And Darkness Prevails

Chapter Ten – Temptation of the Serpent

Sasuke wasn't a typical ninja who was leaving his village permanently. Even the four who thought that they might be leaving their village (though three of them really did end up leaving) walked through the village and said goodbye to everyone they knew. Sasuke, however, felt like the village was a rotting, infected blister that needed to be cut from his body.

He couldn't wait to leave.

True, he hadn't always felt that way. In fact, the only reason he suddenly made the decision to leave was that nothing was left for him in Konoha.

His one driving force, the best friend and rival that was pushing him to greatness, was as good as dead to him now.

He'd actually been trying to make the decision for nearly two years now. And it had all started at the Chunin exams he'd taken at twelve…

"Sasuke!" Naruto growled out, covered in blood. They were in the middle of the second Chunin exam, and in the middle of the Forest of Death, they were desperately trying to hold onto their one scroll – the Earth scroll. "Stop being such a pussy! Do you want to go home and tell Kakashi, 'Oh, sorry, I wimped out?' Grow some balls!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Are you fucking kidding me, you idiot? This guy is going to…!" On the down side, Naruto was stupid. The person they were fighting was much, much stronger than they were; he or she could already summon snakes large enough to devour a hundred Naruto clones.

That, and they'd already been fighting for a good bit now. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura fought tooth-and-nail against a few guys from the… the Sound, whatever that was, and they had managed to steal a fake Heaven scroll.

"Well. How about this? Either give up the scroll, or I kill the two of you. Which do you prefer?" Something about the… person's eyes disconcerted Sasuke. The eyes were serpentine, the body feminine, but the voice rough and scratchy like a male's.

That, and he could sense an extreme intent to kill exuding from the person.

"Neither!" Naruto yelled. "We'll fight you for it!"

"Idiot! Just stay—"

"Out of this!" the enemy finished. A gigantic snake appeared from behind Naruto, out of nowhere and without either of their noticing.

Naruto managed to get a few milliseconds of staring before the snake opened its gigantic maw and swallowed him whole.

"Let him go!" Sasuke cried out, the will to fight suddenly brought back. He was out of chakra; there were no ifs, ands, or buts around that. But he could fight until he was killed, damn it. He lunged at the enemy, throwing kunai, shuriken, punches, kicks, and whatever else he could manage.

They were parried, blocked, and countered as easily as a Jonin could fight off an elementary school student. "Please, Sasuke," the voice hissed around Sasuke's mind. The slithering noise of their voice was so disturbing to Sasuke that he felt like he was going to be molested. "You're an Uchiha, aren't you?" the voice was sickly sweet.

"And that's why," he accentuated with a punch, "I can't give up!" Sasuke made an attempt to roundhouse kick his enemy in the face, but the other ninja simply grabbed his leg, flipped him upwards, and then slammed him against the tree.

"I'll come right out and say it," the person hissed into his ear, "I'm not going to kill you, or your friends, because I want to collect you… and the Sharingan. My representative will be… contacting you every so often, until you say yes. You don't have to make up your mind now, or even soon. I have enough time," he bared a set of fangs, "to spare."

He finished by biting Sasuke in the neck, fangs protruding deep into his flesh. The bite was not a normal vampire bite, in that it was meant to inject venom rather than draw blood. Sasuke's veins began to burning – he had no idea what this bastard had done to him.

The person pulled away, and Sasuke could feel himself growing weaker and weaker. "This is just a taste of the power I can give you… When you are ready to accept the full dosage, come to the Sound seeking Orochimaru."

The last thing Sasuke saw as he lost consciousness was Orochimaru swallowing their Earth scroll whole.

And none of it would have happened if Naruto hadn't initiated the battle to begin with.

Since then, Sasuke had used the power Orochimaru had given him only when absolutely necessary. It nearly doubled his chakra, enhanced his Sharingan, increased his fighting abilities, and gave him the means of accomplishing more than he could have ever done without it at his age.

But it came with a price. For one, he was in intense pain for days after each usage. For another, each use led him craving more and more power, as if he were trying methamphetamine for the first… and second… and third… and fourth time.

He could still count off each time he'd used it. The first was during the Third Chunin exam, and he'd used it against Naruto. The second was to kill a rogue vampire who was threatening to kill Sakura. The third was against a Jonin from the Cloud. The fourth was against some missing-nin from the Rain.

Every time but the first, it had resulted in the death of his opponent.

And every time made him consider going to the Sound more and more, until he was just holding himself back out of pure principal. There were still plenty of things that the Leaf had to offer him.

Well, more like one. Naruto. Before he could push forward, he had to beat the shit out of the blond underdog that had somehow jumped to his pace.

But since he was gone now…

He was thinking about everything as he stared at the wall opposite from his bed.

They'd been close brothers, or as close as a seven-year-old and a sixteen-year-old could be. Itachi trained Sasuke when he had time, though more often than not pushed the training to 'next time.' Sasuke adored his brother and looked up to him like most people looked up to the Hokage Mountain.

Sasuke's father, however, seemed to have some deep hatred for his eldest son. Sasuke had no idea what it concerned, but everyone in his family evaded the subject.

And so, Sasuke had grown up in such an environment, learning the Uchiha-style fire jutsu as well as taijutsu, excelling in school, and growing into a strong, young ninja.

Until one night, when he came home from school, he saw his brother drenched in the blood of the members of the Uchiha, the red liquid spilling from the corners of his mouth.

The last thing Sasuke remembered was the vision of an orange-haired, heavily pierced man closing in on him, his eyes comparable to a rock that had landed in a puddle of blood.

The image still haunted him to this day. The vampire with the rippled, blood-red eyes...

He felt a sudden chakra presence. Sasuke was always on his guard, even as he slept in his own bed, in the middle of his own village; as a ninja, such things were necessary.

"Kabuto," Sasuke stated simply. As he did, he saw the long, silvery hair appear in his window, followed by a pale forehead, glasses, and finally, a smirk.

"Sasuke." Kabuto paused, before continuing. "Your escorts are waiting just outside of Konoha. My job is to sneak you out of the village. We don't want to start a war after all, do we?" Kabuto laughed slightly, an almost maniac chuckle, as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Sasuke didn't move or reply.

"You are having second thoughts, aren't you?" Kabuto let out a sigh. "Most do. It takes a very special type of runaway to feel completely unattached from the place they grew up."

Sasuke still didn't respond. Kabuto continued speaking, not taking notice.

"It is because of the Kyuubi child, is it not? He was… well. Interesting, and strong enough to almost worry Orochimaru. But didn't that container end up in the Sand? Chances are, he'll either die, be turned vampire, or be much stronger for the experience."

Again, still no response.

"You know, if the boy survives, he'll come back either stronger physically, or stronger emotionally than you. That Genma guy… I have information on him from before his years as a victim. He's a much, much stronger ninja now. How do you suppose Naruto will have grown? And that growth will be absolutely exponential if he manages to get turned…"

Sasuke stopped staring at the wall, and shifted his gaze to Kabuto.

"That, and you have a vendetta against your older brother, Itachi Uchiha, correct? Itachi is a vampire, and it is rare that someone does not use the strength of a vampire to defeat a vampire."

Kabuto paused, knowing that he'd already convinced Sasuke.

"And we are offering you the strength of the vampire, as well as specialized training. Konoha has nothing for you but people who will never understand you, and never appreciate your strength. If you want to leave, leave now, and stop making Orochimaru wait."

Sasuke stood from his bed and moved to the window. "Let's go."

"Iruka?" Kakashi asked as he opened the window. Without waiting to be asked in, he climbed inside and glanced around the bedroom. It was already midnight, and Iruka wasn't asleep? That was strange in itself.

He had a bad feeling. He was getting the same anxious feeling he'd gotten when Iruka had had his major breakdown…

Kakashi walked through the main hallway and to the front room to see Iruka on the couch, staring at a class picture from Naruto's year. He wasn't crying, he wasn't yelling, he was just staring.

"You know…" Iruka began before Kakashi could ask. "I regret not telling Naruto about the two of us. If you have a mind to, you can tell Sasuke and Sakura about us." Iruka leaned forward and set the picture back on his coffee table, a foot away from Naruto's headband.

"I don't even know why I didn't want him to know. It wasn't like I thought he'd hate me for dating his teacher… I didn't even think he'd have a problem with the two of us being gay."

"I have wondered the same thing since our one-month mark," Kakashi said jokingly, though trying to do his best not to say it in an 'I-told-you-so' manner. He strode over to Iruka and pulled him into a quick, still-masked kiss. In all honesty, Kakashi had come to Iruka's place that night seeking much more than just a peck on the lips, but having sex wasn't his current goal.

When Kakashi pulled back, he pulled his mask down and his headband off slowly, as opposed to his usual quick movements. "I think I have an answer, though." He said as he tossed his headband onto the coffee table. "You didn't want Naruto to think that he was second place in your mind. I understand that… you didn't want Naruto to feel less loved by you because of me. Naruto had so few people who actually cared for him that every person mattered, especially if he was 'Number One on your list,' so to speak."

Iruka gave a small smile and looked away. "That sounds right…"

"I love you," Kakashi changed the subject quickly. Iruka looked back at him in shock. Kakashi said such things so rarely that hearing him admit to it out loud meant a lot.

Iruka, after getting over the surprise of the act, replied, "I love you, too," much easier than Kakashi had said the words.

Kakashi lunged for Iruka's lips, pulling Iruka into a deep kiss and pushing him into the arm of the couch all at once. Kakashi, as if keeping him from leaving, put his arms on either side of Iruka and pressed his body to Iruka's, pushing his tongue further and further into his mouth.

Kakashi's hands began to wander up and down Iruka's clothed body, when he suddenly sensed something familiar. He pulled back, looking at Iruka but not focusing on him at all.

"Something wrong?" Iruka asked confusedly. Kakashi was more often than not the one pressing for sex, so for him to pause in the middle of foreplay was a bit out-of-character…

"No, I suppose not," the disturbance had disappeared quickly, and Kakashi could easily chalk it up to being overly paranoid. He moved to kiss Iruka again, but Iruka stopped him. "What?"

"Can we move to the bed?"

"… What, not feeling adventurous?" Kakashi pressed his forehead to Iruka headband and ground his hips against Iruka.

"Well, adventure is always fun, but you're not the one that has to deal with back pain in the morning. Come on, up, let's go."

"Yes, sir," Kakashi said sarcastically, pulling away reluctantly before heading for the bedroom. But it was worth it, since he was 'using his time wisely' and stripping as he walked.

Iruka pulled off his headband, having forgotten about it until Kakashi touched his forehead to it. He went to just toss it on the table, before he noticed how Kakashi's had landed. It was just slightly on top of the right side of Naruto's and in front of the class picture.

With a small, nostalgic smile, he put his headband in the same position on the left side of Naruto's headband, and then followed his boyfriend to the bedroom.

Sasuke was on his way out of the village when he saw Sakura walking home from the hospital. She was dragging her feet and mumbling, something that she could often be seen doing after late nights working with patients.

Sakura, even in the middle of her half-asleep stupor, noticed Sasuke and Kabuto. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kabuto. "What… what are you doing with Sasuke?"

"Take care of this, Sasuke," Kabuto growled out before jumping onto the wall that surrounded Konoha.

"Sakura…" Sasuke tried to sound pleasant, but he was struggling with it. "Late night?" he asked.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked, striding up to Sasuke.

As if she had any influence on his decision.

"Look, Sasuke, if this is… if this is something you're doing because of Naruto… Naruto leaving, then… I'm here for you, Sasuke, you know that. I love you!"

So typically Sakura. Hitting on him? Using the word 'leaving' instead of a word that made it seem as if Naruto had had a choice? Trying to 'comfort' him? It was the perfect set of classic Sakura-esque actions.

"Sakura," now that he didn't feel even slightly remorseful, he could act perfectly. He used the Flash Step and, in a millisecond, was behind her instead of in front of her. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear as if she'd helped him.

Then he knocked her out, and with a movement too fast for normal eyes to follow, disappeared into the forest.

Tayuya stood glaring at Jirobo, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "What the fuck is your problem, fat-ass?"

"That's just it," he sighed. "Ladies shouldn't use such language. And 'Where the hell are those fucking dickheads' isn't a sentence that should come from a woman's mouth."

"I concur with Jirobo," Kabuto said as he appeared, Sasuke in tow. "But I think foul language is… unnecessary to begin with. Sasuke?"

"I don't give a damn about language."

"No, I meant…" Kabuto sighed. "Are you ready?"

"… To…?"

"Start your transformation into a vampire," Kabuto explained as he fished a pill out of his side pocket. It was a dark pill, the same color as Sasuke's cursed seal mark. "Take once daily, along with gratuitous amounts of blood. Sakon?"

Sakon groaned. "Come on, I have to keep blood for two! Get Jirobo or Kidomaru."

"I was the last one to open up a vein for this; it's Kidomaru's turn."

"Oi! Just because I have four arms, doesn't mean that I can—"

"What the hell is this, a fucking comedy act?" Tayuya growled out before storming up to Sasuke. She pulled out a kunai and sliced it from her wrist and halfway up to her elbow. "Drink," she said, shoving it in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke, knowing what being a vampire entailed, didn't blanch at the sight of the blood. He popped the pill to the back of his mouth, knelt down, and began drinking the blood from her wrist as best as he could from his awkward angle. Blood spilt down into the grassy ground and around his lips, dripping down to the tips of her fingers.

After around three minutes of Sasuke drinking, Kabuto finally pulled him back. Tayuya was growing faint, though she was forcing herself to stay standing and not appear weak. Kabuto dragged a glowing blue finger across her wound, and in seconds, the cut was healed.

"Let's go. And Kidomaru, since you're so intent on getting special treatment for having four arms, carry Tayuya until she's well enough to walk."

"I can walk just fucking fine…" she mumbled as she took a shaky step forward.

"Fine, I didn't want to carry her ass anyways," Kidomaru said.

As he moved to jump into the trees, Tayuya said, "Well, since you offered so goddamn nicely, I think I'll accept. I'm feeling kind of tired, anyhow."

Sasuke stepped to move forward, but as soon as he attempted to move, a burning pain exploded in his chest. "I'm… I'm dying," he groaned out.

"Jirobo, get Sasuke, would you?" Kabuto sighed. "You'll be just fine… here, have some of this," Kabuto said as he put an ether-covered cloth against Sasuke's mouth, knocking him out cold. "Let's get a move on; Orochimaru expected us back with his new prize yesterday."

A/N: Okay, I don't know Sasuke and Itachi's age difference. I made a guess. Doesn't matter much, anyways. Just sayin'. Please review! =3