This one went just a tad long. I typed it up on vacation. Canada is beautiful.

Awakening

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and Aster clenched her fists. The ground was swimming under her feet and the world becoming blurry. Emptiness swallowed her from the inside out and numbness crept from her toes and fingertips. The sunlight in the window felt cold on her shoulders.

Setting down the papers in his hand, Iruka knelt before her. "I know this isn't what you want… But it's what's best for you."

Biting her lip, she squeezed her eyes shut. Stifled sobs filled the empty classroom. "Iruka-sensei…!" Her thin frame quivered. "You must have it wrong!"

Age filled his youthful face. "No, I don't." He was firm and kind. "I won't tell anyone yet, okay? You can stay until the semester ends."

Throwing herself to the floor, she bowed deeply over her folded legs. "Sensei! Please!"

"Aster…" he spoke softly. "It's over. Find an apprenticeship and be happy."

Her body shook with every cry she choked on. "Sensei, please - I'll do whatever it takes!"

"I can't…" He stood, unable to take the sight of her pain anymore. "You failed all exams and tests consistently. I know it hurts, but I can't let you pass. I would be just as responsible for your death as the enemy nin who would finish you."

"No, sensei! Please!" She crawled to her knees and clasped her hands, begging. "Please, sensei!"

"I can't."

Itachi stood behind Shisui, watching the rushing river. The moon was high and backlit him, treeline behind them. The crash of the water over the stones blocked out the chirp of the cicadas. Wet clay mixed with sand found its way into Itachi's sandals. Shisui stood in silence, hands hanging at his sides.

His cousin's voice was low and he almost didn't hear him. "Itachi… You're ready."

Scowling, he stepped forward. "Ready for what?"

Spinning around, Shisui sliced at Itachi with a kunai. Reflexively, Itachi caught his arm and slipped into his stance. "You're ready for this."

Winding his hands through a short series of seals, Shisui attacked with a flurry of cuts. Itachi wove between strikes. Suddenly a blade he had missed in his shock bit into his cheek. Warm blood spilled over his chilled skin. He's attacking in earnest…!

With careful footwork, he got close to Shisui. Ducking in, Itachi came up under Shisui's guard and broke it by grabbing both his wrists. Arms trapped, Shisui moved to knee Itachi. Itachi stepped back, making space and dodging the kick after the knee. Planting his foot, Shisui moved to headbutt Itachi. Slipping the grip, Itachi grasped his neck with both hands. Both boys tumbled into the shallow edge of the river.

Holding his throat, Itachi pressed his head underwater. Water rushed over his face and the moonlight danced over his smile. Before Itachi could release him, Shisui's glowing hands gripped his arms. Itachi struggled to let go and stand. Instead, his body was frozen, his whole weight rooted and bearing down on Shisui.

A look of peace settled over Shisui and he closed his eyes. Itachi screamed, but there was no one in the dark forest to hear him. Bubbles escaped from Shisui's lips. He fell unconscious.

Itachi cried out again. "Release the ninjutsu! Shisui, release it!" The words crawled from his stiff mouth.

He was not sure how much time had passed, but abruptly, he was able to let go. His eyes burned and the world began to blur. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pulled his cousin from the river. Blindly, he felt for a pulse. Desperate, he held his cousin's body and felt his wrist. No pulse met his fingers.

Wailing like a child, he threw his arms around the corpse. His salty tears became sticky on his cheeks. The ripping in chest turned to a splitting in his head. Curling up in the mud, he gripped his head and screamed again. Wet and dirty, he writhed in pain until the burning in his eyes began to subside. Exhausted, sweaty, and limp in the cold, he rolled onto his back and passed out.

His sense of time had been severed from him. When he woke, the moon was sinking. The water had risen and was lapping at his left leg. Sitting up, he looked around wildly, but the body was gone. Is he alive? Itachi's heart beat against his ribs. The feeling of a still pulse returned to his hand. No…. no! He must have washed away.

Pulling himself from the suction of wet, sandy clay, Itachi stood. Panic rising in him, he stared into the rushing waters. Fresh tears spilled over. His reflection danced like a flame over the waves. Something was wrong about it. The tears on his cheeks were crimson. Kneeling down, he cupped two hands of water to his face. Bloody tears streaked his face. Mangekyou sharingan swirled in his irises.

The knock on his door startled him and Itachi sat up in bed. The night rushed back to him immediately, his muddy clothes hidden under the bed. Running a hand through his loose hair, he tried to slow his breathing. It was a nightmare… Just a nightmare. The banging made him jump again.

Pulling on pants, he opened the door. Fugaku's troubled stare met him. Unkempt, Itachi froze, embarrassed. His father seemed not to notice or see as he entered the room.

"Itachi…" He was slow to speak. "I have terrible news."

Mind racing, Itachi remembered wet clay dirt and moonlight sparking on the choppy waters. His stomach turned. No. That's not it. He tried to talk himself away from the truth he knew.

Fugaku stared out the shuttered window. "A body washed ashore. One of ours." He sighed heavily. "Itachi, I'm so sorry."

Tears pricked his eyes and Itachi clenched his jaw. No. It's not possible.

"The body…" His voice was soft, "It was… Shisui. Please forgive me for bringing this news. I just thought you'd want to know right away."

"That's terrible." His voice was flat and distant. His aching chest was silent in the echo of his platitude. "What happened?"

Shaking his head, Fugaku frowned deeply. "He was drowned." Gripping his son's shoulder, an unfamiliar look of desperation swallowed his strong features. "They will be coming to question you."

The ground wobbled under his feet and suddenly the words held no meaning. "What?"

"They are coming for you," Fugaku dug his fingers into his skin. "Just be honest. I know you didn't do it. Anbu had you on a mission again."

"They…" Itachi swallowed a hard lump of terror. "They are saying I drowned Shisui?"

"But you didn't," his father continued matter of factly, "You couldn't have. We all loved Shisui."

The night came flooding back to him and his fame shook under his father's weight. Silent cries shattered him like an earthquake. His father held him like the child he was and his tears spilled over. Only one mantra filled him. I have to turn myself in…! Itachi wrapped his arms around his father and let wet, sticky tears run.

Suddenly Fugaku threw him off. Itachi blinked through swollen eyes to his see father's shirt blood stained. Fear and awe filled the man's eyes as he took in his son's. His mouth was set into a hard line and he clenched his fists. Itachi wiped his face and his hands came away scarlet. The mirror on the wall at the foot of his bed caught their reflections. Touching his cheek, Itachi watched the alien design spin in his red eyes.

"Don't tell anyone what you've done. Hide your eyes, Itachi." Fugaku stared at their doubles. "Mangekyou is a curse. I hope you can live with what you've done." Glaring down at Itachi's crumbling form, he strode from the room.

Shame made her face burn in the cooling of afternoon. The sun was hidden behind gray clouds that threatened rain. Aster tightened her shawl around her, the Yuki clan's symbol emblazoned on the back. Lush grass cushioned her shins as she settled before Hikaru. Thick, heavy tears pooled in her eyes. Gently, she brushed dirt and dust from the headstone.

"Nii-san, I know you can never forgive me..." Her voice broke and the words came one by one. "This isn't over though. I promise."

Thee crunch of sandals in the grass broke her revery. She wiped her face and glanced over her shoulder. A familiar silhouette was approaching. She watched as it made a sharp turn towards the section of fresh plots. It couldn't be...

Standing, she rubbed grass from her legs. There seemed to be no one else in the cemetery on an overcast summer afternoon. Without another moment of hesitation, she took up a brisk walk. Not losing sight of the figure in the flat, empty land, she came up behind them.

"Hey," she called out softly. The person came to a halt. "Itachi?"

He turned, drawing a cloak around him. "Aster..."

Fear filled her and she set her mouth in a thin line. "What are you doing here?"

"My cousin..." He sighed deeply, wondering how much he could safely divulge. "My cousin passed, very recently."

It was a moment as the face flashed to her mind and she searched for his name. "Shisui?"

Startled, he looked at her with new eyes. "How did you know that?"

"He used to come talk to me sometimes..." She studied his features, unsure how he felt about her admission. Suddenly, it seemed imperative she told him about her conversations with Shisui. "He told me to take care of you."

A storm was brewing in the Uchiha's eyes and he silent at first. "That didn't happen."

Gasping, she clasped her hands. "Why would I lie about that?"

"I," he shook his head, "I don't know. But why would he tell you that? There's only one reason..." Itachi turned away, staring into the distance. "It was suicide."

Her eyes wide, she approached him nervously. "But, he seemed so happy..."

"It was more complicated than that." He kept his back to her. "You're useless to me anyway. Don't listen to the words of a dead man. He was a fool."

Fresh tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "Why are you being so cruel? What's wrong with you?"

Itachi didn't answer. He didn't look back as he left the cemetery.

Her mind was made up. Dimming light filtered in her bedroom window. Her pack was open on her bed and she stuffed clothing and rations into it. Konoha had left her to rely on a coupon system since her family had been wiped out. There was no money to bring. Opening her hip holster, she made sure it was stocked and checked her sebon and kunai.

Giving her room a once over, she folded a map she had ripped from a textbook. Konoha was the only home she remembered. She had been young when her family fled here. Hikaru was the only child who recalled Kirigakure. Aster knew her kekkai genkai was forbidden in the village, but she couldn't get caught with something she didn't know how to use. There were rumors about brutal academy rituals in the Mist Village. But none of that mattered anymore. There was no where else to go and nothing else left for her.

She looked back at her bag. In a fit of rage, she flung it to the floor. Her careful preparation sprawled over the floorboards.

Trespassing into the Forest of Death was forbidden. Any transgression could get him removed from Anbu. However, a minor infraction meant nothing to him after that night. Chunin exams would be coming up soon, but for now the forest was empty. Itachi settled at the base of a gargantuan tree by a shallow stream. Watching the water, his stomach turned.

The look of hurt on Aster's face flashed behind his eyelids. Rueful of his words, he wondered what he was hoping to accomplish. Shisui had clearly planned what had happened. He had been making moves for a long time to prepare for his absence. Itachi may have ruined Shisui's careful positioning of the girl in a few seconds. Sasuke would be hurt if he knew that they'd had a falling out. It wasn't pointless for him to have been unkind to her. She hadn't asked to be part of Shisui's plot.

A chill in the air gave him goose pimples. Startled, he glanced around. The perpetual night time of the forest floor seemed thicker and tasted green suddenly. Standing, he slipped a kunai from his thigh holster. The shadows around him writhed and he wondered if one of the large snakes had smelled him. Instead, a number of cloaked figures stepped forward, enclosing him. Black robes with crimson clouds settled in the still air. Out-numbered, he knew the people approaching him from his black book. Their names and faces remained mysterious, but the garb had a reputation budding and preceding them.

Only one face was familiar to him. Purple eyeliner and hungry, yellow irises stared back. "Well, looks like we both enjoy the quiet." Orochimaru skipped introductions. "It's unexpected to find an upstanding man like yourself in such a place."

"What do you want?" Itachi had no patience for games. "If it's information, you'll have to kill me first."

A man with an orange, spiraled mask stepped forward. "We don't need information. There is plenty of that." His single eye was blood red and matched Itachi's new curse. "It's you we need."

Surprised, his head spun. "What do I have to offer you?"

"Power." The man's voice was low and smooth. "You have done a terrible thing for a forbidden power. We two are rare. Join us."

"You have nothing to offer me. I will never." Itachi settled into a fighting stance with his weapon.

The man clicked his tongue in a rebuking manner. "Never say never little Uchiha. There is something priceless that only we can give you." He dropped to one knee, looking up at Itachi. "Protection for Sasuke." Startled, his stomach dropped. "But it comes with a price."

As a sign of good faith, he dropped the blade. "You've named your price, I'm yours."

"You're so quick to accept. Wouldn't you like to know the price of Sasuke's life?"

Itachi side-eyed Orochimaru. "I'm willing to accept the mark and take Sasuke's place."

Smiling, Orochimaru nodded slowly. But before he could speak, the man cut in again. "No, you're too valuable for that. Sasuke's life is much more costly and you undervalue that treasure you have in your eyes."

"Leader-sama, " Orochimaru leaned in.

Before he could continue, the masked man looked at him with enough force to make him cower. "You are expendable. If you cause trouble, Itachi will be taking your ring." Turning back to a chilled Itachi, he sighed. "You cannot escape by means of a quick death. You will live and live for Akatsuki. Do you understand?"

Unsure of the correct answer, Itachi froze, his mouth in a stiff line. Before the silence could become overwhelming, he nodded in agreement.

"Good. We have a mission for you and only you." The man extended a hand with fingers closed around his palm. "Extinguish the Uchiha."

Itachi's eyes widened.

"You have already accepted our offer. You will complete this task, or I will. And I will spare no one." The threat hung in the air and Itachi felt sick. "You, on the other hand, I will graciously allow to spare one soul. Who would you like to give the gift of life?"

"I will die for them-"

"Shut up, little boy." The man's command made his blood run like ice. "You will do as you're told. I'm being generous with you and I do not have an obligation to be this way. Name the life you will give."

Finding his voice, he responded breathlessly, "Sasuke.."

"Good." The man opened his hand. A silver ring lay in his palm. "Take this. I will teach you how to use your new powers and you will carry out this task." Itachi took the ring hesitantly. Looking over it, the emblem was emblazoned with the kanji for scarlet. "I will warn you now, disobedience will not earn you death or torture. Those punishments will be saved for Sasuke."

Swallowing terror of his choices, Itachi nodded in understanding. "Yes, Leader-sama."

The moon was high and full. Aster walked slowly, weaving through shadows. It was possible that the village guard had noticed her, but they didn't seem to care much about a foreign orphan wandering the streets. Normally, the gate had two shinobi stationed, but it was curiously empty. It was yet another sign she wasn't wanted. Empty handed, she stopped, nothing but a holster of sebon on her thigh.

Rapping on the door, Itachi tried to stop the erratic pound of his heart. He had knocked too hard. The sound echoed in Aster's home and her front door shook. Waiting, there was no answer aside from the chirp of the cicada. Trepidation filled him. Going around the back of the house, he noticed an open window on the second story. Scaling the building, he entered silently.

His worst fears were confirmed as he realized the room belonged to Aster. Her meager belongings were scattered over the floor and an empty pack lay on a neatly made bed. Moonlight made the room look like a crime scene.

Turning back, he leapt from the window and landed deftly. Moving swiftly, he disappeared into the tree line, searching for a last hope.

A gentle breeze crawled over the dirt pathway and curled around Aster's ankles. Dry eyed, she clenched her fists and took a defiant step forward.

"Stop-" a voice she had resigned to never hear again cut through the night. "Wait, please..."

Turning on her heel, she glowered at him. "You think you're going to stop me?"

"Just think for a moment-" Itachi approached her slowly as though she was frightened animal. "Just consider what you're about to do."

"I have." Her rage was palpable. "I have considered it long and hard."

"Hear me out, Aster..." He continued to come towards her.

"Why should I?" Her voice shook with pain. "Give me one reason."

"I'm sorry for what I said." The admission froze her and the feel of his knuckles on her cheek rushed back to her. "I'm so incredibly sorry. Shisui told you things I wished he had never said. It was clear to me that he had been planning on ending his life for sometime. It was a terrible thing for him to do. But he was right- he was right about you."

Fresh tears rolled down her round cheeks. Close enough to grab her, he pulled her close. His body was warm and hard with years of training and battle. He squeezed her tight and cupped the back of her head against his shoulder. Slowly, she returned the embrace. Raising her arms, she enclosed his waist and dug her fingers into the thin cloth of his shirt. Using his thumb, he brushed the salty line from her face. His skin was hot against hers and she shivered, aware of the cold night air.

"I need you," he whispered into her ear. Her heart beat faster and her eyes went wide. "I need you. Who else will protect Sasuke when I can't?" His stomach twisted painfully and new wave of tears cascaded down. "Will you stay? If not for me, for him?"

Her voice trapped by a thick knot in her throat, she nodded into his shirt.

His voice still soft and low, he continued, "I need you to promise."

Swallowing painfully, she struggled to find her legs and the courage to use them. Instead, words spilled from her stiff lips. "I promise... I won't go."

Holding her at arm's length, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Thank you."

Before she could process what had happened, he released her and turned his back to her. Cheeks flushed and sticky with her tears, she watched, dumbfounded as he disappeared. She felt there was more than he would ever admit running through his head. His request did not make sense. Aster did not understand. But she would keep a promise. Giving the looming wooden gate one last glance, she turned back mournfully and made her way home slowly.

PlEaSe R&R

"A Friend's Reminiscence (Obito's Death Theme)" by Yasuharu Takanashi