AN: Starting a new story, while one is already in progress, is a bad habit of mine. But, please bear with me.

The start of the story is taken mostly from Episode 43: The kidnapping of Edogawa Conan.

After which, the flow of the story is completely different from Canon. Characters like Mouri Ran, Hattori Heiji, Kuroba Kaito and the Shounen Tantei-dan will have a more major role than others. So...

Please let me know how you like the story!

Read and Review!

Enjoy~

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"Dialogues"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 1: Escape And Restart

When Conan came to, he was tied with ropes and dizzy due to the chloroform's after-effects.

'Where am I?' Conan wondered, head spinning and eyesight blurry, 'This…looks like a kitchen of some sort.'

Peering out of the window, he realized that he was on the second floor. The ground below was covered with a layer of snow of about half a meter deep. Turning back, Conan could make out voices coming from the next room. Luckily, there seemed to be a hole in the wooden door.

He peeked through it; the woman who had pretended to be his mother was talking to a man. Taller than the woman by almost a full head, he wore deep navy trousers and a cape of a similar shade.

"What? You haven't killed him yet?" The man asked in a gruff, unfamiliar voice.

"Don't do anything rash! The organisation wants to test him, check if there are any more side-effects of that drug!" The woman, who claimed to be Edogawa Fumiyo, was cautioning him.

"Hmph! That's all they made me come here for…"

'I see,' Conan realized, 'that's why I'm still alive.'

The man turned around then, his face covered by a white mask with slits for eye holes and a wide shit-eating grin painted on the lower part. For some inexplicable reason, Conan thought that he'd seen it before. But the sleeping drug was still affecting him, and he might have been mistaken…

After checking on Conan, who quickly feigned sleep, they went back to discussing the poison's effects and whether it could actually shrink someone.

'This is impossible!' Conan thought. 'Gin and Vodka were using an experimental drug that was untested on humans! My shrinking must have been accidental, there is no guarantee it would happen again!'

"Is he really the high school student detective, Kudo Shinichi? He looks like a regular kid to me!" The man asked.

"Yes, there is very little doubt –"

'Little doubt?' Conan was relieved. 'So they aren't completely sure yet. I must escape before they get any confirmation!'

" – but the day Kudo Shinichi disappeared and Edogawa Conan appeared at Mouri Detective Agency is the same, and the boy also starts solving cases around the area with ease. Along with the fact that he escaped me with such skill…he must be Kudo Shinichi himself! There is no better explanation but to suppose that the organisation's new drug shrunk him!"

"That was supposed to be a poison that couldn't be detected in a dead body!"

"Exactly! Which is why I still have doubts…"

"So…shall we test it then?"

"Test it?!" The woman seemed surprised.

"I have a few of the pills with me. We shall give it to another and see if it really shrinks people."

"On whom shall you test it, though?"

"The man we're making a deal with tomorrow. The organisation wants to finish him off either way."

"Oh? And what are you going to do if it does shrink him?" The woman asked, disdain filling her voice.

"If it shrinks him, we'll simply kill the man. Then I suggest we stop the breath of the little boy sleeping in the room there!"

Conan broke out in cold sweat at that. There was only one option now – run. Run away as far as possible, as fast as possible. And never look back.

As night fell, the two kidnappers fell asleep in the outer room, leaving the now wide-awake Conan ready to make his escape.

'First, to get these ropes off!' Conan decided, 'Then to make an escape. But that deal they're making tomorrow…the man's life is in danger…'

As Conan cut off his ropes by breaking a wine bottle and using a jagged piece of glass, he wondered if he should stay back and try to help.

'No!' Conan shook his head, 'Don't be foolish, Shinichi! The drug was experimental. If they've checked out my house, they should have thought I was dead. No one should have known I was alive. How they even found out the exact date I moved in with the Mouri's is suspicious!'

And yes, wasn't that the most confusing thing of all? How did they know all that? The woman had drugged him right outside Agasa Hakase's house; did that mean that they had found out from him? Then, Hakase was in danger too…but, he couldn't go back there. That would definitely put him in even more danger.

Conan sighed, 'But one thing is for certain, to stay here is madness. I must escape now: to live. The man they are making a deal with tomorrow may or may not be saved, but if I escape now, I will be able to save countless victims of theirs later!'

The window seemed to be the best option in the end. The empty fridge and loose floorboard with an empty space underneath were hiding places that the men in black would definitely know about – this was their house after all. For all Conan knew, it may have been created to store something else by them and it would be foolish to use it to hide himself in.

'The window then,' Conan decided, 'the snow is still falling, by tomorrow morning, it will have covered my tracks, and the meter deep snow will cushion my fall. At the most, I'll sprain my leg. But my life is more important than my leg.'

With that thought, he jumped.

It was true, the snow did cushion his fall and he'd made no noise. Either way, the snow storm would have drowned out any loud noises. Taking a moment to regret the fact that he was leaving behind everything, everyone, he held dear – Ran, Hakase, Kogoro-san, Eri-san, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, Genta, Megure-keibu and the other officers – he shed a lone tear that seemed to warm his snow cold cheek for a moment before freezing upon his chin.

Then, he ran.

Conan didn't know how long it had been since he'd passed Beika district borders, but it was still dark and he was tired. It was then he remembered his glasses.

His glasses, coupled with his bow-tie, had been the most identifying markers for 'Edogawa Conan'. They would, unfortunately, have to go. He was reluctant to part with them, however, so for the time being, he took them off and stuffed them in an inner coat pocket. The other thing that would have to go was his name – Edogawa Conan could no longer exist.

Ran and Kogoro-san would not worry about his disappearance; Edogawa Fumiyo had assured them of that. Similarly for Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta. The problem was Agasa Hakase. Should he believe that the professor had been questioned by the men in black – though that was unlikely; as Conan, he'd not been seen much with him – then it meant he was in danger. The Hakase would surely be fine though, as long as he didn't make any contact with him. And the professor knew better than to write a missing report for him, he didn't need to be brought to attention.

The men in black however…they would be difficult to get off his trail. Fortunately and unfortunately, young children often appeared and disappeared off the streets with no official records on them. If one was an orphan and homeless, no one would truly care or look into their background.

'Then, that is my only option,' Conan thought sadly, 'I'll have to revise a whole new backstory and find an orphanage to live in. A new start with a new name.'

Pulling out a handful of change that he carried in an inside pocket of his coat – though pretentious for a seven year old, it had many uses, and pockets, which greatly helped him now – he counted to a thousand and two hundred yen.

"Okay," Conan muttered, "first, to find a coin locker and put my coat, glasses, elasticity suspenders, detective badge and bow-tie in them. They stand out too much and no one will think of me using a coin-locker to hide these…the shoes look normal enough to wear, so that will be fine at least."

After a lot of deliberation and reluctance, Conan decided that even his watch that held the sleeping dart, had to go. The listening devices and trackers built in with the spectacles had only one receptor – the glasses themselves – and no one would be able to track its locator. The detective badge could also only be tracked using his glasses and the suspenders were of no use to him now. It would be better to just put them all in one place. Then at least, all his belongings would be safe.

It took Conan two more hours of random wanderings to find a coin operated locker – a hundred yen gone – but it left him feeling much safer. Keeping the key to his locker – lucky number 7 – inside his trouser-short's pockets, Conan tried to emulate a lost and orphaned boy.

It soon became pretty clear to him that this tactic would not work. He looked, for all intents and purposes, the son of a rich house-lord (which he was, but that wasn't going to be of much help now). Stopping at a nearby park, Conan carefully left mud and dirt streaks all over his face, hair and clothes. Another look at himself in a shop's glass windows confirmed it – he was unrecognizable.

Deciding to be a bit more realistic, Conan spent the rest of the night sleeping in the park, hidden in the children playground's cave hole. Come next morning, he'd truly look the part of a homeless, lost boy.

Conan woke up early. Whether it had to do with his uncomfortable sleeping place or the open, and thus dangerous and vulnerable park, he had no idea.

"I don't recognise this place," he muttered to himself, "but best go buy some food first and then find an orphanage. Hiding amongst other children will be best for now. If they're looking for a teenage – turned child – detective, an orphanage will be…one of the first places they'll look for! Damn it!"

Okay, so not an orphanage for now. After some time, when the matter had cooled down, that would be a plausible option. But by that time, what should he do?

"I have roughly 1100 yen, at the moment," Conan spoke aloud, "and that won't last me long. Best thing to do would be to get a job. But what place would employ a seven year old?"

None. There was no place that would employ a child. Was surviving in this manner only a forlorn hope for him? Conan refused to believe so. There would be a way for him to live, he had enough intelligence and caution to survive. Because, giving up to the men in black…that would mean death. And death was not an option, not when Ran was faithfully awaiting his return.

"Well," Conan took a deep breath, "first thing's first. An alias."

It had been two weeks since Edogawa Conan had escaped from his captors. With his measly intake of food and camping out in different parks each night (not comfortable or hygienic at all, but necessary), his appearance had changed greatly. He was thinner now, and his face and arms had developed a slight tan.

He spent most mornings helping out the local newspaper delivery service, delivering newspapers to doorsteps early morning before day break. Then, as per routine, he'd buy a cheap melon-bread from the street vendors. After which, he'd go to the public baths to bathe and freshen up.

He'd managed to acquire another pair of shorts and a shirt from a kind old lady that ran the sewing shop half a city away, and washed his other pair of clothes in the bath. Alternating with two shorts and shirts was much harder than it seemed and it left him feeling quite grimy. Finally, he'd trek all the way across the town to Tsuchida-san's house to baby-sit her three-year old daughter.

While Tsuchida-san had been clearly sceptical of his offer at first – who wouldn't be? – speaking to him and taking note of his clear intelligence and maturity, she'd given him the job. As a widower and a working woman, she needed someone to take care of her child.

Trusting a strange child seemed better than trusting a strange adult. Hiring a babysitter, especially for young children, was costly. The price ranged from 1000 yen per hour to 3000 yen per hour. She couldn't afford a full-time babysitter, or employ one from an agency, so she thought she'd have to make do with a stranger solely based on trust and a flimsy check of their past record. In a way, Conan had been a blessing. He was young, and thus more relatable to the child. He was, at the same time, very mature.

"Ah," Tsuchida Aya-san smiled, "You're early, Daichi-kun! No classes today? Or are you skipping?"

Ah, yes. That was his new cover story. He'd taken on the name Fuyuhiko Daichi and introduced himself as an orphan. His orphanage, conveniently situated in the next district, taught the children in their own institution. Conan had claimed to be too far ahead of his peers – and proved it too – for the classes to hold his interest. Deciding to do something productive to earn pocket money, he was babysitting.

Tsuchida-san had readily believed his story and agreed to keep quiet about his 'orphanage', as the kids were supposedly not allowed jobs. Happy to find someone available to take care of Miyuki-chan, her daughter, she'd not protested at all. She also paid him a generous 30000 yen a week, so Conan had no complaints either. Gaining so much money – all off record (and in cash), considering he was not legally hired, but it made things much easier for Conan – would have been impossible for him as a child, but Tsuchida-san had been desperate and Conan was grateful for that.

"Yeah," 'Daichi' smiled, "Skipping as usual. But you know that already, Aya-san!"

Aya-san laughed, "I do. Come in. You've had breakfast, yes?"

She asked him the same question every day, to which he simply smiled. But, it was the first time in the ten days that he'd worked here, he was actually early. Walking across the town was no easy feat for a seven-year old and it took him more than two hours.

Thus, when he arrived at 10:00 am in the morning, just before she left for work, Aya-san assumed he attended the morning lectures before catching a bus. Arriving at 8:30 am was very early compared to his usual timing.

"Actually," Conan began, "I've a favour to ask of you,"

"Oh?"

They walked into the kitchen, where little Miyuki-chan was trying to feed herself with chopsticks – she'd not gotten the hang of it yet. Conan smiled at her, taking a seat at the table. Aya-san wordlessly placed a cup of warm milk in front of him, not believing his usual answer of having eaten breakfast. Not that Conan protested, a small melon-bread was nowhere as satisfying as Ran's home-made food, but it did the job.

"Can I borrow some paper, envelope and stamps?" Conan asked as he sipped his milk.

"Writing a letter to someone?" Aya-san asked curiously.

"Yes," Conan smiled, "An old man who visited the orphanage a few months ago. He adopted a friend of mine; I was hoping to write to him."

Another lie. Conan had grown used to them. This was his life now. Where his first name – Shinichi – had been the very embodiment of truth, Conan's life was built on lies. Lies which kept him alive and safe.

"Alright," Aya-san agreed, "Would you like me to post it too?"

"No," Conan shook his head, "that's alright. I'll do it on the way back."

One more lie.

The truth was much different. He had finally decided that enough time had passed and deemed it to be safe to send Agasa Hakase a letter. He would not write anything but a few words. No salutation, no sign, no return address. That would be safest. He'd also give Ran a call tonight – as Shinichi. Best not to make her worry too much.

By the time Aya-san returned home and Conan trudged back wearily, the sun had already set. He made his way to the lockers and retrieved his bow-tie. Making his way to a pay phone, Conan thought back to that day and once again pondered at the identities of his kidnappers.

'Who were they? While they haven't found me, I wonder if they believe me to be lost or dead or… either way, at least now they can't check if I truly am Kudo Shinichi. And considering all other evidences, apart from my sudden disappearance, they will have to reach the conclusion that I am dead.'

Conan stopped in his tracks when he remembered something.

'Unless…they actually tested that drug on the man they were supposed to meet that day. If he shrunk…then I am on the top of their 'to kill' list. If he died, then I am safe... I am truly cruel then, to hope that he died.'

Conan's own phone had been with the Hakase that day; he'd wanted to tinker about it and Conan had obliged. He was glad for that now; he didn't know what he would have done with a phone on him – the most easily tracked devices of all.

Speaking of tracking, were they tapping the Mouri's phone? The mobile should be safe though, unless they bugged the whole place – no, that was unlikely. Considering Kogoro-san's new found fame and intelligence, they would be wary of bugging or wire-tapping the Detective Agency. Also, the man wasn't quite as incompetent, just not very bright when compared to genii like Shinichi. Still, it would be best to call on Ran's mobile.

He inserted a coin and pushed the numbers in a long-memorised sequence, waiting for her to pick it up. However, it seemed luck was not on his side. When she did not pick up her phone a third time, he gave up.

Sending the letter to Agasa Hakase was his next priority and he'd devised a plan for that too. Conan decided to spend some of his hard earned money to buy a ticket to Kyoto – far and expensive, but to make sure that neither he nor the Hakase would be in danger; sacrifices would have to be made.

It was a quick trip. All he'd done was post the letter and return. This served a purpose of course. If one tracked the letter back, it would only lead them to Kyoto, nowhere close to him or his whereabouts.

Conan would have to say, four weeks without tripping over a body was his new personal record. Of course, with his new routine consisting of delivering newspapers and baby-sitting, he'd be very surprised if he did come across a murder.

In these four weeks, free from duties like attending school, he'd spent every free moment reading any and all newspapers he came across, case files uploaded on the internet and research on old cases on library computers. Now, his only goal was to bring down the organisation and if cases would no longer come to him, he'd have to go after cases.

"Dai-nii-chan! Can you help me with this colour book?"

"Of course, Miyuki-chan!"

After he was done with his babysitting duties, naturally.

Personally, Conan never thought he could actually grow to enjoy looking after the little girl. But, perhaps she was part witch, because she had completely put him under her spell.

Aya-san returned home to see both kids curled up on the sofa, a book on Japanese folk-tales laid open next to them. And it nearly crushed her heart when she knew what she had to do.

"Daichi-kun!" She shook him awake gently, "Daichi-kun!"

Conan, being the light sleeper he was, immediately opened his eyes to see the worried and distressed profile of Aya-san in front of him.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing," she tried to smile, failing miserably, "I – I just have a favour to ask of you…can you take Miyuki-chan to the orphanage with you for a couple of days? I need to go away for a while…and, I've got no relatives, you see."

When Conan looked unconvinced, she elaborated, "Don't worry! Someone will come and explain things soon enough…you just need to keep her with you for a couple of days. I know I can trust her with you –"

And even if Conan had an orphanage to go back to, and take Miyuki with him, instead of the streets, he would have refused. Because, Aya-san was clearly not telling him everything and it must have been something truly horrible if she was close to tears.

"Aya-san," Conan said firmly, "Stop. Please, sit down and tell me the whole story. The true story."

"I'm sorry, Daichi-kun," she sobbed, "I can't stay long. The police are outside the house, waiting for me. They allowed me in to tell you to take care of Miyuki-chan, but I must go now."

There was a silence at that. Carefully moving Miyuki-chan so that she lay on the sofa and not on him, Conan got up. He walked straight to the door and opened it. As Aya-san had said, outside stood a police car and three officers, two male and one female. All unfamiliar.

"Hello," Conan began politely, "Please come in,"

The police officers were baffled at the kid's order – it was an order without a doubt, no matter how politely he'd framed it – but complied.

"I'm Fuyuhiko Daichi," Conan introduced himself and waved over to the sleeping girl, "this is Tsuchida Miyuki-chan, my friend and you already know her mother, Tsuchida Aya-san."

Getting a clue, the woman smiled gently down at Conan, "I'm Detective Koshi, and my colleagues, Detectives Asahi and Goro."

The woman, Detective Koshi, glanced at Aya-san before saying, "We need Aya-san's help you see, Daichi-kun, and so would you please take Miyuki-chan to your home for tonight? We'll come to talk to your parents about the situation –"

"Ah," Conan smiled prettily at her, "but keiji-san, why do you need Aya-san's help?"

Detective Asahi crouched down to his level, "I'm afraid we can't tell –"

"Can't tell or won't tell?" Conan asked in a sweet voice, before sharpening his tone and startling the detectives, "No…you don't want her help, you want to question her as a suspect. For murder."

The detectives eyes widened in surprise. Then the female turned accusingly towards Aya.

"Tsuchida-san, we told you not to tell –" Detective Koshi began,

"It wasn't Aya-san who told me the reason for your visit," Conan replied calmly, "it was the three of you."

"What?!" Detective Goro exclaimed, "We told you?"

"Oh, yes," Conan nodded, "the red badge pinned on your chest signifies that you work in the Police Department's Division One – Homicide. Thus, the only reason you would want Aya-san to go with you is because she was involved with one, either as a suspect or witness."

His words were slowly but surely making an impact on the detectives, their faces paling at his accurate deductions.

"If she was a witness, she wouldn't be so sad and tearful," Aya-san quickly attempted to wipe off her tears at that, "if she was the culprit and you had evidence proving it, she wouldn't be allowed back home and you would have sent an officer to retrieve us. Thus, she is a suspect – most probably the prime suspect and you would like to detain her for questioning."

"W-who is this boy?" Detective Asahi asked Aya-san, face paling slightly as she pointed a shaking finger towards him.

"I'm Miyuki-chan's friend," Conan interjected before Aya-san could say something that might give him away.

"And," Conan's voice sweetened again, "we would like to come along with you to the police station, because I do not believe Aya-san has committed a murder, not when she has Miyuki-chan to care for. So, I'm sure she would be released soon enough. You can only keep her for questioning for 48 hours without decisive evidence or a confession – neither of which you will get."

The detectives were spooked enough by the child to not ask about the child's parents, and simply complied with his demand.

Conan and Miyuki-chan sat outside the interrogation room for nearly two hours before they were let inside. Immediately, Miyuki ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around her.

The interrogating officers shifted uneasily at the scene and Conan scoffed. Clearly they were new to the department – most seasoned detectives knew that there were quite a few cold-blooded killers around, who would kill even though they had a young child who depended on them.

Conan on the other hand, did not truly doubt Aya-san's innocence, but he would reserve judgement till he saw the case file. Speaking of that…

"Ah-le-le!" Conan began with a childlike, innocent voice, "Look at that photo! Isn't the knife oddly positioned?"

The officers, who'd been looking over the crime scene photos, jumped at his sudden statement.

"Little boy," one of them began sternly, "these are not for you to see. Go stay by your mother."

"Oh, she's not my mother, she's just an aunt," Conan said, "But look at the photo, isn't the knife oddly positioned?"

The officer was about to get angry when Detective Goro spoke up, "What's odd, boy?"

"Oi, Goro, he's just a kid!"

"Yeah," Detective Koshi agreed, an odd glint in her eye, "a kid who's clearly not freaking out at the blood in these photos, and who guessed why we wanted Tsuchida-san even before we mentioned anything. Tell us Daichi-kun, what do you mean?"

"The position of the knife in comparison to the height of the body," Conan's voice lost some of its childlike quality, "it's completely wrong, if Aya-san would have killed her."

There was a silence before detective Koshi spoke up, "Actually, Daichi-kun, based on the position of the knife, Tsuchida-san is the only suspect who could have killed her, out of all four people that visited the victim's house."

"Ah, but Koshi-keiji," Conan said, his voice normal, lacking any uncertainty, "that's because you have taken into account that she was wearing those heels when she was killed."

The photograph Conan was pointing to, did show the victim wearing a four inch heel. The other photos were taken from various angles, showing the victim and the room she was killed in.

"There are three things wrong with the scene," Conan spoke softly but firmly, "one, her hair. It's in clumps, and one can see the wet spots on the shirt near her shoulders. Which means that she was recently in the bath."

He looked up to see the officers staring at him wide-eyed. Conan knew that this was not at all conducive to keeping his cover, but Aya-san's freedom meant the continuity of his livelihood. Without the money she paid him, and her trusting silence on his personal matters, he would be in a much more difficult situation. So, he would help her. Sooner or later, these officers would forget all about a smart little kid they'd encountered, and he'd be safe.

"I don't know the order in which the other suspects entered, but one of those who came in after her bath, killed her." Conan said.

"Only three people, then," Detective Koshi told him, seemingly forgetting that she was talking to a child and was not truly supposed to give out such information, "Tsuchida-san, Imayoshi-san and Takaaki-san."

"Two, her shoes," Conan said, "or heels as they're called. She was killed in the kitchen. While it is true, that the kitchen is only one room away from the house door, isn't it odd that she would wear them inside the house?"

"Some people do have a habit of this western culture of wearing shoes inside the house, you know," an unnamed officer, who looked quite disapproving of discussing things with a child, told him.

"Ah, but those people would usually allow their guests to do the same then," Conan pointed out, "And look here, this officer's feet in this photo – he's wearing guest slippers!"

"That's true," Detective Goro muttered, "did someone put the heels on her after her death, then?"

"Exactly!" Conan exclaimed, "Also, point three, the colour scheme."

"Colour scheme?" The unnamed officer snorted, "Look boy, this is adequate. You've raised a good point, but that's enough. We'll take it from here."

"Miyaji-kun!" Detective Koshi reprimanded, "I think this boy raises good questions. There is no need to be so harsh."

"Ma'am," the now known Miyaji-keiji protested, "he is but a child. And a civilian! We are not meant to –"

"I shall take full responsibility of it," Detective Koshi cut him off, "besides, it's not like this is the first time we're enlisting the help of a civilian, or a child. As long as we achieve our objective – apprehending the criminal – any help given is appreciated,"

Conan watched on curiously, wondering who this civilian was – another detective? Or another teenage detective, perhaps?

"Daichi-kun," Detective Koshi said, "Go on."

"Look at the rest of the room;" Conan pointed at the photos, "everything is colour coded and matched. Either she enlisted the help of a very good interior designer, or she is one herself."

"You're actually right," Detective Goro commented, "she is an interior designer.

Conan nodded and gave him a smile, "Now, I'm guessing both Imayoshi-san and Takaaki-san knew her well?"

"Yes, both men were old college friends of hers who owed her money. Same with Tsuchida-san," Detective Koshi replied.

"Then they must have known she liked matching everything, even her clothes and shoes," Conan smiled, "Because clearly, her light pink shirt and deep maroon pants were well matched. Why, then, are her heels green?"

The question stumped everyone.

Conan smirked, "I'm guessing here too, but she must have a pair of red heels in her shoe-cupboard if she owns such clothes. Instead of red, why is she wearing green heels?"

"Yes, she does own a pair of… Oh!" Miyaji-keiji's eyes widened as he looked down at Conan in comprehension, "The killer put the shoes on her!"

"What?" Detective Goro was stumped, "How did you reach that conclusion?"

"She wouldn't wear green heels to go with her red outfit," Miyaji-keiji replied, "Thus, the killer had to have put them on her later, to confuse us with their apparent height!"

"But why green?" Goro-keiji was still confused, "If the killer did put it on her, red seemed more realistic and less suspicious…"

"Colour-blindness," replied Conan,

"A genetically passed trait, appearing only in males," Detective Koshi said in comprehension, "who lack the ability to identify the colour red and green. They both appear to be in shades of grey to them. So, the killer is colour-blind, and put on the wrong shoes on her!"

"So, that means she was killed without her wearing those heels," Detective Goro said, eyes glinting at the new information, "taking into account her original height and the position of the knife, there is no way Tsuchida-san could have stabbed her! It has to be either Imayoshi-san or Takaaki-san; both are of nearly the same height. Now to find out which one of them is colour-blind…"

Conan quietly slipped away as the three detectives poured over their notes, and reached to the right conclusion.

"We're very sorry to have troubled you," Detective Koshi bowed deeply, her juniors behind her, "and thank you for your cooperation, Tsuchida-san!"

"Oh, it's alright," Aya-san gave them a watery smile, tightly clutching at her daughter, "I'm glad you found the culprit."

"It wouldn't have been quite so easy if it wasn't for your nephew," Detective Miyaji said, looking at the kid with new found respect.

Conan grinned up at him. As they were leaving, he gave a small tug at Koshi-keiji's skirt, "Ne, can you tell me who you were talking about? When you said you'd taken help from another civilian before? Was it a teenage detective?"

"Nothing escapes your sharp mind, does it?" Koshi-keiji grinned down at him, "You're right. It's a high school detective who's helped us out a couple of times. He's moved back to Japan a few months ago, in fact. Hakuba Saguru."

"I'll never be able to thank you enough, Daichi-kun," Aya-san told him after she'd put Miyuki to bed, "all I can say is…if you'd consider my offer…would you like me to adopt you?"

Conan was shocked, 'W-what did she say? Not that I can even accept her offer….but it sounds so good, to have a proper roof over my head again…'

"Aya-san," Conan knew what he was about to do would destroy four whole weeks of hard-work and preparation, but after literally clearing her from the police's suspicions, her genuine offer could be met with nothing but honesty. "I've lied to you."

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously, but curiously, willing to patiently listen to him.

Because, he'd helped her when there had been no need for him to and if even if he'd lied to her about something, listening to his explanation was something she owed to him.

"I don't live in an orphanage," Conan admitted, "nor do I go to any classes. I deliver papers in the morning and come here for more work till evening. You can't adopt me, truly. I don't exist on records, if you know what I mean."

She was quiet for a long time, before saying, "That's alright. We'll make up all the papers for you; I've got a friend who'll help out in the process. You can keep your name too. I'll simply be listed as your guardian and you can stay with us…how about that?"

What she was saying was too good to be true, but the offer was tempting. And having a stable home would be a great help. It would make it easier for him to progress on his investigation when he didn't have to worry about meals and a place to sleep. But being on record meant going back to school – was he ready for that? Was he ready to show his face out in the open again?

Conan gave a glance at the polished window glass; the face staring back at him was no longer exactly like Edogawa Conan's. It was thinner, darker and without those tell-tale glasses. Yes, this would do.

Adults often confused themselves with children's faces, and remove a few notable points, the men in black would never realise it was him. Because, if one wanted to hide a tree, the best place for it was a forest. To hide in plain sight, he would have to return back there.

All Edogawa Conan had was a few hastily forged legal papers, a false medical record and a mysterious past with no explanation. What Aya-san was offering for Fuyuhiko Daichi was a legal and authentic identity, who had an anonymous but plausible past.

His plans were already changing, now he could no longer afford to wait. But, he couldn't deny that he missed them. They, for all their childish behaviour, were quite insightful on their own might. So, with his resources cut down, he'd have to make do with all he could get his hands on.

"On one condition," Conan smiled at Aya-san, "please let me attend Teitan Primary School."

AN: All readers, don't worry. The Tsuchida family and those officers back there will have a very minimal role. They are just present to give the plot some solidity, that's all. The main charcters are still Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito. Along with Hattori Heiji, Mouri Ran, Hakuba Saguru, the Shounen Tantei-dan and the FBI.

Also, for those interested to know the meaning behind Conan's new name:

Fuyuhiko (冬彦)– Winter prince

Daichi (大智) - Great wisdom

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