Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki has always wanted to make it as a hot shot rock star. After having a fallout with a certain someone, he's been having trouble finding the right inspiration to captivate ones heart. The pressure is building, and his band mates aren't making it any easier! One night, he meets a feisty woman with violet eyes and raven hair. She may have become his new muse, but if you're only meeting this person in your dreams.. does that make them real?

A/N: It's been forever since I've written anything, so hopefully this won't turn to poop.. .;;.. As much as I would wish to do so, I do not own Bleach, nor do I own the song lyrics in this fan fiction… Enjoy ^.^

-Edit-: So just read about copyright infringement related to song lyrics. I'm going back over my chapters and editing out the songs, HOWEVER, I will still suggest certain songs in specific locations in the chapter where they were originally supposed to be while still providing the name of the band/artist and more than likely mentioning RIGHT next to it ALONG with a top/bottom a/n so nobody freaks. That way if anyone whose like me and enjoys listening to songs while reading (especially ones that fit the story) then they can go look it up themselves. I love these songs and the only reason why I wanted to incorporate them specifically was to add what I thought was worth sharing; as in I'd like to share the same vibes these artists gave me while still crediting them and possibly even earning new fans for said artist. In turn it is giving credit where credit is due and then some... just in the same way I'm writing a fanfiction about two of my favorite Bleach characters (which is why I'm completely confused about the hypocritical situation, but I do understand that it's a legal matter in which I will comply with because I love this site- but am still very butt hurt over the situation because this completely ruins my plan for this story almost 100 fold). Because titles of the songs are omited from this rule, I will NOT be changing the titles to my stories- as they are the titles of the songs I based my chapters on. I still don't own them anymore than I did 10 minutes ago and making them my titles won't make it any different. Anyway... sorry for the negative rant. On with the show~ Enjoy

Eyes were clenched tightly, as he struggled to find the right notes to hit on his black cherry Gibson guitar. Nothing this man tried to play seemed to strike the right key in his heart. It felt so hollow.. empty... His inspiration was lacking something he couldn't quite put his finger on, and it was beginning to get frustrating. He was fairly built, tall, a light tan from being outside so often, but what really stood out was his short, bright orange, hair that naturally stood up in all directions.

Come on, Ichigo, focus! D? No-no.. G! God damnit.. E!

Each chord that crossed his mind processed sloppily onto the fret of his guitar. It almost sounded like a wounded animal with how disheveled his fingers connected with each string. The longer he tried, the more agitated he became. Needless to say, he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

Surrounding Ichigo on his small, hand-crafted, make-shift stage were his band mates.

A tall, pale thin man with short black hair had a turquoise and white tiger stripped Les Paul slung over his shoulders and held to the side of his body. He seemed fed up with the lack of progress Ichigo was making and kept shaking his head, pushing his ever-tilting glasses up; almost as if it were a reflex every time he felt some twinge of emotion. A much taller, heavily built man stood next to him with a bright yellow bass. He was tanned a deep brown, his hair an even darker shade. His short, wavy hair was just long enough to cover one of his eyes. It seemed like he was more of a statue with how still he was, but just from the subtle features you could make out, it was obvious he was just as upset as the rest.

Giving out a sigh and a twitch of a brow, the paler one decided to speak up. "Ichigo, you've been at it for nearly an hour... I don't mind having band practice, but I came because I thought you said you had an idea for a song." Almost as if he were trapped in his own world, Ichigo continued to strike horrible notes on his guitar, eyes still clenched shut. Letting out another exasperated sigh, he tried again. "Ichigo!" … Still nothing but notes.

"Forget it, Uryu. He's gone.."

The pale man turned his head to the pineapple-haired red head behind the large black drums. A white headband covered most of the tribal tattoo markings on his forehead and over his eyebrows. He was slouching in a short stool with his head propped on one of his hands, his other hand tapping lazily at one of the symbols with a worn out drumstick. Another eyebrow twitch came from Uryu.

"Well, I don't plan on standing here all day just for him to come up with a song. Let alone a single chord!" He thought he had exaggerated it, but Uryuu swore he heard someone snoring away in the corner. That's when it caught his eye, and he turned his head to see their female keyboardist and synthesizer leaning back in her chair, legs propped up on her instrument. Apparently the short haired woman found it a good idea to listen to music on her mp3 player and fall asleep, while everyone else waited patiently for the orange haired man to come up with something at least resembling a melody. Uryuu slapped his forehead hard. He couldn't believe how disastrous this band session was turning out to be! Facing back to the drummer, he pointed his finger at the woman, "Tatsuki's even sleeping during rehearsal! This isn't what I had in mind when we decided to get together as a group.. I recall us dreaming of being on an ACTUAL stage! Standing in front of millions of people, SCREAMING out our bands name! Maybe a few individuals crying out some of our own names." he added with a slight smirk.

The red head just leaned back in his seat, rolling his eyes. "Well, if you can do something with that," he pointed with his drumstick towards the orange haired man struggling to make out distinct notes, "then we will be on an actual stage in front of millions, crying out my name." With that, he crossed his arms and grinned, satisfied by his last statement. Uryuu couldn't help but roll his eyes at how egotistical their drummer was at times. "Renji, you know that's easier said than done… I hate to admit it, but Ichigo is our best song writer. Why he's having writers block, I can only imagine it's because Senn-" before he could finish saying the name, the taller man beside him put a hand on his shoulder. Uryu turned his head to see what was wrong. "Chad, you know it's tru-" The muscular mans grip tightened even more. He stared at Uryu as if he were supposed to know exactly what he was trying to express. Seeing as how he couldn't understand the gestures, Chad nudged his head in Ichigo's direction. It was then Uryu noticed the room was silent. Turning his head, he looked at Ichigo, wondering why he had stopped playing. It was then he had noticed his composure and what he was saying was out of line.

Ichigo's expression was blank. He stood motionless, as if he were lost in time. It was only in his eyes that you could see the turmoil of emotions plaguing his very thoughts. Sadness, rage, happiness, jealousy, every single bit of human emotion that existed on the face of the earth could be seen within his fierce, amber eyes. Uryu suddenly felt a wave of guilt. He had gotten too caught up with his own predicament, he forgot the one taboo to avoid when around his friend.

"Ichigo.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... It's just that.." "We're done for the day. Go home." Having said that, Ichigo didn't bother to turn to his band mates. No trace of remorse for being so cold to one of the few that's known him for a good portion of his life. He turned off his amp, unplugged his guitar, and put it in its rightful place on the stand next to the speaker. Hopping off the small stage, he walked towards his garage door and opened it, standing in the entrance, waiting for everyone to depart.

Uryu hung his head down in defeat, putting away his instrument in its case. Chad followed suit knowing that saying anything wasn't going to make the situation any better than it already was. They both left without a word, leaving Renji, Tatsuki, and Ichigo. Renji turned his head towards Tatsuki, waiting to see if she had noticed the sour change of predicament. She was still oblivious, snoozing away while music blasted into her ears. That's when he played a very obnoxious cadence loud enough for her to hear. Startled, she leaped up from her slumber to see what was going on. Her brown eyes connected with deep red ones. She glared and yanked the ear buds out. "What the hell was that for, Abarai?" Renji rolled his eyes and stood up. He turned to pick up his things, heading towards the exit. Without turning to face her, he spoke, "We're going. Band session is over." He kept walking until he was halfway down the driveway, then stopped, waiting for her to walk with him. Tatsuki glanced around, seeing everyone was gone. She was about to speak, but then Ichigo caught her eye. His disposition said it all, and with that, she gathered her things. Catching up with Renji, they finally departed. She gave him a look to ask what had happened, but he merely shrugged, keeping his silence.

With a heavy sigh, Ichigo finally turned and closed the garage door. He stood in front of the stage, examining all the instruments and equipment still sitting on it. Why was it so hard to write these days? He had just came up with a song that very day and called his friends to come over and figure out all the parts needed. Once his friends arrived, however, the song seemed to fade away into the very recesses of his mind. Almost as if it had never existed to begin with. Looking at the ground, Ichigo knew exactly why he was having so much trouble writing. Senna… He pushed the thought away as he headed through the door leading into his actual house. It was already getting late. The sun had set, and Ichigo felt worn out regardless of how inactive he had been all day.

Once he finally reached his bedroom, he stripped himself of all clothing, save for his forest green pinstriped boxers. Falling back into his large bed, he stared up at the ceiling. He never noticed how empty his house was without her.. The way her smile seemed to light up his world when all else failed. The way her laughter.. No. She had betrayed him, and the best thing he could ever do was forget about her. Things weren't meant to be like this. He was twenty-one years old, and by now, according to his standards, he and his band should already be out there giving out autographs to die-hard fans! Instead, he's become a starved artist, living from pay check to pay check in a small, hollow house. His cable was recently cut off due to late payments, and the next on the list was his phone, electricity, water, and the house itself. His father had made offers to help Ichigo out, but his pride kept him from doing so. This was his life. He wanted.. no, needed to do it for himself. If not, then he would never make it on his own with how cruel the world was. Not to mention how embarrassing it would be if he were thirty-five and still getting help from dear ole dad. No.. he can pull it off. All Ichigo needed was some sort of inspiration.. A muse of some kind. With that last thought, sleep finally overtook his tired frame.

Raindrops felt like ice hitting his face while it seemed to pour from out of nowhere. In the middle of a desolate town he lay without a care in the world. His pinstriped leather jacket had a detachable hood made of cotton, but it was useless at this point. Not that the easily soakable material was going to do much good in the first place.. His body was drenched to the bone. His mind continued to play a song over and over, which he had written years ago; a time when he was still in school, before he and his friends got together to make the band, and before he met.. her. The soft piano part mimicking the rain matched perfectly with each drop he could hear hitting near his still form. While staring up at the cloudy sky, he began to sing in hopes of making his world seem less empty.

(Song I don't own: "Tell Me What the Rain Knows" Composed: Yoko Kanno/Singer: Maaya Sakamoto)

A woman's voice could be heard from above his head. Its owners footsteps coming closer towards where he was lying.

Short, jet black hair with deep violet eyes was hanging over him, a pink umbrella in the owners hand. It helped keep the cold water from stinging his seemingly numb face. His heart felt like it had skipped a beat because of how angelic her features were. Her voice was just as perfect and it fit well with his own masculine one. A warmness began to fill his core while the woman bending down smiled sweetly at him. He took notice of her silence, and decided he should sing the next line.

Her smile widened, as she found it appropriate to finish the heart stilling lamentation of his words with him. Just the sound of the two singing together made it seem like a perfect fit. Anyone else would only break the harmonious balance.

For a moment, there was silence. Even the rain ceased to fall from the skies. They were analyzing each other, trying to take in who or what this person really was. Seeing this woman with him, Ichigo could feel his heart sing. Everything about her presence felt right and he could tell by her expression that she seemed to be feeling the same way. After what seemed like hours, the woman finally spoke.

"I was passing by, and I heard your song. I've seen it before.."

Ichigo, perplexed by her meaning, smiled.

"Don't you mean heard?"

She shook her head lightly, taking this opportunity to stand up straight. Looking off into the distance, she spoke in a low voice.

"No.. I said what I meant. It's.. hard to explain."

He raised an eyebrow, inclining his head towards her.

"How is it possible to see someone else's song? I know I wrote it a while ago, but I can guarantee that there isn't any other like it. Trust me, I have copy rights."

He grinned at his last statement. She merely shrugged and stated matter-of-factly,

"Like I said, it's not easy to explain. It's just.. something you have to see for yourself. If you were like me and not one of the star-gazers, you would know."

He didn't quite understand what her words meant, but he decided to let it go, seeing how she wasn't wanting to explain such complications. Although, he couldn't help but ask at least one more question about it.

"Star-gazers?"

"You know.. an idealist.. a visionary.. The usual term is "dreamer," but after hearing it so many times, I've found it to be quite dull.. Wouldn't you agree?"

The raven haired woman began to walk away down the street, almost like their meeting had never come to pass. Ichigo, not wanting her to just up and leave the way she was, hopped onto his feet. "Wait!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. His arm was stretched out as if he wanted to pull her back towards him. The thought of this woman leaving just after he met her tugged at his chest, but he couldn't figure out why it pained him so much to see her go. Her entirety, to him, didn't match up to the women he's met in his life. Something about her was different.. And it was definitely not something he disliked about her.

Surprised by his actions, she slowly turned, facing him. "Yes?" A lump began to form in his throat. Words were becoming a distant memory the longer he gazed at this woman's form. Her short white skirted dress seemed to fit her just right. And the fact that it, as well has her boots matched her umbrella was just cute. Wait.. Cute? Since when did something such as cute ever register in his mind? A small coughing noise broke his train of thought, as the woman waited patiently for him to speak. That's when Ichigo made the worst mistake possible. The one thing he could manage to get out of his mouth.

".. short."

Her eyes narrowed into deathly daggers. The grip on her umbrella began to tighten, and a menacing aura radiated from her petite form.

"What did you call me..?"

Ichigo, realizing his mistake, began to cross his arms about wildly, trying to emphasize how far off from what he meant to say.

"No, no, no, no! That didn't come out right!"

"Oh, but I'm quite sure that it did!" She pointed her index finger with an accusing gesture.

"You're one to talk for someone who has a strawberry head like that!"

Feeling a twitch of anger pulsing through his temple, his palms were now clenched into fists. There was no possible way she was getting away with a comment like that, no one did!

"Hey, I can always dye my hair if I wanted to, but at least I'm not always gonna be a short midget like you!"

Having said that, she closed the gap she had built between them. Ichigo merely gave her a ".. the hell are you gonna do, shorty?" face. She couldn't stand his smug look, nor could she stand giving him the satisfaction of having the last word. That's when she closed her umbrella, and with both hands, shoved the blunt end into his gut. Ichigo's hands immediately flew to his stomach where she had hit him. He tried to take in oxygen to help alleviate the pain, but apparently she was much stronger than she looked.

How the hell does someone her size manage to knock the air out of me?

The woman didn't want to give him another chance to speak. She quickly turned around, and began walking at a brisk pace. Ichigo managed to turn his head up to see her fleeting form. No way in hell was he going to let her get away that easily! Gathering his composure, he started to walk at a fast pace. Seeing as how his legs were much longer than hers, it didn't take but a moment for him to catch up. She saw this and glared, but chose to ignore him. It was obvious he still wanted to talk, but there was no way in hell she was going to give him the satisfaction. Ichigo couldn't help but grin at her with how huffed her appearance became. He was finally having fun for the first time in months! Why, with such an oddly brought about predicament, he had no idea! But if it worked, then by god, it worked!

Deciding to go about their "conversation" a different way, he took a deep breath to calm his brash state of being. He didn't turn to look at her, but merely kept his head up and facing forward.

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

The woman turned her head to look at him with a puzzled expression. He didn't break his composure. Instead of doing what he honestly wanted to do, which was to stare back into her dark violets with his amber ones, he kept his head straight forward.

"Excuse me?"

You heard me.. popped into his head, but if he wanted to keep this woman by his side, he decided it was best to keep comments like that to himself…. for now.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. That's my name.. What's yours?"

She looked unsure for a moment. Her gaze dropped from his face to the ground. Should she really give her name away to someone she had just met? Not to mention to someone who had called her a midget!

Although, he does seem like he's trying to be more caring and less foolish with his actions.. Finally coming to a decision, the woman abruptly turned her head to face him once again. A confident smile was placed well across her face.

"Rukia Kuchiki."

Ichigo finally took the opportunity to turn his head and look into her violet eyes that seemed to always make his heart skip every time he looked into them. They both stopped walking simultaneously and faced the other.

"Beautiful…" was all he said to the woman before everything began to fade into darkness.

The morning sun permeated through the window and directly onto Ichigo's still sleeping form. Laying on his stomach, his legs were sprawled out, while his arms were clutching the pillow his head was resting on. He noticed the burning sensation of bright orange piercing through his eyelids, and turned his head in the opposite direction. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He stared at his wall for a while, trying to recall what he was dreaming about. A small smile appeared on his face. The thought of dark raven hair and violet eyes appeared in his mind. He felt his heart give another jolt of happiness. Was it just the sun beaming down on him that seemed to warm him from the inside out, or was it…

"Rukia Kuchiki…"

Getting up out of his bed, He sat down in the black leather chair next to it in the corner of the room. An acoustic guitar was propped up against it. Ichigo picked it up gingerly, the smile still etched into his face as well as the image of his newfound inspiration. Regardless of being in nothing but his boxers, he leaned back comfortably with his instrument in hand. Closing his eyes, he began picking at the stings with his fingers. This time instead of white noise, a simple, yet heartfelt melody streamed from his guitar. Remembering Rukia leaning over him, her figure shielding his face from the rain and her features that were ethereal.. and her voice.. heavenly… He finally found the right words to harmonize with his guitar.

(Song I don't own: "Black Hole Sun" Band: Soundgarden/Singer: Chris Cornell)

He stopped for a moment. The thought just dawned on him and he couldn't hold it in anymore. Tossing his head back, he laughed full heartedly. After all these months of nothing but gloom and depression.. After all this time of not being able to come up with a single thing to play or sing, he conjures up some make-believe woman, perfect beyond compare. Well.. Except for maybe her height.. he thought But still! And suddenly, he can make music with ease!

"Rukia Kuchiki.."

The name itself left a sweet taste on the tip of his tongue.

"Heh… I believe I've found my muse."

Little did Ichigo Kurosaki know, the raven haired woman was relieved beyond belief he had awoken from his sleep before he could see the deep, red blush that had crept onto Rukia's face. At that moment, she looked up to watch the sky and buildings fade away as well. Ichigo had left, therefore the dream he had conjured up must also part. She smiled as she walked down the streets of a city that seemed to fade into darkness.

"Ichigo… Kurosaki…"

She couldn't understand why, out of everyone she has met within the dreaming, this one particular person stood out the most. Lowering her head, she stopped and placed a hand over her heart.

"I suppose this means we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other.."

And with that last remark, she disappeared in a flash before the last bit of town was engulfed in the darkness.