Kindling

It happens to fast for Kagami to keep up with. One moment he is stumbling through the forest looking for Madara-sama and his hugs because mom is dead and Ai threw his stuffed cat in the mud and the world is just so big and he wants Madara-sama because he has the best hugs and never is mean even if he’s gruff and a bit yell-y and he just wants Madara-sama and then there is fire. so, so, so, much fire and people are screaming and he’s ducking under a blade and then there’s blood and a glinting something headed at his face and then – a rush of air and he’s way high in the sky and everything is white and blue and he’s moving so fast! It’s awesome!

Madara is keeping an eye on everything at once (as he normally does, an advantage to Hashirama and him never really trying to kill each other all that hard that he appreciates) when he hears the high pitched sound of a child crying and his eyes snap around just in time to see Kagami trip over a mound of dirt and into the path of a blade - he’s going to die, there’s no question about it, Kagami is going to die and Madara will have to watch and – a rush of air and a blur of blue and then Kagami is up and out of the path of the blow but now it’s so much worse because the Senju Demon has him and Madara had heard about Tobirama Senju from Izuna, he knows what the pale man is like. Except, Kagami is perched high in his arms and Hashirama wilts next to him, sagging almost to the ground in a dramatic droop rather than stiffening in worry; Tobirama’s eyes are fixed on the child and he absently bats away a blade in the fastest movement Madara has ever seen (other than the one that must have gotten him across an entire battlefield!) and digs in a pouch pulling out what looks like a stick of candy and handing it to Kagami. The child blinks at him with huge tear filled eyes and wobbling lips but takes it (all the Uchiha go stiff, what if it’s poison?!) and sticks it in his mouth, eyes going even bigger as Tobirama pets his head gently “There we are little one, all will be well” the Senju murmurs in his rich voice (the Senju seem to sigh in resignation as a unit) and Kagami looks at the red eyes like Tobirama has hung the moon.

There was a rattle of armor and Tobirama’s head whipped around, fixing the Uchiha with a stern look “That is quite enough of that, you’ll scare the child” he said firmly and the Senju sighed, sheathing blades and picking things up with tired headshakes as though this isn’t fucking shocking and clearly of the opinion that that was that, battle over. “Hashirama?” Madara asked, bewildered; the other man sighed gustily “There’s no arguing with Tobirama when he gets like this” they both watched as he…well, fussed was the closest word though that really wasn’t fair given how dignified he still looked even with a dirt-streaked sticky child on his hip “there’s just no point in trying” Hashirama sounded thoroughly put out honestly and Madara was just so confused.