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The dim sounds of laughter and delight filtered through the darkness, dragging Shinichi from blissful unconciousness.

Groaning faintly, his body was completely unresponsive to his efforts to move it for a few minutes. Remnants of that burning pain still echoed in the depths of his body, sparks running up and down his limbs before they began to slowly fade away. Blearily, Shinichi managed to force his eyes open.

At first, the dark grassway was completely unfamiliar to him, and he stared blankly at the scenery arund him. Dark buildings loomed overhead, the night sky peeking through, and he was laying on a soft carpet of grass. Over one of the buildings arched...a ferris wheel?

Memories came rushing back, and he groaned again, softly thumping his head against the grass. He'd been so stupid! How many times had he seen the detective caught because he'd rushed into things and the bad guys had found him? He was lucky to be alive, that the new poison they had apaprently was a dud.

Such a close brush with death caused him to shudder faintly, and he closed his eyes again. Kaito was going to kill him, he knew it. Kaito had only agreed to allow Shinichi to help in the first place to keep him from running off half-cocked, trying to solve it on his own. And here he went and did just that. And got himself poisoned. He'd never hear the end of it.

And they'd stolen his camera, too.

Taking a deep breath, Shinichi forced his aching muscles to work, and after a few wobbly moments, managed to sit up. He experienced a small moment of brief vertigo - man, when did those buildings get so big? He didn't remember them being that big before he'd passed out...

Shaking his head, he clambored to his feet and attempted to walk forward.

Only to trip over the hems of his own pants and fall to the ground again.

Dazed, he lay there for a moment, unable to comprehend what had just happened. How had he tripped over his own pants? They'd been a perfectly normal length before, bought recently and sized to his height. Sitting up again, he looked down at himself in dumb amazement.

Why...why were all his clothes so big?

He raised his arms, watching the sleeves of his jacket dangle at least six inches off his fingers. The pants looked to have at least four times that much. His feet had inches to spare in his shoes. It was a miracle that he was thin enough that his pants just hadn't fallen right off when he'd stood up the first time. He wondered if he was dreaming.

This is the last time I EVER choose classic English literature for a school project..never touching Alice in Wonderland ever again... Shinichi thought to himself as he began numbly rolling up the legs of his jeans and the jacket's sleeves until his feet and hands poked through. Tightening the laces on his shoes, he managed to stand again, feeling a small amount of absurd pleasure when everything stayed on him as it should.

Shinichi remained in his numb frame of mind as he began trudging out of the park, pushing down the growing panic and hysteria over how not just his clothes were big, but everything was. People towered over him, booths that had been to his waist before now over his head. He was beginning to have a sinking suspicion that maybe not everything had gotten bigger, but...he'd gotten smaller.

Once out of the amusement park and staring into his glass reflection in a storefront window, Shinichi saw his suspicions confirmed. His reflection stared back at him. It was still him, yes...just a him from about ten years ago. It was like looking at a photo album, when one sees old pictures of themselves that they recognize as themselves, but can't quite believe they had really looked like that or been that small. Shinichi had much the same feeling, only much more magnified as he wasn't looking at a picture, but his own, actual reflection. He'd become the picture.

Reaching out to trace his face in the glass in numb shock, the part of Shinichi's brain that wasn't stalling over this new revelation began churning. He had to get home, to someone he could trust. Agasa was best. He'd explain everything to the elderly scientist and get advice. He was going to have to lay low for a while, that's for sure. If those guys found him still alive, they probably wouldn't hesitate to come after him again, this time with methods much more sure and proven than experimental poisons. Shinichi...Kudo Shinichi would have to disappear for a while, and in his place there would ahve to be a small child.

Shinichi's shell-shocked body obediently followed the instructions, turning towards home and setting off at as brisk a pace his still-sore legs would allow.

He swore to himself he wouldn't break down until he was in bed, at least.

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Almost a week later, Shinichi sighed as he curled up on the chair in his library, cradling a mug of coffee in his new, tiny hands. He and Agasa were at a bit of a loss at what to do. Agasa had agreed with Shinichi immediately, saying it was much too dangerous for those men in black to know they had failed to kill him. So, for now...Kudo Shinichi would have to appear to be dead. But other than that...neither was sure what to do.

Agasa had suggested sending Shinichi to live with Ran, and use her detective father as a resource, but Shinichi had refused. He refused to put Ran into such a situation, and besides, he wasn't as close to her as he had been. Living with her now would just be far too awkward...he hadn't even talked to her for months, it seemed. Shinichi had also refused to go to his parents, knowing they'd just drag him off and put him on house arrest in Hawaii or somewhere to keep him safe.

Which meant Shinichi had been more or less hiding out at the professor's, laying low and sneaking back into his house when the coast was clear. He'd taken care to hide both his clothes he'd worn that night and anything he normally carried on him around the house, in places they wouldn't be found. It wouldn't do to seem to have returned to his house by leaving his cellphone and such in plain sight.

Sighing again, Shinichi shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. Agasa returned from his house just then, ambling into the library. Just as the old man opened his mouth to address Shinichi, there came a furious knock on the door.

Both of them startled badly, Shinichi just managing to keep his coffee from spilling over onto his legs. Biting back a curse as he set the cup on the desk, he gave Agasa a glance as he slid out of the chair and underneath the desk. The professor nodded, heading off to answer the door. Shinichi huddled under the desk, straining his ears to hear who it was. He didn't need to, however, as the professor greeted the visitor loudly, and Shinichi felt his blood run cold.

"Kaito-kun! Whatever are you doing here at this time of night? Don't you live in Edoka?"

Kaito...oh no... Gulping, Shinichi huddled further under the desk. He'd completely forgotten that Kaito had said he'd call him the day after! He'd hidden his cellphone and turned it to a silent ring, so he hadn't been able to hear it...of course he must have gotten worried when Shinichi never answered, and had finally gotten the courage to come check up on him. Shinichi couldn't help the faint groan as he rested his head against the desk. Of all the worst timings...he must have seen the professor come in and assumed Shinichi was home.

Footsteps padded through the house towards the library - obviously Kaito had decided to search Shinichi out. "I'm looking for Shinichi, Professor...I've been calling him for days now and he's never answered! I've asked everyone else, but he hasn't been to school and nobody's heard from him. I got really worried, so I came to check...have you seen him at all?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say I have, Kaito-kun...I'm not sure what happened to him." Agasa's worried voice came from nearby. They were inside the library.

"Oh...I see. Where could he have gone? It's not like him to disappear and not tell anyone! What if something happened to him...?" The plain fear and worry in Kaito's normally controlled voice went straight through Shinichi, and he bit back his small pained whimper as he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the cool wood. Kaito...

He wanted to tell Kaito. He wanted to crawl out from here and run to the other boy, to tell him he was alright, he was alive, that Kaito didn't have to worry about him. He didn't want to hurt Kaito by hiding from him, causing him to worry like this. He didn't want to disappear from Kaito's life until a cure was found.

But he couldn't. Not only would it put them both in danger, but should Shinichi ever be found by those men in black again, and Kaito was found to know...and if they investigated Kaito and found him to be Kaitou Kid...no, he wouldn't allow it. He had to keep Kaito safe, even if it meant hiding and lying to him for the rest of his life. Even if it meant Kaito forgot all about Kudo Shinichi. Shinichi couldn't help the small whimper, thumping the wood in frustration as he felt so helpless.

The gravity of his mistake was revealed when Kaito's voice, now laced with curiosity, spoke up. "What was that noise?"

Oh shit... Eyes wide, Shinichi scooted away from the footsteps he could hear approaching. He edged towards the left side of the desk, ready to bolt. Agasa had stalled Kaito, but only for a few moments...any minute now Kaito would poke his head around the desk and find him...

As he glanced around desperately for an escape route, a glimmer inside a drawer of the desk caught his eyes. His father's glasses! Pulling out the frames, Shinichi grinned. He couldn't run or hide, but he could maybe disguise himself enough to not be immediately recognized as a shrunken Kudo Shinichi. He forgot, however, what glasses were primarily used for when he sat them on his face and suddenly the world swam.

That's right, Dad has a pretty strong perscription... Shinichi thought idly as he lost his balance due to his swirling vision, falling out from behind the desk and right in front of Kaito. Gaining the presence of mind to sit up and quickly face away from Kaito, Shinichi just managed to pop out the lenses from the frames and slide the frames back on, praying that Kaito wouldn't realise the glass was missing, as firm hands grabed his shoulders and he was gently but firmly forced to turn around and face Kaito.

For a long moment they merely looked at each other, studying each other's faces. Shinichi felt his spirits sink further when he noticed the miniscule signs of strain aruond Kaito's face. Invisible to a normal person, but for those who knew Kaito, the signs were obvious. He'd obviously been very worried about Shinichi...first from his phone calls never being answered and possible rejection, and then worry had changed to fear when he'd gone looking for Shinichi and he was missing. He'd caused Kaito so much trouble...

Something indescribable crossed Kaito's face, and Shinichi tensed again, hoping against hope that Kaito hadn't recognized him. But it was smoothed into a smile, as Kaito gave him a bright grin. "Hello! And who might you be?"

Shinichi paled again. Of all things to forget, he'd forgotten to choose a name in case he was found. Where was his brain?

"Um..." He stalled as his eyes darted around the room, looking for inspiration, rescue, or an exit. Agasa's wide-eyed stare told him rescue wasn't likely, and Kaito's hands holding his shoulders in a tight grip prevented escape. He needed a name, and finally his eyes came to rest on the spines of several books. Inspiration saved him with a flash, as it usually did.

"Conan!" he blurted out, weakly grinning. "I...I'm Edogawa Conan."

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