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
Playlist of Songs that I listened to for this chapter:
Tribal Society - Kings
The Weeknd - Acquainted, Dark Times and Prisoner
Red - Pieces
Coldplay - Fix You and Violet Hill
Ne-Yo - Sexy Love
Translation of Certain Terminology:
Reiryoku: spiritual energy, power
Reiatsu: spiritual pressure
Reishi: spiritual particles
Uchiha Sasuke slipped into the bag and handed a single popsicle to Rukia, who nodded thankfully and had a taste of it. Her facial expression became one of shock. "Ah! It is good!" she said with awe and a small smile. "So this is a popsicle. I see now why humans crave these so much..."
Sasuke glanced to her. "Is this the first time you've had one?"
"Yes." Rukia answered truthfully. She tilted her head sightly left. "Is that strange?"
He looked into her violet irises and then turned his gaze up to the moon. "No, it's not."
The two sat on the edge of the rooftop that Sasuke had called home the first four years of his 'life' in the Realm of the Living. He had not come back since his meeting with Urahara months ago, but it seemed the best place to Sasuke at the time. Nightfall was upon Karakura Town; Sasuke had sent Yuki back to Urahara's shop in his faux body with the rest of the frozen treats, leaving both he and the female Soul Reaper alone silently contemplating one another. Although he wore his usual stoic expression and gave nothing away, Sasuke was actual rather nervous being around Rukia.
He glanced at the petite Soul Reaper who sat beside him, eating the strawberry-vanilla popsicle he had offered quite contently, and found that he was at odds with himself over what to say or do next. This was the first time he had interacted with a Soul Reaper ever; and while he was still distrustful of them, he received so such vibe from Kuchiki Rukia. He felt... comfortable being around her, which left him uncertain about her. Despite her small stature, she was indeed a Soul Reaper and he had to remain vigilant with his guard.
"I like this place." Rukia said softly, gazing down at Karakura Town. "It is very calm here."
"Aside from the occasional Hollow that reveals itself... yeah, it is." Sasuke agreed. He also glanced down at the small city below, which glowed as night descended from its own man-made lights and the illumination of the full moon.
"Are you not going to eat your popsicle as well?" Rukia asked.
He glanced at the remaining frozen treat in the plastic bag. "I don't like sweets."
"Ah, I see," Rukia nodded and silence fell upon them once more for a moment "So then Uchiha-san, you-"
"You can just call me Sasuke," the amnesiac corrected immediately, still staring out to the city. For whatever reason, being addressed using his surname by the Soul Reaper made him feel... strange.
"Forgive me, very well then..." She said with a slight bow of her head. "Sasuke-san, you mentioned that you are an employee of Urahara Kisuke? How did that come to pass?"
"Fateful coincidence." the raven-haired swordsman answered. "I met him by chance."
Rukia frowned. "So you met him by chance and then decided to work for him? Wouldn't that put you in serious trouble?"
Sasuke turned his head and looked the petite Soul Reaper, mimicking her expression. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I am assuming that the Soul Society knows you are here, right?" she asked. "Unless it was by their decree, staying longer than necessary in the Realm of the Living could constitute as a felony."
Oddly enough, Sasuke smirked as he chuckled mirthlessly. "Is that so?"
"This is not a laughing matter!" Rukia snapped, bewildered by his indifference. "The judicial system is swift and merciless. If you do not return or at the very least alert Soul Society to the reason as to why you are here then-"
"Would they send someone to take me back?" Sasuke asked, lifting his head up to the darkened skies.
"Yes!" Rukia almost yelled, annoyed with how callously indifferent he was about it. She couldn't understand; no Soul Reaper could appear so casual and laid-back about something as serious as a felony charge. It almost seemed like...
Her eyes widened. "Sasuke-san?"
His onyx eyes once more gazed into her violet irises, and she felt anxious.
"You do know about that law, right?" She asked. "You could not have possibly forgotten that law, right?"
He held her gaze as he answered. "It's possible. After all, I don't remember most anything about myself, and judging from what you've just revealed to me... it appears that your Soul Society doesn't know anything about my existence either."
"What?" The violet-eyed woman exclaimed, sitting down once again. "How is that possible?"
"Well..." Sasuke then told her his story. He told her of his awakening within the human realm, that all that he remembered was his name and of the events which led him to becoming an employee of Urahara's shop. She listened attentively, rapt in the amnesiac's tale. When he was finished, Rukia took notice her own steady breathing again and pondered the story.
"That is... an incredible series of events, Sasuke-san. Certainly, if you had gone missing, the division of which you were assigned to would've sent someone to get you or they would've gone as far as sending someone from the detention unit, depending on your relative... importance. However, since you've lived here for four years and it's only been two months since you've met Urahara Kisuke then it's safe to assume that either you're a natural born soul who somehow accidentally made it here in the human world or..." Rukia trailed off with uncertainty.
"Or what?"
"Or you were exiled, in the same way Urahara was."
Her answer shocked Sasuke, but it also filled the gaps of information absent from Urahara's explanations. He was exiled from the Soul Society but for what purpose was he exiled? He was about to ask her the reason when he felt… off, that it wasn't right. Even if he did know the reason, what then? It was not like that sort of information would help him in anyway.
"Still... it does not explain why you have Soul Reaper abilities, much less a zanpakutō." Rukia pointed out, glancing at his blade strapped between his thick purple rope that acted as an obi. "If you were indeed exiled in a fashion similar to Urahara Kisuke, then I am certain that they would've stripped you of such things."
"Maybe I don't have Soul Reaper abilities. Maybe I'm simply good at what I do." Sasuke countered in annoyance, yet just as quickly mentally reprimanded himself for it. Why did he always get annoyed when he was compared or assumed to be a Soul Reaper?
"I heavily doubt it," Rukia said bluntly. "When a Soul Reaper is stripped of their powers, their hakusui remains but the gradual spiritual increase aspect of their booster is destroyed. I felt your reiatsu rise and lower when we first encountered. A regular soul would not be able to do that. What's more, you have a zanpakutō which is in itself unique. Just from looking at it, I can tell you that there are very few, if any, Soul Reapers that use a chokutō-style blade."
"So then I'm suppose to accept that I'm a Soul Reaper without any recollection of my ties to this Soul Society... and may have been exiled for a crime I do not recall committing?" Sasuke shook his head. "Judging from how you described it, I doubt that's the case." But he didn't write it off entirely either. "That... or this is just an extremely cruel punishment."
Rukia frowned. "It is only a hypothesis based on what you have told me," she said softly. "As well as from information I recall from back at the academy. I wish there was more I could offer or say. I'm sorry."
"Hn." Sasuke looked away, repressing his sudden flux of anger he felt rise up within him, and an uncomfortable silence fell between the two. He had no reason to be angry as Rukia; she had been very helpful with providing him information and a possible explanation as to his state of amnesia and his connection to Soul Reapers. Whether his amnesia was indeed a form of sentencing for a crime he did not recall committing or from something else entirely different, Sasuke found he had at least discovered a possibility to discovering who he was and where he came from, and why he was in the Realm of the Living.
And he had Rukia to thank for that.
He glanced over to her, and saw her sitting silently with the wooden popsicle stick in her hand, cleaned of the frozen ice cream. Judging from her facial expression she appeared to be at odds on what to say next.
"Kuchiki Rukia."
She turned to him. "Yes, Sasuke-san?"
"Thank you."
Rukia's eyes widened. That had taken her aback; she had clearly not expected gratitude. "But I didn't give you anything that offered your mind comfort..."
"No," Sasuke admitted. "But you did answer my questions and helped me fill in some blanks. So thank you."
She smiled. "You're welcome, Sasuke-san."
There was a pause in their conversation. "You mentioned an academy," he said with interest in his voice. "Are there academies in Soul Society that train Soul Reapers?"
"Yes, there is. You see, souls in Soul Society that have exhibited some potential with spiritual power can go to the Shin'ō Academy, where they train Soul Reapers."
"Only some souls can become Soul Reapers?"
"Yes. You see..."
What began at first as a series of question was now a full, drawn out conversation that drowned the two zanpakutō-wielding souls into each others lives. Sasuke was not a conversationalist by any means. He was a man of few words and he didn't have much to say, or rather had nothing to say due to lack of interest. But talking with Rukia had become something of a novel experience. Though he was the one doing most of the questioning, very interested in the Soul Society that Rukia lived in and in the Soul Reaper herself, whenever he received an answer he would elude the discovery with something similar he had found in the Realm of the Living, things that equally surprised the Soul Reaper and garnered her own interest. The conversation was meaningful, and actually flowed well as they rapidly changed topics and discussed many things without any awkward pauses or silence.
Time flew; hours passed in what seemed to be the space of mere minutes as the two were captivated in each others knowledge, and unconsciously in one another. When he told a humorous anecdote about how he had acquired breakfast before his employment at Urahara's shop, she laughed softly, the moonlight reflecting in her violet eyes which gave them a gleam that held Sasuke's gaze. He had never met anyone that had such a hold on his attention as Rukia did then, and the revelation itself made him wonder.
"I have to say I am truly impressed by what you have told me, Sasuke-san." Rukia said honestly. "I've had very little knowledge of the Realm of the Living so I'm quite amazed by how similar it is to mine."
"Likewise." Sasuke admitted. "I think it's safe to say that all of the living souls in the human realm will suffer a tremendous paradigm shift when they get to their Heaven."
"I can't help but wonder if that is either a sad or happy thing to hear..."She murmured.
"Hm?"
"I've always had this idea that the Realm of the Living was the most unfortunate of the two worlds for souls to exist, but to think they are near similar..."
Sasuke was equally in doubt. Having versed himself in different theological literature, the common heaven that each book described seemed like an absolute paradise, where pain and suffering were but a distant nightmare and joy and laughter echoed throughout peaceful valleys. Thinking about it for a moment, Sasuke quickly realized as to why the 'Heaven' known as Soul Society housed its own personal angels of death.
"Kuchiki, do you-
"Rukia will do," she quickly corrected with a smile. "Like you, I'm not too fond of formalities when it concerns my own being."
Sasuke nodded and then, "Rukia, do you know if Soul Society has a way to track people that would've possibly been outside of the Court of Pure Souls?"
"You mean souls living in the Rukongai? I doubt it." Rukia answered. "Although Soul Reapers have jurisdiction over most of Soul Society, they do not meddle in the affairs of the common populace nor the noble ones for that matter unless its necessary, such as when there is a threat that could jeopardize the security of Soul Society. Meaningless to say, we keep records only of Soul Reapers and everything that is directly Soul Reaper related."
"I see," Sasuke said, then looked away. "Hn."
"Sasuke-san, this may very well come as a surprise to you but I do recall that there have been cases, uncommon as they may be, in which Soul Reapers have lost their memories."
This piece of information grabbed Sasuke's attention.
The petite Soul Reaper continued. "I mean, there are those who, after they lived for long periods of time, cannot recall their past lives or remember things that have happened a few centuries ago. Maybe you're not any different."
He felt disappointment brew within him. "No, it is not the same. In their cases, they had memories to begin with that they knew about could no longer recall. Aside from the same dream I always have, I cannot recall ever having a past to begin with. My 'life' began on this rooftop. Whenever I attempt to force myself to remember anything, all I'm met with is a thick wall of black that bars my path." He raised his left hand, staring into his palm, and slowly clenched it into a frustrated fist. "I know the memories are there, but regardless of what I do I cannot reach them."
"Maybe... maybe it's something you're not supposed to remember."
Sasuke looked toward Rukia, and was mentally surprised to see a crestfallen expression on her face. "Or rather... maybe a part of you doesn't want to remember. What if the memories are so painful that your mind locked them away in an effort to protect you? At least, that makes sense to me."
"…Something terrible happened to you." Sasuke said it as if it were a fact, which was proven correct when Rukia reluctantly looked him in the eye. He saw the pain in her violet orbs, the kind of pain that someone was burdened to carry.
"A past failure," she said, her voice slightly trembling. "It might sound wrong of me to say this, considering your circumstances, but if I could forget that time in my life then I-"
"You'd feel an unbearable emptiness forever."
The petite Soul Reaper's eyes widened slightly at the raven-haired amnesiac's declaration and left speechless by his abrupt and bold answer. "I'd rather live with a mistake that I've caused that could bring me sorrow than living with the misery of not knowing what I've done," Sasuke continued, holding her gaze with his dark eyes, and Rukia could not help but notice how the darkness clung to him as if it were a shroud, on not only his eyes, but even his words. "Even if it's something irreversible, even if it's something terrible that I committed, I would want to have the memories so I could do everything in my power to atone for whatever I did."
Rukia's violet eyes grew wider. "B-But how can you atone for something that cannot be undone?! What if it's something terrible and unforgivable?! Is that not just wishful thinking at that point?"
"Perhaps it is." He answered, but held to his resolve. "I don't even know what I've done to carry this mild apprehension towards Soul Reapers yet here I am spewing nonsense. And yet... and yet I've been able to see humans forgiving others and humans seeking atonement. I've assisted humans doing all that they could to atone for what they have done. Maybe it's their selfishness prompting them to seek forgiveness so that they can have a sense of peace with themselves and if they cannot find it within another human, then they seek a greater power such as God to achieve their redemption. Whatever the case may be, if people had the ability to blot out the memories of their past mistakes, how could they ever learn from them? How could they change for the better? How could they get stronger from their past moments of weakness? Even if it is just a dream of an absolution, I think they all want to make it real."
Rukia remained silent, entranced by Sasuke's words and determined answer, which became a light dawning upon her clouded thoughts. He was right; how could she ever think about forgetting Lieutenant Shiba's sacrifice? He may have died by her own sword, but it was because he wanted to protect her and the 13th Division from the Hollow that had caused so much mayhem. The only way she could ever feel at ease with what she had done was to let go of her guilt and move on, to spend the life he had sacrificed well.
It was strange. She had never been able to speak with anyone in her Division, of even her lord brother this easily, and her comrades were seldom silent. Byakuya was her brother, yes, but they never really talked. She looked at Sasuke, truly looked at him, and felt ashamed for her initial thoughts about the amnesiac. What she had believed to be cold indifference was actually just a carefully crafted veil which hid the depth of his personality and emotions.
Only when Sasuke stood up abruptly did she break out of her reverie.
"Sasuke-san?"
The raven-haired swordsman had his eyes closed in a moment of reflection. "It's clear to me now. As long as I don't confront my own mistrust towards Soul Reapers, then I will never be able to know what happened to me before I awoke in the Realm of the Living." The geta-boushi was right, Sasuke thought. Even if my connection is a bad one, even if it is painful, it means that I'm related to Soul Reapers. And from Rukia's own account... I may even be one.
He gripped the hilt of his sword, no... his zanpakutō for a brief moment before letting it go. He opened his eyes and turned to the Soul Reaper still sitting beside him. "Rukia, I need to ask something of you."
"What is it Sasuke-san?" she asked.
"Could you-"
A sudden loud beeping noise was heard coming from Rukia's person. She withdrew a cell phone from the deep sleeves of her hakama and flipped it open.
"Hollows!" she exclaimed. "And they're seven of them too."
"Seven? All at the same time?" Sasuke exclaimed as well. Hollows were a daily occurrence but for them to come out in groups like that was something new to him.
"Some Hollows tend to be more active during the night time." Rukia said. "Do not worry. I will take care of it."
"I'm coming with you." Sasuke told her.
"No, that's not necessary," Rukia said. "I'll be fine."
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not that I have no confidence in your abilities. But I've kept you busy and away from your duties, so I'm coming to help to make up for it." He drew his zanpakutō. "Besides, two Soul Reapers are better than one, right?"
Rukia smiled. She couldn't argue against that and she had seen his skills firsthand. "Right."
"Where are they?"
Rukia took another look at her cell phone. "Follow me."
The two ascended to the starry night skies with Rukia in the lead. As they were heading to their destination, Sasuke observed that they were getting closer to the entertainment district.
"Strange," Sasuke murmured.
"What is it?"
"I've just noticed this but... this area gets attacked more often than others," he explained. "I don't know if it's because it's usually the most populated area but even now at this time of night..."
"If there is something that gives off a lot of spiritual energy, then Hollows will come to it like moths to a flame." Rukia explained. Once they arrived close enough to sense the Hollows' reiatsu, Rukia pointed to the east. "Four in that direction," she then pointed to the northeast. "one in that direction and two others are heading straight for this location from the southwest."
"I'll take the east then," Sasuke declared, and before Rukia could contend with him the amnesiac took off. It didn't take long before he came across a large Hollow the size of a semi and appeared like a gorilla. Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he raised up his left hand, pointing with his index and middle finger aimed at the Hollow's mask. He had already used the Shakkahō, but he wanted to be sure...
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"
A straight lightning bolt shot from the tip of his extended fingers, tearing clean through the Hollow's mask. As it disintegrated into black ashes, Sasuke suddenly felt his reiatsu dropping somewhat and quickly realized that these Kidō spells consumed a fair portion of his reiryoku to utilize. He then pivoted around on his left heel to face off against a group of scorpion-looking Hollows. It wasn't long before he dispatched them, and only when he killed the last Hollow with the thirty-first destructive art did he realize that the numbering of these techniques were meant as strength levels, the lowest requiring the least amount of reiryoku.
But then what about zanpakutō abilities? How much energy would take in order for Sasuke to use effectively?
He then heard a roar behind him and turned his head-
A harpy-like Hollow flew through where Sasuke had once stood, the raven-haired amnesiac avoiding the Hollow's sharp talons with the use of Shunpo. He reappeared atop the rooftop of a three-story office building, watching the winged Hollow fly into the night sky and circle around. The Hollow looked down at Sasuke, and then extended its wings, and Sasuke saw some of its blue feather sharpen like blades.
I can see you. Sasuke raised his zanpakutō up and concentrated his reiryoku, channeling it into his blade. A red hue glowed around it. The Hollow flapped its extended wings out, shooting out its feathers toward Sasuke, sharp as blades. The raven-haired amnesiac stood his ground and watched as the feather-blades came, and then harmlessly bounced off his Chikasumi no Tate. As the feathers fell before him, Sasuke took note of the significant loss of reiryoku that had been utilized, then stabbed his zanpakutō into the roof and brought his hands together, forming quick precision hand-signs effortlessly.
The Hollow roared and flew toward him.
Sasuke smirked. My turn. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
As the massive sphere of fire shot forth from his mouth, the Hollow tried to evade but to no avail as it met its end, consumed by the flames as it flew into it. When all Sasuke saw was black ashes falling from the sky, confirming his kill, the amnesiac fell on one knee and took a breath. The fatigue he felt from using so many techniques at once had caught up with him. He would need to train himself to increase his reiryoku reserves if he didn't want to fall to fatigue in the midst of combat.
Sasuke sensed Rukia's reiatsu return to normal, signalling that she was done on her end. Willing himself on his feet, he sheathed his zanpakutō and went off to meet with her. They rendezvoused back to where they had split off, and immediately Rukia pointed up to his face, her eyes lit with concern. "Sasuke-san, your eyes! They're red again!" He would have laughed at how silly she appeared with her startled, concerned violet orbs.
"It's my Sharin..." He started, but then trailed off as a sudden thought popped in his mind.
The Sharingan used to be something akin to a myth. It was said to be a godly ability, once owned by a Soul Reaper that had been granted its power as a boon by the Soul-King himself.
"Rukia... have you ever heard of the Sharingan?"
Rukia tilted her head slightly. "The... Sharingan? No I don't think so. Is that what your eyes are?"
Sasuke nodded. "My Sharingan... its something I recently discovered about myself. Apparently there is a myth surrounding its origins in Soul Society."
"Really?" Rukia asked, then placed her hand beneath her chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I can't recall ever hearing about it before, but your eyes sound familiar to what one of the noble clans have in Soul Society."
This peaked his interest. "Tell me, do they share the same crest that I do? Is their name Uchiha?"
Rukia shook his head. "No, they're not. I'm sorry."
"Hn." He needed to stop getting his hopes up. In a single, prolonged blink, the red irises with black tomoes reverted to their black lacquered eyes. Rukia softly whispered an 'oh' in surprise as she witnessed it.
Then she bowed he head slightly. "In any case, thank you for your help Sasuke-san."
"Don't worry about it." Sasuke shrugged, then turned his eyes toward the near-attacked area. It was but a simple hunch but there was something not quite right. "Rukia, are you going to be here tomorrow?"
"The person I'm relieving should be back tomorrow by sunset I believe. Why?"
"There's something I have to check out first. If my hunch is correct, then I might have to stay here longer, otherwise..." Sasuke trailed.
"Otherwise what?" Rukia probed as she sheathed her blade.
He shook his head once. "I can't say for certain." He turned his eyes toward Rukia, holding her gaze. "Is there any chance that we can rendezvous again before you return to Soul Society?"
"I'm not sure." Rukia answered plainly. "Is there something you need of me?"
"Back then, before the Hollow alert interrupted us," Sasuke started. "I wanted to know if there was any chance that when you returned to Soul Society, you could investigate me."
"Investigate?"
"Yes, but discreetly." He pointed to his eyes. "If there is really any stories surrounding my Sharingan, then there is a possibility that investigating them could help you find out whether or not I was apart of your Soul Society. Also, considering that you're a Soul Reaper, you may even be able to search for me in your archives. I know its a stretch, and I wouldn't ask this of you otherwise, considering that we just met..."
"Actually..." Rukia said. "I was going to suggest the same thing. I just didn't know how I was to go about it. I thought maybe you'd think that I was suspecting you or something, considering that you mistrust Soul Reapers. But now that I have your blessing, I will go ahead and see if there is anything I can uncover about you. I don't know when I'll have a chance to return here to the Realm of the Living, but when the opportunity arises I'll take it and relay whatever I uncover to you."
"Thank you."
"I'm happy to do it." Rukia said, extending hand out to Sasuke. He stared at her small hand skeptical, embarrassing the petite Soul Reaper whose cheeks pinkened. "My apologies. You mistrusted Soul Reapers..." She pulled her hand back-
When Sasuke caught it with his left hand before it could slip away.
"I mistrust Soul Reapers..." His dark eyes stared into her violet-shaded depths, and with his silken voice continued. "But... I don't mistrust you, Rukia."
A small, gentle smile formed on Rukia's face. "Sasuke-san..."
"So soft..." He murmured absently, as he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand.
"S-Sasuke-san..." Rukia called out nervously, making him aware of her nervousness. He immediately let go and turned away, murmuring an apology.
"I-I have to go." Rukia said nervously. He nodded.
"I'll be here." Sasuke said and then watched as she whisked away into the night before heading back to Urahara's shop.
"So then, how was your date?"
Kisuke was grinning slyly at Sasuke as the amnesiac walked inside. He noticed the cool air in the shop and realized that the geta-boushi had finally gotten himself a decent air conditioning unit. It was about time that he invested in a new one, especially after the grey-haired man had repeatedly made attempts to steal the one in Sasuke's room because he was too cheap and lazy to go out and buy one himself.
"It wasn't a date Urahara, just a casual meeting." Sasuke said, finding Kisuke's annoyance a relief. Truthfully, it didn't feel quite right when he acted seriously.
"Uh-huh, sure!" He dragged out the last word. "Whatever you say, Mr. ladies' man. As if I don't know about Yukiko, Chizuru and Asami who keep checking you out." Urahara continued. Sasuke, who was in the middle of drinking his canned tea, spat out the contents in the sink.
"Did you go through my stuff again, geta-boushi?" Sasuke demanded, angered.
Kisuke shrugged off. "Of course not silly. I found out from the voice-mail they left on the phone everyone uses. Oh, and the last one sounds pretty strange. I didn't know you were interested in that kind of stuff."
"Interested in what? What's it about?"
"Go listen to it. You'll see what I mean." Sasuke went to the answering machine, got past the announcements of how many messages there were and began to listen.
Hello, you currently have one new message and four saved messages.
New message.
Tenchou, I'm at the pharmacy and I got the medicine for your constipation just like you asked but I really think we should've just bought the one on the T.V. ad. You know, the one-
Message deleted. First saved message.
HI SASUKE-KUN, ITS YUKIKO! REMEMBER ME FROM THAT TIME YOU CAME—
Message deleted. Next message.
Er, um, hello, it's uh—
Message deleted. Next message.
Now you listen here you bastard! Chizuru-sama is offering you the chance of the lifetime to join the Tanaka Clan! If you don't—
Message deleted. Next message.
Hey its Okabe Asami from the Dealership! I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch sometime—
Message deleted. Next message.
Do you have an interest in spirits, ghosts, aliens or the paranormal? Have you been ridiculed before for seeing one or hearing one. If so, come join ANBU Corp. We will gladly help you—
Message deleted. End of messages.
"I don't care for the use of foul language but...what the actual fuck was that? That was a total of waste of my time!" Sasuke spat in pellucid aggravation.
"Oh come on, it only took five minutes of your life. It's not going to hurt you." Kisuke said, covering his mouth to hide the laughter.
Groaning in both annoyance and frustration, Sasuke turned and left the living room. He had had enough for one day. And as he entered his room and laid down in his futon, he couldn't help but think about Kuchiki Rukia.
Author's Note: I wanted to thank you all for the enormous amount of support that this story and Digital Redemption have been receiving lately. I am truly grateful for all the readers who take the time to type their thoughts and leave a review, and also follow and favorite this story. It really thus provide me encouragement to continue writing.
But I also come with some bad news (good for me but bad for my readers): the next chapter of Transcending Bonds will not be coming out till mid or late November. My work schedule and my own personal life will be extremely busy for the next few weeks and I will have no time to focus on writing. What's more, I feel the need to take a break from writing in order to give my mind a much needed break and to think out the main storyline properly and also the route Transcending Bonds will take from this point. Many of my original readers, those who read the original Transcending Bonds by Imperialpatty, will have noticed the subtle changes to the story I've worked in. From this point forward, the changes will become more noticeable and you will start see a whole new story altogether, with new additions to the story, new sub-plots, old and new faces returning, and see the bonds between Sasuke and certain Bleach canon characters play a more prominent role in the main story.
And I'm still in search of a new beta-reader as my last two have been no shows and unreliable, so that may also greatly reduce the speed of which new chapters are churned out.
Also, in case some of you are not aware, for the last few months I had a voting poll on my profile, asking whether or not you would like to see Team Taka (Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo) to be involved in Transcending Bonds. So far the vote is at a stalemate and I am hoping that we can break the tie. Please visit my profile and cast a vote if you are or are not interested in seeing Team Taka in the story. So get off your ass and vote!
And, as a favor to me, leave me your thoughts on the chapter and how you are enjoying the story, or if have any criticism that could benefit me as a writer. In other words...
OH WAIT!
Seriously, everyone go and watch the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer! And if you haven't purchase your tickets now!
Ahem.
Now then...
Review. Favorite. Follow
(***)
Wolf's Honour