"Madara." Hashirama's doe-like eyes lit up as his friend made himself welcome into the office. "I heard what happened. Is Ayumi holding up well?"

But the Uchiha's eyes were merely staring back at him bored, and he took a couple of steps forward to his desk.

"She's fine." Madara placed two hands on his hips. "What I'm here to tell you is that they were killed. So if you get complaints about any bodies, that is why." Madara crossed his arms.

Hashirama slumped back into his chair sighing in defeat. "It's a shame that killings still happen."

Madara scoffed, holding himself back from sparing him a philosophy tangent on why such a paradox would never just disappear. Hashirama had been naively convinced that fighting would stop. "We are shinobi after all." Madara instead simply spoke.

"Hmm." Hashirama hummed, leaning forward over his desk. "There is one more favour I need to ask of you, Madara." Hashirama rubbed his chin.

Madara did not like this though. His eyebrow twitched, immediate anger coursing through his veins. The Uchiha grew incredibly impatient.

"Hashirama." Madara brought an irritated fist to his friend's face, punching him. "I've been plotting to get arrangements for this marriage ready yet things keep popping up to delay it. Find someone else to do it." The Uchiha scowled.

"Hahahahah!" Hashirama broke out into a hearty laughter, rubbing his nose. He knew all too well the impatience Madara was experiencing.

-

Ayumi stood outside of Uchiha Tajima's house. She was in Konoha and had absolutely nothing to do at the moment, so she took it upon herself to speak to Tajima. Ayumi hesitated though, staring at the hanging chimes outside instead, a knot of nervousness growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Come in."

Ayumi heard a muffled voice through the doors moments later. She took another gulp, feeling a lump in her throat. She slid the door and Tajima had been sitting on a low table while reading through some paperwork.

Ayumi bowed respectfully, "I can leave if it's bad timing."

But he waved a palm in the air, instead motioning for her to sit. She curtly sat across from him.

"What brings you here?" Tajima's eyes would meet hers periodically and then fall back to the papers. Ayumi took in his facial features for a moment - and she could see where Madara got his sternness from. "I heard you came back from a dangerous mission."

"Ah." Ayumi clasped her hands and bowed her head towards his direction. He stopped his paperwork and granted the Hyuga his full attention.

"I actually wanted to come and extend my thanks to you, Tajima-sama. If it weren't for Madara looking out for me..."

Tajima's expression remained neutral, his eyes glancing between her hands and then her face. He couldn't help but notice a glimmering red stone on her finger. And that was when it dawned on him. It stayed silent for a moment as the realization sunk in his mind.

"I'm not surprised." Tajima spoke, his voice was hoarse.

But Ayumi didn't quite understand. "Surprised about what?" As her hands fell to the table.

Tajima chuckled, a rare site to see for Ayumi.

"I really, truly never pegged my son as the type. But I guess you must mean something to him if he chose to protect you."

She gulped, and for a brief second Ayumi remembered all the shinobi he had slain right by her side during the warring states era. It chilled her how easily fighting came to Madara. He could have left her long ago if he so easily wanted to. But that side of him would be cast away when they were together.

"I'm also guessing that my son wouldn't be handing out such gifts to someone if he hadn't meant it." Tajima eyed her hand, but she grew shy and she tugged her sleeves over her hands.

"I guess you know why I'm here then." Ayumi looked at Tajima. "In all honestly I don't know how to come out and say it without slighting you the least bit, but Madara proposed to me."

Tajima looked at her neutrally, not the slightest bit of shock bearing his face.

"Shikatanai." Tajima muttered under his breath. "I was insistent on the fact that he get married to an Uchiha woman so to keep our bloodline pure. But this is the way things must go." Tajima sighed, taking a sip of his tea. "But you seem to have an element that grounds him."

"I'd like to think so." Ayumi bowed. "Just like he takes care of me, I will try my best to take care of him, Tajima-sama."

But he raised a palm in the air. "Tajima."

Ayumi smiled, and she took it as a sign of him granting her blessings to proceed.

-

Ayumi was carefully trekking along the village to meet Madara, who had been at the Hokage's estate. She was too excited at the approval his father, though indirectly, expressed. But almost too conveniently, Madara had appeared from a corner, and Ayumi suddenly stopped in her steps.

"Madara." Ayumi approached him, and he eyed her face, as he walked past by her. "Everything go okay with Hashirama?"

Madara nodded. "I'm guessing you went to speak to my father."

"I did." Ayumi caught up to his pace, looking up at him.

"And?" He looked down at her from the corners of his eyes.

She rubbed her chin. "Well, he didn't say it up right, but he told me to address him informally from now on."

"Hm." Madara looked ahead, smiling small. "So it is a yes."

"Mm." Ayumi smiled.

"Though I'll admit it would have been nice to witness you become a nervous mess in front of him, we should get preparations ready." Madara smirked, his hands on his hips.

"Oi!" She tugged his arm, and he stifled a chuckle. "You really need to stop your teasing!"

"Not as long as I live." Madara muttered, looking ahead.

-

It was night now, and Ayumi had been staying up late engrossed in clan paperwork. Her father had been easing her into the role of a leader now. The sound of cicadas buzzed in the background as her shoji door stayed open to let in the cool night air.

"Just more and more." Ayumi sighed, stretching her arms. "Never ends."

But she heard faint footsteps crunching the grass from outside, and that chakra had been familiar.

"I see you're a natural hard worker, up so late." Madara leaned against the door's frame, his arms had been crossed. His eyes fell to the pile of paperwork and then to her.

"Oh. This." Ayumi sighed, "My father is getting older and so I have to take over. I never knew it was this bad. How do you handle it?"

Madara closed his eyes. "You'll get used to it."

"Ah." She nodded, but she hesitated to get back to work knowing he was there.

"Are you..." Ayumi stood up, "Hungry?"

"Hungry? At this time?" Madara chuckled. "I might pass on the offer."

"Right." She itched her arm, "Well, make yourself welcome here if you want."

-

Shikatanai = means "so it is", "its inevitable", "can't be helped"