AN: It's a new story time, and it's time for something completely different! Or well, not completely different per say, but different enough- since the main pairing isn't Heikazu (although that's definitely one of the pairings) and the main character isn't Heiji, for a change. I wanted to try and write a multi-chapter fic that was unabashedly Sonosera, with Sera as the main protagonist, and that's exactly how I ended up with this story. I had some ideas for a fantasy type AU earlier on, but they didn't come to fruition, though some of them came about again in this story.
This first chapter was quite fun to write! Sonoko's a rather enjoyable character to write as well, really. I really hope everyone is excited for this story, because I think it should be quite fun! Quests, curses, witches, and of course, mystery! All good fantasy staples.
Until next time! Don't forget to leave a review!
By the Moon's Light
Chapter One
The Princess Comes to a Decision (and Neglects to Inform Anyone)
From a very young age, Suzuki Sonoko knew exactly what it was that she wanted in life.
The prettiest dresses and gems that twinkled like the stars in the sky were a given, of course, and as she was nothing short of a princess, there was no limit to the number of those that she could have. She had so many dresses, in fact, that there were times she stumbled upon a particular dress that she had no memory of having made in the first place. There were so many twinkling gems that she was running out of ways to wear them, there were only so many creative ways one could string a necklace, or a pair of earrings, and she had always been of the opinion that gemstone encrusted heels were downright tasteless.
She wanted a best friend, and found on with ease, in the form of Mouri Ran. The fact that she was of commoner's stock was of no importance to her, and she would personally deal with anyone who tried to so much as make her feel unwelcome in the royal palace. She'd even gone so far as to arrange for her to have her own quarters there with her father, after learning that they were living together in such a cramped space. If Ran's friendship came with the package deal of that Shinichi boy, then that was simply the price that she had to pay. Teasing the two all too unwitting lovebirds was quite fun anyways, and she wouldn't miss such a chance in the world.
A magnificent steed? By horses standards, hers was doubtlessly the most amazing of them all, with a coat as white as snow. Grand balls, whenever she desired? There were so many balls that she got sick of having them for awhile, and had refused to attend one for months. The most wondrous foods in all the world? The palace chef was exceptionally skilled, and she never tired of their meals. Those to wait on her beck and call? Sometimes they waited on her a bit too much, really- though she might need assistance getting into some of her more complex dresses, for goodness sake, she could otherwise dress herself just fine. All these things she had, and more, really- for what the princess wanted, her parents would give her, sometimes in excess.
The one thing Suzuki Sonoko didn't have, however, was someone that would lightly kiss her hand, and offer her a dance on this fine night, who would sweep her up in strong arms, and protect her from all the darkness of the world. Someone dashing, someone with good looks, and someone with a splendid personality on top of all that- that was what Sonoko desired. A prince, or a knight- even a commoner would do, really. Oh surely, she had no shortage of suitors- but she could see through them right away. None of them wanted Suzuki Sonoko, the young girl whose heart sought out love- they wanted the Princess of the Beika Kingdom, with their eyes fixed upon the throne, especially now that her elder sister had married off to a foreign kingdom across the sea, and had given up her rights to said throne. That left her to become the crown princess and future queen one day.
Sonoko had very little interest in such men. She was not going to sit by and allow the throne to be snatched away from her by some kind of power hungry grub, no- she intended to become the queen and ruler of her kingdom, soon to be queendom, once she ascended to the throne. Whoever it was that she would marry, they would have to fully understand and accept this fact, from the bottom of their hearts.
And above all else, they had to be someone that she was in love with. Nothing less would do.
Finding such a person however, was proving to be a challenge. Every pretty face that she encountered turned out to have a not so pretty underside. Briefly, she considered attempting to court Ran- but at that point, her friend's heart was already dead set on the Kudo Shinichi boy, for reasons that she simply could not understand. What on earth was it that Ran even saw in that mystery obsessed young man, who fancied himself as a detective in spite of being no older than herself? Whatever it was, Sonoko doubted she would ever understand, and had no desire to even try.
It was by pure chance, really, that she stumbled across a pretty face that had her heart pounding in her chest. And while this young man certainly came to the palace wanting something, it was not her hand in marriage, nor the royal throne- but rather, it was something else entirely. Something that had the castle's guards chasing after him, an urgency to their step, an almost frenzy to their cries.
Glittering in his hand was a jewel of bright red, the one that he hadn't taken her own in, white gloves tucked neatly in place on them, the young man's soft lips lightly planted a kiss on hers, begging her pardon for disturbing such a beautiful princess on this night. Sonoko found herself letting out a soft squeak, a pink color crossing her cheeks that very nearly matched the shade of her dress. With a coy smile, the young man gave her a long bow, twitching a corner of the edge of his white silken cape, and had vanished from whence he had come.
It was in that moment, that the princess decided that she would make the heart of this young man her very own- even though she had no idea who he was, nor where he had even come from. With a fire burning in her heart, she decided that she would track him down herself. Oh sure, there was the matter of her family's most priceless heirloom, the royal treasure Pandora, said to possess a great and mysterious power, having been stolen from them by this young man, but that was next to nothing compared to her desire to snatch his heart, just as he had snatched away the jewel.
Princess Suzuki Sonoko, heir apparent to the throne of the Beika Kingdom, had already made up her mind- she was going to make this mysterious young thief her own. And to do that, she needed to set out on a quest. Even as Shinichi asked her a million questions about the young man whom she had briefly encountered by chance in the palace hallways, Sonoko secretly plotted her own flight from the palace, knowing full well that her parents would never approve of such a thing.
Money and jewels, those things she had in abundance, to more than pay for such a trip. More than enough to hire someone to guard her from the doubtlessly dastardly forces of the world outside the palace walls. More than enough to hire someone skilled at tracking, who could locate the young thief as if it were a task as easy as locating a missing pup. Oh sure, she could have hired Ran for her strength, the girl being more mighty than half the palace guards put together. Or perhaps she could have even hired Shinichi, who for all that she enjoyed taunting him, was still a rather skilled detective in his own right.
But goodness, where was the fun in that? Besides, she was quite certain that they would both attempt to talk her out of it, and once she had made up her mind, there was very little that one could do to change it. And besides, perhaps if her whole endeavor to steal the heart of this mysterious phantom, this mysterious thief, didn't work out so well, perhaps there was still a whirlwind romance to be had with a charming and quick-witted young bodyguard, whose dashing smile would fill her dreams as they held her safe and secure within strong arms.
And though she'd rarely been outside the walls of the royal city, Sonoko nevertheless still knew the place where she should start looking for such a person. She had heard that any number of strong, skilled people passed through the traveler's inn known as Poirot, several miles ride outside of the royal city, and she knew full well what path to take to get there. Doubtlessly, there would be someone there who would catch her eye- and that someone would be more than willing to accept her quest, whether it was the glittering gold that she offered them that would do the trick, or perhaps the challenge that she laid in front of him.
Or perhaps it would be her charming good looks. One never knew.
It wasn't that hard to pick out a noble who had disguised themselves to walk amongst commoners, really. They never really did quite grasp exactly how it was that the common folk of their land dressed themselves- this was something that she had seen time and time again, in countless countries now. The material used to make their clothes was too fine, the cut too well tailored to their body, and with nary even the slightest hint of wear nor tear to them. They might as well be parading around in their finest court outfits for all the world to see.
Still, this was probably the first time she had ever encountered one with this much nerve.
The force that she used to throw the doors to the inn open was rather impressive, all told, and there was something commanding in the way that she strolled into the room. Posture was all she had, however- it didn't appear to be in her personality to be that kind of truly domineering person. A noble, obviously, though perhaps one who hadn't been as well groomed as some of the others- one with an adventuresome spirit, but apparently, not a lick of common sense.
Otherwise she'd never be flashing that much gold around in a place like this. Thank goodness this wasn't one of the shadier dens- otherwise the mercenaries and travelers alike would have eaten her alive. Not, she thought, that she would go down without a fight- she clearly had some spunk in her.
"I am seeking a clever, strong bodyguard to assist me on an upcoming quest!" The noble girl declared, a bright smile on her face, even as she did not lower her hood. The material might look rough at first glance, but careful study indicated that it was not so- it was something quite fine in and of itself, and would fetch a pretty penny alone. "I am quite well prepared to pay any such person a fine sum to join me!"
And just as she suspected, the takers came quickly- and out of their number, she could pick out a few unsavory fellows. With a slight frown, she considered her options- she could either leave this foolish girl to her fate, and perhaps teach her an admittedly harsh lesson about how the world worked outside of the castle walls- or she could step in, and save her before she even got herself in danger to begin with. Granted, with that much gold, someone was bound to follow them out of the inn anyways, but still...
She wasn't such a cruel women, really. After all, this girl looked more or less around her own age. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad, traveling with such a person for awhile. Her last mission had her dealing with nothing but old men nearly two times her age, and while there was a charm to that, she had tired of it after awhile. Assisting a reckless noble girl on whatever foolhardy quest she had set herself out on might be a nice change of pace. There was even a chance that she might be able to further her own goals during such a quest, as the lead that she had thought she had had turned out to be for naught.
Besides, she was pretty cute.
"If it's someone clever you're seeking, I doubt most of this lot will be able to assist you, young miss." She spoke up, taking a few steps forward, a broad smile flashing on her face. No sooner than she had drawn attention to herself, did the noble girl in question gasp ever so slightly, placing a hand to her mouth. It seemed that their attraction was mutual then- that was perfect. "I, however, might be able to assist you."
"And what is that makes you believe you're more qualified than the others?" She asked- though it was clear that she had already hooked her from the moment she had raised her voice. "I can't just hire someone without even knowing so much as their name."
"Ah, indeed. Pardon me for my rudeness." She said, giving the noble girl a swift bow, a manner drilled into her by her mother at an early age. "You may call me Sera Masumi, your highness."
That earned her a squeak. "I'm not-" Sonoko began, feeling her cheeks tint a faint shade of red in spite of herself. She had been trying to hide her identity upon entering this place, what was it that allowed this person to see through her so easily? Well, that did seem to be proof enough of the clever part, at the very least.
Besides, someone this attractive couldn't possibly be a bad person. It was easy for her to picture being swept up into their arms, carried to safety, and... oh my. She was letting her imagination all but run away with her there. That wouldn't do- at least not for the moment. There would be time for such fantasies later.
Clearing her throat, Sonoko closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Well, if she knew that much, then there was no point in hiding it. "Yes, well. I suppose that you are clever indeed, to see through my disguise and discover by identity. Very well, I am Suzuki Sonoko, the princess of this kingdom. And I am seeking not just someone clever, but also someone strong for this endeavor, Sera-san."
"I can assure you that I am also quite strong, Princess." Sera told her with a quick grin. "I can out fight any man in this inn tonight, if you care for such a show. You will be quite safe with me."
"No, no, there's no need for such a commotion." Sonoko said after a moment, dashing away her fantasy of such a dashing young lady fighting for her sake. "I will take you at your word, Sera-san. As I have said, I have plenty with which to pay you for your services, should you choose to accept my offer. I cannot say how long the journey may take however- I suppose that would depend on how clever you are."
"The chance to travel with such a fair young maiden as yourself is payment enough." Sera noted, carefully taking one of Sonoko's hands in her own, planting a quick kiss on it. As her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of crimson, Sera merely gave her a pleased laugh, reaching into her pocket and tossing a silver piece by way of the barkeep, the woman catching it in her hands. "That is for my tab. Princess, I think we should continue the rest of this discussion in private."
"Ah, yes, quite." Sonoko said, slowly nodding her head, for a moment caught speechless. She had countless suitors do very much the same thing in the past, but somehow, none of them evoked in her the same feeling that this one did. It fluttered her heart almost as much as the thief's kiss had. My, my, my- perhaps no matter how this journey of hers turned out, she would emerge from it victorious.
Though she supposed if she was going through all of this trouble, she might as well locate her family's heirloom jewel and bring it back home on top of that. No one had shut up about it in the past few days, as if they were caught in some kind of frenzy, everyone going on and on about what would happen if it had fallen into the wrong hands. Granted, she had heard legend about the jewel's mysterious powers ever since she was in diapers- it was the pride of her nation, after all. But it wasn't as if she believed every tale that she heard.
That said, the prospect of eternal youth was rather tantalizing- but not if it came with eternal life. She'd rather not watch those that she loved grow old and leave her behind. What would life be without the likes of Ran by her side? Even Shinichi too, she supposed. It would become rather lonely very quickly without either of them around.
Allowing Sera to whisk her out of the inn, Sonoko followed her to the stables, where they fetched their horses. She didn't quite understand the flabbergasted look on the youth's face as she paid him with a gold coin for the trouble of looking over her steed- nor why he thanked her so profusely afterwards. Perhaps the lot who frequented this inn did not tip? She had thought such a thing was common custom amongst common folk.
"Now then, princess. Before we depart, I must know what our destination should be. Though as the hour draws late, perhaps it should be to an inn." Sera said, effortlessly securing herself on her horse, watching with slight interest as Sonoko did very much the same. So she had quite a bit of experience riding a horse properly, and not just on a side saddle, then.
What an interesting princess.
"If it's an inn we seek, what is wrong with this one?" Sonoko asked, glancing towards the building, looking back towards Sera with a look of befuddlement on her face.
"After flashing all that gold around, your highness, I'm afraid you've gone and made yourself something of a target." Sera advised her. "Should we stay in this very same inn, some of the more unscrupulous folk might very well attempt to attack you as you sleep, in order to steal what it is that you have."
"Really?" Sonoko blinked, almost looking alarmed by this information. "So there's really people who do such things? I had heard about them from Shinichi, but I never could have imagined..." Trailing off, she put a hand to her chin, considering the words of the mercenary woman she had just hired. "Very well then, Sera-san, since you seem to have more knowledge about this sort of thing than I, I trust that you will lead me to a good inn in place of this one."
"But of course, your highness. I have become quite familiar with this area in my most recent travels, after all. There is an excellent inn not two hours ride from here." Sera told her, commanding her horse to walk several paces forward. "Perhaps our conversation will wait until we are secure in a private room. If it's a princess that's doing the questing, I'm certain that it must be something rather important."
"Oh yes, indeed." Sonoko said, nodding her head, ordering her horse to follow suit. Well, the jewel was important to her country, but her love life was important to her- both were on the same level, really. "It's a very important quest."
"Then I look forward to hearing the details. Now then," Sera began again, noticing the glint of watching eyes out of the corner of her own. "How fast can you ride, your highness?"
"Eh? Why?"
Naturally, when the princess was nowhere to be found in the castle that morning, there had been quite a bit of panic. Fearful that something might have happened to their daughter, not so long after the disappearance of the kingdom's royal treasure, the King and Queen of Beika quickly set about to hiring someone to solve the mystery at hand. In absence of their royal advisor, the task fell upon his son- who from the very start, had a vague feeling that there was no need for panic.
Kudo Shinichi, after all, knew the princess quite well. And while this was certainly the first time that she had absconded from the palace entirely, it was hardly the first time that the princess had pulled something of a vanishing act. They would usually find her, hidden away in one of the palace's numerous secret rooms, relaxing and enjoying herself instead of burying herself in her studies.
And indeed, once he entered the princess' room, he knew at once that no foul play had taken place here. If anything, what became amply clear to him was the fact that the princess had chosen to leave on her own, packing her bags and slipping away into the night. Racking his brain and trying to think of a reason why Sonoko would have done such a thing, Shinichi rubbed his forehead, as he drew a rather obvious conclusion. If there was one thing he knew about the crown princess of Beika, it was the fact that she was easily smitten by those who were rather attractive- and there had been that flutter to her eyelashes when she had described the thief from the other night to him. He had passed it off as nothing more than a simple fancy that wouldn't go anywhere, but...
"Don't tell me she left the palace to chase after a thief." Shinichi heaved a long suffering sigh, shutting his eyes tight, trying to process this theory. How did she even plan on doing it? He hadn't failed to notice that the princess had all but emptied her coffers, so she most likely planned on hiring someone to do the finding for her. That was cause for worry- because again, Sonoko was always the type lulled easily by a pretty face. If the pretty face that she happened to decide to hire was only pretty on the outside...
Not to mention, there was the chance that someone with foul intents might take notice of her, since Sonoko didn't seem to quite grasp all the differences between nobility and the common folk. She had probably flashed around the gold that she had brought with her, and if there was one thing that Shinichi knew about mercenaries and those looking to be hired, it was that there was no small number of unscrupulous folks amongst their bunch.
"What should we do, Shinichi?" Ran asked, a deep frown on her face as she glanced over the room. She had drawn more or less the same conclusion he had, purely on the basis that she knew her best friend so well. "Sonoko's never been out of the palace on her own before."
"We go find her." Shinichi said simply. "It's Sonoko, after all. She probably left a trail."
"That's true." Ran said, nodding her head. "I'll go prepare our horses. I'm certain that someone in the town must have seen the princess leaving."
"If her horse is missing too, which I suspect it is, then there's no way that someone didn't notice her slipping out last night." Shinichi muttered, half to himself. Granted, he was somewhat impressed that Sonoko had managed to escape from the palace so neatly, without rousing any guards- perhaps he hadn't been giving her quite enough credit. Well, since dawn had already broken, and there were no riders coming in with demands of ransom for the king and queen, at the very least, nobody had taken advantage of the young princess in so far as kidnapping her.
She still could have been robbed, though. Sonoko had a sharp tongue, but that wasn't enough to defend herself with, at least, not against that sort of folk. It was, however, an excellent weapon against all too pushy noblemen.
Quickly relying the information he had gleaned from her room to the palace guards who had accompanied them there, he watched as a look of relief crossed their faces. Quickly promising to go and inform the king and queen, he watched as the man took off in a hurry. With a slight frown, he folded his arms in front of his chest, wondering if perhaps he should return to his own quarters and pack his bags for a trip.
No, it was Sonoko they were chasing after, after all. Finding her couldn't possibly be all that difficult. Whatever foolish quest she had set herself out on, for whatever foolish reason there were behind it, he would drag her back home and make her apologize to both her parents, her servants, and the palace guard alike for putting them through such trouble. Honestly- just because she happened to find the thief that had the audacity to swoop into the castle in such an outlandish outfit and snatch away the royal treasure, it didn't mean she had to actually go and try and chase after him.
More effort, perhaps, should be put into finding the princess an acceptable suitor, otherwise he feared that something like this might very well happen again. For the time being, he could only hope that whoever it was that Sonoko had ended up hiring, should she have already done that much, wasn't the sort of folk that he was dreading they were.
"Eh? The royal treasure?" Sera blinked, for a moment thrown off guard by the princess' words. "I had heard that there was an amazing treasure contained within the walls of the royal palace, but are you saying that someone stole it away?"
"Eh? You didn't know, Sera-san?" Sonoko blinked, somewhat surprised at the revelation herself. Given how much the palace had been buzzing with the news, she would have assumed that everyone would have heard about the matter by now. But then again, now that she thought on it, she had only ever heard of it discussed in low tones by the palace guard and the treasury department- as well Shinichi and her parents. It had never even so much as come up on the lips of those who attended the royal court, nor even amongst the servants.
Perhaps word hadn't spread yet after all? Perhaps the disappearance of the jewel was supposed to be something of a secret. Come to think of it, that might actually make sense. If the people of her kingdom knew that such a thing had been stolen, there might actually be a full blown panic. Perhaps she should make a note of that for the future.
"It's the first I've heard of it." Sera confessed to her. "So you're looking for the thief who stole the royal treasure in order to get it back?"
Morning had broken bright and early- a bit too early for Sonoko's tastes, really, as Sera had roused her nearly at the crack of dawn to prepare for the day ahead and to eat breakfast. They hadn't even had a chance to discuss the matter for which she had been hired the previous night, as Sonoko had been so exhausted by the time they reached the new inn, that she had simply allowed the princess to take to bed. They could talk the matter over just the same in the morning, it made no real difference to her. With a meal of fresh bread, cheese, and butter laid out in front of them, she listened carefully to the princess' words.
"Well, something like that." Sonoko said, nodding her head, biting into another loaf of bread. Honestly, she hadn't been expecting much from a commoner's inn- but this bread was soft and fluffy, and frankly, she couldn't get enough! The baker ought to be commended. "The palace guard's been in an uproar about it ever since it happened."
"What kind of person was he, this thief?" Sera asked. "You saw him, right?"
"That's right." Sonoko said, nodding her head, unable to help but let a content sigh of fond memories escape from her lips. "He was a proper gentleman, really! He kissed my hand and apologized for disturbing me and everything."
"No, I meant what he looked like, not how he behaved." Sera said after a moment, giving her an awkward grin. "Though I suppose I am grateful that the thief seemed to have no foul intentions towards you, princess."
"Ah, well, yes." Coughing into her hands, the faint pink that tinted her cheeks both from embarrassment and her fluttering heart alike, Sonoko tapped a finger on the table. "He wasn't too much taller than I, perhaps around your height, Sera-san. He looked fairly young, but..." Frowning a little, she tilted her head, putting a finger to one cheek, trying to recall more details. "That's strange. I can remember that he was attractive, but I can't quite recall entirely what it was that he looked like. Dark hair, I think, though. He was all dressed up in white, from his gloves to his cape."
"A thief wearing white?" Sera asked, quirking her brows, frowning a little. "I feel like I've heard something in regards to that before, but..." Folding her arms in front of her chest, she leaned back in her chair in thought. "But if that was the case, I doubt that the man you saw would have been young, unless he's one of the unaging and immortal."
"Have you heard of such a thief before?" Sonoko inquired, leaning forward, even as she took another bite out of her bread.
"Once before. It was more of a legend though." Sera told her with a slight smile. "A thief clad all in white, with any number of magic tricks at his disposal, who appeared on nights of the full moon. They called him the Moonlight Magician. But he hasn't been active in nearly ten years or so, and if I recall correctly, he was theorized to be in his twenties or thirties back then, so..."
"Maybe he could have had a son?" Sonoko asked, tilting her head.
"It's possible. It could also simply be an imposter." Sera said, nodding her head. "Still, stealing the royal treasure of Beika for what might very well be his first heist. That's rather impressive in it's own right. I have to say that I admire his guts, if not his trade."
"You think it's his first?" Sonoko asked.
"Otherwise I'm certain I would have heard rumors on the wind in regards to the return of such a legendary thief already." Sera told her, giving her a small smile. "Well, if it's such a thief we're after, then I know just the place to begin looking. There's no better place to seek out a thief but in a den of thieves. Thankfully, I happen to know exactly where the current hideout of the thieves guild of this kingdom is."
"Is that safe?" Sonoko asked, a note of hesitation to her voice. "Would they really tell you anything?"
"Normal thieves and bandits don't really care for ones who stand out half as much as the Moonlight Magician does. If they know something, they would gladly tell me. As for it being safe, well... stick close to me, and there shouldn't be a problem, princess." Sera told her, rising to her feet, tearing off a chunk of bread with her teeth and swallowing it down. Well, there was a reason that she needed to go there herself- but she wasn't lying, either- there was a chance that these thieves might very well hold some information that was as useful to the princess as it was to her. "But first, let's do something about those clothes of yours."
"Eh? My clothes? Is there something wrong with them?" Sonoko asked, glancing down at the ensemble that she had prepared for today. She thought it was an excellent rendition of a commoner's riding outfit- had she perhaps been mistaken?
"Your clothes, princess," Sera began, an easy grin on her lips. "...are how I knew you as such to begin with. Thankfully with some quick mending, I believe you should fit in a change of mine quite snugly."
At the faint tint of pink that rose to Sonoko's cheeks at such a suggestion, Sera couldn't help but let her grin grow.
"Yes, there was a girl like that here."
Somehow, Enomoto Azusa had the strangest feeling that the dawn would bring guests inquiring about last night's rather unusual patron- one who hadn't actually bought anything, but who had tipped the stable boy rather handsomely. She was quite certain that he had cried.
"Really?" Ran spoke up, leaning over the counter of the bar, a look of relief passing through her. Shinichi had been right, Sonoko's trail had been rather easy to follow, thus far. They had tracked her to this traveler's inn on the outskirts of the royal city with a fair amount of ease. Shinichi was confident that they would catch up with her today, though Ran, for her part, had some doubts- and had returned to her own quarters to fetch some supplies that they might need for traveling, just in case.
Shinichi had told her it would be unnecessary, but he would thank her when her hunch turned out to be right, and they wouldn't have to waste valuable time by turning back around to fetch such things, or risk pressing on without them.
"Yes." Azusa nodded her head, setting aside the glass that she had been cleaning. "I remember her very clearly, as she made quite the show when she came in. It's not often that you see her type come here, especially not one showing off half as much gold as she did. She said she was seeking to hire someone both clever and strong to accompany her on a quest."
At her words, Shinichi sucked in his breath, internally grumbling over the fact that Sonoko had done very much the same thing he'd been fearing that she would do. Given that the owner of the establishment didn't seem too worried, it didn't appear that any harm had fallen upon her within it's confines. He had come to know Enomoto Azusa somewhat well, and knew that she was the type who ran her inn as a rather tight ship- with a little bit of assistance from a fellow he couldn't help but be more wary of. That one came and went, however, and he didn't appear to be in at the moment.
There was still a chance that something bad could have happened to her elsewhere all the same.
"And? Did anyone take her up on her offer?" Shinichi asked.
"There was one." Azusa said, nodding her head. "A young lady who gave her name as Sera Masumi. I'm afraid I can't tell you much about her though, Kudo-san, as this is the first time I've ever seen her face around these parts. It appears that she came here in search of her brother, however."
"Her brother?" Shinichi asked. "What kind of impression did she give off, this Sera Masumi?"
"I don't think she would have intended the girl any harm, if that's what you're asking after." Azusa told him, a slight smile on her lips, watching as relief washed over their features- more so on Ran's than Shinichi's. Whoever this girl was, she seemed to be somewhat important to them. "She spoke in low tones to the girl, so I couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but it appears that she got herself hired to chase off those who might wish to trick her. She was quite loud about that part, to the annoyance of some of our other patrons."
It was lucky that she hadn't started a fight in her inn as she had promised- when Amuro wasn't around, it could be awfully hard to put a stop to them by herself. He went off like this by himself sometimes, without too much warning- perhaps she ought to consider hiring another guard for her inn on top of him.
"What a relief." Ran said, placing a hand against her heart, letting out a long breath. She felt like she had been holding it this entire time- and now she felt relief seep through her, knowing that Sonoko hadn't gone off with anyone bad. "Do you by any chance know what way they went from here, Azusa-san? Or perhaps where it was that she was trying to go?"
"I'm afraid not." Azusa said, shaking her head. "Apparently I heard whispers that some attempted to follow her and her newly hired bodyguard, but they lost them rather quickly. I only know that they went further down the forest path, but there are any number of paths that branch off from there."
"Can you tell us about this brother that this Sera woman might have been trying to find?" Shinichi inquired, slightly intrigued by this in it's own right.
"She was rather light on the details." Azusa told him after a moment, putting a chin to her hand in thought. "She told me that she had lost contact with him over a year ago, and set out to find out what might have become of him. Apparently he went by the name of Akai Shuichi, and she claimed that the two of them had a rather close resemblance. I told her that I hadn't heard of anyone like that in these parts though."
"Akai Shuichi?" Shinichi asked, a slight frown on his lips. It wasn't a name he was familiar with either. "Well, thank you anyways, Azusa-san. You've been most helpful to us. Do keep this information to yourself, on the off chance that anyone other than us comes asking, however."
"Is she important, this girl?" Azusa asked, a slight frown on her lips.
"Yes." Shinichi said, heaving a long, exasperated sigh. "More important than I think she fully understands sometimes."