Hey everyone!
Please enjoy my new fic. This idea kind of popped up in my head, and I wanted to share it with everyone. The characters might be a little OOC because I wanted to add a few "quirks". I really hope you like this.
Chapter One
The small woman clutched to the wool blanket, hoping the heat would spread to her limbs. Her numb fingers trembled against the scratchy material. Her wet black hair stuck her chilled face like paint on a portrait. Her makeup was worn-out and starting to melt down.
It was an early-summer night in the city. The rain could be heard pounding on the brick walls. A low rumble hinted that it was storming. The rain brought a cold front, making the woman's skin feel like ice.
An officer walked by with the hot cup of tea she asked for. She took it gingerly from his hands. She let the steam warm her face and fingers. Heat was a luxury to her now.
"Miss…" the officer trailed.
"Kuchiki. Rukia Kuchiki," she informed him.
The officer played with his blonde hair, pushing it back to cover one of his blue eyes. "Hmm... Miss Kuchiki. I'm Officer Izuru Kira."
"Nice to meet you," Rukia tried to say before her words failed her under Izuru's gloomy stare.
"So, you claim to have seen a murder?" Izuru said indifferently. "We haven't gotten any reports."
"Well, Officer Kira, I promise you that I'm not lying," Rukia responded in an irritated tone.
"I never take a claim like that lightly. Detective Hitsugaya will hear you in a few moments. Detective Hinamori is coming by to take you to see Detective Hitsugaya."
Izuru started to walk away, leaving the shaken Rukia by herself. "Are you leaving?" she called out.
Izuru looked back at Rukia. "Yes," he said shortly.
'How rude,' Rukia thought to herself.
Rukia had finally warmed up after several minutes. Her long hair was still wet and ratty but that was the least of her worries. Rukia started to rummage through her purse. It was all soaked, even her brand new cell phone.
"Damn it," she whispered to herself. That was expensive.
She put her water logged phone back in her purse and sighed. How had she gotten herself into this mess? It was just a case of being that the wrong place at the wrong time. Rukia was so shocked at the sight that she dropped her umbrella at the spot.
Seireitei Police Department was hopping. Everyone was quickly trying to get their work done for the night. Apparently, there was a car chase because of a robbery. That was why Rukia was kind of pushed aside.
Rukia knew that she was safe at the SPD. That scary goon couldn't get her in here. She lost them blocks ago along with her heels.
Her tea was almost gone when a woman about her age sprinted passed her. The woman had black hair in a low bun. She was wearing a light blue dress shirt with a badge dangling around her neck.
"Are you Decentive Hinamori?" Rukia awkwardly called out to the frazzled woman.
The woman stopped running around and gave Rukia the first friendly smile she had seen in awhile. "Just call me Momo," she panted out.
"Momo… Got it. God, I am glad to see someone nice. Officer Kira was kind of rude. My name's Rukia."
"Izuru is like that. You get used to it," Momo giggled. "Now, Shiro is waiting for us."
"Shiro?" Rukia questioned while tilting her head.
"O-Oh, sorry. I meant Detective Hitsugaya," Momo stammered while leading the way.
"I need to get this off my chest right way," Rukia gasped while pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
Momo and Rukia weaved around the river of officers. Rukia's sloshy tights left a trail of wet foot prints down the hallway. Rukia tried her best to keep up with the fast-walking Momo. It was hard to move around without pushing officers out of the way.
"Here it is!" Momo announced. "Everyone's in here."
"Everyone?"
Momo opened the door and led her into the room. There was a single table with a single light. It must have been an interrogation room. Rukia followed Momo and sat at the table. Three other officers stood in the room.
"Renji?"
"Hey, Rukia!" said the tall man with tattoos and braided red hair. He wore a standard officer's uniform.
"You two know each other?" asked a cool voice.
"Yeah, Rukia and I have been friends since we were little, Detective Hitsugaya," Renji told the man.
Detective Hitsugaya was short, maybe a little taller than Momo. He had spiky white hair, tan skin, and icy turquoise eyes. He looked very mature in the face, even though he was so short. Hitsugaya wore a white dress shirt with two gun holsters on his chest.
"Is that so?" Hitsugaya said with no interest. "Let's start. Miss Kuchiki, you said you saw a murder, right?"
"Yes."
"Kuchiki?" asked the big-busted female officer with short auburn hair and light blue eyes. "Are you related to Byakuya Kuchiki?"
"My brother."
Byakuya Kuchiki was an important man in Seireitei. He was the CEO of Kuchiki Enterprises, one of the top companies in the city. Rukia worked under her brother, yet not many people knew of her existence. Byakuya was often very busy, so not many people saw them together.
"Sorry, I was just curious," she hummed.
"Officer Matsumoto," Hitsugaya scolded.
"Oh, relax. I was curious."
Hitsugaya rubbed his temples and then asked, "Miss Kuchiki, would you please explain what happened in the most detail as possible?"
"Sure," Rukia said weakly while remembering the moment. "I was walking home after work."
"Where do you work?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Kuchiki Enterprises."
"Duh!" Matsumoto teased.
"I usually take a shortcut through the alley in between 45th and 32nd street. It seemed like any other night. I didn't hear anything. Once I got about halfway, I heard faint shouting. Then, a door swung open and three men stumbled out."
"Could you please describe these men?"
"Um, yeah. One wore an orange scarf. He was dark-skinned, and he had these weird glasses. The other had white hair. The guy who seemed to be the leader had brown hair and an eyepatch," Rukia finished.
"An eyepatch?" Renji asked for confirmation.
"He looked like an idiot," Rukia responded.
"Please, continue the story," Hitsugaya ordered in his cold voice.
"I jumped from the noise and hid behind a dumpster. I peeked over because it got awfully quiet, but then the guy with the glasses let out a gurgled scream. The eyepatch guy had a knife lodged in the glasses guy's throat."
Matsumoto visibly flinched as she continued to write the information. Rukia's mouth became dry as she thought about it. She had never seen so much blood before. It was everywhere. It was squirting from that guy's neck.
"They saw the umbrella that I crammed behind the dumpster and the guy with white hair grabbed me by the hair. The eyepatch guy told the other guy that I had seen too much. The eyepatch guy pulled out a gun and pressed it to my head. They must not have expected me to wiggle away because I took off. He shot at me but missed. I lost my shoes when the guy with white hair tackled me down. I kicked him in the face and ran all the way here. They were chasing me, but they must have given up at some point."
Rukia finally looked at Hitsugaya. His face was hard, unreadable. Momo placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder and gave her a smile.
"That is quite the story, Miss Kuchiki," Hitsugaya finally said. "My only problem with this story is the fact that we haven't gotten any reports of gunshots or a body."
"So, you don't believe me," Rukia said shortly.
"That's not it," Renji spoke up. "We have no evidence to back your claim. We can send someone to go check it out, though."
Rukia grit her teeth. "Detective Hitsugaya, are you telling me that you can't do anything about it."
"Unless this turns out being an extension of a current case I'm on, I can't do anything right away. I can give this case to someone else, but I'm afraid that we are extremely busy at SPD," Hitsugaya told her.
"Why did I even come?" Rukia groaned while standing up. "This was a waste of time."
"Wait!" Renji suddenly jogged to Rukia's side. "I'll take the case."
Rukia looked up at him. He was much taller than she remembered. Renji's features were much sharper. He had more tattoos.
"Officer Abarai, you know that you can't do that," Hitsugaya scolded.
"Sorry, Rukia," Renji whispered to her.
"Detective Hitsugaya, why don't you escort me out? I need to get home," Rukia seethed.
"Of course."
Hitsugaya and Rukia started to leave with Renji following. Matsumoto grabbed Renji and stopped him from following.
"What do you think you're doing Renji?" Matsumoto asked.
"Sorry, Rangiku. Rukia and I had a special relationship until time separated us. I can't help but be protective."
"How macho," Matsumoto teased.
Meanwhile, Rukia followed a stoic Hitsugaya through the hallways. He looked like he had too much on his plate. Even his back looked tense. Maybe his tie was too tight around his neck. Maybe those guns were too heavy on him.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't help you," his icy voice called.
"What did I expect? Seireitei is a mess. I should have known that you guys are swamped with work."
"You did the right thing. The murderer will be caught."
"Not if the case gets cold."
"Ah, are you familiar with police work."
"No, I watch a lot of crime shows."
Hitsugaya made a noise that could have been a laugh. That meant he actually had emotion. Hitsugaya just seemed so serious all the time. Rukia smiled slightly.
"So, you ran all the way here?" the detective asked.
"Yeah… I'm a total mess," Rukia joked. "I really liked this outfit, too. I'll have to go shopping tomorrow."
The detective didn't respond except for an awkward groan. 'Hmm…' Rukia thought to herself. 'He must not talk a lot with ladies.'
Rukia paused. Her feet were aching. Running barefoot on the pavement for that many blocks was painful. Of course, she didn't realize it until then. Her tights were even worn down at the heels.
She looked up at the wall. There was a long line of photographs of random people. Above the row of photographs, in giant letters, said, "Seireitei's Most Wanted." Rukia glanced at the stone-cold faces of the felons. She recognized a few of them because of the news, but some were unrecognizable.
"These are some of the worst criminals in Seireitei," Hitsugaya piped up.
"Some? There are, like, thirty people on this wall."
"Twenty-six."
"Ah, twenty-six out of the thousand criminals in this city."
"Miss Kuchiki, I want these streets as clean as you do. I promise you that I will make this city safer."
"Sorry, that wasn't an attack on you. It was an attack on society," Rukia said quietly.
Rukia awkwardly shot her eyes towards a picture of someone. She gasped. That man in the picture was extremely familiar. It was the smile, that mocking smile. That smiles told you that he thought and knew he was better than you. The man had soft brown, bespeckled eyes, and mild brown hair.
"That's Sosuke Aizen, a chemist who became a powerful drug lord after realizing the effects that his 'mixtures' had on other people. That man is a major underworld figure. Aizen has his hands in more things than drugs," Hitsugaya explained.
"Sosuke Aizen…"
"We have several tapes on him, but that's not enough to convict him."
"He looks familiar to me," Rukia finally told him.
"Familiar?" he asked with a hint of interest.
"Does this, um, Aizen have henchmen?" Rukia bravely asked. "Maybe a man with white hair and snake eyes?"
"I'm sure he has plenty of henchmen."
Rukia turned to Hitsugaya suddenly. Her violet eyes were wide. A chill ran down her spine. That horrific memory suddenly became more clear.
"D-Does Aizen have… an eyepatch?" Rukia squeaked.
"It's possible," he responded.
"Detective Hitsugaya, I think the murderer was Sosuke Aizen."
Hitsugaya looked unmoved. Rukia thought that he would be a little bit more shocked, maybe a twitch of the eye.
"Follow me," he said distantly.
"Where are we going?" Rukia asked.
"Are you sure it was Aizen you saw?" Hitsugaya asked. "This isn't a random guess, right? You have to be sure."
"One hundred percent."
Rukia followed the short detective back the way they came. Rukia honestly didn't know what was happening. She understood that this was serious, but Hitsugaya's silence was worrying her.
Her heart started to pound as they briskly walked passed all the working people. Hitsugaya even knocked Izuru away. All the noise in the rooms made this all the more stressful.
"Detective Hinamori!" Hitsugaya called. "Come here!"
Like a rabbit, Momo jumped from her office and jogged to his side. She was ready for anything he had to say.
"What's up, Shiro," Momo asked.
Hitsugaya seemed taken aback for a second. Rukia saw him turn his head slightly to look at her.
"Rukia just told me that the man that attacked her was Sosuke Aizen."
Momo audibly gasped. "Is that so? Well, this case suddenly became ten times more interesting."
The three walked back into the room there were just in. Once everyone was settled, Hitsugaya stressfully pulled at his hair and paced. Momo walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him.
"Rukia, you have become an irreplaceable aspect of a case we've had for years," Momo spoke up.
"How have I become important?" she asked.
"Well," Hitsugaya started. "You are important because you're an eyewitness. When we catch Aizen, we will need you to testify against him. That will help give that man justice."
"Okay, testify, I can do that," Rukia told them. "When's the court date. I'll be there."
Momo and Hitsugaya looked at each other. "We haven't caught him," Momo reminded her.
"I know that, but you guys must have a plan of attack. Just call me whenever you need me, and I'll run over to the court house."
"It's not that easy, Rukia," Momo awkwardly told her. "You see… Every witness we've had against Aizen has…"
"Disappeared," Hitsugaya finished.
"Disappeared," Rukia said in disbelief. "I don't want to disappear."
"Well, we find them eventually, but in pieces," Hitsugaya told Rukia.
Rukia gulped. "So, I'm in danger, huh?"
"Don't worry, Rukia," Momo said to calm her down. "We are going to make sure that you are safe. You see, when you're a witness to an important case, we can protect you. In this case, we would hide you somewhere. Aizen and his henchmen won't be able to find you."
"Where are you going to hide me?" Rukia asked.
"We have a place about two hours out of the city. It's a quiet place with little to no crime," he explained.
"What about my job? What about my brother?"
"We will contact Mr. Kuchiki. He will be able to make adjustments," Hitsugaya answered.
"How long with I be gone?"
"It depends."
"Huh… This isn't exactly how I planned my life. Hiding away isn't exactly my style but if it's needed, so be it. I just don't want to be trapped forever, Detectives. I like my life right now. I don't want it to be ruined because of one unfortunate event."
"Well, would you rather be dead," Hitsugaya sharply resorted.
"Not at all."
"Good."
"I'm just worried, I guess."
"Don't worry," Momo giggled. "The sheriff of the town you will be going to was a friend of Renji's when he was in the academy. How bad could it be?"
"Renji knows the sheriff? That's good."
"Yes, I've heard it's a very peaceful place," Hitsugaya told her.
"When am I leaving? Do I have time to say goodbye to my brother? What about packing?" Rukia asked.
"We have no time to waste," he explained. "You will leave tomorrow morning at six. You will sleep here tonight. The people at the police station will help you get clothes. You can contact your brother later but not anytime soon. We don't want them to trace the calls."
"What a mess," Rukia whispered under her breath. "Okay, may I have some clothes to change into because this wet dress is making me cold."
Momo walked over to the door. "I have some extra clothes in my locker. Let me go get it."
Hitsugaya and Rukia sat in the room quietly. Rukia tapped on the desk to break the silence. Hitsugaya just stared at her.
'How can he just stare at people?' Rukia thought. 'It's creepy.'
"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Miss Kuchiki."
"Do you think Aizen knows who I am, that I'm a Kuchiki? I don't want him going after Byakuya."
"Mr. Kuchiki will be just fine. If Aizen goes after him, he will certainly be caught. We will have eyes on Mr. Kuchiki at all times so don't fret."
Rukia's body relaxed as Renji stormed in. He loosened his tie as he strutted up to Rukia. He eyes never left her's.
"Rukia! I heard the news!" Renji exclaimed.
"Quieter, Officer Abarai," Hitsugaya strained.
"Karakura Town is a great place, just you wait," Renji told her.
"Karakura Town? So that's where I'm going."
Rukia could hear Hitsugaya groaning.
'This has been an interesting night.'
Hey again!
Please let me know what you thought of this. I love to see reviews or opinions. Don't worry, I have thick skin.
Peace ᕕ(꘠ᗜ꘠)ᕗ