So, I've made a 'from Hashirama's perspective' chapter after all. ;) I actually finished it last night, but it was well after two, and house rules are that the internet doesn't stay on past two. (Though it's taken me until the afternoon to get up, since I stayed up so late last night) But this chapter has turned this fic from a one sided MadaSaku into a proper MadaSaku.

Still, I hope you enjoy, and remember that I don't own the Naruto characters.

Two

He is curious, he can't deny it. After all, how often do you come across someone with pink hair? He figures it's an aberration in the Uzumaki genetics, since going from red to pink isn't that great of a leap. But he doesn't really dwell overly much on it, his attention is rather unashamedly and completely taken up by his soon-to-be bride, Mito. Hashirama is charmed by her, and is doing his best to charm her in return. It seems to be working, but just a little more to confirm…

And besides, it's not like the girl comes up often in his conversations with his fiancée, they mostly talk about the village, who the two of them are as people, and there was this one conversation that got rather… ahem… interesting, at one point. So other than an enthusiastic greeting when they're briefly introduced, Mito's oddly hued attendant is only really there on the peripheral of his observance.

It's really only once his best friend returns that he takes more notice of her. He and Madara are talking over the mission the Uchiha Clan Head had been on, one to determine if the Amagi clan would join the village. Madara is sceptical, and Hashirama wonders if maybe he should have gone himself. Then his friend's gaze flits over to where Mito's attendants are gathered. A spark of interest, and Hashirama also glances over, wondering which one has caught his attention.

It becomes apparent soon enough. Madara has been going out of his way to speak with her, even though the girl seems loath to be in his vicinity. And yet he notices that his friend's step has become lighter, he is smiling once more. Genuinely, in a way he hasn't since before Izuna had died. The darkness that had been eating at his heart seems to be abating. So Hashirama takes another look at this girl, trying to figure her out.

She's dedicated, he can tell, and incredibly smart. She brought scrolls with her, Mito tells him. Scrolls for studying sealing techniques and space time jutsus. He's impressed with her knowledge. And she's passionate. He catches her and Mito having an argument, and even though her tone is respectful, she's standing her ground. He can tell Mito is both proud and exasperated. And it's at this point that he learns that she's actually not an Uzumaki, which of course sparks curiosity in him about her actual lineage.

Talking to Mito about her sheds some light, but not enough.

"Sakura has been staying with us for awhile," his fiancée tells him. "I only brought her with me because she needed a change of scenery, she has thrown herself into fuinjutsu research with more gusto than many of my clans-folk."

"Is she any good with it?" he asks. "I mean, on an Uzumaki level."

Mito smiles, and Hashirama can see the pride in her expression. "She is quite exceptional." she says. "Her ability to memorise and then categorise facts is rather incredible."

Hashirama reaches out tentatively, grabbing hold of Mito's hand. "You know, Madara is interested in her," he informs her.

Mito sighs. "I know," she admits. "But Sakura does not reciprocate those feelings."

Hashirama also lets out a sigh. "Then she will likely end up breaking his heart," he states sadly, but is then distracted when Mito changes the subject.

And then, by chance, he comes upon the opportunity to observe the two alone for himself.

They are talking on a bridge. Well, maybe talking is too tame a word. Madara is gesticulating wildly (for him, anyway) and Sakura's arms are crossed in a defensive manner. She's shaking her head, and Hashirama can tell from this distance that she is being stubborn about something. Then Madara closes the small distance between them, grabs her arm and ducks his head, kissing her. His move is both forceful and not, at the same time, but it does cause Sakura to freeze up.

Her fingers flex, and for a moment, Hashirama is sure that she's about to slap him. But that's not what happens. Sakura's posture relaxes, she leans into him, and soon, the two are wrapped up in a rather heated kiss. Hashirama can feel himself blushing, and he's about to turn and leave them to their privacy, but then Sakura stiffens and pushes Madara from her.

The slap she finally delivers is loud enough to be heard several streets over.

"Stay away from me!" Sakura says in a commanding, yet shaky voice, and shunshins away, leaving Madara clutching his cheek and staring at the spot she'd just vacated.

Things go downhill from there.

Madara is in a foul mood for days, glaring and snapping at people. Tobirama ends up his favourite target, and several times, Hashirama has to stop the two from getting into an all out fight. It really doesn't help that his brother gets along with Sakura, and seems to enjoy how much hate she directs at the Uchiha. So his warnings to his brother to leave Madara alone fall on deaf ears.

"You were wrong, you know," Hashirama tells Mito five days after the 'incident'.

"About what?" she asks distractedly as she watches the ducks in the pond he's taken her to.

"Sakura's feelings for Madara," he tells her.

He has her full attention then. "What do you mean?"

"I saw them arguing several days ago," he tells her. "Madara kissed her, she responded."

Mito's brow rose in interest. "That's quite a turnaround for her," she observes, but then retracts, "Well, maybe not a turnaround, but more of a slip of control."

"Control?" His brow rises in interest.

"Mm-hmm," she confirms. "Sakura's so insistent that she hates him, but I've been wondering lately… What you saw confirms that she feels something, even though she's continuing to deny it."

"They could be really good together," Hashirama says as he rips up and chucks some of the bread he'd brought with him to the ducks, noting when a turtle pops its head up to steal some from under the birds noses, er, beaks. "She could ground him, give him a balance he hasn't had for a few years now. And he would definitely compliment her personality, at least, from what I've seen so far."

He looks down at Mito, who is nodding in agreement. "I agree," she tells him. "The only problem is, Sakura refuses to acknowledge it."

So then, how could he go about opening her eyes on the subject?

"I know that look," Mito says, looking pleased, or perhaps a little smug, that she's come to know him so well. "You're thinking about how you can interfere and get Sakura to consider your friend's suit."

Hashirama beams at her and grabs her hands, dropping the remaining bread, which one brave duck darts up to make off with. "I am so delighted that we are becoming more in tune to one another!" he exclaims. "But yes, I want to open Sakura's eyes to all the good qualities that Madara has!"

Mito smiles. "I'm sure you could do it," she tells him.

With that encouragement, Hashirama sets about talking to Sakura about Madara. The only thing is, she's been hiding herself away in the Uzumaki quarters, refusing to come out. Apparently not even Mito's cajoling could lure her out of her little 'den'. Disheartened, Hashirama can only wait until she emerges from her self imposed seclusion.

In the meantime, Madara's mood swings worsen.

Now, the targets of his foul moods have expanded to include Hashirama, other members of the Uchiha, and just the other day, he yelled at the Shimura clan head for fifteen minutes straight before the man could even get a word in edgewise. Tobirama hasn't found that funny, considering how mad it had made the Shimura. Even a poor, innocent waitress at one of Hashirama's favourite restaurants has been at the receiving end of Madara's ire.

This had to end.

So Hashirama invites himself over to the Uzumaki quarters, and outright requests to speak with Sakura.

She bows when she sees him. "Senju-sama," she greets him. "What can I do for you today?"

"May I talk with you?" he asks. "Somewhere private. But not too private! I'm spoken for, you know."

Sakura giggles and indicates to her right. "There is a nice garden over there," she says. "Private, but also public, since you're so worried."

She leads him over to a nice garden that looks like it's one of the ones that he'd designed a few years ago. There's a koi pond, a small shrine, and the willow in the centre of it completes the serene picture. Wow.

"So, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?" Sakura asks.

"Before I start, I want you to promise to hear me out, completely and without interruption," he starts. "I've observed that you have a stubborn streak, but please, try to set it aside when I speak."

She frowns at him, and he sees a bit of confusion on her face. "Alright…" she reluctantly agrees. "I promise."

Hashirama sits on a stone bench, and Sakura does as well, it's large enough that they don't have to sit too close. He takes a breath and says, "It's about Madara."

She's going to interrupt, he can tell, so he forestalls her, "You promised to listen," and her mouth, which she'd opened to object with, closes shut with a snap. He can see she's not happy with the topic he's raised.

"Now, I don't know exactly why it is that you're insistent that you want nothing to do with him," Hashirama starts. "I've seen the two of you interact, and I… ahem… witnessed what happened on the bridge that day."

Sakura's eyes widen and she blushes, but he continues on.

"Years ago, Madara had a brother he loved more than anyone or anything else," he states, and he can see her confusion at his mentioning this, but he has a point. "It devastated him, and a darkness crept into him. I've tried all I can to help him, to remind him that there's still good things in this world, but he's been barely going through the motions of life. Until you came along.

"He's become lighter, and that darkness has been fading, because of you. And I know that you do feel something, because of the… kiss… you two shared that other day. But your rejection of him is threatening to bring the darkness back. He's been angry and belligerent with everyone, even his own clan members. But Sakura…"

Here, he ignores worrying what would happen if someone came along and saw them, grabbing hold of her hands and staring at her in earnest.

"I really believe, that you could save him."

Something about his words seem to strike a chord in her, and her eyes well up. The ghost of something flashes in her eyes, like she's had similar conversations at some point in her life. He lets her hands go when she tugs them away, one coming up to wipe at her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she says. "You just… The conviction with which you spoke reminded me of an old friend of mine. He… had a knack for convincing people to do a complete turnaround of their belief system."

"Well," Hashirama says, "he sounds like quite a guy. But, uh… please just think on what I said, alright?"

Sakura nods and stands, smiling down at him. "I'll see you around, Senju-sama," she says with a small bow.

"Please, just call me Hashirama."

Later that night, there is a formal celebration to 'welcome' the Amagi clan, who apparently were impressed with what Madara had said to them. Mito looks stunning on his arm, as he knew she would, and there's a secret smile on her face as she interacts with the other guests that has him fascinated. He wonders at it, but not for too much longer.

Almost an hour into the celebrations, and Mito gently nudges him, indicating at the door. Sakura has walked in, looking resplendent in a red and white kimono. She looks shy and uncertain, her gaze scanning the crowds until she finds what she's looking for. Hashirama follows her gaze to Madara, who thus far has been spending the night glowering at everyone, hiding in a corner. But when he sees her, a shuttered look comes upon his face as he stares back at her.

Sakura hesitantly steps over to him, and they talk for a bit. Madara almost sneers at her at one point, but then suddenly his gaze softens when she holds out her hand to him. It takes a moment, but he eventually takes it, and Hashirama can see once more that light that he'd seen, making its return.

"What on earth did you say to her?" Mito asks, clearly awed by Sakura's turnaround.

Hashirama smiles as Madara starts interacting properly with people, Sakura's arm in his, even as Tobirama scowls across the room at the loss of a fellow 'we hate Madara' club member.

"I'll tell you later," he says, then steers her over to their next guest.

So since Naruto's supposed to be a reincarnation of Hashirama, I figure the Shodai likely had the same persuasive personality that the knuckle-head has.

Review please!