Stating that The Baskerville Hall was a place of colour and cheer would be an insulting understatement. The dining room was annoyingly pink, the corridors were baby-blue, and for some reason the greenhouse window-frames were painted a royal red. Genshin made a mental note to ask Klint why as he, Yuijin, and Seishiro marched through the corridors, guided by a tall, stocky, bearded butler (who clearly wasn't used to meeting people significantly bigger than him like Seishiro). They had all been invited to dinner with Klint and his wife, Charlotte. The Butler led them into the dining room (painted a lovely shade crimson with sapphire vines crawling all over it), and told them the van Zieks' would be there shortly.

"I wonder what they'll be cooking?" wondered Seishiro, sitting down. "None of us have done fine dining here yet."

"Sholmes once told me that Englishmen adore roast beef." said Yujin.

Genshin looked at him with an expression he wore all too often.

Yujin immediately jumped to his flatmates' defence "Now come on, Genshin! He may be an eccentric, but that's no reason to doubt his opinion!"

"He is intelligent, yes." sighed Genshin "However, what he lacks most dearly is common sense."

"Says the man who brings a sword everywhere…" muttered Mikatoba.

"I think that's quite enough sword slander!" bellowed Klint, throwing the doors open with a big grin on his face, followed closely by a woman his age with blonde hair and a dark purple dress.

"Good evening, kind sirs." she greeted with a bow "Klint has told me all about you!"

"A pleasure to meet you too, My Lady." smiled Genshin "What's for dinner then, if I do not sound ungracious?"

Klint grinned "Pheasant, my fine fellows! Pheasant with roast potatoes!"

They sat down, and began to talk and to eat. Seishiro wolfed down his food, Yujin ate like a normal person, and Genshin completely forgot to eat because he was too embroiled in conversation.

"So, how did you two meet?" he asked.

The couple looked at one another "Funny story." smiled Charlotte "Ever hear of the Masked Blade?"

Genshin grinned "Oh, yes. I've been told about that woman who breaks into the Gentleman's sword-fighting club to challenge people to duels.

She stood up, and bowed "Yours truly."

Jogoku slammed his fist on the table, swearing in Japanese with a massive grin on his face "What a woman you married, Klint!"

"I know." smiled the Nobleman "Funnily enough, I was the first one to be able to match her in skill."

"I trained in secret for years." Charlotte told them "I stole my brother's fencing textbooks and practised from them."

"Well!" remarked Yujin "Fancy that!"

"Speaking of textbooks." said Klint "My brother's coming back from a trip with some friends in couple of days. Would you lot like to meet him?"

"If he's any bit of the man you are," declared Jigoku "with certainty!"

"Jolly good!" laughed Klint "Keep in mind, he's fifteen and a nerd, so he'll have plenty of questions."

"I'm sure they can survive." smiled Charlotte "Now, let me tell you about our engagement party!"

Genshin smirked "I bet mine was wilder."

"I'll bet you ten pounds for that!" grinned Klint.

"Twenty!"

"Done!"

. . .

Later that night, Barok van Zieks opened the door to his brother's manor. He had decided to surprise his brother and sister-in-law by coming home a couple of days early since his friends had broken their legs and were sent home. That's what you get for doing something as stupid as them.

Oh, how delighted they'll be! He thought to himself, imagining Charlotte and Klint's faces as he took the key out from under the mat and turned it in the lock.

Lighting the nearest chamberstick he could find, he decided to go to his room and surprise his family in the morning. They'd probably make him bacon for breakfast!

Suddenly, this delicious train of thought was broken off by the sound of footsteps upstairs. Too heavy for anyone that lived there, even Barrymore.

"Who's there?" he demanded, grabbing the nearest weapon he could find (a mop that was still soaked from being in the bucket).

The footsteps pounded back up the stairs. Barok's mind raced - this must be a burglar! Or maybe an assassin? Either way, he had to warn Klint and Charlotte!

Then another thought crossed his mind. What if they were tied up and that would just alert the intruders? That might put them in danger!

Proceeding with caution, he slowly started up the stairs.

. . .

Within seconds, Jigoku had gathered the others on a fourth-floor corridor, all of whom clad in their nightwear "There's an intruder!" he half-whispered, half-screamed "I heard them on the ground floor!"

"Did you see them?" asked Klint, stroking his chin "I gave the Barrymores the night off, so it can't be them."

"Maybe they forgot something?" suggested Yujin.

"We can't be sure." urged Genshin, drawing his sword.

"I say we detain and question them." Yujinn announced "They can't beat us all!"

At that moment, there was a distant SMASH! from the third floor, it seemed.

Immediately, the three of them rushed downstairs, intent to grab whatever weapons they could. Only three problems.

"I can't find my sword!" cried Charlotte.

"Nor me!" panted Klint "Genshin?"

"Some fiend has stolen my ancestral blade!" growled Genshin "They shall pay for this!"

Arming themselves with a poker (Klint, who wish he'd bought a bigger one), a broom (Genshin, who was really wishing he'd learnt Bojutsu), a chair (Charlotte) a pair of open palms (Yujin), and a pair of clenched fists (guess who), they all marched their way downstairs.

. . .

Barok stood on top of one of the main staircases, staring at the carpet - or rather, the lack thereof. Was his brother having it replaced, or had the thieves stolen that too? It was a high-quality carpet! Such thoughts of the carpet made his blood boil.

He then noticed that his mop (the head of which he had rested on the ground) was making a large puddle, and it had been dripping profusely where he had been walking. Perhaps he should have dried the mop a little…

"CHAAAAAAAARRRRGE!" bellowed a deep voice, as footsteps thundered down the stairs like a stampede.

Realising that they had the high ground and he was at a disadvantage, Barok began to sprint down the stairs as fast as he could, taking care to avoid he puddles.

. . .

Unfortunately, the puddle he had made at the top of that staircase was right next to the bend to the stairs to the second floor. Since none of them had any source of light, they could not see what was coming.

First, Jigoku (at the front of the charge) slipped on the puddle and practicall down the staircase, landing at the bottom of the ground floor with a CRASHand the sound of floorboards breaking as he got stuck in them.

Genshin was unlucky in a different manner. He took a tumble.

BANG!

CRASH!

THUMP!

Fortunately, Klint (who wasn't as fast a runner) took notice "STOP!" he bellowed, flinging out his arm.

"Klint!?" yelled Barok, who was slapping Jigoku with his mop.

"Barok!? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you!"

"Oh dear! Someone turn the lights on, and get Jigoku and Genshin something cold!"

. . .

Ten minutes, two cold steaks and some explaining later, the lot of them sat in the living room, sipping hot chocolate.

"Everyone, this is Barok, my brother." smiled Klint, gesturing to the fifteen-year-old. "Barok, this is Genshin Asogi, Yujin Mikatoba, and Seishiro Jigoku!"

"I'm so sorry about my little slip-up!" Barok told them, not realising the pun he had just made "And may I say it's an honour to meet you! Klint told me all about you three!"

"It's quite alright!" smiled Genshin "It's very nice to meet you too!"

"Good to meet you!" smiled Yujin with his bright smile. Jigoku was too annoyed about his fall and being slapped with a soaking wet mob to do much more than grunt.

"May I see your sword, Mr. Asogi?" asked Barok, eagerly.

"Be my guest!" smiled Genshin, drawing his blade for him to see.

"My word! It's so much like Klint's, only two-handed!"

"Yes, we often spar. Would you like to see tomorrow?"

Yujin suddenly did a spit take, rudely interrupting them "Wait a minute!"

"What is it?" asked Jigoku.

"Barok, were you, by chance, on the third floor?"

"No. Why?"

"Did you hear that window shattering?"

"Yes, but why-" understanding dawned on the younger van Zieks' face.

The room was deathly quiet.

Then sounds came from the next room.

Immediately, the group charged in, seeing a pair of legs going out of the window.

Jigoku and Klint grabbed the intruder's legs and pulled him back in, to reveal…

"You!?"

"I say, my fine fellows! Have you no regard for a Great Detective's fine legs?" demanded a somewhat miffed Herlock Sholmes, who proceeded to get up and dust himself down, before bursting out laughing "My word! What a nice little jest this has been!"

"Jest!? You scared the wits out of us!" snapped Barok, angrily.

"No more than you did each other, I'll be bound!" smiled Sholmes "Oh! Where are my manners?" he asked, taking off his hat to Charlotte and letting out a little bow.

"I must say," remarked Klint, stroking his chin in an amused manner "You did a spectacular job of breaking in unnoticed. How did you avoid Balmung?"

"Through brilliant plan that my good rival L'arsene Aupin would be proud of: I threw him a carrot!"

Klint sighed "What is it with him and carrots?"

"But why?" asked Genshin "What was the point of all this?"

Sholmes's posture suddenly moved from amused to dejected "Only the most justified of reasons, of which you will drop any complaints about me!" he moaned, before pointing an accusing finger at Mikatoba "He didn't invite me!"

All eyes turned to Yujin, who went bright red "I'm sorry, Sholmes. I didn't know if I was allowed to bring guests and-"

"Excuse me!?" demanded Klint "I've won the Gentleman's Award for Hospitality! You could have brought the entire population of Japan over, and I would have housed the lot of them!"

"I don't think there's enough room on the grounds…" muttered Miaktoba, awkwardly.

"Actually, that gives me an idea!" cried Sholmes "I'll start writing letters to your Emperor, and-"

Yujin made the wise decision to throw him.