(I don't own the Saint Tail characters, but I own everyone else. Enjoy!)

Just one note: Expect the unexpected...

Case of The New Discovery?

One night...a man is deep at a hole in the Quasi Volcano. Luckily, for him, the volcano was at rest. And deep below where the lava solidified to rock. He starts breaking through the solidified rock and sees something.

"Whoa..." He picks up what look like a staff. "Could this be?"

A week later...

"Hey, everyone! Listen up!" Everyone's attention was set on...Sawatari? "You know that famous volcanologist, Seth James from America?"

"Yeah, I heard about him on the news," Ryoko said.

"He found something at that old volcano," Kyoko said.

"Yes, he did. Does anyone know what he found?" Everyone goes silent, until...

"He found the Staff of Quasi himself." A voice said, coming inside the classroom. None other than that detective, Asuka Jr. "Am I right?" Everyone sees Asuka Jr., not in his usual suit and tie...but a tuxedo. All the girls can't help but stare. Especially Meimi. 'I'm about to faint...' she thought. "Not only that, he's coming here to Japan to share his discovery. I actually get to meet him in person."

"Wow!" They all said.

"So that explains the tux..."

"Yes. There's just one thing, though." Everyone looks at him. "I only have 4 tickets, so I can only take 3 people." Silence filled the room..then, seconds later, Asuka Jr. is bumrushed by every student in the classroom. "Calm down, everyone. I've found a way to resolve this problem." Asuka makes a hat appear. 'He's really mastered that hat trick. He's getting really good,' Meimi thought. "There's only one person who won't be in this raffle...and that's Haneoka."

"Huh? Me?"

"I couldn't've learned the magic tricks without her. So, here you go." He gives her the ticket. 'Wow. So brave...' she's about to faint, when Seira catches her.

"You all right, Meimi?"

"Y-yeah." When Asuka Jr. did the raffle, hard-to-believe, but Sawatari and Seira were the other two names.

"Can you go with me, Seira?" Sawatari asked, holding her hands in his.

"Um...I..."

"Great! See you then!" With that the bell rang, and the sister came. So everyone got into their seats as the class began.

When class ended, Meimi waited for her crush at the door.

"Um, Asuka Jr.?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...I..."

"Huh? What's wrong?" She was speechless. She wasn't sure what to say, so she said the first thing that came to her mind...

"I would like to show you another trick...if you want..."

"Oh. Ok, master. I'm ready." She blushes. "You sure you're Ok? You're all red."

"Yes. Fine. Come on." They leave the school to their hiding spot behind the trees.

"All right. What is it you wanted to show me?"

"...I lied."

"Huh?"

"Asuka Jr., why did you--"

"Why did I what?"

"Why did you give me this?"

"Well, I thought you would like to go...and I'm doing this because I feel like it." He's starting to get frustrated. "Should there be a reason why I want to give something to a friend!?" With that, he was about to leave, until he turned back and said, "If you don't want to go, Haneoka, that's fine. I can't stop you." He leaves a guilt-felt Meimi alone. 'Why does it end up like this? Why do I have to pick a fight with him?' she thought. She left, feeling bad.

She makes her way home, and as she opened the door, her mother answers it.
"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing." Meimi replied and ran upstairs to her room. She jumps onto her bed and cries.
Eimi knocks on the door.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No." She opens the door and walks in. She moves to her daughter's bed and sits down.

"Why not?"

"I just don't, Ok?"

"It's a boy, isn't it?"

"..."

"That detective boy, am I right?"

"..."

"C'mon." Surrendering, she tells her mother of what occured earlier that day. "I see."

"What do I do?"

"Well, if you two are friends, then you would apologize to him. He has done nothing wrong."

"I know, but..."

"He's your friend, right?"

"...Yes."

"And you still want to stay friends, right?"

"Yes." She gets up and heads out.

"Then you know what to do." She closes the door behind her.

Next day, in class...

"Asuka Jr., about yesterday, I'm sorry. Oh, and you were looking mighty fine yesterday, too. How was that?" She was practicing with her best friend.

"Other than that last part, that was great." She replied. Then, Asuka Jr. walks in. "All right. He's here. Good luck." She walks up to Asuka Jr..

"Asuka Jr."

"Oh. It's you."

"Yeah."

"What is it now?"

"I..."

"Nothing?" She stays silent. He just walks over to his seat. 'Since when is she scared to tell me something? Maybe I was a little harsh on her...' He thought. 'Why am I scared to say something to him all of a sudden?' She thought. During class they stare at each other while the other wasn't looking. After class ended, Meimi blew up. She sets off one of her angry expressions and walks up to him.

"Junior!" She shouted, so everyone could hear it. He turns around.

"Huh?" She grabs his arm and drags him to their spot, behind the trees. "What's the matter with you?"

"You!" She shouted. "All right? I'm trying to apologize to you, but I..." She calms down. "I'm...Sorry." She starts to cry. He holds her. She blushes big time.

"It's Ok. I forgive you. I was too hard on you. I'm sorry."

"(sniff) It's Ok." They let go. "Are we...friends again?"

"What? When did we stop becoming friends? You think one little misunderstanding is going to break up our friendship?"

"..."

"So does this mean you still want to go to the exhibit with me?"

"Yeah...wait...WITH YOU?"

"Is that a bad thing? We are friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. See you tomorrow."

"Ok." He leaves home. Just as he left, Seira walks to Meimi.

"We've got another one." They went inside the chapel. "It's about Seth James's discovery."

"What!?"

"Yes. It seems that as he was bringing it to Japan, on his flight here, someone stole his bag with the staff inside. The only ones who are allowed to even touch the bags are the airline security guards."

"Do you think they would actually steal someone else's bag?"

"Perhaps, but that was the only bag reported stolen at the airport. Which means that someone KNEW that the staff was inside."

"A rival volcanologist?"

"I believe so. It so happens that another volcanologist by the name of Fuji has made a discovery at the same location as the American volcanologist."

"But are you sure that it's him?"

"Well, no. That's where you come in. You'll have to find out. He doesn't live that far from here. Here's his address."

"How do you do it, Seira."

"It was the Lord's will."

"Right. Be right back." Meimi races off to the address. She passed Asuka Jr., but didn't notice him. Asuka Jr. follows her. She gets to the house and rings the doorbell. A man answers the door.

"Yes?" the male said.

"Are you Fuji?"

"Yes, I am. How can I help you, my dear?"

"I heard that you made a discovery."

"Why, yes I did. Would you like to see it?"

"Is it Ok?" Meanwhile, Asuka Jr. is watching her go inside from afar. 'What is she doing?' he thought. He goes to the door himself and waits a little. Meimi's inside, observing his many discoveries. He escorts her to his discovery at Mt. Quasi. "Wow."

"Beautiful, isn't it? It's the Staff of King Quasi." 'So he must've hired one of the airline guards to steal it for him.' She thought.

"There's this other guy, Seth James, who said he's discovered this as well. Are there two of them?" He stares at her for a second. Then he changes his expression and says,

"Perhaps, my dear. Perhaps." He's calling his guards. "My dear, I'm afraid you know too much." The guards come toward Meimi. Asuka Jr.'s tired of waiting and bust the door open.

"HANEOKA! LOOK OUT!" He shouted. She turns around and sees the guards coming after her. He goes rushing in, at an incredible speed and rams them to the side with his head. He goes to his classmate. "You..." He goes walking to the thief. "I know that staff does not belong to you, so while I was investigating..." Cops come in soon after. "I called for backup. Mr. Fuji, you're under arrest." They cuff him and take him away. Meimi thought of this time as a way to escape. "Just one minute, Haneoka," he said, grabbing her arm. Asuka Jr. then pauses. He's felt this feeling before...but where? He didn't remember. He pulls her arm so she's staring a him face-to-face. "What were you doing here?"

"I was curious. I'm so--" He holds her again.

"Shh. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm just glad you're not hurt."

"Asuka Jr..." She tugs his shirt, crying in his arms.

"C'mon. With the staff going back to the real discoverer, we can go." She stops crying and smiles.

"You're my hero..."

"Huh?" He rubs behind his head. "Well, it was nothing."

"Asuka Jr...could you...um..."

"Huh?"

"Could you...take me home?"

"Sure." They walk quietly to Meimi's house. They stand at her doorstep. "I'll see you later?"

"Yes." She was about to open her door, when... "Junior!" He came back.

"Yeah?" She bent her face up and kissed his cheek. He went beet red.

"Thank you."

"Um...no problem." Then she smiles at him and walks into her house.

"Mom!" Eimi comes out after washing dishes.

"Yes?"

"I need a dress."

"For what, dear?"

"The exhibit."

"It's an exhibit, dear. You don't have to dress formal."

"This is a special day. Please?"

"All right. Let's go."

Asuka Jr. gets ready in his tuxedo and walks over to Meimi's house later that day. He knocks on the door. Her mother answers it.

"Oh! My, don't you look handsome." He blushes. "How cute. You're blushing."

"..."

"Come on in. She'll be ready in a little bit." He goes inside. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm Ok. Thanks, anyway."

"Anything for a friend of my Meimi." Ten minutes later, Meimi comes down.

"Mom, is he--Oh!" She said in surprise. He gets up and is bedazzled at her sparkling blue dress with spaghetti straps.

"Wow..." Was the only word that came out of his mouth. Meimi's entire body went red.

"I told you he'd like the dress," her mother said. "Or...does he like the person wearing it?" He blushes.

"C'mon. Let's go...Meimi." She walks down and trips on one of the stairs. He runs quickly to her rescue, picking her up. She fit quite well in his arms. He carries her bridal style out the door. "You Ok?"

"I am now." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. He sets her down carefully on the ground. They were walking towards the museum, when Meimi took a step up and grabbed his hand. He looks down and then at her. "Something wrong?"

"No." With that, she squeezed his hand. They walk inside the museum. Sawatari and Seira were already there. They followed the arrow which led to Mr. James's discovery. They sat down at the auditorium in the front row. Although, they have already seen the staff, they've gone to it anyway. Now why would they do that? And where was Saint Tail in this episode?

The End