Chick Flick

Scenario #6: The make-over… the sight of the girl all dressed up takes the guy's breath away

Better than Normal

Heiji/Kazuha

These parties were standard to him. He stood in the ballroom with glass in hand. He took a sip, two. And then, he sighed.

Heiji then sat quietly at the assigned table, drumming his fingers on the surface. One minute passed, and then two. Five. Ten. Wasn't this shindig supposed to start at seven or something? He sat at a table near the stage of the hotel ballroom. There weren't any decorations set up such as balloons and streamers, just a few candle centerpieces of blues and yellows on top of the white tablecloths. Members of the Osaka Police Force were mingling amongst themselves in the room. He could spot his father and mother speaking to a group of people at the other side of the room towards the bar.

Tonight, they were honoring Toyama-occhan. He was already here, so where was his daughter? Heiji darted his eyes to the wall, examining the lines of the Corinthian columns' details. He wasn't looking for her, per se. And he was definitely not anticipating her arrival. He just thought it was weird that her dad was already here and not her. Besides, who else would he talk to? Yes, other officers bought their own kids, but most of them were Edogawa-size, minus Kudo's brain, and after a while, they got bored of horsing around with him. At least with Kazuha, he could talk to her.

"I called her phone. She's already in the hotel," came a voice.

"Good," Heiji said before he registered the anxiety in his own voice. He grimaced slightly and turned. "I mean, seriously, she's late for her own dad's bash… don't smile like that, Kaa-chan."

Shizuka had a smirk on her red-colored lips. She could read her son better than he could read himself; it was a maternal thing, perhaps. "Women take time to prepare themselves, Hei-chan."

At this, Heiji laughed. "Kazuha can throw on layers of make-up and it won't change--." Heiji cut himself short as his eyes shifted towards the door.

Oh. My. "Whu…?" Heiji breathed.

That was Kazuha, right, standing at the door? It kind of looked like her. I mean, it was a girl with a ponytail and bright green eyes… she sure looked like her. She stood at the doorway, eyes scanning over the room. Her hair was in a ponytail still, but this time, her strands were in large, loose curls. Her ears and neckline sparkled with gold jewelry. The dress that clung to her shape was a dark jade, held up with spaghetti straps, a square neckline that ran across her torso and a skirt that ended at her knees. She walked towards him in metallic gold-heeled sandals. That girl, who strangely, enchantingly looked like Kazuha, was walking towards him. Her aura seemed to glow around her; all she needed was a pink and yellow background, complete with sparkling orbs and a breeze of flower petals… God, what the hell was wrong with Heiji's mind? "Heiji! Shizuka-san!" Kazuha said when she finally joined them. "You look wonderful."

She was standing so close. He noticed her face was touched with enough make-up to enhance her already adorable features: rose on the apples of her cheeks, glossy pink on her sultry lips and deep colors on her eyelids. This girl that looked like Kazuha but… prettier? More dressed up? No matter how Heiji tried to describe her, only one thing computed in his very slow brain: as of this very moment, Kazuha looked damn good. Oh wait. She commented him just now, didn't she? Go on, his brain screamed, tell her she looks really good too! "Whu…ugh…" were the sounds that escaped Heiji's non-working mouth. Apparently, his brain and his mouth had lost connection entirely.

Shizuka took her fan and tucked it under her son's chin, closing his gaping jaw. "I believe he means you look beautiful, Kazuha."

Kazuha smiled at this, a flush adding color to her cheeks. Heiji reached for his already loose tie and pulled it down, loosening it further. Dang, did someone turn on the heater in the room?

Heiji was kicked out of his stupor when they announced that dinner was starting. Heiji took his seat right beside Kazuha, and did not pay attention at all to his tri-tip beef. He kept glancing beside him, watching her eat, watching her speak but not really listening to what she was saying.

"Heiji, what's wrong? You haven't said anything to me," she asked in a voice soft enough so their parents won't hear.

"Nothing, nothing," he stared at his buttered asparagus. He just couldn't look at her for some reason.

"Are your vegetables really that interesting?" she teased.

Heiji could only tisk. It was her fault he couldn't form coherent sentences tonight. All her fault. "Ahou," he muttered.

"You're the 'ahou'," she said back. "I've been here for an hour, and I haven't heard a real word from you. Those half words like 'Whu' and 'ugh' don't count--." Kazuha's words stopped when she felt something grip her hand. She looked down; away from the sight of their parents, under the table, Heiji reached to grasp Kazuha's hand in his. She looked back up to his face, up to his eyes.

Heiji tried to remain casual, elbow on the table, hand cradling his chin. "You look better," he told her. "Better than normal. You know?"

Kazuha was about to protest on how he couldn't give a compliment, but something held her back. Specifically, Heiji's hand. His grasp on her hand tightened and he looked away, a blush creeping on his dark cheeks. This time, she was left speechless.