Pleading Eyes

Grave Misunderstanding

Tajima could only gape at the serious looking man sitting across from him as he sipped his tea, waiting for the shocked man to react to his proposal.

"I-I can't let you do that! I'll talk to my clan but you don't have to sell yourself like that! There has to be another way, why would you even think that?! Just showing us your strength will be sufficient! They won't need any more convin-!"

"They will."

Percy cut off Tajima's panic induced rant as he set his cup of tea down, stoping the short-haired man in his tracks as he locked eyes with Percy's own.

"You know that they'll try to control my power for themselves, and I haven't even met them yet. If they feel even just a bit of my power, they will try to marry me off to one of their own children. Your council doesn't just let power walk away from them....I-if I need to, I will. I just want you to decide who it's going to be...please?"

Tajima noticed the man's scarred hands shaking as they wrapped their long fingers around the cup containing tea, eyes pleading desperately for him to help the man out.

Percy was scared.

And he wanted Tajima to help him, to comfort him by choosing who it was gonna be that married the man.

Tajima felt a lump of emotion grow in his throat as he dryly swallowed, he felt like smacking his council members for being the way they were, Percy was right...they wouldn't let power just walk away, they would force it to stay and collaborate.

"...Okay. If it comes to that, I-I'll find someone. I promise."

Percy's sighed in relief as the tension seeped out of his shoulders and drooped down towards the table as he shook from the effort not to cry.

The Fates had forced him into helping these people, his fatal flaw was at fault as well, if he could just stop caring so gods damn much!

I don't want to do this...please don't make me do this!

Forcing someone to marry me just so that the Uchiha clan would have access to my power...I don't want that to happen.

Why?!

Why me?!

Tajima didn't know what to do as he saw the demigod break down in front of him, he had never been one for comforting and it was costing him now, so all Tajima could do to help Percy was to reach his hand out to grip the man's scarred hand and tighten his grip when the shaking wouldn't stop.

"It's okay...I'll help you."

Percy could only nod as he kept his head down against his folded arms, hand clutching Tajima's tightly as Percy struggled to keep from crying out.

Life was so unfair.

And it was.

As Percy cried in the quiet company of the Uchiha clan leader, and Madara slept only rooms away, the Senju clan was just barely noticing the demigod's absence and they were both an equal mix of angry and worried.

Whoever decided to take the man away...

They had better hope that Kami could save them.

"Slow down! We'll find him soon enough, but you have to calm down."

The three Senju brothers were so mad with anger and worry, that they could not stop themselves from turning on their father and downright growling at him, snarls wide on their childish faces, eyes glowing in pure rage, all in all it was a disturbing image from their usual self's.