Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has left a review, Death Butterflies has reached over 100! To be honest, at first I really didn't think DB would make it this far, so again many thank you's. It's always nice returning home and checking my inbox to find comments saying people like what I do and your words of support. For this drabble... well, you just have to read it, hehehe. See you all soon. Read and review please!

Beach Trip
30.05.2005

They had met a boy at the beach once, during a school trip. The boy was young, around Ichigo's age perhaps. He had wispy, chocolate colored hair and the greenest eyes Rukia had ever seen. He had long legs and arms, his skin a tanned color partly because of the constant sun burns. He was chirpy as he spoke to them, chewing on his lower lip from time to time as it was his habit.

The boy was wearing simple jean shorts, an old, red tank top, and a hat made of palm tree leaves strings. The pattern of the hat was intricate, Rukia had thought at first glance, but it still made him look nothing out of the ordinary. He was telling them how he had been waiting for his girlfriend for a while now. And just then, she noticed that his eyes had the slightest hint of an irritation, red-rimmed as they were.

It had been a week or so.

Ichigo glanced at Rukia once before she pulled her black glove from her beach bag and shoved him out without further ado. Ichigo's first thought as he gripped the sword hanging lazily over his back had been that he felt too hot in the dark shinigami robes under the blazing sun. Spirits didn't feel cold or hot, Rukia argued when he voiced this out, but he chose to ignore her.

Ichigo sighed, turning to the boy with a blank expression. "I'm sorry."

The substitute shinigami had long ago decided he'd rather go about with an easy, fast soul burial. He took no more than a minute, and the plus was gone.

"He drowned while he was waiting for her," Rukia declared, but decided not to say anything else on the matter.

"Yah," he nodded before integrating his soul into his body. He stood up, brushing the sand from his swimming trunks and his arms. He scratched his head and looked at her. "At least he won't be waiting any longer, huh?"

But she was glaring at the sea, her tiny feet digging into the sand. "It is not fair."

Ichigo was amused by her statement. Had she changed this much in so little time? Had she changed enough to question death? Surely, something was going through that little, thick head of hers.

The orange-haired boy arched an eyebrow at her, a faint smirk and the permanent frown on his face. "Rukia?"

The last bit of a wave touched her feet and she jerked back at the sudden contact with the fresh water. "Damn!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he almost barked; but whether it had only been that his voice had come out louder than he had intended or he was truly annoyed at her attitude, she didn't care enough to distinguish.

She scowled and stomped away. "Nothing."

But 'nothing' usually meant 'something' when it came to Rukia, and Ichigo knew this.

"Let's go, the teacher might be looking for us," she said. The short-sized girl started walking towards the spot where most of the students were gathered.

He grunted, now obviously annoyed at her. "Rukia…"

Rukia stopped when he called her but didn't turn to look at him. Her shoulders tensed up, though Ichigo only noticed because the straps of her bathing suit allowed him to see the slight motion. She adjusted the knot of her long beach skirt, still wary about the strange clothes she had been wearing, and shook her head.

"You were the one jumping up and down about coming to the beach, weren't you?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest, the frown among his young face never leaving.

"I don't want to go in there anymore, alright?" The scowl on hers grew darker at the rippling waves.

And, understanding downing on him, Ichigo simply laughed at her loudly. "You idiot, scaredycat…" he taunted.

"Who's the idiot, you asshole?" She stomped back to him, her fisted hands on either side of her hips as she moved.

Ichigo caught her off guard, lifting her up from her feet as she squirmed. Ignoring her protests and how she tried to wriggle herself out of his hold, he marched up to the shore and, a few steps inside, promptly threw her to the water.

"Gwrapff…" she emerged from the water, spitting out the salty liquid and making a disgusted face at him. "Damn you, Ichigo!" she splashed water at him but he only laughed again at her. The mocking sound made her blood boil even more.

"Geez… You're so stupid." Ichigo smirked down at her, orange hair glistening against the sun rays.

Her black hair stuck to the sides of her face and her pale cheeks were flushed in a soft pink. She looked up, glaring angrily at him with big, blue orbs and was surprised to find the suppressed amusement in his eyes. And suddenly, as she gazed back at him, she lost herself to an uncharacteristic fit of giggles. The waves fleetingly brushed by her. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Okay, a brief explanation. When I first posted this I mentioned I didn't really know how to explain what I was trying to convey in this one. After much thought, I came to one conclusion: I guess the boy and the girl he was waiting are like Rukia and Ichigo, they are part of different worlds now and he doesn't belong to this spiritual dimension. Rukia understands that she is from somewhere else and that she can't 'wait' anymore. But that's just my conclusion. :P