Author's note: Another one shot. Warning, is fluff. Not everything is what it seems. There are two OCs mentioned here, which are not mine. I was able to write the two OCs in with convent of muns. I do not own Ichigo or Rukia.

They laid there breathing heavily, half naked as beads of sweat rolled down their quivering bodies.

"I thought you said you could handle it?" the ginger smirked looking at the ravenette who laid next him, her face flushed.

"I did, I'm just surprised at how quick that was," Rukia said breathlessly brushing the hair out of her face catching some sweat from her temple.

Ichigo gave her a smug look, "That was only round one," he smirked, "You sure you can keep up? Or do you want me to go slower this time," he said teasingly rolling on to his side to face the girl.

"I was the one who said we do this, don't think I can't handle myself," she said the gleam from earlier still in her amethyst eyes.

The teen was surprised by the girl's request when she first mentioned it to him. They were with Retsu and Kyoto, and Rukia pulls him off to the side, with the same glint he saw in her eyes now. Once they found a good place at the beach, they two went at it. They were both in their bathing suits, him in his trunks and Rukia in her bikini, making it easier for them. By the time they were done with round one, sand was everywhere, though none of them really minded at the moment. Both their minds where focused on something else, and it definitely wasn't the sand.

Evening her breath, Rukia sat up and adjusted her bikini top, "That was fun," she giggled lightly as she tried to fix her now messy raven locks, "We should do this more often."

"We should," the teen nodded as he sat up moved closer to the girl, pushing hair behind her ear, "Though, we may not get time to do anything else."

Rukia shrugged, "We both enjoy it, and since it's you and me it makes it better, don't you agree?"

"The two of us are pretty good together," he chuckled.

Earlier~

The water was nice and cool on Ichigo's skin as he stood waist deep the water. It was a nice day to be out, though it did take him a while to get to the beach and find his friends, he was glad he came. It was much better than staying at home trying to escape the heat with little success.

The ginger watched as Retsu bolted out of the water, for whatever reason, and onto the beach area where Kyoto was. Ichigo turned his gaze to Rukia, who sat on the shore, drawing in the sand. "You're not coming in?" he asked the raven haired woman.

Rukia looked up from her drawing in the sand an eyebrow raised, "I think I'll just stay here."

Ichigo shrugged, "If you say so," he said simply as he dunked himself in the water and began to swim.

The ravenette looked to where Retsu and Kyoto were, they seemed to have been arguing. The Phantom had been acting different since they came to the beach which was starting to concern her. Then realizing the water that lapped the shore erased her drawing, she got up and decided to join the ginger in the water, "Psst….! Ichigo….!" she called to him.

The teen's ears perked at the sound of Rukia's voice call him as he swam, "Yeah, Rukia?" he responded, ceasing his swimming and made his way to the petite Soul Reaper.

"What do you think they're doing…?" She whispers nudging her head in the direction where their two friends were, "Kyo, was acting kind of strange…"

Ichigo tuned his head to look at Kyoto, the Phantom seemed to be brooding about something, while Retsu bugged him which did nothing to help, "Well, he is a man of the shadows…It's pretty sunny too….and you and Retsu are in bathing suits…." the last one was suppose to be a joke, although the two girls didn't look bad in their bathing suits, they were actually quite pleasing to the eye, "I'm not sure…" the teen says simply now, and begun to back stroke in the water "What do you think is wrong..?"

"Mhm, never-mind, maybe you're right…I don't know…just a thought," she shrugged a small sigh leaving her as she did so. She didn't like the thought of her friend like that, it worried her.

Seeing as they girl's good mood was starting to change and sensed her distress, the teen looked at Rukia with a serious expression, "If something were wrong with him, we'll help him with whatever it is. We're his friends and even if he may not want us to help we are going to anyway. As long as we are with him and he is with us —well as long as we are all together, we'll be there for each other." he said firmly to her.

Finding comfort in the male's words she nods, "Yeah, okay," she smiles glad that she told Ichigo about her suspicions.

The ginger grinned at the petite Soul Reaper before diving into the water, he swam up from under her and picked up the girl into his arms, "Come on, enjoy the water," he laughed.

Rukia was confused as she saw Ichigo disappear in the water, a gasp escaped her as she was unexpectedly swept off her feet and now carried by the carrot top, "I-Ichigo!" she yelped more high pitched than she wanted to, "P-put me down, you're all wet," she barked at him her cheeks truing a light pink hue.

"You were going to get in the water anyway," the teen smiled, still carrying the petite girl, "So what does it matter that you get a little wet," he added putting Rukia back down.

As the girl's feet planted back down in the water she elbowed Ichigo in the rips, in a playful manner more than a mad one, "Thank you," she huffed crossing her arms over chest.

Ichigo laughed when the girl's elbow lightly hit his ribs, "Come on, let's do something."

Rukia took a brief moment to think, her face gaining a competitive smirk as she did so "Alright, alright." was her short answer.

Recognizing the competitive edge that was etched in her smirk he gave her a playful eyebrow raise, "Oh? Do I sense a challenge coming from Ms. Kuchiki, now?" he smirked back at her.

"You bet, strawberry…!" She replied the smirk not leaving her features.

"So what is it that you want to lose at, Ru?" he asked letting his competitive side get the best of him

"Pfft, I'll lose at nothing…strawberry" She gave a pout but still had that competitive glare.

"We'll see, we'll see. What were you thinking we do?"

"How about…a race…? We'll swim out…I'll win…and we'll be done." She said with a confident smile

"Oh, aren't we a confident Kuchiki?" Ichigo teased, then looking out to the ocean he pointed to a small island a kilometer away "We'll swim to there and back. That is if you can handle it as well as losing." he challenged.

—

Much to their distaste the race to the island ended in a dead tie.

The two laid on the shore on their backs, enjoying the feeling of the warm sand gave as they tried to catch their breath. It wasn't long till the two moved to the shade. They pair forgot about the race back to the beach, but that didn't seem to matter anymore.

"It's a nice little island here," Ichigo smiled as he stood looking around, "Wonder if anyone else has been to it," he thought a loud.

"Mmmmhmm," Rukia hummed as she sat against a palm tree, the innocent tree casting a-not-so-innocent shadow on the girl's pale skin, "Maybe people have, why wouldn't they?"

"The swim over here," he deadpanned, not many were willing to swim that far just to get to a small island like this one, unless you went by boat.

"Well it's worth the swim," she laughed then patted the spot next to her, "Sit," she called to him, "We haven't been spending much time together, I miss ya strawberry," she teased her voice an endearing tone.

"Don't call me strawberry," the ginger huffed taking a seat next to the raven haired girl none the less, "You're right," the teen nodded, "It's been a while since it was just the two of us."

"A long while," she added lightly grabbing his arm and placing it over shoulders so she could lean on him more comfortably.

Ichigo was surprised by her actions, but did nothing. He didn't mind the closeness between them, he thought it felt kind of of nice.

Rukia let out a small yawn, snuggling closer to Ichigo and listened to his heart beat rhythmically in his bare chest, "What are we going say to the others when we get back? Won't they be worried that we've been gone for a long time?"

The ginger's face turned a light pink as he gently kissed on the top if her head, he wanted to enjoy this moment with Rukia, "Nothing," he said simply, this was their moment where it was only the two of them. No one else to spoil it, and no one else to know. That's what made it so special; so nice.

She smiled, and turned her head to him looking up with her big violet orbs. She gave him a peck on the cheek and rested her head back on his chest, her face a deep red understanding his response, "Okay..."