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“You will tell me who your soulmate is. I know you know,” Hashirama demands. He's sitting behind his big oak desk, even sitting right now he looks imposing. It's a rare thing to see his brother so commanding and serious. Even more rare is for Tobirama to feel intimidated by him.
“I will do no such thing. You have no right to the information.” He is so aware of the fact that he sounds whiny. It's hard not to when he's steps away from death's door and struggles to remain standing, his body doing its best to give up.
Hashirama stands and slams his palms against his desk. “I have every right to the information. You are dying because of it. You are my brother. I won't stand by and let you die from an incomplete bond.”
“Just because you are my brother doesn't mean I have to tell you. It doesn't matter, my soulmate has made their opinion of me extremely clear. I have no intention of telling them about our bond. They will suffer no I'll effects because there is no bond on their side.* It hurts to say the words, to admit he not only knows who, not only loves them, but also knows they hate him. Who wants to be hated by their soulmate?
“Fine, I didn't want to do it this way, but you've forced my hand.” Hashirama stands up straighter and his mouth tightens with restrained anger. “As your Hokage, I demand you share this information. It affects village security if I lose my ANBU captain and therefore you are required to give me the information.”
Tobirama is honestly shocked Hashirama would go so far. He is aware his brother loves him, but he has to know how much tension this will put on their relationship, especially when there is so little time left for them. Damn Hashirama for using the one thing that will actually compel him.
He sighs heavily and squeezes his eyes shut, “Uchiha Madara.” Nothing else needs to be said, Hashirama is well aware of Madara's hatred of him. Knows that he will never forgive him for almost killing Izuna.
Hashirama sucks in a breath, “go home and wait for me there. Get in your bed and rest. I don't want you straining yourself any more.”
He wants to roll his eyes, that was already his plan, Hashirama has derailed it by noticing his condition and choosing to have this pointless conversation.
“Of course, Hokage-sama,” Tobirama snaps. He revised to feel guilty for the hurt that dishes in Hashirama's eyes. Instead choosing to turn around and force his body to stay upright as he walks home.
-.-
Hashirama slumps down into his chair and scrubs a hand over his face. Tobirama's isn't wrong, Madara does hate him. But he refused to allow his brother to die without trying.
As soon as he manages to compose himself he gets up and walks to Madara office.
Madara looks up at him and raises an eyebrow, though he looks pleased to see him. Until Hashirama closes the door and activates the privacy seals.
“So this isn't a request to grab lunch,” Madara guesses. His words are slow and measured.
“No,” Hashirama says, his voice tinged with poorly concealed rage. “No, this has nothing to do with lunch.” The words are a snarl. “This has to do with you being an ass hole. About you holding a pointless grudge and about you killing my brother!”
Madara reels back in shock. “I didn't kill your brother! If someone did, we need to secure the village! How did someone get in?” Madara asks with genuine concern. Though Hashirama knows it's the concern for the village and it has nothing to do with Tobirama.
“He's not dead yet. But you're killing him!”
Madara relaxes, “Sage, you scared me! I highly doubt disliking your brother is killing him,” he says with a dramatic eye roll.
Hashirama is so angry he just loses all composure and launches himself over the desk at Madara, causing the chair to tip back and send them both to the floor.
They tussle for a few minutes before Hashirama comes out on top, literally, pinning Madara to the floor. “He is your soulmate and you are killing him.”
Madara freezes under him, no longer attempting to escape, “What?”
“You heard me! Your hatred is killing him.”
“No. No, that would only happen if he felt bonded to me, he would have to have feelings for me. He doesn't. Why would he?” Madara tries to deny it in confusion.
“He does,” Hashirama responds quietly. “He does. And he feels a bond with you. I don't know why, I don't know when, I don't know why. I would never with the way you treat him. But he does, and he is dying. I have watched him waste away thinking he was working too hard. I only just realized what it really was. You are an ass hole. And I hate that you are going to kill my brother.
“You don't deserve his attention, you didn't deserve him and yet you have him. And it's going to kill him. I want you to know now I'll never forgive you. You chose to hate him for fighting for his survival, you did this.” Hashirama stops his head, trying not to show the fact that his eyes are watering. “I’ll never forgive you.” He says one more time before getting up and walking away.
He has a brother to see to. Maybe he can do something with the mokuton to save him.
-.-
Madara doesn't get up for minutes.
He's at a loss for what to do.
All his life he dreamt of meeting his soulmate, of loving them, caring for them. Now he knows and he doesn't know how to handle it. If he does nothing he loses his soulmate forever.
But how does he forgive Tobirama when he doesn't days thinking his brother was going to die before he gave in and let Hashirama save him.
But….Maybe Hashirama was right, maybe he's just been blaming Tobirama for surviving. Maybe he was being unfair. Izuna has been fighting to kill him after all.
The question is, can he let go and save Tobirama? Or does he let his soulmate die?
The thought is against everything he grew up with. Soulmates were precious and to have one was a gift. But Tobirama doesn't feel like a gift. He feels like a punishment.
He realizes then that it doesn't matter how he feels right now. If he lets Tobirama for he will never know if they could be something later.
He has to save him. He has to find a way to get over this hatred.
It takes him two days and several long talks with Izuna to figure it out. All that's left is to go to Tobirama and tell him he's forgiven him. That he wants to find a way to make it work. That he will find a way to make it work. Because he has dreamt about and has been waiting for Tobirama all his life and he isn't going to let him die now.
He gets to Tobirama's and knocks, apprehension having him struggle not to turn and run.
Unsurprisingly it's Hashirama who answers the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving your brother, and giving us a chance to see if we can become true soulmates. I don't want to lose my chance to find love with my soulmate,” he answers honestly.
-.-
The end….. Or is it?