Cayuna: So… Christmas is coming up and I thought I'd give my readers a little treat.

Ichigo: Joy…

Rukia: What's Christmas?

Cayuna: Uhh…let's just start the story, Ichigo can explain it to her. Orihime would you like to do the caption?

Orihime: Sure! Cayuna doesn't own Bleach!

-Hot Chocolate and Shakespeare-

-Ichigo POV-

Christmas…I don't really know what to think when I hear the word. There are the big fat men on every corner calling the little children with their merry cries. There are the gifts, and the tree, and the extreme light show my old man tends to deck our house in. But more than anything, I think its family.

Which is why, it doesn't feel much like Christmas this year, and the little white flakes which were covering everything outside were the reason for that.

When my father had first gotten a look at the snow falling he had started packing up immediately. My sisters had followed as soon as they came home on the last day of school before their Christmas break.

=Flashback=

"Oh, Masaki! It's here! For the first time in such a long time!" My father said sobbing over the giant poster of my deceased mother in the living room.

My sisters had come in the house less than five minutes ago, and he rushed up to them, "Go get packed girls! We're going skiing!"

Yuzu had rushed right up to her room, dragging Karin behind her. Even the quiet tomboy had gotten a little excited about it.

"Should I go get packed as well?" I had asked him.

"No my boy! It's just going to be me and the girls! You're old enough to weather one Christmas alone!"

=End Flashback=

And that's why I'm here, sitting on the couch reading a book. It isn't so bad though now that I think about it. It's quiet, there's a nice big fire in the furnace. Even my choice of reading is interesting, Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare(Do not own). It's been a while since I've read anything like this, even though I own it.

Oh, and Rukia is here too. She had some Shinigami business to take care of, so even though she was invited and even cajoled to come she had to decline. So I guess I'm not completely alone, but we aren't even remotely near each other so I don't think it counts. I think she's upstairs reading a manga right now.

It's funny, she didn't even know what Christmas was.

=Flashback=

"Alright class, that's all for today, have a good Christmas break!" My teacher said, effectively beginning the chaos of hundreds of students exiting the building at top speed.

Rukia walked by my side her fingers wrapped gently around my arm, to avoid being swept away and trampled in the crowd. I won't say anything about how that felt. Her face was contorted in confusion.

"Hey, what's up, midget?" I asked.

She must have been really bothered by something because she didn't respond to my teasing.

"Ichigo," she said looking up, "What's Christmas?"

I could feel my own eyebrows lifting as I pondered that question. "Hm, I don't really know."

"Oh," she said suppressing a disappointed sigh.

"It's supposed to be a special day celebrating the birth of Jesus."

"You mean the one who started Christianity?"

"Yeah, although it seems more about giving and receiving gifts now more than anything."

"Hm, Thanks." She said giving me a small grin, happy with my description.

=End Flashback=

Come to think of it, she's been really quiet, maybe I should check on her. My thoughts were interrupted when a shadow came and covered up the light cast on my book. I looked up only to meet the bright violet eyes of the little midget.

I smirked, I couldn't help but make a joke about her height. "Oi, midget, I know you feel very accomplished to be able to shadow my book, but I was reading."

I got a fist to the head because of that one. I chuckled.

"So do you need something?" I asked.

"Not really," she said twiddling her fingers nervously.

Alright, this was strange. "Is something wrong then?"

"No! I was just wondering what you were reading!"

"It's called Romeo and Juliet."

"I know that!" She exclaimed, looking down at the floor.

"Alright since you know that what do you need?"

"I-I was wondering if you would read it to me." She stuttered.

"Why can't you read it yourself?"

She blushed and looked down, "I already tried, I couldn't understand it."

Oh, so that's what it was! Maybe that's why it wasn't very dusty either. "What does the poor midget not know how to read Old English?"

"No I don't ok!"

I grinned, "I don't know…you might have a hard time."

She looked stubborn, "Please Ichigo? I'll make some hot chocolate!"

I sighed and gave in. "Alright, but it better be good."

She smiled and walked to the kitchen. That was one of her favorite things to do now, Yuzu had shown her how to boil the milk and to measure the right amount of chocolate and she offered it as many times as she could manage.

It was awfully quiet again, "Hey shorty, you ok in there?" Still silence. I tore my eyes away from my book and to the kitchen. The little midget was on a stool in her tip toes reaching for the cocoa that was on the top shelf.

I forced myself up, walked up behind her and got the cocoa down for her. She glared at me, "I could've got it myself…"

"Uh-huh whatever you say."

She walked over to the hall closet nearby, pulled out her favorite Chappy blanket, and set it next to where I was sitting. She ran back just in time to get to the boiling milk. She grabbed hot metal handle with her bare hands, I bet you know how this will end. Yep, she pulled back quickly shaking her burnt hand, and running to the refrigerator for some ice.

"Stupid midget, can't do anything without hurting yourself can you?"

She glared at me as I walked out to get some supplies to bandage her hands. As I rubbed the ointment on her small hand and wrapped it up in some bandage she said quietly.

"Thanks Ichigo."

I flashed a smile, and responded, "Welcome, now you have to remember to use a cloth when holding hot metal ok?"

"I know that!"

"Then why didn't you."

She was left without an answer, yet still murmured, "Idiot."

I just stuck out my tongue at her.

After we had finally got the hot chocolate we went to sit down. Rukia sat right next to me, wrapped herself up in her blanket, and leaned on my chest. I couldn't help blush from how close she was, and it might have been how good she smelled, just a little.

"Well are you going to read it?" She asked.

I couldn't help but chuckle, even though she was acting a little weird she was still the same Rukia.

=After the book=

Well, I did it, it took a few hours and a couple breaks, but I had managed to read the whole book to her. Rukia was so quiet that I was afraid she might have fallen asleep. I looked down to find her face contorted in deep thought.

"What is it?" I asked almost afraid of the answer. I didn't want any crying, sniffling confession of how it was so touching.

"It made me think." She said.

"Think what?"

"It reminded me of us, in a way."

"How?" I asked in surprise.

"When you saved me from being killed in Soul Society. Except our story had a better ending."

"Hm." That made me think, "I guess I see the resemblance."

"Not just a resemblance, think about it. Romeo and Juliet were from two different sides of the spectrum, just like we are. They were going to kill Romeo for being different, like you are, and they were going to keep Juliet away from Romeo forever… like they tried to do."

"So you are saying, that you're like Juliet."

"Yes."

"I think you're too short to be Juliet."

She stared at me in utter amazement, "You baka, I practically laid my feelings out in front of your nose and that's all you can say?" I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Your…feelings?"

"Yes…how can you be so dense?" It was pounding faster now.

"So what are you saying?"

She glared at me, then lowered her head and blushed.

"Rukia."

"…"

"Rukia…"

"…"

"Come on Rukia!"

Silence…then, "I love you Idiot!" She yelled while looking up at me.

I felt my heart stop.

"Well?" Her voice rang out through my head.

"…"

"Ichigo?"

"…"

"Ichigo!"

I snapped out of my daze with the help of her small hand coming in contact with my head. I couldn't help but stare at her.

"You're…you're…serious?"

"Yes."

I smiled, the first real smile I've given in a long time. "I love you too, midget."

A smile came to stretch across her face, and she leaned forward to place a small, chaste kiss on my lips. I was frozen still as she wrapped her small arms around my waist.

"Merry Christmas, Ichigo."

I wrapped my arms around her small body and said, "Merry Christmas, Rukia."

Maybe being 'alone' on Christmas isn't so bad after all…

Cayuna: Review please! And Merry Christmas!