A Suikoden III Short. Usual disclaimers apply.

Main Characters: Kidd, Estella, Belle, Mel, and Branky

Pairings Warning: …Maybe very mild, one-sided Kidd/Mel if you stretch it…

Chapters Read: Up to Chapter 4, with Kidd, Estella, and Goro's bath acquired

Explanation: While considering material for bath sequences that, for one reason or another, never made it into the game, I came up with this little short. While I despise Estella normally, her bad habit does make for some interesting ideas. Especially when it comes to the potential that seems to lie inherently with having her get involved with Kidd in any matter…

~ * Untrustworthy Tipster * ~

Kidd closed his eyes and sank into the warm water, sighing in appreciation of the heated liquid caressing his swollen body. Today had been another noteworthy series of cases for the junior detective! All sorts of people had approached him seeking out information about other residents of the castle.

The always lovely Lady Chris sent him tailing after Jimba for the longest time, trying to dredge up any sort of interesting news about him. Kidd wasn't really sure why she was so interested in the Karayan warrior, but all she'd offered for explanation was that she was trying to figure out what he'd meant by something he'd said to her during a previous encounter. Sadly, all he'd been able to uncover was Jimba's hobbies and the fact that he liked to help out in the kitchen.

Later, Melville had visited asking if Kidd could find out anything about his errant father Billy. Apparently, the grizzled cowboy had been absent from his normal post for a while, and the too-serious boy was worried he had vanished again. As it had turned out, Billy had been merely off getting into a drinking and gambling contest with Mike. Ironically enough, the former ended up winning the drinking contest, while the latter won hands-down with gambling.

What had worn him down, however, was when Hugo requested some more information on the mysterious sorceress Viki… or, rather, chibi-Viki, the little one that had just appeared. Unfortunately, not only did she have an uncanny knack for detecting when he was trying to case her out, she always responded by teleporting him somewhere. He'd made three hikes too many over the course of the day, and was completely beat. The warm water was just the thing to help his sore muscles relax…

He debated the merits of taking a short snooze inside the tub, but before he could come to a conclusion, his experienced ears picked up on the familiar sound of hushed conversation taking place nearby. The boy detective was immediately alert, sitting upright and straining to pick up on the soft strains of voices.

It only took a few minutes for his sharp mind to deduce that the discussion was occurring on the women's side of the bath. Briefly, his curiosity warred with his common sense: he knew many of the female residents wouldn't take too kindly to any male, no matter how young, butting in on their business in the bath.

Curiosity naturally won out. After all, all he was doing was listening in, and that wouldn't hurt anybody, right…?

Edging closer to the barrier that divided the bath into gender-specific sections, Kidd pressed his ear against the wood. As he listened, he mentally matched voices to names and faces, calling upon his heightened observation skills and finely honed memory.

"I've got the most wonderful secret to tell you, and it's only for your ears, little girl," proclaimed a silky-smooth female voice that Kidd soon recognized as belonging to Estella, an accomplished fire wizardress that had recently arrived at the castle.

"Yeah? What is it?" asked an interested Belle.

"Well, you know that young lady who carries that puppet around all the time?"

"You mean Mel?"

"Yes, that's right? Do you know why she wears that strange doll everywhere she goes?"

"No, do you?" There was a hint of skepticism in Belle's tone, but it clashed with the obvious interest that also marked it.

"Yes, dearie, of course I do. My senses are very finely tuned when it comes to all things natural and…" Estella paused dramatically and took a breath, "supernatural."

(Natural and supernatural?)

Kidd's eyebrows rose in a high arch, and he inhaled sharply – a little too sharply, he worried for a moment. However, if the girls on the other side of the fence overheard his contained gasp, they showed no sign of it, perhaps too caught up in their conversation to notice.

"You see, my dear, sweet girl, Mel has a certain… condition she doesn't wish people to find out about. She fears that if anybody knew of her illness, she'd be shunned and cast out of society."

"And yet you know what it is?" Belle asked frankly, a bit more disbelief tainting her tone.

"Yes, my sweet child. I know you've taken a bit of an interest in her, and you must be curious as to why she totes that puppet around." There was a pause, in which Kidd assumed the inventor must be nodding agreement, and then Estella continued, "That's why I've decided to tell you this, but of course, you mustn't let anyone else know what you've learned!"

"Trust me," replied Belle frankly, "my lips are sealed."

"Good girl! You see, Mel's actually a lycanthrope – a bit of a werewolf, as it were. Her rune enables her to take the form of a raging canine beast with fur black as midnight and white as snow… not to mention eyes as cold as ice and fangs the size of your finger."

"Really?" Belle didn't exactly sound convinced.

"But, ah, here's the catch: the rune's influence has transformed the hand that wears it into a hideous transmutation of human and beastly features. Her right hand is completely covered with thick fur, her fingers tipped with long, deadly claws. That's why she wears that puppet and pretends it's alive: to keep people from questioning its presence. After all, what would you rather be seen as: a strange girl with a living doll – or a hideous beast in the guise of a girl with the paw of a monster?"

"I…think I'll be getting out now," Belle said after a long pause.

"It's true!" Estella called as the young mechanic exited the bath. "Every word!"

On the other side of the wall, Kidd had plastered himself against the wood, ebony eyes wide with astonishment. He couldn't believe what he'd just overheard…! What a fantastic tale the sorceress had just related…! This definitely warranted investigating…

~ * ~

That night, a short figure crept out the side entrance of the castle and made his way as quickly and quietly as possible to the Inn. Kidd was now firmly in detective mode, his trademark red mask strapped over his face.

Crossing the courtyard, the young investigator considered his options for a moment. While the quickest way into the establishment would be the front door, there was also the most chance for detection going that route. Noticing that several barrels were stacked by one wall, Kidd opted to climb up those and enter through a second-story window.

This plan worked just perfectly… until he got to the top of the stack and realized he came just a little short of the edge. Resting his chin in his hands, Kidd thought deeply for a few seconds, absently tapping his foot.

He came out of his musings when the barrels began to shift under his weight. The investigator windmilled his arms frantically as he started to lose his balance, then, just as the stack gave way, took a chance and jumped, barely latching onto the windowsill.

Kidd quickly pulled himself up, trying to ignore the clamor the collapsing stack caused outside. He was in, and that was the important thing, right?

With all the stealth and speed his experiences as a private investigator had taught him, Kidd crept through the Inn until he found the room Mel was staying in. Carefully he tested the doorknob, and was both relieved and surprised to find it unlocked. Relieved because it meant he didn't have to try going back outside and entering through a different window; surprised because he had figured from Estella's story that she would leave the door locked to protect her secret.

(But then, perhaps she doesn't believe anybody here would have reason to suspect the true nature of her secret…)

With that justification, Kidd eased the door open and peeked inside. The chamber had been one of the single-person rooms before Mel had moved in and fixed it up to her tastes. It was simply furnished, the bed pulled up close to the window so that the girl could wake up when the sun rose. Now, however, only moonlight and starlight bathed the sleeping girl curled up underneath the downy covers.

Kidd carefully crossed the room until he was standing at Mel's bedside, gazing down at the girl. The detective blushed; he'd never come into a girl's room like this before even for an investigation, and the ventriloquist was rather cute when she was dozing. Her soft brown hair, freed from its usual pink bow, drifted freely around her peaceful, composed face.

She didn't look that much like a sleeping werewolf… not that Kidd had ever seen one before to cross-reference against.

Reminding himself why he had come here in the first place, Kidd looked over the sleeping girl and soon spotted her right arm folded up beside her. Branky was, naturally, still covering her hand. Kidd took a deep breath, then leaned over the snoozing Mel so that he could reach it.

Carefully… carefully he wrapped his fingers around the lupine puppet's neck. Then, with a sudden yank, he attempted to slip it off of Mel's arm without awakening her.

The key word being 'attempted'.

Branky's big blue eyes bulged with surprise, then narrowed, gleaming dangerously.

Kidd's eyes bulged with surprise, and the investigator screamed, yanking his hand back when a sharp pain shot through it.

Mel's eyes bulged with surprise, then she shot up straight in her bed, staring at the boy as he cradled his injured, bitten hand with the other.

"You… PERVERT!"

A massive explosion rocked the night as flames erupted from a certain window in the Inn, and the force of the blast propelled out a small human figure straight out of the opening and through the darkened skies.

~ * ~

Early the next morning, Cecile took up her post at the castle gates. When she noticed a lone figure slowly approaching, the captain of the guards immediately snapped to attention, pointing her spear directly at the stranger.

"Halt! Who goes there?" she demanded in her best 'take no prisoners' tone.

"Ease up, Cecile," the trespasser coughed, holding up blackened hands. "It's just me."

"Hmm?"

Cecile recognized the voice as familiar, but it took her a while to place it. Leaning forward to investigate, she studied the short, charred figure for a few seconds before her eyes widened with recognition.

"Kidd? What happened to you? Were you attacked outside the castle?"

The well-done investigator shook his head slowly, flecks of soot falling from his naturally black hair.

"Let's just say… I learned to review my sources a little more clearly…"

With that, the junior detective collapsed, leaving a surprised and mildly concerned Cecile staring at his unconscious figure slumped on the steps she guarded.