.
.
"Whatever you do," Tobirama says, as he straightens Hashi's kimono and turns her around, fluffing out her hair, "Do not mention your marriage to Uchiha Madara. We are already in a precarious position with the Uzumaki ever since you ended your engagement. The last thing we need do is provoke them."
"Hai, hai," Hashi says. Tobirama looks at her.
"I'm serious, Sister! If they bring it up, tell them he forced your hand and you did it for the sake of the village. Do not let on that for some inexplicable reason, you're actually happy with him."
"I know, I won't," Hashi says. Tobirama puts on his Hokage cap, frowning at her.
They meet the Uzumaki envoy at the village gates: Uzumaki Makoto, the man who was to be Hashi's husband, along with his sister Mito and a handful of advisors. He smiles broadly as they greet each other. "Ah, Tobirama-kun," Uzumaki Makoto says. "I see you're now Hokage."
"Due to an unfortunate chain of events, as I'm sure you've heard." Tobirama shifts, frowning. He turns to Hashi.
"We got word you had your baby," Uzumaki Makoto says. He smiles. "Felicitations."
"You have my thanks, Makoto-dono," Hashi bows, speaking in a soft, lilting cadence, since her brother practically begged her to and she figured she probably owed him.
"We are happy for you, Hashirama-san. It is so rare these days to see actual love matches."
Hashi straightens, startled. Tobirama blinks.
"Oh you're quite mistaken, Makoto-san," Tobirama throws Hashi a warning look. "She did what she had to, to protect our village."
"Is that so?" Uzumaki Makoto rubs his chin. "I could have sworn it was a love match from the way she looked at him-"
Tobirama throws Hashi a look. What the hell did you do? Hashi raises her eyebrows and mouths back at him. I don't know.
"And please. There is no need to be so formal," the Uzumaki says to Hashi, smiling at them. "We all know of the great Senju Hashirama's exploits. I would hope that we're close enough allies that you could speak to me as you normally would."
"Oh thank god," Hashi says, dropping the pretense. Tobirama widens his eyes at her.
xXx
.
They are laughing in the great hall, Uzumaki Makoto regaling them with stories of his exploits. Red hair and bright blue eyes, he's the complete opposite of Madara, who is dark and brooding, while the Uzumaki radiates optimism like a beam of sunshine.
Tobirama bristles at the unjustice of it. When he arranged their engagement, Hashi gushed over him like a bubbling idiot. "He's so hot," Hashi had said, squealing, while Tobirama looked on smugly at Madara, who had been silently seething behind her.
His sister is now a married woman, but her original assessment is unchanged. "Waah! I forgot how hot he is!" she says.
She and Madara are standing in the gallery, Madara holding their baby while Hashi openly gawks at the Uzumaki. "Look at his shoulders!" Hashi says. She hits Madara's arm excitedly. "Ne, anata? Isn't he good-looking?" Madara glares.
"Why are you asking me this? Are you so dense as to not realize how offensive that is?"
"His eyes are so blue, they're gorgeous! Look how they sparkle! And look at those dimples when he smiles!"
"And here I'd forgotten how taken you were with the Uzumaki idiot. How unfortunate."
"I think you're cute, too." Hashi hugs him. "It's cute how you're always frowning, and how your hair is always a mess and how you have bags under your eyes even if you're not tired-"
"Dammit."
"-and you've got pretty hands, just like a woman's!"
"How is that a compliment?" Madara says, and Hashi gloms on him.
"Anata, look," Hashi says, and they both look over at Tobirama, clad in ceremonial Hokage robes and silently watching Uzumaki Mito.
Hashi grabs Madara's arm. "I think he likes her," Hashi says. Madara scoffs.
"The Uzumaki's sister?"
"She's so fancy, he totally likes her!"
"I think I'm losing brain cells the longer we have this conversation," Madara says.
xXx
.
"Little Brother!" Hashi says. She bursts through the office door. "You should totally go after Uzumaki Makoto's sister!"
"Uzumaki Mito?" Tobirama looks up from his papers, then scowls. "She is a woman of high renown. Surely she has plenty of suitors."
"She's really pretty~~" Hashi says, sing-song. Tobirama blushes and glares.
"Wait, are you blushing?!" Hashi runs over to the desk. Tobirama glares and pulls away from her. Hashi claps her hands over her mouth.
"Little Brother, you really are blushing!"
"Quiet. I have much to do and no time for this lunacy. And that is besides the point, they've already signed the treaty, a marriage alliance would be superfluous."
"You're going to get married and have lots of babies~~"
"Dammit," Tobirama says. Sometimes she really does feel like a younger sister.
