Finally! An update? ...Not quite.

Chapter 30- Preview.

The end.

No one knew the apocalypse could be so swift and silent. There was no warning horn and no stark omen of the doom to come. The final act of death was a wave of power, quick as lightning and yet as agonizingly slow as the cruelest torture.

Color bled from the fallen planet, leaving only the shades of failure. The sky itself was a twisted shade of crimson and the sullen clouds flinched away from the murderously potent moon. Its pale, immortal sheen cast a melancholy gleam to all it touched and indeed, there was nothing beyond its reach.

Hollow, soul-less figures marched along a path, their faces devoid of emotion and their minds blocked to reality. They were mere puppets; toys to be moved at the will of their omnipotent lord. These were people once. They had families and passions, but on this new planet, those words held no meaning.

This was the price of peace.

There would never be rebellion, sorrow or tragedy again. But then again, neither would there be joy, love or hope. It was over; the human race was no more. All that was left was an empty shell that was slowly cracking. No one quite knew what would be exposed when this facade would fall and it was not an idea anyone wished to entertain.

A lone castle stood above the desolation of the recent war. This structure was noticeably new, as it shined like gold and its radiance glowed across the land. Within, marvelously decorated furniture and trinkets were laid out, much like a museum of all that used to be. The lush surroundings spoke of great wealth and in fact, this was the collected fortune of all of the former ninja nations. Each day, mindless men and women brought more treasures to the castle, building its bounty to more than anything else observed in history.

On one of the arched balconies, a tall figure with the eyes of a demon stood and overlooked his domain. The entire planet and all within it was his and his alone. Such power was unparalleled and unheard of. It was a shame the blind drones could not understand the horror of the abilities of their leader. The knowledge alone would cripple them with fear and choke them into submission.

Blood-red eyes narrowed at the heavy silence across the land. Was peace supposed to sound so much like death? He straightened his back and his lips curved downward. This planet was his to mold and he would fix any imperfections soon enough. After all, he did have an eternity at his disposal.

"My queen, come outside," he said, his deep tone laced with the pleasure of one of his most treasured possessions.

A lithe female with long brown hair and dull green eyes leaned on the doorway to the balcony. Upon hearing her summon, she stood tall and walked out into the cascading moonlight. Her pale skin was illuminated and on her exposed arms, each of her scars shined in a shade of silver. Aside from the gentle flush on her cheeks, she looked like a ghost. Indeed, she was merely a shadow of the strong, vibrant girl she used to be.

"You called, Madara-sama?" she asked, her voice feather-light. It was void of all the hatred and fear he was so used to hearing.

He motioned for her to come closer and when she did, he wrapped his arms around her. She did not flinch or cry out as she usually did and it brought great pride to him to know that finally, she was completely his.

His eyes returned to the barren landscape before them and as he rested his head on hers, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Killing you. I just want to turn around and rip that smug grin off your face! Get off me you sick bastard and stop treating me like your damn queen. We both know I am nothing of the sort!

"I think what you want me to, my lord," she replied and gave him the hint of a smile.

Madara frowned, but did not press any further. He supposed her answer was satisfactory enough. However, he was not finished probing her mind just yet.

"This land, I will make it beautiful again. Tell me what you want me to do. I could plant a forest, mold a garden, create a river, build a city. Anything," he stated and his words were true. With all of his power and resources, nothing was beyond limits.

Just return it to its previous state. You know, before you went and killed most of the population. And tear down this stupid castle. A 'lord' like you deserves to rot in hell, not create paradise.

"Madara-sama, you know better than I do what would make the land most beautiful," his quiet wife responded, making him suppress a sigh. He knew she was controlled by the moon now, but he had hoped she would at least retain her ability to have an opinion. The old Mika would be brimming with emotion at this point.

His eyes narrowed darkly and his tone lost its warmth: "Tell me, what is left of you?"

Everything! I hate you more than ever before and damn it, the second you turn your back I will murder you with my own hands! Stop this puppet idiocy and let me tell you exactly what is left of me! How dare you take away my control of my own body!

Blank green eyes met his churning red ones as she said, "I do not understand the question."

Her statement only made his black soul even blacker. This was not his wife and he had no purpose to keep a petty replacement of her. If there was nothing left of her, he no longer needed her. After all, he had an entire world of women to chose from.

"Give me one good reason not to rid my planet of you," he said harshly.

What the hell is wrong with you!? You went through all this trouble to make me your mindless puppet and now you want me dead!? You are one sick son of a bitch. ...Damn it! Let. Me. Speak!

"You own me, Madara-sama. If you wish me gone, I will not object," her body answered, making the real Mika livid. It wasn't fair! If only she could say what was on her mind.

A heavy silence passed between the couple as the Uchiha pondered his choices and the traitorous ninja struggled to get her body under control. Her life was in his hands and it drove her to hysterics to know that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

The infinitesimal, downward turn of his lips was the only warning as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her to the wall behind them. He towered over her and grabbed her wrists, restricting any further movement. It was a usual position for them; their eternal power struggle was dancing on the cusp of insanity.

Her reaction was mundane. All she did was stare up at him with those passive, emotionless eyes. His resolve did not falter, rather, his belief that this was no longer his Mika was reinforced.

"You are nothing," he hissed at her, but in reality, he was only angry at himself. He had made her into this monstrosity, this pathetic excuse for a ninja. It was all his fault. Unfortunately, the great Uchiha Madara would never be able to admit that.

You think I am nothing!? Look at yourself! You are a disgrace to the ninja world! You took a wonderful nation and marred it with your twisted mind. This is not peace- this is hell! You delusional fool-

His hand was at her throat.

"It was not supposed to turn out like this," he said, a tinge of regret in his tone.

"You used to be perfect. You were the one woman I wanted to spend the rest of my existence with, but now..." he trailed off and his grip tightened ever so slightly.

So you are finally going to kill me? ...How merciful of you. You tortured me for years and turned me into a cold blooded murderer. And now, when I'm suddenly not good enough, you're going to throw me away like we haven't spent the last nine years together. I should have known you were incapable of loving me.

"I have upset you, my lord. Please forgive my insolence and tell me how I may correct myself," the robot spoke, infuriating both arguing parties.

Madara's Sharingan blazed angrily and he choked her, watching with mild pleasure as she struggled to stay alive. He was so close. At last, he would kill the foolish woman he had... fallen in love with.

It looked like it was all over, until the moon set behind the horizon.

Her free hand grabbed the one that was suffocating her and her face come alight with a rage that was unlike anything he had ever seen. She forced her emotionally-charged chakra into his arm and it was like a jolt. Anger, regret and determination radiated from her very being, causing him to let go of her and narrow his eyes.

"How dare you!?" she yelled and he recognized her instantly. It was Mika- his Mika.

"You sick bastard! Torture me, fine. Rape me, fine. But what the hell is this cowardly puppet shit!?" she swore and spat on the ground, two gestures she only used when she was especially enraged.

Seeing her so charged with emotion made his tiny, shriveled heart warm and he took a step forward, eager to embrace her and kiss her. She put her hands in front of her and jumped back, closer to the balcony.

"Don't touch me," she hissed and continued backing away while frantically trying to figure out what she could do. Her back touched the balcony rail and she drew in an uneven breath.

"I've missed you," he said, his voice husky with lust. Mika swallowed cautiously, for she knew the look in his eyes too well. This was going to end badly for her if she didn't find a way to diffuse his misguided emotions.

Quick as lightning, she jumped onto the rail of the balcony and used the chakra in her feet to keep her balance. From the corner of her eye, she could see the barren wasteland Madara had created. The deformity stretched across continents, leaving nothing in its wake but mindless drones. Even the animals were helpless to the effects of the genjutsu.

There was no hope.

Mika gave Madara one last glance as she said, "I will not give you the satisfaction of killing me."

She closed her eyes and before he could do anything, she leaned back. Her feet lost contact with the railing and she was falling...

Darkness engulfed her and she was gone.

Falling...

She had no regrets, for this was her freedom.

Falling...

Until she hit the ground.

Her eyes snapped open, she drew in a strangled breath and she struggled when she realized that something was holding her down. She could not see anything but a faint orange glow on earthen walls. Was this hell?

The next thing she registered was the pain. It pierced her and tore her to pieces, making her freeze and lay still in disbelief. Her head throbbed, she could not feel her arms, and the region between her legs ached terribly.

No...!

Memories rushed back to her and as her eyes adjusted, she wanted to cry in despair. She was lying on the dirty floor in Madara's bedroom in the northern Akatsuki base. Her wounds were still fresh and she was in a pool of her own blood. Worst of all, her torturer was still in the room.

Right on top of her.

Satisfied crimson eyes met her terrified ones and she could barely breathe as he straddled her, pinning her arms above her head. His gaze trailed over her bruised, naked body and he smiled. He was the proud creator of each of her wounds.

"You look beautiful," he whispered and kissed her forcefully.

"I cannot wait until the day I will be able to make you my queen," he continued, causing her eyes to widen in the wake of her recent nightmare.

There was no freedom.

To be continued...!

Yes. That's right. The main purpose of this 'update' is for this ridiculously long author's note. Feel free to kick me. I know I deserve it.

It is with great regret that I am forced to say that I am now putting Falling To Darkness on hiatus. Again. There are two reasons for this unfortunate turn of events:

1. Midterms. What more can I say? I am waist-deep in a pile of over-expensive textbooks and, like all other university students, I am attempting to juggle sleeping and studying. Needless to say, I am terrible at juggling.

2. The plot of this story and I have been fighting extensively for weeks now. Just when I think I have everything ironed out, I realize I missed something or misrepresented the situation. The last chapter is coming up and it must be perfect.

The problem is that I do not know how to properly represent the tragedy of the characters' lives. What I find heart-breaking might be every-day for someone else. More specifically, is it more horrible for Mika to be forced to live with Madara for the rest of her life or is it worse for her to die? And as for Madara- if it worse for him to die after being so close to his goal or will it be so much more unfortunate for the world if he managed to become the supreme ruler?

Plus, the lose ends are driving me up the wall. Sasuke. Naruto. Orochi-pedo. They are important to the plot, but it is difficult to weave all of their lives together while also keeping in line with what is happening to the main characters.

I apologize for this idiotic rant. You probably think I should just suck it up and pull another chapter out of my ass. Well, I am forced to admit my limitations and I will not allow myself to publish something that does not hold up to my standards.

Thus, for all of you who have been patiently waiting, I bow my head in shame. Your continued support and understanding means the world to me. This community is wonderful. I have never felt this accepted before. So, I hope to repay you all with an amazing final chapter, whenever that will be. Thank you!

For now, I ask for your help in regards to the definition of tragedy. What would be more horrific- the death of Mika, Madara or both of them? Which situation/scenario would make your heart clench the most?