Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way. Kubo Tite owns it.
Summary: Rukia can't fall asleep because she's a light sleeper. "When you know you're about to die, you don't sleep very well. Your ears become so attuned and sensitive to any noise because the next person that walks in the room might be the one to take you to your death." IchiRuki; set sometime after Bounto-Arc
Author's Note: I was very hesitant to post this. I don't know why, probably because I don't feel it's my best. Special thanks to GW for proofreading. Enjoy!
Insomnia
An IchiRuki one-shot by Goku's Daughter
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Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following:
- difficulty falling asleep
- waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep
- waking up too early in the morning
- unrefreshing sleep
Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours of sleep a person gets or how long it takes to fall asleep. Individuals vary normally in their need for, and their satisfaction with, sleep. Insomnia may cause problems during the day, such as tiredness, a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. Insomnia can be generated through a number of causes.
From: A Guide Book to Insomnia
It was a glorious day. The sun was high and bright, and the sky was blue and clear. The birds chirped merrily and nature was at peace.
But Kuchiki Rukia did not notice this.
"You look tired," Ichigo commented, twisting his head back to look at her. She was a few paces behind him and was oddly quiet.
The short girl looked up at him and her frowned deepened. "Do I really look that tired?"
He nodded. "You should get some more sleep and stop worrying." He half-rolled his eyes, temporarily blinded by the sun's glorious rays. "It's not like you have to study either." He was referring to himself. He was a substitute Shinigami who had homework to do. It could be really exhausting.
Rukia watched him turn around and he slowed his pace slightly. "I think I have insomnia," she said.
The orange-haired boy did not look at her this time. "Why?"
One of her eyes twitched slightly. "I don't know." She lied. Ichigo's sister, Karin, snored. It was not too loud but Rukia was a light sleeper, used to quietness when sleeping. Her own home was an oasis of silence but she admitted the Kuchiki house was too quiet, unfriendly, and cold.
That night, Rukia sat up and sighed. She glanced over at Ichigo's sister, the dark-haired one, and slowly got out of her bed.
She decided to find refuge in Ichigo's closet.
Rukia tiptoed gracefully to the boy's room. She was extra careful not to make a sound as she opened his door. Her eyes shone with concentration as she pulled the closet door open and slipped inside. She looked back at Ichigo and was relieved to find him sleeping. He needed his sleep too.
Rukia was pleasantly surprised that he had left her bed the way it was. A smile tugged at her lips when she cuddled in the sheets and closed her eyes.
Yes. Sleep.
It must have been ten glorious minutes of peace until Kuchiki's eyes flew open. It was soft, but the sound waves even travelled through the door. Rukia rubbed her right eye and she slowly slid the closet door. The noise was now louder and Rukia cursed at the genetic inheritance of snoring. Frowning, Rukia closed the closet door and covered her ears with her hands. When she could still hear Ichigo's snore she tried to block the sound with her pillow. For a minute she heard nothing, causing her to smile softly, but then an odd choking sound came out from his mouth and the snoring resumed, louder.
Rukia sat up and exhaled deeply. She raked her raven hair with her fingers and thought about her mode of action. Another night without sleep or wake the idiot up and tell him to stop snoring?
Coming to a decision, Rukia slowly descended out of her sleeping abode and walked to Ichigo's unconscious body. His covers were down to his waist and his hand was slightly under his shirt that had somehow pulled his shirt up, revealing his lean abdomen. His other arm had sprawled about his head and his legs had slightly parted. He was not a neat sleeper.
Rukia looked at his peaceful, snoring face and quietly moved to the edge of his bed. She wanted him to breathe through his mouth but how? Her eyes light up with the answer and carefully she tried to reach to his nose but his face was turned away from her. Annoyed and sleep deprived, the petite Shinigami carefully sat on the edge of the bed. Still she could not reach properly. The angle would be too awkward and she was sure he would wake up. She took a quick breath in and then, daring herself to do this, she straddled him with both her knees on either side of her body. She prayed to some entity above that he did not wake up with her on top of him.
After what felt like five minutes Rukia looked carefully at his face. She was aware of the succession of each snore, the way his lips hardly parted and the way his chest rose and fell at a constant rhythm. Now here was the hard part. Sucking in a deep breath, Rukia's two fingers, the thumb and index fingers, plugged the younger boy's nose. Before he would gag, or worse, wake up, she pushed his cheeks slightly to part his lips further.
At first, she feared the worse. She feared that his eyes would snap open and he would yell and kick and scream and ultimately wake the whole house.
Instead he made a funny sound in his throat as if he was choking and his face throttled a bit to each side until he was aware he could breathe with his mouth. Once he could breathe again, his unconscious panic subsided and Rukia sighed with relief.
The petite Shinigami took one last glance at him, removing her hands from his face. Then when she thought she was cleared and could finally find peace and sleep, she felt a weight on her arm. She froze immediately, glancing down at the boy's grip on her. Rukia's eyes flitted back to his face, and she was still frozen, even if he was still sleeping.
Rukia didn't say or do anything for a good moment. Before she tried to pry out of his hold, she felt her body fall on his bed, back first, and then a weight on her.
Her eyes glanced beside her. Ichigo had comfortably made her part of the mattress. His left leg curved around her legs, and his left arm rested over her flat stomach. His other hand had let go of her arm and supported his head. She could feel his hot breath tickling her face, as his face was about three inches away from hers. Her heart pounded and she felt her face get warm. Rukia was still frozen from her position but quickly recovered and tried to wiggle out without waking him up, of course.
She sighed. Rukia could not do it. She couldn't push him off without waking him, no matter how graceful and skilful she was.
At least he was not that heavy and the snoring stopped. And his bed was quite comfortable as well.
With those last words in mind, her eyes fluttered closed and sleep finally came to her.
Eight hours later, when her violet-blue eyes opened, she turned slightly at the other body on the bed and hoped he was asleep. Instead hazel eyes greeted her.
"What are you doing in my bed?" he asked her, a frown deep-settled on his lips.
"You told me I needed sleep," Rukia muttered, rubbing her crusty left eye. This time she noticed the sun streak in his room, the sound of the birds chirping and she felt it would be a glorious new day.
His cheeks were slightly blushed from embarrassment. "In my bed," he commented.
"Your sisters snore," she told him, looking up at him. She was suddenly aware that she was fully covered and his limbs were off from her. "You were watching me sleep." He was sitting in his bed beside her.
Ichigo suddenly turned his face away, embarrassed. "You snore too," he mumbled.
"Did I wake you?" she asked. Rukia has a sudden feeling to sit up since she did not like how he was above her, watching her.
Carrot-top shook his head. "The light did." His tone was soft and calm.
Rukia nodded and then smiled. "'Cause if I did, I can show you a trick to make a person stop snoring, or at least make it quieter."
The human boy looked slightly confused. "What? I snore?" He said it as if it was an insult.
This time she sat up. "Yes, you do. I could hear it in your closet." Her finger pointed towards his opened closet that had white sheets disarrayed.
He crossed his arms at her. "Then why didn't you do it to my sisters?"
"Because I didn't want to accidentally suffocate them."
His eyes widened. "WHAT! What did you do to me?!"
She shook her head and explained. And then she explained why she was in his bed. He turned away for the second time. Then a question came from his mouth that surprised her.
"How did you sleep in my room before since I snore so loud?" His eyes bored hers and neither moved.
She looked distracted as her eyes strayed to the window. Her obvious hesitation concerned him. "When you know you're about to die, you don't sleep very well. Your ears become so attuned and sensitive to any noise because the next person that walks in the room might be the one to take you to your death." Her face was serious and stoic. Her tone was chilling and cold. And for a moment neither of them made any sound.
Finally, his hand moved toward her face, to comfort her in some way, but then it dropped to his side. "I guess your sleeping patterns are screwed up then," Ichigo told her.
She nodded. "I guess." She pushed the covers off her body and stood up. "I guess I should be back in your sisters' room before your father discovers me here."
He returned the nod, watching her carefully. Their eyes met and she was suddenly aware of the intensity of his eyes. Rukia was drawn to him she knew, and she was bonded to him in a way she couldn't describe.
He knew it too. They never expressed their feelings in words but through action they were able to silently understand each other.
In one stare, so much unspoken words and feelings were exchanged.
Suddenly Rukia jumped off the bed without a sound. She faced the door, ready to walk out, but stopped when she heard his question:
"Did you sleep well at least?"
She didn't turn at him but nodded, feeling a heat crawl to her face. "Yeah. Did I bother you?"
Since her back was toward him, he didn't have to look away. "No."
She bared her teeth in a soft smile. Then finally she looked back at him. "Good, because I don't know how long this insomnia will last."
Rukia walked out of the room again, not waiting for his response. The sun was bright and friendly, the birds sang their morning song, and for a while there was peace in the Kurosaki home.
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On the way to school, Ichigo glanced back at Rukia and slowed down his pace to walk beside her.
"You do know that I'll always come rescue you." He did not look at her when he said this. His eyes were distracted by something in the distance.
She nodded. She knew. Rukia was going to say, "Why do you think I could sleep in your arms?" Instead, she settled on telling him a soft, "Thank you." It was a serious acknowledgement and though those words were slightly out of her character – to Ichigo at least – Rukia was someone who would not hold in gratitude for the sake of pride or any other nonsensical reason.
Ichigo nodded, shoving his left hand in his pants pocket. He did not walk ahead as he normally did but stayed by her side. Ichigo knew about insomnia. When his mother had died, he had experienced many sleepless nights or trouble staying in slumber.
When Rukia was taken away from him and were to be executed, he had nightmares and more sleepless nights.
He did not say anything about it though. His restless nights were gone; she was safe. Eventually Rukia too will feel safe in his house, whether that's in his arms or not.
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"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep."
- W.C. Fields
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End
Author's Note: So this will probably get lost in a bunch of other IchiRuki one-shot fics that is littered on this site. Oh well. Anyways, review please! And if anyone is interested in a GrimmjowxRukia crackfic, please do read. It's better written than this... heh heh...