Regrets.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

'Pain...'

'It's so painful...'

Her eyes flashed open. The wooden ceiling above her felt strangely much more clearer. Her vision felt new—the world conspicuous. 

She winced, feeling the sensation of pain consume her once more. Her body felt so sore and exhausted.

One look at the window and she realized there was still some time before the break of dawn.

'What...happened?'

Ruffling the sheets, she slowly turned to her side and her breathing stopped for a moment at the sight in front of her.

Her brother lay there... sleeping ...naked.

Then she looked at her body.

'Naked?'

Both of them as bare as the day they were born.

She gasped, and to her horror—woke him up.

"You are up, hm?" He asks,his deep voice hoarse from just waking up and eyes still closed.

She just stares at him wide-eyed,her mind trying to register her relentless thoughts. 

Soon, he pulled her arm—making her fall onto his chest. She tried to get up, but he circled his arm around her, "Stay still."

Although his warm body was giving her respite from the cold, her chest felt like it would explode any moment. She wondered if he could hear her heart fluttering like a caged bird through her chest that were pressed—

Then it hit her. Her bare breasts were pressed against his. Realization dawned on her as the memories of previous night flashed before her eyes.

'NO!'

'What have I done?'

She wriggled her way out of his arm and pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness. The moment she sat up—straightening her back, he caught hold of her wrist.

Yuki didn't move or resist. She remained still, beside him, blankly looking down at him as she clutched onto the sheets.

Under heavy lids, dark eyes shifted at her. Soon they widened slightly. She wondered if he's surprised about the same thing she is.

Does he regret it now...as she does?

He moved—to sit up on the bed and caressed her face, a smile forming on his lips as he whispers, 

"It's beautiful."

She just stares at him, emptily. 

His eyes reflected her face, adorned with red eyes.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

She stared at the reflection in the mirror. Her lips were slightly swollen while her skin was marred with bluish bruises and lovebites... Reminding her once again how rough their sex was. 

Her neck, Collarbone, Breasts, Stomach... Even her thighs were marked by his lips.

'It will be hard to hide these.'

She activated her Sharingan. She found it difficult to control. It would appear when she couldn't control her emotions and the back of her mind would hurt.

All these years she kept wondering why she couldn't activate it...and now she learned why.

' It needs powerful emotions.'

Not that she didn't already know that. Being an Uchiha, she knew it needed strong emotions. Nanako Uchiha, a close friend of Izuna, had once told her about this. But she didn't know how strong of emotions could awaken it.

Her Sharingan only had one tomoe, and to obtain this... She had to go through... that.

For the first time, Yuki wondered how much pain her father and brothers must have gone through to activate Mangekyō Sharingan.

"......"

She couldn't pinpoint what exactly was she feeling. Is it guilt? Disgust? Hatred? Regret? Betrayal? Sadness? Lust? It was a mix of all. And it suffocated her. 

She wanted to hate him. Hate him for what he did to her.And the things he made her do.

But she couldn't.

'I agreed to it.'

Tears streamed down her face.

She accepted him. She was weak and pathetic, so she had to accept him. She was just a 'Princess' with little influence or power within this clan. A political tool for her father and a doll for her brothers.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

"What's up with that grumpy face?"

Yuki looked up at the source of the voice. 

Izuna smiled at her, but she just stared back with a blank face.

"Yuki?" he repeated, wondering why she felt so distant.

"Ah... Nii san. What brings you here?" she mumbled, nonchalantly.

He took his seat beside her. They were presently at the front porch of her compound. Silence prevailed, with only the occasional sounds of the wind-chime, and the rustling leaves bathed in the afternoon sunlight.

"What did Aniki say?" he finally questioned.

"....."

Yuki didn't reply. She didn't know how to respond. How could she tell him she slept with Madara? That the brother he respects and loves so much, the man he looks up to, forced her to sleep with him? Their sister? 

Hearing no reply, Izuna assumed she must have been shocked by Madara's anger. It must have been the first time he seriously scolded her, which was expected since he's selected as the next clan head. 

Last night, Tajima discussed with Izuna the decision finalized by the elders.They chose Madara as their new leader. And Izuna felt happy and proud that finally his brother would be acknowledged for all these years of hard work and suffering. He also came to know of the demise of Senju Butsuma and Senju clan's new leader Hashirama, selecting Senju Tobirama as his second in command.

'Tobirama...'

To say he hated Tobirama would be an understatement. He despised him with every fiber of his being. 

He's a genius. There's no doubt to that. But he's also the cruelest and the most unlikable person he has ever met. He plans out everything with his shrewd mind, taking pleasure in experimenting with people, and will do anything, Anything to achieve what he wants—even if it means killing comrades.

'He doesn't sound much different from us.'

Maybe that's why he hated him. That he's so similar, yet so different from them. That he's a Senju who killed his brother,Taka.

His eyes darkened at the memory of his brother's crippled body.

Izuna moved his gaze back at Yuki. He was thankful that she wasn't forced into battles. That she's here, beside him, alive and breathing. 

He never admitted it, but always knew that he has a soft spot for Yuki. She's so gentle, loving, and kind...like their late mother.

She had a unique innocence to her. Pure, without malice and greed. A total contrast to the people he normally interacted with. To him, she's like an escape from this nasty, cruel reality. And he wanted to protect this girl as long as he could. 

He wanted to protect that innocence.

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─

Yuki flinched when Izuna placed his hand on hers. It was his gesture to soothe her, to calm her, or to tell her she's safe whenever she felt tense. That's how it's always been.

But now, she felt scared.

What if it's only her who feels that it's his gesture to show he cares for her? How can she be sure that there's no underlying desire or sinful feeling behind it?

What if he's also like Madara?

'NO!'  

She quickly withdrew her hand.

Izuna looked at her, surprised. She was behaving quite weird today, almost as if... She's afraid of him.

"Yuki... What's wrong?"

She looked away. She didn't have any strength to come up with new lies.There was a slight ache in her womb that kept reminding her of the shameful acts that she wanted to forget.

"Nothing," she mumbled, feeling the dull pain in the back of her skull again. But to her surprise, he cupped her face to move it towards him. His eyes widened in surprise, 

"Sharingan?"

─∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─