#madaraxoc

Not sure how long Hashirama bought her, Kururi was relieved to see that Madara made this duty an urgency and signed the note. She expected a rude comment, passed between him to her regarding her negligence, however, she was given none. The young retainer passed the scroll back to her, wished her a good morning, and let her be on her way. Kururi, taken by surprise, returned to her main house to get properly dressed, then headed over to the tower.

By noon time, the elders had come to an agreement. Kururi was standing in a crowd at the base of the tower when they announced it. She was relieved to hear that Madara was permitted to run. The two founders stood together, looking out over the village and its people. She was for once in tears, watching them stand as equals. It took a while, but now peace was more than just a thought, dreamed up by three orphaned children. Kururi wiped her damp eyes and slunk back into the crowd.

She had every intention of returning home, but a bitter, dark chakra suddenly covered her, bringing this notion to a standstill. Kururi knew that it could only be one of two people and refrained from visibly shivering as said person moved to stand by her side. She never quite understood why, but the Uchiha had such hostile chakra; it felt like hands of ice taking ahold of her.

"Izuna … please. Try and hold back a little." If she was uncomfortable, she was sure the villagers with little to no chakra control were too.

He did as requested and easily concealed his signature. "My apologies. I forget sometimes."

"It's alright; sometimes I do too. Habit is hard to break when you've been taught something completely different all your life," she explained softly.

Izuna knew just what she was implying. Even so, it was hard for him pull off, since he was an Uchiha. He felt like the people of the village were isolating his clan. Flaunting his power was just a means of protecting himself; survival of the fittest. She had to realize what he was aiming to do, right? Maybe not, seeing as though she just chastised him.

A frown marred his face, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he glanced up at Madara, as if his brother might be able to support him with this issue. How would he handle it? An alternate route opened up to him.

"If I may ask … why are you not with the council? I assumed you'd be up there."

Kururi felt her face heat up. She knew that he was attempting to rile her up; obviously he knew why. "Neither of them need my support. I've done all I can."

She was being honest; Izuna could hear it in her voice. What she didn't realize was how wrong she was. The fact that Kururi was so unsure about her role made him feel like she was insignificant. However, his brother thought otherwise. Izuna couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why did Madara like her so much?

"I believe this is the first time I've seen you with your hair down," Izuna mentioned, baiting her. She didn't look so much like an adolescent like this.

Kururi puckered her brow. "Yes … well you took my hair sticks yesterday, so I had nothing to use."

He nearly smirked at this. She was too easy. "Madara offered me an opportunity and I took it, but if you wish, I can return to you the inheritances I took. They are at the compound."

She did want them back, however she wasn't sure about going alone with Izuna. Thinking back to what she promised Hashirama, she decided to agree, only if he accepted her proposal.

"I'd like my sister to accompany us. She is rather fond of the Uchiha. I believe she may like someone in your clan."

It mattered not to Izuna, but he agreed in any case. A mock smile lifted his lips. "That's ironic, considering that you too like an Uchiha. You stare at my brother with a fondness beyond friendship. Some would think it's a weakness."

"Who do you watch with such eyes?"

Izuna puckered his brow. He wasn't sure there was someone he actually liked. Not that he was incapable of love; he just wasn't interested in it right now.

"That doesn't matter, Kururi." It really didn't, not while his mind was engaged with something else. But maybe after this. "Come on. Lets get your sister, and I will accompany you both."

Like he suggested, Izuna lead the two back to his clan's main house. He bade Kirino to rest in the back yard as he took Kururi to the work room his brother often resided in. Leaving her a moment, he moved around to the back of Madara's desk and retrieved her hair sticks.

She used the time to look around Madara's work space, intrigued by the naturalness of it. He kept the walls mostly bare, with the exception of a few weapons Kururi was sure he still had use for. She could see nothing that really stood out to her; nothing that yelled tyrant like she had expected.

"This is alarming," she uttered.

Izuna was taken back. "You imagined something different?"

"Less principles," she admitted. "But, I'm not going to cry about it. At his core, Madara is still human." Her fingers traced softly over the clan's crest.

"In a sense, you're right. He is human … but sometimes his actions share no compassion. It's for the sake of our people that he be made a devil in the eyes of others," Izuna explained, while moving closer to her.

He offered back her hair sticks and forlornly added, "At least that's how he wanted it to be. A certain woman has stolen his thoughts, and even I dare think his intensions for the clan have changed."

"I don't think that at all when I look at what all he's done," Kururi rebutted. "He does everything he can for his people. Some may see it as cruelty – his actions – but he's just doing what's best for his clan."

Izuna gave her a gentle smile, "How noble of you, to speak of my brother in such a way." Maybe he was wrong to assume so little of her. Even so, he needed to be sure. Words could only assure him for so long.

"Can I ask you of something?"

Kururi nodded in agreement. "You may ask me whatever you like, Izuna."

"Are you certain that you believe Madara can become the leader of this new village? You spoke up for him against the council. But do you actually believe that he has a shot?"

"Hashirama does … but I do not. I was honest when I said that times have changed, but for Madara, they have not." She never wanted to give him false hope; it was cruel of Hashirama to ask this of her. Dread filled her as she thought it over. "I just want the best for him … I'm sorry."

Izuna was strangely pleased by her answer. "I assumed as much." He already knew that Hashirama thought highly of Madara; this was no surprise to him. "Thank you for everything you've done for him; Madara deserves this. Still, am I wrong to assume a small part of the reason you agreed was because of love?"

"I … I don't know how to answer that."

"A simple yes or no," Izuna said blatantly. He was uneasy with the fact that she couldn't yet give an honest answer.

Sink or swim? Every possible route was circling around to this. She wasn't certain, because she assumed her feelings for Madara were nothing more than desire.

Kururi placed her fingers over her heart; it wasn't beating out of her chest in any cliché way. She feared her belief was true. "I don't think what I feel for your brother is love, and this hold I have over him isn't either."

"Since when did you think you were intitled to speak for him?"

She cringed at this. Honestly, it made her a little angry. He too had no right; he was a hypocrite for scolding her. "This conversation is over. We obviously can't fathom his feelings, so we don't need to argue over it."

Izuna agreed, despite his conflicting thoughts. He felt that if anyone knew his brother – truly – it was him. Madara would never lie to him, and he surely wouldn't have come to him in the first place if he felt like he could handle the situation. Izuna wanted so bad to spoil their scheme, but he honestly felt like his brother should do it.

"Speak with him," he implored. "You won't listen to reason, so at least ask him yourself. That's all I'll say about it."

Kururi curled her hands into a fist. She was so tired of this roundabout; it made her sick. All she wanted to do was forget about the whole ordeal, but nearly everyone she spoke to was filling her head with false information. Even so, she knew what Izuna had said was the truth.

She needed to speak to Madara in person.

"Convey to him that I'd like to meet. Tonight will be fine," she uttered in defeat.

Izuna gently smiled, "Leave it to me."