Part 4

A few months later Meera found herself in a kimono standing beside an absolutely breathtaking Hashirama. From the corner of her eyes she could see both her brother and father having glossy eyes. She felt her breath caught in her throat when she heard the words "You may now kiss the bride."

She saw Hashirama leaning closer making her eyes slightly widen. She shut her eyes in slight panic. She had no idea how to kiss. She had never kissed a man before. All she knows about a kiss is when she caught her brother red handed while he was shoving his tongue down Mito's throat.

But she was surprised when she felt a soft pair of lips on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see the handsome man before her giving her a gentle smile making her melt then and there.

They have become comfortable with each other in a week she spent in the Senju district before their marriage. She really enjoyed spending time with him. She found it really difficult to wrap her head around the fact that she was now a Senju not by birth but by marriage.

They were given a separate house for just the both of them and there were a lot of gifts from both the clans. The couple was busy unwrapping the gifts when she unwrapped the gift given by her brother. It was a crystal statue of a young Meera and Hiroshi. The fact that she would not be seeing him often brought tears to her eyes which didnt go unnoticed by her husband.

"You miss him dont you?" He asked softly looking at the dark blue crystal (Hiroshi's colour of crystal release) statue of his wife and her brother making her nod. "Dont worry, I will make sure to create a village with all the clans and we can all live together." He said sincerely making her chuckle. "Do you really think thats possible?" She asked making him smile. "Come with me." He said standing up. "Come where?" She asked confused. "You will see." He replied.

Meera found herself on top of a cliff. She was able to see a vast forest with the help of the moonlight. "This is the place me and Madara chose to build our settlement when we were kids. A village where kids doesnt have to go to war. A school were they can study and play with the other kids. This has been my true dream ever since I was young." Hashirama said staring at the forest. "Now. You are also part of my dream. And I will make sure to build my dream along with you and your clan who is also my brotherin now." He continued.

Meera just looked at him in awe. He looked enthralling in the moonlight but something confused her. "Did you just say Madara? As in Madara Uchiha?" She asked. "Ah. Yes. Madara and I were friends when we were young." Hashirama said making her jaw drop. "Wait. I thought you guys were sworn enemies. Why one earth are you fighting if the Uchiha clan leader is you friend?" She asked making him sigh.

Meera listened to him as he spoke about everything that happened between him and his Uchiha friend. "I believe in you." She said making him look at her. "I totally believe you can do it. If there is anyone who can convince the Uchiha, it is definitely you." Meera said with a soft smile on her face making his heart skip a beat.

"I remember seeing you near the river as a kid." Hashirama said making her eyes widen. "You what now?" She asked not knowing if she heard that right. "I used to come to the river often to train with Madara. I remember seeing you there a couple of times. You used to look so sad. I would think about approaching you but something in me would stop me before I could." He said shocking her.

"Let me get this straight. So you and your Uchiha friend would watch me near the river like a creep?" She asked with her eyebrow raised. Hashirama's figure immediately slumped with sulk lines above his head. "I was not being a creep. I just didnt want to scare you and Madara never got a chance to see you. You always leave before he comes." He said still sulking dramatically making her chuckle.

"Its actually a good thing you didnt approach me. I would have definitely killed you if you did." She said making him sulk more. "Okay stop sulking. I am not killing you anytime soon." She said jokingly making him smile like he wasnt sulking a literal second ago. Man his mood swings are worse than Meera's.

"After growing up, I used to come to the river hoping to see you." He said surprising her. "That day when I saw you before meeting Hiroshi, I immediately knew it was the same girl I saw as a kid." He said, his eyes sincere making her heart race. He slowly tucked a strand of her behind her ear that was swaying due to the breeze. The tension in the air was slowly raising. The next words made her heart stop. "Can I kiss you?"

She slowly nodded and he closed the distance by gently pressing his lips against her. Meera felt like she was in heaven. She had no idea that kissing someone could make you feel so many things. Their lips slowly moved against each other and they just took in the feeling.

They then sat at the edge of the cliff with their feet dangling chatting about all random stuff. Meera told Hashirama about her friend Daiku. Neither of them mentioned anything about the kiss, they just sat there talking for hours and it felt nice.

~

Meera was the first one to wake up due to sunlight hitting her closed eyelids. She felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and head rested on her chest. She had no idea when they slept on top a cliff. All she remembered was talking about random stuff for hours. The close proximity made her blush. He looked so peaceful asleep. She didnt want to wake him up but she did when she felt a familiar chakra rushing towards their direction.

"Hashi! You need to wake up." She said tapping his shoulders. Yep! Hashi is the nickname she gave him when she first came to the Senju district. She said that Hashirama was too long so she preferred to call him Hashi which he gladly accepted.

"Five more minutes." He mumbled still sleepy snuggling more into her. "Elder brother!" They heard a voice making Meera snap her head towards the direction. Hashirama removed his arms from her waist and sat up with a yawn. "Ah. Tobirama. What are you doing in my room?" He asked rubbing his eyes making his brother facepalm himself.

"Everybody panicked when they found both of you missing. You could have atleast left a note about where you were going." Tobirama said sternly. Hashirama looked around realising they both slept on top of a cliff. Soon they made their way back to the Senju district.

~

A month later.

Meera was busy preparing all kinds of delicious food. She was entirely certain that things would go well. Hashirama, Hiroshi and Tobirama went to talk to Madara Uchiha about a ceasefire agreement and become allies. If the Uchiha were to join them, there was no choice for the other clans but to accept peace and end this continuous cycle of war.

The entire Senju compound smelled delicious while Meera waited patiently for their return with a good news. She sensed familiar chakra and rushed outside to greet them. But the look on their faces told that things didnt go as planned. The only relief was that they didnt look like they came straight out of the battlefield.

Meera served them food. She didnt bother asking what happened. The sullen look on her brother's face was enough to understand that the stubborn Uchihas didnt accept their proposal. "So hows the food? I cooked them all myself." Meera said cheerfully in hopes of getting their mind off of things. Hashirama caught up on it. "Ah. This tastes delicious. Definitely better than the burnt food Tobirama used to cook." He said earning a glare from the said Senju.

However they were interrupted by a messenger hawk. It was a message from the Yagami district. Hiroshi immediately took out the note attached to the hawk and froze when he read it. "Whats wrong Roshi?" Meera asked taking the note from him.

Tears filled her eyes as soon as she read it. Kenji Yagami was dead.

~

Meera stayed in the Yagami district for a few days after her father's funeral. It was due to her medic expertise Kenji managed to survive this long. But still losing a family member isnt easy no matter what the reason is.

Hiroshi didnt even shed a single tear after hearing the news. He didnt want to appear weak in front of his clan members. Meera approached his brother hoping to get him open up. Bottling up emotions wasnt good for him.

"Hey Roshi." She greeted him and stood beside his while he was busy staring at the blue sky. "Hey Meera." He greeted back. She just hugged him. "You should let it go Roshi. Crying doesnt make you weak." She said and soon she felt his tears drench her shoulders.

Both of them didnt say a word. Hiroshi felt a lot better. If there is anyone who knows him like the back of their hand, its definitely his sister. He sure missed her when she was in the Senju district and he was grateful to Hashirama for letting his wife stay here for a few days.

Their bro-sis moment was interrupted by a messenger hawk. Hiroshi's eyes widened as soon as he read it. "What wrong?" Meera asked. "The Senju and the Uchiha are engaged in a battle as we speak. We need to give them back up." Hiroshi said and left to do the necessary preparation to be done before getting into the battle field.

Meera had a really bad feeling about this. She stood in a corner as she saw Hiroshi warn the clan members about the sharingan before they took off to the battlefield. The Yagami had no experience fighting the Uchiha. "Avoid looking directly in their eyes. Its over if you are caught in a genjutsu. Madara Uchiha is the strongest. Be aware of him." Hiroshi instructed the others.

Meera really wanted to join the battle but she knows that neither Hiroshi nor Hashirama will be happy about putting herself in danger. He then weaved handsigns and sculpted a small dark blue crystal statue of Madara Uchiha. "This is how Madara looks. Dont charge at this guy carelessly, he is stronger that any other Uchiha." Meera heard Hiroshi's voice as she stood there frozen.

~

Meera ran towards the battlefield. She left the Yagami compound as soon as she saw the crystal figure of Madara. She truly hoped that her brain was playing some sort of trick. She reached the battlefield before the Yagami reinforcements could join the Senju.

And her assumptions were true. She saw her friend and her husband exchanging blows. Many of them were badly hurt. Only a few were still standing and fighting. She saw Tobirama charging at the guy she saved when she was 16.

She knows that her friend was just like her when it comes to their sibling. If something were to happen to his brother, all hell would break loose.