The big day went by smoothly, and Shizu looked forward to the night, hoping it would go just as well.
As Madara had predicted, a big ceremony was made around the two clans confirming their truce, and the reason Shizu was so eager for the night to fall was that there would be a party!
Most certainly, not the kind of party she and every other normal person had in mind, but probably some medieval weird shit. Yet, there was free food and alcohol, there was some traditional music playing in the background – it wasn't even that bad. She could always just pretend she was in some ethno themed park or something.
The only thing ruining the generally good atmosphere was the tension between the Uchiha and the Senju. It was to be expected, and Shizu certainly hoped that it would soon be washed away with alcohol.
She was not included in the tension since she belonged to neither of the clans, but still she allowed herself to drink just as much as the people who were.
Alcohol has been her only company the entire time – Madara was next to the long-haired guy who turned out to be the Hashirama. Honestly, she expected him to have a bigger presence, judging by all the things she heard about him and the way he actually beat Madara.
In reality, he was just plain and he had a stupid face. He greeted her nicely and he seemed like a decent guy overall, yet she disliked him. She had already created an image of him in her mind as a scary, bad guy who was to blame for all Madara's problems, so it would probably be a while before she lets go of that image.
The true "scary-bad-guy" seemed to be Hashirama's brother, Tobirama. He was the one who killed Izuna, so she heard.
The crowd, voices, music – it all seemed to pass by her in fast-forward mode as she was getting more wasted with every passing minute. Yeah, the alcohol here was actually homemade, not the half-water industrial crap that she would have back at home – and that's why it was thrice as strong.
She was accepted into company of few girls who were all about her own age and she struck with them for a while, having to explain who she was every time someone new would join their group. It was apparently very strange to them to be around someone who belonged to no clan.
She was sure they'd bore her to death, but that actually wasn't the case. They were pretty funny and she had managed to pick up some juicy gossips about people surrounding them. She had definitely underestimated them in her head.
"What!? Bullshit, I never noticed!" She gasped at the things one of the girls was telling her.
"Shhh. It's true, she confessed it to me herself." The girl assured her with a devious smile on her face. Shizu laughed loudly with her from the heart – she had no intention of using the sweet information she got from this conversation, but nevertheless she was always more than ready to hear a good slander.
The alcohol had slowed her reactions, so she barely noticed that she was suddenly being pulled away by her hand. It was like everything was happening in slow motion: the girl she was talking to suddenly going quiet, the grip on her wrist and the tall, spikey-haired silhouette before her.
Oh, it's just Madara. She thought, letting herself get dragged away until they had reached a lonely spot in the dark shadows of many trees where he let go of her.
"You need to watch your behavior." He started lecturing her almost immediately. "I made you come and stay here in order to have some kind of backing in all this, not for you to get dead drunk and embarrass us all."
The tone of his voice as he scolded her and his scowling expression made Shizu smile bewilderedly. "I'm not dead drunk yet, I'm just getting started."
"I'm not joking."
"You never are."
"Just listen to me this one time. Can't you act as a normal woman just tonight?" He seriously looked like he was on the edge. He worried about the outcome of all this. There was still time for someone to sabotage all that's been done so far.
"This is supposed to be a party! And I'm bored!" She whined childishly, her cheeks red from drinking and the cold night air.
"Enough. If you can't get a hold of yourself get los—"
"Why is this fucking thing so uncomfortable?" She grumbled, fidgeting around her obi. "Oh…"
Literally all she did was pull one linen string from the bundle of fabric wrapped around her waist and it all let up and went to hell. The obi was quick to fall to the ground and without its clasp her kimono followed right after.
She looked at Madara and he returned her gaze, obviously confused and petrified. He had seen her a lot in her underwear since she wouldn't bother to care – but here there was no underwear. She was completely nude.
"What are you waiting for?! Cover yourself." He flared up, looking away from her.
"What are you, fifteen years old? I cannot tie this thing, Rukia does it for me." Shizu retorted, gathering the clothes and pulling them against herself to at least cover her private parts.
"For crying out loud…" Madara sighed, undoing his own waistband and sliding his own top off in order to put it on her. He also didn't know how to tie the obi for women.
Shizu dropped her rags back to the ground, waiting to take Madara's, but he halted from once. In only a moment, she was able to hear them too – the steps heading their way.
Before either of them could brace themselves and do anything, Rukia's figure came into their field of vision. The servant-girl was visibly trying to distinguish who were the people before her and what were they doing in this dark corner, and once she could finally see, it made a gasp escape her mouth.
"F-forgive me!" She bowed quickly and turned away to leave.
"Wait, Rukia! We could use a hand, come here!" Shizu called after her, but the girl only walked away faster. "What's her problem?" She mumbled drunkenly.
"Really?" Madara asked harshly, finally shoving his clothes into her arms and waiting for her to put it on so he could tie the waistband around it. Once she seemed to finally have realized what she had done, she let out a shrill laugh.
"It looked like I was inviting her for a threesome!" She threw her head back in amusement.
"Be still." Madara ordered, trying to tighten the band properly. He was obviously not enjoying this. "Are you not ashamed, the least?"
"Meh, who cares? She's not an angel herself." She lightened up suddenly. "Oh my God, you know what I heard today?!"
By now, he was finally done with fitting his clothes on her. "I don't care."
"Oh, you do!" She made a step closer to him like she wanted to whisper. "Rukia is fucking Tajima. They're in a relationship." She said scandalously, leaning her index finger against her lips as to say it's a secret.
"What?" Did he hear that well?
"Ah, perhaps you shouldn't know of that." She bit her lip nervously, but couldn't deny how amazing it felt to share the gossip.
"No, it's fine." He seemingly brushed the matter off. "Come, I'll take you to bed."
As they were leisurely making their way to his house, a very fine idea came to Madara's mind. He shall use Rukia. He didn't mind whatever affair his father might be having – he was a widower anyway – and if the relationship between him and the servant was serious then she could influence him not to cause trouble for Madara's plans with the Senju.
That would actually be perfect.
"Should I carry you?" He offered, seeing that Shizu was barely keeping herself awake now that she's been without any more alcohol for a while. She mumbled out a "yes", wrapping her arms around his neck. He slid one arm under her knees and lifted her. In less than a few minutes she was asleep.
He walked slowly, working hard to suppress the thoughts that were stubbornly attacking him every once in a while. Tonight especially after all that happened and that was happening; the images were coming back and he unwillingly had to greet them; the mix of cold wind and Shizu's hot breath on his exposed skin did nothing to help.
He could not permit himself to get drawn any closer to her – letting people get too near was always a mistake – and she was somebody who would perish from his life very soon. Tomorrow, maybe or a few days later.
Like Izuna, except that he had Izuna's grave if he wished to remember him, nothing would remain after Shizu. Except regret and the feelings that he wouldn't even confess to himself he had.
Like a fool, he let his brother's death be an excuse for depending on someone else. And he depended on Shizu at the moment.
He was aware that she was useless to him on this ceremony, but he needed to know she's there.
Just like he was aware that he had passed the door of her chamber and was carrying her into his own. That it was his own bed he was lying her on, that it was only his clothes that covered her and brushed against her skin underneath. That all of this made both his heart and his groin ache at the same time.
It was a mistake, he knew and he cursed himself for it as he headed to take a cold shower.