STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLIED.

Rating: T

Warning: Not beta-ed, pretty rushed annnnd, well…RANDOMNESS! :)

Note: written for iu_fanfiction Challenge # 20 | 5. Detour

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That moment, she didn't know if fate loved or hated her.

Tôyama Kazuha felt a weird mixture of pleasure and irritation, as she watched her companion, the dubbed 'Detective of the West' Hattori Heiji, in panic.

Yes, in panic.

Well, why not when he or rather, they ended up stuck in the most compromising-slash-awkward position possible?

Not to mention inside a manhole too.

For some reason, Heiji turned out to be on her lap with him facing her, after they both fall from the road with an open manhole where an ongoing construction fatefully had to take place. They had been there for almost thirty minutes now (and counting!), and at least five feet below the road. And with one wrong move, they'd be sure to land on something hard…and wet.

'Screw road constructions!' she mentally noted, as she continued watching him search his phone with poor lighting. She inwardly cursed for how fate had to be cruel. For of course, she needed a long, undisturbed shower and a beauty rest that moment, especially after the draining exams before summer break.

And God knows how precious those times were for a woman.

Now her legs were completely numb, as she was caring her weight and some of his, so she decided to break his panic, "Ugh, s-stop moving, aho(1)!"

Well, only to make it worst.

"I'm looking for my phone, aho," Heiji answered as he persisted on examining all his pockets, all the while praying that his phone wasn't in his bag that moment.

She creased her eyebrows as she sees no connection with the topic at hand, "Ugh, for Pete's sake, why not use a high-pitched, irritating voice instead to ask for help?"

"And why not use your dim-witted brain to know that it's easier to call someone for help?" Heiji huffed as he flicked a finger to Kazuha's forehead.

"Ow!" she rubbed her temples in irritation. Surely, it wasn't the time for his freaky, I'm-so-damn-good deductions. "Oh fine, oh-so-mighty detective. Know what? Just make sure that damn phone would save us," she huffed, as she distracted him more with sarcasm.

A childish smile was instantly on Heiji's face as he finally found the very object of his interest. His phone with its dangling memento, thank goodness, was still in one piece, "Yosh, got it."

Then without wasting another second, he started dialing numbers. "O-Oi, Kuruba," Heiji started as the receiver picked the call, "Oi, help me." Then, moments later he realized he just phoned the wrong person.

"Why? Girl trouble?"

He just couldn't believe he had to receive a joke that moment, "A-Aho! Of course not!" he said defensively. Though, somehow the supposed joke conveyed some truth in it.

"Where are you anyway?"

"In a…manhole," Heiji replied rather awkwardly.

"Wow, with a girl, I can see that."

Bull's eye. "A-Aa, with Kazuha."

"Ah, you mean the sexy babe in ponytails? Man, you got taste—ow!" and after that, the line went dead.

"Right, I should've known."

"H-Heiji," she frailly said as she moved her frozen legs a bit to ease the numbness, "I'm tired."

"Hold on," Heiji replied as he dialed another number. Unfortunately, he had pushed the wrong buttons yet again, "Hello, Kudo?"

'Now why the heck is Kudo on my speed dial?' he added as an afterthought.

"Oh, Hattori," a sleepy voice was heard from the other line, "What is it?"

"Oi, Kudo, help me."

"Hah, so rare of you to ask my help. Where are you—" the other stopped midway as a familiar voice calling "Conan-kun" was heard.

"Conan?" and confused look from her was what he received next.

"A-Aho! I'm talking to Kudo—Kudo? Oi, Kudo!" and, there came a slip.

Plock! Phone? Gone. "Darn it!"

An hour passed, and there were still no sign of any lifesaver.

"Ugh. Kami, why?" Kazuha said with an exasperated tone. "See? I told you shouting for help would be easier!"

Heiji 'tsk'ed in annoyance. "Well then, let me see you do it!"

Well, now that she thought about it, it actually did sound stupid, "A-As I remember, I'm still sane to not do that."

"Then, we're staying here."

"Great." But then again, her legs were screaming agony. "Come on! Do it!"

"Whose fault was it anyway? At least a detour sounds better than being stuck in a manhole."

"Oh yeah?" Kazuha fired back, "Then whose fault was it when we had to cross the path that should not be crossed?"

"Then what made us in here in the first place?"

Yet, for some peace of mind, she decided to give up. "Ugh. Of all the things that should happen, it has to be—o-oi, what's that?"

"What's what?"

A sight of disgust filled Kazuha's face as she pointed something near him, "The… thing… there, o-on your shoulder."

"A cockroach," he replied casually, "What about—"

An ear-splitting scream then made him pierce his back further on one side of the hole. Immediately after, he decided to check if his eardrums were still on its good state.

He sighed.

Girls.

He just couldn't understand on how Kazuha could manage to keep her insect fears intact and be an Aikido(2) expert at the same time. Amusing, yes, but that didn't change the fact that they might fall if Kazuha wouldn't stop flailing.

"Put it away! Put it away! Put it aw—oh!"

"Okay, okay! It's gone. I—"

After a sudden contact due to the unwanted creepy-crawly, they stopped almost simultaneously as they made themselves aware on how close their faces were.

So close, that she could feel his breath fanning towards her flushed face.

So close, that she was being mindful if he could hear her heartbeats too.

"So…" Heiji trailed (while his hands were still on both her shoulders), as he leaned closer, unsure of what to say next.

She didn't know why, but she loves that side of Heiji. Hesitant yet coo—

'Wait, what am I thinking?'

As if on cue, her blush intensified, still holding her breath instinctively. "M-Maybe we should just wait for someone?" she managed to say at last.

Smirk. "Sounds good to me," and just as they were to close their distance, it seemed that some had to come on a perfect timing.

Two figures with big grins on their faces, "Oooooi, need a hand?"

~fin

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FOOTNOTES:

'Aho' – Literally means "stupid" / "idiot" (usually used by Japanese folks [especially people from Osaka] with Kansai-ben), but it's actually Heiji and Kazuha's term of endearment for each other. Or…at least that's what I like to assume. :)

'Aikido' – a Japanese martial art where Kazuha is skilled; same with Ran on Karate. Said skill can be seen on Detective Conan Movie 10: The Private Eyes' Requiem, or to other episodes which…I can't remember.

(AND YES YOU GOT THAT RIGHT. THE TWO FIGURES WITH BIG GRINS ON THEIR FACES WERE KAITOU AND SHINICHI - in Conan form. :P I don't have any idea how they managed to track the two though. XD I'm leaving it to your imaginations, beybeh!) This would be my first Detective Conan fic (so don't sue me! :P), so I'm still mada mada. I...well, I just love Heiji x Kazuha to pieces that I can't resist putting both of them into a fluffy chic-fic! :) YAY! Thanks for reading (if someone actually took the time to read)! So, isn't a review lovely? Hmm… I wonder. :P