I made the mistake of listening to Detective Conan music when writing and this story decided to infiltrate my mind and take over everything I was doing at the time. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Youth Potion

It was late at night when the plane landed. Rain fell from the sky, just enough to fill the air with the refreshing smell of clean air. Many of the passengers had slept through the last few hours of the flight, their eyes groggy with sleep. As they stumbled to gather their belongings one passenger in particular closed the book she had been reading and looked out into the rain. With a quick flick of her wrist she placed the book back in her carry on, a medium sized green backpack, and hefted the straps onto her shoulders.

She yawned loudly as she stepped off the airplane, rubbing at her eyes. It had been a long few weeks and she was looking forward to relaxing.

Pulling the light grey hood attached to her sweatshirt over her head, covering her shoulder blade length hair, she put in her headphones and stuffed her hands in her pockets. With slow, lazy steps she made her way to the baggage claim, her brilliant blue eyes scanning the crowd as she went.

"I hope Shinichi didn't do anything stupid while I was gone," she thought to herself, maneuvering through the crowd so that she could grab her luggage. "I've been away longer than this before, but mom or dad usually stopped in to check on him. They've been gone far longer than I have this time."

Lifting her medium sized duffle bag off the conveyer belt and onto her shoulder, moving it around so that it didn't get in the way of her backpack, she grabbed the handle of her purple suitcase and stepped quickly towards the exit.

"Taxi!" she called, waving her free arm in the air. She caught the eye of one of the drivers and as they made their way towards her she pulled her hood further over her face to block out the rain. The car pulled in front of her and the driver got out to help her load her things.

"Good evening Ms." the older man tipped his hat in greeting with a warm smile. He looked to be in his late 50's, with a thick, grey mustache. He reminded her of a kind old grandfather, with most of his wrinkles moving to match his smile perfectly.

"Evening," she smiled back, glancing at the sky. It was near pitch black, both due to the late hour and the dark storm clouds. "How are you today?"

"Just fine, thank you for asking," the man slammed the trunk closed and opened the side door for her. She smiled gratefully and slid into her seat, opting to keep her backpack with her. The car smelt distinctly like cinnamon and pine trees, which was and interesting combination but was surprisingly soothing to her tired mind.

"Where are you headed ma'am?"

"Beika City please. District 2, block 21."

"That'll be about an hour or so drive, depending on the traffic," he informed her, pulling out into the street.

She relaxed into her seat with a sigh. "Just enough time for a nap."

The taxi driver chuckled. "Long flight?"

"Very."

In response the man turned the radio on low, to which she was grateful. She pulled the headphones out of her ear and wrapped them around her music player before placing it in her bag. Stretching her arms slightly, she rested the back of her head on the chair and looked out the window.

"…a modern day Holmes is what the public has taken to calling him, and I can see why!" the news announcer's voice crackled over the radio. "Just earlier today it was reported that a murder happened at our very own Tropical Land Amusement Park. Young Kudo had been on the same ride as the victim, and solved the mystery in a heartbeat. Quite a feat for a high schooler, I must say!"

The driver hummed thoughtfully, turning onto the highway. "I've been hearing about that kid quite a bit recently. Only a student and yet he's solving crimes and helping the police."

She smiled, resting her chin in her hand. "He's pretty smart alright."

"His family must be very proud."

She closed her eyes, allowing the quiet sounds of the windshield wipers moving swiftly back and forth mixed with the radio to lull her into a light doze. "…They certainly are."

-00-

"Here we are Ms." the man's voice shook her from her nap.

Stretching her arms in front of her, she looked out at the familiar house the car was parked in front of. It had three upper floors visible from the outside and was very spacious. The second floor had wide windows and a balcony that went all the way around the front while the top floor was mainly attic space with a few windows spaced so that during sunset it would light up the walls in a fiery glow. A cement fence with a nicely designed iron gate and a small gathering of trees surrounded the bottom floor and front yard. There used to be a wide array of flowers in the flower beds but neither her nor her brother were able to care for them as often as they had to after their parents moved away.

"Home sweet home," she smiled lightly. Grabbing her wallet from her backpack she pulled out the required amount of money for the drive as well as a good-sized tip for the pleasant company.

"Thank you very much," the driver tilted his hat.

"Think nothing of it, uh…" she trialed off, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't think I ever got your name."

The man laughed and stepped out to help her unload her baggage. "Tenzou Arashi," he offered.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Tenzou-san," she shook his hand and grabbed her bags. "Have a good night."

"You as well Ms." he paused when getting back into the car. "Ah, I don't think I ever got your name either!
"Shizuka. Kudo Shizuka."

Tenzou tipped his hat towards her once more before closing the door and driving away. She wondered if he would put two and two together in regards to the news report they had listened to for the entire drive.

Shrugging, Shizuka gathered her things and walked into the house, tilting her head slightly when she caught the tail end of the phone ringing.

"Few seconds earlier and I could have gotten that," she muttered, placing her bags along the wall so that they were out of the way but easy enough to grab when she eventually went upstairs. Wondering if her brother was still awake she went towards the room they had all dubbed the 'library' due to the massive amounts of books they kept there. "Not that I should have to. Is Shinichi so caught up in those books that he couldn't hear the phone?"

Shizuka stepped into the room, pausing at how dark it was. The only light source was the occasional flashes of lightning that made her blink to clear the spots from her eyes. There was no sign of anyone else and nothing seemed out of place.

"Not reading then," she sighed, plopping into a large chair along the edge of the room. "Sleeping? He did apparently solve a case today, and I didn't actually tell him I was coming home today."

Deciding that she was far to tired to actually make her way up the stairs, Shizuka simply relaxed further into the chair and laid her head down on one armrest while throwing her legs over the other end. The library had always smelled like fresh books to her, and it was very relaxing.

"I've slept in worse places, and I can't keep my eyes open much longer. I'll say hi to him tomorrow."

With one final yawn, she tugged the blanket off the back of the chair, tucked it around herself, and drifted off to sleep.

-00-

"…had a unique side effect and it has made your body shrink," a familiar voice stated, making Shizuka frown.

She was very comfortable and warm and not ready to wake up at all.

"That's how it seems to be," a smaller, more childish voice replied. "Really! My primary school uniform actually fits me!" There was a small pause. "I'll depend on you, professor. Aren't you a genius? Help me make a drug that can return me to my former self!"

Shizuka felt her eye twitch. The voice sounded very whiny on that last part and it reminded her of when her brother was little. He had been such an annoying kid when he wanted to be and that tone was the exact same one he used when he wanted something.

"Not that he's much better now," she rubbed her eyes, peering over her blanket to see the visitors.

Professor Agasa was easy to recognize. He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, which made his mustache quiver slightly in a way that always amused her. He was wearing his usual lab coat, which she had rarely ever seen him without. She shook her head in exasperated fondness when she noticed his slippers. The old things had definitely seen better days, but he had always chosen to wear them after Shinichi had given them to him one year for his birthday. He was arguing with some kid near the desk her father often used whenever he was home.

"Who's the kid?" she wondered, squinting slightly.

"…I can find them and get the drugs they used!" the kid exclaimed excitedly, a few bits of hair flying around as he moved.

Shizuka blinked. "Drugs? What the hell?"

"Well, that may be useful," Agasa nodded, furthering her shock. The professor suddenly frowned down at the kid. "Listen up Shinichi. If those men in black knew you were still alive, they would definitely come and kill you! This is a very dangerous situation, they can not find out your survived."

Shizuka blinked languidly, not sure she had hear right. "Shinichi? The kid?" The rest of the conversation processed in her head. "Who the hell will kill him?!"

Agasa grabbed the kid's shoulders with a serious look she had never seen on him. "We have to keep this between the two of us. You cannot tell anyone, not even Ran! If they find out you are still alive they might come after you and those around you!"

"They're even mentioning Ran. What could have possibly happened while I was gone?!"

"Shinichi!" A sudden voice called making the two panic. "Are you here?"

"It's Ran!" the kid panicked, flailing around.

Agasa ushered him behind the desk, ordering him to hide. Only a moment later, a fairly tall brunette entered the room looking annoyed.

"If you're back, why didn't you answer my call?" she demanded, dark brown eyes darting around when she walked in. She paused near the entrance of the room when she caught sight of the professor. "Professor Agasa? What are you doing here? Where is Shinichi?"

"Oh, uh, Ran-chan, you see-" Agasa stuttered.

Shizuka just stared at the ceiling in shock, trying to understand what she had just seen and heard.

There was a small thump from the desk, making Ran look up curiously. "Oh, is someone here? Shinichi! Is that you?" She brushed past Agasa and peeked around the edge. "Really," she shook her head in confusion but smiled kindly at the small boy hidden behind the desk. "Don't be shy!" she called, kneeling down towards him. She wondered why a kid was in her best friends house, but the thought flew from her head once she got a good look at him. His face was small and round, framed by nearly to big glasses. A few strands of dark hair stuck up out of the back of his head and he had a beautiful pair of sky blue eyes.

"This kid," she breathed, not noticing how the child tensed. "He's so cute!"

Shizuka looked over again to watch the kid get smothered by one of Ran's hugs. There was a small blush on his face as she held him tightly to her chest.

"Oh my god," she thought in shock. "It really is Shinichi!"

Ran smiled brightly and turned towards Agasa. "Who is this kid?"

Agasa jumped, obviously unnerved. "Oh, uh, one of my relatives."

"Ah," she nodded. "What's your name?"

"M-My name," the kid, Shinichi stuttered. "Uh, it's Shin-, no, uh…" he looked around him. "Conan!" he shouted after glancing at the books behind him. "My name is Edogawa Conan!"

Shizuka smacked her face and shook her head. "Seriously? That's what the best the 'modern day Holmes' can come up with?"

"What a strange name," Ran tilted her head.

"Uh, well, it's because my dad is a fan of Conan Doyle's novels so…"

Ran nodded, peering at him closely. "You know, you look a lot like Shini-"

"That's right!" Agasa suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump. "Ran-chan, I'm sorry about this, but can you take this child and let him live with you for a little while?"

"Oh god," Shizuka internally moaned. "This is just getting worse and worse. What on earth is going on?!"

"This kid's parents were in an accident and they asked me to look after him," Agasa explained while grabbing Shinichi when he made a move to protest. "But I live alone and I have no idea how to take care of a child. A lot of my experiments could be dangerous for a kid to be around too."

Ran thought about it for a moment. "I can do it, but I'll need to discuss it with my dad first."

"Really? That's great, isn't it Conan?"

Shizuka could only watch on as the two males had a hushed conversation. Whatever reason Agasa had cooked up seemed to calm Shinichi down, and he nodded his agreement.

"Perfect! Ran, why don't you go call you father and I'll watch over Conan?" Agasa suggested. Ran nodded and left the room, waving at 'Conan' as she went.

"Honestly, this has become such a mess," Shinichi complained.

"I'll say," Shizuka deadpanned, rolling her eyes as the two whirled around to face her. "What on earth have you gotten yourself into this time, little brother?"

"Shizuka!" Agasa exclaimed when she sat up and pushed her hood off her head. She had forgotten she had left it on. "What are you doing here?!"

Shinichi simply stared at her in shock.

"Well," she started, running a hand through her light brown, nearly blonde, hair to work out any tangles, "I was sleeping. I got back not too long ago and I decided to relax in here. I think the better question is, why is my brother a midget now? Last time I checked he was a teenager, not a toddler."

Agasa started to stutter out an excuse when Shinichi simply cut him off. "It's to late for that Professor, we have to tell her."

"But Shini- I mean, Conan-"

"No," he shook his head. "Shizu's been here the whole time, and we can trust her. Right?"

Shizuka raised an eyebrow when he looked up at her. "Of course you can, I'm your sister."

Shinichi sighed and rubbed his head. "Everything happened earlier today. I was at the amusement park with Ran. We went on one of the rollercoaster rides and one of the other passengers was murdered," he explained, quickly going over the case. "There were two other passengers that caught my eye. They were dressed entirely in black and one of them…" Shinichi looked out the window with a troubled expression. "His eyes weren't normal. They were too cold. They were acting suspiciously and I just knew they were up to no good. I sent Ran home and then I found them making a deal with some business tycoon type of guy. They were blackmailing him. Apparently he had been smuggling weapons and the guys in black had photographic evidence." He rubbed the back of his head. "It gets kind of hazy after that. One of the men, the tall skinny one, found me and hit me in the back of the head. At first they were going to shoot me, but the police were still around. They started talking about a new kind of poisonous drug that had never been tested on humans before. They forced me to take it and the next thing I know I'm a kid."

Shizuka took a deep breath in and held it for a good few moments. Letting it out in one big exhale, she strained her ears to hear Ran arguing with her father over the phone. Confident that they wouldn't be heard, she reached forward quickly and grabbed Shinichi by the ear.

"Ow! What the heck are you doing?!"

Shizuka refused to relent, even when Agasa took a hesitant step forward. She simply sent the Professor a chilling glare and twisted her brother's ear further. "So what you are telling me," she started, her voice low and threatening, "is that you followed two suspicious men who very clearly had ill intentions, without any back up or protection? When not moments before you informed me that there was a murder investigation, which would mean that there were plenty of police officers nearby who were trained for situations such as this? Police officers that these criminals where clearly aware of, making them even more paranoid and watchful? You also failed to tell anyone, even your date, where you were going in case they found you and either killed or kidnapped you?"

Shinichi glared at her and opened his mouth only to hiss when she pulled him closer to her by pulling harshly on his ear.

"Don't you dare tell me it was the right thing to do. You are supposed to be a veritable genius, Shinichi. Lets try to put that to the test, shall we?" She let go of his ear, allowing him to massage it in an attempt to relieve the pain. "What if the poison had killed you, hmm? You are the only one who had suspicions about these men, or at least enough to follow them, and by the sounds of it the poison was experimental. Do you know how hard it is to track newly created drugs or chemicals? Especially ones that had never been tested on humans before? Tell me, Shinichi, did they explain what the drug was supposed to do?"

She felt a severe case of déjà vu when he huffed and looked off to the side.

"…The tall one said it was something that couldn't be detected. I don't know what it was supposed to do, but it felt like my body was on fire and my heart was about to burst," he mumbled.

Shizuka's eyes widened, an emotion Shinichi couldn't identify in time passing though them before she regained control of herself. "Oh, well, that's perfect. That means that not only would they have made a clean get away, but their method of killing would have never been discovered. All you would have accomplished would have been throwing away your own life."

Shinichi glowered at her, his dark blue eyes just as intent as hers. Yusaku had always complained about how neither of them had his eyes.

"I couldn't let them get away, and Ran new I was suspicious about them!"

"Then she would have gone to find help after realizing you were missing. If these killers were smart, and by the sounds of things they are both intelligent and powerful, then they would be keeping an eye out for any claims about them. Then who would be in danger?"

Shizuka closed her eyes when her brother clenched his fists and looked away.

"Look, Shinichi, what's done is done. You made mistakes that should have gotten you killed, but by some miracle you are alive and you have been given the prefect hiding place. No one would believe this. I hardly believe this. I doubt there is anything I can do to stop you from tracking these guys down, but you have to play it smart. You can't go making stupid mistakes like this again. You can not draw attention to yourself unless your are one hundred percent sure that you can handle any backlash that comes your way and even then I urge you to be cautious. Do you understand?"

Shinichi suddenly sighed, a bitter smile twisting his lips. Shizuka hated that look on her brother when he was his regular self, on his child self it just made her heart hurt.

"I made a mistake, alright?" he admitted, never one to turn away from the truth. "I put myself and maybe Ran in danger, but it won't happen again. I'll find them Shizu, and I'll fix this. On my own."

They stared each other down in the tense silence that followed, making Agasa shift nervously from foot to foot.

The door suddenly opened and Ran came in looking pleased. "Alright Conan-kun, I've talked to my dad and we would be happy to- Shizuka?!"

The two immediately broke away, Shinichi grinning childishly and crossing his arms behind his head while Shizuka gave Ran a warm smile.

"Hello Ran-chan, it's been awhile."

Shizuka stood up when Ran rushed over to hug her. Shinichi made his way over to Agasa as the two embraced, glaring at the wall when he knew Ran wasn't looking.

"When did you get back? It's been so long!" Ran grinned, pulling back to look at her.

"Just a few hours ago, I was actually sleeping in here when you first arrived."

Ran looked from her to the chair she had just left and chuckled sheepishly. "I… didn't notice. Sorry."

Shizuka shrugged. "No big deal, you seemed pretty distracted. How are you?"

The other girl's eyes suddenly widened and she grabbed Shizuka's arms roughly. "Shinichi! Have you seen him? I've tried calling and the last time I saw him-!"

Shizuka grabbed her hands and rolled her eyes. "Relax Ran, he's fine. He called not to long ago and said he found an interesting case to work on. He won't be home for a little while is what he told me."

Ran's expression turned angry. "That idiot! I was worried for nothing!"

Shizuka patted her shoulder consolingly. "Don't be to harsh on him, at least he's doing something that helps people."

The enraged teen sighed and shook her head. "I know, it's just that- well, he didn't tell me anything! If you hadn't told me I would have worried for days thinking he'd been kidnapped. Or worse!"

"I know, and I'm glad he has such a good friend to keep an eye on him." Shizuka sent Shinichi a sharp glance before looking at the clock on the wall. "Well, it's getting late. Why don't head back home with Conan…chan and get some rest. I'll let you know if Shinichi calls again."

Ran gave her a weary smile. "Alright, thank you Shizuka. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too Ran-chan. I'll see you tomorrow," she waved at the other girl when she turned to go, holding Shinichi's hand as she went. "Behave Conan-chan. Don't cause Ran or her father any trouble."

Only Shinichi heard the sharp undertone in her voice, making him scowl once more. He waved happily when Ran looked down at him.

"Bye-bye Professor Agasa!"

Once they heard the door close Shizuka sunk down into the chair and rested her head in her hands.

"Well," Agasa breathed out, "that was certainly something."

"Yeah," Shizuka let out a weak laugh.

Agasa ran a hand over his mustache, his thoughts troubled. "This is going to be very dangerous. Who knows who these 'men in black' are or how dangerous they could be. Making a poisonous drug like that is not something easily done. It's nearly impossible. We should be very careful about how we proceed."

He turned to her only to freeze when he realized she was shaking. Her hands were buried in her hair, the knuckles white from how tightly she was gripping the strands.

"Shizuka?" he called hesitantly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"…He almost died today," she whispered in horror, the words barely discernible. "He should have died. This kind of miracle, it just doesn't happen! He would have died and- and I never would have seen him again. I don't even remember the last conversation we had before I left! That would have been the last memories I ever had of him and I can't even remember what we said! Were we arguing? Were we laughing? I don't know! I don't know Agasa!"

Agasa stared at her in shock when her head shot up to meet his gaze. Her normally bright blue eyes where dark and the whites were tinged red as tears sped down her face. Her hair was a mess and she was paler than he had ever seen her. The last time he had seen her cry was when she was seven and her father was in the hospital for overworking himself. Kneeling down quickly, he pulled her into a hug like he had done all those years ago, tears tugging at his own eyes.

He hadn't wanted to think about it. How he had almost lost that brilliant boy. How impossible Shinichi surviving actually was and how easily they could have lost him instead of gaining a tinier version of the genius detective.

"We almost lost him Agasa," Shizuka sobbed, the image of her brother lying dead on the ground refusing to leave her mind. "What would we have done? What would I have told mom and dad? I'm supposed to take care of him, be there for him, and he almost died! I was off in some other country, more focused on tracking down some petty criminals than making sure my baby brother was safe! H-he… He almost died!"

Agasa tightened his hold on her, unable to stop the tears from falling any longer. "But he didn't," Agasa murmured, feeling his glasses fog up from the moisture. "He is alive and he is safe." Agasa glanced up at the picture of the Kudo family hanging on the wall of the library. Shinichi was twelve and Shizuka was seventeen. They were both smiling widely as their parents looked on with matching grins. "There was nothing either of us could have done to prevent this, we had no idea what would happen. But we know now. We can help him and keep him as safe as we possibly can. This will never happen again Shizuka."

She pulled back, her eyes cold and unforgiving. "They will not get away with this Professor. They targeted my family, our family. They almost took him from us and if they knew he was alive they would try again."

Agasa nodded, his own determination rising. The Kudo family was everything to him, and no one would take them from him. "Shinichi isn't alone."

"No," Shizuka nodded, " he is not. And he never will be. I'm centering my work in Beika from now on. No one is touching my family ever again."

As the two discussed ways to help the miniaturized detective, Shinichi himself was speeding away in a car alongside Ran and her father. There had been a kidnapping and he had jumped at the chance to solve a case. It was the best way to keep his mind focused, and focused was exactly what he needed to be.

"Never again," he muttered, laughing obnoxiously when Kogoro looked at him.

Thanks for reading!

Shizuka Kudo:

Age: 21

Eye color: Blue (just like Shinichi's)

Hair color: Light brown (like Yukiko's)

Height: 5'2

Occupation: Much like Kogoro, she runs a kind of private detective job but it focuses more on criminals that escape and undercover work. If the police can't catch a culprit in time she tracks them down, or if someone comes to her with a case she usually takes the ones that involve long term undercover operations and leaves the murders and other cases like it to Shinichi. Observation, tracking, photography, and disguise are her fortes.

Personality: Her mother has taught her everything she knows about being an actor, and Shizuka uses it to her advantage. Around people she doesn't know she dons whatever personality she feels is needed. Around her friends and family she is normally very calm and analytical. She goes through her day at a relaxed pace but due to years of following criminals she is always on the look out for trouble. Very independent but adores her family. Doesn't have many friends, and most of those she does have she met through her parents or Shinichi.

Hobbies: Her job is her passion so most of her focus is on that. She learned the violin with Shinichi but she prefers the piano over anything else. Reads romance novels (which she hides behind mystery novel covers) and while she never partakes in any herself she enjoys watching people prank each other. Cheesy jokes (why couldn't the bike stand on its own? It was two tired.) make her smile in public and snort chuckle in private. She always has her camera with her when she is on the job and after Shinichi shrinks she carries it everywhere regardless of what is going on.

I don't know what else to put in here that you guys might be interested in at this point. Next chapter up soon!