A/N: Sorry for the delay. I just had midterms then promptly got sick. I'm currently recovering but now I have allergies. -_-; I meant to write more but I'm just too sick and exhasted. I hope y'all enjoy this.

Chapter summary: In which the Sumeragi cousins arrive and Nunnally gets briefed.

Villas and Briefs

Just because Suzaku and Kaguya preferred the traditional lifestyle did not mean they were completely out of touch with the outside world. They would be stupid if they cut themselves off completely. But they only had a radio and telephone in their simple home. Even though both cousins had their own cell phone, it could be difficult to get a clear connection at the shrine sometimes.

For this reason, Suzaku found himself sitting in a local cafè watching the Britannian Queen's arrival on the national news channel on the television on the wall. He sipped his coffee and studied the young queen's face. She was smiling and waving to the people gathered to greet her. Suzaku could hardly believe how such a young queen had successfully managed to rebuild Britannia from the recent economic depression back to a stable level that hardly anyone found fault with. She was also well known in the international community as a kind-hearted young lady who dreamed of peace relations between all powers.

She certainly represented her famous namesake, Queen Nunnally I, to the 't'. It made Suzaku smile. Even Japan loved the young queen. She was well respected here, treated everyone as an equal, and was famous for her soft heart and kind words. Only the few pockets of Japanese liberals who still believed Britannia should be thoroughly wiped from the face of the earth did not like her.

But that brought quite a few questions to mind. The Aries Villa had been relocated a little over a century ago in a flood of controversy from Britannia. They still remembered the assassination of Marianne which is what theoretically started the Demon Emperor on his path to destruction. Now, after some research on his and Kaguya's part, Suzaku had learned this was Nunnally's attempt to show trust between Britannia and Japan.

She had announced her visit to the Aries Villa and her plan to rename the place. Supposedly, the floorplan was vastly different from the original Aries Villa which was done deliberately to prevent future assassination attempts. But some of the elements of the rooms were original pieces from the original Villa. Even some parts of the long destroyed palace the Demon Emperor once ruled from when in Japan had been salvaged and incorporated in the new Villa.

When asked why this was done, the contractors had said they believed that even though history could be bloody and horrible, it should never be dismissed or forgotten. Even something has terrible as the Demon Emperor's reign had moment s of light and genius that should be remembered and preserved as well as the darker events. Nothing should be forgotten.

Suzaku found himself agreeing with this ideal. Besides, even though the Demon Emperor had been evil and heartless, he had also been a genius and the technology of the time had grown in leaps and bounds. But the growth was not the problem; the circumstances surrounding the growth was the problem. Yes, technology had become so more advanced in such a short time, but much of that technology had been used to conquer, destroy, and kill.

Now, most of the technological advances were geared towards medicine, information, and the public welfare. Much of that was thanks to Queen Nunnally I's influence. The current reigning Queen Nunnally IV was just as driven towards peace as her predecessor and was just as loved for it.

The more Suzaku learned about the young queen, the more curious he git and the more he wanted to help. Who ir what would want to haunt such a good queen to the point she was afraid of sleeping without a light on anymore? It had to be tied to aomething: a strong emotion or desire, an object, or a deep relationship, or any combination of those, or maybe even something he had not thought if yet.

Whatever was behind the haunting, if it was not bound to particular object then it had to be strong in order to follow Nunnally across an entire ocean. That meant it could be dangerous. Kaguya was probably already aware of this but it could still cause problems for them. They would have to be ready for anything.

He jumped when his phone vibrated breathing a sigh when he saw the caller ID. He slipped the device over his ear and pressed the answer button.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey big brother," Kaguya answered happily knowing Suzaku would smile softly at the fond reference. "I've finished packing and am ready for you to help me carry everything down to the street."

"Relegated to heavy labor again, am I?" Suzaku teased.

"Naturally," Kaguya chirped. "You are the big strong man, right?"

Suzaku could see her winking playfully and chuckled. "Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes. Did you wanr a drink or anything?"

"Actually, I just boiled some water for us," she replied. "I'm keeping the water hot until you get here before pouring it into the tea."

"You're amazing," Suzaku grinned, standing and making his way out of the cafè and down the street to where his bike was locked. "On my way."

She hummed and hung up and Suzaku slipped his phone into his pocket, unlocked his bike, and peddled up the road to the bike rack near the base of the steps leading to the shrine. Locking his bike on the rack, he began the trek up the steps. Kaguya was waiting for him at the top with two suitcases and a couple bags. Suzaku laughed.

"You sure you packed enough?" he teased.

His cousin harumphed and crossed her arms. "Unless you forgot, one of those suitcases is yours and no self respecting girl will leave the house without her purse." Her eyes grew serious. "I put the gear in the bags. I wasn't sure how much we would need."

Suzaku nodded. "I packed a small infrared camera in my bag just in case. As much as I hate to admit it," he said, scratching his curly brown hair, "we may need to use more tech for this venture than we normally do."

Kaguya nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Suzaku sighed and picked up the first suitcase. "I'll back for the second one in a minute."

"Take your time," Kaguya said. "I'll help you bring down the bags and get the tea."

"Thanks."

He probably looked like an idiot but he could hardly be blamed. He had lived a normal, traditional life with the exception of visits to big cities. But this place... The new Aries Villa was majestic. It stood on a high stone cliff overlooking the ocean. The architecture faintly resembled the homes of the Victorian era with a distinctly modern twist.

The outside was elegantly detailed with four white columns at the main entrance, two on either side of the doors. A huge cylindrical architectural extension rose from the left side of the building. Windows lined the circular room on the second floor of the cylindrical niche while three large bay windows opened up the stone and decorative wood outside. Metal beams separated the window panes to allow the windows to open to the sea air.

Quaintly pruned rose bushes lined the first floor windows and a small herb garden extended to about three yards from the cliff's edge. A small water fountain gurgled softly in a the corner where the cylindrical alcove met the front porch. In the middle of the rose bushes lining the middle window was a small sundial.

Overall, it looked more like the classic, old fashioned villa of the middle class from nineteenth century with modern additions than the sleek metal and glass building that was in vogue with the rich right now and what he had been expecting. He liked it.

Apparently, Kaguya did too if her overly excited babbling and flitting from place to place was any sign. Suzaku chuckled and snagged his cousin's collar as she ran past him and dragged her up to the front door where Cornelia stood waiting.

The princess looked faintly displeased by Kaguya's display but said nothing about it. Instead, she nodded and opened the door for the group to enter. Kaguya stepped in first, pausing in the entryway to look around, her eyes distant and unfocused. Suzaku stood behind her, waiting for her to speak.

"I can't sense anything at the moment," she said softly, turning to face the princess. "But that is not unusual. Spirits tend to be shy of strangers for at least the first day or so. They also tend to be nocturnal; not always but most of the time. Suzaku, do you sense anything?"

Suzaku stepped inside next and felt...something, but it was not distinct. It felt like something was hiding from him. He nodded slowly. "I agree," he said. "There is something here but it's too indistinct to tell. Kaguya's right. Spirits are typically shy. With your permission," he said, turning to Cornelia, "my cousin and I will start setting up our equipment."

Cornelia nodded. "Will there be many cords and such? You are aware of my sister's disability."

Suzaku nodded. "We are, your Highness. There aren't very many cords at all. Just a few cameras to set up in the areas with the highest amount of activity and a place to set up a base of operations."

"This is all very high tech for traditional spiritualists," Cornelia said suspiciously.

Kaguya smiled. "That's my fault actually," she said. "Suzaku prefers the old ways but I'm not averse to admitting technology has its uses when I can only do so much and be one place at a time."

"The cameras are mostly as a backup and so we can watch multiple places at once," Suzaku said. "If you prefer, we won't use them."

Cornelia hesitated before nodding reluctantly. "I'll allow it for now, but if I change my mind-"

"Just let us know and we'll remove them," Suzaku said, bowing in respect. "But for now, is there any particular place you think we should start looking?"

Cornelia glanced over her shoulder to the door on the left then back up the stairs behind her. "Nunnally's study there," she pointed to the room which was most likely the cylindrical alcove, "is one of the most active places that I've noticed."

"What sort of things happen there?" Kaguya asked, walking over to peak inside.

"Mostly books flying from the shelves and things falling off her desk," Cornelia replied. "The other place is Nunnally's bedroom. She told me about hearing whispers and giggles while getting ready for bed."

"Then with your permission," Kaguya said, "I'll go set up a microphone in Queen Nunnally's bedroom while Suzaku sets up a camera in the study. Am I right in assuming the queen isn't here right now?"

Cornelia nodded. "She's at a meeting at the moment but Euphie is with her they should be back in about an hour or so given traffic."

"Good," Suzaku said. "I would like to talk to her, if I could and here what she thinks of all this."

"Go ahead," Cornelia said.

"Thank you. I'll start setting up," he said, carrying a bag into the study. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Don't worry, I'll be watching," Cornelia said, following Suzaku into the study.

The spiritualist just shrugged and began setting up the equipment. It really was just a simple pro-con camera with a builtin microphone that would stand on a tripod and plug into the wall.

"Where does most of the activity occur in here?" he asked.

"Over there," Cornelia said, pointing to a bookshelf on the left near the middle window.

Suzaku hummed thoughtfully and looked around for a plug. He setup the tripod and camera in the opposite side of the room aiming the lens in the direction of the bookshelf and desk where Queen Nunnally would sit. After several minutes, he stood and turned to face the room.

It was quiet and still. He stepped into the center of the room and closed his eyes, focusing on feeling for anything out of the ordinary. Again he sensed the faintest signature of something but it was almost like whatever it was had been here and left. It was not necessarily unusual for the first day but it was intriguing all the same.

Just to be sure, he pulled out his much loved prayer beads, looped them over his wrists and began to whisper and old prayer for peace and safety. The sentience he could barely feel twitched and withdrew even further. Perhaps it was not entirely gone, just in hiding. It gave Suzaku hope. Nothing that had happened to the queen had physically harmed her so perhaps the spirit meant no harm but simply wished to be acknowledged. That would certainly make things easier. But it was too early to judge. Tucking his beads back into his pocket, he turned and left to help Kaguya unpack.

She slid into the backseat of her escort vehicle and sat back with a sigh as they drove off. She adored the people here, but the huge crowds and attention sometimes overwhelmed her. She rubbed her forehead and hummed.

"Are you well, Lady Nunnally?" the man next to her asked.

She flashed him a brilliant smile and giggled. "I'm fine," she said. "Just tired. I have a bit of a headache, but my allergies have been acting up so it's not too bad."

"Yet," he teased.

"Yet," she grinned laughing. "When I start sneezing all over the place, keep me in and don't let Euphie or Cornelia see me. They'll baby me like there's no tomorrow."

The man with graying hair laughed with her. "They would at that," he said.

Nunnally sat back and sighed, toying with the necklace around her neck. Slowly, she calmed down and stared out the window as the buildings slowly changed to trees.

"Jeremiah," she said softly. She did not need to look to know he was watching her patiently. "Am I crazy?"

The man's one organic eye gentled and he placed a strong hand on his queen's shoulder in quiet encouragement. "No," he said. "Not crazy, just unique."

She smiled but it quickly faded. "You know what I meant."

Jeremiah nodded, his cyborg eye gleaming in the flickering sunlight through the passing trees. "No," he said again. "Unless you are willing to say that myself, Princess Cornelia, and Princess Euphemia are also crazy. We have all witness these strange events."

"Cornelia mentioned bringing in an 'expert,'" Nunnaly said in a half question.

Jeremiah nodded. "I received word earlier today that they had arrived and were in the process of setting up their equipment in the Villa as we speak."

"Equipment?" Nunnally asked, turning to her bodyguard curiously. "Spiritualists use mechanical equipment?"

"Not all," he admitted easily, "but many do. There are purists out there who refuse to use any type of technology but most use a combination of technology and natural spiritual powers."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Nunnally teased with a gentle smile.

Jeremiah blushed and cleared his throat before continuing. "Cornelia asked me to screen the potential choices before allowing them anywhere near you."

"There were multiple people?" Nunnally asked.

"No," Jeremiah said. "We did not advertise it. We settled on the best out there but I screened them myself just in case." He pulled out a small handheld device from his jacket pocket and handed it to his queen. "I've put the photographs and background information for both of them on there for you to look through at your leisure."

"Them?"

"Yes, cousins," Jeremiah said as Nunnally activated the device and selected the first of the two folders on the screen. The photograph of a young man appeared on the screen which became a three dimensional holographic imaged after a quick command.

The holograph showed a young man, perhaps in his early or mid twenties, with curly brown hair and bright green eyes. He was clearly of Japanese decent and had a healthy physique and winsome smile.

"That's Suzaku Sumeragi," Jeremiah said. "He was recently awarded the World's Best Spiritualist last year."

"I didn't know there was such a reward," Nunnally said absently and Jeremiah chuckled.

"There was, it just wasn't big new in the mass media before," he said. "Since the public's view of the supernatural genre has become more welcoming, the reward has become more prestigious."

"Ah, so another passing fad," Nunnally muttered thoughtfully.

"I would assume so, yes," Jeremiah agreed. "It is nothing new. The supernatural fascination has come and gone often; though admittedly not on this scale since the 1800s."

Nunnally hummed as she brushed Suzaku's image aside for the holographic image of a young woman dressed in a simple kimono with her hair done up beautifully. "And this would be?"

"Kaguya Sumeragi," Jeremiah replied. "Suzaku's cousin. As I understand it, she's a true medium who can channel and speak directly to spirits while Suzaku can has studied various forms of exorcism with a strong preference for the ancient art of onmyodo."

"Onmyodo?" Nunnally parroted as best she could. Her accent prevented her from pronouncing the word correctly but the attempt made Jeremiah smile.

"Yes. It's an old form of spiritualism practiced in Japan centuries ago." Jeremiah shifted in his chair to look out the window, gauging how much further they had to go until they reached the Villa. "It was thought lost for generations until a few Japanese clans admitted to practicing it after the Breakup."

"Ah."

Yes, the Breakup had been hard on Britannia, especially since it occurred so soon after the fall of the infamous Demon Emperor. But Nunnally had no doubt in her mind that it had indeed been worth it. The Britannia as it had been, particularly under the last two emperors, Charles and the Demon, was not the Britannia it was now nor did she ever wish for it to be that way ever again.

"And they are at the Villa now then?" the queen asked, handing the device back to Jeremiah.

The bodyguard took the device and tucked it back into his jacket. "Yes," he said. "Cornelia and I have arranged for you to meet them this afternoon for tea."

"Euphemia should be here by then," Nunnally said.

"Yes," Jeremiah said. "Cornelia wanted her to be there for moral support."

"I'm sure she was also interested in having two Knights here as well," Nunnally added shrewdly.

"Kallen and Gino are good knights," Jeremiah said, looking away.

"So is Guilford, I understand," Nunnally said with a sly smile.

Jeremiah smirked. "So Cornelia says." He met his royal charge's eyes and winked. She giggled and the drive continued.