Disclaimer: I donot own Bleach or A Christmas Carol. I'm just seeig what it's like if I put them together.
AN: Yes I know it's another person trying the 'let's put other characters into A Christmas Carol', but it's Christmas, so please review.
Aizen was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner, Kuchiki Byakuya. And Byakuya's name was as good as anything he chose to put his name to.
Aizen was as dead as a doornail. He and Byakuya were partners for God knows how many years. Byakuya was his sole partner, his sole friend, his sole mourner and his sole executor. Aizen was definitely dead, that must be distinctly understood or nothing marvellous can come out of this story.
But Byakuya never painted out Aizen's name. There it was year after year 'Kuchiki and Aizen'. That was the name of their business, sometimes people called him Kuchiki, and sometimes Aizen. But he didn't mind or care so long as they came with their business.
Byakuya sat at his desk in the cold room, paying no attention to the frost that nipped at his fingers and face. By the doorway his poor clerk was having a harder time ignoring the freezing temperatures.
Kurosaki Ichigo was a kind man, he liked to pretend to be surly and impatient but the people close to him knew better. He was fiercely protective and extremely loyal (he had to be to carry on with this job). Ichigo considered asking to be allowed to put another shovel of coal on the fire, but thought better of it, choosing instead to tighten the scarf his wife had made him around his neck.
The only sound in the office was that of the quills on paper and the loud breathing of the clerk as he tried to stay warm. Neither man bothered to look up at the jingle of the bell that signalled someone had entered the room until a joyful voice filled the dismal atmosphere.
"Merry Christmas Brother, God bless you!"
Byakuya looked up from his work to be greeted with the grinning face of his adopted sister.
"Bah!" he snorted regally "Humbug!"
"Christmas, a humbug, Brother?" Rukia sounded shocked as she shook her head in amazement. "You can't mean that surely!"
"Can't I?" Byakuya asked, looking back down, beginning work again as he spoke. "What is Christmas but a time when you find yourself a year older and not a penny richer?"
"Christmas may not put money in my pocket, but I believe it has benefitted me in many other ways. It is a kind, giving, charitable time; the only time I know of where men and women consent to open their shut-up hearts and look out for one another. Therefore despite your objections I wish you a Merry Christmas."
This speech received a small clap from Ichigo, but he stopped quickly at Byakuya's glare, quickly going back to work.
"If I hear one more sound out of you Kurosaki Ichigo then you'll celebrate Christmas unemployed." Byakuya turned to face his sister. "If that is all you came here for..."
"Of course not!" Rukia beamed hanging up a Chappy shaped holly wreath on his office door. "I came to invite you to dine with us tomorrow."
"I'll see you in hell first," Byakuya told her vehemently.
"Why?" Rukia asked, actually beginning to look upset.
"I won't nothing to do with Christmas, or that husband of yours. Why did you get married?"
"Why? Because I fell in love!"
"And that," Byakuya said as he stood up. "Is the only thing that is more ridiculous than Christmas. Good afternoon. My clerk will show you out."
Rukia sighed, but allowed herself to be led to the door by Ichigo, wishing him a Merry Christmas as she left. Ichigo returned the greetings with a small smile that made Byakuya frown. The idiot, when letting his sister out, had let two other gentlemen in. He recognised them as Mr Shunsui Kyōraku and Mr Tōshirō Hitsugaya. The former drank too much, and the latter was too small to be taken seriously.
"That clerk of mine," Byakuya said to the gentlemen as if they were interested. "Earns fifteen shillings a week with a wife and family to support, and him talking about Merry Christmas, I'll retire to Bedlam."
The two men looked at each other before deciding to ignore the comment. "Do we have the pleasure of addressing Mr Aizen or Mr Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya asked formally. Shunsui giggled.
"Aizen has been dead these seven years. He died exactly seven years ago tonight." Byakuya said with a bored tone of voice.
"Well," Shunsui staggered cheerfully (it was cold outside so he'd been drinking to keep warm). "I'm sure his generosity lives on in his surviving partner. We are gathering some money for the poor, to buy them a bit of meat and fuel for the holiday. What can..." he frowned, trying to remember why he was here. "What can we put you down for?"
"Nothing," Byakuya growled.
"You mean you wish to be left anonymous?" Hitsugaya asked, frowning slightly.
"I mean, I wished to be left alone. Are there no prisons or workhouses?"
"Yes, though many would rather die than go there."
This statement received no sympathy from Byakuya. "Well then, they'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Now good afternoon gentlemen." The men had no choice to leave and they did so, grumbling.
There was now only Ichigo and Byakuya left in the office. They continued working until eight in the evening when Ichigo began to pack up.
"I'll suppose you'll be wanting tomorrow off?" Byakuya said as he blew out the candle on his desk.
"It is Christmas," Ichigo pointed out, placing the shutters on the windows, and grabbing the broom to begin sweeping.
"Huh! A fine excuse to pick a man's pocket every twenty fifth of December. If I docked half a crown from your wages you'd sit and moan about it. Still if you must have the whole day off then be sure to be in here early the next day." With that he stormed out, cloak swishing threateningly behind him as he made his way home.
Now we must remember at this point that Aizen was definitely dead. So you can imagine Byakuya's terror when Aizen's head appeared out of the door knocker. He jumped back, dropping his keys, and brandishing his cane like a sword. But the knocker had turned back to the silver lion it was supposed to be. Shaking his head he picked up his keys and opened his door, ignoring the servants that ran about him. He went straight to his room and locked the door.
He was just dozing off in front of the fire when he heard a large, repeated clunking sound, and the rattling of chains. Grabbing the poker beside him, he almost dropped it when the ghost like figure of his old partner came through the closed door, dragging large chains and boxes with him.
"BYAAAKUUYAA!" Aizen shrieked.
"Humbug," Byakuya muttered feebly.
"Byakuya!"
"Aizen?" Byakuya approached the figure cautiously, still carrying the poker. "Are you Aizen?"
The figure rolled his eyes, and sighed mournfully. "Do not ask me who I am, ask me who I was." Apparently this was supposed to be the obvious question to ask.
"Who were you?"
"In life I was Aizen, your business partner."
Byakuya snorted. "Impossible!" And he swung the poker at the figure, and to his shock it went right through him. Byakuya stared for a moment, then sat down, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Believe me now?" Aizen asked with a slight smile that faded when the chains he was wearing dragged him backwards.
"It seems I must, but why do spirits walk on earth, and why do they come to me? Why are you heavily chained?"
Aizen let out a mournful wail that made the hair at the back of Byakuya's neck rise up. "It is required of every man that the spirit within him travel far, but if that spirit does not to do so in life, then it is condemned to do so in death. This is the chain I forged in life. I made it by my acts of greed, I forged it link and link. You wear such a chain yourself, and it was as heavy and as long as this one seven years ago."
"Speak comfort!"
"I have none to give. However there is a chance for you to avoid my fate. I called in a few favours. Tonight you shall be haunted by three spirits."
"I'd rather just go to bed," Byakuya interrupted but was cut off.
"Without these spirits, you cannot hope to avoid my fate. Expect the first when the bell tolls, one, expect the second on the next night. And the third the night after that."
"Can't I meet them all at once and get it over with?"
Aizen's only reply was to float out the window and Byakuya followed him. Looking outside he saw hundreds of spirits floating in the air, all heavily chained and wailing mournfully. Aizen gave him one last sorrowful look, before he flew off to join them. Byakuya took one quick glance at the spirits and snapped his curtains shut, edging away from the window and almost running to bed, poker still at his side.