Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki, a young doctor that keeps to himself. Inoue Orihime, a girl that gets caught up in an accident and loosing her memory. Together they go on the journey of getting her memory back only to face her dark pasts that continue to torment her.
Disclaimer: This is where I claim that I don't own Ichigo or Orihime. I don't own Bleach or their feelings in the matter, Kubo-sensei does~ I do not hereby claim this as my own or will make profit from it, this is all just a form of entertainment to kill my boredom. XD
Notes: Ehh, I was supposed to have this up hours ago but I had a super busy day today and no sleep kind of made me not feel well so I decided to take a nap...that ended up like a five hour one. D: I don't know what my body was thinking XD; but whatever. The next chapter will be up earlier I promise because I know those that are unpatient want it badly. XD; Also, an anonymous reviewer caught my attention and I'm sad I cannot write them back so I must do it here~ They asked why didn't I just upload everything all at once and my reason is because I don't want to spam everyone's inbox too bad, I know what it's like and I do not like my inbox full of unnecessary stuff XD; So that is why. :3 ...and I'm organized. I like each chapter to have it's theme...and yeah. Weird, I know -sulks-
A/N: aaannddd~ I'm almost to twenty reviews! Guys... thanks, I mean, really... Thank you for reviewing and telling me you loved this story... and that you want to see it until the end. You have no idea how happy that makes me. So thanks again! :')
Temptations /Chapter 3/ ; Momentary Encounter
Ichigo kept his gaze on the girl as she slowly opened her eyes to look up at him. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of gray he had ever seen. They weren't too dark nor too light; they were a calm gray color and just having her look at him made him feel at ease.
Rukia glanced at Ichigo to see that he hadn't looked away from the patient in the last few minutes that the girl had groaned. She knew that three people in the room would startle the patient and it could make her feel uncomfortable.
"So she's awake. That's a surpri-" Renji's voice trailed off as he noticed Rukia turning around and making her way out of the room. "Where are you going?" Renji demanded as Rukia looked up at him.
"Let's go. If there's too many people in this room, it could scare her. Let Ichigo do his job and we'll check in later," Rukia told him but Renji gawked at her like she had three eyes.
"Are you fucking serious? I want to-" Renji was interrupted as Rukia sighed and kneed him right in the crotch causing him to gasp in shock, crumbling to the floor in pain.
"You should have listened to me in the first place. When will you ever learn?" Rukia grabbed the back of his lab coat, dragging him across the tiled floor. "Just listen to me and you won't get hurt," Rukia said as she closed the door behind her.
Ichigo swallowed as he heard the door close behind him. He mentally thanked Rukia. She was right about if there were too many people in here; it could scare the girl and that was the last thing that he wanted. He watched as she slowly started to sit up, wincing in the process as she pressed a bandaged hand to her forehead.
"Don't move too quickly. You've got a couple of fractured ribs and you just had surgery. I'm surprised that you're already awake," Ichigo told her as he moved to the chair and sat down. He placed the clipboard that was in his hands on the table right beside the chair.
"W-Where am I?" she asked, her voice cracking as she tried to speak - it would take a couple of days for her voice to return normally due to the surgery.
"Karakura Hospital. There was an accident," he explained as he watched her look up at him again. He felt his heart beat faster as her silver eyes locked with his. They were full of questions and he would do his best to answer every one of them.
"An accident? I was in an accident?" she whispered, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Ichigo nodded as he glanced at the clipboard, "Yeah, a big one. It was a hit-and-run or that's what I heard. Inoue Orihime, is it?" he asked, his eyes flickering back to her face.
"Inoue...Orihime? Who is that?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as if she was the one that was confused and it caught him off guard. She didn't know her own name?
Narrowing his eyes at her, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Can you tell me your name?"
"I...don't know. I can't remember..." her voice trailed off as she looked away from his intense gaze to her lap. He watched as she played with the edge of the sheet with her fingers as silence enveloped the room. She couldn't remember her own name.
"Do you remember anything? Anything before the accident?" he asked. He didn't want to bombard her with questions right after she had woken up but it was something that he needed to know.
"I don't know," she whispered as she laced her slender fingers together across the white sheet that covered her. "Everything is hazy...I can't remember anything. The only thing that I can see in my head is a man with dark brown hair."
"A man?" Ichigo questioned, raising an eyebrow. It could be a family member of hers. If she couldn't remember any of her family or friends, then there was no way to contact someone and tell them of her situation.
"Yes...he's very handsome. He's got a beautiful smile and...that's all I remember," she replied.
Ichigo pinched his lips together in thought as he leaned back into the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He already knew that she had hit her head - that would explain the blood that he saw in her hair when the paramedics had brought her in. She had no brain damage but he didn't want to chance it. He would run some tests tomorrow to see how much she remembered of her past.
"Um...can I ask who you are?" her raucous voice interrupted his thoughts and he opened his eyes that he had unknowingly closed.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," he replied, giving her a small smile. "I'm your doctor."
Renji huffed as he slid his hands deeper in the side pockets of his jeans as he searched for his name tag.
Women – he would never understand them. They were too complicated, too moody and too damn bossy. Shaking his head as he found his badge, he pulled it out of his pocket and slid it through the monitor in front of him before he pressed a few numbers on the keypad to clock out.
He wanted to figure out who that new patient was. Her name...how old she was and if she lived here or not. She was beautiful and it wasn't fair that Ichigo, who was famous for his ugly scowl and distancing himself from everyone, would be the one to take care of her.
It wasn't fair, dammit.
"A-Abarai-san...are you leaving already?" Renji turned around quickly to glance behind his shoulder to see one of the nurses behind him. Her black hair hung down her shoulders, framing her face as her jade green eyes stared innocently up at him.
"Yeah, it's been a long day. What about you, Kaori?" he asked, placing his badge back into his pocket.
"I-I'm on night shift tonight. I was just going to tell you to be careful on your way out. It's raining very hard outside," she told him, her cheeks flushing as he gave her a grin.
"Thanks for telling me. I'll make sure to be safe. You too, okay? Take it easy," Renji replied as he gave her a wave and started to walk away from her.
If more women were like her, the world would be a much safer place for men like him. Pressing his fingers to his temples, he tried to get rid of the headache that was trying overcome him. He would get home, get some food in his stomach and take a hot bath to soothe his aching muscles.
Closing his eyes, he wondered about Ichigo's unusual behavior today. He wasn't the kind of man to just stare at women and he wasn't one to brush bangs out of their eyes either. The image of Ichigo and that girl in the room was engraved in his mind. Something had flickered to life between them and he didn't like it...not one bit. Having a relationship with a patient would only end in misery and that made him grateful that he only dealt with older women and men.
He shook his head, opening his eyes. A couple years ago...he had made that mistake. He didn't want one of his friends to go through the same agony that he had gone through. They weren't exactly the best of friends but they watched each other's back when it was necessary.
Well whatever. As long as he doesn't fall for her then everything will be alright, Renji thought as he walked through the automatic doors that led outside.
Placing her feet on her desk, crossing her ankle over the other, she placed a small book in her lap as she flipped it open. Her violet eyes brightened as she read over the introduction, her pink lips forming into a big smile as she turned the next page. She still had an hour left and all of her patients were either asleep or at dinner so she could finally take it easy for the rest of her shift. She was grateful that she had gone downtown on her lunch break. She had been so excited to see the newest volume of her favorite manga series that she had bought it right away. Now as she lay in her chair, feet propped up on her desk and her door firmly shut and locked, she could read the latest volume of Kinjirareta Ai.
Rukia felt her stomach flip in all different directions as her heart started to race when she started to read the first page of her beloved manga. It was like this every time. The adrenaline rushed through her blood with each page she turned. Her eyes danced in excitement as one of her favorite characters entered the scene. To her dismay, the phone rang interrupting one of the crucial plot twists. Pulling herself out of her fantasy, she glanced at the company phone that sat on her desk next to a stack of papers. Glancing at the clock, she knew that she was still here at work and had to take responsibility of answering the phone call.
Stupid people. They can't leave me alone for just one moment so I can read my manga! Rukia mentally complained as she set her the small book on her desk, reaching up to pick up the phone and pressed it against her ear.
"Karakura Therapy. Kuchiki Rukia speaking," she answered, her voice going into a cheery tone as she leaned back in her chair, trying to not let out a sigh of frustration. Whoever wanted her help was going to have to wait until tomorrow, her manga was begging to be read and she was not one to ignore a manga.
"Rukia."
Her eyes widened as she pulled her feet from her desk and sat up straight in her chair. Her fingers clutched the phone tightly to her ear as she spoke almost automatically.
"Nii-sama," she greeted. Her throat became tight as her heart raced from the elegant sound of her older brother.
"Will you be working late tonight?" he asked, calmly.
"Actually no. I'll be getting off in about forty-five minutes. Did you need me to pick up anything before I return home?" she inquired before waiting patiently for her brother's response.
"No, that is fine. I will not be home tonight. My company has a conference in the States and I have been chosen to represent our building. I'm calling to inform you," he said. She carefully slipped a paper between the pages of her manga to mark her place before closing it.
"Thank you for telling me, Nii-sama. Do I need to do anything while you're away?" Rukia asked.
"Not at all. I must go. I will be home sometime tomorrow evening." His tone still formal, he hung up, leaving Rukia with a constant dial tone ringing in her ear.
"Nii-sama isn't going to be home tonight? That means I can read with no interruptions... Life is good," Rukia told herself as she glanced at the clock.
She could leave early. No one would ever notice and if anyone asked, she could always tell them that she was going to meet with her brother. Once she said something about her brother, everyone became eerily quiet and tended to go about their own business. She would admit that her brother could be intimidating and ever since Ichigo and her brother had met... her brother had never stepped into the hospital again.
Sighing as she shook her head, Rukia grabbed her book and placed it into her bag. Standing up, she slung it over her shoulder and walked out of her office. It was time to go get something for dinner and head home to read her manga with no interruptions. Yes, life was good.
"My doctor? Am I hurt or something?"
Ichigo stared at her like she had grown another arm. He wondered if she had noticed the cast on her arm, the bandages on her other arm, around her ribs and over her forehead.
"I already told you that you have a couple of fractured ribs along with some minor injuries. You had to undergo immediate surgery right after you were transported here," Ichigo explained as he placed his hands on his knees, watching as she looked away from him to her arm that was in a white cast. "You had internal bleeding so we had to act fast. Fortunately, we have one of the best surgeons in Japan here..." Ichigo's voice trailed off as she started to peel off her sheet to reveal bare legs that the hospital gown didn't cover. "W-what are you doing? Hey! Don't get out of bed! Your wounds-" he was interrupted as she pulled her legs over the edge of the bed to the floor. When she stood up, he was greeted with the sight of her bare back and colorful panties.
"I-I-Inoue-san, you can't just..." Ichigo's voice trailed off again as his face went to a brilliant shade of red from witnessing her underwear. He needed to get her back in bed, under the sheets and get the hell out of the room before he had a heart attack.
"I need to go to the bathroom," she said as she started to limp to his dismay.
"Y-you can't move. Your injuries are still severe and... Dammit!" Ichigo cursed softly as he grabbed the sheet from the bed and walked around the bed as fast as he could, wrapping the sheet around her shoulders. "You have fractured ribs, Inoue-san. You can't just move around recklessly," he scolded her as she stared up at him, her bottom lip puckered out as if she was a child pouting.
"But I need to go..." she said and he let out a heavy sigh in frustration. This girl was going to be the death of him.
"Alright but you need to take it easy... I'll help you to the bathroom," he offered as he put an arm around her waist, his fingers clenching the sheet as he felt how small she actually was.
"No...I'm okay. I can do it myself-" she was interrupted by Ichigo grunting.
"Don't be absurd... Do you want to make your injuries worse?" he asked and she shook her head as he helped her walk towards the bathroom. As they started to walk, he noticed that with her free hand, she had grabbed the front of his shirt. Glancing down at her, he saw that she was looking straight ahead with a determined look on her face as she limped to the bathroom with him right beside her.
Pulling his arm away from her as they reached the door, she looked up at him and he felt his heartbeat race as their eyes locked. He wasn't supposed to feel this way about her – she was just a patient. He felt his palms start to sweat as she kept her gaze on him and then the next thing she did caught him completely off guard.
She smiled.
A beautiful angelic smile that completely melted his heart, stopped his brain from functioning and made his legs almost give out from underneath him. He hadn't seen a smile like that since his mother had been alive.
"Thank you," she whispered as she turned around and limped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Ichigo let out a breath that he had been holding as she leaned his back against the wall that was across from the door and pressed his hands into his face. He didn't know why but his heart wasn't slowing down nor was the butterflies in his stomach disappearing.