Disclaimer: Still the same.
Author's Note: Well, I was really surprised at how well the first chapter went. Thanks to everyone for leaving reviews, and I've decided to continue this story at a slow and reasonable pace. Working on two stories is my limit, so it might be hard for me to update often. Anyways, enjoy the second chapter of "The Wandering Shinobi."
Information:
- "These sentences" means that it's a Shinigami and their Zanpakuto conversing; or rather, mental conversations.
- I'm basically going to be expanding on the time that Ichigo spent with Ganju and Kūkaku into about a month or more, but nothing serious is going to have been changed.
Chapter 2: A Friend from His Past
Being the best isn't all it's made out to be. When you're strong, you become arrogant and withdrawn. Even if what you sought after was your dream.
- Uchiha Itachi
|North Rukongai, Soul Society|
Twirling his new Zanpakuto in his hand, Sasuke sheathed it as he stood up and stared out into the horizon. The grass seemed to dance simultaneously in a soothing rhythm as the breeze swept across the plain. Closing his eyes, Sasuke felt the cool breeze tickle his face as he took in the warmth of the sun.
I've finally obtained a Zanpakuto…
His Zanpakuto, which had finally "awakened," was now a regular katana with a black tsuba and a midnight blue hilt which had silver-white diamond patterns on it. The tsuba, which was a uniquely shaped one, was in the shape of a tomoe, but the curved point that was jutting out of the base was more curved inward to make it resemble a makeshift Ying and Yang symbol.
… "What will you do now, Sasuke?" asked Raiden-Ryū from inside of his mind. "You were finally able to reach out to me, but now what?"
"What else?" answered Sasuke plainly. "I'll go wherever my instincts lead me. I have no friends, no family… I can't remember anything about my past life, and I can't remember who I was back then either… All I can do is wander these plains while searching for whatever is locked inside of my memory… Until I discover who I am, this is my life…"
|District #60, North Rukongai, Soul Society|
"So, did you hear? Apparently the ryoka that managed to get into Soul Society broke into Seireitei not too long ago!"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down! You never know who's listening! Since we don't know what the ryoka look like, they could be anywhere! Even here!"
Sasuke frowned over his bowl of mixed rice as he listened in on the conversation from the table across from him. The ryoka, huh…? I thought that those Shinigami would have taken care of them by now… Looking up from his bowl, he noticed three women staring and giggling at him from across the inn. Ignoring them, he concentrated on finishing his meal as he thought about the day's plan; however, his mind kept wandering off towards the two males at the table across from his own as they continued to discuss the situation with the ryoka.
… "Yea, well I heard that one of them stole Kuchiki-sama's Shinigami powers!" said the first male in a loud whisper.
"What?!" The second male crinkled his nose at this as if he had just heard a child say something unbelievable. "No way! How the hell could he steal a Shinigami's power- especially Kuchiki-sama's?"
"Don't ask me," replied his friend. "I'm just telling you what I heard! Apparently Kuchiki Byakuya-sama killed off the human, but somehow he managed to stay alive! That's why he's here! I bet he's going to get revenge on Kuchiki Byakuya-sama for having tried to kill him!"
"What?! No way!" repeated the second male. "Don't be such a dunce, moron! Even if he did somehow survive his meeting with him, there's no way that he could defeat Kuchiki Byakuya-sama!"
The first male frowned as he thought about this. "Well, I guess you're right…" he relented finally, scratching the back of his head in confusion and frustration.
…
This ryoka situation is getting to be interesting, thought Sasuke to himself. First he was able to have Shinigami powers transferred to himself, then he manages to survive an encounter with the head of the Kuchiki Family, and now he's broken into Seireitei? There's no way that he could have done that all by himself… Sasuke felt his lips curving into a grin as he bowed his head. Well, it looks like it could be something worth checking out…
Having finished his meal, Sasuke got up from his chair, left the money for the food on the table, and grabbed his two weapons from the seat next to him as he headed for the door.
…
Outside of the inn, Sasuke stretched out his arms as he squinted from the bright sunlight that shone above. Hanging his two sheathed weapons on his back through the rope, Sasuke started off on the dirt road on his right as he headed off towards the nearest village exit.
Later that night…
Sasuke calmly whipped his katana out by his side as the Hollow fell on the ground beside him with a soft "thud," its' body gradually dematerializing the next second as it was sent back to Hueco Mundo. Hmmm… Sasuke stared at his new Zanpakuto's blade with his unblinking eyes as he studied its' features. Although the blade is a little longer than my chokutō's, I like how easily I can handle it- it's almost as if it's an extension of my arm…
As he sheathed his sword, he tugged at his wrist warmers as he reached for his recently-obtained black side pouch that was on the ground next to him. Adjusting it around his hip, Sasuke nodded as he resumed walking towards his destination.
… As he walked alongside the edge of the forest that lay on his left, he reached out with his left hand as he walked so that the leaves of the trees gently brushed against the tips of his fingers. Along with the occasional yet mesmerizing whirlwind of leaves that seemed to dance in the moonlight, the whole entire scenery seemed like paradise in his eyes.
Sighing, Sasuke couldn't help but feel calm and relaxed as he strolled down the dirt path. This feeling of peace… This warm feeling inside of me… I wish that this could last forever… His eyes suddenly widened as he caught sight of an unusual petal of a cherry blossom that seemed to float in the air in front of his eyes.
His hand flashing out, he easily trapped the single cherry blossom in his clenched hand. "A cherry blossom…" Sasuke blinked as he slightly opened his hands so that he could see the rare and beautiful blossom that was regarded by many as the most beautiful flower in all of Soul Society. "What are you doing here…? Where did you come from…?" As he continued staring at its' beauty, a single word, or name, echoed throughout his mind.
Sakura…
Sasuke blinked as he shook his head in confusion. Sakura…? Frowning, he completely opened his hand so that the single petal flew off of his hand and joined the soft breeze in its' rhythmic dance throughout the forest.
|10th Division Barracks, Seireitei, Soul Society|
Scowling as she looked down at the stack of papers that her captain had given her to file, Rangiku walked over to the couch that sat in the captain's room and plopped down on it, sighing as she looked down at the papers with a sad glint in her eyes.
It's been over a month since I've seen that Sasuke guy… I wonder if he's doing well… I wonder if he managed to talk with his Zanpakuto at all since I've told him about it… Sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, she dropped the pile of papers on the table beside her and cushioned the back of her head against her folded hands as she lay back on the couch.
"Eh, I'll just file the papers later," she mused silently to herself as she closed her eyes. "The captain said that he'd be gone for most of the day, so I have plenty of time to-."
"Matsumoto…!"
Rangiku's eyes snapped open in shock as she recognized the angry and frustrated voice. "C-Captain…!" she exclaimed as she shot up from the couch. "I-I thought that you were g-gone…!"
"Well, I did come back to get something that I forgot, but… it looks like you've already started slacking off, eh, Matsumoto?" replied Hitsugaya with a scowl.
"Heh heh…" chuckled the busty vice-captain nervously. "Well you see, I uh… I was going to file the papers, but Kira and Hisagi suddenly came in and got me drunk! I said 'nooooo,' but they insisted, so what could I do? After that, my head started to hurt, so I decided to just lie down and take a quick nap!"
The corner of Hitsugaya's mouth started to twitch as he slowly advanced towards his vice-captain, cracking his knuckles as he felt his face grow hot. "MATSUMOTO!"
Rangiku's comical shrill scream rang throughout the barracks a second later, startling the rest of the division as they looked up from their individual duties.
|District #15, North Rukongai, Soul Society|
A few days later…
Near the edge of the border of district #15 was a giant lake that spanned out for hundreds of feet on all four sides. Families of ducks swam along the waters, and schools of fish swam beneath the watery surface as they enjoyed the cool embrace of their home.
It was for this reason that district #15 was known as the "Village of Plenty," as no one ever went hungry here. However, there was also the dark side of the district, which was the fact that it was filled with groups of thugs and bandits that robbed the hungry and the weak. Although this district was one of the more well-abiding ones, because of the villager's well-to-do status, many thugs and bandits journeyed here in order to take advantage of the innocent and helpless villagers.
As Sasuke entered the village, he narrowed his eyes as he watched the villagers cower at the sight of him, his two weapons obviously being the reason for this. A group of thugs watched him silently as he walked across to a nearby inn, unmoving even as he entered it.
… Inside, he seemed to receive a much more welcome reception, especially from the females, but it was still quite obvious that his weapons were unwelcome here. As he walked over to an empty table for four, he unfastened his chokutō and katana from his rope belt and set it down on the chair beside him, waiting for a waitress to come and take his order.
"W-Welcome," said a timid waitress as she walked over to his table. She was a fairly skinny yet not unattractive girl that looked not much older than Sasuke himself was, and as he looked up at her, the waitress blushed furiously as she hid the bottom half of her face behind the menu that she was holding. "H-How may I take your o-order, sir?"
"I'll just have a jasmine tea," said Sasuke in a flat voice. Crossing his arms on the table, he bent slightly over as he studied the room. As the waitress left for the kitchen towards the back of the room, Sasuke took in as much information as he could about this village.
First, the room mainly housed villagers that looked like they were in the "middle class," to say in Rukongai standards. Towards the back right corner of the room, a group of five thugs were seated around a round table with waitresses around their arms, laughing as they drank saké and got drunk with each other. What caught Sasuke's attention though was the thug in the middle of the group.
He was a unique fellow who stood out above his fellow thugs. He was a male who was not much older than Sasuke himself, and he had a lean yet muscular build along with unusual straight white hair with a light-blue tint in it and strange purple eyes. When he spoke, Sasuke could see that he had equally unusual sharpened teeth that reminded him of sharks, and as for his attire, he was clad in a dark blue sleeves shirt along with matching pants and, surprisingly, dark blue open-toed sandals like Sasuke's own. Around his waist was a black belt that had a water bottle attached to it, and he carried a sheathed katana which he was holding onto by the middle.
Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke noticed this was no ordinary katana. The tsuba was rectangular with the long ends curving in and out like a wave, and the hilt was a deep ocean blue with blue-white diamond patterns on it. So… He's a Shinigami as well, huh…? Or could it be that he stole a Shinigami's Zanpakuto…?
"H-Here's your jasmine t-tea, sir…!"
Sasuke looked up to see the waitress standing next to his table, his tea on a tray. "Oh, thanks," he said as he accepted the tea from her.
Her face turning bright red, she bowed hurriedly and rushed off towards the back kitchen with a squeak of delight. Blowing into his tea, Sasuke took a small sip as he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the drink as it flowed throughout his body.
As he stared down at the light brown tea in deep though, he was startled by a scream that came from the back corner of the room. Looking up, he saw a waitress slap one of the thugs as he tried to grope her, her face bright red as she slowly back away from the table.
Growling in anger, the thug slowly stood up as the rest of his group laughed at his humiliation. Grabbing onto the girl's arm, he struck her across the face, knocking her down onto the floor. "You're really gonna regret that, woman!" he growled as he yanked on her arm, pulling her up off of the floor. "If you try to struggle again, I'll beat the living crap out of you!"
As the waitress tried to struggle against his grip, the room suddenly grew silent as Sasuke got up from the table, grabbing his katana as he walked towards the table of thugs. When he reached the table, he stood a foot away from the thug that held the poor waitress in his grip, his unblinking eyes boring into him.
"Well, what do you want, punk?" asked the thug rudely. "Beat it before I beat the snot out of you!"
As he was about to resume groping the waitress, Sasuke reached out and grabbed the thug by his forearm, stopping him. "Let her go," he ordered the thug, his voice quiet yet deadly.
"Oh?" The thug grinned as he spit on the floor in front of Sasuke's feet. "And what if I don't?"
…
The thug's eyes widened as Sasuke's grip on his forearm grew tighter. Soon he was forced to let go of the girl because of the intense pressure on his forearm, and he struggled not to cry out as he grimaced in pain.
Once Sasuke let go of his arm, he scowled as he rubbed his forearm, a red and purple bruise marking the spot where Sasuke's grip had been. Looking up at Sasuke furiously, he drew back his arm as he prepared to deliver a punch to Sasuke's face. "Why you little-!"
THUD! The thug went flying into the wall as Sasuke kicked him square in the chest, a spider web of cracks running up the wall all the way up to the ceiling. The other thugs looked at Sasuke in surprise, especially the white-haired one.
"Ugh…" The thug's eyes rolled towards the back of his head as his head dropped to the side, blacking out.
…
"Get him!" yelled one of the other thugs as he jumped up out of his chair, unsheathing his small knife as he prepared to leap at Sasuke.
"Wait!"
The thug stopped as he turned to look at his white-haired comrade in surprise. "Wh-What are you saying, boss? We should beat the crap out of this guy for-!" He suddenly stopped talking as the gang leader tilted his head to look at him, a wicked smile stretching across his face as he showed off his pointed teeth. "F-For…" he stuttered nervously.
"I said… to wait… didn't I…?" asked the white-haired figure sweetly, his eyes squeezing shut as he gave his subordinate a big grin. "So why… are you questioning… my order…?"
Gulping, the thug straightened up as he quickly sheathed his knife, bowing low in apology to his boss. "M-My apologies, boss! It'll never happen again!"
As they conversed, Sasuke took a bag of yen from the unconscious bandit's belt and handed it to the waitress that was being groped. "Here," he said as he gave the money to her. "This should be enough to cover for the damage as well as the assault."
Blushing as she looked up into Sasuke's piercing gaze, she stammered her thanks as she quickly bowed and rushed off towards the back of the room.
"Oy oy oy!"
Sasuke blinked as he turned around to face the gang leader, still holding his sheathed katana in his hand by its' scabbard. "What?" he asked blankly.
"What do you think you're doing, giving away Riga's money away like that!" scowled the white-haired thug as he spun his sheathed katana with his hand. "Maybe he was wrong to assault the woman, but you're the one that started the fight, not to mention the one that caused the damage! Do you know how hard he worked to steal all of that money?!"
Sasuke sighed quietly as he unsheathed his katana by a crack by pushing up at the tsuba with his thumb. "He's the one that started the fight… I'm just the only one in this room that wasn't afraid to do something about him… This is an inn, not a bar. If you want to start trouble with women, go somewhere else… Now beat it."
The waitresses who were quietly standing in the back of the room sighed dreamily as they stared longingly after Sasuke as he turned around and walked back to his table.
"Wait a minute," said the white-haired figure, stopping him. "What's your name, stranger?"
…
"Uchiha Sasuke."
…
"Hōzuki Suigetsu," said the gang leader with a grin. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Sasuke."
"Heh…" Sasuke turned back around and continued walking back to his table, ignoring the rest of the room as they continued to remain silent. It was only when both Sasuke and Suigetsu sat back down that the restaurant came back alive.
Later that afternoon, Sasuke sat on top of a large boulder with his legs dangling off of the edge as he went through what he had learned that day.
From a different inn that he had gone to, he had learned about various things of little importance such as the new reformation of some districts in South Rukongai as well as the newly-appointed village leader that had stepped up in place of the one who had been killed just recently.
He had also learned that the man who he had encountered back at the first tavern, Hōzuki Suigetsu, was the leader of the biggest gang of district #15 that numbered up to three hundred. He was "in charge" of districts #15 to 20, and he had various thugs and bandits stationed in each district to bring in supplies and keep order in the areas in case any other gang tried to take over those said areas. As Sasuke had guessed, he wasn't a Shinigami. He had actually taken an Asauchi from a random Shinigami like Sasuke himself over three years ago, and he had managed to "awaken" it only just a year ago according to one of his men.
He was the undisputed leader of the six districts, and as he did no real harm to any of the villagers, the Gotei 13 hadn't done anything about him or his gang; in fact, according to one of his men who Sasuke had managed to meet up with, the Gotei 13 paid him each year in order to maintain the peace throughout those six areas.
The most interesting thing that he had learned that day, however, was that although the ryoka had managed to break into Seireitei through the White Road Gate, their attempts to enter Seireitei had been foiled by the sanbantai-taichou, Ichimaru Gin. Their current whereabouts was currently unknown, but Sasuke knew for a fact that they would still be near the White Road Gate in one of the first few West Rukongai districts, and that's where he decided the head to.
… As he walked down the dirt road path that led out of the district and towards West Rukongai, Sasuke sensed something strange and stopped. Glancing behind him out of the corner of his eyes, he gripped the hilt of his katana.
"Come out of there," he ordered.
…
"Hahaha, alright, you got me!" said a familiar voice from behind a tree. "Still, I'm surprised that you were able to sense me so easily, but then again, I've never really been good at hiding my presence…"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he recognized the voice. "That voice…"
The figure walked out from behind the tree, revealing himself to be Suigetsu. He also had ten comrades with him, who all appeared out from the shadows of the forest as their leader appeared from behind the tree. He walked towards Sasuke until he was around ten feet away from him, and he stretched out his arms to show that he was unarmed. "Don't worry, Sasuke," he grinned. "I didn't come here to fight or cause any trouble…"
Unsheathing his katana halfway from its' sheath, Sasuke scoffed lightly as he turned around to face the gang leader and his men. "What are you doing here…?"
"Now now, just hear me out," said Suigetsu in a polite voice. "I just had a proposition for you."
…
"Talk," relented Sasuke as he sheathed his sword. "You have ten seconds. Go."
Sighing, Suigetsu scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the blood red sky. "How would you like to… join my little organization?"
Sasuke seemed to be amused by this as he chuckled softly. "Me… join you? Where on Earth did you get such an idea…?"
Seemingly hurt by the remark, the gang leader frowned as he looked down at the ground questioningly. "Uh… Well, I did not expect that answer… Uh…" Turning his head to look at his group, he snapped his fingers at them repeatedly. "Come on guys, help me out here! Give Sasuke some reasons to join us!"
"Oh oh oh! I know!" said one thug excitedly. "We have great benefits! Like, like… we can do anything that we want!"
The rest of the group nodded furiously with their comrade. "Yea!" agreed another. "And the heads of the gang hang out in this great lounge!"
"And we also get to buy whatever the hell we want, and if we can't, we can just steal it!"
Suigetsu frowned comically at his minions and the unhelpful reasons that they gave out. "Yea… Yea, thanks a lot…" he muttered under his breath.
…
Sasuke stared at the group blankly, his narrowed unblinking eyes studying the group as to see if they were being serious or not.
"Well…" Suigetsu chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head again. "Yea, those are… crappy reasons, I know, but I think that you're someone who could be invaluable to us, Sasuke. You could-."
"No thanks," replied Sasuke abruptly. Turning around, he continued on his path, leaving Suigetsu and his men standing in the middle of the dirt path. "I don't do groups."
Suigetsu narrowed his eyes as he watched Sasuke walk away, unmoving even as his men stared at him questioningly as to what they were supposed to do next.
|District #5, West Rukongai, Soul Society|
It took Sasuke only a single day of straight running in order to reach district #5 of rest Rukongai. As West Rukongai was right on the lower left side of North Rukongai, all Sasuke had to do was cut across district #15 and enter district #10 in West Rukongai. From there, the only thing that was left was to run straight on to district #5. Luckily for Sasuke, the districts in West Rukongai were much smaller than the districts in North Rukongai.
… As Sasuke entered the fairly cramped village, he noticed right off the bat that it was unlike any of the other regions that he had been in. Although the same structure, the people seemed friendlier than normal, and the overall atmosphere was much more mellow and welcoming. There were fish markets, water stands, and even an occasional food stand that served all kinds of different food.
Ordering a rare yet expensive soft drink from a drink stand, Sasuke took a sip from the cool can and calmly observed the gigantic structure that stood miles away from the village- Seireitei, the home of the Gotei 13.
It was a place that many would have given anything to get into- a place of wealth, dignity, and power. As much of an awe-inspiring sight as it was, its' refined beauty held no place in Sasuke's eyes as he stared blankly at it. The only thing on his mind was the thought of whether or not he would run into the ryoka in this wide and spacious region. Although he was able to narrow down the places that they might be hiding out at, he still had absolutely no idea what any of them looked like.
Hmmm… Sasuke frowned as he watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon, its' rays coloring the clouds in bright streaks of orange and red. The ryoka could disappear at any time… At this rate, I'll never be able to find them… His frown grew even more distinct as he took another sip of his drink, obviously disliking the cool sweet taste of the soft drink. I shouldn't have bought this… Sweet things don't sit well with my taste apparently…
Looking down as he felt something tug on the bottom of his pants, he saw a young girl of no more than ten years of age looking up at him with sad, wide eyes that pleaded for something to satisfy her hunger or thirst. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he noticed her starved and fragile body. This girl… In Soul Society one isn't supposed to feel hunger, and yet… His gaze softening, Sasuke walked over to a nearby food stand and ordered some dumplings and dango. Bending down, he looked the young girl straight in the eyes and handed her the food and what was left of his soft drink, giving her an encouraging smile as she hesitated for a moment.
"Go on, take it," he said in a quiet and gentle tone. "It's alright."
Her thin arms shakily grabbing the food and drink, she looked down at the banquet in her hands and looked back up at Sasuke, her eyes wide as she gave him a quick bow in thanks. "Th-Thank you, s-sir," she whispered in a weak voice.
Patting her gently on the top of her head, Sasuke gave her a sad smile and stood back up, looking towards the direction of the exit of the village as the little girl scampered off with the food and drink. Well, I might as well get going… I have a little chance of running into the ryoka, so I should just look for any unusual things near the entrance of Seireitei.
Nodding slightly in confirmation, Sasuke started off towards the west border of Seireitei.
|Near the Border of the White Road Gate, Seireitei, Soul Society|
Later that night…
As he walked near the inside edge of the forest, Sasuke suddenly looked up and grabbed the hilt of his katana as he heard some noise coming from the underbrush near his right. As a squirrel scampered out from it, he relaxed and get go of the hilt, resuming his walk as he looked around for any unusual things that might help him find the whereabouts of the ryoka.
Hmmm… As he continued walking, he noticed some lights coming from a clearing not five hundred feet from where he was at. Lights…? he wondered. Why would there be lights in such a random location near the edge of the forest…? Curious as to what it might be, Sasuke decided to take a closer took and headed for the source of the lights.
… Once he arrived near the illuminated clearing, he noticed a peculiarly-built house that sort of resembled a miniature palace. Although it was old and fairly rusty, it still held a dignified and noble aura around it. Two giant stone arms stood on either side of the house, the open hands laid out as if to resemble some kind of makeshift platter. The banner that hung above the house said, "Kūkaku's Palace."
Kūkaku…? Even though it's a shabby structure, it's definitely a nobleman's living quarters… I wonder what a member of a noble family is doing here… It looks like something worth checking out.
"Hey you, stop!"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he spun around, barely drawing his Zanpakuto in time to block the sudden attack. As the two blades clashed together, Sasuke found himself looking at a young teenage boy with unusual orange hair and brown eyes. He was wearing the black kimono-like robe that Shinigami wore, and he wielded a large oversized khyber knife which was almost as tall as Sasuke was himself.
I dropped my guard for a split second… Sasuke frowned slightly as he stared into the stranger's eyes. This kid… Could he be… one of the ryoka…? No, that's impossible… The ryoka that I heard about lost his Shinigami powers from a supposedly fatal attack from that head of the Kuchiki family… There's no way that he could've…
"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" spat the sudden stranger angrily. "Why are you creeping around here in the middle of the night?!"
Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke easily pushed his attacker off of him with little effort and stepped back, studying him as the orange-haired teen skidded to a halt. His reiryoku level is impressive, but that's about it… If he was a ryoka, he wouldn't last more than a minute in Seireitei, literally…
"Who are you, Shinigami?" asked Sasuke coolly as he unsheathed his chokutō as well.
…
"Who, me?" The orange-haired figure grinned as he took up a fighting stance, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, the guy who's going to crush you!"
Heh... Sasuke chuckled quietly to himself as he held both of his weapons out by his side, his body relaxed yet battle-ready at the same time. This should be amusing...
To be continued…
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