TITLE: No Rest For The Wicked
PAIRING: Ichigo and Orihime
RATING: T
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kubo-sensei's bleach.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another short one that I had written way back, when I actually had motivation ha-ha. (Some of you may have already seen this, I'm not sure~) Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading, you lovely people! ((:

_.

Silence filled the small apartment, all the lights turned off except the kitchen light that had been left on for some unknown reason. There was the soft sound of wind blowing from the box fan that sat against the wall, turned slightly so it could circulate air against the sleeping couple that was oblivious to their surroundings while they slept in each others' arms.

The boy slept on his back, his mouth wide open as a snore escaped him, his eyebrow twitching as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist a bit tighter. His other arm lay limp, his fingertips brushing against the plush carpet, swaying ever so sightly at times.

A few orange bangs fell in front of closed eyes, his hair in a disarray due to his sleeping position. He seemed not to care as he murmured something about "no more ingredients" before becoming silent again. His chest was bare, hidden underneath a girl's sleeping face and gorgeous, long hair. He still was wearing the lower part of his hakama, though it was hanging dangerously low – probably due to the fact that his girlfriend had moved around when they had fallen asleep; thus making the fabric pull downwards.

His big toe twitched unexpectedly before staying still, one of his feet hanging over the small sofa's armrest, while the other rested against the floor, his foot leaning sideways. Another loud snore was suddenly heard as the girl moved a bit, rubbing her cheek against the middle of his chest.

Lips pulling out in a pout, she moved her arm across the edge of the couch before it fell off, hanging along with his. She let out a snort as she hiked her small butt in the air, obviously still asleep and not realizing what she was doing. Her honey-colored hair spilled down her back and shoulders, the tresses falling against his chest and her furniture.

They laid like that for who knew how long, both basking in each others' warm presence. They were both exceptionally worn out; due to the fact of him having late hollow calls and her staying up late for him because she couldn't sleep with the worry that settled over her as he fought to protect the innocent.

A loud ringing sound immediately went off, destroying the peace that was once there. It made brown eyes snap open as he sat up quickly, forgetting that there was someone on top of him. A groan came from the sleeping form and he let out a swear as he laid back down, feeling regret that he had almost woke her up. She was just as tired as he was – even though he was the one fighting evil, she was the one always healing his injuries when he returned.

Sliding his hand up her back, he kept it there as he looked down at the ground, eyes darting left to right tiredly as if searching for something. The ringing became louder as he swore mentally while moving his hand underneath the sofa, trying to find that blasted thing. Another groan came from Orihime as she was moved and he felt his throat tighten as her lips brushed against his warm skin.

Feeling something cold hit his fingertips, he grabbed it quickly before pulling it up to see that it was not an alarm clock going off but his shinigami badge. He suddenly felt irritation crash against him as he pressed a button on the back side with his thumb, stopping the loud sound from coming out.

'How long have I been asleep?'The shinigami representative wondered as he looked across the room at the digital clock that held the time in blaring red numbers.

3:03 A.M.

"God dammit," Ichigo cursed as he closed his eyes before opening them back up and blinking furiously. He had only been asleep for an hour since the last hollow had tried attacking his hometown. Now, he was going to have to get back up and do it all over again. "I'm going to make sure that this hollow doesn't get a choice to go to hell," he grumbled as he glanced down at the angel in his arms.

Her lips were puckered out, the side bangs of her hair brushing against her flushed cheeks as she murmured incoherent things in her sleep. Her eyes were closed, eyelashes brushing against her cheek bones and it made him smile softly at the way she looked. Even in her sleep, she was still just as gorgeous.

Not wanting to wake her, Ichigo didn't know what to do. There was no way in hell that he could just get up and lay her down on the couch. She would either wake up or cling to him like she did every time when he tried to wake her up. Like right now, her arms were wrapped securely around him and he didn't know how the hell he was going to get out without disturbing her sweet slumber.

"...Kurosaki-kun?"

Opening his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them, Ichigo looked down at her to see that her eyes were slightly open as she tried to wake up.

"Hey..." he responded softly as he raised one of his hands to her shoulder. "Sorry... Didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay..." she mumbled as she rested her cheek against his chest, closing her eyes once more. "I'm sorry... Kurosaki-kun..."

"For?" he asked, wanting so bad to just fall back asleep with her in his arms like he had been for the last hour.

"The missiles... They didn't make it."

"Eh?" he asked, blinking in confusion as she shook her head slowly.

"Missile...launchers..." she mumbled, once more and it made him sigh as he leaned back against the pillow that she had given to him before they had laid down, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Yeah, yeah..." he replied, knowing that her dreams weren't normal ones. They dealt with robots, missile launchers, demonic rabbits and little blue men that liked to tie her down and tickle her feet.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo sat up a bit, wincing as he heard a whine come from the healer. He let her head roll against his shoulder as his hand went up to her upper back, holding her in place. Sliding his leg over the couch, he felt the cold material of the carpet touch both of his feet as his other arm went slowly underneath her knees, holding her bridal style as she remained lost to what was going on around her.

Yawning, Ichigo stood up slowly, throwing her fragile body up a bit so he could situate his hands before catching her with ease a second later. Turning around, he laid her sleeping form on the couch, just where he had been moments before. Pulling his arms away from her, he watched with amusement as she curled herself into a ball, burying her cheek in the pillow, his head had been resting on while a comfortable smile covered her lips. The black tank top that she was wearing and that belonged to him, fit loosely on her as it revealed the side of her breast. It stopped right before her bottom that was in nothing but a pair of pink and blue striped panties.

He felt a blush crawl across his cheeks before he quickly picked up his badge from the floor that he had unknowingly dropped before grabbing the kisode, pulling it over his shoulders. Tucking it in his hakama, he grabbed the white hakama-himo and tied it tightly around his waist.

Glancing around for a moment, he couldn't remember where he had laid his zanpaktou. He had come in, removed his upper clothing and sword before gathering Orihime in his arms and falling asleep. He had been too exhausted to even think about having to get up again and now he was too tired to even remember what his movements had been before falling into a deep sleep with her.

"Kurosaki-kun... your zanpaktou is by the window..." Orihime whispered and he looked down at her, thinking she would have her eyes opened but they were shut – meaning that she was still half asleep.

Walking across the apartment, Ichigo spotted the wrapped Zangetsu leaning against the window and he grabbed it with ease, placing it on his back where it belonged. Knowing that he had to hurry before a hollow started rampage, he knelt down in front of Orihime, placing his hand on her forearm before kissing her softly on her forehead.

"I'll be right back," he promised in a soft whisper before pulling away. He ran across the complex before opening the window and leaping out, landing gracefully against the concrete before running into the night.

Opening a pair of stormy gray eyes, a smile flitted across her lips as she sat up, looking out the window at the moonlit sky.

"Stay safe, Kurosaki-kun..."