Disclaimer: I own my on characters only. Nothing else or I wouldn't be writing fanfic.

Chapter 3

At the Children's Ward in Tokyo Hospital, two boys appearing around the same age were in a ward with a nurse watching over them. One of the boys had major burn wounds on 75% of his body, covering most of his face and the majority of his visible skin tissue. The other boy came in with a major head wound and blood loss, requiring a transfusion. These boys were Shinto Tanaka and Conan Edogawa.

Conan POV

'I can't believe I shrunk into a little kid...' I thought in genuine shock when the anaesthetic wore off.

"Hi…" came a meek voice from the bed next to mine.

"…Hi." I said back, freaking a little at the pitch of my voice.

'Escape first, freak later.' I reprimanded myself.

Getting over my stupor, I glanced at my roommate who was covered in bandages. A dark idea came to me, a rather cunning plan*1. 'Perfect for my escape.'

'But first things first, gain his trust.' I thought logically, '… I am a child now' I said still freaking out but less so than earlier, 'time to use it to my advantage.' I finished with an internal smirk.

"My names Conan, wanna be friends?" I chirped to the boy in a childish way.

"Sure….but don't you find the bandages weird?" he asked with childish curiosity.

"Nope, their cool, you look like the invisible man…but less scary…" I said feigning quivers.

In the corner of my eye I saw the nurse smile at the exchange in a motherly fashion.

The boy grinned at me which came out as strange creasing of the bandages around the young boys mouth, before a look of realisation crossed his eyes.

"My names Shinto." The boy, now dubbed Shinto, said with another failed attempt at a grin.

"My mommy and daddy are coming to pick me up tomorrow." Shinto stated happily, "where are your mommy and daddy? Was it that pretty lady from before?" he shot questions at me in rapid concession apparently happy to have someone to talk to.

"Nope, she's the one who found me after some…bad…men hit me." I said whilst barely suppressing a quiver of rage, which I managed to pass off as fear.

"Oh…well some bad men attacked mummy's house with hot fire." he sniffled which soon turned into full blown crying, "It…really…hurt…" He got out between sobs.

The nurse came over and comforted the Shinto from his crying and gave him a hug carefully avoiding the worse burns to calm him down.

When night fell, Shinto fell asleep as well as the night nurse, giving me ample time to execute my plan to escape from the hospital.

I quickly but silently snuck out of my bed, making sure that all the residents of the room remained asleep. I snuck into the hall way and carefully made my way into the nurses' station.

I used pressure points on the attending nurse and hacked the computers, disabling the cameras as well as erasing any film of me on them. Next I searched for the nearest drugstore, which I found out is located near the hospital ward for children.

'Bit dangerous, what idiot put drugs near children?' I thought incredulously whilst also thanking my good luck at the hospitals apparent blunder. Deleting my search history I continued my plan.

I crept past the night guards, pick-pocketing the pass to the drug store as I passed. Once I made it to the drug store I used the stolen pass to access it, and found myself half amused at the low security of a DRUG STORE in a CHILDRENS WARD as well as half concerned that the hospital is run by idiots that underestimate children's ability to get anywhere. Of course I'm not a child and I have the experience not to get caught, but that's beside the point.

'I still can't believe a man who commits crime in that outfit called me an amateur, might as well paint a target on their heads saying 'Arrest me!' for crying out loud.' I grumbled internally as I searched for the right drug to use on my unsuspecting roommate.

I located the needles and set up a deadly concoction of drugs in record time before making my way back to the hospital room, where the nurse was thankfully still asleep.

I injected the concoction into Shinto's neck and watched for a few minutes until he stopped breathing.

'Quick and painless. I'm not a complete monster that'll make a child suffer a painful death, not an amateur.' I grumbled again silently vowing to get him back for that slur.

I hid Shinto's body in a nearby closet and was amazed that the night-nurse still hasn't woken up.

'…is she drunk or something?' I mentally sweat drop.

I gathered some supplies from Shinto's closet, bandaged myself up to look like Shinto for when his parents come to collect him tomorrow, and I walk out of here clean as a whistle.

I erased any traces of myself in the room, before checking one last time on the bandages and using Shinto's voice, before allowing myself to fall asleep. The night was strangely peaceful, and the usual cackling from my dreams seemed to have diminished into a soft motherly laugh, which unnerved me slightly. I woke with a start as I could hear unfamiliar voices in the room.

'Must be morning.' I state to myself looking at the position of the sun. I was incredibly hot and probably had a fever but couldn't care less at this point in my plan.

I turned my head to see two people in the room who I didn't recognise, but guessed to be Shinto's parents carrying what appeared to be a Childs backpack as well as a duffle bag which I guessed contained clothing.

The woman was plump and tall with a kind smile and a motherly air about her I scowled at mentally. The man had a scrawny build and a short stature that was highlighted as he stood next to who I assume to be his partner.

"Hey there, Shin-chan." the woman cooed.

My eyes bulged in fear at the nickname, and my hands began to shake as I heard the maniac laughter in my head more prominently than any dream. I was hyperventilating, which I vaguely recalled as a panic attack. The nurses calmed me down and the laughter receded back into my mind. I recognised my folly and tried to do damage control on the situation.

"Sorry I … was remembering the bad men." I said quietly in Shinto's voice.

"Oh it's okay baby." The woman cooed again whilst pulling me into a bear hug, "The bad men can't hurt you anymore."

The man, who had been quietly standing at the back, gained an impressive gaze of hate in his eyes as well as something I recognised as the want to protect from the gazes Ran had given me shortly after my parents 'demise'.

I stared curiously at him, as I couldn't comprehend why he would be feeling that when no-one is dead. 'Well, no-one that he knows of yet, anyway.' I had as an afterthought whilst remembering Shinto. He must have noticed this as he made a move to join his partner.

"That's right son, let's get home so those bad men can never find you." he said in a oddly demanding voice given his seemingly meek demeanour. "Now, does our brave little soldier want to dress himself, or should mommy and daddy help?"

I froze at the statement, 'Crap, he'll see my scars, and the lack of Shinto's burn marks.'

"That's okay, daddy" I stated in mock joy using Shinto's voice. "I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself." I said, puffing my chest in childish pride.

The 'adults' all laughed at this whilst I pretended to pout in a childlike manner, whilst inwardly I was grinning like my mother *shivers* that my plan is working.

I heard a sudden noise in the shape of a click that I recognise were the closet opening from last night's little assignment whilst the nurse was passed out in a deep sleep and possibly drunk (?). I froze as the doors screeched open and a scream followed shortly after.

'Crap.' I thought rapidly, 'that was defiantly an amateur move, one point to the blatantly obvious criminal.' I added bitterly.

The screams were followed in rapid succession by the abrupt dropping of all assets in the parent's hands and the mother collapsing to the floor on her knees, as the father stood pale with mouth wide open, and the nurses were in shock at the discovery.

I bolted out of the room at my top speed, grabbing the fallen bags as I went, leaving the room full of shocked and panicked adults without being noticed and made my way to the nearest washroom. I entered a stall and began searching the bags for a set of Shinto's clothing. I found a green 'Ben10' hoody (the original series), a plain black top and a pair of jeans and spider-man boxers and plain white trainers.

'Note to self, get some clothes which I like.' I thought as I changed into them.

I climbed onto the toilet a little short on breath and sweating profusely as the constant exercise and fever were starting to affect me, but I need to escape. I climbed out of the cubical window and found myself in the car park, which I calmly walked through and onto the sidewalk, repressing the urge to pass out.

I walked for several hours after that and feeling gradually worse until I came across a park bench and, deciding to rest on it, knowing that I had enough. I went into unconsciousness on the hard, cold and uncomfortable wood whilst my mother's dying cackles once again haunted my dreams.

The darkness of sleep started to recede with force as I felt myself being shaken in a frantic manner. I peeled my eyes open and quickly closed them again for the vertigo and the blinding light. My ears were buzzing loudly and no sound was reaching my consciousness.

I attempted to open my eyes again to see a blurry figure over my limp form and my mind suddenly snapped awake at the thought of 'danger' but my body didn't respond.

The figure remained blurry and my ears still buzzed as a familiar darkness was passing over me. I managed to mumble something to the stranger but couldn't register what through the haze.

Heiji's POV

I was walking through the park in Tokyo after a fight between me and Kazuha,about me putting myself in danger by chasing an armed criminal…again.

'She worries too much, the ahou.' I thought angrily, still fuming about the aikido moves that she threw at me... and threw me with.

I was abruptly brought out of my musings when I came across a sleeping and pale boy on a park bench, with an obvious illness.

'Hmmm…clean cloths despite the sweating, not too thin, probably a nightmare given the face contortion.' The analytical part of my brain noted, 'Scars visible but faded on both arms...' Here I paused, as my anger flared at my next thought, 'probably a runaway from an abusive situation.'

"Monsters." I muttered bitterly to myself.

As I inched closer to the boy I noticed that he was paler than previously noted and sweating buckets. I began to shake the boy awake, a bit nervous for the kid.

"Hey kid, wake up." I shouted making the little guy stir as I continued my rapid shaking.

He looked at me sleepily through drowsy blue eyes that were dilated with sleep and fever. The boy quickly closed his eyes again and was clearly not aware of my presence until a moment later.

He suddenly snapped his hazy eyes open abruptly, and after a small spasm of his muscles I registered as him trying and failing to move, he settled down again but was still tense.

"It's okay kid, I'm not gonna to hurt you." I stated in as much of a caring voice as I could muster, which by my own admission isn't much.

"No…hospital…gotta…get…away…was…seen." he slurred before passing out from the fever and hunger as I assumed from his stomach growling.

'Okay…he's either running away from witnessing a crime…or he committed the crime himself.' I thought before shrugging off the second option. After all what possible crime could a kid commit?

I chuckled to myself before picking up the surprisingly muscled little boy and carrying him back to my hotel room, which thankfully didn't raise too many questions as to why the great detective of the West, Hattori Heiji, was carrying an unconscious six year old John Doe.

I laid the kid on my hotel bed and used room service to order some dry toast and a drink of water, for when the kid wakes up, as well as a doctor to make sure the kid is completely fine after sleeping on a park bench with a fever.

The doctor came and left, giving the kid the all clear and some headache pills. I decided to get my sleeping bag (futon, I think{?}) and sleeping for the next few hours when I can get some answers out of the child.

'Yup, Kazuha's gonna kill me for getting too involved… but it's my duty as the great detective of the West to help a child in need.' I thought adding as an afterthought as I remembered his muscles '…or could be a danger…'

"Tomorrows going to be interesting, alright." I said out loud before venturing into sleep, my suspicions of the boy keeping me half-awake.

A/N

*1 can anyone can tell me where 'cunning plan' came from, bearing in mind I am British and that's the only clue you'll get, it should make some reviews more fun and I'll let the first person who's right have an insight into the next chapter before its out as well if they want it. It's a new thing I'm trying to get reviews. Review about it lol.

Heiji might seem a bit OOC but remember the huge ego on him when he was first introduced, well it only stopped once he met the other great detective shinichi, which he doesn't plus there's no competition from the east so full all over Japan and huge ego boost for Heiji. Also I'm asking myself if he's channelling kogoro, seriously all he needs is the laugh, which he won't get; dirty old man laugh on Heiji would ruin his appeal and I need him to be at least moderately liked for later*spoilers*

Once again, thanks to ROXYCONAN-KUN for doing the beta and to any of you following, I'm really sorry for the late upload but I've been spending the past three weeks doing nothing but college work to pass, I managed to yesterday *woohoo* two weeks after the deadline to pass, I am a lucky sod is all I am gonna say to that one. Also we got builders from the council in and I have to spend my time in the house till they leave and my bitch of a sister keeps landing me with house-sitting duty in a place with no word on any computer because she's 'working', which I totally believe *oh looky there, a flying pig*, mums not so bad though cos she is working and needs to pay the bills, plus she's given me a day off from house sitting duty only to find me going into town for the libary computers and I have to go shopping for some more ice lollies cos of the heat wave, whilst walking home, yeah, that'll be fun. Anyway enough rambling from me and my messed up life. Please R and R. hope you enjoyed.