Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…
Author's Note: In support of the Hashirama/Madara cause, let there be fluff!
Forever
It's nothing like what he imagined it'd be. Dying.
He had never expected to die, especially not by the hands of one so young.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Somehow he can't find it in him to be angry with the young man.
First there was the pain of the blade piercing through his chest, which then faded away into the darkness that followed. It's an absolute darkness that takes everything into itself and never lets go.
He feels very cold now. Yet he feels nothing at the same time, unable to move or speak.
Or maybe he just can't hear the words coming from his own lips.
He feels…
Empty.
Now all he can do is think, lost in the collection of memories he calls his past. He sees all the things he's done, and in brief moments of clarity, what could have been.
He sees Izuna, smiling up at him and watching him expectantly, waiting patiently for the birthday present he'd gotten for him when he'd seen six years. He'd gotten him kunai, he remembered, high quality ones that had been sculpted from the finest metal to be found in the Land of Fire.
Upon receiving the gift, Izuna had just smiled up at him warmly and chanced a peck on his cheek.
Of course he, being who he was, had immediately pulled away from his younger brother and turned his head away from Izuna. But Izuna had understood and merely admired the fine craftsmanship of the kunai he'd been given.
To this day, Madara still regrets pulling away.
There are many things Madara regrets not doing when he was younger.
He regrets not stopping Izuna from giving him his eyes, regrets being too afraid of the Darkness to make his brother reconsider.
He'd never forgiven himself for that.
But the thing he regrets the most…
Never telling the Senju how he truly felt.
Love.
It is such a foreign word upon Madara's lips that even now, after death, it constricts in his throat. A very painful word to be sure, clouded with such vulnerability and uncertainty.
Things Madara feared more than anything.
The Darkness.
But that…is over now. For all that is left is the darkness, and the memories that will one day fade into oblivion.
And he will be emptier still, without even the recollection of who he was and why he is in a dark void of nothingness. Perhaps he wouldn't even recognize the darkness anymore, merely watch with an unseeing gaze as the nonexistence and the unrecognizable faces of names long past drives him into the depths of insanity.
Madara is not afraid though. He had always expected this in death, the void, and for so many years had feared it, but now that it has finally happened…
He doesn't feel anything.
Only accepts it.
For now though, he can see his face still smiling at him, patient and kind, everything he isn't. So much like Izuna, sincere and loyal, and always so warm.
Hashirama and Izuna.
Those are the memories Madara wants to keep as he slips away into the depths of his subconscious and becomes forever lost in the vast emptiness of absent space.
'Madara-san.'
It's funny, but even after all these years; the voices in his memories seem so very much alive.
'Big brother.'
Or maybe it's just wishful thinking and the beginnings of madness beginning to take root. Doesn't matter though, he revels in the closeness of it.
'Madara-kun.'
But, even if only for a moment...
'Madara.'
"I want to hear their voices."
'Madara.'
"One last time."
"Brother, you realize you're speaking out loud."
What!
"Open your eyes, Madara. We're here. Right in front of you."
The sudden ray of light that overcame the darkness, and the faces that followed, staring down at him. Words cannot describe.
That smile, still so young and innocent with its unbending benevolence. "We've been waiting for you big brother. It took you long enough to die. Almost a hundred years."
Izuna.
"Izuna, don't crowd him." Warms hands, strong hands, supporting him up, and the beautiful pair of eyes that stole his vision. "We've waited for you for all these years. Will you not even speak to us?" That smile, that jaw, those lips.
Hashirama.
Why is his face so warm? Why are his eyes burning?
Is…is he crying?
Yes indeed. The great Madara Uchiha, for the first time since the death of his childhood, cried. He shed his tears, tears for the sorrow, tears for the pain, tears for the fear, and most of all, tears of joy and an indescribable happiness.
One honest act of his love…
That was all that was needed.
"Brother, we never let go." The warmth, encased him, held him, consumed him. It became a part of him, but he did not fear it.
He embraced it, every part of it.
"We never stop waiting for you." The arms that wrapped around him, and the warmth that once again seeped into the furthest reaches of his essence and overwhelmed him with its radiance.
The warmth he felt…the acceptance. The connecting of their souls though the love they shared.
And they became as one, combined into a single soul, waiting to be reborn into the never-ending cycle of unity.
And with the merging of their souls, only one phrase can truly stand above all else.
Forever in perfect harmony.
Author's Note
I love the fluffy! It makes me what to cry and snuggle it into my bosom while petting it repeatedly. (Maybe I over did that a bit.) But anyway, what do you think. I thought it was adorable personally, a bit rushed, but adorable nonetheless. Please review…