Before I begin, for all the commenters and responses! Thank you all for the positive reviews, you've really helped me along. Now, onward with the chapter, 'The Brothers Ratura'!
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…Darkness, abject, absolute, and seemingly unbroken. Sound and light are absent, nothing to disturb the endless gloom…
A drop of blood slips through the dark, betraying the deathly black as it obeys Gravity's will. It plummets, a human face momentarily reflected in the unbroken liquid before it encounters a solid surface. The liquid blooms upon impact, crowning into a rough 'Wind' kanji. It freezes, holding solid for seeming an eternity before the focus is drawn inward. Something can be seen shifting within the Kanji's frozen pieces, like the reflections of a broken mirror…
The silence of this unbroken room is finally broken, the 'Wind' Kanji shattering into a thousand pieces. Struggling from what remains of its eggshell, the mewling cries of a cub add to the tinkering of the kanji fragments. Almost a miniature version of the Ichiibi, the weakened paws scrabble at what remains of its bloody prison, unopened eyes blind and pathetic in its calls for help.
The cub's cries do not go unanswered.
The hulking shape of the Kyuubi rears from the shadows, curiosity having replaced the customary snarl. Nine tails flicking about, the rearing fox beast takes a preemptive sniff, prodding the cub with the tip of its snout. With the mere touch, the body of the cub rumbles, exploding forth in size and muscle. Any kindly interest the Kyuubi had in the youngling evaporates in an instant, belting out a vicious roar at the creature now twice its size. The cub, now a streamlined beast quite unlike the bulky demon it represented, tosses the warning bellow aside. The beasts jaws agape, the Kyuubi is given no warning whatsoever before its head is ripped clear from its shoulders. The fox demon's body wobbles before collapsing into a sea of broiling chakra, the head dropped into the fiery blood. The beast, once a cub, shows no remorse, the eyes finally open to show the irises…
Turquoise…
Horrified at what he had just seen in his coffee cup, Gaara shivered, pushing his mug away. He didn't need it, wide-awake already. His older sister paid no attention, only briefly noticing that Gaara was staring at his coffee cup as though it were about to jump up and eat his face.
"…if you're not going to drink your coffee, I will."
Gaara's horrified face turned to Temari, his expression clearly stating that his sister had just pleasantly asked to be slaughtered in horrible ways.
"Yeah, sure Temari. You can drink it, but I'm gonna laugh when it leaps up and EATS YOUR HEAD!"
"…meh." A grunt, sipping the coffee while Gaara looked on in suspenseful terror across the table. Temari's face contorted, a grimace for the ages. Gaara, at the peak of his suspense, shrieked and dove under the table, narrowly avoiding the spray of black coffee that came jetting from Temari's mouth.
"I KNEW IT! HE'S GONNA EAT YOUR SOUL TOO!"
"No, this COFFEE'S gonna eat my soul!" She spat, wiping the black coffee from her mouth. "You don't put any cream or sugar in this thing! EUCH!"
"…I like it black…" He muttered, sheepish and awkward again, clambering back into his chair. "Keeps me awake and my soul whole."
However, Temari wasn't paying attention to HIM anymore, instead, just behind him. Her attempt at keeping a straight face was failing miserably. Kankuro, covered in saliva and hot coffee, dimly blew it off his face out of the corner of his mouth, his face paint smearing and dripping off his chin into the stone floor.
"…I. Just. Put. This. On.…" He spat, his left eye twitching.
Temari determined it was far too early in the morning to be dealing with her younger brother's complains.
"Then you'll just have to reapply your clown face." She muttered bitterly, chugging the rest of Gaara's now sweetened coffee.
"IT'S NOT A CLOWN FACE!"
"What's with all the racket down here!" The three at the table froze in the sight of their father, sprayed coffee everywhere and Kankuro soaked in aforesaid fluid.
"…well…uh…" Gaara stuttered. "I saw something scary in my coffee and Tamari said that she'd drink it but when she did she spat it out and got it all over Kankuro and then Kankuro got really mad-"
"Shut up Gaara." Yondaime spat. "Kankuro, Temari, clean this up before I sic your brother on you!" After the quick salute given by the two older siblings, Yondaime turned his full attention to the smallest of his children.
"…don't you have something to do that doesn't involve you being here?"
Gaara bent his head, apologetic and glum. "…yes sir." He turned, his head still hung as he made his way to the doorway.
"…don't let me catch you near that girl, either."
Gaara froze, biting back a glare and a hostile remark.
How DARE he…
He suppressed the beast quelling within his mind, instead allowing himself a rumbling snarl and exiting before anything else could be let loose.
Today, apparently, was going to be just as strange as the last one.
Gaara hadn't even taken 4 steps outside the door before his arms were encased in two pairs of hands, a pair for each arm. He barely even registered that he was being grabbed before, with a cry of surprise, he was hoisted onto his own roof. Landing on his rear end with a sound SMACK, the icy green eyes frantically sought out his grabbers, not wanting any more surprises today.
No one in front…
No one behind…
"Up here, you red head!
You're so very pale! Are you dead?"
His head jerked upwards, taking in the two identical faces blocking the morning sun. Their messy black hair, tanned faces, and twinkling eyes seemed to mirror each other in every movement, down to the cockamamie grins and the happy waving. Gaara flattened himself against the already hot roof, staring up at the two teens with a mixture of shock and wary curiosity.
"…Are you two-"
"Twins?" The one of the left spouted, his glee evident. "Oh yes, in every way!"
"Down to the hair, the food, and the women we lay!" The one of the right finished.
This didn't help Gaara at all, only went to horrify him more. The two simply winked at him, each grasping a shoulder and pulling Gaara up. He stared at the two with growing puzzlement, utterly lost.
"…who ARE you two!"
"Dinao!" The left one spouted.
"Tinao!" The right one finished. Locking hands, they hoisted Gaara back up between them, grinning a foot wide between the two.
"Together, we are the RATURA BROTHE-"
"What the HELL'RE you tribe boys doing on my roof!" Their happy expressions promptly dropped away, replaced by wary curiosity as they, in synchronization, peered over the roof edge to see who was screaming at them. Fearing for the dubious pair, even if they WERE out of their minds, Gaara's concerning green orbs were turned to his father. Despite the silent plea, the adult remained steamed.
"You guys'd better be that assassination crew I called for." The Kazekage growled. The twins glanced between each other, the mischievousness gone from their eyes, and turned their attention to Yondaime. Gaara grit his teeth, turning his head away and preparing for the worst.
Great, an assassination team…this isn't gonna be pretty…
"Assassination! What a word! Not this occasion!
Lets pick out that word. Two asses in a nation!
Hire someone to destroy your young boy? What a fuss!
Quite natural, I suppose, for the double-ass in front of us!"
Gaara blinked his eyes open, unable to suppress a giggle at the rhyming reprieve his father had just been awarded. The 'Double-Ass' was not amused, his fingers flickering through a series of signs, speaking as he went.
"This is why I hate Tribal People…" He hissed. "Can't keep their bloody hands to themselves-"
"Lovely speaking!
But our time is fleeting!
Off we go,
With your son you know!
Better he be with friends without a bother,
Then with a double-ass like you for a father!"
Without another word, both stuck their tongue out at the now boiling Kazekage, grasped Gaara's arms a little tighter, and sprang away over the roof tops, another simultaneous cry drifting over the rock.
"YOINK!"
"GET BACK HERE!" The adult cried, brandishing a fist. "THAT'S AN ACT OF WAR!" Being both insulted and ignored was not his cup of tea, glaring after the bouncing twins.
"At least now I'll have an excuse to exterminate the tribes…"
Back with the twins, their 'captive' was still being held, dragged along for the ride. After a few roofs had passed, Gaara plucked enough courage from his queasy gut to ask a question.
"My dad's not gonna be happy about this…"
"We're not slow!" Dinao responded, cheerful despite the war-threat. Tinao quickly joined in.
"We're always in the know!
Two of a kind!
What a find!
One and two!
Through and through!
Peas in a pod!
Blades of grass in sod!
Cat fish and cod!
That's odd…
Not odd, a perfect Façade!"
Gaara stared onward, trying not to stare at his captors as they continued to jabber about their similarities.
I'm being kidnapped by psychopaths-
Jerked to a stop, he glanced up at the strangely silent pair, a twinge of fear alighting in his eyes. The brothers seemed more interested in sniffing the air then paying much attention to him. That was perfectly fine for the moment. At least they weren't rhyming, or JUMPING…
"…what is it?"
The brother Gaara THOUGHT to be Tinao bit his lip, his eyes shut. An expression of ecstasy rolled across his face, Dinao mirroring it perfectly. Their bellies quivered, both of them giving a drawn-out growl.
"…oooohh…" Dinao and Tinao's tongues lolled out of their mouth, Gaara now in mortal peril of getting drooled on.
"...'tis teh Mara-meister, with some of her ramen-age…"
Gaara ignored the risk of slobber, his attention caught by 'Mara-meister'. If these freaks knew Mara…
"Wait, you know Mara?" He called, cautiously trying to snap them from their food-induced funk. "How?"
They froze, looking back down at their captive as though he had lost every inch of sanity that he had. Gaara didn't blame them, as if he had to stay with these crazies much longer, he WOULD lose it…
"What's wrong with you!
Sick with the flu?
Living under the rocks?
Reset your mental clock?
The Mara-meister's our sis, our kitty-cat,
How on earth did you miss that!"
Everything in Gaara's mind ground to a halt; The gears locked and a coil or two let loose with a silent 'POING!'. Now thoroughly disturbed, Gaara let out a whimper, dragged along again by the rhyming, salivating brothers. Though the twitching, however, salvation was at hand. Gaara's pale face split into a smile, seeing the approaching gates.
"Must go must go!
Can't miss the food, oh no!
We'll leave you with Mara here,
Just as we promised clear!"
He had no time to question what on earth that meant, as he was swept over the wall without being given the hint he was asking for. In the eyes on the Nin sent to track him, the boy had officially been kidnapped and hijacked out of the Village. Huffing a deep breath, the chunin tracking the threesome turned back towards the village, a deep set feeling of dread dragging his heart into his stomach. The ninja didn't understand why. That was all he needed to finish his mission.
And all the Kazekage needed for a decent extermination…
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oo ….oh boy…I smell a war! An ill-timed war too! What about Gaara and Mara! Will the Kazekage ruin this blooming friendship to keep his weapon intact?
…could it go further then that?
Next time, in 'My Thinking Spot'. See you then!