A/N: I do not own Bleach, obviously. R & R, please! My second fanfic in less than twenty-four hours... I'm on a roll! Enjoy. (Also, I apologize for the lack of romance. I had intended a lot more for this story, but the voice in my head kept screaming at me to just finish it up. It was two in the morning. I blame lack of sleep.)
"What?" Rukia inquired, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Nothing. It's just-" He was at a loss for words. Discarding that fragmented sentence Ichigo proceeded with a question. "Are you wearing Yuzu's swimsuit?"
It was a cute little number, one he recognized as his sister's favorite. Decorated with colorful tropical flowers, the tankini suited Rukia's girlish figure and brought out her vivid violet eyes.
"So?" She replied defensively, suddenly self conscious of her near-nakedness.
They stood awkwardly in the Kurosakis' backyard, the scorching summer sun beating down on them. The sprinkler was on and the kiddie pool was filled, the twins' idea as a free alternative to a water park. Ichigo thought it was stupid and childish, but when the AC bit the dust- well, he found himself in his trunks in the backyard. Yuzu and Karin were gathering together their water toys, leaving the two teens (Technically, one teen and a dead girl, but still.) alone to attempt a conversation.
This was usually when one of them would blurt out an insult, but Ichigo couldn't think of anything that didn't sound completely lame.
You have small boobs! What was he, twelve?
Your legs look like toothpicks! That was a lie anyway. Although Rukia's legs were short, they were muscular and toned.
Rukia wasn't having any more success at filling the silence than he was. Giving up searching her arsenal of offensive remarks, she decided to try her hand at a legit conversation. Spotting the kiddie pool, Rukia jumped on the first thing that came to mind.
"Um, I don't know how to swim." Internal facepalm. She cursed herself for giving him perfect teasing material.
Ichigo snorted. "I can't make any promises, but I'm pretty sure you won't drown in that." He made a broad gesture towards the sorry excuse for a pool, filled a foot deep with hose water.
Before Rukia could reply, Yuzu and Karin emerged from the house, arms full with water guns, foam balls, and giant pool noodles.
"Rukia! You look so pretty!" Yuzu gushed, obviously proud of her choice in swimwear for their raven-haired guest.
At his sister's remark, Ichigo looked Rukia over a little more closely. She didn't have Orihime's ample chest or Rangiku's mile-long legs, but she compensated for what she lacked with a perfectly round backside and smooth, pearly skin. He blushed furiously at the sliver of tummy that peeked out from between the two pieces of suit. She had lived with them for ages, yet he had never seen her stomach. Looking up, Ichigo met Karin's knowing smirk.
"Well are we just gunna stand here or what? Let's get wet!" Karin announced, rolling her eyes at her hormonal mess of a brother.
Unaware of Ichigo and Karin's brief exchange, Yuzu and Rukia agreed happily.
For the rest of the afternoon, they made good use of the guns, balls, and noodles, waging wars that always ended in a tie. Ichigo felt five years younger and Rukia simply felt… well, alive! As the sun set behind the buildings of Karakura Town, the four finally settled down, absolutely exhausted.
"Ichigo," Isshin Kurosaki poked his head out the back door. "Phone's for you."
Ichigo accepted the phone from his father, stifling a yawn. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me, Keigo. All of us are gunna go watch some movies at Mizuiro's house, you in?"
He looked back at the scene behind him. The twins snoozed on towels laid on the lawn and Rukia looked ready to nod off too as she relaxed in the pool.
"Nah, man. I think I'm gunna hang out at home tonight."
After a few more exchanges between the friends, Ichigo hung up and rejoined the girls.
"Move over." He demanded, plopping down next the drowsy Rukia.
She complied, but only after giving Ichigo a half-hearted jab in the ribs. Good thing I'm tired, she told him. They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, listening to the crickets kree and watching the lightning bugs glow. Finally, Rukia spoke.
"Thanks," She said, attempting to run her fingers through her tangled mane, and failing miserably. "For today, I mean."
Ichigo raised his eyebrows. She never thanked him for anything. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. I died when I was an infant, so I never got to do this kind of stuff. I think it's one of those things you're supposed to do when you're a kid, you know? Even when I was a little girl, I had to grow up if I wanted to survive on the streets. Then when I became a soul reaper and an adopted member of the Kuchiki family… having fun and enjoying myself seemed so trivial."
Realizing all that she had said, Rukia looked away. "Why am I spilling my guts to you? It's none of your business."
Ichigo smirked at the shinigami and leaned back in the pool so that his head rested on the rim and his legs stuck awkwardly out the other side. His eyelids felt like lead weights, and before he knew it, sleep took over.
About half an hour later, Isshin guided four zombies into the house. They all found their beds and crashed the moment their heads hit the pillow.
Their father, on the other hand, stayed downstairs. He printed a picture off from the computer, slid it into a frame, and placed it over the fireplace.
"Oh Masaki, my love, the kids had so much fun today. They're all growing up so fast, but the fact that they took the time to enjoy their youth makes this daddy so happy!" Wiping a tear from his eye, he said good night to the poster of his wife and walked up the stairs to bed.
o0o0o0o0o
The frame was decorated with different kinds of shells and sand dollars. The picture inside was taken from the back door only twenty minutes before. It showed Karin spread out on her back, a water gun still close to her right hand. Yuzu was curled up in a ball next to her. Behind them there was Ichigo and Rukia in the pool. If you look closely, you can see her head resting against his shoulder.