Unexpected || MadaSaku ||

Ally or Enemy?

~Madara~

Her dark-grey gloves slipped over each of her fingers carefully as she stretched her hands and pulled them into a tight fist, making sure they were on tight. It wasn't her first time in combat and she aimed for it not to be her last. I admired her will to fight, not even my brother's remarks could stumble her. She agreed to the match without hesitation as if her only goal was to prove him wrong.

"Madara, I know you think highly of her, but don't go easy on her," Izuna smirked as he took his spot beside the other Uchiha in the camp. They all wanted to see me go up against her, to test her worth. Their pride as Uchiha depended on my victory, and so did mine.

"Wouldn't dream of it brother," I exhaled deeply, taking my Gunbai into my hands. My callused fingers wrapping around the grip. I placed on my back, hoping I wouldn't have to use it on her. I approached her on the grassy open plain as she extended two fingers out to me. "What's this?"

"It is a fight between two comrades...or acquaintances in this case," Sakura smiled to me. Her soft green eyes making me soft by the moment. I nodded at her gesture and held my fingers to hers, her hands far smoother than mine. I withdrew and focused on her as we were about to begin our match. The stance she made was firm and impenetrable while her body was loose and relaxed. I can't go easy on her.

As I ran toward her, she sent a single punch to the ground, sending waves through the earth beneath us to leave nothing but a shattered ground. I jumped back and stared at her in awe. There was no way a girl that small could hold that kind of punch. She smirked and stood back into her fighting stance: her feet spread apart and her fists close to her chest. She charged toward me without dropping her focus. Her fists jabbed one by one, each one holding more force than the other. The sheer pressure that came from her punches, made me stumble. I dodged her attacks, but Sakura was more than persistent. I quickly grabbed my Gunbai and used it to shield myself from her attacks. It worked for less than a second before her direct hit began to crack it.

Her focus went from me to the fan, so I took the opportunity to slide my feet to the side and make her fall on her back. The fall took her by surprise, but the fan coming to slam her into the dirt didn't. Sakura rolled over getting back on her toes causing my Gunbai to break into pieces. I threw the handle out of my hand and placed my eyes on her. "Sharingan."

"No, no, that'll be enough," Izuna said slowly clapping his hands together. He stepped in between us and looked at Sakura with his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.

"You may not be an Uchiha, but I'll admit you have the fighting spirit of one. Consider me entertained for the time being," He smirked making it seem like it wasn't hard for him to say as he began to return to camp. "Madara, bring Sakura over to my tent tonight. We have to discuss my plans for her."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Sakura~

"You know, I didn't expect that kind of power to come from you," Madara laughed as we sat in a a tree peeling oranges.

"Well I was expecting much more from you," I teased nudging his shoulder with mine. It was different getting to know Madara before he got power hungry. He was more, well, approachable.

"Tell me about your husband," Madara insisted making me pause in the middle of peeling.

"I don't remember much," I lied.

"Do you at least remember what he looked like?" he asked tilting his head to the side. I could tell he was sincere.

"He looked a lot like Izuna," I admitted biting down on my lower lip.

"Is that why you reacted how you did when you saw him?" Madara inquired with more interest in his voice.

"Yeah," I said as tiny bits of tears began to build in the corners of my eyes. I wanted Sasuke with me, and the reality that I couldn't was what broke me. My daughter, Naruto, Ino...they're gone- I'm gone. I wiped away the few tears that left my eyes and jumped to the ground. "Come on. We can't keep your pain in the ass brother waiting."

He followed behind me, quieter than he'd been before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're insane if you think that'll work," I chuckled not sure if he was serious.

"No, it's simple really. All you really have to do is go with Madara to the wedding and get close with Mito. Hashirama and Madara are still relatively close, so no need to worry. I just need her to trust you. The more trust we gain from the Senju, the better," Izuna said leaning his hands against the wood table that separated us from his constant hand slamming gestures.

"So, are they your Allies or enemies?" I asked hoping it'd clear the air. It didn't.

"Both," they said smiling. Oh, boy.

~Sarada~

I had another dream last night, one where mama wreaked havoc on the ground under her feet. Her breaths were quickening and her fists were flying. She tangoed with another, but their figure was blurry and unfamiliar. I knew at this point it was useless to even try and call out to her, but I longed to hear her voice again, whether it was yelling or humming. But before I began to wake up, I swore I saw her turn around and smile at me...

"Sarada, doesn't need another mother. She needs Sakura. I don't know what you think this is, but this is the house I got for Sarada and Sakura and our family. Ours! Sarada doesn't need someone else to call mom, she needs her mother. Not a woman who can't get over this unhealthy infatuation," I heard papa shout from outside my bedroom door. I guessed that he was raising his voice at Karin, but I wasn't sure why. Even I knew she just wanted to be there for us. "Do me a favor and stay away from me, stay out of our room. I can take care of it."

"Fine," Karin calmly responded before slamming the door and leaving. I didn't leave my room, but then again, I rarely did.

~Sasuke~

I rubbed my temple in frustration. Why couldn't she just have stayed out of our business? I didn't want to shout at her, but she changed the sheets and pillow cases on our bed while I was out. Her scent that I held onto every night, now smelt of laundry detergent and softener. It had been a while, but I wanted to hang on to her for longer than I got the chance to. I wanted to lay next to her and kiss her pink supple soft lips. I wanted to be close to my wife again instead of feeling like she was a fading memory.

"Sakura, I miss you." I said as I dropped my head into the palms of my hands.