Here comes that question again XD.. Is Madara OOC? Character development is important to me but I'm not sure if I did it the right way. Anway, enjoy!

As always, please tell me if you find any errors :)

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''You know,'' Asami mused, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. ''Maybe it's not all that bad, living a reclusive life here with you and Kouta.''

Madara hummed softly and drew shapes on the small of her back, liking the warmth of her practically nude body against his own, especially with the lack of sheets. 

''I've had my doubts,'' Asami continued, draping an arm around his slim waist. ''But I'm sure now. Here, there's no disturbance, and we can do whatever we want, though we can't leave the area around the house. No judgment, no prejudice, just the three of us.''

Madara stared at the ceiling, listening to her and thinking about her words. Ending up here, in the middle of nowhere was the result of a failed plan. He lost his village, his status, his clan, and got a lot of free time and a family in return. To him, a combination of what he no longer had and what he gained would be the best, but he had to agree with Asami, this wasn't half bad.

All the attention, the tasks and the responsibilities that came with it, being a leader, he didn't mind. He wanted to be the best, to stand at the top, but it was nice to go to sleep not having to worry about anything, without having to wake up and face another busy day filled with meetings, paperwork, and supervision. Now, his days were filled with relaxation and he could spend them with the only people he had left in his life.

It was nice.

Madara was about to react to her comment, but a loud knock on the front door preceded him. It was easy to hear since the hall where the front door was, was right beneath them. The window was also left ajar.

Madara heaved a sigh and let Asami move away before he sat up. She buried her face into the pillow which smelled like flowers and watched Madara as he quickly slipped on some sweats over his boxers. Guilt bubbled up when she saw the dark spots on his back. While she was having her small panic attack, he calmed her down, comforted her, and even when she hurt him he didn't even flinch or complain. She felt bad, incredibly bad.

''I'll be right back.'' Madara said, and Asami nodded in response before he disappeared out of the room.

Madara hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt, but it didn't matter. It was just Keiji and Kouta after all. He reached the bottom of the stairs and made his way through the small house to the front door. Keiji was knocking again when Madara opened the only thing that was left between them. 

Keiji stood there, one fist still in the air while he kept a sleeping Kouta against him with the other hand. The both of them looked tired, but Keiji was still smiling like an idiot. ''Hello, Madara-sama,'' He spoke, carefully handing Kouta to him. ''I've come to return your son.''

Madara took the dozing boy from him and gently placed him against his chest. His small and cold fingers lay on Madara's shoulders, cooling down his heated skin. Madara looked down at him, stroking his plump cheek.

''Then I'll get going again. I don't want to worry Kaede.'' Keiji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. ''I'll see you in a few days. Have a good night, Madara-sama.''

He turned around and started to walk away. Madara raised his gaze from Kouta to the man who was returning to Konoha, and he called out to him. ''Keiji.''

The forest was dark and almost impossibly silent, so Keiji's ears immediately pricked up when he heard his name. Less than a second later, he had already turned around. ''Yes, Madara-sama?''

Madara grimaced. ''Drop the 'sama', it's getting annoying.'' He grunted, and he moved his hand across Kouta's back to hold him more securely. ''We both know I'm no leader anymore. Formalities are unnecessary.''

Keiji simply blinked in return. Hearing those words came as a surprise, a shock, especially because they came out of the mouth of the Uchiha Madara himself. He wondered, even though he knew that Madara still had some kind of plan in mind for the future, if he had finally started to accept things as they were.

Madara sighed, clenched his jaw and looked to the side, into the dark forest. ''Thank you for looking after Kouta today.'' He muttered. ''Now get your ass home.''

Keiji grinned, and even though it seemed as if he didn't take it seriously, he was very grateful to him for showing appreciation. ''No problem!'' He beamed. ''Then, I'll get back to Kaede and the kids.''

It didn't take long for Keiji to disappear from his view and merge with the darkness. After taking a deep breath in the fresh air of the woods, Madara went back inside and closed the door. With some difficulty, he was able to take off Kouta's shoes while still holding him and he let them fall onto the ground near the other shoes. After that, he swiftly locked the door and went back upstairs.

''Let's get you to bed.'' He sighed as he entered Kouta's room. He didn't turn on the light, thinking it might wake him, and lay him down on the mattress. Carefully, he freed him from his pants and shirt and took his pajamas from the closet before clothing him. For a few seconds, he just stood at the side of the bed, looking down at his son.

Letting his hand run through his soft and short locks, Madara felt heard the floor creak somewhere behind him.

''He looks like you.''

Madara stood straight, not taking his eyes off the boy, and remembered the conversation they had a few weeks ago. ''I don't have chubby cheeks, though, and I never had such round ones as he does.'' 

She laughed quietly, but decided not to react on that, starting to talk about something else instead. ''I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous.'' She mumbled, and Madara heard her coming closer. ''It's obvious that he's your son, but he and I don't look alike in any aspect.''

Madara felt her arms wrap around his and she leaned her head against his arm before she spoke again. ''He's beautiful, though.''

Madara nodded slowly in agreeance. They both looked at Kouta for a few more seconds before Asami let her hand slip down his arm to his hand, intertwining their fingers. ''Let's go to sleep as well.''

Madara simply nodded again and let her pull him out of the room. As they made their way to their own room, he glanced at their entwined hands. It was weird, he thought, how much a person could change. Back in Konoha, Asami wasn't like this. One would think that after three years of isolation, she'd be more insecure, scared, but she grew bolder and more confident instead. Expressing her opinion or affectionately touching and kissing him, she wouldn't hesitate. Not anymore at least.

Madara quickly closed the door after he walked through it. Asami kept pulling him with her, not giving him much time. Suddenly she stopped in the middle of the room, but gave his hand one more tug as she turned around. He came to a halt in front of her.

''You know,'' She mused softly, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. ''I'm very proud of you.''

Madara raised one of his eyebrows, not recalling doing anything worthy of praise. Asami laughed quietly when she saw the quite confused look on his face and held his hand tighter. ''I'm proud because you've adapted so well.'' She clarified amusedly. ''I thought it'd be a lot harder for you, but it seemed that I've underestimated you.''

He had to admit, he also didn't think it'd go so well. Living in a secluded place like this, it was certainly very different from the life he was living in Konoha or the one he was living for the last three years. The only similarity with the latter one was this feeling of isolation. 

He wasn't by himself anymore. All of the sudden, he had his own family. Taking care of them, looking after them, taking their thoughts and emotions into account, that was difficult. He wasn't used to it back then.

Asami confronted him with the truth. He had never seen her that angry before. He didn't even think she had it in her, but apparently, she had bottled up those feelings of frustrations all this time, even before he returned, and there was no way she could take any more. It had become too much for her.

He understood it though, and he totally deserved that wake-up call that Asami had given him, even if her voice was drenched in irateness.

''You're a great man, Madara.''

I'm not. 

That was the first thing that came to his mind, and he knew he was right. He had done horrible things and she made that very clear by shouting at him a few times. What great man runs away from the people who needed him, waited for him, simply because he only thought of himself?

He wasn't great. He's far from it.

Asami sighed and pinched his cheek, making Madara growl in response. ''You're a great man now, Madara.'' She murmured gently, already knowing what he was thinking by seeing his troubled expression. ''The past doesn't matter anymore.''

With a somewhat satisfied smile on her face, Asami softly rubbed the slightly red spot on his face as Madara let his shoulders hang. He was tired. ''I don't think either of us can forget the past so easily though.''

Asami ceased her movements at this words and swallowed thickly. She disliked it when Madara put his negative thoughts into words, even if it was the truth. Forgetting about it was simply an impossible task, but accepting it and moving on was a different story. ''We can't change what already happened, so we can only let it be and make the best of what's still to come.'' Asami spoke, cupping his cheeks in her hands. A soft smile graced her features. ''I want to make the best of the rest of our lives together with you, Madara.''

Madara clenched his teeth. He wanted to avoid her piercing gaze, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from those sincere and brilliant eyes after she had uttered those heartfelt words. That was way more than a simple confession, it was a promise. She offered him her life, her love, a bright future away from that dark and lonely cave where he had hidden in for way too long.

But what could he give in return? Simple words, feelings he could hardly express and promises he could barely keep? He assumed that Asami was already happy enough with his presence, but was that enough?

''We've already survived everything that fate has thrown at us.'' She continued, grinning softly as her warm fingertips brushed the sides of his face in a comforting manner. ''We've already come this far, so let's keep looking ahead, okay?''

Madara simply nodded, not knowing how to reply with words. What was he supposed to say? It was widely acknowledged that he wasn't good with words in situations like these. He wasn't embarrassed or shy, not at all, but he simply didn't know what words he was supposed to use.

The corners of Asami's mouth twitched up and she pecked his slightly parted lips before snaking her arms around his neck, engulfing him in a pleasant and snug embrace. Madara slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head.

Her hair smelled like his shampoo, something she shamelessly took and used when taking a shower. He had always wondered how it was possible that the bottle was always almost empty when he needed the soap before he finally found out that Asami was the cause. Because it smells so good, was her reason. Madara didn't mind, as long as she left enough for him in the bottle.

Small things like these were what made this life more interesting, less dull than he expected it to be when he first got here. Coming to know why the shampoo bottle was always emptier than it's supposed to be, discovering who ate the cookies Kaede baked for the three of them and finding out who was to blame for the drink stains in the carpet. It was always either Kouta or Asami.

Madara sighed and looked down to Asami when she tightened her arms around him. His eyes softened and he moved one of his hands from her back to her head, giving it a few caresses before he placed it on her neck, holding her firmly yet comfortably. He let his head hang, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

To think someone's warmth could be so soothing, so satisfying... Her scent, though similar to his at the moment, so reassuring. He needed that.

Asami laughed softly when his long strands tickled her cheek and neck. ''Hey, Ma-''

''I love you.''

His voice was a bit muffled but Asami heard it very clearly. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from smiling too much as small tears welled up in her eyes. Why was she crying, she wondered. He had said it before, though that was long ago, and he had shown it to her before, so why?

Letting her hands run through his hair, she pressed a quick kiss to his shoulder before burying her face into his soft chest, the smile never leaving her face. ''I love you as well, Madara.''

Maybe it was that feeling of guilt that had been holding him back. He had always regretted the things he did to her. He had been feeling repentance and slight hatred towards himself, but were those feelings really to blame for his cowardice?

He didn't know, and at the moment, it didn't really matter.