Kindling

Tobirama sighed, scratching his fingers through long dark hair; he could have told Madara he needed to find a Guide to work with and though he understood why the man might refuse to do that- he wasn’t unaware of how most Guides would react when faced with a Sentinel of Madara’s strength- but with his power it was not a good idea to go without a Guide for so long even with the Uchiha stabilization techniques. He looked down at the slack face of- of his Sentinel and sighed again threading a slightly stronger presence down into the Uchiha; he was resisting, normally Tobirama could prevent a zone without doing more than flaring his presence or being close enough to center Madara’s senses, the only one he really remembered was when they were both young and Tobirama found a zoned Madara on the borders and had to pull him out over two days- he thought that that was triggered by a strong Guide trying to pull him in (Tobirama may or may not have killed that Guide)- but other than that he had always been enough just by being near (it was one of the only things where he was enough, he had clung to that and if it wasn’t true anymore…).

Madara stirred a little, forehead creasing as a little cognizance returned. Tobirama licked his lips, he was fairly sure that Madara had zoned on hearing which meant that now that he was coming out of it a little Tobirama needed to talk to him but, but what if he recognized Tobirama’s voice? He knew how Madara felt about Guides and though he didn’t blame the other man he wouldn’t be able to bare it if Madara refused to be in the same room as him, if Madara was disgusted by him. But, well, what needed to happen was what it was; maybe he could hum? Madara had never heard him do that before and he probably never would so it might work. He dug through his mind, looking for a song that might work, choosing a deep rolling song he had heard in lightning country years ago, it was soothing and resonant so it should work and- ah, there, Madara’s brow wrinkled and he twitched a little surfacing from the zone; any minute now Tobirama needed to leave so that Madara never knew how close he had cut it, so that he never had reason to look for the Guide that lead him out of a catastrophic zone.

 Izuna shot to his feet when his brother stumbled into the house swaying like a sailor new off the sea and with a punch drunk look on his face, “Brother?” he asked darting forward to help only to have Madara his and yank his arm away and Izuna swore; moving ahead to open the Null room at the center of the house. It wasn’t a large room though it was comfortable with a large bed at the center and a thick darkly tinted skylight above, there was a small low desk that could be used as a table for two people and the walls were swathed in heavy dark fabric embroidered faintly with a long swirling maze (to give the eyes something to follow); leading Madara in was always a bit unsettling- it was dead quiet in the room to his ears- and he ushered his brother to the bed, helping him out of his robes carefully and speaking as quiet as he could “this can’t go on brother, you need a Guide” Madara winced and pulled away, forcing his limbs to work as he shoved his clothing off and crawled up the bed. “I will not  be controlled Izuna, we’ve talked about this.”

Izuna grit his teeth and followed his brother, crouching by the bed (not too close) “This is the third time this year. Eventually you’re not going to be able to come out of it on your own and we will lose you too a zone. Madara I’ve seen you wincing, I know your senses bother you, find a Guide now, while you can still choose.” Madara turned away and pressed his face to the sleek silk blanket; Izuna looked at him but… Madara hadn’t refused this time, which was more than he had had to work with before, maybe they could still save him. Izuna couldn’t lose his brother, not to this, not even if it meant letting someone else into their lives. “Please” he whispered as he stood and walked to the door, activating the Null seals with a brush of fingers as he passed.

 Madara breathed out slowly as his little brother’s chakra filled the room for a moment before fading as the seals swallowed all stimuli (he had never told anyone how unnerving he found it to have all outside noise and scent just vanish) and left him in a perfect box of emptiness. Already he could feel his body relaxing as the pain of overtaxed senses retreated and that was worth baring the strangeness of it, after all, if he got to wary he could still defuse his chakra for the sensing ability to see anyone coming; for now he would trust his brother to watch his back. He shivered as Izuna’s words rose up in his mind, he… knew that Izuna was right; his senses had been flaring out of control and taking a lot more work to control as time went on and he was not unaware of the consequences if he didn’t get them under control but, but even the idea of a Guide made his skin crawl. There were a few in the village but Madara and the Uchiha as a whole had made it very clear what would happen if they tried to pull him; even so he had felt a few of the tug at him (grasping and empty and desperate) and the idea of letting one of them bond him was….  he shuddered. He couldn’t do that, he wouldn’t.

(there was a tiny part of him, long ignored and pushed down, that longed, that whispered of the perfect person, of vanillarivermintsweetwatersage, of a rolling song he didn’t know, of hands in his hair with just the right touch, of clever red eyes and a presence coaxing him back (not pulling, never pulling). And sometimes he dreamt of strange things, of a snowy leopard that was thin and fading watching him- always watching- or keeping watch over a large white tiger; sometimes he dreamt of shaking hands on his skin and seeing a pale face change with emotion, sometimes he dreamt but he never remembered on waking