KudoEdogawa presents...

""The Summer Without You""

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Chapter 2::

The sun slowly rises from the horizon, facing Mother Nature's creations, turning her greens to gold. Tiny rays of sunlight pierced through the closed curtains and landed themselves on Kazuha's face. Kazuha stirred in her sleep and woke up. She sat up on her bed and yawned contently. Kazuha approached her mirror sitting on the wall and brushed her brown hair from her face and stared blankly into the mirror, recounting last night's events. She had persuaded Heiji to go to the Kuraki Mai concert, and she didn't have to pay for it..., not only that, she had kissed him. A satisfied smiled came to her face, but the moment later, she slapped her face with both hands.

Why had she done that? She had tried so hard to deny that fact that she loves him, and now all those hard work of deceive had been pointless. How would Heiji look at her now? As a stupid little girl that couldn't control herself? She let out a frustrated moan at the thought of Heiji's reactions, unknowing that Heiji had enjoyed that little peck.

The youngest member of the Toyama residence got out of her pajamas and got dressed. She entered the kitchen and looked at the messy note scribbled down on the table two years ago and has been there on the table since that day on.

Gone to work, Hattori's picking you up.

Take care, love
Dad

And that has been how she started her morning every weekday for the past two years: wake up, eat breakfast and wait for Heiji. But today was going to be different. For one, it's summer, so there's no need for Heiji to pick her up, and for two, she's decided to take a walk.

She left the house, humming to herself, her mood high above the clouds. Kazuha was skipping and singing as she turned at a corner and entered an alleyway, heading for the park at the other end of the alley. A soft, muffled rumbling was behind her, slightly worried, she turned around and saw nothing behind her. Thinking that she imagined the rumble, Kazuha walked on, though turning her head back every now and then.

Kazuha had stepped out of the alley, greeted by the greeneries of the park, then she heard it again--rumbling sounds, like a motorcycle. Kazuha looked behind her again and saw it, a man, (or was it a woman?), wearing a large coat and a helmet, staring at her through the visors on a huge, black, motorcycle, beckoning her to go back to the other end of the alley.

Kazuha shook her head nervously, and broke into a run. She ran along the sidewalk around the park, bumped into a man, and let out a terrified scream. Her cell phone had fell out of her pocket and the man picked it up

"Dude, what the hell are you scream about?" Said a voice way too familiar.

Kazuha looked up, "Heiji?"

The Osaka detective was looking at her, one eyebrow raised. Heiji shifted his attention to her cell phone, "Why didn't you answer my calls?" His eyes were fixed on the tiny screen, fingers moving around on the little pad, navigating the cell phone as if it was his. "See, 4 missed calls from..."

His eyes widened, and he stared bewilderedly at the screen, "...Lil' Hei-kun!?!?"

Kazuha picked herself up from the ground, blushing furiously, and snatched the phone out of his hands. "Yeah, you got a problem with that!?" She shouted at Heiji, who, upon realizing that he has a pet name, flushed, his dark face turning into a deep magenta.

It was a while after when they had both calmed down, and Heiji asked, "So, what were you running away from anyway? A squirrel?"

Kazuha hit him rather hard in the head with her handbag, which contained her purse, her CD player, and the latest volume of JUMP. "No, it was a stalker for your information!!"

"A stalker?" Heiji repeated suspiciously, rubbing his head.

Kazuha looked at his expression of suspicion, "That expression..." Kazuha growled in a threatening voice, and Heiji knew what was wrong and tried hastily to change his expression into a serious, concerned expression, though he know it was no use. "...you can go to hell!!" Kazuha finished, punching Heiji and sending him into the air.

Kazuha stood there counting, "One, two, three...." There was an accelerating noise as Heiji crashed back on to the ground. "Five seconds, hmm..., could've sent you a little higher though. Now... what do we say?"

"Sorry," Heiji said with a face full of bruises.

The two of them had arrived at a certain ice cream shop, and to further apologize, Heiji had offered to pay for their ice creams, although it was because of the dangerous tone that Kazuha talked in when Heiji took out money enough for only himself.

"...So then I kept walking, and when I finally came out of the alley, I heard it again. That's when I turned around and saw him (or her, I don't know), so I got scared and started running and I bumped into you."

"And you let out a scream easily mistaken to that of a banshee's," Heiji said dully, and continued on before Kazuha could retort, "but anyway, I'm pretty sure you just imagined it. I mean, after all, who would want to stalk an ugly, old hag?"

Heiji's face screwed up in horror after realizing what he had just said. Kazuha smiled at Heiji. "AN UGLY, OLD HAG, HUH? WELL, IN THAT CASE, YOU CAN GO." A slap. "TO." A punch. "HELL!!!" A kick at where it hurts. Kazuha turned on her heels and left.

Kazuha was muttering curses under her breath, still completely furious at Heiji. The sun was already sinking when she got home, illuminating the house. Kazuha unlocked the door, opened it, went inside, and closed the door--but it was stopped. Kazuha stared in horror as the person wearing the coat and helmet tried to force herself through the gap of the door. Kazuha let out a shrill scream and whacked the person with her handbag.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Kazuha screamed, and attempted the punch the person.

Her punch was caught by the other, "Now, now, girl," It was a woman after all, "come with me silently. We don't want to bruise your beautiful face now, do we?"

Kazuha kicked upwards, making the woman release her grip momentarily, Kazuha ran inside her house, seeking protection.

"Get her!" She heard the woman shout followed by footsteps. Four men in black suits entered her room and seized her. The woman came in a second later and laid a note on Kazuha's bed:

Dad,

I'm going camping with Hattori-kun, and then I'm going to Tokyo, don't know when I'll be back, but don't worry about me.

Love, Kazu

"Who are you?" Kazuha asked.

"Aiya, haven't you figured it out by now?" The woman took off her coat, revealing a black dress. Her hand slowly up to the helmet and she took it off, revealing a beautiful, yet cold and deadly face, blonde hair, and a evil smirk on her face. "I'm a member of the so-called 'Black Organization.'"

Kazuha stared in fear upon recognition of the woman's face.

"You may call me......

Vermouth."

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