Tales Under the Lamplight

Naruto fanworks made for Obon and Hungry Ghost Month, posting on September 6

[tales-under-the-lamplight]

Tales Under the Lamplight

Obon is over, Zhongyuan has come to an end, the lights grow dim, and our stories are told.

We wish the spirits a safe passage as they cross the river once more.

Thank you for spending time with us, and we hope to see you next year… under the lamplight.

[tales-under-the-lamplight]

Hour 11: Eyes Open At Last

Summary:

Faced with the possible death of Tobirama, Madara reevaluates everything he thinks he knows about the younger Senju brother. It changes quite a lot.

Author: TitaniaFaerieQueen Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara (Preslash) Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 7,495

He swung the gunbai, cleaving the second brother in half, then, for good measure, he cut their heads off and blew a white-hot katon over them, leaving a pair of smoldering and crackling skeletons behind. Only when that was done did he turn to check on Tobirama. His stomach fell. The younger man had not moved. At all. Clothes soaked in blood, with several severe injuries clearly visible. Was he even alive?

Quickly he moved over, crouching down and checking his pulse. It was weak, but there. At the touch of his fingers Tobirama’s eyes briefly flickered open, before sliding shut again with something close to resignation. He gave a wet cough before trying to speak. Madara had to lean close to hear him. “Will you… take my body… back to Konoha? For… anija’s sake?”

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 10: Korriró

Summary:

He is almost resolved to leave the young man to his fate in the snow, sad though it may be, but then the man falls to his knees, obviously exhausted, shouting something into the wind, and Madara sees his face clearly for the first time.

Fae Madara rescues human Tobirama, and while he doesn't want to force Tobirama into anything, well. It's not like the humans were treating him properly or anything.

Author: Sarkasticfics Rating: Teen And Up Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Word Count: 6,741

The storm is worse than their elders had anticipated - they usually don't get frost this early in the fall. They'd been expecting high winds and rain, but the driving snow had come as a surprise.

Nevertheless, the signs of impending bad weather had been obvious. Even the humans should have known that traveling in this would be a bad idea, though Madara suspects the young man that's stumbling around in the knee deep snow outside their dwelling has good reason to be out despite the weather. A very good reason.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 9: Dreaming in Darkness

Author: @kurakura0-0 Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara & Uchiha Hikaku Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply

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Hour 8: Dreaming in Darkness

Summary:

Some truths can only be spoken in dreams.

(If they can be spoken at all.)

Author: Phlebas Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara & Uchiha Hikaku Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 910 Part 2 of Lighting Your Way (To the Future)

Madara opens his eyes slowly, staring up at the roof beams.

The same room, the same tatami, the same kakebuton… but the late afternoon light filtering in through the partially open shoji make it very clear that this is not the same place he went to sleep in. It doesn't have quite the same feel of a genjutsu, but there's something there that's… familiar.

And nothing so much as the sight of the gentle smile that greets him.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 7: konnyaku and wakana

Summary:

"Nii-san, did you wet the futon?" "No." Madara didn't panic. He tried to shove Izuna off but the little shit had shunshined to the other end of the room, leaving him with a pillow. "I thought only babies couldn't hold their pee at night. Oh, and old people too. Nii-san, are you okay?" "I am very good!" Madara said with all his strength to refrain from burning everything down.

OR

Madara's teenage wet dream and its consequences.

Author: greenchair Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 3,001

Madara stood alone in the middle of a gentle stream, poling a canoe downstream. The fog was so thick that he couldn't see where he was travelling.

Madara was dreaming.

He was sure not just because the moon above was red, but also his reflection in the water had white hair and purple eyes. Three eyes, even.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 6: On One Condition

Summary:

Madara gave Hashirama one condition to agree to peace—Tobirama had to die. Hashirama rejected it, but Tobirama agreed. In secret. He sent a message to Madara, and met him in the forest between their territories.

Madara quickly learned to regret his demand. Too bad it was too late. … Or was it?

Author: TitaniaFaerieQueen Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 18,832

Stepping out into the clearing, senses on high alert and anger churning in his gut, Madara stared at the Senju, Sharingan spinning. Then his eyes were drawn to the hole in the ground beneath an old gnarled tree. A freshly dug grave. Was this an ambush? He couldn’t sense anyone else nearby. And the Senju was without armor. Without any visible weapons. Frowning, he nearly growled out, “What is the meaning of this?”

Standing quite still, expression almost… Sad? …the Senju lifted his arms out from his body, palms facing towards Madara. “You set your condition. My death for peace between our clans.”

He scoffed. “You expect me to believe you are willing to just lie down and die?”

“If it means the children will be allowed to be children… To grow up without a kunai in their hand and the terror of trying to survive on a battlefield…? Yes.”

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 5: Eye to Eye (Father and Son)

Summary:

Some gifts must be more than appreciated.

(They have to be used.)

Author: @phlebaswrites Rating: Teen And Up Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Tajima & Uchiha Madara Word Count: 708

Part 2 of From Me to You (And Back Again)

With many thanks to @kurakura0-0 Jackie, @dawen, and @greencuttingmat for asking the questions that prompted me to expand this into a series.

Truly, it takes a village.

"Ah, look at you."

Izuna holds still as broad palms cup his cheeks, fingers dancing over his face in a pattern that every Uchiha knows. They are all trained in how to function when blind, a necessity in a world where each and every one of their enemies knows their dōjutsu as both the weakness and the strength that it is, and he's felt the touch of more than one elder as they see in a new way.

But not like this.

Because this is not some one who was blinded by an enemy, an eye thief - this is his father.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 4: the Reeds

Summary:

The reed nodes might grow apart, but Hikaku’s love for Madara is as long as the reed itself.

Or

Hikaku died and woke up on the night Izuna passed.

Author: greenchair Rating: Teen And Up Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 296

“Look, Ojii!”

The little girl tilted forwards, reaching out with her hands as if she wanted to capture the wandering kyuu of flame that warmed and lightened the night. Hikaku quickly grabbed her waist and sat her straight on his lap to stop her from rolling onto the ground. Kids in those days were much more fragile than in his time. She would have cried to attract her parent’s attention even though she would be fine. He did not need to suffer an outburst of wailing this close to his ear, even though his hearing had been slowly waning for the last decade.

Hikaku was an old man. He had buried most of his generation.

And here he was, enjoying a rare moment of cosiness with some of his descendants. His granddaughter controlled the long kyuu of flame like it was a kite tied to an invisible string in her hands. She sat on a rock by the koi pond, as her spine wouldn’t allow her to stand still for long. One of her legs was an inch shorter than the other from the war (so many wars, all blurred together as one), but at least she was alive and whole. Her husband wasn’t lucky enough to come home.

Hikaku also buried many people younger than him.

He remembered all of them. Especially that one whom he wasn’t allowed to bury and mourn for.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 3: No Phoenix Was Ever Born of Water

Summary:

“My brother died unmarried. The Uchiha will provide him with a ghost bride.”

Author: TitaniaFaerieQueen Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Word Count: 15,063

If anyone had asked him, Madara would have been unable to explain exactly why he had paid attention to Senju Tobirama at that moment, but the result was that he had gotten a really bad feeling when he sensed excitement from Tobirama’s chakra. Worried, he had dragged his fight with Hashirama closer to where his brother was fighting against Hashirama’s brother. Close enough that, when his Sharingan caught on a minute flickering of Tobirama’s eyes to a spot behind Izuna where there was nothing except a kunai lodged into the dirt, Madara’s worry had flared up, and, not thinking, he moved.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Hour 2: A Fish in the Hand (Is Worth Two in the Pond)

Summary:

Madara loves his family.

No matter what.

Author: @phlebaswrites Rating: General Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara & Uchiha Kagami Word Count: 289

For @kurakura0-0 , @dawen, @greencuttingmat , and @lazuliofheaven who encouraged this insanity!

Part 3 of Fishing (For Family)

"Oh, hush." Madara bounces the boy in his arms a little, resettling Kagami more securely even as he ignores his brother's muttered curses. "You've always fought each other to a standstill before, I can't imagine why you thought that would change now."

"But it was the medaka!" Izuna protests angrily. "And I caught it! Surely that should have counted as a win!"

"Not when he caught one too," Madara presses a kiss to the wildly curling hair of the boy in his arms to hide his amusement, careful not to dislodge the bowl Kagami is cradling so carefully.

Read the rest on AO3.

[tales-under-the-lamplight]

Hour 1: Carving Koi

Summary:

Madara went home in the evening and unexpectedly, he was welcomed by his family.

Author: greenchair Rating: Mature Fandom: Naruto Relationship: Uchiha Hikaku/Uchiha Izuna/Uchiha Madara Other Tags: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Word Count: 344

Above the line of green bamboo, the colourful clouds drifted across the red sky. Madara strolled home, patches of saltiness slowly drying from a sparring session with Hashirama.

He refused the invitation to have dinner with the Senju and chose to come back to his quiet home. For the house of a clan head, Madara's home was humble, unornamented and unmanned. He didn't have any children, and probably would never have one. Why would he need that much space to remind him of who he had lost?

"I'm home." Madara whispered to no one as he lined his sandals neatly by the step.

Read the rest on AO3.

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Greenchair Tells Tales Under the Lamplight

It’ll be our privilege to play host to @greencuttingmat (greenchair on AO3), a multitalented writer and artist with a distinctive voice and unique perspective.

Tales Under the Lamplight begins tomorrow…

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KuraKura0-0 Tells Tales Under the Lamplight

It’ll be our privilege to play host to @kurakura0-0, an artist with impressively ambitious and complex pieces whose dedication to their craft cannot be denied.

Tales Under the Lamplight begins in 3 days…

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TitaniaFaerieQueen Tells Tales Under the Lamplight

It’ll be our privilege to play host to @titaniafaeriequeen, a prolific author who has written over a hundred stories in the Naruto fandom within the last two years, showing the length and breadth of their imagination.

Tales Under the Lamplight begins in 5 days…

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Phlebas Tells Tales Under the Lamplight

It’ll be our privilege to play host to @phlebaswrites, a prolific author who handles humor deftly and excels at flash fic.

Tales Under the Lamplight begins in 7 days…

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Tales Under the Lamplight

A few members of the Phlebas Writes discord server will be taking turns to tell Obon themed tales on September 6.

With a new Naruto fan work posted to this blog at the start of each hour - until the stories run out! - and crossing multiple genres, we hope you’ll find something to enjoy if you decide to join us under the lamplight.