Asami played with her food, moving it around the plate with her chopsticks rather than eating it. She appreciated the gesture of organizing a dinner for her, but she simply wanted to leave already. She felt out of place.

And Mito seemed to have noticed that.

The older Uzumaki stood up, excusing herself before she slowly walked to where Asami sat, somewhere across the round table.

''Shall we go for a walk?'' Mito asked, and Asami looked up from the meal. She actually hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed after a few seconds of silence. Everything would be better than having to sit here for who knows how long after all. ''Alright.''

Asami apologized with a strained smile to the people who asked her why she was leaving or where she was going, telling them she was tired and wished to go to sleep.

She felt bad for lying to them since they meant well, but she was too ashamed to say that she didn't like this dinner at all. They'd think of her as rude and ungrateful, and Asami didn't want that. It wasn't true after all, since she did appreciate it.

As they left the dining room, Asami's eyes flickered from the floor to Mito's back. Her sister was walking in front of her, leading the way through the main house, which was very similar to an unsolvable labyrinth.

While they ambled through the hallways Asami wondered why she asked her to come, while there were other people. People which Mito could talk to far more easily. But she decided not to ask. She didn't even have to courage to ask.

Asami followed Mito out of the house, but stopped at the doorway. A beautiful dark sky filled with a bright moon and shiny stars captured her complete attention. It seemed so much clearer here than in Uzushiogakure, which only made her want to stare longer. The silence which accompanied the faint light provided by those luminous points in the sky was also something Asami absolutely relished.

No people, no chattering or any other noises besides the sounds of nature.

She could stand there forever.

"Asami, are you coming?"

Asami blinked, looking back at Mito who was now waiting for her a few meters ahead. Looking up one more time, she nodded and used a quick pace to catch up with her sister.

Asami was grateful to her sister for taking her away, although she did not know what her reasons for doing so were. She was also grateful for how she treated her, which differed from how Mito treated her earlier today when she sent her to Hiroaki. Both of them needed time, but Asami also believed that spending time together was the solution to their problems, but that didn't mean that the tension wasn't there. Neither of them felt comfortable walking next to each other on the lonely lanes, but there was this feeling of reassurance, which put them at ease.

After they had left the Senju compound, they already encountered more people on the streets, which were nicely lit up by the lampions and other lights. The lively atmosphere put a smile to Asami's face, and the tension seemed to lessen.

She looked around her, trying to take in as much as her mind allowed, trying to remember the route they walked so she wouldn't get lost if she ever decided to go out alone.

After a few minutes, her gaze fell on a small food stall. The smell was incredibly pleasant to her nose, and she licked her lips. While she wasn't exactly hungry before, the sight of the food made her stomach rumble.

''Do you want to go there?''

Startled, Asami looked back at Mito, who was glancing at her, slight amusement sparkling in her eyes as she waited for her answer.

''Uhm, not really,'' Asami murmured, looking away from Mito. ''I don't have any money on me anyway.''

''And what if it's my treat?''

Asami thought about it for a second. She really wanted to have something small to eat, but having Mito pay for it made her feel bad and conceited. She honestly couldn't let her do that.

''I think I'll also have some.'' Mito suddenly continued when Asami still hadn't given her an answer. ''So shall we go?''

Asami nodded slowly, hesitantly. Mito had never been a mean person, but her kindness still surprised her, especially in their situation. Mito was really trying now, and that made Asami feel only worse, since she wasn't really cooperating. She just didn't know how to act or what to say, but she was sure that Mito was aware of that.

Asami slowly followed Mito to the stall and after taking a look at all the dishes which were available, they decided to take one order and share the food.

While Mito paid, the owner of the stall handed Asami their dumplings. After thanking him, the both of them sought out a bench where they could eat their food in peace.

Neither of the sisters said anything while they were enjoying their dumplings. The silence wasn't very comfortable, and Asami felt the need to say something, but nothing came to mind. It was frustrating, since she really wanted to try to make this work too.

''Ah, isn't that Asami-san?''

Even though the voice only mentioned the younger sister's name, both Uzumaki looked up. The corners of Asami's lips curled up into a tiny smile, and she was secretly relieved to see the Uchiha. If he hadn't come, who knows how awkward it would have gotten between her and Mito.

Asami quickly wiped her mouth with one of the sleeves of her kimono in case there was some sauce, which made Keiji laugh. ''There's nothing there, Asami-san.'' He grinned, and Asami's smile widened and she stood up from the bench.

''I didn't think I'd run into you so quickly again, Keiji-san.'' She spoke, amusement audible in her soft voice, and she bowed her head. ''Thank you again for helping me earlier.'' She referred to when he lead her the way to the Sarutobi compound earlier this day. Even though she had gotten directions, she still found it difficult to find.

Keiji chuckled, which made Asami look up again. ''You don't have to be so formal.'' Keiji said, and he looked over his shoulder.

Asami frowned, looking where the Uchiha was looking at, and her gaze fell on another man. He seemed taller than Keiji, and the warm breeze played with his dark waist-length hair as he approached us. His captivating, dark and penetrating eyes met her green ones, which were filled with curiosity.

''Asami-san, let me introduce you.'' Keiji spoke, pride glistening in his eyes. ''This is Madara-sama, the head of the Uchiha clan.''

Asami found it hard to break away from his gaze, which held more warmth than she had expected. When she first heard of Uchiha Madara, she thought of him as a stern and serious person. That was the image which her mind had created at that time, but it didn't match with the man in front of her.

''Madara-sama, this is Uzumaki Asami-san.'' Keiji continued. ''She's staying in Konoha until after Hashirama-sama's wedding.''

Asami bowed again, but this time deeper. ''It's a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-san.'' She didn't dare call him by his first name. She couldn't treat him in the same way as she treated Hashirama, who would soon be her brother-in-law. Madara's personality was also very different. Compared to Hashirama's boisterous one, Madara seemed very self-possessed. He also didn't have the same air about him as Tobirama. He seemed completely different from both of the Senju brothers.

''Likewise.'' Was Madara's simple reply, and his deep voice made her blink in surprise. While she hadn't expected that, it fitted him surprisingly well.

Then Madara moved his gaze to the other Uzumaki. ''Mito.'' He said, greeting her in his own way, now suddenly using a different tone. It wasn't exactly an unfriendly one, but it added to the tension that was already hanging in the air before the two Uchiha got here.

Mito nodded in acknowledgement, greeting him in the same manner. ''Madara.''

Asami wasn't the only one who had detected the friction between her sister and Madara, but Keiji too, so he quickly decided to change the subject. ''You look different now, Asami-san.'' He spoke, chuckling softy. ''I almost didn't recognize you.''

Asami put on a strained smile. ''There was some kind of special occasion.'' She purposely didn't give them the details. She'd be embarrassed and ashamed if they found out she actually left her own welcome party, even though she was only staying here for a short period of time. ''I normally don't look like this.''

Keiji opened his mouth to reply, but Madara interrupted him. He had enough of this trivial talk, and he wanted to continue his way home. ''Keiji.''

Just hearing his name was already enough for Keiji to know what his leader meant since he spoke with some kind of warning tone, which made Asami flinch almost unnoticeably. Hesitantly, she took another look at the Uchiha leader.

A small frown settled on her face when she noticed the fatigue in his eyes, and Asami understood now very well why he wanted to leave.

Keiji nodded at him, before he turned back to Asami. ''We'll be taking our leave now.'' He spoke with a somewhat apologetic look in his eyes. ''I'll see you around, Asami-san, Mito-san.''

''Bye, Keiji-san.'' And Asami glanced at Madara, a faint smile on her face. ''Until next time, Uchiha-san.''

And she was curious about how their next meeting would go.