Well, here's the next chapter for ya!

Murciélago

Chapter Two

Six days had passed since Artemis had been suspended, and needless to say, she was exhausted. The anger had long since passed, and the scotch could no longer help her restless nights' sleep. Without the standard routine of her job, she couldn't help but feel a form of anxiety; as if just waiting for something to go wrong. That's what you expect as an officer of the law.

Morning hit, and once the sun hit her face, Artemis was wide awake. Her skin had begun to pale a bit and bags had formed under her narrow blue eyes. Her long blue hair was in a rat's nest from tossing and turning in bed, and overall, she was pretty damn sore.

She turned on the TV in her room and moved to the bathroom door, that stood just a few feet away from her television. As per always, it was on the news channel. Normally, she didn't care for it, but she needed to keep tabs on this psycho she was chasing.

And sure enough, just as she turns the faucets of her sink: "Earlier this morning, a maid at Urahara Suites found the body of a dead girl in one of the eight floor complexes. Local Leos are now on the scene and have yet to disclose whether or not this murder was committed by the Dashing Demon killer." Artemis narrowed her eyes; she put money that this incident wouldn't stop Tousen from still declaring Zaraki guilty, despite having spent the past few days locked up.

"I hope he sues." She couldn't help but think, getting ready for her day. Zaraki didn't deserve to be harrassed anymore; the man learned his lesson years ago. If this arrest causes him to lose time with his kid, then the detective was more than willing to take the offensive alongside him.

Artemis showered, brushed her teeth, dried her hair, then got dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a green turtle neck sweater. She was about to rummage her fridge for some breakfast, however, realized she was much lower on supplies than she was used to. The woman sighed. How was it she didn't notice this sooner? Oh, right! She was too busy trying to get inside the killer's head. As unhealthy as that sounded, Artemis had a bachelor's in Criminal Psychology and went to several profiling seminars and classes. She knew what she was doing, and she knew how to recognize she needed to step back.

The current case of her kitchen being one of the possible red flags.

So, with some reluctance, Artemis left for the nearest grocery store she could find. Today would have been Price Chopper, had it not been for what she had noticed in the parking lot of her local drug store: the Farmer's Market. It didn't matter that she lived on a detective's salary, Artemis loved fresh food. Fruits, vegetables, she even found great fish here. On top of that, there several treats that could be bought here, like fried dough and fudge.

With a wide grin, she turned into the parking lot and got the first spot she could find. The market was crowded, but that was to be expected. She wasn't the only one who preferred fresh food, after all. Artemis jumped out of her car, locked it, then raced towards the stands. She bought things she found to her fancy, naturally. Some apples, oranges, kale, lettuce, onion, potatoes, and such. She also bought fresh spices such as garlic, parsley, basil and thyme. On top of that, she picked up a few crabs, lobster, shrimps, squid, and a swordfish.

In the few hours of shopping, Artemis was still on the hunt for a batch of fruit that had been, thus far, nowhere to be found: blackberries. She loved blackberries, and she'd always buy them by the bundle. Looking at the tables, though, no one had them. "Do you need any help, Miss?" A calm, neutral voice asked her.

Turning around, the bluenette surprised herself by finding a small table with only one man and his car behind it. The man was in his late twenties, with shoulder length black hair, large green eyes, yet pale skin. He was wearing black jeans and a green t-shirt, a burgundy apron on over them both, and a yellow visor to keep the sun out of his eyes. Seeing as how he had a small table, he was probably more of a gardener than a farmer, and probably didn't stay outside longer than it took to nurture his plants.

Looking at the name tag he had on first, she spoke up. "Yes, I do, Ulquiorra. You wouldn't happen to sell blackberries, would you?"

Ulquiorra, as his name went, seemed surprised by the request but he soon nodded. "I do actually. I have a few bundles with me, if you'd like to see them."

"Yes, please." Came the immediate response. And so, Ulquiorra moved behind him before taking out a few basket with about two cups worth of blackberries in each. Artemis looked them over, surprised at how well-kept they were at first, before turning to Ulquiorra and asking him: "How much?"

The ebony, expression blank of emotion, said: "A dollar per basket." The detective couldn't help her smile. That was better luck than she got anywhere else.

"Give me a dozen." She told him. Ulquiorra's surprise came about once more, as not a lot of people liked blackberries, and most that did never really bought so much. However, he brushed it off just as the woman reached for her wallet. He bagged her blackberries, and she gave him the twelve dollars for them. After getting the bag securely in her hand, she turned and said: "Have a good one." Ulquiorra only nodded, then moved to put out some more of his products.

Getting home quickly, Artemis went straight to getting the fish in the fridge. Before unloading everything else. She decided on shrimp stir fry, and went about cooking. Once the stir fry and the rice were finished, she made herself a plate, then sat down to eat. It was by this point, that her phone started ringing. "Yukimura."

"Arti-kun! How are you? You're not withering away in that bland apartment of yours, are you?"

Artemis smirked. Only her partner could get away with calling her that. "For your information, I just got back from a lovely morning at the Farmer's Market. Got my blackberries and everything." Rangiku giggled at the other end of the line, making Yukimura pause before asking: "What's up? Besides the new body, that is."

Matsumoto sighed. "Zaraki's out, finally. Sergeant got to the Captain with a sanction."

Her partner whistled. "Wow. Hitsugaya must have had something good if the Captain let go of one of his targets."

"He did." She responded, her voice full of joy. "And something tells me the Lieutenant's going to use the same thing to get you back into work." She predicted.

"Don't let him." Came the immediate response. Matsumoto's 'huh?' rang through, not understanding Artemis' logic when the girl obviously wanted to get back to work. "Girl, I can deal with flying solo. We can't have someone like Tousen running Homicide, things will just continue to get worse. We need someone smart and strong, yet at the same time, we need someone less bullheaded. Ya get me?"

"Mm-hm. Okay, I'll let him know. That means you're out for almost another two weeks, though." She complained.

Artemis sighed, a smile on her face. "There's a sacrifice for all great causes, Rangiku. Besides, if things will pan out the way I think they will, then the captain will have me back in before the end of the week." She informed the woman.

Night came about once again, and Ulquiorra Cifer drove himself to a bar on the Eastern end of the city called: "Las Noches." He went here for its retro style and the fact that there was actually something in town that made him look less pale. More importantly though, this is where he met up with his colleagues to discuss business.

He parked his car then walked inside. As per usual, he went to the far corner of the room where everyone was seated. There was his driver from a few nights before, Szayel, but there were some other figures. There was a big loaf named Yami; the man didn't have a lot of brains, but he was intuitive enough when instructed and helped a great deal when he needed answers. The tall man with the eye patch, Nnoitra. He communicated with Ulquiorra's clients directly, and got information from women where it could be helped. Hallibel, she was another person who helped gather information, but she also acted as a driver and security officer when need be.

Seeing his usual Angry Orchard at his usual seat in the corner, Ulquiorra sat down with them in the darkness. "What new business has come?" He asked, opening his bottle.

And the meeting began.

Like I need to lead anyone on about who Murciélago is... Well, at least I got another chapter in. Hope you've enjoyed. :)