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Ritsuka stood in front of what could be described as an ethereal and supernatural sight. An endless pool of water, just high enough to arrive at her ankles, under an equally endless clear blue sky, devoid of clouds. Its color was strange, a mix of light blue with a tinge of violet on the side that made it look like early morning, despite no sun being present anywhere on the horizon, no matter where you looked.
“Wait, I died? This is not how the underworld looked like when we went to the South American Lostbelt and I made that pact with Tezcalipoca…it was far more misty.” She said out loud, frowning, not even sure of why she actually was talking out loud. No one was with her, but maybe she could attract someone’s attention? She had met a good number of Gods in her journey to save the world (twice) and she knew that they usually were quite curious, and would approach her if she piqued their interest enough.
“No, I don't think you died.” A voice behind her made her gasp. She turned around quickly, just to find the owner of that unmistakable voice behind her. How and when did he arrive there? She was sure that she had been alone just a moment before.
“James Moriarty?!” She uttered, still shocked. “What are you doing here?”
Moriarty shrugged, keeping a nonchalant, even amused expression. “That’s a good question, and I have a few theories actually…but for now, nothing certain. I closed my eyes when that blinding flash of light happened, and when I opened them again, I found myself behind you.” He explained. He had indeed been the servant with her while she was facing the Alien God, and he had been the one to deliver the finishing blow to it, powered by her Command Seal. After that, there had been a sudden flash of light and everything had vanished.
Ritsuka raised one eyebrow. “It’s basically what happened to me as well, but I think I arrived a bit before you…? Anyways, how can you say I am not dead? You are with me, and you are dead, after all…” He was a Servant, so nothing more than a dead shadow summoned to fight for her.
Moriarty pouted. “Hey, no need to point that out!” He retorted, and Ritsuka could not avoid a chuckle. She loved when he pouted like that. He shook his head, regaining his confident expression. “But no, this is not the Throne of Heroes. I suppose this is a sort of liminal space between life and death where you were taken to be judged for your ‘crimes’, as Metatron said when that joke of a trial happened.”
She frowned even more, becoming more nervous. “That doesn’t make me feel better! I might not be dead, but probably I’m not much alive either if I am here!”
He smiled, clearly repressing another chuckle. “Calm down, Master. I think Alaya is still deciding what to do with you. The fact that you are here is at least proof that they are still discussing what to do and have not killed you on the spot.”
Ritsuka remained silent for a moment. When she had dealt the last blow to the Alien God, she had expressed the same wish that all Chaldea shared: to restore Earth as it was at the beginning of all that. A light had engulfed everything on sight, blinding her, and when she had managed to open her eyes again, she had found herself in that strange place. She sighed, then nodded. No point in trying to deduce something that even the one that was always able to deduce everything was unsure about.
“Well I suppose that hoping that they judge me fairly is the only thing I can do right now.” She admitted, shaking her head. “But what Metatron said at the time doesn’t make me feel very hopeful.” She added, bitterly.
Moriarty nodded, becoming serious for a moment. Then, his expression softened. “Well if it was for me, the twice savior of the Earth would definitely get a pass.” He said, jokingly, and Ritsuka chuckled. “Now, if the…entity that is listening to us could show up and actually speak with us, it would be more convenient, but I suppose that’s all we get and there is no manager to complain to.”
Ritsuka chuckled again. “It’s fine, I’m used to weird entities anyways.” She reassured him, gently taking his hand in hers. He squeezed them, keeping his eyes on her face. “You know, I would love us to live together, on the Earth that we saved, so that we can finally be happy. I don’t think my sins will allow that but…” She declared, mostly to him than to any other entity that might listen.
There was a second of silence, and before Moriarty could answer her, a strong wind started to blow out of nowhere. The sky became brighter suddenly, and Ritsuka gasped. “Wait, what…?”
Moriarty clicked his tongue, squeezing her hands a bit more. “It seems like your verdict has been reached, my dearest Ritsuka.” He said, smiling. “See you on the other side, I suppose.”
Ritsuka looked at him again, squeezing his hands back with a smile. “Yes, see you on the other side soon.” She hoped that it would actually be true.
The light blinded her, and she closed her eyes, losing consciousness immediately after. Everything went black, and all she could feel was warmth spreading through her body.
However, Moriarty knew that fate would most likely not be so kind with an evil soul like his own, as he watched Ritsuka’s body vanish in a sparkle of beautiful, dazzling lights. The sky turned bright, only to then darken again, now looking like it was sunset. He clicked his tongue again, looking around for a moment. Well, he had imagined something like that would happen, but he had hoped to avoid it…
A voice that he knew far too well called for him from behind his back. “Hoping to avoid some judgement, Professor? Not going to happen under my watch.”
“Of course it’s you, Holmes. Now you are deciding to take the Ruler class seriously, huh?” Moriarty answered, not even turning around, shaking his head.
“Says the one whose younger version was a Ruler as well.” Holmes answered, and Moriarty finally turned around, groaning.
“Really, I preferred you when you were less sarcastic. You learned too well in Chaldea.” He complained, then resumed talking. “So, what exactly is the issue now?”
Holmes shrugged. “Well, you are an evil man, bringing you back to life would be a big issue for society as a whole. I suppose the Counter Force is a bit wary of that. Our master barely passed the test, and her life from now on won’t be without some sorrow.”
Moriarty huffed, shaking his head. “The Counter Force always cares little about good or evil, as long as you serve its purpose, but now they suddenly decided to be rightful? What a joke.” Holmes remained unperturbed, and the Professor resumed speaking before he could. “Ah, let’s not waste time, it’s useless. You just inserted yourself in the process I carefully crafted to hijack the final outcome of Master’s fight to use it for your own goal.”
Holmes smiled happily, and Moriarty thought that he had a very punchable face. “Exactly! You still have a sharp mind, despite your old age, Professor.”
“You know, I liked you way better when you were dead.” Moriarty retorted, grimacing. “Don’t tell me you are now actually acting like some sort of protector of Ritsuka’s…” He stopped talking for a moment, as something in his brain clicked. He blinked, looking at Holmes with a surprised expression. “You, THE Sherlock Holmes, a cold, calculating genius, uninterested in normal people…you, now acting as a doting parental figure to the saviour of the world?” He sputtered in a mocking tone. “Even against the World itself?”
Holmes’ imperturbable expression cracked, and the ghost of a grimace appeared on his handsome face. “I was not that ice cold, Professor. I had my friends.”
Moriarty continued to mock him. “Friends that you did not even warn that you survived those accursed Falls and let them think you were dead for quite a while, if I recall. Such a good friend you were…” He said, smirking with malice.
Holmes clicked his tongue. “There were circumstances…besides, you are doing something forbidden, and I am your destined rival. I have to try and counter that.” He retorted, clearly annoyed.
Moriarty disagreed. “Oh no Holmes, don’t lie to me. You are here with me, at the edge of life and death, precisely because you, just like me, aim to be reborn in the saved world to look after Ritsuka. The plan I carefully crafted just to arrive at this moment was not that hard to devise, for gifted people like us. You simply tweaked the details to fit yourself, letting me do most of the work and just exploiting it.”
Holmes remained silent, a grave expression on his face, and the Professor knew that he had hit the bullseye. The detective sighed, then spoke again. “It is as you say. If you are reborn to be with her, then I will be reborn as well to avoid that you make her stray from the right path. That’s how it should be.”
Moriarty raised his hands to his head, frustrated. “Oh, was it so hard to actually admit that you too have feelings and are afraid for Ritsuka’s future life?”
Holmes smiled again. “Guilty as charged! It looks strangely amusing when I say this, considering you are the guilty one here.”
Moriarty became even more frustrated. “Oh come on, don’t paint me as a worse monster than I am. I do love Ritsuka with all my heart, that’s what you wanted to hear?”
“Partially. I am afraid you might still fall to temptation and put her in unnecessary danger, once you are back in the living world. She will have to face lots of pain from now on, and your influence would only make her life harder.”
If Moriarty had been the same man that he had been when he had died, that would have been a valid concern. But he had changed, as strange as that sounded, coming from a man that was already dead. “I’m not the same as I was at Reichenbach Falls. Just as much as you aren’t.” He stated calmly.
Holmes sighed and for a long moment did not talk, just keeping his green eyes fixed on his arch nemesis, as if he wanted to analyze every single detail of his face. Then, with another sigh, he shook his head. “Yes, that is probably true. Still, I will not let you roam around the Earth freely. It’s either a life with Ritsuka but also with me around, or return to the Throne.” He stated.
Any other person witnessing that exchange would have wondered how Holmes could be so certain those were the only options, but Moriarty did not doubt his words. He already calculated that either of those two outcomes would be almost inevitable. The Professor shook his head as well, lifting his hands up, as if to surrender. “Do you even have to ask? Ah, this is a pain. I should have avoided manipulating the last event lotto to earn extra QPs…maybe that would have earned me more good points and avoided all this nuisance.”
“You manipulated what?” Holmes narrowed his eyes, clearly unhappy.
“Oops.” Moriarty said, winking mischievously. As soon as Holmes was about to say something else, the light in the sky became suddenly brighter again. “Oh, looks like time’s up and we got a verdict.” He continued.
“A favorable one it seems…too bad that you will have to sweat a bit more, Professor…I made sure you did not land safely too close to our dear Ritsuka…” Holmes smirked, very proud of his last small prank.
Moriarty turned his head towards him, grimacing. “Holmes, you little…”
“Bye bye, Professor…” Holmes waving happily with a very satisfied grin on his face was the last thing that Moriarty saw before the light became too bright, and he had to close his eyes. Soon after, his ears were overcome by a strange tingling noise…and then everything went dark and silent.
It lasted only for a moment. When Sherlock Holmes regained consciousness, he felt chilly. A not so nice cold breeze was touching his skin, and he slowly opened his eyes to focus on the environment in front of him.
A small alley ending in a dead end in what looked like a modern city. He could hear the noise of a busy street just a few feet from him. He got up, inspecting his clothes. They were plain, just a shirt and some black trousers, anonymous and fitting the situation. He searched his pockets. No documents or money.
That was not the situation that he had expected to find himself in. Especially because he was sure that he was not in Japan, where technically his former Master should have been sent back…
“It looks like you were deemed naughty as well, Mr. Detective…” A very amused voice made him freeze on the spot. It could not be…he turned around to look at the man that was besides him in the alley, leaning nonchalantly on a light pole just a few feet from him. “Rough landing for you as well, huh?” Professor Moriarty said, smirking maliciously as he adjusted his jacket and his tie.
Why was the professor dressed better than him? He would have had to complain to the Counter Force, in a way or another.
“I suppose being a sleeper agent for a long time earned me a few bad points as well.” Holmes bitterly commented as he got up on his feet, frowning. He adjusted his clothes with a groan, then looked up at the man again. “So what now?”
Professor Moriarty laughed, way too amused for his own liking. “Now? Now we have some fun forging some fake documents, of course! Oh, and we also have to steal some money. I’m hungry.” He answered like it was the most normal thing to say, and Holmes felt a very big headache coming.
——————
“Yes mom, I’ll be back later today. I’ll be staying a bit to study here…then will go out with some friends to eat something together…yes, no need to prepare dinner for me…yes, I love you too. Bye mom.” Ritsuka Fujimaru closed the call on her phone with a loud sigh, not really happy to lie to her mother. But she needed to be alone. It happened often, those days.
She had been living her normal, quiet, boring life as a newly enrolled university student for a few months, and while she should have been happy, she could not remember the last time she had been able to smile genuinely.
Because everyone had forgotten about her.
To be more specific, time had been rewinded back to the start of Chaldea’s mission, so almost everyone in Chaldea had forgotten about her and what they had done together, because those things had never actually happened. All the joy, and the pain, and the sorrow, everything had been wiped off from existence completely, because it never happened yet, and would not happen at all. The good thing was that everyone that had died, except for Doctor Romani, had been returned back to life again, as the events that had led to their death never happened as well. But those events were what had led her to form bonds with them all, and those bonds had now been erased.
Only Mash and Director Goredolf remembered. But they had decided to keep quiet about the whole ordeal, as the Clock Tower would just be too interested in her if they knew, and they could decide to keep her captive to study her like a guinea pig. She had reluctantly accepted to keep quiet about all that had happened, and had left Chaldea to get back to her home, as a common nobody that was simply discharged, being of no use anymore. After all, she was just a spare fodder Master enrolled to fill the numbers. Director Goredolf and Mash had promised that the two of them would visit her as soon as possible, but one year had passed and they were still tied in the political mess that disbanding Chaldea had been.
Her new life had therefore begun in a bitter way. But she understood that after all she had done, the sins she had committed, the worlds she had erased, that punishment was a very light sentence, compared to what had happened to other people during her journey.
She had enrolled in the university of her hometown, met some old and new friends, and was generally trying to live her new life as best as she could, sealing the memories of her time in Chaldea and as a Master away as much as she could, focusing instead on the future.
She had thought of it as a new beginning, a second chance that was given to her, although a hidden, sad part of her also hoped to find again the one that she had lost that day, in the rift between life and death.
Moriarty had told her that he would follow her, then why…why was he not there with her yet? Ristuka could not stop thinking about his words as she walked under the trees in a park nearby the campus. The sky was clear just like that day in that liminal space, and it just made her recollection of that moment even more vivid.
See you on the other side, I suppose.
Those were the last words he had said. But he had not been there with her when she had woken up in Chaldea again, only her cold, empty room greeting her. No servant had remained except for Mash, although now free from Galahad’s presence. Da Vinci-chan had disappeared as well, as she had never existed in the first place. After a moment of great confusion, Director Goredolf had extensively talked with her and Mash in secret to establish their strategy, but she had always avoided telling him about the part where Moriarty had been with her. He wouldn’t like that. Ritsuka was sure that Moriarty would do nothing to harm them, but the Director had always been suspicious about the man, and she could not blame him, considering the man’s reputation.
Ritsuka had decided to keep the secret from everyone, even Mash, telling herself that if he was out there and still had not reached out, it was for a good reason. But she worried that maybe, despite his plans, his return back to life had simply been impossible, as the Counter Force had prevented it as part of her punishment as well. And that would have been the hardest punishment of it all.
A life without the one she loved the most.
A new beginning without him, devoid of that affection that had helped her go on despite all the sorrow and the pain.
Alaya surely was a cruel entity.
Ritsuka stopped to look at the flowers blooming on a nearby tree branch, realizing that her mindless wandering had brought her close to them. They were so pretty, their soft pink color reminding her of the trees that Moriarty had emulated in Chaldea’s simulator many times to make her smile.
She sighed, looking up to the spring sky between the trees in bloom. What a pitiful thing, to be in such a romantic place alone, reminiscing of a forbidden love that probably at that point would never have a continuation.
A voice coming from behind her made her gasp. “Why is such a beautiful lady sighing so dejected in a place so stunning?”
She had heard that voice so many times, always behind her, always trying to surprise her. And she had always let him try, because she loved when he hugged her from behind, his lips gently whispering close to her ear…
“Because I am all alone, no one remembers me, and the man I love is nowhere to be found.” She answered, not turning around.
She was too afraid that it was just a trick of her mind, or a hallucination created by her inability to let go of her past. Or maybe the Association had found out about her and all that happened and was now trying to trick her…
Ristuka could hear the sound of steps approaching, but she did not dare to turn around. She had suffered enough, she could not sustain another disappointment. Not when he was involved.
The voice spoke again. Oh, it was so much like him… “You lied to your mother in that call. That’s not like you.”
Ritsuka nodded. “I…need some time alone. To fix my expression so that no one notices that I am sad.” She confessed. It felt somehow liberating to say it. She had been faking since she had gone back home. But it was tiring, so tiring…
A pair of arms surrounded her from behind, and she felt her back come in contact abruptly with a wider, taller body that was now hugging her from behind. She gasped, but did not move, as she felt no malicious intent in that hug.
No, she knew that hug so well. Could it really be real? Ritsuka closed her eyes, lifting her hands to grab the arms that were around her torso.
“That’s not good, such a beautiful lady should always smile.” His soft voice close to her ear was just as soothing and kind as back then.
Ritsuka gulped. “How can I smile if the ones I loved the most are far away and all the others forgot everything?” She kept her eyes shut, fighting the tears that threatened to flow from her eyes.
“You did well, Ritsuka. You did the best you could, and your punishment is unfair. But I’m here now.” He said, and she felt him move away from her, only to place his hands on her shoulders and gently force her to turn around to look at him. She still kept her eyes shut, too afraid of opening them and realize it was just a dream. He understood. “I’m not a trick or a hallucination. I’m really here. Look at me.”
Ritsuka gulped. She had faced worse things in her Chaldean experience, then why was she so afraid of something so small? And yet, her body shook slightly as she nodded and lifted her head up just to where his face would be, slowly opening her eyes.
The sunset sky and a face she knew too well appeared in front of her as the wind rustled the cherry trees around them. For a moment, that sound was the only thing that reached her ears as she observed James Moriarty’s handsome face and his warm smile, just like the one he had shown her so many times in the past.
In a moment, her vision became blurred and the tears she had fought so desperately to keep inside rolled down on her cheeks. Moriarty moved again, and pulled her closer, hugging her as tight as possible as she started to bawl her eyes out, sobbing uncontrollably without being able to utter a single word.
Ritsuka had never cried like that after coming back from that liminal space, even after discovering that no one remembered her. Somehow, she had never managed to cry herself to sleep, or bawl alone in her room. She had kept the tears away, thinking that she had no right to cry and be too sorry for her situation. After all, everyone was alive, and the world had been saved. That was the best possible outcome, right?
Then why did she feel so sad?
Moriarty kept holding her tight as he caressed her hair gently, whispering sweet soothing words as she cried all the tears she had kept inside until that moment. It took a while for her to regain some control on her body and her emotions, and when she finally managed to look at him again, she raised one of her hands to touch his face.
“Are you real? This is not just…my head playing tricks with me, yes?” She asked, almost desperate.
Moriarty chuckled, nodding. “I’m very much alive and kicking, my dear. No doubts about that.”
Ritsuka sniffed, trying to avoid crying again. She looked down at his chest, to avoid looking at his face and start to cry again, and noticed how his shirt was wet from all her tears.
“Oh no…your shirt is all wet…”
He shrugged. “Oh, the weather is warm, it will dry in no time. Do you feel better now?”
Ritsuka nodded, and before she could speak, another known voice spoke as well, and she turned her head towards its source, incredulous. “I don’t really like you hugging her so close, Professor. Hands off!” Sherlock Holmes stated, looking grumpy and very much alive as well.
Moriarty scoffed. “Oh come on, I’m not doing anything bad and you are too many minutes late for that. You are so obnoxious in your newfound adoptive uncle role!”
“I am not…” Holmes tried to refute Moriarty’s accusations, but his body was almost hit by surprise by Ritsuka’s sudden hug, as she started to cry again hugging him. He remained frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do.
“There you go Holmes, good job in making her cry again!” Moriarty mocked him with a wicked smirk.
“Hey, I did not want to!” Holmes protested, before a loud wail from Ritsuka interrupted him. He gently patted her back, hugging her back. “There, there Ritsuka, it’s ok, I’m here as well.”
His reassurance did not work as intended, and only made her bawl even more, drenching even Holmes’ shirt with her tears and making him panic just a little, much to Moriarty’s amusement.
——————
“So, this is your apartment? You actually live together?” Ritsuka asked as she accepted a steaming cup of tea from Moriarty, sitting on the couch of a beautiful apartment not so far from the park where she had met them. The fading light of the sunset entered from a nearby window, and made everything look warm and cozy. The room was clearly newly furnished, and only a few things were scattered throughout the room, a sign that the apartment had not been used for a long time.
“Not because I wanted it, that’s for sure!” Moriarty quickly answered, groaning as he sat down on the couch next to her, putting the tray with the teapot and two other cups on a nearby small table.
“We’re simply housemates, so that I can keep an eye on him as much as possible.” Holmes explained, taking his own cup of tea with a smug expression as he sat on an armchair to the right of the couch. “It’s surprisingly fun to just bother him randomly and interrupt him when he least expects it.”
“Sometimes he just barges in my room hoping to find me doing something evil! Most of the time I’m just sleeping!” Moriarty complained again, obviously frustrated.
Ritsuka frowned. “Holmes, you really have a bad personality, don’t you?”
“HA! See? Even Ritsuka says it!” Moriarty said, mildly amused.
Holmes clicked his tongue. “It’s for your own good! This man is still a criminal at heart! The things he did to arrive here, I shudder at the mere thoughts…” He almost shivered for real, looking very displeased.
Moriarty giggled. It sounded ominous, somehow. “Ah yes, theft, document forging, a bit of trespassing…fun things like the old times. Holmes doesn’t like the fact that he had to let me do those things if he wanted to achieve our goal of finding you again…it was so fun to see him seethe silently as I did my job masterfully.” He was clearly gloating, remembering what happened.
Ritsuka widened her eyes. “Wait, did you really…?”
Moriarty shrugged. “We ended up in London, with nothing but our own clothes. Very much humans, no supernatural power besides our own intelligence. I had to improvise.” He explained nonchalantly. “But now we have our own documents, and even a job! We’re fully respectable members of society, despite achieving this in a not…very respectable way.” He continued, clearly proud of his feat, taking something from his pants pocket and showing her a real-looking UK Passport. Ritsuka took it and inspected it. It really looked real, it had his photo and the name ‘James Moriarty’ on it. It seemed like they had chosen to keep their real names and not use fake ones.
“Well, that’s surely impressive, You basically forged your identities from scratch. Amazing.” She praised him as she gave him back the document.
Holmes groaned. “Ritsuka! Do not praise him! There could have been another way…” He stopped, not wanting to admit that no, there was no other way that would not involve the Mages Association.
Ritsuka spoke before Moriarty could mock and taunt him further. “So now, what exactly do you do for a living?”
Moriarty cheerfully explained. “I’m a math professor at the local university, and he is a private detective. We just started a few days ago. We’ll live here until we can find a better living arrangement…he doesn’t want me to rob a bank, despite me having many good plans to do it...”
Holmes got up from the couch. “Of course I won’t let you rob…”
Ritsuka stopped the bickering before it could escalate. “Really? Not even changing your occupation? You already kept your name the same.” She mocked them, without any malicious intent.
“It's what we do best.” Holmes, who had regained a bit of self control, admitted candidly.
Ritsuka giggled, bringing her hands to her mouth. The two men smiled, both happy to see that her mood had improved. “You have so much more to explain to me, but…for now, I’m so happy to see you two. Can I…stay here for a while longer?” She asked, looking down at her now empty teacup. She did not want to go back again so soon.
“Of course you can. We can eat dinner together, then we’ll bring you back home.” Moriarty spoke first, and Holmes nodded.
Ritsuka smiled, thanking them before suddenly stopping. “Wait, do you even know how to cook?” The two of them looked at each other with an uncomfortable expression, and Ritsuka groaned, before getting up from the couch with a sigh. “Show me what’s in your fridge, before you make the kitchen explode or you waste all your money on takeaway food…”
——————
“I’ll leave you here, your house is that building there, right?” Moriarty asked as he stopped his car a few meters away from Ritsuka’s house. Holmes was not with them, as he said that he had some work to do for a case. Both her and Moriarty knew that it was just his own way to let them have some time alone, and Ritsuka had hugged him very tightly again before going away, thanking him.
“I am counting on you to help keep him in check. I can’t do everything myself.” Holmes had whispered to her, and Ritsuka had nodded, chuckling. Moriarty had complained about that, but they had refused to disclose what he had said to her, and Moriarty had given up after some prodding. He probably had deduced it anyway.
“Yes, it’s that house there. How do you know?” She asked, tilting her head, not really wanting to go back so soon.
“We did our research as soon as we got here.” He explained. “We wanted to be sure of what the situation was.”
“Why didn’t you show up immediately?” Ritsuka asked, a bit offended that their first thought had not been to tell her that they were alive and well.
Moriarty frowned. “Without a stable job and a home? What kind of man would just present himself to his beloved saying ‘I’m broke and jobless, but please, love me’? I have some dignity, you know?” He declared. “No, I had to at least be worthy enough. Besides, we wanted to check that no one from the association was somehow keeping tabs on you, but it seems like they don’t really care. For them, you really are a nobody.”
Ritsuka blushed at his words, then smiled. That was his way to care, she realized that, and she felt grateful. “I see. I…thank you.”
Moriarty chuckled, then unfastened his car belt to turn around better to face her, doing the same with hers. He moved one hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek. “Now I can properly court you like a gentleman.” He said softly, and Ritsuka opened her mouth in a silent ‘oh’. He bent forward, and his lips met hers, just like in Chaldea.
She pulled him towards her instinctively, making him gasp softly out of surprise, before he did the same with her, deepening the kiss. They kissed for a long while, just like they did when they were in her room in Chaldea, holding onto each other and enjoying each other's warmth. When they finally broke the kiss, she sighed.
“Kissing in the car is a bit uncomfortable. I fear your back might hurt if we go on too much.” She joked, and Moriarty laughed, before lowering his voice to a whisper close to her ear.
“Then come back to my place tomorrow after your lessons. Holmes will be away all day for his new case. I have not shown you my room yet…” He whispered, and Ritsuka shivered pleasantly as he left a kiss on her neck.
“Yes, I’d like to see it…” She whispered back, before kissing him again one last time.
Moriarty smiled as he withdrew from her, fixing his shirt. “Now go, don’t make your mother worry.”
“I think being late tonight is the least of the issues, considering who I just kissed but…yes.” Ritsuka joked, before opening the car door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll find a way to convince her when the time is right. Now go.” Moriarty said, and Ritsuka got out of the car, sprinting back home. She opened the door, and only then she heard his car engine starting again. She greeted her mother, made some small talk about her day at the university, then sprinted to her room, where she flopped on the bed, smiling.
Her phone buzzing alerted her that Mash’s daily call was incoming, and she answered it with a smile that was definitely brighter than usual.
That day, her new life had significantly improved. Maybe her punishment would not be so hard to endure, now that she had even more allies, and her beloved to support her.