Disclaimer: I do not own the anime series Naruto, its characters, or any plot or storylines within the Naruto-verse. Mikoto (OC) and any non-canon characters within this fiction are owned by me.

Summary: During the Era of Warring States, the Hagoromo clan eventually allied with the Uchiha clan. As a show of good faith and loyalty, the eldest Hagoromo daughter was offered to the Uchiha heir. This is Mikoto's story. MadaraxOC. Rated M just to be safe.

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Chapter 13

Life

Airi sighed as she watched her cousin's wife stare absently off into the distance while the little woman stood at the sink of the small kitchen. It was a few hours ago when Mikoto turned up on her doorstep shaken and with small tears in her eyes. Just by looking at the woman, Airi could tell that she and Madara had a fight. What annoyed Airi about the situation was that Mikoto always seemed to run at these kinds of conflict, especially when it concerned Madara. Obviously neither of them knew how to communicate well. He didn't know how to handle conflict without resorting to violence, and she just didn't like confrontation all too well. The Uchiha matriarch was able to stand up to Hiro Tatsuya and give him a broken nose, but couldn't stand up for herself in front of her husband?

Then again, Madara was a very intimidating man. Even Airi had to admit that there had been occasions where she feared him. Such on occasion was when his first sibling was killed in battle. Madara found the clansman who killed his younger brother and slaughtered him without relent or mercy. Then, after he was dead, he kept going, continuously stabbing into the older man with his kunai. Eventually Lord Tajima had to pull him away from the mangled corpse. It was really the first time Madara had experienced the pain behind death, asides from his mother, and he didn't cope very well.

"I think you should go back and talk to him," Airi said blatantly to her visitor.

Mikoto sighed in response and lowered her gaze. She had told Airi about how he struck her and she didn't leave out any details concerning what was said between them. Airi was inwardly infuriated when she learned that Mikoto disrespected the elders, as the Uchiha upheld their honor and respected their fellow clansmen, especially their elders on the council. These were renowned shinobi, the best of their time; they were to be respected regardless of their decisions and opinions.

Then, Airi's features softened when she learned that Madara had struck her. It was a secret Airi was willing to take to the grave, if word got out his reputation and authority could easily be compromised. Despite the clan living as a patriarchal culture, Uchiha women were treated with dignity, and things such as hitting a woman and abuse in general was heavily frowned on by the clan. Uchiha were taught that without women to clean, cook, and bear children, the clan's future would be in turmoil.

"What if he acts like that again?" Mikoto spoke softly.

"Then you be his wife, and tell him if he does it again it'll be the last time he has hands,"

Mikoto looked over to Airi, shocked. The Hagoromo woman was always taught to be kind, gentle, and subordinate. She couldn't say that to her husband nor even imply it! It could very well hurt his pride. Airi was single and a kunoichi, so she was able to say those kinds of things. Perhaps she would be thinking differently if she were married as well.

"I can't say that to him," Mikoto gasped.

"Well you need to. Madara's pretty arrogant, he needs a kick in the teeth every now and then," Airi explained, "Marriage is an equal partnership, and you two need to be on the same page if you're going to run this clan properly."

Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle, "You say the most outrageous things, Airi."

Airi only smirked in response. Despite the two being married for five months, they still had a few kinks to iron out. Mikoto needed to bring her confident side out more, as Airi noticed when performing her duties; she always seemed to be looking at the floor. Mikoto needed to keep her chin high and her eyes determined, a trait that's admired in a matriarch.

"I guess you can stay here tonight, if you don't mind sleeping on the futon," Airi said.

She was at least willing to allow Madara and Mikoto to cool their heads for the night. Although, she was expecting her cousin to burst through her door at any moment, demanding that his wife returned home. However, she believed that he was probably in just as much emotional turmoil as Mikoto was. Airi wondered if he was talking to Izuna about this. Though, the young Izuna loved Mikoto like an older sister, he would probably just yell at his older brother and make the clan leader feel worse.

"Thank you," Mikoto looked back out the window. The stars always shone brightly over the Uchiha village. It was something that never happened when she lived with the Hagoromo clan. It was almost as if the gods were smiling down on the Uchiha clan, like they had a divine, earth-changing purpose.

"But," Mikoto continued, "I think I should return home,"

"Are you sure?" Airi pressed.

"Yes," Mikoto smiled and faced her friend, "I have a feeling this won't happen again, and if I know him as well as I should, he's suffering too much over this," She reached her hand up and touched her cheek. It didn't hurt anymore, nor did it end up leaving a mark. After Airi had put a damp cold cloth to it, the redness quickly went away. She had been grappling with the decision all night to return to her husband, and she finally made one. She felt it was the right choice, and she won't reprimand him for what he did. Instead, what he felt inwardly would be enough punishment.

"I'll walk you home then," Airi said.

Mikoto slid open the door to her bedroom, and there he slept peacefully. He always seemed to be in the deepest of sleeps if he was at home in his own bed. She remembered when she first met him, he barely slept at all. It was as if he was saving his best sleep for home, while Mikoto could honestly drop anywhere and be out like a light. She could see the curve of his chest rise and fall slowly, while she noticed his hand was stretched out over her side of the bed, as if he longed for her to be next to him. She couldn't help but smile. He looked like an innocent child when he slept.

She had climbed into a silk night dress and slipped into bed next to him, not wanting to disturb his sleep. However, she did just that. As she rested her head on her pillow and faced away from him, she felt him stir underneath the thick covers. She wasn't ready to cuddle up to him or acknowledge him. Instead, she just wanted to sleep. She could feel his dark gaze pierce the back of her skull and she just stared at the wall, pretending to be asleep.

"Mikoto," his voice whispered through the night's cool air.

"Shh, it's over now, just sleep." She said sternly to him.

He grinned as he watched her midnight hair fall about her shoulders. He was glad that she had returned on her own accord, it showed that she was willing to work on their flaws together. He knew he shouldn't have hit her, and she probably knew how much frustration it had caused him. He watched as she eventually rolled over to face him, and his gaze immediately went to her cheek, he was relieved to see that it left no mark on her beautiful pale skin. However, he could still see the sadness and hurt in her eyes. It seemed they both had a lot of pride to swallow.

They simply stared at each other, not saying a word nor making a move, as if they were daring each other to fall asleep first. She had lost, and Madara watched as she blinked several times before her eyelids closed for the night. Her breathing slowed to a soft pace, and she involuntarily sighed in contentedness. He took the opportunity to move towards her and wrap his arm around her tightly, refusing to let her go. It was their usual sleeping position that he had become quite accustomed to.

He knew they would still need to talk about their fight though. For now, it seemed that they were happy to pretend nothing had happened.

The early summer rays shone through the gap in the deep purple curtains that enveloped the couple's room in darkness. The two were in a peaceful slumber. Madara had awoken previously, but as his wife was still nestled on his chest, he decided that would lie there for a bit longer and he eventually drifted off back to sleep, enjoying her warmth and comfort. She seemed to have rolled over and made herself comfortable on him. He was relieved that she returned to him, and that she was willing to accept his flaws, as he did for hers. He thought he might strike up a conversation about it later on in the day, he felt that he needed to verbally apologize, and clarify where they stood.

His brows furrowed in confusion suddenly, as he had eventually noticed that Mikoto was sleeping in a lot longer every day. She missed breakfast a few times, which was served just before the sun hit the clouds. In fact, he should be wondering if she was alright at all, as she was normally the one up making breakfast before Madara even stirred.

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to adjust his vision. He rolled his head to his right where he saw Mikoto cuddled up against him; she was dressed in a red silk night dress with lace hemming. Although a strap had fallen off her shoulder, and he could make out the curve of her breast pressed against his skin. He blinked again and inclined his head curiously, observing her, he could have sworn his wife's breasts had become plumper, perhaps she was gaining weight? That would have been odd though, since she had been training with him almost every day for the last month, so weight gain would have been near impossible with the amount of physical training they had been doing.

Finally, she was stirring. He watched as she took a sharp inhale and opened her soft chocolate eyes. Moving her head, she looked up to Madara and smiled lazily. She loved it when they woke up together, but often she was the one who would get up first to make breakfast for the house. She kept her head rested on his chest, listening to his blood pumping through his body, and savored the warmth of his skin.

"You're awake, finally," Madara smirked down at her.

Mikoto frowned, and was about to say something witty back to him, but instead all that she could feel coming up was last night's dinner. Breathing heavily, she shot up without giving Madara any thought. She crawled over him quickly, making him grunt as her knee pressed into his stomach. Madara propped himself up on his elbows and watched her make a frantic beeline for the bathroom. There was a few moments of silence, but then that unmistakable retching sound echoed from the bathroom. Madara winced, but then his disgust was instantly replaced with worry. She was ill again.

Mikoto made friends with the toilet bowl. It was a wave of sickness that had suddenly come over her again, and she was beginning to think that something was definitely wrong with her. It came quite randomly, but this was the first time she had actually thrown up from the illness. After washing her face and rinsing her mouth in the basin, she walked back into the bedroom where she spotted her husband still propped up on his elbows in bed. Gods he looked magnificent lying there like that. He was shirtless, and the sheet came up to his waist, making her want to believe that he was nude underneath the sheets. The soft rays of the sun kissed his slightly tanned skin through the curtain, and his dark navy hair was unruly and framed his face perfectly.

"You're going to Lady Izayoi today," he said flatly.

"I'm okay, Madara." She said to him.

"You've been saying that the last three days," he responded.

"I'm fine," Mikoto sauntered over to the bed and sat on the edge of it.

"You told me yesterday you would go."

Mikoto hung her head as she remembered her words from the previous day. She already had a sinking suspicion as to why she had been so ill, but for some reason she wasn't quite ready to come to the obvious conclusion yet. She wanted to at least wait another couple of weeks, as then it would have been two months she had missed her monthly blood. However, it all added up. Her breasts hurt, some smells made her ill, and she was always either too hot or too cold. She wasn't a fool when it came to the symptoms and what they meant, as she watched her mother go through them three times.

Mikoto sighed. She thought she would at least get her suspicions out of the way.

"Alright," Mikoto smiled at her husband, "I'll go after breakfast."

Madara felt somewhat satisfied that his wife was finally listening to him. Her welfare was important to him, if she was ill in any way; he wanted to know about it so that he could arrange for medicine and therapies. He was beginning to suspect that she had the flu, which meant bed rest and tea. It was definitely not something she had eaten, as Yuna confirmed to him that their food supplies were clean and fresh and no one else in the home was ill. He was completely puzzled, and hopefully the Lady Izayoi would have an answer.

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"Well," the older woman hummed as she routinely examined Mikoto.

When the matriarch arrived, Izayoi practically bounced at the possible reasons as to why she was visiting the Uchiha hospital. Mikoto had asked to see the medic on duty, but due to who she was she was sent straight to Izayoi, who had been examining scrolls in her office. The woman was the youngest of the elders, she wasn't quite restricted to a cane yet nor did she show any signs of deterioration unlike the rest of the elders. She kept her greyed hair up in a tight bun with two sticks to pin it in place, while she wore a plain blue yukata with the Uchiha crest embroidered on the back. It was a traditional casual garment worn by most of the elderly in the clan.

She had asked Mikoto several basic questions such as how often she was ill, when she last ate, whether she was bathing routinely. The last question Izayoi asked before asking her to lie on the soft cushioned bench was about her monthly cycle. That was where Mikoto was hesitant with her answer, and that was all Lady Izayoi needed to hear.

She ran her hands over the young woman's stomach, a light blue aura emitted from her hands as she used her chakra to inwardly examine Mikoto. This was how the elite medics diagnosed illnesses, as there would normally be a disturbance in ones chakra flow if they were sick or injured. It helped them assess internal injuries and pinpoint broken bones. Then, Izayoi paused as she reached the lower region of her stomach. There, she felt it; it was a whole new surge of chakra. Though faint, it was still there nonetheless. Chakra flow begins as soon as the heart starts beating, and it was a strong heart at that.

Izayoi's tired old eyes looked over to Mikoto, who was staring absently at the ceiling.

"You already know, don't you child?" the older woman smiled.

"I had suspicions; I guess I just needed someone to confirm it for me," Mikoto admitted.

"Judging from the amount of chakra it has already produced, and the rate the heartbeat, I would place you at about ten weeks."

Mikoto sat up from her position on the bench as Izayoi took her hands away. She drew her lips into a small, contented smile. Now that she had heard the news directly from Izayoi, she suddenly swelled with happiness; her own child, her own little miracle to swaddle, rock, and sing to.

"Does Lord Madara know?" Izayoi asked her,

"No," Mikoto chuckled, "He's actually clueless about it,"

Uchiha men weren't taught at length about women issues, especially things like pregnancy and monthly cycles. They were taught that women had breasts, and that they were used to create more Uchihas. Izayoi was surprised that Madara wasn't suspicious, as he witnessed his mother go through four pregnancies. He was present at the birth of every one of his siblings. Lady Izayoi delivered Madara and his siblings herself, and when Madara was old enough, he was normally instructed to bring towels and fetch warm water during his mother's labors. Then, when the birth was complete, Madara was always the first to hold his new sibling. Izayoi remembered every time, he had the same grin on his face and his eyes sparkled with wonder. It was only a matter of time before Madara would finally have a child of his own.

"Thank you," Mikoto bowed to the woman graciously, and Mikoto returned the bow.

"I will give you some tea to ease your illness, but I suggest avoiding fish and any strenuous activity."

Mikoto frowned, that would mean her training with Madara would have to come to a halt. Then, blushing, she had one last question.

"What about… you know," she was hesitant, and struggled to choose the correct words. However, Izayoi raised her hand in the air to silence her, as Mikoto needn't explain. It was a common question asked by many couples when they were expecting their first child.

"Sex is fine," she said plainly with no form of discreetness in her voice.

"Okay," Mikoto bowed low again, "Thank you!"

She felt like skipping home. She walked along the streets of the Uchiha village, and she watched people routinely turn and bow in her direction, and she happily returned their acknowledgement with a nod. She had actually decided to stop in at the small bakery and purchased a few dangos to snack on, despite it being lunch time.

She arrived home in no time with a few dangos to spare. She thought to save some for later, perhaps for an after-dinner snack. For the moment, she was intent on finding her husband. She walked through the courtyard, watching the koi swim about in the pond as she passed. She then arrived at the common area where they received company and conducted small meetings with elders and shinobi. Sliding the door open, she saw him sitting on a cushion; he was wearing black pants and an open haori.

He was bent over a kunai, sharpening it with a stone. His eyes were narrowed in concentration. Kunai were difficult to sharpen, as a wrong move could snap the fine blade. She stepped inside silently, but he still heard her, and he even sensed her presence. Lifting his head, he dropped the stone to the ground and placed the kunai on the small table in front of him.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

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R&R Please! Thank you to my reviewers so far, I've never had so many on a story before! Please keep them coming!