Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto. Maybe, if I'm lucky, one day I will. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Gaara has to be uke, of course. Not that I'm hinting. ♥
---------- -----Kankurou went straight to his bed, leaning over to close the thick black curtain on the window above where he slept. Purposely blocking out the moonlight. If it was darker, Gaara wouldn't notice the lack of paint as much. He hoped.
"I don't get why you are so insecure about that." Gaara scoffed lightly as he sat on the end of the bed, crossing his legs under him and munching a cookie.
Kankurou examined the mirror on his nightstand, reaching for his paint.
"Don't." Gaara said firmly, his voice sounding much more dangerous than a few moments ago. Kankurou turned to him questioningly. "I like you without it. I already said that. It's a nice change." He broke off in a mumble, staring at his hands on the bed in front of him. Kankurou sighed and reluctantly put his paint back down, moving to join Gaara on the bed.
They sat in silence for some time, eating away Temari's double chocolate treasures, each lost in his own thoughts.
Finally Gaara decided to voice something that had been on his mind for some time. "Nii-san?" He asked softly, completely discarding his usual monotone.
Kankurou looked up from his cookie. "Yeah?" It had been a long time since Gaara had referred to him or Temari as siblings. A very long time.
"Why does Temari-chan hate me?"
Kankurou choked. "She doesn't hate you, Gaara-chan!" He said quickly, surprised that his brother thought that.
"Yes she does." He said even softer, hugging his knees loosely. "She never talks to me like you do. She only yells at me when I do something wrong. She only comes near me when she has to; otherwise she tries to pretend I'm not there."
Kankurou stayed silent. It was true he tried to connect with his little brother more than his sister did, but she didn't hate him!
"I've heard her talk about me when she thinks I'm not around." He continued, his voice slightly broken with unshed tears. "I never realised I was useless until she pointed it out. I've saved both of you so many times, but she still thinks I'm not good for anything but killing innocent people and being a pain."
"Gaara-chan…"
"I mean, I'm perfectly alright with people ignoring me. I'm used to people saying horrible things about me behind my back. But whenever she notices I'm watching she puts on a fake smile, as though she thinks I'm stupid enough to believe it. She's supposed to be my sister. I'm not asking her to care about me, but she could at least- ..." He broke off, closing his mouth and resting his head on his knee.
The older boy sighed, resting his cheek on the back of his hand. "I don't know what to say to that, But I know for a fact she only wants to protect you, and she just doesn't realise what she's doing is hurting you. She loves you a lot, ototo-san. "
Gaara raised his head at this. "Do you love me, nii-san?" 'Brother' again.
"Of course I love you, Gaara-chan!" He tried to smile reassuringly.
"Really?" Gaara watched the other boy hopefully.
"Yes!"
Gaara thought this over for a moment. To Kankurou, he was looking even more like a small, confused child.
Out of nowhere the red-head leaned forward onto his hands and knees, closing the distance between the two boys and pressing his lips firmly against his brother's.
The brunette's heart skipped a bear as their lips met, but he didn't struggle.
--Gaara pulled away almost instantly, his eyes full of questions. Kankurou smile warmly, putting a hand on the smaller boy's cheek. "Not like that, Gaara-chan."
Gaara dropped his eyes and his cheeks reddened. "Sorry." He whispered, looking ashamed.
"Don't be." He smiled again and kissed his brother's cheek affectionately, then let his hand drop from the boy's face. "You wouldn't really know, right? I love you like a sibling should, Gaara-chan, not a lover."
Gaara's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "Oh." He sat back and reached for the cookie bowl, barely touching the last one before being interrupted.
"Kurou-kun?" Came Temari's voice from the hall, her voice thick and sleepy, yet soft so that if he was asleep she wouldn't wake him. "Are you still awake?"
"No." He replied, trying to hide the cookie bowl but failing miserably. She started to open the door and he panicked, shoving the bowl towards Gaara, who watched it innocently.
"I was wonde-…" She poked her head in and stopped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Gaara… Are those my COOKIES!"
Kankurou cringed and pointed accusingly at Gaara. If Gaara had possessed and eyebrows, he would have raised one at him.
"Those were for tomorrow!" Temari said angrily, storming into the room. Gaara cringed slightly, still vulnerable from letting his emotional walls down for Kankurou.
"It was his idea!" Kankurou said quickly, jabbing his finger desperatly at his little brother.
Temari stopped and growled, her true temper switching itself on. " I can't believe you ate my cookies! All of them! Your such a fucking idiot!" She shreiked, lashing out at hitting Kankutou across the face. Gaara narrowed his eyes dangerously.
They were ninjas after all, so hitting each other was usually not a big deal. No bruises would remain, and the pain faded shortly.
But Gaara still had his walls down. Temari smacked Kankurou upside the head again and he cried in protest, not truly hurt but alarmed. She lashed at him again, this time for his face, and he raised his arm to block it.
But the hit never struck. Gaara lost control.
"Leave him the fuck alone!" Gaara all but roared as he sprang into motion, catching Temari with a sideways sweep of his arm and smashing her into the wall across the room, near the door. Kankurou instantly leapt off the bed after her, checking to see if she was alright. Gaara stood on the bed and glared at them both, cold hatred slowly working to build up his walls. It wasn't hate for them, it was general hate. Hate for everything, everyone. Every single person who had refused to look at him. Every single person who had muttered his name in detest as he walked by.
He could feel hot tears sting his eyes.
He was always the odd one out. He overreacted, he smashed his sister into a wall, yet they still ignored him. Those two were the only ones he had ever tried to get close to, and it was doing nothing for him.
He choked back a sob as he clenched and unclenched his fist.
He couldn't take this. Not now, not when his emotional defence was so low.
He let out a strangled sob and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold it all back. He leapt down from the bed, heading towards the door. Gaara snarled viciously as he shoved Kankurou out of his way, throwing the bedroom door open. The door made a loud crash as it hit the wall, leaving a respectable indent.
Kankurou watched the upset boy leave with concern flashing across his face, blotted with worry and sympathy.