I do not own Bleach.

'Where am I?' A small voice called out into the darkness around her. She tried to look around, but could see nothing. It didn't even feel like she had moved. 'Hello?'

"Hush now, little one." A hand cam up and held the girl's cheek. "You'll be safe now, my little Sakura."

'Who are you?' The girl tried to look at the woman's face. But all she could see was a sad smile. 'Tell me!'

"Sakura-sama?" Sakura sat up in her bed. She looked over towards the servant kneeling beside her futon. "You were talking in your sleep again. Was it another one if those dreams?"

Sakura ran a hand through her hair. Or, at least tried to. She sighed heavily as she pulled her hand from her tangled brown main of hair. "Yeah, but it was the same as always."

"I have a bath drawn for you. Sazumi-sama has even allowed you to wear one of the family kimonos for your prom." The servant girl began bustling around the room as Sakura headed for the bathroom. "Would you like me to detangle your hair before you try to wash it, Sakura-sama?"

"Sure. I always have trouble in the morning." Sakura stretched and yawned. Today was going to be a long day. "Did Oba-sama add any conditions to wearing the kimono?"

The servant looked at the ground while she approached her. "Just that you uphold the family honour. And she would also like to meet with you before you go."

Sakura nodded as she sat down on the stool in the bathroom. "Let's get this over with. Work your magic, Seia-chan!"

~6 hours later~

Sakura sat in the main room of the Sazumi family main house. 'Honestly. The woman called me here herself. Should it take an hour for her to get here?' Sakura knew her grandmother didn't like her. She was adopted after all.

Sakura had been adopted when she was an infant. Her parents couldn't have children of their own. So they had adopted her against her grandmother's wishes. She had been told all of this on her 18 birthday, one month ago.

~flashback~

"Happy Birthday Sakura!" Sakura came down the steps from her room to see the dining room filled with balloons, streamers, and people. Her parents smiled at her.

"Mom...Dad...this is for me?" Sakura couldn't remember the last time her parents had thrown her a surprise party. Most of the time they were too busy. Her father trying to run the family's company. And her mother running her own business.

"Of course sweet heart." Naomi Sazumi hugged her daughter. She laughed as her daughter hugged her back. "You got so tall. It feels like I'm the daughter and you're the mother."

Sakura smiled down at her mother. She was about a head taller than the woman. But her mother was only about 5'1", so she wasn't that tall.

"Don't I get a hug from my darling daughter?" Sakura rolled her eyes at her father. When he was working, he was a man that never settled for anything less than the best. But when he was home, he was a complete goofball. She ran into her father's arms. He picked her up and spun around with her. "There's my big girl!"

"Kirito, please act more dignified." The room grew quiet. All eyes turned to the lone figure standing in the doorway.

"Oba-sama." Sakura bowed to her grandmother. She was surprised she had come. She mostly avoided her.

"At least she has her manners." Hana Sazumi walked into the room slowly.

"Good day, mother." Kirito stifly bowed to his mother. "Have you come to wish your granddaughter a happy birthday?" He highly doubted his mother would do such a thing. It wasn't like her at all.

"I have come to speak with her. That is all." Hana continued through the room. She reached one of the private rooms that was attached to it. "Come child."

Sakura followed after her grandmother cautiously. Usually the woman asked the girl to leave her sight as soon as she stepped into any room. Sakura stood and waited for her grandmother to tell her to sit.

The room fell into silence for several minutes. "Sit down." Hana eyed the girl curiously. She didn't see how her son and daughter-in-law could have chosen her as their daughter. Her hair was constantly in a mess and she was much to childish for her age.

Sakura stared at the floor in front of her. She could feel her grandmother's eyes lingering on her. 'I knew I should have let Seia-chan braid my hair today.'

"Do you know why I despise you?" Hana saw the girl stiffen and fight the urge to look up. "It's because of blood. You are not my blood. You are just blood that was brought into this family because of my son's incompetence."

Sakura looked up at her grandmother. "What do you mean?"

"You're adopted. I thought they would have told you by now. You are eighteen years old. I'm sure your parents will start trying to find you." Hana was sure any family that had their daughter adopted by such a high class family would ask for something from them. "And when they do, you can either leave with them and never speak to us again. Or you can disown them, and never speak of them again."

"I'm sure Oto-san and Oka-san wouldn't mind if I got to know them." Sakura was still trying to process the situation. She was adopted?

"It doesn't matter what they think. I am the head of this family. If I say you are never allowed to meet your birth parents, then that is law in this family." Hana stared into the girl's blue eyes. No one in their family had that colour of eyes, but everyone complimented her on them. Claiming she was the jewel of the Sazumi family. "So what is your choice? Them or Us?" Hana despised those eyes.

Sakura took a deep breath. "I don't know who my birth parents are. How can you ask me to chose?"

"Because if you make the choice now, it will be easier to keep that choice in the future. And your choice is?" Hana kept a clam face. She didn't care what the girl chose. Sakura was nothing more than a replacement for her cousins.

"You aren't leaving without an answer, are you?" Sakura sighed as her grandmother nodded. "I don't even know if they are alive. I would like to meet them, but this is my family. This is the only family I have known. I will stay with the Sazumi family." Sakura bowed her head and tried to keep her voice steady.

"At least you know how to come to a decision. Unlike my son. It took him years before he finally agreed to marry Naomi-san." Hana stood and walked to the door. "Continue to do well in school. Keep the family honour intact."

Sakura stayed sitting until she heard the silence in the house break. Her parents were hugging her and apologizing. But Sakura wasn't listening. She was listening to the sound of her heart breaking.

~flashback end~

Sakura snapped out of her daydream when she heard the door slid across the floor. She bowed as her gap randomized walked into the room and sat down across from her on a raised platform.

"The Sazumi colours look good on you." Hana was surprised that the girl's hair was in some form of order. "Make sure the kimono is not damaged. And return it before sunrise tomorrow. And it better not smell of anything."

"Yes, Oba-sama." Sakura stayed seated as her grandmother stood and left the room. 'So she still can't stand me. Even after I said I would never meet my parents. Stuck up old hag.'

"Sakura-sama. The car is waiting." Sakura stood gracefully as a servant spoke to her. "This way."

Sakura wasn't paying much attention on the trip to her prom. She was a bit excited. But mostly because it was the end of the school year. She went to an Americanized private school. So most of the other students were also from high class families. And they all drove her mad.

"We have arrived." Sakura turned to see the door to the car open and a hand extended for her to take.

She climbed out of the car and looked up at the garden house. The school had decided to have the prom at the most expensive garden in town. And it was very high class.

Sakura made her way to the door with as much grace as she could muster. Which, with the training her grandmother imposed on her, was a lot.

"Name?" A butler with a list stood beside the front entrance of the garden.

"Sazumi Sakura. Class 3-A." Sakura gave the butler no smile. She was a Sazumi here, not her usual fun loving self.

"Welcome, Sazumi-sama." Sakura walked past the man as he gave her a deep bow. She really hated being from a high class family sometimes. She hated seeing herself above others.

"Hello there, Sakura-chan." Sakura looked behind her. There walking towards her, was her cousin Suzaku. "I'm surprised Oba-sama allowed you to wear that kimono. Or even come to this dance. Usually she keeps spares in the closet." Suzaku ran a hand through his spiked blond hair. He was the oldest out of all of his cousins. Except for Sakura. But that was only by a day.

"Someone has to make sure you aren't making a fool of the family name. Plus I think she wanted to show our strength. After all, you did drop from second in the class to tenth." Sakura gave her cousin a wicked grin. She always loved teasing him, because he hated her.

Suzaku returned her wicked grin. "Is that so. Well, maybe I will ask Oba-sama if I can pick my bride. I'm sure she won't want to lose someone as smart as you to another family." He reached out to touch her face, but she took a step back and slapped his hand away.

"We are cousins! She would never allow such a scandal to take place!" Sakura hated it when he went this far. And in public of all places.

"But we aren't related." Suzaku took another step towards her.

"Suzaku-kun! Is this were you have been? Sakura-chan?!" A small girl with burly blond hair ran towards the two. She instantly hand Sakura in a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you here. I was worried you wouldn't come."

"I'm here Alice-chan. You look lovely in your dress." Sakura put on her smile and talked with the girl. Over her life, she learned to never mean what she said to people. That was how everyone spoke.

"Why thank you. My parents had it flown in from Italy. What do you think of it, Suzaku-kun?" Alice spun around and let the crystals on her deep pink dress catch the light from the chandelier.

"It fits you beautifully, Alice-chan. If you both will excuse me." Suzaku nodded to both girl before walking away. He was going to have a lot of fun tonight.

Alice wrapped an arm around Sakura's. "Come on! Everyone is waiting for you. You know, a lot of the boys in our class like you. Even Hadoshi-kun." Alice saw Sakura blush at his name. "Maybe he will ask for your first dance. This is the first dance you have attended all year."

"Maybe." Sakura kept up with the girl as she dragged her around. 'This is going to be a long night.'

It took Sakura four hours to get away from her friend. She walked out onto the balcony saying she needed some fresh air. "This is exhausting." Sakura leaned on the balcony and looked down at the garden. She could see couples walking around on the grass. They were holding hands and cuddling with each other. She sighed wondering what that would feel like.

*buzz buzz*

Sakura pulled out her phone. It was a text from Alice. 'Heads up. Suzaku is looking for you with his gang. They seem to be a bit drunk.' Sakura closed her phone and looked around. She spotted her cousin's spicked hair in the crowded ballroom.

Sakura headed down the stairs and towards the maze entrance. No one seemed to be going in there. So it looked like a good place to hide. She made her way into the maze and quickly found herself lost.

She sat down after ten minutes of walking. This was the first courtyard she had come across that had benches.

*ROAR*

Sakura was on her feet again. Looking around to try and find the source of the sound. It sounded so close.

"Found you, Sakura-chan." Sakura looked behind her. Suzaku was walking into the courtyard with three of his friends behind him. His suit was opened and shirt untucked. He was drunk. "I was looking for you. Won't you spend some time with your wonderful cousin?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but her voice caught in her throat. A large shadow had opened up behind Suzaku and his friends. A bony hand cam out of it. "LOOK OUT!"

Sakura watched as they all turned to see what she was yelling about. Then they all fell to the ground. Sakura took a step back. This couldn't be happening.

*ROAR*

Sakura looked up and saw the face of the shadow monster. It had a white mask and two mouths. One inside the other. She was terrified.

*ROAR*

Sakura took another step back as the monster ran towards her. But she had stepped on her kimono. And was falling backwards. She hit the ground with a gasp as the air was forced from her lungs. She tried to roll away, but the monster was standing above her.

'This can't be happening. Monsters don't exist. They aren't real.' She felt the monsters breath as it lunged at her with its mouth open. "KYA!" She shut her eyes tightly. She didn't want to see it kill her.

*Whoosh*

No attack came. She peeked out of her eyes. All she saw was the stars.

Sakura sat up quickly and looked around her. Her eyes stopped on a single figure. He had waist long with hair and wore a white robe. The wind was the only thing making a sound as it blew across the courtyard. It pulled the man's hair away to reveal a number written on his robe, 13.

Sakura could see something dissolving behind him as he turned towards her. "Are you alright?" Sakura found herself entranced by his voice. The man extended his hand to her. "Are you alright?"

"Who are you?" Sakura was kicking herself for asking him that. But she was curious, and a bit out of it. She took his hand and was grateful for his help. She didn't think she could stand up on her own.

Sakura found her breath taken away as he gave her a smile. "Ukitake Jushiro."

Let me know how you like the story so far. If you are confused about anything. Feel free to comment or message me. I will explain what I can without giving anything away.