Chapter 20: Chance

"Well well well… Never did I think the great Madara Uchiha, famed across the world for his god-like talent in battle would catch a cold." Izuna struggles to contain his laughter which is cut short when a kunai narrowly misses his head, "Are you insane?!" he splutters

"I can still best you, little brother, don't you dare mock me." Madara glowers at his brother, irritated at how lethargic he feels

"What with all the stress you've been under, I guess it's to be expected. Why would you even keep a kunai in bed?" he scowls

"How is she?" his eyes soften

"Don't worry yourself, she's fine and not the type to let a little cold get her bed-ridden." Izuna smiles, dodging a bedside table to the head. "Besides, she's more concerned about you… she's anxious she can't understand why, she just hasn't made the link that she wants to see you. I think her emotions are coming back faster than her memories."

"I don't know how much longer I can bear to be so distant from her."

"Actually, you won't have to worry much longer. She's outside." Izuna points behind him at Kazue's silhouette outside his door. Kazue steps inside as Izuna nods a goodnight to them both. Madara can sense the concern radiating from her even as she takes graceful steps toward him. He tries to focus on the plain white ceiling although his eyes strain to take just one glimpse of her.

"Good evening, I'm sorry if I woke you." Her gentle voice calms his nerves right away,

"I was awake already." He nods, she smiles before a frown replaces her expression

"It's my fault you're sick, I'm so sorry. And I wasn't afraid of you back then, I just..."

"You're not at fault, you're experiencing strong emotions without understanding why... My only concern is triggering unpleasant memories of yours by getting too close to you."

"They're not all bad."

"I hope so." He blinks, his mind drifting away into doubt

"I don't remember seeing you look so discouraged before. You almost look... human."

"People seem to forget that's what I am." He chuckles in irritation

"I led Uzushio when I was younger. I always imagined my way of leading was the best… but I'm starting to see why the Uchiha are so strong. I may not remember everything but I can see you're trying to keep things running smoothly."

"The people make this clan strong, Kazue, I'm only one of them."

"My memories aside. I've gotten to know you in the last week, and you've managed to change my vividly harsh opinion of you." She admits

"Kazue, now that you have a chance to start over…" he begins, afraid to hear her answer, "Would you want to return to Uzushio to live your former life instead of remaining here until your memories return?"

"I had thought about that at the beginning. But I'm starting to realise that I've become very attached to this place, to the people… I don't remember why sometimes, but I know I belong here."

"Are you still afraid of me?"

"For some reason, I think a part of you always thrilled me. But I don't think I'm afraid, perhaps I'm curious."

"Kazue?"

"Mm?"

"May I touch you?" he sits up cautiously, the blanket rolling away to reveal his chiselled chest. Kazue tenses when she realises just how small she is compared to his strong frame, the moonlight shades and lights different parts of him to create a beautiful sight. She gives a shy nod and stares at the ground, hoping the blush on her cheeks isn't visible.

His hand moves slowly to hers, a frown appears on her delicate features when he pulls it to his face. The brush of his obsidian hair and the smooth surface of his skin sends shivers through her. Instinctively, her fingertips trace his cheekbone, his lips press against the palm of her hands. His hands cup her face, tilting her chin down until he kisses her forehead and then her nose, before stopping at her chin. Madara sighs with content, he had longed to hold her for so long that the sensation of her skin on his lips felt like a dream. Kazue frowns slightly, frustration bubbling through her at his slow pace, was she being teased by him?! She pulls his mouth to his, much to Madara's utter shock. How could he hold back with her behaving like this?!

"Kazue?! What are you-?" he stammers

"Are you trying to frustrate me by going so painfully slow?" she frowns in disappointment

"No, I just don't want to rush you in case-"

"I'm not afraid of flashbacks anymore. Hell, maybe they're what I need. Maybe you just need to stop holding back. Everyone's been holding back… it's taken me this long just to feel less like an outsider again. Everyone's careful with what they say around me or careful with what they do, like I'm made of glass. I'm not a child and we're not strangers, I know that from the things I remember and if we keep acting so…" she struggles to find the words.

"What do you remember about us?"

"A-a lot of things. That's not the point-" she blushes

"It's very much the point, Kazue." He feels a grin on his lips as his face moves slowly to hers, "You really want me to stop holding back?" He murmurs quietly,

"Y-yes." She sighs

"Are you sure?" he asks again

"Of course. It'll be better that way-" she can't finish before Madara flips their positions and lays her firmly on her back.

Barely a protest forms in her mind as Madara's hungry mouth covers hers. His tongue finds its way to hers as his hands move swiftly to her breasts. Kazue feels a familiar throb inside her, her mind bereft of any logical thought but the beautiful Uchiha in front of her. She finds herself clinging to him, desire burning through her like wildfire. She can't understand how or why, but this feels right, it feels natural. Madara's fingers trace her inner thigh before moving to her sex. He savours the moan from his wife's lips as her hips grind against him, wanting more.

"Even without your memories, you still have a short fuse when you're sexually frustrated…" Madara's chuckle is a rumble in his chest, "Whenever you'd act out, all I needed to do was make love to you until you couldn't think of anything but me."

Kazue feels both apprehension and lust wash through her as he pushes her legs aside to accommodate him. Though he had slacks on, she could feel the hard outline of him press against her wetness, she knew she wanted him inside her. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, Madara rubs himself against her. The friction increases the intensity of their sensations. Madara manages to surprise himself at the level of self-control he exercises, he hadn't been able to hold Kazue for many nights and it hadn't helped that he'd often be too exhausted from training drills or missions to even think of relieving himself. A part of him wonders if Kazue felt the same. Her back arches with pleasure, increasing the pressure between their hips.

"Did you touch yourself until now?" his voice is husky and deep

"D-Don't ask such things…" she blushes harder, trying to maintain her composure

"I haven't." His teeth graze her neck

"M-Madara…"

"Mm? Tomato." He kisses her nose and chuckles.

Kazue's thoughts are flung into the past, though her eyes and body remain focused on Madara above her. Madara's voice echoes from somewhere in the recesses of her memory.

"I will admit there have been many times when breaking boulders in the training grounds before sunrise were the only way to stop myself from pulling you under me and making love to you every night." He murmurs, Kazue can't help the new blush that blooms across her cheeks, the familiar throb between her legs growing. She turns to face him, his eyes are dark with desire, much like her own. "But the tomato cheeks definitely have to go." Madara winks at her before putting her down.

Kazue's mind is pushed back into the present, tears brim in her brown eyes as Madara looks down in horror.

"Kazue?! Forgive me, I should have never-" He shakes his head and begins to pull away

"No!" She moves with him and wraps her arms around his neck, tears spilling from her eyes, "I remembered something..." she nuzzles into the crook of his neck, Madara looks down at her and cautiously lays his hands on her hips, "It was a good memory."

"Promise me you're not lying?" he searches her expression for any hint of sadness

"I promise, although you have some nerve, you know." She raises a brow at Madara, who frowns in thorough confusion

"I don't understand?"

"Tomato cheeks?" She smiles. Madara laughs when he realises which memory she's referring to before he pulls her tightly against him.

"I love you." He kisses her hair and holds her small frame protectively over his. Kazue enjoys the security of his strong arms, thankful that Madara didn't expect her to repeat his words until she was ready.

The swish of the spring breeze sifts through nearby fields. Delicate and gentle fingertips brush through Kazue's long crimson hair. The pressure on her cheek lessens when she lifts her head off her mother's lap. The familiar features of her parent fill Kazue's senses with comfort and elation.

"Ka-san." Kazue says

"Kazu-chan, I'm proud of you." Her mother's voice echoes

"I've forgotten who I am, Ka-san."

"You will always remember who you are, Kazue. We may get lost, but we can never forget."

"How do I find my way back?" she asks, flustered

Her mother's voice seems to answer back, although her words are distorted through indistinguishable echoes around them. Kazue starts running forward, searching for something tangible.

"Ka-san, please?!" she calls back again to no avail. The world around her begins to darken into nothingness, the sight of her mother's face melting away in the shadows.

"Ka-san, come back! Ka-san!" She shouts as her vision fades into black. The anger and confusion in her mind grows until orange-yellow flames erupt from her chest. The bright luminescent colours burn away the darkness around her as she runs.

"Kazue-san!"

Her name is called out from somewhere still hidden in the shadows. She runs toward it, the flames over her body growing.

"Kazue-san! Kazue-san you're sleepwalking!" she recognises the voice before she sees Kanako in front of her, her arms raised in shock and warning. Before Kazue can make herself stop to avoid her, strong arms pull Kanako from her path. Relief doesn't have time to wash through her as another figure replaces Kanako's.

Madara stumbles toward the doors after he feels an empty space beside him on the bed, the intensity of Kazue's chakra grows in magnitude in the atmosphere around him. His eyes lock onto the two figures in the doorway before his legs move reflexively forward. His arms catch Kazue as she staggers forward onto the veranda, her chakra spilling like a white-hot fire across his bare chest. Kazue struggles for a moment until he pulls her close against him.

"Kazue, it's only me." He whispers in her ear, not caring that his skin was sustaining burns the more contact he made. Bright colour flashes through Kazue's field of vision before her eyes snap open and refocus. She suppresses her chakra immediately before she notices Madara's worried eyes looking down at her, severe burns evident across his face and chest. She begins to cry.

"Kazue, do you remember?" He asks incredulously, ignoring the raw sting of his burns

"I do, Kami, of course I remember! It was like someone had spilled black ink across my memories, I couldn't see myself. I couldn't see you…" Tears spill in an endless torrent down Kazue's cheeks.

"I'm here now." Madara's hand slips behind the nape of her neck, pulling her to him, "I won't let this happen to you ever again." He whispers into her crimson hair and scoops her delicately into his arms, heading for their room. Izuna closes the doors behind them and ushers the worried onlookers to disperse and avoid disturbing them.

Kazue's sobs are tired and weak against the crook of his neck. It's as if she's been endlessly fighting whatever those bastards did to her mind to remember who she is. His grip around her tightens. When he sets her into the covers and settles beside her, Kazue's shaking little hands rise to his face and neck. Soft and pale green light erupts from her hands onto his skin, the hum of his burns healing fill the room. Madara sighs at her determination. He shouldn't try to stop her, he knew she wouldn't sleep until he'd been healed. Instead, he pulls her hips to his and nuzzles into her chest.

"I-I'm so sorry-" her trembling voice shakes the Uchiha leader

"No. I should never have kept anything from you. It was my fault this happened and I promise you I won't make that mistake again. I shouldn't have kept things from you. That's exactly what they wanted… to divide us, to make us doubt each other." He worries his tight hold on his wife might suffocate her, although he holds him just as tightly,

"I wanted to apologize for fighting with you that night." She murmurs, to her surprise he laughs

"You want to apologize? You? Kami, Kazue, you have nothing to be sorry for." He massages his temples as she frowns. "Forget about that, I don't care about anything but the fact that I have you in my arms again."

"Don't let me go." Kazue pulls his chin up so that their eyes meet for a long moment, brown into black.

"Never." Madara rises from the sheets, his strong square frame overshadowing Kazue's petite shoulders. Their eyes do not part as their hands roam each other, even as their lips press into each other with passion, their eyes do not close, neither one wanting to miss a single moment.

"You misunderstand. I expected her to break the jutsu. Though perhaps to as soon as she did. It had the same effect nonetheless, she and Madara have become closer."

"You're telling us that was a plan not to divide them but to strengthen their unity?!" hushed murmurs break out in the mass of ninja,

"Precisely. The stronger the bond, the greater the chaos that follows." The black shadow sneers in the blue of the night.

Aida fidgets awkwardly as Mito settles gracefully into the chair across from her and beams a gorgeous red lipped smile.

"You both love each other, it isn't difficult to see. But rightfully so, your trust has been tested from the day you both first met." Mito places a gentle hand on her shoulder, "What is your heart telling you?"

"That I don't know what I'd do if he held me and thought of her."

"In truth, the fact that you were so different from Kazue, different from everyone else, that drew him to you. Your spirit and your easy-going personality." She smiles, "He and Kazue shared many things in common... but he managed to befriend you in such a short period of time and he usually isn't good at approaching others like Hashirama-kun is. He felt a connection to you from the moment he saw you."

"I don't understand why he tried to come after me, I'm no one of importance or high status."

"He's willing to be with you because he loves you for who you are. Personally, even I couldn't give less of a damn for social standing. We can't choose who we're born as but life is so much more than that even though the whole world might say it isn't." Mito frowns, her hand cups Aida's, "I dare say, give him one more chance... The final one. I want you to be part of our family, you are the one he needs."

Aida stares at the ground, deep in thought. Mito stands up and kisses her forehead before excusing herself. Millions of new thoughts flood through her mind almost giving her a headache. What if she gave him one last chance? What if he meant what he said? If she did decide to give him a chance, what would happen to her if it all just deteriorated back to how it was before?

"Aida?" Tobirama's husky voice murmurs from the bed, Aida pulls her chair closer and places her hand in his searching fingertips

"I'm here." She nods

"You didn't leave?" He questions though his tone seems enthusiastic

"Not yet."

"Don't go, stay by my side from now on."

"I don't want to be a consolation-"

"Dammit, Ai! I don't want her, I want you, I want Aida Sarutobi. It's like you haven't listened to anything I've said the past week, open your damn eyes and see how serious I am. This isn't a joke to me anymore because I love you and you refuse to see that." He jerks up in bed and rips the covers away before he shakily storms out of the room. Aida sits there speechless. She'd never seen him lose his cool like that. It occurs to her that she had been brushing him off consistently with the expectation he would give up and admit the truth, that he loved Kazue. But every time he repeated the same thing, that he loved her. Aida sighs in exasperation. One final chance? Perhaps Mito is right. Either way the worst that could happen was heartbreak tenfold more painful than before.

Aida follows Tobirama through billowing soft curtains out to the balcony. He stands stiffly at the rail, a shawl draped loosely around his muscular shoulders and the red hue of a fever on his cheeks. His red brown eyes are fixated on a point in the distance, strands of his silver hair stick to his damp forehead. Slowly, she comes to stand beside him.

"If I gave us one more chance..." she begins, catching his attention immediately, "I'll give us one more chance." She finishes. Tobirama says nothing but pulls her small body against his before he wraps his long arms around her. Aida finds herself instinctively hold him back.

"I won't disappoint you. But I will tie you up if you try to run again." He kisses her forehead

"Kinky." She gives an empty laugh,

"I love you." He laughs with her and she laughs genuinely.

"I love me too." She winks when he pouts, "Let's get you back into bed, you're still unwell."

"I feel better now."

"No. You're going back to bed."

"Will you lie down with me?"

"I'll sit by your side-" she starts before he scoops her into his arm and heads to the bed, she can't manage to form any protest as he wraps the covers around them and nuzzles her neck. "Tobir-!"

"Hush, I want you to feel loved so be quiet and hold me." He takes a deep breath and relaxes for the first time in a while, Aida can't help but smile at his stubbornness and decides to admit the words she had been afraid to say aloud.

"I love you."

Hashirama and Mito receive Madara's word half a day later. Though Mito's weary mind is relieved somewhat, the anxiety of their situation only appears to grow.

"Mito, would you stop pacing with those storm clouds above you? She is safe and whole now and we should focus on reinforcing security." Hashirama smiles and pulls Mito out of her frantic trance.

"Whoever did this entered the Uchiha residence without Madara-san or Izuna-san's knowledge and overpowered an Uzumaki almost resistant to genjutsu." Mito massages her temples

"Mito, she overcame the jutsu placed on her. That is a testament to her strength."

"I'm not discrediting her but...Doesn't it seem as if they did this on purpose? It seems too easy, Hashirama-kun." Mito waits for Hashirama's nod to explain herself, "Kazue said her memories were always there but they were 'covered in black'... like some kind of suppression."

"Any specific trauma to the brain would cause these symptoms... a genjutsu would-"

"What if it wasn't a genjutsu?"

"A ninjutsu?"

"No. I'm saying that it could have been a... a sealing jutsu. A jutsu that... that seals someone's consciousness away. I've heard stories of forbidden seals the Uzumaki created... only a select few know about their existence, like Father. If these people somehow got this information..." Mito looks intently into his eyes, he stares back with equal intensity, "What if Father died trying to protect the village and the forbidden sealing jutsu?"

"Do they have ninja powerful enough to perform them?" Hashirama sits at his desk carefully

"If they decode the jutsu and possess someone of that calibre, Kami knows what they could do with all of those jutsu... They could even summon and seal a tailed beast, Hashirama-kun." Her expression hardens.

Kazue stomps into Madara's office and places her palms flat on his desk. Madara looks up from his papers in surprise.

"Kazue?." he kisses her forehead before she pulls away

"You've been so gentle with me since my memory came back. It can't be helpful when we're both so wound up." She scowls

It only took a moment before they were in their bedroom, Madara sets his wife down and analyses her expression thoroughly. Surely, she wasn't serious, perhaps he hadn't given her enough attention recently and she wanted to speak with him and this was the only way to get him alone…

"Is something wrong?" Madara can't cover the concern in his voice.

"Madara." The look in her eyes sends temptation through him

"You're restless, have I upset you in some way?" he composes his mind and frowns at her

"Just throw me on our bed and take me already." She states as his eyes widen in shock, "Stop calculating every move and do what feels good." Her fingers run through his jet black hair and her lips meet his while his eyes are still blank with surprise. Kazue decides to take advantage of the Uchiha leader's speechlessness by letting her hand drop to the waist band of his slacks, her fingers tracing lower until they find what they're looking for. Madara can't form a rebuttal as her gentle strokes arouse him.

"Kazue..." he murmurs shakily when she kneels before him and takes his shaft into her mouth, her brown eyes look up at him with determination and lust. Unable to compose himself he picks her up and lays her on her back in one movement. Kazue lies there slightly surprised but in excited anticipation. "It doesn't matter if I give you space or take things slowly. When will you ever be satisfied?" he chuckles, kissing her nose

"When every moment is like this." She smirks, he raises his brow.

"We won't always be in the same place, love. What if I can't sate your appetite every night no matter how much I want to?" he asks, interested to hear her response. To his surprise she scowls and crosses her arms making him burst out laughing. More stubborn than a bull. His hands pull away her yukata and explore her body, lingering on every spot he knew she liked. "Kazue, are you paying attention?" he looks up to her surprise, "I want you to touch yourself like this. Think of where you want me. Where you want my hands… my lips… my tongue." He whispers against her inner thigh,

"And here I was thinking you'd be the flustered one for a change." She blushes as his hungry eyes roam her naked body

"Careful what you wish for." He smirks.