A/N: This is just a random story, swear. And I have so many random stories to be written I wanted to post them. But I'm still waiting for the internet, and I stole some glimpses of going online while I visited my grandma's place. Some research will be made for the characters' names, so don't worry, Search for the Lost Soul is still alive as it is.

Since I care for you guys, I'll be collecting one shots for you to read while I work on STLS.

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The winter has finally made a stop all throughout Japan. A careless rainfall of snow had already started to come down from the clouds, and the temperature began drooping as the snow plunged onto the now white pavement. Christmas Eve is coming; the streets now a busy blur as people come and go to Christmas Shops for decorations or coffee shops to warm themselves up.

Osaka had made no exception to the cold weather it brought. And the temperature at times vary when it's already winter. This year, it begun to be much colder than the years Osaka snowed.

Hattori Heiji walked in a brisk towards the comfort of his home, his figure a shivering mess as he tried – but failed – to warm himself. Muttering under his breath, he cursed for being stupid not to bring a coat, made an entrance at his door and went to the bathroom for a long, hot shower.

. . .

Now clad in a thick jacket and jeans, Heiji made himself a cup of hot tea. The scent of warm green leaves wafted through his nose, and a sudden craving for a sip burned at the tip of his tongue.

His mother was nowhere to be seen, meaning he has the house all to himself.

The snowflakes crashing at the ground soothed his nerves. Chilly, cold, and soothing; a blessing which Heiji would pay a thousand katanas for. Although the weather in Osaka can be scorching in the summer and freezing in the winter, there was this nous where he'd love it all the same. There was so many to love at a city none other than the Kansai region, and there were so many buildings and sights to be excited about and gaze at.

From a distance he can hear the sound of children running and laughing, all the giddiness of a child now erupted and settled for a play in the snow. What caught his attention was the faint, melodic music coming from a piano. It may be a bit far and faint from where he stood, but he can hear it. The soft piano sounds playing a jolly Christmas tune, all made by the fingers of Toyama Kazuha.

Heiji knew from the rustic sound of the piano it came from the Toyama household. None of the Toyama parentages where capable of playing a singular and comprehensive song in a piano except for her. When he and Kazuha were still children, Kazuha had begged from her parents to buy her a piano; as long as she promised them she'd kept training in her aikido and getting high grades at school. Her parents surprised her on her birthday the piano. She was ecstatic to find an instrument she wanted to play for so long sitting at one corner of their living room, waiting to be played and make music.

For days after school she'd return home and teach herself to play basic piano music. Heiji would situate himself at a coach nearby and listen to her play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. He'd never admitted it before, but Heiji loved hearing her play the piano. Every day he'd come with her and listen to her as she improved her playing.

It was after the death of her mother she stopped. Back when they were just twelve years old, Kazuha's mother stopped breathing in her hospital bed, and Kazuha stopped playing the piano.

Heiji wondered why she stopped; until now he'd still wonder. After five years of wondering, he was as clueless as an innocent dog, despite how smart and whimsical he was of murder cases and puzzling mysteries.

And yet, he'd question himself about Kazuha's life. From her startling mood swings to her caring nature. Her smiles of purity she'd give to him after he'd done a great job to her loud, shrill voice as she yells at him for being plain stupid. He'd question himself why his heart would pick up its pace as she is only a few inches or centimeters away from him, or the sudden outbreak of a warmness that settles on his cheeks while she touches him. The tingles and chills from his spine were held for interrogation, yet, there was still no answer.

He'd have to dig in deeper to find it.

As he walks down the snowy pavement of the neighborhood, the sound of the piano playing becomes louder. Cue in the quick pace his heart is creating.

He opened the gate of her household slowly in order to not startle the girl. Toyama – ojisan was away with his father for a police inspection at the Kyoto prefecture, leaving her the house all to herself as well.

There she sits on the bench, her fingers pressing lightly on the keys as it produced a sound, Silent Night playing at the background.

Heiji smiled to himself as he watched her from a crack of the door. A melancholic (he doesn't know why he felt melancholy at the time) and nostalgic feeling corrupting his senses as he eavesdropped to her play. He felt like an intruder invading a concert uninvited; and he'd never felt happier to hear her play the piano again.

The smoothness of her playing, the perfect pauses in the song, and a cup of tea perched at the top; he's literally in cloud nine. Kazuha, no matter how long it has been since she's played the piano, had improved. He could remember the last time she'd play, and he'd laugh at the clumsy and careless eight year old Kazuha when she pressed the wrong key.

Looking at her made Heiji feel warm, despite her not even looking at him. Here comes the feeling of fuzziness that had him question himself a thousand times what, how, and why he is feeling like this as he looks, or even glances, at her for even a second.

He clapped amidst the silence when she came to a stop.

"You idiot! You should've at least warned me you were here! I thought the ghost of Christmas eve came here for a visit!" She placed a hand by her chest, taking calm breathes and glaring at the dark skinned man.

He grinned. "I'm more than a ghost, Kazuha. I'm an eagle; watching you as you move about at your home." She gasped.

"Pervert!" She yelled and threw a stuffed bunny at him, giggling all the while.

"I was just joking, idiot."

"You're the idiot." He sat beside her and pressed a key.

"So, playing the piano again huh?" He said, giving her a side glance which gave him a glimpse of her light green irises that hid behind long lashes.

"I was bored, and there wasn't anything I could resort to. The piano became the only choice for entertaining myself, so I played."

"You haven't played for a long time."

"Yeah."

Silence. They spoke no words. The clock ticked behind them, a click sound echoed.

"Why'd you stop before?" Heiji questioned out of the blue.

"Eh?" Kazuha countered.

"Playing the piano. You know, after your mom, um, died." He sounded straightforward. She inhaled sharply.

Dark, forest green eyes waited for an emotion to pop out, but her face was blank. Like a writer who fears writers block the most. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to get the words out of her mouth. Incoherent sentences were what she could think of, ignorant choices of words yet to be written out on a piece of paper.

Yet, Heiji waited. He waited for her to speak out a mystery he hasn't figured out. A book waiting to be published.

"It reminded me too much of everything." She finally responded, and he questioned her again.

"Everything?"

"Her sick form lying on the bed. That faint beating of the heart monitor at her's and dad's bedroom." Her voice croaked. "The look on her eyes, her hopeful and assuring eyes, staring straight at me and telling me everything is okay, but it wasn't."

Ah, it was the time when her mother was sick with cancer. It was a long and strong battle, but she lost unwillingly. Her father couldn't afford paying the hospital bills, and her mother wanted to live her final days at her own home, so they asked a caregiver to help them and placed a miniature, hospital like ambiance here.

Heiji listened while she spoke. Elbows now rested on top of the piano, and Kazuha gave a sigh of sorrow. There was a sudden pop in her head an image of her mother's weak and smiling face.

"I remembered I'd play for her while she listens. She loved hearing me play." Me too. "You remembered when we were small I'd hurry out of school and rush back home right? Mom would wait for me at home. And as soon as I arrive, I'd play."

. . .

"Oi Kazuha! Will you slow down a bit?"

"I need to play!"

"Aho! You will! Just, slow down! You're running too fast!"

. . .

Heiji smiled. She'd always rush back after school.

"I love playing the piano. When mom died, there was just no reason for me to continue playing. She was my inspiration. Knowing she isn't here anymore, there's no will for me to continue." She said ruefully, and the tears sprang from her eyes.

There was not much for him to do. Comfort wouldn't help; he knew it was not okay. He may not be the most consoling and gentle person the world whom people would ever go to, but he knew lending people soothing words wouldn't comfort a loss.

Because no matter how much we assure them nothing will go back to the way it is. Death will be Death. It is a much bigger loss than to that of a broken friendship. Besides, no one has ever cheated on death.

Okay, aside from a certain Detective of the East who's supposed to be dead now but instead shrunk into a tiny and scrawny seven – year old. What are the odds?

So Heiji let her cry. He listened to her sobbing while he sat there and watched her.

"Sometimes, there are other things that will us to continue what we love to do, even if the sole reason for us to do it in the first place is gone."

"What?" she probed. Nonchalantly sipping from her cup of tea, Heiji savored its rich taste. Tea made by Kazuha was absolutely the best. He looked at her.

"I'm saying you shouldn't let your mother's death be the obstacle that prevents you from doing what you loved most. Playing the piano didn't just become a hobby for you to do; it became a part of your life. Sure it may remind you of your mom, but wouldn't it prompt you of all the happiness it gave you?"

She said nothing.

"It's like your saying playing the piano was a job for you to do every day."

"It's not like that, aho!" she screamed in frustration. What right does he have to say it was a requirement for her?

"I know, you idiot. It's just that I'm pointing out that you should play not just for someone else, but rather for yourself. It was a thing you wanted to do, before your mom got sick with cancer." He braced himself internally, and knowing his childhood best friend he'd immediately beat him to a pulp.

Remarks such as his weren't welcome to the brown haired girl; witty, smart, and very sarcastic remarks from the Detective of the West are some things she despised about him. Nonetheless, it'd hit her down to the dumps because reality and truth are such bitches, and it was true.

How is it that he can see through her so well? Not to mention she was as vulnerable as heck. If she had a yen for all the times Heiji hit her so hard with his remarks, it had reach more than a thousand yen.

"You're right. But it'll still remind me of the things that happened during that time." She agreed. You can't escape the truth, no one can.

"Let them become one of the things that made you pursue it. Just imagine I'm your mom, and you'd play for me every day." A very beautiful way for saying 'play for me' by Hattori Heiji. Way to spur the moment. Her light green eyes rolled.

"Aho. You're criticizing what you just said." She pointed. He shrugged.

"So, are you going to play or what? I didn't come here just to give you pep talk now, eh?" He was the only guy she'd know who'd smile so much. And she'd grin in return.

"Thanks, Heiji. I didn't know you can give such heartwarming advices. You don't know how much it means to me." She meant what she said. She had never been more than thankful to have Heiji in her life.

"Play from the heart Kazuha." Closing his eyes, he listened to her telling him to stop being so sappy and went to playing one of his favorite songs. A gift he assumed she gave to him in return for the talk he managed to offer.

Plus, he liked to hear her yell at him for the stupid things he rarely and occasionally say. He admitted he loved that thing about her. It was normal for them, normal for him. But if it meant for him to listen to her while she plays, then he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Maybe he'd realized now what the heartbeats and blushes meant to him. Though he isn't considering he should tell her today. Her song was enough for him to drown himself into the Christmas feeling of love, family, and joy.

Thus, there comes a sound of joyous playing and off – key singing frolicking around the Toyama household.

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A/N: It was longer than what I'd expect it to be. Inspired by a story I read from an Aoko and Kaito theme.