"I think it looks… fine." Butsuma nodded in hesitant approvement, while they stood in the middle of the place Tobirama's wedding feast would be held at. A cleared circle, among the mess of a building site that would be their village – with a wedding arch stuck in the middle of it – wasn't what Tobirama would usually define as fine. But, it didn't even really matter. It will serve its purpose, either way.
It could have looked way better, if it had been all set up inside their camp. But Uchihas decisively refused for the ceremony to be held on Senju grounds. And he and his father, obviously, refused to have it done on Uchiha grounds. It's not like he was the bride; she's joining his family, so it made sense for the wedding to be held among his kin. Then Hashirama suggested they make a compromise, and now it will be held among all this chaos.
"To think it came so soon…" His father commented, and he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder. "You're getting married in a few days."
The older man smiled proudly, and Tobirama smiled back. However strange the whole arrangement was, marriage was the life point that a lucky few got to experience in their world. Hashirama and himself were Butsuma's only children who even made it to adulthood; he didn't want to ruin his father's happiness by showing how insecure he was about it all.
"However, remember—"
"Don't let her do whatever she wants." He finished Butsuma's sentence, having heard it a dozen times since he proposed to the Uchiha girl.
"Yes. Especially—"
"Since she's from a different clan. We have to keep the upper hand." He chuckled.
The man frowned at him, grimly. "It's very easy to mock your father, Tobirama; but to live by those words, not so much. If you grow to love that girl… she may very easily end up doing as she pleases with you."
"When had anyone ever done with me as they pleased, father? I know how to deal with people."
"You know how to deal with subordinates and enemies. What do you know of women? When have I ever seen you with one?" Butsuma mocked, making him ultimately shut up. Mean old man, he thought to himself.
When his father's expression suddenly changed, Tobirama looked at the direction he was facing, and saw Tajima and Madara approaching from distance. They all had to go over all the plans once more, and then… all there was left was to wait for next week.
….
"You go ahead, father. I wish to speak to Hashirama about something." Madara said, when he and Tajima were about to go home. In truth, he just needed to buy himself some time, so he could meet Hisa on his way back.
"Are you two forging plans behind everyone's back, again?" The man looked at him suspiciously.
"No, nothing like that." He smiled.
"Alright, then. You don't want me to wait for you?"
"That's not necessary."
Tajima nodded, and went about his way, going back home.
He went over to Hashirama and suggested they take a walk around the site, to see how everything is going. The other delightedly accepted, and the two of them inspected this or that building or pile of material. Ultimately, he was content with it. It was not yet livable, but was progressing very well. They might be able to slowly start moving in as soon as four or five months after Sumi's wedding to Tobirama.
"I'll be on my way now, too." He told the Senju once they had made a full circle, and shook hands with him.
He didn't bother to go too fast. Tajima would ask questions if he caught up too soon, and Hisa already told him she had made time and will wait for him.
….
Madara made his way through the large trees, now able to hurry up as he was travelling in a different direction from the one Tajima would take to go home. He and Hisa had agreed to meet by a lake, not too far and not too close to their camp.
Not long after, he was able to see the shiny surface of water, and when he came even closer, spotted the woman lounging on a rock by the shore. He paused to look around and try to hear any sign of someone having been following her there, but only heard birds and the wind.
She stood up from her spot, lightly jogged over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Madara smiled, and pulled the woman closer to himself, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair. Parting from her, he took a few moments to gaze upon her face, and tuck some of the black hair that framed it behind her ear.
It came as a surprise, but he did miss her. Not just the sex, but conversations and sarcasm she brought. They haven't had a chance to meet up ever since Yushiro decided to take fewer jobs, almost a month ago.
They took a seat in the grass, and somehow, without a word of agreement, decided to just spend the time talking. They didn't even really have enough time to make love; she definitely couldn't stay away from home for too long.
Madara told her about the progress of their village and when she might expect to start living there, and she shared the details of training with her eldest daughter, who was apparently showing great talent as a kunoichi.
"I suppose this can't go on for much longer." He said after a while, clearly pointing to their relationship.
"Yes… Yushiro decided he's going to spend more time home, with the children."
"He knows."
"What?!"
"I mean, he doesn't know it's me, but he is very suspicious of you cheating. He told my father."
Hisa exhaled a long breath of air, running her fingers through her hair.
"This is it, then. We have to stop right now." She stood up abruptly, looking down at him, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Madara got up too, and took her hand in his.
He didn't want to let go of this woman. Their clan had finally, if albeit partially, achieved peace; he could now, perhaps, dare to have a meaningful lover in his life. And if Hisa walks out of his life completely, then… the only woman left by his side would be Mego, and he had an uncanny, but strong feeling that would be very bad.
"Hisa…" He began. "Is there any way you—"
"Don't even say it." She pulled away, frowning at him. "How can you even ask such a thing of me? Have you forgotten I have three children?! I should just abandon them because I like you? You're not stupid like that, Madara."
Not stupid, just selfish. He almost said, but managed to keep the words only as his thoughts. He would repress thoughts about his sister in law by separating a mother from her children. How did I even get here? He wondered.
"Of course. Forgive me." He nodded understandingly, trying to appear as remorseful as he could.
"I'll go back now. Wait a while before you follow."
Having said that, she turned around and left.
Sighing, he sat back down, and decided to amuse himself by throwing pebbles until it's time to go home, as he did when he was a child.
….
"Brother in law?" Mego ambushed him as soon as he reached the house. He smiled lightly at her eagerness. It was so obvious she was up to something.
"What is it, Mego?"
"I need your advice on something. Come, we'll talk over tea." She stood almost two meters away from him, busying her hands with hems of her sleeves. He motioned for her to lead on, noticing how she looked back every now and then, picking up or slowing down her pace depending on how close behind he was. She was trying to keep an appropriate distance between them.
Good, he thought. In truth, he worried about her not taking his warning seriously, but she seemed to have.
She stopped at one of the doors, and they were opened from the inside. There was Sumi, waiting for them in hers and Mego's shared room. Madara cleared his throat. He wasn't thrilled by the idea of them meeting inside her bedroom unless they absolutely had to, but at least they weren't alone; although, it wouldn't surprise him if his imaginative clansmen came up with a tale of him taking both women for himself at once. That thought amused almost as much as it repulsed him.
Regardless, he took his seat on a cushion and took a sip of hot tea, before turning his attention to the females before him. They sat opposite of him, their posture straight, faces uncomfortably serious, and their mouths, unusually, closed.
Frowning, he placed the cup back on the table, not looking away from the two.
"What do you want?" He didn't bother to conceal suspicion in his voice.
The girls faced each other briefly, then turned back to him. Mego took a deep breath. So it's favor, not advice they need, he concluded easily.
"So… Sumi's wedding is coming up soon…" She began.
"Yes, for months now. What of it?"
"Well, and I am, given my status… not exactly wanted there." Sumi nodded her head at Mego's every word, as if she was saying anything concrete. He decided to be silent, and see what they actually had in mind.
"What if I could be there?" She bit her lip, waiting for a response.
He raised an eyebrow. "And how ex—"
"Hensōjutsu." Sumi interjected excitedly even before he had a chance to finish.
It was unlikely, but he gave it a few seconds to make sure they weren't joking. When their expecting gazes didn't budge, a snicker involuntarily escaped him; and he barely managed to keep it from evolving into full-on laughter.
"You, Mego? You are going to do Transformation jutsu and attend her wedding like that?"
They exchanged a sad look and lowered they gazes to the floor. Did they rehearse this or something? He was beginning to get annoyed. After all the weariness and stress from this day, he didn't need their foolish ideas on top.
"Are you two insane?" He decided to face Sumi first. "You're supposed to be the responsible one between you two. What's wrong with you?"
"Brother in law—" Mego began, but he motioned for her to be quiet.
"And you… You're about to go into labor any day now! Are you even aware how good your chakra control has to be to keep a jutsu up over time? No, of course you aren't. What the hell do you even know of shinobi techniques?!"
He got up to leave, but remembered he forgot something.
"Where did you even get that idea?"
"We looked for things to read around the house and… came upon this jutsu." Mego explained quietly, not even facing him.
He sighed, shaking his head in disapprovement.
"Just so you know, I will leave a shadow clone behind on that day. Don't even think of going behind my back."
"Alright, brother in law." Mego said compliantly. "We wanted to ask your opinion first, anyway."
"It's not alright! Are you aware what you two are suggesting? You want me to allow you to break the law; and for what?! So you could attend a wedding? Believe me, you're not going to miss much." He headed for the door, still feeling burdened and angry after that entire day. He paused once more.
"And not to mention that you'd play around with the techniques we developed to fight off enemies and keep you safe! People who are risking their lives on the battlefield have the right to wield jutsu, not the likes of you two!"
With that, he finally exited the room, making sure the door doesn't escape his rage either.
…..
At last alone, Madara threw himself on his bed. He started to feel a grip of headache around his brows, and tried to relax, in hopes it would go away.
He wondered briefly if he could have been milder in dealing with those two, but ultimately decided he did the right thing. They were sprouting nonsense, and it should be treated as such.
One thing that made him feel slightly better was the fact that he didn't feel strange around Mego back there. It might have been him overreacting, but he truly panicked, thinking how he had started to view her in a different light.
No, he wasn't exactly lusting for her. If that was the case… he didn't know what he'd do.
That wasn't it. She wasn't really his type, to begin with. Not that she was half bad. He sat up abruptly. There it was, now he felt strange again.
Ever since the other day, he had tried to rationalize and explain to himself what it was. He knew very well at this point what it meant to desire someone, and this wasn't it. The problem was, he learned, that he had never even thought of Mego as a woman before… Gods, that's a stupid way to put it.
He knew she was a woman – she's pregnant, duh. But… he had never considered her an eligible woman; someone he could ever be involved with. And learning how everyone around him seemed to think they could be and were involved… he just couldn't help but imagine what those people imagined. And shamefully, didn't wince away from it.
Alright, that's enough. He decided, and pulled covers over himself, deciding to go to sleep. He had a feeling this annoying day might only get worse if he allows it to continue.
