Chapter Two-Sushi Secret

I signed a few forms, including a ridiculously long document I was informed was a lease for the apartment. I stood up to leave, "I'm sorry but I have to rush off now, I'm meeting my sister for lunch."

Mrs Hudson smiled at me she showed no teeth and with tight lips she seem as if she was only smiling out of politeness, as she had been doing for the past hour, "Well we seem to have everything all wrapped up, so I'll see you tomorrow when you start moving in." She gathered up the cups and plates and swiftly exited the room. Her head reappeared around the painted door frame, "And John," she signalled that she was talking about Sherlock's inevitable mess, looking pointed up at the ceiling, "Not your house keeper."

I too weaved my way through the already furnished room to my new front door but I whipped around when a sudden thought entered my head, "Do you want to come to lunch with me?"

"Sushi?" He asked.

"Actually yeah."

"Great!"

He walked to the outside door, "What about him?" I asked waving my hand in the direction of the stairs.

John began to shake his head, "He doesn't really sociali-"

Sherlock materialised at the head of the stairs. His long dark coat with its collar turned up, framing his face. He was so pale against the darkness, his skin seemed almost luminescent.

"I'd love to come actually."

John raised his eyebrows, incredulous, "Really?"

He nodded, "Getting to know your new neighbours is what average people do isn't it? And i could use the fresh-air."

"You're unlikely to find that in London," I reminded him.

He nodded slowly as if distracted, "One second," he excused himself and bolted off up the stairs in a blur of billowing fabric.

I twisted my head to John, "He always this erratic?"

"Always."

He came storming down the steps, his feet barely grazing the ground, "John."

John turned slowly around, too slowly for the impatient Sherlock, "John!"

"What?"

"I'm out of nicotine patches!" He waved an empty box in John's face, "I have to go shopping right now."

Calm and collected I popped open my hand bag and rummaged around. I tossed my own little box over to him. He caught it easily, staring at it in his hands, he glanced from me to the box and back.

I shrugged, "None of us are perfect are we?" I pointed out, "They're yours now," I added when he still hadn't opened the box.

He tore open the box like a ferocious lion attacking a rabbit. He proceeded to stick not one but two patches on his inner forearm. He sighed as the nicotine seeped into his skin, a half smile slipping onto his face, "Thank you."

John gazed from me to Sherlock and back to me again, shaking his head, "Let's go then."

We arrived shortly at Yoshino, possibly the best sushi place in the whole of London, according to John Watson anyway. Rowan had already claimed us a table although we had to pull over a couple of chairs to the already crowded table since she stubbornly refused to move. Rowan peered at the two men in confusion, "Hi?" She finally offered.

"Hello," John smiled in greeting, "I'm John."

"They're my new neighbours," I explained.

"You're moving?"

"Yeah, I didn't tell you? It's 221A Baker Street."

Her head whipped around to John, "So you live in 221B then?"

He indicated an affirmative answer.

"So you must be Dr Watson then?"

A puzzled look appeared on his face, "Have we met?"

"I read your blog."

He relaxed a little from his concentrated state, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, Sherlock's amazing! Seriously how did he notice that pink suit case?"

John shrugged slightly, but catching Sherlock smirking he tagged on, "Ask him."

Sherlock continued to push a sugar cube around the table with his fork, blindly sketching out the layout of the streets of London in tiny sugary crystals.

Rowan gasped as she caught up, "You're Sherlock Holmes," she burst out.

The dark haired man's eyes flickered up for an instant at the sound of his own name but then quick back again when he realised it was not of interest.

"Right, I'm going to pop to the loo," She pushed away from the table, "Order for me?" she asked as she made her way deeper into the restaurants atmospheric lighting.

I nodded, though I already know she could neither see not hear me.

"How do you know what she wants?" Watson asked me.

I Chuckled, "I'm not a mind reader if that's what you're asking, she just always has the same thing, she's not all that adventurous like I am."

The waitress came and we placed our orders, John ordering some kind of Sushi. "Sashimi," I told her as she scribbled notes on her pad, "and a sprite, I'll just have a diet coke please."

"You're not eating?" John questioned as she walked away, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

I shook my head, "I don't really eat when I'm working."

John rolled his eyes, "Neither does he," he gestured to Sherlock who had not moved to folding the napkins into intricate flowers, lotus' if I wasn't mistaken.

My sister bounced back in to her seat, "What we talking about?" She asked making an effort to jump right back into conversation as quickly as possible.

John gesticulated with his thumbs to either side of him, "these two not eating properly."

"Oh I know!" Rowan's eyes saturated with condemnation, turned to me, "You're not still staring yourself are you?"

"Well I still haven't found a story for Elise have I?" I tried to justify my apparent abstention from food, "I'm not actually starving myself, I'm just not hungry."

She shook her head at me in exasperation.

A young-ish girl with blonde curly hair tied back in bunches delivered us our drinks. She didn't look old enough to be out of school so this must be a part-time job. She put down the last drink rather heavily in front of Sherlock and prodded him sharply with one of her well manicured fingers, "You still haven't found Sunshine," she complained, her crisp voice and rather snobbish attitude suggested she was an upper class child. Her name tag proclaimed her as Lily Harding.

"I told you I'm not taking your case."

"It's well paid," she informed him. I smiled, this confirmed my earlier deduction of her class, only the rich would pay a private detective; the likes of Sherlock Holmes to find a lost pet.

"It's boring," he retorted, I snorted into my coke, the arguing duo stared at me, "Sorry, sorry," I apologised.

They turned back to each other, the determination and stubbornness evident in Sherlock's eyes. The girls shoulders slumped and she stalked away, still carrying her tray.

I twiddled with my straw as silence fell over the table, "Hey what's that?" I asked noticing the corner of a paper envelope peeking out from under one of the restaurants delicately embroidered napkins. I took the paper between my fingers and dragged it towards me, I picked it up and let the napkin fall to the floor.

Scrawled on the front in black italics was the name of a certain detective that just happened to be sitting at this very table. He snatched it from my grasp and a spark of excitement flooded through me as he hesitated before sliding his slender finger into the top and splitting it open.

He tipped the contents out on to the table cloth and spread them apart; a lone key, an old sweet wrapper-crushed in the envelope and a folded piece of paper drifted to the surface. John reached forward carefully to take the note but Sherlock viciously slapped his hand away. His eyes were glittering with intelligence.

He scooped up the contents of the package, placed them in his pocket and swiftly strode out of the restaurant without a word. John looked after him, sighing he pulled on his coat, "I'd better follow him, heaven knows what he'll do next."

I turned to Rowan when I was sure he was out of ear shot, "So what do you think of my new neighbours then?"

She stared down at her plate for a while, I hadn't even noticed it arrive, it must have been sometime in the distraction of the envelope.

"Any thoughts al all?" I pressed when I didn't immediately spark a response.

"That's your story."

"Huh?"

"Sherlock and his new case, that's your big story."

"You think?"

She nodded ecstatically.

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Will you eat something now?" She finally asked.

I looked down at my diet coke and over to John's un-touched food, before divulging, "I don't actually like Sushi."