Red String of Fate

Chapter 4 - Haunting Memories

"Where do you live?" Madara asked, holding out a hand for Hashirama.

"The big wooden building a few metres away from the Hokage's Office." Hashirama answered obediently, his eyes gazing at Madara's hand blurrily.

After Hashirama finally stood up, Madara grabbed the man's slender arm and slung it around his shoulders.

He's... underweight, Madara thought grimly as he half-walked and half-dragged Hashirama along with him. After the seven minute walk, Madara arrived in front of his wood-user friend's house, after five minutes of trying to get Hashirama to unlock the door, they finally walked into the hallway.

"I'll leave you here then." Madara spoke, propping Hashirama against the wooden wall.

"Mhm." He groaned in reply, looking as if he were about to pass out at any moment. I hope it's just because he's drunk, not because he's been losing sleep.

"Goodnight, have good dreams, Hashirama." Madara smiled and went to leave the house, closing the door behind him. Now that he had eaten his share he felt his body move a lot more smoothly than before. But as Madara mentally celebrated his now flexible body, along with meeting Hashirama and hearing that Madara was dear to him from his friend's very own mouth, he also realised one more important discovery.

He was taller than Hashirama. Only by what seemed like 3cm but he was finally taller.

Feeling particularly joyous and energetic at the moment, Madara felt his energy slowly burn out and decided he really needed to get some sleep right now. Madara gathered the chakra to his feet and dashed back home, arriving at his front door in a matter of minutes.

"Home sweet home." He said, walking into the house and making his way up to his favourite room, his bedroom. Madara walked into the room and stood there pondering.

"Should I shower?" Madara wondered aloud, feeling dead tired yet irritably unclean at the same time...

In the end Madara took a quick shower, settling down on his very comfortable bed as he dried the remainder of his hair. After drying his mass of black hair, Madara also came to a decision and decided to visit Choetsu Ramen tomorrow. He fell onto his comfy bed and sighed loudly, he felt like so many things had already happened today.

"Those were good noodles..." Madara mumbled as he drifted asleep, falling into a pleasant dream.

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"Wait up, Madara!" Hashirama yelled after him, jumping up the big rocks and running up the back-side of the rocky cliff.

Not long after Madara reached the top did Hashirama jog over to his side, slinging his arm around the other boy's neck.

"One moment we were skipping rocks, the next moment you told me to follow and ran off!" Hashirama complained, ruffling Madara's black overgrown hair.

"You're the one who was too slow! So don't start blaming me." He retorted, pushing Hashirama away from him with an irritated expression.

"Aw Madara-chan, tell me you don't mean that." Hashirama asked with streams of fresh translucent tears running down his face. Seeing his friend fall into one of his quick depression phases, Madara frantically waved his arms around.

"S-Stop crying!" Madara yelled, desperately trying to wipe off the unceasing streams of tears from his friend's face.

"But you said I was too slow." Hashirama wailed, Madara heard this and his expression twitched. He was never the type to be open about his feelings, yet this boy always managed to force them out of him.