AN: A quick oneshot while I still had the idea in my head! Heiji mentioned back in the Detective Koshien arc that he used to search for lost cats as a kid, and I thought that was pretty cute, and wanted to dabble with it a little. Of course, Kazuha's here for the ride- being a childhood friend to a detective wannabe is tough!
As always, thank you for reading! Feedback and comments are always welcomed!
The Cat Leads Astray
"Geez, ya sure know how ta cause a guy a lot of trouble, Chii!"
Grumbling a little as he held the small cat in his arms, Heiji took a moment to lean his back against the trunk of the tree. How had such a small cat managed to get up here in the first place, not to mention all the way across town? If it was just a one time thing, it wouldn't be so annoying, but as it was, he was something of a repeat customer.
"Heiji, did ya find him!?"
"Oh, I sure did, Kazuha!" Calling down to his childhood friend who was waiting at the bottom of the tree, Heiji found himself grinning even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it through the branches. "I'll come back down in a second!"
"Be careful!" Kazuha called out. "It would be bad if ya slipped, or if he got away again! We've already been lookin' fer him fer five hours now!"
"Five hours, huh..." Trailing off a little, Heiji heaved a long sigh. "Ya really are a troublesome guy, Chii, makin' us chase ya around fer so long. This is why I prefer dogs!"
If the cat had anything to say in it's defense, it wasn't something that he'd be able to understand. Heaving another long sigh, Heiji tucked the cat underneath one arm, very carefully starting to make his way down the tree. At the branches were rather thick, so it didn't seem like any were in danger of breaking underneath his weight.
"Ah, there ya are, Heiji!" Kazuha's voice chirped as he made his way down towards the lower branches. "Yer almost back down again, so be careful not ta slip!"
"Idiot, who's gonna slip?" Heiji asked, casting a glare back down towards her. "Yer the one who caused him ta scamper further up into the tree in the first place!"
"That's just cause ya couldn't stand still, Heiji!" Kazuha pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "I would have been able ta reach him if ya'd just stood up a bit straighter, an' hadn't wobbled so much!"
"Sorry fer wobblin'!" Grumbling as he made the short jump from the lowest branch to the ground, Heiji paused to wipe some sweat from his brow. "But here, I got him, the real one this time, too. Ya the got the carrier?"
"No, I don't. This thing hangin' off my shoulder is somethin' completely different." Kazuha stated plainly. "Of course it's the carrier, idiot. Let's hurry up an' get him in it before he decides it's time ta run away again."
"Fer a cat that causes so much trouble, he sure does get all docile once ya put him in it, doesn't he?" Heiji asked, arching a brow, watching as Kazuha slipped the cloth cat carrier that she had been given by the cat's owner beforehand off of her shoulder, placing it on the ground. "What a weird cat."
"Isn't it easier this way?" Kazuha asked. "We're lucky he's such a little cat too. Compared ta Shiro from down the street, he's easy ta get back home."
"...don't remind me. That guy's overdue fer runnin' away." Heiji grumbled, carefully placing the small white cat inside of the carrier, zipping it back up before he had a chance to worm his way back out of it. It was only once the cat curled up to sleep inside of it that he took the chance to relax, letting out a long breath, his shoulders slumping.
"Well, that's one more victory fer me, though." Heiji noted, a bright grin on his face. "A nearly eighty percent success rate is nothin' ta sneeze at, right?"
"I'm not sure ya can honestly claim it's that high, when half of that count is made up of the same two cats." Kazuha couldn't help but note, lifting up the bag, before passing it over to Heiji. "Here. I've been carryin' it all this time, so it's yer turn now, Heiji."
"Fine, fine." Grumbling a little, Heiji took the carrier from her, slipping the strap over his shoulder, careful not to disturb the cat sleeping inside. Not that much would now that he was in there- really, the part where they took him back home was always so much easier than the part where they tried to find him.
"But if yer doin' this well, maybe ya can become a detective sooner than ya think, Heiji!" Kazuha told him, a bright smile of her own on her face. "Like yer father, right?"
"Yeah!" Heiji said, nodding his head. "Of course, I'll be much, much cooler than dad!"
"Eh, I don't think that's possible! Yer dad's really cool, after all!" Kazuha said. "Of course, my dad's even cooler."
"What was that? Do ya wanna fight, Kazuha?" Heiji asked, the expression on his face making it clear that he wasn't serious. "But well, yer old man is pretty cool too! Maybe not as cool as mine, but he'll do in a pinch, I guess!"
"Geez, talkin' like that after ya drag me all around with ya fer a missin' cat search." Kazuha huffed. "We had better hurry up an' get home though Heiji. I'm startin' ta get a bit hungry."
"Now that ya mention it, me too." Placing a hand on his stomach, Heiji let out a small laugh as it grumbled a little, almost in response to his words. His mother had promised that she was going to cook one of his favorites tonight, so he couldn't help but be a little bit excited! "Now let's see, the best way ta get home from here..."
Freezing, Heiji felt a cold sensation crawl up the back of his neck. He had been so focused on chasing after the cat, that he hadn't been paying any attention to where they were going. It was only now that he was, that he started to slowly realize something about their current surroundings.
"...um, Kazuha?" Slowly glancing in her direction, he quickly realized that she had determined much the same that he had. "...do ya recognize where we are?"
"Eh? Ya mean ya don't!?" Kazuha asked, her eyes going wide.
"No, I was kind of... not payin' attention." Heiji confessed, shaking his head. So that's what that cold sensation had been. It was the realization that while they had set out to find something that was lost, they had ended up becoming lost themselves.