Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
Chapter 1:
Orihime Inoue clutched her steering wheel tightly as she took another deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. Squeezing the wheel one last time she checked her reflection in the rear view mirror, adjusting her flower barrettes, before sliding out of her car. With her purse clutched tightly in her hand and her pant suit in order she began to walk towards the ominous building. She thanked the man that held the door for her and continued on wincing slightly at the clacking of her heels which, due to her nerves, seemed louder than usual. She stepped up to the metal detector and placed her purse and keys in the box on the one side. She stepped through and let out a startled squeak when the detector went off. Orihime looked at the two uniformed men with wide shocked eyes floundering for words.
"Ma'am." One man took pity on her and stopped her struggling. "Your hair clips." He explained gesturing to the two flowers in her auburn hair.
She flushed in embarrassment, having forgotten all about them before sliding them out of her hair and placing them in the tray with her other belongings. She stepped through again, this time there was no beep. Sighing in relief she took her things and gave the two men a shy smile before heading to the elevator. As soon as the elevator reached the floor a large group of people moved into it almost as if they were one entity. Orihime stepped in quickly making sure to press the button for the fifth floor before she was squeezed into the back. She listened to the soft ding as the car stopped on every floor, people milling in and out, her heart beating faster and faster as the numbers went up until finally it stopped on floor five.
'Get a grip Orihime, it's just a bad case of nerves,' she chided as her stomach clenched and her palms began to sweat.
"Excuse me," she muttered pushing through the remaining people in the elevator. "Pardon me."
Finally she managed to squeeze out of the small space and onto the busy office floor. People rushed by her with papers and coffee clutched in their hands but none of them paid the pretty young woman any attention not even to utter an excuse me or a good morning. Feeling out of place Orihime contemplated hiding in the elevator for the rest of the day. She had to remind herself that this was what she wanted. After her time at the academy she had been handpicked for this team. They thought she belonged here and she could at least give it her best shot. Her hand unconsciously found one of the flower barrettes that she had put back on in the elevator and her thoughts turned to Sora. Sora who had taken care of her, who believed in her no matter what. Making up her mind Orihime stepped forward her cheeks puffed out slightly in a determined expression.
"Excuse me," she said to a woman who passed her by without a second glance. "E-excuse me!" she said louder trying to get the attention of a man and woman who were in a heated argument about coffee. "Hey!" she tried again, trying not to feel disheartened.
"Miss?" a young man with glasses called to her, a stack of papers in his arms. "Are you alright? Do you need any help?"
Orihime felt a wave of relief wash over her and it showed in the bright smile she flashed the helpful stranger. The man wore a blank expression but his voice had been warm, friendly even, and he continued to wait patiently for a response. Orihime decided she liked him.
"Yes my name is Orihime Inoue, I'm here to meet agent Kuchiki. I'm the newest member of team shinigami." She explained, stepping towards him.
"Ah," he answered with a polite smile. "Our team's area is over this way." He shifted his stack of papers to one arm before gesturing for her to follow him.
Together they made their way through the other agents until they came to a large space with a few desks that been sectioned off from the rest of the office by flimsy walls that reminded Orihime of the cubicles at other offices. The man made his way over to one of the desks before placing his papers neatly on top, having freed both his hands he extended one to Orihime.
"My name is Uryu Ishida, It's nice to meet you Inoue-san. Welcome to the team" He said using his free hand to push his glasses up to keep them from sliding off his face.
"Nice to meet you too Ishida-san." Orihime said shaking his offered hand, taking in the young man's neat grey slacks and pristine white button up shirt with a blue and white tie. "I was a little nervous about starting this job, but after meeting you I'm sure I'm going to love it here." She blurted.
Ishida coughed and turned away trying to hide his blush, while Orihime continued to smile at him oblivious of his discomfort. Before either of them could say anything else a large dark skinned man entered the bull pen and headed for the desk right behind Ishida's. Orihime gave Ishida a curious look, before stepping towards the now occupied desk and introducing herself.
"Good morning, my name is Orihime Inoue and I'm the new member of the team." She said more confidently than the first time.
The big man nodded before standing and taking the hand she offered.
"Yasutora Sado." He said his deep voice calm and soothing. "Call me Chad."
Orihime nodded with a bright smile glad that she would be working with these two seemingly kind men.
"Pardon me Inoue-san," Ishida said after a moment. "But you better meet with senior agent Kuchiki."
Orihime swallowed hard but nodded, the nervous butterflies returning to her stomach in an instant. Orihime had never met her new boss, not even for an interview, and while Chad and Uryu had given her a warm welcome the leader of team shinigami was a different story. Many rumors swirled around the training academy about the illustrious investigative team. They had one of the highest closure rates in the country and were well known among other law enforcement agencies. But there were other rumors too. Rumors about the three thugs that worked for the cold and calculating agent Kuchiki. One nasty piece of gossip even claimed that the head agent could freeze you with one look. Orihime shuddered unconsciously. She knew such claims were absolute ludicrous but imagining working for a ruthless cruel man made her uneasy.
"The office is this way Inoue-san." Ishida explained before leading her away from the desks.
She followed him through a small break room stocked with a fridge, microwave, and stove and continued down a small hallway. They stopped outside a small office with a glass door. The blinds were closed and the room was dark. Ishida gently knocked on the door and after a few seconds without a response he pushed it open. The office was sparsely decorated, with a desk, computer, and a few expensive looking chairs being the only furniture. Orihime also couldn't help but notice the piles of paperwork spread across the desk and the three large filing cabinets lining the back wall that probably held the files of all the cases they had solved.
"Ah, Kuchiki-san is late," Ishida tsked, crossing one arm in front of himself and his other hand coming to grip his chin as he lost himself in contemplation.
The auburn haired girl was about to speak but stopped when she heard shouting outside the office. Both agents turned as the office door slammed open. Orihime jumped at the sudden noise while Ishida let his arms fall to his sides. A petite woman stormed into the office not paying any attention to the other two people in the room too preoccupied with her cell phone conversation.
"Idiot I said NO!" She snapped walking to the desk and pulling out the chair before trying to slide her jacket off with one hand. "You are suspended! No! No…that excuse won't work on me strawberry! You. Are. SUSPENDED. Period!" She punched the end call button viciously and dropped the phone onto the desk with a low growl as if the device was the cause of her frustration.
"Kuchiki-san?" Ishida spoke suddenly, clearing his throat as if to alert her of their presence.
The small woman looked up at the sound of her name, violet eyes wide in surprise just realizing they were there.
"Ah Ishida gomen." The woman said with a small polite smile.
"This is Orihime Inoue." Ishida said, gesturing to the girl next to him.
"Oh! Of course how foolish of me! It's nice to meet you Inoue, I'm senior agent Rukia Kuchiki." The violet eyed woman explained offering her a hand.
All Orihime could do was gape. Whatever she had been expecting this was not it. She would never have guessed that the icy agent Kuchiki was this friendly, or a woman. From the rumors she had assumed that agent Kuchiki was a tall, muscle-ridden, ruthless, man that would make her life difficult. It was strange to see that the cause of all her panic was this small graceful woman with the warm smile.
"Inoue?" Rukia asked concerned when the woman continued to stare without making any move to shake her hand.
"G-gomen! I am Orihime Inoue" Orihime stammered before bowing to the woman vigorously. "Forgive me Kuchiki-san! Forgive me!"
"It's alright Inoue, it's alright." Rukia reassured with a warm smile that Orihime returned without a second thought.
Rukia turned away from the other two agents before stepping behind her desk and retrieving a gun and a badge from her drawer. She offered both items to the young woman who took them after only a moment of hesitation.
"That's your badge and gun. You are to carry both at all times no matter what, understood?" Rukia asked draping her jacket over the back of her chair revealing a crimson blouse paired with her black slacks.
"Yes ma'am." Orihime responded dutifully, checking the guns safety before placing it in her holster.
"Let me show you which desk you can have." Rukia said leading them out of her office.
Orihime immediately noticed a change in Rukia as they walked through the hall and back to the bull pen. In her office she had been informal and friendly but as they walked her head was held high and her face was cold and impassive.
"Agent Kuchiki." a man with dark hair nodded in their direction as he brushed by with paperwork, careful to give the other group plenty of space.
Rukia nodded in greeting and continued on as if she didn't notice the wide berth she was given. Orihime glanced at Ishida who caught her eye and shook his head. She took the hint and remained silent until they reached the bull pen but one thing was obvious, this agent Kuchiki was nothing like the agent Kuchiki that had been in the office.
Rukia thought for a moment before walking to a mostly empty desk. "This one will be yours." She said gathering a few papers and folders together trying to clear off the top. "It's a little small but it should work for now."
"It's perfect Kuchiki-san," Orihime assured, disliking her bosses new cold demeanor.
She took a look around and noticed that not only could she see out the window across the room but that she was closest to the break room. In an instant she decided this desk was more than perfect.
"Whose desk is that?" she asked after a brief pause, eyes being drawn to the last unoccupied desk in the bull pen.
In a moment the light returned to Rukia's eyes and she scowled. Her icy exterior dissolved in seconds as she glared at the desk in question. She crossed her arms and opened her mouth to respond when another voice interrupted.
"Kuchiki-san! This is for you!" the same woman Orihime had seen arguing about coffee said approaching the small group.
Immediately Rukia's emotionless mask was in place and she took the folder the woman offered her with a quiet thank you. Violet eyes roamed over the page and her lips pressed together to form a grim line.
"Kuchiki-san?" Ishida asked, noticing the change in his boss.
"We have a case. Let's go." Rukia said in a businesslike tone turning away from the other agents.
Orihime took a deep breath checked her gun and followed closely behind her fellow agents.
The car ride was quiet and uneventful. Rukia drove the SUV and Chad sat next to her in the passenger seat while both Ishida and Orihime were relegated to the back. No one spoke, not even Orihime who had a billion questions running through her head. As the silence dragged on she fell into one of her infamous daydreams losing track of time and her surroundings.
"Inoue-san?" Ishida said gently shaking the girls shoulder.
She let out a startled yelp and flailed her arms, Ishida pulled away quickly watching the auburn haired girl curiously.
"Gomen ne Ishida-san." Orihime said sheepishly her cheeks flaring red. "I was just a little distracted."
"It's alright Inoue-san." he said kindly. "I just wanted to let you know we have arrived."
"R-right!" She stammered before scrambling out of the car.
A light and refreshing breeze blew through Orihime's hair as she took in their surroundings. They were in a beautiful park with lots of tall trees and lovely picnic spots. Orihime almost smiled at the scenery but the expression quickly died when she saw the yellow crime scene tape stretched between a small section of trees reminding her of why they were really here. Rukia glanced back at the gathered agents, brushing off her slacks before nodding and leading them towards the other officers who had already arrived.
"What do we have?" she asked the officer waiting at the police line.
"Young male, maybe seventeen." The officer offered ducking under the tape and holding it for the other agents.
Orihime crouched and followed after Ishida glancing at Chad who had to drop lower than the rest of them to make it through. She noticed the large amounts of police milling around. Turning towards Ishida about to voice her question.
"This is a private park." He explained before she could even ask. "This park is for members of the community not too far from here, and there are a lot of influential people who live there. That's probably why we were called in."
"Any I.D?" Orihime heard Rukia ask the other officer.
"None that we could…" but the officer was cut off by a shout.
Orihime had her gun drawn in seconds, eyes sweeping over the scene searching for any danger. Ishida who stood next to her sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's alright Inoue-san, just…" Ishida began placing his hand over hers in an attempt to have her lower her weapon.
But before he could say anything else Rukia squeezed between them her cheeks flushed in anger as she stomped towards the body. Orihime watched her boss make her way over to another young man whose back was towards them.
"You IDIOT!" Rukia shouted again.
The young man turned slowly and Orihime felt her stomach flip. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. He had spikey orange hair and bright amber eyes that made her heart race. Compared to everyone else he was dressed casually, with a long sleeved shirt and jeans, but even then he seemed to belong. However he hadn't noticed her yet, instead his eyes fell on the short woman approaching him and his blank expression turned to a scowl.
"Calm down midget I…" he began but was cut off.
"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!? You're suspended strawberry head! I told you that!" Rukia snapped.
"And I told YOU to hell with my suspension." He retorted his voice rising in volume.
"To hell with…!?" Rukia spluttered, her rage getting the best of her for a moment. "You might not care about your suspension Kurosaki but I'm head agent. It's MY job on the line! Besides you were suspended for a reason!"
The two seemed only to have eyes for each other as they continued to argue, their voices rising until they were screaming in each other's faces. All of the other police officers had stopped what they were doing to watch and Orihime heard Ishida's resigned sigh as he stepped forward.
"Kurosaki! Kuchiki-san please…" Ishida began, but soon regretted as Rukia turned on him.
"Who called this oaf and told him where we were!?" She demanded her ire turned to her other teammate. "Was it you Ishida? Chad?"
Ishida quickly held his hands up in an attempt to placate his boss while Chad let out a grunt and shook his head. Before Ishida could answer the accusation Kurosaki cut in.
"Neither of them called me." The orange haired man explained his eyes still narrowed in a glare at his boss. "I went over your head. I'm off suspension."
"What?" Rukia demanded refocusing on the other man.
"You heard me." He said with a triumphant smirk.
Rukia attempted to retort before pulling out her cell phone. Quickly she punched in a number and waited.
"Ah sir it's agent Kuchiki." Rukia said her eyes still narrowed on the young man. "Yes I'm fine sir, and you?" she tapped her foot impatiently as she tried to breeze through her usual niceties. "That's good sir, anyway I'm calling because I arrived at the crime scene and Kurosaki said he was off suspension…" she trailed off listening to the person on the other line while Kurosaki's smirk grew. "But sir…!" She began outrage evident in her voice. "Do you think that's wise…? No sir I…! Yes sir. Yes. Alright. Goodbye sir." Rukia finished the call her tone clipped.
The young man smirked and opened his mouth to respond but Rukia stormed past him towards the body making sure to shoot him one last glare over her shoulder.
"Eh Rukia come on!" He began his smirk turning to a more apologetic sheepish expression. "Don't be mad! You left me no choice, I didn't want to be suspended and…"
"Well you got what you wanted, you are no longer suspended. Chad will brief you on the case." She said coldly her eyes flat. "Ishida."
The bespectacled young man left Orihime and hurried over to his boss muttering something to the orange haired young man who scowled at him. He turned around and seemed to notice the other two agents for the first time.
"Yo Chad." He said raising a hand in a wave.
"Ichigo," the quiet man responded in kind.
Finally the man's amber eyes landed on Orihime and she tried hard not to squirm under his intense gaze. He approached her and offered his hand, along with a small smile.
"You are?" he began.
"Orihime Inoue," she said quickly. "Newest member of team shinigami."
"Ah." He nodded. "Kurosaki Ichigo, I look forward to working with you."
A/N: This is my first Bleach story. I know this first chapter is a bit slow and uneventful but it had to be done for the basis of the story. Next chapter should be more exciting. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!