They hated each other on sight when they first met. If it weren't for their respective older siblings, the forest clearing would have been bathed in blood. It almost is when the fool's brother makes a disparaging remark about her Nii-san. Thankfully Madara is aware of her sensitivity to perceived slights against his honour and is there to restrain her before she buries a kunai in the pale haired freak. What were those lines anyway?
The second meeting is hardly better than the first. This time they are both truly aware they hate each other and spend most of the time sniping at each other from across the tavern where their brothers have met for an impromptu drink. Never mind they are only twelve but, civilians think shinobi are different.
They watch in dismay as Madara and Hashirama get completely sozzled and can't get up from their seats. They know it would be impossible for them to carry the brother's out and so using bribery and a liberal dose of KI which most kids didn't have, they employ a few burly men to drop their idiot brothers near where the two clans are camped. They share a small look of commiseration before Tobirama burps and Izuna glares at him when she smells beer.
They don't meet up for years after that. The battles are getting fiercer and Hashirama and Madara are forced into ever more violent confrontations by their respective clans. Their reputation grows and soon their younger siblings too. It starts the day they meet on the battle field, each guarding their most precious person lying unconscious. They are still trying to kill each other but somehow the sentiment, our brother's still overdo things seems to pass between them. As they call a stale mate, Tobirama smirks at her and produces a coupon for the tavern they met at previously. Izuna smirks back and takes the coupon before leaping back and throwing a kunai in his face. As the Uchiha contingent retreats, she heard the laughter of an annoying Senju freak.
The battles have taken so much from them, the next time they meet, there is not smiling, no momentary cessation of hostilities. Izuna is left hobbling away with a broken legs and damaged ribs while Tobirama has a busted cheekbone and cracked femur. Blood covers both of them dripping from numerous cuts. The land is devastated in their fury.
A few days after this Izuna is healed and bathing when the rustling of bushes is her only warning before Tobirama appears. They stare at each other dumbly before Tobirama blushes and apologizes profusely while Izuna screams loud enough to wake the dead.
A few minutes later, she's dressed and Tobi is beaten to within an inch of his life.
Extending a familiar coupon, Tobi quirks his head like a dog. Izuna thinks it's cute but then blanches in horror at the thought. She produces a matching coupon and they soon find the tavern again.
They are seated at a dirty table located at the back of the tavern. The air is stale and the floor is sticky. Izuna thinks there might be a faint bloodstain on the table. They get their drinks and smile nervously at each other. Fifteen is better than twelve when it comes to alcohol right?
The rest of the night is a blur, she thinks she can remember dancing.
They are unaware at first, where they are when they wake up. Then awareness dawns on them and they realize they are snuggled in a tree. Twenty feet off the ground. Thank Kami for chakra exercises they both say. As they get down, neither of them will admit, being snuggled with each other was surprisingly comfortable and nice and that they wouldn't mind doing it again.
They soon meet every week when they are off missions. They don't always go to the tavern, they visit the town's market place and eating houses. They take strolls along the rice fields and sometimes just sit on the grass and talk about how shit being born in the Senju and Uchiha clan is. Sometimes they argue which clan is worse to be born into but somehow they almost always stalemate. They both agree though, being born in a clan sucks balls, but better than being a defenseless civilian in these turbulent times.
Tobirama is aware that something's wrong the day he turns sixteen. He'd been waiting in the clearing when Izuna appears. Her hair is stringy and unwashed, face smudged with dirt and smells bad. It's obvious she's not taken care of herself.
She looks like a zombie. She walks towards him in small lifeless steps before Tobirama gets up and runs to her. As soon as he's in arms reach she barrels into him clutching hard sobs shaking her body violently. Tobirama stands there stroking her back offering what comfort he can.
Her youngest brother has died. In front of Madara and Izuna on his first mission out and she'd awoken a rare type of Sharingan that put more pressure on her to succeed. Tobirama feels his throat close. He remembers well what she must be feeling.
She clings to him for hours. The shadows begin to lengthen on the ground before she says in a tremulous hatred filled voice, "I hate the world Tobi. I will cleanse it one day." He understands where she's coming from. Neither of them understand their older brother's dreams of peace and love without retribution to cement it.
They get dinner at the tavern and Izuna is stuffing her face not having eaten in a while when she suddenly snorts, "I was thinking my brother died too early to have the pleasure of a woman. Of all things…"
Tobi rubs the top of her hand gently. "Some religions say the afterlife rewards valour in battle with gentle and alluring virgins."
Izuna stares at him. "Sounds great for me then. I'm gonna die without being laid too."
He chokes on his bite and she has to slam his back to dislodge the food. Tobirama's face had taken on a rather uncharacteristic blush, somehow making the red marks on his face even more noticeable.
"Oh c'mon you prude! We've talked about sex before!" Izuna burst out laughing at his discomfort.
"We were talking about sneaking in to see Hashi and Madara get it on. Something we know isn't happening cuz Madara is the one who introduced that witch to my brother." Tobirama said blush receding.
"Why do you not like her?" Izuna asked.
He mumbled something softly.
"She what?!" Izuna was pissed at what she heard. Enraged in fact. Mito Uzumaki was purposely monopolizing Hashirama's time and preventing them for being together. If anyone tried that with her and Madara-nii she'd Tsukuyomi the bitch till they thought ramen was the food of the gods.
They started bad mouthing all the people who'd kept them from their brothers and started insulting each other. Soon they got so loud that the barkeep hustled the two shinobi into a room and left a bucket of liquor for them so as to reduce the disturbance to the other patrons of the tavern. Didn't matter as they started singing drunk dirty limericks loudly.
At this point they were so drunk they were flat on the bed. Tobirama turned to say something when his breath caught. Izuna was singing her red lips shining with drink, her cheeks were rosy and her hair was splayed out over the pillow. She's beautiful. How have I never noticed that before?
Izuna tapers off when she realizes Tobirama is not singing along. She turns her head and is immediately captivated by the intensity of his gaze. It's not a conscious decision for either of them and they don't know who moved forward first, but suddenly they feel dry lips against their own and think, I don't want this to stop.
They draw back looking at each other, both of them have blushes on their face and they are grinning like fools.
Izuna leans forwards and kisses him again, this time opening her lips to grant Tobi access to her mouth. Things heat up and move pretty fast after that. She can feel his hardness against his thigh and they both race to strip their clothes.
Soon they are standing in front of each other nude. Studying each other and in the case of Tobi, reacclimatizing himself to her body.
"Have you-have you done this before?" Izuna asks Tobi. He croaks out a negative .She feels a burst of relief. She won't be the only awkward virgin in the room tonight.
Tobi slowly, approaches Izuna as like one who approaches an easily startled animal, she's gathered up in his arms and fall upon the bed. One's hand douses the lights the other reaches below.
The patrons of the inn sigh in relief when the rowdy singing gives way to an altogether more familiar sound. Money changes hands as the people who bet on them collect their winnings. Eight years is a long time to see a boy and girl dance around their feelings.
They fight and after they fight, they fuck. Sometimes they fight while they're in the middle of fucking. It works for them. They are still meeting in secret, no one from Senju nor Uchiha aware that relations between the clan are settled via diplomatic horizontal tango.
The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Izuna think Hashirama is an idiot and that her brother is a bigger idiot than the Hokage. There are teething problems most visibly when they catch sight of the Shinobi who killed their brother. But they can do nothing. Sarutobi Sasuke is a legend on par with them and he brings a legitimacy to this cockbrained project. He commands the respect of many lesser clans including the Inuzuka and Hyuuga clans.
When Tobi points out the Hyuuga are bigger in number than both the Uchiha and Senju she socks him in the stomach.
Somehow the anger is enough to flame his lust because they are occupied for the rest of the day.
It's easy settling into the roles they have carved for themselves. Tobirama sets up Anbu, Madara becomes the Hokage's advisor and Izuna strangely enough becomes the Head Teacher at the academy.
Her logic is that no child should ever die in their first mission out. Not in this new peaceful world.
The marriage of Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito happens on a pleasant spring day. All sorts of dignitaries are there including the Kage of the recently formed Village Hidden in the Sand. Tobi and Izuna think it's appropriately named. The Kage is as dangerous as a sand viper.
Soon Hashirama and Mito are married and the dances start. Tobirama surprises all including Izuna by approaching her for a dance. It sends a shock of whispering throughout the room. Tobi just sneers at them and leads her in a dance, that soon becomes five and by the end of the evening, seeing them together is not surprising. Which is exactly the result Tobirama wanted.
Days and weeks pass with people seeing them walk through the village together in easier companionship. They all put it down to forgiving the animosity of the war.
Hashirama proclaims that as the correct attitude while Madara hnn's in contempt while watching his sister and his leader's brother with very narrowed eyes.
The game is up one year after Hashirama is married. Izuna has spent a week retching morning day and night and heads to the hospital. The news she receives is enough to chill her blood. She swears the healer to secrecy and flees to Tobirama.
Izuna is hard pressed to say whether Tobirama looked more shocked when he caught her bathing or when she announces they are going to have a child. As she races forward to catch her fainting boyfriend she figures it's the later.
She figures nobody expects to be a father at nineteen. She smirks to herself. She unintentionally beat that bitch Mito.
They arrange a meeting in the Hokage's office. It goes predictably. Madara screams at her reducing her to tears when he tells her she's a shame to their parents. Tobirama attempts to defend her to no avail. Hashirama however is laughing hysterically and trying to high five his brother who "scored". Yes it's predictable when Madara engages his Susanoo throwing his Hokage and her lover out the window….or rather the remains of the wall which was destroyed when Susanoo appeared. In fact the clan is going to have to repay for the complete destruction of the Hokage Tower.
The marriage is held the next day and it goes without a hitch. The Senju and Uchiha clan are joined without the attendance of both the clans. They've been banned by order of the Hokage on grounds of public safety and order. And more importantly so they don't interrupt the wedding night. It's a bit embarrassing to have their brothers standing outside the door when they make love.
The next evening they meet Mito walking very gingerly. Hashirama seems to have been inspired.
Pregnancy sucks Izuna decides at some point. No not the morning sickness which passed fast. No it's the other crap. She's forced to gain weight by her doctors and mourns her previous fit and sexy body. As the pregnancy progresses she gets food craving that make Tobirama go green and frequent constipation. Izuna curses the gods. Her legs swell up and she gets unsightly stretch marks.
She feels ugly and she thinks, Tobi would rather have sex with a wall than an ugly cow like me. That prompts very frequent crying jags that Tobi has no idea how to deal with. In his experience, Izuna would rather kill people than cry and so this sudden show of emotions has him floundering.
Once he gets the reason though, he spends quite a lot of time reinforcing how he finds every part of her attractive. It leads to many impromptu lovemaking sessions all over the house.
They are sitting in bed one night discussing names. They both want to name them after their dead brothers. They are at an impasse. Tobirama looks out of the window to the window beyond. He then starts murmuring to himself. He stops and whispers a name to his wife. She lays her head on his chest nodding in agreement. Their child will be named Kazuki, meaning peaceful tree. A strong name symbolizing the love between Senju and Uchiha once thought impossible as well as the hope for the future.
Senju-Uchiha Kazuki is born on a crisp April morning after a ten hour labor. Tobirama and Izuna hold their child and wonder how they ever hated each other.