Part 1 of the short tale named Love in Shadows.

The one were Itachi and Ino become dark magic users.

Once upon a time…

The Kingdom of Konoha revelled in the glorious occasion of their esteemed prince's arrival with great jubilation. The royal couple, King Fugaku and Queen Mikoto, were filled with unbridled delight at the sight of their beloved prince Itachi, who personified every facet of aristocratic excellence. Truly remarkable was the young scion, a prodigious child whose preternatural talents in the art of crafting magical runes inspired awe and admiration in every noble and servant within the kingdom. His Royal Highness the Prince left no doubt as to his singular genius.

It was believed by many that their joy had reached its zenith, yet the arrival of another precious princeling in the Kingdom rekindled the flame of their exultation and proved this notion to be false. Prince Itachi had been imbued with the profound depths of fraternal love the day his younger brother, Sasuke, was born.

However, happiness doesn't always last…

Sasuke, unlike his exceptional elder brother, failed to exhibit any exceptionalism in his runic craft, and his abilities could only be regarded as mediocre at best. As a result, he was inevitably compared to Itachi, leading to a simmering resentment towards his older sibling that steadily grew over time. He regularly engaged in competitions with Itachi, testing their mettle in intricate runic crafting and duels, yet each time Sasuke emerged from these challenges defeated, unable to surpass the prowess of his older brother.

When Itachi was fourteen years of age and Sasuke was a mere nine, the burning animosity that had taken root within the youngest prince became too potent to ignore. Thus, he embarked on a quest to discover a means to overcome his older brother's dominance and thereby prove himself to be a truly deserving royal of the illustrious Kingdom of Konoha. But the discovery that was made by the young prince was truly nefarious in nature.

The art of runic crafting, a talent that sprang forth from the gift of light, had long been considered a cornerstone of the magical world in which they lived. However, in keeping with the balance of nature, the presence of magic from light was inevitably accompanied by its counterpart, magic from darkness.

The malevolent force of dark magic was known to taint everything it came into contact with, and as a result, any individual who displayed even a hint of mastery over such a power was swiftly exiled from the kingdom and banished to the dreaded Forest of Yami, where light never permeated, and the very air seemed to thicken with dread. At the heart of this foreboding place lay an abandoned castle, shrouded in horror and teeming with unspeakable terrors.

On a night that would come to be imbued with portentous significance, Sasuke issued yet another challenge to Itachi, proposing a duel that would put their runic crafting skills to the test. Ever the supportive and benevolent elder sibling, Itachi readily accepted the challenge, recognising that it was his duty to nurture Sasuke's tenacious ambition and help him develop into a prodigious prince capable of surpassing even his own runic craft abilities. In stark contrast to their prior encounters, Sasuke introduced a new element of intrigue into their latest duel by proposing a wager: the victor would be bestowed with a precious jewel in the form of a resplendent golden locket, adorned with sparkling rubies.

Despite the apparent value of the coveted prize, Itachi was never one to be swayed by material wealth, and he made his disinterest known to Sasuke in no uncertain terms. With a plaintive tone and heartfelt conviction, Sasuke beseeched his brother Itachi, "This is very special to me brother, if I was to lose then you must take it. Perhaps it would encourage me to improve even more". Thus, Itachi accepted his brother Sasuke's wager.

True to form, he emerged triumphant once again in their contest, and was duly bestowed the prize of the coveted golden locket.

While in the solitude of his quarters, Itachi decided to inspect the newly won golden locket. Upon opening it, a serene feeling of contentment washed over him upon beholding the image of himself on one side and his beloved brother Sasuke on the other. However, his bliss was fleeting as he soon felt an ominous and malevolent energy starting to envelop him. Itachi was soon seized with an excruciating torment as this maleficence began to invade his very being, fusing with his essence and soul.

Consumed by the darkness, Itachi had been ensnared by his younger brother's treacherous scheme, and now his once pure magic had been irrevocably tainted. It did not take long for this corruption to be uncovered, for dark magic was not an energy that could be easily concealed. Every aspect of Itachi bore evidence of his new-found powers, from the palpable aura that surrounded him, to the sinister darkness that seeped through his runes. But perhaps most telling of all were the crimson pools that now glistened in his eyes, a haunting and unmistakable symbol of the dark forces that had claimed him.

With profound sorrow, Itachi was banished from the Kingdom, and compelled to take shelter in the desolate castle, which stood at the heart of the ominous Forest of Yami. The once compassionate and generous older brother was no more, his heart rent by his brother's perfidy. He could only trust a select few, his cousins Shisui and Obito, who had fervently offered to join him, as they could not follow the new successor who had displayed treachery towards his own flesh and blood.

The king and queen ordained that the clandestine exchange between the two princes should never be uttered, as the kingdom was in dire need of an heir, and it was evident that Itachi's chances had been quashed. Consequently, Sasuke's transgression had been overlooked, but this merely served to stoke the already smouldering flames of his resentful demeanour, as he believed he could get away with any transgression.

What destiny awaits the kingdom with its future king at the helm?

Only time would tell…

(11 years later)

She couldn't believe this was happening to her. How?

'How did I get here?'

She was the Grand Duchess, Ino Yamanaka, betrothed to the heir and prince of Konoha, His Royal Highness, Sasuke Uchiha.

'In an instant, I had gone from being the future empress of the illustrious Kingdom of Konoha to being the object of everyone's attention in a grand ballroom where my prince was… dissolving our engagement in favour of… of THAT BITCH?! THAT WRETCHED COMMONER SAKURA HARUNO?! WHAAAT?!'

"You, you would leave me? A Duchess for that measly commoner?" she asked through her gritting teeth in an angered and disbelieving murmur. She had suspected that he was getting close to another. He had been ignoring her quite often as of late, but still… 'How dare he humiliate me like this!' She mused. "You will address my future bride with the respect she is entitled to!" Sasuke barked his order, and a sinister smirk appeared on that pink-haired bitch's face. 'This cruel bastard, he seeks to further humiliate me!' her thoughts were frantic. How could he subject her to this, this mockery! "Entitled to? She is nothing but a commoner, she is entitled to nothing! Where I am a duchess! She should address me with respect!" Ino asserted, she wanted to add that she was a commoner with a massive forehead that she could probably sketch the entirety of the Kingdom of Konoha on, but that would impede the point she was making.

The silence that followed her retort was broken by the prince's sinister laugh, "A Duchess indeed, but a Duchess no more! I hereby revoke your noble status and sentence you to exile on account of using dark magic!" The crowd gasped, and whispers echoed all around the ballroom. 'Dark magic? What is this bastard saying?' Ino was stupefied at first by his sudden declaration, but she quickly regained her composure. She was not going to give this arrogant jackass the chance to humiliate her any further. She knew for a fact that she did not use any dark magic! "That is preposterous!" she cried, but he interjected, "Oh? Did you think I am ending my engagement to you simply because I preferred another who was much kinder and better suited for the kingdom than you? My lords, the Duchess has been scheming to taint our kingdom with darkness, but luckily, I have unfoiled her schemes before any of us could suffer for it."

She was becoming royally pissed with this jackass now, fuck it, royalty or not she was going to give him a piece of her mind. "Is His Highness willing to stoop so low by subjecting himself to telling lies, all so he could marry the seductress with who he had been frolicking with over the past few months?" She emphatically proclaimed.

Sasuke couldn't believe the language she was using, but she had played willingly into his hand, "You insolent girl! You mock my dear Sakura's manners and rendering her a mere commoner when you fail to address your prince appropriately? I should have you lashed, but I am not so merciless or easily slighted to harm the woman I once loved so dearly. However, I cannot pardon the use of darkness in my kingdom!" he continued with the charade.

'This conniving, manipulative, and arrogant scumbag!' Ino was not going to give in, no not yet! She will not allow him to get what he wants so easily. "You are certainly a fool, Your Royal Highness. All I need to do is craft a simple rune and the kingdom will know that their prince is a wicked liar!" She had looked triumphant now, knowing that this was surely to embarrass him, but she had no sympathy for him for he brought this upon himself! Ino weaved her fingers ready to scribe runes with her magic. The light had shone out of the freshly inscribed runes to create simple flowers, and the crowd gasped again filling the ballroom with echoing whispers about the lying prince.

'Hmph! Take that you bastard!' Ino mused victoriously, however, the smirk had never left the prince's face and his countenance remained gleefully sinister. Her eyebrows pinched in confusion by his expression, but she had soon understood why when her flowers had blackened then wilted into ashes. The runes she had inscribed darkened into a murkier hue of indigo and spruce. "Look! Her flowers! The prince was truthful indeed! She is a dark magic user!" someone in the crowd yelled out, and alarmed whines and frightened chants resounded all around.

"You see…" the prince marched towards her and whispered in her ears, "I warned you not to come between us. I win."

Everything that followed from then on was a blur. "Your Highness! Get away from her before she succeeds in tainting you!" the captain of the guards rushed to evacuate the prince and before she knew it, dark magic suppressant clasps were placed upon her wrists. She had been transported to the edge of the Forest of Yami, her place of exile. Ino had tried to tell the guards who escorted her there the truth, but this only garnered her with a silencing wound to the head. 'Barbarians! All of them!'

Ino was tossed into the forest, and the guard who held the keys had thrown them somewhere within her vicinity to scavenge for, sneering a mischievous chuckle as he walked away and out of sight. "SERIOUSLY!" 'Ugh, those bastards!' she fumed, but one glance of her surroundings caused her fury to disappear and become replaced by fear towards the unknown. 'EEK! I'M GOING TO GET EATEN FOR SURE!' she wailed in her mind in fear of her actual screams inviting something… unwanted.

The Forest of Yami was notorious for harbouring an abundance of malevolent and nefarious entities that lurked within its darkened woods. It was believed that the forest was cursed, and its very essence was steeped in darkness, which made it a breeding ground for creatures that embodied the very essence of evil. Legends spoke of monstrous beasts that stalked the shadows, feeding on the flesh of any who had dared to walk upon its grounds. The trees themselves were said to be cursed as well, twisting and contorting into grotesque shapes, carrying the will of the wickedness that permeated the forest. The tales of terror she had heard go on to further suggest that the leaves rustled with the whispers of lost souls and the forest floor was strewn with the bones of those who dared to venture too deep into its murky depths.

"P-please Mr. tree… you're a-a v-very nice tree. Don't kill me! I'm too pretty to die!" her trembling plea morphed into a fearful scream, and Ino quickly clasped her lips as she recalled her best chance of survival was to remain silent and stealthy. "Okay, you can do this Ino. You are not a quitter! Besides you have to live on so you can kick that asshat's butt! And murder his blushing whore of a bride to be!" with those words of… um encouragement, Ino ventured forward into the dark and murky forest, to meet the fate that awaited her.

Author's Note:

Part II will be posted next.

If you have a story idea you would like to read, I take prompts. You can leave them in the comments, but just be sure to mention:

- AU

-a brief premise

- characters you would like to see in addition to ItaIno who will be the main characters always.