Let's get these two hearts beating faster
Chapter three
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Ichigo called her name in a voice heavy of frustration and demand. Rukia ignored him and barreled out of his room almost knocking Orihime down in the process. Rukia suspected that she had hung around the room to eavesdrop on their conversation.
The smirk on her face showed that she liked what she heard.
Rukia felt painful after that interview and could only see red when she was near Orihime. Literally. A blood-red haze surrounded the tall busted redhead as Rukia glared at her, incable of moving past her without hitting her first. Orihime before, had used all her powers to try and break apart her marriage to Ichigo and was now bent on using her powers again to destroy it completely.
Rukia wouldn't let this happen. She'd be dammed if their marriage broke up because she lost her cool. If she and Ichigo failed in sharing their life any further, she'd be happier knowing it was because he didn't love her anymore, than to let the conniving Orihime succeed in her plans of becoming Mrs. Kurosaki. The woman was pure poison, and this time she would not let that poison taint her family any longer. Desperation and anger clawed at her insides. She was going to fight for her man and her marriage, no matter what it took!
"You better watch where you're going." Orihime shoved her against the wall, making no attempt to be polite and Rukia fell against the wall.
Rukia's sudden maternity instincts shot up and the anger she suppressed came rushing out. "Don't you ever touch me again."
Orihime sneered and ignored Rukia's anger. "Or what Mrs. Kurasaki? You'll tell Ichigo? Do you really think he cares now? I'm his true friend, the women he remembers. He let me feed him, but he pushed you away," she said, confirming that she was listening to the door. "He doesn't mind my touch, he trusts me. Do you really think he cares if I'm rude to you or if he'll even believe you if you told him so? He's already forgotten you. You're nothing to him. It won't be long till he'll kick you out of the house as quickly as you came into it."
Rukia' mind screeched at the viciously mocking words. She couldn't think. She could only feel the rawest piece of anger spread through her body. She slapped the other women hard. The violence shocked her but she wouldn't apologize.
Orihime stumbled back stunned.
"Your not going to get away with it," Rukia finally said when she was able to form words.
Orihime narrowed her eyes, "You're wrong. I can outsmart you who couldn't even prevent an accidental pregnancy."
"You told him I got pregnant on purpose."
"He came to that conclusion by himself."
"But you led him there." Orihime just shrugged her head as if to say so what. "He shouldn't have ever married you. You were never in his league and never will be."
"One day he's going to remember. You know that don't you?" she demanded. "Don't think for a moment that he'll thank you with a wedding band for lying to him about the kind of wife I am. Ichigo demands honesty and respect and when he finds out about what you've done you'll never get out alive."
Orihime smiled, still smug in her victory. "Ichigo and I were friends before you and when you're gone I'll still be here."
Rukia stood up taller, facing the fiery redhead. "Friends is the keyword. I was his lover and now I'm his wife and I'm not going anywhere."
"I might not be his wife, but how do you know I wasn't his lover?"
"Like I said, Ichigo is an honorable man and he would never lower himself to such low standards, he has what I like to call integrity."
Ichigo had promised that he hadn't and she would believe him. She wasn't sure if Orihime at one point in her life was ever his lover, but she refused to believe that Ichigo would have an affair with her. Without an opportunity for Orihime to respond, Rukia stormed off again.
Before she could even go around the corner, she felt violently ill and rushed into the closest bathroom. With the drama she was having, it was no wonder her sensitive pregnant body was feeling at its worst.
-
Ichigo might not remember his wife, but he knew he didn't like to see her cry. Even though he knew she had all the characteristics of a woman he despised, knowing her tears were his fault made him feel guilty. And that made him angry.
He told everyone he couldn't remember her at all and it was true danm it. But what was the strange overwhelming feeling he had when he did accept that he had a wife come forbiddingly every time he thought of his fiery ice wife and their marriage. He didn't know what caused it or how to make it go away.
All he knew was that his marriage was fucked up and that it was all due to the fact that he married a gold digging wife.
Regardless though, he got no enjoyment from watching her walk away from him. It made him feel something a lot like fear and he hated it. He was Ichigo he ruled the most powerful gang in Japan and he feared nothing…particularly not a women.
Ichigo glared at the door that Rukia had ran through. Memory or no memory he would not let his wife bring him down on his knees.
"That must have been some fight for her to go storming out of this room without her coat. The temperature is below freezing in here and she doesn't look like the kind of girl who storms in and out."
Ichigo's head snapped up at the sound of the doctor's voice. He didn't know how long he was staring at the door, waiting for his wife to come storming back in. Though why he should, he didn't know.
"We weren't fighting."
"You could have fooled me."
The tension inside Ichigo's mind increased a notch. "My relationship with my wife has nothing to do with you and I would like it if I didn't have to discuss her with you."
"That's not true. As I discussed before your amnesia is psychologically based. I would say your relationship with Rukia is the key to your medical condition while your health is my responsibility."
Ichigo's jaw clenched again at the mention of Rukia's maiden name. He didn't like the familiarity the doctor used with his wife. Japanese doctors knew this but the doctor and his wife were both American born. Common sense told him to let the bastard alone but his manly instincts wouldn't let him leave it alone.
"Nether less", he said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to talk about my wife, with you."
"I can't force you to but she's been through a lot since the accident. Your memory loss and your refusal to see her have been hard on her. She's vulnerable right now. Try to remember that."
"I didn't refuse to see her."
Doctor James brow rose up. "You did."
"Once."
"You never asked for her after that."
"She is my wife. She doesn't need a fucking invitation to visit me!"
"Perhaps someone should have told her that."
Ichigo said nothing.
"Yes well." The doctor lifted up Rukia's coat from where it dropped, but Ichigo still had a firm grip on the sleeve. The doctor pulled gently. "Why don't you let me take this to her?"
Ichigo forced himself to let it go. An inexplicable twinge in his chest. Was the doctor interested in Rukia more than his profession allowed?
She was beautiful and if the strong aura of sweetness surrounded her was not genuine; she was a far better actress than he thought. For most possessive men like him, the combination was irresistible. These thoughts made his head ached. He hated the fact that everything didn't seem right. But for some reason, watching the doctor leave with Rukia's coat made him ache.
A second later, Orihime walked in with a red cheek, tears falling down her face and her superbly glossed lips trembled.
"What happened?" Ichigo asked more out of irritation than concern.
Which wasn't fair to Orihime…even though her voice was loud and hard to handle. She had been a loyal friend to him for many years. He wasn't going to take it out on her just because of his selective amnesia and the problems that surrounded his beautiful wife.
Orihime shook her head and covered her cheek in a protective manner. "It's nothing."
"Tell me."
"I would rather not." She said averting her eyes. "The relationship between you and our wife is already strained."
"Rukia did this to you?" Immense surprise froze his body. As far as being a bad wife, Rukia didn't seem like the violent type.
"Rukia is upset that I've been spending more time with you than her."
"So she slapped you?"
Orihime nodded after some reluctance. "After giving me a strong warning for me to stay away from you."
Rukia's vulnerability during their discussion must have been a ruse along with her gentle disposition. Orihime insisted that Rukia's façade was nothing short of sweetness. The red mark on her cheek showed that his assistant saw Rukia's true self far better than his doctor.
The dark feeling surrounding Rukia in his mind should have made it easy for him to believe but it didn't. It felt like he was missing a mental block and felt helpless. He should have no problem believing Orihime. After all he knew nothing about Rukia and had a whole childhood with his loyal friend.
If only he could remember.
His head began to pound.
"Are you alright?" Orihime asked in earnest, her hand resting on his arm.
Funny how her touch did nothing for him. Whereas Rukia standing within a foot of his bed had impacted his cock despite all his doubts about her and the lingering effects of a concussion.
"I should be asking you that."
She smiled bravely. "I'm fine. I'm sure she did not mean it and at least there aren't any lasting damages."
"But she still shouldn't have hit. I'll talk to her about it."
"Don't. She's already…" Orihime paused as if to find the right word. "Volatile and irrational. It is expected. Any wife would have been extremely worried by everything that you've been through."
Left unspoken was the fact that Rukia had shown little concern in staying with him in his hospital bed and had stayed away for a week without visiting once. And yet she showed genuine hurt over his first request she didn't come back to see him again immediately. She had actually taken it as an unwelcome invitation to be near his bed from what the doctor interpreted.
Ichigo closed his eyes against the pain in his head. He didn't know what to think and couldn't even trust his own judgment. Not when it came to a women he'd forgotten so completely.
There had to be a reason for that and he could not think of another reason except for the one Orihime insisted on. That Rukia was the kind of wife nightmares are of made of.
