UchiSaku Week Day One- Runaway Queen

Prompt: Immortal/the garbage will do

Pairings: MadaSaku, hints of IzuSaku and SasoSaku

A big thank you to madasakuweek for organising!

He'd forgotten the thrill that came with this chase.

It didn't happen often these days, but as Raijin broke into a furious gallop, he could feel his blood pumping at an almost equally fast pace.

"Madara-sama, please!" He glanced back to see Fugaku rushing after him on his own horse, an unusually anxious look on the stoic man's face. "The paperwork-"

"-is not going anywhere. I'll deal with it when I'm back," Madara yelled back with a grin. "Or get Izuna to do it." With that said, the wild haired man disappeared into the forest, his form quickly lost among the massive trees. Fugaku urged his horse to a slow stop, lifting a hand to his face in defeat.

"But Izuna-sama is not in the castle…" he whispered, shoulders shaking with the force of his frustration.

She was gone.

Madara knew it before he even opened his eyes, feeling a strange ache in his bones that always came with her absence. He sat up at once, grabbing the note left on her pillow with a sigh.

I'll be waiting~

He pressed the paper to his mouth, lips curving up in a sly smile.

Sakura was trying to look every inch of the queen everyone knew she was, but she could feel the restlessness and ache in her bones and she regretted leaving his side. But only a little, she decided as she turned to her companion with a sunny expression in place. He looked out of place with his bright hair and delicate features, glaring at the-in his opinion-over friendly bartender she'd known for years now.

"We should come to this town more often. Honestly, I've spent enough time in that dump to last me a lifetime." Sasori gave her an unimpressed look. They both knew she couldn't stay away from the castle for more than a month at a time, not while Uchiha Madara continued to reside there.

"Haven't you travelled enough? You've been to every nation at least twice."

"That was what, about ninety years ago? I haven't been to another country since…"

"Since you fell in love," Sasori refused to let even a hint of bitterness leak into his tone but he could never hide anything from her, just as she couldn't hide her guilt even though she turned away to sip at her drink and finish writing her note. "Isn't it too early to drink?" He felt that he wasn't doing a very good job of guarding her.

All traces of her guilt vanished as offense settled in. "It's never too early for alcohol!" Spoken like Tsunade's best student. He never could bear to see her sad, and even the very thought of the wandering doctor always cheered her up. What she had with her husband, his king was something she couldn't help. They were simply meant to be.

Madara swept into the inn, heading straight to the bar for any information on his wife. She liked to leave clues behind and over the years, he'd gotten good at spotting them. He nodded in response to all the bows and sputters, his steps not faltering even once.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama," Came the bartender's familiar, lazy drawl.

"Kakashi."

"She was here this morning, "The silver haired man informed him cheerfully, pouring him a drink.

"Thank you," Madara murmured, ignoring Kakashi's amused gaze as he looked around the hall. He gulped the liquid fire down gratefully, knowing that despite how insufferable he was, the other man understood what he would never say, not to him. It hadn't been long but he missed her and going to sleep with her warmth always killed him a little.

"Need some help?"

"No.

"Need a hug?"

"No." They'd had an argument the night before. This wasn't going to be easy. Madara froze, mentally going through a list of the stunts she'd pulled before.

His eyes flew to Kakashi, scanning him carefully, sharingan spinning lazily.

"Hm. I feel strangely vulnerable," the cheeky man chose to speak up. "It must be those terribly hypnotic eyes of yours…"

"Is that what you tell Obito?" His mouth curved up smugly as he went back to checking the rest of the room.

"Well, it worked better on him. I remember his little blush even now," Kakashi told him without a trace of embarrassment. He turned to replace the bottle at the back of the bar, his foot hitting the large basket near his feet and almost toppling it over. "Oops."

Madara paused as he heard the sound of the basket shifting. He rose to his feet and looked over the edge of the wooden bar, and pulled back a few seconds later, eyes squeezed shut with the image of a white camellia in his mind. "Kakashi."

"Yes?" Well, at least he was trying to suppress his glee.

"Take me to wherever you…keep…the trash."

"Of course. Would you like to see my room as well? I could show you my collection of ukiyo-e."

Madara inhaled deeply. "Just…the garbage will do." He didn't even want to know what kind of prints the other man possessed.

"Follow me."

Sakura used high quality paper, surely it wouldn't be that hard to find her note?

But of course, she would never make it easy. Madara could only feel exasperated as he spotted several familiar sheets of paper among the garbage littered across the back room.

"I'm glad you arrived today. We get rid of it at the end of the day, and it would've been too late tomorrow," Kakashi said as he leaned against the door; it isn't every day that your king comes in to go through your trash. And it isn't every day that Uchiha Madara humbles himself enough to even step into such an establishment.

"Right." He wouldn't pout. Damn it, he wanted her hug.

"You ran away? Again?" Izuna looked mildly concerned as they sat beside the river. He could only blink in surprise when he saw her in the marketplace, skipping from stall to stall with her annoyed knight in tow.

"Yes! It's been five days." She laughed as he raised a brow. "We're actually taking a trip to Ame."

"…does he know that?"

"Not yet. But, I sent a letter to Konan and she's made all the arrangements. She said Yahiko's been working so hard it seems like he'll fall over any second now. Are all kings stupid?"

"The way you talk makes it seem like you don't have any responsibilities," he told her with a small smile as she laughed in response. "But you handle these lands as well as your own, Sakura. That's not an easy job."

"It's one I've had for over five hundred years now. What's the point of immortality if you don't even enjoy it?" She asked with a sigh. "Naruto and Sasuke weren't happy to be left in charge, but they get it." Her love for adventure. She knew her husband loved to explore, and staying in one place for so long was draining him. Of course she'd do something about it.

"What about Fugaku? He might actually get a heart attack."

"Itachi will take care of it," she replied easily and that was that. Izuna chuckled as she lazed about in the grass, her hair contrasting nicely with the background. She was meant for adventures and discoveries. She was glowing already, lips curved in a seemingly permanent smile. He felt an urge to caress her dimpled cheek and turned away with a grimace. He met the silent redhead's eyes and there was a moment of understanding there, a similar helplessness against her charm and the knowledge that she would be another man's forever. They sat in silence until they heard the sound of hooves thumping against the ground. Sakura sat up and they watched their king approach, his relief clear and his need apparent in the way he climbed off and ran towards her with his arms spread open. The two men looked away as she buried her face in his broad chest, as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around while she giggled. Raijin approached her expectantly.

"Ame." His tone was flat, and eyes blank. His arms were tight around her.

"Yes! Nagato was in Suna for the month, so we'll meet him at the port and…yes. Ame," her eyes shined and he knew he could not refuse. Not that he wanted to.

"Why Ame?" She smirked and he could feel curiosity stir up.

"We're going to the ten caves." He paused and of course she didn't miss it. She had him.

"Of the Jubi?" he breathed.

"That's right." Well, then. Madara turned to the men, ignoring their knowing smirks.

"Tell Fugaku I'll be back in two months. Izuna, you're in charge."

They had a curse to explore.