[[A/N: The Hashirama Senju databook says that he was 4'9" when he first met Madara, and Madara was 4'8" at the time, so using my ultra super cool superior detective skills, I did a quick google search and found out that kids around that height are about 11 years old. So that's how I came to the conclusion of the kids' ages in this chapter, in case any are curious haha.
Enjoy the chapter! Leave a review if you have anything to say!]]
It's been a blissful, peaceful, boring week-and-a-half since she last saw Madara and Hashirama. Kouji has been away the entire time, and though it would normally worry her when he was out for long periods of time, the Clan received updates on their mission often enough that it didn't cross her mind much. Otherwise, everything else has been nothing out of the ordinary. She played her little game where she would only get up after the person outside her door left, she went out to do sunrise chores, she ate breakfast, did afternoon chores, had lunch, then spent her time with Sachiko until dinner. Sleep, then rinse and repeat.
Boring means safety, she told herself repeatedly.
Still… when her hands brushed over those two smooth rocks she carried on her, tucked safely away into her kimono sleeves, she couldn't help but think it would be nice to do something. Go somewhere.
She wanted to go down to the river again.
"Hanako."
She froze in her tracks on the wooden porch just outside the front doors, broom clutched tightly between her small hands. Her breath caught in her throat. She turned around slowly, oh so slowly, and peered up at the tall man from beneath the hair that fell in her face. She hadn't heard him approach at all.
"...Yes, otou-sama?" The honorific was overly respectful and detached. She didn't dare refer to him any other way.
Her father had been home the entire time, so of course it wasn't a surprise that he was here. He'd never left with Kouji on the mission, despite being a Shinobi himself. Part of her found that infuriating, and she'd wanted to scream at him and call him a coward, wanted to tell him that he hid himself away in relative safety while he sent his own son out to do battle with their enemies. But she didn't, of course.
"Your mother is sick."
Her mouth went slack, looking up at him with wide purple eyes. He said this in a casual tone, like he was discussing the weather, like it was nothing to think much about. Like he didn't care.
"W-what? Okaa-chan is sick? With what? Is it serious? Is she okay?" She bombarded him with questions, dropping the broom and, for just a moment, forgetting her fear of the man before her as she stepped toward him. She reached her hands up like she would grab his hand. That moment didn't last long, as he looked down at her with narrowed eyes and spoke his next words through clenched teeth.
"I've done you the honor of telling you in person, rather than sending a servant. Go," he put emphasis on the word, "finish your responsibilities."
He turned on his heel to leave.
That was it? He wanted her to go back to her responsibilities, continue doing her chores, after telling her that? With little to no information as to how her mother was doing? Her mother had been sick on and off for the last four years, something the healers said was because of that fateful night where their home was burned down and she'd inhaled so much smoke. Sometimes it was a bad cough for a few days, and other times, it got extreme enough that she was bedridden with fevers high enough to cause deliriousness. Those moments made Hanako fearful for her beloved mother's life.
But it'd been months, almost a full year, since she last got sick at all. Hanako had let herself believe, foolishly, that maybe it was over for good. Maybe she would be healthy for the rest of her life, and live long enough to see her daughters grow old enough to have children of their own one day.
As Hanako looked at her father's back, she seethed. Her anger at her father's callousness and her fear of his swift punishment clashed in her heart, and she stood there shaking, face red as tears pricked her eyes.
Do you even care?
He paused. Glanced over his shoulder.
"What?" He asked her, his voice low.
Her hands clutched tightly together, her eyes wide, she realized too little too late that she'd said it out loud.
"Do you…" There was no going back, anyway. It was out already. Tears slipped from her eyes and she hurriedly wiped them away, wanting to keep him in her sight. "Do you care? About- about okaa-chan being sick?"
Her voice was meek as she spoke, and she could hear the wavering clear enough that she knew he must have heard it too. Despite that, her brows were furrowed in anger. When he didn't respond right away, still just looking at her over his shoulder, she let out a shaky breath and tried again. Louder, so there was no mistaking the fact that he could hear her.
"Did you EVER c-"
Fast, faster than she could see, so fast she didn't realize what happened at first. She had been staring at him with bleary, tear-filled eyes. Then, suddenly, she was on the ground, staring up at the cloudy sky with a searing pain in the left side of her face. She didn't try to move for a while, even as her head throbbed like someone was banging a drum inside of her skull, even as the left side of her face got so hot it felt like it'd been lit on fire. There was a trickle of something on her cheek, and she couldn't tell if it was her own tears or if he'd hit her hard enough to draw blood.
"I will not be disrespected by such an unruly brat, my own daughter!" He seethed as he spoke, just outside of her field of view. She continued staring at the sky, unmoving. "Don't ever raise your voice to me again, do you understand?"
Shakily, she nodded. She heard the whisper quiet steps of his bare feet on the wood flooring as he walked away. She shuts her eyes and weeps silently, even as she hears a few hesitant footsteps come up beside her. When she hears the steps stop beside her head and the whisper of fabric as they bend down to her level, she tries to hold her tears in.
"Hana-nee," Sachiko's scared, quiet voice spoke. Hanako's eyes shot open. She turned her head to the side - not only was Sachiko there beside her, light brunette hair a mess like she'd just woken up from a nap, but there was also a small group of the younger children standing behind her, half hiding behind a corner and looking at her with teary, fearful looks in their young eyes.
Hanako sits up, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. She winced when the fabric came into contact with the left side of her face, and when she pulled her kimono sleeves away, her earlier fears were proven right. A small smudge of blood was on her sleeve. Out of all the times he'd hit her… she couldn't recall a single time where he'd struck hard enough to break the skin.
Kouji had always told her that Father often 'held back' when hitting her, and she'd never believed him. Now, she wondered how hard he would hit Kouji if he had disobeyed or upset him.
(Though, that almost never happened. He was as obedient as they came. A perfect Clan Heir for anyone.)
"Are you okay, Hana-nee?"
Hanako looked at her little sister, and nodded her head quietly. She had to be strong. She needed to show her sister that it was alright - that there was nothing to fear.
Despite her attempts, there were tears in Sachiko's brown eyes.
Hanako leaned over and hugged her sister, and Sachiko leaned into the comforting embrace easily. Hanako thought she was doing it to bring safety and comfort to her little sister, but as Sachiko's little arms hugged her as close as she could, she realized that she had needed this just as much. The other children came forward too, dog-piling into the hug and letting their tears fall.
"I was s-so scared," sniffed one boy, "when you- you hit the ground!"
"I'm okay," Hanako responded with a trembling lip. "I'm okay."
Two days later, the cut on her cheek had scabbed over enough so that it wasn't bleeding any longer. Sometimes it itched, but the bruise surrounding it kept her from touching it at all. She'd learned from the child bystanders that he'd back-handed her hard enough to send her flying a few feet, crashing into the ground hard. It must have been his ring, then, that'd cut her cheek open.
His wedding ring.
Sometimes she scowled and thought about why her mother was with him at all. She hated him just as much as Hanako did, if the trembling in her hands whenever he raised his voice was anything to go by. So why? Why did she ever marry such a person? Was it an arranged marriage? Had they truly been in love at one point?
As she touched her fingers to her bruised cheek, she had a hard time imagining that scenario.
She'd gone to visit her mother immediately after those events took place, taking Sachiko with her. The children followed suit. The Clan adored Yuna Ueno, in all her kindness and generosity, with her gentle voice and comforting touch. Every time she fell ill, they all worried and fussed over her as if she were the child. Thankfully, to the relief of all, it seems like this time's illness is an easy one - nothing worse than a cough and a slight fever.
Now, she stood just outside of her father's training room. There were mats placed around the room to soften the ground, and training dummies neatly put away in one corner. Hanako could hear her father training with someone, and she kept her eyes lowered to the ground as she opened the sliding door slowly.
"Otou-sama…" She spoke meekly.
The sounds of fighting stopped.
"What is it, Hanako?" Her father asked, panting slightly from exertion. She raised her eyes just enough to see the two people from the stomach down. She didn't recognize the other adult in the room without seeing his face, but she noticed that he had burn scars on both arms.
"I was wondering… Can I.. Can I have my lunch outside?" She tried to put on a cool, tempered voice, but she knew he could hear the waver. She made sure not to speak any louder than just above a whisper.
"I don't care where you eat your lunch," he sighed. Not angrily, more along the lines of disappointed that he had to explain something simple. With a frown, she realized she must not have explained what she really meant. She already knew she could have her lunch in the back area, some children preferred eating out there so they could get right back to playing afterwards.
"...In the forest?" She added quietly after a moment.
At that, her father paused. The stranger handed him a towel, and he wiped his hands as he walked a few steps closer to Hanako. She didn't back away, back ram-rod straight as she kept her gaze solely on his shirt.
"Why do you want to go out in the forests?" When she took too long to respond, he spoke again in an impatient voice. "Hanako."
She looked up, finally meeting his eyes.
His long, light brown hair was tied back into a low ponytail, and his face was flushed with exertion from the exercise. The hard lines in his face, both from age and the years of war he's lived through, deepened when he frowned down at her. His light brown eyes moved from her own purple eyes, to the injury on her cheek. He grimaced.
"I just like the forest. It's… peaceful," came Hanako's meager reply. It was true enough, but she hoped with everything she had that he couldn't see through her. Kouji probably could have, if he were here. He always seemed to see through her half-truths and sly responses when she wanted to get away with something.
He looked at her cheek for a moment longer, then nodded his head. He turned back around to face his sparring companion.
"Stay where you can be heard, Hanako."
With that subtle closing of the conversation, she closes the sliding door and leaves. She couldn't keep the little smile from her face as she quickly walked back to the kitchen area. She'd helped make lunch today, a compromise because she had finished her afternoon chores early and didn't want to sit around doing nothing, and she wanted to bring some of the onigiri she made to her friends.
Friends…
That title alone, so small and insignificant to most, made her laugh a giddy laugh. Even as the grin stretched the bruise on her face and made it ache again. When she entered the kitchen, Aoi was there to greet her. Hanako barely paid her any mind as she grabbed the wrapped onigiri and made to leave the kitchen in a hurry.
"Ah, Hanako-sama! Did Kichirō-sama say you could go?" She shouted out after the running child.
"Mm-hm!" Hanako called over her shoulder as she left the Clan compound.
Aoi shook her head, heaving a sigh.
"Where is Hana-nee going, Aoi-san?" Aoi turned to see little Sachiko by her side, holding onto a sewed together doll. The Clan Head's wife had sewn it together a few days ago while bed bound with her newest illness, and Sachiko had now taken to carrying it with her everywhere she went. She treated it like it was her own child, rocking it and offering it food when they sat at the breakfast table together.
Aoi offered a gentle smile to the little girl. "Nevermind that, Sachiko. Let's get you some lunch, hm?"
Sachiko smiled, nodding her head.
"Madara!" Hanako called out with a bright smile on her face as she ran to the river. As soon as she cleared the forest line, she saw both boys there. She didn't know what their schedules were - how often they showed up, how long they stayed for - because she'd never asked. Maybe they played together every single day, or maybe her showing up at the same time as them was always just a coincidence.
"Madara, Hashirama! Hello! I'm back again!"
They were on the other side of the clearing, doing what looked like wrestling but… rougher? For just a moment, Hanako paused. Were they fighting for real this time? Did something go wrong, were they angry with each other?
Yet, as soon as they noticed her there, heard her voice calling out their name, they paused in their fighting. Hashirama grinned brightly and waved at her, pushing Madara off from where he'd been pinning him into the dirt. Madara shot a look of annoyance at Hashirama for pushing him off like that, but otherwise he smiled at Hanako's arrival as well.
She shook her head to clear her earlier thoughts. Maybe they'd just been training together, then. Kouji trained with other kids often, she knew.
"I- I brought something! For us!" She called out across the river, a small blush coming to her face. She couldn't help the excitement she felt in being able to be here, to be with her friends again, but she also couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed about it. Like maybe she should tone it down, or fear pushing them away with how too eager she was.
"Uwahh, really?!" Hashirama said in a curious voice.
"What is it?" Madara asked, looking equally excited at the idea of receiving something.
Everyone liked getting gifts, right? Hanako smiled. She looked to the path of boulders in the river, wondering if she should go to them or ask them to walk across the water to come to her. They'd always done that, though - accommodating for her inability to meet them on the other side. She pouted a bit.
Finally, she made up her mind and began walking forward, taking careful steps so she didn't fall. She held the wrapped onigiri to her chest tight enough that for a moment she worried she might squash them, but as she made it about halfway through, she heard quiet splashing to her side. When she looked up, Madara was there standing on top of the river. Hashirama stood back on the other side of the bank, grinning.
Madara held out one hand to her, rubbing the back of his neck with the other.
"Here, take my hand and I'll lead you over. So you don't trip," he spoke in a somewhat quiet voice. Was he… embarrassed? When Hanako noticed the blush on his face, he turned to look away from her.
"SHUT UP!" He shouted at the laughing Hashirama in the background.
Hanako jumped a bit at the loud voice, and Madara whipped around quickly with wide eyes. "Not you! You don't need to shut up! Just Hashirama!"
Hanako reached one hand out nervously, and Madara took it gently. If possible, his face burned ten shades redder at the contact, and he quickly turned around to begin walking to the other side of the river. Hanako looked down at their hands clasped together as she hopped from one stone to the next.
"Your hand…" She started, then paused. Her face burned hot, and she looked down at her feet abashedly.
"Eh? What about my hand?" He didn't turn around as he asked.
"...It's very warm."
She couldn't see his face, couldn't see any of the front of him due to him walking in front of her, but she saw his head dip a bit lower and she definitely heard Hashirama snickering to himself.
"...Th-thanks."
As soon as she touched the hard gravel and pebbles of the other side, Madara let go of her hand as if he'd been burned, hurrying over to his friend's side to level a glare at him. Hashirama fell to the ground and hugged his knees to himself again, muttering an apology even as Madara's glare didn't let up.
Hanako looked between them, suddenly feeling shy. "I… I brought some food."
Hashirama, as expected, perked up instantly. Hanako smiled and knelt down to the ground between the two boys, putting the wrapped food down. Madara sat down beside his friend, and Hanako unwrapped the cloth around the onigiri. When the food was finally free of the wrapping, she was glad to see she didn't squish any of them on her tread over the water. They each looked as delicious as ever, and she looked up at her companions with wide, excited eyes and a grin.
However, neither of them were looking at the food.
"Hana-chan," Hashirama spoke up in an uncomfortable voice. It was the first time he'd called her by the familiar and affectionate nickname, and she wondered why that was. He brought a hand up, reaching out to her but stopping just shy of touching her face.
"Who hurt you?" Madara asked in Hashirama's sudden silence. His voice was sharp, and angry sounding. The smile fell from her lips. His eyes were narrowed, focused wholly on the left side of her face.
"Oh, this… This is.." She sat back, raising one hand up to touch it gingerly to her bruised cheek. She shook her head a bit, hesitant. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
The boys had differing reactions to that. Madara looked furious, ready to lash out. She couldn't deny that it didn't frighten her just the slightest bit. Hashirama looked sad, and appalled. Like he couldn't believe something like this had happened at all - yet, in his eyes, Hanako saw… Understanding? Familiarity? Perhaps… Perhaps he knew where it came from? Perhaps he was familiar with the scenario himself?
She hoped not. God, she hoped not. She didn't want anyone to hurt her friend.
And with a start, she realized that, perhaps, this was the exact same thing the two of them were thinking right now.
Her hand shook over her cheek, and she looked away from them. She looked down at the food, over at the forest to the side of them, down at her hand holding tightly to her kimono. Anywhere so that she didn't have to look directly into their eyes.
"It's just… Sometimes my otou-sama gets mad…" She left it at that. Both of them seemed to understand it right away.
For a moment, absolute silence. The air felt thick. Hanako almost regretted coming out here, now. She should have waited until the bruise had healed. At least then they wouldn't be concerning themselves with her wellbeing. They could all go back to just playing around and talking about stupid things, like the other times they'd met up.
"This one looks delicious," Madara said quietly after he became too stifled by the silence. He looked down at the onigiri, pointing at one with fish flakes.
Hanako nearly breathed a sigh of relief at the conversation change, and hurriedly, with a shaky hand, grabbed it. She held it out to him with a smile. Madara blinked once, in surprise, then gasped.
"Can I really have it?"
Hanako nodded eagerly, pushing it forward into his hands. He grinned as he accepted it, thanking her before taking a bite into it. Hashirama looked at him as he did, and when Madara exclaimed - with a full mouth - that it was delicious, Hashirama looked back at Hanako with bright, pleading eyes.
"Can I have one too, Hana-chan?! I want one!" She giggled quietly.
"Choose one," she looked down at the remaining two. All three had different toppings - one with fish flakes, one with fried mushrooms, and one with sesame seeds. She didn't have a preference for any of them, so she was more than happy to allow her friends to choose which ones they wanted most.
Hashirama shook his head. "No, no! You choose first, I'll take whatever's left!"
Madara's brow twitched. He swallowed what he had in his mouth, then leaned forward to speak, "You're obviously drooling over the mushroom. Just take it!"
Hashirama, at being caught, looks up at Hanako with puppy eyes. She smiled and handed it to him, and he took a bite right away. "Mmm!" He hums as he chews, a smile on his face. "This is good!"
"Did you make them?" Madara asked.
Hanako nodded shyly. Hashirama began gushing over how amazing of a cook she must have been, but she turned away with a blush on her face. She looked up at the sky, and paused. She would have to go soon - lunch would be over in just a few minutes, and it took more time than that to get back to the Clan compound. She didn't want them knowing she went out too far from home, so she had to make it back in time to be called back inside. She picked up the last onigiri, intending on eating it on her walk back, but paused as Hashirama called her name.
"Where're you going, Hana-chan?" He asked, curious.
"I came out to have lunch. I gotta go back," she explained simply. Neither boys liked her leaving so soon after arriving, but they both nodded their heads in understanding. With farewells exchanged, she began the trek back over the river. Madara, with a stutter, had offered to walk her over again, but she'd declined with a gentle smile. She wanted to learn to do it on her own, and, admittedly, after he'd helped her across the first time, it wasn't as scary as she originally thought it was.
When she was nearly across, she paused. The rushing water flowed underneath her sandals, getting the edges of her feet wet, and she turned around just slightly to face Hashirama and Madara.
"Hey, how old are you two?"
"Eh?" Madara stood, curious at the sudden question.
"I'm eleven!" Hashirama proffered without hesitation, pointing a thumb at himself, seemingly proud of his age.
"Ah- I'm twelve!" Madara hurried to answer shortly after.
Hanako smiled, nodding. The same age, and one year younger, than her older brother. She continued on her way across, and made it all the way to the forest edge before Madara called out to her again.
"What about you, Hana-chan?"
She called out over her shoulder as she walked off, "Eight! See you again!"
Both boys watched her disappear into the thickest part of the trees. For a moment, both looked on in silence. Then, Hashirama smiled slyly and lightly tapped the back of his hand against the arm of his friend.
"You have it bad, M-"
The older boy whacked him over the head before he could finish the sentence.
