
The fight between Naruto and Sasuke did came to an end. Both of them lay onto the ground, wounded and exhausted but with peace into their hearts. Even tho they don't know that they don't just end their own rivalry, with Sasuke admitting that he lost to the younger, there is also just another destiny fulfilled with this words.
Far away and unknown from the young Shinobi, Ashura stands infront of his older brother. He can't count how many years it needed to finally see Indra again. But he can't feel happiness or relief. Not with this picture infront of him.
Indra, his beautiful and proud and skilled older brother, the moon to his sun, kneels onto the ground, defeated and with his head hanging low. Ashura can't see the eyes from the just barely older male but he also can't feel the dark Chakra from Indras Mangekyo Sharingan.
Making a step in direction Indra, he reaches his hand out and calls his name with a soft, almost hesitating voice. He doesn't know how his brother will react. Will he glare at him again? Snap at him? Attack him? Try to put him under a genjutsu? Ashura doesn't know. But there comes no reaction. No word, no move, nothing.
For a moment, the younger Otsutsuki almost panics. What if the fight between their latest reincarnations damaged something on Indra? What if he will lose him now completely?
He isn't ready for this! He never was and he never will be!
"Nii-san....?"
Again a try to get the older males attention. And again it's useless. Indra keeps ignoring him, well at least it seems like that. The older doesn't raise his head just a bit, he avoids every eye contact with the younger. Just now Ashura notices how tense Indras body is. The olders shoulders are raised up till they almost reach his ears and his fingers claw into a invisible ground.
Carefully making step by step, Ashura finally reaches the older and goes slowly down onto one knee. Neither he knows where they are nor he knows what Indra would do if he should scare him. Over the past centuries Ashura learned that being careful isn't the worst thing. Especially when you're face to face with Indra Otsutsuki, the creator of all seals and Jutsus.
Taking a deep breathe, he reaches slowly out for Indra. He doesn't remember the last time when they were this close to eachother. Well, at least in their original forms. Being reincarnated in Hashirama and Madara, or Naruto and Sasuke, doesn't count in Ashuras eyes. Even tho the latters have their souls, their characters are completely different to the Otsutsuki Brothers.
Ashura has to admit that especially Naruto and Sasuke have surpassed him and his brother in many levels. Forgiving and not giving up on the other male, and honest and being able to admit he lost are things himself and Indra never were able to go with. It's sad and it's ashaming. Remembering what their weaknesses have caused to the generations after them, makes Ashura flinching and feeling bad.
He never wanted to cause hurt and hatred and he's sure that Indra didn't wanted it aswell. They both wanted peace for everyone, for the world they learned to love, just in different ways.
His fingertips brushing against Indras soft locks, and fighting the urge to run his fingers through the brown silk, Ashura calls him again.
"Indra... Nii-san, speak to me, please....", his voice sounds soft and calm, trying not to scare the older away.
Finally, a reaction! Indra flinches as if he just woke up from a daydream and his head roses up a bit but before Ashura can be relieved about it, the older pulls almost panicking away.
"Go away..... Go away, Ashura!" Feeling disappointed in many ways, Ashura is about to do as his older brother wishes but than he remembers Naruto. He remembers how the blonde Shinobi never gave up on Sasuke, no matter what the dark haired Uchiha said or did. And he remembers Sasuke and what he did go through. Betrayal and loneliness....
His eyes laying on Indra, Ashura notices that the older has wrapped his arms around himself as if he wants to protect himself. That his voice sounded weak and desperated.
In this moment Ashura understands. The Indra infront of him was the one who apologized to him once when they were still children and the younger had pointed out that he was to strict to the other students. A young male who understood that he made mistakes. A boy who understood what he caused to others.
Without thinking further about anything, Ashura grabs Indras wrists and pulls him with gently force against his body, wrapping his arms around the tiny, almost fragile body and nuzzling his face against the olders neck. It's really been to long since he felt those warmth, since he smelled those unique scent. Closing slowly his eyes, Ashura sighs quietly, holding Indra even stronger against his body as the older tries to break free from the embrace.
"Damn, Ashura! I said you shall stay away from me! Let me go!", Indra demands but with way less menace in his voice than the last time they faced eachother. He tries to push the younger away, hits his shoulders weakly and struggles like a kitten which wants to break free from his mother's grip. But Ashura doesn't think about to let the older go. He already did this mistake decades ago, over and over and over again.
But not this time. Not when he has the chance to get his brother, his soulmate, his beautiful moon back.
"Forget it.... I already did this mistake to often.... When you want me to vanish, you need to erase my soul completely.", he says quietly but he makes sure that the older can hear every single concretely. The hitting and the struggling stops immediately but the stiffness from Indras body doesn't vanish.
"You.... You don't know what you're asking me to do......", Indra responses with a huskily voice. Ashura can say that the older hasn't expected him to say something like that. Without letting him go, the younger raises his head again to look finally into Indras eyes. No sharingan is to see, just the warm brown he used to look in when he was a child.
A sad smile appears onto Ashuras face as he tilts just barely noticeable his head. "I know that you're able to do this, nii-san. And I know that you wish to do this for so long. Now you have the chance to delete me out of your life. To fulfill your dream of your perfect peace. To...." He stops immediately as he sees tears glimming into Indras eyes. He looks so hurt as if he can't understand why his younger brother says such things. As if he can't believe those words coming over Ashuras lips.
The older dips again his head and Ashura feels how Indras fingers claw slightly into his kimono, crunching the white silk with trembling fingers.
"I always.... I always wanted you to live in peace.... To live a life worthy to experience. I always wanted to protect you, no matter if I need to use words or ninshu or if I need to give my life. I wanted to protect your warm smile, your shiny eyes, your bright smile..... I wanted to keep the sun in your heart save. But.... But than came the point where I was forced to realize that you surpassed me.... That you didn't need my protection and advice anymore.... That you didn't need me anymore. This knowledge, along with Zetsus words, caused me to do unforgivable things. I killed people which believed in me, I destroyed our home and ultimately our bond. I caused you so much pain, something I never wanted to do. Not to anyone but especially not to the person I love the most.... But I did. And this caused so much pain to the generations after us..... I.... "
Indra stops and Ashura can see little tears falling down while his heart breaks over and over again. He never thought that so much things are the cause of the decisions his nii-san made. Biting onto his bottom lip, he raises his hand and strokes gently the tears from Indras cheeks.
"Nii.... Indra, stop drowning yourself into self pity. Please. You're not the only one who made mistakes which caused trouble and hatred. Father and I.... We saw how you changed. We saw it and we didn't do anything. We didn't try to understand what happend, we didn't even bother to find out the reasons. And I feel so ashamed, so bad that I did let you slide through my fingers. I saw the way you were about to go but I was to dumb to understand that you started falling into darkness. In the moments you needed me the most, in the moments where I should grab your hands to pull you back into the light, I failed. I failed and lost you. But I won't make this mistakes ever again. I won't let you go anymore, no matter what happens. We both have the responsibility to what happened to our descendants and I feel as bad and ashamed as you. But we can't change it anymore, we can just make sure that the next generations make it better. With power and with love."
Ashuras hand rests onto Indras cheek, a thumb stroking gently over the soft skin as a encouraging smile graces the youngers lips. Indra looks at him than he closes his eyes and leans against the hand from his younger brother. It's shy and almost scared but Ashura feels that this could be the beginning of something new.
"You became wise, Ashura. Wise and strong while you kept your good heart." The younger male blinks a bit surprised as he notices his nii-sans view laying onto him again.
"I think I finally understand fathers decision. Power is important for bringing peace into this world. But the true power lays into the love of every living beings heart. Bonds like friendship and love make you stronger. Experiences like sadness and happiness, like loss and victory make you stronger. But you can just become this with the help of others. I always thought it's a sign of weakness when calling after help or getting help. But I was wrong. I was the weak one. A man who lets himself lead by pride and stubbornness isn't able to tie with others so he can't ever be a good leader."
Indra stops and Ashura could instantly cry as he sees how a warm smile appears onto the olders lips. But the next words are that unexpected that he doesn't know what to say anymore.
"I know it's very very late for this..... But congratulations, Ashura. You really deserve being the heir of ninshu. And I'm so proud of you. So so proud." With this words, Indra raises a hand to stroke over Ashuras hair, his smile doesn't vanish for a single second. It reminds the younger on their childhood when his brother has praised him. This gesture always gave him the feeling of being loved, of being home.
"Indra...."
Doesn't holding himself back anymore, Ashura cups the older males cheeks between his palms and pulls him into a tender kiss. A storm of feelings rushes through his whole body, he has never felt something like that before.
Ashura doesn't feel any kind of sexual attraction for Indra. It's his soul which he loves so much. He doesn't care whom this soul belongs to. If it's Indra or some other boy or girl, it doesn't matter for him. This beautiful moon with his soft cool light which always did gave him safety in his darkest hours, even in the times Indra wasn't with him, is what his heart yearns for.
He feels Indra freezing for a moment, he knows that the older didn't expect like that, especially not from him. But as he slowly relaxes into his arms again and starts to kiss him careful back, Ashura knows that he isn't the only one with this feelings. A knowledge he never even dared to hope to ever experience.
The kiss doesn't last long and is quite a mess, but for him.... for them it's perfect. Perfect in its own way. Hard breathing and with their foreheads leaned against eachother, they look into eachothers eyes with a tender, loving smile.
After so many decades, they're happy again. And they have a eternity to keep up to all the time they lost.
Fin