Thank you for those sweet comments some of you left on the last chapter! It made me unbelievably happy :) Also thanks for voting for my story at the NWA. Thank you all for your support ^^

-------------------------------------

A loud noise downstairs awakened Asami. She groaned in annoyance and ran a hand through her hair after she felt a few strands tickle her face. ''What was that?'' She muttered irritably, and she looked to the side. ''Mada-''

Her eyes widened.

He wasn't there.

But he was there last night, right? He came home after 3 long years yesterday, right? Even though she had dreamed it many times before, this wasn't a dream,

Right?

Suddenly, she began to feel jittery and she could hear her heart starting to beat faster. Too many thoughts flew through her head, making her only more anxious. If Madara coming back to her was only a mere dream again, she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Even after these years, forgetting about Madara was one thing she'd never be able to do. She had accepted his death, but after every dream of him, she began to doubt if she had really accepted it. She may have gotten used to living a life without him, but that didn't mean that she was okay with that.

Because she wasn't okay with it at all.

After taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she looked at the empty side of the bed again. It did look as if someone had slept there, but it wasn't enough for her to feel at ease again. Sometimes, Madara's 'death' drove her crazy to the point where she just broke down. She had never realized that it'd be this hard for her to live without them, even if she still had their son.

She pulled the sheets off of her and got out of the bed. She needed to make sure. She needed to confirm. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to rest properly.

Asami left the bedroom and walked down the narrow and short hallway before she reached the stairs. With every step she took, she felt her braid bounce against her back. She already quickly reached the ground floor, and without wasting any time, she opened the door to the living room rather forcefully, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

Madara looked over his shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Asami breath pretty heavily, looking at him with big eyes. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but someone was a bit faster.

''Mommy!''

Kouta leaned to the right so she could see her since Madara was blocking both his and her view. The look in his dark eyes was one she hadn't seen for a long time, and seeing it again made her chest feel warm. For him to look like that...

Was it because of Madara?

Madara stood up from the ground and turned around. Asami didn't know how she'd describe the expression he had on his face at that moment. She could hardly tell what he was feeling due to the lack of emotion showing on his face, but from what she could see, she recognized concern and sorrow. She knew there was probably more, but she didn't dare to look him in the eyes.

Asami didn't know for sure if he was really feeling that way. It was always a guess when it came to Madara. And after three years, she couldn't read his facial expressions so well as she used to. Neither of them was the same person as three years ago after all.

''Asami?''

''Y-Yes?'' She stammered. Asami gritted her teeth. She stuttered again.

Madara noticed her nervous behavior and clenched his fists slightly. Why was she behaving like this? It vexed him. Madara sighed and looked her right into the eyes ''Did something happen?''

Asami looked away, breaking eye contact, and looked at the ground instead. ''Nothing in particular.'' She whispered. Telling him right now would only be embarrassing. Didn't she already embarrass herself enough yesterday?

''You're gripping the door handle tightly,'' Madara said. ''You're obviously upset about something.''

Asami looked at the hand that was indeed still holding the door handle. She hadn't even noticed it herself, that she was holding it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Asami quickly let go of the door handle and put her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers. It was something she'd always do when she was nervous or anxious.

''Mommy?''

Asami blinked and looked down at Kouta, who was now standing next to Madara. He looked confused, and of course, he'd be. He didn't understand what was going on at all. ''Kou..'' She murmured.

Kouta walked over to his mother and held out his arms. Asami smiled weakly and bend over so she could pick him up. After putting him on her hip, she pressed a kiss to his temple and tried to act as normal as possible. After clearing her throat, she shot a glance at Madara before looking back at Kouta. ''Have you already eaten something?''

Kouta shook his head. ''Not yet.''

Asami's eyes softened and she pursed her lips. ''Then I'll make you something now.'' She said happily. ''You are hungry, right?''

Kouta nodded, but then he looked at Madara. Asami noticed and swallowed lightly. She quickly began to walk toward the kitchen with Kouta still in her arms. When she passed Madara, she sent him an apologetic look.

She didn't know what else to do.

When she disappeared into the other room, Madara let out a sigh and sat down on the couch. He was annoyed. He knew that it wouldn't be the same. He knew that. But he never expected this.

Yesterday, Asami was crying because he came back. That was because of joy, right? Joy accompanied with a few other, maybe negative, emotions, but mainly joy,

Right?

Then why was she acting so distant? It was inevitable that she'd change over the years. People keep changing all the time. But to see her like this was something that frustrated Madara. Was this the result of her living in solitude, with only Kouta and Keiji, who occasionally dropped by?

It didn't make sense.

Even Madara hadn't changed that much, and he had a crushing defeat to recover from. But thinking of it like that was not right. Their situations were different, and Madara knew that he couldn't compare them. That'd be unfair.

He just had to accept that things weren't as they were supposed to be. That was the only thing he could do at the moment. He just came back after all. And both of them also still had to get used to living together again.

Madara clenched his jaw and looked up to the ceiling, letting his head fall back on the cushions of the couch. He didn't like it. Not at all.

But for now, he didn't have a choice.

He just had to endure it.