Madara's vision nearly whites out with rage when Hashirama makes the suggestion.
First her own elders turn against her -- she can practically track their train of thought from beginning to end. If she's going to force us to agree to peace, then we're going to force her to get married. Agreeing to it had burned, but it had gotten them to settle down, had made getting this far even possible.
Now it's Hashirama. Not only agreeing to the marriage, but offering the highest status option he has available to him to match her.
His brother.
He's just sitting there, watching her with those sharp, pale red eyes. He still wears his armor and his face guard, months into peace talks, like he thinks a fight is going to break out at any moment. Right now Madara is feeling like he just might be onto something.
She'd thought Hashirama had known. It's not like Madara has ever made her preference for other women a secret -- hell they'd both talked about girls when they were children, and naively, she'd hoped that even if she couldn’t escape marriage he would at least pick someone who wouldn't make her miserable. Tobirama Senju might be the best political match, but he's so far removed from someone Madara might ever actually like that it's almost comical.
Kynosuke -- the man here to represent the elder council,though he's only just hit his fifties -- looks delighted. At Madara's extended silence he speaks up like the snake he is to call the terms 'perfectly acceptable', and Madara wants to refute him, but she can't, not without risking ruining everything they've worked so hard for.
What a expertly woven snare they've made for her. The anger she feels is so potent that it makes her stomach lurch ,and Madara shoves herself to her feet without warning, ignoring the way the whole room stiffens to watch her.
"I think it's time for a break." She grits out, "Senju-sama, can I speak with you?"
Hashirama blinks up at her with big, guileless eyes, but the smile he flashes is twisted and plaintive, like he thinks he's the one in a difficult situation. If he plans on bemoaning his own political situation to her, it's going to have to wait until after Madara has chewed him out. She'd much prefer to beat him into the dirt, but she can't have that either. Someone really ought to reward her for her self-restraint, honestly.
"Ah-- of course! Uh… Perhaps we can stretch our legs for a moment and then meet in the east garden?"
Which is code for fucking off and going to meet by the river instead. At least the idiot realizes they'll need some real privacy for this, though if he thinks giving her some time to calm down will actually accomplish anything but make her more furious, he's got a nasty surprise coming.
Not a single one of her clan tries to stop her from storming out, or even tries to follow her, too afraid of getting their faced burned off if she notices them, which she will. She only stops long enough to make certain no one sees which direction she leaves in before tearing off for the river.
By the time Hashirama arrives, the trees in a fifty meter radius of their meeting spot have all been broken into splinters. When his stupid face pops out from the edge of the woods, Madara immediately abandons every though she ever had about not breaking his nose.
"You stupid fucking thoughtless jackass!" She howls, throwing the remains of the tree trunk in her hands at him. It collides with his chest with a satisfyingly thunk. "Your brother? In what fucking universe would I want to marry your brother?"
"Madara--"
Hashirama neatly dodges and blocks her wild attacks, same as he did when he would regularly try to convince her to try out peace when they were on the battlefield facing off against each other. It does absolutely nothing but stoke her fury.
"You didn't even negotiate!"
"Madara!" Hashirama has to raise an arm to block another chunk of wood that Madara throws at his head. It shatters into pieces from the force of the blow.
"And you have perfectly good kunoichi in your clan." Some of them don't even look half bad, which makes this even worse. She could have at least had a pretty trophy wife, but no--
"Madara!"
Hashirama catches her by the arms and stills her movement. Despite it not have coming close to a real fight, Madara finds herself panting for breath around the void that's opened up in her chest.
"Please, at least let me explain." Hashirama pleads with her, "It's not what you think."
"Not what I think." Madara yanks herself out of his grip with a growl, but she doesn't start throwing things again quite yet. "Oh, so you don't want me to settle down and marry some man?"
Hashirama's expression does something complicated and settles on distressed.
"That's, uhm--" He takes a breath, and says carefully, "When my father got married, he decided he wasn't going to raise any daughters."
…So he didn't want any daughters. And, what? Did something horrible to them? Disowned them? He wouldn't be the first. Is Hashirama's explanation really 'sorry, I don't have any sisters?'
Before Madara can reel back for another punch, she's stopped by movement at the remains of the tree line. Blue armor and white hair and damn it all, Madara has half a mind to go throttle him, too. How dare he think he's worthy of marrying her.
"I suggest you quiet your tantrum down before others come to investigate." Says Tobirama with a harsh frown.
The ground under Madara's feet splinters from the force of her killing intent.
"Not a tantrum." Hashirama says quickly, stepping between them, arms out, "Madara is just unhappy about the idea of marrying a man."
Tobirama blinks slowly once, twice, face twisting from disapproval to confusion. He shares some kind of meaningful look with Hashirama before crossing his arms and saying, "If that's your problem, then it's easily solved."
Most of the tension bleeds out of Madara's shoulders, settling downwards to make her nauseous instead. Oh, so they were just stupid.
"It shouldn't have been a problem in the first place." She says petulantly, "But fine. What's your solution, then? Now that you've made Tobirama an option, my clan will take anyone else as an insult."
"I could be a woman." Tobirama says, crashing Madara's thought process to a halt. "In fact, it would likely be easier than being a man, since I was born one."
Silence stretches, Madara eyes flick from Tobirama who is waiting expectantly, to Hashirama, who looks exasperated, but not like he's going to correct what's been said, and back.
"…Uh?" Madara squeaks out at a much higher pitch than before, "…You're?"
"I am as you see." Tobirama says dryly, "If you need me to be a woman to cement peace, I can be that, too."
'Wasn't going to raise any daughters,' huh?
"Now that you're on the same page I-- am going to make sure no one comes to interrupt you two while you talk, yes? Yes." Hashirama pipes up before replacing himself with a log that tumbles to the ground in his place. It's another truly boneheaded move on his part, Madara thinks, because she's never actually had a civil conversation with Tobirama before, and has no idea how to start one now.
All the arguments and counterarguments Madara can think of go in pointless circles. Tobirama… Is not a man? Is a man but could just as easily be a woman? Neither? Both? She pinches the bridge of her nose, mind spinning fast enough to make her dizzy.
…She can deal with this, she just needs to line up her thoughts properly. What are her objections right now?
"If we were to have children, which one of us were to carry it?"
If the answer is her, Madara is objecting right the fuck now. But Tobirama only considers the question for half a moment before answering.
"Your clan is the one who cares about bloodline." A sniff, "I should be capable of it, and there are jutsu and seals to assist if there's insistence that it's your brood. I'd be marrying in, so it would be up to you."
Tobirama says it so calmly, so matter of fact, like Madara is the strange one for not already knowing all this. She can't even muster up her anger over it right now her thoughts are so incoherent.
She presses the heels of her palms to her eyes, ignoring entirely the fact that Tobirama could use it as an opening to attack, and takes one steady breath, then another.
"Alright." She says, "Okay. One other thing."
Because despite what she's been told, Madara just can't quite connect the Tobirama standing in front of her with the idea of her wife. Physical features that she's never paid any mind to suddenly feel like the most important things in the world. Tobirama's vulpine jaw, the bow of her(?) lips, the snow white hair and eyelashes… It's not unappealing. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"I would prefer if I was attracted to my spouse. And my preferences are…" There's really not a delicate way to phrase it, is there? Ah, well. Tobirama is a blunt bastard, so Madara will be, too, "Do you have boobs, or do you need a seal for that too?"
Honestly, the answer might not really matter. There is something Madara likes about the idea of a partner who's willing to use a technique specifically to please her.
Tobirama's hands tighten where they rest on her arms, lips turning down "…I have them."
Madara nods, decisive.
"Let me see them." She says -- in one part because it's still a little hard to believe, but mostly because she feels like she's been scrambling for control of this conversation from the beginning and thinks she might be able to get it back.
"What." Tobirama flushes red with anger that drains away to leave her paler than Madara thought possible when she realizes that she's serious, "You would really base a marriage alliance -- the marriage alliance that will lead to an end of a generational feud -- on how much you like my breasts?"
Hah, no, but... "Yes."
Tobirama's wordless sound of rage does wonders to calm Madara down.
"I suppose you'd have me strip nude for your judgement then? Should we line up all the Senju women for your perusal?"
"You'll do." Madara grins, "And lets not get hasty. We have to save something for the wedding night."
"I am not going to debase myself just at your whim." Tobirama hisses.
"Oh, I'll show you mine in return." Madara offers easily, "It would be a nice bonus if my wife were attracted to me as well."
Tobirama's face blooms scarlet, even brighter than before. Those eyes that had been so intently focused on her now seem to want to look anywhere but.
"You're insane."
"So I've heard."
Tobirama's entire body is taut, but she tilts her chin down to face Madara full on after a long moment, mouth set in a determined line.
"No more demands after this. And we'll have to make it quick."
Madara's grin only grows. Tobirama has more spirit than she thought; perhaps this might just be workable, after all.
Madara leaves her obi in place and with only a few well placed tugs shrugs out of her outer layer easily. Tobirama stares until Madara raises an eyebrow, at which point her hand flies up to the ties on her armor.
The blue plates stay mostly in one piece as Tobirama pulls it over her head and onto the forest floor, followed immediately by the metal happuri. Silver hair tumbles around her face in choppy waves, and red eyes narrow at Madara, who to placate her, starts tugging at the neckline of her under layer as well.
The shapeless black shirt Tobirama wears underneath is pulled off in a single swift motion, and the mesh underneath it just as quickly. And under that, a bound chest. Tobirama reaches behind herself and snags the end to start unraveling it in a move that's clearly often practiced.
Now Madara is the one who's staring. Tobirama's is as battle hardened a warrior as Madara is, and it shows; in the scars, in the layer of fat over defined muscles, it's just as enticing as if Tobirama had revealed herself to be some soft, delicate little thing -- maybe more.
The tension in Tobirama's chest bindings gives out all at once, and she takes a sucks in a breath with what must be incredible relief. Her breasts are not small. They're also a little bit perfect, but Susanoo's balls they've got to be heavy. Madara's hands itch to weigh them.
"Well?"
Remembering herself, she reaches up and pulls her underlayer completely off, leaving her kimono pooling around her hips.
Just as before, Tobirama's eyes seem to want to be anywhere but on Madara, but this time they seem to keep gravitating back to her, regardless. Her face remains as red as the markings already on it. For a long moment all there is are the two of them, across from each other in this artificial clearing, watching each other.
Madara doesn't quite manage to keep herself from smirking. Yes, she's call this experiment a wild success... Perhaps one that's gone well enough that she could even try another.
Tobirama goes rigid when Madara takes a step forward, but she doesn't move, and she doesn't bark out a demand for Madara to back off. Another step, and another, each one heavy with anticipation and absent of protest. There are only Tobirama's eyes on her and the stretched out moment between them as she gets closer. Close enough that she's the only place Tobirama can look.
She leans forward until she feels the barely there brush of skin on skin. A visible swallow from Tobirama, tiny expressions flit across that face. She's scandalized and confused and more embarrassed than anything else, but clear as day, she's aroused, too.
Madara leans in even more, until the press of their breasts together is unmistakable. Her smirk grows wider when, despite the protests on her face Tobirama still doesn't move a muscle.
"Alright, Tobirama, I'm satisfied." Madara tilts her head. She could kiss Tobirama right now. It would be easy. Maybe she even wants to, "You'll have your marriage alliance. Unless you have any objections?"
A beat of silence and all the Senju has to offer in return is a wide eyed stare. Then, she jerks back and away all at once, leaving her back open as she goes to grab her clothes off the ground.
"Anija is coming." Is all she says.
Well, if that's all.
"Mm. I'll let you go back with him, then. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." Madara steps back, chest still bare as Tobirama shoves her shirt over her head. She makes a tiny choking sound when should looks up and sees.
"Be seeing you." Madara says. Then she turns to walk into the woods and back towards their meeting. She rearranges her kimono as she walks, casual as you please.
This wasn't as bad as it seemed after all. Now, the future looks… Fun.