The room that the Nara had led him too was small, not too big, but just a decent size to fit one person. Obviously, they did this often, given that the man had explained this is where they house people who were not of their clan when they wanted to do business. Which was smart on their part since they were well know for being a neutral party for the most part. The Senju never really had much bad blood between them and the Nara, the Uchiha however… There had been a time when Tajima had been clan head, and he had been going all out on the Nara. And it really did not go well, give the Yamanaka and Akamichi were fast friends with the Nara.
That had been one of Tajima's more embarrassing defeats, which had been right before Madara had take over as head of the clan. He always did wonder what exactly happened to Tajima, since he had all but vanished after that specific battle. Had he been injured? Or shamed? Seeing how Madara avoided any talk about his father, he could only assume shame had something to do with it.
While his own father had passed due to his injuries, which were worse than even Hashirama could deal with… But he had a feeling Hashirama had not tired as hard as he had claimed he had. It was not hard to tell there had been bad blood with Butsuma and Hashirama, ever since the incident at the river.
With a shake of his head, he moved over to the makeshift bed and sat down.
No matter the case, Hashirama and Madara were now the head of their clans.
His mind went to Izuna now, remember how his face had been drawn and blank, but he could tell how tense the other had been by his shoulders and how he had been holding himself. He was sure the other did not want any of this, and he was personally shocked that Madara was allowing this, though… He was not sure that is why they wanted Tobirama to stay with the Uchiha, so that way Izuna would not have to be alone within the Senju clan… But now he was going to be the one to be alone in a clan that does not like him at all. Well, at least he was better at hiding things than Izuna, even Hashirama had to have noticed how uneasy the youngest male had been.
A small sigh left his lips as he laid back on the bed, if it were not for the peace that Hashirama and Madara wanted, he would not have agreed to any of this. But because he loved his brother, and he wanted the other male to be happy. He was resigned to do just that. And it seemed that Izuna was too, even if he was much more reluctant than Tobirama was.
He rolled over and closed his eyes for a moment, it was barely time for bed, but he was still tired. It was not like he was needed for anything, so he decided a nap would not hurt. Though his naps were never really napping… He was not within his own compound, so he was still on high alert. So, anyone coming near his room would rouse him easily.
It wasn't until a few hours later that he fully roused at the sound of a bird outside his window, he blinked his eyes a bit and looked more at the bird. It was a summons, he could tell. And it had a note tied to its leg. He pushed himself up and moved over to the window, opening it so he could secure the note. When he did, the bird flew off.
He did not think much of it as he opened the letter and read the writing.
Meet me in a half hour at the main training grounds.
The letter was not signed, but it was certainly not Hashirama or Madara's handwriting.
So, he could only assume Izuna, and he was weirdly amused at how girly the others handwriting was.
A small sigh left his lips as he slipped the note into his pocked and proceeded to redress himself in his armor and sandals. Once that was done, he left the room. He could only begin to imagine what Izuna wanted. And it was likely to do with today's meeting. It was too dangerous to fight or spar even within the Naras grounds, it may not have been their actual compound, but it still belonged to them, and destroying it was not the best thing to do, not when Hashirama wanted to reach out to them about the village as well.
*****
It only took Tobirama roughly ten minutes to get there.
Glancing around, he could tell Izuna was not there, but he was on his way. He could feel the others chakra signature moving towards the location, so it had been Izuna then. He wonders just what the other male wanted to talk about? It could only have to do with what was going on, it was the only thing that made any feasible sense to him. Was he going to tell Tobirama this was only a political marriage, and that there was no chance or hope of love? Something Tobirama already assumed would be the case anyways.
Tobirama was well aware he was likely going to be in a loveless marriage, would Izuna want to take lovers? That was something he found that he did not mind, if it would make Izuna happy to do so, he could. Tobirama never really thought much of love, or sex for that matter. So, he found he likely would not even look for a lover, he found he really didn't care enough.
When Izuna came out from the trees, he stared at Tobirama for a moment, taking in the way the other male looked way to relaxed for this situation. He spoke soon after that.
"How are you okay with this? This is the farthest thing from okay!" he was upset, and rightfully so.
Tobirama shrugged. "I've long decided that I would do anything for Hashirama's dream, even if it meant sacrificing myself for him to attain it." He said to him. Though he did not really think it would be in the way of marriage, he always thought that he would have to die for it to happen, but in a way he was. He would have to spend time away from his family, with a clan who hated him more than anything, maybe even more than they hated Hashirama. But he made that name for himself, the white demon, as the Uchiha call him. Though that seemed to be the wrong answer for Izuna, who looked even more angry now.
"No! That is now how this works! We are Humans, Tobirama, and this isn't fair to us at all!"
"Life isn't fair, Izuna, I've long accepted that noting with my life would be fair. And I am fine with the way things are, even if it means being trapped in a loveless marriage." He said to him. And he meant that, love or anything related to it had never been much of his thing. He had never met anyone he could say he felt an attraction too…. Well, that was a bit of a lie, Madara and Izuna were both incredibly attractive for me, but other than that, there was no one else.
Izuna stared at him for a moment. "You are really okay with this? Like for real. Tobirama, are you really serious right now?" he asked him. It was hard to think that Tobirama would just give up his life like this, and for what? A dream that could easily be broken down again. It made zero sense to him!
Tobirama let out a slow breath, he should have figured this would happen. "I'm sorry, Izuna. But I've settled myself on this." He said to him, it was weirdly strange to see Izuna look so crestfallen like this. As much as he would like to say that Izuna was right, and that they should continue to fight… He found he kind of did not want to, he wanted this to end as well. He wanted this to end, he was tired, and he knew Izuna was as well, but the younger male had so much pride… It was sad really.
"Fine, I guess we are stuck in this then." He muttered. He then turned on his heels and stormed off. And Tobirama knew it was best to leave him, there was nothing he could do to stop the other male at all. With a shake of his head, he turned to leave as well.
*****
Madara stared at Hashirama for a moment. "You know, my brother hates this, and I would have assumed yours would have too. But Tobirama seems weirdly complacent to this whole ordeal." He said to the taller male, he always hated how tall Hashirama had gotten, especially when they had been equal in height for a good portion of their childhood.
Hashirama sighed a little bit, he was sitting against a tree in the forest that surround the open land the Nara owned. "I know, I wasn't expecting him to agree to this. It came as a shock to me." He said to him. "I was initially thinking of Touka to be married to Izuna, but your elders demanded Tobirama…" he sighed. "I don't know how I feel, Tobirama has resigned himself to this, and he says it's because of my dream, he would do anything for me to achieve it." He breathed slowly. "Madara, he's never been like this before. I know he is tired of fighting, but he's never just given up like this. I'm concerned." He said to him. But there was nothing he could do, they all wanted this peace, and Tobirama was insistent on it as well now.
Madara sighed from where he was leaning against the trunk of a tree. "I don't know what to tell you Hashirama, Izuna hates this. And I truly expected you brother to hate it as well. But I don't know what is worse, hating it, or being resigned to your fate." He said to him. He knew that he would hate either of them, or to think that Tobirama was simply fine, well. He was not, there was something about the way Tobirama's eyes looked that told him he was not okay with it, but he was settling. He sighed; the whole things were too complicated. "I just want to say, it was not my idea to keep Tobirama with us, I was more than willing to let them live apart until the village was completed, but the elders want to make sure they have insurance, so that you won't pull out of this. Which is a load of shit, we both know you wouldn't." he huffed.
A chuckle fell from the brunette lips. "I wouldn't, but your elders don't know me like you do. Neither of our elders will understand what it is like to have a village, to not have to worry about children dying, and for us to protect our little brothers." He said to him.
Really, Hashirama was right. It was nice to think that their dream was going to become a reality. Where they could protect their brothers. He was not happy that Izuna was upset, and he still did not think this was right. But… Izuna had assured him that it was, even if he was not happy about it. He sighed. "I just wish there would be another way." He said to him.
"I know, I wish there was a way to do this without having to sacrifice our brother's happiness." He sighed. Tobirama agreed to this, and Izuna had said it was okay. So, this is the best they could do, especially since their brothers would be even more pissed at them if they backed out now. So, things would keep moving forward as they were. "So, one month until we marry our brothers." He spoke. "Have the Uchiha decided on clothing? My elders will be cross if Tobirama is forced to wear Uchiha clothing." He said to him.
Madara groaned. "They agreed that Tobirama could wear what is ceremonial for the Senju, but they are not happy about it." He said to him. They were not, they hated the very idea of Tobirama wearing the Senju crest. "And don't even get me started on the surname. They don't want Izuna to be a Senju, but your elders are pitching a fit about Tobirama being an Uchiha." He said to him.
"I don't think Tobirama would mind with the name change, or at least he will act as if he doesn't care." He said to him. "I'm just glad he will at least have the honor of wearing the Senju ceremonial clothing, he looks really good in white***." He chuckled. He could see Madara shake his head with a smile, it was nice to be able to speak with Madara and it not led to fighting. "I assume black is customary for the Uchiha?" he asked.
"Black, or dark blue. In a traditional marriage, men normally wear black, and woman wear blue. But, seeing as this is not exactly a normal wedding, no one is sure what to do. That's why Tobirama is being allowed to wear what the Senju normally would." He said to him. "But name wise, we will just have to see what happens when they sign the marriage contract." He said to him.
He had a feeling Izuna would only sign as Uchiha, he was stubborn to a fault, part of that being Madara's fault. He always told Izuna not to settle for less, well. Now he had to settle for a Senju, and he was sure it was rubbing his brother the wrong way. "I just hope they don't kill each other in their first year of marriage." He said to him.
That made Hashirama choke a bit. "Gods, I didn't even think about that." He breathed. There was so much neither of them even thought of, though he was sure Tobirama would try to keep the peace, or at least he hoped he would. There was no saying what would happen when they are married. He sighed slowly. "I just hope they try to keep the peace as much as possible." He said lightly. For everyone's sake, really. Not just their own.
"Won't know until it happens." Madara huffed softly. He then closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He hoped Izuna would not do anything dumb, but that was just it. It was Izuna. Izuna was known to do dumb shit sometimes, even if he intended to or not.
"I think we should head back to our rooms; I want to check on Izuna." He said as he moved to push himself from the tree. He watched as Hashirama debated on if he wanted to move, and eventually gave in at got up from the ground.
"Yeah, I should probably check on Tobi too." He told him. Even though he was sure his brother was fine, but he was still very overprotective of Tobi. It was not like he could help himself all that much.
They both waved to each other and headed off in different directions, the Nara were not going to house the Uchiha and the Senju in the same area, they did not have a death wish if the two clans couldn't not argue.
*****
Hashirama arrived back to their rooms just after Tobirama had returned, he could tell his bother was in the room because he could hear the brush strokes on paper. The other male was probably working on another jutsu again, something that he did often when he could not figure what to do with his head, and a lot of that had to do with emotions he was not sure how to handle.
And he was sure that had something to do with the current situation.
He said he was fine, but was he really?
His mind was going to continue to eat at him, because this went against a lot of things, he wanted to do to Tobirama…. But he was also selfish enough to listen to his brother. Which is why he was able to push these thoughts to the back of his head. It bothered him yes, but the fact that they were all able to agree to this... It was more than just them; this was the lives of all the children who will not have to fight in a war they don't even know.
It was that thought that helped him settle on the futon.
Tobirama could feel his brother's chakra signature stop outside the door of his room, so he knew he was back from meeting with Madara. He prayed that Hashirama would just go to his room, and not stop by to talk to him, because he had no idea what he was doing. Izuna's mood had thrown him off, he did not know what to think of it. Was Izuna really upset? If so, why did he agree to this…
It dawned on him at that moment. Izuna convinced Madara that he was okay with it.
They were both only doing this for their older brothers' sake.
It made so much sense now, he did not know why he did not think of it sooner.
A low sigh left his lips as he stared down at the paper he had been writing on, a new jutsu. He wasn't sure where this was going to go, but he worked his best when he was feeling emotions he was not used to feeling. With a shake of his head, he closed his eyes to think of how he was going to work this. It was better to focus on this rather than what he could not control. And he could not control this situation, so burying himself in work seemed like the next best thing.
"Now. how will I manage to bring about a clone…" he grumbled to himself as he started to write some more things down on the paper.
*****
Madara arrived to Izuna's room, he could hear his brother pacing around inside, and he was not sure what he should do about it. He has been in a mood since all of this started, and he refused to let Madara back out of it.
which was admirable really, but it still made Madara himself feel bad. Because he knew that this was not what his little brother wanted, but Izuna promised him that he would be even more pissed if Madara backed out of this now, after everything was all set. If it was one thing, Izuna finished the things he started. And he would be seeing this through, all the way to the end.
Madara reached out and knocked on the door. "Izuna?" he asked.
There was a pause in the pacing on the other side of the door before Izuna spoke. "What do you want?"
"I just stopped by to check on you." He said to him. He was sure this was the last thing Izuna wanted, he always berated Madara for treating him like a child and worrying too much over him. And really, he was not able to help that. Izuna was all he had left; he did not know what he would do if anything bad happened to him.
"I'm fine, you really need to stop worrying so much. I just wanted to be left alone for a while."
The tone in Izuna's voice held no room for arguments. With a sigh, he stepped back.
"Alright, well I'll leave you be then." He said to him. He then turned and headed to his own room. Once inside, he closed the door and leaned against it.
"I really don't know what to do at this point." He grumped slightly. He hated feeling like this, Izuna's mood was literally contagious. He had been perfectly fine with he had been with Hashirama.
He moved over to his bed and tossed his sandals to the other side of the room. He then laid back and stared at the feeling. He still did not know if this was a good idea or not. He had so many insecurities about this whole thing. Bur really, there was nothing he could do about it. And he had to remind himself of that constantly.
He could not change Izuna's mind, and he could not stop this, otherwise Izuna would be even more pissed at him.
He rolled over with a huff, pulling the pillow over his head so he could try and block out the light. This was going to be a long month, and even longer year. Because not only would he have to deal with Izuna, but Tobirama being in the compound with him. If another war did not start out just because those two would end up having marriage problems, he would be shocked.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" he breathed slowly.
He only wished that Hashirama would be there to suffer with him, because this just was some cruel fate. They get to have their dreams, but at the cost of their brother's happiness.
He was sure this was just purgatory. There was rarely anything good that happened to them.
With another roll, Madara was laying on his stomach, anything to try and sleep. He found that he should get use to this mood of his brothers, because he felt as if he was going to be stuck with it for however long… if not for eternity.
