Laughter and half-drunken cheers filled the living room at Orihime's house during the New Year party Matsumoto Rangiku was hosting.
As Ichigo scanned the room, he saw faces with expressions which varied from cheerful, to drunk, to annoyed and desperate to leave.
In one corner of the room, he saw a grumpy-looking Toshiro being harassed by a completely drunken Rangiku, who fruitlessly tried to convince him to have a drink. Not to far from them, Ikkaku and Renji were in the middle of a drinking contest, while Yumichika shook his head at their 'ugly' habits. In another corner, he wasn't surprised to see Mizuiro trying to control a very drunken Keigo, who was, in turn, hitting on everything with a skirt. Sitting in a couch, and looking pretty comfortable were Ishida and Inoue, the latter chatting away excitedly while the former listened with a patient smile. Near the refreshment table, he saw Chad's unmistakable figure, and beside him was Tatsuki, who seemed to be in the middle of a futile attempt to strike a conversation with the introverted giant.
Ichigo allowed himself a small smile at the sight of all his friends, both living and dead, come together to celebrate the New Year. However, there was one face missing from the scene.
"Looking for someone, Kurosaki-san?" A familiar voice asked him.
"Urahara-san?!" he exclaimed upon seeing the face of Mr. Hat-and-clogs. "I didn't know you were here."
The man waved his fan around and said, "Of course! How could I miss an opportunity to celebrate the coming of a new year with all my friends!"
"Yeah more like an opportunity for free drinks." Ichigo muttered to himself before Urahara said,
"She's not here, by the way." There was a sly glint in his eyes as he looked at Ichigo, his face half-hidden behind his fan now.
"Huh? Who's not here?" Ichigo asked, the scowl set firmly upon his features as he looked at the other man warily.
"The girl you're so furtively looking for." The answer came from a new, also familiar voice.
"Yoruichi." Figures. If Urahara was here, so would she.
"How's it going, Ichigo? I haven't seen you in a while." She gave him her cat-like grin before walking to step beside Urahara. "Like I was saying, Kuchiki-san isn't in here."
"Che. Who said I was looking for her?" Ichigo said with mild irritation, although, of course, he knew full-well the purple-haired woman was right.
Yoruichi just shrugged, sly grin still firmly in place. "Suit yourself."
"Better find her soon, Kurosaki-san." Urahara spoke up again. "It's almost midnight." As he said this he shut his fan and looked at him meaningfully.
Decidedly ignoring the pair, Ichigo walked in another direction and continued his search.
Yoruichi chuckled as soon as he was out of ear-shot. "Do you remember being that age, Kisuke?"
Said man tipped his hat. "Ahh, young love." was his reply.
"Hey, Inoue," he tapped the orange-haired girl's shoulder interrupting her latest anecdote.
"Hi, Kurosaki-kun!" she chirped. Ishida, who sat beside her, gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement.
"Uh, hi- um, listen, have you seen Rukia?" he asked.
She shook her head apologetically.
Ichigo scratched the back of his head while looking up. "Oh. That's okay, I thought maybe you'd know where she was. Nevermind." He started walking in a different direction.
"I hope you enjoy the party!" he heard Inoue call after him.
Well I was planning to, but then the midget just had to disappear on me! He thought with frustration. His raven-haired companion had been pretty excited to come after they got their invitation from Rangiku, and had rushed Ichigo all afternoon to get ready so they wouldn't be late. After getting there she'd seemed like she was having a good time, and to his surprise, Ichigo found that he wasn't having a bad time either. But about an hour ago, she'd just disappeared to go to the bathroom or something and he hadn't seen her since. Dammit Rukia, where'd you go?!
He was pretty frustrated by now, when he remembered the privileges of being part Shinigami. Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, before breaking into a triumphant grin and going after the direction of her spiritual pressure.
About half a minute later, he found himself standing on the roof of Orihime's roof, scowling at the raven-haired girl sitting there. "Where the hell where you, Rukia?"
Big violet eyes stared up in mild surprise at him, before narrowing as Rukia crossed her arms in annoyance. "Just taking some air, fool." She accentuated the 'fool' part for his benefit. "No need to get so worked up."
" 'Could have said something." he said with a bit of irritation, just as he sank down to sit beside her.
Rukia was no longer looking at him, and he followed her gaze to find himself staring at the full moon. At that moment, he strongly remembered how the white moon always reminded him of Rukia; it always lit up the darkness of the night, just like Rukia lit the darkness in his heart. Not that he'd ever repeat such a thing out loud.
A cool breeze ruffled both their hairs, and Ichigo sighed. "It's almost midnight," he remembered what Urahara had told him a few minutes ago. " do you wanna go back inside?" He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her dark locks and pale skin were illuminated by the moon's milky light, giving her a surreal look.
"Not yet." She said, then turned to look up at him, meeting his gaze. "Let's stay out here a little longer." There was a small smile tugging at her lips.
Ichigo responded with a smile of his own, accompanied with a nod. Tearing his gaze from hers, albeit with some difficulty, he leaned back and lied flat on his back, resting his head in his hands. I can't believe it's been three years. Three years since the night my family was attacked. Three years since I became a Shinigami. Three years since I met you…
Rukia seemed to have been thinking something along the same lines because she suddenly murmured, "Where did the time go…?"
"I guess time really does fly when you're in good company." Ichigo said casually.
Rukia looked down at him surprised, obviously she hadn't expected him to hear her. After another moment, the surprise melted from her features, but she didn't look away. Her violet orbs bore into his, shining in the moonlight, and perhaps with something else too, Ichigo couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whatever it was, he felt reflected inside himself.
With what looked like physical work, Rukia tore her eyes away and said, "Maybe we should be getting back inside…" she started to get up before Ichigo unexpectedly pulled her down, making her fall beside him.
"Idiot!" she exclaimed and gave him a good punch. "What was that for?!"
He ignored her anger and chuckled mischievously. He smirked and said, "I thought we could stay here a little longer."
Rukia glared before lying flat on her back next to him, but stubbornly crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You could have just asked." she repeated his words from earlier, making him grin.
He didn't know how much time passed then, as they lied next to each other in comfortable silence. He didn't care. These peaceful moments with her were rare, and he wouldn't have minded if it lasted forever.
The silence was broken by the sound of the first fireworks being lit, along with the faint sound of cheers coming from below. Just as the colorful lights illuminated the black sky, Rukia and Ichigo turned their faces to look at each other.
Ichigo watched in a daze, as if he was in a dream as the multiple colors reflected themselves on Rukia's nearly-still form. Their faces were only inches a part, and their hands, at this point, both had them splayed at their sides, were nearly touching.
A thousand words passed between them quietly, and as their pinky fingers made contact an started to tie themselves around each other, their faces also inched closer.
"Happy New Year, Rukia." he said barely above a whisper.
Still deep in his dream-like haze, he felt his lips lightly connect with hers in a gentle kiss.
Soon after, their touching pinkies separated to allow their hands to come together and they wrapped their fingers together, at the same time as they closed their eyes completely and surrendered to the deepened kiss. A million unsaid emotions coursed through them as the firework spectacle served to color the couple in dozens of flickering colors.
If there was ever a definition of a perfect moment, this was it.
***
There you have it^^
My IchiRuki fluff in honor of the coming 2010, my first attempt at writing a kissing scene for these two. Let me know what you think, please : )
I know it's short and plot-less but I just wanted to write something… Hope you liked it
Reviews VERY welcomed^_^
ICHIRUKI 4EVER!!!!3