- Translator's note:
I swear, Mari will kill me if I don't translate sooner FDKSLKDFH sorry for the delay. :D
Mito was ready to die in her mission.
Even if it was from the hands of the man she loved.
However, instead of making a jutsu's seals, or using genjutsu, or even taijutsu, the man in front of her simply held her in his chest, leaving the kimono in the floor.
- Drowning? I wasn't really expecting that.
He just snorted while leaving the cave, feeling the waterfall's water splash upon him.
Stopping at the edge of the river, he entered the water with her.
- H-hey, what do you think y-
- Shhh... Just get ready.
- For what?! – she was tensed up, and that bone-freezing water was making everything worse.
- I said I was going to kill you... – he let out a sly smile – But not in the way you think I will.
- And which way is it? – she asked nervously.
They were in the middle of the river.
- In the... – he got nearer of her ear and whispered – you-will-die-from-pleasure way.
A shiver ran through the Uzumaki's spine, and the cold was not the reason for it. Suddenly, her body started to heat before the thought of being taken by Madara, as inside the cavern a while ago.
One more time.
- Just answer me something first- she asked him while still being able to think – Do you… Still love me?
They gazed straightforwardly at each other, until he let her go, leaving her on her feet, and hugged her. Tightly.
She realized that it was his way of saying 'yes'.
Feeling relief and pain due to the obvious farewell and the uncertain destiny of the man she loved, she hugged him back, kissing his face several times before finally kissing his lips, the lips who were unable to say 'I love you' even in a moment like that, just because of his wounded pride.
She married the person he admired and envied the most: Hashirama Senju. He felt doubly betrayed.
There, again, the two lovers gave themselfes to each other. And they lost the sense of time.
What they knew about it is that the morning had already arrived.
Mito needed to leave: spending the night with him would tell everyone the situation. Besides… Madara would rest to the attack he was planning to do that day.
And Mito would warn everybody.
And she would fight against him.
She went back to the cave, where she dressed her kimono. Leaving the place, she saw Madara still inside the water, his back against the river's edge.
Mito walked towards him and crouched.
- I'll see you later...
The Uchiha stared at her, his head bowing down.
In the position they were at, they shared a final kiss.
When they moved away, Madara felt a tear falling in his forehead while Mito quickly stood up.
Without looking back, she left, running away.
She cried during most of her way back to Konoha.
After their first kiss, Mito and Madara decided to date secretly, because the young girl wished to wait the best moment to tell her father that her job partner turned into the one who she meant to marry someday. Even if Madara was very strong and useful, he was an Uchiha, and still had a bad reputation due to his constant fights with Hashirama Senju.
One day, when they came back from a mission, the two found the Land of Whirpools completely annihilated.
- What happened here?! – she asked, desperate – where is my father? My family? Where are they?!
- Me and my men took the survivors to the Land of Fire. – a deep voice answered.
Turning to see who it was, she saw Hashirama, a man who she only knew from the meetings at her mansion.
- What are you doing here? – Madara asked, not a little bit happy to see his rival there.
- Senjus and Uzumakis are distant relatives. You've been called to help them that time because it was urgent and, somehow, you've got at least the leader and its daughter's trust. But there is still the rivalry between our clans. Then, the Senjus were sent to help the survivors. We decided to take the ones we found to our country; and a team was supposed to stay to wait for her return – he looked at Mito's direction.
- But... But why would someone do this to us? – the red head was sobbing.
- It seems like… your clan's sealing skill and your longevity started to scare some people…
- No... No... No! – She hugged Madara, seeking for some kind of consolation, and he wrapped her in his arms.
Hashirama glimpsed at the two with a curious look.
Arriving to the Land of Fire, Mito was reunited with her father and her surviving relatives, besides some few Uzumakis.
She was now living at the same country as Madara. It was because of an irreparable tragedy, but at least seeing him without the need of missions made her happy.
However, their relationship started to raise suspicions. And the babbles were heard by the two clans.
One day, Madara and Mito were summoned to a room where the previous leader of the Clan Uchiha (Madara was the current one), the Uzumaki's leader and the leader of the Senjus, Hashirama.
- What happened?
- Mito, my daughter... Me and these men have been discussin a certain topic… Yours and Madara's closeness is not being seen with good eyes.
- But...!
- The rivalry between Senjus and Uchihas is still very strong. And we, Uzumakis, are supposed to be at the Senjus' side, even if a lot of Uchihas help us, or are our friends... – there was a small dropping in a hint on the 'friends'.
- But couldn't our bond help on this rivalry? – she blushed – t-that, of course, if we really were more than friends…
- Not for now. – said the previous Uchiha leader – it's not something a union of clans would settle. It would be something bigger. So, if settling the problem with someone that's out of the family, be it with a distant relative.
- What are you implying? – Madara asked, already foreseeing what would be told, and he didn't like it a little bit.
- As a token of gratitude for the Senjus' help and to keep the Uzumakis' bloodline in the aristocracy after losing everything on this war... – Mito's father kept talking – and to end the whispering about you two… We decided that you and Hashirama are marrying.
- What?! – she gazed at the Senju, who was crestfallen – do you agree with that?! Eh, Hashirama?!
- I don't think it's a bad idea. I've always been admiring you from a distance. – he confessed – but I don't want to force you anything. Think and give me an answer.
- Her answer is no! – Madara snapped – I find that ridiculous! If the problems are the whispering, we can only move away from each other! You Senjus, as always, want to be victorious with everything, isn't it? Especially you, Hashirama!
- It's not that, Mad-
- I'm done! – and he left the place, enraged.
- Wait, Madara! – she ran after him.
Madara was not the type of person who was usually irritable; however, when he got mad, it was serious.
The two went to a quiet alley where no curious eyes would follow them.
- Mito, this is not right! You know, don't you?
- I... I know, but...
- Then, let's run away together!
- W-what?!
- Let's run away and be happy! If here it's not possible, I suppose there's a place where it will be! Where we won't need to hide anything!
- Madara... – her eyes were full of tears – Madara, I am really happy to hear you would do this, but... this is madness! I can't run away from my Family! I can't turn my back to those who helped me!
- Are you saying you will accept the proposal?!
- It seems like it's the only way to restore my clan's honor... And our wealth...
- I can't believe what I'm hearing.
- Understand me! I can't leave them! This is my village now!
- You don't even love that guy!
A silence fell above the two lovers.
A disturbing silence.
A silence that was shouting the thing that they both feared the most.
- I'm sorry… Madara… But our story ends here.
- Yes... So it's like that… I thought you were different, Mito. In the end, you also pick the Senjus. You think they're more worth it. And now, marrying, you will become one of them.
- Stop... Don't say that... – she begged, with a trembling voice – you knew I wanted to talk with my father about us, but I've never had an opportunity, and now, with such a big rivalry… Sometime in the future, maybe it's possible, Hashirama seems to be a tolerant man and I think he will preach that tolerance, so…!
- Shut up!
Her eyes widened, and he turned his back on her, walking away.
- W-wait! – she grabbed his arm, only to him escape her grasp in a somehow brutal way.
- You've made your choice. Now run to your fiancée's arms, "Senju".