Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

Bleach: The Shoujo Side - Side Stories

Memories - An Afternoon Melody

written by Kurosu

The late afternoon sky was set aglow by the bright sun descending from the protection of the clouds, letting the hot summer weather take a refreshing breath before another day of heat could scorch the earth again. This pivotal moment of the day, when the temperature would slowly drop, had been anticipated by all the young children. They could now freely run outside, without getting baked by the sun, and roam in the wonderful air of the countryside.

She couldn't remember when the last time the world had been so quiet and peaceful, almost reminding her of the time she laid in her sister's lap and fell asleep to the soft hum of her voice. She tried to recall the tune her sister loved so much and tested it with her own voice.

"What is that?" he asked, curiously.

He adjusted his hold on her legs, giving her a push upward upon his back where she happily rode since he promised to give her a piggyback ride, and her humming stopped. She held one arm around his neck carefully, hoping not to fall off, while the other tugged her honey-colored yukata down after it rode up her thigh. After the adjustment, she wrapped that arm around his neck and plopped her head on his left shoulder.

He felt her breath upon his skin and refrained from shuddering at the electrifying sensation that overtook his body. He had more control than the average, teenage boy of fifteen years, but then again, he was never a normal one to begin with. Able to understand the world around him at such a young age, he knew he was different from other kids and learned quickly reality was harsh and cruel. He matured faster, and by the time he was eight, he felt the responsibilities of an adult fall upon his tiny shoulders, especially when she was involved.

"Well?"

He wanted his question answered, and though he usually had patience with her, he didn't like it when she purposely made him wait. From the tone in his voice, she knew it irritated him when he didn't know something. She clasped her hands on both of his shoulders, for a good hold, and leaned away from his back, letting her laughter dance beautifully into the sky.

He loved the sound of her voice, whether she whined irritably or laughed mischievously because she brought so many different emotions to his life, and would never admit it to her though. Now that she was playing around with him, he would in turn do the same, letting his hands fumble the hold on her, and she yelped when she felt herself slipping from his back. Immediately her arms encircled his neck and held herself up, just as he chuckled and brought his hands back to hold her up.

"That was mean, Hitsugaya!"

He kept his eyes forward on the dirt road, still on the walk back to the countryside villa, and smiled at the image of her pouting lips.

"That was punishment for not answering me."

"I would've told you!" she insisted. Her embrace tightened, and she pressed into him, placing her cheek against his for emphasis.

He rolled his eyes, "After you had your fun."

"Of course!" she giggled.

He felt the cheerful vibrations through the contact of their skins, and the warmth grew within his chest. He stopped walking for a moment and then turned away from the road, taking a detour into the grassy landscape. She noticed and started to pester him with questions on why they weren't returning home, or where they were going now, or if he was going to sell her for money, jokingly.

"I would love to, but I wouldn't get much for you," he teased.

"Liar!" she chomped down on his shoulder, lightly.

"Hey!"

"Ojii-sama said I was priceless!"

"Oh? He did?" he pretended not to care or accept the words as truth, but inwardly, he couldn't agree with it more. "I guess you would be. You are a Kuchiki after all."

"That's not what he meant," she fumed, apparently offended that he didn't understand the meaning since he was supposed to be the smartest boy she knew, aside from her grandfather and brother.

"What did he mean then?" he feigned ignorance.

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" she eyed his profile, wondering if he was plotting something - after all, he was taking her to some unknown place instead of his family's villa.

"Smarter than you, yes."

"Ugh, you're unbelievable, Hitsugaya!" she whined.

He laughed, and all during the trip, they threw insults and witty banters at each other until they reached his intended destination. He had brought her to a beautiful lake of crystal clarity, reflecting the setting sun, surrounded by local vegetation and small creatures fleeing at their arrival.

In awe and speechlessness, Rukia stared at the scene as if it came right out of a photograph of a travel brochure. He knelt down and allowed her to slide off his back onto her feet, and they stood there, side by side, and gazed at the natural structure the earth gave birth to. It was breathtaking and indescribable, too beautiful to be disturbed by words, so both remained silent and enjoyed it in the presence of each other.

When he stole a glance in her direction, he found her smiling brightly, each little feature of her face illuminated beautifully by the glow of the orange sun, and it was contagiously adorable that he, too, was smiling - not for the charming atmosphere they found themselves in, but for having her with him.

"Hisana's Lullaby," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"That melody."

And she began humming the same piece from earlier, as they stood, side by side, hand in hand.

Note: There's no chronological order to these memories. I write them as they come to me. I'm currently stuck on The Shoujo Side, so I took a break and wrote this piece. I don't know how I feel about this one.

I kept imagining them walking down the dirt road with Toushi giving Ruki a piggyback ride and thought it was cute to write. And I've always found the summer countryside in Japan beautiful too, though I didn't get much description of it in.

Well I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks. -kuro