Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All original characters (OC) are mine to claim.
Author's Note: I needed a break from my X-Men fanfiction Between Never and Forever and this piece of story was developed over many months of constant breaks and watching Naruto: Shippuden episodes.
A detailed note is given after the story explaining the background behind the story and how it came to be!
Happy Reading!
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The Ties of Blood
The day it all ended up in cracked and shattered shards was the last day she saw Hashirama Senju alive.
Perhaps it was the aftermath of the battle between the once friends and the subsequent death of a man who had always looked after her since the death of her own family. Perhaps it was born of the realization that all of clan had abandoned Madara when he had needed them – and the realization that she could have prevented his death by pacifying him. Perhaps it was the new Clan Head, Yashima – with his cunning eyes and even more cunning mind- and his wife, the Matriarch, Kotoko who considered her a threat and the fact that Mameha felt like an outsider to her own clan.
Or maybe it was because she finally understood Madara and his words – and that there was no future between a Senju and an Uchiha.
'Blood is a very powerful force. You might as well match fire and ice and expect them to survive, Mameha.'
It took her days to wonder what she would do now. Not in the least because she kept thinking of the white-haired stoic man with crimson eyes that burned through her.
She thought of the long days at the Academy when they would sit in the wooden veranda, quietly working on their own assignments. She thought of the rainy days when he would join her in the Academy grounds, his arms crossed as he watched her get wet in the rain. She thought of the hours they would spend with Kagami, her young charge, when he was younger and how patiently Tobirama would demonstrate how to hold and throw a kunai with deadly precision. She thought of the nights when she joined him and Hashirama for Mito Uzumaki's delicious cooking and how he would accompany her back home and occasionally join her for a cup of tea.
And she thought of how she was about to destroy all of that and wondered yet again if it was worth it.
"I heard you intend to make Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage." Mameha mentioned, keeping her voice carefully bland, and she felt Tobirama tense beside her, though his stoic expression betrayed nothing. "It's truly impressive to see the lengths to which you would go to oppress the Uchiha."
"Mameha!" Hashirama blanched, the color leaving his face at the bitterness in her voice. "You do not mean that!"
"What else am I supposed to think?" She fired back, standing at her feet and facing Hashirama's shocked gaze with her own level one. "You specifically chose a Sarutobi. Why? If Sasuke Sarutobi had fought beside the Uchiha and not the Senju, I daresay there would a different Hokage in training, wouldn't there?"
Tobirama's expression tightened and his eyes narrowed further. "You think you have everything completely figured out?"
Mameha swung around to face him, her eyes burning with anger. "I know full well of your plans too, Tobirama! Establishing the Police and making the Uchiha in charge? What an effective method to isolate them from the village further? Of course the Uchiha don't deserve a place in the Council, of course the Uchiha don't deserve to be Hokage, of course the Uchiha deserve to be brought to heel like dogs! Simply because they have some sort of speculated hidden darkness?"
"Mameha!" Tobirama roared, springing to his feet, his own crimson eyes aflame. "Don't speak as if the Uchiha are absolute angels! You know full well the extent of their hatred, of their thirst for vengeance, their hunger for power!"
"Hunger for power?" She repeated, her voice rising. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Hashirama stand up, his hands extended towards them, his face a mask of desperation. "What of the Senju? Are you not hungry for power?" She laughed mockingly. "You're not even willing to relinquish the post of Hokage to anyone other than your blood or those hand-trained by you! And you speak about hunger for power?"
"Stop speaking like an Uchiha!" Tobirama's normal severe face was cast into lines of fury and his voice echoed off the wooden walls of the Hokage Tower.
"I am an Uchiha!" Mameha screamed back at him, her usually carefree expression twisted into one of repulsion and disbelief. She repeated, this time in a much lower tone. "I am an Uchiha and you can never forgive that."
There was complete and utter silence and Hashirama's eyes were closed, as if he was praying for deliverance. Mameha looked at the man who had once been vibrant with life and took in the shadows and creases lining his face.
"Please." Hashirama Senju seemed like he had aged a century in the last few minutes and his voice was barely more than a croak. "If we tear each other apart, what will be left of Konoha to show the world?"
"We've already been torn apart." She murmured her voice impossibly soft. "This alliance is nothing but a mockery." She steadily met Hashirama's gaze and forced herself not to give in to the tears burning behind her eyes. "I never expected this to happen, to see you so blindly oppressing the Uchiha. But-" She turned to face Tobirama whose body was tense as if he was ready to spring. "I should have known better than to expect that from you."
She turned and left and Hashirama wondered whether they would ever see her again.
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The day of the funeral dawned cold and clear and the morning chill was biting.
Clad in the black of mourning, she stood alongside the Uchiha – a mass of diligently formed lines of erect, taut backs. The fabric rustled when she moved and it scratched her skin but it was the black of mourning and mourning for a man she had considered a friend – despite all of the misunderstandings and bitterness that lay between them in the end.
She saw Hashirama's smooth, tanned face – open and warm and the smile that had lit up the skies the day he and Madara had stood against the backdrop of Konoha. And then she thought of the lines and creases that had formed and the despair that had settled in and taken the light and life from him.
How time had passed and she wondered whether she too had grown into a bitter, world-weary woman. She probably had.
Against the marble stone that bore the Hokage's name in bold carvings knelt Tobirama, bended on one knee, his silver head bowed and his expression completely indecipherable. In the sea of black, Mito Uzumaki's red hair stood out shockingly from her spot next to him.
'Hashirama will be the first. And Tobirama will be the second.' Unbidden, Madara's words came back to her and with no real surprise, she realized that they had indeed come true. She forced herself not to think of the foreboding words that had followed. 'And that is when the Uchiha will truly feel fear.'
'No.' She told herself, repeating the word over and over. 'Don't think of this now. Not now.'
The congregation departed until there was only a pale alabaster stone covered in flowers – obtained in droves despite the cold winter - and a man kneeling in black.
She stood back, dismissing the murmurs that told her to leave and wondered whether she should leave when she had the chance. What was left now between them now that Hashirama was gone forever?
Besides, the words they had exchanged had irrevocably sealed their relationship forever – there was nothing left for her, or for Tobirama or for them.
Resolutely, she turned to leave and had nearly made it to the edge of the graveyard, when the fragrance of scented candles washed over her, followed by the monstrous aura of the Nine-Tails.
"Mito-sama." She bowed her head and glanced at the woman who had once been as vibrant as her husband. Now only a shadowed shell remained. She desperately lunged for some appropriate words but the truth was she had not expected, nor wanted, a confrontation so soon. "I'm sorry for your loss. But the Hokage's death was a loss…. for all of us."
Mito nodded, her hair hangings tinkling, and then reached out a hand to brush against Mameha's forearm. "He- Hashirama- truly thought of you as a friend. I'm sorry that things ended in such a way between you two."
"So am I." Mameha murmured and her heart clenched at the truth of those words. Then she thought: if she had a chance, would she have turned back on that day. Her heart was silent and so was her mind and that was the only answer she needed.
"Such hate." Mito whispered and her eyes were closed. "So much hate. How can friendship and even love stand against such hate?"
Mameha had nothing to say to that and Mito shook her head as if to clear her own thoughts. Her bright green eyes, tired and bag-ridden, travelled to a point behind Mameha's shoulder and she nodded in that direction.
"Go to him."
She did not have to turn to know whom Mito was referring to but she did nonetheless and in the space in took, Mito had already disappeared.
Cursing herself, she took a deep breath and slowly walked towards Tobirama's still figure. Clearly, he must have sensed her from the very start but he didn't look up even when she gathered the hem of her black kimono and settled beside him.
"Will you say something?" Mameha asked him finally and she nearly flinched from the weight of Tobirama's gaze.
"Is there anything left to be said?" He asked her quietly, his deep voice impassive.
Mamehas shook her head and smiled sadly. "No. There is nothing left now.'
In the silence that stretched over the hours, they just sat together and somehow by the end of it, their fingers had become entwined. Neither of them knew how.
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The day she died was the day she realized her love for him.
Kagami, her one and only consolation, kneeled beside her slender form, one arm still clenching his bloodied kunai knife, the other positioned around her waist to support her. Her pupils were dilated, the irises- a pure, startling black, her Sharingen inactivated and her eyes were focused on a distance. It was unnerving – the way she was staring at the distance, seeing yet unseeing.
Her smooth, pale skin was marred by a gash to the cheek and there was blood dripping from it, which ran down her face in rivulets, making up for the lack of tears. Against his body, he felt her racking breaths- felt her struggle to breathe, felt her desperate need to live.
"Mameha-san." He said, close to her ear, forcing his voice not to tremble, forcing his eyes to rein in the tears that were threatening to spill. "I am here."
She closed her eyes briefly, before focusing on him and her dried, parched lips curved into the semblance of her old smile – the smile of the girl who loved and lived with a bright and fierce intensity.
"Kagami." He had to strain to hear her, even with his ninja senses, and she paused between the syllables to breathe. She repeated, lifting a hand towards him. "Kagami, you came."
"I came." Kagami gently grasped her hand and held it to his lips. "Mameha-san, I am right here."
"Peace." She murmured and once again, she smiled. Only this time, it was a smile of relief. "At last."
Kagami nodded against her hand, not trusting himself with words and simply lowered her to the ground, using his own body to cushion her. Behind him, he could hear the battle raging, could hear the clash of steel on steel, the cries of the dead but in that moment all that mattered was the woman who had raised him and believed in him and that she was dying.
"The….the...village?" She asked finally, as blood dripped from the side of her mouth.
"It's safe." He told her confidently, forcing his tone to be loud and clear. "Konoha's safe. The battle is ending."
The smile stayed intact and it was just as beautiful as it had been the day she had taken him in her house, to raise him with love and affection.
"You…you did well." Mameha told him and her eyes were glowing against the darkness. "I…I..am..so…proud…of…you. So, so, proud."
Kagami smiled at her, his own eyes glittering with unshed tears. "I love you too Mameha-san. Always and forever."
There was the sound of feet crashing against the granite pavement and Kagami raised his head to see a shinobi thunder towards him – an Uchiha by his looks and demeanor.
"Uchiha-san." He bowed low, his head bandaged to prevent bleeding. "The Hokage, Tobirama-sama, is here."
Kagami felt Mameha's body jerk at the mention of the white-haired shinobi's name. Pain and pity filled him, stabbed at him and he cursed the fact that their love had been doomed from the start. Kagami returned his dark eyes to meet Mameha's, gazing knowingly into his.
"Don't…. don't…let hatred…take…over…Don't." Mameha murmured again, her eyes never leaving his, her heart-shaped face beseeching and begging. "Stay….stay safe..strong…Otherwise…It….It..It will…consume…you."
Kagami didn't say anything. The Curse of Hatred. How ironic that she would believe in the same thing Tobirama did in and then allow it to tear them apart.
"I…I loved him." Mameha admitted finally, releasing a gasping breath and for the first time in his life, Kagami saw tears glistening in her eyes. "Despite….despite everything…I still…loved him."
Then she laughed slightly- it was simple and short and not humorous at all. It contained only disbelief and realization. The desolation gathered across her lovely face, worn from pain, fatigue and the years of fighting.
"I loved…him….but….it…..it could never be enough."
With a kind of painful understanding, Kagami realized that she was right. They truly had loved one another, and perhaps, in another lifetime – one not filled with eternal rivalries and enemy clans- they could have had the life they deserved – a home to share, children to raise and ages to stay with one another. Maybe, even now, they had still thought of that life, desired it, dreamed about it, endeavored for it.
But in the end, neither could ignore the ultimate fact. They belonged to clans that would never become anything other than enemies. Perhaps Mameha had realized that despite all, Tobirama could not forget, or forgive, her blood and her family. In the end, their blood and their heritage had broken them apart.
That was the last thing she said. For the next hour, Kagami watched her breathing grow progressively weaker until finally, it couldn't have stirred a hair from its place. Then she was gone and the world seemed an infinitely bleaker place than before.
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The day of her funeral was just as clear as Hashirama's had been.
But it was spring not winter and the blossoms were in full bloom. Sakura lined the trees and the soft pinks and emerald greens tinged the mass of gray and black with a color that seemed out of place. Still her grave didn't have as many flowers as the late Hokage's had had.
The service was short and the mourners few. Most of the people she had known and loved were either dead or dying. Besides, there were other casualties to attend to.
The only thing unchanged was the man kneeling beside the marble, his silver-white hair bared, his crimson eyes closed and his hands so tightly clenched that they drew blood. Later, he went to the memorial stone, where her name stood out among the many others and when he traced the kanji characters, there was more love and tenderness expressed than he had ever given her in life. And he cursed himself for that.
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The day he died was the day all of his past mistakes came back at him with a vengeance. Faced with the impossible odds of an entire mass of well-trained shinobi, even he – the revered Second Hokage- could not survive. And that was fine him.
His mind was at peace with the knowledge that Konoha was in safe hands. He trusted Hiruzen as he trusted no one and he trusted in the fact that he and his brother had taught him all that he needed to know.
His sister-in-law had already left the village to live with her Uzumaki kin. She had left barely three weeks after Hashirama's funeral – with her children grown and busy in their lives, there was nothing left for her in Konoha and so she had left for the land of her birth – carrying with her the spirit of the Nine-Tails. He knew that she was safe and content with her choice to leave.
It was raining heavily and his prone, dying body didn't have enough energy to shift. What would be the use anyways? He would die in either case.
He didn't know how much time had gone by and he wondered if his students – no comrades – had made it out.
It was another hour, or at least Tobirama thought it was, before the delirium set in. It began with Madara's contemptuous scowl and Tobirama thought perhaps they had both wound up in hell after all. But the image wavered and faded and instead there stood Hashirama, his face open and he clapped a heavy hand on Tobirama's back – and just like in life, it annoyed Tobirama to no end. But it too wavered and vanished like a wisp of smoke.
Just before his eyes closed and his senses shut down, he heard the bright laughter that had first made her stand out – the laughter that couldn't possibly belong to an Uchiha because of the spirit and exuberance that had been present in its depth. But it had belonged to an Uchiha – an Uchiha who had held great pride in her lineage - and that had been his undoing and hers and ultimately, his biggest regret.
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I've been working on this idea since I watched Hashirama retelling the story of how Konoha was formed. Initially I wanted it to be a multi-chapter story but then I decided against it.
About the Uchiha: The Uchiha have always been a family that really appealed to me as a writer. They were strong and powerful and arrogant and they had a truly tragic end. I've heard many arguments against them. 'They planned a coup.' 'They were too proud.' But the truth is that I always felt that the Uchiha were considered in an extremely negative light.
The thing is that the Uchiha were a founding family of Konoha – they could have had at least one Hokage to their name. I believe Hashirama should have ensured that eventually an Uchiha would become the Hokage. He and Tobirama chose Hiruzen Sarutobi (who was an amazing character – I've got nothing against him) so they could have chosen an Uchiha as well and trained him just like they trained Hiruzen. At least that would have given the Uchiha some form of power – because they deserved it considering that Madara was a founder- and moreover it would have given them the sense that Konoha belonged to them as well.
Now to consider the coup d'état. I think it was expected. Honestly, you don't oppress people and limit their power and their involvement in the village and push them into the very corner and then expect no retaliation. The Uchiha were incredibly strong shinobi and of course they expected a greater involvement in the village affairs and why not? Why were the Uchiha specifically targeted and pushed into the Police Force that practically made them outcasts? Sure, they were power-hungry but I think that every clan was power-hungry including the Senju clan. Otherwise there would have been no conflict of interest.
About the story: I could have made it a happy ending and I had every intention to. Well at least as happy as it could get during the Era of Warring States. But although I always believed (and my writer-heart rejoiced) at the idea of Tobirama with an Uchiha, I could never believe that they would have had a happy ending. Tobirama was too intent on his grudge against the Uchiha – he had very strong beliefs and very strong perceptions and he wouldn't have budged an inch no matter how much he may have loved someone.
As for Mameha, I never wanted her to give up her lineage and her family for Tobirama. As a reader, I severely dislike those characters who give up their family, their beliefs and their views just for the thought of love.
Mameha is an Uchiha first and foremost and like all other Uchiha, she is proud of her blood and their beliefs and she could not, would not, give them up for Tobirama.
A general piece of information: As many of you might have realized, I took the name Mameha from Memoirs of a Geisha because I always loved the way it sounded.
All comments, thoughts arguments, counter-arguments, criticisms are always welcome!
R&R please!