A/N: Er. Mah. Gerd! Check out dat new, sassy cover photo! 030 This fanart was made by the lovely Mirere on Deviant Art and was commissioned by moi! I had never done a commission before and I was happy to choose her since she has such a lovely Pre-Konoha OC. So check out her work and maybe commission her too.

As it was pointed out in a review earlier, yes, Akane is a smoker and that is funny. A little lesson with Asian culture: women don't smoke. So the fact that she frequently smokes a pipe shows her to be a little unconventional. Just in case anybody missed that! I had honestly forgotten it myself and was reminded when my friend from Hong Kong found it so hilarious.

Also, sorry for the late chapter, I recently moved from one coast to the other. Been kinda hectic for me. D:

The next few days worked out in a similar manner. I felt more as though I were a clanless kunoichi, whom was beckoning for Uchiha loyalties in return for my medical service, and less like a hostage. The same vibe passed all throughout the clan. Mostly women with young children and elders were the only ones left behind when war was about- it was the same for Senju and Uzumaki. Most glanced at me quite curiously and others downright halted to stare. I couldn't blame them, there wasn't an Uchiha alive with red hair or purple eyes. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Never had being a medic nin in my life felt as degrading as it did here. Akane-san assured me that all the other medics went out to battle and that she wasn't the only one, but I could tell that she was overworked in this thankless job. No wonder she was more than eager to argue with Uchiha Izuna as to where I should stay.

"You can't ask our guest to work," he thoughtfully suggested that I was a guest and not a hostage.

The more I watched him animated, the more I felt uncomfortable at his existence. I still wasn't convinced the Uchiha men could have a nice bone in their body.

"So stick her in a small, dark room and let her sit on her flat butt all day, crying at the walls?" Akane-san said boldly to him.

Flat butt?

With that point Izuna threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay, you win, you always do."

Akane-san seemed to genuinely believe she could get her way with the second-in-command, but even I could tell he just saw the matter as trivial and that his time was better spent with the paperwork at his desk.

"If that's okay with you, that is...Misssss..." He waited for me to finally give him my first name. I just blinked once and stared blankly. I think I had finally convinced him I was mute.

After that we were quickly ushered out of his office and back to medical duties.

"I hear the soldiers are to return home by lunchtime, we'll be very busy soon. Let's finish up these jobs and prepare." By prepare she meant she smoke a pipe and I prepare the supplies.

While I ran around the rectangular building preparing, my stomach was in knots. Seeing all those men returned covered in the blood of my brothers and sisters from Uzumaki and Senju alike. Disgusting was a light way to put it. Here I was about to use my hands to heal these men? I just couldn't. It'd be a greater honor for me to run a kunai through my belly and be done with it. They hadn't even arrived and I was ready to jump in a pit of snakes first.

"You Uzumaki, don't have to worry about much, do you?" Akane-san said through a puff of smoke. She was relaxed on her 'special' mat in the middle of the floor, enjoying her break to say the least.

I sent her a questioning look only for a brief moment before going back to my ointment sorting task.

"You live well into your hundreds, have immense chakra, there's not a single clan in the world that can compare with you in fuinjutsu and you're adaptable. Not to mention you have the Senju protecting you the whole time." She mused in thought.

I didn't even glance or waver any emotion to her. I wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"But on the other hand, you're prissy uptight people that wouldn't know fun if it slapped you in the face." She went into a roar of laughter, not even phased she went into a fit of smoker's cough afterwards.

I politely smiled, showing her that I recognized her joke. Which hit me was the prissy, uptight, unfun thing to do. Were we really seen as that way? "...So you know my clan," I replied dryly. Not really interested in keeping the conversation going.

"That's like saying 'so you know the sky is blue,' or 'the sun shines everyday.' Of course I do." She replied taking a puff. I could tell it was making her nostalgic and thinking of earlier days.

"I see," was all I could politely muster out, keeping to my busy work. I had no idea what to say. How does one act when they're being kept hostage and the kidnappers are friendly?

"Correct people when they say you're clanless. Tell them you're an Uzumaki and they'll respect you more." She said. I think she finally got her point across.

"I had no idea Uchiha even..."

"We respect nobody but ourselves," She corrected me, "but being an Uzumaki or Senju will make them actually acknowledge you... that, and possibly try to fight you."

I rose an eyebrow. "I think I'll just keep my respectless mute persona."

She smiled to me and nodded in approval. "Just like an Uzumaki would say,"

Our conversation came to a halt by the sound of a large group of people approaching. In her old age she still had her acute hearing abilities, it seemed. I could only hope and dream it'd be my clan to liberate me from this pithole but I knew better. It was Uchiha returning from the battle. The battle I was on less than a week ago. The closer they approached the more exaggerated my nerves became. The thought of all those red eyed demons being here and me touching them and healing their wounds and... I was about to become sick...

"Contain yourself, child." Akane-san said feeling more astute herself. "The wounded will be coming this way any moment now."

I shook my head slightly and brought my hands over my mouth. Doing it very gracefully and ladylike like I was taught out of habit. "Women and babies and elderly, I can deal with healing... But these? No..." I shook my head and tried to not break down right here. I had been so good this week, I just needed to keep this going until someone saved me. The Uzumaki pride was depending on it.

She stood back and watched me, finally seeing me unravel. I'm sure she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Okay, you can heal only women, just calm down." She looked at me with high-alert, having no idea what I might do.

Before I could answer people started to pile into the compound. The wounded, the really wounded and the dying wounded. Looking at the onslaught coming towards me like a horde of undead, I really lost it. I saw no remorse or worry for them like when my clansmen came piling in. All I felt was fear and disgust at myself, that somewhere very deep down, pride that some brave ninja cut these Uchiha down.

"No, no...no." I stated coldly trying to regain my composure.

I took a deep, calming breath and rushed for the door. Pushing past injured people was definitely something I would have never been caught dead doing with my clan, but I couldn't handle a room full of Uchiha. I was willing to sacrifice etiquette to get fresh air.

I found an exit out the doorway, just wanting to find an empty space. Somewhere that was dark and quiet, so I could be left alone to my erupting emotions. Before I reached three steps on the grass, I felt a slap back to reality as my right arm was locked in a tight grasp. I turned around horrified at who would do such a thing. I felt a little ease to see the site of a face only a mother could love, the man I had deemed gruff man this week.

"You there!" I said standing erect, calling his attention and turning the tables in my favor. "Take me to nearest prison cell!"

He looked at me confused for a moment, I could tell he didn't carry the genius Uchiha stereotype.

"I'm a prisoner, aren't I? Now take me to a cell." I said again in soft but firm tone. With people of this rank, they only knew how to respond to authority.

He finally released the death grip on my arm and motioned his head for me to follow in front of him. I straightened out the fabric of my itchy yukata and obeyed, like a good prisoner.

I was walked to the complete opposite end of the compound where things were even more run down. If I thought the stares from the women and elderly were uncomfortable before, I had never imagined the stares of returning soldiers. Most were too hungry or tired to give me a third glance but some were staring daggers into me. I had a feeling this was just the beginning of my discomfort here. I applaud myself for making the right choice of preferring a dark, tiny room sectioned off from the rest of these people.

My victory was short-lived when I saw a tall, slender person step in our path.

"Shun, what are you doing?" From the voice, I now noticed it was a woman. Her red armor and androgynous face gave away no signs of femininity.

Gruff man had a name, I'm assuming it was Shun. He looked at her blankly, like he always did with everyone, and replied. "Ask Madara-sama or Izuna-sama."

"I'm asking you, who is this?" She was speaking about me but she never even once looked at me. At least she made me feel like the prisoner I was.

I could tell poor Shun didn't like to explain unless someone ordered him to. By the way he puzzled over whether to respond or not showed me her rank wasn't as high as she tried to lead on. "Uzumaki hostage," he responded.

I looked away not wanting to meet a gaze with her or any returning Uchiha. She bickered with him back and forth of what he was doing wrong, which proved she didn't have a whole lot to do with her time. I lead squads and I knew I never had time to sit around and argue with errand boys.

"Take her to the cell and keep her in there, her presence is exciting the men."

If her goal was to make my eyes grow two times their size, she succeeded. My face was not towards them but I'm sure my body language gave away my obvious discomfort. I had never been more eager to stay in a cell my whole life. In fact, that sounded like the safest option here. Can't get in, can't get out. I grasped the upper collar of my yukata in a sense of security.

When Shun and I were free to go back on our journey, we reached our destination quickly. The 'cells' was actually just one small building, it looked like a shed that farmers stored tools in. I could tell that Uchiha did not keep prisoners often. And why did they need to, they took no prisoners on the battlefield. But it was reassuring to know I'd be the only one and could truly be left alone.

He quickly ushered me into the wooden building and closed the rickety door right behind me. A seal was enacted on the door on the other side. One I'm sure was child's play for me. But I had no escape plan and wasn't sure if I would even dare to, so I wasn't about to tinker with it. It was a calming site to see seclusion. Uzumaki that worked with fuinjutsu were always the type that found comfort in silence for long hours at a time. You had to, to have the ability to concentrate on scrolls that took hours to make.

I sat on the god awful bed made of straw in the corner of the cell. A smile crossed my face when I thought of fuinjutsu and how much my sister hated it in the beginning. She really couldn't hold still or quiet to save her life. The first few years of seal training is nothing but calligraphy. Hours and hours of writing on paper in silence. You had to have a keen artistic and scientific mind to even see beauty in it. She just had a mind that wanted to roam wherever the winds took her.

I always appreciated our differences, even if most the time they annoyed me. In many ways I was envious of her free-spirit and loose mouth. I was born to be the leading daughter that turned out exactly how my parents wanted me to. She was the one that was born to take a different path. She caused my parents nothing but a headache but that was her charm.

These thoughts all led back to my worries of her safety. At this point what happened to me was of no concern, I just wanted to know if my sister escaped the Uchiha grip.

Even though it was high noon, I laid down on my new bed and closed my eyes, thinking silence and meditation would soothe myself.

I woke up to a loud bang on the door and the sound of someone coming in, causing me to realize my meditation ended in me falling asleep. I wasn't sure how much time had passed by, I sat up and watched Shun enter into the cell.

"Come on," He said getting to the point.

What? Why? I simply stared at him in my bed, waiting for an explanation.

He sighed in agitation and approached me. "Wait, no need, I can wa-ALK!" It was not a smooth move on my end to defy him for a second. It was like strolling down memory lane to day one here, when I was escorted to the medical building butt first. I was hoping I would never have to be led this way again.

My head bobbed on the bumpy ride and I watched the ground as I left a trail of hay falling from my hair and other parts that caught onto my rigid yukata.

I felt my abdomen bruising already when he entered into a doorway with my butt first. I was a warrior and a fighter but I was still a lady second and we definitely didn't let our bottoms hang in the air frequently like this. I thought back to that woman's comment and felt a foreboding knot in my stomach. I learned I'll definitely never keep Shun waiting again.

"Izuna-sama," Shun said as he sat me down on the same red, dusty couch I had been sat on the first day.

I quietly pulled my loose hair out of my face and didn't even bother picking out the hay, my hair had not hung loose since I was a young girl and it was getting difficult to manage. I tried not to stare as Uchiha Izuna and the man that was with him stared at me for long moments.

"If that'll be all, Izuna-sama, I'll take my leave now." The young brunette said to him.

He stood to walk out, "Shun, I heard my sister gave you a rough time today, don't let her harass you too much." He said leaving, patting Shun on his broad shoulder.

"Of course not, Hikaku-sama." Shun nodded and left out of the room with him, only when Izuna gave him the dismissing wave.

I inwardly gulped, not liking the idea of being left alone with him.

The door was shut and he allowed a few moments of silence to sit in while he looked to me. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to meet his. The urge to twitch and wince away from him was unbearable, feeling like I would be attacked or something at any moment.

Whatever he wanted I never found out as the door opened in a very aggressive manner. Both our heads turned towards the door to see who would dare do such a thing. I couldn't imagine who would dare to open Uchiha Izuna's door that way... until I saw who.

Uchiha Ma... I couldn't even say his name in my head. A sickening knot appeared in my stomach, making me feel nauseous. I tried to contain myself as my yukata suddenly became too itchy and hot for the first time.

He didn't even seem to notice I was there as he took a seat that the brunette was in earlier, sitting beside his brother's desk. The way he stormed into this room and made himself instantly at home, showed me his utmost comfort around his brother. The way he kicked back in the cheap oak chair and let out a sigh. It was... human of him. But that hardly stopped my heart rate from reaching the 100s at his mere site.

It only took him a moment to notice me when he relaxed. He quickly did a double take at me and erected his posture up. "Izuna, what is that?" He asked clearly speaking about me.

His eyes meeting mine was like that of a mouse meeting the gaze of an old woman with a broom. The uncomfortable gazes of the soldiers was nothing compared to his eyes that could literally make you drop dead. I lowered my head and refused to even look in that direction anymore. It made me feel like a war lord's passive servant, afraid to meet my master's gaze out of disrespect.

"You tell me," Izuna replied defensively.

"What is it doing in here is the question." He shot back, sounding angry. Though I had the feeling he always sounded that way.

It? When did I become genderless.

"You're bleeding on my floor," Izuna replied totally avoiding the question, seeming more interested in his floor than his previous objective with me. "Why didn't you get healed?"

Madara sighed in agitation. "Akane is bat shit crazy and I'm fine."

"Our guest is a healer, let her heal you." He replied in my direction. I could feel his stare on me. Curiosity got the better of me and I side-glanced at his smiling face, I quickly drew back when Uchiha Madara's gaze shot my way.

"If being a clan leader fails you, you could make a hefty living off of scaring people," Izuna joked to his brother.

The fact that these two were here, mere feet from me, having these typical brother squabbles in front of me was amazing to say the least. I wondered how many people got to witness these two acting this way. If I lived through this, it'd be a great story to tell my future children, or even a story to tell Miku when I got home.

Oh, Miku... My thoughts suddenly rushed back to her and the battle we were on. Did he spare her? Did he spare my clan? My logic was telling me no way he did but I wanted so much to believe that they escaped freely.

"Did you just call the hostage a guest?" Madara shot back to him.

"Prisoner is so, so... I don't know, we don't keep prisoners." Izuna shook his head.

You could just feel the clan leader tense up at his brother's comment, feeling disappointed. "So you call it a guest and then what? Did you two enjoy your days having tea and philosophical conversations?"

"I would have if she would speak to me," I could feel the disappointment in his voice. His sweet voice almost made you want to feel sorry for him, almost.

"You," he barked. Was he speaking to me? I didn't dare look. "Look at me, girl." He commanded.

Okay, I'm the only girl, he was speaking to me. At least he gave me a gender this time. Even though he called me, I was too petrified to look him in the eyes as I turned my body towards their direction. I wasn't a timid, easily riled girl but he struck much fear in my heart. I think it'd be safe to say only Senju Hashirama wasn't totally afraid of this man. I'm sure even he had a healthy fear of him to an extent.

He gave a tsk sound, clearly disappointed in my existence. Why he would have any expectations for me, I had no idea. "How unsightly to see. And you claim yourself the future leader of the Uzumaki Clan, that was a cute lie."

My eyes narrowed at the statement, it was hardly a lie.

"You're here for one reason and one reason only, I'm using you as a weapon against that bastard Senju, Hashirama." He seethed at the mention of his name, crossing his arms.

I curiously glanced up at him. Why on earth would I be a weapon used to harm him? I barely knew the man. Sure, one day when I was leading my clan I would have to deal with him, since we are cousin clans, but that was it. There was hardly a reason for him to risk his life for the Uzumaki clan leader's daughter.

"Get that dumb look off your face, I know who you are, really."

I became bold and my curious glance turned into an outright puzzled look.

"As the betrothed of that Senju, I'm sure we can use this opportunity to get to him one way or another."

Be...betrothed? What? "I'm not the betrothed of Hashirama-sama," I said quietly. I was saying more as a reassurance to myself than these two Uchiha. He must have really had me mixed up with someone else.

"Don't lie to me," he warned. I wanted to wince back but I was really telling the truth.

"I'm not lying," I defended quietly.

"Madara... did you get the wrong one? They all have red hair, it could have been anyone of them." Izuna sighed, finding humor in this mix up.

"You're the daughter of that pathetic old man, Uzumaki Kaito." Madara said, practically spitting at the sound of my father's name.

"I am," I replied dryly.

"Miserable old man, giving his daughter away to the Senju. You Uzumaki will do anything to please them, won't you?" He taunted, not actually expecting a reply, I'm sure.

I was not looking at him, but I sat tall now, accepting anything he threw my way. The words of a barbaric Uchiha could never hurt me if I wanted to protect my clan's name.

"If you were truly the future leader, they'd be even more sad than they are now. Not even those bastard Senju could protect you."

I took the hits, but a fire was growing in my belly. To have my bloodline taunted like this was not something I was accustomed to. I just wanted out of this room. Negative thoughts were starting to fill my head and I felt likely to have an emotional outlash, like I did with Akane-san. There was something about these Uchiha that drove me up the wall to near insanity.

"I don't care what you do to me," I said looking to him. His coal eyes pierced at me and I winced only for a moment. "But, I just have to know... what resulted of the battle I was on."

I didn't care if he backhanded me or yelled and kicked me out, I wouldn't cooperate with him unless I knew the fate of my sister. After that, he could say and do whatever he wanted. The whole reason I was here was to save her and my clan.

Izuna looked back and forth between his brother and I, seeming interested in what was unfolding. He was probably surprised I could actually speak.

I looked at him as bravely as I could, such an act would probably antagonize him but it made me feel like I was taking back some control for the first time. How many people looked this man in the face and lived to tell the tale?

"Don't bother me with such stupidity, insolent woman. How dare you ask me a question." He looked at me seeming agitated. By the arm hanging in his lap, I could tell it was badly injured and he was in a foul mood from it.

I hung my head, deeming it hopeless. In the eyes of this man I was a petrified mouse. I was far too intimidated to even think of ways to get answers from him. I accepted defeat right away.

"So you lost?" Izuna sighed with his head on his hand, seeming amused with the angry look that graced his brother's face.

"Of course not! Like I would ever lose to a sad pack of Senju whores. They ran with their tails between their legs."

My head rose up. They fled? They actually got away? My hand covered my mouth as I tried to have my moment without being noticed. The realization that my sister and clan fled away without being chased down was best case scenario for me. My throat began to hurt as I tried to hold back my tears, being successful for the most part. Miku... my dear sister escaped after all. I wanted to laugh and cry and just hug her.

A knock came at the door and a man walked in, I barely noticed and listened even less. Something about delivering Madara's written report of the battle.

"Good, let's go over the papers then." Izuna said making room on his desk. He seemed much more willing to go over paperwork than his brother, who seemed slightly peeved at the thought.

Shun walked into the room and looked to Izuna and Madara for orders.

"Get her out of my site," Madara said turning to the papers and not giving me another look.

Shun nodded and went to pick me up. I jumped back, not willing to be escorted that way again.

"Shun, I think she can walk." Izuna peered above his papers.

Shun seemed annoyed for a moment, probably thinking it's much easier to carry me than deal with me walking. But of course he obliged his leaders' every command without thought.

I stood up promptly and walked in front of him out of the door, pretending not to hear when Uchiha Izuna told me bye. He honestly scared me more than his brother.

Walking back to the cell I saw Uchiha walking everywhere around the compound like today was a festival. They were celebrating a victory against the Senju. What was their definition of victory? Surviving? Killing a high number of Senju? I had no idea and was afraid to find out.

If Shun was good at one thing, besides taking orders, it was being a bodyguard. Any time someone got within his reach he pushed them practically out of the clan grounds. As long as the hand that feeds him permits, I was safe from any harm. By looking at the drunken gaze of these men, I definitely needed that protection.

With a slam of the wooden door and a sad excuse for a seal enacted, I was back in this prison home. Oh, and they were nice enough to leave me some porridge on my bed to eat. It was cold and bitter but it tasted sweet in my mouth. I finally allowed myself to take a victory lap for the first time since my arrival. My sister survived. My clansmen being right behind her was a huge bonus. I made a promise that these red-eyed demons could do whatever, as long as my sister was okay, at this point I was still obliging to that thought.

Rest came easily for me that night for the first time in a long spell.

I didn't realize just how deep of a sleep I fell into until I awoke to a knock. I wasn't even awake, it felt more like a sleep paralysis. My head felt light and I thought I was floating towards the door. I was back at home and none of this had ever happened, or so I thought. It was my sister knocking, coming to tell me to wake up and insist I go view the blue moon with her. It looked best in the middle of the night. That's what we had planned on doing after that easy battle with the Uchiha.

"Princess-sama," I heard low whisper call from the door.

I became alert and awoke from my daze, thinking I was being called for a mission instead. Everybody in my clan addressed me as Princess.

I walked to the door and tried to look out, it was blocked by a black blur and my vision had yet to clear up from my sleepy eyes.

"We're all glad you're safe. You need to listen to me, I don't have a lot of time." He spoke through the space in the door that was blocked with a few rusty iron bars.

I rubbed my eyes and listened, very slowly coming back to reality.

"We want you back alive, your father and Hashirama-san have ordered you do what you must to live here. We'll get you back soon."

"Wait," I mustered out feeling my eyes tingle as they came into perfect view.

"No time, I must be off." And in a blink he was gone.

I stood there for several minutes, in a half-awake daze wondering if what happened just happened.