(FLASHBACK)

"Don't leave.." The choked sounding voice of the raven haired noble voiced, one of his pale hands reaching down to clutch at the crisp white bed sheet that was still covering the frail wispy haired womans body as his other palm still rested in the one she had held up for him to take just before she closed her eyes; he had hoped. Prayed that she would have just reopened those big blue eyes once more, if only for a little while just so he would be able to stay in her presence even if it wouldn't be for very long. But the fact that she hadn't nor the fact that her small chest had ceased it's light motions that indicated her still being with him finally started to sink in. She was truly gone now, and although he had been expecting it for quite some time didn't help the fact that it still hurt to see her leave. He was fully aware that in the five years that they had spent together that she hadn't had the time to return his feelings with her own, he didn't care though. Whether she had loved him like he had loved her wasn't as important to him as loosing her was. The only thing that had mattered was that he had, he had risked everything for a commoner. And even though he had never saw her that way everyone else had, particularly his family whom had all be completely against even the mere thought of him getting married to her in the first place. But he had ignored them, threats and all. Nothing they could do to him as punishment would be as bad as having to live without the one person who had meant more to him then anyone else did. truthfully he didn't have anyone else that meant as much to him as she had.

Eventually he let her hand fall back down to her side, it barely even making so much as a sound as it hit the mats below. The seconds that followed after said action were the ones that he could care a less if anyone happened to hear from outside the thin material that was their door, succumbing to the inner turmoil that was raging inside of him he bent down and rested his face in the crook of her still warm neck hands finding their way back to gripping onto the sheets as he felt stinging hot tears roll down his face and onto the surface of her ablaster colored skin. She had grown even more pale and more sickly looking in the last few months, but still she had persistented that she had been well enough to continue her search for her sister even though they both knew that this would be the result of doing so; what seemed to disappointed him the most though was that she never found her no matter how long or how much she pushed herself to do so. It pained him to see her that way, not just psychically either. He should have persuaded her into taking a break for at least awhile or something. He most likely could have, but why hadn't he? Would it have even made that much of a difference if he had? Being able to say no to her was something that he found he couldn't do around her like he was so easily able to do towards everyone else, he would have indulged her in whatever she had wanted no matter what the outcome turned out to be. She had that affect on him he supposed, one that he had often pretended didn't exist just for the sake of not admitting it to himself. He also wasn't aware that he had started sobbing into the side of her neck either, it must have been hours he sat prone in that position when in reality he doubted that it had been even more then half an hour at the most.

Even though it felt as if his heart had literally shattered into a million pieces he sat back up to how he had been sitting before, hands reaching up and wiping away the salty drops of water on his cheek bones before going to rest in his lap; a servant had came in several minutes ago not that he had paid that much attention to begin with; they would just leave sooner or later anyways if he refused to acknowledge their presence. After he had awhile to recover for the most part another thought suddenly hit him, she had reqested in her final wish that he find her sister for her since she herself had been unable to. Though he wasn't suppose to tell Rukia who her sister was once he did find her, and as her last wish he would honor it and do exactly as she had requested. He would find her and then adopt her into the Kuchiki family whether they approved of it or not. He would do so for her and only her, no threats or harsh words aimed at him would change his mind otherwise. With that one thought set in his mind he stood up and headed towards his bedroom door, but not before having leaned down once more and placed a light chaste kiss on his deceased wifes forehead.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

Byakuya sat at the edge of his bed hands in his lap just like they had been on that very day, although now he didn't look quite as heartbroken as had over fifty years ago. Yes. It still made his heart ache to even so much as remember that day, the day in spring when the first plum blossoms over the manor had blossomed; a beautiful scene it had been. It was also the day she had insisted that they go for a walk early in the morning before the sun had a chance to come up. Why or how she had even managed to wake up so early had been beyond him but he had let her take a hold of his hand and lead him outside anyways, but not before making sure that she was well dressed so she wouldn't make her condition even worse then it already was. And although the look in his eyes on the present clearly showed how he was feeling he wasn't sobbing nor were his eyes wet and stained with tears like they had been when she had passed away later into that day, one could say that he had learned to accept the fact that she wasn't going to come back no matter how much he wanted her to. He didn't look at other people the same way anymore now though, his gaze had turned harder and far colder then it ever had been before, masked with such an indifference that often times people would wonder if he had even been married before. But time passing by had done that to him. That and he just couldn't see himself loving anyone else has much as he had loved her, he wasn't completely celibate though because he may have closed his heart from the world and the people who inhabited it but he was still a man no matter what species and he did have needs every once in awhile. Although not as frequent as most people did, and he never brought anyone back to the manor either. It had just never felt like something he would be comfortable with doing is all, no matter how much they would beg him to do so. Getting them to stay quiet about the whole matter was an even bigger endeavor in itself to accomplish then it was worth, one of the reasons why he didn't do it that often.

Brushing a strand of his medium length black hair out of his face he stood up only to walk around to the other side of the bed and climb under the covers once he had stripped most of his clothes off of his body, it was rare that he would choose to sleep on this side of the bed seeing as how it had used to be her's. But on nights where his mind wouldn't let him sleep it helped to lull him into a peaceful sleep even if her scent no longer lingered on it's surface, it still served to calm his mind and put him at ease if only for one night. Just before his greyish sliver orbs fluttered shut and he drifed off to a deep sleep his thin lips moved ever so slightly in the empty room and uttered no more then three words in a tone so subtle that only himself and no one else would be able to hear it.

"Happy Anniversary Hisana."