A/N: Tada! Here's my Christmas gift for the KaiRuki Fanclub at BleachAsylum! (You can check the FC for more goodies & interesting posts!)

I'm sorry if you find any errors; I couldn't find a beta-reader. I'll have it soon corrected though :)
EDIT: It is now corrected! A million thanks to Pixie-Lips from DeviantART again!

Merry Christmas to you all and happy reading!

Disclaimer: BLEACH including its characters Rukia Kuchiki and Kaien Shiba is the property of Tite Kubo. No money was made writing this fanfiction, its sole purpose is fun.

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Strange yet embarrassing human myths and customs

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Like every other day since she'd been in the Thirteenth Squad, Kuchiki Rukia arrived five minutes early at headquarters. It's not that she feared being late but she had to be on time or if possible, be a little ahead. It was a matter of principle; Kuchikis aren't late. She quickly learnt that from her adoptive brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, who was notorious for being very strict.

In the beginning, she didn't know how to act around him. He appeared cold during their first encounter (she afterwards noted it was part of his behaviour). She remembered his deep detached voice, she had immediately understood that he was a man of few words. He spoke to her reluctantly, and his lack of enthusiasm marked his adoption request. She only agreed to it for a sole reason: he stated it was the last wish of her dead sister, a sister she hadn't know she had until then.

From the day she had been admitted to the Kuchiki clan, Rukia had felt alone. Actually, she had been alone. The majority of her newly joined family members saw her as a parasite; she wasn't anything to them but a burden. Her efforts were overlooked; she was just a girl from the sewers anyway.

She grew up with herself until she met Renji. She liked him more than the other orphan children they used to play with. They happened to be mean and unfair from time to time. On the other hand, the kid was nice and never mistreated her. Above all, they had overcome so many predicaments together.

Hunger. Segregation. Shame.

She'd forever cherished the years spent together as she tasted the joy of friendship. They had shared a dream, to become someone, and had even begun to achieve it.

She forbad her ego to blame her adoption for the changes it provoked to her life. After all, looking back at her childhood, the now Shinigami didn't have the right to complain about her current situation, did she?

Against her will, she wondered once more, how things would have gone if she hadn't joined the Kuchiki family?

Would she have been happier?

A strong yet friendly voice interrupted her thoughts, startling her. "I knew you'd be here, Kuchiki!"

She turned around to face her Vice-Captain. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Kaien-dono!" She greeted.

"How are you doing?"

She couldn't help but think once more that Shiba Kaien was a caring man.

She had heard the question countless times, from numerous souls and yet it never rang genuine except with him. Usually, people were just saying it out of politeness. They half expected her to say she was fine so they could pretend to care.

With this man though… She felt something different, something true. Perhaps it was because he was the only Shinigami in the entire Soul Society who couldn't care less about her filiations. Or perhaps it was because he was the one who made her finally belong somewhere.

She wasn't sure and she didn't want to think much about it. She was afraid of what she might discover. For now, she could live with blinkers on a little longer.

Tilting her head back in order to meet his aqua green eyes, and she couldn't help but notice how his dark thick eyelashes emphasized his gaze.

Despite her exertion and the help he and Renji's had been, being carefree was a long process for her. However, she was slowly but surely gaining self- confidence. Kaien's compulsive cheerfulness suppressed her morning-time rumination without difficulty.

"I'm fine, thank you, Kaien-dono." She bowed.

"Good! We have a special mission today." He announced quite energetically.

"We?"

She gave him a quizzical stare, causing her to frown. He found her cute.

"You're to go to the Human world and perform your Shinigami duties there for a day. You may be disoriented; others have been before. That's why I'm going with you." He half lied. She didn't need to know what truly motivated his escort.

"Oh."

Watching her trying to remain unshaken by the news, the sturdy built officer smirked. He definitely couldn't wait to witness her astonishment before the human realm. Even if she wanted keep her cool Kuchiki façade, her personality and her surprise would always leak through; these precious moments intrigued him, it made him want to stay with her all the time because the person she was inside was dazzling.

"We're going now, if that's okay with you."

"Is it, Kaien-dono." She quickly confirmed.

He made a funny face. The curiosity got the best of him and expressed itself.

"It's going to be your first time there. Aren't you a little bit anxious?"

For a second, she hesitated. Only for a second though.

"No. Why would I?"

"Because you've never been in it?" he suggested with amusement.

"Technically, I have. I was first born there but my older sister and I perished when I was still a baby. At least, that's what I was told."

He considered apologising. He heard that she had been adopted by Byakuya's demand, but it was pretty much everything he knew. Also, her tone had gotten a bit cold. With a glance, he saw that she didn't need to hear sorry excuses. First, he knew she didn't want anyone's pity or anyone to feel bad because of her. Also, he guessed her coldness was possibly due to her guilt, as she appeared more indifferent than actually hurt. It could've been viewed as sad, but she was merely stating facts and the facts were she didn't really have any attachment to neither her sister nor the human world.

"Let's go." She firmly said.

"Hai" he replied using a controlled voice.

They walked though Gotei 13 until they reached the Senkaimon side by side as equals, exchanging no word on their way. In spite of what she may think or say, Rukia was a little tense, which her superior easily detected. He chose not to comfort her. The assignment was harder barely than what she confronted before; it was up to her to find the inner strength to compose herself.

Kaien let her open the gateway but they waited until a young recruit brought them two Hell butterflies. It was not long after that he signalled their departure. He was confident in her skills.

Rukia took a silent deep breath and passed the door with a calm, firm step. Keeping an eye on her all along, her Vice-Captain followed her lead along with the black jigokuchō. The gate closed behind them. Moving forward was the single option and so they did. She did.

The jet black haired man was looking forward to spending the day with the tiny Shinigami. He'd confessed it to no one, not even to his sister Kūkaku. In fact, especially not Kūkaku. They were very close siblings and the woman had always given him good advice; he just didn't want to hear all her teasing, including her comments on him being an old pervert. He wasn't old. He was not a pervert. Most of the time.

Back on topic, he was conscious of his affection for the lady next to him, if continuously craving to touch her was any indication.

With a mental slap, he attempted to focus. It was an important day for her too. Knowing how hardworking she was, he'd undoubtedly write a favourable report. Knowing how dutiful she was, she'd undoubtedly be nervous about it.

Emerging to the human world, they were welcomed by a shy sun and a grey sky. Had they been sensitive to the living sensation, they'd be cold wearing their shihakushō.

Looking down at a world she first belonged and yet held no memory, Rukia took the time to look around her albeit discreetly. What she saw was very different from District 78 of Rugonkai, from Gotei 13, from the entire Soul Society to be true. It was puzzling.

Physiologically speaking, humans and souls were alike but everything else was different: the clothing, the hair. But also, the organisation and the aspect of the buildings were new to her. She had entered an entire other universe. She was torn: she wanted to visit every place, yet everything was uncanny.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to think much as they both heard the scream of a Hollow nearby. He must have felt their reiatsu.

"Time to go to work, Kuchiki!"

Obeying to her commander, she flew to the place, unsheathing her white sword.

Kaien stayed back, observing her battle against the Hollow. She was winning of course but not once, was she arrogant or easy going. She focused on immobilising the hollow and slashing its mask, which she rapidly managed to do.

Her serious expression wrinkled her soft features. It made her look adorable; he liked her face better when she was smiling or blushing, though he wanted to press his finger on her forehead to get rid of her uptight look. She would have been confused, he knew it but it was so nice to see her unguarded, even for a second. The Kuchiki look didn't do justice to her innocent, genuine and caring self. He wanted everyone to see that true side of her. He wished he saw all of her.

"Clean and effective. Good job, Kuchiki!" He cheered.

"Thank you, Kaien-dono. It was just a Hollow, that's the least I'm expected to do after all." She bowed.

"Always humble. It's a good thing, Kuchiki, most of the time. Sometimes though, you should look back and see how far you've come. "

She turned red. He suppressed a chuckle and smiled.

"You're really something, Kuchiki."

She remained silent but shared a small smile too. It didn't feel forced, it never was whenever he stood around.

Unexpectedly, they heard another Hollow shout and they ran after it. They did that for a while, hollow after hollow. She earned a few cuts (but nothing serious) over the course and grew a little tired. She had been hunting, slashing and purifying souls all morning; the Sun had passed its peak and she successfully went through the probation test.

The last Hollow she purified was trying to eat a couple of foreigner farmers. They had been busy tidying their barn as it had begun to snow and were about to have their lunch when they almost died. They didn't know it though; they were still humans after all.

It was this moment that Rukia took the liberty to look around her; she had never seen such place before. It made her curious. The roof was higher than the usual quarters from Soul Society and close to the doors, someone had left a cart packed with hay, not too far from a giant bizarre looking machine with thick, black wheels. At the end of the barn, several horses were isolated in boxes. It was her first time ever seeing the specie.

As she was timidly heading towards the animals, she noticed a small cherry-like fruit, only redder, on her way. Picking it up, she examined it between two fingers.

"Is it mistletoe, Kuchiki?" Kaien asked from afar, still watching her holding the fruit.

"Miss what?"

"Mistletoe, it's a plant. Do you want to hear a fun story?"

"Aren't we supposed to be purifying Hollows, Kaien-dono?" she queried with a suspicious look.

"Stop being so uptight and let me tell you my stories! Plus, we're done with this mission. You have a free afternoon to explore the human world. The assigned Shinigami for this town must be back by now so you don't have to worry about it."

It was only then that she realised six hours had already passed. His company kept her busy, entertained and yet focused. It seemed like time spent with him ran faster. She wished he stayed with her the whole day but she kept the thought quiet and buried.

"I'm listening."

Whilst she stood there, the tall man took a few steps in her direction.

"Nowadays, kissing under the mistletoe is a sign of friendship and goodwill. But where they got it from, you probably wonder."

Wearing a curious look, she waited for him to continue. The custom was a little... weird.

"Well, it used to be more than that for their ancestors. It has something to do with the Norse gods; the legend has been declined in various versions. It's said the mistletoe was the only object that could kill a certain god, Baldur, and was thus used for a prank that went wrong. Some interpreted the kissing the mistletoe as to honour Baldur's death, others to spread love instead of hate."

"With all due respect, Kaien-dono, your stories are strange. I don't see why they would still do it. I thought it happened eras ago."

He walked closer toward her, until an inch separated them. She felt so small but never threatened. She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and fought the urge to tear her gaze away from his piercing aqua blue eyes.

"Traditions, I guess. I happen to like the mistletoe one quite much."

And, without a warning, he bent down to give her a chaste kiss. Raising both his hands to cup her face, he lingered on her sweet lips, gently pressing his against them. One, two, three times. He lightly stroked her bottom lip with his right thumb before letting her go. He could tell by her raised eyebrows that she was surprised. That wasn't a good sign, he believed.

"But now, people overlook the origins of this tradition. They just do it without really knowing why. For them, it's a man kissing a girl who unintentionally found herself under the mistletoe, as long as there was a berry to pluck from it. "

He was wearing a serious expression while she was shaken, feeling emotions she had never experienced before. She felt dizzy and disoriented. Was it just a kiss? Didn't it mean anything to him? Was it all only about teaching her human traditions, knowing that they weren't human anyway, just to mess around with her?

With that precise thought, she couldn't fight the hurt she felt in her heart. She just couldn't, even if she knew he wasn't that kind of men at all. She commanded to herself not to be so irrational but she didn't know how to control the waves of feelings crashing her.

"To me, it's more than that, Rukia."

He plucked the last berry and began to walk away, leaving the petite Shinigami and the mistletoe branch hanging. She hadn't processed what just happened or the flow of information and thought clashing in her head. She looked up and noticed the plant just above her. She assumed it was the mistletoe.

Just before quitting the barn, he gave her a warm but somewhat apologetic smile.

"See you tonight, Kuchiki."

For a moment, her mind was blank. What was that? Why was he disappointed? And he called her by her first name and now went back to her last name again! It had to be something. It had to mean something. She wished it mean something; she realised she wanted to be with this man and this man only.

She ran.

"Kaien!"

As soon as he turned around, she stopped. She was taking short breaths and heard her heart beat loudly in her small chest. When he saw her pretty face flushed and shyly smiling, he grinned.