Disclaimer: Nope no owning of Bleach here

A/N: Now don't you just love bubble wrap? Enjoy!

Pop!

Ichigo's room — 11:20pm

"What's that?"

Ichigo jumped slightly at the sudden voice. He glared at the petite Kuchiki. "It's nothing," he mumbled. Ichigo put the box in his drawer and promptly closed it shut. On his desk was a mess of tape and colourful paper and some plastic-like thing. "Go to sleep, Rukia."

She frowned then placed her hands on his shoulder and leaned on him, trying to reach for the drawer.

"If it's nothing… then let me… SEE IT!"

"Get offa me!" Ichigo pushed her away, fast. Rukia lost her balance momentarily. She moved a step backwards to regain stability.

Pop!

"What the…?" Rukia bent down and picked up a piece of… something from the floor. It looked like a sheet of plastic material covered with bubble-like globules. She pressed on one of the bubbles on it. Pop! Rukia giggled. It was fun! She noticed Ichigo's table was filled with those things. So he must know what it was.

"What's this Ichigo?"

Pop!

She popped on one it again. The raven-haired shinigami shook Ichigo's shoulder and shoved the plastic to his face in attempt to get his attention. She grinned at his annoyed face.

"Get the hell off!" Ichigo slapped her hand away from his face and glared at her. She smirked and waved the plastic in front of his face. He growled in annoyance, "It's bubble wrap. Now go away, midget. Geez…"

"Bubble wrap…" Rukia repeated, slightly dazed at the newfound item. Who'd knew the human world was so interesting?

She looked over at Ichigo who had randomly taken a book and pretended to read it. Her eyes went wide. All over his desk was a whole mess of bubble wrap! Awesome!

Rukia yelled out, "LOOK! BUBB—"

"SHH!" Ichigo clamped his hand over her mouth and glowered at her. "You're gonna wake people up!" She pried his hand from her and grabbed all the bubble wrap from his desk and headed to the closet.

"I'm taking these, okay?" She called out from her shoulder. Ichigo gave a "hmm," as an answer. He was about to throw those away anyway later. Rukia jumped in her closet and closed the door with a grin.

He sighed in relief. The substitute shinigami took the box from his drawer and continued wrapping it. Ichigo could get back to his work without a certain annoying midget of a shinigami looking over his shoulder.

Ichigo regretted letting her have the bubble wrap.

Pop! Giggles…

Pop! Pop! More giggles came from the closet.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Even more giggles erupted from the closet.

"Could you shut it in there?!" Ichigo yelled.

He was too busy with his work to take back the bubble wrap from her. She slid open the closet door and smirked at him. Rukia came out from the closet with bubble wrap in her hands. She sat on his bed and popped more bubbles, laughing now and again.

"Rukia!"

"What? You said shut it in there… Now I'm not in the closet anymore." Rukia smirked and continued playing with her new toy.

"Arrhhh…"

Pop!

Karakura High, school compound — 3:43pm

"And it's really fun!"

"Bubble wrap…" Orihime repeated, looking somewhat pensive. She suddenly snapped her fingers and said, "Oh! I know! The art club always has a lot! Let's go, Kuchiki-san!"

Orihime grabbed her hand and dragged her to where the Art Club was having their meeting —the art room— undoubtedly. The school was still open, even if it was 3:45 because of its extra curricular activities. The two girls went inside and asked for some bubble wrap. Straight to the point.

"But… we were going to use some for out collage project next week…" Suzuita Tatsuya scratched the back of his head.

"Pleaseee Tatsuya-kun…!"

"Pleasee…"

Orihime and Rukia attacked him with large puppy dog eyes with extra cuteness plus added sparkle and glitter. That hit him.

"Ahh…" Tatsuya grinned. "Well, okay. Take all you need."

"Yayyy! Tatsuya-kun, you're the best!"

Orihime pounced him and wrapped her arms around him. He blushed furiously as Rukia helped herself to the massive amount of bubble wrap in the art room, grinning. Rukia's smile brightened (if that was possible) when she saw Ichigo waiting for her at the school gate.

Ichigo scowled as he saw her. "Where were—?"

"Ichigo! Look! Bubble wrap!" Rukia shoved the plastic-like items in his face. Ichigo scowled and pushed it aside. "Bye, Inoue! Thanks for showing me where I can get this!" Rukia waved animatedly at Orihime.

"Bye, Kuchiki-san! Have fun!"

Ichigo was not having fun.

Rukia hummed a made up tune as they walked back to the Kurosaki household, popping bubble wrap incessantly. Pop! Pop! Pop-pop-pop-pop!

Ichigo cursed, annoyed. "Rukia, can you just SHUT UP?"

"Hm?" Rukia turned to him innocently. She smiled sweetly and said with a tone whose sweetness could match honey and sugar, "Ano, Ichigo-kun, I wasn't even talking. But were you talking to Mr. Bubbly?" Rukia stood on her tip toes and popped a bubble near his ear, smirking. Then she ran off, laughing, back to the Kurosaki residence. Ichigo felt like tearing his hair out.

"And I thought bubble wrap was supposed to reduce stress!!"

Ichigo's room — 10: 48pm

He was so glad.

It was 10:48pm.

And as of three and a half minutes ago, Rukia had finished popping all the bubble wrap. Now she's sitting crossed-legged on his bed, trying to find at least one un-popped bubble. Rukia's currently pouting when she couldn't find one.

And Ichigo was cheering triumphantly. Inwardly, of course.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

He gave a grunt as an answer.

"Do you have more of Mr Bubbly?"

Oh, great, now she had a freakin' name for it.

Ichigo ignored her and flipped another page of his book. He was lying stomach down on the bed. Rukia crossed her eyebrows and whacked him on the head.

"OW! What the hell was that for, midget??"

"You didn't answer me. Tell me, do… you… have… more… of… Mr Bubbly." She accentuated the last sentence word by word, glaring at him.

"No," he muttered, only because so that she won't hit him again.

"Well, get me some, idiot! I'm bored!"

"So read a book or something! And by the way, 'genius,' what shops open at 11 pm? And want to sell bubble wrap??"

Rukia hit him again and stomped off to the closet.

"Fine!" Rukia called out from the closet. "I'll get more from the art club tomorrow."

Ichigo groaned in frustration.

Karakura High, school compound — 3:32pm

"No."

"Why not?"

Rukia was having bad luck in the search for Mr Bubbly mission today. Today Kurumi Ranko, the Art Club's strict senior president, greeted her and Orihime in the Art Club. And the shiny eyes technique does not work on her. Shoot.

"We are doing a huge collage project today, and the bubble wrap is needed for it." She said, her black eyes showed no amount of expression at all. It reminded Rukia a bit of a certain nii-sama.

"Oh. It's okay then, Ranko-senpai. Bye!" Orihime bowed slightly, smiled sweetly then walked off, bubble wrap-less. Rukia sighed and walked off with the auburn-haired girl.

"Hah!" Ichigo grinned at Rukia when he saw neither Orihime nor Rukia had any traces of popping plastic on them. "You didn't get any did you?"

"No," Orihime said.

Rukia hit him.

Ichigo's room — 8:30pm

"Rukia," Ichigo said, knocking on the closet door. "Dinner. Come out."

Rukia slide open the closet door and took the tray of food from him, then she closed it back, without another sound. Ichigo scowled at the now closed door. He crossed his arms. "Oh, now you're sulking. Geez, let it go, woman. The bubble wrap wasn't that fun."

"Shut up, Ichigo. 'M not sulking," she said in a sulky tone.

"Yeah, you're just silently annoyed at the fact that you have no more of your precious Mr Bubbles."

"It's Mr Bubbly, fool."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Whatever." At least his nerves were calm for tonight. He got to his desk and continued what he was doing since last night before Rukia started to break his concentration with her freakin' Mr Bubblys.

Ichigo's room — 9:01pm

"Rukia?"

"Hmm?"

Ichigo opened the closet door and threw her a small wrapped box. "Take it." Rukia jumped slightly and her manga (she was reading with her Chappy flashlight) dropped onto the futon. She eyed the box suspiciously. The amethyst-eyed petite girl jumped from the closet and walked over to Ichigo who was lying on his stomach on his bed.

"What's this?" She shook the box near her ear. She heard nothing that could tell her what the present was.

"Just… take it," Ichigo said, not looking at her. Rukia noticed his ears were slightly red.

Rukia flopped down next to him so that her hip is pressed to his shoulder. Rukia shook it again. "Ichigo, tell me, what is this?"

"It won't explode. Just open it."

She wanted to argue with him longer, but curiosity git better hold of her and she opened the wrapped item cautiously. Inside the box was a glass bottle which was half-full of small colourful origami stars. Rukia left the box on his bed as she looked at the contents of the bottle. He made those, she can tell.

"What's it for?"

"Nothing. It's…" It was like he wanted to say something, but he decided not to. "Just… nothing. Just take it, Rukia."

She smiled.

"Thanks, Ichigo."

He smiled. Ichigo hardly ever smiled; he felt slightly strange at using the facial expression. But it's just Rukia's pleasant expression that brought his lips curve upwards; it was soft, not taunting, or teasing, especially not annoying. Just... a perfect true smile.

"Rukia... you—"

Then she gasped. Her eyes opened widely and her jaw dropped. "No way…" she whispered. Something in the box caught her eye. She crawled over to the box to see it. Rukia's smile was as big as it could get.

"Look! Ichigo!"

Oh, shit.

"There's BUBBLE WRAP in this box, Ichigo!"

That night Ichigo had to endure a sleepless night of pop!-ing sounds.

Pop!

Bubble wrap is so fun, doncha think?

I found a small bottle half-full of those origami stars once. And there's a type of paper that you can make the stars with. I liked making those stars. And I especially like popping bubble wrap! :D Pop!

This piece had been in my computer for so long… since last year, I think. So, I thought I'd finally put it in FF.N :) Tell me what you thought about this one. And I didn't check this thoroughly yet, so if you spot any mistakes, tell me :)

Please Review?