Author's Note: Hi, people! I'm new here and I would like to say, I really hope you all like me. My friend introduced me to fanfiction and I loved it at first sight! So I decided to make an account and write. I hope this all works out because I really want to be a good writer! Just to let you know, I don't own Naruto or its characters. That all strictly belong to Kishimoto-sensei and sometimes, I really wish I own two of them: Itachi and Sasuke. Anyway, I hope you all like this story and please let me know if this story is good or not. This is only the prologue so I'm not expecting too much. However, even though this says Itachi and Sasuke, it has a lot of pairings. Let's just say that they are the main pairing, how's that.

Now then enjoy, everyone!

The Curse of Wounded Hearts

Prologue

Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, when magic still existed, there was an evil and powerful warlock who tried to destroy the world with the use of nine demons he called Biju that he summoned from the spirit world, and he would have succeeded too if it weren't for his brother; an equally talented and powerful magic user. They fought vigorously for weeks until the warlock's brother used the most powerful spell he could use to defeat his brother and destroy the Biju. The spell killed the great hero of the world however the warlock had just enough magic before his death to leave one more curse upon the world. A prophecy, one could call it.

'So long as there are hearts out there in the world who would be wounded by lost love or betrayal, my biju will be revived. And then on the night of the full moon when all nine of them are here, I will be resurrected and this world will be destroyed!'

…

…

It was the dead of night. It was normally the time when everyone in the Konoha village would be deep asleep and be dreaming wondrous things. However for one family, they were in the first stages of living a nightmare.

"Did you find him?" the woman asked her husband as soon as he walked into the front door of their home. Upon his face as he turned to his anxious wife is a frown of bearing terrible news he knows she didn't want to hear.

"I looked everywhere I could, but I can't find him anywhere."

Definitely news she didn't want to hear. Instantly her eyes started to cloud tears and her breath cut short. "Oh my baby…" Then she collapses on her knees and she couldn't stop the tears that came rolling down her face. Her husband rushes to her side and kneels before her to bring her body close to his. "We…We have to find him! Where…Where could he be? He's never been out this late before…"

"Shh, shh, I know. I know. But don't worry too much, alright? I asked half the village to help us search for him. Wherever he is, we'll find him."

His words and his soothing voice calmed her a little bit but it still wasn't enough to ease her fears or her tears. She continues to cry on her husband's shoulders and all he could do for her right now is hold her until she'll be fine for him to go back out and look for her. Unknown to them both, their youngest child was watching them from the shadows of the hallway.

The young boy of seven years old should have been in bed hours ago, but he couldn't sleep. His older brother had been missing since sunset and, secretly, he'd been too worried to even close his eyes for a good three minutes. Normally when his older brother went out during the day, he would be home an hour before sunset without fail. This had never happened before. He's the first born of a distinguished family and he's a good boy. He had never showed defiance in the family in anyway; even if he was in the early stages of becoming a teenager. So why did the sudden attitude change?

Sometimes tells Sasuke that this is more than just an attitude change. Something is seriously wrong.

As quietly as he could, Sasuke goes back to his room and grabs his coat to wear over his pajamas. He doesn't have time to change into outdoorsy clothes. Even if the entire village searches for his brother, it'll do nothing to ease the aching uneasiness and worry in his guts that have been plaguing him since yesterday.

…when that strange light beamed out of the mountains and all his brother did when they saw it was stare at it until it disappeared into the sky.

'I knew something was wrong about that light and now nii-san is…'

Climbing on top of his desk to get to his window, he opens it and climbs out of his house. He doesn't want to make his mother worry anymore if she decides to check on him and discovers his window to be open but outside, he can't reach up to close it; nor does he have the time. All of his thoughts are of finding his brother and being wrapped in his warm, strong yet gentle arms again. All he wants is his brother and he won't rest until he finds him.

Tonight, on this night in the middle of fall, is cold and Sasuke had to suppress a shiver as soon as he got outside. Even with his coat on, the chilly air penetrates through his clothes and like ice cold needles, they stab his skin to form chicken skin. It's also cloudy. The boy had to take a minute or two for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. But even if he waited for another minute to adjust, he would still have trouble seeing without the light of fired torches. If it weren't for the clouds, he could probably see better; especially when it's the second night of full moon. The moonlight would be bright enough for him to see everything down here on earth but too bright to see the stars above.

Sasuke moved around his house without fail and as soon as he climbed through the wooden fence between his house and the forest, he sprinted into a run into the forest. If there is one person in this entire village who knew Itachi like the back of his hand, it was Sasuke. He knew that if his brother wanted to disappear from the village, he wouldn't be hiding in the village. His father's searches in the village were all useless. If anyone wants to find Itachi, then they needs to go into the forest. If he isn't in there, then Sasuke wouldn't know where else to look. Maybe he'll go to where the villagers are and secretly search with him. He'll have to stay hidden and it'll be risky but for his brother, he'll do it. Just so long as his brother is safe at home, then so be it. He would be willing to do anything for him and go anywhere for him.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke calls as he climbs up the mountain. When he saw that he could be far enough from the village and his home, that's when he decided to call out. The worry and the anxiety is too much for him to keep under control any longer.

It was that light. Every time Sasuke thinks about that light, it makes his insides turn and it grieves his heart. If it was just a beam of light, then he wouldn't be so worried. It was the fact that it just popped out of nowhere and Itachi was staring at it. His brother wasn't the only one who stared at it. Everyone was. Who wouldn't stare at a light that shoot out of the mountains and up into the sky just randomly? It was big and it was bright. It caught everyone's attention and probably those who were hundreds of miles away. But it was the way Itachi was staring at that light that worried his little brother. He looked so hypnotized by the light; like a fly. He even took a few steps towards it but Sasuke had grabbed onto his arm to hold him back because the instant he saw it, it filled him with dread. The light can look as pretty as it wants but Sasuke saw nothing enchanting about it. That's why with his brother gone, he knew he should have kept a sharper eye on his if it meant it would keep him from disappearing the next day.

"Nii-san! Where are you? Answer me, nii-san!"

Normally, if it was his little brother calling for him, Itachi would come out. If it was father or mother or anyone in the village, then Sasuke knows he wouldn't come out for them. But what if now because it's his little brother who's calling him, he's wouldn't answer. That just makes the boy all the more desperate.

"Nii-san, please! I'm sorry! I'll do anything you want! Just please, answer me! NII-SAN!"

But no matter how loud he can cry, nothing answers back. Just the faintly moving branches of trees and the sound of the grass under his feet being crushed as he leaves impressions on the ground. His brother is not answering him.

Normally when Itachi just wants to get away from the village or just people, he would go to the forest. He wouldn't go far. Just enough so he could get some fresh air. Right here where Sasuke stands, on a partial cliff were he could sort of get a glimpse of the village before, is Itachi's spot. Why isn't he here? Where else could he be? Or if he is here, then why won't he answer his little brother?

"Please…" the little boy collapses onto the ground. Onto his knees and just like his mother, his eyes start to cloud with tears. "…answer me, nii-san…please…"

'Sasuke!'

The young boy's head snaps up when he heard that voice. Turning around, he tries to look for the owner of that voice but he can't see anything.

'Sasuke…'

Who's calling him? Is it…

"Nii-san?"

Pushing himself up, Sasuke takes a few steps closer but all he can see is darkness and possibly a few shapes of bushes and trees.

"Nii-san, is that you? Where are you?"

'Sasuke…here…'

Why is Itachi playing hide and seek with Sasuke now? This is not like him but listening to that voice carefully, is that really his brother?

At the moment, Sasuke is terrified. He's in the dark, he's cold, and he just feels so alone. But didn't he already have set in his mind that if it meant finding his brother and bringing him home, he would do anything to get him back? Does that include listening to creepy voices though?

Yes. Taking the first hesitant step comes another and soon Sasuke is moving away from Itachi's spot. Moving past bushes and trees, the boy is starting to shiver. He really wishes he was at home in his bed and just wake up the next morning to know that all of this was a dream. This is just an extremely bad nightmare and when he wakes up, rather his brother is angry with him or not, he'll rush into his room and beg him to sleep with him for the night. He'll get on the ground if that what it takes. But this isn't no nightmare, is it? These feelings are too real as well as this cold.

Sasuke didn't have to go far; according to adult footing. All he had to do was move past a few trees and push aside some bushes. At one branch though when he pushed it aside, it had thorns. Jerking his hand back as soon as he felt something stab him, he can tell by the cold that he's bleeding. His wound is stinging and touching it, he feels the wetness of his blood on the skin. To avoid another cut, he moves closer to that other bush he had to push aside and yank away his coat. And then when he turned around back forward, he's in front of a cave. At least what looks like a cave. Big and in the shape of a half circle with vines dangling from the top as an attempt to shield its entrance or to blend in from sight. Only up close and in Sasuke's height could one see that it's a cave. The voice wanted him to come here?

"What is this place?"

Taking another step forward, Sasuke steps on something that doesn't sound like grass or dirt. He's barefoot so he can also tell that it doesn't feel like grass or dirt. It actually…feels like clothes. Bending down to pick it up, a familiar scent reaches the boy's nose as soon as he brought the clothes up close. It smells a little musty like the ground of the forest but there's another scent on it. Bringing it closer for a whiff, Sasuke gasps in recognition.

"These are nii-san's!"

And then he hears a scream.

"EEEYYYYAAA!"

What the?

With the clothes in hands, Sasuke rushes out to the sound of the screaming and right at that moment, the clouds decide to allow the moon to come out of hiding.

As Sasuke comes running out into the open and away from the cave, he starts to hear other stuff as well. Like more screaming, swift movements of bushes, and slashing.

"AAAHH!"

Sharply turning around to the screaming, the moonlight gives Sasuke the ability to see one of the villagers running about thirty feet away from him and then something, something big, like the size of a wagon leaps out and attacks that villager. Sasuke gasps in shock as he continues to hear that villager screaming and slashing and chomping. With some of the trees in the way, he can't see. He can't see what's…eating that villager. But it's big and vicious.

He needs to get out of here. If that thing sees him, he might attack him and eat him! But when he tries to take steps back away from the scene, as horrifying and frightening as it is, Sasuke steps on a twig.

Snap

The monster's ear twitched when he heard that and it stopped its feeding. The boy looked down at the ground to see the twig he stepped on and when he heard a growl, he looks back up and now he can see fully what this monster looks like.

As mentioned before, it's the size of a wagon but it has the body of cat. It's a giant blue cat with black markings on its body that almost resemble flames in a way. It has glowing white eyes that are looking directly at Sasuke with its long, bearing, bloodstained fangs; possibly hungry for more human flesh. The boy whimpers when he sees those fangs and those terrifying eyes. Normally eyes are a passage to the soul but all Sasuke can see is bloodlust and hunger. The boy nearly misses the two tails at the end of the cat but who can look at this giant cat's backside when it's front side is the real danger? Sasuke wants to scream. But his throat is completely frozen with fear. He wants to run but he knows he won't get far. This cat will easily catch up to him and then it will be all over. Is he really going to die, right here right now? Still holding his brother's clothes, he grips them tighter to his body but that slightest movement was all it took.

The monstrous cat leaps into pounce, blood flying through the air from its mouth, and in less than two seconds, it reaches the boy.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

And his cries echoes throughout the night.

So what do you think?

I need work, don't I?

Please let me know! Bye!