Chapter 01
Captivated
Now—
He sits there, drumming his fingers on his desk impatiently as he waits for an important call. Turquoise hues burn a hole through the light strip on the handset of the phone, hoping it would flash red to indicate an incoming call for him. Daring to avert his gaze from the office phone for a split second, he looks at the open document on his laptop, wanting it to type itself up for once so his stress level would decrease. For a fraction of a second, his attention goes to the locked top drawer of his desk. The key to unlock it is in his left pocket and he would grab himself a cigarette if only to get the edge off from waiting on the phone call. He has been trying to quit the nasty habit for his health, but sitting around for the phone to ring was not helping him break out of it.
"Damn it Hinamori," his right foot slants so his heel is off the floor mat and in the air. It starts to bob up and down slowly at first, rocking himself on the office chair to remain in control. "Hurry up and call, it's been an hour!" His demands silenced the neighboring cubical co-workers around him, forcing him to blow steam through his nose to resist snapping someone's neck. His foot begins to bob at a quick pace.
At this rate, his blood pressure was going to shoot through the roof faster than he can bat his eyelashes. It was a serious condition, which was another reason as to why he had to quit smoking. A cigarette was starting to sound good right now. He only wants one, he can smoke the rest after he hears the results from her doctor's appointment at the Ichisaki Hospital. As much as he hated that hospital, she liked it, and she adored her doctor. For a while, he was going there as a client, but the doctors and nurses that work there were too friendly, and were always concerned about their patients.
Shaking his head to throw all thoughts about the hospital out the window, he returns his concentration on the little light strip on the phone. He was growing impatient as he stops his foot from shaking the thin flooring beneath him, only to begin rocking back and forth on his chair. There was a chance that she was making him wait on purpose—that she was trying to force him to call her cell phone. A cell phone. His was on silent! Jumping to his feet, he pads down all his pockets in search for the android phone that he possesses. A wallet in the back right butt pocket, a notepad in the other butt pocket, writing utensils in his right side pocket with unsorted loose change, and his key in his left side pocket.
"Looking for something?" His boss calls casually. He whirls around to look at the man. "Bad day?"
"A-Aizen-san…" Taking a deep breath to settle down, he answers. "Y-Yes… you can say that."
"I don't enjoy seeing my journalists disturbing those around him." Aizen hints his unhappiness.
His outburst earlier was not appreciated. "Sorry sir, I think I'll take my break now to freshen up."
Nodding in approval, the brown-haired man with square glasses, leaves to attend to important matters.
He sighs in relief as he falls back into his chair. "I almost got fired…" suddenly, the phone rings as he leans back all the way, causing him to fall off the chair and hitting his head like an idiot. "…ow." His form sits up slowly, only to recall that the phone was finally ringing, so he throws himself over the chair and snatches the handset—falling to the floor in the process. "Hitsugaya Toushirou."
"Yes, hello, this is Doctor Kurosaki. I'm calling on behalf of your step-sister, Hinamori Momo." The doctor waits for a response, but nothing is heard. "Hello?" There is still no response, he sighs. "Toushirou?"
Said journalist snaps out of it. "Don't call me so casually Kurosaki! I know—" His faces scrunches when the neighboring co-workers shush him. He clears his throat. "Why are you calling? Where's Hinamori?"
He sighs again. "As I said, I'm calling on her behalf. We would like to schedule an appointment for when you can make yourself available for a ten to twenty minute consultation in regarding her results."
"I was just about to go on my hour lunch break, can we schedule it for right now?" His tone did not sound happy. Why did he have to come in so they can discuss her results. "Is it bad news? Will she be—"
"Sorry, we can't have this conversation over the phone. As for your request to schedule an appointment right now, it is impossible because there needs to be at least a twenty-four waiting period for this."
"I'm on a tight schedule with this new job, which—by the way, was not easy to get." He gives in to his dark desire and brings out the key to open the locked drawer for the pack of cigarettes. "Tomorrow?"
"I have a full work schedule for the next month, I'm afraid tomorrow might not be so easy." The doctor can tell that the step-brother was not happy. "However, I suppose we may order some food to be delivered, and the three of us can have lunch in my office to discuss things. What do you say to that?"
'Thank God,' he exhales all his stress away. "Yes, thank you, I'll be right there."
"I'll have my assistant meet you outside the hospital. We will see you shortly."
"A-Ah, bye." Toushirou hangs up, and takes in a deep breath. "Got to hurry up."
As he grabs his pack of cigarettes before locking the drawer, he turns off his laptop where he finds his cell phone next to it. Growling bitterly, he grabs the phone to place in his left pocket before turning around to leave, only to trip over the fallen chair he had yet to pick up. Should have had a cigarette. He stands up on his feet, picks the chair to set up right, and scoots it into the desk before turning to leave his cubical. Someone stood there, watching him and his movements. Jumping clear out of his skin at the sight of his boss standing there at the entry, he leans back against the desk with a hand over his heart to keep it inside before it jumped out, too!
"Kurosaki," Aizen speaks with a curious tone. "As in Kurosaki Ichigo-Sensei from Ichisaki Hospital?"
"Yes, I have a lunch meeting with him about my sister, I'll be taking my lunch break now and be back in an hour." Toushirou bows and walks around him carefully. "I'll be back to finish my article though!"
"Take two hours off," he smiles as the employee looks at him with confusion and surprise. "It sounds urgent, and family emergencies are more important than work." His form leaves. "I hope it goes well."
Although amazed at the generosity of this man giving him a two-hour lunch break, he high-tails it out of there before he can change his mind! "That Kurosaki better not give me any bad news about Hinamori!"
"Ah! There you are Shirou-chan!" Momo smiles brightly from her seat across the desk from her doctor. She holds up a boxed-tray of food. "I told him to get you fried rice, beef teriyaki, and some orange chicken! But if you want chow mein, Kurosaki-Sensei ordered a lot of that!" Her half-sibling only stares at her and her cheerful attitude. She shrugs and places the food on the chair next to her without care.
Kurosaki Ichigo smiles at the stubborn male. Watching him stand there as if entering the room and sitting down to eat would kill him. "Come sit, Toushirou. Have yourself some food so we can get started." He knew that the journalist did not like hospitals, let alone nurses and doctors. He hates them.
With a thumb stroking the key lock on the door, he nibbles on the inside of his cheek in debate of sitting down and talking with them. This was for Hinamori, he reminds himself, taking his first step inside of the large office where his foot encounters the carpeting that was foreign to the hospital hallways. Its dull gray color suit the plain looks of the walls that were a lighter gray, making everything else stand out without being too loud. His other foot drags in to step around the door, closing it and locking it after hearing it gently click when the door met the door-frame. Wondering turquoise hues look up, down, left and right to make sure that there was not a single needle in sight… those damn things. Passing the bookshelves of research and studies, the many certificates that allow the doctor his practices in medicine, and the unprofessional pictures plastered on the walls.
He stops slowly when looking at the pictures, noticing that most of these photographs are not of patients. These are pictures of all his friends and family. Some are pictures of infants, some are of kids and teenagers, and the rest are of adults and very few elders. A picture stands out above all to him where Ichigo is doing an obnoxious victory pose with all his friends doing the same, whereas he sat on the ground eating his meal stubbornly. That event, Ichigo's graduation, was one of the few times Toushirou acknowledged this doctor back in high school since they were a couple of years apart. His pale, slim, nimble fingers come up to graze the photograph of their friends. Of one friend in particular; Kusaka Soujirou, he was a grade higher than he was, but a grade below Ichigo, too. This idiot could make friends with anyone without trying, the journalist thinks bitterly, I refuse to fall victim to him, though.
"Do you have time to dawdle, Toushirou?" Ichigo muses at his slow five minute walk to cross three yards of carpeting to his seat where his food was going to become cold soon. "You can sit by us, you know." This earns him a scowl from the lagging male who ventured off course. "We'll reminisce later, okay?"
'Bastard.' He should not be surprised that he was caught thinking back at that time. There were only three of them present in this room. "No thank you." Toushirou snorts, walking over without a care now. Patting Momo's shoulder softly for encouragement, he grabs his tray of food, and sits down. "Well?"
"Well," the doctor starts in a mocking tone to irritate him further. "Let's eat first, and then have our discussion. If you run late, I'll have a cab pick you up to drive you back to work, if that's okay with you, of course." He smiles like an idiot, adding, "Hurry, Hinamori has been eyeing your food since it got here."
With a scowl to the woman next to him, he breaks his chopsticks apart, opens his tray, and crunches down on the broccoli. "Sounds like Hinamori." She sheepishly smiles in turn. Eating off his plate was her personal favorite, and he despises it with a passion. The woman has her own food for crying aloud.
It takes ten minutes to eat, and three of those minutes involve Toushirou analyzing the situation at hand with how the two are acting. From the look of things, nothing is wrong between doctor and patient, leading up to his conclusion that everything was fine. The chopsticks are set down, along with the empty food trays and happy smiles. Things seem as if the air conditioning dropped ten degrees in a blink of an eye. Toushirou swallows as he sees Momo looking down, fiddling with the frills that outline her shirt as a nervous habit when she worries about something. His head turns at the sound of shifting on the office desk that separated his sister and him from her doctor that became serious.
On the desk was a vanilla colored folder, Ichigo speaks. "We found out today that your sister here, has breast cancer during her physical. You were asked to be here for her support after I told her the news."
Breast cancer? Like their grandmother?" Toushirou turns to Momo with guilt. "Hinamori, are you okay?" It is a dumb question, but the obligation to ask was present. "Do you have symptoms or anything?"
She fidgets uncomfortably under his worrisome gaze. "Toushirou," Ichigo speaks to save her from his questions. "Please allow me to continue before you have her worry about the results from today."
"How can she not worry? If this is your way of saying I might lose my sister, forget it! I will slap a lawsuit on you so fast that you wouldn't know it hit you!" He stands defiantly, pointing. "You are no doctor!"
With a shake of his head, he explains. "I didn't say she couldn't worry. Breast cancer is a serious disease at any stage. What I'm asking you, as my patient's brother, is to not frighten her anymore than she is."
It did not dawn on him that he might strike more fear in her with his own. He looks at her. "H-Hinamori, I'm sorry." She slowly nods. Already he sees her become more worried. He should have had a cigarette.
"There is a bright side to this." They look to the doctor as he opens the folder in front of him. "Hinamori is at the earliest stage of the cancer, which has a great success rating of survival when treated. She has agreed to take action, but she had me call you to help with her choice of treatment." Gently, he motions three brochures in front of them to look at. Toushirou grabs the one closest to him, it reads as radiation.
This is a lot for him to take in all at once. "But isn't it possible for it to be… I don't know, precancerous?"
"During the examination, I noticed something odd so we went in-depth and ran tests to rule it out."
Mentally groaning, he can only imagine the insurance company complaining about this. "So it's cancer?"
"Yes," he humors him; knowing that he is taken aback by everything. "Hinamori wants a lumpectomy."
"A lumpectomy?" His nose drives into the brochure, looking for the definition. "It sounds like a surgery!"
His frantic worry is not helping the matter. "Hinamori, are you thirsty?" Ichigo asks politely to gain her attention. She nods nervously. "Down the hall to your right, there is a lounge for doctors." He opens his desk and gives her his badge. "Get whatever you like for yourself and Toushirou, and bring me a grape soda, please." This time, she nods more excitedly. He waves as she leaves, and turns serious afterward.
Just in time, Toushirou senses the frustration in the air. He looks at the doctor, scowling. "What?"
A brow twitches. "You are here to be my patient's support, not to scare her. I understand that this is a terrifying experience for you, but you are not the one that has to endure the cancer." He watches as the journalist looks away with attitude. "Hinamori needs you, now more than ever, to support her and her decisions. Wailing your fears and worry in this manner does not help her desires to fight this disease."
"Wailing my fears? I'm scared to death!" He throws the brochure at the doctor, but fails as it flutters wildly to the ground. "I understand that she's going through a bad time now, but I'm scared for her!"
"I understand that, but right now is not the time to throw your temper around. She needs you to be strong for her." Ichigo sighs quietly to stay calm. "Venting at me as you are, is good for both of you."
Hearing him say that he was showing signs of being a mule, he repositions himself on the chair. "Sorry," he speaks begrudgingly. "I haven't had my cigarette yet." His head turns. "I get cranky after a long wait."
"That's understandable." Turquoise hues scowl for the doctor-like answer. "As you know, I'm a surgeon, and I will personally lead the surgery team myself. After recovery, she may go through radiation to r—"
"Wait, radiation? She needs radiation therapy? You said that her cancer is at its earliest stage! Why would she need radiation! Is she going to lose all the hair that she has on her head!" He goes crazy.
"This is radiation therapy we're talking about, not chemo therapy." Trying to entertain this man's hectic thoughts are too much for him to put up with anymore. "Radiation treatment hits a specific site area, so no, she will not lose any head hair." He straightens up at his desk. "As for your need for a cigarette," opening the same drawer as before, he brings out a box of candy sticks. "Take one of these for now."
Toushirou gives him the foulest glare he can summon. "I forgot how much of a bastard you are." The doctor shrugs and begins to put the box away, but he snatches it to grab five, and placing one in his mouth before slamming the pack on the desk. His tongue swirls the candy stick around in his mouth. There was no nicotine to get excited about, no sensation of lighting the tip with a match or lighter. It would have to do, though. He could have a real one once he leaves the hospital campus. "…thank you."
The doctor reveals a rare smile before getting back on the subject. "Back to what I was saying, Hinamori needs you for support. While I understand your concern for her, you need to be strong and build her confidence. Otherwise, I will not be the one to do the surgery." Toushirou scowls unhappily. "If she is not fully prepared to go with the procedures to fight this cancer, I cannot help her. I can only help if she is willing to fight, and she needs you to help her decide on fight or flight action towards this disease."
Bopping the candy stick in his mouth, nibbling on the tip between his teeth, his mind starts to work with the things that Ichigo was trying to tell him. For years, he would protect her because he felt that is was his job since he was her brother. "I understand." This time, it is his job to tell her to be strong since he cannot fight her battle against breast cancer. "What can I do for her?" His gaze is on the brochure that fell to the ground earlier. "How can I show her that she has my support? Without having to upset her."
"Whatever she wants to decide, go along with it. If she's scared, comfort her. If she's worried or having second thoughts about her decisions, tell her she's okay, and try to calm her down." There is a look in Toushirou's eyes that show his worry. "I can't give my private number to patients, but I can to friends." A glint of hope flickers as the journalist's head shoots up. He grabs a notepad, and scribbles his name and cell phone number on the yellow shaded paper. "Call me, only if it's important. If she is worried about something, that's fine." Ichigo watches Toushirou finish off his first candy stick, and sets a new one in his mouth. "If you are worried about something, that's fine, too." The other stops to look at him with eyes that are filled with confusion and surprise. There is a knock on the door, "yes, come in." It was Momo.
"Shirou-chan, look! They had watermelon-flavored soda!" The young woman closes the door with one hand while fumbling with the three sodas in her other arm. Her footing became creative as she tips one way before curving on the outer rim of her shoe as her other legs attempts to crisscross the imbalanced leg. Neither male knows how she manages to the chair to pass the drinks around. "Here you go!"
"Thank you." Ichigo takes his badge and soda from her. He places the badge in the drawer before setting the soda down on a cup holder. His fear of opening it and exploding everywhere was obvious. "As we—"
"Hinamori," the white-haired male looks at his shiny imitated-leather black shoes. A shoelace was out of place. "If you want to have surgery… I'll be there for you." He was not thinking about himself as she was.
"But you just got a job, you can't miss any work! I won't let you!" Her arms flail everywhere frantically with soda armed and ready. "I won't let you miss work!" As she argues, Ichigo hurries to hide his work.
"I'll think of something—will you put that can down before it blows up in your hand or something!" As he steals the can from her, he sets it down and pops a third candy stick in his mouth. "I'll talk to Aizen."
"Aizen?" It the incantation to summon the devil himself. "He'll let you take the days off, with pay." He sees the two glancing at him with uncertainty, and so he makes a call. "Ah, Aizen, my least favorite man. How are you doing?" His eyes close softly, containing any rage that might spew from his fangs. "You have an employee, Hitsugaya Toushirou, correct? At anytime, he claims there is a family emergency, he is to leave work for that day, and receive pay. Do I make myself clear?" Toushirou stares in horror at his boss being threatened over the phone. He was definitely going to be losing his job now! "Yes. Any day that he claims for family emergencies, you may confirm the dates with me as they appear. You have my number. Should you go against this agreement, I would hate to see what would happen." He hints with malice that something bad can or will happen. "Thank you, I will give him the news. Good day, Aizen."
As soon at the handset hit the phone receiver, Toushirou yells. "Are you crazy! That was my boss!"
"Who has agreed to let you leave for any family emergency that involves Hinamori." He explains softly.
They stare blankly at first. The anger and frustration in the room popped with a pin. "He… agreed…?"
"Why, you're very good at dealing with others, aren't you Kurosaki-Sensei!" Momo smiled in delight.
"Let's just say he owes me." The Strawberry hides the menace in his voice. "Now, let's schedule things."
He dove to his rolling chair that was still neatly pushed in as he had it earlier. "Safe!"
Co-workers hush him for disturbing their work; mainly are already jealous that he was given two hours to himself for a lunch break. However, he is in a good mood after the lunch with his sister and the doctor, which is a surprise to him to say in the least. Removing the key from his left pocket, he unlocks the drawer it goes to in order to place the unopened pack of cigarettes inside. With the candy sticks, he could have the oral fix of a cigarette during work hours without having to get in any trouble. Locking the drawer up again, he settles himself on the office chair, swaying if side-to-side to get comfortable before starting his article. Nimble little fingertips open the laptop to turn on, and gently caress the keys before typing in his password to enter his account. Knowing which article to mention for this week's issue, he starts to type about breast cancer awareness for women in honor of his step-sister—
"Hitsugaya," Sousuke's voice sings in a monotone from the entry of the cubical. "I would like to have a word with you in private. Do you have a minute?" Not even a second later, he heads for his office.
'This can't be good…' He turns off and closes his laptop before treading nervously to the office. "Yes… sir?" Knowing to close the door behind him, he does so before walking in to the ill-temperature room.
"While you were on your lunch break, I did some investigating on your background." The boss looks through scattered printed pages. Gazing upon the information he has. "You went to school with him?"
By him, he must have meant the doctor that called him. "Yes sir," he debates on clarifying. "He was a senior, I was a freshman. Other than having a few of the same friends, I know nothing about him, sir…"
The man places his glasses down on the desk. "That's good enough for me." His right hand comes up, folding his greasy gelled hair back. "I will give you a promotion to be Editor-in-Chief if you decide to do an exclusive article for me. You have three years to accomplish this, however, you'll receive a substantial bonus raise if you complete the task in eighteen months." He smiles with a menacing look. "Interested?"
If Toushirou did not have any self-control, foam would be spewing from his mouth at the thought of such a high position! However, there is a catch—there has to be one in order for his boss to be so nice about offering him the spot that Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname share. Still, it was a large leap in his goal to become rich, powerful, and damn well popular without having to type scandal-type material!
Thank God he was a genius. "First, I would like to hear what I would have to do to earn this position."
His boss smiles in pleasure at the sharpness this rookie has. "I'm sure you are unaware of it, but Kurosaki Ichigo and I are mortal enemies, sworn to hate each other until our bones turn to ash." He lifts his right leg, draping it over his left one. His bony toned fingers lace together as they perch on his lap. "Find what dirty secrets Kurosaki Ichigo has, and what his precious hospital hides. Do you think you can handle it?"
That was it? Without a thought, he nods in agreement for the task. "Yes sir, how would you like me to start? With an interview like most cases?" It sounds as if it is going to be a dirty job though. "Or other?"
"No, I want to break him. Next week, you will start going to Ichisaki Hospital to be a client. Find a way to have him be your primary doctor. Since you have wanted to quit your smoking habit, it will be a good start. After that, get close to him. Hangout with him while pretending to be his friend. I am very serious when I say this," his dark, gruesome smile, becomes wicked, "do whatever it takes to break him."
Toushirou smirks at the sound of fun he will have. "Being known as the man that took down Japan's world renowned surgeon by finding the skeletons in his closet? That sounds like a prize of its own."
Sousuke grins, knowing that he is going to like this rookie.