Gone (Pt. 3)
Madara had seen red when they had arrived and only he and Kurama had been unaffected by the trip itself, the way your body is pulled in that seal is something you get used to when you date Tobirama Senju. He had no time to think about why Kurama was not affected but mentally filed it as 'Bijuu things that aren't important' (since that was something he needed to have a mental label for now). He was now running, not a strong sensor in the slightest but enough to know his lover's chakra when it's this close.
He bolted through the trees, not caring about what branches broke along the way. He only was focusing on how erratic his love's chakra was, the lack of control on it being the most worrying. Tobirama always had precise control over it, scarily accurate at all times even in the heat of battle, so Madara only needed to worry about scrapes and bruises..
This though… this was the flaring out of someone giving it their everything and Madara means everything. He made one last jump off a branch to land in the clearing the three were in, mangekyo spinning and he breathed fire like it was already in his lungs. (who is to say it wasn't?) He burned the silver haired one (so that is why they were calling themselves the gold and silver brothers) them screaming as their sibling came to help them, before they could finish a hand sign, another bolt of flame came from their back and it was only slightly dodged as Mito threw a barrage of senbon at them. (Her hair needles were gorgeous and only a fool would see her as a prim and proper princess and not the terrifying kunoichi who had the name Red Swan in the recently created Bingo books for a reason.
Hashirama's chakra was felt moments later and the clash of Touka's naginata and the gold haired one's weapon rang out. He quickly moved to the man leaning against a tree near the edge, and his heart shattered at the sight. Ripped clothes, stained with blood, bruises littered on his porcelain skin crumpled in on himself slightly, happuri crooked on his face, a cut on his left cheek along the seal there, blood slightly clotted on its surface. Blood still freely flowing from the wound on his side as he used his left hand to clutch at it. A wicked grin on the man's face, blood in his teeth. He looked terrifying, to any shinobi other than himself at least. Madara saw a man on the edge, and he was terrified for his safety, not his. Tobirama's.
'Unhinged.' Is the word that rang in his mind.
He took a hesitant step forward palms face out, the other's eyes unfocused.
"Anata. My love, I-" A pitiful attempt at a suiton wall hit him. Still enough to be there but not moving him with the force he knew was usually behind it.
"You are nothing but my mind playing tricks on me. End of life tends to do that. Show you flashes of what you wanted and such." A clash behind him made him twitch but he was trusting Hashirama with his back right now.
"I am here Anata, the real me. I am no trick."
"The real Madara is back in Konoha with my Ani- with Hashirama." Oh fuck did that hurt to hear him purposefully not using his loving title of his brother.
"We are here. Let us help you."
"Figment of Madara, why try? You are of my mind's creation. You know he left you, me, us. Cheated on with Hashirama. It was always Haahirama. Saw them talking about how to merge Senju courting rituals with Uchiha. All that tome behind closed doors. Touka and Izuna too. Mito was used to keep me busy. Lawful husbands and loving partners were always more normal in Uzu. But i guess you can marry in more than one village…...Never thought she would break my trust in such a manner. She even asked me about some seals that could maybe help with keeping hair in place. I know she has her own. Could just give them to him."
"You seriously cannot think all of that was for Hashirama."
"Heh. Of course it is. Best friends since childhood. I gave Hashirama the idea and he ran with it and used it to get you to befriend him. I didn't trust at first. Enemies for centuries and all. Then I felt your chakra and then I met the real you, angry and bright, fierce and compassionate. Who cared so deeply that it broke him to his core. Izuna getting hurt was my biggest regret. I offered my death in a way to offer a peace once more. If the demon died, peace would be easy. Madara said no, Izuna survived and peace was made." They coughed and more blood came out. Madara had at this point slowly began pushing iryo chakra into the wound, letting it flow as softly as he could without startling bim. "I saw how wonderful he was. He courted me at first. Threw a weapon at me, I thought he wanted to fight. Turns out that is a ritual for them. To show strength. Accepting the weapon shows acceptance of help. Took me 4 dates to figure out we were dating. And I though, for one fleeting moment that care was for me. But I was just good for warming a bed and get the village running. My use has run out it seems and they are going to move on in their lives without me." Madara was inching his way closer and began to feel the tears prick at his eyes seeing them freely run down Tobirama's face, mingling with the blood as they fell.
"I-I can't- I can't live without him. To see him… my entire heart with someone other than myself. I've lost too much in this life. To leave it killing those bastards will at least leave me remembered doing something right for once."
"Anata stop this. Please. You can heal yourself so well. You know I'm real. I'll feed you the chakra and mold it right. Please."
The red eyes he had grown to love looked at him as if he still wasn't there, the expression broken until he coughed and laughed.
"I wish I had the time to write down that even in death the mind will try to convince itself that salvation is coming, that their greatest hope arrives. Go away figment. You are not wanted. Let me die in peace." The broken man winced as he shoved Madara away and then looking up to the sky in front of him, mind made up and awaiting the shinigami.