Of Thank you and Hating Rain.

By: Kyrii-chan

Rukia took a deep breath.

She buried her face into the warm blankets that Ichigo had laid out for her that night, shivering as the cold air seeped through the closet door.

The smell of the fresh rain on the pavement startled her as the drumming became clearer, loud and disturbing.

She frowned.

Normal people would find the rain soothing, calming their senses with their soft drumming, a lullaby for those restless nights that some people found tossing and turning.

Yeah well she's not exactly what you would call a normal human… she was dead and she was supposed to be a hardened shinigami, trained to fight monstrous hollows that threaten the innocent souls.

Yet the rain brought back painful memories… memories of her admired vice captain coming back fresh and vivid…

She shook her head silently, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that had started to creep in her mind.

Sitting up, she blinked her amethyst eyes in the dark when a rustle came from outside.

Ichigo understood… he hated the rain… just like her.

Silently pushing off the quilt, she pushed open the closet door and sighed when Ichigo's slim form and bright spikes were outlined as a shadow with the dim gray light from outside.

He turned and she saw his amber brown eyes in the dark, shining with equally painful memories that haunted her as the bloody rain fell.

She clumsily jumped down from her warm closet.

"Ichigo…"

She heard herself murmur in a voice that sounded like she hadn't used it for days.

The cold reached her petite form through the soft cotton pajamas but she ignored it, stubbornly making her way toward the teenaged shinigami.

Her small hands reached out to barely grasp his big ones as he looked down at her, his eyes blank and saddened with self inflicting guilt, not recognizing her for a moment before amethyst met amber brown.

She gave him a smile as his eyes lightened of their cloudy haze, his free hand running through his bright orange spikes.

"Can I sleep with you tonight…?"

She asked, aware of the deep blush that covered her face.

"I mean… it's really cold in the closet and it's warmer out here than in there… when is your father going to get proper heating, I mean, winter is coming and do you know how cold-"

The nervous babbling stopped when Ichigo's hand landed on her head, the owner ruffling her hair with a small chuckle.

"Sure… midget"

He smirked when he took his other arm from her grasps earning a deeper blush from Rukia.

Standing, her stood up and walked to her closet, taking the pillow and the blanket he had given her earlier.

The petite girl squeaked when she was bombarded with the soft blankets, a quiet laugh from Ichigo making her send a glare his way.

"Oh ha ha, very funny carrot top!"

She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but her eyes glowed with bright amusement.

Ichigo read her bright eyes quickly before ending his laughter with a smirk, walking to lie down on the bed, getting under the covers and turning his back to her.

Rukia frowned.

What was she supposed to do now?

Sighing, she squeaked again when fingers curled around her arm, pulling her down to lie on the bed.

Layers of blankets soon covered her along with a protective arm around her waist, she was sure that her face was glowing in the dark because of the stupid blush.

"Ichigo…?"

She questioned after a bit of listening to the blasted tapping of the stupid rain.

"Hmm…? What midget…?"

Came his sleepy reply.

The petite shinigami curled up against the teen, burying her face to breathe in his warm scent.

He stiffened before relaxing and pulling her closer, lowering his head to burry his face in her silky raven hair.

She was his only beacon through this stupid storm and he'll take whatever risks for this chance, which could very well be a weird dream.

"Thank you"

Came her pretty voice through the silence in the room.

He paused.

Listening to the raindrops angrily drum against the dark house.

A smile overcame his lips.

"No… I should be thanking you Rukia…"

His reply made her smile as she curled up closer to him and slowly fall into a deep slumber.

"Rukia…"

Came Ichigo's quiet voice.

The petite shinigami blinked sleepily and yawned her answer.

"What is it Ichigo…?"

She yawned, burying her face into his warm flannel shirt.

"I'll always hate the rain…"

He mumbled with a sigh.

Rukia's eyes opened once again as she nodded.

"Because of your mother…?"

She asked with a knowing tone, surprised a second later when Ichigo sleepily chuckled.

"Yeah… but mostly because the damn noise is keeping me up…!"

Rukia blinked, expecting this matter to be a touchy subject.

She smiled with a roll of her eyes.

"I'll talk to the rain cloud tomorrow and ask if they can make a quiet rain for the grumpy strawberry"

A giggle followed suit.

The so-called strawberry rolled his eyes in response, ruffling her hair with a small sleepy smile.

"Finally!… I can finally get some sleep next time it rains!… Thank you!"

He grinned as his eyes slowly closed, falling asleep to the sound of Rukia's laughter.

Fin.

(AN: Okay! First one-shot! How did it go? I don't know?!

Please click on the purple button and review!

Personally I think I did well… but who knows I could be totally horrible!

Tell me so I can go sulk in my personal emo corner XD)