Hey, welcome back. Glad you liked the last chapter enough to get to this chapter. Hope you like this one too. Oh, and sorry if Shiho seems OOC (out of character) to you. I'm not really sure how she is. Again, sorry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Two: Antidote

"Antidote? For what?" Shiho glared at him, and gestured to her child body.

"This!" she hissed. The guy blinked.

"But you look lovely like that," he said. Her glare deepened, and he hastily added, "But you look much lovelier as an adult." Shiho crossed her arms, and sighed in irritation.

"Well? Open the bag!" The guy immediately bent down, and pulled the zipper. Shiho took one glance inside the bag, before scowling at the crouching man. "You blubbering idiot! You almost broke them all!" Conan's hope diminished slightly at the news. She said almost, there's still more.

Shiho bent down and picked up one of the unbroken tubes, and held it up to what sunlight could reach them. A small smile reached her face, and Conan silently sighed in relief.

"What should we do now, boss?" asked one of the guys, leaning against the far wall. She turned to him.

"Get the needle," she said simply. Conan's eyes widened. A needle?! Oh great! The large guy apparently thought the same thing, for his shoulders tensed and his eyes grew wide. Shiho smirked at his reaction. "I was just jesting, you idiot. All I have to do is swallow this, with water, that is. Go get some."

"R-right, boss. Right away." The huge man headed his way, and Conan hurriedly hid behind the bench, making himself as small as he possibly could. The guy turned on the water fountain, and filled a plastic cup halfway with the cool water, before running back into the alley. That was too close.

Conan slowly rose from his hiding place, and walked back towards the alleyway. He peeked over the corner, and watched as Shiho poured the antidote into the cup, and swished it around so that the water would be mixed in. She reached into a nearby bag, and pulled out a large, adult sized coat, pulled it on, and buttoned up the buttons, the hem pooling about her feet.

"Um...boss...?"

"It's for when I've 'grown'," she replied. "You can't possibly expect me to fit in these child clothes!"

"Right, you're absolutely right!" She rolled her eyes at him, and drank it in one big gulp. She dropped the cup, and stood patiently. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, she started to grow taller; her face became sharper, and her hair slightly longer. When it stopped, she was as tall as the three guys around her.

She stared down at her hands, then at her body. She smiled, and hugged herself.

"Finally!" she said. "Oh! I've missed this body!" Conan narrowed his eyes from where he stood, eavesdropping. Now that I know it works, how do I get it from them? he thought, wracking his mind for a plan. He looked around for something, anything, to use.

The only thing he found was a small pebble. He was about to give up and head back, when an idea struck him. He peeked over the corner to make sure they were still there. He bent down, and powered up his shoes, a small smirk on his face.

The pebble's light and hard enough to do the job, yet small enough to not be seen. Let's just hope none of them moves. He moved the pebble into position, and risked standing before the alley. He kicked the pebble, hard, and jumped out of view. He glanced over, and sighed in relief that he hadn't been spotted.

He heard a loud 'clank', and then a crash in the alleyway, and pumped his arm in triumph.

"What was that?" he heard Shiho say in alarm. "Go check it out!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" cried the three men, as he heard their heavy footsteps walk further into the alley. Conan looked over the corner, and smiled as he saw Shiho's back to him.

He then quickly ran over, hurriedly grabbed an unbroken, full tube, and ran for it. Since no one had come after him, he figured they didn't see him. Well that's a relief. I don't want to think about what could've happened if they did.

He looked down at the vial, and smiled at the silver-blue substance inside. Finally, I'll be 17 again! Well,18, really...

He looked over his shoulder, and ran quickly back to the house/office, where Rachel waited impatiently for him. He entered the building, and walked up the stairs.

Before he opened the door, he put the vial securely into his pocket, and walked in. Standing just behind the door was a very angry Rachel.

"Uh...hi, Rachel," said Conan, taking a step back.

"Where were you?!" yelled the teenage girl, practically towering over the boy.

"I was just...taking a walk," Conan finished lamely.

"Well, couldn't you have told me first?!"

"Um...I think I did."

"Hate to say this, Rachel, but he did," said Serena, crossing her arms across her chest. "Now let's eat; the spaghetti's getting cold." Rachel sent Conan one last angry frown, before turning and following her friend towards the food. Whoa, saved by the impatient, and hungry teenager...

Conan let out a small sigh, slipped off his sneaker, put on his slippers, and followed suit, his hands in his pocket. He felt the vial, and paused for a moment. If I use it right away, Rachel will want to know where 'Conan' is...what should I do? And when?

"Come on, Conan! I don't want to have to wait for you!" yelled Serena, what little of her patience she had left slipping. Conan jumped in surprise, and hurried over.

"Coming!" I'll think more about it later...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey. I know this chapter is shorter then the first, and I'm sorry. Thanks for reading. Later.