During a darkened night that had blanketed Soul Society, two individuals were quietly sitting within the dinner room of a comfortable manor. There was presently a cold silence lingering between the two men and they were both becoming rather annoyed at the implied quiet. The elder of the two decided to end the heavy and abrasive silence and thusly he spoke,

"Your captainship qualifications exam… they are near Byakuya."

Kuchiki Byakuya was presently sitting in perfect seiza before his grandfather, his eyes closed and his lips pressed into a deep scowl.

Byakuya's grandfather intently eyed his grandson's frame before him and narrowed his eyes. "Your ascension as head of the family is also nigh."

"And what of them?" Byakuya calmly asked.

Kuchiki Genrei heaved an audible sigh and lowered his gaze to atop his lap. "Byakuya you are still to be wed… you cannot become head of the family if you are unmarried."

Ginrei observed as the young noble's eyebrows lowered in apparent agitation and his fists tighten upon his lap.

"We have spoken of this before." The young heir crisply stated.

"I know, but you are still unwed." The elder Kuchiki pointedly stated.

Byakuya opened his eyes then and intently observed his grandfather seated before him. "And what if I do not find a wife, what will become of me then?" he quietly queried.

Ginrei quirked an eyebrow at the boy's seeming insolence and he firmly replied, "The matter is unavoidable Byakuya, you have to find a bride… it is unseemly for the heir to become head unmarried."

Byakuya closed his eyes upon that answer, his mind swirling in frustration. He had never felt so conflicted in his entire life, surely it was a sin to compel marriage upon someone…?

"I will try again…" Byakuya stiffly muttered after a considerable pause, "I will court whom you bring if merely for the sake of duty."

Not that the young heir had never attempted this business of courting before. He had tried but the women… the women had been too indecorous for his tastes; too wild or too flirtatious, too talkative or too pretentious. Women were as varied as the number of kois he bred in his ponds and although they were large in numbers, none of the women had been able to draw his attention for longer than a minute. Ah, but Byakuya respected his grandfather and he supposed he had no other choice presently. The meeting of two or three more women surely would not kill him… hopefully…

Ginrei expressionlessly eyed his grandson before quietly murmuring, "There must be a woman who suits your taste out there… I have faith…"

Byakuya cocked an eyebrow at that comment but let it be. He was also curious to see which woman would capture his attention.

xxxxxxx

(Some weeks after the conversation above)

The court of pure souls had never before seen a time when it was seemingly impossible to actually scour its streets. There were men, women and children presently swarming the court in mad droves and they all had come with only one intention in mind; to partake of the famous Spring Festival usually held in Seireitei once every year.

The season of spring had once more found its humble way into the Soul Society and it was presently being tamed by those infamous death gods if only to make use of the colourful period to present a splendid show of the beauty that resided within its stone and marble walls.

The soft kiss of night was lingering throughout the marble lined streets which were in turn softly lit and bedecked by beautiful golden lanterns warmly washing the paths in a tender glow. The noise was bearable even if it were so crowded and the animated chattering and music that blew throughout was perhaps the most pleasing thing to many that were in attendance.

Kuchiki Byakuya was not so emotionless that he was unable to appreciate beauty when and where it presented itself; he was perfectly aware of the soft, effulgent beauty that was playing around him and he would have found himself perfectly attuned to it all if it had not been for the sudden and quite annoying pushing that sometimes came his way. The night was breathtaking as it was serene but maybe it was just a little too crowded tonight…? He agitatedly sighed as a small child almost ran between the legs of his hakama and he swiftly sidestepped as the child continued to mindlessly zoom down the street not even aware that he had caused a reticent shinigami some means of annoyance.

"Ah Byakuya, don't look like that!" cried a good natured voice. The young shinigami presently felt a reassuring clap on his back and the low chuckle of his senpai, Ukitake Joshiro.

"Indeed…" another lowly mused, a soft amusement lingering within his eyes. "It's just their way, these children."

Byakuya expressionlessly closed his eyes not quite seeing the sense of even giving a response. He was loath to be here at present if only because of the crowded streets. Maybe he should have agreed to meet the young woman whom the elders of the manor had planned to introduce him to tonight…? But on second thought, maybe it was better he had not; he needed distraction presently and he would have reduced himself to even seeking it from a wretched gypsy tonight if need be. (he would not of course admit this to anyone for pride prevented him from conceding such a thing)

Ukitake frowned at the young noble's sudden withdrawal and a light grimace graced his pale lips. "Your grandfather sent you with us for relaxation Byakuya, surely you need not allow an innocent child to dampen your light heartedness?"

Byakuya glanced over at the white haired captain and thusly murmured, "He should have observed his position in the scheme of things."

Shunsui grimaced at the cold response and muttered as he mindlessly stroked his chin, "Yade, yade… you need to lighten up young man."

Byakuya shot him a frigid glance and closed his eyes once more. He had seen no reason for his being here in the first place and he was certain that his grandfather had intended some form of torture… even if he had been secretly helping the young heir to escape the even more torturous grip of those conniving matchmaking court women and elders.

"Are you not eager to see the play tonight?" Ukitake tried again.

"No."

"Not even this much?" Shunsui asked as he indicated the tiny portion upon his index. Byakuya's signature frown deepened a little more at the immature behaviour of the two elder men and he sighed as he responded for the last time, "No…"

Ukitake and Shunsui helplessly shrugged at each other and reservedly fell into a light hearted conversation between themselves as the young noble followed a safe distance behind. That arrangement was a bit more enduring.

Upon reaching the theatre they purchased their tickets and made their way to some of the more decent seats that they had been fortunate to snag. They quietly settled down as the noise within slowly began to diminish and the lights slowly began to fade. Byakuya expressionlessly trained his eyes towards the stage and he felt his lips twist into an even more profound scowl. He was not sure why he was even here but he supposed there was nothing more that he could do about the situation. Play or no play, he would have to endure it all…

The sudden smoke that began to filter across the stage immediately drew the hushed chatter into silent nonexistence. The small frame of a woman then began to rise from within the depths of the mist and upon her full appearance she swiftly snapped a fan into place so as to shield her face. Her other hand drew a larger fan from within the sleeves of her furisode kimono and she elegantly swirled the papered objects about her in a fine dance. She finally ceased her movements as the light music that had accompanied her performance came to a sudden halt and she gracefully fell into a bow with one full sweep, her silks and ribbons gently fluttering and whispering upon her descent.

"We, the Lotus Troupe of fine plays will perform before your very eyes one of the most heart wrenching stories of love and yearning…" Her voice had evidently been raised in a high pitched exaggeration so as to stress the words and syllables of her sentences. "Though you may cry and though you may laugh, remember that love is unending and will always be the purpose of our lives and ultimately the end of many lives…" With that final address she elegantly drew herself into a standing position and snapped her fans shut as the smoke began to thicken and her silhouette eventually vanished…

Byakuya felt a soft nudge in his ribs then and he narrowed his brows as he shot a side wards glance towards the eighth squad captain. "She was beautiful wasn't she…?" he mischievously murmured.

Byakuya focused his attention once more upon the stage and closed his eyes in silent response. That question had not even warranted a reply.

xxxxxxx

"Murasaki!" an anguished voice hurtfully cried out. The young man then pathetically dropped upon his knees, the limp hand of his fair lover lifelessly holding onto his own. The tears that streamed from his cheeks were almost too real and the soft gasps of sympathy that echoed throughout the theatre proved how very much the first performance that night had touched their hearts.

"I will avenge you my love! I will Murasaki…" his voice softened upon those words as he lowered his head in defeat as the sudden lights that had been focused upon the couple slowly began to waver. It was not until the entire theatre had been engulfed in darkness did the curtains fall with a resounding swish. Upon their descent the entire theatre erupted into an endless applause and a standing ovation ensued. The young actor finally gave a soft sigh of relief behind the curtains and suddenly felt his eyes widen in shock as the light hearted chuckle of the deceased "Murasaki" slowly begun to flow from her lips.

The young actor, Himura quirked an eyebrow at his colleague and with an embarrassed frown he lowered his head. "What's so amusing Hisana?" he grumpily asked.

Hisana's laughter became a little more pronounced as she hastily sought to cover her lips with her fingers.

"N-nothing- it's-its's just that-you were-so-so-meaningful!" her giggles had grown into full blown laughter and she lightly clutched her stomach as she began to laugh even more loudly.

Himura felt his face flush a deep red as the beautiful but almost fragile woman before him continued her childish amusement.

"Oh cut it out Hisana!" Rico teasingly chastised as she began to approach the two. "You'll make Himura less confident than he already is."

Hisana tried her best to stifle her giggles and she smilingly eyed her male companion with an apologetic grin. "Forgive me Himura, you were actually quite wonderful." She meaningfully replied.

Himura unconsciously raised his hand upon the back of neck as he averted his gaze. "Well thank you…" he stiffly murmured.

Both Rico and Hisana gave a soft chuckle as they observed his behaviour and modesty. "Well come on you two!" the older woman cried, "We have an audience screaming our names!"

And with that the cast and crew humbly made their way through the curtains to greet the ecstatic crowd.

An idea that i came up with that just wouldn't leave me... more 2 come though and methinks this is gonna be a very short and simple story ^^