thirteen beware it's the devil himself
Indra-that-was-Madara grit his jaw as he stepped into the liminal space, Konohanasakuya eyeing him with worry, looking like she wanted to ask if he was alright but knew better. “The final feather” Madara forced out and his mother just shrugged, looking helpless, “I don’t know, you know him best now, where would the central part of his consciousness go after his death? What would he want?” Madara chewed at his lip, turning over the fire opal from the last memory in his fingers, where would Tobirama go? He – he had wanted to rest, to go home and be at peace, he – he hated himself too much to go to any person, to hide in a memory when he had so few nice ones, no, he would go somewhere quiet and alone, some place like Yuiki-onna’s snowy land only softer so that he could just curl up in the middle of nowhere in silence – none of which helped Madara find him. But, desperate Madara closed his eyes and bowed his head, begging the feathers in his chest for help, just show him the way, please he just wanted his soulmate back and safe and not fading, please.
For a moment there was nothing and then the stone in his hand warmed and when Madara opened his eyes there was a small glowing line- like a smaller, fainter version of the golden soulbond Indra had seen- stretching out into the distance, not to the mirror but out across the dim waters and with a last strained smile at his mother Madara set out after the light, following it for what felt like forever until he stepped onto the grassy shores of a far green plain of rolling hills covering in tall grass. It was remanent realm, a fragment of a world in the afterlife that had belonged to a Being long gone or a moment so world shaking it left an after image in death itself; it was also exactly the sort of place that Tobirama’s soul would come to hide in the tall grass with nothing but the softly blowing wind washing over the green hills and twilight sky filled with far too many stars for how light it was. A place to sleep away the endless years until his soul vanished into nothing and it stopped hurting so much; with a deep breath Madara stepped on to the green shore, walking through the hip-high grass following the faltering light and the song of the wind as it blew over this small realm.
Eventually the light from the stone flattered and failed on the top of the hill at the center of this forgotten place and with a deep breath Madara stepped forward to see – Tobirama was curled in the grass, dressed in a plain white yukata and with his hair the length it had been at his death curling around his neck and jaw he looked like nothing so much as a sleeping white doe – only, thin, fading, the edges of his clothing already misting away as Madara made a punched out noise and dropped to his knees next to his soulmate, brushing a strand of hair away from the pale face with its faded seals. “Tobirama” Madara whispered, his black gloved fingers lingering on the pale cheek “To’ra, wake up, come on stardust, please wake up. I know its hard but I just need you to open your pretty eyes, for me, please.” There was nothing for a moment and then red eyes slit slightly, frosty lashes covering most of the carmine eyes but still, awake, “Good” Madara crooned “good job To’ra, thank you. Just a little further, do you know who I am?” another slow pause, and then a confused blink, clearly not comprehending yet as Madara shifted to sit closer, glad that his anger was gone now; oh they would have to talk it over later and work through all this but this was not the time or place. Carefully Madara brushed back another lock of hair, “That’s ok, I can wait until you’re ready” the Uchiha murmured stroking a high cheekbone and listening to the song of the wind as the red eyes cleared.
Finally Tobirama spoke, slurred and exhausted he muttered “M’dra?” and the Uchiha smiled down at his soulmate, feeling impossibly fond of the sleepy face he was looking down at. “Hey, thank you for the help finding you” Madara said, low and private even though they were alone in this empty place; Tobirama’s pale brow furrowed slowly, “I helped you? I – I want to help you, but I’m not useful anymore. Too broken. Shattered blades get thrown away.” Madara swallowed hard, chest aching dully, “But you’re not a blade Tobirama, you’re my soulmate and-“ but the red eyes had flown wide and Tobirama’s head turned to him slightly, fear painted over his face as his fingers twitched “You know? How do you know? You were never supposed to know you deserve-“ but Madara pressed a gloved finger to his soulmate’s lips, not willing to listen to this. “I know, oh To’ra, did you really think that the bond was all it took to make a soulmate? I was bonded to Saburo but it was never a good fit, I always wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn’t find peace in her and then you died and I followed you and Saburo told me the truth on my deathbed.” Tobirama looked horrified, his brow crinkling in misery as Madara framed his face in his gloved hands, wiping at the tears gathering at the corners of Tobirama’s eyes.
“I know, I know how hard it was, I know why you did it, I don’t – I don’t blame you, I’m not happy about it but I understand it. I just – all I want is you back, I want you whole and healing with me and safe until we can try again, please To’ra, that’s all I want. Just you.” Madara forced out, nearly rushing out the words as red eyes widened, insecure and pained. “Madara” Tobirama breathed, not looking like he fully believed Madara even as his clothing faded further, “Madara you don’t know-“ “Don’t know you? Then let me. Don’t know about Yuki-onna? We’ve met, I rather like your shadow self stardust, he’s feral and I like it.” Tobirama blushed slightly “You don’t have to believe me, just, trust me. Choose me. Want me. That’s all I ask.” His eyes flicked worriedly at where Tobirama’s legs were looking transparent on the grass and then back to the red eyes that were searching his face, “I know after everything asking this of you is huge, I know it’s a lot, but, please, I just need one more chance from you, just one more try. For the little five year old that had just found his soulmate. For that child.” because Tobirama had to choose this for himslef, had to chose to reach out for Madara one last time but he had to do it for himself and not for Madara or he would never heal.
Slowly, shaking like a leaf, a pale long fingered hand pressed to Madara’s cheek, red eyes inscrutable for a long moment as the singing wind whispered old songs around them and then – a slow breath and a murmured “One, just one more time, for – for those hopes.” And the pale shape faded to a fading tail feather that Madara scooped up in his hands without pause and immediately pressed to his chest, not giving himself any time to adjust to the impossible lightness and wild strength of Tobirama’s mind; the lightning filled, firefly flickering mind that connected things that no one should have been able to connect, impossibly brilliant and clever in ways that strained even Indra’s understanding with the jumps of thought he could make. It was overwhelming, all consuming, like a sea of stars dragging him deeper and deeper in a riptide of thought (-if he couldn’t be useful he might as well just lay still in the silence until the pain stopped-) until finally the press of Yuki-onna’s survival and Tobirama’s protectiveness pressed him up above the sea of thought and brilliance to watch it swirl and tumble under him and - Madara opened his eyes gasping for air with the wind murmuring questions in his ears, he shuddered, shook, twisted, the weight of an entire soul pressing down on him and then –
It was Yuki-onna that ripped out first, cold face leaning over Madara and pressed a cold hand to his chest and then through and – Madara blacked out.