Suggested song to the scene: World Music - Dust and Shadows [ Link: watch?v=allek2lSUlc ]
Temari stood up, as she could, slowly the candles started to lose their brightness, and the big started to fade in the dark. Sand flowed inside , throught some little holes in the building. "We must find the Moonwind fast!" she said, as Kankuro stood up, and they helped up the old man. "Please show us the way." Temari asked in a rushed tone from the guide, who lifted his staff and showed the way between the shelves.
Gaara sighed, and hoped his siblings got the sign, and will hurry now. He couldn't see the entrance properly, but he knew it's still on the surface. He forced his chakra, concentrating, on the sand, which sucked the temple in, to lift the temple, but the sand underground was manipulated by somehow else too. But he had even more problems. The ninjas were approaching, and kept attacking Gaara. Gaara had no chance but to manipulate a sandwall behind him, so they won't hurt him with shurikens. Three of the ninjas also mastered effective jutsus to manipulate sand, so the situation got even worse, when they attacked Gaara with sand. Gaara gave out a cry in exertion. The temple got heavier, as he had to focus on other attacks, yet Temari and Kankuro still not on the surface. He shouted again, as he kept his hands on the temple's wall, stomped his feet on the sand, and concentrated some of his chakra on his feet, so that he could manage a light attack, and burry the ninjas , to win some time for himself. It required a lot of energy, and he wasn't used for such complex ways to use sand. At a point of exasperation he thought he will give up on holding up the temple for his siblings and start fighting, but the guilt and belonging to them didn't let him do so. The ninjas came in no time on the surface. They attacked again. Two lifted a big sand wall, and sent at Gaara with incredible speed and strength, other two, which couldn't manipulate sand, or at least they didn't show a sign that they could use such jutsu, they ran at Gaara and attacked by the two sides of the sand wall. The third ninja rested. Gaara felt the urge to let the wall go, but if he did, the temple would disappear. Gaara had no chance, but stomp with his foot again,and send a weaker sand wall at the stronger one, at least it slowed down and mixing with the other sand slowly pulled it at the ground. He let the temple go with one hand, grabbed a kunai and dodged one shuriken, which was almost cut his side, the other one wounded his arm. He hissed, he was helpless, and the battle wasn't fair. He had no choice, but eventually start communicating with the ninjas. It was very disturbing how they came so suddenly and attacked. Maybe they want to Moonwind too. He thought.
"Why are you here, and what do you want? " Gaara asked.
"Same could we ask." One of the ninjas replied, they stopped attacking.
"We have a quest." Gaara replied.
"We have orders." The ninja replied again.
"Orders…? From who?" Gaara's eyes widened, as he stared at the temple wall.
"To stop you from achieving your goal."
"Who did order you this?!"
"It is none of your business." The ninja replied, then waved at the other two, they started attacking again with sand, the who ninja with shuriken rested.
Gaara, with a fast move, turned around, pressing his back, and palms to the sand and temple. He had to hold it up, yet he wanted to face his enemies. He then realized what's this all about. He couldn't help but give put a grin. Until the moment he turned around, he was so occupied focusing on the temple, and the quest, he realized it was all a trick, or probably a test to pass.
"Okay, you clearly caught us." He said calmly." You can now stop this game of yours and face me."
A moment of silence. The ninjas stopped attacking, the three, who could manipulate sand , folded their arms, and started to sink in the sand. The other two, who attacked with shurikens disappeared.
"Very clever I must say." A familiar manly voice replied.
Gaara looked up, in front of him not so far, where the mentioned person was. They glared at each other, but they also had a satisfied grin on their faces. The Kazekage was standing in front of his son.
"So you were behind all this. I wonder what you want from us."
"I only wanted something from you." The father replied.
Gaara stood silent. He didn't have such an attached relationship with his father, like Temari and Kankuro, he hated his father, yet he respected him.
"From me." Gaara repeated.
The Kazekage slowly nodded, then formed signs with his hands, using a powerful jutsu, using gold dust to swallow the temple, and burry it in the ground. Gaara let the temple go,still leaning on it, he also made signs, and used sand burial, to engulf the gold dust. The sand was heavier than the sparkling gold dust, but he was slowly running out of chakra.
"I don't really think you're only testing my patience." Gaara grumbled a bit tired.
The Kazekage grinned, then tried the same attack again. Gaara used the same defense, but somehow it got weaker, and some gold dust reached the top of the temple and pushed it at the ground.
"Stop it!" Gaara couldn't help but shout those two words.
Suggested song to the scene: Epic Music -Battle with the Titan Desert- [Link: watch?v=4la79yCKjI0 ]
He really got fed up with all the pressure. He glared at his father with hatred, while the kazekage looked back at him with n emotionless expression. He stopped attacking. They just looked at each other for a long, tense moment. Gaara still held the temple, yet it stopped sinking. The Kazekage slowly took an offensive pose. His expression got strict and serious.
"Then fight me." He simply said.
Gaara looked at him with a serious, emotionless expression, but his body was full of tension. He always wanted to fight his "almighty" father, and prove to him, that he's a valuable child, like his siblings. He always was hated, he felt he was hated by his father too. He was convinced he will never get recognition and respect, if he never tried fighting his father. He slowly let the temple go, stepped forward, and got in his typical confident pose, folding his arms together. He felt the sand under him slowly lifted around his feet, as if it was waiting for his orders. He concentrated at the sand, and nothing more, and stood his father's gaze. There were no more words anymore. They both concentrated on each other, as opponents, and the sand. It was slowly turning afternoon, and the heating Son slowly his under the sand dunes, as if escaping from the fight to not see. The Kazekage and Gaara stood in their position, fighting for dominance over the sand. After a long moment of tension, the Kazekage made the first signs. Gaara firstly only used defensive moves, but lifting the sand wall, where he was attacked. His father didn't use complex, difficult jutsus either, although he had way too many experiences and techniques than Gaara. Gaara was very confident, because he knew his father is very powerful and a very good fighter, but he believed in his ability, which he was born with. The sand protected him no matter what, without using too much energy or chakra. The tension started to heaten up, as the Kazekage started to use bigger amount of gold dust for attacking, and Gaara started to use attacks too. Balanced, fast moves, fast hand signs, silence giving place for the silence of concentration, gold dust and plain sand strike, as some forming weapons again and again, in all kind of amount and form. Gaara slowly started to get tired, and used up too much chakra, but he was very persistent, although he knew the kazekage restrains himself.
Temari and Kankuro sighed in relief, when the temple stopped trembling, and sinking, so did the old man. They fast went to find the book, Kankuro reached it, took it off. They both bowed, and thanked everything for the old man with gratitude.
"We are very grateful, but we really need to hurry now, because we left our brother outside, and he might be in trouble." Temari explained.
The old man started to smile, and waved.
"Good luck!" he simply said with a chortle. He was aware of everything, what has happened.
Temari and Kankuro rushed out of the temple with the book. When they reached the surface, they rushed at Gaara, but when they spotted the fighting scene, they got shocked. They felt they missed a lot. At first they only looked at the fight, examining the situation, techniques. They tried to understand what's happening.
"Maybe we should go and help Gaara." Temari said.
Kankuro nodded a bit uncertain that it's a good idea or not, but he followed his sister.
The kazekage spotted the two, he grinned, while Gaara shouted at them.
"Stay where you are! Stay out of this!" he shouted with anger.
Kankuro and Temari stopped running. The Kazekage stopped attacking for a moment.
"Are they important to you?"
"As important as for you." Gaara replied with a glare. "So if you attack them, I can't help but killing you." He stated with a rigid, cold tone.
The Kazekage gave out an impressed expression. He closed his eyes, and stood up from the offensive pose. He rose his head at the sky, which started to darken for the night. He smiled with relief and gratitude. His children stared at him surprised. Temari and Kankuro slowly approached, closer to Gaara. The Kazekage then looked at them with a satisfied smile.
"Well done." He said with a calm tone. "You managed to fulfill the quest of the sand."
The three looked at him puzzled. Kankuro shrugged, then stepped in front of his father, ready to hand the book to him.
"Here's what ya wan'ed." He said.
"Indeed, I gave you this quest, but for different purpose." The kazekage said, and refused taking the book." I wanted to see if there's still meaning in your mind, that you are a family, not only partners. I wondered about this a lot, and although I was a very strict father, I only wanted to teach you how to handle the difficult way of a ninja. You, us, we went through a lot 'til now. I only wanted to see, if the meaning of family, and togetherness is in you. Especially in you. You evolved a lot,Gaara…my son." He proudly said.
Gaara's eyes widened, as he was called "son" in that tone by his father. Temari smiled at his father, then at Gaara, patted his shoulder. The kazekage proudly looked at his children, how powerful, cunning, clever and strong they all got. He was very glad he could live this moment, when he can look at them with a proud smile. He was so occupied with the duties he had as a Kazekage he almost forgot he has a family. He started to worry, and thought maybe his children feel the same. He then knew he had to fulfill his duty as a father, before he lives this life. But on top of the family reunion he wanted to see , which one of them would be the best replacement for him. He could never imagine anyone else, than someone from the three of them. He saw it clearly now.
Kankuro stood silently, patiently, but then he had to ask.
"So what should we do with the book now?"
The kazekage grinned, then looked at the temple's entrance, then he bowed in a formal way. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro turned their heads where their father was bowing. It was the old man. He slightly bowed his head at the kazekage.
"You can give it back. Give it back to where it belongs." The kazekage replied.
Kankuro nodded, then went to the old man.
"Sorry for causing so much trouble." He grumbled, as he handed the book to the old man.
"You'll have a long and difficult journey in life, but you will manage, together." The old man said, then slowly went back to the temple.
Kankuro just nodded, not really understanding the meaning of those wise words, then went back to his little family group, where the kazekage was already spreading hugs, and ruffling hairs, he joined the fun too.
After a pleasant, calm conversation about the day, they started heading home. Temari and Kankuro told everything about what they've seen, and what happened in the temple to their father, while Gaara followed them in silence. He was the only one, who didn't feel satisfied with the quest. He felt he couldn't show well enough what's he's capable of.