Kurosaki Clinic, Four years later

"Morning, Ichi-nii!" Twilight said, smiling warmly at her big brother. Four years had passed since Twilight appeared in Karakura Town, and she had grown to love her new family as much as she had her old. She especially looked up to Ichigo and Shiro, as it was them who saved her. Ichigo had even explained to her about Spirits, Hollows, and Shinigami, and his role in the afterlife, as well as what Shiro really was. Twilight, of course, took it all in stride, and told them it changed nothing. After all, she had told them all what had happened to her to send her to Karakura Town.

"Morning, Neko. Where's Goat-Face?" Ichigo yawned, stretching his arms up over his head. Five Hollows had been in need of dispatching, and so Ichigo and Shiro were up all night ensuring nobody got eaten. Twilight merely pointed to the kitchen, where Isshin and Yuzu were making breakfast together. Karin just sent a lazy wave to her brother, and went back to watching the soccer game on television.

All in all, just a typical Saturday morning in the Kurosaki household.

After a hearty breakfast of Western and Japanese dishes, Ichigo and Twilight went for a walk outside, enjoying the cool morning air as various shop owners waved. Ichigo watched fondly as Twilight seemed to come alive, taking in the sights and sounds of their hometown. Soon, the two came up to the local dojo, and walked in to see Tatsuki completely floor some poor fool who thought that, as a girl, she couldn't beat him into the dust. "And THAT is why I'm the strongest, Yamisaru. Don't you forget it!" As the beaten man limped out, Twilight ran up to Tatsuki.

"Tatsuki-chan! That was sooo cool!" Twilight cheered, tackling Tatsuki in a hug. The strongest girl in Japan merely laughed and returned the eager embrace. "So, Buruberi, wanted to come see me fight?" Twilight nodded in agreement, giggling softly as Tatsuki easily lifted her, despite Twilight being only an inch shorter than her.

"We decided to go for a walk, and just kinda naturally ended up here. What did the poor idiot from before say?"

"Ah. Same old shtick. They all assume that, since I'm a girl, they should be stronger than me." Tatsuki laughed, her confidence and easy-going attitude towards such challenges spreading the good mood. Say, Buruberi? Wanna see me kick Ichigo's ass?"

"Sure!" Twilight agreed, nodding rapidly. Ichigo just laughed. It was well known between the three that Ichigo was the only one in all of their friends who could even hope to beat Tatsuki in a fight. As Ichigo and Tatsuki sparred, Twilight cheered, though not for either opponent. She cheered because, in her eyes, she was watching a beautiful dance. Every kick, jab, block, and strike, each serving as the steps to a work of art, one that only those experienced in the primal release of combat could truly achieve.

"Heh! Let's kick this up a notch, Stawberry! Fighter's Glory!" Tatsuki shouted, the gauntlets and greaves of her Fullbring little more than deadly flashes of silver. Ichigo's face split in a feral grin as he shifted into Shinigami form, and the dance between the two was accompanied by the ringing cry of metal of metal as both gauntlet and greave struck against zanpakuto, each blow sounding like a finely-crafted bell.

Finally, with one final roar, Tatsuki and Ichigo lunged at one another, weapons aimed for what, in any other situation, would be a certain killing blow. In a flash, the feral dance ended, Zangetsu's blade laying light as a feather upon Tatsuki's shoulder, edge poised to bite deep into her jugular. "Hmph. Damn, Strawberry. That was one hell of a fight ya gave me. I'll kick your ass next time, 'kay?"

"See ya 'round, Tats." Ichigo waved, walking out the dojo door, Twilight at his side.

Later, as the duo of brother and sister were walking back home, Ichigo's eyes focused on the sight of three of the local punks standing around the knocked-over flower vase that stood as a memorial for a young girl who died in a hit-and-run there a year prior. Furious, Ichigo stomped over, shouting "What the hell happened here!"

The three punks flinched, and made an about face to look at Ichigo, who had gained quite the reputation of smacking down any punks or thugs who caused problems in Karakura Town. "I-i-t were an accident, man! We'll replace the flowers, I swear!"

"Ya damn well better replace them! That little girl was my imouto's friend!"

"Ichi-nii, try not to kill them too quickly! We still gotta be home for dinner, y'know!" At Twilight's words, the thugs ran off, leaving faint trails of dust in the wind.

"T-thank you!" said the ghost of Yanamora Yuki, a friend and classmate of Twilight's who was killed when a drunk driver lost control on the road.

"You're welcome, Yuki-chan! Anything to help a friend!" Twilight chirped, smiling warmly. Ichigo smirked at his imouto and her friend. Yuki's ghost would often follow Twilight around, acting almost like an imaginary friend (the rather convenient excuse they used for why Twilight kept acting like she was talking to a girl long since passed).

"Buruberi-chan, I need to preform Konso now, okay?" Ichigo said, placing a warm hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight nodded, and stepped back. For the second time that day, Ichigo shifted into Shinigami form, and he drew Zangetsu.

"Alright, Yuki-san. Time to pass on. If you see Koneko-chan there, tell him the Kurosaki family says hello." Yuki smiled and nodded, and Ichigo pressed Zangetsu's pommel to her forehead, binding her spirirt to a butterfly and sending it through a senkaimon. Ichigo shifted back, and wrapped an arm around Twilight's shoulders, earning a somber smile in return.

As the two siblings continued on home, Ichigo thought back on the four years since finding Twilight. It had taken the better part of that first year to teach Twilight as much as she'd be expected to know at her age, and another month to introduce her to everyone the family knew. Out of Ichigo's nakama, Twilight was closest to Tatsuki and Orihime, and frequently dropped by during lunch break at Ichigo's school to spend time with their little council on the roof.

Upon arriving home, Isshin greeted them with his usual enthusiasm, which Ichigo noticed had been tempered by Twilight's adoption into the family. "Ichigo! I told you that as a big brother, you must have Buruberi-chan home at a reasonable hour! None of Yuzu's miso for you!"

Ichigo, stoic as he normally was, blanched at that threat, and began to sputter in arguement. "A couple of thugs had knocked down Yuki's shrine, and I had to deal with them, as well as preform Konso!" Beside him, Twilight nodded, affirming her nii-san's words.

Isshin blinked, then gave a fatherly smile and said "Well, I guess that's a good reason as any to be late. Come on and get washed up. Dinner's almost ready."

That night, Twilight tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. A nightmare of her magic surge kept her from a peaceful rest, and so she crept out of bed and silently changed back into her clothes from earlier. Stepping as quietly as possible, she slipped out her bedroom door and downstairs, and eased out the front door and onto the street.

Now standing under the stars, she decided to make her way to the park where Ichgo and Shiro had found her, hoping to gain some form of clarity to ease her troubled mind.

As wrapped up in her own thoughts as she was, Twilight never noticed the Hollow following from behind, eyeing her hungrily.

Once at the park, Twilight sought out the burnt patch of earth that marked her violent entrance to Karakura town, and sat cross-legged on the charred grass, letting the night breeze blow over her, gently mussing her hair. 'I wonder what's happening back in Equestria. Heh, maybe Shining Armour finally became Captain of the Guard... I do miss him, at times, but I also love my family here in Karakura. Maybe... No. That was a surge of pure Wild magic, something that not even Discord could wield without major risk. It was a fluke I even survived that, let alone everything since that day.' She thought to herself, mind wandering over the what-ifs and could-have-beens that woke her in the night. 'Hey... What's that-'

Twilight's thoughts were cut off by a black-coloured fist smashing the ground beside her, and she quickly leapt to her feet and began to flee as she got a good look at the Hollow that just attacked her. It had a fish-shaped mask that seemed to stare straight through her, and a dorsal fin stood proudly alond its spine. The beast roared and began to give chase, now eager to catch Twilight.

Twilight's flight to freedom, however, was brought to a crashing halt by an inconvenient tree root, and she fell with a cry. Above her, the Hollow roared in triumph, and lunged at her to bite off her head, but a black blur intercepted the blow. Twilight looked up to see a Shinigami, a woman only slightly taller than herself, blocking the Hollow with her zanpakuto, blood streaming from the bite on her shoulder. "Run! I'll take care of- AGH!" The Shinigami screamed as she was tossed aside by the creature. The Hollow now seemed fixated on the downed Shinigami, who was collapsed at the base of a tree, bleeding heavily from her wounds.

Twilight struggled to her feet, swaying slightly as she fought to reach the Shinigami before the Hollow could, but knowing in her heart that she was too injured to do so. Suddenly, a voice spoke. "Your body is weak. You can not save her."

"Shut up. I will save her." Twilight growled, limping forward.

The voice spoke again. "However, just because you are weak now does not mean you must stay weak. Tell me, Kurosaki Twilight. What would you do to protect those you hold dear?"

"Everything. Even if it kills me." Twilight answered, now half way to the Shinigami. The Hollow reached down to grab its prey, and Twilight's heart sank, knowing that the Hollow would kill them both.

"Then be strong, Twilight, and protect those you hold closest to your heart."

As she had been once before, Twilight was surrounded by a burning sphere of dark energy.

Only this time, she did not scream.

When the energy disappaited, Twilight was standing there, looking uninjured, but she had changed. She now wore the shihakusho of a Shinigami, and at her waist was tied a sheath. She drew a daito-style zanpakuto, revealing a golden tsuba shaped like a Chinese coin beneath a violet blade. The hilt was black, and wrapped in emerald-coloured silk, and capped off with a gold pommel. Twilight dashed forward, slicing upward as she went, and cleaved the Hollow's arm in a shower of blood as the Shinigami looked up at her with shock. The Hollow roared in anger and agony, and Twilight looked back at the downed woman and said "My name is Kurosaki Twilight. Who are you?"

The woman answered "Kuchiki Rukia, fukutaicho of Juu san ban tai of the Gotei Juu san. How... How are you a Shinigami?"

Twilight smirked. "Heh. Damned if I know, Kuchiki-san." She raised her right hand and began to chant.

"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone! All creation, flutter of wings! Ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and Temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hado no 33: Sokatsui!"

Rukia watched in awe as a wave of blue fire washed down upon the Hollow, burning it into oblivion. "H-How do you know kido?!"

"Urahara-san taught myself, Ichi-nii, and Shiro-nii. Doesn't the Seireitei keep track of Shinigami who left the Gotei Juu san? Tousan left a long time ago. Unless you're fairly new? That might be why. That, or they still have him down as Shiba Isshin." Twilight explained, earning a shocked look from Rukia.

"D-Did you say Shiba?!"

Meanwhile, in the depths of a cave stood three men. The first man had straight silver hair, and a smile that would strongly remind those who saw him of a snake. The second man had dark skin, and his eyes were covered by a visor. The third man, however, look plain to the eyes, with messy brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. To those who could sense intent, though, these three were possibly the deadliest men in existence. Their names were Ichimaru Gin, Tousen Kaname, and Aizen Sosuke.

"Report." Aizen spoke, his voice thrumming with power.

"Th' Kurosaki brats are gettin' stronger. The purple-headed one just awoke as a Shinigami, an' she did it without outside interference. Kuchiki-chan didn' even know how it happened." Gin responded, his face betraying nothing but possible sadistic glee.

"Good. Proceed with the plan, then. Even if we can't trap her in a gigai, we can still make Central 46 believe the Kuchiki Rukia is now a criminal. I will have the Hogyoku."

Author's Note

Alright! Here's the next chapter of Mage of Karakura! I made it so Ichigo's friend developed their powers earlier like Ichigo, and made them Fullbringers, as it kinda fits in with the fact that they're 100% human but have spiritual powers, and can fight Hollows.

Also, just in case someone doesn't understand... In Japanese, the family name is said before the personal name. While in English one would say 'Yukisho Takehashi', in Japanese it would be 'Takehashi Yukisho'. Make sense?

By the by, I tend to default to using a lot of Japanese terms, even in real life, so I'll be nice and give translations to terms you might not know.

Juu san - thirteen
Nii - brother (older)
fukutaicho - lieutenant / vice captain
Hado - Way of Destruction
shihakusho - the black robe worn by Shinigami
Shinigami - Death Gods
kido - demon magic
chan - suffix referring to something one finds cute (i.e. koneko-chan means 'cute kitten')
san - suffix that shows respect
tousan - father
zanpakuto - soul slayer
Konso - soul burial
Buruberi - blueberry ('cause Twilight's hair is that same colour as a blueberry)
Fullbring - a kind of spiritual power that humans get when born from mothers bitten by Hollows, or humans who spend prolonged amounts of time near those with a lot of spiritual power, like Ichigo.
Quincy - a kind of human who can take in spirit particles to attack, due to not being able to use their own power for such a thing.
Hogyoku - the OP Marble of Hyperdeath, something that is Bleach's equivalent to the Tesseract from Marvel or the Shi no Mei from Naruto, meaning the only way to beat someone who gets their dirty little paws on this damn thing is by author intervention. Supposedly makes the one who controls it a god, but doubtful due to the Winter War arc's ending in canon (seriously, WTF?!)
daito - two-handed sword. Basically a Japanese claymore.
tsuba - the hand-guard on a katana
Gotei Juu San - Thirteen Court Guard Squads
Hollows - Souls that have lost their hearts, and have regressed into an instinct-driven beastial state. Hollows are classified into five main categories: Hollow, Gillian, Adjuchas, Vasto Lorde, and Arrancar.
Arrancar - A Hollow, usually of Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde classification, that has torn off their mask, gaining a human form and a zanpakuto. They can take a stronger form known as Resurreccion, which is their form of Shikai. Rumour has it that there is a secondary release known as Segunda Etapa, which is the Hollow Bankai.

Sorry for the huge delay, though. Things on my end have been kinda hectic, and so I don't get to writing a lot... unless it's college assignments.

Ja ne!