Sacrifice and Surrender

24: Slowly

Madara had a sense that Sakura was trying to somehow expose their relationship to the village in a gentle manner. The festival was a good time to do it, he supposed, since this festival, in particular, was known to be the catalyst for many romances to begin. The exchange of presents was a tradition he had often enjoyed in the past, though the only female he'd ever brought a gift for before was Matsuri.

Of course, Matsuri used the holiday as an opportunity to tease him and only ever gave him an apple-themed present. This year she'd presented him with a drawing from Kagami that was a big red apple. To sink so low as to have her child be an unwitting accomplice was so like her. Madara's mouth twisted in an annoyed but amused manner thinking of the drawing he'd carefully placed on his dresser, and the box of her gifts he had tucked away in a safe place. Next year, Matsuri would suffer present-less while her children were showered with gifts.

To honour his brother, Madara had spent the last month working on a carving that Izuna had begun and abandoned some time before his death. Carving wasn't a hobby of Izuna's like it was Madara, and there was several half-finished wooden blocks tucked away into the bottom cupboard of his shrine. He'd completed the carving of a hawk with wings outstretched and ready to launch into flight, and delivered it to the surprised Asami Senju and her mother, and spent the morning in their shop. 

He felt a comfortable peace of mind the more time he spent around them. He understood how Izuna would have benefitted from the influence of the Asami's friendly, effeminate but strong nature, and the obvious love and affection in their small family unit. The hard nature of their own father meant that his soft care toward them was so rare that Madara couldn't clearly recall more than two moments of it.

Asami had been grateful, with wet eyes, and promised to cherish it. She had a gift in return, which Madara wasn't expecting at all. It was a gift from the entire family, a small maple tree, for peace, calm, serenity and prosperity. He accepted the gift with grace, and told them when the planting was finished, he would invite them all over to his home. 

In the late afternoon, he'd returned back to his home after finishing up some of the paperwork he'd been neglecting, and dressed in a semi-formal, winter kimono that was black, white and red, with the Uchiha fan decorating his his back. If it were not for the festival and promise of a photograph, Madara would not have dressed so formally. But his date would be dressed similarly, and after seeing her in lighter kimono, he was looking forward to seeing her in something different.

Madara waited for Sakura out the front doors of the hospital as the sun disappeared over the distant mountains. He folded his arms to keep his hands warm inside the sleeves, feeling the temperature drop a little. He was certain it would snow later on. He smiled slightly when he noticed that the hospital also had some lanterns and streamers inside the building and decorating the outside. It made the place seem less sterile and awful to spend the festival inside. Several of the loiterers in the lobby were staring at him and talking between themselves. If the entire hospital wasn't already gossiping about his and Sakura's ambiguous relationship, he would be extremely surprised.

He caught sight of pink hair through the glass windows. Sakura was dressed in a midnight-blue kimono with a floral design and a pink obi. It made her hair and eyes seem brighter. She was smiling and waving to the staff members she walked by, who seemed to be complimenting her. Madara met her with a smile as she exited the building, and held out an arm for her, testing if his theory of slow revelation was correct. With a little hesitation, Sakura linked her arm in his, and Madara then truly smiled at her, happy than he thought he'd be at the gesture. Her cheeks were a little pink.

"How are you?" He asked.

"Good," she replied. "Happy to be finished with work."

He glanced down at her. "Happy to be going to the festival?"