Kindling

Madara rubbed at his aching chest, wishing the dull throb would go away; it didn’t hurt much but it was still unpleasant and after his shitty day he didn’t need this on top of everything. “I heard you got visited by the Elders” Izuna said as Madara entered their shared home and shut the door behind himself; Madara looked up and glared at his brother, well aware that Izuna was fishing for something even as the ache in his chest slowly went numb (Madara fucking hated it when that happened, somedays he wandered if there was something wrong with him and his soulbond that he got so little from it other than a steady ache of pain and the cursed numbness and then there was a day like earlier today when the pain spiked debilitatingly and Madara was left crippled by the need to go to his soulmate and he was sure the bond was ok even if his mate very much wasn’t). “What of it?” Madara asked gruffly, not sure he wanted to go into this with his brother; especially given what the Elders had been talking to him about – or rather who.

“They still giving you a hard time about working with the Freak?” Izuna asked, faux casually and Madara took a deep calming breath; he had already spoken in anger once today and though it was convenient that the Elders think he still hated the albino Senju Madara really hoped no one else had heard him yelling as it would damage the work Madara was putting into working with Tobirama. He didn’t like Tobirama but Madara was rational enough to admit that he didn’t know Tobirama under his armor and Madara might hate the White Demon but he hadn’t missed that there was more to Tobirama than just that and he was trying to remember that (even if he forgot when angry). “I told you not to call him that Izuna” Madara said evenly, ignoring the wary side eye from his brother as mother to make tea, trying to ignore the growing numbness in his chest until –

Snap!

-a cold crack in his chest and Madara collapsed, boiling tea spilling all over his hands as the teapot shattered and he gasped for breath, warmth lapping at him through the bond as it grew hard and petrified in his chest and though Madara could breath easier than he had in years all he wanted to do was scream.

O-ai lifted her head and tilted it, the long golden feathers of her crest catching the light as the phoenix turned her attention to the singing in her soul. It had been there for a while, a small tug in her jade green breast that called her to the west; for a long, long time all the phoenixes had avoided the lands to the west and the constant waring and bloodshed and the taste of moondust on the wind but now…peace and a ruler that might warrant a phoenix’s attention, almost enough to call O-ai away to the peaceful land but not quite. But now! Something new, not a ruler, not peace but love, soul deep and broken enough to make O-ai want to sing for the sorrow of it all; somewhere to the west someone had made a sacrifice for love so great it sang through the divine firmament until even O-ai could hear it, and that, that she just couldn’t resist.

With a thought O-ai stood and leapt from her roost, winging on divine winds to the west until she was flying high over the blood and moon-soaked lands of the waring clans and – there, O-ai dove, sliding through the veils of the mortal world to appear above the bustling village. The one she sought wasn’t here now but would they return she was sure, for now she might as well explore, visit the ones with the souls of kings (two in one place! It was a minor miracle that they were working together and not tearing each other apart) and trilling her laughter as the first with the shiny long hair yelped and flailed at her sudden appearance, babbling about hallucinations. He was loud though and the door flew open just as O-ai was looking for a perch, presenting her with the other reigning soul (there was something…) and he had lovely hair! Nice enough O-ai couldn’t resist winging to him and settling on his shoulder to preen his lovely dark hair-feathers and try to sooth the aching in his soul, yes, she had better stay here for a while and keep an eye on things.

Tobirama slipped back into Konoha under the cover of dusk, seals quiet on his skin as it had been an easy mission overall and there was no pain or turmoil to shunt into them (other than the normal ache anyway, automatically Tobirama’s hand went to his throat before he lowered it – he never took the soulbond jewel with him on missions, too much risk if he was caught). Still he was tired and looking forward to his bed, so he maybe wasn’t paying that much attention to his surroundings- he was supposed to be safe here- and the extremely large bird winging toward him was definitely a surprise, especially as his brother and Madara were both chasing it. Which is how both men found Tobirama looking dumbstruck with his arms full of phoenix as the graceful green, gold, and scarlet bird wept over him, crooning unceasingly.