LOL, I'm still putting off my other story. I feel so bad D: XD But I still need some time for it, I'm sorryyy. This story has been the interest of my imagination so far, so might as well do it. Anyway, it'll come back. I'll get back to it during my Winter Break. I'll probably update a bit often during those two long weeks anyway.

OMGGGG, who saw the Naruto filler for episode 189? THAT WAS SO FRICKEN HILARIOUS AND ADORABLE! The best so far along with the Kakashi's mask one! Omggg. Did anyone see the subtle SasuSaku moments? XDD. I did. Heheh.

Started on: 12-14-10

Summary: Something—even though it was so small—happened to Sasuke during his curse mark transition from Orochimaru, and now the brooding teenager is now transforming in front of their eyes for everyone to see. The bite was a success, yes, but the only flaw is that for some reason the possessed Sasuke has a newfound interest in Sakura, who can watch helplessly as he merges with his dark, possessive side, still not sure if she likes it or not.

Disclaimer: IDNON. Hurrrrrplz.

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Of Dark and Light

Chapter 4

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Deep underground in an unknown area lay a seemingly desolate base that was lightly dimmed, its only source of light being the dying fires on the torches placed meters apart, far enough that one could easily trip and stumble in the lighting. As two familiar jonin continued their chase for a recognizable, rampant genin, two figures sat quietly underneath the earth hundreds of miles away from their positions. The place was murky and dim, the only source of light was the flickering fire on the torches which were dying quickly as the substance wasn't fed the amount of oxygen it needed to thrive. Winding hallways dominated the base, twisting and turning in ways that one would decipher as it being a maze that they could easily lose themselves inside of. All around was the bland color of brown, save for the oranges and yellows that were splayed on the walls and floors like spilled paint with half of the opacity it usually held.

The first figure was panting slightly while he lay in a bed filled with white sheets, his grey arms held in front of himself like bars as sweat dribbled down his snow-white skin. His long black hair covered his face, his purple makeup and canary eyes peeking through only slightly as he shifted every now and then. At his side was a man, maybe in his late teens or twenties, his grey hair held up in a spiky ponytail as he flicked his round glasses up back to the bridge of his nose since it slid down every now and then. He stood at the pale-skinned man's bedside, patiently waiting before he spoke.

"Orochimaru-sama," The man addressed submissively. "I have heard rumors about the Uchiha, your new vessel."

At first, Orochimaru did not speak due to his heavy heaving until the raspy sound ended all together. "And what of these 'rumors'?"

"It seems that the Uchiha has a found an interest in his female teammate," Kabuto explained, his middle finger laying on the curve of his glasses. "Apparently, it started right after he received the curse mark."

"Hmmmm..." The snake-like man hissed in thought, momentarily forgetting about his pain as he began to ponder deeply. "It seems that my Heaven Seal Curse Mark has a minor flaw…"

The grey-haired man gazed at his superior in question, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as Orochimaru began to chuckle slightly. Shifting a little weight on to his left leg, he inquired, "Flaw?"

"My curse mark is made by forcing special enzymes into the victims body, where they lay dormant until they are prodded to be used, whether that be when the victim is in peril or I bend the curse mark to my will," Orochimaru said, grunting a bit. "When it is in use, the enzymes float in the host's cells, around the chakra points where energy flows out and rushes chakra production, essentially giving the host more power than they ever imagined…"

"Yes, I know…" Kabuto said uncertainly as his master began to cough violently. "But how does that explain his interest in Sakura-san?"

"Theoretically, the enzymes flow in the body as soon as the power is transferred from me, but they tend to steer clear of the head. It's not very common, but it seems that a few enzymes have travelled upwards to Sasuke-kun's brain and have resided into his pituitary gland. If that has happened, then that would explain his recent behavior. Although, this is the first time I've heard about this…"

The Sound nin hesitated, then continued on, "You mean to say…"

"Yes," Orochimaru confirmed, his lips curving into a snake-like grin. "The curse mark has connected with Sasuke-kun's hormones, as well as his emotions."

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Beneath the numerous canopies of the forest that merged him into the earth as just another shadow, the boy laughed as he observed the two older nins attempt to trail him but ultimately fail since they lost his tracks nearly five minutes ago. They wore determined yet frustrated expressions, Anko's more expressed as Kakashi's harder to see from his mask. In fact, they had not realized it yet but, he had actually manipulated the evidence of where he had treaded, and now they were running in twisted circles. Once they did, it would be too late as he would be gone off without another trace.

He let out another laughed as he clutched onto a thick tree branch, grinning as the wood groaned in protest, and then it snapped. Red eyes flickered under the shade of the large, tall plant standing ramrod straight. Purple chakra was swirling around his form, licking at his stiff bones and caressing his cold flesh. His complex was blotched with ink on every inch of his body, the black and pale almost mixing together to make his skin an ominous shade of grey.

He was confused, he wasn't really sure why he was acting this way—

(Pain-power-hurt-mom-dad-pink-blood-)

He wasn't really know that he was letting himself drown slowly, his soul rotting away piece by piece and inch by inch—

(Power-pink-flowers-Sakura-red-mine-)

His body was screaming out in pain from overuse and his mind was running a mile a minute—

(Power-dark-too bright-pink-red-SAKURA-)

But what he did know...

(Sakura-red-mine-pink-Sakura-MINE-ALL MINE-)

Was that he wasn't going to let her go.

(SAKURA-MINE-NO ONE ELSE'S-KILL-MINE-SAKURA-)

Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, Sasuke threw back his head and howled in laughter, the curse mark's power going to his head. Along with the hooting came a dull pain of throbbing in his head and a burning sensation in his Sharingan-activated eyes. He was so confused from feeling so many emotions at once; anger, hate, lust, love, despair, betrayal, hurt, happiness and, above all, perplexity. Tears rolled down his cheeks as his chuckles turned into roars, his fists pounding away at the wood under him, momentarily forgetting about Kakashi and Anko somewhere in his range of sight that could have heard him. It felt as if someone had ripped out his heart, stomped on it while he was laughing and happy as they did it.

"Why..." He sobbed, clutching at his dark blue shirt on the area of what would have been deemed as his heart. "Why would she hurt me…?" Giggles erupted from his chest as his fingers clawed at the bark, the action vaguely reminding him of the moment he almost passed out when Orochimaru bit him. "I only… wanted to protect her… Haha…"

He was going insane, yet, he did not know why.

Groaning, laughing and heaving with sobs all at once, he exhaled, "She bit me… She hurt me… She betrayed me… Why… Sakura?"

He needed her; he needed Sakura. He needed her to make him sane again.

Breathing out sharply, he clenched his teeth together, his sharp canines clanking together as his jaws clamped down on each other. The liquid pouring out his eyes had disappeared, though the traces of his crying still lay on his cheeks for all to see. The glare in his crimson eyes had strengthened ten fold, the intense emotions in his gut flaring up the more he stood there, the fire apparent in his eyes. His purple chakra pulsed, the power so great that a cutting wind was formed by the force that sliced dents and cuts into the trees around him. Green leaves danced around his dark figure as the velocity picked up, the strength so much that his feet stepped off of the branch and he was floating in midair. Another gust dashed around his colorful persona, and within the next second, he was gone.

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Kakashi and Anko, after ten more minutes of a fruitless chase after a crazed Sasuke, decided that their top priority had to be switched to informing the Third Hokage by unanimous decision (A/N: NOTE, this is after Sasuke is bit in the preliminaries, but this is before Orochimaru's invasion. So, the Sandaime is still alive and Tsunade isn't mentioned yet.). They immediately used a small amount of chakra and transported themselves over into his office, bowing in respect to the slightly surprised man.

He sat slumped at his office chair, the desk clear of any papers and books as he was consistent in his work. He propped himself on his elbows and raised an eyebrow at the two slightly-out-of-breath Leaf ninjas. As usual, he was wearing his white and red Hokage robes, along with his head that proudly spoke his position of the village in Kanji.

"Kakashi, Anko," He sucked in a warm breath of smoke from his pipe, his warm, wise eyes peering down at the polite jonin. "What brings you two here?"

"I'm afraid we have some bad news," Anko cut in tersely, standing right back up as her spine was erect and stiff. Kakashi nodded slowly next to her, following her actions as he sighed, ruffling his spiky hair.

"Hmm, straight to the point as always," The Sandaime chuckled, his smile falling as he took in the serious expressions of the two adults. "What has happened?"

"Uchiha Sasuke's curse mark has broken through my seal," Kakashi spoke solemnly, his usually lively tone and eyes now dull with a tang of despair. "And it seems that he has been targeting one person while he takes on this form."

Sarutobi was quiet, pondering. He brought his hand to his red and white hat and flicked it up and down on the crown of his head. It was a habit for him for when he was thinking during grave times as he forged up a plan that would most likely save the most of his village he could. Curiously yet somber he prodded, "And who is this he is targeting?"

"Haruno Sakura."

The wizened man blinked, and then furrowed his brows. He was chasing after his own female teammate? If memory served him right, Sasuke had been rather physically protective of Haruno Sakura, especially during missions. It really didn't make any sense, unless Orochimaru had purposely turned the Uchiha and gave his orders to kill his own pink-haired teammate, but Sakura was such a minority of a flaw in his plans so it didn't match up. So why…?

"That's not all, sir," Anko cut in urgently, her eyes narrowing. "He's been in his curse mark form for a while now, and if the curse mark stays activated for a long period of time, the power will eat away at his body! He'll go mentally and emotionally go crazy!"

"I see," Sarutobi drawled, puffing out another cloud of smoke. "In this case then, I will call over the best tracking nins currently free in the area. If you wish to run over and go to them first to save time, go ahead by all means."

"Hai!" Anko had disappeared immediately, knowing the dangers of the curse mark, where as Kakashi lingered and clenched his fists.

He would protect his comrades' lives.

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Sakura lay in her bed and sighed as she began to toss and turn restlessly in her small bed. She hadn't been able to get sleep ever since the incident earlier today, even with her sensei's comforting departing words of 'not to worry' and 'everything will be fine'. Dread was pooling in her stomach as if her intuition knew what was about to happen, and this made her muscles coil like a snake ready to spit its venom in defense from a lingering predator from the shadows. She was still dressed up in her red dress with her ninja gear still strapped to her thighs, very tense from the choking atmosphere that settled in her room the moment she stepped inside.

Everywhere she turned she couldn't help but glance back. Her limbs twitched as she attempted to casually work around her bedroom as she would normally do. Emerald cat eyes flickered back and forth, and if she had ears and a tail, her furry appendage would swish from left to right consistently, and her ears would perk up and move in every direction she heard the even slightest noise.

She knew it very well, the feeling. She was being watched.

At first she merely thought of it as paranoia and shrugged it off, mindlessly getting ready for bed when she felt slight flickers of chakra from every direction when she glanced away from the window. It was suppressed clumsily, as if the person wasn't intending to be found by her but was a bit clumsy in chakra control. Unlike them, she was heralded as a natural born genius in that department of fighting, so she caught on pretty quickly. That was about half an hour ago. Since then, her actions had been a bit jerky, and she was prone to hear things that were hard to decipher if they were from her imagination or if they were real.

She was supposed to be a shinobi, or a kuniochi to be precise. She shouldn't be afraid, she should be ready for whatever is thrown at her. Even though she repeated it in a mantra in her head, she couldn't help the quivers of anticipation and slight fear run down her fragile spine. Never had she been targeted or fought with someone on a one-on-one basis, save for Zaku in the Forest of Death and Ino in the preliminary Chuunin exams which she disappointedly bombed, she admitted shamefully.

It felt very strange, especially since it was usually Sasuke or Naruto being thought of as potential threats or a formidable enemy, and she was more than often overlooked as another girl that wasn't good enough for the world. Momentarily, she wondered if this is how her teammates felt when an opposable force took notice of them. Was it thrilling, choking, and a bit frightening for them all at once?

Of course, she wouldn't know, she pondered bitterly. She had always been the weakest link of the team; no matter how hard she tried to become stronger, she would always be staring at their backs. Even if she used all of her strength to dash up to them, the same distance would stay, and if not it would even lengthen which made her even more upset every time. She would never be as strong as they are…—

Clatter, clatter…

Due to her nerves that were already tense, she leapt up onto her bed from her lying position and thrust her hand under her pillow where she found her spare kunai. Glaring at the direction she heard the noise, which was the closed window, she spat out with a strained-strong voice, "Who's there?"

Sssshhhh…

Nothing answered back as expected. Only the night wind whispered back, the invisible force unable to reach the girl in the room because of the closed space in front of her. She gritted her teeth for a few more seconds before dropping her very tense state. She was being a bit too paranoid, but her intuition never lies! She knew this for a fact, that her instincts had a way of being right all the time whether she liked it or not. That's why she relied on them heavily, mainly on missions or on issues with her teams. Keeping her ears open, she sighed and lay back on her bed, her mind crying out for her to sleep. Her eyelids fell at the unheard command, and soon her body relaxed.

Tink tink.

The pinkette didn't seem to notice the sound, or she promptly ignored it, but she tiredly threw off her covers and rubbed her eyes, strolling over to her adjoined bathroom. The smooth wood under her creaked slightly because of its tiring age and the sudden weight thrown upon it as she groaned sleepily. Unlike how a ninja should often keep their actions sharp and their footsteps light, hers were sluggish and more like stomps. Flicking the lights on by a switch, she stumbled over the white-tiled floor and grasped a nearby glass cup from the wooden shelf bolted in the wall. Blinking a few times, she twisted the knobs as water gushed out of the faucet, failing to notice a dark presence with red eyes and spiky hair glistening in the moonlight crouching outside of her window.

His hand pressed through the small crease between the window and the wall.

Shhh-chk.

Unhurried, the figure pushed the window aside quietly as he listened to the humming that emitted from her throat several feet away from his position. A light breeze hit him on his covered back as if it were encouraging the boy to enter the abode, which he did without protest. He landed on his feet on the old floor gracefully without a sound that would alert anyone and stood there for a few minutes. When the noise of the running water in the pipes stopped, his feet began moving like a pendulum, one in front of the other evenly and in a perfect rhythm. He had no trouble in muffling his weight even if the floor was loud when someone treaded on it. The movements he created were light like feathers drifting in the wind if not non-existent; the flowing swaying of a professional killer.

S-k, s-k, s-k, s-k…

The pinkette downed the liquid gratefully, her dry throat replenished with newfound strength as it slid down her esophagus. Her emerald eyes were hidden behind her small lids and her head was thrown back. All signs of alertness had vanished the moment she entered the brightly lit bathroom. She was out in the open, vulnerable to the person who had slunk in past her defenses and who was closing the distance between them step by step. By the time she sighed, refreshed, and placed down the cup that lightly clinked against the counter, he was already turning the corner and entering behind her. His pace neither slowed nor sped up.

S-k, s-k, s-k, s-k…shhhh…

Sakura yanked the rag hung up on the rack in front of her down, dutifully drying the moist glass cup and the now wet counter whilst humming a soft tune that even she didn't know. He stopped and was now only two feet behind her, close enough to just touch her…

Slowly, he picked up his right arm and let his arm reach towards her. He never showed emotion—or at least no one could see it since his long bangs were covering his pale face—and stayed rooted to his spot as his hand was only a foot away… a few inches…

The Haruno girl's eyes widened as she swung herself around, but no one was behind her.

Shhhh…

Her heart was thumping loudly in her rib cage like a loud and fast drum roll, and it shook her body so bad that she clutching at her chest in attempt to control herself from falling down clumsily. Her nerves were running along her skin like shivers, and alarm bells rang inside of her head. She finally noted that she had broken out into a cold sweat, the wetness seeping into her dress a little.

What just happened…? She could have sworn that something touched her! She might be paranoid, but something had lightly brushed against her hair, she knew! It had moved, and then she had heard a puff behind her, as if someone were breathing.

But no one was there…

She merely sighed and scolded herself again. Recollecting herself, she felt her heartbeat slow albeit the ends of her hairs still stood on end. Turning the lights off before strolling out of the room, she decided to scan her room for her nerves' sake then deemed it perfectly safe. She did, however, furrow her brows when she glanced across the room.

She didn't leave her window open… At least, not that she remembered.

Walking over the somewhat large distance, she slid the window shut and paused for a second, staring out the window. Konoha was sleeping peacefully, the cicadas chirping and all at rest under the bright moon. Peering over her balcony she could see that no one slunk in the roads beneath her. The trees far off in the distance swayed in the wind that passed by every so often and the animals slumbered quietly, the forest never abruptly waking from its nap. Midnight blue dominated the sky above as the white of the moon blurred in the center, its rays dimly lighting the Hokage Monument on her right.

Exhaling through her nose, she wondered what Sasuke was doing at that moment. Was he still in his curse mark form running rampant, or was he fine now and already sleeping at home like Kakashi had promised? Right now, it was hard to tell. It felt very wrong to sit back and wait when her crush was out there somewhere, possibly injured or injuring someone. But what could she do? Definitely not go out there alone to either face a crazed Uchiha or a very irritated and sleepy Sasuke.

Suddenly, she could hear her heart pound in her chest and feel herself beginning to tremble, every sense heightened and alert. She tried to swallow the dry lump in her throat but it was stuck no matter hard she attempted to coax it to. It was then that she realized that the chirping cicadas outside were silent, and all was quiet. Emerald eyes flickered to a spot in the window where she saw a slight reflection. There he was.

The exact moment her shoulders lifted up in surprise, he had pinned her to her bed in a familiar position. Glancing up, the only difference was that now he was regarding her coolly and his Sharingan wasn't activated.

Letting out a shaky breath, she said, "S-sasuke-kun…"

For several moments, all he did was stare at her with hard eyes. His jaw moved around, and then clenched before he replied, "You broke your promise…"

Sakura felt her breath hitch when he pressed his nose into the junction of her neck with a snarl. She tried to keep quiet in fear that her mother would barge in and then he would change his direction of offense. His face was twisted into a furious expression; she didn't even have to look down at him to know that. The proximity of his tense body and the squeezing of her biceps spoke all too well for him. As she wiggled a little and her white blankets shuffled under her, Sasuke growled in her ear, his warm breath fanning the side of her face and neck in the cool air of her room.

The beast didn't talk inside of him this time. It didn't need to since it was now merged with its host. Said Uchiha almost let out a full-blown smirk when he felt her shiver underneath her. He didn't want to hurt her, no, that was the last thing he wanted to do. But she had disobeyed him, betrayed him, so she needed to be punished to realize that she was his. He mentally apologized in advance to her before he spoke again.

"You broke it right after you swore it…" The pinkette was shaking a bit, only adjusting to his weird behavior a little since she had been stuck in this type of situation with him a few times already. Gulping silently, she felt her throat go dry even if it was only minutes after she had gotten a drink.

"You bit me…" She felt his lips press against her jaw line, then trail up dangerously to her ear. "You betrayed me." He nearly snarled into her ear, and she felt her intakes of air quicken when she felt him shift over her body a little, stiffening when she sensed him drag the front zipper of her dress open and brush the fabric off of her shoulders. Her fishnet shirt was open to his prying eyes, though they were more drawn to her throat.

"I'm sorry…" She whimpered and felt him halt his movement above her. "I'm sorry…" She almost burst out into a fit of tears out of sheer anticipation and fear.

It was silent except for her soft sobs as he gazed down at her with an unreadable emotion. He observed as her tears trailed down her cheeks, some dripping on the front of her dress whilst some ran down her neck.

He leaned in, "I am, too." Her eyes widened, and she trembled more violently than before as he came closer towards her. "But you need to be punished."

Placing his head back into her junction, he said, "You bite me… I bite you."

The next thing she knew, he had chomped down on her shoulder hard, the sound of the wound akin to someone sinking their teeth into a crisp apple.

Forgetting about her mother sleeping in the house, she let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

…

Even if her shouting was right next to his ear, he didn't let go. Her first scream was the loudest and longest, and after that she was mumbling pleas and cries softly while clutching to his neck and curling her fingers into his hair gently which made him grunt. His teeth stayed put in the flesh of her shoulder until he saw her, out of the corner of his eyes, calm down from the hurt a bit. Gradually, he loosened his jaw on her and sank his teeth out carefully. She winced, the feeling very uncomfortable as the bite mark throbbed and ached dully.

The curse mark activated Sasuke watched as the mark he left caused blood to slowly pool out of her in guilt, and, not wanting red to stain her bed or her dress, lapped at it carefully. He was no vampire, but he decided to nonetheless as the liquid left a metallic tang on his taste buds. She winced, the sensation at first stinging when it decreased into a light hum and the feel of his tongue on her was soothing. She wished she could fight him off with the strength and stamina that Naruto had so that she wouldn't be scared or injured, but she wasn't Naruto, and so she could only watch helplessly as he did his way with her. If she fought with him now, her punishment, as he called it, would be far worse.

The Uchiha boy perked up and scanned his work attentively. His mouth had been able to clamp down on almost all of her shoulder, so the mark was circling around her junction all the way to where her arm started poking out of her body. The area of skin surrounding the bruise—or should he call it a cut? Every part where his teeth had touched her skin, they were sunk in—was an angry red. He felt guilty for inflicting harm on her, but moreover he felt pride for giving her his claim over her, and she could even see this as a badge of courage from facing the punishment.

(A/N: Yeah… he's a little psychotic at the moment. XDDD.)

"It's over Sakura," He purred, joy pumping into his chest when the girl sighed in relief and he curled into her warmth. "Remember, you are mine."

He nearly fell asleep laying his head on her chest, when he heard her small plea. "Please," she whimpered.

"Sakura?" He inquired, tilting his head to the side. Didn't she hear him? Maybe she was a bit too disorientated from the pain? He looked so innocent now, but he was anything but from the action he had done just moments ago. He blinked when he felt his face being lifted up by her hands.

"Please, change back," She cried, tears pooling out of her eyes. "Please! I miss you, Sasuke-kun!"

"But I'm right here…" He said quietly, unsure about what to do and hurting at the sight of her emotional pain. The being inside of him had bestowed the little knowledge it had about their goals which is why he was so confused, so un-Sasuke-like. Sasuke was still there, but the curse mark had intertwined with his common knowledge, just as it had in the Forest of Death. His mind clicked and he propped himself off the bed, grabbing her hands with his.

"Is that what you truly wish for?"

Swallowing, she recalled his words during the Chuunin exams. Without hesitation, she replied, "Yes, please!"

He twiddled with their fingers, and he weaved his tightly into hers as her sobs died down. Lying back down, he listened to her heartbeat and mumbled, "As you wish."

She observed with her blurry vision in slight fascination as the marks on his body receded back to its origin on his neck. When the process was nearly finished, his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped down on her chest, fast asleep.

The pinkette nearly cried out in happiness and relief.

Her Sasuke-kun was back.

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Yeah, sorry if it was a bit rushed, but I'm so tired right now and I wanna go to bedddd. Even my dad who's sleeping behind me keeps reminding me to go to bed. He's starting to annoy me LOL -_-

SOOOO, longer chapter, neh, neh? Better be happy:)

Wow, I made Sasuke really innocent when he's ignorant, yet really psychotic when he's possessive. LOL. This story literally writes itself, just like all the others. I'm sorry if Sakura seems a bit weak in this part, but I try my hardest to keep the characters how they would be in the anime, so yeah. I figured, since she loved him so much that she didn't want to hurt him yet she was very scared, she would act this way. Seriously, she wouldn't just lash out at him in the real series (in pre-Shippuden anyway. I have no idea how she'd react in Shippuden.) because she would be pwned and she... just doesn't do that. It's out of character.

Okay… As I said before, I have no idea when I'll update next. It's unpredictable. BUT! For me to update, I need at least 15 to 20 reviews. So, 59 + 15 or 20 = 74 to 79 reviews. I also have amazing math skills. XD.

Please review!

BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS! HAVE A GOOD ONE!

See ya next time~

~CiiCiinREX.

Date Ended: 12/22/10 (THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR!); 10:27 PM.