Kairi had a fruitful session with Dr. Sherman, her kind-hearted psychologist. Over the past week they were working diligently to desensitize Kairi to the painful memories she now had. It was nice to talk about things and not have to stress about what the other person thought of you or of what happened to you.

When Kairi would look at Molly she would see a very careful sense of pity - it was hard not to pity someone who went through what Kairi had. Molly cared for Kairi deeply, as Kairi cared for Molly, and it hurt Molly to see her so hurt. It also just hurt Kairi to have people see her hurt. Kairi was still very close to the pathologist and they were back to speaking more frequently, as well as her official boyfriend, John Watson. His eyes held something different, she saw a very similar look in her own when she could stomach looking in the mirror. John Watson was a practical poster boy for PTSD, though the look in his eye had faded over the years. He was able to deal with his issues by employing himself as Sherlock's partner, giving himself worth and value through saving the world from one psychopath at a time. Lestrade's eyes were wary, like a cop's eyes should be, but she saw the desperate pain in them when he'd see her sad. Sherlock of course was the hardest one to be around. He was very good at disposing of emotions, but she would see the anger spark behind his irises, every so often, causing the colors of his eyes to shift as they were wont to do.

Dr. Sherman had encouraged her to not be alone, to strengthen the relationships she had and allowing people to feel for her. He had admitted the best way to discourage people from being sad for you was dealing with your issues and learning to live a happy and fruitful life. Once they saw that you were working to move on with your life, they would do the same.

Kairi sat in her tub, surrounded by bubbles and deliciously hot water, her arm leaning over the edge and rubbing the soft fur of Appa's head as he laid by the tub. She had just immersed herself, relaxing, detoxing after her session. Working with Sherman left her mind at ease and her body buzzing peacefully, as if purged from the most recent disturbing thoughts. She knew they didn't disappear, but discussing how she felt about what she had been through, what she was going through, and refocusing her attention to some of the more positive aspects of her life, like friends and family, was helping her in astounding ways. She still had bad days of course, but her depression and anxiety decreased since she wasn't constantly holding down the abject terror of her life. She could face the emotions she felt and she wasn't alone.

It felt nice not to be alone.

She heard the door to her bedroom crash open and she sighed, realizing perhaps this moment it actually felt quite nice to not be bothered. She sunk a little deeper into the tub, glaring at her door frame until it was filled. She had to remind herself that by whatevering with Sherlock Holmes and working with his brother did not leave her a lot of privacy. She usually left her bathroom door open so Appa could go in and out freely. It seemed that only closing and locking her front door was no longer enough to insinuate she required seclusion.

"This is not of a sexual nature." Sherlock spat as he entered her bathroom, followed hopelessly by John Watson, who squeaked at the sight of Kairi in her tub and automatically turned around and exited.

"Sherlock!" John growled from on the other side of the wall, "She's bathing. Can't you wait?"

Sherlock frowned, "What does her bathing have to do with it? We need her expertise." His eyes strayed for a moment, examining the slick limbs of Kairi in the tub and feeling a newly familiar roll in his stomach. His eyes finally met Kairi's face which automatically quashed his previous notions. "Well it can be of sexual nature if you prefer." He sort of shrugged, Kairi refusing to speak, deepened her scowl.

"A bit not good you ponce." John growled from the doorway.

Kairi sighed, leaning back against the tub with closing eyes, "John it's not as if you haven't already seen me naked, however, I appreciate your more understanding nature of me trying to relax and have a bath."

"We nee-," Sherlock began but paused and Kairi could hear him shift to look at John, "When did you see Kairi nude?"

John cleared his throat with utmost discomfort, shifting on his feet, "Well, back when she stayed with us, I had to fish her out of the shower."

Kairi chuckled, "I was having a fit, Sherlock." She opened her eyes and glanced at Sherlock who looked displeased, "I never thanked you for that John, so thanks."

"Should I have an opinion on knowing my best friend has seen my -," Sherlock paused and Kairi looked up at him, not exactly expectant, but definitely curious, "- computer expert naked?"

John grunted, seeming chuffed at being called Sherlock's best friend.

Kairi let out a coy smile and relaxed against the tub again, "Molly has too."

Sherlock's frown deepened, "Lestrade?"

Kairi wanted to tease him but she refrained, mostly, "No, not Lestrade." She sighed, "Not yet at least."

"Good, this case -," Sherlock began and paused again, Kairi bit her lip to keep from squealing with joy, he caught it, "What do you mean, not yet?" Kairi looked up at him with playful eyes, chuckling at him unabashedly and Sherlock rolled his eyes, "Oh, you're teasing me," He spat with displeasure. He then walked over to her toilet, closed the lid and sat down. "We've a case I think you'll be able to assist with."

Kairi sighed, watching him, "Seriously? It needs to be done right now?"

"Sherlock, let her finish her bath for christ sakes. Let's take it to Lestrade as planned. He'll have someone take a look at it." John muttered from behind the wall again.

"Scotland Yard is full of inexperienced idiots. I need a professional." Sherlock spat, adjusting himself to sit more comfortably on the toilet.

"Jesus Christ," Kairi sighed, "John go ahead back up to your flat so you don't die of embarrassment. Sherlock can fill me in down here despite my attempts to relax." Sherlock seemed pleased for a second.

"Unless you're planning on stealing another peek?" Sherlock added a bit darkly and Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Oh that's rich, considering how many times you've walked in on me trying to - sod it." He growled from behind the doorway and then stuck his hand out to wave at Kairi, "I'll talk to you later Kairi. Nice arse by the way."

Kairi let out a howl of laughter at Sherlock's appalled stare as John Watson left Kairi's flat in a huff. She was still laughing when Sherlock stood and began to glare down at her from next to the tub, "Oh stop it. It was very doctorly when John rescued me from the shower. He's seen plenty of people naked as a doctor and as a man. I'm sure he has no possible care for seeing me naked."

"I dislike it." Sherlock spat.

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Not that I have an overwhelming desire to do so, but I can show my lady bits to whomever I please."

Sherlock, seemed to tilt his head slightly, trying to peek past the bubbles, "Can you now?"

She flicked some water at his pants and he hissed at her, "These were newly pressed." Kairi smiled at him wide in a childish way. "Well, shall I join you or do you prefer me to sit on the toilet and talk at you."

Kairi weighed this decision in her mind. It might feel nice to have Sherlock curled around her in the tub, his voice rumbling in her ear about brilliance and murder as she relaxed against him. It was like reading a murder mystery novel on ecstasy with a glass of wine. However he was acting a bit rude and she sort of wanted to torture him, but she decided she could still probably do that with him in the tub. Plus it had the extra benefit of him in the tub.

"Alright then, hop in." She rolled her eyes and sat up, watching Sherlock undress with an impish grin on his face, "Oh damn you! This was your plan all along!"

"I don't understand what you're implying." He rose an eyebrow and grinned at her in the childish manner she'd done earlier.

She scowled and sat up and he climbed in behind her, pulling her back against him as they settled in the water. Kairi nuzzled into him, feeling his body slick against hers, and sighed. "Right you prick, tell me about the case."

"No need for crass language my dear - Ow!" Sherlock grimaced as Kairi pinched his tricep, "That is horrendously painful."

"That's the point." Kairi sighed and sunk into him, "Now tell me about your case, but make your voice go all low and gravely, this is supposed to be my private time and you're infringing."

Sherlock stared down curiously at Kairi's head, "Why do you wish me to speak in a deeper voice?"

Kairi chuckled, "Like when you are angry and incredibly serious, or sometimes when you're saying things in my ear when you-," Kairi paused, realizing how warm she was getting.

"Do continue." Sherlock rumbled and she could hear it vibrate in his chest and it caused her to shiver.

Kairi chuckled, "Yeah, like that. Tell me about your case like that."

Sherlock chuckled and it rumbled again, reaching deeper into Kairi because of the general sinister sound of it, "You would like me to tell you about my murder case in a sensual, angry, serious tone?" Kairi looked up at him, not knowing what to expect when she took in his features. He was smiling at her oddly, "You are quite strange."

Kairi smiled and kissed his chest gently, "Yes I know, but you were the one who interrupted me during my private times. I may have had plans for this bath, you know." She leaned back again, shifting lower so they were both almost fully immersed. "Proceed."

Sherlock grinned, leaning the side of his face against her head and began to talk about the case. Kairi just sat and listened to him speak, taking in some of his words, but mostly letting the sound of his voice wash over her. She let her hands rest on top of his naked thighs, her fingertips swirling absently, making patterns along his skin. Her eyes were closed and focused on his breathing between words, the deep resonation of his voice, and it glided over her, talking about brutal and dark things. She didn't care. He could talk about dog biscuits and she'd have a hard time not fawning over that voice. His arms were beneath hers, his hands resting on her stomach and tracing delicate circles along the skin and dragging out further to dig very gently into her hips bones. She found it horribly erotic and she should probably feel bad about how turned on she was, but she wouldn't. This was Sherlock Holmes - and judging by the poke in her back, he was enjoying himself as well, talking about dead bodies and fondling her.

"Are you listening to me at all?" Sherlock rumbled with heavy breaths into her ear.

Kairi shivered slightly, "Listening? Of course," She smiled, applying gentle pressure to the muscles on his thighs and she heard his sharp intake of breath, "Comprehending anything? Absolutely not."

Sherlock cleared his throat, his fingers gripping her hips tightly, almost sounding upset, "Well then," He seemed to growl into her ear and Kairi stiffened until she felt his hands move from her hips, to her lower abdomen, and trail down slowly to let his fingers whisper against her labia, "I don't see any point in continuing the conversation, if you aren't paying attention."

Kairi pressed herself back against him sighing, "I'm sure you have another plan in mind?"

Sherlock bent down to press his lips against the sweet skin of her neck, "Oh, several." He chuckled as Kairi moaned.


John was sitting at his computer, staring at the link to the video. He was horrified, just absolutely caught up in the fact that he had been a virtual witness to the murder of a retired policeman. He and Sherlock had already watched it together; John was shaking with anxiety the entire time and Sherlock was rapt with attention. Sherlock had verified that the video was in fact a film documenting the demise of the late detective, though it was cut together rather artfully in order to cut down the possible two hours it took to kill him.

The camera was positioned directly above the spread out body. You could see everything that happened in excruciating detail. The recording itself wasn't extremely high quality, but it didn't stop John from being able to know what was happening, to practically feel the cuts in the flesh and smell the blood. He had been sick twice throughout the whole process. This was a new level of depravity, even for Sherlock.

John couldn't watch the video again, but he was trying to reorganize his thoughts into helpful facts. He wasn't at all like Sherlock in that way, but it was the easiest thing to do to keep him from losing his mind. Upon watching the video, he was sure of a few things: the murderer was a man because of the size and shape of his hands; the murderer was also very familiar with the medical field and the human body; and the murderer's hands did not shake at any point during the film.

He sat there for god knows how long, staring at the screen, bouncing his leg slightly as he tried to clear his thoughts of the sickness and guilt he felt. Sherlock had told him the guilt he felt was irrational, that the man had been dead since sometime last night and the video only arrived minutes before Lestrade had called. There was no way John or he could have helped the victim.

That was one thing that was bothering John, the fact that someone sent the video, to him of all people. If wanting to get to Sherlock, why not post it on his blog? He checked it frequently. Why on Watson's blog? It obviously wasn't a warning, since it came far too late for anyone to do anything about it. Why send them a video which will undoubtedly help Sherlock catch him?

He turned, hearing the sound of the door opening and seeing Kairi finishing up a french braid in her wet hair. She was smiling, an impish twinkle in her eye until she looked at John. Her face fell, full of guilt. Sherlock's hair looked damp and his skin was flushed. He glared at John.

"Oh for fuck's sake - really?!" John almost roared, "I just watched someone get gutted on my blog. There's a man disembowling people out there and you two are taking baths and groping each other like high schoolers!"

Kairi looked devastated, "I'm so sorr-"

Sherlock bristled, "He's already dead John, the murderer may still be free but we need Kairi's help."

"Oh, for what? To get off?" John said scathingly until he looked at Kairi who was mortified. Her clear eyes brimming with tears, "Damnit." He hung his head and then wiped a hand down his face. "Kairi I -,"

John didn't get the rest of it out before Kairi ran at him and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a giant hug, almost crying, "I'm so sorry John. I didn't think about how much it must affect you." She pulled back and kissed him sharply on the cheek and hugged him tighter, "That was selfish and I'm so sorry. I'm able to brush off a lot of things and to be honest my brain is so full of horrible shit John, I cant even process what its like to feel happy anymore." She squeezed him tighter and he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, I was out of line. This video thing has me feeling insane." He sighed, "I watched it Kairi, I watched him get murdered and I thought nothing of it."

Sherlock took a step closer to them, unsure how to treat this emotional display. He was used to seeing Kairi out of sorts, with everything she was going through, but watching John so physically and mentally shaken, disturbed him, "You were the one that remembered the video. I had immediately erased it. If not for you, we wouldn't have this lead. We would be no closer to finding the murderer John."

"Is this a lead?" John shook his head, "I don't see anything that will help us."

Sherlock smiled in his devilish way, "Ah, but I do."

Kairi and John were still hugging and Kairi reached over and yanked Sherlock by his shirt into the hug. He stood stiffly, even John a little unsure of what was happening, "You both do such amazing things. I don't think you get proper thanks for that."

"I don't like this." Sherlock said sharply.

"Oh, get over it." Kairi chuckled and John joined in. She let them go and patted them both on the shoulder. John smiled and nodded, still feeling sheepish. Sherlock just looked disgruntled and immediately walked to his desk. "Very well, what do you need from me?"

"I need you to find as much as you can about whoever posted this." Sherlock said quickly as Kairi leaned in to peek, "Its graphic."

"I should tell you, I once watched a video of a lion eating a baby gazelle alive and I only cried for three days." She smiled widely at Sherlock and John who stared at her rather confused.

"You are rather odd." Sherlock commented with an arched eyebrow.

Kairi shook herself of memories of the damn video and then turned to Sherlock, "I know." She glanced at John who was looking nervous, "John why don't you go get lunch with Molly? Once I dive into my computer thing, I wont be resurfacing and Sherlock will surely get bored and start experimenting or rewatching the video. You don't need to do that to yourself."

John shook his head, "No I'm fine. I'll be more help -,"

Sherlock glanced at John, "Kairi isn't insinuating that you are weak John, she's honestly concerned about you." He said with a hint of confusion, "I personally think you'll just be getting in the way if you stay-,"

"Sherlock!" Kairi hissed and hit him sharply on the arm. He flinched slightly, looking outrageously confused. "God damnit John, he'll be neck-deep in the video, I'll be swimming through code trying to put a trace on where this was uploaded from. Go see Molly, get some brightness back into your day."

"No, its fine." John laughed at Sherlock, "That knocked me out of it a bit." He cuffed Sherlock on the shoulder and they nodded to each other in a strange understanding, "But I will go see Molly. Thanks." He smiled at Kairi and pat her on the cheek in a loving fashion.

After John left and Kairi went downstairs to grab her super-duper-top-secret-Mycroft computer she came back into the room and saw Sherlock sitting on the couch, staring at the computer screen intently.

"So, should I watch it?" Kairi gulped heavily as she set her laptop on the desk.

Sherlock glanced at her, watching her intently, "You're afraid to?" His eyes flicked over her a little longer, "Oh no, you're afraid because you want to."

Kairi sighed, "Don't make it sound like that Sherlock, I don't know if want is the right word. Dark curiosity, maybe? I don't know. I just want to help if it's really bad enough to make John that distressed."

Sherlock stared back at the screen, "It probably reminded him of his duties in the war. He was in a country surrounded by a lot of people desperate to harm his troops and others. I know he's seen a lot of death, but its different to observe someone dying."

Kairi nodded, she could definitely understand that, "If you think it will help the case for me to watch it, then I will. Its scaring me, but I want to watch it if it will help."

Sherlock glanced back at Kairi, her hair pulled back in a braid that came over her shoulder. She looked young and small without her war paint on, as she called it. He was happy to see that she didn't need a mask around him any longer. She was still quite stunning without it. He looked back to his computer, focusing on the murder, trying to dispel notions of Kairi's attractiveness to him. He would need to keep this all compartmentalized to function properly. He cleared his throat, "Very well. Come and sit with me though. If you care to turn away or leave, I implore that you do so."

Kairi looked somber but she walked over to him and sat down next to him, apprehension brewing in her gut. She'd never seen someone be murdered before. She knew what things like this entailed and was trying not to think too much about how Sherlock was able to cope with so much death and darkness in his life. She glanced at him then, as he restarted the video, they were very different and they were very alike. It was a strange companionship that they had.

When the video started, Kairi stiffened but she made herself observe. She had some decent practical knowledge of science, especially biology and chemistry because of minor courses she took to prepare for basic forensics classes. It wasn't later until she went full steam ahead into computer science and development for web and software. Eventually, she delved deeper into computer forensics at the urging of her father. She still had decent enough knowledge of biology and even pathology because of the books that she read. Unfortunately, death had always been a large factor in her imaginative mind.

Watching the death of a human being was not something she took lightly. She cried the entire time, gripping Sherlock's hand as she watched the man be tortured. She also felt for John, its one thing to see something sick and twisted, but then be able to reaffirm your humanity because it had been faked. The confirmation that it was real and the realization that you had brushed it off would have crushed her as well.

The video itself was brutal. She could barely describe the visceral and soul crushing pain she felt while watching it. She had to stop Sherlock from turning it off a few times. She was determined to watch it, to feel the pain. She had a personal stake in this case now, it wasn't just some random IP address she hoped to chase, it wasn't mystical bits of data that she had to materialize. To her, this was a living, breathing monster, like Moran, who took pleasure in destroying things that didn't deserve to be destroyed. She had to finish it, the victim didn't deserve to be alone in this horror.

When it finished, Sherlock shut the computer and Kairi curled herself into him, crying heavily and trying to calm her breathing.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" Sherlock looked down at the top of the girl's platinum head, practically dissolving in his arms. He ran a hand over her soft hair and she snuggled closer.

With a shuddering breath, Kairi replied, "I had to see it, to make it real, to make it serious. If both you and John saw it and Molly probably will have to see the results of it, if I'm going to help, it has to be real."

He narrowed his eyes down at her, tipping her face up towards his, "That is a very stupid notion. You viewing it doesn't make it any more real."

Kairi chuckled at him, "Remember Sherlock try not to call people stupid unless they really deserve it. I know everyone is stupid to you, but in the end, we still have reasons for doing what we do."

He nodded to her and she went back to nuzzling her head in his chest for comfort. He continued to breath deeply, his eyes closing and relaxing as he held Kairi close to him. He had to admit that she provided a desirable level of comfort that seemed to ease his mind. It didn't seem to be as disjointed as before. He remembered how calming John was for him, centering, to be truly honest. John had given him a foundation in order to refocus his skill and hone it. After disappearing, his mind had gone back to a more chaotic nature, almost animalistic in its exertion. Being away from John, being dumped into some of the darker depths of humanity while he had been away had given him a more brutal edge than he had felt in his years with John. There were some aspects that still remained, a caged sort of beast clawing at the walls, but when he held Kairi, he almost felt tame, or rather, in control.

It wasn't a completely terrifying feeling, the sentiment he held for Kairi; like John had helped him refocus his mental acuity before and after the fall, Kairi seemed to calm something else entirely. It wasn't just sexual, though he did enjoy that aspect of their relationship, the sleep he achieved after a raucous bout with her was incredibly peaceful, and it also felt rather nice, being with her. But almost mentally, inside of his mind palace, he felt a calm he never had before. If he believed in the absolutely childish nature of a soul, he would admit that he felt a bond to her in that manner. A kindred spirit, though he despised the term.

He refocused on the murder and began to go over it frame by frame in his mind. He was focusing so intently he hadn't noticed that Kairi had removed herself from him. When he opened his eyes, which could have been hours later he saw her at the desk, curled up into John's chair, her glasses up on her nose, her eyes screwed up in rapt attention, and typing away furiously at what he believed was probably one hundred words per minute. He never realized the fluidity of her fingers over the keyboard, it was rather impressive.

Kairi glanced over to him and then refocused on the screen, smiling slightly, her pink lips just barely hitching in the corner, "I've started digging into John's blog, beefing up web security, making things slightly more difficult for people to post. Dear Lord you have a lot of spam posts. This will help weed them out."

"How will that affect people's ability to use the website?" Sherlock asked, genuinely curious.

"It will essentially work the same. I'm implying some very basic add-ons to the blog, just to keep the creeps out, then delving a little deeper into the actual site code to give it a bit more backbone. Hopefully it wont crash as much either." She looked at Sherlock smiling widely now, "You guys really should have hired someone to help when all of this got started. Granted, it's not like you guys have a bunch of personal information in blog form, but your clients do!"

Sherlock looked her up and down quickly, "Isn't that why we have you?"

Kairi rolled her eyes and looked back to the screen, typing away, "Well, now you do, but it should have been done ages ago, when you first started getting case requests through the blog. I should have a look at yours too, make sure its secure."

"Very well, I'll give you the login infor-"

"No need." She smiled mischievously and glanced back at Sherlock who glared at her, "I told you, probably should have set this up ages ago." He stood up and went to stand behind her. He looked down at her shoulders, one was bare, smooth and soft, the other was covered by sweatshirt material that looked at though it had been cut. She had fashioned it to fit her so. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she did not flinch, but her skin got warmer to his touch. He watched as she was inspecting some gibberish on the screen, she reached up a hand and patted his gently with her small fingers, turning her head just slightly to plant a kiss on his skin. He wasn't sure that she was even aware of what she was doing.

He understood that feeling and now he was a bit self-conscious about his behavior during his moments of intense focus. It never bothered him much before.

"What have you found out about the video?" Sherlock asked before his mind began to run away with itself.

She sighed, "Not much, whoever posted it tried to block the IP - by the way I saved it to your hard drive as a copy, which is technically illegal, but oh well. I mean, who is going to fine me for saving a documented murder in order to find the bastard?" She looked up at Sherlock who seemed disinterested, "Anyway, the guy, or rather, the network he used had a pretty darn good setup, using a high-anonymity proxy server that was browser configured. The system he was using also had a sort of computer based Tor application that added some extra routes for me to follow. Put his IP address in Egypt of all places. I mean, I guess he could have been in Egypt or had an accomplice in Egypt, but that seems a little excessive, even for him, I doubt he gets his kicks on a computer terminal."

"So nothing?" Sherlock looked down to Kairi and she looked back up at him flabbergasted.

"I didn't say that." Sher shook her head, giving him an annoyed stare and then went back to her typing.

He wondered if that was the look he gave other people when they were being vapid and unobserving. He would need to ask John.

"I said, he was able to hide his original IP. He's good," She glanced back up at him with an amused, smug smile as she pushed up her glasses, "Thing is, I'm better. Much better, but he's still rather clever." She hunched her shoulders over, getting closer to the computer screen, "Hmm, yeah he's clever, the original IP was traced to an Internet cafe not to far from the crime scene. An actual Internet cafe, one geared towards hardcore gamers and web enthusiasts like myself, but not on the proper side of the law - most days," She gulped nervously, "Not tourists looking to post on Facebook while they're on vacation. Problem is, he was able to create a program to put the blog post on delay, possibly a remote type of program that he could activate when he knew the body had been found. I'd need to see the computer first to make sure. You said the police had already been there a while before you showed up right? So there's one of two options probably, he was there, watching as someone stumbled upon that monstrous shit or-,"

"Or he was the one to give the tip." Sherlock smiled and looked down at Kairi who was smiling up at him he bent forward quickly and stole a kiss that left her surprised, "Where's the cafe?"

Kairi typed it into maps and pulled it up, "Not far from here."

Sherlock's eyes took in the computer screen, flashing over the address and map location and instantly formed the quickest possible route for the time of day, "Excellent, let's go." He grabbed her hand and yanked.

She flew from the chair with a yelp as Sherlock tugged her along, feeling like she was skipping to keep up with him, "Sherlock I'm in my pajamas, I can't go out like this!"

Sherlock scoffed, "You look fine," He palliated her.

She scowled, "I'm not wearing underwear or a bra you buffoon! I'm not going out like this."

"The game is on Kairi we mustn't dawdle!" He said angrily.

Kairi rolled her eyes, "He's not going to be there. He probably paid in cash! Fact is, I can run outside right now, no bra, no undies and flirt or flash my way into some information, but I haven't done that in quite some time and I'd like to keep these babies underneath clothes when it's so cold outside. Or let me go get properly dressed and I will disarm them with my charm and then beat them into submission with my intellect!" She finished venomously.

Sherlock paused at the bottom of the stairs to look back at her and Kairi ripped her wrist from his hand and gave him a dirty look as she walked into her flat to go change. She just threw on some jeans, boots, and a t-shirt with appropriate undergarments, grabbing her thick, hooded jacket and a scarf and throwing it on. She wasn't wearing any make up and she glanced out to see Sherlock pacing in her front room with Appa at his heels, happily engaging in the walking in circles game as Sherlock tried to wave him off. She chuckled and jumped into her bathroom, swiping on some hastily applied eye liner, some mascara, and grabbing some lightly tinted chapstick. She knew it was stupid, but if she were going to be talking to people, she needed a little something to hide behind.

She walked back out to an overly exaggerated sigh from Sherlock who was staring at her impatiently, "Sherlock," She grumbled, "I'm not John, I wont go traipsing about all over London with you to solve murders. This is important, I'm not dragging my feet to want to be properly dressed to interview people. Look at you, you always wear a bloody suit and that jacket with the collar thing," He gave her a dirty look and opened his mouth to reply but she put up a finger and then used it to point at her face, indicating her make up, "This is my suit, scarf, and fancy coat, ok?"

Sherlock oddly could relate and so he nodded, "Shall we?"

"Are we walking?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, it's not that far and like you've said, any information available will likely still be waiting there." Sherlock sighed, "We shall go to Bart's after, to check up on the body."

"Ok, Appa's coming." She smiled and clipped the lead to Appa in a flash.

"But-!" Sherlock started, horrendously disappointed as Kairi wrapped Appa up in his volunteer vest.

"He's already dressed!" She smiled widely and couldn't help but find a deep inner joy at aggravating the detective as she ran past him and out her door with a joyful Appa, "Do keep up Sherlock." She added, trying to contain her laughter as she watched his entire body tense.

He turned sharply, his lip in a firm line as he whisked out of Kairi's home and she locked the door, following the hilariously fuming detective.


As they strolled down the street, nearing the cafe finally, Kairi was glancing up at Sherlock who still looked rather ruffled. She wanted to keep prodding him, since they were both silent for the entire walk, stealing glances at each other, Sherlock frowning, Kairi beaming.

"So is this like, a date?" Kairi looked up at the detective who was capable of walking and looking utterly shocked.

"Excuse me?" He muttered for lack of something more intelligent to say.

"Well, taking someone out on a case, seems to be just about as romantic as you get." She stifled her chuckle.

"I take John out on cases, that is not romantic." He added vehemently.

"Well he's not a girl." She added sweetly.

He glared down at her, "I've brought Molly once or twice." He spat.

Kairi chuckled, "You haven't slept with Molly though, did you?"

Sherlock's eyes went wide as saucers as he glanced around to people surrounding him, "Keep that down and no I have not."

Kairi chuckled, "It's too easy to ruffle you sometimes."

Sherlock looked down at her, "You do seem to bother me more often than most others."

Kairi smiled brightly, nudging into Sherlock as they walked, "I take that as a complement!"

Sherlock glanced down at her, a light smile on his lips, "I know you do." Kairi winked.

"Ah! We're here!" She smiled and sat Appa at the entrance and commanded him to stay. She pulled out her hair and let it fall down her shoulders and back in rippled waves, fluffing it a bit with her fingers as Sherlock stared at her confused. Appa waited patiently as they walked inside.

Kairi got friendly pretty quickly, walking up to the clerk while removing her jacket with a flourish and leaning on the counter, smiling a lot and making the cashier laugh. Evidently a love of computers was enough to cement instant friendships. Sherlock watched Kairi as she talked, he noticed her smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. The discomfort he felt while noticing how the attendant behind the counter licked his lips and smiled at her was abated by Kairi's obvious disinterest.

She was milking him for information, forming a competent lie about her jealous stalker ex-boyfriend who she hated. She thought he had come in here today to try and hack into her account for her Facebook and yell at her gay friend for commenting on all of her pictures at a certain time. She was portraying herself to be much younger than she actually was of course, and of much lower intelligence. It actually was distasteful how much the idiot was sopping up her story simply because of the roll of her hips or how she leaned on the counter, letting her shirt gap open just barely enough for a shadow of cleavage.

As his eyes traveled down to take a peek Sherlock finally stepped in, "That's well enough, take us to the backroom." The signs were obvious.

The clerk looked affronted and Kairi was shaking like a leaf at the surprise and effort of her act. "Hey mate, I don't know who the hell you think you is-," Sherlock noticed that Kairi winced at that, "- but you can't just barge in here like you owns the place!"

Sherlock rolled his eyes and pulled out a hundred pound note and slammed it on the counter with a rattle, "Back room please or I can call the police about the business you let transpire in the back. Illegal downloads I'm guessing, unmonitored hours for the right price? I wonder how many ephebophiles frequent this area? Child porn addicts? Hm?" Sherlock gave his most sinister smile to the attendant who looked severely rattled.

"Yeah alright mate, no need to get testy." He glanced to Kairi and smiled, "You stay here princess, I'll be right out."

Kairi only responded with a derisive grimace, but Sherlock replied, "Oh no, she's coming with me. She's my computer expert." Kairi had to admit she enjoyed the sound of it.

The guy looked dumbfounded, staring at the tiny blonde. She just responded with a cheesy smile and a shrug.

They walked back behind the counter and through a door which was labeled as employees only. They went past another door marked as the server room and when they entered it was astonishingly cold.

Kairi eyed the server set up, way too powerful, even for the hardware they had out front and she glanced at Sherlock who gave her a knowing nod. Once they reached another back room, she was surprised to see the set up. There were four computers, each in its own private cubby, and it was adorned with some of the best equipment available on the market. Sleek and sexy and probably hand crafted to specific specifications. She couldn't wait to open one up and peak inside. She wasn't strictly a computer guts expert, but she knew enough to navigate her way through it.

"You're drooling." Sherlock muttered at her side.

She glared back up at him, "Shut it."

He grinned again without a word.

"Which one was used last?" Kairi asked, hoping it would be the right one.

"Number two." The clerk muttered uncomfortably.

Kairi nodded and went to go inspect it.

"What is this?" The man asked nervously, "You ain't cops are ya?"

Kairi rolled her eyes as she logged into the computer with supplied information. It seemed that each time after a computer was used, a new user profile was created fresh for the next customer, the previous one most likely purged. She shrugged, it was an impressive system, but she felt skeevy just sitting in the chair. Anyone who went to lengths as great as this must have a serious browsing history to hide. It made her shiver.

"No, not the cops. You may excuse yourself." Sherlock nodded to the man with a withering look and so he left. He approached Kairi and stood behind her, "Anything?"

Kairi was typing away, trying to access the main system controls through a bit of a round about method. She was giggling a bit, feeling like a spy - even though her day job was severely more spyish but tended to be much more mundane. She glanced at Sherlock who stood at her shoulder, staring at the computer. She had to admit she had a much more attractive boss this time around.

"Focus." He flicked his gaze to her in a disapproving manner.

Kairi wrinkled her nose at him, "Sorry." She stared back at the computer screen typing away hundreds of letters into a black box on the screen. She was staring for a moment, angry it seemed at the machine for not doing what she wanted it to.

"What's wrong?"

Kairi growled, "There's nothing here." She hissed out a breath between her teeth, her fingers clacking against the keys like rocks against a window. She was leaning forward now, trying to circumvent some of the more stringent security protocols that had been implemented, "Fuck!" She yelled and a different screen showed itself.

/Mr Sandman
/Bring me a dream.

"What the fuck?" Kairi hissed.

"What is this?" Sherlock growled, leaning down over her shoulder so their faces were almost touching as they stared at the screen.

"I... I'm not sure I know." She flicked her eyes to Sherlock's face which was so close to hers she could smell him but she shoveled that away for the moment, "We should take this back with us. Get Lestrade's men to look at it. They have proper ways to dig into it. Plus this place needs to get shut down."

/Make her compaction
/Like peaches and cream

Their eyes glanced back at the screen, "What does that mean?" Sherlock said quietly.

Kairi's eyes widened, "I recognize this! It's a song, from the 50s or something. See?! Pop culture for the win!"

/Give her two lips
/Like roses on clover

Sherlock shivered, glancing for a moment to Kairi's lips and he felt a seething fear in his gut. "Moran?"

Kairi shook her head, "Mycroft's information say anything about him being a medical student and/or a genius computer hacker?"

"No, but he could have an accomplice." Sherlock felt himself growling.

Kairi felt herself shudder, "I don't know, it seems... out of style for him." Sherlock narrowed his eyes at the computer.

"Is this an active connection? Or some sort of...delayed recording?" Sherlock asked and Kairi smiled at him slightly.

"I can't interact with it, it's a running program that doesn't have any command prompts." She glared at the computer.

/Tell me that my lonesome nights are over

"I don't understand." Sherlock hissed.

"Lyrics." She grumbled and kept trying to execute a program to override the computer but it wasn't budging.

"This is tiresome. Can you turn it off?" Sherlock growled.

Kairi sighed, "I'm trying, but I can't stop it. Its locked the rest of the system functions. This is amazing."

Sherlock looked at her, staring at the computer screen with abject wonder. New words appeared that distracted Sherlock.

/Sandman
/I'm so alone
/Don't have nobody to call my own

"This is highly unnerving. They're coming faster now." Kairi looked to Sherlock who was deep in thought.

/Please turn on your magic beam
/Mr. Sandman wants to hear you
scream

Kairi gulped heavily, "Well that's definitely not in the song."

"What?" Sherlock leaned forward.

There was a hissing noise to Kairi's right, on the other side of Sherlock. "Oh Jesus!" She screamed, leaping from her chair and tackling Sherlock in one swift motion, hitting him in the gut whooshing the air out of his lungs. A loud crack and a flash of light erupted behind them, but was gone almost as quickly as it started.

"Fuck!" Kairi hissed and slammed her fists to what was beneath her. Unfortunately that was Sherlock and he gave an oof in response and she looked up at him apologetically, "Sorry."

Quickly, Sherlock rolled them over, pulling Kairi up to stand rather quickly and ripping her jacket off of her and throwing it to the ground stomping on it furiously. "You were smoldering." He growled. Kairi stood there shaking wildly as the room filled with smoke and alarms started blaring. He grabbed her by the shoulders and glared down at her, "That was foolish."

"It was exploding! I didn't think, I just reacted!" She growled at him, wincing at the strength of his hands around her upper arms.

"It was clear you weren't thinking." He spat.

Kairi coughed, "You could say thank you!" She growled back and struggled in his grasp.

"For what? Almost getting yourself killed?" He snarled as she glared at him

"No, for saving your stupid life!" She screamed at him and went to stomp on his toe but he averted it.

Sherlock was glaring at her with an unreadable emotion. Kairi assumed it was anger since it felt like he might snap her arms like twigs if he squeezed any tighter. What she didn't expect was Sherlock crashing his lips to hers in a frantic way, pulling apart almost as fast as they began.

"Wha-?" Kairi coughed again.

"For saving my life." He let go of her as the clerk came running in screaming his head off about lawsuits and fire hazards and flapping his arms frantically at the now smoking machine that didn't seem to have anything left to explode.

"I guess we should probably call Lestrade." Kairi coughed as Sherlock grabbed the attendant and pulled him reluctantly out of the room so he didn't die of smoke inhalation.

"Yes I assume we should." Sherlock admitted begrudgingly.

As they made their way outside for fresh air, taking in giant heaping breaths of it, Kairi started chuckling as she saw Appa, sitting at the undisturbed front of the shop waiting for her happily. She patted him on the head and he sniffed her a little dejectedly.

"He's gonna be pissed." Kairi chuckled and Sherlock looked at his phone almost nervously.

He held it out to her, "You call him. Use your feminine wiles to convince him it wasn't my fault."

Kairi gave him an incredulous look, "I'll tell you where you can put my feminine wiles!" She growled, shivering in just her t-shirt.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and he removed his jacket quickly, handing it to her as he pressed a phone to his ear, "When he arrives try to look pathetic so he pities you."

Kairi rolled her eyes and suddenly her stomach began to sink as her knees practically knocked as panic finally set in. Someone just unsuccessfully attempted to blow up her and Sherlock Holmes. She lowered herself to the ground and Appa made himself available as he always does. Kairi wrapped an arm around him and prayed for the whiskey fairy to make a personal delivery.

"Yes," Sherlock said looking down at her, "Yes, that look will do."

She sent him a withering glare he didn't see as he spoke into the phone to Lestrade.


a/n

SQUEEE that was a fun chapter to write! I'm still under the weather so I'm hoping it was at least fun to read.

We are getting closer to my goal - around 200 either comments/favorite/follows/etc and I will start my side project.

This case will probably not be going as you wish...

The Sign of Three...oh dear lord i'm dying...just absolutely gasping...I've already watched it three times...I cant stop. Its amazing...Oh sweet baby jesus...*fans self*

Please comment/favorite/follow! Let me know how I cant tempt you further ;D