, and he didn't seem to have changed much since. Still, she sat back and didn't interrupt, because he sounded like he had rehearsed this and she didn't want to break his flow.

"I have matured."

Like cheese, Haru thought.

"I have been blessed with a good life and a good son and an abundance of grandkittens–"

Oh god, Haru thought, he's about to marry me off to one of his grandkids.

"–and it has come to my attention that all of that which I have been – have been..." He leant over to his companion. "Here, how'd the next bit go?"

"All that which you have been fortunate enough in your glorious and resplendent life in your old age, you owe," Natori (unsuccessfully) whispered.

"Right. That."

Haru waited, just to see if that was it.

It apparently was.

"O-kay." Haru glanced past them, to the window ledge they were currently occupying, and wondered if she was meant to escort them out of her flat and chaperone them down the lift. What exactly was the etiquette for retired feline royalty? "Well, if that's everything, you're welcome?"

"His once-majesty wishes to thank you."

"Oh, no."

"In gratitude of all you have done."

"... How, exactly?"

"I want you to have what I had," the ex Cat King announced.

"Kittens?" Haru guessed weakly, thinking she wasn't too far off having the metaphorical kind.

"A long and fulfilling life."

"Oh." And then, because this seemed suspiciously benign and she couldn't quite believe it, could only offer a, "Thank you?"

"By finding your soulmate!"

Aaaaand there it was.

"You... really don't need to do that."

"Nonsense!"

"Are soulmates even real?"

Natori pushed the bridge of his glasses up with a besleeeved paw. "Not officially," he said. "What his ex-excellence is proposing is finding you a significant other for whom fulfils the criteria of a One True Love." He somehow managed to pronounce the capital letters.

"I don't think One True Love is a thing either," Haru offered gently.

The ex Cat King's smile faltered. "It isn't?" He turned to Natori. "But all the stories said–"

"Stories?" Haru echoed. Her mind reeled. "Like fairytales?"

"It's not a thing without magical intervention," Natori said, with far too much self confidence for a cat who couldn't find his paws from his sleeves. "That's what all the stories say."

"Fairytales," Haru amended, for good measure. "And, anyway, this is the 21st Century."

"According to what calendar?" Natori asked.

"A relationship isn’t the pinnacle of a happy life," she persisted. Talking with these two felt like playing poker with a goat that kept eating all the cards. And somehow the goat was winning. "I can have a long and fulfilling life without having a partner, or getting married, or whatever domestic bliss you think I need."

The ex Cat King and Natori – two (current) bachelors, as far as Haru could make out – gave this revelation all due consideration. Frankly, Haru was surprised it took them more than two seconds. But then their whiskers bunched, and their noses wrinkled in chorus, and the ex Cat King said, "But it couldn't hurt, could it?"

"It is called domestic bliss for a reason," Natori chimed.

"You are not marrying me off."

"We are not marrying you off," Natori agreed, and Haru decided she didn't like how readily he'd conceded. "We're helping you marry yourself off."

"That changes literally nothing about this."

The ex Cat King rose to his full height - a little less impressive now Haru was human sized and not that of the average cat - and puffed out his chest. "By all the magic in the Cat Kingdom, by the time this day is out, you will have found your One True Love!"

Not much had changed since Haru had last visited the Bureau. Then again, when you're ageless and immortal, things probably don't need to change very often. The only difference that really stood out was that she shrunk upon entering the Sanctuary.

It did help her dramatic entrance, she had to admit, as she swung the double doors open and strode in. "Everyone," she announced, and indeed the whole Bureau was there, "I'm in need of your help."

Baron paused, midway through a cup of tea at his desk. Toto was perched on his balcony, while Muta was occupying the sofa. There was a gramophone playing old timey-wimey violin music.

Muta dropped his head over the sofa and his brow was furrowed only a moment before he managed to place her. "Oh, heya Chicky. Long time no see. What's happened, got yourself hitched to another royal?"

"Almost. Hi Baron, Toto."

The Creations both looked like they took a little longer to recognise her - but, then again, they weren't mortal. It probably was easy to forget that the rest of the world aged. She definitely wasn't the lost little schoolkid they'd helped all those years ago.

"Miss Haru, a pleasure to meet you once again," Baron greeted, rising to his feet with that kind of suave grace that had made teenage-Haru quite besotted.

Today, though, she had other things to worry about. Like today.

"Please, take a seat," he gestured, as if there was more than just the single armchair to choose from. Haru flopped into it. "Can I get you some tea while you explain your predicament?"

"You know what, sure. It's not like I'm pushing for time."

"Do you want milk in your tea? Lemon?"

"Let's go with lemon." And if she didn't like it, well... she could always choose different next time.

"So," Baron asked as he offered her a cup, "how can we help?"

"I'm stuck in a time loop."

Baron beamed. "Oh, excellent."

"It really isn't."

"I've been working on a little hypothetical project and haven't had a chance to test it out. It looks like now is the perfect opportunity."

Haru stared as he beelined for his desk. "You could sound a little bit less happy."

"Nah, he's always like this," Muta called. "Remember when you were getting married off to the prince and his first response was that he'd been planning to visit the Cat Kingdom for ages?"

"It wasn't my first response, Muta," Baron chided from where he was rummaging through the desk drawers. "And I think you're grossly paraphrasing there."

"How did you find yourself caught in a time loop to begin with?" Toto asked.

"Apparently the Cat King - sorry, ex-Cat King wasn't done thanking me."

"Him? But it's been years."

"A decade," Haru said. "Yeah, I know. But apparently he has matured."

From his sofa, Muta snorted. "Like cheese."

"That's what I thought!"

"And how does his maturation lend to your current predicament?" Baron asked. It was difficult to tell, but it looked like he was up to his elbow in the desk drawer, all laws of physics be damned.

"He wants to thank me for having a good life. Him having a good life," she added, "not me. Not that my life isn't good, it's just that he was-" Haru groaned. "Forget it. I'll explain it better on the next loop."

"The next loop?" Toto asked. "How many times have you repeated this day?"

"About... a dozen?" she hazarded. "Although this is the first time I've come to you guys. Well," she amended, "the first time I've found you. It's taken me three days' worth of loops to actually find this place again. Turns out there's a lot of backend alleyways to get lost down."

"And what were you doing before you came to us?"

"Trying it the ex-Cat King's way."

Muta chortled. "And how's that working out for you?"

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" She took a long draught of her tea and wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I'll ask for milk next time. So the old king decided that the only way to properly thank me was to ensure I have what he had."

"Kittens?" Muta offered.

"Again, that's what I said! But no - what he wants is for me to have a long and fulfilling life and the only way he can imagine that happening is if I find a significant other." She registered the blank expressions of her audience, and added, "Romantically."

"Oh."

"So he said something like, 'by all the magic in me, you'll have your One True Love before the end of the day!' and apparently that was a whole spell. So he drags me all over the town, trying to find someone I can fall madly, deeply in love on first sight-" and that, Haru thought, was skipping over A Lot- "and when that didn't work, said he'd try again tomorrow. Only tomorrow never came."

"'By the end of the day,'" Toto echoed. "The day can't end until you've found your One True Love."

"Exactly! None of us actually realised it at first; I just thought I'd lost track of the days, and I don't think cats count days at all-"

"They don't," Muta said.

"-but after the fourth Tuesday, even I noticed."

"So is the Cat Kingdom unaffected by the time loop?" Baron asked. He was still searching in his desk drawer, and was now down to his shoulder.

"I don't think so - I think it's just me, the old king, and the advisor - the tall one with glasses. I was hoping that maybe you guys would be immune to it, but I'm guessing not?"

Toto ducked his head. "I can't say we've noticed any repeating days."

"Can't yer just, I dunno," Muta said, "pretend you've found the one?"

"Don't you think I've already tried? But no. 'The magic knows all, babe,'" Haru said, doing a surprisingly passable impression of the ex Cat King for one who had only met him twice in over a decade. "Apparently the spell has taken on a life of its own, and it'll only stop once I'm actually, y'know. In love."

"But that's impossible," Baron said.

"Well, you don't need to make me sound quite so hard-hearted."

"What I mean is love is a reciprocal thing," Baron added. "Love - real love - goes both ways. You cannot attain that in a day, and since any potential other half will be ignorant of the time loop-"

"They can't fall in love with me," Haru finished. "Not truly."

"I'm sorry."

"So that's it? I'm stuck? I'm just gonna be repeating the same day for eternity?"

"I don't suppose you've got any old flames hiding away?" Muta called.

"I have exes, but, you know, they're exes. I don't think I can overcome that in a 24 hour slot."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Miss Haru," Baron said. "Every spell can be broken, it's just about finding the right conditions."

"I feel like the conditions for this are pretty non-negotiable," Haru muttered.

"And now, with us remaining in the loop, we shall endeavour together to find those conditions." From the desk he pulled out a flat plastic square, with a metal compartment along one side. "I call it a Save Point."

Haru took the device. "A floppy disk?"

Baron beamed. "Only in appearance. It's magic, but I modelled its design after modern technology."

"Oh, Baron, a floppy disk isn't-"

"Don't bother, Chicky. I've been trying to drag him into the 21st Century for years."

"Right. And what does this Save Point do?"

"It will ensure that, upon the day repeating, all of us shall recall the previous iterations."

Haru looked at the not-floppy disk anew. "So it won't be just me and the two crazy cats in the know?"

"Nah," Muta said. "Now yer get four crazy cats and a chicken. Double the value."

"And," Baron continued, although Haru noted he didn't dispute Muta's remark, "we can make it so you begin every day here, instead of needing to commute from your home. That is, if you are happy with that arrangement, Miss Haru."

Haru smiled and took the proffered hand. "Sure."

After all, she had time to spare.

#day 5 time loop #tcr birthday bash 2025 #cat writes #this is the most normal collection of characters I've written for the bb #tomorrow is a duo (non ship) that I don't think I've ever written interacting #at least not just them alone

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catsafarithewriter · 11 days ago

Text

Birthday Bash 2025

Prompt 4 - Dandelions

'Is everyone ready?' asked Baron as he completed the final touches to the portal.

Both Muta and Haru nodded although the latter was twitching with anxiety and excitement. She still couldn't believe that they were allowing her to join them on Bureau cases.

'Now this should be a simple find and retrieve exercise.' continued the cat creation 'Nice and easy so we shouldn't come across any problems.'

'You have probably gone and jinxed us now Baron.' grumbled Muta.

Toto let out a caw from his column.

'Im sure everything will be fine and I'll keep an eye on things here.' he said.

Baron stepped back wiping his gloved hands together as the shimmering portal burst into life.

'Ladies first.' he smiled bowing slightly to Haru.

A blush flittered across her cheeks but she still stepped forward and prayed this time she wouldn't fall through the portal and land in an ungraceful heap as she had done many times before. Crossing through a portal was a strange experience. It was a feeling like silk caressing her skin but at the same time she would lose sense of balance as well as time and space. Haru was rather proud of herself when she only slightly stumbled out this time.

She walked a few steps away to allow space for her companions to cross into before looking up to take her first glance of the new world. Her eyes widened and a gasp left her mouth. A feeling washed over her. It was the same serene feeling she had felt the first time she had visited the Cat Kingdom but here instead of cat tails swaying in a gentle breeze there were row upon row of dandelions. They were at least twice the size of the ones at home and the majority of them at their 'clock' stage.

'Wow.' she murmured as she took in the view.

'What's the big deal?' muttered Muta coming up behind her 'It's just a bunch of weeds.'

'They aren't weeds!' protested Haru 'They're wishes!'

Muta snorted loudly at her.

'Don't be ridiculous.' he replied.

'Now, now Muta.' sighed Baron as he joined them.

'Why is it ridiculous?' asked Haru standing in front of Muta with her hands on her hips 'If people came make wishes on shooting stars or blowing out candles why not dandelions?'

Muta looked over her defensive stance and decided the best course of action was to do nothing.

Baron bent down and curiously picked one of the dandelions by its stem and brought it to his face for a closer look.

'So how do these grant wishes then Haru?' he asked.

She smiled relieved that at least one of them would cater to her whims.

'You need to choose one which is not in flower but has its seed head. It's known as a clock.' she explained removing the yellow flower from Baron's hands and replacing it with another she had picked which had a fluffy white head. ' You then make a wish in your mind, take a deep breath and attempt to blow all the seeds off the head in one breath. If all the seeds float away then it's said that your wish will come true.

'Oh really.' he murmured as he looked at every angle of the plant in fascination.

'Yup.' replied Haru as she chose two more and offered one to Muta.

He sighed before reluctantly taking it.

'Fine, fine.' he muttered 'I'll indulge you.'

Haru gave him a grin.

'Think of your wish carefully and when you're ready blow.' instructed Haru as she brought her own one to her lips.

She closed her eyes and took in a breath before slowly releasing it over the head. She opened her eyes as she watched the seeds detach and start to drift away as caught up in the gentle breeze. Once satisfied she turned to see how the others were doing. Muta seemed to be having issues with blowing a narrow stream of air and ended up making loud raspberry like sounds which made her giggle as the seeds shot off sporadically. Baron had his eyes closed and was taking his time as if it was the most important decision of his life. Eventually her opened his eyes and managed to follow Haru's instructions perfectly. Haru clapped her hands happily.

'So what did you wish for Haru?' he asked curiously.

'It's a secret.' she replied bringing a finger to her lips partially blocking her mischievous smile.

The smile was enough to cause Baron's heart to stutter.

'Hopefully it will come true.' she continued with a wistful sigh.

Baron looked out across the scene in front of him once again. If dandelion wishes were powerful enough he would happily take on the entire meadow to get what he wanted.

#tcr birthday bash 2025 #tcr ficlet #day 4 dandelion #ayyy i was hoping someone would go down the wishes route for this prompt #love the description of the world!

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