Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki and Tatsuki Arisawa

Tatsuki felt like she was floating on air as she strode along the sidewalk, her hand still firmly locked within Ichigo's as he walked alongside her. Now that she was out of her head, it was quite an enjoyable experience, and despite herself she was downright giddy. Just be myself. I can do that, she thought as she glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her date. He was staring off into space again, thinking about whatever he liked to think about on his walks. Ichigo really is a mysterious guy… I thought I knew him well, but honestly, there are some times that I can't really tell what's going on in his head. She flicked her gaze back to the sidewalk, lest she be caught staring again, and then coughed uncomfortably.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. Ichigo's mouth curled upward into a small smirk.

"It's a surprise." Tatsuki began pouting again, turning to look up at him with narrowed eyes. He just laughed at her, quite intent on their destination remaining a secret, and so she grunted and rolled her eyes. Ugh, so he's one of those, huh? What's he trying to do, be smooth? Though it was irritating, the plot worked; Tatsuki found herself dying to know just where he was taking her.

Karakura Town was relatively small, so everything of interest was within walking distance. They traveled out of Tatsuki's neighborhood into the business district of town, where cars were rolling by and other passersby were out enjoying the evening. Some schoolgirls, still dressed in their uniforms, giggled as they passed by laden with shopping bags and talking about a fun weekend at the beach that was coming up. A young mother towed along her young toddler, who was gleefully attacking an ice cream cone, succeeding more in smearing it across her chubby cheeks than actually eating it. A businessman chattering on his phone walked briskly by, his briefcase swinging alongside him. A trio of young boys rolled by on their skateboards, startling an old man as they raced by and causing him to irritably shake his cane at them. It was a normal day for everyone else. Yet here I am… Out on a date! She thought. It was certainly out of the ordinary for her.

As they passed by the various businesses, Tatsuki wondered which of them could be the mystery destination for their date. A little café sat on the corner, a quaint little brick-and-mortar construct with flowerpots on the windowsill and an overall cheery demeanor; school students and business people alike were inside, tapping away at their computers as they sipped at various caffeinated beverages. A nice barbecue steakhouse was across the street, and well-to-do men and women strolled in and out of it, indicating it as an upscale establishment. An ice cream shop was down the street, with colorful lettering advertising an assortment of flavors and toppings. Ichigo continued to tote her along, giving her no hint of where they were headed. By the time he finally stopped, she was almost dying of curiosity.

"Oh! A noodle shop," she blinked when she read the signage displayed above the doorway. It was cute, a red brick structure with warm brown accents and a wide window that allowed her to peer inside. There were quite a few patrons inside, enjoying steaming bowls of noodles garnished with various meats and vegetables.

"Yeah, it's new. I thought it would be fun to try," he smiled at her, releasing her hand to open the door for her. Tatsuki felt a little sad to feel his warmth fade from her hand. Ugh, don't be so gushy, Tatsuki, she scolded herself before striding through the door, acutely aware of Ichigo following closely behind her as she walked to a table. She slid into a booth, settling herself into the cushiony fabric, while Ichigo sat across from her. She found herself growing anxious once more. Relax, Tatsuki. It's just Ichigo. You've gone out tons of times before.

Yeah, but never alone, the annoying little devil in her mind chimed, and she sunk slightly down into the booth with a groan, attempting to ease her nerves. She busied herself with the menu, her eyes sweeping across the various items. Her problem soon became that she could not decide what she wanted to order, because everything looked so good.

"I don't know what I want," she laughed after a minute, shyly peering over the edge of the menu at him. He was leaned back against the booth, one arm slung back over the top. Always making himself comfortable, she thought wryly as his gaze flicked up to meet hers. She was grateful that the laminated booklet in front of her face could hide her blush. "It all looks so good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I'm going for the pork ramen," he mused as he snapped his menu shut and regarded her. "You like chicken, don't you, Tatsuki? Why don't you get something with that?" She blushed darker. He remembers something like that? She thought and returned her gaze to the menu, concentrating on the chicken section.

"Hmm. I guess I'll try this spicy chicken ramen," she decided before closing the menu. The waiter arrived just then to take their orders, and while they waited on their food to be made they sat in silence, Tatsuki sipping on a water while Ichigo partook in a soda. He was gazing off again, but every once in a while his gaze would flicker to her, peering at her out of the corners of his eyes while his mouth twitched into a small smile. "What is it?" she asked him after a while, slightly irritated with him just staring at her.

"Nothin'. You're just cute." Tatsuki's cheeks flared pink again, and this time she had no menu to shield her.

"I told you already. I'm not cute!" she whined, turning her face away as she tapped her fingernails against the smooth wood of the table.

"My bad. Adorable, then."

"That's no better!" she cried and slammed her hand on the table, looking back at him. He was grinning stupidly, obviously teasing her, and she was feeding right into his amusement. "What? You think you can just tease me now that I'm you're girlfriend?" As soon as she realized what had come out of her mouth, she slapped a hand over it, her eyes wide. Ichigo's grin widened devilishly.

"Oh? So you agree that this is a steady thing," he smirked as he tilted his head to the side, baiting her. She silently fumed, angry at herself for saying something so compromising and angry with him for being such an annoying but frustratingly handsome jackass, and took a moment to carefully weigh how she was going to respond. I mean, it's not that I don't want this to be a steady thing, but I don't want him to know that!

"That isn't what I said," she muttered, a weak excuse but the best thing she could come up with in the moment. He chuckled, and she sunk down in the booth with a huff, crossing her arms grumpily. He's just playing me!

"All right, order for the lovely couple!" the waiter chimed cheerfully as he set two steaming bowls in front of them, and it certainly didn't help Tatsuki's sour mood. Ichigo's eyes glittered with amusement, obviously very pleased with himself; Tatsuki just grabbed her chopsticks and snapped them apart, pretending that it was his spine. He's so annoying! And handsome! She whined, unable to really be mad because he looked so infuriatingly attractive when he was grinning at her like that. Grumpy, she swirled her noodles for a moment and, forgetting that she had ordered something spicy, shoveled a large amount of them into her mouth. A shiver went through her body, traveling from the tip of her toes to the crown of her head, and her eyes immediately began to water as the hot spices seared her tongue. Oh my God! This is really hot! She wailed silently, simply holding the noodles in her mouth because she was in too much pain to try and chew them.

"What is it? Too spicy for ya?" Ichigo teased. He was watching her with that same stupid grin, leaning his cheek in his hand while he slowly stirred his noodles with the chopsticks in the other hand. Tatsuki immediately realized that her pride was at stake, and so she forced herself to swallow the noodles, managing to keep the whimper from escaping her mouth as her entire mouth burned like it was on fire. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, trying to seem composed as she looked at him levelly. She probably wasn't accomplishing much, with her reddened face and her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's great." To her disappointment, her voice came out in a croak, and she flushed as Ichigo laughed at her.

"Here, try mine," he said, and Tatsuki rolled her eyes, moving to dip her chopsticks into his bowl. However, to her shock, Ichigo plucked a piece of pork from his bowl and held it out to her across the table, indicating for her to eat it.

"I am not letting you feed me."

"Whatsa matter?" he grinned at her, and she knew that he was baiting her again. Where does he get this confidence? I could kick his ass right here and now! He waved the meat in front of her face, sending broth splattering in small droplets across the table. "Come onnn. You know you want to," he goaded, the sneer traveling across his face as he watched Tatsuki squirm. The meat did look good, and her mouth was burning so much, she needed some relief. But letting him feed me? I'll look so girly! She thought in dismay, her eye twitching as the heat in her mouth began to intensify. After a moment of internal struggle, her pride gave into the fire in her mouth, and she leaned slightly across the table to take the pork in her teeth and pull it from the chopsticks. She glared at him, eyes locked, as she slowly chewed the meat and swallowed, and he watched her levelly the entire time, quite pleased with himself. "Well?"

"That's really good." Tatsuki didn't want to admit it, but it was quite savory and delicious.

"Good. Now gimme some of that chicken." She stiffened like a soldier at attention, completely incredulous that he was now implying for her to feed him. That stupid, maddeningly attractive grin flashed across the table at her, taunting her, and the heat that had once been burning on her tongue now flared across her cheeks. She gripped her chopsticks so tightly she could have broken them, then hissed under her breath and plucked a piece of the spicy chicken from her ramen bowl.

"I hate you," she muttered as she held it out to him, eye twitching and her lips pursed.

"If you hated me, you wouldn't be here," he snickered in response and leaned over to snatch the meat off the sticks, winking at her as he devoured it. She went darker, but watched with some satisfaction as he coughed and waved a hand over his mouth. "Wow! You weren't kidding! What'd they do, dump the whole can of spice in there?" he huffed as he fanned his burning mouth. She chuckled and took another, smaller bite of her noodles. Though it was spicy, it wasn't too bad once she got used to it, and she was able to finish it off. However, she was panting by the end of it, her face steaming and her eyes and nose running unattractively. "You really do have too much pride. You could have gotten something else."

"It was good, though!" she protested as she sipped gingerly at her water. It didn't provide much relief to her fiery mouth, but enough. The waiter brought the check, and both of them reached for it at the same time.

"Oh, no. We aren't going Dutch."

"I can pay for my own food!" she protested, attempting to jerk the checkbook out of his hand. He kept a firm hold on it, scowling.

"This is a date, Tatsuki! I pay for you!" he asserted and jerked the book back, and with a yelp she ended up halfway across the table, sending the empty ramen bowls skittering about and her face ending up a few inches from his. While she squeaked and went red, he continued to glare levelly at her, eyes narrowed. "Let go, Tatsuki." She had no idea how he could be so serious when their noses were nearly touching. Stiffly, she released the black checkbook and slid back into her seat, while Ichigo pulled some cash out of his pocket to pay the bill. When he handed it off to the waiter, he looked at her smugly. "You're too stubborn, ya know."

"Isn't that one of my endearing qualities?" she grunted back, arms crossed.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he smiled, and the warmth there stunned her into silence. The waiter returned with his change, and with that he stood up from the table and began walking toward the door. Tatsuki scurried after him, her dress swishing about her knees as she trotted, walking out of the restaurant as he held the door for her.

"Whoa! I didn't realize we were here so long." While they had been inside, night had descended over Karakura Town; the streets were bathed in the soft light of the moon and the fluorescent glare of the streetlamps with the occasional wash from the headlights of a passing car; neon signs blinked here and there, advertising the local businesses now that the sun was gone. It was still early evening, and many people were still about, mostly adults and couples looking for a fun night on the town. She heard the door swing shut behind her, she turned her head to look up at him. "So? What now?"

"What? You don't want to go home yet?" he mused, then blinked when her expression went serious.

"No…" she admitted quietly, looking shyly at her feet. Though Ichigo was a pain, she could not deny that she was having a lot of fun. He blinked down at her, then smiled softly and reached down to grasp her hand once more.

"All right. Let's go for a walk, then." Tatsuki smiled as he pulled her along the sidewalk deeper into the business district of town, and she even deigned to press a little close to him, their arms brushing together as they walked. Every touch send electricity sparking through her nerves, but it was a good feeling, an exciting feeling. I think I'm really starting to enjoy this.

They meandered around town for a while, window-shopping and poking into little shops to look around, before they finally decided it was time for them to return home. Ichigo insisted on walking her, of course, despite the fact that he knew she was perfectly capable of walking home alone; behind her banter, though, she welcomed the few extra minutes she could spend with him. I guess dating really isn't that much different than being friends… We just hold hands and stuff, she told herself as she plodded along beside him. Out in the neighborhoods, the streetlamps were spaced father apart, with lines of darkness stretching between the circles of yellow light. In these patches, they were basking in moonlight, and Tatsuki could not help but appreciate how Ichigo's orange hair turned a mute gold in the whitish glow, like a tiny sun bobbing along in the dark. She wondered if he thought the same kinds of things about her. Did she look pretty in the moonlight, too? She doubted that; her dark hair absorbed the light rather than reflected it, making her look like some kind of gloomy spectre. A gloomy ghost in a cheery dress, she thought with a wry smile as she pulled at the loose fabric. She had possessed reservations at first, but she had to admit that it was more comfortable than she thought and gave her legs freer range of motion. Plus, though she would never admit it, she like the way it flowed around when she moved.

"What're you thinking about?" Tatsuki looked up when he suddenly addressed her. For once, she had been the one whose thoughts had wandered.

"Just… Little things. Like how nice this has been," she answered quietly. She certainly wasn't going to tell him she thought his hair looked like the sun in the moonlight, he would never let her live that done. He smiled at her, that lopsided smile she liked so much.

"So, you never answered me. Are you and I a steady thing?" They had reached her house now, and he stopped in front of her, one hand in his pocket while the other still gently held her hand. You and I. She liked the way he said that. She looked down at them, appreciating the way their fingers seemed to fit so seamlessly together, and swung their arms side-to-side a little as she thought.

"… I guess… We are a steady thing," she replied, looking up at him as she puffed out her cheeks slightly. He makes me so… Ugh. She wasn't sure how to describe it, really. He just brought something out in her that she wasn't used to, but she didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing. I could get used to this. He smiled happily down at her, and she couldn't help the happy smile from appearing on her face, too. "So, um… Wanna do this again sometime?"

"Yeah. I'll call you," Ichigo mused, and Tatsuki glanced down as his hand suddenly slid from hers to travel up her arm, coming to a rest just below her shoulder. In her moment of inattention, he had stepped close to her, and when she looked up, Ichigo's face was inches away from hers. Her heart somersaulted in her chest, and her muscles locked so that she could not move. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide and her breath caught in her throat, as his other hand rose to rest on her cheek. "Are you gonna get mad at me if I say you're cute again?" he asked her, his voice low. There was something about it that made her heart flutter. He sounds… sexy…

"Maybe I could get used to it," she mumbled back, trying to seem calm despite the fact that she was pretty much freaking out. She felt dizzy and short of breath, and unconsciously she stepped forward to put her hands on his chest to steady herself. What's wrong with me? Is it… him? Ichigo almost looked different now. How had she not noticed all this time how maddeningly handsome he was? And that smirk. Damn, she loved that smirk. Her mind was in such shambles that she did not notice Ichigo's face descending over hers until he was right on top of her, and by that time his lips were sliding over her own. As soon as they met, Tatsuki melted in his arms, her eyes drifting shut as she abandoned herself to the kiss. It stole what little breath she had left in her, and her fingers dug into his shirt, afraid that if she did not hang on to him she would collapse. Their mouths moved in a slow waltz, and Tatsuki felt like a symphony was starting inside of her, her heart was singing so loudly. When they finally broke apart, she felt like she was entranced for a moment, and had to blink several times to finally come to her senses. When she did, she stepped back from him, flushing. "Ah-ahem. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tatsuki," he chuckled and ruffled her hair, then turned his back and strolled off with a little wave. Tatsuki watched him leave, her heart still humming, before turning to go into her home. As she reached for the doorknob, it abruptly turned and the door wrenched open to reveal the four girls who had prepared her for her date earlier that day. Tatsuki yelped as Chizuru and Ryo grabbed her by her arms to yank her inside, while Michiru kicked the door shut behind her.

"Well! Tell us everything!" Michiru demanded, hopping up and down with delight.

"Yeah! Yeah! Where did you go?" Orihime asked.

"Was there a lot of kissing? Tongue? Did you put out?"

"Chizuru!" they all shouted in unison at the perverted redhead.

"What? They're legitimate questions!" she pouted, but the girls were already back to pestering Tatsuki. Under the fierce interrogation, she could still not help but smile. As her friends sat her down on the sofa, she began to relate the exhilarating tale to them, while they squealed and wriggled about with glee.

You and I… I'm looking forward to it.