Chapter no. : 1
Chapter title: Introductions
Story rating: M
BETAed: Betahed by Ryukai-MJ
Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Naruto, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.
Warnings: Would put some, but (one) I can't be arsed, and (two) I doubt I could traumatise you further... or could I...?
Review count upon update: -
Word count upon update: 1,707
Notes: A new story - my first Naruto... eek! For those who don't know me, I'm the author of that huge-ass Legend of Zelda story that wobbles about under the name of "Shadow", but I'm a regular reader of Naruto, both the actual manga and fanfics; I've only actually seen one whole episode of the anime, and that was... uh, it was the chuunin exams and Neji was fighting. Heeeee, love. But that was so long ago... So, this story. I'm not sure of it. it's still in the works. If people like it, I'll continue. I suppose I should just tell the story.
It wasn't post-performance adrenaline that made his hands shake as he lit his cigarette in the back alley behind the theatre. It wasn't even the night-time chill that ran through his bones.
In fact, he wasn't all too sure as to why he was shaking, quite violently too. He had done countless performances in his ten years as a professional puppeteer, and he had been quite calm and level-headed after each and every one. Never had he had to step outside and smoke two or three cigarettes in a row – not even one – after a play. Never had he had to literally rip his shirt open to cool his burning skin and press his back against the gloriously cool sand-wall.
He exhaled, glazed eyes following the cloud of smoke that drifting lazily into the dark sky. A stray thought had him wishing he could be just like that cloud – just floating languidly into nothingness, without a care in the world…
Perhaps this… episode was brought on by his promotion in the theatre hierarchy. For ten years now, he had been the ashizukai – leg handler – which was a high position in the whole theatre, but not in general. Now, he was the hidenzukai, or the 'arm handler', meaning he was in charge of all the main puppets' arms and upper bodies. He was second in charge; his superior was the omozukai – the chief handler, who was the head puppeteer. Quite literally. He not only controlled the whole theatre, but all the heads of the puppets as well, the most complicated part of a stage-puppet. He was a master puppeteer, having been in the theatre for over twenty years, working his way up the hierarchy, just like Kankuro.
He was desperate to be just like Shin-sensei…
The performance just passed wasn't his first as the hidenzukai… but maybe he was still scared that the omozukai would think he was bad, and would therefore demote him. He doubted it. Without sounding vain or narcissistic, he thought he had done damn good. He had even taken over the legs of one of the puppets when the ashizukai lost concentration.
Perhaps it was to do with the one who had commissioned the performance. The Daimyo was visiting Sunagakure on a tour to make his country a better place, as he said. He was the one who requested the performance of his favourite play, and had personally asked Kame Theatre to do it. If they let him down, they would let the village down.
No, again, he thought they had done brilliantly, a joint effort by all the puppeteers, the narrator and the backstage crew who designed all the costumes and maintained the theatre itself.
It was something to do with the audience though…
Yes, it… it was Gaara and Temari; his brother and sister. They had never seen any of his performances. Ever. They thought he was a good puppeteer from fighting, but the art of fighting and the art of stage are two different things all together.
"Huh…" he chuckled, grinning darkly as he realised.
He was scared. Scared not of them but – for the first time – of their opinion. Gaara had been in the audience because of his duty to accompany the Daimyo, and Temari had been there because she was Gaara's advisor. It didn't bother him that they never saw him in the theatre – in fact, he more than okay about it. Naturally, he felt left out of this new 'family unit', but he never had any free time now, what with the theatre and his puppets.
Besides, politics just confuses and infuriates him. Best he stay well away from it.
Thinking about it, with his now much-calmer mind – slowed by the copious amount of nicotine – he wondered why he was so stressed about it. If his siblings liked it, they liked it. If they didn't, they wouldn't disown him or anything drastic like that. The pain, he supposed, would come more from himself; he'd feel like he'd let himself down. Gaara was the Kazekage and therefore the greatest shinobi in Sand, and Temari was his advisor as well as the liaison between Sand and Leaf, and so was being heralded as the smartest woman in the village.
Who was he? A puppeteer. A theatre brat. He may be a jounin – one of few in the village – but that didn't make him any better than a newly-appointed chuunin; ranks don't mean shit when it comes to ability. He couldn't do advanced jutsu, he didn't know much taijutsu and quite honestly, he didn't have the drive to be a great ninja; it was just something to pass the time, and to help his country.
Puppetry was all he had.
It was strange. Kankuro felt nothing inside when heard of his siblings' sudden departure from Sunagakure; he didn't feel sad, he didn't feel betrayed, nothing broke.
"Aah, yeah, didn't you know?" one of his fellow puppeteers at the theatre, Iwao, asked during their break. "Kazekage-sama asked to talk Hokage-sama to talk 'bout Earth Country or somethin'… why didn't you know? You're Kazekage-sama's big brother, after all!"
Kankuro said nothing; he simply turned back to Karasu, who was sat in his lap, awaiting further maintenance. Usually, he was notified of these types of things, and he would accompany his siblings on their journey. He might not get involved in the politics, but… it was a holiday and all that. More time to work on his puppets without nosy actors staring over his shoulder…
"Get out of it!" Kankuro snapped, throwing a broken arm-joint at the guy who thought he could poke his beloved puppet and get away with it. A resounding yelp assured him that the wooden object had hit perfect target. "Fuckin' prick…"
"Jeez, Kankuro," Iwao whistled, shaking his head and brushing dirty blond locks away from cerise eyes. "I didn't know you were sore about it."
"Sore about what?" Kankuro mumbled, fiddling with Karasu's jaw hinge.
"Them leavin' you behind. I didn' even know you didn't know."
Kankuro sighed. "I'm not sore. I only did that because no one touches my puppets, especially not Karasu."
"Not even me?"
"No," he huffed, slapping Iwao's hand away.
"Not even little brother?"
"Not even Gaara. Well, I doubt he'd even want to go near Karasu."
"Why not?" Iwao asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Not his thing," Kankuro replied with a shrug. "Not Temari's, either. Hell, she was the one who teased me as a kid for wearing make-up and playing with dolls, as she said."
"Well, it is a bit-"
Kankuro snorted. "Says the guy with blond hair, pink eyes and a girlier frame than most of the women in this village, who also wears make-up and plays with dolls."
"Fuck you."
The elder simply smirked at the childish retort.
"…So it really doesn't bother you that they left you behind, and without a "buh-bye!" note?" Iwao asked, sitting opposite Kankuro and watching him work.
"Nope."
"…You're growing apart, aren't you?"
"Yup."
"…And that don't bother ya?"
"Nope."
"…But you're the Sand Siblings and-!"
"Fuckin'… Iwao, what's with all the goddamn questions?"
The younger shrugged. "Just worried 'bout ya."
"Don't be. I'm a big boy now." The brunet sighed, rubbing his brow. "Our family died years ago. No point in trying to transform the dying when your name isn't Akasuna no Sasori…"
"Did you have a nice trip?" Kankuro asked from his position leaning against the wall of one of the palace's many corridors.
Temari flinched and spun around to face him. "Oh. Who are you?"
The smirk on her face ruined her words.
"Long time, no see, little brother," she greeted, stepping up to him. "What brings you to our fair abode?"
Kankuro jerked his unadorned head in the direction of a door to his left. It bore the sign 'Treasury'.
"More money, eh? Karasu eating you out of house and home?"
"Something like that," he replied, smirking somewhat. "So how is triumphant Konoha? Has he run away again yet?"
"By 'he' I assume you mean Uchiha Sasuke. No, he hasn't. He's quite content in Konoha, actually. Uzumaki won't let him out of his sight, and less said about that Haruno girl, the better. And… Konoha itself?" Temari shrugged. "The same as always. Buncha happies floating about. And I'm excluding Gai and Rock Lee. Question is, how are you? I haven't seen you in… months… haven't spoken to you properly in nearly a year."
Kankuro let a wry smile curl his unpainted lips. "I've been breathing."
"Well, breathing's good, I suppose. How's Kame Theatre?"
"Same old. How's Gaara?"
"Same old," Temari replied with a saddening smile. "Kankuro…"
"Hm?"
"This is bad."
"What is?"
"Us."
"…What about us?"
Her sea-blue eyes flashed with anger. "I mean this! We don't know anything about each other now! We might as well be drifting friends!"
"People drift apart, it's natural."
"Not siblings – not us! What about all the shit we've been through?"
Their conversation paused as a man exited the treasury, handing Kankuro a paper bag, obviously filled with money.
"We've been through a heck of a load of shit," Kankuro agreed, beginning to turn away. "But that's the past."
"Only if you make it so. I feel like I haven't talked to you in years! And, according to Baki, you haven't taken a mission in over eighteen months. If memory serves right, eighteen months ago, you were told by Shin-sensei that you were ready to be his underling. You've changed, Kankuro. And it's that damn theatre's fault."
He began to walk away. "Temari, as old as this line may be, if you truly love me and want me to be happy, you'll let me do this. And what I want to do… is be Suna's Master Puppeteer."
Demi: Okay, so Kiba's not actually in this chapter lol. This could, in all fairness, be a prologue, but just... hang in there, please? :3
Reviews do make me a happy bunny!
