Bella dances up to her front door, followed by Ichigo's laughter. She's still pleasantly buzzed from last night, the world a little unfocused at the edges as she spins around, saluting her cousin with Shinji's stolen hat.
Skipping into the kitchen, she stops at the bin to throw out the 'cookies' Orihime had sent over with Kisuke, There's a faint purple miasma around them and she wrinkles her nose, turning to write Charlie a note about the possibly hazardous waste in there.
Humming Milord as she made her way up to her room, she nearly knocks over the nail polish bottles on her nightstand with her backpack. She needed to give those back to Angela and Jessica. Pushing aside her newest knitting project, she digs around her bag, fishing out the care-package sent by Yuzu and Rukia's drawing of Bella.
She lets out a triumphant 'whoop' when she finds a box of matcha pocky in the package. She skips over to her desk, ready to pin the drawing onto her corkboard next to various photos and mementoes. There's a new pair of safety glasses on her book about Kidou. Looks like her dad went out shopping. Her typewriter had been moved too, the tapestry of the Shiba clan covering it up now. She really needed to send Uryuu a 'thank you' letter.
Phantasmagoria laughs when Bella mimes Shinji and Ichigo's dancing from the previous night with one of her pillows, even dipping it for the added flair. They had celebrated Ichigo's and Lilly's anniversary, also inviting over Renji and Rukia. It was an amazing evening, even if she didn't remember half of it after she had kissed Lilly on a dare.
She has new friends, even more family and something more interesting going on with Shinji, although the age-difference is even more stellar than before. She has goals set for her future, hobbies outside of relationships. She is happy. Happier than ever. There's power running through her veins, a companion who'll be there with her forever and a safety-net that accepts her, no matter what she decides to change.
She falls into bed with a smile that has her cheeks aching, fantasizing about the shopping-trip Lilly had promised. Thrift-shopping in London sounded amazing.
"Why are you running after him?" Jacob asks her when she's trying to write a note to Charlie, trying to explain the situation in as few words she can.
"Because he's Alice's brother." She pins it to the fridge, reaching for her phone to call Ichigo for help. "And since he's so obsessed with me, I'll be the only one able to stop him."
"But what if you stayed here and let him read the information from her mind?"
"I have other reasons too. There's a council I need to talk with and if everything goes according to plan, Ichigo and Lilly will be there too." Ichigo finally picks up, and she launches into an explanation, following Alice out of the house.
Bellacurses the fact she can't Shunpo while still in her body when faced with the crowds of Volterra. They were closely packed, and she only had a vague idea of where she needed to go, so stepping on a few toes was inevitable.
There's a clock tower to her right and she turns abruptly, ducking under a random arm and jumping into the fountain. She can feel Ichigo and Lilly trail her, taking the easier route on the rooftops.
She slams into Edward with as much force as she can muster, knocking him back into the shadows. His eyes are wide as he takes her in, sprawled out onto the cold stone floor. He...looks like shit. Even with his supernatural good looks, he looks haunted and even paler. His eyes are dark, lips shining with venom as he tried to get his thoughts together. This was the boy she let ruin her life. He looks at her, then at the crowds behind her, his expression changing.
"Don't you dare! I didn't come here for you to try killing yourself again!"
His eyes widen, and she barely has time to catch herself before there are cold arms around her, pulling her close against his cold chest. She'd forgotten how it felt, with Jacob and Lilly burning hot, like furnaces, and Ichigo and Charlie having normal temperatures. He kisses her, and for a brief moment, Bella is lost in her past. She's just a normal human girl with a vampire boyfriend, whom she loves more than anything.
Then Phantasmagoria roars in her head, threatening their bond. What is she doing? She had promised to get over him, didn't she? Breaking away, she wipes her mouth, panting. This was a mistake. But at least she now knew she could resist him.
"I renounce the protection of the Cullen Clan." Her words seemed to echo in the large chamber they were in. Alice and Edward whirled around to stare at her, both of them looking betrayed. However, she could feel Lilly and Ichigo just outside the castle and even Phantasmagoria was rearing to go, even if they barely lasted a couple of minutes during their Release. "And I refuse to become a vampire!" Another nail in the coffin of her past.
Aro, or whatever was his name, looked shocked, the members of his guard remaining indifferent.
"Bella you can't!" Edward tried to grab her arm, but she sidestepped him, flaring her Spiritual Pressure.
"You do realize, Isabella, that you're choosing death," Aro told her, eyes full of glee at the idea of a prospective meal.
"Good thing she'd already done that months ago." Ichigo and Lilly appeared next to her, pale lavender mist enveloping them. The vampires reeled back, the guard rallying around their King and Bella took a moment to enjoy the fear of their expression before dropping her body.
The change was still dizzying and she had had to grab onto Lilly for support.
"Done. Technically, I'm dead right now," she tells Aro, smiling at him as she shifts her weight over to Phantasmagoria. Her blade is there to support her, offering up one gruesome illusion after the other when the Italian vampires are still poised to attack.
Edward lets out a pained sound, lunging at her body. Lilly growls at him, eyes flashing gold, as he cradles it close to his chest, checking for a pulse. The mist shifts around them, coalescing into her signature khopeshes and Ichigo pulls out Ossan, holding it next to his hip.
"What did you do?!" He hisses at her, and Bella raises an eyebrow at his angry expression. She glances at Alice, who has her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide, and kneels down to be on the same level as Edward.
"I chose a long life," It's satisfying to throw his words back at him and his eyes widen when he hears her heartbeat, still powerful and strong even without a body.
"The Shiba Clan has decided to pursue the education and protection of one of their still human members, namely Isabella Swan." Ichigo told the Volturi, back straight and head held high. She had to bite back a laugh as Lilly shifted beside her, letting out a dreamy sigh. "She is a valuable member of our family. Any offence done against her is an offence done against our Clan, and the retribution will be dire."
They may have been a clan with few members, but, besides Bella, who was lacking in training, they were powerhouses. Former assassins and people who took down gods when pushed into action. And she could shield them if needed. If the pain Jane had inflicted on Edward could spread to them too. And they had friends. Lilly had told her multiple times that her cousins would help her in need, and where Kisuke went, Yoruichi followed.
They let them go when Ichigo brings his Reiatsu down on them like a hammer. It crushes her ribs and makes breathing harder, but it's worth it when the vampires collapse around them. Lilly is holding her, eyes still glued to Edward, her scowl mirroring her husband's.
Bella shares a look with Lilly when she helps her stand after re-entering her body. The air shifts around them, the khopeshes flashing briefly, and Edward lets out a pained gasp.
"Bella…"
"We'll talk when we get home." She interrupts him, turning towards the exit. She links arms with Lilly, both of them smiling in satisfaction and they walk away from the Volturi, humming. Ichigo just lets out a groan, and there is shuffling behind them. Bella looks back long enough to see him grab Edward by the robe and drag him out of there, Alice trailing after them.
They don't talk on the plane. Bella calls Charlie, tells him what happened, while Edward glares at her and Alice looks lost, then she walks back to Lilly and Ichigo, curling up against her side.
Shinji is waiting for them at the airport, and she greets him with her middle finger when he bursts out laughing at her hair.
"Fuck you and the horse you rode in."
"Glad to see you too, Sunshine. I see Italy has done wonders to your hair."
"And you're still as ugly as ever. And an asshole."
"Should we...intervene?" Alice asks Ichigo behind them, Lilly glaring Edward into silence.
"No need. That's just how they flirt."
They pile into Lilly's jeep, and she takes great pleasure in Edward's face when she snuggles up against Shinji, Alice squealing in delight from the back. Lilly turns on the radio and the rest of the trip is filled with three of them singing while Ichigo hums along and Edward stares out the window.
The cruiser is in their driveway when they finally reach her house.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? We shouldn't talk with your dad also there," Edward finally speaks up, still sitting in the car.
"He already knows, kid."
"Your hair is so…" Alice tells her the moment they are alone in their kitchen. She'd been staring at her lob for a while now, most likely trying to decide if the present had matched up with her visions.
"Hopefully not as bad as Shinji's?" Bella offers, pointing towards one of the cupboards. If she remembered correctly, they still had some of her dad's favourite chocolate-chip cookies.
"I heard that!" Rings through the house and Alice lets out a little chuckle at his indignation. Damn, she'd missed her.
"Good!" She yells back, winking at the vampire who presents her find triumphantly.
"You had 600 years to develop your sense of style and came up with this," she gestures at his head when they return to the living room, "so I think you deserve the teasing."
"Like you're the one to talk. I've seen yer pictures before they turned up." He jabs a thumb in the Kurosakis general direction, only to get a pillow to the back of his head in response.
"I'm in my 'period of experimentation'. What's your excuse?"
AN: Charlie knows about everything.
And a quick disclaimer before anyone gets ideas: Bella will only have feelings in this story, and no romantic relationships. Maybe in the epilogue, but not right now.
And while I love Shinji as a character, man do I hate his bangs after the time skip. I have uneven bangs too, but not like that. That looks like he got drunk one night, found a pair of scissors and went to town with them.