A/N: Yeah, sorry for the angst but Madara and Hashirama are a pairing that are naturally that way! Next chapter will be a relief, though, and forgive me for any grammatically errors! Please review and enjoy!

Chapter 2: Oh, Romeo

"Hashirama?"

He took in a deep shaky breath. "Hey, Madara! How are you?"

He heard a snort. "Busy. I haven't heard of you in a while."

"Well, yeah..." Hashirama nervously glanced around, even though he was in his room and there was nobody home, he needed to make sure, clutching his cellphone closer. "Look, about what Mito-chan said-"

"What about it? It wasn't really that surprising, she has been after you since freshmen year, the elders were bound to take this in consideration." Hashirama didn't like how monotone Madara sounded, as if he had rehearsed this conversation. "You two have to eventually move on together and leave...people behind."

"But not you!" Hashirama said almost pleadingly. "Despite what she said, I'll never leave you behind, Madara!"

Hashirama heard Madara's voice crack, wether in anger or sadness, he didn't know. "What do you want from me anyways, Hashirama?"

"I-" He paused. He didn't know how to respond to that, it was something he himself didn't know. He just...he just couldn't imagine a world without his best friend. Madara had become an important and essential part in his life. Without him...Hashirama felt lost. "Madara...I don't want to be without you."

"You..."

"I don't want you to leave!" Hashirama gasped out, his eyes widening in realization. He completely discarded the fact of someone overhearing his conversation, his heart beating faster and voice rising in volume. "If it's what Mito-chan said, please ignore it and forgive her! If it's something I did, please forgive me!"

"I don't have time for this-"

"If it's because I kissed you, forgive me!" Hashirama shouted, closing his eyes tightly when he heard a soft gasp in response. "Dammit, I just can't...I can't live without you, okay?! It took me forever to find your number once you changed it, please...please."

"Please what? I..." Madara gave a frustrated growl. "Hashirama, I'm not a fucking third wheel! And I'm not a toy or somebody you can obligate to do things as petty as accepting apologies! I can't stand it anymore, Senju! I won't! I-I...I care about you." Madara's voice softened and this made Hashirama's heartbeat skip a beat. "I really do, even when I shouldn't, I do. I...You know what, just...just leave it."

"No! Please..." Hashirama furiously wiped the tears off his face, an idea ringing in his head. "I'll prove it to you! Can you meet me? At the riverbank at four? Like old times?"

"Hashirama-"

"Please, Madara."

"..."

"Please."

"...Fine."

"Who are you going to meet?"

Hashirama jumped, swiftly turning, seeing his father standing by the doorway of his bedroom with a worried Tobirama behind him. Hashirama gulped, placing his cellphone on top of one of his drawers. "Otousan, I was just talking to Mito-"

"Don't lie to me." Butsuma hissed, his deadly glare making Hashirama flinch. "It was that Uchiha boy, wasn't it? What have told you about him?"

Hashirama gridded his teeth together, tense. "Father, I-"

"I told you that you have to move on and marry Mito from the Uzumaki clan. You have to stop spending so much time with that Uchiha-"

"You can't control me this way!" Hashirama shouted, startling both his father and brother. It wasn't like him to yell this angrily, much less at his own family.

Butsuma scowled, stepping forward so that his son and him were eye-to-eye. Tobirama bit his bottom lip, stepping back just in case he needed to run to get his mother. "I do control you this way. It isn't so difficult, just forget the Uchiha-"

"His name isn't Uchiha!" Hashirama snapped. "It's Madara! And, no, I won't forget-"

Butsuma abruptly grabbed his son's shoulders, shaking him while screaming at his face. "Why?! Why can't you?! He is just another person! It's not like you need him in your life for your survival!"

"I do!" Hashirama locked gazes with his father, teary brown orbs filled with so much pain and anger and apology that Butsuma froze, his own eyes widening in astonishment. "Father, I love him!"

Butsuma's jaw fell, letting go of his eldest son as if he had burned, stepping back. "What?"

Hashirama gulped, closing his eyes tightly, fists clenched by his side. "I can't marry Mito! I can't stay away from Madara! Because I love him!"

There was silence, so much aggravating silence. Tobirama seemed beyond panicked while Butsuma just looked shocked and Hashirama appeared to be tired.

Then, Butsuma scoffed, the look of disgust nearly breaking Hashirama inside. "Leave."

Hashirama set his jaw.

"Father!" Tobirama said in alert. "Aniki is just-"

"No. This is not acceptable. Consider yourself disowned of the Senju clan if you keep on with this." Butsuma turned on his heel. "You have three days." He left the room.

Tobirama glanced at his brother with tears in his eyes. "Aniki-"

"Don't worry," Hashirama gave his little brother a fake smile and a thumbs up. "He'll come around. Now, can you do me the favor and distract Father while I leave?"

Tobirama closed his eyes in sadness and nodded. He felt a hand ruffling his hair affectionately and then Hashirama left the room with a bag he had on the bed.

Tobirama stared at the floor deep in thought, then sighed. "Dammit."

"If you care for him, leave."

Madara slowly stood up, putting his gloved hands into his pockets. It was snowing, and he was freezing, yet it still seemed that those words were spoken with the thickest ice he had ever heard. Tobirama stared at him defiantly, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Madara dug his face into his dark scarf, so that only one startling empty eye was revealed. "Why am I not surprised."

Tobirama hesitated. He thought he could do this for his older brother, but seeing the Uchiha standing there by the frozen riverbank, all alone with this cold setting, unnerved him. Madara looked...apathetic, nearly void of all life. And it scared Tobirama on how much his next words would take effect. But he was more scared for his niisan.

"My brother will learn to live without you." He said.

Madara only kept staring at him as if he were seeing right through him. It made Tobirama really desperate.

He fell unto his knees on the snow, not caring one bit of how it would dirty his jeans (although normally he would), and he looked at Madara pleadingly. "Father wants to disown him! Surely you understand?! If you truly cared for him-" Tobirama choked a bit, looking off to the side, his whole body shaking. "I understand how it feels but-"

"You understand?"

Tobirama was startled at how angry Madara sounded. He was a little scared when he was met face to face with the Uchiha death glare.

"How can you understand anything?!"

Tobirama gasped and slammed his bare hands down on the ground, ignoring the freezing sensation as he practically threw himself in front of the Uchiha. "I do! Because...I had to do it as well!"

It was silent as Madara must've let those words sink. He blinked then sighed, looking up at the gray sky. "This world has always been cruel and unfair. Even with love."

Tobirama's dark brown eyes widened when he felt a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He snapped his head up to look at the unusually soft Madara.

"Take care of him for me, Tobirama."

He nodded.

Madara gave him a curt nod in response and walked away, Tobirama staring at his back. He then looked down at his trembling hands when Madara was no longer visible, and inside, deep inside, he could feel a part of him shatter. Not only for his niisan, not only for Madara, but for himself and Izuna as well.

Yes, indeed. What a truly cruel and unfair world this is.