Chapter 34 | A Path in Ways IV
Kuronuma Shinya was the vision of perfect health when Motou Ayuka laid eyes on him. He leaned nonchalantly against the trunk of a barren magnolia tree by the fork in the road in the Frost Country. He came without weapons—a mocking gesture—and greeted her as if he were meeting an old friend. Ayuka brushed away a stray lock of hair from her face and approached with natural grace, stopping before him unable to contain her own elation.
"It is unlike you to leave mid-festivities, Ayuka-san," said Shin with a playful grin. "I am sure the Motou clan has much to celebrate."
"Yes, indeed," replied Ayuka, nodding. "The festivities will run the length of a fortnight as soon as heika makes the announcement to his subjects." She searched his smooth countenance for even a shadow of emotion, to confirm her victory against him, but his expression was unchanging. "I hope you are not expecting an invitation to the ceremony, we want to keep it intimate."
Shin waved his hand dismissively. "My granddaughter will not be short on marriage ceremonies," he replied. "I can easily attend one of the next four and find myself more welcomed."
"You are making assumptions again, Shinya," said Ayuka. "Why not come to your senses? You have lost. That girl is weak."
"That is your problem. You are quick to make rash judgments—impudent ones," Shin said, taking a firm step forward. "You forget, but the reason you targeted Mio was because you feared what she might become. She would pose a threat to your goals and you set out to weaken her." He breathed deeply, starting to wander away from her. "You had her parents killed, you made sure the Uchiha found her before I could retrieve her, you ordered Uchiha Eijiro killed to ensure a revolt among the Uchiha clan, which I will admit turned out better than you anticipated. You solidified an alliance between the Uchiha and Mikazuki and made it impossible for Mio to settle in the Iron Country until you made sure Uchiha Konoe captured her."
He clapped his hands in felicitations, looking straight at her.
"Do you enjoy counting your loses, Shinya?" she asked, smiling.
He laughed delightedly. "Loses?" he questioned. "Do you think these were myloses? Think, Ayuka-san, I was perfectly capable of reaching Mio before Hiryuu and Sachiyo were even in range to sense my presence. I could have easily arranged for Mio to do her Strength Training hidden from your spies. I was able to ban her from leaving Kurata when Konoe caught up to her. I could have taken her from Mt. Hyōga before the Mikazuki and Uchiha attacked. What do you think I have been doing all this time? Vacationing?"
Ayuka felt the smile slowly leave her lips.
"Open your eyes, Ayuka-san," Shin continued. "Mio is not weak. She has never been weak. She endures, Ayuka-san. That is how she lives. She survives."
"I cannot wait to see you dead," Ayuka said, eyes darkening.
"Since you came all this way to goad," he began, the light dancing in his pale eyes, "I will leave you with a piece of advice. Keep an eye on Motou Enki." He smiled. "We wouldn't want him dead before he even has a chance to marry the Shugosha."
"Enki's life is not in danger," she assured him.
She saw Shin's clone disappear in a cloud of white smoke and felt the anger in her start to boil over. She did not let it show in her face. No, the bastard was probably watching from somewhere near. She turned down the path where she had emerged, humiliated by the fact that she planned to go back. Returning to the Sun Country would be her best course of action. She wanted no failures.
The announcement came days later in the presence of Motou, Mikami, Ito, and Uchiha shinobi, the members of the Sun Temple and the civilians that lived within the castle's walls—either in the servant's quarters or in one of the many luxurious rooms reserved for the king's concubines—were also present. Mio stood beside the king in deep crimson robes made of fine silk and wore a mask of ignorant joy as her husband-to-be told his subjects that he would take the Kuronuma clan's Shugosha as a bride. The news was quickly followed by a rancorous celebration that took place in a large hall with food and expensive wine.
Mio sat surrounded by men that made her uncomfortable and tolerated their inappropriate conversation as she scratched at her skin, hating the feel of the fabrics on her flesh. Everyone that approached her had one of two intentions, to leer at her before asking about her womanly charms or to touch the artifact that made her Shugosha. She spent the entire evening aware of the inevitability of marriage to an undesirable man, who had no qualms palming the servant girl in her presence.
She searched the room for Madara. Ayuka had sent him as far back as possible when he had attempted to sit at her side, reminding him that his first duty was entertaining the country's princess, Yayoi. She saw him sitting at the beautiful priestess's side calmly sipping at a cup of sake. Yayoi was talking animatedly, more so than usual, which led Mio to believe she had succeeded in reaching inebriation like everyone else in the room.
The merriment was palpable, thick and suffocating in the air. Beautiful women in elaborate kimonos performed fluid dances as entertainment, enchanting the men with the way they played with their bright fans. A group of shinobi and priests began to play a game that made no sense to Mio that would only ensure they ended the night drunk. Some men snuck away with women, all full of laughter, as if they were in the midst of a cat and mouse game. Ayuka sat surrounded by people that reveled in her company and enjoyed her conversations. The king's son, Ikki, poked at his appetizers and observed the room in silence. Nobody spoke to him. It seemed nobody truly acknowledged that he was sitting among them, but he saw them and she could only imagine his thoughts.
The room was alive with noise. Motou Enki was guzzling down his alcohol with a woman on his lap, one he kept a tight arm around and one that glared at her when their eyes met. She stared at the untouched food in front of her and looked at Madara again. This time, their eyes met and she saw him tap the sake bottle before engaging one of the Uchiha near him.
She lowered her eyes to the sake bottle sitting on her table. She drank until the day became a blur and someone decided it best to remove her from the festivities when she fell asleep in her seat and started to snore.
Mio woke up the following morning with a splitting headache and a sensitivity to light. The servants came to wake her with breakfast, intent on helping her dress. She ignored them until they left her alone. She stayed buried under her blankets eating cucumber slices for breakfast and listening to the sounds outside the window and in the hallway until somebody entered the room.
Madara arrived to escort her to a gathering. He waited outside while she tugged on something comfortable. She splashed cold water on her face and patted it dry before leaving.
After she stepped out, she voiced her curiosities. "What is the purpose of the meeting?"
"To goad."
"Is that what he does?"
"Yes." Madara glimpsed at her, looking down to her sphere. "Can they take that from you?"
"No," she answered. "The only way it would leave my side would be if a new Shugosha emerged, but even then, it would be the same problem. The sphere will continue belonging to someone else and that someone is the only person that can use it."
"What do you suppose they want with it?"
"What?" she repeated. "That is the thing about the artifacts. Their purpose was lost after the first Shugosha died, but if anyone had an idea what they might do, it would be Ayuka. She has been a guardian since the first Shugosha, but I doubt she would tell us anything." Musashi had told her a story long ago about the first Shugosha creating the artifacts in an attempt to stop the Ten Tails, but it had been speculation on his behalf. He later had told her that he had had almost a century to figure out a reason and that he had only come up with that story.
Madara stepped in front of her as they entered the castle's stone courtyard. "As long as you keep the sphere, they cannot kill you?"
"No," she said. "If they kill me, the artifacts will be useless. The only reason they can retain their special properties is because my chakra is keeping them alive."
He drew the old calligraphy brush from his belt and stared down at it. "So that is why I can sense you through it?" he questioned. "It's had your chakra signature for the last couple of weeks."
"Since I became Shugosha," she said, nodding. She did not see the point to the conversation if he was trying to make one. "But what does that matter?"
"You can make demands," he told her. "You don't have to sit in that room all day and wait until Enki or Ayuka want to have you paraded around the castle. You might not be able to do anything for the remaining Kuronuma, but you can do more than agree to an alliance here."
Madara spotted a Motou shinobi and a priest appearing from behind a building, ready to cross the courtyard, and he started to walk away. Mio went after him, looking over her shoulder to see the two watching them pass. To live under constant judgment would be a stifling thing, but that seemed to be a part of the agreement she made. However, Madara made a valid point. Conceding to the marriage was not the only thing she was capable of doing. She didn't have to be the receptor for everyone's pity.
Mio had been stuck in between sadness and acceptance, where it had been much easier to collapse into a heap and continue crying than to open her eyes and see that there were survivors, and that for them, she needed to survive here.
She needed that push, but as she trailed behind Madara in silence, she swore she would not let her emotions consume her to that brink again. If it happened again and there was nobody around, who would save her? Nobody. She would have to do it herself.
"Thank you, Madara," she said, breathing in the crisp morning air. "I will make sure my stay here is a comfortable one."
Catching the sarcasm in her tone, he smirked.
The meeting partook in the upper landing of a three-floor building nestled closer to the mountain's face and, apart from the king, it included the presence of Ayuka, in representation of the Sun Temple, Mikami Seiko, the auburn-haired leader of the Mikami clan who was not convinced she was the right Shugosha, and an Ito shinobi, standing in for Izuna. She was surprised to see Taiga, who came accompanied by a male shinobi with maroon hair wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed a carving on his bicep—the slashed crescent of the Mikazuki clan, an insignia she was very familiar with. Yayoi was also in attendance, standing beside Ayuka as if she were awaiting orders.
Mio and Madara were the last to enter.
Enki called her forward so that she might stand beside him as he began his meeting. He spoke of increasing the number of shinobi patrolling the poor villages surrounding the coastline behind the mountains as sightings of the Sanbi have become more frequent. In the list of changes he was having implemented, she gathered in his speech that Taiga had spent the last several days in the southern portion of the island with the Mikazuki stationed there, devising a plan to end many revolts orchestrated by what remained of Enki's deceased brother's army and the Sone clan. She heard the war had been ongoing and that no matter how many Sone and enemy Motou shinobi were taken down, dozens emerged to take their place. The Ito shinobi offered Enki information about the state of the Earth Country, which turned out to be another of the Motou clan's allies, making them a daunting enemy to have.
"How are the expeditions, Madara?" asked Enki.
"Well," Madara said curtly.
"The Sanbi is of great importance, Madara," Ayuka began, the first time she had spoken in the length of the gathering. Her silence had been unnerving, but not as much as her eyes when they fell upon Mio's face as she spoke. "We need to harness its power for the near future."
"The beast will be captured," Madara assured her, annoyed possibly by the doubtful look in her eyes.
Ayuka turned to Enki. "Why not have another assigned to Mio's care?" she asked. "Madara should remain focused on the Sanbi's capture. He does not have the time to watch both Yayoi and Mio."
Enki gave her a disapproving glance. "Then, I will leave my daughter's care in your hands, Kuugo," he said, looking at the Mikazuki shinobi beside Taiga. The Mikazuki nodded. "And further expeditions will wait until after the wedding ceremony."
"When is the ceremony?" asked Taiga, a question that had also been on her mind.
"A fortnight? Perhaps two?" Enki decided with a frown, then he gave a hearty laugh. "Perhaps, I'll marry her tonight."
"That would be impossible to do, Mio must be purified before such a ceremony takes place," Ayuka said firmly.
"Then have it arranged." Enki dismissed them all, but as she attempted to go, he called, "Not you Mio."
Madara halted too.
"You may go," said Enki, gesturing him out the door.
Madara made eye contact with her for a second before following through with Enki's orders. Enki waited for everyone to exit the room before guiding her through another door into a small sitting room. He stared her down in disapproval before offering a mug of warm tea.
"I have given you new clothes to wear, why do you refuse them?" he asked edgily.
"I am not interested in luxuries," she said courteously.
"All women enjoy luxuries."
"I do not."
"You will start. In due time, you will be queen alongside me, and you will need to look a part." Enki settled into a seat. "What are you waiting for? Sit."
Mio sat on a cushion across him. She set aside the mug of tea without having tasted it.
The older man frowned. "I meant closer. Beside me."
She moved to sit to his right, feeling her skin begin to crawl long before he ran his knuckles down her cheek. She stilled. "We have not had the opportunity to speak in private," he began lowly. "You have lovely skin, alabaster, unlike your Kuronuma clan. This is the Uchiha blood in you. Uchiha women are quite beautiful." She felt the small hairs in the back of her neck begin to rise in repulsion as he leaned forward, his breath brushing against her skin. "You look most like your grandmother. She was an exceedingly beautiful woman."
He toyed with a piece of her hair, his eyes dipping low. "You are lacking in areas, but you will do. It is not every day I am permitted to marry a Shugosha." He moved closer and she stiffened. His finger ran down her neck and it curled under the collar of her shirt. She felt his mouth near her face, lips ghosting over it. Her insides protested. "You are beautiful."
Before his mouth touched any inch of her, she pushed against him, using every bit of willpower to force down the repulsion. "I will not tolerate such behavior," she blurted, getting to her feet and holding herself. "This is inappropriate. We are not yet married. I cannot accept your advances, heika-sama."
He laughed at her. "It makes no difference, child, you will end up in my bed regardless." He patted his lap. "So, come, sit."
She wanted to vomit. "No," she said forcefully. "I won't. Respect my wishes to stay chaste until after the ceremony. I refuse to dishonor my family."
The amusement left his expression, fury came to replace it. "If I want to have you, I will have you."
He made an attempt to reach for her, but she moved away. "You dare so much as put a hand on me and I will break it."
"And endanger the Kuronuma clan?" He struck a chord and saw that he had. "My only desire is to see that no other man has touched you."
She never thought of other men or touching. She had been completely oblivious to that whole aspect of nature. The only crush she had ever had had been Takuto and that had not last long. She had focused herself on moving forward and growing stronger, not finding someone to kiss in the dark, so it angered her that this man had made such an assumption.
"You can't hold that over my head forever," she said, feeling the urge to smother him in his sleep.
"Those that remain are only alive because I asked the Mikazuki clan to stop," he said, "and I can easily ask them to hunt each and every one if you refuse me."
She swallowed bile. "I have conditions," she told him. If she could not avoid the situation, she would find a way to benefit from it. "If this is what you wish, I want to be more comfortable in this country."
A smile split his lips, proud of his victory. "I will indulge you. Tell me what will make you more comfortable."
"I want to be able to roam the island freely—"
"Allowed, but there will be restrictions. What else?"
"I want to be involved in all meetings in this country, whether strategic or political. If you wish to set a proper alliance with the Kuronuma, then you must treat me as a representative of them, as Madara is for the Uchiha clan and Mikami Seiko is for his clan," she said quickly. "The Kuronuma is comprised of ninjutsu and taijutsu specialists and if you intend to conquer in the mainland, it would be prudent to strengthen your army with us as your first line of offense. I can provide you military insight and advice on further movements in and outside of this country. I know strategy and I know the spy networks in and out." She paused for a breath. "If you want me as a bride this badly, then make use of my strength and knowledge. I am not a girl that wound up with the title of Shugosha, I earned it."
She set out to earn it. A part of her wanted to deserve it, believe that she could do more with it than become this man's wife because it was that or the lives of her clan.
"You need not worry for such things," he said, prepared to dismiss her second request.
"I want to be involved in the affairs of this country," she replied. "I will not sit beside you an ignorant queen."
He shrugged. "Very well, do as you will. Anything else?"
"To see that you are staying true to your word, I want to reestablish communications with the Kuronuma clan by asking for your permission to allow one of my own to come here to take care of correspondences between myself and what remains of the clan," she finished. "I want to have someone I trust at my side."
Enki stood. "I will have it arranged," he said, stopping at the entrance. "I will come to your rooms tonight."
Mio could not get out of the building fast enough. She returned to her rooms and poured fresh water into a basin. She soaked a cloth in water and soap, scrubbing her cheek and neck red in an attempt to get the sensation of his touch from her flesh. When she remembered how close she had come to feel his mouth on her, she vomited into a cleaning bucket one of the servants accidentally left behind.
She washed her mouth out and exhaled, starting to tug off her clothes when the door opened. She tugged her shirt back down as Madara entered and shut the shoji behind him. He walked to her briskly.
"What did he want from you?"
Mio shook her head. "I'd rather not speak of it," she said, "but he has given me permission to roam the island, participate in meetings, and have a Kuronuma with me to communicate with the others."
"Did he want anything in return?"
"Yes, he wanted something in return," she snapped, unconsciously holding herself.
"What did want?" he asked, but she sensed he had an idea. "Mio, tell me."
"He wants to make sure I am pure," she bit out reluctantly, averting her eyes. "Tonight."
"I'll have this taken care of."
With that, Madara exited.
Mio was left to wait. A servant came in to tidy up the room before lunch was brought up to her. She couldn't think of eating and merely picked at the food to make it seem like she ate some of it. She had a scalding bath nearing sundown and dressed in three layers of clothes as she started making plans of what she would do, feeling Madara might not follow through with taking care of the problem. In reality, she didn't understand how he would get it done. He might be able to prolong it for a night or two, but it wouldn't be long before Enki visited her in the middle of the night to claim what he was promised and she would have to bear it for the sake of her clan. Thinking of it made her sick all over again and impatient.
Yayoi intercepted him on his way to the castle tower.
"Not now, Yayoi," he said, pushing past her. When he had told Mio to make demands, he had considered the situation developing into this, but had been relying on Enki being too power-hungry to accept without striking up a bargain.
"What is the rush?" asked Yayoi, following him persistently. "Going to find father? Did he do something? Oh, tell me he did something! I want to rub it in his face during dinner! Did you hear he wants to sit Ikki and me down for a private dinner with Mio tomorrow? How absurd? He wants us to acknowledge her as our new stepmother. It's appalling!"
"Are you not the one that wanted to become Mio's grandmother?" Madara remarked.
"That's different," she sputtered, and in typical Yayoi fashion, she elaborated as if he had asked. "I would make an exemplary addition to the Kuronuma clan. I am beautiful and smart—don't scoff, Madara, I am a far cry from stupid—and I'm beautiful, wait, did I already say that? I am beautiful to an ethereal degree, then. I could offer her my wisdom—why is it that you are not taking this serious? I'm serious."
She ran ahead to block his path after she caught him eyeing her strangely, disturbed by her words. He stopped abruptly. "Do you think Mio cares for your wisdom?"
Yayoi averted her gaze, taking an obstinate stance. "She should."
Madara walked on after suggesting Yayoi to return to the temple and pray to her golden gods. She ignored him and pursued him further.
"I will stop talking about Mio then," she decided. "I know you hate it when anyone so much as mentions her name."
She was right. He never quite liked anyone to say her name. It had started when they were children, living in the countryside with his grandmother, after Hiryuu had told him Mio posed a danger to them all—to his family—and he had decided that when people stopped speaking of her, she stopped existing. He had held plenty against her because he had no understanding of the situation that surrounded her and it had been an adventure to realize that she had not been the problem, but the circumstances that bound her to the title of Shugosha and the nine other artifacts the Kuronuma clan had tried to keep secret.
Since then, it had become a habit—a bad one at first and one that caused misunderstanding—but it had evolved into one that had made sense. Mio had become an object, not a girl and no less a human being. To them, she had no value save the Time Sphere she had inherited and if they could not see her as a person, then they had no right to speak of her. If they had never met her, then they could not say her name.
The habit had no doubt worsened with her present.
"But she is the reason you're going to see father, is it not?" Yayoi persisted. "Has she started to cry again? The servants said that is all she has done: cry and sleep. How many tears does she possess? You know, from what Izuna described her as, I had imagined her a little different, personality-wise. She's a little boring."
He let Yayoi talk until she grew frustrated with being ignored and turned back to the temple.
Madara walked into the tearoom as Enki dismissed three shinobi, one from his clan and the other two from the Mikazuki and Mikami clan. Enki smiled amicably at the sight of him. The room possessed minimal decoration and served for the occasional tea ceremony. Enki spent his time alone within it, which made his suspicions rise at the sight of others. It was odd to see one person, three was confirmation he was planning something deplorable.
"There is no reason to explain yourself," said Enki. "She has told you. I never imagined you to be too close." He squinted at him. "What have you to say?"
"Come near her and I'll kill you," he said simply.
The anger surfaced quickly in Enki's face. "You threaten me?" he bit out. "Ayuka warned that I should beware of the youngest, but he is gone. Do I need to be wary of you too?"
"Be wary of all men," Madara said cryptically, watching his eyes narrow. "Mio is everything." With a smirk spreading over his lips, he finished, "Excuse me."
He turned to leave, but heard Enki scoff. "Do you think I care for the attentions of a novice?" Laughter escaped him. "That girl needs to be trained. She needs to learn how to satisfy a man."
Madara walked away. Enki wanted to get a rise out of him, as always.
Mio was scratching her skin raw when Madara arrived once night had fallen. She jumped to her feet, meeting him where he stood, searching his face for answers. Her heart pounded in trepidation. "What happened?"
He looked down at her reddened arm and back to her quizzically, catching her hand before she continued to scratch at it more. "If he appears here, I will kill him," he told her. "I'm staying the night."
"Staying the night?" she asked, facing difficulties with the thought. "You? Today?"
"He will not come," he said, walking inside, "but he might out of spite. Ask the servants for extra bedding when they come."
"Did you threaten to kill him?"
Madara shot her a look. "Stay here. There is something I want to show you when I return."
He definitely threatened to kill him.
"Okay."
He left.
Mio sat and waited for him.
When Madara returned, he guided Mio out of mountain where the castle had been built and took her far to the edge of a forest in a clearing that stood between the border between Enki's territory and what once belonged to the enemy. The entire time, Mio worried the weather would take a turn for the worse as the sky thundered and lightning flashed out at sea, the dark clouds started rolling in.
"The priests and priestess of the Motou clan are known for their kinjutsu," he began, moving through trees that stood too close together. "They had been tampering with the southern part of this forest using the Sanbi."
"The Sanbi?" she asked, following him between the trees.
"I think they made a sea of black water with some form of forbidden technique."
Mio hurried after him. Delving further towards the heart of the forest, she began to notice a change in the environment. The gnarled roots of trees looked brittle, the trunks easy to break, the branches snapped easily under her foot, and the leaves were discolored. The forest floor was drying, the soil unusable for growth, and it had nothing to do with winter settling in.
As they moved closer to an area radiating heat, she saw the trees wrapped in white and a web of wooden talisman strung from wire clanking gently in the wind. She singled out one wire and followed it to the trunk of a tree where it was wrapped around carefully near a barricade of rotting wood and metal.
The temperature coming from beyond the barrier had intensified since she first felt it. She glanced at Madara, who was struggling to remain still on level ground.
She moved to a tree and scaled it after making sure it would hold. Madara did the same with one beside it. The view from above exposed the black, heated surface bubbling and releasing steam. She saw the presence of rotting wood and human bones, the rotted flesh attributed to the pungent scent. It was unlike the rivers running through Kurata in the sense that it did not release clouds of steam capable of burning off flesh or had been tainted by the dead. The rivers there were scentless and the heat was contained to a short distance. It remained without disturbing its natural surroundings, unlike this that seem to be feeding off the forest.
It worried her. Black water was not supposed to exist out of Kurata.
She sank down into a seat and removed her shoes.
"What are you doing?" asked Madara.
"I'm going in."
"That killed several of my men! It burned the skin off their bones!"
Madara jumped to her side, but she went on to roll up her pants. She stood and tugged off one of the layers of her top, pulling the long shirt over Madara's head and tying it over half of his face.
"You should not inhale the steam. It could damage your respiratory system."
He took her by the arm as she made an attempt to jump over the barricade. "And you?"
"I trained to be in these conditions," she told him. She touched her right earring, infusing the Black Sphere with a bit of chakra to activate it. "If the Motou clan made black water, I should be able to mold it."
Mio pulled out of Madara's hold and jumped over the wall.
As soon as she landed into the thick, gooey substance, she keeled over.
"Mio!"
Madara leap to the wall.
Her chakra was being siphoned from her body and as it spread across the black sea, it rippled and the heated surface rose from her calf to above her knee. The temperature increased with it. She pressed her hands to the surface and attempted to mold it with her chakra alone, but it only drained her strength more.
The glow of the Time Sphere caught her attention and without warning, the light spread into a ball of glass that surrounded her, expelling the rising water levels. She fell as soon as it formed, slipping on the goo that remained, and scrambled onto her feet, finding it difficult to stay standing in the spherical shape. She turned around fully.
Madara stood atop the wall, looking as shocked as she felt.
She pressed her hand to the cold surface and stared down at her sphere, the mist had turned a violent red and the solid object it hid inside its whirlwind of pale mist sat almost completely visible. Its size reminded her of an acorn, but its shape was different and its color as well—it looked like a seed. A seed for a giant tree or something of the sort.
She touched all around her, starting to wonder how she would get out of the sphere's protection, before her depleted chakra caught up to her. She sank to her knees. The forest was starting to spin and her vision to darken at the edges of her vision. She steadied herself, arms spread to touch either side of her.
Mio rose, ready to jump. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the protection dropped, allowing her a split second to leap to the wall before the black water came crashing all around the spot where she was standing. She barely made it to the wall, grabbing onto it by her arms only and attempting futilely to climb on before Madara appeared to pull her up and off the wall. He hoisted her up over his shoulder with an arm wrapped around her waist and put a great distance between themselves and the barricade.
He dropped her in the middle of a dirt path. She barely managed to stay on her feet, teetering over to fall, when he seized her by the arms.
"That was dangerous!" he snapped. "You could have died!"
She winced, focusing her vision on his face, surprised by his reaction. "Oh."
"Oh?" he continued. "Is that all?"
She was too busy letting the heat rush to her cheeks to formulate a response. She stared at him in silent amazement.
"Say something!"
"…I'm sorry."
His eyebrows knit together, confusion dawning in his eyes. "Why are you apologizing?"
"I don't know."
Madara looked down at his hands and released her. "Don't do that again."
"I won't."
She waited for him to go, but he didn't budge until she started walking.
They returned to the castle completely soaked, the storm raging all around them. Rain battered down to the ground, the sky was covered in dark clouds that flashed with lightning and roared with thunder.
Mio went straight to the bathhouse attached to the back of her building for a quick bath and a soak in boiling water to fight off the cold. She stared at the irritated skin of her legs while soaking and thought back to the black sea in the forest, concerned for what it meant for the Temple residents. What reason did they have to make a copy of the rivers in Kurata? Except it was only like the rivers in appearance and temperature. The rivers in Kurata did not drain chakra upon contact.
She hurried up to her rooms in a robe after a long soak in boiling water and changed into a comfortable pair of white trousers and a thin, loose black shirt before running out. She zipped past the servants carrying in her lunch and the extra bedding she asked for at Madara's request and bounded down the stairs to Madara's room. She calmed herself before knocking on the shoji's wooden frame.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Mio."
She heard noise from inside, heavy footfalls, before the door slid open noisily. He stared down at her, his body barring her entrance. "What is it?"
She peered inside, seeing Yayoi seated inside staring back at her.
Mio shifted her weight. "I wanted to talk," she admitted. "I will come by later."
Yayoi stood, walking up behind Madara and squinting at her arms. "You shouldn't be wearing a shirt like that. Everyone will talk about the bruises," she pointed out. "Where did you get those bruises?"
Mio looked down at the tiny bruises on her arms. They were appearing where Madara's fingers had once been digging into her arms after he had seized her so abruptly. She was as easy to bruise as her grandfather, even the slightest bit of pressure was enough to leave a mark.
"They are nothing. I bruise easily."
"Father might start thinking you enjoy—"
"Yayoi, go," Madara interrupted.
Mio was happy he had. She didn't want to hear Yayoi finish any sentence concerning her father.
She pouted. "Just don't come to me when Mio-sama bores you to death."
Yayoi stepped out after Madara moved out of the way. He waved her inside after looking down both ends of the hallway, but she stayed in place. "You should not have asked her to leave," she said, sensing she interrupted something about to happen. "You should have finished what you started."
"What?"
"With Yayoi," she continued. "I feel I have become a strain in your relationship with her. She never seems to have you to herself and she looks at me strangely when I pass. I do not want her to misunderstand our friendship."
"Yayoi simply does not like you," he deadpanned. "You are the one misunderstanding."
She blinked. "Oh? She doesn't?"
"Are you blind?"
"Are you intimate?" she blurted as soon as the thought formed in her head.
"Who are you to ask that of me?"
"My cousin told me some women tend to grow a strong attachment to a man after they have been intimate." That day had been an educational experience for Mio and she had had seeing Tobirama naked to thank for sparking the conversation. However, Okimi had great insight in relationships and Mio had been determined to learn her ways. "Yayoi is quite attached to you."
"What have you been learning on that mountain?"
"Everything."
"My dealings with Yayoi are nothing of the—I don't need to explain myself to you!" he snapped.
Mio smiled with a shrug, feeling a strange smothering feeling starting to wrap its hands around her. "Can I come in?"
"Just get in already."
She walked in and slid the door behind her. She plopped down in front of his window to listen to the rain fall heavily to the ground. He sat at her side. She glanced at him. The silence between them was bizarre.
He caught her looking. "Do you plan to marry him?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't have a choice."
"If your clan was not in danger?"
"No. I would have just focused on retrieving the Fate Sphere." She sensed that would not have turned out too differently. Ayuka would remain insanely strong and Mio would stay at a disadvantage. However, she would not have to marry Enki. She would not have had to experience that horrible advance he made earlier.
"Izuna loves you," he said without preamble.
He commanded her attention with his words. She didn't believe him. It had been too long. That idea had been lost to her, a part of her had come to terms with it on the mountain, although she had held onto some hope.
"What?"
"I was rarely kind to you as we were growing," he said. "I judged you from what I heard and did not think you capable of much anything other than manipulation, but you are more than the opinions formed by a child. Izuna has never doubted your character and I can't make decisions for him in this matter, I can only accept them."
She wondered if he was apologizing in his own strange way and if it was supposed to feel like the air was being wrung from her lungs. She continued to listen, waiting for some explanation to the awful way she felt.
"Ayuka said you would only bring him death—that you are cursed—but I am starting to see that she wanted me to become an obstruction to keep you from accepting Izuna to become Enki's wife."
Her heart started to hammer in anticipation. "Is that why you asked me to reject him?" The hurt in Izuna's face had been painful for her to endure without admitting her lies. She had wanted to apologize repeatedly until he saw she did not love Taiga. "I felt terrible for it."
"Izuna loves you. If you love him, accept him. Marry my brother."
She cursed her fate. The words she believed would never leave Madara's mouth had. He wanted her to marry his brother. She could imagine her life with Izuna perfectly. It would be peaceful and happy. She trusted Izuna. She cared for him. She could see a life of laughter and perfect harmony.
The weight of reality brought her back.
"If I had a choice, I would," she said slowly.
"We have time," he said. "You can think up a plan."
"Why do I have to think of a plan? I have to meet a dressmaker tomorrow!" she told him. "I have never met a dressmaker!"
"Where do you think your clothes come from?"
"You and my grandfather," she replied. He arched an eyebrow. "I don't like new clothes. I once had my cousin wear all of mine for weeks before I took them back."
She had been devastated when she'd been given new robes and the shiny adornments from Enki to wear around casually. She'd hated wearing them and had only worn them after Ayuka appeared to threaten her into them, criticizing her by saying she had been acting like a child. There was something about new clothes she didn't like, perhaps it was the fabric or the smell. She remembered her mother considered it a bad habit and berating her father for indulging her. Sachiyo on the other hand, found it curious and useful, and always passed down Madara's clothes because she was usually too tall for Izuna's.
She had since tossed all the new clothes in a pile to have the servants wash them until they were comfortable to wear.
"Get used to the treatment, you're about to become queen of a country and nobody wants a ruler in hand-me-downs."
"You know the Sun Country better than I do," she said forcefully, resting her head on his shoulder. She folded her legs, listening to the heavy rainfall. She shifted until she felt comfortable. "You should be the one thinking up a plan."
"You need to focus, Mio."
She frowned, sinking further into her seat. She scratched the inside of her wrist. She shifted slightly so her back was pressed against his arm completely.
"Why are you getting closer?" he asked suddenly.
A yawn escaped her. She doubted she could process a proper thought. The enervation that came from having had her chakra drained caught up with her a second time. Madara was also surprisingly warm. Near heat was where she had felt safest. It reminded her of the hot springs in Kurata where she had done most of her meditation and the sweltering fires the clan built during the harsher storms to keep them warm.
"Mio."
Madara called her name, but his voice sounded distant, like it came from a mile away. She felt arms wrap around her neck and they dragged her down—pulled under the surface of freezing water that drowned her lungs.
Mio opened her eyes, readjusting to the familiar setting of her room and the presence of several blankets thrown atop her body smothering her in heat. Everything felt to have happened an instant ago—she was awake and then she was asleep. It was like blinking, but she saw that she had slept. She was buried under the covers and hearing voices nearby.
"The servants are starting to speculate." She recognized Ayuka among those in her room, not by her, voice, but the presence of her artifact. "She is seen more often at your side than the king, to whom she is engaged, not to mention that it is inexcusable that you have been staying in her room. If her reputation is sullied—"
"It won't matter," came Madara's reply. "The king plans to marry her regardless."
She heard Yayoi huff. "I don't understand the appeal."
"Mio's appeal is one of power," Ayuka said, as if reminding her apprentice. "She has already exercised that power over Enki. There is a Kuronuma coming to the island because of it."
Like a bird trapped in a cage, her heart fluttered as if it were trying to escape. She listened carefully, hoping to hear when she should expect the Kuronuma to arrive.
Yayoi tsked. "A Kuronuma? When?"
"Another couple days," said Ayuka.
"And the Kuronuma clan?" asked Madara. "Are the Mikazuki clan holding them hostage?"
"No. The remaining Kuronuma are protected by the Iron Country, the Senju and the Uzumaki clan." The new voice belonged to Taiga. "They managed to escape somehow and now, even if the Mikazuki clan wanted, they can't do anything but sit and wait until they aren't as guarded."
Protected. That single word made Mio's heart squeeze in hope for their survival…and her own.
"Who is the Kuronuma?" asked Madara.
"Another guardian," replied Ayuka with a hint of humor.
Another guardian? She never chose guardians apart from Hashirama and Tobirama. Did Okimi's mirror choose another guardian? That's impossible…
"So what's wrong with her?" Taiga asked. "I've never seen her sleep this long before."
"Poor health," said Ayuka. "The artifact takes too much of what she does not have. If she intends to live, she will have to find her successor. For now, its best she continues to rest. She won't be needed until her marriage." Her footsteps drifted and through the opening in the blankets, Mio was able to see the flutter of her robes as she moved. "Come, Yayoi, we must prepare for the purifying ceremony." She paused at the entrance. "If she wakes, send her to me. I have much to explain to her at the temple."
Taiga remained in the room a moment longer, but he seemed to have moved closer to her.
"Have you nothing to do?" asked Madara.
"Much," Taiga answered, "but perhaps, you should start to listen to warnings."
"I don't have to listen to Ayuka's orders," he said. "I don't trust anyone on this island, least of all you."
"Stay away from Mio."
Taiga's tone was forceful.
"You do not choose who is near her," Madara said. "She is not yours, nor will she ever be."
"Yet."
A cold chill ran down her spine. The promise in his voice made for an uncomfortable situation and she cursed her stupidity. How could she ever think of agreeing to become Taiga's under any circumstance? She had done it for the sake of his wife, but he didn't seem to care whether Sako was with another man or not. Though, at times, his body language had confused her, he had not openly requested she enter an intimate relationship with her—not like Enki, who attempted to do so in explicit detail. But she did not see any benefit to the agreement she made, which made her wonder why Taiga suggested it in the first place.
She didn't want to think about it.
Taiga's footsteps disappeared down the hall.
Madara shut the shoji screens and turned as she sat up, shoving the blankets off her.
"How long was I sleeping?" she asked, ignoring all other pestering urges to question everything discussed in the short conversation she overheard.
"Two days."
She set her hands to her lap, stunned. "And before that?" she asked slowly. "How long?"
"Three."
She knew that she had been dropping in bed exhausted as soon as the sun went down, sleeping well over the usual amount of hours she had grown accustomed to and still she'd wake with aching muscles and a heavy head. She understood her condition and her need to rest, but for the short time she had been awake and wandering around the castle, she had been able to stabilize the production of black water in her body. She had anticipated it might take another day or two before she had become healthy.
"How much did you hear?" asked Madara, pouring water into a mug and held it out for her.
She took it with a small, appreciative smile. "Enough," she said. "I am relieved that the Kuronuma clan is safe, but I fear that this is only a momentary lapse of peace. And if we plan to—"
Madara covered her mouth. He pointed to his ear and then jutted his chin in the direction of the door. Someone listened. She offered him a small nod and he removed his hand from her face. "You should rest."
"Did Ayuka not want to see me?" Mio began to stand only to realize Madara had as well and that they were standing face to face. Her voice died in her throat. "Madara?"
"I'm accompanying you."
Mio grabbed a kimono top and pulled it on over a cropped shirt she did not remember having on when she fell asleep. She let herself believe the servants changed her as she made her way out with Madara.
The castle was a ghost town as Mio and Madara made their way to the temple.
Only Mio was allowed through the temple entrance to see Ayuka and was escorted to a small area with a table by the staircase. She refused the tea offered to her while waiting. Ayuka walked down the staircase, stopping in the center to gesture her up. Mio went after her, abandoning her seat, and saw a narrow hallway that connected many smaller rooms together. She was not taken far, only past the first four entrances.
Ayuka gently pushed her into the fifth room where a woman awaited. Mio realized immediately that it was the dressmaker she dreaded meeting, knowing by the bolts of fabric she brought with her and a line of measuring tape. As the woman took all the necessary measurements, doing so meticulously, Mio watched Ayuka observing her.
"How much did you hear?" Ayuka asked, smiling from her seat by the entrance. Her eyes fell on the dressmaker. "Amaya. That is enough for now. Have a few minutes to yourself."
The woman bowed deeply to them and left them alone.
"You don't think me capable of holding onto the Time Sphere," said Mio, making sure Amaya's footsteps had gone away. "You want me to find my successor. How will you benefit from that? It will solve nothing. You will only have another vessel and no artifact."
Ayuka leaned back in her seat, the delighted smile on her face widening. "That is where you are wrong," she said, excited. "Your successor is a curious one. From the beginning, the Time Sphere has chosen its Shugosha. Since then it had always been one, but after your grandfather killed Nishiki, the Time Sphere was forced to look among other candidates to choose a Shugosha. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"You believe there is another candidate out there?" Mio asked dubiously. That would be impossible. She was certain she was the only chance of survival for her artifacts.
"The Time Sphere is changing," Ayuka corrected. "Naturally, if the Time Sphere can choose its own guardian, there must be a Shugosha that can choose a guardian for the Time Sphere—one capable of changing the line of succession."
"There is no such guardian," she said confidently.
The redheaded priestess stood gracefully. "You are correct to say that," she said, walking to her. "No such guardian exists…yet. The point is that he will. In the near future." She pulled her sleeve back surprising Mio when she placed her palm to her lower abdomen. "Here."
Mio's breathing accelerated. Her heart, too. "What?"
"The Shugosha I want is not you, Mio. I want the one that comes from you."
xl: A bit of a transitional chapter, but a very important one as we now know why Mio is so important. And it turns out she's not the one Ayuka wants!
On the plus side, Madara's given Mio his blessing and it seems he does plan to see her safe. A new Kuronuma guardian is coming to the island.
The next chapter should have some concrete artifact talk and more on Mio's future. She might even think of getting a little serious! (Yeah, Mio! Stop being wishy washy!)
Many thanks to Loteva, RelocationAgent, angrypixels, Aries01xD, and God of Twilight for reviewing the previous chapter.
I'm getting to the tricky part of the story...so bear with me as I do my best to provide something presentable. (Saying that makes me want to look this over again, but I'll do it tomorrow because sleep reading is a no-no.)
Maybe the next chapter will be the end of a Path in Ways?
I apologize for that gross Enki scene. I read it over with disturbed face.
Thank you for reading!
PS - I forgot to add this in when I first posted, but I want to hear from you guys concerning one thing. See, I've been rooting for Izuna and Mio for quite sometime...I think this cheering them on started during The Slumbering Beast, but a part of me has always been pro-Izuna/Mio because they can be so charming together. BUT, given that this is a MadaraOC story, I want to know when you start rooting for Madara/Mio to make it. If you've been rooting for them from the start (cause I mean to some degree you must have), you tell me, if you've been skeptical, then tell me when you've been won over.
This goes for other potential couples as well. I'm simply curious.
I'll be C&P this in the next chapter! And then, I'll use the results to make a fabulous poll. :D