Control and Affection
Chapter 1
News
Three people were seated at a table, the dark room illuminated by a single candle located in the middle of the table. The light shown on the faces of two teenagers and an old man each had a strong resemblance to one another. All three had high cheekbones and striking yellow eyes in addition to the brown hair and tanned skin often found in the inhabitants of Sunagakure.
After a few moments the older man spoke, his voice gravely and serious.
"With the death of the Kazekage our village will need the help of its council and shinobi in order to survive during these difficult times. Luckily for us Konohagakure has forgiven the recent attack and has accepted our proposition for an alliance."
Turning to the girl whose dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with a horizontal scar marring the skin on her left cheek, the older man continued grimly.
"Noemi, starting tomorrow you'll start working as my assistant full time."
Noemi's expression barely changed as she obediently responded,
"Yes, Grandfather."
The boy had shaggy brown hair which hung over his eyes and almost covered up the Suna fore head protector that was dutifully tied across his forehead. His expression was more eager and he nodded vigorously at his grandfather's orders.
"Kohei, make sure that your cousins are prepared for extra missions and that the youngsters are training properly."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Without another word the candle was extinguished and the three were shrouded in darkness.
-Line-
Noemi's POV
Normal people. What are they? Are they civilians or shinobi? What do they do for a living? Do they wake up with the help of an alarm clock or do they rise all on their own, signaled by some cosmic force that tells them the exact time to wake up? Either way I doubt they wake up to the sound of two twelve year olds arguing above them with the sweet sound of chaos in the background.
"The glass is totally half full, you pessimist!" (Hisa, a fierce happy-go-lucky girl who I swear was an eternal optimist just to annoy her twin)
"No, it isn't! Quit looking on the bright side! It's totally half EMPTY!" (Eri, my sweet little pessimist who never seems to understand that Hisa is messing with her)
I opened my eyes to see my twin cousins, Eri and Hisa arguing over a glass half filled with water. For a second I could only stare at the sand colored wall behind the pair as I tried to wake up and smother the urge to smack them silly.
Suddenly they both turned to me.
"Noemi-chan! Is the glass half full or half empty!"
They both chorused in angry voices. I could only stare. Each of them had long brown hair, tan skin and fiercely blazing yellow eyes, and at the moment I was too tired to even try to tell them apart.
Noticing the dryness in my mouth I grabbed the glass and quickly drank the water before handing it back to them.
"Neither, now it's just empty."
They stared at me, shocked, before dissolving into giggles. Wiggling out of the covers, I made my way to the dresser situated in the corner of the room next to a small circular window. I heard my bed creak, as the two made themselves comfortable on it and I sighed. Great, an early morning gossip session with the twins.
"Hey, what time is it?"
I asked hoping to distract them.
"About 6 o'clock."
One of them piped up and before I could say anything else the other quickly jumped in.
"So… What do you want for your birthday, Noemi-chan?"
I waited a minute or two before answering, pulling on some black cotton pants and a dull yellow, long sleeved shirt over the tank top and underwear I wore to bed.
"Well something to cover my neck would be nice. I keep getting burnt there and it's-"
"Noemi-chan~!"
They both practically wailed.
"Come on, you're gonna be nineteen soon! You should stop covering up! Go get yourself a man!"
I turned around, stuffing my arms through the sleeve of a brown jacket that reached to my mid thigh, only to see them both winking at me suggestively. Knowing better than to show any signs of weakness, they can smell fear you know, I just turned back around to search for my belt.
"And what would you want me to do with this man once I get him?"
They both laughed and acted as if it were obvious.
"Marry him and make us a bunch of second cousins!"
I could feel my blood run cold and my face get hot. My legs feel numb from all the blood rushing to my face. Thank God I turned around when I did.
"Woah! I don't think this conversation is rated PG anymore."
I let out a breath of relief. Thank God.
"Come on, you two. I told you to go outside and train with everyone else."
I hadn't even noticed that the earlier sound of chaos had disappeared. Slowly, the two got up and shuffled out of my room, complaining the whole way.
Taking a deep breath in hopes of regaining my composure, I turned towards the sixteen year old now standing in my door way.
"Kohei, you're a lifesaver."
He just flashed a smile my way, his dark yellow eyes shining with laughter. Twitching at his expression I decided to change the subject before he could tease me. Glancing out the window, I saw a small herd of our cousins goofing off in the small training ground the house offered.
"So you're trying to train them all in one go, huh? That's… courageous…"
More like impossible…
He just laughed at me, shaking his head in a resigned way.
"I swear, I tell two or three to come and train, twenty of them show up and they all go crazy."
I was about to make a witty remark when his expression became serious. Pausing in my search for a belt, I watched him warily.
"The sand siblings got back last night."
I hummed in a disinterested way, trying to not give anything away as dozens of questions filled my head.
"Gaara was injured."
I whirled around, only to come face to face with Kohei. His face was solemn, but his eyes were angry. I could tell he had expected my reaction and he hated it.
"What happened?"
I whispered, afraid that anything louder would set him off. I could see his inner conflict, his eyes tracing the scar on my left cheek before he replied.
"An Uchiha broke through his sand shield and got him in the shoulder. Then some underdog managed to get him down for the count."
Kohei snorted towards the end. Then, without meeting my eyes Kohei grabbed something off my bed and handed it to me before leaving the room.
Awe and confusion filled me. Someone landed a hit on Gaara? Fear and worry came next, sweeping away any awe I felt but allowing a horrible feeling of utter confusion and gut wrenching worry to remain. I began to imagine horrible injuries, pools of blood, and sea-foam colored eyes filled with pain. Deep down I felt a long buried emotion begin to float towards the surface. Quickly forcing down all the emotions threatening to overflow, I calmly secured the belt Kohei had handed me around my hips and went off in search of my shoes.
-Line-
When I arrived at the spherical building where the Council members' and Kazekage's offices were there was almost no one there.
As I passed the Kazekage's office I heard a faint rustling. I almost dismissed the sound and kept walking, having become used to it in all the years I've worked in and around the Council members' offices. Then it suddenly hit me.
The Kazekage's dead.
Why would someone be in his office?
Stepping towards the door, I raised my hand to knock.
Suddenly the door swung open. A young man a couple of years younger than me stood in the doorway, looking nearly as shocked as I was. His purple face paint was smudged and his black body suit appeared rumpled. Recognition struck me like a lightning.
Noticing another person behind him who I also recognized, I quickly bowed before the two.
"Kankuro-sama, Temari-sama."
I took a couple steps back so they could exit their father's old office. For a moment they just stood there. I could tell from their faces that they were exhausted, but from the look in their eyes I saw that they still had something they were determined to do.
"u-Urufu-san?"
Temari attempted weakly, I doubt she knows my name but yellow eyes run in the family so that was a good guess. I nodded and smiled.
"Come with me. I'll get you two some tea."
I kept smiling and fought off any argument with the full force of my signature Urufu stare.
-Line-
Despite their reluctance to follow me I practically watched the tiredness drain out of them as they drank the tea. I didn't say anything while we sat in my grandfather's office. I doubt there is anything I could possibly say that would help them cope with the death of their father.
It was only once they were exiting the room that I bothered to say anything. I fought off the image of bloody red hair and shifting sand as I spoke.
"If you three need anything, you can come to me and I'll help."
Kankuro just gave me a slight nod to show he had heard, but Temari tensed. I could feel her green eyes searching mine, looking for hatred or an ulterior motive. I just smiled weakly back at her, desperately hoping that my eyes didn't give away too much.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to post another one soon. Please review so I know how it is so far.
If anyone is confused this is happening right after the failed attack during the Chunin exams and I assumed it takes several days to travel between the villages so that's how Konoha and Suna have agreed to be allies despite the Sand Siblings just arriving. :)
My timing of the events may be a bit off since it's been a while since I watched the anime... but whatever...