Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters.

I Know What I Want for Christmas

Hiyori nibbled at her candy cane as she watched Shinji struggle to put up a Christmas tree. She wasn't sure why he was insisting on it, but it was rather fun to watch him get more and more frustrated. A Christmas tree didn't really seem that important in the long run right now. They had basically been exiled from the Seireitei and were struggling to learn to control their hollows. But Shinji had insisted that they needed a tree for Christmas, and he was bound and determined to make it happen.

Shinji had pretty much become their de facto leader. And truthfully, so far things had gone pretty well. They were all alive, and they all were coping fairly well with things. So what if their glorious leader insisted on getting a Christmas tree. Things could be worse. Besides, Shinji and the tree provided great entertainment. Listening to Shinji swear at the tree, Hiyori grinned.

"You know, it's crooked, right?"

That prompted another stream of cursing. Hiyori went back to eating her candy cane. There were worse places to be.