"Ichigooooooooooo!!" Keigo yells, running into the classroom.
Ichigo sighs angrily, "What now?!" He's not even worth hitting anymore...
"Are you coming tomorrow? Everyone's going to be there! The beautiful Inoue...and the beautiful-"
"Yeah...I know...I'm going..." Ichigo says, sitting at his desk. Rukia turns towards him, Ichigo automatically reading the curiosity in her large violet eyes.
"What's tomorrow?"
He looks away, questioning the pink coming to his cheeks, "I'll tell ya later..."
The sun stes as they walk home from school, Rukia's eyes boring holes into Ichigo's broad back.
What could he possibly be doing...
"Once in a while, everyone from school hangs out over the weekend...we usually camp out at the park or something like that...you coming?" He asks turning around. Rukia just stares at him. He sighs.
"It's not that hard. Are ya freakin' comin' or not?!" he yells.
Her eyes go back to their normal size as she walks passed him. "I better not. A Hollow may attack while you're gone. I'll stay home and keep watch while you're out."
"You're an idiot Rukia! Didn't you say, 'You need to take opportunities to unwind, Ichigo.' The same goes for you too, you know!
Rukia thinks over the things she told him during the Don Kanonji incident, "But..."
"You also said that Hollows won't come for a while because so many came at once after the whole Uryu thing!"
"Still..."
"Damn! Then give me one good reason you shouldn't come!"
Rukia's eyes squinted, "Fine, baka! Since you want me there so badly, I guess I'll haveto come!" she says, kicking him in the shins. Ichigo jumps.
"Ow! And what the hell?! Who said I wanted you there!!"
And they walk home in their usual silence.
One reason I shouldn't come...I can't start creating bonds with these people. Bonds are only for humans...
The next morning, the two wake up early to get ready for their trip. Ichigo just throws on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, pulling a brown jacket over it. What surprised Ichigo is what Rukia wore when she climbed out of the closet.
She wore a long red and white stripped skirt with a green sweater covering a white collared shirt. His eyes grow wide as he picks his words.
"Where the hell did you get those clothes?"
As she walks passed him, she jabs him in the side, "Don't ask foolish questions!"
"Theif..." Ichigo mummbles under his breath, which gets him a swift blow to the head. He sighs and walks over to her.
"You ready?"
"Yup!" She says, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
He grabs his bag and walks over to the door.
"Let's get this over with, then."
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun is here! Oh, and he brought Kuchiki-san!! Good morning, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime yells and waves as Ichigo and Rukia walk into the park.
"Why, hello Inoue," Rukia says with a bow while Ichigo mumbles his greeting.
Orihime takes them over to their spot where Chad, Uryu, Tatsuki, Muizuro, and Keigo wait for them. Keigo stands up and runs over.
"Ichigo, you genius, bringing the beautiful Kuchiki-san with you to join us! I knew there was something going on..." Keigo says, elbowing Ichigo. But before Ichigo can get a clear shot of him, he's already holding Rukia's hand.
"It is a pleasure to have you with us at our site, Kuchiki-san," Keigo tells her, tears rolling down his face. Even more tears flowed from his eyes as blood flowed from his nose thanks to Ichigo's fist making brillant contact with his face, making him fly towards the rest of the group.
Rukia laughs.
"It is nice to see you too, Asano-kun."
After putting his stuff down, Ichigo starts putting up his tent. Rukia sees him and walks over.
"What's that?"
"What does it look like?!"
"I don't know! That's why I'm asking, baka!"
"Oh, Kuchiki-san. That's a tent. You sleep in it when you're outside...it's like a makeshift house!"
Rukia turns around, "Thank you, Inoue. You are so much better at explaining things than Ichigo is."
Ichigo grunts in the background.
"But Kuchiki-san, you don't know what a tent is?" Tatsuki cuts in.
"Um...well.."
"She doesn't know what one is. Got a problem with that?" Ichigo says, glaring at Tatsuki. Tatsuki sighs.
"Geez...Ichigo...Sorry..." Tatsuki says back, sticking her tongue out at him. She walks away with Orihime following her. Rukia turns back around.
"Ichigo..."
"Try covering up your own cluelessness, got it? You'll give away your own freakin' cover!" Ichigo tell her, walking over to the group. Rukia sighs, checks her cell phone and follows him. What have I gotten myself into...
"So...what now? If we're going to do nothing...I'll walk back to my house." Ishida says, fixing his glasses.
Orihime jumps up, "I know! We can have an early lunch! I'll go get it!" She says, running into her tent. Ichigo's head goes into his hands.
"What's wrong, Ichigo?"
"Inoue made lunch..."
Rukia winces. She remembered when Orihime shared her lunch with her. The chocolate filled mushrooms didn't settle well in her stomach. She checks her phone again.
"I've got it!" Orihime yells, crawling out of her tent. She comes out with a basket and passes everyone a plate. Then she pulls it out and everybody winces in unison. Sandwhiches...but what's inside them?
"I made all different kinds of sandwhiches so everyone is surprised!" She says happily as she gives everyone a sandwich. They mutter their thanks and try to eat it.
Rukia takes a bite and her face turns a sickly green, but she manages to swallow it. "It's delicious...Inoue." She gets out before drinking half her water bottle. Ichigo leans down.
"What'djya get?"
Rukia swallows, "I think it's rice, turkey and...um...chocolate syrup..."
Ichigo sighs and takes the sandwich from her hands, giving her his instead. She takes a bite.
"Why did you do that?" She asks, chewing, "You got peanut butter and jelly. A normal one."
"I really don't care what I get..." he says, taking a bite of her sandwich. She just shrugs and finishes her lunch.
After everyone finished their...interesting lunch, they decided to walk around the park. They all walked in silence, all the girls in front except Rukia, who walked in the back with Ichigo. Orihime runs up to them.
"Come up here with us Kuchiki-san!" Orihime says, pulling Rukia to the front of the line. Rukia walks in the front, checking her phone for probably the 15th time. Tatsuki sighs.
"What's with you? Always checking your phone. Waiting for your boyfriend to call you?"
"Why would Kurosaki-kun call her when he's right here?"
Rukia turns red, "I'm not dating Kurosaki-kun!"
"Pft...sure looks like it," Tatsuki says, scratching her head. "Then why do you keep checking your phone?"
Rukia doesn't answer, but instead puts her phone in her pocket. Orihime squeals.
"Look over there!!" She says, pointing to wooden stumps coming out of the ground. "Let's go!" She drags Rukia, Tatsuki and the boys following behind them. Orihime pushes Rukia up on one of the stumps.
"Come on guys! Let's play!" she says, pulling everyone onto a stump. Chad and Uryu sat out, not wanting to 'play.' Rukia wobbles a little as she looked behind her to see Ichigo's scowl, Keigo's grin, Muizuro's arms spread wide, Tatsuki's black shirt and the big red flower on Orihime's skirt. Rukia gulps.
"Wh-What now, Inoue?"
"Just walk across the stumps, Kuchiki-san!"
Rukia puts her arms out to the side and starts to walk on the stumps. On the second one, she loses her balance, her arms flying everywhere, her foot trying to get to the next stump. She feels herself falling to the side.
"Woah...!"
"Hey!"
She feels two hands grab her waist and steady her back onto the the stump. A breath tickles her ear.
"You jump on house tops but yet you can't balance on a freakin' log. That's just wrong. Not everything in life is do or die, Rukia. Relax." Ichigo says, letting go of her waist.
Life...
She nods and, keeping her arms out, walks across the stumps. Before she knew it, she jumping and leaping on each one, laughing. Ichigo, with a smirk on his face, follows behind, hands in his pockets. Keigo and Muizuro both have trouble keep their balance while Orihime walks, her hands on Tatsuki's shoulders.
Rukia finishes first, jumping off with a high leap and the rest follow shortly behind. Rukia truns to them, a smile gracing her face.
"What's next?!"
The rest of the day was spent walk through the park, talking and playing games. It was nightfall by the time they got back to their tents. And the strangest thing happened. In unison, everyone's stomach growled.
"So...who was in charge of dinner?" Chad asks.
Everyone turns to Orihime. Her hands go up to her defense.
"Don't look at me, Tatsuki-chan said she would handle making us dinner..."
And everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Tatsuki takes out a bag of marshmallows and a flashlight.
"Well, how about we let the guys go find us the sticks..." Tatsuki says, throwing the flashlight to Ichigo.
Ichigo, surprised to see a flashlight flying towards him, fumbles it before getting a grip.
"The hell?! Why us?!"
"You don't want the girls to go out in the dark by ourselves, right?" Tatsuki says. Orihime laughs and even Rukia lets out a snicker.
"They're right, Ichigo! It is our job to protect the women!" Keigo says. Ichigo sighs and looks over to Rukia.
"We'll be right back..." he says gruffly.
The boys get up and leave the campsite, three flashlights being there light.
"So, what's up with you and Kuchiki, Ichigo?" Keigo asks. Ichigo just ignores him and walks passed him. He doesn't even deserve to get hit...he deserves to get run over by a freakin' truck!!
"You know...it's like everyone can see it but you, Ichigo...I mean...I bet you guys even see it, right?" Muizuro says, looking over to Uryu and Chad. They nod.
"You see, we all know you like her."
"I-chi-go's in love...like a springtime dove!" Keigo sings. Ichigo smashes in his face.
"You are soworth hitting, damn it!!" he says out loud. Everyone stares at him, having no idea what he's talking about. Ichigo picks up a couple sticks, "I got'em. Let's just go."
"You're just too stubborn, Kurosaki."
"Shut up, Ishida!!" he yells, Why is everyone so freakin' annoying today?! Damn!
"Then why have you been so nice to her today?" Muizuro asks playfully. Ichigo sighs.
"She always fighting...I just think she's never had a break, a day off before, so I might as well make this good since it could be the only one she ever gets. I want her to feel different..." he says. Alive... He snaps out of his thoughts. Hell no! I did NOT just say that out loud! Damn it!
"I-chi-go's in love...with a cute lady bug!" Keigo sings again. This time Ichigo sends him flying into a tree. Muizuro winces when he hits it. Ichigo sighs.
"We're back..."
Rukia turns to him, her skin illuminated by the fire, making her white skin glow even more than usual. Ichigo looks away.
"Here," he mutters, passing everyone a stick. He gives it to Rukia last.
"Thanks..."
Tatsuki passes the bag around, everyone taking out a marshmallow. Rukia holds in with her fingertips, staring at it intently. She leans over to Ichigo.
"What do I do?" she whispers.
He looks at her and sighs, grabbing both of her arms.
"Ichigo?"
He puts the marshmallow on the stick, using her hands, and holds it in the fire. When it's been in the fire for a couple seconds he lets go of her arms, doing what he did for her for himself. She stares at him as he stares at the fire, his hair turning an even crazier color orange. He looks up at her.
"What?"
She looks away, "Nothing..."
Everyone sits in silence for a while until Rukia squeals, all eyes turning to her.
"What?"
"Ah! What do I do?!" she yells, seeing her marshmallow turned into a fireball. Ichigo slaps himself in the face.
"Blow it out."
"Blow it out?" Rukia repeats, her eyes going from him back to the marshmallow. Ichigo sighs and leans over, blowing the fire out, the marshmallow a black color.
"Oh."
She watches everyone eat their marshmallows from the stick. Her head tilts as she mimics them, eating the marshmallow from the stick. She chews and then smiles.
"Yum!"
And she must have eaten half the bag.
Rukia groans, holding her stomach, "Ichigo..."
He rolls his eyes. "That's what you get for eating half the freakin' bag, damn it!" he yells, moving around their small tent to pass her a blanket.
Rukia sighs and checks her phone for the last time, its light making the tent glow. Ichigo sighs.
"I told you no Hollows would come but still, you checked your phone every 10 seconds!" He yells again. Rukia curls into her sleeping bag.
"It's my job, Ichigo. I can't just abandon my job."
"Yes you can! That's why it's called a day OFF the job!!"
"Shinigami don't get days off, Ichigo."
"Well, you just did. How did it feel, making freakin' death god history?" he says sarcastically, ploping into the sleeping bag next to her.
"It was...nice."
Ichigo looks to see her staring at the top of the tent, a small smile on her face. A small smile makes it way to his face as well.
"That's all I wanted."
"Hm?" Rukia asked, being brought out of her thoughts.
He shakes his head, "Nothing... nothing at all."
And they both fall asleep, happy.
What they both did not know was that that was the last day off she would have in a while, because two days later, Kuchiki Rukia was successfully captured, put on trial in Soul Society, and sentenced to death. But Kurosaki Ichigo raced through hell and back to save her. And he did. After that, and the Winter War against the Arrancars, even though it is a year and a half later, she finds herself back in the same spot at the same place, once again having her day off.
"Can you imagine that this is our finally year in high school?" Orihime says, walking along the line of autumn trees.
"Yeah...it's weird, huh? Woah!" Tatsuki yells, taken by surpirse as Rukia runs passed her. They grin as Rukia jumps onto an all to familiar wooden stump. She puts her arms out in front of her and starts walking on each one until she steps on a pebble which messes up her balance. Her arms fly all over the place as she starts to fall.
"Ah!"
"Hmph...I don't think so..."
Her face holds a look of sheer joy as she feels hands hold her waist and a warm breath tickles her ear.
"Ichigo..."
"You don't change do you, Rukia," he shakes his head, his spiky hair skimming her neck, "I told you I'd come back for you someday...and well, that day came sooner than I thought."
"Ichigo!"
She feels strong arms put her in an embrace as they lift her upon a man's shoulders, the man she loved.
"Hold on, Rukia!" he says as he walks from one stump to the other, Rukia holding her arms out on top of his shoulders. She looks down to see the face of the man she hasn't see in six long months.
"I always will."
Wow...I did that all in one day...and I don't think its to bad if I do say so myself. Just to let you know, this whole thing was inspired by that two second spot in the first Bleach opening (Asterisk) when Rukia is walking on those tree stumps. You don't know how many times I had to watch that!! The rest just flowed from there. I did this by listening to KT Tunsell (Suddenly I See) and Wicked (Defying Gravity) and there you go. I think it's a cute one! I have no idea where the ending came from but I think its works. I like it!! And well, I hope you liked it too! So...
TELL ME WHAT'CHA THINK!