Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Odalisque ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

 

 

 

Odalisque

 

Chapter 17

 

Rukia shoved open the doors to the emergency room at Karakura General Hospital and nearly upended an old man using a walker. Her lacerated feet burned on the cool linoleum as she rushed into a halt. She didn't even have the time to mourn the loss of a perfectly good pair of pantyhose. Her frantic eyes swept the entire room, they passed by young mothers holding infants, children rushing by while their parents sneezed into tissues, men holding burned or sliced hands while wailing for a doctor, and old women scratching rashes while complaining about the wait.

 

She spotted the attendants desk. Her body barely registered anyone it ran into as she pushed her way further into the room. Her lungs screamed for air as she planted both of her hands on the counter hard enough to startle the nurse on call.

 

“My name is Rukia Kuchiki,” she wheezed diligently, “My brother, Byakuya, was brought in for two gunshot wounds.”

 

The nurse's eyes were puzzled for a moment before they widened in recognition. She nodded twice before motioning calmly to one of the seats in the waiting room. “If you'll take a seat I can—”

 

Anger flashed inside of Rukia's stomach. “I will not take a seat, I will not be patient, and I will see my brother right now!” She used the coldest, hardest, and most vicious voice she had in her arsenal of tones. Her eyes were as hard as diamonds and her hands were clenched into fists on the top of the counter.

 

The nurse jumped at Rukia's tone and the blood drained completely from her face. She jerked her head up and down, it looked like she was trying to nod but it just came out resembling some sort of seizure.

 

“O-okay… just, uh, just let me c-call back to-to th-them.”

 

“You do that,” Rukia seethed, not even bothering to pity the young woman. “Now.”

 

The nurse fumbled with the receiver on her phone and pressed one button on the pad. She trembled in her seat and swallowed as she spoke, “S-She's here, si-sir, you told me t-to tell y-you.” She nodded once before looking back up to Rukia, even though she didn't look her in the eye, more like the vicinity around her nose. “H-He'll be right o-out.” She stammered.

 

Rukia's eyes narrowed and she clenched her teeth together. “Who? My brother certainly can't walk.”

 

“The… the… de—the detect—the—” the woman appeared to be wheezing and Rukia realized that she wouldn't have offered her a paper bag even if she was holding one in her hand.

 

“The detective.” A heavy voice boomed from behind her. A tingle ran down her spine and for one, fleeting, moment the panic she was feeling for her brother evaporated, leaving only pure, unadulterated, relief in its place.

 

She swirled around and felt tears stinging at the backs of her eyes. “Renji!” She cried desperately, her voice breaking slightly at the sight of him.

 

Rukia couldn't believe it. Renji Abarai, her oldest childhood friend, was standing in front of her. He was nearly as tall as her brother and just as imposing. He possessed bright, shining, red hair that always seemed to be pulled back into an ostentatious ponytail. He had a broad, tan, face and a square jaw. His body, which was currently draped in a black overcoat despite the heat, was chiseled, she could tell that even from where she was standing. Yet what made him such a striking person to see was the pattern of tribal-like tattoos stretching over his forehead. Rukia knew for a fact that they also ran down his back and his chest. She remembered when he had gotten them done, he had been sixteen with a fake ID, she had been fifteen and had volunteered to watch. She recalled that they had bet on whether he would cry or not. She won. Plus she got the added benefit of seeing him writhe in pain for a month every time he tried to sit down.

 

Rukia's mind was flooded with memories as she thought of their time together as kids. They had been inseparable back then. All those summers with her sneaking away from her extra-studies to go down and hang out by the stream. All those late night ice creams. All those frog hunts.

 

Rukia's bottom lip trembled and she pressed her fingers against her mouth in an attempt to stop it. Renji was standing about seven feet away from her, but right now, it felt like miles. Her eyes roamed to his face and her eyes burned even fiercer. His face was so sincere, so kind… she remembered that face. Back when she had been younger it had always been in a smile, smirk, or frown of defiance.

 

They had parted ways in high school. Rukia had been on the straight and narrow after she and her brother had created a plan for her future. Renji had decided to join the police academy directly after graduation while Rukia went directly onto college. They had tried to keep in touch but in the end their schedules just became too much for either of them to handle. Rukia was overloaded with work and Renji was pulling overtime in order to train to become a detective.

 

She read about him, from time to time, in the newspapers, especially when he did something heroic, which he tended to do a lot—cats from trees, children from burning buildings, helping underprivileged youth, and so forth—and had always remembered to call him to wish him well on major holidays and on his birthday.

 

They had grown so out of touch lately… but now, oh Christ… why did they have to be brought back together like this?

 

He took a few steps forward until the outside of his coat was brushing against her. Rukia trembled as she felt his heavy hand drop onto her shoulder.

 

“It's good to see you again Rukia,” he said softly.

 

She had to crane her neck to look up at him. Her mouth twitched into a smile and she nodded, “Good to see you too, Renji.” She bit her lip and glanced to the side of the hospital room. “Where's Byakuya?” She whispered, not being able to meet his gaze.

 

“He's still in surgery,” he said gently, rubbing his thumb against her jacket. “It could be a few more hours.”

 

“Oh God…” she gasped. “How is he?”

 

“Critical.” He murmured. “But they have hopes.”

 

“Are you investigating the case?” She said quietly. She looked up at him hopefully, “Can you tell me what happened?” She reached out and pulled one of his hands into both of hers. “Renji, please… I—I need to know…”

 

“Come on,” he said gently, taking hold of her elbow and leading her towards a quieter end of the hospital. “Let's get away before you give any of the other nurses strokes.”

 

She chuckled humorlessly and walked with him, her bare feet echoing dully on the linoleum floors of the hospital wing. She cursed herself for not putting her shoes back on, even though they were wedged harmlessly into her purse. She couldn't very well run in high heels even if not wearing them did make her feel much shorter than an average person. They continued walking until there were no signs of doctors, nurses, or those annoying candy striper people who were always too cheerful for their own good.

 

Renji held on firmly to her elbow, as if he was afraid she would lose it if he let go. Rukia shook her head half in defeat and half in disgust. Why did everyone have to think that she would become this psychotic, hysteric, woman if she didn't have a man looming over her at all times? She was totally in control of herself. She could handle this.

 

She gently eased her elbow out of Renji's grip and he slowed to a halt. She turned to him and crossed her arms against her chest. This was time to become business Rukia once again. She couldn't afford to be weak Rukia right now.

 

“What happened Renji?” She said in a low and plain voice.

 

He heaved a heavy sigh and stuffed both of his hands into his pockets. “You're brother was shot twice as he left the Kuchiki Corporation building this morning. He was going to meet a client when he took two bullets, probably from a sniper rifle of some sort. My people are combing the rooftops as we speak.”

 

“In broad daylight?” Rukia demanded, her eyes were wide and the expression on her face was one of complete horror. “How could someone do that?”

 

“We think it was a professional,” Renji added, he brought his hands out, dug them into his coat pockets, and pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Do you know anyone who would hate your brother enough that they'd hire someone to kill him?”

 

Rukia's jaw dropped his disbelief. “Only every other top company that wants the defense contract my brother has! It's worth billions of dollars!” She cried.

 

“But anyone specific…” he trailed off, waving his pen in the air, as if that was supposed to jog her memory.

 

“No one specific.” She grumbled softly, crossing her arms defensively across her chest.

 

“Okay,” he said softly, “Do you think they could have wanted to get to you?”

 

“Are you kidding?” She demanded, now getting a bit annoyed. She knew that Renji was only doing his job but honestly, her brother had so many more enemies than she did. If someone wanted to get to her… well, there were better ways to get to her than through her brother.

 

“I guess that's a no.”

 

“You guess right, genius.” She snorted acidly.

 

“Don't make this any harder than it has to be,” Renji told her gently, “I'm just trying to get the facts straight.”

 

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I know you're doing your job.”

 

“What about his personal life?” He asked.

 

“Nonexistent.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her, “One of the most eligible men in the entire universe and he doesn't have women throwing themselves at him?”

 

Rukia shrugged one shoulder up, “Of course they do, he just doesn't reciprocate.” She shifted queasily, “There hasn't been anyone since Hisana.”

 

“You sure about that?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Renji flipped the pad over and frowned, making his eyebrows tattoos ripple on his forehead. “Okay… ah, anyone who might have an outstanding grudge from when he was younger?”

 

“No one,” Rukia replied, “Except maybe people he's worked with, but even then… this is going a bit far.” She bit her lip and looked away. “I mean, sure he's ruthless when it comes to his company but he… he's always fair.”

 

“I see,” he muttered, “Okay… what about his schedule, does it vary?”

 

“Barely,” she muttered, “You can check with his secretary, she should have all of his information.”

 

“Alright,” Renji flipped his pad closed and stuffed it inside of his jacket. Rukia saw his coat flap open a bit, revealing his shiny, detective's badge to the fluorescent lights around them. It glittered a few times before being covered by the heavy fabric. “Well, I think that's all we have for right now, if I think of anything else…” he trailed off, staring nervously at the floor.

 

“Oh,” Rukia started, getting exactly what he meant. She reached inside of her pocket and pulled out a blank business card. She made sure to write her cell phone, home, and office, number onto it before she handed it back to him. “Right, all of my numbers are on this card.” She passed it to him. “Call me if there are any developments.”

 

“Good,” he stuffed it into his other pocket and turned to face her. Rukia could have laughed at the differences between them. Tall verses short, red hair versus black, marked skin versus milky white, sympathetic versus horrified, and steel-toed boots versus bare feet and ripped stockings.

 

“Hey listen,” he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with his large hand, “I'm sorry we had to meet up like this after all this time…”

 

“Yeah,” she whispered, crossing her arms tightly against her chest.

 

“If you ever need anything,” he said, pulling out his own card and handing it to her, “Just call me. We'll get a drink or something.”

 

“Okay.” Her voice was soft and her eyes were glazed.

 

“You gonna stay here?” He asked.

 

Rukia drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah… I might call Momo in a bit, tell her where I am and all that, but… ah, I'm going to stay.”

 

“I have to warn you,” he said after a minute, “He was… shot, in broad daylight and since your brother is such a prominent figure, well, reporters will be all over this. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few out in the waiting room, right now.”

 

“I know better than to talk to them about anything.” She muttered, angered that there were people out there who would act like such vultures at the first sight of a carcass. Her brother had just been shot for God's sake and here they were, hoping to make a quick buck on the Kuchiki family's misery.

 

“Okay, just making sure you'll be alright.” He tried to smile as comfortingly as he could and reached out to pat her on the shoulder. His hand lingered for a few moments before he nudged her shoulder, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He let his hand fall and he sighed. “I need to get going. We need to secure the scene from the public's piranhas.” He laughed humorlessly and nodded once, “He'll be happy to see you… when he wakes up.”

 

“Yeah,” she murmured, the realization that such a statement was blatantly false mixed with the horrible, boiling sensations of fear that were currently taking root in the pit of her stomach. “See you around, Renji.”

 

“See ya.” He said once more before giving her one last, lingering, glance, turning, and walking away.

 

Rukia was left standing under a fluorescent light, her torn, dirty, and bloody feet staining the linoleum floor. She was fighting not to curl into herself as she listened to the echoing noises around her. She pressed a hand to the bridge of her nose, squeezed her eyes shut, and told herself not to cry.

 

*~*~*

 

Ichigo stood in Aizen's office, leaning against his boss's desk while said boss sat in his thick leather chair, a television remote was in his hand, and his mouth was parted in surprise.

 

Aizen's eyes were wide and his mouth was also ajar. “Oh my goodness,” he gasped.

 

Ichigo stood stoically as he watched the ugliest newscaster he had ever seen come closer to the camera and begin to tell the story that was currently running over every network in the area.

 

“There was a surprise today in the Karakura Business District when business mogul Byakuya Kuchiki was shot twice in broad daylight near his uptown office building.”

 

The television flashed to a scene of the crime, yellow police-tape decorated the area like tinsel on a Christmas tree, cops in uniform and plain-clothed officers flittered around while tourists and paparazzi took photos from every angle they could.

 

“The police are refraining from releasing a statement at the moment but they say a fully-fledged investigation has been instigated.”

 

“Yes, well, you'd think so, wouldn't you?” Aizen grunted exasperatedly.

 

“Byakuya Kuchiki is the owner of the Kuchiki Corporation. Not much has ever been released concerning the Kuchiki Corporation's business practices, but they do have rights to the largest defense contract in the nation.” The man paused for a moment, pressed his listening device further inside of his ear and frowned softly. He looked back up at the camera and cleared his throat.

 

“This just in, Byakuya Kuchiki was taken to Karakura General Hospital where he is currently undergoing surgery. His condition, they say, is very critical.”

 

He looked back the scene and then turned to the camera once again. “Byakuya Kuchiki is forty five years old, his late wife, Hisana Kuchiki, died several years ago of cancer. The only other member of his family is his sister-in-law and corporate attorney, Rukia Kuchiki.”

 

Ichigo lifted the remote and flipped off the television. He set it down on his boss's desk and quietly sat where he was.

 

“Well that would explain why she left so suddenly.” Aizen commented, trying to make light of the situation.

 

Ichigo didn't turn but scowled at him nonetheless. “I wonder if her friend knows.” He muttered.

 

“Who?”

 

Ichigo rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Her friend, Momo Hinamori, I wonder if she knows. She'd probably want to be with Rukia.”

 

“You may call her if you want.” Aizen said, motioning to the phone.

 

“I'll do that.” He said softly. He sighed heavily and moved his weight onto his feet. For some reason, he felt incredibly heavy. “I'm going to get back to the office.”

 

“Alright,” Aizen said as cheerfully as he could.

 

Ichigo only stared off into space. “I think I'll leave early today, you know, go by the hospital, makes sure she doesn't go twenty four hours without eating something.”

 

“Good,” Aizen smiled as Ichigo walked towards the door. He had just reached one hand to the knob when his boss's voice stopped him. “You… like Ms. Kuchiki?”

 

Ichigo turned around and blinked, his scowling face taking on a new look of surprise. “Huh?”

 

“Ms. Kuchiki,” he said, staring clearly at him, “Do you like her?”

 

“She's okay to work with.” Ichigo answered immediately, not liking where this conversation was going, or the fact that it was actually going somewhere… with his boss.

 

Aizen just smiled warmly and laughed heartily. “Ichigo, I saw you at the merger announcement, you could barely keep your eyes off of her.”

 

“She looked good in that dress,” he shrugged, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “I'm a healthy man, its common.”

 

“Yes, yes…” Aizen chuckled, “Of course.” He began shuffling papers on his desk and smiled. “Tell Ms. Kuchiki I said hello.”

 

“Sure,” Ichigo grunted, exiting the office quickly. As he moved down the hallway he felt a small shudder run through his body. Damn, in the space of three minutes that was definitely the creepiest his boss had ever made him feel.

 

He checked his watch. It was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. He ran a hand down his face and groaned. He'd call Momo, gather a few things from his office, go buy a sandwich or two from a vendor, and go to the hospital.

 

He wouldn't want her to get any worse.

 

*~*~*

 

Hospital chairs were uncomfortable. Rukia would know, she'd been sitting in one for the past six hours. It must have been something with the plastic; it was probably melted wrong, making the sitter wiggle every six seconds in order to find a comfortable position. Then there were the cheap, flea infested, paisley cushions they threw over them. They, of course, were stained with urine, blood, and baby vomit and smelled like they were first created in a dung factory.

 

Rukia felt half of her butt go numb so she shifted to the other side. It didn't make much of a difference though. The other side of her butt was just as numb. She groaned and placed an elbow on the plastic armrest. She pressed her fingers to her tired eyes and wished she hadn't run out of headache pills.

 

Six hours. Six freaking hours and he was still in surgery. Six freaking hours and he was still in critical condition. Six freaking hours of glaring at nurses and asking questions from any doctor that passed by yet getting absolutely nothing in return. Six freaking hours and there were still reporters buzzing around, not even deterred by the police guard standing outside. Six whole hours of sitting here on this terrible chair while her career might be in ruins, her boss was probably ready to fire her, and her partner more than likely botched the rest of the presentation. Six whole hours of thinking that any doctor that passed through those swinging doors was going to come to her and begin a sentence with `I'm sorry, we did all we could…”

 

Rukia shifted again and moved to the other side of her butt. She needed to walk around or something, but she didn't want the reporters outside to catch a glimpse of her looking so… disheveled, nor did she want to leave in case a doctor actually came out to tell her something useful. Although the disheveled reason was more pertinent at the moment. She still hadn't even bothered to put her heels back on or fixed her red, puffy, eyes. Plus, the only doctors she had seen were not involved at all with her brother's case. They were just… there.

 

She sighed heavily and moved to the other side of her butt. Why did today have to start out so great and then turn so ugly?

 

“Rough day?”

 

Rukia looked up as a rather plump man took a seat next to her. She narrowed her eyes at him and he immediately became uncomfortable. For the past six hours she had dutifully kept everyone at least three seats away from her. Even that little boy who tried to ask her where his Mommy was. Her response—how the fuck would I know?—had him crying, yet oddly enough, she hadn't felt bad about it. Brat.

 

Rukia's eyes skimmed over him. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a rather grimy shirt, and was clutching his right hand in his left. There was a very tiny cut on his palm yet he was treating it as if it was a stab wound and blotting it out with a piece of cloth. Rukia's eyes slid up to his face and scowled at what she saw. His eyes were too bright, his expression was too eager, and his attention was too sharp, it as if he was there only to memorize everything she had to say.

 

Rukia turned and hunched over in her chair, placing her elbows on her knees, “No comment.” She snipped loudly.

 

He blinked a few times before leaning away from her. She could tell that he was panicking. His eyes were searching the room from side to side, he was beginning to clutch his palm even tighter, and his body began to twitch.

 

“No comment?” He snorted, trying to sound confused but only succeeding with nervous. “What do you mean?”

 

“Officer,” Rukia called out to one of the cops that had been stationed inside of the hospital waiting room. The man beside her began to panic as the cop took a few steps closer to them. Rukia motioned to her seat companion, “This man is a reporter. Kindly remove him.”

 

The officer nodded once and shot his hand out, gripping the arm of the sneaky journalist before he could bolt. “W-wait!” He cried desperately, “I—I'm injured! My hand is cut! It's bleeding!”

 

Rukia, her temper frayed enough to kill, stood up, took two steps forward, shot her hand into his jean pocket, and pulled out his press pass. She dangled it in front of his face and snarled, “Your lanyard and press pass, I assume?”

 

His face bloomed into a purplish-red color. “Come on,” the cop grunted, dragging him towards the exit.

 

“Bitch!” He yelled at her. Rukia just ignored him and chucked his press pass into the nearest trashcan. “I had to cut my own hand to get in here!”

 

“Try going a few feet south next time,” she barked, “Cut something a little less valuable.” She walked back to her seat and slumped down into it. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of his hand and exhaled fitfully. She could feel a few people around her giving her strange looks but she ignored them. Damn reporters… so what if she was rude to them? They were trying to dig into her life, expose her familial pain, and plaster it over every newspaper, internet website, and radio they could get their hands on. She had every right to be mad at them.

 

She jumped nearly two feet into the air when a shrill peal echoed from her purse and into the waiting room. She dove for her leather bag immediately and pulled out her cell phone before it could make another desperate cry for attention.

 

“Hello?” She asked, flipping it open and not even bothering to look at the caller I.D.

 

“Is this Rukia?”

 

She frowned softly and pressed the phone closer to her ear. This voice sounded familiar… she just couldn't… “This is she.”

 

“Oh, good.” He said, a rush of relief evident in his voice, “Hey Rukia, its Ichigo.”

 

Great, now her brain had gone numb along with her butt. “Huh?” She said, her tone strange and confused, “How did you get my number?”

 

“Rukia!” There was someone else with him, someone in the background, someone that Rukia recognized immediately, “Rukia! It's me, Momo! I'm here with Ichi—”

 

“She gave it to me,” he said, cutting Momo off. “Would you tell that cop outside to let up in? They're only letting in people if they're missing limbs or bleeding.”

 

“Are you missing a limb or bleeding?” Rukia demanded. “Is Momo?”

 

“I brought you a sandwich.”

 

Rukia's stomach growled the moment the word `sandwich' left his mouth and traveled to her ear. She sighed heavily and heard him snicker on the other end. She could only guess that Momo was still bouncing anxiously beside him. “Wait a second.” She said tonelessly.

 

She raised her head and called to the officer, he came over immediately, his eyes scanning the waiting room before going to her. “Yes ma'am?”

 

“Miss,” she corrected automatically, “There are two people outside I'd like to see. Ichigo Kurosaki, he has bright orange hair, and Momo Hinamori, she'll be bouncing up and down next to him.” She gave him a hard stare and continued, “Do you think you could bring them in? They're waiting outside.”

 

“Of course,” he said, nodding his head once before going towards the door.

 

Rukia put the phone back to her ear and said, “The rent-a-cop is coming to get you.”

 

“Excellent,” he muttered sarcastically and she clipped the phone shut.

 

It took all of twenty seconds before Momo came barreling into the room at full running speed. Her wide eyes searched around the room until they landed on Rukia, slumped over, dead tired, and barefoot.

 

“Rukia!” Momo sobbed, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth before rushing over to her friend. She barreled into the seat next to her and wildly grasped for any body part she could get a hold of. “I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier! I only first heard when Ichigo called and told me! Are you okay? How's your brother?”

 

“I'm fine,” Rukia sighed, wincing at just how hard Momo was actually squeezing her wrist. “But Byakuya,” she closed her eyes for a moment and gritted her teeth together. “He's… well, last I heard he was critical. They won't tell me anymore than that.” Another doctor passed breezily through the doors and Rukia's head immediately shot towards them. But no, his scrubs weren't covered in blood, he couldn't have been the one who operated on her brother.

 

“Oh Rukia…” Momo's eyes were already watering.

 

“The reporters are just making it worse,” she muttered, sending an angry stare towards the people outside of the doors, “One guy even cut his own hand trying to get in here.”

 

“No!” Her friend gasped, completely horrified.

 

Rukia nodded solemnly and turned her head to see Ichigo standing awkwardly beside them. She craned her neck back and blinked. She couldn't tell which was brighter, the fluorescent lights or his hair. Either way, the way they bounced off each other was quite disgusting.

 

Or maybe it was pretty. She was really too tired to tell right now.

 

He looked down at her the moment she looked up. Her eyes met with his and sudden warmth flooded its way into her stomach. She was actually… happy to see him. Even his hair—in all of its ridiculous luminosity—made her feel a bit better. Her gaze broke contact with his and she traveled the trail of his body to his hand. Her stomach clenched in hunger when she saw the heavy bag.

 

“Is that my sandwich, Kurosaki?” She demanded, a light breeze wafted through the place, tickling her nose with the delicious scent of warm, soft, bread, cheese, and meat.

 

He smirked and handed her the bag. “I hope you like panini's.”

 

“Love them.” She muttered, shooting her hand out and crinkling the paper in her tight fist. She nearly ripped the bag in an attempt to dislodge the Italian sandwich from the inside. She bit into it and moaned softly. She hadn't eaten anything since nearly twelve hours. Eating this perfect sandwich was like having a mouth orgasm.

 

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, her voice muffled through the bread, “Where did you find this?”

 

“Little bistro a ways away from the office.” He shrugged.

 

“Well it's fantastic.” She mumbled. “You're going to have to tell me where it is.”

 

Momo tittered beside her as she practically swallowed the sandwich whole. “Maybe Ichigo could take you there sometime.” She said after a moments silence.

 

Rukia glared over at her friend; her hunger, exhaustion, and frayed nerves making her even angrier at that comment than it should have. Momo only shrugged once before she began to listlessly look around the waiting room.

 

“How long have you been here?” She asked absentmindedly.

 

“Since around ten or ten thirty.” She mumbled miserably, searching through the bag and finding—oh bless his heart—another sandwich. This one had turkey instead of ham. She looked at him appreciatively and he smirked back.

 

“Did you have to talk to any cops?” Momo asked after a moment. “I saw lots of them around.”

 

“Actually,” Rukia sighed softly, “I did. But it was someone I knew.”

 

“Really? Who?” This time it was Ichigo who spoke.

 

“Renji Abarai,” Rukia muttered through a mouthful of God's manna. “I grew up with him and he became a police detective.”

 

“Abarai?” Momo murmured, “I'm not sure I really know him…”

 

“I haven't been in contact with him for a while.” She said as she swallowed a larger-than-her-fist chunk of food. “But it was good to see him again, considering the circumstances.”

 

“Oh… that's nice.”

 

Rukia tilted her head upwards and frowned at Ichigo. He was just standing there, hands in his pockets, looking around, and waiting. She turned towards Momo, she was picking at a stray string on her skirt.

 

Her mind clouded over for a moment and she sighed. This was sweet… but being here just to be here, if it was any type of inconvenience… She didn't want to be the pathetic person in the hospital who had her friends stay with her even though she didn't need them. Well, maybe `didn't need' was a stretch. She wanted them here but honestly, was she going to sit around gossiping with them while her brother was in surgery? She'd probably just clam up and worry some more. It wasn't really right to inflict that kind of pain on either Momo or Ichigo.

 

She snorted softly and drew both of their attentions towards her, “You guys don't have to stay here, you know.”

 

Momo was on the defensive immediately. Of course she had to stay, she had to support her best friend, she had to be with her in her time of need.

 

“Momo,” Rukia ground out, she knew she should have been appreciative, but at this moment, her best friend's chipper voice was just grating on her already frayed nerves. “You guys are just going to be bored. Listen, I appreciate you two coming here, I really do, but I know you guys have plans—” She saw a guilty look appear on Momo's face and she twiddled her fingers nervously, Ichigo just looked impassive, “So it's really no problem if you leave. I'm just going to stay here until the doctors tell me he's alright.”

 

“But Rukia!” Momo cried, “That could be days!”

 

“Yeah,” she sighed and then looked over at Ichigo. “You think you can hold down the fort for a while?”

 

A smug grin appeared on his face, “Are you kidding? A few days without you is a dream come true.” He chuckled lightly and brought his hand up to the side of his face, indicating that she had some food stuck on her.

 

Rukia raised her own hand and brushed a glob of mayonnaise away from her face—not that it didn't blend in perfectly anyway. “Or maybe I should just call Inoue and take her up on that offer to work with you for a few days.”

 

His smirking mouth flat-lined and his eyes widened. “You wouldn't.”

 

“Oh wouldn't I?” She smiled charmingly, a veiled threat in her tone.

 

“Then again,” he muttered, “I guess I wouldn't put it past you.”

 

“Thank you.” She said, quirking one side of her mouth up in an attempt to smile.

 

“Just don't do anything rash,” he muttered, “It might come back to bite you in the—”

 

“Doctor!” Rukia cried sharply. A woman wearing an emergency mask, green scrubs covered in copious amounts of blood, and a very exhausted expression lifted her head and glanced in Rukia's direction.

 

She was out of her seat in a shot and over to her in nearly three seconds. Momo followed quickly but hovered a few feet behind, Ichigo stood where he was, his eyes watching her softly.

 

“Miss Kuchiki, I presume,” said the tired woman, she held out her hand and Rukia took it immediately. She noted the woman's firm grip and agile-looking fingers and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Her brother had been in good hands, no matter the outcome, she knew that she had tried her best.

 

“You presume correctly,” she said in a terse, anxious, voice. “I assume you're the person who operated on my brother?”

 

“You assume correctly,” she answered in a ghost of a smile. “My name is Dr. Retsu Unohana.”

 

“My brother…” she began, her voice faltering slightly. “Is he…?”

 

“He's… alive,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “We were able to remove the bullets and repair as much as we could. His internal organs are safe.”

 

Rukia's heart dropped even further into her stomach. “But…”

 

“But he's in an extremely precarious condition.” The doctor continued, “He could make it or he could go at any minute. We've done all we can. It's more his battle now than ours. We have him in the intensive care unit and we'll keep him there as long as possible.”

 

“Is he awake?”

 

The doctor shook her head softly. “No… I'm afraid we've had to sedate him heavily. He won't be up for another day or so and even then… he might not wake up.”

 

Rukia felt that burning sensation come onto her eyes once again. She swallowed heavily and bit her bottom lip even harder. She fought to remain her composure as she asked, “Is he in a coma?”

 

“Not exactly,” Dr. Unohana murmured, “He's responsive, he's just in a very heavy sleep. It's up to him right now.”

 

Rukia pressed her hands to her lips and closed her eyes. “I understand.” She closed her eyes and drew in a very deep breath. “Can I see him?”

 

The doctor reached out and pressed her hand into Rukia's shoulder. She flinched at the touch and slowly looked down at the doctor's scrubs. There were so many red splotches on her clothing. Rukia felt a lump form in her throat and she shuddered softly. Her brother's blood… his blood… god there was so much of it. Hardly any green was left on the shirt. It was all so red…

 

She blanched slightly and felt her teeth clench together. “How… how much b-blood did he l-lose?”

 

Dr. Unohana looked down at her scrubs and then back up at Rukia. Her expression was one of sadness and of pain. She gently folded one arm over her stomach, as if attempting to hide Rukia's penetrating gaze from the redness staining her clothes.

 

Suddenly, Rukia was spun away from Dr. Unohana and her blood-stained clothing. Her body was propelled in a half-circle and lobbed into a very warm mass of fresh clothing and heady scents. She grappled for the thing even though she had no idea what it was. Her arms were folded between her body and unbelievable warmth spread into each of her limbs. Rukia pressed her face into that warmth and breathed in deeply. Heady, masculine, scents assaulted her nose and she found that she liked this more than she should. She even began inhaling more than she was exhaling it smelled so good.

 

“Shh,” the thing said through the clouds in her mind. She swallowed and realized that she recognized that voice, that tone, and the limbs that were now encircling her. “You don't have to look at it. Don't worry.”

 

“O-Okay,” she muttered, clumsily jumping over the word that should have been so simple for her.

 

His arms hugged her tighter and she melted into them immediately. She felt so warm. All day she had been so cold, so full of fear, so exhausted… but now she was warm. Her little corner of the world finally had a bit of heat. She buried her face further into—what appeared to be—his shirt and sighed. She felt something heavy on top of her head and realized that it was Ichigo's chin. How odd that after so long of alternately hating and desiring him that she was now finding comfort in his strong embrace. This was so strange… but so nice too.

 

“It's alright, Rukia.” He murmured, “Don't think about it.”

 

She nodded silently and slowly drew in his perfect scent once again.

 

“Come on, you don't have to stay here.” He said softly.

 

Rukia didn't want to move but her head shook on it's own volition. “I can't just leave him.”

 

“You heard what the doctor said,” Ichigo told her quietly, she started when she felt his hands rubbing slowly up and down her back. Any other day she would have assumed that he was coming on to her. Today though… it was just a comfort. “He won't be conscious for another day or so. You need to think about yourself. Go home, sleep, and take tomorrow off.”

 

A protest bubbled on her tongue but she shoved it down. She had already planned to take tomorrow off. She needed to be here with Byakuya and one day certainly wouldn't kill her. Ichigo could take care of it. She didn't even feel like calling in Inoue since he was being so nice to her.

 

“Okay,” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into his shirt. She sighed heavily and started to detach herself. She didn't want to let this go any further than it already had.

 

He held on fast. “Who are you and what have you done with Rukia?” He asked teasingly, referring to her easy acceptance of his directions.

 

A weak, barely alive, chuckle ran through her body and she shook her head against him. He kept rubbing her back as though there was nothing else for him to do today. She smiled softly and stepped away from him quietly. He finally acquiesced and let her slip away. Rukia turned and found that Dr. Unohana had disappeared, leaving a smiling nurse in her place. Even though Rukia had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't smiling just to try and brighten spirits. She had no doubt seen their embrace.

 

Stupid… nosy… vile woman, Rukia thought angrily, taking another step away from where Ichigo stood. If he noticed anything he didn't give any indication.

 

“Miss Kuchiki?” The nurse said softly, Rukia turned to her fully and looked closely at her name tag. Kotetsu Isane was her name. She looked nice enough. The pink scrubs also did something to soften her image. The lack of blood splatter also helped.

 

“Yes?” She answered, her voice getting that solid edge on it again.

 

She handed Rukia a card, which she took immediately, and smiled. “I was told to give you this. It has Dr. Unohana's phone numbers on it as well as the number of the room your brother is staying in. If you call we will connect you directly to Dr. Unohana, she'll be monitoring your brother every step of the way.”

 

Slight surprise entered Rukia's head as she took the card into her hands. This was an awful lot to do for just one patient. But then again, Rukia guessed that there weren't many patients who could donate millions of dollars to any singular hospital with just the twirl of a pen.

 

“Thank you.” She said with a small amount of amazement, as well as cynicism, still in her voice.

 

“No problem,” she said as smoothly as possible. “We're just glad we could help.” She gave Rukia a sympathetic smile and then turned to exit down another hallway.

 

Rukia stood numbly in the center of the hospital waiting room. Her brain felt like a dead weight pushing on her temples and she raised her hand to rub them softly. She sighed heavily and shook her head before straightening her shoulders, stiffening her spine, and turning to Ichigo and Momo.

 

Momo had a smile on her face that made Rukia stare at her for just a minute longer. It was the secret type of smile, Mona Lisa-esque even. Rukia didn't like it. It made her remember days when children would tease her and say things like `I know something that you don't know!'

 

She shifted her gaze over to Ichigo and saw that his eyes were gazing, hard and deep, into hers. She looked away after a moment and swallowed.

 

“I'm going home,” she said quietly.

 

“I'll come with you.” Momo offered. A little too quickly for Rukia's taste. What did she have up her sleeve?

 

“Alright,” Rukia turned to Ichigo and smiled softly. “Thanks for coming… and bringing me food.”

 

“Anytime,” he said softly. Rukia's jaw tightened softly and in that moment. His eyes bored into hers so intensely, even standing in the middle of a hospital waiting room, exhausted and tired, she knew that he absolutely meant it.

 

 

 

 

(A/N: Some IchiRuki interaction for you guys as well as a bit of Renji to add in some spice! He'll come up later on so don't worry about a Renji fix!

 

Oh, also! Fathom-x (on ff.net) did this so I suppose I can too! There's an IchiRukiLove group over on Yahoo, it was started by gokusgirl and is really great—there's a story contest going on and we have some really great entries, two of which I have written. So, check them out, vote for one, and continue in your IchiRuki ways!

 

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY REVIEWED AS WELL!!!)