A/N: Forever bitter about Ichiruki. They were meant to be together. I don't care what anyone says—I especially don't about care what Kubo says.

This takes place after the defeat of Yhwach and before the 10 year time skip.

PART I

After Ichigo came out of the shower, he stepped into his room to find Karin sitting cross-legged on his bed. Without even looking up, she said, "You like Rukia, don't you?"

Surprised by this intrusion of his personal space, he pointed at her and sputtered, "Who said you could come in here?!"

"Will you calm down? It's not like I'm going through your stuff—and I wouldn't want to—so just answer the question."

Ichigo couldn't believe this. He expected this kind of ambush from his father, but certainly not from Karin. She usually didn't confront him unless she was doing it for Yuzu's sake. What exactly did Karin want? Scowling, he took the towel hanging over his neck and absent-mindedly began to dry his hair with it.

"Of course I like Rukia—she's my friend," he said sharply.

"Oh come on. Don't play dumb. You know that's not what I'm asking."

He paused, then yanked the towel off his head. "Rukia is a good friend of mine. End of story. Now get out of my room before I make you get out," he said as his shook the towel at her.

Sighing, Karin hopped off his bed and started to leave. "Whatever. Even Yuzu asked about your relationship with Rukia, and you know that she has a sixth sense for this kind of stuff." Ichigo ignored this remark, but as Karin approached the doorway, she quickly said, "By the way, Rukia is here. In Karakura."

Before he could ask any questions, she sped off down the hallway. "Hey!" he called after her. A low grunt of exasperation escaped his throat when she didn't respond. He tossed the towel onto his computer chair and collapsed onto his bed.

Rukia was in Karakura?

Karin must have sensed Rukia's presence before Ichigo then. He knew that his younger sister's spiritual powers were getting stronger, but he didn't realize just how strong they had grown to be. Why was Karin suddenly being so cryptic anyway? Her question had caught him completely off guard. It was uncharacteristic of Karin to be concerned about his love life of all things.

Ichigo shook his head. He didn't have time to dwell on this. He was more curious about why Rukia was suddenly visiting Karakura again. A year had passed since they defeated Yhwach, and Rukia hadn't visited even once. Although he knew that Rukia was extremely busy due to the damage Yhwach had wreaked on the Soul Society, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit disappointed by her year-long absence.

Sometimes—only sometimes—Ichigo missed Rukia, but he wouldn't admit to something so lame out loud.

That night, Ichigo had trouble sleeping. His head was flooded with too many questions. Once he recalled how Rukia used to sleep in his closet, he couldn't stop thinking about how hard it was for him during those times.

In the very beginning, he was mostly paranoid that his family would find out and deem him some kind of sadistic pervert. The second time around, though, when Rukia convinced his family to let her stay at their place, Ichigo had to put up with her insistence on sneaking into his closet to sleep (in spite of the bed they had set up for her). She claimed that she had gotten used to his closet, and it was the only place where she could get a good night's rest. He could only roll his eyes at this.

The first time she did it, he was woken up by her muffled scream in the dead of the night.

Ichigo shot up from his bed when he realized that the sound had come from his closet. Clumsily making his way toward the sliding door, he forcefully pried it open and found a heaving, frightened figure sitting upright on the makeshift bed. It only took a second for him to register the familiar face.

"Rukia?" He looked down at her hands. "Are you okay?" Tiny, pale fists clutched the sheets. He had never seen her look so scared before (and that scared him).

She shook her head violently, as though she was trying to shed the memory of her nightmare by force. When she finally faced him, she looked a bit embarrassed. "I-It's nothing."

In any other circumstance, he would've yelled at her for going into his closet without permission, but how could he do that when she looked so upset?

"Okay, it's time to get out. Come on," Ichigo said as he tugged at her sleeve. Surprisingly, Rukia didn't protest, and she climbed out obediently. He followed behind her as she left his room.

Once she realized this, she stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo didn't move an inch. "I'm just going to make some tea." He paused before speaking again. "In fact, you should be the one to make it for me because you disturbed my sleep."

"Wha—I'm not your servant!"

"Let me remind you that you'rethe one who's freeloading."

Rukia sucked in a breath and reluctantly made her way to the kitchen. When Ichigo turned on the lights, he could see Rukia's face more clearly. He noticed that her eyes were wet and red. She immediately looked away and reached for the kettle. Ichigo, with the advantage of his height, grabbed the kettle before she could. She shot him a confused look.

"It's fine. Just sit down. I'll make the tea."

Rukia opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. "I really don't get you sometimes." With that, she propped herself up on the countertop next to Ichigo. After a couple moments of silence as Ichigo steeped the tea leaves, Rukia finally spoke. "Aren't you going to ask me about…earlier?"

"I'll listen if you tell me, but I won't ask," he said simply. The faint clink of glass filled the air as he grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. He poured the steaming liquid and handed a cup to her.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Another minute passed without any words exchanged. She held the warm mug close to her chest. "I had…a recurring dream. I used to get it more often, but it still creeps up on me sometimes."

Ichigo glanced at her. She was staring at her tea intently, refusing to meet his eyes. Ichigo knew that there was only one thing that could make Rukia look so solemn. "…Was it about Kaien by any chance?" he asked softly.

Startled, Rukia finally faced him. "How did you—"

"Just a lucky guess."

"Uh-huh."

Ichigo scratched the back of his neck. "Kukaku told me what happened. I don't know the details though." He took a sip from his mug, wondering if he should have brought this up at all.

"Yes. It was about Kaien," she said curtly.

Ichigo hesitated before speaking again. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her feelings. He tightly gripped the handle of his mug. After collecting his thoughts, he finally said, "There's nothing I can say to convince you that it wasn't your fault, but you should know that no one blames you." Rukia resumed staring at her drink. "I…I have an idea of what it's like to feel guilty and helpless," he adds almost reluctantly.

Rukia put her mug down and met his gaze. "I know." Because she was sitting on the countertop, their eyes were perfectly aligned.

Taken aback by her sudden, intense expression, Ichigo spoke quickly. "Do I really look like Kaien? That's what everyone has been telling me anyway," he coughed out.

After briefly inspecting his face, she responded. "Yes…and no."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Rukia let out a small laugh. "You two are so different, I can't possibly compare you guys."

"Hm, whatever." Ichigo downed the rest of his drink.

"But if you must know, Kaien was much kinder, more handsome, and—"

"This is the last time I'm ever making tea for you," Ichigo interrupted her teasing tone. He was mildly annoyed, but he was mostly relieved that Rukia seemed like herself again. He rinsed his mug in the sink and put it away. "Also, we should probably get some sleep. It's late." He began to feel drowsy from the tea.

Rukia hopped off the countertop but she didn't follow him. "I'm going to finish my drink, so you can go to bed first." She motioned for him to leave. When he didn't move, she put on a cheery voice to say, "Don't worry, I'm not going to sleep in your closet tonight so relax."

Ichigo gave her a warning look, but he didn't say anything. He would deal with her closet-sneaking habits another time. Right as he took a couple steps forward, Rukia piped up again. "Hey Ichigo?"

"Yeah?" He turned around and saw her fidgeting with the mug.

She exhaled, then tried to muster up a smile. "Thanks."

With a slight nod, he said goodnight to her.

When Ichigo returned to his room, he checked the time and saw that it was already three in the morning. Groaning, he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over his head. He was definitely going to feel tired at school tomorrow.

Even though he was able to fall asleep right away, he also woke up much earlier than the time set on his alarm. He groggily rubbed his eyes and blinked awake. Judging from the deep, blue light filtering through his blinds, he guessed that the sun was just starting to rise.

When Ichigo tried to shift into a more comfortable position, he widened his eyes at the sight of inky black hair spilling across his pillow. Looking down, he saw Rukia's forehead pressed against his shoulder. The weight he felt on his chest turned out to be her arm. Ichigo immediately held his breath.

So this was what she meant when she said she wasn't going to sleep in his closet. Sly little brat.

He turned onto his side and gently brushed away the piece of hair that stuck to her lips. Was this really the fierce soldier who fought hollows head-on in the battlefield? Rukia's sleeping expression was soft and almost sweet—he could hardly believe that this was the same person who'd violently kick his shins every chance she got.

Ichigo extended his hand, then hesitated, then extended it again. There was something unreal about this experience, and he thought that if he touched her, she might disappear. Of course, her arm was comfortably resting on him, so the rational part of his brain knew that she wasn't a figment of his imagination. He froze when she mumbled something incoherent and pressed closer against his body. He had always teased Rukia for being small, but having her tucked into him like this made it that much more apparent.

Her warmth radiated against his skin.

Come on Rukia, give me a break. I'm still a guy after all, he thought to himself restlessly. He was painfully aware of how thin her cotton camisole felt.

Fighting against all temptation, he shifted again to face the ceiling. He wondered what Rukia thought right before she climbed into his bed. Did she have another nightmare? Or was she trying to spite him for not letting her sleep in his closet? He wasn't sure if he even had the courage to ask her once she was conscious.

"Ichigo…" she suddenly whispered.

He almost bit his tongue when he heard her say his name like that.

She continued, "You fool…"

Instinctively, he rolled his eyes when he realized that she was still fast asleep. Just what kind of dream was she having?! "You're the fool," he started to say. "Crawling into my bed like this…"

As if she heard him speak, Rukia's eyes blinked open. Ichigo didn't move a muscle as she stared right at him. Her gaze felt like an icicle against his chest—something that could freeze his heart and threaten it to splinter. Was she going to hit him for being so close? He tried to focus on anything but her parted lips.

Seconds passed, but she remained still and silent. Eventually, she closed her eyes again and softly began to snore. Did she really wake up just now? He couldn't tell.

Carefully, he turned over and scooted to the edge of his bed. He didn't trust himself to stay entangled like that. For now, he tried his best to drift back to sleep.

When he woke up again, the space beside him was rumpled but empty. Rukia was already downstairs having breakfast with his family. When he got ready to leave, she didn't say a word about what happened that morning, so he didn't either.

Although she continued to sneak into his closet during the rest of her stay, she never climbed into his bed again, nor did she address it. After a while, even Ichigo began to question if it really happened. He eventually decided that Rukia must've been particularly vulnerable that night, and that was her way of seeking comfort.

He would not allow himself to think anything more of it.

Now, after Ichigo finally had the entire room to himself again, he thought that he'd be a happier man. No more rude awakenings in which Rukia scared the living shit out of him by coming in through the window. He could get a good night's rest without worrying about the beep of her hollow tracker.

He was supposed to feel happy about reclaiming his space, but all he could think about was how his room suddenly seemed too big for one person.

Sooooo can we just highlight the fact that Rukia WANTED to sleep in Ichigo's closet when she returned to investigate the Arrancar? She seemed so disappointed when Ichigo's father set up her bed in Yuzu and Karin's room lol :')

That's the end of the first part! Please leave a review with your thoughts! :)

On another note, did anyone read Kubo's new one-shot Burn the Witch? I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, and I wonder if he'll continue to expand it.