Insecurities

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Rukia looked up from the small piece of paper she had in her hand. And she nodded her head in approval as she eyed the small building that was currently in front of her. It wasn't a skyscraper, but it certainly wasn't something to look down upon. The building looked and felt new with cool black marble slapped unto its surface and clean one-sided glass that reflected the blue sky on that humid day. She looked at the clean white sign that proudly read, "General Karakura Hospital". She could see that the architecture spared no less on his design as it was indeed beautiful. One wouldn't even think it was a hospital if not for the giant red cross and that sign. At eight floors tall, the business around here was certainly booming.

"So, this is where Ichigo works." Rukia breathed out in awe. She looked around the area and was delighted to find a café just a block away. This was her first time coming to see said man's work place and she was here to drag him out to lunch. She swore he would not eat for a week if he was allowed to. She even left her own office to get her butt down here, a thirty minute drive from her studio.

Well, actually, it was on a whim that brought her here. Her dance company had dismissed them earlier than she had expected and she didn't want to spend the day mulling around an empty house. She remembered though that Ichigo had stuffed his office's address into her bag when he had first gotten the job and five months later, it was still there, peeking out innocently from her Chappy notebook. So, she decided to use it and surprise him with lunch. He pays of course.

However, the moment she stepped foot into the hospital, she felt out of place.

The hospital was crawling with sick and injured people. The waiting area was overcrowded, the counter was swamped, doctors and nurses were running around like they lost their heads and even the janitor was working like a machine, wiping the floor until you could practically eat from the floor. She felt guilty that the only reason she had here was to drag one of their doctors out to lunch. No wonder Ichigo rarely comes out of his office. It was there that she realized she had no idea what number and where his office was. Her amethyst eyes warily glanced at the informant who looked like she had seen better days.

"I think…I'll go to the restroom before I ask." Rukia murmured to herself as she made a right turn and following the green signs until she found the restrooms. She quickly looked at herself in the mirror and noted with a sigh that she still looked tired from her practice…even if had been quite short. She brought out her comb, but before she could comb through her hair, an interesting conversation caught her ear.

"Isn't Kurosaki-sensei hot?"

Her eyes immediately trained themselves unto the door behind her through the mirror. She was glaring at it almost as if she stared at it enough, the door would give way and reveal the girl to her. No such luck though.

"I totally agree. Do you think he works out? He looks buff under that dull white coat."

A third voice chimed in. "He IS buff. I caught a tiny peek at him when his shirt rode up while he was carrying some boxes for his office. His six-pack is to die for."

"What about his arse? I was definitely tempted to pat that."

"Do you suppose he has a girlfriend or something?"

"Doesn't that Inoue girl visit him often? Could be her…"

"If it is her, she's one lucky gal."

There was a collective sigh behind Rukia, but Rukia didn't really care about it at the moment. She looked ready to murder whoever was coming out of those stalls. She closed her eyes to calm herself down a bit…she needed to listen to the end of this conversation, figure out who the heck is this Inoue girl and then, maybe, she could get a chance to kill them and perhaps, Ichigo too. Besides, what other Kurosaki is in this building? She had a right to act jealous…

That made her pause for a moment. What if there WAS another Kurosaki-sensei in this building? Kurosaki was a pretty common name in this day and time. It was probably another hot Kurosaki, because her Ichigo was definitely not hot…just cute…handsomely cute. Shut up.

"His scowl is cool in a mysterious way. It makes him feel like some bad boy. And me like bad boys."

"His hair is pretty cute too. Makes me wanna eat orange."

Rukia scowled at the mirror. That was definitely Ichigo Kurosaki they were talking about. She heard the doors creaking and from the mirror, she looked at the three ladies coming out. She held back a gasp and settled for a sudden intake of air instead. They were gorgeous.

All had beautiful long wavy hair and beautiful big breasts. A blond vixen, a brunette nymph and a lime-haired diva literally sauntered from their places and unto the front of the mirror right beside Rukia. The petite woman never felt so small in her entire life and Ichigo was taller than them. They looked like nurses judging from their uniforms and their name tags were gleaming under the light. Their names, it seemed, were Rangiku, Senna and Nel. Seeing as how they won't seem to continue their conversation with her still there, Rukia walked into one of the now vacant stalls and locked it.

"But, Rangiku, don't you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, right…I do. Gin wouldn't mind me drooling over some eye candy from time to time. Besides, he knows I prefer older men. Same can't be said for you though, Senna."

"I would date Kurosaki-sensei in a minute if I could. He's oozing sex appeal. I bet Nel would be competition. Nel, you like younger guys, right?"

"Kurosaki-sensei is like…twenty six years old, right?" A squeal "And he's definitely my type."

"But…are you his type?"

"Does he even seem to have one? He seems to like everyone. Heck, even Senna here saw him crack a smile or two."

"Maybe his type is Inoue-san. She's pretty, innocent, dense, loving, but smart too. I hear she got straight A's in college. Kurosaki probably goes for smart girls and he seems the type to like protecting. A perfect woman, if I do say so myself."

"Did you see her body? Her breasts especially. But, yeah, probably, they look like they are dating."

"Looks like our chance went down the toilet, ladies. Speaking of which, let's get out of here. Kurosaki-sensei will be mad if we're late." They giggled before finally leaving the restroom.

When Rukia came out, she looked confused, doubtful and ready to kill. She stomped over to the faucets, opened the tap, slapped on liquid soap and furiously scrubbed her hands together.

Stupid nurses. Stupid Inoue. Stupid Ichigo. Stupid Rukia. She had stopped scrubbing her hands together under the running water and turned to wipe her eyes instead as tears started to fall. She felt so weak at that moment. She looked at herself in the mirror again. Her eyes were puffy, her haggard face was still there and she still looked fresh out of practice. At least, her hair was nice. She tried to fix her face a bit and when she saw she couldn't, she finally walked out of the restroom.

She marched straight to the informant who, thankfully, didn't have a crowd anymore. The informant directed her to take the elevator two floors up and take a turn left until she reached the plate with Kurosaki on it. She thanked the lady and walked through the many rooms before finally, after a while, was able to reach the elevator's plaza where she tapped her foot impatiently against the carpeted floor. She had been in such a good mood when she had entered the building. Now, lunch seemed like a distant thing.

The elevator ringed on its arrival and she was thankful that she didn't have to ride anyone, so she could fume by herself. That was, of course, quickly crushed when just as the doors were about to close. Someone had shouted, "Please, wait!" And Rukia had no choice, but to hold the doors. Another big-chested, but slightly less intimidating girl popped her head through the elevators. She gave Rukia a quick grin before going in herself and stood beside Rukia.

Rukia looked at her the girl. She had long orange hair, sparkling brown eyes and an ample chest plus height. She began to wonder how this hospital attracted so many beautiful girls. She realized however that the girl had yet to state which floor she was going. She politely asked, "What floor are you dropping on?"

The girl looked surprised and stuck her tongue out. "I'm such a ditz." She quickly scanned the buttons before she said, "Looks like we'll be going down on the same floor." The elevator slowly went up. The girl sighed, "Don't you wish that elevators had booster jets attached to them or something so they could go faster?"

Rukia looked at her weirdly.

The girl was expecting an answer. She definitely seemed to be quite an airhead though she was really beautiful. But, she liked her, Rukia decided. Maybe this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

"Oh, my name is Orihime Inoue, by the way. Nice to meet you!"

Or not.

Rukia tried not to hit the girl. This was the Inoue who was vying for Ichigo's heart, this was the straight A student slash damsel in distress slash perfect woman. She clenched her fist against her side. Her smile seemed mechanical at most, but Inoue didn't seem to notice it.

"Tell me, Inoue-san. Are you by chance here to see Kurosaki-sensei?"

Said girl clapped her hands together in awe. "Wow, miss. You're like a detective!" Inoue chirped.

The elevator ringed to alert its occupants that they were to drop off here. Rukia was the first the step out, but she was quickly followed by Inoue who was still talking. She didn't bother listening to her anymore, but she gave the girl a quick one over. She was wearing a white frilly sleeveless shirt that accentuated her bust and a long yellow printed skirt. She topped it off with delicate white sandals and twin sky blue pins. Rukia looked at herself. She was decked in a comfortable loose blue dress that looked like it had seen better days. She sighed to herself, wondering why she even bothered comparing herself with the much blessed woman.

"Oh, we're here." Rukia stopped in her tracks as indeed written on the golden plank hanging on the white door, the words, "Kurosaki Ichigo-sensei". They both stepped into the door and Rukia noted with grimace that the three nurses were there along with several other women. Who knew Ichigo was so popular with the ladies?

She followed after Inoue who bounded up to Ichigo's secretary and she chirped her name to the tiny woman. "Orihime Inoue. I'm here for my check-up with Kurosaki-sensei."

The secretary looked up from her list and sighed in irritation, or so Rukia thought. "Inoue-san, this has been your third check-up this week." Rukia heard her say. The twin red pigtails on either side of the secretary's head seemed to fizzle in her irritation.

"Yeah. I come here to see Kurosaki-sensei, because…" She paused to lean closer to the very not amused secretary. It was said in whisper, but Rukia heard every single word of it. "...I think I'm in love with Kurosaki-sensei." Inoue blushed and gave out a girly giggle. The glare the secretary gave the woman made Rukia almost whimper in fear. Now, she regretted coming here in the first place, then her self-esteem wouldn't have been beaten to a pulp and her confidence swatted away like a fly.

The secretary checked her list and said in an annoyed tone, "You're up next, Inoue-san. The doctor would like to see you now." There was an unmistakable bounce to her steps as Inoue entered the door behind the secretary. Rukia looked at the door longingly; perhaps it was time for her to go home. She turned around and prepared to walk away.

"Hey, you."

A voice startled Rukia and her head looked side to side. She saw no one who seemed to call her and shook her head. Perhaps she was imagining things.

"Hey, I was calling you." The voice came from behind. Rukia whirled around only to come face to face with the secretary. She apparently had her own plate too. It read "Riruka". Rukia quickly snapped her eyes back at Riruka. The secretary didn't have an annoyed face anymore, but she still looked like she wanted to get the heck out of there. But as seconds ticked by, the irritated face came back and Rukia gulped before hesitantly pointing to herself.

"Yeah, you. Do you have an appointment with Kurosaki-sensei?"

Rukia frowned. She never thought of it, but she definitely did not have an appointment with Ichigo. She didn't think she needed one. She shook her head. Riruka let out an irritated sigh yet again. She began shuffling through her things. Riruka continued, "If you want to set an appointment right now, you can't. Kurosaki-sensei is booked until his shift ends." She looked up from the book, relief seemed to cross her features before she said, "You can catch him…maybe two days from now. We could schedule your appointment if you want."

At this point, Rukia didn't know if she wanted to explode with anger or cry in a corner and sulk. She decided with anger when Riruka sent her a satisfied sneer. She irately stomped to the secretary's table. Riruka narrowed her eyes at the equally petite woman and she growled, "You want a fight, tiny?" Rukia glowered, "I don't to make a scene, but I refuse to be moved away like some stray dog."

"What are you going to do about it, tiny?"

"Watch me." With that, Rukia stomped to the waiting room chairs. Her deadly aura helped her clear a seat as one patient scrambled away in fear and she sat in between two of the patients, both equally as beautiful. Her temper rose once more when Riruka laughed at her predicament. She yelled, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Keep waiting, tiny. The doctor won't be coming out anytime soon, especially for someone like you!"

That last remark hit her through her heart. The hushed snickers around the room did not help either. So, she may be right. Rukia was a runaway from her rich elder brother. She's now a struggling dancer in a tiny studio, hoping for her big break. She was a regular freeloader in Ichigo's apartment, always stealing away his food and money. She didn't know how to cook or how to clean, being raised a spoiled princess. She was just lucky enough to have met Ichigo who did everything for her. She would have been a street rat, wasting away on the streets if not for him.

Ichigo was the one who gave her a job, introducing her to Yoruichi and her husband, Kisuke. They were her beloved mentors. Her apartment had also been paid for by Ichigo and she wouldn't have met her friends/neighbors, Kaien and his wife or old man Ukitake and his treats. Perhaps, she had taken advantage of Ichigo too much. She certainly did not deserve him. She curled herself up in a ball on the chair and silently buried her face into her knees. She didn't care if the others were looking at her in disgust. Stupid stubbornness. Stupid pride. Stupid self-esteem. Stupid Riruka

A noise got her attention and she peeked from her arms. Riruka was already collecting her things and she could see a brown-haired woman taking her place. Riruka leaned closer to the brown-haired woman and murmured something. Although the conversation was only meant for the two of them, Rukia heard every word.

"Watch out for that stray. Make sure Kurosaki-sensei doesn't see her or else he will have my head."

With that, Riruka grabbed her things and walked out of the room with a haughty air around her. She could feel the brunette's stare on her, but decided to ignore it. She had enough drama for today. She should probably just head back home and crawl under her sheets to repair her self-esteem. She brought her head up and dabbed her red eyes (She knew they would've been swollen by now.) She was about to reach for her bag when the doctor's office's door opened.

She froze to see Inoue and Ichigo strolling out of the door. Ichigo still looked stunning even if he had working all day. Aside from the bags under his eyes, nothing else had been out of place. His orange locks were still tousled in a way that it still looked perfect. The black tight v-neck shirt underneath his doctor's coat had been against protocol, but she had been told that the higher-ups could care less of what he wore so long he brought in the money and did well on his work.

He ran a hand through his hair before he sighed. "Inoue-san, you don't need to come back for another week." He gently pushed the giggling girl out of the door. The orange-haired woman simply nodded before skipping out of the office. It made Rukia wonder if she even heard him. She looked back at Ichigo to see he had already shrugged off his coat and was closing his door. He turned to the secretary and announced, "Natalie, I'll be out for lunch. Hold down the fort until then."

Rukia could see the slight longing in Natalie's eyes before she hesitantly nodded. She could tell that the secretary had wanted to ask her boss out to lunch like Rukia had originally wanted to do. She sighed to herself. She should really…

"Rukia?"

A pair of brown dress shoes had appeared before her and she looked up to see a worried Ichigo. His amber eyes widened when he took in her tear-streaked face. She must've looked worse than she did a while back. He hurriedly kneeled before her and tentatively brought his middle finger up to test the moist, puffy edges around her eyes. He narrowed his eyes and his scowled deepened. He abruptly stood up and he looked like he was ready to kill someone. It was when he looked around the room did she realize he thought someone had hurt her. She could see that some of his patients had let out a whimper in fright.

She reached a hand out, tugging a part of the white doctor's coat on his arm. The gesture made him look at her. Amber eyes sought answers from her violet ones. She merely shook her head. It brought relief to him as his shoulders visibly relaxed and scowl softened ever so slightly. He knelt down in front of her again. She could still see the apprehension on his face, however, when he continued to stare into her eyes. After a few moments, he sighed.

"Idiot." He said this softly, making her gasp. He wrapped his doctor's coat around her slim shoulders and chuckled when it ended up sagging around her because it was too big. Carefully, he picked her up, but instead of carrying her gently like she thought he would, he slung her on his back like a sack of potatoes. He made quick strides into his office and was about to open his door when Natalie interrupted him.

Natalie had tapped the doctor from the back so Rukia could see her clearly. Up close, even his second secretary was pretty. Ichigo looked over the shoulder that Rukia wasn't hanging on. "Is there a problem, Natalie?" The secretary pointed to Rukia. "Sir, you have patients to attend to and she doesn't have an appointment for today." As much as Rukia hated to admit it, she chimed in, "She's right, Ichigo. Let me go." She started struggling in his grasp.

"It's my lunch break, Natalie. I can spend it however I want." Ichigo had stated simply before going into the office and shutting the door with a foot. This had left a very dumbfounded Natalie. Too bad for her though. Moments after the door closed, she was bombarded by a hoard of angry and jealous patients.

"Ichigo! Put me down!" Rukia screamed, thumping her fists against his back. Maybe if she yelled hard enough…

"My office is sound-proofed so you can scream as much as you want." Rukia looked at him incredulously, titling her head to look at the side of Ichigo's face. The orange-haired man raised an eye brow. "A doctor apparently started giving rock music as treatment to patients. If I ever wanted to get anything done, I had to request the sound-proofing." She didn't say anything else and he took this as a good sign. He placed her to sit on a large black leather chair. She assumed that the chair was his as it was adjacent to the mahogany desk he was sitting on. Also, she could smell the distinct husky scent that was Ichigo enveloping her as she sat here. (She loved his natural scent, but she won't admit it to herself.)

She took a good look around the small office. It looked fairly new. The walls were painted white and from the corner of her eye, she could see his doctor's degree hanging proudly on the wall. A small white bed was covered by a translucent white curtain. She would have continued to observe his office if she didn't realize that Ichigo had been staring at her and that he had moved from his previous position. Now, he was standing in front of her, leaning against the desk. She squirmed under his gaze.

"So, Rukia, what are you doing here? And what on earth happened to you?" She heard him say. She stubbornly crossed her arms and looked to the side, blatantly ignoring the man's question. A few quiet moments passed by before it was broken with a sigh. A warning from Ichigo, "Rukia…" However, she still ignored him and continued to hold her pose only this time with her nose up higher. Ichigo was used to her hitting or screaming at him so her giving him the silent treatment would make him crack quicker. She was going to let Ichigo pay for…well, for being too good looking for his own good. No, she was not…

"Rukia."

That voice was too close…way to close. She could feel another breath fanning across her lips and short spiky hair poking her forehead. She never realized that her eyes had been closed until she found that she couldn't see the face of her culprit even though she could feel that he was merely inches from her face. "Rukia, look at me." Ichigo had said this as he cupped her cheeks with both his hands. She still didn't open her eyes. Instead, she shut them even tighter as her resolve to disobey him grew weaker.

She heard Ichigo sigh and felt the wisp of breath against her lips. And then, just like that, his entire presence just disappeared. She frowned and opened an eye to look for him. Sure enough, the tall man had magically vanished from the office. Her scowl deepened and she was about to stand up from the chair when the chair suddenly twirled until she was facing Ichigo again. Apparently, he had hid behind the chair. When his amber eyes locked unto hers, she knew that she wouldn't be escaping from his grasp anytime soon.

"What's wrong with you, Rukia?" Ichigo repeated, grasping both her arms and shaking her slightly. That was when Rukia snapped. She pushed Ichigo away from her so that he stumbled away in surprise. She pushed him again and this time, she did it a little harder as his back hit against the white blinds and he slumped to the floor. She leapt from the chair and pounced on him. She landed on his stomach and his breath swooshed away from his lungs. He was about to scold her when the look on Rukia's face rendered him speechless.

Slender eyebrows furrowed, unshed tears brimmed her big eyes, a scowl marred her face and a delicate blush graced her cheeks. Rukia couldn't help it… he was a gorgeous man, but that did not deter her from speaking. "Why do you insist on staying with me? Taking care of me? I'm useless. I'm far from friendly. I'm not even pretty. If it's pity…" She slammed her fists against his chest

Ichigo interrupted her and gently grabbed her wrists, restricting her movement, "Don't even go there. But…"

"Stop. Please! I will only drag you down. You could have any of the girls in the other room. I mean, even that girl, your patient from earlier, was quite taken to you. Then there are your nurses and your secretaries. Heck, I don't think that there's one girl in this freaking hospital that doesn't want to…"

"Rukia, what do you mean?" Ichigo asked, clearly confused. He panicked though when the tears started to flow freely down her face. He reached up to wipe the tears but she jerked away. She instead hung her head down and Ichigo could feel her tears staining his pants, but at that moment, he could care less. Rukia was a strong, independent woman and she rarely showed any signs of weakness. Seeing her reduced into a weeping mess is never a good sign. From what he could gather, it had something to do with her visit to the hospital.

He let go of her now weak arms and pulled her close to him. He softly pleaded, "Please, Rukia. Tell me what's wrong." They remained silent for a while. She was still sitting on his stomach with his back bent against the wall, his head hitting the window ledge and his legs askew near his chair. He was starting to ache from his position, but then what was she saying? Nurses, girls, Inoue…then it clicked.

"You're jealous."

That one statement from Ichigo made her freeze…and then blush. Was she really jealous? 'I mean, do I have the right to be-'

Her train of thought was broken when Ichigo suddenly flipped them over. She shrieked in surprise and with her defenses down, she could not retaliate. Careful not to make her head hit the window sill, their situation was reversed with him on top and her at the bottom. His hands were firmly holding her wrists, her legs were wedged between his and her body was almost smoldered by his much larger one. He had effectively trapped her. He brought his lips closer to her ear and breathed against it, letting his breath caress her. She shuddered slightly.

"You're right. You don't have a right to be jealous." Rukia flinched. "Whatever reason do you have to be? You're beautiful, smart and clever. You're not worthless. You're the only one I ever look at anyway." With that, he leaned his face closer to hers and caught her lips in a passionate kiss.

Natalie sighed, looking at the door for what seemed like the hundredth time. She looked up at the clock hanging behind her. She grimaced when the long hand flicked unto 12 and it was officially 4 o' clock in the afternoon. They have been in there for so long. She impatiently tapped her long manicured fingers against her desk.

Most of Kurosaki-sensei's patients had left out of impatience and disappointment. Only a few patient ones remained, but even then, it looks like their patience is also wearing thin. She began to think who this girl could be. What was her name again? Rukia? What could their relationship be? She never saw the doctor…care so much about someone. She just didn't want to admit that perhaps the good doctor more than "cared" about the girl.

She slammed her palms against the desk, ignoring the shout of surprise of a sleeping elder. She had enough and was going to find out what was taking them so long in there. She stomped determinedly to the door and was going to knock.

"Natalie, what are you doing?"

She turned to the source of the voice to see a familiar female by the door. "Tatsuki!" She took a quick glance at her mini-calendar. "You came back a day earlier." Tatsuki shrugged out of her coat and replied, "Yeah, the convention ended early and I decided to take the earliest flight home. I've troubled you enough. Thanks for substituting for me over the week." Natalie grimaced, but she didn't let it show. She had been looking forward to spending another day with Kurosaki-sensei. She was saddened by this fact, but she WAS only a substitute. Tatsuki normally took the afternoon shift after Riruka.

Tatsuki looked around and frowned with the lack of the usual crowd. She opened a sleeve to look at her watch. Ichigo should have been swarming with love-sick patients. Personally, as long as they paid, she didn't care what his patients did. She grabbed the appointment notebook to see that he was supposed to be serving several people now. Her tongue clicked when she spotted Inoue's name yet again on the book. She should have never introduced the bubbly orange head to her friend. She closed the book and looked at Natalie.

"Is Ichigo in?"

Natalie snapped at attention. "Yes, he is. But…"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "He's preoccupied with a patient? How long?"

"Just over two hours…"

Tatsuki's eyes widened and an angry scowl graced her face. "Who the heck is he in there with for two hours?" Natalie brightened. Perhaps Tatsuki could find out what's going on after all, she was a close friend of his. She didn't understand though why the girl was so angry. She watched Tatsuki pace around the room.

She clapped her hands together. "Oh, actually, she's a girl without an appointment. I don't really know what her name is, but I think Kurosaki-sensei called her "Rukia""

Tatsuki stopped and cocked an eyebrow before her whole face bloomed into a smile of understanding. Her beige coat which she hung over her arm was worn yet again as she arranged it. She turned to the remaining patients. "I'm sorry to announce this, but Kurosaki-sensei will not be able to attend to you today. Please do come back tomorrow and we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience."

Natalie stood shell-shock. The patients looked like they wanted to protest, but decided against it when Tatsuki glared at them and scurried out of the room. It was only until they were the last two people did Natalie speak up, well, squeak out. "What was that for?"

Tatsuki looked at her like she didn't just shoo all those patients. "What? You expect them to come out any time soon?"

"Well, no…but seriously…Who is she?"

Tatsuki grabbed hold of the knob and just before she left, she said. "Oh, you didn't know? She's Rukia Kurosaki, Ichigo's wife."

Author's Note: My second one-shot after Momma's Boy (be sure to check it out.) I never expected it to be so long. I'm planning on developing this into a chaptered story if this one-shot will be well-received. But, wow, 14 pages…that's a new record for me. After typing this down, it makes me kinda wanna have an Ichigo too. Sorry for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes and hope you enjoy reading it! Reviews are loved.