(Author's note: Admittedly, there is some gooey stuff in this chapter. But hey...All stories have some goo in them, right?)

Chapter Ten

The room was silent, and tension clouded the air.

"...I've been waiting for you to come to your senses," Madara murmured.

Shiko looked at him, and stood up. "Madara..."

"It's been a while. But yes. It's me. And... before you say anything...it's fine. Took me a while to realize this but...if I had been in your shoes, I would have done the same thing."

Madara was lying. He just didn't want to have to go through with a gooey apology. He didn't like excessive emotions of that type.

Shiko hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. It took him a moment to notice that she was crying. Her tears began to soak through his shirt, but he didn't mind. He had more important things to worry about.

Slowly, he began to rub her back, trying to be soothing. His other arm wrapped around her waist, hugging her body even closer to him.

"I...I missed you," she whispered, her voice muffled.

"Let's get you out of these chains, shall we?" Madara stopped rubbing Shiko's back and gently removed the chains from around her wrists and ankles. As soon as they were off, she rubbed the areas where the metal had been especially tight. Those areas of skin were red, and a bit sore.

"Does it hurt?" Madara asked softly, a hint of worry in his voice.

Shiko shook her head. "It's fine. A little sore, but fine."

Madara breathed.

"That's good."

Shiko looked up at him. "...So now that I'm not your prisoner anymore, what's going to happen?"

Madara laughed. "Well...I was thinking that you'd join the Akatsuki, if you wanted to... I get lonely sometimes...if you know what I mean."

Shiko's cheeks darkened with a hint of a blush. "Was that innuendo?"

Madara folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe.." If he wasn't wearing his mask, he would have been sticking out his tongue.

Shiko stared at him strangely for a moment, almost as if she were looking for something...

"Done. You are Madara."

"...Huh?" Admittedly, he had no idea what she was talking about. They'd already established the fact of who he was.

"Oh, nothing," Shiko giggled. "It's just...I couldn't be absolutely sure until I checked your chakra signature. That's what I just did. So yes, you are Madara."

The masked man sighed. At least she wouldn't fight him anymore.

"Let's get out of this cell. It's too...I just don't like it," Madara grumbled. He didn't really need a reason.

He picked her up, holding her bridal style.

"Hey! I can walk by myself!" Shiko protested.

Madara raised an eyebrow. "Can you?" And with that, he dropped her. On the ground. She hit it hard.

Shiko growled. She mumbled a curse under her breath, and slowly stood up, her legs shaking. She took a few steps, and almost tripped. "See? I can walk," she said, denying the fact that she really couldn't. Without support, anyways.

"I remain unconvinced." And, with that, Madara scooped her up into his arms once more against her will, and used his teleportation jutsu to leave the cell.

When Shiko opened her eyes, they were standing inside of a dark, cave-like room. Not too unlike her cell, to her displeasure. Only there wasn't as much dust, and there seemed to be a chakra-thick presence...

Then she noticed the statue. A huge, demonic looking statue, with eyes that seemed to glow with some kind of dark force.

Out of the blue, Shiko twitched.

"Madara, this is a bit random but... I've seen a lot of creepy things in my life, but that statue over there is definitely one of the most creepy things I've seen. Ever. It almost... frightens me."

Madara laughed softly. "As it should..."He put her down, gently this time. He kept a hand on her, in case she stumbled again and fell. They continued to walk, going through the dark cave. As they rounded the statue, several hallways came into view, which had previously been hidden from sight.

"Where are we going?" Shiko asked, feeling a bit strange.

"To meet someone, If you're going to join the Akatsuki, there are some things we need you to know first," Madara replied, his voice smooth. If Shiko were a cat, she would be purring. She always did love his voice...

Eventually, they had completely passed the creepy statue and were headed down the hallway furthest to the left.

A sudden wave of dizziness suddenly came over Shiko, and her vision went black.

Madara easily caught her body before she hit the ground, holding her bridal style once more. He continued walking, his footsteps echoing softly around the cavernous stone walls.

The next time that Shiko's eyes opened, her surroundings were bright. She was lying on a cot next to a bookcase. The whole room seemed to hold an air of importance to it, making Shiko wonder where exactly she was.

Upon closer inspection, Shiko found that she was in an office-like room. Madara and some other man with orange hair who she didn't recognize were conversing in the corner.

"Madara?" she asked.

She felt the two men's attention shift to her, something that she didn't feel entirely comfortable with.

Madara drifted over to her side. "You're awake again, that's good," he murmured. He pressed a hand softly on her forehead, checking for signs of a fever. There were none.

"Shiko-chan, this is Pein," Madara said, motioning to the man with orange hair. Shiko briefly noted that the man seemed to have an excessive amount of piercings. She was curious why, but didn't ask. She'd learned long ago that asking things of that matter was rude.

Madara cleared his voice, so the attention was drawn away from Shiko and back to him.

"And now, we are going to discuss your role in the Akatsuki," Madara announced. "It's important."

(Author's note: Sorry to end it like this, but I ran out of time, and I really wanted to get this published on 12/12/12. *hugs Yuuti-chan* thanks for reviewing so much )