Chapter 05 | The Amamori Brothers


Madara shifted as Mio snuggled up against him, resting her head on his arm. He pulled the sheets over her naked back, but she pushed them down to her waist after a few minutes. He let her be, and for a while, he toyed with the red bracelet on her wrist. He sent it to her by hawk knowing it would terrify her. He figured it'd be a nice surprise for her nineteenth birthday—the hawk, not the bracelet.

Mio fell asleep as soon as he started raking his fingers through her hair. She spent day in and out sitting at Saori's side waiting for her to wake up as his interrogation of the captured shinobi had only given their mercenary clan a name, the Ishiki of the Earth Country. They had no way to locate their territory within the Earth Country, not without their prisoners directing them, which they had no intention of doing.

Madara woke an hour after Mio had gone on her morning run, surprised she had not woken him before leaving. Izuna came knocking as Madara prepared to go find him, having learnt that he had returned from the Tea Country last night.

"I am starving!" Izuna complained, pushing his way past him. "Did Mio make anything to eat?"

"She boiled water and called it tea," Madara replied, following his brother to the kitchen once he shut the door. "I made rice and broiled fish. Why didn't you make yourself something? It's not like Kana never taught you how to survive."

"I just came back from a very exhausting journey. I don't have time to make myself anything and Yayoi is hogging Takuto," Izuna explained. "We should have kept Kana."

"Kana needed to stay with our grandmother," Madara told him. "She'd be safer away from here."

"Kana is an Uchiha, too," Izuna said. "She might not be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but she could throw a knife at a target well enough. I'd be terrified of encountering her if she was waving around a butcher knife."

Madara shook his head.

Izuna tinkered about the kitchen piling leftovers onto a single plate. He poured himself a cup of Mio's tea. "Anyway, we should have kept Kana. She's our best cook. Takuto's second best, but again, Yayoi is hogging him. Mio was my next choice, but she's not here. Akira invited me to sit to eat with him and his brothers, but the Kuronuma have a strange diet. Mostly heavy in beef and venison. And they don't always have rice or vegetables."

Madara watched Izuna drink the tea, his face quickly twisting into one of disgust.

"It's just boiled water," he complained, setting the cup down.

"Why would you assume otherwise?" Madara asked. "I have shown her a dozen times, but I assume she is always in a rush that she forgets to add the tea leaves. Besides, you know Mio only knows how to cook fish on a campfire. She's only eating because I'm feeding her."

Izuna laughed. "Aren't you happy Kana taught you how to cook for your wife?"

"Madara-sama! Izuna-sama!"

Madara turned, hearing the rush of steps as Arata's voice reached them. The younger Uchiha burst through the kitchen doors, calling out for them.

"What is it?"

"The leader of the Amamori clan of the Waterfall Country crossed into our territory," Arata said, catching his breath.

"Aren't they the Ito clan's allies?" asked Madara, looking to his brother for confirmation.

Izuna shrugged.

"They attacked Mio-sama!"

Izuna slammed his hands on the counter surface. "Lead with that, Arata!"

Madara cursed as he rushed out with Izuna in tow, Arata shouting after them, but when they made it to Mio, they found her unscathed with a man lying on the floor beaten to a bloody pulp. There was another man hunched over the one on the ground shouting at her.

"What is wrong with you, you beast?"

Mio stared at him with indifference.

Izuna grabbed the man by the neck before knocking him out with a punch. As the man dropped atop his companion, Madara noticed a scroll bounce across the ground, rolling to a stop in front of him. He picked it up while Izuna went to Mio, asking her a thousand questions a minute, and unfurled it.

He recognized Mio's awful handwriting informing Ito Takuei of Saori's attack and under it, he found a new note written neatly.

I've sent you two idiots. Watch over them, the Amamori are good allies.

I leave Saori in your care.

Takuei

Madara found an extra sentence underneath Takuei's signature. You should better your handwriting, Shugosha; it took my best cryptologist to decipher this one.

"Isn't this the scroll you sent Takuei four days ago?" asked Madara, holding it up for Mio to see.

Mio stared at it long and hard in deep concentration. She lifted her eyes to his. "I am not apologizing."

"Nobody is asking you to apologize."

"They attacked you first, Mio-sama, you shouldn't have to apologize for anything," Arata said loudly, avoiding eye contact when she turned to him.

"See, they attacked me first," Mio repeated.

"You don't need to apologize," Madara said loudly.

Izuna nudged the two Amamori shinobi. "What do we do with them?"

"They'll freeze to death if we leave them here," Mio said, going back to them. She reached for the two shinobi and singlehandedly hoisted the two on her back, one atop the other draped across her shoulders. "Arata, please call Yayoi."

Arata sprinted away. It always amazed him how quickly the young man got things done when Mio asked them of him.

"Takuto will be livid if he sees you carrying those two around," Izuna pointed out.

"Takuto isn't here, and you will not tell him."

Madara followed the two past the verandah and into an empty sitting room where Mio deposited the two men. Yayoi and Arata came running inside, the priestess quickly mending the wounds of the Amamori shinobi that had attacked Mio.

"What did he do to you?" Yayoi complained, glaring at Mio. "You broke his arm and several of his ribs."

Mio grabbed hold of Madara's arm, surprising him, where her grip tightened when she said, "He came out of nowhere."

"What?" came everyone's exclamation.

"I panicked."

"Pft." Izuna covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

"You panicked…?" asked Yayoi, dumbfounded.

"He scared her," Madara revealed, noticing her hand twitched against his arm confirming his statement.

Yayoi and Arata stared at her utterly confused as her ears turned red.

"You nearly killed a man because he scared you?" Yayoi questioned.

Unable to remain silent, Izuna started to laugh hysterically, further embarrassing Mio.

"You slapped Takuto when he snuck up on you," Madara said in Mio's defense.

"Yeah, I slapped him, Mio almost killed a man. He has internal bleeding!"

"Then fix it! You're not a medic-nin for nothing, are you?"

A few hours later, they found themselves sitting in front of the Amamori shinobi, a pair of brothers. The eldest, Akihiko, and the one Mio almost succeeded in killing, was the current leader of the Amamori clan. Akihiko sat cheerfully, bandaged from head to toe with strands of blond hair sticking out. His brother, Takehiko, had the same blue eyes as his brother, but a darker shade of blond hair, and a snobbish air about him.

The two apologized to Mio, not because they had any reason to after she beat one and considered doing the same to the other, but because they were terrified she would do it again for any breach in decorum. She accepted the apology, true to her earlier statement that she wouldn't be the one saying sorry.

"We came to see, Saori-san," Akihiko announced. "After hearing from Takuei that she was attacked, I asked him to allow me to come in his place."

"I have the best medical specialist caring for Saori," Mio responded calmly. "She is alive and stable, but she has not woken since the attack."

"There are better medical specialists out there," Takehiko said. "Maybe you need to seek another opinion."

"The Kuronuma clan's medical specialists have knowledge of far greater healing arts than any other clan," Madara told him. "And Kuronuma Takuto is the best. You will not find another medic with his ability."

"If you wish to see Saori, I can take you to her," Mio suggested, standing. "You can assess her condition if that is what you desire."

The two jolted, scrambling onto their feet. "Yes!"

Madara stood, deciding it would be best to accompany her. He dismissed Izuna, Arata, and Yayoi.

Mio led the Amamori brothers through the Kuronuma clan's encampment, directing them past Takuto's yurt to the one behind it where Saori was recovering. Takuto, who had been seated besides Saori's bedding, stood quickly at the sight of guests and Mio watched both Amamori shinobi look up to the much taller man in amazement.

"These are Amamori shinobi," Mio introduced briefly, allowing them to finish on their own.

"I am Akihiko," said the Amamori clan's leader, and then gestured to his brother politely. "This is my younger brother, Takehiko."

"Ah." Takuto's face lit up with recognition. "I'm Kuronuma Takuto, nice to meet you. Saori has told me all about you Akihiko-san."

"Really?" Akihiko brightened. "What has she said?"

"Oh, it's best you don't know, but it's really nice to meet you," Takuto responded, waving a dismissive hand.

"You can't just say something like that and not tell me," Akihiko cried.

"Brother, that isn't why we are here," Takehiko reminded.

"That's right, Saori," Akihiko began, looking past Takuto to Saori.

"Oh, are you here to see Saori?" asked Takuto. "She's resting. All her vital signs are—"

"Takuei-san sent us here in his place," Akihiko began, but his brother quickly interrupted. "He wanted us to make sure she was receiving the best care possible."

"I can guarantee that she—"

"We do not believe you are a fit medical specialist," Takehiko finished, interrupting Takuto. "We believe there are a crop of many others that might be more reliable than you. After all, we've only just met you."

In his periphery, Madara saw Mio cover her face with her hand and watched all the cheerfulness and lightness that made Takuto himself vanish from his expression, though his smile remained.

"Excuse me?" Takuto asked strangely.

"You've done a wondrous job, I'm sure," Akihiko tried, "but—"

"We believe this was too much for one person to handle," Takehiko continued. "Saori-san could have received more damage than you are able to—"

"I can assure you that Saori is receiving the best care available," Mio interjected.

"Takuto is the most celebrated Kuronuma medic," Madara added. "You've only just met him; you've no reason to doubt his talent."

"And for the same reason, I've no reason to trust in his talent either," Takehiko remarked.

"Takehiko…watch your tongue," Akihiko said weakly. "That's Uchiha Madara."

"I don't care who he is," Takehiko snapped, silencing his brother. "There's a hundred other medical specialists out there known for their fame, but nobody's ever heard of a Kuronuma Takuto."

"The Kuronuma aren't fame chasers," Takuto responded, surprisingly cool. "I do not claim to be the best at what I do, but I am good at doing what is necessary for Saori's recuperation. Now, I will respect Takuei-san's decision to send you on his behalf and allow you to visit Saori, otherwise, I would have you shipped back to whatever hole you crawled out of, you disrespectful snakes." He smiled brightly. "Excuse me."

Takuto stepped out of the yurt briskly and Mio went after him, but not before glaring at the Amamori brothers.

"Enjoy your stay," Madara said evenly, exiting. He planned to have those two thrown out of his territory immediately, knowing Takehiko would continue being problematic, but he had suppressed the urge because Ito Takuei had left them in his care.

Akihiko chased him outside. "I must apologize!"

Madara paused, turning on his heel to face the nebbish shinobi.

"My brother"—Akihiko hesitated—"he says whatever he wants and—"

"I'm not the one you should apologize to," Madara said curtly, leaving him to see whether Izuna had an update on the Ishiki shinobi situation.


Madara was the first to notice when a third visitor stumbled through the Climate Sphere's barrier. He ordered a small team to find whomever it was that entered and after a short stretch of time, one of his shinobi returned while Izuna had taken to torturing their prisoners with genjutsu.

"It was a boy," the shinobi told him.

"A boy?" asked Madara.

The Uchiha nodded. "A bit younger than Arata, I suppose," he continued. "We found him unconscious. Most likely dehydration or simply exhaustion. He does not pose a threat. We believe he might be a samurai from the Iron Country."

"Inform Mio," Madara ordered. "Let her handle this."

"Yes, sir."

The shinobi quickly exited.

"Was she expecting someone?" Izuna asked, sitting back into a seat on the verandah. Their seven remaining prisoners were kept outdoors braving the Climate Sphere's blizzards tied to stone pillars by rope molded from the Kuronuma's black water. They had been left to freeze and starve, offering reprieve to anyone willing to speak. Since they had been captured, three of their prisoners had died; most had been left with their wounds untreated and succumbed to their severity.

"Murakami Keishuu was sending his son over to see if she found him useful," Madara answered, sliding the doors shut on the opposite side of the room. He walked across to reach his brother's side. "I have a feeling that he simply did not want to handle his own son, thus left him in our care."

"How bad is his son?"

He shrugged. Mio had avoided speaking of Murakami Keigo.

"I'm going to assume it's bad if Mio hasn't told you a thing," Izuna remarked. "What does Takuto have to say about him?"

"Takuto never met him."

"How?" Izuna questioned, baffled. "They were only living in the Iron Country together!"

"Apparently, Murakami Keigo was living with his grandparents. Mio was the only one that met him. She apparently had business with him one or two years ago."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"It's just boring."

"What is?"

"Well, I thought this story would be a little more exciting."

"How?"

"I don't know." Izuna leaned forward. "So, what happened to the Amamori brothers?"

"The rude one continues to insist on bringing another medical specialist," Madara responded. Amamori Takehiko had singlehandedly landed a permanent place on Takuto and Mio's bad sides. Takuto had acted with forced kindness when confronted with the audacious one, but Mio had been less obvious in making it known that she had no interest in his existence by ignoring him. Nako had tried keeping the peace in Saori's place while Yayoi had proceeded to betray them by admitting she had found Takehiko to be quite handsome. Mio had threatened to disown her.

The threat's purpose had worked against Mio because it had only served to fuel Yayoi's interest in Takehiko, who had done a better job presenting himself to the priestess than any other person he had encountered.

"We should try to kill him and make Takuto heal him," Izuna suggested. "Ah, but Takuto would let him die."

"He's not vindictive."

"He should be a little more menacing as a leader; you can't go wrong with menacing—oh, well, I guess he has Mio for that." Izuna shuddered when a cold wind struck. "It's cold out here! When are you all going to give up and tell us what we want to know? It's not hard!"

"Leave them," Madara said. "Takuto offered to make them speak. If all else fails, Mio said she had a method, though she'd rather not use it."

"Oh? I was never aware Mio was versed in torture."

"Grandma used to have her sit through a few interrogations when she was younger. Most were torture." Madara folded his arms over his chest. "Though it's not to say she is versed in it, she just has a way to make them speak. She wouldn't be so adverse to it if it wasn't going to guarantee results."

"I wonder what it is."

Madara went to Mio's side after leaving his brother with the prisoners. She sat in front of the small mound where the Climate Sphere had been buried likely tampering with it. When he approached her, he saw the Time Sphere, which hung from her neck, glowing softly.

"How is the boy that stumbled through the barrier?"

The light the Time Sphere emitted slowly waned as Mio exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders loosening. She looked up.

"It was Murakami Keigo," Mio answered. "His overexcited nature likely persuaded him to run the entire way without rest. He exhausted himself as expected. I doubt he's eaten either. But, he will be fine after resting."

"Good," he said. "What of the Amamori brothers?"

"Amamori Akihiko-san is with Saori. He never leaves her side."

"And Takehiko?"

"Who?"

Madara laughed. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Learning the Climate Sphere," she said, rising. "I wanted to make sure I could do everything to make it stronger."

She dusted her clothes of snow and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Were you successful?" he asked.

She nodded. "Now I need to lie down a moment."

Madara walked back to his grandmother's house with her.

"Mio!" Yayoi's shouting reached them as they were making their way onto the porch. "Oh! Fantastic, Madara is with you! Madara!"

The priestess quickly came into view with the eldest Amamori running behind her. She stopped in front of them abruptly, catching her breath.

"What is it?" asked Mio.

"Ishiki"—Yayoi gasped for breath—"Amamori—" She tried standing upright, but was still a little slouched. She gestured to Akihiko, who was standing with her waiting for her to speak. "Akihiko-san—you—"

"Oh, okay, well," Akihiko began, looking at them rather nervously. "You see, Yayoi-san mentioned that you had Ishiki prisoners, and well, I told her that my clan was familiar with them. Our clans used to be allies and then we were enemies and then we were just—"

"Get to the point!" Madara said snappishly.

"He said the Ishiki clan had allied with Mikazuki Rikuto!" Yayoi blurted.

"No," Mio responded. "That's impossible."

"I am absolutely certain that the Ishiki allied with the Mikazuki clan, several of their clansmen have been seen moving to the Earth Country," Akihiko explained. "Many of my scouts have seen them. They bear their crest as a scar, a crescent with a line running through it vertically, right?"

"It is very likely that the Mikazuki clan is the reason the Ishiki clan knew enough about the artifacts to recognize them," Madara said. "Who knows more about the artifacts apart from the Kuronuma clan?"

"It can't be Rikuto," Mio said stubbornly. "He would not mobilize his men against me—"

"Mio! He's the only one that makes sense!" Yayoi argued. "He can be just as bad as Gouki—"

"No, I would have known."

"Mio, he sank your ship! That says a lot about a person!"

"He was protecting his mother!"

Madara turned to her quickly, recognizing the change in her expression. "What?"

"She was already dead!" Yayoi exclaimed. "He didn't have a reason! He just saw the Shugosha and knew she couldn't swim and decided to sink your ship!"

"No, she wasn't, was she, Mio?" asked Madara.

Mio sighed, and with great reluctance, spoke, "No. She was alive."

"I need to sit down," Yayoi said, taking a seat on the porch.

Akihiko stared at them all blankly. "So, what's happening?"

"What's happening is that Mio lied to us all," Yayoi stated. "I thought we were all friends here and that we told each other everything, but obviously, you didn't trust us enough to tell us that you went to see Ayuka before she died. That's what happened."

"Who's Ayuka?"

"She is an evil woman that you should be happy is dead because if she wasn't, we would probably be dead instead."

"Why would you lie about seeing her alive?" Madara asked, irritated that she had kept it a secret, even from him.

"Yayoi, Akihiko-san, leave us," Mio said, turning away from them to face him fully.

"But—"

"Tell Izuna about what you know. He should start asking the right questions," Mio ordered. "Feel free to tell gossip about everything else you've learned. I will gather you all and come clean after I speak with Madara."

"Fine, but you better tell us everything."

Akihiko and Yayoi left together.

"Had I told you I would be meeting Ayuka, you would have called me reckless and tried to stop me," Mio began, walking into the nearest sitting room. Madara followed her, sliding the door shut behind him. "Had I told you that I stayed beside her until her death, you would have called me reckless. I did not see reason to explain what I had done because I haven't learned the words that make my actions sound reasonable. It was a stupid, incredibly reckless thing to do. I knew that then and I know it now. I shouldn't have done it, but I did."

"Why would you go all the way to the Sun Country to see the woman who ruined your life?" Madara asked.

"Because I needed to see her dead," she answered. "She caused me a lot of pain and I needed to see it end with her death. Mikazuki Rikuto was kind to me and he assured me that he had no interest in fighting any wars against me. So, I don't think he would do this. It's impossible."

"You are lucky to have left the Sun Country alive, Mio!" he snapped. "How can you be this gullible?"

"How?" she repeated stiffly. "Quite easily. I am foolish and I choose to believe him, whether that makes me gullible or not. He gave me his word. I want to believe in his word."

Mio walked towards the door. She would definitely be stubborn about it and changing her mind would be impossible.

"And if he is behind all of this?" Madara asked.

She left the room. "I'm going to lie down."

Madara followed her because he finally found the opportunity to spring this on her. "Mio!"

She turned down the first hallway to make it to the staircase.

"Mio! Come to the Sun Country with me!"

She halted, facing him. "What?"

"You want to go after the people responsible and I need to go to the Sun Country for Yayoi."

"But the Ishiki clan—"

"We can send Izuna or Takuto to the Ishiki clan. We can make use of the Amamori's presence in our territory." She didn't look convinced. "You can use the opportunity to prove the Mikazuki Rikuto isn't responsible for Saori's attack. I need your help making it into the Sun Country."

"Fine. I'll go." Mio disappeared up the stairs.

Madara went back to the compound where Yayoi had gathered with Izuna, Takuto, and Nako. Judging by the way that they looked at him when he entered, Yayoi had told them everything she knew. Madara grabbed a hold of Takuto's shoulder, knowing he was Mio's confidant. "Did you know?"

Takuto raised his hands in resignation. "No! I didn't!"

Madara let him go. "She said she went to get closure."

"It makes sense," Takuto said, "but she shouldn't have gone on her own. She could have been killed."

"The good thing is that she wasn't," Nako said, receiving the brunt of everyone's glares. Her eyebrows knitted in irritation. "Well she didn't!"

"She's lucky she wasn't killed," Izuna corrected. "Given that Mikazuki Rikuto is feeding clans like the Ishiki information about the artifacts, I doubt it's the first alliance the Mikazuki made outside the Sun Country since Ayuka's death. Now I'm sure that we will be receiving more attacks on his order."

"But what does he expect to do with the artifacts?" Yayoi questioned. "What does he gain from telling everyone which artifact is the main one when nobody except Mio can use it, unless she makes someone else Shugosha."

"Yes, but she made that clear during the Artifact War three years ago," Takuto said. "She made it known to Ayuka that she was the one with that ability and that Shinra simply inherits it. Maybe he wants to continue with his mother's work and see that the spheres return to their rightful place. What did Mio tell you?"

"She didn't tell me anything," Madara replied. "She only said that she didn't believe Mikazuki Rikuto would try to attack her. She wants to trust him."

"The Mikazuki clan owes her nothing. As far as they're concerned, she's the reason their leaders are dead," Yayoi stated. "I don't know how she could be this thick. I bet he just apologized to her and she ate it all up."

Everyone agreed with a simultaneous grumble.

"Well, we suddenly have a better excuse to invade the Sun Country," Izuna commented. "You know, better than releasing the Motou clan from the evil Mikazuki clan's hold because that is our excuse, right?"

"We didn't have an excuse," Madara corrected. "We wanted to invade and that was that. Mio agreed to go."

"Does she know what we want her to do?" asked Izuna.

"No."

"But she agreed to go?"

"Yes."

"I think it's best we just go with that," Yayoi said. "We can break it to her in a more comfortable environment later."

"What do you want her to do?" asked Nako.

"Only seduce a tyrant," Izuna replied, surprised when everyone shot him odd stares, "which is what she does best. I mean, she's married to Madara. You hear that? Married. She's not just with him. She took the big step. They are in it forever and we all know he's a huge tyrant."

"Izuna, shut up!"

"Do you see how he talks to me?"

"Shut up already!"

"That's true. She's managed to seduce Izuna too and I don't think she was trying," Nako said, giggling with Yayoi. "He's just a secret tyrant."

"Nako, you shut up!" Izuna snapped. "And Yayoi, don't encourage her!"

Madara let those three snap at each other and turned his complete attention to Takuto. "When did she tell you that she went to the Sun Country?"

"She didn't," Takuto replied. "She left me in charge of the clan and said she was traveling to the Fire Country to see everyone. This was shortly after the Artifact War ended. She wanted to visit Taiga's grave."

Madara recalled that time. She had walked onto Uchiha territory carrying various clan treasures that Eijiro had entrusted to Taiga, who had left them to her. "I heard news of Ayuka's death a few days before she arrived."

"Ayuka wasn't dead when Mio left," Takuto said. "She went directly to the Sun Country! She lied to me! I thought she was just going to see you!"

"It was established that she lied," Madara pointed out, amazed with how scandalized the Kuronuma leader looked.

"Yes, but she doesn't lie to me! She lies to everyone else!"

"The only way we are going to know anything is by going to the Sun Country," Madara stated. "I can try to get more information out of her because I doubt this is the only thing she's kept from us."

"She's getting bad at lying," Yayoi remarked. "I think she knows exactly why her pathways are upside down. Did she take any other journeys around the continent without telling any of you?"

"She did travel a bit on her own," Takuto admitted, "but it was never out of the ordinary." He paused a moment. "Although, there was a time she disappeared for about three months. It was when she had business with Murakami Keigo. I asked her about it after, but I didn't exactly see it as odd because she sent me messages so often I felt I knew what she was doing. She was following a merchant route from the Iron Country to the Swamp Country."

"What's in the Swamp Country?" asked Izuna.

"Well, the Kuronuma clan was in conversation with the Swamp Country's daimyo about becoming permanent residents, in fact, we are still in talks about it," Takuto informed.

"Yeah, except Takuto's next meeting with the daimyo was pushed back because of Mio and Madara's ceremony," Nako added, to which Takuto agreed with a nod. "Onto her disappearance for three months, I was actually under the impression she had also come to the Fire Country to see Madara and Izuna, but I later found out that neither one of you was around because you were too busy killing the Kita clan."

"Oh that was fun," Izuna said with a proud smile.

"I don't remember a Kita clan," Yayoi said, bewildered.

"Neither does the rest of the world," Madara replied smugly. They had been a problematic group of shinobi that had met their demise against the Uchiha clan.

Izuna clapped him on the shoulder. "Exactly."

"Our grandmother would have mentioned if Mio had dropped by in our absence," Madara pointed out. "The only time she has shown up, she's been accompanied by someone."

"So, if Murakami Keigo is the only one with even a hint of a clue as to what Mio was up to during those three months, maybe we should be taking this to him," Yayoi suggested. "I mean, it'd be a waste not to considering he's in my yurt."

"Is he awake?" Madara asked.

"Yes, I left him eating."

"Go fetch him," Madara said.

Yayoi nodded, running out the door. "I'll be right back."

Madara decided to sit with the others while waiting for Yayoi. The priestess returned a few minutes later with a young man with messy black hair dressed in a plain robe.

"Keigo-kun, this is Uchiha Madara," Yayoi began, waving in his direction, then moving from person to person, "his brother, Izuna. That over there is Kuronuma Takuto and I remember you've already met Nako."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Murakami Keigo," he introduced politely, bowing. "I hope I can be some assistance to you."

Nako moved to retrieve a cushion for him to sit and set it down in front of them. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Nako-san." Keigo sat on the cushion with both hands on his lap.

"Do you want anything to drink?" asked Yayoi.

"No, thank you."

Madara stared at Keigo oddly.

"We just wanted to talk about when you met Mio," Takuto started.

"She brought me a letter from my father," Keigo answered. "She wanted to learn a little more about the merchant route that ran through my grandparents' village." He smiled kindly. "She even stayed for a few weeks when grandma asked if she could help us farm for the season."

The boy was extremely polite.

"How long did she stay with you exactly?" Izuna asked.

"It was three weeks, Izuna-san."

"Do you know where she was going after she left your grandparents' village?" asked Nako.

"I do believe she went home."

"That only accounts for three weeks," Takuto said, "but what about the two months?"

"Did something happen to Mio-san?" asked Keigo, worried.

"No, nothing happened to her," Nako replied. "We were just worried about something that might have happened in the past that she might be keeping from us."

"Have you tried asking her?" he asked innocently. "If you tell her how you feel, she might tell you whatever you think she is hiding."

Madara stood abruptly. "We should leave it alone for now. We have reason to invade the Sun Country." He turned to his brother. "Kill the Ishiki shinobi. Interrogating them won't be necessary."

"Okay," Izuna said, getting to his feet.

Madara exited.

Keigo forgot his sense of propriety when he rose from his seat and chased Madara outside. "Madara-san!"

He stopped and waited for the younger man to catch up. "Please forgive my bad manners," he said, bowing deeply. "I forgot to congratulate you on your wedding. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Also, if it isn't too much to ask, could I please see Mio-san?" Keigo asked, his head lowered respectfully.

"You don't need to ask whether you can or not, see her whenever you want," Madara replied. "However, at the moment, I do think she is resting."

Keigo straightened up. "Okay, Madara-san," he said. "I will wait until she has woken to greet her."

Madara decided to return home to see if Mio had managed to fall asleep. However, after he arrived and searched their room, he found it empty. The only other places she could have gone were to the Climate Sphere or Saori's yurt. Given that he had walked past the Climate Sphere on his way to his home, he had opted to walk to the Kuronuma clan's encampment.

Akihiko and Takehiko were standing several feet away conversing when the former intercepted his path with a brittle smile on his face.

"Did something happen?" asked Madara.

"Saori-san woke up," Takehiko answered.

Akihiko nodded, adding quite happily, "She did. One of the Kuronumas fetched the Shugosha. She expelled us from the yurt, wishing to speak to Saori alone."

Madara walked on ahead, ready to step inside when he heard Saori's voice reach his ears. It was hoarse and strange, but hers. "I was surprised when Senju Tobirama asked after your health," she said, pausing. "I know you did some traveling within the last three years. Did something happen?"

His hands curled into fists, his mind quick to draw conclusions as he waited for Mio's defense.

"No," his wife said quietly. "Everything is fine."

"Mio," called Saori with some difficulty. "I am here. You can trust that I will keep your secrets if you ask it of me. So, tell me the truth if you cannot tell the others. If there is a heavy weight on your shoulders, you cannot bear it alone. Let me help you carry it with you." She breathed deeply. "That's what Guardians are for. To protect you as much as you protect us. Perhaps more. We all love you so much."

The two laughed lightly.

"So, tell me, Mio, is everything all right?"

Madara stood with his shoulders tensed in trepidation. He didn't move an inch, feeling that if he did, he would make his presence known.

"No," came Mio's wavering response. "It's not."

Saori sighed. "What did you do?"

"I didn't think I had a choice," Mio said, her tone tremulous as he imagined her body was as well. "I did the only thing I could think of."

Madara couldn't stand being outside after hearing that, knowing it had nothing to do with visiting Ayuka, and stepped inside the yurt. Saori was lying atop a bed of thick blankets with Mio sitting at her side, grasping her hand. The two turned at the sound of his entrance, Mio's eyes full of unshed tears while Saori's face molded into a difficult one for him to discern.

"It's good to see you awake, Saori," he said sincerely. He couldn't confront Mio. Not when she had looked at him that way, like he had unearthed a terrible truth that had no business seeing the light of day. He had felt her fear then, that's how tangible it had been. He didn't have the words to demand answers from her.

"I'll have to thank Takuto for saving me," Saori said, "and apologize to him because Takehiko-kun caused him so much trouble."

Madara approached her bedside, reaching to place a hand atop Mio's head. Looking down at her, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I worried your wife to tears," Saori responded. "She was so overjoyed to see me well."

"Everything is okay now," Madara said, feeling Mio's hand clasp his, the vibrant red of her bracelet dulled in the firelight. "Saori is fine."

She tightened her hold on his hand and nodded. "I'm so happy."

Saori smiled brightly at the two. "I am starting to understand something now that I was so near death."

Mio wiped the tears from her eyes after releasing his hand. "What?"

"I want to be an aunt," Saori finished. "Yuuka and Noe are precious, but I want to meet Shinra so badly and I'm sure they would appreciate a younger brother."

"They probably would," Madara said, humoring Saori aware she was joking.

"Then you have to promise not to die until you meet him," Mio said, surprising them. She'd normally go off on how she'd only be having daughters rather than admit that her firstborn was a son. "You have to promise to stay alive to spoil him rotten because Yayoi, Nako, Takuto, Izuna, Madara, and I can't do it on our own."

Saori laughed. "I promise."

It wasn't long before Takuto, Yayoi, Nako, and Izuna entered to join the reunion, the news traveling quickly. Yayoi and Nako were as emotional as Mio. Izuna and Takuto took seats on the other side of the bed.

And for a moment, there had been peace.


xl: Going through this I feel it reads a little filler-ish, but there are some important things in there. I mean, everyone knows Mio is hiding shit. Like, not even normal, "I'm just keeping this from you." Madara knows its fucking monumental.

It is.

Well, I think it is. You'll find out later. I'm dropping hints everywhere though.

But for now, I'm going to turn it over to you guys: What do you think Mio is hiding? Please tell me if you have any guesses or speculations?

I promise seriousness after the next chapter. There's going to be more action coming on.

Anyhoot, I want to thank these wonderful people for the reviews: Loteva, FlameCore, SilverRider09, blob80, and a special mention to Anime93 for PMing! I think I got new favorites/follows recently, too, so thank you very much for adding this to your lists! I hope you are enjoying it!

Thank you for reading! :)