Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All rights, characters, and pictures belong to their respective owners.
Sand whipped across the window as the warm desert breeze carried it to an unknown destination. The Kazekage sat behind his desk signing reports, the room blanketed in a comfortable silence only disturbed by the sound of his pen scribbling on paper as he printed his name on the proper line. Reaching for another to restart the continuous process once he finished, Gaara tensed, feeling someone approach the door, but relaxed as he recognized his brother's chakra.
He listened as Kankuro knocked and slipped in, not bothering with waiting on Gaara's permission to enter.
"Hey, Gaara." Kankuro's tone would seem normal to anyone else, but Gaara could detect the subtle tremor in his voice.
The redhead glanced up from the document he had been in the middle of signing to look the puppet-nin in the eyes. Something wasn't right, and the way Kankuro shifted his weight from one foot to the other only confirmed his suspicions. "What is it that you need?"
The Puppeteer brought a hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing the skin under his fingers sheepishly. He had forgone his battle attire and stood before Gaara's desk wearing a black t-shirt and sweats. "What do you mean?" He asked, trying to seem less conspicuous. He should've known his ever-observant little brother would catch his nervous ticks, no matter how small.
Gaara's ringed eyes narrowed slightly before he sighed, placing his pen on the desk and leaning back in his chair. "You want to ask me something." It was more of a deduction than a question, and Kankuro hesitated.
"Uh, yeah."
The former Jinchūriki raised a non-existent brow when the Puppet Master said nothing else. "Well?"
Kankuro sighed. "Temari thought it would be a good idea for you to take a break from all this." He motioned to the various stacks of unfinished paperwork littering the office.
Gaara crossed his arms and waited for his brother to get to the point.
The nervousness surrounding the Puppeteer increased as he avoided meeting Gaara's eyes. He didn't like his sister's suggestion and knew without a doubt Gaara wouldn't. "She, uh, she suggested taking the weekend off."
Clearly, that wasn't all the eldest of the three had proposed considering the apprehensive aura around Kankuro had yet to recede. "And?" Gaara pressed.
"She thought it would be nice if we went swimming."
Gaara maintained his composure but deep down was a rising panic. He absolutely hated water. Not only did he know very little about the art of swimming, but in water, his sand was completely useless, therefore leaving him defenseless and vulnerable.
As he stated his next observation, he prayed to whoever was listening that Kankuro didn't have a solution. "That's impossible in Suna."
Kankuro didn't miss a beat. "On our way back from our last mission, Temari and I passed a spring on the outskirts of the Land of Fire."
The redhead cursed mentally as he forced his expression to remain neutral, and his tone controlled. "You know I dislike water."
Another sigh escaped Kankuro's lips. "I know, and I tried explaining that to Temari, but you know how she is. Once she makes her mind up on something, it's like trying to bribe a fish out of water." The Puppeteer chuckled at his analogy. "Sorry. Bad example, huh?"
Gaara didn't reply.
Kankuro chuckled again, though this time nervously. "It's only for two days," he reasoned.
The red-haired Kazekage didn't kill without reason anymore, but in times like these, part of him wished he did. "Alright."
And so, that's how he found himself only a few short hours later standing by the water's edge and looking out onto the surface with his arms crossed as he watched his brother with deadly intent.
Kankuro must have felt his eyes on him because he turned in the water to face the redhead. "You know, you're supposed to be swimming too."
Gaara's glare intensified. "No."
A small smirk danced on the Puppeteer's lips. "That was part of the deal Gaara."
"I agreed to come to pacify our sister. I never once said I'd swim."
The smirk on Kankuro's un-painted lips deepened, and Gaara felt a chill run down his spine. His brother was planning something, and he was sure that he was not going to like whatever it was.
Suddenly, it was like the proverbial light bulb went off in the Puppet-Nin's head, and the mischevious glint in his eyes made Gaara wonder if he should stand his ground, or retreat while he still had the chance.
"Now how are you supposed to have any fun if you don't loosen up a little?"
Gaara felt a tug on his limbs, and before he could react, he was being pulled into the water he so feared. The redhead couldn't quell the panic that was threatening to bring his heart bursting out of his chest. He didn't know how to swim! He was going to die- again!
"Relax Ototo. I've got ya!"
As soon as Gaara began choking on the liquid surrounding him, he felt another tug as his legs and arms started moving, driving him upwards. Once his head broke the surface, the former Jinchūriki gasped for air greedily in between coughs. As he slowly began getting his breath back, Gaara noticed he was now on his hands and knees on dry land. How he got there, he didn't know and didn't care. All he knew was he was never stepping foot in that wretched spring again.
Kankuro placed a comforting hand on his brother's back. "You okay?"
Gaara's answer was in the form of a glare.
The Puppeteer raised his free hand in surrender. "Right. Stupid question."
Finally, after a few minutes, Gaara's breathing returned to normal, and he sat back, letting his weight rest on shaky arms.
Kankuro took a seat beside him, chuckling. "You didn't think I'd let you drown, did you?"
Once again, Gaara glared at his older sibling. "It's your fault I was in such a position in the first place."
The puppet-nin raised a brow. "Oh, really?"
Gaara nodded.
"How so?"
"You pulled me in."
Kankuro raised his hands in defense. "I never touched you."
Gaara's glare intensified. "You didn't have to."
Kankuro sighed, a small smile forming on his lips. "I should know by now that I can't get anything past you." As he said this, he flicked two fingers, and Gaara's leg jerked slightingly under the influence of the chakra threads attached to the limb. "How did you figure it out?"
"I know very little about swimming, yet while I was in the water, I managed to somehow swim to the surface on my own."
Kankuro smirked. "Told you I had ya."
The two sat there in comfortable silence for a while until the Puppeteer broke it. "Wanna try again?" He asked, motioning toward the water.
Gaara's eyes widened slightly. "No!"