"Rukia…hey, Rukia, wake up!"
"Ng…I-Ichigo!" she said, recoiling under her blanket.
"Easy, I'm just checking on you. You were shouting in your sleep." I explained my hands in the air.
"I…was?" she asked with confusion. "Sorry…I didn't mean to."
"You were yelling at someone, I think. What were you dreaming about?"
"I really don't know, I can't remember." She said, sitting up and rubbing her eye.
I sighed. "Well, do me a favor, will you? Keep it down!"
XXXX
Rukia had been asleep for a few hours now, but she kept talking as if she was still awake. It confused the hell out of me. Her last outburst happened about two hours ago, but I couldn't get back to sleep.
"Ichigo, look out behind you!"
I jumped from my bed in a panic. "What? Why! What's happening?...Rukia?"
I looked at her, and sure enough, she was yelling at me in her sleep…again.
"Damn you…" I said, pinching the bridge of my noise. "Yelling at me in your sleep? I ought to yell back just to be a jerk!"
"You're okay! Thank goodness, I was so worried!"
"Huh?" I said. "What the hell is she dreaming about?"
Suddenly, I got an idea, one that could be considered cruel to some people. If she was dreaming about me, maybe, just maybe, if I were to talk to her while she's still asleep, I could mess with her dream. Who knows, it could get interesting.
"I'm fine, nothing to worry about. That purple walrus is one tough guy." I said, trying to keep a straight face.
"You can see him, too?" she said to me lazily.
"Yeah, he's right over there by the chocolate covered walnut tree. He stole your pink penguin plushie from you, that's why we're fighting, right?"
Rukia nodded her head at me. "Are you sure you're okay? You're bleeding."
"I'm alright, I promise."
"Good, because I don't want you to die." She whispered.
I fell silent, raising an eyebrow, not really sure what to say. "I don't want me to die either…?" I said with uncertainty.
Rukia giggled, "That's what I love most about you, Ichigo. You're such an idiot…"
"Tch…hey!" I said through clenched teeth.
"Relax, I wouldn't pick on you if I didn't like you."
I felt my face warm up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means what it means." She said.
My eye twitched. "Quit talking in riddles!"
"Heh heh…classic adorable Ichigo…" she said, rolling onto her side.
Adorable Ichigo? What she loves most about me? I swallowed, a dry lump forming in my throat. I wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that, but I had an idea. But did I really want to know the truth?
"Uh…Rukia?" I said softly to her.
"Ichigo, can I ask you something?" she said suddenly.
"Yeah, sure."
"Just how much do you care about me?"
"I-what?" I asked, caught completely off guard.
"How much do you care about me?" she repeated.
I sighed. "More than I probably should…"
"Do you love me?"
I flinched. "Huh?"
"Are you deaf? I asked if you loved me."
"I…I don't know." I replied shyly, my face getting warmer.
"Because I think I love you." She said.
"You…you do?"
"Mhm."
She loved me? But…how? I stared at her, she looked so helpless when she was asleep, almost angelic. I sighed, this was wrong. I manipulated her into telling me something like that, and I didn't even mean to.
"I just wanted you to know," she said softly to me, slipping into a deep sleep.
I smiled at her and reached out, placing my hand on her shoulder. I shook her gently in an attempt to wake her up.
"Hey…Rukia. Come on, wake up."
"Huh? I-Ichigo!" she said, sitting herself up slowly.
"Hey there,"
"What's going on? Is everything alright? Is there a hol-"
I cut her off by softly pressing my lips on hers. I pulled back after a few seconds, not wanting to make it twice as awkward by lingering too long.
"What…was that?" she said, her cheeks turning a deep red color.
"I do believe it's called a kiss."
"I know that, but what was it for?"
"I wanted to do it," I said nervously.
She stared at me for a second, her face expressing utter confusion. "I don't understand…"
"Let's just say you talk a lot in your sleep."
Her eyes widened. "What did I tell you?"
"Only that you're in love with me." I said with a half smile.
"Oh…Ichigo, I-"
"Now that you're awake, I want to know the truth."
"About the love thing?" Rukia yawned.
"Yeah, that."
"Well…I suppose it's true." She said with a nervous smile.
"I thought so," I said.
We both fell silent, tension building slightly between the two of us. Neither one of us knew what to say in response to such a confession. I now knew the truth: Rukia was in love with me, and now, she was waiting for me to say something.
"I understand if you don't feel the same way, Ichigo." She said suddenly.
"Rukia, it's not that I don't feel the same way, it's more like I'm not sure. I feel something for you, and it's incredibly powerful, but I'm not sure if it's love just yet." I confessed.
"So what do we do then?" she asked.
"I say we stay together. I want you to stay with me until I fall in love with you."
"That's selfish!" she said with a weird expression.
"No, wait, that came out wrong!" I said.
She laughed softly. "I think I understand what you mean, Ichigo. Although, you really could have worded that better."
"I…I'm sorry." I said, slightly embarrassed.
"How about we talk more about this in the morning?" she suggested.
"Yeah, good idea." I said with relief. "But, before I go…" I leaned forward and placed a gentile kiss on her cheek.
"Goodnight," I whispered in her ear.
"Goodnight, Ichigo." She said sweetly, her cheeks going red once more.