I hate how long it took me to get this chapter out and running. Sorry about the long wait. This chapter is written by pure instinct, so I hope it's to your satisfaction. I hope it didn't seem too OOC…
Zephefula: Thanks. It took a couple of tries with this kind of crossover but I definitely think I have a winner in this one. It's rather fun to do… I just have to watch to make sure there aren't any more inconsistencies…
HappieApple: I thought the fact that Dorumon and Conan having the same voice actor had been such a coincidence… (had decided on the two of them being together long before I discovered that fact). I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much.
TwilTye: I'll try to keep the teamwork is the best to a minimum. Mostly thought it was a valid point to be brought up with the hostility between Heiji and Hakuba. Plus, it was a fun excuse to get them stuck with one another *snerk*.
LeonaWriter: I admit I hadn't been too sure what I was going to do with who I put Heiji with but my liking for sticking him with Hakuba ended up winning me over in the end *sheepish smile*.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Detective Conan. If I did, there would be another Tamers season and way more of Kid and Hakuba.
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Chapter Ten Stranded
Heiji groaned as he woke up. He had the biggest headache ever.
He tried to get up, only to find himself pinned down where he lay. Growing alert, Heiji's eyes snapped open as he tried to investigate that which was hindering his movements.
It wasn't what he expected… or rather, who.
"GET OFF!" Heiji all but shrieked, pushing a startled Hakuba off of him.
"Damn… you scream like a girl…" Hakuba grumbled, rubbing his ringing ears.
Heiji grabbed Hakuba by the collar and drew him close. "Did you just call me a girl?" he growled angrily. Hakuba smirked in amusement.
"Pretty much," he said in as nonchalant a voice as possible.
Letting out a battle cry, Heiji aimed to punch Hakuba's face in when he finally noticed their surroundings.
"Er… I don't think our sky had that in the center of it…" he said, eyes wide as he gazed upon the giant blue orb above him.
"Clearly," Hakuba said dryly. "Considering the wasteland we're standing in and the strange light show from the sky, we're definitely not on Earth… as bizarre as it is."
Heiji looked at Hakuba incredulously.
"We're partnered to creatures that not only talk but have the ability to evolve into more powerful version of themselves and you think this is bizarre?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Point taken," Hakuba remarked. "Speaking of our partners, they're nowhere in sight."
Heiji blinked as he realized what Hakuba said was right. Kotemon and Hawkmon were missing. He started swearing up a storm.
"Do you kiss Kudo-kun with that mouth?" Hakuba inquired with raised eyebrows. Heiji turned to Hakuba, looking at him like he was the craziest person alive.
"Hell no! Why would I do that?! I told ya that he and I are like brothers!" Heiji said, flushing in embarrassment.
"No… you said you and Conan-kun were like brothers," Hakuba said, amber eyes gleaming as Heiji look like a deer caught in the headlights. "Come to think of it… you tend to confuse Conan-kun and Kudo-kun a lot. Care to explain why?"
Heiji's mouth gaped open and closed for a few seconds before he turned away from Hakuba, to avoid his perceptive eyes.
"I don't have to explain anythin' to ya!" he exclaimed hotly. "Conan-kun and Kudo just remind me of each other, that's all!" He shivered as he felt Hakuba's breath against his neck. The British detective had gotten awfully close…
"That's not all there is to it, is it, Hattori-kun?" Hakuba whispered into his ear, smirking as Heiji shuddered nervously. "You're hiding something."
"It's none of your business," Heiji grounded out, turning to face Hakuba before noticing just how close they were. He scrambled to put some distance in between them but Hakuba grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip and didn't let go.
"You're not going anywhere just yet, Hot-Blooded-Detective-kun…" Hakuba smirked, eyes flashing arrogantly as he noticed how flustered Heiji was getting.
"I told ya to leave me alone!" Heiji yelled, growing frustrated. He let his desperation do the talking for him.
He kicked Hakuba between his legs.
Letting out a startled cry of pain, Hakuba crumpled to the ground and released Heiji as he went down.
"To hell with bein' partners…" Heiji spat, eyes flashing with anger before he ran off.
"Son of a bitch," Hakuba swore, his voice an octave higher than normal. It took him a few moments before he was able to get back on his feet and chase after the fleeing Osakan.
'Kudo's goin' to kill me,' Heiji thought to himself. 'I just got Hakuba breathing down our necks!'
He didn't know where the hell he was going, he was just trying to get away. He knew this was perhaps the stupidest thing he'd done to date, particularly when they were God-knows-where.
Taking out his D-Arc, he tried to look for the compass feature. He had to look for Kotemon. That was all he could hope for doing while in this strange world…
That was… if Kotemon and Hawkmon had accompanied the two detectives in their trip through dimensions…
Heiji shook his head to get the doubtful thoughts out of his head. Kotemon had to be there. He could feel his presence… as odd as it was. He had no idea where his partner was but his presence could be felt…
"Finally…" he breathed as he saw the compass appear. 'Left…'
He continued to run in that direction… until he came face to face with a cliff.
"Shit… now where?" he groaned, staring at the compass, waiting for it to settle and show him which direction to go.
That was when a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Feeling his heart leap into his throat, Heiji whirled around to see a rather angry Hakuba standing there.
"Found you," the Brit said. "Now tell me, what is so important that you're willing to be so reckless?"
Heiji didn't say anything, he just glared in defiance.
He tried to kick Hakuba again, but this time, the British detective had been ready for him and he grabbed his leg before it could hit him.
"That won't work this time!" Hakuba said and he forced Heiji to the ground and pinned him, making sure he couldn't move at all. "Just what are you hiding? Is it worth gambling your life over?"
Heiji bucked against Hakuba, trying to dislodge him. "Keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong!" he growled.
"This coming from a detective," Hakuba said, raising an eyebrow. "You know how it is, Hattori-kun… the more someone hides something, the more a detective wants to know it."
"That's how we get trapped in all of our problems to begin with! I'm tryin' to save ya the trouble of knowing what ya shouldn't, so back off!" Heiji said. 'In more ways than ya know.'
"How noble of you," Hakuba said, undaunted. "But keep your concerns to yourself."
"I hate you!" Heiji shrieked before he head-butted Hakuba and scrambled away as fast as he could.
"You stubborn bastard…" Hakuba groaned, rubbing his head. The number of injuries he was receiving in his quest to trap the Osakan was getting a little out of hand…
"Why won't you just let it go?" Heiji demanded.
Hakuba was about to respond when the ground began to shake and two Monochromon popped out, looking quite hostile.
"Shit!" Heiji swore as he struggled to regain his balance and keep out of the way of the two angry digimon who were duking it out quite roughly. "AAH!" he screamed as he slipped off the edge of the cliff and began to fall.
Hakuba dived forward and grabbed him by the wrist, trying to pull him up, but as luck would have it, the ground underneath him cracked and gave way.
Now they were both falling.
Hakuba yanked Heiji towards him and held on tight, knowing that they shouldn't be separated no matter the cost.
Looking down, he saw that they were luckily falling towards the water but it wouldn't be an easy landing regardless.
Heiji woke up to see that he was lying near a warm fire.
Groaning he slowly got into a sitting position, stretching out his sore muscles. Feeling a sharp twinge of pain on his head, he found that his forehead was wrapped tightly with cloth.
"What happened?" he murmured to himself, confused.
"You bumped your head when the heavy current of the water washed us into this cave. It knocked you unconscious," was Hakuba's simple reply as he fed the flames.
"Oh…" Heiji replied, still feeling rather dazed. That was when he felt a draft. He turned red. "Where are my clothes?"
"Well, I couldn't let you sleep in wet clothing, now could I?" Hakuba said dryly. "If you haven't noticed, I'm the same way. Our clothes are drying over there." He pointed them out.
Heiji glanced over and frowned. "What happened to my shirt?" he inquired.
"I had to use something to bandage your wound," Hakuba said matter-of-factly. A vein twitched in Heiji's forehead.
"What is with you and rippin' up my shirts?" he exclaimed angrily.
"It was between yours and my own," Hakuba responded. "It was quite clear which one to pick."
"Bastard," Heiji scowled, crossing his arms across his bared chest.
They remained silent for a while before Hakuba spoke up. "That scar on your abdomen… how did you get it?" he inquired.
"Why do you care?" Heiji asked with a frown.
"I'm just curious," Hakuba commented, looking nonchalant.
"I got shot when tryin' to stop a criminal from killin' himself," Heiji finally responded after a while. Hakuba stared at him, interest peaked.
"Why? Why'd you go so far to endanger yourself because of that?" he asked.
"Someone once told me that if ya find a criminal guilty of somethin' and then let them die, you're no good than a murderer yourself," Heiji stated, looking pensive as he stared into the flames.
"It was Kudo-kun, wasn't it?" Hakuba declared, staring deep into Heiji's eyes.
"Yeah, but what's that go to do with anythin'?" the Osakan asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Nothing really… you just talk about Kudo-kun a lot. It's almost like you're his loyal little puppy the way you hero worship him," Hakuba said, nose wrinkling in disgust. Heiji glared.
"Really, what is your problem? You've never even met him and you're already criticizin' him every chance ya get," the Great Detective of the West stated.
"I hear so much about him and yet he's nowhere to be seen. Every time I see Ran-san, she's always sad while waiting for this guy who just won't come to her when she so desperately desiring his presence. It's almost like…" Hakuba broke off. 'Almost like Nakamori-san waiting for Kuroba to pay her any mind.'
"Like what?" Heiji pressed, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing, Hattori," Hakuba responded. "I'll keep my nose out of whatever business you have with Conan-kun and Kudo-kun if you keep out of mine."
"Fine," Heiji retorted before taking a look at his D-Arc. He frowned. There was no compass anymore. They'd lost track of their partners. 'Damn it.'
They remained quiet for a good long while before Heiji spoke up. "I don't hate ya… not really. You're just really annoyin'."
"I could say the same about you," Hakuba said, lips twitching into a smirk. "You wear your emotions on your sleeve."
"There's somethin' wrong with that?" Heiji asked with raised eyebrows.
"No," Hakuba admitted. "I found it refreshing to tell you the truth. You're just amusing to anger."
"Ya mean you've been pickin' on me just for fun?" Heiji inquired in disbelief. Hakuba chuckled.
"So it would seem," Hakuba said, eyes filled with mirth.
"You've got a skewed sense of entertainment," the Osakan said, shaking his head.
"Says the one who hangs out with a seven-year-old like they're best friends," Hakuba shot back.
"There's nothin' wrong with that," Heiji defended himself, crossing his arms.
"You miss Kudo-kun so much that you have to stick around his mini clone?" Hakuba teased.
"There ya go again targeting Kudo!" Heiji frowned.
"Sorry, I'll stop," Hakuba conceded. He noticed Heiji staring at him strangely. "What?"
"Ya know something… this is the first civil conversation we've ever had," the Great Detective of the West stated. "It's kind of nice."
"I suppose it is," Hakuba agreed. While he enjoyed seeing the spark of life that flared in Heiji's eyes when he was angry, it seemed equally nice to see him when he was calm and happy. He saw Heiji shiver and frowned. "Still cold?"
"Well, what do you expect? I'm only wearing my boxers right now…" Heiji grumbled.
"Come here," Hakuba stated.
"What?" Heiji queried, raising an eyebrow.
"Come here," Hakuba said patiently. "You're cold, aren't you? If we huddle together, you'll be warmer."
Heiji looked rather hesitant, not liking the idea of being in close proximity to Hakuba. The blonde-haired detective sighed.
"Fine, if you'd rather be cold, then be my guest," he said before diverting his attention away from his companion.
A few minutes later, he heard movement and Heiji dropped down next to him. Hakuba turned to see that Heiji was looking away from them.
"It's only because I'm cold," Heiji grumbled, hiding his reddened face. Hakuba smirked in amusement.
"Fine with me," he responded and they lapsed into comfortable silence.