Chapter is a little short. Wanted to save some stuff for its own chapter.

Be Ready

Rising early again, Aster dressed quickly. Turning on the ball of her foot, she dashed towards her door. Her reflection caught her eye and she stopped. The green jumpsuit shoulders peaked out from under her black, sleeveless, turtleneck dress. The dress was folded and hitched up to her right hip, showing the shorts of the jump suit. Laces ran on the inside of her thighs and matching ones up her forearms on her wrist guards. Nervously, she adjusted the pine green wrist guards on her arms.

"You look like you belong here," she told her reflection. Setting a hand on the glass, her fingers splayed out. "But you don't, do you?" Frowning, she wished she could be a genin in her home village and display Kirigakure's symbol. Instead she would hopefully graduate the academy in Konoha. "There's nothing showing where you came from. You just blend in and look like all the rest." Clenching her fist, she pulled back to punch the mirror. Instead, she faltered.

An idea came to her then. Opening her door with a soft creak, she entered the hallway. Light spilled in from behind her. Holding her breath, she approached Idate's room. She hadn't dared go anywhere but her own room and the common areas. She wasn't sure if it was fear or habit. His door opened noiselessly when she pushed on it.

Inside, the light was muted and colors dull. The room was empty; he hadn't had much in the way of toys or shinobi gear. On the made-up bed, there lay a brown scarf. Aster picked it up gently. Idate had always worn it around his neck. She had never asked why or if it was special. Stretching it out, she was relieved to not see blood on it. Moving in a daze, she tied it around her waist. It hung comfortably and the ends extended down her right thigh.

A full length mirror sat across from the foot of the bed. She eyed her reflection. "You look better now." Balling up her fists, Aster turned to the side, showcasing the scarf. "Now, everyone will know who you are."

SItting the back of the classroom, Aster looked out the window and rested her chin in one hand. The family of birds was still there. The babies were now standing, hopping along the branch. Hesitantly, they jumped back and forth. A mellow breeze rustled the leaves. Finally one of the babies had the gall to jump. The bird didn't fly immediately, it seemed too shocked. Aster gasped, ready to jump up. But the bird found its wings and suddenly took to the sky.

"Today," Iruka's voice cut her daydreams short. "We have an exam."

The class groaned and Aster felt her stomach turn to stone and sink through the chair.

"Your exam," he began, pacing the front of the room, "is to successfully use henge no jutsu. You will perform a transformation into my likeness and hold it for ten seconds. This is pass or fail, no partial credit. Once the exam is complete, you may leave for the day."

Her heart climbed into her throat and Aster crossed her arms tightly over herself. Breathing deeply, she watched each student go as called. Of course, Ichigo's was flawless. Finally, it was her turn. Aster made her way down the flight of stairs in the aisle, eyes to the ground, avoiding stares and snickers. Iruka motioned for silence.

Holding the sign of the ram, Aster concentrated her chakra. There was a burst of smoke and Iruka stared at his double. It opened its eyes and met him with an emerald stare. And then almost instantly, the ninjutsu collapsed. Aster appeared in another gust of smoke and fell to one knee.

Looking shaken, Iruka's brown eyes were wide. "Aster…" he announced, clearing his throat. "The transformation was imperfect and not held the allotted amount of time." His disappointment was palpable and the children giggled. "You do not pass."

Head hung low, Aster exited the classroom. The door swung shut behind her and she made her way down the hall. Her heart was hurting, but her eyes were dry. Entering the yard in front, the other children were playing and practicing their budding skills. Sunlight hit her and she shielded her eyes until they adjusted.

"So!" Ichigo bounced up to her, two friends in tow. "Fail again?"

"None of your business…" Aster mumbled.

A boy pushed passed her, leaving the building. "Yeah, the loser failed. Like usual."

"Tch!" Aster glared at him.

Ichigo smiled. "And what's this?" Leaning in, she grasped the scarf. It unraveled easily and dropped from her waist into the girl's grip.

"No-" Aster cried out. And she saw their eyes light up with new ideas to torment her. But the scarf was too precious for their games. "I mean, it's nothing. I just liked it."

"So you stole it?"

"No!" Holding out one hand, she glared at the group. "Just give it back."

The three girls circled her. Ichigo balled up the scarf and grinned. "Want it back? Come and get it." She waited until Aster started to approach, then at the second, hurled it towards another girl. Jumping high, Aster still missed the grab and went tumbling down. The girls laughed.

"C'mon!" the other girl jeered. "It's right here!"

Aster dove again to grab it and missed as it was thrown to the next girl. Not one to give up, she rushed the last girl, who then threw the scarf back to Ichigo. But Aster had other plans. She tackled the girl and brought her to the ground. Twisting the girl's arm behind her back, Aster pressed her face into the dirt and restrained her.

"Give. It. Back." she grit her teeth.

Ichigo smirked. "No way." She threw it on the ground and began to stomp on it.

Aster screamed. "No! Stop that!" Tears sprang into her eyes. Ichigo laughed. "You've got to stop- please!"

Diving in, Aster grabbed the scarf from under her feet, almost knocking her down. Stumbling, Ichigo turned and kicked Aster in the side of the head with the flat top of her foot. Rolling with the blow, Aster jumped up. Pulling her left fist back, she punched Ichigo in the face, her pigtails flying. Rage coursing through her, Aster raised her right fist and made to follow up. Instead, a hand grabbed her elbow and jerked her back out of range.

"Girls!" Iruka grabbed Ichigo before she could return fire. "Girls!" The other two girls ran off. He glanced back, deciding he could track down the two runaways later. "Aster! Ichigo! What is going on?"

Glaring with all her might, Aster squeezed the scarf in her left hand. Blood was sticky on her chin and upper lip. "Go ahead Ichigo- what did you do?!"

A smirk flashed across her face and then she burst into tears. "I-I!" Ichigo sobbed. "S-she just hit me!"

Gasping in horror, Aster straightened up. "You stole Idate's scarf!" Instantly, she knew it was mistake to have let her tongue slip. Something dangerous flashed in Ichigo's eyes. "I mean, I don't even care, but you can't just take stuff that doesn't belong to you!"

Frowning deeply, Iruka released the girls. "Ichigo, I will be speaking to your parents about this."

"At least I still have parents," she muttered almost inaudibly. Tears welled up in Aster's eyes again.

"Go home, Ichigo," Iruka commanded. She sauntered off, dry eyed. "Now Aster… We need to talk about this."

Crying in earnest now, she shot back, "You're not my family- don't pretend to be!" Hastily, Aster tied the dirtied scarf back around her waist and tried to wipe the blood on her face away. "I won't let Ichigo destroy what little I have left. She says I don't fight back… Well, now I've proved her wrong."

Pulling a napkin from one his pockets, Iruka knelt down and wiped the smeared blood away. "Fighting isn't always the answer. A strong shinobi knows diplomacy."

"But," she pulled back. "Sometimes it doesn't hurt to knock a little sense into someone."

He sighed. "Don't make me knock some sense into you, little girl"

Sticking out her tongue, "I'm not little! I'm almost going to be a genin."

"Only if you work harder." Iruka held her gaze with a profound sadness. "I wish I could just pass you and let you live your dream, but you'd be killed quickly in battle if you don't master your lessons. This isn't a game."

"Hmph!" she growled. "Don't you think I know that?!" And again, she began to cry. Not able to withstand another moment of Iruka's pity, she ran off.

On the counter, another small bowl of rice sat, steaming. Aster scrubbed the scarf vigorously in the kitchen sink. The water ran brown, but the stains began to lift. Wringing it out, she brought it upstairs with her. She set the scarf hanging over the foot of her bed and changed into her night dress.

Gracelessly, she flopped into the bed. A crinkling sound came from under her pillow again. The moon was high and gave her plenty of light by which to read. Heart pounding, she unfolded the paper. Inside, only two words were scrawled.

"be ready"

Moving quickly, she changed back into her shinobi clothes and pulled on her shoes. Trying not to raise suspicion, she laid back down under the covers. She didn't know how Hikaru was sneaking the notes to her. She didn't know when Hikaru would come for her. She didn't know if the anbu could see inside and knew she wasn't really sleeping.

Chest tight, she lay awake. The wind rustled the trees around the house and she imagined she could hear footsteps. There wasn't a single cloud in the night sky and the stars were bright. Standing quiet and tall, the house held her in its palm.

The sound of breaking twigs and sigh of leaves reached her. Jumping up, she looked out of her window. The three anbu lay dead in the growth below, blood spatter over the blades of grass. Hikaru stood, unmarred. He held out a hand to her and she leapt from the window. Running forward, she put out her arms to embrace him. As she wrapped them around him, he burst into a flurry of leaves and smoke. Suddenly the ground opened beneath her feet and she was falling. Black enveloped her, velvety and thick. It covered her bare skin, face, nose, and mouth. Screaming with what little air she had, she clawed at the writhing darkness.

The sunlight hit her eyes and Aster sat up. The bed sheets were tousled and she was sweating in her clothes, the shoes tight on her feet. Breathing hard, she wiped sweat from her brow. The dream had felt too real and it was hard to shake. Swinging her feet off the bed, she stood.

Catching her reflection, she immediately noticed something missing. Aster looked to the foot of her bed. The scarf was gone. Instead, she spotted it folded neatly on her night stand. Handling it gently, she tied it around herself.

At the bottom of the stair, she peered into the kitchen. The rice she'd grown accustomed to was waiting for her. Letting a tension she didn't know she was carrying slide from her shoulders, she took the bowl and sat on the floor where the table had been. Slowly she ate, not tasting a single bite.

The day was her own. She didn't expect Hikaru to for her while the sun was high. Hoping it was her last day in Konoha, she decided to wander and take in the village. Aster didn't bother locking the door when she left.

The streets at the town center were bustling. Everyone seemed to have somewhere important to be and was perpetually running late. Aster jostled through the crowd, enjoying the anonymity. As she passed Ichiraku, she saw a familiar figure in a flak jacket with a high ponytail. Iruka hadn't noticed her yet.

Happy for an amicable face, she pushed her way towards him. She watched him turn, and a blonde boy came into her view. Iruka laughed and tousled his hair. Aster froze. She recognized the boy. Even she knew he was the kyuubi jinchuuriki.

"Everyone is someone's favorite, I guess," she mumbled to herself. Her life had been turbulent, but she was not cursed to carry a tailed beast. No one would have sympathy for mediocre suffering. "Iruka-sensei is occupied."

Tears filling the corners of her eyes, she ran off into the crowd, leaving the pair unaware. Once again, she was sharply aware she didn't belong. Her only tie was a young man who had gone rogue from Konoha. There was no reason to stay and endure the punishment of loneliness.

When she came to her senses, she was beside the river, her hands on the railing as it rushed below. The red railing was warm against her palms from the afternoon sun. The chirp of nearby birds reached her. Looking up, she saw a lone dove swoop over her head. Reaching up with one hand, she felt the breeze between her fingers. The dove circled and then landed on her wrist. Carefully, she brought her arm down. The bird stayed a moment, watching her carefully. None of the passerby seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary and no one interrupted them. Suddenly, it spread its wings and took flight again.

There was a soft tap behind her and Aster turned. The silver haired man had made himself known in broad daylight. Startled, she backed into the railing. His mask still covered his face and his body language gave nothing away.

"W-what do you want?" she stuttered.

He stepped forward and took her hand. "You wouldn't be sending messages, would you?"

"What"? Aster asked, confused.

The anbu man sighed. "No, you wouldn't. Because sending messages would make you traitor to Konoha."

Does he know about the notes? Her mind raced. She was sure if they found out, there would be dire consequences.

There was a squawk behind them and a female anbu appeared. In her hand, she held the dead dove. Aster gasped, horrified. Carefully, she inspected the little body.

"What have you done?" Aster cried. "You killed it!"

The woman didn't respond. She turned the dove over and looked through its feathers. "Well, nothing here."

Internally, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. "Then we have no business here now."

The woman nodded and dropped the dove. With a small sound of agreement, both of them disappeared. Aster rushed over the bird. Channeling healing chakra to her hands, she cupped the lifeless animal. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Opening sobbing now, she paid no heed to passerby who looked distressed and hurried past.

Angry, she turned back towards the trees. "You're a monster! You didn't need to kill it…"

Climbing to her feet again, she took the bird with her. Cradling it in her palms, she walked through the village. Being so small, she was largely ignored. The sun began to set by the time she reached her porch. She walked to the back of the empty house and dug a small hole. Gingerly, she placed the dead dove into the hole and scooped dirt over it. Fresh tears stung her eyes.

That night, she didn't change into her night clothes. Instead, she crawled into bed, fully dressed and with dirty shoes. She wasn't sure how long she had laid awake, but she must have slept because a creak awoke her.

Bolting up, she fixed her gaze on the closet. The door was ajar and it was too dark to see inside. Frozen, she waited. Aster stared hard, holding her breath. The bright moonlight made sharp contrast with the darkness and it was difficult to see. Suddenly, the door inched open.

Aster crawled backwards on the bed. She tried to scream for the anbu she knew were nearby, but her voice had shriveled up. Slowly, the closet door swung open. A familiar face was revealed. Hikaru's silver, shoulder-length hair was tucked into the broad collar of a black cloak with red clouds. His blue eyes were wide and worry made them stormy.

"Sh," he motioned for her to come to him. "Quietly."

Heart still racing, Aster climbed down from the bed and stepped lightly. "Nii-san… Is it really you?"

Hikaru nodded. "It's time. Come with me."

"And Still You Chose Surrender" by A Bullet for Pretty Boy

PlEaSe R&R