Authors Notes:

Welcome back.

The Lycanthropy of a Shrunken Detective

Chapter Sixteen

Haibara Ai is not one who traipses around in the world of fantasy. Her world is hard with facts. Science. The world is shaped by it. It is through meticulous study and application of tested theorems that humankind has managed to manipulate life expectancy away from death rather than the much easier push toward the inevitable. She only believes in facts and is certain of only one thing. Cruelty. It is ever lurking in the shadows of human nature. Especially in the guise of helping others.

Story's of magic and heroes are all nice to read about but belong in books. In the world of imagination. The real world had its own monsters. There wasn't room in it for the fantastical beast, that honestly scared her far less, when the Black Organization and the like where out in the real world.

So when Kudo and Hattori showed up at the Professor's doorstep with a sweating and gasping teen Shinichi her first thought was that Kudo had stumbled onto something that messed with the poison. Again.

His luck fluctuated more than his heart most likely currently was. "Come in." She said calmly, this was not something they should be dealing with out in the open. She motioned to the couch and pulling up a chair she pulled out a small kit tucked under the coffee table. Immediately she began to check Kudo's vitals. As she slipped the buds of the stethoscope in her ear she asked calmly. "What happened?"

Instead of a clear deduction of events as she expected both boy's hesitated, sharing uncertain glances. She may have tightened the sphygmomanometer a bit too much out of irritation. Kudo did have the infuriating habit of trying to hide thing's from her, especially when the Organization was involved. Like he thought she'd fall apart at the very mention of them. It wasn't like she didn't know they existed- it wasn't like she didn't know the dangers or the cruelty they held. If anything, she knew them better than he ever would. "What is it?" She all but demanded.

Kudo flinched and she released the pressure holding the head of the stethoscope over his brachial artery. Listening for sounds of pressure and watching the gauge intently. His blood pressure was unnervingly high. Checking his heartbeat directly it was clear it was as erratic as she assumed. "Did you eat something? Drink something?"

"Um…" Kudo's hand curled around the fabric above his chest as she pulled away from her examination to take down some quick notes. "No- nothing like that… I think- we think…" The detective swallowed thickly looking to Hattori as his pupil's dilated slightly. A fear response it seemed- or more likely the pain was getting to him. "Remember how I was hospitalized?" He kept his eyes off of her.

Haibara just gave the two a deadpan look. She'd done extensive check's on Kudo at the time even closely monitoring the Apoptoxin 4869. She did not think anything would mess with it but who knew what would happen if a foreign disease worked its way into his system. She also wanted to make sure that his weakened state would not allow the toxin the leg it could very well take to just do its job and kill him.

All that aside she took offense to the idea that he would think she would forget seeing one of the few people she cared about and trusted, all but torn in half, barely alive, stuck for days in a hospital. True he'd healed faster than she or anyone else had expected- but little miracles did not overshadow the blatant fear of potential loss she had felt.

Taking a deep breath Kudo let out a defeated sigh. "You're not going to believe me." He mumbled.

"Maybe she'll be more receptive than we thought." Hattori said.

Haibara followed the boy's line of sight as he motioned to Kudo's arm's. She jerked at the sight. Thick fur was growing on his arms peeking out of the sleeves of his misfitting jumpsuit. Kudo's breathing became more labored as he took in the sight. Taking a deep breath the detective moved to smooth down the fur. "Hattori thinks… I think…" Here Kudo hesitated. "Evidence suggests that I, um, m- might…" Habara watched fascinated as he spoke watching his ears grow pointed. Kudo was focused on his hands though and panic was growing in his eyes. Turning her attention there she witnessed his hands begin to morph; becoming more claw-like. Kudo gasped and his feet pushed against the ground and then the couch as if he were trying to run from his own body.

Hattori put a steadying hand on his shoulder's. "Relax. Breathe Kudo. Remember freaking out only make's it worse."

"Ah!" Kudo was shaking his head his wide eye's shifting to a nearly white icy blue color. His mouth was open as he gasped trying to calm his breathing, leaving sharp canines in view. Haibara blinked. Her mind rushing through probable scenarios and causes for what she was seeing.

"Look," Hattori said turning his focus to her. "Kudo hasn't really come to terms with it yet but that night when he was bit- it wasn't just some wild dog and it wasn't a bear. It was a wolf."

"A wolf?" Haibara couldn't keep the sheer overload of disbelief out of her voice. "In Japan?"

Hattori groaned. "It ain't crazy if all the facts are pointin' ta one truth."

Haibara could see Kudo's body clearly changing. She knew the two in front of her were not the type to instigate this kind of prank, plus, she couldn't imagine how they would pull off such a trick anyway. Still, there had to be some other explanation. "You can't be seriously suggesting that Kudo is undergoing some form of metamorphous. That he has become a lycanthrope."

A high-pitched whine, a noise Haibara has only ever heard from whipped dogs or frightened pups escaped Kudo. "Yeah…" Hattori said. "He keeps avoidin' the subject. Hasn't even let me say it outright. I thought he was trying ta face it but clearly, he isn't quite there yet."

Haibara pressed her lips together. "I highly doubt Kudo is turning into a wolf under the influence of the fool moon. I'll take some blood samples and see what I can't figure out from that. Maybe something got into his bloodstream or was triggered by the trauma." Her word's seemed to calm Kudo as he settled into the couch.

"Somethin' got inta his bloodstream alright." Hattori mumbled before smacking a hand down on the coffee table. "Ya think it's just some kind of hallucination?"

"No… not all of it- it just might be a new symptom- a mutation of the drug-

"What I saw out there was no mutation!" Hattori all but yelled.

Kudo flinched. "Hattori…"

"I followed yer tracks, Kudo!" Hattori growled.

The miniature scientist and Osaka detective glared at each other for an uncomfortable minute. "The Apotoxin in his body has unknown properties- if something merged with it-

"To fit perfectly in sync with the classic turning scenario." Hattori quipped gaining a glare from the scientist.

"It's possible that something could have affected the drug-

"You played a major part in making Apotoxin 4869." Kudo said quietly and slowly. He locked eyes with his fellow poison survivor as he pulled a hand down his now bare arm letting out a relieved breath. "How likely are these symptoms?"

"Well- we'd have to take into account repressed genetics and-

"The mood swings and sensitive senses I've had fluctuating over the last month… does that factor into your analysis as well?" Kudo asked softly his eyes slipping down to look at the ground. "Or are we just going to chalk it up to coincidence? Because as much as I'd like to blame this all on the Apotoxin… there are too many things going on. Too many coincidences."

Haibara bit her lip. "Fine, I won't say yay or nay on this- but I still want a blood sample. I'll give you my final opinion after the next full moon." Kudo let out a relieved sigh the muscles in his arms twitching uncontrollably. Taking a calming breath she did what she knows best and focused on the Apotoxin. "So… tell me what happened- how long have you been Kudo- how are you feeling?"

"Well…"

Kudo was only Shinichi for another five minutes before shrinking back into Conan- strangely enough, he seemed more relieved than disappointed. "I suggest you stay the night. I would like to monitor your vitals… you should call Mouri and let her know of course."

"She might come running over…" Kudo mumbled.

"Kazuha too." Hattori said.

"What? Who said you could stay over?!" Kudo growled at the other detective.

Haibara felt a twitch of a smile play at her lips as the two began to bicker. "We'll make a sleepover of it then." She decided calmly.

Authors Notes:
No real answers yet, but they're coming. Next, we say goodbye for now to our Osaka duo.

See ya next time! Thank you so much for reading and if you can please review! :)

(Words used 1490. Date Posted 3-24-2018)