Chapter 8: Stay
~Rukia~
Do not believe a word that Rangiku Ichimaru née Matsumoto said because:
A) That woman's a walking bundle of pregnancy hormones right now.
B) That woman was convinced that there's something beyond platonic friendship between her and Ichigo.
C) Rukia Kuchiki so did not take off like a deranged woman down the street when she got that phone call from Seattle Grace Mercy West about a certain strawberry.
Good God, just what was it with the traffic today?! Couldn't they go any faster!
"I think that you should just walk up to that sexy strawberry of yours, tear off his clothes and r-"
XXX
A horrified Rukia immediately clamped an iron-clad grip on the chirpy blonde's mouth before further damages could be inflicted on both her and her best friend's reputations. She really didn't need to hear that.
"There is absolutely NOTHING going on between me and Ichigo," hissed the Kuchiki heiress heatedly as she fixed her legendary glare on the voluptuous blonde seated in front of her. Generally speaking the glare would have left a weaker soul paralyzed with fear and warranted a change in the topics.
Rangiku Matsumoto however was not perturbed by the slightest bit, and replied with a good-natured smirk, followed by the customary roll of her baby blue eyes. Her dimples showed as she spoke up.
"Honey, saying that there's NOTHING going on between you two is as good as saying that I'm NOT expecting," she teased and winked. Her hand lingered protectively on her baby bump- the dazzling 8-carat Harry Winston wedding ring glinting when the sun caught its gaze at the right angle.
Rukia scowled in response and viciously stabbed her fork into the juicy tenderloin, half-imagining that she was tearing into the flesh of the blonde's.
The two women were comfortably nestled under the mustard yellow beach umbrellas of the fabled Juushiro's Cafe. She was having the café's signature dish- Beef Tenderloin in BBQ sauce and under normal circumstances, the plate would have been licked clean of morsels. Today however was the day when the authoress had her healthy appetite ruined.
It's not that Rangiku was a horrible woman of course, but by God that lady's pigheadedness was legendary and her conviction in her own abilities as a matchmaker was sorely misplaced, especially if she was trying to match-make a certain petite heiress with the latter's best friend.
The strawberry blonde had been a staunch lobbyist of what she called the 'Ichiruki' campaign since Rukia's college days and her enthusiasm was … scary to say the least and now that the woman's got herself saddled with both wifehood and motherhood, she's apparently been reinvigorated to restart the campaign.
And you do not want to be the centre of attention in Rangiku's matchmaking schemes!
She shuddered. That woman was brutal.
"Ran, please for the love of God and Chappy, just drop the whole Ichiruki business already! You need to stop making sly suggestions or worse, insinuating to Ishida-san and the others that there's something beyond genuine friendship between me and Ichigo. It makes things very awkward," pleaded the petite woman futilely as she massaged her throbbing temple.
The older woman's eyes twinkled mischievously and immediately piped up in a shrilly voice, clapping her hands together theatrically.
"Awkward, you say?" she smirked. "Well why don't you guys take the opportunity to put those rumours and insinuations to rest and go resolve your UST in that passionate manner of yours. I'm not sure if you and that strawberry of yours ever noticed, but it can be very stifling and I'm sure Ishida-san agrees with me on that."
Rukia raised her eyebrow.
Ishida-san? UST?
What on earth was that woman talking about?
"It's spring! A new beginning for a new year- the perfect time for love, sunshine and making babies! In fact make him your new year resolution, I mean it- you two should go lock yourselves in a broom closet or something and don't come out until you," she pointed a perfectly manicured index finger at the heiress, "pop up some orange-haired, violet-eyed Kurosaki babies."
Rukia's cheeks turned red while the buxom blonde then had the audacity to wink at her and wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Buzz!
XXX
Her iPhone had decided to finally make its long-awaited appearance and the authoress thanked God Almighty for the divine intervention. She fished for her phone from the depths of her studded black tote bag and enjoyed a moment of faint amusement as she watched the older woman pout from the corner of her eyes.
"Hello? Is this Miss Rukia Kuchiki?"
Her heart skipped a beat- something was wrong.
She frowned and blatantly ignored the questioning look that Ran had on her face. In her haste to answer the call and save herself from the pregnant woman's volley of insinuating suggestions, she had once again neglected to check the caller ID.
"Yes, this is Miss Kuchiki speaking," she replied politely.
"Miss Kuchiki, I'm calling from Seattle Grace Mercy West. Are you aware that you are listed as Dr. Ichigo Kurosaki's emergency contact person?"
She froze. She knew for a fact that Ichigo didn't have a significant other for the moment and his emergency contact persons were her, Ishida-san and his twin sisters studying in California, listed in that particular order, but for the hospital to call?
Rukia gulped. She recalled the shoot-out incident that happened vividly. The attack felt so incredibly personal- like it had just happened in the back garden of her apartment complex and she felt too raw to even speak.
XXX
They both sat transfixed in front of the flashing screen, completely absorbed until the minute the threat was declared neutralized and people began rushing out. She was still dressed in sweatpants- having just woken up when the broadcast started and he was dressed in suit and tie- about to head out for an interview that never happened.
The news had only interrupted their late morning routine that day but for others, it could have very well changed the course of their lives.
She sat unblinkingly- arms hugging her knees and her mind miles away. Next to her, Ichigo was like a statue of silence. They were sitting next to each other- shoulders grazing and knees almost touching on the tiny two-seater.
The newscasters were reporting on the death of a doctor who was killed while trying to protect his patients when she felt Ichigo move- suddenly sitting up straight and half-turning his face towards her.
"I would do it too, you know," Ichigo's admission cut deep into her psyche, forcing her to meet his gaze, "If it was down to me and my patients, I would put myself between them and that piece of shit every time."
It was an eerie sight with his sharp outlines illuminated only by the harsh light from the TV and the depressing news hanging above them like an ominous storm.
Her eyes narrowed at the remark. Like hell he would!
She reacted- closing the distance between them and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him down until she could feel his breath on her, their noses practically touching.
Her eyes stared deep into his and her grip tightened. How could he be so stupid?
"Who do you think you are? Superman?" she growled and he was taken aback by her aggressiveness- as if dying for his patients was a decision that should have come as easily as breathing to him and she hated him all the more for that. How could he be so selfish- what the hell did he see himself as?
"Do you think that Karin and Yuzu would want that?" she asked, "How would your father feel about having to bury his eldest child and only son, huh?"
Her harsh tone could cut through stone but he sat there unflinchingly.
"I swore an oath to protect those under my care," he told her, "that is the sort of man I was raised to be. My family would understand if in dying I was living up to my namesake."
His hands came to rest on top of hers but didn't even try to pry her death-like grip off the wrinkled shirt. There it was again- that soft, understanding look he was giving her, like he was some goddamned saint destined to die for the greater good and she was the irrational clown who wouldn't understand compassion if it hit her on the head.
Fine! She thought angrily- rot, die, perish! See if she cared!
She exhaled sharply- as loud as fingernails scratching on a chalkboard in the dark room.
"Don't you dare make stupid comments like that again!" she snarled as she released her grip. She assumed her original position on her corner of the sofa- silent but furious, fully ignoring the look of surprise reflected in his eyes.
"I won't forgive you."
XXX
That memory was still fresh on her mind and the conviction behind his words and decision scared her.
Something heavy lodged itself at the base of her throat and for a moment, she struggled to breathe.
She hated this sense of neediness and fear, the over-whelming feeling of being suffocated with your heart being squeezed so tightly that it hurt to even think.
"Hello? Miss Kuchiki, are you there?"
Right, Rukia gathered her wits about her. No dignified member of the noble clan of Kuchiki would lose her head in a moment like this.
Besides, it's just a phone call from the hospital. If there really was a shoot-out, surely it would've been on live TV broadcast by now and the café had 3 perfectly functioning LCD screens on its premises.
But what if they're only calling the emergency contacts of the deceased, then wouldn't that mean that Ichigo, that badass, pain-in-the-neck of a loathsome strawberry of hers was.. was…
Right.
Calm down.
Breathe in and out.
That's it. No use in alarming the pregnant woman sitting opposite her.
She cleared her throat and willed herself to project that eternally calm Kuchiki persona but that didn't mean that she could keep her hands steady and her tone even when she replied.
"Did something happen to Ichigo?" she queried sharply, too concerned about her friend's well-being to act otherwise.
Please say 'no'.
Please.
Please.
Please.
XXX
She heard a sigh from the other end and had her worst fears confirmed.
"Dr. Kurosaki is in the ER right now."
The phone line abruptly went static.
XXX
Something horrible settled within her throughout the entire journey. She thought that it felt remarkably like lead- heavy and toxic, nulling her senses and coursing through her veins like the poison that it was. Everything inside her- every fiber of her being was screaming her to go faster.
She ran through at least two traffic lights in her haste to get to the hospital- narrowly missing an incoming car on the second one but never once did she lift her foot from the gas pedal. She honked, she cursed and she very nearly caused an accident on her way to the hospital, but she didn't give a damn about it all.
All she thought about was going faster- she had to get to Ichigo!
When she finally did find a parking spot- very much amazed that she hadn't just left her car outside the front doors of the hospital irresponsibly, she had all but sprinted into the building and made a beeline for the reception desk.
"I am looking for Dr. Kurosaki," she slammed her hand down at the receptionist's desk. "Where is he?"
There were at least thirty sets of eye boring into her and judging her for the very rude display. The Kuchiki in her should feel ashamed at her lack of manners but she didn't care. She focused her laser-like gaze on the receptionist.
"I got a phone call from the hospital, saying that he is in the ER."
"I'll have a look on the computer for you, Miss -"
"It's Kuchiki!" she snapped, "Is he alright? Why is he in the ER? Is he injured badly? What happened?"
Words were tumbling out of her mouth faster than she could think and in her haste, her tone gained desperation and she could feel her voice breaking.
"Please, calm down Miss Kuchiki. Dr. Kurosaki is fine."
"Fine?!" she shrieked- such a far cry from the calm collected noblewoman she normally was. No- he was NOT fine, that was the very reason they called her in the first place, because he was in trouble and he needed- God, yes he needed her!
"Rukia-san!"
She half-turned and saw Ishida-san running towards her. He must have known that she was coming!
Thank GOD!
XXX
Propriety be damned!
She grabbed hold of the doctor's arms and forcibly dragged him to her eye-level.
"Take me to him," she pleaded.
If the bespectacled man was surprised by her actions, it did not show on his face. He merely adjusted his glasses and wordlessly led her away.
Seconds trickled by and all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating tersely. She didn't quite know what to expect. Ichigo was injured, she gathered that much from the phone call- but to what extent?
People didn't end up in the ER from paper cuts and stubbed toes.
She was naturally inclined to assume the worst case scenario and her mind was only too happy to start producing possible ideas as to how and what had happened to her best friend.
Was he dead?
She glanced at the black-haired man in front of her. He hadn't even blinked at her rude behaviour, nor had he seemed surprised by it. Was it because he pitied her- knowing that Ichigo was dead and she was going to be inconsolable no matter what?
No, she thought; it couldn't be! Ichigo can't die- not like this.
Even when she called him a pain in the ass, and sometimes joked that the only thing he brought to their friendship was the height advantage- she bit down on her tongue; she didn't mean it like that and that's not true!
Ichigo Kurosaki brought a lot of things to the table. He showed her that she didn't need to wear heels to feel pretty, sat through movie after movie with her when she felt sad but couldn't find the words to express it, and when she lost her job-
He's a good person, a great friend- the only person she sometimes thinks will put up with her bullshit not because he has to, but because -
Creak!
XXX
The sound of the double-barrel doors being pushed open made her stop in her tracks. There was no time to think, she realized; no time to run-
They were here now.
She could scarcely breathe, not until she saw him.
She froze- eyes boring so hard into him that if he had been a lesser man, he would have been burnt by the sheer intensity. Slowly but surely she began to breathe again.
He was there, sitting upright on a hospital bed- still in his doctor's coat, bags under his eyes and looking like he very much wanted the day to be over now. She could see why- his left arm was in a cast, a myriad of bruises dotted his face and-
Dear GOD, were those stitches?
XXX
"Rukia," he called out to her and she swore she had never ever felt so glad to hear her name before, "Woman, I would literally marry you on the spot right now- Ishida can be the priest or witness or whatever, I don't care- if you have a decent cup of coffee with you."
He had meant it as a joke of course but when their eyes met, they could both tell- something about them, about their friendship had changed.
There was something in her eyes that haunted him. He made a motion to get up, to cross the room to get to her; but she was faster.
In what she would describe later as the most embarrassing thing she had ever done in her life as a Kuchiki noblewoman, Rukia Kuchiki had ran (yes, I kid you not- ran) towards her best friend and tackled him, all done in the full view of Dr. Uryuu Ishida, ward nurses and numerous ER patients.
To say that Ichigo was taken aback by her dramatic response would be an understatement. He didn't think her Kuchiki upbringing allowed her to behave in any other way besides polite and proper (at least in public anyway). But when he noticed that she was crying- literally tears running down her face and bawl-your-eyes-out-ugly-crying, that's when he really started panicking.
Rukia Kuchiki did not cry- not when she thought her only brother was involved in a road accident and had died, not when she lost her job to some second-rate, brown-nosing newcomer her boss was secretly sleeping with, and certainly not when some motherfucker who selfishly led her on for god-knows-how-long finally came back to break off their engagement for good.
But look at her now! Crying- on top of him, in front of all these people too!
The Rukia he knew would rather die than let others see her like this. He gave the other doctor a meaningful look- hoping that the bespectacled psychiatrist would understand.
Thankfully, the latter was in a good mood and only sighed before reaching for the patient's notes at the foot of the bed. There was a brief clicking of pens, some messy scribbles scrawled on paper and he was gone- blue curtains up and the two were completely shielded from public scrutiny.
"Hey," he whispered softly to her, awkwardly trying to wrap his good arm around her, "come on, midget. It's not that bad, is it?"
Her only response to this was a loud and pitiful whimper before attempting to bury herself further into him, her mind set on the idea of using his shirt as her personal handkerchief. It wasn't like she didn't realize how out-of-character she was behaving but she didn't let him go.
She was still shaking and her knees wobbled horribly. It would be more embarrassing if she picked herself up only to fall face flat on the floor.
Unaware of her inner turmoil but resigned to his fate, he allowed her to cling on to him- like she was a tiny koala bear and he was her tree, her home, her whole world. He was a lousy friend- a schadenfreude to a fault but her emotional display- this vulnerable woman in his arms who he can barely recognize as his tough-as-nail midget- it made him feel special.
Maybe, just maybe- he bit the inside of his cheeks when he allowed the downright scandalous idea to go to his head- maybe to Rukia Kuchiki, Ichigo Kurosaki was an exception to the rule, an outlier- wedged somewhere between that freakish cartoon rabbit and her scary popsicle of a brother.
"Shhh, it's alright. I'm alright, Rukia. I'm here," his words were barely audible as she listened to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. He kept repeating the words while stroking her hair- like a mantra, like a prayer; louder and stronger until she too believed them.
Slowly, she moved away from him- easing her tight hold bit by bit until she could sit upright by herself without support. She lifted her gaze upwards to meet his and gently cradled his battered face in her hands. At first her touch was curiously hesitant- she looked at him, wordlessly asking him for his permission to touch. His response to that was to swipe away a sliding tear with his thumb.
Go ahead.
XXX
Her cold fingers pressed down on his cheek and he stiffened but quickly relaxed. Naked skin contact was still an unfamiliar territory between them but he was coming into terms with the innocent skinship affection. After all what was physical contact compared to all the emotional shit they've been through for each other- he's seen her at her drunken worst and that hadn't stopped him from taking care of her yet.
Why should Rukia- the epitome of his BFF and quite possibly the only person with a big enough heart to accept all his moody tsundere tendencies- behave otherwise with him?
Emboldened by his new found resolve, he leaned into her touch- letting her map his injuries with a free rein.
If it's Rukia, he would let her.
There was nothing but concern in her eyes as she inspected his face. The bruises were the least she should be worried about, his left eye was actually swollen and when her fingers accidentally brushed against the tiny cuts along the side of his face- he had flinched and hissed in pain.
Her eyes widened as she took in the full extent of his injuries. His left arm was set in cast and if she were to unbutton his shirt, she would probably find a score of black and blues along the chest too.
She swiped at her tears angrily, hating the tremble in her voice that wouldn't even let her speak.
"W-Who did this?"
He pursed his lips. "I put myself between an expecting mother and her abusive ex," he frowned, "asshole brought along a baseball bat. Hence," he gestured towards his injuries and the room, "the ER visit and emergency call."
"D-Did they catch that son-of-a-bitch?"
"Oh yeah," he chuckled darkly, "his ex-wife is pressing charges and you can bet your ass, I am going to do the same. He's going away for a very long time."
The woman gave a wobbly smile at that but she was far from appeased, especially when she saw the deep gash by his temple. It was jagged and deep- definitely going to leave a scar when it healed.
"I-I-I-I am s-s-so sorry," she croaked between hiccups.
The doctor had merely scoffed. "Don't be stupid. There's nothing to apologize for," he told her firmly, "It's not your fault."
It was stupid- he was stupid. The whole thing was just so stupid to begin with but she felt so guilty- she was so thoughtless and stupid. How could she just throw herself at him like that? Not only was it embarrassing but it was probably a lot more painful than he let on.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, feeling a fresh batch of tears coming on.
"Come on, midget. A broken ulna is nothing. Ishida's realigned it now and they gave me tramadol for the pain. Seriously it's all good."
"R-RReally?"
He nodded vigorously. "I swear to you- I don't even have to stay overnight in the hospital. Just have to come in for X-rays every now and then to make sure it's healing alright."
"What about the stitches?"
"Nothing to worry about," he reassured her, "They come off in a few weeks and it's close enough to my hairline that I can wear bangs or- or even a man-fringe to cover it up and no one will notice a thing. I promise."
She sniffed and became horribly conscious that she had been holding on to him for too long. She let her hands fall limply by her side and scooted away from him until she was sitting at the other end of the bed. He heaved a sigh of relief as she quieted down, seemingly placated.
"So," he teased, "not going to lecture me for being reckless or endangering my life for my patients?"
She rolled her eyes. Her nose, her eyes- heck her entire face was red and blotchy from crying so the gesture was far less intimidating than it usually was but he caught the sentiment all the same. There she was- there was the sarcastic little drama queen that he knew.
And thank God for that because he was running out of ways to comfort her and this close to begging.
"It's your life," she snipped, "If you want to go ahead and off yourself, hey- who was I to get in the way?"
He smirked playfully. "Yet I remember someone getting all emotional and ugly-crying on top of me just now."
Rukia could feel her face grow hot but her tear-stained face was blotchy to begin with so the blush was easily disguised.
"Yeah well. I was… I was in shock."
His smirk widened and his smug tone irritated her. "Sure, whatever you say."
Her eyebrow twitched.
"I hate you!"
"Nah," he chuckled, "admit it. Rukia, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself if I actually died."
She crossed her arms defensively. "Yeah well smartass, that's only natural! You're my nakama- my best friend!"
His smile froze- body stiffened for only a fraction of a second but she noticed.
His expression was thoughtful- a cross between a frown and something like disappointment in his eyes, but Rukia didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't a look that she recognized from him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, afraid that he had accidentally moved an injured body part or was only just becoming aware about a new injury that had not been identified earlier.
"Are you okay?"
He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "It's nothing," he grumbled as he resolutely pushed the dangerous thoughts away. Now was not the right time and place, he didn't want to let anything slip out prematurely.
Her eyes sought out his- saw the pain and irritation that was there, so she pressed on, "I can get the nurses if you need more pain meds."
He waved off her concern but she was not convinced. He must be too embarrassed to ask for the nurses' help.
No matter, she thought- "I will get Ishida-san."
He bristled- his good hand reached out to grab hold of her wrist when she pushed herself off the bed. She half-turned- her eyes wide with surprise and concern. She hated seeing him like this but she didn't know how to help him.
She brushed her stray bang away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
Tell me what's wrong.
Tell me so I can help you.
XXX
He sighed and pulled her closer to the bed. "It's nothing," he lied, shutting his eyes to feign tiredness. "It's just the painkillers kicking in- am feeling sleepy. That's all."
The woman nodded. "I'll go and take care of the paperwork."
No point in prolonging the hospital stay- today was already more excitement than she could handle and she was quite ready to go home.
He tightened his grip on her. "Don't bother. Ishida is already on it."
"Okay," she said dumbly, letting herself be pulled towards her best friend until she was sitting on the bed and still, he didn't let go of her.
Seeing as to how he was injured, Rukia didn't have the heart in her to pry his fingers off and chose to humour him- letting him hold on to her wrist indefinitely even when she could feel her arm going slightly numb. They sat in comfortable silence, seemingly forgotten by time- shielded from the bustling busy environment of the ER ward by the flimsy blue curtains.
She glanced at his sleeping form, wondering if he was actually asleep and if he could hear what she was about to say. Carefully, Rukia leaned in and whispered softly to his ears, "I think you did a very brave thing today."
"You saved the poor woman and her baby."
She swallowed thickly.
"If you had actually died today, trying to save them-," her voice choked and she could feel herself tearing up again but she stubbornly opened her eyes wide, "Don't get me wrong. I would still hate you for dying but- but- I can come to terms with it, I think."
"'He who protects', right?" she gently kissed his cheek, "Thank you for not dying, Dr. Ichigo Kurosaki."
Imagine her surprise when she saw a pair of hazel irises peeking at her from underneath his tawny eyelashes.
"Ichigo," her breath hitched. Her face coloured at being caught, yet he didn't confront her about it. Instead, his large hand quickly moved to envelop hers- climbing from her wrist, he laced their fingers together and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Rukia," he began- eyes now open and blatantly staring at her.
The air around them was suddenly tense with unnamed emotions but neither of them was in a rush to address them. More importantly, she was not sure if she wanted to.
Things between her and her best friend have always been good- weird and uncommon for an outsider looking in but it worked for the two.
She really didn't want to risk what they have. Why fix something that's not broken right?
"Y-Yes?"
She tried pulling her hand away but he didn't let go. He shut his eyes again as he murmured softly, their fingers intertwined.
"Stay."
Hese's corner:
Edited.
TL;DR came back after 7 years of hiatus. God bless this fandom for all the good content it just keeps churning out.
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