Summary: There comes a time when you eventually stop looking under the bed for monsters, because you realize that the real monsters are from within. For Sakura, she had known it since the time she gained a small sense of satisfaction from destroying ant hills and bird nests. It wasn't until she met Madara that the monster within her began to stir. He was her Joker as she was his Harley Quinn.

Pairing: MadaSaku

Rating: Mature for violence and possibly future lemons

Word Count: 4,065

Harlequin

"Oh, but we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

— the Cat, Alice in Wonderland.

Chapter 4

It was just a small peck on the lips. Everything from there was just a blur afterwards from the nurses having to come into the office to take him away back to his jail-like room. They had not seen the affection of course, only decided to enter at the time Madara finally decided it was better that he stepped back to fully observe Sakura. To say she was shocked was an understatement. After the madman had left, she was still stiff as a board sitting in her seat, fingertips scraping against the clipboard that she didn't know she was clinging onto. Everything in her office seemed to drift in midair; even as she exited and entered her own apartment things seemed to be floating as she jettison from one space to another. Touching her lips, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror to see an unfamiliar face. Emerald eyes were much more vivid, her pale complexion had a faint rosy tint and face structure seemed elongated due to her surprised expression.

To say that she would have predicted Madara's move would have been close to impossible. She never even presented the possibility in her mind. When it had happened, she swore her heart stopped and almost brushed it off as a ridiculous accident until he asked her an equally ridiculous question.

"Was that predictable, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"

She scoffed, lowering her bare body into a steaming bathtub. His unpredictable actions had completely messed up her schedule and day. She was used to having her days be predictable, it made her future easier. An easier present would then lead to an easier future. It was how she saw things and so far, it had worked out—up until that shaggy haired madman entered her life and began questioning unquestionable things and now physically surprising her. A kiss was not something that should bother her. She had kissed many men (and when she was drunk, women) before in the past. Why would have this one small, insignificant peck irritate her so much? That was why. It was disgustingly innocent. It was ridiculously gentle, quick and innocent.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, and she was just imagining the kiss—no it had happened. The touch and feeling still lingered on her lips no matter how hard she scrubbed and wiped. The supposedly relaxing bath was having an opposite effect on her, it was beginning to stress her out rather than calm her nerves. She felt indifferent whenever he chose to have a staring contest with her, but now the sight of his maroon eyes made her feel sick. They reminded her of his oddly familiar light cinnamon aroma with a smell of aftershave. What was that? Cinnamon?

Viridian eyes snapped open as she grabbed the bottle of baths salts she was currently using. Of course. It just had to be cinnamon. Sakura sank lower into the tub, heaving out a sigh and tossed the bottle away from her. The sound of glass shattering startled her, forcing her to get out of her tub and walk over to observe in silence at the sight before her. Her silver hand mirror had fell off the edge of the sink next to the dented bath salts bottle and shattered into miniscule pieces onto the marbled floor. Her fragmented wet face and dripping hair reflected back at her.

Perhaps, it was better she took a break from work to clear her head and hopefully disregard the kiss as nothing more than a past memory. She began cleaning up the mess, still naked and wet with worries that slid off of her shoulders.

…

The white room's atmosphere seemed to penetrate Madara's very being as questions and voices broke through into his thoughts. She smelled like peaches. Not cherry blossoms—peaches and mangoes. Her cropped hair bristled against his cheek when he landed his lips on her back in the office. And her lips, they were incredibly soft, just like her skin, but were a little dry possibly from the lack of hydration. After the unpredictable lip-to-lip contact, he pulled back and the first feature he noticed other than her flushed complexion, slightly parted lips in shock, were those haunting seafoam eyes. There was no spark, but instead a blaze behind the emerald green pairs. The spearmint breath that escaped her slightly ajar lips danced on his face.

"Was that predictable, Sa-ku-ra-chan?"

Ironically, the question was more directed towards himself than her. It was the main question that caused him to actually follow through with the kiss that surprised even him. It just seemed to happen, like Fate had taken up his drawstrings and pushed him forward towards the pink haired woman. Was it the fact that she herself provoked Fate through characterizing him as a mere cat? He was no kitten, and just like a lion, he attacked her with the kiss that surprised the two of them.

He wouldn't deny the fact that it was enjoyable, but he would not admit it either. He enjoyed provoking Sakura, but this was no longer provoking her—the game turned into a cold battlefield with no clear winner. Perhaps, it was best to take a small break from this game. Or possibly end this game of theirs with no winner. It was better off that way—ambiguous endings were always Madara's favorite. It allowed him to evaluate his own ending, and in his, he would have won this game of theirs and Sakura would be gone, distressed and irreparable. Stalemates in this case, were acceptable.

Maroon eyes closed as he exhaled into the plush white pillows of his mattress. Madara waited a few seconds before he reached towards a tiny button on the side of his bed and pressed it. It was only supposed to be used during dire and important situations so that the caretakers would see what the problem is. It was mainly in use for nurses, psychiatrists or other caretakers when their insane patient lost sight of reality, one that he lost long ago.

His door squeaked open gently, a tall woman with almond colored eyes walked in, a stud piercing sticking out under her lower lip and signature white flower was placed in her significant cobalt blue hair. "Madara-san," she murmured with an expressionless face.

"Konan," Madara grinned, still lying down on his mattress, shaggy head propped up on two pillows with both hands underneath. "You should begin the process of getting me out of this mad prison." He would not bother giving Konan details of this stalemate game he played with the salmon haired woman.

Konan raised an eyebrow at his unexpected request, but nodded, "I shall inform Pein about your demands. If I may ask, why the sudden change of heart to your stay here?"

"I overstepped my boundaries, and I'm bored." he answered plainly. He wouldn't deny that. Not only did he overstep Sakura's boundaries, but he also overstepped his own by a couple of centimeters. He had other worldly business to attend to other than play silly mind games with her. If she claimed that she grew tired of his predictable game, then he grew tiresome of her as well. "I believe it is best that I 'recover' soon and get out early off on good behavior and having a clear mind. Not that difficult to do." He rambled.

"Your brother," she spoke, abruptly changing the topic. "He is back for a business trip and is visiting. He requests your presence soon before he sets off again for work."

"All the more reason to get out of this hellhole," a sigh escaped his lips. "I look forward to seeing Izuna again."

…

"Why do you always get into fights Izuna?"Madara grumbled, wiping the blood stains off of his slightly younger brother's cheek. They were only a few months apart. However, it seemed as if the two were fraternal twins. The two of them were rarely seen apart from each other. One was always causing the most mischief and the other would always follow suit. At school, Izuna would get into fights, while Madara would cheat and lie. "Mother will be angry if she sees the blood."

"It's not mine."

"I know," Madara grinned. He already had to squeeze out a lie from his lips towards the beaten child's angered mother who witnessed the fight unfold. "Do you think she really believed me when I told her that it was because her son made fun of our family?"

The two of them looked into the distance to hear shrieks and yells as the mother walked on off with the beaten bloody child. Izuna gave a toothy grin, "It sounds like it. You've never gotten caught with a lie anyways, why doubt your words?"

Izuna faced Madara once again, looking into his elder brother's maroon eyes as they narrowed slightly, "Because that lie was at least partially true… That boy may as well make fun of the Uchiha family."

Izuna growled, "But it's wrong."

Madara sighed, dropping his short arms to his sides and dusted off his cobalt blue PE shorts. "The Uchiha family is infamous—at least in this part of the country. They take advantage of many people in this district and are not favored by many who live in Konoha. It's not right, and you know it."

"You speak as if you are not an Uchiha."

"I am," Madara grinned slyly, "That is why I lie like one."

Izuna flashed a grin back, "And that is why I fight like one."

As the two brothers walked back into the private school that they attended, Madara could not help but analyze his previous statement. He glanced next to him, revealing Izuna's harmonic smile. Shifting his maroon eyes back front, he noticed just how different the two of them really were. Izuna was rough, but was also a devoted person despite the clan's infamous reputation in Konoha while he himself was quiet, but deceptive. The two were foils of each other it seems. Unlike Izuna, Madara did not dislike the clan; however he would be lying if he claimed that he was just as devoted and proud as Izuna.

Madara just simply did not care.

"Madara," Izuna nudged him, "Uncle wants us to babysit Sasuke-kun again. We should run back home."

"Let's race."

And so they both took off running, their backpacks hitting against their lower backs as it hung low and swayed oppositional of each step. The wind brushed back Madara's spiked hair as it did for Izuna's growing one. The two were equally matched. It was never much of a competition rather than it was who could keep up with each other. Panting breaths were heard as the two of them slowed down to a stop at the door steps of their home. Madara snapped his head up to tease Izuna before he was quickly interrupted by the door slamming shut in front of them.

"Oh," Itachi murmured, looking up slightly at his two slightly older cousins. "I was just about to leave to look for you two to look after Sasuke-kun. He is asleep in his room right now."

"Wait, what?" Izuna raised an eyebrow, "You're leaving? I thought we would be watching both of you."

"I promised to be with Shisui today," Itachi replied monotonously, stepping forward passed the two older boys. "The door is unlocked. My mother and father will be back in approximately an hour and a half."

The two brothers watched as Itachi's tiny back distanced from them, eventually disappearing as he turned the corner. Izuna faced Madara curiously and raised an eyebrow, "Itachi has been acting strange lately. He has been hanging out with Shisui more."

"He must finally be hitting puberty along with Shisui and the two of them are probably talking about girls," Madara snickered, stepping into the quiet household and heading straight towards the kitchen while Izuna stepped upstairs to check on their sleeping baby cousin.

The kitchen was vast. The pure white tiles felt cool under his bare feet and the black and gold marbled counter tops reflected his young face as he stepped towards the kitchen island where it was piled with baked cookies. He greedily snatched one off the china plates and took a bite. His face scrunched up and grudgingly swallowed—it was oatmeal raisin. Slyly slipping the half eaten cookie into the pile towards the bottom, he slipped the cover back over the plate.

"Sasuke-kun is still asleep—Are those cookies?" Izuna's equally ruby eyes lit up in delight as he shoveled cookie after cookie into his mouth without tasting.

Madara was going to say something, knowing that his younger brother was very much allergic to raisins, but held his breath as he saw Izuna's horrified face in realization. A slow smirk made its way onto his face as he watched his brother's face puff up slightly and hear him complaining of an itch crawling down his throat.

…

"Shall I inform Izuna about your…'condition'?" Konan worded carefully, hands carefully laced together behind her back, looking and speaking professionally as usual.

Madara blinked, snapping his crimson eyes towards unafraid almond ones. "No, I'd like to surprise Izuna. Just make sure to pick me up after tending to my dear brother, will you?" He waved the obedient blue haired woman off before quickly adding, "Oh… And if Dr. Haruno asks about me or requests to see me, tell her I am being released off for good behavior and mental rehabilitation."

"Do you really think she would believe that?" she raised an eyebrow, "Haruno-san is a very intelligent—"

"She could care less," Madara shrugged.

Konan gave a curt nod before exiting the room at last. She had been automatically placed in this mental institution as a nurse-in-training after having Madara was transferred to the asylum in order to keep watch of his audacious actions. What surprised her most was how long he was so willing to stay in the institution and actually bothered to request the same salmon haired psychiatrist multiple times. Had the woman really been that entertaining? Or perhaps the Uchiha was planning something that the Akatsuki did not know of yet. No. It was mere coincidence that he landed in this particular institution. There was nothing of value that Haruno Sakura had that the Akatsuki did not. However, what contradicted this way of thinking were Madara's actions. It almost seemed like he wanted to stay because he was interested in her.

Impossible; the idea was preposterous and immediately eliminated off the list of Madara's motivations. Konan gave an exasperated sigh, readjusting the pale flower in her hair she brushed off these contradictory thoughts and moved on, choosing to forget ever figuring out the older Uchiha man. Itachi was already confusing, she had no time figuring out someone as complicated as Itachi, therefore she refused to put anymore thought upon Madara's actions and motivations.

Konan had come to terms with the fact that she would never understand the madman Madara. He was an enigma she wished to never comprehend.

…

The promises of break from work only lasted one day off to spend with the three men she grew up with: Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke. They were surprised at her insistence on the surprise break and called in sick from their own jobs to spend the day with her. The break was quick, exhausting but a distraction nonetheless. It wasn't until she found herself staring at the younger Uchiha was when she realized she was still thinking about Madara and that it was inevitable to avoid this problem.

And so she was back in her office in the psychiatric ward of the asylum, deciding to rearrange everything in her office so that Madara would not sneak in again and mess up her things. There she went again—thinking about that damned madman. Sakura ran slender fingers through her cropped pink hair as she exhaled, pushing the button that reached intercom of the nurses' station. "Could one of you please bring in Uchiha Madara for his scheduled appointment? Thank you."

She began to mentally steel herself away from the piercing maroon eyes that dug into her being. He will not intimidate her this time. So far, he had shown no signs of violence towards her, only intimidation and pressure. His only goal so far seemed to be just annoying her, and it was certainly working. She grabbed her observation notebook that she now kept with her wherever she went and began taking down the mandatory dates, time and reviews of what had previously been discussed last session. She left out further details of his actions.

"Dr. Haruno?" a seemingly familiar voice invaded Sakura's thoughts as tea green eyes looked up in surprise to find the fairly new intern nurse Konan standing at the open door. She noticed Madara was not peaking from the corner as he usually did. "I am sorry to interrupt, but Uchiha-san had requested to cancel today's appointment."

"Oh?" the black pen clicked three times in her hands.

"He has actually requested that these appointments will no longer be a necessity," almond brown eyes stared into green hues. Would girl catch onto Madara's plans?

"I think it would be my decision to see if he is fit to cancel these appointments," Sakura's gaze fell to her notebook again, beginning to draw small doodles off to the side of birds and ant hills. This did not sound like the competitive and unruly man that she knew. She knew and understood than any Uchiha man would hate to lose, and so they rarely did. The only time she had beat an Uchiha was Sasuke when they were playing shogi. He would not talk to her for roughly a week after the humiliating loss.

Konan shook her head, expressionless eyes staring back as Sakura looked up once again and spoke, "That is the usual protocol for this institution, Dr. Haruno. However the Uchiha family has requested they release Madara. If he has shown good behavior within a week, then we are obligated to release him back to the custody of his family." This was only partially true; however he would not be released back to the Uchihas rather he would be released back to the Akatsuki.

"Impossible," Sakura clicked her tongue, uncrossing her legs and standing up to walk behind her desk, filing away her notebook in slight irritation. "Madara has claimed autonomy from the family. He is free to do as he wishes to without the rules of the family."

Almond eyes narrowed only slightly. Just how much did the foolish Uchiha tell Sakura? Fortunately, the blue haired intern was a skilled liar. "He still works for the Uchiha company. They still have power over him in regards to work. They claim his work replacement in the company is inept and they need him back."

"Fine."

Konan nearly jumped back. Was she really going to take the bait that easily? Sakura was an intelligent and clever woman, but she was not gullible. It was true that Madara still worked for the company; however he worked from home and rarely ever went to any of the meetings. If anything, Madara could quit working for the company and the higher branches would not notice, or they would care less. Regardless, Konan was not about to let Sakura change her insistent mind and quickly left the room to head back towards the nurse's station.

Something was up, and Sakura knew. It was a possibility that Konan had been given false information, or that she was lying herself. Leaning back against the mahogany desk, she let out a frustrated growl, pink tresses falling in front of her face as she looks down at her feet. Perhaps, she needed a break—a real break. Perhaps, she needed—

"Sakura-chan?" her door creaked open slightly to reveal familiar silvery gray hair sticking out in odd angles.

What was Kakashi doing here? Had they just not seen each other this month already? It was strange to see her friend and mentor again within the same month. That thought felt stranger to her. As if reading her thoughts, Kakashi full entered into the room to reveal his usual black scarf that covered a majority of his face, a white dress shirt with black business pants wrapped around with a leather belt. He took slow steps towards her, glancing around her office with his heterochromia eyes. "I assumed you were back at work already, so I felt like stopping by to say hello!" Kakashi grinned, his eyes crinkling amiably.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "You've never done this before, so why now?"

A shrug was only given as he moved closer to Sakura who leaned unmoving against the desk. "I just felt like seeing my favorite student."

"We're not longer your students Kakashi, in fact you insisted we stopped calling you 'Kakashi-sensei' for the longest time." Her patience was wearing thin.

"Would you like to get dinner with me tonight, Sakura?"

Perhaps, this was the kind of break she needed to get away from work and especially from the crazed madman who now stood deathly still at the entrance of her closed door after listening in.

…

How dare he? How dare that damned police officer snag away Sakura from his clutches? Say no. However, she said yes instead. She said yes. Why was he even so concerned? It was her life. But she was still playing this game with him, and she should have realized that they were playing their wits and minds as well as their souls and lives. That foul, harrowing and treacherous man she called her 'friend' was just a pawn. A mere pawn that he would easily eliminate and take from her until there would be nothing left on the game board but her.

Madara would win and he was determined to make Sakura lose and suffer. The feeling of having her mind and soul twisted in his hands gave him a new wave of motivation. Once he had captured her mind and soul, he would claim her entire being. He could almost feel the silk soft skin underneath his fingertips, imagining her thin vulnerable neck under his merciless grip. However, instead of a fearful expression on her face, he pictured a mocking one. One that was free from bruises and cuts. Should she become another one of his experiments? Just like the previous man before his arrest? Or the other one where he bludgeoned the man into a plumped swelling plum? No, she would be an entirely different experiment that would require no physical harm. For now, he would take up her interest in the human psyche and beat her at her own game.

Fuck the stalemate in their game.

Again, I hope this isn't progressing too oddly for any of you. I greatly appreciate the people who take their precious time to actually review-even if it was to just tell me to update soon. I noticed that this fanfiction has been getting a lot of notifications that it's being added onto a person's favorites or alerts list. It's more than the amount of reviews I normally get, so I do hope that I'll see some new names in the reviews list!

So, thank you for favoriting and alerting, but also please review :) Any criticism is absolutely lovely.