moor

["Pop the Top" on AO3]

Previous Snippets of "Pop the Top" - Finale
[29 Aug 2021]

It was a very late night for Madara in his personal office at home. Holding a black, untitled book in his hand, Madara appraised the old pictures on the mantle. Photos of his family going back several generations stared back at him.

There were his brothers, smiling or carousing when they were young and boarding a family yacht docked at the marina, surrounded by towels, fishing rods, snacks and bottles of sunscreen. There were his grandparents, his grandmother stiffly seated in a chair, her husband with a firm grip on her shoulder, beside her. There were photos of his great, and great-great grandparents. There were more recent pictures, too, of Itachi, Sasuke and their parents.

There was another picture, taken around the same time as that of Sasuke and Itachi, that sat beside it and drew his attention. Upon closer look he remembered it had been taken several years before the one with Itachi and Sasuke.

The family pictured was the last triad the Uchiha had known. A generation ago. At one time the family was praised and lauded for the benefits all had anticipated. Then tragedy had befallen them, forcing him into his role as lead alpha within the Clan as their cycle broke, unfortunately coinciding with the moment he was thrust into the position of Clan Head while he was still so young, himself.

How old had he been? Sixteen? He wondered, thinking back decades before, letting the years and their challenges and triumphs flow through him like water as he remembered the turmoil and chaos and heavy mantle of responsibility from that tumultuous time. How he had done the only thing he could think of, to keep them going. How every day since, it came more and more to light that they had all made mistakes in spite of their best intentions, and who had paid the price for them.

He picked the picture up, his lips sagging in the corners as he remembered the pain and anguish of that time.

The woman in the picture, the omega, had been nearly torn apart at the loss. Not just the loss of one of her mates, but the loss of the babe in her arms. The familiar face of the youngster burned into Madara’s heart. So young and innocent. The loss of the child had devastated them all. The young one had always been special. Even now, Madara felt responsible for him. Felt he had failed him.

The emotions his memories evoked were a blend of happiness, anticipation for his brothers’ futures and intense pain for them, too. Madara had learned long ago to hide his emotions. Looking back, had that concealment been what led to part of the tragic endings of…

His heart contracted within his chest with the ache that never truly left him.

When he thought of Sakura, who wore her heart on her sleeve, his eyes turned down in the corners. Gods, were the rewards worth the risks? After all he had done, all they had done to her?

Carefully he set the photo back down on the mantle with a small clack, adjusting it so it was perfectly aligned with the others again. His eyes fell upon those of the baby in his mother’s arms, and he let the guilt in, just for a moment, just to feel it again and remind himself why it was so important that such heartache never be allowed to transpire again.

That was why he must tell her; it was why she must know.

Sakura deserved to know. The good that came with a stable triad, the challenges that accompanied its responsibilities, and the bad they may suffer should one of its members be lost. She deserved to have every opportunity to decide her fate.

This time, he would ensure that she was looked after, no matter what she chose. As he had mentioned to her during her visit, even if she left the Uchiha entirely, he would protect her.

His eyes were drawn back to the photo of the last triad. The shining eyes of the cheerful infant stared back at Madara. His chest tightened.

As he should have protected them, years ago.

TBC