Itachi and Sasuke sat to dinner with their parents. Itachi watched his father, waiting to see if he treated Sasuke any differently. The meal was silent, except for the clink of chopsticks on plates. Finally, Sasuke spoke hesitantly, "F-father..." Their father looked up. "Don't stutter. No son of mine stutters." Sasuke swallowed hard, nervous and a little hurt at his words. "I have mastered the jutsu you taught me.." he said, trying to sound confident. "It took you long enough." Their father replied harshly. Itachi glared at him. How could he treat his son like that when he only had days left with him? "Itachi mastered that jutsu much faster and much younger than you. Compared to him-" Itachi stood up, throwing his chair backwards and his father stopped talking. "Leave Sasuke alone. He's not me, and you can't compare us!" Itachi glowered at him defiantly. "Uchiha Itachi, you are my son, and I am tired of this disrespect!" his father boomed. His mother and Sasuke were sinking lower into their chairs, but it only infuriated Itachi more. "What about Sasuke? Is he not your son too?" Their father stood, taking a threatening step toward him. "You will respect me, even if I have to beat it into you." Itachi continued to stand his ground. "Like hell I will." His father grabbed the collar of his shirt roughly. "What did you say to me?!" he yelled. "Let go of me." Itachi's voice was quiet and his eyes glinted in a deadly way. "Answer me, boy!" he yelled at Itachi again. Itachi was through with words. He twisted his father's wrist to escape and held him to the dining room wall with a hand wrapped around his neck. "Don't yell at me." His father struggled to escape, but was unable to breathe. He panted, trying to get air into his dying lungs. Itachi could feel him suffocating under his hand, and he smiled. Time seemed to slow as his father began to die. "Stop!" his mother shrieked. "Itachi! Please let him go!" Her voice shattered the trance. Instantly, Itachi realized the magnitude of what he had done. He dropped his gasping father and stared dumbfounded at his mother and Sasuke. They all stood in silence, horrorified at what had just happened. "Nii-san..." Sasuke whispered. It sickened him to think about what Sasuke didn't know. He couldn't take this family anymore. "Sasuke-" he began, but his mother cut him off. "Itachi! That's enough!" she shot him a dirty look. Then it hit him. She knows! Mother knows what's going on too! "Nii-san? What?" Sasuke asked expectantly. "Sasuke-" Itachi tried again. "Uchiha Itachi! Don't you dare say a word!" his mother pulled Sasuke to her side. Itachi wanted to hurl. It was beyond him how she acted like that. He couldn't understand how she could be okay with selling her son. He glared at her. "Damn this house.." he muttered as he rushed out the front door. Vaguely, he heard Sasuke calling out to him as he ran, but he didn't turn back. He broke into a run as soon as the house was out of sight. It scared him to think how good it had felt to choke his father. I'm just like them... He thought as his stomach turned. A cold blooded killer, that was 'Uchiha', and now it seemed 'Uchiha Itachi'. Unsure what to do out on his own at a late hour and without a purpose, he went to the training grounds. It surprised him to find Aster there. She turned around immediately. "Hi.." she said breathlessly. She was thrashed and sweaty. "Training at this hour?" Itachi inquired, an eyebrow raised. It surprised him at how quickly he had become calm around her. "Yes.." she replied absently, continuing to beat on a cut tree trunk. He walked over to the wooden post and stood next to her. He sat watching the post rather than her for quite some time. After a while, Aster stopped and narrowed her eyes at him, confused. "Itachi.." she whispered. Suddenly he contorted his face in anger and slammed the post with his fist. The post splintered and almost broke in two. Aster stared, shocked. She looked from the post to him. He was panting and glaring at. "What happened?" she asked, both of them surprised at her calm even tone. Itachi straightened up and caught her eye. "Some family problems.." he told her calmly. She smiled and chuckled a little. "Wow, don't I know that one.. Don't worry though, it always turns out all right." He was a little caught off guard when she put a hand on his shoulder. Itachi gave her a sympathetic look. "That's not what most people in your shoes would say.." Aster shrugged. "At least I've got you and Sasuke... Right?" Itachi nodded, taken aback by her positivity. "Yeah." She smiled again, patting his back. "Best to get home and face the music! Putting it off always makes it worse. Trust me on that." He glanced at her again. It amazed him how lightly she talked about her past. "I'll see you around then." He said, waving slightly as he walked away. "Of course!" she called.
Aster hid in her room, avoiding Itachi at all costs for days. Meanwhile, Itachi did almost the exact opposite. He wandered around aimlessly, hoping to run into her. Everything seemed to be out in the open, there was no point in trying to pretend anymore. Finally, he began to give up. Tired of constantly waiting for her to come into the open, he decided to make himself scarce.
Aster took notice right away. As soon as she heard the front door click shut, she emerged into the hallway. She had stopped eating, except for sneaky trips to the kitchen in the dead of night. She could feel her body weakening, and despite not being hungry, she went to get food any way.
Itachi had gone outside, only to find the world as gray and cold as inside. There was a chilling breeze, but it was somehow very calming. Tiredly, he climbed onto the roof, and sat facing into the wind. Maybe it was up here where he could get away from his worries for a few minutes.
Aster sat down at the bare table, too depressed to get food for herself. Eating was necessary, but it seemed shallow to think about food now. The back door opened and she jumped. Aster was ready to make a break for it, then realized it was Kisame.
"Well, well." Kisame smirked at her.
Aster glared back. She had nothing left at this point, except for a small desire for her revenge. It was better than absolute nothingness.
"Come to have me kill you finally?" she asked.
"My, how your time with Uchiha-san has gone to your head. Do you think you're strong now, or something?" he laughed at her.
"It has nothing to do with Itachi. He is nothing to me." She almost choked on her lie.
Kisame grinned at her, amused at defiance. "You really believe you can kill me and live to tell about it? Didn't you need Uchiha-san to save you last time?"
The scar on her hip throbbed as she remembered their last fight. "I won't go down so easily. There is nothing here to distract me."
Readying herself, she whipped out a kunai. Kisame made to draw his sword, but instead brought it down to slice her in half. Aster dodged quickly and came at him, kunai raised.
Itachi sensed the fight beginning below. Trouble was brewing; Aster alone with Kisame was the obvious answer to his sudden unease. Without delay, he glided swiftly through shadows to the house under him.
Sweeping in the back door, Itachi grabbed her wrist and threw her into the nearest wall. He twisted her arm so that the butt of the kunai knife bit into spine. Aster struggled against him, realizing he had used the wall to pin her. "Let me go!"
Kisame sighed. "Did you really need to interfere? I had it under control."
"You call taking a stab wound in the chest 'under control'?" Itachi growled.
Aster became still. He was on Kisame's side the whole time? As she stopped fighting, Itachi's grip became looser.
"For a second there, I thought you had betrayed the Akatsuki for an idiot girl," Kisame said, shaking his head ruefully.
"Don't be an idiot.." Itachi replied. Aster took her chance and broke away from him.
Itachi pulled a kunai of his own, prepared to stop whatever she might try.
"I can't believe you.. this.." she muttered in disgust. "I just can't!" With that, she ran out the door. The Akatsuki watched her go.
"I guess we don't have to worry about her anymore.." Itachi said in a relieved way.
"No." Kisame grinned at him. "This is my favorite part. She knows too much. The Leader would want her killed. No worries, I'll be quick about it."
Panic spread through Itachi like poison, but he kept a serene exterior. "No, you'll attract too much attention, let me." Itachi never gave him a chance to argue, he gave chase to Aster immediately.
Kisame laughed under his breath. "The worst actor ever."
Aster ran and ran, fast as she could. I can't believe Itachi would do this! None of this adds up! I don't understand.. If I can just stop loving him... No, I must. Without him standing in my way, I can at least regain one of the precious people I lost. Without him, my promise to Sasuke is void. Following her instincts, she went toward what she believed to be Orochimaru's lair.
Sasuke walked through the dark stone halls. Today, he would be training above ground. On his way to Orochimaru's receiving room, he ran into Kabuto. Kabuto stopped, staring him down.
"I don't understand what Orochimaru sees in you, other than the sharingan. You're weak, pretty much worthless." Kabuto said analytically.
Sasuke stopped and looked at him, something he didn't normally do. "And who are you to say such things?" he challenged.
"Why else then, " Kabuto's eyes glinted. "Would your brother have left you alive? Why else would Aster have deserted you?"
Sasuke gaped at him for a second. "How did you know about her?"
Kabuto laughed, wallowing in his joy at knowing something Sasuke didn't. "Who doesn't know at this point? She's always with Itachi, never leaves his side."
Sasuke felt like he had punched in the stomach. Their betrayal hadn't hurt so much for a long time. "I don't see that any of it matters."
"You're right, it doesn't. Just enjoy your time with Orochimaru. If you don't die there, I'll kill you." Kabuto shrugged. "Why you ask? Because I will be his next vessel. I'll do anything to make sure you don't get that honor.."
Sasuke spat at his feet. "What kind of honor is that?" An aura of hatred hung around him as he stalked down the hallway, leaving Kabuto wonder at how Sasuke saw being a vessel.
Sasuke reached Orochimaru's chamber in record time. "Come with me. I have something special today." Orochimaru stepped out into the gloomy daylight, with Sasuke close behind.
They walked at a leisurely pace that annoyed Sasuke. Suddenly they stopped in a very small clearing.
"You expect me to train here?" Sasuke inquired with sarcasm.
"Just have patience Sasuke-kun.." Orochimaru leaned against the trunk of a gnarled tree.
They sat in an awkward silence for only a few moments before Aster came crashing through the trees. Aster and Sasuke gaped at each other.
Aster's heart raced and leapt into her throat. "Sasuke-chan, I was just searching for you!" she cried. Suddenly, she caught sight of Orochimaru. "Sasuke, hurry, come with me!" She extended a hand.
Sasuke only glared at her.
"Come on, we need to hurry! I'll take you away from this monster!" she was screaming, frantic at his lack of response. "Sasuke-chan!" she yelled. "Wake up!" she ran towards him, planning to shake him until he came to his senses.
She felt something take her off her feet and send her flying backwards. As she flew through the air, a throbbing sensation came into her cheek. She was expecting to hit the ground hard, but was surprised when she felt someone's arms wrap around her and catch her. Dazed, she looked up and realized Itachi had caught her.
She rubbed her cheek. "H-he hit me.." she whispered, not quite believing it.
Sasuke had put a good portion of his power in that punch, and was panting from the heat of his own anger. He looked up to see Itachi catch her. Itachi stared down on him, in the conscending way he remembered all too well.
"Finally come to fight me?" Sasuke snarled.
"No my foolish little brother.." Itachi said softly. He backed up, already beginning to fade into the shadows. "There is no time for foolish things like that."
Sasuke lunged forward. "What the hell do you mean?!" he cried out angrily. But by that time, Itachi was already gone. "You coward!" he called in vain to the forest's shadows.
Sasuke tried to run after him, but Orochimaru grabbed the back of his shirt lightly. "Now, now Sasuke.."
Sasuke whipped around, throwing him off. "You planned this... You bastard!"
Orochimaru smiled. "I didn't plan it, I only took an opportunity."
Sasuke gave Orochimaru his attention. "'Opportunity'?"
"Aster is weak," he began. "She depends on Itachi for her well being. Anything that threatens that... It attracts your brother's attention."
Sasuke glared, refusing to understand what Orochimaru was saying. "How does it matter..?"
"Sasuke-kun.. Don't you see?" Orochimaru smiled. "Aster is his weakness. She is the key to his demise. Isn't that what you want?"
Sasuke nodded slightly. His body was going rigid. There was more, he could tell. "What are you planning?"
"Don't think a thing about it. Just know, you're what attracts the bait." Orochimaru said in an annoying riddle-like way. "The bait will come to us, with the prey close behind.." Orochimaru strolled back toward the way they had come, motioning for Sasuke to follow.
Sasuke stood for a second. Aster had offered to take him away from Orochimaru. Why would she want him with them? Something didn't fit. But nothing had fit when Itachi had killed the clan. Why would it now? Ignoring his inkling of doubt, he trudged close behind Orochimaru into the dense undergrowth.
Aster was too dazed to fight at first, but soon began to come to her senses. She squirmed in Itachi's arms. "Let me go! I don't ever want to see you again!" she screamed at him.
"Idiot!" he growled. "Stop struggling with me."
"Let me go!" she yelled loudly. "What are you, some pervert carrying me off to rape me?!"
Itachi glared at her. He really didn't want to listen to her ravings at the moment. "Shut up.." he hissed, feeling along her neck for the pressure point.
She gasped before he was able to hit it. Instantly, she was limp in his arms. He carried her gently. Even though he was frustrated with her, he still seemed to have a problematic soft spot for her. Itachi sighed. The spot Sasuke where had hit her cheek was quickly turning to a bruise.
Not sure what else to do, he laid her out in her bed. He sat at the foot of it, waiting to see if she came around anytime soon. Her breathing was soft, and her whole torso rose and fell in a hypnotic rhythm. Watching her made him feel guilty over what he done all over again. He couldn't stand it. Frustrated, he slipped out of her room to wander the small, bare house that served as shelter.
Nothing fits. There are too many holes in this alibi. The lies are gruesome enough, but the truth they hide.. Is it possible that the truth is even more terrorifying?