-Sasuke POV-
It's that time already, isn't it? Groaning in annoyance, I realized it was time for an Uchiha tradition spanning back for hundreds of years... the pilgrammage to the grave if the Elder son of the Rikkudo Sennin, the first Uchiha. It was a coming-of-age ceremony, when an Uchiha reached the age of 16, he/she was taken to the grave site to "recieve blessings from our ancestors". I think it's completely stupid, but there's reasonable doubt that Madara will kill me if I don't do it.
-Yoshika POV-
"Why am I being taken with? It's an Uchiha-thing!" Barely containing my anger, Madara just glanced in my general direction.
"May I finish?" ... he sounded a little more cranky than usual, so I shut up while I was ahead.
"A boy and a girl always go. It symbolizes that both men and women of the clan share the same fate- which is hatred." He finished.
"I'm not Uchiha. If you need a girl so bad, why not Karin? I bet she'll be ecstatic." Why can't she? I think I sounded legitimate.
"Because, for the past few years I have raised you like a daughter. As far as I'm concerned, you might as well be Uchiha. And also, if you haven't noticed, Karin is insane. Now be quiet and get decent clothes on, we're leaving in ten minutes." I walked away, still trying to figure out a way out of this. After five minutes and a change of clothes, I didn't have a decent scheme to get out of it, so I headed to the main hall. Sasuke was already there.
We don't talk much, me and Sasuke. We don't hate each other, but we don't really like each other either.
As I'm sure you all know, Sasuke is a chick magnet. Seriously, he breaks heart after heart, and it's sad, yet funny. I seem to be the only girl who's immune to him, thank the gods above for this. It had been ten minutes with no Madara in sight, so I decided to strike conversation so I didn't fall asleep. I can just imagine the yelling if I decided to take a nap and Madara showed up.
"So," I looked over at Sasuke, who averted his eyes in my direction.
"Please tell me you tried to get out of this too. You're not the only victim." I got no reaction other than a faint nod, but I felt better knowing I wasn't the only person being forced here.
"Looks like you both beat me here." Madara came walking to us in these robes that looked like an altered version of the usual Uchiha uniform. They were probably made just for this event too... I'm telling you, they looked kinda stupid.
-Sasuke POV-
"Let's go already." Yoshika's head whirled in my direction. She always gives me this disapproving look whenever I'm rude to the old man... I suppose it's alright, he's basically her father. Though how the hell he took an interest in her, I'll never know... I don't want to know either... probably some idiotic reason.
"Wow, I didn't know you were so amped to go Sasuke kun! I'll make sure to take awhile on it, wouldn't want something this important to go wrong!" Dammit! He's using my words as an excuse! Ugh... that sly bastard, he probably has something up his sleeve... I better keep an eye out, Yoshika might be in on it. She's just as sly, if not more than him... heh, like father like daughter...
-Yoshika POV-
What's he's smirking about? Does he even realize he's doing it? Well, whatever, I just want to get this done... it just feels wrong, like I shouldn't be doing it. Like something is telling me not to...
So, we got going. After a few excess hours of jumping like idiots in trees, we came to a cave's entrance. Sasuke stopped in front of it for a second, he probably thought this was some sort of trap, huh? Heheheh, figures. Walking in, the feeling that I shouldn't be here got so strong I stopped half way in the cave.
"What's wrong, Yoshika?" Madara faced me, and probably saw the look of uncertainty on my face, because he then put a hand on my shoulder and half dragged me in there.
"Madara sama... I shouldn't be here." I tried telling him, but he just kept pulling me deeper into the cave. A while in, Sasuke actually looked right at me, surprised him I was being this reluctant. We finally reached the end, where a massive tomb stood. It looked more like a masoleum than a grave if you ask me.
"Sasuke, Yoshika... step forth." We did so and as instructed, got down at our knees in front of the steps to the tomb, while Madara was saying some mumbo jumbo. I felt terrified the whole time. I could feel something there, it didn't like that fact I was here either. We all suppressed gasps as the door to the grave shifted. Madara stop his chant, and Sasuke shot up and into a fighting stance. I remained on my knees, and inwardly prayed that I didn't die here. My fear only intensified when I began to hear footsteps coming forth, towards me.
"What the he-" I heard Madara say, before he was cut off. Now I tried to get up, until the thing kneeled beside me and put a hand on me, I couldn't budge, much less stand up. Almost in tears, I managed to choke something out.
"Madara...? Sasuke...?" I began to say something else, but was interrupted by the deepest, gruffest-sounding voice I've ever heard.
"What ist thou doing here?" I gasped, because it was addressing ME.
"I was taken here by force." I traced back in my head the way Madara tugged me in even though it was dead obvious I didn't want to go.
"I see. Then thou shall accompany me back. Stand." I did it without hesitation. Looking up, the man who stared down at me seemed to look not at my face, but further, into my eyes and peering into my mind. I had expected a half-decayed zombie, but... he was kind of good-looking. He had long, spikey hair, and marks running along his bottom eyelids. His eyes seemed to be black pits, as they had no life in them, but a harshness that makes most people tremble in fear. I started to look in back of me to at least see if Madara was alright, before I could see anything important the figure in front of me grabbed my head with one hand and turned it back to him.
-Madara POV-
What... the hell? That can't be... who does he think he is? Reaching up my arms, I began to make jutsu seals, yet the risen man only had to lift up a hand to completely cut off my chakra! Yoshika attempted to look back, and he merely turned her head in his direction again.
"Who are you, and what do you think you're doing with my daughter?" I was on the verge of yelling, when he turned his eyes to mine, I felt as if I couldn't not only speak, but breathe.
"Thou... have brought a girl here, not belonging to the clan by blood or by marriage." He spoke slowly ad calmly, making sure no one could mistake what he was saying... I must think quickly, this has never happened before. Perhaps this is the reason only Uchiha are allowed in here, no, it is definitely the reason.
"Excuse me, the girl standing before you is my adopted daughter. Let her go, she will leave and never return." This should do it... then, as if he was reading my mind, he scowled.
"Do thou dare instruct me?" That sent chills down my spine. There's no way I can defeat the Elder Son, but maybe if I can distract him along enough for us to flee... maybe...
"No, it was merely... a suggestion." I must not become arrogant here, or we may all die.
"A suggestion... this girl shall not leave. Law of blood has been broken, and now she must come with me." He put an arm around her, and starting leading her back to the tomb. Why isn't she... why isn't she fighting back? I ran back forward, but all he had to do was flick his wrist, and I was sent flying. Why isn't my intangibility working?
-Sasuke POV-
Let's get something clear. I do not care very much about Yoshika, in fact she's frequently annoying because she hangs out with Suigetsu so much. I think his idiotic chakra is rubbing off on her. But I can't just stand here while that man drags her into the grave and she dies. I snuck up while he was knocking back the old man, and had my katana at the ready. When I was at few feet away, he looked at me. Those eyes... they didn't just have killer intent, there was a scorn and fury built up inside them that numbed my arms and caused me to instinctively jerk away. He took advantage of this, and spit fire at me. I had no choice but to dodge it. I fell to the side, and looked back up, only to see the door to the grave closed, with Madara unconscious and Yoshika gone.
-Yoshika POV-
It's dark... I can't see anything, but I can feel his arm still around me. It's warm, but I don't want to fall further into his embrace. Trying to keep the tears I have locked up from falling, I clench my jaw. He began to walk forward, and I followed. I didn't want to be left alone in this condeming darkness, with no escape. The door to the tomb was probably shut so tight no air was coming in... my god, I'm going to die... finally caving in, I started to cry. I didn't want to die here, I didn't want to die in the arms of a dead man, I didn't want to die! Sensing this, he tightened his grip on me, and spoke softly.
"Shh. Soften thy laments, and strengthen thy heart. Thou ist not condemned, rather; thou ist blessed. Now lay, rest thy thoughts and thy aching soul. Fall asleep, I promise thou that thou shall wake in due time." They shouldn't have, but those words ade me feel safe, secure... they made me forget I was going to die, and made me think that instead I was just sleeping. Something bumped against my knees, and I fell on it. Expecting to hit the stone floor, I fell on something soft. I think it's a bed, and it's comfirmed when I feel him on it too. He grabbed me, and pulled me over so I was half under him. Using his arm as a pillow, he pulled a blanket over me and whispered in my ear.
I could not see, but everything started fading. I grew dizzy, but not in the bad way. It felt more like I was floating, but I was still aware I was in his arms. Everything I had ever known started breaking down. Madara and Sasuke, who might have been trying to break in, strayed from my thoughts. My life, the people I had known in it, and the people I had yet to know weren't there anymore. Their worldly influence couldn't follow me where I was going. All of it, everythng, everyone... it all left as he began to whisper in my ear once again. I began to feel numb, but I didn't try to stop it. His words slowly became what I knew, the only thing that made sense anymore in this cloud of warmth and pitch blackness.
"Fall alseep." I closed my eyes.
Goodnight.
