Okay, so here's the 411. This'll probably be the last you guys here from me until 2007, so I'll just tell all of you devoted Bleach fans (and every other person that maybe reading this): Merry Christmas! And this new chapter is going to be on: Christmas Eve! (Go figure.)

The characters in this story are going to have new ages.

Ichigo:19

Rukia:18

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The cold, dry air stung Ichigo's eyes as he slowly climbed out of the car. His body ached, and he wished he was back in the soft seat of the warm and cozy car. He shut the open door and slowly limbered towards the door to his house. He could feel the soft snow drift down from the sky and fall on his head. His whole body felt ten times heavier than it should have felt. He just had to stay in that stuffy old hospital for a month, mostly in part because Rukia made him stay. Okay, he had stayed on his own, but only because she had talked him into it. More threatened him into it.

"Rukia! You coming?" Ichigo looked back to the car, where Rukia was messing with the keys.

"Yeah, just a sec!"

Ichigo turned the handle of the front door and opened it. The familiar smell of his home immediately filled his nostrils. The quiet of the empty house was extremely calming. Ichigo sighed. It felt good not having to worry about his dad kicking him in the face the moment he walked through the door. He hadn't had to worry about that since his dad and his sisters had moved out, about six months ago, to a house across town.

He walked farther into the house, the cold quickly leaving his body. "I almost forgot what this place looked like."

"What?" Rukia asked quietly, appearing at Ichigo's side.

"You had me stuck in that hospital for so long, I almost forgot what my house looked like." Ichigo looked sourly at Rukia.

"Oh, stop whining. It was for your own good, anyways."

"Well, I guess so…" A thought quickly came into Ichigo's mind. "Hey, Rukia, what's today's date?"

"December 24th."

"We still need to put up a Christmas tree!" Ichigo franticly grabbed a phone book and began looking for the "Christmas Tree" section (As if there is one). "How could I have forgotten to tell someone about a tree?"

Rukia put a hand on Ichigo's arm. "I already got a tree, Ichigo."

"When?"

"Remember when Renji and Byakuya came from Soul Society the first week you were in the hospital?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded his head. "I was crippled and that tattooed ass hole was still giving me a hard time."

"That was probably because you made fun of his eyebrows. Again. But that's besides the point. I got Renji and Byakuya to get a tree and decorate it." Rukia grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled him towards the living room. "Come and look at it."

Ichigo walked into the living room and looked at the tree. The tree looked just like it had when his mother had decorated it, all of the years before she had died. The same ornaments, the same garland, the same red bows. "Rukia, how did you-"

"I used the picture that you keep in your room. The one of your family in front of the Christmas tree. Renji did most of the decorating. You'd be surprised what he can do with a picture and few boxes of decorations." Rukia sheepishly grinned. "You told me that you guys always decorated it differently after your mom died. I just thought you might like it."

Ichigo wrapped an arm around Rukia's waist and kissed the top of her head. "It's perfect, Rukia. I love it." Ichigo grinned.

"Oh, yeah. Renji left a note for you. He told me not to read it." Rukia pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Ichigo.

Ichigo began to read the letter out loud. "Dear Ichigo," He could already tell where this was going. "You'd better start training again. I'm serious, 'cause when I see you, I'm going to kick your ass bad. Sorry I can't beat the crap out of you this Christmas, I'll try to make it next year. P.S., Sorry about trying to remove your IV tube. I forgot for a second that you needed that. Your Buddy, Renji A." Ichigo looked at Rukia. "He tried to remove my IV tube?"

"Uh, yeah, he did. About an hour after you made fun of his eyebrows." Rukia scratched the back of her head.

"I'll contend with him next time we visit Soul Society." Ichigo muttered. "So…wanna watch some TV?"

"Sure." Rukia sat down on the couch as Ichigo turned the TV on. He had to switch through most of the channels, seeing as how most of the shows on were just infomercials. Ichigo finally settled on RENT, finding it a few minuets after it had come on. He laid on the couch and shifted around until he found a comfortable position.

"Hey, uh, Rukia?" Ichigo hesitantly broke the silence. "I just wanted to tell you thanks for decorating the tree like that. It really means a lot to me. I just never decorated the tree like that after my mom died."

"Why not?"

"Well, I just didn't want to get my sisters and my dad upset. The best part about Christmas was always helping my mom decorate the tree. I just thought that it would remind my family of my mom too much." Ichigo gave a pained look at the TV, tears beginning to fill his brown eyes as he remembered the day that his mother died.

A wave of sadness fell over Rukia as she watched Ichigo relive that painful day. "It hurt a lot, Ichigo, didn't it?"

At first Ichigo did not respond, continuing to stare at the bright television screen. "Yeah," he choked out, his voice wavering. "It really did." He let out a shuddering sigh. "Out of all of the people in the world, it was my mother that was attacked. I really don't know what hurt the most, Rukia. Losing her, or having to live without her. Yuzu and Karin were so young, they couldn't understand that their mother had died. They thought she was still here."

"You must really miss her."

"More than anything. I just can't understand why that hollow went after her and not me. If it was trying to find my spirit energy, I can't understand why it didn't attack me."

Rukia looked into Ichigo's tear filled eyes and saw something she had never seen before in them. True sadness. It was almost as if she was looking into someone else's eyes.

Ichigo allowed Rukia to wipe his wet eyes. "I want to cry, Rukia, I really do. I just don't think I can anymore." Ichigo covered his face with both of his hands and let out a shaky breath. "I just can't."

Rukia had never seen Ichigo like this. He was so grief stricken, so defeated. Rukia could only imagine what it would be like to lose someone like a mother. Someone who loved you with every fiber of their being, someone was with you from day one, someone who you couldn't bear to lose. The only thing close to family that she had growing up was Renji, and now Ichigo.

Rukia gently pulled Ichigo's hands off of his face and held them in her own. "Ichigo, I know you miss your mother very much, but would she really want you to be this sad on Christmas Eve?"

Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat and weakly shook his head. "No."

"Then don't blame yourself for her death. You weren't the one who killed her, Grand Fisher did. I know for a fact that your mother would not want you blaming yourself for her death."

Ichigo gave Rukia a weak smile. "Yeah, you're right." Ichigo wrapped his arms around Rukia and pulled her close. "Thanks, Rukia."

"For what?"

"For being there when I needed you." Ichigo kissed the top of Rukia's head.

Rukia leaned her head up and kissed Ichigo on the lips. She could feel a smile forming on Ichigo's face against her lips. She broke the kiss and snuggled into his chest, listening to the soft, constant sound of his strong heartbeat. She settled into the rhythmic rise and fall of his firm chest with every intake of breath.

"It feels so good to be home." Ichigo murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He felt Rukia's soft, warm breath drift onto the side of his neck. He could feel the muscles in his body relax, settling into the steady pattern of breathing he had picked up. "Those damn doctors would only let you see me during visiting hours after the first night. I like it here with you much better."

"Me too." Rukia murmured against Ichigo's neck. She breathed in his rich scent, listening to the quiet music coming from the television set. "I'm so glad you're okay, Ichigo. You don't know how terrified I was."

"Are you kidding? You're the one that went to Soul Society to be executed. Imagine how many years that took off of my life." Ichigo smirked. He could remember how determined he was to rescue her, almost like he was possessed, some unseen force diving him forward. "Merry Christmas, Rukia." Ichigo murmured into her soft hair.

"Merry Christmas, Ichigo." Rukia nuzzled Ichigo's neck and turned her eyes to the television screen as they continued to spend Christmas Eve in each other's arms.