dead | hashirama senju [under construction]

02 | senju

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˗ˏˋ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐 ˎˊ˗

Fiddling with the hem of her yellow floral kimono, Rin looked over her appearance once again. No matter how many times she was reassured that she looked beautiful, she couldn't help but worry that she wasn't going to live up to the expectations of the Senju clan. She soon exited the room, flipping her lengthy, dawn-tinted hair over her shoulder as she nervously chewed on her thumbnail.

She eventually made her way to where her family was waiting for her, along with five other shinobi from the Akiyama Clan who were ready and waiting to escort the family to the Senju Compound — where she was to meet her soon to be husband. She had already learned of the name of the heir to the Senju Clan through fighting on the battlefields and from word-of-mouth elsewhere. It was hard not to learn the name of an incredibly powerful man.

Hashirama Senju.

She had seen him very briefly when accompanying her family to sign the peace treaty between the Akiyama Clan and Senju Clan, but she had never even made eye-contact with him, let alone speak more than a few words with him. The least she could say was that he 'sure wasn't ugly', which had earned her a rightful wack to the back of the head from her mother.

News of the arrangement between the Akiyama and Senju Clan spread quickly throughout both clans. They received words of congratulations and thank you's for what they were doing for each of their clans. With this newly arranged marriage between a member of the Senju and Akiyama clan, sharing supplies and forces would become much easier for both of them, allowing them to dramatically strengthen their troops and attack power as a whole.

On the way to the Senju compound, Hayate had not stopped insisting he stay with Rin throughout the whole ordeal — there was simply no way he was going to let his sister stay at the 'Senju Brats' place without him. But with a short, menacing stare from his mother, he was silenced rather quickly. Of course, they would not let her stay there alone. She was going to be accompanied and protected by her most trusted guard, who went by the name of Eijirō.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the head clansman, Butsuma Senju, and two of his younger sons (including their heir to the Senju Clan), Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju.

"So I see you're still tardy as ever, Daiki. You're an hour late," Butsuma greeted his old friend.

"Haha, sorry about that, Butsuma," Daiki laughed, grinning at the Senju male.

Daiki's tardiness and his laziness were the two traits from her father that Ritsuki wished Rin wouldn't pick up, but they somehow ended up being the only two mannerisms she picked up from him, much to her mother's displeasure. Her laziness rivalled even that of a rock sometimes. Most of the time she was even too lazy to smile, and so she reserved her 'smile-energy' for her family and her family alone.

Rin could feel the penetrating gaze of Hashirama poking at the side of her head, but she elected to ignore it and focus on the older man in front of her while remaining silent. She only bowed respectfully to the Senju clansmen and only spoke when spoken to, just as she was taught.

The comparison of Rin in a domestic setting versus on the battlefield was almost comical. At home, she was relatively well mannered, quiet, lazy and unbothered. Even her fellow Akiyama clansmen found it difficult to communicate with her sometimes. But then, out on the battlefield, amid lifeless figures and the never-ending clanging of swords, she was... still equally as quiet— but it felt natural. She was calm and elegant, tearing through the enemy as though they were silk, and she was the shears.

"Rin Akiyama," a deep voice caught the hazel-eyed girl's attention. She turned her head to be greeted with the sight of her newly announced fiancé. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Indeed it is, Hashirama Senju," Rin replied.

As they each bowed politely, the woman took note of his appearance. She easily recognised the Senju Clan's crest placed on the back of his light-olive-coloured kimono. The colour of his robes reminded her of her mother's eyes.

"Please, follow me. I'd like to show you around," Hashirama smiled, taking a step closer to the woman.

"Oh, uh- alright. Eijirō, please- oh!" Rin cut herself off with the surprised yelp that left her lips. She was caught off guard by the feeling of the Senju male grabbing her hand and tugging her away from her family and fellow Akiyama Clan shinobi, who all adorned rather shocked expressions at the young Senju male's actions.

Rin stared at the back of Hashirama's head, dodging stray strands of hair that whipped behind him wildly. The pair gained looks from the fellow members of the Senju Clan who roamed freely around the compound. But rather than looks of confusion or annoyance, they were warm and friendly.

'Is this kind of behaviour normal?' Rin thought. "Uh- where are we g-going?" she asked aloud, dodging a regular clansman who mustn't have noticed the two rushing toward her in her direction.

"I'm showing you around, of course! But I wanted to start with my favourite part of the compound!" Hashirama sang back.

She crashed rather violently into Hashirama's back as he stopped abruptly. Rin looked at him confusedly until she noticed he had stopped at a beautiful, at least 100 meters-tall tree. She regarded the way the leaves danced softly in the wind, and how the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting an intricate shadow over the Senju's face.

"Ta-da!" he grinned. "I used to climb this tree a lot when I was younger. No matter how many times I got yelled at for climbing it, I always came back, desperate to see the view from the top."

"... So did you?" Rin questioned, her voice soft. When Hashirama looked confused, she clarified herself, "reach the top. Did you ever manage to reach the top?"

"Ah," he said. "Nope, I never did manage."

"Oh..." Rin trailed off.

This was when she noticed that he hadn't let go of her hand. But she was equally as guilty, she hadn't let go of his either. His hands were coarse and rough, yet warm and gentle.

"So... are you hungry? We've prepared a large feast for you and your fellow Akiyama guests," Hashirama said, turning around to face her.

"Yes, I am hungry, thank you," Rin answered, before rubbing her eyes with a fist. "But, I am tired also. Can we sleep after we eat?"

Hashirama blinked before grinning and nodding, explaining that he'd show her to her quarters afterwards. Rin followed along aimlessly as Hashirama pulled her along, showing her different parts of the compound and introducing her to his fellow clansmen. She wondered where he got all his energy from, and how he hadn't managed to stop smiling since the moment he had properly met her.

She had a slight feeling that maybe she wasn't going to mind it here, with him.

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𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 ⊠

i um- hope yall are enjoying this, even just a little bit haha.