Author's Note:
My first Bleach fanfic! And it's on my favourite pairing; ByaRuki. I love ByaRuki so much and I just love the episode where Byakuya had called Rukia his pride! Just to let you know, this pairing isn't incest so it's NOT weird or wrong. If you don't like this pairing then don't bother reading this. I'm not forcing any of you to read this fanfic at all. Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer:
I do not own Bleach of any of it's characters.

-X-

FROZEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS

-X-

Summary: What if Byakuya never met Hisana in the first place. What if he had met Rukia instead? And what if he finds himself warming up to her and re-vice versa?

Pairing: ByaRuki

Genre: Drama / Romance

Speech:

'Talking'

Thoughts

-X-

Chapter One

-X-

A black haired man stared at the scroll placed in front of his eyes. With pale hands, he unrolled the scroll and scanned his gray eyes across the message written on it. After looking over it for the fifth and final time, he frowned.

Kuchiki Byakuya was not a happy guy.

Why does he need to go check up on the progress of the Shinigamis in training when this job is more than suitable for a lieutenant much less a captain like him. Byakuya inwardly sighed but his facial expressions remained expressionless. He got up from his desk and grabbed his white captain's haori that was folded nicely on his bed. After getting fully dressed, Byakuya walked out of his room and into the hallways of the Kuchiki manor. He proceeded towards the academy in silence. This day just couldn't get any worse. But then he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with his grandfather.

-X-

'Byakuya,' Kuchiki Ginrei said as he took a sip of his tea.

Byakuya merely stared at his grandfather.

'It's already been fifty year since you became the Kuchiki family's head. I think it's about time that you find a woman suitable to be your wife,' the old man said.

'…' was Byakuya's response.

-X-

Byakuya inwardly sighed again. How in the world is he supposed to find someone suitable? Sure he had millions of fans in Seireitei but all of them just like him for either his looks or his money. He refuses to spend the rest of his life with a person like that. Although he wouldn't admit it, Byakuya actually wants someone to love him for him and not his looks or his money. But is there such a person like that in the world, he asked himself.

-X-

Rukia stared outside the windows of the academy classroom in thought. Her childhood friend, Abarai Renji and herself had just entered the Shinigami Training Academy two months ago and things were going quite well. Although Rukia had trouble with her katana skills she is exceptionally good in kidou. Renji on the other hand was opposite; he's good in wielding a katana but his kidou skills are lacking.

Suddenly a hard chop on her head snapped her out of her thoughts. Rukia clutched her head and glared at the person who did that.

'Ow, what the hell is wrong with you?!'

The person in front of her raised a red eyebrow.

'I should be the one asking you that question. Haven't you noticed that class has ended ten minutes ago?' Abarai Renji asked the raven haired girl.

Rukia ceased her glared and looked around the classroom, realizing that Renji was right. Everyone had left and it was just the two of them in the room.

'Idiot,' Renji's voice came.

Without thinking, Rukia whacked the red haired boy over the head.

'What the hell. What was that for, Rukia?!' Renji yelled.

'For calling me an idiot when you're one yourself,' Rukia said calmly.

'Why you…!'

Rukia smiled. It has been a long time since the both of them had spent a lot of time arguing these days ever since both of them enrolled into the academy. They've always been busy with training to spend anymore time together as friends. So having this small argument with Renji has brightened up Rukia's mood.

'Hey, Rukia,' Renji waved his hand in front of the girl's face, snapping her out of her daze.

'What?'

'We're going to be late to our next class,' Renji stated, walking towards the door.

'Hey, wait up!'

Rukia and Renji arrived at the training grounds and discovered that the people around them were a lot noisier than ever.

'What's going on?' Rukia asked.

'Hey, Kira!' Renji called out to a blonde haired boy walking past.

The blonde haired boy, Kira Izuru stopped in his tracks and turned to face the two.

'What is it, Abarai-kun?' he asked.

'What's going on around here?' Rukia asked for Renji.

'Someone heard that there's going to be one of the Gotei 13 members here today to observe us in our training. They say that that person is going to see who is worthy to be one of the officers in the Gotei 13 squads,' Izuru explained.

Renji's eyes lit up with interest. 'A member of the Gotei 13, huh?' he said, rubbing his chin in thought.

'Don't get your hopes up, Renji. There no chance that you'll be able to get into any of the squads with your lame kidou abilities,' Rukia teased him.

Renji glared at Rukia with anger written clearly on his face. 'Well you're zanpakuto skills aren't that hot either!'

'W-what did you say?!'

'You heard me!'

Izuru backed away from the two quarrelling friends.

'At least I don't have weird eyebrows!' Rukia spluttered.

Renji's eye twitched at the comment. 'Well, at least I didn't forget my zanpakuto in the classroom,' he said through gritted teeth, trying to control his anger.

Rukia looked down at her hip and gasped, realizing that her zanpakuto was not strapped to it.

'Damn it,' she muttered.

'Who's the idiot now?' Renji said in a mocking tone.

Rukia glared. 'Once I get my zanpakuto you're going to be sorry,' she threatened, sprinting off towards the classroom. Upon arriving, Rukia immediately spotted it lying on her chair untouched. She sighed in relief after spotting it. Rukia quickly grabbed her zanpakuto and strapped in on her hips before dashing out of the classroom, praying to herself that she wasn't late. As she turned a corner, the raven haired girl felt herself bumping into something hard. She fell down and groaned in pain.

'What was that?' she asked herself and then glared at the thing that she bumped into. It turns out that it wasn't a thing but instead, a person.

The man stared down at the girl glaring at him before lifting his head up and started walking away.

Rukia's eye twitched in anger.

'You could at least help me up,' she muttered, picking herself off the floor.

After hearing that comment the man stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.

'Why should I dirty my hands by touching the likes of you,' he said calmly; his cold eyes boring holes into her body.

Rukia inwardly shivered but gave the person a death glare.

Heartless bastard, she thought angrily, before walking away towards the training grounds.

The black haired man stared at the retreating back of the girl. Interesting, he mused. Never once in his life has anyone ever given him that look before. He always gets looks of admiration or looks of fear from others, but never looks of hate. The corners of Byakuya's mouth twitched up slightly. Yes, that girl is really interesting.

Byakuya quickly put back on his emotionless look and continued forward.

'Kuchiki-taichou,' the teachers of the academy said and bowed at the Sixth Division Captain as he walked past with an aloof expression on his face. Byakuya nodded and turned to a guy with spiky raven haired with a 69 tattoo on his face.

'Hisagi Shuuhei?' he asked.

The raven haired man nodded. 'That's me, Kuchiki-taichou.'

'I'll be checking the progress of your students first,' Byakuya said.

Shuuhei nodded and led him towards the training field.

-X-

Rukia breathed out a sigh of relief as she returned to the training grounds just in time.

'I see you made it,' Renji said walking up to her. Rukia responded by hitting him in the face with her zanpakuto.

'What the hell?!'

'That was for not telling me earlier that I had left my zanpakuto in the classroom.'

Renji gave her a deadpanned look. 'You're the one that forgot,' he said and received another blow to the head.

'Ow!'

Rukia smirked.

'So what took you so long anyways?' Renji asked, rubbing his slightly bruised head.

Rukia's smirk fell as she remembered what happened.

'Well, I ran into a rude heartless bastard,' she said annoyed.

Renji raised an eyebrow. 'A rude heartless bastard?' he questioned.

Rukia nodded with a scowl on her pretty face. 'Yeah and I'll be god damned grateful if I never see him ever again!' she exclaimed.

Renji chuckled.

'Alright everyone, sorry for the wait,' a voice said.

They both turned around to see Shuuhei standing there with two other Shinigamis at his side.

'Before we start today's exercise I have an announcement to make. We have a special guest from the Gotei 13 squads here to view everyone's progress. He will determine which of you can graduate early and enter the Gotei 13 squads,' Shuuhei explained.

Murmuring started to occur within the crowd of Shinigamis.

'Silence,' Shuuhei commanded and everything went quiet again. 'Now, let me introduce you to Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain of the Sixth Division.'

Shuuhei moved aside and Rukia's jaw nearly dropped. Standing there in all his glory was the man she had bumped into a few minutes ago.

'It's the rude heartless bastard from before!'

-X-

Author's Note:
That's the first chapter. I've already typed up the next chapter but before I post it up I would like to have five reviews. No flames! Five reviews aren't too much to ask for so please review.

-X-

-Setsuna