AN: Yes, I have decided that one cannot be fully initiated into the fanfiction community without first writing at least one mistletoe fic. Here is mine, and Ichigo and Rukia are the characters (victims) of this incredibly cliché, albeit sweet theme of mistletoe. Pre-soul society…just love that time period.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Missing Mistletoe

Ichigo was trying to concentrate on what the teacher was saying, but he found that it was near impossible. He consoled himself (after settling back in his chair, staring blankly at the front of the class) that everyone else was probably feeling the same way – no they had to be feeling the same way.

Who wouldn't be feeling restless on the last day of school – and to make things even more exciting, it was Christmas break. Yes, who in their right minds wouldn't be feeling restless?

As he glanced over to his right, his question was immediately answered. Damn Rukia. She was still acting as perky and as attentive as usual – though he knew it was all fake. She obviously didn't have a clue what Christmas meant.

It wasn't that Ichigo was some big Christmas fan, but he did look forward to the break. Also, it would put less strain on him, fighting hollows without having to worry about schoolwork and the like.

When the bell had finally rang, he got up slowly, unlike everyone else who had immediately rushed out the door. Sure, he wanted to hurry out the door like the others, but he had to keep his calm, collected self, and besides, Rukia was never in that much of a hurry anyway.

However this day, the teacher wanted to talk to Ichigo about something, so as Rukia waved him goodbye out the door, he stayed.

It wasn't long before he was released, and as he was walking outside the school he heard a familiar voice say, "Kuchiki-san! Come over here!"

It was Keigo. Ichigo's frown deepened. What did he want with Rukia? He watched her, as she turned around to give her smile, which was thankfully fake, to the other student.

"Yes?" she said, still smiling.

If it were possible, Ichigo's frown creased deeper. Keigo was holding something in his hand that looked like mistletoe. If Ichigo made his frown go any deeper he wouldn't have any eyes, so he simply walked towards where the two were.

"Kuchiki-san, do you want to stand under this mistletoe with me?" the boy had asked.

Ichigo started walking faster.

"Why?" Rukia had answered innocently. Keigo immediately flew backwards in a fit of joy.

"You mean…you mean you don't know what happens when –"

CRACK…

Ichigo's fist connected to the side of Keigo's face.

"She does not want to know, you pervert," Ichigo growled. He grabbed Rukia rather roughly by the elbow and guided her outside of the school gate. He let her go and then started walking off towards the direction of their house, in a rather huffed manner.

Rukia watched him walk off with a sly smile on her face. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was being jealous.

With this thought in her mind, she ran after him, intent on asking him why he had hit Keigo so violently.

- - -

"Rukia, no, and that's final," Ichigo said, sitting on his bed. Jeez, the holidays had come, but he definitely did not want to start it off with a stupid pervert like Keigo trying to crack on to his girlfri-…Rukia.

"But what was so bad about it?" she asked him, and if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was teasing him.

"Nothing," he said, his scowl deepening.

"Then why did you hit him?" she asked him innocently – a little too innocently.

Ichigo took a breath. Several. Several deep breaths. This explanation would be long, awkward, and tedious, and would probably lead to more annoying questions that would then lead to more long, awkward, and tedious explanations, which would then lead to…

In short, it was a vicious cycle, that he found Rukia had a knack for placing him in.

"Well?" she said, from her position at the bottom of his bed.

He gritted his teeth. "In Western society, when you stand under mistletoe with someone else…" he trailed off, as he saw Rukia leaning in just a little too closely, and looking a little too interested. There was no way he was going to do this. An idea formed in his head as he eyed the open window.

"What happens?"

He jumped neatly off his bed, and outside the window, yelling something about how he just remembered that he had forgotten something at the school

Rukia watched him go, slightly disappointed. It had seemed somewhat exciting, this mistletoe thing. She grinned, as she thought of something she could do, before Ichigo got back.

- - -

When Ichigo got back, the first thing he did was groan. He walked into his room, and saw, hanging from his light bulb was a large piece of mistletoe – obviously the workings of the raven-haired shinigami known as Rukia. Though, he noted, she was no where to be found. He walked closer towards the centre of the room, stopping just before it. As he looked up, he wondered if he could remove the mistletoe before Rukia came back from whatever she had been doing.

While he was musing about this, Rukia snuck in the open door and gave him a rather large push which sent him stumbling right under the mistletoe.

He turned around, shocked, as Rukia hopped closer to join him under the mistletoe, clutching his sleeves so that he wouldn't move away.

"Gotcha," she said smugly. "Now, you have to tell me what happens."

Ichigo tried to stop from turning red, but failed miserably. "R-Rukia…"

She leaned towards him. "Tell. Me."

Ichigo wished that her hollow phone would go off, his dad walk in or something at least – just to distract Rukia from what she wanted to know.

"I…"

For once in his life he was completely at lost for words. No, no, don't act weak, he told himself angrily.

"Dammit, Rukia, I told you that I'm not going to tell you what happens," he said, trying to lace the usual venom into his voice. It obviously didn't have the desired effect, because when he tried to break free from her clenched fists around his sleeves she held on tightly.

And then she stood on her tiptoes. He saw her close her eyes, and tilt her slightly to the side, parting her lips. When her lips were on his, all that was going through his head was mistletoe…mistletoe…mistletoe…

When she broke away, only one word could describe him – dazed. Rukia grinned to herself, it wasn't every day that you saw Kurosaki Ichigo dazed. Not to mention speechless.

"So, you going to tell me?" she asked, not letting go of his shirtsleeves, even though he hadn't moved, his mouth still hanging open stupidly.

He soon realised, and then snapped it shut, and tried to glare at the shinigami in front of him.

"Come on, Ichigo, what happens when we're standing under the mistletoe?" she asked innocently.

He gritted his teeth. How could she just kiss him like that, then casually ask him what happened under the mistletoe. Though, this time there was no open window, the door was shut, and Rukia was holding on to him in a way that made his stomach to flip-flops.

He looked away from her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "People…are supposed to…kiss under the mistletoe. That's all," he gritted out.

"I know."

He merely grunted, not turning to look at her.

There was a short silence.

"You what?"

Rukia grinned mischievously. "Inoue already told me what happens." With that, she stuck her tongue out at him, as Ichigo's jaw dropped back down.

- - -

AN: Haha. Go Rukia. She's awesome. I can so imagine her doing that to Ichigo. Now, sorry for the clichéd fic, but you know…they're so fun to write. Drop by a review to tell me what you think!