Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: Um, I know I said I'd update on Wednesday but I sort of... forgot? xP Sorry! I've had too many things on my mind. So here's the next one-shot in which I mess up with Rukia's hair. What can I say, I like messing with her. :3 And Ichigo's as insensitive to a girl's needs as ever. Buthe's also...just so... cute. XD A bit too much of dialogue, but... yeah... I think it works fine... Ah, read and review please!

Bad Hair Day
04.04.2006

'Knock, knock…' "Rukia! Wake up already!" Ichigo's voice came from the other side of the closet, but it felt so far away.So, so, terribly far away…

"Mmm…" She stirred on bed, hugging the bed sheets closer, still in sleepy contentment. She was clad in her sky blue, two-piece pajamas, curled like a baby against her pillow.

'Knock, knock!' Ichigo persisted rapping the door."Rukia! Come on, we'll be late if you don't hurry up!"

Rukia rose from her bed, stretching with one large yawn and brushing a hand over her messed-up hair. "I'm up, I'm up!" she called, but her eyes closed themselves without her permission and she promptly plopped back onto the mattress. "Or I'll be in a while…"

o

She slid the closet door open and hoped down, swiftly landing on the wooden floor with tiny, socked feet. "I'm ready!" she announced while smoothing the creases of her school skirt. "I don't know why you are whining so much, there's still plenty time left."

"About time," Ichigo was groaning as he fixed his tie, even if it'd be lost by second period, and then put on his wristband. He turned around and was about to come at her with some nasty remark when he halted suddenly and pointed a finger at her head. "What..."

"What, what?" Rukia swirled around. At the words 'Your hair,' that Ichigo had finally managed to mumble before doubling himself in laughter, Rukia fished for a mirror in her pocket and opened the compact. "WHAAAAAAAAAAA!"

o

Ichigo had tried not to laugh as much at her as she incessantly tried to smooth down the hair sticking straight up. Tired of watching her fight with her own hair, unsuccessfully, he'd gone downstairs to get them both some breakfast. When he had returned to the room, Rukia has still been battling with her unruly lock.

"I'm not going." She said after drinking down her chocolate milk. They were about to finish eating when she decided to share the news with her dumbfounder lodger.

"What do you mean 'I'm not going'?" Ichigo exclaimed, swallowing down one last bite of his toasted bread.

Her arms flailed into the air, she waved them wildly as she pointed to the lock of hair still sticking up from her head. "But I have a hair crisis!"

"Shit, Rukia. Not you too..." He sighed over-dramatically. Slumping down his remaining juice, he turned to her with his most annoyed look. "Why did you choose to be girly on the day we have a test first thing in the morning?"

Rukia huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have always been a girl," she said as she glared at him pointedly with sharp, dark blue eyes. Ichigo didn't as much as flinch, however.

"I'm aware of that, always been." He eyed her with narrowed eyes and furrowed eyebrows.

Her own eyebrows rose at this and snicker escaped her lips. "Ichigo, you pervert."

"Damn, Rukia," he looked positively flustered; his cheeks flushed a bright read as he squirmed under her gaze. He looked away. "I didn't mean it that way!"

"Then what the hell did you mean?"

"That you aren't a girly girl!" He accused, pink still tinting his face. "And shut up, at least I don't have that horrible hair like you!"

"Urgh..."

o

Ichigo craned his head out of the door (the small bump in his forehead given by Rukia was swelling a little) looking both sides just in case someone from his family was still roaming around the second floor. By this hour, everyone would be finishing their own breakfast, but who knows… He nodded at himself, thinking it safe to come out. "Come, hurry up." He motioned her to follow him.

Rukia did, aware of his sudden discreet, and not to say suspicious, attitude. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo eyed her with exasperation. "Just hurry and be quiet, okay?" he told her, then looking around again, and walked closer to his sisters' room. He unlocked the door quietly and opened the door slowly and carefully. "They mustn't hear us."

He stepped inside after her, moving swiftly, and closed the door as quietly as he had opened it. Rukia couldn't help but feel suspicious and more than a bit wary.

o

Rukia stood with crossed arms and a tapping foot beside him. She narrowed her blue eyes at him and popped out the question she'd been thinking about. "Aren't you invading private property?"

"..." The boy chose to ignore her, rummaging through things never in his life he had dream of even touching. This was girly stuff, they burned his fingers, but he was doing this for the greater cause, which was ultimately getting to school on time for the test. There wasn't much time to spare.

Rukia peaked over his shoulder, tiptoeing to be able to see what he was looking at. She cocked her head and wondered out loud, "Don't you always tell me not to pry into other people's property?"

Ichigo glanced at her over his shoulder briefly, gave her a look, and turned back to the drawer were he was digging for something. "Shut up."

"Well," she screeched, annoyed at his attitude, "just what the hell are you looking for?"

"Aha! Here!" Ichigo turned around and showed her a dark, blue hair clip like the ones his younger sister Yuzu used. Leaning down, he quickly placed the clip on her hair before Rukia could protest. His fingers treaded into her silky black locks of hair and played with them briefly until he was satisfied with the way her hair looked. "Now, shut up and let's go to school now, okay?"

"Bah, fine," she murmured, glancing at herself on her pocket mirror and pulling at one of her bangs as they walked back to his room. The unruly black lock had finally settled down, and her hair looked okay to her at last. "Thank you, idiot."

He nodded at her. "You don't have to worry about returning that clip, Yuzu has plenty of them so she won't notice if one of those is missing." He scratched the back of his neck, which gave him some sort of boyish air, "Now let's go to school."

She smiled, mock-saluting the boy. "Hai, hai!"

o

When Mizuiro complimented the pretty blue pin she was wearing, Rukia briefly glanced at Ichigo, who sat by himself in his desk. She knew he was looking at her through the corner of his eye. "Thank you," she smiled softly, "a friend gave it to me."