Chapter twenty-five: Arrival.
Kankuro:
Konoha gates are just on the horizon now, you can jsut make out the massive red lined, green wooden gates. They look about a centemeter high from where we are, with big wooden walls that look about two thirds of a centemeter high running out from them.
"Thats Konoha." I say, looking up at the tired little boy on my shoulders, taking his hand and pointing it towards the gates, "Those are the big gates that are the entry, and beond them are where Naruto and our other friends live."
"And where mummy is!" He smiles, I'm not sure Fuus there, but Gaara thinks she is and has told Dai, I hope Dai isn't upset if she isn't there yet.
"Thats right. At a guess she'll be at the gates." Gaara smiled. Damn it Gaara don't get his hopes up just to crush them!
"If she is there that is." I say in a serious tone, yes, i can be serious.
"She is. She was there yesterday." Gaara nods to himself. He's as stupid as a child at times.
"Thats where your aunt Temari is, and your soon uncle inlaw, and its where we are going to watch Fuu become a Chunnin." Matsuri intergects,
"If she heard you talking about her and shikamaru like that she might just kill you matsuri, be careful what you say." I laugh.
"well they totallylike each other, its obvious." She mumbles,
"Like how you like Gaara?" I whisper in her ear,
"I don't... No... Oh shut up kankuro!" They walks off in a huff,
"What did you do?" gaara is gving me the death glare.
Matsuri:
He can't posibly remember that night, he was way to drunk. Am i really that obvious then? Does Gaara know? Does Gaara remember? I hope Fuus hit made him forget... Oh I'm worring about nothing. But how does kankuro know? These thoughts are going round and round in my head. Maybe Fuu told him? She better not have. I'm driving myself insane now. i raise a hand to my head and shake it violently, making all the thoughts about my love for gaara fall out.
Kankuro:
Matsuri seems to be having trouble over something. Did she really think i didn't know? The only person who might not know is Gaara. Then again he might, you jsut can't tell with Gaara. i could ask, but I'd have to be careful about it,
"Gaara. What do you think about teacher-student relationships?"
He raises an eyebrow at me, "I personally think its wrong. But others disagree, why? Do you like one of your students? Kankuro they are all like seven..." he seems worried,
"No, not me!" I exclaim, "I just heard some rumors, they where only rumors though, and it got me thinking. I mean if they student and teacher are almost the same age? Like, Um... Lets see... You and matsuri say. Would you still find that disgusting?"
"It is wrong to date a student, yes i would still think it wrong even if they where the same age. It would get in the way of their training for a start. Anyway, i thought you started teasing me about Fuu, changing onto matsuri now are you?" he flickers his eyes my way, damn he's gotten better at reading people.
"No. I'm not making fun of you about matsuri." I'm making fun of her, i add in my head.
"Kankuro, I'm not stupid. She'll get over it soon enough." Shit he knows, but he doesnt seem to know she's liked him for around three years already, most likely won't end just now...
"Get over what? I never said you where dumb. Oh look we're nearly at the gates." I try to play dumb, but it seems to fail so i just change the subject.
"Uncle Kankuro? Why are you talking about Matsuri loving Gaara to Gaara? That doesn't seem very nice to me." The little boy who is still on my shoulders asks,
"Because Dai, your uncle kankuro is an idiot." Gaara smirks as he lifts the boy from my shoulders and onto his back. Dai simple laughs at me, calling me a Baka and sticking out his tongue, i ruffle his messy jaw legnth mid-brown hair. His Hazel eyes scowl at me for this, he hates it when i mess up his already messy hair even more.
We walk on almost in silence, every now and then making small talk and odd remarks, nothing much though. We are now about half a mile away from the gates, and slowly getting closer with each passing second.
Suddenly an echo of a voice hits us loudly, "STOP LOOKING UP AT ME YOU CREEP!... I SAID STOP! GO AWAY YOU PAEDOPHILE!"
"Told you she was here." Gaara remarks smugly at me, damn i hate being wrong,
"Might not be her... Other girls hate paedophiles to... Oh alright i can hear its her!" He has risen an eyebrow at my pathetic attmepts to decline that i'm wrong.
"Gaara-daddy? Can we run to see mummy-fuu? I want to see her now!" Dai trys to demand,
"I don't run." He states coldly as he disapears in a swirl of sand, reappearing just out side the gates,
"Well then matsuri... RACE YOU!" I scream as i run off full pelt after them.
Daisuki
"MUMMY-FUU!" I scream, jumping off of Gaara-daddies back, "Gaara-daddy said you would be here, but uncle-kankuro didn't believe him!"
She lowers herself down through the air to lan lightly infront of me, "Of course I'm here, your daddy wouldn't lie now would he?" she bends down kissing my forehead, then hugs my Gaara-daddy. Just then Kankuro runs up out of breath,
"I WIN MATSURI!" He calls back at the slowly approching figure, who had barely moved since we left them, she wasn't raceing. "Hey Fuu. How long you been here? I thought you where heading out today?" he gets out between breaths, his face is sweaty and some on his make-up as smudged, Mummy-Fuu reaches up, wiping away the excess make-up,
"Yesterday. About thirty minutes after Gaara said i'd be waiting. I'm the 'little birdie' he refered to. I got bored so i left." She giggles slightly,
"Yesterday? Where did you stay the night the apartment won't be ready until today." Uncle-kankuros face creases as he trys to work it out,
"I slept at Kibas house, the dog-boy."
"You did what?" I hear Gaara-Daddy growl in a low, scarey pitch. i step behind Uncle-kankuro grabbing his hand.
"I slept on Kibas couch." She says each word slowly so he can understand this time around.
Gaara-daddy doesn't say anything, but his eyes are soft again. "Why'd you stay at the muts house? Why not stay at shikamarus or narutos or with Temari or just someone you knew better?" Kankuro intergects, pushing me out from behind his back and letting go ofmy hand,
"Well lets just say Shikamaru was going to be having a slightly busy night... Temari was also going to be busy..." She looks at Kankuro whos smirking, i look at Gaara but he doesn't seem to get the joke either, "Naruto was upset when he thought i didn't think he would be having a girl round, and said he was having hinata over, so i left him. Only other person I talked to more than the odd sentance was Kakashi, and well he'd seem like a paedophile if he had a young girl on his couch. So i went to Kibas, i liked him when i first met him because he can drink. and he was easy to find, just follow the smell of wet dog through town." She shrugged.
Matsuri had caught up by now, "Right. Lets go to our apartments, Lilia, Danko and Fuu you are all shareing an aparment since you are all in the same team, Kankuro will be with you acting as your sensei and staying with you, since all teams require a sensei too. Whilst me matsuri and Dai will go stay in the aparment down the hall from yours, where Temari currently is." Gaara-daddy said coldly, walking off. We all follow just behind him,
"Gaara, whats wrong?" Mummy-fuu pounces on him from behind wrapping her arms around his neck from the back, "Cheer up. We get to see everyone again, why so down?"
"Nothings wrong. Yes i'm glad to see all my old friends. I'm not down." He states as a reply,
"Gaara, Your lying. Don't lie to me. You know i can read your thoughts so if you don't tell me i'll just search through for what it is." I cant see her face but i think she's pouting.
Gaara:
Damn it. Now she'll know whats bugging me one way or another. I turn around in her arms, facing her, just inches away from each other. I stare her straight in the eyes. "Don't read my thoughts. Nothings wrong, I just don't like that you stayed over some guys house that i don't know and who drinks all the time." she unhooks her arms and steps back, turning her head slightly to one side,
"I'ma big girl Gaara, i can handle myself. Anyway Kiba lives with his mum, his sister, loads of dogs, and a father? I never met his father. And i slept on their couch. Would you prefer i slept out in some park where drunk weirders might come at get me." She's teasing me in a serious tone.
"You're the one that wanted to know." I state cooly.
We are now just around the corner from where we will be staying. "You guys need to go tell the hokage you're here. We will be in our apartment waiting. Kankuro you have to go with them, you're here on buisness not leasure aswell. Whereas we three do not have to, well i have to later tonight for a meeting but not yet." I point towards myself, matsuri and Dai.
"Sure sure. Come on kids." Kankuro mutters as he walks off with the three Gennin following behind him,
"Kankuro." I call over and whisper to him "Be wary of the hokage, she doesn't seem to like Fuu."
He nods and then takes the others away.
We get into the apartment, which looks virtually unused, Temaris bag and fan have been left my the door but other than that there are no signs of any humans having been here in days. "I wonder where Temari is..." I mutter, more to myself than to Matsuri, Dai is running through the rooms of the apartment exploring already,
"Oh...Um... I'm sure she's... Just out for a walk... Or planning the chunnin exams... or something." Shes obviously hiding something, or very nervous about nothing.
"Hm maybe, maybe she's at shikamrus."
"NO! Why would she be there?... I mean she has to reason..."
I interupt before she can carry on, "...Because he's also aranging the chunnin exams..." I raise an eyebrow, whats wrong with matsuri? i decide to let it slide i can't be bothered with a teenaged girls problems. She lets out a slight, almost silent sigh of relife,
"I can go bring her back if you like?" she asks, shes already out the door before i can say its fine.
"Gaara-daddy? When will we meet all your friends? I still haven't met everyone!" Dai says, running back into the room,
"When the others are done with the hokage we'll go see everyone alright?" I smile down at my son.
"Okay," He grumbles. He is obviously excited about meeting all our friends he has heard so much about, and isn't pleased at having to wait any longer.
"Want to play some shougi?" I ask the little boy wearing a look of bordem, i had just started to teach him how to play, he wasn't very good yet so i always go easy and let him win.
"Sure. And I'm definatly going to win again!" His face lights up.
"Of course Dai." I give a slight smile in return.