Star Crossed Chapter 12
The day came. Tobirama felt relieved by it, the day had come that his sister would return safely. He hoped. Hashirama showed little sign of worry. He put too much faith in one Uchiha's word, Tobirama thought to himself. The meeting would be simple and discreet, the two leaders would make the exchange without issue. Even though Hashirama insisted he go alone to meet Madara, it wouldn't stop him from watching from the shadows. Hashirama approached the place where the deal began, then stopped abruptly. "Where is she?" More of a demand than a question. He couldn't feel her presence presence anywhere, and it did not settle well with him. In an instant, Madara was before him. "The deal was forfeit long ago. I thought you would know that by now."
"What?! What are you talking about?! Why would you go back on your word?!"
"Let me remind you that it were Senju that murdered one of my young kinsman in cold blood."
"We had nothing to do with it, I promise you. Just keep your end of the deal!" Hashirama was pleading with him now. Tobirama could watch no more of it, charging at Madara from behind. "What did you do?!"
Madara's Sharingan blazed in an instant. Hashirama moved to subdue his brother immediately with his Wood Release, binding him at the legs and waist. He waited for Madara's answer,
"She paid with her life for your failures."
More wounded Uchiha came in that day than they did the past months. Amare assumed it to be due to a new job to fulfill, something that she hoped would not escalate into a Senju conflict. For a moment she could catch her breath in between working on patients. To her surprise, Madara barged in, causing her to jump.
"Sorry, you caught me off guard. Do you need anything?" To her, reading his expressions and moods were difficult. Nonetheless, he did not look pleased. "We need to speak now. In private."
This sort of thing always made her a bit nervous. "There is a medical supply room." She led him into the room and cringed when she heard it slam behind them both. "Is something wrong?"
Madara grimaced. "It seems that your family is no longer interested in peace." He slowly and carefully removed his shirt, revealing a poorly dressed wound.
Amare stared at it. "Tobirama…Why?"
"They see you as a traitor now." His hand darted out and gripped her neck tightly, lifting her against the wall effortlessly. Amare flinched but didn't struggle. "So tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right now?"
"I can't change how they feel but it doesn't change how I feel about the Uchiha."
Madara's grip loosened. "You understand what this means? They will try to kill you."
Amare fought back tears. "They wouldn't! I don't believe they would. But even if they did try, I wouldn't blame them. All I wanted was to end this madness, to allow kids like Ryuto to be able to grow up and fulfill their dreams. They may consider me a traitor for helping the Uchiha, but i'm doing it for their sake, too. We aren't all the same, i'm not like my father and you aren't like yours!"
Madara lowered and released her. "What makes you believe that?"
"Well, the obvious. You haven't killed me. Now stop with your threats and let me heal you." She gave him a small smile. He glared at her in return, almost pouting at the way she spoke to him. I really should kill her, stupid girl.
"You made a mess of this. What were you thinking when you wrapped this wound?" After giving a huff, she went to work carefully removing the bandages.
"Taking care of wounds wasn't important, you were either good enough to survive or you die. That was the mentality of both of our clans."
"It still is that way. I hope not for much longer…"
Madara watched as her hands came over his wound and began to glow a green hue. Slowly, the wound closed and existed no more.
Stepping away from him, she observed where the wound once was. "Tobirama is faster than Hashirama, so be careful Madara-dono. He doesn't hesitate ever." Anxious to get away, Amare fled the room. Madara stood there looking after her, a hand over where the wound was.
I can see why my brother became so…attached.
Izuna became inwardly worried. Madara deceived the Senju and Amare, but what concerned him more so was her emotional wellbeing. She would surely be distraught that she was branded a traitor by her own brothers. Part of him felt self-satisfied that he would be all that she had left, while the other part felt nothing but guilt. How would it feel if his brother did the same to him? He couldn't imagine the pain. Determined to find Amare, he resorted to activating his Sharingan to track her down quickly. It didn't take long to find her special chakra behind a building. Deactivating his kekkei genkai, he quickly made his way over to her. "There you are."
She didn't look up at him, but he could tell she had been crying. "Amare…"
It made him angry to see her like that, even if the fault was his own."Stop it. You are too strong to cry like that over this. You have to hold it together…" Kneeling in front of her, he placed a hand under her chin and gently lifted her head so she looked at him. "This is just necessary for us to make things better."
"How so?"
"I don't know." He gave her a faint smile. "Not right now, anyways."
Amare shook her head. "I hope you are right. If this situation can somehow lead to better days, I hope it does. Thanks." Despite his attempt to make her feel better, she couldn't smile.
"Losing your family, your brothers…it is an unfathomable void that can't be filled so easily. We both know this so well. I want to assist you in filling that void, if possible."
"That is quite a thing to say…"
"Is that all you can say?"
"No, i'm sorry. I'm just surprised. I don't mean to offend you, I cannot say anything right now."
"I suppose I would expect as much. I'll leave you to your thoughts." Izuna stood up and turned to leave, but not before pausing and casting her one last glance. "I meant what I said, that I would be there to protect you."
Amare finally stood up. "Likewise. From now on, let me go with you to battles."
"I will not oblige that request."
She frowned at him. "That was not a request. I will be going with you."
"You won't be telling me what you think you will be doing! That won't be happening. Your place is here."
"If you won't allow it, your brother will."
I tried to write a longer chapter. But then I became too excited about the content of the chapter and had to release it ASAP. I hope you are equally elated by it x_X At least the chapters are coming out sooner, even if they are frustratingly short. Much apologies. T_T As always, thank you for your time and patience :D
Amare uses talk-no-jutsu on Madara. xD But like Hashirama (when they're friends anyways), she can bring out a more comical and laid back side to Madara. Maybe some Madara/Izuna brotherly competition? xP Is this turning into a Madara x Amare? AHHH O_o Stay tuned (in hopes of longer chapters xD).