Disclaimer: see previous chapter

Author's Notes: Thanks for the lovely reviews! OK, so here's an extra long chapter since I somehow was feeling in the mood to be generous. XD I dunno, once I started writing, I just couldn't stop. LOL.

Current Word Count: 4,361.

…

Orihime awoke suddenly, pulled from her deep sleep by some unknown force.

She felt weak, her muscles aching as if she had just now recovered from a bout of the flu. It was hard to think, hard to get herself oriented. She glanced out the window, fully expecting to see the bright morning sunlight, and was surprised to see the fiery reds and oranges that filled the sky as the sun began to set. That jolted her, and she sat up suddenly, watching the outside sky in stunned silence, trying to recall what had happened the evening before.

The last thing that she had remembered, was sitting on the living room couch, watching a movie that was playing just after 9 o'clock. Orihime froze as the images swirled in her mind, as they came to the forefront. She remembered now; she had had a vision, one that had affected her to a far greater extent than her normal visions. She usually got a bit cold and sleepy after the ordeal, but the deep-freezing that she had experienced, not to mention, the hours in which she had lay in a comatose state was beyond anything that she had ever experienced.

This recent development was something that frightened her. Her fingers had been blue, her body had locked in muscle cramps, and she had feared that she would die if she couldn't get warm enough. That thought had her thinking about the victim in her vision, and she briefly shut her eyes as she witnessed the brutality of her murder, the way she had begged for mercy from her assailant. Tears welled in her eyes, and she swallowed thickly, forcing them back down.

There was no use in crying. She had to help find justice for this poor woman. Sliding out of bed, she headed towards the bathroom, intent on heading down to the precinct to talk to her friend.

…

Officer Kuchiki looked up from her report at the sound of her phone ringing.

Perplexed, she looked down at her wristwatch, noting how late it was in the afternoon. She had been off-duty for an hour, choosing to stay and work on her report before heading home. She wasn't expecting any calls, nor did she get a lot of phone calls. Still frowning, she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Officer Kuchiki? This is Mandy from reception. Just wanted to let you know that there is a woman by the name of Orihime Inoue asking for you."

Rukia's eyes widened, and she hastened to reply. "Yes, yes, please send her through." Rukia hung up and leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowing over why Orihime would be here to see her. She hadn't had a personal visit from Orihime since the time she had introduced herself to Rukia and presented her with the things from her "vision", as it was often easier for the both of them to communicate over the phone. She'd been cynical at first, how could a cop not be? But as she checked out and verified the things that she had described in detail, Rukia had to bow to the fact that there were some things in the world that just didn't have any logical explanation. Since busting the perpetrator responsible for a street mugging that Orihime had pointed out to her, Rukia had regularly followed the leads that she provided, figuring that it was saving on man power and resources. Besides, it wasn't a novel concept, working with psychics.

The first sight of her was enough to have Rukia rising to her feet. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes, the skin on her face pulled taut under obvious strain. For once, she didn't have that constant small smile on her face, and it worried Rukia. They weren't exactly best friends, but over the years, Rukia had come to genuinely care for her, and concern flashed through her now. "Are you OK, Orihime?"

She gave a tired smile, "yes, I am OK. Can I take a seat?"

Rukia nodded, resuming her own. "Tell me what happened?"

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes downcast for a few seconds before lifting her gaze to Rukia; her eyes round with unspoken horror. "T-this isn't one of the usual visions."

"What do you mean?"

Orihime swallowed nervously. "I…I had a vision of a murder last night."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Murder?"

Orihime nodded wordlessly. An unpleasant feeling began to unfold in Rukia's stomach; this was far beyond her area of jurisdiction, far beyond the previous visions that she had been presented with that she wasn't exactly sure how to respond properly. She said the only thing that came to mind. "Tell me what happened."

She watched as the light faded from the brunette's eyes as she focused inward, a glaze covering them. Alarmed, she reached out her hand to touch her, but Orihime's sudden voice, steady and monotonous, eerie in its calm recitation froze her to the spot, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

"He's been watching her. Watching for a while now. Sweet Jolene, sweet Jolene, tonight, she was going to be his. He waits till that man leaves, the man that had been holding her captive all her life before breaking in a window at the back of the house, slipping in. He creeps through the house, his footsteps quiet. He wants to surprise her, wants to see the joyous look on her face when she sees him coming to save her.

"She's watching TV, some old film, and she looks so lovely. He can't help himself; he has to touch her smooth skin. She screams at that, her eyes open wide and he clamps his hand over her mouth, but she fights him, her scratches hurting him, and he quickly gets mad. Stupid bitch! Didn't she know he was here to help her?"

The cop in Rukia knew she had to get every single detail from her, knew that any small detail could help piece the puzzles together, but the woman in her wanted to stop Orihime, wanted to comfort her; if she felt this terrible listening to her after having served several years on the force, she could only imagine the hell Orihime was going through now, having envisioned it.

"He puts on a condom and takes her, infuriated with her struggles. Stupid bitch didn't deserve his sperm now. Not after hurting him when he tried to help her. She's quiet now and he's pleased. He pulls out the ritual knife he put in his boot earlier that evening, holding the blade in front of her so she could get a good look at it, so she could admire the instrument that would give her freedom. He places it on her soft cheek. Its time to set her free..."

Rukia jumped to her feet, coming around her small desk to grasp Orihime by the shoulders, giving her a little shake. "That's enough, I'm sorry, that's enough." It took several minutes, but she finally came out of her trance, her body trembling as she slumped tiredly against Rukia.

When she no longer needed Rukia's support, when she was able to sit up of her own accord, she looked questioningly at her. "What now?"

Rukia looked grim. "I'll have to check up on a few things, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible." She continued to watch her friend, the pallor of her skin a point of concern for her. She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, rubbing it slightly.

"Are you going to be OK?"

Orihime turned wide eyes on her, devastatingly beautiful with the sheer determination that shone in them. "I have no choice but to be."

Rukia gave a small smile at that. Not once had she ever seen Orihime cave under the ugliness in which she envisioned, a trait that she had nothing but admiration for. "Come on, let me take you home."

...

"You're late getting home."

Rukia sighed tiredly as she closed the door behind her, making a bee-line towards her husband who sat reclined on his chair, newspaper in hand. She crawled into his lap, curling against his chest. "I need some help."

Byakuya's brow rose as his hand came up automatically to rest on the small of her back, drawing her closer. Rukia wasn't the type to ask for his help, preferring to use her own strength and skills, a trait that both annoyed him and endeared her to him. It was always with a sense of reluctance that she turned to him. He put down the paper, placing his hands on her legs, smoothing down the length of them to her feet, where he began to undo and take off her shoes. "I assume you need help from an official capacity?"

"Yes."

He managed to get one shoe off. "And what exactly is it that I can help you out with?"

"Are you familiar with the Jolene Mags case?"

"Rape and murder victim? Yes, Detectives Kurosaki and Hirako are working the case and have been updating me as they go along."

"What have they found?"

"The investigation is still ongoing. So far, there aren't any solid leads but they're going through her accounts, her phone records, speaking with the people she knew and worked with to see if they can find a link to her murder. Why do you ask?"

"I've...recently come across some information that may be of some benefit to the lead detectives."

Byakuya got the other shoe off before leaning back in the chair, cradling her closer. He asked quietly, "and how did you come by this information?"

"Through Orihime Inoue, the psychic that I told you about before."

He was quiet for a minute. "Rukia..."

"I know! I had trouble believing it, too, but this isn't the first time that I've worked with her, nor has she ever been wrong with her visions."

"Did the thought ever cross your mind that she may have been behind or at the very least involved with all these 'visions'?"

"That's not the type of person that she is. If you could see how much it takes out of her, these visions, then you wouldn't be quite so cynical. And my gut instinct says it's not her; she's always led us to the perpetrators, perpetrators that we couldn't draw any correction to her with."

He was silent as he mulled over her words before murmuring, "and what is it that you want me to do?"

"Is there a way I can convey these things that Orihime has told me to them?"

"You should know the problems with hearsay, Rukia. If she's a legitimate psychic, then she should have no problems explaining her vision to the detectives."

"But you don't know what it takes for her—"

"Rukia, there's nothing that can be done." The tone of his voice didn't leave room for any more rebuttals. "She is going to have to come in and speak to the detectives. They're going to want to question her, to gather their information first hand. There's no helping it, she needs to come in."

Rukia subsided, knowing that tone in Byakuya. She'd only ever heard it when she was being unreasonable or when he was chewing out the officers below his command, so she knew that there wasn't anything that she could do. His say was final. She thought of Orihime, of her going through the same ordeal that she had gone through with her earlier that evening, and she felt a pang of sadness. She bit her lip.

Byakuya gave a sigh as he saw Rukia withdraw. He wasn't about to let that happen, he wouldn't accept it, she of all people should never withdraw from him. He placed his fingers on her bottom lip, rubbing it, causing her to release it from the hold of her teeth. "Don't pout. I'll take care of things for your friend. I don't necessarily believe her, but I believe in you, so I'll have a quiet word with the detectives."

She smiled at that, grabbing at his fingers and holding them to her lips. "Thank you."

Byakuya gave a wry smile. "Don't thank me just yet. Hirako and Kurosaki still need to be dealt with, and I can assure you, they're not going to be all that forthcoming towards a psychic."

…

"Are you serious?"

Byakuya stood unfazed. "Yes."

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, we're still working the case. We're not at a dead end just yet."

"It has been more than 48 hours, Kurosaki, and you of all people should know that the chances of solving a crime lessens as that time continues to run out."

"But a psychic? What happened to good old police leg work."

Byakuya frowned. "From what I can see, that police leg work has led you nowhere. Now, I don't see what it would hurt to humour me in this and listen to what she has to say."

Ichigo and Shinji were quiet, seeing the right of his words. He did have a point, they didn't have any solid leads to follow, and since it was a strong suggestion from the Lieutenant, they couldn't exactly turn him down."

"We'll talk to her then," Ichigo growled.

Byakuya strode over to his office door, stepping outside for a few seconds before returning with two women in tow. Ichigo and Shinji both raised a brow at the appearance of Rukia Kuchiki, and the whole situation started to make a lot of sense. No wonder the Lieutenant had been most insistent; it must have been something that his officer wife had asked him for. Ichigo scowled before turning his gaze onto the other woman.

It was her fragility that struck him first. Though she had a calm expression on her face, he could see the strain around the eyes, the way her fingers clenched tightly together, the knuckles white, making him want to take her into his arms, to shield her from danger. It was this irrational feeling of protection for this woman that prompted his anger.

Shinji raised a brow at the narrowed look of his partner, nudging him but was subsequently ignored. He shrugged his shoulders and looked to their Lieutenant, who began. "All of you, please take a seat. Ms. Inoue, thank you for taking the time to come in on such short notice. I understand that you have some information pertaining to the Jolene Mags case that can be of some help to my detectives."

She gave a solemn nod. "Yes."

Shinji's mouth lifted sardonically. "Why don't you start at the beginning, Ms. Inoue?"

Orihime took a deep breath. She could feel the disdainful stares from the two detectives, most specifically from the orange-haired man, his face stark with contempt. She felt as if his hard gaze was boring into her, and she threw up her walls of defence, shutting out everything and focusing on the task at hand. Taking even, steady breaths, she calmed herself before launching into her recitation.

It was the same as it had been yesterday evening when she spoke with Rukia. Her monotonous tone sounding clearly in the room, the eerie stillness of her form as she sat transfixed in her seat. Four pairs of eyes were trained on her, analysing her words, weighing out the validity of them. Finally, silence fell, and Orihime sat stiffly in her chair, dragging in deep breaths of air as if she had been running.

The three men sat in shocked silence, the atmosphere thick with tension as they took in everything that they had just heard. It was Ichigo that broke the silence first. "And you think telling us this wouldn't make us suspect you? You've just actually bumped yourself to the top of the list."

"Ichigo—" Rukia began, but stopped as Byakuya raised his hand. It wasn't her place to speak, and she bit her lip as she silently fumed.

Shinji tried for tact. "Ms. Inoue, you've just described a few details that the public and the press are not privy to. The only way that you could know this is if you were present during the murder."

Orihime shook her head, her face paling. "N-no. I wasn't there. I told you, I was at home, watching TV, and all of a sudden, I had this vision."

"Was there anyone there with you that can vouch for your whereabouts?"

Orihime shook her head. Shinji didn't continue, but the look on his face plainly revealed the only likely conclusion that could be drawn from her answer. Her bottom lip trembled as she took in the circumstances. How could she prove that she hadn't been at the place? That she hadn't been involved in the murders? "I…I don't know what to say."

Ichigo muttered, "what, that magic ball doesn't have all the answers?"

She turned, meeting the hard gaze of the detective. "I don't have a magic ball. And that's not how my empathy works. I've already told you what I know, you can choose to believe me or not."

"That just it, we don't believe you."

"That's enough." Rukia spoke up again, rising to her feet, wrapping an arm around Orihime's shoulders and hoisting her up. "I didn't bring my friend here to be ridiculed by the two of you. She's here to help, not to become your number one suspect."

"Rukia," Ichigo growled. "Don't overstep your boundaries."

She tugged Orihime along, leading her to the door. She looked over her shoulder, her icy gaze, a trait of the Kuchiki family, encompassing the three gentlemen in the room. "Go to hell."