Awakening

Chapter 1

"I saw a girl with short hair in your house." They were sitting around the campfire: he, Izuna and Waraku. The younger boys were dozing off after the scuffle they just shared. Madara was looking into fire all the way along their playfight, which Izuna had won, as usual. He couldn't understand how did they have energy to do it after the entire day of journey, but when together, Izuna and Waraku seemed to always find additional reserves of enthusiasm.

They were coming back from a mission commissioned by Fire Country daimyo. The mission was in the end a success, but it lasted much longer than expected and the tension made Madara feel he had lost several years in the process.

They were supposed to escort a lady from the inner palace to a monastery deep in the mountains as she decided to become a nun. The lady must have fallen out from daimyo favour through her action, as only ten palace guards and three ninjas were assigned for her security. Three ninja boys, basically, and he was supposed to lead. After arriving to the palace and seeing first-hand what his appointment would be, Madara was torn between classifying this a deliberate financial rip-off against the Uchiha clan from the daimyo's side or an attempt to conveniently get rid of him from the side of clan elders. He would hope for the latter but common sense suggested the former. He was not that powerful to be noticed by higher-ups. Yet.

During their whole journey Madara felt like a sitting duck. The procession was moving excruciatingly slow as the lady insisted on going on foot. She said something about shedding the privileges and renouncing the mundane world. As far as Madara was concerned she could do her renouncing when in the monastery and get on horse while on the way to it. But of course, his opinion didn't matter.

They didn't carry much of valuables to speak of in form of material goods, but the assembly of court ladies that accompanied their mistress was making up for it. Madara bet that the price that each of the girls could reach on a black market exceeded even the ransom the palace would be willing to pay. Seeing those women up close he couldn't understand why. They looked like painted flowers. And painted by someone whose only reference were art scrolls because he never cared to venture outside.

The lady herself though, she was different. She had manners and presence of a person of highest breed, that for sure. But, there was something else about her, about the way she moved, about the way some otherworldly glow shone in her eyes. She seemed so serene and full of quiet joy as she was walking mile after mile in her grey robe and with her hair cut so that they didn't even reach her shoulders. That's why that girl came to his mind.

Waraku looked up to him and furrow his brows. "With short hair?" He scratched the back of his head. "Then it must have been Komachi. But it's been years ago…"

True, it must have been two years or so. But he could still remember the girl dancing, whirling in a white robe, her hair fanning around her. Divine light on her face.

"Must have been when Fugi died. They cut her hair to indicate she's a widow." Waraku continued.

Madara was really happy for his lifelong training in keeping his emotions hidden. "Aa," he said in the most uninterested and casual tone he could muster. He didn't want Waraku's attention right now. He needed to think. So her hair was cut for mourning and the dress was white for the same reason. That aside, the girl didn't look a grieving widow. She had been laughing. Her laughter still rang in his ears.

"And you're dead." Madara pressed kunai to Waraku's chest, younger boy's weapon dug couple meters away in the sand of the training ground. "You're more clumsy than usual today… Even disarming you wasn't really necessary. I could have as well just stepped into the stabbing range." Madara lowered his blade and turned away. "You will get killed one of these days…"

"That's exactly why we're training with you, aniki!" Izuna lifted himself up and dusted his trousers. Madara's kick sent him flying far enough not to interfere with his dealings with Waraku. Truth being told, younger boys' combo had not given them much of an advantage – what's the point in combination fight if one has to constantly cover up for another's mistakes…

But Izuna was nothing but persistent and optimistic. "We just need to synchronize better!"

Madara shrugged. He had already made mental note to do everything in his might not to have Izuna sent on dangerous missions together with Waraku. His brother could end up dying protecting his friend. No point in 'synchronizing better' if one party was just clearly inferior. Madara walked towards the bank at the end of the training field and took a sip of water from his canteen.

Waraku, completely unperturbed, followed and perched next to him. "What to do," he stretched and yawned, "I'm just not in best shape today. I didn't sleep much tonight."

It seemed to be a conversation starter but Madara ignored.

"Why? What did you do instead?" Izuna took up the bait as he joined them to dig out some snacks from his pouch.

"Want to know, don't you?!"

Izuna pouted. "Not really… But it seems like you really want to tell…"

"If you did what I did you would also want to tell… That travelling medicine seller that came by yesterday – he had a daughter with him.. Cute one, with curly hair, have you seen her?" Waraku glanced expectedly at Madara and Izuna, but didn't find the appreciation he was looking for.

"And what about her?" Izuna was probably a tad too young to get the implications that were obvious to Madara. And to Waraku apparently as well, as Madara just discovered with certain surprise.

"Well, I met up with her…"

"How? You don't know her!"

"I got to know her first! I went to their stand and we talked…"

"What about?" Izuna still sounded scandalized.

"Oh, I asked how is their business going, what places they've been to, such things… And I told her all about my adventures as a ninja. She was quite impressed."

"Meaning, you lied."

"Oh, don't be such a prick Madara. I just painted things in more positive colours. She will never realize anyhow, they set off in the morning."

Madara snorted and took out a polishing cloth from his pouch.

"And then I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk later on and she agreed. I came again in the evening and waited. When her father fell asleep, she sneaked out and we went to this cherry tree orchard behind the compound."

"The trees are not in bloom," deadpanned Madara from over his polishing work.

"So what. She liked it. She gave me a good luck charm." Waraku produced a trinket from his pocket and whirled it around his finger. "And you know what? She let me kiss her," he finished triumphantly.

Madara stood up. "You're pathetic. Wasting your time on such things." He knew that scolding the younger boy was only what everyone expected form him, but this time there was a real spite behind the usual nagging. Waraku's adventures had put his mind on unwanted tracks. Again. He was thinking about this girl back and forth since he had first seen her, and it only intensified last weeks after Waraku unintentionally gave him the intel on her. Not 'the girl', Madara corrected himself. He knew her name already. Her name was Komachi.

He turned and marched out of the training ground. His way home Madara spent analysing what made him so angry. He could never fathom that he would be envious about any of Waraku's traits. Yet here he was – resenting younger boy's way with people, this easy manner he could win everyone over.

Sulking, Madara decided that after he eats, he would go to his venture point to see if he could get a glimpse of her again. He had already long figured out which tree on the hill offered the best view into the courtyard of Komachi's wing of the house.

And then, when the night comes, he would go to see her.

She bucked under him so fiercely that he had to reinforce his hold. A girl, and untrained on top of it, and still he needed to put some strength into it. But it was more so because he could use only one hand and his body weight to pin her down. His other hand he needed to clamp her mouth shut. Any louder sound from her and everything would be ruined. Even though her lodging was set apart from the rest of the house, the walls were thin and the night too quiet.

She threw herself so hard that she almost shook him off. She trashed under him, managed to sneak her hand against his chest and pushed, effectively lifting him off her. Freed from the burden, she propped herself against the futon and he almost lost the grip on her mouth. But he didn't and she remained lying, anchored by her head. She whizzed in what must have been an enormous effort to move her head, but he held her tight.

This wasn't going how he had envisioned it. She seemed to be fighting for her life. Not a mindset he wanted to put her in. He needed to stop it.

"Stop struggling," he said. That won't probably be enough. "I won't hurt you." That also didn't come out very convincing judging how the movement of the girl beneath him became even more frantic. He reinforced his grip and tried to limit her movements. To hold her still, like in an embrace he didn't even wanted admitting the hope for.

"I will now hold you until you come to your senses enough to realize that if wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already long time ago." That finally had an effect he was aiming for. The girl stopped struggling and seemed to listen. Now was his chance. "I want to let you go but I need to be sure you won't scream. You won't scream, will you?"

Komachi nodded. Madara shifted his weight preparing to release her. But the calculated deep breaths she was taking clued him on the fact that it was a ruse. She must have seen it as the only opening she would get and she was preparing to scream her lungs out. He muffled her mouth tighter. "Oh no, you won't. And do you know why? Because I able to put you under a genjutsu quicker than you can make a sound." He was bluffing, he wasn't that sure about it. With the Sharingan activated he could see a lot of her, but the vision wasn't as clear as in the daylight when he indeed was able to notice muscles of chest and jaws at work before a person made a sound. But she wouldn't know that. "And when you wake up from my genjutsu I will have you securely gagged."

The girl's eyes widened. He could smell the sharp stench of fear coming from her. It was around since a while already, but now the intensity of it increased tenfold. Apparently the prospect of being rendered unconscious terrified her even more than the direct assault had.

"But I don't want to do it…" he said slowly, as if explaining something to a small child. "Screaming won't help you at all. I will stay here either the way, only that -" he decided that reiterating the threat would be prudent "- you will be unconscious. You don't want it, do you?"

The girl seemed calmer. Relaxed was a wrong word, but not strung like a bow ready to fire anymore. "I will let go and you won't scream," said Madara softly. He knew that putting too much authority into the voice could have the opposite effect than intended. It could suggest he needed to claim the authority, while she should think he had an upper hand already.

Alright, it was the time to risk it. He focused his Sharingan on her mouth and carefully removed his hand. No sound came out. He shifted and lifted himself off her. Released, Komachi immediately started to crawl away. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her back. "No. Stay here." She squeaked but he could see the effort she put in quenching the noise. It made him relieved as his threat seemed to be working. In the same time, it made him sorry that he had to operate on threats around her.

"Who are you?"

First time he heard her voice. He wanted to cherish the moment and celebrate it with the answer but he couldn't. "I'm not telling you this."

"Right. Of course." She said after a while. She paused and when she picked up again, she sounded inexplicably defeated. "Then, get over with it."

"With what?"

"With what you came for! Rape me, be done with it and leave!"

"Why do you think I would do something like that?!" It wasn't a very gratifying realization that it was the state of mind he just put her in. He was not expecting that and now he not only felt guilty but also ashamed of his lack of imagination. And then the implications of her belief hit him like a hammer. If she believed she was going to get raped, and chose to be conscious through it, chose to maintain whatever little command on her fate she had… She was truly something else.

"Why else would you be here in the middle of the night?"

She was putting a brave façade but Madara could hear that under brazenness there was fear. A vulnerable, terrified girl she didn't want to appear to be.

But why was he here? Good question. Madara acted more on impulse than on calculation. "I wanted to meet you."

"You did. You can leave now."

"I didn't get to know you up to my liking yet."

Komachi stiffened again. He realized how this what he just had said must have sounded to her.

"Why don't you come during the day? If you are that interested?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Scared or not, she seemed to be determined to stand her ground at least mentally.

"I don't like asking for permissions."

"Oh, I see… I see as well that you are weak and unimportant enough to need permissions. Otherwise you would have just walked into here and claimed me…"

Madara didn't know whether to label it as an utter stupidity or to admire her courage. "Do you really think it's wise to provoke a complete stranger like this?"

"Do you really think that wisdom will help me in my current position?"

"Some civility wouldn't be bad…"

She didn't respond but he could see that she glared.

"Calm down. I said it already and I'll repeat it: I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then what do you want from me?"

'Nothing. Everything. I don't want to take anything from you. Yet I want everything you have to give.' But that was too much to say.

"Let's say I'm interested in your company."

"You don't know me."

"Maybe I know you already a bit? And what I've seen a moment ago," he gestured at the disorderly futon, "only spurns my interest further."

Komachi hugged herself. "So, I shouldn't have fought, should I? I'll remember that."

Madara smiled – it was the first non-hostile retort he got from her. "No matter – I know already that it's how you are. And I like it…"

Komachi lifted her chin up. "So, what happens now?"

"I don't know. What would you want?"

"That you leave?"

Oh. That hurt. He should have expected that but it still surprised him. There were on completely different planes here. Taking into account the amount of distress he caused her already maybe it would indeed be better to oblige to her request. That would hopefully prove his good intentions. "Alright. I don't really want to, but I'll leave. I'll come back though, and next time it would be better for us both if you don't struggle so."

He got up and walked towards the sliding door opening to the garden. "Oh, and don't bother to arrange for guards. I will be able to sense them and there is no way for you to convince anyone to guard you forever. And I am patient. I can be very patient when I'm set on a goal."

AN: Thanks for reading and I would love to hear your opinions. This story is the biggest challenge I encountered so far, and on top of it, unlike with my previous fics, I decided to start publishing before it's completed. I would use all help I could get, so please tell me what you think - about this chapter and about all the next ones.