X OUR TRAGEDY X [Senju Tobirama AU]

Chapter 26

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~Niyo's POV~

I angrily threw away my quilt and got up from the bed. I had been resting as I was told, for two days and what did that get me? Aching bones! Well, the pain subsided when I stopped resisting rest so I guess that was a good thing but the more I rested, the more my bones ached. Bacchan kept some women on my watch, all the time and they made sure I didn't do anything exerting and if I were to do such, I remembered Hashirama-sama's warning and stopped myself.

It was night, well past midnight and I had been awake the whole day because since I was not allowed to do anything, I had my energies being conserved and since I was not tired at all, I couldn't sleep and that made me restless. I wanted to go for a walk, to stretch my legs and put some work on these bones so they would stop aching. It was the kind of ache that came when one had been sitting or resting for too long. So, I had to move and rid myself of this.

I left my hair open and pulled a shawl over my shoulders, I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and the night air would be cold, hence the shawl. Putting on my shoes, I quietly exited my cabin and maneuvered past my "guards" and made my way to the spring in the forest, the only place that could bring me rest and peace.

The water reflected the moon and its sounds calmed my edging nerves. Sitting around whole days, not doing anything and just resting was not something I was used to and it left me with huge amount of time on my hands to think. I hugged my knees and sighed thinking about the latest mission.

Morinome was almost destroyed, bacchan was almost killed, I couldn't save all those people and I couldn't put an end to Kyouya and if it hadn't been for Tobirama who gave me chakra and life energy, I wouldn't have been able to do my job at tracking for which reason I tagged along. I sighed once again thinking that even though it was all because of Tobirama that we were able to apprehend Kyouya, I hadn't thanked him, not once but had been rude and volatile. Maybe this was causing me restlessness.

And so I made up my mind. The next time I see Tobirama, I would apologize and thank him for helping. It would hurt my pride but if I wanted people to do so, I should lead the example.

I was laying with the grass near the spring, occasionally glancing up at the moon, thinking that I should be heading back since I stayed here for more than three hours and if my guards found out they would be freaking out but right at the moment I retreated my hand from the grass, I felt a presence behind me. I was recovered enough to summon a weapon in an instant and point it at the person's neck, I could guess where it was from the chakra.

"All that resting has paid off I see. Your reflexes are almost back to normal." Tobirama said moving my sword away from his face with the tip of his finger.

"Yes." I made a hand sign and the sword disappeared in a puff of smoke. "May I ask, why were you being so creepy?"

"Anija placed a seal on you that would let him know when you disobeyed his advice and he had me hiraiishin here to make sure things were ok." He sat down beside me.

"Ugh. Can't a woman just take a walk?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance. This was the last thing I wanted – somebody interrupting my peace. But I remembered what I had decided just moment ago. I had something to say to this guy. "Listen..." I started hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"I wish to apologize for being...well, what I have been since the mission...you helped, a lot and without that, I wouldn't have been able to track Kyouya and even then I was rude, so I am sorry for that and I am grateful that you helped while sustaining damage to yourself even..." My heart was beating hard against my chest after I stopped talking. I have never in my entire life felt so awkward when apologizing or expressing my gratitude, yet now, in front of this man, it was happening. I couldn't help myself but wonder why.

"Your resentment was understandable. I can understand that this forest must mean to you a lot and if I were in your shoes and had to protect Konoha, I would also want the culprit dead, but wanting something does not justify it as being right."

"Yes..." I went into thought about what he said and from there, I started admiring that his tone was not derogatory and that he was not condescending but was empathizing. Not many men I knew did that. There were a few moments of silence until something clicked. "Why were you awake at such an hour?"

"Two days out of seven in a week, I train at this time."

"And how did you know I was here?"

"You still have the hiraiishin mark on your arm."

I remembered. I pulled my shawl off and looked at my upper arm. Yep. It was still there. Sighing, I stretched my arm towards Tobirama. "Remove it."

"Not until you have completely healed. Who knows-"

"You can visit any time you want, just remove it. Please." I was panicking about this because I didn't like being marked. Maybe my eyes conveyed that.

"Alright." With a handsign, the mark was gone.

"Thank you." I rubbed my arm where the seal had been then pulled the shawl over it.

~Tobirama's POV~

Niyo stayed in the forest for another half hour and I kept watch over her until we both parted ways. I stayed in the shadows till she had reached her cabin and I had a feeling that she knew of my presence because she smiled in my general direction before going out of view completely.

As I was walking back to my own chambers in the Senju compound I thought over the happenings of the few hours I shared with the woman. She stayed quiet most of the time and the silence that enveloped us was peaceful. Whenever I was with anybody else, they all constantly talked and that irked me to levels beyond their imagining so I truly appreciated the few moments of blissful, unbroken quiet that the two of us shared.

Another thing that surprised me about Niyo was that she took the initiative of apologizing. I hadn't known many women who could overcome their stubbornness and admit that they were wrong and be sincere in it as well. She was.

But my face darkened when I remembered the look of absolute horror and anxiety in her eyes when I told her I wouldn't remove the hiraiishin seal until she was healed. She had insisted that I do and now that I thought about it I understood. She was given away right after she was born, and the way the Tanogata kept coming after her, she must hate feeling like a possession or must hate being marked by somebody and I made her feel that way.

I mentally cursed at myself for being the reason of unease for Niyo but felt peace when the smile she gave me flashed before my closed eyes once before I decided to sleep.

She was different and I liked that.

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Itachi_Warrior desu~ ^/_\^

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