"We could die doing this, you do realize this, right?"

Conan stared at the paradoxile thief loitering in front of him.

"I crossed my mind maybe once or twice." KID shrugged.

The little detective made a frustrated sound. He was trying to be serious here!

"So then why are you helping me?" He pressed. "I know you have your own goal to achieve, and you can't do that dead."

"Ahhh~ Tantei-kun is worried about me!" KID mewled playfully. "Now I can die happy!"

"KID! I'm being serious here!"

"Calm down Meitantei, I was just trying to lighten the mood." Kid replied. "But, to answer your question, I'm doing this because I care about you. You're the first person who really understands's me and the goal I wish to achieve. I would rather work with you at your side than hide away and potentially watch you die."

Conan felt warmth tint his cheeks a light rose color. He hadn't realized he'd become just as important to the thief as said theif had become to him. The thought of losing the person before him made his heart sting, but there was no better place he'd rather have him than at his side. It just goes to show how deep the trust between them ran if they were willing to risk death for one another.

"Alright." He sighed.

KID flashed him his trademark grin, all teeth and charisma. Conan fished the pill container out of his pocket. He had a single temporary antidote, he needed to be his true self to be of any use in the takedown scheduled for a few hours from now. He shot his companion a bashful look as he swallowed the pill. This would be the first time he'd be turning into Shinichi before the thief.

"With any luck, we'll both be walking away from this alive and with a sample of apoptoxin 4869."

"It's a good thing I'm Lady Luck's favorite then."

If anyone were to tell Shinichi prior to the tropical land incident that he would end up having a partnership built on trust with a wanted criminal, he'd probably advise them to get their head checked, or assume they were on a hallucinogen of some kind. That didn't mean he felt any less secure or comfortable with the white theif at his side, both of their gun's drawn. He even smiled as he felt KID's arm brush against his own.

Jodie-sensei had done nothing more than raising an eyebrow at the thief's presence at his side. Good, he would have brought KID with him with or without the FBI agent's consent.

"My my, both Cool Guy and a certain White Phantom, what a pleasant surprise." A familiar voice commented.

Vermouth stood before them, smirking.

"Vermouth," He stated.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to stop you, it would be useless to try and destroy a silver bullet after it's been fired." The blond woman replied. "I'm just here to point you in the direction of what you seek. It should be in the lab on the floor below us."

"And make sure to give my regards to Sherry, I hope she enjoys her new life."

The pair watcher her leave, doing nothing to stop her. Not that there was much they could have done in the first place.

Just as Vermouth had promised, the lab below them had several vials of the prototype poison. Shinichi handed a vile to KID before pocketing one of his own.

"Just in case, I'm not the only one who want's a permanent antidote to this stuff."

"Oh? And why might that be?" A smooth voice asked.

Akai Shuuichi stepped into the lab from his position at one of the doorways.

"Ley's just say this position doesn't always kill, and those that live have to deal with an annoying side effect." Shinichi responded.

KID snorted from his position at the detective's left.

Akai eyed him carefully, then nodded.

"So you and Science-San aren't the only ones with age problems?" The thief inquired.

"No, you know Masami Sera?"

"The lady detective who often dresses like a man?"

"Yeah, her. Her mom was fed the position and lived."

The thief snorted, apparently the thought of a full-grown woman being reduced back to the size of a 6-year-old was amusing. Then again KID did have a few bolts missing.

"So then, with this it'll be all over, I'll be able to return to my old life?" Conan asked, staring at the green and black pill in his hand.

"The antidote will undo the fact of the poison, it won't actually return you to your old life. Undoing time is impossible." Haibara said.

His fellow faux child stared at him.

"You do know you want bo the same person you were before all this, right Kudo-kun?" She asked.

"Yeah, I realized that truth a long time ago." He replied. But, I still want to return, even if I can't have the life I once did, I can't remain as 'Conan' and stay happy."

"Well, ultimately it is your choice, I've already sent Sera-San on her way with an antidote." The girl replied.

"And I assume you'll not be taking the antidote."

Haibara nodded. She didn't have anything to return to, no bridges not already burned to cinders. At least now she could live the life she'd been denied before- a chance at a childhood and a chance to do good. She'd live the remainder of her second childhood with the hakasa, where she was happy and loved.

"Well then, I'll be heading home now. See you tomorrow." He called over his shoulder.

She watched him as he retreated out the door. Then turned to her computer. She wasn't going to destroy the data on apoptoxin 4896 and the antidote, but she was going to hide it- lock it away and throw away the key. The FBI had never been able to recover the original data on the poison. She prayed that simply meant it had been destroyed, but as long as the possibility of an ex BO member having the formula to such a dangerous thing, she couldn't bring herself to destroy her own data.

Apprehensive, he locked the door to his room, but left the window untouched. If he chose to show up, a lock wouldn't mean anything. Stripping off his clothes and leaving them in a heap on the floor, Conan swallowed the green and black pill quickly and then crawled under the covers. This would be the last time he'd assume this size, the last time he'd have to think of himself as anything other then Kudo Shinichi.

The pain hit him all at once, ripping the air from his chest as he convulsed, unable to make even the slightest sound of pain. He'd known this would happen, and while this time around the pain was greater, it was still as familiar as before. The blankets knotted around him as his boy seized up. His bones once more felt like they were liquidizing as his boy began feeling like a roaring inferno, he could feel his libs shift and stretch as the transformation started.

He was only human, so it was no surprise to him when his consciousness began slipping away. It would be a long and painful process after all.

Would he wake up in company or alone?