Chapter Two: The Panda Demon

Temari and Kankuro knew that their little brother was different. It was obvious by the way everyone acted around him. Each one of the three siblings was of a different mother but the same father.

Gaara was the newest edition to their pathetic excuse for a family. He was cute. Really. Temari held him in her small arms as she and her brothers waited outside as the Kazekage decided what would happen next.

Her forest green eyes gazed down at Gaara's little face. He was only a few days old but he already had a rebellious tuft of dark red hair.

There were strange marks almost like panda eyes. It almost looked as if he were wearing makeup. His eyelids and the area around them were completely black. A sharp contrast to his pale skin which was just beginning to lose its babyish pink hue.

Temari found herself wondering what color his eyes would be. She and Kankuro had mainly inherited their looks from their mothers. Would Gaara be the same? He had the same hair as his father. He squirmed in her arms. He looked uncomfortable and she thought he would start crying. But he didn't.

She frowned. She was only five years old but that didn't seem right to her. He should be crying.

"Kankuro." She said, standing up quickly and making her way to her brother who was fiddling with some little wooden carving. "Does he look okay to you?" Kankuro glanced at Gaara's unhappy face and shrugged. "I don't know. You're a girl. Can't you sense what's wrong with him or something?" Temari huffed, her anger rising.

"I'm not a mom! I don't know, but he's not crying!" Kankuro sighed and took the bundle from Temari's arms. Kankuro gazed down at his new brother's face. He did look miserable. He didn't feel particularly warm. He had just been fed, and it wasn't cold out. What could be wrong with him?

"Awwwww!" Temari said. "You two are so cute! Are you bonding?" Kankuro blushed and shoved Gaara back at Temari. "Shut up!" Temari laughed. "You're just jealous because Gaara's special." Kankuro glanced at the shut door across from them. "Being special isn't a good thing." He said.

"Not if they decide he's dangerous."

Temari bristled. She clutched her brother closer to her chest. "It makes me sick." Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Temari scowled. "What do you think? How can a group of old geezers just sit around and talk about whether they should slaughter and innocent child or not just because he might be dangerous? They have no right! He's our brother! If our lousy father doesn't care about him, then he can die for all I care! Gaara is going to have to be our responsibility. Got that?"

Kankuro put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay."

Temari and her brother quieted down after that. Eventually, Kankuro leaned over and peered at Gaara's face. "So…..when do you think he'll open his eyes?"

Temari shrugged. "No idea. He is pretty cute though. What color do you think they'll be?" Kankuro gained a thoughtful look on his face. "Green? That's a common one for people with red hair."

His sister tilted her head to one side.

"Maybe. I'm going with brown."

"Why?" Kankuro questioned.

Temari shrugged. "I think they would suit him. He looks like a little panda bear with those black marks around his eyes. Don't you think?" Kankuro took his little brother from Temari. He raised his hand over Gaara's face to move his hair from his closed eyes. But much to the surprise of them both, Gaara's tiny toothless mouth opened and bit Kankuro's finger. Hard.

"Ow!" Kankuro exclaimed, pulling his somehow bleeding finger away from Gaara's mouth.

"He bit me!" Temari was trying and failing to contain her laughter. "Yeah, he did. I think he knows you're his big brother!"

Kankuro scowled. "Shut up. Here, you can have him back." He held the baby towards his sister but Temari just took a step back with her hands raised as a defence.

"No thanks! He might bite me next!" Kankuro pulled the bundle back onto his lap. "Weren't you the one giving a speech about how Gaara's supposed to be our responsibility just a second ago?"

Temari kicked him lightly in the shin. "Ow! Hey! Abuse from one sibling is enough!"

Gaara made an upset little sound, yet he still didn't cry, drawing his siblings' attention once again. His eyelids fluttered. "Look!" Kankuro exclaimed. "I think he's going to open his eyes!" Temari gazed down at Gaara in anticipation. He wriggled in his blankets and Temari could see his tiny fists. She put her finger near one and he grabbed onto it squeezing tightly. "Ouch!" Temari cried. She attempted to free herself but the week-year-old had a strangely strong grip.

Finally, Gaara turned his face upwards and opened his eyes.

Both Kankuro and Temari had been wrong.

His eyes weren't green, and they weren't brown.

They were an icy blue.

He stared up at his siblings with an odd amount of awareness.

"He's a panda demon." Kankuro said. Temari stared at him. "What?"

"Think about it." Kankuro said. "He has those marks, and red hair, but his eyes are blue, he made me bleed and he almost broke your finger. He's a week old Temari! He's a panda demon!"

Temari glanced down at her little brother. He continued to watch her with those big blue eyes of his. "A panda demon…..yeah. Okay."

A/N: This is beginning to get discouraging. Does nobody read one-shots anymore? Oh well, I'll keep writing them. I would really appreciate some reviews though! Please review!