#the idea 4 this one is they r betrothed.....a next life type thing

[m-kyunie]

feels weird posting sloppy stuff here vs instagram....

[cafeinthemoon]

The Leaves of Her Garden - Chapter VII

Title: The Leaves of Her Garden

Genre: Fanfiction

Pairing: Madara Uchiha x reader

Rating: Mature

Word count: 3683

Chapter (s): 7/?

Warning(s): 

Read the previous chapters here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Interlude, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Symbols: 🌙 | ➕ | ▶▶

Body Memory

Since you’ve started to walk on the surroundings outside your room, you’ve been noticing something strange: the garden, the porch and all the other places you were allow ed to go to seemed empty. Not that you were always alone at them: Ayane and Aiko used to be with you. But you haven’t seem more people there besides them , whether they were servants or other clan members.

Alongside the women, the Uchiha brothers were the only ones who talked directly to you. Madara only met you two times, and he didn’t talk much to you during the second one. Even Izuna seemed to speak to you more often while he was there. You already knew that Madara’s only family was his younger brother, and he was not in the house at the moment: right after bringing you to his leader, he was sent on another mission and you didn’t hear of him since then.

That day you were at the garden, enjoying the sunset. You were sitting on the grass thinking about it ; unfortunately, there was no one with whom you could discuss this: Ayane had to go back to the house to do some task with Aiko and you were left alone among the cherry trees . Seeing their branches all empty after the blossoming was sad. Maybe this circumstance was what made you consider this peculiarity.

It was when you started to think that you were being purposely kept isolated in Madara’s house. Realizing t his was not really a surprise to you, of course: your true identity was some sort of secret only shared with his brother and the women responsible for your needs, so that no one else should know about your existence. This also could have explained the rage Madara showed towards that servant who were arguing with Aiko and Ayane that day: the man was not only threatening them, but was invading an area that was forbidden to him.

All of this led you to question about the presence of members of the original betrothed’s clan. Because the ceremony would happen soon, there must have been some of their representatives staying in the Uchiha property. But were they near or far from you? Were they receiving any news about the girl they believed to be their pair? How was she being treated? Was she having all her needs satisfied? Didn’t they question this arrangement in which she was being kept separated from them, or was it a common tradition?

There were many questions for which you had no answers. Izuna would certainly know them, but you doubted that he would say something to you if he was there. So Madara was the only one who could give those answers to you. However, you wouldn’t ask him for them: since you’ve met, he didn’t tell more than what he considered to be necessary for you to know , and he never made it clear if you were allowed to make questions or not , nor what of questions were considered appropriate in the first case . You finally came to the conclusion that some things you would only find out during and after the wedding.

In the next day, you were informed that the ceremony was going to take place in two days. You were also told that you were going to have your comings and goings restricted during this period in order to maintain your physical conditions at their best: you were still recovering from your weakness, which must not show during the ceremony’s day. You also suspected that it was important to stay well for the sake of the wedding night: you only met your future husband once, but the little you acknowledged from him made it clear that a weakened woman was the last thing he would need in that moment.

All these precautions also served to make the women’s work easier: they were responsible for making sure that your appearance would be as perfect as possible when the day came. You yourself didn’t know how much you resemble “the other girl”, as you got used to think of her, and your only way of comparison were the comments of Madara and his brother, but every detail needed attention, so that your secret would never be revealed.

During the first day, you were informed about the details of the ceremony and how you should behave in order to do your part, what you would need to say, how to reply to the officiant and things of that kind. At first, you found it hard to remember everything: there were so many things that you started wondering if you would be capable of handling everything. It was when you finally understood why you should stay in your room most of the time in those days: your time was running out and there were too much to do now that you were partially recovered.

Maybe your initial difficulty in decorating your part was due to the fact that Madara himself was the person who talked to you about the ceremony and taught you what you needed to learn. He explained what you have to do and stated that you should concentrate all your attentions in it in order to learn, then he came from time to time to see your progress. You didn’t say a word about it (you didn’t even have anyone to talk to about it, since Ayane wasn’t there during his appearances), but you were almost sure that he didn’t really leave when he exited your room. It was something you were going to get used to in that house: living there was like having all your steps watched, even when Madara was not around.

He was a capable and patient instructor, indeed, but you had to admit he was not the most gentle one: h e never hesitated to say what pleased him or not, no matter how harsh it sounded to you. If he considered you did a good job, all you would get from him was a nod and one or two words of approval, but if he noticed something that need ed correction he would make you repeat it until you mastered it; it didn’t matter if you wanted a break or thought you weren’t going to succeed, he would not let you give up . You’ve already heard about the determination and discipline of the shinobi, but this was beyond your expectations, though you had no parameters to compare Madara’s way and other ninja’ s .

He also had no restraints in approaching and touching you during the lessons: he would not think twice before hold ing your jawline and lift your face if he thought you were looking at the ground for too long (things like “look at me” or “keep your eyes on mine” came out from his mouth countless times); he would hold your hands while you were repeating your sentences, and if you stuttered or said them too low, he would squeeze them a little to make you speak louder and clearer; he would stand behind you and pass his hands around you r waist to correct your posture if necessary.

There was a moment when this happened and he stood there, close to you for an unusual amount of time. He didn’t say anything, yet there seemed to be something that was displeasing him. Finally, you understood you would have to ask him about it.

- What is wrong, Madara-sama? – you whispered.

He tightened his grip around you in response. You were trembling at his body’s heat blending with yours, his hand over your ribs, his breath on the skin of your neck.

- I’ve just found out what is wrong, y/n. I’ve been sensing your solitude since I’ve met you for the first time. The root to all your difficulty is the fact that you are not used to be so close to other people, but the role you are going to play is based on full interaction with others, and finally with me – he approached his lips to your ear – So, if we want to make it work, we need to eliminate these hesitating manners of yours and turn our proximity into something natural. Problem is that we do not have much time, so that we are going to need to work with what we have.

- But how are we going to do this, Madara-sama?

You heard a muffled laugh close to your ear. He released you.

- Look at me.

You turned and noticed a new light in his eyes.

- I have an idea, and I will need your entire compliance to execute it .

You could only imagine what he was planning to do, and of course you were afraid. However, as many times in your life since you were found dying at the river’s shore, you had no time to think or to hesitate. You just accept his decision.

- You have my compliance. What are we going to do?

H is smile widened, as if he found your determination entertaining.

- Y/n, we are going to dance .

***

I t was still in the morning.

In that quiet, isolated part of the garden, with no trees to cover your vision of the sky nor bushes to surround you and having only the grass underneath your feet, Madara and you were standing in front of each other, in silence. He told you to follow him there for you two would need some space and privacy to what you were going to do.

In your way there, you exchanged a few words.

- But… what if someone appears, Madara-sama? And what if Ayane or Aiko start to look for me?

- They will not look for you, because I told them I was going to need some time alone with you – he glanced to you – Didn’t you find it strange that they did not come back to your room after leaving it early today?

- Well, yes. It makes sense.

- And about the possibility of someone showing up unexpectedly… it will not happen – he continued – And even if it does, I have sensory capacities. Once they arrived, I would notice their presence.

You soon noticed that Madara seemed to have more patience than his brother to answer questions. That didn’t mean you would take the risk of overwhelming him with them, of course: he was the type of person who just says what is necessary and when he thinks to be necessary. You knew that your doubts would be clarified at the right time.

When you arrived at that part of the garden and had Madara’s eyes over you, you noticed a subtle smile on his face, as if your confused expression at his previous words about dancing still amused him. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that was the case, because you were still confused and waiting for an answer.

- I apologize for the way I expressed myself before – he started, still smiling – It is clear that dancing means two different things for each of us.

You hid your hands behind your back. You never knew that this word had any other meaning than the obvious one.

- And what this word means to you, Madara-sama?

- In a simple word, it means fighting – he laughed at your widened eyes – Y/n, have you ever heard of something called body memory?

Y ou nodded. You’ve read something about this subject once.

- It is said that our bodies carry a physical history of our experiences and behave accordingly. Because of this ability, we can teach the most varied lessons to ourselves through the principle of body memory.

- Exactly. It is good to s e e that you already have some familiarity with the concept – he approved – It will make things easier for both of us. Now, listen. According to what I’ve learned in my observations, your body was taught to maintain a barrier separating you from other people. The reasons, I can only imagine. I could look for them into your memories using my dojutsu, but we do not have time for that. Instead, let’s state that the main challenge in your case will be teaching your body to behave correctly when you are around a group of people. Something like would usually take several days in normal circumstances, but we do not have all this time at our disposal. The only way I know to teach you such a complex lesson in so little time is to make you fight.

He took a step closer to you.

- Y/n, you are going to fight me.

You couldn’t believe what you’ve just heard. Fight him? How?

- But, Madara-sama, I… I am not a warrior. I do not know how to do it.

- Of course you do not – he calmly said – And this is why I brought you here. To teach you.

He raised his hand, its palm turned to you.

- Starting with the basics, punch my palm.

You swallowed. You raised your right hand and closed it before doing as he said. Your punch barely made a noise or moved his hand; it felt like nothing to him, and he said that to you.

- I saw when you defend those women with your bare hands, girl. You have some strength in this body, otherwise you would not stand against that man’s strike. I know you can do better than this – he raised his hand for the second time – Try again. Stronger.

- Stronger? – you hesitated – What if I… hurt you?

This time, you managed to bring a true smile to his face. Somehow it seemed even more scary to you.

- Y/n. Even if there was a way for you to hurt me, I would not let you know. Now, try again.

You tried it again. Stronger, as he told you. The result was similar to the previous time, and Madara told you to do it for third time. You did it. Then he raised his other hand and told you to punch with your left one. You did it. You started to alternate your hands and continued to strike until you found a rhythm, and your punches became stronger, well guided. At first you were afraid to get tired, but it did not happen, so you let this worry aside and concentrated on what you had to do. The more you repeated the lesson to yourself, the more natural it became.

For a long time, you could only listen to the breeze passing through your ears, your own breath, becoming heavy with the exercise and the sound of your hands striking his. Suddenly, you heard his voice among all of this.

- Enough.

You stopped and waited.

- You are striking with more strength, I can feel it . But you are still holding back. Do not limit yourself. Try again.

You obeyed. You maintained your pace, and thought of not restraining your movements, of just do as he said with no hesitation. Apparently, it was still not enough.

- Do not stop, y/n – he was saying – Just listen to what I say. Your body was taught to hold back what you have in order to maintain the barrier between you and the outer world. To break down this barrier, you have to bring your feelings to what you are doing. Bring out your thoughts. Your memories. Your bonds. Your shame. Your fear. Your pain. Your rage.

As his words echoed in your head, you started to remember everything that led you to the place you were, to the circumstances guiding your life now. You remembered your childhood, your parents and their farewell; the war and the exodus in which you were forced to participate; the friends who died in the journey and the ones who took different paths, away from you; your arrival at your adoptive mother’s house; your relationship with her; her lessons, her orientation and her love; your economic difficulties; your work at Hiroshi’s house; his daughter, with her bright smile and sweet manners; Hiroshi’s harassment; the moment you ran from his house; the darkness and the loneliness of your journey until you’ve reached the river; Izuna’s appearance, your conversation and your consent to be brought to that house.

You remembered everything, and what such memories awakened scared even you. All the things Madara told you to bring out came through your punches, and your eyes were now full of tears; your throat was tightened with anger, and it was harder to hold back a scream.

- You are finally learning – he said, not hiding the satisfaction in his voice – But your strikes are still too weak. Use your strength.

- But I cannot do better than this, Madara-sama – you said while punching.

- Yes, you can – it was the reply – And you will.

- But, Madara-sama...

- Just do it, girl. Do not act like you were weak, or I will end up believing you are. But the thing is that I do not like weak people. So do not make me despise you.

If those words were said to enrage or to hurt you, you couldn’t tell. But their effect was precisely what Madara intended, because your sensed your anger coming up through your stomach, impossible to be contained, and started striking with everything you got. You were not going to be held down, to be ashamed, to be abused again, whether by a war, by tragedies or by people like Hiroshi or Ayane’s brother-in-law. You haven’t come so far only to bring disgust to the man who saved your life. You were going to deserve your new place, your new name and your new family, because this is what Madara was going to be to you: a family. Different from the ones you had before, and not exactly how you expected, but still a family. You were not going to disappoint your family.

You only noticed how much effort you’ve been put ting in your striking when Madara told you to stop and you did it, sweating and breathing heavily.

- That’s enough for today – he stated – Considering that this is the first training of your life and that we have so little time, your performance was satisfactory. However, I do not want to have you tired, not much more than you are now.

You took a step ahead, but didn’t get too far: he approached and took you in his arms.

- Let me carry you back to your room – he whispered.

You nodded, then passed your arm s around his neck. Madara adjusted the grip around your body and left the place with you.

In a moment, you were back to your room, and he was about to leave you in your futon.

Unlike other times when he and other people came close to you, you didn’t startle when he took you . Maybe you were too tired to maintain your usual modesty, but you could swear something has changed in you after that striking session. Your senses were turned on their last levels. Fatigue, pain, sadness, anger, desire – you felt every single emotion in a turmoil, coming out from your pores with the sweat and the tiredness. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt that way. Was that the sensation of being alive?

When he bent down to release you, you noticed that your breathing was synchronized with his, and this somehow calmed you down. You raised your eyes to his and saw that they were already observing you, that pair of dark globes inside which you could drown if you weren’t careful, or that was what you thought when you met them for the first time; now, you weren’t feeling the need of caution, nor seemed to understand it with the urgency of before.

You only noticed what you were doing when your mouth was so close to his that you had no choice but to let the kiss happen. You kept your arms around his neck, your fingers wrapping the strands of his hair around them; he had one arm around your waist while the other was still under your legs, and you felt when they tightened up, bringing you closer to him. You then felt the mattress underneath you: he released you, but didn’t move away. The arm he had on your waist slid and his hand reached the back of your head; his fingers held your hair in a way that kept you in place, but it didn’t hurt. His other arm moved from its spot too, so that his other hand grabbed your thigh as it happen during your first kiss, but t his gesture didn’t make you startle nor blush as before: instead, you realized you liked it.

This second kiss, as a whole, felt more natural and expected than the first one. Was it a result of the first training, of the alterations in your body memory ? But so soon? You didn’t know, but you found out you didn’t care about it. You also noticed you weren’t worried about the fact that you were tired and sweating: you remembered when Izuna commented about your state while carrying you; he said his brother would be disgusted by your scent at that time. Now it seemed that the younger Uchiha was just trying to provoke you or making a joke, for nothing in your body seemed to displease his brother now.

Madara removed his hand from your hair and held your chin and for an instant, then his lips separated from yours.

- It is already working – he whispered, smiling – You are not hesitating as before. Now there is a chance for things to work, and for you to succeed in your part.

He then gave you one last, brief kiss and moved away, standing up.

- We will have another session tomorrow. I will see you by the morning, before the sun rises. So take some rest and be prepared.