WAP Aiko 26

CHAPTER 26

The Uchiha arrived first, but they didn’t do it like any well-adjusted ninja Aiko had ever heard of. Clanking heralded their arrival. The sounds of men marching in heavy metal armor echoed through the maze of trees when they were at least a kilometer away.

Aiko tried not to let her judgment show on her face as the standard bearer came into view.

His face was mostly hidden, but he stopped in his tracks for a second when he saw her.

She crossed her arms. Then she uncrossed them, because she was trying to look dignified, not sullen.

“Aiko-sama!” Izuna blurted out. He dashed to the front and came to an abrupt stop in front of her. His speed sent her hair and clothes fluttering back in a gust of wind. He gaped down at her. She had the impression that he was holding back the urge to grab her. “Why did you- why are you here?”

“Priestess.” Madara and a man that Aiko didn’t know came to stand with Izuna. Madara subtly elbowed his little brother back and then scowled down at her. “Does this mean that you convinced the Senju not to come today?”

“No, they’re coming,” Aiko said. “Tea?”

Madara blinked. “Tea?”

She whipped her head around to look at Grandmother Kasumi. “He wants tea,” Aiko called out.

“He can come and get it,” the old lady said dangerously. She lifted a ladle at him.

The Uchiha gaped. Madara’s mouth was hanging open.

“Izuna-kun, please come over and help me.” Grandmother Michiko didn’t leave room for argument.

He looked at his brother helplessly. He was clearly wavering and just needed a nudge.

“Do you know her?” Madara hissed.

Izuna nodded. Of course he did, he was their favorite fool to wrangle into climbing roofs and trees.

“My arm is tired,” Grandmother Michiko said, feeble but noble in her suffering. Aiko made a small, pitiful sound that made the young man jolt.

Izuna went.

“Izuna-sama,” hissed the third man, tone dangerous and eyes wild. But by the time Izuna was moving to do something, there was no changing his course. Aiko didn’t hide her satisfied smile.

“I have to, Hikaru-san,” Izuna whispered frantically over his shoulder, and then Grandmother Kasumi patted him on the head and bullied him into an apron. While he was tying it, Hana swooped over and started filling more cups with tea in preparation for giving them to the whole contingent. They had brought every teacup in the village for this event.

“Why is this happening,” Hikaru-san asked, sotto voice, to Madara-san. “What did you discuss with-”

Aiko interjected. “Tea or amazake, Hikaru-san?”

He fixed an incredulous look at her. “You brought amazake to a battle?”

“He wants amazake,” Aiko called cheerfully. She turned away in a bouncy gesture so that her hair swung out and she looked thoroughly distracted.

She ignored his spluttering. “What- that’s not what I was saying-”

Hikaru-san stopped mid-sentence as Hana bustled over and held a cup of amazake out of him. Aiko took the tea from her other hand without a word, because they needed to divide and conquer. Hikaru-san looked at Hana incredulously. She shook the cup once more at him in a firm ‘take it’ gesture. He took it on reflex and clearly regretted this immediately. While this was going on, Aiko reached out, gently opened Madara’s hand, and put the tea directly in it.

He seemed incredibly troubled. “Thank you,” Madara said. He looked down at the tea. “I…”

“Drink it,” Aiko encouraged. She reached up and patted him on the shoulder. When he obeyed and lifted the cup, she took a step past him and reached her voice to project to the Uchiha contingent.

They had been unable to hear any of this conversation. All they knew was that their leaders had stepped up to greet her and then accepted beverages. So when Aiko cheerfully projected, “If you would like tea, please visit Hana-san and Grandmother Kasumi on the left. For amazake, Fukiko-san and Grandmother Michiko are on the right side. Thank you, hurry please-” they moved to obey.

She valiantly resisted the urge to cackle. Holy shit. It was working. They had abused social norms thoroughly enough to trick them into breaking their lines.

Madara spat out his tea onto the ground and flung his head open, mouth open. Aiko turned and put her hand gently on his chest before he could start shouting at people to get back into military formation. “Are you alright?” She said, tilting her face up innocently. “Madara-san, is the tea not to your liking?” She touched the outside of the hand that he had curled around the cup.

He looked at her the same way he might look at a lion on his futon. That was to say, with wild eyes and incredulous terror. His eyes darted between her face and the hand she had on his chest. He didn’t move. She wasn’t entirely certain that he was breathing.

This was fun. Holy shit, social terrorism was fun. Why didn’t she do this more?

She smiled at him. He turned red. Aiko patted his hand one more time just because she could and then fluttered away to herd confused but stoic Uchiha into lines for hot drinks. They milled around the clearing, looking upset with their steaming drinks.

That was of course when the Senju showed up from the other direction.

They had come in similar numbers to the Uchiha- about forty warriors. Aiko gave a serene smile to Hashirama even though he freaked her out. She focused her malicious smugness on Tobirama instead. They were standing close enough that people probably couldn’t tell she was avoiding looking at the clan head. “Ah, you’ve arrived,” she said, before they could say a damn thing. “Senju-sama, tea or amazake?”

Hashirama sparkled. It was horrible. “You brought drinks?” He grinned at her. “Is it- oh, they made amazake! This is great!”

Aiko took that as her cue and snatched up two cups of amazake on her way over. The Uchiha were perilously tense behind her. The other Senju were stone-still. She sailed over to Hashirama like she had no idea. “Here you are,” she said, giving one to Hashirama, and then the other to Tobirama. “Tea or amazake?” she asked the next person.

“No.” Glass shattered and hot liquid hit her feet.

Shit.

Hashirama gasped dramatically. “Tobirama-kun.” He snatched up the pieces of the cup that his brother had knocked out of his hands and tried to hold them together. “Aiko-sama, I am so sorry, he’s clumsy,” he blatantly lied.

“It’s quite alright,” Aiko said, trying to push past this. Ignore him, overwhelm, baffle and dazzle. “Tea,” she called, hoping to god that Hana was already rushing over to get drinks in hands.

Someone put a hand out in front of her. Aiko looked up to follow the arm to Tobirama’s stern face. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he said, absolutely correct. “Unfortunately, we will not partake today.” His voice  was loud enough to carry.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I insist,” Aiko said, trying not to look like a lunatic. “We’ve come all this way.”

“Nevertheless. It was so kind of you.” He said it in a way that she could tell meant ‘Fuck you’, but was too toneless to actually criticize.

…Well, fuck. She stood there, at a loss. She glanced at the Senju behind him.

Yeah. They weren’t going to go for it. Not unless Hashirama could pull this off.

“Brother. Shall we wait for the Uchiha to finish their tea break before we commence the battle?” Tobirama put an unfair amount of judgment in that sentence. The Uchiha bristled. She heard the nearly imperceptible clink of cups being put down.

“Maybe we could have a discussion first?” Hashirama tried. His gaze flicked to Aiko, and then to Hana standing behind her. “That isn’t really something for ladies to see.”

“Too right.” Tobirama turned his red eyes on her. “Thank you for coming, but your presence is not required.”

Son of a bitch. She really kinda hated this guy.