Dum Dum Dum.

"Hey! Rukia! You almost ready? It's time to go! I mean like, now!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya," I hollered as I slipped on my heels while hopping on one leg to get to the door and open it, with my hair flying all about, and I was worried about messing it up.

The second I let Orihime in, my jaw literally dropped at how beautiful she was. She was wearing a sky blue dress that was high in the front, and draped behind her in the back, and the silver, embroidered one shoulder went nicely with her platinum heels, making her look like Aphrodite herself. I could only gawk at her, since her figure was perfect. Her boobs were like watermelons compared to my…apples. Then, I thought of how expensive such an extravagant dress must've cost, and I feel cheap, knowing that my dress was on the sale rack at Dillard's for $50. But I shook it off and gave her a hug.

"You're so pretty, Orihime!" I gushed as I motioned for her to turn around, and I felt even more jealous, knowing that she had junk in the trunk too.

"Awh, Rukia, you look like one of those little porcelain dolls my grandma had on her wall!" She squealed as she tucked the stray bang behind her ears, showing off her long, hanging, lines of diamond that shook as she walked, complimenting the row of diamonds around her neck, making me feel even more of a lousy-ass cheapskate. Just what kind of party were we going to anyway?

"Now, let's go already!" She hollered as she put on the fur wrap that had fallen off her shoulders and waited for me at the doorway.

"Go ahead, I need to find my clutch," I motioned for her to go away while frantically searching for the purse that was in the mass of junk in my closet.

She closed the door and without hesitating for a second, I ran to my room and swung open the doors, seeing the pile of shoes, purses, and clothes on the floor that haven't seen the light of day in some time. Strands of the giant curl of hair that was on my side kept on finding its way to my mouth, so I was searching for something that I hadn't seen in years, while bending in a tight dress, in heels, with hair in my mouth. Just lovely.

But God was smiling on me that night and gave me the answer that I had been searching for, and I literally leapt to my feet as I grabbed a silky, grey wrap that was on my bed and stuffed my essentials in the clutch, but before I ran out and locked the door, I caught a glimpse of me and my face in the mirror next to the doorway, and I froze in my tracks.

There I was, all dolled up and ready to go to a party. But, the person I was looking at in the mirror was completely different than the person I was. Here, was this petite, short, girl who had her long hair all in tresses and waves, instead of her normally straight hair. Here was the woman that had met a man in less than a week and was on the edge of falling head over her solid, ebony heels. Here, was a female, who was about to forget all off of the bad stuff that had happened to her and just shake it off, in crimson cocktail dress, whose eye-catching black belt that was tied at the waist separated the smooth fabric that cupped her breasts from the horde of giant ruffles and wrinkles that ended above her knees. Here, was Rukia Kuchiki, and she was going to have fun.

I noticed then that I had no makeup on, and I quickly apply a light layer of foundation before voluminizing my eyelashes, that drew out my russet eyeshadow and the thin layer of eyeliner I put on after that. The slightest touch of cherry blush went to my cheeks and then I finished it off with a single swift of Spring Rose lipstick and coated it with a thin coat of lipgloss and once I was done, I took a good look at myself in the mirror. My eyes weren't staring at my now plump lips or how big my eyes were (in a good way, of course), but rather the strange pendant that had never left the tree of my neck, and the events of today's weird mishaps played in my head like a movie, making me slightly anxious, worried even. If this thing was going to float around in a massive crowed, then I shouldn't take it along with me; but, for some strange, inexplicable reason, I couldn't bear to take it off. I liked its presence. It made me feel as if I was some kind of princess, or something along those lines.

Then, the sound of a car honking echoed throughout my empty apartment, bringing me back to Earth as I hear Orihime's voice yell out the window, and I yelled back, assuring her I was coming. Before turning off everything and running out the door, I let out a sigh, and I could feel the cells inside of my body tingle with excitement and buzz. I was actually going to let go, and there was nothing that was going to stop me.

I quickly ran down the stairs and met up with the ginger before dashing into the warm cab, immediately being greeted by a wave of heat as I heard the woman next to me tell the driver where to go.

"So, what kind of party is this, anyway?" I inquire curiously, getting a giggle out of the female.

"It's uhm, kind of like a ball, in a way. But it's not going to be like, totally boring, ya know?"

"Uh, I guess," I shrugged.

"But anyways, enough about that," She waved her hand, changing the subject. "Tell me more about your boy."

"Listen, Orihime," I sighed, getting slightly agitated. "It's not there's anything to tell, really. Me and him are just friends."

"I don't believe that baloney for a single second!" The ginger objected. "If you were 'just friends', then explain why you snapped at me earlier because I wanted to see your necklace, that exact same one that he gave you…and the exact same one you're wearing tonight," She said in almost a growl, which scared me slightly. I was starting to think that there was something seriously wrong with this chick.

"Well," I stalled, trying to cool her down. "I guess me and him have somewhat of a connection. But it's not like we're dating or anything."

"Rukia, please," She scoffed with a laugh. "If he bought you expensive jewelry, then he must be serious, right?"

"Eh, I try not to think about that kinda stuff a lot. But me and him aren't like, really close yet, ya know?"

"But, haven't you two had sex yet?"

My jaw literally drops, and I could barely form a word because my cheeks were blushing ten shades of red and I was so embarrassed and I just didn't know how to react.

"N-No," I stammered.

"WHAATT?" She gaped at me with wide eyes. "I thought you two done did it! How long have you known this fella anyway?"

"A month," I fibbed.

"And he's already buying you lavish gifts? Boy, I wish I was that lucky!"

I don't know if it was just me being paranoid, but something seemed a bit 'off' about the woman right then. Like, you know how you see old 30-year-olds in costumes and pretend to be all nice and shit and the second they get out of it, they're a completely different person? Well, that may not be a completely correct simile or anecdote to relate to this, but it was kind of like that. I felt a strange air of 'fakeness' waft around, and it was as thick as fog.

"I just don't think me and him should rush into it. Like, I know if I think about the idea of me and him too much, it'll jinx it."

"Is that what you honestly believe?" Orihime cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, I do," I sparred back, starting to get even more annoyed, mad even.

"But don't you ever think about if he's like, for real, for real? Like-"

"Orihime," I hissed, getting her attention (although I didn't mean to sound as pissed off as I sounded). "I think that's enough. I don't mean to sound like a total bitch, but what me and this guy have is strictly between me and him, understand?"

'Oh, I understand, all right,' She said, but no words came out of her mouth. I blinked twice and cleaned my ears with a finger as I continued to hear her voice, but I had no idea where it was coming from, and it had ceased to end.

'I understand that you're a fucking whore that would stoop so low as to-'

"Excuse me?" I blurted out in rage, making the ginger tremble.

"W-What? What is it, Rukia?" She turned to looked at me with wide eyes. How her voice came into my head without her mouth actually moving was a complete mystery to me.

"You…you didn't say anything?" I query with a skeptical look.

"Uh, are you imagining things? I didn't say a single word after you asked me if I understood you, and I just nodded and there was just a silent moment. Are you sure you're up for this party?"

'What a fucking weirdo. She must be high. Ha, if she is, I can't wait to see how much a fool she makes outta herself.'

"I'm not high!" I growled, making the woman stare at me with huge eyes. I realized then, that I was, in fact, a weirdo, since I somehow knew what she was thinking. "I mean, I'm not like, intoxicated or whatever that I can't go to this party. And I only smoke my cigarettes, so I am most definitely not under the influence," I chuckled nervously,

"Uh, yeah, sure," She nodded, unsure.

And from then on, there was kind of a weird, tense, atmosphere between us, and the sound of her voice in my head would not get out of my head. It was stuck in there like gum to a boot.

Then, like an angel to my rescue, I heard my phone going off in the inside of my clutch, and I quickly get it out, and I was just so relieved that I could avoid the awkward moment (for now, at least), that I answered it immediately without checking to see who it was.

"Hello?" I chimed.

"Rukia? It's Nel. Where are you? I thought you'd be home so we could go shopping."

Fuck. With a capital 'F' for Fail.

"Oh my God, Nel, I am so sorry! I completely forgot about it."

"…Oh."

"Shit, I feel like a douchebag now," I groaned as I rubbed my temples. "Hold on a sec, I'll be right there."

"No, no, it's fine-"

"No, it's not. S'cuse me," I said to the cab driver. "Can you drop me off here?"

"Are you sure, miss? It'll take a good thirty blocks to get back to where I picked you two misses up."

"Crap," I groaned, not knowing what to do. But like a bolt of lightning, a bloody brilliant idea hit me, and instantly brought a smile to my face.

"Hold on," I said to Nel while turning to Orihime. "Can I ask a huge favor of you?"

"Sure," She nodded with a slight smile.

"Can my friend come to the party as well? I feel really bad that I forgot my plans with her and-"

"Don't worry about it," She waved her hand. "She can come."

"Thank you so much," I said as I put the phone back up to my ear. "Nel, come meet us at…" I turned to Orihime.

"The Paramount."

"What she said."

Nel was quiet for a second, and didn't reply, which had started to make me a tad nervous. "Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm here," She said, in almost an impassive tone, which was unlike her.

"Hey, Nel? You okay?" I ask.

"Y-Yeah, I just saw something…bloody…on the television. I-I'll meet you there in a few."

"Oh-kay then," I said as I heard the line go dead. I was a bit worried about Nel, and why she acted the way she did. Was it because I forgot to hang out with her? I was such a dumbass. Of course it was! I can't believe that I forgot something as important as that! I felt like the biggest turd in the world.

"Something wrong?" Orihime asked.

"Nah, I'm just nervous," I shook it off as I saw our cab pull up to the curb, seeing huge crowd of well-dressed people, but they seemed mostly cocky and arrogant. You know, typical rich bitches.

While Oirhime paid for the cab fare, I took a quick look around the entrance, seeing that it was heavily crowded by the 'rats' as they would call them, that wanted to get in, but the gates held them back, along with the occasional officer every 10 feet or so. But I could see why they'd want to sneak in. It seemed extremely extravagant, and I couldn't imagine how much grander it looked on the inside.

"C'mon, let's go!" Orihime yelled as she yanked my hand and pulled me into the building and through the crowd.

"Hold up a sec!" I said as I yanked her off, but once I realized I was inside, my mouth literally dropped at the sight of the beautiful décor strewn all over the ballroom.

Miles and miles of crème silk hung from column to column, along with frail, ebony strings that were slung over it. There was an immense amount of space that the room had, and even with the dining tables moved to the side, there was still a big enough path for people to walk and dance in the middle. In the very back, there were two sets of stairs that climbed up into this kind of pedestal-looking thing, which I assumed someone 'big' was supposed to give a grand speech that no one really paid attention to. And attached from the edge of the pedestal, was another floor above the ground, though only to the sides, where people had their more 'private and intimate' conversations. Why, there was this one pair that was nearly feeling each other up up there. It was like watching two hogs hump.

"So, whatchu think? Pretty nice, no?" Orihime asked.

"It's pretty, and clean," I smiled with a fake laugh.

"Oh, come on. I know it might be boring at first, but once you meet some people, you'll have fun."

If you mean having a friggin' miserable time while trying to put on a façade in front of arrogant, snotty, horndogs, then yeah, I'll definitely have fun. Whoop-de-fucking-doo.

"Oh, come on; wipe that glum look of your face! I have to introduce you to my friends!" She said with excitement as she pulled me through the crowd, getting a horde of glares and stares from the people around us. And as much as I wanted to slap the bitch out of them, I put on a 'sweet and innocent' act and continuously excused myself as Orihime tugged me through the swarm of bodies and let go as she stopped. I turn around to give her a bewildered look, and right as I was about to yell at the top of my lungs, she cuts me off by introducing me, but to whom, I hadn't the slightest clue.

"Well, I thought you weren't coming tonight, Orihime," A deep voice boomed, making me jump in my skin. I nervously turned around and saw two men, but they looked different from the people that I had saw from earlier.

One was rather tall (well, almost anyone's tall compared to me) and his face looked very Western-Europeanish. His sleek, chocolate hair was combed back, with the exception of one stray bang hanging loose between his eyes, and the instant he saw me, he took off his solid rectangular frames and put them in the inner coat pocket of his ivory tux, which was the inverse of the usual ensemble; white jacket with a black undershirt instead of the black with white. And next to him…was him.

I thought he was the Grim Reaper, come to take my life. There was no doubt in my mind that he was who I thought he was—short, spiky black hair in the front, long strands hanging in the back. Dark indigo eyes, dominant nose, tan skin, high cheekbones—the exact same face that belonged to my-

"Hey!" Orihime elbowed me, bringing me back to Earth.

"W-What?" I stuttered with confusion, but she only jerked her neck in the gentlemen's direction, making my cheeks warm up with embarrassment. I look to them, seeing a rather curious look on both of the men's faces.

"You're…rather interesting," The brunette male bowed his neck as he moved a hand to his chest, and then held it out as he introduced himself. "I am Aizen Sosuke, and who do I have the pleasure of meeting at my ceremony?"

"T-This is your party?" I gawked with disbelief, realizing that 'rich' just didn't cover how wealthy this fella was.

"Yes, miss. And you are?"

"R-Rukia," I giggled nervously as I shook his hand. "Rukia Kuchiki."

"Well, I must be lucky to be meeting a rose in a field full of weeds," He said with a subtle grin, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh (even his metaphor was a bit…ancient and weird). "And my friend here is James Covens."

"Nice to meet you," The dark-haired man showed off a toothy grin as he bent down to peck the back of my hand, and I had to cover up my mouth with my other hand to stop looking like a freak from smiling too much. All suspicion that I had about this guy had vanished the instant I heard his soothing, gentle, voice, I knew he couldn't be him. Not be a long shot.

"Likewise," I nodded with a smile.

God, she's grinning like a friggin' school girl. Get over it, Rukia. You're making a complete fool of herself.

Again with the voice. But I found it odd how it decided to pop up at that specific time, instead of before. I made a mental note to talk to John about my necklace, and the instant I did, I felt guilt crash into me like a tsunami, and make me feel like shit for gawking over another guy. Wait…we weren't 'officially' dating. Plus, he has yet to call me his, so I shouldn't jump to conclusions, right? So, I was free to gawk at who I wanted.

After a couple of minutes of chit-chatting, Orihime excused herself and Aizen as they had some 'business' to discuss, leaving me alone with James, and I had to bite down on my lip from grinning each time I looked at his eyes—they were so green! I was almost lost in that sea green forest, before his voice got my head out of the clouds and down to Earth.

"So, why are you here, in such a boring party, Madame?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Please, call me Rukia," I assured him with a pat on his arm. "And honestly, I just met that woman today and she asked me if I wanted to go, but I guess I really didn't have a choice in the matter. I'm not the kind for partying. It just isn't me."

"Oh? But you seem like such an outgoing woman," He remarked with a chuckle. "I'll admit, you're quite the view. I get tired of seeing all of these old, dried up, fake Pamela Andersons walking about, flaunting their wealth that they gained from the man they stole from another woman. It's disgusting."

"And here I thought you were just another millionaire," I coyly mumbled, getting a sharp, but seductive look from his eyes.

"And I thought you were just another woman, but that's not the case, now, is it?"

"You have no idea," I nodded as our glasses (which he got us earlier) clinked together in a toast, making the burgundy liquid inside do a little leap in the air.

"So, what exactly is your profession?" He inquired.

"Uh, I'm a bartender," I plastered on a smile. Hey, I wasn't lying.

"Really? So you must know your alcohol, eh?"

"I suppose," I shrugged. "But what do you do?"

"I'm a detective."

"Ooh, how exciting!"

"Eh, more or less. It gets kinda eerie seeing a dead corpse right in front of you, but you get used to it with the number of increasing psychos out there. Especially here, in New York City.

"How you ever caught some of them?" I asked curiously, pouting a little bit to give off that 'allure'.

"A few, but as of late, there has been this absolutely disgusting killer running around, and the only trace he leaves behind is a victim with their heart carved out."

"Oh my God," I gaped. "But how do you know it's a he?"

"One, all of the victims were females, and shortly after, we discovered that all of them had been raped before being murdered."

"How long has this been going on?"

"It started recently, about a month or so ago. But the only reason why I'm here is to be on the lookout to see if anything suspicious arises. God knows what would happen if he was here, especially here, of all places."

"But, what if he's armed?"

"Don't worry, I have this place watched with all eyes and ears open and alert. If he strikes here, we'll be sure to catch him."

"I hope you do. God, that's like a nightmare. Kinda makes me anxious, now that I think about it," I mumbled under my breath, and yet, the man still heard me.

"There's no need to be—you're with me, you're safe."

Oh, you bet I was.

But I played it of, still keeping my act up. "Oh, no, I'd hate to be such a burden to a stranger I had just met," I protested (slightly) as I fanned my fingers over my sternum. "I can't let you do that."

"And if I want to?"

"Then I'd-"

"RUKIA!" A voice squealed.

I turned around, seeing a curvaceous vixen all dressed in a pure white, and the dress's fabric gripped each and every single curve of her body perfectly. There was a hand-sewn border that held her girls in place, and in the back, her rump was obviously complimented in the gown (and in almost everything she wore), but as eye-catching as it was, it wasn't sleazy, because the elegant, trailing folds of ivory that followed her made her look like a princess, with strands of her hair attached on the loose mane below it. Even though I'm straight, I'll admit that she looked very hot, no lie.

"Nel!" My face broke out into a giant grin as she let out a gasp the instant she saw me, and instructed for me to twirled, and I did, in which she let out a wolf whistle.

"Well, don't you just look sweeter than a lump a' sugar. Oh my God, John would-"

I cleared my throat as I point to James next to me with my eyes, making her let out an 'O', which was followed by a silent 'I need to talk to you' before walking up to introduce herself to the man.

"Well, well! Are you Rukia's date?" Nel inquired, making me swallow a gulp of anxiety.

What is she doing with him? He's bad news. I can just sense it. I need to keep her away from him. Whoever he is, he's trouble.

Oh, great. Now I could think what my (actual) friends were thinking and their disapprovals. That's just great.

"Actually, we had just met," He explained. "But let me introduce myself-"

"I know who you are," She cut him off, making the atmosphere feel very, very claustrophobic and almost poisonous, with the way she spat out those words. "You're James Covens, right?"

"Yes," He remarked with a questioning look on his face. "How do you know?"

"My friend is a detective as well. He used to work for your unit. I don't mean to be rude, but do you mind if I borrow the missus for a sec?"

"It's up to the 'rose' over there," James flashed a grin at me, making me turn my head to the side as I let out a stupid giggle, immediately being pulled away by the female.

"Thanks," She muttered as we got away from him, going to very edge of the room. The whole time, our eyes had avoided contact, and I didn't quite know what to say, so I started from what I knew.

"Look, Nel, I'm really sorry for bailing on-"

"It's fine, I already forgot about it. That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then…what are you worried about?" I asked, though she let out a sigh through her nostrils in anxiety.

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What in the world did I just hear? Was that...Nel...speaking a different tongue? Oh, this night was just getting better and better.

"Rukia," She said as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "I know you're going to think I'm crazy for telling you this, but you need to stay away from that man. He's an evil, evil man. I can sense it."

I laughed. "You're ridiculous. That's crazy, I just met him. What could he possibly do?"

"You have no idea," She growled in such a serious tone, it made my skin get goosebumps. "Humans are capable of committing such heinous, wicked, deeds, and they only need to be in such a mood to be bloodthirsty killers."

"You're overreacting!" I yelled as I shook her grip off of me. "I just met him!"

"But you haven't a single clue who he is or what he's capable of!"

"Like I'm any different with John!"

The instant I said that, I immediately covered up my mouth, not believing the words that I had just said. My heart was aching, yet, I felt heartless.

"You're cruel, Rukia," Nel hissed with such intensity, it almost felt as if those words sliced me open like a blade. "You have no idea what that man has been through and yet, you're going to put him down like that? After all he's done for you? That's disgusting. It really is. You're gonna choose him over John? Like, seriously?"

"I never said that!" I barked.

"But you were thinking about it, weren't you?" She interrogated me with narrowed eyes. "You are insecure. You are scared, because of all of the things you don't know, or the things you think he's hiding from you. Did you ever think once that maybe, he can't tell you? That maybe he does actually want to tell you each and every thing that you want to know? I thought you honestly loved him for a moment, but now, I dunno," The woman shook her head.

"No, Nel, it's not like that-"

"It's whatever. It's your love life, not mine. I won't mention a word of this to John, but if he hears it from another source, then it's not my fault," She muttered as she walked away, exchanging glances with James as he raised his eyebrows, before giving me a 'damn' look. Like the 'damn' that you'd get whenever you'd see your parents madder than the Hatter himself.

"What was that all about?" He asked as he craned his head, since my face was looking down at the ground, but I couldn't keep a straight face since those big, deep, ivy eyes were staring up at me with such youth, making me keep a semi-serious face as I tried not to smile.

"Nothing, we just had a little spat," I shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, I kinda have to if you're going to be lookin' like that."

"Looking like what?"

"All glum…like…ish. It doesn't suit you well. That cute smile of yours does."

"Oh, shuddup," I muttered as I blushed.

"There it is!" James exclaimed, making me laugh.

But I couldn't help but feel as if something was watching me. As if someone's eyes were glued on me and me only, making me feel extremely paranoid, but I tried to shake it off.

"C'mon, let's have this dance," James offered a hand as a new song started up, and who was I to refuse such a gentleman?

"Gladly," I smiled as I took his hand, which held onto it with such gentleness, as if he was afraid of hurting me, which I thought was just plain adorable.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and his arm went around my teeny waist, pulling me close to him. I looked up at him, and our eyes met, and refused to stray away from each other as our bodies synchronized with the slow, simple beat of the piano playing in the far back, and I felt at ease. I mean, who wouldn't with such strong arms to protect you, right? All of the previous tension I had had blown away like the wind, and it felt like it was only me and him in the room, and no one else. There was something so soothingin this man's presence, that it just made me instantly relax.

"I know I'm going to sound like a creeper, being that I just met you and all," He whispered into my ear, placing one hand on my bare shoulder as we stopped. Well, I stopped, and then he stopped once he realized I stopped.

I didn't stop because of the extremely flattering comment that he gave me, or how close our bodies were that the heat between us nearly made me sweat. It wasn't because of that at all. Not by a long shot.

Across from me on the second floor, all dressed up in a lavish, but simple, tux was a tanned male with a head of orange with a glass of red wine in hand. And even though he was a good couple of meters away, I could feel his piercing eyes locked on me, yet, his face was nonchalant. He stared at me for a good moment, and I back at him. But the second I blinked, he had vanished.

I blinked again, and…there was no fiery-maned man glancing at me with such sorrow in his eyes. My mouth let out an empty gasp, drawing James's attention.

"Something wrong?" He queried as he bent down to look me eye-to-eye, but somehow, that 'magic effect' of his that had always made me smile didn't work this time. I felt like a complete whore. How he stared at me…it made me freeze up like a computer glitch. I was paralyzed, because I didn't know if he was mad as hell or just disappointed, but it wasn't something good, I know that much for sure.

"Nah, it's just-"

And right then, a blood curdling scream was heard throughout the entire hotel, making every single body gasp and whisper to each other about what had happened.

"Shit," James hissed, as he looked in the direction of the scream, but then back to me. "Come with me."

"Uhm, okay," I half-heartedly agreed as he took my hand and along the way, asked people where the shriek came from.

What happened?

Did somebody get hurt?

Who screamed?

Hearing all of these thoughts made me nervous, but 'nervous' wouldn't even match up with what I was about to experience.

I was soon directed to the hotel's kitchen, where it was blockaded by the staff. James let go of me as he pulled out his badge. "Detective James Covens, please let me and my guest through."

"Right away, sir," One of the bellhops stepped to the side as he pushed open the kitchen door, though only a little, as the indigo-haired man went in first, while I held on to his wrist, and the sight was so horrifying and gut-wrenching, I thought I might throw up right then and there.

There, in a kitchen corner, laid the dead corpse of a small maid whose short, black hair was up in a small, light blue bonnet with lifeless chocolate eyes. I had to restrain myself from instinctively puking from looking at the hollow, heart-shaped, bloody gap on her chest while the pool of blood beneath her continued to flow.

"Oh God," I turned away from the sight, with the man comforting me by letting me bury my face into his broad chest while strong arms wrapped around me.

"Hey! What are you doing?" An employee barked.

"Let me through! I have to see what happened!" A young male teen with solid white hair yelled as he tried to get through the bellhop.

"Toshiro! Come back!" A woman cried as footsteps got louder and louder and once she was within seeing-distance, I recognized her as the woman 'Essence' from TR. Her long golden hair was slightly messed up, but I'm assuming she must've been running after the boy; though why she was here, I had no clue.

"Toshiro, wait!" She cried out, but it was too late.

The boy broke through the human barrier and found the body of the deceased girl, falling to his knees the second he saw the amount of blood that had poured out of her mouth. He crawled on his knees, trails of tears starting to pour down his face as he made his way towards her. James was about to intervene and pull him up, but I placed a hand on his chest, only shaking my head as I realized that the boy had some close connection to her.

"N-No, Momo, you c-can't be dead," The boy barely managed to spit out, laughing in disbelief. "You c-can't be. You just can't!"

"Toshiro," The blonde muttered as she passed through the guard, kneeling down to comfort him in a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Rangiku," The boy choked. "Why did this happen? Why would anyone ever do this to her? She was so innocent."

'Rangiku', eh? So that's your real name.

"I know, baby, I know," She sniffled as she held onto him.

James quietly excused himself as he went over to the two, informing them that they would soon have to exit, being that he would have to inspect the crime scene. I couldn't help but feel a little sad myself, even though I hadn't known the girl. I can't imagine what it must've been like, seeing the one you loved, dead, right in front of you.

"Please," Rangiku said. "At least give us one more minute with her."

"Fine," He nodded. "But let me at least do a rough analysis of the body before that."

The two nodded as they stood at the edge of the doorway, with hordes of peoples' heads cramming in the see what happened, but were backed off by the staff.

James let out a sigh before slamming his fist on the tiled floor.

"Dammit!" He hissed. "That's the 5th one this month!"

I didn't know what to say, since I had no knowledge whatsoever in this field. Well, if you could watching CSI: Miami, but I wasn't going to meddle in now.

"Sorry, sir, I can't let you in," The guard said.

"It's aight, Imma cop."

"Oh, then walk right in."

"Thank ya kindly."

I turned my head in the direction of the opening door, and my mouth slightly dropped at who walked in.

It was the exact same cab driver that I had met not once, but twice.

"Hey! It's da bitch midge!" He hollered as he nodded in my direction, and then saw the scene. "Ooh, I'd hate to be the guy that's gonna clean that shit up."

James turned around, glaring slightly at the blonde, and then turned back to dusting and investigating the corpse.

"What are you doing here, Hirako?" He asked in a dark tone.

"My job, ya dumbass. So, is it another one?"

"We don't even work for the same companies, let alone the same unit. I am not your partner, so don't treat me like we're buddy-buddy."

"Hey, don't you raise yer tone at me!" Hirako hissed. "We're in the same boat here. There's a crazy, psychopathic murderer around and now's not the time to be worrying about whose paycheck is gonna be the biggest!"

"…You're right."

"Aren't I always? After all, I am Shinji Hirako," The blonde smirked.

"Shut up and help me look. Oh, now, what's this?" James asked curiously.

"What?"

"There's something shiny in the girl's chest."

"Okay, ew, gross," I said as I exited myself out of the room, but I was still able to hear some of the dialogue that went on inside.

"Is…that a knife?" Shinji inquired curiously. "But why would the killer stick it all the way down there?"

And at that exact same moment, I heard something ticking, like a clock, but I couldn't tell what it was. It sounded so distinct, yet, there were no clocks to be found. Unless…

"Do you hear that?" James asked, and then, there was a dead silence, until Shinji yelled,

"GET OUT! IT'S A BOMB!"

A/N: Okay, so my comp;s still being gay, so I can't edit (question mark?). Anyways, yay, a murder! I love suspense. And sorry, to those of y'all who like Momo, I was just never really fond of her. Plus, she was perfect! Anyways, reviews would be appreciated, (esp at this time, when I'm going through my shit) and I'd like to know on what I can improve on. Also, you can watch me type up SP LIVE at www. livestream . com / wootforsharpies and even make a suggestion or two while talking to me personally(: Don't be shy! And this chapter's offer: if you can guess who killed Momo then insider for you! (first one who gets it right, wins.) Leave your answer in a review, pweeze.