So, it's literally been 10 years since I updated. Literally. But I have every intention of seeing this through.

System Failure

The sound of angry shrieks echoed on the four walls. Their mother and father were screaming at one another, once again. However, tonight had a tangible tension. It was apparent they had been deeper in the bottle than usual. The sound of a plate crashing to the floor broke through the yelling. And after a moment, another dish was sent into a wall, fragmenting across the downstairs.

The room felt like it was closing in around Idate. It was a game of Russian roulette as to whether or not they would come upstairs. Most nights they won, and they had learned that the upstairs was as close to a safe space as they could get. But tonight, the whole house shook with rage. Idate crept into the hallway, barefoot so as to not disturb the worn floorboards. Slowly, he made his way down the hall.

There was a soft click behind him and his head spun. When he looked, it was only Aster. Her blue eyes were wide and her round face was pale. She was in her night dress, clutching the hem in tight, little fists. Idate scowled at her, ashamed of fear, but yet mirroring it.

"What do you think you're doing? You wouldn't seriously go down there.. right?" Aster whispered.

White hot rage flared up in him. "You aren't Hikaru, don't try to tell me what to do!" He barely lowered his voice and Aster shuddered, but their parents still seemed unaware.

Giving her another look of disgust, he turned away and continued creeping down the hall. One small, gently place foot in front of the other and he began to descend. Light from the kitchen spilled through the den and onto the staircase. Pressing his back to the wall, Idate tried to stay in shadow.

"What are you doing here?! You should be in bed, dammit!" their mother yelled.

Even drunk, her shinobi senses were sharp. She had spotted him immediately. Fear gripping his throat, he shrunk under her stare. "I-I, uh.." Idate stuttered. Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath and continued. "I got my report card.."

His father snatched the paper from the table and opened it quickly. The anger on face became more intense as he looked over it. "C's and D's?! You're a disgrace!" He stomped and Idate trembled. 'I don't know why we waste time by sending you to that damned ninja academy!"

It wasn't the first time those words had been uttered, and Idate knew it wouldn't be the last if things continued the way they were. Finally, something inside the frightened boy broke. "Maybe if you were better parents, I wouldn't fail so much!"

Their father's eyes widened, shocked that Idate would defy him. But the stupor was short lived. He raised his hand to hit Idate. Aster, who had been watching, began to move to stop him, but hesitated. The look of hatred for her on her brother's face only moments earlier made her stumble. Not since he had been born was she good enough for him. Shaking her head to clear it, she pressed forward.

As she moved down the stairs she heard the smack of their father's hand on Idate's face. She reached the bottom in time to see Idate fly into the wall with a sickening thud. Aster was running toward him as fast as her legs would carry her, but it was too late. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the force of impact met the wall and crushed him. Aster was close enough to let her fingers graze his shirt and catch the red spittle in her face. Shocked froze her for a moment, and then she crumbled to her knees.

"Idate! Idate!" she was screaming without realizing it. Grasping his shoulders, she shook him gently. "No! Stop it! Wake up, this isn't funny!"

It was seconds too late when Hikaru burst in the door. His stood, not believing his eyes at first. Aster's bloody face was tear streaked and she held Idate in her arms. Empty, green eyes stared out into space, seeing nothing. His worst fears were now a reality. As he turned, he saw that some point, his parents had smashed the small dining room table. His father was picking up one of the thin, splintered legs and advancing.

Swinging with a wide, sloppy arc, he aimed for the side of Hikaru's head. Only their mother seemed to have any immediate grasp of the severity of the situation. "Don't hold back, dammit!" His father stabbed this time, wielding the broken table leg like a sword. "It's over! Get rid of them and let's flee this terrible village!"

Caught off guard by the selfishness of his mother's words, Hikaru paused a moment, trying to understand. The splinters grazed Hikaru's shirt as he dodged almost too late. As the attack passed him, he grabbed his father's arm and twisted. The older man's arm snapped easily and the weapon dropped. Hikaru caught the weapon, and in one swift, cross-body blow, he caved in his father's head.

A fresh scream erupted from his sister, but Idate remained silent. Even without checking, he knew only three of them were still alive in the room. A sudden fury filled him. Blood lust made his mouth dry and years of pent up hate were like kindling for the fire of his rage. A feral look took over his face, eyes wide and lips curled back.

Hikaru stood firm. "You son of a bitches.. What the hell is wrong with you?!" he was yelling at their mother, whose eyes were darting around the room for an escape route.. "What did he ever do to you? He only tried to be a good son, and you repay his love for you by killing him! What happened to our family- to you?!"

He had been advancing on her, his voice booming through the small house. Now he had her back against the sink and he was within range. Not wasting another second, he began to beat her mercilessly with the bloodied table leg. She crumpled in one hit, but rage had taken him now. He couldn't stop.

Behind him, Aster was out of screams. Somehow she found her feet and dashed through the open front door. Covered in blood, she ran wildly toward the town, desperately seeking refuge. Abruptly, the tree line from their secluded home broke and she was on the outskirts of the residential part of town. Lights flickered on has she dashed by, and she realized that she was screaming again. She wasn't sure where in Konoha she was when she finally collapsed. Tears puddled around her and mixed with drying blood. There was the sound of footsteps and the murmurs of a gathering crowd. Before help arrived, her world went black.

Sunlight broke through the hospital curtains. Aster had not been injured, but there had been no other place to put an orphan for the night. The blood had been cleaned from her face and arms, and at some point she had been dressed in a coarse hospital gown. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes. The sheets were cold around her and the bed was hard, her pillow thin. Pushing hair back from her eyes, she sat up.

Her mind was empty and she grasped at straws, trying to figure out where she was and why she wasn't in her own bed. The door to her left opened with a gentle click. Aster looked up to a see a blue hair nurse.

"H-hello," she mumbled, unsure what to make of the woman.

It was only as the nurse set the breakfast tray in front of her that she realized she had been carrying it in. Fear set in, and Aster's eyes began to well up.

"Oh honey," the woman cooed softly. "It's all going to be okay now. Cry if you need to."

Wild eyed, Aster looked up at her. "What… What do you mean? What's wrong?"

The nurse looked startled, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" Her voice was meek and timid.

The door opened again, this time more forcefully. Three anbu walked in, their genders ambiguous and only their animal masks to identify them. The nurse scuttled out, leaving the cooling food on a stand next to the bed. The one with the dog mask bearing red markings and silver hair stepped forward.

"Hello Yuki Aster." The voice belonged to a young man, she was sure. Chills crept up her spine. "We must speak of what has transpired."

She glanced between them frantically. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"We are anbu, here to protect you going forward." His tone was not unkind, but clearly he was only here on business. "Tell us what happened last night, in your home."

Struggling for a moment, she tried to recall. At first only blackness came to her. Anbu… Why would a special team need to protect me? I have Hikaru- And suddenly it all came flooding back. Her eyes, red-rimmed, finally over flowed. Using her wrists, she wiped away as many as she could, but they wouldn't stop.

"Idate…! Idate is dead." She mumbled, beginning to shake. "I-I saw him…"

"Yes," the anbu man interjected, trying to move her along. "Your mother, father, and youngest brother are all dead. We need you to tell us how this happened."

Now she cried in earnest. "My father hit him. He hit him so hard." Hiccupping with a sob, she asked, "What about Hikaru?"

"Did your father kill Idate?" The man deflected her question.

"Yes!" she cried, horrified. "And… Hikaru… My father attacked him."

"Did Hikaru kill your father?"

Aster nodded. "He… He killed them both. It was them or us. So he killed them both."

An air of disbelief filled the room. Aster couldn't see their faces, but felt the incredulity coming off them. She didn't know what make of it and averted her eyes. Silence hung in the air, heavy on all their shoulders.

"I don't know if you can understand this," the anbu man began, "but you're older brother's name has made its way around some dangerous circles. If you have contact with him, you should tell someone immediately."

"Dangerous circles?" Her curiosity and suspicion were both peaked.

The anbu nodded collectively. "There is an organization of very bad people who have taken an interest in Hikaru. We have reason to believe he either has or is going to reciprocate this interest."

Aster glared at them. "He would never. You don't know him."

"And do you?" The faceless man asked. "Did you think he was capable of what he did last night?"

She looked away again, silent.

Crumbling to his knees, Hikaru's palms hit the dusty dirt. The trees around him blocked out the sunlight and wild undergrowth had ripped his pants in several places. Once sticky blood on his clothes had dried and become crusty. He wasn't sure where he was anymore, just that Konoha was a nightmare behind him. Anbu were hot on his heels, he was sure. Climbing to his feet, he made to keep moving.

"You can rest a moment, boy." The slithery voice held him and panic rose, but he swallowed it. "I can assure you that Konoha will not apprehend you, at least, not yet."

A pale man with long dark hair and purple eye markings appeared to materialized from the shadows. His figure was hidden in a black cloak with red clouds. His smile was sinister and too wide. Gracefully, he extended one hand.

"You… You are…" Hikaru breathed, taking a stunned step back. He knew who he was facing and his mind couldn't quite comprehend.

"So, my reputation precedes me." His thin smile became somehow stretched further across his face. "Don't look so frightened. You and I are of the same ilk."

Hikaru scowled, but didn't argue. "What do you want from me? If you wanted to overpower me, you could have already done so."

"Clever," the man laughed. "I am not here to serve my own purposes, however. I am here on the behalf of a special organization. One that specializes in righting injustice."

Titling his chin, Hikaru's eyes widened. "I doubt that, Orochimaru."

Smiling so that his teeth showed, it almost looked like Orochimaru's face was cleaved in half. "What you did last night was to right an injustice. We take… similar, extreme actions to achieve important goals."

"Like what?"

"Well," he crossed his arms. "Ideally, a new world order to keep peace."

"Hmph." Hikaru spat. "World peace?"

Orochimaru extended his hand again. "Look boy, you don't have much choice. You can join us and help a greater good, or you can die here."

"Then kill me." Hikaru clenched his fists, preparing for a fight. "I don't believe a word you've said."

"Then think about this before you die…" He advanced. "Who will protect your precious little sister? Who will keep her safe when you're not around anymore?"

Hikaru's eyes widened in terror. "You're threatening her?"

"No, of course not." Orochimaru took another step forward. "But you and I both know how little Konoha cares for its weak and foreign. Akatsuki won't even have to lift a finger. That village will destroy her."

It didn't take long for Hikaru to think through the events that had led him here. Konoha had taken them in after the last great shinobi war, but they had provided nothing. Their lives had been hard and they were surrounded by distrust. He wondered how his fragile sister would hold up. Without another moment of hesitation, he took the hand extended.

Holding the wooden mask, Itachi frowned deeply. The anbu uniform was folded neatly beneath it and he gripped it tightly for a moment before shoving it under his bed. Sighing heavily, he laid back on the bed. Thoughts of his former jonin sensei were rattling in his brain. It didn't make sense to him, but he couldn't figure out what he was missing.

The door slid open and Itachi jumped up, startled from his thoughts. Shisui smiled and shut it behind him gently. Relieved, Itachi sat back down.

"Congratulations are in order, I suppose." Shisui seated himself on the bed as well. "Anbu is a big deal, especially at your age."

"Yes… I suppose so." Itachi avoided eye contact.

"Still upset, huh?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, I just… I don't understand."

Shisui frowned. "I don't think there's anything to understand about Hikaru sensei."

"Do you really believe that?"

"It's sad that he turned traitor," Shisui seemed exasperated with Itachi's obsession with the subject. "But some people are just rotten seeds."

"I don't know." Itachi finally looked up. "I thought I was a good judge of character. Hikaru sensei never seemed to be a 'rotten seed'."

Returning the boy's gaze, he was solemn. "Those are the hardest ones. Let this be a lesson. Trust as few as possible."

Itachi blinked and frowned. "I trust you though. Should I not?"

Chuckling, Shisui put a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust me. But you know that what anyone will say when asked, right?"

Watching from the trees, Kakashi frowned behind his mask. The little girl had been discharged and he had followed her, based on his orders, all day. She had wandered the village, dry-eyed and silent. She spoke to no one and no one spoke to her. She looked completely forlorn and against his better instinct, he wanted to embrace the child.

But that was not an option. Hikaru's involvement with Akatsuki was confirmed and now Aster had concrete ties to the dangerous organization. If Kakashi interfered, they might lose an opportunity to gain valuable information. He was certain Hikaru would come back for her; whether to care for her or kill her, he wasn't sure.

Night was falling. Aster looked exhausted, even from a distance. It was written in the hunch of her shoulders and the way her head hung. Slowly, she made her way out of the heart of town, through the residential district, into the surrounding treeline and then out again. She stopped in front of the house.

Holding his breath, Kakashi wondered if she would actually enter. It was no longer an active crime scene, and the blood had been cleaned, but the stains still marred the wood inside. Slowly, she ascended the porch steps. Gripping the caution tape in two hands, she ripped it. Frozen, she paused before entering.

He couldn't see her inside the home, but he could sense her chakra as she moved about. She spent only a few precious moments on the bottom floor before climbing the stairs.

When she reached her room, he was able to see in her window. He watched as she sobbed into her hands and crumbled into the sheets, stil in her day clothes. His heart broke for her and he did nothing. There was too much at stake.

"System Failure" by If I Were You

PlEaSe R&R