Sailor See, Sailor Die - Chapter Five
A Fic Challenge Response by Una Moonstar

ANs: Hmm, only one guess so far as to the murderer... Guess I'll just have to give you the next chapter... Enjoy! And thanks for reading!

(fade out...)

(begin chapter...)

"What do you mean, 'might'?" Doyle snapped from where he stood behind the others. "What else do you think a pool of blood means?"

"There's no body, Mr. Doyle," Serena replied softly before Darien could. "We can't be sure until we see a body."

"Not that it looks good, mind you," Darien added. "But the last thing we can afford to do is jump to conclusions."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it still leaves one unanswered question," Raye said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's that?" Lita asked.

"Where's the body?" Madam Roselle questioned quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. "Dead or alive I mean," she clarified as she blushed.

"The woman's got a point," Doyle said, frustrated. "Got an answer to that one, bright boy?"

"Unfortunately, no," Darien said through gritted teeth.

Serena moved slowly out of the frustrated young man's arms and to the open window. Unaware of the others watching her intently, the petite blonde swallowed nervously and poked her head out. What she saw as she looked down caused her to release a sigh of relief. "He's not there," she said softly as she drew back into the room and turned to face the others.

"Oh, thank goodness," Madam Roselle said expansively, raising a hand somewhat dramatically to her chest. Raye rolled her eyes.

"Maybe someone should check on Ralph," Eli said hesitantly. "I mean, he's been all alone since the cook brought down his breakfast dishes and someone was up here doing something to Kingsly."

"I'll do it!" Mina volunteered and dashed out of the room.

"There's no sign of a struggle," Darien said thoughtfully, moving closer to the large stain in the carpet. "So Kingsly had to have been taken by surprise."

"And they had to move fast," Amy added. "We may have been late arriving, but Mr. Doyle said they had been waiting for at least twenty minutes. That's not a lot of time to do this and rejoin the rest without raising suspicions."

"Guys, you're not going to believe this!" Mina cried as she rejoined the others. "Ralph's gone! There was another puddle of blood and the bedsheets were all over the place!"

"Oh, I believe it alright," Raye said as she rolled her eyes once again. "The way this weekend has gone so far I'd believe just about anything."

"Alright," Darien said firmly, getting everyone's attention. "Ralph and Kingsly might still be on the grounds somewhere. If they are, they're injured and in need of help. I think we should split up into small groups and search the property."

"I am not leaving this house," Doyle said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. "If this murderer isn't one of us, he's more than likely outside. I'm not about to give him a free opportunity to kill me."

The ebony-haired young man rolled his eyes and was about to snap back at the pompous lawyer when Serena spoke up. "Alright, Mr. Doyle. If that's how you feel, then why don't you search the house while the rest of us break up into pairs? One pair can check the gardens in front of the house, one the gardens behind, one the servants' house, and one the area right around the house." She looked around with bright sapphire blue eyes. "I think that covers everyone. What do you guys think?"

Doyle, Roselle, and Eli glanced at each other while Darien looked down on her with pride and the girls just stared in shock. "I think that things would be a lot easier at home if you took charge like that more often," Raye said once she recovered. Serena gave her a wink.

"I think that should work," Eli said approvingly. "So what's the pairings?"

"I'll go with Raye," Madam Roselle said quickly. "I have a feeling we'll work well together." The priestess rolled her eyes one more time.

"Eli and I already proved we make a good pair," Lita said, stars in her eyes. The other four girls rolled their eyes as the tall brunette latched onto the green-haired man's arm.

Darien cleared his throat. "Okay then, it looks like that leaves Amy and Mina as a pair since Serena and I are supposed to spend all our time together this weekend." That and I have absolutely no intention of letting her out of my sight when she's obviously in danger, he added mentally.

Mina shrugged. "Works for me. Where do we go?"

Their leader thought about it for a moment as he scratched his chin. "Why don't the two of you check the servants' house? And while you're there, go ahead and tell them not to come to the main house until we have this whole thing solved. I don't want any of them to get hurt accidentally, and I think we're all capable of getting ourselves what we need."

"Of course," Amy agreed with a nod.

"Eli and Lita, you check the gardens in front and Raye and Madam Roselle can check the back. Serena and I will check the immediate grounds. Mr. Doyle, if anything should happen, make some noise. Chances are, with Serena and I so close, we'll hear it and be able to come quickly. Does anyone have any objections?" Everyone looked at the attorney.

He scowled at them. "No, I don't have any objections. Let's get this over with."

Darien nodded. "I agree. Let's meet back in the drawing room in two hours. That should give everyone enough time to do a thorough search. Am I right, Eli?"

"I'd say so," Eli agreed. "At least thorough enough that we can find two injured people. Otherwise we'd need more time. It may not look like it, but there's a lot of land here."

"Point taken. Let's go, folks."

Everyone did as requested, filing out of Kingsly's bedroom at Darien's gesture. Doyle stayed behind, silently watching them leave.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

Eli and Lita made their way into the maze of gardens in front of the large mansion. "Why are these things set up like this?" the brunette asked as they followed one of the numerous paths.

"Wind breaker. The weather tends to come from either the east or the west, thus the gardens in the front and back of the house."

Lita nodded. "Makes sense."

They chatted about random subjects for another half hour or so before Eli stopped in his tracks and released a frustrated breath. "This is just not going to cut it. We'll never cover all this ground in the amount of time we have. Do you have a watch?"

Lita held up her left wrist, revealing a dainty silver bracelet with a dangling watch. "Sure do. What are you thinking?"

The green-haired man looked at his own watch. "We have about an hour and a half. I was thinking we could split up to be able to cover the entire garden. I forgot about the maze of paths that ran through it."

"But Darien said to stick together."

"It's that or we won't be able to check the entire garden. I'm sorry, Lita, but I think this is the only way."

Lita bit her lower lip as she considered it. She could take care of herself, couldn't she? "Oh, alright. What time are we supposed to meet in the drawing room?"

"One o'clock if Darien's two hours are to be followed." He winked and smiled. "Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

The tall brunette glanced at her watch before responding. "I know. I guess I'll meet you in the drawing room then?" She smiled shyly.

"Why don't we meet in front of the garden before going inside? That way we'll both know the other one is safe."

"Works for me. See you then!" The two then walked off in separate directions.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

"So, Raye, tell me about the Sacred Fire," Madam Roselle said eagerly as the pair headed out a back door toward the back gardens.

"What exactly do you expect me to say?" the raven-haired priestess said through clenched teeth, determined to control her temper at least until they were done searching.

"Well, how do you do it? How do you tell fortunes from watching the flames?"

Raye sighed. "It has a lot to do with the Shinto religion, actually. My grandfather is the priest at the Hikawa Jinga, or shrine, otherwise known as the Cherry Hill Temple. I have been following in his path."

"Oh," Roselle said sympathetically as they started along the garden paths, "I guess that means you've lost your parents if you're living with your grandfather. I'm so sorry."

The girl stopped dead in her tracks. "Actually, my mother died when I was eight years old of cancer. My father is a politician and doesn't really have time to raise me. So I live with my grandfather, which I infinitely prefer to whatever lifestyle my father could offer. Are there any more nosy questions you'd like to ask?" Her voice had risen to a shout. "Maybe regarding my virginity? By the way, yes, I am a virgin!" Madam Roselle stood there completely shell-shocked as Raye finally got control of her temper. "Now, to keep me from biting your head off anymore, I suggest we split up and meet back here in two hours before returning to the drawing room. I'll go this way." The girl spun and took off to the left. Madam Roselle merely blinked, watched where the girl had disappeared from for a few moments, and turned to search in the other direction.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

Amy and Mina looked up at the old, two-story building that stood to the southeast of the mansion. "Can you believe this is just the servants' quarters?" Mina asked incredulously.

"It is awfully hard to believe, isn't it?" Amy concurred. "But we better get this over with. It looks like there's a lot of space to cover in less than two hours."

"Right."

The two girls stepped up to the front door and knocked. Soon afterward it opened to reveal a pale, blonde young woman dressed in a gray sweatshirt and white stretch pants. She gulped when she saw who was standing in the doorway. "Can... can I help you, ladies?"

Amy and Mina glanced at each other briefly at the sound of fear in the lady's tone, recognizing her as one of the serving maids from breakfast that morning. "Actually, yes," Amy said gently. "Can we come in?"

The shaking blonde nodded and stepped inside, allowing the girls to step into the entryway. "What are you so afraid of?" Mina asked once the door had been shut behind her.

"You aren't going to ask us back to the house, are you? Because we already agreed that we aren't going to, no matter what. We know what happened to Dr. Blake and Mr. Ward. And we know that Ralph got hurt too. So until whichever one of you is doing this stops hurting people, not a single servant is coming near the place! There's not enough money in the entire estate!"

Both girls had stepped back from the tirade, even as they noticed the other servants' heads poking out from what they guessed was the living room. Amy was the first to recover her composure. "Well, yes, of course. Actually, we were going to tell you all to stay here until after we found the killer and stopped him or her. We can take care of ourselves in the meantime."

The woman blinked. "Really? Well, that's alright then. Was there anything else?"

"Um, we need to check the house for..." Mina paused to think for a moment. "Well, to see if whoever is doing this hid something here, maybe something that would tell us why this is happening."

The older blonde glanced over her shoulder briefly before responding. "That makes sense, I guess. We'll all stay out of your way in the living room."

"That would be very helpful, thank you," the blue-haired girl said with a small smile. The maid then joined the others. Amy looked at her companion and they started down the hall toward the door at the end of it. "That was quick thinking, Mina," she whispered as they checked the first door on the right side of the hall. It was a coat closet.

"What was?" the blonde girl asked as they revealed a small bathroom next.

"Not telling them that Ralph and Kingsly are missing and why we're searching here. I was afraid you were going to panic them."

"Well, the maid didn't say anything about it, and she had already taken our heads off. I figured why get her worked up again?"

The pair went into the next room, which turned out to be a large study. "That makes sense. And it also keeps them from thinking they're suspects."

Mina stopped in the middle of looking through a pile of papers on the desk. "Are they?"

Amy shook her head as she examined the bookshelves. "No motive. They're not getting any money at all."

"Oh, okay."

A little while later the pair stood in the center of the kitchen, having finished their search of the first floor. Amy looked at her watch. "That almost took us a whole hour, and we still have the upstairs and basement to check. We're never going to finish in time."

Mina sighed. "We're going to have to split up then. I'll take the upstairs while you check the basement. We'll meet in that entryway when we're done before heading back."

"But we're supposed to stick together."

"Oh, come on, Amy. We know neither of us did it. And we don't think the servants did it. So there's really no danger at the moment, and we need to get the house searched. Splitting up is the quickest way to do that."

It was Amy's turn to sigh. "Alright. But let's be sure to meet ten minutes before one. That way we'll have enough time to get back to the main house before anyone gets worried about us."

"Okay!" Mina chirped. "See you then!" She dashed off toward the stairs that led to the second floor. Amy just shook her head and went through the door in the kitchen that held the stairs to the basement behind it.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

Serena and Darien walked out of the same back door Raye and Madam Roselle left through a few minutes before and paused to look around. "Which way do we go?" the petite blonde asked.

"We'll go around the house to the left."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason?"

Darien looked at her with a small smirk. "Going right gets you nowhere?"

She laughed. "You are ridiculous!"

"I aim to please. Now shall we?"

The couple began making their way to the left, looking carefully in the shrubs and bushes as they went. Before long, they could hear a voice getting louder from the direction of the back gardens, culminating in, "By the way, yes, I am a virgin!"

Darien blinked then began to grin. "Thank you for that little piece of information, Raye."

Serena giggled a bit. "No kidding. Maybe she should have said it a bit louder. I don't think they heard her on the other side of the house." Her smile faded and she looked at the ebony-haired young man speculatively. "So, you guys never... did anything?" she asked softly.

He stopped in his tracks. "Raye and me?"

"Yeah. While you two were together you never did anything?" She stopped a few steps ahead of him.

"I kissed her a couple of times, but other than that, no, nothing. Why?"

Serena released a sigh of relief. "That's good. I... was just afraid that you had, that's all. Let's keep going."

Darien reached out and grabbed her wrist as she started to move forward. "No, wait. Would that have bothered you?" She turned her head away and nodded. "Serena, I want you to know I wasn't ever really tempted. I like Raye. She's a great person. But not someone I want to be with like that, not someone I could share that kind of intimacy with. That's why I called it off with her. I didn't want to lead her on."

The petite blonde straightened and turned to face him. "Wait a minute. You broke up with her?" He nodded, a confused expression on his face. She smiled in amusement. "She said that it was a mutual agreement, since you both thought you would be better friends than boyfriend and girlfriend." She bowed her head and shook it. "Oh, Raye. You didn't have to try so hard to save face. We would have understood."

Darien released Serena's wrist. "Well, don't say anything then, okay? It doesn't bother me if that's what she told people."

The girl looked up. "I won't. Why don't we keep looking?"

He nodded. "Right."

The two of them continued along their way, making small talk with one another, sharing little tidbits of themselves that they had never gotten a chance to share before due to the game they had been playing. When they got to the front of the house, Darien stopped and looked speculatively up at the dark building, shadows growing due to the storm that was building up once again. "That's odd," he said quietly.

Serena looked as well. "What is? That mermaid? I definitely agree. Is it just me or does she have fangs and claws?"

He chuckled. "It's not just you. But that's not what I was referring to. Look at the spire she's on, right in the center of the house. Can you think of any rooms that would be in there?"

The blonde blinked. "Now that you mention it..."

"Exactly. I think once we get back inside that we should take a closer look. Maybe we just missed a door or two."

"I can go for that. And we should also see if we can find a way to the third floor."

"Third floor?"

"Yeah, look. There's a window above the girls' balcony. And I never saw another staircase or anything."

"Good eye, Serena. We'll look into that. But for now let's keep checking around the house."

"Gotcha."

They finally made their way back to the point where they started, having found no trace of either missing man. Darien sighed and looked at his watch. "It's only twelve thirty. No one will be back for another half hour."

"Should we go in and help Mr. Doyle?" Serena asked as she leaned up against a tree.

Darien scowled a bit. "Probably, but I'm not sure I want to. The man really grates on my nerves."

Serena smiled. "I know what you mean. He's not taking this well at all."

There were a few moments of silence. "She's supposed to," Darien said finally.

"What? Who's supposed to what?"

"The mermaid. She's supposed to have claws and fangs. It's based on an old superstition that she would keep evil spirits away from the house by scaring them. It's the same deal with the gargoyles."

"Is that the same reason they put gargoyles on old churches in Europe?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But eventually they became more for decoration than anything else, especially when natural disasters and such destroyed an original building, or when time wore away the original sculpture."

She smiled. "You are really smart. I don't know how you keep all those facts straight in your head."

He grinned back at her. "You're pretty smart yourself. I think with a little more concentration you'd find those facts aren't all that hard to keep straight."

The blonde blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground, where she watched her toe dig slightly into the dirt. "I'm not really that smart."

Darien stepped forward and lifted her chin. "Yes, you are," he said softly as he locked gazes with her. "You've proven that to me this weekend. You came up with that defense for Eli's innocence, and well as Mr. Ward's. You thought to check the window when we found Kingsly missing, which I never would have done at that point. And you noticed the extra window above the girls' room and made a good guess as to what it meant. And that's just for starters. Please don't put yourself down so much. You're so much better than you realize." With that the ebony-haired young man pulled the girl into his embrace.

"Oh, Darien," Serena sighed as she returned the gesture wholeheartedly.

"I think your main problem is a lack of confidence," he murmured, nuzzling his face in between her buns. "I just want you to know that, no matter what I've said in the past - which I am very sorry for by the way - I think you are smart, incredibly beautiful, and a wonderful person. You're probably the best person I've ever known."

"Darien," she said in slight protest, blushing.

"That's why I need you so much in my life, Serena. You light up my days like no one else has been able to do before. No matter how rotten my day has gone, one run-in with you makes everything better. No one has ever affected me like that. I knew you were special from the very first moment I laid eyes on you."

"I knew you were special too. And it scared me, I think. That's probably why I got so defensive around you."

"As different as we are, it's scary to hear how much we're alike. I was thinking the same thing."

She smiled into his chest. "But we're better now, right?"

"Definitely," he responded as he smiled as well. "I just realized this weekend how much I need you, how much I want you. Serena, I lo..." His words ended in a sharp gasp as Serena began kissing his neck sensually. He let his eyes fall shut and his head fall back, his hands wandering up and down her back lightly.

"I want you too, Darien. I need you so much," Serena whispered as she started to unbutton his forest green silk collarless dress shirt, following her fingers with her lips.

"Serena, oh, gods, Serena," Darien moaned.

She blushed slightly when she reached his stomach and kissed her way back to his neck, where he took her face in his hands and tilted it up toward his own. Their mouths clashed, their breaths mingled, and their groans filled the air. Finally it was Darien's turn to work his way down Serena's neck while he ran his fingers through the lengths of golden silk that swayed slightly in the light breeze.

"Mm, yes, Darien. That feels good," the petite blonde practically purred.

His right hand slid around to the front of her body and began to knead her left breast through the fabric of her shirt and undergarments. In retaliation, she let her own right hand drift down the contours of his back and begin working on his left cheek, pulling his hips further into her. Sapphire blue eyes flew open briefly at the evidence of his arousal grinding into her stomach before falling shut once again, a small smile of triumph playing at the corners of her mouth.

This went on for a good five minutes or so, and just as things might have crossed beyond the point of no return, a loud crash and shout were heard from the room whose curtain-covered windows they were making out in front of. They broke apart with a start and ran for the back door, Darien quickly buttoning his shirt on the way.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

At five after one, Raye and Madam Roselle made their way to the drawing room, the last of the pairs to return to the house. Not that anyone else knew that. "Where are Serena and Darien?" the raven-haired priestess asked a touch warily as she looked around at the other occupants of the room.

"We don't know," Amy replied. "They weren't here when Mina and I got back from the servants' quarters a little before one."

"We got here a minute or two after that," Lita added. "There wasn't even a note."

"And where's Mr. Doyle?" Madam Roselle asked, a bit subdued.

"Another good question," Eli said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He hasn't made an appearance either."

The blonde in the room sat on the love seat staring speculatively at the pink calculator-like device she held in her hands. "We could always try this," she murmured under her breath.

Only Amy, who stood behind her, heard. She placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "We probably shouldn't. No matter who she's with, it'll bring up questions she's not in any kind of position at the moment to answer." Mina nodded at the words whispered quietly into her ear.

Another five minutes passed before the double doors to the room were thrown wide. "Oh, good! The rest of you are here!"

"Serena!" the four teenage girls cried in unison, immediately running forward and taking the startled girl into a group embrace.

"I see I have been delegated to the status of chopped liver."

The girls backed away from each other briefly, shot each other a look, and immediately glomped themselves onto the ebony-haired young man. "Darien!" all five of them cried. He just laughed under the onslaught.

"Okay, that's two," Eli said after a moment, smiling. "Do you guys know where Mr. Doyle is? He wasn't here when we got here."

The sixsome broke apart and fully entered the room, shutting the doors behind themselves. "Actually, no. We were outside finishing our circuit of the house when we heard a shout and a crash. We ran inside and checked the study the noises had come from, but no one was there."

"That's when we decided to check to rest of the house as quickly as we could," Darien continued Serena's tale. "It was about ten before one when we ran inside so we thought we could do it before anyone missed us."

"Wrong," Raye said.

Serena giggled. "Obviously."

"So that means Mr. Doyle was the next victim," Roselle said nervously.

"It appears so. Did any of you see anything while you were searching?" Darien asked calmly.

"No, unfortunately. The servants were a bit skittish, but that's understandable. The basement was oddly empty, but that's about it," Amy said.

"And the upstairs was clear too, other than their personal items. I tried checking the attic, but it turns out it's really just a crawl space. A quick flash showed just a bunch of cobwebs." Mina winked at the other girls.

"Wait a minute. Did you guys separate?" Lita asked.

Amy blushed. "Yes, we had to so we could cover the entire house and get back on time."

"Well, now I don't feel so bad. Eli and I had to separate to cover the whole garden."

"Raye and I had to do the same thing. The gardens take up more room than I thought," Madam Roselle said quickly, not looking at the teenager she had paired off with. Raye just looked at her surprised.

"So let me get this right," Darien said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes squeezed shut. "All of you were alone for a significant amount of time over the last two hours?" The others in the room all looked around at each other for a moment then nodded, a few murmured agreements reaching his ears. "You do realize I wanted pairs for multiple reasons, don't you? First was for safety - the killer was less likely to try to take two of you out at the same time. Second was for expediency - I thought having two people working an area would cut down on the time it would take. And third was for alibis - if two of you were together at all times we could have eliminated someone from our list of suspects if something like what happened happened!" His midnight blues popped open and his hand dropped to his side. "You people do realize you're all still suspects now, right?" Serena placed a gentle hand on the agitated young man's arm to soothe him. He began taking deep breaths.

Everyone looked a bit sheepish as they looked around at the others suspiciously. "So what do we do now?" Raye asked.

Darien sighed. "I honestly don't know. I suppose we should look through the rooms a bit more thoroughly since Serena and I didn't have a lot of time to work with. We'll pair off again, but this time no one separates, okay?" There were no objections. "Serena and I will stay here and check this side of the first floor. Raye, you and Lita check the other side. Amy, you and Madam Roselle check our wing of the second floor, while Mina and Eli check his." The flustered leader looked at his watch. "It's one- thirty now. Try to be back here as close to two o'clock as you can. Let's go folks." The group separated once again.

This time there were no glitches during their search, and at two o'clock the eight remaining guests gathered in the drawing room to compare notes. "Well, anything?" Darien asked wearily.

"We didn't find anything unusual. Sorry, Darien," Amy said gently, Madam Roselle sharing her expression.

"Nothing from us either," Raye said while Lita nodded.

"Aside from what we already knew was there, nothing," Eli said.

"You do realize you're going to have to replace that carpeting," Mina said to her search companion. "Considering how long those blood stains have been there they're going to be next to impossible to get out."

"We didn't find anything either," Serena said, ignoring her fellow blonde. "So now we need ideas on what to do next."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, shooting looks at everyone else. Finally a smile brightened Madam Roselle's features. "I know exactly what to do!" she declared.

"What are you thinking?" Raye asked, exasperated.

"I believe we must ask the spirits for guidance," the older woman said with a touch of mystery in her tone. "In particular the spirit of John Cunningham may be able to aid us in our time of need." Her eyes were bright as she looked around. "I will set everything up in the library. I must not be disturbed until I am ready," she announced when no one responded to her statement previous. She then strode dramatically out of the room, throwing an end of her shawl across her chest and over the opposite shoulder as she went.

There were no words spoken until after the double doors had been thrown wide and shut once again. "Are we really going to let her do this?" Raye asked incredulously.

Darien gave her a strange look. "Can you think of anything else to do?"

The priestess opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She pursed her lips briefly and let out an explosive breath. "No, darn it, I can't. The feel of this place isn't right for a fire reading."

"So we let her do her seance. It won't hurt anything." Darien shrugged.

"Well, I can think of something to do," Serena said with a mischievous smile.

"What?" Lita asked.

"Find something to eat. We missed lunch, and after all that excitement I'm starved."

They all laughed. "For once, Meatball Head, I have to agree. It's definitely time to eat," Raye said through her giggles as she grabbed the petite blonde's hand and began to drag her toward the kitchen, Darien close behind. The others quickly followed.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

The seven of them rooted around in the kitchen for about a half hour digging various different edibles out of cabinets and drawers. Finally, after piling a plate full of food, Serena went to a cupboard and took out a jar and placed it near a loaf of bread next to the toaster. Darien looked on with amusement as she whistled and went back for a butter knife.

"Aren't you done yet, Meatball Head?" Raye asked as she headed into the dining room where the rest of the waiting group was with her own plateful.

"Just one more thing and I'll be there," the petite blonde replied as she filled the four-slot device and pushed down the handle. Raye just shook her head and left.

"How much more do you need?" Darien asked from where he leaned against the island in the middle of the room.

"I just want something sweet."

"You are something sweet," was his immediate response. As Serena blushed, he stepped up next to her and grabbed the jar she had pulled down. "Honey? You're going to put honey on toast?" He looked from the jar to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you ever had it?" He shook his head. "Then don't judge it until you've tried it. I happen to like it."

"Well, I happen to like you," the ebony-haired young man said mischievously, wrapping his arms around the petite blonde's waist and pulling her close, "and I still can't wait to try you some more."

"Darien!" Serena protested, blushing wildly. He merely chuckled and bent down slightly to capture her lips with his own.

They shared that passionate kiss until the toast popped up. Serena then tickled the young man holding her until he finally released her so she could take care of her bread. Once she was finished the couple joined the others.

"Took long enough," Raye said slyly once the pair had sat down.

"Bread does not turn to toast in the blink of an eye, you know," Serena replied.

"Oh, I'm sure that was all you were focused on," Mina teased.

"And if it wasn't, it's not like we're about to tell you about it," Darien said calmly, digging in to his own plateful of food. Serena blushed slightly and focused on eating.

"Ah ha!" Lita cried. "So you were doing something other than waiting for toast!"

"I didn't say that. All I said was that if we were we weren't telling. Then again, we were just as likely simply waiting for the toast to pop up so Serena could spread her honey on it and eat it. You may never know for sure." The reserved tone the young man used couldn't hide the impish twinkle in his midnight blues.

"He's got you there," Amy concurred. The blue-haired girl turned to face him. "It's interesting meeting a master. Not too many people can slip through their fingers like that when they get focused on digging up dirt. I'm impressed."

"Years of training," Darien replied. Laughter echoed off the walls and the seven of them chatted the rest of the way through their late lunch.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

The chimes of the grandfather clock in the foyer declared the time to be seven o'clock when Madam Roselle finally reappeared. She was dressed like a classic gypsy fortune teller with a purple theme, and she stared at them all with a sultry look. "Come, the library awaits." She paused and smiled mysteriously. "And the spirits of course."

Everyone could see Raye holding back a stinging retort as the older woman turned her back on the group and led the way across the entryway and into the nearly pitch black book room. The burgundy velvet drapes had been drawn over the huge picture window, hiding the storm that raged on once again outside. Three candles on the large round walnut table that had been pushed up very close to the bookshelves opposite the outside wall were the only light source in the room, and once the double door closed behind the last of them they proved not to be entirely adequate, although they did reflect quite nicely off the medium-sized clear crystal ball in the center. There was a bit of stumbling as people made their way to the chairs that had been set up around the lace-covered table, and they all sat down.

Madam Roselle took her seat on the backless padded bench resting against the tall bookshelves. She glanced around, taking note of where everyone was sitting. Raye was to her right, and then Amy, Lita, Eli, Mina, Serena, and finally Darien on the older woman's left. She laid her hands out palms up on the table. "We must now all join hands," she intoned.

Mina and Serena clasped their hands together while the others made a circle. Darien noticed the two blondes, rolled his eyes, and nudged the meatball-adorned one in the ribs. She glared at him for a moment before noticing the offered hand and realizing her mistake. Once she fixed it, she passed the nudge along and silently corrected Mina.

"We have come together to join our energies and speak to John Cunningham, who has just recently passed beyond the veil," Roselle continued once the circle was complete. "John Cunningham, tell us the name of the murderer who stalks the guests in your mansion." There was only silence. "Can you hear us, John Cunningham? Knock two times for no, four times for yes."

Raye rolled her eyes during a brief moment of silence. "Knock how many times for yes?" a deep, shaky male voice asked from nowhere and everywhere at once. The younger set all stiffened in shock, although the Shinto priestess still looked a bit skeptical.

Roselle started to bounce slightly in her seat in her excitement. "Yes! Oh, John Cunningham, can you tell us the name of the murderer in your mansion?"

A soft rumble of thunder was heard during a slight pause. "Ah, no, this is his answering service," an annoyingly nasal female voice said a bit impatiently.

The dark-haired woman whimpered in frustration while Raye let out an explosive breath and tried to wiggle her hand free of the vice grip the older woman had. "No! I want to speak to John Cunningham!"

"I'm sorry," the same voice replied, "but he is unavailable. If you'd like to leave a message I'm sure he'll get right back to you."

"But you don't understand! This is an emergency! I need to speak to John Cunningham!"

The others at the table groaned a bit while another rumble of thunder made itself heard.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!" a shaky male voice echoed through the room.

"I need to talk to John Cunningham! I need to know who the killer is in his mansion!"

"Repent, Ebenezer! Remember the fate of Jacob Marley! Repent! Repent!"

Raye yanked her hand away as Darien tried to do the same in a much more gentle fashion. Roselle leaned forward on her now free arm and let go of Darien's hand in the process. "Look, would you just get off the line please?"

Just then a loud, almost-deafening crack of thunder shook the building to its foundation, and the candles suddenly went out. There were squeaks and squeals all around, and both men found themselves with arms filled with at least one female apiece. "Okay, okay, girls, calm down." Darien's voice seemed to do the trick as the girls' protests died down.

"I think the lights are out all over the house," Amy said quietly.

"Somebody turned on the dark!" Mina squeaked.

"Just give me a second to find some matches." Darien managed to get Serena back in her chair - as much as he didn't really want to - and dug in his pocket for his goal. Finally he was successful.

The ebony-haired young man lit one of the matchsticks and brought it over to his left, revealing Serena sitting there staring at him with fear in her sapphire blues. Moving on showed Mina and her sky blue eyes in much the same condition. Then there was Eli, who gulped bravely and nodded. Lita was next, and her emerald greens quivered slightly. Amy was the calmest of the bunch, her dark blue eyes steadily meeting Darien's gaze. Then there was Raye, whose violet eyes showed a bit of surprise, but mostly anger. This was, of course, when the flame hit the tips of the young man's fingers and he dropped the little dying fire with a curse, plunging the room back into darkness.

Once his composure was regained, Darien lit another match and slowly brought it over to where Madam Roselle was sitting. Well, should have been sitting. The light from the small flame revealed only a full bookshelf. "Madam Roselle!" the seven of them gasped in unison. "She's gone!"

"You know," Amy said after a moment of stunned silence and Darien had put out the match before he burned his fingers again, "I have to admit to being unnerved by all this. It's like we're in an Agatha Christie novel."

"I was thinking the same thing," Eli said softly.

"Well, I think we should do something to take our minds off that then," Darien said as he reached forward and grabbed one of the candles. "I say we split..."

Serena's hand clapped over his mouth cut him off. "Don't, Darien," she said nervously. "I know exactly what you were going to say, and it's when people say that and they go ahead and do it that people disappear and die."

"That, and you sound like a rerun of Scooby Doo," Mina added.

"So where's your orange neck scarf, Fred?" Lita snickered.

Darien rolled his eyes and gently pulled Serena's hand away from his face. "Look, I understand why you're nervous, but we should really look. And we'll cover more ground if we're in two groups." He lit the candle he held.

Shortly afterward, a scraping sound was heard and another candle was lit, revealing Eli as its holder. "I agree. I'll take a group upstairs while Darien leads a group on the first floor."

Darien nodded. "That works for me."

"I'll go with Darien and Serena," Mina said quickly, grabbing and lighting the last candle with a match from a book of matches she pulled out of her pocket.

"I'm with Eli," Lita chimed in.

"I think I'll go upstairs myself," Amy said with a little more thought.

"I don't think I could take both blondes together at a time like this. I'm with Amy," Raye said with a small smirk on her face. Serena stuck her tongue out at her before everyone jumped at another loud crash of thunder from the raging storm.

"There are more candles in easy reach in the drawing room. I have some matches on me so we should be okay if they go out again," Amy said.

"I have matches too," Lita added.

"Why does everyone but me have matches?" Serena asked.

"I like to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies," Amy explained.

Lita blushed. "It's a leftover habit from before I came to Juuban. I never smoked, but the group of people I hung around with did, and having matches was easier than listening to them gripe when they lost their lighters."

"I just do," Mina said with a shrug.

"And you people call me a pyro," Raye muttered. "For your information I don't have matches."

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's get this over with. When Serena, Mina, and I are done down here we'll wait at the base of the stairs in the entryway. You guys do the same. If it takes more than an hour, we'll assume the other team is gone." Darien's completely serious tone brought everyone's focus back to the most pressing matter at hand.

"Got it," everyone else said in unison.

(fade out...)

(scene change...)

The seven young men and women quickly gathered the extra candles so everyone would be carrying one and divided up into their predesignated groups. The trio downstairs started with the study, trying to be careful not to trip on any of the mess left behind by the evidence of Doyle's violent capture. They found nothing there, although Darien quickly discovered Serena's almost violent aversion to thunderstorms when she practically jumped into his arms with every roll of thunder. As much as he enjoyed the fact that she felt he could protect her, the oddly satisfied look on Mina's face every time it happened made him reluctantly push her away and settle for holding her hand comfortingly.

The library also turned up no clues to the whereabouts of their missing fortune teller and attorney. "At least this room is neat," Mina said to no one in particular. Serena and Darien merely nodded their agreement.

They searched the drawing and dining rooms to no avail, although Mina did find that the small stained glass lamp on top of the roll-top desk was a Tiffany. The kitchen was deserted as well, and they had to drag Serena away from the refrigerator. "I'm not really hungry!" she insisted. "It's just that I'll know when the power goes back on!"

The scary part was that as far as Darien and Mina could tell, the meatball-headed blonde was telling the complete truth.

When they got back to the entryway, they decided to spend the time waiting for the other four members of their collective scouring the area. Making sure to keep the other two candles in sight at all times, they poked into every corner and crevice they could find, neither blonde knowing just how close they came to disturbing numerous spiders' webs complete with occupants.

Finally a short train of bobbing lights started to make their way down the marble staircase, and the threesome gathered at the base. Amy was the first to reach them. "I'm sorry, guys. We really didn't find anything. We might have had better luck with full power..."

"Probably not," Raye interjected as she joined the crowd.

"But we don't so we'll have to make due with this until morning," Amy finished as though nothing had happened.

"I really hope we make it to morning," Lita said as she came up to the group.

"We will. I know we will," Serena said as brightly as she could manage.

Darien narrowed his eyes as a creeping suspicion came upon him. After doing a quick candle count he gasped. "Where's Eli?"

The three girls that had been with him started looking around wildly. "He said he'd take up the rear so we'd feel safe!" Lita cried. "Oh, I feel so guilty!"

"Oh, knock it off," Raye snapped. "That's not going to find him."

"And if you don't stop thrashing around like that you're going to put out everybody's candles," Amy said firmly as she stopped moving herself. Her other two teammates immediately froze in their tracks. "That's better."

An appropriately timed crack of thunder shook the house once again, making everyone at least flinch. "Okay, this just leaves the six of us," Serena said, fear tinging her tone.

"And we know we didn't do it," Raye said, the wildness in her eyes belying the calm voice.

"So who did?" Mina asked in a barely-audible whisper.

Bright flashes of lightning and rolling cracks of thunder filled the silence as no one could find an answer to that most vital of questions.