Aiko wap 21: the first meeting with Madara

CHAPTER 21

She did, in fact, want to wait inside. It was yet another balmy summer day and getting out of sunlight would help a lot. Cicadas screamed from the garden. Aiko glanced out and caught a glimpse of one ghostly shell on a tree trunk.

Madara came back to the room on silent, bare feet. "Barley tea," he said. It wasn't an offer or an explanation.

She hadn't heard the sound of china being put down, but there was a cup when she turned her head back to the table. "Thank you," Aiko said.

The baby terrorist settled in at the head of his table, adjusting a casual home yukata around his legs. He looked like somebody's sleepy-headed brother, not like the de facto ruler of a powerful military faction.

"I hear that my brother has enjoyed his time with you." Madara was aiming for social graces. She sensed just a hint of teeth under the statement.

"You're kind," Aiko said blandly. "for sending him to our humble home. Izuna-san was very helpful to us. We are happy to share our harvests with his family."

Madara just looked at her for a moment. "That's good." He clearly didn't know what to say. The faint breeze through the open door ruffled his hair. That mane of hair had a surprising amount of curl to it. She wondered if she'd be able to pull her fingers through it, or if they'd get stuck.

He was still waiting for her response.

Aiko just looked back.

He looked down and had a sip of tea to avoid talking to her.

'You're going to run out if you drink it whenever things are awkward,' Aiko thought. She didn't suppress the smile.

It seemed like a good time for her to make things worse. An awkward question would do it. "Saa, Uchiha-sama. Are you religious?"

He nearly choked on his tea.

She waited expectantly.

'The answer is obviously no,' she figured. 'He would say yes without hesitation if he was religious. But he's trying to be polite. How will he answer without lying?'

He put his cup down in a controlled motion. "I do not claim to be wise," Madara said cagily. "To manage my duties I must focus on the most mundane realities to sustain life. It is admirable that you provide solace to the souls of your people."

Hmm, not bad.

"Solace," Aiko repeated. She flicked her gaze upward, thinking of the samurai she'd killed to keep their harvest from being too heavily taxed. "I feel my main focus as of late has also been on the worldly needs of those I am responsible for."

Madara clearly wished she would leave.

"How's your war?" Aiko asked politely. "Ah, battle, sorry." She waved the mistake away. "It was quite rude of Senju-san to intrude so and call for such tedious business."

Madara's mouth silently moved through the syllables of "tedious business".

She honestly wasn't expecting much from him. Aiko thought that Madara was closed-off, prim, and more than a little uncomfortable with a surprise visitor.

So she was taken aback by the sharp intelligence in his eyes when he leaned forward and asked, "Do you oppose it, then?"

Aiko blinked. The war? Did she oppose the conflict between the Senju and Uchiha?

"I'm not invested in it continuing," she said, a little baffled to be asked. "It seems like a waste of life."

Oh.

"You wish for it to end, of course," Aiko said, lifting her cup in a toast. "I forgot."

He narrowed his eyes at her. Madara opened his mouth to say something politic, but Aiko cut him off with a waved hand.

"Senju Hashirama-san is your childhood friend and you want to make peace," she said, bored with what was ancient trivia for her. "You met at the river and planned a village, hidden in the leaves."

His face went white.

…It probably wasn't common knowledge.

Aiko figured if she was in for a yen, might as well be in for sen. She shrugged with one shoulder in the way that always got Izuna's eye to linger. Sure enough, Madara's faze followed the motion as well. "You are supposed to succeed with that," she said, bored and well aware that she was coming across as creepy and prescient.

"How do you know-"

"Izanami-no-Mikoto knows everything," Aiko said flatly. It was probably even true. "I know more than most, through her help."

Madara stared at her. His sharingan had flicked on. He did look pretty creeped out, but also fascinated. His mouth was slightly parted as he watched her.

"Would Izanami-no-Mikoto lend the aid of her servant to end this conflict and prevent further bloodshed?"

Aiko nearly got whiplash from his change of tone and language. He'd started off polite, but he'd switched from the register of a dignified noble to an equal to courtly supplication. She didn't rush her response.

'Izanami-no-Mikoto doesn't seem to care one way or the other. She's not paying attention – or not contacting me about it, anyway. Would this benefit her? Madara is being respectful now. If I intervened, would he keep that up? That would go a long way to establish her domain.'

"Do you think there's any chance the Senju would listen to reason?" Aiko asked, feeling things out before she committed. "The Daimyo wasn't very important, but if I have to send some Senju to hell it might create an inconvenience down the line."

Or maybe not? They were almost all dead in the present anyway.

'As long as we get Tsunade-sama, the rest can die,' Aiko mused.

"Hashirama-san's granddaughter Tsunade is non negotiable," Aiko said, despite knowing this would be absolute nonsense to him. Sometimes it was just nice to think aloud. "So he and Uzumaki Mito need to live."

"Uzumaki - who? What?" Madara reared back. "What are you- is he married?" He sounded appalled. "Surely he would not-"

"He will eventually," Aiko said, a little taken aback by the emotional reaction. "Not yet?"

Madara looked at her. His Sharingan spun. The slightest line formed between his eyebrows.

The door slid open.

"Aiko-sama!" Izuna sang. He shucked his shoes and gracefully vaulted up onto the tatami, landing in seiza on the cushion next to his brother. He leaned across the table to beam at her. "You visited!"

"She's leaving," Madara said. He stood abruptly. "She's going to speak with the Senju on our behalf."

Aiko swallowed a laugh at his gruff tone. He stole a look back at her and then lifted his chin just as quickly.

"She's what?" Izuna sounded appalled. He tugged on Madara's sleeve. "They're not going to listen to her. And they're beasts! Who knows how they'll treat a lone priestess who tells them things they don't want to hear?"

She stared at him.

'Does…. Does Izuna think I need to be protected?"

Granted he'd first met her when she was seriously wounded. Her head had been cut off. That was a pretty vulnerable position, to be fair! It could give the wrong impression.

Madara gave his brother an incredulous look. "I suspect that she will be safe in their care." He gave her a look over Izuna's head that implied he thought she'd eat them alive. Or maybe he really did just believe they weren't so sacrilegious that they'd kill a holy woman. She couldn't be sure.

Aiko toasted him and then set her cup down, empty. "Saa, I'll go speak with them," she said, a little touched but also disturbed by how drastically Izuna had misread her. He was so cute, but he didn't read hints, did he?

He had the largest wounded deer eyes she'd ever seen as he leaned over to clutch her hands. "Be careful," he said. "They're rude and ugly and they don't have any respect or manners."

She kind of loved his commitment to the feud. She pursed her lips to hide the smile that threatened to come out.

Madara sighed heavily.

'I think if I wasn't here, he'd kick Izuna.'

"Would you escort the priestess to the border?" Madara said, tone formal and correct again. There was no sign of his gruff slipup. "Priestess, thank you for your counseling. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do for your shrine."

"More talismans," Izuna said blithely.

The look he got from his older brother was scathing. "Don't speak for our guest." He looked at Aiko. "Please, speak your mind."

"More talismans," she said, and stood up. "Where are the Senju, anyway?"

That broke him. Madara closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. "You don't know where they are now," he clarified delicately, "or…?"

"I do not have the faintest idea," Aiko corrected, enjoying how stressed this made him. She didn't care. This wasn't useful information in the modern world. "Are they close by?"

"I'll guide you." Izuna was all smiles again.

God, he was beautiful. And hapless.