Authors Notes:

I've alway's been okay at dialog… not so good at capturing surrounding details… I've been trying to add in more scenery stuff… but it alway's feel's forced and awkward… it doesn't help that the girls aren't nearly as observant as the boy's unless prompted..

Also how come "everyone" and "something" is one word but "each other" is two words? Oh but there is a proper way to use "every one" and "some thing" this way too… but "everyday" and "every day" are interchangeable and "eachother" is always wrong… uhg! English irritates me sooo much but I don't know how to write in any other language… so, for all I know, it's not that bad…?

Warnings: Foul language… blood and violence. Animal mutilation… and murder… you know how it goes.

The Lycanthropy of a Shrunken Detective

Chapter Eight

In the women's bath, there was a young woman sitting quietly toward the middle of the bath leaning against a stone. An old lady was sitting by the artificial waterfall with her eyes closed. In the water near the door, a foreign girl sat with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The cliffs and tree's rose up around the bath's giving a sense of seclusion.

It had been about ten minutes since the girls had settled into the bath and they'd chosen a spot near the wall. Kazuha took in a deep breath as she stretched her arms over her head hair pulled up tight into her normal ribbon. "Oh, this is so relaxin'!" Ran nodded. Her long hair was pulled up into a loose bun to keep it from getting submerged. She was staring quietly at the water with a fragile smile. Kazuha looked over at her concerned. "Hey, are you okay?"

Ran blinked looking at her surprised. "Oh, yeah!" Her smile was soft and worried. "I'm great. Conan's starting to act like himself." A strained quiet followed her words.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Ran was surprised by the confused question. "Of course! Why would you even ask?"

"Ya, just look kinda upset…"

Ran made an "oh" face. "I'm just worried about going back…" She sighed with a weak smile. "It's only been a few days- but Conan's really doing better… I mean he ran away… and I'm still worried about that… but since he and Heiji went out on that investigation he's been more himself… what if going back make's him worse again?"

"Oh…" Kazuha studied Ran quietly for a moment before smiling. "Yer really a nice person, I just can't get over it." She laughed then frowned looking suddenly serious. "Ya gotta remember though that Conan went through a traumatic experience… he might not truly be himself for a while…"

Ran nodded biting her lip looking sad. "Yeah… I… you're right. I just- it's hard to think about. I mean. Conan's been through so much. I thought him getting shot was scary enough. This has been… kinda worse just because once he was healed, you'd never know he'd been shot… You know?" She watched as the mother scolded her child for splashing.

"I guess…" Kazuha hesitated. "Ta be honest neither sound all that great. Maybe it might even be a combination of all the crazy things that have happened ta him…"

Ran nodded. "Yeah… I often wonder if living with me and dad is really best for him… if it weren't for us he wouldn't be seeing dead bodies every other day…"

Kazuha hummed. "Why is Conan staying with ya and yer dad anyway? I don't think ya ever told me."

"His parents are out of the country and he ended up with us somehow…" Ran frowned remembering it was Dr. Agasa who was originally in charge of Conan. Didn't he ask her to take him in because he wasn't able to take care of a kid… but now he was taking care of Ai… Ran jumped as the older woman coughed and she shook her head. Her thoughts were slipping into dangerous territory again. There was one thing that was undeniably true though… "He's become a part of our lives in such a way that I don't know what I'll do when he leaves…"

Kazuha was silent, not sure what to say. After a long pause in the conversation she finally hesitantly said. "I'm sure that he'll stay in contact even if he goes back to his parents and leaves the country."

Ran nodded, unsure. Conan was a good kid but he wasn't always thoughtful of others. The door to the bath opened and a tall thin girl walked in smiling as she waved to the petite girl sitting alone in the middle of the bath. Ran watched the two as they immediately started talking quietly to each other. The new girl looked familiar but she wasn't sure why.

Ran sighed shaking her head. She wasn't a detective. There was no reason to worry about where she'd met the girl or if she'd just seen her in passing. Leaning back she tried to just relax. Conan wasn't the only one stressed out after all.

She frowned slightly irritated as she heard the beeping sound of a truck backing up. This high in the mountains where the cliffs rose around the bath's you'd think such noises would be unheard. The sound just reminded her of the noises of the city that had clearly been grating on Conan lately.

Suddenly there was a splashing sound they could hear from the other side of the wall that separated the baths joined by a harsh yell. "HATTORI!"

Ran looked at the mural separating the two sides, depicting dragons and rivers, and stared in shock. "What the?" Kazuha said confused. "Who's yellin' at Heiji? He better not be rough-housin' I don't wanna find out he's been kicked outa the bath."

"That sounded like… but it couldn't have been…" Ran murmured looking up just as the tree's hanging over the back side of the bath's shuttered and a body fell out hanging limply by the neck. Staring in horror she found her blood running cold as she recognized the hostess who'd greeted them. Then she and Kazuha were screaming in shock.

The mother screamed pulling her child to her once she noticed what had scared them. "Someone call the police!" She cried.

The girl who'd just came in rocketed out of the bath rushing through the locker rooms presumably to do just that.

To be completely honest, Conan was not happy with Hattori. He kinda wanted to take back the "thank you" he had given him. Even though he'd been trying so hard to say it in the first place for everything else. Hattori shouldn't feel good about making him feel like this! It wasn't exactly fun having an existential crisis! Getting told that you weren't even really facing it- Conan shuttered. This was taking his mind in loops… was he really having a break down over the fact that he was having trouble facing the fact that he was avoiding a fucking existential crisis!? Oh... it was becoming painfully clear that he was having a hard time facing this.

Putting aside everything else, putting aside all this was doing to his body- to his mood's- the fact that he wasn't sure he was in full control of his actions all the time anymore. There was still the fact that he'd grown up not believing in this stuff; in monsters- of the fictional kind anyway- because there were people he'd met (especially recently) that he'd not hesitate to call monsters. Or should he really think of it that way? Sense, clearly this wasn't fictional. Unless he wanted to think of himself as fictional now— and his thoughts were running away from him again.

He'd tried to relax and it had worked for a moment- Hattori had said he didn't have to think about it and he didn't want to at the moment. Thinking of Ran had distracted him for a time. It wasn't hard to do with her- she was his best friend and he loved her in a way that suggested more than friends… so his mind tended to wander…
Usually, it would be a great way to relax a bit, but thinking of her now just brought up memories of the last month and how he'd been acting. It brought up what happened a few nights ago how he'd…

Heiji was right, he wasn't able to think it! There was nothing to do about the month. There was no way he could have ever imagined that the reason he was overly sensitive was because he had gained super senses…

Well, that wasn't entirely true either… he'd had suspicions- even tentatively tested it out once or twice- but it freaked him out too much. It wasn't natural. It made no sense. Logically he could have pieced something together that wouldn't have caused him so much panic if it hadn't of been for the visit from Kid.

Oh, yes, Conan had tried very hard to forget the encounter but his memory was a little too good for that and it was just a little too weird to forget but not weird enough to write off as a dream, unfortunately.

So then the only conclusion to draw now was that he'd been living in denial for the past month and for all intents and purposes he still was. What with the whole emotional instability and all he shouldn't be surprised. A sense of shock was still running through him though. So he needed to just stop acting like a child and face the truth.

"Oi…" Conan blinked rapidly suddenly coming back from his deeply troubled thoughts to find himself taking gasping breaths. "Ya don't look so good…" Hattori was saying.

Conan felt a surge of pain run through his veins focusing in on his heart. He gasped his hand going to his chest.

"Oi, Kudo." Hattori's voice was suddenly strained with worry. "I thought I told ya not to think about it-

"How could I not?" Conan growled back. "Besides… this isn't- urk!"

"Kudo!?" Heiji felt his throat tighten as he tried not to yell in panic, he was pretty sure he failed the way the older gentleman had twitched a bit in his snoring. The flirt-jerk had left not too long ago- which Heiji thought was weird because it hadn't been but maybe 15 minutes since he'd entered the baths. Still, Kudo had suddenly started hyperventilating and his eyes were going silver almost white and the way he was gripping at his chest was unsettlingly familiar though he'd only seen him do that when he was turning into Conan- and he was Conan right now so…

"Ya gotta be kidin' me." Hattori couldn't help but say.

Kudo took in sharp breaths. "I th-think I'm dying."

"No, not dying- but the girls might just kill us both if Conan vanishes." Heiji said.

A strained snicker left Kudo. "Oh, and wouldn't that be a just death?"

Heiji figured Kudo was in too much pain to really know what he was saying at this point so ignored him. They needed to get him out of here before-

The sound of the door opening kicked Heiji's brain into panic mode as he saw Kudo's body stiffen and the sound of a scream start to leave his small body. He did the first thing that came to mind and shoved Kudo under the water. The water bubbled.

Then bubbled some more. The sound of a backing up truck was the only sound heard as two men stepped into the water. Conan would have recognized them as the men in suits if he wasn't currently underwater. Heiji was beginning to worry because he'd already let the little detective go and as he went to pull him up Kudo in all his teen glory suddenly shot out of the water his eyes blazing a pale blue, his teeth sharp. "HATTORI!"

Heiji found himself fighting back a ridiculous onset of laughter. It was highly inappropriate. Kudo had every right to be pissed, but his face was red, and as his eyes faded back to normal Heiji just couldn't help but find the skewed set of Conan's glasses on Kudo's face combined with the righteous fury somehow tickling something deep in his psyche.

Heiji glanced at the other's in the bath seeing the disapproving glowers of the two new gentlemen. This only made his nerves worse. The laughter finally left in a strained and tense chuckle. He was pretty sure this feeling wasn't purely amusement (even if it was kind of funny) and it was probably more of a shock response, but he was positive Kudo would not see it that way.

Expecting to get a tongue lashing Heiji was surprised when Kudo stiffened. "Did you hear that?" The "modern-day Homes" asked suddenly looking very serious.

"Wha-?" Heiji's question died on his lips as a body swung in from the tree's hanging from the near by cliff. It rocked back and forth a couple of times before the sound of screaming from the woman's side reached them. He felt his body move before he even registered a corse of action.

The tree was in such a place that its branches hung just over the wall, allowing the body to be seen from both sides. Conan- no Shinichi stared up at it in shock. The smell of blood was overwhelming and he felt himself unable to do anything but watch as Hattori expertly scaled the wall. This shook him from his stupor and he followed, as Heiji began to lower the body, knowing exactly what the other was doing. Hattori was easily able to reach the woman from the wall and with Kudo's help, they untied the noose. Kudo grabbed hold of a bit of fishing line as it came loose from the knot. Holding onto the strange string he and Hattori lowered the girl to lay on the wall. Neither had much hope but Hattori's shoulders still dropped when he confirmed it. "She's dead."

Kudo nodded and began to take in what he could of the scene. There had been a thick twine rope around the woman's neck, but blood had run down from her temple and down the side of her face onto the rope around her neck and continued down. Dripping down her arm and from her fingertips. He looked up to the tree that was still shuttering from the body's release. This was clearly murder.

"Hattori!" Kazuha's voice reached them and both boy's stiffened. Before they looked down to see the women looking up at them wide-eyed. Each hunkered down below the surface of the opaque water. All except for Kazuha, who was stood her whole chest exposed to the air, with her hand's on her hips as she glared up at them. "What'cha doin'! The cops will be here any minute! Do ya want ta perform the whole investigation naked in view of everyone!?"

Hattori and Kudo shared a look of horrified realization. Heiji then hissed at Shinichi his eyes somehow going wider. "Yer glasses."

"Is that… Shinichi!?" Ran asked sounding surprised.

Shinichi cursed and pulled Conan's glasses off his face quickly as Heiji laughed loudly. "Ha, yeah! We ran into each other here, isn't that crazy- well the girl is dead! We're gonna go get dressed now!" Heiji grabbed Shinichi's arm and pulled him with him his face red as he tried not to think of the bare-chested Kazuha.

"What happened?" The man still dubbed flirt-jerk in Heiji's head asked in a panic as he'd just now re-entered the bath. "Is she really dead?"

"Yeah." Heiji said. "We need to get out of the bath's- wake up the old man." He directed this to the other two.

Nodding the men did just that. Heiji took a deep breath calming the rush from that… experience. Looking over he bit back what was becoming a familiar on slot of curses.

Kudo was breathing hard his eyes wide and fangs showing. "Oh god… this is awful… I mean it's not like it's the first time I've seen Ran in the bath- but it is since- and…" Kudo was going red as his ears started to get slightly pointed. He could feel his blood boiling.

Heiji just groaned. "Frikin'… We don't have time for ya ta wolf out because of yer hormones. We have a murder ta solve."

"I know- Don't call it- I'm not-

"Then prove it!" Heiji whispered harshly glancing at the other men to see they were arguing with each other about whether they should be getting the body down from the wall or not.

"This isn't easy you know!" Shinichi snapped looking slightly crazed. He was starting to grow what Heiji could only call sideburns and it had the Osaka detective laughing. He could see the rage in Kudo's eyes but couldn't help himself. It took a couple of seconds but he managed to calm the giggles.

"Oh god, good thing I've gotten in the habit of pakin' extra clothes recently." A shudder ran through the detective's body and Shinichi would have asked if he wasn't so pissed at him. It didn't help when Heiji placed a hand on his back pushing him toward the exit. "Come on." Heiji snickered sure that he was just letting loose a lot of the stress of the last couple of minutes. "Let's get dressed. I'm sure they want everyone outa the bath's."

Just then there was a crackle as the PA system kicked on. "Attention, there has been a death on the grounds, will everyone please calmly exit the baths and gather in the lobby. No one is permitted to leave. I repeat, please gather in the lobby."

Kudo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Closing his eyes he repeated breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly once more before his features began returning to normal. "Right." He opened his eyes looking to Heiji seriously. "There's a killer to catch."

Authors Notes:

Kinda wish I had more time to work on this but I know from experience if I ignore the set upload date to "improve the chapter" it becomes a habit and then I'm uploading once a month or less... so here we are, it is what it is.

I thought of splitting this chapter up but decided against it… I hope no one is upset by the appearance of Shinichi… there is an explanation for this… which Haibara will be undoubtedly explaining in the future… but for now, let's just say that Kudo's body's even more unstable than he realized… (There's a lot that I'd like to take slower in regards to this but for the sake of time I'm going to speed up the process- unless you want me to try to meet the show and manga in length… which I would rather not…)

So… who thought it would be the flirt that would die?
No one…? Okay. Well, here we go, you've kinda met the suspects… soon you'll get names and occupation and yada yada… but I'm curious if anyone has figured anything out yet… I'd be surprised if you have. I really haven't given too much away yet…

I've very little practice with mystery writing… and murder is hard. I felt super conflicted trying to figure this out… spending my free time contemplating murder.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this crazy chapter… thank you so much for reading!

(Words used 2865. Original date posted 01-25-2018)