I don't own Bleach…which sucks 'cause it's awesome. The show, I mean! Not the cleaner. I am not a solvent abuser.

Anyhoo, enjoy.

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Midnight Musings.

A one-shot by La Anjita.

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Rukia shifted again in the small space that Ichigo's cupboard offered; he had grudgingly agreed to allow her living space in his wardrobe once more at Uruhara's insistence…he could be very persistent. In any case, she wasn't complaining; the duvet that served as her mattress was soft and comfortable and her quilt was thick and warm. The confined space gave a sense of privacy and, every now and again, she had the privilege of catching a glimpse of the seventeen year-old's naked chest as he finished dressing for the day.

The Kidou proficient Shinigami sighed agitatedly and turned over once more; it was a humid night and everything cloth-related was sticking relentlessly to her gigai…they were so troubling sometimes. With a grumble she pulled the cupboard door open and smiled as the breeze from Ichigo's open window washed over her and filled the tight space of the cupboard. He always slept with the curtains open, Kurosaki Ichigo, and as such Rukia could see the pale moon nestled clearly in the dark midnight sky. Slightly cooler, Rukia lay back down, letting the fresh night air that reached her ruffle her hair.

There was, however, one downside to having the cupboard door open like this: the snoring. It was a terrible noise, reminiscent of a foghorn, and was obviously a snore that had never had to have been tamed. The odd thing was that the noise wasn't coming from Ichigo's direction.

Frowning, Rukia sat up and glanced over towards the other Shinigami before letting her eyes rake across the room. They landed on Ichigo's chest of drawers. Ah, she thought, catching sight of one stuffed lion's leg peeking out of an open drawer, so Kon was the snorer, then. Rukia smiled in satisfaction at figuring it out and lay back down, before realizing that knowing who was snoring didn't stop it. She groaned aloud and huffed.

And then she realized something else…

Ichigo wasn't making any noise at all.

Panicked, Rukia shot back up in her makeshift bed and stared intently over at the sleeping teen. She held her breath, biting her lip. What if he'd been attacked and she hadn't noticed? What if his injuries from the fight with that Hollow the day before were worse than he made out? What if…?

Rukia forced herself to be calm; panicking wasn't going to help. And then she heard it. The soft, almost silent, sound of someone breathing in and out, someone sleeping. Rukia exhaled herself and then looked closer at Ichigo's sleeping form, seeing his chest rise and fall steadily with his slow breathing.

Don't ever scare me like that again, Ichigo, she thought and lay down again, closing her eyes…

Before they snapped open and she sat right back up, head whipping around to stare again at the other occupant of the room. She had been so annoyed about the snoring and then so panicked about his silence that Rukia hadn't realized the fact that Ichigo was sleeping without a shirt tonight, the quilts bunched around his waist. Her mouth dry, Rukia continued to stare, watching intently as his well-toned chest rose and fell with each soft breath that passed his lips.

Ye Gods, and to think that she'd revelled in those teensy glimpses of him she'd caught every now and again.

Rukia slipped silently out of her bed, small feet touching the carpet without a sound; Ichigo was a heavy sleeper and so didn't wake, as if he'd be able to hear her steps over Kon's snoring anyway.

Fascinated, but unable to tell why, Rukia crept quietly towards his bed. Five…six steps and she was close enough to him that she could see the cooling beads of sweat on his tanned skin. She could even smell him, the faint musky smell of maturing masculinity. She could see his strong features, the relaxed eyebrows and lips a sharp contrast with the broody teenage frown he normally donned during the day.

He really was a very attractive guy. Of course, many of the men she knew were; Ishida, Renji…but there was something different about Ichigo's looks. For one, if they were all so attractive, then why was she so…captivated…with only Ichigo's looks and not theirs? And his attitude…it wasn't as if he was very polite or even humble, at times he was an arrogant asshole but…there was something about the way he spoke and moved and looked at people that appealed to Rukia more than any other man did. It was odd.

She looked at his face again. He looked younger in repose…unshielded.

Gently, she touched a hand to his hair…he didn't move. Rukia cocked her head and smiled slightly; his hair was soft. So many things about him were soft at this moment: his expression; the tiny parting between his lips; his relaxed jaw; the way his hands lay in slight curls against the mattress and his abdomen; his breathing. Rukia stroked her hands through his hair again, looking at his fine eyelashes folded against his cheeks. The absence of his piercing amber stare probably had something to do with how at ease he seemed right now.

Feeling slightly bolder Rukia brushed her fingers across his scalp, repeating the action slightly more firmly when he didn't react. Rukia felt so…at peace…doing this. Running her fingers through Ichigo's bright hair as she listened to his quiet breathing and watched him lick his lips. He looked so serene…it was such a strange look on his usually hard face, but not an unwelcome one. She'd seen his eyes soften a few times since she'd known him, and the effect that it had on his face, and on other people, was astounding. He was a kind person, caring so much about his friends, and her, that he'd risk his life without hesitation.

Rukia jumped as Ichigo's abdomen contracted slightly and his hand curled in response to her running a finger behind his ear. Grinning a little, she did it again, this time extending the touch down along his jaw, provoking a soft sigh from his slightly open mouth. She could see his tongue a moment, glistening behind his teeth, before he pressed his lips together and made a quiet noise in the back of his throat. She watched as his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. Inquisitive, she touched her finger to the lump on his throat and ran a tickling trail across it. She received a similar reaction from before.

It was interesting, in a strange way, to see him react like this. Rukia knew about sex, of course, and the effects it had on peoples' bodies. She also knew that Ichigo's hushed reactions were probably because of the way she was touching him, which was odd, because she wasn't touching him in any…well…private places. Perhaps there was something sexual in the way she was caressing him? The soft murmurs he was giving her in return definitely were.

She still remembered how she felt after seeing the results of Kago's Doll's attack on the younger Shinigami's body…that strong and muscled form suspended helplessly with his clothes falling off of him (just imagine she'd seen him). It still made her shiver that he'd been put through that, and yet…she couldn't help the feeling that there was something distinctly erotic about that look. Maybe it was just female pride, revelling in the knowledge that he'd been dominated like that…who knew? The only sure thing was that, right now, Ichigo's jaw and exposed throat seemed to be remarkably erogenous areas.

Rukia moved her fingers south from his throat and instead caressed his collarbones and shoulders, rubbing small circles with the tips of her fingers.

She felt warmer than she had been earlier and, if the sweat beading anew on his chest was any indication, the open window wasn't doing anything to cool him down, either. On a whim, Rukia pressed her hand gently to his heart, feeling the beat beneath her fingers. She replaced her hand with her ear and smiled as she heard the faint rhythm of his life passing through her ears. If she allowed herself she probably could have fallen asleep there, with her ear to his chest and one hand over his finely toned abdomen. Rukia smiled again, relaxed, as she felt one of his large hands close gently over hers…

Hang on.

Oh bugger.

Rukia slowly raised her head to look again at Ichigo's face. Slowly, his eyes opened, brown irises half-lidded and hazy with sleep. He let out a soft and amused sigh, smiling with all the gentleness that his sleeping face had contained. He opened his mouth.

'You know,' he said, voice low and sultry and still under the warm haze of sleep, but with that ever-present smirk, 'you could have just asked for a hug.'

Rukia stared at him a moment before letting out a soft squeal and dashing back towards her cupboard, pulling the door hurriedly shut. She buried her burning face in the pillow, cheeks only reddening further at the sound of the soft laughter from the other side.

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Thankies! This is my first Bleach fic.

….SLIGHT PLOT SPOLIER HERE….

For those of you who haven't seen the whole Bounto bit in the series, Kago's a big black guy with a spider-like woman made of metal as his familiar. I'm referring with Ichigo's one on one fight with him, where the doll had Ichigo suspended in that metal web. Oh, and I know Rukia didn't see him like that but, for the sake of artistic licence, pretend she did.

Oh, and what was Kago's doll's name? I've forgotten.

….END SPOILER…

Anyway, see ya!

--La Anjita