Huzzah! IchiRuki Week is here!
Anyway, in this piece, Hisana and Masaki are both alive, and Ichigo and Rukia are both high school students. Enjoy!
Ichigo first saw her riding his usual bus on the first day of school. She wasn't all that different from the rest of the commuters, but something about the way she held herself made her stand out from all the rest. That and her uniform.
She belonged to one of the most exclusive high schools in the area. But since she was taking the bus, Ichigo assumed that she was probably on a scholarship of some sort. And given the state of her things, all new except for a beat up looking rabbit key chain, her sponsor was the generous sort.
She was travelled alone, with her nose in a book, rather than a cell phone which tended to be the norm with others their age. Ichigo himself usually read his notes when he commuted. With his parents expecting him to get into a decent college for pre-med, Ichigo had to make sure his grades were excellent. Even if he was just a first year.
A month passed before anything changed. Ichigo happened to catch her eye one morning, her eyes were narrowed at his hair. He cocked an eyebrow at her and she responded in kind, not even blushing at being caught staring. She smirked at him as the bus slowed. Giving him a wink, she exited the train.
After that, they always acknowledged each other. It wasn't much, a smirk there, a nod here, sometimes a quirk of an eyebrow. Their interaction was always short, always nonverbal. A quick hi then it was back to their books.
Or at least it was for her. Ichigo kept sneaking glances at her every so often. It was in these moments that Ichigo noticed all her little quirks. Like the way she furrowed her brow as she mouthed whatever English word it was that she was reading. Or the way her eyes lit up when she figured something out.
She caught him staring once. She titled her head to the right as if to ask him what the matter was. He just shook his head. She shot him an exasperated look and returned to her book.
They took the same bus like clockwork every day. Until one September day where Ichigo boarded the bus and she wasn't there. Ichigo didn't mind it much, six months into the school year and one of them was bound to take a sick day. His bus ride seemed to take longer than it usually did without her to observe, but he chalked it up to the material he was trying to read. Chemistry was hard.
The next day, she still wasn't on their bus. Ichigo wondered if she was alright.
That afternoon, Ichigo went to meet up with his father at the hospital so they could go to dinner together. As usual, Isshin was still seeing a patient when he arrived, so he had to wait.
"Stupid old man," Ichigo groused as he waited for the vending machine to give him his tea. "Always making me wait for him."
He picked up his tea and sat down on the nearby benches, sighing as he did so.
"Mom reminded him this morning what time the dinner reservations are," Ichigo said. "Then again, he is a bit absent-minded. Next time she really should set it up with his secretary."
"Talking to yourself?"
Ichigo started. He turned to look behind himself.
"Hey."
Smirking at him was the girl from the bus.
"Mind if I sit?"
Ichigo shook his head. She snorted as she took the seat. He noticed that she looked different out of her uniform, more at ease. But the way she moved was fluid and graceful. Ichigo suspected that even if she were dressed in a burlap sack, she would still be a wonder to watch.
"So, bus-guy with the weird orange hair," she said. "What brings you to the hospital?"
"I do have a name, you know," he complained. "Miss short private schooler."
"Seriously?" she raised an eyebrow. "That's your nickname for me?"
It wasn't as if Ichigo could call her that girl to her face. And short private schooler might seem like a lame comeback, but he felt that it was okay for something he just made up.
"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," he said, deciding to ignore her dig. "And you?"
"Rukia Kuchiki," she replied. "You didn't answer my question Ichigo Kurosaki."
"I'm waiting for my old man," he explained, assuming that her second question was a rhetorical one. "He's running a bit late. Yourself?"
"My sister's in the hospital," she said with a serious expression. "I don't know if she'll be released or…"
"I'm sorry," Ichigo immediately said, keeping his eyes averted. He wasn't comfortable with dealing with people in grief. They sat there in silence for a moment. Before the silence between them became awkward, where he would have bolted or changed the subject, Ichigo heard a snort coming from Rukia.
"You are gullible, aren't you?" she asked with a smirk on her lips.
"What?"
She laughed again. Ichigo was wondering if hysteria was somewhere in the grieving process. Probably an offshoot of denial or something.
"My sister's not dying," Rukia explained once her giggles died down. "She just gave birth to my nephew."
"Oh. Er, congratulations?"
"Thank you," she replied. Seeing that he was still puzzled, she giggled some more. "If I knew that you were this fun to tease, I would've started sooner."
Before Ichigo could retort, her phone beeped. She scrolled through the message, and sighed.
"My brother-in-law is wondering where I am," she shook her head. "It's not like anyone's going to kidnap me."
"So…?" Ichigo asked.
"I have to go back to my sister's room," Rukia said as she stood up. "I'll see you on the bus tomorrow."
She gave a small wave before she turned and walked away. Ichigo couldn't help but stare at her retreating form. She was interesting he'll give her that.
"Rukia Kuchiki, huh?"
He smiled. Tomorrow was going to be a great day.