AN: Hi all, here's a new chapter! Before we start, we would like to clarify some stuff about our story. We wrote this story to explore Gaara's relationship with Shikadai, so we won't be elaborating much about Shikadai's abilities other than the usual Nara Clan jutsu and abilities. That's because we would like to stay true to canon, and so far Shikadai doesn't do anything else in canon. Because my sister is a very fussy science student, she feels that it is very unlikely for Shikadai to inherit Gaara's magnet release based on her perusal of genetics. Plus, he would no doubt find it troublesome to have to learn so many things... So sorry to all readers who are disappointed by this revelation, but we still hope that you will continue to read, follow and REVIEW this story :)
Disclaimer: We would love to own Naruto... but sadly we don't. If my sister owned Naruto, it would really be called 'Shikamaru Shippuden'.
Four years later in Suna…
Gaara heaved a sigh of relief as he filed away the last of the paperwork for the day. The towering piles of reports and treaties that had dominated the space on his desk had finally disappeared, leaving the mahogany surface clean and blissfully empty. He picked up his sand gourd that was leaning against the wall, then locked the door to his office as he stepped out into the bustling streets of Sunagakure.
The last wisps of daylight were beginning to fade away from the desert, the bright colours of red and orange slowly consumed by the black of night. Along with the sun, the unbearable heat had disappeared too, replaced by the cool evening air. It was the nicest weather on any day in Suna, with the heat mostly dissipated while the freezing temperatures have yet to set in.
Though he prided himself for remaining level-headed even in the most dire of situations, the formidable Godaime Kazekage* still felt a little jittery on his walk home. Whatever happens later would be his four year old nephew's first memory of him and Suna, so he was determined to make it a happy one. Despite having met his sister's child multiple times in the past four years, Shikadai was either asleep or staring into empty space with blank eyes whenever he dropped by, so Gaara was doubtful that his nephew would have any impression of him. To top it off, since he was next to clueless about dealing with small children, it would be even more difficult for Shikadai to accept him.
Shaking his head to clear his worried thoughts, Gaara took a deep breath before opening the door to his house. He hid in the shadows at the corridor, taking the time to quietly observe the other occupants before revealing himself.
His eyes brightened when he saw his sister and brother-in-law at the table, tidying up papers into neat piles and occasionally jotting down notes on some documents, no doubt in busy preparation for the Shinobi Union meeting tomorrow. Temari's fan leaned against its usual spot on the wall, just as it had always been before she got married. Despite being a Konoha native, Shikamaru seemed to fit into the landscape so perfectly, it looked as if he had been living in Suna his whole life. It was even more heartwarming when he saw the object of his anxiety walk up to the table where his father and mother were seated, picking up a paper and scrunching up his face, trying to read the characters on it before throwing it back down onto the table, muttering something along the lines of "How troublesome!".
However, Gaara didn't know whether to feel jealous or relieved, when he saw Kankuro carry their nephew away from the table. His elder brother proceeded to give Shikadai a piggy back ride on his shoulders, making the little boy squeal in delight.
"Would Shikadai accept me as easily?" Gaara thought. "After all, Kankuro's always the funny one…" He was snapped out of his reverie when his elder brother beckoned him.
"Yo, Gaara! Don't just stand there, come meet your nephew!" Kankuro called good-naturedly. Suppressing a gulp, Gaara stepped forward, trying to force a natural smile on his face as he waved to his nephew.
"Hello… Shikadai…" He offered hesitantly. "I'm your uncle Gaara, nice to meet you."
Shikadai studied him for a moment, his large teal eyes travelling up and down his frame, making Gaara feel as if he were a specimen in a glass jar. He shifted uncomfortably, and his sand seemed to sense his mild distress, as it slowly seeped out of the gourd.
Gaara jolted violently when Shikadai's ear-piercing scream ricocheted off the walls of the house. The frightened toddler let go of Kankuro and dashed straight for his mother, burying his face in her yukata.
"What's wrong, Shikadai?" Temari ruffled her son's hair affectionately, but Gaara could see her brows crease with worry.
"I'm scared…" came Shikadai's muffled reply through the folds of her dress.
"Ne, Shikadai, there's nothing to be afraid of, Uncle Gaara's not going to hurt you."
As if realising that his mother will not protect him, Shikadai quickly ran and latched onto Shikamaru's leg. He was instantly concealed by the long trench coat.
"Daddy, make him go away… I don't like him… He scares me…"
Gaara did not hear Shikamaru's attempts to comfort Shikadai, for he was too consumed with his own feelings of sadness. Hearing his nephew's frightened voice and piercing scream brought back memories of his past as Shukaku's host; images of terrified children running away from a small red-haired boy danced through his mind. Did Shikadai sense a remnant of the Ichibi within him? Did his nephew see him as a monster, even though he was no longer a Jinchuuriki?
"Gaara," He glanced up to see Temari looking apologetically at him. "It's not that… little children like Shikadai are scared of all sorts of things for no apparent reason… Don't worry too much about it, he'll warm up to you soon." She smiled encouragingly, making Gaara's heart a little lighter.
"Hopefully…" He thought to himself as he saw a small figure peeking through the folds of Shikamaru's trench coat. Shikadai was still cowering with fear, his large eyes darted up and down like a startled baby animal, hands balled into fists, clutching his father's pants.
"What were they even thinking? Isn't it obvious that Shikadai doesn't like me?" Gaara grumbled to himself as he watched his nephew staring out of the window. He was still annoyed that Shikamaru and Temari suddenly left him to babysit Shikadai so they could go on their 'anniversary date' (since when did they celebrate such frivolous things?), while Kankuro just had to go train the Puppet Brigade.
"Eh? Why are there no clouds in the sky? Even at dusk, Konoha has fluffy pink clouds floating around, but here, there are NO CLOUDS AT ALL! Why did Dad even suggest to admire the sky? There's nothing to admire. Wait, no wonder he said the sky and not clouds." Shikadai whined, while Gaara rolled his eyes at his nephew's lack of appreciation for the beautiful Suna sunset.
"I miss Konoha. I miss the clouds. I miss the soft green grass. Why are there no clouds and no grass? Why did Mom and Dad bring me here, then abandon me with this creepy Kazekage guy? They say he's my uncle… But I don't believe them, he doesn't even look like my grandparents in the photo Mom showed me! His hair is too red, his eyes are too pale, and even weird dark stuff around them. At least Uncle Kankuro's make-up looks cool." Shikadai continued rambling his speculations.
Gaara couldn't stop himself from saying, "I'm right behind you, you know." He immediately regretted when he heard Shikadai's rambling come to an abrupt halt and saw his whole body tense up.
Shikadai heard unmistakable voice of his so-called 'uncle', he couldn't believe that he didn't realize or sense his presence. He slowly turned around from his kneeled position on the couch and saw the red figure of 'uncle' standing there with his arms crossed. He pointed an accusing finger at Gaara and stuttered, "Wh… What are y…you doing here?"
"Babysitting you on your mother's orders… " Gaara replied stoically.
"Nani*?!" Shikadai came to his senses and jumped off the couch only to bolt towards his parents' bedroom. The door slammed loudly and the sound of a lock turning could be heard.
Gaara shook his head and sighed loudly. He was torn between confronting Shikadai to comfort and allay his fears or just leave him alone to his troublesome problems. Maybe it would take Shikadai some time to warm up to him, just as Temari had said. However, he was still very disheartened that Shikadai refused to acknowledge him as his uncle. "I should borrow a book from Sai to see if it has a list of do's and don'ts to help me solve my problem." Gaara thought absentmindedly.
Just as Gaara was immersed in his thoughts, his heightened sense of hearing picked up the unmistakable sound of kunai and shuriken clanging as they fell to the ground. His eyes widened in alarm when he realized that the sounds clearly originated from the locked room his nephew had just disappeared into. Fearing for the worst, he quickly dashed for the room, alert for any signs of intruders.
"Wow, this is so cool… who knew Dad had this?" Shikadai said to himself as he played with a explosive-tag kunai he found in Shikamaru's pouch. "Interesting… the kunai even has a paper attached to it… says 'explode'... Ah!" He instantly froze and pointed the kunai at Gaara, who had burst into the room.
Gaara's eyes widened in shock and worry, as he noticed the sharp, dangerous projectile that his nephew was brandishing at him. "How could I have let him touch such a hazardous object?" He mentally chided himself. "Temari and Shikamaru - no, scratch that - the whole of Konoha will have my head if he's hurt! What should I do now?" Before Gaara could think of a possible solution, Shikadai seemed to have recovered his voice.
"How… how did you br...break into my parents' room?" Shikadai stammered, his teeth chattering and fingers trembling as he tightened his grip on the kunai. Any casual observer would have laughed at the sight of a small child threatening Sunagakure's most powerful Kazekage with nothing more than a kunai and explosive tag.
"This is my house." Gaara stated matter-of-factly, clearly not amused by the situation. "Now, Shikadai, your parents are going to be very worried if they see you playing with that, so please put down the kunai slowly…" He emphasized, while calmly using his sand to try and pry the weapon away from Shikadai's hands.
"AHHH! Get away from me!" Shikadai screamed in fright, before scrambling up the window and bolting down the wide Suna streets, kunai still firmly clutched in his hands.
"Wait, Shikadai! Come back!" Gaara shouted, cursing himself for scaring his nephew away with the sand. He jumped out of the window and chased after Shikadai, all the while wondering where did his sister and brother-in-law go when he needed them the most.
"Oh no! He's catching up, this freaky Kazekage guy is fast!" Shikadai thought as he saw his 'uncle' running a few steps behind him. "I have to get him off my tail… Yes, that's it!" He quickly ducked under the abdomen of a camel, then disappeared into the crowded bazaar.
"Shikadai, sto - Whoa!" Worry must have clouded his senses, for Gaara had almost bumped into the same camel. Quickly jumping over the animal, he scanned the noisy bazaar for any signs of a spiky black ponytail.
The bazaar was the centre of all commercial and social activities in Sunagakure no Sato*. As the cool weather descends, traders gathered to peddle their wares, the fragrant smell of spices and the bright colours of items on display were overwhelming to the senses. Camels, donkeys, horses, goats, chickens and all manner of domesticated animals plodded leisurely down the streets, quietly enjoying the refreshing night air. Children laughed and played boisterous games while their parents haggled with the vendors. Shinobi who have just returned from long missions took the time to catch up with old friends over snacks and drinks. Yet, for all its charming qualities, the Suna bazaar was the last place you would want to find a lost child in, which unfortunately was the predicament Gaara faced.
"Shikadai! Shikadai!" Gaara called repeatedly as he wandered around the marketplace, desperate to find his nephew. Even after enquiring some vendors about a small child with a spiky ponytail, he was still nowhere close to finding Shikadai.
"Heehee… he will never find me like this…" Shikadai chuckled as he wrapped the rug he had found tighter around himself. Yet, at this moment he accidentally bumped into a tall man with red hair.
"Sorry… I'm so - ARGH!" Shikadai didn't manage to finish his apology before he dashed away as fast as his legs could carry him. Quickly recovering from his surprise, Gaara chased after his errant nephew, determined not to let the boy out of his sight. Hearing the scream, a crowd of curious Suna residents had gathered around, commenting on the strange sight before them. After all, it wasn't an everyday occurrence for their esteemed Kazekage to be chasing after a small boy.
"Mommy, isn't that Kazekage-sama*?"
"Oh my, it is! What on earth is he doing here?"
"Who is that little boy? I've never seen him before…"
"Could he be an infiltrator? He's holding a kunai and Kazekage-sama is chasing after him…"
"But he's just a child… Where are his parents?"
Shikadai quickly turned around the corner and hid behind a large basket full of clucking chickens, hoping that he had lost his 'uncle'. That guy was creeping him out more and more by the minute. However, before he could even catch his breath, a large hand gently pried away the basket, and two pale green eyes stared down at him.
"Go away!" Shikadai screamed and sent a forceful kick at the basket. Not expecting the attack, Gaara jumped back as the startled chickens flew out of the basket. He felt dusty feathers fall on his face and winced as sharp claws tore at his clothes.
"Oi! You stupid brat! You're gonna pay for my chickens! Their meat becomes tough and they won't lay eggs when they're scared!" The shopkeeper hollered after a small disappearing figure. Finally shrugging off the last of the chickens, Gaara quickly apologised before running off.
"I'm so sorry, sir, I'll pay for your chickens tomorrow!"
"But that kid… Kazekage-sama?" The shopkeeper was left staring at the dust thrown up by Gaara, as he scratched his chin in confusion.
The heavens seemed to be unnaturally kind to Shikadai - and unnaturally cruel to Gaara - as the little boy soon spotted a large flock of sheep at the corner of the bazaar. He quickly squeezed in between the gentle, bleating creatures and ducked underneath the fattest one, thinking that it would provide the most cover.
"Teehee… there's no way he would find me here… it would be too troublesome to search one by one…" Shikadai gloated at his ingenious hiding place. Unknowingly, somewhere along the way, running away from his 'creepy uncle' had become a very fun game of hide-and-seek, and Shikadai was determined to win.
Gaara skidded to a halt when he saw the spiky black ponytail disappear into the flock of sheep. "Oh great, who knows where he's hiding now…" He thought dejectedly as he meandered through the flock, scanning the animals intently for any sign of his elusive nephew.
"Good evening, Kazekage-sama!" The shepherd greeted Gaara heartily. "There's no need to trouble yourself, sir," He waved Gaara off when the Kazekage tried to ask him for help. "I'll pick the fattest one for you!" With that, he strode easily into the flock, squeezing and pinching the sheep along the way. Gaara had no choice but to follow him, all the while keeping an eye for any sign of Shikadai.
Meanwhile, Shikadai was kneeling underneath the stomach of a big fat sheep. He watched anxiously as Gaara followed the shepherd through the herd, coming ever closer to his hiding place. Shikadai tried to even his breathing and calm the erratic heartbeat he was experiencing from the crazy sprint through the bazaar. He had to do this also to keep himself quiet and avoid being overheard by his formidable pursuer.
Shikadai could see the pair of feet belonging to the shepherd stop somewhere to his left, patting and pinching the hide of a sheep. The heel of the shepherd was facing him, thus he concluded that the shepherd must be checking on the sheep to his left and not the one he was hiding under.
"Hmm… Not fat enough…"
The footsteps shifted again and Shikadai unconsciously held his breath and coiled his muscles, ready to spring and dash out at any given moment. The footsteps resounded in his ears ominously as they came closer and closer. Suddenly, it stopped somewhere to his right with heels still facing him. It took all of Shikadai's control not to release the pent-up breath with one long sigh. Even though his cover was still in effect, it didn't mean that he could lower his guard. His heart was still uncomfortably stuck in his throat.
The shepherd was unable to make up his mind on which sheep would be the best for their Kazekage who worked so hard to protect their village. Gaara, on the other hand, was getting more and more worried as he still could not spot or hear Shikadai; his nephew's chakra signature was also too premature to be detected. Shikadai watched on with growing frustration, praying the shepherd would just choose the sheep beside him (it looked fat enough) and send his creepy 'uncle' on his merry way. "Geez, this old geezer is annoying and incompetent. How troublesome!"
Just as the last word left his brain, he heard the unmistakable voice of the shepherd behind him. "Ah! Finally! The fattest sheep for our beloved Kazekage-sama!"
Shikadai's breath hitched as he turned around to see the shepherd's toes facing him. "I'm so screwed… "
Gaara heard the strange sound nearby that didn't sound like the annoying bleating of sheep. He zoomed in on the sound and pinpointed the location, it was directly underneath the sheep he was standing behind! "Could it be…" Gaara wondered before lowering himself to look underneath the sheep.
"Shikadai? Is that you?" Gaara asked with concern.
"AHHHHH!" Shikadai screamed at the top of his lungs. When he turned around, he was met with the creepiest and the last face he ever hoped to see. "Not you again!"
"MEHHH! BAAAAA!" The sheep also screamed at the top of its lungs before delivering a sound kick towards his behind, which, unfortunately, was where Gaara's face was. Luckily, the sand that Gaara always carried rose to protect him. The hooves of the sheep were met with a strong shield of sand, effectively preventing Gaara from having a broken nose and bruised cheeks.
"Kazekage-sama! Are you alright?"
"CREEPY SAND! But now's my chance!" Shikadai seized the opportunity during the moment of chaos to escape and find a new hiding place.
Shikadai continued to sprint down the bazaar, trying to squeeze in between crowds, hoping that his 'uncle' would lose sight of him. Gaara, deciding that chasing behind Shikadai would be too dangerous, used chakra to attach himself to the side of the buildings in the marketplace, having a clear view of Shikadai's pineapple head and a human-animal-free route.
Shikadai could feel himself tiring as his lungs burned and his legs began to slow. He stopped in front of the Kazekage Tower, panting laboriously to catch his breath. Gaara saw this and quickly closed the distance between them, before landing as non-threateningly as possible in front of his nephew.
"Shikadai, are you alright?"
It was a bad choice. Once Shikadai caught sight of Gaara landing in front of him without a sound, he shrieked and turned around.
Shikadai was mortified. "Why does this creepy Kazekage guy follow me everywhere? Can't he give me a moment of peace?" He lunged forward to break into a run, but his tired legs gave in and he fell flat on the ground. The kunai flew out of his grasp and headed straight towards the tower, coincidentally implanting itself into the wall closest to the Council meeting room. The explosive tag sizzled ominously before a loud explosion resounded throughout the area. A large chunk of brown wall fell and crashed straight towards Shikadai.
"AHH! Mom! Dad! Save me!" Shikadai screamed helplessly as he covered his head with his small hands.
Without a second thought, Gaara jumped forward and stood protectively over the huddled form of Shikadai. His sand instantly rose up to form a protective sphere around him and Shikadai. The falling debris broke into smaller chunks upon hitting the sand shield, and fell harmlessly onto the ground.
"Eh? I'm still alive? But there was an explosion…" Shikadai mused as he opened his eyes. Pulling himself up on his feet, his eyes widened at the sand shield that seemed to appear out of thin air. Was this what saved him from the explosion?
"Shikadai, are you okay?" Shikadai's eyes followed the sand as it retreated towards its owner. Gaara kneeled down so he was level with Shikadai, scanning his nephew for any signs of injury.
Surprisingly, the boy didn't run off this time, he merely studied the strange man before him as calmly as possible. Then, any residual fear in his eyes vanished, replaced by a warm gleam of admiration and adoration.
"Uncle Gaara! You're so awesome!" Shikadai cried happily as he jumped onto Gaara and hugged him tightly. "You're way cooler than Mom, Dad and Uncle Kankuro put together!"
Gaara smiled as relief and happiness overcame his senses, yet slightly unnerved by how quickly a child's emotions could change. Though it had taken a misadventure in the bazaar and a near-death experience for Shikadai, his nephew had finally accepted him as family.
"Let's go home, Shikadai. Up!" Gaara lifted Shikadai onto his shoulders, which the little boy was all too happy to oblige. Uncle and nephew then walked home together, their easy silence punctuated by Shikadai's joyous, carefree laughter.
"Uncle Gaara, can I go to work with you tomorrow?" Shikadai asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
"Of course, provided your parents are fine with it." Gaara agreed, glad to be spending more time with his nephew. Due to the previous commotion, a crowd of shinobi and civilians had gathered around the area, gossiping at the unexpected turn of events.
"Ah, so that's the child Kazekage-sama has been chasing after! It's the honourable nephew!"
"Nephew? Oh right, the son of Temari-dono* and Konoha's Nara Shikamaru..."
"Aww, don't they look so cute together? Must be playing games in the market just now…"
"Haish, I guess I have to forgive the boy for scaring my chickens then…"
TBC...
*Godaime Kazekage - Fifth Wind Shadow (Literal translation)
*Nani - What
*Sunagakure no Sato - Hidden Village in the Sand
*Sama: When referring to someone as 'sama', it means that he/she is of a higher rank than you and demands a lot of respect.
*Dono: When referring to someone as 'dono', it means that he/she is of the same rank as you but you respect him/her a lot.
AN: And so the fun begins... We hope you like our interpretation of Shikadai's attitude towards Gaara, since we don't think it is realistic for him to hero-worship his uncle right from the start. Gaara is, frankly speaking, a (very) intimidating adult, so it's not so much of a stretch to suggest that his nephew will be freaked out by him at first. On a side note, we did not make up the Puppet Corps, it is a legit Suna special forces that used to be led by Chiyo.
Thank you for reading! Tune in again for the next chapter!
