Double Trouble

Agony was the first sensation that came to mind. Disorientation followed shortly afterwards.

Last he could remember he was on a heist. The Task Force had surged past him and, after he left his hiding spot, an exploding sort of pain in his skull then...darkness. He concluded someone must have snuck up on him, but that was perturbingly strange. His instincts were sharp, and yet his assailant had made nary a sound so then...they must have been top-notch assassins in order to escape his notice. That was not highly reassuring, but he was not dead. In fact, he felt very much alive with a few key differences. For one, his body did not feel right, and the world felt unusually blurry and...bigger? Not only that, his head throbbed, he felt as if he were recently burned, and his suit felt oddly loose on...oh...oh, no. No, no, no.

He had become chibitized, just like a certain diminutive detective he knew.

He inhaled sharply, fear spiking as he struggled to choke it down. Panicking would not help his situation. He had to think, so think he would. Breathing deeply, he painted a picture of collected calm.

KID was a showman, and every performer had their masks.

He could not allow fear to show. He could not panic or act impulsively. This time, his instincts would hinder rather than help. With this form, he lacked the physical capabilities to support his usual contortive stunts. As of now, he needed a plan, but he did not have a script. No script meant no lines to act out, so he had to start from scratch and hope he would be lucky.

Well, he just happened to excel in the luck and improvisation department.

A signature shark's grin flashed, his version of a poker face, which resembled an odd combination of teeth and chubbiness that was disturbing and yet fitting all the same on his younger face. Already an inkling of a plan had begun to form. Rolling up the sleeves, cuffs, and pant legs of his wrinkled suit, he mapped out his current thoughts.

So far, he knew that whatever had caused the originally teen sized detective to become a child had been given to him. He tucked the rolled the fabric into the over-sized shoes. He knew that whoever had shrunk the guy was deadly, if the tidbits of information he had received from various transmitters hidden within the Mouri household at alternate times (usually placed before a heist located in the local area) were any indication. He trudged forwards, mind wandering.

Other than the obvious need to remain undercover, the threat was enough to cause the boy to intentionally conceal his identity from his crush (yes, he knew the signs of someone in love) out of fear for her safety, and yet still live with her. (And yet Tantei-kun thought he was the criminal.) Although he could ask Jii for help, he wanted information and the one who could give him that was not Jii, not this time, at least. Besides, Jii had never been shrunk before, and as loath as he was to admit it, Kaito was terrified. Wearing a disguise was one thing; forcibly becoming three feet shorter with no currently noted way of how to continue his normal life and personal mission was another.

He shrugged off the white coat and cape-both were too heavy and he was already tiring in this weaker form, he'd have to go without the gadgetfied clothing if he wanted to be quiet. Although he was jittery, he had enough confidence in himself to be certain he would adapt. As for his potential ally and current information on how much of a threat his attacker posed and how to proceed...well, the detective of the east was renowned for no unsolved cases in record timing, so if he still had not scoped out and arrested his enemies, then... Well, KID was not about to take any chances. His smirk widened. Not yet, anyway.

Tugging an ebony cloak free from one of the numerous pockets within his now over-sized suit, he tossed it over his disheveled frame. Tantei-kun was still hiding under an alias. Translation: he needed to be sneaky, and sneaky he could be. That, and he needed a new alias as well, but he was a master of disguise-that was already covered.

He edged along the wall. A quick glance towards the nearest window showed him it was still night out, or at least one night had passed. Unlikely, though, as someone would have noticed an unconscious child sprawled in the corner hallway during the day. Nevertheless, no guards were present and the artificial lights were off. Even so, he took precautions and silently crept down the hallway, peering around the first crossway he encountered before turning left towards the back exit. Normally he would prefer the roof, but the hang glider had been forgone, and was not designed for a small body-

He blinked. Damn. Now he could not make any jokes about the Tantei's lack in stature, otherwise he would just be insulting himself as well. Hmm… Never stopped him before! Granted, he had never been shrunk before, but after taking his father's mantle he had encountered various ranges of the bizarre. Plus, he himself was intentionally known as absurd. Really, he should not be surprised.

Continuing onwards, he reassessed his situation one more.

He knew he had to be sneaky-easy. He knew he needed a new identity-no problem. He knew he had to be secretive-ditto. He knew he needed help-slight problem, but he could manage. He always did after all.

What he did not know were the following factors. Were the enemies the detective faced in abundance or not? How skilled were they? Did they know Kudo Shinich had been shrunk? (Unlikely, as he had a hunch that although they were deadly, no one could have predicted regression in age) He snuck past the elevator and a roaming camera. Did his attackers think he was dead? Were they allies of Snake? Or were they a part of the same organization? He rounded another corner. How should he approach the detective? Should he make a false identity then befriend the detective? Should he outright say he was Kaito KID but had been shrunk as well?

He rolled his eyes. Right, because that would go over so well. But... He frowned. Maybe he should offer a trade. If KID helped with the detective's investigation and take down of his enemy, then maybe the faux child would be willing to assist in his predicament, maybe even help in bringing down Snake. He crept down the stairs, no camera was in sight but caution was of importance. Although...Kaito wanted to imprison Snake himself, actually. He knew revenge did no good, and he had a 'no one gets hurt' policy but...that swine had murdered his father, retribution of KID's own kind would satisfy his version of justice. Even if revenge was not his style, Snake was the lone exception.

He arrived on the bottom floor. Right. Back on track. Reeling in from his musings he narrowed down to his most important mission at the moment: find Tante-kun. On the way there he would figure out how to present himself. His gaze shifted to find an escape route. Spotting one, he darted from shadow to shadow. He could introduce himself as a stranger with a fake name and the claim he was KID, (although the brat would most likely due research anyway and discover that the identity did not exist, for the sole reason that he had no time to forge the documents) or pretend to be a real child, enroll in the detective's school, and befriend the boy. A sleeve-covered hand unlocked the windowsill, leaving no fingerprints, and lifted. What to do, what to do? Hmm...

The best plan would be to retreat to a potential ally. Only one problem remained, however.

Would the detective help a renowned thief?

Closing the window behind him just as silently as it was opened, he darted outside and blended with the chilling darkness.

He was betting yes.

A/N: We'll see where this wanders.