Chapter 16

Long ago, he had accepted his fate and allowed his decent into madness take over his entire existence, hurting those who wanted to help him, causing fear in order to show the world.

"This is the monster you created."

The sins of his people would morph into a grim reality as the power balance favoured him, and only him. Born from royalty in a land with no forgiveness as he was blamed for everything.

- Famine in smaller areas with little to no water in miles, it was his fault.

- Death and sickness that ravaged the world, he must have angered the gods.

- War was upon them, and he would be the one to fight.

But then he met someone, a person just like him - and at the same time - completely different. Charismatic smiles and optimistic wonder emanated from that other victim of their ancestors mistakes.

While he took the pain and violence of others as comfort, his opposite took it as a sign to be a hero. The hero people needed even as they shunned him away. Instead of hatred, he created hope; before judgement, he wanted to understand; and as they both grew up with the glances of fear and hatred, it was in their power to turn that around.

That is what makes them so different. Two souls trapped in their violent world, fighting to survive. "Kill or be killed" was his motto.

And he would kill.

Hands stained with the blood of many who threatened to push or shove against his wishes. In his world, there were no second chances.

Until…

Until he has given a second chance, in life.

Yes, he made many mistakes and tried to atone for them, knowing full well he could not restart and return time.

So - when he woke up, alive - in a world with almost no technology, people wearing traditional robes and food was out of the question. - He panicked. A world with people and nature living their daily lives with no fear or pain over the treacherous reality of war and hunger.

Unless you were one of the "lucky" ones. Spiritual energy was the name given to what he knew as Chakra. Instead of masks, they wore samurai-like uniform and weapons.

No small knifes or needles to attack in the dark or to hunt people down like the plague. Just creatures known as Hollows that threatened humans in the world of the living.

Soul Society was his new home. It was massive. The locals of district 34 told him he was lucky to be there. His friends and loved ones would eventually all come here if they don't turn into a hollow.

All he had left was to wait for them.

Patiently.

He became a strong Soul Reaper, joining the squad 11 in record time and staying true to his strength. He would spend his time searching for anyone who came from his world.

But the alarms rang as he trained with his squad. Intruders known as Rioca threatened the Seireitei. He took his sword and patrolled like he was ordered, frustrated at the way the men would talk about them.

He could care less.

As the days went on, he would listen to the rumours and chatter about the recent incidents. Apparently, the Rioca arrived to save the Soul Ripper who was sentenced to death, something never seen before in their world.

No one had ever gone this far before.

He found in his heart the sympathy and respect for anyone fighting for the right thing. Lives are very precious.

His orders were to kill the Rioca if he encountered them or die trying, of course he would never die until he found his people… all of them.

He made a promise to himself, he would survive until they saw each other again.

A white cloud caught his attention, a moving blur on the sky rushed to a forested area of the training grounds. Turning to his squad member who shared the same hair colour as him, they rushed to meet the intruder.

With weapons ready to strike and their energy well hidden, they waited behind some trees as someone approached.

Pale feathers shifted the wind around them as the trees swayed slightly. The person was hidden by the greenery and their majestic wings caught them by surprise.

- "I've got this." - his comrade mentioned before those silver lines threaded the forest, creating his own web of sharp knife-like strings.

Those wings folded back and became a type of pale robe that covered them as they walked to a strange occurrence.

Something he had never seen before.

A small dainty hand lifted to reach a warped image of the sky just above, green energy emanating until they stopped. Startled, the person jumped back and searched around the forest, they knew they were not alone. - "Who's there?" - shouted the person, a feminine voice rang in his ears, something akin of a memory flashed through his heart.

His comrade next to him must have felt similarly as he tensed. - "I've heard that voice before." - he whispered.

The woman became uneasy as she turned to her objective, whatever it was, it could not be good. His sword was ready as he began his attack.

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The sun hit her eyes in an almost blindfold strength, her head was pounding as her attention was shifted pretty quickly to a strong fissure. It took all of her resolve to avert her eyes from the shapes of her friend and unknown Soul Rippers on that bridge, but she had to trust in them to survive and wait for her.

She could not allow the threat looming over this world to let loose, not if she could do anything about it.

Sakura approached the wooded area, wondering what it was used for and hoping no one would spot her as she descended into the small clearing of trees and bushes. Her feet landed on the grass as her robe folded back into a normal pale fabric that covered her form and shaded her features with the big hood. Pale feathers adorned the shoulders of the soft fabric. Sharp like weapons in a simple looking façade.

The fissure was angry and emanated energy to all directions, waves overflowing her senses. Her head pounded with the constant damage caused by the spiritual pressure and something else that made the air feel thick and unwelcoming to her sensitivity.

Her body was strong, but her mind was stronger as she forced herself to concentrate just like she had practiced many times. Her hand reaching for the fissure before she saw something shine at the corner of her eye.

She gasped. - "Who's there?" - of course, no answer. Her mind pushed away the thoughts of paranoia as she rushed to continue her job, the distortion could be causing others nearby to approach and fall into the trap caused by those fissures.

She couldn't tell what it does to Soul Rippers, only guess.

Sakura was just close enough to reach until her eyes burned, something blinded her. Retrieving, she rubbed her eyes as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She could barely see as her blurry sight struggled; her hands started to slightly burn as well as her face.

Something was wrong.

Suddenly she noticed something in the air was causing all her problems, her mind now distracted by a possible enemy - or maybe more - nearing her. She rushed to the bushes only to be stopped by what she could make out in the sunrays that bleed through the trees.

Sand.

And something that shined like bright silver before disappearing.

"Oh no." she thought, she was surrounded by the almost invisible enemy. Her robe protected her, but she had been spotted. As she turned to a protective stance, those silver treads encaged her. - "What?" - she squeaked before she lost all freedom. Her heart hammered in her chest as the thin lines wrapped around her in a tight grip.

She could not move at all.

The movement of some bushes alerted her, two forms approached her as she struggles to move, each time, those threads became tighter and the skin they reached was cut.

Blood poured from those fine lines.

She should have known better than to go on her own in a place riddled with enemies that searched for the intruders.

And she was the intruder.

Even as she was recovering from the sudden blindness, she could make out two blurs of red hair. - "Keep trying to move and those threads will cut you up." - one of them spoke in a flat tone that made her heart skip a beat. Had she heard that voice before?

Only one of them spoke as the other just stared at her covered form. - "Please, I must fix it!" - she pleaded, there was no time to waste. Her hands were trapped tightly at her chest as she jerked her chin to the fissure. - "That will grow and harm us all." - she hoped they would listen.

The shorter one smiled, that sinister gleam on his eye catching her by surprise. - "Do you honestly think we are that stupid?" - he laughed. Those features seemed almost like percaline skin belonging to an ageless façade.

He was gorgeous and dangerous.

The other one just stared at her with those mint green eyes with jet-black lines that adored his large eyes, innocent looking and yet captivating. Long blood red curls hung above those piercing eyes of his as he approached her.

Her body was frozen from the grip of those threads. He loomed over her very carefully, avoiding being touched by those silver lines. His hand reached for her hood before yanking it back. Her long pink waves of hair falling on those threads as they captured her.

His eyes widened before he froze as well. Green gazes struck with one another.

The other man spoke. - "Well. What a surprise." - his doll brown eyes took in her features as he approached them. Now she was cornered by both men. - "It's been a while… Sakura." -

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He had waited for this moment his entire existence in the Soul Society. The moment he would meet her once more as they left the realm of the living.

Finding out he was in the same squad of none other than Gaara of the Sand, Sasori found himself mesmerized and - slightly - angered by all that he missed after his death.

So much happened that he would have killed to see with his very own eyes.

They both became close as they shared the grim history of a harsh childhood in The Village Hidden in the Sand. He helped his younger squad member to acclimatize to the lush green world of Soul Society. Both training and becoming strong Soul Rippers with the one mission in mind.

Find the others.

Gaara only knew so much before losing his life in the great war that, eventually, brought their world down. The death toll was immeasurable, and they hadn't seen it till the very end.

They both yearned to know what happened and to find those comrades they had parted ways with. As the years went by, they could only spot a few familiar faces amongst the 13 Court Guard Squads. All seemed to know how to forgive their past mistakes and move on with their new chance in life.

The unexpected twists and turns their fate took to bring them all here.

Both redheads stook together like glue, their strength and history matching up like bonded souls. They didn't really have to talk much, just spend their training together as well as their breaks. Always planning on putting the pieces back together.

The mystery of their world.

What happened during the war and how did it end?

Even as they tried to forgive and forget throughout the years, there was a glimmer in their souls once they found a puzzle piece.

Sasori had felt his heart tighten at the last memories he had of his parents, his grandmother tying her best to bring him a future which was only morphed into his hatred. He brought himself into the pit of darkness and allowed the anger in his soul to become what he was.

His mother would have been sad and hurt by his actions.

And that hurt him the most. Gaara spoke the same way, they both bonded over their mistakes and how wrong their world was compared to this one.

Violence still existed, but life was extended far beyond their imagination. A couple of years felt like a few minutes compared to the years turned to decades. They did not age like they used to, only grew stronger.

All his hard work and patience boiling over this very moment.

The moment he was faced to faced with the woman who brought him here. The same woman who prayed for him once she defeated him in battle and smiled with sadness at his demise.

First, he felt anger over her. How dare she pity him when he was stronger and older? How dare she pray for his soul that was rotten to the core? How dare they give him another chance at life?

But then he was confused. Why did she not hate him?

As those doll green eyes stared back at him, scared and unsure. There was no hate. - "It's been a while… Sakura." - her eyes widened at her name being called out like he knew her his entire life. No recognition over him.

- "How-How do you know my name?" - she spoke, unsure.

Gaara woke up from his stunned reaction. - "Haruno." - he caught her attention. - "Do you not remember us?" - his eyes narrowed at her.

She struggled at his hold for a second. His threads would cut her, so he loosened them up, just a little. - "No. I-I… why does this keep happening?" - she stumbled. - "I am not dreaming." - her eyes searched around them, hoping to be in some sort of dream.

Sasori remembered their mission and the implications it meant if another squad member found them. - "We need to go." - he ushered. - "We can't be seen like this. She is still a Rioca." - he reminded his friend.

- "What-Where are you taking me?" - she shivered. The silver lines falling from her form before they held on to her arms. She tried to push back but he insisted.

- "Somewhere safe. If we are seen with you, there is no say on what will happen." -

But she was still scared. - "No. I have to fix the fissure." - she pleaded.

A small thunder shook them, that thing she was trying to "fix" was becoming bigger, and it unsettled him. - "You will fix it and come with us, Haruno." - spoke Gaara as he gently tugged her to the distortion.

They both held their breaths as the pinket quickly began to approach it. Her smaller hand lifting with that green glow he knew all too well. Her chant carried by the wind with a calmness that engulfed them fully. That unsettling feeling leaving their tensed muscles while the crack on the sky began to mend back together until nothing was left of it.

The rustling of leaves pushed them to her, they had to leave now.

The door shut silently as he turned to the woman in the middle of the room, she looked tired and exhausted. After she was able to "fix" the abnormality, her body began to slump lightly when they carried her to their dorms. - "You must be hungry." - Gaara approached with a tray of food he placed in front of her.

The pinket stared, unsure at the kind gesture. - "Why are you doing all this? Shouldn't you be hunting me down?" - her hunger suddenly roared in the enclosed space.

His laugh was almost covered by his hand. - "Eat, you need your energy." - Sasori spoke as he collected his own food tray and sat in front of her, eating like nothing was out of the ordinary.

He could tell she was drooling over the steam from the rise, meat and vegetables in front of her. A nutritious meal for all Soul Rippers.

Gaara soon got his own and waited for her to begin. - "Haruno, you must eat." - whatever kind of relationship they both had before ending up here was unknown by Sasori. He knew they knew each other and fought in the war.

But the taller red head kept his emotions in check about those he missed. - "How do you know my name?" - the pinket insisted. - "I don't even know yours." -

- "Sasori of the Sand and Gaara of the Sand." - he quickly answered, eating up the reaction of the woman. - "We both came from the same world. We fought together in the war, Haruno." - he really wanted the woman to trust them.

- "Gaara?" - she tested out the name before turning to him. - "and… Sasori?" - on her fist try, she had correctly called their names. It was a sign of recognition he would gladly accept.

- "I assume you don't remember." - he spoke, calmly chewing on his food. Sasori was not going to eat cold rise. Ever. - "It has been years." -

The pinket shook her head in denial, he could tell she itched to reach for the food in front of her. - "This isn't how it normally goes." - she almost but whispered to herself.

- "Eat, Haruno." - Gaara reminded her. With a sharp nod, she began to eat, slowly chewing.

A moan escaped her pouty lips. - "This is amazing!" - that could just be the hunger speaking, but alas, it made him chuckle.

- "The others have been notified of your arrival." - Sasori spoke, her hands froze midway through another bite. - "We have been waiting for another one of us for some time now." -

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