Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Hollow ❯ Dark Hollow ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Note: This is my first Naruto fic, so any feedback is welcome. It takes place during the time when Sasuke is unconscious after being attacked by Itachi.

 

Disclaimer:I claim no ownership over Naruto.

 

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Dark Hollow

 

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Twenty-four hours. Itachi had sentenced him to spend twenty-four hours locked away in his pain; in the memory of the day his brother had brutally murdered his entire clan; in his feelings of insignificance and weakness that had resulted; in his fear of the look in Itachi's eyes when they had been inches apart; in his regret, jealousy, love, hatred, and everything in between.

 

Spiraling downward through darkness, Sasuke reached vainly upwards toward the quickly receding light. He tried to call out but found the rush of the fall drowning out any plea for help.

 

All around him the darkness became oppressive. With the last light - and hope - disappearing from view, the darkness pounced and swallowed Sasuke up within it. He was no longer falling; he was suspended within the dark with no sense of direction or self.

 

Slowly the blackness began to encircle the young ninja. He could feel the cold caress of the dark on his skin, causing him to shiver involuntarily. His heart rate and breathing began to quicken as claustrophobic feelings began to gnaw at his consciousness. He opened his mouth to scream but the darkness flowed into his mouth like water and into his very core. His awareness faded as the darkness slowly suffocated him.

 

Sasuke opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of his parents, who were bound and kneeling helplessly. His eyes widened. A dark shadow moved behind them and moonlight glinted off a drawn blade. Instantly, Sasuke was back in that night. The blade flashed and blood splattered. Sasuke watched helplessly has the moonlight revealed his brother standing over the bodies of their parents, the Sharingan glowing a cold red in the dark of the room, drinking in the blood of their clan.

 

Something deep inside of Sasuke told him it was only a dream; that it was a memory of times past.

 

But the pain was so fresh; so real.

 

His parents lay dead in front of him, their blood staining the floor. The stench of death permeated the room and bore down on him.

 

His brother stood behind them, guilty of their murder and watching on emotionlessly.

 

And Sasuke was terrified out of his mind.

 

No! the logical part of his brain exclaimed. This is only a memory. Wake up!

 

Sasuke's eyes connected with Itachi's and a new pattern began to emerge in the Sharingan.

 

Wake up! Don't get pulled into the trap of the Mangekyou Sharingan!

 

Sasuke's eyes flew open and he found himself upright in a stone room. He tried to move his arms but was met with resistance. He looked over to see his arms and legs chained to a wall. He jerked against his shackles but the effort was in vain.

 

“That won't help.”

 

Sasuke looked up to see a mirror image of himself walking towards him.

 

“What is this?” Sasuke demanded, thoughts reeling.

 

His twin stopped a few feet in front of him and cocked his head in a quizzical manner. “What do you mean?” he asked in Sasuke's own voice.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“I would have thought that would be obvious,” his twin laughed. Sasuke glared. “I'm you, of course.”

 

Me?

 

“Where are we?” Sasuke asked, deciding to take another approach as the former was getting him nowhere.

 

“In your mind.”

 

“Why am I chained?”

 

“It's your destiny,” his twin replied. “You are shackled down by your fate as an Avenger.”

 

“Then what are those?” Sasuke asked, indicting the keys hanging on his twin's belt.

 

His twin grasped the key ring and Sasuke was surprised at the number of keys on it. They were all different sizes, colors, and shapes. “These? These are different paths your life could take.”

 

Sasuke blinked.

 

His twin smiled. He selected a white key and held it up for Sasuke to see. “If you unlock yourself with this key, it will lead you to a life with Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi.”

 

Sasuke felt his features tighten at Naruto's name.

 

His twin noticed. “Jealousy.”

 

“What?”

 

“You are jealous that Itachi is after Naruto and not you. You are angry that he sees more value in Naruto than he sees in you, his own brother; the one he left alive.”

 

“That's not true!” Sasuke growled, jerking against his bondage. The shackles on his wrist chaffed painfully against his skin at the sudden change in equilibrium. He winced.

 

“You are also worried about Naruto,” his twin continued as if he hadn't heard Sasuke, “because he doesn't know what he's dealing with. And you care about him.”

 

“No,” Sasuke whispered, dropping his head as if defeated.

 

“What's that?” his twin asked.

 

“That's… not true,” he said weakly.

 

“You're afraid of facing your true feelings,” his twin said matter-of-factly. He stepped up next to Sasuke. “Because you know what it means if you become close to anyone,” he whispered into the captive boy's ear.

 

Sasuke's eyes widened.

 

“You're also capable of activating Mangekyou Sharingan. But there is a requirement for that. Your closest friend, you must… kill him. Like I have.”

 

“No,” he whispered as Itachi's words came back painfully.

 

“You desire power to avenge your clan. Itachi is more powerful than anyone - even you - realizes and you need power. The Mangekyou Sharingan is the epitome of power for you clan. Until you have those eyes, Itachi will be out of your league,” Sasuke's twin stated.

 

“And then, someday when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.”

 

Sasuke shook his head against the onslaught of memory and truth.

 

“You need those eyes to face him. But you would have to kill your best friend to get them.”

 

Sasuke's breathing had become heavy and he began to sweat. He didn't want to hear this. The truth - no, it was too painful to face.

 

“But Sasuke, denying the fact that Naruto is your best friend doesn't keep it from being true.” His twin straightened. “Being around Naruto is a constant reminder - taunting you - of the terrible deed required if you are to fulfill your destiny.

 

“And Sakura is a reminder of the thing an Avenger cannot afford.”

 

“Stop,” Sasuke gasped painfully. His heart felt as if it were contracting.

 

“Love.”

 

It felt as if someone held Sasuke's heart in their hand and was squeezing it. He looked up to find Itachi standing next to his twin.

 

“Do you wish to kill me, foolish little brother?” his brother's cold voice mocked.

 

“If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me, and live a loathsome life. Run away. Run away and cling to life. And then, some day when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.”

 

Sasuke hissed angrily.

 

Itachi leaned in so he was face to face with Sasuke. “If you do, you won't be needing this.”

 

Sasuke's eyes shot wide open and he screamed as Itachi thrust his hand into Sasuke's chest and pulled out his beating heart.

 

“An Avenger is heartless,” Itachi said tonelessly.

 

“And now so are you,” Sasuke's twin added.

 

“No…” Sasuke coughed, blood spilling from his mouth and chest. The last thing he saw before the approaching darkness took him was his twin reaching for another key.

 

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Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, a throbbing in his chest greeting him as he entered consciousness once more.

 

“Awake are we?”

 

Sasuke looked up to see his twin standing in front of him with a different key in hand. This one was black.

 

“What's that key?” Sasuke asked wearily.

 

“To unlock yourself with this key would lead you down the path of an Avenger.”

 

“I am already on that path,” Sasuke retorted.

 

His twin shook his head. “No. This key leads down the path of obtaining the Mangekyou Sharingan.”

 

Sasuke paled. His twin continued.

 

“This is the path of a true Avenger: one who is so consumed with the goal of his revenge that other people become means to an end. To kill Naruto - your best friend - would grant you the Mangekyou Sharingan. To kill Sakura - your one true chance at love - would strengthen them to match Itachi. To kill Kakashi - your mentor - would allow you to surpass Itachi and avenge your clan.”

 

“But then what?” Sasuke asked hoarsely.

 

His twin blinked. “What do you mean?”

 

“What is left if all those I care for are gone?” he asked in a pained voice, not even bothering to deny any of his twin's descriptions of his teammates.

 

“What does it matter?” his twin countered. “An Avenger only lives for the moment of vengeance. Nothing else matters.”

 

I don't want that, Sasuke realized. That's not how it's supposed to end!

 

“No?” his twin asked curiously.

 

Sasuke shook his head mutely.

 

“Do not follow your brother's path.”

 

“The path of blood,” Sasuke said quietly, making the connection to his father's words from so long before.

 

Red… the color of blood… the same color as the Sharingan…

 

“A fitting irony,” his twin commented. “The Sharingan is a source of power to be used by the wielder. Your brother used it to spill the blood of his clan.”

 

Sasuke was suddenly reminded of Itachi's Sharingan glowing red, reflecting the blood of their parents that night.

 

“You wish to use it to spill the blood of your brother in vengeance.”

 

“A fitting irony.”

 

His twin watched him for what seemed like an eternity before the chained boy spoke again.

 

“I will not use that key.”

 

The twin nodded silently and replaced it on the key ring. He fingered through the remaining keys and picked out an orange one. He held it out for Sasuke to see.

 

“This key leads to Orochimaru.”

 

Sasuke looked up, glancing at the key and blinking at its color. Orange… like Naruto. But why would a key leading to Orochimaru remind him of Naruto…?

 

“Because this path puts you opposite your best friend,” his twin replied.

 

Sasuke blinked.

 

“To join Orochimaru in the pursuit of power will cause you to become an enemy of Konoha and of Naruto.”

 

An… enemy?

 

“I don't want to hurt them,” Sasuke whispered. I don't want to kill them.

 

“And you believe going to Orochimaru would achieve this.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You wish to gain the power to defeat your brother and training under one of the legendary Sannin would grant you this,” his twin said, as if reading Sasuke's thoughts. “You would not need to gain the Mangekyou Sharingan if you were to learn Orochimaru's secrets. And so you wouldn't have to kill Naruto to gain strength. You wouldn't have to kill any of them to gain strength.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“This path will hurt your teammates more than even killing them would,” his twin whispered. “You may not harm them physically, but emotional pain can be worse than physical.”

 

Sasuke pursed his lips.

 

His twin replaced the key on the ring. “No matter which path you choose to gain power, those you care for will be hurt.”

 

“I…”

 

“But your desire for vengeance is too strong to ignore.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“A life with your teammates would be good. But hollow.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“To ignore your destiny - your shackles - would leave you with regrets.”

 

“My clan must be avenged.”

 

“No matter what?” his twin asked.

 

Sasuke remained silent, contemplating the question.

 

“I have no interest in you right now.”

 

“Why?” Sasuke whispered. “What does he have that I don't?”

 

“Foolish little brother…”

 

“No…”

 

“To measure my capacity… It was necessary.”

 

“No…”

 

“Your closest friend, you must… kill him. Like I have.”

 

“No!” Sasuke jerked violently against his shackles. Vainly he struggled against the bondage holding him down. “Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!”

 

He slumped weakly in his chains, his breathing ragged. He could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. “Damnit,” he whispered. “Why? Nii-san, why?”

 

“The one who will test my capacity… You have that potential. You thought of me s unpleasant and hated me. You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live. For my sake. You are also capable of activating the Mangekyou Sharingan. But there is a requirement for that. Your closest friend, you must… kill him. Like I have.”

 

“I… I don't know what to do anymore.”

 

“Which key will you choose?” his twin asked softly, kneeling in front of him.

 

Sasuke looked up and met his twin's eye and a link of understanding passed through his twin's eye. He reached down to his belt for a key.

 

Sasuke-kun! a voice called out.

 

Sakura?

 

Sasuke-kun, come back. Please.

 

Sakura…

 

Sasuke, you jerk… Please come back to us…

 

Naruto…

 

He looked back to see his twin unlocking one of his leg shackles.

 

“May your family watch over you, no matter where this path takes you.”

 

“Wha-?”

 

Before Sasuke could register what his twin - his heart - had said, darkness approached and the room disappeared from view.

 

What color was the key?

 

Bright light battled Sasuke's closed eyes until he couldn't take it any more. Slowly he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Sakura and Naruto standing by his bedside. An older blond woman stood behind her with her hands on her hips.

 

“Sasuke!” Naruto greeted with a huge grin on his face.

 

“Sasuke-kun,” Sakura said tearfully.

 

Sasuke slowly sat up, getting his bearings. His mind was foggy and his body felt detached.

 

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura cried, hugging him with all her might. But he barely felt her body pressed against his as she cried.

 

“Sasuke, you…” Naruto began, but Sasuke barely heard him.

 

I'm… back…

 

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The End