"Just a scar somewhere down inside of me. Something I can not repair. Even though it will always be. I pretend it isn't there." - Lost, Linkin Park.

—

Saruyama was curious by nature, she had always been curious; she wanted to understand how the world around her worked, no matter how absolute the chaos was, and how the littlest thing can have the biggest consequence, but that was how life usually worked: actions had consequences. In the time she had been alive, she had seen just how the slightest slip could cause someone to wind up either heavily injured or dead. The amount of death she had already seen, no matter her youthful age it was ridiculous, sights and sounds which a child should not be subjected to.

The entire world was at war with itself, and what could have been lush green fields of grass and beautiful forestry, was instead fields of gore, the dead that had been left and not retrieved, and carrion feasted on those that remain. It was disgusting, absolutely vile that this was her normal, it was normal to see someone one morning, and not see them again, ever. It was hard to get attached to anyone, no matter her curiosities over the world, how it worked, and those that she lived with, attachments were incredibly hard to come by.

It was not like she was utterly alone, yes, her mother was deceased, and her father was disinterested in her as a person and was more inclined to be interested in her skills and any other viable options, but she had her brothers. She had her twin, and Itama was the other half of her that she felt the connection so absolutely in her soul that she did not believe it could be replaced by anyone.

That wasn't to say she didn't love her other brothers, even the one that they had all lost, Kawarama was a brilliant brother, soft brown hair, and a kind smile, he would do anything to aid anyone; but it didn't matter because much like many others, he still found himself outmatched and got killed for it. Tobirama seemed to take it upon himself to try and train Saruyama, taking it incredibly seriously that being the only female in their family, she would no doubt be an easy target. Saruyama took that personally, she was just as strong! Even if, she really wasn't. It was not like Hashirama didn't humour her pouting moments and disagreements with Tobirama; Hashirama was as kind and gentle as Kawarama, he did often disagree with Tobirama when he tried to put Saruyama down with harsh realistic facts. Hashirama didn't want his little sister to be harsh and stoic like his brother, he loved Tobirama, of course he did, but with the way he was going...Saruyama would lose the little pieces of her that made her, her.

But it was incredibly easy, sometimes, for Hashirama to sometimes find himself agreeing with Tobirama, the never-ending curiosity was an issue; and it was an issue right now as she came springing out of some nearby bushes shouting his name. He had turned with wide eyes, startled, absolutely and completely taken back by his sister, his little, white and dark haired sister jumping out looking ecstatic that she had found him.

She had similar eyes to Tobirama, if not shaded a little darker and that grin on her face slipped as those red eyes diverted to the side and she skidded to a halt. Much like Tobirama, Saruyama was incredibly good at putting on a stoic, unmoving expression as she stared at the dark haired boy that stood a little before Hashirama. The scepticism on Saruyama's face was so obvious. She didn't know this boy, nor did she recognise him, which meant he was not from their clan; this kid was not a Senju, and that had Saruyama frowning and taking a step back.

Hashirama wasn't an idiot, despite of his fleeting moments, he knew if Saruyama went, she would go straight to Tobirama; Saruyama tended to avoid Batsuma, their father, mainly because he would not take much of what she said to heart, he listened but it was like he wasn't actually listening to her, as a person. Itama, unfortunately, wasn't an option to divulge information to, twin or not, the two siblings knew full well the one out of all of them that could deal with this snippet was the white haired, red eyed boy.

Hashirama was quicker than her, and he called out to her and wrapped her up in his arms before she could divert and run back home. Saruyama was definitely a wiggler, she squirmed about in his hold shouting at him to let her go, Hashirama awkwardly shushed her, and she eventually dangled there with a very Tobirama expression of pure displeasure on her face. Hashirama couldn't help but let out a sheepish laugh, perhaps he had left her in the company of their brother for too long...admittedly Hashirama could open say that he had become a little distracted by his new friend.

Even with Saruyama in his arms, Hashirama easily walked back to where he was previously standing. Peace meant baby steps, peace also meant having to meet those which you would otherwise not speak or interact with, Hashirama had suspicions about his new friend, likewise it was probably the same in reverse, but it didn't matter to Hashirama; and so, letting Saruyama down and popping his hands on her shoulders, he grinned and eventually ruffled her short hair.

She hadn't grown her hair out, it was shortly cut and trimmed, much in the same way to Itama's which made them more identical all but her eyes and hair parting being different; it was a paranoid thing Tobirama had set in place, the whole youngest and being the only girl in their family had led to Saruyama trying to disguise the fact that she was a girl. Hashirama did begrudge Tobirama a little, he was turning their sister into a mini-him, he swore. The world didn't need two Tobiramas.

Saruyama let out a groan and waved his hands away, Hashirama just grinned and laughed before looking back at his friend, his dark eyes flitted between the two and though he had looked on guard at her appearance, that slowly slipped and his arms became crossed over his chest; and that was the precise moment where Madara met Saruyama, and Hashirama unknowingly to him had set into motion something which would travel through from their childhood, all the way to adulthood; but he wasn't to know that now, not now while he was just happy to introduce Madara to Saruyama.

"So, you won't train with me, because you are out here all the time with him?" Saruyama turned and looked at Hashirama with a pout.

Hashirama scratched the back his head, nervous laughter coming from him. "It isn't like you haven't got someone to train with," he was hesitant, of course, to mention the names of their two brothers. Madara knew Hashirama had siblings, but he didn't need their names, he wouldn't have learned about Saruyama, if she hadn't clearly been putting her tracking to use and had sprung up like she did; Hashirama pouted in return, Tobirama was doing a brilliant job at teaching, honestly, he was.

Saruyama threw her arms in the air, "But it isn't you! That isn't fair, you know how-"

"Ah," Hashirama put a hand over her mouth with a sudden frown on his face. Saruyama got caught up wanting to rant at him, that she almost let Tobirama's name slip.

Saruyama pushed him away, and with an audible huff turned and walked towards the silent and observing Madara, a part of him was finding the interaction a little amusing, he couldn't lie. He knew Hashirama was a little dramatic, maybe even silly, but to watch him so out of sorts because he was getting berated by his baby sister was really, truly amusing. He could see the similarities, if only with how they acted, facial wise not so much, the right side of her white hair seemed to want to stick up at weird angles, yet the darker part of her hair was sleeker, similar to Hashirama's, Madara supposed; at least she didn't have a dodgy haircut like him.

Her clothing seemed too big for her, clearly, they were hand-me-downs, from the sleeveless top; to the loose trousers, it was a little comical to see her so swamped in her clothing and having a go at her older brother, before turning to him. It wasn't an unknown to Madara, he had been around stropping younger siblings, it wasn't like Izuna couldn't get a little needy if he was busy; it was just something younger siblings did, it was literally their thing.

"Madara, you are my brother's friend, right?" Saruyama's tone did not match her expression, she looked so serious, yet her tone was so curious.

"Yeah, so?" Was Madara's simple response, from over her shoulder he could see Hashirama look at him pointedly for being so blunt, Madara could see he was so close to bowing his head and going into full despair mode. Madara wasn't sure what Hashirama expected from him, he wasn't going to stop being himself, just because he was meeting someone's sister.

Saruyama nodded, she let out a curious noise before looking back at her brother. There was a smirk pulling at her lips before looking back at Madara, there was a few years between them, so Saruyama had to look up at him a little. "Good. It's good because everyone needs a friend."

"I have friends!" That got Hashirama running forwards, hands fisted and looking at his sister with large, brown eyes as he literally looked close to having some sort of breakdown over what she had said.

Saruyama waved a hand at him casually, "I don't count. I am your sister, so I'm naturally your friend."

"But-"

"The others don't count either! Family are automatic friends, Hashirama!" Saruyama threw her arms in the air, there her expression went full Tobirama again as she frowned his way. Hashirama despaired just a little bit more, why was his sister turning into another Tobirama? Why? This was cruel fate. Madara couldn't help but let out a scoff, Saruyama turned her eyes to him. "You can't be overflowing with friends either, or else you wouldn't be out here with a stranger."

"I'm not a stranger..."

"You're very strange, Hashirama." Saruyama just watched as he literally doubled into himself and knelt down. Rolling her eyes, she looked back at Madara, he was just frowning her way. Her eyebrows rose as if waiting for him to contradict, instead he just turned away and seemed to be heading back to the riverbank.

"I can't say I disagree with your sister." He looked below his feet, trying to find the right stone to try and skip. He was determined to get it to the other side, Hashirama usually always succeeded, and Madara was fed up of always losing.

"Which part?" Madara looked at Saruyama when she sprung up by his side. "What are you doing?"

Madara found himself frowning down at the girl, she definitely had that slightly annoying younger sibling thing of questioning everything. "The fact your brother is weird." He answered her first question; but left the second one hanging in the air as he returned to his task.

"So, you do have loads of friends too, that making friends with a stranger is just a bonus?"

Madara narrowed his eyes at her then, he looked her up and down before leaning down and finding the right stone in between them. "Friends come and go," Madara replied quietly while leaning into the throw and seeing the stone bounce a few times before eventually sinking, he sighed, still no luck.

Saruyama looked sympathetic, not sad, not pitying, but sympathetic, and he got the sense that she knew already how fickle friendships could be, how short lasting they were. Clapping her hands, Saruyama beamed at him, Madara just cursed his luck, two endlessly enthusiastic Hashiramas was two too many. "But you don't forget them, right? That's the thing, they may go, but they remain in your memory." Her words were wise, her happy expression didn't fit the words, but he wasn't going to question it.

Madara just nodded, picking up another stone, he held it out to her. Hashirama seemed to be the only friend he needed, someone to speak to about everything and anything; but Saruyama seemed to now be on the periphery. Madara didn't have many friends, that much was true, but it was hard when his dad gave off such a stoic aura that no one wished to come near, but also with such a protective brother like Izuna to ward off anyone he didn't like, who would dare to come near? That was without even taking into consideration Madara's own reputation. What friends he did have, none seemed to be girls, he didn't have much tact with people, but it seemed like Saruyama didn't care less about that, he just sensed that; but also it seemed like, considering how she was trying to look so boyish, disguise or not, that she didn't mind if she was treated as such either.

Although, yes, some things would definitely need to be changed if Saruyama was going to keep springing up, Madara was sure there were topics they spoke about that Hashirama wouldn't want his sister hearing, likewise peeing competitions...that was a no, a definite, big fat no. She took the stone from his hand and threw it up and down in her hand before trying her luck, it didn't get as far as Madara's, and both didn't get as far as Hashirama's; however, the one thing Madara did learn from her throwing, she had clearly been trained to throw something that wasn't stones. It didn't surprise him, much like himself and Izuna, all children were taught to fight, and then freely led to possibly die on some remote battlefield. It was wrong, so wrong.

It was something that took root in his mind, even from this first meeting, Saruyama was small, she had to be about ten years old, or there about, it was wrong for someone so young to not enjoy a childhood because of this ongoing war; in fact the thought of her being in amongst people who were stronger, faster and more experienced than her just had Madara frowning, he could understand why Hashirama was edgy about his siblings, much like Madara was with his own brother; and he could understand even more that hesitant expression on his face when he had turned to look Madara's way with Saruyama dangling in his arms.

It was instinct, and Madara didn't dislike him for it, it was instinct to immediately go on the defensive, because, after all, Madara could one day be an enemy, regardless of their friendship, and he very well could face Saruyama in battle, and if that happened, they would fight, someone was bound to lose and that was a trauma that clearly entered Hashirama's mind in seconds. Madara understood entirely, the want and need to protect a sibling.

"What do you two do while you're here, anyway?" Saruyama was curious, it didn't seem like there was much to do, other than skip stones. From watching Madara's stone throwing, it was quickly established in her mind that much like herself and her brothers, he too was trained in the art of fighting.

Madara glanced over his shoulder to see Hashirama pulling himself back upright, he had seemingly recovered from his dramatic moment and was coming back to the present to oversee this. Madara wasn't going to say something out of line, it wasn't a thing of his to offend, unless he got offended first. "We talk," Hashirama replied before Madara could, Saruyama turned and looked at him. He grinned at her face, "Why do you look so disappointed? Do you think you're missing out on something, huh?" Hashirama held his hands up and wiggled his fingers at her, "Nosey, what do we keep saying about that curiosity of yours?"

"Father says it'll get me killed. You and them say it'll just wind up getting me in trouble. At least you try and be kind." Saruyama felt weird not mentioning her other brothers, but she got it.

Hashirama sighed and tilted his head to the side, with a nod he eventually placed an arm around her shoulders, Saruyama all but whined when he took to pinching her cheek. "You're not missing out on anything here! Unless you count Madara's continuous failure to get a stone to the other riverbank."

"It's your fault I keep failing, 'cause you keep standing behind me! What are you, some sort of creep?!" Madara exclaimed and pointed suddenly at Hashirama with a frown and his lips pulling downwards unhappily.

"Maybe your aim is just bad?" Saruyama piped up, Hashirama tried covering his laugh with a cough, it turned into a scoff and he eventually burst out laughing patting Saruyama's shoulder.

Madara's shoulders hunched, "Your aim isn't much better! You didn't get your stone to the other side either!" His dark eyes just narrowed at the two siblings. They were both really infuriating. Madara was trying to remind himself why he was bothering here; but a voice in his head piped up quite quickly reminding him that he liked Hashirama, he found himself bonding with him over their shared outlooks, sometimes he spouted out a lot of crap, but Madara just nodded and humoured sometimes there.

"I'm younger than you, not as strong and have shorter arms, what's your excuse?" Saruyama just continued, Hashirama slapped his hand over his mouth. He didn't even need to intervene here, and he shouldn't be amused by how angry Madara was getting, but his face was truly a picture.

"You two are insufferable." Madara decided with a huff as he turned on his heels. He returned to stone searching, half to prove them wrong, but also it was a good distraction from the pair. They were really annoying, Madara decided no matter how much he liked Hashirama and Saruyama seemed all right, but they were annoying.

Hashirama tugged his sister and they moved away, Madara was aware to them skulking about behind him somewhere, from the sounds he thought they had both sat down, only to gear up for a throw and pause. The instant laughing had him turning and looking at the siblings, Hashirama's face was full of humour, and Saruyama was wide eyed, Madara heard her comment quietly; "Oh, wow, this is odd." Of course, it was natural, it was a weak blind spot, but at the same time to see Madara freeze up just from them standing behind him was truly something.

"You two..." Madara gripped the stone in his hand and gritted teeth. "Are annoying!" He declared and threw the stone at poor Hashirama who noticed just at the last moment and received a bonk to the head, whereas poor Saruyama let out a yelp and took off running away from the angry spiky black haired boy. He was calling out to her as if she would actually stop; Saruyama wasn't stupid, and she kept going. She skidded and pivoted quickly, feinting one way and then the other and managed to slip past Madara enough to make her way back to Hashirama.

She was fast, being small had its advantages, but so did Tobirama's teachings. But ultimately even with her brother's advice, Saruyama wasn't fast enough to avoid Madara, least of all Hashirama when he grinned and decided to jump up and join in chasing her about. Poor Saruyama just exclaimed and dived out the way of her brother the best she could, but she couldn't help but shout that this wasn't fair. Two against one wasn't fair and something about that sentence had Hashirama skidding painfully to a stop.

They were playing, yes, but at the same time...something about her words were just painful to hear, how many kids were outnumbered and running in similar situations to this but not in a benign way, but with weapons drawn and fearful for their lives. Even Madara stopped running and stopped beside Hashirama when he noticed his friend's distant face, the situation seemed to dawn on him then and even he looked a bit awkward; he wasn't of their clan, and surely seeing him chase Saruyama struck Hashirama in a way, even if he joined in, her words hurt him.