Love's Test of Time (Madara Uchiha x OC)

I - Battle

Songs:
Paper Boats - Isabella LeVan
Someone Special - Anna of the North
Half Light - BANNERS 
Cinnamon - Jome

~~~

Six long years had passed and I was twenty-two now. My mother and I had reconciled a few days after she told me our secret; I couldn't stay mad at her forever. And it was honestly such a relief to know the truth but it was also a burden. Now I was tasked with keeping it a secret as there was no telling what the elders would do to us.

Since then, I worked in the hospital almost every day and talked to Madara a few times every month or so. He was busy learning about the leadership duties from his father, Tajima, and didn't have a lot of time to spare, much to my dismay.

Tajima had wanted to experiment with sending a group of medical ninja onto the battlefield to save our clan members during the fight instead of after. Sadly, I was chosen for the first experiment. I had only worked in the hospital so the thought of going out into the middle of the fray was scary to me.

After my shift ended, I exited the hospital and began making my way home. The chilly January wind bit at my cheeks and I pulled my scarf up higher to cover my cold nose.

"Lea," a familiar voice called out and Madara came striding over to me. He was twenty-six now and looked even more handsome than before, if that was even possible. His spiky hair had grown to his waist and he had grown several inches, becoming almost a head taller than me.

"Hey," I greeted him with a small smile. "How have you been?"

"Good. I need to talk to you." His voice sounded urgent and I cringed slightly at the scenarios that ran through my head. Did he find out about the secret?

"Okay..." I trailed off, waiting for him to began but he only shook his head.

"Not here. C'mon, I'll walk with you." We started walking, my mind wandering about what he would say. "Lea," He started off, "I know you got picked to be a battlefield medic..." Of course, he would know that since he works so closely with his father. "And I also know you haven't been to a battle up close." He crossed his arms. "It's a lot different than what you're used to... it's okay if you don't want to go. I can talk to my father and he can pick someone else."

I gave a small sigh of relief as he didn't ask about my secret, and mulled over the suggestion but thought against it. I wanted to see the war and how we fought against the Senju. And I was probably picked for a reason. "That's okay, Madara. Thank you for the offer though." I nodded my head in a slight bow to show the extent of my gratitude.

He stopped and grabbed my shoulders, staring intensely into my eyes with a worried expression. "Then promise me you'll be safe. Please, Lea, don't get yourself killed."

"I-I promise," I managed to stammer out, his close proximity and tone of voice making me flustered. This was the first time I had seen him so worried and it scared me. Was war really that bad?

"Good," He removed his hands and we began walking again. "Plus, I'll be there so if anything happens you can come find me, okay?"

My heart fluttered at the idea of him being concerned but I retightened the lid on the bottle of my emotions, effectively causing my heart to hurt. We were best friends. Of course he'd be concerned.

"I will," I assured him then we split off, Madara telling me goodbye before walking toward his house while I walked toward mine. A feeling of fear and anxiety settled in the pit of my stomach all evening as I thought about tomorrow.

~~~

The next day, I jumped to the side, narrowly missing a Senju's attack. Someone's fireball jutsu came from behind me and raced towards the man. This time, it was his turn to dodge which allowed me enough time to run past him and continue my hunt for injured Uchiha.