Note - Sorry for not updating since 2016. I lost all of my chapter notes back then and it took a long time to go through all of my older stories to remake all of the notes. Until recently, I didn't have an organized way of tackling the older stories either, but I'm hoping that will change and I can start updating all of my WIP as I used to do, but no promises. There's actually not that many chapters left to this one.

Christmas Nightmare
Holly no Jolly

"To…"

A mouthful of snow greeted Ichigo's open mouth. His eyes narrowed as he looked upon the epicenter of the storm emanating from the top of the building in front of them. His arms reached up, blocking the onslaught of the sudden surge within the storm with his sleeves, his eyes shutting slightly. A curse escaped his lips.

"Why?"

"Why indeed?" Isshin responded, coming up beside him.

"Why do I feel that something bad has happened to Matsumoto?" Hisagi said, resulting in Ichigo's eyes going wide, the horror of the idea—

"How?"

"How? I don't know," Hisagi said, letting out a stern huff as he looked upon the epicenter ahead of them. "But I do know something happening to her would be enough for Hitsugaya Taicho to lose it like this."

"Not to mention he's not well," Kira said, frowning from where he stood. "And how exactly are we supposed to get past this, with the wind blowing us back like…"

"Well, Rukia seems quite fine," Ichigo muttered, watching her push through the storm as if the cold didn't bother her, though the wind, compared to her relatively small size, did push her back.

Isshin took a deep breath, placing a hand on his blade. "I was the previous captain of his division."

"And?" Ichigo said as Rukia turned her head to look at him, frowning as she did so.

"I mean, Toshiro wasn't assigned to my division back in the day for no reason, right?" Isshin said, letting out a laugh, yet looking into his father's eyes—

Ichigo frowned. "He's putting on a serious face, that face he gets when he's not going to let someone touch his girls, but the look in his eyes—he's still worried, regardless of whatever trump card he has."

…

A feeling of dread—there was no other way to describe how Karin currently felt regarding the matter. Her head tilted as she headed back towards the family home, her mouth pressed into a thin line, the confusion growing as well as the urge to be able to do something. "Anything, really, as Toshiro is my friend. My best friend, honestly, because he gets me better than even my twin."

A cold wind blew at her cheeks, her eyes closing while she swallowed back the sudden frustration welling in her head. She then looked back at the sky, a headache pounding in her head as she did so.

"Not fair," Karin muttered under her breath. "Not being able to do anything to help him." With a deep sigh, she headed into the family home, hiding the signed soccer ball under her bed, the misgivings growing before heading back down the stairs where her sister cooked food for the Christmas party.

Yuzu turned her head, frowning at the growing storm. "Where's Ichigo and Dad? Are they going to be back soon? I mean, you finished what you were doing already, right?"

"Yeah," Karin said. "They left?"

"Sometime while I was up in our room," Yuzu said, shivering, still looking out at the storm. "Why do I have a dreadful feeling?"

"Because," Karin started to say, then, "Never mind. I think I'll go and check in on the clinic while you continue cooking, Yuzu."

"Sure, sure," Yuzu said. "Still hope they get back soon."

"They're both gone?" Karin glanced at the window. "I guess now dad's free to act like anything but the bumbling idiot, now that his secret is out, but maybe…" Taking a deep breath, she headed through the door leading into the clinic, straight for the room where she could hear Momo chattering away at the patient, who, upon looking in, looked quite annoyed with the other girl. "You."

"Oh," Momo said, frowning as she turned to look at Karin, obviously not liking her, but then—

"I did call her out." Karin pointed at Gin. "No. Him."

"Me?" Gin asked, looking at her.

Looking at the man—

"He gives off a vibe similar to a hollow for some reason, like that pressure I felt when Ichigo's friend Chad saved me in the park like something wanted to kill me, but…" Karin took a deep breath. "Do you have an idea of what's going on right now?"

"They are out looking for Toshiro," Momo frowned, tilting her head at Karin.

"I know that. I mean…" Karin took a deep breath, looking right at Gin. "Are you going to save them? Him, I mean?"

Gin watched her, not batting an eye, but Momo turned her head to look at the man. "Who? Ichimaru? He's a bad guy. He doesn't save anybody, but he's supposed to stay here."

"Yes, but…" Karin took a deep breath. "While I trust my dad, I mean, he'd never let anything happen to me or Yuzu, I don't—something doesn't feel right. How do I put this?"

"You think they're in danger?" Gin asked.

"I don't think I know," Karin said, her eyes narrowing. "Just like you know as well, right?"

Gin looked at her, his eyes narrowing, then he looked away.

"He's not allowed to leave," Momo said, only to nearly jump out of her seat as Gin got up from the bed. "Where are you going?"

"To get Shiro-chan."

"You-you're just going to cause more trouble! And it isn't as if you care!" Momo said.

"Perhaps…" Karin started saying, only for Gin to mutter a kido spell, binding Momo to her chair. "Uh, why did you?"

"Because if she comes along, she won't help but hinder," Gin said, tilting suddenly.

"Yes, but you're not a hundred percent," Karin said.

"She's right!" Momo said.

"Going with me is just to placate you," Gin muttered, heading to the door, pausing as he did so, looking right at Karin. "However…"

He let out a humming sound while Karin swallowed.

Momo glared. "Don't trust him."

"You're the one who interfered with Ran-chan's battle, thinking you were helping, only to throw things right into the fire," Gin said. "But fire?" He took a deep breath. "I'm definitely in need of that particular element right now."

…

Rangiku took a deep breath as she recovered from the kick to her side, glaring at the guilty party while her hand clutched the place Toshiro stabbed her. "You."

"If you're going to wax about moral wrongs, what's the point when I know you don't agree with what I'm doing or my methods," Holly said.

"You're a major bah hum-bug on the whole Christmas spirit thing, aren't you," Matsumoto said, looking for an opening so she might get past the woman and to Toshiro, yet the storm roared around her. She took a deep breath.

"Christmas spirit? Western traditions? What odd concepts, but then one has to wonder why we're so attached to such things that have nothing to do with us, other than perhaps this being the season we manifest." She lifted her hand.

"What are your goals?"

"Goals?" Holly said. "To find our master, the one who created us."

"And that's why you do this?"

"That's why we do this?" Holly continued glaring at Rangiku, pushing up her glasses. "It might be better to say we are a backup plan in case our master fails, yet that is all that I wish to reveal as the ultimate goal; I'll find a way to achieve it, even though those two have so far proved quite useless due to their childish nature."

"That's because they are children," Rangiku said, letting out a deep breath, her breath coming out as a thin mist, her fingers toying at her zampaktou as the wind grew worse. "It will spread my ash cloud far and wide, making it impossible to use it effectively."

"What trivial sentiments." She held up her hand, her mouth twisting into a creepy smile.

"Jokes on you," Rangiku said, watching the woman pause, her creepy smile twisting into a frown.

"Oh?"

"I don't have much of any power for you to use," Rangiku said.

"Then you?" Holly snapped, forming a cero. "You can just die."

Rangiku's eyes blinked, her mouth forming a circle as she looked at the door leading into the building, as snow gathered in the opening. She dodged the cero, moving quickly, yet no opening came as the wind continued piling on, the cold getting to her as her breath continued coming out. "Toshiro. Why? Why is it your own ability that is preventing me from saving you right now? My own abilities have always paled in dealing with them, compared to…"

Flames lurched out, heading straight for Holly as they cut through the wind. She turned her head and saw Kurosaki Isshin standing there with Ichigo, Hisagi, and Kira. "Hope I'm not too late."

"Oh. Look. It's not one-on-one anymore," Holly said, placing a hand on her face. "Your timely rival defeats me."

Rangiku stiffened slightly.

"When you've just given me even more playthings, haven't you?"