A/N: Don't own Bleach, except the stuff I use on my hair, and I need to bleach it again actually, there is too much brown and not enough purple for my taste.

Couldn't remember Michiru's last name, sorry, and didn't feel like looking it up. I'm unprofessional, so sue me.

Also, I'm still looking for better names, so if someone thinks of something, please tell me!

"It's time to wrap those presents, I think!"

Ulquiorra and Orihime were eating lunch a few days after the shopping expedition. In those few days not many things had happened, but Orihime's Christmas spirit now seemed to be revived and she was ready to go.

Ulquiorra's eyebrows furrowed a little as he bent his head to catch his ramen in his mouth. He was still getting used to handling the chopsticks the woman had provided and when it came to the brothy noodles he had to work especially hard. "Wrap them? I do not understand."

"We have to cover them in paper so that the people we bought them for won't know what they are!" Orihime exclaimed. "Remember on your birthday, the presents I gave you?"

Ulquiorra thought back. It was true, the gifts he had received had all been "wrapped" in paper that was a violent shade of pink.

"Do you have other colors?" he asked her. "I do not think Sado will enjoy the shade you presented me with."

"Oh, Sado-kun won't mind!" Orihime beamed. "But I do have a teal color too, we can use that if we need to." She pushed her empty bowl away. "Let me get the supplies, okay?" she called. Without waiting for an answer, she scurried out of the room and Ulquiorra returned his attention to his noodles, delicately slurping them into his mouth. He finished just as Orihime returned to the room. In her arms was a mess of colorful paper, tape, scissors, and pens. She was also carrying the shopping bags looped around her forearms. With a grin she dumped the whole mess on the floor, before her expression turned to surprise and horror as some of the pens began to roll across the floor. She scampered after them and caught them up before they could slip down the vent. Then she sat cross legged on the floor and patted the space next to her invitingly.

"Come on, sit with me," she said, smiling up at him. Ulquiorra crawled away from the small table and kneeled on the other side of the pile, picking up the book she had purchased for Ishida.

"So, what do I do?" he asked her.

She picked up the foreign black object that was to go to Sado in one hand, grabbing the roll of pink paper in the other. She then laid the paper down flat and rolled it out a bit.

"You have to think about how much paper you are going to need," Orihime said. "I won't need too much for this." She held up the object. "But just in case, I am going to measure and make sure it goes all the way around." She put the item in the middle of the paper and continued her demonstration.

Ulquiorra watched her entire show attentively, then hesitantly picked up the other roll of paper. He laid it out just like Orihime had said, then measured the length of the book. It looked like it was going to fit so he cut it all off. In front of him, Orihime beamed proudly, watching his actions like a mother watches their child. Next to her sat Sado's perfectly wrapped gift.

Ulquiorra reached for the tape and stuck it across the seam. Then he stared at the present. The paper was sticking out from the ends and he wasn't sure what to do with it.

"Fold them in," Orihime encouraged.

Ulquiorra pulled the gift closer and picked it up. There was a thud and suddenly the paper was lighter. He looked down to see that the book had slid out from its wrapping. Irritated, he picked it up and shoved it back in. Next to him Orihime was becoming distressed but he ignored it. He crumpled the ends and pushed them across the top of the gift, then smeared tape over the top.

"There," he said, admiring the gift. The paper was wrinkled and sloppy. A three year old could have done better. Orihime took the gift and placed it next to hers.

"Let's do some more," she said.

The next gift that he wrapped – a pair of small gloves for Michiru – wasn't much better. Neither was the pink glasses case for Honsho or set of cell phone charms for Kojima. Meanwhile, the woman's gifts were neat and precise, all folded equally nicely. His looked like accidents next to hers.

An hour later the presents were all wrapped and the names of the recipients printed atop them. Ulquiorra glared at the mismatched pile. He was miserable; he couldn't even seem to handle wrapping simple gifts, which the woman did with ease. His back ached from crouching over, and his knees were killing him as well.

Ulquiorra was sure that December was going to be a long and very miserable month if it continued like this.