Author's notes: Okay, I decided to update things a little earlier than usual. I figured a new chapter on Friday would be better than a new chapter on Monday. So...here's a new chapter!
P.S. Thank you for the reviews as well people adding this story to their favorites. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you all really enjoy reading my story. Hopefully I will continue to make you all happy :).
Summary: Ichigo stumbles upon a deeply kept secret of classmate Rukia. He's pulled into an unknown world of vampires where tragedy and death follow your every footstep and wait to strike.
Rating: T: There is a great deal of violence, gore, bloodshed, and language.
Chapter Three
For Marriage
Fall had begun to settle on Karaukura. The leaves had turned various shades of orange, yellow, and red, and had begun to fall away from the dried branches of the trees. The scene was particularly beautiful around the Kuchiki Manor which was surrounded by a small forest. All was relatively quiet on the Kuchiki property except for the gardeners hard at work removing dead plants and roots, and gossiping servants in the kitchen preparing supper for the masters of the house. Three floors below it was far from quiet.
A sharp clashing of steel blades echoed off the wooden floors of the spacious dojo. Rukia jumped back, her silver blade drawn upwards defensively. Cuts riddled her body and blood stained her fighting gear, but she ignored them and kept her eyes on her brother. Byakuya stood on the other side of the room, his breath steady, his eyes unmoving, but Rukia didn't miss that she had landed a few cuts of her own. There was a long slice across his cheek, blood seeping from it slowly. A proud smile slipped onto her dry lips.
"You've gotten better," Byakuya stated, his blade hanging down by his side. Had it been anyone else she had been fighting, Rukia would have taken a limp sword as a sign of arrogance and stupidity, but she knew that even if she was as fast as her teacher, Kisuke Urahara, Byakuya would still be able to stop her blade.
"Rukia," he finally said, sheathing his sword, a sign that they were finsihed practicing for the day. Rukia sheathed her own sword and approached her brother. "Earlier today I had a talk with Master Yamamoto about Sousuke's proposal."
Rukia stopped in her tracks and stared at her brother. These past three months had been so pleasant. Sousuke wasn't expecting anything from her until her assignment was complete in June, and hadn't said a word to her except the occasional "Hello" with a kiss to the back of her hand or on the cheek. Now her brother had to go and ruin it.
"What about it?" She inquired, successfully covering her perturbed tone.
"He agrees with me, in that the wedding date should not be delayed due to a disadvantageous and simple assignment, to which even the silliest of researchers could complete."
Rukia narrowed her eyes. She agreed with him. The study of teenagers in their natural habitat was completely pointless. They could learn nothing beneficial from it, but if it kept her from marrying Sousuke, then, damn it she would study obnoxious human teens.
"The wedding date will be set for December, and the study at Karakura City High School given to someone else. Until then you are to return to your previous duties of monitoring the Harvest Chamber." Here Byakuya paused before adding, "This also means no more Hunts."
Rukia broke. "What? You have got to be kidding me! You're taking away the Hunt? If you're going to force me to sit and count comatose bodies all day at least let me keep the Hunt," she begged. A mistake on her part. Byakuya did not like begging, and his response to it was to ignore it. He turned and made his way out of the dojo, leaving Rukia behind to stare at his back.
"You are expected at the Karakura City Hospital tomorrow evening. I suggest you get plenty of sleep." And with that he was gone. Rukia glared at the sliding door, wishing she had knives in her hands. She wanted to throw and break something. She had to settle for her other form of release. She stomped up the stairs to her room where she stripped off her sweaty clothes and replaced them with jeans and a tank top. She grabbed a set of keys from her drawer and headed for the garage.
"Heading out Miss Rukia?" Giles asked as she passed him in the hall. She grumbled an answer and he smiled like a knowing father. "The garage door is unlocked and I shall tell Master Renji that you are too busy to see him."
Rukia waved a thank you to her butler and went in search of which car she would drive.
A black Ferrari FX70 raced down the mountain road heading no where in particular. Rukia shifted into fourth gear, her teeth grinding as she thought of the trap she was in and how pissed she was with her brother. She shifted into fifth, taking a tight turn and gunning it on the straightaway. She wouldn't be in such a bad mood if she would be allowed to keep the Hunt. It would have been fine if she would have been pulled off the school project and could still keep her job as a Hunter. There's no better release then hunting down the newly changed animals. She shifted down into first gear as she came across a red light. She contemplated running it, but decided against it.
A few teens crossed the road, a small group, two boys, two girls. The boys eyed the car. One of them tried their hardest to peak through the dark windows where Rukia was smirking, but failed. The girls remained uninterested as they forced the boys to finish crossing the street. The light turned green and Rukia sped to the heart of the city, every so often having to stop for red lights and loud teens crossing the road. Her car received well deserved stares. It was a limited released vehicle that wasn't available until 2011. A dear friend had gifted it to her for her birthday the day after the party.
She pulled up to a tall building at the heart of the city, windows lit up, and vehicles driving in and out of the area including ambulances, and huffed. A thick concrete wall provided a more exclusive atmosphere as well as a perch for a large elegant sign that read "Karakura City Hospital". Of all the places she could have wound up, she ended up at the place she was determined to loath. Above ground were twenty-eight floors of hospital patients and two floors of offices and examining rooms. She wasn't interested in what was visible to the hospital residents and citizens of the city, but what was fifteen floors below the pavement. She pulled through the iron gates and parked her car.
The glass doors separated before her as she entered the brightly lit emergency room. The seats were relatively full, but not one among them were in any serious danger. There were only a few cuts, bruises, and many steady heartbeats. She approached the counter where a nurse looked over some documents in a manila file.
"I'm looking for Director Ryuken Ishida," Rukia said. The nurse stared at her for a moment.
"Are you a patient?"
"No, a visitor for Director Ishida."
"I'm sorry, but the Director is busy."
"Tell him Rukia Kuchiki is waiting for him, you'll find he'll clear his schedule," Rukia replied, her tone still calm and patient. The nurse, however, was getting relatively flustered. She clearly did not like being told what to do.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but-"
"Rei," interrupted a third voice. A young man, about Rukia's apparent age approached the counter. His eyes were steel behind his thin framed glasses, and his blue hair only intensified the white suit he was wearing. The nurse looked up at him and a slight blush crossed her cheeks. "What is going on here?" He asked, his eyes moving from the nurse to Rukia. She noticed how they tightened when they fell on her.
"This young woman wants to see Director Ishida, but-"
"I'm sorry, but he's busy," the young man answered for the nurse. A knowing smile crossed Rukia's lips.
"Uryuu Ishida you always were a tight ass, even when you were crawling on all fours."
The nurse coughed uncomfortably and Uryuu's nostrils flared. Rukia continued to smile. She had known Uryuu Ishida since he was born, hell she occasionally babysat him, when his mother was still alive. When Uryuu was six she passed away and his father cut as many personal ties with the vampires who helped him build his hospital. He hated that they could live forever, but his wife had to die at such a young age. His bitterness passed to his son Uryuu. However, their hatred did not make them stupid. The Coucil paid the hospital very good money to keep what was stored below a secret. Ishida didn't have to worry about running it, touching it, or thinking about it. He simply had to ignore it. It was, however, more difficult to ignore those who had to attend to it.
"What do you want, Rukia?" Uryuu demanded in a harsh whisper. Rukia's smile disappeared as she remembered the reason for her unpleasant visit.
"I need to get downstairs."
"The morgue?" The nurse inquired curiously. Uryuu took Rukia by the elbow and began walking her down a hall, doctors and nurses passing and nodding to Uryuu.
"Why do you need to get down there?" He whispered harshly, "You aren't supposed to-"
"I've been transferred," she said sourly, her lips pouting ever so slightly. Uryuu stared at her.
"Can't say I'm surprised," he finally replied in a bored tone, leading her down another hall. "A hunter is a dangerous position. I'm astonished he even let you into the department. You being the little sister of one of the leading Council Members and all."
Rukia glared at him. "Excuse me for wanting to do something a little more exciting than watching over a room full of nearly dead people."
Uryuu stopped walking and glowered at her. His grip on her elbow tightened, something that would have hurt any normal girl, but both of them knew it would take more than that to hurt her.
"Those 'nearly dead people' are doing you a favor," he said darkly.
"Actually," she corrected him, "They're doing you and other humans a favor. If they weren't around where do you think we would get our food from?"
Uryuu's nose curled in disgust, but he didn't respond. He dropped her elbow and continued walking. Rukia, deciding she had won the disagreement, followed him, a little added skip in her step and a smile on her lips. However, part of her felt guilty for her comment. Sensitivity was required around Uryuu and his father when it came to discussions about the Harvest Chambers. Others were able to remember, but Rukia always had a tendency to forget.
Humans were the cause of some of her problems, in more ways than one. Their offspring were intriguing, so she was put on a research assignment to study them. Humans were delicious, so vampires who didn't agree with the Council's laws or lived outside the Council's jurisdiction would feed on humans and leave behind Newborns that would bring chaos to the area. As a result, teams were formed to hunt down the unstable creatures and clean up the mess. If the Hunt never existed she wouldn't have been demoted. Humans were everywhere, so vampires had to hide themselves. They aged, so she and others would have to move or go into hiding until the people who could remember them died. So many reasons to hate, so little time. Despite her bitter feelings towards humans she generally liked Uryuu, mostly for his honesty, so she often regretted the harsh things she said to him.
Uryuu stopped in front of a service elevator and hit the button. Rukia stepped into place beside him. "Sorry," she mumbled quickly. Uryuu glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"It's all right."
Rukia smiled up at him before the the elevator arrived. He pushed in a button and the doors lifted. They stepped into the lift and Uryuu pushed another button to lower the door. Neither spoke as the elevator descended deep into the earth. The elevator stopped briefly on one floor. Through the grated door Rukia could see the hall leading to the morgue, and smell the strange chemicals coming from the room. Uryuu opened a panel in the corner of the elevator and pushed a series of numbers on the keypad beneath. After the numbers were entered, Uryuu leaned over, taking his glasses off, and a blue light quickly scrolled across his eye. He blinked and replaced his glasses before standing up straight. The floor beneath them shuttered before it began descending into the lower floors.
After, what she estimated to be fifteen to twenty floors, the elevator jolted to a stop. Uryuu pushed a button and the doors opened. A sharp smell filled her nostrils, but she paid it no mind. A gray hall extended before them, lights lining the corners of the walls and ceiling. They stepped out of the elevator and started their long trek down the hall. With every step a memory pulled itself from the darkness.
She recalled, at least one hundred and forty-five years ago, when she was just a little girl, coming to this exact place. She remembered walking down the hall, her mother and father standing on either side of her, their hands clasping hers, and her sister walking in front of them. Her mother had been a tall and beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes, her father stood a head taller than her mother and had dark hair and grey eyes. Her sister, Hisana looked like their mother, but her eyes were a brilliant violet and her demeanor was much more quiet as she moved with the elegance of royalty.
It had been a family trip. Her parents had been advocates of starting up the Harvest Chambers and were visiting the first Chamber established in Karakura City. The experience wasn't grand, or special. It was just another valued memory of her deceased family, but it struck a chord in her heart as she walked down the same hall over a century later along side a human.
At the end of the hall was a bright light. They stepped into the light and Rukia stared in awe. They stood in a cavernous room, shaped very similarly to the Parthenon. Stretching from the metallic walls to the arched ceiling were rows of seven foot long drawers. A touch screen beside each door had a series of encrypted lines. In the center of the room was a u-shaped section of machines with several monitors. Reclining in a decrepit looking chair was a young man with dark hair and a tattoo under his eye. He glanced up at Rukia and Uryuu as they entered the dome and smiled.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Kuchiki princess," he said with a grin. Rukia's eye twitched and she briefly contemplated punching him. He stood and greeted them, his eyes flickering over one of the monitors before focusing on his visitors. "And the Director's boy. What brings you two down here?"
"Shuuhei Hisagi, Rukia's being transferred and she wanted to check out the place before she takes over for you officially," Uryuu explained.
"Really?" Shuuhei said in surprise, "I haven't heard a thing."
"I'm sure you will soon enough," Rukia answered, her bitterness peeking through her tone.
"Not wanting to work down here huh?" Shuuhei asked, a small smirk on his lips.
Rukia scoffed, "Not really. My previous experiences keeping watch were relatively uneventful."
"None taken. I'm not sure much has changed since you were last here. I'm sure it'll be even worse coming from the exciting career of a hunter. "
Beside her Uryuu tensed. Rukia eyed him, well aware of his abrasive feelings toward the Council's treatment of humans who had been changed. He saw the Hunt as a form of abandonment and irresponsible action. Vampires changed the human and should accept the consequences of their actions instead of the original victim being punished and the vampire never brought to justice. Only a few members of the Council saw things Uryuu's way, but not enough to make a difference. Until then, the hunts would continue.
"So, just down here for a look around?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Remember much about your previous duties?"
"It was nearly a century ago in Spain. It was a temporary thing, only during the summer," she explained, recalling her family taking a summer vacation to Spain. The Spanish Council had invited her father to visit their own Chamber. Esctatic to see it he asked if his youngest would be allowed to follow their Monitor around for the remainder of their stay. She wished he hadn't.
The designs of, not only the shape of the room, but also the layout of the capsules was completely different. Instead of having the humans stacked into the walls, the Spanish had them in aisles.
"Well, allow me to refresh your memory," Shuuhei said with a smile. "The machines here monitor the vital signs of each human, as well as which pod is withdrawing blood, which is on stand by, and which is on recovery. You don't do much besides sit here and watch the monitors."
"Wonderful," Rukia replied in a bored tone, her eyes wandering around the dome, "Not much different. Is there an inventory list?" She ignored Uryuu as he cleared his throat.
"Yes-"
"I'd like to look over it, along with a list of the other staff members watching over the Chamber," she demanded. Shuuhei stared at her for a moment, surprised by the command in her voice. Uryuu smiled, amused that Rukia, though new to this specific department, was already taking control. She was very much like her brother: never a fish out of water no matter what unpleasant situation she was thrown into.
"I can have them for you tomorrow before your shift, though I will have to clear this all with Lady Unohana-"
"That's fine." Rukia replied, finally remembering that Retsu Unohana of the Fourth House was responsible for the overall Harvest Chamber department. "My duties start tomorrow night." She turned and made her back towards the elevator. Shuuhei watched her leave, his mouth slightly ajar with her sudden change of attitude.
"Don't worry about it too much, her mood changes quite often," Uryuu explained, bemused by his reaction. Without another word he turned and followed after Rukia leaving Shuuhei to return to his work. Rukia said nothing to Uryuu on the return ride to the first floor of the hospital. She was pouting. She'd held out some hope that it wouldn't be too terribly bad baby sitting capsules, but from the looks of the machines she would be left with nothing to do. Technology back when she was in Spain required the Monitor to constantly check the human's vitals themselves. Occasionally if a machine broke down she would have to drain them by hand, and tend to them. It was still be boring, but at least she had something to do. Now she would just sit there. High school was so much better than this.
The elevator shuttered to a stop and the door lifted open. Bright white walls greeted them as well as doctors and nurses. Some glanced up at Rukia, but when they spied the director's son walking with her they smiled, nodded, and went back to work.
"Are you pleased with your visit?" Uryuu inquired, a playful smile on his thin lips. Rukia glared up at him as they turned a corner.
"Of course not. It's worse than I thought," she grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's ridiculous work that can be done by an idiot."
"I won't tell Shuuhei you said that."
"His talent is being wasted there. He should be a part of a hunting team."
"Maybe he's taking your place," he suggested. Rukia ground her teeth in response.
"Uryuu!"
Both looked up at a tall man with dark spiky hair and a scruffy beard. Rukia surmised he was a doctor by the white coat he was wearing and the clipboard in his hand. He slipped the board into a slot next to one of the patient doors. A large grin spread across his lips as he approached the two of them. Rukia glanced up at him, slightly intrigued by his perky attitude.
"Ah, Doctor Kurosaki, I see you're here past your shift again," Uryuu said with an honest smile. Rukia's eyes widened with recognition as the Doctor laughed.
"You know me, I can never get home on time."
"That must be upsetting to your children."
"Nah, I miss my girls, but Ichigo is always home to watch after them until I get back," Kurosaki said with another laugh. "I'm just about to finish up a couple more patients and then I'll be heading home."
"Very well, I'll let you get back to your work," the men nodded to one another. Rukia and Uryuu kept walking, but she glanced over her shoulder at the older man, trying to spy the similarities between him and the orange-haired teen who she'd met late one night three months ago, and had since seen in her classes. Perhaps in their eyes, and their height, but there was nothing obvious besides those traits.
"Something interesting catch your eye?" Uryuu inquired as they neared the lobby.
"I just know Kurosaki's son," Rukia answered, her temper disappearing from her tone, "He attends Karakura High School. I must say he looks nothing like his father."
"Oh?"
"His father has black hair, but Ichigo has orange." Uryuu cocked a curious eyebrow, but said nothing. "It's quite unusual, especially for the area."
"I'll take that as a compliment," interrupted another deep voice. Standing at the entrance of the hall, leaning against the wall casually, was Ichigo. A mischievous grin playing on his lips, his pale hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Rukia glanced at him curiously while Uryuu glared at him for possibly dirtying his sterile walls. "I never liked being normal."
"Ichigo Kurosaki, I presume," Uryuu cut in. Ichigo's brown eyes, which had been focused on Rukia as if she was the only person in the room, moved onto Uryuu and his perfect white suit. Ichigo nodded. Uryuu smiled and pushed his thin-framed glasses up his nose. "Your father has spoken of you often."
Ichigo scoffed and stood, "That old man never knows when to shut up. How often has he pulled out the naked baby pictures?"
"At least five times in the last two weeks."
"Sorry," Ichigo apologize, though seemingly unphaze by his father's embarrassing actions.
"I'll survive. What can I help you with?" Uryuu inquired, trying to get straight to the point. He wanted to return to work, and both Ichigo and Rukia were preventing him from doing so.
"Just coming to check on the old man. He was supposed to come home an hour ago."
"Isshin took on a few more patients," explained Uryuu, "I'm sure he meant to call and tell you so that you wouldn't worry."
Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Old man never knows when to stop. All right, thanks." Uryuu nodded and waited for Ichigo to leave, but he didn't .
"Is there something else you need?"
"Nah," he replied, his eyes focusing on Rukia once more. Rukia looked into his brow eyes and he smiled. "What are you doing here, Kuchiki?"
Rukia shrugged, "Getting a job for after school," she answered without a moments hesitation. "Assisting the nurses in the coma ward." Ichigo nodded in understanding and intrigue, though she read something in his eye that told her he didn't completely believe her rather believable answer. She broke their gaze and looked up at Uryuu. "Thanks for the tour. I'll see you tomorrow night for my first shift. Good night."
Rukia nodded to both Uryuu and Ichigo and made her way to the sliding glass entrance of the hospital. Both boys watched her leave, as well as a few of the male patients waiting for a doctor to tend to them.
"Anything else I can help you with, Mr. Kurosaki?"
"Nah," Ichigo replied, his eyes still locked on Rukia's back. "I'll see you later, Ryu," he waved, following after Rukia.
"It's Uryuu," Uryuu shouted after him. He sighed when the doors closed behind Ichigo and shook his head. "Ridiculous. I can most definitley see the relation between him and Isshin."
Rukia was almost to her car when Ichigo caught up to her, an easy task when she was walking at a normal human pace with her short legs. She could smell him before he reached her and she hoped he would just walk by her. Instead he followed her to her car. She pulled out her keys and pressed the button to unlock the vehicle. Ichigo stopped beside her and gawked at the sight.
"Is this yours?" he asked in awe.
"It is," she answered sharply.
"I guess someone did buy you the car you wanted."
"It was a gift from a friend."
"A gift?" Rukia nodded, pulling the handle on the door. Ichigo walked around the car, drooling as he inspected the front of the car. "That must be some friend."
"A very good friend. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to leave, I have several things I must attend to."
"Homework?"
"No, I won't be attending Karakura High School any more."
Ichigo stared at her, immediately losing interest in the car. "Why?"
"My brother has decided to start home schooling," She answered, sliding into the seat of her Ferrari. Ichigo moved back around the car and stood between the door and the body of the vehicle preventing her from shutting it.
"Senior year is a little late to start home schooling," he stated, his brown eyes wandering around the interior of the expensive car. Rukia clenched her jaw, annoyed she couldn't come up with a more believable excuse. Graduating early would have been better and would have, hopefully, ended the conversation promptly. But her mind was cluttered with thoughts of switching departments, marrying Sousuke, and plotting her revenge against her brother. Spray painting the dojo would do nicely. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of what he would do to her if she did that. She'd rather marry Sousuke. She shivered again.
"Honestly, it's none of your business," she said harshly, her irritation growing as unwanted thoughts of the wedding filled her mind.
"What's the matter?" he asked, his playful tone changing.
Rukia glanced up at him. The smile was gone from his lips and his brows furrowed as he stared into her violet eyes. There was something deeper behind the question, and for a brief moment she contemplated telling him the truth: that her life was being turned upside down because of an unwanted marriage between her and an older man. Instead she closed her eyes, sighed and glared up at the young boy.
"It's none of your business."
"You're right, but -"
Rukia sigh and climbed out of her car. Ichigo took a step back to give her room, but not far enough so she could close it. "Listen, you don't know me, I don't know you. We are not friends, and we never will be. Get that through you thick, orange skull and leave me alo-"
Heat rushed out from the hospital shaking the ground, knocking Rukia and Ichigo off their feet, threatening to push and roll the cars over. Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the shirt and rolled on top of him as a blast of molten fire shot out from the first and second floor doors and windows. Glass fell on them like rain, and fire washed over them like water. Rukia could feel the the material of her shirt and flesh on her back melt away from the heat. The pain was excruciating, but she clench her mouth shut and tried focused on what was going on around her. People were throwing themselves on the ground, screaming as the hospital burned. The smell of burning flesh, hair, and blood filled the air and Rukia was grateful she'd had blood to drink earlier in the day. Patients and doctors who could, were running out of the building while other patients in the higher floors waved for help from their windows. Just before she lost consciousness she could hear sirens of the police and fire departments in the distance.
Below her Ichigo was clenching his jaw and squeezing his eyes in pain from the cutting shards of glass and burns he'd received from the hot flames. He bit back the pain and looked up at Rukia, her head resting on his chest.
"Idiot," he ground through his teeth. He wondered what she was thinking, throwing herself on top of him. First of all she could barely cover him, and second he could take much more in the ways of pain than her, or so he thought. He gently rolled her off of him, taking great care not to set her on her back. When he was done he inspected the burns on her back. The fire had eaten away her shirt and melded parts of it to the burned the flesh beneath, leaving her with second degree burns, possibly third.
He quickly glanced around the parking lot. It was a disaster zone. Cars were mostly destroyed. Their windows were completely shattered except for the front windshields which were riddled with cracks. Paint had peeled and melted away revealing the steel cage beneath. Even Rukia's car had not survived. Such a waste. He hoped she had insurance. Several people were lying on the ground, their bodies covered with cuts and burns. Some were groaning and screaming in pain, others were completely unresponsive.
Ichigo stood and tried to peer into the hospital as the police and fire trucks arrived. Men rushed out of the vehicles and set to work on putting out the fires on the first two floors. He silently prayed that his idiot of a father was all right. Knowing Isshin, he had survived the fire but was helping those who had been injured by the explosion. One of the few things Ichigo could be proud of was his father's tenacity when it came to his patients and helping people.
Ichigo made his way over to an ambulance that had arrived from another hospital. The two workers were racing around the truck, pulling out their supplies and rushing over to the victims in the parking lot. Ichigo managed to get one of them to lend him some extra bandages and burn cream for Rukia. The worker tossed him the appropriate supplies before running off to help his partner with a screaming woman covered with burns. Ichigo watched them work only for a moment. He made his way back to Rukia and began administering the lotion. When he was finished he tried to figure out a way to wrap her torso without moving her. If she was conscious that would make things easier. With the greatest care, Ichigo began cutting away her shirt and bra from her skin. When all the material had been removed he gently lifted her. He began wrapping at her waist, gradually moving up, slipping the gauze beneath the useless material. He stilled when he felt the soft bottom of her breast. A light blush appeared on his cheeks, but he steeled himself and continued to wrap her wounds. When her breasts were covered, he gingerly removed her shirt and laid her back down on her stomach. Over top of her he placed his jacket and a blanket he'd received from the EMT.
He stood and waved over one of the EMT's and was about to tell him to take her to the other hospital, but a loud scream coming from inside the building caught his attention, as well as the police, firefighters, EMT's and any remaining conscious people. A shadow formed in the middle of the flames and a man came rushing out of the building, carrying something small in his arms. Ichigo grinned when the police and EMTs rushed over to his father, checking his vitals. Isshin shook them off and handed them the object that was in his arms, a small, unconscious child. One of the EMTs began tending to the small boy, while the other continued to try and check on Isshin, but the stubborn man pushed him away and made his way over to Ichigo, grinning proudly.
"Ichigo! I didn't expect to see you here," he said conversationally as though the hospital behind him wasn't on fire. Ichigo stared at him before his brown eyes landed on Rukia. Isshin followed his gaze, his expression becoming grim. "Is she a friend?"
"Yeah...I guess you could say that," he answered, not sure if she would be pleased that he'd taken it upon himself to call her a friend after what she had told him before the explosion.
"Take her home."
"What?" Ichigo looked back at him, surprised by his response. "Why? I have an EMT preparing to take her to All Saints hospital."
"Karakura Hospital is being completely evacuated once the fires have been put out and it's determined that it's safe to move them. All Saints will be packed. She'll get better care at home."
Ichigo scrunched up his face, unsure of whether to believe his father's judgement. He'd always had shaky reasons for doing things, but when it came to medical advice Ichigo had to give Isshin credit: he knew what he was doing. If Isshin said they had supplies to tend to Rukia's burns, then Ichigo could only believe him.
"Fine," Ichigo finally conceded with a sigh.
"Good! Now get her out of here so the EMTs and everyone else can do their job, you're getting in the way." Before Ichigo could argue any further Isshin threw him the keys to the family car parked on the street, and rushed past the police and firefighters and into the still burning building. He stared after his father and wondered if he was right in the head. Jingling the keys in his hand, Ichigo turned back to Rukia, his brown eyes filling with regret. If he had let her leave she wouldn't be in this situation. Damn his insistence.
Next chapter: For the Job