It's Magic

You've got magic inside your finger tips,
It's leaking out all over my skin,
Everytime that I get close to you,
Your makin me weak with the way you,
Look through those eyes.

Rukia sighed with overwhelming boredom as she gazed around Ichigo's bedroom. She cast an accusing stare at Ichigo, sitting across from her doing his homework. Despite his supposed attention to his work, he could feel the look he was receiving. He placed down the book, gaze focused on Rukia as she yawned.

"This is your fault." she stated in an agitated tone.

He rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair, "How is your boredom my fault?"

She rested her head on her hands, stating matter-of-factly, "Because everything is your fault."

The orange-haired boy heaved a sigh, "Why don't you go hang out with some of your other friends?"

Rukia shook her head sadly, "They're all away for the weekend. You're the only one left... and you're doing homework!" she sounded appalled towards the end of the sentence, causing Ichigo to stifle a chuckle.

He looked around the room. There wasn't really anything to do other than homework this early in the morning. He couldn't go swimming. The gashes across his back from their last Hollow encounter had made that an impossibility. His entire torso being bandaged... yeah, that would most likely cause some stir of rumours. That, and Rukia had him on strict bed-rest until they healed up a little more. Wait...

"Are you honestly blaming me for you putting me on house arrest?!"

She looked at him, wide eyed in outrage, "It is not 'house arrest'! You can't go gallivanting around with your back split open! It's common sense!"

He scoffed, "Then... seeing as how you're the one with all the common sense and bright ideas; shouldn't it be your fault you're so bored?"

Speechlessness hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had no comeback. No yell. No swearwords prepared for such an event where Ichigo might in fact catch her out, Damn...

He shook his head, laughing silently, "Alright then. What do you want me to do?"

"That's a dangerous question to be asking." she warned.

Without second thought he backtracked, "Alright... what do you want to do?"

She sighed, "If I knew that, I wouldn't be bored now, would I?" she folded her arms across her chest as if to only further prove her point.

The orange-haired boy rolled his eyes at her response. Without another word he stood up, walking over to his closet. Rukia eyed him curiously, but didn't question his actions... until he placed a deck of cards down on the floor. The girl gave him a confused look, "Ahh..."

"Pick a card." he said, spreading the deck out, all cards face down, "Don't show me the card you've chosen. Just memorize it and then put it back."

"What kind of trick is this, Kurosaki?" she asked suspiciously, but the only response was Ichigo shaking his hands in impatience. Rukia went to pick out one of the cards hesitantly. When she snatched it up she made sure not to let Ichigo see as she peered at it herself.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Ok, put it back." he held the deck up for Rukia to place the card back in the middle of the deck. She looked extremely confused as he handed her the deck, "Shuffle please."

Rukia nodded slowly, shuffling the cards carefully. She handed back the deck to a waiting Ichigo who took them quickly and immediately began flicking through them. He suddenly stopped, pulling one particular card from the pile, "This your card?" he held in his hand the three of clubs. Rukia gasped, "W-what?! How did you do that?!" she eyes him suspiciously, "Did you use some kinda Kidou?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "No."

"Then what?"

He shrugged, "It's magic."

Her eyes widened at the word as she repeated it to herself. She looked around; as if this was something no one else could hear about— a new secret only she could know. Ichigo smirked at just how much like a child she looked. He had forgotten just how much he enjoyed teaching her new things, as it was becoming more and more difficult the longer she stayed in the real world. She looked back at him with her big violet eyes, "Show me more."she whispered secretly.

The corners of his lips quirked as he nodded, "Alright."

Ichigo walked back over to the closet, this time Rukia accompanied him. He pulled out a box that read 101 Amazing Illusions of Magic! Ichigo saw her from the corner of his eye and silently turned her away. After a minute he returned to where he had been sitting, holding in his hand one blue ball, "Hold out your hand." he instructed. Feeling confident about this now, Rukia did as requested, holding her hand palm up to Ichigo. He placed the ball into her waiting hand, closing her small fingers around it.

"Keep your hand closed tight, Okay?"

She nodded, eyeing her fist with anticipation. Ichigo looked around before continuing, "Now, say the magic words; Alakazam. You gotta mean them though."

Rukia looked suspicious again, just for a second. Then, swallowing her pride, she erupted, "ALAKAZAM!"

She then opened her hand. No change. Rukia looked over to see Ichigo burst into a fit of laughter.

"You tricked me!" she shouted in outrage, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ichigo made to wipe a tear from his eye, "Sorry... I just had to see if you would do it."

Rukia glared darkly at him, but he still grinned, "Ok, Rukia. Close you're hand again. Alright? Good." He tapped her fist with his finger, "There."

Rukia opened her hand again. But this time, "The ball's gone!" she gasped, "But I had it just a second ago!" she looked around her, turning back to Ichigo then, "I'm sorry, I think I lost—"

She was now facing the ball. It was in Ichigo's hand, "How the hell..."

He sighed lightly, "Wanna see another? Or are you bored of this now?"

She eyed him as if he was nuts, "I wanna see another!"

One hour and fifty tricks later, Rukia now believed she could be a magician herself.

"Ichigo!" she moaned from her spot on the floor, "I think these are broken." She held up the two silver rings that she had been attempting to join for the last ten minutes. Ichigo scoffed, "They're not broken." he took the rings, tapped them together and handed them back to her, now stuck together. She stared in fascination.

Rukia took the rings back, and continued trying, "Hey Ichigo..." she spoke after a while.

He looked up from his nearly finished homework, "Yeah?"

"How do you know this stuff?"

It was a simple question, but he hadn't been expecting it. Ichigo placed the book back down, heaving a sigh. Rukia then knew, it had been a careless question to ask. "Back, after my mom died, Karin and Yuzu were miserable. They cried almost everyday, and nothing seemed to be able to get them to stop. You know, that I still feel guilty for the whole thing..." his voice was hushed now.

Rukia listened to him tentatively, "After a while, I decided to try to help them. So I learned these tricks." he smirked at the memory, "Karin was always the one who remained suspicious of what I was doing. Yuzu just loved the idea that someone in the family could do magic. But they both loved it. Everyday I'd show them a new trick. And everyday they both would focus on it and trying to learn it for hours, just to get it right. It kept their minds off all the bad things and, for a while, they would be laughing and playing. Just like when mom was alive."

Rukia looked at him, speechless, "Ichigo..."

He smiled, "It was worth the hours of practice, I can assure you."

She gave a small laugh, "You really aren't as tough as you pretend to be."

He smirked, "I don't pretend to be anything."

Rukia stood up and walked towards Ichigo. She bent down, now eye to eye with him; she held his gaze as she spoke, "I know," she said, her voice cheerful, "That's what I love about you." At that she bent down to kiss him on the cheek, "Thanks for showing me magic, Ichigo."

Then, she left.

He sat there for a few moments. Shock working through him.

That's what I love about you.

He touched his cheek, looking down at the box of tricks.

Definitely worth the hours of practice!

A/N: Thanks to - 'Magic' by Colbie Caillat for my opening note.