Trust In Me (Uchiha Love Story)

Chapter 5: Madness

The moon was bright on this night, illuminating quite a sweet scene within Anju's bedroom. She lay tucked under the sheets and next to her Izuna slept with his head on her stomach and was covered in a blanket oh his own. Then, her little brother Hisen, was curled up in a ball with his sister's feet resting under him to keep them warm. He too was covered with a warm blanket and had his own pillow to stay comfortable as he guarded her.

The young woman's condition had not change, and in fact, it seemed as if it had worsened over the two days she had been resting. No antidote had even come close to lessening her pain and the spreading of the poison. Elder Yuuna had given her about five days, and two were already down. She had three left, and that much was obvious by how she looked. She looked as if death had already touched her.

Her skin was ghostly pale with a sick gray tint to it, and on her once flawless skin held bruises from the poison made themselves at home. Her hair also lost its health, going from its shiny and silky nature, to a lighter shade of black that could be considered a dark gray. Her breathing matched how she looked, for it was uneven and it seemed her lungs were beginning to struggle to keep her breathing. That would also account for her pale looks. All of this Madara observed from her low window.

He sat there, his feet slightly hanging off the ground and leaned against the frame of the open window with his chin in his palm. Carefully, he watched her with his mangekyou sharingan and observed her dreams. They looked to be... memories? No, they could not be. None of what he saw... none of it made sense to him.

Being the man he was, he changed her dreams to something sweeter, something with Izuna. Even a blind man could see how much they loved each other. This was the second night he had come to watch her while Izuna and Hisen slept. Both young men refused to home or leave her side, showing their apparent and unswaying loyalty to Anju. Yet, it made Madara angry. Of course he was usually angry with anything that involved the young woman, but lately it was a different anger, one he did not recognize.

But, his eyes stayed focused on her form, for he found some sort of comfort watching over her. Comfort for what he could not fathom. It bothered him that he couldn't comprehend his own emotions, but maybe it was best that it stayed that way. He was not one to feel, especially for this young woman that defied his every word and action. And still, he felt compelled to watch over her and it comforted some part of him.

Izuna stirred before him, but only to pull himself closer to his love. The corner of Madara's mouth twitched, as if he were going to smile, but it disappeared when his anger resurfaced. His brother was happy and that was Madara's goal – for Izuna to always be happy. He had failed three times before, and he refused to fail again. He would not let anything happen to his remaining little brother, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness or his own life. And he couldn't help but feel that same pull towards the sick female before him, drawn in like some jutsu had been cast over him or maybe it was her.

Quietly, he stepped into the room and walked over to her other side, careful not to wake neither his brother, Hisen, or Anju, though he knew she was too deep in sleep for such a thing. He crouched down next to her small form, which now looked smaller from her illness.

Sad eyes watched her as he remembered the promise he had once broken, and had caused all of them much pain. He let the emotions flow on his face as he reached out and stroked the clammy skin of her cheek. Even now her skin was soft despite being sick and she still looked so...

"Beautiful." The word slipped from his mouth before he could stop it, and he waited to see if she had heard him, but she had not. He cursed himself for uttering such a thing, but it was true. She was... beautiful. Even as she lay on her death bed, she was beautiful.