Yay, my first Bleach fanfic! And it's Ichigo and Orihime, too!
This is for the Holiday Gift Exchange on the FLOL forum, and my giftee was ironictwix (Twix10 here on this site). Her prompts were: Christmas Decorations, Cookies, and Santa Claus. I hope everyone enjoys the story!
Disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Kubo Tite, not me- I just played around with the characters :)
...
It was a cold December afternoon in Karakura Town. The local high school had gotten out about fifteen minutes ago, and students could be seen around the area merrily talking about what they were going to do for their winter break, which was only a couple days away. Everyone had a smile plastered on their face. Except one.
A student with bright orange hair was walking south away from the school with a scowl in place on his face. If one had known him, they wouldn't have thought the scowl was unusual- on the contrary, it would have been unusual for him not to be wearing one.
But today there was something slightly different about Kurosaki Ichigo's scowl. It wasn't on his face because he was angry- well, maybe slightly annoyed- but because he was deep in thought. He was currently trying to figure out how he would ask his family an embarrassing- no mortifying- question, as well as explain to them what had transpired that day in school without them reading too much into it. He had been dreading the end of the school day because he just knew his father and sisters were going to goad him after hearing the story, and he didn't want to deal with that.
Frowning deeper, Ichigo thought back to what had happened earlier to get him into his current situation.
...
Earlier that day
The morning had passed by uneventfully for Ichigo, and lunch was looking no better. Since it was snowing (and not to mention freezing) outside where the students normally took their lunch, his classmates were instead sitting inside the classroom, where he was forced to watch the mayhem going on around him. Asano Keigo, the biggest drama king in all of Japan, was sulking in a corner because everyone was ignoring him; Arisawa Tatsuki, his childhood friend with a second-degree black belt, was beating Honsho Chizuru (class 1-3's resident lesbian) for the fifth time that day because she was trying, once again, to sexually assault Inoue Orihime, the compassionate beauty who was currently unaware of what was happening around her; and a few of the boys were trying to prank Ochi-sensei by gluing her desk drawers shut and putting gum on the seat of her chair.
Ichigo had just decided he was going to take a nap for the remainder of the period since his friends, although sitting by him, were engaged in other activities (Sado "Chad" Yasutora, the "gentle giant" was reading, Ishida Uryu, who could piss Ichigo off just by being near him, was sewing, and Kojima Mizuiro, who was a player of sorts, was on his cell phone) when he overheard the discussion the girls were having a couple of desks away from him. They were talking about their plans for the upcoming break, and Tatsuki was telling them that her family had decided to go visit relatives in Northern Japan.
"I'm not too happy about it, though," the tomboy was saying. This caught Ichigo's attention. The trip she had just finished describing sounded fantastic: snowboarding, onsen, and a hot air balloon flight all sounded like things the nature-loving Tatsuki would enjoy. Concentrating now, he pushed the thought of a nap out of his mind and focused on the group to his right.
"Why?" her best friend, the auburn-haired healer Inoue Orihime asked. "I thought you'd be happy to see your family, Tatsuki-chan!"
"It's not that, Hime." Tatsuki's voice had suddenly got quieter, and Ichigo had to strain his ears to listen to what she said next. "If I leave, that means I won't be able to spend Christmas with you, and… it will be our first Christmas apart since your brothers' death. I don't want you to be lonely over the holiday," she said with a pained look in her eyes. "If I could take you along, I would in a heartbeat, but since we're going to be staying with relatives, I can't."
The pained look did not go unnoticed by Ichigo, who had turned his head and was now staring at the group of girls. He had to admit, even though she looked tough, his childhood friend had a very soft and protective side to her that was prominent whenever it involved Orihime.
Apparently Orihime noticed it too, because she started waving her hands in front of her body and spluttered, "I-it's fine, Tatsuki-chan! Y-you don't have to worry about me, I'll be okay!" She then gave a big smile and said "Just have fun visiting your family, and make sure to tell me about it when you get back." To this, Tatsuki gave a sad smile and nod, promising she would.
Rukia had been quietly taking this all in, when suddenly an idea popped into her head. "Inoue," she called, and at the sound of her surname Orihime turned toward the small woman who had called her name.
"Yes, Kuchiki-san, what is it?" asked Orihime, knitting her brows together and wearing a quizzical look on her face.
"You will be all alone on Christmas?" After a nod from Orihime, Rukia continued, "Well, why don't you come spend it with me at Ichigo's house?"
The whole room suddenly went quiet, and Ichigo nearly fell out of his seat when he heard what Rukia had proposed. Then, three things happened all at once: Ichigo leapt up and hissed out a "What?"; Keigo ran towards Mizuiro wailing "Ichigo's never invited me to his house before! Why wasn't I invited?"; and Chizuru started yelling "What are you planning to do to my Hime, Kurosaki?". Meanwhile, Tatsuki laughed and thumped Orihime on the back, Chad, Ishida, Michiru, Ryo, and Mahana had their mouths hanging open, and Rukia smirked over at Ichigo.
'That bitch is definitely going to pay,' seethed Ichigo inwardly. With just one question, Rukia had caused him to be the center of attention and speculation. 'Now everyone is either going to think I'm dating that midget or trying to get with Inoue.' Ichigo started to panic- neither of those was true, but if rumors started flying he might lose the reputation he had tried to build. 'Either that, or I'll get beat up by Inoue's fan club.' He shuddered at the thought of having to deal with them.
Orihime, on the other hand, was trying to overcome the shock of what she had just heard enough to speak. Finally, after a minute of struggling, her face turned crimson and she started squeaking protests about "imposing" and "intruding" on the Kurosaki family while starting to wave her hands in front of her body again.
"Nonsense!" said the female shinigami. "Ichigo would be happy to let you spend Christmas with his family! Wouldn't you, Ichigo?" She shot the question at him, a wicked grin spreading on her face, challenging him to say the wrong thing.
Ichigo froze for a second, but recovered quickly. His right eye was starting to twitch as a result of holding back his anger.
"What the hell! Who gave you the right to invite people over to my house, Rukia?" He was furious at her high-and-mighty attitude and blatant disregard for socially acceptable things to say in front of so many people, especially in a school setting. He made a mental note to "talk" to Rukia about this later, although he had a sneaking suspicion that she was just going to ignore whatever he said.
Blazing blue eyes bore into Ichigo's earthy brown ones, and Rukia was about to retort his question when a voice from behind Ichigo spoke up, halting the feud momentarily.
"Inoue-san, if this idiot Kurosaki is going to be rude and not invite you to his house, I would be more than happy to have you over at mine." This comment made Ichigo even angrier, and he whipped his head around to glare at the owner of the voice. Uryu, who had stopped sewing, was adjusting his glasses and looking past Ichigo at Orihime.
"Shut up, Ishida," Ichigo growled before Orihime could respond to the invitation. "She's going to come to my house."
Rukia, surprised that Ichigo had caved in so easily, got up from her seat and walked toward Ichigo unnoticed, for he was still busy glaring at Uryu, challenging the bespectacled man to say something. When she was right beside Ichigo, Rukia promptly lifted her foot and stamped down on Ichigo's foot. Hard. Ichigo swore loudly at the pain in his foot and once he spotted the short woman next to him he proceeded to direct more cuss words at her.
Putting up a hand to show that she wanted him to stop talking, Rukia then began scolding him. "Ichigo you're being rude! Not even properly inviting Inoue to your house, what kind of guy are you?"
'Me? Rude? She's one to talk!' Ichigo inwardly seethed. But, Ichigo had to admit, she had been right-even though he hated when she was- about one thing: he should have properly invited Inoue to join his family for the holiday, rather than blurting out that she would attend. 'What if she doesn't even want to come?' Shaking his head a bit, Ichigo banished the thought from his mind- he knew Inoue would be too polite to decline his offer, even if she didn't really want to come.
...
1 week later, Christmas Eve
Ichigo had been right, of course; Orihime had accepted his offer when he asked her, although she looked a bit flushed while he was talking to her.
His family, when he explained the situation, immediately agreed that Ichigo had done the right thing. His father and Yuzu had been so moved by Orihime's story; they even suggested she come over a day earlier (Christmas Eve) and spend the night, so she "wouldn't have time to be lonely". At that, Ichigo's cheeks flared up and he instantly tried to shoot down the idea. But he finally caved in when his other sister, Karin, piped up and said she wouldn't mind another person around the house, especially around Christmas.
So, the following day at school, Ichigo had pulled Orihime aside before class and talked to her privately about his families' idea. A smile had crept up Orihime's face at the request, and she cheerfully accepted.
Although Ichigo was nervous about Orihime arriving at his house in less than three hours' time, he was currently preoccupied with finding the short, raven-haired shinigami who had so kindly gotten him into his current situation. However, Ichigo wasn't having much luck; he hadn't seen Rukia during the two hours he had been up, which was unusual since she usually woke him up in the morning with all her banging around. He had already checked the bathroom, his closet where she normally slept, the kitchen, and he was just about to check the clinic on the off chance that Rukia had stumbled in there and had gotten lost when a stuffed lion came bolting from the door to his left.
"Oi!" Ichigo yelled as he came closer to the stuffed animal, "Just where d'ya think you're going?"
The plushie froze and slowly revolved around to face Ichigo before lunging towards him. "Ichigooo!" it screamed before colliding into his leg. Ichigo, unfazed by the antics of the doll, picked it up by the back of the neck like a wild animal and brought it to his eye level.
"Kon," Ichigo addressed the plushie, "you know better than to run around my house! As a stuffed animal, you're not supposed to be walking- or talking- when you're near people, especially my family. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you back in Yuzu's room or get Rukia- once I find her- to take you back to Uraharas' shop."
At Ichigo's threat of being returned to the place he just fled from, Kon tried to struggle out of Ichigo's grasp in an attempt to get as far away from the accursed girls' room. Since Kon hadn't responded to Ichigo's question, Ichigo lowered him so he could continue walking and made his way down the hall. But, after about half a minute of flailing, Kon finally registered Ichigo's last statement (and where he was being taken to) and ceased his movements.
Puzzled at Kon's sudden stopping, Ichigo looked down at the stuffed animal and halted in the hall. Ichigo gave Kon a good shake to see if the plushie was still alive, and when he didn't get an answer, asked "What did ya suddenly stop for?"
A pause, and then: "Go ahead and tell Nee-san, but you'll have to wait until she gets back."
Whatever Ichigo had been expecting Kon to say, it certainly wasn't that. "And just what is that suppose to mean?" Ichigo growled. "Where did Rukia go?"
Determined to hold something over Ichigo for leverage, Kon clamped his hands over his mouth and shook his head to let Ichigo know he wouldn't talk. Pissed that he wasn't getting an answer, Ichigo threatened to call for Yuzu. Before Ichigo could get her name all the way out, Kon cried "All right, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
"Okay, Kon, where did she go to? And if I think you're lying, you're going to be very sorry."
Afraid of the murderous gaze Ichigo was giving him, Kon blurted out where Rukia went. "Sh- she went back to Soul Society, to visit her brother for Christmas! Nee-san said she had to give him and… what was his name? Rupert? No…. Reginald? No, that's not right either…."
"Renji?" Ichigo supplied helpfully.
"Yeah, him! She said she wanted to give him and her brother the Christmas presents she bought for them, and might be back sometime next week."
"Next week?" Ichigo was furious- how was Rukia supposed to keep Inoue entertained if she was in Soul Society? 'When she gets back, I'll have to remember to kick her ass, since she ditched when it was her idea in the first place!' "Fine," Ichigo snapped, "I'll just have to manage on my own."
And with that, Ichigo turned around and took Kon to his room, where he instructed the stuffed animal to stay in his room, least he wanted to be handed over to Yuzu again. Kon, thankfully, was more than happy to agree, since he was terrified of being given back to "the demon girl".
After closing his door, Ichigo went back downstairs to wait for Orihime.
...
Time seemed to fly by for Ichigo, perhaps because he was so nervous about what Orihime would think of his family, and what in the world he was going to do with her when she arrived. Nothing worked at diverting his worries, either. He had already been thrown out of the kitchen by Yuzu when he wasn't paying attention to the dish she let him work on, and the television, which Karin (and now he) was watching, had a rather boring rerun of the X-games from last year, failed to engage his attention.
Suddenly, a clear ding-dong rang throughout the house, signaling that Ichigo was out of time to come up with a satisfactory plan. Jumping up off the couch, he let out a quick "I'll get it!" before rushing to the door.
As Ichigo opened the door for his guest, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her standing there on his doorstep. Orihime had on a long green pea coat with matching boots and hat, a fluffy white scarf, and bright pink gloves. She also had a box in her hands, a smile on her face, and windswept caramel hair. Her cheeks, Ichigo noticed, had been kissed by the wind as she walked to his house, giving her a beautiful blush.
The overall effect was stunning, and the only thing that took Ichigo out of his stupor was Orihime's cheery "Merry Christmas, Kurosaki-kun!" Slightly embarrassed, Ichigo returned the greeting with reddened cheeks and hastily let her inside out of the cold.
As Orihime took her shoes off in the entrance, Karin came out of the living room. "Ah, I thought that would be you, Orihime-chan," Karin said as she took the box from Orihime. "I'm happy that you could come over for Christmas. How have you been lately?"
Relinquishing the box over to Karin, Orihime responded "I've been busy lately with studying for school, Karin-chan. It's really nice to see you again, though! I've missed playing yakka with you and Tatsuki-chan. We should play again when the weather is better!"
Ichigo could only stand, dumbfounded, as Karin and Orihime conversed with each other. He had had no idea that they would know each other, and it never occurred to him to ask. Curious as to how they would have met, Ichigo interrupted their conversation to ask "How do you two know each other? I don't think I've ever introduced you before."
The girls turned to Ichigo, and Orihime's smile turned into a sheepish grin. "Tatsuki introduced us," Karin piped in. "Orihime-chan, Tatsuki and I sometimes play sports together." Karin then elbowed Ichigo in the ribs and whispered "Ichi-nii, take Orihime-chan's coat for her!"
Ichigo's mouth formed a small "o" at the news, and reached his hand out to take the coat Orihime had just shed (underneath it, Ichigo saw she had on a light pink skirt and a white turtleneck sweater that showed off her generous chest well). 'Of course Tatsuki would have introduced them!' Ichigo mentally smacked himself. She'd only knew his family since he was small, and Orihime was her best friend- it made sense after his sister had connected the dots for him.
After hanging up Orihime's coat Ichigo led the three of them to the kitchen where Yuzu was busy putting the finishing touches on lunch. When they came in, Yuzu looked up from her work and chirped "Merry Christmas, Orihime-chan! You look very pretty today!" as soon as she spotted Orihime.
"Th-thanks, Yuzu-chan , and Merry Christmas to you as well! It smells wonderful in here, by the way. What are you making?"
As Yuzu explained to Orihime what she was making, Ichigo took a seat next to Karin at the kitchen table and quietly observed the pair.
When Orihime took a seat, Ichigo leaned towards her and gestured to Yuzu, who was now putting the food into fancy dishes.
"Let me guess," said Ichigo. "Tatsuki introduced you two as well?"
Startled at the question, Orihime quickly shook her head. "Actually, no. I met Karin-chan through Tatsuki-chan because we play sports, but since Yuzu-chan doesn't, I met her through the Sewing Club!"
"The Sewing Club?" Ichigo repeated. "Isn't that the one Ishida heads at school? How did you meet Yuzu through a high school club?"
"Yep," Orihime nodded, "that's the one! Twice a month, the club meets with the Junior Sewing Club at Mashiba Middle School, to help them if they need it, and Yuzu-chan is there most of the time."
The explanation, again, made so much sense when the information was presented to him that Ichigo wondered how in the world he could be so dense. Taking his eyes off of Orihime, Ichigo spotted the white box she had brought in with her.
"Inoue, what did you bring in the box?" he asked.
"Oh, I brought some cookies that baked yesterday. I wanted to bring a gift with me when I came, and I found some recipes I wanted to try, so I decided to make them!" Orihime suddenly stopped her happy chatter and hung her head as a thought entered her head. "I'm not sure you guys will like them, though."
At hearing her last statement, Ichigo's mind reeled back to all the lunches he had seen Orihime bring to school, and his stomach suddenly felt queasy. She had the oddest tastes, and Ichigo began to wonder what bizarre ingredients managed to end up in the cookies.
"What kind did you make?" Yuzu's question snapped Ichigo out of the daydream he was having, which admittedly was getting worse with each new food item he thought of. "I hope you made some with chocolate, since that's onii-chan's favorite."
"Oh, um," said Orihime hesitantly, before lifting her head "I made Potato Chip Cookies with Drizzled Chocolate, Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Cookies, and Arare Cookies. The only ones that have chocolate in them are the first ones." Turning to Ichigo, Orihime added "If I had known Kurosaki-kun liked chocolate, I would have made some Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies!"
When Orihime said "strawberry", Ichigo began to sport a blush on his face. "Thanks, Inoue, maybe you could make some for me in the future- they sound pretty good."
Ichigo's face was turning from pink to crimson as he thought about when Orihime could possibly bake cookies for him again. Trying to conceal the fact that his face was heating up, Ichigo decided to change the subject. "Lunch looks great, Yuzu. Are we ready to eat, or is Dad eating with us, whenever he decides to come out of hiding?"
"Well, he's in the attic looking for the Christmas decorations, and I suppose he'll be down when he's done up there, or when he wants to eat," said Yuzu. "We should just go ahead and eat since Orihime-chan is here, and probably hungry. Dad will just have to finish whatever we don't eat."
The food Yuzu had prepared for lunch was delicious. There was plenty to eat, and after everyone had two helpings each they were pleasantly full. When all four of them were finished eating, Orihime helped Yuzu clear the table and wash the dishes. As Ichigo sat talking to Karin, he was watching Orihime out of the corner of his eye (which did not go unnoticed by the black-haired twin, who smiled inwardly at her big brothers' action). It looked so natural to Ichigo, her standing in the kitchen; 'Almost like a wife,' he mused.
Then, a loud crunch filled the previously quiet room. Orihime nearly dropped the pot she was washing because the noise startled her so badly, but she caught it and whipped her head around to see what had made the unpleasant noise. She almost dropped the pot again when she saw Ichigo sprawled across the kitchen floor with a red mark on his cheek- a clear indication that he had been kicked in the face and was the source of the sickening sound she heard before.
However, there were no longer four people in the kitchen. An older-looking man with short, black hair and a scruffy face was now standing over Ichigo, scolding him for not being alert. But before Orihime could even blink, Ichigo had gotten up off the ground and was throwing punches at the stranger, yelling threats as the two fought back and forth. The twins, Orihime noticed, seemed unfazed by the scene in the kitchen, and she realized this might not be an unusual occurrence in the Kurosaki household. Even so, she couldn't just stand by and watch; what if someone got hurt?
"P-please, stop!" Orihime begged when she found her voice. "One of you could get injured!"
As suddenly as the fight had begun, it stopped. Both guys released one another and spotted the person who had put an end to the fight. Ichigo realized when he looked at Orihime, that she had probably been frightened during the exchange and quickly apologized. "Sorry you had to see-"
But he was cut off by the other man before he could finish apologizing or explain what had happened. "You must be Orihime-chan! It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted as he walked towards her with a friendly smile. "Ichigo didn't mention how pretty you are! You know, you look a lot like my wife when she was younger."
Orihime looked at the man blankly, although she blushed slightly at the compliment. "Nice to meet you, too, um…?" she inquired politely.
"Ah!" cried the dark-haired man, remembering that he hadn't introduced himself yet. "Sorry, I'm Kurosaki Isshin, father of that delinquent," he said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder, "the cutest twins in Karakura, and the greatest doctor in all of Japan!" he finished proudly. "It seems like you've met my daughters already and you know Ichigo from school, but have you met my beautiful wife yet?"
Confusion was evident on Orihime's face, and Ichigo guessed that she must have heard of his mothers' death from Tatsuki. His guess was confirmed when she said, "But I thought… Tatsuki-chan said she- she…."
"Died?" Isshin finished for her; a gloom seemed to settle in the room at the reminder. "Oh, yes, Masaki-chan has been gone for some time now. But, we have a wonderful way to keep her in our heart. Come with me and I'll show you," Isshin said as he put an arm around Orihime's shoulder and led her from the room.
Karin and Ichigo, who knew their father all too well, followed them into the back hallway (where the stairs were) to make sure he didn't do anything funny to Orihime. They all stopped in front of the poster of Kurosaki Masaki, whose smiling face reminded the family of happier times. "This, Orihime-chan," Isshin announced, "is my wife and mother of my children, Masaki-chan."
Ichigo, nervous of what Orihime would think of a giant picture of his mother in his house, looked at her to gauge her reaction. To his surprise, he saw tears well up in the corner of her eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Kurosaki-chan," Orihime said, greeting the poster. She then turned to the three family members and remarked "She's very gorgeous. I'm sure she was a lovely wife and mother, and meant a lot to you, like Sora-nii meant to me. I wish she were still alive, because I would have liked to meet her."
"Thank you, Orihime-chan," Isshin said somberly as he offered her a tissue to dry her eyes. "You're words are very kind, our family appreciates it. And, I'm sure Masaki-chan would have loved meeting you as well."
Karin and Ichigo silently agreed with their father and were deeply touched at what Orihime had said about their mother. After a few minutes more of gazing at the poster, Isshin clapped his hands together and said loudly "I'm starved! Who's ready for lunch?"
"We've eaten without you, goat-head," Karin revealed to her previously absent father.
"What?" Isshin cried. "You mean everyone ate without me? How could you all do such a thing?" Isshin then moved closer to the poster and wailed. "Masaki-chan, did you hear that? We've raised such naughty children! What should I do, they don't have respect for their father anymore!"
Ichigo and Karin exchanged a look and then said at the same time: "We've never had respect for you, old man." More wailing came from Isshin before Karin continued. "How can we respect you when you act like a child?"
"Karin-chan, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime exclaimed. "How can you say that to Kurosaki-san? You don't mean it, do you?"
Isshin perked up when he heard Orihime defend him and turned away from the poster of Masaki to pull her into a bear hug. "Thank you, Orihime-chan! I wish my children were more like you!"
Two sets of hands pried Isshin off of Orihime, and the owners of those hands were pissed. Once Orihime and Isshin were apart, Karin dragged her father towards the kitchen by the ear saying "That's enough out of you, goat-face! You must be so hungry you're starting to become delusional, so let's get Yuzu to heat up some food for you."
"Inoue," Ichigo started when they were alone, still fuming at his father's action. "Don't let my dad suck you into his twisted world; you'll only get a headache."
"What do you mean, Kurosaki-kun?" she asked innocently. "You're father is really funny!"
Deciding to let the discussion go, Ichigo scanned the hall to see if there was anything he and Orihime could do that would not involve going back into the kitchen. Fortunately, the five boxes of Christmas decorations Ichigo's father had brought down from the attic were stacked on the bottom stair. He went over to the boxes, picked the top one up, and suggested to Orihime that they should start hanging the decorations while his father ate lunch.
...
Two and a half hours later, Orihime and Ichigo were finished decorating the halls, kitchen, bathroom, and living room (with the exception of the tree, which his father and sisters were currently out getting). The downstairs rooms were now decked out in splendid green and red, with lots of garland, wreathes, and candles, adding a cheerful and twinkling glow to the house.
In Ichigo's opinion, the house had never looked as good as it did now. He had let Orihime take over the decorating on a whim (a decision he wasn't too convinced about at first, since he knew how crazy her ideas could be), but she had outdone herself. The two of them were now exhausted from decorating, and Ichigo proposed they take a brake until his dad got back with the Christmas tree.
"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime called from the kitchen, "would you like anything to eat or drink, since I'm in here?"
"Ah. Both," was all Ichigo could manage from his seat on the couch.
Orihime came in with the box of cookies she made and two glasses of milk. She set the items on the coffee table close to where Ichigo sat on the couch and was about to sit on the chair to his left when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. "You don't have to sit over there in the chair- there's plenty of room on the couch," Ichigo said wearily, patting the seat next to him. Orihime obeyed with a nervous chuckle and pulled the box of cookies towards her, selected one, and quietly started munching on the treat.
Ichigo followed suite and was pleasantly surprised to find his potato chip cookie tasted delicious. "These… are pretty good," he complimented, aware for the first time how close Orihime was sitting to him and how pretty she looked in the glow from the candles. She smiled and nodded, trying to think of something say as she felt the tension between them mount. A few cookies and awkward attempts at conversation later, the teens finally heard the front door open, saving them from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"We're back!" came Isshin's voice through the hallway as Orihime sprang up to clear away the dishes. Ichigo got up as well and moved to the front door to help his father with the tree.
"Wow," breathed Karin as she walked into the house with a look of awe on her face.
"It looks spectacular in here! You and Orihime-chan did a wonderful job," Yuzu added when she entered the room.
"You said it, Yuzu," Isshin piped in after he set the Christmas tree in the correct place. "I didn't even know our house could look this good with our normal decorations. Orihime-chan," Isshin called as she walked into the room, prepared to start working on decorating the fresh pine tree. "It looks fabulous in here! You are welcome to come back to our house for Christmas in the future and decorate again- that is, if a beauty like you doesn't get snatched up by someone else," he finished, throwing a meaningful look at Ichigo as he said the last part. Identical blushes formed on both Ichigo's and Orihime's cheeks at the comment, and they scattered off in different directions, pretending to busy themselves with "important" tasks.
The teens barely spoke or were near each other longer than two minutes until dinner time. Isshin, who had seen the distance the two were keeping, insisted that Orihime sit next to Ichigo for the meal. It was relatively quiet throughout dinner, and even though Ichigo and Orihime scarcely talked, they both stole glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. Isshin caught this, and decided to talk to Ichigo about it later.
After dinner, the females went upstairs to prepare Orihime's bed (she would be bunking with the twins for the night). Isshin, not missing an opportunity, took advantage of the absence to talk privately to Ichigo.
"So," Isshin began, "she's a really catch, that Orihime-chan."
Ichigo turned to his father with a wary look and said, "Yeah, she's really nice."
Isshin, noticing the guarded look and words his son was giving him, decided to delve a bit deeper. "She'll make a fine wife some day, don't you think? I mean she's beautiful, creative, intelligent, and kind. Who wouldn't want a woman like that?"
"A-ah," was all Ichigo could manage. His composed face was slowly faltering as the conversation continued.
"Ichigo," Isshin said with a sage face. "I wasn't lying earlier when I said Orihime-chan could be taken, whether as a girlfriend or wife, someday." Ichigo froze at his fathers' words, but Isshin didn't pause. "I've been watching you two all day, and I've seen the way you look at her- how you both look at each other- and I can tell that she's someone important to you, Son. Now," he said louder, preventing Ichigo from interrupting him, "you don't have to do anything with what I've said- you can even ignore it- but I'm asking you to think about how you feel towards Orihime-chan and decide whether or not it's worth exploring. You don't even have to do anything now; just remember that she won't be waiting around forever." Before he got up to leave, Isshin added, "And I was also serious when I said she reminded me of your mother."
Ichigo couldn't move as he let the conversation (if you could call it that) he had had with his father sink in; so many thoughts were going through his head all at once he was beginning to feel dizzy. Numbly, Ichigo got up from his seat in the kitchen and climbed the stairs to his room. Once inside, he flung himself on his bed. He needed time to mull over all that had transpired that day, from Orihime's arrival to what his father said not five minutes ago.
Eventually, Ichigo slipped into a dreamless sleep when his mind was too tired to keep him awake.
...
Ichigo jerked suddenly awake, listening intently for any noise that sounded out of place. He had been woken up by a door opening downstairs, and his first thought was of a robber trying to break into his house. Fear momentarily flowed in his veins as he heard another noise, although this time it sounded like a chair being knocked over.
Ichigo's "protection mode" kicked in as he thought of his sisters and Orihime down the hall sleeping peacefully as a stranger walked around the house. Grabbing a baseball bat from under his bed, Ichigo, after managing to shake off a hysterical Kon, opened his bedroom door and silently crept down the hallway.
He paused at Karin and Yuzu's room and stuck his head inside to make sure the girls were alright. However, when he opened the door, something collided with the side of his head and Ichigo was momentarily stunned.
"Ku-kurosaki-kun?" Orihime whispered incredulously. "I'm so sorry! I heard a noise and I was so scared and I was trying to protect Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan because they're sleeping and I thought you were a stranger!" She babbled so fast Ichigo had trouble understanding what she was saying.
"It's okay," Ichigo whispered reassuringly as he gripped his injured head and looked into Orihime's wide, brown eyes. "I heard it too and I was going to investigate. I was just making sure all of you were safe."
The sound of the Christmas tree shaking cut the conversation short and reminded Ichigo why he was here in the first place. "Stay here with Karin and Yuzu," Ichigo instructed as he turned to leave.
"No," Orihime whispered fiercely, "I'm coming with you."
"But-," Ichigo started. He faltered when he looked at Orihime's determined face. 'Well, she's been through much worse,' he reasoned. "Fine, but stay behind me so in case anything happens, I can protect you."
The pair made their way over to the stairs and Ichigo started descending slowly with Orihime close behind, holding onto the hem of his pajama shirt. When they heard the tree rustle again, Ichigo sped up, worried that the intruder would get away before he was caught.
Once Ichigo and Orihime reached the living room, they spotted the trespasser under the Christmas tree (he was hard to miss with his bright red suite and hat). Ichigo charged forward, bat in hand, and sent a blow to the back of the strangers' head.
"Inoue," Ichigo bellowed, "turn on the lights!"
Orihime rushed to switch the lights on as Ichigo flipped the stranger- who was dazed on the floor from the attack – onto his back. When the lights came on, Ichigo, instead of looking down at a stranger, found that he was staring down at his father's face behind a dirty white beard. Orihime gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth when she saw Isshin lying on the ground.
"Dad?" Ichigo yelled. "What the hell are you doing down here in the middle of the night, dressed in that weird costume? I thought you were a burglar or something!"
"I," began Isshin dramatically after his head had stopped spinning, "decided to try something different this year for the twins for Christmas."
"And that involved dressing up in a red jump suite and oddly colored beard why?"
"A red jump suit!" cried Isshin. "This isn't a red jump suit, it's a matching ensemble! Can't you tell who I am?" Ichigo and Orihime shook their heads. "I'm supposed to be Santa Claus!" he announced.
Ichigo stared at his dad like he was crazy. "Why in the world would you need to dress up like Santa?"
"In case Yuzu or Karin came down in the middle of the night. I didn't want them to know it was me putting the gifts under the tree- I wanted them to think it was Santa Claus!"
"Dad," Ichigo said, "you do know that Karin and Yuzu stopped believing in Santa when they were six, right? It was totally unnecessary for you to do all of this."
"Really?" Isshin asked. "Karin and Yuzu didn't tell me!"
"Well of course," Ichigo retorted, folding his arms over his chest. "They don't tell you a lot of things, because you overreact all the time."
"I do not!" Isshin protested. "I'm just enthusiastic!"
"Yeah," said Ichigo under his breath, "and I'm the tooth fairy." Raising his voice so his father could hear, Ichigo asked, "Next time you pull a stunt like this, could you tell me ahead of time Old Man?"
Turning to Orihime, he said, "C'mon Inoue lets head back upstairs and leave my psycho father to his work."
Before Orihime followed Ichigo up the stairs, she bowed slightly to Isshin and said a cheery goodnight.
...
Ichigo awoke Christmas morning, thankful that there had been no other disturbances after his fathers', and went to take a shower. After he was showered and dressed, Ichigo headed to the kitchen to have breakfast with his family and Orihime.
Breakfast went smoothly, although Ichigo kept throwing dirty looks at his father for the event the previous night. Next, when the dishes had been cleared, they moved to the living room to open presents.
Throughout the unwrapping process, Ichigo's eyes lingered over the scene in front of him. Orihime, Karin, and Yuzu were sitting next to each other on the couch, a smile gracing their faces as they laughed merrily at Isshin's electric, dancing elf hat. As he watched, it surprised him how much Orihime seemed to fit in with his family, like she belonged there. And that's when it dawned on him: not just any girl could do what Orihime had done. She had connected individually with every member of his family, seemed happy with their company, and was adored by them.
'Maybe,' thought Ichigo, 'Rukia's idea hadn't been so bad after all.'
...
A/N: Well, thank you all for reading! There are some quick things I would like to note about the story, to clear up anything people might have wondered about. First, I tried to stick as close to the manga as I could, although I did play around with some things. Second, the outfit Orihime wore to the Kurosaki house was the one Kubo drew for chapter 339. Third, "Yakka" is the game Orihime invented that was a cross between soccer and baseball. Fourth, the cookies that Orihime mentions are all real recipes I found while looking up weird cookies for this fic (although I'm not sure if they taste good).
EDIT: Wow, this site keeps messing at least one thing up on the format, but I think everything is finally perfect now (although I did have to take out the link I had originally posted :[ ). Thank you to those who have reviewed/ favorited this so far! It means a lot to me. I'm still debating if I should make another chapter or not for this (like an epilogue-type thing), but for now it will stay as a one-shot.