Third Person.

He should have seen it coming, but he hadn't. It was a repetitious incident, it happened all the time, yet he still wasn't used to it. It hurt, sometimes a bit and other times a lot more, but right now, the pain was crushing him. He felt betrayed.

Not by the person in front of him, not by anything or anyone in particular. It was unsubstantial.

It happened over and over. It took a lot of things of him, some more important than others, and he wasn't able to do anything about it. He cursed it.

He cursed fate.

What else was he supposed to blame? There was no other explanation, no other option. He didn't do it himself, and they also didn't do it themselves.

He didn't kill them, and they didn't kill themselves. Even though he tried so hard to protect them, their lives were still taken from them. It was unfair, but it also made something clear.

He was fated to live in solitude.

All the people he confided in would either leave him, betray him or die. And the situation at that exact moment was no different. Even though he was surrounded by a lot of people, he was alone. He didn't mind, on the contrary, he preferred to be alone. But when that loneliness was replaced by the company of a nosy girl, his preferences had changed a bit.

A lot happened, and he ended up involving that girl in this plans, and now he had to pay for it. Or rather, she had to pay for it.

With her life.

It was like a curse. All the people who got involved with him would end up hating him, getting hurt or worse. All of his brothers died in the war, the members of his clan turned their backs to him, and now she was killed as well, along with their son.

Their house was ransacked, and the burglars probably thought that they were in the way, and thus got rid of them. There was nothing expensive or anything special to find at their home, but it was an easy target. Just a woman with a child in a house that was totally isolated from the village. No rogue would think twice about breaking in.

Asami had fought back, Madara could see that. One of the attackers was lying on the ground, lifeless, just like the other two bodies. He moved his gaze from the man to the younger boy. His black eyes were wide open, and even though they were dull and expressionless, Madara knew what he felt during his last moments.

It was fear.

Of course, the boy would have been terrified if their house was attacked, men with weapons forcing themselves into their home, wrecking anything while trying, and succeeding in killing his mother and him himself.

Madara placed his gloved hand on his eyes, and closed them. He never thought that the first time he'd see his own child would be the last time. He didn't really look like his father, but he did inherit most of the Uchiha features. It was actually pretty odd to think that the boy was his son. Madara had never seen him before.

He didn't even know his name.

He looked for a few more seconds at the boy, before he turned his face to look at the woman who was lying next to the boy. Her red hair spread over the floor, matching the color of the blood that had flowed over the floor and dried up. It had become longer again, but it was still shorter than how it was before she cut it. Her eyes were closed and her lips were parted, purple and dry. The blood that had left her mouth, and ran down her cheek, had now dried up. Her clothes were also covered in the red substance.

While Madara couldn't see how the boy was murdered, it was obvious how Asami's life was taken from her. The knife was still in her chest, a small part of the blade still visible. Madara clenched his fists. He was used to gory sights, this still made him feel sick.

It was the same as when Izuna died. He didn't care if someone died a brutal death, but he did care if it was someone important to him.

He grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out of Asami's body, and threw it across the room, hearing it clink when it hit the floor. His eyes narrowed and he took off one of his gloves. He reached out and touched the side Asami's face with his bare fingers.

It was cold.

Even though it had been some time, he could still remember the warmth clearly, but now he finally got to touch her again, he only felt this foreign cold. Her skin was also so much paler than it used to be.

She wasn't here anymore after all. All that remained was her lifeless body.

Madara couldn't describe how he was feeling. His chest felt tight, and he was still surreal for him to think that they were really dead. He didn't want to accept another loss. It angered him so much. If he had only arrived a few days earlier.. But now, there was nothing he could do about that anymore.

He was alone once again.

He pressed the palm of his hand against his chest, and felt the circular band that was attached to the chain he was wearing around his neck. He had promised to give it back, to return the ring to her, but she wasn't around anymore to receive it.

The memories of that day when she made him promise to give it back were still fresh in his mind, like it had all happened yesterday.

Seeing the sight of her right now just left him speechless. He really didn't know what to say or think. There was only one thought that wouldn't leave him alone. It was the harsh truth, but he still had trouble accepting it.

Asami had really died, and so did his son.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both his gloves were dirtied. Dark sand had gotten into the fabric and wearing them wasn't really comfortable.

Madara didn't care, though, he just wanted to finish this.

He walked back into the house and after just a few steps, he was already where Asami and the child lay.

First, he picked up Asami, holding her in his arms. Her body wasn't very stiff anymore, so she must have been dead for more than three days already.

As he walked back outside, Asami's head fell against his chest, and he tightened his fingers around her arm and leg, but he didn't look down. He couldn't.

He was already raging, but at the moment, he had to stay calm and collected. He'd look for the culprits later, and he wouldn't let them get away with this.

When he reached the grave he had just dug. It wasn't very deep, but that was fine. He just wanted them to be buried properly.

He knelt down next to the hole in the soil, and just stayed like that for a few seconds, staring at the bottom of the gap.

Again and again.

When would be the last time he'd have to see a grave being filled with someone he trusted? With someone who was dear to him?

He clenched his jaw and slowly lowered Asami into the grave. When she was lying in the hole, he looked at her for a short moment and brushed a few strands of her red hair out of her face, but already quickly retracted his hand.

Without looking back, he went inside the house again, but this time, it was to get the boy. Even though he knew nothing about him, only that he was his son, he still felt troubled. He was still his flesh and blood, no matter how little he knew about him.

When he had placed the boy next to his mother, he looked down once again. They were together, and this was better than having them lie on the floor next to one of their killers' body.

One more glance, and then he filled the hole with sand. It didn't take long before the bodies weren't visible anymore, and a few minutes later, the gap was filled.

Madara stood in front of the grave. He simply stood there.

This place was the only place he could return to. He had someone to return to, but now it was just a house. An empty house.

He didn't have someplace to return to.

He didn't belong anywhere.

Madara brought his hand to his neck and grabbed the chain of the necklace. With a swift yank, he broke the chain. He opened the palm of his hand and glanced at the ring.

''I'm giving this to you.'' Asami said as she put the silver ring on the palm of his hand. ''And I ant you to return this to me, personally. I don't want to receive this from anyone else.''

Madara sighed. It was a tired sigh. He didn't feel like doing anything. He closed fist.

''I'm serious, Madara!''

Madara held his hand above the grave, and opened it. The silver ring spun a few times before it hit the soil.

She wrapped her hand around the first that was holding her ring. ''You have to promise me!''

Madara turned around, and began to walk away.

He didn't look back.

''I promise.''