Chapter 3: Preparations
The first thing Kazue notices is the excruciating pain in her head. The light burns her unrested eyes as she forces them open. Before she even tries moving she knows at least one rib and her left wrist are broken.
"I have no words to even express how enraged I am at you, Kazue!" Mito's voice rains down on her like static noise that doesn't do anything to help her splitting headache. "You were stupidly reckless and you put yourself in unimaginable danger! Do you have any idea, can you even begin to comprehend what could have happened?!" her sister's words become blurry and annoying though she knew she deserved it. "Why did you fight like that?! You would have been killed, Kazue! Killed!"
"Mito-ne-sama… I'm so sorry." Kazue whispers, her words genuine
"Y-you should be! Making us worry this way!" Mito's tears spill from her eyes as she gently pulls Kazue into her arms. Several moments later, Kazue takes in the room around her. It seemed neat and elegant, there were many books and papers at a desk in the corner. She was on a huge bed, the sheets engulfing her into soft down upon a mahogany frame.
"M-Mito where are we?" she asks waving her bandaged right hand around the room
"We are in the Uchiha quarters, this is Madara-san's room." Mito wipes the tears from her cheeks
"What?! Why are we here?" Kazue's head and chest protest as she jolts in the bed
"Because Madara-san found you and brought you back."
"He what?!" Kazue couldn't believe her ears
"He saved you from the rogue-nin before you fell unconscious."
"W-Why would he do that for me?"
"You can ask him yourself, he's outside in the study."
"I'm not ready to speak with him!" Kazue feels panic in her stomach, why would that man save her? Hadn't he said a night ago that she'd water down his blood line?
"You will speak to him when you're well, he expects to get answers about the ninja who attacked you." Mito pats her head and excuses herself from the room.
Just what the hell was going on? How had things managed to turn out this way? Kazue sat, quite literally, in the lair of the Uchiha she had dismissed last night. Surely, she would be at his mercy the moment she stepped out of those doors. The reluctance of her pride to face him, sends her into slumber once again. The next time she wakes, Healers arrive to treat her wounds. Kazue grits her teeth as green chakra pulls her bone and tissue back into place, pain blurring her vision occasionally. The treatments finish two hours later and despite the throb in her chest and hand, Kazue manages to pull herself up. Where could she bathe? She was covered in sweat and smelled of gauze wrap. The only way out seemed to be through his study… taking as deep a breath as she can without her ribs throbbing, Kazue picks up her robe and starts smoothing her red hair. She nearly scares herself when she passes the mirror, she looked awful… there were shadows beneath her eyes and her bottom lip was split, her hair is a fiery mass of rouge and her face paler than a full moon. Cursing that Madara would get the privilege of seeing her this way, her hand hesitates at the door.
"There's no need mince your steps, I can hear you." Madara's deep voice issues from the other side of the screen. Sighing in dismay, Kazue steps out, taking longer than necessary to slide the door closed behind her. His eyes are fixated on the papers in front of him. In the light, his hair looks almost inky rather than black.
"T-Thank you… for saving my life. Forgive me for the trouble I've caused you." Kazue bows before the Uchiha with reluctant but genuine words
"Be thankful your body kept up for those hours before we sensed your chakra." He sounds tired rather than dismissive. Kazue peeks up carefully only to catch his black eyes staring directly into hers, involuntarily she feels her cheeks burn and drops her eyes to her feet, there was no doubt he was good looking... then again most closet sadists were handsome too. Kazue curses herself for blushing, "Did the medics heal your bones?" his unexpected question catches her off guard,
"Y-yes. They did." She mumbles trying to sound blasé about the throbbing pain in her body
"The maids will call you for dinner." He nods at her before he stands and leaves through a door adjacent to the bedroom.
Could she have been talking to the same man she encountered yesterday? Kazue stands slightly stunned. She almost felt embarrassed with the way she behaved with him last night, she made it seem as if she thought the alliance to be a joke. Last night he was still in his armour which indicated he had returned from battle not long after she arrived, no wonder he was so edgy. It didn't justify his lashing out at her but the man she had just met with confused her thoroughly. He seemed like a different person… When she tells Mito about the interaction, Mito stares at her bandages and smiles.
"I think you've gained some respect from Madara-san…He may be arrogant, but perhaps he thought highly of your courage and loyalty." Mito says
"That's what he recognises about a person?" Kazue frowns, "So, all I have to do is nearly get myself get killed and come out alive and he'll change into a civil person?"
"You are never putting yourself in such a situation again! Aside from that, I know Hashirama-kun and Madara-san fought very hard to come to the peace we have here. When anything threatens that, they are ready to do anything to protect their dream. You proved yourself to be reliable in a compromised situation. I-I can't really explain it well, can I?" Mito grimaces
"I understand, Ne-sama." She pats her sister's knee.
Soon after, Mito leaves the residence to attend to meetings. This leaves Kazue to scale the Uchiha compound, it is dead quiet save for the birds and insects outside. Chakra was issuing from somewhere, Kazue narrows it down to the door behind her.
"Who's there?" She calls out
"I-I'm sorry, Kazue-sama I didn't want to impose while you were walking… I am Kanako, Madara-sama has told me to provide you with anything you might require." A woman in her late forties appears slowly from the doorway. Her hair was jet black and matched her eyes, the Uchiha crest adorned her robe.
"Don't apologise, Kanako-san. I'm the newcomer here." Kazue smiles warmly at the woman who looked one thread from collapsing in fear
"N-No, Kazue-sama! Please call me Kanako, I am no one to warrant the honorific." She bows deeply as if she had committed a crime, Kazue pulls the woman to her feet
"Okay! Okay I won't, don't be afraid! I'll call you Kanako if you call me Kazue."
"Kami! No, I could never do you such a dishonour, my lady!" the woman is close to tears
"Please don't be upset! I didn't mean to tease you, I'm very sorry! Kazue-san will suffice, alright?" Kazue consoles her
"Thank you, Kazue-san!" the woman goes to bow again before Kazue hoists her back up.
"Will you show me around the gardens, Kanako?" she changes the subject
"Of course, Kazue-san!"
Kazue was sure the woman had some kind of anxiety complex. Not that it surprised her, Kazue had only considered what life would be like for her once she married into the Uchiha clan, however she couldn't begin to imagine what the servants went through. They kept servants in Uzushiogakure, though they were more like family… they were treated well and given freedom. This poor woman looked scared to death.
Kanako guides Kazue through all four wings of the compound, it was beautiful no doubt, serene and walled so that the busy hum of the village was almost blocked out. The library intrigues Kazue, from an early age books always held a special place in her heart. She would definitely sift through the library later. They move to her quarters. The room was large, not as large as Madara's had been but larger than her room in Uzushiogakure. The window overlooks the training grounds and part of the forest which Kazue's decides she's satisfied with. Her luggage and belongings are set out across the large bed and several shelves.
"Where is Madara-san?" Kazue asks curiously
"He is meeting with a few village leaders to discuss expansion."
"I see."
"My lady, have you decided which belongings to take to the Uchiha estate?" Kanako asks
"Damn! I forgot to sort through it all!" Kazue grimaces, she knew the wedding was to be held in the Uchiha residence outside Konoha… Mito had reminded her several times to pack the clothing she needed for the wedding and festivities. Cursing her lack of organisation she pulls a suitcase to her. "Kanako will you grab another box and help me sort through?" she asks
"Of course!" the woman smiles, having received a task to complete.
"Should I leave these?" Kazue lifts up several of her older yukatas, "I really should have sorted through this earlier… When do we leave?"
"It might be best to take all of the belongings you require and leave anything you won't need for a while here. We leave for the Uchiha estate in a days time."
"I see. And when shall we return?"
"Kazue-san… that is to be the setting of the wedding ceremony and our living quarters after its conclusion."
"What?" Kazue looks up from her sorting
"W-we most likely won't return here for at least half a year, unless Madara-sama has some business in Konoha..." Kanako measures her words
"We're moving permanently…" Kazue's question comes out as a statement she seemed to be pondering the meaning of,
"Y-yes, my lady."
"Excuse me, Kanako. I must take my leave to speak with my sister." Kazue stands and lets herself out of the room in a moment. Wherever Mito was, Kazue would find her.
"Shock after shock after shock!" Kazue slams the door behind her as she storms into Mito's study
"K-Kazue?!" her sister stands in confusion
"When did you people think you would inform me that I'm to remain in the Uchiha estate outside of Konoha following the wedding ceremony?!"
"Kazue, it's not permanent so that's why we thought it wasn't a great deal, you'll return every-" Mito raises her slender arms toward her sister in consolation
"Half year, at least!" Kazue steps away from her, "When is anything pleasant going to happen?! I'm going to be surrounded by Uchiha and left at his mercy with no one from Konoha for support?" angry tears roll down her face, she swipes them away roughly.
"We are always nearby, Kazue-"
"No you aren't. But you know what, maybe it's a good thing you won't be. You just want me out of your worries so you can live prosperously here! This was never meant to end well for me, was it?! Father wanted to get rid of me and you all do too…" Kazue steps to the door, her voice growing quiet and her throat thick with sorrow,
"Kazue, my sister you misunderstand, we love you! We could never-" Mito rushes toward her and reaches out a moment after she disappears from the door way.
There has to be some kind of limit to the magnitude of disappointment and loss of faith one could have in their family someone could feel in a week. The white-hot rage in Kazue had dulled to a feeling of sadness as she scales the fences around the Uchiha training grounds. Did no one want her? One side pretends to care and the other openly doesn't care. She wondered which one was better.
There was someone training behind the last fence, in the valley behind the Uchiha compound. The sound of crumbling rock and scorching flame catch Kazue's attention, what on Earth was going on? She follows the grassy path to a small cliff and strains to look at the field a hundred metres below. She doesn't have to look much longer before she recognises who it is.
A colossal fireball collides with the side of the cliff, incinerating the trees in its path. The flames issue from his lips, almost like the condensation of a whisper on a winter morning, before culminating into an inferno. Suddenly, the heat is gone and the air clears. Below, she could see him flit from one area to another, each time he stops he lands a deafening blow to the earth that causes it to crack at least a metre deep. Even then, she could sense him suppressing some, no mostly all, of his chakra. His movements are fluid and efficient, no doubt he was unlike any warrior Kazue had ever seen. He only wears black slacks, his well-defined upper body ripples with each movement he makes and the sheen of sweat over his porcelain skin shines in the sunlight. She may not have known what to think about Madara Uchiha as of recent, but Kazue acknowledged his talent and his strength. Inching closer to see where he is, she sees a flash of blue before Madara appears on the ground again. A rumble of thunder rolls through the clouds above her, what monstrous chakra… Now he kneels on the ground, one hand splayed by his side. As his palm contacts the ground, the loose dirt and gravel rise into the air, creating an opaque cloud around him. Several moments later, the dust begins to settle, amidst the screen of dirt, onyx eyes meet hers. Not even a gasp escapes her before she bolts back the way she came. Not long after that she runs into something hard enough to be a brick wall, not that she remembered seeing any on her way there.
"Kazue-chan?" She knew that voice, deep but soothing and familiar. She looks up to see Tobirama standing over her, his hands holding her shoulders firmly. His dark brown eyes appear to glow burgundy in the sunlight, they linger on hers.
"T-Tobirama-san!" Kazue rubs her forehead tenderly, blushing.
"Are you alright? Mito-san was worried about you." He frowns at her as he brushes aside a scarlet strand from her face,
"Are you sure about that?" she pulls away from him in a huff
"She's worried and she didn't want you to put yourself in danger. We all want to keep you safe, Kazue-chan."
"Why wasn't I told we were moving away from Konoha?" her brown eyes stare into his questioningly, the pout of her lip is adorable although Tobirama decides it isn't the most appropriate time to point out such a thing.
"We didn't think the event with the rogue-nin would happen. Hashirama-ni-san and Mito-san wanted to tell you after you spoke with Madara."
"You knew too?" her expression drops into sadness before he wraps an arm around her shoulder.
"I found out yesterday, I wasn't happy about it either, I knew it would upset you. But they didn't want to pile more stress onto you."
"What else are you people not telling me? I just want the truth." She sighs, feeling tears sting her eyes again. Tobirama wipes two tears from her cheek as they spill, hold her shoulders and looks into her eyes.
"We care about you, I, care about you and your wellbeing. That's the truth. I don't want you to leave, I asked Hashirama-ni-san to reconsider and discuss with Madara… he won't budge. I will come to the wedding and I'll visit whenever my missions pass by, it isn't far and I promise you won't be alone. Take this." Tobirama places something in her hand, before Kazue can look to see what it is, his lips brush her forehead. "Don't worry, Kazu-chan, keep that with you and I'll be there in a moment should you ever need me." He grins before ruffling her hair and flitting off into the forest.
The cool breeze of the evening caresses her face, reminding her of the blush in her cheeks and the breath she didn't realise she had been holding. The way Tobirama behaved around her was nothing new or strange, they were close friends and training partners for a number of years in their youth. Though, Kazue couldn't come up with a reason that described why her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Smoothing her hair back down with a scowl she lifts her hand. It was a kunai… though not an ordinary one. It bore the Flying Thunder God seal on its handle. A feeling of both relief and gratitude runs through Kazue. That idiot, he'd disappeared before she got to thank him.
When she returns to the Uchiha compound, Kanako all but pounces on Kazue. Only after Kazue ushered into a medium sized room with several mirrors and dressers and seated on a chair, does Kanako speak.
"My lady! I did not advise you of the time dinner is served! We must prepare you to enter the dining hall." Kanako is already running a bath
"W-what? I didn't realise dinner was such a formal occurrence here." Kazue frowns in confusion
"It's just that Madara-san will be speaking with a few advisors to go over the wedding preparations tonight and he asked that you be present." The maid rummages around shelves and pulls out a yukata of dark magenta and black, it was beautiful and Kazue could see the woman had an eye for design. Wedding preparations? Did no one even care about informing her of such things anymore? It almost makes Kazue laugh.
"When do I have to go?"
"In ten minutes, my lady, forgive me."
"It's fine, I've finished some missions in that timeframe." Kazue winks and pats the flustered woman on her shoulder, feeling her relax slightly. Kanako steps out to remove the dirty laundry, leaving Kazue to begin on her hair.
Three rough knocks at the door startle Kazue before it's pushed open. Much to her chagrin, Madara steps into the room. He is dressed in a dark grey yukata, the hollow of his collarbone visible. His jaw is taut and his tall frame almost fills the doorway. Kazue turns and bows before standing.
"Good evening, Madara-san." She smiles
"Still not ready?" are the only words he says, his eyes narrowing in disapproval.
"I only just returned. I didn't let Kanako know when I'd be back, I'm sorry." Kazue says apologetically
"I expect you ready in seven minutes." He states already turning to leave
"I'll be there as soon as possible." Kazue feels irritation threaten to take over before she quells it. The man had unfortunately saved her life, she owed him that much.
"Seems you had plenty of time to 'chat' with Tobirama this afternoon." His sly remark catches her off guard
"Excuse me?" is all she manages to say, her cheeks flushing crimson.
"Seven minutes, no more. I don't like to be kept waiting, Kazue-san." he says, shutting the door behind him. It didn't take long for Kazue to decide she still hated the man.
A/N: Thank you to those who followed, reviewed or favourited! You've really encouraged me. I was really unsure about this story, whether anyone would find it interesting or not, I want to do the characters justice especially because I adore Naruto as both a manga and an anime. This was a relatively slow chapter, just setting things up for the events to come ;) Please review and let me know what you think. I have exams at the moment but I'm going to try and finish off some more chapters soon so please bear with me xx (Also is it wrong that I find Madara's character so freaking bad ass and sexy? Ah what can I say... these bad guys get me). More interesting things to come :)