My, my.
I don't want to know how long it has been, but well - finally (!) I have a new chapter for you. I am so, so sorry for the long abscence and I will update shorter chapters for now to (hopefully) post more frequently. With the new semester starting, I can't promise anything, but I am motivated and I assure you I want to write this story and have many ideas!
So. I hope you enjoy this new chapter and see you around next time.
Greetings,
Aravae
PS: I was so happy about the new follows and favoruties and I appreciate the interest in my story greatly. If you have the time and motivation, leave a review! It will be read and answered to and I love to see some comments and/or constructive criticism.
Chapter IV
Miharu did not find sleep during the night and was utterly exhausted when she stepped into the dining area the next morning and rubbed her eyes.
Almost all family members were present at the richly filled table, but spared her only glances and didn't comment on her appearance. She knew that her clothes were wrinkled and her hair a mess as she didn't have the time to slip into the bathroom and clean herself before breakfast.
"Good morning", Matsumae greeted her.
"Morning."
Miharu yawned and nodded to Kawarama who sat in his seat and watched his younger siblings fighting over some bread. She plopped down in her own seat and looked to Butsumas empty chair.
"Butsuma is in a meeting already", Matsumae said as she followed Miharus glimpse, "He will attend dinner though."
Miharu nodded and managed to grab some food that she devoured hungrily. Staying up all night had cost her a lot of energy that she sought to replenish before tackling the day. Kami knew, she might need it. Even now her eyelids dropped down as soon as she lost concentration and she feared that she might simply faint within the next few hours.
The reason for her restlessness sat right in front of her and raised an eyebrow at her appearance. Tobirama was done with his share of the breakfast already and drank his second cup of tea while watching the family.
Miharu swallowed and looked away. As Matsumae had acted like all the days before, she doubted that Tobirama had told his mother about their nightly encounter. It made her wonder though why he didn't say a thing. She tossed and turned during the night fearing the consequences if he told a soul about her intentions. Butsuma especially wouldn't be happy about her behaviour and she feared that he came up with another way to punish her.
And she sure was certain that she treaded on thin ice already as the village has been tense since her arrival.
Tobirama rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Hashirama who devoured the last bit of vegetables.
"Mother", he then spoke and Miharu tensed slightly, "Don't you think, it's time for Miharu to get to know the other children? She has been with us the whole time."
He smirked in the direction of the little girl who mustered her most furious glare. Tired or not, she had enough strength left to hate that boy.
"Well, of course!", Matsumae replied, "How silly of me. Miharu, would you like to come?"
The girl was currently in a staring match with Tobirama, but the cheeky brat knew that he had her in his hands and he delivered the message as clear as possible. She didn't want to go, but he left her no choice. He knew more than his mother and he used it to his advantage.
Suddenly, Tobirama was not her ally anymore, but some brat who used the information he gathered most efficiently. She had to give him that.
Miharu ground her teeth, but nodded nonetheless and broke eye contact with Tobirama. He won this round, but he would not win another. That, she swore.
Matsumae smiled brightly and looked to Itama.
"Itama has a play date with the children of a dear friend of mine. I am sure, you are most welcome."
Miharu doubted that with every fibre of her being. Until now, she had received a lot of mistrust and icy behaviour and she feared that the children might adapt that from the adults.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
The family quickly cleared the table after their meal and while the three older brothers bid their mother goodbye to go to the training grounds, Miharu watched their retreating backs with envy.
"Are you ready?"
Sighing, Miharu turned around and nodded to Matsumae, who offered her her hand and ushered Itama forward. The boy seemed not so eager and turned his head every few steps. Being the youngest and the only one not allowed to train didn't sit well with him and his sour expression only faded when they stepped into the settlement.
Only a few Senju were up and about at this time of the day, but every single one shot them a questioning glance before moving on to finish their tasks. Miharu was glad that there were not more people ogling at her and she quickly ducked her head to avoid more attention.
Their march was short and led them to a house that was situated in the middle of the settlement. That for one, was a surprise to Miharu as it meant that the family was not able to defend themselves. SO no shinobi living within. She didn't know if it was unsettling or comforting.
As soon as they entered the small garden, a woman stepped out of the house and smiled at them. She was a beauty in every meaning of the word with black, straight hair, big, brown eyes and a slender figure. She wore a green dress and a pair of sturdy looking boots.
"There you are!", she greeted them, "I thought you lost your way."
Matsumae let go of Miharu and pulled the woman into a tight embrace.
"I am sorry for the delay, but the breakfast took longer than I thought."
Itama nodded in greeting and quickly disappeared through the door – no doubt knowing where the other children were. That left Miharu standing behind Matsumae though and she looked up to the woman, not knowing what to say.
As soon as the beauty turned her attention to the girl, she ducked her head and made the biggest, innocent eyes she was capable of.
"So this is the new spitfire you took in", the woman said, "I must say I am a little disappointed, Matsumae. I thought you said she has quiet the temper."
"She has", Matsumae replied, "But she knows when to show it."
The woman laughed and crouched down to be on eyelevel with Miharu.
"What's your name, little one?"
"Miharu."
The woman smiled.
"That's a wonderful name. My name is Mariyo."
"It is nice to meet you", Miharu replied and before she could understand the situation, she was pulled into an embrace and nearly choked to death.
"What a sweetheart! Matsu, why were you hiding her for so long?"
To say Miharu was confused, was the understatement of the century. This woman didn't know her well – in fact, she was sure, she knew of the rumours and the circumstances of her appearance – but she treated her like a normal child.
"We had a squabble with the elders", Matsumae replied, "But now she is all yours."
Mariyo let go of the girl and beamed.
"I will gladly take care of her and Itama. Don't you worry about a thing."
Matsumae nodded and looked to the house, hoping that Itama might come and bid her goodbye. But the child was occupied with his playmates, so the woman sighed and shot Miharu a small smile.
"Behave yourself. I'll have Kawarama come and pick you two up later."
Miharu nodded and watched while Matsumae thanked Mariyo again and bid her goodbye. Then, she was alone in a house full of strangers and fear conquered her heart. Would they treat her like all the others did? Would they send her away?
She glanced in Mariyos direction and mentally shook her head. The woman had been kinder to her than any other settler so far and even now she smiled brightly.
"Come on. I'll show you around and introduce you to my children. I think you'll like them."
Miharu doubted it, but followed Mariyo inside nonetheless. What choice did she have after all?
The house – although smaller than the clanhead's – had a similar composition and consisted of a bath, a dining area, a kitchen and two bedrooms. A small garden was attached in the back and the front porch was filled with flowers and plants that Miharu had never seen before. Bees and bumblebees buzzed around and birds sang their songs of discontent as they stepped into the gardens and disturbed their peace.
Under the crown of a big oak tree sat three children and played with their wooden figures. One of them was Itama and he looked up when he sensed their approach.
The other two were a boy who was maybe two years older than them and a girl their age whose big eyes zoned in on Miharu and the smile dropped from her face. If it was caused by surprise or anger, Miharu couldn't say.
Miharu rolled her eyes and allowed Mariyo to pass her, so she stood behind the tall woman and watched the scene unfolding from behind her legs.
"Hello Itama. I see you found Aimi und Daisuke."
Itama scoffed and turned around to resume their play with the wooden figures. Aimi and Daisuke were too curious to follow his lead though and they stared at Miharu as if she suddenly grew two heads.
"Kids, this is Miharu. She will play with you today. Be nice."
Mariyo smiled at Miharu and put one hand on her back to push her forward.
"Go on. I'll make lunch."
Miharu watched her go and dread filled her. She was alone now with three children she didn't know – or at least two she didn't know and Itama she hadn't talk to much. What a good start.
"Hi. I am Aimi", the young girl said, "And that is my brother Daisuke."
"Miharu."
Daisuke nodded and resumed his play with Itama, but Aimi watched Miharu intently and a small smile crept on her face.
"You look cute. Did your mother make this?" Aimi pointed at Miharus Yukata that was a rich red colour that day and was given to her by Matsumae.
"My mother is dead", Miharu stated and Aimis eyes grew wide. The little girl started to stutter some senseless sentences that no one understood, while Miharu sat down beside Itama and watched the wooden figures being shoved across the battlefield.
Miharu let the girl squirm for a few minutes, but finally took pity on her and smiled.
"It's alright. She died a while ago."
Aimi still looked uncomfortable, but dropped the topic and – with the concentration of a three-year-old - scrunched her nose about the formation her brother assembled. She skittered to his side and studied the board more focused.
"You are going to lose this", she stated. Daisuke watched his younger sister intently and his eyebrows rose.
"My forces are totally fine, thank you, sister."
Itama and Miharu scoffed as they too saw the flaw in his line-up. The game the boys were playing was an adaption of chess, created for children and simplified so that they had fun and learned the first important lessons in strategy and tempo. The figures they used were old and withered, but still recognizable and Itama seemed to have a knack for this kind of games as he assembled his forces almost flawlessly and slowly – but steadily – strengthened his hold on Daisuke.
"You are going to lose your knights within the next three rounds", Miharu said, "And probably your foot soldiers right after."
Daisuke and Itama stared at her, then the board and then at each other. While Itama showed a big grin, the older boys face went sour and he shot Miharu a nasty glance.
"She is right", Itama stated.
"Not quite", Aimi interrupted and she positioned some archers who were now protecting the knights from the coming onslaught.
Miharu knitted her eyebrows and bit on her lip. The new defence was troublesome, but there might be a way to go around it – facing it directly would lead to too many losses and a possible loose.
"May I?", she asked Itama who simply nodded and let her take the lead. Excitement filled her as she was not only playing a game, but with other children as well who weren't viewing her as some kind of monster.
She smiled brightly at Aimi, who responded alike and the two girls settled into a small rivalry about who was more capable of supporting their brothers while Daisuke and Itama remained quiet and simply watched.
And so began one of the longest and most tiring rounds Miharu ever experienced and after it was done, she not only gained Itama as a new ally, but Aimi and Daisuke as friends. Who won, you ask? Aimi and Daisuke as Miharu wouldn't allow any of her troops to die unnecessary deaths. Itama was impressed and crestfallen at once, but didn't tell her that. In a real war, they might have won, because Aimi and Daisuke sacrificed a lot of their soldiers and knights to take them down. The losses might have been enough, to force them into a peace treaty or truce.
Either way, the board game was over and the siblings won fair and square.
And Mariyo? The young woman couldn't believe her eyes as she had to drag her children away from the board to eat. Not once had that happened since Daisukes birth.
Meanwhile, the three older brothers of the main family sat beneath a tree and took a well-deserved rest after an exhausting training session. The sun was high in the sky and they wouldn't be able to continue after their break. Kawarama had to take Itama and Miharu home, while Hashirama and Tobirama were tasked with cleaning the house. They weren't excited, but every once in a while, Matsumae requested those days when they came together and acted like a real family. No training in the afternoon, no meetings with clan elders.
Just them.
Hashirama shot a worrying glance in Tobiramas direction and wondered what was wrong with his younger brother. He was unusually quiet – even for his standards – and didn't complain about Hashiramas Kekkei Genkai, nor Kawaramas brutal strength and stamina. No, he sat beside the oldest, drank his water and fixated a point far away on the other side of the training ground. Although nothing was there.
"What are you thinking about?", Hashirama asked his younger brother.
Tobirama winced – one more reason to be worried about him: he had never winced before – and looked to Hashirama who raised an eyebrow.
His brother looked as if thinking hard about something; scrunching up his nose and wrinkling his eyebrows. Kawarama watched the exchange intrigued, but stayed out of it for now.
"I met Miharu last night", Tobirama finally said and both older brothers snorted.
"What do you mean 'you met her'?", Hashirama pondered and it seemed that Tobirama caught onto their line of thought fast and turned beet-red.
"Not that", he snapped and looked away. Oh, it was so much fun to mess with that little boy! Hashirama hid his grin, but couldn't do much about the twinkle in his eyes.
"By Kami, can you please stop with those assumptions?", Tobirama bit out, "It's annoying."
Kawarama snickered and patted his head.
"We are just kidding, little brother."
Tobirama swatted his hand away and glared at the older boy.
"Well, then leave it!", he spat out.
Kawarama rolled his eyes and put some distance between him and this spitfire that was his brother. Tobirama had his heart in the right place, but his demeanour wasn't enduring anymore. Quite the opposite actually!
Hashirama shook his head. It was just a little bit of fun between siblings, so why was Tobirama acting up so much? What could happen between two young children anyway?
The answer was: nothing. Even if Tobirama had a little crush on the girl – although Hashirama highly doubted that – he wouldn't act on it. Neither had he the hormones, nor the courage to do so. And Miharu of all people was too occupied with growing accustomed to the new situation.
"You are acting ridiculous", Kawarama said and it was just enough, to tick Tobirama off for good. The boy jumped up and threw himself at his sibling.
Hashiramas eyes went wide and he quickly jumped into the safety of a branch above. The tree shook under the forces that met on the ground, but he was sure, the old wood would withstand the attack. After all, he could stabilize it even more with his Mokuton.
"I hate you!", Tobirama cried and soon after, he was pinned down to the floor by Kawarama and had to beg for mercy as the older boy sat on top of him and made sure he couldn't breathe properly.
"What did you say?", Kawarama asked.
Tobirama squirmed under the weight, but finally surrendered. The oldest grinned brightly and stood up, offering his help in the process, but Tobirama simply jumped up and put some distance between them.
Hashirama sighed and deemed it safe enough to come down now. He landed beside Tobirama and put one arm around his shoulders.
"So", he started, "What was so interesting last night that you have to tell us?"
Tobirama removed the arm from his body and watched his brothers carefully before spilling the beans.
"She almost ran away."
They went silent for a moment while they processed the information. To say that Hashirama was surprised would be the lie of the century. He had expected it.
Miharu was thrust into an impossible situation which she couldn't get out of. She was alone, scared and utterly confused, although he tried everything in his power to make her feel better. That she tried to get away was only natural.
He would have tried the same thing.
"And you coaxed her out of it?", Kawarama asked and couldn't hide his surprise. Tobirama scoffed and shot his brother an annoyed look.
"Yes, I did. Is that so surprising?"
"Well…", Kawarama started and glanced in Hashiramas direction to get some help. Any help. But Hashirama simply shrugged and stayed out of the squabble.
Tobirama folded his arms in front of him and narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah?", he pondered and Kawarama looked more uncomfortable by the minute. His little brother inherited the piercing red eyes of their mother and learned early to use them to his advantage. It was unsettling to look into them for more than a second, but having them trained on yourself? Although Kawarama was stronger and more experienced then Tobirama, he felt a chill running down his spine.
If he was capable of sporting that look at five years old, there was no telling how devastating it might be once he was older.
"Well… no offense, brother, but you can be quite intimidating. I do wonder that Miharu didn't run for the hills as soon as she saw you."
Tobirama cocked his head to the side and studied Kawarama.
"I can be sensitive", he stated and his brother raised his arms in surrender.
"Of course you can", Kawarama replied and Hashirama barely contained a snort. Tobirama and sensitive? It was the first time those two words appeared in the same sentence. His little brother was many things – some even considered him the smartest child in the settlement and a prodigy of the Senju clan -, but he was anything but sensitive. At times, he had trouble recognizing facial expressions that symbolled hurt or anger.
He constantly misinterpreted mood swings, couldn't for the life of him comprehend the point of another human being and behaved like an eighty-year-old who saw countless wars and became dull and cynical in the process.
No. It seemed unbelievable to him that Tobirama managed to persuade the girl into staying. Had he threatened her instead? Tied her to her bed? Told their parents?
Hashirama eyed him suspiciously and shook his head. Tobirama would never betray another member of the clan like that. Telling their parents meant more trouble for Miharu. Something – and they all agreed on that – she didn't need at the moment.
"So", Kawarama started, "What did you do?"
Tobirama shrugged and looked away, not willing to share this part of the story. It had been a conversation between him and Miharu and Hashirama understood that it might be better it stayed between them. Kawarama had another position and pestered his little brother for more.
However, Tobirama remained steadfast and didn't even blink when Kawarama tried to get a rise out of him.
Hashirama watched the squabble and sighed. Both parties were thick-headed and strong. Surely, Kawarama might use his superior weight to pin Tobirama down again, but the boy learned from the last fight and remained light on his feet.
The sun started her descent when Kawarama stopped the fight und looked up at the sky. His face paled considerably and his eyes went wide.
"I have to get Itama and Miharu!", he yelled and was gone in a flash.
Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged looks, but didn't comment on their brothers behaviour. It was quite common for him to lose track of time after all.
"Guess we should head home now", Hashirama stated.
Tobirama nodded and picked up the Kunai and Shuriken that were used in the fight, before joining Hashirama on their way home.
