Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with a letter. One from the Center for Sentinel and Guide Services, British chapter.

As soon as Saguru saw the return address and official print of his name and title, he knew it was going to be trouble. So. Much. Trouble.

“I don’t understand,” Hattor—Heiji said as he put the letter down. “You sent the notification of our Match in, right? So why are they requesting your presence in England?”

Saguru frowned. “You did read the letter, right?”

“Yes, I did.” Heiji wrinkled his nose. “There were some uncommon words in there though. I couldn’t get enough context from the sentence to guess at what they mean.”

Ah, yes. The Center did like to use a more verbose language when sending out official statements or requests. And Hattori likely only had a practical understanding of English —for common use and crime scene-specific vocabulary. Saguru should have anticipated this.

“In summary, they are requesting my presence as a means of ensuring my safety and well-being as well as eliminating the possibility that a foreign government has taken my status as a non-citizen and coerced me into an unfavorable situation.”

“They think you’ve been kidnapped?” Heiji’s eyes went wide.

“Not in so defined terms,” Saguru said. When that failed to calm the less even-tempered boy, Saguru assured him. “It’s only a standard procedure when dealing with Matches that occur across country lines.”

“Standard procedure?” Heiji parroted. “You mean something like this has happened before? Someone was kidnapped?”

“I… never thought of it in that way before.” Saguru blinked at his oversight. “Though I suppose, in order for there to be rules and regulations against such a thing, it must have happened at least once.”

“Something tells me it was more than once,” Heiji grumbled before sighing loudly and flopping back in his seat. “So, when do we have to be there?”

We. Heiji and Saguru both of them. Saguru let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

He had hoped that he wouldn’t have to coax Heiji too hard to travel with him —given Heiji really wasn’t supposed to be more than 300m away from Saguru at any time, if Heiji didn’t want to go then Saguru would have been faced with the very real possibility that his homeland might come knocking on Japan’s door.

Well, that was one crisis he needn’t worry about.

“They have given us a week to reserve a flight out and make any arrangements with school for exams and missed work,” Saguru said. “I imagine I will do much of mine on the plane.”

“Yeesh, one week.” Heiji bared his teeth in a grimace. “Not a lot of time, huh?”

“I do believe it’s to keep people from running off.”

“In that case, it’s too much time.” Heiji gave a shrug. “I’ll call my parents and let them know what’s up. There is someone I want to meet up with before we go though, if you’re okay with that?”

“Of course,” Saguru agreed easily. Though Heiji didn’t say it, he was likely speaking of Toyama-chan, his childhood friend. Saguru wondered briefly if she was planning to skip school to ride the train or if they were planning to meet each other half way.

He was sure Heiji would let him know.

*             *             *             *             *

Heiji could almost feel Haku—Saguru’s shock and confusion when they stepped into the small café.

“Edogawa-kun,” Saguru stated. “We are here to meet Edogawa-kun.”

“You can just call him Conan-kun, you know,” Heiji noted as he meandered in. “Kids don’t care about the whole first-name-last-name thing.”

Saguru looked disgruntled. “Fine, but Conan-kun? Really?”

“What? I’m his detective sensei. He’s my apprentice,” Heiji emphasized as they came within earshot of his friend.

Ku—Conan gave a mighty glare at Heiji’s ingenious cover before flashing a boyish grin at Saguru. “Un! Hattori-nii-san is standing in for Shinichi-nii-san until he comes back. He’s not as good as Shinichi-nii-san, but he’ll do for now!”

Oh, that slimy little bastard! He knew exactly what he was saying!

“I’ll have you know that I’m way better than Kudou Shinichi,” Heiji boasted. “Last I checked, I have solved more cases than he did this year.”

Conan’s scowl was both fierce and adorable.

“Heiji, please. Picking a fight with a child is most unbecoming.” Saguru massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m going up for drinks. Would you like anything?”

“A Coke,” Heiji said.

Nectar of the gods.

“A Pepsi,” Conan requested.

Traitor.

“That seems like a lot of sugar,” Saguru said with concern. “Will Mouri-chan be okay with you drinking that?”

“It’s okay if it’s a kid’s drink!” Conan said emphatically.

“Hmm… if she gets mad, it was Hat—Heiji-san’s fault.”

“Okay!”

“Hey!”

Saguru chuckled at Heiji’s indignant cry before turning to approach the counter.

“So why did you really invite me here?” Conan asked, voice low. Heiji waited until Saguru was out of hearing range before replying.

“I have to go to London with Saguru this weekend,” Heiji grumbled to his friend. “He has to prove to the SG Center there that he’s actually in a Match situation and that he hasn’t been coerced by being a foreigner abroad.”

Conan looked up at Heiji, a look of contemplation on his face, and stared.

“What?” Heiji asked gruffly, not liking the way Conan was focused on him. It was Conan’s ‘murder deduction’ look. “What is it? What’s on your mind?”

“I am debating the pros and cons of stealing Hakuba from you,” Conan confided bluntly. His frown deepened slightly.

“... what?!” Heiji jerked up in his seat, full attention suddenly on Conan. “Why?!”

Conan gave him a deadpan look. “London is the home of Sherlock Holmes, the Greatest Detective of all time.”

Heiji should have known. Everything goes back to Holmes with this guy. Heiji rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat again. “And? What’s the cons?”

“Telling Hakuba about ’me’ to start off with, getting him to believe me is a close following point.” Conan rested his chin on his knuckles in thought. “Doing so could put him in danger with the Black Organization. Then there’s the fact that you would be left without a Guide again. KID might fill in, but… you also might be incompatible.”

Glad it wasn’t just cons to Conan personally the kid was thinking about. “And the pros?”

“I get to go to London.” Conan stared at Heiji like it was obvious. “Multiple times.”

Heiji raised an eyebrow, waiting for more pros. When nothing else came, he frowned at the kid, annoyed. “That’s it?”

“It’s a very good pro,” Conan said, settling more fully in his seat. “Practically outweighs all the cons on its own.”

“It—what?!” Heiji sputtered. Honestly, he had to wonder about his friend’s priorities sometimes.

“Relax.” Conan waved him off. “I’m not gonna. I was just weighing up for… educational purposes.”

“Educational, right,” Heiji scoffed, resting his chin solidly in his palm. “Like you could actually steal Saguru way from me.”

“... Let’s ask him.” Conan grinned, gaze directed over Heiji’s shoulder. “Hakuba-nii-san!”

The blonde, who had been returning to their table, paused mid-step, then continued their way. “Yes, Conan-kun?”

“I was wondering!” Conan sat on his knees, the picture of excited child. “If you had to choose between Hattori-nii-san and Shinichi-nii-san, to Bond, which would you choose?”

“Heiji-san,” Saguru replied as he took his seat. Heiji had half a second to flash Conan a victorious grin before the blonde continued. “After all, Kudou-san is not a Sentinel, so we couldn’t Bond like Heiji-san and I can.”

“Okay, but if Shinichi-nii-san was a Sentinel…?”

“Then Kudou-san,” Saguru replied to an outraged squawk from Heiji.

“What?!” Heiji yelled over Conan’s cackles. “Why him!?”

“Well, Kudou-san is a fairly intelligent individual, well-mannered and strong willed,” Saguru listed into his tea.

“I’m all those things too!” Heiji protested, snapping a glare at Conan as the boy laughed again. “I can be well-mannered!”

Saguru shot him a look that said he very much doubted that.

“I can!” Heiji hissed. “That’s not the main reason anyway! You wouldn’t look me in the eyes when you listed those off. There’s something else.”

“No, it’s… well, it’s not… big, just…” Saguru looked down at his fidgeting thumbs. “Kudou-san would have liked London. I’ve heard he liked Holmes just as much as I do.”

Beaten out by Holmes.

“You two are unbelievable.” Heiji deflated in his seat as Conan began to cackle again.

“I can’t help the truth,” Saguru muttered regretfully. “I did come to Japan to see Kudou-san after all.”

Conan stopped laughing, a panicked expression usurping the glee. So, he had had no idea either.

“I thought you came for KID.” Heiji frowned.

“KID was the main goal,” Saguru agreed. “But I had wanted to meet Kudou-san and challenge him to a battle of wits. He was titled Heisei Holmes after all. I had to test his mettle and see if he was truly worthy of the title.”

“Huh, that’s kinda like how I first met him,” Heiji mused. “I came all the way form Osaka to challenge the Detective of the West. I had to make sure he was worthy to be my rival.”

“And?” Saguru asked, an excited light in his eyes.

“He beat me to the deduction, that’s for sure.” Heiji looked over to Cona. “He taught me the difference between solving cases and being a detective. Completely changed my way of thinking.”

Conan stared back with confusion on his face.

Oh, right, the guy had been running a fever of 102 and high off alcohol and pain meds. Figures he wouldn’t remember the defining point of Heiji’s detective career.

“He sounds like he was a very impressionable individual,” Saguru commented, making Heiji turn his gaze back to the blonde. “I would have liked to have met him.”

“You’re talking like he’s dead,” Heiji muttered.

Saguru looked up in surprise. “Isn’t he? I heard that he hasn’t been seen in person for months. He used to have a huge public image. For him to just up and go dark, I thought…”

“Nah, I’ve seen ‘em,” Heiji said, though he pitched his voice lower at a warning glare from Conan. “He’s on a big case though, dangerously big. He’s gone completely underground. Only his family and close friends are allowed to meet up with him.”

“But… you didn’t know him before he took the case, right?” Saguru asked, equally as lowly. “Then how do you know him?”

“... Ran into him when he was visiting his childhood friend,” Heiji said after careful thought. “We’ve kept in touch via phones. If he needs help on something, he sometimes calls me. Most of the time, it’s silent on his end.”

“Hmm…” Saguru scanned the restaurant around them for eavesdroppers before leaning over to speak in Heiji’s ear. “Is he the one you’re protecting?”

Heiji realized with a start just how close he’d bene to spilling the whole tale. At the hard look from Conan, he felt the same. Heiji had grown too comfortable with this secret between them, far too comfortable.

“I think it’s time to go,” Heiji said, standing abruptly. Conan followed as quickly, leaving Saguru looking between them, lost. “Come on! I bet your ‘Nee-chan is waiting for you, huh?”

“Yeah, she’s making my favorite for dinner tonight.” Conan grinned brightly.

“Ah! Wait up!” Saguru scrambled after them, having paid for their drinks.

“Bye, Hakuba-nii-san, Hattori-nii-san!” Conan called, waving as he ran off. “Be safe in London!”

“Have a safe walk home!” Saguru called back with a wave of his own. Then he turned sharp eyes onto Heiji. “What was that about?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Heiji said, turning away. “Let’s go home.”

“When is later?” Saguru pressed, hurrying to keep up.

Heiji didn’t answer.

Saguru didn’t ask again.

Chapter Text

Unlike what Heiji was surely thinking, Saguru hadn’t forgotten about their conversation at the café, nor the lack of answer to Saguru’s last question. Or rather, lack of verbal answer.

Heiji’s abrupt end to the conversation might as well have been an answer in and of itself. If Saguru was wrong, Heiji would have told him as much. Eliminating one person from the group of possible protectees wouldn’t cause any panic. But revealing that person or even lying about the potential would.

So Saguru was pretty confident in his deduction of Kudou Shinichi being the one Heiji was protecting. The question now, was why?

It was possible that Kudou had gotten in over his head with the case Heiji mentioned, but Saguru doubted that Heiji would sit still in Tokyo if his friend-slash-rival needed physical help. And that wouldn’t explain Heiji’s reluctance to tell Saguru, even mentally where they couldn’t easily be overheard.

Was it possible that even knowing what was going on would put Kudou in danger? If that were the case, Saguru couldn’t think of many situations that fit those parameters other than an undercover investigation of some sort.

…Could that be it?

It would explain why Kudou was no longer making the news. If he had to keep a low profile in order to make infiltration easier, blasting his name and face all over the TV and radio waves would make that impossible.

Though, for as well know as he was, suddenly disappearing did come with some repercussions, the most prominent of which was being assumed dead.

Perhaps that was what he wanted? To make sure that nothing he did would link back to his true identity? If that were the case, undercover work was the most likely answer… that or witness protection.

And since most government agencies didn’t put untrained minors into undercover situations, chances were high that Kudou was in hiding for his own safety. The question was why?

What did he see that pushed him to go to such lengths? And why, if he was hiding so well, did he go meet with his childhood friend and risk her life in the crossfire? Multiple times, if Heiji’s story was anything to go by.

No, something wasn’t quite right. Saguru was missing something. The logical fallacy kept him up late into the nights and distracted during the day.

It was a welcome relief after eliminating Kuroba as a possible KID suspect. The other teen would smirk at him throughout the day, making Saguru wish to accuse him all over again. But the facts didn’t add up, not in any way that wouldn’t lead to him tearing his hair out in frustration.

No, it was much better to ponder the mystery that was Kudou Shinichi’s disappearance form public view than get on the trail of KID again.

At least with Kudou, he had a lot more room to hypothesize.

A mental exercise that entertained him right up to the day of his England-bound flight with Heiji.

Baya-san had already packed everything for him, Heiji stubbornly packing his own things ‘without help’. After a long night up, they loaded up the car and headed to their red-eye flight.

“You’ve been real quiet lately,” Heiji noted. “You’re not coming down with something, are ya?”

“No, just have a lot on my mind,” Saguru assured him. It wasn’t quite a lie, but he also couldn’t go around telling Heiji the truth. The other teen had asked Saguru not to pry, so if Saguru couldn’t accomplish that, the least he could do was not bring it up.

“You know, thinking would probably be a lot easier if you got a decent night’s sleep.” Heiji pouted at the window.

“Heiji, you’ve seen me early in the morning,” Saguru pointed out. “Do you really think we would have been able to make our flight if I had slept?”

Heiji pulled a face at the thought. “Yeah, okay, you have a point. Gonna sleep on the way over then?”

Saguru managed to keep from wincing openly. “Plane rides are not exactly… relaxing for me.”

“You scared of heights or something?” Heiji’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

“Not really.” Saguru shook his head. “Just… it’s a bit too noisy to sleep.”

“Ah, I know what you mean.” Heiji grimaced. “As soon as the bullet train was up and running, I switched over to that instead of planes. It’s a bit more quiet and a hell of a lot cheaper too.”

Saguru doubted that the train was quieter, if only because Sentinels and Guides had a different definition of the word ‘quiet’.

But Saguru wasn’t about to start splitting hairs. Not on something so inconsequential.

“Young Masters, we have arrived,” his governess called from the driver’s seat.

The car had pulled to a stop at the drop-off lane. People were already getting out and grabbing luggage while other cars started to pull away or pull in. As early as it was, there were far more people than Saguru had expected, but far less than he’d feared.

“Thank you, Baya-san,” Heiji said, then turned to his companion. “Ready?”

“Yes, just let me…” Saguru muttered as he dug through his bag. His pill bottle rattled when he grasped it, making him wince. Hopefully it was quiet enough to pass under Heiji’s attention.  Unfortunately, he was out of luck. When Saguru reached for his water bottle, Heiji caught his wrist. “Heiji-san?”

“What are the pills for?” Heiji asked, a suspicion tone in his voice.

“They aren’t anything. Not really.” Saguru frowned. “Just something to make the flight easier.”

Heiji frowned and reached for the Saguru’s other hand. He gently, but firmly coaxed it out, pill bottle and all. Malten-A the label read, a common Guide suppression drug. Saguru’s prescription.

“You see?” Saguru scowled at him. “It’s not any different from your Senes. Places like airports just require a little more… barrier between them and myself.”

Heiji shot him a very unimpressed look. “Really?”

“What?” Saguru asked, shoulders drawing up to his ears.

“You don’t need these,” Heiji said bluntly. “This is what Sentinels are for.”

“But… we aren’t Bonded.” Saguru tucked his chin down, though his eyes remained on Heiji.

Heiji rolled his eyes. “Get out of the car, Saguru. If it gets too much, you can take them, but as least try to trust me first.”

Saguru stared after him as Heiji got out, then slowly put the pills back into his bag.

Trust him. Right. This was what Guides and Sentinels did.

Saguru looked out his window to the crowded airport and forced himself to take a deep breath.

He pushed his door open and stepped out…

Into a wave of anxiety and apprehension and am I at the right terminal? Did they put my luggage on the right flight? What do you mean the plane is delayed?!

Even not being a specialized Empath, the emotional residue coated his mental shields. An ache started to form behind his eyes.

His hands tightened on his bag.

“Oi!” Saguru started at the very physical voice. Heiji stood on the curb, his duffle and Saguru’s luggage already in hand. A tan hand stretched out to him. “You coming?”

Saguru clutched his bag closer to himself.

“Saguru,” Heiji called again, eyes fierce. “It’ll be okay.”

Saguru forced his lungs to inhale, then exhale again, before he reached out and grasped the other’s hand. Almost immediately, there was a tug —it was the only word he could use to describe it. It was soft and quiet and mental —oh.

“I thought… you said…” Saguru frowned.

Heiji glared at the doors to the airport. “Now if fine. Just… don’t go touching anything, all right?”

Saguru didn’t respond, instead letting the world fade a little as Heiji led them forward. His feet followed, but his mind was on the spiky shield that was Heiji’s mentality —the one that now had a small hole in its defenses. 

A Saguru-shaped hole.

He prodded carefully, not wanting to move too fast, but found the quiet that lay beyond too enticing. The suffocating feelings of the populations of the airport thinned until Saguru could breathe again. He almost felt normal, Neutral. It was weird. Even more weird was…

“Is your mind always this quiet?” Saguru asked as they got in line to the ticket counter. He felt a spark of annoyance bright and hot and gone by the time Heiji looked over to scowl at him.

No. “No,” Heiji replied, mental and physical voices slightly out of sync. It’s “It’s not.”

“Name, please?” the attendant asked, helping them with their tickets and luggage. Once Saguru’s luggage was checked and Heiji’s cleared for the overload compartment, they were on their way towards security.

“Then how is it so quiet?” Saguru asked, beyond curious. “And why?”

Lots “Lots of practice with Kazuha,” Heiji replied as they made their way through the line. And “And what’s the point of getting rid of external noise if you get internal noise?”

They paused at the security guard, handing over their passports. The agent looked at Heiji’s first, eyes catching on the 5S listed next to his other information. Her eyes flicked up warily. “Sir, this says you are currently unBonded. Do you have preparations made?”

Treated like a freaking child. I “I have him with me.” Heiji lifted their joined hands. Oh, right, Saguru hadn’t let go since they first walked in. The agent looked at Saguru, then his passport. Spying the AG next to his information, she nodded and waved them though.

“That happens to you too?” Saguru asked as he slipped off his shoes and put them in a bin with his bag. He sent the bin down towards the X-ray machine.

More “More than I’d like,” Heiji confided as he did the same. It’s “It’s so annoying, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely,” Saguru agreed whole-heartedly. What did people expect him to do? Have a nervous breakdown on the plane? Saguru was tempted to do just that to spite of them.

I “I heard that.” Heiji narrowed his eyes, but he had a smile playing at his lips, full of comradery. They had to let go to get through the metal detector. Their connection shook when they let go, but Saguru was able to keep steady. A physical anchor wasn’t necessary for stability, but it was nice.

On the other side, they put their shoes back on, did up their belts and grabbed Heiji’s duffle from the line. Then they headed to their concourse, hands joined again at some point in between.

“We’re in terminal A for international flights,” Saguru rattled off by habit. He had flown off and on so often that he knew his way around the airport.

We’ve “We’ve still got two hours to wait around for our flight!” Heiji complained, irritation a prickle at Saguru’s neck. Why’d “Why’d we get here so early?”

“In case something came up or there was a lone line at security,” Saguru replied. “It’s always better to arrive early to these kinds of things.”

I’ve “I’ve never been more than a half hour early to a flight,” Heiji grumbled. And “And I still made it to Tokyo from Osaka and back just fine!”

“Well, look at it this way.” Saguru tugged him by the arm, taking his turn to lead the way. “We have time to eat before the flight.”

Now “Now you’re speaking my language!” Heiji grinned as something like soap suds bubbled up from Saguru’s stomach, ticklish and giddy.

The meal took an hour, leaving another hour for them to burn afterwards. Saguru opted to check out a book store and find the newest Detective Samonji’s release.

I haven’t read that one yet. Saguru blinked, looking over to see Heiji looking at the same book.

“Want to read it after me?” Saguru offered. Heiji startled, then looked embarrassed, as if he hadn’t meant for Saguru to hear that thought.

If “If you don’t mind.” Heiji scratched his chin. Just “Just don’t ruin the end for me, okay?”

“Deal.” The two made their purchase and found a place at their terminal to sit. Saguru cracked open the book to the first page, eager for the new installment.

Chapter Text

Saguru quicky lost himself in the newest Detective Samonji book as characters were introduced and the scene was laid out. They had just opened the door to the murder location when Heiji spoke.

It’s “It’s the second cousin,” Heiji said, eyes stared at the ceiling.

Saguru blinked, suddenly drawn out of his reading haze. “I’m sorry?”

The “The culprit. It’s the second cousin.”

Saguru frowned, because he was pretty sure Heiji hadn’t been reading over his shoulder, so he should have no idea who the characters were…

I can “I can hear you here.” Heiji tapped at his temple. In “In my head. It’s kind of like an audio book.”

Saguru flushed at the implications, embarrassed that he hadn’t noticed what he’d been doing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to Project.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Saves on reading time.” Heiji gave a shrug. “Plus, you have cool voices for the characters.”

Oh.

Well… that was kind of flattering. But still…

“I haven’t even gotten to the description of the crime scene,” Saguru stated, a little miffed at the other’s jump to conclusions. “You can’t possibly know who did it.”

“I do. Don’t know how they did it yet, but I know who.” Heiji grinned. “Just keep reading and see.”

Saguru pursed his lips but turned back to the novel. He wanted to prove Heiji wrong, but he didn’t have enough evidence yet. He would have to pay attention as he read.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was the echo of a laugh. He ignored it.

Boarding was called before he had finished, so he packed up and followed Heiji into line. There wasn’t enough time to shake off his reading daze before he was in his seat, nose in the book again. Heiji finished shoving his bag into the overhead compartment, then crowded into the seat next to him.

“Second cousin and the antique tea set,” Heiji stated, to which Saguru glared. Heiji just bared his teeth in a grin. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, you’re thinking the same thing!”

“I have suspicions of that, but the butler and family friend are also suspect,” Saguru hissed. “I will not settle on one deduction until I have all of the evidence.”

“… I’m gonna say I told you so,” Heiji warned. “When you get to the deduction reveal.”

“You will say it only if you are correct.” Saguru frowned harder at the book.

“I’m gonna say it ‘cause I am right,” Heiji concluded instead. It took a not insignificant amount of effort to keep form making a face, but Saguru succeeded. He was challenged when Heiji slipped Saguru’s hand into his, but the sudden quiet that prevailed after threw him off. Saguru hadn’t even realized he’d started to lose the connection between them. How did Heiji…?

He flashed the other a look.

It took a second for the other to catch it but Heiji only gave a shrug. “You looked tense.”

And if Saguru was starting to feel the subconscious emotions of those around him, he understood why.

As he’d said before, planes weren’t the most relaxing of places to be. Especially for Guides that could feel the impatience of those waiting for take-off, excitement of those flying for the first time, and fear of those who would have chosen any other mode of transportation if they could.

If he could liken it to anything physical, it was a bit like walking past the perfume counter, or standing squarely between three different genres of bands all playing at the same time. Headache inducing at the bare minimum.

Even with Malten-A, it was a trial. Having Heiji here was better, by far and beyond.

That didn’t mean he appreciated it when, one hour into their flight, Saguru finished the book to a beaming Heiji’s glee.

“I told you so.”

Saguru hated that he was right.

*             *             *             *             *

“Finally! Land!” Heiji cheered as he and Saguru strolled out of the arrivals.

“Oh please, it wasn’t that bad,” Saguru commented snootily as he tugged Heiji towards baggage claim.

“Oh, excuse me, Mr. Cross-Continental,” Heiji grumbled. “Some of us aren’t used to more than two hours of flying at a time!”

Heiji paused at the looks he was getting and realized he was still speaking Japanese. A little self-conscious, he switched over to English. “So where is our… uh… hotel? We taking a taxi there?”

“My house isn’t too far away and Mother should have sent a car to pick us up,” Saguru imitated the switch of languages flawlessly, his words coming out a lot smoother than Heiji’s. The Osakan didn’t know whether to be annoyed, reluctantly impressed or whether to keep asking questions just to get Saguru to talk more.

Then the other’s words caught up to him.

“Wait.” Heiji gave an insistent tug on the joined hands between them. “Your house? Sending a car? And the mansion back in Japan… are you actually someone important?!”

“Not particularly,” Saguru replied vaguely. “Oh, I see my bag.”

Heiji let the coward run off through the crowd, knowing that he’d have to come back once he’d grabbed his bag. Scanning the area, his eyes landed on a refined older man in a black tux, holding a sign. It read ‘Young Master Saguru Hakuba.’

“Not important my ass!” Heiji muttered under his breath as Saguru came up to him, bag in hand.

His other hand slipped into Heiji’s again as he looked to where Heiji’s gaze was directed. “Ah! I see you found Jeeves! Good eye.”

A butler.

Named Jeeves.

What was Heiji’s life?

Wait, no. What was Saguru’s life?

“Okay, I’m gonna tell you what I told Kudou,” Heiji started gruffly. “Having a mansion for a house is not normal.”

Saguru frowned. “I told you, it’s not a—!”

“Having a second house in another country is not normal,” Heiji continued down his list of offenses. “Having a butler that is sent out to pick you up from the airport is not normal.”

Saguru pursed his lips (a pout. It was totally a pout) and Jeeves gave Heiji a sharp look at his tone.

Heiji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not trying to be mean. I just don’t want to be surprised and mess something up. Like, what if I go in with certain expectations and I say something wrong? I don’t want to make you look bad.”

Behind him, Jeeves’ hard expression softened, but Saguru just rolled his eyes. “You can’t say anything wrong. At least, not where my mother is concerned.”

“Mother?!” Heiji squeaked. He coughed to clear his throat and the surprise from his face. “You didn’t tell me I was meeting your mom! I would have packed something nice to wear!”

“Trust me, you’ll be fine.” Saguru grimaced and handed Jeeves his luggage. The butler took it, then snatched Heiji’s duffle bag before he could protest and put both in the truck of the car.

“As for my being ‘not normal’ as you put it…” Saguru gave the area a quick glance before motioning Heiji forwards. Stomach full of trepidation, Heiji leaned in to allow Saguru to whisper in his ear.

He immediately choked on his own spit.

“You—! You—! You—!” Heiji sputtered frantically.

“Mr. Hattori, it is most unbecoming to stutter like this,” Saguru’s butler (butler!) commented as he held the door open for Saguru.

“Thank you, Jeeves.” Saguru gave the man a polite smile before gracefully sliding in.

Heiji stood there for a moment, slack-jawed before a polite cough from the gentleman sprung him into action. His scramble into the car was in no way, shape, or form, graceful.

“You’re telling me that…” Heiji waited until the door closed behind him before covertly hissing. “That you’re basically royalty?”

“Oh, I’m nowhere near that.” Saguru waved him off. “Some three-hundred people would need to die first and even then; I’d likely be passed over due to my half-foreign heritage in favor of a purer blood.”

“But still!” Heiji argued almost desperately. He had had no idea that Saguru was that important!

Sure, he was rich, but so was Kudou. And Kudou wasn’t some blue-blooded heir. All he’d had was a famous actress for a mom and a famous author for a dad! Saguru…

Saguru was in a whole ‘nother league.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” Saguru said through gritted teeth. “You’re going to treat me different now that you know. Everyone does.”

“Like hell I will!” Heiji hissed. “I’ll still treat you like the snobby, rich genius you are! So long as I don’t get executed for it… I won’t get executed or anything, right?”

“Er, no.” Saguru coughed (that was a laugh. Definitely a laugh). “No, you should be fine.”

“Then we only have one problem,” Heiji decided.

Saguru blinked. “We do?”

“I only packed jeans and T-shirts,” Heiji deadpanned. “That isn’t nice enough for royalty, let alone your mom, who I just now found out I’m meeting!”

“If you had just let Baya-san pack your bag, this wouldn’t be an issue.” Saguru let out a long-suffering sigh. Then he frowned. “Wait, did you just imply that meeting my mother is more important than meeting royalty?”

“Royalty can only kill me. Mother-in-laws can make my life a living hell.”

“I… I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“I’m from a democratic country. I can say things like that.”

“No, that’s… that’s not a good excuse!”

From the rearview mirror, Jeeves watched on. If Heiji looked out of the corner of his eye at just the right second, he might have seen the man smile too.

“It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact.”

“That’s not—! Enough.” Saguru shook his head in defeat. “There’s no use fighting. We don’t have time to stop anywhere on the way. Mother is waiting and I will not allow us to be delayed.”

Sometimes, Heiji hated that Saguru kept a pocket watch on him. Today was one of those days.

“Baya-san likely knew this would happen and packed extra cloths in my luggage. It was about twice the size I normally take.”

“Wait, she knew this would happen?” Heiji drew back. “Can she see the future?”

“No, just… this may have happened more than once,” Saguru said quietly.

“Which part, the not telling or the forgetting to mention?”

“… Yes,” Saguru answered, cheeks reddening.

Oh?

Heiji couldn’t help a Chesire grin. Before he could comment though, Saguru cut in. “That doesn’t matter. Just know that we have clothes on hand.”

“All I need is ten seconds and a bathroom.” Heiji nodded, composure turning serious again.

“Too late,” Saguru said. “We’re already here.”

“Wha—?!” Heiji whipped around to the window, gawking at the mansion (two mansions, in two different countries). “When did that happen?!”

“We were only going to our London villa,” Saguru said, as if to make matters better. “The drive would have been less than fifteen minutes.”

Heiji stared at him for a long moment. “Did you just say… London villa? As in… you have more than one villa in England?”

Saguru gave him a pointed look. “Heiji.”

“Right! Yes! Sorry! Freak out about that later.” Heiji nodded emphatically. The door behind him opened, revealing a very amused looking butler standing at attention. “Yo! Jeeves, my man! You have a garden shed or something I can borrow?”

“… Right this way sir.”

Chapter Text

Heiji changed in the garden shed.

Heiji used a garden shed as a changing room.

In a garden shed, Heiji had stripped down, switched clothes, and redressed.

This was the man Saguru was introducing to his mother? This was the Sentinel that Saguru was planning to Bond? This was ridiculous!

And Jeeves was the one to lead him to the shed!

What was Saguru’s life coming to?!

“So, the clothes Baya-san packed don’t quite fit, but I think I can make them work,” Heiji said as he came out of the shed. “What do you think?”

Saguru turned around and observed.

Heiji was right, the clothes didn’t fit him like a proper set would. Likely, they were some spares of Saguru’s that he hadn’t worn in a while. It meant that the sleeves were a bit too long as well as the pant legs and shirt hem. Nothing much could be don’t for the pants, but for the polo shirt…

“Tuck the shirt in and fold up your sleeves. Make it look purposeful,” Saguru advised. “We might be able to make you passable.”

“Yes, ‘passable’,” Heiji drawled while he did as instructed. “What every guy wants to hear.”

Saguru stared at him. “You changed in a garden shed.”

“And you have a butler named Jeeves,” Heiji countered nonsensically. They stared each other down until said butler cleared his throat.

Saguru sighed and twirled his finger. “Turn around. I need to check the shoulders.”

Heiji rolled his eyes and turned in the same motion. Saguru leaned back and gave an appraising look. The shoulders were a bit too large on Heiji, giving it a bit of a draped look, but his biceps filled out the arms, keeping it from appearing too large.

Actually, it almost looked a bit tight on him. Saguru hadn’t realized how much more muscle the other had. Same with the thighs and his…

Saguru realized where his mind was leading and flushed. He cleared his throat nervously and looked away. “It’ll do.”

“It’ll do,” Heiji parroted. “Wow, really know how to boost a guy’s confidence.”

“Fine. It looks good,” Saguru corrected himself. “Happy?”

“I’ll take it.” Heiji beamed and fiddled with his sleeves.

“Are you going to do anything with your hair?”

“I wear a hat, like, 24/7. There is no saving it.”

Let it never be said that Heiji couldn’t recognize a lost cause when he saw one.

Saguru checked his watch and frowned. Technically, they were two minutes late, though he knew his mother wouldn’t mind. She was… well, his mother after all. Still, he liked to be on time when possible.

“Okay, now that I’m all fixed up, let’s go!” Heiji headed straight to the doors, only to falter when he reached for the handle. “We can just walk in, right? There’s no, like… procedure we have to follow, right?”

Before Saguru could answer, the door swung open. “Ana, wait! There are people—!”

“Oh!” the woman at the door exclaimed in surprise. “My apologies! I didn’t see you there!”

“This was why I told you to wait!” The woman behind her gave a tired sigh. “You’re always like this! Just rushing in without thinking of the consequences.”

“Because I know my darling sister will always get me out of trouble!” the first replied cheekily.

“… I supposed it is my fault for spoiling you.” The second closed her eyes as if to pray for strength. Then she turned her focus on Heiji. “I do apologize for my sister. Are you quite all right?”

“Uh…” Heiji’s gaze whipped to Saguru, naked panic in his eyes.

Saguru didn’t even think before coming to his Sentinels’ rescue. “There was no harm done, Lady Rosemary. My friend here was merely startled by Lady Roseana’s entrance… or exit as the case may be.”

“Oh, Lord Samuel!” The second sister focused on him. “Your mother had just told us you would be fixating. I am pleased to see you return safely.”

Her greeting was accompanied by a gentle, albeit haggard mental brush, as was customary of Guides that knew each other well. Saguru returned it, only just remembering to temper his response. Lady Rosemary still gave a wince and pressed a delicate hand to her temple, the response too much for her taxed mind. She really should take a vacation or at least allow herself a night in to relax.

“Indeed, I am pleased my trip went well,” Saguru replied. “I’m sure my mother will be most excited to see me.”

“Oh absolutely!” Lady Roseana beamed at him, even as she took a covert step towards her sister. “We just left her in the parlor room. The pink one.”

“I take it tea time is over then?” He gave them a disappointed look. “I do regret having missed you. I hope we will be able to catch up before my return flight.”

“I have no doubts we will.” Lady Rosemary gave a wane smile. “But we really must be off. We are to meet with a Duke at three and you know how they like to be kept waiting.”

As in, not at all.

“Another time then.” Saguru stepped to the side and subtly tugged Heiji back to do the same. “Safe travels you two!”

The two women waved before sliding into a car that had just appeared. In no time at all, they were out the gates and down the road. Saguru let out a low breath and let his shoulders sag.

“… What the fuck?” Heiji blinked. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Talk to girls in…” Heiji gestured. “Dresses.”

Saguru stared at him for a long moment. “Does Toyama-chan not wear dresses? Or Mouri-chan or Suzuki-chan?”

Heiji made a face. “Well, yeah, but Kazuha is Kazuha and others… they don’t talk like that.”

“What? Properly?”

“Yeah.”

“There really isn’t all that much to it.” Saguru straightened his collar and tie. “I’ve just had practice.”

Heiji grimaced. “Am I gonna have to talk like that?”

“Nobles know that commoners do not take the same amount of care in niceties as they do,” Saguru said strategically.

“In other words, ‘no, but they’ll think I’m a peasant.’” Heiji looked highly disgruntled.

“If it helps,” Saguru added. “My mother won’t mind.”

Heiji gave him a dubious look. “Uh-huh.”

Saguru sighed. “Just… trust me. Once you meet her, you’ll understand.”

The dubious look did not let up, not as Saguru led them through the house and not as they came upon the parlor room decorated with tasteful pink accents. There, his mother sat, enjoying the last of her tea as Maria, the maid, stood to the side to collect her tea set. As soon as his mother spotted him, she leapt to her feet with a big grin on her face.

“Samuel! You’re home!” She waited no time in throwing herself at him, completely ruining the image of a proper Viscountess she had exuded mere seconds ago.

“Sam-ru-eru?” Heiji repeated —or at least attempted to. His tongue didn’t quite flow with the sounds that Japanese, as a language, didn’t have.

“Please, Saguru is fine,” Saguru told him. “I chose a Japanese name to go by specifically for this reason.”

Heiji thought for a second, then gave a shrug.

“And this must be your Sentinel!” His mother let him go in order to swoop over to Heiji, eyes sparkling.

“Hattori Heiji —er… Heiji Hattori.” Heiji bowed, straightened half-way through to offered his hand before pulling it back to bow again, unable to make up his mind. “Please to meet you, Ma’am —uh, Lady? Er…”

“Oh, he’s darling!” she exclaimed with glee. Without warning, she grabbed Heiji by the shoulders and dragged him into a slightly suffocating hug. “Adorable! Absolutely adorable! You picked a good one here, Samuel!”

“Mother, please,” Saguru said, exasperated.

“Oh, boo! You’re no fun.” She pouted, but let Heiji go.

Heiji straightened immediately, trying to fix his shirt and hair. “… Did she just boo you?”

Saguru treated him to a particularly pained look.

“And Heiji, dear? No need to worry about formalities.” She beamed and clapped her hands together. “Just call me Mum!”

“Mum?” Heiji blinked. “Not mother? Or Lady… uh?”

“Amelia Wilten, Viscountess of Wiltenshire,” Saguru finished for him. “In a formal setting, I would advise calling her Lady Amelia unless others have also dropped their titles. I don’t expect us to be in many formal settings during our stay, but it is a good rule of thumb.”

“But only when other snobby nobles are around,” Mother impressed. “Otherwise, it’s ‘Mum’ to you.”

“But Saguru calls you ‘Mother’?” Heiji hesitantly pointed out.

“Oh, that’s only been in the last few years! Before that, it was ‘Mum’ this and ‘Mum’ that —and when he was young, it was Mummy!” She put a hand to her cheek, as if to wipe away tears. “Oh, how I miss those days!”

Heiji stared for a moment before looking at Saguru and deadpanning. “You got your seriousness from your father, I see.”

He didn’t know the half of it.

“Why don’t you call me Mummy anymore?” she demanded. “You should go back to that.”

He refused. Because if he stressed ‘Mum, please’ like he did ‘Mother, please’, it would come out whiny rather than exasperated. And Hakuba Saguru did not whine. Not that he’d tell her that reasoning. It would just make her antagonize him even more.

“Mother, we are quite tired after our flight. Has the room been prepared?”

“Yes, I had the maids see to them this morning.” She paused and turned her full attention on him. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘room’? Singular?”

Saguru realized his mistake too late.

“Oooh!” she cooed. “Scandalous!”

His face flushed in embarrassment. “Mother!”

She chortled loudly and waved them off. “Maria will show you the way and help you unpack. Heiji-dear, if you have any questions or trouble finding anything, let one of the staff know. They’ll help with whatever you need.”

“Thank you!” Heiji called back as they left the room.

Then there was blissful quiet. The first meeting between she mother and his Sentinel was over. He had survived.

“… You should call her ‘Mum’,” Heiji said.

Saguru may have spoken too soon.

*             *             *             *             *

After unpacking, they had a light meal, just enough to keep their stomachs from rumbling at them, then went about their night routine.

Though it was still early afternoon when they landed in England, it was already long past their typical turn in time on the Japanese clock. That and Saguru had been awake for going on 36 hours now. He was more than ready to close the heavy drapes and go to bed. However, when he came out of the bathroom dressed in his nightshirt, it was to Heiji sitting up in bed, legs crossed, rather than under the sheets like usual.

Seeing the thoughtful look on the other’s face, he couldn’t help a question. “Is everything all right? Something on your mind?”

“Nah, everything’s fine, just…” Heiji wrinkled his nose. “Those ladies we bumped into…”

“You mean the Morrell sisters?” Hakuba asked. “They are heirs to the Viscounty of Morleston and graduated from the Beaumont School of Young Women where they were known as the Roses of Beaumont. Did something pique your interest?”

“One of them was a Guide, right?” Heiji frowned.

Saguru’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “The older one, Rosemary, yes. I was unaware that Sentinels could pick up on that.”

“Most times we can’t.” Heiji pursed his lips. “Is she doing okay?”

“She’s been tired lately, but she has always lacked energy, unlike her younger sister. She does tend to push herself more than she should, but her sister is usually able to force her to take a break before it gets too bad,” Saguru trailed off, worry from their brief greeting lingering in his mind. “Why?”

Heiji remained quiet for a long time before shaking his head and dropping the tension Saguru didn’t realize he’d had. “It’s nothing. I thought it was something, but… nah. Forget it.”

Saguru frowned. It was unlike Heiji to second-guess himself like this and when it came to Guides, a Sentinel’s instincts were usually second to none. But surely Rosemary’s Sentinel would have said something if that were the case. After all, they had been Bonded for several months now.

Still, Heiji’s suspicion caused worry to settle in his gut, something that would surely keep him awake long into the night.

Or, so he thought.

But as soon as his head hit the pillow, Saguru was out.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Heiji woke up in the middle of the night, with nothing but the sounds of a city at 3 am to greet him.

Saguru seemed to still be out cold, but Heiji’s internal clock was registering way past breakfast for him. He debated getting up, but with his luck, one of the help would see him up and about and decide he was up to no good.

No, best to stay in their room, at least until the Lady of the House was up and about.

And wasn’t that a weird thought?

Saguru (sorry, Samuel), being royalty.

Yeah, Heiji knew the guy was in a league of his own, but he hadn’t expected a gold-gilded league. Should Heiji even be here?

No, stop. Saguru (Samuel) didn’t want to make a big deal out of it! And he’s the one that chose Heiji. He’s the one that offered to Bond with him. Maybe they would find out they’re incompatible and decide not to Bond, but it wouldn’t be because of something like this.

Besides, that was what Matching was for.

Yeah, it was to keep Sentinels from going into a Fugue while they determine if they are a match, but it’s also a bit of getting to know each other. If Bonding is like marriage, then Matching is like dating.

Just, you know… not always with the kissing and holding hands thing.

Except they definitely held hands yesterday, almost an excessive amount, but not, because Saguru (Samuel) had needed it and Heiji had kind of, sort of, liked it the way he liked holding Kazuha’s hand even though it had been a while since he’d gotten the courage to do so when it wasn’t a heat-of-the-moment thing.

And he hadn’t ever done the kissing thing with Kazuha, but Heiji wouldn’t be opposed to it with Saguru (screw it, Samuel wasn’t sticking). Like not opposed to it at all, especially with Saguru laying right next to him and looking so peaceful and soft and…

…

Heiji should get out of bed.

Or at least play a phone game.

Sitting here and letting his mind voice his 3am thoughts (or 11am? What time was it in Japan?) would just drive him crazy. Or make him impulsive, what with Saguru sleeping like the dead right next to him. They should have opted for separate rooms, but honestly?

Heiji’s not sure he could sleep alone anymore. Not after the past few weeks. Just the thought of a cold, empty bed made him shiver.

Maybe Saguru felt the same?

After all, he’d been the one to ask after a room, singular. Like it hadn’t even crossed his mind to check for a second. Like how he’d never asked Heiji to move out back in Japan when Heiji knew full well how many guest rooms that mansion had and how efficient a woman Baya-san was. She could have had a room ready the next day. Instead, they’d shared a room for going on two months now.

Speaking of months, his injury should be healed withing the next couple weeks. Then his and Saguru’s Matching could be officially declared over and they could Bond and…

Honestly, Heiji was struggling to visualize what a Bonding was like without, you know… sex.

The reasons sex was so typical in Japan was because it was the easiest way for a Sentinel to focus all their heightened senses on their Guide without any interruption. The process also allowed a Guide to drop their mental shields without too much painful mental feedback. Obviously there had to be other ways to Bond, but all Heiji could picture was him and Suguru… ahem.

Maybe.

Maybe he should look up some alternative methods, specifically swordplay.

Just to get some ideas.

He doubted there would be videos, since Bonding was a bit of a private thing, but he could be wrong. After all, if they didn’t use sex to Bond, then the videos wouldn’t be treated like amateur pornos.

So thinking, Heiji spend the next few hours scrolling through the internet and going down more rabbit holes than he cared to admit. By the time he heard activity in the rest of the house, he was far more knowledgeable on Blue Dragon Sea Slugs than he would ever need to be.

He wasn’t sure how non-sexual Bonding segued into marine life, but it happened and he could not regain those lost hours. He did have a better understanding of how the English Bond system worked though —English, Japanese, and international Bonding policies. There is, in fact, a good reason why he and Saguru were going to the Center today.

Speaking of, he should probably wake Saguru up if they planned to get there in time for their appointment. Frankly, he was shocked the other wasn’t up already.

Guess that was what 40-something hours without sleep would do to you.

“Hey.” Heiji poked the other teen incessantly. “Saguru. Wake up. It’s morning. Food time.”

At first, the other didn’t respond, but after enough prodding, he finally moved enough to open one eye in Heiji’s direction and glare.

“Look, I know you’re still tired, but we need to go prove to the Center that I haven’t kidnapped you and forced you to live in Japan,” Heiji said bluntly. “Plus, I think I smell bacon cooking.”

Saguru’s eye closed, prompting Heiji to reach over to prod him awake again, but the other just groaned and sat up. “… ham.”

“What?”

“It’s ham. Not bacon. Bacon is too fatty in the morning.”

“Oh, like ham’s any better. They’re from the same animal, you now this right?”

“I’m not the one in charge of cooking.”

“… you are strangely coherent this morning.”

“Well, I did sleep for about 15 hours straight.”

“So you normally need 15 hours a night to function like a normal person? Drama Queen.”

“Scientists have proven that getting 10 hours of sleep plus another two hours of nap keeps the average person at peak performance,” Saguru said stubbornly as he donned a house coat and led the two out of the room. “Humans are the only bio-organism to regularly deprive themselves of sleep.”

“Just admit it,” Heiji said on the stairs. “You’re a Drama Queen.”

“Oh, my little Sammy is the most Dramatic of Queens!” Lady Amelia chimed in from the dining room that Saguru led them to. “But may I ask what, exactly, he’s being dramatic about?”

“Apparently, your son needs 15 hours of beauty sleep to function,” Heiji deadpanned to an indignant noise from Saguru.

Lady Amelia put a finger to her chin. “… I think you might be right. This is the first time I’ve seen him up before noon in years.”

“Technically, it’s 3 o’clock in Japan,” Heiji said.

“Ah, that would explain it.”

“Mother.”

“Dear, are you messing with Samuel again?” Another woman asked as she entered the room. She put a hand to Amelia’s shoulder and a kiss to her hair as he passed, ignoring the plaintive excuses of ‘Heiji started it!’ that followed her question. The woman then sat on Amelia’s other side and entwined their fingers on the table between them, which… what?

Wasn’t Amelia married? To Saguru’s Dad? Who was both male and a Guide where this woman was, well, female and a Sentinel? One only slightly less strong than Heiji himself if his instincts were to be trusted. What was going on here?”

“Good morning, Mum,” Saguru greeted her and wait.

She was ‘Mum’, but she had black hair to Amelia and Saguru’s blonde and Saguru’s father’s… Heiji didn’t actually know, but if he was Japanese, then probably on the dark end of the spectrum. Heiji knew the basic principles of genetics (it had played a crucial role in several cases). He knew something didn’t add up here.

Saguru must have noticed his confusion because the other paused at his chair to introduce the new woman. “Heiji, this is Lady Mirielle Campson, Baroness of Montegro. Mum, this is Hattori Heiji, the Sentinel I am currently Matching with.”

“A pleasure,” Lady Mirielle said, just as Amelia whined. “Why does she get to be called ‘Mum’?!”

“Because I asked her what she wanted to be called and that’s what she said,” Saguru stated.

“It was partially in jest,” Mirielle said as she picked up her tea.

“I believe you mean to say ‘only partially’,” Saguru corrected.

The woman just smiled demurely, looking far more the model Lady than the woman next to her, even though Amelia was a higher rank (one of those things Heiji found on his rabbit hole search). She certainly looked more the part, with her matching silk nightgown and housecoat.

Amelia, on the other hand, had a threadbare coat and pajamas covered in… was that…?”

“Is your mother wearing Madoka Magica pajamas?” Heiji asked Saguru in a hushed whisper as he sat down. 

Saguru took a moment to check before replying with a very put-upon sigh. “Yes. They are.”

“Oh…” Heiji blinked. He reached for his silverware as a maid put a plate down before him, then faltered. “Does she know what that show is?”

“Yes.” Saguru said without a beat of hesitations. He didn’t look up from where he was adding jam to a piece of toast. “Honestly? Probably better than you do.”

Heiji sat back at that, trying to make sense of things. Suddenly, every weird thing Saguru had ever said about his mom came back to Heiji all at once. Every comment finally fell into place.

“Saguru?” Heiji asked, face full of glee. “Are you telling me your mom is a Weeb?”

Saguru’s shoulders came up and he ducked his head just as Amelia answered. “Heck yes I am! Loud and proud!”

It explained so much. Why Saguru had said she didn’t care for formalities. Why she wouldn’t care how he dressed or how he talked. Why she seemed ecstatic to see Heiji that first time even though he’d never heard of her before. It explained it all.

She was in love with all things Japan —people included. She would excuse any weird things he did as ‘cultural differences’, not ‘Heiji being a clueless idiot’. And from how enthusiastic she was, he didn’t doubt for a second, she’d rather be cosplaying 24/7 than play-act the ‘proper lady’ that Mirielle was.

Honestly, the Madoka Magica pajamas were probably her trying to keep it toned down. Something Heiji appreciated because while he knew the series and a couple other more popular ones, he wasn’t exactly an otaku. If she got to talking about it, he would quickly lose track of the conversation.

Oh, shit, could she speak Japanese? She had to, right? To be able to date and marry Saguru’s dad? And for Saguru to be fluent? Even if some of his ideas of the culture were a bit off at times…

“I’m so excited!” Amelia clapped her hands and gave a little wiggle in her seat. “I don’t have to hide it while you’re here! We can talk about all kinds of things!”

“Oh, uh,” Heiji cut in nervously. “I don’t… I don’t really do the anime stuff. I’m more into detective novels like Saguru.”

“No anime??” Amelia looked heartbroken. “No cosplay? No manga?”

“Only the sports ones for me,” Heiji said apologetically. He could get behind a detective series, but the only well-known one had started two years before he was born and had about 1000 chapters to it at last count. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

“Sports? You do sports?!” Amelia lurched up in her seat. “Kendo?”

Heiji blinked before nodding. “Uh, yes, I do Kendo.”

“Do you do roof-top duels?” Amelia asked. “To the death? With real swords?!”

“Mother! Please,” Saguru hissed. “This isn’t like your otome games. People in Japan don’t cosplay every day or run around the roof tops dressed as Samurai!”

“Oh, I’ve totally done that,” Heiji said.

Saguru froze. “What?”

“I had a roof top duel to the death using a real sword. It was an antique, said to be a demon-killing sword or something,” Heiji said to the background of Amelia’s cheers. “Wasn’t dressed as a Samurai though. No armor.”

“Wha—? Why did this happen?!” Saguru demanded.

“Uh… a couple months ago? I think.”

“You think?!”

“I don’t really remember.” Heiji scratched the back of his neck. “It was before we saw each other a second time. Not super important.”

“I beg to differ!”

“What I want to do is go back to that other part. Cosplaying every day?” Heiji looked to Amelia. “Did you really believe that?”

“In her defense, she only ever went to Japan for a Con,” Mirielle said as she politely wiped her mouth with a napkin. “And she wasn’t the only one.”

“Who…?” Heiji stopped and turned to Saguru. A very red-faced Saguru. “No.”

“Yes.” Amelia beamed.

“Did he actually…?”

“Only the first day he was there.” Amelia pouted. “He figured it out after that.”

“What did he dress as —no wait, don’t tell me. Sherlock Holmes?” Heiji laughed. Mirielle smiled and Amelia gave a Cheshire grin. “Wait, I’m right?!”

“It was all Mother’s fault!” Saguru hissed. “She swore up and down that everyone in Japan cosplayed! That it was a thing! You betrayed me!”

Amelia devolved into cackles as Mirielle politely sipped at her tea, a calm in the chaotic storm around her. Saguru’s face grew redder as he tried to shame his mother while also trying to distract Heiji from asking anymore embarrassing questions.

Yeah… Saguru’s league wasn’t looking so gold-gilded anymore.

Heiji thinks he can live with that.

Chapter Text

“So, wait, are your parents divorced?”

Saguru really should have seen that question coming. His dad was in another country and his mother had a different last name and was quite obviously living with another woman —a Sentinel to her Guide.

From the outsider’s perspective, one would assume that she had been forced to divorce his father in order to Match, then Bond to a Sentinel. It was a common enough practice to be believable, but in reality…

“No.”

“Oh…” Heiji thought for a second before making a second guess. “They were never married?”

Which, okay, another fair assumption, given his mother’s … eccentricities, but she was, if nothing else, a Lady. Grandmother would have killed her if she came back from Japan with a baby and no husband to be seen. So…

“No, they were married. Their wedding was the talk of the city for several months.”

“Then… she’s married and Bonded to two different people.” Heiji’s eyes went wide at Saguru’s affirmative. “Is that legal?”

“Honestly…” Saguru gave him a tired look. “I’m not sure half of what my mother does is legal. She has simply yet to be told otherwise.”

“That doesn’t bother you?” Heiji asked. “What with you being a detective and your father being the superintendent of the police force?”

“Well, there are different laws between Japan and England.” Saguru felt his face grow surly. “But also, there’s no laws against the questionable things she’s done either. So, there’s no way to prove that it’s not legal either. Some of the dumbest laws around are only here because someone didn’t think things through.”

“… So, your mom is a train wreck waiting to happen.”

“In essence, yes.”

“Okay, putting the subject of questionable legality aside…” Heiji leaned back in his seat. “Your mom and Dad are still married, but your mom Bonded with Mirie-ru.”

Saguru winced at the butchering of Mum’s name. “You can call her Miri. She won’t mind.”

Heiji made a face, like he was disappointed in himself, before continuing. “How do Miri and your dad feel about the arrangement?”

“Not too bad, actually.” Saguru stared out the car window as he pondered his situation. “Dad was always happier in Japan where he knew the language and laws and could do his work. While Mother loved Japan too —if for different reasons —she couldn’t stay year-round or even for more than a few weeks before she had to return to take care of her Viscountess duties. As the only heir, it was a fate she would never be able to escape. In that sense, Father is happy that she has someone to share the woes of a title with, even if that relationship came in the form of a Bond.”

“And Miri? What does she think?” Heiji asked hesitantly.

Saguru had suspicions he knew why. As one himself, Heiji would know how possessive Sentinels could get of their Guides, especially since their Senses would be in tune with their Guide’s reactions. Elevated breathing or a skip in the heartrate would be easily detected even a mile away. And that wasn’t even touching on what a Guide might accidentally project while… otherwise distracted.

(Saguru did not need to think of his parents in the throes of passion. He did not.)

But their relationship wasn’t quite the same as a normal Sentinel-Guide pair.

“Miri is okay with it, in part due to Mother’s ability.” Saguru paused and looked over to Heiji. “I’ve heard that Sentinels can recognize each other at a glance and instinctively know the other’s level?”

“That’s… kind of right and kind of not.” Heiji wrinkled is nose. “I knew she was a Sentinel, but I only get a vague ‘not as strong as me’ vibe from anyone lower than a 5. And I have no idea which of her senses are enhanced.”

Interesting. Not quite what Saguru was expecting, given his experience with Guides, but then, the two are quite a bit different form each other. Still, as he was saying. “Then you might not know this, but Mirielle is a level 4 Sentinel.”

“Okay?” Heiji looked at him flatly for a few moments before his eyes suddenly went wide. “Wait! Didn’t you say both your parents are Rank C Guides? If she Bonded a level four, your mom would be—!”

In a coma, just like what Saguru had warned Toyama-chan and Heiji about before. It was true, in any other case, but this one. Because his mother liked to bend the rules, even the ones of reality and biology itself.

“My mother’s ability allows her to borrow strength from a Guide that she knows well and is compatible with —not unlike the way Sentinels and Guides are compatible. There are also ways to raise compatibility, such as spending time together doing… activities.” Saguru shook his head. “Due to this, she is able to get a boost from my father, no matter where in the world he is, so long as he keeps in touch regularly. That boost gives her a pseudo-rank of B.”

“Shiiiiit.” Heiji let out a breath. “Is that legal? That sounds like it shouldn’t be legal.”

“As we’ve established, there’s no law against it if there is no precedence.” Saguru frowned. “As far as I know, Mother is the only one with this ability in the first world countries. There may be others, but they are either offline or not yet known to the public.”

Heiji let out a low whistle. “Dang, that’s seriously OP.”

Saguru laughed. “If you were to hear my mother speak on it, you would find her highly disappointed. She’d rather have my father’s ability to talk to animals, a skill which is a dime a dozen.”

“Your dad can speak to animals?”

“It’s a general telepathic understanding, but yet.” Saguru shrugged. “It is, in part, where my ability comes from, though his range is only animals within reach. I also experience a greater understanding with animals I am close with, such as pets.”

“Your mom’s ability coming through,” Heiji noted absently. “Huh… so Miri is okay with your dad because he helps your mom do the Guide thing?”

“The way Mum described it, Mother’s ability gives her a blended mental sense of Mother and Father, so in a way, you could say she is half-Bonded to both.” Saguru gave a helpless shrug at Heiji’s incredulous stare. “But Mirielle is very grateful as she was in a serious situation when she first came online.”

“Situation? More than just the coming online bit?”

“The Center in London tried to Match pairs based on common interest and social standing, so as to not ruffle any feathers for the older families. Mirielle is a Baroness, but her family is relatively new to the title. There were no Baron titles with a strong enough Guide for her, so the Center was having to look in other classes. If she married a commoner, then she could have very well lost the title for her family. But the next Guide of Rank B or higher was an Earl and very much against Bonding at all.”

“So? Wanting to or not isn’t an option.” Heiji frowned. “The Earl should have at least tried, if for nothing than to show the Center they were obeying the law.”

“I agree with you, but this Count didn’t and neither did his money.” Saguru’s lips twisted sourly. “Mum was beside herself, thinking she would cause her family such grief, when Mother decided to step in. Her words were, as Mirielle remembered it, ‘At least this ability of mine is good for something!’.”

Heiji snorted, then choked on his own laughter. “She would! I’ve only known her for a day, but that sounds exactly like your mom!”

Saguru let a soft smile play at his lips. “So, they all participated in a Matching, then Bonding and now live happily in whichever country needs them most. Mother has been in England for a while though, so I suspect she will be planning a trip to Japan soon enough. We will likely have to share the house with her, Mum, and Father when that occurs.”

“I mean, it is their house.” Heiji shrugged, then grew pensive. “Wait… your dad doesn’t live with us now, does he?”

“He spends a majority of his time in an apartment that is close to his work, though he does tend to use the house on long vacations or around holidays,” Saguru said. “Mother bought the house for them to live in together when she’s here.”

“She… bought a house… for when she stays in Japan for a few weeks,” Heiji said.

“And Father when he wants to have a break and enjoy the suburbs.”

“… oh my god, your dad’s a sugar-baby.”

“What?!” Saguru choked on thin air. “No, he’s not!”

“Think about it! He married some rich foreigner that bought him a house to use even when she’s not there!” Heiji explained. “I bet she buys him loads of gifts and has them dropped off at home or work with cute little cards and things!”

Saguru pursed his lips because yes, she bought Father gifts, but that was a normal thing for married couples!

“He’s totally a sugar-baby!”

“He is not!”

“He’s a sugar-baby. Your mom’s a Weeb and Mirielle is the only one with the braincell between them.” Heiji suddenly stopped and grinned. Whatever revelation he’d come to, Saguru was sure he’d like it even less than the others. “Kami! Your mom figured out how to do a legal threesome and just went for it! This is the greatest thing ever!”

“It is not! Stop laughing!”

Heiji didn’t stop laughing until they were out of the car and standing in front of the reception desk at the Center. Even then, Saguru could hear quiet giggles that made his eyes twitch.

He was seriously starting to regret this decision. Too bad he was stuck with him.

“Yes, I’d like to check in for my 8 o’clock appointment…”

*             *             *             *             *

“I assure you sir, it’s just a formality,” a Mister Fred Taylor said from the other side of the desk. He had been saying similar things ever since Saguru and Heiji had entered the room and sat down. It was starting to become irritating.

“After all,” Mr. Taylor continued. “It’s not often that a Guide looks to other countries as a means of finding a Sentinel when there are so many good candidates closer to home. Most people don’t know what they’re getting into when they Match with foreign nationals, but I see here you are half-Japanese?”

“With family in Japan, yes.”

“Then I see no reason not to approve the Match,” the man said as he turned around in his chair to reach a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. From it he pulled out a folder labelled with Hakuba’s name and retrieved a sheet from it. “If you don’t mind reviewing this information and making sure it’s all correct?”

They probably could have done this over the phone or email, if it weren’t for the requirement of Saguru’s actual physical presence. Might as well get it out of the way now.

Saguru was half-way through the form when Mr. Taylor asked in a very conversational tone. “Is he treating you right? Nothing we should be made aware of or any cultural differences that cannot be overcome?”

“’He’ is sitting right here and can hear you just fine,” Heiji grumbled with a dark look in his eyes.

“Oh my!” Mr. Taylor startled and looked over to the Sentinel. “You speak English?”

Heiji gave him a scathing look. “Can’t read the best detective novels without it.”

“Ah!” Mr. Taylor brightened. “You’re a fan of Holmes, I see?”

“The fuck?” Heiji looked at him like he was an idiot. “No, Ellery Queen. Does my accent sound British to you?”

At that, Mr. Taylor flushed heavily and ducked his head. Saguru hid a grin, but Heiji was wrong.

Holmes was obviously the best.

The rest of the meeting went quickly, just an assurance that all their paperwork was current and up to date, then the two were off.

They had some time before they needed to return to join his mother for tea, so they ended up at a few clothing stores at Heiji’s insistence.

(“I told you, she doesn’t care what you wear.”

“I’m not picking these out for your mom, I’m picking these out so I can impress Miri. I know who’s got final say in this family.”

“… Well, you aren’t wrong…”)

Then they were arriving home, pulling up into the little gated yard and stepping out onto the walkway.

Just as they reached the door, they heard a scream.

Chapter Text

A scream pierced the air.

Heiji dropped his bags and raced to the door. Saguru was half a step behind him.

Heiji didn’t actually know where he was going. He wouldn’t be able to recount anything of his mad dash through the house even if someone asked him. He wasn’t sure he actually saw anything. He was so focused on the echoes of the scream, the heavy thud-thud of distant heartbeats, the slow, crackling bleed of tea into aged carpet fibers —he could focus on nothing else.

Not until Saguru caught him in the doorway, hand on his shoulder. “Heiji!”

The world snapped back into focus so sharply that it hurt.

Then he actually saw the scene he had intruded on.

The two ladies from the previous day had apparently come over for tea again, but the story didn’t end with cookies and a nice chat.

The older sister —Rosemary —lay on the floor, face pale, eyes wide and unseeing. She trembled so bad it looked like she was seizing.

Roseana was on her knees by her side, frantically calling her name. By the crack in her voice, she was the one to scream.

Amelia and Mirielle were half-standing, half sitting —Amelia staring wide-eyed as Mirielle ordered Maria to call an ambulance. Even after taking in the scene, Heiji had no idea what was going on.

Suddenly, Roseana’s eyes lifted to meet his.

“Help her!” She demanded desperately.

Like a shot of adrenaline, it jerked Heiji forward into action. Before he could get too far though, Saguru yanked him back.  “Step aside. I’ll handle this.”

Oh.

Right.

He was better at the Guide things.

For a second, Heiji thought he saw Roseana’s expression darken, but then she was focused once more on her sister, whispering gentle platitudes as if Rosemary could hear her over the fracturing of her own mind.

And it was fracturing.

Even with no true mental abilities of his own, Heiji could hear the siren call of an injured Guide calling for attention, pleading for help. It was what had spurred him into the beginnings of a Zone and even now threatened to pull him under.

The not-sound didn’t let up until Saguru placed his hands at her temples and stared intently for several minutes. Slowly, as if filling a wall with insulation, the sound muffled until it quieted and Rosemary fell limp.

“Rosie? Rosie?!” Roseana called, increasingly more frantic. “What did you do to her?!”

“Settle down, please,” Saguru ordered in a calm voice. “I merely helped her to build some temporary shields to hold her over until we get to the Center.”

“The Center?” Roseana squeaked.

“Indeed.” Saguru looked up to Mirielle. “You have an ambulance on the way?”

“Yes,” Mirielle said. If the sound of a Guide in trouble had affected her, she didn’t show it.

“Good.” Saguru nodded. “I suggest you send on to Lady Rosemary’s house as well. Her husband has died. Murdered, if the last thoughts he shared with her are to be believed.”

“What?!” Maria gasped.

“Oh my!” Amelia let out a shuddering breath.

“How did you…?” Roseana stared at him with a furrowed brow.

“She told me,” Saguru answered. “As I was helping her. It was also the reason she fell in the first place.”

“What?” Roseana faltered further, looking a lot like a lost puppy.

“When Guides and Sentinels Bond, the Guides must give up their mental shields in order to be able to interact with and help their Sentinel,” Saguru said. “In return, Sentinels give their Guides a mental safe haven better than their original shielding. If a Sentinel were to suddenly die, and the Bond were to break, the Guide on the other end would immediately go into Shock as they were suddenly immersed in a world that had been muffled to them.”

Roseana covered her mouth, face filled with horror.

Saguru stared down at Rosemary with a sympathetic twist to his lips. “For a Telepath like her, I’m sure the recoil was extremely unpleasant. She should be fine for now, but those temporary shields won’t hold forever. She will likely have to stay at the Center until she can forge her own shields again or another Sentinel is found for her.”

Tears streamed down Roseana’s face as she pressed her knuckles to her lips. Heiji could still hear the way her breath stuttered as she stared down at her sister. “Oh Rosie…”

Saguru caught his eye and jerked his head to the hallway. Heiji nodded and led the way out.

“Apologies for being terse earlier,” Saguru said after they had left the group.

“Nah, don’t worry. Everyone was tense. Besides, you’re a Guide. You knew how to help.” Unlike me. Heiji thought bitterly.

“While that is true, that wasn’t the only reason.” Saguru paused and lowered his voice. “I was worried that, if you got too close, you would Bond her.”

Heiji let those words sink in, then bristled. “Do you really have so little faith in me that you think—?!”

“This isn’t about faith or belief, Heiji,” Saguru interrupted hastily. “I know you wouldn’t mean to, but the potential is too great! I didn’t want it to happen even by accident!”

Heiji faltered. “I thought Bonds couldn’t happen on accident.”

“Just because they can’t occur by happenstance doesn’t mean they aren’t sometimes one-sided.” Saguru paused to collect his words. “When a Bond is made, a Guide lowers their shields and invites a Sentinel in. The Sentinel accepts that invitation and in return focuses all their senses on the Guide.”

Yeah, Heiji knew that. He’d learned a lot in his early morning research spree.

“But Rosemary in there had no shields. Mentally, she was screaming at any Sentinel that would listen to come and help her. ‘Help’ being to Bond her and give her shields again.”

“That’s why it felt like I was on the edge of a Zone.” Heiji realized.

“And it’s why I stopped you from getting too close and helped her myself,” Saguru said.

“Because she didn’t want to Bond a stranger,” Heiji surmised.

“What? No.” Saguru looked at him like he’d missed the entire point. “Because you’re mine.”

Because… wait, what?

“Huh?” Heiji blinked.

A beat later, Saguru realized what he’d said, then turned bright red. “I mean—! You are my Sentinel —the one I am Matching with! Not—! Oh, come off it! You know what I mean!”

Heiji just grinned and watched as Saguru grew more and more flustered the longer he didn’t respond.

“Heiji!”

“Samuel?” Mirielle popped her head out. “The police would like you to stop by Lord Astorwell’s place if you could. They’d like a statement from the person that last spoke with Lady Rosemary and technically speaking, that would be you.”

“Thank you, Mum. I’ll head out right now,” Saguru said, then grumbled under his breath. “They probably hope I’ll solve the case while I’m there.”

Heiji blinked. “You actually have a good relationship with the police force?”

“I did an internship with them when I learned the modern techniques of dealing with a crime scene,” Saguru explained “Now, they all treat me like a rookie no matter how many crimes I help solve.”

“So, they treat you like some kind of little sibling?” Heiji guessed.

“Complete with ruthless teasing,” Saguru agreed darkly. “So of course, I had to leave the country and go to Japan and let their solve rate drop by half.”

“Of course,” Heiji deadpanned. “No, that’s obviously the next course of action.”

Either his sarcasm was lost on Saguru or he chose to ignore it because the other just continued as if he hadn’t said anything.

“And now, anytime they hear I’m in country again, they try to drag me onto whatever case they currently have open. ‘For old time’s sake’,” Saguru mimicked childishly. “If they would just ask me honestly, I wouldn’t mind so much! If they got on their hands and knees and begged, I might even agree.”

Heiji was pretty sure they were messing with him, solely for reactions like that. And who could blame them? Saguru was hilarious. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

Saguru gave him a glare, but it disappeared quickly as the car came into view. Jeeves pulled the car to a stop, then got out to hold the door open for them. Saguru addressed him. “Has Mum informed you where we’re heading?”

“Lord Astorwell’s estate,” Jeeves replied easily. “Is Lady Rosemary quite all right?”

“She’ll hold for now, but an ambulance is on the way,” Saguru explained as the sirens sounded in the distance. “Her husband has just died.”

“My word!” Jeeves replied. “I should have parked the car out of the way.”

“We’ll be leaving before they get here,” Saguru said as he nodded to Heiji.

 The two climbed into the car and Jeeves pulled out of the gate just as the ambulance came screaming past. Huh, it had made good time.

“So, who is this Lord Astorwell guy?” Heiji asked. “Other than Lady Rosemary’s husband and Sentinel?”

“He’s a Viscount of Ingallsburg and a Level 3 Sentinel.” Saguru listed off. “His three senses are touch, taste and smell.”

“How long have they been Bonded?”

“For approximately one year. They Bonded almost immediately after he came online.” Saguru wrinkled his nose. “The Matching period was astonishingly short.”

Heiji frowned. “Did he force her into it or something?”

“Not at all.” Saguru shook his head. “In fact, she was the one pushing to go ahead with the Bonding. Stated that his condition would likely weaken him if he didn’t get help quickly. It seemed to be a mutually beneficial situation on both ends.”

“… but you’re suspicious,” Heiji concluded at the other’s lingering tone.

“I have my doubts,” Saguru corrected. “As the oldest heir, Rosemary was being pushed to search for a marriage candidate and had to meet certain expectations. Then along came a Viscount Sentinel of a mid-level that fit all the parameters her family was looking for. I think she was pushed to make a decision before truly knowing if they were compatible.”

“Lemme guess. They weren’t.”

“Lord Astorwell has… had a loose hand when it came to spending.” Saguru sighed. “I believe it’s become a burden on Lady Rosemary who has to deal with the financial situation left in his wake. It has left her quite tired in the past year.”

That Heiji could agree on.

Just yesterday, he’d been thinking that she looked to be on her last legs and falling apart at the seams. He’d thought he’d even felt the beginnings of Guide Shock, but figured he’d been mistaken. Now, he wasn’t so sure. “Will her family push her to Bond again?”

“Most likely, but not anytime soon. After seeing what it’s done to her, they’ll likely want to triple-check the candidate before agreeing to allow her hand in marriage.”

Well, at least something good came out of this, Heiji decided. Speaking off…

“Can she Bond again? I thought it was a one-time deal.”

“It is in the sense of ‘till death do us part’,” Saguru explained. “Most times, if one half of the Bond dies, so does the other half. However, there are times where a Guide or Sentinel is around that can help until medical experts arrive. In which case, if they survive and remain lucid enough, they can attempt another Bond.”

“Lucid enough?”

“When a Bond breaks, a Guide goes into Shock and a Sentinel goes into a Zone. Both cases lead to a come or Fugue if left alone. At that point, most victims are lost to the outside world.”

Heiji swallowed thickly. It was the same thing he had been warned could happen to Kazuha, but to think it could happen even to Guides that Bonded with an equal level Sentinel. That was… “Kind of scary.”

“Indeed.”

“But you stopped Rosemary, right? With the…” Heiji gestured to his head. “Guide thing you did?”

“Like I said before, a temporary fix.” Saguru rested his jaw on his knuckles. “Those shields are nowhere near as strong as a Guide’s self-made mental walls, not to mention ones that Sentinels have inherent to themselves. Unfortunately, I was unable to make stronger ones. One good mental attack or one too loud thought and they will shred like paper to a hurricane.”

“Could your mom have done better?” Heiji asked. “Or worse since she’s a lower rank?”

“Potentially better, if she had attempted to learn.” Saguru frowned. “It is not a skill common to Guides, though any level can learn it. Some have a better aptitude for it than others, though between myself and my mother, there would be little difference due to the nature of our abilities. It is more than likely someone from the Center will need to take down the shields I put up and make new ones.”

“Can they do that? Do they have someone there that knows how?”

“Of course.” Saguru looked surprised at the question. “Where do you think I learned?”

And, well, Heiji didn’t have anything to say to that.

The car slowed to a stop.

“We’re here.”

Chapter Text

Lord Astorwell’s house was just as large as Saguru’s.

Heiji wasn’t sure why he was even surprised anymore.

The front yard and street were filled with emergency vehicles, but only a few officers were milling about, obviously waiting for Saguru. As they walked up to a pair of officers, Heiji could see a gurney being rolled out with a body covered in a sheet.

He didn’t see blood leeching into the white cloth, so either the EMTs had decided to stop the hemorrhaging of a corpse or cause of death was something else. Internal bleeding? Poison? Acute Myocardial Infarction?

This would be interesting.

“Officer Steinbeck! Officer Millhouse!” Saguru called in greeting. “I’m here to give my statement on Lady Rosemary’s condition and last conversation.”

“Sammy?” An officer looked up from his notepad discussion with the second officer.  “Hey, Sammy!”

“Guys! Sammy’s here!” the other officer relayed to his radio before turning his attention back to Saguru and Heiji. “You should have told us you were in town! We would have thrown you a welcome home party!”

“Please, that kind of party is just an excuse for you to get sloshed.” Saguru rolled his eyes. “And if I had made you aware of my return, you would have dragged me onto another case.”

“Oh, it’s not ‘dragging’ you when you look like you’re having fun.” The first officer smirked. “Besides, you seem to be the one always stumbling over them.”

Heiji snorted at that. “He’s got you there, Saguru.”

“Heiji, please.”

“It’s not your fault,” Heiji continued. “It’s the curse of the high school detective. Kudou’s the same way.”

“Curses aren’t a thing,” Saguru said before rounding on the officers. “And please don’t call me by a childish nickname. My name is Samuel.”

“No, it’s not,” the second officer replied gleefully as the first transferred his attention to Heiji.

“And who are you? Friend of Sammy’s?”

“Heiji Hattori,” Heiji offered confidently. He knew where he stood with officers.

“Heiji here has joined me from Japan,” Saguru followed up. “He is a detective as well.”

“No kidding?” The first officer’s eyebrows rose. “He all about Sherlock Homes too?”

At that, Saguru’s face fell. “No. His preferred detective is Ellery Queen.”

“Ah, a man of quality.”

The comment only caused Saguru to sulk further.

“Ever been on an active crime scene?” the second officer asked.

Heiji gave him a very flat look. “My dad is chief of police of the Osaka branch.”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” the officer replied. “Good! I don’t have to teach you the basics.”

“Heiji is from Japan,” Saguru cut in. “Their methods will differ from ours.”

“So long as ‘differing’ doesn’t include messing with the scene or getting fingerprints and DNA all mixed in…?” the officer looked to Heiji who shook his head. The officer grinned and clapped him on the back. “Then he’s good to go!”

“Heiji and I are only here to give my statement!”

“Steinbeck here will collect your statement, then you can meet us inside.” The officer (Millhouse by process of elimination) beamed before grabbing Heiji by the shoulders and propelling him inside, heedless to Saguru’s offended and increasingly frantic remarks. Once inside, the officer dropped his hands to lead the way —into a very gaudy house.

Like, distressingly gaudy. Heiji didn’t know where to look! There were shiny bits upon shiny bits —all demanding attention and clawing at his eyes. Look over here! Look over here! Look over here!

And the smell! It was worse than being at the smoke pen with the officers back home! This was no pack-a-day stench —no, this was cigar smoke, heavy and expensive and thick enough to have Heiji gagging.

His hearing flashed as he struggled to keep his other two senses under control. The sudden rise in volume drew intermittent flashes of a low bass that shook him to his very core. He felt himself drowning in it —in the sound, in the scent, in the shining, glistening look this way! Over here!

A hand clapped onto his shoulder and everything stopped.

“Sorry for being pushy there,” the officer apologized sheepishly, bringing Heiji back to his own body. “But if I didn’t do something, Sammy would run off before the others got to say hello and then I’d never hear the end of it.”

Heiji took a second to shake his thoughts free and shove his other senses down while dragging his sense of touch up. The hesitation wouldn’t be noticeable to someone who didn’t know him. Once his senses were under control, he picked the conversation back up. “That and he’s helpful on the case, I hear.”

“He is, but I’m sure we could solve this without him too.” Millhouse gave a shrug. “He’s good, but we’re nothing to sneeze at either. It might take us a bit longer than a Rank A Guide, but we’ll get there eventually.”

Heiji blinked at that. Those words… were very different from what Saguru was telling him before.

“Before we get into things, let me introduce the crew.” Millhouse pointed out the other officers as they walked past. “McCoy and Hodgettson are the field forensics. Charleston is our mortuary scientist and Mayfield here is the on-hand criminal psychologist.”

“Oh? Who is this new face?” the woman named Mayfield asked as she turned from where she was examining a sofa. In front of the sofa was a puddle of tea and a broken cup shattered on the tile floor.

“Heiji Hattori, friend of Saguru’s from Japan,” Millhouse introduced.

“A friend?” the man called Hodgettson shot up from behind a high wing-backed chair. “He’s got a friend?”

“Finally!” McCoy groused, his accent so thick Heiji could barely make out his words. “Bloody thought the bloke would never find someone to keep up with his arse. Least now he’s got back up for whatever trouble he finds himself in.”

“Please.” Charlston rolled his eyes. “It’s Sammy. This friend of his is trouble.”

“Hey! I resent that!” Heiji squawked. “… I think.”

McCoy and Charlston shared a look before saying, simultaneously. “Trouble.”

Before Heiji had a chance to defend himself, Millhouse called everyone to attention. “Okay, okay, settled down! No teasing the new kid. Besides, we’ve got more important things to do and Steinbeck will only be able to hold Sammy back for another five minutes or so.”

“Right. Down to business.” Mayfield fixed Heiji with the eyes of a hawk. “How is Sammy? Is he doing okay?”

“Is he eating enough?” Hodgettson asked. “Not subsisting on tea?”

“Is he hiding any injuries?” Charlston asked. “Broken bones? ‘Superficial’ cuts that definitely need stitches?”

“Uh…” Heiji didn’t know what to do with the sudden onslaught and it just kept coming.

“Obviously he’s getting into trouble. It’s Sammy-boy we’re talking about here.” McCoy rolled his eyes. “But he’s got a good network, right? No one being too mean to him at school?”

“Has he shown any interest in anyone?” Millhouse asked, getting right up in Heiji’s space. “Like a cute girl or a nice guy—?”

“So, this is what you’ve been doing behind my back,” Saguru hissed from the doorway. “You decided to interrogate my friend instead of asking after me like civilized people?”

“But if we did that, you wouldn’t answer,” Hodgettson said quietly.

“Or lie,” McCoy noted. “You have a bad habit of that.”

“I do not—!”

“Nine instances of self-stitched wounds would say otherwise,” Charlston said.

“And that doesn’t even touch the number of kidnappings and hostage situations you’ve been in,” Mayfield said. Charleston pointed to her as if to agree with her claim.

“Enough! I get it!” Saguru huffed, face red in embarrassment. “But still, you should ask me personally, not go after my friend. Besides, Heiji knows better than to let things slip.”

Oh, did he now?

“He eats, but not enough and tea is an issue. No injuries that I know if, but he has had some traumatic events recently he still doesn’t want to talk about. School’s fine, everyone basically treats him like an idol because of his foreign looks,” Heiji listed out with a straight face. At Saguru’s betrayed look, Heiji just stared back. “Ooops. Apparently, I don’t know better.”

While the crew turned on Saguru and the blonde was left to defend himself against increasingly smothering accusation, Heiji turned his attention back to the room. It was a parlor room, much like the one Heiji had met Lady Amelia in and the one Rosemary just collapsed in.

A long, low table spread out between two sofas facing each other. Tea cups and snacks covered the table along with napkins and other decorations. By his count, Lord Astorwell had had at least five guests over for afternoon tea. Anyone of them could be a suspect, but that number could be added to or eliminated from based on the cause of death. By their faint scent trails, Heiji knew they were being held for questioning in another part of the house until a decision could be made.

Heiji roved a hand over a seat outside of the crime scene.

The furniture was old, but it had been reupholstered with fabric that was Sentinel-friendly, meaning it wasn’t too scratchy to irritate, nor too silky smooth to induce a Zone. That made sense, given Lord Astorwell’s status as a 3S, but something wasn’t quite right.

“Oi! Saguru!” Heiji called, interrupting the group and inadvertently saving his Guide. “You said Lord Astorwell was a 3S, right? Touch, taste, and smell?”

“That is correct,” Saguru replied, quickly leaving the group behind. His volume lowered as he drew near. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, at least one of those is wrong.” Heiji wrinkled his nose. “The scents in this house are down-right overwhelming. Ash and smoke are the heaviest, but I can smell his cologne residue on the sofa from here. There’s evidence he was a 1S for sure, with the fabric in the furniture, but there’s no evidence of anything else.”

“What?” Saguru frowned. “Nothing?”

“Not for scent and taste is usually intwined with that.” He looked around. “Too many shiny gildings for a Sight Sentinel and I can hear a 24-hour club only a block away. So that’s a negative on Hearing too.”

“You’re telling me that Lord Astorwell faked his status?” Saguru’s face grew dark.

“Status? No. he’s definitely a Sentinel.” Heiji cast an appraising eye about the room. “But Level? For sure.”

“How could he have tricked the Center?” Saguru demanded. “How could he have tricked Rosemary?”

“I don’t know how they do it here, but in Japan, they have to take a Sentinel at their word. Only Bonded Guides know the full extent of a Sentinel’s senses.” Heiji crossed his arms. “To that point, Rosemary likely didn’t know until they had Bonded, but by then, there was no going back.”

“Til death do they part,” Saguru said through gritted teeth. “How could I have been so blind?! I thought she was just tired!”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Heiji asked.

“Guides are ranked by the Level of Sentinel they can help calm, but it also serves as a description of Sentinel Level they need to Bond with in order to maintain mental integrity,” Saguru explained. “If a Guide with too low a Rank tries to Bond a high-level Sentinel, they could end up overwhelmed by the Sentinel’s will.”

Like what would have happened to Kazuha if they had…

“On the other hand, a Guide of a high Rank Bonded to a low-level Sentinel will find the Sentinel’s shields not strong enough to protect them from the mental noise of the world.” Saguru’s expression grew dark. “It’s the reason why Guides are ranked via Sentinels rather than some intrinsic value of their own.”

“And here I was thinking it was just another form of class discrimination,” Heiji mused.

“Accusing someone of faking their Sentinel level is a grave offense, even if the one in question is dead,” Saguru said sternly. “You are absolutely sure this is the case?”

“Well, no way of proving it now that he’s dead, but Rosemary will be able to tell us for sure,” Heiji replied, then winced. “If she wakes up.”

Saguru winced as well, teeth bared in a painful grimace. “… I knew she was tired, mentally exhausted. I had thought it was due to having to deal with Lord Astorwell’s spending sprees, but in reality, for it to be due to inadequate shields… I should have known. She flinched every time we greeted each other in the past year. Why didn’t I see—?!”

“Hey, quit that.” Heiji knocked Saguru’s shoulder with his knuckles. “You didn’t know because she didn’t want you to know. Besides, what could you have done if you did? A Bonded pair’s business is their own.”

“… you’re right,” Saguru said after a moment of inner reflection. “I will apologize and make it up to her when she awakes. For now, we have a case to solve.”

Heiji grinned. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

Chapter Text

“Do we know the cause of death?” Saguru asked the team.

Heiji shifted his focus to them and startled at the stares he was met with.

What? Was something up? Did he do something wrong?

Steinbeck cleared his throat and brought up a notepad —the same one he and Millhouse had been looking at earlier. “Initial reports show no stab wounds or other lacerations. The guests all stated that Lord Astorwell had taken a drink of his tea and then started choking. By the time paramedics had arrived, Lord Astorwell had passed. We are waiting for a tox-screen and autopsy for certainty, but right now, cause of death is presumed poison.”

“As the tea was left on the floor, we should have an easy time checking, if we can figure out which to test for,” Hodgettson said.

“We’d best hurry as some poisons are known to degrade with heat and that tea is only now starting to cool.” Saguru looked over. “Heiji?”

“On it.” Heiji knew without saying what Saguru wanted.

Most favored poisons were odorless to the human nose, with one catch. Sentinels, with their heightened senses were able to pick out far more minute details from the air. Helpful for poisons, so long as they knew how to categorize them —which Heiji did.

So, he stepped up to the scene of the crime and knelt down close to the tea. He reached back, only to find Saguru several steps away.

“Get over here, asshole,” Heiji growled at him. “I need an anchor.”

“Oh! Right!” Saguru scampered forward, looking excited to see Heiji work. He wasn’t doing anything special, weirdo. “Do I need to…?”

“Don’t need to do nothin’,” Heiji said as he tugged the other down to his level. He grabbed the other’s hand once Saguru had settled. “Just need a focal point.”

It was easier when he had some Senes in his system as it meant he had less senses to focus on or get distracted by. But here, with Saguru’s hand in his, he thought it might not be so bad. He wondered, idly, what it would be like after they Bonded.

Shaking the thought form his mind, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Ash and smoke, first and foremost, from the multitude of ashtrays in the house.

Expensive cologne, full of artificial scents and chemicals that burned in his throat.

Natural musk, gentle fabric softener, the twinge of old, well-cared-for metal. Saguru…

Heiji shook his head to clear it of thoughts of his Guide. He needed to focus.

Food, fresh and inviting, cookies and tiny sandwiches, chilled but slowly warming on the table.

Dust and cleaning supplies, but faint, a few hours old, enough for the scent to start to die. Sentinel-friendly chemicals, but unneeded in this house.

Tea, an assortment of earth and flowers and leaves, almost overwhelming in intensity and unique subtilties. If Heiji focused, he could probably sort out every herb and flower used and the ratios of their quantities… but Saguru’s tightened grip stopped him.

Right. Focus.

The crisp snap of ceramic on the floor and a cloying scent, faint and disappearing even as he tried to tie it down. But one he was most certainly familiar with. It was…

“Cyanide,” Heiji determined. “Not sure the chemical make-up though.”

There was something else, something stronger than the poison, but just as out of place. Wet, earthy, reminded him of the art room at school. Clay? Obviously he’d smell clay. Ceramics were made of it, even if they were fired and glazed. But this smelled different. Why…?”

He opened his eyes to tell Saguru, only to get an eyeful of dumbfounded stares. “Uh… you guys okay?”

“You’re a Sentinel?!”

“Er…” Heiji frowned at them. “Yeah?”

“What level?” Millhouse asked.

“5S,” Heiji replied without hesitation.

“5S—?!” Millhouse choked.

“Does that mean you can heighten all five senses?” McCoy asked.

“More like ‘any’ of the five senses,” Heiji corrected. “If I tried to do all five at once, my brain might just explode from sensory overload.”

It was a common reason why Sentinels that first came online often found themselves in a Zone.

“So, what you did just now…?” Steinbeck waited, pencil and notepad in hand.

“Classified the general type of poison used. If there was one,” Heiji concluded. “I’ve been trained on how to use my senses for that, though unofficially as there really isn’t a certified training course for it yet. Which is why I would suggest doing a poison test before any evidence degrades.”

“On it.” McCoy dropped to his knees on the other side of the puddle, swab in hand.

“What else have you managed to pick up?” Steinbeck asked.

“That Lord Astorwell was no 3S. No accommodations were made for any sense other than touch.” Heiji wrinkled his nose. “Even if he found smoking pleasant, the left-over scent is powerful to a nauseating degree. The gaudy decorations could induce a Zone within seconds and the location of this house is in an area with far too much noise. He’s a 1S at best.”

Despite Saguru’s words of caution, Steinbeck simply wrote down notes as Heiji spoke. “Anything else?”

Heiji hesitated for a second, then decided. “Not really.”

“That’s not exactly a ‘no’,” Steinbeck noted.

“I got a whiff of clay, not exactly typical, but I’m pretty sure it’s from the broken cup,” Heiji informed him.

“I’ll note it just in case it comes up,” Steinbeck said.

“That’s a positive on the poison,” McCoy called as he held up a glass tube with colored liquid. “Trace amounts. Not sure if it would be enough to kill anyone. Though that could be because some of it’s evaporated by now or degraded into base parts.”

“I’ll add it to the list when I get back to the lab,” Charleston said as he finished putting away his equipment. “Any other tests to account for before I go?”

Steinbeck looked to Heiji, who just shook his head. “We’ll reconvene after you’ve had a change to look things over.”

“If his drink is the culprit, we’ll need to figure out if it’s the tea or the cup,” Millhouse noted. “None of the other guests are experiencing signs of poisoning, so I’d say the cup.”

“Except according to the maid, Lord Astorwell had a separate tea set from the guests,” Mayfield said. “Claimed it was because his Sentinel tastebuds could only handle a certain quality of water and that he could feel the fingerprints of anyone that touched it, save for him.”

… the fuck?

And everyone bought that?

Heiji scowled. “Are any of his guests Sentinels? Or Guides?”

“No.”

Ah, that made sense.

“Well, that’s a load of bull, but still an easy test.” Heiji scanned for the kettle in question. It was an ornate silver monstrosity. Figures. The tea cup next to it was similar, all gold gilding and clashing color. Heiji could practically taste how ugly it was. “If it is the tea, that would narrow our search down to whoever prepared the hot water for the kettle. Who was that?”

The team’s expressions collectively darkened.

“The maid,” Hodgettson said.

“Cliché much?” Heiji wondered aloud.

“While the evidence might point that direction, I don’t see a motive for her,” Mayfield said. “From my understanding, she is in a poor financial situation. This job pays very well, enough that she can start to pay off some loans that have been collecting interest for a while.”

“Getting rid of her employer doesn’t make sense,” Saguru noted. “Unless her pay has been reduced?”

“No records of it,” Millhouse said. “But conversations aren’t often recorded.”

“So, it’s possible he might have been planning to cut her pay, but never put it into writing,” Saguru mused.

“Test is negative for the kettle,” McCoy stated, the glass tube in his hand was clear.

“Check the milk,” Saguru said.

“Milk?” Heiji looked to him.

“The tea on the floor is cloudy.” Saguru pointed out.

“… I just thought he had really dirty floors.”

Saguru obviously did not appreciate his comment. But now Hattori was confused because he didn’t smell milk (mammalian, pure in a sterilized way) in the tea puddle on the floor. It didn’t matter because seconds later, McCoy was holding up a clear tube —negative. Cup it is.

“Well, it doesn’t narrow our suspects, but it should be easy to check their statements for someone who could have been close enough to slip something into his tea,” Steinbeck said. “Have we checked the tea bag?”

“Sheesh! You’re gonna use up all the tests I brought on hand at this rate!” McCoy grumbled, but checked the tea bag as asked. Positive.

“Okay, let’s split up,” Millhouse said. “Each of us takes a suspect and asks for a recount of today from the time they got to Lord Astorwell’s place. Also see if they know of any enemies Astorwell may have had. Mayfield, you’ve got the maid. Sammy, go with her, see if you can glean anything from her mentally.”

“You realize that is illegal without consent, right?” Saguru stated, but tagged up with Mayfield. Heiji followed for lack of anything better to do. The crime scene was pretty well picked over by that point.

The maid was in the kitchen with a guard standing over her. Her face was pale and she looked close to tears from just sitting there. Heiji leaned against the doorway as Saguru and Mayfield pulled up chairs.

“Miss Rachel,” Mayfield greeted. “My name is Sarah Mayfield. I’ve got some more questions for you if you don’t mind.”

The maid’s shoulders hunched. In guilt? Or in exhaustion from being asked so many questions so far?

“—day like any other,” the maid was saying.

Oops, Heiji had missed the question.

“I made brunch for Lord and Lady Astorwell, then set about cleaning before Lord Astorwell’s guests were to arrive. Lady Morrell visited her sister at around 2:30 to pick her up for tea at Lady Wilten’s place. Then Lord Astorwell’s guests were arriving and I brought out the tea and snacks.” Her fingers tightened in her apron. “I was keeping an eye on the plates in case any needed refilling when Lord Astor… Lord A-Astorwell…”

Her bottom lip quivered.

Oh no.

“Do you remember anything strange?” Mayfield pressed. “Anyone slipping anything into his cup?”

Rachel shook her head. “No… The guests all stayed on their side of the table, since overcrowding Lord Astorwell could cause a Zone.

Well, that was bullshit.

“Do you remember anything else out of the ordinary? Different from other days?”

“Um…” Rachel bit her lip to save face as she thought. “Not… not really? Lady Morrell came inside today, but I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for.”

“What do you mean ‘came inside’?”

“For the past… week or two? She… Lady Morrell waited outside whenever she came to pick up Lady Astorwell. I f-figured they were f-fighting over something, but today she came in and waiting in the parlor. I thought they had f-finally made up and now f-for this to happen…” The tears seemed to win at that point as Rachel’s entire face crumpled.

“Miss Rachel, do you need a moment?”

“I’m sor—! I’m sorry! I just—!” She covered her face with her hands, but it didn’t stop the way her shoulders shook. When she spoke again, it was with a wet-nasally tone. “I really need this job! And now with Lord Astorwell gone, Lady Astorwell might not decide to keep me and—!”

The rest of her words devolved into hysterical jabbering which Heiji took as his cue to leave. He couldn’t handle crying girls.

Instead, he stepped outside and pulled out his phone. It would be late back home, but sure enough, the call went through.

“Oi, Kudou!” Heiji greeted.

“Hattori, you realize this is a long-distance call, right?”

“Yeah, and I’ll be the one paying for it.” Heiji waved him off. “I got a case over here that I need help with.”

“… what is it?”

Yes, Kudou could never turn down a case.

“Poisoned Sentinel. Cyanide in the tea. Water and milk tested negative, but the tea bag was positive. Issue with that is, the bags are individually sealed with no signs of tampering. So far, no one saw anyone put anything in the cup.”

“…There were people around?”

“A couple guests and a maid. The guests never got close to the cup to try anything.”

“… you spoke with the maid?”

“She’s hysterical. Apparently, she’s got a lot of debts and needed this job to stay on top of them.”

The other clicked his tongue. “No motive then. Anything unusual at the scene?”

“Sentinel’s got a separate kettle and tea cups for himself but not much else.” Heiji thought for a second. “The tea was cloudy, but I didn’t smell milk in it.”

“What did you smell?”

“Just tea. Some wet clay from the broken cup.”

“… wet clay? You mean like it reconstituted?”

“Ha?”

“Dried clay can be reconstituted or made workable again by soaking it in water. It’s insoluble, but the water will break it up into a cloudy mixture if you get the ratios off,” Kudou explained. “It won’t work on fired clay though, I don’t think.”

Reconstituted, cloudy mixture. The smell of clay where it shouldn’t be.

“Gotta go, Kudou!” Heiji shouted.

“What? Hey! We didn’t talk about suspects—!”

Heiji ended the call and raced back inside.

“Hey!” Heiji yelled at McCoy, the only officer left in the parlor. “Got some gloves I can use?”

“Uh, here?” The man handed him a box.

“Thanks.” Heiji nodded to the place where the puddle of tea had grown cold. “Did someone already take pictures?”

“Uh, yeah?” McCoy followed him over. “What’s up?”

Heiji picked up the teacup to examine its insides —or what was left of them after its fall.

There at the bottom was a texture unlike the fired glaze of the rest of the cup.

Bingo.

“Test swab?” Heiji held out a hand. McCoy amiably placed one in his hand.

Very carefully, Heiji dabbed at the residue until he had enough on the end of the stick for a test.

Seconds later, he grinned as McCoy held up a glass tube, the liquid dark and cloudy —just like the milky tea spilled all over the floor.

Chapter Text

Saguru stepped away from the maid’s interview with a tension headache brewing above his eyes.

He was by no means an Empath on the same level as other, more adept, Guides were, but even he could pick up the panic coming off of the maid in waves. If she had a motive or darker desires under it, he couldn’t be sure, as all the info he could get was focused on Job, Job, need this job, if not this Job, what am I going to do?!

If she had any want to kill Lord Astorwell, Saguru couldn’t detect it. As such, she was either a very good actress or she was innocent. Neither of which would mean much if they didn’t have another suspect. So far, the only one to touch the suspected means of poison was the maid who shelved the tea and cleaned the cup each night. Or perhaps…

No, that was crazy. A Guide wouldn’t kill her own Sentinel. Not when it meant living death for her.

Although… her timing was impeccable. To be at Saguru’s place, with two high-level Guides on hand to deal with backlash… it was quite the coincidence.

Saguru sighed and shook his head. Honestly, sometimes his deductive reasoning surprised even himself.

“Hodgettson,” Saguru greeted as he entered the parlor. He paused and scanned the room. Everyone was done with their interviews and back in the parlor, save for Mayfield and one other familiar face. “Where is Heiji?”

“Oh, I think he went out to take a call?” McCoy replied with a glance to the front door. “It sounded like he was getting an earful.”

A lecture? From who? His parents? Toyama-chan?

And for what reason? Did something happen over in Japan? Was it an emergency? They had already finished with their appointment at the Center. If Heiji needed to return home immediately…

Saguru got his answer as he approached the entry way.

“—is my case. Don’t go sticking your nose in it!” Heiji hissed from just past the open door.

“You were the one to call me,” the other voice argued. Saguru could just barely hear it over distance and tinny speakers.

“That doesn’t mean you can get invested! I’m going to solve this one, Kudou. Not you.”

Kudou? Kudou Shinichi?

“You can’t give me details and expect me not to be interested,” Kudou growled back, voice sounding higher than Saguru would have expected. Must be the audio distortion.

“I don’t get interested in your cases,” Heiji snapped. There was a long, pointed pause. “Okay, fine. But there’s nothing else to go off of. We only have one suspect so far. Even with the clay, we only have the last day or so because people apparently drink tea a lot here and he only had the one tea cup he used. Claimed it was because of his delicate Sentinel sensibilities, which is just a bunch of bullshit. So, it’s got to be the maid, despite the lack of motive.”

“Motive is always the trigger, even if it’s just the indiscriminate want to kill. Without that, you haven’t found the answer.”

“Don’t go getting all philosophical on me,” Heiji grumbled. “You know how I hate it.”

That prompted a tinny laugh, albeit short and lacking.

Heiji must have thought the same, because his demeanor lost its ease. “You sound off. What’s going on over there?”

“Nothing much, just…” a crackling sigh. “You might want to keep Hakuba over there for a few more days.”

“Yeah?” Heiji frowned as he stared off the porch railing. “And why’s that?”

“There have been… attacks,” Kudou said. “On high-level Guides.”

Heiji sucked in a breath. Saguru held his.

“C’s seem to be the one’s targeted and before you ask, Toyama-chan is fine. The attacks are only focused in Tokyo,” Kudou explained. “But they are in Tokyo and I’m not sure if it’s only been C’s because that’s the target or because that’s the highest level the attacker’s been reliably able to find.”

“What’s happening to them?”

“They’re falling comatose in the middle of a crowd—in restaurants, on sidewalks, in the middle of crossing the streets.” Kudou’s voice grew lower. “They’re up to four incidents as of this morning.”

Saguru vaguely remembered hearing about this before he and Heiji had left. At the time, it had only been two unconnected events. But to have two more in the last two days? Whoever was doing this (and it had to be on purpose), they were escalating. Quickly.

“And they’re sure it’s attacks?” Heiji asked.

“They’re not sure what to call them otherwise. There’s no sign that and attack has happened until it’s done. No Guide Shock, no mental rebound to other Guides in the area, no traces left behind.” Kudou grew quiet then, silent in frustration.

“You’re keeping him safe, right?” Heiji asked.

Him?

“Yes, as much as I can. I’m not a total failure of a Sentinel, after all,” Kudou drawled and what?

Kudou was a Sentinel? When…?

A sudden memory struck Saguru of a café and a quick meet up before they flew out. Of hypothetical questions and answers Saguru didn’t think twice about. Of Heiji’s over-exaggerate reaction —or possibly his very real fear. The answers were right in front of him. Saguru just hadn’t put the pieces together.

(Just like with Lady Rosemary…)

“—that be the reason?”

Saguru mentally cursed. He’d missed the question.

“I’m not sure how attacking the Sentinels would result in the Guides falling like flies,” Kudou helpfully reiterated.

“I don’t know, that’s what happened over here,” Heiji said. “The Sentinel died and his Bonded Guide fell into Shock. If it hadn’t been for Saguru, she could have died. Instead, she’s just comatose.”

“I’ve already said, they don’t go into —wait, what did you way? That part about Hakuba.”

“Uh… Because of him, she’s comatose, not dead?”

“… Explain.”

“Not sure I’ll be able to. It’s a Guide thing. Apparently, they can learn how to shield others, even if they aren’t a high-level Guide. Saguru learned how to do it at the Center here. Seems like they offer classes or something.”

“… that’s it,” Kudou hissed. “Hattori, I have to go!”

“Now who’s hanging up on who?” Heiji jeered.

“Yeah, but it’s okay if I do it,” Kudou said, then promptly hung up amidst Heiji’s offended squawking.

“Freaking hypocrite!” Heiji grumbled as he tapped aggressively at his phone.

Saguru gave him a few minutes to finish texting or re-calling Kudou before he stepped out. It wouldn’t do, after all, to have his eavesdropping be discovered. Especially not when it was Kudou he had been talking to —the person Heiji was trying to protect.

When he had decided enough time had passed, but Heiji hadn’t yet started to head inside, Saguru stepped out. “Ah, there you are.”

Heiji startled a bit, turned his phone away, but otherwise acted like one who had just been snuck up on would. No suspicion showed on his face. “You finish with the maid?”

“Yes.” Saguru rubbed at his temples at the mention. “I couldn’t sense anything from her other than panic at losing her job. No desire to kill or satisfaction of having done so. No nervousness of being discovered —nothing.”

“So, no trigger for the smoking gun.” Heiji frowned in thought. “What if… it’s not her…?”

Saguru blinked. “Who else could it be? The guests were all cleared and she was the only one to handle the cup and tea bag.”

“The tea bags came individually sealed in a box for freshness. No hole in the wrapping or any other tampering was found. So, no way the tea bag could be poisoned. It had to come from the cup.” Heiji motioned Saguru to follow him. “I also found something else.”

“Something else?” Saguru echoed.

“Remember how I said I smelled clay?” Heiji led them over to where the cup had been placed in an evidence bag. He handed it to Saguru. “It’s hard to tell without Sentinel eyes or a microscope, but there’s a light smear of clay at the bottom there. The clay carries heavy traces of cyanide. Enough to kill a person twice over. And that’s just what’s left in the cup.”

Saguru’s eyes went wide. “It reconstituted in the hot water.”

“And got stirred up by the spoon.” Heiji nodded to a second evidence bag. “It’s why I could smell clay, but not milk.”

“Handling something like this without gloves would be dangerous,” Saguru noted. As far as he could recall, Miss Rachel had been without.

“And it would need to be contained in an air-tight container,” Heiji noted. “Otherwise, it could harm the killer.”

“So, we’re looking for gloves and a container with traces of cyanide,” Saguru surmised. “If it happened within the last 8 hours, there wouldn’t have been time to destroy that kind of evidence yet.”

“Don’t you mean in the last 24?”

“The clay’s moisture content was still high enough to allow it to start to dissolve within the four minutes it takes to steep this type of tea,” Saguru said. “If left over night, it would have been dry enough to harden for as little clay as there is. It would take at least half an hour for it to reconstitute enough for the mixture to become milky.

“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.” Heiji wrinkled his nose. “So, we’re looking for gloves, container, and possibly more clay. Are you telling the guys they have to dig through trash, or am I?”

“Oh, I can do that.” Saguru said, smile a tad vicious.

“Ah! Is something wrong with Lord Astorwell’s cup?” Miss Rachel asked from where she stood in the doorway, Mayfield at her back. “O-other than being broken, I mean?”

“No, nothing wrong.” Saguru gave her a gentle smile and put the evidence bag down amongst the others. “It’s just being taken as evidence. After all, the tea had been poisoned.”

“And the poison… was in the cup?” Miss Rachel’s brow furrowed in confusion before her eyes went wide. “Is it because I didn’t clean it well enough?! Was there something that Lord Astoerwell was allergic to? That his Sentinel senses over-reacted to?! Did Lord Astorwell die because I didn’t—?! I knew I should have cleaned it again before the party! I thought it would have been okay, because she wore gloves. You can’t get things dirty with gloves!”

Both Saguru and Heiji tensed at the words. Mayfield must have picked up on their tension because she honed in on the new information. “Miss Rachel, what are you talking about? I thought you said the guests didn’t touch the cup.”

“They didn’t!” The maid shook her head emphatically. “No! Not Lord Astorwell’s guests! But she did, even though I asked her to please, please not touch anything because I had just gotten done cleaning and Lord Astorwell is very particular about how things are when he has guests over. I knew I should have cleaned it, but I only had a few minutes before the guests were to arrive and I still needed to make the sandwiches—!”

By this point, the maid was near hyperventilating, the residual panic pouring off her in waves. Saguru winced and subconsciously reached for Heiji’s hands. He was pretty sure the strengthening of his shields was simple a placebo effect, but Saguru was grateful for it all the same.

“Miss Rachel, please clam down. Breathe,” Mayfield instructed. After Rachel seemed to recover her breath, Mayfield proceeded with caution. “Now, who is it you’re talking about? It’s not a guest. Lady Astorwell?”

Saguru’s suspicions from earlier reared their head, but they hadn’t fully manifested when Rachel turned to Mayfield, face a befuddled mess. “No? Lady Morrell.”

Saguru inhaled sharply and Heiji’s hand tightened around his.

“She had been holding Lord Astorwell’s cup when I came in, but quickly set it down.” Rachel continued, voice growing wet. “I thought her gloves would have kept it clean, so I didn’t—! I—! Am I…? Am I under arrest?”

Mayfield looked to Saguru, the rest of the team following her lead.

“The cause of death was no Sentinel oversensitivity or allergic reaction,” Saguru said in lieu of an answer. It was all he could tell her until they had a chance to search the house. He didn’t want to tip her off, just in case.

 He paused, a memory surfacing. “You said Lady Astorwell and Lady Morrell had been fighting recently.”

He waited for a confirmation from the maid before he continued. “Do you know what they were fighting about?”

“Um…” Rachel’s gaze dropped to the floor, bottom lip between her teeth. “I think… about a man? Lady Morrell would talk about ‘him’ in a really… mean tone. I thought maybe her family was pressuring her to marry someone she didn’t like or want to marry at all? She would glare at Lord Astorwell, so I think she might not like the idea of marriage so much.”

Heiji and Saguru shared a look.

“Thank you, Miss Rachel,” Saguru called without looking. Mayfield ushered the maid forward so they could start a short walk-through/re-enactment of the scene, which had been their initial goal.

Heiji leaned in close to whisper. “2000 Yen says Lady Roseanna found out about the fake Sentinel senses.”

“A losing bet,” Saguru decided just as quietly. “She found out and got angry. Her older sister is her whole world. If she found out someone had taken advantage of her, she would be livid.”

“Mad enough to take out the person responsible?” Heiji asked.

Saguru frowned. “That’s the part I don’t get. Even if she wasn’t a Guide, her sister was. She had to have known what would happen in the event of Lord Astorwell’s death. Her intentionally hurting her sister… it doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe she didn’t realize how bad it was?” Heiji tried.

“Maybe… but still…”

“You know,” a third voice cut in, startling them both. “You never answered my question of whether Saguru had a crush or not.” Millhouse loomed over the two, hands on his hips and a terrifying smile on his face. “I think I see why.”

Heiji gulped and tried to hide behind Saguru.

Saguru just stepped to the side.

Revenge was oh, so sweet.

Chapter Text

“That police team of yours scares me,” Heiji said, breathing heavily.

He had just escaped the team’s second interrogation, much to Saguru’s embarrassment and amusement. Hey, at least they were after him this time. Karma’s a bitch.

“Oh, they aren’t that bad,” Saguru assured him. He even managed to keep from snickering as he spoke. “They’re practically harmless. Usually. Most of the time. For a given value of—!”

“Please,” Heiji interrupted. “Just… stop talking.”

Saguru pursed his lips so he wouldn’t give in to the temptation to laugh. It was a very near thing. But he managed the ride home in silence. He’s sure the team was cursing his name by that point, as he had told Steinbeck about the missing evidence. A day of trash duty and scouring the house from top to bottom should discipline them well enough for their nosiness that day.

Heiji’s own interrogation would serve as punishment for betraying Saguru’s trust.

Now all that was left was solving this mystery and all would be right with the world.

“But still. Lady Roseana’s actions, if it was her, confound me,” Saguru said as he slid out of the car. “She wouldn’t have put her sister through any pain if she could help it. And there was no guarantee that Mother or I would have been able to help!”

“Unless she wasn’t planning on your help,” Mirielle said as Saguru and Heiji neared the entry way.

Saguru blinked and looked up from where he’d been studying his path. “You believe Roseana is behind this?”

“Your Mother and I have our suspicions.” Mirielle cast a look towards the gates before standing to the side. “Let’s talk in the parlor.”

Saguru followed her in, careful to take off his shoes so he wouldn’t track dirt in. Despite it not being Japan, his mother still had a rack for house slippers so their feet didn’t freeze on the cold tile. Something he would never take for granted.

“Oh, Sammy! You’re back!” His mother sat up from a very un-ladylike sprawl on the couch. “Did you already figure out the mystery?”

“Heiji figured out the trick that was used to poison Lord Astorwell, but we have not yet proved a suspect.” Saguru crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. “The team believes the maid is the most likely culprit, but she has no motive so to speak. If anything, she was depending on Lord and Lady Astorwell’s kindness to aid her situation.”

“So now you have a case without obvious suspects,” Mirielle mused. “How was he killed?”

Saguru gave them both a narrow-eyed look. “You realize I’m not supposed to share details of an active case?”

“Yes, but that has never stopped you before!” Amelia whined. “Plus, we’re quite helpful! Haven’t we aided you on a number of cases before?”

Saguru’s frown turned sulky.

“Oi, you don’t want to do it, fine. I will.” Heiji elbowed past him to drop into the nearest chair. Saguru made a noise of complaint that went ignored. “He already told you it was poison —cyanide specifically. Best we can tell, it was either liquid soaked into or crystals mixed into clay that was smeared at the bottom of Astorhole’s cup. Add water, heat and stir and the clay and poison dissolves into the tea.”

“Astorhole?” Saguru echoed, befuddled.

“Assholes lose correct name privileges.” Heiji waved him off. “Like we said, the maid doesn’t have a motive and soon, I think, we’ll see she doesn’t have the means either. To be able to put the clay in the tea cup, one needs gloves. Not just any kind of glove —non-permeable ones. You don’t want any of this getting on your skin. So latex or rubber gloves with traces of cyanide are what we’re looking for, as well as an air-tight container to store the clay in beforehand. Saguru’s team is searching the Astorwell house for those right now.”

“I recall Lady Rosemary wearing gloves, but they were cloth ones,” Mirielle said. “Lady Roseana didn’t wear any.”

Heiji and Saguru shared a look.

“The maid said she was wearing some at the house,” Saguru noted.

“Could be, she took them off during transit?” Heiji suggested.

“Perhaps.” Saguru frowned. “But that presents us with the dilemma of finding them as well as their actual material. Latex or rubber gloves would stand out on a normal person, let alone a noble who should not have any activities requiring them on a daily basis. The fact that the maid noticed nothing out of the ordinary must mean the gloves she saw Lady Roseana wear were like her sister’s —cloth.”

Amelia emphatically waved a hand gloved from finger-tip to elbow. “Like this!”

Saguru stifled a sigh. “Yes, Mother. Like that.”

Heiji observed it, then frowned. “She could… dip the fingers in some kind of sealing agent? Rubber? Latex? Glue?”

“You are assuming guilt and trying to fit the sparce evidence to a suspect,” Saguru warned. “When truly, we don’t know that she is guilty in the first place. As I said before, Rosana wouldn’t put her sister in such a dangerous situation.”

“Unless she didn’t think it was dangerous.” Amelia pointed out.

Saguru sighed this time. “Even if you and I are both Guides, there’s no way she could have known that we would be able to help Rosemary when the Bond broke. Despite not being a Guide, she should have suspected as much.”

“Unless it wasn’t your help she wanted,” Mirielle stated.

“… you said that when we first returned.” Saguru narrowed his eyes in contention. “Explain?”

“After you left and the ambulance took the Morrell sisters away, Mirielle and I got to talking and…” Amelia hesitated before her eyes flickered down, to Heiji. “We noticed a few strange things about Lady Roseana today.”

“Strange?” Heiji parroted. “Strange how?”

“She had appeared normal at first, but when she asked if you two would be joining us, I mentioned that you had both gone to the Center to officially declare your Match,” Amelia recounted, sharing looks with Mirielle all the while. “After that, she got quite insistent in asking when you would be back, but I didn’t know for sure since you had texted me that you were going shopping. She grew agitated at that, kept looking at the clock and not paying attention to the conversation, even though she had been the one to request to meet over tea.”

Saguru frowned at this. “She invited herself over?”

“A social faux pas, I know, but you know I don’t quite care about such things and she had made it sound urgent this morning,” Amelia explained.

“We suspected she was engineering for her and Lady Rosemary to be here for one reason or another this afternoon,” Mirielle continued. “We got confirmation when Lady Rosemary collapsed.  And again, as soon as you two arrived back and she demanded help from you.”

“From Saguru for his Guide thing,” Heiji helpfully reminded, but Mirielle shook her head.

“From you, Heiji,” she clarified. “Because you are a Sentinel.”

Heiji appeared confused at this, but Saguru understood immediately. “She meant for Heiji to react to the Guide Shock and Bond Lady Rosemary after the one between her and Lord Astorwell snapped.”

“What?!” Heiji blanched, blood draining from his face. “But—! I’m a 5S! she’s a CG, right?! I would have put her in a coma!”

“I don’t believe Lady Roseana knew your actual level, just like she didn’t know Lord Astorwell’s.” Mirielle said. “I believe she knew it was higher than Lord Astorwell’s, simply because you were matching with Saguru, but such records are not made known to the public without reasonable cause and —as you’ve seen with Lord Astorwell —can be falsified.”

Wait…

“You knew about Lord Astorwell’s false report?” Saguru asked.

“Lady Rosemary came to me soon after she found out,” Amelia said. “She wanted to know how I handled my own level difference between Mirielle and I, but I couldn’t’ help her. She didn’t have the same ability as I did.”

“You knew… and you kept quiet?” Saguru demanded sharply.

Amelia treated him to a cool look. “There was nothing to be done.”

“Hold up! Can we go back to that part where she was trying to force Bond me to her sister?” Heiji demanded frantically. His face was still pale, but it was starting to redden in anger. “What was she gonna do if I put her sister in a coma!?”

“Well, she would be in a coma, not dead,” Mirielle stated, eyebrow raised. “And the other two cases would end up with a good match or in the same state that Rosemary was in currently. She had no reason not to try.”

“Other than the fact that I had no idea what kind of person Rosemary was?” Heiji snarled.

Saguru’s hand flexed in anger as well.

“A non-issue for her,” Mirielle said. “To Roseana, Rosemary could do no wrong. There was no way anyone could hate her. For her, it has always been this way.”

“What about the other way then?” Heiji thew his hands up. “What if I was an asshole? What if I decided to hurt her sister for the Bonding?”

“If that were the case.” Mirielle folded her hands into her lap. “I suspect she would have dealt with you in the same manner she dealt with Lord Astorwell.”

Abruptly, the wind was ripped from his sails. Heiji fell back against the chair shocked.

Saguru curled a hand around the other’s shoulder in comfort. (He didn’t remember taking the steps to Heiji’s chair, but here he was, hovering behind it.)

“If I was… she was gonna…?”

“It’s purely speculation,” Mirielle warned. “But if she did truly instigate the events of today, then she would have had a record.”

Heiji pressed firmly into Saguru’s hold. “… Why me? Why not some other Sentinel?”

“Well, for one, it is hard to set up such meetings as most Sentinels are Matched with an appropriate Guide almost immediately after coming online, but also…” Mirielle stared at him, eyes sharp. “You are young, a foreigner with no family here, a commoner with no title or power of his own. If you Bonded, you would be completely dependent on Lady Rosemary with no support system of your own. You would be moldable.”

Hearing those words coming out of her mouth made Saguru feel sick. By the way he shuddered under his touch, Heiji must have felt the same.

“And, in the event that you did not do as told, you were expendable,” Mirielle continued. “Truly, for Roseana, the stakes were in her favor.”

“Save the part where Rosemary could have ended up in a coma if Heiji’s level was too high for her —which it is,” Saguru noted.

“Guides have woken from comas before, though the chances are slim,” Mirielle said. “In those events, they almost always awaken to a Sentinel perfectly matched to them.”

Saguru scoffed.

That ‘perfect match’ ideology was what had started a trend lately, for Guides and Sentinels searching for their ‘soul mate’. It was a bunch of hog-wash if someone asked him. Red strings of fate were just myths and fairy tales.

It had led to an increasing number of unBonded Sentinels and Guides as of late, along with a rising number of Zone accidents and Shock crowds forming. The fact that one couldn’t find their ‘perfect match’ without going into a Fugue or coma just made the whole thing worse.

The Center was doing its best to counteract the rumors, but media had always had a thicker hold on the population than science and destiny sold better than happenstance. The whole thing disgusted him —more so that Roseana might actually believe it. To think he almost lost Heiji to some cheap, overused, soulmate knock-off—!

Heiji put a hand over his, making Saguru released his tightening hold.

Saguru murmured an apology, to which Heiji simply patted his hand. They needed to change the direction of this conversation before Saguru fell victim to the urge to march over to Lady Roseana’s house and give her a stern lecture about boundaries and basic human decency. With his fists.

“Even if that motive is plausible,” Saguru let out a slow breath to rein in his more… hot-headed thoughts. “We have no way of proving it. And with Lady Roseana out of eyesight, there’s no way to tell when or where she will dispose of the evidence, if she hasn’t already.”

“Lady Roseana accompanied her sister to the Center, so I expect she will remain there for quite some time,” Amelia said. “As for the evidence, can’t you have the team go check her place and the car she took here?”

“Routes as well,” Mirielle suggested. “In case she disposed of anything in transit.”

“Routes we can do, but not private property unless we have a court-ordered warrant.” Saguru shook his head. “And we can’t get those without probably cause and even if the motive appears correct, it’s just guess-work on our part. Something that could be dismissed out of hand.”

“Then… if a search won’t work, I guess we’ll just have to get a confession,” Amelia said, sitting up properly in her seat. She smoothed down her dress and straightened up her hair, seamlessly folding into the personal of Lady Amelia of Wiltenshire.

Saguru watched the transformation with an air of trepidation. “Mother? What are you planning?”

“I’m planning to show Lady Roseana why messing with my family is a very unfortunate idea,” Amelia said. Her lips twisted into a shark-like grin.

Chapter Text

Roseana didn’t want to leave her sister’s side, not in her most dire hour of need. Not when she laid still and lifeless on the bed, provided by the Center. She could have been asleep, had Roseana not known better.

But she did and, more importantly, she was the cause.

She was the reason her sister was stuck at the Center, trapped within her own mind. She was the reason Rosie might never wake up again. She should be the one to wait by her side, not the impersonal staff of the Center. It was only fair after all.

And yet, Roseana found herself here, at Lady Wilten’s house, where it all started.

According to the hostess, her guests were asleep upstairs, given the time difference between England and Japan. Roseana spared a glare towards the ceiling when no one was looking.

Useless Sentinel. It was probably for the best he hadn’t sullied sweet Rosie. She didn’t want to come up with another plan so soon.

“I’m very sorry to hear what happened to Lord Astorwell,” Lady Amelia said and Roseana had to take a steadying breath so she didn’t give anything away. She would rather never hear the name of that slimy conman again for as long as she lived, but she knew she would be hearing it a lot over the next few weeks as people paid their respects. Perhaps more if her sister chose not to return to her maiden name (or could not, which was a train of thought she didn’t like.)

But Roseana couldn’t afford to draw attention to herself, not yet, so she tempered her anger and gave a pitiful sigh. “Thank you, Lady Amelia. I was never quite close with my brother-in-law, but for Rosie, he meant the world.”

“I’m sure he did. I can’t think of a world without my Sentinel.” Lad Amelia traded besotted looks with Lady Mirielle.

Roseana was torn between disgust (how could one be so in love?) and jealousy (that’s the kind of Bond she wanted for Rosie.) Wisely, she kept her mouth shut.

“Which makes it such a shame that she felt that she had to do what she did.” Lady Amelia placed a gentle hand to her cheek, as if to preempt tears.

Roseana froze at the wording. “I… I’m sorry?”

“Oh, I know the police haven’t come to any official conclusions yet, but I heard my Sammy and his Sentinel discussing it between themselves,” Lady Amelia continued. “A time-delayed poison that would allow her to get out of the house and create an alibi. I knew she was frustrated with his spending habits, but to think she would go so far as to kill him—!”

Lady Amelia choked off, a polite palm pressed to her mouth. Lady Mirielle offered a hand, which Lady Amelia took as a means of comfort.

“I thought…” Roseana coughed delicately. “Surely no. Not Rosie. I mean, the maid…?”

“The maid had no motive. In fact, she broke down in tears after his death.” Lady Amelia dabbed lightly at her eyes. “And the police couldn’t find any evidence of the poison in the house. As such, they’ve written her off.”

Shite! She had forgotten to plant evidence! She had been so focused on getting the cup taken care of that she’d run out of time to leave behind traces of the maid’s guilt. But maybe…

“Surely fingerprints or something would be on the cup?” Roseana tried.

Lady Amelia looked up at her and blinked. “Why would that matter?”

“Because…” Roseana swallowed thickly and smiled. “If the tea was poisoned, surely the one who added the poison would have touched the cup? … Or tea bag,” She hastily added. Right, it wouldn’t do to appear too knowledgeable.

Lady Amelia blinked again. “I don’t believe I said the poison was in the tea.”

Roseana’s stomach dropped to her toes.

“Mirielle.” Lady Amelia turned to her Sentinel. “Did I say the poisoned was in the tea?”

“You did not, dearest.” Lad Mirielle’s gaze was piercing.

“It was… a lucky guess… perhaps.” Lady Roseana’s fingers tightened in her dress.

“Perhaps,” Lady Amelia agreed. “Or perhaps… you know a little more than you had initially let on.”

Roseana’s lips quivered. Shite! And she had been so close—!

“Lady Roseana,” Lady Amelia began. “I know you want to cover for your sister.”

… what?

“I know you love your sister very much,” Lady Amelia continued. “To the point where you would turn a blind eye if she told you her plans.”

… No…

“But there’s no hiding this. Once the police clear the maid, the only person that will be left is Lady Rosemary.”

No.

“If you confess now, they might be able to get her institutionalized instead of arrested.”

No, no, no!

 “To go so far as to almost kill herself! They will likely offer her that to start off with. Oh, if only she didn’t do this to herself.”

“She didn’t.” The words were barely a whisper. But the truth. Because she had already hurt her sister so much. She couldn’t let Rosie take the fall for her too. Rosie had always helped her in the past, had taken enough blame on Roseana’s part. She wouldn’t let this time be a repeat of the past.

“Pardon?”

“She didn’t do it,” Roseana said, louder, clearer. “I did.”

“… Lady Roseana, I know you adore your sister, but taking the blame for her is—?”

“I did it!” Roseana said with as much conviction as she could muster. “I did it! I was the one to poison Lord Astorwell and put my dear sister in a—! In this situation! I planted the poison in his special ‘Sentinel-friendly’ cup. I was the one that took my sister away so—! So she didn’t have to see that scene! I planned to frame the maid when it was all said and done and that rotten bastard paid for the pain he put my sister through!”

Lady Amelia and Lady Mirielle watched in silence, expression calm and polite, as if they’d known all along. But Roseana was too worked up now. Revealing the burden of the one to place her sister in such a position… it was freeing, if disheartening. There was no way to return from this.

“… And your proof?” Lady Amelia asked.

Roseana stared at her, dumbfounded. She had already confessed. What more could she want?

“Lady Roseana, don’t take this the wrong way.” Lady Amelia rested her chin on her folded hands. “But you care greatly for your sister. Enough to take the blame for her, certainly. Without indisputable proof that it was your plan and your crime, I’m afraid the police will not be convinced.”

This viper.

This ugly snake of a woman!

If it had been Rosie, she would have believed Roseana, with or without proof. It if was Rosie, she would have already been forgiven once she explained her reasons. (If it was Rosie, then that would mean that she was awake and alive and not—!)

But no, this wench demanded proof, proof of Roseana’s betrayal, proof of her decision to hurt her sister, proof of her foolish deed.

She wanted proof? Find then!

“Here’s your proof,” she spat as she ripped out a handful of cloth from her purse. She smacked it down on the coffee table. The clack of the small bottle of poisoned clay was muffled by the gloves she had worn earlier that day.

If she had been smart, she would have gotten rid of them at the Center. (If she had been smart, she would never have hurt—!) But now she was happy she didn’t, because there was no arguing with this.

“The bottle I used to carry the poison, which will have my fingerprints alone. The gloves I wore to place it, with the forefinger and thumb sealed with glue. You will find traces of cyanide on the finger pads and my DNA on the inside fabric.”

She removed her hand, careful to keep clear of the contaminated areas. “Is this enough proof for you?”

Lady Amelia’s unimpressed gaze dropped to the articles on the coffee table, then back up to Roseana’s face. The answer to her question though, came from someone else.

“Indeed it is, Lady Roseana.” A man stepped out of the hallway, badge in hand. “Officer Millhouse, lead detective on this case. Lady Roseana Morrell, you are under arrest.”

*             *             *             *             *

“That was so much fun!” Amelia squealed one the officer had escorted Lady Rosenaa to the car and retrieved the evidence in question.  “Oooh! Now I get why Sammy likes doing this so much! I felt positively powerful!”

“Dearest, please contain your excitement,” Mirielle chided softly. “The children are asleep upstairs.”

“Oh, come now! Do you know how long I’ve wanted to cosplay Shizuka from the Deduction Queen Shizuka series?!” Amelia flopped over on the couch so that her head landed in a surprised Mirielle’s lap. “And not only did I get to cosplay while dressed in her Deduction Mansion Arc Dress, but I also got an actual killer to confess! This is the best day of my life!”

“… Better than the day we Bonded?”

“Okay, Second best.”

“Better than the day you married your Hubby?”

“Fine, third best, but that’s as far as I go.”

“Better than the day Saguru was born?”

“That boy put me through 14 hours of labor. No way is he getting ranked above today.”

Mirielle pondered this for a few seconds before deciding. “That’s fair.”

Amelia beamed up at her, glowing with joy.

Mirielle stared down, a smile playing at her lips. “… you know, I did say the kids are asleep.”

Amelia blinked up, obviously confused. “Yes?”

“And that show you put on.” Mirielle ignored the red tinging her own cheeks. “It was… quite entrancing. Almost overwhelming one might say.”

Amelia stared for a second, then comprehension dawned over her face. Her grin turned feral. “Oh-ho? See something you like?”

Mirielle’s smile grew in challenge. “Perhaps.”

*             *             *             *             *

“I just got a text from Mother,” Saguru said as he examined his phone.

It was the first day back to school after they had returned from their trip. After Lady Roseana’s arrest, he and Heiji had stuck around for a few more days of sightseeing and shopping (and yes, more murder-mystery-solving, thank you Heiji.)

It was always the plan initially, but after checking his favorite Japanese news sites and seeing that the Guide Attacks had yet to be solved, he didn’t protest too much when Heiji mentioned the idea of perhaps staying a little longer. It was unnecessary at the end, as the assailant was caught a day before they were schedule to leave.

Which Saguru was eternally grateful for, because there was only so much Holmes-bashing he could take.

Now, there wasn’t many Holmes statues or homages in London, but that didn’t stop Heiji from taking multiple pictures whenever they found one. Selfies of him flipping the bird at the statue in the background, of using various props to make fun of Holmes, even on memorable one that used a filter and some specific angling to make it look like Heiji was peeing on the statue.

(This one was forwarded to him by an unknown number and a message of “Can’t you stop him?” To which Saguru replied “Could you?”, and to which there was no response.)

Apparently, the selfie spree was entirely to mess with Kudou, who responded with more and more vicious replies, which just made Heiji up the ante. Saguru finally got a reprieve when he mentioned, “You know, you’re making fun of Holmes, but you are the one with approximately 183 selfies posed next to his various statues.”

Heiji stopped taking pictures after that and a short while later, they boarded the plane.

They were now back in Japan, a few days after their flight to recharge and reacquaint themselves to the time zone. Saguru would forever be stuck on a different schedule than everyone else, but Heiji seemed to bounce by quickly and was awaiting school with an unreasonable amount of energy.

It was in the car on the way there that Saguru got the text from his mother that he shared now.

“Seems like Rosemary is awake! Apparently, a gardener of the Morrell estate came Online when he heard about what happened to her. And when he visited her at the Center, she woke up at his presence.” Saguru wrinkled his nose. “The news will have a field day with that.”

“So long as he does better than Lord Astorhole, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Heiji said with a roll of his eyes. “But I’m glad it worked out for her.”

“I as well.” Saguru smiled down at his phone before looking out the window.

Last week had been hectic for sure, in both England and Japan with the murder and Guide attacks, but they had made it through no worse for wear. Now, all they needed to do was make it through school… which had Kuroba Kaito who was not Kaitou KID because he was not a Sentinel.

Saguru sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. He was doing better. The sheer idea of Kuroba not being KID wasn’t enough to throw him into Shock anymore, but it did mean he was back to square one: looking for a dark-haired, blue-eyed Sentinel between the ages of 14 and 20 that… actually sounded familiar, now that Saguru thought about it. He tugged at that string of thought until a picture formed in his mind —and suddenly, everything made sense.

The disappearance, Heiji’s almost neurotic protectiveness (from not just anyone, but Saguru specifically), the phone calls, the overly-familiar anonymous text, the extreme similarities between the thief and the detective he disguised himself as without a mask —all the little bits of information suddenly fell into place.

Kudou Shinichi was Kaitou KID.