Disclaimer
Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump. This is mearly a fan work, meant to entertain others.
While Bleach may take place in Japan, the fact of the matter is that this is an English work. As such, I shall use the translations used by Viz Media in order to be consistent, instead of trying to sound like I want to be Japanese.
Reviews would be appreciated.
Chapter 1: A Restless Night
Things had been quiet.
That was a good thing as far as the Rukia was concerned. No hollows to fight meant that she, Ichigo, her fellow soul reapers and all the other spiritually aware people in Karakura Town were able to relax and focus on things other then the survival and protection of spirits and living humans in the area.
Yet the fact that it had been quiet was the very thing that made her on edge. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't focus on her schoolwork any more then usual. Those around her notice that she was usually fiddling with something in her pocket. They would be right, of course. Rukia expected, at any moment, for her Soul Page to go off.
After another hour of laying in the dark, cramped closet she sighed and tried to close her eyes. Activity was just unusually low, it wasn't as if this didn't occasionally happen. Hollows only had a finite population, and were only stirred to depart from their world when something truly earth shattering was happening in their minds. That tended to range from orders to the prospect of a delicious human soul.
Rukia sighed. She tried to close her eyes, but they wouldn't quite make it all the way. Sleep was restless, only providing a means to pass the time. After about another hour, she looked down at her soul page and found it to be three o'clock in the morning. She decided that she might as start the day, carefully taking off her borrowed pajamas and putting on her dubiously acquired school uniform.
Ichigo was sleeping quite peacefully for most of the night, actually being able to catch some rest. But the fact of the matter was that it was about six o'clock, which meant that Ichigo began to stir. At six thirty, he was somewhat cognizant, able to think about things a bit more clearly then dream them. He wouldn't get up, though. That would be a victory for his father, and Ichigo did not want the eccentric to have an excuse to attack him even earlier in the morning.
Ichigo couldn't help but to thing about how peaceful things have been. The lull in hollow activity meant that he could focus on things that he actually wanted or needed to do in the real world. Such as studying and preparing for college. While not fun, he did not intend on becoming an academic loser. He could finally get the sleep he needed, instead of having to spend every night going out in search of a soul that needed to pass on or a hollow that needed to be taken care of.
He would hang out with his friends occasionally. Dispite how annoying Keigo could be, or how much of a perverted playboy Mizurio was, their friendship did mean a great deal to him. He still like Chad and Orohime all right, and he could even count of Uryu to be a friend despite how much the two may mutual loathe one another. However, those three were spiritually aware. He could share his problems with them, but he did need a break from talks about hollows and soul society.
Besides, he could usually count on Rukia to be on her best behavior when they was out in public. The diminutive little soul reaper could act like a spoiled brat when they were alone with each other, beating him for some offense or another. He normally didn't mind, as he would much rather take a kick in the shins to a lecture. Unfortunately, Rukia would somehow find a way to combine the two, which tended to be rather unpleasant experience.
His thoughts were interrupted when the alarm clock rang out. He waited for about three seconds, before hearing those three words that he dreaded so much in the morning.
"GOOODDD MOOOORNINGGGGGGG, IIIIICHIIIIGOOOOO!"
His father came in with one of his standard attacks, a drop kick to the chest. Ichigo rolled to the side, his martial arts training taking over as he kicked his father's legs from under him, sending the elder Kurosaki crashing to the ground. "What's wrong with you, you demented freak?!" Ichigo yelled out.
"You are still as good as ever, son!" Isshin Kurosaki yelled back. "I gotta make sure that somebody keep you on your toes! How else can your dear, adorable sisters expect for someone to go and protect them when Daddy's busy at work?" tears began to run down his face as he then brought forth his worst nightmare, his two cute daughters being accosted by perverts.
"Whatever," said Ichigo in an irritated tone. "I'm going down for some breakfast. If you have anything useful to say, say it down there." Ichigo didn't even try to look for Rukia. Her spiritual pressure was missing from his closet, which probably meant that she was probably at Urahara's. He shrugged, going down to get some breakfast and go about the rest of his day.