So my pal Renji and I always try to go on some kind of an annual trip when we're able to make our schedules work. As we've gotten older and picked up more responsibilities, we haven't always been able to do something consistently, but we still do our best to plan an outing of some sort at least once every couple years. Most of our recent trips have been just the two of us, taking a break from work or girlfriends to spend some quality dude time together on the road, but a few times when we were younger his parents had insisted we bring his younger sister, Rukia, with us.

The last time she joined us on one of our trips was probably five or six years ago, back when we were in college and fully ready to take advantage of our break from lectures and finals over summer vacation. His sister was probably in middle school then, and I remember feeling slightly annoyed that she had to tag along, when I was looking forward to hanging out with Renji for the first time since we'd left for different schools.

After our first year of parental freedom and introduction to the world of college parties, there was so much I wanted to catch up on with Renji, without having to babysit his kid sister, thank you very much. But his parents were out of town that weekend visiting relatives, and figured she'd have more fun spending time with us rather than the "grown-ups."

Anyway, it'd been a while since the last time I'd seen her, since eventually Renji and I graduated and started working like responsible adults, and she'd gone off to college as well. So I was a bit surprised when he asked if she could join us for our next trip, explaining somewhat apologetically that their parents wanted her to get out and do something for her break instead of just staying in and studying all summer. I had snorted at that; you wouldn't have had to ask me twice not to spend my college vacations studying, but it didn't shock me that was their greatest concern for her.

To be completely honest, I don't remember too much about Rukia, since I mostly just ignored her whenever she hung out with us in the past. I do remember she was always pretty quiet unlike Renji, usually engrossed in her headphones or a comic, which conveniently made it even easier to ignore her. So I sighed and agreed when he asked if she could come with us this time. She'd probably be exactly the same as always, with her head stuck in some book while Renji and I did our own thing. Mainly I was just looking forward to getting to spend some solid time catching up with my best friend in person, after two years or so working in different cities.

This time, we'd decided on camping. It'd be nice to take a break from the busyness of the office and the city, and there were some convenient sites about halfway between our locations where we could meet in the middle. One of them was also known for having some good hiking spots nearby, which was always a plus, so we ultimately landed on that one.

We'd agreed to meet up at the campground's parking lot around late morning (so he'd have time to sleep in), and set up our tents before making lunch. Renji had called me while I was driving up to let me know that they were on the way as well, and were currently at a station refilling on gas. I already figured I'd get there before them, since I've always been the kind of person who likes to have things planned in advance and get places on time; Renji, on the other hand, is hardly ever less than an hour late to anything. I was honestly a little impressed he'd made it up early enough this time.

I'd been sitting in my car for about fifteen minutes, leaning back in the driver's seat with the window down and my eyes closed, enjoying the slight breeze from outside when I heard my friend's loud voice break through the peace. "Hey, Ichigo!"

Opening my eyes, I pushed the driver's door open and got out of my car to see Renji grinning at me from a couple cars away. "Long time no see, man."

I couldn't help grinning back as I walked over to him. "Seriously. How've you been?"

"Not gonna lie, work's been nuts," he responded with a throaty laugh, lightly slapping me on the back after a quick hug. "It's gonna be nice to finally disconnect and get some fresh air."

I was about to reply in agreement, just as I noticed a cute, perky ass sticking out of his car on the passenger side, covered in a tiny pair of denim cutoffs. And some legs, wow.

I was genuinely confused for a moment, thinking maybe Renji had decided to bring his current girlfriend and just forgotten to mention it, when I heard a vaguely familiar voice call out. "Renji, where did you put the sunscreen?" I couldn't help but continue to stare as my friend's kid sister ducked out of the car and stood up to come over to us.

Her hair was in two loose, messy braids and she was wearing a large t-shirt that draped lightly over her petite frame. The hem was cinched in and held in place with a hair tie, which subtly accentuated her tiny waist as it barely peeked out from above her shorts. Although they weren't the tiniest pair of shorts I'd ever seen, where you can basically see the girl's ass sticking out since it covers so little, her legs looked amazingly long for someone of her stature and I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering to her thighs. It was a pretty innocent outfit overall, but I don't know, there was still something so casually...sexy about it.

And Rukia, my best friend's little sister, was not sexy.

Thankfully, neither of them seemed to have noticed my staring as I turned my attention back to Renji. He took off the backpack slung over his shoulder to unzip the front pocket, taking out a bottle of sunscreen to toss it to her. "Oh sorry, I took it out."

Rukia caught it, a small smile on her face as she turned to greet me. "Hey Ichigo, good to see you."

I felt a smirk creep onto my lips as I responded, calling her by my old nickname for her. "Hey, midget. How's college going?"

It might've just been my imagination, but I thought I saw her forehead twitch for a second before she replied politely, "It's going good, thanks."

During our brief exchange, Renji had been rummaging through the rest of his backpack for a copy of our campsite reservation, finally finding it tightly crumpled at the bottom of the bag. Unconcerned, he pulled it out and started to smooth it out. "I'm gonna go check us in, meet you guys at our spot." He handed his sister the car keys and walked off toward the campground office, leaving us in charge of starting to set up our stuff.

Just the two of us now, I looked back at Rukia, trying not to be obvious as I subtly let my eyes roam over her familiar features. Her hair was a bit longer now and her face had lost some of the youthful roundness I remembered, though she'd always been a pretty skinny kid.

I joined her to help as she turned back toward their car to start unloading. "So, what're you studying at school?"

She had opened the trunk and was leaning forward slightly as she started to pull out sleeping bags and camping gear. My eyes absently wandered to the exposed nape of her neck as I stood behind her. "Creative writing."

"Oh yeah, you've always been a big bookworm. Guess I'm not surprised," I said, taking some tent supplies from her.

"Yeah. Weren't you a lit major?" she asked, reaching up to shut the trunk as our hands were both full with equipment now. Her shirt rose up a bit, exposing more of the small curve of her back. I hadn't even realized I was looking until she turned around, and I immediately snapped my eyes away. "Sorry, can you help me close it?"

I put down the tent poles I was holding in one arm to reach above her, shutting the trunk easily. "Haven't gotten any taller, I see," I joked, smirking.

I saw a flash of irritation cross her features for sure this time. She had probably been trying to be polite at first since we hadn't seen each other in so long, but quickly given up when she saw I wasn't bothering. "Shut up," she simply said, locking the car and turning on her heel to start heading toward the campsite.

Still amused, I tried not to smile as I picked the poles back up and followed her. I'd thought having Rukia with us for the trip would be annoying at best and awkward at worst, so I was glad it seemed like neither would be the case. And teasing her was a lot more fun now than before; she seemed a lot less shy than she used to be. The wonders of college life, I guess.

As we made our way toward the trees, I found myself staring at her legs again, slightly transfixed by the way they looked from behind as she walked in front of me. There's something so alluring about the subtle way a woman's hips sway from side to side when she walks; it didn't hurt that my current view also happened to include a tight, perfectly rounded ass, either.

Holy shit. I can't believe I was thinking these things about my best friend's little sister, who I'd known almost my whole life. It felt wrong, but at the same time Rukia had changed so much I was still having difficulty mentally connecting her to the quiet, scrawny kid I'd grown up mostly ignoring, I told myself.

I was pulled out of my scattered thoughts as we arrived at our reserved spot. Dropping the supplies I'd been carrying on the ground as Rukia placed hers on the picnic table assigned to us, we got to work on the tents.

We worked in silence for the most part, aside from occasionally asking the other person to hand us a stake or mallet. It was a little entertaining watching her attempt to lift the extended rods we had connected to raise the tents by herself, and I found myself letting her struggle for a bit each time before I stepped in to help her out.

As we were working on the last tent, I ended up enjoying the view a bit too long and she lost her balance for a moment, wobbling on her tiptoes as the weight of the pole pulled her forward. "Hey—!" she cried out.

I was behind her in an instant, catching the metal pole raised above her hands in mine without thinking, to alleviate some of the pressure from her. As I did, I felt her back press against my chest and...another part of her body press tightly into my groin. It was only for a split second, and I immediately jerked away, hoping she hadn't felt it or thought anything of it. Luckily, she just glared at me instead, "Thanks for not helping earlier, you lazy jerk!"

"Not my fault you're so short and helpless," I shot back, pretending to be annoyed but secretly just glad she hadn't seemed to notice. I winced when I felt her small flip-flop-clad foot stomp on mine.

"Wow, you guys work fast," came Renji's impressed voice from the other side of the tent, causing us to stop bickering for a moment. Rukia slipped out from under me right as he came around to our side, holding some campground maps and brochures in his hand. "Sorry it took so long. Dude, Ichigo, did you know Ikkaku works here? And he shaved his head."

I shook my head in surprise, "Weird, what are the odds."

"Yeah, it's crazy," he said. "We just started talking and ended up catching up for a bit."

Renji and I chatted as the three of us finished setting up the last tent together before making lunch. Our first meal of the trip was pretty simple, just some soup and salad that didn't take long to throw together. After we ate and cleaned up, Renji announced that he was pooped from the drive and was going to take a nap.

Rukia rolled her eyes as he disappeared into his tent. "He's only tired because I made him wake up two hours earlier than he usually does, so we wouldn't be late."

I laughed, perfectly able to picture my friend's grumpy expression as his little sister scolded him on the phone at eight in the morning. "That explains everything."

We were sitting across from each other diagonally at the picnic table now, enjoying our first bit of downtime since we'd arrived. Rukia had made us both tea after lunch, which I appreciated as I enjoyed the tranquility of the moment. It was so peaceful at the camping grounds, completely quiet except for the sound of our breathing, the birds, and the babble of a nearby stream.

She took a small sip from her cup, testing the temperature. "What time did you get up?"

"I usually wake up at seven," I said. "Hard to fall back asleep after that."

"Yeah, me too. Sometimes if I still feel tired but can't fall asleep, I'll do some stretches in bed just to wake myself up."

An image of her lying in bed in nothing but that oversized shirt, arms above her head as her back arched off the bed, came unbidden into my mind. Her face flushed as she panted cutely, begging for more—

What the fuck? I berated myself. It's Rukia.

I tried to ignore my dirty mind by taking a huge gulp of tea, attempting to act nonchalant as I accidentally burned my tongue, but she noticed anyway, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "You okay there?"

"Yep. All good," I said unconvincingly. "So are you doing any clubs outside of classes?

She nodded, "Yeah, I've been in this sorority since freshman year, so I'm pretty busy with that."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. I hadn't been expecting that—that Renji's good little PG-13 sister would go to college and immediately join the debauchery of Greek life. Though I couldn't stop myself from imagining her in a tight little dress at some party, flirting innocently with thirsty frat guys as they tried to pick her up...

Seeming to be able to read my expression, she clarified, "It's a community service sorority, so we mostly do fundraisers and service events."

Well that made much more sense, I guess. "Oh, nice. Do you guys have a house, or are you living in the dorms?"

"No, I'm in an apartment." She took another sip of her tea. "I got a studio this year after the guy I was dating suggested it, so we wouldn't have to keep bothering my roommate whenever he visited, you know—just to be more considerate."

Yeah, more like so he could fuck you without getting interrupted, I thought. "Dating, huh? Who's the lucky guy?"

She shrugged. "I know it's super cliché, but this guy I met at a frat party last year. I thought he'd be more mature since he was two years older than me, but now I know age doesn't mean a whole lot, so we broke up last month."

"Oh shit, that's recent," I said, feeling a little concerned as my big-brotherly instincts naturally kicked in for a second. "Are you holding up okay?"

She smiled at me. "Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine. It was a good learning experience. I thought I'd be more lonely living on my own after we broke up too, but I'm actually really liking it."

"Yeah, not having roommates is the best," I agreed. "You can do whatever you want and not have to worry about bothering anyone else, like being super loud and walking around the house naked right after you get out of the shower."

She laughed. "Okay, I didn't need to know about that."

"Yeah right, midget, like you don't do that at home."

She ignored the jab this time, changing the topic to me. "How about you, anyone you've been seeing?"

Honestly, I'd been too busy recently to be seriously dating anyone, though one of my coworkers had been heavily dropping hints that she was interested ever since we'd drunkenly hooked up after the holiday party last year. That was probably the most lurid thing going on in my love life right now. "Nah," I said candidly. "There's a girl at work who keeps flirting with me, but she's not my type."

She looked amused. "And what exactly is your type?"

"It's more about their personality and if we can click, like if they're confident, funny, and we can talk about dumb shit but also important shit," I explained. "And maybe they're able to kick my ass once in a while."

Rukia smirked, and it took me a moment to register as I realized I'd never quite seen that expression on her before. "So you like it when a girl's in control?"

Oh fuck yes...though probably not in the way she was thinking. I had to quit being such a perv. "Smart girls are hot, what can I say," I said, hoping that reasoning sounded convincing.

She didn't respond to that but shrugged knowingly, getting up from the table. "All right, well I have to catch up on some reading, so I guess I'll see you when Renji gets up."

"Reading for school or pleasure?"

"For fun," she replied dryly.

"Nerd."

"Says the lit major," she said, grabbing her tea as she left me at the table and disappeared into her tent.

I let out a laugh, deciding to follow suit and catch some Zs before dinner as well. I got up and headed into my own tent, rolling out my sleeping bag and stripping off my jeans before I got in.

As I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling tired, I couldn't help but think about Rukia. She'd definitely changed a lot. It was fun talking to her, and easy too. I couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed chatting with a girl this much.

And as wrong as I felt for thinking this, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find her attractive. The lower half of her body was hidden from me as we had sat across from each other at the picnic table, but as we'd been talking I'd gotten the opportunity to really look at her face for the first time since we'd arrived. Her eyes were big like they'd always been, but a deeper shade of violet now than I remembered, framed by long, dark lashes. She wasn't the kind of person to overreact and generally maintained a pretty neutral expression, but I did notice whenever her lips would quirk up occasionally as we were talking...like she knew something. I'm sure it didn't mean anything, but it made her seem a bit coy, and I found myself oddly turned on by the implications. Where had this confidence come from and when had she gotten so hot?

My thoughts wandered back to how she'd looked getting out of the car, walking in front of me as we'd left the parking lot. Petite like she'd always been but suddenly with all these curves she didn't have before. I remembered our conversation about her apartment situation...so she'd been with an older guy, who she had met at a frat party, after all. And he had convinced her to get her own place, probably so he could make her scream as he fucked her into the bed…

I knew my mind was starting to wander somewhere dangerous as I felt myself starting to get hard, but suddenly the memory of her small body tight against mine as her ass pressed into my crotch popped into my head, and I couldn't help it as my hand trailed down to touch myself lightly over my boxers. I thought about her walking naked around her apartment, wearing nothing but a thin towel, still warm and wet from the shower. I imagined her lying on her bed playing with herself, maybe using a toy or her fingers, moaning as loudly as she wanted since she didn't have any roommates to worry about.

Fuck. I knew I had to stop. I was here to spend some time disconnecting from work and catching up with my best friend, not to ogle his kid sister who was still in college and way too innocent and pure for my dumb, perverted mind. I mentally scolded myself and managed to take my hand off myself, but despite my best efforts, I couldn't stop picturing the way her perky little ass had looked in those shorts and those big, knowing eyes.