The clearing was silent and thick with tension. No one made a move as Asami stared down Tobirama and Hashirama, her eyes red with the Sharingan. The Uchiha and Senju who were once fighting continued to watch in silence, waiting for guidance from either of their leaders. What was going to happen? Who would make the first move?
The remaining Uchiha were lost, feeling abandoned by their clan leader and heir. It seemed as though Izuna was reluctant to escape, but Madara deserted them and Asami without any hesitation. He made quick work of leaving them behind to save his and his brother's life with little regard for anyone else.
Not only were the Uchiha feeling a sense of abandonment, but one of betrayal as well. How could Madara do something like that to them? He was their clan leader. He was supposed to protect and stand by their sides through any situation—and yet, he had abandoned them.
Finally, Hashirama broke the silence as he spoke, making an expression of distress as he extended his hand and pleaded with Asami. "Please, I can help Izuna. I can help save him—if he doesn't get proper treatment, he'll die… you know this. Please… make the right decision and allow me to heal him. We can put a stop to this fighting."
Asami's insides twisted at how blunt Hashirama was when discussing Izuna's death. There was no delicacy with the subject of Izuna's mortality and he was acting as though his fate was already sealed.
Not only that, but It disgusted her how Hashirama continued to speak as though he was some kind of savior. As if he would be the shining beacon of hope to come to the Uchiha's rescue and pull Izuna from the hands of death. She would never allow Hashirama to practically piss on the Uchiha in that way, and especially not on her cousin's pride. Hashirama continued to paint himself like a saint. As though it was everyone else who wanted to fight and bring more death, and he was the only person who longed for any fraction of peace. It was infuriating.
Of course, she wanted Izuna to be healthy. She wanted him to have the best treatment possible, but how could she trust Izuna's life with the Senju? How could she trust the very people who endangered his life to heal him? She couldn't.
Asami wanted nothing more than to bite back at him, to hurt Hashirama the way Tobirama hurt Izuna. To make Hashirama feel some kind of pain and anguish to get even. She was so upset, so tired of fighting the Senju, so tired of fighting the Sarutobi, tired of fighting everyone—so tired, and so angry.
Asami narrowed her eyes at Hashirama, not even trying to hide the disgust leaking into her voice at Hashirama's pleading. "Why would I ever trust you? You say these things… say you want to save Izuna… that you want peace… but you have no reason to desire these things! Peace isn't achievable, especially not for a Shinobi clan. It's ridiculous for you to expect that one day we'd be fighting each other to the death, and then the next be enjoying a summer festival together! Unless we drastically change our way of living, it won't happen! How dare you claim yourself to be some sort of crusader of peace as if you haven't taken thousands of lives yourself!"
Asami clenched her free hand, the fingers around her chokutō turning white. She couldn't help the red, hot anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach at his words. She was infuriated. Hashirama was so mindless and naive. He really had deluded himself into thinking he was a bringer of change and that it was him against the world. As if any of them wanted to live this life.
"But we can change our ways—!" continued to plead Hashirama, but Asami was having none of it, cutting him off with a brisk shake of her head, her mouth pressed into a firm line. Hashirama's words died in his throat at her response.
"I don't trust you. No one trusts you!" She shouted, taking a step forward.
Tobirama tensed and took a step forward as well, clenching his katana in preparation for an attack. Hashirama noticed his brother's agitation and was quick to raise his arm to prevent him from drawing any closer to Asami.
The last thing Hashirama wanted was to make the situation worse, and another fight would do just that. Izuna's injury had already added enough fuel to the fire as it was. If Tobirama were to attack her now, there would be no going back, and Hashirama knew if something were to happen to both Asami and Izuna, Madara would never even think of coming around to the idea of peace again.
But even if Hashirama prevented his brother from attacking her, it didn't do anything to subdue the rage Asami felt.
"There is nothing that will ever make me trust you. Nothing!" Asami continued, feeling herself start to lose control over her anger. "I will think of you as my enemy until the day I die!"
There was a sudden flash, a movement from the side, Tobirama's eyes going wide, and the beginning of a shout leaving Hashirama's lips. Asami looked over her shoulder with a gasp, Sharingan spinning at the familiar face of Senju Touka in mid-air behind her, swinging a long knife dripping with purple liquid at Asami's face.
Asami bent backward and quickly brought her chokutō up to meet the knife. Asami grit her teeth as the purple liquid sprayed out, droplets hitting Asami's cheek and landing on Touka's face as well.
Touka narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, frustrated at how her swing had been blocked even when trying to hit Asami from behind.
Asami yanked her sword away and jumped back to put some distance between them. Touka flipped backward and landed on her feet, skidding in the dirt and kicking up clouds of dust as she went. The two women stared each other down from a distance, Asami's eyes sharp in anticipation, and Touka's expression one of frustration for her failed attack.
"Touka! Stop this!" Shouted Hashirama as he took a step forward.
His eyes darted between Asami and Touka, trying to decide whether or not he would intervene and how. Touka's attack had agitated the situation even more and he wasn't sure there would be any hope in reasoning with Asami now.
Touka glanced at Hashirama out of the corner of her eye, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. She grit her teeth and returned her attention to Asami, ignoring Hashirama's order to back down from the fight. Even if she wanted to listen, Touka didn't think Asami would just let her walk away scot-free after trying to land a surprise attack.
Asami didn't even spare Hashirama another glance for all his shouting. She was more annoyed with how he was pleading with everyone to stop fighting but couldn't seem to restrain his own clan members. It was too late now since Asami had decided Touka was going to be her punching bag. Touka was annoying on her own, but Asami was in a bad mood already, and Touka was the perfect person to make a statement out of.
Suddenly, Asami's frame became distorted, fading in and out in a static-like manner, before she disappeared altogether.
Touka drew in a sharp breath, eyes going wide at how Asami had disappeared. She was there one moment and the next she was gone without a trace. Panic began to settle in Touka's chest at the realization. There was no way to tell where Asami was going to come from now that she had lost sight of her.
She knew Asami had this ability, but Asami had never used it in such a way against her. Asami had a way of moving too fast for her to spot, but disappearing altogether? Touka had never seen this before.
Touka took a step back and looked around frantically, pivoting as she tried to spot Asami somewhere, anywhere. But there was nothing but blank stares from the Senju onlookers who were just as confused about what happened. They had no idea how things were going to play out.
Those who were left of the Uchiha however, seemed to have a smug way about them the moment Asami disappeared. Kousuke and Hikaku changed smug looks with each other, the two men appearing to know what was going on.
Tobirama had noticed this exchange, and the smugness was unnerving. If it were up to Tobirama, they would continue the attack on the Uchiha who were merely standing by now. But he knew Hashirama would have his head if he went against his orders.
Touka was oblivious to the change in attitude from the Uchiha as she continued to look around frantically for Asami.
"Both of you, enough of this!" Hashirama called again as he looked around for any sign of Asami. He looked back at Touka with a clenched jaw, anxiety consuming him as he fought internally over what the right thing to do in this circumstance was.
Tobirama stood with his jaw set and hand clenched around his sword, the other balled into a fist with white knuckles. He shifted closer to his brother in a protective stance in case Asami got the idea to attack them. After all, there was a possibility she would forget about Touka and come after him or Hashirama.
Though it was more likely Tobirama would be a target since he was the one who struck down Izuna. She had a more personal reason to want him dead now.
Suddenly, there was a flash of black from the side that moved much too quickly for either of the Senju brothers to recognize by sight alone. The familiar chakra signature made Tobirama realize the blur was Asami in an instant, but even if he recognized her from the chakra, there was no way for him to shout to warn Touka or for him to make a move himself. She moved far too quickly, and the scene was almost reminiscent of what happened when he attacked Izuna.
Tobirama hadn't even seen her move. His mind was running a million miles per minute trying to comprehend how it was possible for her to disappear and then attack at a speed he had struggled to reach himself. He had heard rumors of her intense speed, the instance at the Uchiha hideout years ago sticking out in his mind, but seeing it in action was different.
It was unnerving.
Hashirama was frozen just as much as his brother, but he was less concerned with how she did it, and more with what damage she caused to Touka. His brows were furrowed, his body stiff and his eyes full of intense concern as he assessed the scene.
Asami stood behind Touka, her chokutō held at an angle with both hands and greased with blood, droplets of red hitting the ground. Touka hadn't moved in the slightest, still facing forward with a vacant look on her face. Her brown eyes were wide, her skin pale, and her mouth open. Her lips trembled as a thin line of blood dribbled down the corner of her mouth.
Asami stood to her full height and turned to face the Senju brothers, an even look on her face as she changed the grip on her chokutō to a single hand. She stared at the back of Touka's head with no emotion, eyes red with the Sharingan.
Tobirama and Hashirama stared in shock and confusion, unsure what had even happened, as there was no hint that Touka was even injured besides the small bit of blood at the side of her mouth and her odd stare.
"Touka?" Hashirama took a step forward with his hand extended, his face paling. He knew in the back of his mind that something terrible must have happened, but he still called out to her anyway, hoping for anything different.
Tobirama made a gruff noise of distress, holding his sword tighter as he locked his gaze onto Asami in case she were to attack while using Touka as a distraction.
Touka didn't speak, instead letting out a large cough, followed by a large glob of blood falling from underneath her chest plate and hitting the ground. Everyone stood in silence as another spurt of blood came after and made a splattering noise as it landed.
Suddenly, Touka's knees buckled and she fell, laying on her side in the growing puddle of red, coughing and groaning in pain as she continued to bleed. Her clothes were becoming drenched in her own blood, her armor twisting and pressing on her face at an odd angle.
"Touka!" Cried Hashirama as he rushed over to Touka without hesitation.
He dropped to his knees, his pants becoming soaked in her blood. He pulled her into his lap, grabbing at her face and trying to get her to focus on him, but she was already nodding off from the intense blood loss.
Tobirama followed after him, but instead of dropping to his knees like his brother, he stood in front of Hashirama and Touka in a defensive stance in case Asami decided to come after either of them while tending to their cousin.
Asami pushed her shoulders back and stood tall, ignoring the festering anger in her lower stomach that didn't go away even if she had landed a rightfully deserved hit on Touka. While she was still angry, there was no denying the underlying satisfaction of making them feel the pain she did. Tobirama and Hashirama were both distressed the moment Touka collapsed, which was exactly what she wanted.
She flicked the blood off of her weapon and slid it back into its sheath. Hashirama still held Touka in his arms, his attention on his cousin and blatantly ignoring Asami.
"You attacked my cousin, so I attacked yours," Asami said plainly as she looked at Tobirama. "I took a little inspiration from your attack on Izuna, if you didn't pick up on that."
He made a point not to meet her eyes, his face set into a grimace and paler than usual, red eyes sharp and glaring at her as she spoke. His jaw was tight in anger, body tense for what her next move would be.
Tobirama wasn't stupid. He had picked up on it the moment she reappeared behind Touka with a bloody blade. He didn't say anything to her though. Instead, he was on edge for any move she would make. But she didn't care to make any more attacks against the Senju, at least for right now.
All Asami wanted to do was get home with the rest of her clan members and make sure Izuna was safe. Attacking Touka was what she needed to get them out of there. It also got rid of the woman, the pest she was, from being a problem in the future.
A Senju from the crowd let out a shout of anger, raising his fist and weapon in the other hand as he took a step forward. "You'll pay for what you did to Touka-san! You won't get away with this!"
A chorus of shouts came from other Senju as they screamed in agreement, preparing their weapons to start the fight back up again. Several Uchiha grit their teeth and made noises of agitation as they prepared for a fight as well, but they were careful not to make any moves as they waited for instruction from Asami. She was their last person of command since they were abandoned. They weren't going to mindlessly attack in case she had something else in store—even if it meant retreat.
"No," Said Hashirama in a firm voice, the shouts from the crowd dying down as he spoke.
The Senju looked at their clan leader in disbelief, baffled that he was against them taking revenge for the death of his cousin.
He lifted his head, brown eyes watery as Touka lay limp in his arms, hands covered in blood from trying to heal her. He took in a deep breath as though he were in physical pain.
"There has been enough bloodshed for today," He said solemnly. "Let the Uchiha leave. Gather our dead and we will do the same. Enough damage has been done."
Tobirama looked back at his brother as though he were crazy, unable to believe his words. "You don't mean that?"
Asami blinked, also surprised Hashirama was willing to just let them leave. She wasn't sure if his decision-making was altered by the sudden loss of his cousin, but even so, she couldn't believe he was just letting them go. If she were in his position, she wouldn't even think of doing the same. Revenge would be the only thing on her mind and like hell would she let the Senju leave without a fight.
Originally her plan was to get both the Senju brothers in a panic so she could take the moment to escape with her clan members. But she never thought Hashirama would just let her walk away with the surviving Uchiha. Just like that? He was going to let them go? She couldn't believe it.
She really couldn't understand it, but it wasn't as though she was going to waste any time getting away in case Hashirama suddenly changed his mind and wanted revenge. She was going to take advantage of his moment of weakness.
Asami took a cautious step back, waiting to see if they were bluffing about letting her walk away unscathed. She didn't look away from them, not wanting to make the mistake of being too trusting. There was no telling what their intentions were. It was strange enough that Hashirama denied the Senju their revenge, the last thing she wanted was to slip up in such a tense moment.
Tobirama seemed to be thinking the same thing as Asami, his eyes trained on her and watching for any sudden moves.
Hashirama dropped his head, long brown hair creating a curtain around Touka's lifeless body. He didn't seem to care what the Uchiha did now, his attention on his deceased cousin laying in his arms.
Asami shared a look across the way with Hikaku, who stepped out from behind Kousuke. Kosuke set his jaw, hand wrapped around his tanto as he looked at Hikaku, who was still staring ahead at Asami. Hikaku gave her a firm nod, before meeting Kousuke's eyes and giving him a nod of acknowledgment as well.
"Remaining Uchiha, gather who you can and head back to the compound!" Called Asami to the crowd.
The Senju stood by silently with grim looks on their face, itching to attack the Uchiha who began to gather the dead bodies of their fallen friends and family.
The Senju were irritated at how easily the Uchiha were getting out of the fight. How could Hashirama let them walk away with their dead? It wasn't as though the Senju came out unscathed either—both the Uchiha and Senju had suffered casualties from the fight, so why did the Uchiha get to leave with no repercussions? The Senju may have initiated the fight, but they didn't see a reason why the Uchiha should be simply allowed to leave.
In their eyes, the Uchiha were getting off easy, and the Senju wanted a fight.
They didn't want to stand by and allow them to simply walk away, but they would never disrespect Hashirama's orders. Even if they didn't agree, they couldn't go against Hashirama. Facing the wrath of the mokuton was not in their best interest.
The Uchiha sealed the bodies of their loved ones into scrolls before taking off into the forest they came from, heading back to the compound one by one until it was just Asami standing alone. Hikaku and Kouske were the last to leave before her. Kousuke was more hesitant to leave her alone, but he knew she wouldn't attempt to do anything reckless and would follow soon after. The Senju would have hell to pay if they tried anything against Asami too.
Right now, Asami was entrusting Hikaku and Kousuke to lead the Uchiha survivors back to the compound. Her job was to make sure there was no other pursuit of Senju sent after the retreating Uchiha.
Asami had already done enough to knock the Senju brothers down by killing Touka. There was nothing more for her to do at the moment. Asami did want to kill Tobirama, she wanted him to pay for harming Izuna. She wouldn't be satisfied while he was still living. But now wasn't the time. As much as she wanted to kill him, to make him feel more pain and anguish, she knew she couldn't.
Now that she had gotten her living clan members out of harm's way, her priority was to head back home as soon as possible and make sure Izuna was okay.
Asami took in the sight of Hashirama mourning his cousin with his head bowed, before looking at Tobirama one last time.
She said nothing more, disappearing with a shunshin, and leaving an empty clearing where she once stood.
Asami reappeared in the forest, and as soon as she touched solid ground, she was running as fast as she could. Her legs were burning in a way she hadn't experienced in a long time, as she was pushing herself far beyond what she thought her limits of speed to be. She needed to see Izuna. She needed to make sure he was okay. Every fiber of her was screaming for her to move faster, that she was wasting time by moving too slow.
The fatigue of the fight and mental strain of watching Izuna be struck down started to hit her now that she was away from the Senju. Her body wanted nothing more than to just drop to the ground from pure exhaustion. Asami knew she couldn't though. She needed to see Izuna.
She felt sick inside. Hopefully, the healers were able to do something, anything to help him. If he had… if something happened to him while Asami was dealing with the Senju… she didn't know what she would do. If the Senju robbed her of Izuna's last living moments, she would make them pay for it. She was sure of that.
The trees and vegetation were a blur as she sprinted past. She could barely recognize the area around her, her body running on autopilot from the years of running through the forests near the Uchiha compound. There was no comprehensive thought in her mind but to move and get home.
Finally, she broke through the trees and sprinted through the gates of the Uchiha compound.
The Uchiha survivors were crowding the gate, speaking to their loved ones and the family members of their fallen friends. A few families were crying, along with the few weeping women whose husbands or children had died. The scene wasn't much different from whenever a party returned from a dangerous battle or mission, as the loved ones of Shinobi who left the village were always lingering by the gate, eager for their return. They wanted to make sure those they loved came back alive, and not in a body scroll.
This time though, Asami was aware of the many stares she received as soon as she came into view from the gate of the compound. The clan members seemed to quiet, watching her as she came to a sudden stop at the entrance and caught her breath.
Asami took a look around for a moment, eyes wide and darting from face to face of her clan members who simply stared at her. She was breathing heavily, not just from overexerting herself in her run back to the compound, but from being in a panic over Izuna's health. She was on the brink of a panic attack. Sweat ran down her face and her hair stuck to her forehead, along with the random splotches of blood on her face and upper neck.
The stares from her gathered clan members were odd, but she couldn't bring herself to wonder why they were giving her such odd looks. She was too panicked and full of anxiety to stew over anything.
She needed to find Izuna. Izuna was her top priority. Was he in the healing ward? That was the only place Asami could think to look.
Asami moved to dash in the direction of the healing ward, but before she could, Izanami sprinted out from the crowd. People parted for her to make her way through, sending her looks of worry as they moved out of the way.
Izanami came to a sudden stop, kicking up dust and waving her hand to get Asami's attention.
"Asami!" She called.
The clan members already knew what happened to Izuna, having witnessed the commotion when Madara first arrived with his brother for help. Their faces turned grim and a few people began to whisper amongst themselves at the sight of Izanami's clothes and her distressed state.
Blood and splotches of liquid covered Izanami's navy blue yukata. Her hair was pinned up into a bun, her bangs stuck to her forehead and slick with sweat. She was sickly pale, splatters of blood across her cheeks. It did not make for a reassuring appearance.
Asami's stomach dropped at the sheer amount of blood on Izanami's clothes. Izanami hadn't gone to the battle with the Senju. She had stayed at the compound to help defend in case someone decided to attack while they were away—which meant the blood and grime was from helping Izuna. All of that blood was his. The thought alone was nauseating.
Izanami didn't say anything else, turning and taking off in a sprint. Asami followed after her with the assumption she was going to lead her to Izuna and Madara. She didn't need much instruction—Izanami knew what Asami was looking for.
"Is he okay?" Asked Asami as the two women followed the familiar path Asami recognized led to the main family's home.
Izuna was most likely in his room if they were heading back to their house, which in Asami's mind, was a good thing. Her father was on his deathbed in the healing ward, not in their own home. He wasn't in intensive care surrounded by healers. Did that mean Izuna was going to be fine?
She could help the glimmer of hope that broke through the overwhelming sickness and anxiety in her stomach. To her, it was something. It was a small sign that her cousin was probably going to be okay. She allowed herself to feel a little delusional in that moment, even if it was only for a split second.
"He's stable for now. Though that's only a short assessment Madara received from the healers when they got a moment to speak to him after he demanded information," answered Izanami, running ahead of Asami as she led them to the house she shared with her cousins.
"Stable? For now?" Asked Asami as they came up to the house.
Asami did not like that answer. She could feel herself start to go into even more panic as the many anxiety-inducing possibilities ran through her mind.
How was she supposed to interpret the healer's assessment? Did it mean Izuna would have a decent recovery? Or that he was teetering on the brink of death and the healers had only momentarily been able to bring him back? She didn't like the phrase 'for now' being tacked onto the subject of Izuna's health.
Izanami ran up the stairs to the house and threw open the door, taking off her shoes and shoving them into a corner by the entryway. Asami did the same, slamming the door closed behind her without a care.
The only thing she could think about was seeing Izuna alive with her own eyes.
"It means he's okay, but his injury is bad, and he's lost a lot of blood." She explained, jogging down the hall.
Just as the hope had come, it was gone just like that.
Asami could feel her face go cold, the sinking feeling in her stomach back again at Izanami's quick and grim explanation.
She didn't even say anything else. What was there to say? Asami knew everything she needed right now. Izuna's injury was bad, he had lost a lot of blood, and the healers had just managed to stabilize him. She could only hope he stayed stable and had a smooth recovery.
The two women came to a stop outside of Izuna's bedroom, a healer stepping out of it with a basket full of bloody clothes and rags. The healer slid the door shut behind her and turned toward Asami and Izanami with the intention to walk down the hall, but stopped the moment she saw the two women.
She looked at them in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me. Momoko-san is still inside with Izuna-sama and Madara-sama. I'm just taking these with me so Izuna-sama has a comfortable space."
Asami became annoyed at the woman for her casual approach to what was going on. She was acting as if Izuna wasn't on the brink of death—which maybe, should have been a good sign, but she only felt herself become annoyed with the woman's lack of urgency. Why did she think now was a good time to have a friendly discussion?
"That's very good, now please move and get out of the way," Asami said sharply, stepping around Izanami and reaching for Izuna's bedroom door the healer had just closed.
The healer flinched at Asami's sharp tone and didn't hesitate to move out of the way. Izanami glanced from Asami to the woman, before giving a slight shake of her head.
The healer was a young woman, probably no older than fourteen, blabbering on without taking into account the delicacy of the situation. The girl didn't mean any harm, but Asami was not in the mood to have a discussion on that, and Izanami wasn't going to attempt to have one. Asami was stressed and the healer got the brunt of it.
Izanami stepped forward and placed a hand on the woman's arm in consolation, before giving it a gentle pat to urge her to run along. The woman bowed her head and quickly walked past Izanami, feeling very embarrassed about her interaction with Asami.
Asami didn't even look back at the healer, the situation was unimportant to her right now. She opened the door and stepped into the dark, barely lit room.
Her stomach dropped at the sight of Izuna laying down, his head propped up on a pillow, and Madara kneeling beside him. Madara hadn't changed out of his clothes, his battle armor shed, and sitting in a lump on the floor behind him. He was still dirty, with blood in his hair and on his clothes, the smell of death overwhelming the dimly lit room.
Momoko, the head healer, sat on the other side of Izuna. She didn't look up from her work, crunching up what looked to be some medicinal herbs in a bowl beside her. Asami didn't need to be acknowledged anyway—she would rather the healer focus on her work and make sure Izuna would live than be greeted.
Asami stood beside Madara, taking a deep breath as she looked down at Izuna. She almost wished she hadn't come any closer, since she could see how much pain he was in just by looking at him.
Izuna's eyes were closed and squeezed shut in pain, sweat running down his face. There was a sheet tossed over him and pulled up to his shoulders, but it didn't seem to be doing much, as small red splotches stained the sheet near his abdomen. The injury was leaking through whatever bandages he had on, and the sheet as well.
Asami felt a sharp pain in her chest, tears pricking at her eyes at the way Izuna shifted in discomfort.
It hurt her so much to see him like this. It was almost worse than when Hana died. At least then, her sister had more of a quick death. Here, Izuna was laying in a dark room in the Uchiha compound, sweating and twitching in pain as he rode out his injury.
Izanami said he was stable, but if this was stable, just what had Madara witnessed while she was gone?
Asami brought herself to look over at Madara again.
Since she was still standing, she couldn't see his face very well, but she still noticed the way his shoulders shook, and the death grip his hands had on the thighs of his yukata. His hands were white as he grasped onto his clothes and he hadn't looked up at her, even when she came closer.
Asami didn't know what to do. She wanted to cry. Out of anyone to go like this, why did it have to be Izuna? The room's somber mood was squashing any hope she had. Izuna didn't appear stable. He looked like he was in so much pain. She just wanted to cry.
Was she supposed to say something to help comfort Madara? She wasn't sure there was anything she could say to help ease his worries. And if there was, nothing was coming to mind. How was she supposed to help comfort him when she was on the brink of tears herself?
Asami took a shaky breath. She wiped her palms on her bloody yukata, before slowly dropping to her knees beside Madara.
Madara didn't acknowledge her, but now that she was on the ground beside him, she could see the hardened expression on his face.
His gaze was locked onto Izuna, lines of stress under his eyes. There was a soulless look to him she had never seen before. Only someone who was on the brink of cracking would wear such an empty expression like that. It scared her. She made her feel even worse. The urge to cry was only getting stronger, an intense burning behind her eyes and it was hard to breathe.
She wanted to do something to help either of her cousins. Asami didn't know what though. She wasn't a healer and she couldn't just go and kill Tobirama. There was no way she would have the strength to do that right now, and even if she did kill him, it wouldn't magically make Izuna better again.
Asami took a shaky breath, before reaching over and placing her hand on top of Madara's.
Madara still didn't look at her. He maintained an intense grip on the thighs of his yukata, and his grip even seemed to tighten at her touch.
Asami was trying to be comforting, she was trying to make it better, but as his hand maintained a steady grip on his clothes, she only felt guilty. Had she made things worse? Maybe she had disturbed some kind of mental strength he had been maintaining and messed everything up.
She was about to retract her hand, but he seemed to sense the anxiety of her choice to comfort him, so Madara loosened his grip on his clothes and placed his hand on top of hers. He still didn't look at her, his gaze locked onto Izuna, but his actions were enough for Asami. She initially wanted to comfort him, but it seemed they were both comforting each other now.
Izanami came into the room and slid the door shut behind her. She didn't walk further inside, instead choosing to stand near the doorway in case someone came in looking for Madara or needed anything. She knew the three of them needed their privacy and time together in such a delicate situation. Izanami had no intentions of intruding on that.
Momoko finally spoke, the medicinal leaves she had been crunching now resembling a smooth paste. "This should help Izuna-sama regain more of his strength so his body can do its job. We've done everything we can now, and it's up to Izuna-sama to pull through." She said with a grim tone of voice.
Asami set her jaw, the pit in her stomach continuing to grow at the somber news. She looked at Izuna, eyeing the expression of discomfort and sweat running down his face.
Was there nothing they could do for him? Momoko said she was making something to help his strength, but was that all they could do? It made her feel pathetic, not to mention all that much angrier at the situation they found themselves in.
"I want the truth," said Asami suddenly, urged by the swirl of emotion in the pit of her stomach.
Momoko looked up from the bowl of herbs. "The truth?"
Asami was quiet again as she gathered her thoughts so she could respond properly. Her gaze remained locked onto her cousin who continued to shift in discomfort, his skin seeming to be even paler than when she first entered the room. Izuna's health had already declined within the few minutes she had been here.
"I want to know if you think he will live." She said, her voice firm.
It seemed Asami already knew the truth, but she wanted to hear it from Momoko herself. She didn't want to be fed lies of hope that he would be fine. She didn't think Momoko would do such a thing, but she didn't want to risk it either, so she was going to make it known that she wanted to hear the truth, even as ugly and painful as it was.
Momoko stared at Asami, her black eyes sharp as she observed her. Her face was expressionless as she thought over her response. She was not quick to respond, but after a few moments of silence, she took in a sharp breath.
"No," she said without a trace of emotion, as though she was delivering a cold, hard fact. "I do not think he will live."
Madara snapped out of his trance and tore his gaze away from his brother once he heard this. His face was one of anger, with an underlying sense of betrayal as he looked at her. He balled his free hand into a fist on his lap. "Have you no faith?! You putting the idea out there that Izuna won't live is just the same as cursing him." Madara snapped.
Asami didn't know what to say to Momoko or her angry cousin. She knew Madara wasn't actually upset with Momoko. He was in pain, tormented over the possible death of his last brother. The last of his siblings was laying on his death bed and a healer had the courage to say they didn't think he was going to make it.
Asami was in pain over it too, but she just felt sad. She had a deep sense of sickness inside of her, tearing up her insides and giving her to cry or either throw up—she didn't know which, but hearing the truth she already knew from Momoko was like the nail in the coffin.
Izanami in the back of the room closed her eyes tight, forcing herself not to shed her own tears over the situation and the pain Madara was displaying.
Asami turned her head to the side, speaking quietly in Madara's direction. "No… I was the one who asked her. I needed the truth. If Izuna is… if he…"
She swallowed hard, a lump in her throat as she didn't even want to bring herself to say it. She wasn't sure how Momoko had so much courage to speak of Izuna's mortality out loud, but it was not courage she had herself. She needed the firm answer so she didn't delude herself into thinking he would come back from this.
"How much time does he have?" Asked Asami, looking back up at Momoko.
Madara grit his teeth, starting to become furious at how the two women were talking as though Izuna's fate was set in stone. "Don't speak like he's destined to die! He will pull through. I'm sure of it. He… he has to. He will!"
Asami's eyes became blurred with tears. She took a deep breath, doing her best not to let any of them fall. She needed to be the one with the level head. Izuna may have been her cousin, someone she cherished so much, but Izuna was Madara's little brother. His last little sibling. She needed to be delicate.
"I know you want him to be okay…" Asami had to pause, forcing herself not to let her tears fall. She reached for his other hand, both of her hands on top of his. "If these were his last moments… don't you want to take advantage of them, instead of treating them as though he was going to live to tomorrow? Don't waste the opportunity to say goodbye. If he lives… if he makes it… which I hope to Kami he does… he'll know how much you loved him. He'll know all the things you wanted to say and tell him anyway."
Madara's grip tightened on his clothes the moment she rested her hands on his. He didn't say anything, he didn't make a noise. Asami didn't say anything else, waiting for his response. She didn't move her hands, refusing to let her sliver of support she could show him fall.
Asami looked down at their hands.
She was still doing her best to fight back the tears. Was she doing the right thing? Were the words she said even right, or what Madara needed to hear?
Asami froze at the sight of droplets hitting the cloth of his yukata. A few landed on her hands that covered his, and she slowly lifted her head to see silent tears gliding down his cheeks. He wasn't looking at Asami, his eyes unfocused and blurred by tears.
She sniffed, before letting out a quiet sob and allowing her own tears to fall.
They both wanted Izuna to live, they both thought it would be the three of them to live through everything. The reality was that none of them were invincible, and death would come for each of them at some point.
Asami just didn't think it would happen so soon.