Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, though how freaking awesome would it be if I did??? I wouldn't have to continue looking for job…enjoy!
The sand danced around his feet as he walked through the gates of Sunakagure; he hadn't stepped on his home soil for two years. Brushing a stray lock of his unruly, and unusually, colored hair away from his equally strange eyes, the young shinobi reflected on the last conversation he had with his siblings before he left.
FLASHBACK
"I'm leaving," he said to the blonde on his right. "I want to get stronger."
"What?!" the girl, wide-eyed, exclaimed. "We can't just up and leave. We're expected to be here, to teach at the academy, to--."
"Those things should not be a problem for you. You're not coming with me, Temari."
The green-eyed shinobi's face opened with shock. Never had her little brother been allowed out of her sight since the time she, along with her other brother, were put in charge of watching his every move. The three siblings had been stuck at the hip since their academy days.
"What do ya mean? The three of us are inseparable, we're a team," commented the made-up shinobi to his left. The taller boy scratched his head, not quite understanding the situation.
"I have to train alone. I need to be like him, become one with my inner-demon. Distractions are not welcome." Closing his eyes, the insomniac folded his arms and leaned against the wall, shutting the gates to further discussion.
His siblings could only stare, open-mouthed, at him; they couldn't believe this was the same shinobi who, merely months ago, only yesterday, thirsted for another's blood. The silence pounded in all three's ears, until the blonde broke it.
"What about Matsuri?"
"What about her?" the red head asked.
"She's your student! She, as well as the entire academy, expects you to train her. Matsuri's not a genin yet, little brother, she still needs a strong sensei."
"Hn." The shorter boy kept his eyes closed, silently pondering his sister's remarks. He had never formed a bond, at the very least a lasting one. Maybe Matsuri, his only student, would be his first. "She would be a distraction." Or maybe not.
More silence ensued.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, for the waste land," the youngest shinobi stated, eyes still shut. "I don't know when I'll be back."
"Gaa--," the blonde began.
"I have to do this, stop whining. Nothing you, nor Kankuro, say will change my mind on this matter. When I come back, I will claim what is rightfully mine. I will be Kazekage."
Finally opening his exotic eyes, the red head pushed off the wall and left his older siblings behind speechless.
The sound of battle intruded his thoughts. Shifting his vision to the training fields, the young shinobi noticed his older brother sparring with a kunoichi he could not place. Rearing two katana, the female shinobi was clearly practiced in everything from her footwork to chakra control. Swiftly positioning the blade in her left hand at Kankuro's jugular, her right-handed sword was poised to strike.
"Ugh!" cried the puppet master, clearly annoyed. "Fine! You win again, you little chuunin brat!"
The girl laughed, sheathing her katana after unlacing them from Kankuro's neck. "Did you seriously underestimate me? We spar nearly every day, you baka!" Sensing another's eyes on her, she turned to find a red haired man watching. Kankuro noticed her change in attention and followed her gaze, almost wetting himself in excitement at the sight that met his eyes.
"GAARA!" The puppet shinobi ran over to his brother, dropping his weapon on the way. Completely disregarding the sand-user's unease at contact, Kankuro enveloped the older, but still shorter, Sabaku no Gaara in a hug. Feeling his brother stiffen at the gesture, the older sibling quickly unraveled his limbs. "Sorry 'bout that, little bro," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I lost myself in the moment."
The red head remained quiet throughout their reunion. Surprisingly, Gaara stepped back up to his brother, and silently embraced him.
"I've missed home," Gaara murmured. "Saya," he whispered as his eyes shifted to the girl behind his brother, and his body fell limp in his older sibling's arms.
