AN: Hi again! First off a huge THANK YOU to everyone who's read the first chapter so far. I never expected this kind of response to the story so soon. Secondly here's chapter two! Enjoy and please keep the reviews coming cause I'm loving them!
Gaara and Kankuro walked along side Shikamaru as the three headed back to the Nara household. The silence between them was awkward and uncomfortable. Kankuro had yet to forgive Shikamaru for Temari leaving the sand to marry him and Gaara just wasn't one for conversation. As they approached the house it was easy to hear Temari's voice drifting out of the house.
"SHIKADAI NARA! If you are not going to help me with dinner at least get up and tidy yourself up a bit! Your father and uncles will be here any moment and I don't want you looking like a slob." Temari's voice shouts causing Shikamaru to wince in sympathy for his son but Kankuro cracked a smile for the first time in a while.
"Ah something really don't change. Didn't she used to straighten your Kage robes before council meetings?" Kankuro asked Gaara with a laugh.
"Sadly yes." Gaara sighed. "I believe she said she was 'making up for lost times." He says as the three enter and take off their sandals before moving into the house.
"There you three are." Temari say as she comes out of the kitchen and glared at them her arms folded across her chest. "You all realize your late correct? Gaara is going to have to leave soon for the Kage dinner."
"Geez Temari lay off, the meeting got a late start." Kankuro groaned as he pushes back his hood wondering why exactly he had missed his sister at all.
"You're make up is smeared." Temari comments with a smirk causing Kankuro's face to go red.
"It's not make up." He mutters under his breath before walking towards the bathroom to fix it.
"That was cruel." Shikamaru yawned, knowing there was nothing wrong with Kankuro's face paint.
"Cruel but fun." Temari shrugged. "So why did the meeting start late?"
"Naruto had to take care of a minor…. issue that held us up." Shikamaru sighed. "You know how troublesome it is keeping him on schedule anyways.
"TEMARI YOU LAIR!" Temari had been about to say something when Kankuro's angry shout cut her off.
"What did Mom do to Uncle Kankuro this time?" Shikadai asks as he comes in, hands in his pocket as he slouched slightly, a near mirror image of his father.
"It's sometimes better not to ask." Gaara advises his nephew as Kankuro comes back and glares at Temari.
"Oh stop glaring and come set the table." Temari sighs as she turns and heads towards the kitchen.
"Why should I have to set the table? I don't even live here." Kankuro groans causing Shikamaru to smirk.
"You too Shikamaru!" Temari call out, making Shikamaru's smirk drop in to a frown as Kankuro snickers. Shikamaru just shakes his head as he goes into the kitchen.
"At least it's not me this time." Shikadai mumbles before looking at his uncles "It's really great you guys are here though. I know mom misses you."
Gaara sshifts uncomfortably. "Yes well unfortunately I have to be going." He admits to his nephew.
"You're leaving?" Shikadai frowns at Gaara before looking to Kankuro. "Both of you?"
"No I'm stay for dinner." Kankuro says.
"KANKURO!" Temari shouts again.
"He however is abandoning us with your mother to attend a Kage dinner." Kankuro finished with a wince. "I'm COMING!" He shouts back as he heads to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Shikadai." Gaara says quietly to his nephew, it always bothered him that the two got so little time together and he could tell it bothered Shikadai as well. "Before I leave I'll speak with your mother and father. Maybe we can arrange for you to come visit Suna for a while."
"I'd like that." Shikadai nods.
"Good, now I should be going. The other Kage are expecting me." Gaara smiled slightly as he turns to go.
Shikadai watches his uncle go before going towards the kitchen just as a crashing sound is heard.
"Kankuro you idiot!" His mother's voice rings out and makes the young Nara wince.
"This is going to be so troublesome." He groans.
Omoi rubbed his head as Karui continued to fume at him. "Ow Karui that hurt." He frowned at her. "What if you had knocked me out and I was unconscious when suddenly the Raikage need my help. He could be killed then I'd be forced to set up in his place, I'd panic under the pressure and the Cloud would crumble away to nothing!"
"Would you be quiet?" Karui demands as she slaps her forehead with the palm of her head. "If you don't want to get hit stop saying things like what if I under cooked the food and you get food poisoning!"
"Calm down dear." Choji says patting his wife's arm to try and stop her from hurting her former teammate again.
Karui frowned and reached forward and grabbed the bowl of mixed vegetable, slowly piling them on Omoi's plate. "Here" she says through gritted teeth. "Eat up." She knew Omoi hated mixed vegetables and the look she gave him said he'd better eat it.
Omoi gulped nervously before slowly starting to eat. "You're cruel Karui" he mumbled around the veggies.
"Has your daughter actually ever seen a mountain?" Kurosuchi asks for the fifth time as she continues to examine the picture Himawari had drawn for her. "They definitely aren't so trianglur, or identical." She laughs holding it up for the other Kage to see.
"I'm still trying to figure out where my floating castle is." Darui says scratching his head "I have a feeling Killer A is hiding it from me."
"I don't remember having to hold my breath under water to get to the Hidden Mist" Chojuro comments nervously, not wanting to upset Naruto by judging his daughter's art work.
"Let's see yours again." Kurosuchi nods to Gaara who holds up the completely sand colours sheet of paper causing everyone at the table to laugh.
"She definitely has Suna down to tee." Naruto grinned proudly.
"She says she wanted to glue sand to it for you but she wasn't sure if the sand at the playground was the same as in Suna." Hinata chuckles quietly.
"Tell her thank you, it's very nice of her." Gaara says with a small amused smile as he sets the drawing down.
"Agreed." Darui says as the other Kage nod. "I'm sorry but don't expect any kind of gesture like this from my kids when you all come to the cloud for the Peace Festival. They're more wreckers then creators."
"Too much time with their uncles?" Kurosuchi grinned raising an eyebrow at Darui.
"Exactly" Darui nods. "If my son start rapping one more time my wife will is going to ban Killer B from seeing them. It was cute at first now it's become dull."
That sparks a new wave of laughter from the Kage. Naruto grins as he looks around the table. It's incredible the world that's been created, for the five Kage to sit around eating and laughing with one another. No talk over war or who owed who for this or that. The world was peaceful and they could all allow themselves to be friendly with each other without fearing war or betrayal. Naruto reached to take a bite of his dinner when his chop sticks suddenly fell from his hand, tumbling to the floor.
"Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern as she touched his shoulder but he did not respond. He just continued to stare forward into thin air. "Naruto what's wrong?" she shakes his shoulder slightly but still nothing. The other Kage were now looking and frowning in concern. "Naruto!"