by gamorasquill

"King of the Senju?" Izuna replied, eyeing the stranger sitting by one of the couches with a frown. "I do not believe it for a moment. What kind of King goes on a ride alone and unattended?" 

 "I'm afraid your friends have already made that point." Hashirama stated, shifting his weight with a grimace. 

 "Who are you?" Izuna demanded again his eyes lowering. 

 "King Hashirama." 

 "Hm...you seem to quite like that tale you are spinning." 

 "That is because it is not a tale it is the truth." Hashirama smiled up at him. "Tell me...are all of you Uchiha this paranoid?" 

 Izuna jumped to his feet, eyes burning with anger. "Any person would scoff at your claims of royalty given your current situation. You ride all the way out here, nearly to the border of your Kingdom all alone with no one here to look after you? No King I have ever heard of has ever been so foolish." 

 Hashirama turned away, biting back a snide remark ready to leap off of his tongue. He settled for a sly smile instead which he was sure angered the younger man much further. 

 "For your sake I would stop provoking my brother." Madara advised as he entered the room, holding a platter of food. He cast the Senju a warning glance but it softened at the teasing look on the other's face. "He is not known for his level head and patience and from the looks of it he is already prepared to strike you." 

 "Let him try." Hashirama teased. 

 "Do not tempt me." The Uchiha Prince growled. "I would be more than happy to ram my fist into that proud lying mouth or yours." 

 "Enough, both of you." Madara replied sternly, walking over to Hashirama and setting the platter of food on the couch he was leaning against. "I am going to unbind your hands so that you may eat." 

 Hashirama raised a brow and gave him a teasing smirk. "You aren't going to spoon feed me?" 

 "Oh, my deepest apologies, I didn't realize you were an infant." The Uchiha fired back, sounding unamused but fighting off a smile. 

 Hashirama's smirk died down and he looked away, his demeanor dimming and his posture sulking. "Ah...seems you've beaten me this time." 

 Madara blinked at him. Didn't take much to tear him down. "I also didn't realize that this was a competition of sorts. Lighten up...your moping is surprisingly depressing and it's starting to creep me out." 

 The Senju's demeanor brightened so quickly it was almost as if he was never moping to begin with. Madara gave him a strange look before handing him a bowl of the rabbit meat stew Sakumo prepared. 

 Hashirama wasted no time scooping up the bowl and savoring the smell of the food. His stomach rumbled and a smile tugged at his lips, he even groaned softly. The long journey had left him famished and he was quite eager to devour anything placed in front of him. "My, my...I hope it tastes as good as it smells and it smells absolutely wonderful." 

 "Well, I thank you for the compliment. I do hope you enjoy it." 

 The Senju looked up as a white haired man entered the room, the woman named Tsume following closely after him and another man with pale lavender eyes and dark hair with them as well. While a smile plastered itself on the white haired man's kind face the other two looked more stoic than his younger brother. 

 "I wasn't expecting...unfamiliar company tonight, so I do eagerly await your opinion on my skills in the kitchen." The white haired man replied. "My name is Sakumo Hatake and you are?" 

 Before he could even open his mouth to respond, Tsume was nearly shouting her mockeries of him. "He claims that he is the King of the Senjus himself, out riding alone in the woods and stumbling upon us like some sort of--" \

"Tsume that is enough." Madara replied, handing his brother a bowl of the rabbit stew. "Leave him be already, I am sure that he is mortified enough in his situation. No need for you to go and make things worse for the man." 

 "Well, King or no it is still a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please, help yourself to as much stew as you can eat." Sakumo said with a warm incline of the head. 

 Hashirama didn't even fight the smile curling his lips. "You're much too kind. I thank you." 

 "After supper we should all get some sleep." Izuna replied, pulling his brother down to sit with him on the couch. "We still have quite a long ways to go until we reach our destination." 

 "Not quite." The Senju monarch replied before he could bite it back, getting the attention of every one in the room. He shrunk back against the intensity of all their gazes, wondering if all the Uchiha had gazes so strong and dagger like. "It's only an hour or so...you're closer than you think you are." 

 "Do you know our exact location?" The lavender eyed male questioned, stepping closer to him. 

 Hashirama nodded, taking a spoon and lightly twirling the contents of the stew. "You're at the King's Royal Hunting Lodge, just on the outskirts of the Senju Kingdom." 

 "So you mean to tell us that this is your hunting lodge?" Izuna mused with a roll of the eyes. 

 "Actually...it was my father's. My brother and I used to accompany my father on his hunting trips when we were children and we would stay here. We stopped coming when my brother and I became old enough to fight in the war...and this place shriveled up and was forgotten. It's truly a shame. This place used to be so beautiful and now it's nothing more than a dusty cobweb." 

 Madara and Izuna shared a look but said nothing. He truly sounded upset about what had become of this hunting lodge. The Uchiha King couldn't help but think that perhaps their was a truth to the words he spoke but then again...he could still be lying. 

 "Well, if you truly are who you say you are...then I do apologize for the loss of such a beautiful building. It looks like it was magnificent once upon a time." 

Madara replied, pushing away a spoonful of stew that his brother insisted upon him.Hashirama nodded but said nothing in return, instead giving his full attention to the stew in front of him. His thoughts raced backwards, replaying precious memories from his childhood. Running about the halls with his brothers...Tobirama and their baby brother Itama. The old days when they were just children living in a large world they could never hope to understand and blind to the hatred and war that filled it. When their father was still sweet and loving and their mother was still alive. 

 He felt a cold ache in his chest and stinging sensation begin in his eyes. With a shaky breath he squeezed his eyes shut to quell the tears growing and tried to eat. 

 ................... 

 Tobirama ignored the pouring rain drenching him and lightly obscuring his vision which already poor thanks to the dark of night. Raucous thunder and bright lightning crackled and sparked in the sky above but he couldn't be bothered by those things either. His only concern was his brother who he was more than prepared to throttle once he found him. 

 "Your Highness!" Hiruzen called. "Up ahead! Look!" 

 Tobirama turned to find him pointing straight ahead, a smile curled his lips and his eyes were bright. His words prompted the Prince to turn around and his eyes widened when he spotted a tall building. His father's hunting lodge! 

 His smile grew into a grin and he snapped the reigns on his horse, signaling for him to go faster. They had finally made it!

 "Hashirama..." He murmured, feeling his heart pounding against his chest. 

 Upon reaching the lodge he leapt off his horse and sprinted towards the main doors, not even bothering to wait for Hiruzen and the rest of the men who called out to him. He pushed them open and darted inside. 

 "Hashirama! Hashirama!?" He cried, rushing towards the den to search and coming face to face with a dark haired stranger. 

 He had unfamiliar features. Dark hair, pale skin and lavender eyes. Tobirama took a step back and instinctively reached for his sword when he noticed the armor the man wore. Silver, black and red. The colors of the Uchiha. 

 A sickening feeling took over the Prince and he gripped the hilt of his sword, swinging it out of its sheath with a loud hiss. With a dark look in his eyes he pointed the weapon at the man and grit his teeth. 

 "Who are you!? Where is my brother!?" He demanded. "Answer me! Now!" 

 Before the man could even offer an answer, more people filed into the room after him. A white haired man, two raven haired men dressed in what appeared to be foreign royal garb and a woman who appeared to have a rather angry and feral appearance. All were wearing the colors of the enemy kingdom and he felt his stomach drop. They all looked at him with wide and confused eyes and his own eyes mirrored theirs. 

 "What in the name of...who are you?" One of the raven haired boys demanded, stepping forward with curious but dark eyes. 

 "I do not answer to you Uchiha scum!" He growled back. "You are no longer on the lands of your people and I am the Prince of the Senju Kingdom. I've reason to believe that my brother, King Hashirama is here. Present him to me or--" 

 "Or what?" The other raven challenged. 

 Harsh red eyes met dark onyx and Tobirama was surprised at the fire burning deep in those black orbs. The Prince would not back down however and gripped his sword tighter. 

 "Or I will have you executed." He stated coldly. 

 "Tobirama stop!" Hashirama cried as he scrambled into the room, a relieved smile on his face but worry laid deep in his eyes. "Don't! They are not our enemies!" 

 The Senju Prince felt his heart soar in his chest and didn't even try to quell the smile rushing onto his lips and as he rushed to meet his brother halfway, sweeping him into his arms. They smiled and laughed in relief and Tobirama even ran his fingers through his brother's long hair. The two siblings gripped each other tightly almost as if they feared the other would disappear.

 "Why would you do such a foolish thing you buffoon!?" The Prince scolded, pulling back to grip his face in his hands. "I know you are easily upset but running off in the middle of a storm alone after one of our sibling spats is highly uncharacteristic of you not to mention quite childish!" 

 Hashirama chuckled and allowed his brother to pawn over him, enjoying his worried touches and looks. "Well...I am easily upset you know this to be true." 

 Crimson eyes rolled and Tobirama pulled him back into his arms with a relieved sighed. Not a moment later, Hiruzen and the rest of the search party burst into the building, swords drawn and prepared to fight. The nobleman eased when he caught sight of his King and fell to his knees, the other soldier following suit.

 "Your Majesty." He replied, lifting his head to look at Hashirama and smiling. 

 "What the hell is going on?" The first raven demanded. "Are you...truly King Hashirama?" 

 "Of course he is! Uchiha sc--" 

 "Brother." Hashirama replied, giving him a harsh look. "It is not their fault. After all look at how I am dressed. No one could have guessed that I am the King, especially not an Uchiha who has never seen me before." 

 Tobirama blinked in absolute shock. "Why are you defending these...these--" 

 "Uchiha?" 

 "Yes!" 

 Hashirama's smile grew as he turned to the group of foreigners. "Because brother...I am honored to present to you my future spouse, King Madara of the Uchiha and his younger brother King Izuna." 

 The Senju Prince nearly gasped and took a step back, eyes growing wide and a hand coming up to his mouth. Now their royal dress made all the sense in the world... 

 "Well, brother aren't you going to say something?" Hashirama teased. 

 Tobirama let his hand drop and his mouth fell into a grim line. "There is nothing to say...I'm sure you had a pleasant time alone with your betrothed." 

 "Could have been better but I am pleased enough to just be with him." 

 His statement shocked both the Senju and Uchiha but Hashirama didn't seem to care. Tsume, Izuna and Hiashi felt their mouths drop and all three turned to their King to see his reaction. 

 Madara blushed deeply and looked away with a soft frown. "Well then...I am sure that we are all tired. Perhaps it is best that we all retire and get some sleep, yes?" He replied, turning and heading into the den. 

 Hashirama nodded, not taking his eyes off of Madara. "Yes, that is probably for the best. We shall be escorting the Uchiha King to our kingdom in the morning."