Chapter Two, Part One
Arthur yawned loudly and stretched.
The moment they had seen to the horses and been shown to their rooms, he had collapsed on the bed for a few hours sleep. Glancing at the time, he wasn't surprised to see it was 11:27am. Years of training with shinobi and militant personal alike had given him the ability to sleep for set periods of time to his liking. Not in about 8 years had he woken up late for oversleeping.
Yawning again, he dressed slowly, thinking about what etiquettes needed to be observed when in the presence of a Kazekage, and his method of approach to their bargaining. All in all it should be fairly simple. His close relationship with Baki and Suna itself meant he was far more likely to get what he asked for without compromising too much. He glanced at his appearance in the small mirror on the bedside table and ran a comb through his hair before tying it back. Baki is right, he realised suddenly, I do look so much younger than him. It saddened him to think that his friend was also more likely to die at a much younger age living out here in the desert. There was a hard quality to the sand shinobi that he hadn't seen anywhere else in his travels. Their stereotypical tanned, weather-beaten skin, the creases around their eyes from hours of staring against the glare of the sun, and the wars all left a distinct mark on the sand warriors. Then, he mused to himself, smiling slightly, How is it that he's managed to find a committed wife when you've only barely managed to handle raising a boy on your own?
Shaking his head at the oddities of life, he gathered his papers up and placed them in a small backpack before stepping into the hallway quietly. Across from his room, he noticed Talia's door was slightly ajar. Peeking inside, he smiled warmly when he saw her dressed in fresh clothes and drawing on the plain wood desk against the window.
She looked up immediately and then let herself relax into a sunny smile when she realised it was him. He couldn't help but grin further at her sweet innocent expression, one which never failed to charm his attentions. Her short rich brown hair, though cut boyishly, was neatly pinned back. The sun streaks glowed warmly in the light, flattering her softly tanned skin and bright grey-blue eyes.
Just like her mother… his traitorous mind thought, filling him again with that sickly bittersweet feeling he'd been having so often lately.
"Arthur-chan", she spoke suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. He was the only one she addressed as 'chan'. Even Shay was still called 'Shay-oniisan'. "Come look at what I've drawn."
Moving to stand behind her, she held up three drawings. "This one is of the horses this morning, and this one is of you and Baki-kun." He smiled at the pictures, so well-drawn for a six year old. The idea that her ninjutsu talents might be of an artistic kind had crossed his mind before, but he had a hunch that there might be multiple area where Talia would excel, given her background.
His smile faltered slightly as she held up the third drawing. Again from this morning, it was of Talia and the red haired child, Gaara, riding together. Staring at it closely, Arthur thought he could almost feel a sense of connection between the two figures Talia had sketched.
Something, he mused with concern, only experienced artists would've been able to capture. However, the fact she had been able to do so with this Gaara made him… uncomfortable, to put it politely. He'd only remembered who the child was as he was going to sleep. After he had left Sunagakure seven years ago, word had reached him that the Fourth's wife had died in childbirth and there was a rumour she'd given birth to a demon. A red haired child that bore the loathsome One-tailed Shukaku.
Talia, lowering the drawing, noticed his change of expression. "What's wrong, Arthur-chan? Don't you like this one?"
"Don't be silly, of course I like it. It's just…" He paused, thinking quickly, "That you're drawing skills are very, very good. I was thinking about finding you an artisan shinobi to tutor you."
Her eyes narrowed and she replied in a suddenly accusing tone, "Why do you always, always, have to think about fighting and being a good warrior all the time? What would you do if I didn't wanna be a konuichi?"
Silence.
Am I really working her too hard? he wondered, taken back by her outburst. There was an uncomfortable sinking feeling in his gut as the realisation dawn on him. Talia worked almost as hard as the grown men working with the caravans, from sunrise to sunset without complaint. Of course all the men were like family now, and treated her like the sisters or daughters they had lost over the years. But she's only six years old! Hell, I don't even know what most normal kids do…
Sighing wearily, he knelt down to her and gently squeezed one of her tiny hands. "I'm sorry sweetheart; I'm no good at this father business. Ever since you could walk you've always been prone to helping out. With all the work involved as captain of the caravans and the constant travelling from place to place, I've taken you for granted, because you never complain and you seemed so happy all the time."
Talia's expression of anger softened at that. "I am happy most of the time. I love working with the horses and everyone feels like part of a really big family. And you are good at the father business, I think you are."
She looked down at the drawings scattered on the desk. He caught a sly look in her eye as she continued casually, "But it'd be nice if we could stay in one place for a while. Like at a hidden village like this one. I could go to school and learn about all those scroll and ninjutsu techniques you're always telling my about."
He smiled crookedly at her bargaining tactics. "Well, maybe we could take a few months off travelling at some point. But" He held up a hand to stop her protesting. "But I do promise it will happen soon. Let's see how this sale works out and then we'll get everyone together in a week and talk about it. Deal?"
"Deal." They shook hands solemnly, and then she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you Arthur-chan!"
Laughing, he hugged her tightly back. "Come on. We'll grab Shay and you two can walk me to the Suna HQ."
Thwok.
The wooden batten connected with the leather ball and Temari gracefully dodged aside to avoid having the ball embedded in her skull.
Gaara stood in the centre of a pentagon marked out with thick wooden posts in one of the various training courts surrounding the Sand's headquarters. Within each of the posts was a concealed ball shooter, which fired shots at Gaara randomly. Temari was dancing around the outside of the posts, and throwing her own hardened leather balls at Gaara and trying to avoid being hit when Gaara defended himself using a wooden batten. Baki stood against the rear wall, maintaining a sufficient barrier around his pupils to prevent one of the projectiles injuring anyone passing by.
Voohumpf.
Kankurou was also moving around the pentagon, using his puppeteer skills to fire off the balls. He reached up and cautiously rubbed the bandage that covered the stitches he'd received earlier. The rough gauze material was so itchy, and sweating was only making it worse. Still, he thought with a smile, at least Gaara's alright. He felt a sense of pride watching his brother standing there with the bat raised evenly in front of him as he turned slowly on the spot. Most of the balls he had hit on his own today, with only a few of them being bashed by the protective sand around him, like the last one. Those ones were the ones to watch for, because the sand hit them hard enough to break bones, not that Gaara had any control over that.
Not yet anyway, Kankurou mused. His lapse in concentration earned him a warning shout from Temari and then a ball from Gaara straight into his stomach. He dropped groaning to the ground, completely winded and cursing himself.
Baki just shook his head and made his way over to them, lowering the barrier. Temari was fussing over him and telling him how stupid he was at the same time, while Gaara, still holding the bat, kept apologising.
"Kankurou, you're fine, stop lapping it up." Baki ordered.
Grunting, Kankurou slowly stood up and patted Gaara on the shoulder. "Oi, I'm fine. It was my own fault for not watching you. You're getting pretty good you know."
Gaara relaxed slightly while Temari sniffed and muttered, "Baka" under her breath.
Baki eyed the three siblings carefully. "I think it's time to call it quits for this morning. You all have the afternoon off today, so spend it wisely. Your father expects you to be dressed appropriately for our guests by 6 o'clock tonight. You're dismissed."
As he disappeared, Temari opened her mouth to say something when the sound of two people arguing interrupted her.
"I told you it was the wrong way."
"Well, it looked like the way we came in."
"It did not. If you hadn't insisted that we take the scenic route out of here through the gardens…" Talia stopped speaking as she and Shay rounded the corner and almost ran straight into the sand sibs. "Gaara-kun! Temari-san! And someone I'm going to assume is your brother Kankurou. Nice to meet you."
Kankurou smiled, "It's good to be known." Glancing at the other boy he asked, "And you are?"
"Shay. How's your head?"
"Better. I've had worse though." Kankurou replied boastfully.
Temari snorted. "Yeah, like that time you tried to impress that girl with your puppet and you tripped down the stairs and broke your nose."
Kankurou went red and everyone chuckled. He thought the sound of the younger girl's laugh was very pleasant, like she was honestly enjoying herself. Then he noticed the shy smile on Gaara's face which directed straight at Talia. Quickly making a decision, he suddenly said, "Oi, if you've got free time on your hands, why don't you let us show you two around town? And how to get out of here without getting lost."
Shay grinned, "Sure thing. I could do with a walk."
Kankurou winked at Temari, who was looking at him suspiciously, and said, "Yosh! Let's go!"
