Summary: Gods don't get involved in mortal affairs for any real reason, noble or otherwise. When it really comes down to it, it's just for the sake of entertainment. Sasuke Uchiha finds this out all too well as he treads the uncertain and often rocky path to redemption. This story is AU, wherein Sasuke died as a result of his wounds at the VotE after his final battle with Naruto. Not canon-compliant after 698.

Chapter 1: The Boredom-Bred Contract - Sasuke

"Are sins…ever forgiven?" –Cloud Strife

"I've never tried." –Vincent Valentine

"Well, I'm gonna try. I'll phone in the verdict." –Cloud Strife

Final Fantasy Advent Children

Age brittle bones were crushed underfoot as the Shinigami drifted through the sea of skeletons landscape that made up a great portion of the Underworld. Chewing on his dagger in thought, the deity's florescent eyes swiveled around in search of some form of amusement, a distraction…an escape from a brand of utter boredom that could only be experienced with eternity. The sky was a dark cauldron mixture of smoky black clouds and rich dark purple backdrop that swirled, the clouds forming sinister smiles to beam down at the world's inhabitants. All around the kami were hundreds of long vacant corpses, a stark white that contrasted swimmingly with the overcast sky. Most were jumbled, melded together to form an endless and depthless pit that covered the land, forming a carpet for the agonized feet of travelers. Others were more decorative and formed "natural" landforms such as mountains, bushes and trees. The "tree trunks" were made of human femurs and the leaves naught but hands woven into tibia branches. It gazed almost longingly at a skeletal hand that clutched onto a dangling ruby apple nearby, sweet and succulent and dripping with the delicious poison that was blood.

There were not many examples of vegetation or plant life here for obvious reasons. The Shinigami now stood upon a small island, not more than 20 feet in diameter which was isolated by a large lake of blood, as thick and as rich as red velvet cake batter. Planted on this small island was a very large cypress tree whose limbs reached out far and wide, an open palm whose "fingers" spread gratuitously. The bark was oil black and the leaves a steely grey, the edges as sharp as shuriken. Swaying in the decaying flesh smelling wind was a single skeleton that was fastened to the trunk. Its feet were inches off the ground and its remaining right arm was secured to the tree by rotted vines whose thorns dug sharply into the wrist. All that remained of its left arm was a stump where the rest had been removed at the elbow. The shape and size of the pelvic bone suggested it was male and the size indicated it was an adolescent anywhere from sixteen to eighteen. His head was bowed. Moss fringed upon the edges, softening it for the maggots and other unmentionable parasites that had latched onto the remains. Flicking away the maggot dripping from an empty socket that was but a gelatinous yellowed tear, a purple, bead-chained hand cupped a delicate cheek bone.

"Perhaps you could be of some use…" Silence. The lord of death snorted, smog billowing out of its nostrils. Its voice was laced with sarcasm with the finesse of arsenic. "You are being far too loud. I'm sure they can hear you all the way in the first circle."

The hand slid to the neck and gripped tight before he began to pull. A soft, short scream left the teeth before the corpse clenched down on his jaw forcefully. Soon the skeleton was free from its bonds and held up above the deity by the throat. Chipped phalanges attempted to claw at the hold simply out of human habits that had never been lost. Out of a small spark of self-preservation he struggled. This made the Shinigami give a ghoulish smile around his dagger. Starting from his elbow, a bead began to glow and like circular dominos the others soon caught light all the way up its arm until it reached its victim. Any and all attempts at silence soon ceased as an inhuman scream rang through the air. After all…growing a body was far from painless. Layer after layer sprung up painfully as organs, nerves, muscles, skin, and hair, the whole shebang sprung up like masochistic and macabre plants.

Now held within the claws of Death was a naked young man whose skin was a sleek coating of snow, slightly pink with novelty. His hair was a dark silky blue-tinted black with bangs that framed his aristocratic face while the back spiked up like ruffled feathers. His face was handsomely twisted in pain as a dark scowl skewed his lips, eyes a mismatched pair, one a ruby and onyx colored kaleidoscope while the left was a puddle of cerulean. If looked at closely, a small, barely visible incision could be seen at the edges of this eye. His skin was flawless save for a faded marking that marred the juncture between his neck and shoulder. Three twisted tear drops swirled in a corrupting whirlpool. A different kind of noose, not as suffocating but damning all the same.

The man was released and fell to the barren earth, panting deeply as he grasped at his neck, clawing at air. There was silence as forbidden eyes glared in annoyance at the bright yet dead portals of Death. Once he caught his breath and stood upright he spoke.

"….What do you want?"

"I have an offer for you, Uchiha Sasuke."

Its words bade nothing good in Sasuke's mind and his eyes narrowed. He wasn't stupid. That's one of the things that the Shinigami found fascinating about Sasuke. The human didn't delude himself into thinking that gods were noble creatures that did anything out of the good of their hearts or for a few prayers. It could happen but very rarely did it. Whatever faith the man could have had, in deities and in humans, was crushed when he was still young and impressionable, when the cries of an eight-year old were ignored by an apathetic world. But Death heard him. It was the only thing the boy had cried for, for so long.

"I hold absolutely no interest in this 'offer' of yours Shinigami. Leave me." Sasuke turned to walk away but his next words stopped him faster than any pause button could hope to.

"Not even an offer of redemption?" Silence. The shinigami smirked as the man made no move to take another step. The Shinigami began to circle Sasuke as a predator would prey. The Uchiha hated it. Orochimaru used to do the same."Didn't you leave the world, regretting that you would never be able to wash away your past sins? That you would never be able to repay those that stood at your side, no matter what foolish decision you made?" Sasuke's teeth began to grind silently as his hands fisted. As the god continued to talk his nails dug ever deeper into his palms.

"Your brother sacrificed every piece of himself for you…never asking for anything in return. He slaughtered his family…and begged on his hands and knees like a dog for the Hokage to spare your life. He played the villain not only to gather intel but also to give you a purpose, even if that purpose was to see his corpse cooling at your feet. He sacrificed his future and eventually, his very life for you. Uchiha Itachi loved you, Uchiha Sasuke." He made another 180 degree turn. "And the vessel Uzumaki Naruto…who stood by you, even when you joined his sworn enemies…even after the multiple attempts you made trying to take his life…even after you swore to destroy the very village he promised to protect. Never before have I seen such foolish, misplaced dedication."

"Don't talk about them. Your tongue is not worthy enough for their names to cross it." Sasuke's voice was hoarse with barely contained rage that shook his entire form in a way that no cold could duplicate. A hiss that sounded disturbingly similar to his past summons.

Hook.

The deity paused right behind Sasuke and leaned down, the scent of decay and freshly turned soil on its lips which were right by Sasuke's ear. A dark smirk stretched its slaughterhouse smelling maw.

"I can speak of whomever I wish, little mortal. And I know…that you would do anything to see them again. Wouldn't you want…a second chance?"

Line.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention. His tone was not as biting as it would have been under normal circumstances but still held a ring of loathing, of grief. He didn't move to face him.

"Don't toy with me. You told me time travel is impossible."

Sinker.

The deity pulled back, the smug coating its face so thick it was almost scandalous. Sasuke finally turned and met its gaze evenly.

"Indeed it is."

"Then why the hell are you wasting my time?!"

"What time is there to waste? You are dead. You no longer hold any purpose. I merely said time travel is impossible. Dimension travel however is not." Eyes narrowed to slits, Sasuke assessed him…it. He didn't need to be reminded of either piece of information. He was already painfully aware of it and had been for decades. It was impossible to forget. That was the true torture of his particular purgatory: to forever relive each hellish moment of his life. To contemplate the possibilities for different paths. The could have been and should have been list could go on and on, and drove him to the brink of insanity. Just as it had in life, but at least while he was alive he had some goal to work toward. Life had distracted him from the grim reality.

"….There would be no point then. It wouldn't be them. Nothing more than copies."

"Ah but does it really matter? They would still be in essence 'Itachi' and 'Naruto'. And you know they would want you to help their counterparts…to stop them from suffering the same fates they did."

"But sending me to another world where I already exist would create a paradox."

"Despite what you previously thought, you are just as expendable as all humans are." So that meant there wouldn't be an Uchiha Sasuke in that world? Or would he just be sent to a world with one regardless of the consequences?

"…You still didn't tell me what you get out of it."

"Entertainment. I grow bored of the way the things are…I wish to stir things up. Get the…what did your teacher call it? The 'windmill' turning once more. And I think you are the perfect breeze to do it." Honestly Sasuke still found himself mildly surprised at such a blunt answer. Then again…he knew he shouldn't have expected more. He was also irritated he was just a "breeze".

"What else? There has to be some personal price I have to pay. You don't do this for free…even for the sake of your sick amusement."

"Didn't you once say you would do anything to reach your goals? Even 'selling your flesh to the devil?' Granted, your body does not interest me. How about your soul instead?"

"Che. Don't you already own that? I am dead."

"You misunderstand…I am merely saying I haven't had a good meal in a long time. Not since the Sandaime Hokage summoned me."

"….So you'd be eating my soul, just as you would if I were to perform a technique such as the Reaper Death Seal. When would you collect?"

"The two main characters that caused the entire mess were Uchiha Madara, and the apparition your people called 'Black Zetsu'. Uchiha Obito was but a pawn that tried to foolishly make it in the big leagues. Once those two are handed to me…your time is up."

"Anyone else? I'm surprised you aren't asking me to take care of those immortals within Akatsuki or those seeking to escape you such as Orochimaru."

"Touché. Consider them bonus points."

Bonus points for what, the deity didn't say. It wasn't like he would have any purpose afterwards. Madara was the biggest threat to both Naruto and Itachi, hell, to the entire ninja world. But at the end of the day, he too had been a puppet. Black Zetsu, while not the strongest in a fight, was the mastermind behind the entire affair. He, Madara and Obito all but manipulated the world to their liking for decades, before he was even born. Kaguya wouldn't become an issue if they didn't release her. Sasuke could work with this. Just as he was about to accept this offer the Shinigami smirked.

"Ah ah ah…I didn't say I was done. After all I don't want this to be too easy for you." Sasuke quirked a silent brow as irritation was scrawled across his face.

"You're already getting my soul what more do you want?!" A decayed hand reached forward and tapped lightly against the skin just under his eye. Then he nicked it, the flesh reddening as it opened. An illusion of a bloody tear.

"Think of it as…a test of sorts. Weren't you one of Konoha's best? Surely fighting blind shouldn't be too difficult. After all, it wouldn't be permanent…you can earn them back and maybe if you're really good—" Sasuke growled at the demeaning vocabulary. He wasn't a child! "I'll even throw in something…extra."

"How the hell would I earn them back? Is that what those 'bonus points' are for?! This isn't an academy exam, this is real life. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm already at a disadvantage as is." Sasuke growled. Placing a hand on its chin, the god hummed in thought. A disturbing sound.

"True…but that is not my problem. I am sure you can find a replacement…such an injury didn't stop Shimura Danzo. And it wouldn't be much of a test if I gave you the cheat sheet, now would it? So…do we have a deal?"

Sasuke watched in morbid fascination as a sheet of the god's skin was removed and then placed in front of him. A strange, black raven's feather quill was put in his hand. Something was off about it and he quickly found out what.

"Write what I dictate, word for word." Upon etching the first word Sasuke winced as red bled out of the tip, and from the smell of it he could tell it was blood. His blood. How cliché. He would ignore the pain and steady drain as the Shinigami, that fucking sadist, made him write their binding contract that felt like it was longer than it should have been. When he finished he leaned back. "Last chance to back out…"

"Just show me where I pay the toll for this bridge."

"Heh he heh hehe….sign at the bottom." Taking a deep breath, Sasuke began to write.

うちはサスケ

The contract abruptly rolled and appeared in the Shinigami's claws while the quill withered to ashes in his hand. The god began to laugh and the world around them began to swirl and melt away, with each cackle more color was sucked out of the backdrop. Shades faded away to reveal blank slates and those too eventually were erased. They were now in the snowy mountains of Yuki-no-Kuni, white blanketing everything and the only light source provided was the glow of the Shinigami's bright neon eyes. A clawed, purple, puss-filled hand lay down over his eyes. With a sharp shock, the world was scorched to black.

Gasping in agony Sasuke fell to his knees, the cold penetrating his unprotected skin, each snowflake a sharpened shuriken as his hands caught him from falling face first. His eyes now held a permanent glaze, faded and washed out like old jeans. They were clouded with a different darkness now, not the sort that originated from his wound-riddled heart. It took him a few minutes to collect himself and stagger to his feet, his arm wrapping around himself. He could sense the deity had left, uncaring if it had left the Uchiha out here to die. Sasuke swore to survive just to spite him.

"…Of course he'd leave me in the frozen wilderness, naked. That sadist…" Yet despite that setback, despite this entire situation…for the first time in a long time…Uchiha Sasuke smiled.

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Done. Special thanks goes out to evilsugarnazioverlord, for acting as my wonderful editor. :)

~Kenthos