Chapter 7

When Madara brought her back to the compound, he explained to his father and mother what had happened. His father seemed bothered by the news, but his mother was outraged.

"Who are those people who harmed Shiori? I'll rip their heads off and shove them into their as-" "Kayo." Tajima cut his wife off.

Kayo glared at her husband. "Tajima! Shiori almost died because of some fucking bandits! I demand she live here with us inside the Uchiha compound!" She said sternly.

Tajima nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. It's not safe for her to be out there on her own, especially during this time of war. She will stay in our house and the compound for protection." He declared.

Madara looked down at Shiori, still in his arms. He half expected her to protest, but she stayed silent and stared blankly in front of her.

"Take her to the guest room. I'll have a medic check her over." His father ordered. Madara nodded, doing as his father ordered. He walked into the guest room and laid her on the bed, but when he tried to let her go, she clung to him.

"Don't! Don't leave me…!" She whimpered, looking into his eyes pleadingly.

Madara's heart ached to see her like this. She was so prideful and sarcastic before but now… she looked so broken and scared. He didn't know what to do or how to make her feel better.

"... Okay." He said, sitting on the bed and holding her shaking hand. Shiori's body seemed to relax as she gripped his hand and moved closer to his body.

Usually, Madara's would be repulsed by a girl being so close to him. But Shiori was different. He wanted her to be close to him. He wanted to protect her.

It was a strange feeling for the Uchiha, but it was one he welcomed.

He stayed by her side the rest of the night, holding her body close to him until she fell asleep.

oOo

Shiori refused to leave her room.

It had been a couple days since the incident and she wouldn't come out of her room. Kayo was now strong enough to walk and attempted to help the girl regain herself, but nothing seemed to be working. No one knew what was wrong with her. The medics sent to her claimed there was nothing physically wrong with her. However it seemed that her mental state was being tested.

Madara didn't really know what to do about the situation. He stayed with her most days, only leaving to train and attend his daily duties. When she cried, he would hold her and pet her hair to calm her down. He had to force her to eat sometimes. She seemed so much like a hollow shell of herself and no one knew how to help her.

In her head, she was screaming at herself. For years, she had built herself up as an indestructible fortress that could do anything. She pictured herself to be fast and smart enough to run away from danger. Sometimes she even pictured herself fighting back.

But when those men cornered her, the only thing she could do was freeze. She wasn't strong like Madara or the other Uchiha who had seen battle so often. She wasn't smart enough to evade those people either. She was… defenseless. Useless. That was taking the most time to sink in for her.

The world she built for herself to shut others out was crumbling before her. And she couldn't take it.

'Useless… I'm useless…' She repeated to herself in her mind.

She couldn't save her family. She couldn't save those children. She couldn't even save herself.

What was she good for?

What does she do now?

There was a knock on the door and Madara's head peeked into the room. Shiori clenched the sheets beneath her, her eyes stinging to let tears out again.

'Stupid. Crying won't solve anything. Crying makes you weak.' She clenched her eyes shut to get rid of the stinging.

"... Hey." He said, shutting the door behind him.

Shiori looked up with those grey eyes of hers. "... Hey." She answered.

Madara gave her a smile of pity, causing the girl to tighten her grip on the sheets.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, awkwardly standing across the room from her.

'Don't let him know you're weak. You're fine. You're not weak. You're fine.'

"I'm okay," She lied, giving him a smile in return. "Nice to know you care for me, Madara-kun." She repeated the same line as before.

Madara scoffed and approached where she sat on the bed. "You must be doing fine if you're able to be sarcastic."

'Don't trust him. Don't let your guard down.'

"How is Kayo? Is she doing better?"

"Kaa-san is fine, she's just worried sick about you. You haven't been exactly yourself since…" He trailed off.

Shiori nodded. "I know. I'm fine now."

'You're weak. He could kill you at any moment.'

"Tou-san said you can stay here. Bandits don't dare come into the compound, so you'd be completely safe." He told her.

'They know you're weak. You need their protection. You'll hide behind them like a coward.'

"I'll be fine on my own," She reassured. "I can handle myself."

'No you can't.'

Madara frowned. "Please don't start that again. I'm not saying you're weak but you can't live by yourself like that anymore. You have to see that now."

'Coward.'

"I'll be fine, Madara."

"No you won't."

"I will." She pressed, digging her nails into her palm.

"Shiori, you almost died. My family care about you-"

"I said, I'm fine."

Silence echoed through the room. Shiori was breathing heavily, her eyes piercing into his like a weapon. Why was she so furious?

Madara could only stare at her. His heart clenched in his chest at her stubbornness. A part of him wanted to argue back but he couldn't find the words.

He scowled, shaking his head in disappointment. "You know what? You are weak." He spat.

Shiori flinched and opened her mouth to yell at him, but he wouldn't let her.

"You're so self absorbed and arrogant with yourself that you can't even see after almost dying that you need help. You think you can do anything without consequences just because you're fast. You're beyond stupid and such an idiot to believe you're strong enough to fend for yourself out there. I wasn't going to say anything, because I didn't want to offend you, but fuck it. I won't stand around and let you get yourself killed because you think you're so much stronger than you really are!" He yelled at her.

Shiori flinched, his words sinking into her mind and resonating in her brain. Her eyes fell to the ground, her heart beat drumming loudly into her ears.

Madara sighed, before turning his back towards her.

"I won't make you stay, it's your choice either way, but I won't always be there to protect you. So Shiori," He turned his head. "Are you really strong enough to continue living like this?"

And with that, he left the room, leaving Shiori to her thoughts as she sank into the bed and began to cry.