Summary: Christmas was as new to her as juice in a box. Still, as she stood underneath the mistletoe in her Mrs. Clause outfit, he couldn't help but to lean forward, all the while thinking about how cute she looked as her eyes widened and crimson decorated her beautifully pale cheeks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters. I'm simply just a creative mind with no life and a love for anime. Now, off to explain a bit about this fan-made story. I personally don't know if Rukia would have any idea how to celebrate Christmas, or if she even knew what the holiday was. That being said, I came up with my own little theory of what would happen on this faithful day. Just a little IchiRuki piece I came up with out of nowhere. Lately, I've been obsessed with this pairing so this is, in a way, my Christmas gift to myself. I'd like to dedicate this to a friend of mine: Sparxyu for being such an active and supportive reader. Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you like this one!
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Chapter 1: First Christmas
"Christmas?" Rukia's soft, confused voice drifted into the room and interrupted the silence that had consumed the two soul reapers currently occupying it.
Ichigo Kurosaki – sixteen year old soul reaper – sighed out of frustration before turning to look at the girl. She was staring at a newspaper in her hands, examining the various festive announcements, obviously confused by all the merry and jolly advertisements currently present all over the papers. He put down his own copy of the newspaper before turning his full attention to the girl.
"Don't tell me you have no idea what Christmas is," he warned with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The small brunette in turn, blushed in embarrassment and pouted. She looked away to avoid his gaze, adding to her childish appearance.
"Oh shut up! Just tell me what it is before I hit you," she threatened, not wanting to admit she was clueless about something. He smirked at this, finding it amusing.
"It's simply this: a holiday where everyone in the world wastes their money buying useless junk people want. It's nothing special," he responded before lying back down on his bed, picking up the pointless newspaper once more.
"If it's nothing special then why go out of the way to decorate your room?" she smirked, glancing around the various reds and whites that were currently scattered across his room. He growled slightly at this, his own small blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks.
"Don't look at me like that, shrimp. It's not like I asked for it. Yuzu and dad go all out on days like these. It's their idea not mine. Besides, a few decorations here and there for a couple of days won't do any harm to anyone," he mumbled back in his defense. He tried to busy himself with the newspaper funnies but he couldn't shove off her teasing gaze.
"So it's a holiday you say? In that case, I want to take part in these festivities," she replied before standing up and walking towards his window, ignoring his complaints when she casually and carelessly stepped on his stomach to reach the opening.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he asked, rubbing the bruise on his abdomen.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked, casting him a teasing smirk once more.
"Would I be asking if I didn't, squirt?" he shouted, glaring at her annoying form.
"In that case, it's none of your business," she replied before disappearing into the night.
"That little brat!" he shouted in frustration before throwing the newspaper across the room before turning in bed.
"Who cares where she's off to anyways? She just better not expect anything from me for Christmas or whatever," he mumbled to himself before getting ready for bed, hoping to rid himself of the holiday cheer that surrounded him.
The next day he woke up to find the girl had not returned home at all last night. He frowned at this but made no comment about it, refusing to show his concern for her. He quickly took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast.
"Ohayo Ichigo!" Yuzu cried out, happily as always, the moment she saw him walk into the living room.
"Oh, morning," he responded carelessly.
"Don't speak so lifelessly so early in the morning Ichigo! Also, don't let your guard down!" cried out his father out of nowhere as he aimed to kick him in his back. With all his training as a soul reaper and past experiences in dealing with this sort of situation, Ichigo easily dodged the attack and threw his father across the room.
"What kind of father attacks their son?" he shouted in annoyance before sighing, grabbing a piece of toast on the table, and then heading towards the door.
"I'm going for a walk. Be back later," he announced as he put on his shoes to go out.
"Alright but don't be late for the party tonight! Everyone's going to be here!" Yuzu called out from behind him.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied sarcastically before making his way out, tossing a casual wave from over his shoulder.
He bit into his toast casually as he walked aimlessly down the streets of Karakura Town. He still refused to admit that he was worried about the shinigami girl but he could still sense her spirit energy roaming around the town. This was enough for him to know she was alright.
"Stupid girl! When I get my hands on her I'm gonna teach her a lesson for running off like that without saying anything," he mumbled to himself, irritated with whatever little game she had decided to pull off.
He headed for the mall to distract himself from the little vermin that was invading his thoughts. This claimed to be a bad idea for all he saw everywhere were reds and greens and whites and golds surrounding every inch of the store, screaming "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to those who walked in and out of the place. He growled in annoyance, rethinking this idea as wandered around the mall for a bit. He soon found himself become more irritated with the decorations than the girl torturing his mind so he turned to make his way out of the area. Something caught his eye, however, as he made his way towards the shop's window to see what it was.
There, in the display window, he saw it. A perfect gift for the girl he so desperately tried to hide his true feelings for. He smiled as his eyes followed the beautiful silver chain to the ornament dangling from it. The silver, crescent moon with beautiful, sparkling diamonds was what drew him to the piece of jewelry. It reminded him so much of her. It was just perfect. He blinked, breaking free from the spell the necklace had casted on him and looked away with a frown, that pink hue on his cheeks once more.
"Why the hell should I get her something anyways? Not like she'll wear it – that brat," he whispered annoyingly as he made to walk away but stopped, glancing back at the necklace. He sighed before walking into the store to purchase it.
It wasn't that he wanted to hide his feelings for her; it was just more convenient for him if he kept doing so or else risk complete humiliation from everyone. He also feared rejection – after all, he was nothing more than just a friend and comrade to her. Still, after all they had gone through, he couldn't help but develop strong feelings for her. He was his ray of light – the moon that shone brightly in the night that helped him on his way back home. She was a friend and something much more.
"God, I think Karin's right. I'm going soft," he mumbled to himself again as he headed back home. It was dark out already – how he lost track of time, he had no idea – and he didn't want to be late to the party after promising Yuzu he'd be there. No matter how irritating it was to him to partake in the foolish family festivities, he would endure it as long as his family was satisfied and happy.
He sighed as he opened the door to his home and took off his shoes. He quickly hid the little box he held inside one of his pockets as he heard footsteps nearing him.
"Oh! Ichigo you're back! Welcome home!" he froze at the sound of the familiar voice. He felt slightly annoyed with the false good girl act she tried to pull off when in public. He growled, ready to chew her head off for making him worried as he looked up.
"What is it Ichigo? Don't you like what I'm wearing?" Rukia questioned, a slight smirk evident on her lips as she watched Ichigo's eyes widen in shock and his jaw drop slightly as he stared at her.
"W-W-Why on earth are you wearing that?" Ichigo shouted at her, blushing as he took in her currently appearance.
Rukia stood before him in a red and white dress in the form of a female Santa Clause. This had to be something either Rangiku or Yoruichi had to come up with for her. The dress stopped about two inches above her knees and it was sleeveless. It even included a black belt around her slim waist, white gloves that reached her elbows, and a matching red and white hat. This had to be a skimpy Mrs. Clause outfit – either that or his fantasy come true.
"Well, after hearing how horrible this Christmas holiday was for you, I figured I wanted to investigate the holiday season to find out for myself what made it so horrible in the first place. It's actually a very exciting holiday if you ask me! One question though. How is this "Saint Claws" person supposed to drop off presents here if you don't have a chimney?" she asked him curiously, completely oblivious to the blush present on the orange haired teen's face.
"It's Santa Clause," he simply replied before standing up and walking past her, averting his eyes to the floor to keep from staring at her. He noted she was wearing matching black boots with heels.
"Oh! Okay! Anyways, let's go! Everyone's waiting for you!" she exclaimed happily before skipping away into the room full of people dancing to some tunes Tatsuki was playing as the DJ.
He lingered at the snack table, trying to avoid coming into contact with Rukia, afraid he'd find himself blushing at her appearance once more. He couldn't help but smile at how childish she had behaved over Christmas. Regardless, he wasn't about to let himself be made a fool off in front of all those people.
After a while of avoiding her amidst the crowd, he decided he had had enough of the loud beaming music and frantic partygoers and headed to his room. Of course he wasn't too pleased when he caught two partners making out in his room – those which, for his sake, will remain unnamed. He growled in annoyance and settled with stepping outside for some fresh air.
"God damn this cursed day," he cried out angrily as he took a seat on the porch steps. He sighed and stared up at the sky, instantly feeling calm upon seeing the sky so brightly lit and full of stars.
"Isn't it too cold out for you to be out here?" Rukia's voice disrupted his thoughts, instantly ridding any tranquility he had obtained and replacing it with nervousness.
"You're one to talk when you're dressed like that," he mumbled, still avoiding looking at her.
"Well sorry for trying to impress someone," she mumbled back sarcastically, a hint of disappointment in her voice. He looked up at her at this, curious.
"And who would you want to impress by wearing that?" he asked, feeling a bit of jealous at the idea of her trying to impress some guy. It was probably that bastard Renji since they did share a past together. She blushed and looked away, only adding on to his jealous suspicions.
"It's none of your business baka!" she shouted, trying to keep him out of her affairs. He just shrugged and looked away.
"Sorry for caring," he mumbled, not up for a battle this time. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a bit confused by this sudden side of him.
"Why do you care anyways? It's not like you ever care for anything I do anyways," she replied before glancing at the sky to give herself something to look at.
"That's not true! I always care about you!" Ichigo shouted in response, instantly regretting his little outburst as she looked back down at him. He cursed to himself before looking away, flustered.
"I-I mean…h-here! M-Merry Christmas…"he mumbled before tossing her the little box he had in his pocket, hoping it would take her mind off of what he had said earlier. Of course he didn't think much about what would result from him giving her the present he had gotten her. But god damn it! It cost him a good 9,050 yen and he wasn't about to just throw that money away.
He averted his eyes when he heard her gasp in surprise once she opened the little box and took a look inside. After a while he finally looked up at her in time to see her try on the present. He blushed at how beautiful and perfect it looked on her. He stood up and she hugged him, which surprised him at first but he gladly returned the hug, but just barely.
"Thanks Ichigo! This is so beautiful! So is this why you were home late?" she asked him curiously, admiring the silver chain and pendant.
"Erm…yeah..kinda…" he replied as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. It was then his eyes wandered upward. He froze on the spot as he saw the piece of plant hanging from the roof.
"Hey, what's that there?" Rukia asked, following his gaze to the green ornament hanging above their heads. Ichigo looked down at her.
He noticed how her eyes sparkled so beautifully under the moonlight; how her hair seemed to shine with the white snow that had fallen so gracefully on her; how excited she was for a stupid holiday that came only once a year. He couldn't help but to feel excited as she turned her gaze back at him, her eyes shining with wonder.
Christmas was as new to her as juice in a box. Still, as she stood underneath the mistletoe in her Mrs. Clause outfit, he couldn't help but to lean forward, all the while thinking about how cute she looked as her eyes widened and crimson decorated her beautifully pale cheeks. Their lips touched ever so briefly but it was enough to warm their bodies up, the cold no longer seemed to exist to the two.
He then wrapped an arm around her small waist and added more pressure to the kiss. She finally seemed to respond as she hooked one arm around his neck while the other rested on his chest as she tried to balance herself on her tip toes. He pulled away after a few moments to catch his breath, the red on his cheeks darkening as he stared into her dark blue eyes.
"If you're expecting me to say something romantic, you're dead wrong," he replied, trying to lighten up the shy aurora surrounding them. Rukia smirked at this and rolled her eyes.
"Idiot, I wouldn't expect such a thing from you. If I did, would I have fallen for you in the first place?" she asked jokingly. He smirked.
"I think that's just about the closes to romantic we'll ever get," he replied before capturing her lips once more, that smirk never leaving their lips. Of course, this time they didn't kiss because of the mistletoe. This time, they kissed because her first Christmas became the start of a new relationship – one that no hollow or "Saint Claws" would ruin.
"Yo, Ichigo! Why are there two idiots making out in your roo-" and of course Renji didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Ichigo broke into a run with an angry red haired shinigami throwing various cuss words as he chased him down. Maybe, just maybe, Renji would become a problem. Or maybe, just maybe, the real problem would lie with –
"Niisama!" Rukia cried out as she hopelessly watched Ichigo take on both the sixth division captain and vice captain on his own.
"Screw Christmas! I'm too busy trying to save my ass!" Ichigo shouted as he passed by Rukia, still dressed in her Mrs. Clause outfit. For her first Christmas, she had to admit it was kind of amusing watching Ichigo be chased down by two angry men.
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…No, I don't hate Ichigo!...I just like to see him run...
Anyways! I hope you people liked this! If not…then should I make Kon run as well? Hehe, just kidding. Well, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Ja ne!!! Don't forget to R&R!!!