wap aiko 24: private talk with hashirama

CHAPTER 24

“Priestess,” he said, and she shut her mouth. “I am very interested in peace with the Uchiha. I want that to work. I am disinterested in the waste of life and effort that is involved in conflict. However, it is difficult to end the course that we are now on. I can affect it, but I alone cannot order a stop to something that my clan believes to be necessary.”

Aiko nodded her understanding. She didn’t speak, waiting for him to go on.

He leaned in towards her as if to stress his point. “The sudden death of the Daimyo unsettles the status quo. It creates uncertainty and power vacuums. My clan and others must think to protect our own interests. Not knowing who will become the Daimyo further destabilizes the situation. In this situation, the appearance that our most serious enemy may take control of the field is very distressing.”

Oh. Aiko resisted the desire to cross her arms. It would look too defensive. “I better appreciate your concerns,” she said slowly. “I imagine that taking my word for the matter would not satisfy your clan.”

“A lack of trust in you is not the issue, Priestess,” he reassured, without actually claiming that anyone trusted her. Because of course they didn’t. She was best known for her ambiguously defined role in the Daimyo dropping dead and his court being too scared to claim power.

She stopped her lips from jerking up into a smile at the fine diplomatic line he was walking. “Regardless of whether your shrine is supporting an Uchiha-backed candidate, it seems to most that the Uchiha are involved in the change of power. This gives other courtiers reason to bend to what they feel the Uchiha want. That means less support at court for our priorities, and fewer responsibilities for the Senju and our vassals to be honored with. My advisors and my clan are rightfully concerned about our place in the new order.”

Ugh. This was all such bullshit. It was a lot easier to just be the ultimate authority in a military dictatorship. Hashirama was so right to get rid of all of this democracy bullshit.

‘I hate that he’s being reasonable. I thought he was just a dumbass.’

Resentfully, Aiko respected him just that little bit more. But she also disliked him more for proving her wrong. She sighed. “Do you have a suggested course of action, or are you merely telling me this to adjust my expectations?”

Hashirama seemed to brighten, if only a little bit. “If you would cooperate, we may be able to avert the worst,” he hedged. “Though I fear that there is no way to avoid at least the one conflict.” He looked like he was dreading that. “In two days, we will meet the Uchiha. If no one dies, the chances to avoid further bloodshed are much increased. But I don’t know if I dare to hope for that.”

Huh. “What circumstances might ensure that no one dies?” Aiko asked slowly. If they actually fought- well, someone was always that little bit better in a match up.

“Shame might do it,” Hashirama said casually. But his eyes were fixed on her with a clear sort of intelligence and focus. “Although this conflict is usually a source of pride and identity for both of our clans, there may be ways to leverage public sentiment against violence.”

“…Do women participate in these battles?” Aiko asked, pretty sure she knew where this was going.

“Technically speaking, no,” Hashirama said. His eyes sparked with amusement. “Women are home guards for the Uchiha and generally non combatants for the Senju. We do, however, have the occasional woman who prefers the martial role.”

Wait. “And are therefore not classified as women?” Aiko checked. It was a tangent but it was weird enough that she couldn’t let it go yet.

“Yes and no,” Hashirama said, which didn’t exactly clear things up. “But you, for example, as a holy woman, would definitely not be considered an acceptable witness for bloodshed.”

It was really hard not to laugh.

“It would distress me,” Aiko said as solemnly as she could manage. “Where is this battle, so that I may avoid it?”

He gave her excruciatingly detailed directions.

“I won't be there,” she promised. “And I won’t bring my acolytes or the village elders.” Huh. She probably wouldn’t actually bring any elders. And she couldn’t bring the babies. But maybe Hana and Fumiko would be down for it.

He blinked at her. “It would certainly be logistically difficult to do so,” Hashirama said slowly. “And… yes, it would be extremely taboo to spill blood in front of women. So it’s for the best that they do not come.”

“Wonderful.” Aiko stood up and brushed off her clothes. “To confirm, when exactly do you expect this to happen?” He told her. “Thank you.” She gave him a bow that actually had some sincerity to it, this time.

“Thank you for listening,” Hashirama said, eyes sparkling.

Her hackles went up. He looked like Naruto when he’d just gotten his way. Aiko took a judicious step backwards. “You look too happy,” she said, suspicious. “Stop it. I don’t want you to be that happy with me.”

Hashirama got teary. “You sound like Madara.” He didn’t let his voice go loud, but she got the impression that he’d be shouting if he felt free to. “Did you speak to him? Did you get on with him? Doesn’t he have such a scary face?”

“He’s an extremely normal person,” Aiko said, and took another step backwards. She didn’t know what to do with this… effusive positivity. She felt unsafe. She felt like she was about to have to make some kind of readjustment to her lifestyle. No. Absolutely not. “He is extremely inoffensive, and his face is not in the least scary,” she added, mostly as an afterthought. Ah, there, that was an avenue to insult him and put him back into familiar territory. “It’s difficult to believe that the Senju can be afraid of such an average person.”

He fucking teared up and sniffled.

Oh my god. What was going on?

“You like him,” Hashirama wailed, still terrifyingly quiet. “You think his face isn’t scary!”

‘I need to be out of here right now. I don’t know what’s happening and I am so uncomfortable with it.’’

He grabbed at her arms. Startled, Aiko ducked away and then leapt onto the table to evade his reach. He grabbed again and caught her sleeve. She yelped.

“I’m happy for the two of you,” Hashirama breathed onto her face. He clapped his other hands onto her and reeled her in close. “You are such a good couple.”

She stared up at him, wide-eyed.

‘He’s insane. He is actually not well. Holy fucking shit, this man is not well.’

If she used hirashin right now with him grabbing onto her, she’d be taking him with her. She didn’t have a moral issue with that but she could not imagine a person who she wanted less to kidnap. So she struggled away, slapping at his hands and twisting. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed like a cat. “Hands off! Hands off!”

He let her go and acted as if his hands were on fire. “Sorry, sorry!” He was absolutely beaming at her now, teeth glinting in a way that told her shrieking hindbrain that Gai was coming to train her in taijutsu whether she was ready or not. He still had tear tracks on his face. “I’m just so happy that a woman likes him! I think he’s lonely, you know? And since I’m getting married and moving on to the next stage in my life, I-”

Aiko hiraishined herself away to the safety of her shrine and let out a full body shudder. She stared wide-eyed at the side of the mountain for a long moment, trying to reorient.

‘I might be a little afraid of the Senju,’ she realized faintly. ‘I don’t want to go to that battle now. I don’t want that man to talk to me and have feelings at me.’

The Uchiha were fucking right! They were right!