Twin Leaves in the Shadow

第32章

"What can I even say, Madara? You knew this was going to happen." Hashirama whined.

Madara was glaring a hole right into Hashirama. "It still doesn't change the fact that it pisses me off. Especially seeing that she has arrived earlier than planned."

Hashirama jumped to his feet and rushed to Madara's side. "Please, Madara. Don't be angry at me."

"Have you done anything with her?" Madara seethed.

"Of course not."

"You know you can't get away with that for much longer," Madara scorned.

"Can we not talk about that? Please?" Hashirama begged.

Madara rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"I was just as surprised as you, okay? No one told me she was coming early. Just don't do anything irrational, please."

"I'm not going to hurt your precious wife," he scoffed. "I just wasn't expecting to see her with my own eyes. I wanted to avoid that completely."

Hashirama took his hand into his and pulled him into his arms. "I'm sorry, Madara."

Madara rested his head against Hashirama's chest, feeling relieved to be in his grasp. It made everything feel right again.

"What was the meeting like? Did they say anything to you?" Madara inquired, sounding defensive of Hashirama.

"It was just negotiations with her clan. They weren't supposed to bring up you and I, but her father still made it clear that he wanted me far away from you," Hashirama explained.

"What did you say?"

"I lied and said it was over between us. So we need to be careful with what do from now on," Hashirama cautioned.

Madara nodded and nuzzled closer to Hashirama. He wrapped his arms around Hashirama's waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. "This fucking sucks."

"I know," Hashirama replied.

"Will you have time to get away later? Or will you be too busy with Mito?" Madara asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"I'll always make time for you. We can meet at our spot later tonight," Hashirama assured. He brought his hands up to Madara's hair, played with the strands between his fingertips.

Madara lifted his head up and pouted his lips. Hashirama took that as a clue to pull him in for a kiss. His hands caressed Madara's face, savoring each second that passed.

"I love you," Hashirama whispered as he pulled his lips away.

Madara smiled and looked away, hiding his blushing face. "I love you, too."

They let go of each other and took a step back. It was risky for them to even be in the same room now, so they couldn't linger with their affection.

Madara pulled out a few scrolls and handed them to Hashirama. "This is what I actually came here for. Just some reports from neighboring villages."

"Thank you. I'll see you tonight," Hashirama answered softly.

Madara left the room feeling all sorts of emotions. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice Mito was by the door.

"It was nice meeting you, Madara," she called out.

He spun around, completely startled. She was leaning against the wall, close to the door. She was looking smug as she watched Madara. How long had she been standing there?

"You, too," he nervously answered, before turning on his heel to leave.

As he turned the corner, it dawned on him that he had seen her before.

In his nightmares.

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Back at his home, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Mito were all gathered around the dinner table. Mito had insisted on making a meal for the two brothers before she went back to her inn for the night. Periodically, Hashirama would glance at the clock that hung on the wall. He didn't want to miss his chance to spend time with Madara.

"This is a wonderful dinner," Tobirama rejoiced.

"Thank you, Tobirama. It's a special recipe I learned from my grandmother," she beamed.

"It's clearly very special. It was delicious," Hashirama added. He tossed his napkin on his plate and stood up to start cleaning the table.

"Let me take those, Hashirama. You should go escort Mito back to her inn," Tobirama insisted, taking the stack of plates from Hashirama's hand.

Hashirama quickly agreed, realizing it would make it much easier for him to slip off to see Madara.

He guided her through the village, with her inn only being a short walk away. She held onto Hashirama's arm, rubbing small circles with her thumb as they walked. Hashirama could sense her glancing up at him occasionally, but his eyes never wavered from the path in front of him.

"I had a nice time with you and your brother," she said sweetly.

"It's not very often that we have a guest over for dinner. We enjoyed having you."

"Maybe tomorrow night we can have dinner with just the two of us. We could get to know each other better," she suggested.

"Uh, I could probably arrange that," Hashirama answered awkwardly. He completely forgot that eventually he would have to be alone with her.

They stopped in front of the inn and faced each other. Under the moonlight, Hashirama couldn't deny how beautiful she looked. He felt guilty for even thinking it, but it was an irrefutable fact. She had a certain aura about her, it was inviting and warm.

"Thank you for walking with me," she sighed, looking down at the ground shyly.

Some of her bangs had fallen out of her hair clips from the wind. Hashirama reached out and tucked the strands behind her ear. It was the least he could do to show some sort of affection for his future wife. Her cheeks turned bright pink as she looked back up at the man in front of her.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Hashirama forced a smile and attempted to walk away, but was stopped by her grabbing his arm.

She moved onto the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. Her lips were soft and warm against his skin, sending goosebumps all over his body.

"Goodnight, Hashirama," she whispered before turning to go inside.

He stood in place, watching her until she closed the door behind her. He felt immediate guilt. He definitely didn't have feelings for her, but he still enjoyed the moment of tenderness. It was something he longed to have with Madara. If anything, it should've been Madara standing there, not her.

He shook off the feeling and started making his way to the outskirts of the village. Madara was waiting for him at their spot.

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author's note:

i am so sorry if i am killing your hashimada vibe with mito but I PROMISE it all has meaning!!!

this is still a hashirama x madara fanfic & not a hashirama x mito x madara one

so please bare with me & do not get discouraged. i would never do that to you guys <3

thank u & don't forget to share, comment, & vote!! i love hearing your thoughts and seeing your reactions!!