He is bleeding too much.

Madara's gloved hand around Izuna waist was damp with blood. The clan leader cringed at the metallic smell in the air. It was not only his brother who was injured. Apparently, the majority of the Uchiha shinobies were either out cold or dead. Madara's stomach twisted at the latter thought. He was still under some post-heat effects. Meaning, he still hadn't completely concealed his kind's empathetic nature. So right now, his men's groans and whimpers were getting to him, awakened his Omega sense which had been forgotten ever since the last heat.

"Madara, you cannot defeat me."

Beside him, Izuna tensed up. It took Madara all his inhuman pride not to show any sign of distress right there as well. Instead, he kept his façade in place and threw the Senju who was advancing a dirty glare.

"Hashirama!"

He snarled; sharingan spinning as he shifted forward, shielding Izuna from their enemy.

Don't even think about coming any nearer, Senju. I will take you down.

Crimson eyes narrowed, successfully sending that message. Hashirama stopped walking and threw his sword aside. He said:

"Wars have been going on for long enough. Let's end this! If two powerful clans like the Senju and the Uchiha come together, no clan can go against us. We can start a new era of peace."

The man's voice softened, offering a hand. Brown orbs were so warm and sincere that Madara's heart skipped a beat. He thanked god that his face had already heated up from all the fighting or else people would certainly noticed him blushing. He frowned,

Could he trust him? His pride objected immediately.

You can't make a deal with the Senju! They will turn their back on you the moment you lay low your guard.

But Izuna…

The tiny Omega voice in his head interrupted. His brother was injured badly. Moreover, they didn't know which technique that albino brat used. His wound could be fatal and their clan wouldn't be able to help him (Madara admitted that the Uchiha was not as good in healing as the Senju, a heavy blow to his pride btw)

"Alright then…"

The Uchiha quietly spoke to himself, head hung low in defeat.

"Nii-san…"

"Heal Izuna and my men, and we will have a deal."

"Don't listen to him, nii-san! It's a tra..."

Izuna paused mid-sentenced. He choked, and hot blood trickled from his mouth. The red liquid only made Madara more certain about his decision.

"NOW."

He emphasized, glaring at Hashirama sharply, the previous small display of submission disappeared.

Hashirama nodded. He was about to approach the Uchiha brothers when Tobirama stopped him.

"Aniki, are you insane? They are dangerous…"

"Trust me, Otouto. Beside…" The clan leader reassured. He glanced at Madara who was trying to make Izuna lay down. It appeared that even when wounded, the younger brother still had enough energy to kick up a fuss. They argued, surprisingly with Madara being the voice of reason and Izuna the opposite.

"…They are like us." Hashirama smiled sheepishly.


"No!"

"Don't be childish, otouto."

"I'm not lying anywhere in front of the enemies, especially when that dog is around."

"Oi!" Hashirama yelled, clearly offended.

"I'm not talking about you, Senju!"

Madara sighed:

"I don't like this either but think about me…"

"nii-san…"

"What will become of me if something happens to you?"

They both knew the answer. Izuna was the very reason Madara hadn't done anything stupid yet. The older male was always angry toward life after their mother's and 3 brothers' deaths. His hatred, since then, only increased with him presenting as an Omega and Tajima's decease. Madara practically disliked everything but his family, and Izuna was the only one left. So if anything happened to him, Madara's life would definitely turn for the worse.

"Fine."

Izuna rolled his eyes. He laid down, hands folded and finally allowed Hashirama to come near. The Alpha immediately rushed to his side.

Tobi-chan really was serious about that new jutsu.

He grimaced, inspecting the gaping wound through the tear on Izuna's dark robe. And it wasn't only that, there were also various internal damages from what he could sense. Hashirama casted a quick look at his brother. The Beta was having a glaring contest with Madara. They both radiated auras, so dark that no men from either clan had the gut to approach. Hashirama noticed how Tobirama's hand looked ready to grab his sword any moment and Madara seemed to be on the verge of performing a fire style jutsu. He frowned and returned to Izuna, making a mental note to ease the hostility between those two. Seriously, a peace treaty would be useless if the most powerful men from both clans were constantly at each other's throat.

"Izuna, take off the robe."

"What?!"

"It'd be easier to treat your injuries!" Hashirama added and his cheeks turned pink. He didn't mean it to sound like that! The Alpha could feel a pair of sharingan, obviously from Madara, burning holes into his nape. The other male obviously mistook his words for something pervert too.

"If you let me, I'll heal you faster and both you and Madara can leave."

"Fine! But that albino freak has to leave."

"As if I want to see you shirtless, scrawny Uchiha…"

"What did you just call my otouto?"

"You heard me."

Thus two shinobies returned to their glaring competition, the air around them turned even more deadly. Hashirama didn't mind though, at least without them disturbing him or Izuna, he could focus in healing the younger male.


"There! It's finished. Although I recommend you to avoid any heavy works in at least a month."

"No, 1 week! This is still my body right?!"

"Otouto…"

Izuna looked at his brother accusingly. Traitor

"Fine, two! But I can't promise anything."

Hashirama chuckled; guess stubbornness run s in their blood. He stood up and turned to Tobirama.

"Now, if you don't mind…"

"I'm on it."

The Beta left, not forgetting to sneer at the two Uchiha brothers. This action quickly alarmed them.

"Where is he going?"

Madara asked suspiciously.

"Getting backup…"

Hashirama shut his mouth, cursing himself. Tobirama did have a point in telling him to watch what he said.

"Let me explain!"

Too late, Madara had already reached for his weapon. The look on the Uchiha's face was of pure fury. He drew his sword, but Hashirama leaned forward and caught his pale wrist before he could slash at him.

"We need the medical shinobies and healers to save your men! Tobirama only went to get them!"

"Why must I trust you?" Madara snapped stubbornly, he gripped the sword's handle challengingly. It was from some poor Senju bastard he killed, too short for Madara's taste but if this indeed turned out to be a trap, at least he would still have weapon to defend Izuna and himself.

"Because we are friends…"

The Senju clan leader sighed. With his free hand, he tilted the Uchiha's chin upward. Hashirama knew it was a bold move, but he had to make Madara believe him. So he bore his eyes into the other's red ones and spoke genuinely:

"…And I would never stab one in the back, you know that right?"

Madara froze, shock overtaken his feature.

The Senju leader braced himself for any protest. He expected his old friend to either pull away or gut him. But unexpectedly, Madara turned off his sharingan as a clear sign of giving in and Hashirama was greeted with a pair of dark irises that he had thought would never see up close again. Needless to say, they brought back old memories and were just as alluring as their owner's crimson ones. Sure, every Uchiha had black eyes. Madara's, however, were different. They had this kind of depth that only abysses would equal, yet, they were by no means cold, despite popular belief. Hashirama could sense warmth in them: the want to protect loved ones.

Hashirama beamed with delight. If Madara believed him enough to turn off Sharingan, then it seemed like they would soon be on good term again.

"Nii-san?"

From the ground, Izuna spoke up; the young beta blinked. He clearly had watched the two older males.

Madara batted Hashirama's hand away. He straightened up, mumbled something about checking on the others and walked away.

Is he blushing?

Hashirama was in awe. The Senju, however, quickly regained his sense when Izuna pinched his ankles.

"Sorry for making you wait! Do you need anything?"

He choked out an apology and quickly sat down next to the other. Izuna shook his head, then unexpectedly shot a hand up to grab Hashirama's shirt front, bringing him even closer. The young Beta growled lowly in his ear:

"I know what you are playing at, Senju. Stay away from my nii-san, or I will make sure your life is a living hell. He has been through enough."

He released the Senju who was completely baffled. If it hadn't been for the lack of strong pheromone, Hashirama would have mistaken Izuna for an Alpha then. For a Beta, he was strong-willed and protective of his brother, even blatantly challenged an Alpha who clearly had the upper hand in this situation.

"I would never hurt Madara!"

Izuna only snorted.


A treaty was signed between two clans one week later. To Hashirama relief, it went quite smoothly. No assassination attempts (in your face, Tobirama), no bad mouthing, only uncanny silence that unnerved even the gods, if they existed

He took a deep breath, focused on the man in front of him. Whether Madara was uncomfortable or not, he didn't show. The leader wore dark robe, like the rest of his clan. Hashirama's and his people's were white. He mentally smiled, realizing how contrasting the two clans were. Like yin and yang, Uchiha dressed in black while Senju dressed in white.

When two forces come together, harmony is born.

The thought more or less reduced the tension. Right, this was the moment he, no, they had been waiting for. He had no reason to be nervous. Hashirama extended a friendly hand.

Silence…

Why doesn't he do anything?

He was panicking again, feeling the stress returned. Behind him, he could faintly hear people mumbling. His hand had only hanged in the air for merely seconds, but it felt like eternity. Was Madara regretting his decision? Would he break the deal? No, Madara wasn't the type to go back on his word now, was he? Just when he thought that couldn't get any more awkward, a hand reached out and clapped his sweaty one.

Hashirama's gleefulness must have shown because Madara was looking at him strangely. The male's head slightly cocked like a curious cat, such an odd expression to see on the so-called Demon Alpha. A desire to caress high cheekbone of the man in front of him arose, Hashirama wanted to see more emotions in those two black pools called 'eyes', like when he had tilt his chin up a week ago. But he couldn't do that. It was morally wrong to do such thing to another Alpha, and they were being watched by men from both clans. Judging from the tinkling feel of a certain Uchiha's hateful glare, Hashirama had no doubt that he would be gutted right away if he tried so.

Their hands parted too quickly for the Senju's liking.


Author's note:

Heheeh, sorry for the late update, Halloween got me all busy (:3).

And Izuna lived! I couldn't bring myself to kill him off, to be honest. This story would diverse from canon from here too.

chibitaku: I never said that Beta can't pair with Beta, did I? (:3) Nudge*nudge*wink*wink

Sunny: It's true that one Alpha could kill another to steal his/her Omega. However, as it had been mentioned in the chapter, the other mate would be scarred greatly, depending on how deep his/her bond with his/her dead mate. There is a high chance that the Omega would shut off completely and waste away or suicide, unless it is polygamy because the bonds are usually frail then (who wants to share their mate with other mistresses, and who would deeply love an unfaithful mate? Not many.). So normally, no one would take the risk and usually leave the mated pair alone. However, when the Omega is unmated, there is plenty of room for competition.

Ty for reading, ask anything you want. Until next week :3