Xover: Jump Force (The Rewrite) - [CONTINUED]

Tatsuki Arisawa

Chapter 05: Tatsuki Arisawa

(Karakura Town, Japan (Shortly before the abduction of Ichigo Kurosaki))

On a rooftop in the middle of a vast town bathed in the light of an afternoon sun, there stood a tall and muscular black-suited and gold armored humanoid with red stripes over his purple-skinned bald head and around his eyes. He beheld a hooded figure, surrounded by scores of monstrous creatures. The fierce-looking man barked his orders at the one standing before him.

"The artifact I seek is being closely guarded by a troublesome individual residing somewhere in this world. The powers I have granted you will enable you to locate and retrieve the item. Bring it to me and I shall give you the means to fulfil all you desire." the foreboding man known as Kane boomed.

The hooded figure inclined their head, indicating they had understood, and dissappeared almost instantly. The creatures, swathed in shadow and with few other discernable features besides red eyes, turned to follow, heading in the direction of purple storm clouds forming in the sky ahead.

~Line Break~

(Elsewhere in Karakura Town)

Tatsuki Arisawa was worried.

It had been nearly two weeks since the 17-year-old girl's classmate and friend Ichigo Kurosaki defeated Kugo Ginjo and the group of Fullbringer humans known as Xcution and restored his Shinigami powers. She was particularly relieved about the defeat of Shukuro Tsukishima as she took the ability to rewrite one's memories as a personal insult, especially those concerning one's friends. One would think Kurosaki would be happy, but lately he seemed more reserved, or even on edge. For some reason, she was glad Kurosaki's dad and sisters were out of town right now, at least she hoped that's all that had happened (A/N: I couldn't think of a reason why they're out of town.)

Perhaps it was a lack of Hollow activity in the area lately, which even the Substitute Shinigami's close allies had noticed. Or perhaps the recent string of missing persons reports that were becoming all too prolific. There was a time Tatsuki wouldn't have automatically assumed anything out of the ordinary must have a supernatural origin. But with all she'd experienced since exposure to the insane world of Kurosaki, she couldn't shake the feeling that something very weird was afoot, nor that something much worse was coming.

Tatsuki leant back in her bedroom chair and sighed. He hadn't been answering her texts for a while now, and her most recent text exchange with her very best friend Orihime Inoue (her plan to catch up with him along with Sado and Ishida), did little to reassure her. Tatsuki had to inwardly admit she was both impressed, and slightly envious, of how far her two closest friends had come. Orihime (whom she had loved like a sister since Day 1) with her beautiful aura, and Kurosaki. The boy who had come a long way from the crybaby who blubbered every time she kicked his butt at karate, until he saw his mother, to the young man who with fantastic new powers had saved the world a dozen times over by now. The boy who she might have had the teeniest, tiniest crush on when she was 9 (before accepting he was absolutely meant for her 'sister' (A/N: No hating from IchiRuki Shippers please!)). The boy who would transverse the worlds, going on adventures with Orihime and their new group of friends (Ishida, Sado, Kuchiki, and the red-haired guy), while their old tomboy friend watched from the sidelines. She knew her best friends would never want her to feel left out.. but.. compared to them, she could never shake the feeling of being so... useless?

Catching her eye, Tatsuki looked through her window and saw purple storm clouds formed in the sky... soon followed by.. PORTALS!?!

Tatsuki's next thoughts were as follows:

'Portals.. In the sky?.. Supernatural?.. Kurosaki..?.. Urahara!!'

As if He'd read her mind (which, considering the technology at his disposal, he just might have), her phone just received a voicemail from the owner of a certain candy outlet that never seemed to close, telling her to meet him at the address concerning certain someones MIA. Tatsuki didn't need telling twice.