A/N: Okay, this is my first Bleach fanfic, and an Ichiruki one at that, so don't blame me if it's horrible. Because it's not my fault! Well, actually, it is, but who cares? I don't! This takes place after the Soul Society arc. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the can of soda, or the juice box, or the permanent marker...you get the point.
Ichigo rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda and a juice box. It had become his habit lately, to do this every evening. He didn't know why he was inclined to bring a juice box up to Rukia and stick a straw in it for her and everything, because she knew how to do it herself.
The orange-haired high school student sighed. He didn't know why he was doing this, but the idea had been running through his mind lately ever since she had stood on the window ledge of his classroom and freaked every non-shinigami there out of their minds.
Biting his lip, Ichigo found a black permanent marker on the kitchen table and carefully wrote "Wanna go out with me?" in big block letters on the top of the juice box. He wrote it on the side too, just in case.
Trying to act normal, he brought the two drinks upstairs and to his room. Ichigo had pointed out that it was weird that Rukia was spending so much time in his room, but she brushed that aside and said she just needed help with homework. That I always end up doing for her,Ichigo thought, annoyed. He'd toyed with the idea of intentionally giving her a horrible score, but he finally decided that her test scores were bad enough. Ichigo often wondered how the teacher had never bothered to bring up the fact that Rukia did extremely well on her homework (thanks to him) and stunk on the exams (he was glad she hadn't asked him to cheat). Or the fact that Rukia's and Ichigo's handwriting was exactly the same. Maybe the teacher just had her hands full with the bunch of new students that arrived; most of them looking too old (or too young in Toshiro's case) to be in her class in the first place.
Ichigo handed the juice box to Rukia, attempting to stop his hands from trembling. It didn't work; some brown liquid squirted out and landed on her dress. She grabbed the offending object and smacked Ichigo across the face. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting odd all day."
"'S nothing," Ichigo mumbled, concentrating on the tab of his soda can. She should be able to read his message, even if she looked down only once…
An awkward silence ensued, only broken by the slurping on Rukia's part. Ichigo had finished his drink but was looking at the can's logo like it held all the secrets to life.
Five minutes passed before Rukia got up and tossed the juice box into the trash. Ichigo bit his lip, but that was the only outward sign he gave. Inside, he was screaming. Maybe we weren't meant to be, he comforted himself. We're human and shinigami after all. But I'm a shinigami too…but I don't live in Soul Society…
"I suppose you know that Nii-sama will chop you up into sushi-sized pieces and feed them to the hell butterflies if he finds out, right?" Rukia's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You know, about us 'going out', as you put it."
Ichigo managed a grin, which wasn't hard at all. "I don't mind. I've beat him once, you know."
She snorted. "Yes, but you almost got yourself killed in the process." That was the nearest she'd gotten to hinting that she cared about him ever since she'd come back to the living world.
Another long pause followed, but this one was comfortable. Suddenly, a thought hit Ichigo. "Wait, are you saying that hell butterflies eat…?"
Rukia put on an mischievous face. "Only the people that get on Nii-sama's nerves." She added casually, "You know, he can be ticked off very easily…" The look on Ichigo's face was priceless.
Well, how was it? Tell all! Review! Please!
