Chapter 43

"What are you doing?" Kankuro suddenly bends down to grab Temari's arm, hauling her. "Get up."

Temari shakes her arm out of Kankuro's grasp, resisting being moved from her position as she rasps, "I'm earning my keep. Now go away."

Unable to stop Temari from mopping the floor on her knees, Kankuro snarls, "Gaara wants you."

Temari stands up and huffs. "I better see to it then," she snaps.

Glaring at the piece of cloth left on the floor and the pail of water, Kankuro goes down on his knees and snatches the dirtied cloth, wiping the floor vigorously, continuing Temari's work. "Stupid bitch, she should know she could hurt my niisan's child doing this!" Kankuro mumblingly complains, and yet he still makes sure he does his inherited job properly and fast lest Temari comes back and it's still not finished.

Last night, Temari didn't admit anything. But Kankuro doesn't need her confirmation. He's sure it's Kamaru's child. The last time he saw them together, they were arguing heatedly—Temari, yes, that fearsome bitch is without a doubt argumentative but his big bro, hell no.

Kamaru always remains blasé and nonchalant while he contradicts people, unbothered by their perception of him but with that blonde kunoichi from Konoha, Kankuro had seen his big bro losing his cool—twice.

First, that mission they were all involved together, something about his big bro's shadow protecting her that made her act weird which in turn made his brother mad. Then second, that time, out near the Suna entrance, where his own bro asked Temari to leave. There was so much tension in the air and the dumb bitch was talking nonsense about him being her brother.

She must really have wanted to marry his big bro, so as to make him her own brother. Kankuro chuckles at the thought. Really, the idea that that bitch wanted his laid-back brother is freaking hilarious and bordering impossible.

Kankuro, busy snickering to himself, finally notices the floor is getting much too wet and the knees of his pants are soaking up the extra moisture. Muttering an expletive for not removing the excess water prior, he twists the cloth over the pail then slaps it back on the floor.

So he had long suspected those two incidences to be lover's tiff and with his brother becoming quieter than his usual self especially after the last one, Kankuro knew he was right.

But still damn if he knows why he was helping his brother. However, that's what he did when he offered to Kamaru his mission to the Land of Rivers in exchange for the one in Iwa. Alright, admittedly that mission in the Land of Rivers is just a trivial piece of shit that's why he gave it to his big bro—taking advantage of the fact that it was near Konoha.

That was over a month ago. Talk about timing. So now, Kankuro just needs to ask Temari if she has seen his brother last month and then bam he has his proof that Kamaru is indeed the father but nah he won't do it. That bitch might just deny it, not wanting to be blamed for Kamaru's disappearance.

Smirking as he stands up, Kankuro admires the shining floor in the dining area. He has just grabbed the cleaning cloth and the pail when Temari returns.

"I can't—" Temari eyeing the cloth and the pail in Kankuro's clutch, falters, "—find Gaara... What'd you do that for? Are you trying to get me in trouble?"

"Yeah." Kankuro shrugs and continues towards the sink to throw away the dirty water from the pail.

"Jerk! Gaara wasn't even looking for me now, was he?"

Kankuro pointedly ignores the kunoichi as he washes the soiled cloth underneath the tap, sloshing water everywhere.

"Give me that! You are making a mess." Temari makes a grab for the cloth, pushing Kankuro to the side.

"My pleasure." Kankuro gives a mock bow. "Gloat if you want but I'm being punished for wrecking the table and chairs last night. I get to clean the floors from now on so it's me who is going to get in trouble if you do the floors again. Do you understand?" Kankuro threatens.

Temari stares hard at Kankuro. Somehow she gets the feeling that he's lying through his teeth, what with the way he won't meet her eyes. Getting the urge to smile, Temari opts not to, knowing she may offend her brother. "Yeah, I understand." Testing him, she asks instead, "But I still get to do the mountainous pile of laundry?"

Kankuro groans. "That's also my job now."

"So what is it that I'm supposed to do to pass the time?"

"Cook. Go to the market so you could cook something. Some minor cleaning." Kankuro finally discerns the laughter Temari is trying hard to suppress, making him snap, "You look ugly! Do you know that? Didn't the girls in Konoha ever paint their faces?" Kankuro smirks when he sees Temari's change of expression to that of indignation. "You have to pretty yourself up since big bro might be coming home any time now."

A frown appears marring Temari's forehead. "He better," Temari agrees somewhat mulishly before continuing snidely, "But I won't wear make-up. I don't wish to look like you."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? This—" Kankuro points to his face, "—is not make-up. It's a special paint."

"Yeah and if you removed it you would probably look only half scary. No, scratch that; I think if you remove your make-up—or rather your special facial paint—you would look not scary at all," Temari scoffs.

"Why you?" Kankuro swears but unlike before it lacks vehemence.

It is then that Gaara lifts the curtain blocking the passageway which separates the dining area from the kitchen, asking, "Temari, one of the servants said you were looking for me?"

"Kankuro told me that...Ah forget it. What do you want for dinner?"

"What ever you're preparing," Gaara replies.

Temari shakes her head. "I asked you so I'll know what to prepare."

Gaara contemplates Temari's words. Nobody has asked him before what he wants. Thinking that it might be just a leading question designed to tell him off, Gaara demands, "I want cake."

"For dinner, Gaara. I could make the cake for dessert."

Gaara's forehead knits. "Kamaru-niisan says cakes are only prepared specially for birthdays. It's not my birthday yet so could you really do it?"

"Yeah." Temari nods her head. "So what flavour do you want?"

"Nothing too sweet; Kamaru-niisan doesn't like things with too much sugar."

"Tough! He's not here so you get to choose." Temari raises one dainty brow, still asking Gaara what flavour he wants.

The fifteen-year old, who has expected a refusal but not for the cake being not too sweet, uncharacteristically looks up towards his older brother, obviously wanting something sweet but at a lost as to what to suggest.

"Gaara has never had cake before. Come to think of it neither did I or big bro. So just choose whatever you like," Kankuro grumbles, trying to sound unhappy but his eyes reveal that he too seems to look forward to the treat.

"Didn't Gaara mention you have it during your birthdays?" Temari asks, surprised and disbelieving.

"He said prepared especially for birthdays. He didn't say his birthday." Kankuro glowers at Temari.

Temari gazes from Kankuro, standing defensively in front of Gaara, to Gaara, a glint shining from his eyes; presumably he is looking forward to his first cake. Her brothers never celebrated their birthdays? So what kind of childhood did they have?

First, she discovers that Gaara was locked up in that dungeon. Then now she learns that he and his brothers have never celebrated their birthday. It may seem trivial but it implies that her brothers had too austere a childhood and judging by the way Gaara acts like a kid again, she couldn't be wrong.

And Shikamaru shares in their upbringing. He never celebrated a single birthday while she, she had several parties when she was little wherein all her classmates were invited. Yoshino would bake her a cake and her friends—Ino, Choji, Tenten, Lee, Naruto and even Sasuke—would sing to her the birthday song.

Feeling a twinge of guilt for taking Shikamaru's cake, Temari widens her smile, as she announces, "I'll make a chocolate cake with lots of frosting on top. The lazy ass isn't here so he can't complain," then she adds to herself, 'But I'll bake him one as bland as he wants it when he returns. I'm gonna make it up to him'. Her smile remains plastered on her face causing her facial muscles to ache.

She now remembers Shikamaru's words that day she first saw his shadow jutsu; when she clarified that their birth dates are the same, Shikamaru replied, "Birthdays don't mean anything to me, Temari." At the time she shrugged it off, but now she understands his remarks—it wasn't that it was meaningless but rather it was made meaningless.

Unable to maintain her smile, Temari turns around, leaving her brothers to stride her way towards the kitchen to rummage through the cabinets and check what ingredients are available. But what if I can't make it up to him this time? Temari chews her bottom lip as doubts begin to sink in, her hand pausing on the canister of sugar.

TBC

—oOo—

~5/1/11AF 7 2 2O~

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, faves and alerts! Got me inspired! Really! I added about 400 words post-beta because of something someone said.

Haha next chapter is 45 not 44...just kidding. Wish me luck with the rock ~my pet name for 44 since it's causing me to stumble~

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