Chapter 9: The Deep Of The Night
Where things can happen in the darkness…

It was still dark outside when Kazuha woke up. She felt warm and comfortable, snuggling deeper into her covers, thereby inching closer to a source of warmth. She was still half asleep, which is why she only realised somebody moving next to her when two solid arms encircled her back, drawing her nearer. Suddenly awake, Kazuha blinked, staring at a patch of very tanned skin peeking out from a big white t-shirt. Instantly, her heart beat increased as Heiji, the source of warmth, stretched a little in his sleep, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her scent before snoring on.

Kazuha felt a sudden urge to push away, but as her hands moved against Heiji's chest she couldn't help but marvel at the feel of his body under her fingertips. Heat radiated from his evenly breathing body under his shirt and she wondered how his skin would feel against hers.

She felt a blush slowly make its way over her body, heat tingling in her stomach. Cautiously, Kazuha shifted her head upwards – slowly – moving her nose into the crook of Heiji's neck, tentatively inhaling his scent. He smelled like sunlight and the faintest hint of his cologne and so very much like Heiji – a smell she had grown up with and gotten used to, while at the same time loving the feelings it evoked in her.

Realising her heart was beating like a drum she tried to put a little distance between their bodies, only to take a better look at his sleeping form. When they had gone to bed last night she had put two pillows between them, making him chuckle, while telling him to keep his distance. She had no idea where those pillows might have gone, but looking at his peacefully sleeping form she couldn't make herself feel mad.

Realizing her hands were still resting on his chest she flushed at a sudden thought that crossed her mind, if only for an instance. Kazuha bit her lower lip and caught her breath, carefully tracing a line down his stomach with her right hand, until she reached the hem of his shirt where the brown skin of his belly surfaced under the garment. If she was really cautious she wouldn't wake him. So, slowly, her fingertips grazed the tanned flesh of his stomach, his skin amazingly smooth and warm under her ministrations. As she drew small circles on his skin, around his belly button and along the waistband of his sleeping pants, she realized how his heartbeat increased under the hand still placed on his chest and how he sometimes sucked in a breath when she traced a certain spot on his stomach.

Slowly pulling her hand away, Kazuha glanced at Heiji's still sleeping face, her left hand now tracing his neck up to his cheek. She knew she should not take advantage of the situation, knew she should feel bad because of Kay, knew she should try to detach herself from her feelings for that Ahou, but at the same time she couldn't just walk away.

Taking a deep breath, she tipped her head upwards, inching closer again and feeling his hands draw her nearer as he felt her move in his embrace.

"This is it," she thought, "my one chance to know what it feels like to kiss him, so I can stop thinking about it." But even in her foggy state of mind she knew that was only a pretend. She wanted to kiss him. She always had. She probably always would.

As her mouth pressed to his, she felt the softness of his lips against hers. Suddenly, as if he was waking up, he started reciprocating her movements, tightening his embrace around her, moving his lips against hers. She sighed, melting into his embrace, a shiver running along her body as she heard a quiet moan escape his mouth. "'Zuha."

He deepened the kiss and she felt herself press closer to him, forgetting everything around her except the feeling of his body under her searching fingers. As she opened her eyes to look into his dark green ones, she was greeted by Kay's sad and accusing gaze.

"Really, Kazuha, that's how you treat me?"

Kazuha jolted awake, sitting up straight, her heart pounding in her chest. Next to her, behind a wall of pillows, Heiji stirred in his sleep.

"You alright, 'Zuha?" he asked, his voice sleepy.

Kazuha nodded, taking some calming breaths.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just hit my head in my sleep," she lied, staring at her hands that had been roaming Heiji's body in her dream.

"Clumsy," she heard him mutter as he turned onto his other side, easily slipping back to sleep. For a moment Kazuha buried her face in her hands. Whatever had brought on that dream – and she knew it was probably a mixture of everything that had happened that day and probably half of her life- she had to sort out her feelings.

Suddenly her decision to stay clear of Heiji, to move on and get a life didn't seem as appealing anymore. If she was honest with herself she knew she would probably never be able to leave Heiji out of her life for good, while at the same time a mere friendship with him, without any of her feelings surfacing, did not seem possible, too. At all.

Kazuha glanced at the clock on the bedside table: Half past three. Exhausted, she settled back into the pillows, whishing for sleep to come. Still, she stared at the ceiling, thinking, trying not to look at the man lying mere inches away from her.


Some streets away, Conan startled awake from his sleep, staring at the female form shaking him softly.

"Ran-nee-chan?" he mumbled sleepily, sitting up as Ran sat down next to him.

"You were talking in your sleep, nearly screaming," she told him, a concerned look on her face. Conan took a deep breath, leaning back against the pillows. He'd probably dreamed of the Black Organization, though he couldn't remember anything.

"I'm sorry, Ran, I didn't mean to wake you," he mumbled, moving his hand through his unruly hair.

She smiled sadly, her hand calmly tracing the line of his arm.

"Never mind, Shinichi, you probably dreamed about the Dark Organization," she whispered softly.

"It's Black Organi… Wait, what?" he asked her, suddenly aware of her use of his name.

"Oh, sorry, Black Organization, of course," she excused herself, nodding absentmindedly. "Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she continued as he gripped her wrist.

"What do you mean? How do you know about that? About me?" he shrieked and for a moment she stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

"What do you mean, Shinichi? You told me six years ago, when the antidotes stopped working on you. You told me everything, so we both could move on with our lives." Ran watched him with a careful and inquiring gaze and he gasped, standing up and walking towards the mirror on the wall.

Staring back at him was a teenage version of himself, and, as Ran walked up behind him, he realized slight changes in her appearance – a different hairstyle and something different in her eyes.

He turned around, gripping both her arms, probably harder than he intended and shook her slightly.

"What happened?" he exclaimed, his heart beating in his chest, "what happened to us?"

Her expression did not change.

"Nothing happened. I moved on, you began your life as Edogawa Conan for real. That's all."

He closed his eyes. It had to be a dream, he realized. He had just told Hattori about the possibility of the antidote not working, so this could not already be happening.

Still, when he made himself wake up from his nightmare, cold sweat on his forehead, his heart still pounding against his ribs, Conan knew he had just seen a possible future for himself.


Author's Notes:

You know I love this fandom. I've always loved Heizuha as a couple and everything DC, but I recently started writing in another genre (Vampire Diaries) and I was reminded how it feels to actually get reviews and alerts when you post a chapter. (And it feels so nice…)

I appreciate each and everyone of you who reviews, but I just wanted to say that at the moment it is so much easier to find motivation to write for that other story because of the many reviews I get there .

So I hope you continue reading and reviewing, because I intend to finish my Heizuha fics. But anything you write me makes me happy.

Happy Easter!

Ria