Hell yes! T'day's Madara's birthday! And it's Christmas eve! So that means... tomorrow will also have an interlude! Wow, I don't think I would do one for boxing day, that would be too much interludes and no story. So sorry!

I'm sorry about the lack of chalter this week, but chapter 11 is not finished. TT_TT;

Madara had the flu.

It has been weird for him all day long, the world had decided to start spinning like a merry-go-round, and-

"Kurenai! Would you stop bothering me?"

Anko looked at him oddly. "I'm not Kurenai." she said, slightly upset that he apparently had not recognized her."I'm Anko."

"Kurenai, Anko. Whatev'r." Madara slurred, slightly stumbling as he staggered past her. "I thoug't y'r a lesbi'n."

Anko's eyebrow twitched. "Just what was wrong with you, Uchiha?"

"Nothin'. Just a lil' flu. It'll pass. Now m'question?"

"I play for both teams." Anko said. Madara has the flu, eh? "What about you, Uchiha?"

"I dunno what y'r on about, I play for that team, the WINNING team. Y'kno'? D' Akatsuki." Madara muttered, not recognizing the idiom in his feverish mind.

Anko grinned. Now THAT was interesting. "So, you have it hot for everyone in the Akatsuki?" she smirked slyly.

Madara shook his head, trying to clear the hazy thoughts but only succeeding in making himself even dizzier. Somehow, he had the feeling to defend his pride, but he just shrugged it off. "What's hot? I'm cold right now." he shivered in the warm breeze.

Anko lifted an eyebrow. "You should come by to my house." she offered, smirking. "My bed is REALLY warm."

"No." Madara said flatly. Something in his blurry memories told him that accepting would be a BAD idea.

Anko seemingly deflated. "Awww, Uchiha! You always turn down a pretty girl's request! First Hinote, and now me! Sometimes I think you're gay." she looked at him, hoping for an reaction.

"'Sn't gay meanz hap'y? If that'z it, th'n 'lright, 'm gay." Madara nodded assuringly to himself. "Gay sounds a lot like Gai... He's soooo ha'py 'll the time... Th'n he's gay too. Heh."

Anko stifled her laughter. "Alright, I've never thought about that before. Now thinking about it, he hugs his mini-me too much. Are they, like, together or something?"

A foggy memory made itself into Madara's mind and he cringed. "Iz'na show'd me a pict'r of Gay and Lee show'rin' t'geth'r. W'rst mem'ry, ev'r." he said sluggishly, shivering.

"... Wow." Anko stopped, eyes wide. "I will not dirty my mind with the images. Gai and Lee Naked. That's just..." she shook her head, "Let's not go there."

Madara stumbled along and the two made their way in to a dango shop. "Y'kno', I've nev'r pull'd off that op'ration app'ls. It'd be fun if app'ls fall from 'd sky like rain." he commented, trying to eat the dango through his mask, the stick stopped by the mask and preventing them to reach his mouth. To the confused mind of Madara, the dango stick was held by an invisible barrier. With a mumble of annoyance., he smashed his mask (wow...) and proceeded to eat his precious dango while ignoring the dropped jaws around him.

With the mask gone, Madara's previous short hair was gone. His entire long and spiky black hair flowed down his back. Funny thing was, Madara somehow kept tripping over them.

"Are you REALLY sure you don't want to come to my house?" Anko asked hopefully.

"No." Madara said flatly.

"Awww..." Anko pouted childishly. "Have you ever heard 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Wish that'd work on Kabuto or Orochi-teme..."

"'N app'l a day could keep ANYONE away if you throw it h'rd enough." Madara said blandly.

Anko noticeably brightened up. "Hey, I should try that sometimes!"

"'S long 's you don't try it on me, Kurenai, 'm 'kay wit' it."

Anko's eyebrow twitched again. "I told you, I'm ANKO, dammit!"

Madara closed his eyes. "'rn't you a lesbian?"

"NOT THIS AGAIN!"

So yeah, a bit of entertainment on Madara's behalf. The story was getting a bit too tense for much humor to get squeezed in. Though how This fits into the story, we'll never know. But this is an interlude after all; things happen.