Chapter Text
Heiji was tossing and turning in his bed, covered in sweat, clearly having a nightmare.
“KAZUHA, WATCH OUT !” shouted as he woke up, gasping for breath. Realizing that everything he had seen a few minutes earlier was just a bad dream, he gradually relaxed.
“Heiji ? Are you okay ?” asked his mother, opening the door and entering his room with a worried look on her face.
“Yes, I'm fine, sorry for disturbing you, Okan,” replied the teenager, sitting up in bed, smiling and scratching his head.
“It's not like you to scream like that at 3 a.m....” She turned on the light. “You're not sick, are you ? Your face is sweaty !”
“I'm fine, Obahan ! Can I go back to sleep now ?” Heiji said teasingly.
The woman looked serious and crossed her arms, not convinced that her son was okay.
“Okay.” she sighed. “I'll let you go back to sleep, but if you don't feel well enough to go to school later, you can stay here.”
The boy responded with a simple nod, after which the woman left him alone. As his mother had sensed, he was far from being in top form.
”Damn, what was that nightmare ?“ said to himself as he lay back down. He was certainly more relaxed, but what he had seen in his dream worried him. ” I have to call Kazuha to see if she's okay." He grabbed his phone from his bedside table and called the girl, but unfortunately, he got her voicemail. In a way, it made sense, as the teenager always turned off her phone when she went to sleep, but even though the Osaka native knew this, he wanted to know if she was okay. Without hesitation, he called the Toyamas' landline, and after what seemed like a long time, someone finally picked up.
“Hello ?” said a sleepy male voice.
"Toyama-han ? It's Heiji ! S-Sorry for calling so early, but... is Ka-Kazuha there ?“ asked, a little embarrassed to be calling before the sun had even risen.
”Hei-Heiji-kun ?!“ said in surprise, frowning. He was now a little more awake. ”What's gotten into you, calling people at this hour ? And why do you want to talk to Kazuha ? I know you're dating, but still...“ he began, getting angry.
”I'm sorry, but please just tell me that Kazuha is at your place and that she's okay."
“Of course she's at home, and she's asleep like most people at three in the morning !” the man replied curtly.
“Can you go check ?” asked the dark-skinned teenager with a certain insistence in his voice.
Toyama Ginshiro knew Heiji well and he knew that the boy would never have called at such an hour without a valid reason. Moreover, since he was a fairly famous high school detective in Osaka, the young man could find himself in trouble, trouble in which his daughter could be involved since she was often with the boy. Especially now that the two young people were a couple.
“Okay;” said the man in a calmer tone after thinking about the reason for the teenager's call. He put the phone down on the table and headed for his daughter's room. His heart was pounding, afraid he would find the bed empty. When he reached the bedroom door, he took a deep breath before deciding to open it.
He found Kazuha sleeping peacefully in her bed, sighed with relief, and gently closed the door. He went back downstairs to pick up the phone.
“Kazuha is in bed.”
“Really ? Thank you, Toyama-san !” said the high school detective, relieved. “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll let you get back to bed !”apologized as he was about to hang up. He wanted to end the conversation so that the man wouldn't ask him any questions, but...
“Wait a second, Heiji-kun ! You can't just call at 3 a.m. asking if Kazuha is there, without any explanation! So tell me, what's going on ? Are you involved in something that puts you and her in danger ? And have you talked to your father about it ?”
“No, b-but don't worry, I-I don't have any p-problems or anything.” he stammered.
“Really ? Then why did you call ? I'm warning you, if you don't tell me the truth, I'll have to tell your father !” said Heizô's subordinate in a demanding tone.
“Huh ?! No, no !” replied the other man, embarrassed. “If he tells oyaji about this call, I'm sure I'll be bombarded with questions...” thought to himself, scratching his cheek.
“So tell me !” he demanded.
“Actually, you're going to laugh, but I kind of dreamt that Kazuha...” he began.
“Wait... Are you telling me you got me out of bed because you had a dream ?” Ginshiro growled.
“Ha ha ! I told you you'd laugh, didn't I ?” The Osakian got no response, just the dial tone indicating that his friend's father had hung up. “Damn... I just hope he doesn't tell Kazuha, she'll make fun of me...” thought, sighing again.
He then tried to go back to sleep, forcing himself to think that he had just had a bad dream, but he couldn't forget what he had seen. Because of this, he couldn't get back to sleep.
A few hours later, he went to high school, his fatigue clearly visible on his face.
“Hi there.” said Kazuha, approaching him as soon as she saw her boyfriend. She had a shy smile on her lips. She was indeed quite hesitant with the boy, given that their relationship was still new.
“Hi !” he replied, smiling slightly as well, but unlike the girl, his small smile was due to his fatigue.
“What's wrong with you today ? You look tired. Are you okay ?” she asked with concern.
“I'm fine.” said the Osaka native simply, shrugging his shoulders and putting his hands in his pockets.
“Are you sure ?” she asked worriedly.
“You were wide awake at three in the morning. I have a missed call from you.”
“Oh, yeah, actually, I was awake. I was thinking about an investigation I solved last week. And I turned on my cell phone and accidentally called you,” he lied, scratching his head.
“Oh, you and your detective business.” she sighed, clearly convinced by the young man's explanation. “Anyway, it's funny, my dad was in the same state as you this morning,” she added thoughtfully.
“Oh, really ?” said the dark-skinned boy, looking away with an embarrassed expression. Inside, he was nervous that Toyama might have revealed something to the girl.
“Yes, he said that a nasty bug woke him up during the night and that because of that, he couldn't get back to sleep. That bug must have really bothered him because he insisted that if he saw it again, it would have a rough tim.,” The high school girl finished with an amused look.
“Great, now I've pissed off her father.” he thought to himself with a grimace, as the last thing he wanted was for Ginshiro to have a bad impression of him, given that he had only been dating his daughter for a few weeks.
“Anyway, I hope you'll be in good shape for tonight.”
“Tonight ?” said, raising an eyebrow.
“Aho ! Don't tell me you forgot ?!” exclaimed with an annoyed look, putting her hands on her hips. “Tonight we're going to Tokyo for the weekend, because tomorrow night we're going to...”
"...the theater to see Romeo and Juliet with Neechan and Ku...uh, Conan-kun. “ The teenager suddenly remembered.
”Yes !“ she smiled, noticing that he remembered. ”Plus, the guy playing Romeo is the great Todô Hiroto." She added, blushing and widening her smile, clearly excited at the thought of seeing this actor.
“I don't see what's so special about him.” said Heiji curtly, in a dull tone and with an annoyed look.
“You're just jealous because you don't have his acting talent.” She teased with a smirk.
“Aho ! That has nothing to do with it !” retorted irritably.
"That's right.“ said with a smirk. ”But don't worry, I think you're much more handsome than him.“ She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which made the boy blush.
”T-Thanks." said, his face still red. He was quite embarrassed by his girlfriend's gesture, as it had attracted the attention of several of their classmates.
He could hear some snickers around him. “We-We'd better go to class...” added when he heard the bell ring. He started walking, and the girl from Osaka followed him, sighing at his lack of reaction.
As he walked to his classroom, a thought came to mind.
"Wait, if the dream I had wasn't set in Osaka but... in Tokyo... that would mean that Kazuha could be in danger if we went there? It was just a nightmare, but... the last time I had such a realistic nightmare, Kudô was almost stabbed. I'd better stay on my guard, especially for her sake. “
”Heiji ?“ Kazuha called out when she saw the Osaka native walking along with a pensive look on his face.
”Hmm ?“ said as he snapped out of his reverie.
”Are you okay ? You seem distracted. Is it because of the kiss ? I-I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry...“ She apologized, lowering her head sadly. ”You know, this is new for me too, I'm not sure how to behave...“
”Hmm, no, don't worry ! I wasn't even thinking about it anymore." assured her, forcing a smile and putting his hands on her shoulders.
The day seemed long to him. He had trouble following the lessons, he was tired and kept looking at Kazuha out of the corner of his eye. The dream had really disturbed him.
When the end of the school day arrived, the young girl had a smile on her lips, eager to go to Tokyo to see Ran again and tell her how her relationship was going.
The two met in front of the high school. Heiji had his head down and still looked pensive, which intrigued his friend.
“Well, I'm going to go pack my bag and we'll meet at the airport at 6 p.m. for our flight, right ?” asked the teenager, trying to pull the boy out of his thoughts once again.
“Kazuha, listen...” began, still with his head down. “We'd better cancel this weekend in Tokyo.” said in a serious tone.
“What ?! Are you kidding ?!” exclaimed incredulously. “We booked our tickets for the play and our plane tickets weeks ago. We can't just cancel everything like that ! Besides, this is going to be our first real date as a couple !” She frowned.
“Listen, Kazuha, trust me, it's better if you stay home this weekend.” continued in the same tone.
“Excuse me ?! Not only do you want to cancel a weekend that's been planned for a long time, but you also want me to stay locked up at home ?!” She raised her voice and looked indignant.
"Stop acting like a child !And follow my advice for once.“ He got angry in turn and looked his friend straight in the eye.
”Heiji...“ said in surprise at the determined face of the detective from the West. ”Are you hiding something from me ? What's going on ? Are you working on a case ? Are you in danger ?" asked more calmly.
“It's not that...” He lowered his head again. He didn't want to tell her the truth, just as he had tried with his father earlier.
“Then what is it ?”
“It's nothing important, forget it... But promise me you'll never be alone in Tokyo, understand ?” said, still with that glint of determination in his eyes.
The Osaka girl blushed when she looked at her boyfriend's face. She wanted to insist on knowing why he was acting this way, but she just nodded her head so as not to argue with him again. She had sensed since the morning that Heiji was not feeling well, and she didn't want to upset him any more than he already seemed to be.
After the two young people had gone home to pack their bags, they met up again at the airport. They boarded the plane, and the flight was scheduled to last a little over an hour. The Osaka native, aware that the flight would not be long, decided to take a short nap to make up for the night's sleep that had been interrupted by his bad dream. Sitting by the window, he made himself as comfortable as he could so he could sleep well. Kazuha, who was sitting next to him, didn't say anything. She knew the boy was sleep-deprived and wanted to let him rest so he would arrive in Tokyo feeling refreshed. Heiji fell asleep quickly. The young girl, who had brought Sudoku puzzles to entertain herself during the trip, was not concentrating on them at all. She was much more focused on her sleeping boyfriend.
“He's really cute when he sleeps.” She thought, blushing.
She continued to stare at the boy when suddenly she saw him start to frown and then stir. Seeing this, Kazuha quickly guessed that he was having a nightmare.
“Heiji ?” she said worriedly, placing her hand gently on his shoulder to wake him up.
The dark-skinned detective didn't seem to hear her and became even more agitated, moving his head from side to side and even beginning to gasp for breath.
“Heiji ! Wake up! It's me ! It's Kazuha !” shouted, growing increasingly worried as she continued to shake him, which attracted the attention of the other passengers.
After several shakes, the Osaka native finally opened his eyes. He was out of breath, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. The first thing he saw when he woke up was his girlfriend's worried face.
“Heiji, are you okay ?” asked as soon as she saw that the young man was awake.
“Kazuha...” whispered breathlessly. “I had that nightmare again...”
”Young man, are you okay ? Would you like us to call a doctor ?" asked a flight attendant who approached the two teenagers. She had probably been alerted by one of the passengers who had noticed that something was wrong with the high school student.
“No, no, I'll be fine. Thank you.” declined politely, shaking his head.
“Are you sure ?” asked the girl with the ponytail, still concerned. “At least have a glass of water, you look a little pale.”
”Uh, yeah, I'd like that." agreed as he rubbed his eyes to try to shake off the fatigue he still felt, while the flight attendant hurried to fetch some water.
“What did you dream about, Heiji ? You were really restless... and then, when I called you, you didn't wake up... I was really scared.”
“I-I don't remember what I dreamed about... Forget it, it's nothing serious...” lied again, putting a hand on his forehead.
“But Heiji...” she sighed, sensing that he was lying to her. Besides, this was the second time that day that he had hidden things from her. She had found him really strange since she had seen him looking tired, but thinking back to earlier that morning, a hypothesis quickly came to mind. “Heiji, if you were awake at three o'clock this morning, it's because you had a nightmare, right?” she guessed.
The brown-haired man jumped at the girl's deductions; she was right.
“Kazuha, I...” began.
“Young man, here is your glass of water.” interrupted the hostess, who had suddenly returned. She handed him the glass, which he accepted with thanks. The woman bowed and left them.
“Luckily that hostess arrived. I almost revealed the truth to her. I don't want to worry her any more than she already is...” said to himself as he drank his water. “Kazuha, listen...” He continued, more relaxed after finishing his drink. “Like any human being, I may have bad dreams, but there's nothing to worry about !” he said, forcing a smile.
“But I've never seen you like this before, you understand that it's worrying.” She lowered her eyes and blushed. “...And is it because of that bad dream that you didn't want us to come to Tokyo ?” She dared to ask.
“Damn, she's stubborn, just like her father...” he thought to himself, gritting his teeth. "Aho! I told you I don't remember that nightmare. And anyway, it's nothing.“ He tried to reassure her by caressing her face. ”
“But Heiji...” sighed the girl, her eyes downcast and far from convinced.
“...And if you really want to know why I didn't want us to come, it's because...” He looked away to avoid his friend's gaze.
“Because ?” the teenager mimicked, ready to hear what was behind so much suspense.
"Because Okan is making takoyaki tonight and... it's been a long time since she's made it. I really wanted to eat it tonight, you see... but she told me she would save some for you and me. I didn't want you to miss out on it since it's one of her unique specialties! So that's why I told you not to go out alone in Tokyo, especially since, knowing you, you'd be quite capable of getting lost." He tried to say it in a teasing tone with a smirk.
“WAIT! YOU MEAN YOU MADE A BIG DEAL ABOUT TAKOYAKI EARLIER ?!” She yelled, once again drawing everyone's attention.
"Aho ! Don't yell like that ! You really understand how good Okan's takoyaki is ! “ said, rolling his eyes.
”No, but you're making fun of me too AHO !“ she retorted, still angry.
”Oooh, it's okay, no need to make a big deal out of it," said, shrugging his shoulders and turning to the window to look outside, looking pensive.“Phew, she seems to have believed my story, so she won't insist anymore. In any case, I hope that everything I dreamed about doesn't come true.” prayed.