A/N: More Kankuro fanfiction! Why? Because there are simply not enough Kankuro based anything in existence... And with Kankuro showing up in both the last manga chapter and anime episode... I decided, 'eh, what the heck. I might as well post something else.' And I know this isn't that Nighttime Therapy part II I've been boasting at having but... I mean... It's Kankuro, right? Besides... This is by far less angty... I think... :/
Anyway, just so I do not have to address this at the end and have a bunch of angry fans on me because of it, I will admit the truth. I do not understand really the inner working of a bath house. I mean, I understand the use and what they are for but... I'm a plain and rather middle class American teenager... We don't have anything like that here as far as I'm aware... All I have is the internet to guide me in this story as well as some Naruto episodes to guide me in my quest for understanding which I may have just fallen short on.
So to make myself clear, I really didn't base this off of any real in depth knowledge of a bath house. I had to work around the fact that Suna is in the dessert, therefore no natural springs, and the fact I want to base it off the outdoor Onsen and an indoor Sento. An Onsen was what I had to look at in one of the Naruto Shippuden episode I was watching. I couldn't logically use a Onsen, however, so I have had to combine both to something more along the lines of what I need to work around.
So, I apologize to anyone if my cluelessness in writing this offends. Try to ignore if you know anything... I mean what's really important if the Kankuro and Gaara interaction, right?... ^_^'
Disclaimer: I own nothing for Naruto... And the series should probably be greatful, for I would have had a show just for the sand siblings a long time ago...
Bath House
Gaara didn't know what he was thinking when he signed the papers for the release to construct the two new bath houses in Suna. No, of course Gaara did, he had actually liked the idea when Kankuro had approached him not too long after he had become Kazekage. At the time, Gaara had been happy to help and his brother seemed genuinely excited to have something like in the village. And of course, since Kohona had a bath house and many of the people in that village flourished and enjoyed it from what Kankuro spoke of, he couldn't let the opportunity pass to have something new and nice in Suna for once. It would be…. pleasant.
But Gaara had never actually physically wanted to go to it. He built it for his people to enjoy, not himself. But Kankuro had insisted that when it opens they would go and have some 'brotherly bonding' time. Once Kankuro had told him that, he knew it all had just been a ploy to get Gaara to take a break from the office like his two siblings and Baki tried regularly to do. But it was too late to go back on his word or have the stupid thing destroyed with much of Suna actually excited for them to open. Besides, he couldn't say no to Kankuro when his brother got enthusiastic like this. His brother was a very good ninja but not usually overall a motivated guy when it didn't have to do with puppets or some kind of birthday/holiday tradition. Seeing Kankuro openly enthralled with something meant the world to Gaara and he wouldn't dash his brother's spirits because he was nervous about going into a public place for some time.
Darn, that was probably part of his plan as well. I bet Temari was in on this as well, she's just as good at planning as Kankuro is. Gaara surmised as he sat down behind his desk staring down at a stack full of patrol duty papers he was looking at but not really reading. His mind wandering and impatient. The bath houses had been open for a week now and everyday Kankuro had promised at three, of this day, that they would head out to take part in what he described to be 'fun' afternoon. Although with Shukaku gone and Gaara was just human now, he didn't think he would ever understand all the emotions or reactions of people. People got excited when one relaxes? All Gaara found was that his mind wandered to thing he should be doing instead of sitting around. Gaara didn't get it but maybe Kankuro, being his Nii-san and all, would help him understand.
Switching his gaze to the clock on a nearby wall, Gaara stared and grimaced at the same time as the two hands indicated it was 2:50. Ten minutes till' Kankuro came in and collected him to leave for the day. Although, as Gaara's hands began to clam up, he wondered if Kankuro would have to drag or carry him out of here as his feet were beginning to feel like lead. Before he could decide on whether he should hide out from his brother, his ideas for escaping were crushed and thrown to the wind as a loud knock from his door echoed through the room. Only Baki, Kankuro, or Temari ever knocked on the door quiet like that. And the chakra he was sensing from outside was a little too sharp to be Baki and was not as rounded or soft Temari's own energy let off. He knew it was Kankuro before he even gave admittance into his office, how sad.
"Come in." Gaara said flatly as he pushed and moved the entire stack of mission reports aside, knowing full well he was not going to be able to finish looking over them today. Just as he perceived though, Kankuro came cheerfully through the door. Nothing different from his usual appearance except there were no scrolls containing puppets strapped to his back. His usual cat hood stood straight up and looked just as perky as usual. His older brothers face still had his usual purple face paint on, which usually deterred anyone from reading his expression. But Gaara could see the soft smile that lined his face from across the room regardless.
"You're early." Gaara motioned pointing to the clock on the wall near his desk. Kankuro blinked at the lack of welcoming but his smile only wavered for a moment, in fact, Gaara could swear it got even larger with the amusement now caught in Kankuro's eyes. To humor Gaara though, he turned his head and stared at the rounded clock and watched the hands tick for a moment before turning back to Gaara.
"Well, that's a hello to you too, ototo!" He said with smirk as his left eye closed shut for a moment but reopened again only a second after. "And I'm not that early, it's 2:55."
Gaara blushed slightly in embarrassment at forgetting to say a friendly hello to his older sibling, simply because of his half reluctance to go and the worry that had been leading up to this moment. But he felt ashamed none the less, as the Kazekage; no, just as a brother he felt he should have the decency.
"Sorry, Kankuro. I'm… I'm just slightly nervous…" Gaara confessed turning his gaze to the floor for a second. Kankuro though strode up to his younger brother and lifted his chin up to meet his eyes. And just looking at Kankuro this close, Gaara could read his face easily, which indicated he either had dropped his guard him at the moment or he wasn't the puppeteer he boasted himself to be. Gaara knew better, however, he saw Kankuro was trying to open up to him…. Just like he had been doing for over a year now. It felt nice to have his Nii-san think him worthy enough to do so when he had first set his life back on track, now he never wanted anything different. One of the last things in life he wanted was too loose was his brother's care. He would die all over again before that happened.
"You're over reacting again, little brother." Kankuro said lightly as it snapped Gaara back into his surrounding again. "This isn't something stressful. It will be fun, I promise. When have I ever let you-" Kankuro's words of comfort were stopped short as his older brother hand that had been under his thin chin went back to his side. Gaara didn't notice the motion much though; his attention too focused on his brother's face, or rather, the change in it. A moment ago, Gaara could read all the happiness and warmth from his face as though he were trying to give some of his more high spirits to Gaara. So when his brother tried to finish his own sentence, Gaara could not help but see the shadow of pain. He couldn't help but witness the soft smile simmer away or see the happiness dissolve from his eyes leaving them colder and more rugged and almost haunted in appearance. It was almost like he was reliving a memory that kept him awake at night for sometime because of the pain attached to it. And maybe, if Kankuro's face had been more guarded, with his usual punk, 'nothing-is-wrong-with-me-' persona, Gaara could have missed it. Although he highly doubted he would have anyway, Gaara saw it all, there was no hiding it. But what bothered the youngest brother the most was the words Kankuro had swallowed back down his throat before he could even get them all out.
'When have I ever let you down?' Kankuro had gotten half way there in saying the words, but not completely. And just by glance, he knew those words disturbed his brother. In his eyes, Kankuro had never failed him. He had helped him reach sanity, supported his dreams in becoming Kazekage, assisted him with anything was he was Kazekage, and even risked his life for him on a regular basis being his body guard. In Gaara's perspective, Kankuro had never let him down. But Kankuro felt different and Gaara knew some of it had to do with their scattered childhood and more recently his abduction by the Akatsuki. He didn't know what to say though, his brother always was one giving comfort not him…
"Kankuro, you-" He was cut off though as Kankuro put his hand in the air and flicked his wrist rolling his eyes now. The brief show of pain was gone now or Kankuro had beaten them back into the recessive of his mind. Gaara wasn't sure, never would probably.
"Ah, don't think about it. Sorry, I spazzed out there. Guess Temari was right about me not going to bed early enough these days, I think it's starting to affect me. Won't she love to hear that?" The smile was back again and it seemed genuine. Gaara had a want to comment on the skipped over subject further, but he didn't feel like going into another heart felt emotion run that usually expired when they tread subjects like this. He had had a long day….
"I'm sure she would." Gaara commented, starting to actually become somewhat happy as he would get a chance to leave the room. Just the atmosphere that seemed to have dropped by Gaara's observing his brother's emotional transitions. It seemed to be smothering him in his own office. Gaara's eyes drifted towards the door longingly now. Kankuro seemed to notice where his stares were leading and his smile widened.
"Ok, well, if you're ready let's head out. I want to get there before most of the other nin get off duty. I don't like a busy bath house, jan." Kankuro smirked adding his nice accent despite Gaara secret dislike for it… Or maybe he had told Kankuro that, it could be why he said it. He liked to be playful with him and Temari. Gaara didn't know, he just scoffed and followed Kankuro out as he existed the office room.
Once outside the room, Gaara followed behind quietly as Kankuro lead them down the hallways, the different flight of stairs, and the roads that lead to the new bath house. Actually, it was not far away from where they all lived in the Kazekage's mansion funny enough.
Kankuro was talking, about the weather, about a mission, about dinner tonight and other topics in such a manner. And Gaara listened, knowing to anyone else it seemed like Kankuro was just talking to calm the silence but the red headed ninja knew better. Kankuro was not a talkative person, never had been, and never would be. Usually used his fists or puppets to express emotions or words, but he, Temari, and Baki were the few that could actually get Kankuro to talk up a storm. And naturally caring about his brother, Gaara commented on each and everything, attentively and with interest. It was truly a give and take between the two. Kankuro gave, he took. He gave, Kankuro took. And despite what other may say on seeing the same scene, he was happy and glad to be walking and talking with his older brother.
Strangely too, their conversation had distracted him on the walk making it seem even shorter than it was and before long Gaara found himself standing with Kankuro out front of the nicer of the two new bath houses in Suna. It was the more classical one and was built in the wealthy area of the city. The other one, slightly smaller and less ornate looking, lay on the opposite side of the city. The bath house was nothing too remarkable though with its curved pillars and tinted newly made roof with signs of opening all over the windows. Even from the front, Gaara could see the steam from the actual bathhouse in the back which was obviously filled by hand seeing as they were nowhere near any type natural hot spring in the desert. But just by a glance, Gaara began to feel like he had taken on an S-rank mission instead of a simple afternoon with his brother.
Kankuro seemed to notice his sudden tenseness at the sight of the building but grabbed Gaara's right arm and pulled a head to the door entrance to pay. "Come on Gaara, I know you've never been to one of these before but I'll show you the ropes. You'll love it in no time." Gaara nodded as he was dragged behind into the threshold of the building.
It was true, as Shabaku's holder one was not welcome in public places not that he had had much opportunity to go to a place like this anyway. Either running people out of the nearest mile radius or having curses, screams, or dirty looks filed his way was the only thing he had learned to expect. Not to mention that Suna had not had a nice running bathhouse in years, much before he was born. It really wasn't a sand custom but they seemed to be warming up to the leaf nin's foreign ways… Or that was at least what Kankuro had been reporting back to him.
They walked in and were immediately met by a man with a nice yakata with a solid tan color; swirls were indented in the pattern. He wore a rather uncaring look to his face as though he had worked too many hours for far too long and his wrinkles gave that way. His slowly receding hair line was slacked back and Gaara stared in amusement as Kankuro approached him fishing his pockets now for something.
"That will be about 3,476 yen for each of you-" He began putting a bag of money out to Kankuro who was still messing around in the pocket of his black trousers for money. The man's slightly blood shot eyes traveled over to Gaara though and lingered there for a second before they went wide with shock. "Lord Kazekage!" He frowned and bowed him respect behind the oak podium he stood behind. Kankuro was still fishing for the money, apparently his pocket were deeper then Gaara had imagined or he had no money on him, something his brother would most likely forget to do. It was a strange thought in the least, that the most precise and most precautious puppeteer would to something like that but it was what Gaara had come to know and respect as his brother.
The man ushered them in, shutting the glass door to entrance behind them. Gaara blinked at the stuffy atmosphere as steam hit his face full on. "Lord Kazekage, we are honored to have you here this afternoon." The man said with pride as though he had just beaten the odds of some sort. Gaara's eyes quirked but he didn't question it, it felt nice to be honored for once and the feeling of acceptance came back just as it had when he had returned from the Akatsuki abduction those weeks and weeks ago.
Out of nowhere, his thoughts were interrupted by Kankuro's triumphant call. "Found them!" He shouted pulling out the appropriate yen for both him and Gaara. Apparently, Gaara's hunch had been wrong today. The man in the blue yakata though shook his head and pushed Kankuro's hand away.
"That will not be needed. The Kazekage is welcome here anytime without pay." He said as he handed Kankuro the sign in sheet. Kankuro looked a little taken back but also pleased by the sentence stuffing his money back in the bottomless pit of his pockets.
"Ok…" The puppeteer finally said as he filled out Gaara's name and his own name in his nice spidery hand writing and handed it back to the desk manager.
"Thank you. Please enjoy your time here, Lord Kazekage." Gaara nodded, grateful and somewhat happier, strangely, with less reluctance to be here.
"Thank you." Gaara responded saying nothing more as he and Kankuro walked in and deposited their foot wear in the nearby shelves for their shoes. Then, they walked further into the complex. Gaara became highly distracted by the ornate drawings and pictures on the walls of the building but he pretty soon found himself in a changing room. It was a relevantly modernly sized room. Wooden shelves aligned the right wall with small benches spanning the length of the room adjacent to the shelves. On the far left wall, there were dividers with shower heads in them, obviously for showering.
Without Gaara even diverting his attention to surveying the room, Kankuro began stripping his black suit off piece by piece, starting with his red sash around his waist and then removing his long shirt revealing his tight abs. Gaara followed Kankuro's movement, reluctantly at best, and began stripping clothes as he unfastened the white and blue Kage robe from himself. It felt strange to be doing this at such a public place but Kankuro seemed so at ease he said nothing until Kankuro threw him a towel that he wrapped around his waist.
"Now what?" Gaara asked curiously, having no idea what they did next. Kankuro smirked, his purple face paint still on yet his usual attire stripped to nothing but a towel around his brother's broad waist. It seemed a very strange sight to see; usually one did not exist without the other.
"Give me your clothes, Gaara." Kankuro replied simply. Gaara complied of course, handing over his limp attire which Kankuro folded swiftly and put it in one of the cubbies with a basket that made up the shelves along the wall. Then, without even giving a direction, Kankuro steeped up to a nearby facet in the wall and turned it on. There was a small divider that Kankuro hung his towel on for a moment as he went under the water, which was undoubtedly cold, and scrubbed his face quickly ridding himself of all his face paint. It only took a moment to do, surprisingly, because pretty soon he had turned back to Gaara towel back to where it originally had been at his waist.
Gaara flinched at the first glance Kankuro gave him that reminded him so much of their miserable father but it soon died away as a quick soft smile lightened his features. His father never smiled. He walked over to Gaara and pulled Gaara into the divider he had been standing in previously wiping the towel from Gaara's waist. Wide eyed, Gaara was about to question when Kankuro turned on the shower head hitting Gaara with water and he found his hunch was correct. The water was very starch and very cold but he withstood it long enough to wet himself all over before jumping out giving Kankuro a more confused than hurt look.
"Sorry, little bro. Have to wash up before entering the bathing area. House rules." He motioned with a smile as he handed Gaara back his towel. Gaara blushed slight remembering he was standing there with nothing on and quickly snatched the towel from Kankuro's hand and wrapped it around his waist as remaining water continued to fall from his hair onto his lanky chest.
His older brother turned and moved to nearby sliding door with a very detailed and decorated picture of a tree. The puppet master didn't seem to notice the designs though because he retched it open very fast, leaving a wide opening in response. Gaara lingered back for a moment, clutching the folds of his towel as he tried to see around Kankuro. Without notice, however, Gaara did not see the sly smile Kankuro had plastered on his face and before he could summon any form of protest, he was pulled through the door.
Gaara maneuvered his arm free though as Kankuro shut the door behind them with a sudden snapping crash. Gaara didn't protest any further though as he stood stunned staring at his surroundings. Looking, Gaara could see the slow heated sun above his head as the large area had four separate large wooden walls. Blinking, Gaara stared at the fake foliage that lay around and looked almost real to anyone how was not a shinobi and observant in such matters. His attention soon turned into the two pools that seemed to level off at different spots but overall connect in almost a circular fashion. The outside of the pools were coated and spread of rocks and his attention dwelled for a second on a large, but fake, waterfall that was pumping more water into the pools slowly. Water buckets and towels were scattered around. And as Gaara took in the feeling of being this close to the steaming water, Gaara could truly say he had never seen anything like it before.
"Great, isn't it?" Kankuro said smirking as he sauntered over to the water and dunk his foot in making a loud 'Awww' sound of satisfaction as he ripped the towel off his sun kissed body and submerged up to his shoulders. Gaara looked on, considering action for a moment. But finally, he surmised that he might as well get in if he came this far. Removing his towel first, indiscreetly, he placed the soft white material on top of Kankuro's and submerged his foot as well. The warmth from the water immediately flooded his system making his once cold foot tingle for a moment before he tentatively placed the rest of his body in not noticing he was making a similar sound Kankuro had made on entry.
Once sitting down on in the warm pool, he let his senses be taken over by the steam and his mind drift a little. He had never experienced such warmth before, it was amazing. He felt as if every pore on his body was singing with delight as all his muscles relaxed against the stone that they under him. It was at that moment Gaara had taken back his previous regret on not putting in the bath house. This was beyond heavenly…
He faced back to Kankuro who was smiling like a delighted third grader as he seemed to be inspecting Gaara's reaction over. There was a slight twinkle in his eye that Gaara couldn't put his finger on. "I told you would like this, jan." He commented simply as his eyes slid shut for a moment and he put his head back humming a soft tone to himself in his pleasure.
"Yes, I think I do." Gaara replied as he turned to look around more as he sat in this stew pot. There was hardly anyone there at all, it was still working hours for the normal goers most likely seeing as most average workers or ninjas didn't get off duty till' six. There were only three men both in the other pools, two didn't seem to notice or eye Gaara at all. Although, a rather tall rough looking man was giving him funny side glances but Gaara said nothing and did not make eye contact and before he could say anything to Kankuro girlish giggles pierced the air making Gaara freeze in horror. He flung himself around looking for the nearest female but over scanning, he found none to his relief and annoyance. The light talking and high pitched laughing did not stop and Gaara would have shrugged it off if not for Kankuro who was chuckling at Gaara's dismay.
"I hear females and can sense there presence but I see none." Gaara stated flabbergasted as Kankuro continued to look amused at Gaara's confusion. Kankuro though, not cruel enough to withhold the information, pointed to the high board wall their right.
"I'm sure you noticed when we walked in we headed to the right door?" Kankuro asked, knowing Gaara most likely did. The younger sibling nodded. "Well, on the opposite side is a changing area and bathing facility just like ours. Theirs is just beyond this wall and since some women have nothing to do but lounge around using up their husband's money, there are probably troves of them over there." Kankuro said absently a smirk gaining on his face as he noticed Gaara's checks blushed to a color Kankuro had never seen them get before.
Gaara, though, was slightly shocked by this realization at the idea of him sitting in a pool with no clothes on and not even four feet away from a group of naked women. Nothing but a flimsy wooden wall separated them from visual. Gaara's embarrassment deepened a little at the idea and his face heated up as he sunk a little lower in the pool. Kankuro was seemingly enjoying the embarrassment as not figuring this out earlier as he was not holding back laughter.
"Kankuro, please stop." Gaara pleaded not really caring about his brother amusement but rather at the man whom he had had his gaze on earlier. Kankuro deep embellished laughter was making the man's eyes catch towards them. Gaara didn't like that idea of being stared at so in such a scrutinizing gaze. On usual occasions he could ignore any onlooker's sight but he felt slightly more vulnerable here in such different surroundings.
Kankuro got the message though and calmed himself down to a short chuckle as he put his wet hand on one of his younger brother's lanky white shoulders for a moment. "Sorry Gaara, I just never thought I would see you blush over such a thing. I think I'm actually starting to feel what it's like to have a normal brother." Kankuro's right hand went to his forehead as he faked some dramatic pose that even brought out a smirk on Gaara's face.
"Whatever, Kankuro." He said flatly but his face still giving off amusement at the sentiment. His eyes though never wandered too far from the large man. Kankuro let out another hardy laugh, this time less loud than before. But out of the corner of his eyes, Gaara watched as the man began getting out of the bathing pool wrapping a towel around himself as he glared daggers at Gaara. Gaara didn't flinch though, his gaze having been trained to be even more deadly but it still unnerved him. He looked down at his steamy reflection only catching a distorted image of him and a bright red blooming from the surface of the pool. His thoughts diverged off a little as he noticed Kankuro's laughing had stopped completely.
"What's wrong, Gaara?" Kankuro questioned, worry drawn in his voice obviously holding nothing back from him. Kankuro's punk less persona warmed Gaara's heart even as he could feel the man's gaze upon him from across the room. Kankuro's gazed searched the room and obviously found the tall burly man that stood scoffing slowly at the two siblings because he heard a couple of curse words spill from his mouth as Kankuro tightened the hand on Gaara's shoulder for a second. He then felt his brother rub this skin there for a moment almost in a comforting manner as he began to jump out of the pool and place his towel back around waist. "I'll be right back." He told Gaara giving him a nice pleasant grin before turning his face back to the man who was slowly making his way to the door. Kankuro's face turned dark with a scowl as he watched the man but before Gaara could say anything Kankuro had stride forward a couple of feet and tapped the man on the shoulder.
The man turned around and with slightly better view, Gaara finally got a good look at the man. He had the physical attributes of a standard man in Suna, his shoulders broad and strong, his sun kissed tan remarkably dark. His jet black hair was cut short to an almost stubble like appearance, his eyes were large and round with an unusually dull shade of brown that it almost seemed boring to look at. He had an oddly large nose which seemed dip lower on his face than an average human, giving him a slightly more alienated look. The man's lips were large and wide spread covering up most of the signs of stubble on the grimly man's face. But what probably caught most people's attention was the man's size. He towered at least half a foot over Kankuro, which is saying something because Kankuro was not short at his height of 5'9'. This man was unrealistically tall, yet, Kankuro walked up to him as though he were eye level with the man. It was his ninja way driving him most likely. Ninja's were taught to never back down. Ever. Period.
"Hey, man. Leaving so soon? I saw you come in before us so what's the rush?" Kankuro asked with an even face wearing thinly on his 'naked' or paint-less face. Gaara could catch the edge of annoyance though that he had trained himself to pick up out of Kankuro's dialogue long ago. The overly large man didn't seem to catch any tone from the puppet-nin though, looking down at Kankuro as though he were an insect.
"Leave me alone, you little pipsqueak." The voice was low, rough, and edgy, matching the man's outward appearance greatly. Gaara turned his attention to Kankuro who had clenched his fist there for a second, obviously trying to rid himself of anger.
"Look," Kankuro's voice was much steelier now as though he had given up all attempts to be nice. "I'm just trying to be civil, glaring at us and fleeing the bath house is not very polite you know." The later comment was bathed in sarcasm it almost hurt to listen to but Gaara stared on unsure if he should intervene in a way of not.
"I'm not leaven' because of you," The man spit at the ground next to Kankuro's feet earning him a nice glare from Kankuro's curved grey eyes. "I'm leaving because I shouldn't have to share a pool with that." The man replied gruffly as he pointed a chubby finger at Gaara who didn't even blink in response and continued to stare at the two men in front of him, one being his older brother.
"He," Kankuro hissed venomously, "is your Kazekage." The Jonin's eyes were slits now as the man put forth a low gurgling laugh so strange and unsatisfying to the ears Gaara just wanted to block it out. But just as soon as it began, it was cut short by the towering giant.
"He is no Kazekage of mine. He is a monster even without Shukaku inside him. He will never be human." Gaara flinched slightly as the man's gaze turned on him again, a small bit of satisfaction thrived under the older man's glower. But it wasn't the gaze that unnerved him; it was the familiar montage phrase that had been uttered.
'You'll never fit in, Gaara.'
'Run away, it's the monster again!'
'You'll never be anymore than a weapon.'
These, and many more, were the only things going through his head as he bit back all emotions feeling sickly on the inside though. It had been a while since such rejection had surfaced like this. It was strange but, at the same time, utterly familiar. His train of bittersweet thoughts were broken though as his brother's voice in a low growl echoed back to his ears, making him lift his face from the pool back to his brother.
"You will NOT say that about my brother!" Kankuro yelled angrily and loudly. Gaara froze slightly as he heard all noise from across the wall cease notifying Gaara that everyone was most likely listening now. With a swift motion, the taller man turned his gaze back on the middle son of the old Kazekage, his eyes lighting up with interest in the discovery as though he had just found leverage.
"Oh, so you're the useless middle child of the previous Kazekage, I hear rumors about." The older man sneered horribly distorting his face to an almost inhuman like expression again before it even out. "Just as well, I'm not actually surprised that two of your fathers 'rejected' children are in each other presence. It only makes sense since you're a waste of a Jonin just as your brother is the worst Kazekage ever." He purred softly as Gaara turned his eyes back to Kankuro, alarmed slightly as he felt his brother's chakra bristle and swarm. But when Gaara found the look of pure hate spread across his brother's usually easy going face, Gaara knew things were not going to get pretty.
"Take that back about, Gaara, you senseless waste of space!" Kankuro snapped, disregarding any insult the man had thrown at him directly. His Nii-san's eyes, Gaara noticed, were hollowed and dark and almost inhuman… Like a puppet, and the look of pure animosity made him frightened for his brother.
"Make me." The guy countered a wide smile spreading across his face which turned wicked and almost the epitome of evil in Gaara's opinion. It was obvious he had no idea what Kankuro was capable of skill wise if he was using such insult to get Kankuro riled up.
It was all the invitation Kankuro needed though. And despite the size and body mass difference, he had his fist implanted in the man's face in less than two seconds, so fast, Gaara miss it. In a huff of surprise, Gaara jumped out and wrapped the towel around him and maneuvered to where Kankuro was and immediately caught the smell of blood as he moved over to his brother's side. He turned his head to the man now lying on his back clutching his nose and hollering in pain. Blood was dripping all down his front and Gaara could see it on his own brother's knuckles as well. There had obviously been some chakra force behind that direct punch.
It looked as if Kankuro was about to go for another hit, his eyes wild with anger. But Gaara placed his hand tenderly on Kankuro's shoulder, causing his older brother to stutter and look at Gaara for the first time. His breathing was hard and edgy.
"Stop, Kankuro. That's enough." Gaara told him directly. It was an order but at the same time a needed request. He could not and would not let his brother continue on in this way. Kankuro seemed to get message across in some way though because he lowered his fist and nodded.
"Fine, ototo." He motioned as he turned his gaze back to the man picking himself off the ground. And he looked livid.
"Why y'u lit-le punk! I think you broke my nose!" He said angry as he flashed a fist as well. Kankuro re-raised his for the defense but before he could they were interrupted as an attendant entered the room his face just as angry as either of them.
"What are you doing! There is no fighting in the Bath House!" He motioned around as though he thought they didn't know where they were. "Now get out both of you or I will call the authorities!" He motioned for Kankuro and the older guy to the door. Both glared at each other and were about to move when Gaara broke through the temporary silence.
"I don't want him to leave." Gaara said flatly as the attendant looked at Gaara for the first time. His expression was at first one of confusion; then it slowly changed to shock, and finally fear.
"L-Lord Kazekage." He gulped as he bowed as though he had just had a pin shoved down his throat. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you where here. Of course you can stay and anyone who accompanies you." The man said in fear Gaara would get mad at him for sentencing his brother way.
"Good," Gaara replied flatly. "I want him removed though for he is distracting for my brother." He stated simply as he pointed to the man who was still clutching his nose that didn't seem to deter the glares anyway.
"Of-of course, m 'lord." He spoke slowly and bowed once again, ushering the man back to the sliding door. But not fast enough before Kankuro could add one more comment, obviously for his satisfaction alone.
"And I never want to see your face around here again, jan." He sneered lowly as the man passed and averted his eyes. And with the final glare, he walked into the changing area the sliding door making his tall burly body disappear from sight. Without a word, Kankuro and Gaara stripped off their towels again and entered the pool, relaxing back in its warmth. It was quite a few minutes before either of them spoke but as usual, it was Kankuro how broke the ice.
"Wow, little bro, I have got to take you here more often. Not having to pay and we have free run authority. I've got to admit that's nice." Kankuro joked as Gaara sat undeterred and more interested why Kankuro was shrugging off what just happened with one of his more useful skills of word manipulation. 'A basic ninja tool, if one masters evasion and mastery with words it can fool anyone and get you almost anything in life.' Gaara had recalled Baki telling them once. Too bad, Kankuro's words held no effect on him anymore in that regard.
"Kankuro, why did you do that?" It was nowhere close to where Kankuro had been hoping to avoid and Gaara saw his slight disappointment about that play across his face for a second. Kankuro averted his eyes upwards for a moment as though he were looking for the right words and hoped that he could find inspiration from the bright blue sky above.
It didn't take Kankuro too long though for he had a response only seconds after. "I couldn't let him insult you in that way, Gaara. You're the Kazekage and have earned the title and the respect that comes with it. He should at least have to decency to show you respect to your level of status in the land." Gaara nodded although unsure of his brother's methods being the complete right ones. "Besides," Kankuro continued a mischievous spark lighting his eyes. "I would have slugged him anyway. He was insulting you, my ototo. I as a ninja, your body guard, and your older brother cannot let that slide. I'm supposed to protect you, right? Physically and mentally?" Gaara nodded slightly annoyed he was agreeing with Kankuro's logic, overall agreeing with his actions. He shouldn't do that as the Kazekage who had a duty to the people but Kankuro was just so darn convincing when he wanted to be. "I guess than, we'll think of this as a little over time. Don't worry though, it's on the house!" Kankuro concluded as he smirked and waved his hand in a mocking nonchalant way.
Gaara laughing quietly for a moment, amused by Kankuro's words and actions, "Yes, I'm sure we will… Are you bleeding?" Gaara's eyes flashed over Kankuro's hand for a second noting the blood that still remained despite the fact Kankuro had dipped it back into the water. His older brother looked at his own hand for a moment and sighed.
"What? Oh, maybe a scratch or something… Hitting that guy in the face though felt like I was punch at a wall, I swear, that obnoxious man had a head full of rocks." Grinning, Kankuro brought his hand back down into the water.
"Do you need to have it looked at?" Gaara asked wanting to make sure he wasn't the cause for his brother to sustain any serious injury. Kankuro rolled his eyes at the question though.
"What? No. It's just some bloody knuckles, Gaara. I'm not going to die." Kankuro voiced as he leaned down further down into the water dipping the bottom of ears in at the motion.
You'd better not. Gaara thought stubbornly as he watched Kankuro enjoy his dip, entertained by his company and the warm water as well.
As it turned out though, the rest of the time at the bath house was relatively uneventful. After about a half an hour of live roasting, as Gaara put it, they got out and dressed and collected their things, bidding the front manager goodbye as they left. They were rushing along the dusty roads now though, knowing if they didn't hurry back home they would be in trouble with Temari for being late to dinner. And God help them all if that happened.
But despite the need to hurry, Kankuro and Gaara were still chatting in their usual manner. Kankuro gave, Gaara took. Gaara gave, Kankuro took. With the back and forth between them, they felt strengthened their bond as siblings with every word. But halfway through a conversation about what was REALLY behind Baki's head set, Gaara blurted out something he had wanted to say much earlier the minute Kankuro had gotten out of the bathing pool to talk to that man.
"Thank you for defending me, Kankuro." His older brother blanched for a second at the sudden change in subject but as usual a nice soft grin was on his face.
"No problem, man. What are brothers for? We will defiantly have to do that again, sometime." Kankuro replied as he put his hands in the deep pockets of his black trousers, his gaze was focused on Gaara as well as the busy street filled with tired people heading home for the evening.
Gaara blinked as he continued to shuffle down the road next to the cat hooded ninja. A true smile worked its way upon his face as he realized just truly how far their bond had come. The words his brother had just spoken would have been vetoed naught but a year and a half ago, ending in Kankuro meeting one of the bitter and hard deaths to a speedy sand coffin. But now his Nii-san actually wanted to hang out with him, and he wanted to as well.
And for the first time today, Gaara realized his brother montage saying of the day had come true. Gaara did have fun today.
"We most defiantly will have to again." Gaara replied, quietly but smoothly as the tended smile still perked on his face. Kankuro nodded also smiling in his usual maniac way that would have others question his sanity at times. They walked home in silence as they were met by Temari at their front door, ending with a nice blow to Kankuro's head as they were two minutes late for dinner. But Gaara didn't care; his mind too lost in his own thoughts as the three siblings sat down to meal.
We will most definitely do that again. Gaara repeated in his mind almost like a promise to himself. For Gaara truly did like the new bath house in Suna, but he found he liked spending this so called 'bonding time' with his brother more. And that was all there was to it.
A/N: Done? Did you guys get this far! Thanks if you did! It means the world to me that you just read this entire thing. You know what you should do now? Review, maybe? I mean... no flame or anything. A sentence would do, I guess. But seriously! I would love to hear that actual real people out there read this! Thanks again to all you lovely people! Much love.
~GravityDefyingTrenchCoat~
Defenitions for some words in the story:
Nii-san means Japanese for Brother. -san with a touch of respect. -chan for cute
Ototo- It means literally: younger brother
'Jan' or "Jaan' are two words that Kankuro puts at the end of his sentences to give him more of a tough sounding accent, usually used to make him sound more punk like or blunt. It is a Yokohama accent that they gave him to sound different from the Konoha characters who speak with the standard Tokyo Japanese.
Sentō -is a type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bath houses have been quite utilitarian, with one large room separating the sexes by a tall barrier, and on both sides, usually a minimum of lined up faucets and a single large bath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others.
An onsen is a term for hot springs in the japanese language , though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.
A yukata is a Japanese garment, a casual summer kimono usually made of cotton. People wearing yukata are a common sight in Japan at fireworks displays, bon-odori festivals, and other summer events. The yukata is also frequently worn after bathing at traditional Japanese inns. Though their use is not limited to after-bath wear, yukata literally means bath(ing) clothes.