Hundreds of lanterns lit up both sides of the main road, leading to the center most part of the village where a small stage is erected especially for the occasion. A group of performers are dancing to the lively music, their steps precise and every stunt is followed with cheers and applauds from the crowd.

Save for the shinobi deployed for guarding the village, almost every citizen of Konoha are gathered in this part of the town, either watching the breathtaking performance on stage or strolling along the stalls that are selling all kinds of food and trinkets along the streets.

The celebration--or whether they should hold one--for this particular occasion had been a hot topic in at least the last two meetings of the clan heads. Some of them argued that with the current situation the village is at, it'd be best if they postpone the celebration this year. In that way, they could save funds and at the same time, allocate the resources and the time they would spend on preparing for the celebration into further strengthening the defenses of the village instead. The rest of the clan heads had a differing opinion though. They'd countered that it doesn't have to be a grandiose celebration and just a simple one will do.

"It wouldn't hurt to celebrate from time to time," Hashirama had said back then, effectively concluding their latest meeting. Tobirama had already anticipated this decision of his because the two of them had already talked about it privately beforehand. He knew that the true reason behind this decision is that, the celebration is the most effective way to boost the morale of the people. This special day marks the founding anniversary of the village but it has a deeper meaning: it's a concrete reminder that different clans could actually live together in peace. Tobirama couldn't agree more.

Konoha was founded exactly one year today. So much has happened ever since then and even though there are a lot of things that they should be worrying about right now—for instance, the possible attack on the village—there's still so much to be thankful for. And oh, winter is coming to an end. 

Among the bustling people on the main street, three figures conspicuously standout from the crowd. Mito, who is dressed in a green kimono and her red hair tied in a neat and elegant way, is simply stunning. Walking alongside her are the Senju brothers, the older one on her left while the younger one is on her right. With this 'formation', the two men look very much like her body guards, with their burly forms and firm muscles that seem to be highlighted even more through their respective kimono. Hashirama's long hair is tied up in a ponytail, and tonight his usual air of being the Hokage is gone and replaced by a somewhat lighter, carefree aura. The same goes with Tobirama who looks a few years younger without his usual scowl.

"So," Tobirama says in a tone that means business, as if he's discussing the details of an S-rank mission to his team. He gestures his hand in front of him as if to signal the other two to stop on their tracks, too. "Where do we start?"

"Food," Hashirama replies almost immediately, Mito nods eagerly in agreement.

And so, the three of them started their night checking out the food stalls in the area. Since their very first stall, Hashirama had clearly declared his goal to visit every stall and taste every food they have to offer. (Much to his disappointment, they're still on their fifth stall, out of maybe thirty to forty stalls, an hour later.)

"It's clearly impossible," Tobirama tells him firmly, shoving the last of his takoyaki into his own mouth.

Hashirama shook his head in a firm refusal—the only rebuttal he could give him now because his mouth is still full with food. 

Before he could finish chewing, Tobirama added, "It's not impossible, per se, but it will take us the whole night until tomorrow morning, at the very least." He said this in a condescending manner like he usually does, and Hashirama, the stubborn older brother that he is, chewed even faster just so he could counter sooner.

"How about we just try and visit as much stalls as we can until the night ends?" Mito almost awkwardly interjects to prevent the brewing fight between the two. Tobirama had already lost count on how many times she'd successfully stopped a possible (meaningless) clash between him and Hashirama. As much as he loves his brother and how they agree most of the time, sometimes it's the little things that they fight about. Tobirama is very thankful that Mito is there to mediate between the two of them, and he's a hundred percent sure that Hashirama is, too.

Hashirama swallows his food, now finally able to talk. "Fine," he resigns, but the determination in his eyes is unwavering. "Let's do that."

After their fifteenth stall two hours later, Tobirama felt he couldn't eat a single bite anymore. He also looked at Mito, expecting to see some form or degree of discomfort on her face. To his utter surprise though, there's none of that. In fact, she and Hashirama were talking about what Tobirama assumes as "tactics" to maximize their capacities and fulfill that ridiculous goal of his older brother's.

He walks closer to Mito and gently pats her back. "Don't push yourself," he reminds her. She looks at him with a puzzled expression at first, but sooner gets what he means. 

"Don't worry, Tobi. It doesn't look like it, but I could actually have a big appetite," she says with a chuckle and then she winks at him, which Tobirama completely knows is just her being playful, but still leaves him dumbfounded, mouth gaping.

The "tactic" that Mito and Hashirama talked about earlier was apparently this: the two of them would each "take" half of the remaining stalls so they each have ten remaining, more or less. Hashirama would start at the opposite end of the line of stalls and Mito would continue stall by stall from where they're currently at until the three of them meet again halfway. It's quite a smart and efficient move, in Tobirama's humble opinion. However, he no longer has the capability nor the appetite to continue and take part in whatever this is anymore.

He still went with Mito though.

Mito effortlessly fulfilled her part of the plan, finishing quickly and smoothly and only then did she tell Tobirama that she's finally full.

"Konoha food really are the best!" She proclaims, smiling in contentment. Looking at her, Tobirama thinks she likes everything about Mito but he adores this side of her the most—so natural and pure and just...her, Mito.

He snaps out of it two and a half seconds later. He shakes his head. What the hell is he even thinking?!

Mito is of course perplexed by how he's acting. "Tobi, is something the matter? Why are you shaking your head?"

"It's nothing! It means nothing!" He replies immediately. 

Smooth, Tobirama. Smooth.

Fortunately for him, Mito didn't think much about it. Her gaze suddenly darted to somewhere else and her face lit up, seizing his hand with both of hers. "Hey, let's go to that stall over there while we wait for Hashirama." Then she enthusiastically dragged him along with her.

Tobirama had initially thought that the stall that she was pertaining to was one that also sells food, and that her being "full" could mean that she could still eat some more. When they arrived, however, he learns that it's nothing of the sort, for that particular stall sells trinkets and souvenirs instead. 

While they're looking around, Mito found a pair of hair pins that she liked. Tobirama offered to buy them for her and Mito only accepted once he agreed that she will buy something for him in return. And so, the two of them looked around some more. In the end, not only did they found something for Tobirama, but they also bought a souvenir for Hashirama.  

With their stomachs full and their respective souvenirs for tonight's occasion having been bought, they next went to see the performance on stage. They found a good spot and stood there to watch until the last of the performances. 

When the show is over, they didn't immediately go home. Instead, they looked for a place to rest for a while, as they are also waiting for Hashirama (who is suspiciously taking a long time in completing his part of their "goal", but whatever). It just so happens that Tobirama knows a place not very far from this part of the village where there will certainly be fewer people at this time of day.

"How was tonight, Mito?" he asks as they sit down next to each other on one of the benches in the area. It's pleasantly quiet and serene, with the two of them being the only ones here.

(He swears he's not being hyperaware of the foreign but oh so welcome feel of the bracelet that Mito bought for him on his left wrist.)

Mito looks at him, a wide smile present on her lips. "Tonight was a lot of fun, Tobi," she replies, eyes shining brightly. "I loved every single part of it."

There's something in the way she talked and how she smiled that made Tobirama unconsciously hold his breath. She looks really happy, Tobirama helplessly sighs as a smile forms on his lips.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun, too."

The preparation for the celebration had been a little rushed. As he recalls the earlier events of tonight, he could say that it turned out well, even way better than what he expected actually. Well, expect for some parts, of course. 

"Sorry that you had to put up with anija's shenanigans though."

Mito chuckles softly. "It's not a problem at all. I actually enjoyed it a lot, plus I got to eat lots of delicious food. I bet you didn't expect me to have that large of an appetite, huh?" 

"Well...y-yeah..." he answers honestly, but he immediately flails his arms around as he explains, "But that's just because I thought you don't like Konoha food, is all." He then laughs, albeit awkwardly. In a mild panic, he also gives her a thumbs up, and adds, "But you're really amazing! Truly!"

For some reasons unknown to Tobirama, Mito actually laughs at that, so he had no choice but to laugh along with her.

Not so smooth, Tobirama.

He nearly jumps when Mito scoots closer to him, bringing her mouth right by his left ear. She then brings her hand into the remaining few inches of space between the two of them. 

"Actually," she says, suddenly lowering the volume of her voice to a whisper, as if she's about to tell a secret. "I used a little trick earlier."

Tobirama stops breathing again and before he knows it, the space between them went back to how it was earlier. Mito still has that playful air around her, smiles present in both her eyes and lips, except now, there's an expectant look added to the equation as if she wants Tobirama to ask her what it was.

So he does: "A trick?"

Mito wiggles her eyebrows. "Yes, a trick. There's this jutsu that I learned about when I was a child. It can instantly convert the food you eat into chakra. However, it has to be done in moderation because it has a lot of side-effects so I only use it from time to time. Doing that with you and Hashirama-sama is so much fun though! It's totally worth it! Besides, I'm with you so I'm completely assured that I won't overdo it."

Tobirama doesn't know what to say to that. These days he finds himself suddenly dumbfounded by something that Mito has said.

"Oh, t-that's a neat little trick." He manages to supply after what he hopes is a short while.

Mito beams proudly.

"Tobirama! Mito-san! There you are! I've been looking for you two everywhere!" A cheerful and (unnecessarily) loud voice comes from a distance and is quickly approaching. Tobirama and Mito doesn't have to look towards the general direction where said voice is coming from. It's definitely Hashirama's.

Hashirama stops right in front of them, jogging in place and clutching his stomach. On top of that, he's making a weird face. His current appearance is very...un-Hokage like. Tobirama mentally face-palmed. There's no better example of second hand embarrassment than this one right here.

"I gotta go home. I ate so much, my stomach hurts!" Hashirama said hurriedly and then off he ran even before Tobirama and Mito could say a word.

The two exchanged looks and suddenly burst out laughing, effectively putting Tobirama's confused mind and feelings at ease at the same time.

"He's my older brother and we've been together ever since, but I think I'll never really get what's going on in that mind of his," he thinks and it's only when Mito replied that he realized that he actually said it out loud instead of just thinking about it by himself. 

"He seems to be moving on."

This was said in the most natural way, and when Tobirama looked at the one who'd just spoken, he can't help but frown. Mito's observant gaze is fixed on Hashirama from afar, and it lingers until his figure disappears. 

Tobirama didn't expect Mito to point that out at all, but he supposed he's not the only one to have observed the obvious changes in Hashirama. It's been only a month since they unsealed his memories of Madara, but so much has changed in him. The Hashirama today is...more present, lively, sober. Tobirama noticed that he'd stopped going to the top of the Hokage Rock, and even just now, he didn't smell a trace of alcohol on him, which is a really good sign that he's moving on. 

He's finally going back to his old self.

Needless to say, he's very happy for his older brother. The only concern he has for now is that all of these changes seem to happen way too abruptly. If Tobirama's being completely honest, even now, he's still not totally convinced that Hashirama has really moved on.

"Yeah," he answers simply. There's a process in all things.

He sighs and stands up, extending a helping hand to her. "Let's go home, Mito."

-----

It doesn't come back to him all at once. Sometimes, it's through glimpses. Sometimes, it's a series of flashes. Other times, it's in form of dreams, woven as small pieces of the past. His memories of Madara are few, he realizes with much regret, but they're all cherished ones, every single one of them.

He sees him everywhere now.

He sees Madara waiting by the balcony when he leaves his house in the morning. He sees him in the streets, walking close by his side as he makes his way to his office. Sometimes, Madara is already waiting for him there, standing by the window or sitting on his desk, reading a scroll in hand. Madara would greet him with a simple nod, or with small smile, or just a quiet call of his name.

And if all of it becomes too much, that's the only time when he sneaks out to go to the top of the Hokage Rock. There, Madara is still with him. 

(The desire to talk to Madara is gnawing at him ever since the day his memories started to return. Would Madara answer? Or would he just stay there, waiting, listening, watching?)

At least, he gets to talk to him in his dreams. There, he could touch him and tell him all the things that he wants to, even though Madara wouldn't answer. Most of the time he would only listen. On rare times, he would smile, too, and Hashirama doesn't know if all of these had been real or if they're just products of his mind's hopeful desire.

But it doesn't matter, does it? It hurts, just as much as it feels good. 

-End of Chapter 17-

This book is still a hashimada fanfic, if any of you are wondering since this particular chapter had been 90% Tobi x Mito and only the remaining 10% is hashimada. The next ones will focus on our main, I promise. In fact, the next chapter particularly will be about what happened before Madara left. I think it's time. 

For some reasons, I LOVE writing a panicking Tobirama. There's an inexplicable joy in making a normally calm and composed character into one in (sometimes gay) panic or distress (or both) lol. As for our main couple, I like to think that Hashirama has masochistic tendencies. I guess I've portrayed this point in the way I wrote him in the story so far. And Madara, well...he's no better. *sigh* These two...

Anyways, I think this is the part where I apologize for taking this loooong to update. I still plan to finish this book, but as to when exactly, I can't give you the exact date but I hope you're still here by then. That's it for now. As always, thank you so much and stay safe!!