Authors Notes:
Here we go... a little bit earlier this week. :)
Happy Leppercon Day everybody!

The Lycanthropy of a Shrunken Detective

Chapter Fifteen

Ran didn't understand what was going on with Conan. It was beyond worrying. It was like Tokyo was becoming a place of traumatic stress for him. She tried not to think about what she'd do if that was the case and focused on her frantic search for her missing ward. She asked anyone who she passed if they'd seen the bespectacled little boy. Though she'd only passed two people…

She couldn't believe how fast the little aspiring detective could move when he wanted to. "I'm going to have to figure out how to work one of those GPS app's that track phones." Ran was mumbling to herself. She'd tried to call Conan but like the first time he'd run off, it just rang through to voicemail. Of course that time she also found the phone in his duffle bag so a GPS wouldn't have helped than… but it would now- she was sure he had it with him. Though she wasn't sure about how she felt about encroaching on his privacy like that… sure Conan was only about eight but he was very independent. She thought that was endearing so she did her best not to limit him as long as he didn't do anything illegal or get into life-threatening situations… sometimes it seemed impossible to stop him when he set his mind to something, though.

However, her fears lately were less on whether or not he'd get caught trespassing or run into a killer. More and more she found herself worrying about his mental state. Death was not something normal adults were used to, let alone a child. It was possible that all the death that seemed to follow him and her dad had finally started to get to him. Though she hesitated to think so, not just because it would mean Conan would probably have to leave, it just didn't seem to fit what she knew of the boy.

Shaking her head she tried to settle her racing thoughts and focus on her surroundings. Conan was still small enough to hide in crawlspaces and under things most might not think to look for. As she rounded a corner she came across a janitor's closet with the door hanging wide open. "Conan?" She peaked in; hesitant to cross the threshold. "I'm not mad. If you're hiding in there please come out. Please talk to me." A few glances from one corner to the next let her know that the likely hood of the boy hiding in the small space was unlikely. The shelves were full to capacity with cleaning supplies and bags. Mops and brooms were stacked in one corner though some had fallen over. There was enough space for a cleaning cart, but it was gone.

Sighing she turned away continuing on. The small hall that Conan had dashed into was surprisingly empty, and the quiet vacancy sent a shiver down Ran's spine. It put her on edge. It seemed this was more for employees than pedestrians but Ran hadn't seen any signs saying to keep out. Not that they would have stopped her. Conan was known for getting into areas he didn't belong.

Rounding one more corner she could see a form up ahead leaning heavily against the wall. The person was shuffling slowly forward as she watched only for them to sway to a stop. For a second her mind couldn't process what she was seeing properly. Her first thought was that maybe it was a drunk wondering around but then she registered the cowlick and gasped. "Shinichi?!" They were dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit several sizes too big with the word's "JANITOR" spelled out on the back. A small black bag was tied to a belt loop on their side, but what threw her off the most was the fact that they weren't wearing shoo's.

The figure stiffened at the sound of her voice. She felt herself hesitantly approaching eyes widening as she took his current state in. She didn't know why her legs were so reluctant to move, as if she were afraid of what she would see if she moved closer, but she could see that Shinichi was not well.

His skin was sickly pale and his bangs were stuck to his sweaty forehead as he took in shallow breaths. "You look like hell." She couldn't help the words that slipped from her mouth.

A rough chuckle left her childhood friend as he finally looked up at her, his eyes looking strangely large and… the word beastlike came to mind. Ran shook her head wondering why she was thinking and feeling this way.

She knew Shinichi, he was a good person and the way he looked now, he couldn't hurt anyone. Still, the feeling in the air right now reminded her of the feeling of being in the presence of a wild animal. Like the time she was in the presence of a wild bear. That thought had her glancing around nervously as if she would find said animal lurking in the shadows.

"H-hey Ran." Shinichi's voice drew her eyes back to him as he rolled against the wall moving from leaning on a shoulder to leaning his back against the wall. "Nice to see you." His grin was strained, his left hand splayed against the wall and his right fisted in the fabric above his chest.

Ran felt like every time she'd seen him since he first disappeared he'd shown similar symptoms of pain and discomfort- but this was the first time it seemed he was unable to even try to hide it. A horrible thought hit Ran in regards to why Shinichi may have been keeping his distance that didn't have to do with solving a case. "Shinichi?" Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest at the prospect and she was scared to ask but she had to know. "Are you dying? Is- Is there more to you not coming home than just the case?"

Shinichi's face froze, guilt and uncertainty flashing across his features. Worried blue eyes searched her face. "Ran… No…" He bit his lip looking to the side in thought as his body seemed to convulse. He took in a sharp breath. "I- I'm pretty sure I'm not dying…"

His words were shaky. Ran was not reassured.

"So then…" She wanted to ask when he was coming home but he never gave a straight answer for that question. No matter how she asked it or how often. She felt hot tears fill her eyes and slip slowly down her face. She jumped slightly when she felt hot fingers brush her cheek.

"Hey, don't cry." Shinichi's voice was gentle and he was close to her now having moved away from the wall. His breath was ragged and hot as he leaned in close. Ran looked up to see his eyes closed as he moved forward breathing in deeply through his nose and she let out a sound of surprise as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Burying his face in her hair as a soft whine escaped his throat. "Ran…"

"Sh-Shinichi?" He loosened his embrace as if he wanted to allow her the option to pull away but he did not step back as he seemed content to breathe in the sent of her hair. If she was honest Ran could feel her cheeks burn but she wasn't unhappy like this. Still, she was worried. "I… will you let me call a doctor?" She asked softly. "You're burning up- you look like you're about to collapse."

Shinichi's body stiffened and his breathing became rougher quite suddenly. He pulled away slowly and Ran grabbed hold of his arm quickly- terrified he'd run again. His hair hung low covering his eyes. She tilted her head trying to catch sight of them.

"Ran." His voice was pleading. "I…" His free arm shot up as he gripped the area above his heart tightly and his mouth formed a grimace his teeth clearly clinched in pain. Ran stared. She wasn't sure but his teeth seemed sharper than normal. He licked his lips breaking her study of them. "I have to go Ran." His voice was low, barely a whisper. For a few long agonizing moment's Ran held on. Shinichi did nothing to pull away and she felt that if she did not let go he would stay.

Yet, there was a tremble in his shoulders as he looked up at her, a deep sorrow in his eyes. "I have to go Ran." He said again a bit louder this time but his voice shook.

Ran bit her lip looking down at the ground as she fought back tears. "You will come back… right?"

His fingers still hot and shaking pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I would do anything to be with you."

She looked up to see his face was red with embarrassment but his eyes were steady despite the apparent pain swimming in them. She gave a weak smile of her own. "I-

"Kudo?!" Both jumped at the sound of Hattori's voice. "I got a text from Kazuha sayin' that Conan ran off… now yer here with Ran." The two watched as the young man ran a tired hand down his face grumbling something incoherent as he walked toward them.

"Oh my gosh! Conan!" Ran gasped. "I forgot about Conan!"

"He went ahead to the Professor's." Shinichi said quickly.

Ran froze turning to look at her childhood friend. "What? How do you know that?" Ran asked upset and skeptical.

"I saw him rush by." Shinichi gasped. "A-asked him where he was going."

"And he told you?"

Shinichi nodded giving a slight shrug with a half grin. Hattori stepped up putting a hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "Me and Kudo'll go see if we can't pick him up. You and Kazuha head back to the detective agency. We'll meet ya there, yeah?"

Ran hesitated. "I would like to help pick him up." Ran said.

"It's late." Shinichi said. "It's been a long day. You should go home and get some rest." Shinichi was giving her a stern look.

Ran glared back. "Me? You're the one who looks dead on his feet!" It was clear they were only trying to get rid of her and keep Kazuha out of it. She didn't know how she felt about that. Did Conan have something to do with Shinichi's never-ending case?

Shinichi's eye's softened. "Please, Ran."

It was so hard to push things with Shinichi. She trusted him, and wanted to give him his space, she wanted to believe he would come back… on his own.

"O-okay." She said. "Okay." She didn't want to let him go because she wanted him to be with her but Shinichi was always running off and solving mysteries. It would be wrong of her to try to stop him, especially when he was so good at it. She knew what he did helped people. It would also be wrong to stop him because it would mean she wasn't accepting of that part of him, a very big part of him that made Shinichi, Shinichi. If she couldn't accept that he was a detective through and through… then what would that mean for their future?

She shook her head. "You better take care of Conan. I expect him to be home before sunrise. You got that?"

Hattori saluted, sporting a goofy half-grin, as he nudged Shinichi in the side. "Got it Mss. Mouri. We'll get him back to ya. No problem. Right, Kudo?"

Shinichi nodded looking down at his bare toe's. "Ah… just one thing…" Ran said unable to fight her own curiosity. "What happened to your shoe's?"

Shinichi went red. "Uh… well… about that…"

"And why are you wearing that janitor's suit?" Hattori and Shinichi shared a panicked look. As the two started to stutter barely cohesive excuses Ran sighed. "You know what… never mind. Just go." With that, she let go of Shinichi's arm and he blinked owlishly at her.

Her hand felt cold now. "I'll see you later." Even to her, her voice sounded hollow. She made herself smile. She didn't know what was going on with Shinichi or Conan. She knew that the boy's in her life where keeping things from her. She wanted to believe though that if they needed her, really truly needed her, that they would come to her for help.

Shinichi smiled back easing a little bit of the worry in her heart. "Later." He said softly before he and Heiji made their way toward the exit. Ran watched them go till they were out of view and turned around to meet back up with Kazuha. Her heart clenching tightly with conflicting emotions.

"Are we really going to just walk out of here with ya dressed like that?" Hattori asked.

"Do you really want to go confront Kazuha just to get me some clothes?" Kudo countered as he waved down a taxi, only giving Hattori a momentary glance that somehow looked judging, amused, and bored all at once. The look washed away quickly replaced by a strained control as Kudo continued to try and fail to hide his pain. "We need to get to the Professor's as soon as possible anyway. Something is clearly wrong."

"You okay?"

Kudo shook his head as they slipped into a taxi. Hattori told the driver where they were going and looked at Kudo expectantly. "I feel like my veins are on fire…" Kudo said allowing himself to breathe how he wanted. His breaths were shuttering and borderline gasping.

This left his friend clearly worried. "How long do ya think you'll be, well…" Hattori trailed off.

"I don't know… usually, the pain goes and I'm just sore until I'm fine and then the pain's back… but it hasn't gone away…" Kudo gritted his teeth biting back a sharp gasp of pain. "I keep having spasms as well."

Hattori made a worried sound in the back of his throat. "I hope Little Mis. can help."

Kudo nodded his agreement. Though he didn't actually say anything in response staring blankly at the window fighting to stay conscious now that he wasn't moving as much his exhaustion was becoming overwhelming. Silently, he hoped Haibara wouldn't freak out too badly. He also hoped that whatever was going on that it wasn't actually killing him. It sure felt like it was trying to.

Authors Notes:

This chapter gave me more trouble than I expected. I knew what I wanted to happen but I rewrote it 3 times from 3 different angles... I wanted to write it from Shinichi's point of view at first but it was just too much… way too many things going on with him right now. I finally decided to just write it from Ran's point of view… This chapter was necessary for a few reasons... some more obvious than others.

For one, I felt this story needed a more than just Heiji and Kudo bonding. Ran, if I can write the story out properly, will have a larger role as the story progresses. But I struggle with actual love stuff… probably because I'm asexual and have never really experienced any kind of pining… I recognize when others are infatuated… I even want to feel that way about someone someday but it just hasn't happened… and experience say's it probably won't…

Anyway... long story short. I don't get sexual attraction... So sorry if this seemed weird... though it'll probably be weird anyway considering Shinichi's current state.

I also wanted to use this chapter to show that Conan/Shinichi is acting strange with everyone and not just Heiji… and that was kind of hard to show when my writing was focused on just the boys…

On another note, this story was (other than a desire to write about something I love) an exercise in following an outline and meeting a schedule… I'm doing okay but I feel the story would be better if I didn't feel like I was rushing to meet these goals… but… I can always go back when it's done and clean it up I guess… and the last couple chapters really need cleaning up… I'll let you know if I do any editing- though I doubt I'll change any of the actual story. I'll just hopefully make things flow better…

(words used 2408. Date posted 3-17-2018)