.
When the moon fell in love with the sun, all was golden in the sky;
All was golden in the sky when the day met the night.
Mito sighed and hung her right leg out over the edge of the dock, letting her bare toes dip into the lake. She closed her eyes, making abstract patterns as she trailed her foot through the water, hoping the rhythmic motion would help her to focus.
It had been two days since she had arrived in Konoha, and she was trying her best to play her role… the dutiful daughter, the diplomatic dignitary, and soon… the blushing bride. Just the thought of it made her cringe inwardly, but she was absolutely determined not to let it show. This was her responsibility, and she would fulfill it graciously, never giving anyone the slightest idea that she was decidedly unhappy with the entire situation.
And why shouldn't I be? she thought. Being traded like livestock to another village, forced to marry a man I hardly know… any kunoichi would be revolted! But Mito knew that she had to swallow her pride… for the sake of her clan and her village. This marriage alliance would hopefully secure their future, seeing as Konoha was the result of a union between the two most powerful ninja clans, and her impending nuptials were to the head of the Senju clan, Hashirama.
The other girls her age were excited when they heard the news of her engagement, saying how lucky Mito was to be marrying such a powerful shinobi, and that he was handsome, too! And if that was all Mito wanted out of life, sure, she'd be excited, too. But how could their dreams be so simple, so shallow? she asked herself. It didn't make any sense to her. She was a ninja, and she wanted to be respected and admired in her own right, not just because she was married to some village leader. It stung her pride to have her impressive skills overlooked in favor of her appearance and birth.
She groaned aloud and flung herself back onto the dock, throwing hands over her face in frustration. It just wasn't fair! Mito's carefully constructed self-control was crumbling. Two days of forcing niceties and smiles from her lips had really taken their toll. Especially when she had really felt like punching people's faces in the entire time. This lake is fairly isolated, there's no one around. It won't do any harm to give myself this small reprieve, she reasoned.
Still laying on her back, she felt the dock bob and sway with the movements of the lake. For a moment, the atmosphere was eerily serene; the breeze gently tugging at the sleeves of her kimono, leaves dancing in the wind, her foot still lazily dangling in the cool water… until Mito fisted her hands in her blood-red hair, opened her mouth, and screamed.
Uchiha Madara was more than a little irritated.
Needless to say, this was not what he had expected to see as he stalked into the area that he viewed as his. He had been looking forward to an afternoon of escape, of sorts. Time spent training alone always did him some good. And he needed to get away… from the clan, from his duties, and especially from Hashirama. He was always droning on and on about matters that, quite frankly, Madara didn't care about in the slightest.
But he did have to admit, the scene he had stumbled upon was nothing short of picturesque. A young woman had her eyes closed peacefully, a look of calm gracing her delicate features. With total disregard for her formal attire, she lay sprawled out on the dock, obviously lost in her own thoughts. He didn't know her, which was unusual, but something about that obscenely red hair rang a bell. He contemplated it for a moment, then mentally shook it off and decided to just go up to her and find out. And then demand that she get. out.
As he made his way down the grass to the dock, he was coming up with varying degrees of rudeness with which he could tell her to leave when the girl suddenly opened her mouth and let out the highest pitched scream that had ever been inflicted upon his ears.
Resisting the urge to clap his hands over them, he made his way to the end of the dock with strong, purposeful strides. His mind suddenly began listing numerous ways that he could shut her up, possibly permanently if she didn't stop that god-awful screaming. Madara gritted his teeth and stood over her, waiting for the screeching to cease. A few agonizing seconds later, it did, and he crossed his arms, clearing his throat pointedly.
She opened first one eye, then the other, and squinting upwards, she realized that, yes, she had heard something and that no, that the man towering over her was most certainly not a figment of her imagination.
Crap! she thought, as she hastily sat up, yanking her leg back up onto the dock and trying to rearrange her buns, sealing tags, and headpiece into some semblance of their usual order. "Um, I am so sorry, sir. I did not mean to disturb or alarm you! Please accept my sincerest apologies," she ended her short speech with a deep bow, and seeing as she was already kneeling, there wasn't much more deference she could demonstrate.
Madara stared down at the girl, half-listening to her apology while he cataloged the rest of her appearance, still trying to place her. Red hair and sealing tags… must be an Uzumaki, he concluded. But why was she here? Not just in Konoha, but more importantly why was she in his spot? His gaze was drawn to the gold headpiece between her buns. But definitely not just your run-of-the-mill girl. Hm.
After a brief silence, Mito decided to look up at him. If he doesn't accept my apology, I guess I'll just have to beat him to a pulp! she thought (a tiny bit gleefully) before she reined herself in. No more of that. I'm just supposed to be a simpering woman here, she reminded herself. But as her eyes lifted to meet his, there was no open hostility there, despite his intimidating appearance,. He was considering her with a look that Mito could only describe as… contemplative.
Mito's eyes widened a fraction as his eyes locked onto hers and he parted his lips to speak.
A/N: Yes, yes, crack pairing! Crack pairings are always the best.
However, I INTEND FOR THIS TO FOLLOW CANON. At least the canonical knowledge available at this time. This fic is just the shady underpinning to that. If that makes sense.
I know Madara is OOC, but hey, we're still some time away from monumental events. He'll (d)evolve into a crazy, obscenely power-hungry ninja eventually. (If this fic continues.) As for Mito... well, honestly, we don't know that much about her. But Kushina did say she was strong so... I'm gonna go with that. (And by "go with that" I mean take it and run with it. hehe.)
Anyhow. This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I had to put it out there! I have lots of ideas for this, and a general idea of where I want the plot to go, but in the past I have just been about the one-shots. So we'll see what happens! This is just kind of a teaser chapter to test the waters.
Thanks for reading, and any concrit is much appreciated! :)
Also, I do not own "When the Day Met the Night" by Panic at the Disco.
