Hi there!
Please note that everything I know about police work comes from Brooklyn 99 and Rizzoli and Isles. Please forgive me in advance.
Thank youuu.
Chapter 1 : Welcome back, Ichigo.
'Can I help you?' Detective Kuchiki asked without looking away from her computer screen. She was busy reading the DNA analysis from her latest case when she felt a shadow fall across her desk.
'That's my desk,' said a deep, disgruntled voice.
Who the hell is this clown? she thought. It was usually the night shift who dealt with the crazies.
Still focused on the screen, she replied, letting her irritation show, 'Yeah, I don't think so.'
'Rukia.' This time it was Captain Urahara who spoke, 'This is Detective Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo, Detective Kuchiki'
Turning from the screen, she saw the captain standing next to tall man with orange hair. She wheeled her chair slightly back to get a better look at him. Her gaze travelled pointedly from his black boots, to his blue jeans and white t-shirt, then to his scowling face and ridiculous hair.
'This is Detective Kurosaki?'
For weeks, all everyone's been talking about is Detective Kurosaki's glorious return from a two-year undercover assignment. There wasn't a conversation in which he wasn't the main topic. Having arrived at Karakura PD after he left, all she ever heard were stories of his great sense of justice and amazing crime-solving abilities. She narrowed her eyes at him. His scowl deepened-if that were even possible. She couldn't immediately reconcile any of those stories with the man in front of her. This man looked more like someone she'd book for bar fights, rather than a detective. Much less one everyone was so enamoured by.
'So, for all the time you've been away, it was this desk that kept you going, huh,' she said in a very judgmental tone.
'What? No, that's not-'
She didn't let him finish his sentence. She just turned back to her screen and said, 'I'm not moving. Make him sit somewhere else.'
Detective Kurosaki made a sound as if he was going to saying something but the captain ushered him away.
'Why don't you sit here, Ichigo,' Urahara said, guiding him to the desk in front her.
Just great. Why did the captain have to put him in front of her when there was an unused desk on the far end of the room. Now she would always have his stupid orange hair in her line of sight.
'Where's Chad and Uryu?' she heard Detective Kurosaki ask the captain.
'Out on an investigation,' the captain answered.
'A murder investigation?'
'This is homicide, so…' She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Maybe he didn't hear her. She glanced up to see him scowling at her from his new desk.
Dammit. Well, its not like she had plans to be his best friend or anything. So, she held his gaze, and raised one eyebrow, daring him to say something. The captain looked nervously between them.
'Welcome back, Ichigo!' Detective Madarame burst in, making his way to Kurosaki's desk. 'Finally, my sparring partner is back!'
'Good to be back, Ikkaku,' he said as he stood to clap Ikkaku fondly on the back. Behind Madarame, came Detective Ayasegawa. He at least at the good manners to greet her.
'Good morning, Rukia,' he said as he brushed his perfectly straightened hair away from his face.
'Good morning, Yumichika.' Rukia had always liked Yumichika, but she'd like him better if he wasn't always with Ikkaku. 'I see you've met our Ichigo,' he said, sitting on the edge of her desk.
'Do you think it would be possible to send him down to vice to work with you lot instead, and maybe you or Rangiku could come up here?'
Before Yumichika could reply. Detective Kurosaki came up to her desk, and said in a deeply annoyed voice, 'What's your problem? You don't even know me.'
This was not how Ichigo had pictured his first day back at the precinct to go. He imagined he would be greeted by all his friends, and he would tell them about his mission, and then he would go back to solving murders. It would be like he had never left. But instead, what greeted him was a tiny woman with a serious attitude problem. Yeah, the desk thing was stupid, but she didn't have to be this annoying about it.
She looked away from Yumichika, who twisted around to get a better look at the unfurling conflict. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and said innocently, 'I don't have a problem.'
This just aggravated him more. What's with this act?
"Yeah? Then what's with attitude, midget?' Her expression changed ever so slightly. There, it is. He had her. She crossed her arms, dropping the innocent look. 'I guess I don't take to grown men who squabble over a desk.'
'What?' said Yumichika, smile wide across his handsome face. Ikkaku came closer. The captain sighed in the background.
Before Ichigo could retort, Kuchiki turned to Yumichiki and went on, 'Yeah, he walked in and the very first thing he said to me was'-she dropped her voice to mimic that of a man's - '"That's my desk." '
Yumichika snickered. 'Really, Ichigo, that's the first thing you say to a pretty colleague?'
Ikkaku smacked his arm and said with glee, 'Bold man, picking a fight with Rukia Kuchiki on your first day back. Come on. Yumichika, we gotta tell Renji and Rangiku.'
Ichigo could only watch as Ikkaku and Yumichika walked away, the captain following closely behind. He had no doubt that by midday everyone would know that he, Ichigo Kurosaki, homicide detective, had fought over a fucking desk. There goes his reputation.
This was all her fault. He turned his gaze back to Kuchiki. She met his stare, and rose from her seat.
At her full height, she only came up to his chest. She leaned across her desk and said 'Don't ever call me "midget" again!'
He smirked; he knew that would get to her.
All day people and been coming in and out welcoming Kurosaki back. Anyone would think he was back from the dead the way they behaved. It had gotten so distracting that she had gathered all the evidence from her latest case-the murder of a 20-something bartender-and settled into the breakroom. She was in the middle of making a list of potential suspects when someone walked in.
'Heard you tried to send Ichigo to vice?'
She looked up to see Uryu on his way to the coffee machine.
'It was only a suggestion,' she replied sweetly.
'Coffee?'
'Sure'
'You know, I thought you and Ichigo would get along well,' Uryu said as he placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of her. She scoffed at the idea. Uryu sat across her, picking up one of the crime scene photos. 'I'm serious. Desk saga aside, you two could make a good team.'
Rukia usually held Uryu's opinion in high regard. He was also the most level-headed person she knew. There were countless times when he had to talk her out slapping the crap out of someone.
'Ichigo maybe rough on the outside, and it takes a while, but once you get to know him, he's actually one of the good ones. Just try and be nice, you'll see. '
Rukia sighed. Maybe she did overdo it bit earlier. Maybe she should have given him a chance. Everyone one else liked him well enough.
'Fine,' she conceded, 'tomorrow, I will be nice.'
