Chapter 12
"No! Absolutely not," Izuna snapped as he plucked the completed Mana potion from my hand.
I gave an involuntary cry of alarm as I saw the precious blue liquid slosh precariously in the bowl. "Careful!" I gasped, reaching out my hands as if I could catch any drops that might fall.
Izuna set the bowl high up on a shelf that I mentally called, The Babyproof Shelf. It contained the items that I suspected the brothers thought too dangerous for me to be around. Mostly weapons, highly suspicious books, and what I guessed might be a bottle of poison. I hadn't been particularly curious about the shelf before, but now that it held my precious Mana potion it held my undivided attention.
When I made to go grab the stool from the bathroom, Madara gently plopped a hand on top of my head and steered me back to the living room.
We all sat and stared at each other.
Madara broke the silence first with an exhausted sigh. "Sophie, did you ask Hashirama to help you find a flower for your…experiment?"
I didn't know what experiment meant, but I got the general idea and nodded, puzzled as to why the two men looked like they wanted to bash their heads against the wall.
"I can't believe that idiot commissioned a merchant to deliver the flowers. The rumors have probably spread across Fire Country by now."
"Hikaku heard from Kyoko, who heard from Shohei, who heard from the third son of the Shibayama mercantile group, that the nobles in court are gossiping that Hashirama is courting Sophie to make super healer babies," Izuna stated in a blunt monotone.
I didn't know what was so important, but I frankly didn't care. Trying the Mana potion to see if it was successful was far more important to me. "I want please." I pointed to the bowl with my best puppy dog eyes.
"Are you going to try to drink it again?"
"…Yes?"
"No."
Three rats and one raccoon later, and Fumiya was the next one to sample the Mana potion. I had realized after the first rat that they were worried the glowing potion was poisonous, and that was why they were loath to let me drink it. Fumiya cheerfully shoved a spoonful of the blue potion into his mouth despite my protests. I wasn't quite sure how a person without Mana would react to a Mana potion and I wasn't particularly pleased with Fumiya being used as a test subject.
We all sat in tense silence, staring at Fumiya as the seconds ticked by. Unease crept down my spine as Fumiya's eyes began to glaze over. He blinked once, twice, before turning to me with a broad grin. In a flash of movement too fast for me to comprehend, Fumiya was suddenly sitting in front of me…petting my hair with a dopey expression on his face. He completely ignored my startled shriek, and Izuna and Madara's curses of surprise.
"…F-Fumiya?"
"It's so pretty," He crooned. His dark eyes shifted to Sharingan as he continued to pet my hair.
"Is…he drunk?"
It turned out, Mana potions were intoxicating to people of this land. It created an effect remarkably similar to alcohol…but far more potent. Fortunately, it was also very short acting. Fumiya's senses had returned within minutes, and though he'd been terribly embarrassed, he was no worse for wear.
When I finally was allowed to try the potion, I was relieved to find my Mana replenished instead of turning into a hiccupping drunk mess. I admit I'd been faintly concerned that I'd accidentally created a new psychoactive substance.
After convincing everyone that, no, I didn't have superhuman tolerance for liquor, I managed to convey just what the potion was, and just how vital it would be to healing.
The Uchiha had been over the moon with excitement, and in just a few days I had a full team dedicated to helping me make more potions.
"This is getting ridiculous," grumbled Grandpa Hiro.
We were at another important meeting and, once again, I had no idea what was going on. They always had the best rice cakes at these meetings, so I didn't mind too much. I beamed happily at Hikaku when he slid the plate of the sticky chewy treats closer to me.
"That's the nature of gossip," Aya murmured. "It gets overblown and mutates, but in time people will move on to another topic."
Izuna scowled. "In the meantime, the Uzumaki are busy spreading the rumor that Hashirama sent the flowers on Tobirama's behalf because the White Demon is shy?!" Incredulity pitched Izuna's voice high. "Everyone is acting like a peace treaty between us is a sure thing! The Akimichi sent a letter offering his lands as a neutral ground for when we need it! WHEN! Not IF!"
"What is the White Demon even doing? Why is he just letting these rumors spread? Surely he doesn't want peace with the Uchiha."
A dry chuckle from Madara. "Reports say, he is denying the rumors. However, no one believes him, and they all think he's just shy." A ripple of begrudged amusement went through the group.
I frowned as I realized the new rice cake I'd just bit into had red bean in the middle. Not my favorite. No one was watching so I slipped it back on to the plate and grabbed a new piece.
"These rumors would cease if we could just get her married. What's her type? Maybe she is partial to women?" Grandma Nako groused.
Aya thoughtfully tapped her chin.
I blinked at the small group of Uchiha who watched me like a hawk. A few of them even had their Sharingan on. Luckily, I had mostly moved past my fear of the red eyes, but it still left me a little nervous.
A picture was handed to me.
I studied the eerily realistic portrait of Yuka all dolled up like she'd been at the Daimyo's palace. Whoever painted this was an amazing artist.
"No pupil dilation. Heart rate, temperature steady. No signs of attraction," Hikaku reported seriously.
Another picture was handed to me. Pale, dark haired, classic Uchiha male. Hikaku shook his head.
Soft faced blonde with sky blue eyes.
Sharp eyed, tanned, fangs.
Another woman, cute with freckles.
White haired, red eyed…wait a minute. This was Tobirama. The Uchiha all sighed in relief when Hikaku shook his head in negative. I was very confused by this whole situation.
This went on for a bit more in complete silence when they then handed me a portrait of a man with brown hair, strong jawline, stubble, and tired serious eyes. Oh! He looked like this one Knight I used to moon over when I was younger.
"Pupils have dilated, temperature has risen, and heart rate increased." I jumped a little at Hikaku's sudden voice.
The Uchiha all leaned forward to study the portrait carefully.
"Aya, who is this you drew?" Grandpa Hiro asked.
Aya grimaced. "Just this bandit we were commissioned to take out."
"Bandit?"
"Bandit."
"So…he's dead?"
"Yes. Dead bandit."
Silence filled the room again.
Hashirama Interlude: All's Fair in Love and War
"Anija. Did you just tell our client that I sent the Uchiha flowers?" Hashirama flinched and his gaze immediately twitched away from Tobirama's furious stare.
"Well, I may have stretched the truth a little and let him fill in the gaps a bit…"
Killing intent rose and Hashirama found himself taking a hasty step back.
"That client," hissed Tobirama, "is an incorrigible gossip."
"I-Is he? O-oh nooo…" Hashirama stuttered weakly, taking another step away from his brother.
Tobirama drew his sword and Hashirama once again found himself commiserating with those who called his dear little brother the White Demon.
That being said, compared to Mito's wrath this was nothing. Hurriedly replacing himself with a wooden clone, Hashirama sent Tobirama a silent apology as he fled.
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Really appreciate all the support. Just super busy with residency so it's been hard finding time to write. I'll keep updating when I have the chance!
BONUS:
AU Mito decides to go see the competition herself
Sophie stared at the beautiful red-haired women in awe. Said women stared at her intently with a blank expression. Her eyes flickered up and down Sophie before fixing her sharp gaze on Sophie's face.
A blush crawled up Sophie's neck as she became shy under such intense scrutiny. Gulping uneasily, Sophie allowed a smile to grace her face as she murmured a greeting.
The woman did not immediately respond. Then, she cocked her head slightly to one side, the paper ornaments dangling from her hair swaying with the movement. A thoughtful smile curled her lips. "I see. Understandable."