Sorry everyone that this took so long! School is very hectic so I barely have time to write.
In order to finish at least one story, for now, I will be focusing on this fanfic "Kizuna" first before continuing to write the others. As Kizuna is the shortest of all my planned fics, I plan to finish this one first as to lighten the mountain of fics I need to finish! Then, the next one will most likely be Dawn or Perfect Doll which are shorter than Kakashi Chronicles. I may cut out some stuff I've planned in all of these series as I want to finish writing them. However, do not worry, I will make sure the plot does not look rushed!
Also, today is my birthday! I'm so happy to have finished this chapter on my bday~
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter of Kizuna!
"Hmm…" With audible grumbling, Izuna pouts in deep thought. After minutes of contemplation and inaudible, except for his concept humming and groaning, debate, Izuna seems to come to a conclusion as he nods to himself. "He's acting weird, definitely."
At the abrupt comment, Tobirama pauses from his sword training and turns his attention to Izuna. "Who is acting weird?"
Ever since the two friends had met up for the day, Izuna's head seems to be more in the clouds than usual. The dark-haired boy was definitely distracted by something, though Tobirama saw no irregularity to it so he ignored the slight concern and directed his attention to his training instead. However, Izuna's racket nonetheless distracted him to some extent and his sliver of curiosity for the other boy's affairs tugged at him.
"My brother! That's who!" Izuna exclaims in a big groan as he flops onto his back. He rolls to his side, feeling the smooth cold rock against his cheek as he grumbles out an explanation. "I mean, sure he has been in a better mood recently, less grumbly and less throwing me into a pond… but—Aggh!" In a fit of frustration, Izuna jumps up, scratching his head crazedly. "He is just acting weird!" He declares, waving his arms up and down. His eyebrows scrunch up as he tries to pull out the right words to describe the whole situation. "Like—uh...oh! The other day—"
"I'm taking this" Madara swipes and slides a small round orange into his kimono, taking it from the kitchen with a nonchalant voice.
"—Nii-san doesn't even like citrus!" Izuna squawks, "Yet he took an orange! Don't you think that's weird?!"
Tobirama stares at the dark-haired boy who has been ranting like a lunatic, arching an eyebrow after a few seconds. "How would I know that?" His voice drips in sarcasm.
Ignoring Tobirama's remark, Izuna continues with his wailing. "It's just so weird! And there was another incident too! Like he'll go sneak off and come back covered in scratches! Or he'll go off and come home soaking wet!" He babbles on in a hectic display of dramatics before turning back to his friend. "Don't you think he's being weird?!"
"Once again, I say," Tobirama deadpans, "How would I know?"
This time, actually paying attention, Izuna pauses to mull over the question. "Well…" His dark eyes slide to the side, looking away from the cool albino as he scratches his cheek. "You both have grumpy faces" Izuna lists, "And you're uptight, scary and—!" His words get stuck in his throat as he looks up at his friend. A shudder runs through his spine at the glare he receives.
"Hmph." Tobirama lips purse as he glares off to the side. "If that is all we have similar, I don't see how I would know why he is acting different." His rubies stare off into the distance as a thought comes to mind. "Although… now that you mention older brothers… Anija has been off more than usual as well…"
At the statement, Izuna blinks in surprise. "Yours too?! How so?"
Tobirama gives Izuna a thoughtful look before he decides to elaborate. "Though Anija usually acts off, as of late, he has been… 'sneaking' off." He massages his temple as he remembers Hashirama's last escape attempt.
Hashirama tiptoes around the edge of the residence, glancing around furiously as to make sure no other person was around to catch sight of his escape attempt.
However, there was someone.
"Hashirama-Anija" The bowl-cut-haired boy jumps at the soft and sweet sound of his little brother's voice. "Where are you going?" Behind him, Itama tilts his head innocently, staring at him with his large curious chocolate eyes.
Hashirama tenses, almost as stiff as a stone statue. "W-why—if it isn't Itama! I didn't see you there!" He laughs, nervously. "W-where am I going? Haha… hahahaha… hahahaha—" The pitiful boy, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, continues to laugh, loudly. Even Itama, the sweet boy, gave him a small look as he awkwardly joins his brother's laughter when goaded to do so.
"He really isn't subtle—father has been asking questions." Tobirama sighs, shaking his head.
"He…" Izuna stares at his friend, incredulously. "... just laughed?"
The albino covers his face, nodding silently.
"Huh…" Izuna blinks, still staring blankly ahead in disbelief. "You and your brother are all surprisingly different, huh…"
All of a sudden, Tobirama tenses and sharply turns around. "Izuna, I feel someone coming from your clan's direction." He quickly shifts his attention to his friend, giving him a serious stare. "We should hide."
Izuna, however, only flutters at the sudden change in atmosphere. "Huh? Wha—"
Abruptly, Tobirama stands up and runs towards the trees, jumping up into it. "No time. Just hide."
Izuna glances at his friend for a moment, before recovering. "Wait for me!" He cries out as he follows after his friend.
Getting comfortable up in the tree, both boys exchange a nod before they suppress their chakra as to not let whoever was coming to sense them. Just as they did this, two things jump out of the woods, one on each side.
On one side, a brunette with a bowl-haircut enters the scene waving his hand up toward the other side. "Yo!"
On the other side, a dark-haired boy with messy hair scoffs at the other boy. "Oh—it's you." He cautiously glares at the surroundings. "I thought I felt someone else."
At those words, both Tobirama and Izuna slightly jolt, knowing full well who the dark-haired boy had sensed. The silver-haired boy bites his lip, nibbling on it in anxiety as he understood who had appeared. Izuna, on the other hand, recognized the second voice right away and so, curiously, he looks over to see who was on the other side and his dark eyes widen.
"Someone else? Like who?" Hashirama throws his hands behind his head as he questions his friend.
"I'm not that good at sensing…" Madara's eyebrows scrunch together as he tries to recall what he had sensed earlier. "All I know is that it was someone else!" Annoyed, he shouts at his friend.
"Hmm…" Hashirama hums, laxly. "Well, then…" A smirk spreads across his lips. "... shall we start?" The brunette jumps into a battle stance as he motions for the other boy to come at him.
Madara grins in return and mirrors Hashirama's stance.
The wind blows between the two boys as they stare at one another in absolute silence. In hiding, their respective younger brothers lay in wait, watching carefully and stealthily at the scenes to unfold. The trees rustle in the wind, their branches swaying as in audience for the show to come. Their leaves dance in the air, like confetti being popped in celebration. Then, as a single leaf kisses the calm river, creating ripples, the air stirs and the two boys take off. Blows connect with one another, furiously and nimbly, as two pairs of small hands and feet clash against each other.
Madara and Hashirama sparred.
Their younger brothers, Izuna and Tobirama, watch on as the two boys continuously met each other with attacks and jutsus until the two older boys collapse on the floor. They pant heavily, exhausted from their earlier spar. Yet, at the same time, there is a look of content in their eyes.
"A draw… again…" Hashirama breathes out. His stomach rises and falls as he gasps for air.
Madara isn't doing much better. He too continues to breathe heavily before releasing a groan. "Ugh… I will beat you next time. We won't… always be on equal footing."
"Yeah, because I'll be the one on top!" Hashirama throws his fist in the air with a cheeky grin as he pants out his declaration. However, he quickly loses strength and lets his arm fall back onto the stone floor. "I need a break!"
Madara chuckles and gets up. "You go do that. I'm going to go take a piss." The dark-haired boy then walks away from the brunette, not noticing his friend's next actions.
A sinister smirk spreads across Hashirama's face and a mischievous sparkle glimmers in his eyes as he sits up to watch his friend walk away.
The oblivious Madara carries on to relieve himself, breathing out a sigh. That is until he feels a presence behind him. He jolts out a grunt and his nerves cause him to reflexively stop the task at hand.
"You really can't, eh…?" Hashirama murmurs from behind Madara in disbelief.
In a fury, Madara twirls around and screams at his friend. "I said stop standing behind me!"
Hashirama's eyes squint into crescents as he holds his hand up to try to cover up his laughter, though he fails. "I found your weakness…!"
Meanwhile, up in the trees, Izuna facepalms in silence as he murmurs. "Nii-san… how lame…"
Tobirama's lip twitches up into a small smirk, though he quickly hides it behind his hand and calms his facial features. "Well, he is your brother after all."
"And what's that supposed to mean." Izuna glares at his friend.
Tobirama chooses to ignore his friend's grumbling, leaving the dark-haired boy in suspense.
A little while after Madara chewed out Hashirama over his earlier stunt and had finally relieved himself, the two boys meet up before a large, steep cliff. Hashirama announces with glee, "Today, I'm challenging you to cliff-climbing!" He points to his friend in challenge.
However, the dark-haired boy, still upset over the earlier episode, turns his head away from the brunette, ignoring his earlier challenge. Promptly, the brunette boy falls to the dirt floor, hanging his head in depression.
At Hashirama's reaction, Madara's brow twitches and he snaps. "Quit getting depressed all the time!" He shouts at the depressed boy in irritation. "That's what your weakness is!"
"Well… how about if…" A dejected voice worms out of Hashirama's throat. "I'm just psyching you out…" Before Madara can react, Hashirama abruptly jumps up and dashes towards the cliff, laughing loudly. "—before cliff-climbing!"
"Huh?!" Hollers Madara. Clicking his tongue, the dark-haired boy chases after the brunette while screaming. "You bastard!"
"Ahahaha!" Hashirama laughs out loud in excitement. "I'm going first!"
"You were just pretending to be depressed—" Madara grumbles before shouting as he dashes side-to-side with Hashirama. "—huh?!"
Despite Hashirama's initial lead, Madara still manages to catch up; however, the two end up being at each other's necks, unable to pass the other. That is, until Hashirama pushes off one last jump, managing to pass Madara only slightly to reach the top of the cliff. In triumph, Hashirama pants out, "It's my… win…!" He pushes his thumb at his chest with a wide grin smacked on his face.
"That's to be expected…" Madara, who is close behind Hashirama, reaches the top as well, collapsing on the stone ground as he grumbles. "You started before me!"
"Hahaha!" Hashirama's laugh echoes through the air. "I'd win either way!"
"Hmph!" Madara snorts. "You wouldn't stand a chance if I used the power in my eyes!"
"You sound really proud of your eyes."
Madara smirks with pride as he sits up. "Well, of course! I have the Sha—" Despite how proud he looks, he abruptly cuts his speech off, smacking his lips shut. Averting his eyes away from his friend and staring down at the valley below, Madara holds an almost sad look in his dark eyes.
At his friend's strange new mood, Hashirama blinks and stares at the other boy for a long moment before asking. "What's the matter?"
Madara only sighs and shakes his head. "No… never mind. It doesn't matter." He narrows his eyes, "I guess it's not all that great…"
Hashirama squints at his friend in skepticism before tilting his head in concern. "What do you mean?"
Madara stares out at the valley, in a daze. His lips form a thin line as he holds a sense of "emptiness" within his usually lively eyes. "My brothers died… even with these eyes…"
Hashirama's eyes widen in shock and he stares at Madara, dumbfounded. He gulps at seeing the confident boy's hidden pain and squirms awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. He too has siblings, siblings who have already died due to the great war and siblings who have yet to die—brothers he has sworn to protect. Just the thought of one of his brother's deaths would make Hashirama's chest tighten and his breath to shorten. Madara was just like him, having lost his brothers. "So… you don't have any more siblings…?" Almost afraid, Hashirama manages to whisper out the question.
"No—I have two younger brothers left…" Madara reassures his friend as his dark eyes harden in determination. "—and no matter what, I will protect both of them…!" He glares at the valley below as he claws at the gravel beneath his hand.
Hashirama too averts his gaze towards the valley below. If only there was really a way to stop this war… then everyone would be happy… Madara… his brothers… and Itama and Tobirama… all of them could stay safe. His chocolate eyes watch the forest below before he closes his eyes, envisioning his dream of a place for them to live peacefully. "...if only we could all live in peace…" He murmurs, unconsciously.
"What was that?" Madara, hearing the low voice of his friend, inquires.
Hashirama blinks out of his daze, realizing his friend had heard his accidental statement. He panics at first, unsure of what to do—only to stop. Revelation strikes Hashirama that this is the perfect time to release his bottled up feelings; to share his dreams with someone else. "I—" The brunette begins to explain his dreams: of a peaceful village where he and his brothers could live in along with lots of different clans, coming together in an alliance where everyone can get along, without war and the sadness of losing loved ones. "—and then make it so kids won't have to kill each other!" With a large grin, Hashirama continues to wave his hands animatedly. "We'll create a school where kids can train and grow stronger!" Somewhere along the way, Hashirama's "I" had become "we" as if referring to himself and Madara. "Assign missions that fit an individual's abilities and strengths—"
"That doesn't sound too bad…" Madara interrupts with a smile. He had listened to his friend's dream, imagined it in his own mind. He couldn't help but smile at it; the vision of his brothers living safely in peace, of hanging out with Hashirama more in the open, of making a family in such an alliance known as a "village".
"Then it's decided!" Hashirama declares as he pushes himself onto his feet.
"Yeah…!" Madara to jumps onto his feet as he exchanges a grin which Hashirama, who beams back.
Meanwhile, in the trees below the two excitable boys, their younger brothers eavesdrop on their conversation. Tobirama was no stranger to his older brother's dream of the allied village, in fact he was the one who instigated it during Kawarama's funeral. However, he couldn't help but silently chortle. "Those idiots."
"They think they're the only ones with big plans…!" Izuna joins Tobirama's display of exasperation. He raises an eyebrow as he pokes at his albino friend. "Hey, hey—do you think they've been meeting up like this for a while now?" Without even getting a confirmation, the dark-haired boy continues. "Keeping secrets and acting all suspicious like a bunch of idiots." He pouts and complains, hushedly. "They think they can copy us!"
Tobirama only nods in response, agreeing with his friend silently as he shakes his head in exasperation.
"Well…" Izuna exhales as he changes the mood, forcibly, to a more serene one. "—a village would be nice… wouldn't it…" He turns to Tobirama, giving him a small smile. "Don't you think?"
Tobirama stares at his friend with his ruby eyes for a moment before returning the small smile. "Yeah… that would be nice."
Izuna's quiet smile shifts into a mischievous smirk. "Then, it's a village we will get!"
"Our idiot brothers will never get anywhere at this rate." Tobirama sighs as he looks up the cliff at the two figures on the ledge. He then shifts to Izuna, flashing him a smirk as he holds up a fist towards his friend. "Let's make a village, Izuna."
Izuna presses his own fist against Tobirama's. "You can count on me, Tobirama!"
Again, I would like to apologize for the long wait!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Please tell me your reactions and such! They really help motivate me to write!
Thank you again for waiting so long.
Please leave a comment and kudos before you leave~
