Author's Note: This is my latest project, which I'm personally very excited for. This is an AU story, and all of your questions will hopefully be answered as it progresses slowly. Pairings will be obvious given time. If there are any questions, please feel free to message me! This is On the Rocks, and it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Special thanks to my beta, KneeSan! Your intellect is beautiful, and you keep me inspired to write. Thank you!
On the Rocks
Chapter One: Initiation
Ki Ai Sky
The steam from the bathroom was flowing freely from the open door as a young woman with dark, wet hair emerged, scantily clad in a soft, fluffy white towel. She ran quickly to her bedroom, trying to avoid the eyes of her younger teenage cousin. After closing her bedroom door, she used the towel to soak up the loose water from her hair and body. She rolled the towel on her head, fashioning it like a turban.
Too sexy, too skimpy, too grandma… she mused, rummaging through her undergarments. Just because it was her first day of work didn't mean she had dress completely conservative underneath.
She picked out a pair of matching white lace bra and panties. Clean and a little salacious, she decided. She briefly glanced at her alarm clock, checking to make sure that she still had plenty of time. She went to her dresser, opening the drawer where she kept her newly supplied work clothes and began perusing her options.
"Rin!" her other cousin's voice bellowed from down the stairs. "I made you breakfast, so come eat it before Souta does!"
Rin perked up at the thought of a freshly made breakfast. Kagome's cooking topped the charts as far as she was concerned, and many others for that matter. She knew that she wasn't kidding about Souta eating everything. That boy ate like a horse, and if she wasn't quick she would miss out!
"Coming! Be right down!" Rin called back, pulling the top set of scrubs from her drawer. Undoing her towel turban, she threw on the bubblegum pink pants and shirt and spared a glance in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection, trying to shove aside her nerves and excitement. She ran her brush through her hair briskly.
She stepped into the hallway, shaking out her wet hair some more with her fingers, when she was assaulted with numerous decadent aromas that belonged to all of her favorite foods. She bounded down the staircase excitedly and into the kitchen with her mouth beginning to water.
On the table were stacks of cinnamon-sugar pancakes, a basket overflowing with banana nut muffins, freshly cut pineapple and blueberries, crisp bacon, a large pitcher of hand-squeezed orange juice, and fresh-brewed coffee. Her cousin definitely knew what she was doing in the kitchen.
"Wow, Kagome! You didn't have to go all out for me!" Rin exclaimed, pleasantly surprised at the other woman's efforts. Rin's stomach grumbled happily in anticipation of what was to come.
"Oh please, it's your first day at your new job. Of course I'm going to make you a special breakfast!" Kagome smiled at her cousin, taking off her dirty apron to join her. "I am a strong advocate for breakfast being the most important meal of the day," she smirked.
Rin looked at the already large pile of dishes that was built up next to the sink. She frowned sympathetically to her cousin's plight. Kagome followed her gaze and rolled her eyes. She never minded washing dishes; it was almost relaxing.
The sounds of another person coming down the stairs drew both of their attentions. The smile on the young man's face when he entered the kitchen said it all.
"Alright, more for me! You know the drill; if you don't have it on your plate, it isn't safe from my mouth," Souta commented, shoveling a whole pancake into his mouth before grabbing a plate and loading it with food.
Rin hurriedly grabbed a plate, loading it as best she could so that Souta didn't take everything. Kagome grabbed a warm muffin and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"You'll be able to drop me off, right?" Rin addressed Kagome, cutting her pancake into bite-sized portions. She spared another glance at the kitchen clock, her anxiety growing little by little as each minute passed.
"Yup," Kagome murmured through a bite of banana nut goodness.
"Kags, why can't you cook like this for me every morning?" Souta asked with his mouth full of pancake, unwilling to stop eating to comment. "I'd love you forever, best sister ever."
"Souta, don't talk with your mouth full," Mama Higurashi scolded her son as she joined her family in the kitchen. She was dressed in a tasteful black-skirted suit, obviously prepared for a meeting. She grabbed a coffee cup and filled it to the brim.
"Morning, Aunt Mikoto," Rin said cheerfully as Mama sat down at the table with the rest of her family.
"Good morning, Rin. Are you ready for your first day of work?" Mama responded. She met her niece's eye with a reassuringly warm smile. Having watched over the young woman for the past several years with a close eye, she could sense the apprehension wrapping around her.
"Not yet," she gestured to her wet hair. "I don't know if today counts as my first real day because it's partly orientation," Rin recalled the schedule she'd been emailed. She was to meet with the charge nurse and be shown around the hospital first then go to security and pose for her ID card; she'd be lucky if she was able to even work a few hours on the floor. She needed to look her best if she was going to be stuck with the same photo for the next five years.
"That sounds like it's gonna suck," Souta swallowed loudly before gulping down his orange juice like a machine. Mama narrowed her eyes at her son's language but said nothing; cursing was a battle she'd been losing for a long time.
"You're telling me," Rin sighed nervously between bites of pancake. She greedily drank her cup of coffee when she realized she might get so bored that she drifted off. Caffeinate in order to stay awake, she reasoned. She reached to pour herself a second cup, when she was stopped.
"Uh-uh, you get creepy when you're hyper," Kagome pulled the coffee pot away from her cousin and placed it between herself and Mama.
"Oh please, I do not," Rin snorted, trying to reach across the table for her dark-roasted guilty pleasure. Her hands were quickly swatted away by both Mama and Kagome. She frowned heavily.
"Spring break, Rin, spring break," Kagome quickly reminded her cousin of a very dark night in their recent past when Rin had one too many spiked energy drinks and went a little too wild.
"Oooh," Rin acquiesced, remembering the pictures from the night she barely remembered. "But those don't count! This is just coffee!" she tried reaching again, but was denied once more.
"Do we really have to remind you of your college all-nighters?" Kagome countered; Rin stared at her with a confused look. "Rin, you would call me at 4 A.M. to tell me how much you wished you could major in time travel. You made your roommate cry because you wouldn't stop stealing her blankets off her in her sleep."
"She was wimpy anyways," Rin scoffed, trying to change the topic away from Rin's caffeinated disasters so that she could trick her family into passing her the pot when they weren't paying attention. She didn't think her actions were too crazy, but then again, she was high on caffeine at the time.
"Sit wherever you like whenever you find the time, we tend to be busy during the day. Calms down a little at night," the charge nurse explained; her tone was short and bored. Her scrutinizing red eyes looked Rin over for the fifth time that morning. The older woman had to visibly hide her sneer with a frown. "No one likes new nurses, so stay out of the way. Doctors know best, you should probably keep your mouth shut. No one cares if you think you're right; doctors normally are."
Rin raised her hand to politely object, but was cut off yet again when Kagura started walking.
"Everyone works on staggered shifts. You'll get your schedule later; lunch and dinner are at twelve and six. When I eat, you don't. Seniority rules 'round here," she continued as she walked briskly down the halls with Rin hot on her heels.
"Lockers are in here. Nurses' on the far left, technicians and interns in the middle, and surgeons and doctors on the far right. Find an open one, put a lock on it. Keep your valuables at home; shit goes missing during the lulls. I don't care about cell phones, but if it rings and the doctors catch you, they might."
Rin frowned but kept her mouth shut. She had quickly realized that the demoness didn't care what she had to say or about answering her questions. Kagura didn't introduce Rin to anyone, and no one really approached Rin. They continued on their fast tour; she was shown the storage rooms where linens and extra supplies were kept, the different wards in the hospital like same-day surgery and ob-gyn and others, the cafeteria, among others. She was dropped off like a child at daycare when they reached the security office.
"It's wonderful to meet you," the gray-haired man smiled happily at the new nurse. Rin, who was finally happy to talk to a friendly face, gratefully smiled back. "I'm Saul and that sack of bones over there is Danny."
"Hey!" a slightly younger man called from his chair. Danny had a very scruffy red beard that touched the collar of his uniform.
"First day is never fun. Why don't you go take a look in that mirror over there and we'll take your picture," Saul offered as he pointed toward the small wall-mounted mirror.
Rin stepped over to it and readjusted her hair, glad that was able to look presentable for her photo. She fluffed her hair and practiced her smile. Her warm brown eyes stared into themselves, glancing over their dark lining to make sure that her make-up was still flawless.
"I'm ready for my close up," Rin laughed, turning to the men with a bright smile plastered on her face.
Moments later the camera flashed, and her ID was in the process of being printed. The security guards had given her a large stack of paperwork that she needed to fill out regarding insurance and her licensing. Saul and Danny chatted amiably with the young dark-haired woman.
"Don't let Miss Kagura give you a hard time," Saul advised from the comfort of his desk chair. "The first few weeks are always rough. She's a demon, and even though she doesn't look it, she's been here a while."
"She seems really…"
"She's a downright bitch," Danny gruffly commented, frowning deeply. Rin stifled a chuckle, able to understand the man's resentment.
"Maybe a little," Rin conceded as she continued writing down her information. "But, everyone can't be rude, right?"
"Oh no, of course not! Most people are really kind," the gray-haired security guard acknowledged. "The nurses vary in each ward, and the doctors… well you'll have to decide on your own."
"I'll keep that in mind," Rin half-listened as she was reading her forms.
Rin flipped over the paper she was completing regarding family health insurance. Her smile saddened when she began answering it. The information for her parents she left blank. There was no need for people who were dead to have health insurance anyhow. For her emergency contacts she wrote down Aunt Mikoto and Kagome. They were the only family she had left, not counting Souta because he was too young. It had been a long time since the accident and she'd had a long time to recover, but she still missed them sometimes. Today was one of those times. She wished her parents were there to wish her good luck on her first day. She knew they were proud of her wherever they were.
"The senior nurses tend to haze the newer ones," Danny informed, drawing Rin from her thoughts.
"Haze?" she asked incredulously.
"Stealing, screwing up their charts, making the nurses do ridiculous chores," Shen listed randomly. "The things they do are innocent enough, but they're still enough to upset new nurses, make their first few weeks mildly difficult."
"Sometimes phones go missing for a few hours," Danny added. "They're always returned, but the culprits aren't found."
Rin was rendered speechless: grown adults were acting like children.
This was Rin's job, and these petty senior nurses were going to fuck with her? How could they be trusted to take care of the sick, wounded, and dying if they were busy screwing with their own? Rin swallowed the foul words that were on the tip of her tongue; her disgust evident on her face. She was determined to find out who was doing this and chew them out. And if they took something of hers… well, there would be blood.
"One young nurse had to reorganize the supply room alphabetically, only to be told by one of the administrators that she screwed everything up. She was written up and was cleaning bedpans for three weeks," Danny mused while he watched over his monitors.
"Who on earth ordered that?"
"Kagura," the redhead snorted with obvious distaste.
"Don't worry, Miss Rin!" Saul attempted to reassure the young dark-haired woman. "It's never anything too troublesome."
"Uh-huh," Rin murmured, returning to her boring paperwork. She definitely had a lot to get used to around Northern Chicago Hospital.
The guardsmen provided friendly conversation, obviously trying to help Rin out. By the time she finished her paperwork, it was nearly noon. Danny willingly escorted Rin back to the emergency department so that she could continue on with her day. She offered her thanks for the redhead's help and wished him good day.
ON THE ROCKS
Rin tentatively took an empty seat in one of the nurse's stations. The mellow bustle of working nurses allowed Rin to take a sigh of relief. Her day was only getting started considering she worked sixteen hour shifts, so she was going to get a chance to do her job. She had twelve more to go.
The doors to the emergency department suddenly burst open as two paramedics wheeled in a young girl whose shoulder was covered in gauze, but dark red blood still seeped through. Rin leapt out of her chair, caught by surprise.
"All yours," Kagura thrust report sheets into her human subordinate's arms before she walked down the hall.
Rin scrambled to catch the clipboard and ran to the paramedics.
"Eight year old girl got attacked by a dog during recess, severe bleeding from bites," the first paramedic informed her, handing her his paperwork that contained as much info as they could gather. "Mom was notified and is on her way from work."
Rin quickly glanced over the field report and started her assessment.
"Hi, Hannah," Rin addressed the frightened little girl. "My name is Rin, I'm a nurse. We're going do everything we can to make it all better, okay?" The girl's whimpering began to slow in response to Rin's soothing tone.
"Where's my mommy?" the little blonde asked as she sniffled, wiping at her tears with her good arm.
"She'll be here soon, I promise," Rin assured her.
The paramedics carefully, but quickly, transferred the child from the cot to the bed. Rin was then able to continue her proceedings.
"Page the pediatric doctor," Rin ordered the paramedics as she applied a blood pressure cuff and reevaluated her patient's stats.
She recorded her findings and moved on to the wound in question. She gently peeled back the gauze wrappings to see the damage. There were several deep gashes in the poor child's shoulder that were bleeding steadily. Rin set the used bandaging into a waste pan. She pulled a bottle of saline from a cabinet.
"I need to rewash your wounds, okay? This might sting a little, but it's going to keep you from getting sick. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you." The child nodded as her crying began to cease. Rin quickly uncapped the bottle and addressed her first patient.
"Get the hell outta my way!"
"You wouldn't believe the nerve of this asshole!" Rin's voice rang from the cell phone at her ear.
Kagome had texted her cousin on her break to ask how her day was going, but she didn't expect to get a very enraged phone call from her. Kagome took a deep breath; this was gonna be a long conversation. She knew the guy had to have been incredibly out of line for her cheerful cousin to snap like this.
"So he just shoved you out of the way and took over?" Kagome tried to clarify.
"The demon prick practically threw me out of the room! She was my patient!" Rin seethed. "How dare he!"
"Give the fucker a piece of your mind!" Kagome encouraged as she washed her utensils. Just because the guy was a doctor didn't mean that he could walk over everyone else. Kagome couldn't stand arrogant guys like that. She was tired of it and she wasn't going to stand for it. Who cares if he's a demon? It made him no better or worse than anyone else.
"You're damn right I will! Silver-haired bastard needs it." Rin snarled back. "Treating me like I'm incompetent! I earned my right to be there!" her venom coating every word.
Rin took a deep breath, trying to release her anger and frustration. She took a lock of her thick dark hair and twirled it around her finger.
Needing to distract herself further, she quickly changed the subject. "How's your day, Kagome?"
"Well…" Kagome thought. "It's been pretty uneventful here. All we've done is prepare the long run items: marinades, slow roast, and bread. We've got to do busy work until at least three for things to pick up, but when they do…."
"I get your point," Rin acknowledged her momentary lapse in thought. Rin was slightly jealous that Kagome had such a wonderful job that she loved so much. Rin wasn't going to complain though; she would grow to love her job, she believed, in due time. She just had to prove herself and stop letting people walk all over her.
Rin chuckled softly. Kagome could practically hear Rin's smirk over the phone as she asked "Is Shippo still giving you a hard time?"
"Ugh," she groaned, thinking of the young redheaded teen who constantly sought her affections. "Don't get me started, Rin. He just won't take a hint! The kid's barely out of high school. I'm not that desperate!" She inwardly cringed recalling the boy's advances towards her. He'd had the audacity to flirt with her every time their shifts overlapped. The young waiter was constantly sneaking into the kitchen just to attempt to get Kagome's affections.
"He almost slapped my ass earlier, the little shit. Thankfully, Kouga caught him just in time and practically chased him out with a rolling pin," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. At least the very handsome wolf-demon was around to make sure the fox kept his hands to himself.
"Maybe you should talk to Hector?" Rin offered, thinking that maybe Kagome's boss would intervene and push the youth in the right direction.
"I don't want to get him in trouble," Kagome replied. "I'd feel terrible if he lost his job because of his little crush on me. Besides, I can't help it if he has great taste!"
"Can't blame him there," Rin laughed. "I guess you could try to just talk to the kid?"
"I suppose," Kagome agreed, but she didn't want to. She'd tried ordering herself flowers to trick him into thinking she had a special someone, but that didn't work. The young fox demon probably assumed they were from her mother; he wasn't too bright. She tried asking him about the girls in his classes and if he was going to pursue any of them. He just responded by stating that he was into older women, followed by a not-so-subtle wink. Kagome sighed, knowing that she didn't have any other real options other than confronting Shippo.
Kouga had offered to tell the kitsune to back off, but she politely declined each time. This was her problem, and she was going to take care of it…eventually.
"See any cute doctors?"
"The prick was attractive, but that mouth is enough to turn anyone off. Even you, Kagome, I swear. I haven't been able to do much so far, but there's always time. I have a few more hours left in my shift, so maybe I'll get lucky!"
"Fingers crossed for the both of us," Kagome prayed. She and Rin didn't get out very much since they lived at Mama's house. Kagome had moved back home after her father died nearly two years ago. The two cousins were close, and Mama kept a close eye on them. "Don't forget, Sunday we're going apartment hunting!"
The two young women were finally going to get their first place together. Rin hadn't wanted to move out until she came into her inheritance at twenty-five and had a stable job. She was finally going to begin her true adult life. Sure, she was starting a bit late, but beggars can't be choosers.
"Alright, I won't! I'm going to head back to work. It's going to be a long night," Rin sighed loudly.
"Oh you'll be fine. I'll bring you back dessert," Kagome bribed Rin with the promise of something wonderfully sweet. "Don't forget to give that asshole hell!"
A/N: This is just where things just begin to get interesting. I'm trying to write chapters ahead of time, to update regularly enough. I have big plans for these characters. I don't have any major OCs as of yet, none planned either. Thanks for reading thus far. I'm not going to bother with Japanese suffixes because I'm not going to pretend to get it right and screw something up. I apologize if this upsets anyone!
This story will be set in Chicago because I've never been to Tokyo, and I would prefer to write about places I'm familiar with. Chicago is a beautiful city and will suffice nicely as the backdrop to this piece.
Next: Mistaken