Disclaimer: Don't own Detective Conan, but love it 3

Chapter 6: Team Heiji
Alliances are made...

He was sitting at his window, staring into the darkness outside (as dark as it got at 9pm in late summer, but one could not choose when the need to stare out a window in solitary thought occured). He had calmed down a little, but even though he knew Kazuha would probably kill him for his behaviour in front of her home, he couldn't help but congratulate him for his move.

He would NEVER be friends with that guy. He'd rather move to London to become the next Sherlock Holmes before he'd watch Kazuha and that guy being all lovey-dovey. Before he'd see them graduate together. Before he'd fake happiness when they'd get engaged. Heiji shook his head violently. Those thoughts were irrational and he knew it – most relationships at their age, between two people who rarely knew each other and came from different countries, didn't last longer than a few months – but he still could not stop the images from flooding his mind. He hated that guy.

When his cellphone rang he felt happy about the interruption. But picking it up he frowned at the caller- ID: Mouri Ran. Two possibilities: Either Kudo was calling him from his kind-of-girlfriend's phone or, and at that Heiji groaned, Kazuha had talked to Mouri and now she was going to verbally kick his ass for behaving the way he did. Sighing, Heiji picked up anyways.

"Kudo, is that you?" he asked hopefully, but his prayers weren't answered.

"Uhm, no, it's Mouri. Don't you have my number?" A confused female voice replied. Heiji sighed.

"I just thought your boyfriend might be using your phone, since you've never called before, that's all. What can I do for you, Mouri-chan?" On the inside, he was preparing for female yelling.

"I talked to Kazuha just now," the girl replied. "By the way, Shinichi's not my boyfriend. Anyways, we talked and she told me what happened." When Heiji did not react, Ran continued. "Sooooo, Kay?" she inquired, and Heiji detected a tone in her voice he could not really collate.

"What about it?" Heiji realized he sounded more defensive than he'd like to, but he couldn't help himself. Ran sighed.

"Don't you give me that tone, Mister. You blew it and you know it. And now we're stuck with this new guy!"

Heiji winced at Ran's angry tone of voice, at the same time feeling utterly confused.

"Wait, what?"

He could nearly feel Ran's glare through the phone.

"You heard me! What are you going to do? And don't you dare tell me you don't care Kazuha has a boyfriend, we both know that would be a tremendous lie!"

Heiji closed his mouth. He had thought about telling her he didn't care, but just swallowed the sentence now. Ran, on the other hand, was on a roll.

"I've known for years that you like Kazuha. Hell, I think I even knew it before you did. And since I knew Kazuha had been head-over-heels in love with you for years, I never said anything, thinking "They'll figure it out eventually". But now we're screwed!"

Heiji gasped. "Mouri..." he started, when she interrupted him.

"Just call me Ran already, we're past these things."

Heiji sat on his chair, dumbfounded. He had never heard Mouri-chan ramble like this, let alone swear. Whenever Kudo had told him about the girl's hidden temper, Heiji had just laughed it off. But now he did not know how to react.

The only thought in his mind was: "She was in love with me?"

Ran barely heard his whisper and sighed. "Of course, you idiot. No girl would put up with what we have to put up with, if she didn't love the stupid detective putting her through it. Following you around on your dumb cases, constantly being put in danger and the way you two bickered all the time was, while somehow adorable, at least a little hurtful for her, too."

Heiji still did not respond and Ran wasn't quite sure he had heard what she was telling him.

"On the other hand, the way you reacted today made your feelings quite clear, aswell, and she still didn't realise them, so your obviously both idiots."

Heiji felt as if a bus had run him over. If he was honest, deep down in his soul he had known his feelings for Kazuha. And, at the same time, he'd also known she liked him more than a friend or a brother. And somehow he'd always felt that, at the right time and place, everything would just effortlessly work itself out and they'd be together. Forever. But now he realised it that possibility seemed far, far away.

"I messed everything up," he murmured, raking his hand through his hair. Ran's voice was sympathetic as she spoke up again.

"Yes, you have." At that Heiji groaned. "But," Ran continued, "as I already told Kazuha when we talked, I am on 'Team Heiji'!"

Heiji could not help himself and chuckled. "You're what?"

"On your team, idiot. Kazuha still loves you and we're going to make her realise just that! So, tell me, what's the plan to win Kazuha back from that guy." She said 'guy' as if it was a slimy snail, which made Heiji grin.

"Well, I haven't really thought about that, to be honest," he told her. Her answer was cheery and enthusiastic and Heiji had to remember to congratulate Kudo on his choice of women, or woman, since that guy had never even looked at another girl in his life.

"Then let's come up with a plan together! Team Heiji will succeed!"


Nearly an hour later, when Ran hung up her phone, she sighed happily. They had come up with a plan to win Kazuha back and Heiji had sounded much cheerier than at the beginning of their talk. She knew she should feel guilty for doing this behind Kazuha's back, but at the same time she just wanted what's best for her friend. And she really hoped that would be Heiji. After hearing some of the stories Heiji had told her about him and Kazuha, she could not stand the thought of those two not being destined for each other. At the same time, Ran felt a sting of sadness in her own heart. All those childhood stories had reminded her of her very own baka detective, who had not called her in weeks. Like she had told Heiji before, he wasn't her boyfriend, but what girl would put up with so much hurt and chaos if she wasn't in love with the lovable idiot causing it?

Picking up her phone again she glanced at the clock. 10.30 pm. He might still be awake. Dialling his number she smiled a little. She still had Kojiro's great news to tell Shinichi. She'd make him guess mercilessly, just as he did every time he knew something she didn't. The smart-ass...
Shinichi picked up at the seventh ring.

"Shinichi!" she called excitedly, blushing at her own eagerness. His reply came slowly.

"Hello, Ran." He didn't sound as enthusiastic as usually. Ran frowned.

"Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"Just tired," he answered, but his tone of voice made Ran feel uneasy. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked, without emotion in his voice.

"I... just wanted to hear your voice and... tell you some news," she began uneasily.

Had he ever sounded like this when they spoke? He'd normally be happy and caring when she'd call. Now that she thought about it, he'd normally call her before she even had the time to miss his voice.

"But if you're busy we can talk tomorrow," she finished, waiting for his reply.

"Yeah," he mumbled, and she could visualize him ruffling his hair, "I'll call you, Ran."

With that, he just hung up. Ran gasped and stared at her phone. What was wrong with all the boys in her life? Conan had been gloomy for days, her father had picked a quarrel with her mom just when their relationship seemed to improve again and now Shinichi behaved all strange. At least Heiji had had a reason to be out of humour... The call had left Ran distressed. What if Shinichi was in danger, or sick or...

"What if he met someone?" she asked herself loudly, her eyes widening.


In his room, Conan stared unhappily at his phone. He knew Ran had to be confused after this call, he had never not wanted to talk to her. But he just wasn't ready to be told they were over. 'Cause even though they weren't officially a couple, for him she had been his for years. He wanted to kill Kojiro and burry him somewhere no one would ever find him, not even Hattori.

Conan rubbed his temples. He had never had thoughts like this, not even as a joke. Who would have known Ran could make him feel this way when they had first met in kindergarten. The cute girl, crying while trying to fold a cherry blossom. Conan frowned. He would have to win her back, but to do so, he would have to be himself. He picked up his phone and texted Haibara.

There just had to be a way to become himself again.


Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this. I love including Ran and Conan/Shinichi more into this story. I feel like Ran is the perfect companion for Heiji on his quest to win back Kazuha. What do you think? Do you like the way I write the characters or are they too OOC? And do you like the Ran/Shinichi complications? Or is this whole story just a huge mess.
Additionally, if you have any great ideas for ways to win back Kazuha, don't be shy and tell me :)

Please review and thanks for putting up with me :D

Big hugs, RiaSternchen 3