For the prompt "Hospital".

Day 10 – Drive Me To Insanity

The Uchiha hospital was far from the best hospital in the Fire Country. The Clan needed money so it could upgrade this infrastructure, but, in war time, money was very rare, used for weapons and armors rather than for comfort and healing.

And Madara knew that his brother could have dodged the blade, but didn't. And he wondered why.

Lying on white sheets, Izuna was looking through the window, a spark of pain and sadness in his eyes. Madara sighed, then he took the glass of water near his brother to drink it before speaking.

Izuna's hand was as pale as his face, shaking. His weakness worried Madara who moved, sitting on the edge of the mattress, and he opened his mouth to finally lecture his younger brother. Izuna forestalled his speech, distractedly rubbing a strand of his long hair.

"I couldn't help me," he explained, his tone hoarse. "I couldn't help but touch him. Feel him."

"Who?"

The long, haunted, fearful look his sibling gave him spoke the answer low and clear. Madara huffed in surprise.

"What- You're- What?"

Izuna swallowed and turned away to hide his sorrow. His shame. Few tears ran, following his cheeks, crushing on his hands, his sheets. Uncomfortable with his brother's emotions, Madara couldn't manage to tend a hand and graze his shoulder to offer him some fucking 'I love you the way you are'. He stuttered, in shock, and finally put himself together, shaking his head, his hair swishing.

"That's not 'touching', brother. That's fighting. That's risking being killed."

"That's all I can get. And you know what love does with Uchiha sanity. It tears us apart. I rather die by his hand than live without him. That's how Uchihas' love works."

"I'm aware," Madara snarled, "I'm an Uchiha too. And I don't want you to get killed just for his pretty red eyes. We can find a solution."

"Like what? Peace? Please, be serious just a minute. You can't sign a peace treaty because I have a crush on the Senju Heir. There's too much at stake. Far too much. Even if Hashirama is honest with his peace proposals, the rest of the Senju, particularly their Elders, will try to fuck up with us and you know that. You can't risk everything, including the Clan's safety, for the stupid crush of your stupid fag of a brother."

The words were spoken. They lingered, deafening, and finally went away with Izuna's composure. Madara's beloved brother fell to pieces, his face writhed in pain, and Madara's heart clenched. Unacceptable. His brother was the center of his universe, his sun, the yin of his yang, the one he chose to fight for. And his brother was in pain. And there was nothing he could do for him. This very idea was unacceptable.

"Don't say that word. You're not, it is not, I hate it. Love is love, no matter who you choose to love. And I love you the way you are."

"Yeah, I heard this beautiful song before. But, still. You know I'm right. Nobody will accept neither that peace nor an unlikely romantic relationship between me and the White Demon."

He paused, laughed dryly.

"I know you, brother. Even with your fantasy, even if peace comes to reality, I will not be able to court him. Only Gods know what he'll do to me if it comes to him that I dream about him this way."

"Hashirama–"

"Is not his brother," interrupted Izuna. "Trust me. I can write a book about their differences."

Another silence, then Madara stood up.

"I'll find a way. I promise. I'll never let you down, Brother. Stay safe. Don't you dare dying before I've found something, anything, to ease your life."

Three months later, same place, same room. It had happened again, and the sword had sunk deeper in Izuna's skin, had cut down and marked his body.

Izuna cherished his scar. He skimmed his bandages with all the love he couldn't give to his opponent, the same one who had inflicted him this wound.

"Why?"

The question had jumped over Madara's lips before he could help it. Izuna sighed.

"You know why."

"That's fucked up," Madara thought loudly.

It was disturbing. His brother still touched his bandage, a soft smile and all this wasted love in his eyes.

Love drove Uchihas insane. Truth Madara didn't want to face at this moment, but–

But, on a battlefield, his brother looked for wounding, looked for Tobirama's blade, to suffer, to be marked as Tobirama's plaything, and he loved it enough to start over and over again.

The scar map on his body drew an unrequited love, only satisfied by this unhealthy form of attention.

"I'm worried about you."

"Don't. I'm more than fine." Izuna smiled, staring at his new scar. "I'm not insane. Not yet."

Madara chose to ignore the last words. He didn't want to deal with, not now. He just wanted to hug his brother, and squeeze until he forgot this crazy shit. Forgot he wanted to die by Tobirama's hand.

As an Uchiha, Madara couldn't understand. In his mind, love is the most incredible thing ever and it brings happiness, calm, balance. Yet, his brother– his brother–

He had to speak with Hashirama.

Now.

Before Madara could find a day to meet Hashirama at their not-so-secret place, Izuna was wounded three more times. Each time more worrying than the last.

"I can't bear this anymore," he begged, crying at Izuna's bedside. "Please, just talk to him. I can organize a meeting between you two with Hashirama's help."

"No. Hashirama mustn't know. If you tell him, he will tell Tobirama. And Tobirama will avoid me. I will die without him. Don't kill me like that, Madara."

"Yeah, because you handle it beautifully," Madara snapped. "You're close to death twice a month just because you want him to touch you. Hurting is not loving, Izuna. That's not love, that's insanity."

Izuna shrugged.

"I don't care. It's the only way."

"No!" he yelled.

Madara was blowing a fuse. To see his brother so miserable, literally on the edge of insanity and ready to jump forward, and not being capable of saving him was a torture he didn't wish for his worst enemy.

"Let me talk to him! I still can save you, you're not dead yet, crazy yet, I- I can save you. You have to let me try! I can… I can use genjutsu on you and show you… things… I can balance you with illusions, I can temporize enough to figure out what's wrong and fix it."

"I'm not broken." Izuna said with an ethereal voice, touching his scars, smiling at them like he was smiling at a lover.

Madara looked away.

Really, he couldn't bear his brother's insanity anymore.

When Izuna started to hum a tender song, his eyes closed, his bandaged arm cuddled up to his chest, Madara fled away.

Another day. Another battlefield.

Despite the formal prohibition to come with them Madara gave to his brother, he was here, facing Tobirama, on the corner of Madara's sight.

Hardly concentrate on his own fight, Madara watched his brother carefully, trying to anticipate any foolish action, any attempt to commit suicide.

It took just a handful of seconds. He saw Izuna put his sword up, then the world cracked with a white flash of light. The moment after, his brother had a giant smile on his lips, a look of true happiness in his eyes. He fell on his knees.

"IZUNA!"