Emm297: Hey everyone, welcome to the 1st chapter of the sequel to OUSF, Once Upon a Moonlit Twilight (OUMT)!

Gosh, I'm so excited!

I highly recommend that you read Once Upon a Sakura Flower (OUSF) before you start reading this fic, but it's ok if you don't want to. So, for the benefit of these people, I shall state here the 3 main points of OUSF.

Toushime Sakura is the new 9th squad captain, and her lieutenant is Hisagi Shuuhei.

Sakura is the girlfriend of Hitsugaya Toushiro.

They have been sent, along with Matsumoto, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Renji, to the real world to investigate the appearance of the Arrancar.

Sakura: Hey everyone, Emm-chan does not own Bleach, she only owns me and my Zanpakutou.

Emm297: Yup, so let's start the 1st chapter of Once Upon a Moonlit Twilight!

==x==

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DISREGARDED THE BOUNT ARC. JUST SO YOU KNOW.

It was exactly nine thirty in the morning and Sakura was already eating a breakfast of buttered toast and green tea. Her dark brown hair was in her usual ponytail, tied up with the white ribbon which Hitsugaya gave her when they were still living in Rukongai. A purple backpack could be seen on the floor, leaning against her table leg.

Finishing the last bit of her toast, Sakura took her plate and mug and walked over to her sink. She turned on the tap and started humming a random tune while washing up. Just then, there came a knock on the door.

"Coming!" she called, as she hurriedly dried her mug and plate. She ran over to the door and slid it open.

"Sakura, are you ready to go?" Hitsugaya Toushiro stood in the doorway with a dark blue bag in his right hand.

"Yeah, just let me get my backpack."

Turning around, Sakura rushed over to her table and picked up her bag. After taking one last look around, she joined her boyfriend outside her room.

"Remind me again why we need to be at the Senkaimon twenty minutes earlier?" Sakura asked, as they were walking out of her division, aka the 9th.

"Yamamoto sou-taicho wants to brief us on some other details," replied Hitsugaya. "Now, come on, or we'll be late!" He took Sakura by the hand, and in a flash, they were gone.

==x==

"Ahh, Hitsugaya-taicho and Toushime-taicho. You're here." Said Yamamoto, as soon as the two captains came into his view.

"Now, I just want to brief you on some details regarding your posting," he started. "One, as soon as you get there, proceed to the Urahara shop for your gigai. I have already informed him that you will be dropping by today. Two, let me remind you that it is your duty, as Shinigami to ensure that all hollows are exterminated and that all pluses should be sent to Soul Society. Three, as captains, you are responsible for your team as well as for yourselves. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Yamamoto sou-taicho. But may I ask, what do we do after we get our gigai?" Sakura inquired.

"Just do as you deem fit." Came the old man's answer, right before he flash-stepped away.

"TAICHO! SAKURA-TAICHO-CHAN!" came an all-too-familiar voice. Matsumoto came into view, with Yumichika, Renji and Ikkaku walking behind her.

"Ohaiyo, Rangiku-chan!" greeted Sakura, as she was pulled into a tight morning embrace by Matsumoto.

"Can we get going now?" Ikkaku asked, with a hint of excitement in his voice. "I wanna kill some hollows!"

As if on cue, the Senkaimon opened, and the 6 of them stepped into it, following the hell butterfly that fluttered in before them.

==x==

"Urahara-san! Are you in there?" called Sakura, as she stepped into the Urahara Shop, closely followed by her 5 other companions.

"Sakura-san! Over here!" Urahara yelled back. It seemed that his voice was coming from the sitting room.

Leading the way, Sakura took a turn at the left and saw Urahara sitting by the table, with his fan spread out in front of his face.

"I'm assuming you need a gigai each?" Urahara said. Before they could answer, the cupboard nearby opened, and 6 gigais could be seen.

Ikkaku was the first to walk over to the cupboard, with Matsumoto, Renji and Yumichika going next. Sakura and Hitsugaya went last to collect their gigais.

"Dang, this thing is so difficult to squeeze into…" cursed Ikkaku.

Sakura laughed, causing the others to look up at her. Despite being the last to obtain her gigai, Sakura was the fastest at slipping it on.

"Sakura-taicho, how can you even squeeze in this thing?" Renji asked, as he continued with the battle with his gigai.

"It should be because I've had practice. I was posted here once, remember?" Sakura responded. "Say, Urahara-san, why are all our gigais in the Karakura High Uniform?" she asked while looking down at herself. Everyone's gigais were also in the white and grey clothing.

"Ahh, I was wondering when you would ask that." He answered. "The best thing for you to do now, is to go over to Ichigo's school. Get some answers from him, you know?"

Half-nodding and half-shrugging, Sakura returned to focusing her attention on her teammates' miserable attempt to put on their gigais.

==x==

At Karakura High School…

"Hey, who are those people?"

"Look at that one! Shouldn't he be in Elementary School?"

"They look strange to me…"

"Isn't that Toushime-san? I thought she moved?"

"What's with that guy's wooden sword?"

"Ikkaku-san, I told you not to bring your wooden sword along! See? Everyone is staring!" whispered Renji.

"Hey, it's not my fault you said I couldn't bring a real one!" Ikkaku retorted.

"It's not we who said so. It's the law here." Yumichika said.

"I just don't understand! What kind of stupid law says that you can't carry a real sword?" said an exasperated Ikkaku.

"A human one. Are you that idiotic?" Matsumoto interjected, and the 4 of them started to argue about Ikkaku bringing a wooden sword to school.

"Shut up, you guys. Don't start a commotion and just walk quietly!" Hitsugaya said calmly.

"Okay, taicho!" Matsumoto replied.

Sakura giggled and looked up. "Here we are, this is the room!" she exclaimed, stopping underneath a sign that read '1-3'.

"Open the door," Hitsugaya instructed. Renji immediately stepped forward and slid open the wooden classroom door.

"Morning, how have you been Ichigo?" Renji greeted cheerfully. Ichigo, who was cleaning the blackboard, looked up and a look of surprise filled his face.

"R-Renji! Ikkaku! Yumichika! Rangiku-san! Sakura! Toushiro!" He exclaimed.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya to you!" Hitsugaya replied angrily as usual.

Ichigo ignored him and looked at Sakura. "Why are you guys here anyway?"

"Orders from the sou-taicho himself." Sakura explained. "We're to investigate the recent appearances of the Arrancar as well as to prepare for the battle with them by joining forces with the Shinigami Representative in the real world."

"Who's the Arrancar?"

This time, it was Renji who spoke. "You fought without knowing who the enemy was?"

Ichigo looked confused. "Fighting?"

Suddenly, there came a voice from the windows. "Idiot! Those guys that tore you up the other day!"

Ichigo turned. There, in the window, stood the ever-familiar face of Kuchiki Rukia.

"Ru…Rukia!" Ichigo said, surprised.

Sakura looked over at the raven-haired girl. Rukia smiled a little before a frown donned her face. Sensing what was about to happen, Sakura quickly stepped in front of Ichigo and her arm came in contact with Rukia's right foot.

"Sakura-taicho!" Rukia cried out. "Wh…what?"

"Sakura, what the heck were you doing?" asked Hitsugaya.

Sakura cast Hitsugaya an apologetic look before looking back at Rukia. "If you don't mind, I would like to speak to Ichigo first. And after I'm done with him, you can do whatever you want to him." Then, she took him by the arm before jumping out the window.

==x==

"Sakura! What's up with you?" Ichigo demanded as they landed on the 5th floor of a block in the school.

"Baka! What's wrong with you? You look so damn scared and worried, and it's not the Ichigo I know! The real Ichigo would face his problems bravely and would do everything he could to fix it!"

Ichigo clammed up immediately and stared at his feet. "Well, people change, and the Ichigo you knew no longer exists."

"Don't give me that crap! People don't change after losing one battle, people change after a lot of stuff happens to them! So what happened to you?"

"I couldn't protect anyone, okay?" Ichigo suddenly yelled, and Sakura was momentarily stunned by his sudden outburst. Ichigo turned to face the railings and started pounding it with his fists.

"I couldn't protect Chad. And I couldn't even protect Inoue! I had to watch her get beaten up by the Arrancar, and I couldn't do a thing about it 'cause I was so darn weak! Don't you know how frustrating it is? And when I saw Inoue today, covered in bandages from head to toe, I felt horrible, and I kept telling myself that it was my fault! My own damn fault! All because I was too weak!"

Sakura placed her hand on his right shoulder. "Ichigo, don't you get it? It's not about their injuries, it's not whether you let them get beaten up," she turned him to face her before continuing. "It's about what you're gonna do about it that matters the most. That's what the Ichigo I know would realize too."

Ichigo's eyes widened for a moment before resuming their normal shape. Sakura watched as his expression became one of deep concentration.

"But what if the Ichigo you knew didn't realize that at all?"

Sakura flashed him an encouraging smile. "Then I hope the Ichigo I knew realizes it now."

It took a moment for those words to sink in, but Ichigo managed to return the smile. "Yeah, I think he realizes it now. Thanks, Sakura."

"Anytime. And you better be prepared. Rukia's getting ready to kill you."

"Oh haha." He replied sarcastically, as the two of them walked back to the classroom.

==x==

Emm297: There's chapter one of Once Upon a Moonlit Twilight! Hope you guys enjoyed it! :)

Happy new year 2009 to one and all, and thanks for the overwhelming response to the 1st installment, Once Upon a Sakura Flower! I can never say this enough, but you guys rock!

Well then, catch ya in the 2nd chapter of the 2nd installment to the 'Once Upon a' series! Review or add as story alert or favourite story please! That's the best new year's present ever :)

See you soon!