Silence engulfed her world inside the small room of the Kurosaki twins. Rukia didn't feel comfortable. As ungrateful as she felt, she just didn't like the mattress beneath her. Not that it wasn't comfy! It was just that she was more used to the hard shelf beneath her, covered with a thick blanket of cotton. The small space that comforted her. More over, the closeness of the one she cared for. Deeply.

Looks like it's going to be another sleepless night…she thought as she tossed and turned in her bed, labeled Rukia-chan.

Rukia idly lay on the grass in the park, watching the sunset. She ran ahead of Ichigo when school ended and ignored him the whole way when he was chasing after her and yelling at her to stop. But it seems he had caught up. She could hear panting and she could feel the vibration in the soft grass of Ichigo's thundering steps.

"Idiot. The hell are you doing?" he grunted. Rukia shrugged.

"I felt like running. There a problem?" Rukia retorted calmly. Ichigo sighed in frustration and dropped himself beside her. Rukia wondered what that feeling was like. Being ticklish. All the girls at her school screamed and giggled when they were poked or what they called, 'tickled.' Rukia, grown up in 78th district, Rukongai, didn't know that feeling. She felt pain, is what she told the girls. They gave her a funny look. Then, they all charged at her and started to tickle and poke her. She didn't laugh at all and told them to "Please get off me. It's starting to hurt."

"Ichigo…" Rukia began.

"Hm?" he grunted. He currently had his eyes closed, his hands linked behind his head, legs stretched out.

"Are you by any chance, ticklish?" she asked.

"…" His eyebrows furrowed further. A light pink tint graced his cheeks. Rukia pouted in confusion as she sat up.

"Why is everyone ticklish?"

"I'M NOT!" he yelled, he sat up, glaring down at the small girl. A smile graced her face.

"Then we can play the game I played with Renji and the others?" she asked, excited. Ichigo looked at her lazily, and TOTALLY uninterested.

"What?"

"It's a game Renji and I invented. It's where you have to write a kidou (spell) on the person's back and they have to guess which incantation it is! We used it in the academy to practice!" Ichigo's face dropped.

"News flash, I don't know kidou." Rukia pouted. Then her face lit up again.

"Then we'll do drawings!"

"NO!" Ichigo was tired from running after the midget. He was NOT in the mood to tolerate Rukia's complaining and scribbles of rabbits and bears on his back. Rukia pouted. After lying down in the grass for a second, Rukia sprang back up.

"I'm BORED!"

"Do SOMETHING!" he yelled. She started to write random things on his back. He paid no attention when she asked, 'did you get that?' or, 'do I have to do it again?'

In fact, he was actually enjoying it. The sensation of her soft, dainty fingers lightly tracing words on his back. She gave up on asking him what she wrote after 15 sentences and 67 words so then she just did them on her own will. Ichigo just let his eyes stay closed while the petite girl behind him curled her legs up to her chin, one arm wrapped around them, the other daintily writing on his back.

Before she knew it, she accidentally wrote what never should have come out. Her panicked heartbeat calmed down. He wasn't paying attention anyway. He wouldn't know the forbidden words that came out of her finger.

Trained as a Kuchiki, lived as a Kuchiki. Learnt to never let useless emotions get in the way. Rukia despised herself the day she found out. The day she had seen his blood pour out for her, nearly got killed for her, felt his reiatsu (spirit pressure) drop, all thanks to her. Rukia blushed as she pondered on the thought. She really hadn't expected Ichigo to turn around with an arrogant but sweet smile on his face. She really didn't expect him to return the forbidden feelings. She really didn't expect the sudden words that left his lips:

"I Love You Too."

Truth was, Ichigo never missed a word or sentence. Not one. He actually paid attention to the words scribbled on his back. And when she wrote those 3 words, he didn't hesitate in replying.

Maybe this game wasn't so bad after all.

I don't own Bleach, or that little I love you thing. I got it off a bebo skin

As I lay there in your arms, I drew the letters...

I love you

on your back, thinking you weren't paying any attention

Then you looked at me and said...

I love you too