Dedicated to BlueMiko - who reads and laughs and appreciates. - RedMiko -

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tite Kubo. I just wish my brain worked like his…

Kind of AU, slightly OOC - but I'll leave that up to you... Ichigo and Rukia.

--

Memories of Mother

He sets the tray down beside her, wincing at the loud click it makes as it hits the little table. She stirs and he immediately feels guilty, shuddering at the thought of Byakuya knowing he's here right now. The taichou of the Sixth Division seems more terse than usual when Ichigo is around – especially since they returned from their last mission, with Rukia half dead. Orihime had been able to stabilize her but collapsed from exhaustion, leaving Rukia only partially healed. While Orihime rested, Rukia fell under the care of the Fourth Division.

"Oh? Ichigo…" She opens her eyes and grins. She turns on her side, the grin turning into a grimace. Orihime lies not far in her own bed, sound asleep.

Ichigo kneels and nods. "I heard you'd started to wake up," he says, settling on his heels and checking Orihime. "And Unohana-taichou is gone and the rest of the hospital staff is mostly gone…" He scowls. "So I asked if I could bring your medicine."

She makes a face. "I'm healed – I don't need it."

"Unohana-taichou said so, baka. You need your strength." He sticks his chin out in stubborn defiance.

"Baka yourself – I think you just came to see Orihime." Rukia's voice is weak but teasing. "I'm strong enough."

He flushes and crosses his arms. "She's just sleeping. I protected her. But you're too stubborn."

She matches his scowl. "I can protect myself. Besides, Renji protecting me is annoying enough." She pushes herself up on an elbow and brandishes a fist. "Don't make me hit you…"

The glare sizzles between them until his face relaxes a little in a half grin. "I'm glad to see you awake."

Falling back onto her pillow, she lets out a "whoosh" of a sigh. "So am I."

He fiddles with things on the tray, opening tiny vials and mixing them with the cup of water. Finally, he opens the little box in the middle and pulls out a pill, shaped a bit like the white painkillers they had at home. Without thinking, he raises the pill to his mouth and kisses it before handing it to Rukia, followed by the water.

She stares at him.

"What?" he demands.

"You just kissed it."

He blushes furiously, realizing what he's done. "So? Take it!"

Rukia begins to laugh. "Baka! Why did you kiss it? It's got germs on it now! How do I know you're not sick?"

His cheeks flame hotter and he shoves the pill and the water in her face until she has to take them or risk having them forced down her throat. Sitting up, she eyes the pill and then squints at him.

"Shut up!" he finally explodes, leaping to his feet. "It's something my mother did! She'd kiss our cuts and bruises and when we got sick, she couldn't kiss our insides. So she'd kiss the medicine. It's that simple! It's a habit, okay?" He dives for the little box and grabs another pill, spilling several others in the process. Again, he shoves it in her face. "Here! This one isn't kissed."

Her expression is soft, her eyes warm. Smiling, she puts the kissed pill in her mouth and swallows it down with the water. She sets the cup down and lies back again. "A mother's love and blessing," she whispers. "You do it in memory of your mother."

Still flushed, he sits down, eyeing her warily. "Yeah. I do it all the time for Yuzu and Karin. Yuzu does it for me and Dad." He scratches his head, a sheepish look on his face. "I guess it keeps us close to her memory."

Rukia smiles, her eyes sad. "I don't remember my mother or my sister. I wonder if they would do something like that for me."

Ichigo turns his head, pretending to be interested in the sky through the window. "I think so."

The warm summer sun filters through and warms the room. In the next bed, Orihime sighs a soft "Kurosaki-kun, you're so noisy…" before turning over and resuming her steady breathing.

Rukia lets out her breath. "Arigatou, Ichigo."

--

A/N: I left this ambiguous on purpose. For those who love IchiRuki, you can interpret as such. For those who love IchiHime, you can interpret as such. I'm sure you've figured out my preference... :D

Oh - and I'll always love the image of Ichigo as big brother.