This fanfiction is for Yemi Hikari's Thanksgiving 2010 Contest.

A Kurosaki Thanksgiving

Yuzu busied herself in the kitchen; there was so much to do for the evening dinner. She whistled a merry little tune, knowing it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, even though she had planned a few extra dishes for the occasion. She was just so excited that she could bare hold in the extra energy anymore. What had started out with just an extra dessert turned into a multi-course dinner. She just couldn't help herself. Nothing was too good for her little family, odd though they might be. They all needed this time together after all that had happened. She didn't know much about the Winter War. Ichigo wasn't very forthcoming with sharing information, but that was okay. She knew that he did a lot for them—for everyone. He needed someone to tell him that.

She hurried to finish setting the table, though no one was home yet. Well, her father was holed up in the clinic with a patient in bad shape, but he would be done soon. If he wasn't finished in the next few minutes, she knew that he would send him to the hospital to receive the more extensive treatment that he couldn't give with his limited resources. Karin would be coming in any minute after a round of soccer with her friends. Ichigo was probably already on his way home from his after school job, one in a long line of odd jobs he had taken up the last few months.

Yuzu studied the table with her usual critical eye. She shifted the centerpiece, chopsticks, bowls, and plates one way then another with impatient concentration before she declared the table perfect. Just as the oven timer went off in the kitchen, she heard the door to the clinic close followed shortly by the front door.

"Oh, yay!" Yuzu walked to the table carrying a plate of fish in one hand and a pot of soup in the other. "Just in time! Dinner will be just a couple more minutes!" She then disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Oh! Yuzu-chan! It all looks so wonderful!" The eldest member of the Kurosaki family exclaimed, rushing toward his poster of Misaki. "Our dear Yuzu is so wonderful."

"Can it, old man." Karin groaned, staring at the table in shock.

"Hey, Yuzu," Ichigo stood back, blinking in surprise. "What's the occasion? It looks like enough for the whole Go…ahem, enough for an army."

"It's Thanksgiving Day, of course," she returned rice and an assortment of pickled foods.

"Right, Thanksgiving Day. I had forgotten all about it."

"Earth to Ichigo. She's only been talking about it for a week." Karin grumbled as she sat down at the table. "She even asked you what you wanted to eat, and you answered her. Dad! Sit down already. It's time for dinner. You two are hopeless."

"That's not true, Karin. Dad and Ichigo are just crazy, not hopeless. Hehe."

"What's the difference?"

Yuzu just shook her head at her twin sister and rolled her eyes, setting another plate on the table, and then easing herself down in a chair. She must have been rushing around the kitchen for longer than she thought. It was quite a relief to sit down, even with her family as loud as they tended to be. They were her family, she liked them just the way they were.

"Itadakimasu." They all said.

"It all looks really good Yuzu," Ichigo glanced down at the table, not wanting to look up at his sister as a means of apology for his forgetfulness and inattention. "I've been pretty distracted lately."

"I know," she replied nonchalantly.

"You're so forgiving, Yuzu-chan!" Isshin hugged his daughter.

"Enough, old man," Karin berated him again.

Yuzu glanced around at her family, and gave a quiet sigh. She could tell that they appreciated the dinner, but she wasn't sure if they were ready for the second part of her plan for the evening's meal. Could they do anything but grumble at each other or sit in uncomfortable silence as they ate or spent time with one another? That was the real question. She took another deep breath. She was going to do this anyway, so there was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

"Since this is Thanksgiving, why don't we do something that we used to do ever year?"

For a moment, Ichigo's brows furrowed together a little more than usual. "What Yuzu?" His voice sounded a little softer than usual though. Perhaps it was a good idea after all.

"What are you talking about Yuzu-chan?" Isshin blinked in surprise.

Karin groaned yet again. "You're not talking about what I think you are, are you?" She asked, the anxiety clear in her voice.

"You know. Say what we all appreciate about each other."

"That's what I was afraid you were going to say."

"What a wonderful idea, Yuzu-chan! What a wonderful, thoughtful girl!"

"Quiet down, Dad." Ichigo huffed. There was hesitancy in his eyes.

Or, then again, maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all, Yuzu thought to herself.

"I'll go first." Ichigo muttered, his face flat and emotionless.

"No!" Their father exclaimed, and thwapped the back of his son's head soup flew out of his nose. "I am the oldest in the family I'll go first."

"What the heck was that for, old man! That hurt!" Ichigo coughed and jumped from his seat lunging toward his father to get him in a headlock.

"Cut it out, you two!" Karin yelled from the other side of the table, wiping the soup off her face. "How did those two end up sitting next to each other?" Yuzu shrunk down in her seat, shaking her head at her family. "Sit down, both of you." Her twin sister sighed, glancing over at Yuzu. "Just let soup boy go first."

"No, that's okay," Yuzu said, standing up, setting her chopsticks down on the side of her plate.
"I'll go first. I'd like to, since this was my idea." A certain spark in her eye prevented any further argument, yet her face was still soft. Her father and older brother released each other and sat down without another word. "Thank you, Karin," she looked to her twin sister, "For always just continuing on the way you do. I wish I had the ability to see spirits better. No matter what happens you're always my amazing twin sister who looks out for me, and Bostav!"

She could have sworn that she heard a scream and shuffling noise come from somewhere upstairs. She shrugged it off, and turned to her father. "Daddy! Thank you for being there and providing for all of us. I'm glad you can see spirits now too."

"Oh Yuzu-chan!" Isshin leaped up from his seat and rushed around the table to hug her. She hugged him back, and then pushed him away and faced Ichigo.

"Thank you Ichigo, for all that you have done for everyone. I'm not sure if anyone has really, truly thanked you. I'm sure they have, but I want to thank again anyway. I don't know the extent of what you did, but I know it must have been a lot, because you could see spirits better than anyone could, and you can't anymore. You were the strongest person I know! You still are!" She rushed around the table to hug him. "I know you don't want to talk about it, and I guess I understand. I can't imagine what you went through. I love you. You were gone so long. I-I really missed you! " She broke down crying, not able to continue. She had gone on longer than she had intended anyway. "I'm…I'm so glad that you're back."

"Th-thank you, Yuzu." Ichigo hugged the small girl back, drying the tears from her eyes, and fighting those that were starting to cloud his own. "Thank you for all that you do. I'm glad that you're always here for us. I'm sorry that I worried you so much." He looked up. "Thanks, Karin, for being so strong for Yuzu for me when I wasn't there. Dad," he sighed, "thanks for coming to help me and the advice you've always given me."

He released her, and ruffled her hair with his hand, causing her to giggle amid her sniffling.

"Yuzu," her twin sister spoke up. "I'm glad that you're always here for us, too. We don't thank you enough." She looked down. "Dad, I wish you weren't so crazy all the time, but I'm glad you're always looking out for us." She sighed, as though swallowing the rest of her pride in admitting that their father did something right. "And, Ichi-nii, I'm sorry for all that you had to go through, but I'm glad that you're still with us. I'm glad you're my big brother."

"My wonderful children!" Isshin sobbed and pulled them all in a big group hug. "I love you all! Yuzu you're so wonderful. And Karin is wonderful. I couldn't ask for better daughters!"

Yuzu could just sense Karin fighting the urge to throttle their father; she could the faint growl her sister was stifling down in her throat.

"Ichigo!" He sniffled then went quiet for a moment. "Ichigo." The man's voice being fiercely soft and somber, and pulled away from his children to look his son in the eye. "My son. Thank you. Thank you for all that you went through. I'm sorry you had to do that. I wish you hadn't. I am proud to call you my son."

He suddenly leapt back his hand extended and lunged toward his son's head. Ichigo shifted quickly to one side, caught his father's face with his hand, and pushed him back. Isshin flew backward and sailed through the air onto the couch in the living room.

"Cut it out you two!" Karin screamed out.

"It's okay, Karin." Yuzu smiled. "It could have been worse.

She was sure it could have been worse. It was usually a lot worse. Yes, that sharing time really was a good idea. Ichigo usually didn't worry about where he sent their father flying across the rooms. At least he had aimed their dad at something soft this time. She could still detect emotion in Ichigo's eyes—perhaps a bit of water there, and a bit of moisture on his cheek.

She smiled at her family, odd though it was. This was definitely a good Thanksgiving Day.

NOTE: This is, and will stay a one-shot , only to prove to myself that I can actually finish a story. This is the first story I've EVER finished.

I do not own Bleach.

During my bit of research for this story (on Wikipedia), I discovered Labour Thanksgiving Day, a Japanese national holiday celebrated on November 23rd. It is a modern name for an ancient rice festival first celebrated over one thousand years ago. On this day, the Japanese celebrate the hard work done throughout the year and give each other thanks, and people are encouraged to think about the environment, peace and human rights. For the story, I just shortened it most of the time to "Thanksgiving."