Chapter 47

"That bastard described the body of the fallen shinobi to be wearing a brown robe with a white shirt underneath. He didn't know that he was stealing from a dead Suna shinobi since he didn't see any forehead protector identifying the body as such, but he didn't check the right wrist either. That stupid thief just wanted the satchel and the pouch from the body. He rummaged through the leg pouch for valuables but only found a small amount of fine grained sand. I would have believed that the body wasn't big bro if not for the sand. I remember that Gaara once said that big bro always carries sand wherever he goes." Kankuro pauses meaningfully, allowing his words to sink in as he looks at Gaara.

Seeing Gaara's nod, Kankuro continues, "The thief found the body in the woods in a neighbouring town near Konoha. When we arrived back at the place the body was gone but I discovered traces of sand— which definitely came from Suna. It was from big bro... I refused to believe it but it's been more than a month. Bro should have been done recovering by now if he was badly injured in a fight and if the body isn't really him—hell, he should be back by now!" Kankuro twists his lips; his eyes mirror his frustrations as he gives voice to his suspicions.

"But you didn't see the body. There's always a chance that it isn't him," Temari snaps.

"Almost two months," Kankuro farther emphasizes his point by waving his two digits in front of Temari's face. "You'd think that's sufficient time to get over whatever that happened between you two and for him to stop sulking and come home?" he remarks sarcastically.

Temari glares furiously at her brother but clamps her mouth tightly shut; biting Kankuro's head off is just an exercise in futility. Kankuro likes to bait her; however, she will never give him the satisfaction of giving in. Whatever that occurred between her and Shikamaru is no one's business but their own...and Shikamaru has only been gone for about five weeks and three days that she knows of. But Kankuro doesn't need to be told that...

"He is alive," Gaara speaks the words quietly.

Temari glances at her youngest brother, hearing the conviction in his voice, somehow calms her down. Unclenching her teeth, she turns towards her other brother only to smirk, letting Kankuro know that he is outnumbered. So long as Gaara believes that Shikamaru is alive she will too.

"Even father's men can't find him." Kankuro glowers back, banging the dining table with his closed fists. The two people sitting on the same table as him act as if they did not hear what he had just related.

"Kankuro, you never reported to father or even to Baki that you and Kamaru-niisan switched missions, and that you caught a thief who you claimed have stolen niisan's satchel." Gaara coldly eyes his brother as he concludes, "That's why,"

"Yeah, but they're not imbeciles. They have probably widened their search to Konoha and other hidden villages if they couldn't trace big bro there in Iwagakure," Kankuro answers back.

"Iwa is extensive. Instead of father's men searching uselessly, why don't you just admit to father that you and Kamaru-nii—" Gaara's suggestion is interrupted by Temari's sudden outbursts.

"NO!" Temari exclaims, causing the two male shinobis' head to pivot towards her.

Seeing her brothers' questioning look, Temari controls her feelings of alarm. She modulates her breathing as she mentions on an even keel, "Kankuro's right; it's better to let them believe that Shikama—Kamaru was attacked on his way to Iwagakure. Kankuro dumping Kamaru's satchel along Suna's border is a stroke of genius. If Kankuro admits that he and Kamaru trade places, it would only make Kamaru's return more difficult."

"I agree." Kankuro openly grins at Temari. The bitch just basically told him that he's a genius. She doesn't need to flatter him; he already knows that.

"Maybe it's time that I go look for Kamaru-niisan," Gaara declares.

"Hey wait, I already did that, remember?" Kankuro protests loudly.

"Yes, I remember. But you failed," Gaara replies.

"Dammit! It's not like I wanted to fail. I've checked all the possible areas where they could have discarded the body. I even opened some recently buried tombs. That was nasty—I tell you!" Asserting further, Kankuro mentions proudly, "I even bribed an official to see if he knows anything."

"And all that time you were careful that father wouldn't know of your activity," Gaara points out.

"Yeah, of course," Kankuro admits, defiantly.

"I will look for Kamaru-niisan and I will start in Konoha," Gaara announces with finality as he stands up to leave the table. The three nins had already decided before to talk things over lunch rather than do it secretly in one of the rooms upstairs or outside the house; doing so would alert the Kazekage of their talks. But unlike that night Kankuro and Temari fought each other; they have already installed jutsus around the dining room that would tip them off without alarming the unwanted visitors. After all, Kankuro had not caught that person who had eavesdropped on them so it is only reasonable to suppose that the Kazekage is now informed of Temari's pregnancy. Thus Kamaru must be found immediately since the sooner he's back, the sooner Temari could leave.

"No. You can't go to Konoha," rasps Temari, uneasy. She envisages that Gaara might learn of the truth regarding his brother while visiting Konoha. But then, she catches herself in time—of the very few people that know, nobody would tell Gaara about the birth switch, not even when their very lives are threatened.

"Why?" Gaara asks, halting from the act of getting up from his chair.

Why? Because there's that obvious answer—that Shikamaru has no reason to be there. Temari then mockingly spells it out, "Because I doubt you will see him there."

"Have you ever considered that maybe he is looking for you, Temari?" Gaara frowns as he sits back on his chair.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Temari is taken aback, surprise written on her face at Gaara's insinuation.

"Shouldn't you know the answer to that?" Kankuro sniggers.

"Shut up!" Temari snarls, "That ass didn't see anything he wanted in Konoha, so why the hell would he go back."

… Go Back? Oh ho an admission. So the bitch did see his brother a month or so ago. Kankuro grins. There's that proof—Kamaru did father her child.

However, it isn't long before Kankuro's smirk is slowly replaced by a frown. Temari's claim doesn't sound right. His big bro unknowingly fathered a child while rejecting its mother? Hell, yeah his bro could do that. Why not?

So his big bro really mentioned to Temari that he doesn't want her? Kankuro snorts. Kamaru's such a poker face but when it comes to that blonde kunoichi from Konoha he's so fucking obvious. Not want her—come on! Which brings Kankuro to why Kamaru did it, and the only thing Kankuro could come up with is that his bro did it to protect her. This is another piece of evidence that something big is going on involving their father, the Kazekage.

Although this could also mean that his bro and the bitch never talked about getting married—secret or otherwise. So why did Temari claim that he, Kankuro, was her brother if Kamaru-niisan never intended to tie the knot with her?

What the fuck was that for?

Pfft. Kankuro shrugs his shoulders, dislodging useless thoughts—trying to figure things out between the two have led him in circles. So nothing makes total sense now but that doesn't matter when li'l bro finds big bro, he'll grill him.

Kankuro's face clears and ignoring Temari altogether, he grins towards his younger brother. "We are in luck. I checked this morning's mail for any news from Konoha just in case somebody spotted our worthless bro. All I saw are some memo regarding training techniques and an invite."

Gaara lifts one non-existent brow before realization dawns, he then affirms, "I will go to Konoha under the cover of that invite."

"Yeah. In view of the alliance treaty, nobody in Konoha would consider it overly suspicious if the Kazekage's third son went to attend the wedding of one of Konoha's prominent families. They did send that invite after all." Kankuro chuckles as he adds, "Although I think they expected us to turn it down politely."

Temari watches Kankuro and Gaara. What the hell? She doesn't understand why her brothers are adamant to start searching for Shikamaru in Konoha. She's here in Suna, isn't she? If she believes Shikamaru is skulking Konoha she wouldn't have left her own village.

And the Kazekage is not dense. He will be suspicious as to why Gaara suddenly wants to go to Konoha.

Dammit, now it's either she convinces Gaara that it's not worth it going to Konoha or convince the Kazekage that Gaara won't discover anything in Konoha…

However, judging by how determined her two siblings are in finding Shikamaru this time, their father better not disrupt their plans. Not if he doesn't want them to notice something strange in his refusal.

But still, it's stupid! How could Gaara and even Kankuro think that Shikamaru is in Konoha?

But then how could Gaara believe that Shikamaru is still alive after all that Kankuro had said…

…Shikamaru's satchel, Shikamaru's sand, his continuing non appearance…

Temari shakes her head. No, she must continue assuming that Shikamaru is still breathing and that Gaara will find clues, if not in Konoha then somewhere.

Except she can't help but feel the chill that suddenly creeps along her spine; it almost feels like a cold hand reaching for her from the grave. And it is then that Temari notices that her fingers have tightened their grip around her glass, breaking it, the shards then cut into her hand, her blood mixing with the water as it spills.

TBC

~5 23 11, 2 17 12AF~