Author's note: I own nothing. So sorry for the long wait! I just stared a new job and the hours have been hectic. Forgive me! Thank you all for all your support and love for this story! I will not be abandoning it, so no worries! Thank you all for all your kind words. I usually put responses at the bottom, but I don't think my hands can take fifty comments. So, I'll just thank everyone and if you have an important question PM me and I'll get right back to you! It's like one thirty here now, so I must sleep. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Warnings: Possibly language

Word Count: 6,896

The next day, Sakura was allowed to come along with her brothers and the Uchiha brothers, along with a dozen clansmen from each clan, to see the land Hashirama had found for them. They went up atop a large mountain that overlooked the land, covered with trees with a few rivers nearby. Hashirama and Madara both murmured to each other about the pros and cons. The fact that it had decent coverage on one side - a "natural defense," Madara said - with access to close rushing water and lots of foliage.

Sakura, with her arms wrapped around Tobirama's waist, stood with her older brother about a foot to the right of her eldest brother, at the edge of the large mountain, staring down at the large open land, covered now with trees, but will one day be their home. To Hashirama's left is Madara and about a foot to his left is Izuna, who was almost as winded as Sakura about the climb but has long since settled down. Big, pitch black eyes taken in the land with wonder, and hope. When Madara glances over him with a slightly worried look, as if wondering if the relatively good mood the younger brother has been in since he regain the ability to use his chakra would suddenly disappear. But it hadn't. Izuna smiles softly at his older brother and nods ever-so-slightly, seemingly pleased with the area as well.

"This is home?" Sakura asks, looking up at Tobirama.

"Yes, imouto-chan," Hashirama says, turning to put a hand on the top of Sakura's head. He smiles brightly. "I think that it is! What do you say, Madara? Tobirama? Izuna? Does this seem like a good enough place?"

"Perfect, Hashirama-ani," Sakura says, smiling up at her eldest brother. She looks up at Tobirama again. "Perfect?"

"Not yet," Tobirama says, in the typical Tobirama way, "but it can be. I think we can all do it together." He nods, more to himself than to Sakura. "It does have a lot of good tactical advantages and natural defenses like Madara said, but it's also a clean slate. Neither of our clans have been to these lands, so it's the perfect place for a fresh start. For all of us."

"I agree," Izuna says slowly, looking around at the place that would be their future home and smiles softly, as if a good thought had come to him. "This will be a good place, I think. Aye, brother?"

"Aye," Madara mumbles. He eyes his brother curiously, like he's still not used to the shifts in Izuna's personality, but not seeming to mind it much. If anything, he appeared more impressed with his brother rather than where their new home would be, but eventually he pulls his eyes away from Izuna to look over the land one more time, before nodding and saying again, "Aye."

"Then it's decided!" Hashirama exclaims, spinning around to look between the two clan representatives. "Here it is, then!" He claps his hands together excitedly. "This will be our new home. Good job everyone!" He smiles brightly. There is murmurs of agreement and some respectful bows.

Sakura feels bad for Tobirama, who has to follow her at the back of the crowd, because Sakura is really slow especially when put next to Tobirama. Sakura can say with pride that her brother was the fastest man in the world. Hashirama said so himself. Also with a touch of pride. Yes, no one was Tobirama's biggest cheerleaders than Hashirama and Sakura. He can pretend to be annoyed all he wants, both of them know that he likes that they believe in him.

"Sorry, Tobirama-ani," Sakura says through her harsh breaths, jumping from tree limb to tree limb, trailing behind the bulk of the group. It wasn't just them, though, Izuna wasn't fairing much better than Sakura, he was just a lot more stubborn. Sakura has been staring at the Uchiwa fan on Izuna's back bouncing up and down as he jumps, his shoulder pulling together with exhaustion.

Sakura looks up at Tobirama with big green eyes, silently pleading with him. Both for Izuna's sake and her own. She wasn't as sternly trained to keep up with them and Izuna is still trying to heal from his injuries.

"Keep going, Imouto," Tobirama mutters. "I'll be right back." And with a small nod of confirmation from the pink haired girl, he speeds ahead to the front of the group where no doubt Madara and Hashirama are leading them back home. After a minute or so, the group stops and jumps down to the forest floor. Sakura and Izuna follow after. Once they hit the ground, Izuna leans against the nearest tree to catch his breath while Sakura lays flat on her back on the ground.

"Sakura-chan," Hashirama calls.

Sakura lifts her head to see Hashirama, Tobirama and Madara all standing around a few feet ahead of her.

"Don't let bugs crawl in your hair," Tobirama and Hashirama say in unison. Sakura yelps and jumps up, running over to Hashirama and grabbing his hand, putting it in her hair. She turns around and he runs his fingers through her hair for a moment before pulling his hand out.

"Clean," he says. "Now stop laying on the ground, okay?"

Sakura whimpers, running her hands through the thick pink locks in case some small creepy-crawlies managed to sneak in without Hashirama knowing.

Madara tilts his head slightly, glancing over at Izuna when the younger brother walks up to them before looking back down at Sakura. "Are you scared of bugs, Sakura?"

The pink haired girl nods, pulling her hair over her left shoulder, running her fingers through the wavy, thick strands. She feels all the different layers, letting them slide through her fingers before she looks around the forest. There was a moment of silence before Sakura makes a gesture toward the forest and stares up at Hashirama with wide eyes.

Hashirama stares back down at her blankly before nodding once. "Be quick. Don't get out of Tobi's sensory range."

Sakura nods briskly and darts off into the forest. Tobirama and Hashirama both share a look before turning to look over at the two Uchiha brothers and begin discussing the pros and cons of the new home. They liked a lot of things about it; things that were already mentioned, but some of the cons, or the biggest concern may be that they really have to start from the beginning. Build new homes, find clean water, figure out what to hunt and local fauna. Things of the like, when a scream cuts through the air, making all the men jump.

All members that has gather from both clans, stare at each other with blank looks.

It takes a split second for Hashirama to gasp out, "Sakura."

Tobirama's head snaps in the direction she had walked off, feeling the area with his chakra. He opens his mouth when a yell from the forest can be heard. "Aniki! Aniki! Help!"

Tobirama and Hashirama break off in a dead sprint into the forest, the members of the Senju clan are quick to follow.

Sakura rushes through the forest trying to make her way back to her brothers, trailing behind her, tugging along by their connected hands is a girl about a year or two younger than Sakura. She has long, waist length platinum blond hair, that would have been beautiful if it wasn't all dirty with twigs and dirt twisted into the locks. Her pale skin is dirty and her kimono is ripped and tattered at the bottom and one of the sleeves is ripped off at the mid upper arm. Her right eye is a bright orange and her left eye is bright purple.

There is heavy footfalls following behind them. Sakura drags the panting, wheezing multi-eyed girl behind herself. The girl is missing one shoe and the other is broken. She stumbles, yanking Sakura down after her. Sakura hits her tailbone hard, making her flinch before gritting her teeth and turning toward the girl, pulling the slightly smaller blond to her chest and wrapping her legs around the girl, as if trying to become a shield for her.

"They're coming!" The girl shrieks in Sakura's ear making the pink haired girl flinch again. "We're going to die! I'm so sorry, miss! I didn't mean to get you involved!" She tightly closes her duo colored eyes to hold in her tears. It didn't matter that she wouldn't be able to get up and run since she no longer had sight, she couldn't see through them anyway.

"Aniki!" Sakura calls out, pulling the girl closer.

"I don't want to die, please!" The girl sobs, burying her face into Sakura's shoulder. "Can your aniki help?

"I will," Hashirama says, standing right next to them. The blond jumps, looking up at the brown haired man staring down at them. His eyebrows are pulled in tightly as he kneels down, putting a hand on Sakura's head, his eyes scan her body for injuries. He notes the strange way she's sitting and puts his hand on her lower back, sending healing chakra to her tailbone. Sakura relaxes now that her brother was there.

"You're... you're her brother?" she asks, duo eyes watery. "You can help us?"

Hashirama stares into the girls two different colored eyes before smiling kindly. "Of course. Who's chasing you?"

"Bad people," the girl rasps, eyes wide. Tears spill down the corners of her eyes, sliding down her puffy red cheeks. "They attacked our carriage... my mother, she's still out there! We have to find her! Oh please, sir, please help me! I don't have much but whatever I can, I'll give to you, so please!" She reaches out and grasps his sleeve.

Hashirama frowns, unhappily. But before he can say anything, four men rush through the large bushes a few feet away from them. The girl yelps in fear, reaching out and clutching Sakura close, as if the pink haired girl could protect her.

"Hey buddy," one of them, the pseudo leader, but obviously still a lackey, calls out. He waves his sword around threatening while the other three spread out a bit, trying to flank Hashirama. One to the left, two to the right. "That girl isn't yours."

Hashirama gives him a level stare. "She is not your either. In fact, she is looking for her mother. If you have her, I'll ask that you return her to this young girl and let them be on their way. And if you don't have her, I ask that you halt your pursuit and let them be," Hashirama says smoothly, elegantly rising to his feet. His posture is completely relaxed, but he watches the three other lackeys circling him slowly.

The man scoffs, shaking his head. "Sorry, man, no can do. That girl has to come with us. Someone is paying a lot of money to get this little... gem," he says, lowering his eyes to the blond haired girl. She recoils, as if physically repulsed, curling closer to Sakura. The pink haired Senju wraps her arms tighter around the slightly younger girl, shaking her head and leaning back a bit, putting any distance she can from the man, narrowing her eyes.

Hashirama stares back at him with an unreadable expression. "Is there nothing I can say to convince you to back off?"

The man smiles wickedly, revealing slightly crooked, but otherwise clean appearing, teeth. "Unfortunately no, friend. But, I wouldn't mind taking that pink haired girl," his gaze lowers to Sakura where his smile turns a little more lecherous, "off your hands. For free."

Hashirama's diplomatic attitude disappears immediately. This time, when he speaks, his voice is flat. "I am no friend of yours. And you can't have either of them. It appears as though we will have to do it your way, Madara."

"Good," Madara growls, appearing behind the man. "You are a fool. And now you will die as you've lived: without honor." Hashirama appears in front of the girls, stopping them from seeing anything. Sakura may have been hearing things, but it almost sounded like Madra then said, "You are not aloud to look at her." But before Sakura could ask what he meant, Hashiram's talking to them.

"Come now, miss, let's go find your mother, yes?" He says softly kneeling down in front of them. There is the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Sakura can see, over the girl's head, one of the guys looking surprised, mouth forming the word "Shinobi" before a Senju cousin drops down behind him, swiftly breaking his neck and letting him drop.

Another thump.

And then behind her too.

Another thump.

And then the final one. That's four in total. All four men.

"Thanks you," the girl says softly, fighting the urge to look past him and see what she fears has happened to the dirt bag. "You'll help me find my mother..?"

Hashirama smiles kindly. "Of course, my dear. Can I learn your name?"

The girl wipes her face with the back of her hand. "Yes, um, it's Koharu. Koharu Yata."

"Yata-san," Hashirama says, "I'm happy that you and my imouto are alright. Can you stand?"

The girl blushes, finally extracting herself from Sakura's arms. "Yes, sir. Um, and you can just call me Koharu..."

Hashirama nods. "Very well, Koharu-chan. I'm Hashirama Senju, and this is my little sister, Sakura."

Koharu stares at him blankly for a moment, as if she didn't understand what he had said to her, before her face drains of color and she scrambles quickly to bow on her hands and knees in front of him. "L-Lord Senju! I-I am so sorry! I didn't recognize you at all! Forgive my brashness! I-I am so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Koharu-chan!" Hashirama says, putting a hand onto the back of her head. "Please sit up so that we can talk." She pauses for a moment before sitting up slowly, looking up at the brown haired clan leader with large, worried eyes. "Koharu-chan, we didn't help you out to make you owe us anything. We helped you out because that's the right thing to do. Now, how about we look for your mother, hm?" He smiles more genuinely.

Koharu blushes deeply and nods. "Yes, my lord..."

"Senju clan," Hashirama calls, looking up toward the trees above them. Sakura follows his gaze and sees her clansmen intermixed with Uchiha up on the tree branches above them. "Scout the forest, find this young lady's mother. Dispatch the enemies."

All of the Senju nod or bow respectfully with a unison, "My Lord!" before shun shining away.

"Uchiha," Madara says, walking over to Hashirama and the two girls, "assist."

"Hai, my lord," the Uchiha say in unison before disappearing as well.

Koharu stares in awe at the Shinobi disappearing before looking over at Sakura and Hashirama. "Th-Thank you for helping me, my lord, my lady. I don't know how to thank you enough for saving my life and looking for my mother. How... how can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry about that for now," Madara says, stepping up next to Hashirama. "Let's focus on looking for your mother. You don't happen to know what direction you were running from, do you?"

Koharu looks around the forest for a moment before looking up at Madara shamefully, shaking her head slowly. "No, sir..."

"Madara-chan," Sakura says, smiling happily, making the two men and the younger girl look at her in confusion.

"That's his name," Hashirama supplies, nodding to Madara. "Well, excluding the -chan." He smiles.

Koharu stares at Madara for a long moment, as if she didn't understand what she was seeing, before her face flushes and makes the move to bow once more but Madara waves away the action before she can do it. He turns to Hashirama and makes a motion for him to follow and walks toward the forest a bit. Hashirama smiles down at the two girls before following after.

Koharu looks at the pink haired girl slowly. "Sakura-sama...?"

Sakura turns her attention to the girl and tilts her head to the side. "Ah?"

"I'm sorry for getting you involved in this..." she makes a vague gesture around with her right hand. Sakura follows the motion with her eyes before looking back into Koharu's duo colored, tilting her head again in confusion. The girl tries to smile, but it's a bit strained. "Never mind. Thank you for helping me. Should we help them look...?"

"No. To be honest, you will slow them down."

Koharu jumps, letting out a yelp and reaching out to grab Sakura's black sleeve. Sakura looks past Koharu to the speaker, letting out a playful laugh.

"Tobi, no sneak," Sakura giggles. Koharu relaxes a bit, seeing as Sakura isn't at all frightened by the newcomer's presence.

"My apologies," Tobirama says to Koharu, "I didn't mean to startle you. But what I spoke is truthful. Allow us to do the search, it'll be quicker and more efficient. You just relax and make sure that Hashirama takes a look at the wound on your arm and any other injuries you may have sustained. I know my brother well enough to know he'll insist that you and your mother, should we find her, stay at our camp tonight, so mentally prepare yourself to leave soon."

"To the Senju camp?" Koharu asks, surprised, eyes wide. "Is... is that okay? Will anyone get in trouble or...?"

"Doubt it," Tobirama says, rolling his eyes. "Hashirama is very persuasive, even if there is any issues. But I highly doubt it. He's the leader and gets to decide, so I wouldn't worry myself too much on things like that."

Koharu nods slowly, blushing deeply. "Yes sir..."

About a half hour later, Hashirama is sitting in front of Koharu, healing her arm and all the other injuries on her body. Like her scraped up feel and knees and even her hands. It was as Hashirama was finishing up that an Uchiha appears next to Madara and whispers something into his ear. Madara nods slowly before murmuring something back and the Uchiha vanishes. Madara walks over to Hashirama and puts a hand onto his shoulder, leaning down to whisper something into his ear. Hashirama doesn't pause in his healing, as he listens.

"I see," he says slowly, patting Koharu's knee before standing up. "I'll be right back, alright?" Both girls nod slowly, watching the two clan leaders disappear in a whirl of leaves.

There is an awkward silence that settles between the two of them. Sakura is twirling a long layer of her pink hair around her pointer finger only to pause when Koharu turned her duo colored eyes to Sakura's green ones. She raises twin pink eyebrows up toward her hairline when it appears as though the girl wanted to say something.

"You don't talk much, do you, Sakura-sama?" Koharu asks, trying to pluck a reason to break the silence out of the air. Sakura smiles, shrugging her shoulders. She had to suppose that was true. She wasn't much of a talker, anyway. After a pause, Koharu continues, "That white haired man..."

"Tobi?" Sakura asks.

Koharu nods. "Um, yes..."

"Tobirama," Sakura clairifies, remembering that her brother didn't much like people calling him Tobi other than Hashirama and herself. The last thing she would want is to make her brother not like her new friend because of such a simple mistake on Sakura's part. "He doesn't much like being called Tobi," she says.

Koharu nods again, this time in understanding. "Is he... a brother too? Are you, he and Lord Senju all related?"

Sakura nods, smiling. "Both are my aniki," Sakura says. "Do you have any siblings?"

Koharu shakes her head. "My father... um, he died a long time ago, when I was just a baby. It was just me and my mother ever since. Forgive me, but, you don't really look like your brothers... and well, your brothers don't really look alike either..." She reaches up and runs a small pale hand through long blond hair. "Forgive me if I'm being too presumptuous."

Sakura shrugs her shoulders. "I am not the same blood. I am different. Brought into the family. They are blood brothers. Tobirama is albino."

Koharu's eyes widen a bit. "A real albino? I've heard about them, but I've never seen them before. Aren't they really sensitive to the sunlight?"

Sakura nods. "Tobirama uses chakra to protect himself." She tries to find a way to explain. "Um, water chakra to protect the skin."

Koharu stares back at her with wide eyes. "Is chakra really able to do that? I always heard that it was amazing, but I never could have imagined that it would be able to do things like that. Protect someone from the sun."

Sakura shrugs her shoulders. That was a better question for Hashirama or Tobirama. Sakura wasn't much for knowing the ins and outs of chakra and their abilities. Her brothers delved a lot more in those arts than she did. It was an interesting question though. One that she should probably investigate. It is kind of amazing to think about. Chakra being able to do such things. Sakura hadn't really thought about it before.

"Chakra is cool," Sakura says, laughing to herself.

Koharu nods. "It does sound very cool. I'm a bit envious. What's it like.. if you don't mind, I mean, to be a shinobi?"

Sakura shrugs her shoulders. "I know nothing else," she says. "What is it like to not be a shinobi?"

Koharu smiles. "I guess that's a fair question. I wouldn't know how to answer that any better. Sorry. So what is going to happen to my mom and I, at the Senju compound..? Can you tell me?"

Sakura rubs her chin a bit in thought. "Eat?" She guesses. Well, at least she hopes so. Sakura is getting pretty hungry and could use some food soon. If not, she'll have to scrounge for food in the forest, and her brothers don't trust her cooking skills. Hashirama tried, very delicately to tell Sakura that he firmly believed her cooking could be a virulent poison. The he patted her on the back and congratulated her with a big smile on his face. Sakura didn't have to feel insulted. Tobirama appeared insulted enough for the two of them.

Although, Sakura did notice that he didn't try and defend her cooking. So maybe she could feel a little insulted.

"Let us go now, ladies," Madara says, making both girls jump at the sound of his voice, turning to look over at him. "We have found your mother," Madara says to Koharu, the girl opens her mouth, but he stops her before she can say anything, "She's not in good shape, girl, Hashirama needs to be with her now. He's the only one that can fix her."

Koharu looks horrified, face visibly paling. "Will she be okay? I-Is she going to die? I-I sh-should be with her!"

Madara shakes his head. "It will do you no good to be here. Hashirama has already cleared it for you to go to the Senju camp and has asked me to ensure you get there." He looks over at Sakura. "And you, Sakura. Tobirama and Hashirama will stay here with a few of your clansmen. The Uchiha and the remainder of the Senju clansmen present back to the compound."

Sakura nods, looking over at a fear-stricken Koharu. Sakura reaches out and takes her hand and squeezes it tightly with her own, hoping to somehow force some reassurance into the blond girl. It didn't appear to work very well, since the girl only appeared to be more worried. Her entire body starts to shake a bit as he fear begins to overwhelm her.

"Will she die? Please, let me see her! I won't be a burden, I promise!" She jumps to her feet and steps up in front of Madara, looking up at him with wide, wild eyes, yet she is somehow coherent enough not to reach out and grab him. Sakura knows the lifestyle of a shinobi well enough to know that they don't react well when strange people touch them. Especially if it's suddenly. Not often do strangers approach shinobi to touch them with something that won't inevitably kill them. So, Sakura jumps up and puts a hand on both of the other girl's arms to ensure nothing bad happens.

Madara stares down at the distressed blond for a long moment before letting out a long winded sigh. He looks at Sakura with unreadable black eyes before reaching out and putting a hand behind the girl's neck. He pinches the nerve and her eyes roll into the back of her head and her legs collapse beneath her. Madara catches her easily and nods for an Uchiha to take the now unconscious girl.

Sakura tilts her head a bit. "Madara...?"

"Hashirama cannot have any distractions. Especially if they come in the form of emotional, upset teenager. He needs to focus. I can apologize properly to her when she wakes up. For now, let her sleep. She looks like she needs it." Sakura nods slowly. There is no point in arguing, she was already out cold anyway. Sakura just hoped that her big brother could save Koharu's mother. If anyone could, it would be Hashirama. Sakura had faith in him. If Madara thinks that Hashirama shouldn't be disturbed so that he can save her, then Sakura will do what she can to help him.

Sakura trails behind Madara, knowing full well that he, and the rest of the Senju and Uchiha, have slowed down considerably because of both Sakura and Izuna. Neither can keep up with their normal speed right now. Especially since Sakura is really getting hungry and Izuna just hasn't built up his stamina yet again. Both of them are really going to need some hardcore training.

Sakura's not looking forward to that. She likes training well enough, especially when her brothers are teaching her, but she's not exactly a training buff. She'll do it when she's told to, and she'll work hard at it, but she won't usually go out of her way to train. She's never needed to, but maybe she should, just so she's not slowing everyone down as much as she does. At the very least, she should take her training a lot more seriously. That way, she can say that she's put forth more of an effort and even show it.

It took significantly longer for them to make it to the Senju compound than Sakura would like. Her stomach is growling loudly when they reach the front gates. Sakura sits down in front of them and lays onto her back, closing her eyes.

"Um... what is she doing?" One of the Uchiha ask.

"Who knows?" Another whispers.

Madara tilts his head toward Sakura for a moment, listening to the faint sound of Sakura's stomach growling, before smiling so minutely. "She's weak from hunger. I think she's taken her last steps."

"We'll take care of her from here," her cousin Rei says, grabbing her under the armpits and lifting her to her feet. Sakura wraps her arms around his neck and he picks her up more comfortably. "I'll get Sakura-sama something to eat," he says to one of the older Senju present, before turning to Madara and Izuna, bowing a bit, seeing as Sakura is in the way. "My lords, I wish for a safe travel home."

Madara nods once in dismissal and Rei straightens up, carrying Sakura into the camp. She looks over Rei's shoulder at Madara, who was staring at her with large pitch black eyes. She rests her cheek onto Rei's shoulder and smiles cutely at Madara, wiggling her fingers a bit in farewell. He nods very slowly, still just staring at her.

Sakura really liked Madara. She liked that he appeared to be at complete peace. Even though it's only been a few days, he seems to have relaxed significantly since before the end of the war. Izuna too. Without the curse inside of them, both brothers seem to be completely relaxed. Like a bomb could go off next to them and neither would bat an eyelash at it. Izuna has turned his focus away from revenge and to training. Rebuilding the strength that he lost whilst on his death bed. He's been sending Sakura looks for a while, no doubt trying to build the courage to thank her again.

But she waits. She doesn't need thanks, but it seems important to him - since he's putting so much thought into it - so Sakura will wait patiently until he is ready. Until then, she'll fake ignorance. She's really good at that.

But as the distance between them grows, the look in their eyes makes it seem like it's closing up. A strange moment passes between them, like everything else in the world disappears and it's just the two of them. It's like everything else just falls away and leaves them there. It's at this moment that Sakura becomes aware of Madara.

It's a strange feeling, similar to that of Transference. Like, they were somehow connected, the boundaries of bodies suddenly stopped existed. Sakura could easily see the slight rising of his shoulders when he breathed, the light breeze ruffling his hair. A bead of sweat trailing down his neck from the heat, and she could feel his powerful chakra, growling like an angry animal under his skin. He's calm, relaxed, but his chakra is like a blazing inferno, even beneath his flesh. Sakura had the impression before, but his chakra is monstrous in strength.

Truly, like a wild animal. It fascinates Sakura to know that his chakra is so powerful.

They both blink and the connection is broken, but they don't break eye contact until Rei turns the corner of a house and Madara is out of sight.

Sakura jerks out of her sleep when she hears whispering coming from the living room. Sakura looks over at the window, seeing that it was dark out. The stars are twinkling brightly out there and the moon is full. Sakura rubs her head, wondering if she was just imagining the voices or if her brothers were home.

Home? That's right! They didn't come home with her. She had to go to bed by herself.

Sakura pushes the covers off of her legs, smoothing down her night robs, and walk out of the room, into the living room to see Tobirama and Hashirama standing by the open front door, staring at each other. Tobirama is already in his sleeping clothes - he must have snuck into the house sometime earlier and didn't wake Sakura up - while Hashirama was still in his clothes from earlier.

They both turn to look at Sakura when she steps into the room, looking between her brothers.

"Koharu's mom okay?" Sakura asks, walking over to them.

Hashirama smiles tiredly. "Yes, little blossom." He looks exhausted. He must have been healing her for a long time, then, on top of that, he had to run all the way home. He must be tired. Sakura reaches out and takes his large, tanned hand, wrapping her little fingers around his. She rubs the back of his hand with her other one, hoping that it's soothing. "Are you okay, Hashirama-ani?"

Hashirama nods. "Yeah, I'm okay. Koharu's mother is going to need a few days to heal, but she'll be alright. She's a strong young lady."

"Sakura," Tobirama says, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, "let's let Hashirama get changed before he tells us more. Come, lets go make some tea." Sakura nods, letting Hashirama's hand go and heads for the kitchen. She glanced back, just in time to see the grateful look sent the white haired man's way from her eldest brother. Hashirama quietly slips away into his bedroom, shutting the door.

Sakura grabs all of the supplies to make the tea while Tobirama makes the fire. They both work in silence for a few minutes. Tobirama puts the pot of water over the fire and leans back on his hands, legs folded in front of him. Sakura sits next to him with her legs tucked nicely underneath her. She glances over at Tobirama and tilts her head to the side.

When the white haired man finally turns to acknowledge the staring girl after almost an entire minute, she says, "Tobi's been home long?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "An hour, maybe. I didn't want to wake you. Sorry."

Sakura turns her eyes toward the fire, staring into the bright red, orange and yellow flickering lights. She reaches out a hand toward it, feeling the heat coming off of it. She pulls her hand back, knowing her luck, if she temped fate, she'll get burned. Best to try and avoid it at all costs. Hashirama steps out his room now dressed in sleep attire, looking even more tired then before. His movements, usually filled with graceful lethality, is slightly off. He drags his feet all the way over to Sakura's other side before dropping to his butt with his back facing Sakura before falling back so his head rests on her thighs.

The pink haired girl's long thin fingers find his brown hair, running through the silky soft strands; pushing the strands away from his face and running her blunt nails across his scalp in a soothing fashion that Dallia did to them when they were all younger. When the days are especially hard for her brothers, they would lay their heads on her lap and she would rub their scalps. Sakura thinks that it reminds her big brothers of their mother. Butsuma didn't like it when Dallia did it, Sakura's brothers became too relaxed and zoned out, but she kept doing it.

"They may be your little soldiers on the battlefield, sweetheart," Dallia had said, running her fingers through both Hashirama and Tobirama's hair while they lay in an open field together. Sakura was making Hashirama a flower crown to accompany the one on Dallia's head when their father appeared. "But here, away from the battle, they are my babies and my babies need to relax a bit."

Butsuma wasn't happy with that answer, but Tobirama had opened his eyes and promised their father that he was practicing his sensing abilities. That he knew were everyone was in the immediate area was. Tobirama was able to convince him that he was still alert and it eased their father's minor agitation.

Sakura made Hashirama and Tobirama their necklaces and even one for Butsuma, but the man just held it, never once putting it on.

"Hashirama-ani..?" Sakura says softly, looking down at her eldest brother. Hashirama's eyelids are slightly discolored - purple, if Sakura had to guess - were closed for a moment longer before he opens them to reveal large dark brown eyes.

"Yes, my little imouto?" he says softly, blinking slowly. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you okay, aniki?" Sakura asks, leaning over her brother a bit.

Hashirama shakes his head slowly, eyes slightly unfocused. "I'm alright. Why?"

Sakura raises her eyes over to her other brother. Tobirama was staring into the fire, letting the light dance across his face and even letting the fire burn in his already deadly red eyes. The fire dyes his white hair orange and red with the light. She looks back down at a silently awaiting Hashirama and softly says, with a hint of teasing, "Tobi was worried."

Tobirama snorts, but says nothing. Hashirama's face breaks out into a soft smile, closing his eyes. "Tell Tobirama, my angelic little imouto, that I am just fine. Tired is all. I didn't get much sleep the last few nights."

Sakura frowns a bit at that. "Can't sleep?"

"Anxious," Hashirama slurs slightly. "Nothing horrible. But I think after using so much of my chakra and energy today, I'll sleep good tonight." Tobirama leans forward and pulls the tea pot off the fire and stands up, making them all a cup of tea. Sakura can understand that. Her brother has been waiting years for this peace and now that it's finally upon them, he's been up most nights pacing. Hashirama doesn't like people worrying about him or taking too much of the burden onto themselves and often forgets that he's human and needs help at times.

Sakura supposes that when one is told since he was small that he's a god amongst shinobi, he begins to lose the amount of people he can count on. Sakura's big brothers have it hard. Even so young, they are both very well respected and well liked to boot. They both have their own reputations: Tobirama is strict by-the-book kind of person, where Hashirama is relax and maybe a bit impulsive.

But the truth is, while Hashirama is often confused for being ignorant or abrasive, he actually spends a great deal of time thinking through each and ever decision that he makes. It's just... when he offers the idea, it doesn't come off as if it was well thought through, or maybe her brother just liked people thinking that he's impulsive and doubting him only for him to blow them away with something working out in their favor.

Either way, there is a lot of pressure on her brothers. If there was anything she could to take even the tiniest bit off for them, she would in a heart beat. She owed them at least that. They saved her life almost eight years ago. She's going to be sixteen in just a few short months.

They sit in silence. After his tea - that was resting in his hands on his stomach - was done cooling down, he sits up and drinks slowly, humming under his breath. "I love jasmine tea."

Tobirama nods, taking a drink of his own. "I agree."

Sakura takes a drink, making a big smile to her brothers to show them that she agreed too. After a few more minutes of them all just drinking their tea, Sakura looks over at Hashirama.

"Koharu's mother?"

Hashirama swallows the tea in his mouth before resting the cup, still balanced on his palms, on his lap. "She'll be fine, I think. I don't want to get into the nitty gritty details, but that woman is a fighter. They caught her, but she fought tooth and nail to try and get away." He pauses for a moment, then added, as if it were an afterthought, "I woke Koharu up and let her stay with her mother. She wasn't too happy with Madara for knocking her out but I think she understands. She's a good girl."

"May I see her...?" Sakura asks.

Hashirama rubs his face tiredly. "You may, my pink haired sister, but in a few hours. I need to sleep." A pause, before Hashirama glances over at Sakura.
Koharu told me that she scared you when she jumped out of a bush while you were using the bathroom earlier. She said she was planning on just running past you but you saw how distressed she was and heard the men approaching, calling out to her, and you took her hand and ran. Is that what happened?"

Sakura nods.

"Did you at least get to go to the bathroom?" Hashirama asks. "You weren't gone for that long."

Sakura nods again, smiling.

Hashirama shakes his head. "Alright, I need some sleep. Let's head on to bed, huh you two?"

Sakura and Tobirama agree. They wave for Hashirama to stay put while they clean up. Sakura helps Tobirama clean up the cups and the pot, put out the fire and put away the tea leaves. Then the three siblings bid goodnight to one another before heading off to their separate rooms. Sakura crawls into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, turning onto her side and closing her eyes, letting the darkness that patiently awaited take her.