Sight and Sound

Loyalties Betray

Aster brushed sweat off her brow. It had been a long day. The students Iruka had sent to the extra class she had started, as punishment, had run off. Before class could begin she had to track down, capture, and drag back four squirming boys. They had all bolted as soon as their time was up, luckily for a much tried Aster. Giving a sigh of relief, she gave the small row of target posts one last sweeping glance. It was then that she finally noticed the black haired boy still practicing his kunai throwing with the utmost seriousness. She watched him, thinking about how nice it would be to teach kids who appreciated her. Smiling to herself, she walked over and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you can go home. The class is over, I'm sure Iruka wouldn't want to punish you too harshly." The boy turned, gazing up at her, confused. "Why would Iruka-sensei want to punish me?" Aster laughed a little. "You had to have done something bad to have deserved to be here! This is the extra training for the students who fall behind." The boy lowered his head. "I'm sorry; I thought these were free training grounds." Aster's eyes widened. "Oh! Well, it's okay, you know. You can come if you want." In an after thought, she added, "What's your name?" Scuffing his shoe, he muttered a reply. "Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke." He had been dreading this moment. Everyone knew Uchiha as his brother, Uchiha Itachi. He was tired of being compared to his older brother, of living in his shadow. "Uchiha, eh?" she said. "Sounds familiar, but I can't place it... So you want to come train here too,.. Sasuke?" she tried out his name. His stomach flipped. She didn't know who his brother was; to her he was just another student. "Uh, yeah. Sure!" he told her quickly, not wanting to pass up the chance. "You need someone to take you home? It's pretty late." Aster eyed the darkening skies, worrying for the boy she barely knew. "Oi, Sasuke!" someone called. Both turned to see Itachi strolling into the schoolyard. "Hi, I'm Sukkeynumm Aster, the after school class's senpai. I take it you're a relative of Sasuke's?" she introduced her self and wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Yes, I'm his elder brother, Uchiha Itachi.." he said slowly, suspicious of her sudden and quick greeting. "Nice to meet you," she told him brightly, extending a hand. "Sasuke's really a good student. I've seen him around, and when he told me his name, it struck me as odd that he'd end up in a class for the flunkies!" she laughed again. "But I guess it was all a misunderstanding." Turning back to Sasuke, "Don't be shy. Come back, okay?" Itachi watched her. It was interesting that she didn't ask about him. Most girls did, and she didn't seem to have the slightest idea who he was. He liked her from the start. Aster was the kind of ignorant person Sasuke needed. "He'll be back. I'll make sure of it." Itachi shook her hand and latched another onto the back of Sasuke's shirt. "C'mon Sasuke, we are going to be late for dinner." He took off, pulling Sasuke in his wake. Aster stood, staring at her hand, blushing. She didn't even know him, and yet, she already felt drawn to him. The boy, Sasuke, had been so naive and clever looking; she wanted to teach a child like that. And his brother, there were no words to describe what she had felt the instant he grinned and shook her hand. Something was starting, and she couldn't wait to see what it was.

Kisame strode into Orochimaru's meeting chamber. The air in the room instantly became still, the snake sannin's anger filling the room. "Why is she not here?" he hissed, beyond mere displeasure.

Kisame stopped; he had not been expecting this. "I tried..."

"It wasn't good enough then. If you can't do your part, you'll become a liability, and I'll have to get rid of you.." Orochimaru's glare was visible through the almost complete darkness of the room.

"The poison would have worked, we almost had her. That was until Itachi intervened..." Kisame tried to plead his case, hoping to avoid the wrath of a legendary ninja.

"Itachi again?" Orochimaru mused. "Try one more time. I don't think he has any idea exactly what is going on yet.. It might work still."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama..." Kisame murmured, backing out of the stone chamber. "It will work this time..." It must.. he thought. He was betraying the Akatsuki, even if it was to get rid of a traitor. He knew he couldn't keep up these secret meetings much longer.