4 years later
The war had been won. But there had been a high cost on all sides. Aizen and Tousen were dead. Gin had turned out to be a spy for the shinigami's side however was discovered before being able to reunite with the Gotei 13 for Aizen had him hunted and killed feet before he was able to reach Matsumoto.
"I truly am sorry," were the former Third Division Taicho's last words to his life long friend.
Matsumoto Rangiku had not been herself since. She still drinks, she still fools around, but never once since then has the entire Soul Society had to listen to Captain Histugaya yell across the entire complex "MATSUMOTO!!"
The second division now had a captain with one arm and though she says that she is fine, the captain can be found many times staring at the open space that had once been where her limb was with pained expression on her face. That didn't mean she gave anyone slack which is why many of the shadow corps would be seen flying through wall while a very moody Soi Fon wished to train.
The third division captain had been replaced, without protest by Kira who pulled himself together and brought the division out from the shambles and into a perfectly functioning squad.
The Fifth division captainship was taken over Hinamori a year after the war. There had been much screaming and many protests from her and from Yamamoto in concerns to her mental health and stability to run the squad. The girl had sucked everything up, sealed all her emotions down inside and went to the Soutaicho, proudly stating that she would not take no for an answer. Yamamoto relented and she was promoted. The fifth division is not in it's final stages of recovering the lost paperwork during Aizen's time.
Komamura of the seventh division still mourns the death of Tousen. However, the giant fox does not dwell on it at all. He has befriended most of the captains however, there is always the sense of longing when he is seen walking alone, always to the left side of the road for Tousen was supposed to fill in his right half.
Shunsui had survived his fight with the arrancar however, the once active playboy was now a reserved man, having watching Nanao killed right in front of his eyes, then saying goodbye to his old vice captain, Lisa, when she returned to what was left of the Vizards.
No one was surprised when Hisagi took over the captainship after Tousen's elimination. He and Kira were still close, drinking together, talking constantly, and trading papers. The society had come to accept them as lovers almost for there was no way or time in which the two, if off work, were seen apart.
The Eleventh Division suffered heavy casualties but most had been proud to have died in action. Kenpachi himself had gained many more scars to add to his wall body, including a star shaped one that spread itself over his heart, a lovely parting gift from that annoyance of an Espada, Yammy. Yachiru was still a hyper ball of energy, constantly chewing on Ikkaku's head to try and restore the eccentric warrior back to his old self. Ikkaku had began to come out of his shell, but no matter what, the bald man's eyes were empty and without the usual demented spark. Yumichika had disappeared off the battlefield. The last time Ikkaku had seen him was when the other man was pressed up against his back, fighting off a rather big arrancar before they were separated again, Ikkaku going into his own bloodthirsty battle and Yumichika saying he wanted to locate the captain. After the dust, blood, and battle field had settled, the pretty boy was no where to be found.
The 12th division was the one who had not changed at all. Mayuri was still creepy and Nemu was still gorgeous. Life went on as normal in their labs, except for the occasional fit thrown when Mayuri and Urahara have a disagreement about the direction of an experiment which in the end, Urahara usually won.
Ukitake Jushiro had passed away due to his illness and was mourned throughout the Seireitei. Rukia applied immediately for captainship and like Hinamori, was doubted due to her mental state. A heated slap and the stomping of a foot with a very stubborn head of the Kuchiki house ended all other arguments.
The 6th division itself had changed. There were new stations assigned. The chaos was lessened, but there was still the overwhelming question of, "Where is Kuchiki-Taicho?" Though the old noble had betrayed them to join Aizen, there had been no trace of him during the final fight. The records had all been scanned. It was as if after the noble's betrayal, he had simply disappeared off the face of all three worlds.
In order to better understand the circumstances around them, Yamamoto allowed reconnaissance missions to the Hueco Mundo to scour the area and check for the existence of Vasta Lordes and Espada. They were also under strict orders not to attack unless provoked. These missions have benefited the records greatly. Things were the usual, until that day.