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When Tobirama notices Izuna’s signal, he comes as quickly as he can, but despite moving at the impossible speed of a flying god, it is not fast enough.
He quickly assesses the battlefield.
Izuna is already harshly wounded, the kind of wounds that require swift attention or they might very well become lethal. Yet his enemies still stand, and as long as they’re alive to be a hindrance, Tobirama cannot afford to focus on helping his.. Izuna rather than on the fighting itself.
He dispatches the remaining shinobi quickly, uncaring in which manner besides what method will bring him the fastest results, then returns to Izuna's side.
Izuna's eyes are closed. He's half leaning against a large boulder and if it weren't for the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and the two javelins protruding from his chest and abdomen, he'd look like he was only resting.
Tobirama is suddenly afraid to touch him. What if he only hurts Izuna more? What if.. Izuna won’t rouse to the touch?
After a second of hesitation, Tobirama scolds himself for being irrational. Izuna needs medical help as soon as possible, and it is impossible to administer without touching him. He steels himself, breathes in and lays a hand on Izuna's shoulder.
„Izuna?“ He asks quietly.
Izuna's eyes fly open and he startles a little, jostling the spears in his flesh, provoking a small coughing fit. Once it subsides, his face smooths out from the painful grimace he has been sporting, and his eyes find Tobirama's. With a wry smile on his lips, he says in a whisper: „Ow. Remind me not to do that again.“
Tobirama quickly glances over him. „Any other major injuries?“
„What, are these not enough for you?“ says Izuna dryly.
Tobirama doesn't let himself be distracted by the banter. He assesses the damage to Izuna’s flesh, coming to an unpleasant realization. And a decision.
„I can't heal you from something like this and be able to use the hiraishin to transport us afterwards. I don't have the chakra for it. I'll have to bring us to Konoha and leave the healing to Hashirama, he's the better healer anyway.“
„Mm,“ Izuna says. His eyes are falling closed again. The ground around him is sticky, stained reddish-brown. How much blood has he already lost?
They’re losing time with every second that passes. Izuna is losing time with every second. Tobirama will have to act quickly.
„Izuna,“ warns him Tobirama. „Listen to me. I need to take these out before I can activate the seal, otherwise I’d be bringing that entire rock with us, too. Can you hold still so I won’t damage you further?“
„Suure,“ slurs Izuna in response. „Since you asked.. so nicely.“
Tobirama’s right eye twitches. How can Izuna be so blasé in such a dire situation? But that is so like him, always driving Tobirama mad.
„Hold onto me,“ instructs him Tobirama, placing both of Izuna's hands on his shoulders. He considers the situation for a moment. „And bite onto this.“ He places a piece of his armguard into Izuna's mouth before carefully gripping the handle of the first javelin piercing Izuna’s chest and pulling steadily.
Izuna's lips turn up at one corner. „Such a romant-nnngh!“
His hands clench, nails digging into Tobirama's shoulders so hard they will surely leave bloody marks. Izuna's scream, partially muffled by the leather between his teeth, rushes right into Tobirama’s face, the stream of air leaving his mouth displacing stray strands of Tobirama’s hair. The spear resists Tobirama’s efforts at first, firmly lodged in the stone as it is, but finally gives after applying more force. Izuna shouts during the entire time it takes Tobirama to pull the weapon out, only pausing to breathe in through the bit once his air supply is exhausted, his voice turning less loud and into more of an animalistic keening than a human sound of pain.
The sound echoes in Tobirama’s ears and seems to linger, for much longer after the first javelin is freed. The wound starts spurting out blood in earnest once the obstacle staunching its flow is gone, and Tobirama has a front row seat to the whiteness of Izuna's eyes and how quickly his face bleaches out of the little color it had.
The blade is tossed unceremoniously to the side, and Tobirama has to support Izuna under his armpits, since he's sagging down a bit, head lolling, on the verge of passing out.
Except he can't be allowed the merciful respite of unconsciousness yet. They still have the second spear to get rid of, and time is of the essence now more than before.
„Izuna!“ barks Tobirama. „Don't faint on me now!“
Izuna makes a vague noise of complaint. His nails are no longer talons digging into Tobirama's flesh, now they slide slowly to the side, following the slope of Tobirama's shoulders, resembling much more a lover's caress. The bit falls out of his now slack mouth.
Tobirama curses. He slaps a hand on Izuna's chest, trying to stop the blood spilling out of the gaping wound and spits a small water bullet into his face.
Izuna splutters, blinking to get the water out of his eyes.
„Whatzzz... that for?“ He mumbles.
„You have to stay conscious until I get you to Konoha,“ orders him Tobirama. „Do you understand?“
„Your.. bedside m’nner.. terrible,“ gasps Izuna out with difficulty.
„Don't talk,“ orders him Tobirama again. „Save your strength. Lock your knees if you can.“
„So... nngh, bossy.“
Tobirama uses a hip to pin Izuna more securely so that he won’t slide further down much even if – when – his legs give up on him. Then he changes his grip so that he has one hand pressing down on the open wound and the other on the remaining spear, takes a deep breath, and pulls.
Izuna makes a strangled noise. His whole body starts shaking, teeth clacking together, then folds down like a stack of cards as soon as the second javelin’s tip emerges free of his flesh. Luckily, Tobirama is fast enough to support him.
„Izuna!“ He shouts again.
There is no response. The only things keeping Izuna’s body upright is the stone at his back and the three point hold Tobirama has on his front.
Lacking other options, Tobirama surges forward, pressing Izuna bodily against the cold surface in a parody of an embrace. Once his grip is secure, he leans backwards, hands around Izuna’s back, quickly going through the seals to his transportation jutsu.
A flash, and they’re in Konoha.
They fall together onto Hashirama’s desk in a clatter of hands and armor. There is shouting, so much shouting. Tobirama doesn’t care. He can only spare his attention away from putting pressure on Izuna’s wounds long enough to distractedly shout at his brother: „Anija, healing! Now!“
As Hashirama kneels down, hands glowing green coming to rest on Izuna’s injuries, Tobirama dredges up his remaining chakra and pushes it into Izuna in a second green spurt. Despite their combined efforts, the ornamental rug on the floor of Hashirama’s office steadily turns red.
Time becomes measured only by the speed at which their chakra pours into Izuna’s wounds, and the unsteady rise and fall of his chest, a bittersweet reassurance - no matter how grave are the injuries, how feeble the motion, as long as it keeps happening, there is hope. They still have time to heal, to live, to imagine a future.
Their efforts, however, are not to bear fruit.
After exhaling a last labored breath, Izuna’s chest stops moving.
“No,” breathes out Tobirama and tries to force even more chakra through even as he has very little he can afford to spare. “You bastard, you don’t get to do this to me.”
The world around him gets shakier and out of focus, like frost creeping on glass in the middle of winter. After his resurrection, Tobirama has always run cold, but he has never felt colder than now, feeling the warmth leave Izuna’s body under his hands.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he repeats mindlessly. Izuna doesn’t get to leave him. After all, he has refused to let Tobirama leave first, so he can’t complain about Tobirama doing the same.
He is so preoccupied with Izuna that he flinches as Hashirama lays a hand on his shoulder. “Tobirama. Otouto.. stop. It’s over. You can’t help him now. Let go.”
Tobirama wants to laugh. Why should he let go, when Izuna couldn’t?
Why should he indeed. His hands clench in the fabric of Izuna’s armor. Can’t help him? What nonsense. He is the only person who can help Izuna now.
He stands up, determined, hands dripping red onto the floor.
“I’m going to need a body.”