Merry Christmas y'all, and have a prosperous New Year. And a happy birthday to me, for in a few days. Have fun, wherever you are in the world.

Apologies for any spelling/grammar mistakes!

Renji x Byakuya, Ikkaku x Kira, Yumichika x Hisagi, Shunsui x Jyuushiro, Kiyone x Sentaro, Nanao x Matsumoto, Rukia x Ichigo, Soifon x Yoruichi, Hanatarou x Momo, Komamura x Unohana, Iba x Isane (some only implied)

To Conclude…

Yama,

You always did take things too seriously. You may be Captain Commander, but that's no reason to let your hair down. Or your beard, whatever.

You're meant to give carol singers a gift for their songs, y'know.

Barbara sends her love.

Nick.

The Captain Commander stared out at the masses of shinigami that had gathered to celebrate, for the first time, Christmas. He did not feel even slightly festive, and his Lieutenant, who stood behind him, felt a little nervous at the thought of the Christmas speech that someone, somewhere in administration, had decided that he should do at the beginning of the festivities. It was not a decision that had got down well with the Captain Commander.

He glared up at the sky, where the heavy grey skies were threatening to snow. He just dared it to try.

He cleared his throat into the microphone that had been set up just for this occasion.

"Well, everyone… Merry Christmas. And lets all have a good, responsible evening."

Silence echoed around the courtyard for a second too long before a short, unenthusiastic applause broke out. The Captain Commander nodded, but didn't try to smile.

Behind him stood the assembled Captains and their Lieutenants, some of them not even in uniform. In all his memory, he wasn't sure if he had ever seen some of his Captains without their robes of office around their shoulders. In front of him stood every ranked and unranked shinigami and Academy student, even those that had retired decades before. Invitations had, apparently, been sent to everyone, although he still hadn't found out just who those had originated from.

He exchanged a wry glance with Unohana, who was dressed in a pretty dark blue kimono, with waves embroidered around the edge. She smiled back at him, her arm linked through Komamura's. She stroked his fur absentmindedly, wondering at how soft it felt tonight. As soon as they were alone, she thought, Sajin was getting some serious petting behind the ears.

She relaxed into his shoulder, smiling to herself at the wave of cheerful noise from the crowds of shinigami. Finally work seemed to be letting up, with Ukitake finally being discharged and the emergency ward being surprisingly empty. Komamura smiled down at her, glad that the frown lines across her forehead had smoothed out again.

Three quarters of that, he thought, was just that Kyouraku was finally out of her ward.

They turned to follow the Captain Commander to the separate hall in which the Captains and Lieutenants would be having their own private ball. Their Lieutenants fell into step behind them, awkwardly not quite looking at each other.

Iba scratched his ear.

"Umm, Merry Christmas."

Isane, her hands folded behind her back, smiled, and replied in same. Iba found himself blushing, although he wasn't quite sure why. He never had thought of anything to give to her, although he hadn't stopped trying.

In turn, Isane wasn't sure what to say back. Unfortunately that was normally the case.

Iba took a deep breath. It was now or never, really.

"Erm, would you, er, maybe, like to… I mean, I'm not very good, but would you, err, like to dance later?"

Isane, her face growing more and more red, felt the familiar feeling of her tongue tying itself up on knots. The butterflies rose in her chest, and she realised that her mouth was open, staring a little. Iba cleared his throat, embarrassed that he had asked now that no response had come.

But then, as if by magic, she felt her tongue loosen, felt a calm settle on her like a dusting of snow.

"I'd love to."

Behind them, Shunsui found himself smiling as he eavesdropped on their conversation. He wasn't holding Ukitake's hand, but his hand would be right there just as soon as Ukitake started to look even the least bit tired. He was still pale and a little frail looking, not quiet fully recovered from the hospital stay, but the fact that he was here was enough. The coloured fairy lights shone in his hair, turning it into a rainbow of colours.

"Everyone's happy, aren't they, Shunsui?"

Shunsui nodded, and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Good wish, Jyuu."

"Do you think that everyone will have a good time?"

Shunsui smiled, and nodded in the direction of his Lieutenant, who was pulling a face across at Matsumoto, who seemed to be doing something with her breasts that Shunsui didn't quite understand. To his surprise, he saw Nanao wink, and mouth something that looked a hell of a lot like 'later'.

Nanao felt strangely serene, at peace as Matsumoto grinned back at her.

This, errm, sweet moment was interrupted by a drunken yell from the assembled shinigami still close (some of them had, in the true tradition of the office Christmas party, started rather early).

"Ey, Matsumoto, you gonna do that trick with the wrapping paper again?"

For a brief moment, it looked like she was going to whip out her zanpakuto and cause the shinigami some pain, but after a moment (and a timely giggle from Nanao, causing Shunsui to wonder if maybe she'd had a couple of cheeky ones in advance as well) she just laughed, and saluted him.

"Maybe, but if I do, it'll be a private show!"

Matsumoto shrugged to herself, still smiling. She supposed that as much as she wished, the whole thing with the wrapping paper was never going to be forgotten.

Nemu watched all of this without an expression, but if you knew her well enough you would be able to see the slight warmth in her eyes that indicated her happiness. Luckily, Mayuri didn't notice it, or else he probably would have considered removing them to take that warmth away.

She was quite content just to watch, but unfortunately Yachiru had other ideas. She landed on Nemu's back with a whoop, before jumping straight off again in the direction of Byakuya.

"Thanks, pretty face!"

Nemu blinked. She supposed it was better than 'cardboard face'.

Yachiru's jump towards Byakuya was blocked by Renji, who swiped her out of the way in a similar way to a racquet swiping away a tennis ball. She landed on the floor with a slight bounce, right in front of a figure that had been standing behind the rest, who hadn't been noticed yet. Another figure was stood next to her, holding her arm to keep her steady. Earlier that day, a she had received an unexpected visitor who had told her, in a quiet, firm voice, that certain things really should change.

And she had listened.

So Momo had gotten out of bed that afternoon, and had bathed and dressed herself and took the medication that the Fourth Division told her to take, and had waited until Hanatarou had appeared, the one shinigami in the Fourth Division that she thought she could call friend had checked in on her, and asked him to help her to the party. He had been more than happy to do so, the little crush that he had developed for her blushing at the attention. Plus, it meant that he would be with the Captains and Lieutenants, and so would not be anywhere near Yumichika and his eyebrow wax.

That was not a Christmas present that he wanted.

Momo looked around at the bright, coloured lights and the happy people, and was glad to be here.

Several people caught sight of her, and felt a little better.

Toushiro sidled up behind her, and poked her shoulder, just like he used to do when he was a kid and was annoyed at her.

"Merry Christmas."

His voice was a little gruff, and his eyes were focused on the floor, but at the sight of her oldest friend Momo's eyes lit up.

From across the room, Kira watched this with something close to a smile, glad that his old friend was out and about again. He stood next to Hisagi, both of them feeling a little out of place now that they had reached the ball room, neither of them quite sure why they felt so out of place, or so lonely. They watched Iba awkwardly trying to converse with Isane for a moment, before both of them reached the same decision. Kira elbowed Hisagi in the ribs, and nodded towards the door.

"Wanna slip out, and find Ikkaku and Yumichika?"

Hisagi nodded, and they moved towards the door.

In a corner, Kenpachi watched the two of them, a little worse for wear already, after a hearty marathon with his division. He had downed a whole bottle of sake before that, in celebration of the mysterious fire that had started and had somehow destroyed all of the paperwork that had been accumulating underneath his desk. Yachiru had indulged herself in more sweets that he cared to count (and not that he would admit it, but more sweets than he could count to) and was bouncing off the walls, irritating everyone, much to his satisfaction. He grinned as they slipped out. Hopefully that would stop his third and fourth seats from sulking like little bitches. Although Yumichika, it could not be denied, was always a little bit like that.

As was, he thought, Byakuya-fucking-Kuchiki, who was stood like a column, with Renji hovering besides him like a demented mother hen, as if leaving Kuchiki's shadow would make him melt, or something. Kenpachi snorted. Utter crap, it really was.

Outside, Hisagi had found Yumichika, by the fact that the fifth seat had jumped on him. He hadn't been expecting it, and it had taken a moment to steady himself.

"Ah, hello Ayasegawa."

"Shuuhei! I missed you!"

"I'm sure you did."

Without warning, Yumichika fastening himself to Hisagi's mouth. There was a small part of him that considered complaining about this development, but that part had been severely weakened in recent weeks by the progression of Yumichika's infamous 'gay charm'. Instead, he slid a hand around his back, and decided to roll with it.

Kira and Ikkaku regarded this with some bemusement, before the surging crowd of people swallowed them up and they found themselves pushed to the edge of the crowd, next to the walls of the courtyard. Kira realised, as he took a good look at Ikkaku, that his friend was quite drunk.

"Been tellin' you guys for ages- once Yumi wants something, he'll get it."

Kira nodded, agreeing. He was glad that even for this short moment that Ikkaku wasn't being strange with him, like he had been for the last few months.

"Wish I was like that."

Ikkaku looked at him blearily.

"Why don't ya be then?"

Kira blinked. No one had ever quite put it as bluntly as that before. Ichimaru had always told him that he was perfect the way that he was, but that was silly, really. No one was ever perfect.

"Hey, Izuru?"

Kira was a little surprised at the use of his first name, but didn't mention it. Ikkaku turned towards him, wavering a little.

"If I asked you for a drink, would ya say yes?"

"Ikkaku, we went for a drink last night."

"I mean…" a drunken frown slanted across his forehead, "Just the two of us. Like, on a date type thing."

Kira stared, wide eyed, at his friend. Did Ikkaku really just ask him that?

And was he really considering saying yes?

He knew and accepted his preferences for relationships, that wasn't the issue; it was just that Ikkaku was his friend, his drinking buddy. He had seen him at his worst, and Ikkaku had seen Kira's at his. They knew each others faults and had seen each other steaming drunk on a regular basis.

And yet, maybe knowing someone that well wasn't such a bad basis for a relationship. He never had been one for secrets or surprises.

He realised that Ikkaku was still waiting for an answer, and after a moment he patted his friend on the cheek, and smiled. A real, broad, smile.

"Sure, why not?"

Rukia had not seen any of this, but she had seen the door that Kira and Hisagi had slipped out of. She made a bee line for it, knowing full well that even though she shouldn't be in the Captain's and Lieutenant's ball, that there was something that she needed to do in there. She slipped in, passed a sleeping Yachiru who seemed to have passed out in the middle of a huge Christmas cake and a Kiyone and Sentaro, who were standing blushing under a sprig of mistletoe, staring in bemusement at each other, clearly unsure of what to do.

She peeped out from behind a curtain, and spotted her brother from across the room immediately. She put all of her concentration into hiding her spiritual powers, and drew her zanpakuto.

Renji, returning to Byakuya with a drink in each hand, didn't notice the patch of ice that miraculously formed in front of him. With a skid and a crash, the drinks when flying, he went head over heels, and careered right into Byakuya, knocking him onto his back, the Captain not anticipating the sudden collision. Renji looked over, bright red in embarrassment, at the tousled hair and suddenly close face of his Captain.

Very close, in fact.

Before he could help it, he leant forward and kissed him.

After that, uproar ensued, mainly because Rukia's poorly aimed ice also managed to slip over several other people, causing one waiter to tug rather hard on the Captain Commander's beard to right himself. Kenpachi couldn't stop himself from laughing as Renji and Byakuya still lay on the floor, staring at each other in shock.

Not too displeased shock, though.

The party broke up soon after that, but that wasn't quite the end of the night.

To Soifon's delight, by the time every drunken reveller had made his way back home, the trampling feet of hundreds of shinigami had cut a damp path through the snow, and a black cat padded through the slush, picking up her paws in distaste at the puddles. It paid Soifon a very welcome and very enjoyable visit in the darkness of the Second Division, where both of them felt equally at home.

Even later on that evening, Rukia opened her bedroom door after a rather loud bump to find a very confused Ichigo Kurosaki. Tied up. In a bunny costume. It wasn't quite Chappy, but it was good enough.

Byakuya never told her who put it there. Dressing an unconscious Kurosaki in a bunny suit was a memory that he tried his hardest to suppress.

Not surprisingly, Mayuri didn't receive anything on his list.