Credits to Setarah for providing the inspiration for this story...

Disclaimer: It's quite obvious that Hisana is one person I would not kill off…if I did own Bleach. And Ukitake would be with Unohana! xD

They couldn't believe he was actually smiling. After all, everyone was used to the typical emotion that Kuchiki Byakuya displayed: Passivity, apathy and occasional scorn. One would ordinarily be inclined to think that he and anything remotely resembling human emotion were mutually exclusive. Then again, his wedding day didn't count as an "ordinary" day.

A servant had informed him earlier that the ceremony would begin in about half an hour's time. So now he was alone in the empty room, sitting out the wait in silent contemplation, with a touch of impatience. His normally emotionless eyes lit up as he envisioned Hisana in her kimono-she would look just beautiful. This was going to be the best day of his life…and he was glad that after all the trouble they'd gone through, they had been able to make this happen.

Trouble…mused Byakuya. He certainly hadn't been expecting trouble when he first met her on one of his many night walks. She had attempted to strike up a conversation, and he, for the mere sake of being polite, had replied with a few words. They parted ways a while later, and that was that.

Or so he thought. He met her again. And again. Hisana would always try to get him to talk; he would just briefly reply. But soon, he realized that he actually didn't mind talking to her; it was a welcome change from the formalities he had to face every day. They were monotonous, irritating, and the Elders he could barely tolerate. She was the only one he could talk to without constantly having to be on guard, minding his every word.

He began to open up more to her, divulging pieces of information of his life as a noble and a member of the Gotei 13. She, in turn, would tell him about her life in the Shinigami academy, the various lessons and classmates she knew.

They started to meet everyday, the same time, at that same, innocuous road. The walks, too, began to increase in duration. Not satisfied with simply their nightly conversations, Byakuya began to visit her at the Academy, often spending his lunches with her. They would sit beneath a shady tree, engaging in friendly speech. It was at times like this that he felt totally at ease…when he was with her, he didn't find the need to hide behind the emotionless façade he had cultivated since young. Her innocence and simplicity often brought a smile to his face, something that he never, ever showed in front of anyone else.

Kuchiki Byakuya had his attention focused on Hisana, it seemed. And the Elders soon found out. A member of the Noble families could not spend so much exclusive time with one single person and not get noticed, after all. They were none too happy about it。

"Byakuya! Haven't we told you time and again to stop seeing that girl?" The other Elders nodded in agreement. "A Noble like you constantly being seen with a commoner like her gives others wrong impressions. Already tongues are beginning to wag! Do you not realize what you are doing is disgracing the Kuchiki name?"

Byakuya stared stonily at the speaker. "I believe we've had this talk one too many times. She is my friend, and if I want to see her, it's my prerogative to do so. Simple as that." He stood up and gave a rather mocking bow, then departed the room. The Elders glared angrily after him, but he ignored them.

But as he was walking, he thought about what he'd said earlier. "She's my friend…is that really all she is to me, I wonder?...No, I suppose not."

Byakuya was at a loss of what to do. Although he refused to admit it initially, he was eventually forced to acknowledge the fact that he had well and truly fallen for her. She filled his thoughts every day, and there were countless times he caught himself thinking about her when he was supposed to be doing work. When he was with her, he often wished he could just reach over and kiss her, or just take her in her arms and let the two of them stay like that, never letting go of her. He desperately wanted to tell Hisana about his feelings, but was afraid that she didn't feel the same way. What if he drove her away? She was the person closest to him, and the one thing he did not want to do was to risk was their relationship.

Then one day, while they were out on a walk, he threw all caution into the wind. She was surprised when he suddenly stopped. Taking her hand, he had leaned in close and pressed his lips gently onto hers. He could tell that she was absolutely shocked, but much to his delight, she responded likewise. When he finally pulled away slowly, she was blushing bright red, dazed, but her eyes shone with happiness. As did his.

From that day on, the two of them grew even closer. They began to reveal more intimate details about themselves, and he would often give her little surprises like a hairpin or necklace, because he knew she loved those. However, they were careful to keep their relationship quiet, because they knew that there would be nothing but trouble if it were to become known that they were now a couple. However, when they were sitting alone, she would snuggle close to him and rest her head on his shoulder, and he would wrap his arm tenderly around her tiny body. It was at times like this that he felt like everything in the world was alright…that nothing could ever go wrong for the two of them.

Of course, he wanted to make her his wife. From the moment they first kissed, he knew she was the one he was going to marry; he'd never felt this way about anyone else. But being smart enough not to rush things, he waited until he felt the time was right.

He proposed to her whilst they were at her favourite spot in Sereitei. It was a beautiful place, a large lake graced by numerous sakura trees in glorious full bloom-they were her favourite. He would always remember how she had stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, and then she had thrown her arms around him, laughing and crying in pure joy.

The Elders, of course, had cardiac arrests when they found out.

"WHAT in Heaven's name do you think you're doing?" thundered Mitsunari, the most revered member of the group. The Elders had furiously demanded a meeting with the Kuchiki heir and his fiancé after Byakuya had very coolly informed him that he was now engaged to the "commoner girl". They were all seated in the meeting room, with the old men watching the couple like hawks about to move in for the kill.

"What am I doing? Getting married, it seems."

Mitsunari glared coldly at him. "Your insolence is best kept to yourself, Byakuya. We have tolerated your disrespect long enough! You are an utter disgrace to the name of Kuchiki. You actually had the audacity to get engaged to her after we spoke to you? We forbid you to marry her!"

"Get rid of that filthy commoner immediately," another hissed, his face in a snarl. The others glared at Byakuya and Hisana, their faces filled with contempt. Hisana clutched at Byakuya's hand, her face anxious, but he quickly reassured her with a glance.

And it was then that Byakuya decided that the Elders had finally gone too far.

He suddenly tood up, grey eyes flashing dangerously. "Disrespect? Disgrace? Forbid? It seems that you have all forgotten that I am the Kuchiki heir."

Mitsunari was about to open his mouth to speak, but closed it again after hearing Byakuya's words, shooting him a resentful glare.

He continued with an icy tone. "As you may not remember, the Kuchiki heir has ultimate control over all matters related to the household and family. This, of course, includes freedom to make whatever decisions I myself may wish. And I will remind you that the Elders, in high positions though they may be, have absolutely no authority over me."

There was now a stony silence in the room. Byakuya ignored it. "Come, Hisana. Let us go." She nodded, albeit uncertainly, and stood up. He took her arm and led her towards the exit. Then he stopped for a moment. "The only reason I have tolerated you until now is because I did not wish to cause any trouble or disorder. Now, however, I will not hesitate to hold back. And, insulting Hisana is not something I condone, and I would not recommend it if you wish to keep your heads on your shoulders."

After that incident, the Elders never dared to confront him about Hisana again, and now they wore carefully-schooled masks of respect when speaking to him. With their objections out of the way, Byakuya could now start the wedding planning proper. The entire household was thrown into a frenzy (it was the biggest event that had happened in a long time, after all), and the word quickly spread around Seireitei that Kuchiki Byakuya was actually getting married. Most people were shocked, of course, but they congratulated him on how he'd finally found someone to spend the rest of his life with.

However, certain young females went green with envy when they heard the news, and Hisana began to get dirty looks thrown her way when she went out into the streets. For her safety's sake, Byakuya made sure that he himself or someone else always escorted her around Seireitei. Other than that, however, there were generally little problems.

And now, two months later, the day that they had been awaiting was finally here. After the ceremony was completed, he would officially be united with Hisana as husband and wife. He looked forward to a new life with her…with her by his side. And he knew in his heart that so long as they were together, their love would be eternal, and nothing would ever break them apart.

He heard a knock on the wooden door, startling him out of his reverie. "Enter," he responded. A servant came in and bowed. "Kuchiki-sama, the ceremony is about to begin," he informed his master respectfully. Byakuya nodded and stood up. He took a breath, and with the slight smile still on his face, headed out the door to where his wife-to-be was waiting.

OWARI

A/N: The idea of them having lunch together at the academy was taken from Seretah's 'The House of Kuchiki' fic. Hope you don't mind, gal:)

-EDIT- Princess LeBlanc: After reading your review, I realized that yes, there are a lot of similarities and that I should have given her more credit. Thanks for the comment:)

Right. Two fics so far inspired by Language Arts class…yay. We were supposed to write an essay with the theme 'marriage', so I immediately thought of this. Of course, I'm gonna have to water this down quite a bit, seeing that the word limit is 450+…

So, whaddya think? Reviews eternally appreciated!

And the bit about Hisana liking sakura is clichéd, I know…