A little something after a really long wait.
Chapter 3: Discovery and the Curse.
Sasuke tossed and turned in his sleep in the following night. Grasping at his pillow and scratching his neck at where Orochimaru bit it as it burned itself into the boy's dreams. After a bit of groaning he finally woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that Itachi was still sound asleep at that the time on the nearby clock read 3:00 in the morning.
He tried to go back to sleep but couldn't and in the end found himself going for a late night walk. The brisk air chilled him to the bone as all the shops were closed; it was like everything was abandoned and all life in the city to be non-existent. As the wind nipped his face, it also brought along the sound of music like that of an old wind up music box floated from the city center. Without explanation, Sasuke followed until he eerie tunes and found that it leaked from the cracks from a decaying wooden caravan, surrounded by polls that emitted a green fire from the top.
Curiosity controlling his actions, the Uchiha entered to find a small fire softly illuminated the small room. "Whoever owns this crap cart must have just parked it here. I didn't see anything like this earlier-."
"And what can I owe this intrusion too?" A old, tired, and angry voice muttered behind the boy, causing him to jump.
'I didn't even feel his presence….' "Who are you?"
"I think I'm in no obligation to someone who broke into my home."
Sasuke looked around the dank small room. "I think it's time to upgrade to something… Livable."
"And now you mock my way of life. Why are you here?"
"I just followed some music to this place."
The man, who looked old, weak, and shady as he pushed his way past the boy and pulled out a dusty broken music box coloured in a faded purple. "Are you talking about this thing? Well sorry to disappoint and point out either imagination or insanity on your part, but this things been broken for years."
"No, I-."
Sasuke rubbed his temples. It didn't make sense that he heard it but it was apparently broken. When he opened his eyes, the old man stared at the boy's neck. "Whats that?" He questioned when he stepped forward.
Sasuke grabbed the part he knew that was worth a glance; the curse mark given by Orochimaru. In fact, he could feel it prick as it started to push out power.
The old man stood up strait with a wicked grin. "And now I know. You are the puppet. That mark is nothing more than the strings to the corpse for a man who fooled himself into thinking he has some power over others. I see your future involving him, one or the other will search in the dark of the night. One must destroy the other as both can't survive, and beyond that must face the end of days. Side with the Demon or the Darkness, and destroy the world you know!"
"What are you-!" Sasuke felt the curse mark pulse with pain as his limbs grew rotten before his eyes, and the man just laughed as the world turned to fire around them…
…
Sasuke shot up from his bed as sunlight flooded through the window onto himself and the snoring lump that was Itachi. He quickly felt his curse mark and gave a slight sigh of relief; all to soon however.
It erupted with power and Sasuke screamed in agony, practically waking the town if not already so. Itachi saw what was happening, he fell out of bed and scrambled to his brother.
"What in the name of… Sasuke what's happening!?"
"The Curse Mark!!!" The boy shouted as he clawed at his skin as he got up and jumped out of the nearby window, as if he were to lose his mind for a moment in a full city for a killing spree…
Itachi followed suit.
…
Far out of the city, the two stopped in the middle of a large forest as Sasuke cringed in pain.
"Sasuke, what's going on?"
The younger brother didn't even bother to say anything as he finally succumbed to the foreign source of power as he collapsed to his knees, the black marks etching itself across his body while enveloped in a purple flame like chakra.
"Orochimaru…." Was the only thing he muttered before he lost his mind completely before the power. As the body looked to Itachi, he saw something he never wanted to see again.
The eyes of Orochimaru.
"So that bastard already gotten to you." The elder Uchiha muttered in disbelief. "Well…Guess that means I have to give you the treatment; a good long knock out!" He leaped into action as soon as he finished-but Sasuke, who now had only the single minded urge to find Orochimaru, was faster.
Sasuke knocked his brother out of the way with a single back handed slap to the side of the head and with a jump high enough into the sky formed a few hand signs and called out with a slight monotone "Fire style technique; Flame of Glory." and scorched out the land underneath-landing in a safe patch a ways off. He didn't bother to stay and wait to see if Itachi was alright, the snakes call was too alluring.
However, it wasn't long for a fist to swing out from the corner of his eye to make a crash course through the forest.
As the boy crashed through a few trees, the curse mark finally released its hold leaving Sasuke like a rag doll lying atop the fallen foliage. Itachi caught up huffing and rubbing his fist that went numb after the last blow, taken keen notice of his brothers mark.
"I remember what this is, and who creates them. Damn it Sasuke, why didn't you say anything?" He slung his little brother across his solders and huffed as he hobbled down a path under the strain of extra weight. "It looks like we're going to have to make a stop of an acquaintance of mine to see if this can be fixed or not…."
