The rewritten version of Dearly Beloved! Again, my sincere apologizes. But I think you all will like this version better, even if the chapter is short.

Thank you to those who had decided to follow and favorite the 'earlier D.B.' story and have continued to do so here. And thank you to those who have also decided to follow and favorite myself. :)

I do not own Detective Conan nor Magic Kaito.

The warmth from the coffee mug he held soothed his frost bitten fingers and brought the heat back to his body as he greedily drank the bitter drink. Cerulean irises glanced up at the diner's clock and back to the window his table was situated beside, the blinds hiding the snow blanketed streets of Ekoda. Edogawa Conan huffed in frustration. This situation was dangerous, considering his now shrunken body, and new injuries.

Not even three weeks since the men in black came and destroyed his once perfect life and here he was. A vertically challenged, geeky looking, homeless six-year-old lugging around an old school bag and violin case. Who also happens to look similar to one missing Kudo Shinichi, who coincidentally was suspected to be dead by some dangerous individuals. And to put the icing on the cake, Ran had found out almost immediately and kicked him out of the agency. He still had the bruise on his bum to prove it.

"We'll be closing soon, young man. Where are your parents?" It was the store owner that had been managing the register earlier. The elderly man peered down at Conan worriedly. His beady, green eyes scanning his roughed up appearance and began wiping down his table.

"Oka-san is taking a call outside.", he replied back smoothly.

"Don't see here outside. Are you sure? And your father?" Conan inwardly groaned in irritation. This guy was persistent.

"I don't have one, oji-san! I'm gonna go get oka-san now, don't worry. She's probably picking up the melon bread from the bakery next door. " The shrunken detective finished his cup quickly and settled it back onto the table. Grabbing his bag and case, the faux child jumped from his perch in the booth and scurried over to the exit.

"Thank you for the drink, oji-san! Have a good night!" He didn't wait for a reply. Dashing out onto the streets and getting a good distance away from the area. He shivered in both fear and from the hellish cold. That old man had been about to grab him before leaving, the action had frightened him. He had remembered the third night since escaping from Teitan. An attempted kidnapping from a middle-aged man, it didn't elp his case seeing the man dressed in black attire. The detective of the East placed a hand of his heart and attempted to bring his breathing back to normal. The raven haired boy continued on towards the more family oriented parts of the shopping district.

"It probably around ten-twenty, around the time Ran goes to sleep.", he muttered. Then Mouri Kogoro would make his appearance at one in the morning, sober and exhausted. No matter how intoxicated he was, he refused to go home to have Ran see him 'unprofessional' since gaining the title 'the Sleeping Kogoro'. Which has been no more, but the man was slowly gaining back his popularity. That and-

"Stop Shinichi, you'll only start hurting more.", he mumbled quietly. If he hadn't stopped then he probably would've broken down then and there. Jeopardizing his freedom and being shipped off to the police station. Then he would ultimately be exposed and hunt down by the men in black. But the last option wouldn't happen per say, Agasa had created fake papers for himself as Edogawa Conan. So social services would be the perfect substitute.

He sneezed and gave a cringed at his reflection in the toy stores mirrior beside him. He was only wearing his gray shorts, beaten up sneakers, his blue jacket, and trademark bow-tie. He left his gadgets in his bag incase they got wet. She hadn't given him enough time to grab his other belongings. Hence, his red cheeks, pale complexion, and equally pink nose. He felt around his short's packets and grunted as his fingers clutched around his cell phone. He hadn't updated Agasa on his situation and he still couldn't till him now, not even his parents. He needed to find a base camp and accumulate a plan before taking action, he didn't want to panic his surrogate uncle.

"10:43 p.m.! Crap!" He didn't have much time left. He needed to find somewhere warm, preferably a clothing store or diner. He had figured out that they kept their portable electric heaters on to keep the establishments warm for the next morning. Conan veered the corner and immediately spotted the back door to a bakery open slightly. The detective beamed in gratitude, the perfect safe house. He was inside in no time, carefully locking the door and staking out the kitchen for employees. No one, but himself, was here.

Carefully setting his alarm for four-thirty and raising the volume to the maximum noise level, Conan strolled over to the chair in the corner behind a cart. Placed his belonging atop it and plopping down onto the tiled floor. The shrunken teenager draped his thin jacket over himself and shifted into a more comfortable possession. He winced as he jammed his shoulder into the wall behind him and he placed his phone in his breast pocket. Satisfied, he allowed his eyes to flutter shut and his body to relax as exhaustion took over.

He dreamt of cherry blossoms and of Ran's melodic voice calling out to him.