Title: Simple Pleasures
Rating: K+
Genre: Humor/slight Romance
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Word Count: 663
Summary: Something so small can make her smile.
When Tatsuki had mentioned the fireflies, Ichigo couldn't help but shudder, knowing that certain events bought out the creativity in Inoue. He could only imagine what sort of stories she had managed to think up this time. The last story she had thought up involved giant rabbits that feasted on human brains whenever there was a full moon.
Rukia had been traumatized for most of the evening until he had walked her past the pet shop that had inspired Inoue. That had been a mistake, one he would not soon forget. Trying to pry Rukia away from the rabbits had taken hours of pleading, bribery, and as a last resort, a Chappy the Bunny manga.
Ichigo closed his eyes in frustration as he attempted to drown out the sound of Rukia's voice. She was intent on telling him about how Inoue had shared some fantastic story with her earlier; a story that had involved soul sucking demons lurking in the park. He had tried in vain to explain to her that Inoue was not a source to be trusted and that she and Tatsuki had gone to see the fireflies that night. Rukia had refused to listen to him, calling him an idiot and kicking him in the shins.
Even bringing up the story about the rabbits did nothing to change her mind. It did, however, lead to a trip past the pet store on the way to the park. He was really starting to regret ever showing her where that place was located.
---
For a moment, Ichigo was convinced Rukia would forget all about going to the park after setting eyes on the rabbits. Luck was not with him as she only spent five minutes with the furry creatures before dragging him out of the pet shop and down the street.
Ichigo ripped his hand from her grasp, puzzled by how someone so short could walk faster than he could. "After all the time you've spent with Inoue, how can you possibly believe any of her stories by now?"
Rukia smirked. "Who said I believed her story? I never said that was the reason we were going to the park."
He scowled at her, wondering why she kept insisting on all the secrecy. "Then why are we going?"
Rukia ignored him, instead continuing on her way. Glancing over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow when she noticed he wasn't following. "Don't make me force you."
Muttering a few choice curse words under his breath, he stalked after her, ignoring the smile firmly planted on her face. She just loved to annoy him with that fake cheerfulness crap. It was actually scary how quickly she could change her demeanor.
---
"What now?"
Rukia made a face but otherwise ignored him. Ichigo wandered aimlessly around the area, waiting for her to decide why exactly they were there. He returned to Rukia's side, intent on annoying her until she told him why they were here. Not really paying attention to his surroundings, he managed to trip on a stray twig, knocking into her smaller form. Attempting to catch her before she fell only led to him landing on the ground, breathless, with a petite shinigami on top of him.
"This is the perfect spot."
She had to be joking. Ichigo attempted to push her off but she remained firmly in her spot on top of him. A lone firefly appeared, shining brightly for a moment before disappearing from view. A ghost of a smile appeared on Rukia's face, catching Ichigo off guard. He was starting to understand just why they had arrived. As different as Rukia was, she still enjoyed doing the most simple things.
Halting his attempts to remove her from her position, he sighed in defeat. If something as small as a firefly could make her smile, he could let her enjoy it for a few minutes - as long as she didn't start to get any ideas about him growing soft.