Dream Catcher

Notes: Because, like any good little fangirl, I wondered, So, how to get those two in bed together? Nah, just kidding.This one masquerades itself as serious, but it's really quite fluffy.

It all started with a few drops of rain just before breakfast, and continued on to become a sprinkle just after lunch. By the time he and Rukia had raced home, screaming and cursing and slipping, they could safely say it was a downpour.

Then a flood. Then a freakin' monsoon.

By the time Yuzu put the dishes away and ran to bed—she'd always hated lightning—Ichigo imagined that the rain would never stop. It was only just past seven, far before his usual bedtime, but he went to bed anyway. His eyes always felt heavier on days like this, his well-maintained facade of indifference somehow weaker and more translucent. Each time it rained, the beating water seemed to tear old wounds open again.

Days like this were made to sleep through.

Consciousness only teased memories to the surface of his mind. Sleep, of course, did the same, but at least—if he was lucky—he could forget the dreams before he was completely awake. Ichigo finally fell alseep to the steady thrum of the rain and the whisper of a past he wished he could forget.

A familiar cold ache churned and dredged those old memories up, swirling them together into an incomprehensible collage of fragmented remembrances, so that in one moment he was laughing and pulling his mom along, and in another, kissing her goodnight and attempting to wrap his tiny arms around her neck. "I won't ever let anything happen to you or to daddy or anyone, ever!" And she had smiled back at him, nodding solemnly. "Of course, little Ichigo." She had kissed him on the forehead.

Before he could follow it, another memory washed over him, an early weekend morning when he'd crawled onto her bed and jumped on the springy mattress to wake her to make those cookies she'd promised. He helped her make them. Then that one flickered away, replaced by others.

Her smiling at him.

Him taking her offered hand to lift him to his feet again.

Him cradling her wet hair and tugging at her hand—just like she had done a thousand times—telling her to get up, get up...the rain was falling, and she would get wet if she didn't stand soon. Him staring through eyes that had become foggy with desperate tears and a truth that was becoming harder and harder to deny

Her face, so calm and serene. So cold. Him, begging her to open her eyes. Begging, and begging... and nothing happened.

"Mom!" the choked cry escaped his lips as he jerked upright, barely audible because of the constriction in his throat. The sound of the falling rain returned, along with a feeling of warmth, and suddenly he was sitting up in bed, almost seven years away from that day. Seven years she had been absent from.

His gasps for breath sounded more like sobs, and he slowed his breathing carefully, looking around to make sure his outburst had not disturbed anyone.

And there she was, right beside his bed, perched so naturally atop the desk, her own fingers entwined in his.

"Rukia," he said. He pulled his hand away from hers, letting the tension slide from his body. He stared down at the covers, trying to forget the things that made him feel so weak. At the same time, he felt horrible for trying to push those memories away. Why was it that even the happiest memories were inextricably connected to that day? He allowed his eyes to wander back to Rukia's, which were illuminated by the warm light from the hall.

"You screamed," she said simply, withdrawing the hand that had held his. She must have seen his worried glances at the door, because she said, "You didn't scream that loud. They're still sleeping."

He sighed. "Good. I hate it when I..." His voice trailed off. He bit his lip and spoke again after several moments. "Why are you still up? Shouldn't you be...doing whatever you do?"

She laughed, swinging her feet against the dresser. "This late, I'm usually out luring little boys and feeding them to hollows, but I made an exception. It's raining, you know."

He did know. He swore very firmly to himself, feeling his mask of composure slip just a little more as memories breached the barrier between past and present, flooding into his consciousness in bursts of view that filled the white space the crashing lightning left.

White-blue suddenly exploded through his vision. A fork of lightning split the sky, and when its light faded, every other light did, too. The light in the hall; the warm glow in the next-door neighbor's kitchen. The darkness was almost complete. It took several moments for Ichigo to discern the sharp silhouette of Rukia's face. For just a moment she was completely calm, but then she started.

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

"It's dark."

He sighed. A wonderful end to a wonderful day, right? His eyes tried and failed to adjust to the syrupy blackness, but each time he thought he might just be able to make out a few things, a flash of lightning would take away all the progress he'd gained. Eventually, the lightning became more distant, the thundering roars tamer, until the loudest noises were her breathing and his thoughts.

His thoughts. His mind took the sound of the rain and filled the darkness with images so real he felt as if he could reach in front of himself and touch them. He felt his hands begin to shake, because the more the memories clarified, the less he felt bound to the present. Each new memory dragged him farther away from reality and into an even darker place that could not be escaped. It felt like slipping in that damned rain, unable to stand, unable to remain tied to reality as the darkness dragged him into dreams.

"No..." Unaware that he spoke it aloud through sob-like hisses of breath. Unaware that he spoke at all.

Movement jarred the bed he rested on, and he felt those warm fingers slip into his once more. The memories retreated slowly, replaced by the dark night.

She wasn't on the desk anymore. Even in the darkness, he knew that. He felt the minuscule shivers the bed made from where she sat on it. Her fingers, so slender and small, twined into his. They loosened when he opened his eyes. He saw a gentleness and sorrow in her eyes. She tightened her grip.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

He reply was nothing less than he expected. "'Cause if you make noise, I can't get to sleep," she replied.

Rukia was ready to pull her fingers away, but she didn't pull and he didn't, either, so they stayed like that.

"It's dark," she slowly whispered. "Why did the lights go out?"

Ichigo sighed, watering his voice down with the characteristic indifference. "It's because of the storm. Water damage, downed poles...mostly it's just a problem they can fix quickly. The lights will probably be back on in the morning. So go to bed."

And she would have gotten up and trudged back to the closet.

Except she didn't. He felt the light imprint that was her body stretch out beside him, allowing plenty of room, but still dangerously close.

Maybe she was stupid. "...Rukia?"

She yawned. "Hmm?"

"It's... in case you forgot, this is my bed." And she hadn't let go of his hand yet.

"What's your point?"

He tried to think of a point, but couldn't find one. "But...why?" he asked at last.

"Remember that thing about noise? That's your answer. Now go to sleep."

He shuddered violently at the mention of sleep, disguising the instinctive reaction with a shrug. "Not tired."

"Well, I am. So sleep."

Okay, so maybe, maybe, just a bit—forget it. He had lied. He was exhausted. The moment he closed his eyes, the darkness beckoned. Instinctively, he fought it. Her grip tightened on his hand, and he relaxed, sinking into rest with her fingers twined within his. It was as if, beside him, she guided him away from those memories, like a dreamcatcher.

When the lights came back on in the early morning, Yuzu saw them first, and smiled. Karin followed, and Isshin, inevitably, found the twins in their brother's doorway. He peeked in, eyes widening at the sight.

"My boy has grown into a man!" he cried. "A man, in just one night. Daddy is sad."

Karin could kick high for her height and her age. Isshin shut up and hopped away, trading his exclamations for pathetic whimpers as Karin very gently slipped the door closed, taking one last glance at her brother and the small woman he embraced. The girl's dark hair contrasted Ichigo's light strands wildly on the pillow they had somehow come to share, the fingers of one hand joined together, while the others simply brushed fingers. Karin smiled. Yeah, she'd leave it to Ichi to work things out when he woke up. It sure would be interesting to see his reaction to waking next to a woman.

But she didn't have any complaints—not about the way things had turned out, and certainly not about the delicate-looking black-haired girl curled across the covers beside Ichigo, even though she had not been too trusting of said girl at first.

She'd never seen her brother sleep so peacefully since that day.

Still standing at the door as she closed it the final crack, she whispered a soft thank you to the dark-haired girl who had returned Ichi's smile. "Sleep well," she said, hiding a smile of her own under the shadow of her cap's brim as she wandered quietly away.

Author's Notes: In the manga, Karin knows about what Ichigo and Rukia are, so I think that she was initially mistrusting, but since she ultimately cares about her older brother, I figured that she might warm up to Rukia a little bit if she saw how she helps Ichigo, and vice versa. My brain has literally been swimming with fanfic ideas, and this is the first one I fished out and made into something slightly readable. I had fun with it, and can only hope that you might have enjoyed reading (even just a little). Also, I wanted to thank the people who supported me in writing these. (You guys make my day!) I tried to reply to every review, but I'm very, very sorry if I forgot anything. I've been here only off and on lately because of the work I am trying to do to get my GED. (I'm really bad with math, so it's taking up a lot of time.) Well...thank you for taking the time to look! Any thoughts would be appreciated. Please Review?