A/N HOLY CRAP LONG BORING CHAPTER. It was one of those ones you really didn't want to write but knew you didn't have a choice because it contains thing important to the plot. I was thinking about making this two chapters but decided that three Madara-less chapters would be too much seeing how 99% are here for Madara. So I decided to cram all the Madara-less part into one long chapter. So yep still no Madara...but he'll be in the next one I promise!

Oh yes and Izuna is very OOCish in this fic, sorry deal with it. We don't know much about Madaras little brother other than his name is Izuna and he had a sharply different personality to Madaras. So my Izuna is probably way off from the real one but with the lack of knowledge about this character all I can do is paint my own mental image, sorry if that image is incorrect to you. (I'm open to suggestions as to how his personality should be !)

Oh and Cynder sweety man I have been where you've been, riding bareback with a another person, trust me when I say the following is not a exaggerated situation. I know I know many of you fan girls are going to read this and say "how the hell is that uncomfortable! Thats awesome!" but trust me when your in Cynders situation it is just horrible!

EDIT: Read through quickly and fixed some of the the mistakes, hoping its not too riddled with grammar errors (anyone who wants to proof read this and send me their fixed version is more than welcome to)

Oh yes and keep in mind this is rated M, I try not to make it a pile of course language but I do occasionally put bad words in my works, sorry deal with it.

EDIT2: Thank you for your out put Dragon Jadefire, I knew Sama was similar to calling someone lord but I've seen people in other fan fics call people Lord and sama, but their probably wrong just like me. This is the first writing I've ever done where the culture was different from mine, so there are with out a doubt going to be mistakes, but I'm glad you corrected me because if no one does then I don't learn. I went back and fixed it, feel free to give me more input on how to make the culture more correct for the setting and time.

Born on the back of a horse.

Hannah walked for some time, so much so Cynder was getting a bit inpatient. She wanted to get this ninja back home and get back what little normalcy her life had.

She wanted to be done with these ninjas. Something she deep down knew would not ultimately happened due to the increase in wars, the more wars the more ninja; but Cynder didn't want to think about that.

Hannah however was thinking, she knew something that Cynder didn't. Which is why she remained in her walk. Cynder had never ridden double except for with her mother and father, but she was young and and in a saddle. She was bareback and she was riding with a man.

A man she had just met.

Never the less the horse finally gave in after continual tapping at her sides, not ordering her to go faster but begging. Hannah let out a tired breath and complied, Hannah knew that Cynder was just going to have to learn the awkward way. She started a slow smooth trot.

But to her surprise it was not Cynder who had problems it was Izuna.

Ah Izuna didn't know how to ride a horse.

The mare knew that ninjas gripped on to things with their chakra instead of learning how to go about things like a normal human. The horse let out another little sigh. Why had she thought this ninja would be any different? Cynder seemed to notice and come to the same conclusion that Hannah did.

"Hannah is not a normal horse." She said looking back to him, pausing for him to meet her gaze. "You can not grip to her like you could other things. Her own energy repels others...You are just wasting your chakra by trying. You have to move with her before you can connect with her."

Izuna said nothing, instead he focused his attention to how she was riding. He watched intently how her back and hips swayed. Clearly she knew what she was doing because on the ground her and the horse looked like they were glued together.

Izuna began to mimic her motions, moving his back and hips just as she was. There it was...

bump...

bump...

bump...

Hannah let out a very quite, almost silent, whinny equivalent to a giggle, as she felt Cynders hands tightly go down and grip her mane almost pulling it out as her body grew stiff. Izuna was still to preoccupied with learning how to ride to notice the horror of the woman in front of him.

bump...

bump...

bump...

Every time his hips moved forward his groin slammed into Cynders rear. The grip on Hannahs mane tighten to the point were she was actually starting to break skin. Hannah looked back to give a glare for the harsh grip but was melted back into a pool of humor when she saw Cynder.

Her eyes were impossible large, with the exception of the occasional twitch of her right cheek, causing her right eye to close a little, her mouth was open and you could clearly see her teeth grinding back and forth as she hunched her shoulders a bit. Quite frankly she looked like she was on crack.

Being a virgin with a stranger grinding his hips into your rear (although unintentional and not meant to be sexual.) was bad enough, however Cynder over the years had become a stranger to touch by her own species, even a simple hand shake had become unbearable for Cynder, so the discomfort level was beyond extreme as Cynder was literally about to fall off.

It was only when Cynder began to slip off the side of her horse did Izuna notice her discomfort with this movements.

"HEY!" Was all that slipped out of his mouth as he tried to prevent this woman from falling. He couldn't understand why she had all of the sudden lost her balance so badly until he reached over to try and grab her.

His entire front was flushed against her back. It was too much, she verbally squeaked as he made contact with her, she arched her back away from his and despite his efforts to prevent her from falling she slid right off. Hannah of course had not only felt Cynder begin to fall but had predicted Izuna's actions and stopped in time to caught her rider and ease her fall.

What a weird woman. She had just fallen off a horse and actually looked more comfortable in the dirt than before. Izuna had seen how comfortable she was with Hannah before he got on and he had seen how well she moved with the animal so it just didn't make since.

As she sat up she sigh with a little grin, she was very happy to be away from his touch. Of course it didn't last for long, she tensed up again as he put his hand on her head. Izuna caught it this time, the girl didn't like to be touched. Feeling her dislike of his touch he moved his hand off her head.

"Are you okay?" Almost giggling. It was funny, this was probably the only woman on the planet who would jump off of her horse to get away from his touch. Most men would have been offended, Izuna found it funny.

Cynder moved her long blonde hair out of her eyes and met his gaze. "Yeah...Its just been a while since I last...rode with anyone.."

"Am I that repulsive?" Izuna teased. Although he was merely teasing and anyone could tell there was no seriousness in his voice Cynder answered as if he was.

"Sorry but theres not a person alive that I don't find repulsive." Cynder said shyly moving her eyes away from his.

'What a interesting woman..' Izuna quietly thought to himself. From her weird physical build to her deep red eyes, to her strange personality. She was hard to predict something Izuna rarely saw, especially in a woman. Izuna notice that Cynder still was looking off to space with a sad expression.

"Hey, I'm not offended." He paused thinking of the right words to say "I'm sure you have valid reasons to feel that way." He said remembering the bad situation he found her in.

Cynders eyes looked back up to meet his. He was the first person not to be offended by her awkward social behaviors. A slight smile crossed Cynders face as a thought crossed her mind. 'Maybe Izuna and Madara are twin brothers and Madara is the evil one and Izuna is the nice one.' She thought to herself remembering the rough treatment from Madara.

She violently protested being touched by him too, but he seemed to completely ignore it.

"What?" Izuna asked with a smile as he noticed that Cynder clearly was thinking of something amusing.

"Oh nothing relevant." She said causally as she got back on her horse. "Do you believe in evil twin brothers?" She continued once back on. She was trying not to be too obvious in her thinking but Izuna caught on quick. It was too much this he could not help but laugh at.

As Hannah started to move again Cynder looked back at Izuna, was what she said really that funny? Izuna noticed her stare.

"I don't now how or when you met my brother.." He paused to take a breath "..but I take it was was not a good experience?"

Cynder didn't know how to answer that, her first instinct was to call Madara a giant douche but she thought better of it, after all this was his brother she was talking to.

"Its okay you can say whats on your mind." Izuna said noticing how long her pause was.

"He..." Cynder was still hesitant "..he doesn't know how to handle a lady.." Was all she said before turning around.

Izuna only responded with another deep husky giggle, as they continued on their way.

As night the sky became pitch black the two decided it would be best to rest for the night. Cynder watched in amazement has Izuna started a fire with no kindling of any sort. 'Sooo this ninja can breath fire...great...' She thought to herself with a sigh as Izuna sat down with a grunt. It was clear his leg was hurting him. However they were in the dry dead part of the fire country and she had nothing to treat his wounds so all she could do was give him a sympathetic look .

Hannah was deeply conflicted. Should she lay down behind her best friend and partner or should she lay down behind the man who had saved both of their lives and was in a considerable amount of pain. She let out a snort of irritation trying to communicate with Cynder given their current situation.

Cynder looked up at Hannah and Hannah did a quick swing of her head pointing towards Izunas badly injured leg. Cynder got the message and sighed as she scooted over towards Izuna. She kept reminding herself that he save both of them and had not given her a reason to distrust him as she got close enough so both of them could rest their heads on Hannah but not close enough that they were touching. Izuna just watched skeptically as she moved closer.

He wasn't given time to question Cynder as he darted forward in shock as the horse laid down behind them, he didn't even know a horse could lay down. He continued to watch a little freaked out as Cynder rested her head against the animals warm belly and as Hannah laid her head down in the dirt. Finally after watching a for a few moments he too cautiously laid down his head against the horses round belly. He kept looking at both the woman and the mare making sure that neither of them protested him doing so, but both looked completely at ease.

"Soo how did you meet Hannah?" He said trying to start a conversion, as he notice that Cynder wasn't even close to sleep, and he couldn't help but want to know a bit more about the pair.

"She saved me when I was 9 years old." Cynder answered not even bothering to look at him.

More silence...

"Going to give me any more details or am I wasting my time?" Izuna said comically. He wasn't going to push the subject if it was only going to ruin the small amount of relationship he was ever so slowly building with this strange woman.

Cynders eyes met with Hannahs and they silently agreed it wouldn't hurt to tell him more. Something about Izuna didn't quite repulse her like most humans did. Something about his up lifting light personality made you want to open up to him. Granted Cynder had not met or seem him when he was a complete beast on the battlefield so she had no idea what a aggressive monster he could be.

"I was separated from my mother and father when I was only 8 years old." Cynder said pausing clearly showing pain over the event. Izuna noticed her pained expression and decided to give Cynder some of his own past to try and ease her into the subject.

"My father abounded our mother and my brother and I when I was only 3 and Madara 5." He paused as a small smile wiped across his face and then disappeared, Madara would punch him if he was here now, sharing such personal details with a woman with like this when they didn't even share it with their clan members would with out a doubt anger him. "My mother became distraught and distant after our father left so much so that my bother and I were practically orphans.." He looked over to her catching her eyes in his own. "..so I can understand how you feel." He continued trying to comfort her with a small smile.

"My aunt took me in...but.." She once again pause and looked away. "..but she didn't love me. No...perhaps she did love me... but I certainly wasn't on the top of her list." Cynder said with a sarcastic scoff. Izuna sat quietly signaling to her to continue. "I certainly wasn't her top priority seeing how she trade me for a black arab stallion." Her eyes dozed off into space as she continued.

"Oh god he was beautiful, that horses face truly looked like it was sculpted by god...I.. I will never forget that animal as long as I live." She said her eyes still in space.

"She traded you for a horse?" He asked raising one of his brows. Cynder could tell from the tone in his voice that he found the whole idea preposterous and outrageous.

"She always wanted a pure bred arab..."Cynder answer quietly eyes coming back down to the ground.

"Who did she trade to you and what for?" Izuna asked still in slightly offended tone.

"A feudal lord in the land of earth, to be another one of his mistresses. She tricked the rest of my clan by telling them that I would have a good life there, she told them I would have the life of a queen and that the lord would give me things they never could...heh.. She even sealed the deal with with my foolish clan by falsely promising I would not be sexually touched till was I 16...Any lie she could think of to get what she wanted." Cynder explained as her expression turned from sorrow to anger.

Izuna quietly listened intensely to her, especially after she said she came from a clan. Many questions were forming in his mind, just like his brother he had never met a normal human with red eyes only people descend from a clan like his. Was Cynder born into a clan of shinobis just like him? He would not ask just yet though, he thought it best to hear the rest of her story out.

Cynder once again took his silence as a sign to continue. "Of course the lord only wanted me because I was young so he could use my body up while I was still untouched." Cynder paused as she closed her eyes and smiled. "My mother told me sex was a beautiful thing that I should never be ashamed of, but, she also said that my virginity was one of the most precious things a woman could give to a man and to only give it to the one that became by best friend, one I could not live with out, one that I would love no matter what happened. My mothers words had become one of the values I would never abound even at that young age. "

The concept sicken him, once again Izuna was glad to be born into a clan of shinobis, the Uchiha would never tolerate giving a 9 year old girl away to be raped. Sure women still didn't have all the rights and powers of men as the culture of the time dictated, but Uchiha women were proud women and were aloud sexual freedom at the very least. He could never imagine anything like this happening in his clan. Sure his clan had many faults and as a child he experienced most of them but at least he could stand proud and say his clan didn't pull this kind of bolivian feces.

Continuing still she sighed before she started again. "The lord demanded proof that I was untouched and said he would take me immediately. When he tugged at my clothing only then did I realize what was about to happen if I didn't do something. Frightened beyond all belief I remembered a story my mother had told me about a time a guy had tried to touch her and she gabbed a knife in his crotch. With out really thinking I mimicked her and at such close range hit my target dead on. The few of my clans men who had traveled with us on the journal became outraged when they discovered my aunts lie and caused a commotion. However it was only big enough to allow me time to slink away after being. fai." Hannah butted in with a snort reminding Cynder to not be too open with detail. There were some things that it would be best if only Hannah and Cynder knew.

Cynder let out a slight cough covering up the word she was about to say "after being injured I managed to get out side and..di..."another fake cough "..lay in the forest. It was there where Hannah found me and save me." She had never opened up to anyone and now that she was Cynder was having a hard time holding back detail she knew she should.

"And your clan didn't come after you?" Cynder could tell by this point Izuna was highly offended as there was no humor in his voice as their usually was.

"They thought I was dead.." Cynder accidentally let slip out, she glanced back at Hannah hoping that she didn't leak anything bad. Hannahs eyes let her know it was okay for him to know this.

The rest of the night was filled with awkward silence, as Izuna could tell Cynder didn't want to talk about this any more. Finally sleep over came Cynder and she turned her back to Izuna laying on her side and went to sleep. Izuna only allowed himself little catnaps, he spent most of the night merely watching Cynder thinking about what she had said.

As dawn came Cynder quickly hopped back on Hannahs back while Hannah was still laying down. Hannah looked back at her with a aww-do-I-have-to look, Cynder answered by tapping on her sides with her feet. Izuna looked up to see the two silently arguing about the get up time. Well Cynder certainly got up early like a shinobi.

Izuna got up only to fall partially back down, it would seem that he had forgotten how badly he was injured. Cynder moved with out thinking standing up and reaching out and grabbing him as he felt preventing him from falling flat on his ass. She stumbled a bit as his weight pulled her much smaller body down with him.

"Hey I know your a ninja and all but at the end of the day your still just man, a very injured man." Cynder said, she was angry that he was treating the horrible wound on his leg and foot so causally. Her eyes scanned over his form as he stood up bracing his weight on her a bit, her hand still gripped to his arm and his hand still gripped to her arm.

He was wearing a simple long blue robe shirt with a high collar, tied in the middle with a sash with blue pants. He probably wore armor at one point but got rid if it once injured because it would increase is weight. His clothing was dirty and torn like hers with stains of red in the fabric. As he had gotten up the sash had become a bit loose causing his robe to open a bit revealing his well toned chest.

Izuna had a strong build just like his brother. His hair was thick and spiky like this brother in the front but once his hair hit the band around in the back, the hair coming out of the band was black silk flowing freely dancing in the slight breeze.

Izuna was attractive.

As soon as the thought hit her she quickly forced her hand away, and turned her deepening red face away from him. Cynder had not let herself think of any person as attractive before, they all disgusted her too much.

However just yesterday morning when they met Izuna was no different than anyone else in her mind, so what had changed?

Did opening up to him open the door for having other normal human emotions for him, emotions Cynder would not normally allow herself to have for anyone.

Cynder sat back on Hannah who was still laying down, making sure to keep her eyes away from his.

'Thats right she doesn't like to be touched.' Izuna thought to himself as he too sat down on Hannah trying to give room between his body and Cynders this time. But something was different this time, she reached to grab him and she allowed the contacted between then to stay even after he stood back up, she also didn't show the same extreme discomfort with being touched. However Izuna didn't let these thoughts linger long as he pushed them a side. Despite their slow pace they were actually not far from his home.

The two rode for about two hours before the silence started to get to Izuna.

"So... how long have you been riding?" Izuna asked finally breaking the silence. It was not that he was really all that interested but he need something to keep his mind off his wound and prying into Cynders life was the only thing he had going for him at the moment.

"I was born on the back of a horse, Izuna-sama." Cynder responded in a calm tone.

Her response left him in a bit of shock.

She finally said his name, this whole time she never had said his name.

And she gave him a honorific, she didn't seem to give anyone a honorific. Perhaps she was starting to warm up to him?

Izuna leaned forward and place his head on her shoulder, letting his long black bangs fall rub on her face. His strong uniquely male sent filled her nose and her mind once again allowing forbidden emotions to sneak through.

Once these thoughts returned she pushed herself out of them by quickly moving away from this touch.

Yep it was still way too soon for him to be physical with her, but her reaction was much slower than before. Yesterday it was instant, she was instantly repulsed by his contact, today just discomforted by it.

They had only been together a short time but it was clear unlike all the other women Izuna had experienced he would have he earn a relationship with her and it would take time and effort. It wasn't that she was intentionally playing "hard to get" it was her strong morals and years of poor human relationships that had made her into what she was.

Izuna had to admit, he liked this scrappy strange little women.

Crap.

The silence was back slowly the pain of his leg began to creep back forward in his mind. Izuna need more questions, hopefully she would give him more answers.

"You said last night you were from sort of clan? Are you from some sort of ninja clan like me?" Ah once again Izuna was prying into her.

Cynder sighed, he already weaseled this much out of her, no reason to not give him a answer.

"Have you heard of the Pandora Horse Men?" She answered his question with another question.

Had he heard of the Pandora Horse Men? Was she joking? Of course he had heard of them, who hasn't? It was said long ago they defeated the great sage who founded every ninja clan that existed today, but over time they had just become a legend.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything, but yes I have heard of them." He answered a bit annoyed.

"They are a nomadic clan of men and do not believe in fighting unless given no other option." She paused thinking about her next works. But before Izuna could protest her giving him what he thought useless information she continued.

"Contrary to popular believe they still exist in small bands, traveling the world in harmony. I was born into one of these bands. I was literally born on the back of a horse. I was born to one of the strongest men in the clan, a wise man who did not raise me to be a daughter but raised me like a man would raise his son, proud and free." Cynder said while allowing herself to think about the broad powerful man that was her father.

It all made since now. She was not bred to be a dainty little woman, she was bred to be on the back of a horse. Everything about her was made to improve her riding, from her short legs to her long waist. She is perfect for what she is.

Izuna found that he had a new out look on her, she was not build strangely but rather she was just not bred to be like most women he saw. When the world looked at Izuna and his brother Madara they saw perfectly built Uchihas and that is how he would look at Cynder a perfectly built horsewomen.

Izuna was deep in thought as the silence was returning. Cynder looked back at the man in thought and waited for the next question.

Growing impatient Cynder decided to just make the process shorter all together and just through out some answers in hope of answering any future questions.

"I did look for them.." Cynder said with a bit of sadness in her tone.

Broken out of his thought process all Izuna responded with was a "Hmp?"

"Once I got free from my aunt and that lord, Hannah and I did look for my parents. We looked for years before giving up and just started wondering." Even more sadness invaded her voice.

"So what are you doing now?" Izuna asked happy that she was so willing to give him answers.

"Honestly? Just wondering aimlessly." She said with a sigh.

"So you have no friends, no family, no home, no...nothing?" Curiosity began to ting his voice. What was this girl doing? Was she really just wondering around like a blind lost dog?

"We tired to find a new home and make new friends but people are just so...repulsive." She paused "I have my morals and I'm not going to leave them just for the sake of having a so called "home" ."

Izuna respond with another "Hmp.." Once again he was in deep thought. Plans began forming in his head. All the while Izuna had no idea this was the girl his brother had accepted as payment for battle. Izuna had hear the whole story, well everything except for the horse part as Madara would not say anything about the woman, from a friend who had come along for the meeting with that day, but he had no idea he was riding with that very woman.

"Is that it?" Cynder asked intimated, as she started at the huge closed gates of the Uchiha compound. She knew the answer simply because of the large crest on the doors but she still couldn't help but ask.

"Yep" Was all he said before bring his finger to his lips to let out a loud high pitched whistle.

Almost immediately the large stone doors opened and lots of armed men where running towards him. This scared Cynder a bit, and Izuna knew it as she actual leaned back a bit looking to him for security.

Izuna let out a light hearted laugh as he patted her leg with his hand. "Don't worry your with me, your fine." He paused leaning close enough to whisper in her ear "And we're not all assholes, you'll find that most Uchiha know how to handle a lady just fine." He had intend his words to comfort her but instead they creeped her out a bit.

Oh boy what was she getting into. Hannah looked back at her unnerved partner, perhaps this would be a good experience for Cynder.

"IZUMA-SAMA! IZUMA-SAMA! IZUMA-SAMA!" Many of the men shouted. As they got closer Cynder could see the pure relief in their eyes. Izunas light hearted expression remained unchanged though.

"Is my brother back yet?" Izuna seemed to ask anyone who would answer not targeting anyone in particular.

"No my lord." One of the armed men said while bowing.

"Ha! I knew I would finish my mission faster than him! Ha! Even with a blown off foot I was faster than him!" Cynder looked back at Izuna, who for some reason was now radiating pride.

It was then some of the mens expressions turned to sheer horror.

"Quickly! We must get Izuma-sama to the medic ward!" One of them shouted.

The three where quickly led inside the base were Cynder and Hannah got lots of stares. However unlike Cynder, Hannah brushed them off and quickly turned her attention the ripe wonderful irrigated green grass below her feet. You never came across grass like this in the wild terrain.

Izuna was quickly loaded off of Hannah and on to a cot where he was to be taken to the medic ward. But he stopped the men before they were about to take them to the ward.

"This is Cynder-chan, she is our very special and honored guess. Give her anything and everything she wants." Izunas eyes met hers as he said the last sentence. Cynder looked back at Izuna in shock, she had no intention of actually staying and the way he said her name...Cynder-chan did not help her feelings.

She gave Hannah a sharp kick in the side in a attempt to get leave while the gates where still open.

Hannah paused to think about it, she looked up, her soft brown equine eyes meeting Izunas near black ones. They scanned each other and silently debated. In the end Izuna won.

Cynder was thin and malnourished. Her skin and hair in poor condition. Cynder really needed to spend some time in civilization, she was wearing her body to the ground and it was not healthy.

Hannah looked up at the tall walls surrounding the stronghold, oh yes they were tall, but Hannah knew if she needed to she could get past them.

So it was decided. They would stay and at the very least rest for a while.

Cynder gave Hannah another sharp kick, she wanted to leave and badly. But Hannah merely went back to eating the ripe grass and allowed her skin to twitch in irritation letting Cynder know she was not leaving.

Cynder was ready to throw a tantrum at this point, but before she could she Izuna spoke to her one last time before being carried away.

"Cynder stay. Its alright I promise." He said in the most clam seductive comforting voice she ever heard. And with that he was taken away.

Cynder sighed heavily as she noticed a pack of women watching her most in shock. Cynder slumped down into her defeated position once again, resting her head on her Hannahs arched neck.

"Fan-fucking-tastic..."She whispered into Hannahs mane.

Cynder hated ninjas and were was she now? In a stronghold of hundreds of ninjas.

She just prayed and hoped she didn't run into that Madara again.

Oh my poor Cynder not only do have to deal with crotch grinding now you have to deal with a bunch of ninjas. Its been a bad couple of weeks for Cynder.