Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

A/N: I apologize profusely for taking so long to update this, but my life has been absolutely crazy lately, and I’ve been trying to get everything back on track, so I’m trying to update as often as possible. Thank you all for being so very patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I’ll do my best to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, I promise.

Chapter 2: New York Sour

Finding work in a city filled with a millions of shops and corporations shouldn’t have been hard, but for Ichigo Kurosaki, the task seemed nearly impossible. Even with a map, he found himself incredibly lost as he made his way to every interview he’d scheduled, resulting in being at the very least, three or four hours late.

He stood outside the massive entrance to Kuchiki Estate Law Firm for what seemed to be a good thirty minutes before actually considering walking inside. He was a bit early for his interview for the first time ever, and was more nervous than he’d ever been. After his terrible track record, he wasn’t exactly positive he was going to find a job in the city.

“What are you doing Kurosaki?” he asked himself, turning away from the building all of a sudden. “This is ridiculous. You don’t even stand a chance in a place like this. Go back to your little apartment and start packing. Get the hell out of this city like you planned to weeks ago…”

Most people would find it incredibly strange to see a man mumbling to himself as he walked down the street. However, in the middle of New York City, he seemed to be the sanest of them all. In fact, nobody seemed to notice him.

Stopping once more, causing several people behind him to suddenly look up to see what they’d bumped into, he turned around and headed back toward the firm. Even if it seemed to be pointless, he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. What if, somewhere, in that huge building there was a cubicle with his name on it? Anything would be better than nothing!

“Okay,” he said quickly, running his hand nervously through his hair, as if this were to tame it a bit. “Okay, you can do this…”

Holding his breath, he finally stepped forward and followed another man through the revolving doors. Once inside, he came to yet another sudden halt, his eyes locked onto the majestic foyer before him. He’d never seen something so incredibly and intricately decorated in his life. It was clear the Kuchikis, whoever they were, were incredibly wealthy.

“Can I help you sir?” a woman finally broke the silence.

Ichigo’s focus snapped onto the secretary behind the counter. He could only assume she’d been the one who’d spoken, and stepped forward, adjusting his tie as he cleared his throat.

“S-Sorry, I was just…I was admiring the…the uh…” he was already tripping over his tongue. Great start, Kurosaki.

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied pleasantly. “Everyone does that when they come in for the first time. It’s how I know to ask if they need any help.” She laughed politely.

Ichigo felt his cheeks grow red and he quickly avoided her gaze. “I’m here for an interview…” he managed to get out.

The woman smiled and nodded. “I had figured as much,” she flipped open her scheduling book and traced her finger down the day’s appointments. Several names blotted the page which caused Ichigo’s stomach to turn. Who was going to pick him when they had so many options in front of them? What was going to make him so special? “You’re Mr. Soloman, I’m assuming…” she said, her finger stopping at the very first name.

Ichigo shook his head, the flush in his cheeks growing brighter. “Uh…no, actually. The name’s Kurosaki. Ichigo Kurosaki…” he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m a bit…early…”

It didn’t help his embarrassment when her fingernail continued to trail down the list finally stopping almost halfway. She laughed quietly to herself before looking up at him.

“Your interview isn’t for another three hours, Mr. Kurosaki,” she informed him.

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I-I know. I’m…not from around here.”

The woman laughed and nodded in understanding. Ichigo began to turn away, knowing the long wait he had ahead of him in the lobby. She stopped him suddenly, speaking once again.

“Just who is it you’re supposed to be meeting with, Mr. Kurosaki?” she asked.

Ichigo turned around to face her, his eyebrows lost in his mess of orange hair. “Huh? Oh…uh…” he fished around in his pockets for the little slip of paper he’d written the man’s name on. “Jushiro Ukitake…”

The woman nodded and grabbed her phone, dialing a few numbers before someone spoke on the other end of the line. “Hello Mr. Ukitake, this is Rebecca from the front desk. I-oh yes, sir. Yes, I’m fine. No, no, I’m afraid I didn’t have the opportunity to grab breakfast this-Oh yes. Yes, sir. I will sir.” She glanced up at Ichigo and rolled her eyes, a smile dancing across her lips. “I’ve got a young gentleman here who’s a bit early for his interview. I was wondering if you’re too busy to take him in right now. I would rather he didn’t have to sit here for three hours in the lobby. Y-Yes, sir. Certainly. I will send him right up.”

Smiling, the woman dropped the phone back onto the receiver and looked up at him. “Feel free to go up whenever you like. Mr. Ukitake is waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” he said, a sudden smile erupting on his face. With a short nod, he started toward the elevator, coming to a sudden halt. He turned around, looking embarrassed once again. “Er…I…”

“Sixth floor, third door on the left…” she said, answering his question before he even asked it.

Ichigo flushed a little, nodding again. “Thanks…”

In the elevator, Ichigo repeatedly adjusted his tie and tried to smooth out his hair in the shiny reflection of the wall. His heart was pounding harder than he’d ever felt it, knowing that this could really work out. He’d never even made it this far in his past interviews.

Making his way down the hallway, he noticed that all the doors paled in comparison to the lavish glass one he could only assume belonged to Mr. Ukitake. Holding his breath, he stepped forward and knocked gently on the door.

“C’min!” a cheerful voice sounded from inside. Ichigo was startled, having been expecting the voice to be stronger; the stereotypical voice of a businessman.

Ichigo opened the door and slowly began to enter. He noticed immediately the man behind the desk and once again was surprised. The man had a kind face curtained by long white locks of hair, though he did not appear to be very old at all. Ichigo couldn’t help but wonder why the strange man looked the way he did, though it would be out of line for him to ask at such a time.

“Ah, Mr. Kurosaki, I presume!” Ukitake rose to his feet professionally, holding a hand just above his heart as he introduced himself. “I am Jushiro Ukitake. What a pleasure it is to meet you…” He jutted his hand out to take Ichigo’s in a friendly shake.

“P-Pleasure,” Ichigo responded, taking Ukitake’s hand and nodding shortly. He tried his best to keep his tight lips turned upward, but the corners were twitching so badly from the nerves running through his body, he was afraid that he might appear quite deranged to the poor man before him.

Ukitake laughed heartily, “A man of few words, Kurosaki?” he asked jokingly, easing himself back down into his chair. “No need to be nervous. Please, take a seat…” He gestured to the chair just to Ichigo’s left.

Swallowing hard, Ichigo nodded once again and gratefully lowered himself into the chair. He could feel his knee begin to shake as Ukitake stared at him. His dark eyes remained pleasant, though Ichigo had the strangest feeling he was being silently x-rayed.

“So…” Ukitake’s mouth turned upward into a quirky little grin. “When can you start?”

Ichigo nearly did a double take. “Pft-What?!”

Ukitake merely smiled. “I said, ‘when can you start?’”

Ichigo’s jaw dropped open slightly, his eyes wide with shock. It just didn’t make any sense. He had hardly even entered the offices of the other interviews he’d had, and they were even harder than the one he was enduring right this moment.

“J-Just like that?” he asked. “You’re not going to ask me any other questions?”

“There’s no need,” Ukitake said confidently, pulling up a manila folder that had been sitting on his desk. The large letters spelling Ichigo’s name in red marker appeared on the tab. “All my answers are right here,” he nodded shortly. “And in front of me. I like you, Kurosaki. You’re going to go far in this business, I can tell.”

Ichigo didn’t know what to say. He had hardly said anything to Ukitake, and he was already assuming he was perfect to work in a law firm, when in reality, he didn’t know much about law just yet.

“I think we’ll start you on the filing floor,” Ukitake explained. “I mean, it’s not much, but everyone needs to start somewhere. I, for one, think it builds character-”

“But wait!” Ichigo couldn’t seem to grasp the idea that he’d been hired. “Wait if it turned out I was some kind of bum living off the street, or – or – or some kind of murderer or something? You don’t do any kind of background check? Do you just give a job to any poor sap that walks through here?”

Ukitake stared at him, blinking slowly. It was clear from his expression he hadn’t come across many men like Ichigo before, and even clearer that he was liking him more and more by the minute.

“Do you think I would have called you back if our records turned up anything about murder in your history?” Ukitake asked. “We do do our homework, Mr. Kurosaki, believe me.” He smirked a little before continuing. “But I certainly like the way you think. You consider every possible situation and make sure that things are being done correctly. You’ve got potential, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one to notice it.”

Before Ichigo could respond, his mouth still hanging open in shock and awe, Ukitake picked up the phone and dialed a very short number. Ichigo only assumed he was contacting someone in the building.

Maybe it was security.

Maybe the whole thing had been a really good act and now he was going to be thrown out for the things he said. Maybe he’d condemned himself and now Ukitake thought he really was a murderer or something!

“Yes, thank you Hanatarou. As soon as possible would be incredibly helpful. Yes, yes thank you.” Ichigo only caught the tail end of Ukitake’s phone conversation.

Noticing Ichigo’s puzzled and concerned expression, Ukitake couldn’t help but laugh. “You still look so skeptical, Mr. Kurosaki! I have just given you a job in the biggest dog-eat-dog city in the world! You should be dancing around the office singing show tunes, not staring at me like I killed someone.”

Ichigo closed his gaping mouth quickly and forced as much of a smile as possible. “I-I don’t know what to say…” he stammered.

“Thank you will be a good start,” Ukitake suggested, still smiling.

“T-Thank you!” he managed to get out, finally able to smile genuinely as the realization of being hired had hit him. “Thank you very much, Mr. Ukitake!”

There was a sharp knock at the door and Ukitake’s attention immediately shifted. He called for the person just beyond it to enter, and before Ichigo knew it, he was in the presence of a very small, clumsy man.

“I’m sorry Mr. Ukitake,” he apologized as if he had taken forever to arrive at the office. “I’m sorry. I ran into someone in the hallway…”

From the state of the files in his hands, Ichigo was certain this statement was to be taken quite literally. Ukitake, however, did not seem surprised by this and merely shook his head, his smile unfading from his face.

“No reason to worry, Hanatarou,” he waved his hand absently, taking the scattered files from his hands. “This here is Mr. Kurosaki…” he nodded in Ichigo’s direction.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kurosaki,” Hanatarou said very quickly, holding out a tiny pale hand.

Ichigo shook it though he was quite afraid of breaking it clean off from his even tinier arm. “Pleased to meet you…” he said quietly.

“He’s going to be working on the third floor,” Ukiatake explained, busying himself with the new files. “Mr. Kurosaki, this is Yamada Hanatarou. He’ll be able to help you if you ever have any questions, and he’s going to be helping you get settled in. Do you have any more questions?”

Ichigo shook his head, still dumbstruck from the morning’s events. Hanatarou bowed shortly, waving a hand to allow Ichigo to pass through the door first. With a short wave, Ukitake disappeared behind his paperwork and the two were off.

“You’re going to like it here, Mr. Kurosaki,” the young Hanatarou continued to chatter excitedly, though Ichigo hardly seemed to be paying any attention. “Everyone around here is very nice. You’ll be on a good floor. Third floor are definitely some of the nicest people you’ll meet, I think. Of course there’s always those few who – Oof!”

Ichigo only noticed that Hanatarou had stopped moving when his jabbering had ceased. Stopping suddenly, he turned to see the small man sprawled on the ground, hastily trying to return to his feet.

“So sorry about that…” he mumbled, brushing himself off. “So sorry. I’m terribly clumsy, I’m afraid. I’ve only fallen four times this morning though; it’s quite the record, actually…”

Although he seemed embarrassed, he continued to smile as he led Ichigo to the third floor. A strange silence had fallen between the two of them when Hanatarou realized that Ichigo wasn’t about to speak back to him.

“Here’s your cubicle,” he said as they finally made their way through the busied room of desks. Each one seemed occupied except for the one before them. “Sorry it’s not much more than this, but everyone has to start somewhere.”

“Ain’t that the truth…” a voice cut in.

“Oh! G-Good morning, Mr. Abarai!” Hanatarou’s back straightened immediately, his eyes growing wide as the large figure appeared before them.

Mr. Abarai was incredibly tall, and his bright red hair and tattooed eyebrows seemed quite out of place in a law firm. His face wasn’t exactly what Ichigo would have called friendly either as he looked the newcomer up and down with a look of near disgust.

“Who’s the new kid?” Abarai asked, jerking his chin toward Ichigo’s equally towering form.

“T-This is Mr. Kurosaki, Mr. Abarai,” Hanatarou said quickly, making it very clear that Mr. Abarai was someone he feared, and probably for very good reason. “He was just hired. I’m just showing him around a bit…”

Mr. Abarai nodded shortly and held out a muscled hand. “The name’s Renji. I don’t like any of that ‘Mister’ professional shit…” he explained bluntly.

Ichigo shook it gruffly. “Ichigo…” he said shortly. “The name’s Ichigo…”

Hanatarou shifted his feet uncomfortably and turned his focus back to Ichigo. “I’m going to leave you now, Mr. Kurosaki. If there’s anything you need, I’m sure Mr. Abarai will be able to help you. If he’s not around, just call for me…o-or ask anyone around you…”

Ichigo nodded, but remained silent, his eyes locked onto the dangerous ones of Renji Abarai. Without another word, Hanatarou disappeared and Ichigo turned to his new desk, taking the seat graciously. It took him a few minutes to realize that Renji was still watching him over the side of the cubicle.

“Can I help you?” he asked, already certain he wasn’t going to like this guy.

“Yeah,” Renji said matter-of-factly, “Yeah, actually, you can. Listen…” he cleared his throat and brought himself to full height, as if to make himself look more terrifying. “Just because you’re new around here doesn’t mean you’ll get away with anything. I’m head-honcho around here, and it’ll do you well to remember that. You got it?”

Ichigo stared back at him, unsure of what to say. He’d never quite gotten that kind of greeting from someone before. Renji smirked and began to turn away.

“Good. We’ll get along just fine…”

A/N: I know it’s a bit long, but things are going to kick up soon, and I hope you’ll all stay interested to see what’s going to happen next! Thank you once again! I love you all!