Cordarone (Hashirama x Madara AND Tobirama x Izuna)

7. Talk among the flowers (Madara)

Madara closed his eyes, dipped his nose gently in one of the big, orange flowers that was climbing one of the walls of the palace and breathed in. He had come to learn each and every name of the flowers in the garden, and read about their medical uses. It made him happy. A lot of things made him happy nowadays. 

Madara loved spending time with Hashirama. He loved sleeping next to him, which he had taken to doing every night. But he also loved his time alone. His heart didn't allow him long walks, but for someone who was so restricted in their ability to move, the garden was perfect. Here, he mended his sadness caused by his inability to be treated by anything other than Cordarone. But he was also helped by his nights with Hashirama, which they spent telling stories and holding one another.

Madara turned to go to the cactus garden. Some of them were blooming, which was rare. Afterwards, he would go to the greenhouses and see if he could help there, before going back for a lesson in religion and then get Hashirama ready for dinner.

But he didn't make it to the greenhouse. He didn't even make it to the cactus garden.

Madara stopped as he heard someone crying behind a bush. He recognised that voice, even if he had rarely heard it.

"Izuna?"

It was Izuna he saw, all right, as he looked behind the bush. His grey robes were dirty, and his hair was greasy. He looked up at Madara, and he saw tears streaming down his little brother's face. He moved as if to stand up, but Madara put up a hand.

"Please, don't run away. Please." Madara came behind the bush and sat down next to him. The little patch behind the bush was full of flowers, and as Madara sat down, it felt as if he was in a heaven where the clouds were made of petals. "First of all, are you supposed to be out?" Izuna shook his head. "Well, then. Tell me everything."

And Izuna did. He told him about his curse. How he had been hated and finally forced out of their previous home. How he had been found and taken here. About the experiments carried out on him (this particular part made Madara put his hand over his mouth). How Tobirama had sneaked him out, every day.

"Even the people who guard me don't care about me", he said. "I have been out every day and nobody has noticed."

"To take such a risk and let you out every day... Tobirama must really like you."

Izuna smiled a little, but then, his face fell when he seemed to be reminded of something.

"He found out", he said. "About the curse. He ran away."

"I thought that boy was afraid of nothing."

"I don't think he's afraid of me", Izuna said miserably. "I think he's disgusted. He has figured out there must be something terribly wrong with me to have such a curse."

Madara sighed and hugged his knees.

"Tobirama doesn't like his education much, does he?"

"He takes it very seriously!" Izuna said, defending his friend, or former friend. He did so without second thought, even if he had been badly hurt by him only an hour or so ago. "He knows it's important, so he does his homework even if he would rather go horse riding or playing with me!"

Madara waved his hand dismissively.

"I wasn't criticising your friend. I just meant, he has probably not read about curses given from birth."

"Well, I haven't either", Izuna said.

"Really?" Madara asked.

Izuna shook his head.

So Madara told him.

"Curses given from birth are given by the Gods, and very, very rare. You are the first known one in centuries. But they are not given to bad people. They are given to children of bad people."