Disclaimer: Bleach and all affiliated characters and settings are the creative property of Kubo Tite and all companies holding title to its distribution. Used for non-profit entertainment purposes.

Warnings: Mentions of violence and injury, and some strong language. (Ichigo, shame!)

I think I liked this general idea the best, but that might be just me. 8D;

July 9 Prompt: Silent Treatment

Confirmation

Waking to a world of pain was not Ichigo's idea of a good morning. Or whatever the hell time of day it was; he didn't even remember falling asleep in the first place. His eyelids felt like leaden weights, and even when he did manage to force them open, his vision swam and blurred until he felt like he was going to throw up.

Someone was holding his hand tightly with two hands, and another set of hands pressed harshly into his chest and made him hurt all over again. When the ache finally eased up, it occurred to him that maybe he hadn't fallen asleep last night; the subconscious voice told him that something bad had happened earlier. No shit, he replied irritably. Nobody woke up to this amount of pain after a normal sleep.

Rukia was okay, though – and then he wondered why he thought of that.

The room was eerily silent, and Ichigo fuzzily wondered why everyone was so mad at him. He couldn't have fucked up that badly, could he have? Trying desperately to remember what had happened before he was out, he couldn't seem to quite recall what he had been doing. Something involving Rukia, obviously, and probably Rukia in danger. And if Rukia was in danger, then it was likely a bad run-in with a Hollow.

Oh. Now he remembered. They really had been dealing with a Hollow. Ichigo thought he was winning that one, but... his memory was sketchy at best of the incident. He had to have taken a bad hit, or something, if he didn't recall any of the last however long he'd been laying here. If Rukia was okay, though, he could tolerate whatever had happened.

If she'd at least talk to him; it'd be much easier to have that extra reassurance that she was there, and that she was fine. Well, he knew she was there, but... her voice, at that moment, would be the best remedy he could think of. It kind of hurt his feelings to know that she might be mad at him for something he was pretty sure wasn't his fault.

Whoever was treating him was being quiet as well. Ichigo hadn't had the best look when he'd opened his eyes earlier.

Talk to me, Rukia.

The pain seemed to get more intense as he tried to speak, but he felt a soft finger brush his lips. No talking. He couldn't even open his eyes again to pick up her expression.

Gods, it was hard not knowing what she was thinking, even though she was right there. He began to regret all those moments he'd told her to shut up; there was nothing more in the world he wanted now than to just hear her. And the fact that she was staying silent only made him more desperate to have verbal confirmation that everything was okay.

One word, that's all I'm asking for. Just one word. Please. I didn't mean it.

But Rukia stayed silent.

There was a warm, glowing feeling near his abdomen, much like someone had lit a small fire near enough to give off heat, but not so close as to burn. The sensation spread through his stomach and eased all sorts of aches, much like a soothing balm, and it made his head spin even though his eyes were still closed. When he realized that he was slipping back into the dark, he found himself wishing once more that she could have at least let him know she was still here.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he woke again. The pain was significantly less, and all sounds sounded distant, as if he heard them from under water. Two voices were speaking quietly nearby, and for a moment, he lay content to simply listen. It was a significant improvement over the dead silence from before.

"Ichigo? Can you hear me?"

Frowning, Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and saw Rukia's blurred face above him. For a moment, she disappeared and said something to someone else in the room, something about waking up. A masculine voice replied, but Ichigo couldn't hear it. Rukia's face returned. She was smiling, and her hand reached out to brush against his cheek.

"Idiot," she murmured, voice hoarse. "Standing that close when that Hollow made that noise – were you asking to go deaf?"

And suddenly, everything made perfect sense. Rukia hadn't been mad at him – not any more than usual. She must have been speaking to him for a long time.

"Ichigo?"

He smiled. Everything was going to be just fine.