Author's Note:
I still don't own Naruto.
Chapter 14:
The twins slowly opened their eyes, to an unfamiliar dim room. Instinctively reaching out for the other, they started awake at the lack of contact. Turning quickly, they found each other, and went back to looking around the room. Also in the room were Kakashi, Hinata and two from before--
Kitsumi and Naruto jumped out of bed and prepared to fight. Or, they tried to, but could not properly stand, and almost fell to the ground. They caught themselves, and glared warily at the others, who turned towards them.
"Hey, sorry about the mix up earlier." The painted boy started, "we heard everything from your sensei. Sorry about Gaara. He's, got some issues."
"We noticed, so what's all that about his mother?" Kitsumi would not let it go with just that, but decided she could do nothing at the moment.
"Oh, he's been like that ever since he was little, its um..." He trailed off as if he didn't want to continue.
"Oh... Who are you guys anyway?" Naruto looked miffed at the obviously left out information.
"Us? We are the Sand siblings, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, a squad of gennin." The girl spoke this time, indicating herself first, and the boy second, "So who are you?"
"We are a team of leaf gennin, on a mission to bring the announcement of the chuunin exams to Suna" Kakashi replied for the pair.
"So, what was that technique from earlier, the one where you turned orange? It even defeated Gaara." The girl looked at the group suspiciously, apparently not believing them to be gennin.
"What technique? You mean kagebunshin?" Kitsumi hadn't thought that it was that impressive of a technique.
"No, not that one, the one with the orange... stuff." Temari stifled a chuckle.
"What orange stuff..?" the twins looked to each other, and then back to the girl.
"If you don't want to say it, then its fine." She turned away to look at Kakashi, "Earlier you said something about a unique situation?"
"Well, our mission was to assassinate Gaara." Kakashi said after a pause, "But after you told us he was the Kazekage's son--"
"What?" The twins shouted in confusion, "Gaara is that guy's son?"
"Yes, Gaara, Kankuro, and I are the children of the yondaime Kazekage." The girl looked slightly annoyed that she had to repeat herself, even if they weren't awake the first time.
"Anyway," Kakashi interrupted, "it seems like completing our mission would mean trouble for the village anyway. With that in mind, it seems the best option is to fake our own deaths. However, we would have to do it in a way that would not seem hostile to Suna."
"So you want us to help you fake your own deaths?" Kankuro didn't wait for him to finish.
"Yes, but it has to be you that attacks us. Can you do that?" Kakashi narrowed his eye slightly, but no one noticed.
"Yeah, but Gaara can't be there. He doesn't do well with not killing." Kankuro looked around to see that they didn't realize the implications of what he had said, "That means someone has to babysit him."
"Isn't he old enough to be alone by now?" Kitsumi asked sarcastically.
"Thanks for volunteering to watch him Kitsumi-chan. Now, create a kagebunshin so you can be there for the fight. One of you," he said pointing to the sand pair, "will have to help her find Gaara. Meanwhile, the other will have to teach Naruto how to act like him."
"I'll find Gaara. Follow me Kitsumi-san, and be sure to stay close. We wouldn't want anyone to find us." Temari walked out of the tent, and Kitsumi hastened to follow.
"I guess that leaves me." Kankuro turned to Naruto, "Make three kagebunshin brat."
Kitsumi and Temari walked through the back ways of Suna to avoid notice. Of course, it's not like there was an obvious route to where Gaara hid. After almost an hour of walking through the narrow winding roads, they came upon the old abandoned playground that Gaara apparently used to hide from the world. They found him there, swinging slowly on a swing set meant for someone much smaller than he. It reminded Kitsumi of the day of the Academy final, when Naruto swung in that manner after failing the test.
'Maybe he is human after all.' She whispered softly to herself as they approached. Gaara turned to look at them slowly, first Temari, then Kitsumi. Seeing her, his expression changed. He was no longer the sad little boy on the swing, but a heartless thug. He quickly stood up, and caught her foot with the sand beneath her.
"Mother wants blood." Again, the creepy whisper from before, "her sand is getting dry."
"Gaara! No!" Temari shouted and moved over to Gaara, "She's not an enemy." Gaara shook his head, as if to clear it, and let the sand drop. When he looked back up, his eyes returned to the sad expression they held earlier. His shoulders slumped, and he returned to the swing.
"Are you alright?" Kitsumi asked, the worry in her voice sincere. Gaara didn't acknowledge her, and just kept swinging. Temari looked slightly worried at that, but before she could say anything, Kitsumi spoke up:
"Gaara, I'm here to play with you today. Will you play with me?" Kitsumi spoke in the voice she used on her brother when the villagers were particularly bad at home. It did not have the intended effect as Gaara stood up again, the look of killer intent painted on his face. The sand began to swirl around him again, reflecting his visage in its quick jagged motions.
"Gaara!" Temari yelled again, bringing him out of his trancelike state, "Don't hurt her, she needs to be alive." Gaara didn't respond this time though, and the sand continued to spin violently. Kitsumi walked over to where he was standing. The sand ripped small cuts in her skin, but she ignored them. Drawing her hand back, she smacked Gaara as hard as she could across the face, leaving both him and Temari surprised and speechless.
"I tried to be nice to you, but every time you just look at me like that." Kitsumi screamed loudly, her mouth very close to his ear. Gaara winced, wondering how the sand had let the attack through. The sand also fell, and Gaara's expression returned to the glum one from before. Kitsumi turned around to walk off, but sand caught her foot.
"Wait..." Gaara's word prompted Kitsumi to turn, but a frown was plastered unnaturally on her face.
"What? Are you going to be nice now?" She said it with a little more bite than she intended, and the other looked down at the playground. She couldn't help but feel bad for him; he looked so much like her brother, "It's ok, I forgive you. Just don't do it again." She quickly added the last part for appearances sake, though she knew it was unnecessary.
"It doesn't matter though, you'll find out..." Gaara mumbled almost to himself, "...and hate me like the others. Then mother will be angry."
The words triggered memories that Kitsumi didn't even know she had. The attacks when she was little, the mobs on her birthdays, the distance the other children initially kept from her, the hatred she could find no reason for, the fox demon caused all of them. Everyone knew about it, and they hated the twins for it. Those who didn't know were kind, but as soon as another confrenced them in hurried whispers, the period of good fortune ended, replaced by another betrayal of a false friend. Brother was the only one who stood by her, who comforted her, who let her know she wasn't a demon. But now she had others: the kids at the academy, Kakashi-sensei, the old man Hokage. Did this Gaara have the same pain? Did he have some curse: that caused the villagers to run away in fear, that only his siblings stood by him, that his own father tried to assassinate him. But it wasn't the same, having a demon sealed inside you was much worse. Still, she understood his feelings, and went to the swing next to him.
"Gaara..." She began slowly, unsure of exactly what she wanted to say, "I know how you feel, that I won't accept you once I know. But I'm the same way at home, people run away from brother and I. They try to kill us too, but we found special people that accept us--"
"You couldn't know." Gaara spoke softly, but the gleam in his eyes returned, "To not be able to sleep at night, for even your own family to fear and hate you. How could you know!" His voice gained volume as he continued, the last part being an accusation rather than a question. Temari winced and looked away, unable to even refute Gaara's accusation.
"Tell me your secret then." Kitsumi challenged, "I bet nothing you can say will scare me off."
"I'm a demon." Gaara said simply, sliding back his shirt to reveal an intricate seal.
"Oh, is that all? Me too!" Kitsumi happily slid her shirt up slightly, revealing an even more complicated design on her stomach. Gaara's eyes widened, obviously not expecting this turn of events, "So what's your demon's name?"
"...Shukaku." Gaara didn't seem to be able to process the news properly. Neither of them noticed when Temari jumped off.
"Oh, mine's named Kyuubi." Kitsumi continued to confuse Gaara with her odd happiness, and he thanked the outer layer of sand, for hiding the color that graced his face.
"...You aren't scared?" Gaara seemed unable to move past this point.
"Nope, I already beat you once didn't I?" Kitsumi did not appreciate the repetition. Gaara seemed at loss for words, and the two swung silently for a bit.