Shikaku spun around, kunai flashing in the dim light of the dawn. A satisfying clash of metal indicated the deflection of yet another Sand projectile aiming for his life. Then he spun again, kunai in front of him.
Again.
Again.
Again.
He knew he was outnumbered; after all, Naras were known for their intelligence and strategic skill. He had gone into the battle with that knowledge. Getting out was much harder. And with the sun rising, time was running out, as his shadows shortened and his power weakened.
It wasn't just his power either. He himself was getting more tired, each kunai sapping away a precious percentage of his strength. He'd been fighting all night; needless to say he was running on his last reserves of energy, both chakra and physical.
Then one kunai came. He didn't see it, and because its path went straight through the filtered sunlight his shadows gave him no warning. He turned as he heard its approach and raised his arms in defense; there was no time to draw a kunai as he had thrown the last one he held in his hand. As it came closer he prepared for the pain, getting his mind and body ready to cope with it.
And then it never came.
The kunai froze in midair, with no visible signs of a force acting upon it, except its lack of motion. He heard seven thumps. There had been seven shinobi attacking him. Then out of the trees walked a familiar man, one he had shared a dinner table with on many an occasion, and in who's house he had slept.
Purple painted mouth grinning, Kankurou sauntered over to him.
"Hey old man! This is a job for the young people. Why don't you go back to playing shogi and sipping tea?" Kankurou teased.
"Hey dumb ass! This is a job for the smart and clever. Why don't you go back and quarry rock, or some other menial task that is suitable for your lack of intelligence." Shikaku rejoined. For a moment they stood, just watching each other. Then simultaneously they reached out and clasped each other in a manly hug. Which quickly ended.
"Good to see you friend." Kankurou's smile was warm, his statement heartfelt.
"Likewise. So why are you here? I got your message about meeting me, so I came. Now why?" Kankurou's grin slid off his face, like water off a duck.
"Two days ago, six dead shinobi were found on the border of Wind, Fire, and Rain." Shikaku could understand his seriousness now.
"Who? Leaf or Sand?"
"That's the thing. Three were from leaf, three from sand, and neither had any physical marks on them." Shikaku's brain had already whirled into action, enemy upon enemy popping up, and being rejected from his lest of possible assailants.
"Thank you for telling me, but why are you letting me know this?" Kankurou's mischievous grin returned.
"Because Gaara is planning to give a speech tomorrow that might just end this war. He thinks that this attack will be the key, giving both Konoha and Suna the common enemy they once had again, uniting them." He stopped talking, and just stood there grinning at Shikaku.
"And...?" Shikaku encouraged him to proceed.
"You wanna come?" Shikaku just looked at him in disbelief.
"DId you just ask me, a shinobi of Konoha, to enter Suna, the country we are technically at war with, just so I can hear a speech?" Kankurou considered his statement,
"Yup." Shikaku stopped to think about the pros and the cons. On the one hand, this was foolish, dangerous, and he wanted his son to have a father when he came home. On the other hand, it was one hell of an opportunity.
"How are you going to get me in?" Kankurou knew he had won at that point, ad his grin grew wider. With a graceful twist of his wrist, Kuroari flew forward. A finer jerked, and his body opened up, inviting. Shikaku looked at Kankurou with horror.
"I refuse to ride in your death puppet of ultimate doom." Kankurou laughed.
"I'm not asking you to ride in him, geez." He reached in feeling around until he got what he wanted. Pulling out a beige satchel, he chucked it at Shikaku. "Put those on."
Shikaku opened the bag, pulling out brown slacks, beige flack jacket, and a blank headband. At the bottom were brown sandals. It was the typical outfit of a Suna nin. He looked up at Kankurou and frowned.
"The outfit helps, but I have no ID, and I'm fairly recognizable." He indicated the deep scar the graced his face.
"Just trust me. CHange your clothes and leave you leaf ones in the bag; we'll take those with us just in case." Shikaku gave Kankurou a look, before stalking off into the trees, trading his green for brown and beige. Exiting, he walked up to Kankurou, who's back was facing him.
"And now?" He asked. Kankurou turned around with a small pot of something in his hand.
"Stay still, and trust me." The pot's top was taken off revealing a mush that resembled skin tone. "I deal with make up everyday. Trust me." Shikaku stood there as Kankurou's agile puppeteer fingers danced across his scar, spreading something cool around and on it. A minute later, he stepped back.
"All done!" Kankurou announced proudly. He handed Shikaku a mirror. Shikaku looked at himself. TUrning his head form side to side. His scar was gone. He looked up at Kankurou in disbelief.
"How did you do that?" He asked.
"Oh, it's this stuff called foundation. You put it on your skin to better apply make up, and it covers up any marks you have because it's the same color as your face!" He explained eagerly. "It also makes your skin silky smooth, and has the delightful scent known as butter cream." Kankurou finished with a dreamy look off into the distance. Shikaku was laughing inside.
"Great... But won't it come off?" Kankurou gave him a look that clearly said, are you kidding me. Shikaku just looked back.
"Shikaku, this stuff is not just waterproof, but sun proof smudge proof, and kunai proof. You need a special remover to get it off. I mean come on, how do you think all the kunoichi keep their make up so perfect during missions? They use L'art du Ninja, a make up line that specifically caters to the beauty needs of shinobi." Finished he stood there. Shikaku shook his head and handed the bag to Kankurou.
"Just take it." He then removed his ponytail retying it as a low ponytail.
"all right old man, let's go!" The two jumped up into the trees, and took off.
They approached the large walls and gates of Suna, great tiers lined with guards watching their approach. A flash and burst of sand, and a chuunin appeared before them.
"Yo, Kankurou! The moon sure is bright tonight, ain't it!" the guard stated, body seemingly relaxed, but Shikaku could tell that if he and Kankurou were perceived as a threat they would be attacked instantaneously. Sand was good with security; it would be all but impossible to get a spy through their walls, but Shikaku had already found three ways. Kankurou chuckled.
"Yo! It is, but the sun and stars will always outshine it." The guard nodded, and stepped out of Kankurou's way. They continued to walk through the gate.
"Wait!" Slowly they turned back to face the guard. "Who's the other dude, Kankurou?" Kankurou smirked.
"He's a guy I met on the front-line. He trounced me at poker, and I couldn't pay him off. Then I learned he had a little lady waiting for him at home, and we came to an arrangement." The guard grinned knowingly before giving them a little wave and jumping back up to his post. Shikaku and Kankurou also turned around, Shikaku with an expression of new found respect, Kankurou with one of smugness. An expression which Shikaku found irritating after a few minutes walking alongside it.
"Yes, you were very clever and did very well, now get over yourself. You're bound to do something stupid soon." Kankurou shot him a glare that went ignored. At least the smirk was gone.
"So who makes up your passwords?" Shikaku asked. Kankurou shot him another glare.
"Gaara's into poetry, okay? Nothing I can do about it."
Soon they approached the center of Sunagakure, were hundreds of shinobi and civilians milled around waiting for someone to appear at the balcony that led from the Kazekage's office. With a billow of blue and white robes Gaara exited softly turning his back to his people as he closed the door. Turning your back to someone was considered a sign of great trust to shinobi, something Shikaku was sure Gaara was aware of. He turned to face his audience, piercing green eyes sweeping over the people, and blood red hair swaying slightly in the desert wind. He closed his eyes for a moment and Shikaku could catch his thought. Temari. Then he approached the rail and began.
"People of Sunagakure. Twelve years ago I became your Kazekage. I swore on that day that I would always defend you, always do what I needed to to keep you safe. That was my pledge, both to myself, my family, and the village.
"But then a time came when I felt myself torn in two. My people called for war. War with the same village that made me who I am today, who rescued me from my downward spiral of hate and bloodshed, who welcomed me with open arms and taught me the meaning of the word love. They showed me how to use dreadful and terrifying power to protect, instead of to hurt. One person stood up to me. One person defeated me. One person let me live. One person gave me another chance, at another life.
"That person was a shinobi of Konoha. I respect him more than I do anyone else. He is the shinobi who cried at the loss of his brother. We in Suna see such emotion as a sign of weakness. I have come to see it as a sign of the strength bonds can bring.
"This war was a strain on my bonds, and on those of my siblings as well. I was signing orders that could potentially kill my friends, and I will admit that my hand shook when I performed those horrible pen strokes. My brother came to me one night, saying that for the first time he fled from battle had been three nights before, when he saw a man who had saved his life fighting off our shinobi. 'You don't repay life with death' he said that night. My sister came up against the man she loved, the one person who saw her as a person, not my sister, not a kunoichi, not a woman. he saw her intelligence and embraced her, the two of them truly happy together. Until they also met on the battlefield.
"I know there are those that will be angry with me for saying this, but I'm proud of my sister. I believe she did what was right, for to kill one you love is a terrible deed, one that destroys people.
"I'm sure you've heard about the mysterious deaths of shinobi, both Leaf and Sand. We now have a common enemy. We have wasted all this time fighting each other, when we should have turned our attention outward. We should have seen this coming months before it happened.
"So now here we stand. My sister gone, declared missing-nin because she refused to kill someone she loved. My brother pained, because he can't hurt those who helped him. I torn, between my duty and what I know is right. Over one hundred of our shinobi dead. Over one hundred of there shinobi dead too. Fathers. Mothers. Sisters. Brothers. Friends. Lovers. Gone. Now six more have joined their dark and gloomy ranks, and I ask you citizens of Sunagakure; are you happy? Are you happy that we entered this pointless slaughter? Are you happy that our men are dead and more are bound to die because we have no idea what is killing them?
"I am asking you today to pity me. To find somewhere in your desert hearts that understands that this must end. So I propose an end to this pointless war of hate. I propose we extend the hand of apology and potential friendship to our brothers in Konoha, and become the strong power we once were, united against this new evil. Konoha has already sent someone to speak with me about this. Peace is ours to have if you wish it. Citizens of Sunagakure; my people. The choice is now yours. Do we continue down this road who's only possible end is death and destruction? Or do we change our path, change our fate, fix our mistakes, and become a Suna we can be truly proud of.
"I love this village and all its inhabitants. I only wish for the best. Now there shall be a poll. If you want peace, say 'hai'."
It was silent for a moment in that town square. Then suddenly one brave voice spoke up.
"Hai!" Then another.
"Hai!" Then another.
Another.
Another.
Another.
And as the roar of voices swelled and filled the desert air with hope, Shikaku turned towards Kankurou and smiled. Kankurou just smiled back, a Sand nin and a leaf nin standing side by side, dreaming of a lasting peace.
