The story that introduces these characters will actually be posted soon. But for now, enjoy this one-shot and let me know how you like it! It was actually supposed to be posted yesterday but I got distracted and forgot.

Santa Baby

By: Xhibit B

.i do not own bleach.

Byakuya was full on panicking, she could see it in his face. She's seen this look before, but it was an extreme rarity that he got to this point. Her brother had always been the pentacle of composure. He'd always hated letting anyone see him sweat. But the way that he was acting now, it vaguely reminded her of the way he had acted the night before he'd finally asked his now, girlfriend of six and a half months to consider dating him. And the younger Kuchiki had the sinking suspicion that the eldest Takahashi sister was the reason why her brother had gone full panic mode yet again.

"Byakuya, why are you panicking," the raven-haired female asked, a brow irked. "Did something happen between you and Miyako? You only get like this when it has something to do with her."

She actually really liked Miyako, she was nice and had always treated her kindly whenever they would cross paths at the occasional gala both their families would attend or a school function that they both showed up at. And now, since she'd began dating her brother, the two women had grown closer and formed a pretty tight friendship over the past few months. And she would hate it if something happened between her friend and her brother that left them in a bad place. She had, after all, always thought that the two of them would make a great couple.

"Did I miss something, are you two fighting, did she send you a text that said, 'we need to talk'? What, help me out here Byakuya," the short female continued, her hands resting against her hips. "Do I need to talk to her? What's wrong?"

"No, we are not fighting, Rukia," Byakuya finally commented, blowing an irritated sigh at his sister's prying. He hated when she would stick her nose into his business. "I am simply stressed out because I cannot, for the life of me, think of a suitable gift to get her for Christmas and I only have two days left."

"Oh, that's what you're stressing the hell out about," Rukia asked, waving it off dismissively. "I thought that there was something really wrong and you guys were mad at each other for whatever reason. I didn't think it would be about Christmas. Did you try asking her what she wanted?"

"Of course, I've asked her what she wants, Rukia," Byakuya answered haughtily, his arms coming to rest across his chest in annoyance. "But every time I ask, she tells me that there is nothing that she wants. I've been asking for weeks now, and I get the same answer every time I ask."

"Wow, and she'd be pretty hard to shop for, I guess," Rukia said thoughtfully. "I mean, what can you honestly buy for a woman that literally has everything?"

"You're not helping at all, in case you're wondering," Byakuya pointed out.

"Sorry," Rukia said, offering a sheepish smile. "I got carried away for a second. But, to actually be helpful, might I suggest maybe reaching out to her sisters and seeing if maybe they know something that she might like for Christmas? I know for a fact Miyako and Aiyako are extremely close."

Byakuya had to stop and think about it for a moment. He hadn't considered talking to her family about what she may want for Christmas. Especially her sisters. No one was closer to her than they were. "I had not thought about that, but I will give it a try. They are closer to Miyako than anyone else that I know of. Me included."

"Exactly, now go, you don't have that much time before Christmas and you do actually have to buy the gift after you figure out what to get her," Rukia said, ushering her brother to the door of their family home. "Aiyako is at work right now. If you leave now, you can catch her before she gets off and goes home. Then you'll have to wait until tomorrow and that would be really bad."

"You're not helping again. And I already know that," Byakuya said, rolling his eyes at his sister. He quickly pulled on his coat, grabbed his keys and slipped into his shoes before heading out the door. "Thank you though, for suggesting going to talk to her sister. I'll catch up with you later, Rukia."

Rukia simply nodded, waving to her brother as he left the family home before she locked the door behind him and quickly bounded up the stairs to her room.

…

Aiyako had been in the middle of eating in the food court of the mall she worked in when someone sat down across from her. She glanced up, pulling her headphone from her ear when she saw her sister's boyfriend staring back at her. "Byakuya, hey, what's up? What brings you all the way up here?"

"Sorry to show up unannounced, but I have a few questions for you, concerning your sister," Byakuya said apologetically.

"Sure, what's up," Aiyako asked, pushing her phone to the side after pausing her music. "Is everything okay between you two?"

"Rukia immediately jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong as well," the raven hair laughed, shaking his head. What was with everyone and assuming that the couple had been at odds? They were perfectly happy with one another. Things couldn't have possibly been better, honestly, aside from the little hiccup concerning the Christmas gift. "Nothing is wrong, not as far as us getting into any kind of fight or anything, to ease your worries. I'm just in need of help finding a suitable Christmas gift for Miyako, I'm almost out of time with Christmas being two days away and all. And every time that I ask what she wants, she tells me that she doesn't want anything."

"She's going to tell you that regardless, Byakuya," Aiyako said laughing, popping a fry into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before she continued. "Because there really isn't anything that she does want. But there is something that she needs."

"Something that she needs," Byakuya questioned, confused.

"Byakuya, my sister has been hurt by so many guys so many times before in her life," Aiyako explained. "She needs a promise. A promise that you won't be like all those other guys and end up breaking her heart in the end. She's gone through too much already and I know you're a great guy. So, might I suggest you get her a promise ring? She's very fond of dolphins and the colour purple."

Now, it all made sense. Aiyako's idea was better than any that he'd been able to come up with over the last few weeks. He also felt like it would be something that his girlfriend would really appreciate. And since he was already in the mall, he wouldn't have to go far to find what he was looking for.

"Does that help," Aiyako asked, her head tilting to the side as she glanced at him.

"It does, thank you," Byakuya said as he stood to leave. "I appreciate the help."

"Any time," Aiyako beamed before he left. There was a smile that pulled at the edges of her lips as she watched him disappear into the throng of people that littered the mall. He was a great guy for her sister, and she really liked him a lot. She also appreciated the fact that he was so intent on doing something for her sister. "I think Miyako will enjoy his gift. It's thoughtful and from the heart. I can't wait to see the choice of ring he got for her when she comes by to show it off."

Her headphone was placed back in her ear as she stood, taking her tray with her to dump it.

…

Byakuya huffed as slate grey eyes roamed over the many choices of rings the jewelry store had on display in glass cases. He wanted to find the perfect promise ring for his girlfriend. She deserved nothing but the best and he was hellbent on making sure that she got it no matter what lengths he had to go to.

He'd been so focused on looking at the rings, he didn't notice the saleswoman that had come to stand beside him until she spoke.

"Good afternoon, sir," the cheery woman quipped. "Is there something I can help you with today?"

Startled, the dark-haired male glanced up at the woman, straightening out to a full standing position again. He really wished that people wouldn't sneak up on him like that. Miyako had it bad for startling him. Ever since he'd given her the key to his apartment, she'd found enjoyment in popping up on him at random and scaring him half to death. He'd silently vowed that he would, one day, get her back.

There was a nod of his head to acknowledge her question. "Hello, yes, actually, I'm looking for a promise ring for my girlfriend, but I'm unsure of what to get for her. We've only been together for half a year now, and I want to make sure that I get something that she will love."

"I see, well, I'd be more than happy to assist you today, sir," the woman said, clearly dejected at the mention of a girlfriend, as she moved to stand behind the counter. Slender fingers were placed on the top of the glass as she looked down at the assortment of rings that had been there. "Do you know if there is a specific cut that your girlfriend likes? Or a favourite colour that she may have? Anything?"

"Well," Byakuya said pulling his iPhone XS Max from his back pocket. He opened his photo gallery and tapped on a photo of Miyako before turning it for the saleswoman to see. "She wears many different cuts with her jewelry. And I've noticed that her favourite colour is purple. She's also very fond of dolphins."

"Your girlfriend is very beautiful," the woman acknowledged. "And I have the perfect ring in mind for her. Give me just a moment and I'll be right back with you."

"Thank you," Byakuya called after her as she walked away.

The woman returned a few minutes later holding a display tray that housed a lone dolphin shaped ring with blue gems dotting the eyes and small diamonds lining the bands.

"This ring is a personal favourite of mine. Right now, the eyes are dotted with blue topaz gems, but I can have them replaced with purple amethyst gems instead and the ring resized if need be for no extra cost," she said as she placed it down and pulled the ring off for Byakuya to examine. "The band and dolphin are made of white gold and it's a little on the pricy side, but I think your girlfriend would love it."

"Cost is of no consequence to me, I can pay whatever it costs," Byakuya said as he examined the ring between his fingers. Miyako would definitely love it. "How soon can you have the gems replaced and the ring resized? This is meant to be a Christmas gift."

"We can have it ready for you by two tomorrow afternoon," the woman answered. "I can put in an expedited order for you since I know how important this is." She grabbed a piece of paper and pen. "May I have your name, a contact number and your girlfriend's ring size, please?"

"My name is Byakuya Kuchiki, her ring size is a five, a good phone number to contact me at is 678-413-8752," Byakuya answered as the woman wrote his information down.

"Wonderful, we'll get to work on this for you right away," she said, moving the tray away after he'd returned the ring. "I will be here tomorrow, so I'll be the one to call you when the ring is ready. Will you be able to make payment tomorrow upon pickup or would you prefer to make payment now?"

"I am able to make payment now," Byakuya answered.

He quickly paid, signed the receipt, thanked the woman and left the mall. He and Miyako had a date planned in less than three hours that he had to get ready for.

…

Byakuya woke Christmas morning with Miyako's head resting on his chest. There was a slight smile that crossed his lips as he moved, careful not to wake the sleeping woman. He grabbed the gift that he'd picked up for her the day before and placed it on the pillow beside her head; getting up from the bed before making his way to the kitchen.

He'd been in the middle of making breakfast for two when Miyako walked into the kitchen, holding the still unopened gift in her hand. Her brow irked, her other hand moving to rest against her hip. "Byakuya, what the hell is this?"

"Your Christmas gift," Byakuya answered nonchalantly as he flipped the omelet he was making.

"But I told you I didn't want anything for Christmas," Miyako huffed.

"I didn't get you something that you would want," Byakuya countered, "I got you something that you need."

"Something that I need," Miyako asked, confused.

"Just open it and you'll understand," the raven hair said as he placed the completed omelet on a plate before pouring the contents for the second in the pan.

She did as he asked, pulling the small velveteen box from inside, followed by a piece of paper.

"Read the note first."

She did what was asked of her, greenish-brown eyes skimming over the written words. She could feel tears forming at the edges of her eyes as she turned to look at Byakuya. She sniffled as he took the box from her hand and opened it. When she saw the ring, the tears began to fall uncontrollably.

"I promise to always love you, to always be there for you when you need me, to support you in everything that you do," Byakuya said as he took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. "I promise to never hurt you, and always be honest no matter what. I love you more than anything in this world, and nothing will ever change that for as long as I live. Merry Christmas, Miyako."

He barely had time to react before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Byakuya smiled into the kiss, his hands coming to rest against her waist as he drew her ever closer. He could feel her hands move to cup his face as she pulled away after several minutes, their lungs screaming at them for lack of oxygen. There was a smile on Miyako's lips as her greenish-brown eyes stared into his slate grey ones.

"Thank you, honestly," the raven-haired beauty said. "It was very thoughtful of you to do this, Byakuya. And I believe you will keep every single one of those promises that you made."

"The idea was Aiyako's," the heir of the Kuchiki fortune admitted. "I was stuck on what you might want. She suggested getting you something that you need. And I have no intensions of ever going back on any of those promises. The last six months we've spent together have been the best six months of my life. And I don't see that changing, ever."

Miyako laughed, a teasing grin on her lips as her dainty hands grabbed fists full of tee shirt. "If I'm not mistaken, I'd say that you like me quite a bit, Kuchiki."

His head dipped, lightly capturing her lips briefly before he spoke, "Whatever gave you that idea, Takahashi. I don't recall telling you that."

"Oh yeah," Miyako asked, irking a brow as she took his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. "Well then, let me jog your memory."

Byakuya grinned, happily following the beautiful raven-haired woman, intent on having the best morning of his life.