Chapter 33 | A Path in Ways III
Mio dreamt of Mt. Hyōga as snow begun to drift down from the sky. She stood in the center of the alcove that housed the Kuronuma clan's community—once dotted in gray schemed yurts that provided them protection from the harsh seasons—surrounded by destruction. The yurts' lattice was either broken down to jagged, splintered edges or showed signs of having endured fire upon their wooden surfaces. The many layers of fabric that covered each circular frame sat crumpled on the floor, shredded to ribbons, and covered in the newly fallen snow.
She glanced over her shoulder to the long bridge that connected it to Kurata to see it destroyed. She walked to inspect it to find the rope had been cut cleanly and feared the worst had occurred. She returned to the camp in a rush, digging through each destroyed home in search of anyone that might have remained alive, but found nothing until she came upon the entrance to the mountains caverns where the snow was dyed a red hue. She picked up a torch and lit the end on fire before she took her first step inside the labyrinth system of interconnected caves in the Kuronuma's mountain.
She did not walk far before she encountered the first body. She crouched down beside the fallen Kuronuma shinobi and pressed her hand to his cold, lifeless skin with an ache in her chest. His eyes remained open and dead—a deep pink in hue that she recalled used to be so lively. He was easy to joke, easy to laugh. This man used to chase Minako around the caves underground when Sako couldn't find her, and on occasion, Mio used to help. Of course, Minako always believed he was playing with her and ultimately, it would turn into a game, one that ended in laughter and with several of the children involved.
Mio pressed her hand to her mouth, stifling a sob, before moving on. She delved deeper inside, the sound of water dripping echoing with her footsteps, and uncovered more Kuronuma shinobi slain. Their lifeblood spilled upon the ground, the black water coursing through it had molded the cave floor into hollows. She continued forward, moving the fallen bodies to carry them out determined to give them a proper farewell. Tears stung in her eyes with every death she encountered. It was not only Kuronuma shinobi, but members of the Senju, Uchiha, and Mikazuki clan as well.
She reached the inner chambers after descending a stone staircase where the caves were larger and used to shelter the non-shinobi members of the clan once trouble had reached Kurata. She hoped to find it empty, a sign they might have all escaped, but she found herself gasping at the sight of all the dead people that littered the ground. Her entire body was shaking as she sank to the floor, suppressing the urge to scream in agony.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Not even the civilians were spared.
— "Mio." —
And the voice that echoed was like a fading memory in the labyrinth of death. It belonged to Musashi and it ached in her very soul. Following close behind was Okimi's, like a bright light in a dark place.
Mio woke in a daze, streams of sunlight blinding her as she tried to focus her vision on her strange surroundings. She glimpsed to her right and her left to a heavily adorned room. A black, squared armoire adorned in gold markings, a heavy, leather trunk that sat underneath a calligraphy scroll hung in display, an altar which held a golden statue flanked by two short incense burners etched in gold pictures of flowers and leaves that gave off white smoke drifting upward and filled the room with the scent of sandalwood. She spied an assortment of flowers standing atop a short table a few feet away from the entrance and finally stared down at the comfortable bedding underneath her. The blankets were thick and warm, the pillows were either decorative—of different colors with different pictures stitched on them—or of down feather.
"My bag."
She left the futon and tore through the room in search of her traveling bag.
The shoji opened and through them a woman in billowing white robes entered, her thick red hair braided over her shoulder falling to her waist. She smiled graciously as she bowed respectfully. The woman was the last person she saw before falling to the ground unconscious and realizing she had walked into a trap, one that was more likely set by Hag.
"I did not get the opportunity to introduce myself," the woman said. "I am Motou Ayuka, the person in charge of ensuring you are comfortable throughout your stay."
"I will not be staying," Mio replied.
Ayuka started to move around the room, her long skirts trailing behind her. She continued to talk, ignoring her reply. "Uchiha Madara will be in charge of you—"
"No—
"The king is interested in keeping you comfortable," Ayuka went on. She paused, her eyes falling on her. "You are a member of the Sacred clan, after all. You are revered and respected in this land, you most of all Shugosha-sama."
She wanted to question her knowledge of that title, but she buried the urge.
"The king is interested in speaking with your clan's leader about a potential alliance," Ayuka divulged.
"That is impossible—"
The redhead clapped her hands and two women in uniformed outfits appeared to answer her call with a respectful, "Yes, Ayuka-sama."
"You will prepare a bath for the young Shugosha. See that she is dressed and ready to sit with the king for breakfast." Looking to Mio, Ayuka smiled in a way that challenged Mio to refuse to follow orders. "The king is expecting you."
Ayuka made a move to leave.
"Where are my things?" asked Mio evenly.
She waved to the leather trunk.
Mio threw it open and found her pack. She dug through it in search of her remaining two artifacts, the dagger and the Dragon's eyes. She emptied out the contents in her search, not finding them among her things. She touched her ears to feel the Black Sphere, which held the Life Sphere sealed inside, still in her ears and felt the thick cord of the Time Sphere. She whirled around to come face to face with Ayuka.
"Where are my artifacts?" she demanded.
The smile on Ayuka's face disappeared. "In safekeeping, Shugosha."
Even her tone of voice changed, it dropped an octave, and when she called her by title, she said it mockingly.
Ayuka raised her hand intent on grabbing Mio, but it was deflected. She pulled her hand away with a hiss and held it in her other as Mio watched the sunrays shine iridescently against a spherical wall that had risen between herself and Ayuka as it begun to fade.
"I would have taken those, too," she said threateningly, "but as per usual, the Time Sphere is determined to protect you from such dangers."
Mio did not need guidance from her artifacts to know who stood before her. She steeled herself, hands curling into tight fists to stop herself from giving into her fear of standing before the powerful, ancient guardian.
"Return my artifacts," Mio ordered.
"You have lost, Mio," Ayuka said with a twisted smile. "And while you remain here, you must be obedient. I want no complications, no defiance. The artifacts need to be in their rightful place."
Mio swallowed thickly, keeping her eyes leveled with Ayuka's, repeating to herself that she needed to be strong as Okimi and Musashi had asked her. "You can take them, all of them, but it will not make a difference," she said with confidence. "I was born into this title. I am Shugosha and if I die, the artifacts die with me."
Ayuka eyes narrowed, she looked upon her like she an insect, so easily killed beneath her foot. "You are nothing but a vessel."
She felt the anger creeping in to replace the fear. She should have kept her mouth shut. She understood that, and wished she had, but her pride had taken over. She had one task and she had failed at it in part by losing two artifacts to Motou Ayuka. She had been sent from Kurata with the best of wishes and had been fearful of this encounter to the point it was paralyzing, but her clan was in danger. Her situation had complicated, but it had been to her benefit. Perhaps, unconsciously, all the pieces had fallen in place.
Mio only needed to endure and think up a foul-proof plan. She promised herself that she would not remain prisoner for long. That is what kept her pulsing with newfound confidence and standing up against a person that, like Mikazuki Gouki, brought out a powerful fear the felt to have emerged from the depths of her soul.
"Pray to your gods, Motou Ayuka, pray that I do not unearth the Fate Sphere and unseat you."
Ayuka's hand shot up again only this time, Mio was not protected. She grabbed her roughly by the face, bore into her eyes with merriment. "There," she said darkly. "I see traces of your grandfather, there, in your eyes, in your tone. You belittle me. You challenge me. Who are you? Who are you without the Time Sphere to protect you?"
She thrust her back into a wall. Mio withstood the pain raking down her back.
"I am Shugosha and you are not," Mio spat.
In fury, Ayuka struck her across the face with the back of her hand.
Mio felt the bruising settle in from the force of the hit and spat blood onto the polished floors as the older woman fisted her hand into her hair and gave her a harsh tug.
"You are not invulnerable." Ayuka laughed. "Your sphere only protects you when it feels another is attempting to steal it. Without such intent, I can have you tortured until you forgo your obstinacy and succumb to your new destiny."
"Do it."
She felt her cheek swell, but she did not allow the pain to control her emotions. She did not care for Ayuka's threats or the idea of being tortured for sport. She lived one nightmare after the next and relived them every day in sleep. She had not given up and she would not after another, no matter how difficult. She would not break.
Mio wrapped her hand around Ayuka's delicate wrist. She did not restrain her strength as she had with Taiga earlier as she tightened her grip around the older woman, feeling Ayuka's fingernails start to dig into her skin.
She finally heard something snap as blood dripped from chin and tore Ayuka's hold on her.
"I have not lost yet," Mio assured her.
Ayuka cradled her wrist in her hand and a look of pure loathing marred her beautiful features. Her eyes darkened with malice and Mio's heart pounded against her ribcage, the terror froze in her veins. With unprecedented force, Ayuka grabbed her by the head and slammed it into the wall.
Mio's vision spotted, the pain was immediate and explosive. She didn't have the opportunity to scream, only endure, as she felt her body forcibly dragged across the floor.
"Allow me the opportunity to teach you the consequences of your defiance," Ayuka bit out, and twisted her hand in her dark hair. She gave her a hard yank, pulling her out of the room by the hair despite her futile struggle.
Black blood ran down her face, the heat of it irritating her skin red. She could not find her voice to protest or scream, but she gathered what little strength she possessed as Ayuka started to haul her down a nearby flight of stairs.
Mio managed to clasp Ayuka's wrist and succeeded in wrenching her down. Ayuka tripped over Mio's body, but she held herself upright against the wall. Mio bumped her head several times as she tumbled down the rest of the staircase. She scrambled onto her hands and knees, feeling her stomach lurch and empty. She stared down wide eyed at the thick black substance she regurgitated, seeing it begin to melt away the floorboards.
She felt Ayuka's shadow fall across her body and the terror paralyzed her. She couldn't move when Ayuka stomped on her back, her body slamming to the ground. She coughed up more blood.
Ayuka seized her right arm. "I know you Kuronuma pride yourselves on you physical capabilities," she spat, forcing her arm further back, straining the muscles and making the bone creak. "You are troublesome, more troublesome than anticipated, so you will have to forgive me—I will make sure only our best medical specialists mend your bones."
She positioned her foot against Mio's shoulder blade and jerked her arm back until it popped out of her shoulder. A strange scream ripped from Mio's throat as the woman let her go. Mio sobbed into the cold floor, her body possessed by uncontrollable tremors.
Ayuka grabbed her by the hair and forced her head back. "Shall I dislocate your other arm? Perhaps, break one your ribs one by one?" she asked in mock kindness. "We have quite a journey ahead of us and I want it to be comfortable, for the two of us."
Mio opened her mouth, attempting to speak. She couldn't find her voice.
"You will have to speak louder, princess, if you want me to hear you."
She forced the words out, tears pouring down her face. "I'll go!"
Ayuka heaved her off the ground and started to pull her along. Mio struggled to keep up with her long strides as she held onto her limp arm, biting back the urge to scream. The Fate Sphere guardian did not care if she stumbled, and when she did, she merely dragged her. She was pulled across a courtyard before the eyes of many and shoved into a looming tower that spawned several floors. It was teeming with Motou shinobi who wore the black sunburst emblazoned on their clothes and stared with laughter in their expressions. All stepped aside as Ayuka moved from one floor to the next, yanking and pushing her along the way. If she tripped or fell, Ayuka hauled her back onto her feet.
The torment ended abruptly, with a powerful shove into a large room that knocked her to the ground. She took several heaving breathes, her body aching all over.
"What is this?"
Mio lifted her eyes. There were spots in her vision and blood drying on the side of her face. The blurry image of a man came into view. He was of tall stature and looked a bit on the heavyset side. The voice belonged to him.
"You wanted an audience with the girl, have it," said Ayuka.
"I expected her washed and properly dressed for breakfast," the man said, sounding irritated. "Look at her, what have you done to her?"
"Do not question me, Enki." Ayuka stepped forward. "Give me Rikuto's report."
Mio struggled to stand as she saw the man hand Ayuka a scroll with a report from Kurata, but she fell back into a seat. She recognized the name belonging to the Mikazuki shinobi that had accompanied Uchiha Hiryuu into Kurata to capture her. Whatever information that scroll contained, it frightened her.
"You are here for one reason," Ayuka began as she stopped to stand beside her. "You are here to bridge an alliance with the Motou clan and you will do so with marriage."
Mio had been wondering if the room might stop spinning soon when Ayuka's words refocused her attention. She fixed her gaze forward to the back of Ayuka's cascading red hair as it flounced with each of her movements, no matter how subtly she moved.
"What?"
She surprised herself by finding her voice.
Ayuka turned abruptly. "You will marry into the Motou clan and if you refuse, well—" She dropped the scroll in front of her. "If you continue to refuse, you will receive one of these every week."
Mio dropped a heavy hand atop the scroll and clumsily opened it. She blinked down at the words written upon it, reading past the blurriness and the black spots in her vision, but what she understood from it, she did not believe as she lifted her face to Ayuka.
"No," she said in disbelief. Her chest felt heavy with emotion and her eyes betrayed her before her enemies. She spoke again, a tremulous, foreign voice replaced her own—a weak voice, of a person she did not recognize. "Please, no."
There were names on the scroll's surface. Crossed out as if they were nothing but a name, as if they did not exist beyond it that it was so easy to remove them with a simple slash down the middle, but they were people. She knew the people with these names, they were family and friends, and she refused to believe that any one of them were dead. She wanted to hear Ayuka laugh and call her a fool for believing so easily before assuring her they were alive, but the report said in explicit detail that the Mikazuki and Uchiha under Rikuto and Hiryuu were able to reach Mt. Hyōga where they were met with Musashi.
"Surely, you must have known," Ayuka said, amused by her distress.
Mio stifled a sob with her hand, staring down at the scroll. Reading on as a tear fell and darkened the paper. 'The old fool tried to keep us from entering, but he did not last long.'
"I expect no less from a Shugosha," the Motou woman continued. "The ability to pinpoint a person, no matter where they are simply for being your guardian—it is a remarkable skill."
The further she unearthed in the scroll, the more devastation befell her until she came upon her cousin's name with a line eliminating it from the list. She let out a pained sound and leaned forward, fighting against the unbearable aches in her body to give into her suffering.
"No matter." Ayuka started to walk away. "We have given you our proposition. You may continue your insolence if you wish, but know that the Mikazuki clan will not stop until the entire Kuronuma clan is eradicated."
She shook her head, clinging to the feeling that these were lies. "It can't be true," she whispered, swallowing hard. "This can't—"
"Stubborn child. You are only lying to yourself." She heard movement, followed by Ayuka's footsteps approaching her again. "See for yourself, Shugosha. See that I am not playing games with you."
Another scroll was being rolled open before her, the pages sounding crisp and brittle.
"Look."
The sharp edge of a cold knife was pressed against her hand after Ayuka pulled it forward. It sliced through her palm and the blood that fell from it sizzled against the surface of the new scroll, but did not burn through it. Mio looked at the ancient thing, recognizing it by the resonance it gave off.
"I hope I do not have to teach you how to use the artifact," she said cruelly.
Using the same hand Ayuka had cut open, her only functioning hand, Mio pressed it against the surface transferring her chakra into it until she felt it pull against it, draining it from her of its own volition. She watched long thin strands start to appear on the surface, pathways that raced to reach completion, and she searched through her bloodline for the connections she held with her blood relatives. She recalled from Musashi's teachings that one only needed to think of it to reach it when it came to the Fate Sphere unless she simply wanted to see, then she did not need to do much.
She reached Eito's first, a life that ended too soon, and one that haunted her still. She relived the ending to her aunt's life, killed by the man she considered an ally. She watched the horror that had become her most prominent memory, a mother's body cold against her daughter and a father in pieces. She nearly jerked her hand away from the sphere underneath her palm, but endured the memory when it finally came rushing to her. Everything she did not experience firsthand, she remembered as though she had.
Mio let out a cry when she witnessed her great-grandfather's valiant attempt to protect the clan seconds before Hiryuu, the gray-haired Uchiha, appeared to give him the finishing blow. She saw Okimi emerge from the caverns with an army of Kuronuma behind her, her husband Enya at her side. She gave the orders and the Kuronuma broke their oath not to fight. Mio watched it unfold in a blur of blood, agony, and death.
Unable to stomach the truth, she drew her hand back, holding it against her chest. It took every remaining ounce of strength in her to stop herself from vomiting.
She found Ayuka's smiling face and closed her eyes briefly, inhaling deeply. Tears fell away from her eyes as she discarded her pride. "No more," she pleaded. There was no way around it and she was desperate. "Please, no more."
Ayuka's eyes danced delightedly. "Have you come to your senses, child?"
"Yes," she cried, giving into the pain. "So, please, stop hurting them. I'll do anything. Anything. Just stop killing them."
She sank into the ground, willing to prostrate herself in order to beg for mercy.
Ayuka stood. "You will marry into the Motou clan," she decided in a victorious tone. "You will marry the king of this country. Him. He is Motou Enki. Have you nothing to say, Enki?"
The man cleared his throat. She stared up at him with his pointed face, receding hairline, and expanding waistline. She saw disgust in his expression. "The next time you are summoned, you are to be presentable," he said briskly. He made a gesture in her direction. "Now remove her before the brothers' return from their excursion and have her mended beforehand as well. They are troublesome alone without incentive."
Mio touched the surface of the scroll once more and swept across it with her hand, smearing it with her blood. It was an almost unconscious action, but deep down, she understood it was something she was supposed to do before Ayuka remembered to take it from her.
Ayuka treated her no differently than she had when she first dragged her up the castle tower as she dropped her off in the room where she had woken up that morning. She was left in the care of two servant girls, who had no intention of hurting her. They helped bath her until a medical specialist appeared to set her arm back into her shoulder, something that stung in comparison to the emotional pain.
She was treated to many food platters, none of which she touched, and was brought gifts from the king in the form of silk clothes and jewels. She cared for none of the attentions, wanting to do nothing more than to sit in a corner against the wall with the rest of her pains.
— "Mio!" —
She blinked and her vision started to blur, but she held onto the strength threatening to seep from her eyes in the form of tears. The voices returned in soft whispers, Musashi's was the loudest and he called for her. She held her palms against her temples, fingers curled and buried into her dark hair. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, sounding like her grandfather's hammer when it hit an anvil. It was ringing—ringing like it was being smelted into a different shape.
"Mio."
She snapped out of her trance and glimpsed at the entrance before determining it was Madara. She tried to push herself off the floor only to realize her entire body was shaking and her legs were too weak to obey.
Madara stepped in front of her, his shadow fell atop her. She lifted her eyes, a strange emotion settling in her chest as she waited for him to speak.
"Who put their hands on you?" he asked tonelessly. "And why did you not kill them?"
"I do not need your worry," she answered in a similar tone.
"Mio, I am not your enemy."
"You let her steal from me," she said harshly. "You did nothing."
"I can do nothing in this country," he returned. "I am as much a prisoner here as you."
She was unsure whether she should trust his word or continue with her suspicions, but she wanted to believe him. She wanted to think that she still knew Madara, the one she promised to work under after the Uchiha clan split into different powers, the one she grew up with, but she couldn't. She saw Madara had changed when they met in that ghost town where Eito died. She didn't know what happened to him in the Sun Country. She only knew what came through information.
Madara reached out to touch her sphere only to draw back when it singed his fingers. He grimaced, staring down at them inquiringly. "Are you the Shugosha?" he asked, returning his eyes to her. "Is that what that necklace is? Does it determine whether you are or are not?"
"Is that important?" she returned in a lazy voice. She anticipated tears if she ever came to acknowledge it. She was Shugosha. One and only. Except, it just started to feel real to her. She didn't even question his knowledge. He should know as a guardian. Ayuka might have told him. She didn't care for the details.
"No," he said, rubbing his fingers together. "It is not."
Silence settled between them. His gaze constantly wandered back to her bruised face. Some of her skin had turned a slight pink after all the blood she lost when Ayuka slammed her head into the wall.
"Is it bad?" she asked finally, referring to her state. She hated how easy it was to feel safe in Madara's presence, especially not having noticed it until she had spoken.
"You have looked better."
"I have felt better," she whispered, crying again. Hesitantly, she looked up at him, seeking some comfort that might ease her pain. "Can I…trust you?"
She did not wait for an answer as she gave into her need to let go of all the emotional aches pulsing through her. She hoped his silence was a yes.
Madara stared at her wordlessly, at a loss.
She couldn't stop the tears once they had started and moved forward, reaching for him. He let her wrap her arms around him and pressed his hand against her back. She tightened her hold as the emotion intensified and cried with so much feeling it frightened her. Everything she set out to do, she failed. She came to the Sun Country for Madara, to take him to the Water Country and confront Hag, but she arrived and became her prisoner with him, if he was indeed telling the truth.
He gently pushed her from him after a moment, lowering his face to look into hers. She flinched as she shifted her body into a comfortable position and waited for him to say something as she wiped the tears and snot from her face. He made a face at her—a twist of his lips and a quirk of his brow was enough to tell her that she probably looked more a mess than she imagined, but he said nothing.
"Why did you come here?" he asked instead. "How did you manage to leave Kurata? It was teeming with Mikazuki and Uchiha, you could have been killed."
She shrank in her seat, bombarded by his questions and the lingering thought of what her actions had caused back home. She calculated her response, considering the possibility of a lie, but she swallowed down the lump in her throat. She fingered a loose threat along the seam of her shirt, hoping it distracted her from the tears.
"I…I came for you," she answered in a strangled whisper, as if it had fought its way from her throat to form on her lips. "I needed your help…" She lowered her eyes, brushing her cheek against her shoulder. The bruising made it a painful move despite how lightly it was. "But it no longer matters. All that I came here to do was for naught."
"For what reason?" he probed. "What was so important that you left the security of the Kuronuma clan? What did you expect to accomplish?"
On that note, she expected to accomplish much, but she ran the misfortune of running face first into a trap, one that cost her greatly.
"I wanted to help my clan," she said tremulously. "I had one task—one—and it took an instant to see it all fall apart." Her failure manifested into a shame she could not stomach. As Shugosha, she had few duties—ensure the safety of the artifacts by seeing they go to people worthy of protecting them, individuals that would not abuse of their gifts as Motou Ayuka had with the Fate Sphere, and keep the Kuronuma clan safe, through all means possible. She lost two artifacts in the Sun Country and she wasn't certain she could find them because she couldn't sense their resonance with the Time Sphere anymore and much of the Kuronuma clan had been slaughtered, her predecessor and cousin among the dead. "I wanted to protect them…I didn't want anyone to die, but…but it doesn't matter because they are either dead or dying." Frustration, sadness, and shame—it amazed her how easily they combined into one single suffocating emotion that constantly threatened to block her airways and drown the world in her tears. "I am here, yet the Mikazuki and Uchiha still raided Mt. Hyōga and killed my family. I can do nothing."
She covered her face with her hands, beginning to sob into them, repeating the words in her head. I'm useless. She did not deserve the title of Shugosha. Eito should have taken it. She knew he would have excelled at it. He was strong, despite his weak composition, and astute. The Kuronuma would not be dying if he were its Shugosha. He would not have been cornered into a marriage as she was. She believed he would have been perfect, so it was unfair that he had died so easily.
"You cannot know that, Mio," Madara said, his hand on her arm. "Whoever told you this must have lied because the Mikazuki and Uchiha were unable to push through the Kuronuma's defenses. They say it was impossible to raid the inner mountain."
"It is not impossible with Motou Ayuka whispering our secrets to them," she cried, sobbing painfully. "She told them how to circumvent our defenses. I didn't want to believe it…I didn't, but she showed me. She gave me the Fate Sphere—it would not lie to me. Why would it lie? I saw Hiryuu killing my great-grandfather."
She was nine again.
Nine and useless and alone. Utterly alone.
Stupid, too.
Oh, how stupid she felt.
Mio shrunk further into the ground, wanting to disappear. She didn't want to exist anymore. Not if this was going to be her life. A journey of consistent tragedy. Pulling her legs into her chest, she gave into her tears, crying inconsolably, for all the wrong in her life and for her dead. To the voices she would never hear again and all the advice they were supposed to pass onto her. To the smiles she would miss seeing during conversations they would never share again. To the faces of every person she had grown to love in such a short three-year period. To the Senju that had fought bravely alongside them and fallen, she remembered them fondly mingling with the Kuronuma shinobi around the fires.
She knew she would be unable to return to Mt. Hyōga—not to the horrific thought of having lost so many in that place or the shame of having failed them.
Madara loomed over her small body, taking her face into his hand and making her look at him directly. She saw nothing but a strange intensity in his eyes and the feeling of his artifact calling to her Time Sphere, his voice echoing in her head as the others once had. She froze, aware of the warmth in his hands seeping into her skin and the scent of saltwater, sand, and forest coming off him.
"I will protect you," he said. "I will protect you from your enemies and will take you from this place. I will return you home."
She sucked in a shuddering breath. Her mouth was dry, making it difficult to speak, but she was about to try when the shoji screens opened noisily. The sound startled her, made her heart jump and beat wildly.
Madara dropped his hold on her immediately and put some distance between them.
The two turned towards the entrance and Mio's heart skipped another beat at the sight of Izuna, whom she had not seen in almost three years. She saw him before her, water dripping from his wan face. His eyes were wild, his frustration palpable.
She felt their first encounter might turn unpleasant quickly and braced herself.
"What is this about you marrying the pig?" he snapped.
Madara's eyed his brother, perplexed, and then her with the same inquiring glance. "What?"
Izuna lifted a small scroll into view. "I went to force this report down Enki's throat to find him gloating about his engagement to you," he said, pointing at her. "What are you thinking? That man is a swine?"
"Is this true?" Madara demanded. "Have you promised yourself to him? Are you insane?"
"I had no choice," she said in a single breath. "They were—"
"You were too impulsive!" Izuna snapped. "You do not have the slightest idea of what you have done!"
She found herself desperate to make him understand. "If I did not agree, my clan would have been eradicated!" she explained. "Motou Ayuka made it clear that if I refused the proposition the Kuronuma clan would suffer. The Mikazuki and Uchiha have already taken so much from me, why should I let them take it all? It was desperate, but it was not impulsive." Her tremulous voice damped the strength she had tried putting into her words. "I can do nothing but this. I can do nothing but make this sacrifice to ensure the survival of the Kuronuma clan, so you cannot judge me for it."
"Enki does not want an alliance with the Kuronuma clan—"
"I know they want my artifacts," she interjected, then lowered her voice. She raked her fingers through her hair, pressing her back against the wall. "I know exactly what they want. I am not stupid."
"You can't agree to this," Izuna reasoned.
"I have no choice!" she shouted. "I will sacrifice everything for the safety of the Kuronuma clan! They are my family! I will do anything to stop their slaughter!" She pressed her body closer to the corner where she sat, averting her face and covering it with her hands. She did not want to endure the judgments, seeing as Izuna would have difficulty seeing her point of view. "I want to be alone."
"Mio, no…"
"We are going Izuna."
Madara stood with a heavy sigh and walked to the entrance to meet his brother. She peered at them between fingers and saw Madara clap his brother on the shoulder, steering him to the doors. Izuna stood reluctant, but after a moment, lowered his face and left without another word. She could hear them speak behind the closed doors. They were whispering loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
"I am killing Enki myself—"
"We cannot attempt against Enki's life with Ayuka on the island," Madara said calmly. "You need to focus on your own mission. Takuei called for you, he has information that could help us."
She heard Izuna let out a frustrated sound. She listened carefully to the sound of his footsteps go and return. "Make her change her mind. We will find a way to help the Kuronuma clan, but it can't be this way. She can't marry that man."
"Would you do anything for the Uchiha clan?" asked Madara.
"Brother, don't—"
"Answer the question, Izuna."
Izuna did not answer. He stomped away until she could no longer hear his heavy footfalls. His silence spoke volumes. He would, and in that instant, he probably understood what she felt.
Once the quiet settled, it came rushing back. Her suffering racked through her body in increasing waves and it killed the promise she had left with Okimi. She promised to return with the Fate Sphere, she promised to protect them. She had been determined. It had fueled her journey to the Sun Country and it would be from that promise that she had drawn the most of her strength. She could no longer honor it, not unless she took a gamble in marrying Motou Enki and trust Ayuka would stop the Mikazuki from hunting her clan.
The weak, pitiful child returned to take her place. She was nine and in agony again, only it was not in silence and it was not two she lost.
She made a quiet transition from crying freely to staring blankly at the wall with a blank mind that allowed memories to come and go. She would cry when they came, shuddering violently, and would stop once the image left her. Everything would sometimes ache all at once and she would curl into herself and continue to weep.
Izuna returned the following afternoon after several servants had come and gone, pestering her to eat and function as if she had not been mourning her dead family. He took a seat beside her and pressed a hand to her arm, nudging her carefully in an attempt to avoid hurting her.
"Should I go?" he asked, a look of worry filled his features.
She shook her head and saw him smile, feeling sorry for her. She opened her mouth to apologize to him before coming clean about her deal with Madara. She wanted to tell him everything because he simply sat down beside her and tried to comfort her, despite the fact she had given him every reason to hate her as she had betrayed him in many ways. However, she found she could not speak.
"I know about everything, Mio," he said, as if he read her thoughts. "I know Madara made you follow Taiga."
She started to weep again.
He ran his hand over her fade, wiping away the tears, but more came to replace them. She rubbed them away with her palms and sniffled noisily as she shifted over the futon to sit. She cleaned the rest of her tears on the blanket. She imagined her face was puffy from the crying and for a moment, she felt embarrassed showing him such a shameful display.
"I thought you might be gone," she said quietly.
"I am leaving in a few hours," he admitted. "I'm traveling to the Waterfall Country, but I will return quickly. That is, unless you want to accompany me? Madara will help if I ask him to."
Mio smiled bitterly. She was too weak to travel after the state Ayuka left her in and the woman had stolen two of her artifacts. She couldn't leave even if she planned to abandon her artifacts because she was promised to the king of the country and she would need to stay true to her word for the sake of what remained of the Kuronuma clan. Even if she wanted to say yes, she couldn't.
"Why would you jeopardize your position asking me to do such a thing?" she asked tearfully.
"Mio, nothing can jeopardize our position here," Izuna assured her. "We have been on Ayuka's blacklist since she found out Madara released her precious Sanbi. She is determined to prove I put him up to it."
"Sanbi?"
"One of the nine legendary tailed beasts? Yes, Madara cut it free and it has since been a nightmare trying to recapture it," he went on.
Mio had forgotten how easy it was to speak to Izuna as she relaxed into her seat and listened to him tell her the story of when he first arrived to the Sun Country. He recounted feeling irritated by his brother's behavior and said it only exacerbated when Ayuka denied him access to see the king that he had attacked her in the process.
"I destroyed the castle tower," he assured her when she made a comment in disbelief. "They just finished rebuilding half a year ago."
She reached her hand to his and placed it atop his. Sitting with him, she felt it had been more than ten years since she had last seen him. She was reminded of how young they were when the Uchiha clan split into powers and how torn she was about leaving his side, forced to trust Madara that they were doing the right thing. They were young and foolish believing they could make a difference only that nothing changed.
Young, foolish, reckless. The three of them. They were. And here together, they were prisoners in some form.
They were older, but not much older. It felt like they were still fumbling through the darkness, running and running in search of a way out…for someone to help guide them, to pinpoint what they were supposed to be doing.
"You won't be gone long?" she asked, to confirm.
Izuna shook his head. "I will only stay two days in the Waterfall Country and return," he assured her. "Do not worry, Madara will protect you. I know he looks untrustworthy, but he isn't. He is one of your guardians, isn't he?"
Surprised, she nodded slowly. She didn't remember explaining the artifacts to them. "How do you know he is…?"
"Before leaving, Ito Takuei discovered the Motou clan was interested in the Kuronuma clan's artifacts. He learned each had a guardian and passed the information down to me once I came to take his post," he explained. "Your grandfather gave Madara the brush several months ago without explanation, but when he arrived here, Ayuka praised him for becoming guardian to the next Shugosha, which we eventually learned would be you. Ayuka is determined to steal all of your artifacts and she was upset you were short a few after you arrived—well, Madara told me later. I know Madara is supposed to protect you apart from safeguarding the artifact, so trust that he won't let you down. You are his friend after all."
Mio made a doubtful expression. "We are not friends."
The sound of clanking armor reached her ears as Madara stepped inside the room with a scowl. He looked ready to go off into battle. "Who'd want to be your friend?"
"Everyone wants to be my friend," Mio said frankly.
"That is because everyone wants to use you."
"Madara!" Izuna protested.
"Can you name a person that is your actual friend?" Mio challenged.
"I do not need friendships," Madara stated.
The bad medic appeared, puffing her cheeks out in irritation. Her long black hair wiping behind her as her expensive, flowing robes settled. "I thought I was your friend."
Madara glared at her. "You were eavesdropping again?"
Yayoi pouted. "I was bored!" she complained. "Besides, I wanted to say goodbye to Izuna before he left and see the famous Uchiha Mio again." The dark haired girl waved in her direction. "Welcome to my country, Mio. So, where's your grandfather?"
Izuna sighed. "Yayoi, please."
"I hope you mentioned me to him as you promised," Yayoi continued.
Mio made no such promise.
"Yayoi, you are embarrassing yourself," Madara said pointedly. "Leave now."
Yayoi frowned. "Honestly, if you do not wish me to speak to the Great Uchiha Mio, say it, I'll go." She huffed, picking up her dragging robes and walking to the door where she stopped, facing Mio. She grinned suddenly. "I also heard you are going to become my new stepmother. I hope you invite me to the ceremony, I would love to see you in some presentable clothes for once."
Mio felt her stomach drop. The mood turned sour. The bit of elation was gone.
"That is enough," Madara said, forcing her out of the room and shutting the doors.
Behind closed doors, she shouted, "Well it is the truth!"
Izuna excused himself as he made it to the door. "I'll talk to her."
Madara remained for a moment, staring her down oddly, before leaving the room.
Once she was alone, Mio took the opportunity to fish out Okimi's concoction from her things and taste it for the first time. She tasted the varied spices Okimi had mixed into the thick liquid and felt her stomach threaten to send it all out in disagreement to the odd mixture. It was worse than she could have ever imagined, but even so, she felt her eyes tear at the thought of Okimi scouring her herbs and spices for the ingredients in a rush to get it done. She imagined her doing this with the grace of an ox while attempting to keep it a secret from Enya, who no doubt knew, and be quiet for the sake of her sleeping twins.
Mio agreed to the proposition too late, but with it, she hoped she had at least saved the children and the civilians. Okimi's twins. Sako and Minako. Everyone who remained. She hoped Hashirama and Takuto were safe wherever they were and that the artifacts would keep them safe. She even sent good will to Tobirama, who despite his evident disapproval of her origins saw her to the Lightning Country—she hoped he survived the journey back, protected by the Universe Sphere. She thought of her grandfather, wondering what his reaction would be to the accepted marriage proposal. Would he say she did the right thing, or would he be angry? How disappointed would he be in her situation? Would he come save her?
She shook the questions from her head.
Mio returned to bed, lying down, and closed her eyes to dream of chaos.
And from the depths of her mind, she heard a voice rushing to meet her.
— "You are where you should be. Now, you must survive." —
xl: Is it just me or did this chapter read a little quick? I feel like I read it too fast before posting it.
I also feel like a terrible person.
Mio seriously needs to catch a break. This is getting insane!
Also, I apologize that Izuna and Mio didn't have their super, epic reunion (I mean you got the semblance of one here until Madara and Yayoi ruined it with their presences) because I am a terrible person. I want to say they will have beautiful conversations later, but I might be lying. We will see when he comes back from his trip. You are allowed to pitchfork me for sending him away at such a crucial time, especially because I'm rooting for him.
I am also sorry that this chapter wasn't out yesterday like it was supposed to be, but I ended up rewriting most of it. I was beating around the bush in the first draft and then said nope, scraped it, and this is what you got instead.
Thank you to these wonderful reviewers: Loteva, HushedFable, Pianorabbit (You had me cackling at "total pedoish moron." Oh how right you are. Enjoy your stay.), Aries01xD, Tolly (Thank you dear, you're amazing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!), and RelocationAgent.
Thank you everyone for reading!
So, is everyone ready to get skeeved out by Enki next chapter? I'm not. On the bright side, you get to find out how Ayuka plans to get her power hungry grips on the artifacts...but alas...it is pretty skeevy material. So maybe it is not as exciting.