A/N - Despite its poor grammar, credit to the cap of my Snapple Peach Iced Tea for the inspiration and thanks to my collaborator Baby Boo for the encouragement to start writing & the final line.
Because "a vague disclaimer is nobody's friend," Bleach & its characters are the property of Tite Kubo. That quotation belongs to Willow Rosenberg.
Ch. Rating: T, for suggestiveness.
Defining Berry
The lunch bell rang, and the usual gang made their way to the rooftop. Or most of the usual gang. With Renji visiting from Soul Society today, it took one low growl from the 6th Division Lieutenant to limit the pairs of feet ascending the staircase to the roof.
Pleased with the result of his warning snarl, Renji joined Rukia, Ichigo, Orihime, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad in the midday sun. Renji plopped himself down across from Rukia and looked around helplessly as the Karakura High students began opening their bento boxes. He knew he forgot to pick up something at Urahara Shoten before he joined the gang at school.
Orihime noticed Renji's distress first. "Abarai-kun, would you like to share my lunch? I made rice balls with wasabi, gum drops, and red bean paste. I have more than enough," she offered sweetly.
Nobody could look either one of them in the eye as they tried to keep their stomachs under control. "Uh, thanks for the offer, Orihime," Renji smiled awkwardly, "but I know Rukia won't mind sharing with me." His pleading eyes focused on the raven-haired girl across of him.
Rukia arched an elegant eyebrow at Renji's incorrect assessment. Nevertheless, she pushed her bento across the circle knowing that Renji's idea of sharing actually meant mooching. She sighed at losing the delicious lunch Yuzu had prepared for her that morning.
"Are you sure, Abarai-kun?" Orihime asked. "I don't mind at all."
"Nah, I'm good." Renji shoved in a spring roll and mumbled through a mouth full of food, "Thanks, Rukia. You're the best."
Tatsuki slapped Renji across the chest. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Pineapple." The two fighters began their usual trading of insults; Tatsuki saved them up especially for Renji's visits.
Before Rukia's sigh had even escaped past her lips, Ichigo was already on the case. Rolling his eyes at Renji's self-invitation to Rukia's lunch, Ichigo moved his bento box between the petite soul reaper and himself. As he did so, he noticed Yuzu had packed extra cucumbers. His little sister may have limited spiritual power, but she seemed to have a sixth sense about being prepared for the unexpected when it came to making meals. He smiled to himself as he moved the cucumbers over to Rukia's side of the box and went on autopilot and opened her juice box, too. Ichigo's actions did not go unnoticed by Uryu or Chad; the Quincy and the giant shared a look.
Everyone settled into enjoying their lunches. Orihime stuffed a rice ball in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out like a chipmunk. Her eyes closed in a joyful smile as she bit into her unique delicacy. "Mmm... these are even better than I expected," she drooled.
"Orihime, you have the strongest stomach of anyone I've ever met," Tatsuki sighed and shook her head. Uryu nodded in agreement.
As he watched Renji scarf down Rukia's lunch, the brief smile that graced Ichigo's lips reset into his perpetual scowl. Rukia began picking through the cucumbers in Ichigo's bento box. Having noticed he moved them all to her side, she whispered a quiet and smiling, "Baka."
The lunchtime conversation was dominated mostly by Renji and Tatsuki's friendly bickering - the loudest two of the gathered friends. That was until Orihime finished chewing her second rice ball and picked up her juice box. It was her favorite time of the lunch period - sharing the random facts found printed on their juice boxes. She was always satisfied that she learned something new every day.
"Factoid time!" Orihime exclaimed while clapping her hands in excitement.
"Huh?" Renji asked, confused by Orihime's sudden enthusiasm.
"Ishida-kun, would you like to start?" Orihime politely asked the Quincy.
Uryu pushed up his glasses in the hope she wouldn't notice his blush. He cleared his throat and began, "Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body. If you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief."
Renji still wasn't sure what was going on, but he kept a mental note to have a banana handy if he ever had to eat Orihime's cooking again.
Chad was next. "Orangutans love mangoes." He smiled thinking of a cute baby orangutan eating a mango.
"My turn," Rukia called out. "According to the Dead Sea scrolls, cherry seeds have satanic power."
"Just like some Midget I know," Ichigo muttered under his breath.
"I heard that, Strawberry," Rukia shot back and poked him in the side with her chopsticks.
"Hmm," Orihime tapped her finger against her chin. "All of today's facts seem to mention fruit. I wonder if mine will, too." Orihime turned her own juice box to its side and read aloud the factoid she found there. "A pineapple is neither an apple nor a pine. It is, in fact, a large berry."
At Orihime's proclamation, the group fell silent. All eyes but Orihime's were focused on Renji and Ichigo. Orihime, on the other hand, had already moved on to read the back of Tatsuki's juice box to discover what interesting fact she could also learn there. Rukia broke the silence after she looked between Ichigo and Renji, a glint of mischief in sparkling in her sapphire eyes. "Oh, so does that make you brothers?" she quipped casually.
Orihime looked confused while Uryu pushed up his glasses again in an attempt to cover his loud snort. Even Chad could not hide a low chuckle. Meanwhile, Tatsuki was beside herself with laughter.
Renji narrowed his eyes at his best friend and laughed dryly, "Haha. Very funny."
Rukia responded with a large grin, "I thought so."
Ichigo's eyes flashed with anger and his face set in a harder scowl. "Oi, Midget! How many times do I have to tell you? My name means one who protects."
Rukia continued to stare at him with that same playfulness. "That's too bad. I really like berries, too," she innocently mused as she popped another slice of cucumber into her mouth.
Ichigo could no longer keep her eye contact and looked away in a huff. "Che. Whatever." As Ichigo read his juice box, a smug smirk crossed his face. "Just so you know, a strawberry is not an actual berry, but a banana is."
For the second time during lunch, silence descended upon the group. Again, Rukia broke the silence, "Oh really now?" She raised both of her eyebrows and continued to hold Ichigo's gaze with an evil gleam in her eyes.
When Uryu offered a fake cough to cover the awkwardness of the moment, Ichigo's eyes bulged as he realized what he had just read. "Pervert," he sighed in defeat, looking at anything but his friends as a new wave of laughter overtook them.
When the laughter finally died down, they returned to eating. Savoring her juice box, Rukia surreptitiously glanced at Ichigo out of the corner of her eye. She saw the tips of his ears turning a light shade of pink, trying unsuccessfully not to notice her glances. Her lips could no longer hide the giggle that was bubbling in her belly as she added her final thought.
"Add in some Yuzu, and you have a whole fruit salad."
-ND
