XII Happier Days

It was a day on the beach. Her eyes closed, and she just heard the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore. It was early morning and the sun would rise soon. She was laying on her back, eyes appearing to be staring off into the dark sky. She could feel the sand on her skin, in her hair and she didn't care because everything was at peace.

Then she took a deep breathe and she was inhaling sand. She sat up quickly coughing to try to get it out. "Ahhh!" She looked behind her to see Ichigo standing above her. "You could have killed me? Why'd you kick sand at my face?"

"Well I thought you were asleep so I decided I'd wake you." He said it calmly like there was no problem with it.

"You're an idiot! Who kicks sand at people to wake them up?"

"Me." He answered, sitting beside her.

"If anything you throw water on sleeping people!" Rukia suggested.

"How was I going to get the water to you?" He responded calmly.

"I don't know. Think about it!" Rukia yelled, Ichigo by that point was ignoring her. "Ichigo! Ichigo! Why are you ignoring me?" He just pointed out toward the ocean. She was amazed. The beautiful colors and the brightness of sun as it came over. "Wow," was all she was left to say.

After Rukia and Ichigo had returned home their dad suggested they take a few days off to go see the ocean and relax. Their entire family was excited. They arrived late that night and Rukia had woken up early. "My mom used to bring us to the beach, drag everyone. When I was little I hated it."

"Why?" She asked.

"It was boring. The first day we'd swim and run around but then we'd run out of the things to do. I had other things I could do. Mom tried to make it fun. It was fun though. I had family and that was the important thing."

"I don't get to see the sun rise over the ocean in soul society." Rukia stated. "It's beautiful."

He pulled her closer to him, and they watched it together. After a while they heard their names being called. "Ichigo! Rukia!" Yuzu said running up from behind them.

"What're you doing out here?" Karin asked.

"Sunset." Ichigo answered like it was plain and simple although the sun had set a long time ago.

"Ah… of course." Karin responded.

"Want to play volleyball?" Yuzu asked holding a ball. "Karin wants to play soccer but in the sand…"

"You'll eat it." Rukia said glaring at Ichigo. Ichigo just shrugged and stood up.

"Sure."

"I want to play too!" Their dad said excitedly.

"No way." Ichigo said, knowing that he'll overdo it.

"How about you ref dad?" Yuzu suggested.

"It makes the teams more ever Mr. Kurosaki." Rukia said kindly.

"Alright." He said sad that he couldn't play with his family.

"I want to be on Rukia's team!" Yuzu said.

"Fine by me." Rukia said.

"Then I'm with Ichigo, yeah!" Karin said.

The game was fun. Ichigo and Karin were crazy serious about it. Rukia had never played but had good reflexed while Yuzu was pretty good herself was when Ichigo or Karin spiked on her. The game ended 19-25, it was close but Ichigo and Karin won. "Awww, we lost." Yuzu said.

"It's okay Yuzu, you had fun right?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, and that's what matters."

"But we won." Ichigo said smirked. Rukia pushed his head into the sand.

"THAT'S NOT. WHAT. MATTERS!" She said.

"Uhhh, Rukia… he needs to breath." Yuzu said kind of alarmed by her actions.

"Oh right!" Rukia said happily pulling his head out of the sand. "You okay?"

"You better hope so midget!" Ichigo's face was read and Rukia dashed off before he could stop coughing up sand.

"Serves you right!" Rukia yelled, turning back which made her land face first into the sand after tripping. Ichigo not paying attention tripped and landed on top of her. She sat up, he fell back into the sand. "What did you think you were doing?" She yelled.

"I tripped. I didn't do it on purpose!" He yelled back.

"Oh shut up all of you!" Karin said throwing the volleyball into Ichigo's face.

"What was that for? Why not Rukia?"

"Because you're the stupid one who started everything!" Karin yelled.

"Why can't we all just get along!" Yuzu yelled.

"My poor family is fighting I know what to do!" He ran and purposefully tripped into the sand.

They all just looked at him. "Is he okay?" Rukia asked Ichigo.

"I don't know." Ichigo countered. "Yo old man! Get up!"

"You stopped fighting, oh good!" He said.

"Oh dad!" Yuzu said. Karin just sighed.

Later on Rukia was standing by the ocean and Ichigo, picked her up and ran through the water while it was up to his neck. She tried to keep herself above water. She grabbed onto him and wouldn't let go. "Get in the water Rukia!"

"No way!"

"Why not?" Ichigo said.

"I can't swim."

"What!"

"There's no water, what use would I have in swimming?" Rukia screamed, it was more panicked than her normal yelling.

"Ichigo!" Karin yelled. "Bring her back!"

"Yeah Ichigo." Yuzu said, concerned.

"That's not cool!" His dad said, shaking his head.

He carried back Rukia, when they got to where it wasn't above her waist she let him set her down. She walked back to shore. She sat down and looked out at the ocean. "We're on an island and you can't swim?"

"No, I can't. I never had a chance to. No one in society can do that, or ride a bike. It's not one of those things you do."

"What happened if you were dropped into the ocean?" He asked her.

"I'd freeze it around me then just flash step on the ice back. That's less work than swimming." She had a good point.

"I'm going to teach you to swim Rukia."

"Why?" She asked.

"It's a valuable skill, trust me." He said smiling. He decided he'd teach her back at the hotel where the water was cleaner and calm. The got into the water where it was about up to her waist, she was perfectly comfortable, it seemed.

He walked her through it, she could kick like she should but she had some problems getting the arm movements down. She would start to do them but then panic and move them just to keep herself up. "Keep calm, you won't drown. I'm here." He told her, sighing. "Trust me, Rukia."

After a few hours Rukia got the elementary ideas down and she was sloppily floating and swimming around the pool. "I don't see why this was important." She told him.

"Well now if you ever fall into water then you'll be able to do without freezing it and being a shinigami. What happens if you were with people from school and you fell into water. What would you do?"

"Wipe their memories when I'm done." She responded.

"You just can't go around wiping people's memories." He told her.

"Sure I can, it's not advised because the side effects aren't that great but I can." She responded.

"Come on." Rukia went to the pier and Ichigo pointed to the swirling deep water below. "Ready?"

"What!" He pushed her into, and she screaming didn't know what to do. She was panicked so she kicked, screamed. Ichigo sighed and dove in after her, rescuing her and bring her to the land. He was exhausted.

"You could have killed me!" She hit him. "I could have died!" She hit him again. He just had to laugh because she was so terrified, and defenseless.

"Sorry, I thought you'd be fine. Guess you weren't ready." He said it in a tone that was a challenge to Rukia.

"Oh is that right." Rukia marched back up to the pier and in run she dove, near perfectly into the ocean. When she surfaced, she started fighting but she dove underwater where it was calmer and started swimming toward the shore. She made it, exhausted and collapsed onto the shore.

He laughed. "Had I known that making it a challenge would work I would have done that." He said. "That's was awesome."

She smiled and laughed. She hugged him and kissed him. "Thanks Ichigo. For teaching me and saving me."

"You're welcome." He told her. He took her hand and they went back to the hotel. He and his dad in one room and the three girls in the other. It was peaceful. No fighting, just the family spending time together.