Two decades slipped away in the blink of an eye.
Kazuma sat in his office, casually swirling a cup of fine sake.
The sliding door slammed open.
Kōga Kuchiki hurried in from the First Division, bringing a piece of scandalous gossip: his young nephew, Byakuya Kuchiki, had fallen in love with a common soul from the Rukongai.
Worse yet, Byakuya was defying the family's fierce opposition, demanding to marry her.
The news had struck the Kuchiki clan like a lightning bolt, leaving both Ginrei and Kōga stunned.
Kōga couldn't fathom the usually stoic Byakuya doing something so rebellious.
"This has already caused an uproar among the elders," Kōga said, pacing the room. "If we don't handle this properly, it'll shatter the clan's reputation."
Kazuma fell into deep thought.
'So Byakuya and Hisana have fallen in love,' he mused. 'If the timeline holds, Rukia and Renji Abarai should be entering the Shin'ō Academy soon.'
Seeing Kazuma spacing out, Kōga snatched a cup and poured himself some sake. "Master, are you even listening to me?"
"Ah! I'm listening. Go on."
"No, you weren't listening at all! I already finished."
"No, you haven't!"
Kōga sighed.
Sometimes, he was truly speechless with his eccentric master.
He knew Byakuya's stubborn nature, once the boy made a decision, changing his mind was nearly impossible.
Yet, the family's ancient honor couldn't just be cast aside.
"So, what's your goal in telling me all this?" Kazuma asked.
"Master, I want you to go persuade Byakuya."
Kazuma waved his hand, laughing. "Don't be ridiculous. You want me to talk him out of it? How would I do that? The most I can do is show up and drink the good sake at Byakuya and Hisana's wedding."
Kōga stood up with a groan.
It seemed he couldn't count on Kazuma for diplomacy. He had hoped his master could talk sense into Byakuya from the position of a respected elder, but now he just hoped Kazuma wouldn't make things worse!
In truth, Kōga's main reason for visiting was to give Kazuma a heads-up.
If the situation devolved into a stalemate with the unreasonable clan elders, Kōga fully intended to drag Kazuma into the mess and use his master's terrifying reputation as leverage!
Bidding farewell, Kōga returned to the Kuchiki Manor.
He needed to have another serious talk with Byakuya.
He desperately hoped to find a compromise that would protect the family's dignity while fulfilling his nephew's heartfelt wish.
Along the way, he pondered how to convince the boy to surrender a romance the family would never approve of.
But he also understood the stubborn weight of love; people were often willing to pay any price for it.
Entering the manor, Kōga found Byakuya standing alone in the courtyard, staring blankly at the cherry blossoms.
Kōga walked to his side.
"Have you really made up your mind?"
Byakuya turned his head, his eyes burning with quiet determination. "I know this will bring trouble to the clan. But I love her, Uncle. I'm willing to bear all the consequences."
Kōga played his final, cruelest card. "Byakuya, have you considered the physical toll? As a common soul lacking in spiritual power, Hisana's lifespan will be drastically reduced if she lives in the Reishi-dense environment of the Seireitei. She'll die quickly! For her sake, and for yours, why don't you just let her go?"
Byakuya didn't flinch. "I know.... hisana knows this as well. But we truly love each other! Even if we can only steal a few short years together, we're willing to pay that price."
Kōga sighed heavily, patting Byakuya's shoulder. "I understand your heart, but the clan's foundation is vital. If you want to be together, we must find a balance that spares you both and shields the family's reputation."
Byakuya stayed silent for a long moment before nodding. "Uncle... does this mean you agree to help us?"
...
Over the following days, Kōga and Byakuya strategized.
They considered every political angle, working to forge a path forward.
After repeated deliberation, they struck a delicate compromise: they'd first formally adopt Hisana into a distant branch of the Kuchiki family to elevate her status on paper, and then allow Byakuya to marry her.
While the loophole would still spark controversy, it avoided a direct conflict with the elders and maintained the illusion of noble pedigree.
Kōga presented the plan to Ginrei.
He met fierce, unyielding opposition at first, but after days of relentless persuasion and leveraging his own status, the elderly clan head finally relented.
That night, Ginrei sought out Byakuya for one last attempt to change the boy's mind.
But Byakuya remained a wall of stone.
He was unmovable, no one could change his decision.
In the end, Byakuya and Hisana held a quiet wedding within the private walls of the manor.
Kōga dragged Kazuma from the Seventh Division to act as the official witness and officiant.
This left Byakuya feeling a bit dissatisfied, he barely knew Kazuma, and the man certainly didn't behave like a traditional, dignified elder!
Despite the friction, the core family accepted the union.
Though they kept the wedding out of the public eye, all the primary clan members attended, witnessing the fleeting fragile happiness of Byakuya and Hisana.
Still, bitter whispers echoed through the manor halls.
Some elders claimed Byakuya only married Hisana out of misplaced pity.
Others worried the fragile commoner would drag down his future as the clan head. But Byakuya ignored the poison, he had made his choice, and he stood by his wife.
Since it handled internally, the political storm never breached the manor walls.
It merely became idle gossip across the Seireitei: the heir to the Kuchiki clan had married a quiet woman from a distant branch family.
Upon hearing the news, the Shinigami Women's Association wept bitterly.
How could the most eligible bachelor in the Seireitei get married so quietly?
After the wedding, Byakuya and Hisana shared a peaceful, tender life.
Yet, the cold shoulders of the conservative elders remained.
The traditionalists firmly believed a woman born in the Rukongai was unworthy of walking their halls. They made their prejudice known through subtle slights and icy stares.
Byakuya didn't care.
He loved Hisana with everything he had.
He knew her gentle, kind soul was worth more than any noble pedigree, and she supported him with a quiet grace that humbled him.
Hisana, keenly aware of the trouble her mere presence caused, refused to be a burden.
She pushed her fragile body to learn the complex etiquette, history, and tea ceremonies of the nobility, desperate to integrate into the clan and become a wife Byakuya could be proud of.
Through the quiet struggles, Byakuya and Hisana anchored each other.
Their bond deepened with every passing day, forging a trust that the clan's hostility couldn't touch.
The path ahead of them was short and lined with thorns, but they walked it together.