23.
Yuna awoke with her heart thumping hard and her forehead covered with cold sweat. She inhaled slowly and looked to her right where Madara was sleeping soundly, his arm draped over her waist. She sighed and leaned back on the pillows, not wanting to wake him up. It was probably the first time she had seen him sleep like an innocent baby.
Usually he was always partially awake, his shinobi instincts always sharp and alert.
Her movement caused him to pull her closer against him. She stiffened, worried that her movements had managed to wake him up.
The memories of their…encounter were still fresh in her mind.
An unwanted blush crept on her cheeks and she shut her eyes tight. Why was she being so flustered about it? It was nothing out of the ordinary, supposedly.
Her eyes lingered on his sharp features and she supressed another sigh. He looked harmless like that, so vulnerable to the outside world.
There was a kunai on the nightstand. Yuna could cut his neck and get away fast enough for anyone to notice. It's just a flick with her wrist. She could go to her dear friend, stay with her or start a new life.
Not that she truly believed that Madara wouldn't wake up just as she was looming over him with a brandished knife.
The scenario played out in her head over and over again and after each loop became increasingly churning. Yuna's lips parted and moved but no sound escaped.
She halted and an unwanted smile appeared on her face. She must've looked like a fish to a bystander.
What was that feeling inside of her? Weeks ago she would've escaped without hesitation.
No, killing Madara was something she wouldn't have done. Not even when she truly hated him, because just the idea of the entire Uchiha clan at her tails, Izuna at front was terrifying. Not to mention that they would crumble as soon as Madara was out of the picture.
As if any clan the Uchiha had ever stomped over would never retaliate during the chaos Madara's death would cause.
There was no way around it; Yuna had to admit that didn't want to leave.
Exactly where would she go? Madara is the last living person who is someway significant. Yuna felt the guilt twist her stomach into knots.
How did it end up like this that she has only one friend she could trust outside her clan, and even Sayu ran away.
Carefully, so she wouldn't wake him, Yuna wrestled his hand away from her waist. She slipped away quietly and walked to the wardrobe and wrapped her goose bump covered body in a bathrobe.
She stepped onto the balcony, welcoming the crispy autumn air.
"What are you doing?"
Yuna supressed a yelp as she realised how close Madara was to her. He rested his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. Yuna crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why aren't you up so early? We both know you're exhausted." She whispered, even though there was no one to eavesdrop.
Madara's face was detached from the world, he wanted to say the words that sprang to mind but it was exceedingly difficult to make a confession like that. Wasn't it too late already?
He lifted his head and pecked her on the cheek one last time.
"Aren't you curt today, as you wish. I'll see you in the morning, the crones want to see us both."
He released her from his grip and Yuna found herself missing that heat that left along with Madara. She wrapped her arms around her, huddling into the thin bathrobe and bit her lower lip.
Something was amiss. Call it paranoia, but she was worried. Madara was being uncharacteristically mellow.
Or maybe she had just hit her head, because Madara was never that nice, maybe with Izuna but not with her.
She brushed it off like dust and left the room.
In the end Yuna didn't get any sleep. So she stayed up the entire night, brewing tea for herself.
She lost count of how many pots she had drank after the third round. It didn't even occur to her to look at the time and that's how she caught glimpse of the maids and cooks who were dripping in in order to prepare breakfast for themselves and for their masters.
They did their best not to pay much attention to her, even though over the noise of cooking and working Yuna heard the whispers around her. This was going to raise more questions and rumours.
Lovely, just lovely.
It wasn't before seven in the morning when one of the maids approached Yuna, notifying her that breakfast was served and she should leave. Of course the maid was delicate enough not to openly tell her to get lost, but the point was still the same.
Yuna nodded and stood up, finally remembering that she was only wearing her bathrobe. A blush appeared on her cheeks and she walked out of the kitchen with her eyes staring straight ahead, as gracefully as she could manage in her situation.
As soon as the door was closed behind her she broke into a run, using her minor chakra sensing abilities so she would know if there was another Uchiha near.
Luckily the corridors were empty this early, except for a few workers.
In the back of her mind she cursed herself for being so careless, and also cursing the person who designed the compound with the long winding corridors.
When she arrived in her room Yuna noticed that it was empty. Perfect.
She tossed the robe onto the bed and hastily opened her closet, quickly throwing together a random outfit.
She usually didn't mind being late, but she was afraid that Madara might mind so she hurried as quickly and smoothly as possible without making it seem like she was anxious. A feeling inside of her whispered that she was failing miserably in putting on that calm act.
Yuna gave up and started a small jog to get there a minute earlier.
"I'm here!" She practically shouted when she slammed, accidentally, the door open.
Inside the small room she found Madara as expected and one of the clan's head advisors. The old woman's eyes held a disapproving look. Yuna bit her lower lip before she made a small bow.
A crone indeed, Madara hadn't lied.
"My apologies, it was rude of me." Her tone was soft, completely different from her usual. The flushed and a annoyed scowl was gone and it was replaced by a blank look decorated by a faint smile to balance it out and make it seem pleasant to another's eyes.
Madara supressed a bemused smirk.
When Yuna made her way to Madara she could feel the elder's eyes follow her with that superior look in them. She sat down next to Madara and poured herself a cup of tea to keep busy.
The silence was suffocating her.
Yuna lifted the cup to her lips. She didn't flinch visibly when the tea burned her tongue. It was only to keep her busy.
The older woman sighed and looked at Madara, "You haven't told her anything yet, have you?"
The tone in her voice sounded slightly like a mother scolding her son, but that was almost non-existent.
No one in the entire clan had the guts to talk to Madara like a child, except for Izuna. Then again he was an exception for most of the unspoken rules that surrounded Madara like a cloud of rain.
Madara desired to look away, or at least leave, his pride kept him from averting his gaze.
Yuna placed the cup down with a stern look. So her gut hadn't been wrong, something was amiss.
If it was something that Madara couldn't admit to her directly then...
"Well, do you plan to keep me in the dark until I die?" she demanded icily, the question aimed to the woman instead of Madara. The crone didn't say anything, just when she was about to Madara sighed.
Yuna picked up the cup to take another sip.
"They want to divorce us." The words fell from his lips so easily just as easily the cup slipped from Yuna's slender fingers that suddenly refused to fulfil their designate function.
She was ready for almost anything, a mission or a task, anything but this! She hadn't prepared for this.
It hadn't crossed her mind, not once even though it was a reasonable and a logical action from a strategic position.
Not now, just when they had managed to reach some form of understanding.
First her family, and now they would take Madara away from her as well?
Madara avoided meeting her gaze. He knew that the small glimpse of life that had appeared there, after his efforts, was dead once again now that the last person dear to her was being taken away.
Her hands were trembling under the table. The tea that was spilled onto the wooden surface started dripping into her lap, but she still didn't even flinch.
The elder rose without a word and left with a bow. Yuna felt tears threatening to fall. She wouldn't cry, at least not in front of Madara. He hated crying more than anything.
A small, shaking laugh escaped her lips causing Madara's eyebrow to rise.
"This is already funny...everything I hold dear has been taken by this...by this clan. I hate them. Absolutely everything I've done up until now, didn't it mean anything? You're no better than the Kunisada were." Her lips were quivering with anger.
Carefully, Madara backed away from her, but only a few inches.
He waited patiently, giving her time to form coherent thoughts. For now, her insult about the Uchiha was allowed to slip.
With a sharp move Yuna had thrown off everything on the table on the left before hurling the table to the right.
It slammed against the wood hard, making it crack dangerously. Madara flinched inwardly at the sound of porcelain breaking.
The once beautiful cups and bowls were now a disgusting pile of junk, soaked in rice, soup and fish. The liquids started to run, staining the tatami mats that covered the floor.
"Why?" She asked, not specifying the question.
Madara remained cautious about her; even though he knew that there was no reason to. Her anger seemed to be directed at everyone else besides Madara.
"Because now that your clan is gone they don't see any reason to keep this marriage valid. Most likely after we divorce you will be banished from here, imprisoned or killed because of the information you know." Yuna looked up with a calm look. The anger and hate in her eyes hadn't faded but she didn't look like she was going to destroy anything.
"I don't want to die, Madara." She whispered, "If they take you, then even if I don't see much in my life, I still value it to some extent."
Madara smirked and pushed his hair away from his eyes.
"I thought so. Well first I'll try to manipulate them so they things my way. If not, then I have a plan, though I prefer not to use it in case it were to go horribly wrong."
Yuna looked up to him with surprise, "Why are you doing this? Working hard just to keep me alive?"
Madara couldn't help but to chuckle, amused. Was this girl thinking that she could draw a confession from him?
"Because if they keep the marriage I can free us from it under more desirable conditions." Yuna tried to shove out the disappointment.
It was Madara; she couldn't expect him to care about her. What was she hoping for, a kiss and a shy admittance of unconditional love?
He was planning on letting this twisted relationship last for a while, but now that the clan had begun moving he couldn't sit still anymore.
Mentally he was cursing himself that he didn't foresee this. This woman was bad for him, she distracted him.
Before her, he didn't screw up and he could foresee things by pure logic and manipulation. It was certain that he had to free himself from this marriage before he started to hate himself.
Now how to get rid of the marriage but still keep Yuna all to himself? He wasn't about to let any man lay a hand on her.
"What if I'm pregnant? What if," Yuna rose from her position, her back facing Madara, "what if your child, the future heir, is growing inside of me?"