Chapter 18

I thank everyone having read this far and also for the kind review left.

Here we go again. Enjoy.

Part 2 – You go wherever you go today

One could already hear the cries from outside the building, high pitched and growing hoarse. Koguma took a calm breath as he crossed the street, deep down already deciding to chop his hair off once more- It was simply too warm to keep it down to his shoulders. He opened the sliding door, the sound of screeching growing louder as he did so. With care, he took off his sandals and put them away next to the entrance, before slipping into his house shoes.

He followed the sound to the kitchen, his steps silent across the wooden floor- Nami was standing there, pressing her baby against her chest, letting it rest on top of her once again swelling abdomen and clapped its little back. Her face was glistening with sweat, cheeks blotchy from the warmth and surely stress from having her infant screech right into her ear. She tried coaxing it into silence with soothing words, not yet having noticed his arrival, spinning exhausted circles through the light-flooded room. As if wanting to add to the misery of the scene, a pot cooking on the stove started to overflow as well, making the flames underneath fizz and splutter.

"Ah, bummer," she hissed, seeing the chaos unfold. Without giving it too much thought, she hurried over to the stove, gait slightly clumsy with her belly and reached out to lift the pot with one of her bare hands, while still clutching the screaming infant against her chest. At that moment Koguma decided to interfere and hastily grabbed her wrist before she could burn herself.

"That doesn't seem such a good idea," he chided in his gruff voice, pushing her hand away from the hot iron.

Tears were briming in her eyes as she took him in with deep relief. "Oh, Kogu-kun. Thank kami." When he had managed coaxing her away from the stove, he quickly took off the pot and stirred in the coals to reduce the heat. The rice was overdone and slightly mushy and the vegetables hadn't even been stirred yet, but behind his back the baby still continued screaming.

He went to wash his hands and then turned around to Nami. "Come on, hand her over, so you won't grow deaf on me."

She hesitated in her clapping, pinching her mouth as she regarded him with a mix of relief and scepticism. "You sure? Today's a bad day."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes- it wasn't the first time he had held the child- as he took notice of the deep purple bags underneath her eyes, her slightly frizzled and unbrushed hair, the stains on her clothing and haunted expression. "Yeah, I'm sure." To underline his request, he stretched out his arms towards her.

"Fine," she breathed, more fatigue and gratitude speaking out of her than any true hesitation. Koguma regarded the tiny child as he took her in his arms, which seemed too large in comparison. She felt so weightless, her limbs looking incredibly fragile underneath his coarse hands, her face red from screaming, eyes scrunched together tight. The dark black fluff on her hair was really the only adorable thing about her in that moment. Without much ado, he pulled his bound-top open a little and bedded her against the soft cotton shirt he wore underneath, before tugging it close again. She was still screaming against his chest, so he started to omit a low and deep grumble in his torso, which was basically nothing but a slowed down version of his growl. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the baby's screaming actually started to hesitate, before it ebbed down completely.

With the hint of a satisfied smile, he turned back to the stove, ready to try and salvage dinner as best as possible. Only after a while did he notice Nami's shocked staring at him. "What?"

"How do you do that?" she whispered with awe.

Koguma simply shrugged his shoulders, mindful of the infant still tugged into his top. "Go and lie down for a bit, Nami. I'm sure the others will come in an hour." During his answer he had to actually stop growling, making the child stir again, so he picked it up once more.

"I-" she started protesting, but when he sent her a stern look, telling her to leave and finally catch up to some of the sleep she had surely been missing, Nami left the kitchen without any further protest.

By the time the front door opened again and soft steps, slightly dragging across the floor, echoed through the hallway, Koguma had managed making a halfway decent meal out of the overcooked rice and plain vegetables. Without even having to turn around, he called out to the man appearing in the doorframe, "She's taking a nap. Go check on her, we're fine."

"You got Ryujin?" Kagami called back, leaning heavily against the wall.

Now Koguma turned around, giving a slight pat against the bump in his shirt. "She's asleep."

"How on earth did you do that?"

"He actually purred," a female voice called out. Kagami twisted in his position, his haggard face softening as he took in his lover- she looked slightly less fatigued, lines of her cushion and blanket having left their marks on her cheeks.

"Purred?" Kagami responded with a lifted eyebrow, after pressing a kiss against her swollen abdomen.

Koguma scoffed and turned back around to the counter to finish arranging the food. "I bet that precious sensei of yours would be able to do it as well. Although I'm sure that if he were to be asked, he would deny such a thing."

"Tobirama-sensei purring," the Uchiha breathed, his eyes twinkling with mirth upon the picture that would make.

"Who's purring?" another voice asked, as two figures made their way into the kitchen through the back door.

"Koguma-kun," Nami replied in the same breath as Kagami said, "Tobirama-sensei."

Danzo stopped in his tracks, slightly leaning backwards with his upper body as if wanting to distance himself from such a thing. Hiruzen, on the other hand, took a curious step forward, his eyes piercing Koguma, trying to scan for any sign of it. "Really?" he whispered with excitement, Danzo spitting out "Ew," behind his back as he plopped down at the table. "Can I see? Or hear?"

Koguma shot him a deadpan look. "What? Need to be put to sleep as well?"

"No- it's just- wow, fascinating. Can an Inuzuka do it too?" he took another step towards Koguma, gaze sharply fixed on where his diaphragm would be. Before he could reach out and touch him, Koguma gave him a sharp smack on his head with his knuckles.

"You'll simply have to come earlier next time, won't you?"

"Can we finally eat?" Danzo drawled while throwing a pebble out of his pocket against the back of Hiruzen's head- Nami, and Kagami for that matter, had forbidden the use of any weapons since Ryujin had started reaching for things. "I'm starving."

"Pf, just set the plates-" Koguma replied, before stopping in his words. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he tried listening for someone calling just outside the walled garden. Eyes flickering over to a somewhat caught and stubborn looking Kagami, he asked, "Did you actually put seals around the property to keep Kama out?"

Kagami huffed as Danzo's laughter echoed through the room, slightly startling the sleeping bundle of Ryujin in his top. "I'm not letting that madman anywhere near my child." The sound of a surprised and slightly painful yelp reached through to them, making Danzo laugh even louder. Even Hiruzen's mouth was twitching with the urge to burst out roaring.

"Did you rig it to actually give him electric shocks?"

Kagami gave a nod over to the breathless form of Danzo, who was busy folding over and clutching to his belly. "Hiruzen created the seal but Danzo added the, uh, deterrent."

Another slightly higher pitched yelp reached through to them. "You added Susumu to that list?" Koguma breathed with disbelieve.

"That idiot can't seem to enter houses silently with infants that had finally fallen asleep. It clearly shows that he and Kikyo haven't got any kids themselves yet, otherwise he would've known to not holler in greeting." Kagami looked stern and resolute in his position, such a stark contrast to the giggling and cackling forms of Danzo and Hiruzen.

Wiping the tears out of his eyes, Danzo remarked, "I told you it would work perfectly."

Hiruzen clapped his shoulder in reply, still chortling as he conceded, "What a genius idea."

Kagami had by then tugged his top open and slowly pulled out Ryujin, who looked rather curious around her with her big onyx eyes. He walked over to Nami and put the baby into her arms. "Seems duty calls."

"At least take something to eat with you," she remarked, her gaze only reluctantly moving away from her daughter as she shot him a concerned look. He shook his head, bade farewell to his friends and made his way to the front door.

Just outside the garden wall his friends were waiting for him, already dressed in the standard jounin uniform. Kama's fingers were twitching beside his body as if wanting to punch through the barrier if need be, his eyes lined with a hint of panic even as he tried to hide it with a smirk. "Did they actually create a seal just to keep us out?" He attempted making it sound like a joke, but his voice was too strained to be truly believable. Really, having a barrier actively stop Kama from getting close to him must be driving the possessive Okami mad.

Susumu was standing next to him looking rather indignant- arms crossed before his chest and foot tapping restlessly on the paved ground. "How many more times do I need to apologize to that Uchiha? For fuck's sake, I didn't know Ryujin-chan was sleeping."

"Language," Koguma remarked automatically as he made his way down the steps.

He gave an offended scoff. "No need putting me in the same category as him."

Kama shot him a sour look, finally relaxing when Koguma stepped out of the invisible barrier. "Pff. He hates me, so of course he'd block me out. What's your excuse as his friend? Mh?"

Susumu's arms flew open as if he'd be ready to raise his fists against the Hatake. "You godda-"

"Susumu," Koguma barked, resisting the urge to raise his face heavenward to find some patience. "What's going on?" he continued after some deep breaths, turning to Kama instead, seeing that his brother was opening his mouth to protest.

Kama looked distinctly pleased at being addressed and sent a dirty smirk to the pale-haired man. "Mission. We're called to the Hokage tower."

"Surely some simple assassination," Susumu added, once again crossing his arms in front of his chest. In such moments he looked like a smaller and slightly more pouting version of Madara.

Koguma raised his right hand to the back of his neck to rub against the sweaty skin underneath. "Fine. Let's go." With a bit of luck the mission would draw them further north- maybe they'd be able to escape the summer heat.

With a deep cringe, Susumu watched him chop off his hair with a kunai, twitching every time the razor sharp steel slid through the thick strands.

"Koguma, if you'd just let me-"

"No." His answer was dry and brokered no argument. Another slice, another strand floating down to the ground.

Kama was watching the whole procedure in silence, the flames of the bonfire reflecting in his slate-grey eyes. His gaze was looking unusually intense, following the movement of the blade and the locks floating down with care.

"If you had just bound up your hair like Ma-"

"No."

Susumu groaned in frustration, raising his hands as if admitting defeat. "Fine, fine! Go back to looking like a barbarian."

Koguma stopped in his movements, shooting him an unimpressed look. "Maybe you aren't boiling underneath your light and feathery hair, but I most certainly was." Keeping his gaze he cut of another strand, making Susumu twist his face in displeasure.

"You missed a bit to the left," Kama called out, his voice sounding rather hushed. Blindly, Koguma reached for his right hand side, easily finding the strand that stood out with its length and cut it off as well. "Better," his silver-haired friend added, his own ponytail hanging over his shoulder. "I wouldn't cut it off shorter."

Koguma shook out his mop of hair, trying to get rid of any loose ends, before letting it fall down again- it was now somewhat raggedly framing his face, hair layered so it wouldn't suffocate him underneath. Still, some of it had found its way into his collar, making his skin underneath itch. "I'll be back," he remarked as he pushed himself onto his feet. "Don't kill each other." Kama's fingers twitched in reply, but only his gaze followed him as he made his way out of the clearing. Good. It had taken several conversations to explain to him the term 'healthy distance', or 'how to make Koguma not hate your guts for pushing into his space'.

He had seen a small river earlier and was planning on washing out the worst of it- he couldn't be lacking in his concentration simply because he was itchy. As he was busy washing himself in the cool water, thereby getting rid of his sweat and grim as well, his brother plonked down on a nearby rock with an audible sigh.

"Didn't I tell you I'd be back?" Koguma remarked, completely unfazed by standing stark naked in the river in front of him, the water only reaching up to his upper tighs.

Susumu stared into the pitch black night sky, the stars and moon covered with thick clouds. "You also said to not kill each other. Can't expect me to stay sitting there and not kill him."

Koguma shortly stopped in his move to wash his armpits, eyebrows furrowing upon Susumu's strained voice and angered expression. "What did he say this time?"

Susumu pinched his lips, stubbornly continuing to stare upwards. "Nothing."

After another moment, Koguma continued in his bath, convinced that it would be better to let his brother address anything that bothered him in his own time. Really, he could understand why both men wouldn't like each other, seeing that Kama was an insensible ass and Susumu a stubborn peacock, but he had thought that in time they would recognize some of the similarities between them and get to an understanding. Having them constantly fight and bicker was exhausting.

"You know," Susumu began as Koguma came out of the water and started putting on his clothes after shaking them out. "During a handful of the missions, I visited some of the places we have been before we came to Konoha. At a few of them I even bumped into some of the women I slept with." His mouth drew into a bitter line. "I didn't think much of it when the first three didn't tug a little white haired child behind them."

Koguma rubbed his jaw, realising what Kama must have said to rile up Susumu. He'd have to deck the idiot for addressing that subject. With a sicking gut, he made his way over to his brother and sat down next to him. "But?"

"But then, when I met a fourth one and even she-" he paused. "I was always scared that I was perhaps a terrible father to some unknown child out there." Susumu swallowed hard. "What if I should be more scared of never being a father at all?"

"It's not even been a year, Susumu."

"Yeah, and still. I mean, Nami had barely popped out Ryujin before she got pregnant again. Even Kagami's wife Denji is walking around like some bubble ready to burst."

"I think it says more about Kagami's stamina than anything else-" Koguma started, trying to turn the subject a bit more light hearted. But Susumu's gaze locked onto his with a feverish desperation, making him stop in his words.

"But what if I'll never be a father, Kogu?"

Koguma turned serious, replying his look with a calm one himself. "Of course you'll be. If not through your own flesh and blood, then perhaps by taking in one of the many orphans trailing around the village. Anyone of them would be lucky to have you as a father."

Susumu swallowed audibly once more, clearly unhappy with his words. "Kikyo told me, before we married. All she ever wanted to be was a mother. She wants- How can I deny her the chance?" His voice was starting to sound panicky, the words simply tumbling out of his mouth with its speed.

"Susumu, listen. It's not even been a year. It'll come."

But his brother shot up from his position, grabbing onto Koguma's still unbandaged hands- he didn't flinch, but was most certainly startled by the action. "Kogu, Kogu, listen, I-" Dread pooled in his stomach, certain that whatever Susumu tried chocking out couldn't be anything rational. "What if- what if you-"

Now it was Koguma's turn to shoot up from his spot, his hands snapping out of Susumu's increasingly harsh grip. "No."

"I just- just as a backup. Maybe-"

"No. Don't even continue that line of thought." He stared down at his brother, as if only now realising the depth of his despair. "It's not even been a year," he repeated as if his word could make the statement any more true, "It'll come."

"I-"

"It'll come."

"But-"

"It'll come." Both men stared at each other- Koguma still as a statue and Susumu's chest heaving with his panting.

Then his brother let out a bitter laugh, tugging his hand through his feathery hair. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. It'll come." He turned around, forcing Koguma to stare at his back instead. "I guess we should go back to Kama, before that idiot does something stupid. I'll take first shift." With that he made his way back to their camp, leaving Koguma behind on the bank of the river. His hair was still dripping onto his clothes, the sound of the gurgling stream filling the silence behind his back. The dread in his stomach hadn't lifted and instead started sinking deeper down.

They were leaping through the thick forest, Koguma leading up front, with Susumu and Kama trailing in a spear formation behind his back. They were silent and with their dark clothing melted into the shadows of the night. As Koguma touched down on the next branch, he paused, making his team soon follow suit. He and Kama had managed to get a scent on their target only three hours before and he had now sensed him stopping only a few hundred metres up ahead. Grabbing both their hands, he hastily tipped down the information onto their palm and formulated a plan.

'Illusion'

Susumu drew a plus on his palm in reply, confirming his silent request.

'Under earth' he tapped onto Kama's palm, to which the man agreed with a nod.

'You' Susumu tapped back.

'Kill'

Sharing a short look with the two of them, they shunshined out of their position.

For all that Susumu and Kama really couldn't stand each other, they worked rather well together during missions. Kama sure wasn't a perfect replacement for Risu, no one ever could be, as he, similar to Susumu, had a mid-range to close approach to things. Still- they had yet to fail one.

But, just as Susumu was about to cast his gen-jutsu onto the oblivious man, the earth started to shake underneath their feet, a heavy and deep grumble following the movement moments later. Their target shot up from his seated position, eyes darting left and right to find the source of the quake. Seeing that their plan wouldn't work anymore, Kama snaped out from underneath the man's feet, trying to grab onto his ancles. But this mission wasn't classed as an A-rank for nothing, as instead of managing to grab onto him, his legs turned into water, making Kama's fingers slide right through. The Hatake wasn't a dumb man, he wouldn't be jounin if he was, so the next second his hands were cast in lightning. But the man had already slipped out of his reach.

That was when Susumu charged at him with his katana- the earth shook again as he sliced through his liquidising body relentlessly. Their target wasn't very quick on his feet, as he probably never had to be because of his ability, so he soon found himself being herded by Susumu and Koguma towards Kama's reach. In irregular intervals, the earth continued to vibrate, the deep growl as if mountains were collapsing following in its wake, causing the trees around them to groan and heave.

Yet, because they were fighting three against one, they soon managed to get the upper hand- all it took was a moment of distraction for the man to let Kama fry his brain. Really, sometimes Koguma forgot that the man could easily do the same to him during training and being reminded of it, made him swear to keep as far out of the reach of his jutsu as possible. With that line of thought, Koguma knelt down to check if their target still had a heartbeat and only after confirming his death, turned his attention to the tremors.

"The hell is going on?" Susumu spat out, sheathing his sword and eyes darting around the forest.

"An earth quake?" Kama replied, not quite believing his explanation himself.

Koguma shook his head, eyes darting upwards to one of the taller trees. "This far north? I doubt it." With a neat shunshin, he reappeared in the canopy, his eyes straining towards the southern horizon. In the distance a bright orange light lit up the thick clouds from underneath, a quake and then rumble following in its wake. His mouth turned completely dry seeing it- the colours and atmosphere of it made him think of the light flickering across the cloth of their tent at Yama no haru. Of chakra flashing through the dark.

There were really only two people in the world that would be able to fight on such a large scale.

"Kogu- what can you see?" Susumu called up to him.

Feeling strangely light-headed, he made his way down the tree, slowly getting out of his crouch as he landed onto the ground. "A fight."

"A fight?" Kama echoed in disbelieve, tugging away a scroll into his pockets, the body nowhere to be seen.

Koguma stared at Susumu as first his brother's eyes blew wide in realization, before crumbling with anger and disbelieve. "No, Koguma, no. We can't go there." Another quake shook the earth, the grumble louder this time. "You must be out of your fucking mind."

"You want to go there?" Kama asked, looking apprehensive himself. He shortly turned to regard Susumu, trying to ignore Koguma's silent plea. "Kogu, we need to get back to Konoha, report the mission."

"It's south. They're fighting south."

Both men shut up on his spat out words. "Konoha-" Susumu breathed, "Kikyo."

Koguma's body tensed seeing his horror-stricken face, his hands clutching into fists at the side of his body. Without having to say anything, all three men raced off back south towards Konoha. The shaking of the ground grew more intense the closer they got.

They could only watch in horror as a massive purple ball, humming with chakra, raced past them. It had maybe still been a kilometre to the right of them, but even from their position they could feel its massive energy and observe the destructive path it created. It was at that point that Koguma grabbed onto both their shoulders, to shunshin them the rest of the distance through the forest, adrenaline and fear soaring through his veins.

When they finally arrived at the dirt road leading up to the red gates, Koguma was tumbling with dizziness and low chakra. His muscles ached with each step, each adjustment to his balance, each breath- Cutting a four hour trip down to one really had taken a toll on him. Susumu didn't even spare him a look as he raced towards the still unfinished and now partly crumbled walls and the slightly smouldering village behind. Kama seemed to be shaking with the urge to race to the village as well, but he paused to drape Koguma's arm across his shoulders before he started running.

"Madara," Koguma choked out with a straining voice, his entire body shaking with the strain to keep upright. His fault, his cub-

"Nonsense, Kogu, you don't know that."

"I let him go, I let him go and just like Susumu said- he came back and-" dead, dead, dead.

Kama hefted him slightly upwards again, clutching his hand onto his waist to keep him from stumbling. "Shush, you don't know that. You don't know that." Slipping through one of the holes in the wall, both men could see that most of the smoke actually came from the district south of the hokage tower.

The district containing the Senju.

For a moment they paused, before Kama dragged his gaze from the completely obliterated neighbourhood to the Hatake compound right at the edge of the forest. Even from their position they could see the orange glow of flames against the night sky surrounding some of the buildings, the smoke a suffocating stench in the air.

"No-" Kama whimpered as he let Koguma slide out of his grip. He was gone with the blink of an eye.

Koguma took notice of the panicked civilians, the flittering shinobi, the destruction, heard the cries and rumbling of caving in homes in distance, the sour stench of fear penetrating the air-

But what his eyes were truly glued on were the flickering lights illuminating the night sky, his heart breaking with every tremor shaking the earth, afraid of each new impact and even more afraid they would stop at some point. He collapsed against the outer wall, unable to stand on his feet anymore.

The moment eery silence pressed down like a blanket upon the village, he wasn't the only one staring eastward, towards the hokage mountain, breath baited and heart clenching-

Yet he most certainly was the only one who gave out a low and miserable moan seeing the sun rise over the battered and bloody figure of Hashirama Senju.

Another part of him died right then and there.

Madara had wiped out two thirds of the Senju clan with one jutsu.

Two thirds. In a single blow.

Mind you, he used a tailed beast to do it, the Kyuubi to be exact, but still.

Koguma stared down at the corpse of the man he considered pack. He had been part of the squad sent out to retrieve Madara after Hashirama had returned once the sun had risen. No other Hatake, nor Inuzuka had volunteered, too busy taking care of their wounded kin, so Tobirama had called him in. And he had accepted, even with his straining muscles and exhaustion clouding his mind. Especially since he was the only one to be trusted to not mutilate the body on sight. That even Hashirama had returned without him spoke volumes on how much the killing of his clan by his former best friend had shaken the hokage.

He stared down at the lifeless corpse lying face down in the water for a second longer, the back of his shirt and water surrounding him muggy with blood. Then he knelt down, turned him around and gently picked him up into his arms. His eyes were closed, but the bags underneath were as prominent as ever. Most people tended to look somewhat at peace once they died, yet Madara looked as if the weight of the world was still resting on his shoulders.

How could one possibly seem exhausted in death?

Unable to look at the man's pale face anymore, his gaze flickered up to the ruined landscape. Both he and Hashirama had managed creating a whole new terrain, turning a lush and thick forest into a dale with a trickling waterfall. Both their strength truly was out of this world. That a mortal man had managed to survive any of this-

Maybe Hashirama actually was a man turned god. Maybe he had been a god to begin with.

Surreal.

Gripping the corpse slightly tighter, he rose on his feet and turned around to the other two shinobi haven joined him – Naoaki, a chunin from the Uchiha clan and Touka, a cousin of Tobirama and Hashirama. He walked over to them with leaden feet.

The Uchiha's eyes shortly flickered red as he took in the body, before tonelessly stating, "It's truly him. He's dead."

Touka only sneered in reply, not saying anything while she crossed her arms in front of her chest. After a short moment of taking in the corpse, she spat to the side, showing off her scorn. "We should burn his corpse right now. Right here. He doesn't deserve to come back to Konoha."

Naoaki's eyelids fluttered, taking in a deep breath through his nose. "He was still a clan head. He needs to be buried as is custom. He-" A short pause. "He deserves his spot at the Naka-shrine."

"Deserve," she sneered, taking a step towards Koguma, her hands twitching at the tanton strapped to her side.

"We take him back," Koguma interrupted the both of them in his gruff voice. "Hokage's orders."

Her gaze flickered up to him, face all scrunched up with hatred. "Since when do you give a damn about hokage's orders? I say we burn him here and scatter his ashes."

"Senju-san," the Uchiha spoke up, his red eyes now pinned to the seething woman.

Koguma leaned slightly forward with his upper body, his massive figure looming over her as he cradled the corpse closer to his chest. He bared his fangs while saying, "Then you'll need to pry him out of my cold, dead hands."

Silence met his declaration- the black haired man stared at him with widened eyes, while Touka looked positively disgusted. "Fucking Hatake- Tobirama keeps telling me how it's good that you latch onto people that harshly, that it helps securing the village-" Now she spat in front of his feet. "It's only a matter of time until a dog trained to fight and kill bites the hand that feeds it."

A low growl made its way up Koguma's chest as he dipped his chin, ready to defend himself if necessary.

"Enough," the Uchiha cut through the tense silence. "We take him back, Senju-san." Her gaze flickered between the both of them, before she relaxed in her position, visibly drawing her hands away from her weapon.

Koguma jutted his chin for her to take the lead, unwilling to have her anywhere near his back.

The way back to Konoha was one of the longest in his life.

They had all agreed that it would be a terrible idea walking through the village with the corpse of the man responsible for its destruction and so much death, so they were instead to meet up with Tobirama and Hashirama, as well as the elders of the Uchiha clan at the edge of the forest.

The hokage looked old, his eyes dull and usually tan skin deathly pale, hair hanging in lanky strands around his face. He hadn't even bothered putting on his robes, instead standing in front of them in dark cotton trousers and shirt. Koguma had heard that his little daughter had broken an arm during the attack, but otherwise his children and wife had been unharmed. His brother next to him looked even paler himself, the red tattoos at the side of his face standing out harshly, his cheeks slightly hollow and reddish eyes darting back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. He too was merely wearing dark trousers and a turtle-neck shirt. Koguma would almost say he was grieving for his clan, even if he was unsure that the albino was even capable of feeling such a thing. But that was just his own personal dislike speaking- anyone could grief, even cold-hearted bastards. Hikaku next to them looked almost positively colourful in his blue Uchiha coat. The Uchiha clan's head had been staring at the corpse in Koguma's arms since the moment they stepped into view, as if waiting for the man to spur to life again.

None of them moved to greet them, none of them spoke. All of them simply looked down at the still form of Madara Uchiha. Koguma's grip tightened ever so slightly around the man's shoulder and legs underneath their intense gaze.

"Still loyal to a traitor I see," Tobirama spat in his deep voice. Koguma didn't reply and tried to keep as still as possible, but his muscles were tensed to snap.

Hashirama spared him a weird look, taking his time to search for something in his expression, before speaking up. "I don't think he ever realised how lucky he should have thought himself with a team as yours." His blank gaze hardened for a moment. "But he is dead now. You should give your loyalty to those still living."

Hashirama turned to Hikaku. "No funeral. Bury him in silence. Give him your rites if necessary, but we won't proclaim his presence in the village."

Hikaku gave him a deep bow. "Thank you for lenience, hokage-sama. We will keep the circle of those knowing small. And I thank you for not associating our clan with the deeds of one." Tobirama crossed his arms in front of his chest, head slightly dropping to face the ground, while Hashirama gave him a curt nod. "Naoaki," the clan head added, sparing a glance at the chunin.

Without much prompting, the dark haired Uchiha stepped up to Koguma, stretching out his arms to take over the corpse. Koguma's lips pressed into a thin line, but he refused to hesitate as he almost gently put the body into his embrace- he was already glad the man continued carrying him like a human being and not like a sack of rice on his shoulders.

He took one final look at the man- thick hair still slightly damp from the water he had fished him out of, lips pale and ever so faintly parted, smelling like earth and blood and stale water, light stubbles shadowing his jaw- for a moment his breath threatened to get caught in his throat, fingers twitching with the urge to brush along them, remembering another dead man's face and the stubbles that would never grow on them anymore.

Koguma turned around on his heels and left the place without a single word.

By the time the sun was setting, he had found a spot high up on the cliff behind the hokage tower- the same place he had pressed the gunbai and scythe into Madara's hands so many months ago. His hands flittered to the scrolls tugged into his pouch- Neither Touka nor Naoaki had commented on him taking them. Maybe they thought the weapons were cursed now, after being wielded by a traitor to the village while killing its citizens and fighting the hokage.

The sun was dipping behind the forest, throwing long and stark shadows across the village. It made the damage stand out even more harshly. The air was still warm and insects were buzzing in the tall grass, the lovely smell of the meadow such a harsh contrast to the still lingering stench of burned houses, blood and corpses.

"How is she?" he called out, not taking his eyes off the village, even when heavy steps stopped behind his back.

"Alive." The voice was clipped and cold. "Unhurt."

"Good."

"No thanks to you." Koguma's hands twitched and he swallowed hard, but refrained from answering. "I told you- I told you he'd come back and kill us all." Slight vibrations went through the ground as Susumu stampeded up to him, harshly gripping his shoulder to turn him around. He was baring his teeth in a snarl, amber eyes blazing with anger. Koguma saw the fist raised to strike down, but didn't stop him from punching against his jaw.

This was what he and Susumu resorted to whenever they argued or were angry with each other, after all. Punching and accusing.

He missed Risu.

Susumu hesitated as he raised his fist once more, maybe seeing the thought written all over his face, before it crashed down onto his cheekbone. His face rattled with the force and blood pooled in his mouth as the tender skin broke on his sharp teeth. Instead of punching him a third time, he grabbed Koguma at the front of his top, slightly shaking him as he snarled right in his face, "She could've died because of you, you goddamn bastard. It's a miracle anyone of us is still alive." He let go of his clothing, making him fall down to the ground again. "Fucking pack leader you are."

Koguma turned onto his elbows, before lifting himself into a sitting position, spitting out some of the blood coating his teeth as he did so. When he sat cross-legged, he wiped at his mouth to get rid of the last of the blood sticking to his lips.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Susumu hissed, slightly wavering in his anger, seeing that Koguma didn't react to their ritual of blaming and punching like he usually would.

Koguma kept silent and instead returned to watching the village.

"Are you-" Susumu started, his voice for a moment softening, before his fists started trembling again, "don't you fucking dare ignoring me." Seeing that Koguma still didn't react, he grabbed at his shoulders once more, only to find him completely compliant and limb in his grasp- like tugging at a doll. He groaned in frustration and gave him a sharp shove. "Fine. Be like that."

He went just as loudly as he had come, leaving once again only the sound of crickets behind.

It was closing in on midnight when Koguma made his way back to his house in the compound. He hadn't been there since he had left to join Nami in making dinner, so it was the first time he saw it after the attack. It wasn't as bad as he had feared- sure, some buildings had burned down to a crisp and the streets were littered with rubble and craters. But otherwise the district lacked the distinct smell of blood and death. Still, he could hear mournful weeps behind some of the closed doors he passed. It was only natural that Hatake had tried saving those they considered pack and gave their life for it. That seemed to be the clan's creed after all.

Maybe he had truly never been a Hatake, seeing that half of his was dead, yet he was still standing.

He stopped in front of his house- or what was left of it. The wood was charred, the roof collapsed halfway and parts of the garden wall blasted away. Perhaps Madara had come looking for him, trying to kill him first. The man must have thought Koguma would have stopped him in his attempt.

No, Madara had never truly known what it meant to be part of their team.

Feeling somewhat beside himself, he made his way to the front door hanging out of its rail and into the house. Some of the rooms were nothing but smouldering spaces, while others lacked entire walls or ceilings. Coming to his bedroom, he spotted his traditional Kuma outfit on the clothing rack- hems and haori burned to a crisp. The entire backside of his room was one gaping hole, rubble lining the blackened tatami mats. He walked to where his dresser once stood and lifted a wooden beam off it, his arms and legs groaning underneath the effort. The grey cotton trousers and wrapped tops inside the dresser were still looking good, so he stored them into his bag. Shooting a look at the collapsed wall where usually his swords hung, he felt glad that he had taken them with him on the mission.

Something colourful caught his eye underneath some of the rubble. He gave it a short tug, pulling it out from underneath the mess. Their team photo. The one they had initially set up in the window still in their cabin, where they looked all stern and serious. For a moment he wanted nothing more but to crumble it up, hide the sharp face of Risu, his hazel eyes gazing bored, hide Madara's straight and unforgiving stare, hide his own youthful face, the naïve teenager still thinking he deserved-

Wet fur, ozone, straw and stale sweat. He registered the scent but continued staring at the photograph, the broken frame groaning underneath his hard grip.

"Are you planning on leaving again?" Koguma didn't reply. "Kogu, you need to tell me. Are you leaving again." He didn't even make it sound like a question, more like a demand.

He took his time to answer, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth as he lacked the will to move it. Koguma shook his head, before adding in a gruff voice, "No, Kama." His friend was silent as he stepped up to him, joining him in watching the photograph. "How many?"

Kama seemed to know exactly what he meant. "Six now. Two died only an hour ago from their wounds. Tried defending the Senju, all of them. Two of them were married to Senju. Had kids."

"Had," Koguma echoed tonelessly.

"Had."

Apparently taking a decision, Koguma crunched the frame in between his fist after all, glass and wood digging into his dirty bandages and making blood stain them. He dropped it without another glance. "Do you hate me now, as Susumu does?"

Kama let out a deep sigh. "That idiot doesn't hate you. And I never could." He nudged the photograph with his foot. "The only one hating you is yourself. And maybe the albino."

Koguma gave a bitter scoff, his eyes flittering across the room again.

"Need a place to crash?" his friend added after a few silent minutes, while tugging his hands into his pockets.

"I think I'll sleep underneath the night sky tonight."

"Well then, you can do just that from the soft grass of our back garden." For the first time Koguma turned his face to take him in. The top of his head only reached up to his cheekbones, which was already an accomplishment, considering Koguma's massive size. His ponytail was slightly askew, the hair unwashed and littered with dust and ash. Slatey hooded eyes liked more droopy than they usually did and his slouching didn't stem from relaxation but exhaustion. Yet, still his gaze was relentless as he watched Koguma in return, fingers twitching in his pockets.

"Fine." He strapped the bag over his shoulder and left the room without hesitation. Kama followed him silently.

Soft orange light was shining through the parchment doors, illuminating the backyard of the clan head's house with a dim hue. It appeared that the house Kama shared with Nari had been destroyed as well for them to be here. Or maybe he didn't stay as regularly with his wife as Koguma thought he did. He knew that both weren't exactly happy in their marriage.

Koguma ignored the house and instead plonked his bag underneath a hibiscus bush, caught somewhere between apprehension towards sleeping in a confined space and having the stars stare down at him- judging, weighing, blaming. The thick leaves and heavy flowers would grant him some sort of compromise. He heard the sound of shoving doors and low voices whispering with each other, but ignored them and made move to lay down. Before he could do so, a hand slapped down on his shoulder. He turned to Kama, only after a moment recognizing that he was holding out a bedroll to him.

With a soft hum of gratitude he took it and spread it out underneath the bush. He chugged off his sandals and in a sudden burst of anger, threw them across the yard. They smacked harshly against the opposite stone wall, before disappearing between the flowers. After trying to take some calming breaths, he crawled into the bedroll and pushed the palm of his hands against his eyes, his chest still heaving.

Cloth rustled beside him, but he didn't react. Only when slender fingers, calloused from the use of weapons, softly tugged at his wrists, did he notice how harshly he had pushed against his eyeballs. Stars were dancing in front of his vision and he could feel the pulse of his heart pumping behind them. For a moment he resisted the silent request, before letting Kama pull his hands away.

His friend was kneeling beside him, mouth pulled downward into a worried frown. "You're not to blame, Kogu."

"How can you say that?" he mumbled.

"Because I know and still I don't blame you."

Koguma's mouth turned into a bitter smile. "You'd never blame me for anything."

Kama stilled, eyes slightly widening, before letting out a shaky breath. "Possibly."

"I'd much rather have you be an honest friend instead of trying to please me. Trying to make up for Yama no haru. I forgave you for that already."

Shaking his head and pinching his lips he replied, "I am being honest."

Koguma uttered a disappointed scoff, before turning his back to him, facing the garden wall instead of the night sky. "Go to sleep, Kama."

After a few heartbeats soft steps went across the neatly trimmed lawn and onto the wooden porch, the clicking of the sliding door following after a few more seconds of hesitation. Koguma stared at the plastered stone wall, the soft flowers standing in front of it, watched the dew settle across the grass, heard the rustling of insects making their way along the ground and across the branches of the hibiscus above him. He could also hear the low whisper from inside the house again.

He didn't bother trying to distinct the words.

The sun was scorching and merciless as it burned down onto the village. The stone houses and paths were wavering underneath the heat, turning entire plazas and streets into furnaces. However, despite the scorching temperatures, the village was bustling with activity as the rebuild neared its ending- five weeks from now the leaders of other upcoming villages had been invited to sit down with the hokage and the village had to look spotless by then. They apparently wanted to discuss the fate of the bijuu spirits. Madara using it to wipe out the majority of the Senju clan had shaken not only the Land of Fire, but its neighbours surrounding as well, making the threat of equal massacres palpable.

Koguma couldn't quite understand the process behind it, but Hashirama had even managed binding the nine-tails to his wife. Something to do with seals, but how exactly the man had succeeded constraining the beast- God of Shinobi indeed. Not that he found the idea of putting such a weapon of mass destruction in ones loved one a good idea to begin with. Really, that Senju could at times be colder and more calculating than his bother.

Both he and Kama lifted another heavy wooden beam onto their shoulders, before they dragged it to the new mission's office being build. All compounds had been repaired already at that point, the Senju's now slightly smaller seeing that their numbers had dwindled so drastically, so every free man and woman was now helping rebuilding all the administrative offices. When it was set up and they went to get the next one, a long whistle stopped them in their work to call them for lunch break. He waved Kama to go on ahead, as he first wanted to take up some water from a nearby well to sooth his patchy throat.

When he finally used some of the water to also cool down his neck and face, someone cleared their throat behind him in an awkward fashion. "Remember when we patched that roof and the black haired girl just couldn't stop watching you? I was never too sure if she realised that Risu had been eyeing you up just as much."

He turned around, taking in Susumu through his eyelashes, his own skin pink from the sun. Seeing that Koguma wouldn't react to his words, he instead ventured. "Kikyo told me to invite you to dinner tonight."

Koguma lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe at his face and mouth. "Did she now." His voice was toneless and gruff.

Susumu cringed at his reply. "Well, maybe I want you to come to dinner as well." Koguma hummed and turned to walk away. "Come on Kogu, don't be like that." Seeing that still no reaction would be coming, he hurriedly caught up to his step. For a moment confusion flickered across his face, because they weren't walking to join the others in lunch, but instead headed deeper into the village. "Will you come tonight or not?"

"I'd rather not."

Susumu faltered in his step, before saying, "Honesty. Okay, I can work with that. Better than being ignored." He scratched his head, searching for the right words. "You know, even Kama came to me saying I need to fix this. Fucking Kama standing in front of my house, telling me off for being an asshole. I mean- what kind of irony is that?" Seeing that no reply was coming, he ventured on. "Shit, Kogu, I know we tend to argue. A lot. But, I was just so stressed that day. I really thought- I mean for a moment I was convinced that with our luck I would find Kikyo dead. And the fear of seeing her lying dead on the floor of our kitchen- It had eaten at me. So, I'm sorry for my words."

Koguma didn't react and instead turned right at a crossroad, making his way towards the Hatake compound. Seeing that he was actually trying to get rid of him, Susumu stepped up his game. "Come on Kogu, I didn't mean it when I implied you were a bad pack leader. You know I didn't. Please talk to me."

He stopped in his track and stared down at the white haired man. "Don't do that. I'd rather have you stand by your words."

"What?"

"You always spew the most cruel things when you're angry, but you regard them as true. So stand by it. Stop taking them back as soon as you calm down."

Susumu's face crumbled with misery. "No, Kogu, it wasn't right and it wasn't true. Don't think that." But Koguma had already turned away and continued walking. "Kogu, come on, don't think that, please. You're a good man, a good brother and friend, you take care of us-" Koguma's mouth was pressed into a thin line, making the lines along his mouth stand out harshly, his brows furrowing to show the crease between them. "-so please, come to dinner and let's talk it out. Kikyo's already preparing some daifuke for you-"

He stepped in front of his path, forcing him to stop and look at him. "It's been seven weeks. Kama probably jizzed his pants with excitement having you all to himself for so long, but when even he comes to me, telling me to fix it- Please, Kogu."

Koguma was staring right at him with a mix of irritation and hurt. "No. We're going in circles here. I'm growing sick of it. So sick of it." Seeing Susumu's face flood with guilt, Koguma took a step backwards and shook his head. Then he shunshined across the village in a matter of seconds, all too aware that his brother wouldn't leave him alone. Talking about any of it really wasn't what he wanted.

There was nothing more to say.

He had arrived near the Senju district and was planning on circling back to the mission's office to get back to work, when the sound of little feet tapping on the paved ground drew his attention. There was a little girl running up him, looking slightly lost. Her hair was of a deep red shade, her face still round with baby fat and doe eyes of a blazing yellow colour staring with hope and plea. Yet it wasn't the maybe eight or nine year old's looks that had caught his attention, but the pendant hanging around her neck, that must have surely slipped out of her dress as she hurried along the street. Koguma turned around fully and took some steps towards her, eyes fixed on the necklace.

She stopped in her run and started to cower before his looming figure and intense gaze, so he slowly lowered into a crouch to be on eye-level with her. Then he plastered a polite smile onto his face and crinkled his eyes with fake kindness. "Now, little girl, how did you come to such a fine necklace?"

He watched her grasp the symbol in shock, audibly gasping as she noticed it hanging out, as if having been taught from a young age to hide it. "I would be very careful showing it in this village- it's not really friendly towards any foxes carrying more than one tail at the moment." His gaze flickered down to the pendant peeking out between her fingers- a nine-tailed fox pouncing at a sun. Or a kyuubi spitting a chakra bomb. His voice dripped with coldness as he added, "Nor would I let any Hatake see it."

Seeing his icy gaze and hearing the clipped tone of his words, she stumbled a step backwards, clumsily trying to tuck the chain beneath her dress again. Hurried steps sounded from behind one of the buildings, before a slender woman wearing a lush purple dress came into view. She immediately focused on the little girl, already opening her mouth as if to chide her, before she truly noticed the atmosphere and took in Koguma as he raised to stand upright once more.

She stilled in her steps, eyes blowing wide and shoulders hitching up. "Kenji-" she gasped, a slender hand clasping in front of her mouth.

"Not quite," Koguma replied, letting his sharp fangs peek out between his lips in a bitter smirk. "How wonderful seeing you again, Tori-san. Pray tell, how's Taichiro doing?" Her yellow eyes darted left and right in fear, before she hastily clutched at the child and pulled her behind her back. "Is he here as well? I should congratulate him on his wonderful daughter."

"She's not his," she hissed in panic, some of the red strands of her hair loosening out of her tight bun. "He's been dead for twelve years."

"Is he now?"

"We had nothing to do with it," she hastily added. "His plan. The betrayal. The Kitsune didn't know. And when we found out- we made sure he paid for his disloyalty." It made him almost laugh out loud. How couldn't they have realised? What did they thought was going to happen when Taichiro ordered them to pack their stuff and leave in the dead of night? Stand by while their home stood under attack? They hadn't been there. Hadn't seen what happened. She must take him for a fool to spit such blatant lies right into his face.

Koguma regarded in her slightly fuller cheeks, the healthy colour to her skin, the eyes looking no longer haunted, but sparkling with life. He wouldn't have recognized her if it hadn't been for the necklace. The leader of the Kitsune's beating had ingrained that memory rather securely into his mind. And probably into Kama's as well.

"I'm sure you did," he mumbled. "And yet you fled and hid from us."

She bared her own sharp teeth at him now. "What else were we supposed to do when all of our kin thought us treacherous? We had to save our own skin." Oh, now they were getting closer to the truth- cowardice. Rightfully so.

"And yet here you are in Konoha." He started stalking towards her with slow movements, his gaze fixed on her shaking form, arms tensed next to his body.

She took a hesitant step backwards, eyes fluttering around as if hoping for someone to come and rescue them. "We've found shelter with the Uzumaki. Mito-san called for me and I answered, knowing the risks." Koguma stilled at that, his eyes flashing as he took in the information given in negligence. Perhaps the Kitsune had had a too comfortable life to forget the basic rules of playing and surviving this game. And they were supposed to be the clever ones- what a joke.

Koguma let his eyes snap back to the little girl cowering behind her mother's skirts, lips stretching into a satisfied smile. "Hide the chain. Avoid the southern districts- you'd find the Hatake compound there. Keep to Mito-san and leave as soon as you can." His gaze flickered back to the still form of Tori. "I'm sure some of the elder members would still recognize your scent, even if I didn't."

She paused in her careful retreat, truly regarding him for the first time from head to toe. "You may look like Kenji, but you're just as sensible as Takeo. Your ojisan wasn't known for being a forgiving man. But your tousan would even shake hands with an opponent."

A shadow crossed Koguma's face. "Don't mistake my warning for forgiveness." She dipped her head at him, before grabbing onto the child and hastily making her way down the street. Once they were out of side, he let out a shuddering breath, his arms starting to tremble faintly.

He wasn't too sure whether the gods smiled upon him today or were playing a cruel joke. A bit of both probably.