"Ichigo, I have a question."

The orange-headed high-schooler didn't look up from his textbook. He didn't even say anything until a foot collided with the back of his head and he fell out of his chair onto the floor.

"Ow! Damn it, Rukia, I'm trying to study! Didn't you hear there's a test tomorrow?"

Rukia blinked. "Oh. Is that what you were doing? I thought you were ignoring me."

"I was! I'm trying to study!"

"Oh. You were ignoring me."

"Yes!"

She kicked him again.

"Hey!"

"You shouldn't ignore people, Ichigo. It's rude."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

He picked up his book, sat back down, and continued reading.

Rukia waited a long moment, patiently awaiting his query as to what her question was. She acknowledged that he would want to get situated again before helping her with adjusting to the living world. She had kicked him, after all, and maybe that wasn't very nice.

She lifted her foot and examined it as she thought about that. She noted that there was dirt on the left side of her right heel. She reached down and rubbed it off.

She looked back up.

Ichigo wasn't looking at her.

She kicked him again.

"AARGH!!" the substitute shinigami snarled, and leaped up onto his feet again. "Rukia! Don't do that!! I'm trying to study!"

"You haven't answered my question, Ichigo. You haven't even asked what it is."

"I don't care about your dumb-ass question! I gotta study! Go...practice drawing or something like that! God knows you need it!"

Another kick.

"OW! Damn it!!"

"You're being rude again."

"So are you!"

"You were rude first."

"Didn't yer rich-ass brother ever tell you two wrongs don't make a damn right?!"

"...Niisama would kick you, too, I think."

"That's not the point!!"

"I thought it was."

"No!! The point is, you shouldn't kick people who're trying to study! And you shouldn't bother them with stupid questions when they're letting you sleep in their damn closet for nothing!!"

"You don't know that my question is stupid."

"I...oh...whatever! It doesn't matter!!"

"So you'll answer my question?"

"NO!!"

Kick.

Ichigo thrashed about in his chair, even resorted to throwing his pencil at her. Rukia caught it and presented it to him.

"See? I'm not rude."

"Yes, you are!! You're interrupting me!"

"It'd be a lot easier to answer my question."

"No! What'd be easier is if you'd just go downstairs and ask someone else! Pop's not busy! Yuzu's not busy! Karin's not busy! Go bother them!!"

"I thought they were supposed to think I was 'normal.' It'd be weird if I asked them this question."

"Oh, go look it up online or something!!"

"I can't. The computer's on your desk."

Ichigo grabbed his book and stomped over to his bed. "There! Now I'm not!"

Rukia sat down. "Why don't you just answer? It's a simple question, Ichigo. Two seconds and I'll leave you alone."

Ichigo coughed: "Liar!"

"You took the time to sit over there. It would've taken just as much time to listen to my question and answer me."

"Oh, fine!! What's the damn question, already?!"

Rukia smiled. "Thanks. See? It's not so hard to be polite."

"Oh, shut up! I wasn't being rude, damn it!"

"Yes, you were."

"Were not!"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, just ask the damn question, already!"

She blinked.

"...I forgot."

Ichigo threw his book at her.