Tobirama was hoping to see Izuna the next evening in their indoor lake cave, but there was a battle.

Tobirama found he had a hard time focussing, constantly on the lookout for Izuna. It didn't matter though; Tobirama was so fucking good with the sword he had no trouble staying alive, even if he was hardly watching where his sword went.

Then, he saw him, on a small rocky plateau in the otherwise dusty landscape, battling a Senju. For a brief moment, Tobirama felt almost jealous of the lucky Uchiha who got to dance with his little black beauty, but then, he realised he was just as happy watching.

Tobirama took himself from the battle and landed behind a rock from which he could see the fight play out before him, and concealed his presence so he could be left alone with his view. He saw that the person Izuna was battling was a young cousin of his, that was two years younger and known as a formidable swordsman; only Tobirama himself and his brother were better.

The albino felt his heart flutter as he watched Izuna as he, for once, had to break a sweat in order to stay alive. That flutter was a combination of emotions; a mix of fear and fascination and something else Tobirama didn't even dare think of, but that stretched out from his heart to his entire body like a web. Izuna grunted as he clashed words with the lucky, or unlucky, clansman of Tobirama.

Suddenly, Izuna stumbled upon something invisible. Even if Tobirama was quite far away, he could hear the Uchiha gasp. A rock... A rock on the ground Tobirama's clansman had skilfully concealed as a trick of his, so well that even Izuna had been tricked by it. Tobirama took a step forwards as Izuna fell, and when the clansman sliced his sword over Izuna's chest, Tobirama screamed the name of the man that he realised he had grown to love, and he realised that he didn't want Izuna to die; that he'd rather see the death of his own cousin.

The wound was gushing blood, and Tobirama put a hand over his mouth, tears filling his eyes. His entire body screamed to go to him, but he couldn't be seen doing such a thing; not now, not ever but he didn't care, he didn't care and he would have gone to him if...

If it hadn't been for the arrival of Madara.

Madara had also screamed Izuna's name. When he came down to his little brother, Tobirama's heart burst with the strange sensation to see these two men together; his former lover whom he had hurt so much, and who had hurt him, and the man who had his entire heart. But he pushed those feelings to the side as he watched with worry at Izuna's wound. Now that Madara was supporting the person he loved the most, a look of pure anguish on his otherwise so cold face, Tobirama could see that even if Izuna had been skilled enough to avoid to be killed directly, the wound was bleeding ominously.

But before Tobirama could decide if it was worth going up to them to see how things truly were, Madara ended the battle and pulled away with his little brother.

Leaving Tobirama not knowing if he would ever see Izuna again.  

Tobirama paced back and forth, back and forth against the shoreline of their lake. He was grabbing his hair, breathing out through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm. Tonight was the third night since the battle and still, no Izuna.

"Have you heard anything?!" he would ask his brother every morning as Tobirama visited his house, grabbing hold of his shoulders, shaking him in desperation to find out news about Izuna, at this point not caring what his brother thought, not that the soft brunette would ever judge him.

"I'm sorry", he would say, looking at Tobirama with concern. "I have tried to make contact with the Uchiha clan. But nothing."

Night four. Night five. A week. Still nothing. When he came to the cave to find it empty once more the eighth night, he sunk down to his knees and burst into tears in the moonlight.

Tobirama didn't cry. Never. It felt weird, and the sound were like knives in his bones. But he couldn't stop. He let his tears wet his polo, drip down to his black trousers, but it didn't help; the more he cried, the greater was the need. Izuna was dead... Dead, the only plausible reason for the Uchiha to go completely underground being mourning an important clan member, in this case their leader's most loved; his little brother. What would Tobirama do now? There was so much that was still to be explored, so much-

"Tobirama..."

Tobirama jerked and turned back, his reaction as strong as if he had scented fire.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Izuna, with his dove blue silk robe open, showing off some stitches at his chest that were very well healed. His hair was clean and gleaming, and he had a glittery, blue colour on his nails.

"Izuna..." Tobirama stood up on wobbly legs, unable to believe what he saw. Then, the giant albino ran to the smaller, black-haired man, hugged him close, squeezed him as much as he dared considering his injuries.

Izuna just laughed, hugged him back, and Tobirama breathed in the sweet, flowery scent of him, and he realised this was the first time they touched except the initial hugs every time they met, and this time was different, yet it felt like home, as if he needed no time at all to get used to his touch, his scent, his taste...

"I was losing my mind..." Tobirama murmured, his voice muffled as he was pressing his face into Izuna's lovely raven hair.

Izuna backed away a little, his face open and sweet and touched and happy, and he placed a small hand on Tobirama's cheek, the albino man being so much bigger that the hand almost disappeared on him.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me", Izuna said with his sweet, melodic voice.

And Izuna took a step to him, stood up on his toes and kissed the albino man, placed his full lips on Tobirama's.

Something burst open within Tobirama then. Something that made him understand that this world wasn't divided in physical satisfaction and people he loved, but that the two could be the same, and Izuna was both.

Izuna tasted like his wildest dreams and his greatest desire, yet his taste spoke of a home he had never known in the physical world. One of his translucent hands went to Izuna's small waist, the other to the side of his neck, as if he was trying to hold the Uchiha together, afraid he would burst and disperse into thin air. Izuna opened his mouth willingly, wanting Tobirama closer, deeper, and Tobirama gladly obeyed, wanting to drink his heart, taste his soul. Softly, Izuna backed them up to the cave wall, and when they reached it, the Uchiha leaned his back to it, allowing Tobirama to press him against it. Tobirama moved his hand to Izuna's little face, his thumb on his delicate chin, deepens the kiss, and Izuna moaned.

Tobirama got to experience how elastic time could be, as it stretched out so that it felt like they kissed for several lifetimes while at the same time, it was like an explosion that was over in a second. But finally, Tobirama had to pull away just to speak to him.

"Of course I feel that way about you", he murmured, leaning his forehead against Izuna's.

"Tobirama..."

They kissed again.