I published this on Tumblr first, but I liked it so much I decided to publish it here. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, just borrowing the characters for a little bit.

Mito could feel her life gradually slipping away, her life force that once drove her was now betraying her by leaving. The Uzumaki clan was known for its impressive chakra, and Mito had almost endless reserves, but that had been taken away from her, stolen when the Kyuubi was extracted from her body and placed into a new host by the name of Uzumaki Kushina.

She hated placing this burden on such a young girl, barely in her teenage years yet she had the weight of being a jinchuuriki thrust upon her. Mito had refused at first, she had wanted the Kyuubi to die with her, but of course the village elders wouldn't have it, saying something about the wrath of the fox returning and wreaking havoc on the village. She hated it, but those old fodders were right.

She chuckled lightly. An old fodder, wasn't that what she was now? An old fodder on her death bed, with no one there to hold her hand. Here she was, in this big old mansion, alone in her bed waiting for death to come take her, all because she couldn't bare seeing her children and grandchildren watch her die. Maybe it was selfish, but she would prefer to die alone than force her family watch her life slip away from her.

The medics had been astounded that she had lasted this long. The Kyuubi had been extracted from her 2 days ago and normal jinchuuriki die right away once their demon was gone, but Mito was anything but normal, she was an Uzumaki. She was strong.

She turned her head, her heart heavy as she caught sight of the framed picture on her bedside table. "Oh, my dear children, I'm so sorry." So sorry you will have to find me this way, in the morning. But just know that I died peacefully. Even though I was alone.

She could almost taste it now. The cold was seeping in and Mito knew that it was just about time to leave this world, and explore the afterlife. "I'm sure Hashirama is causing quite the fuss up there," She chuckled to herself.

"You know that fool, I wouldn't be surprised if they kicked him out." Oh that voice…That deep, baritone voice that haunted her best and worst dreams. Her head lolled to the side, and she caught sight of him.

Uchiha Madara was standing beside her bed, as beautiful and deadly as he had been many years before. His raven hair was just as wild as it had been the last time she saw him, his eyes twin pools of coal and his lips as soft as a rose petal. He hadn't aged a day, then again, he had been dead for many years.

"Madara," She rasped reaching for him. She needed to touch him, to feel his skin, to know he was here, even if he wasn't. Her hand shook with exhaustion, but just as her muscles stopped working and her hand fell to the bed, something warm, something alive gently took hold of it.

"Oh, Mito," He murmured, crawling onto the bed beside her. "Look at you." Tears welled up in her eyes at his gentle voice, so loving in the way her caressed her name, just like before.

"Madara," She started before a sob tore past her lips. "I'm so sorry." I'm sorry I didn't go with you. I'm sorry I threw away our love like it was nothing. I'm sorry I married the man who killed you, even though I never stopped loving you. I'm so sorry.

"Hush now," He murmured and gathered the frail old woman into his arms, kissing her once gloriously red hair, now dyed a brittle white from age. "I was selfish to make you choose. You had your duty to the village, and making you choose was unforgivable of me."

"B-but I shouldn't have let you leave," She sobbed. "I wanted to go with you, Kami did I want to drop everything and run away with you. I still regret not going, but then I think of my children and grandchildren and I—" She cut herself off, her throat clogging up with barely repressed sobs.

She felt Madara's chest shudder, from what she didn't know. "Mito," Madara hummed, his voice still managed to give her goosebumps. "I love you." Her heart clenched at his words.

"How can you love an old, ugly woman like me?" She felt him stiffen and she panicked at the fact that maybe she scared him off by reminding him of how old she was. Her face was buried in his chest, so he couldn't see her.

"Mito, look at me." His voice was commanding but soft, and she couldn't deny him. With all the strength left in her body, Mito lifted her head to gaze into his dark irises. His hand quickly came up to cup her chin, holding her head in place. One of those rare smiles stretched across his face, and Mito's heart jumped.

The Uchiha leaned down and brushed his lips over her nose."You are beautiful, Uzumaki Mito." His lips trailed across her cheekbones. "I love your nose." He trailed up over her closed eyes. "I love your forehead." He kissed her diamond seal. "I love your chin." His lips hovered over wrinkled chin, before moving upwards and hovering just over her chapped lips. "I love all of you, no matter how weathered you may be, I will continue to love you until the end of my days and beyond."

And then he kissed her. His lips were warm, still as soft as she remembered, as tantalizing. She had dreamt of what it would be like to kiss Madara again, to touch him, and her dreams and fantasies did him no justice. He was perfection and flaw all rolled into one, and Mito loved it.

"I love you so much, Madara," She whispered when he pulled away. "I have never stopped loving you, even when I die I will continue to love you with all my being." A choked sound escaped his lips, but she kept going anyway. "Will you come with me to the afterlife, I don't care where we will go, but I would gladly go to Hell if you were by my side."

Madara shifted them so they were lying side by side on her bed. Mito was almost gone, her vision was starting to go dark around the edges, but Madara shone brighter than the sun, chasing the darkness away. "I'm afraid I can't, my love. I have plans that need to be taken into action." She had no idea what that meant, but it was time for her to move on so she accepted it.

"Madara," She murmured, gazing up at him. "I have to leave now."

She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw tears fall down his cheeks, but Madara never cried so she brushed it away. "I know you do," He murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Don't you worry now, Mito. I will join you one day, and we will have that happy ending you always talked about."

For the first time in a very long time, a genuine stretched across her face. It was funny how she gained so much happiness on her death, then she ever did while alive. All because of one man, all because of the first and only person to ever hold her heart in their hands. "I'll be waiting," She breathed for the last time, and just like that, she let the last bit of strength drain from her, the darkness fully enveloping her mind and soul.

Uzumaki Mito had moved on to the next life. But she hadn't been alone.

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