A Statice and Haiku

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters as they belong to Tite Kubo. I don't make any profit from my work nor do I want it, it is only of my free will and time that I write.

Full Summary: "It is far more difficult to murder a phantom than your reality, you realize" she paused with a cold expression crossing her features, "to them my existence is as such…never present, yet I pose a serious threat. I understand nothing of their idiot ideology, but it is just the same. You are framed for murder Ms. Shiouin, and you expect me, an assassin, and a killer myself to aid you?" Shiouin Yoruichi lived an ordinary life, until she was placed into extraordinary circumstances which placed her closest friends in the same danger as accessories to murder. A serial killer who has taken a ninth victim and is working to cover their tracks is willing to make it a tenth. Only if she requests the aid of another killer would she be able to prove her innocence.

Author's Note: Well, it's been a while. I was formerly Million Dollar Age and well, my computer was compromised and nasty crap happened. And my stories needed revision, so here I am! This is like an amalgamation of Lights out, and other stories I was working on like Sette Note In Nero and other ideas like the Marauders and Trafficker's Amble. This, like the ones mentioned before is an A/U. Either way hopefully you like it! :]

Prologue:

A trap. Deadly traps mice find themselves running from, even though they manage to be preyed upon by a dastardly and smug cat. The preying cat allures its quarry to him through different uses of charm and deviation. The cat smugly corners the small, petrified mouse into a corner and just before the mouse's life comes to pass, the cat lets him go. Why? Why would the cat leave his quarry to run again, only to chase him down once more? The charming cat enjoys playing with his food it seems. Though, the cat enjoys proving to the small mouse that he can catch him more than one time, so he lets him go, and lets him go, and lets him go another time. It doesn't matter how many times the mouse tries to reevaluate its strategy, the big, smug cat corners each time. But this cat doesn't just prey upon one mouse, no; the mouse has its younglings and its mate. Once the big cat decided to finally leave the mouse in peace by finally ending him, he wrecks the mate and the younglings.

You see, in a shady life and in a community such as Karakura, these mice are preyed upon once every summer for the past nine years. Cats wreck the home life of the people of the community, as each and every year for the entire summer season, someone's princess is removed from the family. Be it the youngest daughter or eldest, one smug criminal decides to leave a family in misery. There is no one who remains unaffected. Each family fears for the safety of their daughters, because one is picked off just as the other did just last summer. The local police have decided to call this one methodical killer: The painted poet.

This 'Painted Poet' is deemed the worst cat, only in competition with another, 'the Crimson Phantom'. With these two killers playing cat and mouse with each other, they deem it necessary to pick off the mice just living their everyday lives, albeit in fear and foreboding.

A pen scratched these words into a small journal until jabbing the period and the hand holding the pen threw it and the pad down in distaste. Tanned hands buried a face into their fold, and a tired mess of a long, purple mane tangled itself around thin hands. Leaning nude elbows on black sweatpants clad knees, a woman with tired golden eyes glared at her work in progress. She threw her hands down and stood up and began to pace with arms folded across her friend's oversized Atreyu band t-shirt and her bosom.

"Come on Yoruichi, think!" She glowered to herself, "You can think of something better to call them than 'cats', surely there's a better metaphor." She pressed herself against the cool brick wall of her apartment whilst heaving a sigh. "Too bad I can't call them dirty, rat bastards, but no! 'Hey Yoruichi, that's too extreme! We pride ourselves in reading material that everyone to read!' No. I call that bull, my dear editor. If we prided ourselves in that, you wouldn't have me covering a serial killer." She rolled her eyes at her own monologue. "If only I could afford to write my two weeks' notice. Then I could tell him to edit it into a place where the sun doesn't shine."

Yoruichi slid her exhausted body off of the wall and stumbled into her kitchen. She flipped on a coffee maker and threw more beans than the filter could hold. She liked her coffee strong. While she waited for the coffee to brew she turned on the television set that was shoved into the corner of the island counter that was adjacent to her coffee table. She leaned on the counter and watched the news, while the competition of her building, producers of Bakudo Daily, in the Bakudo Bugle, report on the same story she was currently working on.

"We fear that come the 21st of June, this 'Painted Poet' will claim yet another victim, as this serial killer has done for the past nine summers, I'm Nanao Ise and you are watching Kido news."

The screen flashed back into the anchor room where a flamboyant looking man with a women's pink blouse and a piece of straw hanging out of his bearded mouth sat with a small smirk settled on his lips.

"Thank you Nanao-Chan! Now let's take a look at today's weath-" The man stopped short "-er, rather let's go to a commercial break!"

The camera panned to see that the usual weatherman was nowhere near the screen where he was to do the weekly weather at 8:12 in the morning. Slacker.

Clicking the television set off, Yoruichi stretched and ambled over to her coffee pot and dumped the contents of the Pyrex pot into a large mug. Swallowing the contents in a few guzzles, she placed the mug down and walked back to her working table which was properly equipped with her computer a case of pens and pencils and a series of her favorite notepads. After sighing, she concentrated for a moment. My deadline is the 21st, only 15 hours and 48 minutes until then…so I have to get this article done pronto. Let me see, what can I do better?

A young man exited his black 2005 Ford Stratus while heaving a heavy sigh. His white hair stuck out among the lower ranking officers, and his turquoise eyes didn't help much either, as he was the child prodigy, Toshiro Hitsugaya who was promoted to Captain of Homicide only at the age of 18. He exited his car without his rain jacket that was a clear identification of whom he worked for, but the black tapered shirt with white embroidery of 'ten' and the word 'homicide' underneath was another tell tale of his rank among the lower officers. His shirt was tucked into white dress pants and black penny loafers donned his feet. He wore his sidearm on the black belt that was fastened around his pant loops along with his badge appointed to him by the Gotei police department.

The young prodigy rounded the corner for his eyes to be met with obnoxious red and blue flashing lights that were precariously parked on the water doused sidewalk and pavement. Two lesser officers stood vigilant by the yellow tape that marked the start of the investigative ground. They, thankfully halted anyone with unauthorized access from gaining entry, and kept the media a good fifty paces away from tampering with anything accidentally.

The young man was intercepted by the two intimidating fellows to whom he flashed his badge to and didn't get a response. They just stood erect and saluted to their superior officer. "Carry on." Toshiro stated whilst sounding with a touch of exasperation.

After ducking under the tape, he made his way over to the table which held other supplies such as coffee, and flashlights. Taking the light off of the table, he removed a small recording device from his pocket and spoke into it after checking his watch fastened around his left wrist.

"4:15 am, Eastern Standard Time, June 22, 2010. Location: North District 'Rukongai' 25. Investigating reported murder." He pressed the pause button on the device and walked over to where the bulk of police were gathered. Upon his arrival, they dispersed and gave their Captain room to operate. He brought the playing device up to his mouth again after donning a latex glove handed to him by the coroner that hovered over him to his left.

"Age: Between 15 and 25, Brunette, height 5'4", light colored eyes, blue or grey in color." He listed. Hitsugaya quirked a snowy brow and reached for the left hand of the girl which was concealed in brush. "A Statice in her left hand…" His brow furrowed and a look of realization crossed his eyes"…And a Haiku on her chest."

A/N: Well, tell me what you think, Yay or Nay :]

I know it's been a while, so hopefully my writing hasn't gone to the dumps. Thanks for reading!