desamontello12: Thanks for the review! Glad to know that you're enjoying the story so far!

To you and my other viewers, please read and review! What do you think of this story? (Be warned: Ami from Takeuchi Naoko's Sailor Moon will douse any flames with her water powers.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective School Q. Amagi Seimaru, Sato Fumiya, and Animax do.

As Ryuu stepped out of the ambulance, he let out a relieved sigh, despite the fact that he couldn't bring himself to smile just yet. The reason? He was thankful that there had been no further incidents during the rest of the trip to the hospital.

Turning back to the ambulance that he had just climbed out of, he watched as some of the hospital's nurses and doctors brought a gurney over to the ambulance and loaded Kyuu onto it. He then stepped aside and watched as the gurney, surrounded by people dressed in lab coats and nurse uniforms, was rushed into the emergency room. He was still in a little shock over what had happened during the ride, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins had all but disappeared. Both left him feeling a little tired.

As he stood there next to the parked ambulance, the car carrying the rest of Class Q arrived, and Megu and Kazuma stumbled out, clutching their stomachs with nauseated expressions. Apparently, Kinta had driven a little too quickly in his rush to get to the hospital. Kinta looked at them, slightly exasperated. His driving wasn't that bad…right?

Hiding a smile at the sight of his friends' antics (since this was neither the time nor the place to be especially joyful), he waved them over to where he was. As they rushed (or in Kazuma and Megu's case, stumbled) over to him, Kazuma asked, "Where's Kyuu?" as his eyes darted around the place, as if their friend was only a few feet away from them.

Ryuu's expression darkened. The others' sharp intakes of air sounded in his ears, and their expressions were full of horror. Realizing the conclusion that they had jumped to, he tried to reassure them. "Kyuu isn't dead, as far as I know, but his heart stopped for a few minutes in the ambulance. He was just wheeled into the emergency room."

Kinta, Kazuma, and Megu were relieved, but not by much. They were still worried over their friend's condition. If his heart stopped twice in the two hours they had been around him, how bad was he medically?

Then, Megu seemed to notice the bags under Ryuu's eyes. "Ne, Ryuu, are you okay?" She asked, her expression full of concern.

"Yes," he replied. "It just scared me, when Kyuu's heart stopped for a second time today. The paramedic had some trouble trying to revive him. But I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Before Megu could press the issue, Kinta's phone rang. He picked it up, listening to the caller and making affirmative noises. Catching a glance of his friends' curious expressions, he temporarily put the caller on hold and explained that it was DDS. He mouthed, "I'll let them know about…all this." He then turned and walked ten feet away, so he could communicate with the school more clearly.

Ryuu then took out his own phone. He had gotten a part-time job at a library so he could be less of a financial burden on Kyuu and his mother, despite their protests that he wasn't. After working a few weeks' worth of shifts, he had saved enough money to get a phone. "I should let Kyuu's mother know about this, as well."

Kazuma and Megu looked at him sympathetically, and wished him good luck. Letting her know that her son had been found, but in such a critical condition, was not on anyone's wish list, but Ryuu took it as his responsibility. After all, he felt that it was partially his fault if Pluto had taken Kyuu out of revenge for his betrayal, not that the others would know. Additionally, he felt that Kyuu's mother should know about her son from someone who had personally been with him this time, not from Dan-sensei (no offense intended).

Stepping away from the others to ensure some privacy, he pressed the number on speed-dial. He tried to calm his racing heart as he pondered what to say to Renjo-san. Sorry my grandfather kidnapped your son? Yeah, that'll go over well. A voice in his head thought sarcastically.

It was too late to dwell on that, because Renjo-san picked up after two rings. "Ryuu? Are you going to be late for dinner?"

Ryuu gulped. "Renjo-san...yes. But it's for a good reason. But first…are you using any knives right now?"

"No, why?"

"And are you sitting down?"

"Ryuu, just tell me the reason." She ordered, her tone slightly irritated.

"…We've found Kyuu."

Silence rang on the other side of the line for a few moments before it was broken by a loud shriek. "You…WHAT?!" She believed him, though, since she knew Ryuu wasn't really the joking type. After a long while, she simply asked, "Where is he?"

"Right now, he's at Meijo Hospital in Nagoya."

"Good, I'll meet you there." Renjo-san hung up abruptly. However, he was far from offended, since he understood the circumstances. Also, in her parting words, she sounded a lot more happier than she had in a long time, as well as more hopeful, despite the fact that the word 'hospital' could have a negative connotation.

Kyuu must have gotten that optimism from her, Ryuu thought as a smile curled on his lips. Soon, he was joined by Megu, Kazuma, and Kinta. Kinta had finished his phone call, and told them that Katagiri-sensei and Dan-sensei would be joining them. Nanami-sensei and Hongou-sensei would be staying behind to oversee the other classes at DDS, with the help of the remaining staff.

"So…what do we do now?" Megu asked tentatively.

"Now…we wait," Ryuu answered.