Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: see first chapter

A/N: another long wait…I apologize. I've been busy with my other story and school work, but here it is! Chapter nine…please enjoy!

The next morning found the small group of detectives asleep, almost piled up upon each other, with nine people and one dog in a single room. The first one to wake was Yamino, who was accustomed to waking as soon as the first rays of light came through the room.

Quietly, so as to not wake the others, he rose from his rather uncomfortable half-curled position on the armchair (at least it was better than Kaito, who was half-falling off the window-sill where he had been unceremoniously dumped after foolishly suggesting that he sleep in the bed with the girls), dislodging Fenrir, who had been dozing on his lap and grumbled sleepily before flopping down on the carpet to continue his dead-log-like snoozing.

A brief glance showed that both Conan and Loki were comfortably ensconced in the blankets of the bed, sleeping soundly. As children, they had been allowed to share the soft bed with the girls, with the only disadvantage of being used as pillows or stuffed toys, not, Yamino mused, that Loki-sama would really mind.

A small smile appeared on Yamino's face, and he made his way towards the door. Though he had spent the whole night in an armchair, he still managed to look impeccable as always. It was, after all, the sign of a good butler to be prepared for every situation. Speaking of being prepared, everyone would probably be hungry when they woke, so he, being the good butler that he was, should start making breakfast. Time to do what he did best.

"Wait." As his hand touched the doorknob, a cool voice stopped him.

Yamino turned around rather quickly, slightly flustered. He had not noticed anyone awake besides himself. It was Hakuba, with his brown hair mussed and standing up from sleep but his eyes lucid, rising from his also awkward sleeping position on the couch.

"Ah, Hakuba-san…" Yamino said, slightly nervous under the young man's penetrating and somewhat intimidating glare. There was fleeting suspicion in those piercing blue eyes… "I was just going to make breakfast…" Yamino explained.

"No, what I meant was I should come with you." Hakuba said, "It's not safe to wander around this house alone. Unless you've forgotten that there's a killer out there."

"Of course." Yamino replied quickly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "I thank you deeply for your consideration." I completely forgot…

Hakuba seemed satisfied with this answer, "Alright then," he announced, quietly enough so that none of the others woke and, in a slightly lower murmur, "I was getting hungry anyways."

"Ah, hai." Yamino unlocked the door with a small click, pushing it open into the hallway, which was even now filling with the morning's rays. The two entered the hall, the door clicking shut behind them.

*~*~*

Conan had woken as soon as Yamino had rushed into the room looking extremely flustered and babbling something unintelligible. It had taken a moment for him to calm the older man down with the help of Kaito who had also woken (Mouri sat by uselessly and watched, yawning), and a few more moments to realize that he was telling them that there was, apparently, a bloody knife stuck on the kitchen counter downstairs.

"Hakuba-san is still down there, examining the scene and gathering the evidence." Yamino concluded, pushing his glasses up nervously.

"We'd better go help him out a bit." Conan suggested. His eyes were narrowed, mulling over the possibilities in his mind.

"Nah, let Hakuba handle it. He is the son of some British police officer, after all." Mouri said, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I'm starving, what's there to eat?"

Yamino, still slightly distraught, murmured, "Gomen, I can't make any breakfast until he's done collecting the evidence…"

The prospect of missing breakfast brought a slightly panicked expression to the famous detective's face, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go help him!" he was halfway to the door before anyone in the room could blink.

Kaito and Conan exchanged exasperated glances, obviously considering themselves the only rational males in the room. "We're coming too." Kaito announced, standing up. He grabbed Conan's arm and dragging him towards the door, much to the smallest detective's chagrin.

Ran, who had also woken up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning. "They're all so energetic…" she mumbled, her speech still slurred with sleep. The few hours that she had gotten were definitely not enough. Aoko grunted with sleepy agreement beside her, "Let's go back to sleep. Just let them work on their precious mystery."

And suddenly, as if on cue, a pink blur shot up into a sitting position. "Nani? Nani? Did something important just happen?"

Ran and Aoko could only stare at Mayura, who had practically leapt out of bed with excitement, showed no signs of having been woken up traumatically in the middle of the night. She looked around, slightly confused, "Eh? Where is everyone?"

"Downstairs looking at a clue Yamino and Hakuba found." Ran told her.

Mayura's eyes widened, practically shining with anticipation, and Ran had the sinking feeling that she would soon regret telling the girl…

"A clue! Fushigi Mystery!"

And there went their chance for a quiet morning's sleep.

*~*~*

Loki's eyes twitched as they were hit by a ray of sunlight, and he rolled over instinctively without opening his eyes, murmuring "just ten more minutes, Yamino".

But instead of sinking into the comfortable warmth of sleep, he felt himself being shaken not-so-gently by someone. "Loki-kun! You have to wake up! There is another Fushigi Mystery!"

The bubbly voice sounded very, very familiar. Loki's green eyes snapped open, just in time to see a pair of crimson orbs two inches in front of his face. What was she doing in his bed…oh, wait. The memories of the previous night came flooding back, the unfruitful trip to the attic, the surprise attack in the corridor, and the crisis in the girls' room…

"Mou, Loki-kun, you have to get up right now!" Mayura insisted, her voice cutting through Loki's thoughts. There was an almost solemn look in her eyes, "Yamino-san and Hakuba-san just found another clue! They'll start without you if you don't hurry!"

"Mayura…" Loki sighed.

"Huh? What's wrong, Loki-kun?" She asked, concerned, "Don't you want to be the first to solve the mystery?"

"Would you please…let go of me now?"

Mayura looked down, catching sight of the place where she was still grabbing onto the boy's shoulders. Her face, she realized, was still inches away from his, close enough that she could almost feel his breath on her face. For some inexplicable reason, the second fact caused an embarrassed flush to creep onto her face.

"Eh-heh…" she laughed sheepishly, letting to quickly, "Gomen, gomen!" she apologized, her blush growing.

Loki stared at her, bemused. "Mayura, are you-"

"Ah-hah, it's nothing!" she chirruped quickly, "I, uh, have to go now. To see the new clue, since I'm the beautiful, smart detective's assistant. They can't do anything without me." She signed dramatically, as if exasperated by their 'incompetence'. And before he could register what she had said, she leapt nimbly off the bed and left the room.

Seeing the door slam shut with a bit more force than was necessary, Loki wondered what exactly was wrong with her this morning. Even though he was a god, girls were still so confusing! But she had said something about Yamino and the other person—Haku-something-or-other—finding another clue. Well, it seemed like things were finally getting interesting, not to say that they hadn't been so before.

Deciding that he should hurry in case someone incompetent such as the idiot-detective with the stupid-looking mustache (guess who XP) somehow destroyed it. Now, if he could only find his clothes…Loki sighed again. Where was his butler when he needed him?

*~*~*

TBC