Bleach: Twilight of Souls
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo
This is purely a Fanstory and only OCs that I have created belong to me.
Bleach Twilight of Souls is a continuation of the plot line begun in After the War and continued in the New Order Trilogy, but it is not necessary to have read the previous works to enjoy this story.
I hope fans of my previous stories will enjoy this work
Chapter 1: Abduction
Soul Society Year 2040, November 1st. Somewhere in Eastern Rukongai
In a dank and dark cellar deep underground, two mysterious individuals met. One wore a robe with a flowing cape at the back whilst the other wore a Shihakusho. The cellar was guided by half a dozen goons wearing suits of armour.
"Are the preparations ready?" the first voice spoke.
"Almost. I just need a little more time," the second voice answered.
"What is taking so long? I am close to losing my patience."
"We've had problems dealing with a certain person-the man known as Kurosaki Ichigo. He's foiled several of our operations."
"Then deal with him as you see fit. If Aizen Sousuke had carried out his mission properly, we could carried out the Twilight project much earlier."
"Aizen was a failure. He was too motivated by his own greed to follow our orders. Which is why I decided to take matters in my own hands."
"Very well then. I shall be going now. Inform me when you are ready to begin." With that the first individual suddenly disappeared, leaving the second by himself.
"Heh, heh, heh, watch out Kurosaki Ichigo. Your days are numbered," the man laughed sinisterly. He motioned the goons to follow him upstairs. Unbeknownst to either him or the first individual, the meeting had been secretly watched by a third mysterious figure, who was wrapped up in nothing but a black cloak.
Shiba Manor, Seireitei
At this very moment Kurosaki Ichigo was tossing and squirming in his sleep. As he did so, he started mumbling words subconsciously. For as he slept he started seeing images and visions that greatly disturbed him…
"Otoo-san!" Kaien called out as he was dragged by a pair of hands through a dark red portal. Ichigo could only watch helplessly as he son disappeared once again.
"Kaien!!" He screamed in vain, for there was nothing he could do…
The vision blurred and now Ichigo saw himself standing on a plateau in Nishi Rukongai, looking out over what should have been Seireitei. Where Seireitei used to be, there was nothing left except a vast black abyss hundreds of miles wide…
The vision changed again and Ichigo found himself in the middle of a devastated Tokyo City. All around there nothing left except piles of rubble and concrete. Fires burst out from every direction. It was like the end of the world.
"This can't happening," Ichigo said to himself. "This has to be a nightmare." His eyes noticed a figure lying on the ground, trapped under a collapsed girder. His eyes widened in horror, for the person was someone he cherished and loved.
"Rukia!" he yelled as he ran by her side. He took told hold of her arms.
"Don't you die on me Rukia," Ichigo said to her. Rukia weakly opened her eyes and looked at him. She barely managed a smile.
"I'm sorry Ichigo, this looks like the end for me. My heart will live on in you," she said.
"No, Rukia, you can't die like this. I haven't apologized for all the pain and suffering I've caused you."
"It's alright. I'm not angry at you." Ichigo watched helplessly as Rukia's life slipped away. The last image Ichigo saw was hooded phantom towering over him, its face a hideous reflection of his hollow mask.
"NOOO!!!!" Ichigo suddenly screamed as he woke up. It took him nearly a minute before he realized he was still inside his house. He frantically looked around to make sure that nothing happened. His body continued to tremble.
"Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she half opened eyes. Ichigo was so surprised by her voice that he nearly jumped out of the bed. It took him a while before he could calm down.
"What's the matter with you? You're shaking and sweating all over," Rukia rubbed her hands along Ichigo's back.
"I, I saw some horrible visions in my sleep. Visions so utterly terrified me," Ichigo replied. He told Rukia what he had seen.
"It's probably just a nightmare Ichigo. You've been really stressed out for the last couple of weeks," Rukia said.
"Yeah I guess so." Ichigo lay back on his bed again, wondering if the visions he saw were really only nightmares.
The next morning Ichigo and Rukia both woke up with a horrible headache. The two of them took their time to get changed. As Ichigo walked downstairs to the kitchen, he smelt the aroma of boiling coffee. On arriving at the kitchen he saw that his daughter Masaki was already up and about.
"Hi daddy. I'm just getting the breakfast ready," Masaki said.
"Thank you sweetheart," Ichigo kissed her on the cheek. He was immensely proud of his daughter. She was the striking image of Ichigo's own mother, but had inherited much of Rukia's regal looks. Despite being still a child, she was already acting like an adult in some ways. She was eager to do the household chores and regularly cooked meals and cleaned the house whenever Ichigo or Rukia were absent. In some respects her personality was similar to Ichigo's sister Yuzu.
"Hey Ichigo, have you seen Kaien?" Rukia asked she walked down the stairs. "I went to check on his bedroom and his wasn't there."
"I haven't seen him either," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, I know where Onii-chan is!" Masaki exclaimed. "He woke me up early in the morning and said that he was going hop over to Ojii-san's place."
"WHAT?" Ichigo and Rukia asked in shock.
"What that rascal…I told him not to run out by himself!" Rukia exclaimed.
"It's going to be difficult to find him, considering how huge Seireitei is," Ichigo pondered.
Just as Ichigo and Rukia were discussing his disappearance, Kurosaki Kaien was perched on the edge of a column hundreds of feet above the ground. From this high vantage point, he could see almost half of Soul Society.
"Tee hee. There's Ojii-san's place," Kaien smiled. With a fluid movement Kaien leaped from the column and swooped down to the roof top below. A few random Shinigami who were patrolling nearby saw him and gasped in shock. Kaien ignored them and continued along his merry way.
Traversing through Seireitei like this was Kaien's favourite pastime. He loved the smell of adventure, of discovering new and interesting places. Even though he knew his mother and father would scold him heavily every time, he always sought a way to escape the house, and in doing so had become skilled at climbing walls and jumping off buildings. His mother always told him he possessed a reckless streak similar to a man she once admired but Kaien thought she was simply delusional.
"Alright I'm here!" Kaien exclaimed as he landed in the garden outside the thirteenth division captain's office. To his great luck the garden was deserted at the moment. The young boy crept towards the window directly overlooking the captain's desk. He jumped onto the railing, opened the window and peered inside. His grandfather Isshin was currently lying on his chair with a cigar in his mouth.
"Heh, heh, this is perfect. I'll scare the wits out of him," Kaien thought. He made a great leap from the window and landed on his grandfather's lap. Isshin woke up screaming in pain.
"What the…" Isshin said groggily. "Kaien-kun! What are you doing here?"
"I've come to see you Ojii-san!" Kaien smiled.
"This early in the morning? I think most of Soul Society is still asleep," Isshin muttered. "What about your mother and father? Do they know you've come to see me?"
"Nope. I snuck out on them!" Kaien's response hardly surprised Isshin, for he had grown used to his grandson's mischievous behaviour.
"I wonder what I'm going to tell Ichigo and Rukia-chan," Isshin sighed.
"Where's Yuzu and Karin Oba-san?" Kaien asked.
"Ah, they're still on duty in the real world I'm afraid.
"That sucks! I wanted to see them!" Isshin chuckled as Kaien jumped off his lap and landed on the floor. Just then the door to the office opened and Lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori appeared.
"Who the hell is this shorty?" Hiyori asked
"Are you calling me a shorty? You're barely taller than me!" Kaien barked back.
"Why you little!" Hiyori, now enraged, chased after Kaien, but leaped out of the window before she could even get near him.
"Nyah, nyah you can't catch me," Kaien stuck his tongue out at Hiyori before he disappeared from the window.
"Gah, I'll get that little runt one day!" Hiyori yelled in frustration. Isshin was still laughing at the whole scene.
"What should I do now?" Kaien asked himself as he jumped along the roofs of buildings. "I don't want to go back home…I know, I'll drop by Shunsui's place!" He turned left and headed towards the Kuchiki manor.
"Good morning Kurosaki Taicho!" the Shinigami waiting at the front gates of the fifth division barracks greeted Ichigo and Rukia as they arrived for to begin their shift.
"Morning," Ichigo responded. He and Rukia walked through the various courtyards of the barracks, greeting their subordinates as they passed. On arriving at the captain's office, Ichigo was greeted by fourth seat Minazawa, fifth seat Mariko and sixth seat Tanaka. All three long serving officers had happily accepted a demotion in rank to allow Shibata Yuichi to rise to third seat status.
"Has anything new happened Minazawa?" Ichigo asked as he and Rukia entered the office.
"Yes Taicho," Minazawa nodded. "We've got four people who want to transfer to another division. There's also a stack of complaints from several noble families about their children's results."
"I guess it's pretty routine stuff," Ichigo said.
"Oh wait, there's something else I forgot to tell you. The President has sent you a letter ordering you to overturn his son's delisting from the Gotei 13."
"Priam's still prattling on about that? He should be lucky that his son wasn't sent to the Maggot's Nest after what he did. Oh well, tell him that I'll consider overturning the decision." Minazawa nodded and calmly exited the office.
"Ichigo, what are we going to do about Kaien?" Rukia asked. "He's going to run into trouble if we don't find him."
"What do you want me to do? You said you were going to deal with him," Ichigo replied.
"Fine then!" Rukia sulked. She motioned for Mariko to stand beside her.
"Is there something you want me to do, Kuchiki Fukutaicho?" Mariko asked.
"I want you to run a message to the second division ordering them to send a search party out for my son Kurosaki Kaien. If they find him, tell them to bring them here as soon as possible." Mariko nodded and she and Tanaka quickly left the office. Ichigo and Rukia started their morning work whilst hoping that Kaien would be found soon.
"Heh, heh, getting in was easier that I thought," Kaien said to himself as he crouched on a roof overlooking a twenty metre outdoor pool in one of the Kuchiki Manor's largest gardens. The pool had been a recent addition to the manor grounds, built on the orders of Kuchiki Byakuya for the sake of his son Shunsui. In Kaien's view, Shunsui was a spoilt rich brat who, despite being nearly a year younger, acted like he was far older and more superior than Kaien himself. Kaien loved playing practical jokes on him just to bring his ego down to size.
"Oh my god, he's eating a chocolate parfait," Kaien gasped as he saw Shunsui reclining on an outdoor deck chair. He was being tended to by two household servants.
"Fetch my sunglasses for me," Shunsui said.
"But master, the sun isn't shining bright today," one of the servants protested.
"I don't care! Do you dare disobey the orders of your superior? Don't forget I am the Heir to the Kuchiki Clan!" Shunsui's voice was so frightening that both servants scurried off to get his sunglasses without a second thought.
"Geez, he's such a prick," Kaien thought to himself as he perched on the wall overlooking the pool. With a mighty leap Kaien belly flopped into the water, causing an enormous splash that reached higher than the manor's roof. Then with the inevitable pull of gravity the water came crashing back down. Part it landed on an utterly gob-smacked Shunsui. Not only was he completely soaked but the splash caused his parfait to spill onto his hakama. Still trying to comprehend what had just happened, Shunsui gasped further in astonishment when a drenched Kaien hopped out of the pool and shouted "Howdy!"
"What the hell are you doing in my private garden?" Shunsui asked.
"I just dropped by to say hi to you," Kaien grinned.
"Do you know what you've done? Not only have you trespassed my family's property, but you've damaged the swimming pool, plus you've ruined my best hakama!" Kaien glanced at the white blob on Shunsui's pants and then turned around saw a section of the pool's side had cracked from the pressure of his splash.
"Oops, sorry about that," Kaien said.
"On the pride of the Kuchiki clan, I will make you pay for this!" Shunsui exclaimed.
"Let's see you try!" Kaien stuck out his tongue at Shunsui before turning around and jumping onto the wall again. "Come and catch me if you can!"
"So it's a foot race then. I will show the unparalleled speed of the Kuchikis, Shiba brat!" Shunsui called out. He Shunpo-ed onto the wall and chased after Kaien. Just then his two servants rushed into the garden carrying his sunglasses.
"Um, master, where have you gone?" One of the servants asked.
"Come back here!" Shunsui shouted.
"Nyah, nyah!" Kaien teased him again. The two boys jumped and occasionally Shunpo-ed across dozens of roof tops, taking them far away from the Kuchiki Manor. Shunsui started gaining ground on Kaien and eventually closed the gap to less than a pace between them.
"I'm faster than you!" Shunsui exclaimed. He accelerated his pace.
"Oh yeah?" Kaien asked. He also increased his pace, but in doing so he failed to keep track his surroundings. Without warning he ran straight into a column.
"Serves you right. I am faster than you!" Shunsui gloated. A second later he too smashed into something-except this time it was something squishy. It took him nearly a minute to realize his face was now squashed between a pair of enormous breasts.
"Why hello there, Shunsui-kun," Shihouin Yoruichi spoke to him a patronizing voice. "I hope you enjoyed feeling my boobs." Shunsui quickly ejected himself out of the sticky situation. His face was now bright red. Yoruichi Shunpo-ed to where Kaien was and plucked him by the legs.
"Looks like you two boys are in for a lot of trouble," she smiled.
"What do you mean?" Shunsui asked. "Kaien was the one who started it!"
"You've caused a commotion too, Shunsui-kun. You may return home now, but I shall send a message to your father." Shunsui gritted his teeth.
"I'll get you back, cat woman!" he mouthed at her before heading the other way.
"As for you, young man, you've sure caused a headache for your mum and dad," Yoruichi stared at Kaien. "Wait till I tell them what you've been up to."
A few hours later, Kaien was back at home eating dinner with his family, but his right cheek was now swollen courtesy of a slap from his mother.
"Next time you run away like that again I'll lock you inside your room for a day," Rukia scolded her son.
"Now, now Rukia, we can't be so hard on him," Ichigo laughed.
"He's nearly twenty. He should have learnt some responsibility by now, just like his sister."
"Kaien's not like Masaki you know. He's got the same wild streak that I used to have. Besides, he's still physically a child." Kaien sulked as he watched his mother and father argue over him. On the other side of the table he could see his sister happily eating a bowl of rice and fish.
"Why can't I enroll in the Academy Otoo-san?" Kaien asked his father. "I'm sick and bored of staying in the house all day."
"Your spiritual pressure hasn't matured enough, son. Plus, your reading and writing skills aren't good enough to pass the examinations yet," Ichigo explained.
"I don't care! I just want to get away from the house. You and Oba-san never take us anywhere interesting," Kaien complained. Ichigo stared at his son, and then looked at Rukia. They both sighed. Masaki seemed oblivious to Kaien's complaints.
"Oh well, I suppose we could take you to Karakura Cho and visit the Urahara Shoten," Rukia said. "We've got a day off tomorrow." Kaien and Masaki's faces lit up at this announcement.
Karakura City, Eastern Rukongai Districts 10-25, November 3rd
The metro train rolled to a stop at the station platform. The Kurosaki family, dressed in casual kimonos, walked stepped out of the train and headed up to the surface. They exited the station near the Mashiba District.
"Oba-san, I want to go to the shopping district," Masaki whined.
"We'll go there later dear. First we have to see Urahara-san," Rukia said to her daughter. The four of them walked a few hundred yards along a road until they arrived at a familiar two storey brick and timber shop.
"How long has it been since our last visit?" Ichigo asked Rukia.
"I'd imagine it to be five to six months," Rukia smiled. Ichigo knocked on the front door of the shop. A minute later the door slid open and they were greeted by a smiling Urahara Kisuke, dressed in his trademark green overcoat, slouch hat and wooden getas.
"Oh my, it's Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san," Urahara said with a happy expression. "It's good to see you again. And these must be your kids."
"Hello, Urahara-san," Kaien and Masaki greeted him.
"They're so polite," Urahara smiled. "Anyway, what brings all of you here?"
"We're just taking the children out for a stroll of Karakura Cho," Ichigo replied. "And I thought this place would be a good first stop."
"Well then, come inside all of you," Urahara said. He ushered the family into the shop. As Ichigo and Rukia proceeded to the living quarters, Kaien and Masaki took their time gazing at some of the bizarre and wonderful products that were on display. When the two kids finally ran through to the living quarters they were delighted to see Ururu and Jinta, Urahara's adopted children.
"Ururu-chan, it's so nice to see you again!" Masaki exclaimed. She rushed up to a slightly shocked Ururu and hugged her tightly.
"So you're back again squirt," Jinta glanced at Kaien. The red-haired boy, who had been playing a video game, stood up and looked at Kaien. They stared at each other for nearly a minute. Jinta was the first to crack.
"Argh, I don't believe it. You've gotten taller than me!" Jinta screamed out.
"Maybe you just haven't grown," Kaien teased him. Ichigo and Rukia watched the children's antics with amusement as they sat down at the round coffee table beside Urahara.
"So Ichigo, what's up in Seireitei lately?" Urahara asked.
"The usual boring stuff," Ichigo replied. "Same old boring paperwork, minor squabbles with the other divisions. Oh, and the President has really gotten on my nerve a few times."
"I knew it!" Urahara chuckled. "Either he or one of his family members was bound to be elected one day. Who knew he'd give up his role in the military just to ensure he was eligible."
"Relations between the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 have become much more strained under Priam than it was when you and Ganju were in power," Rukia said.
The three of them continued chatting for some time as Kaien and Masaki played with Ururu and Jinta. Then all of a sudden a hell butterfly flew into the living room and hovered over the coffee table.
"A group of rebels has laid siege to the Mayor's Office. Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia and Urahara Kisuke, the three of you must go and protect the mayor," The hell butterfly finished its transmission and flew off, leaving Ichigo, Rukia and Urahara all stunned.
"Did it tell us three mayor's office?" Ichigo asked.
"I think it said something about an attack by a group of rebels," Rukia replied.
"If Kukaku-san has requested our back-up, then we might as well help her," Urahara said. He grabbed his cane before calling Ururu and Jinta to his side.
"I have some business to attend to. Please watch over the store whilst I am away," Urahara said. Ururu and Jinta nodded.
"Kaien, Masaki, the two of you must say with Jinta and Ururu," Ichigo ordered his children.
"Alright," Kaien responded.
"Take care Otoo-san!" Masaki called out. Ichigo, Rukia and Urahara exited the shop and Shunpo-ed towards central Karakura Cho. Along the way they passed by a strange figure wearing a black hooded cloak. As he laid eyes on the figure, Ichigo wondered who he was, but he didn't have time to ponder the matter.
Within a few minutes the three of them reached the centre of Karakura Honchou and quickly located the streets around the Mayor's office. Sure enough, there was a fierce battle raging on both inside and around the building as dozens of scraggy men from Rukongai fought against the Keibi unit from the eleventh division. However the battle was almost entirely one-sided; the rag tag rebels were armed with makeshift swords, poles and axes, whilst each member of the Keibi was a fully trained Shinigami. Ichigo, Rukia and Urahara knocked out several rebels with the blunt ends of their katanas and pushed through to the front lobby of the building. They found the mayor herself, Shiba Kukaku, beating a rebel with her feet.
"Kukaku-san!" Ichigo called out.
"Oh Ichigo, I didn't expect you to show up here," Kukaku waved her left hand. "I'll just finish this guy off." She gave the man a final kick to the face, breaking his nose in a sickening crunch. Ichigo and Rukia winced.
"I see Kisuke is here as well. What brings the three of you here?" Kukaku asked.
"Uh, a hell butterfly sent us a message telling us to assist you in fighting off the rebels," Rukia replied.
"Really? I never requested any assistance. The Keibi and myself could have easily handled them all. There was no need for three captain-class people to come here."
"That's strange. If you weren't the one who sent the butterfly to us, then who did?" Ichigo asked. They pondered this puzzling situation for a while. Then Urahara had an idea.
"Ichigo-san, who is in charge of the hell butterfly network now?" Urahara asked.
"I think tenth division has the responsibility over it, but the President and the Central 46 have the authority to issue special hell butterflies."
"I thought so. It's unlikely that Hitsugaya Taicho would know about this, so those hell butterflies were probably sent by the President himself or the council."
"But why would they specifically tell the three of us to come here?" Rukia asked. Neither Urahara nor Ichigo had a clue. But something came to Kukaku's mind.
"Kisuke, did you leave someone in charge of your shop?" she asked Urahara.
"I told Jinta and Ururu to look after it," Urahara replied.
"And what about your children, Ichigo? Surely Jinta and Ururu couldn't keep an eye on them and take charge of the shop at the same time."
"My gosh you're right!" Ichigo slapped his forehead in frustration. "We really should have brought them with us."
"Well, seeing as Kukaku-san doesn't need our help, we might as well walk back," Rukia said. Ichigo and Urahara nodded.
Back at the Urahara Shoten, Ururu kept watch over the front counter, whilst Jinta, Kaien and Masaki took turns playing the video game console. As she was reading a book, Ururu noticed the front door of the shop open. She looked up to see who had come in. Her eyes widened in astonishment. It was a man with blonde hair going down to his shoulders and pale blue eyes. His face was very pale, almost whitish. But what was most distinctive about him were the clothes he was wearing. They were almost entirely white. A white doublet was paired with a white hakama, whilst around his shoulders draped a flowing white cloak. Ururu also noticed he was carrying a sword with a scabbard around his waist.
"Um, er, hello," Ururu greeted the man.
"Good morning," the man greeted Ururu in response. "May I see the manager of this store?"
"Um, the manager is away at the moment."
"I see. Can you tell me when he'll be back?" Ururu didn't know the answer to that question. She quickly called Jinta out to help her and explained the man's request.
"So you want to know when Urahara- san will be back. I'm afraid I can't tell the exact time. All I know is that he's gone with Kurosaki Taicho and Kuchiki Fukutaicho." The man's eyes flashed for a moment, before he settled down. He then browsed through the store, focusing extra attention on the shelves that had gigais and gikongans.
"Hmm, this one seems interesting," the man laid his hands on a small brown ball labelled 'Portable gigai'. "May I have one of these?" Ururu and Jinta realized he was holding Urahara's latest gigai model, which could block out the reiatsu of a Shinigami.
"Uh I think we've got a few of them in storage," Jinta replied. "Please wait here whilst we search for them." Jinta and Ururu went to the storage room and climbed down a set of stairs to the secret storage area, where copies of the latest inventions were kept. Neither of them was aware that the man had walked out of the shop as soon as they out of sight.
Meanwhile, Kaien and Masaki were still in the living room. Kaien continued playing the video game console, whilst Masaki was now flicking through Ururu's books.
"This is so boring. When are Otoo-san and Oka-san going to get back?" Masaki asked.
"Why do you care Nee-chan? We've got more freedom when they're not around," Kaien said. "I bet they'll take us to some boring plus after this."
"Whatever Onii-chan," Masaki brushed off Kaien's comment. She was about to fetch another book when a large black portal appeared in the middle of the living room without warning. The portal crushed the coffee table and created a crack in the floor. Masaki's eyes widened when she saw a man emerge from the portal. He wore the strangest clothes she had ever seen, and had a face so pale that to Masaki it seemed like he was a vampire.
"Hello there little girl," the man spoke to Masaki with a strange accent that was almost incomprehensible. Masaki was too frightened to say a word. But then she saw the man's eyes flash at Kaien, who so caught up in a video game that he was oblivious to the man's presence.
"Onii-chan, behind you!" Masaki called out. Kaien finally turned around and noticed the stranger standing behind him. He threw down the controller in his hands and stood up.
"Who the hell are you?" Kaien demanded. "What do you want?"
"You are Kurosaki Kaien, are you not?" the man asked. Kaien froze in shock.
"How, how do you know my name?" The man sniggered.
"I have no need to tell you. All you need to know is that you're coming with me."
"Just try and get me!" Kaien clenched both of his fists and attempted to channel his latent spirit energy, but the man pointed his right hand at him and a second later Kaien's body froze up.
"What, what is happening to me body?" Kaien asked. Before he could get a response and man Shunpo-ed behind Kaien and karate chopped his neck. Kaien was instantly knocked unconscious and the man hauled his limp body over his shoulder.
"Stop it you meanie!" Masaki screamed. She charged at the man without thinking but her effort was futile, for the man knocked her against her wall with a single push of his hand. The last image Masaki saw before blacking out was the man walking stepping through the portal with Kaien and vanishing into thin air.
At this moment Ururu and Jinta rushed out to the front of the store, having found a spare copy of the latest gigai model. They froze in their tracks, for the man was nowhere in sight.
"What the hell? He's gone!!" Jinta exclaimed. "Where the heck did he go?" Ururu suddenly sensed a surge of reiatsu coming from the living room and motioned Jinta to follow her. They rushed into the living room and found the place completely trashed. The coffee table was crushed, there was a huge crack along the floor and Masaki was slumped against a stack of books. But worst of all, there was no sign of Kurosaki Kaien.
Character descrptions and synopsis:
Kurosaki Ichigo: After losing his physical body in the final war against Aizen, Ichigo has become a full time Shinigami, and has assumed the roles of Captain of 5th division and the Head of the Shinigami Academy.
Kuchiki Rukia: Rukia married Ichigo after the war against Aizen was finished. She has also become the Lieutenant of 5th division.
Kurosaki Kaien: Ichigo and Rukia's son. He's named after and resembles the deceased 13th division Lieutenant Shiba Kaien.
Kurosaki Masaki: Ichigo and Rukia's daughter. She's named after Ichigo's deceased mother.
Kurosaki (Shiba) Isshin: Ichigo's father. Formerly a Royal Guard, Isshin's exploits in the war against Aizen allowed him to be re-enlisted in the Gotei 13. He is now the captain of the 13th division.
Urahara Kisuke: Urahara became the President of Seireitei and head of the Central 46 after the war against Aizen. He later served as mayor of Karakura Cho. Now he's resumed the role of a 'humble' entrepeneur.
Sarugaki Hiyori: The Lieutenant of 13th division. Like Isshin, Hiyori was re-enlisted in the Gotei 13 after the war against Aizen.
Shihouin Yoruichi: Yoruichi lost her left arm in the war against Aizen, as well a great deal of her former strength. She is now the Lieutenant of 2nd division, serving under Soifon.
Shiba Kukaku: She is the current mayor of Karakura Cho.
Jinta and Ururu: Urahara's adopted children. They continue to help him run the shop.
Kuchiki Shunsui: The son of Byakuya and Nanao. He is named after the former captain of 8th division, Kyoraku Shunsui.