Chapter One
Outta this Town
MadaSaku/TobiSaku

Steam rose from Sakura's coffee mug. The wispy, white mist slowly rising only to fade away, taking the heat with it. Growing colder and colder with each passing second. From her place at the table, she could hear Madara elsewhere in the house. The bedroom. Getting himself ready for work. Like every morning.

Only it wasn't just any morning.

Sakura couldn't bring herself to drink the cup she had made herself. Just simply stared ahead as she listened to those familiar sounds from the other end of the house. The slam of the shower door. The draw of the dresser. The pause as Madara adjusted his cufflinks in the mirror.

The faint clack of his tailored shoes against the polished hardwood was what finally drew Sakura from the deep corners of her mind. She blinked hard, raising the coffee to her lips. Fighting back her grimace at the sour taste her thoughts left.

"Good morning," Madara greeted.

Sakura looked up from her cup, that practiced smile passing her lips. "Good morning."

Not that it mattered. He hardly cast a glance at her. Instead he headed straight for the coffee maker that still held enough for his morning cup.

Neither spoke as he filled his to-go mug. Both thinking about the argument that had filled their night. Trying not to notice the tension that still lingered like a storm that wouldn't pass. Sakura was always the first to break it.

"Do you want me to make you breakfast?" she asked.

An empty offer. She knew his answer long before the question ever left her lips.

"No, thank you. I have a conference this morning," he said. His voice just a little too distant. A little too emotionless.

Still, that smile held as she stood. Ready to see her husband out the door for what would surely be a long, hard workday. "Okay, I'll make us something nice for dinner then."

"You should not wait up for me tonight. I have reservations with a potential new business client this evening," Madara told her.

With his back still turned, he didn't see the way her smile cracked. How his easy dismissal chipped away a little more at her fracturing heart.

Only once Madara had finished pouring his coffee and sealed the lid for his travel mug did he finally turn to face her. Her falling smile held strong again for the man she had promised her life to.

"I'll see you tonight then," Sakura said softly.

Madara nodded but didn't offer her any real promise. Even the kiss to her temple felt hollow. A habit more than a gesture of affection.

Sakura took it nonetheless before she followed him to the door. A silent statue on the stone stairs that welcomed guests from the large, circle driveway to the grand entrance of their multi-story home. And the wave goodbye just as cold as Madara slipped into his prized Jaguar and drove away.

Even after those familiar tail lights faded from view, Sakura didn't immediately move, her ice-carved smile gone. Just eyed the perfectly managed lawn and garden in front before her gaze drifted to the fancy cars decorating the wide drive. They were all different models of sports cars. All black. Except one.

The red BMW Madara had gifted her on their one year anniversary.

Sakura had never asked Madara for anything. She had loved the little grey jeep that had gotten her through college and then grad school. But even well maintained, two hundred thousand miles was too much for the little car and back then Madara had been only too willing to spoil her.

Those memories of happier times filled Sakura's mind. Reminding her of all the firsts, when everything was still so new. How there was still so much to explore in their relationship. Back when Madara had fought to spend every minute he could with her.

Now she was lucky if he even came home.

Banishing those memories, Sakura turned her back to the beautiful grounds and wandered back inside. It would be another few hours before the staff arrived to do their daily cleaning. The guest rooms needed to be dusted and washed for the family that would be coming into town in a few days time and the backyard and rear patio needed to be trimmed and straightened.

Had this big house always felt so empty?

Sakura couldn't recall. But her footsteps seemed to echo into every corner of the room, reminding her just how alone she truly was. Even the memories that should have brought her some comfort felt cold and empty now.

The long nights spent on the couch, some movie she couldn't even remember playing out on the television in the background. Those mornings when she wandered into the kitchen wearing nothing but Madara's shirt only to find him cooking in his boxers, hair tousled and messy. Each reminder of what had once been like a blade through the chest, carving out that gaping hole.

Sakura left her full coffee mug on the island counter. Her gaze wandered around the lavish kitchen. Only the opened bottle of red wine and a half-empty wineglass on the far counter a reminder of what had happened last night.

Another argument. Another demand to know where he had been the night before. Of course, Madara hadn't told her. But he didn't have to. Because Sakura already knew there were no new potential business clients. Tobirama had let that slip in pleasant conversation sometime ago. Which meant there were no late nights at the office. And Madara hadn't accidentally left three ties this week in his desk.

Sakura was not one to make accusations, but she wasn't dumb. The business trips the last few months had seemed normal enough. If only there had been conferences in those other cities at the time.

Tears began to build again in Sakura's eyes. Only this time she was alone so she didn't bother to hide them. The first sob finally heaving from her soul. She wondered how many women there were. How many times he had left her at home to share the bed of another.

The diamond on her fourth finger suddenly felt like that. Cold and repelling life. It slipped over her knuckle easier than it seemed it should. Like a piece that no longer fit her life.

Sakura left the ring on the counter.

Her feet pulled her towards the bedroom she had shared for nearly ten years. She didn't remember much of making an actual decision. Just one moment she was staring at hers and Madara's shared closet and the next she was pulling clothes off hangers as she shoved them into bags.

Sakura took everything she couldn't live without, leaving the things Madara had gifted her or bought for both their use. Her clothes, her books, her photos, her journals all went with her. Cramming the trunk of her car and then the backseat.

She was just shoving the final bags onto the floor behind the passenger seat when she heard another car pull up the drive and slow to a stop.

"Sakura?" a familiar voice called.

She froze when she recognized Tobirama. She had half a mind to hide, only too aware of her swollen eyes and flushed face. Too late.

"I didn't think you would still be home," he said, his car door slamming shut before his footsteps echoed against the concrete.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Yeah. If you're looking for Madara, he's already left for the day," she said lightly. She cringed at how forced she sounded.

Tobirama cursed quietly. "Dammit, I was trying to catch him before he got to the office," he said more to himself than her. Then he paused. "Where are you going?"

As if it would hide it all, Sakura slammed the backdoor closed and finally turned to face Madara's oldest business partner. In a three-piece suit that demanded attention and respect, Sakura felt small next to him in every sense of the word. There was no point hiding her face. The minute change in his demeanor was evidence he saw everything. The only thing she didn't expect were the next words out of his mouth.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" he asked. Nearly demanded.

The concern in his tone surprised her, but she didn't reply. Her face was answer enough.

Tobirama deflated minutely. "You found out."

"You knew," Sakura said. Not quite sure if she was asking or stating.

He glanced away, as if unable to look her in the eyes. "Yes, I knew," he said with a soft tone she had never heard from the proud man. It was a moment before he met her gaze again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't think it was my place."

"It's alright," she said with more forgiveness than she currently felt. "I think I've known for a long time."

"Do you...have somewhere to go?" he asked. Like he didn't quite know if he was overstepping. It's not like they knew each other terribly well. Just polite conversation during dinner parties and the occasional passing by at the corporate office or when he stopped by for a working dinner.

Sakura's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Not because she didn't want to answer. But because she didn't know what to say. She hadn't really thought past leaving. From being out from behind these tall, iron gates. Everything else was still up in the air.

Tobirama didn't ask any other questions. He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed her something. When she looked down, she realized it was a couple hundred dollars. Not a lot. But enough to get her by until she figured out when she was doing.

"I don't want this," Sakura said not unkindly, holding the money back out towards him.

Tobirama wouldn't accept it back. "As someone who has been in this situation before, take it," he told her quietly. "And if you need more, give me a call. When Madara finds out you're gone, he will cut you off from everything."

Somehow, Sakura knew he was right. It was fortunate Madara had put the car in her name. Because everything else - the house, the property, the credit cards - all had his proud Uchiha name on it.

Reluctantly, Sakura closed her fingers around the money and slipped it into her jacket. She flashed Tobirama a grateful smile. Just a quick quirk of her lips. His responding smile was just as weak.

"Wherever you end up, take care of yourself," he told her.

Sakura nodded. Then she was behind the wheel, driving away.

And as the large house and pristine grounds grew smaller in the background, she couldn't help glancing back in the mirror. At the lone figure in the drive. Watching her own tail lights fade off into the distance.

tbc

This is an old story from tumblr. I'm posting it here because I'm considering a sequel (perhaps a small ficlet). Everything is still up in the air.

Inspired by watching "I'm Not the Only One" one too many times.

Enjoy!