Twin Leaves in the Shadow

第20章

Hashirama was in his office, speaking to one of the aides. They were talking about documents that had just arrived. Madara could tell Hashirama was bothered about something through his tone. The more he thought about it, he quickly realized it all began when he found out about Tobirama's meeting.

Madara stood in the doorway watching and waiting for their conversation to end. The aide brushed past him with a distressed look on her face. Focusing his attention back on Hashirama, he gave him a look of concern.

"Something's bothering you, Hashirama."

Shaking his head, Hashirama replied, "Nothing's bothering me."

"You've been acting strange all day. Did that message from this morning mean something?" Madara questioned as he closed the office door behind him.

"No. I promise, I'm fine. Just a little stressed from working all day," Hashirama lied. He mustered up a smile to flash at Madara. Telling him the truth would only cause unnecessary tension. Hashirama wasn't even sure if Tobirama was doing anything wrong. It was just a gut feeling.

"We should stop for some dinner," Hashirama added, changing the subject. Thinking about the situation only made him panic more.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm starving," Hashirama answered nonchalantly.

"No, I mean are you sure you're okay to go?" Madara explained.

"I promise," Hashirama spoke with a smile.

Madara waited as Hashirama stood up and walked over to him. He reached out his hand and placed it on Madara's cheek.

"You worry too much, you know?" he murmured, hoping to sound reassuring.

"Hashirama," Madara started before his voice trailed off. His gaze fell to the ground and his face turned a bright shade of pink.

"I have lost so much already. I don't think I could handle losing you, too. You bring so much light into my dark world," he continued, still staring at the floor.

He could feel Hashirama's eyes burning into him. It made Madara feel queasy to be so vulnerable.

"Nothing could ever keep me away from you," Hashirama whispered, pulling Madara's gaze back to him.

There was quick moment of silence between them before Madara began to talk again.

"You wouldn't keep anything a secret from me, right?" Madara asked shyly. He wanted to look away, but Hashirama held his head in place.

Hashirama took a deep breath, looking visibly uncomfortable. Frustration started to build up inside of Madara as he waited for his answer. He knew Hashirama was hiding something now.

After working up the courage, Hashirama began to shakily explain,"I have suspicions about my brother. I think he might know something about us. Nothing is concrete, so I didn't want to say anything until I knew more-"

"How long?" Madara interjected, pushing away Hashirama's hand.

"Wh-what?"

"How long have you suspected this? It sounds like you have been sitting on this a while," Madara questioned harshly.

Hashirama's gaze fell to the floor as his face turned a shade of red. His suspicions had started since he became Hokage, but the truth would only hurt Madara more.

"I don't know," Hashirama sighed.

Out of anger, Madara drew back his hand and slapped Hashirama hard across the mouth. The force made him stumble backwards, completely wide-eyed.

"Were you going to wait for shit to boil over until you finally told me?" Madara pressed on, stepping forward, almost as if he was challenging Hashirama.

"Of course not, Madara!" Hashirama shouted as he wiped blood from his lip.

Just as he found his footing again, he was shoved back by Madara. He crashed into the wall, making a loud thud.

"What's your fucking problem? I told you, didn't I?" Hashirama seethed.

Madara pulled him by his collar and brought him close to his face. His fists clenched tightly around the clothing, making his knuckles turn white. His eyes were like daggers cutting into Hashirama.

"It's been days, you fucking idiot. You have been hiding this from me for days. What's going to happen if he says something?" Madara growled as he pressed Hashirama harshly against the wall.

Finding his strength, Hashirama shoved Madara away from him.

"I wasn't hiding shit from you. If you are really that worried about everyone finding out, then why the fuck are you still standing here? You can leave anytime you want and free yourself," Hashirama fumed.

Hearing those words immediately brought Madara back to reality. He stared at Hashirama, stunned by his words. Immense guilt began pouring into him as he looked at Hashirama.

Falling to his knees, he began sobbing at Hashirama's feet. His cries echoed through the empty hallway. He reached out and grabbed Hashirama's legs as he still was standing. Hashirama tried to resist by stepping back, but Madara held on tighter.

"Please, Hashirama," Madara begged through his sobs, "I can't lose you."

"Stand up, Madara."

"I can't-"

"I said stand up," Hashirama commanded, raising his voice again.

Taking matters into his own hands, Hashirama pulled Madara up by the collar of his shirt. He took the crying man into his arms. One arm wrapped around his waist, while his other hand held Madara's head against his chest.

"I told you nothing can keep me away from you," Hashirama whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm so sorry," Madara cried into his chest. His tears began soaking through Hashirama's shirt.

"I'm so sorry, too," he replied, feeling tears build up around his eyes.

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Once they both had finally calmed down, Hashirama suggested they go back his house and try to sleep it off. They laid in Madara's bed, tangled in each other's arms. The adrenaline that was once pumping through them had finally dissipated, allowing them to fall asleep almost instantly.

As Madara slept, the vision of the red-haired woman kept replaying in his head. He wanted to wake up and scream, but it seemed as if his body was forcing him to stay asleep. All he could hear was the echo of her voice repeating...

"I am the death of you."