How to Tie A Cherry Stem
By: ryuuzauchi
Part-four
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of it's related terminology, they all belong to Kubo Tite.
After dinner, Ichigo was up in his room finishing his soon-to-be due Summer homework. Everything was peaceful, apart for the on-going storm outside, as he mulled over the complicated Trigonometric Identities, erasing one equation after another, smudging spot after spot.
"Damn Trig problems, who'd ever use them in their everyday life if not for their specific occupations?" He grumble under his breath, glaring at the ruined paper on his desk. "Ah...Time for a break." He breathe out a sigh, stretching his arms, and walk out of his room. He reached the living room to find Rukia lying on the carpet reading a book, an opened container of cherries, half-empty, sat by her side.
"Are those the cherries I bought earlier?" asked Ichigo, startling the raven-haired shinigami who was so engrossed in the book she's reading that she failed to sense him behind her.
Rukia crank her head to stare up at him, blue-violet orbs danced with delight as she pick up one round fruit with dainty fingers and popped it into her awaiting mouth, "Yup, and they're really sweet. Buy some more tomorrow." she said with a mouthful, savoring the juiciness as she bit down on the fruit.
Ichigo took a seat beside her and reached out his hand for a cherry only to be slapped by the book Rukia's holding. "What the-?" he said, knitting his brows together and tried for another fruit, only to be slapped again. He narrowed his eyes at his offender and hissed, "Rukia, what the hell's your problem? I bought them, I'm allowed to eat them too!"
"But there's only a handful left." Rukia glared, moving the box of cherries out of "harm's" way.
"Exactly why the rest should be mine!" Ichigo glared back. "Gimme those!" he dodged for the box.
But Rukia was quicker, she rolled sideways somehow and stood up, the box of cherries still in her clutches, she stuck out her tongue at him before scampering away.
"Rukia!" Ichigo growled as he chased after her.
The two engaged in a few rounds of cat and mouse as they sprinted up and down the stairs, trampled through the rooms, went back down the stairs to the kitchen, circled the dining table, then raced back to the living room.
Both were heaving for breaths as sweat rolled down their foreheads, causing their hair to plaster to their face, and, despite the air conditioned home, their clothes still clung to their backs with perspiration.
"R-Rukia, l-let's just sit and rest. I'm t-tired." panted Ichigo, taking in gulps of air as he picked up the book Rukia dropped on the floor to fan himself and plopped down on the sofa.
The raven-haired shinigami followed suit and sat on the opposite end, she put the container of cherries down between them and snatched her book back from Ichigo, waving the abused book back and forth to generate a slight breeze.
"Can I have some cherries now?" asked Ichigo, though he had already grabbed a couple of cherries and popped them into his mouth. "Mmm...they are sweet."
Rukia rolled her eyes at him as she lay down on her seat to rest her feet on Ichigo's lap, much to the orange head's annoyance. "That's why you should go buy more tomorrow."
"Only if you share."
Rukia smirked. "I might consider if you buy some more pink lemonade."
"What? I just bought two six-packs!" Ichigo gave her a side way glance before putting a hand to his forehead as if having a headache. "You've drank most of them already." he stated with a groan.
Rukia continue to grinned from ear to ear. "There's still a few left."
"Don't complain when you get a stomach ache."
"Not like there's anything you can do to relief the ache anyway."
"Hey! In case you've forgotten, I'm the son of a doctor." Ichigo defended himself.
"Hmm..." Rukia peeked at him through half-closed lids, "That doesn't mean you're a doctor."
"Whatever." scoffed Ichigo. He popped another cherry into his mouth and let the stem dangle out from his lips.
Rukia watched the stem move in sync with the motion of his lips. She said, "That reminds me Ichigo,"
"About what?"
"What are the skills of cherry stem tying?"
Ichigo nearly choked on the pit as he snapped his head towards her. He coughed out, "W-where did you got that from?"
"I read it in a book once, and when I asked Keigo about it-"
"You asked him? You ask him of all people?"
"-he was near by. So he told me to ask you."
Ichigo stared at her caution, dreading the next words that would spew from her mouth.
"So, how could there be any special skills to tying a thin piece of stem?"
"There isn't any!" Ichigo quickly said with a serious frown.
"They why do they call it a skill?" She continue to ask, dark lashes waved over her eye lids as she blinked up at him. Brows knotted in confusion.
"Um..." Ichigo coughed awkwardly as he concentrate on how to properly explain what the 'skill' insinuates, rather than keeping his eyes on her slightly parted lips."That...is..um...s-some would say..um...the s-skill of t-tying..um...is the skill o-of...of..."
"Of?" Rukia questioned, she picked up a stem and flexed it between her fingers.
"...um..ki-ki..." Ichigo stuttered, turning his flushed face away and buried it in the arm of the sofa, he groaned out, "Please just drop it Rukia." It's too embarrassing to put into words, his added to himself.
Rukia stared at the flustered teen in question before shrugging her shoulders, and said, "Guess I'll just have to asked Keigo then, he said he will show me if y- "
But Rukia wasn't able to finish the sentence. In one swift movement, Ichigo had pressed his palms against the seat on either side of her head. His expression a mixture of panic and agitation.
"W-what's wrong? Ichigo?" Rukia asked in uncertainty, so startled by his sudden action that she wasn't even aware that half of her body was dangling off the sofa when he had moved.
"Don't even think of asking him about that!" Ichigo said, a hint of desperation marking his firm tone.
Taking note of his tense state, of the furrow between his brows and his fisted hands out of the corner of her eyes, Rukia nodded her head numbly. "Um..s-sure, but, um, can you move? It's kind of uncomfortable. And I'm about to fall off." she mumbled.
Ichigo didn't move, as if contemplating something his brows furrowed some more and he flexed his fingers against the fabric beneath.
"Um..Ichigo-" Rukia squirmed, staring up at him, the words "can you move?" was lost in her throat when she caught his gaze. The intensity swirling in his rich chocolate orbs was not unlike the weather outside, turbulent and clouded. Her heart seemed to have lost it's function of how to keep a steady beat. Or perhaps the Gigai's malfunctioning, she thought.
Ichigo's eyes darted to the shinigami's slightly ajar lips, he swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed at the motion. "Do you really want to know?" he breathed out, barely registering his own words.
"En?" came Rukia's rather absent-minded reply. She was lost in thought, transfixed on the protrusion in front of Ichigo's neck, pondering how it's movement would feel against her palm if she were to place her hand there.
"I-I mean, i-if you must find out...then, um..." stuttered Ichigo, his face burned with embarrassment and he wondered if Rukia could feel the heat emitting off of it. "I can- I will show you." he paused and swallowed, then with all seriousness he's capable of at the moment, he said: "Rukia, close your eyes."
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The Doc Manager on FF is just frustrating! I can't seem to get it to do double spaces, and sometimes it would undo my bolt letters, or just do all in bolt when I did not intend it to be. And I won't know what it done until it's uploaded. Urg!
anyway...
I'm sorry for the late update! I've been busy with class and work. School got off last month, so I should be able to finish the story by the time fall class starts (I hope).
Please give your thoughts on this story(I know there's not much to this story, but still...), all are appreciated! Your supports are my motivation! Love you all!