#and it is just so fun 2 imagine..... hangin w/ The Boys

[meitanteikazuha]

In Reverse 2: The Night Before the Wedding Locked Room Case

Have some more of the Heiji/Kazuha roleswap fic! If you want to start from the beginning, here’s the link to it on AO3!

"You're sulking, aren't you?"

"W-what are ya talkin' about!?" Looking startled at the question, Heiji quickly moved to deny any such thing. "Of course I'm not! Why would I be sulkin'?"

It wasn't that he was the least bit annoyed that his plan to lure that Kudo Shinichi guy out had failed once again. He had thought for sure if they called Ran out to come and pick them up at the station upon arriving Tokyo, that the Kudo guy would have shown up with her, but it would appear that he was wrong. The only people who had come alongside Ran was that mustached geezer, and that weird glasses kid.

Who had, incidentally, been hogging all of Kazuha's attention ever since they had gotten here. For some reason, it bothered him. He knew that Kazuha was good with kids, but what did she even see in a brat like that anyways? He wasn't the least bit cute!

"You are!" Ran insisted, unable to keep the bright smile off of her face. "Kazuha-chan told me, you know. About your plan to try and trick Shinichi into showing his face here."

"I don't know what ya mean!" Folding his arms in front of his chest, Heiji averted his eyes from her, doing a splendidly bad job at lying. "I don't care about that idiot high school detective one bit!"

"Which one do you mean by that? Shinichi? Or perhaps Kazuha-chan?" Ran couldn't help but ask. Really now... even when he wasn't being honest, he really couldn't help but be honest. He might deny it, but it was written all over his face- his jealousy, that was.

"What does it matter, which one I mean?" Heiji asked, daring to glance back in Ran's direction and instantly regretting it. What was that look on her face for? Was she making fun of him?

Honestly, he really didn't get this Neechan sometimes.

"It matters a lot!" Ran insisted, nodding her head. "You like her, don't you? Kazuha-chan, that is."

"Ya said somethin' like that before too, but lemme tell ya right now, I don't think of Kazuha that way." Heiji insisted, as he turned his gaze back outside the car window, eyes narrowing a little as he caught sight of Kazuha and that kid exchanging some words with each other. What was so much fun about talking with a kid anyways?

"Then, if you don't think of her that way, why are you so upset about Shinichi?" Ran asked, tilting her head. "It seems an awful lot to me like you're jealous, Hattori-kun."

"Je-" Sputtering a little, Heiji's face betrayed him, turning a bright red color at her words as he turned to look at her. "I'm not! I just wanna make sure that Kazuha's not hangin' around some kinda weirdo, that's all!"

"Besides, I don't see what's so great about the guy anyways!" Leaning back in the car seat, Heiji's brows furrowed together, an irritated expression on his face. "He didn't come ta visit her even once while she was in the hospital. From the way she talks about him, it sounds like the two of 'em are friends, but what kinda lousy bum friend doesn't come visit ya after ya've been shot?"

"Well that's..." Trailing off for a moment, Ran had to admit, Heiji did have a bit of a point. Even if it had just been in the leg, the fact remained that Kazuha had been shot- and had the scar to show for it now, too. "I'm sure Shinichi was just busy with a case. He can't even come see me that often, so..."

"What's so interestin' about cases anyways?" Heiji muttered, once more averting his eyes from her- this time for a different reason than before, Ran sensed. "Ya'd think after the case Kazuha might think twice about detective work, but she's just as gung-ho as it as she usually is."

"That's just how they are." Ran told him simply, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't really understand it myself either."

"Hmm." Not looking entirely convinced by such a half hearted explanation, Heiji could only let out a small sigh. "Well whatever, I guess. No point in sulkin' over it, I guess."

"Ah, so you were sulking!"

"...shut up."

"Ah, he's lookin' this way again."

"Hattori-kun, you mean?" Following Kazuha's gaze, Conan could only frown, just barely catching the person in question looking away from them. "You're right."

"That's the fifth time already." Kazuha observed, her smile growing somewhat amused. "Do ya think he's jealous or somethin'?"

"Considering that he stormed in during the middle of our tour demanding to know where Kudo Shinichi was, I'd say he's jealous." Conan noted, merely lifting a brow, not missing the way that Kazuha briefly flinched at his words, averting her eyes. "But not of me. I'm just a kid, after all!"

"Nah, he's probably jealous." Kazuha noted, glancing back Heiji's way again.

"Of a kid?" Conan asked, unable to help but sound a bit skeptical. "I thought you said that you weren't even interested in him that way, Kazuha-chan."

"I'm not, I'm not!" Kazuha said quickly, the hurried nature of her response leaving room for skepticism. He was starting to get the impression that perhaps there was a bit more going on between the two than either was willing to let on- or perhaps they had both simply failed to notice the nature of their own feelings. "I just think it's kinda funny, really. That he'd be jealous of me talkin' ta what he thinks is a kid."

Well, he had gotten a bit of a weird idea planted in his head after the last time, but it was better not to tell Conan about that. It would pass in time- or rather, even if it didn't, she doubted Heiji would arrive at the truth. His mind could work in awfully strange ways at times.

Either way, it was probably nothing to worry about.

"Funny's not really the word that I would use to describe it." Conan pointed out, turning his gaze back towards the car, a slight frown crossing his face as he watched the occupants of it enjoy a conversation between the other. It wasn't as if he thought Heiji was any kind of threat, or anything like that- but seeing things like that only really served to remind him that he couldn't be in that place himself, right now.

It left something of a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Does he always try to challenge boys who spend time around you to fights?" He couldn't help but ask. Hopefully by the time he returned to his real body for good, he'd be over such feelings. Given the way he seemed to be hitting it off with Ran, he could only assume that they would be seeing much more of him in the future.

"Not always." Kazuha said, shaking her head. "Actually, this is the first time, come ta think of it. He always does get kinda grumpy when it's someone he doesn't know, though, but he's never actually tried ta fight them, or anythin' that. But I'm sure he's not serious about that, Kudo-kun, so ya don't have ta worry!"

"No, I think he's plenty serious." Conan dryly remarked. "More importantly, did you two really only come out here just for a wedding?"

"Really, really." Kazuha reassured him, giving him a smile. "I'm sure nothin' like last time will happen again. My luck's not normally that bad." Pausing for a moment, she let her gaze drift once more, her expression speaking volumes. "My luck, at least."

"Ah." Simply leaving it at that, Conan merely cast another glance back towards Heiji, lips twisting in a tight frown.

Come to think of it, they had only gotten involved in that case after Heiji had appeared.

In so far as keeping secrets went, Toyama Kazuha was not precisely terrible at it. For the most part, she managed to keep careful track of what she said, and aside from that one time, generally was able to keep track of what to call him. Putting aside the fact that she had spoken a little more freely about Kudo Shinichi than he would have liked within private circles, she was mostly quite good at it, in fact.

Mostly.

"Well? How does it feel to be the great detective of the Heisei Era?"

"It's incredible for me too! My cases are solved so easily, like in a dream..."

That loud snort that Kazuha let out in response to his words was anything but subtle. Though she'd tried to cover it up with her hand, that had only served to draw more attention to it, in the form of an assortment of odd looks from around the table. Sending her the best glower that he could manage under the circumstances, Conan took some small satisfaction in the way she paled at it.

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Holding up a hand, Kazuha let out something of an awkward laugh. "I just remembered a funny joke I heard the other day, that's all. Don't mind me!"

For the most part, the occupants of the table seemed to buy the excuse, and the topic had changed rather quickly. Heiji's gaze had lingered on Kazuha for a moment longer than those of others, a slight frown on his face, before he too, seemed to brush it off.

This guy might actually be slightly more perceptive than he had first thought- he would have to be a bit careful, in that case. His type was the last type that he wanted his secret to be known to- he couldn't imagine anything good would come of it.

Well, Kazuha was probably right. Only she and Heiji would be spending the night here, after all- he'd be going back home with Ran and Kogoro after dinner was over. Since nothing had happened yet, he doubted anything would at this point- especially after the fiance in question finally showed himself.

For the time being, he could take it easy.

Which would be easier, were he not seated right next to someone who had very blatantly expressed an intent to fight him the last time they'd met. It was one of the very few times in which he'd found himself grateful that he wasn't, well, himself at the moment.

While he wasn't one normally to believe in jinxes, perhaps that was the best way to describe the events that had unfolded. He'd been certain, so certain, that nothing was going to happen this time- only to be proven wrong in the span of an instant.

The sound of shattering glass had brought with it an ill omen. Sure enough, not only was the butler of the family nowhere to be found, but they also had a locked room to deal with- one that turned out to have a corpse inside. It was of none other than the missing butler, a man by the name of Shigematsu Akio, who appeared to have been rather well acquainted with Heiji.

He'd been stabbed in the chest, and the murder weapon in question was nowhere to be found. A locked room case- and a rather annoying one at that. The fact that they had to put up with the annoying attitude of the son didn't help matters at all- even if his own actions had lead them to a clue that they might have missed otherwise.

"Maybe that story's true, then?"

"Story?" Kazuha asked, peering up towards Heiji, only briefly wondering when he had gotten there. Conan had been a bit more startled by his sudden appearance- not that she could blame him, Heiji didn't seem like the type to move quietly when he wanted to. "What story, Heiji?"

"Somethin' my mom told me once." Folding his arms in front of his chest, Heiji cocked his head in the direction of the retreating form of Sakuraba. "I overheard Morizono-han just a second ago askin' if he could start the burial arrangements fer Shigematsu-han. Said somethin' about buryin' him near his wife."

"So? What's that got ta do with anythin'?" In spite of words, it was clear from her tone that the story had nevertheless piqued her interest. Heiji had come here quite a few times as a child, from the sound of it, so there was a chance that what he might say could prove to be useful.

Since he was a child, though... she supposed she was grateful that nothing had been said that would have caused his temper to flare during dinner. Be it good luck or sensitivity, she'd rather not have to handle dealing with one of Heiji's moods on top of solving a case. Those two things never mixed well.

"I'm gettin' ta that." Heiji grumbled. "Honestly, here I am tryin' ta help ya out a little, an' ya gripe at me."

Ah, so he was in a bit of a mood after all, Kazuha noted, merely letting out a sigh. Well, she couldn't say that she didn't expect it. Generally speaking, Heiji hated being around crime scenes, so she guessed it was only natural that he'd be a little more testy than usual. "Yes, yes, finish yer story already Heiji. I want ta hurry up an' go back ta check out the crime scene already."

There was a slight pause there, before Heiji frowned, turning slightly on his heel. "If those two are really in love with each other, then it'd be the same as in the past. Apparently the one that Morizono-han's wife always came ta see wasn't him, but Shigematsu-han. He just got the wrong idea, an' thought that she was comin' here ta see him instead, an' ended up proposin' ta her."

"Well, he probably figured it out afterwards, though." Heiji added with a slight shrug. "I guess it's what they say about history repeatin' itself."

"Yer right, it is similar." Kazuha noted, exchanging a brief glance with Conan. She got the feeling that the matching pendants weren't entirely unrelated to the case at hand, and she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

"Right?" His grin only momentarily shifting at the way that Kazuha and Conan exchanged looks, Heiji tucked his hands into his pockets. As he thought, that kid really was weird- he'd been following Kazuha around like a shadow the entire time. For that matter, he didn't seem all that disturbed by the appearance of a corpse either.

Come to think of it, it had been the same way the last time too. Not to mention, what kind of kid just dove in to take a knife for someone by instinct like that?

Edogawa Conan, apparently.

"I don't think it's gonna work, Kudo-kun."

"No, we can't say that yet, Kazuha-chan." Conan noted, peering down over the balcony, trying to more or less eyeball the distance between it, and the one below. "That's why you're going to test it, to find out."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Kazuha told him, shaking her head. "I know ya asked me ta do it seein' as yer a little short on height," and unable to help herself, she let out a faint snort there, "...but I'm not all that tall myself, all things considered. The only suspect I have the same reach as is Kaede-san."

Glowering slightly at the short comment, Conan nevertheless recognized that she did have something of a point there. If her arms weren't long enough to reach what she needed to in order to get the balcony below them, then rope or not, doing the experiment might actually put her in danger. Needless to say, he didn't want that.

"We still need to test it somehow, though." Conan pointed out, a tight frown on his face. This did complicate things a bit. "I'm not sure how much luck we'd have in convincing Uncle to try it. If I asked Detective Takagi, maybe..."

"Ah, there's no need fer that." Kazuha said, holding up a hand. "If it's just someone with longer arms than me, I got the perfect person in mind."

"Who?" Blinking a little, Conan looked up at her, slowly catching her drift as he did. "You can't be talking about-?"

"Yeah. Heiji'll do it if I ask him too." Kazuha told him, nodding her head.

"There's no way he'd actually just-"

"Fine, I'll do it."

He stood corrected, apparently. From the way he had grumbled about it at first, he'd been almost certain that Heiji was going to turn her down- but apparently, he'd be wrong, and she'd been right.

Well, they were childhood friends, after all, and he, on the other hand, had only just met the guy- and barely, at that. He got the feeling that Heiji was trying to avoid situations in which the two of them would be alone together. Judging from the vibe he gave off, he was pretty sure it had to do with him being fully aware of the fact that he wasn't really all that great with children.

"Thanks a bunch, Heiji!" Clapping her hands together, Kazuha smiled brightly at him. "I promise I'll pay ya back later. We'll go get some takoyaki at yer favorite place when we get back home, my treat!"

"Ya don't need ta treat me, Kazuha." Gaze flickering slightly away from that of her own, Heiji's eyes narrowed. "I mean, it's not the weirdest thing ya've ever asked me ta do."

Conan couldn't help but take a bit of interest in his body language- all the more so since it was more subtle than what he had started to become accustomed to seeing from the dark skinned Osakan. Just like the rest of him, his body language was generally boisterous and easy to read, even by someone who had only just met him, but this felt... almost considerably more schooled.

It... bothered him a little, actually.

"I'll do it anyways!" Kazuha insisted, her tone leaving very little room for further argument. "Then, I'll head outside so I can watch from the ground with Ran-chan. Do ya think ya can watch things up here fer me, Conan-kun?"

"Sure!" Deciding to put it out of his mind for the moment, Conan nodded his head. If there was something going on between the two of them, he supposed it wasn't really any of his business. "Leave it to me, Kazuha-neechan!"

"Oi, yer not seriously havin' the kid watch my rope, are ya?" Suddenly turning a shade paler, Heiji almost looked as if he was reconsidering his offer. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"It'll be fine, Heiji!" Kazuha almost chirped, a bright smile on his face. "Conan-kun's the reliable type! Ya might be able ta learn a thing or two from him yerself, really."

"He's five." Heiji protested.

"Six." Conan quickly clarified. "I'm six."

"No way!"

In hindsight, he should have guessed that Kazuha would have more than a few problems with the idea. She was the daughter of a police detective, something that seemed to come hand in hand with a strong sense of justice. It was to be expected that she had more than a few issues with a tactic that involved accusing an innocent man.

"I'm against it, Kudo-kun!" Shaking her head, ignoring the few drops of rain that managed to find their way through the canopy of the tree, Kazuha gripped the branch tightly. "Sure, we're lackin' proof, but there must be some other way than ta just waltz into the trap that bastard set up!"

"I get what you mean, but..."

"If ya want ta do somethin' like that, yer on yer own, Kudo-kun." He already somewhat understood as much, but as he thought, Kazuha could be rather scary when she was angry. Combined with her stubborn nature, arguing with her on the matter might be pointless. "I'll help ya corner the guy afterwards, but there's no way I'm doin' somethin' like that!"

She'd already done something very much the same by mistake, and it had left a sour taste in her mouth ever since then. There was no way she was going to fall for such a trap the second time- even giving the appearance of doing so was enough to make her skin crawl. Besides, if the motive was what she thought it was, then there was no way she was going to take part in giving that bastard even a fraction of satisfaction about his plan working.

Even if he said they would tell the police beforehand that they were trying to lure the real culprit into a trap, it just didn't sit right with her.

"I get it, Kazuha-chan. I won't make you do it." Conan told her. There was no point in butting heads over something like this, and he wasn't about to force someone to do something they were so very clearly against. "I'll just use uncle for it."

It would be a little bit of an annoyance, but he didn't want to force her to do anything that she was clearly uncomfortable with. Though she wasn't saying it in so many words, it was clear that her miss from before, from the first time that they met each other, was still bothering her.

"Then, thanks." Kazuha said after a moment. She was grateful that he had listened to her, stubborn as she knew she was being, but it wasn't as if she wasn't aware that she was putting him out, at least a little. "An' sorry, Kudo-kun."

"It's fine." Quick to reassure her, Conan glanced downwards again. "We'd better hurry up and get out of this tree though. I get the feeling if we stay up here any longer, Ran's going to come up to get us."

"I'm amazed that she even let ya climb it in the first place, given what just happened."

"The only reason I'm even up here is that she couldn't catch me first."

"In the end, it's like we came all the way out her fer nothin'."

"Don't say that, Heiji." Shoving her bag in the overhead compartment, Kazuha firmly closed it behind her, sliding into the seat next to Heiji. "It's a good thing we came! If we hadn't, the police might have arrested the wrong man."

"They sure as heck seemed ta be in a hurry ta." Heiji muttered, turning his head to look out the train window, brows furrowing. "Can't believe it was all part of a trap ya set up that mustached uncle. Doesn't seem like yer kind of thing, Kazuha."

"It wasn't my idea." Kazuha pointed out, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I would have preferred somethin' more direct myself! But as it stood, we had no evidence, an' everythin' we did have pointed ta Sakuraba-han."

"Hmm." Gaze flickering back towards her, Heiji frowned a bit. "Well, whatever. Since it all worked out in the end, I guess it's fine. Still, I gotta say, I didn't think the sleepin' part was so dang literal. It thought that old man was asleep fer real!"

Biting back a comment that he was, in fact, fast asleep, Kazuha merely let out a laugh instead. She didn't really care for lying to Heiji like this, but if it was to keep a secret for someone else, she'd put up with it. "Right? It surprised me the first time too!"

"Guys gonna get himself killed someday, if he keeps dozin' off at crime scenes." Heiji muttered, leaning back in his chair, letting out something of a loud yawn.

"He's not actually sleepin', Heiji, I just said as much." Kazuha told him, frowning a little. "An' that sounds like somethin' yer father would say, not you. Did somethin' happen?"

"Nothin'." Turning his head to look out the window again, Heiji tried to ignore the expression he saw on Kazuha's face, cast in reflection. "Shigematsu-han just said some stuff, that's all."

"Heiji-" Opening her mouth to say something, Kazuha quickly shut it, withdrawing her words.

Learn when to pick your battles, someone had told her once. It was advice that had nothing at all to do with Heiji, but she often found it applied. She'd bicker with him about all sorts of things, but speaking of this topic now, right here, she knew, was very likely not to end well. There would be a time when she could broach the subject with him- but now wasn't it.

She just wanted him to understand already that it hadn't been his fault.

#Detective Conan #Heiji Hattori #Kazuha Toyama #Conan Edogawa #Ran Mouri #fic