"Let me get this straight. Two shady guys in black trench coats, who refused to give their names to Meguire by the way, are sneaking away behind a building after a beheading, and you follow them? What the hell Dweeb, are you trying to get yourself killed?! Of course something like this happened, because you have no sense of danger dipshit!" I shouted at the small boy. My younger brother.

But only by a year. He's seventeen, not seven. Yet here he is. The same appearance he had ten years ago, just with dorkier clothes and dad's old glasses.

"You're the smart one, what the hell?!" I continued to shout even as both him and Doc kept on shushing me.

Rachel is searching the mansion for him, every nook and cranny. "Quiet Stella! What if Rachel hears you?" Jimmy kept looking over towards the door, where Rach would eventually come back through.

"I don't give a shit. You're the smart one Dweeb! What the hell? They could have been Yakuza, the mafia! And you let one of them sneak up on you?! What happened to the Jimmy who saved us from a serial killer?! If you're going to be a detective, you have to be more careful and you have to know basic self defense." I hissed.

My panic is still there, but there's so much anger in it that is spiking my adrenaline. My fists clenched and unclenched multiple times as I struggled not to punch something.

How could this happen? How is it possible? I wouldn't believe it, but I know my brother from a mile away. He was attacked, drugged, shrunk back to the size of a kid.

These thugs had the nerve to go after my brother? No one messes with the Dweeb but me!

How am I going to fix this? Oh my god. If I don't get him back to normal soon, mom and dad are going to kill me! I glared at Jimmy with the full force of my anger, making him jump. "Wh-Why are you glaring at me?! I'm the victim!" He shouted up at me.

I placed my hands on my hips and bent over a little to stare him down. "This is so typical of you."

The little runt had the nerve to look shocked. "Typical? How is this in any way typical?!" He squawked before shooting me a glare of his own.

"You ran off, poked your nose somewhere it didn't belong, got burned, and then I'm grounded and am threatened with boarding school!" I snarled. He looked as if he couldn't believe me.

"How did you come to this conclusion?!" He demanded.

I sneered at him. "When you picked a fight with Gabriel and his gang. You got beaten up. It's my fault and I'm grounded. You got too close to a corrupted rich man, yeah, you got him in jail, after he torched half our house! It's my fault and I'm in the scared straight program. Everything you do affects me because I'm your older sister! Because you can do no wrong! When mom and dad find out about this, they'll send me to military school! You Dweeb!"

He scoffed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Oh here we go! Woe is me, my parents love my brother more than me. You're a broken record y'know that?! This isn't the time for your teenage angst Stella! Look at me!"

We growled at one another, our glares clashing like lightning. Doc has his hands up, trying to calm our arguing.

Of course this is normal, that's how we communicate, screaming. This is normal. Or it would be if he wasn't pint sized.

Before we could continue our screaming match, Rachel returned. She had a hopeful look on her face, but as she took in what was happening, she frowned. "What's wrong?" Doc asked her.

She sighed, looking over at me before down at the ground. "I heard Stella screaming and I thought Jimmy was here. She only screams like that with him."

I made a face. I scream with literally everyone, I don't have a special way to scream at Jimmy.

Do I?

Not the time. How do I explain this to Rachel? She doesn't have a clue about 'Conan Edogawa'. Which makes me question her intelligence, but now's not the time for that.

Wait, focus, someone did this to Jimmy. My guess is something like the Mafia, something serious. Not like the thugs.

No, these people can do anything if they developed this 'poison'. They're dangerous. Doc's right. If they find out he's alive, they'll kill him.

No, I can't let that happen. "Ah, that's because she was just on the phone with Jimmy." My brother and I snapped our heads up to the Doc.

"What? Really? What'd he say." She quickly ran over to me. I blinked before glancing down at the Dweeb who shrugged, a look of panic on his face. "Yeah. He ran into someone looking for the best detective in the area. He was hired on a case in Osaka." I said the first thing that came to mind.

"What? That's strange. Why didn't he just tell me?" She wondered.

Because he's tiny.

I shrugged, shoving my hands in my hoodie pockets. "You know the Dweeb. He has no consideration for others." I couldn't help the jab at him. She sighed, nodding in agreement, leaving him to gawk at us.

"Yeah, he wants me to look after the Squirt since he'll be gone a while." I jabbed my thumb at him.

Rachel frowned as she stared at me. "Wait, I thought you weren't allowed to stay at the house alone? Y'know, after you brought a gang over and there was that shoot out." My eye twitched as a sweat drop dripped down my forehead.

"Okay, I didn't bring a gang. I brought a cute boy over. He just happened to be in a gang."

Jimmy rolled his eyes at me, staring at me with that arrogant look on his face. "Because you have bad taste in men." He murmured so low Rachel couldn't hear.

I shot him a glare. It's not my fault the only decent guy I like has a Rachel of his own. Besides, the bad ones are hot.

"That's right! With Jimmy gone, Stella can't stay at home by herself, let alone with a child. And my home is no place for a child and it has too many things Stella can use to wreak havoc." Doc began.

I whipped my head in his direction. "Hey!" I shouted in protest. He just ignored me though. "Do you think the two can stay at your place?"

My teeth began to grind together as I attempted to kill the old man with a glare. "I don't need a babysitter. I run off for days at a time, I'm fine on my own. Just take the midget." Rachel's gaze softened as they rested on me, and there was even pity in her eyes.

"But you'll be alone." She whispered. I huffed, digging my hands deeper in my pockets. "I'm always on my own. It's not gonna be that much of a difference, y'know how it is."

At this, my brother looked at me. But for once not in anger. Almost like he was looking at me for the first time.

Rachel shook her head. "No, you should stay with me. And if you say no, I'll call your dad." She threatened as she saw me about to argue. My mouth clamped shut for two reasons.

One being dad will try to get in touch with Jimmy and when that fails he'll look for him. And he will find him. Dad is basically a detective when the need arises. And if he finds out, the family will be in danger and so will Rachel and maybe even Harley. And the second reason is that he'll probably make me fly over to stay with them until Jimmy comes back.

There's a gang war happening at the house one time, and all of a sudden Jimmy is in charge of me.

"Fine. But I'm going out with friends tonight. I'll meet you at your house later." I turned, storming out. "Hey, wait! When will you come over? It better be tonight Stella! You can't be M.I.A. like you are here!" She shouted after me.

I continued out the door, not turning back. "The Dweeb didn't mind." I called before making my way out the house.

First things first, Jimmy gave me a description of those two guys. Only one of them I'll be able to make progress with.

Jimmy said one of them had long, straight, blonde, almost silver, hair that obscures his eyes. But my brother notices every detail and he told me how they're green and small. He says he has the eyes of someone who has easily killed many people without care. He's probably right too, since he tried to poison him.

He was wearing a black trenchcoat, matching fedora, and a dark green turtleneck underneath. And he smells of cigarettes. At least the Dweeb's gifts came in handy.

Now I may not be sleuth or even have access to things my brother does, but there is something that only I can do out of our little family.

I stalked towards the shadier part of the city, heading towards a hole in the wall bar that myself and a lot of lowlifes tend to visit. It's also where I go after rough days, so they know me pretty well. And these thugs know everything that goes on in this city.

They'll never talk to cops, but me? Oh they'll talk. Birds of a feather flock together.

An image of my best friend passed through my mind. Harley. We are definitely not birds of a feather. But he's the only real friend I have. Sure, there's Rachel, but she's more Jimmy's friend. Future wife, we all know it. But Harley is the only good person who's my friend.

Yeah, I got lots of these thugs and delinquents as friends, and they know how to party. But when the going gets tough, their fight or flight instincts kick in. That's how I got caught once after we spray painted the new skyscraper. I helped a friend out, but got caught in doing so. The bastard took off.

Yeah, great friends I have there.

But right now, they're the friends I need. Sure, Harley will help. It's a good case and we're best friends. But he could be in danger for snooping around and I'm not risking that.

They won't always use that drug they gave my brother. I'm not endangering him. I'll find these guys. Get some insight. And then I'll do everything I can to get an antidote.

They messed with the wrong person. You don't fuck with Kudo's. That's the only thing we have in common. And I'm especially violent when it comes to that.

I'll figure out something from these morons. How different is a shakedown from investigating?

As soon as I made it to the bar, I headed inside, ignoring the curious looks of some of the newer customers. I headed straight to the bar top where Riley was, cleaning the glasses.

Riley is a thirty-two year old who dropped out of high school and has been in jail a total of five times. His long dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail and he has a five o'clock shadow going on. He may look like a tired bum, but he is not to be trifled with.

He also has a soft spots for troubled kids like myself.

I hopped up onto a stool and leaned my arms on the old counter top, locking eyes with him. "Tequila." He raised an eyebrow at me but soon filled a shot glass with the familiar clear substance. Then he filled a taller glass with water and pushed both to me.

I frowned at the glass before taking the shot glass and tipping my head back as I let it flow down my throat.

A familiar burning sensation filled me and the pit of my stomach warmed up. It left a bitter taste on my tongue, but the first shot always does. I developed a love for tequila when my dad took us on a vacation to Mexico when I was thirteen.

Now I only had alcohol to piss him off, but the only one I liked was this light honey colored tequila, but we don't have it here in Japan.

It's not the same but it's better than vodka, it doesn't do anything for me anymore after that bender I had when I was fifteen. And I can't handle my gin, I go way overboard and become a little crazy so I never drink it. I only drink rum when I'm in the mood, I get really sick from it. And all other liquor tastes like shit.

I slid the glass back over to him, nodding for another refill. "Rough day?" Riley asked as he filled it a little more than the last one.

I couldn't help the short laugh that passed my lips as I played with the glass. "Yeah. But you, you can make it better." A predatory smile stretched across my face as I locked my gaze onto his face. He didn't flinch, didn't even blink. But his finger twitched ever so slightly before he went back to cleaning. "Oh can I now?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the shot rather than throwing it back. "That you can. You see I'm looking for a friend of my brothers. They were together earlier tonight, but then he kind of disappeared."

Riley watched me carefully. "And why can't the little detective find him." My gaze hardened and I let some of my anger into my it. "Because he disappeared too."

His eyebrow twitched, but his expression never changed. "I see. And what is this friend's name?"

I shrugged, playing with the rim of my glass. "Don't know. But he likes to wear a black trenchcoat and fedora. Long blonde, silver hair, green eyes, has a nasty habit of smoking. I mean who does that? It's disgusting."

This time he did react. His face went pale and his eyes darkened. The glass he was cleanimg nearly slipped from his hold. He quickly put it down and leaned forward close to me so our faces were inches apart.

"Stella you need to not poke your nose in this. Never bring up that description, never ask around, never speak of it again. Do you hear me Kudo? Not another word."

I blinked in surprise at how hard his voice was, even as a whisper, and how steely his eyes became.

He's never reacted like this before. Not even when I tried to find a thug from one of the most dangerous gangs in the city. Or even that guy who shot and killed three teenagers at a convenience store.

Anytime I needed to find someone who didn't want to be found, Riley always gave me an answer and found their hideout.

Who the hell are these guys?

I shook my head, my long hair brushing against my face. "I can't do that Riles. He fucked with the Dweeb."

He didn't like my answer that much. I could see the panic in his eyes as he did his best to conceal it from me and anyone who could look over. He didn't want anyone to see or hear what we were talking about.

"I'm telling you this out of concern for your safety. This time please just let it go." There was a begging tone to his voice. I've never heard him beg for anything.

I know he's trying to look out for me, I know this, but I can't drop this. I leaned in further, our faces millimeters away, as I held his gaze.

"He went after Jimmy. My brother is gone, Riley. And I won't stop until I find the guy who did it." I allowed every bit of my anger to seethe into my voice.

We stared at each other before he sighed and pulled back. "I'm sorry Stells. I like you, but I can't help you." Every part of me wanted to lunge across the bar and throttle him.

He knows who this guy is and he won't help me. But I can't because he's only trying to look out for me. And himself.

I quickly downed the shot and stood up. "Put it on my tab." I grumbled, turning my back on him.

"Let me give you a piece of advice kid. You always thoughtlessly throw yourself into danger, you always bite off more than you can chew. Kind of like how you handle some liquor. Whenever you drink gin you get in over your head and you spiral downwards. And the same can be said when you get into it with a bad crowd. Sometimes you'll pick a fight with someone who will send you spiralling and you'll end up disappearing too. You won't always come out on top." He warned.

I closed my eyes briefly, thinking of the time in Shibuya.

I get that sometimes the people I fight will get the better of me. I have scars to prove it. And I know that this guy isn't someone that I can just beat up.

But he hurt my brother. I can't let that slide. No matter how bad he is, no matter how dangerous or lethal he may be, no matter how likely I am to come out of this alive, I can't let this go.

He infuriates me. And I honestly believe that I hate him to an extent. I really, really do. But no matter how much I do, I can't leave him be.

Jimmy wouldn't leave me be. Not if I had shrunk into the size of a kid. Not if I was kidnapped nor if a killer had a hold of me. Because he's Jimmy Kudo; High School Detective. He'll save everyone he can or die trying.

And that pisses me off just as much.

Losing Riley as an ally in this is a low blow. He's my go to guy. Now I'll have to check with Trent and his group of misfits and see if they know anything.

They usually lurk at this abandoned park across from the river-what the?

I focused on the sounds of footsteps that sounded like they're following me. My brows furrowed and I crossed the street to walk on the other side. The person followed me across the way. How long have they been following me?

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and walked slower, allowing the person to come closer. There wasn't anyone on the street at the moment, so they became braver and picked up their pace.

Once they neared I turned fast, my leg shooting up in an arc and foot connected with a man's jaw. He cried out and collapsed to the ground. My hand shot out and snatched the front of his shirt and yanked him closer to me. "Why are you following me?" I snapped. He looks older, probably forty, and he looks like a crackhead.

Before I could get an answer out of him, arms wrapped around me and lifted me off of him. I shouted and flailed, but my arms were trapped at my sides by big muscular ones.

I screamed profanities as I continued to thrash in his hold. The one I had kicked quickly stood while rubbing his jaw. "Be careful Shawn. She has a hell of a kick."

I bared my teeth at him. "My brother plays soccer jackass!" I snarled, trying to kick him again. "Just hurry up and kill her!" The one holding me, Shawn, hissed.

The first one pulled out a knife from his pocket and neared me. I glared murderously at him.

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted, throwing my head back and violently hitting Shawn in his face. Pain exploded across my skull, but it worked and he dropped me. I landed in a crouch and launched forward, bringing my fist back and slamming it into the first ones face.

Blood immediately poured from his nose and he screamed, retching back. I grabbed his arm and twisted, making him drop the knife. Then I threw him over my shoulder and into a trashcan.

I heard Shawn come up behind me and quickly turned, missing the knife he had drawn that was aimed at me. The sharp steel of the blade slid across the skin on my neck and there was a slight stinging sensation.

Luckily it only grazed me.

He swung the blade at me again and I ducked under before standing straight up and hitting him directly under his chin, snapping his head up.

My knee shot up and struck him in his chest, and I grabbed a fistfull of his dark hair and moved his head down as I brought my knee up again and slammed it into his already bloodied face.

He crumpled to the ground and I began to kick him as hard as I could. "That freaking hurt!" I growled as I continued my assault.

When I was sure he wasn't going to get up anytime soon I turned to handle the first. But he was in front of me and landed a strong punch to my cheek, so hard my teeth chattered. Ignoring the pain, I swung and nailed him in the same place.

My fist kept on flying and striking him the face over, and over, and over again. Soon he was unconscious I checked on Shawn.

He wasn't knocked out, just rolling on the ground in pain. Good.

I stalked over before kicking him onto his back and sitting on him, grabbing his hair tightly and forcing him to look at me. "I take it you heard me asking about that man with the long hair. Seeing as how you tried to kill me, why don't you tell me what I want to know." I growled.

He sneered up at me, his lips pulling up as he bared his teeth at me. "I don't have death wish girlie."

He managed to free himself from my grip and then slammed his head onto the concrete with so much force, I cringed. His eyes rolled back and he went limp.

Bastard knocked himself out. God damn it!

"Hey, what's going on? Oh you're bleeding!" Some random guy ran over, two women following close behind. But as soon as he saw the state the other two were in he backed up a bit.

"What did you do?" He asked, face scrunching with distaste. I huffed and stood up. "I defended myself." He eyed the two men who are in far worse shape than me, doubt obvious on his face.

One of the women whispered to her friend, watching me with frightful eyes, even as her friend dialled the police.

The man was watching me like a hawk, ready to keep me restrained until the police arrived.

It always ends up like this. I'm the bad guy. Always have been, always will be. These guys aren't going to talk, especially since they're about to be arrested.

A sigh escaped my lips. Meguire is gonna shit a brick.