Still trying to keep up with the schedule, but I'm updating earlier in case my work would kill me, or the storm that comes tomorrow would steal all electricity.

I'm too drained, it's almost 4 a.m., guys... Sorry if this chapter doesn't makes sense, I'll never pull writing all-nighters again...

Please enjoy!


The look Haibara gave him convinced him that it's not going to be easy.

"This is the worst idea I've ever heard." she said.

"But pretty much the only one we could go with." Shinichi rubbed his temples with a tired sigh. Dignity be damned, he looked at "Yamada", as if he was asking for his help, but the man was just wearing his deadpan expression, perfectly content with staring out of the window. He noted how his cheeks under the thick layers of make-up looked slightly pink, but he didn't worry too much about it. "Look, I wouldn't ask you if… I had any other solution."

"You do have another solution." Haibara looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Leave this fake identity behind."

"And that's exactly what I want to do!" he exclaimed, making the professor and Yamada jolt. Haibara didn't even blink. "But he can't disappear just like this. I… need to end it. Properly."

"That's all nice, except for the fact that I know that you won't end it. First I dress up, fine. Pretend that Edogawa Conan has to leave, go back to his parents, whatever. But you won't be able to give him up – reassuring phone calls, postcards, making everyone believe that he's still alive, still out there, because they would get worried, right? You won't leave him behind, this fake persona will cling to you for the rest of your life, because you're too afraid to give him up!" They all listened to her in stunned silence. She was right, even if Shinichi didn't want to admit it. He only thought about how happy he would be if he could finally return to his old self, but he never once thought about what would happen to Conan after that. The boy wasn't a detective, not yet, and he was too young to just say that he went to investigate something, the most convenient excuse of them all.

"You just want to leave it be, and act as if he disappeared forever." Yamada said quietly, looking at Haibara. She nodded, and continued.

"Edogawa Conan won't disappear unless we kill him."

"Kill?" The professor spat out his coffee, and stared at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean by that, Ai-chan?"

"I get it. You want to make it look like he died, so people would give up on him." Yamada spoke again, and his tone was cold as ice, and it stayed that way even when a tiny smile appeared on his face. "It would be a bit morbid for a show, don't you think, little girl?" Kaito's personality showed for just a second. Whether it was intentional or not, Shinichi didn't know, but he realized that he didn't want to see the other boy mix his real self and "Yamada Shuuzo" up. Under the cold façade of this face, Kaito seemed to be inhuman.

Haibara looked like she wanted to speak, but Yamada was faster, as he went on.

"Besides, where's the guarantee that he won't have to use "Conan" again?" Shinichi gasped, and turned fully towards him. He… didn't think of that either. His mind was getting foggy, he kept making mistakes, even though his life was at stake! "The next antidote you'll make might be only enough to give him a child's body, or it'll make him even smaller. I agree with you, we'll have to get rid of Conan, but it's too early for that. Let's do that when we're certain that he won't be needed again." Haibara nodded uneasily. She knew how risky it was – even shrinking was something that was not supposed to happen, the poison should've killed Shinichi. And turning it all back, reversing it, giving him back his original body was even more difficult. Arguing with this man would've been pointless, he was right after all, even if he hurt her pride.

"Yamada-san, you… seem to know a lot about this situation." Agasa spoke up. The man in front of him, however, looked as calm as ever, only turning his head slightly to look back at him.

"I asked questions and he choose to answer me. It's simple as th-"

He stopped midsentence when he saw Shinichi collapse. He caught him just before he could hurt himself in any way, and asked him with the slightest hint of worry in his voice: "Are you okay?" The boy in his hands just panted softly, and tried to croak out an answer. "He wore himself out…" Yamada muttered, partly to himself, partly to the other two.

The only reason he could hold back his frown was because he was so used to his Poker Face, and at that moment Kaito was grateful for that. He knew, he already noticed that having such a tiny body had even more limitations than a child's, and he also realized that Shinichi completely forgot about this. But he, himself, he wasn't supposed to forget it. He was supposed to…

Stop. Why? What reason do I have to care for him?

He stood up, and walked towards the door, still holding Shinichi in his hand.

"We'll come back later, when he's alright again. Good night, Agasa-san." He left a bewildered professor and Haibara behind, but he didn't really care at that moment. A part of him was going on and on about how he needed to make sure that he was okay, the other was questioning his motives, his reasons.

Why didn't I just leave him there? With people who actually know him?

"…you're too afraid to give him up…"

Haibara's words seemed to echo in his head. He was no better than Shinichi after all, he couldn't leave, couldn't abandon him like that. Not when he was…

"You'll be the death of me…" Kaito whispered, before he hid the other boy in his pocket safely.


When Shinichi woke up, he felt as if a truck hit him. Several times. His head hurt as if he slammed it against a wall, his joints ached, his muscles were burning like he just finished a marathon. His whole body felt odd, he realized when he tried to move.

He was laying on a bed, he noticed. Good for a start. He was probably in Kaito's room then. He tried to turn his head, and winced when he realized how sore his neck was.

Kaito was right there, next to him, and he – thank gods for that – got rid of his disguise too. He was sitting, and there was a book on his lap, but he probably fell asleep while reading. His fingertips barely touched the cover of the opened book, and he rested his head against the wall behind the bed. He looked peaceful, and for once, not in pain at all.

However, Shinichi couldn't just stare at him for too long, as he noticed something odd again. The pillow that he usually slept on – while it was still under him – felt smaller than before. So did the bed, the bedside table, and the whole room. With some effort (and minimal amounts of wincing) he raised his hand above his head to look at it, and his eyes widened at the sight. It's not like the room around him got smaller, he was the one who got bigger. Was it the antidote? Was it the witch's spell? Was it Kaito? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

He immediately sat up, despite the protests of his changed body. And with the same momentum he fell off the bed with a thump an a dignified yelp.

"Huh? You woke up?" He heard Kaito's sleepy voice, so with some difficulties he got up to look at the magician. "Good morning!" he chirped, and Shinichi could only nod in return, as the other boy leaned closer. "Apparently I was right, no need for morbid shows yet. And I don't know how happy it makes you, but you won't need that little girl's help either."

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly, and gulped when he saw the grin on Kaito's face.

"Welcome back, Conan."