''Do you have everything you need?''

Asami looked at her suitcase, thinking if she indeed packed everything that she'd need, looked back at Madara who was sitting on the couch, and nodded. ''I think so.'' she muttered softly.

Today was the day that they'd leave Konoha. They still had a few hours left, but packed everything beforehand in case someone would find out Madara's plan. It was unlikely, but it could still happen. The only ones who knew of this were Keiji, Madara and Asami. Not even Kaede knew.

Keiji would stay here, in Konoha. Madara didn't want to get him involved, and he also wanted to do this himself. Keiji had a wife and a son. Madara wouldn't have cared at first, but now he knew the value of having a real family.

He was getting Asami involved though, but there was no other option left.

''Madara?" Asami asked hesitantly, fiddling with her fingers. ''Can I go to Mito?''

Madara's eyes narrowed. Asami was easy to read. That was something they both knew. If she was going to see her sister for one last time, she might accidentally give away their plan. Not that she knew every detail of it though. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. ''Why?''

Asami bit the inside of her cheek. She actually didn't want to talk about it with Madara. He'd probably find it stupid, while it did matter to her. ''When I talked to her a few days ago, we didn't end our conversation. It actually kinda ended up as an argument. I'd like to apologize to her.'' she explained quietly.''

Madara grunted. He actually didn't want her to go, but having her look so depressed all the time annoyed him too. ''Fine.'' He sighed. ''But be back within thirty minutes.''

She smiled gratefully and she pulled her jacket from the chair and put it on. Then she walked behind the couch to the door, but stopped by Madara. He leaned his head on the arm of the couch, looking up to her with a bored expression on his face.

She ran my hand through his soft hair and leaned down, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. ''I'll be right back.''

''Why are you practically living with him?'' Was what Mito had asked me, and I had replied vaguely. I never gave her a real answer, and that was when she became mad. There is no way that she wouldn't have considered the possibility that I was in love with him, and that that was the reason I lived with him.

It was the reason, but she didn't know, at least not for sure.

''Because I love him.''

I wanted to tell her, but I couldn't. I was afraid of their reactions, even though I'd never regret falling in love with him. Madara wasn't the person to open up to somebody very easily. He was mysterious to me, and even now, I still couldn't figure him out sometimes, but I felt proud. Proud that I was able to stand next to him.

It didn't take long for me to reach the Senju compound, where Mito lived. I hoped she was at home, or else I'd have come here for nothing. I also didn't want to leave Konoha while feeling guilty about a petty squabble.

I wanted to see her one last time.

Knocking on the door of the house my sister shared with her husband, I waited patiently for someone to open it, and I didn't have to wait long. The door opened, revealing Tobirama. ''Asami.'' he said, obviously not expecting me. ''What are you doing here? Do you need something?''

''Is Mito here?'' I asked while trying to look past him, into the hallway.

Tobirama stepped aside to let me in. ''She's in the living room.''

''Thank you.'' I muttered as I entered the house. ''Sorry for the intrusion.''

I didn't bother taking off my jacket and instantly headed to the living room, where Mito indeed was. She looked up from the book that she was reading and glanced at me with slightly widened eyes. ''Asami.''

She also hadn't expected me to come.

I sat down on the opposing chair and put my hands on my knees, squeezing them a bit awkwardly. ''I'd like to talk to you.'' I mumbled, gazing at the floor. ''About our conversation of last week.''

Mito closed her book and placed it on the table. ''I've wanted to talk about that too.'' she muttered. ''I just find it weird. You didn't want to live here with us, so you moved to the Uzumaki compound, but then you suddenly lived with Madara.'' Mito paused, and heaved a sigh. She didn't understand it. ''Why didn't you just come back here?''

''I didn't really feel comfortable here.'' I explained honesty. ''I didn't have much privacy. Also the maids, and getting everything I needed. I didn't want that.''

Mito pursed her lips. ''Then why did you go to Madara?'' She asked. ''People will get the wrong idea.''

''Madara is my friend, and since he's busy, I help him sometimes with cooking and cleaning. In return, he'd let me stay at his place. That way, I didn't have to live on my own.'' I explained. It wasn't a complete lie, but it also wasn't the main reason. Not that it mattered anymore. ''And I don't care what people think about me, since they tend to judge too quickly. It's not my problem, it's theirs. I know the truth, they don't.''

Mito sighed, but couldn't suppress a small smile. ''Stubborn as ever, I see?''

''I'd rather call it honest.'' I muttered, and I stood up.

Mito chuckled and stood up as well. ''I'm glad we got to talk.'' she said. I nodded. ''Me too.'' Walking around the table to reach her, I held out my arms. Mito smiled and embraced me tightly, and I returned the hug.

Now she wasn't able to see my face, I let my smile disappear. This was the last time I'd see her. After today I'd be a traitor, while I was actually on neither Madara's nor the village's side. It was unfair, but I chose to be with Madara, so I had to accept my fate.

''I'll be going now.'' I said, trying my best not to let her hear sadness in my voice.

She nodded and let go of me. ''Bye, Asami.''

''Bye, Mito.''

I sighed when my leg began to hurt and looked down. She was still asleep, for about an hour already, her head on my leg and the rest of her body on the couch. It was pretty often that she took naps on the middle of the day since her pregnancy, but I didn't know if now what the time for one. Well, it was better than having her crying, having her worry about the village and me.

My eyes went from her pale face to her stomach. It was still flat, and nobody would think she was carrying a child, especially mine.

I placed my hand on her belly, which went up and down due to her breathing. Before, I didn't think I had someone or something to return to, but that was different now. I had never really thought about it, but it's nice to have someone I could really trust.

I carefully lifted Asami's head off my lap and stood on, gently putting it on the couch.

One more thing had to be done before we could depart.

I closed my eyes tightly when I felt a something slap against my cheek. It wasn't hard, but it was cold.

I heard a gruff voice "Wake up."

Long hair tickled my face and my eyes fluttered open, and I looked right into two black ones.

They seemed somehow different than when I came back from Mito. They were darker, but they also looked more content, but not in a good way.

It made me a bit anxious.

"We're going." Madara announced as he stepped away from the couch.

I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. "Already?"

Madara nodded and lifted my suitcase from the ground. "We don't have much time." He muttered. "Hashirama might suspect that you're coming with me."

"Does he know you're leaving?" I asked as I stood up.

"I just went to him for one last talk." He muttered. "They might want to stop you."

I clenched my jaw, and suddenly began hesitating again. 'You've already made your decision, Asami' I thought. 'There's no going back now.'

I grabbed my jacket and put it on. I was scared, but I also felt a rush of excitement go through me. Doing something like this wasn't something to feel good about, but it was still thrilling.

Madara waved at me, annoyed at my slowness. "Come here."

I walked over to him, and when I was within his reach, he grabbed my waist and swiftly and smoothly, but carefully, threw me over his shoulder. "M-Madara?" I stuttered as he left the house.

"I rather leave unnoticed." He said as he began to run at full speed. "Especially when you're with me."

I firmly held onto his attire. He was really fast, and if I'd walk by myself, I would only slow him down for sure.

In a mere minute, we were out of the village, but Madara didn't put me down yet. He kept running.

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against his back, since I was starting to feel nauseous. Everything around me was moving and this ride wasn't exactly comfortable. After about ten minutes, it became unbearable.

I tugged at his clothing, and he noticed that something was wrong and stopped, putting me down. I walked to a tree and leaned against it, taking slow, deep breaths, telling myself not to throw up.

Madara sighed, probably already knowing what was going on, and grabbed my hand with his gloved one, pulling me with him. "We're almost there." He informed me. "We'll walk the last part "

I nodded and held my hand against my mouth. I felt really sick right now and also a bit dizzy. We just moved at an immeasurable speed, and now I was standing on my two feet again. It was sickeningly.

Madara held my hand firmly, making sure I kept walking forward at a steady pace. His hand was warm, even though it was pretty cold outside. It felt nice, even though I felt terrible.

So many thoughts were running through my mind now. What would Mito think if she discovered that I wasn't there anymore? What would happen if Madara didn't succeed? What if the place I was going to would be discovered by shinobi from Konoha or from other villages?

I almost stumbled over a big stone due to not paying attention to where I was going, letting Madara guide me. I heard him grunt and he pulled me closer to him. "Watch where you're going."

I held onto his sleeve to keep my balance better and looked at the ground to look at the ground. There wasn't a path or anything, so I could easily trip over branches or rocks if I didn't watch where I was going.

After a few minutes, Madara let go of my hand. "We're here."

I looked up. It was a small house, well-hidden by the trees. It wasn't maintained, so plants were growing up the wall, making it merge even more with the forest. It was almost invisible.

"What is this place?" I asked as we near the house. "Why is this here?"

"It was used by the Uchiha clan during the Warring States Period." Madara explained as he opened the door. "Like some sort of resting place for our messengers. The last one of those messengers has already died, so no one but I and Keiji, and now also you know of this place."

I entered the house. It was indeed very small, but I didn't really care about that. It had everything I'd need, and that was enough.

"You'll have to clean up the place a bit." Madara sighed as he pushed a hand through his hair after putting my suitcase down. "But this will do right?"

I nodded softly and smiled at him. "This is good."

"Alright. Keiji will come here a few times a week to check up on you, and maybe I'll send another person later on." Madara explained. "You'll be fine?"

I nodded in reply, and there was an uncomfortable silence after. I knew this was where we were going to say goodbye, but I didn't want him to go.

We could also stay here, in this house. Just the two of us, but I knew Madara wouldn't want that, so I didn't bother asking.

"How long?" I asked softly. "How long before I see you again?"

Madara shrugged and ran another hand through his long hair, almost frustratingly. "I still have to do some preparations, like finding the Nine-tails. It can be a week, but also two months or longer." He muttered. "I can't really give an answer to that question."

"Oh." I breathed, feeling slightly disappointed. Waiting for so long here all alone in the middle of nowhere. It scared me, but it was a good thing that Keiji would come here occasionally.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Madara placed his cold hand on my neck, and I looked at his face. I couldn't read it, but that was because I didn't think he was feeling a particular emotion right now, just like me.

I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes, not having to wait long to feel him kiss me. His soft lips were firmly pressed to mine, and I placed my hands on his shoulder and stood on my toes so it was easier to kiss him back. Madara placed his other hand on my shoulder blade, and shuddered when it slid down to my waist.

I whimpered softly when he tilted my head and deepened the kiss. My legs began to wobble and standing on my toes became an impossible task. Madara noticed and pulled away, leaving me breathless.

He let go of me and looked at me for a few more seconds before he turned around and walked to the door. "I'll be taking my leave now."

I was still in a daze, so it took a few seconds for me to realise what he said, and when I realised, those words let me stiffen, and also panic a bit. "W-Wait!" I blurted out, and without thinking, I grabbed his sleeve rather forcefully, and Madara turned around, waiting for me to speak.

I held the fabric of his sleeve less tight and looked at my hand, and then my eyes widened slightly. I retracted my hands and took the ring I lost in Uzushiogakure and got back from Mito with my thumb and forefinger and slid it of my finger. Madara merely stared at me as I held out my ring to him. "I'm giving this to you." I said as I put the silver ring on the palm of his hand. "And I want you to return this to me, personally. I don't want to receive this from anyone else."

Madara chuckled and closed his fist. "Now you're giving me no choice but to return." He sighed. "You've become quite demanding. You've been around me for too long."

"I'm serious, Madara!"

"I know you are."

I wrapped my hand around the fist that was holding my ring. "You have to promise me!"

Madara sighed looked down at me, his eyes giving me a soft look, which was rare. He didn't really sound convincing, but I knew he meant it.

"I promise."