The Hawk and the Snake

                                    

                                          
Months had passed since Sasuke and Naruto had come face to face and the world had been oddly quiet since.

                          
After the death of their two members, the Akatsuki was had gone back into hiding and Konoha was finally able to relax for a few moments.
                          
But the sense of tranquillity was not shared with Orochimaru who grew more restless every day
                          
"Here take this." Kabuto handed his master a warm cup of tea. Orochimaru sat up in his bed and grabbed the tea. His previous coughing subsided slightly as the warm liquid coated his oesophagus.
                          
Kabuto grabbed the cup from him and set it back on his master's nightstand.
                          
"It's almost time, Kabuto." Orochimaru croaked out weakly.
                          
Kabuto nodded and poured another cup of tea. "It's already been three years since the last ritual. You've been in this body too long, it's rejecting you." 
                          
Orochimaru's coughing resumed much worse than before. He spat out blood into his hand.
                          
"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto exclaimed, worried for his teacher who glared at him in warning, daring him to take one more step towards him.
                          
"I am fine, Kabuto. If it weren't for the Third Hokage, I would have already been reborn inside Sasuke." He cursed his old teacher for making him wait three extra years to take control of the Sharingan.
                          
"I'll go prepare your medicine." Kabuto excused himself. He quietly closed the door as he exited the room and easily navigated through the darkness of the hideout towards the chemical laboratory.
                          
He stopped for a moment in front of Sasuke's bedroom. He couldn't hear anything coming from the room, not even the sound of breathing but Kabuto knew that past that door was a dangerous animal.
                          
Uchiha Sasuke had definitely grown since his arrival years back. He had grown strong, dangerously powerful and unpredictable even for someone like Kabuto who had a sharp mind. Nonetheless, time was running out for them and Kabuto could only hope that Sasuke would play his part when the time came for Orochimaru to possess his body. 
                          
Kabuto would also do his share of the work to insure that his master survives the transfer. And that started with medicine.
                          
Kabuto left quietly, his footsteps diminishing in the distance. Sasuke listened to their lingering sound until all was silent.
                          
So today is the day.
                          
Sasuke got up from his bed, Sharingan burning in the obscurity. His eyes were sharp in the dim lights of the hallways. He saw mice scampering away from his strident steps. It was as if they were running away from the permanent threat that surrounded his figure.   
                          
Today, Sasuke's aura felt even more dangerous. 
                          
His brother had been hunting his thoughts and he felt like the cold eyes of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan were observing him even now. He had also started to see flashes of violet in the darkest corners of his room. 
                          
It had put him on the edge. 
                          
There had been a small feeling deep inside of himself, a sense of betrayal growing inside of him. He had started to get angrier at his brother and the girl he had considered a friend once long ago.
                          
Sasuke knew he had wronged her many years ago but when he freed her, he had expected her to return to Konoha and join Naruto in his futile mission to bring him back to their home village. Never had he thought she would join his brother.
                          
He wondered what it was that Itachi had offered to get her to join the Akatsuki. 
                          
Or maybe she, herself, had sought him out?