Nozomi (english)| Detective Conan ff | Heiji (Kazuha)

Detective

The four of them were all sitting in a café.  While Kazuha and Ran talked energetically, Shinichi and Heiji went away from the table to get some fresh air.

Silently, both leaned with their backs against a cold wall and looked into the distance.  They weren't always aware of how similar they actually were.  Heiji was exhausted by the whole thing, which one could clearly see when you knew him.  To suppress his feelings all the time while being ripped apart inside wasn't easy.  And not being able to control the situation in any way was not easy either.

"Heiji, we have to go back to Tokyo at the end of this week."

Shinichi muttered quietly without looking at him.

"I know." Heiji replied briefly.  He understood exactly what Shinichi wanted to say and his conclusions were confirmed in the next second.

"What about Nozomi? " Shinichi asked now.  Until now, Ran and Shinichi had taken care of her.  It wasn't very difficult for them either, but it couldn't go on like this forever.

"In the last days, she had been quite sad. She misses her mother and really wants to see her again. " he continued calmly as there was no answer from Heiji's side.

"I can imagine. Then leave her with my old folks where she is with Conan right now. And thanks for taking care of her." Heiji replied belatedly to the question.

"Isn't that too much stress for the child?" the detective from Tokyo asked skeptically without considering Heiji's thanks.

"Probably." it came only bluntly in reply.

"I understand that you don't want to overtax Kazuha. But sooner or later, with or without memory, she will have to cope with this truth.  Nozomi is her child. She needs her and Nozomi needs Kazuha." Shinichi said more seriously now.

Heiji knew that Shinichi was right, but it wasn't that easy.

---

"We'll be going now.  But we will definitely meet up again."  Ran said goodbye to Kazuha and the Kudos left the cafe.  Now Heiji and Kazuha sat silently opposite of each other.

Suddenly Heiji stood up."Maybe you want to be alone and overthink everything a bit. I will come back later..." he started, but Kazuha grabbed Heiji's hand firmly and looked at him with a frightened look.  "Don't leave me alone!  I am afraid...  of being alone." she whimpered.

Heiji's eyes grew big. What was he doing here?! He had left her alone once before and lost her like that. He turned his hand so he could grab hers.

"Then let's go home together," he put a reassuring look on her face with those words.

Together they went home and Kazuha still didn't let go of Heiji's hand. It was as if her body was saying she shouldn't do that under any circumstances.  Like a new instinct she couldn't explain herself.

"I didn't know that you were a detective too.  Why didn't you tell me?" she suddenly asked.