Sight and Sound

Clattering Kunai

Itachi stood before the Akatsuki leader. Most of the other members seemed fearful, but his anger gave him courage. Defiantly, he looked the shadow in the eye. The man laughed softly at him. "Power.. Is that what you desire? That is what it seems.. You would be welcome here. You have already killed your closest friend and obtained a power few could ever dream of.. If your kill your family, we might just forget about Sasuke-" Itachi's heart skipped a beat. There was a chance. He would be willing to do anything to save his little brother, even kill his family. They weren't worth anything to him anymore. "You would then become one of us, and have more power than you thought possible." Itachi nodded. "Yes, of course.. I accept your offer." It was ironic that he had offered himself to them in place of his brother and the clan had refused, now they were seeking him. The shallowness of the Akatsuki disgusted him. Orochimaru came out of the shadows behind him. "By default, that makes you mine. Your body will replace Sasuke's.." Itachi half-turned, glaring at him. "Not if you die.." Orochimaru grinned, "What do you think the point of the trade was?" The leader cut in before Itachi could threaten him again. "Orochimaru, watch your step.. If you don't prove more powerful.. You will be the opening we create for Itachi. He is, after all, an Uchiha heir." Orochimaru became defensive. "You already have an opening, it would be unwise of you to get rid of me.." The leader glared at him even more intensely than Itachi. "It would be unwise of you to talk back to me.." Orochimaru gaped for a second before scowling and backing down. "That settles it.." The leader looked over the members of Akatsuki. "We act as a clan, and Itachi Uchiha will be a new addition shortly.. Best hurry and do what needs to be done." Itachi walked away slowly. "Timing is everything.."

Itachi had awoken before dawn. He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what might have happened if he hadn't pulled away from Aster. An odd sense of excitement twisted in his chest, turning into fear. Could he have really just leaned in a little more and kissed her? If that had happened, what kind of danger would they be in now? He shuddered at the thought, glad he had stopped himself. He was taken from his musings when he heard a rummaging sound in the kitchen.

He snuck out, relieved that he had slept in his clothes. He turned to see Kisame putting dishes back in a cabinet. He felt odd for sneaking out to see his partner do something as normal as clean up after himself. He stepped out of the shadows, still wary of how much Kisame might know about his feelings toward Aster.

"Hn, your little shadow isn't here?" Kisame grinned, now he could verify his assumptions.

"'Little shadow?'" Itachi glared at him. Had things really been that obvious? He felt his body go rigid.

Kisame twisted the handle of the door in the dining room that led outside. He had seen the slight tenseness in Itachi's shoulders. Itachi was always calm and relaxed. The movement was all the information he had needed to know he had hit a nerve. Satisfied, he walked out the door, leaving an anxious and unsure Itachi staring after him.

Itachi was unsettled now. He was almost sure Kisame had figured it out. Now he had to be even more careful around Aster. It wasn't long before Aster came out of her room, still worn out. It wasn't hard to see that she still wasn't sleeping well. Even under the stress, they continued the training with the kage bushins. It was a couple of days before Aster had finally been able to come close to not getting injured.

They had now begun training inside. The skies had become dark, and rain was impending. The weather had been odd for mid-summer.

Itachi followed lazily behind Aster as she raced off to the bare wooden room. "You really want to keep this up?" he was growing tired of her attempts at easily defeating his clones.

"It's a personal thing!" She shot him a dirty look. "C'mon, you can't say that there aren't some things you just have to do!" She jutted out her lower lip. "It's just something I need to do to prove it to myself."