Hey guys! I know this was a pretty fast update, but as I mentioned in a previous update, I wanted to get this story done by the end of 2016. *Looks at calendar* …Well, close enough. Happy new year, everyone!

Thanks for reviewing, desamontello12! And I totally agree ;)

To my readers: Please read and review! I'd like to hear your thoughts (or predictions) about this story, and I appreciate any feedback you give (except flames).

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

Unsure of what woke him up, Kyuu opened his eyes to a sea of bright light. He heard a steady beep to his right, and turned to look at the source of the noise. Heart monitor…

He was feeling somewhat disoriented. Was he in a hospital room again? Or were the last three cases all part of a dream? Did his friends find him? And what about Megu? Did she really feel the same about him? And what about his mom?

He had to find them! In his state of panic, he had thrown his sheets to the floor, and his heart monitor started beeping faster and faster. However, a voice cut through his fuzzy state.

"Kyuu! What are you doing?! Get back to bed!" Ryuu was at the door, looking at him with wide and concerned eyes.

Ryuu? So the last couple of months hadn't been a dream. Relaxing somewhat, he sank back down to a lying position, as Ryuu took the chair at his bedside. However, he tensed again as he became aware of a stabbing pain in his abdomen. Looking under the covers, he saw that his midsection was in a swath of bandages. What happened to him?

Seeing his curiosity, Ryuu explained, "It seemed that after you and I split up in the hallway, you found Toyoda-san in one of the offices. Somehow, you must have gained control of his gun, and both of you ended up with a bullet in you."

Kyuu frowned. "Not Toyoda-san. It was Odin."

Ryuu looked surprised. "Your abductor from Pluto?"

"Yes. What happened to him?"

"Well, it's… complicated. When I heard the gunshots and came to find you, I checked his pulse, and he didn't have one."

"So he's dead?"

"…Not quite. I only had a minute to check, and while unlikely, it would be possible to resuscitate him. However, the paramedics in his ambulance pronounced him dead, en route to the hospital. In addition, some time after that, his body went missing."

"Hmm… it could be Pluto tying up loose ends by making sure that the body doesn't trace back to them," mused Kyuu.

"Or they could have revived him somehow," Ryuu said with a frown. "Pluto is known for pulling off the impossible."

Fighting off the shiver at his best friend's words, Kyuu said, "Well, if he comes back, we'll be ready."

With a small smile on his face, Ryuu nodded. However, that smile turned into a playful smirk as he said, "Does that 'we' include Megu?"

A blush rose in Kyuu's face. "Wait. Where is she? And everyone else?"

Ryuu's smirk faded as he became serious. "It seems that the shock of being kidnapped kicked in soon after we left, and she collapsed. Right now, Megu's just under observation-she'll be released tomorrow. Kinta is having a much awaited conversation with his father, and Kazuma's in the waiting room to let your mother and DDS know what happened."

While Kyuu processed the information, Ryuu's smirk returned. "Do you think I should bring Megu up to see you?"

As Kyuu began blushing and sputtering, Ryuu snickered as he headed to the door. "We'll be back in about five minutes."

As soon as the blue haired boy left, Kyuu began to panic internally. The last time they spoke, he and Megu weren't exactly on the best of terms. What should he say? Maybe he could leave through the window so that he could escape her wrath?

His panic intensified as soon as he heard the knock.

He called "Come in" with a calmness he didn't feel. Watching as Ryuu wheeled Meg in through the door, he tried to get Ryuu to stay, pleading with his eyes. However, it was to no avail, as Ryuu pretended not to see, and said that he would stay by the door to wheel Meg back to her room.

Ryuu smiled to himself as he leaned against the door. While he would usually give his classmates more privacy, what would he do? He couldn't interrupt Kinta's conversation or Kazuma's phone calls. So wait by the door it was.

It wasn't like he was intentionally eavesdropping. The door was closed, and it wasn't his fault if the door did not do much to block out internal noise.

Unfortunately for him, however, except for the initial outburst of "Kyuu, you idiot!", the rest of the conversation was quiet.

After a few minutes more, he heard his name being called. Curious, Ryuu opened the door and walked in. "Ready to go back, Megu?" He took in the sight of their linked hands, but decided not to say anything about it.

To his surprise, she stayed in her seat as she looked up at him and shook her head.

Kyuu looked at him hesitantly. "While she was missing, Megu heard something."

"Prince Ryuu…?" she asked, looking at him with eyes sparkling with curiosity and a hint of wariness. Ryuu froze, before slumping in defeat.

Kyuu hated seeing him so defeated, but he had to ask. "If Megu is going to know, maybe we should let the rest of class know too? After all, keeping big secrets like this never lead to good outcomes. Look at how me keeping my nightmares a secret turned out."

Ryuu still looked unconvinced, so Megu decided to speak up. "Ryuu, if it's true that you're a member of Pluto, I know there must be a reason why you came to DDS, and why Kyuu trusts you. After hearing that reason, I don't think any of us in Class Q will judge you for your actions," she said with a compassionate tone and kind smile.

Ryuu sighed in defeat, although there was a shine of hope in his eyes. "Okay. Just let me get Kazuma and Kinta. They should be done by now."

Megu and Kyuu watched as Ryuu returned with the two boys in tow.

"What's this about?" asked Kinta as the three boys sat down in the rest of the chairs in the room.

Ryuu hesitated. Kyuu and Megu looked at each other, and placed reassuring hands on Ryuu's shoulder. Smiling at them, he began his story.

"It all started when I was a young child…"

Thanks to all of my readers and reviews. This was my longest story thus far, with 50K words. It took longer than I expected, but it was quite a journey, with 62 reviews, about 1900 views, and 38 chapters. Special thanks to Kaitou, desamontello12, and D C JoKeR H S for reviewing the most!

Feel free to let me know your thoughts about this story! And as always, no flames, please!