Seihana at this moment had already predetermined her fate. She was going to die at the hands of her fear. Before such a day she had to organize what she would leave behind. Every girl kunoichi or not dreams of her wedding day. She saw marriage as something to use for leaving her earthly values to someone whom she loved and trusted. Her unconscious fantasies would prove contrary to her preconceptions. Furthermore sometimes these dreams foretell a possible unvarnished truth and causatum.
Temple incense and the chatter of matrimonial rites plagued Sei's senses. She opened her eyes peering to her right to see a smiling Tobirama clothed in black robes. An effulgent smile soo unlike him Sei immediately noticed that she was in a dream.
The boisterous voice of Madara filled out the room Claiming, "I object! She is carrying my child!"
Much to her dismay everyone in the temple centered on her. Their horrified gazes piercing into her. Sei's family was ashamed of her.
"My daughter is pregnant with another accursed Uchiha child???" In horror her father Shōten exclaimed clutching his chest, "This can't be!"
"No! Father!" Sei screamed watching her father fall to the floor dead. She wailed hovering over her father, "Madara! You killed my father!"
Madara claimed bluntly, "That bigot was going to die eventually."
"Actually, Uchiha. Your child is over there." Tobirama pointed out an adorable little girl sitting on Izuna's lap.
The child waved to him, "Hello! Daddy!"
Sei demanded, "Madara! Get out of my dreams!"
Sei woke snuggled up in the blankets of her futon. She felt someone embrace her. Judging by the black hair on her shoulder it was her brother hiding under the blankets. Sei found this behavior unusual of him.
"Brother! What are you doing in my room?"
Dai shivered, "I think father was trying to kill me."
"When he sent you on that mission?"
"I did research on Yoshi's allies... They could have killed me if I did not bring someone else with me."
"What did Tobirama do?"
"He took advantage of the crew's dilemma diplomatically and took Yoshi by surprise. I have no idea how he could find the time before such a fast hand movement to thwart it entirely."
Sei delved into her memory, "I think he has been learning from me."
"You have been teaching the Senju our secret techniques?"
"Of course not! He has a very intuitive mind."
"I see."
Sei mentioned, "Congrats on your marriage to Tora."
"Jealous a bit? Sister? Your Brother married the best woman in the village." Dai snickered.
"I'm going to marry the best man in the village." Sei claimed sticking out her tongue.
"The Senju? I thought Madara Uchiha was the best man in the village..."
"There are many good men in the village. Though you are not among them."
"Ouch... Sister." Dai laid his head on Sei's abdomen. "I heard from a little birdie that you were knocked up... Heh, heh."
"Please don't tell father until the right time." Sei tapped his head with her fingers.
"As you will. I want to surprise that dated fossil. Today at the duel I will tell everyone that you are pregnant." He claimed touching her stomach. "So who's the father?"
Sei whispered in Dai's ear, "It's Madara."
Her brother's face changed between two expressions of horror and happiness. "Father is not going to be happy. But rather furious or disappointed."
"I had a dream where he had a heart attack at my wedding." She commented.
Dai guessed, "Cuz Madara barged in?"
"Yes."
He lowly crackled, "Hahaha! If that happens I will be clan head sooner than later."
"If that is what you want... Duel me but don't hurt me... You don't have to tell anyone I'm pregnant." She whispered in his ear again.
"You can pretend to faint."
"Good idea."
Dai stood up to leave her room. He lastly said giving her a hug, "No fear. I will catch you."
Sei requested, "Father said he is not sick... But.. Sometimes he says what we want to hear... Is he dying? Brother?"
"From what I can tell he is... But don't tell him what he doesn't want to hear."
Sei laughed meekly shaking her head, She asked Dai one last question, "Do you really think father will let me marry outside the clan?"
"Your days like mine are coming to an end. Father would rather see us dead than to grant us our due. He probably already knows about your current state. He would see killing us both as a way of protecting the clan. In his eyes you and I are failures."
Sei lastly questioned, "What is your vision of the future of our clan?"
"I realize the one thing that made clans like Senju strong was their willingness to wed other clans other than their own and bare children. Father understands this too but sees it as a way to make the family stronger. He fails to take notice there is something bigger happening here than family power. In a future time such knowledge will be clearer to us."
Dai walked out onto the pavilion closing the door behind him. A thick blanket of snow covered the grounds and garden pond. A cold wind brushed against Dai's visage, his black hair trailing behind him as he walked. The soft sound of the bamboo fountain clicking as water flowed out its bamboo carrier. It was too peaceful, too picturesque. Like a woodblock print that Dai had seen in merchant stalls.
'Heh, Perhaps I am becoming paranoid.' Dai thought to himself.
The night before Tobirama stayed well past midnight catching up on his work. His studies which he had neglected to spend time with Sei. After midnight he fell asleep at his desk. He woke up early the next morning to see Mai leaning on the frame of his bedroom door. She clothed herself in a loose red yukata. Clothing not appropriate for winter.
"I see you came here to join us, Mai." Said the voice of Seihana from his futon. Sei laid down on her side. Her silky ebon hair flowing over her soft pearly nude body.
Mai joined Sei and urged Tobirama, "Come join us."
"What are you two doing? Tempting me?" He dipped his brush back into the ink pot.
Mai tittered, "You hear that Sei he's tempted."
Them both surrounded him on both sides. Sei proclaimed, "Yes, We are temptresses. Come join us, Tobira."
"It will be fun." Sei ran her fingers through his hair.
Mai tugged on his hakama, "Let's take off your clothes first... We can help you with that if you like."
"Mai, Don't force him... You are soo greedy."
"I'm the greedy one? You wanted him all to yourself, Sei."
Sei disagreed resting her chin on his shoulder, "No, He wanted me all to himself."
"Now he has both of us."
He claimed cunningly, "Yes, I do... Now the both of you will let me finish my studies."
The women pouted, "What are we going to do?"
"Wait on the futon."
"You overwork yourself, Tobirama." Sei commented laying back.
"Hey! Brother!" Hashirama stuck his head in. He requested, "We have a village meeting today."
Four little heads popped in from the porch side of the room. They all asked, "What are you going to teach us? Today? Sensei?"
Aikiku hugged him, "Brother, I'm soo sorry! For everything."
Madara grabbed him by his hair, "How dare you! Mutt! Sei was fated to be mine."
Izuna's ephemeral voice gloated, "My eyes terrify you... Because you fear loosing control over yourself."
"My daughter will die before she leaves her family for an outsider." Whispered the stern voice of Shōten.
Tobirama susurrated, "You all think you can stop me."
An ever fluctuating shadow stood in front of him replacing his female companions. The husky voice repeated Tobirama, "You all think you can stop me."
Madara's form melded into the changeable shadow. The shadow clutched him by the neck. Swirling pale eyes peered into his core. The phantom launched him through the sliding door frames. He rebound back on his feet taking out a kunai from his blue robe. He felt a paw pat him repeatedly.
"Tobirama! Wake up!" Kūrō's voice called to him. Tobirama awoke to Kūrō's paw slapping his face. Ignoring Kūrō he reached for his ningatō and left his room to search out the disturbance.
Kūrō chased after him. He said, "It was the onikage."
With his sensory abilities Tobirama searched out the onikage's chakra. Nevertheless the onikage's presence disappeared shortly after his search. Kūrō rubbed his side against his leg.
"Was that genjutsu? He used on me? Or did he enter my dreams?" He hoped Kūrō knew.
"I never had that happen to me. I'm not sure if it even is possible for me... Sei will know. She experienced it herself several times."
He sheeved the Raijin sword, "What is she doing today?"
"Dueling her brother... Don't worry it's not going to be to the death."
Tobirama chose to have faith in her capabilities, "Sei would defeat him anyway with or without her current condition."
"You don't seem to worry about Sei that much."
"Yes, She is stronger than what she appears to be and better than what she puts across to others..." Tobirama changed his tone peremptorily, "However I do understand why she does that. It's how she protects herself and others from her."
"You like her despite her selfishness and manipulations?"
"I did not choose her without thinking of her flaws." He snickered, "I want you to return to Sei and tell her that I would like to see her again tomorrow."
"I want payment!" Kūrō demanded raising his paws.
He petted Kūrō's head, "What could you possibly want?"
Kūrō stretched, "Lap time and I want to sleep in your room."
ψ()ψ
The twins Sei and Dai mock dueled each other. Their lightning fast hand movements blurred to the naked eye. In the background their father watched and waited. After five minutes had passed, black clad shinobi materialized from the shades beyond the dim candles of light. The five mysterious shinobi attacked their father.
"No, Father!"
"Wait! Sister!"
Sei went to assist her father but Dai struck the chakra center in the middle of her spine, her limbs went numb. She fell back motionless, shadowy specters broke her fall. Dai held and protected Sei. Without hesitance their father's guard came to assist and defend their master.
Sei could only use her mouth, "Brother! Why did you do that to me? We have to help father!"
Dai said as fighting continued in the background, "You sister are at a disadvantage. Being pregnant. It's my duty to protect you."
Sei tried to scowl, "I don't need protection! Father needs protection from the shinobi. How did they get through the compound patrol's sight?... The onikage... Why would he send his minions to attack our father?"
"You are the only person who could know and that you don't is surprising."
"The onikage thought it best to keep me ignorant of his secret workings."
"Makes sense."
Sei teared up, "Why would the Onikage want father dead? Unless Father wanted me killed. "
Dai agreed, "Nothing pasts you."
Tora hurried in and knelt beside Dai, "Dai, What happened?"
He replied to her, "Our father was attacked by assailants... Let's take Sei to her room."
"Yes."
Sei said to Dai, "We should search father's chambers."
(ノo)ノ...
Later that day Dai and Sei searched out their father's quarters. His study was piled with all sorts of texts and scrolls. It would take them a while to find anything informative. Sei thought it best to look through his desk first.
She found a scroll containing the writings of her father. A log about her abduction fifteen years ago. Her father had tried to search for her. His research of the onikage came as far as the caves to the north. Vivid memories came back to Sei of her time with the onikage. However her brother interrupted her recollections.
Dai gave her a scroll, "Sister... Look, Father wanted me to kill you during our duel. He told me to do so..."
"But you couldn't..."
He hugged her, "No, We may have our differences but I could never kill my twin sister... Especially when she is having a baby."
She embraced her brother back, "He thought killing me would stop the onikage's plans... They might have... That's why the onikage went after father."
Sei felt paws touch her legs. It was Kūrō with a folded message in his mouth. Sei took the folded paper and read it, "Tobirama wants me to meet him tomorrow. Thank you, Kūrō."
