Chapter 3
"Kai!"
Kasumi is startled awake by a harsh noise. She bolts up out of the grass with a gasp.
In front of her was the most beautiful view; green grass, vibrant flowers, lucious bushes and the most amazing bright sunshine. She thinks to herself that she must be either; dead or dreaming. Those thoughts are quickly dismissed when she turns her head to face Madara, who looks distracted by his own hands. He whips around to face her.
Kasumi jumps.
"What color are my eyes?" He asks, turning to face her completely.
"What?" Kasumi replies, perturbed by his question.
"Answer," The Uchiha leader says, square jawed.
Still dazed, Kasumi answers with uncertainty, "They're black?"
He sighs and his shoulders visibly sag. Madara mumbles something under his breath before running a hand through his hair and facing upward towards the sky.
Memories of last night flash before her eyes and even more confusion sets in followed by a sinking pit in her stomach at the realization that it was supposed to be winter.
"We're in another world?" She asks rhetorically.
"It seems this dimension has no chakra." Her new husband said, flexing his fingers. "Yet, somehow we are alive and moving…"
"Oh?" Kasumi answered, vaguely aware of what chakra was and how it worked. His calm nature worked well to calm down her growing panic. 'What was chakra again?'
"We shall continue our conversation later."
She stands up to glare at the formal speaking ass. "No, we shan't. A conversation is two people taking turns, talking and listening to each other–"
"Hello, I'm Mo."
Kasumi yelped in surprise, beside her Madara eyed the newcomer warily. A hefty, bearded man stood before them wearing a black shirt, matching pants and sandals.
"Who are you?" The Uchiha asked arrogantly.
"Hello, I'm Mo." The man repeats cheerily.
"He says his name is Mo." Kasumi repeats helpfully.
"You should never interrupt an interrogation," Madara remarks firmly.
"Hello, I'm Mo."
"Oh, sorry. I thought you Uchiha chased people through the woods before interrogations." She said sarcastically, ignoring the newcomer. His dark eyes bore into her, in that way she was almost accustomed to now.
"Oh?" He says slowly. "Would you like to familiarize yourself with shinobi interrogations?"
Before she could even react Madara lifted a leg lazily and kicked Mo right in his stomach. Kasumi flinched as she watched his body fly further and further away before crashing into the grass with a loud thump.
She answers quietly, "I'm good, thank you."
"Nice to meet you," A new voice interrupts. Kasumi gasps, grabbing onto Madara, the closest thing to security, in her surprise. The couple whirl around and come face to face with another odd looking fellow.
The man stands tall, with messy silver hair and lazy gray eyes, a tight, black mask covering the lower half of his face making it difficult to distinguish his features anymore than that. He wore a tight black turtleneck, loose black pants and dark sandals. Kasumi thought he gave off a carefree, lackadaisical aura. However, the strong muscle build revealed by his clothes told a different story.
Apparently, Madara thought the same. She could feel him tense up.
The mysterious man caught her gaze and tilted his head curiously to get a better look at her behind Madara, his eyes crinkled slightly showing a gentle smile. "Now, now… There's no need to be scared."
His voice was so appealing it made Kasumi want to trust him. Before any further interaction could happen, Madara interrupted by raising his chin in the direction of the fallen Mo. "One of your men, I presume?"
The silver haired man looked behind Madara, squinting slightly to get a better look. "Ah, yes. That's Mobit, I suppose he had it coming…with all the greetings and stuff."
"And you are?" The Uchiha asked, growing irritated.
"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I'm the Guild Leader." The handsome newcomer answered.
"What's a Guild Leader?" Kasumi asked.
"A Guild Leader is the leader of an association of people in the pursuit of a common goal," Kakashi said matter-a-factly.
"It's not," Madara said dryly.
"I think maybe you've noticed but we're not from here. Could you tell us where we are exactly?" Kasumi asked.
Kakashi led the pair to his home, a cozy place built for one person with little to no decorations or furniture. Madara took in his surroundings cautiously, taking note of each step they took to get there. Kasumi on the other hand, fiddled nervously with her skirt, eyes darting around looking for any sign of danger.
Kakashi ushered them to a square, wooden table with four chairs. He reached inside his sleeve and pulled out a small, sapphire stone, placing it in front of them.
The pair blinked at the rock before looking back at Kakashi.
"This is a guidance stone, it always moves towards a fixed destination. And this rock leads you to Nouga mountain in the west. There you will find a monster, who has been terrorising the surrounding areas. Usually, it is our job to deal with them, however, this one is extraordinarily strong and my team is recuperating after sealing the Akatsuki. That's why I summoned you." He coughed uncomfortably at the silence.
"You brought us here?" Kasumi angrily.
Kakashi laughed nervously. "Now, now…"
Madara sat quietly, arms crossed and brows furrowed. He didn't seem surprised at all, more annoyed than anything.
"How is that possible?" He asked.
The self proclaimed Guild Leader scratched his chin. "Different worlds have different rules I guess. Summonings are difficult and only a few have mastered them. My students have been trying for years.I summoned someone mortal but inhumanly strong, chaste and generous, lively and selfless, calm and humble. And that's why the portal picked you, if you didn't fit the criterias it would've chosen someone else."
"Why those specific qualities?" Madara finally spoke up.
Kakashi closed his eyes. "They are what is needed for this mission to succeed."
The Uchiha leader snorted, a cocky look taking over his face. "I have no intention of helping you."
Kakashi held his gaze unmoving. "The only way you can ever go back to your world, will be by killing this monster. It's in the summoning contract."
Madara's cocky expression fell off his face. Kasumi would have laughed if it were any other situation.
He held up a piece of paper with strange lettering that neither Kasumi or Madara could read.
"Destroying it won't send you back, nor will killing me do the trick." The latter being directed at Madara.
"I'm not strong, so how was I brought into this?" Kasumi asked, blushing as the men both turned to her like they had forgotten she was present.
"Then you must embody the other characteristics!" He told her happily, holding up a finger.
"Oh." Kasumi promptly decided to shut up and leave the stage to Madara. After all, this wasn't her world either. She knew fewer people here than before and it alarmed her that the only person she could depend on, right now, was the same one who was out to kill her hours before.
"A summoning requires a sacrifice or an agreement between two parts. What could be great enough to summon unbound people?" Madara interrupted.
Kakashi looked thoughtful for a second before replying. "It's named the 'Eye for an eye' contract, but it would be more correct to call it the 'Doing you a favour' contract." He chuckled good heartedly at his own joke before regaining his composure.
Madara humorlessly stared at the man, not even cracking a smile to be polite. Kasumi cringed slightly at their interaction. Kakashi was trying so hard and Madara was just giving nothing.
He continued. "There are portals in every world, and they are all said to be connected somehow. For someone to come to our world, they need to be invited with a contract that expires at some point. For us to go to some other world, we need to be invited via a contract that expires at some point. Otherwise, the person dies in the portal."
The pair listened intently at the mention of death.
"Even if a contract is destroyed; it still applies until the terms have been met. A contract is made when two parties wish for a favour, and they complete the other—"
"You." Madara sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kasumi blinked, pointing to herself. "Me?"
"What exactly did you wish for?" He asked, staring intently at the table.
"Who said it was—"
"The person wished to be taken out of the environment they were in." Kakashi finished.
The silence that followed was almost as intense as Madara's accusing glare, which she ignored by gaping at Kakashi, who seemed very amused by the conversation.
"What?!" She cried.
Madara shook his head. "So I just have to kill this thing."
"Yes."
"Then return here."
"Not at all, you will teleport back immediately. I will give you everything you need on this trip."
Madara sighed and rubbed his face, turning around to glare at his wife one last time
"I need some fresh air." Kasumi walked out the house and leaned back against the door.
'What a helpless situation…'
Madara turned his chair around to face Kakashi as he walked around his home picking out various things that would be useful on their journey whilst explaining what the items were. In a small satchel the masked man packed everything carefully. He also added a pair of sandals for the barefoot Kasumi.
The men exchanged some more words before the Uchiha stood up. "We will be leaving then."
"Ah, your wife is welcome to stay here. I have a spare room in the back."
Madara glanced at his 'wife' through the window before turning to Kakashi again. "That won't be necessary."
The guild leader smiled knowingly. "I see. Then I can only wish you good luck."
Madara watched as she pulled on the slippers. Kasumi felt faint as they left his home. They must have been there for much longer than she thought because the sun was already high up in the sky and glaring down at them.
The pair walked in silence for hours. Every now and then Madara would stop and pull out the rock and wait for it to move in his palm, then they'd just follow in the direction it was going. At some point, she had felt her feet pulsating in exhaustion but they quickly turned numb. She didn't dare complain.
Madara sighed for the nth time as he observed his new bride from his peripheral as she mindlessly walked beside him a few steps away. She was anxiously biting her thumb, looking deep in thought. Not that she could even be of any help, he'd observed her strength in the later hours of their wedding night. And even before that. He couldn't help but notice the difference. She walked and talked like a completely different person. Maybe it was just that which had made him so suspicious of her. It came to no surprise to him when he tasted the poison in his sake, however, it irked. How she had underestimated him.
The Uchiha leader was a born warrior, to be killed by mere poison was an embarrassment to his name.
'A shinobi lives and dies on the battlefield.' Those are the words his father told him growing up, words of wisdom in which he had no problem abiding. But to think that such a small woman would be the death of him was laughable. He couldn't help but snort.
Behind him Kasumi flinched.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the tiniest bit of chakra flowing though, just enough to be walking and talking and kept alive. Not enough to activate his dōjutsu. But perhaps just enough for taijutsu. With Madara, a little goes a long way.
'Poison is a coward's weapon.' His father also said. His mother disagreed. 'Poison is a woman's weapon, men kill with steel.'
When his clan needed him the most, in these crucial times, he had been whisked away to god know where and forced to fight someone else's battles. All thanks to her. That tiny, little coward. Madara stopped in his steps and whirred around, directing all his anger at her.
"You fool." He said through gritted teeth. It pleased him how her expression changed.
Then in an instant, it changed again. Defiant and aggressive. "Shut the fuck up. This is all your fault! How the fuck was I supposed to know that something like this could happen? I don't know anything about your stupid world and its rules! I don't even know what chakra is!" She stepped closer, craning her neck to shout at him. "Who wouldn't want to be saved? You were the one chasing me through the forest like a rapey, murdery lunatic!"
Madara was taken aback by that. Insulted even. "What!" He shouted flabbergasted.
Her little outburst had surprised him. Madara threw the bag to the ground. He grabbed her bare shoulder and pushed her roughly up against the nearest tree.
"Ah!" She cried out as the bark made contact with her bare skin. The strap of her gown slipped down her arm, falling short just of her nipple.
Kasumi shrieked in surprise, seeing his gaze fall on her chest before interlocking with hers in equal shock. Realising his mistake but refusing to be swayed he pushed further. Her hands quickly went up to cover up her almost exposed chest, and glared at him accusingly.
"Because you poisoned my sake. How dare you act innocent?" He said.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I was innocent?!" She cried back.
Madara snorted. "Izuna saw your maid poison the drink."
"Maria?" She whispered, brows furrowing in bewilderment.
"Ah, so you've stopped denying it." He said, finally pushing himself off her so that she could breathe and turning around. He took off his haori and threw it back at her, allowing her a few seconds to put it on over her thin gown. Kasumi hugged the fabric close to her chest.
"But why would she do that?" She asked. "And what makes you so sure that I was even involved? She could be acting on her own for all you know."
Madara crossed his arms. "Your behaviour last night was apprehensive enough. I tried to give you a chance to redeem yourself and tell the truth—"
"UGH! How many times do I have to tell you? I had nothing to do with that? Why would I kill someone I don't even know?"
They both froze. As soon as the words left her mouth Kasumi regretted it, jumping to cover up her mouth.
"Who are you?"