Whenever Sen returned home, Karasu was sitting on her front porch. His knees were pulled up to his chest, but as he saw her enter the complex, he popped up and waved.

"Hey, kid. What's up?" she asked with a grin.

The Uchiha boy looked up to her with his big black eyes and asked, "May I stay with you tonight, Sen?"

"You know you don't even have to ask that, Karasu! Of course you can," the woman answered, tousling the boy's wild dark hair. He thanked her with a beaming smile as they entered the house.

The pair sat up for a while, talking about old folk tales and stories of legendary shinobi from yesteryear. Karasu loved listening to Sen speak, she was wise and welcomed the boy into the conversation instead of lecturing at him. He never really knew his mother, but he knew that he would have wanted her to be just like his sensei.

As the night dragged on, Karasu grew sleepy and tried to hide his yawns. However, he soon began to doze off, his head bobbing slightly every now and then. Sen laughed as she watched him fight hard to stay awake. She shook her head and picked the kid up off the sofa and carried him to the guest room. She lay him down and tucked him in before giving him a kiss on the forehead.

She turned to leave the room, but stopped to look back for a brief moment. Whenever she did, she saw one of Karasu's eyes peering open. She smirked when she saw him slam his eyes shut and pretend to be asleep. She called back to him with a chuckle, "Goodnight, Karasu. Sleep well."

She heard his little voice respond, "Goodnight, Sen. You too."

The girl quietly went to her own room and curled under the covers, pulling them up to her chin and sighing.

Tonight was nice, she thought. Karasu always helps brighten my day. Must be an Uchiha thing.

Her mind began wandering back to her current problems and she began considering new options again; however, nothing proved fruitful. Her eyes watched the stars twinkle outside of her bedroom window. She lay there for a while longer, tossing and turning before deciding to go up to the roof.

Sora did say I needed a quiet place to think, after all. On top of the house in the middle of the night should be good enough.

Sen cast her eyes up to the sky, hoping some answer may be found among the clouds or stars. Hours passed and she still felt hopeless. The longer she spent out here, the less she felt certain about anything. The sun was beginning to warm the day once more and she groaned in frustration. Another sleepless night that brought zero clarity.

Suddenly, she thought of just the place. She jumped down from the roof and went inside to change into fresh clothes. She searched her room for a pen and piece of paper to leave Karasu a note on so that he wouldn't wake and be confused.

She wrote quickly:

Karasu,

Went out for a bit. See you soon.

I love you!

Sen

She lay the note on his bedside table before quietly slipping out of the house. Her legs automatically carried her through the forest as she cut through the Land of Fire, pushing herself to reach the old familiar place as soon as possible.

Hours of running left her legs feeling wobbly; however, as the old village came into view, she felt tears springing to her eyes. The abandoned buildings had begun to become overgrown with vegetation while little animals scurried around the streets.

Still, the place felt as it always did. If she closed her eyes, she could hear the sounds of the village and smell the ramen from the old man's shop. Instinctually, she made her way to the ramen shop and opened the door. A smile spread across her face as she heard the familiar old bell chime. Her eyes surveyed the empty restaurant before she let her gaze fall to the table where she had first met Madara and Hashirama. If I had known I was going to meet the love of my life that night, I might've done my hair a bit nicer, she thought with a silent laugh. Her fingers traced the tabletop and she let out a long sigh.

The only noise throughout the village was the chirps of birds. She let the breeze blow across her skin and pick up her hair, wildly throwing it around as she walked the old worn path to her childhood home. She stood at the gates and cast a long glance over the property.

She never expected to be back in this place, and the memories that were housed here felt like they came from another lifetime. There was no doubt that things had been simpler here, but had she been happier?

In this place, she had her father and Mina. However, there had been little semblance of a relationship between the girls. She hadn't known any of the people she now held so dearly to her. As she considered many things carefully, she determined that although life here had been uncomplicated, she wouldn't trade leaving for anything. Konohagakure had brought unspeakable pain; however, in that pain, the bonds of love and loyalty had been cultivated.

After taking a walk through her old home, a smile spread on her lips as she knew the next stop was her true destination. Her energy felt renewed as she bounced through the trees. The clearing soon came into sight and she swung down to the ground.

She stood in the middle of the grassy field and looked around for a moment before going closer to the edge of the cliff. She walked down the rock face to the landing where she took Madara that one drunken night. She remembered the kiss they shared and how from that moment on, she had been fascinated by him.

"Sen," Madara whispered in a throaty tone, "I'm glad you're going to be returning with us to Konohagakure."

"I'm so glad I did," she whispered aloud to herself. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she slowly sank down to her knees and looked out at the vast valley beneath.

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Thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart for the reads, votes, and comments. This is my first time writing in almost a decade, and it's refreshing to come back to an old hobby.

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. All of my love to you guys.

xx