DISCLAIMER - I Don't own Bleach

Right, most of this is done, and I wasn't going to post it until it was finished, but since it is Christmas and you're all expecting it, here it is, the start of the Adapting Christmas Special. Enjoy ;-)

Orihime yawned as she opened her eyes to find a strange wooden ceiling above her. It took her a few moments to remember where she was, Urahara-san's shop…She thought as she turned her head to find Ururu sleeping soundly in the futon across from hers. Sitting up the redhead held back a groan as her back protested, and as she bent her legs they ached painfully. I guess that's to be expected after last night…Last night!

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime called as she stumbled from Ururu's room and into the hall, knocking on the door opposite louder than she had intended. Nibbling her lip she waited as her heart pounded, but her fears were eased as she heard a quiet yawn. "Ulquiorra?" She called again, a little quieter this time, hoping not to wake up anyone else in the house.

"Hai…" Ulquiorra groaned quietly as he opened his door, his face so cute as he looked at her through half lidded eyes. Feeling slightly guilty for waking him up Orihime's cheeks heated a little as she looked at her feet, very conscious of the fact that Ulquiorra was only wearing boxers and a tight T-shirt. Not only that, but it was early morning and, through no fault of his own she was sure, Ulquiorra's boxers were straining against an erection.

"Ano…" Orihime said hesitantly as she looked up at him, relief clear in her deep grey eyes. "Gomen, I know it was a late night but…" She trailed off as Ulquiorra reached up and wiped his tired green eyes, which blinked at her sleepily, though he seemed to be a little more awake now.

"Don't concern yourself; it is time I was awake anyway." He replied softly as he gave her a warm smile, his green eyes opening wider as he took his hand away and leaned on the doorframe. Judging by the amount of light outside he knew it had to be at least ten O'clock in the morning, though he assumed it was later since he hadn't been able to sleep until six. Orihime looked little better as she yawned, her hand covering her mouth as she did so. "You are tired." Ulquiorra observed as he looked down at her,

"Hai…It was a late night." She replied, which it had been. After the incident in the park, where he had decided to remain with Orihime in the Human world, they had all continued their evening as if nothing had happened. They had returned to the ball, which had ended at three and then they returned to the shop, where Ulquiorra had slipped out of his room to sit on the roof until dawn just began to break on the horizon.

"It was." He replied softly, still not confident about the choice he had made. He didn't regret staying, but he did regret that Orihime may pay for it one day. I shall have to remain vigilant to see that never happens. He decided, as he had thought constantly last night, this morning…He corrected as he fought back a yawn.

"I-I should let you get back to sleep…" Orihime said apologetically as she noticed the dark bags under Ulquiorra's slightly red eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept at all. As she turned to go Ulquiorra laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, watching her cheeks flush as she turned around. She was so beautiful in the morning light, her white night dress slightly crumpled, the light reflecting off her light orange hair, which was only slightly tousled since she had it platted in a side ponytail over her right shoulder.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked, watching her give him a warm nod as he stepped back and opened the door a little wider. Stepping inside she could smell Ulquiorra everywhere, and everything in the room was his. It was almost as intoxicating as her first time walking into Ichigo's room, though she had been much younger then, and she hadn't been alone.

"You have a very tidy room." Orihime observed as she looked around the small bedroom, which was a little smaller than Ururu's. All of Ulquiorra's books were neatly stacked along the wall, his school work was on the desk or out of sight in a drawer, and his clothes were all out of sight except his suit from the night before and a fresh set for that day. The only thing out of place was his futon, where the thick duvet was crumpled and the pillows were at odd angles.

"Arigato…" He replied as he walked over to his futon and crawled beneath the duvet once more, straightening up the pillows as he settled down. Orihime hesitated before following him and sitting on the edge of the futon awkwardly, hearing a chuckle from behind her, where Ulquiorra was watching her.

"Gomen." She said sheepishly as she looked down at him, noticing how cute he looked curled up beneath the covers. Only his head was poking out of the duvet, his face half buried in the pillows while his ebony hair was obscuring some of his face as well as the white pillow around his head.

"You'll get cold sitting there." He said quietly as he shifted over and tugged the covers further back. After a few moments Orihime slowly lay beside him, blushing nervously as the Espada threw the blanket over her, his arm resting across her waist. Snap out of it Orihime! It's not like it's the first time…and he's wearing more clothes this time…though secretly she couldn't quite decide whether that was good or bad.

"Ulquiorra…You're definitely staying…right?" Orihime asked softly as she shifted her gaze to the boy beside her, his eyes closed as he subconsciously snuggled a little closer to her warm body.

"Hai…I have no way of returning now." He replied quietly as he settled down beside her, his body gradually relaxing as he slipped back into an unconscious state. Beside him Orihime bit her lip nervously at his response. Though she was relieved to hear that he had no way to return to Hueco Mundo she couldn't help worrying whether this was what he truly wanted.

"But…are you happy here?" She asked as she looked across at him once again, knowing immediately that he hadn't heard her. She could see that his breathing was slower and his face was so peaceful that she had no doubt he was sound asleep. With a small smile Orihime turned to face him, her hand reaching out to gently stroke his cheek.

At her touch Ulquiorra turned his head slightly to keep the pressure of her hand against his cheek. His skin was so soft to the touch, without even the slightest hint of stubble even though she knew he shaved. Moving his silken hair out of his face she let out a small giggle as he almost purred at her actions. I really hope you are…

Yoruichi moaned lightly as she turned onto her back, the white blanket pushed down to her bare waist some time in the night. At her movement the blonde beside her stirred, his hazel eyes opening slowly to look at the beauty before him. Her purple hair was loose about her shoulders and crept towards her tanned waist,

"Ohayo." Urahara groaned as he shifted a little closer and rested his arm across her bare stomach. At his words Yoruichi's half lidded amber eyes shifted to him gently, a small smile crossing her features as she looked at him. His blonde hair was mussed and hanging in his hazel eyes as he looked at her lazily,

"Ohayo…What a night…" She sighed as she turned on her side, Urahara's eyes creeping to her large breasts for a few moments, the dark orbs obscured by her hair as the thick locks slipped over her shoulder. Noticing his gaze Yoruichi took on an impish expression, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"Quite…If only such events occurred more often." Urahara replied as his hand gently stroked the soft skin of Yoruichi's back, the woman purring in response as she inched her face closer to his.

"You only have to ask." She said impishly,

"What?" Urahara replied with a perplexed expression, Yoruichi swiftly moving forward to capture his lips, the shopkeeper taking no time to respond. Yoruichi moaned lightly as Urahara pulled her closer so that she was firmly against his chest, his hand still massaging her back and the base of her neck. "Oh that…" He sighed as she pulled back slightly and got to her knees, his eyes sneaking to her generous breasts once again as the blanket fell back to her hips.

"Like you said…we don't do this nearly enough." She said quietly as she flicked her long loose hair over her shoulder, watching Urahara push himself onto one elbow, his eyes fixed on her breasts. She sighed as he reached out one hand to massage the soft flesh, her eyes closing as she felt him shift closer. It wasn't long until his lips latched onto her nipple and her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer as her hand ran through his thick hair.

As Yoruichi purred Urahara eased her back onto the futon, her head barely resting on the pillow at their angle, though at that moment she didn't care. Urahara let out a grunt as Yoruichi's nails dug into his shoulders, the shopkeeper moving up to capture her lips while supporting himself on one arm. His other hand slipped down her sloping waist to her soft thigh, stroking down and then up, slipping between her legs in the process.

The cat-like woman moaned as Urahara's fingers stroked between her legs and probed at her slick entrance. He slowly inched two of his fingers inside her, the warmth wrapping around his fingers as he stroked her silken inner walls. Yoruichi arched her back with a purr, her hips rolling into his touch.

"Kisuke!" Yoruichi moaned as she pulled him closer, her lips locking with his once more as her hand stroked slowly down his chest. He sighed lightly against her lips as she gripped his hardened member, stroking back and forth lightly. Urahara gritted his teeth at her actions, burying his face in Yoruichi's neck and taking in her scent. It was a mixture of wild flowers and forest ground, the way she had smelled since he could remember.

Yoruichi slowly hooked her legs around Urahara's slim waist, the older man smiling softly as he pulled back from her neck and pressed butterfly kisses to her lips. As Yoruichi released his member Urahara removed his fingers from her inner walls to place his manhood at her ready entrance.

"We'll have to keep quiet…We don't want the children to hear." Urahara purred as he leaned down and nipped her neck lightly, feeling her nod her agreement as he shifted forward slowly. The feeling of her walls closing around his member was incredible; the sensation forcing a moan from his lips as it always did.

As he filled her Yoruichi had a feeling somewhere between pain and pleasure, a feeling she quickly got over as she pulled him closer with her legs, her arms tightening around his neck. With a deep breath Yoruichi began slowly rolling her hips, feeling Urahara's member slide in and out of her, the feeling forcing her breaths to quicken. She could feel his own short gasps against her shoulder as he left butterfly kisses on her neck, forcing a small moan from her.

While Yoruichi's hips rolled Urahara moved forward, driving his member deep inside her until it met the back of her walls, stroking along until she gave a sharp moan where it hit her bundle of nerves. With a sly smile Urahara moved to her lips to muffle her moans as he thrust in and out of her almost roughly, her nails raking his back and forcing a grunt into her mouth.

As his pace quickened Yoruichi felt herself rapidly building up, pulling back from his kiss to take in deeper, shorter breaths, and it seemed Urahara needed to breathe too as he gasped above her. His hazel eyes locked to Yoruichi's warm amber, his body shuddering as he came, but he didn't stop. Yoruichi was still building up, though he could tell she was close, her chest heaving as she threw her head back.

As she climaxed she could feel Urahara's lips on her breast; her hand latched to his hair, pulling him closer as her hips jerked uncontrollably. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her until she slowly came down, releasing Urahara's hair and relaxing her legs until she lay still, her breath gradually coming back.

Urahara slid out of her and immediately rolled to the side, landing in an exhausted heap beside her, watching Yoruichi's glistening skin as she gasped for breath. As she lay there she could feel Urahara's juices running onto the futon beneath her, holding back a slight shudder at the sensation.

"Here." Urahara said quietly as he handed her a box of tissues, Yoruichi smiling softly as she took one and gently cleaned herself, watched as Urahara did the same. "I seem to be running low." He added with a perplexed expression as he put the box aside, where he had left it earlier that morning when they went to sleep.

"Wasn't that a new box last night?" She asked, holding back a laugh as she looked across at the shopkeeper, who locked eyes with her and let loose an uncontrollable laugh, hearing Yoruichi laughing heartily beside him.

"Hai…It seems we were a little…" He trailed off as he tried to choke back his laughter. Yoruichi shifted closer to him until he wrapped his arm around her and she was laying comfortably against his chest.

"Over zealous?" She supplied as she stretched against him, letting out a small yawn and sigh as she settled once more. Urahara hummed lightly in response as he looked up at the ceiling, shivering slightly as he relaxed, and he could feel goose-bumps prickling Yoruichi's skin as he stroked circles on her bare arm. Groping for a few moments he managed to find the blanket and pull it over their bodies, "Shouldn't we be getting up?" She added teasingly,

"Not yet…I don't get to do this often." He added as he leaned his head on Yoruichi's, feeling her soft hair against his cheek. She hummed vaguely in agreement as she looked at the curtained windows, where the sunlight crept around the edges, but the rest of the shop sounded suspiciously quiet. Who cares about the time? It is Sunday…

"What?" Yuzu's voice cried incredulously from the living room, making Ichigo pause with a raised eyebrow as he headed back to his room. He was topless with a small towel hanging round his neck where his damp hair was dripping onto his shoulders. Luckily he was wearing a pair of jeans, so he could count himself as decently dressed. Padding down the stairs he could see Yuzu looking panicked while his father was looking enthusiastic as usual and Karin was ignoring both of them, opting to watch the television rather than get involved.

"Don't worry! It'll be fun!" Isshin insisted unconcernedly as he waved off Yuzu's objections, the honey haired girl fuming before him. It seemed Isshin was oblivious to his daughter's distress as his eyes danced in excitement.

"Fourteen people? You want me to cook Christmas dinner for fourteen people?" She exclaimed in disbelief, clearly panicked by the prospect, and Ichigo could understand that. It already took a full day for her to prepare a large meal for just the five of them, but times that by three and it would be a disaster. For starters where would she cook the other two turkeys? It would take over nine hours in their oven at home.

"You'll be fine! Consider it your first banquet!" Isshin replied, still apparently unconcerned. With a sigh Ichigo stepped into the room, knowing that somebody had to put his father in his place.

"You know you really should be a little more considerate when you invite people over; it isn't you who has to do all the work." Ichigo stated plainly as he used the towel to dry the ends of his hair. His father looked across at him sulkily before walking over to the poster of his wife muttering under his breath. This didn't solve the problem however, "Yuzu, don't worry about it, I'll help out in the kitchen." Ichigo added as he walked over a laid a hand on her head.

"Arigato, but it really doesn't solve the problem; I mean, where am I going to cook all of this?" She asked as she looked into the kitchen despairingly while Ichigo followed her gaze thoughtfully, she has a point…

"What if we cooked two of the turkeys the night before? Would that work?" He asked cluelessly, his hazel eyes shifting to his sister, who sighed as she shook her head iin response.

"I don't think so, we'd need somewhere to put them and even then it wouldn't be as nice if it was left out over night." She replied forlornly, both turning as they heard footsteps on the stairs, where Rukia appeared wearing a pair of black slacks and a matching long sleeved top, which plunged at the neckline drawing Ichigo's eyes.

"I don't remember that outfit." He said with a slight blush, very sure that he would have remembered that top if she'd worn it. He also knew she didn't wear trousers often, preferring dresses or long skirts. At his words she smiled knowingly, heading over to receive a hug as she usually did.

"It's new…You like it?" She asked in an almost coy voice, Ichigo nodding his response before Rukia changed the subject, "So I hear you have a problem." She said to Yuzu, having heard the end of their exchange as she came down the stairs. The honey haired girl sighed and nodded her agreement,

"Hai, Oto-san invited a lot of people for Christmas, and I have no idea how I'm going to cook all this food!" Yuzu panicked, Rukia's brow furrowing in confusion as she looked around the room. There were five of them, and to be honest that seemed enough for a house of this size.

"Who's coming?" She asked, only able to think of a couple of people that Isshin was likely to invite.

"Well, the five of us and…Oto-san, who did you invite?" Yuzu asked as she realised she didn't have the faintest idea who her father was planning on making her cook for. Across the room Isshin turned away from the poster with a grin, while Ichigo and Rukia also shifted their attention to the older man,

"Byakuya and his partner, Toshiro, his friend and her partner, then I ran into Ryuken, so I asked him, and I thought it would be nice if his son were here, and Arisawa-san mentioned being at a loose end so she and Tatsuki-chan will be coming." He replied as he listed them off on his fingers, Ichigo looking horrified. It was awkward enough being around Byakuya and Soi Fon on a normal day, but spending Christmas with them?

"Toshiro? You invited him?" Karin asked in surprise,

"Hai-hai, and he was going to turn us down; something about spending Christmas with some girl ano…Hinamori-chan! So to solve that dilemma I invited her too, and since she had a partner he had to come with her obviously!" Isshin declared, and though she wasn't looking forward to the work Yuzu had to admit that she wanted to meet these people. As far as she could tell they were all either friends of Ichigo's she didn't know or relatives of Rukia, but how am I going to cook it all?

"Wait, doesn't Tatsuki-san live just a few minutes walk from here? If they're coming here then we could borrow their oven to give us more space couldn't we?" The Shinigami suggested, Ichigo snapping his fingers with an expression of sudden realisation, how could I have missed that?

"Of course! Good thinking Rukia." He added as he hurried to the kitchen and lifted the phone, pretty sure he remember Tatsuki's number, though he hadn't used it for a while. "Yo! Tatsuki! You're coming over for Christmas right?" He asked, nodding as he listened to her respond on the other end, "Would you mind if we borrowed your oven? Sounds like we're cooking for the army." He joked, nodding with a smile at her response. "Arigato…Hai, sayonara." He replied before hanging up the phone with a satisfied smile, "No problem." He said to Yuzu, who certainly looked relieved.

"So Yuzu, you can start the cooking here and Ichigo and I will take over the other two turkeys to cook at Tatsuki's in the morning and return in the evening." Rukia reasoned, both Yuzu and Ichigo nodding their satisfied approval before the honey blonde girl suddenly yelped and ran into the kitchen,

"I need to figure out what I need!" She exclaimed as she opened the fridge, sounds of her rummaging creeping through to the living room. "Oh! I'll never get all of this back alone!" She added as she rushed around looking for paper and a pen. Knowing his sister's scatty nature well Ichigo beat her to the punch and had the pad and pen ready before she could even start to look, patting her on the head affectionately as he gave it to her.

"Don't worry, just write up a list and I'll take Ichigo to get it." Rukia said calmly, her words helping Yuzu to slow down considerably as she appeared at the counter by the living room with a grateful smile, leaning on the hob to write out a list. Okay, three turkeys; I should probably get six trays of stuffing to be safe…Two bags of carrots? No, three! And potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, broccoli…What else?

"And by that I take it you mean I'll be carrying everything." Ichigo stated in mock defeat as he appeared behind Rukia and wrapped his arms around her slim waist, the ebony haired girl smiling innocently as she looked up at him over her shoulder. "Looks like I'd better go change before Yuzu finishes that list." He added pressing a kiss to Rukia's cheek before heading to his bedroom to get changed.

"IIIIIchigo!" A familiar voice cried as he entered his room, the Vizard sighing almost despairingly as he looked over to his open window to see a stuffed lion plushie sitting on his window sill.

"Kon. Where have you been?" Ichigo asked, not really concerned about the answer. It wasn't unusual for him to wander off for long periods of time, and though Ichigo had been concerned at first he'd soon decided not to worry. The Modified Soul always returned when he wanted attention, over stayed his welcome wherever he was or just got a little home sick.

"Nowhere in particular." He replied evasively, which Ichigo assumed meant he had either been at Urahara's or in Soul Society. He wasn't sure how the lion managed to slip over the border, but he did. Not feeling particularly interested Ichigo grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it on before grabbing a thick jacket,

"Well, I'm going to the shops. Go to Yuzu's room and try to stay out of the way." Ichigo instructed offhandedly, the small toy bouncing up on his squeaky feet with a look of indignation.

"Yuzu's room? This is where Nee-san and I sleep! And what's with the disinterest? I disappear for months and all you can say is 'stay out of the way?'" Kon demanded as he hopped onto the bed and padded across to the edge. Ichigo paused with a slight blush on his cheeks, I forgot about that…He has no idea that Rukia and I are…

"Gomen, things have changed around here…You'll have to stay in Yuzu's room from now on." He added with a slightly apologetic tone, wondering just how and when he should tell the little lion about his relationship with Rukia. Then again with his personality I'd be surprised if he didn't get over it within about two hours…If that…

"Fine! I see how it is! I'll just go to Yuzu's room, sit with all her toys and get dressed up like a girl for the rest of my life!" Kon snapped sulkily as he hopped down and squeaked his way to the open door, Ichigo sighing as he leaned down to pick up the plushie by the head.

"Alright, I get your point! You can stay in my room during the day, but you sleep with Yuzu." Ichigo said before tossing the small lion onto the bed and leaving the room, ignoring Kon's demands for explanations. Heading downstairs Rukia was just pulling on a pair of shoes while Yuzu waited patiently with the list.

"Who were you talking to up there?" Rukia asked as she straightened up and grabbed her coat from the peg while Ichigo took the list from his younger sister and slipped it into his pocket.

"Ah, Kon. He's back from his vacation." Ichigo replied as he opened the door, knowing that his family would assume he meant he was talking on the phone. They didn't know about Kon and he'd like to keep it that way. Stepping outside Rukia leaned into Ichigo's side so that he could put his arm around her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder as they began walking.

"It's really gotten colder out here!" She exclaimed as she shivered slightly, hearing Ichigo chuckled as he pulled her a little closer and rubbed her shoulder through her jacket.

"Well it did snow last night." He replied, listening to the crunch of fresh snow as he walked down the path to the street. It was a sound he always enjoyed, though usually the fresh snow was already ruined by his sisters or the postman. Today he was in luck; he had the whole path to crunch himself with Rukia at his side.

"Soul Society doesn't get a lot of snow…It's nice being able to walk around like this." She added as her foot sank into the half foot of snow that was heaped on the path, making a satisfying crunch in the process. Ichigo sighed beside her and she looked up to see a contented expression on his face, "What?" She asked,

"Nothing…I just think it's nice…No Hollow, no end of the world fiasco…How long to you think it'll last?" He added jokingly, Rukia breaking out into a fit of laughter as she realised he was right. Any time they got to spend together like this was usually interrupted. It had gotten to the point where she half expected her mobile to go off, but it hadn't yet.

"All of five minutes I suppose." She replied as she leaned her head on his chest, reaching up to her shoulder to rest her hand on his as they reached the path. As she stepped onto the path Rukia yelped as her foot slipped, finding Ichigo's arms around her as he kept her on her feet. "Arigato…" She said sheepishly as she regained her balance.

"Careful…So many people have walked by here that the snow has turned to slush." Ichigo warned as he led her down the street, the path covered in semitransparent watery ice. The roads looked worse with the slush covering a firm layer of black ice beneath. Hopefully this shopping won't take to long. I may like the snow, but I don't want to be out here too long.