To question death is to question life itself; there would be no life without death, as there would be no death without life. They are two, completely different, sides of the one and the same celestial coin. But why then do people frown upon death so solemnly? Is life not as cruel as death? There are those who believe that death is finite, just like life; that once the candle of life finally flickers out that there is nothing more to behold. But they could not be further from the truth. Once the earthly body can function no more, the recently deceased, often led by a Shinigami, a death god, are welcomed into yomi- the afterlife. Yomi is a mere extension of the world, despite hidden from human eyes; like a limb extending from the body yomi extends from the earth.
Like the earthly world yomi is inhabited by ungodly creatures, caring for nothing and no one but themselves. It is uncertain where evil first stemmed from; was it the founding gods that placed it there to ensure that there would be equilibrium? Or did it manifest like a toxic illness them spreading to others with ease? The point is that evil existed and it took sadistic pleasure in inflicting its wrath wherever it went. Yet amongst all the monsters and demons with hearts as black as coal, there are those who refuse to succumb to such vile temptations. They dismiss the false offerings that evil lays before their feet and remain true to their hearts, remaining untainted on that occasion.
However there is than one way to taint a pure heart.
On most occasions the culprit of this discrepancy is often love, this complicated phenomenon bamboozling and causing the human heart to malfunction on more than one level. Itachi's heart from a young age was plagued by more than one thing; emotionally it was scarred by the horrors of war and scandal that ran deep within his family's blood. Physically the pumping organ pained his entire body, but the images of his misfortune never graced his pallid features; instead they lied behind his porcelain mask, be that of his professional ANBU veneer or his own snowier one.
As a child Sasuke often wondered what went on in his brother's head, the thoughts that swirled about always a lit his curiosity. Little did he know that trapped behind Itachi's cocoa orbs was a world of intolerable pain and cruelty, often unknowingly inflicted by his own family; Sasuke had no clue what his family was actually capable of, that they were planning to overthrow the city that they had helped to build and protect. To say that his family were evil would be an exaggeration, but to some extent they were, as if it were not for their selfish and ambitious ways they might still be here and the mess that they had caused could have been avoided.
And Itachi would still be here- alive and happy.
Sasuke paused from for a moment to think about the fantasy life that could have been for his brother; if life hadn't had happened the way it did then Itachi would not have gone through everything with Reina. He would not have experienced such an inextinguishable love that was evidential in the young heiress' honey toned eyes. Perhaps he may have met another, but knowing that Reina was willing to venture into what was practically death itself stood out to him and anyone who was that willing to risk themselves for another was worthy to be at his brother's side in his eyes. He could see the mixed emotions that were toying with the ghostly female, the events of the past plaguing her relentlessly like the foreboding possibilities of the future. He wasn't sure what made him say his next words, they simply passed his lips without his consent.
"How are you holding?" He murmured, the words barely gracing her ears. Blinking away the initial surprise Reina smiled a small smile casting her eyes into the dark void that lay ahead of them.
"As well as anyone undergoing an out-of-body experience can be. Little light headed, but that's to be expected I suppose?" Reina replied, a low chuckle passing her lips; Sasuke merely stared at her blatantly ignoring her attempt to dismiss and divert his question. Realising that the raven haired Uchiha was awaiting a proper answer Reina sighed softly allowing her eyes to meet his. "I'm…" She paused, her lips parting to finding the right words to express just how she was. "The truth is I don't know. My body is elsewhere, battered and bruised whilst I'm here about to venture back somewhere I've had nightmares about ever since I left in attempt to save someone who is dear to me whilst trying to keep his most precious accomplishment in life safe from harm's way."
Sasuke stared incredulously at hearing her last few words; surely his brother had not spoken of him to her? Reina noting the look of surprise on his features smiled once more placing a gentle hand upon his own before speaking once more. "I do not need the indenture to know how dear and treasured you are to your brother Sasuke; he fought the entire world just so that you would have a chance, that certainly sounds to me that you are loved and held in high regard." Sasuke blinked disbelievingly before her words sunk in and allowed a minuscule shadow of a smile to twinge at his own lips as he briefly squeezed her hand in silent gratitude.
He would do his best to protect the young heiress as he knew she would do the same for him; the life of his brother was hanging in the balance, as of now they were his only hope of returning to the human world alive. Yet the thought struck him: what if Itachi did not wish to return with them? What if he had already accepted his fate and wished to live out the remainder of his days amongst his kindred spirits? Amongst their family? Shaking such pessimistic thoughts from his head Sasuke peered out into the darkness once more, the lulling sloshing of the Kawatarō's steady strokes being the only sound to accompany the nothingness that surrounded them. In the distance tiny speckles of light appeared, they bobbing about rhythmically as they once had back in the forest; the kawatarō paused its strokes, the boat bumping into its scaly back with a quiet thud.
"I venture no further Ikiryō-san. From here on you are on your own." The Kawatarō spoke lowly, its beady eyes scouring the darkness with a look of weariness plastered on its toad like features. Sasuke curious as to why a water deity would not endeavour into the land of the dead attempted to question its decision only to be cut off by Reina.
"I understand Kawatarō-sama. Thank you for taking us this far." Reina replied quietly, bowing from the waist where she sat. The Kawatarō nodded, relinquishing its hold on the rope that once entwined around its fish like arm, it too bowing before sinking slowly into murky waters and back tracking towards the forest. Sasuke quirked a brow whilst Reina inhaled deeply, she closing her eyes momentarily steadying her rising anxieties.
"What is it? Why did the Kawatarō leave us here?" Sasuke asked, his hand instinctively hovering over the hilt of his sword; opening her eyes Reina stared at him, her honey orbs filled with an untold fear.
"Ahead of us lies the threshold of yomi, any deity or spirit alike that steps over that line will regain human like qualities. The boundaries that separate the human and spirit world merge and blend into one and…" She paused.
"And?" Sasuke pressed.
"And any injuries that are sustained here are as any other wound, be that mortal or fatal." Sasuke stared at her incredulously as the reality of her words sunk in.
"So in other words, if you're harmed here, the wounds will not only affect you here, but they'll also affect your actual body." Sasuke susurrated quietly, now understanding the look of fear that had familiarised themselves with the young heiress' freckly features. Reina nodded and inhaled deeply preparing herself for what lay ahead; either side of the river's obsidian waters sat parallel hedges that towered over them. The hedges hid what lurked behind them whilst the occasional paper lantern illuminated the skulking fog that lingered in air along with a sharp chill.
The boat despite the Kawatarō disappearing of its own accord continued to sail along the river; the pair sat in silence both on edge as the now apparent screams of turmoil and torture now filled the air, it becoming even more chilling that it already had. The hedges once tall and mighty now began to wither as their journey continued bent tree branches acting as makeshift laundry lines instead hanging in their place. Sasuke scrutinised the laundry lines unsure as to why such trivial items would be needed in the underworld; Reina cringed at the sight before her knowing all too well what the true nature of the laundry lines were.
"Why are there random clothes everywhere?" Sasuke asked feeling his stomach beginning to bubble with a feeling of uneasiness.
"When a soul of an adult arrives at the river, Datsue-ba, the woman who strips clothes, forces the sinners to take off their clothes and Keneō hangs these clothes on a riverside branch that bends to reflect the gravity of the sins. Various levels of punishment are then performed by the pair. For those who steal, for example, Datsue-ba breaks their fingers, and together with Keneō, she ties the sinner's head to the sinner's feet. And if the recently deceased arrives in Yomi with no clothes well…well then Datsue-ba tears the flesh from their bones in payment of their sins…" Reina murmured quietly as the boat soon caught up to the other demon filled boats. Sasuke now slightly wide eyed and still unaccustomed to the way of the dead stared at Reina as her words sunk in before his eyes turned to the line of boats that lay ahead of them.
"Will we encounter the pair?" Sasuke asked.
"I don't know. The possibility is high but as you are not dead they have no business with you…I on the other hand am technically half dead so…I don't know." She replied wearily glancing down at her hands as the transparency of her skin slowly dissipated back to that of her own milky skin. Sasuke watched in awe as her once translucent form regained its human like qualities, her skin no longer glowing eerily like moonlight whilst her eyes regained a certain degree of warmth. Sighing softly Reina held her hands out in front of her inspecting her now opaque skin before raising them to her cheeks. The real danger had begun, with her body restored to its human form even so much as a scratch or bruise could injure her already fragile body beyond repair.
"We've over the threshold." She murmured almost silently.
"Where to now then? How do we find Itachi?" Sasuke asked glancing down at the thin scarlet twine that looped neatly around his slender wrist; there were many red ropes that hung in the air and led off in various directions. He knew that because of the indenture their families were now united in one matrimony; one thing that had struck him and had been burning away since their last meeting.
"I guess we follow the path in which we feel most strongly about." Sasuke nodded, idly inspecting the twines once more.
"The twines of fate are now visible, but back at the bridge they weren't. Why is that?" He pondered aloud casting his eyes back to hers. Reina tilted her head to the side thinking back to their first meeting since the she sealed the indenture with Itachi.
"I suppose the indenture was fresh, our chakras were still in the process of merging with one another so it wasn't as noticeable. Yet as our bond with one another strengthened, so did the chakra convention and it became more visible and our abilities synced." Reina turned her attention to her own wrist of indenture threads recalling how that tiny thread of scarlet had saved them on more than one occasion. One particular thread caught her attention, running her fingers over each individual thread like she was plucking a kugo, an angled harp; she eyed the thread carefully before following it as it led off into distance.
"We follow our gut instinct, and mine is telling me to look in the shinzui no besshi, the spirit enclosure. It's a rumoured complex in which the newly departed are sent to adjust, there is a time window but I think we could make it there before he is sent on." Reina spoke softly tearing her eyes from the single thread and back to Sasuke who took in her words nodding. The boat having finally caught up with the rest of the demon filled boats sloshed and bumped against the boat in front; the inhabiting demons and deities cheering and celebrating the winter solstice festively.
Slowly the shoreline that had encroached so quickly finally met the hard underside of the boat as it came ashore; the pair left the boat which by some enchantment unlogged itself from the muddy shore and continued on its way along the Sanzu River. Nodding before pressing any further Reina and Sasuke soon found themselves standing in a queue filled with every type of person from every walk of life. The air was filled with wails and moans as the each person who reached the front of the queue were faced with the sins of their previous life, they naked and publically humiliated in order to repent for their debaucheries.
The line moved quicker than they anticipated due to the sheer quantity of human souls that were waiting to be judged, it obvious that Datsue-ba and Keneō were ruthlessly efficient in their jobs. The cries grew louder whilst wild cackles soon joined the sadistic symphony of screams, within the blink of an eye they found the owner of the hideous cackles: Datsue-ba. The long white haired hag was manic thrashing about wildly whilst the sleeves of her mofuku, the official mourning dress, billowed frantically as she pranced about the riverside with the stolen clothing of the deceased whilst Keneō followed behind picking up the items that she flung about.
The fabric of her kimono, which admittedly was ironic for mourning since she outwardly mocked and dishonoured the dead, was threadbare and torn, obvious from the millennia of torment hung on her skeletal frame, her skin of a greyish hue that merely accentuated her haggard form. But it was her facial features that caught Reina's attention, no eyes stared back at the pair instead a ceremonial grave plaque inhabited where her eyes should. Yet the main thing to occupy her emaciated face was her wicked grin, the rotten teeth that lurked behind her skinny, twisted lips peeking out, her serpentine tongue occasionally wetting the surrounding skin.
"From kingdom come to kingdom gone, do my eyes deceive or is here a wayward son?" The demonic hag chortled in rhyme dismissing the clothing that once stole her attention; instead her attention was solely that on the anxious pair who stood on guard as she approached in an almost musical manner. Whimsically the Datsue-ba wandered over until she stood merely inches away, the stench of death radiating off of her; Sasuke stood firmly in his place, the infamous Uchiha mask of stoniness immediately in place.
"Born of love yet into hate, an Uchiha child as of late." The hag crooned once more circling them in a predatory manner; Sasuke clenched both his jaw and fists feeling his stomach burn at hearing her words. Reina dared not move, she simply followed the prancing hag with her eyes until she haltered in front of them once more. "I have no need for that of life only death is a worthy wife." The hag lingered around Reina annunciating each of her words as if they dripped deadly venom; Reina calmly spoke averting her eyes elsewhere.
"I am not Shiryō, I am Ikiryō, you have no business with us." The hag's grin twisted wider, it almost rising up into the rotten apples of her cheeks.
"You may have a body elsewhere, but you remain in death's all-seeing stare and shall be judged with no compare." The Datsue-ba susurrated lowly, her claw like fingers twisting Reina's dark locks almost tauntingly; Sasuke inhibiting the same protective instinct Itachi once had back at the Ryokan, pulled Reina behind him his chokutō blade placed firmly against the Datsue-ba's throat before speaking.
"You speak of Uchiha children then you know who I am and know that I care not for death. But you have no qualms or business with her as she said. We pass freely." Sasuke muttered lowly whilst Reina peeked over his shoulder watching the hag silently. The Datsue-ba stared at the pair wordlessly before holding up her taloned hands defensively stepping back and bowing mockingly. Sheathing his sword Sasuke stepped away in the opposite, his hold remaining on Reina; when away from once again cackling Datsue-ba Sasuke turned sitting Reina down on a nearby rock.
"Why did you freeze? You knew what lay ahead and yet you did nothing." Sasuke muttered, kneeling before a wide-eyed Reina; as her eyes welled with tears her honey orbs met his charcoal ones in a clash of colour and emotion. Something wasn't right. He knew she had fought her way through this hellish place once and freely chose to come back to stare death in the face risking her own life.
Then it hit him.
It wasn't her own life she was worried about.