Chapter 4: The Questions Trapped in Misery

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

Uchiha Sasuke stood silently in the corner-most wall of the prenatal ward of the Karakura General Hospital, unsee and unnoticed. He would have chosen to sit down and wait comfortably in one of the empty waiting chairs, but such an options was made unavailable to him. Regular humans were unable to see him and so when one say where Sasuke was sitting they would cry out in fear and abruptly stand back up, shivering as if they had touched by death's cold chill. Not wanting to scare anyone or agitate those who may be spiritually sensitive (as some were in Karakura Town), Sasuke found standing alone and isolated from others much more preferable.

It gave him time to watch the patients, visitors and inspect his surroundings. He had never been inside the hospital before, and so it was a fresh, new experience for him entirely. He knew that Karakura General was located in Old Town, but had never bothered to step inside or venture onto the hospital grounds. There had been no need for him to and he hadn't found any reason to care to either. When he followed the married couple into the hospital's emergency bay, the first thing Sasuke had noticed was the heavy stench of antiseptic. Whether it was intended to mask the retching scent of patients or the illnesses exhibited by those strapped into stretchers awaiting to be seen by professional medical personnel, Sasuke didn't care. The scent was overwhelming and he could not stand it.

It felt like a lie to him. a carefully crafted deception to being ease to people and make the unaware of the severe, depressing atmosphere that shrouded them.

Yet Sasuke had found he could not share such thoughts about the prenatal ward. It had proven itself to have a far different atmosphere than the rest of the hospital. There was no veiled deceptions here. It radiated with happiness and life. From where he stood, Sasuke could make out the infantile decorum which littered the walls and floor tiles, matched with warm colors which provided a soothing effect to some, putting their minds at ease and reminding them that they were soon to be expecting an addition to their family. Such was the case for the couple Sasuke now watched over. After Masaki had been given a full body scan int he intensive care unit, the doctors had informed her husband that she had inhaled barely any smoke caused by the fire. The reason for which, Sasuke knew, was due to the shattered window in the bathroom she had been trapped in which filtered the smoke out and allowed Masaki to breath cleaner air. However, any relief that had brought her husband had quickly been dispelled when the doctors continued, telling him that her state of unconsciousness had been caused by the contractions she had endured while being trapped inside the burning building, and she was now in labor.

The expectant father had urged Sasuke to witness the miracle of life beside him but the sword-wielding amnesiac had respectfully declined. He did not wish to wish anything happening to Masaki and her husband's child out of the blue because Sasuke was in close proximity of the infant, being a spirit and all. Hence why he waited in silent solitude for news from Masaki's husband.

Suddenly, Sasuke heard cries and shouts of joy. He peered out of the dark just enough to see the dark bearded man prancing like a maddened ballerina, shaking and hugging the doctors and nurses wildly. His overbearing cheerful eyes locked with Sasuke's and then he immediately sprinted over to his side like his life depended on it. He came to a grinding halt with his mouth wide open.

"Erm, what's your name?" he asked suspiciously in a low voice. Sasuke backed one step away, almost afraid to answer.

"S-Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He said, regretting it the moment he saw the twinkle in the man's eyes beaming.

"SASUKE!" The man bellowed, stretching out Sasuke's name along with the rest of his words. "TODAY IS A GREAT DAY !" The man boomed in Sasuke's ear. It was so loud, the Uchiha feared that the mad man might have completely obliterated his eardrums off. Tears welled within the man's eye as he bear-hugged Sasuke. "I'M A FATHER. I'M FINALLY A FATHER!'

He let go of Sasuke and then vigorously moved his hands up and down, all the while screaming intelligible words over and over again. The embarrassing celebration finally came to an end when a middle-aged nurse smacked the newly made father's head with her clipboard.

"Can you please be quiet?!" She viciously snapped in a soft yet angry voice. "This is a hospital for crying out loud! Please keep it in mind that we have babies sleeping in the next hallway, and be more considerate of others who are here as well!" She added an "Hmph" as she walked away just as furiously as she came the first time. The bearded man blinked for a minute, sat down and then let out a breath of relief. He then looked up to Sasuke.

"I'm...a father." He said, beaming with the most proud smile Sasuke had ever seen. The swordsman was completely astonished at the man's facial gesture. It was his first time seeing a human experience real and true happiness on such a level. Sasuke couldn't help but curving his own lips slightly.

"Congratulations." Sasuke meant it. He truly did.

"Thank you," Masaki's husband said with a beaming smile.

The two men remained quiet for a while, basking in some sort of ethereal sense of euphoria that could only be brought on by an event such as this. The man wiped the tears from his eyes and finally introduced himself. "I'm Isshin. Kurasaki Isshin."

Sasuke perked up at the introduction. He finally had the name of the man who could acknowledge him unlike so many others.

"I really can't thank you enough for what you've done for Masaki and my newborn son, Sasuke. I'm forever grateful." He stood up suddenly, digging his hand in his left pocket and pulling out a box of smokes. "Hey, do you mind if we step out for a sec?"

"No, I don't mind." Sasuke said, all the while wondering why Kurosaki Isshin wasn't by his wife's side sharing this incredible moment with her.

They walked out of the hospital through the main entrance. Isshin pulled out one of the cigarettes from the softpack along with a zippo lighter. He placed the smoke between his lips, flicked a small flame to life and lit it up. He took a quick drag and inhaled the smoke before lifting his head and releasing it. He simply stared up into the starry night sky for a long moment.

"Sasuke… I know I've said it before but-

"You've thanked me enough, Isshin," Sasuke interrupted. "You don't have to thank me anymore."

"Ah, I know." Isshin said as he drew another lungful. "Still, I have to repay you somehow. You've done me a great boon, one that I'll never truly be able to begin repaying."

"You don't have to repay anything," Sasuke declared, unfaltering. "I didn't save your wife and infant son to gain something from you. I did it because I wanted to save her... them. That's all there is to it."

Isshin stared at Sasuke for a brief second, and then laughed heartily. "Very strong words. I like them. Still, just like you, I want to do things because I want to, and repaying people's kindness is part of the things that I want to do. I hope you have no objections?" Isshin's face broke into a thoughtful expression and then he said, "Hey, how about I let you name my son!"

Sasuke realized that no matter how many times he would refuse a repayment, he would surely be met with rebuttal. "That's a large thing to place on my shoulders. I am a stranger after all."

"A stranger that saved my wife and son when I couldn't. They call spirits like you guardian angels in some parts of the world, y'know."

Sasuke couldn't argue that. "Even so... that isn't an easy thing to place on me and..." He couldn't think of any words, so he chose to try and change the subject. "Besides, even if you wanted to help me, you can't."

"Try me." Isshin said resolutely.

"I can only remember my name and nothing else." Sasuke informed. "I have only this sword. I'm not even dressed like them to say I'm one of them. I don't have a soul chain like other souls in limbo do."

He paused, allowing the flood of questions to invade his mind before speaking them. "Who am I? What am I? What's my purpose here? Is there anyone who knows me out there? How did I become a ghost? How did I die to become one? Is there anyone out there worrying about me? Am I...going to be alone here forever?"

Sasuke put a hand over his mouth, surprised at everything he had blurted out as if was pure reflex. He hadn't meant to unveil all of his worries to the bearded man. "I-I'm sorry. Just now, I didn't meant to-

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about."

"No, really, I-

Isshin's eyes shifted to a serious gaze as he locked them with the amnesiac's own onyx orbs. "Sasuke! I can only begin to imagine how lonely you must have been here. Trust me, I know souls can't interact with regular human beings. I can't even fathom what it is like for someone to be ignored and denied acknowledgemnt because people can't see or hear them at all."

Isshin's words hit right at home. Four years in Karakura and he had been able to interact with three people only. His first days of his self-awareness were horrible. Calling out, reaching out to people only to be met with eyes that stared straight ahead and never to him.

"Isshin..." Sasuke finally said, face crestfallen. "I want closure, just like any soul would want. I want answers to these questions. I want my memory restored so that I can finally figure out my purpose of being here."

Isshin smoked up the last bit of tobacco and then chucked the bud in a nearby ashtray. "You're right: I absolutely can't help you with that."

"It's alright. You already did. Thanks for listening." Sasuke said sincerely. He wasn't expecting anything but he was truly grateful for someone to listen to his problems.

"Hey, just because I said I can't help you doesn't mean I don't know someone who can." Kurosaki said, grinning ear to ear.

"If it's another priest, don't bother. I don't want him to die on my behalf." Sasuke said, remembering an earlier incident.

"He's not a priest." Isshin rectified. "Although...well you'll just have to see for yourself." Isshin withdrew a pocket-sized notebook form his shirt pocket and began writing in there. "How well do you know Karakura Town?"

"Maybe almost every nook and cranny. Why do you ask?" Sasuke queried. Isshin ripped the page he wrote on and gave it to Sasuke. The swordsman's gaze scrutinized the drawing of a small house between two large buildings.

"I've never seen this before." The Uchiha admitted.

Isshin grinned. "But it does exist... just not up to human standards."

Sasuke eyed him quizzically as he folded the paper and hid it in the confines of his kimono. "Thanks again," the amnesiac said.

Isshin held a hand up."Don't worry about it. I hope you find your memories. After all, there's got to be someone worried about you, right?" he said, doing his ear to ear grin. Sasuke turned and began to walk onward. He stopped not even a few feet away when a thought hit him.

"Ichigo."

Isshin mustn't have heard him. "What was that?" He asked.

"His name." Sasuke turned his head and glanced at Isshin. "Ichigo. It means 'Protector of One'."

Isshin imply stared at him with a dumb expression for what felt like a full minute though it was only seconds. He mouth was wide open before his eyes glowed and his closed and gave Sasuke a fullblown smile. "A strong name for my firstborn! I'm sure Masaki will love it!"

Sasuke nodded and continued on his trek.

"Hey Sasuke, come visit after you're done over there!" Isshin hollered as he waved. "It's a clinic fifteen minutes from the park in Minamikawase! It's the only one in that part of town so you can't miss it!"

"Hn." Sasuke returned the wave and said nothing more, Isshin's words from before echoing in his mind. There's got to be someone worried about you, right? Could there be? The possibility was there; Sasuke couldn't have come from simply nowhere.

He shrugged the ridiculous idea out of his mind and continued forth as he continued on the road to dawn.

Author's Note: Shot this baby out a little faster than the last one. My mind is more focused and I've found a little more time to invest in my writing now. Anyways, I wanted to answer a few reviews that were left in the wake of the last chapter so I found it convenient to do so at the end of this chapter.

longshotqb: I have already taken those into account, especially the parallel between the Light/Sun and Moon/Dark. Trust me when I say that I have been very considerate on how exactly I wish to progress with those ideas. Everything is in preliminary stages, but I feel the end result will shock everyone.

ale.121: I'd like to thank you for sticking by this story and by placing your trust in me to continue it. I will not delve into pairings as not everything is set in stone as of yet, but I will inform you that the future bond forged between Sasuke and Ichigo will be not only be extremely unique, but also very endearing and intriguing.

Julyz111: Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride that is Transcending Bonds.

So with that out of the way, I hope you are all pleasantly pleased with this chapter and you should all expect the next one within seven to fourteen days time. Please do me a favor and leave me your thoughts on the chapter for I like to see what my readers think of each chapter that is posted. In other words...

Review. Favorite. Follow.

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Wolf's Honour