Another chapter! This one has a lot of fluff in it.

Btw, Silent Hero 13- nothing will happen between Toshiro and Karin. That scene for Karin was more of a "oh no he's hot" sort of moment. This story doesn't need any more adultery lol. Now on with the story!

Chapter 14

Winter Wonderland

Ichigo's head was killing him.

The orange head rolled onto his side and rubbed his temple. Next to his bed was a familiar looking desk. A small closet was up ahead.

Ichigo blinked. He was in the room he slept in for his childhood and teenage years. Ichigo shot up and scratched his head. Why was he here and not at Las Noches? Then he remembered that it was Christmas break; he would be at Isshin's house for the next two weeks.

Ichigo rubbed his temple again. He had drank too much alcohol the night before. His head felt as if it were ready to split any second.

What a fun day this will be. Ichigo thought as he got out of his bed. He considered putting on a shirt, but decided against it. The house was warm, as if Ichigo were sitting near a fireplace with a blanket wrapped around him. Besides, the only other person in the house was Isshin.

Yawning, Ichigo walked out of his room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. He rubbed his head as he tried to remember foods that would cure his hangover. If I remember correctly, tea and fruit help.

Ichigo opened a cabinet and took out a black kettle. As he began filling the kettle with water, a voice behind him said, "Good morning."

Ichigo whirled around and in the process, the kettle slipped from his fingers and fell onto the floor with a loud clang. Water spread all over tiles.

Rukia looked down on the wet floor, her face nonchalant. "Nice."

"Rukia? What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Who are you, Dory? You invited me to stay over just yesterday!"

Ichigo blinked and scratched his head. Memories of dancing with Rukia, chasing after her, and asking her to celebrate Christmas with him played in front of him.

"Oh."

"'Oh?' That's all you have to say? 'Oh?'"

"Well sorry for drinking-" Ichigo groaned and clutched his head as another wave of pain hit him.

Rukia ignored his response. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Her purple gaze trailed down Ichigo's naked chest.

Ichigo flushed. Feeling self-conscious, he replied, "If I remembered you were here, I would've put on a shirt. Sorry, but all guys sleep with only boxers."

Rukia's gaze suddenly grew distant. "Not all guys." Her voice was so quiet and breathy, and the empty look in her eyes made Ichigo nervous.

"Where's Isshin?" Ichigo asked as he placed the kettle on the countertop, grabbed some paper towels and began wiping the floor. To his surprise, Rukia ripped some paper off the roll and wiped the floor with him.

"Passed out on the couch," Rukia said. She tossed her used paper towel in a nearby garbage can.

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he did the same. "Have you eaten yet?"

When Rukia shook her head, Ichigo asked, "How long have you been awake?"

"A couple of hours."

"And what have you been doing the whole time?"

"Just hanging out in the guest room. Why?"

Ichigo opened the refrigerator. The cool air made Ichigo shiver. "You could've just taken some food if you were up already."

Rukia crossed her arms. "I wasn't hungry." As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. Rukia's cheeks reddened.

Ichigo smirked. "You don't need my permission to eat, Rukia." He pulled out a carton of milk and closed the fridge. He handed it to Rukia, who hesitated a second before taking it. "Make yourself at home. You'll be staying here for the whole break." He raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

Rukia hesitated. "Right."

Ichigo opened up the pantry. As a doctor, Ichigo always encouraged his patients eat healthy meals. Wanting to be healthy, and not wanting to be a hypocrite, he made sure that the only cereals he'd eat were the ones high in fiber. Isshin, however, had an insatiable sweet tooth and had stocked up his pantry with the sweetest cereals stores could offer.

"Hey, Rukia!" Ichigo said. "Do you want Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Fruits Loops?"

"Um, Lucky Charms? I don't really care. You decide."

"Lucky Charms, then," Ichigo said and took out the red box with a leprechaun printed on it. When he turned around, he saw the raven haired woman holding a box of ginger tea.

"You want tea?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia shifted her body. "Um, no. But you wanted tea, right?"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh?"

Rukia looked embarrassed. "The kettle…you were going to make tea, right?"

Ichigo rubbed his head. He had almost forgot about his hangover. "Yeah, but you don't have to make it for me."

"You said to make myself feel at home, right?" Rukia said. "Doing everything for me isn't going to help."

When Ichigo didn't reply, Rukia added, "Think of it as a small 'thank you' for inviting me yesterday."

You don't understand, Rukia. Me inviting was a small thank you for everything you've done. But Rukia looked so determined, and Ichigo didn't want to ruin that.

"Fine."

Rukia looked relieved. "It'll be ready soon."

Ichigo watched as Rukia fill the kettle with water. Rukia seemed… different. He couldn't think of an explanation, but the usually confident Rukia seemed unsure of herself and just plain awkward.

Ichigo searched through his memory of last night: eating and drinking with everyone…leading Rukia to his room… exchanging gifts…

Ichigo's ears burned as he remembered his almost kiss with Rukia. Could that be the reason for her strange behavior? But she had seemed so nonchalant about it last night…

Something sank in the pit of Ichigo's stomach. For some reason, Ichigo wanted Rukia to feel something about their almost kiss. Not just because it would explain her current behavior, but because he wanted to make Rukia feel something. Now that he thought about it, Ichigo didn't know how Rukia truly felt about him. She cared about him, that much was obvious. But to what extent? Sure, Rukia had gone out of her way to help him, but that could've just had to do with her personality.

"Tea's ready," Rukia said, pouring some of the tea into a white mug.

"Thanks," Ichigo mumbled as he accepted the hot drink from Rukia. He watched the steam swirl in the air and blew for a few seconds before bringing the cup to his lips. The tea burned his mouth so he couldn't taste anything, but the banging in his head weakened.

Rukia poured some Lucky Charms in a bowl of milk and ate slowly, her eyes fixed on the colorful cereal. She seemed afraid to look at him.

"You OK, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia stiffened slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ichigo took another sip of tea. "Do you wanna go somewhere today?"

Rukia cocked her head. "Go where?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Just walk around town. You didn't grow up in Karakura, so it'd be nice to give you a tour."

"I've been at Las Noches for almost four years already," Rukia said. "I think I know my way around."

"I bet you've never been in every corner of Karakura though," Ichigo pointed out.

"Don't need to."

Why was she being so stubborn? "Come on Rukia, would you rather stay in the house with Isshin and me, or go out on an adventure?"

Rukia sighed. "You're too stubborn, you know that?"

"I think you told me that already," Ichigo said with a smile. "And as I've stated before, I'm just going to reject all of your negative opinions of me."

Rukia smirked. "Fine. After breakfast, just give me a few minutes to change. Oh, and please put on a shirt. Your naked ass chest is making me uncomfortable."

"Rukia, you almost ready?" Ichigo called. Rukia had been in the guest room for nearly half an hour.

Women. Ichigo stuck his hands in his pocket. He never understood why some women took so long to get ready. All he wore was a blue coat with a red sweater underneath, and gray pants.

Ichigo heard a door close and light footsteps making their way down the hall.

"Sorry for making you wait," Rukia said as she walked down the stairs. Her outfit consisted of a yellow pea coat, a pink scarf, a white skirt, black tights and brown boots. Ichigo thought of her all black attire at the Christmas Spectacular. At that time, she'd looked a bit intimidating. Now, she looked…cute.

"Quit staring at me," Rukia snapped. "You look like an owl. Now, where do you want to take me?"

"Oh right, sorry," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "Anyways, let's just walk around for now."

"You don't have a specific destination in mind?"

Ichigo smirked as he opened the door, revealing a world covered with a pristine layer of white. "I do. I just want it to be a surprise."

Rukia eyed Isshin's car when the two stepped outside. "You're not gonna drive me, I'm assuming?"

"Trust me, walking will be more fun. Just try not to slip on any ice."

The two walked out of Ichigo's neighborhood in silence. As Ichigo looked up at the tall buildings, he thought about how misleading the name "Karakura Town" was. The "town," with all the skyscrapers and crowded streets, seemed more like a city.

Since it was only a day after Christmas, the streets were relatively quiet. Most people were out sunbathing in some beach in the Caribbean or skiing down icy slopes in Canada. Ichigo was not a huge fan of beaches; his last trip resulted in chaos. Keigo and his ex, Midori, were arguing the whole time, with Tatsuki helping Midori beat the poor comedian to a pulp for making sexist comments. Orihime was stung by a jellyfish and some guy had tried to steal Ichigo's wallet.

Ichigo wasn't much of a skier either, so most of his Christmas vacations were spent at home. Ichigo swallowed as he remembered cuddling with Orihime near the fireplace.

"All I want for Christmas is you," Orihime whispered into Ichigo's ear. "For five lifetimes, you're the only one I want."

That had been last year. Ichigo wondered if she had already been met Grimmjow. The memory of seeing a naked Orihime and Grimmjow, and nearly killing Grimmjow, still haunted him.

"Remembering something?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo looked down at Rukia and blinked. "How can you tell?"

"You get all spacey whenever you're remembering something," Rukia explained. "It's like the present has vanished and the only thing you can see is the past."

Ichigo sighed. "I guess I am like that."

Rukia hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking of?"

"Orihime," Ichigo said almost immediately. "I was thinking about how we spent Christmas last year at home, just enjoying each other's company."

Rukia's expression was unreadable. "Was thinking about it painful?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I haven't thought about Orihime in a while. I guess I was more surprised than upset."

"Do you still love her?"

Ichigo stopped and stared at Rukia. Urahara had asked him the same question a long time ago. He didn't know the answer then, and he didn't know the answer now.

"She…was my wife and first love," Ichigo said slowly. "So I guess a part of me will always feel something for her, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," Rukia answered curtly, her gaze growing distant.

Ichigo watched Rukia. Do you still love your ex-husband? He wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to.

Ichigo took Rukia's hand. "Come on, we don't have all day," he said and ran.

"Hey, Ichigo! Where are we going?!" Rukia asked.

Ichigo grinned. "You'll see soon."

Ichigo's head felt light as they ran down the street, turned around a corner and stopped. Rukia let out a tiny gasp. In front of them was an ice skating rink, with people of all ages skating on the white ice and laughing, their cheeks red from the winter air. The song "Winter Wonderland" was playing.

"I used to come here all the time," Ichigo said, reluctantly letting go of Rukia's hand. "Now let's go get some skates!"

"Wait, Ichigo!" Rukia protested as Ichigo began to walk to the rental booth. "We-we can't do this!"

Ichigo glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Rukia's cheeks reddened. "I…uh…"

Ichigo smirked. "Don't worry Rukia, I can teach you."

Rukia crossed her arms. "I never said I didn't know how to skate."

"You didn't need to. Now what size shoe are you?" Ichigo looked down at Rukia's feet. "Size five?"

"Um…"

"Size five. Now, just wait here and I'll go rent our skates." Ichigo jogged over to the rental booth. The man at the booth was a despondent looking creature with blonde hair. He looked oddly familiar…

"Two pairs; size five and size ten," Ichigo said.

The man's jaw dropped. "Dr. Kurosaki? Is it really you?"

Ichigo blinked. "Do I know you?"

The man frowned. "Kira, Izuru. You told me I had a deadly lung disease?"

"Oh right, right right!" Ichigo said. "Did you get insurance?"

"Yeah." Izuru's gaze suddenly darkened, as if a shadow flitted over his eyes. "And I found out that I was perfectly healthy, too."

Ichigo laughed nervously. "Good to hear! Now how much are the skates?"

"Nineteen dollars," Izuru muttered as he grabbed the skates from the shelves and practically dropped them on the desk.

"Thanks!" Ichigo slapped the money on the desk and took off with the skates. He could feel Izuru glaring at him from behind.

"You look nervous," Rukia said indifferently as Ichigo returned. "What happened? Did the guy at the desk threaten to cut you with the blades?"

"He might as well have," Ichigo said. He handed Rukia a pair of skates and bent down to pull off his boots and slip on the skates.

As he tied the laces, he realized that Rukia was standing still, the skates dangling from her hand.

"Why don't you put them on?"

"I don't want to."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and took the skates from Rukia. He scanned the area, searching for a bench. Once he found one, Ichigo took Rukia's hand and dragged her to it.

"Sit."

"Do I have t-WHOA!" Rukia's eyes widened as Ichigo placed his hands on her waist, lifted her up and sat her down on the bench.

Rukia sniffed. "Your persistence irks me."

Ichigo smirked as he took off Rukia's boots and slipped her tiny feet into the skates. "Oh, so I'm not stubborn anymore? I'm 'persistent?'"

"They mean the same thing."

"Yeah, but with different connotations," Ichigo replied. "You're a tiny person, by the way."

"Shut up."

Ichigo smirked and looked up. Rukia's arms were crossed and although her face was turned away, Ichigo could see that her cheeks were a deep shade of crimson.

Ichigo tied the laces and got up. "OK, wanna go skate now?"

"How about, no."

"Not an acceptable answer." Ichigo took Rukia's arms and pulled her off the bench, nearly pulling her into him.

"If I fall, it's your fault," Rukia said when they walked over to the entrance.

Ichigo extended his hand. "You won't fall. I'll make sure you don't."

Rukia hesitated for a moment before taking Ichigo's hand. She was wearing an expensive diamond ring, Ichigo noticed.

Paying no attention to the ring, Ichigo slowly guided Rukia onto the ice. They skated around the rink slowly. Children whizzed past them, laughing and chasing each other. A couple skated by as well, and smirked at Ichigo and Rukia before pushing ahead.

Rukia's face wore a look of uneasiness and whenever they turned, she would grasp Ichigo's hand tighter.

Once Ichigo was sure Rukia was stable enough, he said, "All right, I'm gonna let you go now."

"W-Wait Ichigo!" Rukia protested as Ichigo released her and skated ahead. She tried to catch up to Ichigo and slipped forward.

"Whoa!" They both exclaimed as Ichigo caught Rukia's flailing arms. When Rukia regained her posture, she stared at Ichigo and burst into laughter.

Ichigo chuckled. Rukia didn't look like she had bipolar disorder or a sex addiction or lived in a mental institution. She looked truly, genuinely, absolutely happy.

"Aww look at the bunnies!" Rukia squealed and pressed her face against the window of a pet store. Several black spotted rabbits trembled.

"Try not to scare them with your maniac smile, Rukia!" Ichigo teased. "If you scare a rabbit, it's heart will beat too fast and it could die."

It was nighttime already. After Ichigo and Rukia had gone skating, they bought some hot chocolate and were now strolling on the dimly lit streets of Karakura.

Rukia let out a tiny gasp. "Oh my god! If I ever killed a bunny, I'd never be able to live with myself!"

Ichigo smirked as he watched Rukia. Ever since they skated together, Rukia had been smiling and laughing constantly. There was also a certain liveliness in her gait that made Rukia seem ten years younger.

"Wanna go inside?" Ichigo asked. Rukia nodded eagerly.

A bell rang as Ichigo opened the door, causing many puppies to run around and bark madly in their pens.

"Good evening!" A large man with pink hair, whose name tag said "Hachigen Ushoda," said. "We're closing soon, just letting you know."

Ichigo nodded and glanced around the pet store. God, Ichigo hated that phrase. "Pet store" made the animals sound more like objects as opposed to living creatures.

Rukia was staring at the bunnies, who were cowering in the corner of their pen.

"May I hold one of them?" Rukia asked. Mr. Ushoda nodded and opened up the pen. He lifted up a white rabbit with black splotches and gently handed it to Rukia.

Rukia's eyes were the size of oranges as she stroked the rabbit's back. Ichigo scratched it behind its ears. The white fur was soft, like a cotton ball.

"I always wanted a rabbit when I was young," Rukia murmured, her gaze soft. "Byakuya would never let me raise one, though. Said that rabbits were vermin and didn't deserve a life of luxury; dogs were much better."

"I'm more of a dog person, too," Ichigo admitted. "But I think rabbits deserve a nice life. All animals do."

Rukia smiled. "Before I went to Las Noches, I had a pet rabbit. A Holland Lop, you know, the kind with droopy ears? She was cream colored."

"What did you name her?"

Rukia laughed. "Cream! Byakuya was mad that I not only bought a rabbit, but also gave it an 'atrocious' name."

Ichigo chuckled. "What would he have named it?"

"Something really pretentious, like, Dainty Flower in Heaven's Meadow. Flower, for short."

"Did you just come up with that? Or did Byakuya actually suggest that?"

"He actually suggested it."

"You're shitting me."

"I shit you not."

"Oh come on, Rukia!" Ichigo scoffed. "No one would name their rabbit 'Dainty Flower in Heaven's Meadow.'"

"Byakuya would." Rukia's eyes clouded. "Cream was my best friend. Then one day, she became ill and passed away."

Ichigo stared at Rukia. She was still smiling, but her gaze had grown distant again, and was locked on the rabbit's head. Her hand had stopped stroking the rabbit.

Ichigo placed his hand on Rukia's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Rukia's lips parted as she looked up at Ichigo. She didn't seem sure how to respond. After a moment, she smiled once more and said, "Thank you."

Mr. Ushoda coughed and said, "I apologize, but we're closing now."

Ichigo's cheeks warmed as he turned away from Rukia. "Right. Uh…Rukia?"

"Right." Rukia handed the bunny back to Mr. Ushoda. "Thank you."

Mr. Ushoda nodded. He was staring intently at Ichigo and Rukia. "Have a good evening, and come again!"

"We will," Ichigo said as he and Rukia exited the pet store. Ichigo took out his phone and checked the time. "Isshin's cooking is awful, so we should probably head back now so I can cook dinner for-"

Something cold and wet slammed into the side of Ichigo's neck. He winced as ice cold water trickled down his back. He whirled and saw Rukia holding a snowball in one hand, the other clamped over her mouth to suppress giggles.

Ichigo grinned. "You're gonna pay, Kuchiki!" He scooped up some snow, rolled it into a ball and hurled it at Rukia.

Rukia dodged easily. "Nice throw, strawberry!" Rukia threw the snowball in her hand.

Ichigo veered to one side, and went down low to scoop up more snow. "Missed!"

Rukia picked up more snow as Ichigo rolled his into a ball. Before Ichigo could throw his, Rukia hurled hers. Ichigo dodged, only to find himself get smacked in the chest by another one.

"Got you!" Rukia crowed. SPLAT! Rukia's mouth dropped as she stared at her snow covered shoulder. She quickly brushed it off.

"Try not to get too cocky, Rukia," Ichigo laughed. He was laughing so hard, his sides were beginning to hurt. When was the last time he had a snowball fight?

SPLAT! Rukia had thrown another snowball and hit Ichigo's right shoulder.

"You were saying?" Rukia asked in between giggles. She skipped over and dusted the snow of Ichigo's shoulder with her hand. The tip of her fingers brushed lightly against his neck, and Ichigo felt a chill that he didn't think was from the cold.

Rukia stepped back and smiled at him. "So we should go back now?"

"Y-Yeah!" Ichigo said, feeling light headed. "Let's go."

As the two walked back to the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo couldn't help but think that inviting Rukia over had to be one of the best decisions of his life.