Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: It seems I tricked most of you, didn't I? You naughty boys and girls XD I had an incredibly strange weekend, not that you guys would care, but yeah... xD Anyways, for those who celebrate it, Happy Halloween! For those who don't, hopefully you'll get lots of candies too! And for those who are Mexican like myself, and even if I'm two days ahead, Felíz Día de Muertos!
Unheard Song
22.10.2005
Ichigo doesn't like dancing very much. He's grown so fast that his body has had a hard work adjusting to its dimensions. And though he has managed quite well in sports like baseball or football or even basketball so far (not to say sword-fighting), dancing is certainly one thing he is not thrilled to try out. He feels awkward when he dances, like some abnormal being under the spotlight and the scrutiny of all the viewers. Ichigo's never been a good dancer, you see.
The day he enters his room and comes upon Rukia twirling about the wooden floor to an unheard song for the umpteenth time, he isn't surprised anymore (that first time he'd caught her dancing though, had gained him a couple of bruises when he had mocked her for it, he remembered as he briefly and unconsciously rubbed his head). He simply frowns, grunts a greeting to her that she usually meets with a small nod, and throws his school bag, scarf, and jacket over the bed. (He thinks the winter season is really bothersome, having to wear all those clothes.)
But Ichigo, however, is shocked beyond words when her small fingers curl around his and she pulls him to dance with her. He glares at her, trying to push Rukia away, but fails miserably when she looks up at him. She is giving him one of her most serene expressions, one of those that tell him it is something important to her. Her blue eyes are big and bright and she doesn't smile or frown; she just looks at him and lets him regard her silently for a moment before speaking.
"Please?" Rukia's tone doesn't even reach a higher decibel, it doesn't need to anyway. It is that rich and deep voice which is holding his attention, her voice and the dark blue eyes that stare at him impassively. "Just this once, dance with me. Alright, Ichigo?"
He feels Rukia's hands squeezing his softly and he almost stammers. Almost. "W-why the hell would I do that?" He looks away from her, brows still knitted together in a confused frown, cheeks flushed, and hands still clasped by hers. The sole idea of dancing with Rukia sounds even worse (…more embarrassing) than dancing without music. He vaguely wonders what will happen if either Yuzu or Karin or, God forbid, his father stumbles into the room and finds them like this.
Rukia frowns like him, momentarily back to her harsh, stony-faced self. "Just dance with me, bastard!" she retorts, clearly upset. There's a long, awkward pause of silence in which the orange-haired teen doesn't move at all before the scowling woman speaks up again. "Fine, I get it. I'm not going to ask you twice," she snaps in a dignified voice, pulling away from him.
But Ichigo's hands don't release hers.
Half of him is unaware of what he is doing as he stares down at her pale features and promptly decides he likes her better with her face the way it was before. The other half, the very much awake side of him that is, has a tingling sensation that he might regret not letting go of her this very moment and anything that could follow.
"Ichigo?" she looks up at him suspiciously, titling her head to try to stare straight into the eyes he averts from hers. But then he makes a slight movement, a nod that she is only able to catch thanks to their proximity, and comprehension makes her smile.
The boy finds himself dancing in his own room with the girl to her tuneless song no long after that. He glances down every now and then, moving along with her in a strange, uncomfortable pace. Rukia guides him patiently, shows him the right way for his hand to grasp her waist, and tells him not to worry because she won't let him step on her. She'd be damned if she let Ichigo do something so stupid.
"See, it isn't that hard." Rukia smiles coyly, very unlike the smile she's rehearsed for school and very unlike what little true smiles he has seen so far. It seems this female shinigami has shown him many more faces in one day that she has done in the past months, at least more than he had expected to see in such a short amount of time.
"Un…" He mumbles even if he is compelled to say something else than that, if he knows he should. But Rukia is content with his answer and closes her eyes. He thinks he's seen her lips moving as though she were murmuring something and realizes she's actually humming absentmindedly.
He doesn't care if he can hear the song or not anymore as they dance together a little longer.