Dr. Benjamin Lister is an OC.
Chapter Twenty-four
The State Are Islands…
[This part of the story everyone is speaking in English except for Rukia and Ichigo. Because of that words in Italic are in English. The whole story is in English but all the characters are speaking, thinking and talking in Japanese. The characters that can speak Japanese are not italicized.]
Ichigo opened his eyes. He was in a hospital. Looking around he noticed the things you'd expect in a hospital. The television was tuned into CNN. Everything was in English and Romanized. This further disoriented him and he couldn't remember why he was there in a hospital.
He felt he could stand up but something told him not to. A bag marked "PERSONAL ITEMS" grabbed his attention. He reached over to the chair and picked up the bag. Inside was simply a wallet, t-shirt, boxers and jeans.
He opened the wallet. The driver's license was from the state of Hawaii. The name: Ichigo Kurosaki. His reflection looked just like the picture so he must be Ichigo Kurosaki.
A nurse came in the room.
"Looks like you're finally awake Mr. Kurosaki," the nurse said.
"Do you speak Japanese," Ichigo asked.
"Uh well…very badly…I'll go get the doctor he can answer your questions," the nurse said picking up a chart from the end of the bed. Somehow Ichigo knew the woman was lying and spoke fluently.
She jotted down some information, smiled and left the room.
Moments later a rather young-looking doctor appeared in the room. He was of average height and slim build. His dark brown hair was cut short and combed back. The over use of gel product made his hair look glued together in parts. That alone lowered Ichigo's confidence in his so-called doctor.
"Good morning," the doctor leaned back on his heels looking out the window, "It looks like you're finally awake. My name is Dr. Athen Demosthenes. I know it's an unusual name this far from Europe," he said joking.
"So what happened to me I can't remember anything," Ichigo asked.
"That is just the problem. You kids these days with all you're water sports," Athen explained.
"I was in an accident," he asked.
"Yes. I am not your medical doctor but you are in perfect shape physically. The accident didn't damage you sans bruises and this amnesia which we will work on recovering your memories one by one," Athen said.
"So I woke up normally I wasn't in a coma or anything," Ichigo asked.
"That is correct. Some of your friends were not as lucky one has a broken leg and the other had to get stiches from a pretty nasty cut on his side," Athen replied.
"My friends, just how many of them were hurt," Ichigo asked.
"There were four of them on that boat only three of you were injured enough to be hospitalized. The other girl went home," Athen answered.
The doctor made a few notes and left after answering a few of Ichigo's questions. Ichigo had a strange vibe from the man but focused on the information that he did have. He wanted to check on his friends who were hurt most of all.
000
Athen was pleased with the level of craft that went into his doctor's materials. Everything looked so perfect and real. Excellence was to be expected from anyone working under him as he would tolerate no less. The cover was set and his plans were working so far.
"She's the only one who can be on his level," Athen said.
"But I still don't agree with their methods even if that is the case," Dave said.
"We need them to develop separately," Mark said.
"Why does it matter they will develop feelings for each other without our interference let's just see the way things play out. Perhaps we can mold them for ourselves," Pearl added.
"Those powers…imagine what I could do with such power. There will be no need for the likes of a Sôsuke…Kami…or whatever. Just think of what we can do," Dave said.
"You have me all wrong," Athen stood up from the table and walked towards the door, "I have no interest or patience for games like these. The fact that they are of no threat at all is the thing that interests me. By keeping these two away the Soul Society just became less of a menace. Not only that they are so busy looking for these two they can't see the thorn among them."
"Nor do they see the missing hidden in plain sight," Mark added.
"Exactly," Athen said leaving the room.
"We just have to keep up what we are doing now," Mark said getting up to leave as well.
Pearl shook her head in agreement and followed. Dave stayed behind he wasn't completely convinced of Athen's plans.
000
Therapy Session
The barely noticeable sign failed to grab Ichigo's attention as he stood in the hallway of the hospital's seventh floor. Glancing at the map in his hand he double checked the direction sheet passing by the door to his meeting several times. He was there to undergo therapy. There were things he could remember easily and other things went blank. For example he knew his birthdate even before looking at the driver's licence but couldn't tell you a single worthwhile thing about Hawaii.
Other patients suffering from amnesia like him should have been on this floor. The hospital was silent and empty. Fluorescent lighting and stale hospital smells made him slightly dizzy as he searched around for the room. After finally finding the room around a corner he passed several times he mentally kicked himself.
Quickly and silently he tried to enter the room unnoticed. Unfortunately for him people had the instinct to all turn in unison to stare at a person who was late.
The group leader nodded in his direction and continued speaking about memory loss. As it turned out Dr. Benjamin Lister was a fairly humorous guy. Dr. Lister used Ichigo's tardiness as a source for his apparent stand-up routine several times during the meeting.
The meeting flew by as people introduced themselves. Ichigo seemed especially interested in the petite girl with dark hair sitting across from him. The laughter in her eyes as he was being made fun of made the experience worth it. She stirred a feeling of familiarity in him; like meeting a childhood friend or next door neighbor.
At the end of the meeting Dr. Lister pulled Ichigo aside to give him some paperwork. To Ichigo's surprise the girl from the meeting was standing at the elevator still. He didn't miss her after all.
They stood waiting for the elevator in silence. Time seemed to go by slower than ever. Perhaps it seemed slow because they were waiting for an elevator.
"I guess I could just walk down the stairs," Ichigo said pushing the button repeatedly.
"Be patient," Rukia said turning those eyes up at him, "if you hit the stairs the elevator will open."
"Yeah I guess you are right," he said nervously running his hands through his disheveled head of hair.
"Until then uncomfortable elevator waiting silence," she said.
The uncomfortable silence hardly seemed uncomfortable at all. There was something about this girl that he couldn't put a handle on. Most people would have said something about his crazy orange hair. Most people would have tried small talking their way out of "elevator waiting silence."
Elevator doors opened a woman stepped out in time to the beep as Rukia and Ichigo stepped back; as the elevator was going in the wrong direction.
"I'm trying hard to remember your name it is Rukia right," he asked.
Before she could say a word a voice behind them sang out, "yes and you're the berry kid with the funny orange hair."
Ichigo turned to find Mark and Pearl behind them.
"We're kidding," Pearl said punching Ichigo on the arm.
"I'm sorry Miss; we are friends of Ichigo's. I'm Mark and this is Pearl," Mark extended his hand out to Rukia.
Rukia obliged and shook each of their hands, "I'm Rukia."
"Ichigo," Ichigo added.
"It would be difficult to forget your name…especially now," Rukia said and stepped into the elevator.
Ichigo ignored the obvious allusion to his hair color and turned to Mark and Pearl who followed him into the elevator. After pushing the lobby button he asked, "What are you two doing here anyway?"
"Dave's still here getting his stitches removed so we're his ride home," Pearl answered.
"I don't remember Dave," Ichigo said.
"What do you remember," Pearl teased and shrugged as she stepped off the elevator.
"We'll see you later Ichigo. You can come over and meet him later if you like," Mark said following after Pearl.
"Alright then," Ichigo said waving them off.
Rukia continued walking and Ichigo managed to catch up to her.
"You don't seem like you enjoy being friends with them," she said feeling his approach at her side.
"They can be obnoxious sometimes…or all the time I don't really remember them in my past. All I have are shallow memories of them," he said.
"I know what you mean Ichigo…like strawberry, what an interesting name," Rukia grinned.
"No even if I'm suffering memory loss I'm pretty sure it means Ichi like first. I doubt my parents would name me strawberry," he defended.
But they did.
"I know you write your name differently," she said.
"You noticed how I write my name," he asked.
"Yes I did. If I can't remember my past what's wrong with holding onto new memories," she said.
"It is odd to think that someone's signature would be a treasured memory to hold onto," he said.
"Who said anything about treasured...I'll admit to being interested in just why we're both Japanese and happen to be in the same therapy session here," she said.
"Strange, I have a Hawaiian driver's license. My friends speak perfect English and I do not although I've been here several years," he said.
"I have to go to work in fifteen minutes but maybe we can meet and talk about this some more," Rukia said.
"Yeah," Ichigo took out his phone, "let me give you my number and you can call me sometime…if you want to."
"How about we just exchange numbers," Rukia said handing him her phone to program, "I'm not really good at these things anyway."
He grinned and took the phone from her hand. The wall paper was a photograph of what could only be her sister. Something about the image made him pause for a long moment. He apologized, quickly programmed the numbers and handed her the phone.
[End special italics]