Madara was tearing through the courtyard, throwing off every attack that came at him. He had decided to spar with the younger soldiers, some were skilled even for their age and he would have felt proud if he weren't so angry.

'I could kill them all.'

Madara was currently plotting the demise of an allied clan, conceptualizing a massive surprise attack on the residents of the settlement.

'They have no honor.'

He parried an attack, knocking a kunai out of his partner's hand.

'And using women of all things.'

Rather unexpectedly, the next person that came at him managed to land a blow to his chest and Madara flinched, lifting his gaze to meet Izuna's. Both brothers grinned and engaged in a quick-paced spar, the other soldiers all becoming audience.

Kumiko was still sitting where Madara had left her, staring blankly at the walls of his room. Her heart twisted painfully inside her chest as she took a shaky breath.

'What should I do?'

Shifting to lie down on the soft sheets, she curled up in her customary position. The faint scent of soap and sandalwood filled her nostrils, relaxing her. Her eyes felt warm, burning like she was running a fever. But it was only the aftermath of crying.

Her mind wandered to the stability she had here and in the Senju compound. The family she had here, her blood-sister and the family she had there, her cousins- how would she choose between the two?

'They're all a part of my past and I don't want to be part of that anymore.'

She groaned, twisting the sheets around her fingers. Curiously she brought it up to her nose and sniffed it, besides the scent of soap and sandal, there was that musky scent of smoke. The same scent came from his pipe and echoed in his hair. It made her stomach flutter.

The momentary distraction from the stress was enough for exhaustion to sweep down on her again, sleep took her easily, where death had failed.

Madara returned to his room after washing up. Izuna had spent time with him today and he felt better, less worried and less tense. Madara smiled fondly to himself, swinging the towel around his neck as he walked back to his room. His pajamas felt warm and comfortable and he slid the door open with ease. Upon stepping into his room he did the routine before-bed tasks. Check the desk, put away the letters etc.

When Madara moved towards the desk, he failed to notice the lump on his bed. When he turned around, he was mildly surprised and moved to poke her.

"Kumiko?"

He tilted his head, craning over her to shake her awake. But she didn't budge and insisted on sleeping. Her breaths were even and deep and her eyes were rolling beneath her eyelids.

'What do I do with this?'

He prodded her again, pushing her to one side of the bed. She was curled up on the center of the bottom half so he pushed her to the left while he lay down on the right, his head comfortable on the pillow. His feet were close to her and he nudged her with his foot. She didn't stir. Frowning, he sat up again, feeling a little uncomfortable with having her there.

"Kumiko."

She lifted her head, her eyes swollen with sleep. Glancing around groggily, she was about to curl up again.

He reached forward and tugged her arm, pulling her to the headboard so she could at least place her head on the pillow. She leaned against the headboard though, and blinked sleepily at the Uchiha. It wasn't long before her eyelids became harder to open and she dosed off in that sitting-up position. Madara scoffed, putting out the candle and turning his back to her. A few hours later, Madara had still been awake and he had felt her stir. She was awake now too and staring remorsefully at the ceiling. He rolled over to face her and she looked down at him, squinting to make out his face in the dark.

"Are you awake?"

She was whispering, her voice meek. He hummed. She lay down and rolled over to face him then, their breaths just barely brushing each others skin.

"Are you alright?"

In response, she chewed her lip and shrugged. She saw the corners of his eyes wrinkle up slightly, he was probably smiling. She moved again, pulling the blanket out from beneath her so she could crawl into it. He moved a bit to help her and they found themselves tucked up and warm, grinning at each other in the dark.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Eh… resurrecting me."

He laughed, it was soft and deep and pleasant to her ears and she subconsciously leaned a little closer to him.

"Your eyes are really swollen Kumiko."

She laughed then, "It happens when I'm tired."

"You mean, when you cry."

It was her turn to scoff and she shifted her gaze. She could see parts of his skin that were illuminated by the dim light in the room. There was his chin, the base of his throat, the Adams apple, the white glint of his teeth when he grinned or spoke, the shine of grey in his dark eyes-

"Kumiko, you're staring."

She blushed, closing her eyes and smiling goofily. She still felt terrible inside, but being in his presence made the weight of it all lighter. He spoke again, his hand moving to rest by her stomach.

"Have you decided yet?"

She stiffened a bit, sighing.

"Not really."

He hummed again, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

"I don't know if I want to go back to anyone who's related to my past, to my father or my mother."

Madara didn't respond, he only wanted her to give one definite answer but he was determined to not force it on her.

"I don't want to be part of any of this anymore."

He glanced at her, turning his head to catch her eyes in the dark. There was no silvery ring around her right eye anymore.

"If I don't go back I won't have any family besides Kiyomi and I don't want to stay connected to all of that family shit."

Her voice seemed to stagger as she spoke, cracking at her little sister's name.

"Why don't you leave this life behind entirely?"

"And go where?"

"Stay here, just don't get involved in the work."

She scoffed, "There's no way I can't get involved."

He hummed again and she moved closer to him, resting her face by the crook of his neck. His body radiated a comforting heat and when he spoke to her, she couldn't clearly make out what he'd said and instead surrendered to the sleep that took her again.

When Madara heard nothing but her steady breathing, he realized she'd fallen asleep again. He rolled onto his side to face her and unintentionally, their noses brushed. For a moment he froze and then leaned a little closer to steal a kiss, planting his lips with a gentle firmness on hers. She moved a little bit, shifting to make herself comfortable. Letting her body press against his chest, he closed his eyes pretending he was at peace for one night.