Kindling

Tobirama grit his teeth and carefully started tying his ankles, wondering if he was going to have to do everything himself until Herja Hatake knelt at his side and gently batted his hands away, taking over tying the knots with sure fingers even as she said, “Are you sure about this cousin?” and Tobirama huffed a laugh. His voice was sharp and hard when he said “This is the only way, even if I would rather the council had agreed to do it my way rather than insisting on this insulting farce-“ “Are you really telling me you can’t understand why the council would be unwilling to kill you unless you are asleep and can’t feel it? Why they might be unhappy to have to kill the man that gave them victory over the old emperor?” Herja’s voice was hard and sharp and Tobirama winced, saying nothing as he held out his wrists to her after she knotted the final tie on his legs (less to keep him still now and more to make his corpse easy to manage).

“How are the children?” Tobirama asked in a much more subdued voice and slowly she blew out a breath, her gray braids swaying as she ducked her head for a long moment. “Doing well, settling in with their new families well. The Hatake will take care of them cousin” Tobirama nodded, he truly didn’t doubt that the Hatake would take care of an protect the last of the former Senju children and that was the only thing that was making this bearable for Tobirama, Herja’s fingers were gentle on his wrists (Tobirama’s mind darted to the last person to touch him there, Madara’s gentle fingers on his pulse point and – no, don’t think about that) as she asked “and your brother?” and what peace thoughts of Madara had brought him vanished in a hot ache at the thought of his brother. “Gone. Still. He probably hasn’t even gotten word that the war is over now and the Senju name declared dead, maybe he will hear about the coronation when that happens and the Celestial mandate is given” Herja tied the last knot and patted his hands, Tobirama glimpsing her tightly pressed together lips as she shifted back to the tray she had entered with.

“What makes you so sure General Uchiha will get the mandate?” she asked roughly as she poured a cup of tea and measured out a dose of the drugs that would leave Tobirama insensate for his death (deeply enough under it was dangerous on its own he knew well), mixing it into the tea and whisking it together. Tobirama smiled faintly, thinking of the man he had never intended to fall into bed with and had yet not been able to resist in the end, not when Madara was so damned good and careful with him and – well, Madara had given Tobirama the best days of his life it was only fair that Tobirama give him a throne, “I know General Uchiha, I got to know him in my time in the Capital; he’s a good man and he will be a good ruler, I have no doubt the gods will see that.” Herja blinked at him in surprise, her hands slowing in her mixing, “You truly do have faith in him don’t you?” it was a rhetorical question and Tobirama didn’t bother to answer, instead reaching to take the cup and giving himself a second to wish Kagami had come to see him before – but no, the boy was a prisoner and it was just right that he not feel anything for Tobirama more than some gratitude that the albino had done what he could for the young boy. Why would he come to see him before Tobirama died?

Shaking away bitter thoughts Tobirama knocked the cup back and grimaced a bit at the bitterness, setting the porcelain aside and lying back as the first wave of dizziness assaulted him; barely noticing Herja coming to sit at his hip and stroking his hair back, his fast swimming mind replacing slender female fingers with broad male hands enclosed in dark leather. The dream softening the edges of the drug as Tobirama sank under it, not noticing his lips moving in a silent name as he did, though Herja did and her eyes widened as she took in the silent ‘Madara’.

Quietly the Hatake sat at her cousin's side, monitoring his breathing and waiting for word to come from the council that Tobirama was to die (no way was she going to let someone who didn’t even know him or care do it! No Herja would be the one to smother her cousin when the time came and honor his many sacrifices for them and peace, the rest might be willing to forget how much Tobirama had done for them but she was not), she didn’t know why there was the delay on the orders and didn’t truly care when it came down to it, she would wait with Tobirama until the time came – and honestly given how much of the drug she had given him she wasn’t sure much else would be needed, his heart was already very slow and his breathing shallow enough that Herja knew it was dangerous.

To pass the time she worked her fingers through his hair and used a jutsu to lengthen it enough to work Hatake braids into it, he would die as one of them in at least this little way even if Herja couldn’t do more for him to claim him as kin. Otherwise he was dressed in the blacks he wore under his armor and the paint on his cheeks was clean and sharp and he looked as nice as he could all things considered, when there was a great sound of horses and a loud uproar of noise at the gates. Pursing her lips Herja drew her sword and turned to the door, wondering if she should help Tobirama pass now or – but…no, she didn’t want to kill her cousin, damnit!

As she ducked out of the tent Herja’s eyes widened at the sight of the group of horses milling through the camp, all fine mounts with good quality tack and – and coming straight at her. The lead horse was a huge black stallion and on its back rode the Uchiha General himself, the banner of his inky hair enough of a tell to give him away even before she saw his face and the bright bloody color of his eyes, the young woman on his right on the bloody bay had the same eyes and feathery long dark hair (though not as impressive as the General’s) but the big black stallion was coming right at her and Herja’s lips drew back in a snarl as she prepared to defend her cousin. Tobirama was already going to be dead! Would they really take from him his right to die with as little pain as possible, after everything? No, just no.

At the last moment the stallion drew up and the General swung off (distantly Herja noticed the small Uchiha that Tobirama had taken under his wing sitting in front of the woman) the force of his presence and power almost enough to make the Hatake quail – but, no, she wasn’t going to let him – “You, is he here? Tobirama” the General snapped and Herja…hesitated, there was something about the way that the General said her cousin’s name (she remembered Tobirama mouthing this man’s name with a smile as he slipped under). Slowly she nodded and stepped to the side, following the General in as the broad shouldered man ducked into the tent.

Madara shoved past the Hatake woman as he ducked into the tent, fully focused on getting to his lover (Tobirama not Ayumu) though his steps did stutter when he laid eyes on the bed when his Tobirama was laid out, ankles and wrists tied and eyes closed. His head was pillowed on a spill of white braids that dripped off the bed to brush the ground and next to him was a neatly laid out pillow that made Madara’s blood run cold – the plan was clear as anything and Madara – a sudden chill of terror flashed through him and he raced to kneel at his lover’s side, fingers scrambling for a pulse on one thin wrist as he took in how different his love looked with all makeup washed away (how had he become even more lovely with his pale skin and facial markings? Madara hadn’t thought he could find his lover any more beautiful, but he was wrong). Under his fingers Ayumu-Tobirama’s pulse was thin and faint and his breath was shallow and worrying when Madara checked that- what drug had they given him?- and without a though Madara shifted to scoop up the limp body, tucking his lover close as he turned back to the front of the tent and met the Hatake’s dark eyes.

“I’m coming with you” she said implacably “he is my kin and if you aren’t going to kill him” (a raised brow as Madara shook his head sharply) “then I am coming with you to keep an eye on him. I was the one that would have been forced to kill him so that he died with honor and respect, if he is going to live I will be there to make sure he is treated with the same” Madara’s eyes narrowed (she would have killed him? But then, better her than someone that didn’t care about him) and he nodded, “Keep up” he growled, and she nodded before spinning and racing away to get a horse as Madara slipped out of the tent, careful of his lover’s head as he did. Kurohime hissed as he stepped out into the weak sunlight and Kagami made a sound like had had been punched as the Uchiha lady swung down to help Madara get Tobirama settled in front of him in the saddle, Madara wrapping the slender shape of his lover in his arms and tying off his reins; he was fully skilled enough to ride with just his legs and Sassoono was well enough trained to take direction like that so Madara could focus on keeping Tobirama close and comfortable with his arms. Only half paying attention Madara called up another of his riders and set him ahead to make sure that the healers were ready when they arrived- Madara didn’t like how still and quiet Tobirama was, and how light his vitals were was very concerning- and turned Sassoono back toward the Capital, ignoring the Hatake joining them on a sturdy, raw-boned dapple gray with the lead to a whip-lean white mare behind her that must have been Tobirama’s.

The ride to the Capital seemed to take forever as Madara cuddled his lover close, taking in the changes with entranced eyes as they rode through the city and back to the palace that was now his (his because of Tobirama). At the doors Madara carefully dismounted and tucked Tobirama into his arms again, headed to his bed chambers when the healers would be waiting and would tell him if Tobirama would be ok and how long it would be before he woke and Madara could wrap himself around his lover while scolding him and together they could talk through the betrayal that still prickled at Madara. And he was sure they could, he was sure now that they could figure this out and make things work and if Madara had anything to say about it he wouldn’t be without his clever lover ever again.