Kindling

It was raining the day Madara left. The water pouring down from the glowing sky as he walked away from the best thing in his life, “You’re leaving then?” Tobirama’s voice behind him was tired and sad and Madara swallowed hard (he had known this would be the hardest part) “Yes”, the sound of quiet feet behind him “Were you planning to tell me?” “I told Touka didn’t I? I knew she would tell you.” Tobirama huffed a laugh a curled a gentle hand around Madara’s arm, turning the older boy to face him; he looked like he should have been crying but there was a faint smile on his lips anyway “If I asked you to stay would you?” he asked and Madara felt something as sharp as any ZETSU’s weapon tear through him “Please don’t ask” he whispered and Tobirama’s smile went bittersweet “I’m not my brother ‘Dara, I won’t ask you for things you can’t give me.” Madara bit his lip and stepped closer, curving his hand around the albino’s jaw, there had always been something and recently- after the last deep drop and going under Tsukuyomi together to sync the Hiraishin and Susanoo, after the hours lived retrograde together- Madara had thought that maybe…. but now he was leaving wasn’t he and how could Madara ask?

Tobirama leaned into his hand “Just ask” he murmured and Madara smiled a little at the other teen’s perceptiveness, “I’m not Hashirama either” He said softly leaning forward to press their foreheads together; Tobirama’s breath was shaking as he tangled their fingers together and Madara held on hard enough he could feel his bones ache but- “leaving would be easy if it didn’t mean leaving you.” He whispered and Tobirama pressed closer and – kissed him, warm and gentle and firm and everything Madara had known Tobirama would be (it was perfect and Madara wished he had the sharingan drive to make sure he never forgot any minute of it). All to soon the albino drew back reluctantly “You should go, I, I understand but Hashi…” Tobirama snorted “he might stab you in the back and I won’t have that.” Red eyes were warm as they scanned over Madara and Madara wavered- wondered, what if he stayed?- but Tobirama stepped back, biting so harshly at his lip blood slid over pale skin “I’ll wait for you. You don’t have to ask for that.” He said, voice shaking and Madara felt his whole world shift, reached out – but Tobirama was already turning away to the door off the roof, walking to it and calling out as he did “I haven’t seen him Hashi, are you sure you checked the hanger?” and vanished down the stairs (the first time he had ever even thought of lying to his brother Madara knew). (Still Madara hesitated for a long moment, he- he felt as though he was being torn in two but “I’ll wait for you, you don’t have to ask for that” and he slipped over the edge of the roof to the harbor and the boat waiting for him.)

It was drizzling the day that he returned, just over six years to the day since he left Konoha in search of the Ōtsutsuki equation. This time he had called ahead- well, sort of- and he knew he was expected as he stepped off the transport in the harbor on the heavy metal grating of the walk; Hashirama stood at the doors to the facility, older and taller (taller than Madara, damn it) and longer haired (though his hair wasn’t as long so, score? Tobirama had loved Madara’s hair) but if the bouncing and bright joy on the other man’s face was any clue still very much Hashirama (for crying out loud, he was twenty four now and all but the head of the facility when old man Hagoromo was meditating- which he did much of the time as far as Madara knew). “Madara!!” the other man cheered, completely disregarding the Uzumaki princess with him in his excitement at seeing his old friend (and almost throwing both of them off the dock with his exuberance “It’s been too long!” the Senju whined and Madara had to smile a little at his old friend “Hashirama, may I introduce you to Princess Mito Uzumaki? Here from the island of her home to get a better feel for the main offensive against the ZETSU.” Hashirama coughed a little and straightened himself and his clothing before turning to Mito, only to stumble and stutter when confronted with the beautiful woman; but Madara was hardly paying any attention, he was looking for another person in the crowd, and with a knowing nod from Mito he slipped away to search for the one person he needed to see more than anyone else.