A/N: Kind of a filler chapter, and congratulations to SerenityxAngel! She was the 150th reviewer and so someone will show up in this chapter for her.
Ichigo's eyes opened, it took him a moment to figure out where he was. He felt something—no—someone stir beside him. Ichigo looked down to see Rukia against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. She was fortunate she was so tiny. Rukia's head lifted from its spot and she raised an eyebrow at her companion.
"Why are you here?" She whispered, her violet eyes moving to see Rangiku and Renji still fast asleep. Renji was lightly snoring.
"Remember last night?" He asked staring at her with wide eyes, had she forgotten everything? Rukia's face turned a bright shade of pink, "I'm getting up." She said pressing her hand onto his stomach, causing the man to groan and as she literally climbed over him.
"I didn't know you were so rough Rukia-Chan!" Rangiku said giggling, Rukia's cheeks heated up. "Quiet! You'll wake Renji!" She scolded in attempt to make her red cheeks an act of anger rather than embarrassment.
Renji chuckled, "Who could sleep with this racket?" He said getting up and stretching. Rangiku laughed and made an obscene gesture with her two hands. Ichigo scowled through his blush. "I'm going to make breakfast!" Rukia quickly announced turning on her heel and rushing to the kitchen, practically tripping over her two feet. "Oh! Let me help!" Rangiku said hastening to her feet and following the petite raven-haired co-worker. Ichigo lifted his left arm to see the time on his watch and then he let out a sigh.
"Rukia! I gotta go." He said kicking that Chappy blanket off his legs and standing up from the couch. He walked around the couch and almost ran into said girl when she was exiting the kitchen.
"Looks like you're gonna miss out on breakfast!" She said smiling, Ichigo reached out and ruffled her already messy hair, and Rukia punched him in the gut playfully. "Looks like it."
"Are you gonna be at the café?" She asked almost hoping he'd say yes…key word: almost.
He smirked, "You'll have to wait and see." Ichigo gave a wave to Rangiku before grabbing his keys and jacket, leaving her apartment with a smirk still on his face. Renji let out a yawn, "after breakfast, I have to go and meet my new partner…" Renji said picking the many colored blankets off the floor.
"Are you excited?" Rangiku asked pouring glasses of orange juice, Renji shrugged. "I guess." Rangiku and Rukia nodded before returning to their work, this would be considered more a brunch anyways, considering that it was already after twelve. Renji folded the blankets and set them down by her bedroom door, was he excited? Not really…it was just another partner and soon that partner would leave to do bigger and better things.
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Orihime awoke that morning, still no Ichigo, she sighed and made the bed. Orihime took her cell phone from her nightstand and called Tatsuki. She really hoped her long-time friend wasn't mad at her after the way she acted last night.
"Hello?" Tatsuki answered her phone pressed between her ear and shoulder as she slid on her jeans.
"Tatsuki-Chan, are you busy?" Orihime asked sitting down at the kitchen table, holding Uryu's number in her hand.
"Just getting ready for work." Tatsuki explained while combing her hair.
"What if Ichigo loves someone else? That would explain a lot wouldn't it?" Orihime said biting her lip, as the tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Orihime, you're being paranoid. I really have to get going now or I'll be late." Tatsuki said tying her shoes.
"Oh? Um…okay." Orihime said wiping her eyes with the back of her free hand.
"See ya." Tatsuki said before hanging up.
Orihime snapped her phone shut and rested her forehead on the table's cool surface. Kurosaki-kun…has our love truly just been a fairytale?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-
Renji waited anxiously, ruffling through papers on his desk. He had to meet his new partner today, what if he doesn't like him? What if the guy screws up? What if…
"Mr. Abarai?" said a clam voice from behind him, Renji turned around and his jaw fell to the floor. She wasn't the girly-girl type, he could tell, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with one red strip going down the right side. He stood, "You must be Ms. Arisawa?" He said extending his hand; he only had her name to go off of when his chief told him he was getting a partner. She shook his hand firmly before walking over to the desk across from his.
Renji grinned to himself, she reminded him of Rukia, maybe it was the way she held herself that confident air that seemed to shimmer around her. Tatsuki let out a tired sigh and then folded her hands on the paper filled desk, "So? Are you my senior or something?" She asked with a small smile. Renji sat back down and grinned, placing his hands on the back of his head and leaning back in the gray chair. "Nah, we're equals." He said kicking his feet up onto his desk, Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at his antics.
"The case file is on your keyboard." He said nodding to it, Tatsuki nodded and opened the manila folder. Her heart flipped and stomach quenched, "a mass murder, eh?" she said reading over the file. Renji nodded solemnly, "No leads. The guy is invisible." He said watching and reading her expression carefully. Tatsuki set the file down,
"Well then, Mr. Abarai…it's up to us to bring this man to justice." She said smirking. Renji grinned, "first we gotta find the guy, and then we can bring him to justice." He said and Tatsuki nodded at his words.
"Call me Renji." He added casually before dropping his feet to the floor and standing from the chair, "I'm gonna go talk to the chief." He said while Tatsuki turned on the computer at her desk.
-.-.-.-.-.-..--..-.-.-..-
Orihime dialed Ichigo's cell number one last time before she would head out to work…
-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-
"Eh? What's that noise?" Rangiku said lifting her head from the pillow it was currently resting on.
Rukia's living room was now tidy and the breakfast dishes now lay in the sink with piles of bubbles surrounding them. Rangiku looked around from her spot curled up on the couch. Rukia walked out of the bathroom, her hair neatly brushed in its usual style.
"Rukia is your phone on?"
"What? No." Rukia said taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch. She felt a soft vibration near her back. Rukia twisted around and pulled out a sliver phone that was vibrating in her hand, the word 'Inoue' on the front screen. Rukia didn't know anyone named Inoue, weird.
"Oh! This must be Ichigo's phone!" Rukia said with a gasp, Rangiku smiled and nudged her friend with her foot. The phone soon stopped vibrating and Rukia set it down on the side table near her side deciding that she'll return it to Ichigo when she sees him again.
"You like him huh?" Rangiku asked nudging Rukia again, Rukia turned her head away as a blush crept on her face.
"Tell me!!" Rangiku pouted, "C'mon Rukia-Chan there is no hurt in a little crush! Tell me!" Rangiku gave a dramatic sigh and continued to nudge Rukia's side with her foot because she was too tired to do anything else. "Why won't you tell me?" Rangiku said pretending to sob.
"Okay! I…do okay?" Rukia said as her cheeks turned a bright crimson color.
"Oh!!! That is so super sweet!!" Rangiku gushed clasping her hands together.
"Just a little though!" Rukia said raising her hands in defense,
"Oh admit it! The chemistry between you to is bubbling over!" Rangiku said bouncing in her spot. Rukia stood quickly,
"I'm gonna…um…do the dishes!" Rukia announced before scurrying off to the kitchen as fast as her feet could take her.
"Ah, true love!" Rangiku said with a dreamy sigh as she rested her head back on the pillow. 'Just don't hurt her Kurosaki.'
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ichigo clipped his ID onto the front of his navy scrubs. He walked out to the front desk and was greeted by a smiling nurse with her hair in a bun. "Morning Kurosaki-san!" She said handing him his chart.
"Hey Hinamori…have you been working all night?" He asked noticing the dark circles under her eyes that she had been trying to hide with make-up. Hinamori blushed deeply, Ichigo just nodded.
"Where have you been going that's got Orihime all worked up?" Hinamori asked looking back at the computer. Ichigo just shrugged as he flipped through the papers.
"Who knows with her." He said before taking the pen out of his pocket and scribbling something down.
"Don't worry Kurosaki-san, I informed the nurses so no matter what we have your back!" Hinamori said cheerfully before hiding her yawn behind her hand.
"Why?" Ichigo had to ask as his eyebrows rose, Hinamori fiddled with a pen that was near the keyboard.
"You really care for your patients…it's just so admirable. All the nurses and other interns really look up to you. Ichigo Kurosaki, you are a surgeon that doesn't just think of patients as…well something to cut up." Hinamori said her kind brown eyes sparkling in the light. Ichigo grinned.
"I won't let you down then." He said before giving a slight wave and heading off to do his rounds. Hinamori smiled and rubbed her eyes, "Kurosaki-san…you can't fool the eyes of a woman." Hinamori looked back up at the screen of the computer. "You have your eyes on someone other than Orihime." Hinamori yawned again before starting to type, she need the extra hours anyway, so it wasn't bothersome just really tiring.
Ichigo stood at the bedside of a pregnant woman and her husband who was holding her hand.
"We're going to need to perform a C-section." Ichigo said calmly his eyes focused on the couple.
"I wanted a natural birth though…" The woman said tears brimming her eyes. "It's okay sweetie." The husband said wiping away her tears with this thumb.
"If we let the infection spread, it could hurt the baby. We need your consent." Ichigo said watching the exchange worried glances.
"Alright…." the woman said resting her hand on her stomach. Ichigo nodded, "you'll be fine and so will your baby, now if you'll excuse me." Ichigo said with a slight bow before heading out of the room.
"Prep Serenity for surgery, we need to perform a C-section." Ichigo said to the head surgeon, who nodded and ordered two nurses to go out to see her. Ichigo folded his arms over his chest, a smile tugging at his lips, he idly wondered what Rukia would think if she saw him in his workplace.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.--.-.-.
Orihime pinned her hair up and sighed, no answer from his cell and he hasn't been home. Orihime shook her head, "stop thinking so much! You have to be cheery and happy for the customers!" Orihime said grinning in the mirror. Her face read happy but her heart was being tugged with anxiety.
.-.-.-.-.-..-.--..--.
Grimmjow clenched his fist as he looked at Ulquorria. His eyes were burning, dark orbs surrounded by an icy fire. "Idiot! I know you told Nel to join those damn street fights! Why?" Grimmjow yelled at Ulquorria, his lips in a set frown.
Ulquorria said nothing and that only made Grimmjow want to crush the guy's head in more. "Answer me damnit!" He yelled grabbing Ulquorria by the front of the shirt and slamming into the wall. "Tell me why!" Grimmjow said his face an inch away from Ulquorria. "I swear to god I'll kill you for hurting her! I'll fucking kill you!" Grimmjow yelled tightening his grip on the other man.
"Why do you care?" Ulquorria said narrowing his green eyes as the pierced into Grimmjow's bright blue ones. Grimmjow roughly released his grip and punched Ulquorria in the gut before walking away. Ulquorria gasped as he lost his breath for a brief moment, he coughed as his diaphragm struggled to regain his normal breath.
"That's none of your business." Grimmjow said before sitting down in his chair and kicking his feet up on their makeshift coffee table. 'I finally figured it out. The reason why I couldn't make a move on the sexy little Rukia was not because Ichigo acted so protective. It was because of you Nel.' Grimmjow leaned back in his chair and watched as the news talked about the mystery murder. Ulquorria gave a fleeting glance to his gang leader before opening the door and slamming it shut. 'I was right. You have something for Nel, question is…does she feel the same way for you? A woman can destroy cities and bring the strongest men to their knees…if only I knew how deep Nel was in your heart.' With that final thought Ulquorria stepped outside and walked in silence to his car, pulling the hood of his jacket over his dark hair and scowling the whole way there.
A/N: Okay, CAPT is all this week and some of next week. That means something-something-something-test! It's evil! Bubble sheets and writing until your hand is sore!
Hinamori coming into the story was Serenity Angel's request, and the random pregnant lady that I put in there named after her. Haha, also I want to give a special big thanks to:
Alice001 who is/will be beta'ing for this story!!
Give her some love everyone! And lastly, write reviews and I'll reply to them.
