Disclaimer: I do not own Uchiha Madara or any other characters from the Naruto series.
Note: Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.
"Where were you?"
He glanced at the man standing beside him, who was looking down to the bustling city below them.
He knew what exactly this man was asking him. He knew the other side of the question.
"I've been… busy."
The man suddenly burst out laughing.
"Oh, come on, Madara. After all these years, you're still hiding from me.
"I thought I am your best friend! Well, you're only friend, if I may so," he added with a chuckle.
"I wasn't hiding!"
"Now, now. Don't get your feathers all ruffled up. I was just joking. But seriously, you should have said goodbye to us properly.
"I was really hoping for a wild match of drinking later that night, and Mito was also hoping to thank you properly for coming.
"Although, thanks to you, she now gets to decide the color of the walls for our new house."
"You made a bet with her?"
"Yes."
"About what?" He shuddered to think what about, though, he now had the idea.
"About you. Coming to the party. And her."
Her.
"And you lost because?"
"Because you both came to the party."
"What?!"
"I know, I know. But you know me well about my bets when it comes to gambling. Quite so well, in fact."
He sighed.
Yes, he knew Hashirama too well and his penchant for betting on the wrong thing when gambling.
That's why hated gambling. He hated believing that the outcome of his work depends on fate or destiny or some higher unexplained force.
He hated having the fate of his life on the hands of the unknown. Of not having control.
You're a man who doesn't do things without calculating its probability of success. You don't leave things to chance… You don't believe in taking a leap of faith.
Yes, that was what she said. And she was right.
But he surprised her that night. He took a chance. He took a leap of faith.
And he fell, spectacularly.
What bothered him was that she knew.
She knew it would not have worked. It would have never worked.
Now he understood.
This did not matter anymore because the realization came too late. Again.
How is it that when it came to her, he was always late?
"So where were you?" Hashirama asked him again, this time asking the real question.
He gave him a watered down version of what happened that night.
"That serious, huh?
"To think most women would never hesitate to be Uchiha Madara's love, especially if said Uchiha Madara confessed that he loves them.
"But she's not most women, is she?"
He just gave an imperceptible nod.
"So what are you going to do now that you've found her?"
He was taken aback by Hashirama's question.
"What? Am I wrong? A month has passed since my wedding anniversary and you still haven't found her yet?"
He should not have been surprised.
"It has been five weeks and three days since your wedding anniversary. And yes, I found her two weeks ago."
"Oh? Now that's surprising."
Funny, she said the same thing to him.
"You've been sitting on that information for two weeks now and you've done nothing about it. You haven't gone to see her. Unless…
"Are you honoring her request? Are you letting her go for good?"
"No!" he said rather harshly.
"That's what I thought. So?"
"So what? I don't know!"
"Damn! She really tied you up in knots, that's for sure. I can't remember the last time you were this indecisive."
You've clearly made a big assumption by the way…
About us getting married. About me being your wife…
I ask only one thing from you: let me go…
You want everything back the way it was before!
Things I cannot give you. Not this time…
You can easily break me as I can you…
I don't want to feel so… helpless anymore…
We were both unable to meet the demands that we have made from each other…
I can't think of any reason to stay…
Loving you and letting you go are two essentially different things…
Goodbye, Madara…
"I… I don't know what to do."
Is he prepared to give her what she asked from him?
Is he willing to let her go and leave to destiny the fate of his heart?
Is he willing to go that far?
-NOTHING FOLLOWS-