Sorry if you didn't like that first chapter... I was kinda rushed when I wrote it, plus as I said, I didn't have everything as fleshed out as I usually do when I get into writing a story. But the plotline is slowly but surely taking form, and as it does... Well, I'm sure it'll be a wild ride.
Care to keep going?
Gibbs pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It rang twice, then the recipient picked up.
"Ziva."
"It's Gibbs," he said. "We have a problem."
Ziva shook her head on the other end of the line. "The case that everyone's talking about? The mass murder out near Potter Field?"
"That's the one," Gibbs replied. "How fast can you get out here?"
"I can be there in ten," Ziva replied. Gibbs could hear the sound of shuffling papers in the background; it was close, so he figured it was Ziva doing the shuffling. "Just me, or...?
"No, bring Tony as well," Gibbs said. "Something tells me that we are going to need all the help we can get on this..."
Ziva was silent for a moment, then replied, "Why do you say that?"
Gibbs shook his head silently. "Just get yourself and DiNozzo down here, and we'll talk then." He hung up the phone, cutting Ziva off just as he'd done with Ducky. It wasn't rudeness, more like just force of habit. He wanted things to be done as quickly as possible, with little to no room for mindless chatter. Every second spent talking was a second that the killer was still out there, and Gibbs couldn't stand that.
Especially with the gruesomeness of this crime, he wanted the murderer brought to justice. And quick.
Ten Minutes Later
Ziva and DiNozzo got out of their car to find Gibbs hunkered over the body of the fallen Navy officer. They saw him tug something off of his neck, then stand up and motion them over to the body. They went obediently.
"What is it?" DiNozzo asked.
"Tony, Ziva, meet LCDR Michael Nevaeh, second-in-command of the USS Robert E. Lee, now deceased in a rather... devilish fashion."
Both Ziva and DiNozzo had seen their fair share of mangled bodies in their lifetime, but this was especially shocking to them. It looked like some kind of huge blast had hit the entirety of their bodies simultaneously and ripped the flesh straight off of their bones.
That would be impossible, though, because there were no visible scorch marks on the ground, just massive amounts of blood.
"Were the bodies brought here from some other place?" DiNozzo asked.
"I don't think so," Gibbs replied. "From what I can tell, they died here. Rather violently, I might add.
That much was obvious, but no one said a word to that effect.
Ziva shook her head. "Who could do something like this?"
Gibbs was about to respond when a spark lit up in DiNozzo's eyes. He recognized this as a spark of recognition, and shifted directions. "What is it, DiNozzo?"
DiNozzo shook his head. "I remember hearing about something like this... Something from a friend of mine. Except..."
"Except what?"
DiNozzo looked at Gibbs straight in the eye. "This last case was all the way out in Japan."
"Japan?" Gibbs asked. "Are you sure it's the same case?"
"Similar," replied DiNozzo. "I'd have to get in touch with my friend in order to find out for sure."
"Do it," Gibbs replied, and DiNozzo turned away to get on his phone.
Mahora Academy, Tokyo, Japan
A lone figure sat at his desk, reading the daily paper. His day had been long and hard, and he was finally getting to relax a bit. As soon as he was engrossed in one of the front page stories, though, his cell phone vibrated.
He looked at it, and saw a number he hadn't seen in a very long time. It was not an unpleasant one, though, and he answered the phone.
"Tony," he said cordially. "What can I do for you?"
"Here's the deal, Takamichi," DiNozzo replied, "I need you to look up something for me. An old police file that you had something to do with investigating."
Takamichi fired up his computer, saying, "What was the name of the case?"
DiNozzo thought for a moment, then replied, "Something like Mizuka or Mizuho or-"
"The Minamiko case?"
DINozzo snapped his fingers. "That one!"
Takamichi couldn't believe it; this case, of all cases? Takamichi had played a hand in bringing the vigilante to justice, but not before more than 200 people had died by his hand.
"Why do you want to know about this case?" Takamichi asked.
"Because," DiNozzo said, "I think he's over here in America now."
All the color faded out of Takamichi's face. The killer had stood trial, but had gotten off on a mere technicality- one of the few that remained in Japan's legal system. He had gone free without a single day in jail... and they'd never heard from him again.
What the Japanese government didn't know, though, was that this person was a mage, like Takamichi, which is why Takahata was called in the first place.
"Are you sure?" Takamichi finally said after a moment of shocked silence.
"Too many similarities," was all he said.
"Dammit..." Takamichi muttered. "Fine, I can take a leave from the school and fly out there tomorrow." He thought for a moment, then added, "I assume you'll take all the help you can get?"
"Always. Whatever you can bring, we'll use."
Takamichi nodded. "Expect me out there around noon tomorrow." He hung up, shaking his head. Why did it have to come to this...
Mahora Academy Teacher's Lounge
Takamichi entered the lounge, scanning for the one person he was looking for. When he found him, he whistled.
"Negi! Come over here for a moment."
Negi looked up from his papers, then got up and walked over to Takamichi.
"What is it?"
In response, Takamichi handed Negi a stack of papers.
"What are these?" Negi asked.
"Come with me," Takamichi responded, turning to walk away. "And call Konoka and tell her to come along as well."
"K-Konoka?" Negi asked confusedly. "But... why?"
Takamichi turned and spoke. "We're going to America."
Yup that's it for now. Hope you tune in for chapter three, coming soon!
