I'm so sorry for my lack of updates you beautiful humans, my son has just started teething, and I could pour out a million excuses and beg for your forgiveness, but please just know I've been quite stressed out. I'm very sorry for the delay, I hope you can forgive me and enjoy this chapter :)

Please know that I haven't watched / read Naruto in a long time, I just read a lot of fanfiction these days. So my story will NOT follow along the lines, but it will still kind of, if that makes sense. Basically, things are pretty much following the timeline, but they will happen my way because it takes far too long to research, and I'm only writing when my darling son isn't screaming my head off. Teething is horrible my beauties.

Enjoy!

Edit: This is a two year time skip, Sakura is now 12. In the previous chapter she was 10.

.

.

.


.

.

.

"Madara?"

"Hn?"

"Why do we live?"

"What do you mean by that, hime?"

A small, sad smile. Tiny fists crushed into a ball.

"We as humans... We are temporary. We're dying from our first breath."

Rustling. A large, strong hand gently gripping a small, fragile one.

"Hime, even though we will one day.. expire," A pause, as he too has a small sad smile resting on his sharp features. She will never cease to exist in his mind. "We must make our days count. As ninja, our days are numbered. The more powerful we become, the bigger the target painted on our backs. But I can promise you this; I will protect you until my very last breath, and I will even continue to protect you from beyond my grave."

.

.

.


.

.

.

Chapter F O U R

.

.

.

Nothing could be heard throughout the small apartment. Nothing but the soft, barely there sound of hair being gently brushed and tangled between fingers. A large dark haired male elegantly draped over the couch. A small, pink haired girl of twelve lay with her head in his lap as his fingers brushed through her light locks.

The Uchiha had previously been away from their home for the last month, scouting potential members for his organization. Returning to his young apprentice was a welcoming feeling.

Where other people would cower in fear and readily run for their lives at the mere mention of his name, she would damn near take the door off its hinges in her rampage to get to him, dive into his waiting arms and scold him for taking so long.

"Have you found anyone yet? Or is that Pein guy and Paper Girl all you got?" Sakura asked sleepily, bright eyes slowly blinking closed. Madara suppressed a smile. If only Konoha knew that for the past two years he had been able to come and go as he pleased from their 'well protected' village. The things he did for this child.

"There's also Itachi," He reminded her. She smiled, and he felt his chest tighten. Closing his eyes, he looked away. She was far too fond of Itachi. With only a five year age gap, they could converse for hours on end. "Has he been checking in on you?" Even if he could be a pest, he would follow Madara into death, the elder Uchiha knew that Sakura was in safe hands when it came to Itachi.

She nodded, a bright smile covering her lips. "That boy has a serious addiction to dango," Then the smile fell from her face, and once again, Madara's chest gripped tightly. "I was placed on his brothers Genin team." She admitted. The teams were announced only few days after Madara's departure, and Sakura had, for the first time, dreaded talking to her sensei about something.

He gave no visible reaction, but she was trained by a man of legend, her hearing was keen, and the pinkette could hear his heart beat change patterns. Itachi could not be distracted when he was not here to watch his hime, there had been too many times that he had come home to find her covered in cuts and bruises. That was one of the reasons why Madara had made it Itachi's mission to guard the small child in his absence.

The other reasons being far too selfish to admit.

"Madara?" A sleepy, curious voice cut through the silence.

"Yes, hime?" Delicately twirling a long lock of petal hair through his gloved fingers, his voice remained strong, yet soft. A tone, she had noticed, reserved only for her. It made her feel safe.

"Can you stay longer this time? I've missed you." Slowly, he tilted his head to look down at the tired girl resting in his lap. He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it before a smile pulled over his lips. She had fallen asleep already.

Gently, softly, carefully he picked her up in his arms. "I've missed you too, hime." Pressing a kiss to her temple, he soundlessly carried his very world to her bedroom.

.

.

.

It was nothing at first. Even if it was anything, and it wasn't, it was small.

But she had been changing. She had been growing. She was maturing, and Madara cursed himself for paying more attention than he should.

She was twelve - twelve, for Gods sake - he cursed himself to the depths of hell for having these thoughts. He had to remind himself she was still a child, no matter how mature she was.

Love was never a good thing for Uchiha's anyway.

He had found her, two and a half years ago. He had made her the center of his universe without any sign of hesitation. He, the Legendary Uchiha Madara had just as quickly thrown himself into the dark, unknown depths of trust as quickly as she, a ten year old girl had.

He could have cringed. Instead, he sighed.

It could have been a trap, he attempted to scold himself. He should not have trusted her so quickly, he should not have jumped to her aid so readily and he definitely should have not have let it go this far.

But he would not change it. Not for anything, nor anyone.

He would kill anyone who dare try to create space between them.

Sakura was under his protection, for now and forever.

She was his.

There was no two ways about it.

But what was it about her? He just couldn't fathom it, she just called to him. He saw her, and no one else. He saw her, and not the messed up world he was trapped in.

He saw her and he thought - mine.

Nothing would ever take her away from him.

He saw her, abandoned. He saw her left behind by her people.

Every time he looked at her, every time he looked in her eyes, he could see the hurt, the betrayal.

Madara watched his hime, and he saw himself. Alone and afraid.

There was no way she would ever feel like that again.

He swore it.

.

.

.