Beauty and the Beast - An Uchiha Madara Love Story [Edited]

Chapter 32 - Clock's Ticking

As it was before, this chapter is dedicated to Jackelyne8! Happy reading!

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[Chapter's old title: Stable yet Unstable]

Harumi pov:

*drip*

Where am I? What is this dark endless space? Why did my chest hurt so much? Why did I feel so alone?

*drip*

I couldn't see anything besides darkness all around me. I was curled up, my arms wrapped around my bent knees that I had close to my chest as I stared at the endless darkness that surrounded me. I could hear the distant drip drop of water but I couldn't see its source.

*drip*

I buried my face in my knees, unable to bear the wrenching pain through my chest. It wasn't physical pain but that of the heart and the mind. I felt like I had lost something dear to me but I couldn't recall what it was. I couldn't remember anything before waking up in this darkness. Who am I? Where am I? How did I come here??

"Haru chan! Haru chan, come here!" I heard a voice suddenly and tensed. It was gentle, calm and loving and I relaxed while slowly lifting my head so I could see who had called me.

"Hurry up and get me some clay, Haru chan! Don't be lazy! We have so much work to do, you know?" the voice called again and I frowned slightly while standing up.

"Grandpa?" I asked softly, wondering why and how I was hearing his voice.

"Honestly! Children these days are so lazy!" he muttered and I spotted a vague silhouette of him in the distance. My face lit up with an excited smile and I began to walk to him.

"Grandpa...Grandpa, over here!" I called but no matter how much I ran, I couldn't reach him. He neither got nearer to me nor farther away from me, but merely remained out of my reach. Outstretching a hand, I called out to him again. "Grandpa! Wait for me!"

"Harumi."

I came to a stop at the new voice I heard calling out to me. It was a deep baritone that I oddly found to be familiar but the reactions my body had for it was strange. A tight knot settled in my stomach and I felt a mix of fear and comfort. Who was making me feel so...uneasy?

"W-who's there?" I called out while darting my eyes around.

"Come here," the man the voice belonged to commanded and it made my heart skip a beat.

The voice resonated with such possessiveness and I swallowed thickly as my anxiousness increased by the moment. However, I screamed when I saw a pair of glowing red eyes slowly open to stare right into mine from the distance. They were sleek and narrow and swirled with so much power...along with gentleness that I was rather surprised to see. I took several steps back with a hand over my racing heart but frowned slightly when the silhouette of the man the red eyes belonged to slowly became clearer. I squinted to see better and my heart skipped a beat again as I recognized the person.

"Harumi," he said again and I clenched my fists.

"Madara..." I mumbled as he watched me with a piercing stare. He wore the Akatsuki's black and red cloak though it was left unbuttoned to give me a view of his ninja attire – a black snug fit shirt that clung perfectly to his contoured chest which looked warm and welcoming. It was where I had fallen into so many warm embraces and where I had curled up against so many times as I slept. And I wanted to fall into his strong, comforting embrace again.

I took a few steps forward to close the gap between us but froze on the spot when I heard yet another voice in the distance, but from my left side.