"Kumi-chan!"

A little brown-haired girl was running away from her pursuer.

"Kumi-chaaaaan!"

The little boy chasing her sang her name, closing in on her. Unexpectedly, she side stepped just as he lunged towards her, his face greeting the soft damp earth. He groaned, rolling onto his back as the girl laughed loudly.

"Hashirama!" A woman called from the distance. He sat up immediately, turning towards his mother's voice. He didn't call back but shot up towards the voice, Kumiko following close behind him.

Hashirama's mother was a slim woman with a dainty looking neck. Her unusual silvery hair fell to her shoulders and her rose eyes were always filled with warmth. Kumiko followed her new friend shyly, peaking at his mother from behind him.

"Who is this little girl?" She smiled at Kumiko and the little girl felt her cheeks heat up and puffed them up hiding behind Hashirama.

"This is Kumiko! She's my new friend!"

His mother smiled, blinking cheerily at the shy girl. She continued addressing her son, "Your father is calling you, take Tobi with you." Hashirama's cheery demeanor faded, becoming serious as he nodded. He turned to the girl, ruffling her hair once and then running off. She stood there awkwardly, staring at her feet as she shifted to move away from the woman but she had scooped her up in her arms and was inspecting her.

"You look like someone I know so well!" Kumiko flushed, staring dumbly at the beautiful woman.

Akai Senju could have sworn that this little girl was her oldest boys' twin. Her tanned skin and dark hair echoed his, the only difference was in their eyes. Where his had a slightly maroon tinge, hers were earthy brown, like the soil of the forest.

"Oh! You must be Suzume's daughter!"

Kumiko's eyes widened and she nodded slowly, her plump cheeks warm. The woman balanced the small girl on her hip as she walked back to the small tents, determined on finding her old friend.

Suzume Senju was where she usually was, she was just leaving Botsuma's tent with a new task to perform. She froze and grinned when she saw Akai moving towards her with Kumiko in hand.

Kumiko shuddered, moving to wash her hands. The memory was so vivid but it felt like it was ages old. She could barely relate to the innocent little girl that Hashirama's mother had cooed over.

It was almost time to be returning back to her settlement. Kumiko never wanted to leave and would cling to her mother's legs, sobbing silently. She was only five years old and her mother had sat with her and explained that it was Kumiko's job to go back to her father and learn the ways of his clan and reiterate everything to her in her letters. It had taken another five years until Kumiko actually did what she was told. Her mother had drilled the duty into her mind.

Kumiko took a shaky breath, her fingers scraping the skin of her arms.

"Kumiko, it is your duty to serve Hashirama. Do you understand? You must help him with everything he asks."

The little girl was slightly older, slightly tougher and she nodded her head.

Another memory wandered to her mind.

"Why are you listening to your mother?! It's dangerous!" A small white haired boy was yelling at Kumiko from across the room and she growled in return, pouncing on him as they quarreled, him trying to push her off while she angrily pulled his hair.

Kumiko shivered, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. For a moment, her chest stung with an unusual pain. Her mother was staring back at her, with the same dark lines beneath her eyes and disheveled hair.

Her mother was sitting in the dark of her room, rocking herself back and forth as she stared wide eyed at the uneven ground of the tent. She did not look up at the little girl peering at her curiously. Tears began to make their way down her tired looking face as the little girl wrapped her small arms around her mother's shoulders.

'Will I become like her?'

She blinked at herself then shook her head. She was different, she was- Kumiko stiffened again. She was making the same mistakes as her mother, falling in love with the wrong person. She looked down at her raw hands. There were blotches of pink-red skin where she'd ripped off her skin. She shifted to seat herself in front of the mirror, picking it up to examine her reflection closely. She was different from her mother, she had fewer scars, a stronger sense of perseverance. Most importantly, she had better friends.

Where Suzume Senju had been thrown into a whirl of emotions for all the wrong people, Kumiko had carefully entrusted her own to a few. The most important one of these had been Madara. The night they had toiled on his sheets, he had told her she could not stay with him like this. It was the truth and they both knew it.

Her hand moved to brush the bruise on her cheekbone.

There were many things Izuna had missed out on. Such as his brother's understanding and intelligence. Madara was no fool. He would never prioritize Kumiko over his clan. He would never threaten his position by blindly following his heart. The same morning, Kumiko had delivered a message to Hashirama using one of the hawks. One message was all it took and she trusted him to act on it.

She dismissed the thought of Tobirama from her mind. His presence befuddled her. If she loved Madara then what did she feel for him? She felt unclean thinking of the possibility of her loving two different men at once. Even her mother hadn't done that.

The silence was broken as her door slowly slid open. There were soldiers in her room, neither of which she recognized. A bag was pulled over her head as she was pulled onto her feet, the men grasping her arms and pulling her along with them. Barefooted, she struggled to keep her haori from slipping off her shoulders. Stumbling in the dark, she was pulled down the stairs and out of the residence.

Her arms were bound in front of her, the bag still over her head. She had trouble breathing and her arms stung slightly. She knew she was outdoors because of the chill in the air and the distant howling of wolves. She was pulled to a halt, people moving around her as she sensed Madara approaching. Izuna was not far behind him. The bag was pulled off her head and she lifted her gaze to meet Madara's. He leaned closer to whisper into her ear, his cheek brushing against hers. "I do not know if I will be seeing you again but this is a sacrifice you and I both must make. For your sister." She blinked, turning her face to him as he moved away from her. Izuna was staring at her and he was the last thing she saw before the bag was pulled over her head again. Confused and alarmed, she stumbled as someone shoved her forward, listening to the sound of footsteps to gauge the number of people around her. Eight, which meant this was a small envoy. The direction they were headed was towards the forest east of the Uchiha settlement which meant Senju territory. Had Hashirama negotiated her return? She was a little curious, wondering what her sister had to do with this situation. Madara had been correct in saying that they had to sacrifice their companionship for the good of her only sibling but where were they taking her now?

They must have walked for over forty minutes. Occasionally she would hear Izuna speaking and she would try to understand the conversation but everything was muffled through the cloth bag. She wanted to turn back and run to her room, feeling queasy. There was a premonition surging through her once again.

"Kumiko," Her head shot up, turning towards the sound as she walked. It was Izuna. "Kumiko, listen to me." His hand rested on her shoulder and from the warmth that brushed her side, she guessed he was walking very close to her. "We are exchanging you for ransom, Bee needs to make it back to us." He was whispering into her ear now. "She must carry Madara's child. There will be an uprising against him and we will have to shelter her. When her child comes of age, he will take over the clan once again in his father's stead. No harm will come to her or her child. Am I clear? Nod."

Kumiko nodded, feeling confused and anxious. She wanted to ask him what he meant and why he had told her this but he was gone before she could gather the courage, leaving her staring blindly into the dark. She could only hear the sound feet moving and her hands stung in the cold wind. Her haori was billowing in the wind, exposing the black clothing beneath. She recounted Izuna's words, wondering just what he meant. There was a shout and the envoy halted. Someone had seized her elbow, tugging her in a particular direction. She followed.

"It has been a while, Hashirama."

"For once we meet without blades to our throats."

Madara chuckled, it was sinister. "To think such a day would come."

Kumiko froze, what was to come of all the talk of peace they had?

"There will be more of the sort. Rest assured, I do not give up so easily."

There was a sound of movement again, like silk rustling as someone hurried towards them. Kumiko heard sobbing and Izuna's sigh of relief. She was shoved towards the direction in which she had heard Hashirama, teetering awkwardly towards them. She could not detect their chakra and she felt slightly awkward. She turned back to the direction she had been shoved from when she heard the group moving away quickly. She took a wary step towards them but there was a gentler hand on her shoulder and another tugging off the bag. She stilled, taking a deep breath of the cold air as the bag was removed, her eyes adjusting slowly to the light outside. It was still night time but moonlight flooded this particular area. Her right eye throbbed.

Her hands remained bound and she looked up to the taller man standing in front of her. Her breath hitched as she lowered her gaze, closing her eyes and thanking the man repeatedly in a small voice. Hashirama blinked down at her, curious about her reaction. He began to see what Tobirama had meant. He refused to come even though he had insisted and Hashirama realized that it was better he didn't see Kumiko in the condition she was in.

There was a purple bruise on her right cheek, small scars littered her temple where she had smashed the mirror in anger. Her pupils shrunk, even in the dimlight, which meant she had been exposed to the sharingan. Her shoulders quivered as Hashirama tugged her gently to fall into step with him and she remained silent the rest of the journey, only watching her feet.

"Kumiko, are you alright?"

Hashirama glanced down at the girl, he had never seen her so disheveled. When she didn't respond, he continued to talk.

"I'm sorry about our last encounter, if Tobirama hadn't pulled me off of you I would have hurt you. At the time I had begun to doubt your loyalty to us, I don't know if you know yet but my father passed."

He snuck a glance at her but she was still staring at her feet. Her eyes wide and frightened. 'What did they show her?'

Hashirama continued to speak, determined to bring the girl to a more calm state of mind.

"Mother has fallen ill, she won't allow even the healers to come near her. Much like Suzume-senpai." He shook his head, "Tobirama stayed back with her."

Kumiko responded at last, her voice quivering slightly as she spoke. "Madara wants to negotiate with you. He wants peace..." She trailed off, her voice becoming soft and indiscernible as mumbled the last bit. Hashirama hummed and ruffled her already distraught hair, a pang of guilt flashing through him as he recalled the violence he dispensed over the girl that had shadowed him and his brothers all their lives. He wondered then, if he was envious of her leaving them for the Uchiha. She had only been following his own orders and then he questioned whether he should pardon her reason for wanting to come back.

It was Tobirama's response that worried him more.