IOU

The table was missing from the room, replaced by blood stains. Otherwise, the house was untouched by the investigation. Aster stepped lightly, listening and trying not to let the floorboards creak. On the kitchen counter was a steaming bowl. Cautiously, she approached. Cupping it in small hands, she peered into it to see white rice and a poached egg. Frowning, Aster shuffled in the drawers for a pair of chopsticks.

Silence was pointless. The anbu watching her infinitely more skilled and stealthy. Undoubtedly, they were watching. She wondered which one was leaving her food. The village had provided her food credits, but little else. Her family had left no money. It was a warm gesture from someone she had assumed so cold to leave her hot breakfasts and dinners. Musing as she ate standing at the counter, she decided it must have been the silver haired man who spoke at the hospital.

Mouth full, she wondered if maybe she was being poisoned. If that was the case, they would never find Hikaru. Both Aster and Konoha were certain Hikaru was coming back for her. Deciding it would be a waste of time a resources to kill her in such a manner, she ate with new vigor. If they wanted her gone, they could just make it look like an accident. There was no need for the theatrics of a slow poisoning.

"Thank you!" she called out to the empty room. She didn't know where the anbu were camped, but it was probably close enough to hear her. "You're a very nice man- despite everything!"

It was a warm, summery day with a light breeze. Walking into the school yard, Aster cradled her notebooks to her chest. She had never been able to afford a backpack, but that didn't bother her. She almost smiled, breathing in the fresh air with a full belly. However, any joy fell from her face as a murmur arose from the children around her.

Sauntering towards her, ichigo and her little band approached Aster. "Well… You had the nerve to show your face, huh?" She crossed her arms.

Blushing, Aster looked down. "Look, just leave me alone, okay?" Quietly she added, "You don't need to make my life any worse."

Ichigo laughed. "Yeah, well I don't think I could if I tried." Half turning away, she continued, "It's just too easy with you. There's no fight in you at all." With that last remark, the troop of girls wandered off.

Aster waited on the edge of the grounds, sitting in the shady grass. No one seemed brave enough to confront her. It was as though she had a terrible contagion. Children with happy families stayed away, trying to protect what was precious to them. Finally, the bell rang, and academy students flooded in.

Aster arrived in the classroom last, close behind the student in front of her. Iruka was already lecturing about something. She grabbed a seat in front, trying to avoid walking through the thong of children. It didn't matter that she could feel their eyes on her back. At least she wouldn't have to meet those stares.

Her mind was elsewhere and it surprised her when Iruka fell silent and began setting tests down. Starting, she squeezed the pen in her hand. Even more disconcerting was when he skipped over her while handing out tests. Once silence had fallen and everyone was working diligently, Iruka pulled Aster into the hall.

The was a subdued click as the door shut behind them. Trembling, Aster wondered if this was the end of her time as a ninja. It would be over before it even began. Biting her lip, she waited for him to kick her out of the academy.

"Aster," Iruka's voice was soft. "I know things have been out of control for you lately. Would you like more time to study before taking this written exam?"

Shocked, she didn't reply at first. Clenching her fists, she watched her feet. "Iruka-sensei… The life of a shinobi is hard. When someone dies on the battlefield, you don't get extra time to think about how to repay them."

"I understand," Iruka nodded, looking disappointed. "If that's truly how you see it and truly what you want, then I won't stop you."

She bowed. "Thank you sensei."

Class let out a few minutes late that day and Aster hung back, letting the crowd of kids push past her desk. The room emptied quickly and suddenly it was only her and Iruka left. Rising slowly, he didn't seem to notice her until she stopped at his table. Looking up quickly, he shuffled the stack of papers.

"Iruka-sensei…" she began timidly. "Please, can I have my results now?"

He sighed. "For you, this one time, I will say yes." He flipped the pages until her found hers. "Have a seat. I need just a moment."

The tick of clock seemed obnoxiously loud as she waited. She started to drum her fingers, but quickly stilled them, wondering if the noise had disturbed Iruka. The sun was beginning to set and orange light filled the room. Finally, he looked up again.

Motiong for her to come to him, he gave her a look of sympathy, the corners of his mouth downturned. "Look Aster…" He averted his eyes and then caught her trembling gaze again. "I can't give this exam a passing grade. I really wish I could."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Look, I'm willing to give a retake after studying, but…" He put a hand on her shoulder. "Have you considered ever doing anything besides becoming a shinobi?"

Her mouth fell open and she pulled back. "Never! I will not cheat and retake the test. And I will be a shinobi, no matter what!"

He nodded in understanding. "Then… In order to not flunk you out of the academy," he paused, "I need you to go to the after school training."

Her heart dropped. Without anyone waiting at home, there was no reason not to go. Shamed, she replied, "Yes, I will go starting tomorrow."

Iruka chuckled. "You realize currently, there is not active class, right?"

Surprised, Aster looked up again. "Then can we get someone to start it? Do you have time sensei?"

Smiling, "No… But you do. You'll teach the basics to underclassmen. They will be there of their own volition. You may learn a thing or two while showing them the stuff you know."

"But… I don't know much."

"These will be first year students," he continued. "And you can go home and hit the books after."

"Oh," she replied. "I see."

"We start next Monday. Be ready, Yuki-san."

The sun continued to sink, and Aster took the long way home, skirting the residential district. By the time she broke the treeline and was able to see her home, it was dark and stars were shining bright. Sorrow filled her as she made her way up the steps.

She went through her nightly routine numbly. She changed and brushed her teeth carefully. There had been another steaming bowl on the kitchen counter, but she hadn't the stomach to eat it. Breathing deeply, she crawled into the bed. Using both hands, she pulled the blankets to her chest and laid back. She was startled by a crinkling noise as she laid her head on the pillow. Sitting up, she reached under it.

Pulling back, there was crumpled note, neatly folded. Her breath caught in her throat and she snatched it. Hoping no one was watching, but sure they were, she opened it.

"Stay strong little sister. I'm going to come back for you."

Her eyes overflowed with pain she'd been choking on. A flurry of emotions twisted in her chest. Clenching her fist, the paper wrinkled and she squeezed her eyes shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks and a cold from the window crept into her bones.

"Niisan… If you can hear me," she whispered, "Please hurry. I need you."

Fingers burning where he had last handled the note he'd left, Hikaru let his eyes adjust to the shadows. Above him rose two giant hands with upturned fingers. On each one, a member of Akatsuki stood, save one empty spot. Grinding his teeth, he glanced at it and then back at the man standing before him. The man's orange hair was still visible, despite the gloom and the cloak swirled around his ankles.

"We are ready to accept you, Yuki Hikaru." Pein announced. "However there is one condition."

Hikaru's eyes went wide, but nothing else in his body language gave away his shock. "Yes?"

A towering man leapt down. The ground rattled as he landed. The man was taller and broader than any Hikaru had seen before. As he stepped forward, the dim light revealed a blue tinge to his skin. He smiled with sharp teeth.

"You're originally from Kirigakure?" Kisame asked.

Steeling himself and determined to show no fear, Hikaru answered, "Yes, many years ago. I was born there."

"Well, well, so was I. Call me KIsame."

Pein cut in, "This will be your partner. However, before you earn your cloak and ring, we have a task you."

Kisame's grin widened and Hikaru glared at him. "You have one task. You are to cut ties with your old life and devote yourself fully to Akatsuki. You've come this far, so if you decline or fail to complete this task, you will die." It was clear the shark man took a sick pleasure in what he was about to say. "You have one task. We need you to kill someone."

"Who?" Hikaru's mind raced. He wondered with kage they wanted or which jinchuuriki was on their hit list.

Kisame laughed quietly. "Kill Aster."

Trudging towards the academy, Aster hung her head. Her dreams of becoming a respected shinobi seemed to get only farther away. Wistfully, she pursed her lips. A gentle breeze tousled her hair. Coming to a halt, she wondered if it was worth it to even continue to try. Ichigo's words came back to her. There's no fight in you at all.

Her heart sank to her knees. A sudden hopelessness took her and she sat on a bench along the edge of the pathway. Carefully, she set her notebooks down next to her. Her mind wandered back to her empty home and the solitary plates of food left for her. She'd never realized how alone she felt until now.

The words scrawled across the note under her pillow returned to the forefront of her thoughts. Hikaru had become a great ninja, despite all odds against him. Even with Konoha hunting him, he was managing to evade their best trackers. Tears sprung into her eyes and she wiped them quickly. She'd spent a lifetime trying to follow his footsteps.

That was when Aster decided to prove Ichigo wrong. If a fight was what she and the rest of Konoha wanted, Aster would give it to them. She wouldn't stop until she was the last one left. Standing up, she claimed a new resolve to attend her classes. As far as she knew, Hikaru had never skipped class. If she wanted to make him proud, she would have to work much harder.

The sun flashed into her eyes as she stepped back onto the road. Looking up, she shielded her face with one hand. The sun was high above her and shining bright. Gasping, she felt sick. It was at least noon. She had somehow lost track of time. Class was in session and she was missing it. Panicking, she came to a full sprint, hurtling towards the academy.

She arrived in moments and flung herself through the front doors, rushing down the hall towards her classroom. Out of breath, Aster skidded to a halt as she came upon Iruka and a boy standing in the hallway. Both turned in unison and look of disappointment crossed Iruka's face. The boy immediately turned away again, ignoring her. His dark hair was long and tied at the base of his neck, bangs falling into his eyes.

Iruka sighed. "You can wait inside. I'll get to you in a minute," he said to Aster. Turning back to the boy, he continued, "You were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago-" Cutting himself short, he shooed Aster inside.

She looked back again at the newcomer. The boy wasn't much older than her, barely at the age to be eligible for the genin test. Abruptly, he caught her gaze. His stare was intense and she averted her eyes quickly, blushing with shame. Iruka ushered her into the classroom before returning to scolding the boy.

As she entered, thirty pairs of eyes locked onto her. Some shook their heads in disgust or contempt. Others giggled and still a few looked at her with pity. Desperately, she looked for the closest seat. Unfortunately, the only seats left were at the back of the class, away from the aisles. Clutching her belongings, she made the walk in the spotlight towards the top, back on the room.

A hush fell over the class as she sat; Iruka and the boy had entered. The thump of her notebooks on the desk was unnoticed and the window next to her let in a small, summer breeze. There was a collective gasp as the boy met the eyes of the class. Immediately, they began to whisper. Confused by the reaction, she glanced around.

"What's the deal?" Aster frowned and nudged the girl next to her with her elbow.

The girl wiped blue bangs from her eyes and looked aghast. "What's the deal?! Don't you know what's going on?"

"Um," she was slow to respond. "Well, no, not really."

"Che," the girl looked back to the front. "Our guest speaker is Uchiha Itachi."

"Oh." Aster sat back, trying to pretend she knew what that meant. "Yeah, okay."

The girl turned back to her, disgusted. "I forgot- you're not from here. That boy is the youngest to ever graduate the academy."

She glared back. "So? Big whoop. Good for him."

"Just shut up." The girl averted her gaze back to the center of attention. "He's pretty dreamy too."

"Hmph." Aster leaned her crossed arms over the table, sparing Itachi one last glance before stubbornly focusing on the window. "I think you've got bad taste. He just looks like trouble to me."

The girl didn't seem to hear or chose to ignore her. Aster sighed and watched the bird's nest in the tree branch that hung low and close to the glass. The family of birds flitted back and forth. The babies chirped, crying for their next meal. Mother and father took turns returning with worms.

Under her breath, she whispered, "I'd like to be a bird. I'd have no worries. And if I did worry, I could just fly away. Just fly away…"

Suddenly the bell rang. The noise was abrupt and jarring; Aster jumped. The class was swarming. Dedicated students were surrounding Itachi and less dedicated students were cramming themselves out the door. Aster managed to get through the thick of children and squeeze out the door. She couldn't place her finger on it, but the boy had struck her has pretentious. She decided she had no time for such things.

Standing beside Itachi, Iruka was jotting down questions from students and logging who had asked what. Itachi stood silent, watching the red swath of hair bob in the crowd before disappearing out the door. And then she was gone. He snapped back to the conversation, looking at eager young eyes. His gut twisted.

"Well, Itachi?" Iruka placed a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like to describe how you would handle that situation?"

Wrenching himself free, Itachi wove through the throng of students surrounding him and dashed out the door. He could hear Iruka calling after him, but he ignored it. At the end of the hall, he saw her braid sway as the double doors shut behind her. Breaking into a run, he chased the one person who wouldn't pay him mind. Taking to the rooftops, he began to scan the area for her.

In the back alleys, Aster clutched her books to her chest and sighed. The sunlight was casting long, shallow shadows. Finally, she slowed her pace. Watching her feet, she was unaware of the silhouettes closing in. Wooden fences rose high to either side of her. Trees whispered in the breeze above.

There was soft thud as one of them landed in her pathway. Slowly the boy stood. He had shinobi gear, but no forehead protector. Quickly she assessed him as one of her upper-classmen. Before she could react, another boy landed beside him and two more behind her.

"What do you want?" She asked, hoping they couldn't hear her fear. "Is this a dare someone gave you or something?"

The first boy cracked his knuckles. "No, this is a warning." The group closed in. "Go back where you belong, or else…"

"I am where I belong," Aster spit. She had a special bit of hatred for this village, but she would be steadfast if they tried to force her out. "Leave me alone, or else…" Dropping her books, she squared up with the first boy.

He laughed. Seeing her shot, Aster sucker punched him in the face. His nose cracked under her knuckles and his blood was warm. Before she could swing again, the two from behind grabbed her arms. They dragged her back and pinned her to the fence left of her. She bucked and kicked her legs high. The fourth boy approached, dodging her feet and thrust punched her stomach.

She tried to cry out, but was winded. Trying to wriggle free, she kicked again. The attacker caught under her knee and wrapped it. She tried to get him with her free knee, but his punch was faster. Again and again, he hit her in the face. Pain radiated through her and she couldn't tell where he was hitting her anymore. Her only solace was the wailing of the boy whose nose she had broken.

Finally, the boy pulled back. "Had enough, gaijin?"

She smirked, sticky blood dripping down her chin. "You really need three people against one drop out?"

Enraged, he raised his fist again, knuckles spattered crimson.

"Hey!" A voice rang out. Stepping from the shadows, another figure appeared. "What do you think you're doing?"

The very first boy climbed to his feet. "She's just getting what was coming to her! Stay out of this!"

"I doubt that," the shape returned. "Let her go."

"And who says we need to do what you say?" Asked the boy with bloody hands.

The person stepped into the light. "Uchiha Itachi is my name. I'm sure you know it."

"N-no way!" One of the boys holding Aster's arms stuttered. "Why would you care?"

"You're wasting time asking questions, when you should be running." Itachi took a deep breath, remaining calm. Faster than the eye could perceive, Itachi moved in and punched Aster's attacker. He tumbled backwards, falling over the boy with the broken nose. Frightened now, the group ran off.

"What did you interfere for?" Aster cried from the ground. On all her knees, she clutched her stomach and swept up her notebooks with the other arm.

"What?"

"Are you stupid?" She seethed. "Why did you interfere?"

"Why did I interfere?" He repeated, shocked. "Because… You were getting beaten in an unfair matchup."

She spit blood into the dirt. "You just made me look weak."

Itachi shook his head. "I saved you, you idiot."

"Screw you!" Aster stood on wobbly feet. "You've just caused me more trouble and you're too dumb to realize it!" Fresh tears sprang into her eyes. "Uchiha Itachi, eh? Well guess what, I don't give a crap about your stupid name! You're just some snobby kid! Stay away from me- for forever!"

Suddenly she turned and ran. Too stunned to move, Itachi watched her disappear into the streets. His mind couldn't quite process what had happened. Theoretically, he had known not everyone would appreciate everything he did. However, he had never expected to save someone and be berated for it. Young and still naive, he couldn't quite grasp her hatred for him.

"Snobby?" he wondered aloud. "I'm not egotistical or spoiled… What in the world…?"

"I O U" by You Me At Six

PlEaSe R&R