Devilment stirs

He turned around in front of the mirror, watching his aged figure.
"I can't deal with it.
I won't deal with anything.
This body is fucked up, I really need a new one. THAT new one.
You can say it's ready, isn't it?
I can reincarnate, I assure you…" he laughed scornfully.
The other mumbled a minute and then answered: "HIS body is certainly ready. Would you try it now?"
"Today. This evening. No. NOW.
I don't need you, you know.
I have just to have a talk with him...or well, KABUTO!
Of course!" he paused, looking him and waiting for a reply.
Which obviously, for the replier, and incredibly, for the asker, was:
"What?"
"…Create a corpse of Itachi.
That brat doesn't know you're able to do it, right? Right.
Go and fetch me it as soon as it's ready.
I'm going to prepare him…OH KABUTO!" he ended, in an acute voice.
The other sighed: "Yes…"
"Yes what?"
"Yes, Orochimaru-Sama?"
"He must at least MOVE in some way.
I don't ask you to clone him, it's just necessary that he walks and talks.
Ok, you" he said, seeing Kabuto's distraught face "YOU bring me the corpse. I'll do the rest."
"Yes, Orochimaru-Sama."
Then he paced slowly out the room, trying to act normally.
He began to sigh and swear as he turned the corner.
Orochimaru went on looking himself, straight in the eyes, in the mirror – murmuring:
"No, I don't see it – I can't picture it.
Shouldn't I change my uniform?
It wouldn't fit on his body…moreover, a tight uniform would be wonderful…
Kabu- oh, right, he always palls me when it comes to sewing. He hates it.
I'll think of it later…Then…"
Back in the mirror, shattered vanity died.
He looked himself, thoughtful, as he plotted the fairytale he had to tell to Sasuke.
"Think, then…here comes, it's simple.
I tell him that Itachi's coming and Kabuto's doll comes.
So, Sissy will think it's easy to kill him – with a 'technique' I'll teach him now.
A technique, see – that Itachi can't counter with his Doujutsu.
I'll tell him that Itachi isn't skilled at all in –in –in…in what isn't he skilled?
OR WELL, yes…KABUTO!"
He ran out going to Kabuto's personal lab.
The 'doll' was nearly ready.
Orochimaru told Kabuto to wound it.
He had thought of this: Sasuke would see Itachi, lethally wounded, coming to him – Itachi would say "I want to kill you before I die – I don't want to leave stones unturned".
He, Orochimaru, would leave Sissy and Itachi alone, pretending to believe that Sissy would be able to kill him on his own.
Sissy would easily kill this puppet-corpse (which wasn't the same as Sasori's corpse-puppets…) and be contented.
Then he would not have a single reason to refuse reincarnation – Orochimaru thought that, at worst, he might have to keep Sasuke's conscience alive in his personal dimension.
"Lucky of me, his conscience isn't big at all." He laughed.
Kabuto wasn't glad of his request: he had just finished creating a perfect, complete puppet – and now he had to taint it.
Of course he did perfectly what Orochimaru had asked – if he's the boss, requests are orders.

Sasuke believed Orochimaru's words:
"You're now clever enough to counter your brother.
You don't need as much power as he, my dear.
You've got intelligence" Kabuto bit his lips to repress a laughter "you should know.
Now, I mean – there is only a technique I can teach you, by now.
See it – this is made to counter aaaany doujutsu – apart yours, of course.
There, there."
The technique was a phony drama, of course.
It was actually a process that would activate parts of Sasuke's brain – with no consequence at all, but he would believe to have impaired Itachi's mind.
That was what mattered.
Orochimaru called this technique "a curse", knowing well that Sasuke would have preferred to send his brother straight in hell.
"The curse will be even clearer to him – or well, to the sanity side of his mind.
He will understand that you've banished Mangenkyou out of it."
Sasuke laughed.
"Thought you had told me.
Snakes will always retain their lavish tracts of paradise.
Yes, snakes lose skin but not sin…"
Orochimaru laughed coldly (a laugh that evidently meant 'I don't want to laugh'; but Sasuke didn't notice) and said:
"Skin is the limit for you, my dear.
You understand what I mean?"
He looked him saying this.
Sasuke shivered.
There was a strange blink in his eyes – okay, Orochimaru had always looked at him as dead meat – but now, there was a strange, new blink – a VIOLENT blink.
A dangerous blink.
Sasuke tried to understand, watching Orochimaru's face.
"Well, so, now we have only to wait until Itachi comes here" said he, gulping and becoming paler than normally.
Orochimaru sneered licking his lips. "Yes…"
He then paused, still watching Sasuke. "What's your age again?"
"Sixteen…"
"Shame. You should live some years more..."
"… And why not?" said Sasuke gasping.
"Well, now, now, there, my dear. You've been here all of this time for a reason, isn't it?
You know. Now..."
He patted and grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. The other instinctively twitched it back, then watched him murmuring:
"Sorry…I..."
Orochimaru didn't comment and grabbed it again, clutching it and griping his cheek – hissing:
"You better know, dear.
As soon as you kill Itachi I'll take what's mine. Any problem?"
"No…of course…" said Sasuke gulping again. "No-now I better go take a nap, yes?"
"…nap?
Don't you want to train? You always want to train.
There, then: we must reach our compromises. Do you want me to keep your conscience still – huh – awake?
As for your life, you must know – of course you'll die.
Say, say, there, there…I didn't think of this.
Wouldn't you like a body – huh – another body?
I mean, it will not be good as yours.
Now, I was thinking…after you kill Itachi, you won't need ninja abilities anymore, isn't it?
I still will need you.
If you want – and if you know what I mean." He finished raising his brows and smiling.
Sasuke shivered again.
There was something strange.
Orochimaru went on, quiet enough:
"See, I could give you a white-cell body – it's quite a pain in the ass to do but if it's useful to ME I would..what do you think?"
Sasuke said "I don't care what.
C'mon, it will always mean living, isn't it? Of course I want to continue existing."
"As soon as you accept it, you will also like it."
Sasuke thought 'So: no=no?'
He was stupid, we know – but plain logic is the basic human ability.
OR WELL: recognition of plain logic – which exists, as it has always done.
He gasped and stepped back.

Orochimaru knitted brows, sighing:
"My, my…you're always so – OH LOOK WHO'S COMING!"
He couldn't help laughing – and pulling and pushing Sasuke, to turn around, face and go toward – ITACHI.
Sasuke growled and screamed, running to him.
The puppet feigned a reaction, watching Sasuke straight in the eyes.
Sasuke fired back his 'Doujutsu' – feeling his own brain exploding – he yelled by pain, resisted and continued to attack.
Itachi was still looking him, dumbly.
Sasuke kicked his face, shouting insults – and unsheathed the sword.
The puppet tried to step back – okay it hadn't got a brain but this is plain instinct – and Sasuke followed.
He stabbed it, repetitively – then left it on the ground motionless.
He walked 'til Orochimaru and sat down, panting.
The other – who had laughed all the time seeing their 'fight' – was now completely silent.
He watched Sasuke for minutes, without any expression – only those blinks in eyes, now and then.
Sasuke raised his head to watch him and winced.
Orochimaru's face changed – getting angrily serious.
He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, blocking him.
"See, clear, yes.
Kabuto, would you please bring that thing in your – no, in MY laboratory, NOW?
I'll work on it later."
And so Kabuto did.
Sasuke tried to stand up, justifying himself with a:
"I'm really hungry. I have to eat. Isn't it time?"
He tried even to fake a smile, but he wasn't as good as Orochimaru in pretending.
Orochimaru pushed him down to sit again.
Sasuke freed himself suddenly, jumping up and trying to put some distance between the two of them.
"What the fuck do you think, you? I'm not here to play your-"
Orochimaru had disappeared.
And even Sasuke understood what this meant.

Kabuto overheard Sasuke screaming, while he sat beside his puppet, in the laboratory, trying to recuperate the possible to use it again.
When he realized WHAT was happening in the next room he walked to the door and locked it.
Then he sat down quietly working on his things.
He didn't dare to put the nose out of his nest until Orochimaru himself went to call him.
He punched the door, overbearingly screaming:
"KABUTO!
Come out, I've got another corpse for you!"
Kabuto tiptoed to the door and opened it.
Orochimaru had just come out the shower – he was half dressed and had a contented smile on his face.
Kabuto, for a moment, feared about his intentions.
Then he sighed, relieved, when the other left him with the puppet and went to sleep.
'Luckily I'm not that beautiful at all' thought Kabuto.
He put Sasuke's corpse on another table, next to Itachi's puppet, and wondered – what had Orochimaru done to his conscience? Was it still alive?
Might it be that – after having raped him so abruptly – Orochimaru still hoped to convert him?
There was a chance – was Sasuke so docile to let Orochimaru convince him to willingly accept a sexual relationship?
Maybe he was docile enough.
But he was too frail, psychologically – he wasn't able at all to recover from traumas.
He had been abused – moreover, by Orochimaru.
Weighting his pain and his strive to live – actually which commotion had to be counterbalanced?
Kabuto went to sleep himself.
He left Sasuke there, beside that false Itachi.
There was nothing strange in it.