In Another Life
Author's Note: This AU assumes that Madara won the war, but decided not to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi. This is a Madara x Hinata x Sasuke story and for Hinata, it won't be love at first sight. Sasuke's and Madara's romantic affections will only be focused on Hinata in this fic and not each other. This is also one of my new stories from January 2018. So viewer reception will play a large part in determining how quickly it gets updated. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, reviews are always appreciated and I hope you enjoy this story.
Dedication: A special thank you to WhiteGems is in order. If you don't mind love triangles and a somewhat evil Madara, I would encourage you to check out their story called Lady Hyuuga. I found it very inspirational while writing this, but obviously I'm putting my own spin on this pairing.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my fanfics.
Chapter 1
Sentimentality. He supposed that was the reason. Her eyes were too much like the eyes of that girl he had known so long ago.
"What were the results of her exam?" Madara's locks eyes with Orochimaru.
While the Uchiha had a personal distaste for the man, Madara also wasn't the sort to waste talent. In particular, Orochimaru's knowledge of almost anything related to human biology and medicine was exceptional. Which was why, he was somewhat glad that Sasuke had revived the damn snake.
Orochimaru licks his lower lip and smiles. "I'm happy to report that the Hyuga Heiress seems perfectly fine." Then why was she still unconscious? "The only thing wrong with her is exhaustion. She'll likely wake in a few hours or days at most. Until then, I have an IV hooked up to her to keep Hinata hydrated and if necessary, fed."
That was good. Why Madara cared so much, well he hadn't even fully determined that yet. He didn't need to explain himself though. Not even to himself, it seemed.
Hinata just looked so much like that girl. Hell, Madara hadn't even known her name at the time. Just that she had never lived long enough to have children of her own.
"Madara, I'm worried about you." A Hyuga woman smiled at him, a bit nervously as she approached him.
The girl was probably only a year or two younger than himself. Though at seventeen, he'd already tasted battle many times. The same was likely true for her as well.
He raised an eyebrow at her declaration. "I wasn't aware that Hyugas thought much about the welfare of Uchihas." The two Clans rarely interacted and if they did, it was an aloof alliance out of necessity.
"We don't usually." The girl had the kindest eyes that he had ever seen. "But we're fighting on the same side and I noticed that you, seem to enjoy killing in battle."
Yes, he did. He loved the heat of battle. Testing himself against someone else in the ultimate struggle for supremacy. The adrenaline rush he felt during fighting was addictive. Hell, he even enjoyed the taste of his own blood during battle. It was one of the few things that made him feel truly alive.
He smirked at the girl, fully expecting her to run off. That wasn't what happened though. Instead, she placed a flower in his hair.
"Fighting to protect yourself and those you care about is one thing, fighting because you enjoy hurting others is another." She shook her head. "You're not half the monster that you pretend to be, at least not yet." The brunette smiled at him. "Be careful not to crush your own petals with your thorns."
He would have said something to that, but she ran off before he could. "Ridiculous." Madara glared at her retreating form. "I don't pretend to be a monster and I never had any petals to begin with."
Madara Uchiha didn't pretend to be a monster because he was one. He had to be. His father had five sons. Only he and Izuna were left. Only the monsters survived in this world. In this era of permanent war.
"Good." Madara nods at Orochimaru. "You will notify me when she awakens at once. For now, I will evaluate Sasuke's condition."
He certainly couldn't evaluate the condition of the original Hyuga Girl. She had died during one of the many conflicts before he had even gotten her name. Before he had even cared enough to ask it.
Orochimaru bows respectfully towards him. "Of course." He smiles at Madara. "Sasuke is very dear to me as well. I do hope that the two of you have a proper reconciliation and that your Clan will be a thriving one again, soon enough."
"I believe in your own demented way, that you care for him." Perhaps Orochimaru truly wanted the younger Uchiha to see him as some sort of parental figure. "If that's true, you'd do well to remember that he is my blood. Not yours."
That hadn't stopped Madara from fighting Sasuke on the field though. He had been rather proud to see that his descendant and reincarnation had fought so well, but well Madara had won.
At the end of the day, he had a lifetime of experience on Naruto and Sasuke. It hadn't been a fair fight and he acknowledged that. At least in his own head. He'd never say it out loud.
"You can stop pretending to be unconscious now." It was only a sentence, but it filled Hinata with dread. "I know that you're awake. It was intelligent of you to pretend otherwise, but you can't fool me."
Should she open her eyes? Sooner or later, Hinata would have to. Besides, she had already learned something very important. For whatever reason, Madara wanted her alive.
Badly. "You knew that I was awake, but you didn't tell him." Hinata just didn't understand why Madara cared about her fate one way or another.
That wasn't the only thing she didn't understand though as her eyes scan the depressingly gray walls of the 'hospital' room. It was a mystery why Orochimaru hadn't informed Madara that she was awake.
"Well I consider myself an honest man." Orochimaru drags his excessively long tongue over his lower lip in anticipation. "How blunt would you like me to be about your current situation?" Honest, but vile.
Vile wasn't a word that Hinata used often, but it was an apt description in this case. She knew little of the most infamous Sannin, but what she did know was more than enough to make her skin crawl.
Still, she didn't have much of a choice. "As blunt as possible." She was 'alone' in a makeshift hospital wing of some kind and Madara had won the war.
Hinata didn't like it, but right now she needed information. It didn't really matter where that information came from. It just had to be reliable. Reliable enough to help her escape and save her most precious people.
She knew that there was a good chance most, if not all of them were already dead. Hinata wouldn't allow herself to dwell on that fact though. Mourning them before she knew the truth would do no good. It would just paralyze her and she couldn't afford that right now.
"Well, it is something that I have wondered about from time to time myself." The feeling of dread was now ballooning low in her stomach. "What would happen if the Sharingan and Byakugan bloodlines were merged? I'm sure that someone as intelligent as Madara Uchiha would be rather curious about such a possibility as well."
Merge? There was only one way for bloodlines to merge though. For a child to be born with parents from two different bloodlines.
Such a thing rarely happened though. Most 'Noble Clans' wouldn't risk having children with other Clans like that. Hinata supposed it was out of fear of their genes being recessive or because bloodline clans in general didn't like trusting outsiders for obvious reasons.
"Are you saying that he wants me to bare his child?" The very thought of such a thing shocked her to the core.
Orochimaru nods at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I suspect that may be the case, though I think it's more likely that he wants you to bare his children than his child." Hinata could only hope that the Sannin was incorrect in his assumptions because she couldn't imagine ever doing such a thing.
There were at least a million reasons why that was the case. Madara had brought the Ninja World to its knees. He was responsible directly and indirectly for the deaths of many honorable ninjas and he obviously cared little for anything else, but his own desires.
"I see." She had to get out of here, but how?
Every instinct inside her was screaming to run, but Hinata wasn't stupid. Madara likely had guards posted somewhere nearby and she was still weak from chakra exhaustion.
While she might be able to fight her way passed the guards, someone would notice. More guards would come running or even worse, Madara himself might come and that could very well be the end of her.
Orochimaru smiles at her in what she supposed was supposed to be a reassuring manner. "You don't have to look so horrified." Yes, yes she most certainly did. "For all his faults, Madara is still an attractive man and you could become his empress."
Hinata could never betray her friends in such a way, merely because someone was handsome. "I won't do it." She couldn't do it.
At the moment, there was only one thing keeping her from falling to pieces. The possibility that if she was smart, Hinata could escape and help her loved ones to do the same.
Had any of her comrades, friends, and Clan survived the war? The bluenette didn't know. All she knew was that Neji hadn't.
"You seem like a reasonably intelligent woman." The thought of being complimented by Orochmaru made her skin crawl. "So what do you think Madara will do to you and those you care about, if you spurn his advances?" What he said next though, terrified her.
That was a good point. Madara didn't strike her as someone who was used to taking no for an answer. He was also an Uchiha and from what little she knew about that Clan, they were very prideful. If she injured his pride, he'd retaliate in some fashion.
The only saving grace was as far as Hinata could tell, Uchihas had some sort of Code of Honor. Sure, they killed during the heat of battle. The Curse of Hatred was a frighteningly powerful thing, but they weren't known as a sadistic Clan or at least they hadn't been.
He'd find other ways to make her pay besides the 'expected' punishments most likely. What those ways would be though, Hinata couldn't say. She knew very little about Madara Uchiha and only slightly more about his family in general. (The fact that she hadn't researched both more in depth was a major oversight on her part that Hinata was now deeply regretting).
She'd worry about that later though. "What are you suggesting then?" For Now, Hinata had to figure out a way to survive Madara's reign and that meant doing things she normally wouldn't do. Like listening to Orochimaru.
"I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain that he does intend to take you as his wife." Hinata prayed with all her might that the Orochimaru was wrong, but she doubted he was. "I would accept the proposal and make the most of your new lot in life. After all, if he is fond of you…then perhaps you and those you care about will be able to thrive in this new era."
As much as she hated to admit it, he did have a point. Though Hinata couldn't do it. She couldn't fathom the thought of becoming his wife. Of marrying the man who had caused the people she cared about most, so much pain.
"You might be right." Unbidden, she could feel something wet slide down her cheek. "It would be the smarter move to get on his good side." She was crying.
These would be the last tears she shed over this war though. One way or another, Hinata would escape. Hopefully, with her friends and family. Though she knew one thing for certain. She refused to stay here.
Orochimaru shakes his head. "We both know that I'm right." He smiles at her. "Besides, think of how powerful your children will be."
SMACK! Hinata wished that she could say it was some kind of strategy, but it wasn't. She just lost her temper.
Fury. It was an emotion that the Hyuga Heiress had felt only a handful of times before in her life, but it was burning through her veins now. Fierce and white hot, consuming everything inside her. Apparently, even her common sense.
"I may be a prisoner of war, but I'm a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village." She was a Jonin and the Heiress of the Hyuga Clan as well. "I'm not your lab rat and I won't let you anywhere near my children." No matter who the father was.
Orochimaru actually laughs as he nurses his rapidly bruising cheek. "Forgive me, I may have overstepped my grounds." He was apologizing to her? "Though I must say from your profile, I never would have expected you to strike me in your current condition."
Her profile? Orochimaru had read her profile? What profile? That's when it hit her. He must be referring to her file.
Every ninja in the Leaf Village had a file. It listed their general information such as their name, their gender, their rank, the various missions they had completed, and other information the Hokage might find useful while assigning new missions or considering promotions (or demotions).
"He got his hands onto our files?" Hinata blinks. "How long have I been unconscious?"
Orochimaru smiles at her slyly. "Oh only a few days." He laughs. "One thing that I have always admired about the Uchiha Family is how efficient they are. Madara isn't just a brute, you know?" The man was psychotic. "He's quite intelligent in his own way, even if violence is usually his first solution to any given problem."
Was that supposed to be reassuring? Because it most certainly was not! Damn it. What was she going to do now?
He had no idea how he was alive. Sasuke had put every drop of chakra into his attacks during the final battle. He should be dead.
Kakashi had warned him about overusing his chakra when he was still an innocent Genin. Well at least, innocent compared to now. So why was he still alive?
"Ah." Someone walks into his room. "You're awake. Good. Are you coherent?"
He wished that he wasn't awake. The pounding in his head wouldn't stop. It was as if a horse had kicked his skull and someone had rudely patched it together again.
Sasuke makes the mistake of looking up though. "I am." Into eyes that were disturbingly similar to his own. "Why didn't you kill me?"
He might as well be blunt. Madara didn't strike him as the type to spare someone because they were a family member. How much the other man cared about the Clan vs. their visual prowess was a mystery, but Sasuke wasn't in any mood to push his luck.
"We are family." Madara smiles at him, but there wasn't much warmth to it. "Besides, it would have been a waste. Do you know how rare it is to find someone else possesses the Rinnegan, even if it is just one?"
Right. Maybe, some sliver of Madara actually still cared about blood ties. Though it was power that truly interested the other ninja and Sasuke had that. Not as much as Madara did, but enough to save him…for now.
"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke had to know. "What about the rest of Team Seven, Taka, and the Rookie Nine?" There was also Gaara to consider. "What happened to the other Kages?" The red head had once cried for him, after all.
Madara chuckles and shakes his head. "I'll tell you where they all are or if they're still breathing and more, if you answer my questions." Sasuke wasn't sure that he liked the sound of that, but what choice did he have?
The fact that he was still breathing was nothing short of astounding. His ancestor must have had medics attend to him. Gods and Goddesses only knew how long he had been unconscious.
"You can ask your questions." Sasuke would have shrugged, but he instinctively knew that would be a stupid idea. "I might or might not have the answers you're looking for though." Every cell in his body felt completely and utterly exhausted.
He'd be damn lucky, if he could sit up. Let alone, fight Madara Uchiha. No. He had to be smart about this.
Madara nods at that. "That's a surprisingly diplomatic answer." He chuckles. "Have you thought about entering politics?"
"Fleetingly." For a brief time, Sasuke had wanted to be Hokage. "Though I'm not really cut out for it. I have a bad temper." This time he was foolish enough to shrug. "It must be genetic. AHHH!" The pain was almost intense enough to make him black out.
He shouldn't have said that. Sasuke shouldn't have shrugged. It was his damn pride, he supposed. Every Uchiha's Achilles' Heel.
"You may wish to reconsider it, but that isn't what I'm curious about." Of course, it wasn't. "You may or may not be aware of this yet, but I'm Emperor now." That wasn't surprising, though it did leave a bitter taste in Sasuke's mouth. "Naturally, every Emperor needs an Empress."
Sasuke blinks at that. Whatever he had been expecting, that hadn't been it. Was Madara really coming to him for advice on choosing a wife?
The very thought made him want to laugh, but Sasuke manages to refrain. "I doubt it will be hard for you to find someone." No shrugging. Shrugging was a bad idea. "As you said, you're Emperor now."
"That's true." Madara smirks. "It wouldn't be hard to find a woman, but I don't want just any woman. Our Clan is down to only two living members." So Obito had perished during the war. "It makes sense to choose only exceptional women to restore it with." Women?
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that part. "You're not going to choose my wife for me, are you?" He hoped not. Sasuke would reject her on principle.
If he was lucky, he could reason with Madara. If not, he'd help the woman escape or if the woman turned out to be his loyal subject, Sasuke might have to resort to more extreme measures.
"No." Madara shakes his head. "Clan Restoration is far easier when an attraction exists between the husband and wife." Thank goodness. "Though, if you like, I do of course have recommendations." No. He would not like. "I'm more interested in my own potential marriage than yours at the moment though."
Sasuke didn't know how to feel about that. Relieved, mostly. Perhaps, even a bit afraid for the woman. What would it mean to become the wife of the Emperor?
"Alright." Sasuke tries his best to keep his voice neutral. "Well it sounds like you've got someone in mind."
Madara nods again and sits on Sasuke's bed. "Her name is apparently Hinata Hyuga. She is the Heiress to the Hyuga Clan." What?! "Just think of the possibilities of merging the Sharingan and Byakugan."
Hmm. That was true. Sasuke wasn't really sure what would happen though? What if one trait was just dominant and the other was recessive? That could mean Uchihas without the Sharingan! Then again, it might create an entirely new bloodline. The possibilities were almost endless.
"We went to the Academy together." There was no point in lying. "I didn't know her well and I still don't, but she's not the Empress type. She's too…shy for that sort of thing."
Still, facts were facts. Madara was definitely not Hinata's type. The Hyuga woman liked Naruto and Madara was about as far from Naruto as it was possible to be and still be the same species.
Madara shakes his head in amusement. "Well I do appreciate the honesty, but she's also the heiress of a major Clan." True. "I'm certain she'll grow into the role."
"What are you going to do, if she says no?" Sasuke didn't know her well, but that didn't mean he was about to feed her to the wolves (or wolf).
Madara actually looks offended for a moment. Which was mildly amusing, but Sasuke wasn't foolish enough to say so.
"She'll either come to me willingly or not at all." He smiles smugly at Sasuke. "Though I doubt that will be an issue. Given the situation, it may take her some time to come around…though I imagine she will."
Sasuke sighs in relief. He had every reason to doubt what Madara had just said, but the man had said it himself. It was easier to restore a Clan, if a husband and wife actually were attracted to each other.
"Good." He narrows his eyes. "Now, what happened to the others?"
Madara chuckles and hands Sasuke a book. "Look it over as much as you like." He stands and heads towards the door. "We both know that you're not in any condition to do anything about anything contained in those pages at the moment, anyway. I'll let you in on a secret Sasuke."
That didn't sound good. Secrets usually didn't end well. It was secrets that had killed his family in the first place.
"What's that?" He was almost afraid to ask.
Madara places his hand on the door and turns the knob. "I'm not half the monster that I pretend to be." With that being said, Madara disappears as quickly as he had arrived.
Sasuke would have wondered if the man had been there at all, if it weren't for the book in his hands. "I might has well get started." He sighs as he opens the pages and begins reading. "I just hope Hinata is ready for my insane ancestor's advances."