Chapter 2: An Everyday Occurence

Transcending Bonds

Summary: What does Sasuke see beyond his blade? That is the question he struggles to answer as he slowly remembers his forgotten past. When the question does really matter and he realizes the answer, to whom will he point his blade to: his new bonds or his old ones? Originally written by Imperialpatty

He dreamt the same dream again, of a burning white tower surrounded by scorching black flames, and a man with unique crimson eyes. Besides him were three wraiths made of mist, whose faces were obscured and their names unknown to him. Yet they knew his and said it with such familiarity Sasuke wondered just who they were to him.

"Sasuke!" The wraith on his left called him. It was feminine, laced with worry and concern. "Sasuke, what do we do?"

They were four against one, hard pressed, and struggling. The crimson-eyed man stood across from them, his attire an immaculate white, his face obscured by shadows. Only his tomoe-ridden scarlet eyes that burned clearly before Sasuke was visible.

"You thought you had triumphed over me," the crimson-eyed man said to them. "You were wrong. Your existence will end here, forever."

"No way!" The wraith on his right had a loud voice that bellowed with undying determination. "We stopped you before, and we'll do it again!"

"That was before," the crimson-eyed man pointed out. "And this is now." The tomoes shifted and turned, taking on a new shape as they combined together around his pupils. Sasuke's wraith companions spread out around their foe, weapons drawn and readied.

"We take him together," said the last wraith. His voice was cool and collected and spoke with experience.

Sasuke unsheathed his sword and poised it in a reverse grip. The blade was covered with electricity, the sounds of a thousand birds chirping filled the air.

"And now it begins..." said the crimson-eyed man. He crossed his arms across his chest as the black flames surrounded him, taking the shape of a four-armed creature.

"No," Sasuke said with deadly finality in his voice. "Now you end."

As they bore forth in a clash of fire and death, the black flames consumed the white tower. A high flying hawk took flight toward the pale crescent moon in the pure obsidian skies above.

The cry of the hawk awoke Uchiha Sasuke from his slumber. He stirred gently against the grainy ground beneath him and stared absently into the dark, virulent clouds that swayed and parted, allowing beams of morning sunlight to shine upon the city. As he sat upright and swept his fingers through his raven hair, Sasuke recollected his dream as slowly as the parting clouds, remembering every detail and comparing it to the past dreams he had of that event. He didn't even know if he could call it a dream; as it were it felt more like a fragment of his shattered memory than any lucid dream, one that he dreamt every time he slept for the last four years. Yet in all that time, Sasuke had come no closer to deciphering its meaning or linking it to anything that would explain his amnesia.

A fragment of a past he could not recall living, and all it did was give him a small hint to his former persona and powers he did not recall ever possessing, leaving him with more questions every time he dreamt it rather than answers. It frustrated him immensely the first year since he came to in the realm of the living, but after time passed the frustration gave way and he lived with it, hoping that with enough time he'd be able to access more.

His patience was beginning to wear thin at this point.

But his dreams were the least of his concerns at the moment. What mattered now was acquiring breakfast.

Sasuke stood up after sitting there for what felt like an hour, bemused by how dry his clothes and body were despite the diminutive monsoon that had drenched Karakura Town last night. He paid it no further mind like his recurrent dream though, and walked forward 'till he reached the edge of the rooftop of the twenty-story tall tower. He leaned over the edge and looked down, almost mistaking the moving people and cars below for small crawling insects, and then he took a casual step forward. The force of the wind created by his fall blew through his hair and made his clothes billow; it was a good feeling to him, the wind caressing his skin as he fell toward the solid concrete below. He checked his reflection from the ever passing stainless windows and noticed no changes to his appearance, nor any clues as to who or what he actually was, and then glanced back to the ground.

The raven-haired youth began to decelerate and soon came to a complete halt just inches away from the solid earth, flipped and gracefully landed on his feet amidst a crowd of unknowing people who walked and went about their lives without so much as a glance at him. Without pause, he walked with the crowd, unseen by all and they completely aloof to his existence... well most of them.

He continued on his aimless stride 'till he heard his cue; down the alley he was nearest to he saw two teenage girls in school uniforms, one whimpering while the other sent curses toward three males wearing darker school uniforms but held themselves as nothing short of lowlife thugs harassing them. He saw one get slapped across his face and earn the ire of the group. When one reared his fist back to punch the girl, Sasuke descended upon them and grabbed the lowlife's wrist himself. He then proceeded to quickly dispense justice, delivering swift precision chops to the back of their necks which rendered them unconscious. The girls watched in bewilderment as the thugs fell to the ground knocked out, and as quickly as the sensation ended they turned and ran out of the alley to get help. With no witnesses, Sasuke collected the harasser's wallets, emptied them of their currency, and went on his way toward the local deli as if nothing had occurred to begin with.

This was Sasuke's morning routine, an everyday occurrence as one would say. During his free time, Sasuke had come to apply the 'kill two birds with one stone' formula, the first part -acquiring money- was relatively simple enough and the easiest, but it was the second part that was the most difficult. From his past experiences, Sasuke had learned that taking what he wanted and leaving the appropriate yen on the counter would not cut it, especially in a populated area where eyes would be bulging from their sockets when they saw a BLT and cash levitating in mid-air and the former being devoured by an invisible being.

At the particular deli which he had grown partial toward and visited irregularly, Sasuke noticed it was once again experiencing a morning rush and grimaced when he didn't see his liaison. He would have to wait at least a couple hours before he could-

"Don't worry deary. I'll handle it for you."

Sasuke blinked and looked at the old woman who stood before him wearing a gentle smile on her wrinkled face. They stood across the street from the deli beneath the shaded trees, where they'd usually meet in unspoken agreement. He had met her a few times before when he had trouble acquiring sustenance. "Thank you," he said to her softly as he handed her the currency. He didn't mention what he wanted. He didn't need to; she already knew. She had told him her story once a while ago when she had at one time in the past been a moderately popular spiritual medium, and had the ability to see and communicate with spirits. Both a gift and curse, Sasuke mused watching her go to the deli.

Anyone who could speak to spirits was often labeled a social reject in society, and more often than not isolated or mistreated by others. Such was the case in the woman in question; she had been segregated from others and when vicious rumors were spread that her spiritual sessions left her clients being possessed she was forced to leave her hometown to where no one had heard of her before.

He thanked her again when she returned ten minutes later with his morning meal, and took it from her hands.

"Think nothing of it," the old woman said with her kind smile. "Please come by my home one of these days. I'm sure you'd love to have a real dinner and I'd appreciate the company."

Sasuke could only wordlessly nod and with a small bow of his head he left just as silent. He would most likely never take her up on her offer and step a foot in her place of residence. It was not because he did not have any desire to, far from it for he enjoyed a conversation with someone who could hear him and have a warm dinner. No, it was out of necessity that he did not go, for he had no wish to make a habit of visiting the homes of the living.

Hollows caught on to habits, even those he had at one time considered to be harmless, as Sasuke had learned harshly.

In his first year, when he had awakened without any memories, Sasuke had been confused and struggling to get a grasp on his situation. It was during tenuous time for him that he had been, like other spirits, hunted by the Hollows and had always been on the move. One day, while he had tried to figure out what to do about ending his own hunger and thirst he encountered an elderly priest who, like the old woman, could see and speak to spirits. Sasuke had gone with the priest to his temple and after eating a nice meal after at least a week of starvation discovered possible reasons for his amnesia and his current state of limbo. To learn more he had visited the priest over the course of three weeks. However, on the thirteenth visit, Sasuke discovered the shrine in which the priest resided thrashed and the corpse of the priest lying in a pool of his own blood, his body mangled and bent in ways it shouldn't have been.

That day, Sasuke had hunted and mercilessly slain nine Hollows.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop through town, Sasuke finally perched himself atop a condemned gas station in the Kinogaya district, a rather quiet part of Karakura Town, and began to much on his BLT. Even after four years roaming amongst the living, eating was still very strange for Sasuke. One would imagine that souls would no longer be constrained by things such as hunger, yet it was not the case for him. Unlike other souls that remained in limbo, Sasuke was different in many respects; he could not recall his past life before his death save for his name, and he had the power to fight and slay Hollows, which he had discovered on the day of the priest's death.

And despite his amnesia, it was the latter that bothered him to no end. When he had hunted down the Hollows and engaged them, his body moved so naturally that he could only describe it as automatic reflex, as if he had been slaying Hollows for decades. He handled his sword as if it was an extension of himself, and had even spoken to it once as if it had the ability to speak but had never done so again. He wondered, at first, if he was one of those angels of deaths, the black-clad beings that the Hollows called Soul Reapers and continually mixed him up with. He wielded a sword capable of slaying the netherworld demons, but unlike the Soul Reapers, he wore different attire and knew not how to perform a soul burial to send a lost soul to heaven. More than once he had thought about approaching them, to ask them for answers that could explain his existence, but every time he thought of doing so a feeling of doubt would creep upon him and bring his idea to a complete halt. It was as if his soul was warning him not to initiate any contact with the Soul Reapers whatsoever. A state of distrust had been created from his instincts, distrust towards Soul Reapers, and even though he did not know why, he trusted these instincts nonetheless and chose not to make contact with black ones.

After all, if he could not trust himself, then how was he suppose to trust in anything or anyone?

He took another bite of his half-eaten sandwich when a foul and malefic spiritual pressure blanketed the area surrounding the gas station. "Hn." He hadn't even finished his breakfast and they were already upon him. It was then that he had heard a roar-

Sasuke immediately jumped out of the way as a large Hollow fell from the sky, crashing into the building's rooftop where had been sitting. The raven-haired youth landing in the street, hand clasped around the hilt of his chokuto while the other held his sandwich and stared into the dust cloud created by the crash. As it thinned, two glowing yellow eyes were the first thing Sasuke saw as the Hollow rose up and emerged. It was two stories in height and had four horns protruding from its skull mask, with a red mane of hair like that of a lion. Its skin was dark with red marking, with large claws and a pair of small wings that gave it an appearance of a gargoyle.

"You couldn't wait until I finished my breakfast," Sasuke asked with an annoyed expression as he took another bite.

"You are breakfast," the Hollow replied, its eyes transfixed on Sasuke with a gluttonous gaze. "Now... stay still so that I can eat you."

"Too bad only one of us gets to eat then." He finished his sandwich and unsheathed his sword. "My sword has already foretold your demise."

The Hollow roared before its wings flapped open wide, blowing the dust cloud away as it took to the air and flew toward Sasuke at great speed. Sasuke jumped once more, avoiding the Hollow's claw swipe and with a vertical reverse-grip slash he amputated the Hollow's right arm to the elbow. The beast howled in pain and turned toward him again, leaving its ivory mask open. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he said as he raised his sword again. With a quick slash he cut through the skull mask and then sheathed his sword, watching as the Hollow began to disintegrate into black ash. "Remember it on your journey to Hell."

Sasuke glanced at the destroyed gas station, staring at the dust cloud for a moment, and without a second thought, he turned and went on his way.

It was an everyday occurrence, as one would say.

Author's Note: And thus the shipping wars have begun...

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Wolf's Honour