Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Bleach. Oh and the song, Close to You is by The Carpenters. So neither are mine. Okay! On with the story!

Click!

Ichigo groaned and turned in his sleeping bag. Orihime's sandwich had settled in his stomach. Ichigo looked over at Keigo who was sleeping peacefully and sometimes snoring a bit. He poked his friend's cheeks then he pinched it. "Stupid, how can you sleep while I can't?" Ichigo already knew the answer; his stomach is going through hell that time. "I need some fresh air."

He went out of the tent and breathed deeply. Better… a bit. A good thing about the forest is here, the air is always feels so cool, so fresh and so relaxing. No smells of smoke or the pollution like the one back at home. He took his jacket and put on his sneakers and walked around. The campfire was still there to guard off any nocturnal animals that may come to visit at night.

So, Ichigo could still see with the help of the fire and the moonlight. As the tall teen walked, he saw a silhouette of someone near the campfire. Rukia. He went to her but he abruptly stopped when he heard her, singing.

She was singing to herself, almost inaudibly but he can still hear her.

"Why do birds suddenly appear,

Every time you are near?

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you."

He had never heard her sing before. There's a first in everything. To him, it was like beautiful music to his ears. Ichigo smiled.

"Why do stars fall down from the sky

Every time you walk by?

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you.

"On the day that you were born

The angels got together

And decided to create a dream come true

So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold

And starlight in your beautiful eyes so true.

"That is why all the girls in town

Follow you all around.

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you.

Ichigo sat down on a rock and listened to Rukia sing.

"That is why all the girls in town

Follow you all around.

Just like me, they long to be

Close to you.

Just like me

They long to be

Close to you…"

Rukia stopped singing. She talked to something in her hands. "I still can't sleep, Chappy." Typical Rukia. It was her Chappy plush and she was talking to it. "Wish someone would drop by and talk… maybe then I could sleep. But who would be up at this time, right?"

Ichigo saw Rukia edging closer to the fire and rubbed her hands together. "Silly me, I should bring a jacket next time…Yuzu's clothes are so thin." And she rubbed her hands together again. Maybe I should go to her. She looks cold and maybe Rukia could use some company. He stood up and went over to the slightly shivering Rukia.

"Hey, Rukia…" Ichigo sat down beside her on the ground. She glanced at him, slightly suprised at the fact that the orange-haireed teen was still up at this hour.

" O-oh…hey, Ichigo. What are you doing up so late?"

"Inoue's sandwich settled in so I came out to have a walk, thinking that maybe that'd help. What about you?"

"Can't sleep. When we were at the riverside, the sound of the river flowing makes me sleepy but here… we're kinda far from a river. Besides, having to tolerate your stupidity makes me tired." Rukia laughed. Ichigo's scowl deepened. "Okay, okay… just kidding." She smiled to the orange yellow flickering light of the campfire in front of her that made Ichigo's hair didn't stand out so much. "But I really loved the time we spent together."

Both were quiet after that. It wasn't the awkward silences but a calm one; both were deep in thought of their own matters. Ichigo broke the silence first after a few moments later. "You sing beautifully, Rukia."

Rukia blushed and turned towards Ichigo. "W-what? You heard me?" Rukia turned away, blushing from embarrassment. The reason Ichigo never heard her sing before is that because Rukia never sang in front of people before. She was shy about it, divergent to her usual personality.

"Yeah. And I really think that your voice is beautiful, Rukia." Rukia blushed again.

Just then, a cold wind blew. Rukia tried to stop her body from shivering or at least make it less obvious, but failed. The wind was too cold and Yuzu's PJs are quite thin. Ichigo took of his dark green jacket and put it around Rukia's shoulder. The jacket was two or three sizes too big for her but she looked cute and adorable all the same. Rukia thanked Ichigo kindly. "Better?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit." Rukia replied. Ichigo put his arm around Rukia and pulled her closer to him. She did not object or resist; Rukia just merely leaned towards her special friend. Hmm… This is comfortable. Rukia snuggled to Ichigo. Maybe I really do just long to be close to him. The Kuchiki snuggled closer to Ichigo and she started to drift off to slumberland when…

Click!

"What was that?" Ichigo said as he was a bit startled by the small click he'd just heard.

"What was what, Ichigo?" Rukia answered sleepily.

"That sound."

"I didn't hear anything." Rukia yawned. Rukia pulled Ichigo's jacket closer to her, wrapping herself in the warmth of the jacket and Ichigo's body. "It must be the wind, Ichigo."

Click!

"I guess it was…" Ichigo said, but he still looked around. "But I have a weird feeling about thi-" He looked at Rukia; she was already sound asleep. "Heh, I thought you said you couldn't sleep, Rukia…" He swept that lock of hair that was on her forehead. Ichigo yawned too. "I should be sleeping now too." He woke Rukia up.

"Hmm? Oh, I must've dozed off. Sorry, Ichigo."

"'S okay, Rukia." He kissed her on the forehead. Rukia blushed to the roots of her jet black hair "G'night Rukia."

Click! Click! Then a very soft whirr… Ichigo could've sworn that he heard something, but he ignored it, thinking that was the wind like Rukia assumed.

"Night Ichigo." Taking her Chappy, Rukia went to hers and Orihime's tent. Before she went in she waved good night to Ichigo. "Bye, Ichi." And she went into the tent. He too started to walk back to his tent.

Inoue's sandwich wasn't so bad after all…

0oo0oo0oo

"I…Chi…GOOO!" Keigo jumped in Ichigo's back. "GOOD MORNING!!"

"Ahh! GETOFFME, KEIGO!" the orange-haired boy pushed Keigo off. "Get back to your packing! And just stop being so freakin' annoying in the morning!"

Keigo pouts. "Ehh… Ichigo, packing is no funnn… Let's see what the girls are doing, eh…eh?" Said annoying boy was poking and pinching Ichigo on the cheek. A big red vein popped on the carrot top's head. "STOP IT!" Ichigo elbowed him and Keigo fell down on the floor of the tent with a thud.

"Ichiigooo… you're no fun today! I'll see if Mizuiro wants to come with me!" Keigo stuck his tongue out and ran off the tent in a hurry.

"Geez, that guy can be so annoying sometimes…" Ichigo turned to take more of his stuff to put in his backpack, realizing that it wasn't there. "Where the hell did my stuff go?" Without Ichigo's knowing, Keigo had taken his stuff when he rushed out from the tent just now. "KEIGO! Come back here!" Ichigo spent the next few minutes searching for his tent mate and another few minutes persuading him to give back his stuff.

0oo0oo0oo

"Rukia-chan, are you done packing?" Orihime asked Rukia who was currently drawing in her small sketchbook. She looked up and replied with a smile, "Hmm? Oh yeah… I finished a few minutes ago."

"You're a fast packer, Rukia-chan." Orihime started to put small items such as her books and stationery in her small bag. Rukia just sat there drawing. After she had done the raven-haired girl tore off the page and put it in a book that was beside her before putting all of her remaining belongings in her small baby blue sling bag.

"EVERYONE! The bus will be arriving soon! Please come here and line up in pairs!" Miss Mayuki announced. Everyone heard her, of course. Who wouldn't if a certain teacher yelled at the top of her voice? Students came out of their tents one by one, sometimes in pairs or groups. They all formed a double line in front of the teacher…Except for Tatsuki, Chizuru and Orihime. They formed a triple line. Tatsuki wouldn't let Chizuru line up with Orhime, claiming that she would…change her.

"Umm… Tatsuki-chan, maybe I should stand with someone else…then maybe you can stand with Chizuru-chan here…" Orihime tried to solve the problem.

"NO WAY!" Both girls yelled almost instantly and in unison.

"What is going on here?!" Miss Mayuki asked. No one answered her. Seeing Tatsuki and Chizuru fight, she knew the problem; both wanted to be with Orihime. "Alright! Alright! I'll solve this. Ishida. You be with Inoue." The teacher pulled Ishida who was walking by to line up at the back of the line. Orihime smiled sweetly to Ishida. Ishida, as usual pushed his glasses up. "Arisawa and Chizuru, solve your problem together. And no more noise."

"This is all your fault!" Tatsuki said in a muffled voice.

"No it isn't this is your fault!" Chizuru said in an audible whisper.

Both went from small muffled voices to big loud shouts a few moments later. "Urr…Why did I say this is compulsory…?" Those two was giving Miss Mayuki a migraine. She started to count the students. "Wait, where's Kurosaki?"

Ichigo, as we all know, was still in the tent, speed-packing. He had just got his belongings back from Keigo. Ichigo cursed a steam of curses as he packed quickly, knowing that the rest of the class was waiting for him outside. After he was done, he ran of outside wanting to line up. He saw Keigo was already in the line with Mizuiro, Chad with a classmate called Daisuke, Orihime was with Ishida. He glanced at everyone else, all of them already has a partner… execpt Rukia who was at the back of the line, alone. No way! I will not be with her! Not in the morning!

"Get a move on Kurosaki! Partner up!" Miss Mayuki called out.

He really didn't want to be with her at that time, not in the morning but Miss Mayuki forced-pushed him to the back of the line with Rukia. He did not meet her eye, not even once. She did the same. In fact, Rukia was chatting with Michiru who was in front of her.

"One thing, the person you are lining up with will be your partner in the bus. So no changing!" Miss Mayuki said because she didn't want more arguments from Tatsuki, Chizuru and Orihime. Tatsuki and Chizuru went, "Whaatt?! Not again!" They started to complain loudly to the teacher. Ichigo groaned.

And Rukia kicked.

0oo0oo0oo

The bus came later. Tatsuki and Chizuru still wasn't happy with their bus partner, still was protesting with Miss Mayuki who kept on asking them to shush. Ichigo wasn't all too happy either but he didn't complain to the teacher because if he did, Rukia would definitely kick him in the shin. Again.

In the bus Ichigo and Rukia argued about who will sit beside the window. Rukia won by Ichigo giving in because she had been kicking him too much. There will definitely be bruises on his shin later…

The bus rumbled as it started to move outside from the forest. Inside the bus, there were a lot of commotion going on. Ichigo looked at the students there. Chad was quiet. He was sitting at the back of the bus with Daisuke and another two guys there. Orihime was chatting loudly with Rukia. Ichigo wished he didn't sat behind Orihime and Ishida. Talking about Ishida, he kept on readjusting his glasses, which were falling down his nose. Keigo was explaining his joke to Mizuiro for the third time. Mizuiro then forced laugh even though he still didn't get his joke. Other people were talking, laughing, yelling to their friends either beside them or some rows away.

And there was that Tatsuki-Chizuru protest going on. That was the loudest of it all.

Ichigo wished that they would reach the school already…

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Waaah! Ichigo and Rukia are incredibly OOC (again) when people aren't around. . Sorry. The next chapter will (hopefully) be a little bit in character. Sorry again 'bout the OOCness. –Ducks from the flying objects thrown at her- I think there will be like one or two chapters after this. Thanks for staying with this until now. I appreciate it very much! Thank youu.

Hmm... well...? I really like that song. You guys should hear it. Old song. I think but it's nice all the same.

Well, since you guys are all the way till the end… -points to the go button- A review won't hurt right? Reviews pretty please?