Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters are property of Kubo Tite, not mine.
Author's Notes: Inspired by the Olympic spread at the cover of Bleach's 2009 calendar. Dared by and dedicated to Annie, co-owner of the IchiRuki FC on Bleach Asylum.
Kuchiki-san Said Push Harder!
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
The ground shook by the deafening roar of a dark giant, as his massive figure ran across the field with fast and ground shaking stomps, and he threw the mighty spear of doom to seal the fate of a prevaricating mortal.
… Actually, it was just Chad throwing the javelin, but Inoue's imagination was running aloft, during this special Olympic training Physical Education class, greatly fueled by the sight of Ichigo running around the track, that made her relive fantasies of romantic strolls by the beach side that would always find their way into becoming races for dear life. And so she mused about racing beside him, while gently gripping the handle of the metal sphere that's used as a hammer throw, the ball swinging like a pendulum to match the tempo of her mind's sway in between dream and reality.
Unbeknownst of such frantic delusions, thus ran Kurosaki Ichigo, a swift sprinter across the track, all cells on his body focused on drawing the most out of his speed and stamina. … Or, at least, it was being so, until a graceful opus of a flying petite body caught the corner of his eye, making him turn his face towards the airborne figure, while still running forward.
He soon realized the object of his admiration was Rukia doing a series of front aerial jumps across the mat, her small frame with a tiny red and white leotard, contorting, spreading and swirling in all manner of elaborate choreographies that suddenly seemed so enticing. With his eyes still fixed on her, his legs gradually decreased their speed, soon halting his body into a bizarre spectator position, as it seemed to be leaning towards the end of the track – where it was really supposed to go – while in fact remaining grounded in place.
"… how can she stretch so much…?" he let out, not much louder than a whisper.
"Shinigami training really comes in handy, for stuff like that, eh."
"… ah. Shinigami training…"
"Though I have to admit, it looks so much better with these tiny real world uniforms than with our Shinigami Academy ones…"
"… yeah… I didn't even know she could bend like that…"
"I did. Though seeing it like this is much-HUFF!" – a slap down the head signed the exact point where Ichigo realized the voice replying to him wasn't some weird alter ego, but in fact Renji standing right next to him, watching Rukia with – God forbid! – prying eyes, the insufferable pineapple head pervert!
"HEY! What the hell is wrong with you?!" growled Renji with both a lump and a popped vein framed by his white bandana that matched his judo gi, as he lunged his head almost against Ichigo, to properly convey a macho verbal brawl.
"What the hell are you doing here, peeping on Rukia like that!"
"What do you mean I'm peeping on Rukia?! What were you doing then?!"
"I'm in the middle of my race track! You're supposed to be on a tatami!"
"Well, I'm on my ten minute break, while you're standing still in the middle of your race!"
"Stop all this noise, both of you! I can't even listen to the choreography music anymore!" Rukia approached them both, such a light feather graced with such a heavy scowl. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I was just going to my next match. Don't you have a finish line to cross, Ichigo?..."
"Kiss my ass." and he started pulling one of his heels behind his back, to stretch and cool down his leg muscles, as Renji walked away with a mocking grin.
Rukia watched Ichigo's stretching exercises with growing interest.
"You're lucky you have a real body… This gigai doesn't stretch well." and she started shaking her limbs to cool down the artificial muscles as well.
"Oh, trust me, it stretches alright!"
"It's supposed to stretch better, my aerials still feel somewhat stuck…" She pulled a knee against her chest, frowning about the discomfort. "Ichigo, help me out, I think we can fix this without needing to buy a new gigai." and she laid on the floor, with the left leg extended on the ground while trying to lift her right leg to her head. "Push my leg up against me as much as you can."
"… Heh?!... you don't mean…" Ichigo's face looked like a washed strawberry.
"Hurry, Ichigo! I still have to practice the second half of the program today!"
Flushed, sweating and trembling, Ichigo reluctantly knelt down beside Rukia's extended leg to shyly, lightly and clumsily start pushing her raised leg up towards her delicate torso.
"Harder, Ichigo! If I needed just a slight push, I could do it myself!"
"… Rukia, I don't think-"
"Stop with the nonsense! Harder!"
"… really, I can't just-"
"Kuchiki-san said push harder, Kurosaki! Stop being so useless!" and the newly arrived fencing version of a Quincy, holding the mask with one hand and the épée with the other, decided to use the latter as an incentive to Ichigo's performance, via poking his rear end with the sharp object.
With a scream, Ichigo lunged forward, sandwiching Rukia's leg in between his chest and hers.
"OH YES! ICHIGO! I feel it stretching! That's it! OH! Don't stop, I'm almost there!"
Both Rukia's screams of incentive and Ichigo's screams of agony, repeatedly stung by Ishida's fencing weapon, reached the ears of a spinning Inoue, as she was throwing the hammer. Her eyes glimpsed towards the source of such ruckus and the sight of Ichigo on top of Rukia, with her leg over his shoulder, as they both screamed and panted each other's names, made her release the hammer with an astonished "KUROSAKI-KUN!"
"BONK" - only the spinning glasses marked the spot where Ishida's face used to be, as the metal sphere caught his head and threw him several feet away.
"Oh my God! Ishida-kun!" Inoue ran to the now unconscious fencer, trying to nurse him back to health with her special rejecting powers. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Ichigo, on the other hand, couldn't say he was sorry for the fate of the Quincy, especially when it brought the end of his torment under the épée's stinging, and his relief was enough to even forget the awkward position he was still on.
"Finally, my ass is free!"
"Is that where I'm supposed to go in?" Both Ichigo's and Rukia's eyes looked behind them, to see an almost naked Hitsugaya, holding a towel around the back of his neck.
"Toushirou?!... OH NO! This is not what you think! And, even if it was, you definitely have no business on it, you… pre-schooling pervert!" Clearly, having an almost naked male show up behind him wondering where to go in, while he was on top of Rukia bragging about his rear end being free was causing serious damage to Ichigo's perception of reality.
"It's Hitsugaya-taichou to you!" This did not waver Ichigo's panic. "And I was talking about the pool, you moron!" His bare feet took him away from there in a hurried pace, before quickly jumping into the water.
Ichigo faced Rukia again, being assaulted by the embarrassment of their position, the proximity in between their faces mirroring the nonexistent distance in between their bodies.
"Ichigo, stand up."
He jerked up to his knees faster than a lightning, trying to babble excuses in between trembling mumblings.
"You need to do the same on my left leg now."
"… I wasn't… I mean I didn't mean to… that is-WHAT?!"
"Do the same. On my other leg." Rukia was commanding him dryly, completely unaware of Ichigo's problematic considerations on the matter. And she switched her position, pressing her left heel on his shoulder, to lean him forward. "Push it."
Once again, red and dripping like a showered strawberry, Ichigo proceeded into slightly pressing Rukia's leg towards her lying body.
"Harder, Ichigo! What the hell are you waiting for!"
"… Shup up! I'm already pushing hard!"
"What's wrong with you! Stop shaking and push HARDER!"
"… Stop complaining, this is as far as it can go!"
A massive figure approached them, a tanned hand holding the javelin with the tip sparkling under the reflection of the morning sun. Before the sparkle dissipated, with the image of Ichigo's backside replacing the shine of the sun at the polished sharp iron's end, Chad made himself and his purpose announced.
"Ichigo. Kuchiki-san said push harder."