A/N – I'm stuck in this time frame, sorry!
Very minor spoilers through Ch. 198.
Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach or any of the characters, I just let them have a little more fun than they normally get!
Powerless
It had started innocently enough; she hated sleeping in the crowded room down the hall. Most nights she simply endured, but occasionally, once the girls were asleep she crept back to her closet to finish the night. If Yuzu and Karin noticed, they never mentioned it and Ichigo also accepted this without comment.
It had been one of those nights. After drifting back to sleep in her closet, she had awoken from a nightmare; heart racing, every sense on alert, panic threatening to break through. Blanket clutched tightly under her chin, Rukia quickly scanned the room for the source of her fear. When it wasn't anywhere to be found, she moved her gaze to the bed across the room. She hadn't been expecting to see Ichigo propped up on one elbow peering curiously at her.
"Oy, what is it – hollow?" he queried, running his hand through his bright hair, mentally preparing himself to jump out of his warm bed. She shook her head in the negative.
He blinked to clear his vision and took in her appearance: fists clenching the blanket so hard that her tiny fingers were turning white and her eyes, larger than normal, still filled with apprehension.
"What, then? Have a nightmare or something?"
"N-n-no," she sputtered as she frowned at him, "that's just stupid."
Her denial was less than convincing – he could see her eyes were still wide and she continued to glance around the room, as if expecting something to jump out at any minute. He shook his head and sighed resignedly, "C'mere, baka."
Her head snapped up, a faint pink tint on both her cheeks, "huh?"
"You'll obviously never get back to sleep like that. You look like you're going to have a heart attack or something." He raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what she would do.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her pillow and softly padded across the short distance to his bed. Small as she was, he knew she wouldn't take up a lot of space, but he still inched over a little to make room. She crawled under the soft quilt and set her pillow next to his, somewhat ill at ease but comforted nonetheless. Her breathing steadied as she inhaled his familiar scent.
Her slight form continued to tremble next to him, her body giving off waves of heat with each shudder. Ichigo pondered the first girl to share his bed and smirked. Not quite what he would have pictured a year ago, but many things had changed recently. Now it just felt right.
He had already been lying on his side when Rukia had settled in, also on her side with her back towards him. They were only inches away from each other and Ichigo gave a silent prayer that his body wouldn't betray him.
"So, um, do you wanna tell me about it?" he queried to the back of her head.
"No," she whispered. She couldn't possibly reveal that the source of her terror was an all too realistic dream involving his bloody, lifeless body and her inability to do anything to save him. Just his presence and closeness had already helped the horrifying images to fade. Even the tremors had subsided. "Ichigo…" she began.
"Hn?"
She turned over, now facing him, "Arigatō, Ichigo."
Somewhat startled by her sincere thanks, he managed, "uh, don't worry about it." He turned to lie on his back. "Besides, we can't all outgrow bad dreams at age five," he teased.
He was rewarded with a swift smack on the head and a soft, "Baka." Next to him, Rukia snuggled deep into her pillow and almost imperceptibly closer to him.
But Ichigo noticed.
And suddenly realized what a dangerous game they were playing. He leaned over, intending to pull the disheveled comforter all the way up, when she suddenly lifted her head with a question in mind, "Oy, Ichi-"
She had inadvertently placed her face directly under his. A full blush stained her cheeks as bright blue eyes met golden brown. Her question forgotten she remained frozen; various scenes from the manga she frequently read flitting through her head. Of two people… pressing their lips together… As if hypnotized, she closed the small distance between them, feeling his breath mingle with hers but not yet making contact.
Ichigo took in her sleep-rumpled hair, still-blushing cheeks and her silly chappy pajamas, on which the top button had somehow come undone. Closing his eyes, he attempted to fight what she stirred in him. He might be able to stand his own against all manner of hollow and powerful Shinigami captains, but he was powerless against her.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and finished what she had begun, capturing her mouth with his. She let out a surprised noise at first, but quickly caught on to this new game and returned the kiss with fervor. One of her hands traveled up his chest, around the back of his neck and tangled in his wild hair. He skimmed the soft skin at her waist, marveling at how good she felt. Their kiss deepened and he shifted his mouth, demanding access to hers. She easily complied, allowing her tongue to meet his, tasting and exploring each other.
Both had lost track of time when they finally broke apart. It was now Ichigo with the crimson-stained cheeks, completely at a loss. Nightmares utterly forgotten, Rukia grinned at him, "That was fun – we should do that again sometime!"
Ichigo could have laughed if it hadn't been so absurd. He shook his head and settled back in, blood still pounding through his body.
Now infinitely more at ease, Rukia snuggled next to him, sleep already close at hand. He just shook his head again and smirked.
Oh, we will.