The long awaited chapter two! YAY!! Sorry it took so long. This is the "sleeping" theme, set after the soul society arc, but before all the current goings-on. Oh, and yes, "Killer Bunnies" is a real game. I own it and it is awesome. I hope you enjoy!


Sleeping

There it was again... that familiar nagging in the back of his mind. It was going to be a bad day. Not only was it snowing for the third time that week, but the temperature had dropped way below freezing. This presented a multitude of problems, considering the blue-eyed girl standing next to his bed. He'd been ignoring her for the past five minuets.

"When are we leaving?" she demanded again, glaring at him as he tried to read his newest manga.

"In a while." he answered, flipping to the next page. Maybe she'd forget and he wouldn't have to go outside at all. Yeah, right.

"We're going to be late." she told him sternly.

"No, we won't." he responded. Just two more pages and the killer would be revealed... Moments later, the manga was yanked from his hand and flying out the window.

"Can we go now?" Rukia demanded, grinning smugly.

"That was brand new!" he protested dumbly.

"Come on!" she yelled, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of his room and down the hall.

"Damn it, Rukia! It doesn't matter if we're a little late!" he shouted as they went down the stairs. Once in front of the door, she released his arm and turned to face him.

"Well, I don't want to be late!" she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. He glared right back, refusing to back down.

"Hey, Ichi-ni, Dad just called and said we all have to go have "family time" when he gets home." Karin said as she passed the two.

"Sorry, we've got plans!" he replied and rushed out the door. After saying good-bye to the younger girl, Rukia followed.

"You should have brought a coat." the dark-haired shinigami chided when her companion shivered.

"Well, since you dragged me out of the house, I didn't get a chance!" came Ichigo's retort.

"I didn't drag you, you ran away from your father!"

"I wouldn't run away from that crazy old man!"


"We could hear you two all the way down the hall." Renji said with a smirk as the two entered Orihime's apartment.

"It was her fault." Ichigo assured them as he slipped off his shoes. Instead of replying, Rukia smacked him.

"Thank you for coming, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime hurriedly interrupted, ushering them to the table. "We were just about to start playing a game!"

"What game?" Ichigo asked, taking a seat.

"Killer bunnies!" Orihime exclaimed, pulling out the box and setting it on the table.

"No, they're not real bunnies, it's just a card game." he decided to clarify before Rukia asked a stupid question.

"I knew that." she muttered indignantly. He only rolled his eyes and nodded.

"We don't know how to play." Matsomoto pointed out as Tatsuki began to deal the cards. "That's ok! I'll help you, Tatsuki-chan can help Abarai-kun and Kurosaki-kun can help Kuchiki-san." the girl said happily. "And then when everyone knows the rules we can have an all night tournament! The winner can go to nationals to be the ultimate Killer Bunnies champion of Japan! And then-"

"Come on, Orihime, let's just play." Tatsuki sighed, pulling her daydreaming friend back into a sitting position.


"I'm going to win!" Renji exclaimed, tossing a card at Rukia.

"Why didn't you give it to Ichigo?" she demanded, handing it to the fifteen-year-old next to her.

"Hey!" Ichigo growled.

"Because you already killed all of his rabbits." the red-headed vice-captain responded. "That's really not my fault."

"You're being punished for bad karma. It means the next weapon you use attacks your own rabbit instead of another player's." Ichigo muttered grudgingly, glaring at the girl next to him.

"I refuse." she replied simply, taking the card from him and tossing it into the discard pile.

"You don't have a choice in the matter."

"But I already have the Ebola weapon down. It's improbable I'll roll a twelve and live."

"Sorry." he shrugged.

"No! My Lumbering bunny died from plutonium so I'm not letting my Gleeful bunny get killed by Ebola!"


Three very long hours later, Rukia's phone began to beep frantically. With a sigh, she pulled it from her pocket and flipped it open.

"It's over by our house, Ichigo." she said with a frown.

"It's getting late, anyway." he replied, wondering why her casual use of the phrase "our house" had made him want to smile.

"We'll take care of it." Rukia said, already half way out the door. Ichigo nodded and followed after her.


For being such a weak hollow, it had been pretty fast. The two of them chased it for nearly half an hour before cleansing it. After the job was done, they returned to their bodies and started walking home.

"That damn Pyon could of at least dragged my body some place warm." he muttered darkly, vigorously rubbing his hands together.

"You're the dumbass who left his body in the bushes covered with snow. You should have left it at Inoue's." she replied mockingly.

"I didn't think about it." he snapped, glaring at her.

"You never think about anything." the blue-eyed girl retorted as she opened the front door of Ichigo's house. It was still odd not to jump through the window.

"Would you just shut up already?" he demanded, stalking up to his room and shutting the door. She rolled her eyes and decided just to leave him alone. Besides, he'd be over it by morning. With a yawn, she went to bed.


Sighing, Rukia rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the clock. It was 4:00 am, and she'd only been asleep for a few hours. Ichigo, who was coughing loudly, had woken her. She tried to ignore the sound for nearly fifteen minutes before she couldn't take it anymore. Refusing to give into concern, Rukia got to her feet. She was going in there to tell him to be quiet, not to see if he was alright. She walked quickly down the hall and slipped into his room.

"Ichigo!" she hissed, approaching his bed. He didn't reply. How could he sleep through so much noise? She sat down at the edge of his bed and jabbed him the shoulder.

"Hmm...?" came his response. The dark-haired girl was going to yell at him for waking her up, but he was hit by another coughing fit before she got the chance. Rolling onto side, Ichigo coughed until his throat felt raw. Exhausted, he dropped back onto his back.

"Are you ok?" she demanded, placing a gentle hand on his brow.

"I'm fine." he muttered. "Now go away."

"You have a fever. Should I wake your father?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"No!" he snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to the bed. "Whatever you do, don't tell him I'm sick."

"But he's a doctor..." she protested.

"No!" he said again.

"Fine, but all your coughing woke me up. I'm never going to get back to sleep with you being so loud. Take some medicine."

"No, cough syrup tastes nasty."

"So you won't take something that'll heal you because it tastes bad? That's it? That's the only reason?"

"It's a good reason." he argued, coughing some more.

"Coward." she replied.

"I am not!" he managed to reply. "You've never even had it."

"So if I drink some, then you will, then I can go back to sleep?" she demanded.

"Are you going to leave if I say no?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"No, I'll get it and pour it down your throat by force." she answered sweetly.

"Fine, go get it. Behind the mirror behind in the bathroom."

Dutifully, Rukia marched to the bathroom and retrieved the so-called vile medicine.

"You go first." he said as she returned. Rolling her eyes, she handed it to him to pour the right dose. He handed her the small plastic cup with a smug smile.

"Hey, Ichigo, where's Kon?" she asked suddenly, waiting for him to look away from her.

"In the closet, where you used to sleep." he replied, glancing at the closet door. Taking her chance, Rukia grabbed his chin, pulled open his mouth and poured the medicine down his throat. Quickly, she covered his mouth with her hand to keep him from spitting it out. When she was satisfied that he'd swallowed, she let him go and sat back down next to him.

"I hate you so much." he told her with a glare.

"No, you don't. Now be quiet and go back to sleep."

"Whatever. Get out of my room and I will." He muttered, still glaring at her.

"As soon as I make sure you stop that annoying coughing." She said sternly. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

A few minuets passed and slowly he began to drift off again. He refused to let his thoughts wander to the girl sitting next to him. He refused to think about how much better he felt with her there, about how her presence calmed him, about-

"Ichigo?" Rukia whispered, interrupting a long stream of nothings.

"What?" he groaned, refusing to open his eyes.

He knew he should have told her to go back her own room. He knew when he lifted his blanket and gestured for her to climb in next to him that he was making a mistake. He couldn't help the sigh of contentment that escaped when she settled in next to him.

"I'm only staying until you're asleep and quiet." She informed him.

"Good." He replied.


Predawn light filled the room. He wasn't really sure what had woken him. At least his throat felt better. Suddenly, he was keenly aware of the small form that shared his personal space. Rukia was snuggled tightly against him, her arms folded against her chest. His arms were wrapped around her body, holding her close. He glanced at the alarm clock, oddly grateful to have another hour before having to get out of bed. Ichigo wasn't even aware of the small smile that lit his features as he pulled her just a bit closer and drifted back to sleep.

END.


Thank you all for reading. PLEASE REVIEW! It will make me dance with hapiness.