A story requested by Addster, as a 'prize'. Turns out after not writing for a while, I get slightly eloquent...^^;
I hope it's just as fluffy as you wanted, even if it's not exactly the same kind of fluff!
"Ojii-sama?"
Hashirama looked up from where he was bent over yet another annoying piece of paperwork – it came from trees right? So why couldn't he seem to make it disappear? – at his six year old granddaughter where she sat opposite his desk, swinging her legs idly. She was close to graduating the Academy, and he intended to put her on a team with his former student as its head, but as of yet she wasn't quite a genin. So that meant when both her parents were out on a mission, Tobirama was off fooling somewhere, Mito was busy at the hospital, and Tsunade was slightly too sick to go to the Academy, he had charge of her – so she wouldn't wreck the house in their absence. All adults had learned that lesson the hard way.
"Ojii-sama!" He had gotten distracted again, and now Tsunade was standing right in front of his desk, arms crossed and eyes narrowed in a way he knew she had picked up from her grandmother. Oh, he knew that stance quite well.
"Yes, Tsunade-chan?"
She smiled at having his attention focused on her, and placed both small hands palm down on the desk between them, over a few of the not-so-important pieces of paperwork. "How did you and obaa-sama fall in love?"
Well, that was more interesting than paperwork for sure. And in the end, it was a rather child friendly story, after all. Besides, it wasn't as though he was procrastinating, right? He was spending time with his granddaughter and entertaining her, not shirking work! If Tobi decided to accuse him of such, he could look after Tsunade the next time she got sick…
The brunet leaned back in his chair, holding an arm out to his granddaughter so she came around the desk and hopped up on his lap. Soon she would be too big or too old to want to do such things, but right now he reveled in the fact she still enjoyed the close physical contact. "Do you remember how obaa-sama told you our marriage was arranged?" He waited until she nodded, blonde ponytail flapping slightly against his arm. "Well, when we first met, we were complete strangers. We acknowledged each other, but it was like living in a house with someone from another village." He let out a small chuckle. "In fact, that's exactly what it was."
A small fist hit his chest, interrupting his reminiscing. "That's not how you fell in love! Tell that story!"
Hashirama rubbed at the spot she had hit; for a six year old, she was rather strong. "I'm getting there, I'm getting there! So impatient," he chided, restraining her arm by the wrist when she made to hit him again. "Don't hit your old ojii-sama, I may break you know."
The blonde rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath. "You're not old! I saw you beat up oji-sama yesterday!"
Diplomatically ignoring that outburst – by not acknowledging it he had plausible deniability incase Mito ever heard of the incident – Hashirama continued on with his story. "Anyways, Mito and I didn't know each other very well at all, and it stayed that way for six months. It probably would have been longer except for that one merchant that came into town…"
After six months of living with his wife, Hashirama decided it was time to get to know the woman a lot better than he already did – which was hardly at all. He didn't even know her favorite food, color, or anything! Well, he was going to change that; somehow, some way, today, he was going to break the thin sheet of ice that stood between the two of them and get to know his wife well, hopefully at least as a close friend. Oh the two of them could make small chat with the best of them, but almost none of it was personal. The most he had found out so far was that she had had a cat back in Uzushiogakure when she was younger, and she missed it.
Well, at least he could use that knowledge, right?
Having spent a lot of time at his desk, filling out the early paperwork to keep the newly formed village running smoothly, he knew for a fact that a pets merchant just happened to be in the village for the week, and no doubt had a few cats he could choose from. Maybe having a feline in the house would soften that tough exterior Mito showed to the world, one she didn't even let down at home. And maybe pigs would fly, but it was worth a try.
It was slightly past lunch time when Hashirama strolled out of his office, dressed in the red and white robes of his village status. Hopefully they wouldn't scare the merchant off before he had chosen a suitable pet. It wasn't hard to spot the man; mostly he just followed the sounds of animals over the normal murmur of voices in the marketplace. The village wasn't quite large enough yet to take up more than a square for all the items people wanted to buy.
The merchant himself was sitting on a stool in front of a wagon filled with cages containing different animals; primarily cats and dogs, but he also saw a few rabbits, some birds, and even a couple hamsters. Each set up a din when they saw Hashirama approach, begging for attention to be paid. The merchant slammed a fist back into the cart, shaking it slightly on its axels and rattling the cages, and all the animals quieted down immediately. Hashirama's mouth thinned into a line at that action, but he said nothing. It wasn't his place to question how the man treated his own creatures. Instead, the Hokage let a congenial smile spread across his face as he approached the merchant, who stood up hurriedly at the sight of his newest customer.
"Hokage-sama, can I interest you in one of my fine animals over here? The finest pets you will ever see, each and every one is exquisitely behaved and well trained. Perfect for a lady, a child, or some gentle soul," the man gushed, not even letting Hashirama begin a sentence. A cat let out a plaintive meow and again the merchant's fist hit the wagon. After glaring at it for a second, the man turned to Hashirama with a winning grin. "Would you like to buy one?"
"I would like to purchase a cat for my wife," the Hokage agreed, nodding slightly at the cages in the back of the wagon. "If I may pick one out?"
"Certainly, certainly!" The merchant all but ran around to the other side of the wagon to untie the rope keeping the cages stable. Hashirama's keen eyes didn't miss the fact that all the animals cringed away from the man as he passed, and his lips compressed even more. Whichever pet he chose, he was glad it would be getting away from its 'owner'. Moving towards the back of the wagon, the brunet put a hand out to the first cat he saw, letting his hand rest on the outside of the cage as the animal moved up to sniff it, then butted its head at the wire mesh. Immediately a stick slapped against the top of the cage, and the tortoiseshell cat cringed and retreated, mewling.
Hashirama didn't turn his head to the side very much, just enough that he could see the merchant from the corner of his eye and watch as the man's face blanched. "Sumimasen," he bowed quickly, taking five steps back from his own wagon and the Hokage. Just as slowly, Hashirama looked back at the cat and stuck his fingers through the holes in the cage, letting the animal rub its face against the digits. "I'll take it."
"Very good Hokage-sama." The merchant hastened forward, bowing again to Hashirama, and produced a ring of keys from the pocket of his long black coat. With swift movements, he unlocked a padlock keeping the cat's cage attached to the one below it, and pulled it free. The cat hissed and swiped at the sleeve of the coat which infringed upon its living area.
"And the rest of them."
The merchant stopped mid-pull, staring at the Hokage while the cat shredded his sleeve. "I beg your pardon?"
"I will buy all of your animals." He left out the words 'would like to'. There was no way he was giving the merchant the choice of keeping those creatures; they didn't deserve it. "Name your price."
The man stuttered, eyes switching between the firm stance of the Hokage, standing with his feet planted shoulder-width apart and arms crossed over his chest, face implacable, and the cart holding his livelihood. "One hundred fifty thousand ryou."
Calmly, Hashirama pulled a wad of the bills from his pocket, fanned through them, and pulled out the requested amount. "I'll be keeping the cart as well," he remarked lightly as he handed over the money. "Have a good day."
The cart, being wood, was willing to follow his commands, and the wheels started rolling as though a horse was pulling the contraption. In the back, all the animals had fallen silent once more. Hashirama stooped down and picked up his selected cat in its cage where the merchant had placed it on the ground in shock, and sauntered – no, strutted – no, walked in a stately fashion after the wagon. After all, Hokages didn't saunter, they left that to younger brothers with no sense of decorum.
It was only when he was most of the way home that he considered what on earth Mito's reaction to an influx of animals would be. Whoops. Well, he would ford that stream when he came to it.
She was standing on the porch when he arrived, wagon preceding him in through the arched gateway he had constructed as an entrance to the compound. Her arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed, just daring him to open his mouth. He figured it was progress. Ordering the wagon to stop, the fearless Hokage of Konohagakure stepped up to the porch of the home he lived in – and offered up the cat in his arms as a sacrifice. "I brought you a pet?"
Mito's face didn't soften as she reached out and took the cage, easily unlatching the door and allowing the cat to scramble out of it and up onto her shoulders. "And the rest?" The cat purred as it settled around the back of her neck, tail curling lightly around her throat.
"…We could give them away?"
Something in Mito's face did relax then, and one hand crept up to pet the cat's head. It was a side of her he hadn't seen, laced with amusement, caring, and…
"Mito-san?"
Her eyes pierced him for a very uncomfortable minute, in which he couldn't look away. "Just Mito," she said finally, walking past him to the wagon.
Tsunade scrunched up her nose in disgust. "That's not falling in love! You're supposed to kiss and be all romantic and…love-y!"
Hashirama just smiled enigmatically. "Ah, but that's not our love."