Name: Prelude To A Kiss
Rating: PG
Summary: I had knocked her into the river. Covered in water, her dress hung tightly around her body. I was laughing, and the next thing I knew, I was in beside her. And why in the world did she want me to catch her a duck?

Author's Notes: Hmm ... I was noted by a reviewer that, appearently, a scene (Or more?) in this is similiar to a scene in The Simpsons. I have NEVER watched that show, I did not copy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.Thanks to CrystalRaindrop007 for Beta'ing!

Prelude To A Kiss

She was beautiful. But ... as soon as I had that thought, I squashed it and mentally slapped myself.

She was skipping only a few feet ahead of me, excited for some unknown reason that might have had to do with big, white and fluffy bunnies. Her hair was curly today, a trick of Yuzu's, and most of it was clipped on top of her head, only small, soft ringlets falling out to frame her pale face perfectly.

I sighed and stuffed my hands in my pockets, all the while wondering why in the world she had decided to wear that new summer dress on this day. Her small feet were bare and her thin hands were clasped behind her back. The hot summer sun beat down on them, and as she skipped along, sweat had begun to cling to her arms.

"Oi, Rukia!'

"Hmm?" She turned around and blinked wide, bright violet eyes.

"Just ... nothing." I shook my head. I didn't even know why I'd called her name.

She sighed. "Dope."

I frowned and continued to follow her. We were supposed to me meeting my dad somewhere because ... well, I'd forgotten somewhere along 5th street. But it had something to do with a 'family outing'.

Running a little to catch up with Rukia, I sighed again.

We were late.

"Ichigo, what are those?"

I looked up and to where she was pointing. We were walking by the river in the park, only a little way away from where we were meeting my family. I scanned the water and my eyes fell upon a small, quacking animal in the water.

"It's a duck, idiot."

"Oooh."

She leaned down beside the water, her short, pink dress sliding up a little. Her hands were gripping her knees, and her bare toes were digging in the dirt as she leaned further forward, trying to see the ducks better.

"Catch me one."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Come again?"

"Catch. Me. One. Slow enough for you?"

I growled. There was no way in hell that I was going to catch her a duck. Nope. None. I was not, repeat was not, going to jump in the water and catch her a freakin' duck.

"Stuff it. No ducks."

"Fine. I'll get one myself."

"Fine. Get one."

"I will!"

She still did nothing. She, instead, sat on the edge of the river bank, biting her lip and staring intently at the water, as if believing that a duck would come and hug her.

I smirked. She was positioned just right ...

Shrugging, and preparing for the verbal abuse I would receive now, and the physical later, I reached my foot out and placed it gently on her back, giving her a small push. Her slim body couldn't put up much of a fight, so, with a screech, her bright violet eyes going wide, she fell into the water with an ungraceful 'plop'.

She surfaced and glared at me, her hair dripping water. The curls were still in place; I was sure they'd stay in for days, though she was probably pissed that I had messed up her hair; she and Yuzu had worked on it for hours.

I felt kinda bad, but my laughter wouldn't stop.

Soo ... I had knocked her into the river. Covered in water, her dress hung tightly around her body. I was laughing, and the next thing I knew, I was in beside her.

"Freakin' Rukia! Now both of us are soaked! Why the hell did you pull me in?"

"You pushed me in first!"

"So what? You were the one who wanted the duck!"

We glared at each other, earning several weird looks from people passing by. I sighed and ran a hand through my soggy hair; there was some kind of wet, squishy weed in my hand when I pulled it from my head.

I shuddered and flicked it off.

"Duck." Rukia's glare softened a little as she began to wade in the water. Her feet pushed against the muddy ground as she walked toward the duck.

I followed.

I don't know why I followed, I just did.

I would have liked it is she would sink to the bottom of the ocean and die.

OK, well, maybe not ...

"Rukia?"

"What?" she snapped, frowning as the duck that she had been so close to catching slipped out of her grasp.

"The duck hates you. The duck will not let it catch you ... " I paused.

Something was wrong with what I had just said.

"I don't want it to catch me," Rukia said, laughing. "Dope. I want to catch it."

"That's what I meant!"

Finally, after chasing the duck around for nearly five minutes, which I found highly amusing, she stopped and sighed, coming back to me. I was now sitting up on the river bank, trying in vain to squeeze water out of my socks.

"Done?" I asked, hoping to death that she was.

"I'm done. I couldn't catch it."

She was pouting as she began to ring out her dress. I looked away as she jumped up on the bank beside me; the dress was short enough as it was without her pulling it up to get water out of it.

"Rukia?"

"What?"

Boy, she was snappy.

"..."

"Darn it! When you say my name, have something else to say, or you might end up back in the water!"

Oooh, moody.

"Fine."

We were silent while I squished my shoes back on. Rukia seemed mad for some reason; I didn't know why.

"Um ... yeah, sorry 'bout messin' up your hair and stuff ... "

I trailed off and looked down at the ducks in the water.

We were late to meet my family ...

"I worked forever on it," Rukia complained, shaking her hair a little; more curly ringlets fell down to frame her face. I took a deep breath in. If I didn't make up for what I had done, she wouldn't speak to me for weeks, most likely. I could try something drastic ... or just let her be pissed or ...

... She looked so cute with her soaked, stringy hair around her face ...

Nope. Not havin' those kinds of thoughts.

But I was. However, in my defense, what normal teenage boy didn't have those thoughts? But Rukia was different.

... Right?

"Hey ... "

Nope. Speaking wasn't working.

What was that stupid quote that my dad always said? Um ... oh, yeah!

Actions speak louder than words.

Heck, might as well try. She probably wouldn't speak to me for weeks, anyway, no matter what I did.

So ... I leaned in and kissed her. Right there, on the river bank with only the ducks and the random kid playing ghost busters to witness it. When I pulled back, Rukia didn't look shocked or pissed like I had expected her to. Instead, her bright violet eyes had slipped closed and her breathing was soft.

"Wha ... what did you ... "

Her slim fingers reached up to touch her light pink lips and I smiled. Well ... she hadn't killed me. Yet?

She smirked and I felt as if something terrible was going to happen.

She said, "Well, to make it up to me for messing up my hair ... catch me a duck."

Before I could protest, I was in the water again. My soggy shoes became drenched and I sighed as she flicked random pieces of grass at me.

At least she hadn't said anything about the kiss. If she hadn't liked it, she would have made it very clear to me that she hadn't. In fact, the way she was smiling at me now, it seemed ... as if she had liked it.

Catch a duck, huh?

Whatever.

Ever tried to catch a duck? I have. Doesn't work. LOL. Whatcha think? Hate it, love it, am I going to receive any letter bombs? Personally, my favorite line was this: (And it was a mistake that I actually made! I just kept it in because I liked it ...)

"The duck hates you. The duck will not let it catch you ... " I paused.

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