From Two Different Dimensions

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

Chapter 28: Tale Of Aizawa Ryo (Part 2)


Land Of Fire, Shinobi World

101 years ago

"My name is Aizawa Ryo. I'm a traveller and I just arrived today. Nice to meet you."

The brief introduction led him to befriend four villagers. The gigai Ryo had put on enabled people to see him, and after a few hours of exploring the land, he had come to know a red-head named Sasaki, his sister, Kasai and their male neighbours Kenji and Yakumo.

Kasai had a dark, long hair and pretty grey eyes. She looked young, about eighteen years old. Kenji and Yakumo were the same age as her brother, Sasaki, and they were all twenty-two years old. Yakumo was the tallest among them, standing at six-foot-two. He had a brown, bowl-cut hair whereas Kenji had a dark blue, short and spiky hair.

"Welcome to the Land of Fire, Ryo. I guess you're in luck, because this country has united just recently and we're in post-war time," told Sasaki, a wide grin on his face. "You could say we're still in celebratory mood."

This piqued Ryo's interest by a huge mile. "Oh, really?"

And then Kenji said brightly, "Yeah! Finally, gone the era where we witness daily bloodshed. Oh, and good news! Our children can now have proper education because it's been recently proposed that the country will build a ninja academy!"

"That's right. Thank God that those two big leaders finally reached an agreement. No one had ever expected this miracle though," Yakumo joined in the conversation, equally excited.

"Two…leaders?" questioned Ryo again with interest. Sasaki then answered, "Before Land of Fire was formed, two of the strongest and biggest clans were on constant war against each other for years. However, recently, the two leaders reconciled, and decided that seeking vengeance again and again would only lead to a continuous war. So the leaders of both clans finally reached an agreement, thus forming a country that unites both clans. And get this, we're getting more clans to join us too."

"Interesting. May I know what the clans are?" Ryo asked, not forgetting to smile at his new friends.

Kasai, the only woman in the group who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. "Senju and Uchiha."

X

There was a voice that suddenly interrupted their conversation. "Who is he?"

Everyone turned around to look up a tree. The stern voice belonged to a woman, whose eye colour was black and hair short just below the neck. The colour of her hair was greenish-blue, and it was the third unique thing that Ryo noticed about her.

"Yo, Shouko-chan!" Sasaki called and waved at her. "He's a traveller. We were showing him around the village. Come and meet him!"

To Ryo's total amazement and bewilderment, the woman was standing on the tree branch. Upside down. That was the second unusual thing he noticed about her.

"That's Shouko, another close friend of ours," told Kenji. "Unlike us, she's a ninja. And she's from the Uchiha clan."

The very first thing that attracted Ryo to this woman - what Ryo had noticed at first glance - was the person as a whole.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

X

Sasaki explained what a Shinobi was, and then the group asked Shouko for a demonstration. Ryo watched as Shouko jumped off the tree branch, her body beautifully whirled twice, and while in mid-air she opened a scroll. A large shuriken appeared above the scroll with a 'poof', which Shouko put a hand in its middle and threw it skilfully towards the tree she had been on. The weapon cut off the tree branch, and then Shouko landed gracefully on one knee on the ground in front of her friends. They all clapped. Still in awe, Ryo asked, "Shinobi…?"

Sasaki turned around to face Ryo. "They're different from normal people. What distinguished them from us is their ability to manipulate chakra to use jutsus."

Now Ryo was even more fascinated, happy that he had landed somewhere he knew that was an entirely different dimension from Soul Society and the Living world. Because one; the ninjas here were way different than the Onmitsukido in Soul Society. Two; no humans in the known Living world possess that sort of technique.

And lastly; he just knew that his decades of hard work and endless effort would never let him down. This was the thing, he just discovered the Shinobi World.

X

The restless days and nights that Soul Society experienced following Ryo's report about his unbelievable discovery of another world finally died down after a week. Every souls talked about it non-stop, Gotei Thirteen held meetings everyday in regards to soul governance, and Ryo earned an instant recognition.

Despite that, he still wished that Kisuke was still around to witness all this.

X

Travelling to the Shinobi world didn't require the portal anymore after he did more research. Senkaimon now had the ability to connect to the other world now that it was discovered, and hell butterflies knew their way to and from there. If Ryo had to draw in order to explain this, he would put the words 'Soul Society and Living World' and 'Shinobi World' side by side, with two parallel lines in between.

These lines were inconspicuous before, and both worlds never knew the other one existed. But with Ryo's ability and power to break down this barrier, a door – the original gateway – was established on those lines, enabling both universe to see each other now. Because of this door, windows magically appear beside it, and these were how Senkaimon were able to connect not only to the living world, but also the Shinobi world.

X

Ryo was now the new member of Sasaki's group after several weeks of getting to know each other and hanging out on a daily basis. Sasaki was easy-going, but he always had the 'leadership' vibe, thus he usually led the whole group every now and then. Yakumo and Kenji were friendly, though at times Yakumo did seemed a little more reserved than usual. Between Kasai and Shouko, it was easier to talk to Kasai despite her being the silent type.

Ryo had his eyes on Shouko every now and then, and always he found her attractive. But they never talked even after his numerous attempts. The best he could get out of her were short replies and sometimes monosyllabic answers. She wasn't the non-verbose type because she talked well with the rest of the group. Could she be shy towards him? He was fond of the idea though, guilty.

And then one day, Ryo caught her staring at him. His heart did beat a little faster than usual. Once she averted her gaze away from him, something bloomed.

But it wasn't love, unfortunately. It was far, far from that.

It was suspicion.

Those pretty, dark eyes of hers had been full of contempt. And he had a feeling that it wasn't the first time that she had shot him those looks.

X

Ryo's cover was nearly blown when Kasai almost fell victim to a group of people who were in an open training. There was a kunai darting in the air towards the younger woman, but Ryo was quick to grab her by the waist and pushed her out of harm's way.

"Sorry!" the man in the training area apologized. But everyone ignored him. Eyes were all on Ryo, and then Sasaki was the first one to speak, "Ryo… Are you a ninja?"

Such suspicion emerged due to the fact that the training area was inside a small forest, its existence barely seen from the path walk which they had been walking along. Even Shouko had failed to notice the incoming attack. Either that or Ryo was quicker to act than her.

"What are you talking about?" Ryo said nonchalantly while letting go of Kasai. "I just happened to witness the boys over there training the whole time." He looked up to see Shouko. Everyone was blatantly surprised.

But she wasn't.

X

Misery struck the Fire Nation when hollows started to cross the gate to the other dimension. One hollow was spotted at first, near the outskirts of the village, and Ryo managed to strike it in secrecy. However, days later more would come and by this time, ninjas and normal villagers were starting to get the gist of another world's existence. It didn't take a while before more Shinigamis intrude - for good reasons – as it was their job to defend humans from the merciless creatures born from lost souls or originated from Hueco Mundo.

It was like war again, where masses of hollows continued to create chaos almost everyday. It had come to the point where Captain-Commander Yamamoto had to send representatives of Gotei 13 to meet with the founders of the Land of Fire, Hashirama and Madara, whom they held a big meeting with to introduce themselves, and their worlds.

Both sides eventually learned that since ninjas were different from normal people, they were able to sense and see Shinigamis and hollows with naked eyes. This was because Shinobis have enough amount of chakra to derive their spiritual energy. The higher a person's spiritual energy, the stronger their Reiryoku were to at least enable them see souls.

Shouko engaged in a battle one day that started at noon, and by sunset, she was totally weakened. A smart hollow was creeping up behind her silently and she was unaware of it. Its blade-like arm was going towards her, and she turned her head just in time to see the oncoming attack. She dreadfully closed her eyes, awaiting her doom.

But the moment never came. Instead, she felt her body flying, arms wrapped around her. Shouko opened her eyes, but she couldn't see much since her head was pressed to the person's chest. When her saviour finally landed on top of a pole, Shouko heard the hollow behind them wail in pain, before the boisterous sound was gone.

"Are you alright?" Her saviour asked her as he repositioned her in his arms. Now he was carrying her bridal style, subsequently revealing his face to her. Her eyes widened in surprise at him. It was Ryo.

She looked over his shoulder and saw a Shinigami on the ground where the hollow had been about to take her. The Shinigami then disappeared, leading Shouko to wonder if he was teaming up with Ryo. The uncertain thing was, Ryo didn't wear their uniform right now, making her doubtful at him.

"Oii!"

They both looked forty feet down to see Sasaki waving up at them. Kasai, Kenji and Yakumo were with him too.

"Are you both alright?!" Sasaki shouted to them so they could hear.

Shouko averted her eyes towards Ryo again. He was grinning, but something about his face told her that he was not happy. "Yeah! We're good!"

X

There was a clink of glass hitting glass, followed by a cheer before everyone drowned their cup contents in one chug. Sasaki, Kenji and Yakumo then engaged in a cheery conversation, leaving a gloomy Ryo staring at his untouched bowl of rice. The Shinigami's mind was in distraught over the destruction of an innocent village caused by the hollows as a result of his discovery. But his depression was taken as a traveller's confusion over the changing events in the country.

And Ryo was fine with that. Better than them knowing the truth about him.

"Aww come on Kasai-chan. Try it!"

Amidst the bustling bar, he could hear Kenji trying to persuade Kasai into drinking sake with him, but the raven-haired boy received a warning look from the girl's brother, Sasaki. Sighing, Ryo began to dig in, munching a mouthful of rice. After a while, his gaze travelled across the table to see Shouko, looking as happy as he was. He realized she hadn't even fill her cup yet.

"You don't drink?" Ryo asked. No reply came, until Sasaki butted in. "Nothing of the sort. She just gets drunk easily."

"Shut up," Shouko said and swiftly grabbed a sake bottle and poured into her cup. Ryo didn't know what was up with her tonight, but she had seemed perturbed ever since the incident today. Shouko drowned the contents in one go, and when she put her cup down, her face was all red.

X

"Ugh," groaned Sasaki as he set Yakumo onto his back. The tall guy was now knocked out while Kenji – who was very drunk – was supported by Kasai. His drunken state annoyed her, but as requested by Sasaki, they need to get the boys back to their home. The red-head turned around to look at Ryo, grinning sympathetically. "Ryo, I leave Shouko in your hands. You know where she lives right?"

"Uh…Yeah?" Ryo responded hesitantly. The group once had picked her up at her place before they had embarked on one of their little adventures. Ryo looked behind him to see Shouko struggling to stand up against a light pole.

"Please, and thank you." Ryo heard Sasaki said before the four of them strode the opposite way into the dark road ahead. There was a bump on his back. Ryo calmly looked over his shoulder to see Shouko leaning against him.

"Uchiha," Ryo called her as he slowly turned around and then grabbed her by the shoulders. The said woman looked up at him through half-lidded eyes. To his surprise, her hand crept up to his face, cupping his cheeks, but it was too strong much to his discomfort.

"Ryo," Shouko mumbled drunkenly. "I know who you are."

Blood seemed to drain from his face as he stared at her. "What do you mean?" he demanded, but came no reply.

"Uchiha," Ryo persisted while he shook his head to break free from Shouko's tightening grasp.

Shouko chuckled. "You're a Shinigami."

What she knew next was that she was swept off her feet, and then they were in the air before she chose to close her eyes, resting peacefully on his chest.

X

Shouko's words earlier continued to puzzle him now as he watched her sleeping form on the bed. They had arrived safely at her home in the Uchiha district. Apparently no one was home, so he had to take her inside himself. But then again, Ryo hadn't gotten to know whether she was living alone or with her parents. He didn't want to disturb her, but he really wanted to know more what Shouko had found out about him.

"You knew all along?"

No response.

"…But how?"

As expected, there was no answer. Sighing, he headed towards the door, thinking that he should see her first thing in the morning to dig more details from her.

"I wish I had Kasai-san's hair."

Ryo stopped mid-walking, turning back around but saw Shouko still unmoved. Her mouth then opened slightly, and in the darkness, Ryo could see her heaving a sigh. He went back to her bed. "Uchiha?"

"Kasai-san has a beautiful, dark hair. Why is my hair bright-coloured?"

Instead of responding, Ryo sat on the bed, near her legs. She looked at him and muttered again, "Ryo, I wish I had dark hair. Most Uchiha have dark hair, and because I'm the only one with green hair, the Uchiha kids made fun of me."

Shouko being an outcast was the last thing Ryo had expected of her. To him she had always been this cool, aloof and strong young woman who didn't matter people's opinion on her. You could never really know people just by judging their appearance.

"You're a kind, and beautiful young woman. There's no need to fret over such silly things. You're already surrounded by good friends," said Ryo to her gently. There was silence, before he felt her hand on top of his. "A Shinigami just called me beautiful. I think I could live with that."

Ryo instantly grasped the hand that was touching his. "Uchiha, how do you know about me?"

It was futile again, because this time she had fallen into deep slumber.

X

When morning came, Shouko took a stroll along the streets of the village alone. There was nothing she wanted more now than to have the events last night completely erased from her memory. To her dismay, she remembered it all clear, the way Ryo's warmth swayed her heart as he carried her last night, their hands touching, and the most embarrassing of all, she poured her heart's discontentment about a portion of her life to a complete stranger.

She never regarded him as a friend, no matter how many weeks they have been hanging out together thanks to Sasaki. She would never befriend a suspicious person such as him, the one who bored secrets, came from an unknown country, and most importantly, a being that suddenly appeared out of the blue and stepped onto this world. A being known as Shinigami, whom she presumed were also linked to the monsters that invaded this land for the past few days.

That Shinigami was now in front of her. She realized she had arrived to an empty street, and she had to look up at the presence standing a few metres away from her. Today, Ryo was wearing the black kimono and shihakushou, a sword hanging by his side. He was observing Shouko intently, seeking for a reaction.

The woman said nothing, avoided his eyes and continued to walk as if she hadn't notice him. Her footsteps echoed throughout the silent grounds. A sigh escaped Ryo's lips as Shouko ambled past him.

"I know you can see me, Uchiha."

More footsteps. Ryo whirled around to see her.

"Hey, Uchi-"

"I thought you're supposed to conceal yourself. Why bother showing your true identity now?" Shouko calmly questioned him using an unpleasant tone without turning around to see him.

"Last night you said you knew about me."

"I remember no such thing."

Ryo placed his hand on her shoulder and slowly turned her around to face him. When he saw her face, she was frowning. "Shouko, look at me." Slightly taken aback by him calling her by her first name, she took a step back from him and shot him a half-glare. "What are your motives, Shinigami? Why did you come to our land disguised as a human and pretended to be our friend for weeks?" Shouko questioned angrily. The Shinigami stared at her in bewilderment. He asked, "You… knew about me all this time? And not because you saw me among the Shinigamis yesterday?"

"Oh, please." Shouko rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You came out of a huge, dark hole in a clearing near the outskirts of this country. Your appearance at that time is the same as now. I trailed after you within the trees until you reached this village. For a while, you seemed confused. And then you stormed back inside the hole."

This new information struck Ryo like a slap across the face. He had been so sure that he had arrived in this world in secret, how silly he thought he was right now. "Was anyone with you at that time?" Ryo asked.

"No," Shouko denied. "I was alone. So no need to worry, I guess."

"Is this the reason why you were never friendly with me all this time? You think I'm a threat?" The silence that followed confirmed his suspicions. That explained the apprehensive looks he had been receiving from her. "Then why did you keep quiet all this time?" Ryo pressed on.

"I was about to warn Sasaki and the others, but you were there with them first," explained Shouko, looking distressed. "So I decided to go along with your antics. I waited for you to make a suspicious move, then will I protect my friends. For weeks, I've been keeping my eyes on you, but you never did try to hurt anyone. And then those monsters you call hollows came. I was puzzled for a long time about you. About the Shinigamis particularly."

Ryo stared at her, his heartbeat now at normal rate. "Rest assured. I don't intend to hurt anyone while I'm here. Since it has come to this, let me tell you everything." The kunoichi then looked him straight in the eye, but her frown still remained. Ryo continued, "It all started with a myth…"

X

Konohagakure, Shinobi World

Present Time

"A myth?"

Tsunade stared at the Shinigamis in front of her sceptically. Ukitake and Shunsui were paying her a visit in response to the request she sent to know more about Aizawa Ryo's background story. It was stated in their pact that each side would fill each other in on the necessary details when one presented itself. Ukitake nodded and said, "Yes. The discovery of the Shinobi World was driven by Aizawa Ryo's undying wish to find out whether a myth is true or not."

Shizune then asked, "What's the myth?" to which Shunsui answered, "There's an old legend that says a long, long time ago, a mortal summoned a Shinigami for the purpose of sealing the soul of their target. Shinigamis had been trying to find this human being in the living world in our universe, but no such person ever existed. That's why Aizawa Ryo went to lengths such as trying to discover another world where the mortal might be living in."

"Then again, the myth was like hundreds years old even during Aizawa Ryo's time. I doubt that, even if the myth was true, the person in question would still be alive during Aizawa Ryo's hunting," Yoruichi said. There was silence for a while, and the Shinigamis in the Hokage's office noticed the change in expression from Kakashi, Yamato and Tsuande when they exchanged glances.

"Do you know something?" Yoruichi asked the copy-nin beside her.

"Could you elaborate on the technique used by the human?" Kakashi inquired, which Ukitake then responded, "Basically, the Shinigami was summoned upon being called by the human through an unknown technique. At first, the Shinigami would tie the summoner's soul to its body. Upon the human's command, the Shinigami's hand would pierce through the human's body and towards his target whose soul was then extracted. In the end, the extracted soul is stored in the Shinigami's belly."

A flicker of familiarization crossed the Shinobis in the room. Kakashi further added, "The technique is double-edged, because the summoner's soul is extracted as well and stored away together with his target's soul." Shunsui, Ukitake and Yoruichi looked at him in surprise.

"As expected. I'd thought if the myth was true, these people here would know it. The jutsus that the Shinobis use are extraordinary," Shunsui commented.

"It sounds like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal," Tsunade stated, to which Kakashi nodded in agreement. Yamato then said, "The third Hokage once used this technique three years ago against Orochimaru in the sabotaged Chuunins exams."

"What surprises me is that this technique was used by someone over hundreds of years ago," said Shizune, earning a beats-me shrug from Tsunade.

"Can this technique be used by all Shinobis?" Yoruichi asked. Kakashi shook his head. "No, not all ninjas are aware of this Fuinjutsu."

X

Land of Fire, Shinobi World

101 years ago

"Onii-chan."

Upon hearing his little sister's voice, Sasaki turned around, breaking his gaze away from the dishes he was washing. He responded, "What is it, Kasai?"

"I'll take over. Kenji-san and Yakumo-san are here," the brunette said as she took the dirty plate from Sasaki's hand. She put it under the running water and began washing. Sasaki then asked, "You're not joining us?"

"It's okay, I'll pass this time. You guys have fun," Kasai said and gave her brother a small reassuring smile. Five minutes later, the three boys were at the riverside to practise their stone skipping. Among them, Kenji had always been the best at this. His stones would bounce off the surface of the water at least ten times before sinking, almost reaching the other side of the river if lucky. This had been the cause of envy for both Sasaki and Yakumo, who always managed to get less than five skips.

"Are Ryo and Shouko joining us today?" Yakumo wondered as he observed the calm water. "We haven't seen them as frequent as before." A chuckle escaped Sasaki's lips. He told Yakumo, "Let the lovebirds be."

Another stone had fallen within Kenji's grasp before it got tossed towards the water. Everyone watched in fascination as they counted up to seven bounces the stone made across the river. Kenji then spoke, "How long has it been since the two are going out?"

"Well," Yakumo responded as he picked up another stone, determined not to lose quite yet. "Almost two months? It was just shortly after the first Hokage was announced." He was met with disappointment when the stone sank after three skips.

"Senju Hashirama is perfect for the title. I'm just glad that it wasn't Uchiha Madara, there were rumours going around that Shodai Hokage was about to appoint him as the first," Sasaki said, after which he earned a questioning look from Yakumo. "What's wrong with Uchiha Madara? He's good now. I think he's grown more considerate towards the village and the people."

"Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that he was hateful and merciless during the Shinobi war," Sasaki responded before he sat down on a boulder. "Now he has fled the village for unknown reasons." Kenji joined him on the boulder. "Yeah, he did leave Konoha recently."

Yakumo was about to make another toss but he stopped, turning around to face his friends. "Konoha, huh. Village Hidden in the Leaves that is…"

Konohagakure was announced as the new name of the village in the Land of Fire by the Hokage just over a week ago. It was just before this announcement that rumours began to spread that Uchiha Madara had left on his own will, leaving nothing but the village name – created by himself – to be brought forward by the Hokage.

X

"You're going back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I can't stay here too long. Captain-Commander gave me a specific time limit for my stay here. I'm afraid if I overstay, I might get punished by Central 46."

Normally a non-resedential Shinigami shouldn't ever stay too long like what was granted to Ryo, but because the Shinobi world was recently discovered by him, Captain-Commander Yamamoto gave him permission to stay there within three months to gather more data and information about that world.

Shouko's hand found his in between the pillows they were resting on. Her hand was then clasped by Ryo's big, warm hand. While she was lying on her belly, her eyes glanced at him sideways. "When will you be back?"

Ryo turned his head slightly to meet her eyes. "I'm not sure," he said. "Could be months." The smaller hand belonged to Shouko tightened her grip on his hand. "What about the hollows?" she asked worriedly.

"Other Shinigamis can take care of them."

Ryo heard Shouko sigh, before he chuckled. "Well, if you're really desperate to see me, I might come down here with the others when the hollows attack." As a result, Shouko pulled her hand from his quite strongly and looked away. "Fool. I'm only worried about the villagers. Wasn't even thinking about you," she told him. The Shinigami could see her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Arms were around her waist quickly, and then her body landed on top of his. Ryo grabbed her chin so that she looked him in the eye and said, "Don't you worry, Uchiha. I'll surely be back for you."

"Is this okay though?"

"What is?"

"…Us."

"Us?"

Shouko brought her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks. "Ryo, you're a Shinigami, and I'm a kunoichi. We're two different beings. Is it possible for us to be together always? …or ever?"

Ryo's hand left her chin and travelled to the top of her head, which he then pulled down so their foreheads touched. He closes his eyes, and then spoke in a confident voice, "I'll find a way. You'll just have to wait for me, Uchiha. I want to be with you, even if it means staying behind here in this world."

Those words sank like a wave washing over her. "Can you do that?" Shouko asked hesitantly. "Won't that cause trouble?"

"It's not going to be easy for sure," he answered, eyes still closed. "I might lose my Shinigami powers." Ryo could sense panic from Shouko, and before he could say more, she beat him to it. "Ryo, you can't just make rash decisions like that."

Ryo opened his eyes, and to Shouko's surprise, they were serious than ever. It felt like those eyes were piercing through her soul. "Shouko," Ryo said, using her first name again. He only did that whenever he was very serious. "It's something I've been thinking a lot lately. I already made up my mind."

His lips then captured hers, kissing her gently at first, before it grew more passionate. His hand travelled down her body from the waist to her thigh. Shouko's hands played with his hair, and then she felt his hand ran up her thigh lusciously, resting on her hip.

X

Konohagakure, Shinobi World

Present Time

His strong hand moved from her hip down her bare thigh, bringing more pleasure to her body. His other hand had been cupping her cheek ever since they started kissing. It was as if he was trying to be gentle with her face, holding it with so much care yet at the same time, kissing her hungrily and passionately. He earned another moan from her when his hand on her knee moved up her thigh again.

It was past mid-night, where everyone was supposed to be asleep. Sakura however found herself hard to fall into slumber that night, and somehow, Shuuhei had been able to sense that and so had knocked on her bedroom door and come in to check how she was. Sakura had been highly surprised by this unexpected visit, her cheek was heavily flushed because since it was in the middle of the night, she had thought everyone would be asleep and that no one would see her wearing only a white bottom up pyjama shirt and black underwear. Sakura didn't know what Shuuhei thought when he saw her, but they talked for a long time on her bed, and then one thing just led to another.

"I'm going to tear off your shirt now," Shuuhei said with a sense of urgency. Hearing that was enough to heighten her excitement to another level. Because her shirt had press stud fastenings, he swiftly ripped the two sides apart, revealing more skin.

"Wait…"

On instinct, Sakura pulled her arms up to cover her chest, hiding the matching black bra she was wearing. Shuuhei trailed his hands along her arms to her wrists, grabbing them firmly before he pushed them away and pinned them to the bed. Sakura closed her eyes and looked away, biting her lip to suppress the excitement of what was about to take place. She knew Shuuhei's head was lowering towards her body when his breath caressed her skin.

A buzzing sound erupted around them, causing both to jump off each other in horror. Shuuhei and Sakura looked around the room anxiously, and upon realization that no one was around and that the culprit had been Sakura's digital clock, they heaved a sigh of relief. Sakura pressed a button on the clock, and the sound died down. She proceeded to switch on the table lamp beside it, lighting up the room.

Shuuhei stared at her in puzzlement. "You… set the alarm at one in the morning?"

"Ah, well…" Sakura laughed sheepishly, before her expression changed to a serious one. "Remember the nightmare I told you about? I still have it. In fact, I've been having the same nightmare every night, it's really frustrating. The alarm is to wake me up in the middle of the nightmare so I don't have to go through all of it. Getting out of it halfway is better than to stay for the same ride all over again."

Shuuhei thought for a while. "The cliff scene again."

"…Yeah. I'm beginning to think that it's not a random nightmare if it's a recurring dream. I'm quite sure it's a memory… Ne, Shuuhei-kun, what do you think? I remember you were deep in thoughts the first time I told you about this. You seemed to be affected by it."

The Shinigami contemplated on whether to tell her about his story from over a century ago or not. But then again, there wouldn't be any harm in doing so. Why not?

"It's just that… You made me remember about a past event. I was young, and I saved this girl, who was around my age, from falling. You see, we were all on a cliff. This girl tripped and fell over the edge. I made it in time to catch her by the wrist."

Sakura's eyes widen in sudden realization. She looked up to Shuuhei, searching his eyes intimately. "Shuuhei-kun… What if that was me? What if my saviour had been you all along?"

He swallowed. As much as he thought it would be nice and romantic if that turned out to be true, it was just impossible. Sakura was only sixteen years old, while he had lived for over a century and it was nowhere within sixteen years before did he save a girl from falling off a cliff.

His eyes travelled from her eyes to her exposed body. He brought his hands to her shirt, then started to button them up one by one. He was very unsure on how to explain to her that he did not save her, despite the persistent visions in his mind of the girl he had saved had a cherry blossom hair. It was just impossible.

"Sakura, I'm sure it wasn't me who'd saved you. If it were you, I'd have recognized you immediately upon our first meeting."

"What's the color of her hair?" Sakura insisted.

"Pink. But I may be wrong." Shuuhei thought then told her quickly, "I can't remember, Sakura. Anyway, you should get some sleep now."

"But-"

Shuuhei planted a quick kiss on her lips before he got out of the bed and headed towards the door. He looked back to say, "Good night, Sakura."

The pink-haired girl went under the duvet and responded, "Good night, Shuuhei-kun."

X

Konohagakure, Shinobi World

100 years ago

Dear Ryo,

I don't know when you'll be back. I have something important I must tell you, but right now, I'm away on a mission and won't be back in three days. So I passed this letter to Kasai-san and asked her to give this to you when you came back. Ryo…

You are going to be a father.

Love,

Shouko

For a very long while, Ryo didn't move. His eyes fixed on that one particular sentence.

You are going to be a father.

Fear washed over him, slowly making him shiver all over. With the paper now crumpled in his hand, he darted towards the door, heart still pounding fast in his chest. He half-ran around the village, letting his eyes scan the people desperately in search of someone. When his gaze finally landed on a woman with long, dark hair and grey eyes, he increased his speed and then appeared in front of her using Shunpo.

"Kasai-san!"

The said woman almost dropped the basket full of laundry she was holding. "Aizawa-san, you scared me!"

The Shinigami held the letter in front of her face. He asked quite hurriedly, "When did you get this?" Kasai then gave him a small smile. "Three days ago. Congratu-"

She wasn't able to finish when Ryo suddenly disappeared.

X

It was past nine o'clock at night when Shouko arrived at her home. She went up the stairs casually, each step filled with new thoughts on what to plan for the baby in the future once he/she was born. Her heart became warm over those imaginations. She wanted to raise the baby until she was old, and thanks to the baby, she suddenly felt hope for the future. It was amazing how her views on the future changed drastically after realizing that she was going to be a mother.

When Shouko finally reached the door to her apartment, she knew she wasn't alone. After going down the short hallway to her bedroom, she spotted Ryo sitting on her bed, looking rather sullen. Shouko's expression turned serious instantly as a result. When Ryo noticed her presence, he got up and smiled slightly.

"Uchiha."

Shouko let herself be enveloped in his arms, succumbing to the warmth with her eyes closed. Ryo then asked, "How old is it?"

"Three months," said Shouko simply. Ryo then grabbed her shoulders and lightly pushed her at an arm's length away so that he could see her face.

"Are you going to raise it?"

"Yes, definitely. I want to."

"Even if I tell you to have an abortion?"

Eyes suddenly filled with repulsion shot him the darkest glare he had ever seen on her. He could feel her body tremble underneath his hands, but her voice was still calm yet hard. "I'll tell you to fuck off."

Ryo sighed heavily before releasing her. Turning his back to her, Ryo stared out the window to view the moon in the sky.

"I see you're not happy about this child," Shouko said behind him.

"It's not that I'm against it, I'm just scared, Uchiha."

Sensing something wasn't right, Shouko went over beside him and observed the saddened expression on his face. "Ryo, tell me what's going on," Shouko demanded. She fully understood him to realize that there were bigger reasons for his reactions about the baby.

Ryo then said in a slightly shaky voice, "Firstly, I'm not even sure what's growing in your womb… I'm a Shinigami and you're a ninja… I'm afraid that it's not a healthy child…"

"It's going be a healthy child!" snapped Shouko angrily. "I'm confident! I have great feelings about it."

Ryo didn't respond, letting silence befall in the entire home. Shouko felt tears were starting to brim on her eyes, but she forced herself to be strong and not break down. When Ryo spoke again, his voice was almost a whisper, suggesting that he was scared about something. "I've something else I need to tell you, this is very important."

For the first time ever since she found herself to be pregnant, Shouko felt nervous. "What is it…? Ryo, what is it?"

Ryo finally looked at her. "Do you remember the story I told about my Captain who was falsely accused and have gone into hiding somewhere?" He received a weak nod from her, before he said again, "I…somehow managed to contact him. It was around two months ago… After that, I kept staying in the squad barracks in fear after I found out the truth…"

"How…did you two get in touch?" Shouko asked.

"Taichou created a small communication device in the living world, and with that he was able to reach my lab in the twelfth squad facilities. The thing is just a prototype, thus it was faulty and incomplete. We only managed to talk under one minute and a half."

"And then? What did he say?"

Ryo looked more pained than ever. "Aizen fuku-taichou is not who you think he is… He's a dangerous man." It turned out that Aizen was behind the Hollowfication experiments, not Kisuke. The former twelfth squad Captain had caught him red handed in Fugai where Hiyori and the others had been seen collapsed from Aizen's Hollowfication experiments. If Aizen was capable of such thing and went to lengths such as banishing Kisuke to the living world, there was a possibility that he also knew what Ryo was up to.

"Shouko…"

The said woman was about to respond when she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. She couldn't see his face, only listened to him. "I'm sorry for saying something so horrible just now. I'm sorry… I'm just afraid for this unborn child… I don't want this child to grow up with so many misfortunes, and because of me, this child's going to have a bleak future." They hugged in silence, where eventually Ryo could feel wetness on his shirt. Shouko was crying in silence.

"Ryo…"

"What is it?"

"I still want to have this baby."

Ryo released his hold on her slightly to look her in the eyes. "I know. We're going to protect this child with all we have."

X

7 months later

Ryo tightened his hold on Shouko's hand as they breezed through the woods. In Shouko's one arm lied an infant wrapped in a towel, who made loud sighs at every sudden jump the adults would make. There was a loud crashing sound in the background, causing Ryo to increase his speed.

"Damn it! Of all times!"

"Ryo…"

The hollows had entered this world again, creating the same chaos that their instincts told them to. Shouko looked down on her chest to see the baby. "Hang in there, Hikari," she whispered to the baby.

"Shouko, jump."

Ryo had waited several weeks for this moment, but when they were about to leave Shouko's apartment about an hour earlier, the sky had begun to shred and release about ten hollows. You would usually came across one or two in a day, but an army of them came at least twice a month. The situation had escalated that bad, Soul Society had no choice but to send higher members within Gotei Thirteen to take care of the hollows instead of just sending regular seated officers.

Ever since Ryo's daughter was born, he had been waiting for the right time to transfer his powers to her. The time where she was not too fresh out of the womb yet not old enough to understand her surroundings. Ryo felt like there was not much time left for him, and he knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

The family landed on top of a tiny yet wide, rocky hill. Ryo released Shouko's hand and turned to her. "Shouko, let's do this now," said the man. He saw the hesitation in her eyes that didn't break away from staring sadly at their daughter.

"Shouko, it's going to be fine. We don't have much time," Ryo urged.

"What if this Aizen person is not after you at all?" asked Shouko worriedly.

"I'd be relieved immensely. But Shouko, we have to take this risk. It's better to be safe than sorry," Ryo insisted, then watched Shouko hugged their daughter lovingly. He moved closer to them, and when Shouko released the hug, Ryo snaked a hand into the towel to touch Hikari's soft cheek.

After that, Ryo instructed Shouko on what to do while he prepared his Zanpakutou. Shouko held Hikari out, the infant's body hanging and facing front. Ryo stood a bit further than them, holding out his Zanpakutou facing his daughter. He took a few steps forward, until the tip of his Zanpakutou's blade barely touched the baby's bare chest.

"Listen, Shouko," Ryo began, and then saw a tear roll down the said woman's face. "I'm going to transfer my Shinigami powers inside Hikari. Normally, this procedure will cause the receiver to transform into a Shinigami right away, but we don't want that. That's why, while I transfer my powers to Hikari, I'm going to seal it inside her at the same time so as to hide it. Shouko, since Hikari is just an infant, she might not be able to tolerate the pain from the piercing blade, so I want you to inject as much chakra into her as possible in order to keep her life force going."

It took a while for Shouko to respond, but when she finally did, her voice was shaky but firm. "I understand."

The blade was pushed forward, and almost instantly, a high-pitched scream echoed throughout the woods.

X

Hollows came one after another non-stop on the same day. Shinigamis and ninjas fought together, the latter more towards weakening the creatures before the former would slay them with their Zanpakutous, thus transporting the souls to Soul Society to keep the soul balance going smoothly. It had been a constant blade-swinging for the past three hours for Ryo, and he felt like he was about to collapse any minute now. His rapidly-weaken state was due to the power transferring he performed on Hikari earlier, and he was supposed to stay out of the war, but he didn't wish to ignore his comrades on the battlefield.

Things were starting to calm down again when fewer hollows were seen going around. At this time, Ryo was the only Shinigami in the area, others presumably at miles away. Just when he was about to take a breather, a blade shot through his chest. An immeasurable amount of blood dripped down his mouth and chest. Summoning all force that was left in him, Ryo turned his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened in shock at his attacker.

"Good work, Aizawa-kun. I've been observing you all this time."

Behind those glasses were eyes full of mischief, a face full of calm, yet wicked smile.

"Aizen… fuku-taichou!" Ryo managed to mutter in reproach. He had planned to yell out his name, but his weakening soul didn't allow him to.

The new fifth squad Captain pulled out the sword from Ryo in one, quick movement, watching the defeated Shinigami fell on his stomach to the ground. Ryo felt such immense pain, both from the wound and being lost.

"Shit…Shit…!"

"For all these…" Aizen said behind him, spreading his arms wide like he was about to embrace nature, referring to the skies, the villagers, and the world. "I thank you."

At the same time Aizen's reiatsu was fading away, darkness was about to take over Ryo.

"Damn you, Aizen!"

X

He was conscious. He was glad that he was.

The Konoha medics were busy and hectic pumping green chakra into him. He didn't know how he got to the hospital, but he was happy that when he came to, Shouko was beside him on the hospital bed while the medics were treating him. She never let go of his hand.

The bad thing from all this was that he couldn't speak. It was like his voice was stolen from him, he just couldn't open his mouth and say anything. He wanted to tell Shouko, tell her his killer. Tell her to warn the other Shinigamis to be wary of Aizen.

But he couldn't do it. Even if he could, he would only impose danger onto her. Knowing the killer would only make Aizen come after her, and Hikari; the thoughts making him angry and abhor the deceitful Shinigami. Even if Ryo could speak, he wanted his final words to be something more important, long-lasting and meaningful to those he loved. There wasn't much time left for him, that he knew, despite the medics' continued efforts on him.

So that night when it was only him and Shouko in the ward room, and finally found his voice, he said to Shouko weakly, yet clearly.

"Shouko, I love you… Take care of Hikari."

There had been a rumour going around about the Uchiha clan. An ugly gossip that Shouko continued to take with a grain of salt, until tonight. People kept saying that the power of their eyes, the Sharingan, was directly connected to the amount of hate the Uchiha possess. Shouko never believed in those rumours until, in this dimly-lit ward room, Ryo's eyes closed forever under her witness.

When his eyes closed, her eyes full of tears opened, revealing a menacing red eyes that glowed piercingly in the dark room.

X

A few hours earlier…

To his knowledge, Shinigamis came to this land through traditional wooden doors appearing at random points in the sky. But within the forest just outside Konohagakure, a wicked-looking Shinigami wearing glasses just emerged from a pitch-black portal. He wasn't alone. Two more of his kind were by his side. A dark man and a young one with white hair.

Uchiha Madara knew that the hole from which the three men had come out from was the original gateway to the other dimension. He was well aware that on the other side, hundreds or thousands of souls exist, and their parallel world, the living world, holds even more mortals.

With the Sharingan activated, he began to step into the pitch-black portal, making his way towards the end of the tunnel with no light but mischievous red eyes that glowed within the darkness. As soon as he stepped onto Haunted Red Land, Madara let his hand slide along the machines around the portal. He looked around, the sky, the surroundings, the atmosphere, studying everything with the power of the Sharingan.

He opted to leave after a few minutes passed by, but not without grinning in satisfaction. Once again he entered the portal to return back to the Shinobi world, leaving the area around the portal heavily clouded in Genjutsu.

X

Konohagakure, Shinobi World

Present Time

This time, the sound of the river currents below were even louder than ever, almost deafening her. Her fragile, seven-year-old arm could not support her weight anymore. At this point, her right arm felt like it was going to detach from her shoulder if she kept hanging on to the edge of the cliff. A tear rolled down her cheek, and then she finally let go.

Fingers were now inches away from the edge, but something happened. She felt a tug on her wrist, and suddenly she was not falling like how she dreaded.

"Don't let go."

Amidst the blaring sounds of the fast-flowing currents below, she knew that was what she had heard. Her saviour was none other than a child her age, but she couldn't see his face clearly due to the sunlight crossing his face.

Even though she was saved, the whole scenario was terrifying still. Another scream escaped her lips.

Sakura woke up with a start. She flung the duvet off her body, welcoming the fresh amount of cold air hitting her sweaty body. She let the dizziness from waking up too quickly fade, before she got up and exited her bedroom. She was aware that it was almost sunset right now. She hated how because of the nightmares, she had less sleep at nights. So she thought compensating the lost hours by taking naps in the afternoon would do wonders.

But hell no. She kept getting the same tiresome nightmares during those naps too. When she reached downstairs, she observed her bodyguards with a mixed feeling of irritation and amusement.

Her living room was a mess. Wrappers, empty tin cans are scattered in several places as if the house just hosted a mini-party a few hours earlier. In the middle of the mess was Rangiku lying on her stomach, reading Sakura's favourite Manga. She was even munching a cookie, and Sakura was afraid that the crumbs might get onto the pages of her Manga.

On the other hand, Toushiro was busy going around and cleaning up the mess presumably caused by Rangiku. "Damn it, Matsumoto." She heard Toushiro mutter. A delicious aroma stabbed her nostril next. She turned in the direction of the kitchen and saw Shuuhei whistling while cooking. He even had a white apron on.

He flipped something on the pan, which Sakura then concluded that they were having meat for dinner. Sakura looked away and moved towards the living room. She sighed in dismay. Rangiku was the first one to greet her. "Oh hey, Sakura. How are you feeling?"

"Great," Sakura responded briefly before she approached Toushiro. "Let me do it, Hitsugaya."

In order to grab the plastic bag Toushiro was holding, she had to hold his fist. There it was again, like the last time. The warm and extraordinary feeling flooding over her, and time seemed to have stilled between them. She looked at him to see if he felt the same thing, but his expression was unreadable. Whenever he was around her, interacting or not, she had this strong feeling that he was building a wall between them. Sakura instantly pushed those thoughts at the back of her mind and took the plastic bag away from his grasp. Toushiro watched her picking up an empty bottle and tossing it into the plastic bag. "Let me help," he said.

Shuuhei came out of the kitchen with the apron still on. He watched Toushiro and Sakura cleaning up the room together.

"Ugh, seriously. What a mess. If this keeps up I'm going to have to kick you all out," Sakura complained as she tossed a small plastic into the bag.

"You can't do that," Toushiro said casually as he picked up yet another empty bottle.

Sakura crouched down to look under a sofa. Toushiro had to quickly avert his eyes away from seeing her rear sticking out. Shuuhei apparently saw this and he groaned inwardly.

"Why not?" Sakura demanded. She then retrieved a crumpled bubble gum wrapper, with its leftover inside. Ew.

"As long as we're still on a mission to look after you, we can't leave your sight," Toushiro told her and tossed the empty bottle in his hand into the plastic bag beside her.

Sakura shook the plastic bag once to make the contents fell in place. She then picked up another rubbish. "Maybe I should start with you first."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "What, the kicking out?"

"Uh-huh. Out of the three, you look the easiest to shove out of the window."

A vein popped in Toushiro's head. Shuuhei and Rangiku stilled in horror. Did Sakura just mock the tenth Division squad Captain? In regards to his complex nonetheless?

"Say. That. Again. Haruno," the silver-haired Shinigami said through gritted teeth. "I dare you."

Sakura released her hold onto the plastic bag, which was now almost full. She turned to face Toushiro with similar glare. "What are you gonna do?" Sakura challenged.

Rangiku hugged the Manga to her chest, and together with Shuuhei they retreated to a safe distance from the ongoing heated duel between the previous couple. To divert her attention away from the scene, Rangiku turned to Shuuhei and showed him the Manga she was holding. "Come to think of it, the main character in this Manga, Ryosuke, kinda look like you, Shuuhei~"

Shuuhei squinted his eyes as he studied the picture of a spiky, blonde-haired male wielding a scythe. To him, if there was a similarity between him and the character, it's the weapon that they wield. Though not entirely the same, the scythe reminded him a bit about Kazeshini.

Rangiku and Shuuhei looked back to the living room again, and sweatdropped when they saw Toushiro and Sakura cleaning up again like nothing happened. Who gave in, Rangiku and Shuuhei had no idea and weren't able to witness it. This time though, Toushiro was the one who was holding the plastic bag.

"Has any of my friends visited me while I was asleep?" Sakura asked as she picked up a can, and she could still feel the contents of it. "This one has a little amount left."

"Yamanaka dropped by briefly to give us a packet of raw meat," Toushiro said. That explained the meat being cooked by Shuuhei earlier, Sakura thought.

"I should thank her the next time I meet her."

"Sakura, toss that here," Toushiro told her and held out the plastic bag. Sakura emptied her hands as was told. "We're almost done here."

"Yeah," Sakura said gladly and scanned the living room. "I'd be happy if you guys don't mess around again."

Toushiro sighed. "Sorry. I'll try to discipline Matsumoto more strictly in the future."

Shuuhei raised an eyebrow towards Rangiku. "Rangiku-san, why do you let your Captain do the apologizing for you?"

"It's not entirely my fault. Taichou littered as well. Didn't you see those empty packets of amanatto lying around earlier?" Rangiku said defensively. She then changed the subject. "Don't you find it funny how they were quarrelling at first, then suddenly have a smooth conversation?"

Feeling slightly irritated, Shuuhei responded, "He even called her by her first name."

"He does that occasionally. I think the habit's ingrained," Rangiku concluded. As she sideways-glanced at the dark-haired man, she could see jealousy written all over his face.

X

After dinner, Sakura was back in her room. Team Seven picture was now in her hands again. No matter how much she stared at it, she still couldn't recall the time the picture was taken. Her brain only progressed a little, with her memory only being able to recall flashes of small moments with her team.

She might have successfully recalled Naruto's silly pranks back at the Ninja Academy, Kakashi's strict rules during their first training, and how she had come to admire Sasuke deeply. But she still couldn't remember exactly how Team Seven was formed, or how their missions went, and why Sasuke left the village.

There was a knock on the door. Sakura called, "Come in," after which she saw Shuuhei coming in. He was alone. Sakura watched as he slowly shut the door behind him, and then gave her a warm smile. "Hey."

Sakura got out from the bed and smiled back. "Hey."

"You've got visitors. They're coming in soon," told Shuuhei as he headed over towards her and then had her face in his hands. They kissed shortly before they parted to look into each other's eyes.

"Who's here?" Sakura asked him as he released his hold on her. Shuuhei replied, "Nara and Hyuuga. They're here to tell you something. I told everyone that I'll check up on you first before the two can meet you. I'm going to invite them in now if that's okay. Are you feeling alright with that, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded certainly. "Yeah, I'm okay with that. Really curious about this visit."

"Okay," Shuuhei said before he left the room. Shortly afterwards, he came back inside with Toushiro, Rangiku and two other man behind them. Sakura recognized them as those who were supposed to be in her circle together with Naruto and Ino.

"Yo, Sakura. How are you? Do you remember anything now?" Shikamaru greeted her.

"I'm fine, thanks. And nope, still nothing," Sakura responded.

Shikamaru nodded. "Am I still a stranger to you?"

"I don't really know you well, but I'm confident that I've seen you in one of my visions as my classmate back in the Ninja Academy."

"I see. At least you made a little bit of progress."

"If this keeps up, your memories might return fully," Neji added encouragingly. The others nodded in agreement. Shikamaru took the chair from Sakura's desk and sat facing her beside the bed. He then spoke, "Sakura, the reason why we're here is to tell you… Everything."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. This was it. Finally. She didn't want to question as to why now all of the sudden did they choose to reveal to her more about her past events. She just wanted to hear and learn it all right now, right there.

"Sakura," the Chuunin started. "As you already know, you're a kunoichi of Konoha, a medical ninja, and a part of Team Seven…"

He received an eager nod from Sakura before he continued, "However, that's not all. You recently became something else. Something different from the rest of the Shinobis. This is after something ensued here…. A chaos."

Sakura widened her eyes in sudden remembrance.

'The book was titled, "Different Dimension". You read one paragraph from the book, and suddenly like magic, the world was in chaos.'

Her heart began to race. Had Sai's words been true all along? Were they not just some senseless humour spouted by him? Someone she concluded as her stalker?

"You went far away from here, to undergo a special kind of training. You obtained new powers as a result…," she heard Shikamaru say.

'…After months of obtaining your new powers…'

So Sai hadn't been talking bullshit to gain her attention after all. Sakura mentally smacked herself for jumping to ridiculous conclusions like that.

"New…powers?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "What chaos are you talking about…? I see Konoha still in one piece…"

"For now," Neji said, after which Sakura looked up at him in sudden fear. She swallowed. "What's going on…? What's been happening…?"

She had been dying to know more about her past, but they making it sound like she only had one day to live before the world ended tomorrow was not helping. She could only listen in fear and unpleasant anticipation. Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head. "Where the hell do we begin? So troublesome."

"The first hollow invasion," Neji stated briefly.

Shikamaru sighed again. "Which first invasion?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "The one that occurred four months ago here in Konoha village?"

"Or the earlier one, when the author from the Haruno clan received powers from Aizawa Ryo's dying daughter?" Shuuhei suggested.

Toushiro shrugged. "Why not start at the very beginning, not long after Aizawa Ryo's discovery of the Shinobi World."

And then Rangiku slumped her shoulders in irritation. "I know people marked those dates as the biggest point in history of hollow invasions. But you men are making poor Sakura confused and bewildered more than ever."

Consequently, everyone looked at Sakura again. The colour in her face had changed.

Shikamaru then spoke to her, "Alright, Sakura. Listen."

-End Of Chapter 28-


Next Chapter: Resurface

A/N: Looking back in time to Aizawa Ryo's era might not be that popular among everyone, but I just think this had to be done. We'll come back to Sakura and the others in full swing starting next chapter. Thank you for reading, a review would be delightful. :) Have a good day.