Saviour

15.

Two years later.

I stretched my body, reached my arms high above my head, heard that satisfying crunch from my spine. I took a mug of room temp coffee from the counter I knew he had made for me, despite always waking earlier than me. Some mornings, I was lucky and he stayed in bed until I had woken up. Waking up to his soft eyes looking adoringly at me was my absolute favourite thing in the whole world.

I opened the creaking wooden door, enjoyed the smell of the soft purple flowers that always bloomed on our porch. The sun was scorching, and I'd found I loved it.

"It's because it soothes the water within you", Madara had once said. "It makes it evaporate, makes it calmer."

I loved when he said things like that. It reminded me he was getting close to his forties, which I thought suited him incredibly.

"You, however", I'd purred, scooping him up into my embrace, leaning forwards slightly as if in a dance. He looked at me in awe in that way he had. "You make my water boil. You make my blood boil."

I'd taken him on the floor of our cottage right there and then.

Remembering that caused a tug in the pit of my stomach. That tug had changed over the two years since we'd moved out here. It had become deeper, more mature, as if it was the most natural thing in the world that I loved this man, and that I could feel safe in that he loved me. That tug spoke of an immense happiness that I'd never felt before; it spoke of safeness, it trust. But sometimes, that happiness overwhelmed me in a tsunami of emotions. I am so happy, I would think then. I am so happy, and I am so lucky.

We had no other purpose here other than existing and sustaining ourselves, and turned out it was exactly what I had needed. Years of daily hard physical exercise, continuously draining my chakra and in the end also the hard work of being the leader of a village had taken its toll on me, and I had come to realise I wasn't all that young anymore. I smiled, remembering Madara was getting close to his forties. That suited him, somehow. And to think I would top an older, more powerful man...

I suddenly missed him terribly, and started walking across the vast lands in search of him. I couldn't help but noticing he was thriving here as well, and I found it adorable how homely he was. He was baking bread, starting vegetable gardens, and he was a master at gardening. And he was just the most marvelous partner in everything he did. He was so kind, a good listener, and showered me with-

"GOTCHA!!"

"Whoa!" I screamed out in surprise as a weight jumped on me from behind, putting their arms around my shoulders. Madara...

I laughed, turned round, took him into my embrace and twirled him round. 

"God, Madara, how do you do that? I'm the best-"

"The best sensory ninja in the world, yeah, yeah, I know", he said mockingly, smiling still. "Not of much help when you're all caught up in your thoughts."

"Touché..."

"So, what were you thinking about?" he asked, handing me a peach. I took it, bit it gratefully. I hadn't had breakfast yet, and I had slept almost til noon, and I was starving due to the hours of rough sex we'd devoted ourselves to last night. 

"You", I said, a stupid grin on my face. God, I was in love. 

Madara slid his hand across my waist. He'd chopped his hair off a bit, so it now reached his collarbones, and he'd put it up. He looked adorable. "Something kinky?" he asked.

"No..." I said. 

"Then what?"

I took his hand, started walking across the acres upon acres of land. Nobody owned them; it was all for us, an entire world for us to share. "About how lucky I am to have you", I said earnestly, causing a blush to creep up on his cheeks. "About how good you are, always listening, always coming with good advice. I appreciate you so much, Madara."

Madara smiled. "Let's go and I'll make you breakfast. Or lunch."

I felt embarrassed. "Madara, you're doing way too much for me, I can cook!"

"But I want to!" he said earnestly, and I knew it was true. "And I know you want me to as well!" That part was also true. 

We went back, hand in hand, to the cottage where Madara whipped up the most amazing brunch-like thing. We went once a week to the closest farm, an hour walk from here, where we bought eggs and other staples. Madara used that to make us French toast with peaches and whipped cream. We took it to our porch, where we sat and happily ate in amicable silence. 

"What do you want to do today?" I asked him. 

"Don't you..." Madara asked. "Arenät you afraid you will tire of this? It's been a two-year vacation."

I considered this. "No. I accept that we both might feel we want to do something in the future, but for now, I am very content. And you?" I added, suddenly worried. 

Madara smiled warmly when he saw my face. "Don't worry, Tobes. I'm happy. But I've had the same thought, that in the future, I'd like to do something useful. Like, start a farm. Rescue some animals that were going for slaughter. Not to slaughtering them myself or anything!" he quickly added, looking horrified. I smiled; for someone who'd killed so many humans he was very soft-hearted when it came to animals. At the farm where we went for goods, he'd once helped milking a cow, and was literally crying the whole time. "I'm sorry!" he'd wailed. "I'm sorry for stealing your child's food!" "Madara", I'd said, pointing to right behind him, where the calf in question was happily sniffing Madara's hair. "Her son is right behind her. I believe you can share." 

Madara continued speaking. "Or perhaps a school. People live so far between here but they can only do home schooling. I could teach them a few things."

I smiled, in awe of Madara's gentle heart, that had been there deep down all this time, hidden by the frustration he felt regarding the world. I lay down, put my hands underneath my head. Madara slayed down next to me, snuggled against my chest. I kissed the top of his head. "That sounds fantastic. I will help you with anything you may need." 

He reached his face up, begging for a kiss which I happily gave him. The kiss became heated, and Madara slung his leg sensually over mine. "Madara, you must still be sore from last night..." I breathed.

"I don't care", he whispered back hotly into my mouth. 

And as I saw the sun shine behind him, matched by his crooked smile, I knew my soul would imprint that image into my memory bank for me to look on whenever I dealt with hardships in life.