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The sounds of birds chirping and city traffic far off in the distance, brought two people back to their senses. One of them opened his eyes, "Where... where am I?" he mutters out loud, everything was bright and fussy in his vision but as it begins to clear up. He notice that he was sitting on a park bench and the ski was orange, must be 7 or 8 at night. Not to mention a feeling small but slightly heavy weight on his right side.
He see's his midget friend sleeping on his right arm and using it like a pillow, he moves his body slightly causing her to stir. "Mmm... Ichigo?" she sat up and rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Where...?" "I don't know, Rukia. This isn't any of the parks back home."
"Mama, Looky. That man has orange hair!" a little boy no older than three points at Ichigo, While Ichigo and Rukia were taken back at the boy and his mother, who was scolding him that it was rude to point at people, were able to see them. The mother bows politely to Ichigo, "I'm sorry." the mother apologies, "It's okay, I get that a lot. And no it's not dyed, it's my natural color."
"I apologies again." said the mother, while her son said, "It's really cool, Nii-san!" Ichigo smiles at them as they leave the area, "They can see us." Rukia said bluntly, she had notice that she and Ichigo were back in there bodies. Or rather Ichigo was back in his and she was back in her gigai.
"What the hell happened?"
Time Skip
The two of them agree to find out where they are and to find a train station, They soon notice how much technology has advance then the ones they have at home. They also heard of people talking about Ghouls and CCG whatever that is.
Once they found a station, Ichigo ask a worker if there's a train heading for Karakura Town. The man just gave him a confusing look and said, "What are you on, son? There's no town with that name anywhere in Japan." After what seems to be forever with arguing with the man, Ichigo and Rukia left the station. "Is this how it feels for you to be overwhelm, Rukia?" said Ichigo, "Yeah, now you know how we feel every time we come here."
"Hey are you couples lost?" Ichigo and Rukia whip around to see a tall man with black hair and brown eyes and a brown hair woman with blue beside him. "Sort of. We missed our train and can get our hotel room back." Rukia answered.
"Oh my, I'm sorry that happen to you. If you'd like we can take you to our apartment. The landlord did say there are extra rooms open for rental." the woman said.
It took a lot of convincing, but Ichigo and Rukia reluctantly agree to go with the couple's offer. In the end he and Rukia agreed. The man introduce himself as Hotaru Takahashi and the lady as his wife, Naomi Takahashi. The four walked away from the station and from the crowds of people before the two knew it they were in a dark, long alleyway.
"How far are we from your apartment?" Ichigo ask the couple feeling more skeptical by each passing second. "It's just around this corner." the man replied as he and his wife turn the corner.
Rukia was also taking back at her agreement when the feeling of dread washes over her and Ichigo's bodies. And when they turned at that corner, that feeling was correct. Along with the harsh impact to thrown them to the ground along with the feeling of pain ripping their shoulders, as they felt the blood dripping down on them and clogging their sense of smell.
"We're here~!" Naomi sang, as she and her husband's eyes turned red with their sclera black. "It's always fun to lure pray to dinner~!" Ichigo and Rukia manage to look at their attackers in fear. These weren't like the Hollows or Espadas they've faced this is... a whole new type of foe. With wildly insane appendages that came out of the couple.
Quickly getting on their feet, Ichigo and Rukia ran out of there as fast as they can with their injury. "Leaving already? Now that's just rude. Why don't you two just stay awhile!" Hotaru shouted as he slams them into a wall near a construction sight, as Naomi shoots them down like the pray they are. One of her attacks punctured Ichigo's kidneys and another one at Rukia's.
Rukia struggled to raise her hand to cast a kido spell on them before Hotaru landed another hit on her and Ichigo. "Oh don't tell me you both died already?" Naomi ask gleefully, Ichigo looks up at the so called human and said, "What the hell are you?!" as he slowly losses consciousness like Rukia.
The husband and wife smiled at him and said, "A Ghoul." just as the sound of something big and heavy crashes down on them.
Time Skip
"Doctor, they need an organ transplant!"
"I'll use the husband's and wife's."
"But Doctor Kanou!"
"I'll take full responsibility."
There were unfamiliar voices surrounding in this dark void, making it harder and somewhat easier to decipher on what these voices are talking about. It wasn't long until the darkness begins to fade away allowing Ichigo to take notice of his new surroundings.
The sounds of a heartrate thermometer, and the all too familiar smells of medical chemicals lead Ichigo to believe that he was in a hospital.
There was a gentle knock on the door before it swung open, steps in what Ichigo believes to be the head doctor of this hospital. He looked to be in his mid fifties white hair and black eyes. "Oh, I see that you are awake then." the man closes the door behind him as he walks over to Ichigo's bed side. "My name is Dr. Akihiro Kanou. You and your little girlfriend were extremely lucky, young man. If our nurse, Ms. Taguchi, hadn't found you, I wouldn't want to think of it."
The memories of the night came back to Ichigo, "Where's... Rukia?" he didn't know how weak his whole body is or how out of breath he was after asking Kanou one question. "Don't worry, she's in the next room on the left of yours. I have Ms. Taguchi send over to bring you something to eat." Just before he left he turns to look at Ichigo and said, "Oh and, try not to walk around so much, you two just came out of surgery."
Once the doctor completely left the room and is out of hearing range, Ichigo got pulls himself out of bed and tries to stand up, keyword try. His legs were weak and wobblily, but at least he still has the strength to keep himself from falling over. However it doesn't help when his head feels like it's been spinning, best to keep close to the wall.
True to the doctor's words, Rukia's room was indeed next to his. Opening the door Ichigo see Rukia sitting up and looking out the window before she turns to see him at the standing at the entrance. "Ichigo!" "Rukia!"
Ichigo stumble a little but he mad his way to Rukia's bed, "Idiot, you shouldn't be out of bed." Rukia scolded, Ichigo sat down in a chair beside her, "I had to see for myself to make sure that you were alright."
Touch by her friends worrying concerns for her, Rukia couldn't help but to admire him for that kindness he carries.
But then, Ichigo look directly into her eyes with the most serious gaze, "We were both went through an operation, from last night's attack. I know about the after effects are done on my body, but your gigai..." Rukia's eyes widen in realization, she felt around her body and notice a stich close to her right rib cage.
That's when they heard a knock on Rukia's door and standing there was a nurse who Ichigo assume is Ms. Taguchi, "Pardon the intrusion, But I have Takahashi-san's meal." the two soul reapers look at each other with questionable looks, they remember that name belonging to the couple who attacked them, but why is she look at Ichigo when she said that name?
"Kanou-sensei said, you both had head concussions. So it might take some time until you get better." said Ms. Taguchi as she sets the tray of hospital food on the side table, "I'll come back with your tray, Takahashi-chan." and she left them alone.
"Dr. Kanou must have confuse us of those monsters." said Rukia, 'looks like we'll have to clear the mix up.' Ichigo thought as he starts to take a bite out of the grilled salmon with the chopsticks, but as soon as his taste it his eyes widen as he gags a little and rushes to the trashcan to spit it out. "Ichigo!" Rukia exclaim. "Ugh! What the hell is this!? Are they trying to kill us instead of curing us?!"
Curiously, Rukia took the fork from the tray and try the salmon too. And the results were the same as Ichigo's. She quickly grab the napkin and spits it out too. "It's all slimy, almost rotten." she said.
Time Skip
Once they were discharge from the hospital, Ichigo and Rukia were still wondering why the doctor had thought they were Hotaru and Naomi Takahashi, when they told him their true names. But what really baffled them was their new sense of taste.
No matter what they tried to eat or drink, it'll always be the same. Disgusting. They thought there was nothing they could have to satisfy their hunger, that is until Ichigo bought a can of ice coffee.
"I... I can taste it." Rukia quickly snatch the drink out of his hands and took a large gulp, and the two starts arguing and fighting for about ten minutes.
It also occurred to them that neither of them heard anything from their Zanpakutō or inner hollow the moment they found themselves waking up at the park.
Time Skip
It was night time when they left the park heading towards the crowded shopping district of the city, Ichigo and Rukia stop to see the news on the jumbo TV. It was mostly about their attack at the construction sight which follows up with another incident that was similar to theirs about three days ago.
"The authorities suspected to be a ghoul attack, after finding no traces that leads to anything ghoul related. It's possible that the support beams and lines were faulty and are the main cause of the accident." said the news lady, "We'll keep you up to date with more info on the way, right now we'll take you to Fujiko Asana with a recap interview with Hisashi Ogura."
Curious to what ghouls are, Rukia and Ichigo hang around a little longer. "A ghoul doesn't have any need to eat this much in this short amount of time in the first place. One dead body will allow them to survive for a month or two." said Mr. Orura.
"So, their like Hollows but with more human appearance." said Rukia in a low quiet voice, loud enough for her friend to hear. "This could turn out to be a problem. We already ran into two ghouls and we didn't detect any reiatsu off from them." Ichigo replies.
Asana ask, "Mr. Ogura, can't ghouls be satisfied by eating the same food as humans do?" Mr. Ogura gave her the answer, "No, ghouls are only able to derive their nutrition from people. Not to mention that their tongues work differently than ours do." an answer that shook the two soul reapers to their core.
At first they deny it as a crazy coincidences, the incident must have impacted them so bad that their taste buds were effected by it. But the connections of them not able to eat the foods they normally eat were the exact reactions of what Mr. Ogura had pointed out. Not to mention the coffee they shared didn't hold off their hunger for long.
Their hunger craved for meat, fresh meat. Meat from a living creature. Ripping it apart and scarfing it down like a savage animal. Men. Women. Children. Older. Younger. It didn't matter, as long as it was flesh.
"What's up with them?" "Just ignore them, babe." "They're weird, mama." "Don't point out loud, Shino."
All of the pass byers comments woke the two soul reapers back into reality to realize that they have drawn an unwanted attention to themselves. Ichigo and Rukia quickly bolted out of the area and into a narrow road that leads to a back ally behind some of the shopping buildings.
They were lucky to have their hoods up when they left, because the moment the look at each other. They recoil back in fright, for as Ichigo's right eye and Rukia's left eye have become exactly like the Takahashi's.
Black sclera and blood red eyes.
'Why...? How did this happened?!' they both thought, as Ichigo recalled what he had heard when they were being operated on. "That Doctor! He used their organs to replace ours! That god damn Bastard!" he cursed. Rukia is just completely furious as Ichigo is, "I'm gonna send that man straight to hell!" "We'll take his flesh!" said Ichigo, and at the same time they both said, "And EAT IT!"
"Ichigo/King/Rukia! Stop this isn't like you! Wake up!"
Hearing their Zanpakutōs and inner hollow for the first time since they came here, snap them out of whatever insanity daze they fell in.
"What the hell?! Have I really lost it!?" Ichigo rest his head in his hand hoping that he still has a grip to his sanity, somehow it feels like that too is failing.
That's all I can write for now. It follows with them finding sanctuary at the Café, learning how to be ghouls, working at the café, getting their mask(Ichigo's mask is his hollow mask and Rukia gets either another bunny mask like Touka or a mask similar to a hollow's mask), facing off the CCG, and Ichigo comforting Hinami when she loss her mom.