Here's an extra since it's the season of giving! The schedule might be a little weird because of the holidays, so stay tuned!

Also, apologies for not posting this on Friday-I've been feeling like death warmed up since Thursday.

For those celebrating, have a Merry Christmas! Otherwise, Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Years! Stay warm (Or cool, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere) and stay safe!

Enjoy Reading~


Extra! Winter Special

I set my pen down and stretched, "I'm done!"

Maki looked up at me with a wide grin but I shook my head. He groaned loudly, "C'mon, Kumiko! I have—"

"That's your problem—I'm not doing any extra paperwork," I started towards the door and winked at him, "I have a husband to ambush."

He groaned again but I had blocked it out as I shut the door behind me. The air was icy, and I see puffs of my breath as I made my way through the Seireitei. It had been snowing for days now in the Soul Society, but it had finally collected enough to be posing a problem. It was up to my shins and my uniform wasn't thick enough to keep out the biting cold.

We usually didn't have bad snowstorms during the winters, so there hadn't been much need to change uniforms between the cold season and the warm season. Maki and I had let all non-ranked squad members stay at home or in the barracks, but the officers had to work and keep the paperwork cycle going.

By the time I opened the door to Kisuke's office, I was shaking like a scared kitten. His office wasn't much warmer, but it was better than trudging through the snow. He wasn't there so I took it upon myself to fill his empty seat. It was still warm so he mustn't have been far gone.

Kicking off my wet sandals and tabi socks, I curls up into his chair and waited for him. The snow outside had reflected the light in a weirdly wonderful way, casting everything in a white light. Even Kisuke's office was lighter than it usually was. Still, the shoji doors allowed not only the light to cast in but the cold too, and I continued to quiver.

Before long, the door was opening and Kisuke waltzed in. He jumped out of his skin when he saw me in his chair. If I hadn't been so cold I would have laughed as he yelped.

"Kumiko! Did you walk here?" He came over and touched my cheeks, "You look like a ghost."

"Well, technically we're all ghosts in the Soul Society," I smirked as he rolled his eyes, "Are you not cold?"

He shook his head, "No, it doesn't bother me."

I grabbed his hands as he began to move away. He smiled and pressed his hands to my cheeks again. I looked away but couldn't keep from grinning back.

"Shut up. Your hands are warm," I muttered and pulled him closer. He only chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back.

"Are those your sandals?"

"Yup."

He pulled away and shrug off his haori. When he offered it to me, I took it with a coy smile. It was no secret that I liked wearing it and I think he enjoyed seeing me in it. It engulfed me and I pulled it closely to me.

"Thank you, Captain Urahara," I chuckled.

"You're very welcome, Missus Urahara."

When we had returned to our room in his Squad, I ran to the bed and buried myself in the covers. Kisuke was laughing but didn't join me. Instead, I heard him open the closet and ruffle through our things.

"Here." I felt something land on top of me.

Sitting up, I unfolded the clothes he had thrown at me and was surprised to find that they were women's clothes. A thick, wool jacket with a colar and big, brown buttons. He had also given me a long, layered skirt and a cotton turtleneck shirt. While I stared at them, he threw a beanie and mittens at me.

"I saw that you didn't have much winter clothes so I brought you some from the World of the Living," he gave me a kiss on the forehead, "You should get changed so we can enjoy the snow."

I pulled him back as he stood up, kissing him as I grinned, "Thank you. I love them."

We filled each other in on our days while I changed. I had a pair of thick stockings that I wore under the skirt, and when I tucked my hair into the beanie I smiled up at Kisuke. He was sitting back on the bed, and beckoned me towards him with a wag of his finger.

"You look very cute, Kumi-kun," He pulled me onto his lap, a hand on each of my thigh. I shivered as his fingers slipped up along the material of my stocking and squeezed them, "I'm torn between leaving you in them or tearing them off."

I caught his lips with mine before he could speak another word, entwining my fingers in between his. He tasted like peppermint and I imagined that he had been eating candy canes all day long. He had recently brought crates of them to share among his Squad, but he seemed to be the most obsessed with them.

"Later—I want to throw a snowball at you first," His hair felt like silk in my hands.

He chuckled, "Forever my hopeless romantic."

Before we left the room, he handed me a pair of tan leather boots. They were long, reaching just below my knees, and I admired them as he laced them up for me.

Once we were outside, I broke out into a run. The courtyard of Squad Twelve was breathtaking in its winter wonderland. Snow coated every surface, glistening like the scale of a fish. It was as though all the stars had fallen from the sky and covered the ground around me.

I bent down and shoveled a fistful of snow in my hand. Turning around, I threw it at Kisuke, hitting him square in the chest. He seemed unfazed and soon I was yelling out in surrender as he pummeled me with snow.

We were both out of breath from laughing, and I smacked the back of his head playfully, "Who the hell would have thought you were so competitive."

He gave me a raised brow, "You do realize who you married, right?"

I flicked his nose and he caught my wrist. My chest was pressed against his and I grinned at him, "It's sexy."

His cheeks went bright pink and I took the opportunity to squish a snowball into his face. He yelped and fell backwards. I joined him, rolling on my back and swishing my arms up and down.

"Mashiro and I used to do this all the time," I sat up and looked back at the snow angel I had made. It was strange to see how much bigger it was now that I was older.

It was even more peculiar to see a grown man like Kisuke thrash around in the snow and make a snow angel twice the size of mine. He had me in stitches.

The breeze picked up and the sky was beginning to dim. Even with all my added layers on, I could feel the temperature begin to drop. Still, I didn't want to end my fun with him just yet.

"Snowman?" I held out my hand for him to take.

As we gathered the snow and sculpted the tiny snowman, we decided on a name.

"You can't name a snowman Natsuki—summer and snow don't go together," I rolled my eyes.

He ran a hand over its belly and smoothed out the snow, "Well it's girl so you can forget about your names."

"But I want it to be boy! That's why it's called a snowman!"

He grinned, "That's obtuse even for you, Kumi-kun."

I grinned and dug around for a stone for its eye. It was then that I realized that we were the only ones outside, and the only ones makes sound. I looked around at the snow again, mesmerized by the serenity it washed over me. The silence was so absolute, so tranquil.

"I've never seen the Seireitei so quiet before," I murmured, "It's really nice."

He was quiet for a moment before speaking, "Shizuko."

I looked at him and looked back at the snowman, "I like that one."

We returned to our room after stopping by the chow hall to grab dinner. It was pitch black outside now, although it was only six in the evening.

"I'm so full," Kisuke threw himself on the bed and moaned.

"Stop lying on your uniform like that," I chided him, as I undid the laces on my boots, "You're going to wrinkle your haori."

He sighed like a spoilt child, and sat up pouting. I ignored him and he knew it. It was quite easy until he began to undress. Soon, he was only wearing his pants and his clothes were on the floor.

"Hang your haori up, Kisuke," I cleared my throat and deliberately stared at the laces. My eyes flicked up and watched those gorgeous back muscles of his flex as he walked towards his closet.

I hadn't realized he was kneeling in front of me until he brushed my hands away from my boots. They were on my knees again, underneath my skirt, and his head was bending up to steal my lips.

"Happy?" His murmur made me shiver.

"Actually, this turtleneck is a little tight…"

"Want me to hang your clothes up too?" He had already pushed my jacket off and working my shirt up.

"No," I pulled the shirt off and threw it to the ground, "Leave them on the ground."


The next day, I woke up to Kisuke sneezing. His nose was red, and his forehead was hot. After fetching him breakfast and forcing him to drink some of Takahashi's secret healing herbal tea, I climbed back into the covers with him.

I pulled him into me and kissed his cheek, "Seems as though you do feel the cold."

"Be quiet," He grumbled, but turned towards me and whined.

I pressed my fingers into his temples and forehead, which seemed to help. Soon, he was asleep.

After an hour or so of running my hands through his hair, I snuck off into the closet. Next to my shoes was a box that my mother had given after I got married. It was fill of little things for when Kisuke and I finally decided to have kids, and the one was a notebook for any names he and I may come up with.

"Kisuke, I need a pen," I whispered as I sat beside him.

"Bedside…table," he mumbled, placing a hand on my thigh, "Come back—I'm cold."

I quickly scribbled down the name that had struck as me as beautiful name for a daughter. Shizuko. Quiet child.

I glanced outside and saw that the snowman was still standing, snow covering the hat and scarf we had placed on it.

"Come here, you big baby," I climbed into the sheets and opened my arms. He slunk over and wrapped himself around me. I kissed the top of his head and shut my eyes.

He was merrily snoring away and I mused myself with the thought of how a kid were fair with the both of us as parents.


Next: Shizuko's curiosity gets the better of her; Kusajishi and roadblocks are thrown in our girls' paths to finding their identities!~