I really shouldn't be starting anything new right now, but I just couldn't help myself!

Bad Dreams

The shoji door to a quiet bedroom was slid open, flooding the area with light from the hallway and revealing the form of a small child whose shadow stretched far across the floor. She stood in the doorway, a light green nightgown with a pink chappy face printed on the front(an item which had been her mother's idea, of course)flowing down and around her tiny body. One hand weakly clutched at a stuffed rabbit which hung at her side, while the other rubbed her eyes.

"Mama...papa..." squeaked the girl, tightening her grip on the toy. At the sound of her voice, Rukia's ears pricked up in her sleep, and the female shinigami slowly opened her eyes, having to squint them immediately due to the blinding light coming from the hallway.

"H...Hoshiko?" she asked, after making out that the silhouette in the doorway was her daughter's. Struggling slightly, Rukia used her arms to push herself into a sitting position, the blankets which were covering her torso falling to pool around her lap. "What's the matter?"

Immediately, the small girl darted to her mother's side, nearly dropping her bunny in the process as she practically ran into Rukia, clutching tightly at the woman's robes as trembled and shook. Rukia, who had almost been thrown to the ground while catching Hoshiko, petted the girl's head softly as she held her close.

"Hey, hey what happened?" asked Rukia, trying to keep her cool even at the sight of Hoshiko in this condition.

"There were monsters..." muttered Hoshiko, still clinging to her mother like a koala to a tree. Rukia's eyes softened, recognizing the source of her distress.

"You had a bad dream, didn't you?" The redheaded girl nodded, clutching herself closer to Rukia. For just a minute, the soul reaper flashed back to when she was a child in the Rukon, where the only solace a kid could get for a bad dream was either the reality of a cold, lonely night, or another miserable, orphaned child(though in their living conditions, bad dreams were the least of their problems.) She smiled slightly, glad that Hoshiko didn't have to endure the same.

"Are you saying that Usagi didn't protect you?" teased the raven-haired woman, referring to Hoshiko's stuffed bunny. Hoshiko raised her head from Rukia's chest, pouting slightly as she held the aptly named rabbit plushie in front of her.

"Usagi was scared too!" she explained. "That's why I took him with me!" Rukia chuckled, amused at her daughter's innocence and imagination.

"Well, it's alright now," assured Rukia. "You and Usagi are here with me and papa." As if on cue, Renji let out a rather loud snore and shifted in his sleep, causing both mother and daughter to giggle in amusement.

"Speaking of papa..." began Rukia, pulling Renji's covers down to his waist, "I think it's about time we wake him up too, don't you?" The statement was accompanied with a mischievous smile, and Hoshiko nodded eagerly, a grin spreading on her face as she began to forget about the monsters and beasts that had invaded her dreams.

"Oi, Renji," called Rukia, lightly nudging her husband in the side with her elbow. Her response was another snore, and then a gravitation of his body away from the sharp body part that was prodding his side.

"It didn't work..." said Hoshiko, disheartened, as the light in her eyes slowly began to fade. Rukia kissed her forehead, causing her to laugh and her spirits to rise once more.

"Don't worry, Hoshiko," her mother reassured. "There's plenty of ways to wake somebody up, especially if it's your dad." Hoshiko quirked an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Like what?" Rukia smirked, and, with Hoshiko still seated in her lap, she reached over and brushed a bit of loose hair back behind Renji's ear, then proceeding to lightly scratch her nails over the area which she had uncovered, in an attempt to tickle him awake.

A few snorts, a giggle, and a couple bats to the side of his face later, Renji was half awake, his eyes cracking open as he observed the form of his sitting wife whose hand was withdrawing from his face.

Oh, so that's what she wants, he thought, smirking and licking his lips as he reached up to cup her face, raising his own upwards and towards it. "Come here, Rukia..."

Not two seconds later, Rukia's bare palm met the front of his face, and she caused him to go flying backwards and onto the futon. "What the hell!" he exclaimed, shooting into a sitting position. "What was that fo-" he silenced himself as he noticed that not only was Rukia beside him, but his love was also cradling their child to her body.

"Silly papa!" said Hoshiko as she laughed. "Mama didn't want a kiss!" It was obvious that the tiny girl was ignorant of her father's eventual intentions, but that was natural for a child of her age.

"Well then what do you want?" Rukia gave him a quick death glare, before stating,

"Your daughter had a bad dream." Instantly, Renji's gaze softened, and he looked at Hoshiko's face, observing that even though her lavender orbs were amused at the moment, they still held a bit of lingering fear. He held his arms out to her, offering a hug.

"Come on, Hoshiko." Said girl untangled herself from her mother, only having to go a couple steps before she could embrace her father. She still held Usagi, and was still a bit shaken up from her dream.

"Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" It was a question asked by Rukia, and Hoshiko nodded in response. And with that, Rukia lied down softly, her daughter doing the same beside her and then hugging her tightly. Renji, in turn, layed himself down so his front faced Rukia's front, and Hoshiko's back. His massive arms easily encircled the both of them, and after sharing a chaste peck, Renji and Rukia drifted into sleep, both embracing their young daughter as she slept peacefully, far away from any monsters that would torment her.

END OF INSTALLMENT

Aww, I love fluff. How did you guys like it? It tried to make it in character(a little unsure if I succeeded on that front)and I'll just update whenever I get a new idea, I guess. ALSO you should feel free to leave requests for this fic, as it does basically center around how Renji and Rukia act as parents in different situations, so I'd like to know what scenarios you guys want to read, not to mention I'll probably be able to write requests pretty fast. :) I'll try to give some much-needed attention to my other stories as soon as my brain starts working again(sorry about the neglect T_T), but for now, I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does, and I love and appreciate all comments and opinions!