Hey all, Thanks for the amazing reviews, follows, favs and messages! You guys are awesome! =D

I hope you like this installment! As always, I'm delighted to hear what you all think. This series' chapters are a little shorter than 'Sanctuary' but I think I will be updating it a lot quicker… so I guess that evens things out.

A huge thanks to: chaos in the sky, xLilim, tinasan25, NagariMitsukari12, Kiwi4life, burningriot, fan, a fan, and hahu!

Aria trudged her legs home after a particularly grueling day at the hospital. A local skin infection had broken out in the village; young and old alike suffered from nasty red-purple skin lesions that smelled as foul as they looked. Aria had spent most the day and previous night tending to the sick, bandaging wounds and administering medicines. And now, her legs felt like lead and her head throbbed like a drum. The prospect of a bed and dinner felt like heaven.

As she dragged her feet through the iron gates, her gaze fell on the setting sun and its brilliant myriad of red and orange shades. 'Beautiful,' she thought, stopping to admire them.

"You're back child."

Snapped out of her daydream, she turned to the person who spoke. It was granny Chiyo, the elderly neighbor who lived next door. Normally, the old woman didn't put a foot outside her house, yet here she was standing next to the gates.

Aria smiled. "Chiyo baa-san. Good evening. Are you well?"

Granny Chiyo looked at her grimly. "It's not me I'm worried about, little dove."

Aria raised a delicate eyebrow in question.

Granny Chiyo looked around nervously, and whispered, "Are you expecting someone tonight my dear?"

Aria shook her head, "No. Why?"

The old woman gulped. "A man has been outside your door since midday. He looks dangerous - he has eyes like that of a blood moon..." She shivered.

Perplexed, Aria didn't know what to think. Blood moon?

She took steady steps towards her house, moving past Granny Chiyo who trembled behind her.

Who ever he was, Granny seemed to fear him judging by the way she clutched at her cloaks.

The Fuma capital had been restless since the unexpected demise of the Arashi clan from within its own walls a few short weeks after the battle with the Uchiha clan. Fuma suspected the Uchiha or its allies to have planned the attack after the ambush but there was no proof. As a result, the Fuma clan had taken to interrogating and torturing anyone who they thought was suspicious.

Aria took in a deep breath.

She had nothing to fear; she had no affiliations to the Uchiha or any other clans or any other clan for that matter. They could search her house from top to bottom if they wanted but they wouldn't find anything.

Drawing closer, she saw the faint outline of a man seated on the floor in front of her door and her breath quickened. He appeared to be sleeping. The dim light made it hard to discern his features, so she approached carefully, gulping uneasily.

Who was he and what did he want with her?

Then, he opened his eyes slowly, and looked up.

"Took you long enough… Aria."

Aria stood there in utter shock and disbelief.

There he was - the man who plagued her thoughts during the day and dreams throughout the night was sitting before her.

Haru.

It was really him!

Haru stood up and brushed off the dirt on his trousers. "Well? Aren't you glad to see me?" he smirked.

Tears pricking at her eyes, she ran to him and threw her arms around his waist. She had lost hope of ever seeing him again. Her only friend and confidante.

Madara stiffened nervously at the unexpected contact. Unaware with how to deal with such situations, he simply stood there and patted her back awkwardly. A faint tinge of red appeared on his cheeks but luckily, he had the blanket of darkness to aid him.

He coughed.

Feeling silly, Aria abruptly let go of him.

What had she been thinking?!

Ashamed, she averted her gaze as he looked at her. Even in the dim light, she was radiant – her beauty greater than when he had met her.

She recovered first. "Ahem, shall we go inside?" she said, procuring a key out her skirt pocket and fiddling with the lock. A few seconds later, the door opened with a small clink and she led him inside.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. You must be hungry."

Haru nodded, walking in and taking in the surroundings.

It was a small house, one bedroom, a tiny kitchen and a bathroom. He smirked when he recognized some of the ornaments and decorations that were previously in her old home. Her large wall of books had been reduced to a moderate sized bookshelf. Madara hated small spaces and felt slightly claustrophobic - the consequence of living in large compounds and open spaces. His chamber was three times the size of this 'house'.

Still, he couldn't help but appreciate it's simplicity. He took a seat on an old cushion and leaned back against the wall. How Aria could manage to make something scarce feel so warm and comfortable?

Aria walked into the kitchen to put on a pot of tea and started on supper. Surely, he must be exhausted from his journey and hungry! If only he had let her know he was coming – she could've prepared better.

The water bubbled noisily.

"It's been a while... How have you been, Aria?" Came Haru's voice from the main room.

"Good, I guess," she replied as she chopped the vegetables for their dinner, "I've been working at the hospital down the road."

He laughed. "So I've noticed. If memory serves correctly, you used to smell of vanilla, not disinfectant."

She giggled despite herself. "Well, there's been a recent outbreak of skin infections. A necessary precaution, you understand."

"Ah. When did you move here? I don't recall you mentioning it in our correspondence."

"A few months ago. But it seems you have found it just fine – tell me, where is my little Mitsuki?"

Mitsuki, the little traitor, had deserted him the moment she smelled fresh prey. No doubt she was toying with it now, the way a cat does with a mouse. "She's… preoccupied."

Aria giggled, walking in with a nice tray of tea and refreshments. "Hunting you mean? Last time, she bought a dead rat the size of a kitten and left it at my doorstep in the morning. I screamed so loud I probably woke up the whole neighborhood!"

Madara lips quirked into the faintest of smiles, "Falcons leave gifts for the masters they like and respect."

Aria rolled her eyes as she poured the tea. "Yes well, I would much rather receive a flower than a festering rat."

Madara took a sip of the tea; milk tea with ginger, honey and mixed spices – the exact one he craved since he left her home many months ago.

"So what brings you to Fuma?"

"…Business."

"What kind of business?"

"I'd rather not speak of business if you don't mind." He said, helping himself to another cup. "Who was with you just before? She looked at me as if I were the harbinger of death."

"Oh, that was my Chiyo baa-chan, my neighbor." Aria's mouth curved into a small frown. "I… I don't know all the details, but Fuma clan has been restless since elimination of the Arashi clan, their former ally. Fuma shinobi patrol walls and streets, interrogating and abusing anyone they consider to be doing suspicious, including small children and old people."

"Hn. Why's that?"

"Because the Arashi clan were destroyed from within their own ranks. Some say it was a coup but others say it was an outside job. No one knows for sure who did it or how. The Fuma clan fear the same."

But Madara knew. In fact, the Uchiha planned the whole affair as vengeance for the ambush. Madara made sure that the Arashi clan paid for their treason in blood in such a way that they wouldn't know what hit them. And the Fuma clan was next.

No one crosses Madara Uchiha and gets away with it.

He feigned ignorance. "Outsiders? But how?"

"They're saying it's the Uchiha… I'm not familiar with them myself but the rumors say that they are very strong and have… special powers in their eyes."

Haru scoffed. "Gods have powers, not men."

"Still…," Aria placed her hand on his. "Promise me you won't fight them." she pleaded. "I've lost my parents, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you too."

"I promise to kill anyone who attacks me or my family. Be it Uchiha or otherwise."

Madara lay on a futon in the main room while Aria slept in the other room after a scrumptious dinner. He couldn't sleep which didn't surprise him in the least. Sleep despised him with a passion, no matter how many drops of nightshade or valerian root he ingested.

So he placed his arms behind his head and gazed towards the ceiling.

Aria…

She was as lovely as when he had first met her.

Her voice as musical as when she first spoke, and laughter was still like that of bells or wind chimes. She had a certain charm and grace that were lost on most women. Small, dainty and petit – she resembled a beautiful fairy, or possibly a fairy queen. Her eyes were just as enchanting as they were mischievous and her hair resembled threads of silk as they cascaded down her shoulders. Her skin was fine porcelain and her lips the shade of rosy pink.

She was such a sight to behold in her commoners clothing that Madara wondered what she would look like in a gown of the finest silk or brocade.

If this weekend went according to plan, then he most likely would.

Fuma's capital was a busy and bustling city, situated on the banks of a large river passage.

It was named after the legendary ninja, Kotaru Fuma who was widely known as the 'wind demon'. The clan was famous for its shuriken; a four-headed blade with a hole in the center with the propensity to slice through flesh. It was an impressive and revolutionary weapon; and although the Fuma clan wouldn't supply shuriken to their enemies, Madara always had a way of getting what he wanted.

Madara had dressed in a simple kimono and used a henge to change his appearance so that he wouldn't be recognized. Aria would see Haru though a genjutsu and the rest of the world would see a nameless shinobi.

Aria seemed happy strolling the streets with him, pointing out places or buildings she liked or where you could buy certain things.

Madara didn't care - The only thing worth looking at was walking right next to him, and he didn't need to go the capital for that.

But she insisted on an outing in town and Madara didn't want to refuse her.

As he looked around, he noticed that it had been a while since he had been in the capital. The city seemed to be thriving despite its recent loss of men and economy. As they passed the Fuma clan compound, Madara remembered that they once proposed a betrothal between Madara Uchiha and the eldest daughter of its current clan leader, Daichi Fuma.

Unfortunately, but it fell through as soon as he had spent five minutes in her company.

Oh wait, was that the reason for the battle?

Whoops...

Natsuyo Fuma was an attractive woman, but she was also petty and haughty – traits Madara hated in women. She had no knowledge of how to lead or rule, or even of her own clan history. She danced and played the flute well, he supposed, but in all honestly – he had no need for a dancer. He needed a strong, intelligent and honorable woman to serve as his wife and mistress of the clan. Not some made-up twit. The funny thing was Daichi Fuma was still trying to marry her off and failing miserably – which delighted Izuna immensely.

As they walked, he spied a silk merchant selling his wares when a particularly intricate piece of red and gold fabric caught his eye.

"How much?" He asked, fingering it.

The bearded man eyed him wearily. "3000 ryo."

Aria, who was standing behind him, took a sharp intake of breath at the hefty price.

Madara didn't flinch. "Where is it from?"

"Suna, my good sir."

Turning to Aria, he held it out to her. "Here, feel it."

Aria didn't budge. She'd never seen such elaborate piece of fabric before, let alone touched one. It was probably worth more than all her possessions put together and she was scared of ruining it. "I- I couldn't."

Madara took her hands and placed the fabric inside them as the merchant frowned – the distaste in his eyes evident as he watched her holding the fabric.

The fabric felt like liquid gold in her hands, soft yet so deliciously heavy. It was magnificent.

"Is it to your liking? Does it please you?"

"Yes, of course." she replied softly, "It's beautiful."

"I'll take it –"

Eyes wide, "Haru!" she protested.

"– And any other fine pieces you may have."

Witnessing the interaction with great interest, an elegant woman emerged from the doorway.

"My lord, I'm afraid that girl won't be able to do the fabric any justice." She shot Aria a look of disgust and hate. "It's allure and grace will be lost on her." Aria flinched. Hurt, she immediately let go of the fabric.

Madara raised an eyebrow at the daring woman. "Who are you?"

In a floor length embroidered gown, the woman replied. "I am Akane, youngest daughter of the Fuma Clan leader, Daichi Fuma."

Madara smirked. "Well, Ami-san. I believe that it will suit her very well. Are you questioning my taste?"

"Certainly not in fabric, your grace, but in women."

Irked and amused, he replied. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she drawled. "I believe it will suit me far better; a high-born woman of nobility. Wouldn't you agree, Madara Uchiha?"

A/N: Yay, Another chapter done! Hehehe

I hope you liked it!

P.s. Ryo - is the currency for this fic. According to Narutopedia 1 ryo = 10 yen, so I suppose the fabric is worth 30,000 yen. I have no idea if that's considered expensive but for the sake of fiction, lets say that it is. Lol.

P.s.s. Ohh, Madara has been found out. Whats going to happen?

Please review and message! =D