Tsukiko awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was no longer outside under a tree. The sun hadn't exactly risen above the horizon just yet, but light was just beginning to flood the room. She blinked as she looked up at the ceiling and furrowed her brows; something was off. Slowly she sat up, letting the light blanket slip from her shoulders. This room…this wasn't her room. In fact it was longer, wider and taller than her own room. There was a tall cabinet and desk on the far side of the room, but other than that it was fairly empty. Next to her was her furisode and obi sash, neatly folded. Her eyes widened further when she saw not only her shihakusho, but her zanpakuto as well. Where was she? How long had she been asleep? If she remembered correctly, she didn't have her uniform or zanpakuto with her. Tsukiko groaned lightly and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember what had happened last night. The last thing she remembered was talking to Byakuya…

"Excuse me, Amaterasu-sama? Would you like anything to eat this morning?", the red haired girl snapped her head up as a voice sounded on the other side of the sliding screen door. A servant?

"No..no thank you. I need to be going now. I'm sorry." Tsukiko stood and quickly began to change into her uniform. She didn't want to stay here longer than she needed to. But she would have to thank Byakuya for his hospitality and apologize for being a burden. She hoped that she hadn't worried her parents, having disappeared completely last night. Tsukiko didn't have time for breakfast anyway, she didn't want to be late for work, especially today. Strapping her zanpakuto to her waist, the girl opened the sliding door to depart but stopped dead when the head of the Kuchiki Clan blocked her way.

"A-Ah..good morning, Kuchiki-taichou. Um…," Tsukiko stammered as he glared expressionlessly down at her.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Surely you plan on eating before you leave," Byakuya questioned.

"Oh..well..actually I'm not hungry right now. I'll have lunch la-"

"You'll have breakfast..with me and Rukia. How do you expect to be alert today if you do not eat? Come."

"But..I'm not.." Tsukiko flinched when he turned to look at her.

"I will not repeat myself.." The red-haired girl gave in. Well, he had been nice enough to allow her to spend the night, the least she could do was repay his kindness by joining him and his sister for breakfast.

"I think he's taken a liking to you~"

"H-Huh?"

Tsukiko and Rukia had left together after eating, leaving Byakuya alone to do whatever he had to do before heading to his own work that day. The shorter girl chuckled as she witnessed Tsukiko flush a deep red and fidget nervously with her sword's hilt. Rukia herself was off today, but she didn't mind walking a bit with her old friend.

"Well, you do like Nii-sama don't you? Why don't you talk with him finally? How long have you been interested in him anyway?"

"It's…complicated…," Tsukiko merely huffed as she shifted an envelope of paperwork under her arm. It was true that she liked the sixth company captain for a very long time. She had almost instantly fallen for him the moment she first lay eyes on him. But then, the same could probably have been said about a lot of the female members from his squad. Rukia folded her arms across her chest and sent her friend a confused expression.

"What's so complicated about it? Hmm..I guess my brother does seem unapproachable sometimes. Hey, if you want maybe I can talk to him a bit for you?"

"No no, don't do that! I'll…I'll talk with him. When I'm ready, I'll talk with him." Tsukiko walked ahead of the shorter girl a bit and turned to face her. "I don't want to be a bother to him, I'm sure he has other things to worry about than some other girl confessing their feelings."

"Tsukiko-san..you're not just any other girl. What sets you part from them is that you're a noble. That should make it a bit easier," Rukia replied and smiled widely,'..'besides..I kinda wish I had a sister to talk to sometimes." The red-headed girl blushed as Rukia laughed and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Just go for it. I already think that Nii-sama doesn't mind your company. That has to account for something."

"Perhaps. I gotta go now. If I'm late Soi Fon-taicho will have my head and then I won't be able to talk to Byakuya-sama. Thank you, Rukia-san. Let's get together later and go shopping. I saw a kimono I wanted." Rukia nodded and waved good-by to her.

"Sure, I'd like that. I'll bring Renji. We'll need someone to carry all the stuff we buy," the girls laughed before going their separate ways.

It was very uncharacteristic for him to take an unexpected day off..or rather leave early. Byakuya Kuchiki was always the last one to leave the division six barracks, finishing whatever mountain of paperwork was left on his desk. Around noon, he had excused himself leaving behind a confused and possibly concerned Renji in his office to finish the paperwork. The noble man just had too many things going through his head that morning and for the first time a very long time, concentrating on his work wasn't working very well. Why? Why, as of late, couldn't he think of anything else..anyone else but the red-headed woman…?

Byakuya walked aimlessly as he often did on his normal late-night walks, ignoring everything else around him. The occasional squad member called to him, wishing him a good afternoon but he didn't hear them. And he wasn't in a rush to get anywhere so he took his time walking…nowhere. It was a nice day at least, a cool spring breeze lightly ruffling his hair and scarf billowing behind him in his wake. He was left alone to his thoughts, trying to figure them out. Thirty years..give or take. That was about how long he had known the current 19th head of the Amaterasu clan. It was at a gathering among all the nobility that he had first lain eyes on her. He would have had preferred not to attend at all, but was obligated; some among the highest-class nobility had came up with the idea that unity and good moral between the families was a good idea. Byakuya was forced to take up meaningless chit-chat.

So many individuals there, and she among them seemed to stand out for some reason. The way she spoke, the way she carried herself with an air of almost arrogant confidence. Her very aura seemed to demand the utmost respect. She had not once out-stepped her boundaries, begin highly respectful to anyone of higher rank than herself and keeping those of lower status at a distance. She certainly fit the role of nobility. Byakuya had heard her being called the 'princess' of the Amaterasu clan on several occasions. During that gathering, she had even spoken with him for a short while. He stuck up a conversation with her and to his surprise, was impressed of how knowledgeable she was on things. This woman of blood-red hair and ebony skin, something about her had grabbed his attention that night…

The Amaterasu Clan was about as old as his own family, and through the years they had been climbing in rank among the other lower-class noble families. Currently, she among her family was the strongest most prestigious member, stronger even than her grandfather Kozue who was a former captain himself. Byakuya had known that she would be joining the ranks of captain very soon, sooner than she probably realized. Tsukiko was highly qualified, if she focused her training even more on strengthening her Ban Kai she would probably almost be on equal standing with him. Her spiritual pressure admittingly was impressive.

Byakuya sighed and looked around him, finding that he had stumbled into one of the high-end shopping districts in the Seireitei. A few people seemed surprised to see him, others stopped to bow respectfully as he walked passed their shop. His mind still continued to wander as he walked through, trying to ignore his surroundings again.

Tsukiko. Tsukihana..that was a nickname he had heard her close friends and family call her. 'Moon flower' Somehow it seemed rather fitting. She was strong, yes. Aspects of the girl's personality reminded him of himself. But also..he had witness on other occasions, particularly last night and these last few months, that she possessed a softer side, one that was delicate..and attractive. This softness, the serene and welcoming expression she had in her face and emerald green eyes..this aspect of her personality reminded him of Hisana. And then there was her smile. A rare event, it made her even more beautiful. The noble man grumbled inwardly, unable to rid his mind of such thoughts. But did he really want to? She wasn't like other girls, certainly not like any of his female subordinates that blushed and stammered like blithering idiots whenever he was around them. At least he thought she wasn't; who knows what she was like when he wasn't in her presence.

It had been a long time since he had even thought about courting another woman. He had thought of no one, or even allowed himself to think of another woman other than his deceased wife..until now. Byakuya found himself stopping outside one shop, glancing in a window. His eyes fell upon a light colored silk scarf, pinkish white like the petals of cherry blossoms. Of course, no other scarf was as impressive or valuable as his own. Something else caught his attention as it was reflecting the sunlight filtering in from the shop window. A hairpin..or broach of some kind in the shape of a cherry blossom flower and matching the color of the scarf beside it.

"Aaah~ Kuchiki-taicho. Welcome, welcome. Such an honor it is to have you visit my humble little shop!" Byakuya looked up at the store owner, and elderly man with well-groomed black and grey hair and flamboyant-colored robes. His grin was wide and he lightly rubbed his heavily wrinkled hands together. He caught the noble captain glancing at the items in the window and grinned even wider.

"Such excellent taste, as much as I expected from someone as noble as you. Not nearly as impressive as the scarf that adorns your own shoulders but still made from some of the highest quality silk. My most beautiful item.. sakurairo hikiwata*cherry blossom color floss silk*,I believe it is my last one. And the hairpin, I sold its twin only yesterday!~ Perhaps for someone special, my lord? I will even throw in that beautiful hairpin at a considerable discount~" The shopkeeper gleamed up at the taller man before him, but Byakuya had turned his attention elsewhere. He sensed a familiar spiritual pressure, several in fact. He decided to conduct business quickly and make himself scarce, shunpo-ing away and masking his spiritual pressure to avoid detection. He would rather not be seen here.

He found himself at home a few moments later, changing out of his shihakushou and captain's haori into something more casual; if he was going to take the day off, why sit around still dressed in his uniform? Byakuya took the green-wrapped parcel out from his pocket and placed it on his desk, untying it carefully to look at what he had just purchased. Now that he had a closer look at them, the white-pink floss silk scarf and matching hair pin looked better in this light. The scarf itself even seemed the gleam brightly and he ran his fingers over it, examining the cloth closely. He wondered if she would like it…Byakuya closed his eyes, thinking things over. Of course he had gotten wind of the fact that Tsukiko had had some feelings for him. But was she really serious about them? Would she even accept such an extravagant gift? And why couldn't he get her out of his mind? Byakuya re-wrapped the scar and hairpin, putting them away inside a cupboard until the opportunity to give them to her arose. In the meantime, he decided to do a little calligraphy to calm his mind.

It was one of the few things he liked to do in his spare time that relaxed him when he was tense or mulling over something stressful. But he didn't think that thoughts of Tsukiko running though his head was exactly stressful. The brush in his hand seemed to move on its own as it ran across the blank parchment, creating the first character. This woman..they didn't even spend that much time together. But he couldn't deny, as much as he tried, that being in her presence was..enjoyable on some level. She listened to him when he talked about things no one else really seemed to care about. And she seemed to have a knowledgeable understanding of politics and noble things. They even debated on things every once in a while, nothing really heated or anything like that; she picked his brain, and he actually enjoyed the challenge. The noble captain looked down at his parchment and frowned at the character he had just written…月tsuki 'moon'.

Dammit

Byakuya growled inwardly and crumpled the parchment, tossed it aside and pulled out a fresh sheet. How was he being so one-track minded? He tried again, trying to concentrate this time. Not..that he didn't like the moon. Particularly when it was full and shining so brightly. He could spend hours staring at the moon, enjoying its beauty. Sometimes it actually looked red, a soft red. The color red, it wasn't his favorite but sometimes it was nice. Mostly crimson, like the long crimson locks of her hair. Her hair was rather long, it hid her neck and covered her back. The color seemed to complement her ebony skin tone. Byakuya shook his head and looked at what he wrote this time, growing a bit frustrated this time.. 赤い月akai tsuki 'red moon'.

Again..?

The noble man pushed his calligraphy aside after the second failed attempt to get the woman out of his mind. What was he going to do now? Perhaps..he could get some advice, as much as he didn't want anyone to know that he was having these feelings at all. There was really only one person he even felt slightly comfortable with talking about such things. He'd go to see him later after hours. Byakuya was pretty sure the man in question was busy with other things right now.