Tobirama tasted blood in his mouth.

He was running. Tobirama could run for hours without problems, so that wasn't what caused the foul, metallic taste. It was something else. His breathing was ragged, and it was as if his windpipes were too small for the amount of air his body oh so desperately needed.

He was incredibly anxious.

What had just happened? What had he felt? He was scared of the heavy revulsion directed from his heart to the black-haired beauty he had loved to fuck for so long now. What did it mean, this feeling? Was this it? Had Madara really meant so much to him if one misstep made Tobirama hesitate so much?

Tobirama kept running, alongside the river that ran through their homelands. On either side were cliff walls, rising high up touching the sky, where a moon painted the surroundings silver.

Suddenly, he slowed down. He heard something. A roaring sound... He frowned, allowed down to a jog. Yes, definitely a roaring, but there was something else... A splashing to that roar that could only mean...

There was a waterfall in the cliffs somewhere.

He searched the cliff walls for an opening until he found it. It didn't open up to more than a tunnel, and he followed it, heard the roar of the waterfall come closer and closer...

But then, he hears something else. The grunting of a man, and the swooshing sound of a sword. Someone was training in there. Someone with a rather clear, male voice.

Tobirama followed the tunnel until it opened up to a large indoor cave, much larger than the one he and Madara shared. It was beautiful, this cave, with the waterfall roaring into a small lake, which in turn was lit up by the moonlight that was sifted through natural openings in the roof of the cave.

And on the shoreline of the lake was Izuna Uchiha, dancing with his sword in his beautiful, dove blue robe.

Izuna was in his war clothes but completely unscratched, with only a few stains of mud on the hem of his trousers to show he had even been outdoors. And why wouldn't he be clean? From what Tobirama had seen on the battlefield, there was nobody who could take this boy on except for himself and Hashirama.

But now, when Izuna was alone, or thought he was alone, there was even more of a dance element to his movements. Pearls of sweat were thrusted off him as he stepped, twisted and turned, always using his body weight perfectly in harmony with his sword.

Wow...

And he never took a pause, just kept moving in complicated patterns, his arms showing no sign of fatigue, even if he must be so tired from the battle already.

Then, after what felt like an eternity or no time at all to Tobirama, an eternity because it felt as if he'd watched an entire lifetime play out before him, no time at all because it felt like he could watch this man for several lifetimes and still want more, Izuna stopped. He stopped, placed his sword to the ground with the greatest care and respect, and took off his robe.

Tobirama swallowed as Izuna let it fall to the ground. The delicate man had his back to the white beast, but he could still see taut muscles ripple beneath his creamy skin. Izuna lifted his arm, surprisingly slender considering the sword he had just played with as if it were a wooden toy, and released his hair, let it cascade down, the shorter parts that usually frames his face touching his shoulders, the longer bits tumbling to his waist as a waterfall of tar.

Then, Izuna Uchiha let his trousers fall down, and stepped into the lake.

He bathed for a good hour, washing his hair in the waterfall, letting his body soak. Tobirama's mouth had gone dry as he watched. He felt as if he was watching something forbidden, something sacred, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. Then, finally, Izuna walked up, his front turned to Tobirama this time, and Tobirama couldn't help but stare at his body, every tendon and muscle fibre visible through his skin, that wasn't translucent as Tobirama's own but had a delicious colour like milk.

When Izuna had dressed and made to leave, Tobirama left quietly, feeling almost baptised due to all new emotions he felt inside of him.

It became a new addiction to him. Turned out, Izuna went to the cave ritualistically, every evening, to dance with his sword and bathe. And so, it became a ritual for Tobirama as well.

He stayed hidden, not knowing which part of the ritual he likes the best. He was fascinated by Izuna's techniques and believed he could be satisfied watching him practice forever, but then he would undress, and Tobirama would feel as if though his life was nothing, absolutely nothing if not for the presence of Izuna's body in it.

But there was something else, too. Something about the way Izuna moved that told him of a different story than that who belonged to his big brother. There was a softness to Izuna; a gentleness of spirit that Tobirama, who was a master at sensing presences, drank like nectar.

Then one evening, when Izuna came out of the water, and Tobirama thus prepared to leave, he stopped himself in his tracks.

Because Izuna didn't get dressed. Instead he lay down on the stony shoreline of the indoor lake, on his back, and let his hands travel up his thing. That was when Tobirama noticed that for the first time, Izuna was erect.

The moon shone into the cave from one of the openings above, made his wet dick glitter like silver as he grabbed it with slender fingers. Tobirama saw Izuna had painted his nails black, and he was mesmerised by this detail as Izuna fucked himself.

He moved his body in billowing waves, sighing in pleasure as he came closer and closer to his climax. Tobirama realised Izuna was good, because he kept edging himself, over and over, until his body almost convulsed, before he forced himself to back away and started all over again.

There was so much self-love and tenderness and joy in what Izuna did to himself that Tobirama found himself not only in a cold sweat, but also almost teary-eyed. He had to bite down hard on his knuckles not to groan as Izuna came, pouring down over his taut stomach.

This is it, Tobirama thought suddenly. This is what frustrated me with Madara. It's the absence of this.

And suddenly, Tobirama couldn't wait to go home and fuck himself senseless.

But that was when Izuna spoke.

"You've watched me every evening for weeks now." Tobirama's heart froze to ice, but there was no hostility in Izuna's voice. Instead, it was sweet and melodic and incredibly welcoming. "You can come out of your hiding, Tobirama."

Tobirama felt mortified having been caught watching. Yet, if Izuna knew he was watching, why had he fucked himself?

He hesitated, but then felt he had no choice. He walked out into the cave to meet Izuna Uchiha.