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"I have a mission for you.""A mission? I'm afraid whatever this mission is, I will fail it miserably in my current state." Sakura laughed patting her protruding belly. She was seventh month pregnant. The twins were year-and-a-half now and except for very first months, went easy on her so far. She hoped it would stay like that when the new baby is born. Older children can be very jealous, but she had a feeling that it would not be the case. Gen and Yume were so close with each other, interconnected almost, that she had impression that adults were not so important for them. Even when they were babies it was enough to lay them down together and they were as good as gone. "What is your mission, then?""Finding brides for Obito."Sakura opened her mouth. "Why all of the sudden? Did Obito asked you for it?""Obito? No, of course not.""Then why?""The clan is virtually non-existent. That needs to change. So Obito needs to take wives. I think three will be a good number." Said Madara rather nonchalantly.Sakura couldn't believe her own ears. "Three? Are you kidding?!""Not at all. Uchiha clan is almost extinct and the only way to rebuild it..""I know, is through children… You want the employ the old way of doing it. But times have changed, no girl will want to go along with it.""Have they changed so much? There was a war just two years ago. How many women were left alone?""Yeah, war started BY Obito. Do you think any will want to marry him?""Well, you will need to find some that will."Sakura wrung hands in her hair. "This is mission impossible!""I have faith in you." Madara didn't sound mocking for a change. She was usually forgetting that whatever hurdles and obstacles he was throwing at her, was not out of malice. It was a genuine expression of trust in her capabilities. He would never complement her, he would just have her do things. It was the same with Konoha negotiations – he had burdened her with it because he believed in her."And what does Obito says to it? Especially to the three wives part?""He will obey.""It's not about obeying! It is supposed to be his marriage! Or marriages…" It even sounded strange."It is for the clan. For the future of us all. If we are not strong enough we will be destroyed. Not now, not tomorrow, maybe not in our lifetimes. But sooner or later someone will make war on Uchiha again. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we're fated; I've grown out of such megalomaniac illusions. But we are objectively dangerous and at some point someone will think it's better to dispose of us. It is for you, for the children you bore and will bear."He sounded strange, softer than usual, especially with such a topic. Sakura narrowed her eyes. "There is something you're not telling me.""Hn.""So, what is it that you're not telling?"Madara sighted. "You're starting to know me too well to be convenient. That, or I'm getting slack."Sakura wrung hands around his waist. "You're not getting slack. You were always easy to read for me. That's why I could start liking you on the first place. What is it then?""I was approached by the council with a certain… suggestion." There was a hint of irritation in Madara's voice. "They pointed out the scarcity of Uchiha and offered me a Hyuga girl to marry."Sakura's eyes went huge. Was it real? Just like this? She felt as if her heart was about to stop beating any moment. Madara looked at her and laughed."Do you think I would ever do it? I should be offended that you think so low of me… How could I do it? You are the sole reason I am even here."Sakura nudged her nose into Madara's arm. Obvious, things were always obvious for him. He always knew where he's going and how to get there. She didn't, she wasn't directing this show."And I am sure that it wasn't the concern about Uchiha clan behind this proposal." He continued. "They wanted to have a trusted person in my household. That, or someone has a unhealthy interest in Kekkei Genkai genetics. But, whatever their motives, they had a point, and the topic will be returning as long as something changes. So, that's where your mission comes from.""If you're so bound on expanding the clan why not have Sasuke marry, then? Instead of that crack-pot idea of multiple marriages?""Ha. Because Sasuke will not obey. And I don't want to make a display out of him refusing my orders."Sakura gave him a strange look. Very insightful. Indeed Sasuke would never obey, so it was better not to call "check". But it surprised her that Madara knew it and still seemed to be accepting it."There is no gain for me, nor for the clan to antagonize him. He follows my orders on other things and that suffices. With the marriage – he's still a boy, there is time. And now, do you even imagine it working? Pity on a woman that would end up with him.""You're mean! Sasuke is… is just…""Socially inapt? Completely messed up?"Sakura only sighted. She would have phrased it differently, but it was more less what Sasuke was. He had fulfilled his threats and left Konoha as soon as he was freed from probation. It was clear that he cannot sit in one place. Sakura knew that he appreciated having home again, but it was visible that it was also overwhelming for him. And their makeshift family even worked only because they knew him so well, kept forgiving his coldness and callousness."So… Any suggestions for the brides?" Sakura sounded defeated."I would advice against younger girls… And don't get any from a renowned clan – they are troublesome. Otherwise, it's up to you, I'm sure you can handle it much better than any of us.""Oh, one more thing…" Madara stopped in the door. "If possible, chose women with… ehem… less controversial colouring… Each time you're pregnant I'm dreading a pink-haired Uchiha."Sakura threw her cup at him. But of course he managed to disappear into the corridor. Cup flew all the way to the yard and harmlessly rolled on the sand.

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"Inuzuka Hana…the brown-haired one, works as a veterinarian… Do you know which one is it?"Obito kept silent. If this was indeed the one he was thinking about, the girl bore an eerie resemblance to Rin."Uchiha Obito."Tsume made a move as if to stand up from the table. "No way, him?!""I assure you Tsume-san, he is not what you think he is.""Not a traitor? Not a lunatic that wanted to murder us all?""He had adhered to false ideals and he had already realized they were false. Since the end of the war he's been regretting everything he had done during his entire life. Imagine this! To look back and regret EVERYTHING!""Serves him well!"Hana was silent. Sakura looked at her. "And you, Hana-san? What do you say?""Indeed. That must be horrible for him."Compassion. Compassion for humans, compassion for animals. Compassion for everything and anything that lives. Even for Uchiha Obito. It was compassion that was behind every medic's vocation."Hana!" Tsume sounded scandalized."We shouldn't be judging anyone not even giving him an opportunity to speak in own defense. Without knowing him. Tell me something more about him, Sakura. If you can."Sakura glimpsed at Tsume. Hana caught this look."Mother, maybe it's better that I talk with Sakura-san alone. It's clear you don't need any convincing, you have made up your mind already." Hana laughed at the end."Sure as hell, I did. No way I will agree...""Sakura-san, let's go for a walk." Hana grabbed Sakura's elbow. "Sorry, my mother is just too hot-tempered… I know she can seem impolite. Apologies.""None needed. She's right and most of the villagers think exactly the same. I know it very well…""About your husband as well?""Probably. Though in his case it's more fear of evil than anger against a traitor. I'm not sure what's worse…"Hana sighted. "Must not be easy?""I try not to think about it. I know that almost everyone in this village went, or will go through my hands sooner or later. I heal them, so I earn credit there. I hope that in time it will somehow radiate into peoples' attitude towards Madara."They walked in silence. Two of the Haimaru triplets were following them, pushing their heads under Hana's hands, demanding to be stroked. Third one was scouring through the forest along the path they were walking."So… what is he like?"Sakura lifted her head surprised. So, she still didn't cross it completely out, it seemed."Calm and serious. Kakashi-sensei says that when they were kids, Obito was hyperactive dead-last a bit like little Naruto. I cannot even imagine it." Sakura laughed. "He must have matured immensely, now I would never compare him to Naruto. But sometimes I wonder, if, in right circumstances, this brightness could still shine through. Kakashi-sensei also told me that he was always late and used to explain it with helping elderly ladies. Everyone thought it a cheap excuse until it turned out to be actually true!"Hana laughed as well. "I'm trying to picture this!""Obito is really kind. This definitely remained unchanged. He's a good person. With heart in the correct place.""Even now? After all this? What kind of person is he now to be around?""Well, he is mostly sad, I guess. Very withdrawn, very unsure when it comes to interactions with others.""Then why the whole marriage idea? Does he even want to go on with it?"Sakura had to think a little. "Actually, I think he does. He was ordered to do it, that's true. But the order took away the burden of decision from him. He knows he has to, so when the choice has been done, I think he starts actually wanting it.""Does he even know anything about me?""Not much. I told him a bit about you, I told him how you look like, that you're Kiba's older sister and that you're a vet. And I said that you are a kind and loving person.""And what did he said about it?""He only hopes that there will be someone able to accept him. There is one more thing though. And I know it will shock you and I will understand if you refuse.""What is it?" There was real anxiety in Hana's voice."Because of the clan precarious situation it is essential that many children will be born. Therefore Madara… He wants Obito to follow old custom and take several wives.""Several…?""Three. I should find three brides."Hana's mouth formed a round "o"."I'll understand if it is unacceptable for you."Hana shook her head. "How is this even supposed to work?!""Uchiha compound is huge. Obito's part is actually a four-fold building… That's where the idea of three brides came from probably. One wing for each of spouse, connected with central yard. Separate household joined together with courtyard. Separate but forming one."They reached a small creek. Place invited to sit down."I don't really know myself how such thing can be working. " Admitted Sakura. "But Madara was raised in such a family and he claims it is a very good solution. His mother and the other wife of his father were actually cousins. Madara says they used to spend more time with each other that either of them with the father." Sakura giggled. "He says that it seemed very convenient for them – sharing child-rearing duties, holding a common front against the father. He remembers his second mother – that's how he calls them: "mother" and "second mother", very fondly. She took care of all of them when his birth mother died at some point. I guess we cannot really imagine how different it was back then – people dying was such a commonplace, you didn't even need a war for it." It made her sad again. She quickly changed to topic. "Madara says it was a great arrangement for the kids – they were all very close in age thanks to it. His older brother was just a couple months older than him."Hana was splashing water gently with her feet."That sounds very exotic, weird even, but I can imagine it working under some circumstances. I think Inuzuka clan did sometimes the same during warring state era. But it can work only if all partners, I mean all four, get along well together.""Yeah, that's a call. I think it can only work in an arranged marriage on the first place. Madara says it also matters if marriages are subsequent or made in the same time. He claims that in the same time is much better, it avoids a new person coming into established dynamics.""No one can get jealous…""I know. Doesn't make it easier for me, right?"Hana laughed. "No. You're on quite a mission here. So, who are the other candidates?""I didn't talk to anyone else yet. I had two others in mind, but I don't know yet if they will even consider. Both from Konoha and both are accommodating and gentle persons. Kind of prerequisite, isn't it?""So, you cannot tell me… Pity. That's one critical piece of information.""I know, I'm sorry. But does it mean you are still considering?"Hana kept silent for a while. "Yes, I am still considering." She sounded surprised with herself. "It's very unexpected but sometimes life throws at you something like this. I didn't think I will marry anymore – with my work occupying whole my time, and my mother scaring every guy away… I kind of gave up on this. So it is surprising on many levels. But what is most surprising is how I feel about it: I am curious and I have to admit, somehow, a bit excited. I would like to meet him. I think it will all depend on if we like each other, right?"Sakura was sitting on a sofa and Mirai was sitting on her lap. She managed already to tell Sakura a story about her visit to the playground today, which somehow miraculously merged into a story about neighbours' new dog. Sakura was doing her best to mentally follow. She wondered how long it will still take until her own children will have so much to tell her. So far they were on the level of "mama", "papa", "no" and "Uto". And, of course, how could she forget, a recent favourite: "gee mee" which was supposed to mean "give me". Or rather: "hand it over to me immediately or I will start screaming so that the walls will crack!" But otherwise her children were really ok…ish. Whenever together, they were so preoccupied with each other that they didn't need much maintenance. She hoped it will stay like that."Ano, Kurenai-sensei… Can we somehow speak without…" Sakura gestured at Mirai from behind her blind spot."Sure." Kurenai sounded a bit surprised but grabbed her daughter and carried her towards the pile of toys. "Mirai, can you do this puzzle? Auntie Sakura really wants to see it!""There. We have 10 minutes – that's how long it takes her nowadays." Said Kurenai returning to the sofa. "So, what is it about? Is it Hinata? For sure it is… I also think that if one cannot manage to get the act together and take any steps for such a long time, then some help from friends is necessary. It is something like this, isn't it?""Eee.. well.. sorts of. Only it's not about Hinata.""About whom then?""In some way… about you Kurenai-sensei…""Me?!""Ano… well, it wasn't probably the best beginning… So let me start again. I don't know if it even is an option for you, given your recent loss, and Mirai here… But, I am here to ask whether you could consider a certain person.."Kurenai focused her attention on Sakura. Full, piercing focus. "If it is you asking this… It can only…" She paused for a moment and her eyes widened with sudden realization. "… be Obito. It's Obito, isn't it?"Sakura nodded with a smile.Kurenai bent her head away, looked up towards the ceiling. "Of course. In some ways it is obvious. If any of us would consider starting all over again we would be a match. Same age, old classmates, both lost a significant other.""But? There is a but, right? Kurenai-sensei?""My main concern now is Mirai. I will think about her well-being on the first place. And on the second place, and on the third…""Obito knows about Mirai. And he is prepared to assume any role regarding her that you will find suitable. He said he will treat her as his own if that will be your wish. She could have a father in him.""A father. I thought often about it. What would be better for her – my undivided attention or a family more close to a full? Until now Shikamaru was very present in our lives, but now as he is assuming more and more functions, and is getting married on top of it…""I made it!" Mirai was triumphant. "Look, I finished, I finished!""… And Uzuki Yugao.""This one I don't know…""Well, you've met her probably many times only that you don't realize it. She's an ANBU.""I see."Sakura made a move to stand up."Sakura, something comes to my mind, now. I often had impression that one of the ANBU guards watches me very carefully. The one with cat mask."Sakura halted. "There are at least three female ANBU wearing cat masks." She said carefully. "It seems to be a favourite motive among the girls. I wouldn't read anything into it. Don't worry."Sakura was waiting in front of the door. It was fifth floor, the staircase was narrow and corridor even narrower. She heard already steps behind the door."Ah, Sakura-san, hello!" Yugao smiled and bowed rather formally."Hello, thank you for your invitation." Sakura bowed back. She didn't know Yugao very well. Actually almost not at all. In order to arrange this meeting she actually had to write a letter. This one will be definitely the most awkward."Please, come in."Apartment was tiny, one room only. It was built-in in the roof of the house, so the ceiling was all slanting. But it had huge windows and Sakura felt as if sitting in a bird's nest.Yugao poured her some tea. The business with the tea kept them occupied for a while, and then Sakura started the only small-talk topic she could think of – namely light gossip about whether Kakashi was less or more troublesome to bodyguard than Tsunade. Yugao was of opinion that he was more difficult with his habit of disappearing into puff of smoke and not being on time for appointments. Apparently at first he got his ANBU on the red alert each time when he was not where he was supposed to be on a specific hour. But they got used to it already, Yugao assured.And then the topic was exhausted. They both felt the hollow in the air between them. Empty space needed to be filled up with words."So… What brings you really here, Sakura-san?" Yugao looked her straight in the eyes. So, she was also not into prolonging it unnecessarily. But Sakura couldn't answer just so fast, she had to marvel at the beauty of Yugao's face; she so rarely saw her without the mask."What brings me is a certain question… Or rather – a proposal." She answered slowly. Yugao tilted her head."I know it is very unexpected and will seem rash, but I beg you to consider it seriously. Because it is given with all seriousness. Even if it might seem coming out of nowhere or even a bit shocking." Sakura took a deeper breath. "The proposal I come with, is a marriage proposal."Eyebrows of Yugao went high up. "From whom?" She asked finally."From Uchiha Obito."Sakura just couldn't read through Yugao's face. There was suddenly so much emotion on it that she felt lost. She shouldn't have chosen Yugao, she had still obviously not recovered after Hayate's death, even if it was good five years now. Sakura bit her lip – it was a mistake, she only ended up hurting her feelings…"Why?" Yugao sounded as if speaking through clenched throat. "Why me?"At the very least though, she owned Yugao an honest explanation. "Due to Uchiha clan's vulnerable position it became crucial for Obito-san to marry. To reinforce the ties with the village, and… to provide the progeny. He feels that he is not in a position to choose or even search his brides on his own." Sakura saw that Yugao narrowed her eyes hearing the plural form. Nevertheless she continued. "That's why I was given this task. It was me who thought about you as of a possible candidate… I am sorry, I should have considered your feelings more carefully." Sakura made a move to stand up. "I apologize for this inconvenience.""Wait!" Yugao grabbed her wrist and immediately withdrew her hand, visibly ashamed. "I… I accept."Now it was Sakura who made huge eyes. Accepting the offer during the first conversation was the last thing she ever expected.Yugao sat looking down with fierce blush on her cheeks. "I guess now I should explain myself." She laughed nervously, lifting her hand to rub her forehead. "Even if it is out of nowhere for Obito-san, it is… not like that for me. I have been… aware of his presence ever since he came back to Konoha. From the very first day."Yugao paused. As if she had taken a decision, she straightened up at looked again Sakura straight in the eyes."Since Hayate was killed I was dead as well. I grieved for him, I went into mourning, I completed my mourning but nothing changed inside me. Everything was still. I was all the time in the same place, over and over again; every day was the same as the previous, as if I was trapped in a time-loop. Nothing happened. Nothing ever happened. Why do you think I have been an ANBU for 16 years? 16 years?! No one else had served so long! No one should…" Yugao halted to catch her breath. "Until the day of restoration of Uchiha clan came. I remember so well, I was in Hokage's guard that day. And when I saw him, something moved in me. I remember my surprise, the unfamiliarity of that sensation… For the first time since years I had noticed a man. I had thoughts about a man… And ever since then… well, I didn't see Uchiha-san much. But I cherished every moment I could have a glimpse of him. And I was mostly so grateful to fate that I could feel something again. Even if these weren't very happy feelings. I was grateful to fate, I was grateful to him for appearing. And for the first time in my life I was so grateful for the mask I was wearing." Yugao laughed. She opened up her arms to the sides. "So, you see Sakura-san, even if your proposal is out of nowhere, than it is not INTO nowhere. But that is probably not what you would want from your candidate… You will think me crazy now.""No, I won't!" Sakura contradicted heatedly. I will think you courageous, to say all this to me so openly. "But there is one more thing I need to tell you, and you may as well change your mind.""Is it that bad?" Yugao laughed. "Try me – I don't care about much since such a long time…""You might care about this. For strategic reasons Obito is to take three wives. And since you have feelings for him, it is for sure unacceptable for you…"Yugao went silent for a very long time. "You win, Sakura-san, you indeed got me. But nothing's easy in life so why would this be… You know what? I will go with it anyways. You don't get such gifts from fate to turn them down…" Yugao paused. When she picked up, she was smiling. "And, when I think about it… It makes me less scared. And I'm scared because I feel inadequate; I don't think I can stand up to a role of wife. I was alone for so long, I can't have somebody around me all the time. I don't think I can take care about a household… And I won't be alone with it if there will be others."

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Hana was sitting on the ground, half leaned against one of her dogs. She had taken off her sandals and now was wiggling with toes between the grass. She seemed completely at ease, as much at ease as he wasn't.
"I really like this place." She waved her hand in a sweeping motion around the clearing they were sitting in. "Actually I think that's my favourite place in the whole forest. I used to come here since I was small. Bushes had grown immensely since then… At the beginning I was able to see over them. Did you also have such a place?"
Obito had "I don't remember." On the tip of his tongue but then a picture flashed in his memory. "Yes, I had." He said slowly, trying to grasp the vague image. "A sunny place... Such a warm, sunny place on the face of the Hokage Mountain. You had to follow the cliff to the left and then there was a way to climb up. You could see whole the village from up there…"
Hana smiled. "Can we go there sometime?"
"I guess… we can."
Two other dogs came running from the forest. Seeing him sitting next to Hana they slowed down and approached carefully. Their eyes to him were anything but friendly. They seemed to be deliberately inhaling his smell, sniffing at him without coming closer.
Hana laughed, leaned towards him, and to his great surprise sniffed at his shoulder. "They're right. You smell very unfamiliar. Like no one in Konoha."
"I've been away and far away for most of my life."
"It's not that. It's how YOU smell. You don't share smell with anyone I know or am related to, and believe me, I am related to half of the village, probably…"
"How come? You're from Inuzuka clan…"
"My father was a civilian. He came from a very large family, so through him… But we don't keep in touch. He ran away before I was born."
Obito stared. He knew it was impolite, but she was just saying such most private things without any hesitation. As if they knew each other for years.
Hana must have misread his look for curiosity. "He actually ran away when he heard about me. I've heard he's living somewhere in Land of Iron now. I keep wondering how I even managed to come to pass…"
A picture of a hapless man being dragged by Tsume into a bedroom flashed before Obito's eyes. And apparently before Hana's as well as she quickly waved her hands around. "Or rather, I don't want to think about it!"
"So," Hana quickly picked up the previous topic, probably to steer away from the embarrassing image she had just evoked. "Through him I'm related to great many people in the village. And I can smell blood relations. But not on you, you stand apart."
"Sorry about it…" Obito's good mood disappeared. Suddenly he felt bad, as if ashamed of something he did wrong. Pushed to the side once again.
"Nothing to apologize for! I've meant if differently!"
"How..?"
Hana hesitated. "I've meant that the children would come out healthy. That you smell like a good mate." She was all red now. "Sorry, sorry! Professional habit! I just keep babbling whatever comes on my tongue! Even when it's completely inappropriate! Sorry!"
"Nothing to be sorry. You talk. I don't. I just sit here, never contributing. I'm not used to talking to people… I'm not used to people…"
"I know. You even smell of loneliness. People, like dogs, they shouldn't be alone…" Hana went serious. "But soon you won't be anymore. You'll have your pack." All the dogs bore their eyes in him. Even the sleeping one next to Hana woke up and raised his head. "Soon we will get used to your smell. We will get to know you. Accept you as one of us. We will be a pack." Suddenly Obito was sure she wasn't talking about her dogs anymore. "All four of us."

That was a good feeling. An unfamiliar one, but good – to meet someone from the past, someone who knew him before all this happened. And talking with Kurenai was never difficult. They reached to the days they both remembered from before Third Ninja War. Kurenai told him what came to pass with all the people he used to know, how they became adults, what did they do with their lives. So much had changed when he was away.
And many of those people were already dead. Great many, actually. They talked about Asuma a lot. And about the daughter Kurenai had with him. And about all the doubts she had.
"She had me and only me, whole her life. I don't know how will she react on having to share my attention with someone else. And I don't know how would it go with accepting you…"
"I would do my best. My very best."
"I know that…" Kurenai smiled gently. "I know you always do."
The doorbell made them both almost jump up.
"I really don't know who could it…" Kurenai rushed to the door.
"Mama!" A small impetus hit Kurenai below the waist.
"Oh. But… But you were supposed to be here at seven…" She looked confused at her watch and at the young woman who accompanied Mirai. Mirai in the meantime ran into the apartment. "Oh, but it is seven already… Thank you very much for taking care of her!"
Kurenai closed the door and looked around. "Mirai! Where are you? There is someone here that you don't know yet.." She stepped into the living room and halted. Mirai was crouching next to Obito, examining scars on his face from closest distance. "Mirai, this is uncle Obito."
"I know, I know." Mirai was very focused on Obito's face. "He told me already. What happened to you, uncle?"
"A big stone fell on me."
"Did it hurt?" Mirai experimentally poked Obito cheek with one finger.
"Yes. But it doesn't hurt anymore."
"You were not paying attention when you were playing, right…?" presumed Mirai knowingly.
"Something like that."
"I also never do. Mommy gets angry then."
Mirai sat on the sofa and watched adults with a thinking look in the eyes. "So, are you going to be my daddy, uncle?"
Before any of them could react, a second question followed: "Will you then sleep in one bed with my mommy?"
This was seriously one of the biggest "what the fuck" moments in Obito's life. He felt his mouth falling open and he just couldn't form any coherent thought.
Kurenai jumped on her feet. "Mirai, it looks like high time to go to bed!"

They were sitting at a low table on the floor, drinking tea. And they were silent. Out of the three, this was turning out to be the most awkward meeting. Hana had such an easygoing, cheerful demeanour that pulled him almost effortlessly into conversation. Kurenai was an old friend and they had common topics. Yugao was an unknown. Sakura also couldn't help him with much info. And on the top of it Obito felt intimidated – she was so beautiful. Not classical, not cute, but somehow magnetic.
But sitting silent he was definitely not making a good impression. "So, you're an ANBU, right?"
"Yes. For a long time already."
"So, this topic is also off the limits." Obito decided to turn their silence into a joke. Good choice, as Yugao laughed.
"Well, I don't do many missions nowadays, so there is nothing so secretive about it. I just serve as Hokage's guard most of the time."
"I have an impression I've seen you several times…"
"Yes, you did. I've been escorting you to interrogation many times." Yugao paused. Now it was the time to say it. If this was supposed to be her husband she shouldn't feel ashamed. And she definitely shouldn't be withholding things from him. "Well, you probably noticed that I was watching you back then…"
Obito nodded.
"If you noticed it, and then learned that I agreed so readily to your proposal… Well, I would be offending your intelect not assuming you already know that I had an interest in you from the beginning. It embarrasses me deeply, but you know it already…"
"Yugao-san, you shouldn't be embarrassed! You have made me very happy, even before we properly met!"
Yugao blushed nervously. She wasn't looking at him, but at the table. Empty cups became her rescue. "Would you like another cup of tea?" She stood up and rushed to put the water on. She returned to pick up the cups and when she reached for the one in front of Obito, it fell and went rolling on the floor. They sent their hands to catch the escaping item simultaneously, in mirror-motions. And in mirror-motions they grabbed it, and each others hands in the process.
Obito froze. It wouldn't be anything worth a second thought if the situation wasn't that loaded already beforehand. But it was. And now the air between them got even heavier and it felt like minutes when they stayed motionless. Obito moved his eyes up. Yugao was somehow very close, much closer that he was used to people being around him. She must have sensed him watching her as she looked up as well. And immediately escaped with her gaze away from his eyes. Now she was looking at his lips. So he had to look at hers...
And then before he knew it, he was kissing her, leaning over her, and her arms were around his neck, and somehow they were lying on the floor, when a whistle of a teapot sent them apart in panic.
Obito reacted first. He bent down, kneeling, face to the ground in front of flustered Yugao. "I beg your forgiveness. What I did was completely unacceptable. Please believe that I am not a man that normally acts like this."
Yugao touched his shoulder, nudging him to straighten up. "There is nothing to apologize… Or… I … I apologize as well. I don't know why I …" The teapot was whistling furiously, Yugao jumped on her feet. "I'll bring the tea!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"This is a very good place. Highest reputation, Jiraya-sama's favourite!" They were in a hot-springs village some fiver days away from Konoha. And Naruto had set his mind on helping Sasuke. After getting married to Hinata, he concluded that he discovered the source of the problems of his best friend. And now he was on a mission. To get Sasuke to cooperate Naruto teased him mercilessly about how prolonged abstinence would deteriorate his performance as a ninja. Sasuke, having no experience whatsoever was in no position to call him out on this bullshit. Well, actually he did call him out, but constant drop wears down the stone… and Naruto's idea was coming through. Because for one, Sasuke was never able to stand Naruto exceeding him in anything.So, Sasuke was following him today, looking as if attending a funeral."A very good establishment! All girls are extremely well paid! I know it cause Ero-sennin had a thing with the owner in her earlier days. But no worries about the prices – today it's on me!"Sasuke sighted in response. They entered. The place was indeed rather elegant."Hi there!" Naruto waved cheerfully around. Excited squeaks and quick patter was the response."Naruto-kun, is it you? Where have you been?! For all that time! My goodness, you have grown!" Girls surrounded the blonde and one over another were patting him, pinching his cheeks, ruffling his hair. Naruto was grinning so much that if not for the ears his smile would go around his head. "My, you're a grown man now! And so good-looking…" Some girls had already hit more professional tone."He, he, glad to hear it! Especially from you – you have some overview! But I'm newly married, dattebayo! That's why I'll just stay with you here downstairs and we'll have a party just like in old times! Only that now I can finally get a drink! My friend though…"Heads collectively turned. Gods, what a nightmare – an undivided attention of twenty females on him. All Sasuke's past experiences were telling him to run. Well, to strategically retreat."Your friend here is not married, right?""Right!""My, he's handsome… No offense Naruto, but…""I know, I know, that's what all the girls say. But make no mistake – he has an awful character!"The girls were laughing. "Oh, come on, he can't be that bad if he's your friend!""So." Naruto put an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Your pick, my pay!""Hn.""So, which one you like?""Don't know.""Jeez, teme… Ok, ok. Let's just say they are all too beautiful to decide!" Naruto winced very transparently. "How about this one?" He pulled a voluptuous blonde girl out of the crowd. "She was Ero-sennin's favourite!""Dobe, don't tell me this!" Sasuke jerked away with revulsion."Ok, ok, I get it! My mistake. How about some that surely weren't here back then? For example this one?" An unpleasant look from Sasuke. "Ok, I take it for a "No". And this one?" He pulled another girl towards Sasuke.She had curly brown hair and she was laughing. Sasuke didn't say anything."Well, I take it for a "Yes"!" Announced Naruto cheerfully. "O-nee-san, take good care for my friend! Yosh, now for the party!"The girl turned to Sasuke with a flirtatious smile. For a moment she looked as if she would grab his hand or embrace him, but she only smiled cheerfully and said "Let's go then!"When the doors closed behind them he quickly stepped deeper in the room. To re-confirm his resolve. And to get a bit further away from the girl."So, what would you like me to do, danna-sama?" The girl was approaching him in swaying steps. She was rather curvy, according to Naruto's taste. Very pretty, borderline beautiful but in a cute way – again, Naruto's taste. And she had laughing eyes. She entered his personal space, he edged away. She reached to stroke his chest; he barely controlled the instinct to hit her. He shoved her hand away instead."You don't want me to touch you? Well, why don't you touch me instead…?"He didn't move an inch. He didn't like touching people to begin with, not to mention complete strangers. And he didn't see any point in it.Girl tilted her head. "You don't like me? Then let me send you another one. If you let me choose for you, you'll see I have a better feel for your tastes than your friend!" Nothing seemed to disrupt her good mood. "Though, I'll be sorry cause here I felt so lucky to be picked by such a handsome man…"
"
Well trained, this one. She knows her profession. Pretty, apparently not stupid, very perceptive."
"Should I go?" Girl rolled her hips in a seductive circle, half turned as if towards the door, but also clearly to give him a better look at her behind."Stay."Girl clapped her hands. "Thank you, danna-sama! You won't regret it!"Sasuke sighted very quietly."Would you like to see me?" The girl started unbuttoning the dressy she had on. Button after button and with each she was waving her hips almost unnoticeable. "It's all inscenized. It's drilled in, like some katas." But he kept looking, strangely captivated. She reached her waist when Sasuke tensed - strange markings were encircling her. The girl wore a seal! He managed to subdued activation of the Sharingan but his chakra spiked rapidly, preparing for danger.The girl noticed it. If he wasn't so concentrated on the seal he would wondered how."This? You're right, it's a seal." She let the dress slide on the floor. "All the girls wear it. We usually say it's a tattoo, though." She finished more carefully."For what purpose?""This:" the girl ran her finger along the markings resembling branches of wild rose. "This is contraceptive. And this:" she traced wiggly ivy-like pattern. "is against diseases. It's beautiful, it's like a flower wrath wound around me! I love it! Our seal master is a true artist. I go see him at work whenever there is an opportunity!"Sasuke looked. Indeed, the design could be called aesthetically pleasing. He just never thought about seals in that way.The girl continued. "I especially like that part here…" She turned and edged her panties a bit lower. "And here…" She turned back, put on leg on the bed and ran her hand toward place between her legs.Sasuke stared. He really didn't know how to react – he had a feeling that some reaction was expected here, but he had no clue what should this reaction be.The girl laughed sparkly again. "You're a bit shy around the girls, aren't you? Or only such a gentleman? You don't need to be neither with me." When he didn't react she halted and narrowed her eyes. "Danna-sama, forgive me for asking, but… have you ever…? With a girl?"Sasuke decided that staring at the wall was more comfortable. Walls rarely asked annoying questions.The girl almost jumped up from joy. "Oh gods, I got lucky! Apologies, danna-sama, it's not out of lack of respect to you…" She corrected herself immediately.Sasuke again didn't know what to say. Not knowing what to say was happening to him more often than not, also in everyday situations.Girl half lied on the edge of the bed. She pointed her legs up and started pulling her pants off."No normal person undresses like that. It's all an act." Nevertheless he had to stare again because the flesh between her legs looked completely different to the rest of her body. Pants landed on the floor. With a swift motion the girl opened her legs to the sides. She put her hand between her legs and then stretched it towards Sasuke."See, danna-sama, I'm all wet for you…"
"
An act."
"It's not an act."Could she read his thoughts, or what? Or was he so transparent?"It's just because of you…" She put her hand back there again and started touching herself. Sasuke felt a strange pressure building up. And then, the girl did something he didn't expect: she plunged her own fingers into herself. They went deep."I would prefer you there instead, danna-sama…" Her voice was both bright and seductive and Sasuke would have thought it was also trained if he wasn't so distracted by his pants that suddenly became much too tight. So painfully tight that he had to open them.The girl took her fingers out. She was now spreading her entrance with her both hands. "Here. Come here."He listened. It turned out that he had to touch her at least a bit anyhow, to gain some hold. So he grabbed her legs and somehow then he knew what to do. Coming here, he wanted to keep it as short as possible just to be done with it. It proved to be no problem, as all was done a moment later.When he was sitting on the edge of the bed afterwards, he was feeling strangely light-headed. And he felt very peaceful. He didn't feel the urge to struggle, to achieve, to contain, all these things he usually felt. He could just sit there. Sasuke was coming to conclusion that Naruto cheated him telling this act would bring him more power. But surprisingly, it didn't bother him that much at this point.He thought about the girl instead. She was lying on the bed, he could see her in peripheral vision. She had such a keen sense for chakra that properly trained she could be a sensor. She was smart and apparently had an interest in ninjutsu. What would become of her if she was born in Konoha…?And then what would become of Sakura if she was born here? Same thing as of this girl? Or a housewife and mother to bunch of children? Coming to thing about it, Sakura was on the best way towards it anyhow. Last time she saw her she was pregnant again. The child should be born any time now. Let's see if he wins this moronic bet - Naruto had forced him to bet on child's hair colour. Sasuke had bet black, Naruto - pink. As idiotic as it was to begin with, it was made even worst when Madara entered exactly when they were settling the deal . He had to smile at the memory even if that wasn't funny at all back than…"Smile looks so good on you danna-sama… Whatever it is that made you smile, hold on to it…"Sasuke stared at the ceiling. He was feeling so light, as never before. His thoughts were roaming slowly, along their own paths, without any purpose he was usually forcing on them. "I think… it was you who made me smile…""How 'bout making you smile even more? Your friend booked my whole evening…" She lifted herself up and arched her back towards him. "In this way you don't have to touch me much either…"After they've done it twice more - for good measure as Sasuke decided to better stock up than to get needy too soon again - he stood up and went towards the exit. In the door he halted."Your name."'"Mariko. But why do you want to know, danna-sama?""To ask for you next time."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Hi Naruto! Sorry for being late!" Sakura stepped into Hokage's office.
"Not a problem!" Naruto shoved the piles of paper away with a broad gesture making it clear that anything occupying his desk is less important than arrival of his guests. Sakura somehow didn't think it will make it easier to find the way through these papers later…
"Uncle Naruto!"
"Hi kids!" Naruto stretched his arms towards galloping twins.
"Why were you not coming for so long?!"
"Sorry, I was kind of busy…"
The twins glued themselves symmetrically to his sides.
"Poor ones, they've missed him so much. We have to arrange that they see him more often." Naruto fulfilled his threat and took up babysitting for the twins from the day they came home from the hospital. And it was an invaluable help. Sakura couldn't even imagine how they would have managed without Naruto tirelessly walking around, rocking the twins to sleep. Shadow clones turned out to very useful for that purpose, even though her children seemed to be able to differentiate between them and the original. When held by the real Naruto, they were falling asleep immediately, much faster even than when held by her. So, for the first two years, Naruto was virtually a family member, living in Uchiha compound more than at his own place. Madara never opposed to the arrangement, which made Sakura very happy. He seemed to see Naruto as her brother, or something. Otherwise, Madara didn't tolerate much of outsiders coming into the house. Ino, somehow maybe yes, but all the others had to stay in the first, frontal building and were not welcomed inside.
"Uncle Naruto has now a very important job… But today you can stay with him the whole day, ok?" Her children ignored her, faces buried into Naruto's sides, eyes closed, they looked like sleeping. Sakura rearranged Kagu from her left hip to the right. She should be going, he was getting impatient.
"So, I'll pick them up at five, ok? Gen, Yume, o-kaa-san is going!" No reaction. "Children, I'm going!" Silence.
"Naruto… What are they doing there…?"
"Ano, they're playing, they always play like that."
"They never play like that." Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Naruto, what is going on?"
Naruto gulped. He would have edged away but children were immobilizing him on the chair.
"Naruto…" Sakura reached the tone that always made him shit his pants.
"Eee… They are playing really well right now, so no need to get all worked up, Sakura-chan! You see yourself, they are enjoying it so much!"
"Enjoying what? What is that play of theirs exactly?"
"Ano… With Kurama… They are playing with Kurama…"
"They are playing with the Kyubi!?"
"Yeah, they always do it. Whenever I'm around."
"Always? Always since when?"
"Uhm... Since they were born? In the beginning it wasn't really playing exactly. They would just cuddle and sleep in his tails. You should have seen how cute it looked..." Sakura's face expression told him that with every sentence he was plunging deeper down.
"How nice. And what are they doing right now?" Sakura was approaching him in slow, intentional steps.
"Ano… racing… they are racing."
"Racing?"
"Yeah, racing. They start from the tip of the tail and the one who gets first on the back, wins!"
"And who is winning?" Sakura's voice was sweet as poison.
"Yume… Yume is…"
Sakura was right in front of him, looming over just centimeters away.
"Get them out. Now."
Naruto closed his eyes immediately. Couple of seconds later all three opened their eyes – Naruto with unconcealed panic, twins with furious protest. Sakura unceremoniously dumped Kagu onto Hokage's desk, grabbed her older children and pulled them away from Naruto.
"You. Let. My children. Play. With a Tailed Beast."
"But no harm's done! All is fine, Sakura-chan, all is fine!" Naruto gesticulated feverishly.
"Fine? FINE? You call this fine?!"
Now all the children were howling already. Kagu additionally was tearing papers lying on the desk, but Naruto quickly came to the conclusion that border arrangement proposal from Iwa was far less important than Sakura in front of him.
"Naruto. You will regret the day you were born."
Naruto edged back, his chair was already touching the wall. "Watch out, Kagu!" He shouted looking past Sakura with widened eyes.
Sakura spun. Kagu had just recently learned how to roll. But he was lying in the middle of table happily gnawing on some papers with Iwa's markings. She turned back, but it was too late. Using the moment of her deconcentration, Naruto has jumped through the window already. She slammed her fist into the wall – Sakura knew she cannot leave the children to pursue him, but she was nevertheless boiling inside. Nothing to do for now, she will get him later. She grabbed Kagu and pushed older children towards the door. "We're going home!"

"You won't believe it!" Sakura stepped into the house. She was at the end of her nerves. On top of everything else children were crying all the way home. "I will kill this damn jinchuuriki next time I see him!"
"What did he do this time?" Madara chuckled a bit at her outbreak.
"He had Gen and Yume play with the Kyubi! For years apparently! And I, stupid, kept wondering how does he always manage to keep them so calm and under control! And they've been entering the Kyubi residence part of his subconsciousness all that time… I will skin him alive! Him and the fox!"
Madara gave her a funny look.
"What's with you?! Does it make you amused?" Sakura was in no mood for jokes.
"Hn."
"Don't you "Hn" me here! Answer in proper sentences!"
"I advice you against an assassination attempt on the Hokage."
"He endangered our children! How can you be so cool about it?!"
"I was expecting something like this."
"Like what?"
"That they will be able to communicate with the Kyubi sooner or later. But they exceeded my expectations by doing it so early."
"You suspected…?"
"Actually, I hoped for it. Why else would I tolerate this loudmouth running around the house all that time?" Truth being told he tolerated the jinchuuriki for number of other reasons. Giving him a chance to sleep being one. Giving Sakura chance to sleep and recover enough to pay any attention to her husband being another… But why mention it…
"I will kill you both!"
"If you could calm down you would see for yourself. Now, as the Kyubi is voluntarily sitting inside the Hokage, he's become an important player in the village. And he hates me. And Sasuke. And Obito tried capturing him. It comes very close to hating Uchiha clan as a whole, doesn't it? Not exactly a situation we would want. Having him bond with the children changes everything. Think about it, what powerful ally will the children have in a tailed beast? Plus, we have a natural affinity to the Kyubi, they can be able to use his power.."
"Wait, you can't be meaning… taking it from Naruto?!"
"Nothing of this kind. As I told you before, I am against assassinating the Hokage, especially one so well inclined towards us. But maybe there will be some other way… Plus Uzumaki will also not live forever and neither will we, while Kyubi is actually immortal. You see – I plan for long futures…"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

High pitched shriek sent shivers down Sakura's spine. She cringed, well practiced irritation hitting her like a wave.
"O-kaa-san, because he!"
"No! No, I didn't!"
Sakura cringed once again. Maybe she should just stay here and let them kill one another?
"Ooo-kaaaa-saaan!"
Sakura stomped out of the kitchen. Children, when closed up in the house were getting unbearable. Couple of days like this one more and she will murder them herself. But it wasn't to be helped; they had to stay in the compound. They needed to stay out of sight so that the emotions dry up a bit. In a month, or so, she may start letting them out again, and that only separately, preferably with Kurenai, mixed between her children. Because with Kurenai's girls Gen and Yume tended to be on their best behaviour. She always wondered how was Kurenai achieving this level of organisation and control. On the days when she was housing the children Obito's compound was actually enterable. On other days, not so much. Hana held to a belief that the louder and dirtier the kids, the happier they are. Yugao didn't have problems with discipline when she was deciding to introduce it, but that she rarely did. She didn't seem to mind the antics, so "her" days were equally loud as Hana's.
A wail got Sakura out of her thoughts. That didn't sound like a quarrel anymore, that sounded like a hurt child. Sakura ran. Kagu was sitting in the dust, crying his eyes out, scratches easily detectable on his face. Yume stood next to him, already in pose of full defense against any accusation. Sakura picked up howling Kagu and took a deep inhale before starting screaming at her daughter. She wasn't even thinking about the words, they were anyhow always the same.
And no matter what she would scream, it would not help. But Sakura did not have any other answer to Yume's behaviour. She would simply use violence as a mean to her ends. Worse even, Sakura was now suspecting that it was not entirely on the impulses anymore, that it was some sort of choice on her daughter's side. But maybe she was reading too much into it. Yume was still such a small child.
Children's house arrest was courtesy of Yume as well. Not that so much had really happened. Two knocked out teeth, couple of bites and a broken nose. The teeth were still milk ones and the nose and the bites she healed immediately. If it were any other children the only consequence would have been the mothers exchanging couple of warm words about the quality of their respective parenting skills. But her children weren't any children. She had to admit, it wasn't only about clan affiliation and its infamy. The sheer level of ferociousness stood clearly out, Uchiha blood or not.
That what other children needed to have drilled in during training, that instinct not to stop at the sight of blood on the sand, well, her children had it right away. They were not the ones to stop, oh no…
She didn't quite get the beginning of the fight, back then. It was probably Gen though with all his cockiness, that had refused to back away in front of older boys. Because when Yume was around, there was no way for Gen to step back. As other children try to impress their parents, for Gen it was his sister who was the ultimate audience. With her watching, he would dare everything and anything. So he probably dared, and started getting a proper beating. And that was when Yume joined. How she managed to knock down a boy almost twice her size and got him so bloodied was beyond Sakura. When she turned to the noise Yume was already on top of the other kid, trying to hold to him down as he was ripping her off himself. Then everything went fast: she started towards fighting children, but before she got there, they were already separated as Susanoo's hands materialized from the ground were holding each of the kids in careful but firm grasp. All she had to do was to heal the physical damage, which was a matter of minutes, and then to deal with the political one that was so much more difficult to handle. It came to her mind only days later that the distance she had managed to run before Susanoo appeared was quite long. Madara could have separated the kids earlier, but apparently he didn't feel like. Sakura had a strong suspicion that he was more interested in watching his children's (undeniably spectacular) performance then stopping the fight.

When Sasuke visited Konoha six years after the war, his first instinct after entering the Uchiha compound, was to escape.
In the main house twins were running the show, both getting trained by Madara and being very competitive about it. Boy making it loud and shouting out challenges at Sasuke; girl starring quietly and consequently ignoring all remarks and orders from the adults. The younger boy was trying to join in, only to be constantly chased away and everything was drenched in cries of a newborn that kept monopolizing Sakura's whole attention.
Obito's household was even worse. From there, he literally escaped just after a glance into the yard where about five children and an undefined number of dogs were scrambling in one dirty, howling whirlpool.
He spent one evening talking to Madara, giving report on the missions which he didn't trust the messenger hawks with, and elaborating wider on some older ones. And then he was truly relieved to leave. It was no longer about emotional discomfort about being home; it was that the place had become just much too oppressive and noisy to bear.
During his next visit, he was already mentally prepared. The children were even more numerous and definitely louder, but he choose to ignore them. Boys and one girl were sparring on the yard. The girl was fighting Gen, she was smaller than him and it was visible that he was taking precautions not to hurt her. For a short moment he thought that the girl had a Sharingan activated – a feat almost unheard of in a child so young. On a second glimpse though he realized that it was just the colour of her eyes – fiery red, some shades deeper than Sharingan.
Sasuke was sitting observing the spars, when he saw another girl perched on the opposite side of the courtyard. Black, very straight hair contrasted with pale skin spoke Uchiha from kilometers. And she was not making so much noise. He stood up and approached her.
"Your name."
A long, heavy look from the girl. He realized – this was the other twin, the one he never heard talking. "You are Yume, right?"
A nod from the girl. And another look, very demanding one. This was a return question, he guessed.
"Uchiha Sasuke." A serious nod from the little girl. "Not sparring with the others?" Sasuke wasn't sure if he was even to expect an answer.
The answer came, and in words. "Don't have to. I'll beat them all anyhow."
"Even Gen?"
A slight nod. And even slightest smile.
Sasuke sat down. Watching others spar he thought about his childhood, about playing with neighbourhood kids like that. It was so long ago, so far away. He almost didn't remember how being happy felt like. Then he remembered a scene when Itachi carved him wooden animals – he himself must have been really young then, as the memory was very blurred. How had he admired his brother's skill... Suddenly he wondered if it was really so difficult or did it only seemed so to the eyes of a child. But there was no wood to carve around and he didn't even have a kunai with him… Sasuke smiled, formed a seal and in front of him a miniature Kirin stood in the sand. Kirin stamped with hooves, shook its little head. Sasuke startled at the sudden laughter of Yume – she was so silent he almost forgot her presence. She laughed and laughed reaching hands to Kirin, sparkles erupting from under her fingers when she touched it. Sasuke created a fox, a tanuki, couple of crows. He started running out of ideas, as somehow all that was coming to his mind was ninjutsu-centered.
"Make a dog! Such a big Inuzuka dog!"
He did, shaping it after Akamaru transformed form.
"And cats! And a dragon! And horses!"
Now he was laughing as well. Unable to control it so exactly, he let menagerie run wild.

When he returned two years later, he was greeted by the children crowd competing for his attention. All the kids wanted to show off in front of him and he really didn't know why. He brushed them away heading to the main hall to confer with Madara.
The next day he couldn't escape Gen and Kagu and had a couple of sparing rounds with them. When they were finished and he headed back to his part of the compound, on the narrow porch connecting the buildings he found Yume stepping his way.
He nodded. She nodded back. "Still not talkative, this one." he thought. He made a move as to pass by her - Yume didn't dodge, still blocking the passage. Sasuke startled a bit. There was something very demanding in her stature. In case of anyone else, this stance would have been aggressive. Yume though gave an impression of expecting something she knew already belonged to her. There was something very regal about this little girl.
Sasuke had to smile – the contrast was just a bit too comical. "Still comical." he thought. "Five, six years more and there will be nothing funny about her air of royalty."
"Ah." He realized what was it about and sat down at the edge of porch. Yume sat next to him. Sasuke quickly formed the seals – white-green creatures came to life on the sand of the training ground. He let them run, chasing and fighting with each other.
"I want to learn it."
Sasuke turned his head startled. It was surprising him each time to hear her talk. "Do you have lightning nature?"
Shake of head.
"Hmm…" This won't be easy. Actually, it was very difficult to form the lightning in a defined shape and he was able to only due to his mastery of the element. But other elements were known to be much easier. Earth, for example; all these mud walls and golems were almost popular techniques. "You probably don't have Earth…?" Small chance for child so young to have already two natures, and surely she had fire… And fire was even more difficult to shape than the lightning.
A bright, brightest smile on Yume's face.
"Don't you have fire?"
"Not really. Otou-sama has me working on it and I can do it a bit already. But Earth's my primary."
"A battle advantage." he thought immediately. Opponent will always expect Fire from an Uchiha, use Water to counter it and become vulnerable to Earth attacks. Too monotone element range in the squads was historically a weakness of the Uchiha clan. Surely not in the eyes of Madara though… He would probably say that fire strong enough will just annihilate everything. "Try with Earth then. Something simple."
A silent question in Yume's eyes.
"Just something with four legs. Doesn't matter how it looks like for now. Just make it stand straight."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Naruto-kun, could you please change Himawari's diaper? I'm in the middle of bathing Boruto.""Emm, yeah, I'll be right there…" Naruto definitely didn't want to change the diaper. He will just have to wait it through – Hinata will be done soon and will take care of it herself. Just need to gain some time…"Naruto-kun…?"/ / / Same time, different place / / /"Go away! We're playing now here!" The girl was from Inuzuka clan and clearly lacked any manners."Yup!" Confirmed Akimichi kid with his mouth full of potato chips.These four kids have been playing in their hideout. And they moved stuff around, Gen noticed with furrowed brows. "You go away, it's our hideout!""Who says so?!""What do you mean? We built it!""And now we are playing here. Come back tomorrow. Or next week, when we get bored with it!""You should leave! And that immediately!""Or what? Will you burn us? You Uchiha ass, acting all almighty! Will you now start fighting over his place with your fellow villagers?!" Suddenly they were no longer twelve-year olds speaking, but their clans, clashing through the centuries. Why did their clan had to come up each time they had an argument with someone, Gen wondered. It made him angry. Was he always supposed to stay back not to fuel accusations against the Uchiha?He stepped forward, a clearly offensive stance."Oh, yes, you're gonna fight… Uchiha are always traitorous!"Gen clenched his fists, all tensed. Feeling grab on his shoulder, he glimpsed backwards to read Yume's eyes. One deep breath and he was able to speak in even voice again."My sister says that we can allow you to be here. Tomorrow we come back and if things are not exactly as we've built it…" The unspoken threat hung in the air.Other children gulped. But the Inuzuka boy apparently couldn't hold his tongue. "Can't your sister speak for herself? Is she mute or what?!"Gen smirked. He didn't even have to force acting cool. Confidence was strong in him with Yume just inches from his back. "Of course she can. She just doesn't bother with scum like you."Inuzuka boy barred his teeth. Kunai flashed through the air and buried in the middle of his chest. Gen grabbed for his weapon, two girls from the other group started screaming. Inuzuka boy fell on his knees and then face forward on the ground."Only Uchiha children are the target." said tall man stepping into the clearing. Several others appeared from behind the trees. It could have been ten of them, maybe more. Gen and Yume moved together in smooth, synchronized motion, their backs finally touching, kunai in hands. "Grab them. Kill the others."It was quick. Other children manage to par two or three kunai before the onslaught of projectiles got them. Yume drew a very deep breath. The attackers were turning towards them now. One was unfolding a net.Gen squished her hand. He knew what had to be done. So did she. But it was so difficult. She didn't want to!They looked at each other. No words necessary, she didn't know if it was thanks to their lifelong closeness, their strict training as team mates or the time they shared in the womb, but they didn't really need to speak.Head nod. And scatter. Two different directions and they will have a chance to escape. The attackers will become pursuers, a task they were no so necessary suited to. They will need a moment to reorganize and divide to follow both of them and that should give them enough of an advantage to escape in this familiar terrain.All well calculated, but they underestimated the attackers' skills. A powerful blow of wind-based technique hit Yume in mid-flight like a hammer."Yume!" Gen turned back. They will have to fight now. Two against ten, and all adult ninja on top of that."Incapacitate him! Avoid the vital points!"Kunais hit his left leg and left arm. He rose, lifted hands to form Fire sign. Third kunai pierced his palm to the tree…Long-haired man was approaching Yume. She was conscious, but still confused, on her knees. Blood was flowing from an opened wound on her shoulder, trickling down her forearm, between her fingers. Gen didn't notice when did she get hit…"Look at the girl. Grown-up enough already. We will get Sharingan babies from her!"Yume jerked her head. She was more collected now. Her right arm was useless; Taijutsu or extensive seal forming were out of question. But her chakra reserves were still untouched. Maybe she could manage… She thought about Lady Katsuyu, mother's summon to come and shelter them. About Sasuke's hawks to take them into safety… She didn't have a summoning contract with neither… But she needed someone to protect them! "Oh, please, let someone come! Oh please, let it happen! Someone, anyone, please come save us!" With effort she formed a seal and slammed her bloodied palm to the ground."Kuchiyouse-no-jutsu!"Nothing happened…The leader of bandits was getting closer. "Maybe we'll keep her for ourselves… Trade only the other. Hey girl, am I your type?"Surprisingly to herself, Yume understood what he meant. It gave her a terrifying, sickening feeling somewhere inside. This man wanted to harm her and he was getting nearer, about to lay his hands on her. He cannot touch her, she will never allow it! She wanted to kill him now with her bare hands. To rip him limb by limb, to tear him open, to see his entrails on the grass beneath her feet… The hate was boiling, he will never touch her. Never, she will kill if he tries, kill him, kill, KILL!She dug her both hands into the ground, palms not anymore in summoning gesture, scratching the soil with her fingers crooked like claws, fingernails tearing the dirt. No more fear, no more calling for help, just hate, blinding rage flowing through her. "KILLL"Gen saw Yume bow her head, dig the hands even harder into the ground. A confident power was in her voice when she spoke up again."Kuchiyose."And world went aflame.Gen saw orange fiery glow surrounding her sister like a pillar of fire. A head formed, and two human arms. Head was not human though… It was some monstrous wolf… No. The Kyubi.With a single clap of jaws he ripped away whole side of the man nearest to Yume. Kyubi's right arm extended reaching other attackers, while the left grasped tightly around Yume. One by one the bandits were crushed or ripped and in couple of seconds it was all over.The fox was gone and in the silence that fell only screams of bandit leader were heard. He still lived, ripped almost in half, his entrails spread in the grass. Yume was not moving. Gen's blood froze in his veins. "It cannot be. It cannot be!" He freed the hand that was pinned to the tree, didn't feel any pain, didn't even notice it. "It cannot happen. Yume, no. No." He started to run. He felt something strange inside his head, his eyesight blurred. Gen stumbled, something was wrong with his eyes, but it didn't matter, he had to get to her!She was lying face down. She was severely burnt. Gen turned her over carefully, she was breathing! "Yume! Yume!" She moved, whimpered, opened her eyes. And screamed. She twisted out of his hold, started to tear the clothes never stopping to scream. Her voice was drilling into Gen's brain. It seemed that she was burned whole, but worse were bands going around her torso and shoulders – there skin was completely gone, burned to the muscles."Yume! Yume! Look at me! I'll take care now." Their eyes met. The connection and understanding that he always could find in Yume's eyes were fogged by pain. He tried to reach to her to calm her down. At least he has to stay calm. They have to treat their wounds as both were loosing too much blood."Yume, my hand is good for nothing. I need you now, Yume, please, focus." Using his other hand and his teeth Gen tore strips form his clothes. They bound his tight, where he was loosing most of the blood, using his right and her left hands."I have to bind your arm…"Yume looked. Even half-insane from pain she had to agree. The blood kept flowing even as her shoulder was scorched. The sand around her was red already, couple more minutes and she will be gone. She gulped."I have to, I'm sorry…" Gen was kneeling in front of her, touching his forehead to hers. "I'm so sorry." He started wrapping. Pain swept over her, she was screaming her lungs out now. Gen had to bandage the burned part as well to tame the bloodflow."Yume, hold the other end of the bandage." Gen pressed his forehead to hers. He had to hurt her. To cause her even more pain with his own hand. But it was the only chance to safe her life. He grasped the end of the bandage collecting his resolve. He has to hurt the one he loves the most. "Just hold. Don't let go." He pulled. She held.She never imagined pain like that. She screamed right into Gen's face, holding to his eyes as to the lifeboat. And then she noticed it. Tomoe of Gen's Sharingan were forming a strange pattern…"Brother… You're eyes… They are bleeding…"He wiped his face, smearing the blood. When he opened his eyes they were familiar black again."Gen, please, make it stop hurting. I cannot stand it anymore… I cannot. Make it stop.""I don't know how. I cannot heal you…""Put me under genjutsu."Gen focused, formed a seal. He was definitely not a genjutsu master, but maybe he could pull it of. But his chakra reserves where all spent. He was empty. He will fail her again. No. He scrambled behind her. This amount of power he still could gather."Sleep Yume. Dream." And with all strength left, hit Yume on the back of her head. She went limp, he caught her, cradled her on his lap. His arm wasn't bound properly or it opened because of the blow he delivered. The blood was now trickling under makeshift bandage. Gen sat straight, focused on his heartbeat. He must slow it down. And he mustn't faint. For Yume. He closed his eyes./ / / Same time, different place / / /"Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun… If you really cannot change this diaper it's enough to say…" Hinata entered the room.Naruto was lying on the floor, trying to vomit."Naruto-kun, you don't need to make such a display out of it. It's enough to tell, but seriously, it's just baby's diaper…"The look Naruto gave her, make her understand it wasn't about the diaper. "Naruto-kun! What's wrong!?""Kurama… Suddenly he jumped out of me…""..! Then how are you…?""Not completely. And he's back again. But I think I just had a heart attack. I definitely need to go to Tsunade-baa-chan for a check-up.." Naruto suddenly broke of."Stop that rant. Thanking me you can also do later. Now go and get the brats until they are still alive." Growled Kurama and retreated into the dark place he usually occupied in him."What! Kurama, what happened?! What brats?"But Kyubi was only willing to show him his behind as he curled and pretended to be asleep."Baka-Kitsune! Don't you ignore me here!"Word-sparring with Kyubi always took time. And gathering from what Kurama just said time was ticking away. When coming to analysis of dangerous situations, Naruto wasn't that dumb. So, Kyubi charged out to help some children. Children, that were apparently important to Naruto as well. An extremely rare event: for a tailed beast to even lift a finger for a human… that could only be… Oh, kamisama, the twins!They were left in the village when Madara, Sakura and the younger ones were paying official visit in Suna."Tajuu-Kage-Bunshin-no-jutsu!" The room filled up with clones. "We're looking for Gen and Yume. Check whole the village and the surroundings. Ask the gate guards. Go in threes so that two can always disperse to report. Mobilize hospital personnel. Find Tsunade-o-baa-chan. The moment when approximate location or direction is known, take the medics that way. And mobilize the ANBU. Disperse!"Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor."Naruto-kun, what happened?!"I don't know. It seems Sakura's kids got into trouble. Probably an attack." He bit his lip. Nobody targets the children of Uchiha Madara without a very good reason. This can be a kidnapping attempt; can also be a war declaration. And if he fails to protect them… Oh, kami, he loved these children almost like his own. But now he has to act like a Hokage. Command, not let the fear win over. And if he fails, they will have a civil war in Konoha.The clones ran into the clearing. "We found you at last!"Gen opened his eyes, smiled faintly. And fell face down.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Susano'o ripped earth and couple of roofs in addition as it landed in front of the hospital without any considerations to the surroundings. The moment it dispersed, Madara was already marching towards the entrance.
"ANBU guards on these children." He ordered not looking neither at ANBU he was addressing nor at three of his younger children clustered around Sakura in the middle of the plaza.
ANBU exchanged glanced. They were supposed to take orders exclusively from Hokage. But Madara's tone and face expression didn't leave any room for discussion. "Hai." They surrounded the kids. Ashoka, who was crying all the way from Suna, now hit a higher pitch as Sakura entangled herself from arms of five-years old and ran to the hospital.
Madara was already inside. He didn't even have to ask – terrified personnel were pointing the way jumping into patients' rooms to clear the corridor for his passage. Four ANBU were guarding the room. They stepped back immediately.
Shizune turned away from Gen's bed. "Madara-sama!"
"…"
Shizune caught her breath. "His condition is stable. Several flesh wounds, large blood loss, damaged left hand. The hand rehabilitation will be difficult, but there is nothing that we won't be able to fix. Yume though…"
"Where."
"End of corridor. Godaime-sama is.."
In the room at the end of corridor Yume was suspended in a ball of liquid. Tsunade was keeling next to it, palms touching the sphere. Whole thing glowed with chakra.
"Madara." Tsunade was speaking with visible effort. "Is Sakura with you? I will need her."
"What happened."
"There was an attack. But girl's injuries… they are not from it. I'm not sure how, but it seems that Kyubi was involved. She's whole burnt, you see. As Naruto was after 4-tail transformation… Naruto had the fox's power to regenerate him though…"
Sakura rushed into the room just to hear Tsunade's last words. She remembered very well how that awful chakra-burns looked like. Not that she could ever forget it…
"Sakura, all the cells in her skin are going into apoptosis. And it's spreading. I pumped half of my seal into her already and managed only to halt it. My chakra… is not healing her… As if it was incompatible. You, as the mother, you must be compatible though…"
"Hai." Sakura knelt next to her shishou, observing chakra flow carefully. No time for sentiments now. This, in front of her, is a patient. Not her daughter. Not her Yume on verge of painful death. Just a girl to be treated.
"Madara, you will be no help here. Leave us."
Water sphere bulged towards sudden burst of chakra coming from Madara. He was enraged. Small air bubbles started to appear in the sphere…
"Go away. I'll send for you in anything changes."
"Madara, please. I will handle this. I understand the damaged now; I know I can heal it. I just need some time, so please… anata…"
Fists and teeth clenched, Madara turned "Hokage. Where is he?" he threw to ANBU guarding the door.

Madara found Naruto on the clearing. Whole area was closed behind the cordon of ANBU, Shikamaru and Naruto were browsing through the fight scene.
"Uzumaki."
"Ah, Madara! It's good that.." Naruto didn't finish because Madara grabbed his throat. Shikamaru reached for his weapon, but Naruto managed to raise hand to back him off. Madara was already in his subconsciousness.
"If you think I cannot kill you when you're hiding inside a jinchuuriki, then you are deeply mistaken, Kyubi."
Kurama was crouched in a defensive stance in the darkest corner. A fox at the very end of his den. "Try me, Uchiha."
"Hey, hey guys! No fighting inside of me!" Naruto waived his hands frantically. What damage would a fight inside him cause? "Madara, drop it! Kurama didn't hurt the kids! Kurama, stop acting proud and tell him what happened."
Silence was long.
"Kurama! You're the only one who made out of this incident alive and conscious! We need your report!"

"
Fine. I'll tell it outside."

"Madara, you've heard him! It wasn't him. Let us investigate it!"
"Hn."

"
Brat, switch with me."

"Oi, Nara-brat. You seem to have some brains, so listen." Shikamaru turned surprised recognizing Nine-Tails voice coming from Naruto.
"I can tell only from the moment I was summoned. I recognized Yume as a summoner and I… decided to obey." Kurama sounded a bit ashamed. "The summoning was a strong one and my seal is open so I can go as I please… Anyways, when I arrived I saw these men attacking the girl. I killed them, as she wanted me to."
"And why is she so burnt?"

"
Ah, this. Unfortunate side effect. She didn't have enough chakra to materialize me. What came, was only a part of my chakra and it needed an anchor. When I realized what's happening, I moved away from her, and only held her with my paw, but still..."

"Kurama-san, thank you for explaining. Did these men say anything? Did anything that caught your attention?"

"
They didn't have time."

"What about other children? Gen?"

"
Others were already dead. Gen was wounded, pinned to the tree over there."

"Sights of fighting?"

"
None."

"What happened late?"

"
Don't know. I retreated as soon as situation was clear."

"Hmmm. So, it seems that the attackers surprised the children here." Shikamaru pointed to the place were bodies of other kids were lying. "Killed all except of Gen and Yume, who decided to scatter and escape. Both were stopped though. But none severely injured. It seems that they tried to take Gen and Yume alive. The attackers were ninja, and skilled ones. Carefully disguised though: civilian clothing, very generic weapons. Many had hair shaved or dyed probably to interfere with identification. Which will be difficult anyhow after what Kurama did to them."
Madara was strolling between the corpses. Whenever the face was not visible, he would stop and turn the body with his shoe. "Kumo, Ame, Suna…"
"Madara! How can you tell?"
"If you've lived as long as I did, you can tell by looking. Kumo, Kumo, don't know, Kiri, Ame or Kusa, most probably Kumo, Ame… No Iwa…" Madara turned his head towards Shikamaru.
"Exactly. No Iwa." Said Shikamaru slowly.
"Well, this all points to Kumo!" Naruto made a wise face. "They have a long history of abduction attempts…"
Shikamaru and Madara exchanged glanced. "Just the opposite. Kumo is so obvious here, that's definitely not them. Someone wanted it to look like Kumo's action."

"Madara-sama. Lady Tsunade requests your presence in the hospital. Yours and that of Ashoka-sama as well…" ANBU was kneeling in front of the main gate of Uchiha compound.
"Tsunade? And my wife?"
"Sakura-sama is not in a condition to send summons…"
Madara raised his eyebrow.
"Sakura-sama is currently incapacitated. For healing of your daughter Tsunade-sama asks you to allow Ashoka-sama…" ANBU was preventively looking at the ground beneath Madara's feet. He definitely didn't want to meet his gaze. "Tsunade-sama insists that it is necessary."
"Understood."
Holding half-asleep Ashoka on his back, Madara entered the room. Tsunade alone was kneeling by the water sphere, hands pulsing with chakra glow.
"Where is Sakura?"
"Unconscious. She used up much too much chakra. She almost managed to remove this pest though. Unfortunately, couple of points remained and I cannot heal them. I only keep them in check for the moment. The moment I stop pumping my chakra, they will spread again…"
"You have a plan, though?" Madara hoped it was the case.
"We're rather out of options here. My seal is almost empty and we need a chakra source compatible with Yume's. I can still direct it and use it to heal, act as a transmitter. That's why Ashoka…"
"Isn't she too young?"
"Well, there are not many other options. She's been wearing this seal since two years, so there is a substantial reserve there. At this point she has much more to offer than Kagu or Hiro. And no, you, yourself are out of question. Your chakra would probably kill me on the spot. I am actually not sure how long I will bear Ashoka's chakra going through me. Let's hope that long enough…"
Hearing no protest from Madara, Tsunade turned to Ashoka. "Do you understand what is going on here? Your sister is very sick and I will need to borrow some of your chakra to heal her. Do you understand?"
Ashoka nodded very seriously.
"Your father will open this seal on your forehead and you will feel a lot, lot stronger. And all that strength I need you to put in me and I will give it to Yume. Ok?"
"But how do I put it in you? Godaime-sama?"
"When you stand behind me, put your hands on my shoulders and imagine that all this strength is like water. And think that you pour it in me. Can you do it?"
"I… I will try…"
"That's a good girl! Now go to Shizune over there." Tsunade pointed to the other side of the room. "Madara, I need you to keep her in check when the seal is open. Her chakra control is still very poor and with this amount released at once… Make her transfer it gradually; the slower, the better. Otherwise I won't be able to use it efficiently. And…"
"And she will scorch your chakra pathways. I know. Uchiha's and Senju's chakras… They don't go well together."
Tsunade gave him a look. How did he even manage to transplant the tissue of first Hokage? Keeping both himself alive and the implant viable? What toll did it took on him? "Also, as far as it will be possible, make her put her chakra into my arms only. To avoid internal organs… Do you think she can direct it at all?"
"I don't know. But she will have to learn fast."
Tsunade nodded. "Yosh. Let's start. Shizune, monitor the status of the patient and be reporting it constantly. After the last patch of disease is gone, scan Yume's whole body three times for possible metastasis. After I'm done, release the water sphere, make a blood transfusion and heal these deeper rips. Madara – direct Ashoka."
Tsunade took a deeper breath. "Madara… If it fails… And I fall unconscious… Have Shizune try the same procedure with Ashoka. If Ashoka runs out of chakra, get one of the boys… Try maybe Kagu first…"
"And when it fails?"
"Then I don't know! How many back-up plans do you think I have, Uchiha!?" Tsunade crushed the armrest of the nearby chair in her fist. "Alright, Ashoka. We will start now. Remember, pour it slowly." Tsunade put the piece of wood from the chair between her teeth.
"Hai."
With couple of signs Madara undid the Yin seal on Ashoka's forehead. Glimmering strands danced out of it, enveloping girl's body with wild patterns.
"Otou-sama, I feel so strong! Look! Look at me! I'm so strong! I can beat Hiro and Kagu! I can beat Gen! Otou-sama!"
"Hn… So you probably do… But now go to Godaime-sama and put your chakra into her. Little by little, Ashoka."
Small paws latched on Tsunade's shoulders.
"Begin!"
Even through the wooden stick they could hear the muffled scream of Tsunade.
"Go on, Ashoka. Just do it more slowly. Go on."
Tsunade shook but didn't move. Water-sphere was already deforming under the pressure of pumped chakra.
"Tsunade-sama! It's working! It's working! Patches are getting smaller!"
"Slowly, Ashoka. Steadily and slowly. And into Godaime's arms only."
Sweat was dripping from Tsunade's face. Strange odour of something organic burning was getting more and more pronounced.
"Ashoka, slower."
"Tsunade-sama, focus on the patch on the torso! Forget the leg for now! In worse case we can amputate!"
"Otou-sama, what is amputate?"
"I'll explain you later."
"Body is clear. I start scanning! Tsunade-sama, please do the leg now."
"First body-scan completed – nothing detected. Godaime-sama, the leg is almost done. Just a bit more!"
Blood started gathering on the surface of Tsunade's arms. It was forming small rivulets going down her elbows. Tsunade bowed her head; hair was covering most of her face now.
"Leg's done! Scanning the leg first time. Clean. Scanning whole body second time. 50% done. 75% done. Just a bit more… Clean." Blood was dripping on the floor. Wood cracked. "Scanning third time. 20% done. 30%..."
"Enough…" Madara seized Ashoka in half and pulled her away. "She's clean."
Tsunade bent, planting her hands on the floor. She spat out the wood, now in two pieces. "Yin Seal Release! Mitotic Cell Regeneration!"
When after two long minutes she finally stood up, her Yin seal was almost gone and her face had barely any colour.
"Shizune. You know what to do." Tsunade took two unsure steps towards the wall. Leaned against it, made another step towards the door. She slid down the wall about to hit the floor when Madara caught her. Her body hung limp in his arms.
"I'll bring her to the medics." He said marching out of the room with unconscious Senju princess in his arms. "ANBU, take my daughter back to Uchiha compound. Tell Kagu to go to Obito quarter and stay with whichever of his wives that is housing the children tonight. I'm staying here."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Yume was back home, still weak but out of danger already. Sakura knew that her daughter will feel much better at home, in the room she shared with Gen, in her own bed. Or rather in their bed. Because, no matter means Sakura took to make the twins finally sleep separately, they always manage to circumvent them. For time being they were sleeping on separate mats on two sides of the room. At least officially. Sakura knew that they were waiting until she was gone and pushing mats together again. She never caught them but she heard the noises more than often. Somehow however she didn't have energy to fight it. And for sure she won't be fighting it now. Yume needed all the support she could get. And Gen's presence was most essential to her daughter's wellbeing.
Sakura sighted. The incidence weighted heavily on her heart. It was first time that her children were in direct danger. And it was only the beginning. How will she bear with their first missions? First A-rank missions? So many children, so many dangers to come…
She came to sit next to Madara on the floor in the main house. Madara was reading some scrolls but he stopped when she entered.
"Why are you so worried?"
"It made me realize that I cannot protect them anymore."
"They don't need protection. They need nurture to be able to protect themselves. That's our role – to equip them for the future."
"Yeah, Gen and Yume maybe, but what about the smaller ones…" She didn't finish because twins entered the hall. What the heck, Yume should be in bed. How come she came walking here across two yards? And there was no way she could have dressed up by herself – Gen must have helped her.
They both knelt on one knee, right fists on the ground, Yume half step behind Gen.
"Like ANBU in front of Hokage." Sudden recognition flashed in Sakura's mind.
"Otou-sama. Reporting."
Madara nodded. Sakura's eyes widened – that was it! This was Madara the clan leader; that what was missing from his life for so many years, decades even. His children, her children – they were now the clan. And, in contrary to the Uchiha from century ago, they will never reject him.
"There is something we didn't tell you in hospital. We thought we shouldn't be talking about it there."
Madara narrowed his eyes, listening.
"When Kurama was gone and the attackers killed, I thought… I thought that Yume was dead as well. Something happened to my eyes then. Yume later said that Sharingan pattern was different than normal. It didn't look exactly like yours or uncle Obito's but… I think I have awakened the Mangekyo."
"I see… Did you try using it?"
"No."
"Activating it again?"
Gen shook his head.
"Good. Don't for now. We'll do it when you're fully recovered. Since you didn't tell about it to anyone, keep it like that. Yume, how did the pattern look like?"
Yume lifted her eyes. "Three-fold. Tomoe curved and empty inside. Similar to yours, otou-sama, safe for the spokes."

All were gathered in the yard of the first building, the most representational one. All the children, even Obito's youngest ones with their mothers. Naruto. Both former Hokages. Shikamaru as village councillor and Temari – officially as his wife, but in reality representing Suna. And a Daimyo's dignitary. Madara made sure to make it as official as possible. The dignitary was known to cultivate international connections.
Looking back, it didn't take that much of convincing. It was clear from the beginning that Gen's Mangekyo and Yume summoning ability will remain secret for now. Both needed first to learn how to use their new abilities. If using it was even ever to be an option – as in case of Yume… So, even if they theoretically possessed advanced ninjutsu skills, it wasn't known. And if it would have been, there was no telling if they wouldn't be targeted even more fiercely just because of their abilities.
All the younger children were vulnerable anyhow. That's why they were all getting these seals. And very publicly, so that the intel that they have if will spread broad. The potential kidnappers should think twice if they know that aiming for Uchiha child will summon its father to the spot... Madara and Obito both had more than enough reputation on their names to scare away anyone. That was at least Sakura's hope.
So they were sitting there. Madara and Obito at one end of the yard. Children with their mothers along the sides.
Gen was first, he stood up, came to Madara, knelt on his heels back to him and took of his shirt. Madara pressed his palm between Gen's shoulder blades and a black mesh-like pattern started spreading along boy's chest, arms, neck. It resembled light armour of sorts. Sakura looked into her son's face – it must have hurt him, but he didn't make a sound.
Yume was next, dressed in long sleeved blouse and long trousers to conceal the burns. She was ashamed of them plus they didn't want to raise questions about the origin of the wounds. Sakura was working on the scars but it would still need some time – tissue damage went very deep.
Yume loosened her belt and open her hitoe so that it slid to expose her back. When Madara put the seal on her she remained completely stoic. "Poor girl, she's so used to pain that it doesn't even make an impression on her…"
It was decided that all the children from Academy age on shall receive the seals. So they came. First pack of young wolves: Kagu, Hiro and Obito's three oldest. First three children of Obito were virtually the same age, placed exactly between Kagu and Hiro. They always stuck all together, Kagu being an acting leader of the troop. The real boss was Gen, on these rare occasions when he and Yume decided to join the play. Because her twins mostly held to themselves, being closer if anything maybe only with Kurenai's girls – Gen favouring Kasai, and Yume hanging sometimes out with Mirai.
Then followed four of Obito's younger children. Youngest was Yugao's daughter, only about to start the academy this year. She cried – before and during the sealing. Sakura's heart clenched – it was all kind of her idea. Not the seal design and mechanics, of course, but the sole concept that the easily visible and publicly known seal could disencourage possible attackers.
Ashoka was sitting next to her. Five years old – still too young for the ordeal. Sakura was sometimes forgetting her age – she was so serious and smart. And kept mentally climbing on her toes, because Ashoka hated being the youngest. She didn't belong to the pack and she loathed it.
Out of sudden Ashoka stood up. "I want that seal as well." She said in a voice excluding any discussion. Sakura opened her mouth – how long did it have to take to gather enough courage to stand up in front of everyone like that? In meantime Ashoka marched up to her father and sat before him as older kids did.
"It hurts. Do you know that?" asked Madara gently.
"I know." Nodded Ashoka very seriously and covered her mouth with both hands. Madara sent Sakura a questioning look across the yard. She shook her head in confusion. If they now send Ashoka away with nothing, she will be hurt by their lack of confidence more than by that seal. Which she will be getting anyhow next year… Still full of doubt, Sakura nodded her agreement.
Madara placed his palm to girl's back. Ashoka clenched her eyes and pressed hands to her mouth even harder.

Yume didn't say anything when he sat next to her on the porch. Which was normal. She didn't move and it was also normal. What wasn't normal was complete lack of smile.
Sakura had told him that Yume became depressed after the incident but Sasuke didn't expect such a gloom. They sat in silence until he decided to break it. Funny, how Yume was always making him realize that, in the end, he also wanted to have some form of interaction. In contrast to how he would behave with other people around, with her he was the one driving the exchange.
"So, a Kyubi summoner, ha? That's quite a feat."
Yume sent him a look full of unpleasantries.
"You should be proud of yourself. It is a true achievement." He added with all seriousness.
Yume narrowed her yes. "Don't mock me!" she spat out.
"I'm not mocking you. Would never even think about it."
" Kyubi summoner my ass! Do you know what happened next? It would have been better if I never had managed to summon him at all!"
"I know exactly what happened afterwards. And no, it wouldn't have been better. You would have been captured and your father would have started a war. Either together with Konoha leading to new Ninja War or without it resulting in expelling of the Uchiha clan. No, that would not have been better."
"I almost killed uncle Naruto. And mother. And Godaime-sama…"
"You didn't kill either. Even if you would have succeeded in pulling whole of the Kyubi out of Naruto, he wouldn't have died immediately. He isn't an Uzumaki for nothing. The fox would have returned into him in time. He grew very loyal to him, for the reasons that escape me… And as for the medics – they always first go unconscious when they deplete their reserves. They don't die from it."
"It scared me. This hate I felt, it scared me."
"For an Uchiha, hatred brings power."
"I don't want it, not like this."
"Take the power, step over the hate, then. Take the power, you will need it. Sooner or later you will want to protect somebody."
Yume was staring down.
"You have so many siblings, cousins… Sooner or later it will be up to you."
"Did you? Ever needed to protect someone? Have you ever wished you did?"
He had to dig deep and he found nothing. The empty space surprised and saddened him. Regrets, so many regrets. "I never protected anyone." For the briefest moment a new regret flashed in Sasuke's mind – of not protecting this girl next to him.
Yume pursed her lips. "Doesn't matter. I will never be able to summon him again."
"Why not?"
"I cannot contain him. He'll burn me alive."
Sasuke look at angry red marks on her shoulder. Sakura told him that one can actually see Kyubi's handprint around Yume's torso. She said it was anyway lucky that he had grabbed her mostly by the shoulders. If it was by the waist the burns would have reached internal organs.
"You cannot contain him because you're not a jinchuuriki. There are two possibilities. Either you pull him whole so that he materializes – which neither he will allow, nor you will want. Or you place this part of his chakra that you pulled somewhere else than in your own body.
Yume was looking at him carefully.
"You don't need to contain him. Just channel him."
"Channel where?"
"Into whatever you can create and sustain. You can make a form of a fox through Earth technique, don't you?" Sasuke smiled.
Yume nodded very slowly.
"I'll talk to your father about it, ok? And to Naruto. You will need training."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"See you." said Sasuke from the door.
But instead of smiling, Mariko became all serious. "Actually… Not, danna-sama."
Sasuke moved his hand away from door handle.
"I won't be here when you come next time."
Sasuke lower his hand. He was coming here every year or two, asking for Mariko each time. He figured out that is was better not to go through this initial awkwardness with someone new again. Better a known evil… and Mariko was known. She knew how he behaved. Sasuke had enough lucidity to recognize that he was probably not acting as regular customer and he was grateful that she bore with him. She was always really nice to him, always happy to see him, or at least always, invariably, giving such impression. He would book her for whole evening, and in between she would chat which would always give him headaches as she was probably worse babbler than Naruto. But at least she was more consistent with her stories. Hers were mostly market gossip. And stories about children – that is: about what the children of her friend did recently. He had to admit these were actually funny. He unwittingly ended up following their growing up.
He turned to her.
"I will be leaving from here soon. You see, I plan to… I am getting married."
Sasuke must have had a really stupid expression on his face as Mariko laughed. "Yeah, I know it's unusual, who would want me…?"
"I didn't mean it."
She smiled at him. "I know. It's just unusual for a girl like me to marry. An old customer, you see… His wife passed away many years ago and he was coming since then… Now his daughter is moving out and he will be all alone… He said I can take two of my youngest siblings with me. He is a good man."
"You never said you have siblings." Out of all the things that whirled in Sasuke's mind, this one surfaced on his lips.
"Yeah… These children that I kept telling you about… These were my brothers and sisters. I had to work to support them, now most of them are grown up. I don't have to work anymore. Maybe… maybe I will manage to have a child of my own now… Maybe it's still not too late…"
That was stupid to think she will always be here. Really stupid. Sasuke smiled – that is what one should do when saying goodbyes, right? "Good luck then. With your life."
"Thank you. Good luck to you as well."
Sasuke came up to the door.
"Danna-sama! Wait a moment still."
Sasuke halted.
"There is something, I need… That I still need to tell you." Mariko took an audible breath. "I know who you are... Konoha is not that far away and your clan just too famous. And not too numerous. And I know about the situation of your clan, Sasuke-sama."
Sasuke turned again. How long did she know? From the very beginning? If anything he had to admire her courage – to get locked up in a room with a man that used to be an internationally wanted criminal.
"Forgive me, but… I also know how it will go for you. We have many important guests, I understand a bit about politics. They will have you marry. Probably sooner than later."
Sasuke was staring at the door.
"And you will because it will be for the sake of your clan. When you marry… Forgive me for saying this, but you will not want to approach your wife as you approach me. You will want to make your wife happy."
Mariko stood up. "Maybe you will love her? Maybe she will love you? It can be, right?" She took a step in his direction. "It's not that difficult to love somebody…" She was right next to him, she stroked along his arms. "Let me show you how." She wrapped arms around his neck. He had to lean a bit because she was so small. "Actually it's not difficult at all."
He let her kiss him, undress him, guide him back on the bed. He followed her cues and touched her. When he lied on her, she was warm and soft and wrapped all around him so that he could feel her every breath and whimper resonating under him. And when she screamed and it got through to him that it was from pleasure, it made him feel so proud that he didn't even remember when he had last felt so.
And right after it made him regret that he didn't make her feel like that ever before.

Room was dark. Yume was kneeling inside an intricate sealing pattern on the floor. She was undressed waist up, save for narrow strip of bandages around her breast. It was the first time she had every worn these, her mother bound them around her before she left.
All who were left were Rokudaime Hokage and her father. They were studying the seal design father made. Yume saw it before but it looked just like scribbles to her. She knew though it was supposed to seal portion of Kyubi's chakra in her. And work as a sluice to access more of it if necessary.
They practiced a lot past months, behind a closed ANBU cordon, with medics on standby. Uncle Naruto was trying not to make great deal of it, but each time the Kyubi was leaving him, he was coming close to collapse. It became clear that if Yume is supposed to access Nine-tails power, some portion needs to be put aside. Negotiations about how large, if at all, would such part be, took awhile.
"That's a bit… extreme…" Kakashi pointed at some part of design.
"That's Kyubi this seal is supposed to summon. And he comes when he smells blood. It's killing that he's after. That's why I could summon him relatively easily… To make him come out, one needs to promise him something he desires."
"But it all sounds so… loving almost."
"For some reason Kyubi favours this girl. Maybe because out of all the children she holds greatest capacity for ruthlessness. She's most like me… Or maybe because he simply cares for her."
"Am I? Am I most like my father? Am I most cruel?" Yume remembered how she craved for pain on the face of bandit leader. How she didn't avert her eyes when Kurama mauled him.
"Yume-chan, I will start now. It will hurt but please bear with me." Sasuke was the same age when he had to have the barrier put around the cursed seal. Kakashi could still remember how the boy had shook. "As far as possible, try not to move." Kakashi placed his hand under her left breast, exactly where the heart was. "Apologies, Yume-chan." He murmured.
And then it started, hit her like a hammer. At first it didn't even hurt, was more as if she had received a powerful blow in the chest. Yume felt her father's hands on her shoulders, steadying her. When she accommodated the first impact, it started to burn. Markings from the seal on the floor were crawling up on her, making noises like a swarm of disgusting insects. Searching their place on her skin, marks were twisting and turning burying inside her, like animals digging their lairs.
She made a conviction not scream but she couldn't live up to it.

Yume was standing in front of a large mirror, turning her neck to see markings enveloping her body. The ones on the front and on her limbs she had inspected already. Still, even with Sharingan activated, she could only read disconnected words.
"If you look at it with Mangekyo – can you understand it?"
Gen narrowed his eyes. Seal had a very peculiar shape – nine strings of signs coming as if from Yume's heart, wounding around her body like ropes. Or snakes. Or tails of Kyubi. Where possible they were running along scars her first summoning had left. Each rope seemed to be a sentence, he wasn't sure were to start reading. He walked around his sister.
"I think I found the beginning…"
"Read, then!"
Gen looked at first string. "I call to you in time I need you the most." The second sentence should be next to the first. Only to figure out the direction and all will be clear. "From afar I hear your summon, it wakes me from the deepest sleep."
"In my loneliness I crave for your presence. Come to me, you're the one I want."
"On your call I come each and every time."
"Fulfill my wishes, look into my heart and read the desire that lives there."
"Desire fiercer than the fire that I house – I bend to it."
"Hear my order even if it's a whisper; obey my command even if it's hidden in my heart."
"I obey your every command, princess more radiant than the marching army, more beautiful than the battle gore."
"Fill me with your power. Together we are complete, together we are one."
"Somehow… it makes me embarrassed." Yume bent her neck again. "It sounds like a …"
"A conversation between the adults?
Yume bit her lip. "I'm ashamed."
"Don't worry – no one can read it anyway. It would need to be a Mangekyo wielder. And you would need to undress." Gen shrugged at improbability of such an event.

"Mangekyo wielders. Father, Gen, uncle Obito, Rokudaime Hokage. Uchiha Sasuke… He would be able to read it…"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

That was truly the end of everything – for the Hokage to be running errands for a tailed beast. Naruto sighted and knocked at the gate of Uchiha compound.
"I would like to talk to Yume."
"Oneee-saaaan!"
Yume bowed. He didn't see her for couple of months when coming to think about it. And she had grown.
"Yume-chan, hi! Kurama insisted on talking to you, so… " Naruto scratched back of his head in embarrassment.
"What about?" Yume got wary.
"Didn't tell me, the bastard. Says it's personal." Naruto grimaced and stretched his hand to Yume.

"Oi, kid. Long time no see."

Most foxy of the smiles from Yume in response. "What was important enough to sent Hokage running through the village to me?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"What about him?" Too quick. She said it too quickly.

"Don't get near him."

"As if I could." Yume shrugged. "He is never there. He doesn't even come back to the village anymore."

"And even when he's away, each morning you wake up closer and closer to him. Don't."

Yume jerked her head in protest. Kurama continued.

"Don't you smell it? He reeks of darkness, of a black pit where living things fall never to come out again!"

Yume's head was hanging low. She lifted only her eyes to the Kyubi with stubborn defiance.
"Something's wrong with your nose, fox. The darkness he smells of, is that of a moonless night. Such one when you see all the stars."

"Is it enough?"
"Cut it even shorter. Maybe then it's less shaggy."
"I don't think it will help. Plus, it's nice when it is so unruly!" Yume ruffled Mirai's wet hair.
"You're kidding. I hate that. My mum has such beautiful, soft curls and mine look like a horse brush! It's not fair."
Yume laughed. "Maybe it's from your dad?"
Mirai brushed her hand through her hair. "Think so? Maybe… I never thought about it that way. Maybe then I don't hate it in the end…"
"Do you miss him?" asked Yume with sudden bad conscience.
"Not at all. I never knew him. It was always dad, I mean Obito, who was around. With my real dad it's like a bonus, something additional I have that others don't."
"Does your mum tell you about him?"
"A lot. I know all the stories." There was something very soft in Mirai's voice.
Yume snapped at a lock of hair at Mirai's nape. "Speaking of stories. Did you ask?" Mirai was with her back to her, now she needed only to control her voice and not her face as well.
"Yeah, but I still don't understand why don't you ask your mum yourself."
"We did. But she never tells. I know more about my father's childhood, which is really weird judging the circumstances he grew up in. Mum would tell us something about when she was really small, maybe something about the Academy. And then, nothing. Nothing from the time she was our age, you know. She laughs and says it's too long. Or uninteresting." Yume paused, focused on tangled hair.
"And Nanadaime-sama?"
"Yeah… He goes all about how he's beaten Sasuke each and every time." Yume pulled a face and made her voice sound overenthusiastic. "Each and every time, dattebayo!"
"I can picture that… Count on the Seventh for such bullshit…"
"Yeah, but your mum told you, didn't she?"
"She did… But it's so weird that I don't really now how should I believe it. It didn't fit at all to how your mum would behave. And Sasuke as well, though I don't know him that well. I really don't know…"
"Now I'm really curious. Just spit it out already." Yume poked Mirai in the back with the scissors.
"So… Apparently your mum was madly in love with Sasuke. Like, head over heels, since she was a little girl. She was trailing him like a dog. And he couldn't care less about her. Everyone was taken aback, for both her being so persistent and him so aloof. Then he defected to this guy… I forgot his name, and your mum tried to stop him. They found her knocked out on a bench by the gate."
Yume was snapping scissors next to Mirai's hair. She was too unfocused to risk some real cutting but she didn't want Mirai to stop.
"Then there were couple of retrieval attempts by your mum, Nanadaime and the others. They've even found him on several occasions but were never able to convince him or force him to come back. He went truly a missing-nin."
"Oh…" escaped Yume's lips.
"Wait, it gets even better. Or worse, actually. During one of those retrieval missions when Sasuke was already an internationally wanted criminal, it went so far that they tried killing each other. Him and your mum. Both failed, her cause lack of resolve, him only because Nanadaime interfered. Ouch, Yume! Watch out with these scissors!"
"Sorry…"
"So you see – that all makes no sense. I really wonder if my mum has some skewed perspective. She was very close to her team, especially to auntie Hinata, so maybe it's because all her worries about the Seventh… In the end she said "thank gods she met your father, because she would ended up unhappy till end of her life, married to a guy incapable of a single normal human emotion." I don't know how she even made such connection…How can she be so sure that they were on the track to get married? But she was so worked up that I didn't ask any further."
Yume let out a breath she didn't even noticed she was holding. How could it be? When she saw them interacting now – how do you go from assassination attempt to this? How could mum treat Sasuke as she did now, with all that warmth and care and calm? As Mirai seemed to be finished, Yume made an effort and managed: "Yeah, it's really strange." She clapped the scissors together. "Umm, Mirai, I think I'm done here. You'd better take a shower – these hairs are everywhere."
Mirai took a peek at her shoulders. "Yup. It will itch like hell. Ok, thanks a million Yume!"
Yume went out. The sun on the yard was much too bright and her head was spinning. She had a hunch that her mother had something with Sasuke, but she was expecting something… normal. Like a crush. Or dating in the worse case. Not such a fucked up mess. And if what auntie said about Sasuke was true… Then it was terrifying. If he used to be like that, what kind of person was he now?

"I look disgusting!"
Gen chose to ignore the outbreak.
"Disgusting! Repulsive!"
Apparently Yume didn't want to be ignored. And he knew better when to relent to her wishes. "No, you don't."
"I look like a scroll. A scroll that three different people used to scribble on! Just look at me."
Gen obediently looked. Now, that she pointed it out – three seals one over another, all in different styles, formed indeed a bit jarring combination. To the mesh of protective seal and furious lashes of nine tails she got recently added a flowery wrath around her hips. Kasai and Sayia as well – mother was not taking any risks. But still, he couldn't see the point to get so frustrated. The seals were just on her skin. All the rest, the shape, the curves was not affected.
"You're none of that. Only crazy."
Yume threw him a furious look.
Gen sighted. "You're beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl in the entire world." Why was she acting so stupid all the sudden. She must be aware of it.
"In the entire world? You've never left the village!"
"Ok. You're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."
"More beautiful than Kasai?"
"Of course. Kasai doesn't compare."
"Hey, watch out. I can tell her and she won't be coming to you so eagerly afterwards."
"Oh, come on. Kasai's awesome and I'm marrying her as soon as they allow me. But in terms of looks, you reign supreme."
Yume narrowed her eyes. Smooth talker of Gen, he knows exactly what she wants to hear and just says it. "And what about all these girls you keep meeting?"
"These? These stupid cows? I don't even remember names of half of them."
"And of the other half?"
Gen shrugged.
"Yet you meet them! Do gods know what with them!"
"So? What should I do otherwise? Of all the girls that are worth a bother, you are my sister and Kasai is too young, at least according to everyone. Which is bullshit, by the way. So what am I suppose to do? I have to let steam out somewhere…"
Yume's eyes spoke undescriptive murder.
"I'm careful. I will not get any of them pregnant or anything… Mother has lectured me enough about it."
There was nothing nondescriptive in Yume's look anymore. It was saying loud and clear: "I'll kill you first and burn the house later. To cover the evidence."
"What is with you? Why lashing at me!? Why are you so jealous all the sudden? I mean, more jealous than usual…"
"Because about you I at least CAN BE jealous!"
Silence that followed was heavy. After a long while, it was Gen who broke it.
"He's not coming back and you're wondering what is he doing." He said slowly. "He has been away for three years already."
Yume's gaze was stone.
"Not three years? Than how long? You know exactly, don't you?"
"Three years, eight months and seventeen days." Yume's answer came through clenched teeth.
"He'll be back. It's not even that unusual for him to be away for so long. More or less…"
"Yeah. He will be back. For a day or a week! And then he will be gone again!" There was a tone of distress in his sister's voice that Gen didn't know so far. "It makes no sense! No sense what so ever and I'm still doing it!" Yume was dressing up furiously. Gen wondered how she managed not to rip her clothes, mishandling them like that. "Everyone says I should stay away! Everyone!"
"Everyone who?" Gene couldn't imagine his sister going for heart advice to anyone.
"Everyone! Even Kurama."
"He? Really?"
"Really. He had uncle Naruto run to me through the village to tell me this…"
"And what did you answer?"
"I basically told him to stuff himself. It's been years but what he said still rings in my ears…"
"Kurama hates Sasuke. Everybody knows that. Do you have a less biased adviser? Who are these everyone exactly?"
Yume bit her lip. "Auntie Kurenai, for example…"
"You went to talk to her?!"
"No! I had Mirai ask about how it was with mother and Sasuke."
"And what did she say?"
Yume shook her head. "It was so horrible that I don't even want to repeat it. Basically that he's completely heartless. Not… normal."
"Ha. Pretty harsh. And pretty unfair. Actually, I think Sasuke is a cool guy. And I think you fit together. I really don't understand why are you so upset all of the sudden. If you want him, just go tell him."
"Are you crazy?!"
"Ok, then show him somehow."
"No way."
"Why not? I do it all the time. Works very well."
"You're a guy! And you don't give a shit about those girls you pick up. Imagine it would be with Kasai!"
"I did exactly the same. Two years ago I told her I like her and that I want to marry her."
"Two years ago? How old was she? Thirteen?"
"Twelve. But I was sure of it already back then."
Yume shook her head. "Not possible. I can't do something like that. Plus, he doesn't even notice me. He would never think about me like that…"
"Think so? I am sure he notices you very well. He generally notices everything. And, come on, he spends more time with you than with anyone else. He actually talks to you! Otherwise he talks only to father."
"Not only… To mum as well."
"Mum talks. All he does is not escaping."
"We also don't really talk. We just sit…"
"But you both like it."
"I guess…"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sasuke came back exactly during summer festival. He completely forgot about it and had he remembered, he would have postponed his visit to avoid it. It was too loud and crowded in the village at that time.
But he didn't remember. So he stepped right into it. And not wanting to do roof-hopping in front of civilians he chose the bothersome and slow way through the streets. People were just too near, touching and jostling him. He sighted quietly. Just a bit further.
He couldn't recognize many faces, only one woman with hair in Chinese buns greeted him from a stall full of ninja tools and small weapon cram. He vaguely remembered – she could have been one of Neji's Hyuga old team. The totally ungifted one.
He was scanning through the surroundings finding way where the crowd would be less dense when he caught a glimpse of Uchiha crests. He looked more carefully – these were the children, forming a small group around one of the stalls.
At a second glance, the word "children" didn't fit so well anymore. Yume got much taller, and with her hair held up she looked all adult. Next to her, one of Obito's oldest daughters, not the fiery, red-eyed Kasai, but the other – the Inuzuka girl, was standing bent under the weight of a toddler on her hip. She was patiently untangling baby's fingers from her hair. Some smaller children were holding to Yume's kimono.
Here, before his eyes – a living proof of clan reborn. Uchiha women and children on the marketplace of Konoha. A wound that has been healed.
Sakura's younger daughter was at the front of the group. She was talking to the jewellery seller; he could read her lips from where he stood. Her ash-coloured hair was making her look older than she was. That, or in whose name she was speaking.
"Onee-sama would like to see that one."
Seller smirked and smiled broadly at Yume. "If your onee-sama would tell me her tastes, I could be of better service." He said trying to look Yume in the eyes. He couldn't because even if she held her chin proudly up, her eyelashes were down. "If I could advice…" A bit too much of edge in his tone. Clearly he was from far away, not recognizing to whom was he speaking.
Yume made an almost unnoticeable gesture – she reinforced the grip on Ashoka's shoulder where she was holding her hand already. Sasuke wondered if jewellery seller even noticed it.
"Can we see it, or not?" It was still Ashoka speaking, but she was no longer polite.
"Of course, of course!" The seller stepped round the table holding a haircomb in his hand. He looked as if he was trying to put it in Yume's hair. But he stopped mid-motion. Because, finally, Yume looked at him. Sasuke could feel the killing intent even from where he was standing. She didn't even have to activate her Sharingan. She just smiled.
Seller stumbled, making a step back. He ducked back, pushed the comb into Ashoka's hands and took cover behind the stall.
"How much is it?"
"That's for free, miss! No need to pay for this inadequate thrash! Please, take it as a gift!"
Yume turned and started going away, with other children following her. Only Ashoka stayed.
"We don't need any gifts from you." She placed a coin on the counter, took the comb and followed her sister.
Yume was already in the middle of the street. Now Sasuke could see that her kimono was not entirely black as it seemed before but patterned with dense starry design. She looked up and her face seemed to glow with her own light.
"Princess indeed more radiant than the marching army." Sasuke remembered the part of summoning tattoo he spotted years ago on her leg. "But much more terrifying than it."
He got through the crowd finally and reached a street less packed with people. He headed to Uchiha compound to report his newest finding about Kaguya's dimensions to Madara. They were highly disturbing and probably required some moves from whole shinobi confederation. And after he will report, he will escape that havoc of festival as fast as possible. Before someone sees him and tries dragging him into the merriment.

"Greetings from Sasuke." Said Madara when Yume entered the main house.
Yume tilted her head to him.
"He has left already." Madara answer the unspoken question.

"Gen, where are you. Where are you. I need you. Stand before me. Be my shield, be my curtain. Hide me behind you. Ashoka, where are you. Stand before me. Someone, anyone, please, because I cannot hold it anymore!"

Madara looked carefully into his daughter's face. "He said he will see you next time." He said gently. "And that you shouldn't scare people to death like that."

Sasuke was angry. Angry because he didn't understand his own reactions. This what he said, that she shouldn't scare people like that – coming to think about it he didn't only mean the jewellery seller. She scared him. Not her killing intent, Sasuke knew she was no match for him. But this awe and feeling of being dumbstruck she evoked in him. And fact of getting scared was making him very angry.
He remembered how completely oblivious to the surrounding he was in that moment. If there had been an attack coming, he wouldn't have seen it. He took pride in his sharpened senses, he had trained himself to reduce his blindspot to be even smaller than Hyugas'. And that all to drop his composure at a sight of a girl on the marketplace. Sasuke tripped. In astonishment he looked under his feet eyeing the stone he just failed to notice. Without anything better to vent his anger on, he kicked the stone so that it hit the wall of a nearby house.
He was entering a village. He intended to find an inn and have a decent night sleep, but it quickly became obvious that it would not be the case. This village was also holding a summer festival and Sasuke wished for more stones to kick. That every, even shittiest, tiny village had to hold a festival!
He past it and headed towards the forest. He could camp there, away from the racket, not too far though as he would need to come back in the morning to buy supplies. Because, of course, nothing normal was to be bought this night except for fatty festival food.
He was climbing the grassy hill when the fireworks started. Sasuke sighted and sat down. Not that he will be able to sleep in this noise. He noticed groups of people strayed here and there, apparently the hill was a firework viewing spot for the villagers. A boy and a girl were lying in the grass, not talking, but at the distance that stated how comfortable they around each other. A bit further, a family with small children running around. The woman was leaned against her husband, her head resting on his shoulder. Somewhere right to him another couple, sitting so closely together that in the darkness they looked like one object.
Normally that wouldn't make any impression on him. Normally. Now he felt something and as far he could tell, this feeling was envy. Suddenly he wanted to have someone with whom he could also be so at ease.
Fireworks finished, people started to go back to the village. One girl stood up, pulled her companion up to his feet and laughing dragged him into the forest. Sasuke rolled his eyes and headed to the forest as well. On the opposite side of the hill.
Within next weeks he found himself thinking about Yume couple of times. It was always the same – her turning and looking up to the sky. Until the image faded and he couldn't remember her face from that scene anymore. Of course, he still knew very well how she looked like, but that picture was gone. Was it because he recalled it too many times?
It was autumn and for the first time ever he was actually waiting for a messenger hawk from Sakura. She was always making a point out of maintaining regular contact. Her letters were long and warm and he could see her effort in keeping him in touch with the affairs of the village and the clan.
So when a standard bullshit message from Naruto came first, he was disappointed. That, in addition to usual annoyance that dobe's messages evoked in him. They were always same chaotic nonsense, until recently written on bad-taste postcards which were supposed to be funny. Until recently. Because a year ago Naruto got a new toy for birthday. Sasuke never thought he would have a reason to hate Hyuga Hinata. Now he had – a polaroid camera that allowed dobe sending messages on the other side of ridiculous pictures of himself.
So when the letter from Sakura finally came, he almost jumped at it. He scanned through, looking for interesting parts. There was a long paragraph about Ashoka's progress in medical ninjutsu. And another about Hiro passing his Chunin exams. Sasuke didn't understand what was Sakura so ecstatic about - the boy was almost fifteen. They were two years younger when they took their exam. Ok, they failed, but hadn't it been for Orochimaru's attack, Sasuke was sure he would have been promoted.
There was nothing about Yume though. He read again, looking for a hint between the lines, but there wasn't even that much.
His reply he phrased with more care than usually. He didn't really know what to write about but he added a description of the Land of Frost he crossed the previous month. He thought all those mountains could be interesting for someone grown up on the warm plains of Konoha. He didn't even know if Sakura still read his letters to the children. Could be that they were much too old for this by now. Nevertheless, instead of usual half page, he managed three.
Sometime during the winter he dreamt about Yume. He dreamt that they were going somewhere together and there was nothing particular about this dream. Still, he woke up elated and that feeling persisted whole day long.
When the bird brought the next letter from Sakura, Sasuke regretted wishing for news about Yume. Sakura was writing that she got badly wounded during an S-rank mission in the Land of Grass. She was already home, but Sakura was shaken and out of her mind about the incident. In his reply he allowed himself to express hope that Yume was already doing better.
Some time later he dreamt about her again. This time there was nothing vague about this dream. Explicit would be a better word to describe it, if Sasuke would ever dare to spare it a second thought. Instead he stormed out of the tent into the freezing night and stood barefoot in the snow until his painfully hard erection finally disappeared.
After this incident he briefly entertained an idea of finding another lady of negotiable affection. But quickly he came to the conclusion that he definitely didn't want to. Instead he went for an old tested method that he used to employ during his time with Orochimaru – train until you drop. After the training the only sleep that was coming was black and dreamless.
It was spring and his mission was almost completed. He was not expecting the messenger bird anymore. It was always the same bird that was shuttling between him and Sakura and he hoped that this year they will let it breed down there in Konoha. They kept it from it for last three years, as far as Sasuke could tell. He felt sorry for the poor animal. At least it should get something from life.
He was already on his way towards Konoha when he had that dream again. He must have woken up and still half asleep stroked himself, what seemed to him, two or three times. He came and seconds later he was already considering chopping his right hand off. As retaliation he turned back and headed into the opposite direction to where Konoha lied.
It took several months for his shame and fury to subside and the time was by then high to come back. He was bracing himself against facing her. He thought up an argument that seeing her again would normalize things back to how they used to be, but deep inside he knew it was just a lie he was telling to himself. He feared that seeing her won't bring anything good to him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Have you heard from Sasuke recently?""No. Last time end of winter. He was writing he will be back in spring.""Then he is late. Half a year.""Don't tell me you worry about him." Sakura giggled."No, of course not. I was just wondering if you heard anything." He wasn't worried about Sasuke. Or rather not directly. Even if Yume was great at hiding it, he could see through her façade. Madara remembered very well how it was to feel that pull and be helpless and without hope. He suspected that it had something to do with being an Uchiha – that attachment, which once formed didn't seem to go away no matter the time and circumstances. And as he wasn't exactly thrilled by his daughter choice, he knew it was not up to discussion. And that it wasn't even a choice to begin with. No one with a glimmer of sanity would chose to fall in love in an ever-absent former teammate of ones own mother. Just as no one would chose to be caught in dream of blissful future with a sworn enemy. Not a choice at all. How infuriating and ironic for the ones with so much power to be in the end governed not by themselves. Not a choice but bitter all the same.Gen got much luckier at least. From what he heard, Obito's household was already in full preparation frenzy, even if Kasai's wedding was still couple of months away. But the closer it was coming, the more time the male half of Obito's family was spending taking cover on his yard. And in his house. And everywhere else."I would have told you. But what is it about?""I was just wondering… Do you think he will at some point stop those travels?""You mean really start living here? I don't think so, he never mentioned he had plans like that. I guess there is not really a reason for him to be staying here. On those missions he feels useful. He feels he is paying back his debt by protecting Konoha from the outside.""Why do you think he never found someone?""Oh, that… I guess he just never met anyone who would suit him. Certainly there was no girl that would fit him in our generation. I don't think he could stand any of us on a longer run." Sakura giggled. "Sasuke is just… difficult. But why are you suddenly interested in it?"Madara realized he didn't have an excuse ready. What an idiot of him, to lower his guard like that. Luckily Sakura jumped to conclusions and saved him out of the trouble answering her own question."No, don't tell me it's the council?! Are they putting pressure again?""Not yet. But it will come up sooner or later.""They should really make a contest for the dumbest idea of theirs! I can't believe how is this village even still running! Please, don't make him do it! Don't try forcing him. It will go very, very bad. He will feel betrayed and will turn away from everything we've managed to build so far. Please don't."Madara looked at her, so worked up, so concerned, so full of love and care and so… lovely that she could steal his breath away. He wanted to kick himself because of the soft spot he had for her.Sakura looked at him with determination in her eyes. "If it is about it, I can get pregnant again. Tell them this."Madara was always slightly annoyed with how easily she was putting him in sentimental moods. Now, she gave him a perfect pretext to snap out of it. He gently took her hands, untangled her fingers from the tea cup and took it away. "That contest – are you just preparing an entry? Because this is the most idiotic reason to have a child I have ever heard of."Sakura stomped. Tea cup was safely out of her range. "You jerk!"Maybe it wasn't such a good diversion in the end, because when she was angry, she looked even more beautiful."Here I'm trying to do my very best for everyone and you ridicule me!""Calm down, I was just teasing you. How come you still fall for it after so many years?""It's not that I'm keeping my guard up around you. You're my husband."Madara looked at her. She must have seen something in his eyes as she blushed and reached with her foot under the table to stroke down his calf. Madara smiled. "You are wonderful, you know? The way you care about everyone. I admire how valiantly you try to protect them.""That's only what I should be doing, as his friend. Who else is there to protect him? Even if I'm weaker when it comes to battle, with those social things, he is clueless as a child, defenseless."Madara's thoughts revolved back to the initial matter. That should find a conclusion. Should go either this or that way because the longer Yume waited with nothing else to accompany her safe her thoughts, the more prone this love would be to becoming… something else. Something not good at all.And there will be no diverging it, at least not soon. For him a lifetime was not enough. It took whatever was good in it to turn into blood and hate and it wasn't enough. It took his death to be able to finally let go. It wasn't that far for Yume yet, but knowing the pain his own child was up to, was not easy. And, in the end, he was responsible for all her suffering even more than he was for the suffering of all the others, deprived of Tsukuyomi. Because her, he called into existence himself.Sakura's words snapped him out of these thoughts. "That, what I said… about the child. It wasn't out of nowhere. You see, I've been thinking about it…"Madara jerked his head."I was thinking and maybe… Maybe we could have another?""I thought you were done with it.""I thought so too, but now, when they are all grown up…""Don't you want to focus more on the hospital?""Hospital is running so well and now with three of them out of the house already, and Hiro up to his own business as he is, I have only Ashoka still around.""Well, then it is a job well done for you, isn't it?""From one side yes, but then I look at Ashoka and she's so big already, soon will be taller than me. I cannot even hold her properly anymore; forget about having her on my lap – her legs so long and… She doesn't need me anymore. It's selfish, I should be happy, I know." Her eyes shone dangerously, she was sitting with shoulders slumped down."Oh, come here."Sakura scrambled from her stool and climbed on his lap."See, you're talking nonsense – I can still hold you no matter how big.."Sakura slapped him at the back of his head. "Hey, I didn't get any bigger!"Madara laughed. "But out of gloomy mood, apparently."Sakura wound her arms around his neck, pecked him on the cheek. "So? Can we try? With the baby…""If you want. It's not that my part is particularly demanding."Sakura nudged her nose to the crook of his neck. He felt her lips and then tongue on his skin. "We can take our time trying…" She murmured. Madara thought that he may reconsider his agreement. If this succeeds, there won't be moments like this for many years to come. But then, wasn't such a thought exactly a proof that he had made a right choice back then?Sasuke could not foresee what his reaction on seeing Yume would be. Of course, he would never actually DO anything. It was rather that he doubted in his ability of hiding the emotions. What if something would show up on his face?So upon his return he entered the main house with a feeling of entering enemy's base. He was prepared for surprise attack from every side. But she was not there. Reluctant to let his guard down, he sat at the table, accepted Sakura's welcome and cup of tea she handed to him. Kagu came rushing and Ashoka after him. He had to tell all the "adventures" he had last year to the inquisitive youngster. Ashoka listened from her place next to Sakura on the other side of the table, sometimes posing a question, but mostly just observing him. He had an uncanny feeling of being analyzed. It struck him how composed the girl was - apparently Sakura's short fuse had been passed onto her other children. Mostly onto the twins, he supposed.From the conversation he figured out that both Gen and Yume were now living in separate houses in the compound. That was reshaping his problem entirely – it was no longer the question of how would he behave accidentally bumping at her. It was now up to him to actively search her out. Or not. Sasuke decided to go for a walk."Retract that! Unsay it, you trash! I'll never allow you to speak about my sister like that!" Hiro was struggling like a rabid dog in Gen's grip. But Gen was holding his neck fast. With other hand he held one of Obito's younger boys, hanging by the belt."Ok, ok, I've made it all up! Who would have wanted your sister anyway! If I ever got with her I would freeze my di.."The boy didn't finish because at that moment Gen released his grip on Hiro's neck.From behind the whirlpool of younger boys' fight Sasuke noticed Gen's eyes on him. Relentless, like Madara's. Staring.Meanwhile the brawl was over and three of the boys escaped. The forth didn't manage and was now lying motionless on the ground."Nii-san! He's not breathing!"Gen approached holding hands in his pockets, crouched down. "He is." He said and stood up."But what are we supposed to do with him now?!""Have Ashoka fix him." Gen shrugged turning."But mother said Ashoka is only supposed to train on fishes! On dead koi, she said!""Then don't tell mother." Answered Gen in tone of stating the obvious and headed towards Uchiha compound."Sasuke's back!" Gen shouted running in."I know." Gen tilted his head at poise in her voice. "Ashoka was here already.""Then what are you still doing here?" Yume shrugged. "Go see him!""No."Gen plopped on the floor. "Why? You've been waiting for him for so long.""Yes. And now I can wait another day until he decides to come here on his own.""You mean it? Really? To let such an opportunity pass? Are you that self confident or such a risky player?""Neither. If he doesn't come on his own, then it wouldn't have been worth going out of this house anyway."
"Maybe he doesn't come at all. And maybe it will be better. Maybe he'll break the promise. I'll see you next time. I bet he doesn't even remember saying it! Go on, just leave! Just leave again without seeing me! Give me a reason for disaster and I'll be happy ever after. Give me a reason, I wish you would…"
"Yume!"
"Give me a reason to burn this house down. To let go off you. Go on, I wish you would."
"Yume!" Gen grabbed her wrist, pulled her hand out of kimono's folds, forcefully stretched out her fingers. Red half-moons marked her palm. He sucked out blood from under her fingernails. "Salty blood, salty. Just like tears.""Salty blood, salty.""And now it's enough. We're going out of here. I'll be there.""I cannot.""You can.""No. What's so easy for you is impossible for me. Even with all your help. And I don't want to. I don't want to see him unless he comes here."
"I want to see him as I never wanted anything in my life."
"Then what do you want? You're going out of rails already!"
"Is it love or hate that I'm feeling now? I wish you'd come more than anything in the world. I'll hate you if you don't. I'll hate you if you do. Cause then I will never stop this insanity. Will keep sitting here waiting till the end of my life."
"Can you really wait until tomorrow?"Yume hung her head. "It's like black burning tar, filling me up, I can barely contain it. Kurama was right.""What am I suppose to do?! I can't watch you like that! You're my favourite person in the entire world, you know…?" Gen cradled her face between in his palms. She looked at him with unseeing eyes.Gen brushed thumbs along her cheekbones, finally getting her attention."Just stay here with me. Tell me a story. Something else to think about.""What story? I don't know any; you're the one who's always telling.""Just any story."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sasuke took a deeper breath, what he was doing was against his better judgment. He should just get away as fast as possible and try to forget. Now he was standing here about to push fingers into the wound. He knew he will be regretting it soon, but he wanted to do it nevertheless. Sasuke knocked and entered without waiting for the answer. He knew the answer wouldn't come anyway.
The yard was like all the others here only that it was very quiet and very empty. Yume was sitting on the porch on the other side. She trailed him with her eyes as him walked towards her. For a long time she didn't take her eyes of him as if deciding how to react. In the end, when he was just couple steps away, she smiled. So brightly as he never saw her smile before. As he never saw anyone smile at him before.
He nodded greetings and sat down next to her. A troop of sparrows was bickering and fighting in the sand. They sat in silence watching them.
He didn't know where to start. He tried remembering when was the last time they spoke.
"It's been a long time, he?"
A not exactly friendly look from Yume.
"When was it that we've last met?"
Arching of an eyebrow. It was clear - she wasn't happy. If about him not showing up for so long or not remembering, he couldn't tell. It occurred to him that she was still such a child, thinking that lives of others rotated around her.
"Almost six years."
Sasuke looked up in surprise. Not happy, but also not angry enough to stay silent, it seemed. "Really…?" He paused. "My years… they go by so quickly…"
She looked at him seriously. "It was shortly after I got the Kyubi seal."
Now he remembered, he had been in Konoha because of an emergency. He had passed her by in the corridor and they had exchanged couple of sentences when he had been hurrying to a council meeting. It must have been summer, as he remembered seeing the seal on her arms and legs. He glimpsed at her – no seal in sight, all covered with a robe. He needed to distract himself from imagining what else was under that robe so he asked:
"Was is difficult?"
She nodded.
"Painful?"
"Yeah, but that was not the issue… It was also so… I don't know… invasive. As if something was entering and merging with me… I don't think you can understand what I mean." She finished looking him.
"I can."
Tilted head.
"During our Chunin exams, I mean, our first exams, I was defeated and… forcibly branded with a cursed seal. Apart from, rather corrosive, power, the seal also contained the chakra of the person that gave it to me." His voice was thick, still it was difficult to talk about it. Funny, it was such a long time ago he even thought save spoke about it. Now he saw it clearly, it was a curse and it was a violation.
"And then?" Yume edged towards him, a shade of concern on her face.
"Then I joined that man. I knew that the seal was just a bait to lure me in but I still went on with it."
"Why…?"
"For power."
"And? Did it bring you the power?"
"Oh, yes… It also ate me from the inside. I did things I'm ashamed of with its help. Because of it. At least I hope that it was because of it…"
"Like trying to kill my mother?"
Oh, he didn't see this one coming. What a well-placed hit. "No. For that I don't even have a cursed seal for an excuse." He had nothing else to say. Because there was nothing to be said in his defense. So he kept sitting, wondering where he would go when he leaves this house.
He saw Yume shift around uncomfortably, it was probably time to go.
"What was the power of that seal?" she blurted out when he was about to get up. Sasuke halted. It sounded as if she wanted to make him stay. And she looked almost embarrassed.
"Increase of chakra level, increase in physical power. It also had a second stage… Then I could even fly…"
Yume's eyes went huge. "Really? How?"
Sasuke felt very stupid. "I was able to… ehem... to grow wings."
Yume snorted with laughter. Ok, maybe that was embarrassing, but at least he was making her laugh, so he continued. "I also looked very differently. Different skin colour, different hair colour." And no, he won't be mentioning the lipstick; he did not fall that low yet.
Yume was taxing him with her eyes. "I would like to see that…."
"Maybe you would, but I wouldn't. Believe me." Deciding it was enough of that free entertainment Sasuke changed the topic. "The fox's power, how do you use it?"
"I build a fox form through Doton and then channel Kurama's chakra into it. Like you suggested." She smiled. "And also it was thanks to you that I had my Earth techniques decently practiced to begin with. I was trying to make those little animals, you know…"
Sasuke smiled back. "Can you show me? Some small version."
Yume jumped down to the sand of the yard. "Small version." She folded her palms into Doton sign and then plunged hand into the ground. A little Kyubi, size of a normal fox rose from the surface. It was perfect, down to the shape of the ears and backward bent of the forelegs' joints. Yume placed her hand on the creature. Blazing lines crept as if from her sleeve and traveled to the fox. It came alive as orange chakra covered it and Yume withdrew her hand. The same moment little fox jumped snarling at Sasuke, landed on his chest and was about to bite, when the glow suddenly disappeared and fox crumbled into a small heap of sand on his lap.
"Gome… He doesn't like you…"
"Feeling well reciprocated."
"Kurama himself would never behave like that. He has more self-respect than that. This part that I carry though… There's nothing conscious about it."
"I see… You can't talk to it, then?"
"No. But I talk to real Kurama."
Ha, wonder if the fox is talkative. Sasuke hoped that it was not the case.

Next day he came again. Yume was at her usual spot.
"Not going to see Chunin exams?"
Shake of head.
"Not interested?" Sasuke himself didn't see the exams for good ten years or more, and even if interested was an overstatement, he wouldn't say no…
"Don't know anyone who is taking this year. I'll go next time, for Ashoka."
"How was it with Hiro last year?"
"Thrilling." She made it sound like a bad thing. "Thank gods he passed. He is so difficult to motivate. Doesn't want to adjust to the system."
"I think I get him… I hated both of my Chunin exams. I hate this idea of putting my ability on public display for someone to judge."
Yume was dangling her legs down from the porch. "Hmm... if you put it this way… Good I didn't think about it like that back then. We were all proud and excited taking the Chunins. You know, first Uchiha since gods know when… Ah, well, since you…" She finished awkwardly.
Sasuke glimpsed sidewards. Yup, she was definitely embarrassed, even a bit reddish on the cheeks. "You mean first or second time? I'm probably the only Uchiha in the history that had to participate twice…" He almost wanted to pat himself on the shoulder, because the joke worked. A smile cracked up on Yume's face.
"How was it the second time?"
"Humiliating. They sealed away whole our chakra. Amazing how lame you feel without it. But, at least I fared better than Naruto…"
Yume giggled. "Funny, he always says the opposite."
"Hn. Clear nonsense. He relies so heavily on his Shadow Clones that he's next to useless in a solo-taijutsu. Not to mention shuriken-jutsu and so on - I can hit a concealed target not using any chakra at all." He couldn't believe he was doing this. Bragging about being better than Naruto. In front of a girl. But at least she was laughing.

Then, he didn't come for a couple of days due to council meetings, and Naruto monopolizing whatever was left from his time.
On the third day when he entered Yume's house he was greeted by a sound of a row. Two voices shouting, clearly no one was listening to another anymore. He entered the yard just in time to hear Gen calling Yume a stubborn idiot while she was yelling at him to shut the fuck up. Standing opposite one another, they looked like two seconds more and the quarrel would go from verbal to physical.
They noticed his presence simultaneously, and turned, all their rage misplaced and focused at him. He instinctively edged back as the blow of hostility hit him.
Sasuke reassessed his reaction – it wasn't that incorrect in the end. Those two could probably take him on. Separately – no; but together, with their no doubt perfect teamwork and him underestimating their abilities… Maybe they could even defeat him?
But he couldn't deliberate on it further as the air changed. Recognizing the intruder, Yume spun and sat down with her back demonstratively towards her brother.
Gen shot him a wide grin. "Ok, I'm gone from here." He said in tone of announcing great news. Yume sent him another deadly glare and he scrammed.
Sasuke felt a bit out of place. Yume was sitting at the edge of the porch, half turned away from him, knees curled to her chest. Her foot was tapping a nervous rhythm.
"Should I go as well?"
A shake of head.
Sasuke sat down.
The rhythm slowed down. Now it sounded more like an angry battle march until it ended with a loud stomp. "Gen pisses me off."
Sasuke decided not to comment on the obvious.
"He doesn't know when to stop." She turned abruptly. "I shouldn't have yelled…" she finished with guilt in her voice.
"I wouldn't know how it is with siblings. But with a real good friend – you can yell at him whatever you like, and he won't ever give up on you."
Yume sighted. "No, he wouldn't. Always, no matter how horrible I behave, he never does. He's the only who can stand me."
"Now, that's a very unjust thing to say. You have tons of people who care about you." Sasuke knew she didn't mean to but somehow it struck a wrong vein in him. She didn't know the meaning of true loneliness. Her solitude was voluntary.
Something of these thoughts must have been visible on his face as Yume looked at him sheepishly. "I shouldn't have said it either, should I? Now I offended you as well."
"No." He said after a while. "No, you didn't. I don't get offended by it anymore."
"It's just… With all the others, it's so difficult; I always feel I need to be on guard. That I cannot, or rather that I don't want to show what I feel. I dislike it so much about myself. Just that there are so few people with whom I am… I don't know…" She broke off.
"… at ease?" he hinted. Yume nodded.
He had a question: "And with me?" at the tip of his tongue. He knew that she talked to him more and more openly than with most of the others. Sakura often complained about one-sided conversations she was having with Yume. "Talking to her is like talking to a wall. Or to you." - Sakura used to write. His conversations with Yume were nothing like that. She never looked uncomfortable around him either.
So that would have been a really stupid question. And a humiliating one as well, but he was willing to suffer this humiliation in order to hear it from her. What a moronic idea – he bit at it, chewed it and swallowed.
"Yeah… me too." He said instead. Apparently it was a wrong thing to say because Yume blinked, looking as she was about to cry. "So, what was it about with Gen?" He tried changing the topic.
"What do you care?!" The level of distress in her voice was high again. "Why would you care?"
"Why? Because I happen to care about your feelings?" He said defensively.
"No! No, you don't! You don't at all! Doesn't it shame you to sit here and lie like this? You would behave differently if you did! You'll disappear any day now and won't even say goodbye, will you? Oh, I know, pass me a message through my father, that will be great!"
Sasuke stared.
"Go on, just leave already! Leave!"
She turned away from him. She was shaking but he couldn't tell if it was from crying or anger.
"Yume…"
"Leave!" There were no tears in her voice, only fury.
Despite of it Sasuke remained seated. He was among the best in analyzing a situation, but for this he needed a moment. It was the same feeling as during a fight - he almost felt cogs turning in his brain, scrutinizing opponent behaviour, looking for clues. That last exchange he heard from her quarrel with Gen, Gen grinning at him. Yume's distress at the prospect of him leaving. And his apparent complete screw-up from the last year – how could have he known that she would be so upset? To all the logic she shouldn't be, unless… The realization hit him with sudden light. Unless she was already then waiting for him.
If it was true, it would be… mind boggling. His lack of belief was fighting his logic. If she was an opponent, he would act on his assumption. But she wasn't. And he should ask her openly.
How was he supposed to do it?
He moved, shifted his knees under himself.
"Yume. Before I go, I need to ask you something. To tell you something." He tried making his tone as serious as possible, to goad her to turn back to him. It worked, she was looking at him with challenge in her eyes. So black, that he couldn't tell pupils from irises. There can be anything in these eyes. Anything and everything. Was there something for him in there?
"Over the last year…" Talking was surprisingly difficult, words were not really coming out as they should. "Over the last year, I realized that I harbour certain… feelings. Towards you." He glimpsed at her. Still unreadable, eyes huge. Out of bewilderment? Offense? Disgust? He planted both palms on the floor and bent a bit forward. He looked down, it will be enough to hear it, he didn't need to see it as well. "I know that I am unsuitable and unworthy in every possible way, but do you imagine that you could… reciprocate… those feelings?" He looked up, suddenly finding courage in a corner he didn't even know existed in him. "Could you love me back?"
Yume bent her lips into something between a smile and a crying grimace. He saw two big tears forming and a rolling down her cheeks. He jerked his hand, wanting to wipe them away, but she was quicker. She brushed forcefully at her eyes and nodded. He never thought one could put so much conviction into a nod. That was the answer, he figured out from a still teary but bright smile now directed at him. He smiled back on instinct, still not having the situation wholly processed.
They were sitting at an odd distance – too close for casual conversation, too far for direct contact. Not that Sasuke had in mind initiating any; whole situation was tricky enough without it.
"So, what now?" Yume must have felt the same way. She had a deep blush going down her neck. Was she thinking he was going to kiss her or something? Well, that would probably be the usual course of events, if they were both teenagers…
"Now I'm going to talk to your parents. Try to get their acceptance. Somehow." Sasuke started to collect his thoughts. He looked up searching for inspiration; that was going to be quite a mission.
Yume nudged his knee. He looked at her and answered her question, deciding to turn it into a joke. "I'm trying to figure out whom should I be more afraid of: your mother or father."
"Mum. Definitely mum."
Sasuke chuckled.
"Father never gets angry, and he rarely forbids. He trusts our judgment. That's why we try so hard not to disappoint him. And you… there is nothing in you that could disappoint him. Mum though… she gets emotional."
"Yes, that she does. Now I will know how Naruto felt all those years being on receiving end of her rage. Problem is that I will need to search for a different medic, after she breaks all my bones…" Sasuke was trying to speak lightly, but inside he was troubled. Sakura can take it very badly, on many levels. First of all, as a betrayal of trust. Then she might think that he will make her daughter unhappy. That he was a bad choice. And he won't have much speaking for him, because he so far proved to be good only at being away. He wasn't that sure as Yume about Madara's reaction either… And that could go much worse than couple of broken ribs he would unavoidably get from Sakura.
Yume nudged his knee again, searched the eyes contact. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
A joke from Yume, first one he's ever heard. "Thanks. I may need it."
"And then? Will you leave again? Go for a mission?"
"Then? No… I won't be going anywhere. I'll stay…" That was suddenly so obvious, so self-evident that it surprised him as well.
"Won't you miss it? The journey? The road?"
Sasuke looked up. Wind was pushing the clouds across the rectangle of the sky above the yard, as blue as it only is in autumn. It would be difficult to walk against such a wind.
"No… It served its purpose."
"What was its purpose?"
"To find redemption."
"And did you?"
He centered his attention back at her. "Apparently I did."
Yume smiled. Sasuke decided he will start keeping count of her smiles, not to forget any single one.
"And then?" This smile was foxy and shy in the same time.
"Then… Then I will ask you to marry me."
Apparently she had her emotions well under control already, as her expression didn't change. She bent forwards, planted one hand on the floor. Other one she wound around his neck. Not a hug or an embrace, but more of a hold. Sasuke stiffened. She was so close that he could feel warmth radiating from her on his cheek.
And then, almost inaudible: "Ask me now."
He turned his head a bit; with lips almost touching her ear he whispered. "Will you marry me?"
"I will."
Sasuke closed his arms around her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sakura was sitting by the bench, her left arm across the countertop. Deep gash in her forearm was slowly stopping to gush blood as Ashoka worked her way through it."Yume, what is it?""Mum, can you come…?""Is something wrong?" Her older daughter rarely sought her assistance."Mum. Could you come.""Alright. Ashoka, we will practice it later, ok?" Sakura waved her palm above the wound to close and heal it. She stood up and followed Yume who was already half way on the walkway towards the main house. On the outer veranda she saw Sasuke leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed in his usual gesture. But before she could process and ask what was he doing here, Yume was already holding the gate's door for her.Yume walked up towards Madara who was sitting by the koi pond, Sasuke half step behind her. Already that struck her as odd."Otou-sama…"Madara lifted his head.Before Yume managed to say anything, Sasuke stepped forward to where she was standing."So." Madara propped his chin on the hand. Activated Mangekyo was making a strange contrast with this relaxed pose. "I see that some agreement has been reached.""You're right. The agreement has been reached." Sasuke answered with lack of major emotions in his voice, but Sakura knew him too well. There was something in his stance that spoke unease."…""I assure you about the depth of my commitment to… this agreement. About all the rest I believe we don't have to talk.""We don't. I know everything I need to know about you." Despite completely casual tone it sounded like a threat."What are you two talking about?" Sakura was glancing between both men that were facing one another in a semi-hostile stand-off. "What is it about?!"Sasuke took his eyes off Madara and turned towards her. "Sakura… Remember how you returned to Konoha after the war? And we just couldn't understand? It's the same now.""In what way is it the same…?" Before she could process, Sakura got distracted by another thing – Yume's hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder. The gesture she saw her making only with Gen, and on very rare occasions, with Ashoka. Sakura felt blood rising to her head. "Sasuke…" She growled. "What have you done to my child?""Nothing. I didn't do anything.""How is this nothing? How do you explain this?!" She waved her hand broadly, encompassing with her gesture the whole scene."There is nothing to explain except for what you see in front of you. There neither is nor ever was anything more.""Enlighten me then, what is exactly this what I see?!" Only silence was the response, but it was all clear to her by now. "For how long?" She spat through clenched teeth."Since forever!" Yume blurted out.Sasuke cringed. A very wrong thing to say. "Since last year." He offered, hoping to be fast enough to spurn Sakura's rage. "I realized only after my previous visit."Sakura was approaching him. "And you didn't care to inform me?! You've snuck behind my back instead and…" She grabbed Sasuke's collar."What should I have told you about? About what seemed to me a hopeless cause until ten minutes ago? A delusion I knew would never see daylight? You would not let me through the gate for insanity alone.""Bet you.""I didn't plan on anything. You know me well enough to know I would never do anything… inappropriate.""Fine. I believe that you didn't harm my child." Emotions apart, on some level she indeed knew Sasuke would never, ever. He followed a very strict code."Mum! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"Sakura looked at her daughter. She was her child – she couldn't stop thinking about her like that, even if Yume stood here all grown up, much taller than her and calling her on the overprotectiveness. She should let go off it but she couldn't. "It still does not mean it is acceptable! Absolutely not! Yume, you're much too young for this!" Sakura stomped to emphasize her point, but somehow she felt her arguments were falling on deaf ears. "Madara! Say something!""What am I supposed to say? You were seventeen, as far as I recall…""'It was different! It was war! Plus it was my very own decision!""O-kaa-san! It is also my decision!""Is it? Then tell me why.""Because I want to.""Yume, this is not an answer.""Because… Because we fit together."Sakura closed her eyes, took a very long breath. "That you do.""Are you afraid?" Others have accompanied them here, led him and Yume through separate corridors. Now they all left.Familiar silence. And couple of seconds later, a clear and calm answer. "No. Are you?"Sasuke hesitated. It wasn't easy to make sense out of turmoil inside him. "I guess I am…"Yume tilted her head. It was a return question, Sasuke knew it well."Because I don't want to screw it up. I don't want to mess up another thing in my life. So far I managed to mess up everything I ever did." He finished quietly. He turned the last sake cup around in his palm. It was almost empty, just one sip left for her. The elaborate ceremony was done, so was the banquet afterwards. But the real marriage rite was taking place now. He passed the cup to Yume."What can I know about regrets? I don't have many, mostly because I never did much. But I really believe that failure or victories – they all depend on finding the right person." Without breaking eye contact Yume took the last sip."I hope you're right."The sound of cup slammed against lacquered table was louder than he expected."I hope as well."Sasuke pushed the table from between of them. Black eyes bore into his. He almost wanted to avert his gaze from the combination of intensity and perfect motionlessness.Then, in the periphery of his vision something moved – Yume was undoing the knot of her robe. Ends of the belt went loose. Sasuke reached to the broad sleeve and gently tucked at it. Black fabric, heavy with silver embroidery, slid down, together with dark grey one below. Yume moved her shoulders and material pooled around her like a small lake. She looked down at the knot of another belt. And then at him again. Sasuke reached to her waist. "These knots, they are at the front for a reason." At the next, light grey robe he pulled more forcefully.Fabric was surrounding Yume like a giant colourless flower. She stood out now in her garment shade of cherry blossoms. Sasuke never saw her wearing anything so colourful and feminine. Suddenly she looked what she really was – a young girl. Somehow, in Sasuke's mind it wasn't fitting so he tugged at another knot, and the shades of pink slid down, tinting the floor.Tomoe in Yume's eyes were spinning so fast that he could barely keep up, even with Mangekyo activated. Her eyes as red as the last robe she had on.She reached to the belt with one hand. Sasuke followed her movement with his eyes – it seemed slow motion. Or was it really that slow?The robe opened, showing a stripe of flesh from her neck to down below her navel."You as well." Yume's voice interrupted his staring. Woken up, he rose, hastily undid his belt, pulled down his trousers. He was getting hard already even if it was embarrassing to stand so naked in the middle of the room. But before he could get uncomfortable about it, Yume stood up as well. Stood up out of her robe and was standing now in front of him as naked as he was.The seal was enveloping her like snakes winding around her limbs. Like snakes he used to summon to immobilize his opponent. He remembered how contorted and pained the victims looked in their embrace. How different they looked from Yume who stood so effortlessly in front of him, seemingly bending the snakes to her will.Yume reached out towards him and for a one, absurd moment he thought she was going to touch his erection. But her hand passed by it landing on the scar on his hip. Tilted head."That? That's Naruto. But just during a spar."Now, from the close up he could see the burns. Especially on her left shoulder the scars were too broad to be covered by the seal. Skin looked different than on the rest of her. He touched it as gently as he could, brushed along her arm."Sorry…" Yume was looking down."For what?"She glimpsed at her left arm and turned her face away."That is not something you should be sorry about." He made an effort to find the eye contact again. "Nothing to apologize about. I'm just sorry about how much it must have hurt."Yume nodded. After a moment she raised her hand to the scar on his chest."Your father, during Fourth Ninja War. Before Sakura stopped him. And this?" he added touching an ugly-healed gash across her abdomen."A mission in Land of Grass. I was… careless."Yume stepped to his side and circled him around. Sasuke felt her fingers across his back."That one? Naruto again. I guess he's beaten me more times that I give him credit for.She moved around him further and touched his side. He knew how disgusting that scar was, one could still see teeth marks in it."In Kaguya's dimension. It was a monster. I suppose..."He turned and went around her as well. Her hair was cascading down, covering whole her back. He moved it a bit away, gently, with two fingers, but on her skin there he found no excuses to touch. He went further around, on the back side of her arm a scar was visible. It looked as if she got hit while trying to block a slash of a blade."And this one?""Gen. Training."Circle completed, he was facing her again. Sasuke put his hand to the center of the seal, waited out frantic heartbeat both his and hers. When it eased, he slid his fingers down one of the ropes of symbols. It was going down across her belly, then a bit towards her hip, then turning back to the inner part of her tight. Sasuke stopped his hand. He stayed motionless looking at his fingers almost touching a place where no ambiguity would be left. After what seemed a very long while Yume edged her leg away. Wordless, almost unnoticeable, but for him unmistakable agreement. Invitation.She wound arms around his neck and started kissing him. He pressed her to him, felt her skin against his, her solid form against his. Suddenly he wished to have more hands so he could touch her everywhere. No way to hold her was good enough, he stepped towards her even if they were already as close as it was possible. Another step, and another; they were moving until Yume back touched the pillar. He kept pressing and with the way backwards blocked she climbed on her toes and hooked her leg around him.He pressed still more and found his way inside her. Yume's muscles tensed under his hands, the breath that she let out into their kiss made him stop."Did I hurt you?"Just a smile in a response."Did I?""It doesn't matter, does it?""It does. I don't want to cause you pain."She looked at him with a playful challenge in her eyes. "Are you trying to offend me?" She caught his lips and bit him. "What will you do, back off now, or what?" She moved her hips, the muscles in her back clenched again, but this time there was no gasp. She moved again.Sasuke didn't need any more encouragement, the gasps soon returned, sounding in synchronization with his thrusts. And when after a particularly loud one, he felt her tighten up around him, he was pushed over the edge himself.Yume went limp in his arms, trying to gain a proper foothold back. She cradled her head in the crook on his neck. He propped his forehead against a pillar and laughed – only now he saw there was a bedroom prepared for them just in the next room. "I guess we should go there," he said.