Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: A little piece of life shot. It might seem pointless, but from personal experience, this kind of moments definitely make life worth it. (smiles) Reposted this drabble as part of "Death Butterflies" (collection of Bleach drabbles by yours truly).
Memoirs
31.01.2005
The school bell rang as the clock on the main tower struck ten o'clock and the classes were temporarily dismissed for lunch break. Oochi-sensei left her classroom among the happy chatter of students as some of the kids went to the hallways and others stayed inside.
Usually Ichigo would go up to the rooftop and eat lunch by himself or with Chad, perhaps Rukia would follow sometimes after nagging him until he gave up, and Mizuiro and Keigo would tag along even if he would have preferred it otherwise. But it was summer, outside it was hot and breezeless, and the only place that had air conditioning were the classrooms. They were inevitably stuck inside the school building. He and his friends, like other classmates, had thus decided to stay in the room.
Rukia had stayed in too. Ichigo's amber eyes unconsciously drifted to her, who was sitting among the group of his female classmates, and assumed she was invited over by the ever-friendly Inoue Orihime. She was laughing with the girls, listening to their jokes, and sharing lunches. If not for the fact that he knew of her true self and where she came from, he'd think she was acting like any other normal teenager of her age would. As though she belonged and had a place there.
It was weird to him realizing something like this, even when it had been little over a month and a half since Rukia had appeared in his bedroom (more like, popped in from the floor). Sometimes he thought he was having delusions and that he'd suddenly wake up to his normal life as a normal, ghost-seeing boy. Other times, he wasn't sure if Rukia would ever fit in the actual society or if she wouldn't feel left out someday, unacostumed to modern ways and technology as she was.
Yet, Rukia had already carved her place in his routine and he couldn't simply imagine how it would be without her. It would definitely be strange, for the lack of fancier words. It was enough to make Ichigo think that she was in the right place, at the right time.
At one moment during his trail of thoughts, he snapped out of it as she turned around and looked back at him with a startled face. Rukia had just discovered him unconsciously staring at her. Out of his own surprise, Ichigo almost spurted out his juice and his cheeks flushed pink, disguised by the summer heat. He'd expected her to burst into incessant laughter, but nonetheless she had only smiled at him. It wasn't one of her practiced gestures or the plastic, insanely suggary grin she wore so often at school, just a simple, sincere smile.
And, what had been more surprising was that for no apparent reason he found himself smiling back at her. A mere quick grin that had been rare on its own even if it didn't last long. Then, Rukia had turned back to the group of girls around her, answering some question about the day's weather thrown at her by Tatsuki or Inoue and therefore ending the odd encounter of their gazes.
Ichigo went back to talking with his friends as well a second or so later, wondering what the heck that had been about. Munching his last bit of sandwich, he'd realize it really didn't matter. When she had smiled, for that short moment, nothing seemed out of place. He was there and she was there, there was nothing wrong in this world.
It was one of those little pieces of memories he'd never forget, no matter what happened.