Sorry. In all honesty I didn't have an author's block, I just didn't feel like typing. Been watching too many movies. Saw Iron Man 2 three times, saw dawn of the dead, 28 days later, 28 weeks later, another generic zombie movie, Sunshine, Fox and the Hound, Titan A.E, Princess Mononoke, Summer Wars, and like 5 others I dun remember.

Anyways, here ya go! Short and sweet! At least, I hope it is.

X X X X X X X

After a hard day's work, everyone left to go back to their rooms to relax. Well, except for a certain couple who lingered for a bit. Kurumu was the first to get up as she eagerly looked at her boyfriend.

"So…" Kurumu clasped her hands in front of her, looking at Ichigo curiously through violet eyes, "Where are you taking me?"

Ichigo glanced at her as he packed up his stuff. He honestly hoped it wouldn't bring up any bad memories, but one never knew. The spot, in retrospect, had showed him how much she cared for him and what lengths she had gone through for him. He smiled.

"You'll see." Was his enigmatic reply. Kurumu's curiosity only grew as she wondered where Ichigo could possibly be taking her. Her eyes widened slightly as a blush spread over her cheeks. Could it be… that he was actually taking her to his room?

"Come on, let's go." Ichigo gestured with a hand as Kurumu snapped out of it. Well, wherever he was taking her, she would soon find out.


Well, this certainly wasn't his room. Then again it wasn't even inside a building. They were outdoors for that matter, and, she felt that she should remember where this place was. Then it hit her.

"Isn't this where I got kidnapped?" Kurumu stated, a bit of confusion making its way into her features.

'I was hoping she wouldn't remember that part.' Ichigo thought with a bit of dismay, but he shook his head at her as she stared at him, wanting an explanation.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "Well, yea, but this was also where you put the illusion." His voice softened as he took a look at the surrounding area. "I liked it a lot."

Kurumu's eyes widened as a warm feeling blossomed in her chest. So… he really had enjoyed it. "I'm glad." She replied with a smile, "Because I put a lot of hard work into it!"

"Yea… sorry about you getting kidnapped." He apologized as he gave her a sheepish look. Then, by surprise, he was wrapped in a hug.

"It's alright, it was worth it seeing the look on your face while you were sleeping." Then she added, "Plus I was able to cuddle next to you while you weren't looking!"

She giggled when Ichigo looked away, the tips of his ears turning red. So it seemed Ichigo was still a bit shy when it came to physical contact. A grin formed on her face, she would soon remedy that!

"So... what do you want to do?" Ichigo asked her as Kurumu looked up at him.

"I thought you were the one taking me out?" She tilted her head slightly, and Ichigo could feel his heart quicken at the cute gesture.

"W-Well… I actually hadn't planned it out that far." He admitted with a grimace. Now that he thought about it, he wondered why he had brought her back here if he didn't have anything else planned. Sure it was a semi-sweet memory for the both of them, but what were they going to do here?

Kurumu shook her head good-naturedly as a smile crossed her face. Then, she got an idea, and it would also help Ichigo overcome his fear of physical affection. "Hey, why don't we lie down?"

Ichigo blinked, and nodded. He was actually about to suggest that, despite the hell butterflies floating in his stomach. Oddly enough, it was a good feeling and as his back met the ground, he looked up at the sky and could almost see the blue sky and sun.

"That was nice." He said aloud, catching Kurumu's attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked as she turned sideways in order to face him. She looked at him curiously with her head resting in her hand, her elbow propped against the ground.

"The illusion. It was nice." He turned to look at her, a semi-serious look on his face that caught Kurumu off-guard. The look in his eyes told her all that she needed to know. He was thanking her.

"I could put it up again if you want?" She offered, but Ichigo simply shook his head.

"It's alright, I'm already enjoying the view…" He trailed off before turning to look away. Kurumu though, with her heart racing in her chest, managed to see the red cover Ichigo's face. And, judging from the warmth that made its way to her face, she might've been equally as red.

The two shared a moment of stunned silence as Ichigo tried to not look at her. Sure he knew that these new feelings were playing with his head and heart, but he didn't think he'd randomly spurt out things like that!

'Why did I say that?' Ichigo wondered as a grimace formed on his lips. He hadn't meant to say something so corny!

However, while he was thinking it had been corny, Kurumu had found the compliment positively heartwarming. So heartwarming in fact, that she broke the silence by practically throwing herself on top of Ichigo and hugging him, eliciting a surprised sound from the boy.

"Wh-What?" He yelled out, surprised by the sudden move. Her response was to simply snuggle closer to him.

"You're wonderful…" She murmured blissfully as she leaned into his warm body. His aura just seemed to wrap around her like a blanket, and a really warm one at that.

"Uh…" Ichigo looked stupefied as he stared down at the girl on top of him. For a moment, he wondered what to do, but even before he thought about doing anything his arms instinctually wrapped around the blissful girl.

'I guess that settles that.' He thought with a small smile. One thing caught his attention, and that was that she was really soft to the touch. At the moment, she seemed so delicate. Tentatively he reached out and stroked her hair, earning a pleasant murmur from the girl. He enjoyed the soft noise and continued to sweep his fingers through her hair. With an uncharacteristic grin, he thought that he could definitely get used to this!

"Hey Ichigo." Kurumu lifted her head as she spoke, looking into Ichigo's deep brown eyes as he stared back at her.

"W-What is it?" Ichigo couldn't keep the nervous edge out of his voice. Despite having already kissed her a few times, simply staring at her, especially her eyes, would cause him to lose his train of thought. It also made him wonder how he had not noticed those adoring eyes any sooner. Her voice finally snapped him out of his thoughts as she voiced a question that nearly made him do a double-take.

"What's it like being a Shinigami?" Her question seemed innocent enough. Yet, it made him nervous as hell when he heard it. Thankfully, he already had an excuse that really wasn't an excuse, if that made any sense.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it." He said firmly, but Kurumu's gaze seemed to weather away his resolve as a disappointed look crossed her features.

"How come?" She asked as she peered closer at him. She wasn't trying to make him feel uncomfortable, but for some reason that question had suddenly popped into her head and she felt the urge to ask it.

Ichigo's wide eyes clearly portrayed his surprise, despite a semi-scowl on his face. He looked uncomfortable, and he was getting this nagging feeling that he should tell her. Slowly, he looked around before turning his attention back to her. Their eyes held each other's gaze for a moment before Ichigo decided it was too dangerous to say anything… it was already dangerous enought that she had asked him that question, especially in the open.

"It's top secret," He began, "but I'll tell you when we're somewhere more private." Ichigo failed to notice Kurumu's smirk was a devious one until it was too late.

"Like in your bedroom?"

"Yea, like in my be—wait, no! Not like that!" Ichigo yelled out, exasperated and readily embarrassed. Kurumu giggled as she leaned in a gave him a kiss on the nose, which turned his cheeks red.

"Sorry for asking that. I was just curious is all." She apologized once more by planting a gentle kiss on his chest. She felt him tense slightly, but decided not to pursue this interesting reaction and filed it away in her head.

"I… guess it's alright. Just make sure there aren't people around when you ask private questions like that." He looked at her to make sure she knew he was serious. She merely nodded and went back to lying on his chest. Glad that it was over with, Ichigo relaxed as he laid back down against the ground. Sure there wasn't any sun, but it was already warm enough, he noted.


And so, they spent the evening chatting a bit They talked about many things, from school life to little things about their own lives. Then the conversation somehow escaped Ichigo's direction and they ended up talking about his crazy, insane, impossible, lunatic, psycho father. It was the first time Kurumu had seen Ichigo so fired up outside of battle. Sure he had a quick temper, but his father seemed to really hold the reins on Ichigo's patience. Yet, despite all of Ichigo's insults, Kurumu got the feeling that he was actually really close to his father. She smiled. She hoped she would get to meet him one day.

"And he literally kicked me out of my freakin bed when I was only 12! What kind of insane father does that?" He yelled out as he clutched the air in front of him with his fist. So wrapped up in his rant he was that he failed to see that Kurumu was rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter.

"You're dad… sounds… interesting!" Kurumu choked out through a laugh as she wiped a tear that escaped from laughing so hard. She never knew Ichigo had such an interesting family!

"Psychotic is more like it." Ichigo muttered darkly as he scowled.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" She replied, only to receive a frown. She scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his chest and began rubbing it slightly, the frown on his face slightly receeding.

Ichigo scoffed. "Yea, you're not the one who had to live with him."

Kurumu shook her head. Then, she realized something. "You know, you talked about your dad, and your sisters, but you haven't talked about your mom." She paused when Ichigo suddenly went quiet. Kurumu got the strange feeling that she had asked a question she shouldn't have, but then Ichigo turned to look at her with a small smile on his face.

"I lost her when I was little, but I've already come to terms with that." Then he looked up at the gray sky before continuing, "Actually, I think she's still with me from time to time."

Kurumu's heart went out for the boy as she laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand slightly. "That's sweet, and I'm sure she's happy that you finally have a wonderful girl in your life." She smiled when Ichigo looked at her in disbelief.

"You're not very modest are you?" He replied.

"You didn't deny it." She countered as she stuck out her tongue playfully at him.

Despite this, Ichigo couldn't help but smile. She was right though, his mom probably was happy for him. And, it was safe to say that he was happy himself. The tender moment seemed to pull them closer as he suddenly leaned forward and took a taste of her lips. Then, he took another, and another, and another.

"Wow…" A breathless Kurumu said when Ichigo pulled away. Her violet eyes stared, unfocused as she reveled at the tingling sensation on her lips and the warmth that made its way through her body. Ichigo seemed equally out of it, with his scowl nowhere in sight.

"Yea." Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, embarrassment now claiming him once the good feelings receeded. He couldn't believe he had done such a thing! Yet, despite his embarrassment, he had thoroughly enjoyed it. He figured Kurumu had enjoyed it as well judging from the look on her face. It was then when he looked away that he realized the sky had gotten dark… well, darker.

"I think we should head back." He told his dazed girlfriend. She met his eyes and held his gaze before she slowly nodded, finally coming back to the real world.

Ichigo got up before stretching out a hand for his girlfriend. She took the hand and got up before pitching forward, causing Ichigo to catch her and hold her in his arms.

"Much better." She said, obvious joy in her voice as she wrapped her arms around Ichigo.

"You know, this is going to make it harder to walk." Ichigo said, even as he adjusted his hold to better hug her.

"Then we will hobble!" She suggested, earning a dubious look from the Shinigami. But once she used her pretty eyes on the boy, he capitulated.

"I… guess we'll hobble then." He muttered, earning a giggle from his girlfriend.

'I just hope no one sees us.' Ichigo thought as they began their hobble back to their dorms. It was dark, so no one would see them…

Right?