Bleach Asylum IchiRuki FC Challenge - Day 3 Theme

Title: A Day at the Beach
Theme: Beach

This particular one-shot is part of the IchiRuki FC fic challenge we are having at Bleach Asylum in honor of Ichigo's birthday. Each day for seven days we will receive a theme to work on, and must write a fic for this. For day 3, our theme was "Beach".Inspired by the Bleach Spread that Kubo Tite drew of all six nakamas getting ready to have some fun for a day on the Beach.

If you wish to read day 1's theme "kitten" please be sure to check out the one shot "furry guests" and day 2 for "Isshin" is posted in chapter 2. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed :)


Ichigo sighed in irritation as he watched Rukia take the last swig of the bitter liquid from the bottle in her hand. A triumphant smile was plastered on her face as she looked over to a now unconscious Renji, who probably had passed out two bottles before her.

He stared grimly at the now snoring shinigami before turning to his own half drunken bottle, his head slightly buzzing. This was certainly going to be something he would regret later, if unable to get up anymore was any indicator. Leaning against the chair, he stared out at the beautiful blue ocean. The rest of the beach seemed barren of crowds and the small area they found was even more secluded and nestled in the corner of the long stretch of beach. It was a perfect day to gather with his friends, he thought, as he watched the waves, especially after the numerous battles that they had found themselves in lately. Even Rukia and Renji frequented the human world more then they were used to in order to maintain order, and it was only just a few days ago that they had finally found some peace. After much insistence from Inoue, they finally agreed to take a much deserved break to the peaceful beaches outside of Karakura. Well...as peaceful as they could have gotten.

They probably had gotten lost twice while driving there, with Ichigo having to endure endless questions of where they were from both Rukia and Renji. After finally finding the beach after what seemed like hours, they finally found the spot where they could have their picnic. Yet after having set up a small table, things had gone from bad to worse as Renji apparently had touched a nerve about Rukia and how much she could drink. One thing led to another, and soon Ichigo found himself in the middle of the argument. When he attempted to find some assistance from the others, he found the table completely deserted except for the two bickering shinigamis. Chad had set off to some unknown part of the beach while Inoue and Ishida walked down the end of the beach, hand in hand.

Ichigo groaned and shook his head, wondering if he himself could get out of this situation. But the death glare sent to him by Rukia kept him glued to his seat in the end.

Several bottles later, Ichigo watched as Rukia did a small victory dance in her seat after having won their little drinking competition. He snorted, not being able to help the smile that spread on his face at her happy expression. His smirk widened as his attention moved to Renji, knowing fully well the man would never be able to live down his defeat with her. The midget really wasn't a light drinker at all.

His thoughts were quickly broken when he felt the chair next to him scrap back and Rukia stumbling out to walk on the sand. He cursed lightly when she almost lost her balance, quickly leaving his seat and grabbing a hold of her arm. He probably was in no position himself to be helping, but at least it was far better then her current condition.

"Oye, Ichigo, let's go walk down the beach," she said as she attempted to move with his arm still holding her tightly.

"I don't think so, Rukia. You can barely stand, let alone make it all the way to the end of the beach and back," he sighed, earning him a reproachful look from her.

"I am perfectly capable of walking, Ichigo. And I'm not asking you if I can walk, I'm telling you. If you don't want to, then you can stay with Renji here." she muttered.

Ichigo scratched his head and knew that it was pointless to fight with her. Especially since she wasn't even waiting for his answer and had already taken several steps toward the other direction.

"OYE!" he yelled, chasing after her. Hearing him approaching, she smirked and broke into a run with him close at her heel. The sand was prickling hot, but she seemed not to notice as her pace quickened. He could feel his breathing getting hoarse, but he quickly gained on her and grabbed her from behind. She continued to laugh infectiously as she steadied her balance in his arms.

Ichigo could feel his entire face flush at the close proximity of her. Her body moved with the rhythm of her heart beat, and for a moment the two stayed still as they regained their breathing. "See..." she smirked."A walk was not a bad idea..."

Ichigo shook his head as he hesitantly released her. "That was no walk. We got farther from the others then we should have..." His eyes lingered to the darkened clouds in the distance and scowled when he realized that they would probably come this way soon. The warmth of her fingers entangling with his turned his attention back to her small form as she yanked him to continue moving. "Ah...Rukia..." he muttered, staring at their hands as she continued to move silently.

Yet she did not budge and resignedly, he excused the gesture as a means of keeping her in balance since she still seemed pretty out of it. The remainder of the walk was surprisingly peaceful, and Ichigo could not help but get nervous as she would gently brush his arm whenever she got too close.

But she noticed none of this as she stared out in the clear blue water. She seemed mesmerized with the crashing waves that slowly made their way to her feet. The water was so cool as she hopped a few times when a larger wave would reach her ankle. He smiled and gently pulled her further away from the water, content with the feeling of having her close like this. It seemed it had been an hour almost later when he looked up and found that the clouds had finally made their presence and was now covering the warmth of the sun. He scowled when he heard the sound of thunder looming. He was sure that the weather man had said that it was going to be a clear day...

"This is the first time I have seen such a place," she mused, catching him completely off guard.

"Oh?"

"Hm, its beautiful. I'm glad we got to come out here."

He returned the smile and shook his head. "I don't know about that. I don't think Renji will be able to get up until tomorrow."

"Ah, serves him right then," she smirked, as she suddenly turning to look at him. Ichigo could feel a cold drop of rain trickle down her cheek and looked up to see that the clouds that had been scattered had now completely covered the sky. His attention turned back to Rukia who was looking at him...oddly. There was a look of hesitation and doubt within her eyes as she attempted several times to form the words that she wanted to say.

She took a deep breath. "You have pretty eyelashes..."

Huh?

Ichigo's head swerved down, his eyes widened at the grin on her face. "Uh...Rukia..."

"I always wondered about your hair too...its...so...orange..." she murmured, her fingers playing with a strand of his hair.

Okay, it was definitely time to return back.

"Um, Rukia...I think its going to start raining, so we should be getting back..."

He felt her rise as she shifted onto the balls of her feet, her tiny fingers gripping the collar of his shirt. The light drizzle of rain mixed with the softness of her pink lips as they closed onto his mouth. Ichigo muffled for a moment, completely caught of guard before gently holding her arms to keep her balance. They stood this way for a few seconds as Ichigo debated what in the world to do. It was...a strange feeling, and yet seemed right. Even though he did wonder whether it was because she had too much to drink and would kill him tomorrow if she found out what had happened.

Yet her kiss was insistent, and those thoughts were soon pushed aside as he responded, shifting his head to deepen the kiss. A soft moan resonated from her throat as the kiss turned more fervent and her fingers released the grip on his collar and entangled themselves in his now damp hair. His hands slowly moved to cup her face, his initial hesitance long gone and replaced with an unfamiliar hunger. The wind howled around them and he felt her shiver. Ichigo pulled away slightly and frowned when realizing where they were and that the rain would not cease. "Lets get out of here," he murmured and took her hand into his.

He could feel his vision becoming a blur as the rain continued to pound suddenly on them. They were still too far away to make it safely to the car, so he turned to look for any shelter they could find. He could make out a small cove in the distance that probably could be big enough to keep them both out of the rain. The grip on her tightened as he hurried his pace in that direction. Luckily there was enough room for them both to fend off the pouring rain outside as he settled her against the rocks for support. Taking a deep breath, he turned towards outside and found that he could no longer see the other side of the beach from where they had come. It would certainly be some time before it would be safe again to return.

"Ichigo?" she muttered quietly as her eyes turned to him. "Where are we?"

He shrugged. "Can't tell. But it's safer here then out there. We have to wait...."

She nodded and sat down, curling up slightly to fend off the cold. Ichigo sat beside her, but neither spoke of what had just happened outside. He felt her shiver beside him again and finally turned to her. "Will you be alright?" he asked, noting that both were completely soaked now.

She smirked and nodded. "Ah, I've been through much worse. This is nothing," she added, shaking her hand dismissively, though her words betrayed as her body trembled slightly. Ichigo shook his head, knowing she would never admit to anything like this.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

He looked at her in confusion. "Huh? For what?"

The slight blush on her face surprised him, since he had rarely ever seen her like this. "Ah, for what happened out there."

He stared at her in silence for a minute as she shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "You don't need to be sorry about that..." He could feel her eyes on him as his face flushed slightly. "Its not like I didn't kiss you back..."

Yes, his face was a deep red tinge now.

"Oh..."

She looked in deep thought as she stared at a single random spot in front of her. Ichigo watched her for only a moment before gently placing his fingers on her chin and shifting her head to face him. The surprise was evident in her expression as he captured her lips. The only sound that could now be heard was the storm that had begun to erupt outside as Ichigo continued to kiss her fervently, his hands slowly encircling her waist to pull her closer. They parted reluctantly broken and pulled away, catching their breaths as their eyes locked to one another.

"Is this okay?" she asked quietly and he smiled.

"Yeah, I think it is..."

She bit her lip in hesitation as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. She was so small, and yet fit perfectly in his arms.

"Yeah, it is..." He reassured her as his mouth captured hers. She smiled into the kiss and soon was lost in his embrace as the storm continued outside.

x.X.x.

Ichigo poked his head out and sighed. "Okay, I think we better make our way back. They probably are going to send out a search party."

Rukia groaned as she clutched her forehead, the after effect of the drinks starting to take its hold on her. Ichigo smirked and took her hand to help her out. "That is what you get for trying to drink so much."

"Shut up," she muttered, not removing her hand from his grasp. "It was all Renji's fault anyways. I wonder if anyone went to get him yesterday."

Both looked at each other and then to the side of the beach where they knew they had been yesterday.

"Aaahhh...I think we better hurry..."

I was hoping to make this into an NC-17 as well, but with my current computer problems I wanted to make sure I submitted at least this much to the challenge. So for those interested, keep watch of "The Feast" fic for updates hehe.