☆HashiMada OneShots☆

To Have you back

The moon was full and bright overhead as Madara faced his best friend across the river they had just created and felt his face split in a crazed grin. He could feel exhaustion beginning to dig its claws into his flesh and knew his chakra was nearly drained, but even so, the excitement of battle was still running hot through his veins. Hashirama, panting and battle-worn, half his armour torn away, had matched him blow for blow in this battle - as Hashirama always had, ever since they'd been children. Though they'd fought each other almost incessantly throughout the years, this was only the second time they'd both gone all-out, and what a legendary battle it had been! Though Madara knew he was only the tiniest misstep away from death, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt more alive.

Across the river, Hashirama's eyes flicked from his opponent to the river between them, gauging the distance. Madara could easily guess what he was thinking about, the sentimental fool: he had to be remembering the river from their childhood, where the two of them had skipped rocks and talked about peace. What naïve idiots they both had been. Madara tightened his grip on his weapons, his Gunbai in one hand and his kama in the other, and tensed in preparation to strike, watching Hashirama raise his sword and gather himself to do the same. Another ragged breath - Madara cried, "This time you're not going to reach the other side!"

Both combatants lunged in unison, racing across the surface of the river to meet in the middle with a violent CRASH. Madara's momentum carried him several steps further; he stumbled to a halt on the river, half-surprised to find himself unharmed. He turned behind him to see Hashirama lying face down on the surface of the water, struggling to rise, and allowed himself another smile.

"I'm the one still standing," he panted. "Opposite from the last time."

With a great effort, Hashirama pushed himself up on one arm to turn and look at Madara, standing triumphant over him just as Hashirama himself had once stood over a defeated Madara. "I just want to protect...the dream I finally realized..." he gasped. "I don't want...anymore..."

'Killing,' he'd been about to say, most likely. Madara had heard plenty of that from him already. It wasn't as if he disagreed - after all, as a child he'd completely embraced Hashirama's ideals. Now, he hadn't given up on those ideals, but he knew the outcome of Hashirama's methods: he could see that no matter what his one-time friend said, Hashirama would always be killing for the sake of peace. Unless, of course, Madara relieved him of his duty.

"You look pretty depressed, Hashirama," Madara observed, savouring his victory. It had been so incredibly hard-won, after all - it would be a crime not to enjoy the moment. "Can't perk back up this time?"

As he spoke, Madara heard the slightest sound behind him, almost like a sigh. Despite his exhaustion, he reacted instinctively, whipping around and lashing out with the blade of his kama, and saw - Hashirama, poised to strike, instead of lying prone on the river as he had been an instant before. Madara gasped in shock at the same moment that Hashirama gasped in pain: the blade of Madara's scythe was embedded in his chest.

Neither of them moved, locked in a deadly embrace, until finally Hashirama's sword slipped from his hand and fell with a splash into the water below. Madara spared a glance behind him and saw Hashirama's clone, still lying in the river behind him, turn to wood and begin to float away. He stepped back, pulling his kama from Hashirama's chest with a sickening squelch of bone and tissue. Hashirama fell slowly, almost gracefully, the way he fought, landing on his knees in front of Madara.

"Do you have enough chakra to heal that?" Madara asked warily, keeping his weapons at the ready. He'd thought Hashirama had been completely drained of chakra a few moments ago, but he'd surprised Madara with that clone.

Hashirama pressed a hand to his chest and stared, almost in shock, as the hand came away bloody. "I'm out," he said, and sighed. "I had a chance, but - I couldn't. I hesitated..."