A/N: I think I have forgotten to mention some important fact, I apologize. So, I'm going to write it now. I'm well aware that women fought in The Warring Era among men, as one of you has pointed out but I'm writing my version now and a fanfic isn't always meant to respect canon. Thank you for understanding and taking the time to read this.

Between attending her lessons and doing some extra reading on her own (she had bribed the keeper of their library in order to be granted access to the interesting stuff nobody wanted her to know about), Miya had also remembered her promise to the Uchiha boy, thus she had taken learning how to walk on water very seriously.

It was troublesome, to put it mildly and irritating because while trees were stable, with unyielding rots in the ground...water was anything but still. It kept moving, changing, making her patience run out, which, if she had learned anything from past experience, was not a good thing. Anger was pointless. Anger was not going to help her succeed.

No wonder Mito had these chakra exercises mastered in no time.

It was no secret to anybody in the Uzumaki household that she was the sun to Mito's moon, or was it the other way around? Most probably yes, since the calm and collected twin feared darkness and the moon happened to reign over it. Anyway, it was a lot harder than she had initially thought it'd be and while she loved swimming...falling under repeatedly had wounded her pride. At least pretty boy isn't here to watch me royally screw-up.

It was a small consolation.

Miya sat down on a rock, panting heavily. Taking the material of her dark olive pants, she squeezed the water from them before twisting her ponytail and repeating the process. It wasn't until she felt a cold rush of wind hit her face, until she felt goose bumps on her arms that she realized something. Looking around her garden, it was easy not to notice. The seasons were changing. Albeit a lot more slowly, since the Land of Whirlpools was a pretty humid place, but they were.

She didn't know how she felt about that. It seemed like only yesterday she was complaining about having to bear witness to the beginning of Mito and Hashirama's betrothal. Rain was soon going to become a problem and all the flowers and fruits were going to vanish, as if they had never even existed. Had it really been three months since tou-chan went off to war? She found that hard to believe.

Time passed quickly though Miya was smart and old enough to know better. Thus, she highly doubted the hundreds of men out there on the battlefield would agree with her statement. For them, she was sure it must have felt much longer than for her.

A startling realization soon dawned on her: summer was ending. The merciless wind was the first of many signs. It won't be long until the Land of Whirlpools starts living up to its name. She mused, knowing that meant she will soon be forbidden from training outside. Which meant she had to succeed before that happened.

Sighing deeply, Miya dragged herself back to the surface of the lake and continued, much calmer than earlier but still occasionally mumbling colourful words under her breath. Damn that Uchiha! He better come back alive and not in a box!

Although she doubted she'd get to see him if he died, for more reasons than one. War was messy and bloody, that much she knew and sometimes people became less than corpses. Then, there was the fact that their families were standing on opposite sides. She couldn't possibly get to see him unless someone from her clan or the Senju's was cruel enough to parade his head on a spike around. Miya refused to think of that as a possibility.

Her tou-chan might despise the Uchiha but he would never allow the dead to be disrespected, regardless of which side they had fought for. It was an unspoken, mutual agreement that both sides have respected to this day. Once the battle ends, the families are allowed to take their deceased to bury them properly and nobody had so far meddled with that.

Shaking her head to get rid of these disturbing thoughts, she took a deep breath before she tried again.

Two months later...

"Lady Uzumaki! Lady Uzumaki! They are returning! A bird messenger has just arrived!" a servant girl barged inside, out of breath after running around the palace most probably.

Her mother as well as Mito stopped what they were doing, sewing, while she simply chose to drop the useless stuff on the table, earning two disapproving looks from her closest relatives in return.

"Victorious?" Uzumaki Yume questioned and even as she tried to hide the worry she felt, Miya still managed to hear it. Her mother wasn't heartless, no matter how much she liked to pretend otherwise.

"It was a draw, Yume-sama but Lord Uzumaki is unscathed!"

Of course he is! Nothing and no one can defeat tou-chan!

All the girls and women around breathed in relief, thanking Kami-sama for their prayers having been answered, as custom deemed it before they started to interrogate the servant if she knew anything about their families.

Her mother had allowed 'this little display of chaos' to last for a few moments, too busy touching her wedding ring to interfere before she regained her composure and rose a hand. Just like that, the room fell silent. "Go to the kitchen and tell them to prepare food, lots of it. We are having a small feast tonight. How long until they reach the palace?"

"Half an hour at most, Lady Yume. Or so the people standing guards outside on top of the watch towers have told me."

After that, her mother asked if Lord Senju and his sons were coming as well but that question received a negative answer. Kawarama, the youngest son, died and had to be buried properly.

Miya clenched her fists in slight anger.

He was only seven and he didn't like anything that had to do with war.

Life wasn't fair, not at all and because it was both unfair and short, she forced a smile on her face, declaring loudly. "Well...I'm going ahead to meet tou-sama!" Just because she was starting to pay attention to her lessons and because she had taken an interest in learning and developing her own sealing jutsu, that didn't mean that she had completely changed her ways.

Once outside the palace, she had taken one of the horses, riding it until she reached her father and his army. Some were injured but still strong or proud enough to walk, Miya couldn't tell. Others had to be carried. What surprised her the most was that they were all grinning or making jokes about one thing or another. Only her father's face was solemn. She didn't think that she had ever seen him look as old as he did in that moment but after she approached them some more, yelling an "Okaeri tou-chan!", everybody seemed to have noticed her and thus the clan head gave her a smile, wrapping his big arms around her.

Her father was home. That was the only thing that mattered.

The hug lasted longer than usual and when he pulled away, there was something in Uzumaki Isao's eyes that Miya hadn't quite understood back then at least not until the small feast ended and she heard her mother say how unfortunate it was that Senju Kawarama died.

Then she understood.

Tou-chan must be glad he only has female heirs since those are usually sheltered from the hardships and dangers of war. The redhead realized, sighing deeply. It couldn't be helped, she told herself. Girl or not, she was determined to break the tradition and fight alongside the male Uzumaki clan members. One day I will.

But for now, Miya was going to settle for what she was: a lady in title. Her father deserved some sort of inner peace before her plan succeeded.

…

The redhead had woken up on the floor next morning, all tangled up in her sheets. Rubbing her temples, she stood up, her feet slightly unsteady. She couldn't remember the last time she had a nightmare. And to think it happened now after all this time...

It did make sense, in a way. She had dreamed of a world where war was still going strong and she had been powerless to stop her family and all those who counted from getting killed. Rushing to the bathroom, she slapped cool icy water all over her face, telling herself that nightmares were just fragments of her wild imagination, the products of her fears and doubts. No more and no less and that she shouldn't dwell on them.

Later that day Miya had remained inside the classroom instead of bolting outside like she usually did, screaming "FREEDOM!" Actually, she had stayed behind even after the teachers left, watching Mito from the corner of her eye.

Her twin sister must have gotten tired at some point because she asked, without looking up from her homework:

"Is there something I can help you with?"

She wasn't one to hold a grudge for long so Miya knew she had forgiven her for the time they argued. Her voice had been genuine when she asked.

"Not really. I just wanted to know if you had written to Hashirama-chan."

Mito threw her a stern look but kept the comments of how she should address the heir of a clan to herself. It wasn't like hearing them for a tenth time was going to change the way she did things.

"Of course. I had Nanami write it and I will give it to Daichi-san after I finish here."

Miya felt like facepalming her sister into next week.

And people say I'm the insensitive one.

She hummed, drumming her fingers on the wooden surface of the table.

"Can I see it?"

She had expected some resistance, some disapproving looks and a lecture on privacy but on the absence of any of those things, Miya realized Mito was as dense as a wall of bricks. Upon reading the letter, however, she decided that this was too painful for her to witness and oath be damned, her twin sister needed all the help that she could get.

"Did Nanami misspell or...?"

Gods be good, this is worse than I had initially thought.

"No. Grammar-wise is perfect."

Mito narrowed her eyebrows, lifting her eyes from the papers.

"Then Miya? Where is the issue?"

She sounded so genuinely confused that she almost felt bad for what she was going to say next. Almost.

"This..." she paused, gripping the letter before she stood up from her seat. "...can be used to maintain the fire." she finished her sentence, crumpling the piece of paper, and throwing it into the fireplace. It did not escape her notice how it was getting colder and colder every day. Not that they didn't have enough wood to keep themselves warm but she just wanted to make a point.

Which didn't really work out.

To say that Mito looked shocked would be an understatement. She seemed at loss of what to say and the way she kept clenching and unclenching her hand around the writing feather said a lot about what she could do if she ever lost her patience. "Explain. Now I have to send for Nanami to write it again."

Miya rolled her purple eyes, returning to the table, taking a brand-new parchment before pushing it under her sister's clueless nose. "He just lost his little brother. He doesn't need empty words and fake pleasantries that we have been taught to say since day one." she paused, wrinkling her nose before she sighed, looking at her sister as seriously as she could muster. "Look, Hashirama is your future husband. I think he deserves more than that and instead of putting someone to write it, you could try doing this yourself."

Depending on other people is a mistake. We have to learn how to do things by ourselves at some point in our lives.

"Mother said..."

Miya didn't let her finish, snorting. "Kaa-san says a lot of things Mito. Doesn't mean all of them are right. I know you don't love Hashirama-chan but he has been our friend since we were little. It doesn't have to be a love letter. Just, write from the heart. He will appreciate it, I'm sure of that."

Mito was silent for a moment, contemplating about what she said most probably before she raised one of her eyebrows in a sceptical manner. "I doubt he'd be able to tell the difference."

While she had a very good point and Miya had to agree that her twin sister was not the most expressive person in the world, that knowledge did nothing to weaken her resolve. "You forget he is smarter than he looks. He will know, fancy words or not. People always leave a personal touch when they write. I didn't think I have to be the one to tell you that."

She gathered her books and left Mito with her thoughts, hoping that at least this time, her words reached her.

After she left her learning instruments inside her chambers, the redhead walked outside in her garden.

What she hadn't expected, however, was to be approached by him. She had almost forgotten how he looked like in the time that had passed. Miya felt relief wash over her although she tried her best to hide it. He was already full of himself, she didn't want to contribute to that. Besides, she didn't know how wise it'd be to show concern for the enemy. "You idiot! It's plain day! What if somebody sees you?" she exclaimed, half yelling-half whispering, grasping his arm and dragging him behind some bushes. She tried telling herself that she only did it for both of their sakes and not to have the certitude that he was indeed real and fine and not a ghost who came to hunt her.

"Tch, this garden is deserted. I bet you are the only one who ever comes here."

Dang, aren't you just a ray of sunshine?

Miya scowled, letting go of his arm before crossing her arms over her chest. "If you came just to insult my favourite place in the world then you can go back to brooding or doing whatever is that you do in your spare time."

She ignored the piercing glare his onyx eyes were generous enough to give her.

"I promised I'd come back, moron and an Uch-..." he cut himself off, as if suddenly realizing what he was about to say. It hardly mattered though. If she had any doubts in the past, now she was certain after hearing him say it.

Something in her expression must have told him as much because his face became grim and he pressed his lips into a hard line. "You know." it was a statement, not a question.

"I do." she nodded. All her nerves and muscles were twitching in anticipation. For what? Miya wasn't so sure. Maybe now that he knew she knew, he'd try to silence her forever? Anyhow, she wasn't about to jump to conclusions just yet.

"Aren't you afraid?"

She had to bite back a smile.

"If I were, which I am not, I think this conversation would be going very differently right now, don't ya think so?"

She was honest and yet, when he activated the famed Sharingan, she felt a lump in her throat. Either from slight fear or fascination, she didn't know. The red inside his eyes could put any other red to shame and she could feel the power residing behind their irises.

Then she decided that it was certainly not fear she had been feeling.

"You should be."

Miya knew she probably should but she wasn't and she didn't think that she would ever fear the boy who helped her and was kind to her despite their circumstances.

"You could have kidnapped me or even killed me when we met but you didn't and that's all I need to know."

She wasn't proud enough to believe she could have won a few months ago. Also, that reminded her of something much more important than this game of cat and mouse.

"On a brighter note, let me show you something!"

She walked out of the bushes, hearing his footsteps behind her but when she walked on top of the water and turned around, she was taken aback a bit by his appearance.

Henge. Smart move. In case somebody does come...

"I DID IT! SEE? I WILL BE THE GREATEST SHINOBI IN NO TIME!" Miya exclaimed proudly, spinning in circles on top of the lake.

"Bragging doesn't suit a lady."

"I'm not bragging!"

"Mah, I suppose you are right. In order to brag, you need to have something to back it up with." he smirked and his smirk deepened when she started to mumble profanities.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you." She said, stubbornly, puffing out her cheeks.

"Because that's very mature, Uzumaki." he replied wryly.

"Have you met me? I don't do mature."

"Oh, I have noticed."

Gah! He is going to drive me nuts!

Deciding to change the subject and not amuse him any further, she questioned:

"Does the Lord of Maturity have a name?"

"Nice try. I'm not telling you, yet."

To say that she wasn't pleased with that answer would be an understatement.

"Why not?" she pouted and Madara tried to remember that he was the one doing the rules of their game, not her.

"It's one thing to be able to walk on the surface of the water. However, can you fight on it, future greatest shinobi?"

He was mocking her, that much was obvious.

Me and my big mouth.

If Miya had a desperate urge to take back her words, she didn't act on it, grinning instead. "I have been wondering how satisfying it'd feel to get that stick out of your butt." she taunted him as if to remind him that two could play this game. She settled into a fighting stance.

"I will have to disappoint you this time." he replied cockily, letting her to make the first move.

They stuck to taijutsu. It was a silent agreement between the two of them, a certainty that should they ever be forced to fight each other on the battlefield in the future, it'd be for the best if their trump cards hadn't got revealed now. She was also growing extremely frustrated by the second. In the beginning, he had dodged all of her strikes, movements flowing gracefully and naturally as if he had been doing this since the day he was born and maybe he had for all she knew. Afterwards, he began toying with her. Mirroring all her movements.

Is he even human?

She was jarred from her thoughts the moment he swiped a foot under her, disrupting her balance and chakra flow with effortless ease. What she hadn't expected, however, was for him to catch her, grasping her forearms and positioning her feet so they stood on his, letting his chakra control being the only thing stopping her from falling under.

It took her a while to think clearly again. Then it dawned on her.

"CHEATER! YOU WON THIS MATCH FROM THE MOMENT YOU ACTIVATED YOUR SHARINGAN. THAT'S AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE!"

So, maybe yelling at him wasn't the wisest thing that she could have done. However, she knew he had already gotten used with it and that her reactions probably amused him more than offended him.

"Is it? I wasn't under the impression that true shinobi play fair." he cooed at her.

Miya felt his hands tighten on her forearms but it wasn't in a painful way. She couldn't help but wonder what he is thinking about that has him this troubled all of a sudden. Nevertheless, deep down, she knew he was right. Deception was their weapon and honour was not written in their vocabulary.

You don't win with honour, but die with it.

Once she understood that, everything became clear. He was preparing her. It was an indirect, subtle lesson, advice. Should you ever encounter one of my own...

"Next time, avoid staring into my eyes."

Into the eyes of any Uchiha, was what he didn't say but she heard him anyway. Miya wondered if that advice, spoken to the enemy, wasn't against the rules and then she wondered if he even realized it or if he just didn't care. She appreciated the thought nonetheless. It made her feel giddy on the inside for reasons she refused to think about. "I will keep that in mind."

Once she was sure she'd be able to stand on top of the water by herself without his help, the redhead tried to free herself from his grip, surprised when he didn't budge. But before she could have said something, he leaned close to her ear, effectively silencing her by whispering one single word. "Madara." His name.

Then he disappeared as if he had never showed-up and because she hadn't been prepared...she got to take an unexpected, unneeded bath in the almost freezing lake. That jerk! When I get my hands on him, he will no longer own a pretty face, no-uh.

She had mumbled colourful words under her breath, cursing the dark haired Uchiha in all the ways she knew how. She had done so even after the servants washed her hair, helped her dress, and made sure there was enough wood burning to keep her warm. They were used with her behaviour by now so they paid no mind to what she was whispering to herself. However, once everybody left her alone, a happy smile curled at her lips.

Until next time, Madara.