13.
When I was younger I didn't understand when people said that they wanted to erase a bad memory.
Even now when I'm older and wiser I can't understand them.
Trust me; I'd gladly keep them all.
No, his eyes weren't cheating on him, and apparently his wife wasn't either. Uchiha Madara didn't expect to find his Yuna sleeping in his bed when he came back and surprisingly the sight didn't send him in a rage. The way back was gruellingly slow and he had to report to the elders before he could finally go and rest. Damn them, sitting on his back, absolutely convinced that he's going to burn the clan to the ground in one of his rages.
Madara was quite sure the only reason why he hadn't disposed of them was because of Izuna. Madara had been gone for less than a week, but he didn't expect to find his room filled with...the only way he could describe it was junk.
Yuna was breathing steadily, a small lamp offering dim lighting. Madara stepped over some silk clothing, fans, an umbrella and some books. He felt a twitch of annoyance in his stomach when he saw some opened packages of food along with something that looked like cosmetics on Yuna's vanity desk.
All intentions of falling asleep peacefully like his mind was pleading to were tossed out of the window. Instead, he got on the bed and leaned down to the young woman and planted a light kiss on her lips. Yuna opened her eyes and a drowsy smile appeared on her face.
"Madara, you're back so soon?" She asked, clearly amused to see him in one bit. Yuna witnessed the familiar anger flash in his eyes briefly, but his face betrayed no other emotion.
"May I ask why have you redesigned our living quarters into a stockpile?" Madara snapped and nodded briefly towards the piles of gifts she had given herself. Yuna smiled innocently and sat up from the bed.
Only then did Madara take notice of the way her hair was messy from sleep, and strangely enough it wasn't even...that hideous.
Yuna's eyes travelled on the implied items and explained, "I went on a small travel out of boredom and bought some stuff for myself. It's my money after all that I spent." Madara wasn't very pleased with that snotty tone she used. He leaned closer to her face and for his surprise she remained calm and didn't pull away out of instinct the way she usually does.
"I figured that much, what I'm asking is why is it on the floor?" Yuna tilted her head innocently and sighed dramatically, falling back onto the bed.
"If only we had a nice huge shelf where I could put my things, but as you see we don't so I had no other choice but to leave it there." Madara raised an eyebrow, unsure if her excuse was absolute bollocks or was she serious.
"Done, I'll have it here by tomorrow." Madara said confidently, as if this feat was a true accomplishment.
Madara had pretty much nothing besides his clothes and a few secret items he held dear. All of them fit into his closet, but a lady always needs more room.
Yuna studied his face, now confused by the small changes in his mannerisms. As the sleepiness wore off she became more alert and attentive once more.
What surprised Madara was that Yuna's face looked like she was uncomfortable; hesitating before asking what had kept her up the past few nights. Despite Madara being nearly intolerable at times, Yuna did not wish his death.
"Did you win the battle?" She asked carefully, partly shocked by how civil their exchange had been.
Madara kicked off his shoes and threw his shirt over the edge of the bed, revealing his toned back and porcelain skin marred by a considerable amount of old scars. He crawled under the covers and pulled them up to his waist, releasing a long withheld sigh as his muscles relaxed. A smirk crazed on his lips as he felt Yuna's eyes linger and for the first time she was glad that the lights were dim.
"Of course we did." He replied curtly, sensing some irritation Yuna decided not to push the matter.
They had won the battle, but the wrong one. He wanted to push that to the back of his head somewhere for the night. Izuna and he had something new to go on now, and Izuna still had to do continue his research.
To Madara's surprise Yuna leaned back with a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were focused on something far away, "That's good..." She hummed.
Madara's delicate eyebrow rose in confusion. Yuna wasn't a complicated woman, but not an exceptionally stupid one either. She chose carefully which thoughts to vocalise and when to sit back and observe, seamlessly covering her bitterness with a smile.
"I bought you something," she admitted finally, "from my travels. It might be useful in the future, I hope at least."
She got up and rummaged through the piles of souvenirs and came back with a small black box. Madara took just one look at it and even though he never let it show, he was curious about the contents. Yuna opened the box to reveal necklace made of black lava stone with one large crimson jewel in the middle.
"Before you make snarky comments about it, I chose it because the stone can be used to store chakra. You can add as much as you like to it over long periods of time, but you can only use it once. When you meet your match in battle and become cornered, then this will be your way out. Years' worth of chakra suddenly returned to you in a heartbeat. It will shatter when you unleash everything…"
Madara found himself at a loss for words.
She was sitting to close to him, cradling the box on her palms, "Will you wear it?"
Without breaking eye contact with Yuna once, Madara reached out and clasped the necklace around his neck, "I'll wear it, but trust me," he added with his trademark arrogance, "I won't need it."
Yuna didn't even feel insulted. This was the closest thing to gratefulness that Madara had ever shown her. The crimson jewel sat against his chest, contrasting sharply with his pale skin. Red of blood, red of the Uchiha.
Without uttering a single word, consent was mutually passed and Yuna slipped closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her small frame easily, engulfing her in warmth.
"You seem tranquil, any particular reason why?" Madara asked casually. It happened every once in a while, when Madara was too exhausted to be pissed off about matters.
A small laugh escaped Yuna's lips before she said, "I don't know if it's the same with you, but I'm slowly getting used to being here. Your clan probably thinks that while I was gone I went and leaked info or something...In retrospect I picked an inopportune time to leave. This has forced me to grow up."
She paused, without expecting an answer from Madara before continuing, "I guess I just realized that I have to learn how to cope with you, or learn to love you." Her voice trailed off and Madara's face smoothly melted into amusement.
"You would consider loving me? What a foolish woman you are, truly." He chuckled at her, and for a split second the big blue eyes made her seem much more naïve. Yuna looked over her shoulder, feeling Madara's breath on the tip of her nose.
"I never said that this is how things will go. I just don't rule anything out." Madara sighed and closed his eyes.
Love...it was still a somewhat abstract concept for him. There was lust and passion, but this sort of love differed from the attachment he felt for Izuna. Women were a completely different story.
They were for him, for a lack of a better word, like dogs - they yearned for a lot of attention and care, and when left alone they would develop ideas of abandonment and cheating.
Being married wasn't a necessity for him, neither was being loved...he didn't need a child either, yet everyone else seemed so determined that they married him to some woman whose clan wanted to rely on the Uchiha's strength.
"Have you ever considered that I could have an opinion concerning the matter?" Madara questioned.
"You might have one, but the emotional constipation makes you realise everything with a five year waiting time."
His grip around her waist tightened, "I don't want you as a wife."
Yuna sighed and closed her eyes. If he didn't want this then why accept her gift, why even wait for her to come to his embrace instead of just forcing his way. Even now as he claimed this, his arms remained around her.
"If you don't want me, then let me go." She said sternly, meaning it both figuratively and literally.
In her mind she was quietly wondering if Madara had some kind of a childhood trauma that made him so possessive...Did Izuna steal his crayons or something. She wasn't about to squander her years of youth on a man who didn't desire her.
"No," Madara said with a small amount of amusement in his voice, "You sometimes make me feel alive. I need that, to feel something when not dripping in blood. I need that more than I need a wife." Yuna felt like her breath was hitched in her throat. Madara, always so straightforward was now speaking in circles.
Madara sighed and said, "You should relax Yuna dearest, anything you want I can get you. All you have to do is smile and give me a few pecks in the public." Yuna held back a snort.
'Oh yeah...and sometimes sleep on the floor because you're probably screwing someone in my bed.'
The thought passed her head. Though Madara was thinking pretty much the same thing.
"What if I escape, the clan can't blame you for that." Yuna said.
Madara sat up suddenly, the wheels in his head turning. Leave no stone unturned, every hint had to be analysed.
He walked to his wardrobe and pulled a lower drawer open and got out a thin pipe. Yuna's eyebrow rose. She had never seen Madara smoke before. He lit the pipe and walked to the balcony, long fingers barely touching the surface.
Madara sat down, his back turned facing her. Yuna observed quietly as he puffed out the light grey clouds of smoke. They spread a cherry scent after evaporating.
Yuna loved the smell, despite frowning on the habit of smoking. She quietly sniffed the air for more. While Madara was meticulously pondering some concept known only to him, she entertained herself by looking for various shapes in the smoke.
Yuna could see the stormy sea, horses pulling a carriage and a dying sakura tree. She hoped to form a pattern to create a connection between them, disappointingly, nothing. Surprisingly Madara was the one who broke the silence that had lingered there, making the air around them even peaceful.
"If you were to escape the clan would probably remove me from my position, and believe me, I will hunt you down and kill you slowly if that happens. Right now you've put me in a tight spot." Madara said calmly.
Yuna didn't feel guilty; especially since he had used the present tense. What had she done during the last few weeks to jeopardize his station?
"I haven't done anything to your clan." Yuna said quietly. It sounded childish, even Madara held back the urge to snort. Yuna heard a small laugh coming from him before he sent out another cloud of smoke. Yuna felt her face heat up.
"You personally of course not. Though I don't know about your clan. It's all just too fishy. You were one of the head's two daughters…" Madara mused out loud, barely mumbling these thoughts.
"Don't tell me you finally broke under the pressure and decided to go bonkers?"
"You can maybe be of use to me...We'll talk about it in the morning, when I have formed a coherent plan." His voice trailed off, leaving Yuna's stomach in a knot. She hated not knowing what's going on in the Uchiha's mind. Though that happened most of the time. The feelings of intimacy that had lingered between them vanished as soon as duty sprang up.
Madara...those memories are the only thing I'll have left of you.
Nothing else, not even that damn red crystal.