Disclaimers: I do not own Bleach, and it belongs to Tite Kubo. However I DO own this story.
December 24th. Christmas Eve. The Night Before Christmas. Whatever you wanted to call it, it was the same to Ichigo Kurosaki. While he certainly was a good few years younger than the elderly miser we call Scrooge, the two were similar in that they could care less about Christmas.
No, no our hero isn't going to be visited by three spirits. Unlike the old man, Ichigo only needed one girl to help him get into holiday cheer.
It started several days before, on the 16th…
Last hour… I'll finally have a couple of weeks to sleep in after Hollow duties at nighttime. Shame the Old Goat's gonna ruin everything by insisting he dress up like a Christmas tree everywhere he, Yuzu and Karin go… Ichigo thought to himself, staring at the clock.
The deathberry was completely unaware that a certain auburn haired healer was watching him in curiosity. Meanwhile a certain lesbian stalker attempted to get a squeeze at her "Hime-chan" while the poor girl was distracted.
Note I say attempted. Before she got within three inches of what many had called "the valley of the goddesses", a raven-haired black belt used Chizuru as her martial arts warm up target.
"When are you ever gonna give up?!" Tatsuki muttered in frustration.
"Why must you always stop me and my Hime-chan?! You flat-chested grinch!" Chizuru retorted.
That sparked a fuse in the black belt, but the healer hadn't heard or felt anything that the two girls behind her were up to. No, no Orihime was still in a sort of trance with her precious Kurosaki-kun.
I wonder why Kurosaki-kun looks so frustrated… Maybe the little blue men who hate Christmas took control of his holiday cheer and wrapped it up in massive chains! I know what to do! Orihime thought cheerfully.
A few minutes passed, and the bell rang. As the students all dashed out of the prison they called education, Orihime approached the man she secretly loved.
"Hello Kurosaki-kun! Merry Christmas!" she greeted cheerfully.
Even when Ichigo was in the grumpiest of moods, he couldn't help but smile softly at Orihime when she gave him that bright smile.
"Hey Inoue. What's up?" he replied, trying to avoid using the term "Merry Christmas"
"Nothing much, Kurosaki-kun! Just wanted to talk with you for a few minutes!" she replied cheerfully.
She's too innocent for her own good… Ichigo thought to himself for a moment.
The two walked out of the building and Orihime began to skip on the sidewalk, until she began to slip on some ice, buried under the white snow.
"Wah!"
His reflexes were sharp. He caught her in time, but was surprised when she turned her face away swiftly from him, unbeknownst to him that she was hiding a blush from him.
"You okay, Inoue?"
She turned back to face him and smiled as she nodded.
"Hai, Kurosaki-kun! I'm great, arigato!" she answered.
He nodded then remembered why she was with him to begin with.
"So… what was it you wanted to talk about, Inoue?" Ichigo asked nervously.
Orihime looked at him blankly for a few moments, for her mind had since long left the very reason she was there with him. Thankfully for the both of them, her mind clicked and she answered, "Oh not much. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go ice skating with me on the twenty-fourth!"
Ichigo looked surprised. Christmas Eve? Inoue, you just saved me from an embarrassing event with the Old Goat. He thought to himself excitedly.
"Sure, I'll go ice skating with you Inoue!" he answered.
~ Sharing The Holiday Cheer ~
Eight days passed and the two met outside the Kurosaki Clinic. Ichigo rushed off with his friend before his father could even think about stirring an embarrassing moment for his son.
As they walked, Orihime noted that Ichigo looked rather grumpy. Remembering why she had asked him to join her in the first place, Orihime slowly asked, "Are you not fond of Christmas, Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo stopped walking.
"Why ask that, Inoue?" he asked quietly.
Orihime looked at him softly as she replied, "You… looked like you were grumpy a few days ago… I wanted to talk with you about it."
Ichigo looked at her and shook his head as he replied, "How does my… "Grumpiness" mean I'm not fond of Christmas, Inoue?"
Orihime shrugged, "I'm not sure… but it's a hunch I have."
Ichigo looked at Orihime in confusion, "And you're sure enough to ask me about it just because of a hunch?"
Orihime cheerfully nodded as she chirped, "Yep! When it comes to hunches about Kurosaki-kun, I'm usually right!!!"
Realizing what she said, Orihime clasped her mouth together in embarrassment.
"I-I mean… I'm sorry, I-"
Ichigo chuckled, "You stutter too much, Inoue."
She blushed a deep crimson as she nodded, "Hai, Kurosaki-kun… Anyways, is there something wrong between you and the Christmas spirit?"
Ichigo looked at the auburn haired healer softly, before looking up ahead towards the ice rink.
"We'd be here a while, I think. This conversation more important than going ice skating, Inoue?" Ichigo asked softly.
Inoue examined the ice rink in the distance. She saw a bench near by the two and a giant and lit Christmas tree too. Ichigo was right: the ice rink would be closing soon enough. Ah well… at least I'll be doing what I came here to do. Orihime thought to herself.
"Hai… Kurosaki-kun. We're… nakama after all. And nakama help each other out," Orihime answered with certainty.
Slowly he explained it to her. It was his mother, like many things that troubled him. His mother and her Christmas treats. Her spirit on the holiday and the way she shared her holiday cheer with everyone. She was usually like that anyways, but she was even more kind and loving during the holidays.
"After she died… I was mostly fine with it on the holiday seasons. It wasn't until recently… with the Winter War done now, that I noticed how much I missed it. And yet, I've been having this strange feeling that someone else has been bringing that feeling back when I'm with everyone: Rukia, Renji, Ishida, Chad… you. But I dunno what brought it about…" Ichigo explained.
Orihime looked at him softly, with that loving smile of hers.
"So… if you're feeling that mood your mother brought to the holiday when you're around one of us… why do you feel so grumpy about it?" Orihime asked.
Ichigo looked at the giant Christmas tree and sighed, "Maybe it's just that I'm bothered by not knowing who it is that reminds me of Mom…"
Maybe it was the way he said it. Maybe it was the way that his eyes were on the verge of tears. All she knew was that she was in love with him, and that he needed comforting.
She hugged him. He slowly hugged her back.
This touch… it's hers…
Ichigo slowly looked at Orihime, his eyes wide and large.
"I-it's… you…" he whispered.
Orihime merely smiled as she said, "Merry Christmas… Ichigo."
The two both met each other in a kiss. Chaste and gentle, but it was long and it blew them both away.
They gasped for breath when that damned primal thirst for air took over.
No words needed to be said. Christmas Eve had its own sense of magic that sent the message to one another as their hands clasped together.
~ Fini ~
Author's Notes: Firstly, my deepest apologizes for taking so long. I did not have the best circumstances going for me while writing this gift. Firstly, I damaged my neck last week, which took several days to recover, and then after finishing the original draft for the one shot, that was some how deleted and lost all data. This story is a gift for Shooting Star at FLOL. Happy Holidays to you, Shooting Star and I hope you liked this.