The person you made me

2. 8963 and 8962

The day the German soldiers came to force me out of my life was a good one, or as good as it could be while a world war raging in the world outside. It was a good day because I had received a letter from my big brother.

His letters had become increasingly scarce the longer time that passed since he left home. It made me feel incomprehensibly lonely since him and me had lived alone together since our parents had died when I was fifteen and he was seventeen. I knew our post was increasingly scrutinised before being given to us; I saw it in the way they became increasingly censored, more and more words being blackened out each time, sometimes even entire paragraphs, but I suspected that for the first time, letters were being kept away from their receivers entirely, leaving me empty-handed for weeks at a time.

I also suspected that the war was taking its toll on Madara, that seeing so many people die didn't suit his nature, but when a month had passed without anything from him, I had begun to worry he was dead.

That was why that had been a good day.

The letter was so censored, I could hardly read it, but it gave me comfort nonetheless.

Dear Izuna,

I ___ ___ ___ ___. Here, everything ___ ___ ___ ___. ___ ___ incredible, even pretzels. ___ ___ ___. ___ ___ 4 am, before the sun has risen. During the day, ___ ___ ___.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.

I can't write long, because ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___, and ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. But at least ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.

Always yours,

Madara.

It didn't make any sense, but at least it meant he was alive.

I had wanted to go out to war with him. Of course I had; he was everything to me. But he had refused.

At first, his refusal had been tame and easy to handle.

"No! If they say you're allowed to stay because you're a medic, you should take advantage of that!"

Easily deflected by:

"It's not fair! Who says I'm more important than anyone else?"

"Nothing is fair in war, Izuna! Everyone has a responsibility to do their best to stay alive!"

Easily deflected by:

"Then let me come and be an army medic! That way, I won't be in the frontlines!"

But finally, Madara had said the one thing he knew I could say nothing against. That he knew I couldn't deflect.

To be fair, it was clear he took no joy in it. He said it softly to me at night, climbing into my bed which he hadn't done since we had been little, not now when I was nineteen and he was twenty-one. He had held me close and murmured into my ear:

"I couldn't stand it. I couldn't live through it Izuna. Both you and I know you would only go to war because of me. And if something happened to you, I wouldn't survive it. Please, don't force me to die because I don't want to."

So I had given in and stayed behind. For his sake.

Half a year later, that last letter had arrived and there had been a knock on my door as soon as I had put it in the drawer where I kept all other letters he'd sent me.