Forgive me! It's been too long and I'm honestly so glad to have a computer once more. I am beyond excited to genuinely be back and I hope I can continue to write in the way you all know and love. Anyways, here we go!
Hinata eyed her surroundings with caution, she knew they were not alone here. The dense woods were silent. If she had learned anything at all from the birds, it was that when they were silent trouble was near. Her eyes caught sight of a wisp of movement behind her and she looked towards the direction the leaves ruffled, only to see Madara standing there with a small sheepish blush dusting his cheeks. "Sorry." He mumbled and she smiled at him with a shake of the head. "It's ok Madara, dear." She said softly and he smiled at her. Another rustle in the tree had them both on high alert now. A faint buzzing filled the air as a small swarm of beetles flew overhead. "We should follow them, might make for an interesting venture." He said and she smiled, her eyes shining with excitement. She knew what those bugs were.
The beetles led them to a clearing with a woman standing in the center. She held up a hand and a beautiful butterfly landed on her fingertip. The woman held a calm demeanor, but Hinata was wary of her. The Kikaichu had led them right to the woman, which meant she wanted them to find her. This woman could either want to fight, or talk… and most likely it wasn't talking they were going to do. "Madara, be careful." Hinata whispered and he nodded. "You have every right to be cautious here, Uchiha." The woman said, her voice sharp, but not showing any discernable emotion. "Are you trying to fight us?" Hinata asked and the woman cocked her head to the side. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be gone." The woman sniffed indignantly. Hinata stood to her full height rather than her defensive position.
She stood to her full height to face the woman before her. The woman faced her fully and they locked eyes, black on brown. "Why is it you led us here then?' Madara asked and the woman never broke her eyes from Hinata as she answered him, "I wanted to see it for myself." Madara looked at the woman oddly before noticing the twitch of her finger. Before he could even draw the kunai to protect himself, Hinata had already planted a senbon needle in the butterfly that had shot at him in a streak of light. "What a shame." The Aburame woman sighed before she flicked her eyes back at Hinata from the butterfly pinned to the tree, its wings edged in a lightweight metal to make the innocent creature a deadly weapon. "It isn't like I don't have more of them though…" she sighed. Her eyes locked back with Hinata's only for her eyes to widen in shock.
"It can't be…" she whispered in awe. Those demonic red eyes pierced her soul and she managed a smile. "You are what they say then." She said, observing the way the pupil of Hinata's eye was no longer spherical, but more of a slit, while the tomoe of the sharingan spun in circles threateningly. "Alright then, Uchiha. I suppose I know why you are here then." She said and motioned her hands in the air, causing her insects to come swarming from all around. The insects happily buzzed through the air as they crawled back into their master's wardrobe. A group of butterflies hovered around her and landed in random spots all over her kimono. Hinata blinked the sharingan away and smiled at the woman as the butterflies flattened themselves against their master's clothing to appear as a design. "You have come seeking the Aburame clan as an addition to your village, have you not?" she asked and Madara cleared his throat and motioned for Hinata to come to him.
"How does she know?" he asked softly, so that the woman couldn't hear him. "I'm honestly not sure, they would be a great addition as well, even though Hashirama and Tobirama didn't put them on our list." Hinata whispered and he nodded. The woman sighed and turned to walk away. "As I thought, the Aburame are overlooked potential once again." The woman muttered bitterly as she walked away. "Wait." Hinata called out to her but she didn't stop walking. "When you decide you want real power to come of use, come see me. Until then, enjoy yourselves a powerless life." She snapped and jumped into the nearest tree. "Wait I said!" Hinata snarled and the woman turned to face the now ominous chakra that had flooded the clearing.
"What is it?" the woman snapped back, but once her eyes locked onto the chakra that had managed to slip out of Hinata's pores, her breath caught in her throat. "Hinata, calm down love." Madara managed, seeing the fearful expression on the Aburame woman. "My name is Michii." The Aburame woman managed as she dropped to one knee. "Michii, please, we were trying to figure something out." Hinata said as the ominous chakra faded away. Madara eyed her cautiously and she turned to him and smiled. "We were wondering if you'd be able to help us with something." Hinata offered and the woman glanced at her with nervous eyes. That chakra of hers had forced her insects to lose sense and not want to obey, Hinata knew… she knew that there are certain things that will disrupt a Kikaichu wielders control. She's a dangerous woman. Michii watched Madara for a moment, searching for any sign that he knew why she had done what she had. The man seemed to be oblivious.
"Youre a worthy opponent, Hyuuga." Michii said and Madara blinked at her and Hinata smiled. "How did you know that my Kikaichu feared certain chakra frequencies?" she asked and Hinata smiled. "A friend once told me that each person's insects are different. They fear what the master fears, and sadly what you fear is me… now why is that?" Hinata asked as her smile fell, a frown with a tinge of sadness in its place. "I suppose I should apologize if I had offended you. When I was younger, we had a man who was gifted with a sort of sight. He… he told me there would one day be a woman that would cut me down in my greatest time of need. As it is now, I feel like this is my time of need." She said and Hinata pursed her lips. "Please explain more."
"Alright," Michii whispered and she dropped to the ground to sit before the Uchiha, who followed suit. "He spoke a title, less a name." she said and Hinata frowned. "Okami?" she asked and MIchii nodded. "I see, that's why you are terrified of me." Hinata sighed and the woman nodded. "He said that the woman would cut me down in a time of great pain and suffering, where I was alone and I needed someone. And he said she would do so with no remorse." MIchii said and Hinata offered a hand to the woman. "I will never lay a hand on you. I promise you that I will only ensure your protection from here on out." Hinata offered and MIchii placed her palm upon Hinata's. Hinata placed her other hand atop the back of Michii's hand and squeezed lightly. "You will be safe with us, in our village. That is if you so choose." Hinata offered and MIchii nodded. The brown eyed woman glanced at Madara, who had been silent through most of the conversation.
"Michii, why do you feel as if this is your time of need? What has happened?" he asked and Hinata blinked and looked at him in surprise. "My… my husband is ill… some sort of poison. There is nothing I can do for him any further…" she whispered and Hinata felt sorry for the woman. "Michii… may I try something?" she asked and the Aburame woman furrowed her brow. "I was trained in medicine… maybe I can help." Hinata offered and Madara nodded. Michii thought it over for a second before standing and offering her hand to the younger woman. Hinata could see the sadness and age in Michii's eyes, but despite the age that lingered there the woman couldn't be but a few years older than Hinata. Five to six years at most.
They followed her down a shambled path and Hinata noticed they were being led in to even denser woods. Madara felt the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, but Hinata trusted the woman not to lead them into a trap. They came upon a little house that looked unkempt on the outside. Hinata looked around and noticed that there were others. The people all stopped wandering around and looked up at the strangers Michii had brought home with her. Some of them ducked into their small, also unkempt in appearance, homes. "What is this Michii? Are they messengers of the Senju?" one elderly man asked and she nodded her head rapidly. "These are the Uchiha they made the treaty with. Theyre the ones that are here to save us and bring us to our new home. They promised they would protect us from here on out… they promised." Michii's words started out excited, but as the last word fell from her lips, the tears had also begun streaming down her cheeks.
Hinata reached to place a hand on the woman's shoulder but the elder had already embraced her. "Forgive me…" she sniffled as she rubbed her eyes roughly to get rid of the tears that continued to flow freely despite her efforts. "Michii…" Hinata began but Madara placed a hand on her shoulder and she glanced over at him. "She lost her son, Hinata…" he whispered and Hinata frowned and her eyes shone with sympathy. "We passed his grave on the path through here, didn't we?" He asked and Michii nodded as she continued to rub at her tears. "I promised him day after day, they'll be here. They'll show… I promise, they'll keep us safe…" she managed, trying her hardest not to sob. "What happened?" Madara asked and the elder gave him a sharp glance.
"A man came claiming to be a messenger of the Senju. Claiming to have defeated the Uchiha and offered us a home in his village he was constructing…" The elder snapped, but released a breath. "The man killed so many of us. Poisoning her son and husband… poor Cho isn't long for this world." The elder said and Hinata frowned and glanced around. "Which one is your home, Michii?" Hinata asked and the elder looked at her. "You better not be here to finish the job." The elderly man warned and a soft smile crossed Hinata's lips. "I am here to try and save him… if I can." She said and he nodded and motioned for the house on the edge nearest the path. The razorwing butterflies had fluttered in that direction as soon as they had entered the area, but Hinata had not paid them any mind. When she actually looked at the place though, her eyes widened.
Michii's home was like a massive butterfly magnet. They were everywhere and it was a beautiful sight to Hinata. All the butterflies of varying color and designs… not one had the same exact pattern on their wings. The fact they hovered so closely to the home meant that the butterflies obeyed Michii, but they were not hers, but her husband's butterflies. "That settles it." Hinata said suddenly, catching Michii and Madara off guard. "What are you-" Madara began but the shining glimmer in her eyes stole his words. Hinata dropped her backpack onto the ground and began digging through it.
"We were originally headed this way to speak to the Inuzuka, but we found you." Hinata said, not taking her eyes away from what she was doing for a second. "We found you, and now I'm going to save you all. I want you to come to the village. Help us build our homes, establish our homeland." Hinata said and she frowned for a second as she dug through the pack. 'You damn well know you're a liar. You know it, but you are good one now… so what does it matter? You are lying to everyone around you. You came here to save everyone but screwed it all up. What are you trying to do now? Atone for your screw ups?' she mentally berated herself. She knew she couldn't speak much about being a jumper, hell… the Senju tried to kill her for that information, who was to say the other clans wouldn't do the same?
She repressed a sigh and made her way to her feet. "I have some medicine in here that saved an Uchiha that Daisuke had poisoned, so here is to hoping it saves Cho-san." Hinata said holding the small bottle of translucent light green liquid. She rolled the vial in her palm and frowned. She slung the bag back over her shoulder and she made her way over to the house. What she wasn't expecting, however, was what she'd find once the butterflies had scattered. The windows of the small home had become visible and the eyes staring back at her from them sent chills down her spine. Those angry lupine eyes watched her every movement with meticulous detail. "Michii, you didn't tell me you or your husband were an Inuzuka." Hinata managed without breaking her eyes from the wolfish hound's demonic silver ones.
"Forgive me, I didn't feel it was relevant at first. Now I see it was. Oki, down." She said and with three clicks of her tongue, those hellfiend eyes closed and Hinata looked away. "You must really know your stuff if you knew instantly not to break eye contact." The elder mused and Hinata smiled, but that feeling wouldn't fade. She knew something wasn't right, she just couldn't place it. Michii opened the door and the war torn hound made his way outside, the sound of his feet padding along the ground echoing in Hinata's mind. Something was seriously wrong with the hound, but he wasn't her first priority at the moment. Maybe it was just her imagination.
Hinata entered the home and followed Michii to the back room. Michii turned to her and furrowed her brows. "Do you feel that?" she whispered and Hinata nodded. "Something definitely isn't right." Hinata said softly and at that moment Hinata was glad she had made Madara wait outside. His angered yell was the only signal she needed. "Give this to your husband, and scatter the razorwings." Hinata ordered and Michii nodded. Hinata rushed back outside the house to see that Madara was locked in combat with a man dressed in all black, a mask covering his face. She then looked over to see the massive hound, Oki, laying open on the ground a few feet away. The strangest part of it? No blood or organs were on the ground near the body. This made her furrow her brows. "Bring me up to speed Madara." She called out and he sent the man flying.
"This cowardly bastard has been hiding in the guise of their dog, it was something similar to a costume, except it functioned as the real animal did." He managed and Hinata nodded. "So when did you kill their real hound and take over his body?" she asked and the man snapped his fingers. She didn't realize what had actually happened until she looked over to see the body of the war hound melting away into a puddle of ink. "Daisuke!" she snarled and lunged at him, her blade drawn. He vanished before her and she released an angered yell and threw her blade into the woods where an empty thunk of it embedding itself into a tree echoed back. Madara placed his hand on her shoulder and opened his mouth to speak when a scream cut him off. It wasn't anywhere near the small insect users village, but further out into the woods.
At the sound of the scream, Michii came running out of her home, the razorwing butterflies swarming around her angrily. "That sounds like Tora and Kairuh." She said and took off running. "Michii wait!" Hinata called but the woman was gone. Hinata took off after her and Madara sighed and followed suit. He activated his eyes and scanned everything around him, it was strange, the only chakra he could actually locate were Hinata's and Michii's. He looked around a little more and found the source of the scream. Another large hound stood beside the woman who had screamed, she seemed to be looking at the actual body of Michii's hound Oki.
"Michii… what happened to him?" the woman asked and Michii reached to hug her, but the woman stepped back away from her. "Kairuh… I didn't know… he was alright this morning." MIchii whispered and Kairuh looked at Hinata and her lips curled up into a snarl. "You… what did you do? Did you bring that bastard onto our land?!" the blue eyed Inuzuka snarled angrily and Hinata's eyes became sharp and she glared at the woman. "We had nothing to do with what became of the dog. We were trying to save her husband. Daisuke murdered the dog." Hinata bit out. This caused the woman's eyes to widen. "So it is true… everyone is forming a truce to destroy that man…" Kairuh muttered and looked to the dark haired man to her right.
"Tora, what do you think?" she asked and Michii crouched down to pat her hound on the head. "Thank you for your service and companionship, dear Oki… I'm so sorry this happened to you…" she whispered as she rubbed behind his ear. "Michii." Kairuh called softly, crouching beside her. "What are you going to tell father?" she asked and Michii frowned. "He died protecting us. I have no doubt of this… father would understand why I did not know though, sister. As much as I loved him, my chakra never bonded with him there was no real way for me to know something had happened. I thought everything was fine…" she whispered and the older Inuzuka embraced the younger one. Michii flicked her wrist and the butterflies landed on Oki. They piled on and she gave one last pat before they took away any and all evidence that there was even a hound there. The thought crossed Hinata's mind before she could even put it to a halt. "Carnivorous butterflies." She muttered and Michii nodded. "Good for disposing of bodies." Kairuh interjected and Hinata nodded, that was the thought she had tried to kill off.
"Kairuh Inuzuka, Tora Inuzuka, and Michii Aburame." Madara listed off the names of the group and they stared at him oddly. "I am delivering a formal request for aid and shelter." He said and Kairuh opened her mouth to cut him off, but her husband grabbed her hand and shushed her. "The Senju and the Uchiha ask diplomatically if you would like to join us in our endeavor of setting up a homeland. One where our children will not have to suffer, where we can thrive and work together to keep each other safe. One of trust and family." He said and offered a hand to the group. Michii lunged to grab his hand and she squeezed it tightly.
"Michii…" Kairuh called softly, but the tears in her younger sister's eyes silenced her. "I want a home… I want… Cho… I want Shiro… I want a safe place… This is my chance… my chance to start over." Michii sobbed and Kairuh nodded with a soft smile on her once feral lips. Tora reached a hand out to Madara as well, catching Kairuh off guard. "Tora?" she asked and he looked at her, his eyes filled with pain. "This is for Momo…" he said softly, his deep voice rumbling from deep within his chest. Madara grasped the man's hand and shook it firmly. The feral look in Kairuh's eyes didn't fade, in fact it spread into a slightly feral scowl on her lips.
Hinata offered her hand to the Inuzuka woman. "Please join us, we can help you…" She said softly and Kairuh blinked at the younger woman. The smile was sincere and kind. Kairuh's rough palmed hand met with Hinata's softer one and they both nodded. "Alright, I suppose we have a designated location for the village then?" Kairuh asked and Hinata nodded. "It's down by the valley, there's a cliff that overlooks the trees there… it's beautiful. I think you all would love it." Madara said and the group nodded. "Alright. Well, I suppose I should go inform the clan." Tora said and Kairuh nodded. They turned their backs and vanished into the trees.
Michii turned to the Uchiha and smiled. "I am going to go check on Cho, see how he fairs. Do you need anything else?" she asked and Hinata shook her head. "Alright then, I will see you both when we are able to make the distance to meet up with you all." She said and she vanished into the trees opposite the way the inuzuka went. Hinata grasped Madara's hand tightly and he looked down at her to see if she was alright. "I want to go home, Madara." She whispered with tears in her eyes and he hugged her to himself tightly. "Then we will go home, let's go." He said and she released a sob.
'That's not the home I was talking about.'
:-:-:-:
Hashirama awaited them at the entryway to the new village, he'd been working hard since they left out two months ago. He looked around at everyone and smiled. The Inuzuka, the Akamichi, the Aburame, the Hatake, the Nara, the young Yamanaka man, all of the clans that the duo had been sent out to recruit had shown up and were all excited to help out these past two months. One had even been so proud to have a new start at life, he asked for Hashirama and Tobirama to help him think of a name for his new clan. His young blonde wife had been just as excited to take on the new name.
Hashirama frowned and looked out towards the gate. He was worried about the two of them. He hadn't heard from them since they had sent message with Toshiro Hatake. He felt like they should be here any day now, luckily they would be blown away by the size the village had become so swiftly. He looked up to see the children running about, giggling and being actual children. It made his heart feel light. That feeling fluttered away and a new one filled its place when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see who it was and a grin graced his lips.
He saw Madara first, dressed in full black garb, elegantly even. This caught Hashirama off guard. He blinked a few times, before he relinquished his embrace on the large man. "Madara?" it came out as more of a question than anything but the smile on the normally stoic man's lips had realization dawn on him. He hopped backwards to try and find the woman that was always with him. His eyes lit up and he grinned widely as he rushed over to the elegant woman. Her hair fell softly around her face and shoulders, her bangs were scrappy and mimicked ninety percent of Madara's hair, but it just added to the beauty of the woman. "No. You didn't!" he shouted accusingly and Madara laughed outright.
"You did?!" he whined and this made Madara chuckle. "Not yet, Hashirama-kun. We wanted to actually seal our vows at home." Hinata said and it dawned on Hashirama what they wanted. Excitement spread over his featured and he took off for a moment. He came back a few minutes later with Michii, a handful of lilac colored flowers and Mito. Wanting to see what the rush was about, most of the other clans had come out to investigate.
Michii and her husband Cho smiled at the two and made similar hand signs. "Alright, ready when you are love birds!" Hashirama cheered and Hinata giggled. She looked over to Madara who offered his hands to her. "To our future here…" Madara whispered and she smiled at him shyly. "And our children." She whispered and he blushed slightly, but nodded. Madara captured her lips in a soft kiss and Hashirama threw the flowers into the air so they would shower down upon the two. Michii and Cho had called upon their butterflies to add color and elegance to the celebration. Hinata was about to say something to Madara, but Hashirama captured the two of them in a tight hug, tears streaming down his face.
"I am so glad I got to witness this asshole be happy." He said and Madara glared at him while Hinata giggled. Hashirama released the two and Madara stepped back, slightly disgruntled do to the comment. Hashirama made a move to step back once more, but he decided to hug Hinata once more. "Forgive me for everything… I never hated you… in fact I want to thank you." He whispered as he hugged her tightly. "Thank me for what?" she asked softly, completely caught off guard by his sudden bout of solemnness. "You gave me everything. You gave me my best friend back." He whispered and her eyes widened, but then softened and she embraced him softly back. She stroked his hair softly and smiled.
"You are very welcome, Hashirama-kun." She whispered and released the man. He grasped her hand tightly and smiled. "Thank you for being what you are. Thank you for giving up what you could have been, to save us all." He whispered and she forced a smile.
'Believe me, if I had the chance, I would do it all over, but differently. So much differently.' She thought solemnly as she turned to her now husband. "Who's hungry, because I know I am." She said with a smile and they all smiled back at her.
:-:_:-:_:-:
Almost a year had passed since they had gotten married and nothing had gone wrong. Everything was going smoothly and it was so strange. No more Butsuma issues, no Daisuke… Hinata felt something was wrong, but there was nothing she could actually do about it. She sighed and looked out her window. The only issues they were having right now were just the looks they were getting. Hinata and Madara both knew they were the outcasts, hell. Their clan couldn't keep their mouths shut about it. They blabbed on to anyone who would listen. Hinata was honestly extremely angry and bitter. Ten and a half months in a village that hates you will do that to a person.
She stood, though that was a bit of a struggle lately as well. Her ankles were so swollen and pained she didn't get to go out much anymore. A sigh escaped her lips as she made her way out of her and Madara's home. She glared sharply at the uchiha who loitered about in their compound, they had turned their backs on them the day Tajima died, but had sealed the deal on making them outcasts when Izuna had passed. Hinata released a breath and rubbed her palm over her stomach. This was the only thing keeping her sane anymore. Madara was always out and about working on diplomatic this and that with Hashirama.
The small child dwelling within her stomach gave her so much hope for this life. "Little Hana…" she muttered and the baby kicked in excitement. "You'll make momma proud, won't you?" she asked softly as she rubbed her swollen belly. The smile that crossed Tobirama's lips as he made his was over to her was simplistic and sincere. "Should you be out walking about, Hinata-chan?" he asked softly, placing a palm on the center of her back to support her.
"Tobi-kun… you know I can handle myself." She chastised and he chuckled. "If you say so, little Hana seems to be winning." He said and Hinata giggled lightly. "Of course, she's a strong one." Hinata said and Tobirama nodded. "Yes she is, her chakra is blinding, to be completely honest." He chuckled and Hinata smiled up at him as he escorted her up the steps to the hokage tower. "So he is here?" she asked and he nodded. "It's been a rough morning, but I think they'll be thrilled to see you." He said and she smiled softly. The little infant kicked the hand that Tobirama had placed on Hinata's stomach, catching him completely off guard due to the brute force of the infant alone.
"Damn…" he muttered and Hinata released a genuine laugh at that. "I told you she was a strong one." She said and he nodded as they made it up the final step to the door. "Yes you did mention that." He muttered as he opened the door. His brow twitched as he did so and Hinata laughed lightly. "Working hard or hardly working?" she asked and Madara smirked at her, that damn smirk always made her heart flutter. Hashirama was sobbing animatedly on his desk. "What did you say Madara?" Hinata asked and Hashirama looked up at her with puppy eyes. She shook her head. "You two are supposed to be designating a leader for the village and you are both up here playing games and mocking each other." She sighed and Madara chuckled.
"Well we are at a loss for who we should put in the position." Hashirama sighed and Hinata smiled. "Well why not ask for help?" Hinata asked and the two looked at each other then back at her. "Who should we ask?" they asked in unison and she opened her mouth to speak, but her thoughts cut off her words. 'should I let the villagers decide? What if that is what happened in my time?' she thought it over for a second, and then smiled. "You should have the clan leaders decide for themselves who they want to lead them." She said and Madara's face fell. He was hurt and it was her fault.
"However, rather than having them vote on who they want personality wise, they should have criteria to vote on." Hinata said and Madara's eyes shimmered in excitement. "You should have them put down a name for every question we ask. It will be won off popular vote, and not just in one category, the name written under each criteria will be added into the subtotal of all of the criteria, the one with the most votes overall, will get the position. If there is a tie between two candidates, we will vote on one last criteria." Hinata said and the two nodded.
"Sounds like a great idea." Hashirama said slightly surprised. Madara nodded in agreement. "Alright, so the first four criteria are self-explanatory." Hinata said and they nodded, excited to hear what they would be judged on. "Skill, maturity, intimidation factor, and problem resolution. The last will be based on commitment. If they don't think you will be committed to the job, they shouldn't vote for you, but I believe both of you will be great leaders. I also cannot vote because my vote will be biased." Hinata laughed lightly and they smiled at her.
"Alrighty then, how about we get everything ready for the vote then shall we?" Hashirama asked and they all nodded. They started writing out the ballots and talking everything over. Hinata looked up and around at the three men in the room, everything seemed so simplistic and perfect in that moment. She smiled and went back to writing. Nearly three hours had passed before they were finished with them all and what had actually knocked all of them out of their daze was a squeal from Hinata. All three men looked over at her worriedly and she blushed. "Hana-chan is hungry." She whispered sheepishly and they all laughed.
Madara stood and stretched with a smile on his lips. "How about I go get us something to eat dear?" he asked and she smiled. "Alright, well I'm going to send Tobirama around and have him announce to everyone the method of voting for the new leader is here and they can all come vote at any time for the rest of the day." Hashirama said and the two nodded. They stood and made their way out of the tower. Hinata waddled on behind Madara and he looked back at her with amusement in his eyes. "Come, come, little duck. Our lunch awaits." He chuckled and she beamed up at him. She interlocked her fingers with his and hugged his arm, her head resting on his shoulder.
In moments like these, nothing else mattered, just the two of them. Only them. She was going to enjoy this feeling and keep it close to her heart whenever she needed to be reminded of it. Such as every other waking moment. She tried not to let it burst her happy bubble, but she could feel their stares, she could hear their whispers, and their disdain. Despite the look of utter joy on their faces, they both held anger in their eyes. Betrayal is actually more the emotion dwelling there. They felt betrayed. They had done nothing wrong to these people, and yet the Uchiha clan had deemed it upon themselves to label the two as murderers.
"He's going to win the election." Madara said and Hinata nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry my love." Hinata whispered but he shook his head. "I told him he was going to win, but he felt as though he owed it to me to have an election between us." He said and she nodded. "I tried to place some of the criteria more towards you, but I know he will still win." She said and he smiled. "You won't be angry if you lose, will you?" she asked and he shook his head. "Nah… I have you and baby Hana after all. I have everything I need to be happy." He said and she frowned, that glimmer in his eyes signaled that was a lie. Not all of it, but the lie was still there. She sat at the booth in the restaurant he led her to. He sat beside her and smiled at the waitress as she walked over.
A faltering smile wavered on the young woman's lips. She was scared. Hinata gave her a sharp look and she scurried away. "I think we should just go eat at home." He said softly. She placed her hand on top of his and shook her head. "They will have to face us. They would not be here in this lovely village if it hadn't been for us. They would have nothing if it weren't for you." She snapped, her tone cutting and angry. She said it loud enough for the patrons to hear. She wanted to make sure they knew she was angry at them. He grasped her hand and kissed it softly.
"Of course my love." He whispered. The waitress came back and she was stammering. "What is it?" Hinata asked as she rubbed the back of Madara's hand. "The o-owner says y-you have to lea-leave…" she whispered frantically. The look on the young girl's face was of nothing but fear. Hinata's chakra flared, but Madara patted her hand with a small smile. "Let's go my love. Remember the child." He said as he stood and offered a hand to her. She took it but glared knives at every person she walked past on the way out. He led her home and he began making food for her in the kitchen of their small home. "Go wait out back by the tree my love, I will be there shortly." He said and she nodded and made her way out to the young tree. It was a sturdy little sapling. The flowers of this tree were beautiful and it was what originally made them build their home here.
Hinata placed her hand on the tree and smiled as her chakra resonated well with it. 'This tree is so much bigger back home…'
She looked over to the back door with a smile as Madara walked out with a small assortment of food. Madara had to ask Hashirama to buy food for them, seeing as most shop keeps close their door upon sight of him. Hinata eat a few of the vegetables ha had cut and put in a bowl. "You still love me, right Hinata?" His voice came out soft, but it had the signature cracking of someone in pain. She put the food back in the bowl and turned to face him. He wouldn't meet her eyes whatsoever. "Madara…" she whispered as she placed her hands on his cheeks to get him to meet her gaze. His hair was blocking her view of his eyes, but she knew why he was hiding the moment the warmth trailed over her fingers. Her heart ached.
"Madara, I will never leave your side…" she whispered as she started trying to wipe away his tears. He began to sob, despite how hard he was trying to bite them back. "My love…" she whispered as she ran her hands over his hair and behind his neck to embrace him softly. "I tried so hard, Hinata… what did I do wrong?" he asked between sobs. "What did I do that was so wrong they hate us. Why do they hate you? What will they do to our little Hana, Hinata?" he managed and she pulled him closer to her. "It will be ok, my dearest… for now, listen to little Hana moving about. How about that?" she asked in a soothing whisper and he nodded curling up to her, his ear pressed softly against her swollen stomach. Hinata continued to wipe away the tears that streaked over his cheeks. She did this until they had stopped falling from his eyes.
Those beautiful ebony eyes had slipped shut a few minutes ago, but she didn't stop caressing his cheek. She continued to do so because she felt he needed the comfort. Hana was calm, her father was curled up next to her and she was content with that fact. She didn't know exactly how long she had sat there with him under the tree, all she knew was the sky had changed colors and it was now nearing sunset. She looked down at the man curled up with her and she smiled sadly as she caressed his cheek one last time. "Hashirama, Tobirama, Mito…" she greeted softly, still caressing his cheek. "Congratulations, Hashirama." She whispered and her smile faded as Madara's eyes watched her carefully.
"How many votes did I get, Hashirama." It was more of a demand, than a question. Hashirama frowned and sat before them. "You got four." He said and Madara sat up slowly. "So I take it that out of everyone in the village. You were the only one to vote for me…" he grunted and Hashirama frowned. "I'm sorry Madara." He said and Madara shook his head. "No, it's ok. I just… I just need some time to cope with the fact that this entire village hates me and I don't have the damnedest clue why." Madara said as he stood. "Hinata, I love you." He said and he began walking away. "Where are you going my love?" she asked and he smiled at her. "I'm going to speak with mother, father, and Izuna. Tell them all about baby Hana… then I'm going to visit the old compound and pick up a few things." He said with a small smile.
"You're coming back right?" she asked and he nodded. "Of course. It might be a few days but I will be back. In the mean time. Would you all mind watching after her? Baby Hana is due any minute." He said and Hinata frowned. "May I have a kiss before you go?" she asked and he nodded. He made his way over to her and helped her to her feet. "I love you, Madara." She whispered. He smiled and placed a kiss on her lips. It was gentle and loving, but in the moment where their eyes reopened… they both knew…
He wasn't coming home.
She smiled at him as he walked away. This was it. He was not coming back to live here. If he came back… it was for him to die. She reached down and patted Hana softly. "It's ok, sweetie. Mommy will save him. Mommy will make sure daddy comes back to us safe." She whispered to the infant kicking her in the ribs. This seemed to console the child for the moment, but she knew Hana would be back to kicking her again soon.
"So, where are we going. I can't be here anymore. It makes me sick." She said and all Hashirama could do was stare at her with those saddened eyes. He held his hand out to her and she grasped it and followed him out of her backyard. Mito and Tobirama followed behind them in silence. When they reached Hashirama's home, they showed her to her room and she nodded and made her way over to the closet. She opened it and saw the kimono she used to wear when she lived with them as okami. The mask lay upon the top shelf of the closet and she eyed the armor there. Her sword lay there as well. Madara had planned this. She knew this much.
"Hello again… Tsubaki." She said as she traced the sheathe of the blade. Madara had made it for her. It was a gift for her to celebrate Baby Hana. He was celebrating the fact he was having a little girl. She hadn't been allowed to mess with it for a few weeks now, but she knew what this blade meant for her. "Forged of his family, for his family." She whispered as she caressed the blade. She unsheathed it the slightest bit and his chakra flowed out, engulfing her and comforting her. She kicked the sheathe off a little more and she saw a flicker of red in the blade. She felt his presence, but she knew he wasn't there. She sheathed the blade and placed it on the bed beside where she was going to lay.
"Don't you cry my love, everything is going to be ok." She whispered as she lay down to sleep.
Ok! So thank you to everyone who had read this. Obviously it is safe to say I have a brand new computer now. Im so excited to get right back to work on everything again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Just remember, im going to be working on the sequel here again soon!