A/N: This is the new version of Dr. Strawberry and Dr. Midget! The plot is similar to the old one, but the order of events the story follows will be different. The events and content will be different as well. I do hope it will be better than the last!

Background info: On the next chapter, but I'll put some things you might want to know for this chapter. Rukia and Ichigo are doctors, and they're kind of sarcastic about things. And the rest is sort of self explanatory as some of it isn't that significant to know. But beware, I love foreshadowing.

Pairings: IchiRuki, Slight Ichisen/AshiRuki,

Side Pairings: RenTats, UlquiHimeIshi

Genre[s]: Romance, Drama, Humor, hurt/comfort [I only marked it romance since I wasn't sure which would fit]

Rated T [later M] for language, adult themes, and occasional semi-gruesome health descriptions

*SIDE NOTE: This version of the story is a little more serious unlike the old crack version. This one will have its moments of crude/mature humor, so it's not all that depressing.

Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I claim Bleach as mine.

Prologue: The First Meeting

Rukia yawned lazily as she tried to fall back asleep. After several attempts, each of them not prevailing, she turned to face her clock settled on top of her nightstand. 7:25 AM, it read.

Ugh, she thought with annoyance, why am I up so early?

Despite questioning it, she actually knew exactly why.

Earlier, no more than five minutes ago, her very "thoughtful" brother-in-law had called her –assuming she was awake- to inform her of her upcoming job.

Five minutes prior…

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Rukia groaned loudly as the Chappy the Rabbit theme song filled her ears. She turned to the side, tugging her blankets over her head –not bothering to pick up the phone.

After several more torturous seconds, the ringing finally stopped –bringing a wave of relief over her. She sighed calmly at the wonderful silence and slowly drifted back to sleep.

Until the ringing started again, that is.

"Oh, come on! Who the hell would call me this early in the morning?" Rukia complained, shoving her sheets off of her, and grabbing her cell phone. "Nii-sama," it read on the bright phone screen.

"Of course… how did I not know? Only Nii-sama would call at this ungodly hour," she mumbled to herself, debating whether to answer the call or just to ignore it.

He'd probably just call again anyways. I might as well do myself a favor and get it over with, she thought frustratingly.

"Mushi-mushi?"

"Rukia? You sound exhausted. Were you not already awake when I called? I hope I didn't disrupt your rest," the cold voice of the older Kuchiki reached Rukia's ears through the phone waking her up more.

"Ano, of course you didn't disrupt my rest, I've been long awake before you called…," she said fighting back a yawn and continuing, "I am just a bit tired is all, having just come back from a different country no more than two weeks ago."

"Hmm… I see. I would recommend that you had better rest more for what I'm about to tell you," Byakuya said, clearing his throat. His thoughts seemed to be proven correct. His sister-in-law may not be quite ready –or awake- for the job he got her just yet.

As he pondered on his thoughts, Rukia on the other side was already half asleep. Afraid that she would completely fall asleep on her brother-in-law, she attempted to continue the conversation –or whatever it happened to be.

"Erm, yes, please do go on," she said politely, trying to keep her eyes from drooping.

"Of course," he said, clearing his throat. "I presume you know of Seireitei hospital and how I am one of the lead doctors there, correct?"

"Well, we are short by an assistant in the fourteenth division and considering you will most likely end up at this hospital sooner or later… I had a talk with the head, and he has agreed to take you in. You start in a week, and you have a meeting three days from now. I will email the rest of the information to you when I can. Do you understand?"

Rukia sat on her bed –wide-awake now- gawking at the phone.

Her brother-in-law just called her at seven in the morning to tell her that he had gotten her job and she had to start working in a week.

There were three things wrong with that statement.

One, he called her at seven in the morning.

Two, he got her a job without her consent. [Was that even possible?]

Three, she had to start in a week.

"Ano… I understand, Nii-sama. But, may I ask what position I will be put into?" she asked, trying to prevent herself from exploding.

"Well, since you are specialized in pediatrics, you fit perfectly into the fourteenth division, starting as assistant of the lead pediatrician. The fourteenth division is a division of physicians who work in all areas of health surrounding children and adolescences. This position should be more satisfying to you than the last few positions you have had in previous hospitals," Byakuya explained.

"I see, and what might be of the paperwork required for this position? And how did you get me approved to work there so fast?" questioned Rukia. She had the urge to ask, "And what are you? Kami?" but that would have just led to worse scenarios that she didn't even want to think about.

"The head has agreed for you to fill in the needed paperwork during the meeting in three days."

"Truthfully speaking, I have already showed him your resume quite awhile ago, and he had agreed for you to work. I apologize for not notifying you sooner," said Byakuya, with a hint of an apologetic tone hidden under his dull voice, "I must go now, I'm sure you are busy as well as I. So I hope you will have a nice day, Good bye Rukia." With that, he hung up, leaving Rukia on the other line gaping.

Present time…

Rukia sighed heavily as she stared at her ceiling. She could always count on Byakuya to make work first priority. She couldn't blame him for it though, finding work these days was pretty tough –even though she had no clue how he was able to get her a job so quickly. Especially for someone like Rukia, who moved often and worked in a field she wasn't completely passionate about. Don't get her wrong, it wasn't that she didn't like being in the medical field, it was just that she was stronger in a different field; art.

She turned to the side, hugging her rabbit shaped pillow to her chest. Her mind drifted off to her high school days.

She remembered the Kuchiki elders had pressured her about her studies and made sure that she was put into a good field of study after she graduated. She was given the choice of medical, or business. The elders preferred she went into business, since they thought the medical field was too "complex" for her. They never actually said that, but she knew that was the case.

So, just to prove them wrong –and maybe piss them off- she decided to become a doctor. Being a doctor had its benefits too, like getting to actually help people. And truthfully, the only main reason she complied to their wishes was to not disappoint her brother-in-law who had taken care of her, and relieved Hisana of her troubles. Compared to the life her and her sister had lived before Byakuya came could have been considered hell. Hisana was prone to getting sick easily, and so she was never able to stick to one job. And Rukia's part time job during high school was not enough to pay for the bills, so they struggled, and by luck, they somehow were able to get by. It wasn't easy living in the city, and they didn't have enough to move away either. So the struggling never stopped of course, until Hisana met Byakuya at a cafe. The days and weeks after that started to become better, and Rukia and Hisana were able to feel content for once, relieved of stress.

And so, due to Byakuya's kindness, she had vowed to herself that she would do anything for him to repay him for all his help, even though sometimes she mentally groaned.

As Rukia reminisced on, she yawned quietly and started to slowly succumb back to sleep.

After all, it was only 7:26 AM.

Ichigo yawned as he looked up at the clock, 8:20 AM it read. It was early, but not as early as it usually was for him. Normally, 4:45 AM would be staring back at him, always.

He fell back into his chair and slumped down.

A 14 year old had fallen off the railing of his balcony and cracked his head open, fracturing many of his bones. Miraculously though, he didn't break his neck. Ichigo had spent the past several hours stitching the kid back up. Then right after that, one of the patients in the intensive care unit had unconsciously gotten her IV caught somewhere, causing it to rip off, leading to a very dangerous situation which lasted him until 20 minutes before to fix.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He usually wasn't this tired, but lately, he's had a lot on his mind. Not just things about work, but about his personal life too. Senna, his friend, ex-girlfriend, and ex-coworker had just recently moved to the states. He wouldn't lie, he missed her, and the feeling was mutual.

He and Senna had only recently broken up, for reasons that she would be a faraway from Japan… and that there were some complications in their relationship, which he felt as though he was at fault for, but they both chose to forget them.

Ichigo's only current concern now was who would be his new assistant. He knew he would be getting one sometime next week, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to tolerate this one, considering the last two he's had since Senna left.

The first one was a guy. He looked professional and acted as though he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately though, when time called for intelligence that was where he ran short. He wasn't quick to act, and was clumsy too. He had dropped one too many piles of paperwork, and tripped every where he went. To add to the misery, his knowledge was no more than basic college level biology.

The second assistant after that was a lot better, but the downfall was that it was a woman. She thought Ichigo looked "hot" and "young" and always hit on him every chance she got. She even tried to seduce him in his office multiple times, but thankfully, each time he was spared when there was a knock on the door.

Ichigo cringed just at the thought of it. This time, he was hoping it wasn't a woman, but most of the time the assistants were all female. At least not all the female assistants were like his last, he knew for a fact that Senna definitely wasn't.

He had made agreement with himself a while ago, that Senna would be the only woman he would care deeply for.

Oh, was he wrong.

Three days after…

Rukia brushed through her short hair as she hummed the "Chappy the Rabbit" theme song.

After many complications, Byakuya and the head of Seireitei hospital, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, were able to schedule a suitable time for her meeting with him and her partner-to-be.

"3 o' clock sharp," she remembered Byakuya saying. Right now, it was only 1:13 PM, so she still had time to waste.

She put her brush down and looked at herself in her mirror. I just need to throw on a pencil skirt and dress shirt and I should be fine, she thought.

Just as she walked out of her bedroom, she heard a few knocks on her front door. Rushing over, she quickly opened the door, revealing her two best friends.

"Ruuuuukia!" exclaimed a bubbly auburn haired woman as she immediately took Rukia into a lung crushing bear hug. "I missed you so much," she said, holding Rukia tighter into her very large bosom.

"Rukia! Long time no see, eh?" asked a dark haired woman, stepping into Rukia's apartment and closing the door behind her. She grinned widely, but then replaced her grin with a look of concern. "Ano, Hime, I think it's time to let her go. Rukia looks a little … limp."

After noticing her friend's limpness, the auburn-haired woman quickly let go of her. "I'm so sorry, Rukia! I think I got too caught up in the moment," she said apologetically.

The said raven haired woman coughed a couple of times, and inhaled deeply before saying, "Nah, it's okay, Orihime. We haven't seen each other in a while, so it's all fine. Come on, let's go to the living room. I'm sure you and Tatsuki have a bunch of questions to ask," Rukia laughed, waiting for her friends to take off their shoes before leading them to the living room.

Orihime and Tatsuki looked around her apartment in amazement as they followed her lead. It wasn't particularly big, but it was very diverse. There were paintings and photographs aligning the walls, and a few sculptures placed about the apartment.

"Wow… it looks like a museum," said Orihime in wonder as she looked around.

Rukia laughed and stopped in the middle of the living room. "Do you guys want something to eat or drink?" asked Rukia.

"No, it's okay, Hime brought some snacks," said Tatsuki, taking a seat on one of Rukia's couches.

Rukia nodded, and sat herself down.

"So how was the United States?" questioned Orihime, taking a bunch of bento boxes out of her bag.

"Big. Land wise, and people wise. The people were nice though, but there was the occasional grouch," Rukia answered. "I noticed New York City was kind of like Tokyo- Is that shiratama?"

Tatsuki smirked, "Yup, it sure is! I helped Hime make it especially for you," she said brightly.

Rukia completely forgot about what she was previously saying, and stared hungrily at the shiratama, practically drooling. Orihime giggled and handed her the box containing the treat.

Rukia gladly took it and began devouring the content inside. As she enjoyed her treat, she noticed that her two friends had been glancing at each other and chuckling quietly.

Something seems fishy, thought Rukia.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Rukia asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Tatsuki and Orihime looked at each other again, but this time with a hint of nervousness.

"Well," began Tatsuki, "we were just wondering if you met anyone in the states is all."

Rukia blinked, and then scowled. "Well, I was courted a couple of times, but I rejected all of them," said Rukia, stabbing a piece of her shiratama and shoving it in her mouth. "I promised myself I wouldn't get caught up in men after what happened with him," she said, increasing her voice by a decibel.

Whenever it came up to the subject of men, it always got her in a foul mood.

"Oh… so you're still not over what happened with him," said both Tatsuki and Orihime in unison. They suddenly felt a little guilty for bringing up the subject, but sometimes, Rukia needed a little push. By bringing up uncomfortable topics for the girl, they could get her to reveal things she wouldn't have originally told them. It was what they, mostly Tatsuki, called "a not-so-sadistic" tactic.

"You'll have to forget about it eventually though. You shouldn't let scum like him take control over your life, even when he's not here anymore. So go out, find a boyfriend, have sex, and enjoy life," said Tatsuki strongly, "After all, you don't want to be a cat lady do you?"

Orihime nodded in agreement, and grinned widely.

Ignoring the cat lady comment, Rukia chuckled. "Tatsuki… have you been watching those public speaking videos again? I think they're working," replied Rukia humorously, "And since when were you so inspirational about going out and finding a man? Last time, you were like, 'Men! They're all good for nothing assholes! Who needs 'em?'"

Tatsuki smirked, "Okay, I'll admit, I did say that. But even though I dislike the male race, doesn't mean you should too. I just want you to be happy and find someone who you can trust," she said whole heartedly. "And no, I gave up on those useless videos a long time ago. Wearing a dress probably sounded more appealing than watching one of those videos!"

Orihime then added in her two cents, "Yeah, ever since him, you've never been fully happy! That's why we want you to find someone who can make you happy," she said with a wide grin, giving Rukia a gentle hug.

The raven haired woman smiled warmly at her two friends, "You two really are my closest friends, but as much as I would hate to disappoint both of you, I'd have to say I'm still giving up on 'the good for nothing' male race," With that, she stuck her tongue out and finished the last of her shiratama.

Tatsuki sighed and laughed, "At least we tried, right Hime?" she asked, looking over at the woman beside her before looking back at Rukia. "We're still not giving up though."

Orihime nodded in agreement, and started to eat what looked like chocolate and yogurt covered takoyaki.

"You guys really love making my life miserable, don't you?" asked Rukia jokingly. "Anyways, enough about me! How about you guys? I doubt any guy would dare ignore you two with those new sexy hairstyles of yours," exclaimed Rukia a little too enthusiastically.

As the three single women chatted on about men, time ticked by unknowingly fast.

It was 2:12 PM, and Ichigo had asked his red haired friend to get him a cup of coffee about an hour ago… but now it was just getting ridiculous.

Ichigo grumbled and scratched the back of his head in frustration. He needed coffee, and he needed it now.

He had run out of the substance in his office, and had to resort to asking his lazy friend to get him a cup of coffee. That was the problem though. Renji was taking forever!

"How can getting a damn cup of coffee take so damn long?" asked Ichigo to himself loudly. He felt like he was going to explode, he hadn't slept more than five hours for the past several days, he had run out of coffee, and he just felt like utter crap.

"I couldn't find my car keys! And the employee at the coffee shop didn't know how to make a simple black coffee," answered a red haired man, Renji, as he walked through the office door.

"About time you got here!" Ichigo exclaimed, taking the coffee Renji placed on his desk.

The other man grumbled and dropped himself into one of Ichigo's office chairs, "You really look like shit." Renji said bluntly, taking a sip of his own coffee.

Ichigo scowled, "You needn't remind me, Renji," he said, yawning.

"Needn't? I haven't heard that one in a while. Back to your lit books again, Ichi?" Renji asked humorously.

"Oh, shut up. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, and I've had little to no sleep," replied the orange haired man, leaning his head on the back of his big office chair.

Renji frowned and finished the last of his coffee, "You're still thinking about Senna, right?"

When Ichigo didn't answer, he continued. "What are you? Some girl from a shoujo manga? You know she still loves you, and those problems you guys had before are long forgotten. So don't let it bother you, she'll come back to Japan to visit eventually, sheesh," finished Renji.

Ichigo's scowl lifted a little, "Renji, you're really something, you know that? Being able to say that so bluntly. I can't wait to see the day you find a woman you're actually serious about, and have her make you feel real pain," he said with a hint of humor.

"Well, you see, that's just it, Ichigo. You just have to be like me, and then no woman can screw with your mind," said Renji rather smugly with a toothy grin.

"So basically I have to be an unfeeling manwhore?" Ichigo said, snickering.

"Yeah-" Renji stopping mid-sentence, glared at Ichigo, "I'm not a manwhore, I'm way better than that. At least I call the girls back."

"Like that makes things any better. So if you're not an unfeeling manwhore, then what does that make you?" Ichigo asked, taking out a manila folder from inside of his desk and opening it.

"It just means I'm popular with the ladies, like back in college!" exclaimed Renji proudly, eying Ichigo's paperwork. He got up and threw away his coffee cup before walking over to Ichigo's desk and peeking at his paperwork.

"You're not done yet? I thought old man Yama said Ishida was taking your shift for today? And what the hell is that? Rhinophar- something?" asked Renji, leaning his elbow on Ichigo's shoulder as he attempted to understand the content on the papers.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Rhinopharyngitis. It's another name for the common cold. Even a child could figure that out, notice 'rhino' as in the rhino virus," he said, scribbling something on the paper. "And old man Yama did say that I had the day off, but then he told me I had to go to a small meeting at three today though. So basically, it's like I'm still working. It doesn't matter either way, it's not like I have anything better to do and I'll have to get this paperwork done sooner or later."

The other man sighed and shook his head, "Man, you don't know how to live…" said Renji in disappointment, before he got an idea, "that's why I'm gonna help you!"

Renji out of nowhere grabbed Ichigo's shirt collar, and yanked him out of his chair. "You're coming with me!" exclaimed the red head, grabbing Ichigo's car keys and exiting the office.

"What the hell, Renji? Let go of me!" yelled Ichigo as his "friend" dragged him around on the floor like a sack of potatoes through the halls of the hospital.

"Renji, you better not be bringing me to a strip club. And why the hell do you have a sleep mask with you anyways?" asked an annoyed Ichigo, blindfolded.

Ignoring the question about the sleep mask, "Nope, better," answered Renji.

The orange haired man could just feel Renji smirking through the sleep mask, and he had a feeling he wouldn't be looking forward to whatever his friend was so enthusiastic about.

Moments later…

2:40 PM

There, standing in all its glory was, Halibel's chateau, one of the very popular high end bars in Tokyo.

"I'm not going in there," Ichigo said, walking in the opposite direction.

"Come on! You haven't been to a bar since your last year of college! And we both know you definitely need some… relief," Renji said, trying to sound convincing.

"Renji…" Ichigo said in a dangerous tone, raising his voice by a decibel.

The red haired man stepped in front of Ichigo, "Just a little might do! No harm done!"

Ichigo scowled deeply, "Renji, I'm not going to the meeting remotely drunk or even smelling anything like alcohol," he said stubbornly, walking around Renji towards the car.

"Well, how about later?" said Renji with a smirk on his face. "You never said no!"

"I'm a pediatrician, goddammit! I'm not going drinking!" exclaimed Ichigo, fuming. "And that's final! Now give me my car keys."

Renji, not protesting, threw him his car keys, "Fine, but I'm not giving up on your case just yet!" he declared, scowling slightly.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and got in the driver's seat with Renji following behind and hopping in the passenger's seat.

"Who said you could ride with me?" Ichigo questioned in a slight joking tone.

"Well, the little speck of kindness in your heart wants to help your best friend, who happened to leave his car at the hospital. So I think you should follow what that speck of kindness wants," Renji said awfully sweetly.

"Little speck of kindness? That just got you a step closer to walking back," said Ichigo smirking. "But since this 'little speck' seems to be feeling generous today, I'll give you a ride."

Renji laughed and then pulled out his seat belt before taking a mysteriously inappropriate looking magazine out of his pants.

Ichigo, choosing to ignore Renji and his magazine, started the car's engine. The vehicle roared with life, lighting up all the buttons in the car, as well as the digital clock.

He looked over and glanced at the digital clock in his car.

2:48 PM, it read.

Suddenly his blood turned cold.

"Fuck! I'm going to be late for the meeting!" Ichigo cursed, immediately pressing his foot on the clutch and driving away.

At the force of the car's movement, Renji, who dumbly didn't put on his seat belt correctly, flew forward smacking his forehead against the window.

"Ow!" Renji clutched his forehead, and glared at Ichigo. "Why don't you go any faster? Maybe you'll hit a pothole and smack your head against the roof!"

"Ruki! You look so professional! It's been so long since I've seen you in your work clothes," Orihime cheered, packing the last of the food.

The raven haired woman grinned, and grabbed her car keys. "You guys came on the bus, right?" she asked her two friends, who nodded.

"Okay then, I'll give you guys a ride since I have to go that way anyways," said Rukia, without even asking them for their consent.

She glanced at the clock, reading two thirty, "It's the perfect time to move, come on," she said walking towards the genkan to put on her shoes.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. I got you guys some presents, open them when you get home, 'kay?" said Rukia, pointing to the wrapped up presents on the side table.

Later…

"Can you drop me off here, Ruki?" asked Orihime, pointing over to a café.

The car slowly pulled over to the side walk, and suddenly the auburn haired woman turned to Rukia in the driver's seat.

"Sorry Tatsuki and I couldn't visit you sooner! We had to find a time we were free so we could visit together. Sorry you had to wait two full weeks…" said Orihime apologetically, tearing up. "I'm such a bad friend!"

Instantly, the sound of sniffles alerted Rukia that her friend was about to start her water works.

"No, no, no! It's okay, I really don't mind! I was pretty busy too, Hime!" Rukia assured, noticing the water works were starting. "Don't cry anymore! It's okay, really."

She handed her crying friend the box of strawberry scented tissues, she always kept in the car, to wipe her snot. She smiled kindly and patted Orihime on the head like a puppy.

Orihime sniffled some more and blew her nose, "I'm glad! And thank you for the tissues, they smell nummy," she said gratefully before opening the car door and exiting. "Ja ne!"

After waiting until the bubbly woman entered the café safely, Rukia and Tatsuki rode on.

"You can just drop me off at the hospital since it's already two forty-nine, there's a dojo nearby," Tatsuki offered.

"Wait, how long does it take to get to there from here? The hospital, I mean," asked Rukia, feeling a tinge of panic.

"Hmm… since we just passed Halibel's Chateau, about fifteen minutes or so if I guessed correctly," said Tatsuki, shrugging.

"Wait, fifteen whole minutes?" asked Rukia unbelievingly. Suddenly, she felt the urge to start banging her head against the steering wheel. "I have to get there by three o' clock sharp and there's probably going to be traffic! There's always traffic near hospitals… and if I don't make it there on time, Nii-sama's going to have my head!"

At that moment, she went from driving 45 mph to 59 mph, blasting through the streets of Tokyo, quickly entering central Tokyo.

Startled by the sudden speed, "Rukia, the speed limit's forty!" yelled Tatsuki, fear taking over her features. "You passed the limit by fourteen!"

The other woman grumbled, "It's not like anybody else actually follows the speed limit! But I'll lower it a little anyways," Rukia said, thoughtfully.

After several minutes of Rukia rambling to herself, she suddenly stopped and her facial features lightened up. "Hey, I see it nearing us! The parking garage is right there! Just a little more-"

As if right on cue to make her life miserable, the black Mercedes in front of her came to sudden stop, making her slam her foot on the brake. Unfortunately though, that wasn't enough, causing her to bump into it. Luckily though, the brake brought the force of her bump to a minimum, not causing a lot of damage to the Mercedes.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Right in front of the parking garage too?" growled Rukia, pulling into the sidewalk along with the black Mercedes. I'm going to be so late, she thought, slamming her head against the steering wheel repeatedly.

The driver of the Mercedes had gotten out of his or her car and started knocking on the driver's side window. "Hey, you, get out of the car!" said the driver.

Rukia groaned, and opened her car door. She turned to the side to get a look at the driver, and practically tripped while stepping out of her car.

He, as in the driver, was hot as hell. His face was finely shaped, and he looked pretty well built. Even his weird colored hair was hot…

"Okay, I'm in hurry, so why don't you just give me your phone number and we can deal with this shit later. You got that?" demanded the hot guy.

Immediately, Rukia snapped out of her trance and her mood turned sour. She glared at him and said, "Excuse me? Why should I give you my number? You were the one who stopped abruptly!"

"Well, you were the one who hit me! If you were watching the road, we wouldn't even be in this situation!" He yelled, pointing to the dent in the back of his Mercedes.

Rukia felt like ripping the hair off her head, "Ugh! I don't have time for this! Let's just exchange numbers and we can deal with this later!" she exclaimed, taking a post-it note and pen from her car and writing her number and name on it, him doing the same.

They exchanged post-it notes and dirty looks right before getting back into their cars and driving away.

When Rukia got back into her car, she took a glimpse at the post-it that was given to her from the –not-so-hot-anymore-guy. Kurosaki Ichigo was written messily in katakana.

Strawberry? she thought humorously.

"Rukia! The meeting!" reminded Tatsuki from the passenger seat urgently.

Rukia blinked in surprise, she had completely forgotten Tatsuki was there. Pushing the thought aside, she sped off to her point of destination.

After kicking Renji out of his car, Ichigo quickly made his way to the elevators, entering one of them right as he got there.

1… 2… 3…

Ichigo tapped his foot repeatedly as he waited for the elevator to reach his floor. It felt like the elevator was moving at the slowest speed possible, and the crappy department store music in the background wasn't exactly helping either.

4… 5… 6…

He remembered the last time he was late to a meeting, things hadn't turned out too pleasant. He was really hoping to avoid his past predicament, but knowing his luck, even if he got there on time something else unfortunate would most likely be awaiting him.

7… 8… 9…

Just a little more, he thought, grinding his teeth.

10… 11… 12… 13… 14…

DING!

Ichigo sped out of the elevator and rushed through the halls, passing nurses and doctors alike giving him weird looks. He swore he even heard a couple of people saying, "Kurosaki-sensei's late to another meeting again…" in the background.

"Yes! I made it, exactly three o' clock!" exclaimed Rukia relieved, standing outside of the meeting room. She lightly knocked on door, and slowly opened it, revealing Yamamoto himself and her brother-in-law.

"Hm, it seems you made it right on time, Rukia. Please, have a seat," said Byakuya politely, gesturing to a chair.

Rukia nodded and quickly took a seat.

"Unfortunately, the lead pediatrician you are to be working with is not here yet-" started Byakuya, only to be interrupted by the opening of the door.

"Sorry I'm late, some woman who wasn't watching the road bumped into the back of my car," said a voice that Rukia found quite familiar.

She turned to the door to see who had interrupted, only to come face to face with the same orange haired man with the black Mercedes.

She stood up and pointed at him, gawking, as he did the same to her.

"Y-you!" they screamed in unison.

A/N: *GASP* It's almost been THREE YEARS since I first published, Dr. Strawberry & Dr. Midget *cries*!

*Sniffles* At least I'm finally done with chapter one of this new version! I was totally expecting to get it done a lot later since I'm incredibly lazy. It's 3:40 AM where I am, and I just feel relieved to get it done. I didn't like the beginning so much as the middle and the end, but it came out somewhat okay, I think!

Thank you to all the people who favorited, alerted, and reviewed the previous version of this story! I'll make sure I make this story very worth reading for those who are upset that I got rid of the old one.

Last of all MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! [It's still December 30th, 2011 for me, but who cares, right?]

How is it? Is it better than the old version -I certainly hope it is! It's not too dramatic sounding right? Review please!