When Rukia's eyelids fluttered open, a pulse of fear ran though her body. She didn't know where she was! Sitting up in bed, her violet orbs scanned the room. This was Karin and Yuzu's room. The girls were nowhere in sight, but their beds where unmade, so they were sleeping in here. Rukia gracefully slipped out of bed, noticing that she was wearing Karin's yellow pajamas. Rubbing her left eye, she walked out of the room, spotting Ichigo standing above the staircase. "What are you doing?" She asked him, as she padded across the hall. "Waiting." Ichigo breathed tiredly, with a smirk on his lips. "For?" Rukia questioned. She felt her stomach get warm at the sight of Ichigo. She tried to suppress the feeling again, but this time it fought back, growing in her, leaving her breath uneven. "Apparently, Yuzu, Karin, and my dad are planning surprise for us." Rukia looked directly into Ichigo's amber eyes in sudden, overcoming, excitement. "We're not allowed downstairs yet." He concluded, looking into her eyes. He began to feel woozy. Like life was in slow motion. Rukia smiled and he was attacked by the need to reach out and touch her. As he started to extend his hand towards her body, a voice called from downstairs.

"You can come down now!" Yuzu's sweet, honey-like voice called from the lower part of the house. Ichigo and Rukia thundered down the stairs and turned a corner that led to the kitchen. Both stopped, dead in their tracks. The table had eggs, bacon, pancakes, syrup, milk, and as the center piece, there were about six presents wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. "W-what's this?" Ichigo said, his face looking, almost, hurt. He stepped towards the table, while Rukia followed close behind. "You weren't home for Christmas." Yuzu said gently. There was a moment of silence between the family. "Come and eat." Yuzu sighed. At that, everyone grabbed a chair and sat at the large wooden table.

After the presents had been unwrapped, (Three for Ichigo, and three for Rukia) and everyone had eaten, Ichigo started conversation. "What did you guys want for Christmas?" Ichigo looked at this two younger sisters. The girls exchanged a pained look. "What? C'mon!" Ichigo pressed. "What did you get? What did you want?" His smile was beginning to fade. Pain entered Rukia as she saw Ichigo's smile contort into a questioning, almost frightened, face. Yuzu blinked gently. Ichigo put down his fork. "What's wrong?" He asked in a worried tone. Karin began to speak. "Ichigo…the only thing on our Christmas lists…was you." Ichigo stuck to his chair and his stomach plummeted. I've let them down. He thought. I've disappointed them! I've been a horrible big brother! The feeling of shame sickened him as it crept into his gut. Ichigo looked into Yuzu's bright eyes, then Karin's. He tried to speak. "I…I guess you didn't get what you wanted." Ichigo whispered, almost too quiet to hear. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." Ichigo hung his head as he pushed away from the table. "Ichigo." His father tried to speak. "It couldn't have been helped." Ichigo ignored his father and walked out of the room. The family stayed quiet and frozen. Silent tears ran down Yuzu's face, and Karin looked as if she was about to cry as well. The front door slammed shut. "He's going to leave again, isn't he?!" Yuzu wailed and began to sob loudly.

Rukia had never seen Ichigo so sad before. She had seen him, shocked, angry, even panicked. But not sad. Never sad. Her concerned eyes watched Yuzu's tears. She wanted to follow Ichigo, she wanted to stop him. She wanted to hug him until he felt better. What the hell?! She thought to herself. Hug him?! What's wrong with me?! She didn't want to make Ichigo's little drama bigger than it needed to be, but she wanted to follow him. Remembering that Ichigo had left the house, panicked triggered in her and she pushed back her chair as fast as she could. "Excuse me Mr. Kurosaki." She tried to say as politely as possible, looking the man in the eye. He nodded, with a glint of something else in his eyes. Like he knew something, but there was nothing to know, Rukia was sure of it. What did Issin think he knew?

Bolting out the front door, Rukia's bare feet where stung by the white, slushy snow. Karin's pajamas where made of thin material and Rukia felt the sting of the weather. Jumping over the Kurosaki's front gate, she looked left and right, down the street, searching for Ichigo. Traveling east, a tall, orange haired man walked. Rukia ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. "Ichigo!" She yelled to him, her lungs burning. He didn't respond. "ICHIGO!" She tried again. When she had finally caught up with him, she was cold, out of breath, and pissed. She grabbed his shirt sleeve and tried to catch her breath. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" She yelled at him. Ichigo sighed in despair. The last thing he needed was Rukia right now. The strange urges and feelings he was beginning to have around her messed with him. The warmth he felt around her began to mix with the shame he was feeling. "I-I don't know." He replied. Seeing her shake in the cold brought sadness into him and he began to feel protective. "You better go inside Rukia, you'll catch a cold." "I don't give a damn!" Rukia replied, still panting. "I'll go back inside if YOU do!" Ichigo began to lean towards her. "Rukia…" He started. She cut him off. "You can't just leave! You've been home for 24 hours and you leave again?! I don't think so! Your family loves you so much! Stop being so self-absorbed and listen to them! Do you know what your little drama caused?! Yuzu is crying her eyes out and Karin is hurt! So if your father! They think they did something wrong! Be with them! Be happy you can still be with them!" Ichigo gently touched Rukia's shivering arm. "Rukia please…you're freezing…" She shrugged his hand off of her. "Some of us can't be with their family anymore! Some of us have hardly any family at all!" Rukia's voice began o choke up.

Ichigo looked at her. Her violet eyes filled with pain, her small, delicate body shivering. He couldn't help himself. The urge was too much. He didn't mean to, but he bent down and hugged her. To shut her up, and to warm her. Rukia's voice caught in her throat and her body stiffened in the hug. Ichigo was warm and smelled like fabric softener. "Shut up." His voice was just as warm as his body. Hearing his voice Rukia relaxed. He let go of her and straightened back up to his normal height. "I'll go back inside." He replied softly. Rukia's stomach dropped at his voice and the fluttering him her stomach seemed to grow even more, she couldn't suppress it this time, even if she tried.

As they entered the warm house again, Yuzu was cleaning up. She said nothing, but as she passed Rukia, she thanked her with her eyes. Rukia returned a 'you're welcome' look and proceeded further into the house. As Ichigo and Rukia sat on the family's peach-colored couch in the living room, Ichigo began to realize what he was feeling. Rukia turned on the television set. Ichigo never thought he could feel this way, especially towards Rukia, but he was, and he didn't regret it. eHe relH