Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Star Wars, their respective characters, or anything pertaining to them. Except my Star Wars action figures, posters, music, sheet music, movies, video game, books, radio screenplay, x-wing paper origami model that I made a few days ago, and... yeah, you get the idea.

Author's Note:

Hello! So, I'm relatively new to the world of Bleach, but I really admire how well developed and convoluted the story and characters are, and love some of the things writers on FanFiction have done with them, and wanted to explore this for myself. I'm also new to fanfiction writing, so please assist me with any suggestions (including ideas for future chapters!) / corrections that you think will help this to improve. However, I've only caught up to about season 7 or 8, so please don't tell me what happens after! :) Reviews are dearly, extremely appreciated and will make my day; you have no idea. Thanks for reading!

~ the Kat

"Ichigo! Oi, Ichigo! Why aren't you listening to me?"

Kurosaki Ichigo turned his desk chair around to face the diminutive female sitting on his floor, surrounded by the magazines she constantly littered it with. "Yes, Rukia?" he responded patiently.

"So, Ichigo, I've been thinking."

"That's new. Could be dangerous. Heh, but it's better than hearing she's been drawing," he muttered under his breath. Not quietly enough though; fortunately, he already knew that. That's why he managed to duck in time when one of those girly magazines decided quite suddenly to attempt an impromptu nose job on his face.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is serious. I've been thinking about what else I need to learn about modern human life before I return to make my report to the Thirteenth Division in Sereitei!"

"Ah, I see. So, little girl, what other top-secret information do you need on the highly endangered species of the mortal teenager?"

The small girl frowned at the lanky carrot-top, but decided to let his sarcasm slide for once. "Well, I've learned all about behavior at school – how to dress, what to say, how to eat, what you study – but I still don't know all that much about your lives outside of school. There must be some way to quickly learn about what normal human adolescents do in their free time. You, know, I just love those words – free time – it's ironic, because we have so much more time in the Soul Society, in terms of lifespan, but really, I don't know if any of us in the Sereitei ever think of it as free. I know Nii-sama doesn't. Everything at the proper time, in its place, all for a purpose – if he ever were to give a speech about what's important, I think he would start off like that –"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Byakuya can think whatever he wants," Ichigo interrupted her rambling. Honestly, he didn't really like to hear that much about the differences between the mortal world and the Soul Society. It just forced him to appreciate the difference between the two realms he was now permanently caught up in, but never could belong to fully any more. It hurt inside, a little bit, and he didn't see any need to remind himself of it unnecessarily. "Well then, what plan exactly did you have in mind to solve this perplexing riddle of teens' free time?"

Rukia gazed at him expectantly. "I don't know – that's why I'm asking you. What did you do before you became a substitute Shinigami? What do your friends do? I know Kiego always bothers you to go do things with him – what kind of things does he expect to do with you?"

Ichigo sighed, then rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "Um, just normal stuff – playing video games. Going to the movies. If there's a mixed group, then walking around and maybe shopping, though I and most other boys would try to avoid that."

Rukia tilted her head to one side, a long strand of black hair sliding to the side of her nose as she did so. She impatiently blew at it. When it settled back in the exact same location, she just ignored it and continued carefully considering Ichigo's information. "Hmmm… well, I've seen adolescents walking around aimlessly often enough. I've been shopping with Orihime and Tatsuki, and I've certainly noticed how you, Ishida, Sado and the others suddenly have far too much homework or other commitments to come along with us when that happens. So I think I've researched that enough. The other two, movies and videogames – what about those? I don't think I'm familiar with them."

"I can show you videogames if you want. We have some around the house," Ichigo responded helpfully. "I can show you mine, and Karin and Yuzu can show you what girls like. Though, really, girls like the stuff I used to play, or at least, Tatsuki did when we were younger."

Rukia nodded firmly. "Okay, that will work. But that still leaves movies. I know I've heard of them, and I've seen television every once in a while, and they always sounded somewhat similar. They aren't the same thing, are they?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, not the ones you go to with friends. You all buy tickets to go into this big building with lots of dark rooms with big screens, and they show different films in different ones. You sit in there in these seats, and sometimes eat candy and popcorn while you watch the movies. New ones, generally; afterwards, you can buy them and watch them on the TV. I guess our family aren't really big TV or movie watchers; at least, not when I'm around anymore."

Rukia felt a faint twinge of regret; she knew that Ichigo's family must have felt like something invisible was pulling him further and further away from them as soon as she had stepped through his window that fateful night of their meeting. They must want to spend time talking or doing things with him when they had the chance now, not just sitting in front of some light-throwing box. Hopefully, time would reverse that distance between Ichigo and his family, but in the meantime, she wanted to ignore that guilty feeling and concentrate on the task at hand. "Well, could you recommend any for me to go see? Or do you think I could get the same experience by seeing an old one of yours on your television set? I don't want to spend money on something unnecessary."

Ichigo smirked to himself, remembering the Chappy notebook and pen set that Rukia had bought just yesterday, but didn't say anything out loud about that; let Rukia think he was approving of her thrifty ways. "Um, well, I don't know of any good new movies out now; I haven't really been keeping up with that sort of stuff. I think that you'd get a good enough idea of what going to the movies is like by staying here and watching some classic. I'd say Star Wars; that's my favorite, even though it's a foreign one. But you all have probably already seen that; it's pretty old now."

Rukia shook her head emphatically. "Nooo-oooo. I've never even heard of that. What's Star Wars about? Would I like it? And how can stars fight anyway?"

Ichigo's jaw dropped. "Never heard of Star Wars! Aw man! You all don't know what you're missing! It's the best series ever! I can't believe you never even heard of it. And no, the stars don't fight – people who live on different planets fight, some to rule them over everyone else, and some to protect their freedom. But it's also the story of one particular family, and how they actually shaped the whole war, while trying to protect and save each other… No, I'm not explaining it well at all. It's amazing. It's probably the best thing to come out on screen ever, which is especially amazing for a movie made in the seventies."

Rukia suddenly looked hesitant. "The nineteen-seventies, you say?"

"Yeah; why?"

Rukia nodded slowly to herself. "Ah, that explains it. All members of missions to the real world during the seventies and eighties were warned against bringing back elements of the popular culture."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What for?"

Rukia leaned forward conspiratorially. "You remember Kyouraku Shunsui Taicho?"

"The pink kimono guy. Yeah, I remember him."

"Yes, the pink kimono. That is why."

Ichigo thought he understood now. "Did Kyouraku-san get that flowery thing at Woodstock or something?"

"No, he's had it for a very long time, but Yamamoto Soutaicho didn't want anything else flowery to appear. Like a psychedelic daisy – painted love bug."

"Whoa, wait, you know what a psychedelic daisy is but you don't know Star Wars? What is wrong with you?"

Rukia sniffed. "I get information from what sources I can. Right now, it's these old magazines of Yuzu's. And they inform me that psychedelic daisies are poised to make a comeback from the seventies, like love bugs already have, but they did not say anything about Star Wars."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that. Yamamoto won't have a problem with Star Wars; no psychedelic daisies in there. So, there are six movies, about two hours each, and you have to watch them all, because the sixth one is the best and you have to watch them in order – I've always wanted to find out what someone thinks who watches them for the first time in order – and –"

"Hey, hey! Wait, no! No, that won't work!" Rukia tried to interrupt Ichigo's rhapsodizing near the middle, but gradually increased her volume until he finally acknowledged her presence again. "I have to return to Sereitei the day after tomorrow, and I still have homework tonight and school tomorrow. I'll never be able to watch twelve hours worth of movies by then, unless I stay up really late, and I don't want to keep your family up with the light and noise. Do you have anything else shorter that I can see?"

But now, Ichigo was adamant. He might scoff at her and her captain's efforts to rationalize and classify the habits of mortals, but this was something he was passionate about, and as with all good obsessions, it was something he wanted to share with everyone he cared about. "No, there isn't anything else nearly as good – you'll just have to borrow my copy. I assume that you all have TV somewhere, right? Or could you hook up that communication screen – thingy that you use with a real world DVD or VCR player?"

"Yes, I suppose so – if not, I'm sure the Twelfth Division would be able to put something together to do that." Suddenly, Rukia looked like someone had flipped on a light switch inside her face. "I know – I'll have a movie watching party! I'll invite everyone in the division so they can learn about adolescent habits through experience without even leaving Sereitei! It'll be so educational but fun; Ukitake Taicho will love it! I bet he'll bring snacks for everyone, just like in the movies here! And I could ask Nii-sama to come too, and he could bring Renji, and maybe Hinamori-san would like to come; she seems so down all the time, I'd like to ask her at least. Oh, and if she comes, maybe she'll convince Hitsugaya Taicho to come, and Matsumoto fukutaicho would come too! And if Matsumoto-san comes, then probably Kira fukutaicho and Hisagi fukutaicho would end up coming, hopefully without too much sake; if they bring any at all though, Kyouraku Taicho will come, but he'd probably come anyway if Ukitake Taicho is involved at all. And then Nanao-fukutaicho would drop in to look for Kyouraku Taicho to sign forms; she might let the other officers of the Shinigami Women's Association, Nemu fukutaicho and Yachiru fukutaicho, know about the movie once she finds out. Oh, but if Yachiru comes, then Kenpachi Taicho will definitely show up sometime, and then so will Ikkaku-san and Yumichika-san, and probably the rest of squad eleven as well. And Kurotsuchi Taicho might come by to get Nemu –"

"Yes, well, you'll have quite a party on your hands then, won't you? Heh, Kurotsuchi watching Star Wars! I don't know if that would even be safe," Ichigo wondered. He hoped he hadn't made an unwise decision in offering to loan his favorite DVDs to Rukia. He knew that when too many Shinigami gathered together, things had a way of becoming destroyed spectacularly and speedily. At least, that was the way it always was when he was around. Actually, he'd have to amend that thought; when there was only one Shinigami from eleventh squad, or even half of one if you counted Yachiru (she was way too small and fast for her own good), things might be destroyed even faster. Well, he had already insisted that Rukia watch Star Wars; he just would have to wait and see what chaos would come of it.

Rukia snapped out of her reverie and turned back to Ichigo. "If you're so worried, why don't you come and watch it with us? It will be on the weekend; you can keep an eye on your precious movies, and see that no harm comes to them. It will be okay if you can't though; I promise to replace them if anything happens."

Ichigo quickly took advantage of the opportunity. "Sure, I'll try to come. No promises though." Inside however, he was planning on it. He knew his father would be busy with a conference, Karin and Yuzu had a sleepover party at a friend's house, and in all actuality, it would take a great deal to keep Ichigo away from a chance to see Star Wars with other people again.