Being summoned by Orochimaru was a thing that Sasuke was used to by now, but something about the way his so called 'master' had been performing lately told him that this time was different. This was going to be one battle he could not afford to lose; a battle of mind rather than body that would decide his very fate.
The smirk on Kabuto's lips, although invisible from where the Uchiha walked behind him, was all too evident in his voice as they made their way to the chamber in which the sannin resided. "Orochimaru-sama will be pleased that you didn't stand him up this time. It's been three years, Sasuke-sama..."
He knew what that meant. It meant his suspicions about this summoning were right. It meant that it was time. This was it, and he didn't think he could be any more ready.
As the white-haired medicnin opened the doors to Orochimaru's chambers, he bowed -- more out of enforced courtesy than actual respect for the teen -- and motioned for Sasuke to enter. Stepping inside, the Uchiha didn't miss Kabuto's spiteful words as the doors were closed once more.
"We probably won't be seeing each other again, Sasuke-sama..."
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Standing before yellow snake eyes was never more uncomfortable than this, but knowing it was the last time he had to feel said eyes lingering too long over every part of him helped, just a little. Silence reigned supreme as the man looked Sasuke over, seeing only the body that he believed would finally be his in a matter of minutes, a posession and a dangerous thing but not really a boy at all.
Orochimaru stood, but Sasuke didn't stiffen, far too used to the man by now to be afraid, or maybe just too numb. No words were necessary because both of them assumed they knew what the other was thinking. For the most part, they were right.
It took only a matter of seconds for the jutsu to activate, and the sannin's words were the only thing Sasuke could hear in his mind as the darkness consumed him, pulling him deeper than he thought possible.
"We'll kill your brother together, Sasuke-kun..."
The snake never heard him whisper 'no'.
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Drowning in the darkness, there was no marker for the passage of time, nothing to reassure him he was still alive except the constant headache caused by the screams of at least four other people, all in the same boat he was except none with the endurance or strength that he had. The darkness was all consuming, maddening, and the one thing that kept him from slipping away completely was the knowledge that losing here meant losing everything, and he wasn't ready for that just yet.
Sasuke did what no other had done before, what no other had been able to do before. He fought the darkness, searching for the tiniest glimmer of light and when he found it, he vowed never to let go.
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They always fought right at the beginning, Orochimaru had come to learn, but they never fought for long. Sasuke-kun was different in that respect, he realized, and it wasn't until the pain reached an all-time high, head reeling and body (young, lithe, smooth) shaking uncontrollably that he truly started to take the boy's struggles seriously.
By then, however, it was too late, and it was the snake that was forced into the darkness of his own mind.
Everyone in the sannin's lair heard the screams that echoed in the halls until suddenly, everything was silent.
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It felt like he was seeing things from a distance, detached from his body and vision hazy and half red as blood. Moving was difficult, but he managed, finding a mirror that told him only that his victory was not yet complete.
One eye glared with the crimson of the Sharingan, the other a freakish reminder of the man who'd possessed him, yellow and snakelike. He hissed through gritted teeth and the sound was unfamiliar to him, too reptillian to be his own voice.
A knock on the door broke him out of his sick fascination with what he'd become and he whipped his head around far too fast, half-red vision blurring as his head spun and he steadied himself against the bathroom vanity. He wondered idly if this was what Kakashi saw every time he unveiled his lone Sharingan eye.
"Orochimaru-sama, I've brought you your medicine, that sounded like a particularly bad episode. I am here if you need my assistance."
The voice was distorted and slightly dull to his ears, almost as if he were listening through water, but it was recognizable as Kabuto. He narrowed his eyes, looking down at himself only to realize he was lacking clothes. This realization led him to notice that the shower was running, though he wasn't wet. He must have caught the man just before he got in, and the thought of hands that were his own but not touching his body disgusted him.
He glanced back at the door, mutedly sensing the medicnin still standing there, and assumed the man wanted an answer. "Kabuto... How many days has it been now?" He noted the way his voice was no longer quite his own, and he nearly shuddered at it.
"Orochimaru-sama?" The nin's voice sounded confused, but loyal as he was, he answered anyway. "Four, should I leave your medicine at the door?"
Four days. No wonder the change had progressed as far as it had. He'd just have to fix that. "Fine, do as you wish."
He heard a tray being placed on the floor, and Kabuto's voice was further muffled (he assumed the man was bowing or kneeling or something equally subserviant and pathetic) when he next spoke. "Are you sure you need nothing else, Orochimaru-sama?"
"I'm fine, leave me..." A shower was feeling more and more like a good idea, and once he sensed that the medicnin was gone, he stepped under the hot spray.
Sasuke stayed under the torrent of water until it ran cold, and he still couldn't wash away the feeling of the snake.
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Sixteen days and three excruciatingly painful relapses later, Sasuke was steadily regaining more and more control over his own body. The differences were less physical and more mental now, though his strength had increased dramatically since the merge. He was no longer pushed back into the darkness for days on end, and the lengths of time between darkness and light were growing increasingly shorter. He had no doubt that he would regain full control within the next week, and then...
Then he would find Itachi.
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"Sasuke-sama..." The white-haired medicnin had already realized the change by now, and was obviously none too happy about it. His gaze was met with narrowed Sharingan eyes that just barely touched the surface of how much Sasuke wanted to kill him, and he looked away. No matter what Kabuto tried during Orochimaru's increasingly shorter appearances, it wasn't working. The Uchiha was gaining too much control, and by this time next week, he would probably never see his master again. It angered him, but Sasuke wouldn't even eat food that he didn't cook himself or have another of Orochimaru's henchmen test first, not to mention the way the brat refused any and all medication he offered.
"Get out of my sight..." came the cold hiss -- the one thing that Sasuke had retained from the change, simply because it kept the others in line -- and Kabuto forced a bow. He and Orochimaru were fighting a losing battle now, and it wouldn't be long now...
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He'd gotten enough headache medicine from Kabuto before the man figured him out to last three weeks, but it was almost gone now, and the pain was still there. The snake within him was slowly coming to terms with his inability to overcome him, so the pain wasn't as bad, but a headache was a headache and all of the knowledge he'd gained was still partially a jumbled mess. These headaches were the cause of his delay in searching out his brother, and though he had a few of the sannin's more capable spies on the job, he didn't expect them to return.
Yesterday, he'd fought with Kabuto, the strongest opponent he had within this wretched castle, and felt the true extent of his new power coursing through him. He was surprised how easily he defeated the white-haired nin, even holding back, and the feeling was exhiliarating. Completely fascinated by his own strength, he'd left the confines of Orochimaru's fortress long enough to completely level the surrounding scenery before returning, still riding out the high. He wondered if this was what Itachi had felt like after killing their clan, and his anger suddenly flared.
Deciding he'd waited long enough, Sasuke summoned Manda, declaring that all inside the underground fortress were his for the taking, and walked out into the night air to the sounds of screams and crumbling earth, standing back to the chaos until the sounds died down completely.
Opening his eyes, he noted that word travelled fast, but not as fast as it should have, Sharingan eyes narrowed with a faint hint of amusement at the figure before him.
"It took you long enough, Itachi..."
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The air was alight with a beautiful tension, steadily building with each clash of sword and kunai, fire and steel, blow after blow. Sasuke was keeping up with Itachi and the feeling itself nearly stole his breath away. It was no holds barred, both fighting with everything they had and it was beautiful.
Neither showed any flaws, no breaks in the fierce grace they displayed on the battlefield. Attack, dodge, parry, all just a dance with death as they both knew that this was to be their final encounter, and faltering meant one's end.
Wearing Itachi down was a thrill all its own, but by the time Sasuke crippled his brother's eyes that feeling was hardly more than a whirring sensation in his head that made it spin, losing control as the dance wound down and suddenly, too suddenly, it was over. It was over, and he felt distressingly unfulfilled.
It was over, just like that, and whether his control slipped for a matter of minutes, or he simply didn't think, Sasuke lifted his brother's body from the battle scarred earth and descended into the ruins of Orochimaru's stronghold, cradling the lifeless form against his chest as if it were a child. His mind was blank up until the point where Itachi's body was held almost lovingly against him, halfway submerged in half a bath full of cold water that was slowly being dyed red with both their blood. He didn't remember running it.
Perhaps, he thought, in the end, revenge wasn't truly enough at all.
So? What'd you think? The mini-sequel should be up shortly, since I'm posting these things that I've finished already. Reviews are lovely.