Author's Note:
Sorry for the confusion on the last part of the previous chapter. I lost a chunk of it so I published what I had, I will explain further in the way of a flash back.
…
Flash Back – Kurosaki's in the Cab
The both felt it, Ichigo a fraction of a second before his younger sister. The ominous feeling that sunk to the bottom of his stomach, he knew it was a hollow, not just one. It was hard for him to pin point the exact amount but at a guess he was to say around three to four. Why were there this many hollows? Ichigo didn't think that America had a large amount of hollows in general, or even this amount in a single city. The people here didn't have that strong of spiritual abilities. A thought dawned on the strawberry soul reaper. The uncontrolled reiatsu of a power captain may do the trick. But also, with his and Karin's arrival, their spiritual energy was bound to attract the hollows. In a place where large amounts of spiritual pressure are rare, anyone with this level of energy is bound to attract the hungry hollow.
Karin was staring out her window when she felt it, the terrifying pressure that wanted to make her hide. A monster, a hollow.
"Ichi-nii," she said, worry crossing her face.
"Stop the car," Ichigo said to the driver.
"Not there yet," said the stubborn driver who reluctantly stopped the car.
Ichigo searched for his luggage to pull out some US dollars to pay the man.
"Damn it!" He cursed in Japanese, noticing he didn't have any luggage.
"What?" Karin replied in Japanese. The driver was looking back at the siblings now, seeming to sense something was amiss.
"My luggage, with all the converted money. It's still at the airport. I musta forgot it!"
The looming terror of the hollows approached and Karin could see the disfigured white mask of one, and the horns of another. She searched her own pockets only finding about twenty dollars in Yen.
"Here." She shoved the money to the cab driver. He looked at it like it was a bug, "I don't accept foreign money," he said with disdain.
Ichigo conjured a lie, "It's about one hundred dollars converted," Of course it wasn't even close, but the driver didn't know that. Ichigo continued, "I'm sorry, but I forgot my luggage and this is all we have. Not sure of the price but this should do?"
The cab driver nodded, the fair wasn't close to being worth one hundred dollars at the moment, he figured he could keep the extra, "Sure sure. I'll make exception for you."
Karin and Ichigo jumped from the cab just in time to see the third hollow's mask. The first hollow was pitch black and hunched over. It walked on four legs with long claws. Its mask was shaped in a tight oval with circular eye holes, in which faded yellow eyes were visible. The second hollow stood on two legs and had a triangular pointed face. Along its back was an armadillo-like shell that turned into a long tail, with a sharp end. The last hollow had eight legs, just like a spider. It had a humanoid mask with long, pointed teeth. Its legs had sharp ends, like the creature was walking on needles, those needles being its legs. It had a long thin neck that slightly expanded to a short, plump body.
Karin stood in awe at the creatures, they terrified her yet there was an acute interest in the beings.
"Karin, run into that park over there!"
Karin nodded at her brothers words. She stood behind the nearest tree, both her hands clutching the trees rough bark. She watched as the three creatures neared her brother. Suddenly his human body dropped, falling onto the road, but a soul reaper stood. His black kimono rustled in the wind and he took out the large sword, Zangetsu.
Karin watched her brother but also the hollows. The first seemed animalistic, almost stupid. It didn't walk straight and often ran into parked cars. The second cold walk straight at least, but it seemed to be focused on one thing, spiritual pressure. The creature must have been derived from it for very long, as its tiny yellow eyes focused on nothing more that the teen in front of it. The third being was different. It held itself back, coldly watching the two hollows in front. The cold hollow, with the skull like face, was careful. It didn't disrupt the human town around it. It had intelligence.
The first two hollows were only focused on the soul reaper in front of them, but the third being was aware of the girl with strong spiritual pressure.
To the people of DC it felt as if a rather large earthquake. There was a large rumbling sound, the epicenter where the hollows where. People ran for cover, trying to get safe in case the quake got worse, in which it soon would.
The first hollow lunged claws first towards Ichigo, but in a single slice the creature was gone in a pitiful moment. The second, armored, hollow stopped a moment and watched his predecessor vanish before him.
The armored hollow ran head first at the soul reaper then formed a ball with its body, wrapping its long tail inside. Ichigo held the hilt of the zanpakutō tightly as he felt the pressure of the rolling hollow against the blade. He held firm but the hollow pushed him backwards, behind Karin's hiding spot in the park.
The third, calculating, hollow with some sort of intelligence, was searching for the girl within the trees. Her spiritual pressure was strong; it was easy to pinpoint the victim. While the lowly hollow wore down the soul reaper, the more advanced one aimed for the easy victim.
Karin was distracted; she was watching her brothers fight. She knew her brother could handle these hollows no problem.
The hollow Ichigo was fighting unraveled itself and circled the soul reaper. Instead of standing on its two hind legs it now stood on all four, much like the first hollow had. This hollows arms were short though, shifting its whole body forward, and its tail upward. The hollow snarled as it circled the soul reaper, waiting for his move. The hollows hole seemed to be through its throat, or where its throat might usually be.
Ichigo leaped into the air and held his blade down, and his hilt upwards. The armadillo like hollow reared on its two hind legs and howled jumping at the soul reaper. Ichigo brought his bade down onto the top of the hollows head and turned the blade, continuing downwards, slicing the hollows mask in half.
Karin leapt back from the tree in front of her in surprise as it was cut in half, as were the trees to either side of it.
"W-what?" she muttered, and then she noticed the humanoid mask of the hollow staring through the trees.
"Heeeeeeeere girlie," it hissed, scanning for Karin, craving the girls spiritual pressure.
Karin ran in the direction of her brother, weaving in between the trees, hoping to lose the hollow. Karin knew the hollow wouldn't lose her, she only hoped she reached her brother.
The hollow held its front two legs like a mantis, bent at a joint the sharp tips hanging down. It used these legs to slice the trees behind the running Kurosaki. She was used to running, it was important in soccer, but the hollow was larger, faster. It was gaining and finally Karin felt the ground below her leave.
"Ichigo!" She shouted, wondering why she hadn't shouted was coursing through her veins as shock finally hit.
The hollows pointed limbs had finally knocked Karin down. She was briefly lifted into the air before her head hit the tree in front of her. She felt the harsh bark scrape the side of her face and briefly a thin warmness.
Hearing his sister in distress immediately got the soul reapers attention. In a hurry he flash stepped to the attacking hollow. The hollow's face contorted, showing emotion. Anger? Irritation? He ignored the hollows emotion and attacked from above.
The hollow put its sharp, weapon, legs together, as if the creature were to wield duo swords. Ichigo's sword and the two sharp extremities of the hollow clashed. The hollow hissed in annoyance and forced the soul reaper to the ground. A looming cross of a weapon hovered over him as his sword was his shield. In a moment the fight was over.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" He shouted as he released his sword from the hollows pressure and took a quick step forward. The hollow's eyes grew wide in shock, with a long hiss the hollow disappeared, it's yellow eyes seemed to stare at the soul reaper the whole time.
Forgetting the hollow Ichigo ran to his sister.
"Karin! Karin!" While running the hollow had thrown her forward and somehow in the air she had managed to turn herself to the side, because of that she lessened the damage done. There was a couple of scrapes to her face, but nothing serious. What Ichigo worried about was the wound bleeding from her head. He took his sister in his arms and ran into the street.
"Anyone?! Anyone!" He yelled.
As the earthquake was over people started venturing from their homes. An older man, probably in his late thirties, early forties, heard the yelling. He saw an orange headed teen holding a bleeding, raven haired girl. The man dialed 911, and rushed down to the two.
Ichigo, in the wake of everything, was able to return to his human form. Even in a state of panic he knew that being practically invisible wouldn't do any good.
…
Tony and Ziva took one car while Gibbs, McGee, and Toshiro took another to the hospital.
"Why do we need to take the kid?" DiNozzo questioned aloud. Tony didn't usually have time to think, usually because he was distracted by Ziva's driving, but the streets were vacant making the Israeli's driving less of a life or death kind of thing.
"He might identify the victim." Ziva replied.
"Yeah, ok. But there was just an earthquake, couldn't she somehow have been injured in that?"
"She's Japanese too, Tony."
"Maybe it's a Wizard of Oz thing, except a Japanese version. I hear there are a lot of earthquakes in Japan."
"Wizard? Oz?"
DiNozzo sighed, "There's no place like home."
"What are you talking about?"
…
Ichigo sat in a cushioned chair next to his sister's hospital bed. The room had the normal smell of sterilization that hospitals seemed to come with. The room's color scheme was a consistent two colors: white and grey. Karin had a heart monitor and IV, that was about all she was hooked up to. There was a large, single bandage covering the wound to the back of her head. Bandages were wrapped around the scraped side of her face, covering her eye. The doctors had told the elder Kurosaki his sister wound be fine as long as there weren't any infections.
Ichigo stood abruptly as a female entered the room. She held up a badge, "NCIS, I'm agent David, and this is agent DiNozzo," she said gesturing to the tall, brunette man beside her. Ichigo noticed a taller, grey haired man standing behind her, and another agent next to him. What Ichigo did not notice was the tiny captain hidden from sight behind the wall of NCIS agents.
Noticing the wandering eyes of the orange haired teen Ziva continued introductions, "That is agent McGee," she said gesturing to the man with an almost childlike face. He smiled and nodded at his name, "This is our boss, Gibbs." The Israeli finished.
Ichigo sensed another presence but didn't delve into it. He noticed how the older agent analyzed him.
"I understand that this is your sister?" Tony asked.
"Yes," he answered bluntly, unsure whether to trust the army of agents who had appeared in his sister's room, "and what do you want with her?"
Toshiro Hitsugaya recognized the voice of the substitute soul reaper. Pushing through the wall of agents he confronted the soul reaper.
"Kurosaki?" He asked surprised.
"Toshiro-kun!"
"Hitsugaya- taichou," he had earned that title.
Toshiro, realization suddenly hitting him, turned to the hospital bed. Suddenly his heart dropped as he recognized the small, athletic features of a raven haired Kurosaki.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, is this?"
Ichigo's hands turned to fists as his head fell, "I shouldn't have brought her here," he switched to Japanese.
"Kurosaki, what happened?" The captain replied in Japanese. He didn't need an explanation though, the hollows, "hollows?"
Ichigo only dipped his head further down, trying to hide the shame that he felt.
Gibbs was able to follow the conversation, but his subordinates couldn't.
DiNozzo turned to McGee, "Hey what'd they say?" He whispered.
"How should I know?"
DiNozzo shrugged.
Gibbs put his hand on the shoulder of the small captain, "You know these two?"
Toshiro sighed, a long, deep sigh.
Switching back to English Ichigo lifted his head, "Why do you want to know? What do you want with Karin?"
"There was an attack in that same park, except the victim did not survive. We also found him," Ziva gestured to the captain, "in the park."
"Karin wasn't involved in anything. We just got in the country today."
Hitsugaya gave the substitute soul reaper a questioning look but Ichigo took no notice.
"How did your sister get those injuries?" Ziva asked.
DiNozzo lightly elbowed McGee, "Twenty questions is more fun when we all get to pitch in," DiNozzo chuckled at his own joke, while McGee rolled his eyes and replied, "Not the time, Tony,"
Ichigo looked at the captain, asking silently if these agents knew anything. Histugaya's stoic reply was a 'no.'
"During the earthquake she tripped, and hit her head on a tree."
None of the NCIS agents believed him but let it go as the girl stirred. Gibbs knew that 'tripping' would not cause this serious of a wound.
"Ichi-nee?"
The young girl sat up in bed, and gently touched the back of her head. Karin felt the bandages and winced as she felt the ever so light pressure of her own fingers.
Everyone's attention was on the girl and she didn't know who half the people here were. Karin's eyes found her brother first, his face was tainted with worry, and she knew that her brother would blame himself. He had no reason to, if only she had hidden better or ran faster. Then her eyes found a certain captain with turquoise eyes and white hair.
"Toshiro-kun!" Her face lit up, in her own disaster they had found him.
"Kurosaki-san," he didn't fix that small mistake she made. Somehow it felt right, at the moment, "how are you feeling?" He switched to Japanese.
There was a small sigh of relief as she felt more comfortable speaking her native language, "fine, a little sore though. Nothing that won't heal!" Karin smiled, it was more like a lopsided grin.
"Karin, we have a few questions for you and your brother, would you mind coming with us?"
Karin looked at the man who spoke, he had brilliant blue eyes and grey, aging, hair. She frowned not quite understanding what he said. She looked to her brother for a translation.
Ichigo was not happy with what the agent had said but translated it for his sister.
Karin sighed and nodded, leaping out of the hospital bed. The whole room seemed to gasp as she did, no one thought she was ready to be mobile.
She sighed and smiled at the room, slightly amused at the collective shock. Ichigo handed his sister her clothes and after changing in the hospital rooms bathroom the young Kurosaki was ready.
DiNozzo and Ichigo went to check Karin out and listened to the nurse, "She should be fine, keep the bandages on for a day or two then make sure to change them, if there's pain or swelling make sure to come back in. Next week she should come back for a follow up."
"Got all that, Carrot Top?" DiNozzo asked.
"Yes, but I'm more of a Strawberry."