Time Heals All Wounds

Summary: The day Tobirama died happens earlier, during Hashirama's time as Hokage when they are at war with almost every new village but years after Madara's death. Only he didn't die. He somehow ended up in a time not his own and met a familiar face he though gone forever. Can he get back? And what of his new friend?

It was an extremely good thing that Tobirama was standing just behind him, reading over his shoulder, because Madara would have fallen over and no doubt hit his head if it had not been for the man holding him up before he could crack his skull open. Madara didn't even notice his mother's panicked calling of his name or how that woke up his father or how other lights in the house were turning on one by one and several sets of feet ran into the room.

He only had eyes for the note in his hands.

The world seemed to be spinning.

"Madara,

I don't know how to tell you this, I have been trying for a few years now and it only seemed to be getting harder, but you have a right to know. Once, years ago, after a severe argument with Sakura, I stormed out of the house and found myself in the arms of another. We continued seeing each other until Kiachi was born, when Sakura and I finally made up and stopped threatening each other with divorce. I never saw her again. Not until, one day, I got a call from the hospital informing me that I was listed as the legal guardian of a baby boy whose mother just suffocated in a house fire incident.

That baby boy was you.

I felt guilty and I felt it was my responsibility to find you a good home. I went to the hospital to sign all the necessary papers to put you in a good surrogate family but at the first glimpse of you, the first time I held you in my arms, I fell in love and I knew I couldn't let someone else raise my second son. I brought you home and Sakura and I nearly had a second screaming match, but she fell in love with you as much as I did when she saw you.

We came to an agreement. She would be your mother as I am your father. It came easily, as you were always such a good child. We agreed that we'd tell you, one day, if we ever deemed you ready to hear such news. We didn't want you distancing yourself from your siblings-"

"Where did you get that letter?" His fathe- Ren's voice sounded far too loud in his ringing ears. A look at the man showed that he was pale, horrified. 'He didn't want me to know.'

"I left it there," Kiachi said, sounding disgusted, from where he and the rest of Madara's- of the Utaha siblings were standing in the other, larger doorway. His kaa-cha- Sakura's muffled sniffles could be heard behind him, her feeble attempts to draw his attention to her going unheeded. "After all, he had a right to know, ne?" The sneer in his voice was actually enough to snap Madara out of his cold stupor, bringing him back to reality again.

"You knew?" He asked the man he had thought of as twin brother for half of his life and who was now gazing him with open hatred and disgust.

"That you're a bastard sullying this family's good name and a mockery to my mother's devotion and love? Yes. Why do you think we shunned you, for fun? You're not out brother. Otou-san doesn't even know if you're his bastard or some other poor sod's-"

"That's enough, Kiachi!" Ren thundered,surging to his feet, an intense fury in his eyes. "You will not speak of me or your brother that way!"

"My brother!? He is not my brother!" Kiachi pointed a finger straight at Madara, who could feel the walls closing in, breathing becoming harder, not enough air, not enough space- "Look at him! He is an abomination! There is not a single Utaha feature on him and he acts nothing like us! He is not my brother!"

"Kiachi!" Sakura shouted, marching over and slapping the boy right across his face. The rest of the Utaha children actually gawked, as while Ren had occasionally bent them over his knee if they were bad as children, Sakura had never raised a hand against them in their lives. Not once.

But Kiachi didn't back down. Nor was he alone. "As always, you're taking his side. Nothing new there," Shotaro sneered, raising his chin in defiance when Ren looked ready to repeat Sakura's earlier gesture and a slap from him was a lot more painful. "What, are you going to choose your bastard over your own son? One you got with the woman you married and claim to love?" Sakura slapped him, too, making his head swing to the side with the force of it. Shotaro stayed that way only long enough to recover before he looked back, burning hatred in his eyes when they slid to Madara for a second before returning to the mother. "What? You're choosing him over your own son? Do you love him more? Is that it? Were your own children lacking? Or are you like otou-sama and just wish to profit from some street urchin's big brain?" Predictably, that got him another slap, but the boy made a very grievous mistake.

He moved his own hand as if to slap her back-

Only for the entire room, Tobirama included, to fall to their knees as a wave of killing intent nearly drowned them. Madara didn't even realize he was doing it, wasn't aware of how much chakra he was releasing in his rage. So much, it was visible, even to a civilian, untrained eye. He distantly felt the heat rising in the room but he took no heed of it or what that meant. The world was red and in sharp focus and he took in every feature in the room and compared them to his own. Aside from similarity in coloring, there was absolutely no sign of him being related to anyone here.

Utaha Sakura was not his mother.

Despite what he seems to think, Utaha Ren was also not his father.

Utaha Mio, Utaha Miyako, Utaha Kiachi, Utaha Shotaro, Utaha Hao, Utaha Yoh and Utaha Shishi were not his siblings.

(His siblings, his brothers were Izuna, Jiro, Ryouta and Takumi and they were dead.)

(His parents were Tajima and Ryukyu and they were dead.)

He was Uchiha Madara and he was alive.

This was not his family.

Tobirama was trying to get his feet back under him and Kurama was scratching at Madara's leg, yipping in a bid for his attention, to distract him from the churning emotions in his own heart, from the loss and the betrayal. From the anger and the pain. From the love and the hate that threatened to replace it. He had loved these people all of his life, despite how they had treated him. And Sakura might not have been his biological mother but she was still his kaa-chan. His killing intent grew and intensified tenfold as he recalled, perfectly, the way Shotaro's arm had arched, ready to deliver a blow to his kaa-chan's face, the memory only making his fury rise higher. A sting in his eyes, barely there, and black flames erupted in the kitchen, catching the counter with the cake and the present an the picture of the woman who had done him the disservice to birth him into the world. Why did he have to live!? He was so damned tired and he only wanted to rest-

Mio screamed. Miyako had went near catatonic with fear. Shishi was crying. Kiachi was actually being a decent brother for once and had a scarred Yoh in his arms, trying to protect/soothe the boy. It was Hao who pointed a finger at him. "Monster!"

And what did that moniker mean to him from someone who never loved him like he had loved them? What did it mean to him from someone not of his own blood? He had been called much, much worse by people whose opinion had once mattered, after he had done everything for them and given everything for them and yet they still wanted more and wanted him gone-

"Madara!" Pale, strong hands grabbed his face and made him meet eyes almost the exact same shade of red as his, only Tobirama's were not a doujutsu, nor were they blazing with the perfect form of the Sharingan- "You need to stop. You'll drop dead from exhaustion like this and you'll regret if you actually hurt one of them! Please don't do this to yourself. You are not a monster."

"I am. I always was. The memories-"

"Fuck them!" The scream in his face made him jump, his killing intent faltering. "They were hypocritical bastards that never even gave you a chance! I should know, I was one of them! And I have regretted it every day since! Don't let the words of others define you. You are Uchiha Madara. Biju bowed to your will! Your name is power, it causes fear and respect wherever it is whispered. But only you can define who you will be! Screw everyone else!"

Madara clamped both of his hands around Tobirama's wrists in what must have been a painful grip but the man didn't move to shake him off nor did he flinch in pain. He wasn't afraid. That was, somehow, enough. "How do I turn it off?" He asked desperately. His friend was right. He didn't want to hurt them. Even now. He didn't want to be a monster. He just wanted to be Madara.

"You know how," the albino said soothingly, one of his thumbs gently caressing Madara's cheek. "Forget everything you thought you knew and just follow your gut instincts. Just be you."

The Uchiha took a deep, steadying breath and did as told. He let it all go, let it slide through his fingers like so much sand and didn't even attempt to hold it. Power surged, easier to come to his call than ever before, and control came with it. Instinct or training from another life, it did not matter. For the first time in years, Madara felt like himself. He could feel the inferno roaring inside of him, a flame as unquenchable as his will. He could feel Tobirama as well, a deep, deep ocean, calm and yet raging as a fierce storm as well, constant and yet oh so changeable. He could feel Kurama - and there was something there, familiar and yet just beyond his reach, something he will return to at a later notice.

He could feel countless others, the Utahas included, for miles and miles. Chakra signatures, he realized. He was sensing them. He was a sensor, like Tobirama. He could feel how they were connected, related. The Utahas all had a monotonous signature between them, yet more proof that they were not in any way related. He was fire. They were no more than dirt particles.

It took a moment, but he got a hold of the black flames and quenched them and then railed in his chakra. He was, indeed, exhausted like Tobirama had predicted. His friend caught him when he swayed and easily picked him up into a bridal carry, quick to cart him off to his room with Kurama hot on his heels and lock the door. He put Madara on his bed and just ... hovered by him, seemingly unsure as to what to do.

Madara didn't stay down for longer than he needed to gather himself, springing to his feet and going through his belongings immediately. "What are you doing?" Tobirama asked as Madara started piling up books and the few photos he was willing to take with him, taking only the occasional article of clothing and stuffing it into the biggest dufflebag he had then cursing his own stupidity and rounding up on Tobirama.

"Seal those for me, please." The Senju did as told, watching him warily even as he took out a storage scroll and started packing the things away. Madara threw in a few more knickknacks before taking out his new presents. The box of hair clips and ties he immediately gave Tobirama to seal away but he sat down on his bed and started fiddling with his phone and MP4 player. Luckily, not only did he had a perfect memory for all of his favorite songs and books and movies, but he also had an account for most of it online. He set the settings and let the download begin, knowing it will take a while but he didn't give a damn. He was not going anywhere without his music.

"Will you please tell me what is going on?" Tobirama asked after he was finished, sitting down in front of Madara's bed and looking up at him. Kurama stayed by the door.

There was shouting coming from down the hall.

"You figured out how you came here, right?" Madara asked instead of answering, ignoring how his not-family were all apparently screaming their heads off at each other. ("This is all your fucking fault! I want a divorce!")

"Yes," the older one answered a bit warily. "Rather, I have a theory of what might have caused it. Hiraishin is, after all, a space-time jutsu and it just got overloaded. Though I don't know if it was generally overloaded or if the nature and the origin of the chakra are in play as well."

"Then we're leaving. Tonight."

"Leaving? We?" The shinobi was reasonably incredulous, though Madara did not appreciate the concerned look that immediately replaced it. "Madara, even if you are not related to them by blood, they are still your-"

"My family is years dead and you know it." For some reason, Tobirama stiffened at his words. Madara figured he could elaborate. "I've been getting snippets in my dreams. Every time I use chakra ... Every time my adrenaline starts pumping, a memory is triggered. Never as much or as many like when those two brutes attacked us, but it happens. I didn't want to tell you in fear of your attitude changing. That aside, those people out there are not my family," he said vehemently, all but hissing the words. "By love or by blood. Utaha Sakura may have been my kaa-chan but she, too, stood to the side for years as I suffered. I will never not love her and I will never not love the rest of them, either, but they are not my family. They are nothing to me. Not anymore. They cannot weigh me down anymore. I want to be free, Tobirama. I never belonged here. Why not go back where I did?"

"My world is at war, Madara!" The other shot back, getting a bit angry it would seem. "A family drama shouldn't drive you to go into a meaningless war that's never even touched you before! Why would you do that to yourself!?"

"Because I think I have unfinished business there." That had them both stopping, as not even Madara himself was sure of where those words came from nor what that unfinished business was. "I feel that ... There is a danger I might have left behind, one no one knew of but myself. Something ... Something was not right. One of the first things that I remembered was the feeling of not being in control of my own body. I fear that something is pulling the strings."

"Something strong enough to entrap you? That is worrying," Tobirama agreed, a deep frown on his face. "Should we try to awaken more of your memories here? Before I actually throw you into not only a war but a world where there is something that had targeted you to take away your will."

"I doubt we actually have the luxury of the time needed for that." Just thinking of that something constricting his heart, leaving him powerless and forcing him to fight when he did not wish to ... Madara shook his head. "I think it's actually best for you to throw me at your enemies. Fighting with those two bastards made much more memories reappear than anything else. A good fight will jog enough memories that I might remember what was wrong. If it was a jutsu or ... "

Tobirama looked away, brows furrowed and hands tight around his biceps when he crossed them. He obviously didn't like it. Madara didn't, either, but besides actually really wanting to get the fuck away from the lie of a life he had led, he just wanted to go home. Wherever that might be. Whenever, too. And he really wanted to get rid of whatever had managed to take away his free will.

"Is there anyone you wish to say goodbye to?" Tobirama asked after a long moment of silence, just as the download finished and Madara handed over the two items to be put away as well, since it was now clear that Tobirama would not object. The Uchiha paused to think about that before shaking his head. "Are you sure?"

"There is nothing left to be said." The man nodded and packed away his scroll, taking out instead the one containing his battle gear and quickly getting ready. Madara kind of felt naked without armor on even if he had never worn any in his life. This one, at least.

"Do you even know how you got here, Madara?" Tobirama asked when he finished and the Uchiha only shook his head. "We'll have to hope you remember that, too. You ready?" The teen scooped up Kurama and nodded, yelping when he in turn was picked up. Tobirama only chuckled at him and Shunshined to the roof. They paused when they saw the first winter snow. The snowflakes were fat but slow and Madara smiled. Somehow, it never snowed until after his birthday. It was fitting that the world will have a snowy Christmas just when he was leaving it. "Here we go."

It was fun, actually, to be carried around as Tobirama jumped from roof to roof, not at all bothered by his extra passenger. Madara found himself laughing despite how much his chest still ached from the hurt and the betrayal. He had honestly thought at least his 'kaa-chan' would be the one constant in his life but his life was far more complicated then her and the 'family' that had taken him in. At least now he knew why his 'siblings' hated him so. They must have found out that he was not their actual brother and at the age that they would have found out, it would have shaken the world from under them the same way it had from under himself today. Then all of the years of obvious favoritism would pile up and resentment would be born of envy. Madara wasn't even surprised anymore, now that he could analyze it all. Call him cold and calculative and emotionless, but he at least understood how humans worked.

And just because he understood didn't mean he wasn't hurt by it. He just chose not to let that influence the rest of his life. Besides, he had bigger things to worry about.

It took them a while to get out of Tokyo and then to the point where Tobirama had first woken up at. Finding the exact same spot turned out to be relatively easy, given that there was a rather big burn mark in the grass and earth where he had landed in the shape of the Hiraishin marker. At least they didn't have to worry about finding their way back home, just executing it.

"I'm not sure we can do anything to actually get the chakra we need," Tobirama said, rather pessimistically in his opinion. "I have reason to believe that the marker was most influenced by the Gold and Silver brother's chakra, since it was partially the Kyuubi's. We don't exactly have a biju around here."

'Ah,' Madara thought with a chuckle as a memory cleared, one of his earlier ones, the one of a big creature underneath his feet, as controlled as he was. He stepped away from Tobirama and crouched down on the ground, letting Kurama go. The fox stared up at him with far too intelligent eyes but this time, Madara activated his Sharingan and saw through the illusion. He deactivated it as soon as he saw, so the decision would be uninfluenced. "Do you wish to stay here? No one knows about you, so you can easily go back to ignoring humanity and you'll never fear being trapped or targeted again."

"Madara, what?" The albino asked but Madara was paying attention only to the fox who had been his companion for two years.

"It is only fair that I give you this option when you got dragged into this entire mess because of me. The choice is yours. I just ask humbly that you assist us in going home."

"Madara, I know Kurama is an extremely intelligent animal-"

"You're an idiot," a deep, gravely, echoing voice rumbled from said animal's chest and Madara looked over his shoulder to watch Tobirama's jaw unhinge and drop. He looked very silly right now, which is why Kurama had spoken now, if Madara were to place bets. "If I have stayed with you for as long as I have, I might as well go back with you, too. I may be safe but I have siblings, too. I am sure you can understand that, Uchiha."

Madara smiled, getting up and ushering his flabbergasted friend to the center of the marker. "I'm sure you can freak out later about the fact that you've been having a snipping match with Kurama. Right now, we want to go home." That seemed to snap the Senju out of his stupor and he turned to look at Madara in a way the teen could not quite decipher. But then the man nodded and started gathering chakra. Kurama entered the seal before it started lighting up, though it only got more intense when the fox started channeling his own red chakra into the marker. Madara took a deep breath, grabbed onto Tobirama's hand, much to the man's surprise but not enough to break his concentration, and released a small amount of his own chakra into it all. Just in case.

He really didn't want to be left behind.

One second, the tension was building.

There was a boom of overloaded chakra.

A bright flash and the sound of thunder.

And then the clearing was empty.

They were gone.