I don't own Bleach but would defiantly would liked to have been the genius who came up with it!

Saturday Night Movie

Saturday night in the Kurosaki household and it was surprisingly quite. It wasn't yet 9 o'clock and Ichigo and Rukia were the only ones not in bed. Karin worn out from playing soccer all day hadn't made it through dinner, falling asleep waiting for dessert. Yuzu was also worn out from cooking and cleaning the entire house and didn't last much longer than Karin. Meanwhile Isshin had been called to four major accidents and had spent all day out of the clinic only coming back to restock his supplies before he was called out again. He had gone to bed soon after the girls, only making one tiny comment about leaving Ichigo and Rukia alone together.

They sat in front of the TV as the late night movie started. "… The following program is recommended for mature audiences only…'

'I guess that means that you can't watch it midget - oww!' Rukia had hit Ichigo over the head for his remark.

'Height has nothing to do with level of maturity. You're proof of that, strawberry,' she retorted. 0 to Ichigo, 1 to Rukia. The movie 'The Mummy' started.

Rukia spent the next two and a half hours, peeking over the top of a cushion. Something about the mummies greatly disturbed her. They didn't fit into the way of the world from her point of view. Souls were supposed to go to the Soul Society or Hell, not inhabit rotting corpses and chase after people. Even though Ichigo told her it was done by something called 'special effects' they still gave Rukia the chills. Added to this were the scarab beetles, which had Rukia squeeze her eyes shut when ever she knew that they were going to do something to an unfortunate character, like crawling around under the person's skin.

The credits started to move up the screen and Ichigo reached over a flicked the TV off. He stood, stretching out his arms over his head and walking over to the bottom of the stairs to go to bed.

'Oi Rukia,' he said noticing that she hadn't moved from her seat on the couch and was blankly looking at the TV.

'I'll leave you here in the dark if you don't shift you butt now,' he threatened lightly, his hand hovering over the light switch.

Rukia didn't say anything, which was unusual, but she jumped up and headed up the stairs to the bedrooms. Ichigo shrugged. Who knew what went on inside the head of the midget? Flicking off the light he followed her up stairs. She opened his door and went to go inside but Ichigo snagged the back of her jumper.

'Hey Rukia,' he hissed trying to not wake up anyone, 'Where are you going?'

'Where do you think baka? My bed of course.'

'But you have to sleep with Karin and Yuzu now remember? Or do I have to spell it out to you like a four year old, midget?' Jeez she should be use to this by now. Ichigo stood in front of her blocking the door way.

'But they're already asleep and I'll wake them up if I go in now. Anyway since when did you have a problem with me sleeping in your closet?' Rukia retorted , hands on hips.

Ichigo ignored the last question, 'But Rukia you can't sleep in the closet. What about old goat face?'

'I'll go back to Karin and Yuzu's room before they wake up so they won't know any different about where I've slept the night'

'But–'

'But what? Seriously Ichigo do you want to wake them up now?'

'Fine,' Ichigo gave in, 'but you have to be back in their bedroom before they wakeup otherwise old goat face…' Ichigo trailed off grimacing as he imagined what his dad would say if he saw Rukia was in his bedroom. Rukia ducked under his arm, throwing him her sickly sweet school girl smile as she did. She climbed into the closet and Ichigo listened, lying on his bed, to her arranging her bedding. Silence reigned supreme as Ichigo waited for sleep. Nothing looked or sounded different, yet knowing that Rukia was in his closet made the room feel different. Not strange, just different from the night before. It wasn't just his room that contained his bed, his desk and his bookshelf anymore. Her presence changed that. Ichigo didn't know how to explain it properly. For the past week it was like someone had moved something and put the room out of balance but he couldn't find what it was that they had moved so that he could change it back. Now everything was in place and it just felt right. His breathing slowing he drifted to sleep, his trade mark scowl smoothing from his worried brow.

Rukia listened through the door of the closet as Ichigo started to snore lightly. It wasn't like it was annoying per say it just affirmed that he was alive and sleeping on the other side of the door. A different noise reached her ears. Scuffling and the tiny rustling of wings alerted Rukia to a bug in her closet. She pulled out her phone, using the backlight of the screen to see. Shining it around, she found a huge cockroach making its way along the wall towards her head. Images of scarab beetles filled her mind and she hurriedly pulled open the door to step onto the bedroom floor.

'Ichigo, Ichigo,' Rukia's voice called him as her hand shook his shoulder. Sleepily he rolled over hand search his bedside table for his substitute badge.

'Ichigo,' Rukia said in an uneven voice, 'it's not that.' His hand stilled and he looked more closely at Rukia to find her still in her pyjamas, arms wrapped herself, standing next to his bed. Sighing in relief that he didn't have hollow duty Ichigo flicked on his bedside lamp and waited for an explanation. Rukia looked at the floor, 'Um there's a cockroach in my closet?'

'So what do you want me to do about it?' asked Ichigo annoyed that she had woken him up for something so trivial.

'Can't you get rid of it?' Ichigo was surprised that Rukia had asked him to do something so simple. Normally she would refuse any of his help wether she needed it or not. Something was not right.

'Ok but who are you and what have you done it Rukia?' he joked.

Thump 'Shut up Strawberry,'

Rukia was back. 'Just do something' she said now glaring at him.

'Ok ok. No need to hit me,' he muttered rubbing his head.

Picking up a shoe he walked over to the closet and looked inside. Sitting on the pillow was the intended target. Thump. No more cockroach. Rukia looking around Ichigo saw the mess on her pillow. Thump. 'You stupid strawberry. Now where am I going to sleep?' she hissed, as said berry rubbed his head again.

'Why can't you sleep here? Just turn your pillow over,'

'No!'

'Why not?'

'Because!' The berry head just didn't get the principle.

'Why?'

'Just because and if you don't understand I'm not going to bother to tell you.'

So now because of the limited sleeping spaces, Ichigo was sharing his already small bedspace with another person since the midget had refused to sleep in the closet and Karin's and Yuzu's room was already ruled out. Both of them were trying to keep as much distance as possible while staying under the blanket, backs facing each others. Each waited for the other to fall asleep. Minutes passed, then ten and finally Ichigo feel asleep with Rukia following shortly after to dreamland.

She looked around herself into the trees, her eyes catching glimpses of people as they wove in-between the trees. They moved as if using flash-step, slowing down in the spaces between steps long enough for Rukia to identify the person. Orange hair flashed in the deep shadows of the forest. Ichigo! Rukia spun around trying to keep track of him as he darted around her. Circling around and around her. Rukia spun faster as Ichigo increased his pace. At the same time other people flashed through the forest from tree to tree, disappearing then reappearing closer forming a circle. Faces partly obscured by the shadows flashed past as Rukia tried to keep Ichigo in her sight. Byakuya, Renji, Orihime, Uryuu, Chad and Ukitaki… Rukia steps faltered as she looked upon faces she hadn't seen for close to a century. Her three childhood friends from Rukongai that had died before she had even entered the Shimigami Academy. Ichigo vanished, one second he was passing a tree, the next he didn't come out the other side. Rukia spun around searching for his beacon like head of hair. She stopped as her brain registered the new edition to the group surrounding her. Kaien! Her brain screamed at her. She froze as she faced her old lieutenant. Blood dribbled from the side of his mouth as he reached a hand towards her. A ragged hole, bleed profusely from the middle of his chest. Rukia suddenly looked down to her arm feeling the trickle of warm liquid down her forearm. She stared at her zanpakto covered in blood as blood dripped from her wrist off her arm to the ground. Rukia felt frozen, detached as she tried to process what she was seeing. 'Rukia…' a laboured voice said calling her attention back to Kaien who shuffled towards her, his hand still reaching for her. 'Rukia...' he pleaded as his eyes changed from black to gleaming amber and his hair from black to orange. Ichigo stood in front of her, pleading for her to help him. Pain showed clearly in his eyes and something else, a desperate need to tell her something. He shuffled closer as the shadows flicked. His face started to sink into it's self, ageing at an impossible rate, his reaching hand wither and dried becoming claw like, the skin appeared to rot right before her eyes. His eyes bulged from their sockets and the skin of his right cheek gaped to reveal the very bones of his face. 'Rukia… Rukia…' came the rattling call from the animated corpse. Rukia screamed as his rotting hand brushed against her cheek.

Screaming she bolted upright and the scream died in her throat as she realised that she was no longer in the dream. Ichigo jerked awake by the noise, sat up looking for the source of it.

'Rukia?' Ichigo looked across to the small girl, as she sat hugging her knees to her chest, eyes clamped shut and head bowed. She felt as if she had just fought the hardest battle of her life. Exhaustion, aching muscles and emotional numbness consumed her.

'Rukia? Was it a bad dream?' The tiniest movement of her head answered yes. Her eyes opened and she looked at him through her bangs, out of the corner of her eye.

Ichigo reached out to her shoulder hesitant of how to comfort her. She flinched and he with drew his hand confused as to how he should act. Here was Rukia, one of the strongest people he knew, obviously frightened by what she had seen in her dream and he could do nothing to help her. He waited but she remained still and silent.

'Ok midget. Try to get back to sleep,' Ichigo said quietly, resigning to the fact that she didn't want his reassurance. He turned away to lay back down but a small tug on his shirt sleeve stoped him. He turned to face her. She knelt, her head still bowed, face covered by her bangs, arm outstretched with its fingers still griping his shirt.

'Ichigo … don't ask me about the dream. Promise me you won't tomorrow.' She whispered releasing her hold. Ichigo nodded.

'Thank you.' Rukia turned away and lay down, leaving Ichigo some what bewildered.

She was standing in the forest again and Kaien stood before her bleeding from the hole in his chest. No I know this a dream and any minute now I will wake up and I'll be in my bed. His hair and his eyes started to change until Ichigo stood before her.

'Rukia,' he said eyes burning. He coughed and blood dribbled from mouth. Reaching a hand out to her, he repeated her name 'Rukia.' She looked down to right hand but she wasn't confronted with the sight of her zanpakto stained with blood.

'Rukia,' Ichigo called again, weaker this time. Rukia looked back to him to see him fall forward on to his knees. Instinctively she reached out and caught him. Lowering him to the ground she placed his head in her lap.

'Ichigo,' Rukia whispered as she listened to his breath rattling through his chest.

'Rukia… I want to tell you …' His voice grew quieter and his breathing more laboured.

'No. Don't talk like that. You're not going to die,' she argued knowing what he was going to say. A tear escaped as she tried to lift him up so that he was sitting. She screwed her eyes shut trying to prevent the tears from flowing as she shook her head.

'No … no …no.' A hand brushed her cheek, wiping away a tear that had managed to escape.

'Rukia,'

'No you're not going to die!'

'Rukia,' Ichigo's voice sounded stronger, 'Rukia snap out of it.'

'No.' A pair of hands had hold of her arms.

'Rukia. You're awake. Open your eyes.' Her eyes flew open at the command and she immediately saw Ichigo leaning over her and felt him holding on to her arms.

She stared at him as he released his grip and sat back, looking down on her, his brow furrowed not in a scowl but with worry.

She didn't think about it, she just did it. Launching herself up, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Burying her head against his chest she allowed sobs to shake her body and tears to fall. Surprised by her reaction Ichigo had frozen, but when he heard her cry he warped his arms around her petite frame and held her against him, as her tears soaked through his shirt. Slowly the sobs subsided and Rukia became still.

'Rukia?' he ventured but he was met with silence. Her grip had relaxed and her breathing had slowed. Rukia was now deep in sleep, exhausted from the events of the night. Figuring that if he moved her now she would wake up, Ichigo awkwardly picked her up as he shuffled back to the top of the bed. Covering her as she rested against him, he hoped for her sake that she remembered in the morning. If she didn't, Ichigo's shins and head might take a beating like none before.

OK finished! I have to say that I enjoyed writing this immensely. Never having written a one-shot it's a little rough in some places from all of the info you have sort of squash into the story. This sort of came about from being stuck in a rut with my other story 'Sword and Fan'. I know the idea of scary nightmares is a bit cliché but I hope you like the spin I have put on it.

Please review and tell me what you think of it. Anything, anything at all about my story, even if it's something like, 'I liked it'. It doesn't matter. So push that little button and make my day!

SeraphinaDonna