Wow! Can I just say that the whole time I was reading the reviews I got I was smiling? You guys made my day when I woke up this morning. :D I couldn't have hoped for a better response! So I would like to send out a warm thank you to PAMILA DE CASTRO, Guest, Gritten-Tells, Vicky73 (the most enthusiastic by far ahaha), and loverukia, Duke-of-Spades, and finally, ReckoningDay. Everyone that reviewed my first chapter thank you guys bunches! So as a gift, I decided to update quicker than I would have. This chapter wasn't supposed to come out until next week but oh well! ENJOY!
..13.13.13.
Previously: A horn shook her from her thoughts.
"Hey Rukia! I got the new guy!" Called Tousen, the facilities designated driver, sort of. He helped with deliveries and driving emergencies to and from.
Wait a second. New guy?
Rukia walked towards the van and stopped when she saw the man who stepped out.
Rukia watched as the "new guy" stepped from the passenger side of the van and closed the door. His hair hung softly across his left eye in black velvet waterfalls, gently waving in the warm afternoon breeze. His face and jaw had the perfect angles, almost as if an artist had carved him from stone. He was... for lack of a better word, beautiful.
Grey met violet.
Rukia smiled at him, mostly happy that at least, even if she had fought it at first, that he was going to help her stop whatever it was that was going around and infecting the upper most part of the village. It didn't hurt, however, that he was built like a Greek god.
~000~
As soon as he saw her standing there, looking at him, his heart stopped. Some of the others that had were supposed to be torturing him throughout his long years had resembled Hisana in many ways, but Byakuya was always able to pick out flaws that stuck out to him. But this one. This one had the same bright eyes, jet black locks, and even the stubborn bang that hung in her heart shaped face. She... his thoughts stopped when he spotted her one flaw: her eyes were violet, not the midnight blue like Hisana's. Maybe that would make living here at least a little bit less painful. How could he have been so stupid. "What were the odds!" he had thought when asked to come out here, "What were the odds that he would see here, in Africa of all places!" He couldn't have been more wrong.
She approached him slowly, giving him time to compare everything about her to Hisana. The eyes. The hair. The body shape. The walk. The two were similar yes, but very different, this woman had a silent strength to her; probably the thing that kept her here, kept her going. The way the Chief had spoken about her, Dr. Ryoko, made it appear as though she was willing to sacrifice a lot in order to stop these people from dying.
She was beautiful-
Stop. No. She wasn't Hisana. She could never be Hisana, and he wouldn't let her be.
"Why am I talking about her as if there was a chance. There is not. At. All." He thought to himself. She was his co-worker. A fellow doctor trying to find out what is killing these people. That was all.
"Rukia Ryoko," the young woman held out her hand to him.
He took it and gave a solid shake, "Byakuya Kuchiki." he replied simply. Her hand was soft and warm. The feel of her palm against his brought back the painful memory of him kissing Hisana's palm as she laid in his arms, dying. He quickly tossed away the memory.
"Thank you Tousen, I'll show him around." she looked passed Byakuya to the tall dark man behind him. Tousen gave a curt nod and turned to leave.
"I can see myself around." said Byakuya, coldly. His eyes never leaving her.
"Being new, this facility can get confusing sometimes. But if you would like to get lost, be my guest." Rukia said, a little offended at being blown off so quickly.
"Rukia, your 2:30 is almost here!" she heard Hanataro call.
She let out a sigh, and pinched the bridge of her nose. At least now she had a reason to leave this pompous ass of a man to look for himself like he wanted.
"Have fun, don't fall in any potholes. Lord knows there are a ton of those around." Rukia turned and left Byakuya standing. He bent down and pick up the bags he'd brought with him and headed off to find his sleeping quarters.
~000~
Rukia wrapped the stethoscope around her neck and headed towards the room where her next check up would be. She began to think about Byakuya, why had she been so against him coming? It's not like they didn't need the extra help. Maybe it was because the last time they had tried to send someone over, said person had thought they solved it, found the cure. However, when administered, it killed the patient instantly. The patient was 6 years old.
"Rukia-san!"
She turned to see Dr. Aizen jogging towards her, "Hai, Aizen-sama?"
"Patient in room 202. Yours right?" he asked with his ever so soft and warm smile.
"Yes, why?"
"Looks like she'll need stitches." he said. Rukia looked at him quizzically. Wasn't it supposed to be just a regular check up? Well, crap. Snatching up her clip board, she jogged to the examination room in the next building. And sure enough, there sat Akello, bleeding. The young 17 year old girl had an inch long gash on her back right shoulder blade, bleeding still.
"My goodness! You come in for a check up with a cut! Are you trying to fill up my day?" Rukia gave a pleasant smile to the young girl.
The young girl turned to face her, "I know, it was accident." she said. She was still in the process of learning English.
"Well, would you like to tell me what happened?" Rukia asked, examining the open wound.
Rukia walked over to the small table at the end of the examination table put on gloves and picked up gauze, stitching equipment and cleaning fluid. She put the medical supplies into a round silver bowl and set them next to Akello.
"Is going to hurt?" she asked, sudden nervousness sweeping over her.
"It will sting when I numb it, but that is as bad as it will get." Rukia replied as she stuck the needle into top of the medicine bottle and extracted the numbing agent.
Akello gave a nervous nod.
"Where are your parents?" asked Rukia, flicking the base of the needle, causing any and all air bubbles to dissipate.
"They were arguing, and I not want to upset them, so I just came here," Akello said as she turned back around so Rukia could inject the numbing medicine into her wound. She hissed as the needle penetrated the skin.
"Sorry," Rukia tossed the used needle into the hazardous materials trash and picked up the gauze and cleanser she'd grabbed only moments ago. Akello wore a shirt with no back, making Rukia's job easier, "Can you lay down for me and tell me what happened?"
"I tripped fell onto broken tree stump."
Fantastic. That meant that there were splinters.
"That isn't good. I'm going to have to stitch you up ok?"
"Ok."
Rukia turned around to yell out the door, "Can I get a nurse in here please?"
Orihime entered moments later, "What have we got?" she asked in her normal cheery tone.
"Akello fell on a tree stump and cut herself. I'm going to have to get the splinters and sew her up."
"Ok," Orihime slipped on a pair of gloves.
~000~
"There we go! All done!" Rukia piped happily. The procedure took over all about 45 minutes. Not too shabby.
"Thank you very much, Rukia-sama!" Akello hopped off of the table and fixed her clothing.
"Now, I want you to keep that dry when you shower and stuff, OK? Come back and see in about a week."
The girl nodded.
"Have your mom or dad stop by for the paper work soon ok?" Rukia tossed her gloves into the garbage as the girl left.
3:15 pm
Rukia took the clip board, not entirely filled out, and headed back to her office.
~000~
Byakuya hated asking for directions. Typical guy. But eventually he found his room. If you could count it as a room. It was small with a metal bunk bed to the left wall and across from it was a small black wooden desk with a bunny-eared T.V. on top. The room would have been dark if the lamp in the far left corner hadn't been on. The window was directly across from him on the opposite wall with metal shades that could be opened and closed with a metal bar attached. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as it looked.
Doubtful.
Byakuya tossed his two bags onto the lower bunk and went to the window. He opened it to a very distasteful surprise.
She stood there with an orange spiky haired man, at least two feet taller than her. The man was smiling fondly down at her. She smiled up happily at him. The sight made Byakuya want to punch the carrot-top's light out. But why? Did it matter?
Yes it-
No. She may have the same smile and beauty but she was not Hisana. Yet, he still had to argue with himself over this? Why? He had been through many lifetimes and every time he saw her, not once did he curse himself for comparing them with Hisana. Maybe it was because he had to work so close with her. This was not what he had in mind.
He turned back to the door and there she stood. Watching him with a small smile on her porcelain features.
"I see you found your room. You are bunking with Renji Abarai. He's part of the security team we have here." She said.
Byakuya just looked at her, trying his best to hide how he felt when he looked at her. That's when he realized something. Tomorrow will be the 180th anniversary of Hisana's death and Byakuya's curse.
"Did you get your vaccinations before you got here?" He looked at her. Vaccinations?
"No, I did not." he said.
"Would you like to get them now? I can do it real quick." she offered.
"I would appreciate that. Yes." He appreciated it? Really?
"Great. Follow me." she turned and left, walking down the hallway towards the main building, to the labs.
When they reached the labs she motioned for him to sit. He complied.
"How long have you been here?" he asked. Why did he care?
"Three years." she said, raising the sleeve of his shirt and wiping it with rubbing alcohol. As the spot dried Rukia took time to appreciate his chiseled shoulder and arm. It too looked carved, just like everything else about him.
"Have you tried adjusting the vaccinations into something like a semi-permanent cure?" he asked out of curiosity.
"Well, no duh," She said with a smile, "I have tried everything I can think of. We had tests done on the soil around their water source, the water itself, and we even dug deep down into the ground to try and find something, but there was nothing."
"Have you identified the strain?"
"Well, I know it's man-made. But that is all I've gotten so far." As they talked, she pressed the needle into his arm and injected the vaccine, "Pathetic. I know."
"It's better than having absolutely nothing." he looked at her as she tossed the used needle into the waist basket.
"True." she turned back to him, leaning on the metal table behind her.
"Thank you." he said as he stood to his full height, way above her. She looked up at him with a ghost of a smile playing across her face.
"Hey." Ichigo entered.
"Oh hi." Rukia seemed to brighten up a bit when she saw him. Did she have feelings for this boy? Byakuya wondered.
"We are closing up early today, there's a storm blowing in." he said with a smirk.
"Ok- oh! Ichigo this is Byakuya Kuchiki. Dr. Kuchiki, this is Ichigo Kurosaki, the head of our very elite security team." She sent a wink to Ichigo. Said man offered his hand to the new doctor. Byakuya took it and have it a firm squeeze.
The orange headed man winced ever so slightly at the amount of pressure Byakuya squeezed with.
"Nice to meet you." he said coldly.
"Same here." Ichigo replied, flexing his hand once Byakuya released. Rukia smiled, not noticing the daggers Byakuya glared into Ichigo.
~000~
Byakuya had finally drifted into sleep around ten in his not so comfortable bed. But sleep only brought dreams about that night...
The fire had long since burned itself out when he arrived. A ghost of a man. He looked down at the two bodies of the young couple that had once lived there. Why did his master want the man brought back again? Did he say? No, all he said was that his new clientele had told him to revive the male and leave him to wake next to the dead and now very crispy female.
The shadow knelt down next to the body of the male and placed his pale hand on the dead man's chest. The glow the was emitted from his hand seemed to melt away the ashes and soot that covered the body. The shadowed man stood up and watched as the now very much alive Byakuya coughed and sputtered black from his lungs as he tried to swallow as much air as he could.
When Byakuya sat up and took in his surroundings, there was no one around. He slowly looked to his right and saw the black charred body of his wife.
Byakuya stood and looked down, fighting the pained tears that rushed forward into his eyes.
Two hours later, he had buried her. The pain was damn near unbearable.
It took twelve tries for him to realize that he could not, no matter how hard he tried, kill himself. He simply did not want to live anymore without her. But unfortunately he could not change anything about that. He could not. Die.
Wow! Took me a long time to write this one! What do you think? I am pretty happy with it myself. :) The next chapter probably won't be up for a little while unfortunately. However I will post sooner if I get more comments/reviews... ;)
Thank you all so much!
13 See ya!