The sultry climate of the region was harsh on the few civilians trotting along a cracked pathway. Neither shrubs nor saplings provided them respite from the cruel temperature. Nobody stopped to chat – they merely tilted their straw hats lower to shield their faces from the scorching heat and hurried by to their destination. And for some reasons, only an old geezer in his sixties deemed this hellish condition fit for setting up a ramen stand at the junction of the road. Heavy drapes curtained the solitary stall.
A young boy donning white outfit and purple rope around his hip waved the hanging aside and entered the stand. Three more figures approached him.
"Hey, you don't tell me we're going to sit and eat now?"
"Err… I actually think Suigetsu has got a point. Not with Junko around at least…"
The queerly assembled quartet cast furtive glances about them.
"I don't… don't want to hurt… anybody. Can we go… now?" Urgency lingered in the last word.
Still, the boy within the stall did not come out.
"You can go wherever you want," he said, "Worse come to worse, you two can restrain Junko. I'll come later."
"Whoa, and you can just sit –"
"Shut up you. I can still detect his whereabouts even if we did get separated. Meanwhile," she surveyed Junko worriedly, "we'd better hit the road."
Suigetsu tugged at the gigantic zanpaktou and slung it more comfortably on his back. "Fine," he muttered grudgingly.
The trio left – two of them bickering loudly as they walked off.
"Hey Karin, you surprise me. Don't you want to go accompany your crush?"
She held the frame of her glasses indignantly while rising into a shade of deep scarlet at the sound of "crush". "You… you…" the words came in broken pieces, "Well, he's… we've never… I don't… oh, shut up!"
"Why don't you cut the crap and say I'm worried if darling Sa – hey, watch where you're going!"
His shoulder had just collided with another person's.
The stranger, however, did not harp on anything of retaliation. He merely brushed the part which had made contact with Suigetsu and strutted off nonchalantly. Suigetsu, however, stood transfixed. Irritated by his sudden halt, Karin waved her slightly grimy palm over his face.
"Hey, Suigetsu! Hello? What, are you trying to act dumb? Not that you have to try to…" she mouthed disdainfully.
"Karin, did you see his face? Doesn't he look like… um…"
He pointed at the back of the walking form. The kunoichi, however, was not interested and seized him roughly by the arms, positively dragging him off his feet.
"Beat it, you moron."
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The shielding drapes were cast aside once more – another figure entered the stand and assumed a seat by the counter, reserving another stool in between himself and another customer. An aged man with slits for his eyes laid a menu and a cup of green tea in front of this new arrival.
He eyed the two boys before him.
Hmm…
"So," the stall owner said as he wiped the already speck-less counter, "where do you brothers come from?"
If gawping was allowed in men's world of egoism, they would have done just that.
They both shrugged and remained silent; one of them stared vacantly at a pile of stained bowls while the other sipped his tea, breathing hard into the hot beverage that it fogged his glasses.
The old man raised his thin brows.
"Okay… no chit-chat type huh? Just a question…" he placed the rag by the stove. "Well, your orders please."
The boy clad in white spoke solemnly, "The tea is enough."
"Okay. And you?"
"I… err…"
If this cup of tea was not complimentary, then he certainly could not afford another bowl of ramen. He decided to skive lunch when a growl of hunger emanated from his stomach. The vision-impaired boy promptly slammed the porcelain mug on the counter to override the embarrassing noise.
"No. This is fine, thanks."
The stall owner turned his back onto his young customers and return to kneading his dough.
"Why wouldn't you order when you're hungry?"
The bespectacled boy seemed startled. He looked at the speaker who was still retaining his cold and ruthless demeanour. But not answering was boorish, so he said, "I don't really feel like eating."
Awkward silence settled.
"Err… do you come here alone?"
The other boy whose hair stood up stubbornly at the back shifted his gaze a fraction. It was odd to exchange strings of words with someone he barely knew. Yet no matter how wrong he thought it felt, it seemed so natural like confiding to his mother when he was a child. Without thinking, he replied, "Three of my companions I dismissed earlier. They are only necessary for the accomplishment of my mission. They can go wherever they want for all I care as long as we get the mission done." He paused. "You are definitely alone here. You come here by yourself?"
The boy pressed his index finger to the bridge of his spectacles.
"I uh… sort of got lost here. But I'll find my way out."
He thought that was reasonable. How should he explain the winding route out of Hueco Mundo and the fact that he got estranged from the rest and ended up here? Hueco Mundo… imagine how he would swallow it… But this boy was different. Even the air he carried around him was dense…
Fearful.
But I'm not afraid of him.
Chancing another question, he spoke, "May I know your name?"
He received an insolent stare in return.
"It is courtesy for the enquirer to reveal his own name first before asking."
Catching his shrouded intention, the bespectacled boy quipped, "Ishida Uryū."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
They both returned to their drinks. And it was Ishida again who ruptured the stillness.
"Err… Sasuke-kun, I've been wondering. That small symbol below the collar of your shirt…
Sasuke put his steaming mug down. His blood simmered. He was always touchy regarding this matter – the Uchiha emblem.
"Is it embroidered?"
Sasuke blinked.
"Very well done," Ishida scrutinized the motive. "Hand-sewn, I presume."
Sasuke yanked the slipping fabric to his chest. He tried to erase the insulting comment he was just smacked with…
"Is it too loose? I can hem it a bit and make it close over your chest more properly. I mean, it isn't decent… you cannot go walking everywhere baring your front –"
"Enough."
Ishida thought he caught a glimpse of crimson eyes with something minute revolving in the pupils; his enhanced vision, due to the Quincy blood which flowed in his veins, enabled him to spot even the most minuscule detail. But, weird eyes or not, he noticed the venom in that one single remark.
"I sew, you see. Just thought of helping –"
"You sew?"
Sasuke smirked inwardly.
"I don't have the leisure to pursue such hobby. I train every day without fail," his eyes sparked menacingly and the atmosphere darkened somewhat. He tightened his hold on the cup. "I need to get stronger."
The glass shattered under the force applied.
"Ah, my glass!"
They heard hurried foot steps and shortly after, the owner of the ramen stand rushed to the counter. He looked mournfully at the shards of porcelain.
"Oh, that's the eleventh in two days! Damn those whirlwinds – oh, they carry the pebbles, boys. It's a rather common incident," he added at their incredulous-lined visages.
"I'll clean them up and have another cup coming."
He disappeared into the pantry.
"Don't you want to tell him what had really happened?"
Sasuke wrung his messed hand before turning to Ishida. "I'll pay for it."
Another desperate cry for food thundered from the spectacled boy. He brought a hand to his empty stomach subconsciously. Sasuke's forehead crumpled with furrows.
"You don't have the money to eat, do you?"
Ishida laughed nervously. Spot on… He lowered his hand and rested it on his thigh.
"I ran out of my house and stand on my two legs ever since. I have to go to school in the morning and spend lots of time for revision. I don't have the convenience to take on part time jobs, so," he blushed, "so I scarcely have enough for food and other basic necessities."
Sasuke swallowed hard. He knew how tough it was to rely on yourself and no one else in this world.
"Me too…" he mumbled to no one in particular.
Ishida eyed the other boy.
"I live alone since six."
The teenage ninja stopped. He discerned the despicable hint of solitude and misery. He shut his eyes very briefly before facing Ishida again. "You're an odd one, aren't you? A rich kid like you would never run away from comforts and wealth. Why do you leave home?"
Ishida was shocked somewhat. "How do you know I was rich?"
Yes, he was… once… a long time ago. His father was the current director of the Karakura Hospital, so it was only natural for him to make lots of profits from the job. But being rich did not make Ishida happy. He loathed living under the same roof with that man. He knew it was rude, he knew he was being an ingrate, but that man deserved no respect. He was as selfish as men could be and would die blinded by wealth and his stupid stands…
"That clothes you wear," Sasuke reasoned – Ishida roused from his reverie and listened absentmindedly, "only the well-off put them on."
Ishida prodded the slipping glasses back against his nose.
"You haven't answered me. Why do you run away?"
That was not something strangers would normally ask of another stranger, was it not? Ishida stared morosely at the swirling green liquid in his mug. Maybe it was all right to tell Sasuke-kun of this… "I do not and never will meet eye to eye with him. The rules and law that the family upholds, he easily swats them aside and carries on living like other mortals. He carries the blood, yet he is happier with pretending that he doesn't. I can see it! Certainly he can as well! He said he had had enough. And I left."
"Your father does that?"
Ishida gritted his teeth. Sasuke averted his grim eyes to the walls.
"My late father… he never had me in his eyes. I was his son, too, so why should I be ignored? I trained hard every single day, just to prove that I'm worthy of bearing the name Uchiha. I didn't care about grades and exams. I only wanted his acknowledgement. And when I finally received it, that man –"
He felt a lump rose in his throat. He could not speak. He still could not fling this sack of wreckage he carried… after all these years…
Ishida sensed the vaguest hint of sadness, which was uncanny since Sasuke had always put on a hardened façade, or at least for the past half-an-hour he had known him. He did not want to press on this subject. That was when he recalled something Sasuke said before they got interrupted by the old man for a broken cup. So he asked, "Why do you want to be stronger?"
And he cursed himself instantly for asking that.
Sasuke burst out aloud, "To kill him! To kill the man who murdered my entire clan! To kill him who had allowed me years of living in pure hatred and resentment!"
"Who is he?" they came as mere whispers.
"Uchiha… Itachi!"
Another Uchiha. But, did Sasuke not mention something about "murdering my entire clan"? Assuming it was not an exaggerated statement, that Itachi and Sasuke must be the only remaining members.
"But, then you will be alone…"
Sasuke glared.
"I'm always alone. And I choose to be. What difference will it make?"
To hold such strong, devastating emotion despite the young age was unhealthy. It was killing him, consuming his conscience and humanity from inside. No man deserved a life like this… no man…
Sasuke's clan was massacred by someone he was acquainted with… someone who carries the family name Uchiha. His clan was annihilated too, but truthfully he didn't really feel anything about it. He didn't even know who they were! Amongst the hundreds of Quincy who roamed the Earth… he only knew two. His grandfather, and… Ryūken…
Sasuke wanted to kill his brother. He could not blame him. Look at his history! But he, Ishida, he would never be able to bring himself to harm the only breathing relative he was left with…
"I want to be stronger too."
Ishida pushed his cold tea away.
"Sensei told me that when I become stronger, I'll have the strength to protect. He said my father is already protecting something dear to him, although the only impression I get is him worshipping money. Sensei said one day, I'll finally understand his intentions and when that day comes, I'll know what I want to protect either."
Sasuke chuckled mirthlessly.
"That's a noble ambition."
His laughter deadened and was replaced by a heavy veil of animosity.
"My ambition is the resurrection of my clan, and to kill that certain someone."
Sasuke's soul has been tainted with impurities. To snatch away one's life… to commit murder is to be cursed a lifetime. It was already near impossible for Ishida to aim a fatal shot at any given being, let alone a familiar one.
The old man emerged from behind. He was holding a new glass of freshly brewed tea.
"My apologies. Couldn't locate the cups so –"
"Never mind. I'm leaving," Sasuke replied pointedly. He then placed several coins on the counter and left. The owner called out, "Hey! You left some extra coins here! Don't you want your change?"
Ishida suddenly remembered the truth behind those broken bits of porcelain.
"Ah, ossan! Sasuke-kun accidentally shattered your cup just now. It wasn't because of some stray rocks."
"I know that," he replied distractedly.
Ishida blinked.
"Only he left more than enough for his tea and cup." His narrow eyes traversed to Ishida's drink. "Oh, he paid for yours, too." He then walked into the pantry again, his pockets jingling merrily with copper shillings.
Ishida drained his tea and set out to find Sasuke. Thank you was in order, he guessed. But the dusty road was quiet, completely void of travelers and civilians…
AAH!
A piercing scream tore the sky.
Ishida twisted his neck the other way. He knew the distressed yell came from that direction. And someone was in trouble. He focused spirit particles to the soles of his feet and sped towards the commotion.
But he wasn't the only one there.
Another figure stood adjacent to him.
Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?"
Another gust of wind hurled dust and tiny debris into the air. Both boys brought their arms to their faces, shielding the violent disturbance from their eyes. Ishida squinted and made out the outline of two other entities. When everything settled, a repulsive scene greeted their sights.
A surge of anger roared within Ishida.
A street gangster was holding a blade to a pallid woman's neck. Her shocked visage flashed signs of sheer terror and fear. Ishida could not contain his wrath anymore; only such spineless bastard could stoop so low as to manhandle the fairer sex. He gathered spirit particles into his hands –
Oh crap.
He had detected something amiss. Something dreadfully wrong… This guy had not a shred of reiatsu in him! He was a mortal… like Sasuke-kun. And his bow – he glanced at his weapon – was not meant for them…
"Stay back, Ishida."
Sasuke advanced. He did not even flinch at the bespectacled boy's bizarre stance. Deep down, he knew how ridiculous he must look; both arms stretched in front of him with his eyes glued to the target… only in their perspectives, he was gripping thin air.
The man sneered sinisterly before shoving his hostage gruffly aside. And without prior warning, he hurled a kunai at Ishida.
What if the arrows can't hurt him?
The weapon was coming his way.
Shoot him and miss if this doesn't work… but there's no time to avoid that!
Abandoning every attempt to shoot the thug, Ishida turned his heels and forced his body back at ninety degree, allowing the weapon to whiz past his torso. But he was not agile enough; it managed to slash a tear in his shirt. Sasuke watched the progress as though it was nothing more than a tedious cooking programme. The man bended his knee, set to propel himself upwards. Sasuke disappeared into nothingness.
A split second later he rematerialized behind the charging adversary.
"Rubbish."
The ninja rapped him hard on the head. With a groan, the massive body thudded to the ground as black patches obscured his vision. Out cold with his mouth hanging open, he lay stretched out on the ground. They both approached the lying form.
"Is he dead?" Ishida asked with a faint hue of disgust.
"No. The concussion will only knock him off for hours."
Ishida searched the scene for the traumatized hostage. But she was nowhere to be seen.
"She had departed when this man tried to do you in," said Sasuke, successfully interpreting his inner thoughts. He continued in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone, "You manage to evade the kunai. There must be more to you than meets the eye."
Ishida glowered with pride though he masquerade it well with another prod to his spectacles.
"I assume your identity has something to do with that?"
Ishida raised an eyebrow and looked at Sasuke, only to notice him staring at his chest. The bespectacled boy glanced down and understood what had pricked Sasuke's interest.
It was the cross burnt permanently to his skin - a souvenir of his father's spiritual arrow when he tried to restore his Quincy power. Uneasy of people looking avidly at him, Ishida cleared his throat and muttered, "I'm assuming your heightened abilities have got to do with the tattoo on your shoulder."
Sasuke adjusted his slipping clothes.
"Where are you heading to?" he asked Ishida.
The latter bit his lips. He had absolutely no idea where to go from there, but he had an inkling that he should be traveling north.
"Well, I'm off to Karakura Town."
Sasuke had never heard of such place.
"We'll meet again, Sasuke-kun. I'm looking forward to that."
The boy gave another searching look at the Quincy before nodding politely and set out on his own path.
Thus was the meeting of two very akin personas, born from almost the same backgrounds carrying their own aspirations and dreams… but just like how their courses diverged from one another into an endless horizon, their futures refracted and continued apart...
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More munchies: Since Sugiyama Noriyaki voiced for both Uchiha Sasuke and Ishida Uryū, I thought I'd like to compare both characters and boy, do they appear alike! In various manners of course. But similar they may be, these two characters are just very different in certain aspects. I thought of including all similarities and differences I could think of in this story but decided against it because both boys don't talk much. Haha. So, below are the points.
Uchiha Sasuke:
has no or little respect towards teacher (calling Hatake Kakashi by his name instead of sensei)
respects and yearns for Father's acknowledgement
has another elder brother
no soft skills (haha)
aims to resurrect his clan and kill his brother
will kill brother if that's the last thing he'd do
envious of stronger Naruto
vision 20-20
many admirers
Ishida Uryū:
respects teacher (who is his grandfather as well)
dislikes Father (calling him by the name as well)
only child
can sew
aims to find what to protect
will never harm Father
believes Ichigo is stronger, and is okay with it
vision impaired
zero admirers
Similarities:
both loners
one of the two remaining clan members (Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke / Quincy Ishida Ryūken and Uryū)
perfect precision in projectile weapons
both want to be stronger
have tattoo / body marks
disobey teacher (Sasuke runs to Orochimaru instead of forgetting revenge as Kakashi has advised / Ishida takes off Sanrei gloves despite being warned by Sōken)
genius (of the Uchiha clan and the Quincy tribe)
don't like to kill (for Sasuke, this is only portrayed in recent manga chapters)
Please review! Appreciate every single note you drop. Thank you.