• • •

"I apologize for the shabby lodgings." Elder-Dono said regretfully, bowing his head slightly as he looked at all of us.

He had transformed a nice, wide room for us. It wasn't that bad; it was probably the best place for us to stay in Rukongai as a whole. I'm sure that this was the largest room anywhere, not counting the Seireitei.

"No, we're thankful that you're letting us stay here." Yoruichi said, turning to stare up at the Elder with her golden eyes. "I'm not sure the others would like housing any of us."

"Ah, it is no trouble for me." The Elder replied, kindly smiling down at Yoruichi. "This is all that I can offer. I've had some of the others prepare the lodgings for the night."

We all nodded at his words, seeing blankets spread out in comfortable looking masses on the ground. Of course this was more than I was expecting, though. I was honestly expecting to sleep leaning against the wall or something; that is, if I could get any sleep at all.

"Good night, everyone." The Elder wished us, lightly bowing before he exited the room after we chorused back a 'good night' to him as well.

I walked over to the bedding closest to the door, sitting down and making myself comfortable. The others looked around, not knowing what to do. I grinned as I watched Yoruichi make herself at home in the smallest pile of blankets. They had probably prepared that small pile with her in mind.

"It'd be best for you all to get a good night's rest." Yoruichi advised, cracking open a golden eye as she stared down the rest of the group just awkwardly standing there. "Tomorrow we are leaving bright and early to find Shiba-San."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, nodding his head as if he understood.

I rolled my eyes as they hesitantly moved forward, wondering who was going to sleep where. Ichigo heaved a sigh before claiming the one that was next to mine. Orihime claimed the one on Ichigo's other side, while Ishida had the one across from her, and Chad had the one directly across from Ichigo. Yoruichi's was across from mine, so we lined up in neat little rows.

I removed Ankoku-Tatsu from her place on my hip, softly sitting her down in the space between mine and Ichigo's blankets. I could feel Ichigo's eyes on me, watching my movements. I didn't pay him any attention, though, as I began untying my sandals so I could remove them and my thigh high socks. I could see the others start removing their own sandals and shoes as well, trying to get comfortable.

Ichigo removed his sandals, opting to leave his tabi socks on. I couldn't help but grin when he put them next to mine; the difference in size was almost comical.

"Jun-Chan," Orihime began, settling down in her covers and looking over at me with curious eyes. "Why does your uniform look so different from all of the others?"

"I'm asked that question a lot." I laughed, pulling my long socks off and folding them so they wouldn't look like a mess in the morning. I wiggled my toes a little, watching the light glisten off of the paint on my toenails. "I guess I just wanted to look a little different."

"Different?" Orihime questioned further.

"Yeah," I nodded, softly smiling. "Once you go into the Seireitei, all you see is the same black uniform. There's hardly any variation, except for the few brave ones that decide to change the uniform around a bit." I laughed, grinning. "But, after a bit, it just gets so dull seeing everything around you looking the same. So I decided to spice it up a bit and add a splash of color."

Orihime giggled at my words, softly smiling as well as she propped her head up with her hands. "Well, you do add color Jun-Chan."

"Thanks." I softly laughed, stretching a bit.

A yawn escaped from my lips, and I suddenly felt drained. Shrugging a bit to myself at that weird feeling, I hardly ever felt like I could actually get a decent amount of sleep, I tugged at my sash on the side. The large bow slipped apart, letting the soft fabric fall to the floor. I grabbed it, gently folding it as well as I placed it on top of my socks. I untied the old white headband that I kept wrapped around my upper left arm, placing that on top of my sash. Then, I shrugged out of my black kosode and began folding that as well.

"Why are you taking your clothes off?!" Ichigo exclaimed, his eyes widening as they landed on me.

I blinked, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Ichigo, what are you talking about?" I finally asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I watched his face heat up as he turned his head away from me.

"Kokawa-San just took off her kosode," Ishida explained, pushing his glasses further up. "Do you really expect her to sleep in her uniform, Kurosaki?"

"Yes!" The strawberry exclaimed.

"Why?" I questioned, trying to make him meet my gaze. "I'm in my shitagi, so I'm still fully covered and clothed."

"So!" Ichigo retorted, crossing his arms and angling his head so that he wasn't directly looking at me.

"So what?" I retorted as well, crossing my arms across my chest. This exposed more of my cleavage, causing Ichigo to match his namesake once more.

"So it's probably the most exposed skin he's ever seen on a woman." Yoruichi spoke up.

I laughed, holding my sides as I fell back.

"S-Shut up, Yoruichi-San!" Ichigo stammered, before scoffing and turning around from everyone.

Giggling, I lay down and threw the covers over me. "It's safe to turn around now, Ichigo. I'm coved up with blankets."

Strawberry only scoffed, slowly turning around and laying himself down as well. Everyone else laughed a bit, snuggling in their covers too.

I was still lightly laughing, but I closed my eyes all the same. "Good night, everyone."

• • •

Hollow.

Tou-San's injured.

Kaa-San falls..!

Hollow comes for Tou-San…

…

Gasping, my eyelids flew open.

I steadied my haggard breathing, placing my hand on top of my rapidly rising and falling chest. My eyes scanned the now dark room, looking for any trace of the time. Back home, I had my alarm clock. Here, there was nothing of that sort to keep time for you.

Sitting up, I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. Luckily, I was the only one still up; everyone else was fast asleep.

What should I do?

Try and go back to sleep? Or just lay here in the darkness and be consumed by those memories?

Neither of those two options worked for me, so I sluggishly threw my covers off of me and rose to my feet. I pulled my shitagi closer to make sure that everything important was covered. It was a bit chilly without the blanket, but I shrugged that feeling off. Keeping my eyes on the slumbering forms of my friends, I silently snuck of out the room.

I mentally cursed when I drew back the shoji; it loudly creaked. I looked back over my shoulder, trying to see if anyone was woken up from the noise. I held my breath as I watched Ishida roll over once, turning away from the door.

I lowly exhaled when nobody else moved for a few seconds.

That was probably a close one; I didn't want to wake anyone. They'd probably need every ounce of sleep that they can get now for the upcoming days.

Carelessly running my hand threw my hair again, I slipped out of the room and slowly shut the shoji door, leaving it cracked.

The air outside was cool, but it was normal for early summer mornings in the Soul Society. At least, I think it's morning. If it's not, then it is really late at night. As my feet met the dirt, I crinkled my nose in disgust. I should have at least put on my zori, even if I wasn't going to put on my socks.

My gaze traveled towards the roof of the Elder's home; it looked sturdy enough for me up there. It looked like the Elder had the nicest house in this district, so his roof was probably the sturdiest one. It was an easy jump.

"The moon looks nice tonight." Ankoku-Tatsu observed, staring at the moon through my eyes. I merely nodded, making myself more comfortable of the rooftop. "The stars are clearly shining as well. Remember years ago, when you first came outside when you couldn't sleep? You were so amazed by the late night sky."

"I remember," I whispered, nodding as I sadly smiled. I wrapped my arms around my lower limbs, resting my chin on top of my knees as my gaze adverted to the side to take in the many constellations. "You'd always point out different constellations and tell me the stories behind them."

"Mhm." Ankoku-Tatsu hummed in agreement. "I could always count of that to take your mind off of those corrosive thoughts."

"Sorry, Anko." I whispered once more, feeling my eyes soften. "I forget how my emotional state affects your inner world."

"It's not your fault, Junko." Ankoku-Tatsu responded. "You are trying your best; that's all that I can ask. Besides, since you've been spending so much time around the humans, things have greatly improved here. It's only during the late night and early mornings that your thoughts waver."

"Really?" I breathed, finding my eyes widening. I was unaware that I'd been doing so well the rest of the time. Although, if I looked back on everything, I suppose that this was true. After I befriended Ichigo and the others, everything just seemed so much brighter.

"Not so much the others," Ankoku-Tatsu teased, her voice dissolving into laughter.

I felt warm all of a sudden, jumping when I felt fabric drift over my shoulders.

"What're you doing out here like that?" Ichigo questioned, glaring at me as he took a seat next to me. "It's not only indecent, but it's too cool out here."

I felt my lips twitch into a smile as my fingers played with the thick blanket that was draped around my shoulders. "Thanks."

Ichigo only scoffed, turning to look away from me and at the sky instead. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I couldn't sleep." I answered, tearing my gaze from his profile when I felt my cheeks begin to heat up subconsciously. "Nightmares; they've turned me into an insomniac over the years. Recently it's been better, but I still don't really sleep. What are you doing up this late?"

"I-I thought I heard someone moving." Ichigo quickly stuttered, not meeting my gaze.

I softly laughed, rolling my eyes. "Sure, like I'll believe that, strawberry. Yuzu and Karin have told me all about how heavy of a sleeper you are."

Ichigo only slumped in what appeared to be pure defeat. I watched as his fingers began quickly tapping against his knee. "Fine," he sighed, "I felt your reiatsu moving about, and it woke me up. I looked and didn't see you in the room."

"Sorry I woke you up." I apologized, removing my gaze from him and looking up at the moon and stars once more. "I really thought that I hadn't woken anyone up. I tried being as sneaky as I could be. But… don't you suck at sensing reiatsu and stuff like that?"

A strange strangling noise met my ears, causing them to perk up. I turned my head to gaze up at Ichigo, only to find him avoiding my gaze. He lightly coughed, "Yeah, but I'm more attuned to yours than anyone else's… so it's easier to sense."

"That makes sense," I nodded. "I've been around you since all this mess started months ago. Of course you'd be attuned to my reiatsu by now. I could sense yours miles away, I bet."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, his cinnamon gaze finally meeting mine.

I nodded, coyly grinning at him. "Yeah, but that also might be because you leak so much of it. You really have no control, do you?"

Scoffing once again, Ichigo glared down at me. "I'm new at this!"

"I know, I know." I laughed, letting my smile fade as I looked up at him. I hoped how sincere I felt didn't show on my face. That would be too embarrassing. "You've improved more than I thought you would. You've done a good job, too. I'm really…impressed."

"It's nothing, really." The strawberry replied, his scowl softening second by second as he met my gaze.

"You might think that, but I don't." I shook my head, sadly smiling up at him. "You've had your powers for such a short amount of time and you're already this strong. I've had mine for years, but I have never progressed as quickly as you have. I know I probably wouldn't be able to save Rukia on my own…but together, I know we can!"

"We'll definitely save Rukia." Ichigo stated, his eyes reflecting his strength and resolve. "Together."

I nodded, "Together."

"Rukia…means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Ichigo asked a few minutes later, acting like he was watching the starry sky. However, I could feel his gaze from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, she does." I answered, shivering a bit beneath the blanket that Ichigo had brought; it was cooler than I thought it would be, even with the blanket. "Rukia was my very first friend. She was one of the only people that I felt like I could turn to for years… Rukia was the first non-adult that had ever befriended me. I don't feel like I owe it to her to help save her; I feel like it's what friends would do. Rukia has always been there for me, I want to be there for her, as well."

Ichigo's hands clenched into fists, "You'll be able to be there for her, we all will. We're going to save her and everything is going to be fine. Even if I have to beat every single Shinigami here, we'll take Rukia back."

Chuckling, I grinned. "You really think you can beat every single Shinigami here? There are literally thousands, if not close to a million, of them!"

"So?" Ichigo shrugged, not looking phased at all. "I take half, you take the other half. Well, we can spare some for the others, too. Right?"

"Haha, of course. But, we'll only give them a few. I don't think that they could handle thousands of Shinigami barreling after them." I laughed, nodding my head as I stared up at the moon. "I can see it now; 'Soul Society Shaken, Ryoka's Take the Criminal.'"

The strawberry beside me chuckled as well, making me smile.

"Though, we probably won't be able to sneak around the Seireitei with you with us. I mean, your hair sticks out so much! They'll all be like, 'Orange haired Ryoka!' and all come rushing at us!" I teased, reaching a hand out to lightly tug on a strand of his hair.

"Oh, really?" The strawberry drawled, narrowing his eyes slightly at me. However, I could see a lighthearted shine in his cinnamon gaze. Before I could blink, Ichigo had a strand of one of my ruby highlights in his hand. "I don't think you have room to talk. Mine's natural; I don't think this is, though."

I laughed, raising a hand to my own hair. Running my fingers through it, I nodded. "It's not natural. The black is, though. My Kaa-San had deep, black colored hair. That's where I got mine from. But, I get bored with it too often. So, I try to liven it up a bit. You have to admit, it is rather lively, right?"

"Lively's an understatement," Ichigo laughed, reaching out to ruffle my hair a bit.

Mock glaring up at the strawberry, I tried my best to fix my disheveled hair. "At least mine doesn't glow in the dark," I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

Ichigo growled at me, glaring a bit as well. However, that look slowly faded as a piece of my hair fell in front of my face as the wind blew. I went cross eyed looking at the ruby tinted piece of hair, causing the strawberry to chuckle once more. He reached forward, pushing the stray strip of hair behind my ear. I shivered a bit as his cold fingers strayed across my cheek.

"Your hands are really cold," I commented, reaching up and holding his larger hand in-between both of mine.

"I didn't really notice." Ichigo shrugged, lightly blushing. I'm pretty sure I was blushing a bit as well, but that doesn't matter! It wasn't because I liked him or anything..! He was a teammate! A comrade! We were going to save Rukia together! We were close friends; nakama!

My eyes traveled down to his hand, studying it. His hand was very strong; there were a few callouses on it, and I could tell he'd gotten them from wielding his sword. From his hands I could tell that he was a protector. He would do anything within his power for his friends.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Ichigo looking down at me curiously. He hadn't said anything yet, and I was wondering if this was pushing any unspoken boundaries. Friends held friends hands to warm them up when they were cold, right?

The chilly breeze picked up again, blowing the edges of the blanket. I blinked down at it, mentally grinning. I knew what to do! And Ichigo's face would probably be priceless.

I gently sat Ichigo's hand down on his knee, tucking my hands back within the blanket and fluffing it out. After a few seconds, I knew that the blanket was big enough for the both of us. So, I found the edge closest to Ichigo and tugged, managing to throw it over his far shoulder. He jumped a bit, caught off guard, but managed to catch the edge of the blanket anyways.

"What'd you do that for?" Ichigo asked, about to pull the blanket off of him until I leaned over him and grabbed the edge from his hands. Tugging on it, I managed to pull the blanket sung around us, covering both of us from the wind. I snuck a glace up at the strawberry, trying to see his reaction.

Ichigo was blushing! The big, tough guy was actually blushing! Part of me wanted to squeal like a little girl, another part of me wanted to take a picture to remember this event, and yet another part of me felt embarrassed as well.

"W-Wha..?" He tried to stutter out, looking down at me with reddening cheeks.

I bit my lip, trying to avoid his intense gaze. "It's cool outside. We can't have either of us getting sick from this weather; we don't have the time to spare. Besides, your hands were freezing. And I didn't want to go inside just yet… So I figured we could share the blanket."

Ichigo still looked a bit hesitant, so I was about to cave and suggest going inside, until he threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to his side. Involuntary, my body relaxed to his touch. Maybe I was getting too used to Kon in Ichigo's body holding me; because this felt…right… to me. Nothing about it felt strange at all.

"Not a word to anyone else, agreed?" I asked, sheepishly grinning up at Ichigo.

Ichigo flushed, turning his head away from mine. "Agreed."