A/N: Gomen... Sorry I've been gone for soooo long. Life has a funny way or turning you upside down and spinning you around. Anyway, this chapter may be a little different as I need to get back into the swing of things. I feel like sometimes that instead of me writing a story, a story is using me to write itself. They hit me in the head like a brick and won't stop bugging me till I suck it up and do it. Heh... Well, here you go.
I plan on going over all my works and editing them now that my English is a bit better than it was then. I do everything on my IPad or phone so if there a mistake, it's from my fingers and these damn buttons. Anyway, enjoy!
For those interested, my SakuraxJoker story Tsūyaku is now up!
Sakura rolled onto her side, letting the blanket that covered her slide off. It was starting to get too warm for comfort with it on.
It wouldn't have bothered Madara, the one who covered her with it in the first place... The Uchiha have fire coursing through their veins. There is no such thing as "too hot" for them.
Sunlight filtering through the open window danced along the bare skin of her chest and arms, eliciting a groan of pleasure as she stretched. Relishing the comforts she had been enjoying for the last week or so, the Uchiha matriarch couldn't help but admit that her husband had been right about some things.
She needed a break... For once, the pinkette was accepting (albeit reluctantly) and tried to enjoy the peace and time off. It was an odd feeling to not be surrounded by work and people asking for her help or advice.
For the most part, people have been respectful of the decision and kept their space. However, there were a few occasions where someone would make the trek through the Uchiha compound to seek her out...only to be chased out by Madara...
A giggle left the pinkettes lips thinking about it. Having the patriarch around, she felt safer than the Inuzuka Clan would have with all their hounds combined.
'He's too much some times...'
Groaning as she rolled out of bed, Sakura pushed herself to get up. Her body was sore from the night and morning spent with her husband...
Madara was taking every chance possible to have his way with her...and she absolutely loved it. Their sex life was great as it was, but whenever she became pregnant, her hunger was insatiable to say the least.
A little over nine weeks into pregnancy, there was still a long way to go. As a medic who's cared for plenty of women during their own and helped deliver countless babies, Sakura already knew well how to take care of herself and wha needed to be done. She had already carried three boys herself and knew the limits of what she could do.
For the last week, the pinkette had been stuck in the house with the family taking care of all the chores and cooking. Saizo and Izuna would bring food to her while was in bed. Madara insisted on her resting and didn't want her to lift a finger. He was always so protective and at times...overbearing...especially while she was pregnant.
Sighing, Sakura pushed herself up off the bed, not wanting to stay in anymore. It was a nice break for once, but one that was starting to drive her stir crazy. The boys and Madara wouldn't be home for hours and boredom
As the door to the village hospital opened, heads turned out of curiosity to see who just entered. A young woman with dark brown hair seated behind the front desk squealed in shock as soon as the light pink hair came into view.
"S-Sakura-sensei! What are you doing here?! Hokage-sama said you wouldn't be coming back anytime soon..." Quickly running from behind the desk, the woman look ecstatic to see her teacher.
Sakura gave her a warm smile as she took the pinkettes hands into her own, giving a light squeeze.
"How are you feeling, sensei? You look much better than last week. We were all so worried about you, especially when Uchiha-sama left with you without a word..." A sad express on her students face made Sakura feel guilty as the young woman looked away. Her students and patients always looked up to her and there was an undeniable bond between them.
"I'm sorry, Akai... I didn't mean to worry you and the others. I'm feeling much better now, I just needed some rest."
A soft smile from ther pinkette and gentle words were enough to put Akai at ease. Seeing her sensei looking much happier and healthier were reassuring.
"Say...how have things been since I left?"
The young woman's nervous laugh instantly put her on edge.
"Shit...SHIT!"
Red eyes widened in shock as papers cascaded down in every direction from the file Tobirama had been holding.
'Why is she here?! Why so soon!'
The normally stoic Senju felt as if his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach as soon as he felt the familiar chakra signature near the building. Any other time, he would be elated...
The last time he'd seen her, it had been when he had been look through her window while she was in a "compromising" situation with her mop-head of a husband.
Just thinking about it was almost enough to make him die of embarrassment. It had been humiliating enough with just the two of them, but his ani-ja had also been present.
A little over a week ago after Madara kidnapped Sakura from the hospital despite her needing medical care, him and his ani-ja had gone to check up on the pinkette. They wanted to make sure that she was okay and that the Uchiha wasn't selfishly keeping her home.
As they made their way through the Uchiha compound and closer to the clan leaders home, they could hear Sakura's voice...loud and clear.
The Hokage had mistaken the matriarch's cries of passion for distress and ran to the window that belonged to the couple's private quarters, thinking his student was in trouble.
The noises that his ani-ja had assumed were some sort of signal for help, were actually from the pinkette and her husband in bed. The brunette hadn't been able to put two and two together and it took seeing the couple in action to clear up the misunderstanding in his head. After all... Hashirama was naturally innocent at heart despite his age and experience. He always tried to see the best in everyone and every situation.
After his older brother ran off in shock, Tobirama had made the foolish move of doing the same thing. He looked up into the window as well. Curiosity overrode his sense of reason and did something unforgivable.
A soft knock on the door to the office made him almost jump out of his skin. She was here...
What the hell would he do now? What could he possibly say? What would she say?
Quickly grabbing the papers that fell out of the file, he put them back in and jumped back into the seat behind the desk. Running a hand on through his white hair, he was more anxious than he'd even been. Even going to war was less stressful than dealing with the pinkette when shes angry.
A few seconds after the knock, the door slowly creaked as it was opened. The Senju could already feel the tension in the atmosphere and he could sense her agitation through her chakra alone.
The pinkette walked through the door and straight up to the desk where Tobirama sat. He nervously clenched his teeth together, all the while trying to seem impassive.
The matriarch's brilliant green eyes narrowed in on him as the door slammed loudly behind her. Standing there with her arms folded, she sure knew how to look intimidating...and she didn't get it from Madara.
No...seeing her like this reminded the Senju of their teenage years. One of very few occasions he had angered her...and in the recess of his mind, he cursed himself as arousal began to mix with fear.
She had a dominating presence, more so when enraged.
Sakura was the only woman he had met thus far that could show a person the utmost gentle care with love that had no depths, yet could also strike fear and deliver a very painful death if she do chose to.
"Well?... What do you have to say for yourself?" Her sharp tone ripped the Senju from his thoughts and back to the predicament at hand.
'Straight to the point, huh...'
There was no point trying to lie or come up with lame excuses. Aside from Hashirama, no one knew him better than her. They spent years living in the Senju compound together before the creation of the village.
Tobirama sat quietly for a few moments, contemplating what to say to her. Would she accept any sort of apology? Would she try to beat him senseless? Would she tell Madara? After this, would she never speak to him again?
The last one was an unbearable thought. Even if she chose the Uchiha over those who cared for her, just being able to be in her life was what kept him going. Even if it was excruciatingly painful...
"Well, I suppose there's no beating around the bush with you, huh?... What is it that you want me to do? I was caught. I saw..."
Sakura lunged forward, slamming her hands on the desk. Her face had paled as he spoke.
"How dare you! And...and to say that to my face?! Have you no shame? Huh? Tobirama!" The pinkettes face was now swarming in color from embarrassment and anger.
The white haired Senju leaned back in his chair, the practiced stoic expression not giving away the turmoil inside.
"I was not there just to spy on the two of you... In fact, I wish I hadn't seen anything. I followed my brother there because he was so concerned about your health after that maniac took you tryin the hospital. We heard you scream and bring the man that he is, ani-ja ran to the window to help... not realizing you didn't need it..."
The Uchiha matriarch's face turned a deadly shade of white as realization hit her. Tobirama hadn't been the only one who looked through the window...her sensei had as well.
Sakura took a few unsteady steps away from the desk as her hand covered her mouth. It looked as if any minute now she would be sick.
"No...no... You're lying!"
"Hn. You know me, Sakura. I have no reason to lie to you..." Tobirama stood and walked over to the pinkette as he noticed her hands shaking. This must have been mortifying for her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, her head snapped up as she broke away from the barrage of thoughts that were plaguing her.
"Don't worry so much. I know it's embarrassing for you. Ani-ja and I act like it never happened and so should you. What's done is done. It's not as if either of us would go around telling anyone..."
Tears formed in the medics eyes. Angry, embarrassed tears.
Without hesitating, Tobirama pulled the pinkette into a hug, trying to console her as much as he could. He couldn't help but be surprised when she didn't push away or hit him.
His hand rubbed her back trying to make her feel better, but she sobbed harder. Perhaps this wasn't the only thing bothering her...
Soon the crying stopped and they just stood there, her tired face buried into his chest.
If only...
"Can I ask you something?" His voice was low, almost inaudible.
"Hm?"
"Why didn't you say anything to Madara?"
Pushing away from him, the pinkette looked up at him incredulously...like he had said something so foolish, it couldn't be comprehended.
"What, so he could burn down the village? So he could kill you and sensei?! Give me a break, I'm not that stupid!" Backing up, the matriarch sat on the edge of the desk with her arms folded. There was something on her mind.
"The weird part is not that I didn't tell him, but that he hadn't sensed anyone... It's not like him, not at all. Typically, he could sense even if Hashirama-sama was coming to visit us in the compound even from the Hokage Tower...and yet...he couldn't sense the two of you even from outside our window..."
Biting her nail as she thought, Tobirama couldn't help agreeing.
"That's what I was thinking as well... Something just feels off, but I don't know what it is. You live with him, so you're the only one who can really look into it."
"Arghhh... Why is it always SOMETHING! Can't I just have a break?!" The medic uncharacteristically yelled as she picked up a glass tube from off the desk and threw it against the well. Tobirama's eyes widened for a split second at the woman's outburst. This wasn't like her...
'You chose this life...' He thought bitterly. It didn't have to be this way. She chose the Uchiha and knew what would come with it. His problems, his temper, his possession, and probably an early death.
"Ahh...hahahahhh...aHAHAHHA!"
Sakura whirled around towards him, clenching her fist tightly. His laughter only enraged her further.
"Is something FUNNY?! Huh?!"
Still laughing, the Senju put a hand on his stomach, trying to hold everything in. The pinkette's eyebrows raised as her anger subsided. Now she was worried. It was a rare occurrence for him to laugh, and even rarer to burst out like this unprovoked... Was he going mad?
"T-Tobirama?"
His laughter subsided as she stood in front of him, a worried look on her face.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...It just seems laughable for you to complain at this point. You made your choice. Now you have to live with it.."
Her green eyes widened at what he said, his words taking her completely off guard. Gritting her teeth, her hand moved fast to strike him across the face. "How dare you say that to me!"
He was faster. Hs large hand rapped around her wrist, completely stilling her movement. They stood in a deadlock, staring in each others eyes. Her in anger, him in regret.
Tears formed in her eyes looking at her childhood friend. "Why...why would you say something like that? I love my family!"
"It should have been me...You should have chose me and you know it. I loved you. I loved you more than anything! And I...And I still do..."
Her face betrayed herself as she looked horror stricken. For second...maybe minutes they stood there like that. Neither knew, nor cared as thought raced through both of them.
Tobirama's red eyes widened as a sneer made it's way to his beloveds face. He felt his own anger rising seeing the look on her face. She was mocking him and he knew it. No matter how this ended, she would win and he had already lost. He had foolishly exposed himself right in front of her and now she would undoubtedly go for the kill...This woman would kill whatever was left of his heart and bury him.
"So that's what this is really about? Ne?" A laugh escaped her pink lips as she looked down, her pink hair concealing most of her face from him. Suddenly she pulled her wrist from his grip, and carefully ran her other hand around it, a bright green glow emitting from it.
'I didn't realize I was squeezing that hard...' Reaching forward, guilt gripped him...he didn't intend to hurt her. "Sakura...I-I'm sorry. I-"
"No. Don't say anymore. I already understand." He stopped as a chill ran up his spine. When she spoke quietly like that, it's when you should be most cautious of her. Looking up at him, he knew whatever she said next would hurt. He shouldn't have said anything.
"I'm sorry that you still feel that way, but it's your own fault. You were the one too cowardly to stand up to your father. You were the one who chose your clan. You were the one who chose the village. You are the one who sided with everyone else and kept me as an outsider and didn't even TRY. I did have feelings for you...a long time ago..." She turned away, fists balled up.
"I use to delude myself that everything would be okay and we would somehow end up together. And yet, no matter how much time passed...It never happened. I heard you and your father that day. You gave into him and I knew how things were going to be. That day, I ran away and killed my own heart...just to survive. Years passed and next thing I knew, we were in the village. You were so engrossed in its formation and I was living as an empty shell...Just around to heal and show I'm worth something to the Senju. After all, that's all the clan was worried about. Could the useless orphan show she was worth picking up off of the ground?"
A bitter laugh echoed throughout the room. A sad look crossed her beautiful face as she spoke. Tobirama couldn't say a word as she let her feelings come out.
"No one would acknowledge my existence if I didn't. I worked so hard to prove to the Senju that I was worth anything. If I wasn't useful, then Hashirama-sama would get flack for bringing me to them. He's the only one at the time who treated me as a human being. Even you...for the longest time, treated me like the others. Like I was some flea bitten mongrel the heir had picked up.." Her balled up fist slammed on top of the desk, making its legs give way. The desk fell to floor as papers spilled over the floor, but neither one paid any mind.
"When I met Madara for the first time, he didn't look at me with contempt the way all of the Senju did. No...he saw something completely different. Never once did he talk or treat me in any way that even resembles the way you Senju did. He treated me like a woman. He listened to me, went out of his way to find me...made me feel like an actual human being... Like I mattered in this world. I had waited my whole life up to that point for someone to make feel that way. Even when I tried to push him away, he persisted. Wouldn't give up...and when I accepted him and he wanted to marry me, he was willing to bury anyone who opposed it."
Turning around, Sakura walked up to Tobirama who was frozen in place. Reaching up, she brushed a lock of white hair away from his face.
"I don't expect you to understand...but I chose Madara for a reason. He genuinely loves me and I feel the same way about him. No matter what problems arise, I will face them head on with him. My family is my world. I don't regret anything I've done after coming to the village. Everything happened as it was meant to. If he could find it in his heart to love and be with someone like me, how could I waver? He was willing to do what you couldn't. I made no mistake..."
A smile graced her lips as her cold eyes looked into his. "So stop fucking with me and get yourself together. There's still work to do...Well, since you decided to expose yourself, i suppose we can consider ourselves even."
Pulling her hand away, she turned and walked towards the door. No hesitation or sympathy in her for the man standing behind her. Opening the door to the office, a figure stood there, but the Senju couldn't care less.
"Ah...Yana-chan... We're going to need a new desk brought into the office. Seems that one was on its last leg, haha.." The pinkette walked passed her student and was gone in seconds.
Tobirama stood there, motionless as he let her words sink in.
'That's right...How could I forget. I did chose everything else over her. I always figured she'd be there and would wait for me... How could I be so foolish? Did I really think someone else wouldn't see in her what I saw?'
The Senju dropped to his knees. He knew that whatever she said would kill him, but he didn't think it would be so honest and brutal. Perhaps it was what he deserved...He waited until someone else coveted her to go for it. After all the pain the Senju put her through, it's no wonder that she would want to get away from them.
So lost in his thoughts, he couldn't hear the woman next to him yelling his name. Hands grabbed his face, trying to pull him from his thoughts.
'What an annoyance...'
"Enough Yana! Get the hell out!" He swatted at her like a bug, not seeing the hurt and tears in her eyes. Not caring...
"I-I'm sorry, Tobirama-sama!" The young woman stood and ran out of the room, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
Tobirama sighed as he heard a sniffle as she fled from the room. Running a hand through his white hair, he let out a low chuckle.
"Ah...I really am a bastard, aren't I?"
He didn't see the figure peaking through the window or the dark eyes watching the scene unfold. Nor could he hear the figure laugh to himself.
"Yes, yes you are..."