"Hey, mister?"

"Yes?" the young man asked. His eyes were kind behind his glasses, and it wasn't surprising that the girl had chosen him to ask for help. He was very unintimidating.

"Could you tell me where the police station is?"

"It's down that way" he said, pointing. "Hey, are you alright? Did anything happen to you?"

"Oh, no. I just have to meet my parents there."

"Do you want me to walk with you?"
"I'm fine. But thanks a lot."

They waved goodbye, and he thought nothing more of the matter at the time.

"So Yuuko-san wants you to go to the police station?" Shizuka Doumeki asked.

"That's what she says. Don't ask me why, she won't tell me." Kimihiro Watanuki answered.

"What are you supposed to do?"
"She says I'm supposed to ask for the lieutenant. I'll know what I'm supposed to do when the time comes."

Doumeki frowned. He didn't like it when Yuuko didn't give details, because the result was usually even worse than when she gave you fair warning.

"If you insist on coming with me, get that look off your face. You'll scare even the cops that way."

They went in.

"So, Ms. Ichihara sent you here?" the lieutenant asked, looking them over.

"Yes, Ma'am." Watanuki confirmed.

"Well, she's given us some help in the past, so I guess she has good reason. Don't exactly know how you can give us any help on this one though."

"What's happened, if we can ask?" Doumeki asked.

"Heck of a murder case. Eight year old girl. We think we've got the creep but there's no evidence. Excuse me one minute, I have to talk to the parents."

"What are you thinking?" Doumeki asked.

"People who have passed on sometimes leave residual energy. I think I know what I'm here for now, Doumeki. If I touch this guy, I may be able to tell them what happened to her."

"Has that happened to you before?"
"Not exactly, but close enough that I think it could work in theory."

"I know you mean well. You always do; but think about this Watanuki. This is not a nice guy, and you don't know what he did to her. Do you think you could handle being in his head long enough to find out? "

"Maybe you're right. Still, she was only eight, Doumeki. Even younger than Kohane-chan. And her poor parents..."

"Please – just listen to me this once…"

Suddenly there was a scuffle and yelling in the hall. They ran to the door to see what was happening.

There was a woman with policemen trying to separate her from a manacled man, screaming "Tell me where she is! Give me my daughter!"

That was when Kimihiro Watanuki snapped. Doumeki set after him the minute he realized what was going to happen, but he was just a second to late. Gritting his teeth and dodging the police, Watanuki lay hold of the startled man's arm with iron determination.

He had been right – and he was hurled into the girl's last minutes in graphic detail. Unknownst to him, Doumeki had pulled him away as quickly as he could, but the residual effect was merciless, so horrific that he was rooted to the spot and rendered speechless. Finally, he came back.

"Watanuki?" he heard Doumeki call him with a voice uncharacteristically riddled with worry, but he only had eyes for the manacled man in front of him.

"You monster." He whispered. "You monster." Then he turned to the woman and her husband, who was now standing with her. He slowly walked over to them and regarded them painfully.

"There is a playground." He started slowly, "about fifteen blocks north. I recognized it. There's an abandoned building three blocks north of that. In the basement you'll find some planks that look like they've been pulled up recently. You'll find her there. She fought. She fought hard, and I'm sure there's enough evidence under her nails to put this bastard away for the rest of his life. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Let's go people. See if he's right." A few of the officers left post haste as Watanuki watched the parents slump to the floor sobbing.

"Well, it looks like you were right, kid." The Lieutenant said. "How did you know?"

"Sometimes I can see things." Watanuki explained. It's probably why Yuuko-san sent me here today."

"That would explain things."

"Do you need us anymore?" Doumeki asked.

"No, not really. We can't exactly put what you did on an official police report, so you're free to go."

"Excuse me." A man asked at the door "May we have a word with you before you leave?" It was the girl's father, hand in hand with his wife.

"Um, sure." Watanuki said.

"We'd just like to thank you for everything you've done for us."
"Not at all. I just wish that there hadn't been anything for me to see, you know?"

"Yes." The mother nodded. "We know. There's just one thing we'd like to ask you."

Please, not that. Anything but that.

"Did you…see what he did to her?"

Don't. I'm begging you. I'm not a good liar. Please don't do this…

"That's how I was able to tell you where she was."

…because you really, really don't want to know…

"Did she suffer much?"

Watanuki braced himself before he worded the answer he knew he couldn't get out of very carefully.

"I actually saw her this morning. And I can see her standing next to you right now. She's smiling, so I really believe she's o.k. now."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Hey, you want to stay over my place tonight?"

"I'm fine. Stop worrying about me so much."

"You're not fine. No one would be after what happened to you today."

"I did what I had to do. Those parents won't have to go years and years without knowing what happened to her now. It's all for the best."

"I cried."

"What?"

"The first time I had to help my Grandfather prepare a body that young, I cried. And he told me that it was perfectly normal. So what I'm saying is, it's alright if you're not alright with this."

"When they asked me to tell them the details, I didn't know what to do. What he did to her…Oh, merciful Buddha, Doumeki, what he did to her…"

Watanuki Kimihiro cried his heart out, and Shizuka Doumeki stayed with him until it was over.