Chapter: God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen

Shalan's A Whore: You guys were probably calling me some nasty names last night huh? XDDDDDDD I love leaving you all hanging! You leave me the best reviews! …dies… anyways! We find out if Ichigo lives today!

Glossary:

Propoxy: The generic form of prescription drug Darvocet-N, a type of pain pill that is more of a pain masker than an anti-inflammatory medication. Comes in 100 mg tablets and can be taken with an 800 Ibuprofen, a prescription anti-inflammatory medication. (How do I know all this? Because I've had knee surgery! XDDDDD)

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Ichigo chewed on his knuckle lightly. He looked over at the forgotten pizza box and almost sighed. He found that rather painful and stopped, standing up with a heavy groan he leaned deeply on the sturdy wooden cane that he held in his hand and dragged himself into the kitchen with another groan.

"Three fuckin weeks of this… and for what?" He panted lightly, even this physical activity was strenuous for him.

Rukia looked at the address on the back of the card and spoke to the taxi driver, handing him the card, the container next to her sloshing a little.

God rest you merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay,

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day;

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy.

He didn't quite understand this one… he usually spent Christmas with his family but they hadn't come to Washington this year and he was in no condition to travel anywhere. He frowned slightly as his wound throbbed painfully. "Ngh…" He put a hand on the wound and grimaced, gritting his teeth, he had moved too much. He heard his stomach rumble and he slowly shuffled his way towards the fridge.

"Why do I think there's gonna be anything in here?" He asked himself out loud. His speaking voice wasn't quite what it used to be… it had now become something of a breathy growl as he couldn't use too much force of his lungs.

She looked out the window as the snow fell and her heart sank, the argument that she and Kaien had had earlier in the day made her heart ache.

"I DON'T WANT YOU GOING TO HIS APARTMENT ALONE!" Kaien thundered.

"KAIEN! I HAVE TO! I'M THE REASON HE'S HURT!" She had obeyed him for the past few weeks but now she had had it with him. She wasn't going to leave him all by himself on Christmas Eve.

"RUKIA! HE'S A DANGER TO YOUR HEALTH! DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'VE BEEN SHOT AT MORE TIMES THAN ANYONE SHOULD BE IN HIS COMPANY!" Kaien roared back.

"KAIEN!" She shouted back but then stopped… he was right.

From God our Heavenly Father,

A blessed angel came;

And unto certain Shepherds

Brought tidings of the same:

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by Name.

O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy.

"Fuck…" He muttered under his breath as he breathed lightly, his chest hardly moving in little bursts as he made his way across his flat. He looked out the window at the cars out on the street. "Why do I keep thinking about her? She doesn't care…" He hung his head. She didn't care.

His cell phone rang from across the room and he looked over at it with a foul look on his face. This meant he had to make his way all the way over there in a matter of seconds and it was too painful to get there. He crossed the room slowly, he hated being this way… he also hated being dirty and at the moment that was what he was.

"Ku-Kurosaki…" Ichigo panted into the phone.

"ICHIGO!" He heard his slap-happy father's voice from the other line.

"Dad…" Ichigo smiled, he knew his father had just called to cheer him up.

"How are you doing son? We're flying in on the 26th! Sorry it took us that long!" His father laughed from the other end.

"I'm alright dad… that's good… I'm glad I'll be able to see you all for Christmas…" Ichigo smiled again, so he was going to get to see his family.

"Okay… here…" Ichigo suddenly heard himself be put on speakerphone.

"NO! NO! DAD!" He laughed as he heard his sister's chattering voices.

And when they came to Bethlehem

Where our dear Savior lay,

They found him in a manger,

Where oxen feed on hay;

His mother Mary kneeling down,

Unto the Lord did pray:

O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy.

Rukia sighed again, he had left her… Kaien Shiba had left her… he had packed his bags and left the house the same day that she was going over to Ichigo's apartment… she hoped she wouldn't regret going to visit him… because if she did… she had just let Kaien Shiba go.

The taxi pulled up in front of his new apartment building and she got out, paying the cab driver. She smiled lightly and he nodded. "Thank you, Merry Christmas…" She took her bags and the heavy container out of the car and walked into the apartment building.

Ichigo laughed again. "Your laugh isn't as full as it was brother! Are you doing better now?" Yuzu asked from the other line.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" He smiled softly, feeling the pain spreading from his chest. "I should probably…" He stopped as he heard a knock at the door. "Go… I'll talk to you all later…"

"Okay! See you on the 26th!" Karin laughed as he hung up. He slipped the phone into his pocket and hobbled slowly over to the door.

Now to the Lord sing praises,

All you within this place,

And with true love and brotherhood

Each other now embrace;

This holy tide of Christmas

All other doth deface:

O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,

She waited patiently as she set down the heavy packages, knowing that he wouldn't be moving very quickly. She heard him thunk across the hardwood floors of his apartment and heard the click of a lock. The door swung slowly open and there he stood before her in a pair of sweat pants and soft white gauze wrapped around his chest.

"Rukia?" Her name escaped his lips and the young woman wrapped her arms around his neck suddenly, planting a long awaited kiss on his lips, his arm that wasn't balancing him wrapped around her waist as they kissed, their lips meeting several times in a row, one of her hands sliding across his neck and face.

O tidings of comfort and joy.

She stood in the kitchen a little while later wearing something he had never thought he would see her wearing. The young woman wore a fairly tight black scoop neck shirt with bebe across the front and a pair of low hip huggers with a rip in the knee. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a few stray tresses of hair curled against her forehead as she heated up the homemade stew. Ichigo in the meantime sat on a soft pillow on the couch.

"You going to tell me why you're here?" Ichigo looked over at her and she smiled, the smell of the stew rising into the air.

"I just thought I wouldn't be fair to leave you by yourself on Christmas Eve…" She walked around the bar and walked over to him, standing in front of him. The detective reached out and brushed his fingers against her stomach tenderly. She drew away slightly and his eyes darkened, he understood that he had to work her in slowly but he wanted her so badly that it was a pain.

"Thank you…" he looked down then felt her hand on the side of his face.

"You're filthy…" She told him sternly and he blinked up at her with a sheepish smile. "I'll go fill you a hot bath…" She turned and he took her hand in his.

"You're a godsend…" he smiled up at her and she smirked back, he had never seen her smirk before either.

When she walked back in he could hear the sound of running water and she looked over at him. "I'll help you to the bath…" She reached out to him but this time it was his turn to shy away, he hated people helping him. The detective stood up in his adopted stoop and hobbled over to the bathroom with his cane. "Alright… maybe I won't…" She sighed and went to the kitchen.

Only a few minutes later did his phone ring again. She blinked over at it curiously then picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ichigo?" An incredulous voice said over the phone and she blinked.

"No… uhm… this is Rukia…" She laughed.

"What are you doing at Ichigo's house?" She heard Toshiro's voice over the phone. She recognized it easily, she had spent enough time at the police station to know it.

"I'm here for Christmas and to help him out a little…" She smiled. "I'll get him…" She dropped her arm down and paused as she looked towards his bedroom… did she go in? What if… he… no… she shook her head and stepped towards the room.

Ichigo looked up from scrubbing his arm cheerily only to see her standing before him, the phone held in her hand. "I… uhmm… here…" She held out the phone to him and he took it carefully.

"Kurosaki." Ichigo took her hand as she turned to walk out and she paused, turning around. He smiled and pulled her closer, tangling his fingers in hers.

"Hey! Ichigo!" He heard Toshiro's voice over the phone. "I wanted to see how you were doing! The doctors said you were taking medicine for the pain… are you?" Ichigo looked over at the full pill bottle and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah… yeah I am…" He chuckled, which also hurt. She reached out and her fingers touched his shoulder, causing goose flesh to jump up on his skin. "Yeah…" He laughed lightly. She moved a little closer, letting his hand fall to the ground and her fingers brushed his skin again, it was so smooth and soft. She ran her hand along his shoulders behind his neck then tenderly began to massage his back. She heard a soft groan from his lips as she did so and drew her hands back in fear. Ichigo continued to speak and turned his head to look at her, wondering why she had stopped. "Alright… I'll talk to you on Friday then…" He chuckled into his phone. "Happy Christmas…" His British accent had been extremely prominent when he had said that. He hung up the phone and set it on the small shelf next to the bathtub.

"S…sorry…" she backed out of the bathroom and he sighed, there was no way around it was there? He stood up, rather painfully, from the bathtub and stepped out only to slip and fall on his ass. "ICHIGO!" She rushed in and froze in the doorway like a deer in the headlights. Ichigo stared back… then smirked slightly; he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Sorry…" He pulled a towel over himself but the damage was done, she turned tail and fled from the room. He sighed, she spooked so easily, there was no possible way to get her to have any physical contact with him now… He groaned as he tried to stand up and only managed to cause himself more pain. "Rukia!" He called painfully. "Kuchiki! I have a towel on! Com… oh…" He put his hand on his chest, breathing slowly like the doctors had told him to.

"Kurosaki?" She peeped from the doorway and peered around the door. Ichigo was in pain, she could tell… so why did it hurt her to see him in pain? She walked over slowly and easily lifted him to his feet. She had never noticed how tall he was before but as she looked up at him she felt her cheeks flush and she backed away. "I… I'll go finish dinner…" She disappeared through the door again and Ichigo rolled his eyes, there was no way that he was going to let her get away that easily.

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After she helped him wrap a new roll of white gauze around his chest to keep the wound clean Ichigo made his way back into the living room slowly and painfully, he had been doing too much physical activity lately… he knew it and she knew it… unfortunately she knew it all too well.

"Sit down," he heard her command.

"What? Do I look like a dog to you?" He protested then his body protested back and he immediately sat down, lowering his body down onto the soft cushion.

"Thank you," she pulled the TV tray closer to him and set the stew down on top of it.

"No, thank you," he smiled up at her and she flushed, walking away from him. Ichigo frowned again. 'Damn… she's unbreakable… BUT the kiss has brought me hope…' Ichigo sighed and reached over with his good hand, picking up the spoon but his hand shook with pain and he dropped it. 'Shit… here I go again… being pathetic…' He frowned; he hated looking pathetic in front of people, especially women. Then a hot spoon poked him in the lips. He pursed them, sipping the stew off the spoon, his amber eyes locked into her indigo.

"You don't need to worry about looking bad in front of me… I know how strong you are…" she whispered softly and sat down beside him. His gaze softened yet intensified at the same time and she reached over, scooping up another spoonful.

"You're like my mother…" Ichigo smile as she continued to feed him.

"Take these…" She held up two of the pain pills he had been given. One was oblong and pink, the other was smaller and white.

"Why?" He flinched as he moved slightly.

"That's why Ichigo! You're in so much pain you can't hardly stand it!" She nearly threw them at him."

"You called me Ichigo…" He held up two fingers. "Twice in one day…" A smile spread across his lips.

"Kurosaki…" there was a warning tone in her voice and he sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he had to take them or she'd kill him herself. He reached out and took them in his hand.

"Stupid fricken medicine…" he mumbled under his breath as a water bottle was handed to him.

"You'll heal better if you drink more of this and less alcohol…" he frowned again but realized that she was just taking care of him. He took both pills in one swig and turned back to her.

"Thanks mom…" he said sarcastically and she flushed.

"I felt guilty…" she confessed, about to stand up his hand grabbed hers and pulled her back down.

"Thank you," he whispered softly and she looked over at him, her azure eyes soft. He reached up and gently stroked a calloused hand along her cheek. Why should he be allowed to touch such a beautiful creature? Why should his war beaten body be allowed to be near hers? Why did his heart stop every time he thought she was going to be hurt?

'You love her…' His mind repeated as his thumb brushed her lips slightly. She felt her face heat up and his eyes became curious… would she let him kiss her? He leaned forward and just as their lips brushed she pulled away and he frowned… there it was again, the same man right in the middle of them… that problem that couldn't go away.

"I could erase him from your memory…" his hand cupped the side of her face and she looked away from him.

"Kurosaki… I only came here to make sure you were alright…" She scooped up another spoonful of food and stuffed it into his mouth so he couldn't retort.

Later that evening when she had passed out asleep on his bed he sat in the soft chair beside it and watched her. He had two bedrooms but he didn't have the strength to pick her up and move her so he decided to leave her there.

'She really is beautiful…' Her angelic features were saved from her usual stress lines and were instead as peaceful as an undisturbed lake. He leaned back against the chair, she was right… taking that medicine helped… he wasn't in as much pain as he had been. His eyes glanced over at her again and he found his eyes locked into a pair of beautiful cerulean. She sat up sleepily and walked over to him.

"Why aren't you asleep?" She muttered as she stumbled towards him.

"I had someone in my bed…" He replied with a slight smile, "Besides… I wouldn't want to intrude on her…" He smiled lightly again and she reached out, her cool fingers brushing against his heated cheek.

"You have a fever…" she rubbed an eye and beckoned to him. "To bed… I'll get you some chamomile tea to help you sleep…" She sauntered out of the room drowsily and he chuckled. The detective stood and walked over, snuggling himself down in the covers that she had warmed for him unknowingly.

After she brought him the tea she sat down beside him and drank her own, watching him as he slowly lifted the mug to his lips. She smiled, watching his muscles ripple.

"You're staring again…" He whispered to her as he put the mug down.

"Yeah… sorry… I do that sometimes…" She looked over at him with a sad look on her face.

"Don't worry about it… it's not like it bothers me…" he sipped his drink again.

"Tell me about the war you keep talking about…" She whispered and he looked over.

"Oh… it wasn't really a war…" He smiled again.

"Tell me about it anyways… I told you my story so now you need to tell me yours…" She insisted but her lids drooped down and he smiled, taking the mug away from her and setting it on the bedside table. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, taking in a deep breath of his scent. He leaned them down on the bed, setting his own mug down. He would tell her tomorrow… yes… he had all day tomorrow to tell her… her arms wrapped around him carefully and he cradled her body to his… for now he was happy enough just being in her arms.

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AWEE! I gave you guys Ichigo back… after a whole night of fretting you all finally get your answer… I now have to take a break from this story… I need to write some on Call Me no? XDDD I haven't even started on chapter eight yet! XDDDDD don't hate me! I have to finish it and then I'll post it… once I do that I'll post the next chapter of this… which I haven't even THOUGHT about yet… not to mention the task of writing chapter FOUR of Apostando!

Hang 10 Crew! Don't give up on me yet!

Shalan