Sorry for the long wait. I've just been very busy with school, and I had Cambridge English exam so I didn't have much free time.

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Madara's age: 14

Suzume's age: 13

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Madara grinned victoriously when Suzume fell down onto the ground. She whimpered slightly and let out a deep sigh.

Another loss.

It really frustrated her. How many times has it been now? They've been training together since the day they met, and when they're done, they'd spar. Madara was strong. Suzume knew that. She knew he was superior to her in every way possible, but she didn't hate him for it.

Of course, it frustrated her that Madara always knew what she was going to do. He always knew what her next move was, and blocked or evaded her perfectly. She envied him, but also looked up to him. He was very different from what she'd imagined a year ago. She had thought he was arrogant, looking down on everybody around him, but that wasn't true.

That day, when Miki, Suzume's mother, was buried, Madara gladly accepted her invitation to a fight. Suzume wanted to show him that even she could fight, but the match hadn't lasted long. Madara was far too fast and too skilled for her. She was ashamed of herself and didn't dare to look at him when she was on the dirty ground, and yet she was offered a hand. He didn't look down at her at all.

Being already friends with Izuna made getting closer to Madara easier. She was surprised by how carefree he was, but Madara was serious when fighting though. He was very eager to win, and he was doing very well. He'd never lost to Suzume before.

Well, it's not like Suzume was trained well. Her father didn't always have time, so mostly trained with Kazuhiro and Chie, her siblings, or learned things by experiencing them themselves, on the battlefield.

Suzume reached for the kunai behind her which she lost during the fight and picked it up. When she glanced back in front of her, a hand was near her face and she looked up and saw Madara smirking down at her. Even though she rolled her eyes, she still couldn't hide a small smile and grabbed his hand. When she stood back on her feet, she put the kunai away and wiped the dust from her clothes.

''You're too slow.'' Madara commented as he picked up his own weapons from the ground. ''You saw it coming but you were too late.''

Suzume pursed her lips and looked at Izuna. He smiled at her, but what annoyed her was that he was nodding, agreeing with his older brother.

''You're saying that every time!'' Suzume complained. ''I've already gotten faster, it's just that you're far too fast.''

''It's true that almost no one can beat Nii-san.'' Izuna said. ''But you're capable of more, Suzume-chan. Isn't that why you're training with us? To become better?''

Madara chuckled and ruffled Suzume's hair. ''You've already grown much the last year, so you shouldn't be disappointed with the skills you achieved in this time.''

Suzume slapped Madara's hand away in a playful manner and glared lightly at him. ''It's just depressing seeing you being so good at everything while I suck at it.''

''You shouldn't compare yourself with Nii-san.'' Izuna.

With gritted teeth and a grunt, Suzume pouted and looked away. ''I know that.'' she muttered. ''I still don't like it though.''

~~~~~~

''Where were you?''

Suzume closed the door and saw Kazuhiro standing in the corridor, waiting for her to answer his question. Suzume took off her shoes and walked past her brother. ''I was training.''

Kazuhiro turned around and followed her into the living room. ''Again?'' he asked surprised. ''You're training a lot lately. Was it with Izuna?''

Suzume put her pouch on the table and walked into the kitchen. ''Yes, and also with Madara. But it's not since a few weeks ago that we've started training together. It's been almost a year now.''

Kazuhiro sighed and sat down on the couch. ''You've always been away from home every day, but you're getting home later and later.'' he said loudly, making sure Suzume could hear it. ''Dad isn't very happy, you know?''

Kazuhiro heard his younger sibling grunt and a few seconds later, she walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. ''Like I care. It's not like he had ever time for us. He's also away from home most of the time, so he shouldn't be mad at me.'' she mumbled as she sat down next to him. ''And besides, you've also been away a lot lately. Where have you been going?''

''Nowhere.'' Kazuhiro answered quickly, almost too quickly. Suzume took a sip and looked at him with a frown on her face. She was thinking about asking him more about it, but let it slide anyway. ''Where is Chie?'' she questioned, deciding to change the subject.

''She's with dad, attending the meeting.''

''Oh.'' she replied curtly.

Suzume took another sip and put the glass down on the table when her brother spoke up. ''Are you going with me?'' he asked. ''I'm going to visit mom.''

Her eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw. ''No.''

Kazuhiro sighed and glared slightly at her. ''Are you still mad? It's not even her fault, you know?'' he said. ''I know you've been through a lot because of her inabilities, but I've been to. You shouldn't blame her for the pain you felt. She was a good mother.''

This triggered something in Suzume and she stood up, knocking the glass from the table. Shards flew everywhere once the glass fell onto the ground, but Suzume and Kazuhiro stayed unharmed. ''You felt the same as me a year ago!" She exclaimed. ''You don't have the right the lecture me about this now!''

Kazuhiro took a deep breath and remained calm. ''I did think so indeed, but it's unfair, Suzume.'' he said. ''She did everything she could for us, and all we gave her in return was our anger. It's true that because of her we have the urge to achieve power and strength quickly, to prove ourselves, but we still have so much time for that, and I see that now. I'm not blinded by my anger and anymore. Think about it.''

Suzume clenched her fists. ''Because she was unable to awaken her Sharingan, we also may never be able to. This clan is known by its strong  members, but we aren't strong at all.'' she spoke, trying to control her voice. ''I've been trying to change myself. Maybe you should do so too.''

Kazuhiro shook his head and stood up now as well. ''Maybe she was never able to awaken the Sharingan because she lived away from the battlefield her whole life. She never had the chance to.'' he said quietly. ''I asked dad about her and I know everything now. Maybe you should do that instead of looking at her from only your own perspective. I've moved on, and maybe you should do so too.''