Summary: Hichigo never really studied normal human behavior, explaining his ignorance to romance. Feeling generous one day, Ichigo decides to help him understand a seemingly innocent gesture. -One Shot-

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns the rights to Bleach and all related characters

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Ichigo lay down on the hard concrete building, his eyes on the slanted sky. With hands behind his head, he began to feel serene, the wind slowly caressing the exposed skin of his face and neck.

"What's yer stupid ass doing here?"

He sighed, turning to look at the approaching figure beside him. Already he missed the comforting silence.

"It's my mind" he explained, watching Hichigo crouch down to look at the Shinigami with an almost irritated expression. "I have a right to be here whenever I want." Hichigo rolled his eyes a bit, shifting his position to sit cross legged on the ground.

"Tch, sorry for interrogatin' you, Princess." he muttered. What followed was a long silence. Frankly, it surprised Ichigo. Normally Hichigo would try everything in his power to bully Ichigo into a fight. He was never one for just sitting, staring off into the blue like he was actually thinking deeply about an unknown subject. After Ichigo was certain Hichigo wasn't going to speak up again, he decided to investigate.

"What's up with you?" He asked, making Hichigo jump a little. The Hollow stared down at him, raising an eyebrow after regaining his composure.

"What? I can't just sit here?"

"Of course you can. It's just weird that you suddenly decided to be quiet and reserved for once." He earned a slight shrug, silence resuming. Sitting up, Ichigo turned to face the other. "...Is something bothering you?" Hichigo turned to look at the ground beside Ichigo, his hands settled on his lap in a clenched state.

"Yeah." he mumbled, not letting his gaze wander up towards the Shinigami's face.

"Care to tell me about it?" he asked, his tone becoming soft, as if he was trying to comfort one of his sisters. "You seem pretty upset." The Hollow sneered at him.

"Yeah? Since when did you give a shit?"

"I just figured you wanted to talk. It doesn't look like you're going to leave anytime soon." After a minute, Hichigo sighed heavily and leaned back a bit on his hands.

"It's nothin' really." he said quietly, looking up at the sky. "I guess I'm just...I'm kinda envious of you humans." Ichigo blinked, honestly surprised. Hichigo glared at him when he wouldn't stop staring. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not crazy."

"Uh...well..." Ichigo scratched the back of his head, looking down at the ground. "I'm just surprised. What could you possibly be envious about? Humans are...gritty."

"They have things I want. Experience things I wish I could feel." He was interrupted by a small laugh, making him glare at the other.

"You sure you know what you're talking about?" Ichigo said, smiling a little. "I mean, Humans aren't really that great. You get hurt all the time, you're unaware of your surroundings and get in trouble. You have to work constantly-"

"But you get to feel" Hichigo insisted. "You get to enjoy the presence of a person, rather than trying to suppress the urge to kill them, tear them apart limb from limb. You'd be lying to me if you said you got tired of that." Ichigo furrowed his brow. This wasn't making sense. Hichigo never complained about being a Hollow, let alone admit being jealous of weaker beings. What the hell was going on?

"What are you insinuating?" he asked slowly. The Hollow sighed again, closing his eyes tightly. Out of embarrassment, Ichigo couldn't tell.

"I want to know what it's like...to...get...a kiss..."

"What?" Ichigo asked. "A...kiss?"

"Like I said, it's not that big a deal." Hichigo mumbled, looking down with flushed cheeks. "I'm probably looking too much into it."

"I don't get you though." Ichigo replied, trying not to smile from the Hollow's flustered demeanor. It was kinda cute. "How the hell can you not know what a kiss feels like? Don't you...get around?" Hichigo frowned.

"The hell do you think I am, a whore? Unlike you Shinigami, Hollows don't get the pleasure or freedom of bangin' everything on two legs."

"Fine, fine" Ichigo said, waving a hand in the air. "So what do you want me to do about your problem?" Hichigo went silent again, fidgeting in his spot. Staring at him curiously, Ichigo made himself look as though he didn't know what was coming next. The Hollow was too easy to read.

"I was hoping you could..." he rubbed his arm, his voice cracking. "...show me what it's like to...get a kiss from someone..."

"Sure I guess." Ichigo replied, shrugging.

"Huh?" Hichigo was caught off guard by the immediate response. "You mean...yer just gonna show me? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Why not? Did you want someone else to help you out?"

"N-No..." he pouted. "But you could have...at least took a minute to think about it you know."

"Meh, I don't like to see you suffer." Sitting up straight, he stared intently into Hichigo's eyes. "You ready for this?" Nodding, Hichigo straightened up as well. Closing his eyes tightly, he puckered his lips as much as he could, his whole body tense. Taking the golden moment to smile at the others childish behavior, Ichigo leaned forward slowly and gave him a gentle kiss. It was a short moment, Hichigo twitching from the suddenness of the situation. But before he could fully relax into the kiss and possibly deepen it, Ichigo pulled away. Returning the smile on his face, Ichigo waited for Hichigo to open his eyes in confusion. "There. That's a kiss." Hichigo gulped, his throat tightening.

"O-Oh..." he squeaked. "That was...uh..." Examining him for a few more seconds, Ichigo finally stood up, brushing himself off. "Where are you going?"

"I have to help my dad out at the Clinic. I'll talk to you another time, alright?"

"I...yeah okay." Watching Ichigo leave the Inner World, Hichigo proceeded to curl up on the ground, biting his lip in an attempt to savor the taste of fruit Ichigo left behind.

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"Kurosaki, are you feeling well?" Ichigo looked up, Orihime peering down at him with a concerned look on her face. "You haven't been really talkative lately." Ichigo shrugged, resting his chin on his hand. He turned to look out the classroom window for the 10th time that afternoon.

"I'm fine." he replied quietly. "I've just been thinking about things. That's all." Orihime fidgeted, her brow furrowed and head bowed slightly.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"No. It's nothing." He offered her a smile as he stood up from his seat. "I'm actually feeling a bit tired. I'm gonna go ahead and go home." Slinging his book bag over his shoulder, he walked past her and towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"O-Okay..." she replied, giving him a small wave as he left her alone. Walking out of the building, Ichigo began his quiet walk home as it had been for the past week. Ever since he had left Hichigo, there wasn't a day that passed by where he didn't think about the Hollow. It wasn't to the point where he was depressed; he simply felt more alone than usual. He had tried everything to snap out of it; hang out with a large group of friends, visit his mother's grave more frequently and even asked if he could become an official intern in the Clinic. But nothing worked and he soon felt like nothing could make him feel normal again.

Continuing to let his mind wander, Ichigo hadn't noticed he wasn't in the Human World anymore. It wasn't until he almost stepped over the ledge of a building before he realized where he was relocated. "What the...?" He gaped, taking a few quick steps back, looking around at his familiar Inner World.

"Glad you could give me company again." Ichigo turned around quickly, the echo of Hichigo's voice making him shiver in excitement. "I've begun to miss your presence."

"What do you want?" Ichigo mumbled, sticking his hand in his pocket, dropping his book bag on the ground beside him. "I was kinda busy going home." The Hollow shrugged, sauntering towards him.

"I just wanted to see you again. You've eluded me for a whole week. Not hearin' from you for so long worried me you know."

"Is that right?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "You never worried about my long absences before. What makes it different this time?" Closing the distance up to a few inches, Hichigo couldn't help but let a sly smile graze his face.

"I was hoping you could show me a kiss again. I seem to have forgotten."

END