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"You could lead a blind man to water. But you can't make him drink. "
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"I will not allow it! " He slammed his hands hard against the table. His voice echoed clearly throughout the room. All contents on the table rattled against the force of his anger. Servants walking pass the closed doors dare not enter. They feared the backlash that may come at them. Best to leave it alone.
But one brave soul had one ear pressed against the door. She could hear her father's angry voice. The moment she saw her future husband walk through the manor gates, she could not help but feel so infatuated. Seeing Madara Uchiha in all his powerful glory walking with a slight breeze in the air had made Assuming blush beyond the realm of God's. He was so handsome to her. His stature reading of pure power that none could touch. Oh, how she wanted him. She even wondered how he fared in bed.
Oh, such naughty thoughts. She giggled as he passed her without so much as a glance in her direction. No matter, he will learn to love her. No man could escape her grasp. She followed closely behind him wondering where he was hiding when she sought him out. She wanted to ask him, but kept that in the back of her mind. Servants bowed in respect to the Uchiha clan leader as he passed.
Asumi could not hold back her smile for long. Listening closely to her fathers angered voice, she could only wonder why he was so angry. This was not going as planned. Was Madara going to take her as a wife or was he playing the long con? She hated waiting for answers and prayed her father could convince that stubborn shinobi.
"You cannot marry Lady Tsubaki! " She blinked once. She blinked twice. No. That could not be right.
She stepped away from the door in shock. Marry that garden rat? No. That was just a slip of the tongue. Asumi could feel her lip quiver in both anger and sadness. Her thoughts of marriage shattering hard before her. How could this be? Her father has been pushing in her mind that she was going to marry into one of the strongest clans. It all was a lie! A damned lie!
She could feel tears starting to form. Her mind a mess. Her hands clenched tightly. She knew whose fault it was. It was all HER fault! She did something to change Madara's mind. What did she do? That garden rat was going to pay for her broken heart and dreams. She had nothing.
It was time to make a visit to the healing house and show that garden rat what it means to mess with Asumi's dream.
…
Izuna looked to his brother seeing no sense of worry. This meeting was not how he expected it to be, but he was relieved when Madara had taken claim to wanting Lady Tsubaki as a wife. This had upset the village leader beyond reason. There was hope for a marriage between the elder Uchiha and his daughter, but Madara was a man who did not change his mind. At least he came to terms with his feelings. Izuna thought sighing and waiting for Koga to stop his yelling. They were not children for the love of the Gods. They did not need to be scolded.
"Lady Tsubaki has no claim to any lands or alliance. She is but a healer with nothing in her name. My daughter has plenty of titles for you to invest in, Lord Uchiha. Can you reconsider your choice before you lose my generosity." Madara could see the desperation within Koga. The man only crossed his arms thinking about the backlash he will receive from his clan elders. Tsubaki would not be welcomed with open arms so quickly, but she could prove to the Uchiha clan that she is worth much more.
"I have thought of the choices for the time being. Lady Tsubaki has shown me what a capable healer she is and with much improvement, she can teach my people. If you are not happy with my decision, I will break our alliance and leave your village. War will follow and your people will be caught in the fight." Izuna could see the determination on his brothers face. One thing could be clear, Madara can be intimidating when he needed to be. He was a menacing figure that should within his build. Shinobi were trained to be strong in not only mind, but their body had to be fit.
Madara was a man no one wanted to fight with. He could best a man in taijutsu without using his chakra. Izuna could see that he had to calm his brother before he ended up saying something that could cause the both of them to get a harsh lashing. Knowing Madara, he might as well propose to Tsubaki in front of Koga and marry her in his village just out of spite. God's, forgive Madrara for what he is to do.
Izuna waited with anticipation on the backlash in three… two… one…
"You do not want to regret those words, Lord Uchiha. You come here as a guest in my village. Here you are threatening my people and its well-being because I refuse you a woman of no worth and will willingly give you my daughter. It's a declaration of war." Koga stood up from his seat. The air in the room was thick. Koga was letting out some of his chakra, but it was weak compared to Madara's.
"You are rather defensive over a woman such as Lady Tsubaki. You are not her father, so you have no say in who she marries. We have been here in this conversation before, Kora. I want nothing to do with that spoiled daughter of yours. Is a marriage to your daughter important, or are you frightened with the impact of war?" Madara leaned close showing much more authority. The blackness seemed to surround his person. His dark eyes instantly changing its color, revealing the Uchiha's power: the sharingan.
Koga has heard of its power. It was one of the factors that made the Uchiha's one of the most feared clans. To see it before him caused the man to tremble in-front of Madara and his brother. Izuna placed his hand on his brothers shoulder and squeezed it. He knew that Madara's temper can cause trouble in places it should not. He was right though. Koga was not Tsubaki's father and could not permit her to marry. But she was a villager in his village. He could deny it, but Madara had the upper hand. There was no saying no to a clan leader and a dangerous man.
"Brother, enough." Izuna growled and clawed his brothers shoulder. The pain did not affect him, however. Izuna had to think fast before things got bloody and Koga call for backup.
Madara looked back to his youngest brother with a snarl on his lip. Both Uchiha brothers looking at each other with sharingan eyes. Koga let out a breath he did not know he was holding in. Sweat dripping down his brow and his eyes wide with fear. The power of the sharingan taking a toll on his mind and his body felt weak. He could not go to war with the Uchiha's, but he also could not let them slip through his fingers.
"Threatening a village leader for your own personal gain is what causes use to lose alliances. Calm your temper brother, or I will do it for you. One woman is not worth its trouble even if she is the cause of your infatuation." Izuna closed his eyes and opened them to reveal his normal dark eyes. Looking towards Koga, Madara grunted and turned his attention somewhere else.
Madara felt a sense of foolishness for letting his own personal feelings get the best of him. Tsubaki was not worth its trouble, but he wanted her. There was no need to explain to anyone of the reason. For Madara, his personal reason was his own. He could feel the hate growing deep inside of his heart. The darkness clawing its way through his veins to get deep inside of his blood. Hate. He could not become overcome with such a feeling. No one can understand why Tsubaki was able to calm him down from the hate; from that growing darkness. His brother may have been his reason to protect everything he loved, Tsubaki was just another reason to calm his nerves.
He turned his attention to the stunned village leader. His body shaking and eyes watering from the intense stare of Madara. He was feared. His very name sending chills down spines. His enemies on the battlefield trying to take him down.
All have failed. Except for a blind man. He snarled trying to keep that man's face from coming out. Just another road block. He had to get this over with and go back to the Uchiha clan to settle all thought of marriage. This will shut them up for a moment until Madara had his chance at spilling Senju blood and finding the blind shinobi.
Tsubaki is more then what you think her to be. She will calm you so you will be able to focus. The elders will have to live with it. The blind shinobi is still out there. He may return to fight you. A chance encounter. A chance to kill.
"As it stands, the Uchiha clan will continue trading resources. If you want to keep the peace, never question my choices." Madara spoke with a deadly tone in his voice.
Koga had yet to speak. His body and spirit was to shaken to muster any words. A man once familiar to war was brought to his knees by the use of a very powerful man. He was between a rock and a hard place. God's only know what his daughter would think. She was not going to be happy with this decision. Not to the fault of his own of course.
"You… You want to keep an alliance." Koga stuttered out. "You Uchiha's are feared by all. I see why no one would want to anger you, Lord Uchiha."
This broke something inside of Madara. Izuna held his brother back from ripping out Koga's throat. Koga stood in a defensive stance ready to fight, but his body gave out and he fell to the floor. Luckily, the Gods favored his life today. Izuna pushed his elder brother back by force. Madara could only see red within his vision. His sharingan activated once more hoping to use it against this weak man who claimed himself a once proud shinobi.
Damn. I can barely control him. Lady Tsubaki may have something soothing for him when and if we return to the healing house. Izuna thought.
"Brother, I swear I am going to strangle you where you stand. This is not how we act when it comes to alliances. Calm your damn temper, now! " Izuna had many ways of controlling his brother from his rage.
"Get out of my sight until your brother can control himself. I will not have violence cause a uproar." Koga spat out.
"Forgive my brother for being such a hot-headed fool. I assure you, Lord Koga, our alliance shall not be broken no matter how my brother acts. I know your village needs protection and our village resources. I am truly sorry a marriage would not find its way knew this conversation, but assure that the Uchiha clan will provide if your village does the same." Izuna spoke.
Madara felt his shoulders slump in a moment of defeat. His sharingan fading away and his normal eyes looking to Koga with much anger. Izuna was always the more level headed of the two. No wonder his words can reach far and wide. Madara loosened himself from Izuna's hold and walked out of the room. He cared not for the future of this village.
With a leader only looking to sink his teeth into Madara's clan, like many before him, a woman was always used as a bargaining chip. That is what all the leaders wanted. They did not see anything past the Uchiha name. It angered Madara even more as he stormed through empty halls and out into the outside.
He needed air.
"Madara! " He could hear his brother calling from behind him. Trying to ignore his brother, it was of no use. Izuna was at his heels. No doubt Madara could feel a lecture coming from his youngest brother.
"I will not apologize for something that was not my fault." Madara said nonchalantly.
"Why must I always be damage control for you? Koga may not look pass your proposal to Lady Tsubaki, but he knows our alliance is for the greater good for his village." Madara looked back to his brother. Why was he always right?
Tsubaki had once been in love many years ago when she first began the art of healing. He was a young man no older then her at the time. A charming smile and would listen to her when she felt that she could not do proper procedures. He was always comforting her when she had bad days. He was her first kiss when the night was hot and the moon was covered by storm clouds.
Tsubaki treated his wounds with care. For most of his stay, the young shinobi was bed ridden due to a loss of his leg. Even with such a loss, he still kept himself in high spirits regardless of his handicap. If it were not for him, Tsubaki may have given up on being a healer.
She had such little chakra that it would never compare to other shinobi. To him, it did not matter. Tsubaki had the knowledge. She was capable of being useful.
When she heard of her uses by Madara Uchiha, she was hurt. Of coarse he thought nothing of her other then being a healer. What was she thinking when she wanted to give him her all? She could never fall in love with a stubborn shinobi. Even if he was her former patient.
"Now, it did not hurt did it? " She said with a smile.
The little brown haired child sniffled and wiped away some tears from his eyes. Little trail marks from tears visible, but Tsubaki patted the child's hand in reassurance.
"N… No, Lady Tsubaki." The child said.
"I hope we have learned to not jump off high places. Even shinobi in training know when they can land know their feet. You might just need to take precaution and calculate your jump." Tsubaki looked at the child's bandaged knee as little spots of blood began to surface.
The poor child will be fine in a day and will probably go play ninja with his friends and come back to her with new scrapes and cuts. He was lucky that he only came out of it with a cut and not a broken leg. Tsubaki gently placed the child's leg down and he jumped up from his seat. Looking down at his bandage, the child smiled with teared filled eyes.
The door behind Tsubaki opened causing both of them to look and see that it was Ami. Tsubaki smiled gently at her.
"Miss Ami! Look, my leg is all healed thanks to Lady Tsubaki." The child said with excitement.
"I see. We're you trying to jump off the big rock by the stream again?" Ami said.
The boy only laughed.
"Run along now. I am sure your mother is worried about you." Tsubaki stood from her place. "Stop trying to jump off rocks."
The little boy had a cheeky smile upon his face. Tsubaki shook her head as Ami chuckled behind her. So the child ran off, maybe to cause more mischief in the village. Tsubaki had a small smile with arms crossed across her chest. It has been a busy day for the healing house. People were coming to the healers for medicine. Seems a sickness was going around the village.
Speaking of a sickness.
"Garden rat! " She heard her oh so famous nickname given by none other then Asumi's herself.
Ami's good mood had faltered the moment Asumi stood in front of them. She was fuming with anger and was there tears in her eyes. Tsubaki sighed heavily knowing something was amiss. Somehow, Asumi's anger was all her fault. Whatever it may be.
"What can I… " Asumi smacked Tsubaki hard across the cheek that left scratch marks across her cheek. Tsubaki see the day with anger as she clenched her teeth. Ami covered her mouth in surprise at the action and turned to run inside to find Tokiko. This was not going to end well. There had to be someone to settle whatever issue Asumi has with Tsubaki.
She… Tsubaki was shocked at the action. Asumi has never caused her harm before until this very moment. Asumi had claws ready to fight.
"You… You did something to him! " Asumi screeched.
Another smack to the cheek that caused blood to seep through her cuts. Tsubaki was in shock that she was unable to process what was happening. Why wasn't she fighting back? This would have been the perfect opportunity to kick Asumi down in the dirt, but she just stood there as Asumi screamed like a child who had their favorite toy taken from them.
"Why you? You are nothing! You come from nothing! " Asumi raised her hand to strike once more, but Tsubaki caught it.
Her grip tightened causing Asumi to look at the healer with wide eyes. Ami came back outside with Tokiko and Ikko trailing behind. Blood was dripping from Tsubaki's cheek, but her eyes kept a calm presence. This kinky made Asumi anger that she tried to struggle against the healers grip. Tokiko frowned at the two women. Ikko knew better then to get between women and their squabbles.
"I did nothing. You come here to attack me. You accuse me. You made me bleed. If I were not the better woman I would have fought you. No. I will not stoop low. What do you accuse me of? " Tsubaki roughly pushed Asumi back. The woman stumbled to find her footing, but was able to balance herself. Her own anger blinding her reason. She was angery at Tsubaki to the point she wanted to strangle her.
"Lord Uchiha chooses to marry you. You changed his mind somehow. You cannot possibly be something of worth, you garden rat." Asumi spat out. She was like a viper ready to strike with a deadly dose of venom.
Tsubaki took in a deep breath and chuckled. This was why Asumi was angry? Of coarse she would be. Her little happy ending was just a fantasy. Tokiko walked in front of the two women with anger in her eyes.
"It's best you run on home Lady Asumi. You have brought violence to the healing house which is permitted. We heal here." Tokiko stated.
"It seems you do more than healing." She countered.
"Your personal feelings have no say here. What is done is done. You fight over a man who did not notice you and you have no compassion for others. You're a selfish brat thinking a man would fall to his knees for you. If you think to look for friends here, you are mistaking." Tokiko kept her stern gaze know the woman.
Tsubaki had stopped her chuckling as she placed a hand on her cheek. This was rather dramatic. Asumi was made because Madara Uchiha wanted to marry her? This was trickery from the God's. Women can be such petty creatures.
"You okay Lady Tsubaki? " Ikko spoke from behind her.
"I'm fine. But I suppose I hurt the pride of a spoiled woman." Tsubaki looked towards Asumi.
"Enough!" Tokiko yelled. Tsubaki flinched back regretting her words. "Go home Lady Asumi and Tsubaki, go inside."
Asumi may have been defeated here, but she will never forgive Tsubaki for stealing Madara Uchiha from her grasps. Tsubaki turned around and walked inside. There was no reason to fight over a man. Tsubaki was above those kind of childish thoughts. She knew she was going to have to answer questions about why she did not say anything about the proposal. In truth, Tsubaki did not know how to answer.
She was caught between saying yes and no to being Madara's wife.
Her stinging cheek had caused Tsubaki to focus. Little drops of blood dripped into the water bowl. Tsubaki sighed heavily at the turn of events. She had to clean her cuts and carry on with her work. She would just have to deal with the backlash later. This was the house of being. She had patients to attend to.
Asumi just left a bad taste in her mouth that she wished to spit out. That woman was nothing more then the devil trying to ruin her life.
AN: What? Another chapter? Modern Age, you must really love us. Well, my fellow readers, I really appreciate all of you. I got a bit of a writing streak going knew that I do not want to give up. My muse is bugging me to put out this chapter to see how Tsubaki will react to Madara's marriage proposal. For Asumi, well, she did not take it all to well now did she?
Please don't be all to mad at me for putting drama in this story. I promise, it's not all so bad and I will get to the good stuff. Sometimes you have to get through the drama to advance the plot along. Action will come here soon, I promise.
Poor Asumi, she is just one hot mess with extra on top. Thank you for the lovely reviews that made me smile. I appreciate every one of them. Should Tsubaki say yes? What of the blind shinobi? Well, he will be returning shortly as you read in that little scene.
Drop a review. Hit that favorite and alert button.
Until next time my readers, bye.
Inspiration: like I Can by Sam Smith
