-sigh- Second Fanfic...

Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to write one for each and every chapter so this one will represent the entire story. Because no matter how many chapters I write, it doesn't bring me any closer to owning Bleach or CSI.

Fear in Mind

Prologue

Hitsugaya sat only semi-comfortably in his seat. It seemed to take forever just to arrive at their destination. Just how far was the 'Las Vegas' anyway? The rumbling of the air plane engines prevented him from getting any sleep, and being inside of a pressurized air space, several thousand feet above ground, wasn't really helping either. Heck! He didn't even think that the giant hulk of metal could even fly!

"So, what brings you to LA?"

The bored captain's eyes came up to starring dull and the inquirer. Hitsugaya recognized him as male flight attendant that had been giving him strange – and suspicious – looks, ever since he had boarded the plane and took his seat in first class. He had never bothered to talk to him before, so why now? When the man spoke, there was a ting of jealously in it. Earlier on, he had overheard some of the female attendants giggling and gossiping about him (which they were still doing right now). Something about him being the son of some rich entrepreneur?

"Business," Hitsugaya said, hopping that the man would leave.

Unfortunately the man had not caught on the sarcasm in his voice and remained.

"Really? What kind of business?"

Hitsugaya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The temperature dropped by several degrees, reflecting his irritation. But when he gave his reply, the voice was even colder.

"Extermination."

"America?" Hitsugaya raised a brow. His voice, hinted with surprise.

The command nodded. "Yes, we have reports that a hollow has been killing humans in a city called Las Vegas for the past several days. This hollow shouldn't be too hard to find; it has been coming out every night since it first appeared, but I wanted to be eliminated as soon as possible."

"Sir, why send a captain then? From what you've told me, a seated officer should be more than enough to take care of it."

"Yes, you are correct but this hollow has been acting strange. As you already know, it is rare for hollows to be found outside of Japan, and from the information that we could gather; it doesn't seem to be absorbing the souls of the humans it's killed. Rumors travel fast, especially during this kind of time. We can't let something like this to distract the rest from the preparations. Currently, no one below captain-class – save a few – has information about this, and whatever information that the hollow might have will stay the same."

Hitsugaya nodded. This was going to be done as a quiet and discrete mission. The commander wanted the thorn to be removed as quickly as possible to get back to the war to come.

"I understand."

"Good. Everything has been arranged already; you will leave in 3 hours."

By the time the tenth squad captain arrived, it was well past noon. After the short chat with the attendant no one bothered him during the rest of the flight – too busy with fixing a heating problem– allowing him some sleep. But jet lag still came and by the time he arrived at the hotel, he was completely exhausted.

His room was no extravagant suite, but it did give him a nice view of the city and it was in one of the more expensive hotels. Hitsugaya couldn't help but to wonder if Matsumoto had anything to do with all the luxury he was being treated to. She had been complaining that he had been working too much and it would really surprise him if the buxom lieutenant was up to her old – or usual – tricks again…

Of course, she would also be free of her captain for the next 5 days.

Hitsugaya starred at the well-made bed. The king-sized furniture was just inviting him to sleep in it with open arms. He knew that he should first get used to the time here, but being tired on his patrols wouldn't be very wise either.

Without giving it anymore thought, the young captain plopped down in be and allowed sleep to take over.

The sun had set far below the horizon by the time Hitsugaya woke. The clock read 11:15 pm on his cell phone which was beeping rapidly. A hollow was nearby. Wasting no time, he quickly separated from his gigai and headed out though the window.

Cool air immediately greeted him as he stepped out. Lights shone below, illuminating the area around him. The bustling of people and cars were nothing but low rumblings at the altitude he was at. But the young captain paid no heed to those things; he simply shunpo-ed past it all, concentrating on getting to his destination.

He soon found himself standing in front of a dark alleyway. Cautiously he stepped in, the lighting only allowing him to make out silhouettes of the figures ahead. One of them looking like a weird lump on the ground. Only when he got closer did he recognize the lump as that of a mangled corpse.

Slowly, Hitsugaya approached the petrified soul huddled beside her body, careful not to step in the blood.

"Hey, where is the on that did this to you?"

The soul did not reply. Instead, she merely responded by trying to move further into the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

But his voice didn't sound as reassuring. Truth be told, he was starting to get impatient. He never was really good with consoling souls before they moved on. The hollow's presence was still lingering in the air—but it was nowhere to be seen. So where was it? If it wasn't down here then…

…Above!

"Too late!"

The hollow came down at rapid speeds. Its right arm raised to reveal a knife-like arm with a hook at the end, ready to slice him in half. Hitsugaya managed to time his zanpakutou to block the attack. The short stall allowed him to take note that the hollow was about the size of a normal human and its other arm was just like its right.

Without warning, the hollow kicked the off guard captain in the stomach.

"Oof!"

The wind was knocked out of his lungs upon colliding with the dumpster; his head snapped back and hit the edge. The hollow chuckled.

"It seems that Soul Society has finally noticed my presence, and they send a little shinigami to kill me. I'm really disappointed. I was really hoping that it would be more challenging."

The hollow shook its head as it held out its arms in a causal manner.

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. Obviously the hollow did not know who he was. His grip on the hilt of his zanpakutou tightened as he got up.

"Don't go—"

In a flash, he disappeared.

"—underestimating me."

Then he reappeared behind to slash at the hollow's back. But it too brought out its arm to block the attack. Sparks flew as the two forces came into contact. Both sides exchanged attacks, none of them ever meeting their target. Hyourinmaru scratched against the brick walls, causing its wielder to loss momentum in the swing. The hollow blocked it once again.

Hitsugaya cursed. This was taking far too longer than necessary. The hollow wasn't even in the menos class; all it got going for it was its speed. But the narrow alleyway prevented him from initiating any more advanced attacks other than slashing at the hollow and even that was being hindered. Releasing his zanpakutou was not an option.

The hollow began to move its arm down his sword. A metallic screech could be heard as the two blades rubbed against each, producing more sparks from the friction. In the last moment Hitsugaya moved, just as the hook of the knife-like arm came down to try and dig into his skull, almost faltering when he came sliding back on the still fresh blood. His cheek was bleeding from where the hook grazed.

Ignoring the pain, Hitsugaya got into stance and waited for the hollow to take the offence.

However, it never happened. The hollow just stood where it was, its eyes narrowed to as if to guard a secret. It chuckled once again, earning an incredulous look from the young prodigy.

"You're right," it began, "I shouldn't have underestimated you. You're a lot better than what you stature represents."

Hitsugaya made no move but merely grunted at the statement.

"I now can see that I will be having the fun that I had hoped for. But it will have to wait."

The hollow jumped on the nearby fire escape, alerting the captain to take a step forward.

It continued: "I'm sorry to have to cut our play time short, it really was a lot of fun. As a consolation, I've left a little present for ya'. Have fun figuring out what it is. Bye!"

"Get back here!"

But it was too late. The hollow had already disappeared over the building and its presence could no longer be felt. Seeing no use in something he could not track, Hitsugaya walked over to the still huddling soul and performed a konso. The body disappeared in a blue-ish light, and then was replaced by a black butterfly.

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

Hitsugaya's head snapped around to see an officer standing at the entrance of the alleyway. He turned to completely face the agitated man, but that only seemed to make him even more worried.

"D-don't move!" he ordered, and fumbled for his gun.

Then it hit him.

Shit!

Shunpo-ing, Hitsugaya quickly knocked the officer out before he could pull out his gun, allowing him to fall with a dull 'thud'.

It better not be what he thought it was.

Pretty long chapter. The rest should be even longer than this (that's why they call it the prologue). You might have noticed a bit of change in writing style compared to my other story. I have a habit of changing styles depending on the story, my feeling toward the story, and what I've been reading lately. It's a weird habit of mine even though I do try to keep it at a even level.

Well, reviews are appreciated.