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

Songs I listened to while writing:

Glass Sky - AmaLee

End of Silence - Gackt

Translation of Certain Terminology:

Reiryoku: spiritual energy, power

Reiatsu: spiritual pressure

Reishi: spiritual particles


(***)

Soul Society

It was a rare occurrence for Kyōraku Shunsui. Emergency and general captain meetings were recurrences that happened occasionally in the Court of Pure Souls but private meetings exclusive to him, his best friend Ukitake Jūshirō and long time acquaintance Unohana Retsu in the private office of the 1st Division were rare, especially when the meeting was ordered by none other than the Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen and Captain of the First Division, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. As he stepped inside the room, the indomitable figure of the oldest Soul Reaper in Soul Society stood with his cane before him, Unohana standing off to the left and Ukitake to the right.

"How many years has it been since we all gathered like this?" Shunsui asked, taking up a spot beside Ukitake. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a yawn. "Four I think. Feels like a meeting of old men..." He glanced at the calm visage of Unohana standing across from him. "Oh, my bad! Ladies too!"

"I think the apology should be redirected at using the word "old" as a term, hmm Captain Kyōraku?" The Captain of the Fourth Division corrected.

The Captain of the Eighth Division gave her a sheepishly apologetic grin. "Hehe Y-Yeah, sorry about that too."

Captain-Commander Genryūsai cleared his throat, silencing Shunsui and bringing his attention back to his reason for coming. Slowly, Genryūsai opened his eyes to a slit and glanced at the Captain of the Thirteenth Division. "Jūshirō, you were the one who had me call this unofficial meeting as a matter of utmost urgency. Now that everyone has gathered here... what is it that you wish to tell us?"

Jūshirō nodded. "Two days ago, a Soul Reaper in my division, Kuchiki Rukia, went to temporarily relieve the designated patrol Soul Reaper from his assigned district for his monthly report from the Realm of the Living. Upon her return, I found she had been using her free time in my Division's General Archives."

"So Byakuya's sister's been reading a bit," Shunsui yawned. "What of it?"

"When I approached her," Jūshirō continued, ignoring his friend's comment. "I asked what she was doing. She explained that when she had taken up the temporary posting, she had encountered a soul capable of wielding a zanpakutō but claimed no association with Soul Society." He took a deep breath. "He introduced himself as Uchiha Sasuke."

As soon as the name was uttered, all of the drowsiness that had affected Shunsui ceased. Like both Genryūsai and Unohana, his eyes went wide with astonishment and disbelief, but his also bore another feeling, one that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Dread.

Pure, unadulterated dread at the thought of having to suffer under those crimson eyes again.

"Are you sure she said his name?" Shunsui questioned, his eyes solely on his best friend and oath brother. "Are you absolutely certain that she is talking about the same Uchiha Sasuke that we-"

"I don't want to believe it either," Jūshirō interrupted, his eyes solemn. "However apart from the physical description that she gave, Rukia also mentioned that the individual in question bore crimson red eyes with pupils surrounded by three tomoes..."

"The Sharingan," Unohana thought aloud, to which Jūshirō nodded and dispelling any doubts that any of them had. Yet Shunsui continued to grasp. Bringing a hand to her lips, the Fourth Division captain adopted a thoughtful expression. "How is that possible? Uchiha Sasuke was... he perished in the advent of Lost Zero three centuries ago. "

"To perish and to disappear are two different things," Jūshirō reminded her though he spoke as if he addressing them all. "Remember well that many souls vanished during that cataclysmic event. There was no resurgence of new life in the Realm of the Living after it was finally brought to a close. No reincarnations of any kind. It is not unfathomable that he may have survived."

"Rukia might've met someone who looks like Sasuke, right?" Shunsui said. "I mean, he isn't the only one who bore the Sharingan. There were others too."

"Even so, the physical description she gave is accurate to that of Uchiha Sasuke," Jūshirō said in staunch defense. "What's more, Rukia also told me that he is suffering from severe amnesia. He has been among the living for over four years with his only recollection being his name."

Four years ago? What the hell was Sasuke doing the last two hundred and ninety-six then? Shunsui was certain the same thoughts plagued the others. It was not often that Shunsui lost his composure but the dread he felt at the possibility of Uchiha Sasuke's survival was warranted and rightfully so. Soul Society wasn't safe, hell nothing was safe from that vengeful, power-hungry monster. If he truly did survive Lost Zero, then he needed to be dealt with... and quickly.

"But..." Unohana's soft voice caught Shunsui's attention and pulled him away from where his mind was leading him. "If Uchiha Sasuke truly survived... then perhaps it is possible that they too could have..."

Jūshirō eyes sharpened. "You don't mean to say..."

"Enough."

Shunsui, Jūshirō, and Retsu all turned to the Captain-Commander, who was stroking his long well-kept beard. He had played the silent observer, watching and listening to his subordinates while contemplating his own thoughts on the matter and the possibility of Uchiha Sasuke's survival, or so Shunsui deduced. The old man was hard to read at times, but Shunsui was certain that of his mentor's thought process this time around.

Finally, Genryūsai rested his hand back atop the other holding up his cane and spoke. "Captain Ukitake, have Kuchiki Rukia brought before me immediately. She must be sworn to complete secrecy about the individual claiming to be Uchiha Sasuke on the penalty of death. Her report will also be brought to me and any copies of it will be purged discreetly. This, I leave to you."

Jūshirō bowed his head. "Yes, sir."

"What about Uchiha Sasuke, Old Man?" Shunsui inquired, stepping forward. "If he really is who he claims to be, we can't have him wandering about in the Realm of the Living. Give me leave to investigate this myself."

Genryūsai's red eyes flickered to Shunsui. "And what will you do if it is Uchiha Sasuke?"

Shunsui rested his hand on the hilt of his zanpakutō, earning startled eyes from both Unohana and Jūshirō.

"I did not think you would be so quick to kill, Captain Kyōraku..." Unohana made no effort to hide the disapproval in her tone. "How unlike you."

"You know exactly what he's capable of, Unohana," Shunsui said. "The kind of destruction he can and will wreak upon Soul Society and the Realm of the Living if we do nothing. If it is Uchiha Sasuke, and he really does have amnesia or whatever ailment Rukia claims he said he is suffering from, I'll take care of him myself. You have to kill the cub before it becomes a full-grown lion." If we don't, then I won't be able to defeat him... not on my own.

"No," Genryūsai interjected. "You will remain here in Soul Society, Captain Kyōraku. I will have Vice-Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe lead a covert unit to bring one claiming to be Sasuke here... unharmed."

"But Old Man-"

"That is my decision!" Genryūsai's voice thundered throughout the office, his reiatsu spilling forth to silence Shunsui, who managed to keep his regain his composure. When his sudden surge of reiatsu died down, Genryūsai continued. "He will be brought here to us unharmed. Once we have identified him personally, he will be questioned and from there we'll decide what will be done with him."

No one argued the sensible decision. No one dared.


Karakura Town

The Hollow fired its crimson flash of energy.

Sasuke unsheathed his zanpakutō and swung wide, calling forth the Chikasumi no Tate to shield them from the blast. Ururu kept on repeating that the Menos was an enemy and that it needed to be eradicated but there was no way he was going to let the little girl blasted to bits by the immensely large horror. He watched as the shield began to crack and, realizing it would not hold, grabbed Ururu in his arms and used Shunpo to escape the blast just as the shield collapsed.

He brought them to the ground below the building. "Are you all right?" He asked as he quickly scrutinized Ururu for any sort of injury. There were visible scratches on her face and arms but she seemed fine.

The young girl had finally stopped repeating herself like a machine and acknowledged Sasuke with her wide eyes. "Y-Yes," Ururu answered.

"Ururu, go find Yuki and then the two of you return to the shop," Sasuke said. He stood up and turned, staring up at the monstrous Hollow.

"But the enemy is-"

"Ururu!" Sasuke's voice became hard and cold as ice. "Go." He turned his head slightly left, his Sharingan peering down at her frightened face. "Now."

Meekly, Ururu nodded, turned and ran. With her gone, Sasuke turned his gaze back to the Menos Grande, struggling to figure out how exactly he was going to be able to destroy it. He had faced many Hollows during his four years in the Realm of the Living but had never come across anything on such a scale as the monstrosity that towered over him.

"Fwah, that was so close." A sickly, rich voice said behind him. "I didn't think you'd be able to escape in time!

Sasuke whipped around and met a teenage girl with sunny-bright hair, a thick bang covering one of her light blue eyes. She wore a lavender sundress that did nothing to hide her slender, voluptuous pale-skinned figure and dark heels.

"You can see me?" Sasuke interrogated. When she nodded cheerfully, the raven-haired man narrowed his crimson gaze on her. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Inomori. Nice to meet ya!" She said with a perky smile, completely oblivious to the situation. Her eyes slanted like that of a cat as she studied his face. "My, you're much more handsome then you looked from so far away, ya know?"

"Quit gawking and make yourself useful, Ino," a voice said from above Sasuke's head. His scarlet eyes darted up to a slightly older teen, who stood upright on a wall peering down at them. His hair was a dark gray that bordered on black and done up in a ponytail. His eyes were thin and dark, and he small scar across the bridge of his nose. His left earlobe was pierced with a diamond stud and he wore a dark attire, with a short-sleeved dark open shirt with a white tee worn beneath and a pair of black cargo pants with open-toe sandals. "This is such a drag," the male newcomer sighed. He fished out a pack of smokes from his right pocket with a zippo lighter. "I just woke up fifteen minutes ago, get a call from the redhead and now here I am stuck helping you in this troublesome situation."

"Oh yeah, well no one asked for your help, Shika!" Inomori yelled at the dark-haired male, raising an irritated face at him. "Go crawl back to the hole where ya came from!"

"It's Shikabane to you, blonde!" The smoker spat back as he ignited and took a drag of his cigarette. He closed his zippo and walked down the wall until he jumped off and landed with a light thud on the pavement in front of Sasuke. He pointed his cigarette at the zanpakutō wielder. "And you... who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sasuke challenged.

"Guys! It's coming again!" Another male voice said. The voice came from a bulky, ripped teenage boy who stood on top of what Sasuke could describe at best a castle gate. He wore a long black overcoat and ankle length black jeans and black sandals, who stood at the edge of the building beside them.

"Chousuke, get down from there! You could get hurt!" The blonde warned. All four at the present felt the radical spike in spiritual energy once more. The Menos Grande turned toward them and almost instantly, Sasuke felt the same type of reiatsu coming from the northwest. Another one? Sasuke mentally cursed. Fighting one was one thing, but two was bordering on impossible.

Energy began to gather at its mouth again.

"Those Ceros will be the bane of this city." Shikabane drawled.

"Then it is a good thing I had the boss send you three here now, isn't it?" Sasuke turned his head right and saw a rosette walk up to him. He recognized her as the girl he saw earlier today at the jewelry store. Her emerald eyes flickered to Shikabane and Inomori, then met Sasuke's own. The dark swordsman's eyes widened ever so slightly when he glimpsed what appeared to be rancor in her eyes, an incredibly malicious intention that put him on more edge than the Menos Grande standing over their heads. Yet the glimpse had disappeared as quickly as he had seen it, replaced by a neutral gaze that gave him nothing.

"You should go take care of the other Menos Grande," the rosette said to him, one hand on her hip. "We'll keep this one contained."

So many events were transpiring so swiftly that it froze Sasuke's state of mind. Menos Grande, an entirely different tier of Hollow, were attacking the city, these newcomers with strange powers and being capable of seeing and speaking to him. And then this young woman who stared at him with such familiarity yet he did not know her at all.

"Who are you?" He couldn't help but ask.

The rosette blinked and broke eye contract. "...You'll learn our identities soon enough," she replied in a polite tone, and she then shifted her gaze to the Menos Grande. "I didn't expect a Menos of all things to take such a small amount of bait."

"I don't think any of us did Sakurai," Inomori quipped.

"Not the time to moan and groan about it now. We need to eliminate that thing before it causes any more casualties. You and Chousuke detain it. Shikabane, I want you-"

"Quit ignoring me!" Sasuke took a step forward, his uproar earning Sakurai's attention. Again, he saw a brief glimpse of rancor in her emerald orbs that quickly vanished into composed calm that stared directly into his Sharingan. "I heard you mention bait! Are you the reason why these things showed up outta nowhere and are wreaking havoc on everything?"

"Yes." He was as baffled by her monotonous answer as he was by her calm composition. "What of it?"

Sasuke's grip on his hilt of his zanpakutö tightened. They were the ones responsible for all this carnage. "You've just endangered the lives of hundreds of innocent souls! What is wrong with you?!"

"Menos Grande."

"What?"

"I've already told you that there is another Menos Grande that requires your attention," Sakurai said. She lifted her arm and pointed. "You're endangering more lives by standing here and uselessly attempt to pry information out of me when every second wasted toward banter means another life lossed to these monsters."

Sasuke narrowed his Sharingan.

"I'll make this very easy for you," she continued. "Either eliminate the Menos Grande before it levels that half of Karakura Town or stay out of our way. What's it gonna be Soul Reaper?"

At that moment, Sasuke fought the sudden compulsion to cut her down but at the reminder of the Menos Grande he quelled his anger. As much as he was loathed to admit it, she was right. This wasn't the time nor place to have a discussion about their role in all of this destruction. Finally he sheathed his blade. "This isn't over," he declared quietly. He took one last good look at her and then used Shunpo to travel northwest towards the other great Hollow.

(***)

Inomori stepped up beside Sakurai. "Um, what was that about?"

"None of your concern, Ino," Sakurai whispered.

"But you know that he can't possibly fight that thing alone!"

"Girls," Chosuke bellowed. "Menos Grande, Cero incoming!"

"Good. I need to let loose." Sakurai looked up at the towering Hollow. A light glowed in the center of her brow then, with purple tribal markings slithering down her face. It didn't much matter to her if he could fight it or not. She didn't want to see his damned face again, and if the Menos killed him... then she couldn't be blamed.


Sasuke used Shunpo to traverse through the urban center, and as he stepped atop the old skyscraper he once called 'home', it was there he saw it.

A crack in the sky. Two large, phantom pale hands broke through the crack and expanded it. The Menos Grande's sharp, long horn of a nose slipped through first, followed by its horrid emotionless mask and black form. Fortunately, Sasuke surveyed the area that the Menos was emerging over and saw it was Tsubakidai Park located across the Karasu River from the Minamikawase residential district. Once more, Sasuke used Shunpo to travel the distance fast enough to arrive as the gargantuan Hollow took its first step out of the portal.

Sasuke kept himself up as he forced his fatigue away. I'm draining my reiryoku too fast using the Shunpo...

"I-I can't b-believe it..."

Sasuke's crimson eyes darted left; backed up against the trunk of a large tree was the Soul Reaper that Sasuke had seen over the last six months, responsible for patrolling Kurakara Town wandering souls and Hollows. He was flat on his butt, wide eyes brimming with fear and shock, his zanpakutō tossed over to his left as if discarded.

"A M-Menos Grande..." the Soul Reaper muttered fearfully. "I-I've never... seen one in p-person before..."

"Hey!" Sasuke approached the Soul Reaper and stood over him. "We need to kill this thing before it can unleash a Cero on the city!"

The Soul Reaper looked away from the Hollow and up at Sasuke with hopelessness etched upon his face. "W-Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter," Sasuke declared. "Now get up! We have to slay this Hollow before its too late!"

"S-Slay?" The soul Reaper shook his head once. "We can't slay it! It's too powerful! We wouldn't be able to so much as scrap its mask as we are! This falls under the Royal Guard's jurisdiction! We're completely outclassed!"

"Hn." Sasuke turned away from the Soul Reaper. His fear may be warranted, but Sasuke wasn't going to stand by and do nothing. He unsheathed his zanpakutō, and raised his right hand up, calling upon his reiryoku to his open palm.

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

He loosed the blast of red heated energy and hit the vast Hollow along the jaw of its mask. It stood immobile from the attack and when the black smoke dissolved from the air, Sasuke's Sharingan could barely make out a scorch mark on the immaculate ivory of the Menos' mask. The ineffectiveness of the demon art only served to enrage him. He bolted towards the monster and lunged at Hollow's exposed leg.

"Die!" He shouted, slashing. Once more, his attack was ineffective as it didn't even so much as pierce or scruff it. What the hell is going on?! Sasuke pondered. The Menos Grande took another step through the portal and with the foot he had attacked kicked Sasuke away. The latter rolled out and crashed face flat against the ground. As he recovered, the raven-haired youth looked up and saw the Hollow's above him, ready to crush him underneath it.

"Look out!"

Sasuke felt himself get grabbed and suddenly tossed from where he had laid as the Hollow's foot came crashing down on the earth. Recovering, Sasuke looked up and his Sharingan went wide.

The Soul Reaper had taken his place, his entire lower body having been crushed beneath the heel of the Menos Grande's foot. A pool of blood quickly formed beneath his upper body, and he looked at Sasuke, their eyes locking and in that instant the Soul Reaper gave a deathly weak smile.

"Don't die..." he mouthed. "A-Avenge... me.."

The patrol guard exhausted his last breath and Sasuke watched the life drain from his eyes as his body went inert, blood spilling from his mouth.

A gentle aura illuminated the dead Soul Reaper. It's body evanescent into myriads of bright soul particles and dissolved into the air. A single particle remained and floated into Sasuke's outreached hand and then disappeared.

He died... protecting me. Sasuke's eyes were hidden behind his long bangs. Despite being overcome with fear, he died protecting me.

Above his head, the Menos Grande peered down at Sasuke.

Sasuke rose up on both his feet and met the Hollow's gaze with his own crimson orbs, glowing with rage. There was no time to mourn a nameless Soul Reaper.

But plenty of time for vengeance.

"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"

The pure white beam of electricity shot forth and pierced through the black veil, but it quickly regenerated at unfathomable speed. In retaliation, the Menos unleashed a shockwave of reiatsu that sent Sasuke flying backward, skidding and tumbling across the ground before colliding with a tree.

As he stumbled back up to his feet, Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration. Attacking the lower body worked but the high-speed regeneration negated the effort and any attempt at its hardened mask made only chipped dents. He had counted on the white lightning's piercing power to go through but if that failed, what could he do? The unofficial Soul Reaper kneeled in despair. Was this the reason why the patrolling guard died? Were the Menos really impossible to beat?

No, there was still a chance. All he needed to do was get Urahara here. Perhaps if he was there, he could defeat the beast. He would be able to put an end to the madness. He could-

A-Avenge... me...

The words echoed through the raven haired man. He could only imagine how hard the patrolman had tried to defeat the Menos and now he had left the task to him. Sasuke might not have known his name but he knew the other man's deed and dedication to protecting the humans. But the nameless Soul Reaper had been right' Sasuke was completely outclassed as he was. The area surrounding Sasuke glowed red as the Menos Grande gathered together its reiryoku at its mouth into a condensed ball of energy, intent to leave not an atom of the raven-haired amnesiac left.

He felt a pulsation in his right hand, coming from his zanpakutō. Sasuke glanced at the blade curiously, and with his Sharingan saw reiryoku was illuminating the blade itself.

'Why do you hesitate?'

That voice, Sasuke thought. It was a whisper, faint and yet he had heard it.

And then, suddenly, the flow of time stopped for Sasuke. He looked up at the Menos Grande, who appeared to have been frozen along with its Cero in time, the tendrils of dirt born from the vacuum of the wind was still as stone.

'You seek to avenge the one that saved you...'

Sasuke turned his head left, and from the corner of his Sharingan eye he saw the black kirin standing so close behind him, electrical currents dancing violently across its body and gray mane. It stared directly into Sasuke's crimson eye with pools of onyx that bordered black.

'The anger and rage you feel, the feeling of powerlessness... Use them.'

Sasuke's eyes widened.

'The Uchiha Sasuke I knew would not hesitate. He would act.' The kirin dipped its heads down now at eye level. 'If you intend to protect these weak, pathetic mortals, then harness your power! Your soul demands vengeance, so seize it!'

"Then give it to me!" Sasuke demanded.

The kirin's currents shot forth and struck Sasuke, and once more a memory flashed in his mind.


Once more, Sasuke observed a memory he did not recall playing before him. He stood in silence as he watched the silver-haired man with the mask he had seen before in his memories approached what appeared to be a younger version of himself, no older than twelve or thirteen. They stood on the apex of a rocky mount surrounded by an arid, dry terrain.

"Look here Sasuke," the masked man said to the pre-teen Sasuke. "The technique I'm about to teach you is one I create myself. Only someone with the Sharingan can use this technique to its full potential. Since you're a genius and have already unlocked your Sharingan, you should be able to copy it." He performed a brief succession of hand-signs.

"Its more refined form is called the Raikiri, but back in the day it was once called..."


Time flowed once more.

Immediately, Sasuke sheathed his zanpakutō and brought his hands together, creating hand seals faster than he thought possible but realized it was completely on instinct. His reiryoku flowed into his left hand, to which he transmuted it into radiant, currents of electricity that sound like one thousand birds chirping at once.

The Menos Grande shot its malevolent Cero down upon the amnesiac.

Sasuke looked up and exclaimed, "CHIDORI!"

Using Shunpo, Sasuke hurled himself from the ground directly into the Cero, jabbing his Chidori into the energy blast. The sensation of his skin being torn apart from the heat didn't stop his conviction; rather it only fueled his anger and desire to have his vengeance upon the Hollow, which in turn fueled his Chidori and allowed him to spear through the Cero.

Sasuke felt like he was going to be pushed back but his Sharingan made contact with the deceivingly immaculate mask. Roaring like a lion, Sasuke tore through the Cero and shot his right hand through the Hollow's mouth, and pierced through the other side of its head. The Menos collapsed into the land beneath it and slowly began to disintegrate.

Sasuke landed with a thud on the ground, having completely exhausted his energy in that one attack. He rolled on his back and stared up at the sky, watching as the cracks disappeared. His consciousness began to fade and his eyes became heavy.

A figure loomed over him and as his eyes began to close, Sasuke recognized the voice.

"Well done, Sasuke," Urahara said. "Always full of surprises."

"Geta...boushi..."

"He did good," Urahara said, staring down at the unconscious amnesiac at his feet. "Better than I expected."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Looking away from Sasuke, Urahara studied the young man that approached him. "He has no recollection of his past," he explained to the newcomer. "Even if bits and pieces start returning like they have been, he won't regain his full memory... at least not until you want him to."

The young man knelt and picked up Sasuke in his arms. Urahara could see guilt in his blue eyes, and pain behind his forced smile. "How long before Central Forty-Six calls off their searches?"

"Six months... at the earliest," Urahara said, re-adjusting his hat. "Though it may be longer if the Captain-Commander finds out it was Sasuke who killed the Menos."

"It will be hard to keep Sakurai from beating him to a pulp."

Urahara grinned. "Same goes for Yoruichi, only she really will kill him if he stays with me."

The young man chuckled. "Can't imagine she'll be happy with you either." He dipped his head. "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry this happened."

"No need to thank me. Remember, friends help each other out when in need. Call me if there's anything."

"I will."

Kisuke watched as the young man carried Sasuke away, and then frowned. Looking up, the geta-boushi saw a black cat sitting on one of the tree limbs looking down at him with unreadable golden yellow eyes. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "And you may be right. He may just revert back to his old self... but there's also a good chance that he won't."

He was answered with silence. Urahara sighed.

"Silent treatment, eh?" He mumbled. "Fair enough I suppose." Regardless of how she felt, Urahara would stay the course.

After all... he had promised Itachi he would.


Author's Note: This chapter was fun! Originally it was written to be over eight thousand words, but realizing that the flow of the chapter wouldn't feel right, I cut out some three thousand words to be used for the next chapter, which will be coming soon. I hope you all enjoyed this read and will continue to support Transcending Bonds and my other works such as Digital Redemption and A Song of Conquest and Birthright.

Let me know what your thoughts were from this chapter and what you took from it. In other words...

Review. Favorite. Follow.

(***)

King of the Crows