Disclaimer: What would you do if one of these times I actually did say that I owned Bleach?!
A/N: Hey everyone! First of all, I want to thank all of you who have been following this story so far. You are all amazing and make writing this story so much more rewarding. So, as a gift to you all for being just so amazingly amazing, here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!
Chapter 8: The Morning After
Ichigo stirred early the next morning, the sound of his alarm clock echoing in his ears. He didn't dare open his eyes at first, for he was trying to remember the dream he'd had. Rukia had been in it again, but something about it was different. It had seemed more than real this time around.
In the dream, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms, Ichigo holding her tightly to his chest. He'd kissed her as well, moments before they'd lain back down. It was much less than the dreams he'd had before, but it seemed to have affected him most, for part of him could still feel her next to him.
Eyes fluttering open, Ichigo was a bit disappointed to find that there was no girl beside him. The blankets were disturbed as though someone had been there before, but he marked it off as something he'd caused with his tossing and turning. A dream like the one he'd had would cause such motions.
Ichigo groaned and stumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He shook his head furiously trying to rid himself of the vision of her innocent form lying beside him, but only managed to blur it a little. He dressed in silence, fearing that any noise would stir the girl sleeping in the closet, leading to a more than awkward situation they did not need.
There'd been a few too many of them recently.
It wasn't long before he heard the calling voices of his friends outside his window. Frowning, he turned back to the closet, unsure of why Rukia had not yet made an appearance. Alerting his friends that he'd be right down, he hesitantly stepped toward the closed door, knocking on it gently.
"H-Hey, midget!" he called out, knocking a few more times. "You gonna get up sometime today? We got school, you know!"
There was no response. Ichigo's face fell as he leaned closer to the thick wood.
"R-Rukia?" he said softly. "Rukia, are you in there?"
"She most certainly is not!" a loud voice answered as the door flew open. An irate Kon appeared in front of him, pointing a threatening paw in his direction. "She's left already! Why are you so concerned with where she is, eh?"
Ichigo looked taken aback, finding something a little different than what he'd expected nestled inside his closet. A bright red flush appeared at the tips of his ears as he fumed silently.
"Kon!" he hissed. "I was just looking for her! Thought she'd be late for school!"
"Sure, sure…" Kon nodded, his voice mocking belief. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, snuffling cockily. "With all that 'Rukia! Oh Rukia? Where are you Rukia? Come to me, Rukia'…" he broke off, forcing several gagging noises.
"I never said anything like that…" Ichigo shot at him, grabbing the plushie by his fabric mane. The two stared at each other in heated silence before he tossed the stuffed lion aside, moving toward his door.
"Sure…" Kon continued, landing in a heap on the floor. "That's why she fell asleep with you instead of the closet last night…"
Ichigo froze, his hand paused just above the doorknob. Hesitantly, he looked back at Kon over his shoulder. "What was that?" he asked threateningly.
"You should know what I'm talking about," Kon said, getting to his feet. He crossed his arms once again, trying his best to look defiant. "I shouldn't have to explain it to you."
"What do you mean she didn't fall asleep in the closet last night?" Ichigo asked, his face growing angry and insistent.
Kon didn't answer him, moving back toward the closet. Ichigo hurried in front of him, blocking his way. Grabbing the small creature, he brought him once again in front of his face.
"Where was she last night?" he leered.
"Teasing me, are you?" Kon growled. "I already know where she was. You don't have to rub it in, you bastard!"
A soft plush paw came in contact with Ichigo's chin as Kon swung at him angrily. Ichigo's mind was reeling, fearing, though also hoping, that perhaps his dream hadn't been quite as false as he'd thought.
"Ichigo!"
Keigo's voice sounded through the open window, causing Ichigo to drop Kon to the floor. Glaring back at the stuffed animal, he stomped off through the door and down the stairs to meet his friends.
"Where's Rukia-chan?" Keigo asked, peering back up at the window as Ichigo appeared next to him. "Is she going to walk with us this morning?"
"No," Ichigo answered shortly. "She's not feeling quite herself today…"
Without another word, he started off down the sidewalk. Keigo and Mizuiro exchanged curious glances before starting off after him.
"Is she going to be okay?" Keigo asked, sounding concerned. "Will she be at school today?"
Ichigo avoided his gaze, refusing to answer immediately. A strange feeling had started in his stomach he was certain he'd never felt before. It took him a minute to even consider the possibility of it being jealousy.
"She better be…" he said softly.
-----
"Miss Kuchiki," a sharp voice said as the girl entered the classroom. "Nice of you to join us today."
Rukia glanced up at her teacher, the words hardly registering in her spinning mind. Though she'd left very early that morning, she arrived at school well after first period was over.
"I'm sorry…" She muttered, handing over her late slip and moving toward her seat. "I woke up late this morning…"
As she took her seat, she kept her focus on the intricate patterns in the wood of the desk. Ichigo had glanced over at her curiously, but received no look back. Concerned, Keigo turned to face her.
"Are you feeling better, Rukia-chan?" he asked, assuming the doting friend position.
Rukia looked up suddenly, looking confused. "Better? What do you-?"
"Ichigo told us you weren't feeling well this morning," he explained before she could finish asking her question. "We weren't sure if you were going to show up today. I'm certainly glad you did, Rukia-chan. I would have missed you."
Rukia nodded politely, giving a small smile. "Thank you, Asano-kun. I'm sure I would have missed you as well."
Blushing brightly, Keigo winked at her and turned back around in his seat, though not before he gave Ichigo a triumphant look. Only moments later, another voice spoke up.
"How did you know she was sick, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime spoke up, glancing back at Ichigo. "Did you speak with her this morning?"
Rukia could tell that Ichigo was backed into a corner. It wasn't only her head that wasn't working properly that morning. Thinking quickly, she answered for him.
"He passed by my house this morning," Rukia said quickly. "I stopped him and told him to pass on the word. Apparently he forgot to tell those who mattered most." She glared in Ichigo's direction and then nodded toward their teacher had suddenly looked in their direction.
"I do believe you all should be working in your books!" she snapped.
Falling silent, they pulled out their books and began to write furiously. Ichigo looked up as a small folded piece of paper landed in the middle of his book. He glanced over at Rukia who was determinedly focusing on the same page she'd been working on for a good ten minutes.
Unfolding the paper, Ichigo recognized the handwriting immediately. Rukia finally glanced over at him as he looked up at her once again. Slowly, he nodded, glancing back down at the paper.
We need to talk.
-----
"Talk," Ichigo ordered once the two of them had found themselves alone, hiding among the shaded trees of the nearest park.
"Me?" Rukia asked, folding her arms. "I think you have some explaining to do."
Ichigo glared at her. "You were the one who said that we needed to talk. I assumed there was something you had to say to me."
"There is much I want to say," she replied coolly. "But I think that you should start by explaining what happened last night."
Ichigo fell silent, merely blinking in her direction. Had she had the same dream he'd had? Or was Kon telling the truth when he said that she never returned to the closet, falling asleep beside him instead?
"Why is it I was in your bed?" she asked sharply.
Ichigo shrugged half-heartedly. "I thought you'd be the one to explain that."
"I don't remember a thing," she said defiantly. "You certainly have to, because I didn't get there by accident."
"You kicked me out of it, remember?" he decided to venture, avoiding the dream as much as possible. "You said that you could sleep anywhere you wanted. So you chose my bed. And when you wouldn't get out of it, I decided to torture you and get in as well." He snuffled and rubbed the side of his nose, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.
Rukia nodded. "Yes, that I remember. I had called you a pervert…"
Ichigo sighed. That he remembered as well. On repeated occasions, to be honest.
"But then what happened?" Rukia asked, her eyes flashing.
"Nothing," he answered hastily. "Nothing happened. We fell asleep." He glanced up at her. "Did you want something to happen?"
"No…" she said softly, jerking her head in the other direction. "I just thought that-…"
"Thought that, what?" Ichigo prompted, curious to hear what she had to say. "Nothing happened, Rukia…"
Rukia frowned, starting to pace back and forth. "Then it was a dream, I suppose…" she muttered. "Strange, really…it felt so real. I could have sworn that it-"
"What dream?" Ichigo asked, finally speaking up. "You keep failing to explain what you thought had happened. I'm starting to think you just don't want to tell me."
Rukia shook her head. "It's nothing really," her cheeks turned pink. "Just something I thought had happened. Nothing you'd be interested in hearing…"
Ichigo grinned in a very Ichigo-like fashion, doing his best to play ignorant. "Try me…" he taunted.
"No, really…" she insisted, shaking her head. "It's none of your concern. Just drop it."
He stepped toward her, his voice low and mocking. "Did you have a dirty dream, Miss Rukia Kuchiki?"
Rukia glared at him. "As if that's what you immediately assume!" she gasped.
Ichigo spread his arms wide. "If you're going to continue to call me a pervert, I might as well live up to that name, shouldn't I?"
"You're probably hoping it was something like that, aren't you?" she said heatedly. "A-And secretly, I bet you're hoping it was something about you!"
Ichigo waved his hands innocently, still grinning widely. "I never said anything like that..."
"You didn't have to," Rukia pointed at him. "You implied it! You're only curious because you want to know what I did to you!"
"Oh, so it was about me?" Ichigo feigned surprise. "Tell me, Rukia, what exactly is it that you did to me?"
"Nothing!" she said loudly, turning away from him angrily. "It had nothing to do with you!"
And it was more of what you did to me…She thought bitterly.
"That's not what you said two seconds ago…" Ichigo taunted. "I seem to recall you saying that it-"
"Would you just drop it?!" she hissed. "It had nothing to do with you, despite how much you might have wanted it to!"
Ichigo stood behind her, his clever look fading quickly. The girl before him huffed silently, muttering angry words to Ichigo in her head. Tentatively, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't glance back at him, although most of her being told her to.
"Rukia…" he said softly.
"What?" Rukia shot at him, turning her head only slightly.
Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's go home…" he decided. "We've got much more to worry about than some stupid dream."
Rukia didn't find anything stupid about the dream, nor did he at the time the 'dream' had taken place. He seemed to have been wanting it just as much as she had, but then again, since when had he been a man to admit any sort of feeling toward anything with a pulse?
Grinning to herself, Rukia nodded as he led her back to the Kurosaki residence.
Lucky for her, she didn't have one.
A/N: Oh, clever me, clever me. Hehe. Actually, I have no idea if Rukia has a pulse or not. Technically, she shouldn't because of that whole 'being dead' factor, but her gigai might have one. Pssh. Minor technicality. It was still clever I think. Yep, we might get back to the IchiRuki goodness the next chapter, but I've got a good idea for where this story can go...I had almost completely forgotten about the whole Hollow scene, so I want to build off of the mystery started with that. Throwing IchiRuki scenes in as well, just to feed all of your perverted minds. –smiles- I'm kidding. Those scenes make me happy too.
Anyways, please review you guys. You know the drill. I love hearing from you. And if I don't respond, I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy lately, and don't really have much time. So a major THANK YOU to you all!
