Tatsuki threw her karate gi to the laundry and changed into a new outfit before jumping onto her bed. She let out a long sigh while covering her face with her arm, thinking hard.
She had been able to see strange stuff since a while ago, right after Ichigo told them that he had fought a monster named Hollow and became a Shinigami.
Apparently, Kuchiki Rukia gave her power to him. Tatsuki remembered this part well. However, the problem didn't end there.
Not even a day had passed, and Ichigo had disappeared again. This time along with Shirou, Sado, and even Orihime. They went to a different place and only returned a few weeks ago.
The worst part? They didn't even tell her. As if she wasn't their friend.
It hurt her to be kept in the dark. But what could she do?
All she could do was simple karate.
Tatsuki was strong, yes. But could she fight the men who appeared that time?
Just standing in front of their presence caused her to feel fear, and she felt a shiver ran through her body, and she couldn't move at all. Her body felt like a rock, refusing to obey her command.
And she saw how powerful Shirou was. Not only that, she found out how dangerous it actually was.
Even when she was down, she didn't lose her consciousness and witnessed his fight against the giant man.
Tatsuki couldn't believe her own eyes, watching the red-haired boy, the boy whom she knew for many years, fought like that.
But that wasn't what was on her mind at the moment.
No.
The thought that plagued her was the question.
"Why did he lie?" She muttered, staring at her ceiling. She recalled the conversation she had with Shirou a few days ago, when they were having lunch together.
No danger would come to him again, he said. What was that earlier?
Earth was gouged and a mountain was leveled, for crying out loud! That was the result of a battle between him and those two weird people! Not to mention, that strange guy with a hole on their chest!
'How could he say that?'
Tatsuki was angry at him. But at the same time, she understood.
If the enemies were really as strong as they appeared to be, it meant that she wouldn't stand a chance. She would only be a baggage for him. So, it made sense for her to stay behind and away from the battlefield.
But still, it was annoying.
And the last straw was that Ichigo seemed to be at the same level as them, with him having the same black clothing and wielding the giant sword.
Her childhood friend was fighting against an unknown enemy, an enemy that could kill her without a sweat. And she didn't know how to help them, she couldn't do anything.
That frustrated her to no end.
She felt useless, powerless, helpless.
"Dammit..." She cursed under her breath, feeling powerless, "Dammit..."
Her tears fell from the corner of her eyes and her voice trembled as she sobbed, her fist clenching tightly. She couldn't hold it anymore, and the tears continued flowing down her cheeks, streaming freely down her face.
Tatsuki wanted to help them.
She really did.
Who wouldn't feel like her?
Back then, she was the strongest woman in Japan, the runner-up in a tournament even with a broken arm. Now, she probably was the weakest, save for Keigo and Mizuiro.
She didn't know how to deal with that. How could she deal with her friend, no, friends who could do incredible things and could see ghosts and monsters?
Tatsuki could do nothing. Nothing at all. She could just stay on the sideline and watch them do the fighting for her, protecting her.
It was too much for her pride.
'No.' She thought as she wiped her tears, 'I have to stop this.'
How? The question plagued her mind as she thought hard. She had no spiritual power and no ability to fight the enemy. So what could she do?
There must be something she could do.
'I can't just sit here...'
Yes, that was the correct mindset. She couldn't let herself just sit around and wait.
Tatsuki was no damsel in distress who would just sit around and let the men do the work. She was a strong independent woman.
She could find something that could help them. Or even better, she could find a way to protect herself from those hollows and their enemies.
That would be the best outcome. If she could protect herself, then it meant that her friends didn't need to worry about her safety and they could concentrate on the fight.
Not only that but she could also help in the fight.
Her mind worked harder as she thought of ways to help them.
'Should I train to increase my physical power? No, they said that spiritual power is the one needed to fight hollow.'
Tatsuki was pretty sure she had no spiritual power. Not to the point that she could kill a hollow with it at the very least.
How to get that kind of power was a mystery for her, and she knew that it wasn't easy. If it was, then everyone would already have it. So she needed some kind of external factor to give her power.
Something that could give her spiritual power, something that could make her a bit stronger. Or something that could enhance her physical power to the level that she could fight the hollows like Sado.
That was her homework right now.
Where to ask? The answer was unexpectedly close.
Tatsuki rose from her bed and grabbed her flip phone. She dialed a number and waited for the owner to pick up the call. It only took a few seconds before someone answered.
"Hello?" The person spoke.
"Orihime, do you have a minute?" Tatsuki said, "There is something I need to ask you."
***
In Soul Society, there was a department called Shinigami Research Institute. It was headed by the 12th Division Captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He was one of the smartest people in the Soul Society, even among the captain level.
His intelligence and creativity in making inventions had given him a lot of respect from many other Shinigamis and even his own subordinate.
However, despite all of his talents, the captain of 12th division had one major problem; he didn't really have a moral compass.
For the sake of experience, he would do anything even sacrificing the people around him.
Because of that, the 12th Division's member count was the lowest among the rest of the Division, even after adding the researcher from the Institute.
It wasn't a secret that most of them were forced to join because no one wanted to join his squad.
No one was sane enough, at least.
However, once again, his intelligence couldn't be denied, even by the people who despised him.
So when the researcher found something interesting, the first person who got the information was the said man. He was the one who found the anomaly in the world after all.
"Arrancar had been born and was spotted in the Human World."
Akon, the 3rd seat of 12th division, informed the captain about his finding. He stared at the radar on the screen in front of him before continuing. "The energy signature matches the Hollow's. However, the amount of the power is at least on par with a Lieutenant- No, Captain-class."
He paused and looked at the man standing beside him with an unreadable expression.
The man, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, stared at the monitor and hummed in interest, "Hmm... I see."
His appearance was strange just like his action, he wore a face painting with hollowed eyes and jagged teeth. His face was never shown without the paint on, and his hairstyle was weird. He was wearing the same robe like other captains but his was a little bit longer, reaching his shin.
"So, they are real after all. Not just a mere myth. Arrancar, a hollow that took off their mask and gained Shinigami power."
"Yes." Akon replied.
"Interesting! How interesting!" Mayuri grinned. He then turned to the man, "Show the graphical report!"
Akon nodded and pulled a few pages of papers, giving it to the captain.
Mayuri looked at the report in his hand and read the contents carefully. His face turned from curious to surprise, to excitement. He licked his lips as his eyes gleamed with interest.
"Yes, yes, yes! That is good, indeed! Very Good!" The captain cackled and slammed his hand onto the table, "Very good! We need to gain more data about this. Nemuri number 7, write everything and make sure to add the details about the encounter."
"Yes, Mayuri-sama."
A black-haired woman standing behind them jumped at his order and hurriedly did what he asked her. She moved precisely, like a robot.
Calling her that wasn't exactly wrong. As Nemuri was a mod soul created by Mayuri itself.
And so, Soul Society began to notice the arrancar as a strange laugh echoed in the institute, signaling that a storm was coming.
***
Meanwhile in Hueco Mundo.
The white desert was covered in sandstorm. Sand filled the air, and there was nothing else other than the white sand and black sky and the moon hanging around the eternal night.
The moonlight illuminated the barren wasteland and revealed the existence of a lone building standing in the middle of the wasteland. The white building, Las Noches, stood tall amidst the white sand and was the only building around the wasteland.
It was a place where Hollow lived. And in a certain place inside Las Noches, a man with slicked back brown hair rose from the water bed.
Water dripped down from his body, revealing a well-built man.
Another man with white hair appeared while bringing clothes.
"Have your wounds healed, Aizen-sama?" Ichimaru Gin asked with his usual sly smile.
"Almost." Aizen replied, looking at his new arm.
Thanks to Hogyoku, his reiatsu, and some knowledge he had gained from his own research, he managed to heal his wound inflicted by Kurosaki Shirou.
To be honest, he had never expected such resistance. But that was in the past. Right now, his power was far greater than it used to be. No one could beat him now. And no one would stand a chance against him.
Not even Kurosaki Ichigo and his allies, not even Soul Society, and not even the Royal Guards. Because...
He was the god of the world. And no one could go against a god.
He was the one who would grasp this world in his hand, and no one would be able to change his destiny. He had made sure of that. Everything had been going well according to his plan. And the only one who had a chance to disrupt his plan would soon be dead.
"Now, the next stage of the plan is the destruction of Karakura Town." He said as he stepped out from his bath, "And the creation of Key. For that..."
He looked at the sky, where the moon was shining.
"... We need to eliminate all factors that may interfere."
"Should we get rid of them right away?" Gin asked, raising his head. "I can go and do it, if ya allow me, Aizen-sama."
Aizen smiled at his subordinate's enthusiasm and shook his head. "No, you don't need to. We can send our troops to take care of the problem. The Espadas will do."
***
Go read more chapters in my pat- reon / ShuviLily