CHAPTER 2
SAND
A good shinobi knows when to be deaf, Temari told herself as she pored over the book of common dessert plants and their uses that she was supposed to be memorizing.
A good shinobi knows to never not pay attention, Sensei's voice ran through her head. Still, in this case, ignorance was the best policy, she determined, if only because she really didn't want to know what was happening outside her room.
Try as she might though, Temari couldn't help but keep her ears alert to catch the slightest noise from outside. To her dismay, this tendency of hers of not following orders was becoming a habit.
"Themari," Kankuro called imperiously, something that she resented. Why couldn't the boy be more like Gaara and call her nee chan at least? Then she blanched as she imagined another Gaara and changed her mind. She'd rather put up with the disrespect.
"What?" she asked irritably. So what if she wasn't actually paying attention to her book? For all he knew she could have been in the middle of studying something that could save her life one day. The amount of time they spent talking was also time that she spent not being able to hear anything from beyond the doors, which was another reason for her to be crabby.
"Tell me if my kathas are okay," her four year old brother ordered.
"They should be better than good, not just okay. And you're too young for that," Temari told him matter-of-factly. And it was the truth, Kankuro simply didn't have the grace to execute a perfect kata. Not to say that she did either, but she had gotten a lot of training in being fast on her feet and that had led to a corresponding increase in her sure-footedness.
Kankuro unfortunately, seemed to take it as an affront to his dignity and snapped back, "Fine! You'll see! My kathas will be so good they'll be bether than yours!"
There was, Temari mused, something adorable about how both her brothers thought that being better than her was the only way to be classified as good. Then she remembered the way Otou sama always tried to make their training a competition upon which depended their pocket money, small though it was, and the happy feeling disappeared. Now she'd have to work even harder to stay ahead of Kankuro.
There was silence for a while, broken only by the occasional grunts released by Kankuro as he practiced and practiced. Temari returned to studying her book but part of her attention returned to outside the room uncle Yashamaru had shut them in, doing her hardest to hear something.
It was as she was learning about agave that there was a scream. It was muffled and could possibly have passed for the night wind buffeting the house, but Temari knew what she'd heard. She paled and swallowed convulsively, trying to keep her mind only on the book on her bed. She didn't want to hear any more but as if incapable of anything else, her entire being concentrated on finding out what was happening.
She finally moved from her hunched up position over the book and looked at Kankuro. "Your foot's going wrong." she told him, as a precursor to anything serious.
He glared at her but shifted his foot accordingly so that he was better balanced. Temari took in a deep breath before venturing hesitantly, "Do you think something bad is happening?"
"Sand came out of nothing and athacked thath ANBU. What do you think?" he asked as if she was an idiot.
Temari flushed as she clarified angrily, "I mean, is something bad happening to Gaara?"
"He's a lithle baby. Whath could happen to him?" Kankuro scoffed.
Temari peered suspiciously at him. Had he really not noticed that these incidents seemed to happen wherever Gaara was? Admittedly, he could be remarkably self-obsessed but she had thought that at the very least, he would have realised why Gaara was moved away from their house. She knew he now lived with Uncle Yashamaru and only came to visit them because Temari wanted to make sure he was alright and Otou sama decided this was as good a place as any to train the boy.
Still, if Kankuro hadn't yet realised that Gaara was at the epicenter of this sand debacle, then she was leery to make him aware of it. She'd seen how people looked at Gaara now. He wasn't the cute little baby anymore, he was called demon and other names. It hurt her brother and she knew that if he ever realised that she herself was wary of him, it would hurt him even more.
Kankuro was a little boy though and probably didn't understand what was happening. He knew that they weren't supposed to surprise their youngest sibling nor were they to hurt him. They were never to be alone in a room with him and even then, all meetings must be carried out in a place without sand.
It wasn't very useful though, Gaara had already started developing such deep dark circles from lack of sleep. Initially, she'd been horrified, but by now she could relate the absence of his conscious and the presence of murderous sand perfectly well. Though she hated to admit it, she was scared of her own brother and only the fact that Kaa chan had wanted her to take care of her brothers made her force herself to still associate with him. It helped only a little that Gaara was a sweet boy. She didn't want to ruin his relationship with his brother.
Feeling restless, she got off the adult-sized bed with desert yellow sheets and purple pillow. She debated over practicing her katas like Kankuro while they were waiting for news but decided otherwise. She instead paced the length of her room, going around the desk and her brother both. She sighed, feeling the restlessness only increase instead of abate as she has hoped would happened. She knew what would let her study in peace, yet she could see no way of getting what she wanted.
Temari would like to think she wasn't a coward but there was bravery and then there was foolishness. She'd like to believe she wasn't a fool. Going outside while knowing that something was happening that made even grown-ups call it the work of a demon, without anything to protect her would mean she was completely devoid of brains. But staying here would just make her uncomfortable and moreover, she was a ninja. She was naturally eager to know what was happening and even morbid curiosity was curiosity.
Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back, Temari reassured herself. But then again, she remembered, weren't cats supposed to have nine lives? She only had the one and that meant taking unnecessary risk was worse than useless. It was actively harmful for her continued survival.
Thankfully, she didn't have to resort to any extreme measures as just then, there came the sound of footsteps nearing the door. She relaxed but only partly. Just because someone was coming to give them some news didn't mean it was good news.
She gazed at the door intensely. It was the moments that people thought they were unsupervised in that they showed what they were really thinking. This was true for the masked ANBU member that opened the door and stood in the doorway for a second before entering.
His right shirt sleeve was bulky, as if he had something wrapped around his arm inside it, and there were rust coloured stains on his pants that Temari knew instinctively was blood. Something about his posture also seemed to radiate uneasiness.
He spoke up in a muffled voice, "It is safe to go outside now." There was quite menace in his voice, as if while it was indeed safe, it wouldn't be advisable. There may be lurking horrors that would have no compunctions about lunging at a little five-year old, precocious though she might be. He might even be included in their number.
The man didn't wait for any questions that the siblings might have and left just as quickly as he'd come, but soundlessly this time. Temari gritted her teeth, a hand on her hip as she seethed. Normally, she'd wait a while before venturing out after one of the sand episodes, but the way that ANBU member had simply told them it was safe to go out…what did he think, that she'd be so scared of seeing a little blood that she'd stay locked inside her room voluntarily this time? This was her home and she wasn't going to let people her father employed intimidate her into doing what they wanted.
"Kankuro, I'm going out." Temari announced to the room at large. That would show that ANBU member what she thought of his advice, if he was still hanging around. And he better be if he knew what was good for him. She was the Kazekage's daughter and that meant around the clock protection all the time.
"Are you sure? Whath if they haven'th brushed all the sand off?" Her brother asked worriedly.
Temari shot a confident smile at him as she reassured, "I'll be just fine."
Like she'd thought, Kankuro hadn't yet realised that sand was dangerous only when Gaara was around. She didn't know whether the danger existed only when he was asleep or even when he was awake, only that sand didn't appear out of thin air when he was still conscious. When he was awake, Gaara could control his sand a little. But she did know that if it was safe to be out and about, it meant Gaara had been taken to the place he lived in with Uncle Yashamaru.
"Whath're you going to tell Otou sama?" Kankuro asked suspiciously, unconvinced that it was really that simple.
"I'm going to be a shinobi and Kazekage after that. I need to know what's happening and the sooner the better. A kage never not knows things going on inside their own house." Temari answered archly. Okay, she might not really have any aspirations to take her father's hat but it would make a good excuse if Otou sama found out. He was willing to let a lot of things go as long as there was a reasonable explanation behind them. And if there were no truly terrible repercussions. Telling that to Kankuro though was useless. He was an idiot.
She made to leave her bedroom when Kankuro said, "Waith. I'm coming along."
Temari asked dubiously, "You sure you won't get scared?"
She didn't mention that her own heart was beating fast. If she were alone and something happened, she'd just run away. If her little brother was there though… she scowled as she registered that she'd have to pull his hide out of the fire as well. Or out of the sand as the case may be. And she couldn't just run away, she'd have to retreat to come back later because it was a matter of pride and she didn't want her little brother to think she was afraid of her littlest brother! Oh wait, she remembered. Kankuro doesn't know that Gaara's involved.
"But you're a baby. You still scream when I pinch you. We have to be sneaky. You can't scream when you get scared." Temari told him, trying to discourage the boy.
"I don't need to scream. I can scram." Kankuro replied with a sneer. Temari's scowl grew even more. He had such bad habits. He was rude, couldn't pronounce a 't' and was always so uppity with her.
"Fine, I'm going and you can follow me. If you get lost anywhere though, don't expect me to rescue you." Temari said shortly. She knew that mulish expression on the brat's face. It meant he was scared and trying to hide it. Truth of the matter was, he simply didn't want to be left alone. The baby.
Temari didn't peer at both sides of the corridor before exiting. That was a sign of guilt and anyway, if she was going to be stopped, her seeing or not seeing anyone wasn't going to change anything. It didn't mean that she didn't casually run an eye over the place. She wasn't stupid.
She led the way towards their nursery. All three of the kazekage's children had been there when Gaara had finally failed to divert his mind enough with blocks and fallen asleep. She already knew that Gaara could manipulate existing sand. Otou sama could do it with gold and he was teaching it to her brother. It was the fact that sand around him reacted even without his knowledge was what gave her chills down her back, a hard proposition in the hot summer air.
She wiped a bead of sweat from the side of her face and pretended that it was just perspiration form the heat. At the same, she didn't refuse when Kankuro wormed his hand within hers. It was comforting and made it easier to drag his fragile carcass around.
The corridors looked empty but Temari knew the impression was a deception. There were ANBU around all the time and their invisibility was just a mark of their skill. All the same, she made sure to employ all the stealth techniques Miko Sensei had drilled into her head. She knew it was nothing that would hide her from the watchful eyes of the ANBU but it might be enough to escape the notice of the maids who were no doubt cleaning the nursery.
She was right. She wished a little that she wasn't. She tied to step in front of Kankuro to block his view but from his gasp, she knew she'd failed. Temari couldn't manage to wrench her eyes off the scene in from of her though. Sand was supposed to be golden, yellow…colours that weren't brown or red. It reminded her of the tales of Akasuna no Sasori. It was said he got the name because he dyed the sand in the blood of his enemies. She couldn't help thinking that this sand was coloured in the blood of their people.
There were two people brushing off the sand into a metal dustbin, the type that she had seen Chiasa chan use to burn things in. but did sand even burn? Or did they simply think that plastic or earthenware was just not strong enough to withstand the force of the sand if it was once again controlled by the demon? They might be on to something, Temari admitted. She'd seen it blow right through the upturned crib before she was dragged to safety, during the beginning of these incidents.
There were deep grooves carved into the stone floor and if she strained her eyes, she fancied she could see some dark liquid pooled in one of them. She tried to step inside, overcome by morbid curiosity but Kankuro tugged at the hand he still had a hold of and hissed, "Don't go there!"
One of the maids turned at the noise but upon seeing who it was, she just went back to cleaning, working a bit faster now.
Temari tried to comfort her brother, "It's okay now. Look, there's nothing here."
Her voice wobbled embarrassingly and she cleared her throat before trying again, "We can go in now."
Saying this, she stepped inside and regretted it almost instantly. Her initial cursory examination hadn't revealed it but now that she was looking for details, she could make out the darker patch on the left wall, like someone had soaked it in water. Water might have gone into it, but the colouration of the plastered wall indicated quite clearly that it had been doused in something else first.
Unbidden, her feet carried her over to the part she had been inspecting. From up closer, her analytical mind could already reach conclusions at the sight in front of her. While there was a whole dark splotch, there were darker bits in it. It looked…. Temari tilted her head a little to the right, her brows drawing together. It reminded her of the spray of water the bathroom tap released.
She gulped as she understood. Someone had sprayed blood here. The darker splotches were so tiny in size that their source must have been standing a distance away, yet they were spread over a large area. The person had bled. A lot.
All of a sudden, she regretted bringing Kankuro here. He was still young, he didn't realise what had happened. He hadn't gone through the First Aid classes yet. In a way, he was lucky. He didn't know just how grievously a person had to be wounded to bleed like this. Maybe arterial spray? But no, that would have been too small. Yet blood had impacted with some force along the size of an adult's torso at the very least.
She forcefully wrenched her mind away from these musings. The maid closest to them, the one who hadn't turned to look at them, said seemingly at the floor, "If you are worried about the damage to the room, I assure you, it will be as good as new in no time."
"I wanth ith as ith was before." Kankuro said sharply though his soft 't's somewhat ruined the effect.
"We will do our best," the other woman said deferentially.
Temari gave a regal nod before leaving with Kankuro's hand clutched tightly in hers, hoping that no one could tell that she was not leaving as much as escaping. Certainly, no one said anything.
The next day, when the summons from her father came, Temari was ready. She'd been expecting it. Expecting, because she wasn't looking forward to the meeting enough to feel anticipatory about it, but nor was she dreading it because she had questions she'd like the answers to.
She made her way to the Kazekage's office and the sight of all the workers in the Kazekage Dome being subtly courteous to her made her feel proud. She knew it wasn't for her so much for the Kazekage's daughter but it was still an ego boost. It made her more confident about asking the questions she wanted to.
But first, she thought as she paused before the door that led to her father's room, she have to pass the inquisition.
She knocked lightly on the door. She was aware of the saying 'Never surprise a shinobi' and had always taken it to heart. While she knew that her father was attentive enough to his surroundings to always know who was approaching him but practice would only help her.
"Come in Temari," Otou sama intoned.
Taking a bracing breath, she opened the door and made her way inside. Once in front of her father's desk, which was strewn with papers and heavily dusted with gold dust, Temari bowed and said, hoping none of her reservations were audible, "Otou sama."
He didn't offer her a seat and she knew it was a sign of his displeasure. But he did say, "You may rise." Which meant he wasn't truly angry.
She waited for long minutes as her father finished reading the paper in his hands before he finally looked at her. She kept her eyes firmly fixed at the collar of his robe. She didn't gaze fearlessly into his eyes as she somewhat wished to because that might be taken as a sign of insubordination but neither did look at his desk or her own feet. That could be construed as a sign of guilt and she wanted to come off as someone who had carefully weighed the pros and cons and then made a decision. It was harder than expected. She kept wanting to fidget.
"You arrived at the site of the disturbance rather quickly." Otou sama commented.
This was good, he wasn't accusing her of anything she had the chance to explain herself.
"I wished to assess the damage that could be caused." Temari said in what she hoped was a confident voice.
"And why did you feel the need to do so?" Otou sama asked, the implication clear that she better not have done it because of some sort of curiosity.
"It was important to know the strength of the precautions I need to take in the future." Temari answered.
"And you think you will find yourself in a situation requiring such precautions?" He inquired.
Temari hesitated at that, wondering whether to broach the subject at the moment before she made up her mind. "I have determined that this… sand demon," she spoke cautiously. "Is connected to my otōto."
She paused at that, wondering whether Otou sama would say anything, would mention something about that day two years ago. He didn't, just waited for her to continue with what she thought was an intent expression in his eyes.
"Considering that I intend to continue to meet with Gaara, I felt it necessary to think about some…protection. The best way to find the needed would be to witness the destruction first hand but I deemed it too dangerous to my health. Seeing the aftermath was the next best alternative." Temari finally said, hoping he didn't think that she had memorized these lines. Because she had. Oh, the sentiments were her own but they were couched in adult terminology pilfered from the dictionary.
Otou sama was always pleased when she showed signs of a superior intellect. She couldn't remember the hours she'd spent on books of general knowledge, languages, strategy, tactics. Often times, her only forms of recreation were games like Go and Shōji. Otou sama rewarded her with visits from Gaara when he was pleased with her, which had forced to put more effort into these endeavors than she might have. Unfortunately, she was still five, nearly six, and while advanced, such language was still beyond her conversational skills. She was clever enough to make provisions for this though.
"If you feel that Gaara might be a danger to your health, would it not be better to cut the acquaintance?" Otou sama asked casually, as if it really was that simple.
For a moment, Temari was tempted. Knowing as she did that her brother really was possessed by a demon, going near him was always a test of her nerves. She might know consciously that it wasn't his fault, yet that didn't change the fact that distance from him would drastically reduce chances of any harm from his sand. Surprise him and his sand would automatically come to his defense by attacking. Even being near him was a risk as he'd shown the previous day. He was liable to fall asleep at any time and whenever he did, there was a chance that the demon possessing him might make its presence known. It was terrifying and being offered the chance to just…stop was a relief.
Yet being offered the choice, she found that she couldn't agree.
"No," she spoke tiredly. "I can't just stop. He's my brother and leaving when he needs me is not what Kaa chan wanted me to do."
"She also did not mean for you to constantly risk your life either." Her father rebutted.
She finally met his eyes, so like Gaara's. The sight gave her strength. "He's not a danger to you. All I have to do is be so good that he can't hurt me either."
"That will take time." Her father said, leaning back in his chair. "The fact that you are willingly putting your life in danger for no appreciable benefit is worrying."
"He's already learnt how to be gentle when he uses sand!" Temari protested, feeling like Otou sama was going to forbid her to see Gaara again. While she would like some time between meetings with him, the prospect of being told that she could not do it at all was inciting. She felt like sun dried scrub that might burst into flames at any moment.
"It is not his conscious actions that are dangerous but those outside his control." Otou sama reposted coldly.
"Then he ought to be taught control," Temari suggested, trying to keep her cool.
"It is a work in progress with no end in sight," Otou sama said. There was a terrible expression in his eyes, as if failure was not an option and now that it was so near, action would be necessary. She decided she really did not like it.
"Which is why I decided I need some protection I can use myself. If he can't stop the sand from hurting me, I have to do it myself." She tried to tell herself that she wasn't pleading but it was hard to lie to herself.
The terrible expression didn't leave her father's eyes but something else joined it. Calculation.
"Were I to arrange lessons for you to achieve your goal, will you still be so adamant?" He asked.
Temari didn't understand what adamant meant but she did understand that Otou sama was talking about teaching her something that would keep her safe from that horrible sand.
"I would be honored to learn anything you want to me," Temari said with another bow.
Otou sama nodded. "Then it is settled. You will continue to hold chaperoned meetings with Gaara as long as you continue to show sufficient improvement in your future lessons."
Temari nodded in acquiescence, wondering just what she was going to be learning.
A/N: Next chapter- Baki and the wind element.
Thanks to all those who reviewed. I look forward to what readers think of this chapter.
If people think Temari's mature…she is. Suna shinobi grew up faster and she's the Kazekage's daughter. She also has additional motivation to grow. Also, she was described as being clever and having an analytical mind. This is just more of that. She's also quick to learn things.