The Sand People
Stage 1. Chapter 1.
Your Hands (Together)
By The New Pornographers. Why? The music video has dancing ninjas, some lyrics that go with story, and a nice vibe.
Note: This story starts when the Fourth Kazekage (Kaze no Hiro), Karura, and Yashamaru are around 12 years old and just became genins. It will end when the Kazekage dies, since he's the last of them to go. At this point (chapter one), the Second Shinobi World War is raging throughout the Narutoverse. I'd ask you to review and give me some motivation, but you probably won't do it anyways so why bother.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Narutoverse, or its characters.
"Kana Karura, Kana Yashamaru, and Kaze no Hiro, you three form cell one."
Kaze no Hiro sighed in reluctance at the announcement. If he could have things his way, he would be in a team with two of the strongest shinobi in his graduating class, not with the Kana twins, and especially not with Kana Karura. That girl was a failure, by far the worst ninja Hiro had met in his entire life; she was the prime example of why so many Suna elders scoffed at the idea of the village raising kunoichi. She was awkward, impractical, and gentle.
If his instincts were correct, as they often were, the girl had only been placed with him in hopes that she would pick up some real shinobi skills and attitude, and with her brother so that she could find comfort when Hiro's impressive feats intimidated her. He was, after all, the best of the best: the most powerful in his generation and probably the three before and the next. No one voiced it—in Suna, nice words of encouragement were never spoken—but everyone, including Hiro himself, knew it. He was a true shinobi genius and being modest about it wouldn't change a damn thing.
However, now, he had to deal with a small hitch. All the cells had been divided and people were scurrying excitedly to meet with their new team members.
"I'm Kaze no Hiro," he walked up to the blond Kana boy and introduced himself.
"Kana Yashamaru," Yashamaru brought his arm out to shake hands with his dark-haired comrade, but was quickly taken aback by the smirk plastered on the other's face.
Hiro stared at the extended hand coolly. "I'm really sorry, but there's no reason to get all buddy-like. I just wanted to let you and your sister know that I think our cell is nothing but a failure waiting to happen, so let's not waste our time attempting to be friends and all that crap that teams do. Okay?"
To his surprise, Yashamaru smiled in return. "I figured that much. My sister– and I— would only slow you down, huh?"
When he had heard his sister and him were in the same team, Yashamaru had felt his stomach flip; when he heard his sister and him were in a team with no other than Kaze no Hiro himself, he felt his heart sink. If his suspicions were correct, and they often were, Karura was in a team with the Kaze so she could learn from him, and he was just a medium to keep peace. However, when the jounin and elders realized that his sister Karura would not become a competent kunoichi by spending time with the prodigy, the team would be disbanded. The chances that Karura would bring Suna's most promising shinobi down instead were staggering, after all!
He adored his beloved, slightly older, sister, he really did, but he wished she wasn't in his team. Karura was a weakling, even more so than him. Although he never got much respect from anyone, he had almost perfect aim, decent speed, above average chakra control, and enough power and stamina to put up a fight. He could call himself average, really, maybe even slightly above average if his beginner medical skills were taken into account, but Karura… she didn't even want to be a ninja. She never complained or said anything, but if Yashamaru was an expert at something, it was at knowing her, and to him it was so obvious that all she wanted was a boyfriend. Peaceful and girly, his sister raised his chances of being in a team with someone powerful like Kaze no Hiro only to ruin that opportunity days later. She was a mess.
"Yashamaru!" the devil herself walked up to the two boys. "We're in the same team. Isn't that great?" Karura laughed loudly.
"Yeah, it's great," he replied weakly, twitching a little. "Can't wait to tell mom and dad."
Liar, she thought apathetically. Even she was aware that their team wouldn't work out, and it was all Kaze no Hiro's fault. She turned to glare at him, he whose flashy greatness hypnotized all the shinobi and sucked the true selves out of them. So now, even though her brother was normally always happy to have her around, he would be disappointed to have her in his team, and therefore they wouldn't work well together. All thanks to that despicable, dark-haired fool.
Hiro felt a shiver run down his spine; why was the girl just staring at him with a mean look? He hadn't done anything to her….
As the story went, Kaze no Hiro's family had wandered around the Land of Wind and beyond for several years: teaching the boy lessons about life and ninjutsu. Grandfather, father, and boy; his mother died during childbirth. By the time the trio got back to Sunagakure, Hiro was nine years old and was so advanced with his techniques that, instead of having to spend eight years in the academy, he managed to skip all of the basic classes and was now graduating with people his age. He caught up and surpassed them all in only three short years. Yes, she admitted, the young Kaze was very impressive; far stronger than she could imagine, and more clever than she could ever be. He looked like a happy, cute, innocent boy with wild but soft dark brown hair and deep eyes, but he was nothing other than a dangerous, deadly man. Karura had heard the stories that this kid had already killed, that he possessed a kekkei genkai that made him ever better than most could ever hope to be. He was so close to perfection, and yet he was the most egocentric and needlessly flamboyant prick she had ever met in her life.
Karura's teal colored eyes were burning into Hiro's reddened face, and the poor blushing boy couldn't take it anymore. "Hello there…" he grunted in discomfort, waving a hand in front of her face.
She blinked and turned her gaze away from him, suddenly flustered that she had been caught staring so rudely. "Hi there, Kaze no Hiro-san—sempai—sama!"
"H-Hiro alone is just fine…" he mumbled, looking down at the ground, suddenly feeling sheepish himself. Something about the girl's bright teal eyes had really bothered him.
Yashamaru stared on at the scene with a bored expression. Whatever happened to the arrogant ego from earlier?, he wondered sourly. Did a weak little blonde girl scare the number one shinobi in Suna? If that was the case, then his self-esteem was really going down. How could Karura out of all people intimidate the Kaze boy anyways?
"Well, in that case, it's a pleasure to formally meet you, Hiro," Karura smiled, extending her hand.
"It's nice to meet you as well," Hiro mumbled incoherently, not daring to look her in the eyes yet taking her hand and giving it a small, hesitant shake.
Yashamaru rolled his eyes in disbelief. Was he being so tame all of a sudden because Karura was a girl? He was going to have to talk to Hiro.
Karura began playing with the hem of her long shirt awkwardly. No one was saying anything.
"So, Hiro…" she started after a minute or two of just standing around in the silcence. "I guess we already know who you are, right, Yashamaru? Because everyone knows who you are; you are that cool. Everyone knows who Yashamaru and I are as well, I guess, but that's probably just because we are twins and twins are always acknowledged since they are quite a rarity…."
Hiro stared at the odd girl blankly. "Huh?"
Yashamaru shook his head. This was getting ridiculous, and any minute now Karura would start flirting unconsciously. Oh yeah, he knew her routine way more than he would like, and he would stop her this time! "You're talking too much, Karura."
"I am meeting my new team member, Yasha," she replied seriously, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.
"I think you already met him enough," he said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just start walking home and I'll catch up with you? There's nothing else to do here anyways. We won't meet our sensei until tomorrow."
Her bright eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why don't we both go home together now then?"
The blond boy sighed in exasperation. "I want to talk to Hiro about some guy things, so go away. Please."
Hiro raised a curious eyebrow. There was something to talk about?
"Yashamaru!" Karura burst out in unexpected laughter. "You're a perv!" And, as if satisfied that both her brother and new teammate were open-mouthed with disbelief, she finally trotted away happily the exact same way she had first arrived.
The pale Yashamaru cleared his throat once she was nowhere in sight. "Karura is strange and embarrassing," he started calmly. "She is also annoying to me, and she's sensitive. Would you do me a favor and be nice to her but at the same time would you just stay away from her?"
"Ummm…" Hiro was dumfounded. Both the Kana twins were now official nutcases as far as he was concerned. What kind of request was that?
"Look, both of us know that this team won't last long."
"Correct." Hiro nodded.
"So do not let my sister get attached to you."
Hiro shrugged. "I can do that."
"Are you sure? Because from the looks of it you liked my sister a whole lot compared to me."
Again, Hiro got that uncomfortable feeling that made him hesitant and nervous. "I was being nice to her. You and I are both shinobi and men; we can be blunt with each other. Our team won't last and I don't care about our friendship. But… when I see your sister I don't see a kunoichi. She's just another girl, and I have to be a gentleman towards her. I was raised that way. But that doesn't mean I like her. I barely even know her."
"And I want things to be kept that way," Yashamaru frowned. He normally wasn't an overly protective brother, but he didn't want Karura to develop a crush on the elite Hiro, something he admitted was very likely to happen. The guy would never care about a sweet girl like his sister, and their mother would be absolutely furious at her. Karura would get hurt, and Yashamaru didn't want to be there to witness it. "If I know my sister at all, I can tell you that she's going to flirt with you. I want you to ignore any advance she makes, but don't ignore her presence altogether. Be friendly without encouraging her behavior, you know?"
"Why would she even flirt with me?" Hiro was well aware of his female followers, but he had never thought the Kana girl was part of them. She looked so… as if she lived in her own little world.
"Because that's the Karura thing to do. She flirts with everyone and doesn't even know she's doing it! So please don't flirt back, don't be overly friendly with her, and don't give her reasons to like you, you know? You'll just break her heart and get her in trouble." Yashamaru crossed his arms in finality.
"I won't get her in trouble!" Hiro said defensively, starting to get mad. First the girl's cold stare, and now this? What was it with these kids that they were so angry with him? He hadn't even talked to them before! "Listen, I don't care about your sister at all. All I want to do is train and better myself. If anything, she's the team's main burden, and I am even willing to not tell her that to her face because I am a nice guy like that."
"Well then just don't be overly nice, okay?" Yashamaru flushed in annoyance. It bothered him that Karura was a girly girl, that Hiro was an attention-seeking boy, and that he had to get involved. "I don't want Karura to be one of your fan girls."
"Possessive much?" Hiro's lip curved into a mean smile. "Let your father protect her, won't you?"
Yashamaru looked away. "He doesn't care about her," he mumbled.
"Then let your mom take care of her," Hiro shrugged.
"She'll just hit her," Yashamaru's voice cracked. "I am the one who has to take care of Karura because if I don't then no one else will."
Ah, so the brother was seriously worried about his sister. Hiro liked that, when people took care of each other… but he wanted to destroy the Kana boy here for pissing him off. "Sounds to me like you come from a dysfunctional family," he sneered, crossing his arms before him.
There was a beat, and then, "At least I have a better family than you," Yashamaru snapped. "Your mom killed herself the day you were born."
Hiro glowered. Of all things that could've been said, it was rude comments directed at his mom that he couldn't stand! "I think I have already had enough of you for one day. I'm leaving." He glared daggers. "Ah, and about your sister, keep her out of my way and I'll pretend she's not even there. I'll give you that much if you stay out of my way."
"Deal," Yashamaru faced him confidently. "I stay out of your way and you stay out of my sister's life."
Both young men nodded and walked away in different directions, positive that the deal could be done.
It could be done. Karura wasn't cute, Hiro thought, remembering the mean teal eyes. If anything she was scary, and she was a total loser. Staying away from her would be easy.
As for Yashamaru, Hiro was still fuming over the comment about his mother's death, but he had to admit the blond had guts. Hell, if that comment had never been made and that deal never done, Hiro thought reluctantly, maybe they could've been friends after all. He really valued bravery, and the Kana dumbass had shown it.
"You better show up on time for training tomorrow!" he called back in spite of his anger.
Yashamaru gave a curt nod, and, although he was still feeling annoyed that the Kaze had acknowledged Karura more than him and that they had already had an argument, he sighed sadly. He had been looking forward to working with the Kaze even if it was just for a few days, but the first thing he had done was make him an enemy. And all for his sister's sake? God, Karura really ruined everything!
That night at the twins' home, Karura pestered her brother about the mysterious boy talk. She knew Yashamaru was a very proper guy and that the conversation hadn't been perverted at all, she even apologized, but he still wouldn't tell her anything. Then their mother showed up and smacked her on the head, ordering her to stop bothering Yashamaru and to go to bed.
In Hiro's home, he ate dinner alone. His father was fighting in the frontlines of the Second Shinobi Great War, and his old grandfather had gone to bed early. Unlike in the Kana household, no one asked him about his cell and about his day, but the good—or perhaps sad— thing was that he couldn't have cared less.
So what do you think about it so far? :) Thanks for reading, and I hope some of you stick around. I'm passionate about this story, but the characters aren't popular so I'm afraid no one will ever read it :(