Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan and the characters contained within. But I did write this story so there. Comments, input, feedback, opinions, thoughts, and flaming welcomed.

Enjoy

Chapter 1: The Fat and the Furr(y)ious.

"Haibara, dinner's still warm if you want any," said the professor at the door. Ai could hear the professor muffling words like 'she'll get sick if she goes on like this', and 'could at least have a bite' as his voice fades.

'Couldn't help it,' Ai thought. This time around she'd gotten considerably closer to rediscovering the formula to the apoptoxin, and that means closer to the counteragent. She felt like she was in 'the zone', the term she uses when she knows she's mentally at her best. 'On fire,' she whispered as the computer confirmed that the variables fit one of the equations. Why was Ai using sports terms, you ask? She's an Osaka football fan so go figure.

An artwork reflects the state of mind of the artist. She always thought it was her fault for creating No.4869. Well, it was supposed to be a deadly poison--why did it transpose into a shrinking agent? While she was under pressure and loathing her time while with the dreaded people, nothing could substantiate those claims that point to any decline in performance in the poison research. Was it her subconscious that was strong enough to force a trivial change? A defensive mechanism to prevent her from murder? If it's true, then all she has to do is to understand 'herself'. At least that's what she called it.

It was just before two o'clock in the morning before she called it quits. Stomachs don't just growl for no good reason. She took her lab coat off, placing them neatly on the chair and slowly walked out of the room, to the kitchen holding a book. What book you ask? Hint: lots of numbers. Her research? Wrong. Phone book? At this hour? Check book? Please. 'Stupid homework,' she sighs as she opened the book while we were busy guessing, making herself comfortable on the chair while sipping her coffee.

I hope you know what Hyper Threading is because that's exactly what is going on in her head at that moment. Oh, she was thinking about something else while doing her homework...I know that's not such a hard thing to do but that's the best analogy I could think of at the moment.

'Rabbit hole,' she thought. Huh?

She knew that even in her shrunken form, she might not be able to fit into one but she couldn't get over it as she wasn't pretty certain of how big one was. The only rabbits she knew lived happily in comfortable cages (animal lovers: comfy cage? blasphemous!) behind the school yard. If it wasn't for Ayumi, she would never had a better place to visit to when the weeds of the present (and past) become unbearable to tend. And the scenery was quaint and picturesque; ginkgo leaves will fall onto the ground as if to greet her. And no worries about the Black Organization, or whatever they call them these days.

Maybe they might show up. But the sight of seeing Gin and Vodka visiting cute, little, furry animals made her somehow more amused than feeling scared.

'The White Rabbit would seem the likelier to appear,' she yawned before gulping on the last of her coffee. Turning her attention to her homework she realized that she had made a mistake on the last question. Nothing to worry about folks, she just forgot to add a decimal point. Grinning, she added the dot with an air of elegance.

"There, now off to sleep--"

"I'm late! I'm late!"

She wasn't too suprised: it was the professor who just ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him. But 'late' at this hour? Ai turned to the window. She could see the the bug just outside the gate, the engine running.

Ai rubbed her eyes. And rubbed it again. And then for the third time.

A pair of rabbit-like ears was attached onto the windscreen of the car.

Curious, she ran down the stairs, not out of concern--she knew the professor only too well. But not to the extent of having ears on vehicles. Ai opened the front door peering out. The engine had stopped running. Walking closer, she couldn't see the professor anywhere.

"Professor?" she called out in a flat tone.

Ai scanned her surrounding, finally spotting a pair of white gloves on the floor. She dusted it off, and made out an initial.

"W.R?"

Ai put it into her small jeans pockets for further examination and called out for the professor again. The streetlights somehow weren't in order; Ai found it hard to walk out further. She knew that the only other person responsible for frying out the neighborhood lights other than freakin' UFOs was Agasa over-clocking his inventions of sorts. But on this occasion big old man wasn't around for talks. Not that she felt like giving any lectures right then but--

"Professor?" this time louder.

Sensing something amiss, she ran back into the house, and then reached for the flashlight by the cupboard. She retraced her steps, lights on, looking for some lost big piece of meat sporting a white beard (I know there are Prof. Agasa fans who wouldn't like the descriptions given but hey).

It was only about 50 yards before light drops of rain came trickling down. Looking up, she paused momentarily.

"Kudo?" she whispered; the only useful name she knew. She shook her head and went on." If it turns out to be nothing serious, it'd only strengthen his belief that I'm still 'Miss Fear' and needs more--"

Rain started to fall down in torrents. From where we last saw our Ai philosophized, a car with ears came screaming past, it's destination unknown. Lightning flashed, illuminating the twilight area, clearly producing faded tracks on the crimson, muddy ground. Another car strolled past, its headlights made the shadows of electrical poles chase each other as would any passing light; driver ignorant of the precedents.

But where is Ai?