Birthday: Kuchiki Rukia

Date: 13th, 14th of January

Notable things: I skip the Ikkanzaka brothers. I'm sure no one minds, if there is any chance that someone wants to see it (I doubt it greatly) you can give me a prompt.

It was a doll. A clean, white, shiny Chappy the Rabbit doll. Normally, Ichigo wouldn't be caught dead having any associations with it, much less staring at it. He was doing it right now, in fact his hand had been twitching for minutes while he stared, and a mental battle issued. It was the only doll left in the whole Karakura. It was the only thing he could think of giving to her. It was only one day to her birthday.

Ichigo had never cared for other girls' birthday, the most he could give to them was a brief 'happy birthday' and he was back into his permanent scowl. Of course, he did give Tatsuki something (a hairpin, which she promptly tossed to him), and he always gave Yuzu and Karin something, but it was because he had known them the longest.

Ichigo looked left and right. The store was almost empty, save for the keeper, who had been glaring at him as though suspecting a shoplifter to do something in an empty room, watched by the owner. Sure thing, he thought as he rolled his eyes.

He fidgeted nervously. It would only cost him a week's allowance, no biggie. Then again, it was her reaction he was afraid of. Be it killing him, or suffocating him with a bear hug (he could always hung her on a tree afterwards, she was too short for him). He was also afraid of what his acquaintances would say about it, especially his dad. But mostly, it didn't just feel right standing in a girl stuff shop, staring at an obviously girl only doll.

Whatever.

He reached a hand out tentatively for seemingly an eternity...

When he caught someone's hand instead. He blinked and turned his head, coming face to face with none other than Abarai Renji. They simultaneously withdrew their hands as though they had been contaminated and shouted at the precisely same time.

"What are you doing here!" "What are you doing here!"

"Don't answer my question with a question, baka!" "I'm asking you first, idiot!"

By this time, the shop owner had become so annoyed he actually had already had a finger on the phone's button '1'.

"Again, what are you out of all people in the world doing in a girl's store like this?" Ichigo practically yelled at Renji.

"Look at who's talking! I was just here for Rukia's birthday so that she'd stop nagging me!" Renji yelled back, blushing slightly.

"W-What? I'm here for that reason too! In any case, I'm here first, so this is mine!" Ichigo snatched the doll protectively. Renji's lips twitched.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you were staring at it for a very long time I thought you were trying to memorize it! Gimme that!" Renji groped for it, and Ichigo hid it behind his back. Renji quickly walked around him, trying for the doll. Ichigo lifted it higher, and continually moving the doll around, out of the redhead's reach. The shop owner had pressed the '1' button again.

"You've been with her for years! Why're you still celebrating her birthday after hundreds of years?" Ichigo reasoned, diving forward to avoid yet another one of Renji's attacks. The redhead growled frustrated.

"'Cause it's the first time I can really give her something! Gimme that!"

"Same thing here, pal! You have an eternity anyway!"

"You too, idiot! In case you haven't noticed, souls are eternal!"

The shop owner pressed '0'. Ichigo, unaware of it, put the doll back to its shelf. "Look, here, I got here first; I get to buy it first, alright! Just spare me! I don't want to be in this shop more than you do!"

"Alright, then, let's take this outside!" Renji declared.

At that precise moment, something small and pink hopped onto Ichigo's head, to Renji's head, and finally snatching the doll. Renji and Ichigo shouted in surprise and turned to the source of the menace, Kusajishi Yachiru, who was currently jumping up and down with the white Chappy doll in her hands.

"Yay! I can buy it now, can't I, Ken-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing", Kenpachi grumbled, itching to get away from this pink-filled place. He tossed her the yen bundle, and she presented it with the doll to the pale shop owner, who served her in a zombie-like manner. Renji and Ichigo just watched dumbstruck as Yachiru made her way out, still bouncing happily. Finally when the duo was gone they stared at each other in turn.

"Uhh..."

"...What now?"

Ichigo directed his gaze to the book shop opposite the place where they were, and an idea snapped into his mind.

"Well, about time someone tell her", he mumbled to himself, leaving Renji without anything else. Renji just stared furiously at the orange head and the book store. Finally he shrugged and made mental note to follow Ichigo. Later.

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Rukia squealed excitedly. The Kuchiki butler had just told her that mysterious packages had been dropped in front of their door very early in the morning. She knew who sent it, as a matter of fact; she had been waiting for those packages for a long time.

Squealing one last time, Rukia ripped the first package open with almost manic speed...and with the same speed tossed the gift into a trash bin. She opened the second one, this time scowling and slower than before. That gift, too, was sent plunging into the bin the moment it was opened.

Truthfully, the only thing that saved Rukia from scowling and sulking all day long was the necklace Byakuya gave her afterwards, the one that he gave Hisana for their first wedding anniversary. Rukia made it a must to kill Ichigo and Renji later, even though the gifts were nameless.

Who else in the world would give her the book "How to Draw For Dummies"?