A/N: Takes place just after the Soul Society arc (or the Bount arc for the anime).
Very minor spoilers through Chapter 198.

I don't own Bleach or any of its characters – if I did Renji would be mine!

Rukia pulled the fluffy rose-hued blanket more snugly under her chin. The blackness surrounded her, broken only by the faint aura struggling to escape the tiny nightlight in the corner. The inky shadows rose and fell along the walls, reflecting the patterns cast by the trees blowing just outside the window. It wasn't as though she was scared of the dark or anything, it was just the strangeness. When she had first started sleeping in his closet, it had taken weeks for her to adjust to the creeks and groans that broke through the silence. Eventually she had learned to wait for Ichigo to fall asleep and then focus on his steady breathing. The rhythmic sound of his breathing would eventually lull her into sleep. It was one of the hardest things to adjust to upon returning to her room in the mansion.

She hadn't been gone from Soul Society that long, really. It was more a matter of everything that had happened while she had been away; everything that had changed. Rukia had spent years – decades really – dedicated to building the wall around her heart. Shinigami had no use for human emotions. The mantra had been subtly but persistently forced into her, even more so after her adoption by the Kuchiki clan. Nobles were expected to be role models and certainly shouldn't be displaying any distasteful emotions.

She had done well and she had been proud of herself. Certainly she felt kinship towards Renji – her oldest friend. But that wasn't anything forbidden, in fact friendship was seen as a benefit to teamwork. She had slipped up a little with Kaien, but he had been married. She had admired him and had been proud to be in his division. This was a slight fabrication but no one else needed to know. But then she had met Ichigo. He didn't exactly break down the walls in one barrage, his usual fighting style. It was more like a slow crumbling. With every squabble, every insult and every shared glance when nobody else was watching; brick by brick the carefully constructed walls fell. And she fell… for him.

Now she lay two rooms down, trapped in a pink palace between two girls with decidedly un-steady breathing. The little shinigami huffed out a breath, momentarily lifting a lock of dark hair from her eyes before it fell back into place. Yuzi suddenly made a snuffling noise in her sleep while Karin muttered something about chores and Rukia's mind was made up. She flung the offensive blanket back and silently padded down the hall, the hardwood floor chilling her tiny bare feet. She held her breath as she pushed open the familiar door praying it wouldn't squeak and betray her. Stopping when there was just enough space to allow her entry, she slid through, closing the door softly behind her.

Ichigo's lengthy form was curled up under the quilt, only the smallest bit of orange peeking over the top of the blanket. Tension melted away at the familiarity of the room and she was glad to see the extra blanket she favored was still folded up in the corner. She pressed it to her nose, enjoying the pleasant smell and its comforting softness. It was an older blanket, she could tell – obviously well used and loved over the years. She particularly loved the color, a soft golden brown shade. She pulled it along with her, the ends dragging due to her slight form.

Despite the darkness, she navigated her way around the various obstacles in the room and hopped up onto her futon. She bit back a startled squeak as her hand landed upon a soft, lumpy object. If Kon had taken up sleeping in her closet, things would not go well for the perverted mod soul. But no, she picked up the foreign item… it was too small to be Kon, and its ears were too long – wait – long ears? Rukia held the squishy bundle up to the moonlight and could have shrieked with glee had the rest of the house not been lost in slumber. A small purple tag around its cute little ear read simply "Rukia." Quickly she snuggled under her much missed blanket. With Ichigo's steady breathing already soothing her, she cuddled her soft new friend against her cheek. She sighed happily, finally feeling at home.

In the early hours of the morning, Ichigo woke up and noticed an occupant in his closet. He smirked when he saw her cuddling with the plushie he had left for her. Closing his eyes he enjoyed the soft, breathy sounds Rukia made while sleeping. The familiar sound quickly eased him back into a peaceful slumber. Welcome home Rukia.