Here is the third chapter of Shinigami Sasuke. Sorry for the wait, but somehow I wasn't really in the mood to write be it Bleach, Naruto or One Piece...

I thank you for all the encouragement I got though. It was the main reason that the chapter kept growing slowly but surely!

And well I had some time and the chapter was mostly finished anyway. There are some good things about far too long train rides after all. Who would have !

Chapter 3: keep breathing

Sasuke wasn't quite sure for how long he had been traveling. It might have been four days or maybe only two after all, he had seen the night sky once, but he could have missed it another time, because the canopy of the forest was thick and all he had seen even in those few moments, had been quick glimpses.

The only real indication he had that more time had passed was the gnawing hunger he felt.

At first Sasuke had believed that he must be imagining it, after all he was quite sure that he was dead and the dead should not feel hunger. The dead, a part of his mind commented, should also not be able to die again, yet he had managed to kill his attackers when he had first woken up.

They had died and before that they had bled.

Sasuke knew he should find something to eat. Traveling at his pace was not healthy without proper nutrition.

Given the fact that he was in the middle of seemingly nowhere, no sign of civilization, no wildlife with only berserk bandits for company, that endeavor turned out to be much more difficult then he had expected it would be given that he was in a forest.

Hypothetically speaking he could still resort to cannibalism he supposed, but he wasn't that far gone yet and hoped he would never be.

Sasuke was quite sure that he would not be able to continue without food for much longer, especially since he found himself clashing with outlaws again and again. And even if they did not pose a challenge to him, it was still slowly but surely wearing down his energy reserves.

After he had been attacked by group of what seemed to be outlaws for a couple of times, Sasuke had learned that the new energy that seemed to run through him was different from chakra in more way then simply the way it could be used. It seemed to be more like killing intent then Sasuke had assumed at first.

He had come to this revelation by accident while fighting off against another band of bandits that seemed to rove this forest with alarming frequency. He had been irritated by the lack of nourishment and their continued tenacity which had caused him to release his firm control on the energy.

The moment he did so his attackers had been on the ground desperately struggling to breath. It had reminded him of his first encounter with Orochimaru in the forest of death, when the man had nearly paralyzed him with simply killing intend.

It had proved to be a valuable tool against the outlaws roaming the forest as it did not require Sasuke to spend his energy on fending of their desperate attacks.

But even traveling through the seemingly endless forest was slowly but surely using up his reserves and it was as if the scenery did never change.

Sasuke could not help but wonder if this was what the afterlife was. A place that seemed to consist of nothing but of bloodthirthy murderers and an endless forest one was lost it

It was maybe a little ironic.

–

Maybe two days later, when he finally reached the edge of the forest that Sasuke had feared he would never leave again, he was startled by the sight of smoke rising somewhere in the distance.

It was a sight that made him stop and stare for more than just a simply moment. He had not believed that he would ever find a sight of civilized life and what was no before him was strangely idyllic.

A small wooden house with a small garden that seemed to be hidden behind a high, but not particularity sturdy looking wooden fence.

Wearily Sasuke approached the house when he suddenly felt something attempt to push him down. It was an intense feeling of power and unwillingly his lips curled into a smile of anticipation.

It seemed like this was one opponent he could neither underestimate nor hold back against, especially not in his weakened form.

Sasukes hand was already on the handle of his sword when the door opened and he did not move it away, even if the sight of the person who was facing him had surprised him.

The woman who opened the door was old. Seemingly ancient even, with deep wrinkled lining her weathered face, gnarled hands and white hair yet she held herself with a dignity that Sasuke had not expected to find in a place such as this.

It was this air of dignity that made Sasuke rethink his plans and look at her more closely. There were few people he had met that this woman reminded him off in a way. Among them the Third Hokage, but above all, down the the winkles around her eyes, the woman reminded him of Nekobaba.

And it was the resemblance that made Sasuke bow respectfully before addressing her.

When she opened the door and had spotted him she had looked at him warily, obviously aware of the dangerous surroundings she lived it, yet when he bowed a twinkle of amusement entered her eyes.

"How can I help you young man?"

Her voice was brittle with age, yet higher then Sasuke had expected.

"I would like to ask some questions?"

He wasn't sure why formulated his intentions as a question, but the last of the tension faded from the old womans stance.

"Ah you are new then?"

He nodded hesitatingly, wondering if it was normal for people to find themselves in the forest where he had woken up, but the old woman did not elaborate instead she simply gave him a kind smile and beckoned for him to step into the house.

Wearily Sasuke stepped inside, deciding that even if it was a trap, there was nothing left for him left to loose and, especially considering the smell of food, everything left to gain.

–

The old woman turned out to be a blessing instead of the trap part of Sasuke had still expected. Upon noticing his focus on the stew that had been on the stove she had feed him and answered his questions.

Obviously amused be his polite behavior, something that one did not encounter all that often here in the 76 district of East Rukongai, she seemed to have taken a shine to him stating that he reminded her of the grandson she once had.

Sasuke hoped that she was wrong about that, for both her own and her grandson sake, but Kureha-oba-san, as the old lady had urged him to call her, had simply waved his concerns away, stating that it did not matter what he had done in life, the fact alone that he was here meant that he had paid all the debts he had accumulated in life.

This had sparked a lot of new questions on Sasukes part, questions about whose answers he wasn't sure how to feel.

Even the fact that some of his guesses turned out to be true did not help matters.

Reiatsu. The force he felt now, similar to chakra yet completely different. It was one of the reason that Kureha-oba-san remained mostly undisturbed even here in theses lawless lands where only power mattered.

Luckily that was something the old lady had in spades. She did not answer many personal question and judging by the steely look in her eyes she would never tell him how she knew so much about this world or why she held herself with the air of a noblewoman yet moved with grace of someone who had received formal training.

But she did answer most off his questions. Some answers disturbing him more then he had expected.

Souls.

Hollows

An afterlife that was a life all in itself.

Kido.

Shinigami.

Swords with souls. And at that thought his own hand clenched around the hilt of the blade he had picked up in the forest.

Just what kind of place had he found himself in and more importantly what was he going to do now?

Sasuke did not have the slightest idea.

A purpose had never been something he had lacked in his life.

Impress his father.

Revenge. Against Itachi. Against Konoha. Against Madara.

One had followed the other. But know?

"You can stay here for until you come to a decision."

His eyes snapped up towards the old woman. Kureha-oba-san was not looking at him, instead she had gone back to cleaning the dishes with a serene smile on her face. As if feeling his gaze directed at her she looked up.

"You will have to make yourself useful around the house of course. I'm no longer as young as I used to be and a little help would be welcome."

Sasuke observed her for a moment longer before coming to a decision. For now he would stay, if only to repay her for her help and maybe collect some more information about this strange place he had found himself in and about those Shinigami who were seemingly the ones in charge.

Information was vital. It was something he had originally learned in the academy but then forgotten as he moved on with his life, causing him to make a lot of decisions that he would not have made had he known better.

He would not make the same mistake twice.

A voice in the back of his mind, one that sounded far too familiar for his comfort, snorted.

I hope it was to your liking.

I don't really like this chapter all that much. But somehow it did not improve when I tried to rewrite it. At first I though about writing the whole question and answer session between Sasuke and Kureha.

But somehow... well most of you know Bleach I think and just repeating thoses explanations would hae been terribly boring. Things that are of importance will be explaint once they come up again.

For all of you that are worried that Kureha, the dreadful OC of doom will take over the story... please don't worry. She is not all that important. She might get mentioned again, as she is the person who explained the basic goings of Soul Society to Sasuke.

And well she has a story, it might appear again, but she originally did not even have a name. It wass just strange to write "the old woman" etc, again and again.

So she got a name.

Mainly becauuse it makes it easier to write about her and given that Sasuke will spend some time with her I though giving her a name seemed prudent enough.

For know I will warn you that she will most likely be mentioned at the beginningof the next chapter and after that Sasuke is off to Soul Society.

Read and Review!