Author's Notes: 1000 word drabble for Lady Ukitake on deviantART. written after Christmas. Casey belongs to Lady Ukitake
Christmas Gift for LadyUkitake
Early Christmas morning Jushiro woke to a sound from outside. Getting up, he stepped out of his room and walked down the hall to the entrance to his Earth home. Something caught his attention and he couldn't shake it. He continued out the door until reaching the entrance to his property, finding a woman lying on the ground, covered in snow.
Immediately worried for the woman's well being, he lifted her carefully into his arms, taking her into the safety of his home where the warmth was. Unfortunately for him all his hired help was gone for the night and wouldn't be back for two days. Jushiro continued to carry her until he reached one of his spare bedrooms where he rested her down on the bed. He carefully removed her shoes and wrapped up her cold body into the warm blankets before returning to the kitchen where he placed her shoes by the door and made some tea.
By the time he returned to the room, he was in luck and found the woman slowly stirring. To his surprise he was greeted with a beautiful set of brown eyes that matched her brown hair.
He gave her a friendly smile. "It's good to see you're awake," he replied.
The woman jerked at his response. "Where am I?" she asked, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
"You collapsed in front of my home," he answered. "I'm surprised I was able to hear you when you collapsed."
"Oh…" She looked up at the man who was dressed in a sleeping yukata. But the man before her did not need an introduction. "You're Jushiro Ukitake."
"I am," he answered. "And you are?"
"Casey Mansell," she replied. "Wow, the pictures in the magazine don't do you justice."
He lightly laughed. "Thank you." Whenever Jushiro was in the World of the Living, he posed himself as an archaeologist. He was quite fascinated of ancient runes around the world and from that, he had found himself in many types of magazines and books, including the National Geographic in all languages.
"It must be awesome being able to travel all over the world and discover ancient runes and whatnot," she replied.
"It is," he answered. "Tell me. Why did you collapse at my doorstep? It's Christmas, shouldn't you be at home?"
She lowered her head. "I have no one to spend Christmas with," she answered honestly. "I just want to get away from here and not look back."
He took a seat beside her on the bed. "Running is never the answer. Life is so fleeting."
"That I know all too well," she answered. She looked to the window. "I should probably go. I don't want to impose."
"You're not imposing," he said. "Here, I brought this for you."
He handed her a steaming cup of herbal tea. "It will help sooth your wary muscles."
She silently accepted the drink and took a few sips. "I guess trying to leave in the middle of the night on Christmas was a bad idea."
"Leaving any time is a bad idea," he answered. "Why don't you rest here until morning and then decide what to do from here. I would hate to see you leave now in your weakened condition."
She knew he was correct and she could see this strange man wasn't going to take 'no' for answer. With a defeated sigh, she took another sip of her drink and gave him a side-glance. "Alright, I'll stay until morning."
"Good," Jushiro nodded. "In the morning perhaps I could walk you home."
"Yeah, I'd like that," she replied. "I just hate being alone on Christmas."
"Well you're not alone tonight," he answered. "Come, lets go sit by the tree."
"That would be nice."
Carefully she pulled the covers off her and slid her feet to the floor before standing. She kept a secure grip on her tea. Jushiro then made his way out of the room, with her following until the two reached the living where a beautiful tree stood. The tree was all lit up in red, green and white lights with red and green bulbs and other decorations.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"I'm glad you like it," he replied. Over nearby was a small fireplace, which a couple burning logs. He went over by the fireplace and took a seat, grabbing a few pillows to lean on. "Come, sit with me."
Casey was a little shy but decided to sit beside him anyway. He didn't look like a man who would take advantage of someone. She carefully held the cup in her hand as she listened to the cackling of the fire.
"This is really soothing," she replied.
"It is," he agreed. "I wish I could stay here a bit longer."
She blinked. "Why can't you stay?"
"My reason for being here is nearly up, I must soon head back."
She chuckled. "Onto another assignment?"
"Something like that," he answered. He couldn't let her know he currently was inside a false body and he actually didn't belong on Earth, but this was something he kept going for years now when he would venture to the World of the Living, which made him used to telling lies.
The two sat in front of the fire, listening to some soft Christmas music from the radio, just enjoying each other's company. Eventually though Casey began to tire and she soon fell asleep by the fire. Jushiro didn't have the heart to move her, so he allowed her to sleep on the floor curled up by the fire. But to be to sure, he grabbed a blanket from the sofa and covered her with it before returning to his bedroom to get some sleep.
In the morning the two would wake. He would allow her to have breakfast with him and then venture back to her home where her family. He soon left her, returning back to his place where he made provisions in returning to the Soul Society.