Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kishimoto (Naruto)
Summary: Hashirama carries Madara's corpse back.
He was lying in a shallow stream with soaked hair and stiff limbs. How long had he been here? Few minutes? An hour? A day? Since forever?
Hashirama's first attempt at getting up didn't fare so well. Every fiber in his body began shrieking in protest and he fall back into the rivulet.
The fatigue hadn't faded, the rain was relentless and he was still there.
Madara…
Twisting his neck, he looked at the dark heap lying a few feet away. The remains of a friend. Pushing down on the slippery gravel with his palms, he rose up on his knees and crawled towards the corpse.
Or was it a corpse?
Guardedly, he placed two fingers over the pale neck. The saner part of him hoped for nothing- and was rewarded…
Rigor mortis hadn't set in but the rain had rendered the body cold and colourless. Not more than fifteen had passed, he estimated. Not more than fifteen minutes since he pierced through Madara's chest. He could still hear the steel of his blade grating against bones of the Uchiha's ribs. He could still feel the resistance offered by the muscles in the man's back. There wasn't much, though, to hear or feel. Thankfully, it all happened so fast.
The effects were less ephemeral however.
Madara had been more than a friend, so much more. For now, dwelling on what Madara was to him wouldn't help. He had to get out, he had to get out with the body.
He could just leave it? Send someone else for it later? Not a wise option, though- to leave the body of such a powerful shinobi out in the open. Then again, it wasn't a wise option to fight Madara single-handedly and pass out immediately after. Maybe he could just sit down too and wait for Tobirama to send someone.
So the Hokage waited, slowly regaining his strength and chakra. He healed some injuries, the shallow bite Madara left on his forearm. Why did he bite him? Not that it was unlike Madara to bite, but that was-
No, enough!
The more he thought about Madara, the more unbearable it became to sit there, right next to his cadaver and not let the deluge of emotions in. The younger Senju always said keeping your emotions in check would help avoid most problems in life. He wouldn't cry tonight, the black sky had been crying on his behalf for the entire battle.
An hour had passed and no one arrived. That was to be expected, actually, the civilians of Konoha had been evacuated and most ninja were guarding them. Some were sent to get help from allies and the remaining few were asked to keep an eye on the battle but not get involved as it was far too dangerous. Tobirama and other squads were probably waiting at the periphery as a second line of defence. This was only speculation, there was no way to be sure of their configuration. More than 24 hours ago, Hashirama had dashed out of the village as soon as he put on his armour; leaving his younger brother in charge of Konoha's defence. It was still hard to check whether the battle had concluded or not, the surrounding was still reverberating with chakra which wouldn't settle any time soon.
If he waited a moment longer, pondering over the consequences, he'd go insane. He had enough strength to make it to the village, or so he convinced himself. Slipping his arms around the late co-founder of Konoha, he hoisted him up and trudged forward. Madara's torso seemed skinnier, maybe he hadn't been eating well these last few months. Hashirama almost burst out laughing, how silly it was to fret about his friend's eating habits after he stabbed him through the heart!
The Uchiha's robes and thick hair had absorbed a lot of water making his load much heavier. That was alright, though, as long as Hashirama didn't look at his face. Water made corpses heavy but not as much as guilt.
Going back would be hard, they had landed in the deep valley created when they clashed. Just like resuming a normal life in a village named by the man he loved, disappointed and killed.
No, he couldn't forget Madara, nor could he ignore the fact that Madara was indeed dead. He'd have to endure though, for the sake of the dream they once shared.
Slowly, Hashirama reached the top of the cliff overlooking the valley, they could probably divert more water this way for irrigation. There would be a roaring waterfall instead of a trickling stream. Well, every cloud must have a silver lining…
Distracted by the view, he tripped and fell to his knees, finally looking at the other man's bloodless face. It struck him then, that their friendship never really died- it had just been obscured, like the stars on such cloudy nights. By conflicting ambition, misunderstanding, unfortunate circumstances and whatever madness possessed his friend.
"I'll remember you for the friend you were. The whole Konoha will remember our friendship." He whispered softly, picking himself up and turning slightly to look over the cliff again. So, right here?
Somewhere in the distance he heard someone call his name.
Madara, one day the rain will stop…
Notes: Lol, so I finally got over my block AND I have some free time, so FICS! xD Please Review/Fav :).