A/N: Another 100 Theme Challenge entry! That's probably all you'll get outta me for a long time! ^^;; But, anyway. This is Bleach, which is a first for me. I guess it's AU, but it could be canon if you really wanted it to be. I don't really like Rukia's dream sequence, but it's a first for me to write these characters. Please read and review!

Warnings: OOC-ness, sexual reference.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters affiliated with it. They belong to Tite Kubo-sensei.

#32 - Night

The night was beautiful. Stars flecked the sky by the millions, blinking with each wish that was made upon them. The full moon was shining brightly enough to eliminate the need for porch lights, but not so bright that it was about to ruin any mood. The boy was laying on a blanket with his hands behind his head, staring up at the stars above, his bright orange hair ruffled. The girl's head was resting on his chest, splaying her black hair all over his white shirt. She was cuddled against his side, her eyes closed, her breathing even. The boy looked down at her as she shifted slightly, smiling a small smile at the top of her head.

She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, he thought. She shifted again, bringing her arm up to wrap snugly around his torso. She let out a small squeak in her sleep before she murmured something.

"Ichigo," she breathed. He looked down at her, surprise in his brown eyes. "Ichigo. Ichigo. Ichigo." She repeated his name over and over, getting more and more frantic in her cries.

"ICHIGO!" She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide and terrified, looking from side to side. Ichigo sat up, too, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. He began a methodical rubbing of her shoulders, hoping to soothe her taut muscles.

"Rukia, Rukia," he said with what he hoped was a soothing note in his voice. "I'm right here."

She looking from side to side again. He felt her breathing slow as she leaned into the hug and her tense muscles seemed to relax.

"What was that?" he asked after a moment. He kept rubbing her shoulders, though.

Rukia was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground and bringing her knees up to her chest, ignoring the fact that she was wearing her school uniform, meaning she was wearing a skirt. Ichigo didn't even notice, and neither did she.

"Nothing," she murmured after a short time. "Just a dream." Her voice contradicted her words. This was not, in fact, nothing.

"What kind of dream?" Ichigo asked quietly. Rukia just kept looking at the ground. She reached out a hand and began to twirl a piece of grass around her finger until it pulled free of its root, then moved on to another blade.

"A scary one." She was still staring down, not moving except for her whirling finger.

"You want to tell me about it?" Ichigo stopped his rubbing of her shoulders. She shivered as he lifted his hands, and he smiled and resumed his massage. Rukia shook her head in response to his question.

"Come on," he said, real pleading in his voice. "You can't do that to me. Now I've got to know, or I'll think it's something much worse than it really is." The brunette chuckled lightly and turned toward Ichigo. She placed a hand on his chest and pushed, forcing him to lay back down. She settled into a position with her head on his chest and her legs stretched out so far that her shins were resting in the grass. Ichigo chuckled.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but don't laugh." She was laying on her stomach, which enabled her to bury her face in his chest almost completely.

"Never," he promised. She sighed.

"I was dreaming about bunnies when all of a sudden the picture changed, and you were laying on floor. There was blood all around, and your eyes were staring at me, so blank." Her voice cracked. "There was a man standing over you, looking down at you and laughing." She paused and swallowed. "I tried to get to you, but I couldn't run, because my legs wouldn't move, so I started to scream. And then the man stepped forward and grabbed your head...and...and..." She stuffed her face fully down into the crook of his neck, muffling her words. Ichigo wasn't sure that he wanted to hear what she was saying, so instead he just raised a hand and started to rub her back soothingly.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's okay, though. It was just a dream. I'm right here, and I'm fine, and we're together." He reached the hand that wasn't rubbing her back down to grip her chin. He lifted her head up to see a wet streak coming down from one eye. "Isn't that all that matters? That we can be here together?" Rukia looked at him for a moment, her eyes softening and her lip jutting out. Before Ichigo knew it she was crying all out, her inhibitions (small though they were) cast aside.

Ichigo chuckled and continued to rub her back until she brought her sobs under control. When he stopped his ministrations she sighed, and he felt her move off of him. He closed his eyes, expecting her to lay down next to him and fall asleep. But almost instantly when he felt her warm lips on his own, his eyes snapped open.

She was on her knees, bent over with one hand reaching around to grip the back of his head as they kissed. Ichigo felt sense leave him as he sat up, never breaking the kiss, and wrapped his arms around her.

Ah, what a wonderful night.

A/N: Yeah, that went EXACTLY where you think it did. Hence the sexual reference warning at the top. Please read and review!