It's been so long since I wrote an update! Ugh, I never thought I'd be working so much and have so many other obligations. But this story is a short one that I've had in the rough drafts for like a year, and I finally hammered out the details. I realize that this fic doesn't quite work with the current manga, but for this one to work, you have to go under the assumption that Itachi was an evil bastard. XD

I had always been one that thought Itachi was a good guy with a deeper meaning behind the massacre, but I thought it would be fun to write him, just once, as evil as he appeared. And it was!

This story is called Crimson Evanescence. Crimson: the color of both blood, and the Sharingan, and Evanescence: the passing out of sight, memory, or existence. You may not understand the significance of these things now, but trust me, you will soon enough.

All characters, techniques, and terms belong to Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the Naruto Universe. The only rights I claim to this story are for the plot. Do not distribute this fic without my permission and proper credit.

Chapter 1

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, eclipsing the evening sun and battering the mountainside with a cold rain. The night air was biting, and the panting breaths of two brothers clouded in front of their bloodied mouths as they spoke their final words.

"Foolish brother…"

The forbidding voice was shaking, as though the speaker had been pushed far beyond his limit. His blood pooled on the ground beside his fallen opponent, and became diluted by the crashing water.

He wondered how he had come to this moment. Looking down on his challenger, he couldn't even recall how he had ended up in this place or what their battle had been like. His black hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his vision of the brother that had almost defeated him.

"It's over," the Uchiha continued, barely audible over the pounding rain.

The second shinobi only stared back as the blood dripped down his chin. He coughed suddenly, sending crimson droplets flying to clear his throat, and a soft, choking voice broke through.

"I lost…" he whispered. He sounded surprised, as though he had anticipated this moment his entire life, and expected to be on the other side. "… but you didn't win either. The Uchiha name ends here with us."

"No," came the strained reply. "Just your name."

"Don't kid yourself…" his Sharingan reverted, and his eyes sharpened. "Sasuke."

Sasuke's body instantly exploded in pain, and blood came spewing from his mouth. He fell to his knees in agony, clutching his abdomen, eyes wide with horror. His mouth was agape, muttering half-completed questions in shock. A bolt of lightning split the night sky, drowning them out completely.

"You've surpassed me, Sasuke," Itachi continued beside his brother. "But consider the cost. You relied on that cursed seal far too much. Your body is rejecting the foreign chakra, deteriorating from the inside out. The damage that I inflicted only hastened the process."

Sasuke glared at his fallen brother with rage, gritting his teeth in fury, and in an effort fight back the stream of blood and bile that threatened to leave his mouth.

"Consider your current torment as punishment for insulting your birthright by saturating yourself with that decrepit fool's power."

Sasuke lowered his head in defeat. Itachi was right; he had brought this end upon himself.

"Farewell, Sasuke," Itachi smirked. "I hope it was worth it."

His eyes closed for the final time, leaving his younger brother to die alone with his anger and anguish.

Sasuke could only stare in disbelief. The thing he wanted most in life was completed, but it cost him the rest of his existence. His hatred swelled up inside him; hatred for Itachi and his betrayal, hatred for Madara and the legend of the Mangekyou that started it all, and hatred for himself, for his helplessness on the night of the massacre and his present situation.

He clenched his teeth and slammed his fists into the mud, shouting above the booming thunder.

"DAMN YOU!!"

There was no answer but the falling rain. There was no one around for miles.

I refuse to die here!

Sasuke willed his battered flesh to stand abruptly, and immediately reeled backward, falling back several steps against a tree. His body screamed in protest at every movement.

He grit his teeth against the pain as he stumbled from one charred tree to the next. The brothers' clash had destroyed the surrounding land beyond recognition. The blackened remains of what once was a forest were being washed away down the mountainous slope by the downpour, making each treacherous step its own battle.

As Sasuke leaned against the next tree for support, he examined his arm with the Sharingan. With its power, he could see the flow of chakra. The cursed seal's purple chakra was dissolving his flesh and bone within his skin. Every one of his tenketsu leaked the corrosive energy.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to blink. The pain was more excruciating than anything he had ever felt, than anything he could have possibly imagined. His legs couldn't hold him, and he slid down to the ground, his back tearing against the tree bark. He hissed in pain as the blood seeped from at least a dozen slits.

... this really is the end, isn't it? He thought vacantly. Damn…

He cursed himself for using that power for so long. Even after reproaching Orochimaru for gaining power through medicines and experiments, Sasuke hadn't banished the corrupt power obtained through those same methods.

Was there any other way? Sasuke wondered hazily as he stared up into the dark clouds. The storm concealed that which he wanted to see, the stars that he used to stare into as a genin.

His thoughts drifted back to Konoha. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura… was he meant to stay with them? If he had, would things be different now? Would he have killed Itachi?

"I'm sorry," he choked out. Tears began to fall down his cheek, joining the streams of rain that already dripped from his soaked bangs. "I'm so sorry…"

He was cold. The rain felt like ice against his body, seeping through his skin to sap the warmth from his bones.

They couldn't hear him. He was alone. And he was terrified. Death's cold grip was upon him, and he would die alone.

Kakashi… I'm sorry I didn't listen. I'm sorry I turned my back on you when you tried to help me. In a way… you were like a second father.

A stabbing pain gripped at his heart. He clenched his teeth and clawed desperately at his chest, begging the pain to pass.

Naruto… you were the only true friend I ever had. I'm sorry… for everything. I don't deserve your friendship. I don't deserve everything you did to bring me back… all of your sacrifices for my sake. In a way… you were like a brother.

He coughed softly, and crimson flecks peppered the ground. A trickle of blood crept from the corner of his lips, and was immediately washed away by the downpour. His heartbeat was slowing.

Sakura…

His vision began to blur, and he realized that it wasn't the tears that obscured his vision. He was dying.

I'm sorry for everything I said to you, everything I did to push you away. You always gave me hope… hope that one day I would be able to heal this blackened heart. I'll never be able to tell you…

I…

Darkness crept across his vision. He desperately tried to fight it off. He would never be able to tell her… she would never… know…

Sasuke-kun!

Thanks for reading Chapter One! Chapter Two should be along shortly. I haven't written it all out yet, but I've got a vacation coming up and I plan on doing a lot of writing, working on all sorts of fics from The Eyes... to some shorter fics like this one that have been on the drawing board for a long, long time. Thanks again for reading, and if you feel inclined to do so, please leave a review! I respond to every review I recieve, and I would love to hear from you, whether you liked it or whether you think you have some ideas that would make it or my writing overall, better. If you see anything out of place, please let me know, either by private message or in your review!

-Ryken