Disclaimer: I do not own the anime series Naruto, its characters, or any plot or storylines within the Naruto-verse. Hanako (OC) and any non-canon characters within this fiction are owned by me.

Summary: The cost of war was unavoidable. The fisherman village could barely sustain itself, and so she was sold to a mercenary clan. Watch how Hanako struggled to not only find her place, but also survive the power struggle within the Senju clan. Pre-Konoha, slight AU, TobiramaxOC. Rated M just to be safe.

I had a weird fan-girly moment and thought if I had to pick a theme song for Tobi and Hana, it would probably be Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do".

After a few inquiries, I will reveal that YES, the Uchiha will make an appearance in this story, but not until much later.

Enjoy xx

oooooo

Journey

"I've never been to this part of the village before,"

"Really?" Mito glanced at her handmaiden who walked beside her in small strides, "since you worked at the barracks I would have thought you would have been here a few times,"

"No," Hanako chuckled, "I stayed inside most of the time, and I've only really gone as far as the barn,"

"Then this might be an experience for you," Mito giggled as she moved her gaze down to the basket in Hanako's hands. Inside, covered by a thick handkerchief were several bento boxes filled with fresh rice and fish cakes.

They were on their way to the training ground, where the Senju mercenaries and shinobi would spend most of their time when not on missions. It was imperative that any and all able-bodied were versed with a variety of jutsu and skilled in simple hand-to-hand to ensure survival in the warring states era. It all began when Mito claimed that she was bored during a small reading session in the library. She had fetched for Hanako, and together they made a few treats for her husband, his brother, and their team.

"I had no idea you were skilled at cooking, my Lady," Hanako commented as she held the basket close.

Hanako was taught to cook by her mother, but it was mostly basic rice and fish, since it was all she ate back in her home village. She had then picked up a few more meals and recipes from Izayoi and other servants in the Senju village, but she hadn't met someone who could make cooking look so easy. Mito had found her way into the kitchen in the main household and with Hanako as her assistant; she created a few bento boxes. It was almost lunch time, and so she planned to bring the men some sustenance.

"I cooked for my sisters all the time in my home village," Mito said gleefully, "Hashirama should consider himself lucky, I don't normally do this, but I haven't made something in so long I feared that I would have forgotten,"

Hanako nodded, noticing that her Lady was in a particularly good mood. Perhaps it was because her husband had been home for almost a week, and so far there wasn't any reason for him to be called away on another mission. Also, Mito had told Hanako that she had finally admitted her love to Hashirama. It was his absence that made her realize her affections. She had always been fond of him, but it took a while for it to blossom into love. Since then, Mito had a spring in her step and a spark in her eye, Hanako never thought that it would be possible to be that happy.

They approached an opening in the Senju village's main wall. It was just outside that pathway where Hashirama would be training with his comrades. Many paused and bowed in respect towards Mito as she passed the guards and other shinobi engaging in drills and exercises. Hanako felt uneasy. There were men everywhere, and she felt the need to stay close to Mito and she clutched the basket nervously. However, Mito moved with such confidence and ease, like she didn't even know that they were being eyeballed by the shinobi and mercenaries during their training. The activities ranged from throwing weapons at wooden targets, to stretching on the cool grass.

"He should be over here," Mito mumbled to herself as they walked along the dirt pathway and outside the gates.

Sure enough, as they stepped off the path and onto the green grass, they came to a halt at an open field. Hanako peeked from behind her Lady and took a small step forward to observe the sight before them.

There were five of them in total, two of them Hanako instantly recognized as Hashirama and Tobirama, and the other three were unfamiliar to her. They all appeared younger than the two brothers; they looked like they were just teenagers. Two had black hair, while the third had dusty blonde hair; they all seemed to share the same build and were watching Hashirama like hawks.

"Oh, they must be training their students today," Mito mused with a chuckle.

It turned out that Hashirama was pitting himself against all three, and Hanako stared as the blonde boy darted towards his teacher, kunai at the ready. Hashirama parried the attack with his own kunai, and landed an undercut punch to the boy's stomach. At that split second, the boy ducked down and made room for the two black haired boys to launch a combined assault. The movements were so fast and calculated that Hanako could barely keep up with what was happening. She glanced to her right, and spied Tobirama standing tall with his arms folded, observing the training taking place.

After a few moments, more parries, kicks, and dodges, they had stopped, and Hashirama clapped his hands together in glee.

"Well done," he praised them, "You're getting better with working as a team!"

That was when Tobirama stepped forward to the group donning a small smirk across his usually stoic face.

"You're underestimating them, brother," he said as he put his hand on Hashirama's shoulder and forced him to turn on an angle. There, for all to see was a distinct tear in his shirt. Underneath the tear was a graze to his skin, blood trickled from it slowly. It was only a light scratch, and when one would normally become erratic and sensitive, Hashirama only laughed.

"Well, I need to up my own game then, you actually got me!"

A flash of red caught Hashirama's eye, and he turned his head to meet the forest green gaze of his wife.

"Mito!" he called, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Hashirama's eyes brightened at the sight of his wife and her handmaiden. He would never have expected her to travel all the way out to the training fields, since it wasn't exactly proper. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with two sticks securing her red hair in place, while her bangs were clipped back. She wore a casual green houmongi that was secured with pastel yellow obi; it was similar to what his mother normally wore. Beside her, Hanako stood in a simple pink komon and her light wooden locks were secured in a loose braid that hung over her shoulder.

Mito stepped towards them, and noticed that the three boys they were training had pressed their hands together and bowed low towards their sensei's wife.

"Training hard, I see," Mito said as she spied the tear on Hashirama's shoulder, "You actually got him. Well done, even the finest shinobi struggle to catch these two,"

The three boys grinned, clearly proud of their accomplishment; they hadn't been training for very long with the brothers and they had come a long way from barely even knowing what chakra was.

"In any case," Mito broke the silence, "You've been out here since dawn, eat,"

She turned around to dip her hands into the basket so that she could hand them a bento each, and each boy took one and thanked Mito politely before they scurried off to a nearby tree to sit in its shade. The adults soon joined them, and Hanako couldn't help but listen to the conversation. She and Mito had already eaten, and so the ladies simply sat and provided company for the brothers and their students.

"First step was sensei, next thing we know we'll be hunting down Uchiha," the blonde haired boy said confidently.

Hanako was disturbed by his comment.

"Careful," Tobirama scolded as he swallowed, "over confidence can be your downfall,"

Her mind reeled back to her necklace that was given to her by an Uchiha; at least that was what she deduced from the information fed to her by Izayoi. She didn't wear it anymore, it was too dangerous to wear in the main household, and Hanako was smarter than that. Instead, it was hidden away in her sleeping quarters, somewhere that was difficult to reach unless the thief had small hands.

"Uchiha?" Hanako breathed, but Hashirama caught word.

"Our main rival clan," he explained as sensibly as possible.

Though he hadn't known her long, Hashirama quickly realized that Hanako was most likely unaware of the warring states, and of what the real world was like. Her whole life she was in a small radius of her fishing village where conflict didn't exist, but instead she was faced with illness and famine. That was what Hashirama liked about his wife's handmaiden, she was pure and innocent. She hasn't seen the warring states for what it truly was, and Hashirama hoped that she would never have to. Her mind was still serene and happy, like a child's. It was almost as if she represented his visions for the future.

Hanako lowered her gaze, embarrassed that Hashirama had heard her small inquiry.

"Why?" Hanako pressed.

Mito frowned, "What do you mean, Hana?"

All eyes were on Hanako, and she instantly felt uncomfortable. She glanced between the sets of eyes staring at her, all waiting for an explanation. It was Tobirama's eyes that bore into her the most, his vermillion gaze stung her, and she almost recoiled.

"You can speak freely, Hana," Hashirama encouraged, "you're among friends,"

"Well," she began; her voice was nothing more than a gentle whisper, "Why are they your rivals? What have they done to you?"

"This feud has been happening since before our time," his deep voice cut through the air.

Her ocean blue orbs rose to meet his maroon ones, they were once again cold and harsh, annoyance was clearly splayed across his handsome face.

"They have killed our brethren, and in return we've killed theirs, it's how the world works. Clans look out for their own; and alliances are only formed for benefit, to a point where the relationship is almost parasitic,"

The blonde haired boy interrupted again, "They're scum!" he declared, "and heartless! They kill everything and anything in their path without mercy!"

Hanako frowned, "Have you met one?" she asked him.

Before the boy could respond, Tobirama defended his student and rounded on her, "Have you?"

She wanted to say it. She wanted to say it just out of spite. Yes, she had met one before. She may not remember his name, but she remembered his face so well, and he was so kind. He was happy, and he was playful, he cared for his family and he wore his clan crest with pride, saying that he and his brother would lead their family to greatness.

Luckily, self-preservation outweighed her desire to make Tobirama eat his own words. He may be a skilled shinobi, he may command hundreds if not thousands of men with his brother, but none of that saved him from the fact that he was irritating and small minded. It also meant that he could probably get rid of her if he wanted to, though it seemed very unlike him.

"No, I haven't," she replied firmly.

"Then I suggest not speaking about what you don't know about,"

"I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt,"

Why did she insist on pushing him the wrong way? Why was he even having such a conversation with the whelp of a woman? She was stupid; she was blind to the real world. She should stay quiet and stick to her sewing and serving Mito. His overall vexed expression hadn't changed, instead his face only hardened, and his glare intensified.

"That kind of thinking is what gets you killed," Tobirama said.

Mito glowered, and Hashirama glanced over to his brother.

"That was harsh, Tobirama," he chided.

"I am being realistic," the younger brother replied.

Hanako kept her gaze lowered, clearly hurt by his comment, and she turned to her Lady.

"Lady Mito, I feel a chill," she said, "We should leave before the afternoon storm comes,"

Taking the hint, Mito bid farewell to her husband and brother in law quickly, before standing and shuffling off to join Hanako on the long walk back to the main house. Although Mito could tell her handmaiden was more than irritated from the long strides and the grumbling under her breath. Wait, wasn't the handmaiden supposed to wait for the Lady?!

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hana dear, I think you're over reacting,"

Mito sat on her bed and watched as her handmaiden stalked around the boudoir and picked up various pieces of silk and clothing and began folding and piling them for laundry. She did so with a pout on her face and a mumble under her breath, and she had been at it all afternoon. Mito had never seen Hanako like this, she didn't even think emotions such as frustration or anger could be comprehended by her. She was always so calm and demure, but one conversation with Tobirama was enough to make her scowl.

It was a pitiful scowl anyway, she looked too cute.

"He is rude," Hanako stated, "He is proud, and conceited, and annoying,"

"He is still the son of the clan leader," Mito reasoned, "You should respect him and keep your opinions between us, he has done a lot for his clan,"

"It's no excuse to be so arrogant," Hanako replied.

"You aren't giving him the credit where it's due,"

"Why should I?"

This newfound confidence was beginning to irritate Mito. Despite the freedom she had to speak her mind and live leisurely as Mito's handmaiden, Mito had to remind her that she still had a place. She shouldn't be speaking about Tobirama that way, not after what he had done for her those months ago. It was obvious that when truly angered, Hanako wasn't one who could control what she said, and Mito would have to teach her that it was a necessary trait for a woman to possess, because Hanako could wind up in serious trouble if she spoke so freely when in the presence of the wrong people.

"Hanako please," Mito said firmly, making the maiden pause in her step, because Mito never used her full name.

It was time to tell her the truth.

"If it weren't for Tobirama, you would be a sex slave right now," Mito said bluntly as she folded her arms.

Hanako faltered, and she almost dropped the books she was holding, "Wh-what?"

Mito nodded, "You were going to be sold to the Sarutobi clan as a concubine, but Tobirama came to me before anything could be done,"

Hanako said nothing; instead she felt her heart drop. More so, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but ask herself why. Indeed, she did save him all those years ago, but it was enough that she felt safe in the Senju village.

"He convinced me to appoint you as my handmaiden so that you can escape that fate; he didn't think you deserved it,"

Hanako stood with her mouth slightly dropped and her eyes wide. She hadn't known about these plans, and if they were followed through she would have been once again treated like an object. She was a woman of low birth, and basically it was the nobles, people like Butsuma and Tobirama who had the power to decide her fate. Instead of leaving it be and accepting the decision regarding Hanako, Tobirama went against his father and discreetly thwarted the clan leader's plans.

"So please," Mito continued, "Don't think so ill of him,"

"No, I…" Hanako paused, words escaped her completely, and she admitted defeat, "Forgive me," she dipped her head.

Mito was pleased; at least Hanako was still able to demonstrate humility.

Before Mito could respond, the door to the boudoir slid open, and Hashirama appeared. His hair looked slightly disheveled, and his worried frown turned hopeful as his brown eyes peered over to Hanako.

"Ah, there you are," Hashirama said as he entered the room, "Hana, may I ask a favor?"

Hanako bowed low to Hashirama, despite it being something he told her wasn't necessary anymore, and she lifted her head to look at him quizzically, "What is it my Lord?"

"Mother needs a draft," he said as he handed her a piece of paper, "Could you go to the medical building and fetch it? I would ask Tobi but I can't find him,"

Mito frowned, "Is she alright?"

Hashirama's look saddened, "A fever has hit her, with bed rest she should be fine, but some medicine will ease her discomfort,"

Hanako glanced at the paper; it was just a simple hand-written request from Hashirama to receive the medicine. She knew if she gave it to the medics in that building, they could quickly concoct the solution and give it to her to pass on without worrying about payment or her motives being questioned. Hanako looked up and nodded.

"I will gladly fetch this for you," she turned to Mito, "excuse me, my Lady,"

Hanako arrived at the building quickly. She had been there many times before with Mito and she was often escorted there by Izayoi to learn and pass on her own knowledge of medicines that she received from Yura. She was greeted by the caretaker, Gyoza, an old Senju veteran who was considered skilled in the art of medicine and healing, he was Hashirama's sensei when the man showed interest in the healing arts.

Hanako was glad he could pass the request straight to him, but upon looking at the paper, he frowned.

"Oh dear," he mumbled, his old thin lips pulled into a tight line.

"What is it sir?" Hanako asked as she pulled her simple cloak off her shoulders and folded it over one arm. It was not polite to wear outside garments while inside.

"We are out of wolfberry bark, a key ingredient," he said grimly, "it grows in arid lands on the border of the fire country, and we haven't received any word on a delivery for a while,"

"Oh," Hanako frowned, "Is there a substitute we can use?"

"Oh yes," Gyoza said, "Yuzuki oil, but the flower is hard to come by these days,"

Hanako's eyes widened, "It grows in swamps, I know the flower, Yura brought some back from her travels once,"

"The nearest swamp is about half a day's travel outside the village, Hanako," Gyoza informed her, "I will send for some shinobi to fetch it tomorrow,"

"I must protest sir," Hanako said, "They wouldn't know how to handle it, the flower needs to be treated delicately or else the oil in its petals could turn sour and poisonous,"

"This is why we use the wolfberry bark,"

"I will go so I can take care of the flower," Hanako insisted.

"Absolutely not," Gyoza chuckled as he leaned his old frame against the doorway, "I will not give Lady Mito the news that her handmaiden is out there,"

Out there, out there, and out there. It was almost like a taboo word to the Senju. Hanako noticed that when the emphasized those two words, it normally meant outside the village walls. It couldn't be that bad, could it? It was not as if she would be attacked mercilessly the minute she steps outside the main gates. Surely people were over reacting? Then again, even Mito and Hashirama had told her how dangerous it could be outside the village walls, mainly because it was such an unknown. Shinobi would go hunting and come back injured or dead because they were ambushed, out there it was killed or be killed.

There was a pregnant pause, and Hanako looked up at Gyoza hopefully. No words needed to be spoken, her cerulean orbs did all the talking for her. Looking into her wide eyes made Gyoza cringe.

"Fine, I will commission Lord Butsuma to assign you a guard escort to collect the flower as soon as possible; he will not hesitate since concerns his wife's health,"

Hanako bowed low to the old healing master, "Thank you, sir!"

He shook his head worriedly, "Come back here ready to leave in an hour,"

XXXXXXXXXX

Umm, yea.

She's growing in her confidence thanks to Mito's company, although it seems she needs to be reminded that she is still just a handmaiden. What has our red head Uzumaki done? Haha!

PS- Wolfberry bark is real, but I made up Yuzuki Oil.

R&R Please! Thanks to my loyal readers/reviews I never thought I would reach 100 reviews so early in the story. Keep them coming!