The ceremony was over and the truce between the clans was officially established, but Madara knew the things were just about to get busy. There were so many plans to make and execute, there were so many things and people to organize, so many laws to set.

They had to work to build homes, institutions, markets. Everyone was completely new to most of those so they were kind of wandering in the dark. Yet, Madara couldn't deny he was excited – Hashirama, as per usual, wasn't even trying to hide his silly joy.

Madara had explained him that he may be gone for a few days, but he didn't bother to go into details. Finally, the time has come to fulfill his promise and take Shizu home.

After over-analyzing that strange ability of his to teleport back and forth, he had come to a conclusion that his Sharingan sent him to a different place whenever he was under a rush and adrenaline: first it was during a battle, and then when he jumped off that wagon. That was the only connection he had managed to find but it was all still so unclear.

First, he had spent a lot of time training after they had returned home – hell, right after they returned he was forced into a battle, yet he was not sent anywhere else.

It confused him, but he had made his promise and he was set to keep on trying until he succeeds in returning Shizu to where she belonged.

"And why did we have to go all the way to here?" She asked in protesting tone, following closely behind Madara and looking around herself and the huge forest he had led her into.

"In order to avoid unnecessary attention." He answered simply and stopped walking. "Don't gape around, watch where you're going." He scolded as she bumped into his back.

He lied his bag down and pulled out a rope. As he busied himself with unwrapping and fitting the rope, Shizu came closer and crouched down opposite of him, watching him at work.

"So if we fail, we hang ourselves?" She laughed, thinking she was very funny. All she got in response from the Uchiha was a yet deeper frown, but sure, he actually did find it to be a good joke.

"You suck." She whined, getting up and taking a small walk across the field they came to.

Once he was done with preparations, Madara called her over and started tying the rope around her. One end was tied around her waist and another around his own. Since she was staring at him as he had gone mad, he went to elaborate his actions.

"I still don't know exactly how the teleportation happens, so as I try different things you must stay connected to me."

…

A whole hour later, Madara was still doing his acrobatics; from breathing fire and making holes in the ground to throwing weapons at the poor, innocent trees. Yet, nothing was actually happening.

His eyes glowed red as he experimented with different hand-signs, but still, to no avail.

"What exactly do you think is needed to travel back?" Shizu asked, lazily following his moving figure with her eyes. This pointless waiting has gotten her sleepy.

"I'm not sure. Adrenaline, shock…" He answered, by now obviously grumpy because of the constant failing.

"What if I do something to shock you?" She suggested, to which she received a skeptic glare from Madara. "I'm a shinobi. You wouldn't be able to shock me if you tr—What the hell?!" He yelled as she threw a pinecone at him, and another one right after.

As he was busy with cursing her and attempting to untangle the pinecones from his thick hair, Shizu's attention was stolen by a small linen bag lying right next to where she sat. It contained Madara's knives – or kunai – as he insisted on calling them.

She took a hold of one, feeling the cool touch of metal on the skin of her palm as her hand got used to the new object. It was unlikely that anyone would die after being hit with just that, but if Madara fails to dodge it he might get hurt and then she'd be officially done for (ahem, after all, he did receive the pinecones perfectly despite the big-talk about shinobi and shit).

Well, no risk – no profit. Shizu threw the kunai – not very precisely, but it still went into Madara's direction.

He had just finished getting the cones out of his hair and he had managed to spot the object coming his way right on time. In the blink of an eye he raised his arm to stop it, but it had managed to land a small cut on the side of his wrist.

In another blink of an eye, they were no longer in the forest. Instead, Shizu recognized that they were back at the amusement park, except that it was nighttime and the place was completely empty.

"It worked!" She exclaimed, prancing around happily. "Oh," she remembered then. "Did you get hurt?"

Madara was looking intensely at the tiny cut on his wrist and he seemed to be lost in deep thought.

"Hey, let me see." Shizu demanded softly, as she walked up to him and took his hand in order to examine her own doing. But she had only managed to glance down at it before he retrieved his arm almost rashly. "Does it actually hurt?" She asked, confused. It was merely a scratch, why would he act so upset?

"No. Don't touch me." His reply came very short and very cold. Well, it's not like motherly warmth radiated from him usually, but his current behavior was strange. Was he angry that she risked it with the kunai?

"Look, I just wanted to try it out. We were wasting time back there." He still looked like he wasn't listening. "Madara?! Are you really sulking?"

Just then he seemed to snap out of it. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked grumpily. Something had really set him off.

"Well, the kunai! I'm trying to apologize for throwing it at you! What are you spacing out for?"

"Never mind. Do it again." He turned his eyes red again and stood still before Shizu, waiting. "Here," he pulled another kunai from one of his secret cases and handed it to her.

"You're leaving just like that?" Shizu questioned, not believing his rudeness. They had spent almost a year basically living together! Despite his crappy character, she did consider him her friend and couldn't permit that they just disappear from each other's lives as if nothing ever happened.

"Yes. Hurry up." Madara rushed her, his facial expression more torpid than usual.

"No!" She whined, handing the knife back to him. "You told Hashirama you'll be gone for few days, so stay here for that time."

"What for?" He asked, eyeing the weapon but not taking it back. He had to leave right away – there was no more time to waste on her. He'll get home and get very busy, in less than a week he'll forget she ever existed. As minutes went by it was becoming harder for him to fight and conceal his freshly developed feelings and that made him angry. For that, he had to leave here as soon as possible.

"Well…" It seemed like Shizu herself did not quite know why she refused to let him leave. "Have some rest here before leaving. Uhm… Have a tour around the town, since you won't be seeing it again? We… We should have a proper goodbye too." She said the last thing as if it had only occurred to her at that moment.

"Goodbyes are a useless convention. Hurry up, my work is piling up as we speak." Could she be going through the same thing as he? Did she have those feelings too? That's why she held onto him?

"Ah, come on! Just two days or so. I have to face the wrath of my parents after disappearing without a trace, I don't want to do it alone." Her eyes glistered as she continued, "Did I not go to that ceremony for you? You owe me."

After all, it wasn't what he had thought. He needed to get rid of pretense – she did not want him the same way he wanted her.

"Two days, not a minute longer." He said strictly, having to admit defeat. He did owe her that one.

"Good." She smiled complacently. "Let's go home then."

…

Coming out of the steaming bathroom, Madara found Shizu sitting on the couch, eating an apple and staring at the television. She must have missed that damn machine a lot.

She was already in her pajamas, having taken her bath before him. He couldn't help but notice that she wasn't wearing her usual type of sleepwear. Commonly, it would be something silky and short; however, right now she was wearing a big, cotton bright yellow pajamas. It looked like something kids from TV commercials wore. Ridiculous.

He's referring to himself. He was being ridiculous for finding her just as attractive in this attire as in shortest, most provocative one.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Look, there's a rock concert in the open tomorrow night! Wanna go?" She asked excitedly, pointing at the screen with her apple.

"I don't care for it, but if you want to go, I'll join you." Madara replied calmly. He didn't mind the offer actually. That – so called "rock" – music wasn't bad at all. Now he at least knew what it was, even though he still failed to see how it got such a stupid name. The first time he heard of it, since Shizu said "rock performance", he thought they're going to see public stoning.

"So is there anything you'd like to do before you leave?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the television screen.

Madara frowned yet again. There was only one thing he wanted to do here but it wasn't very likely he'd get to do it.

He was about to say "nothing" or "anything", but stopped himself in time. What would change even if he exposes his feelings for her? They still won't get to see each other ever again, and he really couldn't care less how she would think of him once they are parted for good.

"You." He said simply. His response silent but firm. He knew what he wanted and he wanted it so much.

He heard the dull sound of her almost finished apple hitting the carpet below them. "Wh- Excuse me?"

"I want to do you. May I?" Madara asked bluntly, looking her in the eyes. He did not hesitate, nor did he feel uneasy. Whatever response he gets from her, the outcome remains the same. After two days they will never see each other again.

If the response is positive, at least, those two days will be very well utilized.