I do not own Naruto. Just to be clear, Ryuishi is talking about the brothers in her past life.
Gaara looks up at Aneue, who holds him close, the rhythm of her steps jostling him around from his perch on her hip. Some people told him he was too old to be carried around by Aneue anymore, but he doesn't think they understand. Gaara's not the one who chooses to do this. Aneue is. She's always carrying him, before he can even try to walk.
He doesn't mind, of course. He likes it too.
He would focus more on the Bazaar, and cool autumn air, but he's thinking. He wants to ask questions, but he can't find the words. Not like Aneue, who always seems to have words coming out of her.
"If you keep wearing that constipated look on your face," she says suddenly, her dark eyes turning toward him, "People are going to think you need to take a shit."
He frowns as that thing inside him cackles at her words. That's bad language, and even though uncle isn't...after uncle tried too….
For an abomination of Nature, the beast spits manically, She has a foul mouth.
Gaara doesn't understand the thing inside him, or why he can hear it better after what happened. He doesn't want to hear it, because it is mean and says bad things. It calls Aneue names, and says she's a shade, touched by the Shinigami. It makes him uncomfortable.
"Bad language Aneue," he murmurs out, his eyes scanning the area. He needs to ask her, but he doesn't know how. It's just so hard. It confuses him.
"Yah, yah, but something's bothering you," she says, brushing his admonishment aside. "Just spit it out."
He turns his gaze toward her, and makes his eyes go wide. Aneue will understand, because she is a big sister, and she knows stuff. Like, stuff about families and things.
"I have...a brother and sister," he states.
It's weird, because he knew they were there, but in a vague sort of way. Yashamaru was his family, and sometimes his cold and distant father. Aneue was there, but those two…things weren't. He just knew they shared parents, which confused him as well.
It was all so strange. Father had ordered him to attend training with them now, and they lived together in a big building. He saw them everyday, and it was akward. They stayed away, and looked at him with watchful eyes. They hadn't even said anything to each other.
Yet...he kind of wants to. Aneue showed him that sisters were important, and people tell him she had brothers at one time. Those two are afraid of him though, and it hurts. He wants to do something, he just doesn't know what.
Uncle left a hole in him, and it hurts. He doesn't want to ever hurt like that again, but Aneue has shown him he can't keep trying to ignore it. Love won't hurt if it's given to the right people. If it does, it is a good hurt, like the squeeze she has in her hugs, or the anticipation he feels when she isn't there. It's eclipsed by the feeling of warmth, of laughter, and of not being alone.
Social stuff is hard.
Something makes her flinch, and he thinks that it's sadness for a second. Deep and heavy, it flickers, then is gone.
"Ah, " she states. "I remember my siblings."
Of course she does, he thinks, he's right here.
"I loved them a lot, even though we fought all the time. One day I could be laughing at them, and the next we could be warning eachothe. Sometimes, when we felt really loving, we helped eachother out with chores," she says calmly. A smile takes her face, and she turns to him.
"Once, when I was little, my brothers cornered me and hung me by the door by my underwear. Worst wedgie of my life. So the next day, when he was sleeping, I painted all over his face with permanent marker."
Gaara does not understand.
"What is a wedgie?" he asks.
"It's when you pull someone's underwear up really high in the back, and they get it stuck between their butcheeks."
"Why?" he asks, bewildered.
She seems to think about it for a while, turning ideas in her head.
"Siblings are weird," she starts. "Half the time we beat eachother up, or farted on each other, or burped in each others faces. We called each other names and were generally little animals running around. Then again, my brothers beat up other people who were mean to me because only they held the right to torment me, and warned me if my parents were in a bad mood. They taught me things, and we shared stuff. I did the same for-"
Aneue stops, and that same look of hurt crosses over her face. He doesn't see bleeding, but he thinks it might be her heart that hurts. He knows about that now.
"Anyway, siblings are family. They stick with you when times are bad, and then are general buttholes when things are safe. You hurt each other, but never give lasting injury on purpose. You say mean things, but you don't really mean them. Don't ask me why," she finishes.
Gaara doesn't understand, but he has an idea at least. Maybe he can try. After all, having Anue is fantastic. He wonders what having two more siblings would be like.
Gaara waits with a blank face for his opportunity. He doesn't want to risk messing this up, and failing in front of father makes him mad for some reason. So he doesn't do it during the silent, stifling 'family' dinner, or when the rest go to bed. He wants them to know he's trying.
He finds his chance during sparring the next day, when Temari is waiting on the side lines, watching him and Kankuro with wary, fearful eyes. She's waiting for him to hurt them, he knows it.
Gaara doesn't want to hurt them. He wants them to notice him, to like him.
Kankuro stumbles as he tries to make his puppet chase him. It isn't very good, and Gaara crushes it easy with a swarm of sand. The way the wood breaks into splinters is very satisfying.
Then, he sends the sand after his brother and wraps him inside of it.
"Stop!" his instructor cries out, stepping forward. But he won't. He has a plan. He needs to do this, to prove himself.
Kankuro looks sweaty and scared as the red-headed child envelops him in sand. He can feel it around his chest,scraping along his leg, moving him up in the air. He knows what comes next, the crushing feeling, his life being smothered out of him by intense pressure. He's seen what Gaara can do, when he was younger it used to happen all the time.
I'm going to die, he thinks. The demon is going to kill me. I hate him. I'm scared.
Sand creeps around his waist band, finding a hold. He waits for death.
Then, most of it drops away and he jerks downward. A strangled cry leaves his lips as his underwear remains in place, riding up and holding him there, dangling four feet above the ground by the waistband covered in sand.
Silence flows through the desert as Kankuro whimpers and clutches at his crotch, which is currently strangled by the confines of his underclothes. He doesn't understand. Is this torture?
Temari feels her face spasm as her utter and complete horror melts into bewildered delight. She tries to hold it in, because she wants to remain professional, but she can't.
Kankuro is in the the air, spinning around, and just got given a super wedgie by the demon of the sand.
A small snort escapes, and then a chuckle, and then she is laughing, loud and clear.
"Temari!" Kankuro cries out, betrayed.
She wonders how stupid it must have looked. They were so afraid of him, so bitter about their mother's death. He has killed people, and they said he was uncontrollable, but he gave Kankuro a wedgie.
What kind of demon does that?
Gaara watches, straight faced, as their instructor looks on in bewilderment. The jinchuriki has done his job. It was strange, and he doesn't understand, but Temari-san is laughing, which has to count for something at least. Laughter is good, right?
Aneue is so smart.
His brother finishes a slow spin, and his high voice and flushed face don't look very healthy. He should work on clearing his face of tells, Gaara thinks.
"Please, let me down!" he squeaks, and Gaara complies, dropping him immediately. He tumbles into the sand, face down, frantically rearranging his pants.
Temari laughs harder.
Nobody's quite sure what to think of the events of that day. What happened was a strange anomaly, like a shooting star crashing into earth, or ninja from separate villages meeting and promptly minding their own business. The jounin in charge had even gone to get a psyche eval, but it seemed that he was, in fact, as stable as he could be.
Kankuro still tip toes around Gaara, and Temari continues to shoot him odd, calculating glances.
He waits for another opportunity. It's like training, he thinks. One step at a time, until he has mastered a new skill. Only, it's one act at a time, until they stop being afraid.
Eventually, they won't be.
AN: So, I wanted to post this and say that this is how Gaara started bonding with his siblings in Canon. By doing absurd things with a straight face. Because nothing ruins good horror movie moments like the monster giving somebody a wedgie, or starting a food fight, or giving people rides on his really cool sand.
No beta, just me. All mistakes are mine.