Ichigo groaned.
Now, most people would wonder why the size of the luxurious cruise ship, large enough to seem like a floating building, would make anyone do anything but beam with excitement and joy…
Most people didn't know Ichigo Kurosaki.
The young man had his fair share of reasons for being less than excited for the three-week trip ahead of him; the main one standing just in front of him.
"Look at the size of that thing! Oh Masaki you are going to love this!" the overgrown child -reason for his dread- kneeled on the floor and raised his gaze to the heavens, arms spread wide.
Ichigo resisted the urge to slam his forehead with his palm. Sometimes he marveled at how his father had managed to raise him in one piece.
"Get off the floor, goat-chin!" Ichigo's sister, Karin, growled at their father. Her black hair, reached just to her shoulders while in a ponytail -meaning it had been a while since her last haircut- .
"How disrespectful a daughter is to her progenitor these days! Do you see how our children treat me, Masaki?" the man, Ichigo's father wailed loudly.
"Daddy," the sweeter voice of Karin's light-haired twin, Yuzu spoke up. "People are starting to look." she explained, ever-gentle.
Ichigo looked around to see that, indeed, half the eyes on the boarding area for the 'Seretei of the Seas' were fixed on the middle-aged man speaking to the skies.
"Let them look! You should be proud of your manly father! Isn't that right, Ichigo?" Isshin, his father turned to him.
"Don't put me down at your level, Old man." Ichigo said plainly, hoping to avoid causing more of a scene. Like his bright orange hair wasn't enough, he had to have his idiot father ensuring everyone who would be aboard the ship would have a lasting impression of him.
Isshin proceeded to wail about 'his son's indifference' while the Kurosaki children tried their best to act like they didn't know him.
This was what Ichigo had to look forward to -for three weeks.
What on earth had he gotten himself into?
-x-
Rukia hauled her luggage behind her, irritably thinking that her bags wouldn't be nearly as heavy if someone (namely, her Brother) hadn't insisted on her packing about ten fancy dresses that she was sure she wouldn't be wearing.
They weren't, of course, for her convenience, but in case Byakuya required her to attend some fancy dinner with a bunch of pompous, over-paid, alcoholic, full-of-themselves business partners. Rukia was counting herself lucky if she only had to go to only three of those… But that would depend entirely on the men's level of 'family interest' (aka they want to size up Byakuya's family in hopes of finding an excuse to humiliate him or ruin his good reputation; not that Byakuya would ever let that happen) and most of all, her own ability to pretend to be ill and be 'obliged' to skip the dinner.
She sighed as she arrived, to steps behind the tall figure of her brother, to the ramp that she would be following in a minute to board the 'Seretei of the Seas'.
The ship itself was a magnificent sight; a huge looming white vessel floating against a blue backdrop of clear skies and a vast ocean. It was often called a floating mansion by those who had boarded it.
Rukia had been quite ecstatic when she had received the news from her Brother that they would be going on a three-week long vacation on the cruise; the route would take them along the Caribbean and would stop at a few of the tropical islands on the way. She had always anted to visit the Caribbean, often imagining how the beautiful scenery of open skies and endless ocean would pan out before her under a warm tropical breeze.
Her dreams of paradise had been cut short when Byakuya had begun talking of important business manners to be attended; apparently what was a dream vacation for her, was a chance at closing the deal of a lifetime for Byakuya.
As if he wasn't rich enough. She thought sullenly.
Not that she could be ungrateful to him; but still, a business deal meant she would have to be present for most of those dinners and casual meetings and look as presentable as 'a Kuchiki' should.
So where was the room for fun?
Nowhere, that's where.
"OH MASAKI! SEE HOW OUR DELINQUENT SON HITS HIS FATHER! WHERE DID I GO WRONG?"
Rukia's attention, along with most of the present crowd's, was momentarily directed at the man currently crying out to the heavens above, shameless and unconcerned with the attention he was receiving.
Her mouth twitched with the urge to chuckle at the silliness of the scene, but she stopped short when her brother, whose gaze was equally set on the loud man, made a disapproving 'humph' sound.
"A shame that his type are allowed to ride with beings of society." Byakuya commented coldly. "Come, Rukia." he beckoned, moving towards the boarding ramp.
"Yes, brother!" she hastened after him, pulling her bags after her hurriedly, not turning back to look at the peculiar man.
-x-
Ichigo's eye twitched as he stared at the black-haired girl, comfortably lying on her back with her arms crossed under her head on the mattress.
"Scram." he instructed, looking down at her.
Her only response was to lazily raise her red cap just enough to be able to peek up at him. "No." she said simply.
Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed further than they usually did. "Karin, I'm being nice here." he forced a smile on that was more frightening than anything else. "Get on the top bunk."
"I can't go on the top bunk." she said calmly, letting the cap scoot back over her eyes.
"And why, pray tell, not?" he kept his not-so-soothing smile on, a dark aura beginning to surround his frame.
"I'm afraid of heights." she stated.
"Like hell you are!" Ichigo clearly remembered his younger sister happily riding on various amusement park attractions that would have normally frightened girls her age without so much as screaming.
"Okay, fine." she agreed -to his surprise-. "I'm not."
"Okay, then get-"
"But I'm not taking the top bunk." she said before he could finish.
Ichigo felt a vein ticking on his forehead. "Why the hell not?" He loved his sister, of course, but like all good brothers, he also wanted to strangle her and press a pillow in her face half the time.
"Because," she began her answer. "I prefer ground-level."
Ichigo felt a headache coming on; nothing he couldn't have predicted before. "And I prefer to actually have room to lay down. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm two feet taller than you!"
"Suck it up, bro." Karin was, as always, unfazed. "I got here first."
Ichigo's hand twitched at his side, but before he could do anything that he might -or might not- regret later, the door to the room opened and in came a new arrival.
"Ichigo, you have to see the ship! It's so big and beautiful! The kitchen is unbelievable-!" Yuzu chirped, her light brown pigtails making her look like a wondrous kid seeing Disneyland for the first time.
"That sounds great, Yuzu." said Ichigo, with a conspicuous lack of enthusiasm. "Now, would you please tell your sister to get off the lower bunk?" he appealed to the more sensitive twin.
Yuzu glanced between the two bunk beds occupying the limited space of the room -or rather, cabin-. To the right, the upper bunk was occupied by the stuffed animal she had brought along, marking it as her space, and the lower bunk was completely overtaken by Isshin's long frame. The man was currently curled up to one side and snoring like a baby.
To the left, the upper bunk was empty, while the lower on had a peacefully calm Karin lying on her back contently. Yuzu frowned lightly. "Karin, you should really let Ichigo take the lower bunk." she finally told her sister, knowing that her six-foot-tall brother would be more than a little uncomfortable on the tiny mattress as it was, never mind if he had to take the upper bunk.
"Sorry, Yuzu. But you know the rules; I was here first. This is my territory. Big Brother can have fun climbing for the next three weeks." Karin said nonchalantly, not even bothering to lift her cap and make eye contact.
Ichigo pointed accusingly at her. "See what I'm dealing with?" he said, exasperated, to Yuzu.
Ichigo expected support from the brown-haired girl…
"Well, I suppose she did make it there first…" Yuzu said thoughtfully.
And there went Ichigo's last hope. "You're taking her side? I don't believe it!" he exclaimed grouchily.
Yuzu merely giggled and looked at him apologetically, while Karin's smirk was plainly visible.
"Alright, whatever." Ichigo finally said. "I'm going up to the deck for air; be back later."
He exited without waiting for a response, feeling annoyed that things were already starting out miserably from the beginning.
These would be a long three weeks, he thought as he stormed his way along the corridors.
-x-
Rukia was thrilled to learn that she had a few hours of leisure time before she had to return to her first-class cabin and get ready for dinner.
She didn't even bother changing out of her light -according to Byakuya 'presentable'- dress before going out into the corridors, set on exploring as much of the ship as she could so she wouldn't waste what little free time she would have later on finding her way.
She didn't pause to admire her cabin; she had her own cabin, due to Byakuya's respect to her modesty and privacy (though mostly, Rukia knew he didn't want to stumble upon any of her 'lady items'; and if that meant paying double an already-absurd amount of money, then so be it!). From what she had seen, it was very spacious (though not as big as her room at home) and had a floor-to-ceiling window, which she was sure that -behind the drapes- would have a breath-taking view of the ocean.
But she'd have plenty of time to enjoy her cabin later; for now she needed to acquaint herself with the rest of the ship as much as possible.
She started down the corridors, occasionally stumbling and having to use the walls for support due to being unused to the motion- and exited out one way and another. The ship had five stories; on the top level was the deck, second and third level were the passenger cabins, fourth level was a leisure area complete with various stores, small restaurants and fun quirks for tourists to enjoy, and the lowest level was the Seretei's restaurant and ballroom.
Rukia saw it all -albeit quickly- and resolved to return and explore it all in detail before the voyage ended.
When she looked at the time, she saw that it had been over two hours since she had been going around the ship, and she didn't have a lot of time left before she'd have to get ready for the opening night dinner. And she still hadn't gone up to the deck.
Resolved that she had to spend at least some time up at the deck before being condemned to that air-conditioned dinner, she hurried corridor after corridor and up the various staircases on her way there. But her progress was stumped when the ship -in one of its many motions- tipped to the left and sent her tumbling into the wall.
Except, there had been someone standing right where she should have landed and -had she not caught herself in a nick of time- she would have crashed right into him.
"Sorry-" she started to apologize for the near-accident, when she got a look at the guy.
He was slumped against the wall just as he'd landed when the ship tilted, looking like he was using it to support himself up. He was tall, around the same height as her brother -maybe six feet, then- and one look at his face told her that he probably would have been handsome if not for the sickly green color tainting his features. Most startling of all, however, was his vibrant orange hair.
She might have asked him if that was natural, but at the moment she was concentrated on the fact that the guy seemed about to pass out.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, alarmed.
"Does it look like I'm okay?" he responded, with an attitude that might have annoyed her more if it hadn't looked so pitiful on the weakened man.
"Can you-" she was about to ask if he could hold himself up properly, when the ship rocked to the right now, and would have sent the orange-haired man sprawling to the floor if she hadn't caught him with a surprisingly strong grip.
"Woah, there, tough guy." she groaned as she felt most of his weight fall on her small frame, shifting her hold to better sustain him. "I think we need to get you to a doctor."
"No." he protested with a surprising amount of strength.
Rukia frowned at him, his face only inches from hers as she adjusted her hold so that his arm was around her shoulders and she could hold him up more easily. "Okay, no doctors then. Come on." she said, putting one slender hand around his waist and keeping the other on the arm that was around her to make sure it didn't slip away.
The guy didn't protest further as she began to help him walk, supporting half his weight, and the two went on the route she had been taking. In the process, Rukia tried to ignore the fact that when she had put her arm around his waist she had felt an unmistakable firmness there that indicated a toned body beneath those clothes…
Focus. She scolded herself, putting her mind on the task at hand.
Nearly ten laborious minutes of slow walking later, Rukia had managed to drag both herself and the orange-haired man up to the deck.
Once there, she led him to the nearest available chair -a blessedly reclinable one- and laid him down carefully, telling him she'd be back in a moment (though she hadn't know if he'd been paying attention).
-x-
Ichigo remembered thinking that his first day on the ship had already been turning into a predictably shitty first day.
And then he had ventured out into the ship…
His original intent had been to go out to the deck. But of course, some higher power was always making sure things went as wrong for him as they possibly could (like when his roommate called to cancel their previously planned trip to the mountains for the summer, making Ichigo perfectly available to join Isshin's 'Kurosaki family sea adventure' -as the man had deemed it- ). So he shouldn't have been surprised to find himself completely and utterly lost within five minutes of going out into the ship.
But what else could anyone expect? The damn place was huge! Sure it looked big from the outside; but the thing was a monstrosity! How was anyone supposed to find their way from one place to another without getting lost?
And then, to make matters even worse, Ichigo started to remember why he hated long car trips, airplanes, and general rides alike…
That goddamned motion sickness.
It wasn't ten minutes after leaving the cabin -his mind no longer occupied on arguing with any of his family members- that he began to feel the familiar queasiness. Which had ended in him lost and almost ready to pass out; if that girl hadn't shown up when she did.
She was a tiny thing; shorter than his sisters, he was sure. With raven black hair that flipped curiously at her shoulders, dark blue eyes and pale skin. And she was incredibly skinny; he might have thought unhealthily so if he hadn't been witness to how she supported most of his weight with ease all the way to the elusive deck.
There she came back, after leading him to a reclinable chair placed parallel to the railing that faced the ocean. She was carrying a white towel in her hands.
When she reached him, she sat down on the edge of his chair and leaned over him to press the cool cloth against his forehead.
It felt heavenly. Up where they were, the rocking of the ship was much less obvious and the ocean breeze ruffled his hair and clothes almost comfortingly.
"Better?" the girl asked, in a voice which wasn't what he would call 'girly', but still distinctly feminine in its own right.
"Infinitely." he answered, letting his eyes drift close as he enjoyed the wetness pressing against his face.
"Good. I can tell by the green leaving your face." the girl said, and he could tell she was smiling mirthfully. "The contrast with your orange hair wasn't suiting for you at all."
A crack at his hair; how original.
"Ha ha." he laughed without humor, still not opening his eyes.
"I see your temper has improved as well." she commented, a light sarcasm underlying her words.
"Shut up." he said surly. He didn't need some girl complaining about his attitude right then.
He was surprised to find the cool soothing cloth removed from his face abruptly. His eyes flew open and he started to sit up before a small -surprisingly strong- hand pushed him back down.
"You can dab yourself, Grumpy." the girl stated, shoving the wet towel in his hand.
Ichigo frowned but pressed the towel back to his forehead, expecting to feel the same instant relief. He was surprised to find that it wasn't quite as relaxing as when she had been doing it -not that he'd tell her that.
A silence had begun to settle over them -and Ichigo was in no hurry to break it- when the girl spoke up again.
"Hey Grumpy, you might want to open your eyes for a bit."
Ichigo realized he'd closed his eyes again, and he wondered why she'd tell him to open them. When he did, he found the girl's face above him, looking out over the railing with a small smile on her lips.
He followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at; with all the time he'd spent going around the ship in search for a way up, he hadn't realized how late it had been getting.
He now saw that it was much later than he'd thought; the sun was setting.
Ichigo started to sit up again, this time the girl didn't stop him, but instead helped him without needing to be asked. Once he was up, he let his mouth fall slightly open at the view.
He had seen many sunsets in his lifetime, but Ichigo decided right then and there, that no one had ever seen a real sunset until they saw one from the deck of a ship.
The reds, violets, pinks and oranges all mixed together beautifully on the sky above, while the shining orange-yellow orb that was the sun descended over the straight blue line of the horizon; its golden rays creating a shimmering path of light across the ocean.
It was breath-taking. His seasickness was forgotten as he took it in.
"Beautiful." breathed the girl at his side, whom he'd nearly forgotten for a moment. She was still looking at the view, her eyes had a faraway look in them and she seemed lost in thought. "No matter how many times you see it, the sunset is always as beautiful as the first time you saw it."
Even though she spoke aloud, Ichigo was sure she wasn't actually speaking to him, rather than herself, so he didn't say anything in reply and continued to enjoy the view.
"So how are you feeling?" the girl asked him after a few minutes of silence.
"Uh?" he blinked to bring himself back from the entrancing view. "Oh; I feel fine, now."
"Just a little seasick then." the girl nodded, looking up at him. "Happens all the time on these long trips; though I'd never seen anyone get it as bad as you on the first day."
Ichigo scowled at her, the expression falling into place on his face as easily as a ring on a finger. "Well this ship is abnormally unsteady." he felt the urge to defend his pride. "It wasn't my fault."
"I'm sure it was the ship's fault, then." her dark blue eyes smiled up at him. It was then that he noticed, in the fading afternoon light, that her eyes weren't blue at all; more like a unique shade of violet with blue undertones.
Her eyes reflected the sky when night was falling.
Woah. Where did that come from?
"How did you end up slumped against a wall anyway, if I may ask." The girl spoke up again.
Ichigo shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "I got lost trying to find the deck." There went his pride.
The girl, much to his surprise, didn't laugh, but instead nodded in understanding. "I can see how that would happen."
Ichigo nodded, feeling good that maybe he wasn't the only one getting lost in the gigantic ship. "You got lost too, huh?"
To his disappointment, she shook her head.
"How did you find your way here so easily?" He asked, feeling frustrated that a girl that could hardly be over five feet tall could maneuver around the floating labyrinth better than he could.
"I've been of plenty of ships like this one. The layout is always about the same." she answered simply, not sounding at all caring about the fact that she apparently went on board fancy and expensive-as-hell ships like these regularly.
Ichigo looked at her and summarized that she should be about his age -probably in college then- and could no way afford a ship like this on her own.
"I take it you're here with your family then?" he asked, wondering if she was, perhaps, suffering the same fate as him -or if she actually had a normal family-.
To his surprise, she hesitated for a moment, just a brief instant -probably unnoticeable to most-. But then she nodded and said, "Yes." like she was confirming a death sentence.
Maybe he could relate after all.
-x-
Rukia didn't know exactly how long they sat there, looking at the horizon and occasionally speaking, but by the time she realized it was getting late, the sky was turning from dark blue to black.
"What time is it?" she asked suddenly, turning to the orange-haired man whose name she had yet to ask.
"Eh…" he patted his pockets as if in search of something -a watch or cell phone probably- then looked at her with a shrug.
Lot of help he was. "I think I have to go." she said, thinking that Byakuya -being the punctuality freak that he was- was probably five minutes away from knocking on her cabin door and asking if she was ready to leave…And she'd like to at least be there to say that she needed a few more minutes rather than him finding an empty room.
The orange-haired guy's attention was brought up by this. "Now?"
She was surprised, and by the looks of it so was he, to hear a note of disappointment in his voice.
"Yeah," she nodded reluctantly. Grouchy and scowling as he was, she found she wasn't entirely displeased by his company. "My Brother will be wondering where I am in a few minutes." she said, not mentioning the fit he'd have if he didn't find her.
"Oh." the guy said, looking let down. Rukia almost felt the urge to tell stay there with him and let Byakuya wonder where she was…
But she wasn't suicidal just yet. So she stood from the seat they'd both been occupying and dusted herself off. "See you around, then." she started to walk away and wave at the guy, when he suddenly stood up and said,
"Wait!"
She paused and looked at him, expectant.
"What's your name?" he asked.
She smiled. "Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki."
"Ichigo Kurosaki." he grinned. "See ya, Rukia." he gave a lazy wave and she was gone.
-x-
Ichigo watched her slim figure disappear under the deck into the ship.
Rukia.
He didn't know why, but he felt like the trip might have just gotten a little more interesting.
A/N: Tada!
I know -not another story!- *facepalm* Yeah sorry about that...I may or may not continue it. I started after being struck by inspiration while looking at my Mom's pictures of the cruise she just went on...So I gave it a shot. There it is...I should be studying for a test now (or sleeping, depends on how you look at it) but I was doing this. So the least you can do is leave a review to tell me if it was worth my irresponsibility. Jk xD Review if you want :P