16. Missing You

Rating: T

Verse: Reincarnation AU

Idea/Inspiration: I guess me, but I wanted to thank Marquise de Nile for making me see an unconventional interpretation to 'missing you'.

She was different. Different hair, different stature. Different face, different abilities. Different yet in her very essence – the same. He didn't know how he could be so sure, but he was.

The girl, the third link that they failed to find, the third link without which the construction was doomed to fall. That girl from the nomadic tribe had ash-blond hair, was taller, sturdier. Her eyes were also not the same, but they at least bore some similarity to the one before him. And, her previous form was also a healer. Or a medicine woman, as her tribe had been calling that profession.

When he had first saw her, she was a kid and so was he. Her tribe stopped within Uchiha territory and he was in a squad sent to investigate. His clan's intent was to exterminate the intruders, but seeing how harmless the nomads were, the squad's leader deemed them unworthy of fight. There was no tribute that could be collected from those people either – they had owned only herds of animals and their tents. So, it had been agreed that they would rent their healers into service in the Uchiha compound. The girl was one of them, she was an apprentice back then.

The medicine people spent couple of days in Uchiha village, drawing several people out of embraces of certain death with their strange chants and smelly herb-concoctions. Of course, the elders wanted to keep the healers, but one night they simply disappeared.

He was too young back then to recognize what he felt to the girl. Only when he met Hashirama, he was struck by realization how familiar the feeling was. A sense of bond that pre-dated the actual meeting. Not meeting a stranger, but happening across someone whom you hadn't seen for a very long while and finally found again.

When he gained Mangekyō Sharingan and read in the tablet about the three-sided deadlock between the descendants of Sage of Six Paths, he understood. His relationship with Hashirama was defined by rivalry. They kept struggling, kept proving their points to each other. Kept fighting. Each of them wanted to win, wanted to end up on top.

Left to their own devices they were destined to fight.

The third element that would keep them in check wasn't there. The third element was missing.

After founding Konoha and seeing how his dynamics with Hashirama inevitably was developing (or rather deteriorating) Madara set off on a quest to find her. It wasn't easy to find nomads who had traversed the land almost two decades prior, but he did. Seeing her grown up, surrounded with her own children broke some portion of his heart. He didn't even approach her – back then he didn't know what would be the consequences.

And the consequences were Madara releasing the raging Kyuubi against Hashirama. And Hashirama – his friend, his blood-brother – killing him.

Even now, with all the knowledge he still didn't know if he would have been able to kidnap her back then. To drive her away from her people, from her family. Or, in the most benign version to transplant the entire folk to Konoha and slowly, painfully draw a wedge between her and her husband. Because that would have inevitably happened… The bond was too strong.

He didn't know back then if it was love, exactly. He didn't know even now. He lacked references.

But the strength of the bond had power to reshape the continents.

So when he saw the girl now fighting side-by-side with his and Hashirama's reincarnations, it was the first moment when Madara thought he might lose. A single piece, against all three. But only for a moment.

The real handicap came from the fact that he kept getting preoccupied with watching how the girl balanced out her comrades. They, or maybe she in particular, was making him lose his focus time after another. It was a thing of beauty – the three-fold deadlock made flesh and put into action.

When he was betrayed by that scum, he thought to be his servant, all Madara could do was to watch, lying broken on the ground, how the new reincarnations fought the goddess.

For a moment he thought that the world had found its balance. That maybe this time everything indeed would be alright.

When three hands glowing with Hagoromo's marks closed down on the goddess he was sure that he lost and that maybe it was better this way.

But then he saw his reincarnation making a stand against the other two, announcing the will to fight the other boy. Why? Wasn't the girl's influence enough? Why was his reincarnation so stubborn, so short-sighted?! Had he on his place also fail to see through his own ego?

The Uchiha kid covered his arm in Lighting Release and aimed it into the chest of the petrified girl. She could dodge, or at least attempt to, but apparently the betrayal stunned her completely. Thanks all the gods, the brat was only marking the killing blow and he put the girl under a genjutsu instead. For a moment Madara was relieved. The kid wasn't stupid enough to kill her. Maybe there was still some hope.

But when the girl fell face-down and proceeded to scream and twist on the ground he almost jerked up, despite all the broken bones. What the hell? Madara strained his eyes. The girl was under genjutsu. And she was screaming none the less. What did that boy inflict upon her?

His and Hashirama's reincarnations ran away leaving the Konoha jōnin, apparently teacher of the group, standing helplessly over girl, his eyes once again Sharingan-less. She was still screaming.

"Hey. You," managed Madara. "Bring her here. I can dispel it."

Silver-haired jōnin seriously considered killing him, Madara could sense his intent. But the man was too experience to be stupid. He suppressed all his resentment and carefully picked up flailing girl into his arms. He had to hold her down with his body weight to have hands free to pry her unseeing eyes open as Madara focused the last of his chakra into lifting the genjutsu.

The girl came to herself and wracked, shaking the jōnin off her in a split of second. Her chakra-enhanced strength was a thing to behold. But all she used it for was to free herself, because the second thing she did was to roll to her side and dry-heave.

When she came about, Madara was surprised by her level-headedness. She didn't jump up to rush after her teammates. Instead she asked to be briefed in. And then she made a decision that had Madara's thoughts stop in their tracks. She decided to heal him.

When she placed her hands on his chest, he thought he saw something in her face, some longing, and a lot of sadness… Did she also feel the bond across the reincarnations?

"I remember you," he said. "Or not you, but the previous you. You passed through my life and back then I couldn't keep you in it."

The girl lifted her head. "I don't remember," she shook her head. She paused and looked at him, the longing so, so visible in her eyes. "But I think I regret that you didn't. I don't know why, but what I'm feeling now is regret."

"I regret it as well. I should have brought you to Konoha. With you it would have worked. You were the missing element."

"Missing element? I thought you meant…"

"That I would have taken you for myself? No. If one of us would have had you, it would have tipped the balance. We needed you next to us, on the same level with us."

"Do you think it would have worked? People also have hearts, not only destinies… You speak as if you wanted to, even if you know you shouldn't have. Heart don't always listen," she said quietly.

She was speaking out of experience; he could see that. He could see how she was looking at her dark-haired teammate. Could this girl keep the balance? Or would she sway and tilt it? As he would have had back then. Maybe it was good that in the end he had restrained himself and left her with her family. At least she had a good life.

"There, all set." The girl lifted her hands off his chest. "I need to go now. You said I am to keep them in check. Then I will do what I must."

She ran, but she didn't manage to shake neither him nor her teacher off her trail. She didn't have that much chakra left, and what she had, she was saving.

When they arrived at the edge of the cliff, he found the scale of desolation mildly disappointing. Apparently, the brats were already exhausted as the valley still held its general shape. Nevertheless, the girl almost doubled over as her body lurched forwards at the sight of her teammates. Her teammates that were charging at each other from the opposite sides of the valley with their signature jutsu glowing around their arms. She jumped down. She was too late to stop them, too late for them to extinguish their momentum. She was just in time to reach the point of their clash.

"Sakuraaa! Noooo!" her teacher screamed after her, his face painted in such horror that Madara understood that this very scene had already played in front of the man's eyes before.

Once the jutsu connect she will be caught in between. She might save them, she probably will but at the cost of her life. She had no jutsu. Even if she had, she wasn't using it. She meant to use her body as a buffer.

The third element won't be there once again and the history will repeat itself.

No.

Not this time.

He wasn't defeated for the history to repeat itself.

Madara picked up two stones from the ground. The familiar weight and shape felt almost warm in his palms. An expert with a stone can defeat a beginner with a kunai – this is what they were told as kids.

Would he manage?

Two stones flew swift as falcons in diving attack.

Brats fell limp just mere meters away from connecting the hit with themselves. And with the girl. She stopped abruptly, fell onto her knees and started to shake.

Madara needed some time to get down the cliff – there was still something wrong with his knees – the girl must have not healed them properly in her hurry. He also needed to help her jōnin teacher, as exhausted as the man was.

When he finally came up to her she didn't turn.

He sat down next to her.

"Thank you…" she said not lifting her head.

"Welcome," he skipped 'I couldn't just stand and watch you getting killed' out. It would have been awfully out of character. "Why aren't you healing them yet?" he asked instead.

The girl rubbed wetness off her cheek. "Unconscious they are less trouble." She quipped in a rather shaky voice.

"Indeed."

"You said I need to balance them out."

"Yes. That would include you staying alive, for a start." Madara couldn't hold back the snide.

"Then… I cannot take sides, right? Maybe… maybe it will be better this way. Because I don't think he… he ever…" her voice broke and she didn't finish the sentence.

"What? Will love you?"

Girl only nodded.

"And you do? Do you love him?"

"That is at least how I chose to think about it. This is the third time I see him in four years. Previous two times he tried to kill either Naruto or both of us. I didn't even talk to him. I don't know what person he is. Back then, by the tree – that genjutsu he put me under… How can one be so cruel?" She raised her eyes to Madara.

"Maybe it wasn't cruelty. Maybe he was trying to keep you at a distance."

"Maybe. But whatever happens I cannot help to be drawn to him. I cannot help it…"

"Funny, the previous time it was exactly the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"I think if I had a chance, I would have loved you. Or that person that you were back then. That I wouldn't be able to help it. But life unfolded itself in a different way."

"So what did you do?"

"I kept my distance. And I think in some way I have missed you ever since."

The girl examined her hands. "Will it be the same for me? Will I forever miss him? Will I forever be forced to keep my distance even if all I want is to grasp at him?"

"I don't know. Maybe yes."

The girl wound her arms around her curled-up legs, as if in an attempt of hugging herself. "I don't know if I can do it…" she whispered, propping her forehead on her knees. "My entire life…? Is this supposed to be my entire life?"

He didn't know what prompted him to this gesture. He really had no idea. But he extended her hand and rubbed there where her shoulder blade was. The girl lifted her head. Her eyes were wet.

"And you? Do you still…? Do you still feel that bond?"

"Yes, I do."

The girl shifted. Still in the same, self-comforting position, but now facing him more. Now he could see that her cheeks were wet as well. "Do you… miss me?"

"I do."

The girl sniffed. Then rubbed her eyes. Then rubbed them again. She peeked at him twice until she finally straightened up and said. "I'm here."

AN: Thx for reading, and please share your thoughts with me!