A/N: How long was that? A month for this update? I think I'm progressing ;P
It was mid December and the Christmas atmosphere was already noticeably taking over the Seretei offices. If the queer miniature festive ornaments and stickers now decorating almost every cubicle and office weren't enough of a sign, then the unusually light and friendly mood of the employees was most definitely conclusive evidence of the nearing holidays. People hummed as they typed and smiled to those they passed on their way to get coffee or to the restrooms; easy laughs escaped those who stopped for quick chatter before returning to work. Although work was hectic and deadlines were now tighter than any other time, the contagious spirit of the holidays seemed to keep everyone running on high spirits. All in all, it was the most pleasant Rukia had ever seen the people of Seretei.
There was only one person who seemed unaffected by the general cheer going around. And that person's -plainly undecorated- office just happened to be next to Rukia's cubicle.
"-told you to have them ready yesterday." Ichigo's voice -leaking with a slightly higher than usual percent of annoyance- reached Rukia's ears as she opened the door to his office. "Of course I'm sure it was you! It's not my fault you're always too busy thinking with your asses to do your jobs right! Wha- No!" Ichigo growled in obvious frustration; he seemed seconds away from throwing his phone against the wall. Rukia deliberated whether she should make her presence known yet or just quietly slip out and return later. "Fine! But have them here first thing tomorrow or I swear I'll shove those ridiculous feathers so far up your-"
"Ehem." Rukia chose it was time to intervene, clearing her throat to announce herself. Ichigo quickly looked at her.
"Just get them here, will you?" Ichigo said into the phone, before hanging up with more force than seemed necessary. Then he turned his attention to Rukia.
"Getting into the holiday cheer early?" Rukia asked teasingly. Ichigo looked tempted to roll his eyes but settled for crossing his arms over his chest where he sat before his desk.
"What do you want?" he asked curtly.
"Nothing," Rukia replied, revealing the folder she had been holding so Ichigo could see it. "Just came to give you my article for this week in case you wanted to give it a once-over."
Ichigo looked towards his desk and computer, where mounds of unfinished work awaited him mockingly, and then looked back towards Rukia and her own article, hesitating only for a moment. "Leave it there," he said, gesturing to an empty area on his desk. "I'll take a look at it this afternoon."
Rukia frowned as she also saw how cluttered Ichigo's desk was, figuring he should be rather busy, as was almost everyone on the paper at this time of year. She took a step back. "Never mind. You're busy-"
"I didn't say I was busy." Ichigo said quickly. "Well, I am, but I have enough time to at least proofread your work before handing it to Ukitake-"
"Don't be ridiculous." Rukia cut him off. "You're obviously under a tight schedule. I can proofread myself or just ask Kaien-"
Ichigo's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the other man and he quickly stood up, closing the distance between himself and Rukia in two long strides and taking the folder containing her article from her hands before she even had time to react.
"…To do it." Rukia finished her sentence lamely, looking at the folder that had been in her grasp a second ago.
"I'll do it." Ichigo said with finality, putting emphasis on the first person pronoun. "Now just run along and be a good little intern."
Instantly put off by his patronizing manner, Rukia huffed -after sending him a quick glare- then spun on her heel and left the office, closing the door behind her.
Once Rukia was sitting in her cubicle, she set to do some last-minute spellchecking for an article on home interiors. Not a particularly thrilling piece, she soon found herself drifting into boredom. Once she had the official job, she couldn't help but think, there would be no more tedious tasks like spellchecking other's work. And she was sure that with taking up half of the segments of Hinamori's work she'd be sure to reach her goal- as long as she didn't screw up. And so far, she was happy that things seemed promising; working at a restaurant on weeknights was a definite advantage for her when it came to writing articles on food and original delicacies. And although she was still tired -sometimes just exhausted- from all her work at Seretei and Urahara's, the early Christmas and winter atmosphere helped improve her state significantly. Still, she hoped she wouldn't be stuck in the same position for much longer. The lack of sleep definitely took its toll on her. Not to mention that with the lack of time for proper meals she had already started to lose weight; which wasn't really something she aimed for given her already naturally slim body. If she kept losing weight she'd lose whatever trace of curves she had left.
Just a little longer… she promised herself, not letting despair set in.
" 'Til what?" Kaien's voice startled her as he popped over the cubicle to look at her.
"Eh?" Rukia blinked, waiting for an explanation.
"'Just a little longer' 'til what?" he asked, and Rukia realized then that she had accidentally spoken out loud. "Lunch break?" he suggested.
"No," Rukia said. "I was just talking to myself."
"Oh," Kaien looked apprehensive. "Finally started to stop ignoring those voices in your head?" he nodded in mock understanding.
Rukia stuck her tongue out at him, throwing maturity out the window. "I'm thinking."
"Yeah, maybe you should try it sometime, Kaien." Rangiku said, coming up beside them and looking at him with a playful smile and turning to wink at Rukia.
The women shared a laugh at his expense while he pouted childishly.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Kaien asked with a frown; he didn't find it particularly fair that Rangiku was just slipping out from work to come make fun of his intelligence- which was above the average IQ, he might add.
"Just passing through to say hi on my way to the copy machine." Rangiku explained with a lazy wave of her hand, showing a handful of papers she held in her other hand. "Toshiro is on my ass again about making some deadline." she made an 'ugh' sound, with a dramatic swoon and all. "He's such a hard-ass."
Kaien and Rukia shared a look of 'is she serious?' then turned back to the pouting blonde.
"So you're on a first name basis with him already?" Kaien questioned.
Rangiku laughed. "No way! If he knew I call him that he'd probably have my head! But what little Shiro doesn't know won't hurt him." Rangiku paused for another chuckle, not noticing how her two listener's faces suddenly changed and missing the sound of footsteps approaching. "I swear, he can be so stiff. It's really astounding, someone as young as him. I mean he looks like a little kid, but he acts like an old man! I keep telling him to relax-" she went on, not pausing once to see how the two in front of her frantically made signs for her to stop. "-one day he'll realize. It's too bad by then he'll probably need to surgically remove that stick up his a-"
"RANGIKU!" Kaien and Rukia finally erupted at the same time. Rangiku's words died on her open mouth as she stood stock-still.
"He's right behind me isn't he?"
Kaien and Rukia wordlessly nodded.
Rangiku paled as she turned and came face-to-face (using the term loosely, seeing as the man barely came up to her chest…A spot most of the male race would find themselves privileged to have such a good view to.) with her very angry-looking superior.
"Matsumoto…"
The screaming fest that followed was largely ignored by the majority of the all-too-accustomed employees, while the guilty busty blonde pleaded her case futilely before finally leaving to do the work she was supposed to be doing.
"Some things won't ever change." chuckled lightly a voice behind Rukia.
She turned to see the tall figure of Mr. Ukitake, smiling as good-natured as always as he finished watching the display. He wore his white hair in his usual low ponytail and a pastel colored oxford shirt with a dark tie. Despite his high position, he still looked like a friendly, almost fatherly type of guy.
"Good morning, Ukitake." Kaien greeted with an easy smile, leaving his cubicle to do so. From her relatively short time at Seretei, Rukia had come to know that Kaien and Ukitake had been close friends for some time; so much so that Ukitake had been the one to give away Miyako on Kaien's wedding to her.
"Morning Kaien." The white-haired man smiled. "And Kuchiki." he nodded at her.
"Good morning sir." Rukia smiled back, feeling as comfortable as she usually did in his presence.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of you coming all the way down from the sixth floor to see us lowly peasants?" Kaien asked dramatically.
"I'm just serving as a mailman today." Ukitake answered back jokingly. As if it was proof, he revealed a pack of small envelopes he had been holding. "I'm giving out the invitations for the Christmas party."
Kaien raised an eyebrow as Ukitake handed him and Rukia a delicately decorated envelope each. "Don't you have lackeys to order around for that kind of stuff?" he asked.
"If by that you mean assistants and secretaries, then yes." Ukitake laughed sheepishly. "But Kiyone and Sentaro are currently in the middle of a heated argument and I figured it might be easier to give these away myself if I wanted them to be distributed before the end of the month."
Kaien and Rukia both nodded in understanding. The editor's personal assistant and secretary were known for their never-ending bouts of verbal spars which more often than not turned to full-blown screaming wars that gave Hitsugaya a run for his money.
"Anyway, I hope I see the two of you there." Ukitake told them. "It will be…a very memorable night." he finished.
Was it Rukia's imagination, or did Ukitake sound almost sad as he finished his sentence? She quickly looked up and she could have sworn that his brown eyes had dimmed ever-so-slightly, but before she could make sure, he had smiled at them again and left to continue giving out the invitations.
"You know, I keep telling him to just send these by email. It's what everyone's doing these days anyway." Kaien commented as he rolled around the invitation in his fingers. "But he just won't listen to me."
Shaking herself out her ponderings about what she thought she saw in Ukitake's expression, Rukia slipped back into her casual interactions. "That's because there's a reason why Ukitake is chief editor and you're just writing stories on domestic animals."
Kaien's mouth dropped open indignantly. "That story on the Itaka puppy was gold! The dog could go to the bathroom. On his own!" he jumped to defend himself.
"I rest my case." Rukia grinned as she turned and took her seat, leaving Kaien to defend himself and the brilliancy of his stories.
A few minutes passed in that matter when the door to Ichigo's office burst open and out came the orange-haired man himself.
"Ichi-" Rukia started, but was cut off as a folder came flying into her hands.
"That's your revised article, ready for Ukitake." Ichigo explained quickly, and Rukia disbelievingly flipped through the pages inside and confirmed it was true. "I'm leaving to cover a story, won't be back 'til late." As he spoke, he shrugged on his jacket and as soon as he was done he made his way out, not even giving Rukia a chance to speak.
"Geesh. Someone's in a hurry." Kaien remarked. "Rukia?" he asked after she didn't say anything.
"Mm?" she looked up, her expression somewhat far-off. "Oh, yeah. I guess it must be some important story."
Her comment seemed to be enough for Kaien as he shrugged and went back to his cubicle. Rukia was left with her thoughts as she went back to her work. For some reason, the way Ichigo suddenly left in such a rush seemed odd to her. She didn't know why, but there was the oddest feeling of wariness that bugged her.
Come to think of it, he's always so secretive and jumpy… She mused. And I never really knew about why it was that he had been in danger of getting fired when I came here in the first place. She stopped her train of thoughts before it could progress any further. It's not my place to wonder.
-x-
To say Ichigo was mad was an understatement.
Well, not really. It wasn't that he was mad, although there was definitely some anger brewing in him. It was that he was just so incredibly frustrated.
Another lead, another dead end. When Chad had called him that morning, urging him to meet him, he'd been so sure that that was it. But no, it turned out to be yet another faux. It was days like these that made Ichigo truly wonder if he should just give up on the whole thing and continue living his generally comfortable life.
But no, he wouldn't give up. He refused to let that bastard win, after everything…
He was snapped out of his thoughts as something bumped harshly against his side as he walked aimlessly on the sidewalk.
"Hey, watch it-!"
Correction: someone.
"-you…Ichigo?"
Said orange-haired man looked down at the surprised voice. "Rukia? What are you doing here?" he asked in an almost accusatory fashion.
"Me? I should be asking you that." The black-haired petite woman scoffed. "I'm on my way to work- to Urahara's that is." she clarified. "Where did you go off to in such a rush this morning? You never even came back."
"Oh, that." Ichigo averted his eyes and answered dismissively. "Just some story I got a call on. Turned out to be nothing." For the hundredth time… he added mentally.
"I see." Rukia nodded once in apparent understanding. She clutched the strap of her purse and looked off to the side. "Well, it's a bit early for my shift. I should still have some time to pester you. Come on."
She started walking again, and Ichigo watched her retreating back for a moment before falling into step behind her. Then her words registered. "Wait, what do you mean pester me?"
He could see the smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Wha-? You said-"
"Hmm, sorry. I'm afraid I can't understand a word you're saying, Mr. Kurosaki." The bitch was smiling, her expression deceptively innocent as she shrugged helplessly. "You're going to have to speak up a little more…"
"Stop that!" he yelled. "And cut it out with that voice!"
"What voice?" she asked, doubling the sugary sweet coating in her usually lower-pitched voice. "This is my everyday natural voice."
Ichigo cringed. "Ack! That is not your voice, Rukia!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Stop it!"
Their rising voices echoed through the streets they walked in the direction of Urahara's, turning a few heads on their way, but leaving most people to ignore them and walk away quickly.
Neither of them noticed the sound of Ichigo's cellphone ringing in his pocket.
-x-
Urahara hid behind the partially open back door of the restaurant, peeking out from the edge as he watched with interest.
"Boss?"
The shaggy-haired man jumped as the deep voice that came from behind startled him. "Geez Tessai! You can be one scary guy, you know."
"What were you looking at, Boss?" The tall and dark man with braided hair asked.
Urahara made motion towards the booth that held his attention. "He still hasn't left." he said, not taking his grey eyes off the bright-haired young man that had arrived hours prior with his newest waitress. Said man was currently sitting in his booth, taking a sip of his soda while the petite dark-haired woman stood with a smirk on her face and spoke inaudible words. As he watched, the orange-haired man responded something that caused the smirk to leave the girl's face before she glared at him and shot something back at him. For the whole time that Urahara had watched, this was what their interactions had been like: the boy sat quiet and calm in his booth and every few minutes Rukia would pass him by in between waiting on other tables and make some sort of comment to get the boy started, continue the verbal spar for another minute or two then go back to her duties, before repeating the process.
"Ah, I see." Tessai said, standing with his head just above Urahara's as they spied on the customer and waitress. "Is it the first time it happens?"
"Second." Urahara confided. Whatever Tessai's response was going to be was cut off.
"Are you spying on Rukia?"
The sweet, timid -yet somehow accusing- voice could only belonged to one pig-tailed little girl.
"Ururu!" Urahara exclaimed and laughed innocently as he pulled the girl behind the door with them."Of course not! We were just checking if the door needed to be oiled, weren't we Tessai."
"I thought-"
"Weren't we, Tessai?" The blond asked with more emphasis.
"Of course we were, Boss!" the dark-skinned man agreed quickly, catching on. "Everything seems to be in top condition!" he illustrated with a thumbs up, which Urahara mirrored, while adding his own cheeky smile.
The young waitress stared with an unaltered expression. A moment passed an the blond man along with his dark-skinned companion leaned against the door to look out again…
When suddenly, the door was pulled open, making the grown men leaning against it fall face-first on the ground at a certain woman's small feet.
"The door seems to be working just fine." Rukia said coldly, arms folded over her chest as she looked down at the softly whining men who hadn't noticed her approach. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She unceremoniously stepped over her boss's body as she made her way to the kitchen.
Ichigo leaned back comfortably in his seat in the booth next to the window, letting the cushioned material mold to his body and resting his head against the back. He let his eyes close absentmindedly as he relaxed. Just a couple of hours prior, he had been about to hit the nearest concrete wall, yet now, he felt like he could almost take a nap. It was hard to believe he'd taken such a turn-around. He wondered briefly at that, before he heard small tell-tale footsteps and he cracked one eye open.
Rukia stood there, her dark hair pulled into a bun with a few strands coming lose around her face, and the green apron signaling that she was a waitress covering the front of her white shirt and jeans. Her hand was on her hip as she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Comfortable?" she asked sarcastically.
Ichigo felt a grin tugging at his lips. "Very." he closed his eye again and raised his arms to more comfortably rest his head on, scooting lower into his seat.
"Well get up, this isn't a hotel room." she snapped, though there was no real annoyance behind her voice; he could tell. It was becoming increasingly easy to tell, actually. Just like it was becoming increasingly easy for him to act naturally around her, like they really were friends.
"Nah, I think I'll stay here a bit longer." He felt the smile on his lips grow. "Wake me up when it's closing time."
"Why you…" he heard her grumble. "You-"
The would-be beginning of her sure-to-be very interesting description of him was interrupted by the muffled generic ringing of a cell phone.
"You going to answer that?" Rukia asked after a couple of rings.
Ichigo opened his eyes reluctantly and sat up to reach into the front pocket of his jeans and pulling out the silver little device. He flipped it open and took a glance at the unknown number before absentmindedly pressing the end button and shoving the phone back in his pocket.
"Sorry, you were saying?" he turned back to the lecturing waitress.
"Nothing, really." she started offhandedly. "I was just about to tell you to either order something or get out." Her forced sweet voice made her smile all the more threatening.
Ichigo sat unfazed. "You can't kick me out."
"Oh no?" she challenged.
"No. As it happens," he began calmly. "I still haven't paid for what I've had so far. If you kick me out now, you'll be letting go of all my money. I don't think your boss would be too happy about that."
"…" Rukia opened her mouth then closed it again. "You're annoying." she informed him.
But you love me.
Ichigo almost let that slip, but caught himself in time. It wasn't that it was an unusual phrase between friends, but Ichigo really wasn't the type to use it. Especially not when he and Rukia had just entered such a non-strained and casual relationship.
"You're short and temperamental." he settled for instead, shrugging. "We can't help our faults."
Rukia's eye twitched. "Look who's talking about temperamental, Sir Scowls-a-lot."
"Like I haven't heard that before." he rolled his eyes, a scowl taking place on his face.
The following two hours went on in a similar fashion, with Rukia stopping by Ichigo's table for a few minutes before going back to wait on the other customers at the restaurant. By the end of her shift she was unusually tired, but also in an unusually pleasant mood. It might have had to do with the intervals of chatter (mostly casual bickering) with Ichigo…but she would never admit it.
When eleven o' clock rolled around, Rukia unceremoniously flopped down on the seat across from Ichigo's, her apron already removed and her purse and coat at hand. She let out a loud sigh and the orange-haired man looked up at her.
"Done?" he asked.
She nodded. "You ready to go?"
He nodded as well and stood up, stretching his sore muscles from all the time sitting down. "I'm right behind you." he said, gesturing for her to go ahead while simultaneously trying to stifle a yawn.
Rukia followed suit and got up, heading ahead of him towards the door.
"See you tomorrow, Rukia!" called the blond owner in a sing song voice, appearing from behind the door in the back of the restaurant with rather convenient timing. He waved and Rukia rolled her eyes.
"Later, Urahara." was all she said as she pulled her coat on, then stepped outside with Ichigo.
"Your boss is weird." Ichigo stated once they were outside.
Rukia let out a laugh. "You should wait 'til you've met him."
With that, Ichigo started in the direction of Rukia's apartment without needing to ask. The raven-haired girl didn't question him as they went on their way.
The night was rather peaceful; not many people crowded the streets of Karakura so late on a Wednesday night. Leaving the two adults to stroll quietly without interruption. Neither of them spoke, both wearing expressions of calm ease as they walked at a leisurely pace.
The trees and light poles lining the street were alight with colorful lights and other Christmas decorations, the different colors reflecting of the concrete and the cars parked along the sidewalk. The balconies of different apartment buildings in the area and doors of some businesses were also fitted with blinking lights, giving the whole quiet place that holiday feel.
At one point Rukia brought her arms around herself and rubbed her arms, noticing her breath becoming more visible before her in the cold air. Ichigo, hands shoved in the pockets of his own jacket, took a sideways glance at her.
"Cold?" he asked.
"Not much." she answered vaguely, her eyes straying upwards to the dark skies. Ichigo barely noticed how the color of the Christmas lights reflected off her pale skin and on her eyes.
He then looked away to follow her gaze, and noticed something coming down, floating lightly to the street.
"It's snowing." he dumbly stated the obvious.
Rukia nodded, her attention clearly caught in the softly floating little white flakes.
Ichigo had to smile as he saw her gaze with almost childlike wonder at the spectacle. In that moment, she looked very different from the confident, loud and confrontational woman he was used to seeing. He could hardly imagine the woman in front of him even raising her voice, or using it to form an insult.
"It's just snow, not a parade."
"Idiot."
Ah, there she was. Ichigo chuckled lightly at her reaction to his remark, seeing her light glare before she quickly resumed staring at the falling snow.
"It's beautiful." she breathed suddenly. There was an air of awe around her as she said so, and Ichigo failed to see just what was so great about the snow. He looked up then back at the gaping woman.
He noticed some of the white particles had lodged themselves in her midnight hair, and before he could even stop himself, he reached out and dusted them off. Rukia's startled eyes snapped to his, and he froze, realizing what he had been doing. His hand lingered over her head, fingers brushing against her silken strands as his eyes widened in surprise.
"Uh," he muttered, retreating his hand rapidly. "S-sorry. You had some…in your hair…I…" he was stuttering! He couldn't believe he was stuttering. When was the last time Ichigo Kurosaki stuttered?
He reached up to scratch a nonexistent itch on the back of his head as he averted his eyes, hoping the redness on his cheeks would be attributed to the low temperature.
Instead of making a snaky reply or a teasing comment, Rukia smiled softly. "Come on. It's late." she said, resuming her walk from where the two had stopped.
"Right." Ichigo hurried beside her, continuing on the route to her place.
"Where's your car anyway?" Rukia asked as she went.
"Oh," Ichigo started, having momentarily forgotten about it. "I parked it around here somewhere…"
"You didn't forget where, did you?" she asked, mock concern entering her voice as she looked up at him slyly.
"Of course not!" he scoffed. "It's…it's around…" he started looking at the few cars parked along the sidewalk, searching for his familiar black one… "Umm…" He then started to nervously pat the pockets of his jeans and jacket before coming upon his set of keys and pulling them out, immediately pressing the button to unlock the car and the listening to the following beeping noise coming from… "There!" he pointed triumphantly to where, a few feet away, his car was parked.
Rukia rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'idiot'. Ichigo scowled at her lightly but continued his stride until Rukia stopped before the modest building that he remembered to be her apartment.
"This is me." Rukia announced, starting up the steps. "Good luck making it back to your car." she said with a smirk.
"Idiot." Ichigo said, though he was smiling as he looked up at her.
Rukia kept her eyes on his though her body was half turned. "See you tomorrow."
"Heh. Maybe." Ichigo responded, his grin widening. Rukia grinned in return before going up the last steps and opening the door to enter the building. As she turned around to close it, her dark blue eyes met his once more, and he could just make out her smile before she shut the door and disappeared from his view.
Ichigo didn't move or look away from the closed door for almost a full minute, the snowflakes falling on his shoulders and in his bright hair as they went. When he finally snapped out of his reverie because of the ringing of his phone, the smile was still present on his features.
"Hello?" he answered distantly, not having bothered to look at the number before answering.
"Ichigo!" the voice sounded frantic. He immediately tensed, the smile disappearing from his face as his eyebrows knitted together.
"Orihime? What's wrong?" he asked in a hurry. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine." she spoke quickly. "It's…it's…" her voice became strangled, and Ichigo felt dread begin to pool in his stomach.
"Orihime," he asked in a tightly controlled voice, his hand forming a tight fist at his side. "What happened?"
There was a short pause that seemed forever, only soft sniffing noises coming in between the static. Then she spoke in a very soft, slightly choked voice.
"It's Chad."
-x-
The morning after walking home with Ichigo for the second time did not go as Rukia expected.
At first, she had been truthfully looking forward to coming to work. After that night, she had felt so completely at ease with the orange-headed man. She had been almost eager to come to work now, for once forgetting of her exhaustion and desperation and just feeling good. Though she still refused to attribute this new and improved mood to the bright-haired man; that didn't change the fact that she'd exited the elevator on the fourth floor with an insult ready at her tongue as she walked over to the office beside her cubicle…
"He's not there." Kaien's voice had informed her before her hand reached to knock on the wood.
She had looked at him then back at the door, disbelieving as she reached for he doorknob and twisted it open only to confirm it herself…Ichigo wasn't there.
She'd asked Kaien if he'd gone out somewhere, but the dark-haired man merely shrugged and told her that he hadn't been there all morning. He'd suggested that perhaps he'd gotten sick.
Impossible. Rukia quickly rejected the idea. It took me practically kidnapping him to get him to take half the day off when he was practically dying. She reasoned mentally. That can't be it.
But then, what?
It was now 10:45am, and Rukia sat in her cubicle, staring at the screen of her computer without really focusing as her mind ran over the possibilities of why exactly Ichigo wasn't there yet. If there was one thing she'd learned about him during the past months, it was that the man was never late. Ever. Not once.
It must have been bad to make him just not show up like that…
Much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, Rukia knew that she was worried.
No, she snapped at herself. Not worried, concerned. That wasn't all that much better…
Rukia released a loud, frustrated sigh. Why couldn't the idiot just show up already so she didn't have to over think things?
Deciding that she'd had enough fruitless thinking (and honestly, she wasn't getting any work done anyhow), Rukia stood up and started to walk.
"Where are you going?" Kaien asked as he saw her, his eyebrows furrowing almost accusingly.
"I'm going to talk to Orihime." she answered truthfully. "I want to ask her something." Before she could go any further, Kaien made her stop yet again.
"Orihime isn't here today." Kaien told her, looking at her oddly.
"What?" Rukia asked, startled. If Ichigo was a freak for attendance, then Orihime was the ultimate queen. She had never known the girl to miss work. "Why? Do you know where she is?"
"Why do you assume I would know?"
"Kaien," Rukia growled, warning him not to try her patience.
"Fine, fine." he waved his hands in a gesture used to soothe horses. "Down, Spirit."
Rukia narrowed her eyes at him.
"She called earlier this morning." Kaien said. "She said she was at the hospital, and she wouldn't be coming in."
Rukia's mouth fell open and she felt something inside her chest tighten. "What? She's not…"
"No, she's not hurt." Kaien supplied the answer for the question he thought she wanted to ask. "She's fine, I think she was there for a friend…Hey, Rukia! Where are you going?"
"I have some stuff to do…The thing…At the place…You know!"
Leaving a very confused Kaien behind, Rukia stepped into the elevator and was on her way. She tried to fight against the rising feeling of nausea as she went.
-x-
Rukia all but ran inside the moment she arrived at the Karakura General Hospital. Truthfully, a part of her anxiousness sprouted from the fact that she was only guessing at the hospital; she hadn't thought to ask Kaien first, but since Karakura General was the only big hospital in town (only a few small clinics besides it), she just went on an impulse. Now that she pushed the doors open, she felt her stomach preparing to drop at news of her having made the wrong guess…
Her spirits instantly lifted when she saw a flash of familiar dark orange hair in the waiting room, and she instantly made her way towards it, evading all the people in her way until she reached the woman. When she spoke, her voice reflected all the anxiety she felt.
"Orihime!" the dark-haired girl grabbed the woman's arm to make her face her. "What happened? Was it an accident? When was it? Is he…?" Rukia trailed off from her flurry of question when he noticed the unmistakable bright orange spikes. "…Ichigo?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
The orange-haired man looked up from where he sat, lifting his head from his hands and looking like he'd definitely seen better days. Rukia recognized his clothes from the night before, although now they appeared twice as wrinkled; his typically messy hair was now in a complete disarray, as if he had been running his hands through it all morning; under his eyes there were conspicuous dark circles.
To summarize, he looked like crap. But he was visibly uninjured.
Rukia felt her shoulders relax, almost like a weight was lifted. "You're not hurt." she stated, her eyes fixed on his hunched over form.
"Rukia?" he asked with an incredulous voice. His tired eyes were wide and his mouth open in surprise. "What are you… What do you mean I'm not hurt?" he rephrased his question as her words processed.
"I-I thought…" Rukia tried to explain herself as her rather hectic thoughts gradually calmed down. "I heard that Orihime wasn't coming in because she was at the hospital. Since you didn't show up for work I thought…" she let the rest of her sentence hang in the air, she didn't need to finish.
Ichigo looked like he was putting together her words with her presence and eventually nodded, his eyes still seeming faraway. "I'm fine…It's…" he started to say, his voice -she noticed- sounded ragged. He ran a hand through his already wild mane, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times with no words coming out.
Rukia turned to the orange-haired woman she'd momentarily forgotten. She lightened the grip that she still had on her arm until it was more of a comforting touch, as she turned her questioning eyes to her. "Orihime…What-?"
She hadn't finished her question when the woman regarded her with watery brown eyes and suddenly threw herself at her. Rukia let out a startled gasp as she found the taller woman's arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her against her as she buried her face in her shoulder.
"I-it's C-Chad!" Orihime's muffled sobs came as an answer. Her whole frame shook as she cried into Rukia's shoulder, and the petite girl -although she didn't know who this Chad person was- did the only thing she could do and wrapped her own slender arms around the crying redhead. She stood there awkwardly trying to offer whatever comfort she could, even if it was just by being there.
It was about twenty minutes later that Rukia was sitting down in the waiting room, Orihime at one side and Ichigo at the other. The orange-haired female had calmed down after a few minutes and had tearfully attempted to chuckle as she apologized for her behavior before going to sit with Rukia. The raven-head had quickly told her not to worry about it, and tried to make small talk since they sat. It was a good thing that Orihime was so good at talking about anything under any situation, so it actually wasn't as hard as Rukia would have thought.
Orihime was in the middle of describing a rather elaborate dish she had planned on making (oddly enough involving spaguetti and chocolate sauce…) when a man arrived and the girl's attention immediately shifted to him. He had dark hair, straight and parted to frame either side of his face; he was rather skinny for a guy, but held himself with such dignity that she'd never regard him as gangly; and he wore square wire-rimed glasses.
"Uryu!" she instantly exclaimed, practically jumping up to meet him. Rukia watched as the man looked at Orihime, his eyes soft as he did so. Orihime had looked like she was about to fling her arms around him now, but had stopped herself, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as she noticed the three Styrofoam cups held precariously in his hands.
"Here." he spoke, handing her one of the cups before turning to look at the people sitting down. His eyes fell on Rukia for a moment -probably wondering who she was and what she was doing there- then went to Ichigo. "Kurosaki," he spoke the man's last name. Said man raised his head to look at him. "You should at least drink something." The black-haired man said, offering one of the cups.
Ichigo looked at it, then back at the man offering it before speaking. "I don't really want-"
"Take the damn thing, Kurosaki."
The man's tone left no room for argument, and Rukia was shocked to see Ichigo look startled for a split second before complying. She'd never seen anyone but herself speak to Ichigo like that; people were usually to intimidated to even try.
"And…" the man turned his attention back to Rukia. "I don't believe we've met before, Miss…?"
"Oh, this is Rukia." Orihime hurriedly supplied. "She's the intern I had told you about."
"Uryu Ishida." The man said in a proper tone, extending hi hand towards her. "Pleasure to meet you."
Rukia took his hand to shake it, slightly surprised by his politeness. "Are you…?" she began to ask, looking between him and Orihime questioningly.
"He's my fiancé." Orihime declared cheerfully, answering the unspoken question. For a moment, the light seemed to return to her eyes as she placed a hand on Uryu's arm and smiled. But only a moment later she seemed to remember where she was and her expression fell once more.
Rukia saw the black-haired man's composed expression soften as he looked back at his fiancé and put his free hand over hers on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.
A moment of silence passed between the four people, and Rukia suddenly felt very out of place. She shouldn't be there in the first place, she didn't even know the guy that these people were worried about. She was just intruding.
"I'm sorry." She said, beginning to stand. "I should g-"
"No."
She was surprised by the sudden voice that stopped her, a hand landing on her wrist. But she was even more surprised by how desperate the voice sounded. Startled, she looked up into Ichigo's eyes beside her.
"Don't go." he said, but it sounded more like a plead than an order. "Stay." his voice barely came over a whisper.
Rukia had to gulp to swallow back the sudden tightness in her throat; not trusting herself to speak, overwhelmed by the look in his eyes, she simply nodded and sat down. She felt Ichigo's grip on her wrist lighten, but his hand didn't move from its place. Then he looked away, his upper body sagging slightly forward as he rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head.
Rukia was shocked; she'd never seen Ichigo so…vulnerable. Ever since she'd met him, he was a proud, standoffish, scowling, bossy and stubborn man. Well, excluding their very first meeting, that is…
But now, there was no sign of that man. From his defeated posture to his pleading eyes…He was like a lost child. Rukia felt something in her chest constrict at seeing him this way. She hesitantly moved her free left hand to lightly place it over his, offering her silent support. Ichigo looked up at this action, his eyes meeting hers for a fleeting moment in some sort of understanding before looking back down, some of the tension lessening in his shoulders.
Like that, they waited.
It felt like hours -although it was probably only a couple of hours- before something finally happen. When the young nurse, seeming to be in her twenties, appeared holding a clipboard and a tired expression, everyone was alert.
"How is he? Is he going to make it? Can we see him?" Ichigo immediately jumped up, the questions leaving his mouth in a torrent that left the poor nurse looking slightly taken aback.
Everyone's eyes were on her.
She cleared her throat delicately. "Mr. Sado Yasutora, correct?" she clarified, everyone but Rukia nodded at once. (Wasn't it 'Chad'?) "Are you his family?" she questioned.
"We're the only family he has." Ichigo said with finality. The nurse didn't seem in a hurry to argue against him.
"Very well," she nodded to herself. "Mr. Yasutora's condition is delicate. We were able to successfully remove all three bullets-"
Rukia felt herself freeze. Bullets? The man had been shot. This had been no mere accident… Her inner musings worked away, drowning out the voice of the nurse as she explained in detail that man's current state.
Finally, "Will he recover?"
It was Uryu who asked, though the others looked like it was the same question they had been thinking but were too afraid to ask. The nurse paused for a moment before answering. "I honestly can't say. We've done all we can, now it's up to him." Her face was regretful as she began to turn away, but was stopped by Ichigo's voice.
"Can we see him?" he asked, taking a step forward as if in anticipation.
"I'm sorry." the nurse shook her head sadly. "That would not be wise." And then she was gone.
Ichigo flopped down back in his chair, almost immediately running his hands through his hair as he stared in disbelief at the floor. On her other side, Rukia heard Orihime begin to cry again, before the sounds became muffled as Uryu held her against himself. Seeing that the girl was already being taken care of, Rukia turned her attention to the orange-haired male.
"Ichigo…" she reached out a tentative hand, putting it on his arm as gently as she could. He didn't stir. But he spoke.
"It's my fault…" he said, his voice so hushed it was more like a whisper; Rukia wondered if she was even meant to heard it. "My fault, my fault…" he kept muttering.
Rukia's eyebrows furrowed. How could it be his fault? The man had been shot…
"Ichigo." she repeated his name, more firmly this time. "Look at me." she said, her voice demanding yet soft.
For once, Ichigo listened without protest. His troubled eyes met hers.
"It's not your fault." she told him, the firmness in her voice leaving no room for doubt. Ichigo began to turn away but she stopped him, cupping her hand under his chin to force him to look at her. He seemed startled by the action but didn't move away. "This isn't your fault, Ichigo." she reinstated confidently.
Ichigo's eyes held hers with uncertainty before falling. "No… It is."
"Ichi-"
"No!" he suddenly screamed, violently shoving her hands away and rising to his feet. Rukia watched with worried eyes as he stood and buried his hands in his hair, clutching it tightly as his face twisted up in pain and frustration. "Damn it!" he cursed through clenched teeth.
Uryu and Orihime watched the whole scene with sad eyes, until Ichigo -after a frustrated growl- took off with furious steps and exited the waiting room, going towards the main exit. Rukia waited to see Orihime and Uryu's reactions, but they didn't budge; so she got to her feet and went after him.
It didn't take her long to catch up with him.
He had stopped by the water fountain that bubbled with ironic pleasantness as decoration at the front of the hospital. He was pacing back and forth angrily, his teeth gritted and his fists clenched tightly as he huffed.
"Ichigo!" Rukia snapped him out of his furor, hurrying over to him. "Stop! Blaming yourself isn't going to change anything. I'm sure your friend-"
"No! You don't get it!" he snapped, looking desperate as his arms clutched her upper arms. "This is my fault. All of it! I dragged him into this in he first place- I never should have…He…Fuck! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Rukia felt her eyes soften as she watched him. "Whatever you did," she spoke, grabbing his attention. "You didn't mean for this to happen. Your friend did whatever he did willingly, not under any obligation. You can't be held responsible for anything his actions might have led him to."
She couldn't begin to comprehend what was going on, what Ichigo meant about dragging his friend and possibly causing the situation he was in now…But none of that mattered. For some reason that was beyond her understanding or questioning, she couldn't stand to see Ichigo look so helpless and vulnerable. She wanted to do all she could to help erase that.
"This isn't your fault." she ground out at last, looking him straight in the eye, her arms still held roughly in his hands.
"…How could you know that?" he finally asked, his eyes turning away and his hands falling from her arms to his sides, before she caught them by the wrist.
"Because I know you." she suddenly said. "I know you would not let any harm befall your friends so long as you could help it." She didn't know where the bold words had come from, but as she said them, she knew them to be completely true.
Ichigo's eyes were slightly wide and glistening slightly as he looked at her. He was surprised at her words, but didn't defy them. Rukia slowly let go of his wrists, not dropping the eye contact. The two remained locked in their gaze for a long moment before being interrupted by a sound.
The sound of Rukia's stomach to be precise.
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as an awkward pause followed the noise. Then…
"Hungry?" Ichigo finally asked, the beginning of a smirk pulling at his lips.
Rukia self-consciously folded her arms over her stomach and lightly glared at Ichigo. "Shut up!"
"Just asking. It kinda sounded like you might be, but I guess it was just my imagination." Ichigo said, a full-on smirk coming on as the mocking edge entered his voice in the suddenly lightened atmosphere.
Rukia opened her mouth to spit some creative comeback at him before realizing something. It was the first time she saw even the semblance of a smile on his face ever since seeing him in the waiting room. It almost felt like some heaviness was removed from her chest, seeing the light return to his previously tortured eyes.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" Ichigo crossed his arms and frowned at her questioningly.
It was only then that Rukia noticed that a smile had indeed crept unto her lips without her knowledge or permission, and she immediately moved to wipe it away. "Nothing, just that a person can only contain her laughter for so long when in the presence of all that clown hair."
"Why you-" Ichigo muttered as his eyebrow ticked in annoyance. "Hey!" he called as he saw her turn and start to walk away. "Were are you going?"
"To get some food." She said over her shoulder. "I'm hungry." she stated, as if they hadn't had proof of that a mere moment ago. "You coming?" she asked, in a way that made it sound like she already knew his answer.
"The cafeteria here sucks." was all Ichigo said as he quickly jogged to catch up with her.
"Like you're used to any better."
"Of course I-" Ichigo paused, taking in her words. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing." she replied innocently shrugging. After a moment of skeptic silence from Ichigo's side, she added, "Just that you probably can't cook worth jack."
Ichigo gaped. "I can too!" he defended.
Rukia snorted. "I wouldn't put money on that."
"Oh so you want to bet?"
"I don't think that'd be fair to you."
"Oh yeah?"
"That's right."
"I'll show you good cooking, you-"
Their scrapple went on the rest of the way to the cafeteria, all the while Rukia couldn't help begin to feel more at ease. At least for now, she could help Ichigo, even if it was just by distracting him for a few precious moments.
A/N: Poor Chad. Don't worry, he's not dead...just gravely injured...What? It's not as bad! :P
Anyway, for those wondering: no, Chad getting shot was no accident or coincidence. It does have to do with the plot...of which you may or may not find out more of in the next chapter. I'll give you a hint (in case you hadn't caught on): It has to do with what Ichigo has been researching and the reason why his job had been on the line in the first place. I'll get more into that later, this chapter was more touchy-feely XD
So I wanted to ask: How are you guys liking the story so far? I know it's been going a bit slow, but is it too slow? Could it use a little more action? More romance? Is it going good or has interest dropped? I'd like you to be honest and answer in a review (or PM if you like) I'd just like to know if you really want me to continue this story, and if so, what should I improve. I look forward to your answers :)
As for these people:
falconrukichi, xXBleachluverXx, SuperRukia, Lunar, ichirukitard, shnizlefritz, Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, Mari Kia Resha Aishiteru, MN, AwesomeAnimeStarIchiRuki, jenaca, ali6220, SupaCrazee, and kyurikochan
Thanks a ton for your reviews!:D I send a virtual cookie to all of you in gratitude^^