Chapter Text
He missed.
By barely an centimeter.
He grasped onto the air frantically, trying to reach for her hand.
But he only felt the slipping of her fingertips.
He was forced to watch, watch as she fell backwards into the depth of the valley.
Her face dawned a serene expression and a content smile, as if trying to tell him that this was for the best.
That there was nothing else he could possibly do to change this ending.
He screamed into the air, he screamed of his heartache, his helplessness, the sudden emptiness he felt and the aching gaping hole in his chest.
He screamed of her name, which echoed in the valley.
“KAZUHA!”
He didn't know how he ended up in the rivers below so quickly.
Did he jump after her?
He couldn't remember, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as he frantically searched up and down for her in the rivers, to catch a glance of her, to grasp onto that tiny flicker of hope that she is somehow alive and well.
It didn't matter anymore that he had to return to the village house where Kudo is probably awaiting their arrival to expose the truth behind the grandma who is actually the granddaughter in disguise. It didn’t matter anymore that his hands were blistered and pruned. It didn’t matter that he probably looked crazed with blood shot eyes. Nothing mattered anymore if she wasn’t alive.
That was how they found him. Splashing frantically in the river, diving over and over again into the waters, searching.
“Hattori.” Conan called out to his friend.
Still, Heiji carried on as if he hadn’t heard him.
“Hattori...HATTORI!”Conan called over and over again until Heiji finally looked up at them. Conan swallowed in shock as he saw the terror and emptiness in his friend’s eyes. He has never seen Heiji so... so dejected...so helpless. Gone was the proud Kansai high school detective that he had grown so used to. Instead, in its place was a empty shell of what the detective used to be.
“He..help me Kudo”Heiji said brokenly, “ I lost her, I don’t know where to look. I...I can’t find her I...tried looking everywhere... I can't find her Kudo, I can't find her. Why can't I find her?" Heji continued, his heart aching, "She knows I can’t live without her, why can't I find her now? She's supposed to always be here next to me...”
He gasped, clutching onto his chest as if his heart is bursting. He can't breathe... Why can't he-
"Argh!"
Heiji shot up choking violently as he tried to catch his breath, only to find himself in his bed back in Osaka, sweat soaked through his pajamas.
He looked at the time, 3 am.
Was that all just a dream? He reasoned with himself as he tried to piece back his dream. That was the case in Fuikui, on the solitary Isle of Mermaids. It had happened a year ago and though Kazuha and him had been close to death by the cliff, they're both safe now, they had made it out alive. Despite the numerous facts he kept reminding himself of, he couldn't bring himself to calm down. Glancing at the time again, he made a snap decision.
He quickly pulled on a jacket and dashed out into the Osaka night sky on his motorcycle.
Kazuha was sleeping soundly when she heard the distinctive thump of something falling near the windows, she shot up from her bed to find a figure next to her window still. She recognized the figure immediately, rubbing her eyes, she walked over to open the windows.
“Heiji? You aho what are you doing here at..." She look down at the phone in her hand, "3 in the morning?” Kazuha scolded as she sat back down on her bed crossing her arms, "some of us actually need to sleep, you know?"
Heiji stayed silent as he climbed through the window sill.
Sensing his uneasiness, she asked softly, “Heiji? What’s wrong?”
Heiji stayed silent and didn't utter a word. Before Kazuha could pose another question, Heiji walked over to Kazuha and sat down on the ground next to her. He leaned his back against the edge of the bed as he he brought both of her hands into his, his hands trembling slightly as he did so.
Kazuha widened her eyes in surprise and confusion at how abnormally Heiji was acting. However, she stayed silent and gave him an awkward hug, well the best hug she could given the height difference. After a moment or two, Heiji seemed to calmed down a bit, but his head was dropping. Kazuha sighed and placed one of her pillows and a spare blanket down onto the floor for Heiji. She was just covering Heiji with the blanket when a knock sounded on the door and she jumped. She rushed to open it to find her mother standing in front of the door with a raised eyebrow. Kazuha blushed slightly and explained what had happened to her mother in a rushed whisper.
Kuzaha’s mother nodded understandingly and responded, “Leave your father to me, don’t forget you both have school tomorrow.”
Heiji shot up again, trenched in sweat as he tried to calm his trembling hands. This was the second time this week.
He had not gotten to her side in time once more.
He watched frozen in place as the bullets all hit Kazuha in the chest, the force sending her flying backwards and collapsing on the ground. He didn't care about the spy Takekawa who might be getting away. Although he was the one that shot Kazuha, he didn't have time to go after him, not now, not when he had a more important mission on his hands- keeping Kazuha alive.
“NO! Kazuha! No! Look at me!”Heiji gasped as he tried to apply more pressure on the gushing wound. Why was there so much blood? Why is it still pouring out? Why is it everywhere? There was blood on his hands, on her shirt, on the corner of her lips, on the floor pooling from her gunshot wound, beside her head when she spat out blood as she tried to speak. Everything was covered with ugly vibrant red. Then and there he decided that red and Kazuha did not go together. That roaring, ugly, sickening red that scorched his eyes did not belong on someone like Kazuha.
“Heiji.”Kazuha smiled sadly at the Osaka detective before finally giving into the darkness.
"KAZUHA!"
It felt too real.
And for the second time this week, he grabbed his keys and head off in search of a certain aho.
Shizuka Hattori was known for her calm and sharp wit as well as being observant. Moreover, it didn't take a detective to know that her son has been getting out of the house at midnight almost every day for 2 weeks straight. At first she was worried that her son had gotten himself caught up in a messy case, she was a bit assured when Kazuha's mother, Miyou Toyama told her that her son has been showing up at her house at the weirdest time.
Naturally both mothers immediately assumed that those two had finally gotten together. Both mothers had certain opinions about the couple meeting up so late at night and was worried that it would influence their school work and was also planning on giving them the birds and bees talk. Miyou Toyama said that though she had made sure that both teens were being responsible under her roof, it would be wise to get the conversation over with. But being ever observant, Shizuka realized it was not the case. So when she awoke to the sound of her son’s bike revving in the garage once more, she couldn’t help but nudge her husband awake.
Heizo furrowed his eyebrows together as he looked at his wife, “Shizuka? What’s wrong?”
“Heiji is out again.”Shizuka sighed worriedly.
Heizo shrugged as he turned over to get back into his dreams, “he’ll be alright.”
“Do you know what happened to him?”Shizuka asked worriedly.
Heizo shrugged, “our son will be fine.”
To say Shizuka was shocked was an understatement.
She tried to compose herself as she looked at the girl she acknowledges to one day be her daughter in law in front of her, “you said Heiji has been crying?”
Kazuha nodded, unable to wipe the worry from her eyes, “Did Heiji get into trouble in his cases? He’s been trembling every time he visits and I don’t know what to do with him.”
Shizuka held Kazuha’s hand, “Don’t worry Kazuha. I’ll get to the bottom of this. Whatever happened must have traumatized him.”
Heiji shot up from his bed again trying to catch his breath. He held his head in his hands, it was all too real. He reminded himself that it had happened several months ago in Kyoto and that they were both safe in Osaka now.
As the building collapsed, the planks fell, knocking them all off balance. Conan, Mr. Achiwa and Momiji had all been on the one side of the platform while Kazuha was knocked off to the side. He reached out for her hand, "Kazuha!" He shouted as he strained his arm further to grab her hand, her fingers were just within touch when his motorcycle came tumbling down, knocking them out of balance.
He awoken to the building collapsing and noticed that Conan and the rest were safe in the elevator where a rescue team was approaching them. He turned to Kazuha who was still unconscious. They were not dying here. She was not dying here. If it's the last thing he does, he will make sure that Kazuha gets out of here safely. he turned to look at his motorcycle... There might still be a way out.
"Just a little bit, just a bit further..." Heiji thought as he pushed the motorcycle to fly further through the air. They might just be able to make it. Butt just before they could reach the pool, he felt the hands behind his back slipping. He turned just in time to see Kazuha falling off.
"KAZUHA!"
Heiji stared at Kazuha dumbly as she finished the song, "Heiji, the katana is at the right drawer three rows up."
However, before he had the chance to react, the door crashed open and a katana came slicing down at them. Before he had time to react, a figure flew in front of him.
“Kazuha?” Heiji choked as the murderer, Mr. Saijo thrusted the sword into Kazuha's abdomen.
He couldn't hear the daunting words of Mr. Saijo, he couldn't hear the words of Mr.Saijo's students as they circled them. All he could hear is the sound of his heart, and the sound of Kazuha's faltering heartbeat.
"No...Kazuha," Heiji exclaimed, "stay awake, stay awake."
"I said I would protect you, didn't I?" Kazuha smiled tiredly at him, "That I, being the older sister will always look after you?"
"Shut up, aho" Heiji frowned, he turned around frantically, "where is Kudo and his backup? Just stay awake, Kazuha, you'll be fine, we'll get out of here alive..." mid-ramble, he felt Kazuha's hand go limp, "Kazuha?"
"..."
"KAZUHA!"
Studying her son silently as she sipped on her tea, Shizuka tried to figure out what has gotten into her son and how she should approach the issue.
Heiji shivered uneasily as he ate, trying to ignore his mother blatant gaze on him. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he exclaied, “Obachan! What is it?”
“Ya Heji!”Heizo scolded as he glared at his son for being so rude to his mother
Shizuka put down her tea gently, “are you dating Kazuhan chan?”
Heiji choked and coughed loudly, “Wha-what makes you say that?”
Heizo put down his bowl, interested in the mother and son’s conversation.
“Mrs. Toyama mentioned that you’ve been over to their house quite often these few weeks.”Shizuka said, "was there any reason behind this?"
Heiji blushed as he mumbled, “Is that so? We have a test coming up and that ahou is failing…”
"Very well,"Shizuka stood up to clear the table, “Heiji,before I forget,”she handed him an envelope, “Mrs. Hiroshima’s brother was involved in a case in Hokkaido and asked if you could go over and check it out.”