The first cherry blossom fell on her wedding day. She watched it ever so slightly fall and hit the Shinto Shrine floor. The purification ceremony had been completed and the priest was asking to bless the couple on this holy day. Her eyes remained on the floor as her husband started the san-san-kudo ceremony. After his three sips, she took the cup willingly from his hands and did the same. Three cups later, and the rest of the family were accepting the gracious gift and blessing the newlywed couple a prosperous and happy marriage.

Turning towards the shrine, the couple walked over to the sanctuary to offer Sakaki twigs to the gods, and that was that. They were married. She was no longer Hanami Tsukiko. She was now Kuchiki Tsukiko, the wife of Kuchiki Byakuya. She wasn't the 13th daughter of the Hanami leader anymore. She was now the wife of the Kuchiki clan leader, and that meant responsibilities. Lead by her husband, she turned around and faced the people who had come to witness her change in roll. Looking around for that one person, she spotted him, sitting there with his wife, with a stoic look on his face. Her father didn't even cry for her. He didn't even wish to bid her goodbye.

"Tsukiko, come on, the wedding reception." Her elder sister whispered in her ear. Tsukiko nodded her head and then started to follow her husband out into the gardens. Food and music were all around yet she firmly remained beside her husband. She was no longer a child, now she was a woman. As she sat in her chair, she looked around. Children were playing in the spring. Men and women talking ceremoniously and the smell of cherry blossoms made the air beautiful.

"Tsukiko-gimai." Tsukiko looked over to see the youngest Kuchiki daughter smiling at her. "Welcome to the family."

"Please, call me Tsukiko. Rukia-san." She meeked, she was not much older than this girl, so she felt uncomfortable to be called sister in law.

"Then please call me Rukia, Tsukiko-neesama." There was no way she could shake off that title. To Rukia, her husband was 'Byakuya-niisama', that would make her a 'neesama'. Tsukiko nodded and then lowered her head as a sign of acceptance. "Is there anything you would like to drink neesama?" Rukia asked. Tsukiko looked up at this girl. Why had she asked for her wellbeing? Tsukiko noticed that not even her sisters had come to aid her as she sat down in her ceremonial kimono. Her sisters were off drinking the sake that her new family had bought.

"I'll go get you something to drink." A young, red haired girl piped. Tsukiko remembered her as one of the group of people who had come to save Rukia before her execution. Orihime something. Tsukiko had been practicing her bankai then. A shinigami of the 4th division. A medic. The girl was back with a glass of water. Tsukiko willingly accepted it and with a faint 'arigatou', she drank greedily. "No problem." Tsukiko looked over at the girl. She was in a plain, blue kimono and her hair up with some small chopsticks. "I don't know if you remember me but I'm—"

"Orihime Inoue." Tsukiko whispered through her lips. "I remember you." She did. Orihime was dead, almost dying. Her powers weakened from reviving both Ulquiorra Schiffer and Kurosaki Ichigo. It was Tsukiko that saved Orihime's life after Orihime saved the lives of the two men she loved. Orihime squealed and then smiled. "We must have some tea some time Orihime-san."

"Yes! Of course." Inoue laughed. Rukia joined in on the conversation, and all three girls talked idly as the day went on.

"Alright, Inoue, Rukia, I need to speak to my friend here alone." Rangiku Matsumoto, clearly drunk, came down and sat next to Tsukiko. Tsukiko lauged at the state her friend was in and then smiled.

"Matsumoto-chan, you have had enough." Tsukiko gently pulled the sake bottle away from her friend. "Come, talk to me. How is Gin-san? I heard you have been visiting him daily." Ichimaru Gin had been brought back alive from the last war. He was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment. The only thing keeping him alive was Matsumoto, who fought for him.

"Don't talk to me about that man. Worry about my dear old Byakuya tonight." Matusmoto laughed.

"Of course, you are his wife." Yoruichi spoke as she sat down in what used to be Byakuya's seat. "You are now his companion in both day and night." The girls were getting a wind out of this. Tsukiko sat, nervous and blushing. Then again, she should be. Byakuya had been married once before. To a woman named Hisana. This made her sad, she was being married off to a once married man. Someone who was much older than her in years (although in looks, he looked hardly 19 in human years).

The marriage was arranged. As all marriages in her home. This time though, it was serious. The Kuchiki household actually considered it. And now here she was, married. The only reason she had married into this family was so her father could establish his footing in the Shinigami world. She was from a fairly rich family, just not as rich as the Kuchiki's and the others.

"So, let me tell you something, it bleeds the first time." Matusmoto whispered into her ear. Tsukiko turned red almost instantly. "But he'll be gentle. I know under that…shell…he's a softie." Both Yoruichi and Matsumoto started laughing which made Tsukiko blush even more.

"I'm sure he's well-endowed too. He is a Kuchiki, they are known for their family jewels, or so I've heard." Shunsui Kyouraku and his lieutenant Nanao Ise showed up. "Congratulations are in order Tsu-chan. You've grown up huh?"

"Taichou." Nanao sternly said looking over at the man. Immediately, the man shut up and then sighed. "Congratulations Tsukiko-chan." She smiled and then handed her a white origami crane. "My mother always said that if a woman can make 1000 cranes by her first anniversary, she will have a long and prosperous marriage. Here is you first one Tsukiko-chan."

"Arigatoo" Tsukiko stared at the crane and then smiled. She would do it, she would make a1000 of these. She would have the love she had always dreamed of.

"Hope you a long and prosperous marriage."

The night's festivities had almost come to an end. The meal had been finished and most of the guests were passed out from the sake. Byakuya was nowhere in the vicinity. Nor was Tsukiko's father or family. They had all left her. Never to return again. And she would never be allowed back home.

"Tsukiko-neesama, let me take you to your room." Rukia spoke. Tsukiko nodded and then followed her sister in law into the Kuchiki home. Inside, the two girls walked into the house. It was dark, not many people lived there. Only a few of the surviving Kuchikis and now her. "This is your room, I'll go and get the kimono. Byakuya-nisama wishes to take you out tonight." Rukia left making Tsukiko wonder what she was talking about. Walking into her room, the girl stepped inside and looked around to see no one there. Just a bed with two pillows and on the wall, a picture of a woman. Tsukiko walked before it and stared at the woman.

Her hair was black and straight. Unlike Tsukiko's wavy mess of black hair. The woman's eyes were kind and her smile was heartwarming.

"Tsukiko-neesama, your kimono." With the help of a servant girl, the three women managed to get the wedding garb off and slip on the light weight kimono. Pinning her hair up, Tsukiko turned around to look at her sister in law and the servant girl. Both smiled before walking out of the room. Tsukiko sighed and then turned back around to look at the picture of the woman. The smile was genuine.

"Her name is Hisana." Byakuya's voice was all that could be heard. "Follow me." Tsukiko turned around to see her new husband walking away. Running up to him, she started to follow him out into the Kuchiki household graves. All the way at the end, he led her to two graves. "My parents. Pay your respects." Tsukiko got on her knees and started to pray for the souls. "Mother, Father, this is the bride you wanted. Here, I brought her to you." Tsukiko blushed. She was the right woman, that was what her husband had just said. After a few minutes, Byakuya walked away leaving Tsukiko to follow. Deeper and deeper they went into the graveyard until they stopped at one lone grave.

"Kuchiki-sama?" Tsukiko asked as she saw her husband sigh.

"Understand that I married you because my family needs an heir. Know that I do not love you. There is only one woman I love and will ever love is the woman right in front of you." Tsukiko stared at her husband. "I demand respect and obedience from you. Do not expect me to love you. I cannot love you." Tsukiko was speechless. "If you have any requests, please tell me."

"Then why did you marry me?"

"Your father said you would make a good wife and a good mother. That was all I needed."

"And love?"

Byakuya sighed. "You only fall in love once." He walked away leaving Tsukiko to stare off in the distance. She had found no love in her father's home and she would find none here in her husband's.