Chapter 4: Preparing for Christmas

A/N: I do really appreciate all of your reviews. Thank you so much following my story. I just decide to slowdown the story's pacing for the development of Ichigo and Rukia's relationship. Enjoy!

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Rukia rolled her eyes as the scowling Ichigo threw the burnt toast into the garbage can and attempted to try again. She leaned against the wall and watched in amusement as the orange-haired buffoon attempted to cook, failing miserably. Rukia haughtily smirked as he once again failed to produce a good, well-cooked meal. Cursing with fierce glare, he once again threw the toast out, alongside the eggs and bacon. Rukia shook her head with a laugh.

"Pathetic"

Ichigo whipped his head around with a look that could cause first-degree murder. Rukia shrugged it off and listened amusedly as Ichigo began to challenge her, challenging her to do something better. Strolling over with a smirk, she pushed Ichigo aside and tossed the bacon on one pan, the eggs on the other with toast in the final one. Ichigo folded his arms and frowned as Rukia flipped the toast.

So that was the solution to the burning...

"Who taught you to cook?" Rukia scoffed.

"My dad"

Rukia rolled her eyes "He must suck at it if you cook as horribly as he does" She joked. Ichigo grumbled and Rukia asked "So how did you survive the horrors of Papa Kurosaki's daily food schedule?"

Ichigo blushed "My sister cooked for us"

"Since..." Rukia began.

"Well...a while after she died, when she was around nine" Ichigo spoke "She's four years younger than me" Ichigo said "So...yeah" Ichigo blushed. "She's pretty amazing at it, every Kurosaki woman is" He smiled.

"Including your mother?" Rukia asked

"Yeah" Ichigo nodded.

"But she married into the Kurosaki family" She said, putting a mock emphasis on 'Kurosaki family'. Ichigo scoffed and leaned against wall as Rukia presented a perfectly cooked breakfast before him.

"Well shit" Ichigo rolled his eyes "Since you're basically begging me to accommodate you, then women who marry into us are awesome cooks" He said "Every woman who marries into our family or is born a Kurosaki is a totally amazing cook" He said "Is that okay?" He asked.

Rukia stared blankly and gave a smile "Perfect!"

Ichigo mused as he looked at the food "How did you do it? Cooking" He joked "It's pretty much impossible for me to do it" He said "As you've just seen" He asked. Rukia shrugged almost modestly before saying.

"It's nothing really, the senses are basically what you have to use. Smell burning, then you suck, it tastes weird, it's wrong, it looks ugly, don't eat it." Rukia said "If you hear, smell and see it burning, flip the fucking toast over!" Rukia laughed. Ichigo grumbled and folded his arms angrily.

"Whatever" Ichigo mumbled as he sat down and ate his food. As they ate in silence, Ichigo began to smell smoke, as did Rukia. They looked around and saw nothing before returning to their meal. Ichigo wondered "So, since Christmas is happening and everything, where are you gonna go?" Ichigo asked. "My dad and sisters are away on their annual trip abroad with our Godparents"Ichigo said.

"You go away for Christmas?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo shrugged "Ever since Mom died" He said "It never really had the same effect as it used to. Christmas is basically about sitting around as a family...but without my Mom...well we basically said 'Fuck tradition' after that and basically tried to have tonnes of fun" Ichigo said "I stopped going two years back, but Dad seems to enjoy it and so does Karin and Yuzu so..."

"Karin and Yuzu?" Rukia asked "Is that their names?"

"Good analysis"

Rukia kicked his shin under the table, before regaining composure. "My brother-in-law usually goes back to his parents for Christmas, I'm brought along but since his family pretty much hate me and my sister, it's pretty awkward" She said. "I suppose we're stuck with each other for Christmas!" She laughed "I was going to spend it with Kaien..but-"

"Same" Ichigo nodded"Well...not with Kaien but with Orihime" He shrugged. "Meh, it'll be fun I suppose. You amuse me" He stated nonchalantly.

"Thanks" Rukia smiled "You amuse me too"

Ichigo gave a low chuckle, before sniffing. More smoke? He turned his head and cursed.

The garbage can was on fire.

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"You didn't know it was on fire?!"

Ichigo grumbled as he carried his clothes in a duffel bag around his shoulder as they were kicked out of the hotel. Since they stayed there only a few days, they were given a respectable refund with the costs of the burning damage taken out. Ichigo and Rukia walked down the busy street with equal scowls as she shrieked at him for being...well an idiot.

"Since when have you ever heard of an apartment being burnt down by burnt toast?!" Ichigo defended "Common sense was on my side! It failed me!"

Rukia hissed and folded her arms shut "You're paying for the new place" Rukia said.

Ichigo scowled "So you're sticking around?" He asked.

"Someone needs to feed you"

Ichigo calmed down a bit at that and gave a chuckle. Rukia's scowl remained but it softened into a smirk as they wandered down the street some more. "Geez...this is something to tell the Grand kids" Ichigo joked.

"You said it" Rukia replied.

"There's a beach somewhere near" Ichigo mused "With a small apartment block beside it, got a fancy pent house if I remember correctly" Ichigo mused.

"Sounds nice" Rukia said "It'll do"

"It'll have to do" Ichigo replied.

Rukia 'hmpf'ed and Ichigo sighed. When they walked for another mile, crossing streets, turning corners and taking short-cuts through alley-ways, they finally reached the small hotel. It was red-bricked, with twenty-stories and a wooden front door. Ichigo entered and looked at the price-range. Much, much cheaper than the previous place. "Pent house" Ichigo asked.

The key was given and Ichigo alongside Rukia took the elevator up to the twentieth floor, getting off and finding their room. It was large, well as large as a smallish hotel like this could get. There was a TV, a couch, a small kitchen and a bathroom with...shit.

One bed.

Ichigo sighed and quickly turned to Rukia "Being the man, I suppose I gotta be cliché and take the couch huh?"

"Enjoy"

The orange-haired man rose an eyebrow as he noticed a laptop on a small desk nearby. He strolled over and picked it up, plugging the charger in and planting himself on the sofa, flicking up the screen and hitting the 'on' button. Rukia walked into the bathroom, flicking on the water, but nothing came out. She scowled, pulling the water tap back and forth as she attempted to get the water to flow, but nothing happened. Bending down, Rukia knelt and began to fidget with the pipes, twisting and turning until...

Well one of them broke and water began to spill.

Ichigo turned his head as water began to spill and quickly turned, throwing the laptop aside and leaping to the bathroom, kneeling despite the soaking ground and grabbing the pipe, fitting it back in and twisting with his hands tightly, his skin turning red from the friction. The pipe fit in, the twisting a success as Rukia knelt, her knees soaking and a humiliated frown on her face. Ichigo laughed "Don't loosen it up idiot, tighten it instead. The pipes are completely made for water passage, it's not like a hose that will stop if you tighten the grip around it!" He said.

"Oh" Rukia nodded. She blushed and felt a little stupid now.

Ichigo noticed it and laughed. Rukia blushed even more and he scoffed "Damn, that's pretty stupid of you!"

Rukia sneered and punched him in the arm, before storming out and Ichigo walked after her "Hey Rukia calm down it was just an accident!" He laughed "I burnt down the last one with fucking toast for crying out loud!" He said "There's no need to be angry, I was trying to make you laugh!" Ichigo said "Chill out, sit down and I'll make you a cup of coffee or tea or whatever"He said, trying to cheer her up.

Rukia scowled "No"

Ichigo frowned "Whaddya mean no?!"

"I don't want our apartment burned down again"

Ichigo heard 'our apartment' and almost blushed because of it. Faking a laugh, he scratched his cheek nervously at her joke."That sucks, I was kinda hoping for some tea" He said. Rukia rolled her eyes and hid a smile.

"Fine" She said, faking annoyance. She walked to the kitchen and boiled the kettle as Ichigo rested the laptop on his lap. Flicking around a few websites, Rukia rose an eyebrow as she placed the cup of tea on the table beside him and sat down beside him. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"My boss ordered me to open up some website thingy and I'm trying to find out how. I gotta create one, I'm on the right track any way so no help is needed" Ichigo said. As he typed in details, places, times, prices and all other boring stuff, he got the website up and running as he read it judging the layout. The background was white, the homepage was basically a picture of the companies logo with other things at the left side of the page; Such as merchandise, contacts, information about the company etcetera. All the writing was in a red 'impact' font. With black rings surrounding each word.

"Too basic" Rukia commented

"Don't care if it's the cliché poster boy" Ichigo said "A webpage is a webpage and I'm tired as hell"

"Fantastic attitude towards work" Rukia scoffed.

Ichigo shrugged and sent an E-mail to his boss, the link of the website included before he logged out and switched the laptop off. "Since we're staying here for a good while, we're gonna need a Christmas tree."

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Ichigo scratched the back of his neck as Rukia looked around for the right tree. Ichigo thought they just looked the same, they were green weren't they?! Rukia folded her arms and began to observe a tree. Ichigo looked around, it was cold and he was wearing a black coat, with grey fur around the hood with a pair of normal jeans and his usual canvas shoes. Rukia wore something similar, the black coat being replaced with pink as well as a purple scarf.

The trees were surrounding them, all up for sale at a range of different prices. Ichigo looked around as he practically saw his breath, rubbing his hands together as he cursed Rukia for having purple mittens, lucky bitch now had warm hands. As Rukia picked her tree, Ichigo observed it. One and a half metres tall, pine by the looks of it. Ichigo shrugged and gave her the cash, freely splashing the cash without a care. He didn't mind, this whole ordeal was pretty fun and he knew Rukia was...interesting to say the least. Attractive, sassy, caring and kind. Ichigo didn't know his intentions with her yet, but he didn't really care at this point, he just wanted to have a good time and enjoy her company and forget his horrible, failed wedding day in the process.

As Rukia almost threw the tree into Ichigo's arms, her strength seemingly unbelievable, Ichigo winced as he carried the wooden tree, throwing it on his shoulder and awkwardly pushing his hand in his pockets before pulling out a few paper notes, handing it to the merchant and ordering Rukia to take the change for safe-keeping. Wobbling over to his car, he threw the tree in the back-seat and slowly slipped into the front seat, putting the keys in the ignition and twisting, the car coming to life. Rukia hopped in and smiled "Ready to go?"

Ichigo nodded and they were off. The car drove out of the parking lot and into the street. Ichigo focused on the road while Rukia's eyes drifted out to the street, to the world outside the car. Her eyes caught something small...then another and then another, white pebbles falling from the sky it seemed. Rukia smiled and slapped her hand into Ichigo's stomach "It's snowing"

Ichigo looked outside "Cool"

"I like snow"

"Better than rain I suppose" Ichigo concluded. "Rain sucks dick"

Rukia rolled her eyes "Bad profanity" She commented"But I suppose rain isn't that nice"

"It's depressing as hell" Ichigo stated "Snow's good, blizzards are terrible though"

"Agreed"

Ichigo pulled in on the hotels parking lot and halted the car. He hopped out, feeling snow hit his orange hair before he opened the back seat and pulled the tree out, wobbling as he entered the hotel, barking at Rukia to open the front door, they both awkwardly stood in the elevator as Ichigo set the tree down. A few minutes later, they exited the elevator and into the apartment, setting the tree down on the wooden 'X' shaped stand they were given. It was in the corner of the apartment, sitting there rather blandly.

"Come to think of it, we should have bought some frickin' decorations" Ichigo stated.

"Now you tell me?!"

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They stood around the tree, a cardboard box filled with green and red tinsel, a small star for the summit of the tree, red and green shiny balls (Ichigo giggled immaturely when he heard this) and other things like candy canes, angels, doves and the like. Ichigo wrapped tinsel around the thick tree while Rukia knelt and placed the small accessories onto the tree. As they finished, Ichigo and Rukia admired the work.

The tree was wrapped slightly in the green and red tinsel, with small lights going over it in the opposite direction. Green and red spheres, angels, doves, candy-canes and all sorts of different accessories graced the trees. Despite the many things gracing it, it did not seem overdone in the slightest and it seemed pretty awesome in fact!

"Wow" Ichigo smiled "The best tree I've ever seen"

"It's pretty thick" Rukia criticised "But that makes it all the better"

Ichigo smirked "Well, this is the first tree I've made and since I helped it's obviously the best" He smirked, folding his arms cockily. Rukia rolled her eyes and folded her arms too, before becoming a hypocrite.

"Yeah, same goes for me"

Ichigo chuckled and looked at his watch "Eleven?" He said "It's pretty late and I've had a tiring day, so I'm gonna hit the hay" He said. Smirking at the rhyme. Rukia giggled and finished the verse.

"On the sofa you must lay, wet the bed and you will pay!"

"Oh, we have a Mozart on our hands here people"Ichigo joked as he planted himself on the sofa. Flicking his feet up, a pillow slapped his face and a thin blanket was thrown over him. It was a fluffy orange one, with a strawberry on it. Ichigo glared at Rukia who was hiding a smirk.

"I thought you'd love it" Rukia joked.

Ichigo pulled it over him and realized it was quite cosy"Damn right I do" He laughed, covering his shoulders. His eyes got heavier as he lay there, eyes shut. He heard Rukia scuffling about, turning on the kettle, switching over channels on the TV, lightly coughing and sometimes blowing her nose, she must be getting a cold or something. Either way, that noise she made, the light noises calmed and soothed him, it was like a lullaby to him as he began to drift off into a deep sleep.

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