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Hashirama knew something was wrong when upon walking into his little brother’s room he discovered the man writing his testament .
“Ah, Hashirama, perfect timing. Would you sign this paper as a witness, please?” The older Senju would have laughed this off saying that Tobirama really had a weird sense of humour if his brother hadn’t sounded so passive and looked at him with these empty lifeless eyes. Something was very wrong.
“What happened?” All the cheer was lost to the taller man as he took a hold of Tobirama’s shoulders bringing his face close to inspect the slack features better. “Can I help you somehow?”
To Hashirama’s dread his brother didn’t react to the proximity nor the physical contact. He just kept looking forward. “I’m afraid there isn’t much to do when this woman has decided on something.”
“This woman? Who are you talking about?” If this was about some kind of affair then maybe the issue wasn’t that dire?
“Madara,” came a monotone reply and Hashirama’s brain halted any thoughts from developing for a moment.
“Madara?” Well, then it wasn’t about some kind of secret affair. Nevertheless, hearing his best friend's name uttered by his internally dead looking little brother wasn’t an irrelevant matter either. “I thought you two were getting along? What does she want?”
“Me dead.”
Silence followed. Hashirama straight up stared at the pale face now. “I don’t believe that,” he finally retorted because the idea was just ridiculous.
The other man nodded slowly. “A few days ago I wouldn’t have either but she’s made it very clear.”
Was Tobirama really implying that during the last few days Madara had threatened his life? Hashirama just couldn’t believe that. He knew Tobirama and this kind of behaviour was odd at least but he knew Madara as well and a planned murder of Hashirama’s little brother wasn’t definitely something she’d actually follow through with. “You’re joking.”
“I’m really not.” For the first time Tobirama met his brother’s eyes with a firm emotion on display which was a welcome change in comparison to the empty red shells Hashirama had looked into till now. However, this surety made his own conviction waiver a bit so for the sake of his own beliefs, of his best friend’s innocence and of Tobirama’s mental state Hashirama sat down before his brother and looked patiently at the stressed out figure.
“Just tell me what happened.”
Tobirama couldn’t ignore Madara’s endeavor anymore. The woman was determined with her goal clearly set in front of her eyes every time their paths crossed and it seemed the Uchiha had made so that they would . There was no escape. He might have been a talented sensor and keep track of Madara but he couldn’t be in hiding all the time! He had a village and personal life to lead! A life that was now clearly threatened.
It all began a couple of days ago when Madara threw a bunch of kunais at him. Tobirama avoided them of course but when looking up to see what the Uchiha’s deal was he saw a gloved hand leisurely card through the wild mane and an intense gaze fixed on him. The wide bang that usually covered half of Madara’s face was tucked behind one ear and Tobirama could clearly witness the raised brow and a devilish smirk on the woman's lips.
It was unsettling to say the least. The smothering look and deadly kunais in the middle of the street contributed to it greatly but mainly it was because of the lacking knowledge of why he had been targeted in the first place. Only one thing was certain. These blades had been thrown with intent.
A second later Tobirama used hiraishin to flee as Madara had taken out yet another kunai. Had started to sharpen it of all things. Tobirama deemed it safer to avoid the Uchiha for the time being.
Thankfully, the next day didn’t start off with any weapons aimed at him. Instead, the white-haired man was encountered by a bowl of steaming stew.
“Eat.” It was clearly an order. Not wanting to make a scene in the middle of the busy Hokage tower, Tobirama carefully took the bowl into his hand. It was warm and truthfully smelled heavenly. A relief because judging by their last encounter that food could as well have been poisoned.
Gingerly, he raised a spoonful of stew to his lips and sniffed once more. No weird additional aromas. He took a bite. No out of place flavours either. The subsequent spoonful found its way into Tobirama’s mouth much faster.
“You like it?” The short woman who had cornered the subjectively gigantic man into a corner actually smiled hopefully. Tobirama felt a piece of hope return to him as well. “Yes,” he answered after emptying his mouth as proper.
“Really?” Madara’s glee looked genuine as her black orbs positively twinkled. The white-haired man dared to continue his food, still comically cornered by this insisting woman in the middle of the lively corridor.
“I’m glad! I really wasn’t sure if you’d enjoy the rabbit stew but the moment I caught the little furry ball of trouble I knew it was the right choice! Just slashing its neck and seeing the blood flow out of its wound soiling the snow-white fur made me think of you. Sometimes I remember that killing wildly struggling men and women, both trying to just stay alive for one more day, wasn’t that long ago. Ahh… How times have changed...”
Tobirama had seized the moment when Madara looked dreamily through him, drawn by the bloody and violent past, and fled as quickly as possible. The woman regained her focus a second after the space between her stretched out arm against the wall suddenly proved to be empty. The dark mane was wildly tossed from one side to the other until she caught a glimpse of her former hostage.
“Thank you for the food!” were the last words Tobirama had decided to offer, still clinging to the etiquette, before the white tuft of hair disappeared behind the corner along with the scurrying body. The bowl was pushed into a startled Izuna’s grasp who happened to cross his path on the stairs.
Surprisingly, the day after started peacefully. No kunais. No stews with additional comments about the parallels between Tobirama and a bloodied rabbit. No unexpected encounters. Only expected piles of paper handed to the Senju that he for once accepted with a contented smile. This usually mundane morning felt great!
With a light step, a satisfied hum broke loose and could be heard the whole way to Tobirama’s office. Digging his pocket for the key, the door was unlocked and the simple melody filled the tiny room as well.
Until it stopped abruptly, leaving the surroundings eerily silent.
Someone was already in the room. A recently locked room mind you!
A fresh breath of air blew through the opened window and played with the dark hair as the sitting figure raised its head. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Tobirama swallowed.
“Come here.”
Crimson eyes moved to look at the exit. “Excuse me, I forgot some things in the… other room”. Neatly giving the earlier occupant of his office an acknowledging nod, Tobirama turned and stepped towards his yet another escape.
Only he didn’t, because a sword was thrust before him gleaming in the intense colours of the morning sun.
“What do you think of this blade?” Tobirama couldn’t see Madara’s face as the woman stood behind him. The sword however he could see very clearly. The more as it was guided upwards near his neck.
“It looks… sharp.” A few nervous breaths followed as Tobirama assessed his situation. “Now, if you’d kindly let me....”
To the Senju’s surprise the moment he tried to move forward the blade actually lowered. However, one glance at the woman revealed that nothing was settled. On the contrary, the dark eyes were so full of anger that if Tobirama had spent one more moment in his office the Sharingan would surely have revealed itself.
Not daring to encounter a potentially berserk Uchiha, Tobirama took the stack of paper he was still clutching to his chest and made his way home. It wouldn’t hurt anyone if he managed his duties remotely for one day.
On the fourth day Tobirama decided to go all out and keep his sensory abilities up the whole day. From waking up, brushing his teeth and eating breakfast to sitting in his office, eating lunch in the cafeteria and visiting halfway built facilities that needed his attention. To say the least, by evening the Senju was drained.
The old days when he could go a week without pause with his sensory abilities couldn’t be compared to the now as now he had much more duties to keep an eye on. Not to mention the mental work that was poured into every paper that found its way on his desk. At least no stressful surprises had been thrown his way the whole day so Tobirama sighed, relieved, as he walked towards the Senju compound.
The evening breeze felt nice on the heated cheeks and Tobirama closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. Children’s voices could be heard in the distance and the man’s feet took him right in their direction. The guilt of not having more time for his students nibbled at his heart even though he wasn’t responsible for the amount of work that needed his attention at the Hokage tower.
The sky had already begun to darken leaving the still bustling field in a purple hue. Probably having forgotten the sense of time while frolicking around with their friends the children continued to squeal and chase each other. On closer inspection, some younglings even went through some kind of training exercises, serious expressions plastered on until their teacher commented on their performance and gave a thumbs up. Then the tiny faces lighted up, metaphorically illuminating the oncoming evening.
The teacher, however, was no one else but Madara who hadn’t noticed his presence till now. Or rather decided not to.
Tobirama hesitated. He really had wanted to greet his students after his prolonged absence, pat their heads and listen to what they’d been up to till now. But with Madara there…
Then again, the woman had left him alone the whole day! And she didn’t really react badly now when seeing or sensing him. Just kept up whatever she was teaching his students.
Her words must have been inspiring as the eyes around her focused intently on her face, heads nodding form time to time. It was actually endearing to watch. And curious as well. From the distance that Tobirama was standing he couldn’t really make out what Madara was saying so he silently drew in trying not to draw any attention to him less the children would be broken out from their obedient trance.
However, the first one to turn their head towards him was Madara. And there, in the nearing darkness, two identical glowing red orbs pierced into him. Right away Tobirama closed his eyes and looked to the side.
“Don’t,” came a warning and the voice vibrated through the Senju like a thunder. “I can handle them!”
One thing was clear now. He was not wanted here.
Tobirama would have vanished the moment Sharingan fell on him but the presence of children made him stay. However, peeking at the younglings it seemed that they didn’t perceive this situation as a potential threat to them . Their worried glances hopped from one teacher to the other while trying to understand what was happening.
The Senju would have really liked to understand as well. Hear an explanation of what had brought about all this hate pointed at him. But he understood enough. He understood that he should retreat now, not needing to worry about the children as Madara hadn’t shown any hostility towards them and prepare for an oncoming storm in the form of a displeased leader of the Uchiha.
At home Tobirama sat behind his desk, found some blank papers and started writing.
By the end of the story Hashirama had looked uneasy and promised to talk to Madara the following day. He had even managed to convince Tobirama to drop his testament and come down to eat dinner. However, the following morning found the testament finished and now the Senju needed only two witnesses to legitimise the paper.
As it was his day off, Tobirama dressed later than his brother who had already left. Walking towards the front door himself, a few names had already popped into his head to whom Tobirama could turn to without fearing an avalanche of questions. Yesterday’s talk with his brother had explained the importance of this.
He was so deep in his thoughts that only after opening the door he felt the presence of someone already standing on the doorstep and a moment later Tobirama had to jump back with a large arc. He was brutally backed into the living room and a second later he lay on the wooden floor a gunbai tightly at his throat.
Suddenly, Tobirama was very happy that he had finished his will last night. Even without the necessary signatures at least Hashirama would know what Tobirama would have wanted and maybe arrange for his plans to see the light.
Speaking of light, Tobirama was certain he’d soon see one himself. The Uchiha towering over him ( for once Tobirama made a mental note regardless of his situation) glared at him with blazing Sharingan digging into his every bone and Tobirama made sure to not move an inch. Not that it would have accomplished anything if he’d done so as there was nowhere to escape from this anymore.
Still, even knowing what was coming, Tobirama wasn’t someone who’d just give up. Trying to look as non threatening as possible, the Senju remained passive on the floor but his brain was storming for things to say and try to resolve the situation without any violence involved. The moment Tobirama opened his mouth however the words stayed stuck in his throat.
Madara was crying.
No tears were shed yet but the glistening at the corner of the eyes was obvious. The eye whites had gained a reddish hue as well now that Tobirama concentrated on more features than just the glowing spiraling doom. Madara looked devastated.
Light coloured brows drew together as the Senju squinted his eyes in thought. Even when something serious had happened to the Uchiha then what did it have to do with him ? It was Madara who had decided to torment his hard fought peaceful life.
Unexpectedly, Madara was the first one to break the momentary silence. The words were basically spat at Tobirama.
“Am I not desirable enough for you?”
A tear landed on Tobirama’s cheek. And another.
“Huh?”
Tobirama couldn’t help but stare dumbfounded.
A wounded yelp sounded from above him and then the Sharingan was gone. The dark mane covered the woman’s scrunched up expression as Madara turned her head to the side.
Tobirama continued staring. “You’re not trying to kill me?”
Black eyes snapped back to the laying body. “What? Kill? Maybe after all your disrespect I might just do that!” The gunbai actually tried to obey as Tobirama felt his breath be cut short.
“Then what about all the knives?” he managed with effort. That’s what had started all this. That’s when he’d become the Uchiha’s lone target.
“They were a healthy dose of danger! Wasn’t it arousing?!”
Tobirama actually choked and he wasn’t sure if the gunbai was to be blamed for it entirely. Arousing? The way Madara glared at him disbelievingly made Tobirama doubt if it was alright to straight up admit that no , it wasn’t so he decided to stay silent instead. However, his silence didn’t seem to calm the situation either because without getting an answer Madara finally stood up and actually screeched into her collar. At least now Tobirama knew why the Uchiha robes sported such wide and tall collars.
“I should have known that in reality you’re just a pile of sweetened manna! That’s why all my further endeavours were planned while taking into account your soft mindset.”
“You call a metaphor of a bloodied fur soft?” The Senju’s mouth fell and stayed open after such a ridiculous revelation.
However, Tobirama wasn’t the only one flabbergasted. A gasp escaped from the woman’s lips and a pair of piercing eyes emerged from the high collar. “I went out of my way to catch a rabbit and make a meal for you!” A resounding step was tramped between the man’s spread out legs.
“I showed you my handiwork which you just blatantly IGNORED. No comment other than “it looks sharp” whatsoever!” The second foot was forcefully placed in front of the other.
“I even demonstrated how well I can handle children on my own and protect them if need be! And you looked on with such a face as if wanting to say that children in my care is a miserable sight !” The following step was hit right next to Tobirama’s right shoulder and the man’s sweat broke loose on the thought of what would have happened had Madara decided to tramp on in a linear manner.
“So tell me. Am I lacking something?” Tobirama’s frozen face could gaze upon a seething expression which then slackened a bit showing the same broken edges that Madara had surprised Tobirama with in the beginning of this onslaught. Then, the dark eyes were almost begging accompanied by a shy tremble in the woman’s suddenly hushed voice.
“Is it the height?”
The clock on the wall ticked on as the shinobi looked at each other. One once again on the brink of tears the other remembering to breathe now that the gunbai was merely resting on the tender skin. But both trying to figure out where they were positioned in the other's mind.
Suddenly, a jolt ran through them. Laughter had caught them off guard.
Madara squinted at the pearls of white visible in the wide smile on the now shaking man. “What’s so funny?” she asked hurriedly, confused, but Tobirama laughed only louder.
Annoyed, the Uchiha raised her fist and striked the seemingly out of control man’s shoulder with all the intent that she’d left after being worn out both mentally and emotionally. Her eyes betrayed that there wasn’t much resolve left for the punch but Tobirama groaned anyways. “Ow!”
The Senju rubbed the abused limb after having emerged from the initially Sharingan induced physical passiveness. “Of all things, this is what concerns you? I really thought you were trying to kill me!” He shook his head, the wide smile having decided to stay put.
However, Madara didn’t like that decision. Quickly, Tobirama rolled to the side avoiding the angry foot aimed at his chest.
“Stop saying I wanted to kill you!” Madara yelled, the roaring effort making her pant a bit, face flushed with annoyance. “I just wanted to show off my good sides.”
“You showed your sides alright.” The sarcastic expression was rewarded by a lone pout as Tobirama was already out of Madara’s reach and she didn’t seem up for a chase.
“Hey.” The Senju opted for a more serious tone then. “You’re not gonna cry anymore, right?” The woman’s mouth fell open with a silent gasp, the black eyes regaining their earlier fire. “You!”
Raising his hands to reign the outrage, Tobirama rushed to explain the wording. “Because if not then your head is clear enough to listen to this!”
The rushed rescue actually worked. Madara raised her chin in interest, listening.
“The stew you made was excellent! I dread the memory of having to leave it unfinished. The sword you forged was sharp, yes, but it looked marvelous as well. And I didn’t even know that you’ve got such skills in your arsenal! Then the children,” Tobirama gave the Uchiha a pair of squinted eyes and a soft smile, “you’re clearly well adept at teaching them. It was clear as day that they admire you. And I believe that there is no one in this world who would question your capability of protecting a bunch of children. And...” The man hesitated only for a moment before looking the Uchiha straight in her eyes. “I don’t consider danger in any shape or form to be sensual.”
He’d said a lot. Tobirama took a deep breath and stayed waiting for Madara’s reaction. Which only came after a long scrutinizing look.
“Manna.” The woman stated, hands crossed before her, but it lacked the earlier bite. It seemed they’d landed on a peaceful ground for now. Tobirama dared to stand up brushing his clothes into order.
“You know what?” The Senju raised his head again when he deemed himself presentable. “This may come from a softy here but how about we leave all this showing off thing in the past and try something else for a change?”
“What?” Madara raised a brow taking the bait.
“How about a simple date?” The white-haired head tilted a bit to the side at the end of the sentence waiting for a reaction. It was an earnest question, the slack but nevertheless engaged expression on Tobirama’s face helping to prove it.
It seemed that the woman believed the question to be more than just a sarcastic comment which in all honesty wouldn’t have been that out of character for the Senju. Nevertheless, her brows furrowed as she regarded the man in front of her. “Date as in common activities in order to get to know each other better? I already like you so I don’t really see the point.” A thoughtful pause filled the room before Madara pointed her chin towards the other occupant of the room. “But if you really want to then I’m not against it.”
Tobirama winced internally and pulled a face at that. What about what I feel ? Was the main question resounding in his head. He dearly hoped that there would be more sides of Madara to discover as thus far her ideas seemed to be developed from her own point of view only. Maybe Tobirama could guide her to a more far-reaching and inclusive mindset...
With such aim set in front of his eyes, the Senju made his way to the living room's door expecting Madara to follow him. The latter did as expected but halted right in the doorway something having caught her attention.
“What’s this?” She picked up a neatly filled out paper that must have dropped to the floor at some point of their earlier commotion. Not waiting for an answer, Madara skimmed through the content. “You’re ridiculous,” she scoffed and trotted past the Senju, the paper gliding through the air and landing once again on the floor.
“You give me a reason to be.” Tobirama shrugged and followed the Uchiha outside. They had a date to attend as both of them clearly needed a better understanding of the other before either of them could continue with their peaceful lives with or without a relationship involved.