I would never have expected myself to be able to come up with a plan in a matter of seconds. Not at all. Actually, I was rather the type who liked to tinker with something for a longer time, but in this situation, it just couldn't be helped. And indeed, my brain had spit out a halfway useful plan.
Silently, I sent the invisible shadow clones in Daichi's direction, while my hand reached for the three smoke bombs in my pocket. I would need all of them now, if we both wanted to get out of here in one piece. Whereby the good Kankuro did not suspect anything of his luck yet. Sweat drops shone on his forehead, as he ran at breakneck speed towards me.
I still held myself in the shadows, the hood pulled deep into the face. Right next to me stood the shadow double who had taken Kankuros form. A little closer, then I would venture forth. Now!
Quick as a flash, I threw the smoke bombs, sent the clones toward Daichi, and charged after them. I grabbed Kankuro, who had stopped irritated, by the hand and dragged him into the next alley. Even though he noticeably resisted, I held on tightly, not wanting to and now unable to let go. From a distance, I heard Daichi's cursing. Apparently, my little diversion had been blown. Checking, I looked up the walls of the house again and again to keep an eye out for possible Jonin or Chunin. But everything seemed quiet.
Nevertheless, I should not be too confident of victory. I still had my hood on my head, so that the Suna-Nin could not recognize my face. In the meantime, he had already begun to puff strained. His endurance was apparently not really good. Good to know for the chunin exams. I grinned slightly and pulled him into a small inconspicuous alley, far away from the merchant alley.
Panting, Kankuro came to a stop and propped his hands on his legs. His breathing quickly regenerated, and he looked at me with a dark expression.
„What do you want from me? Rob me?"
I raised my eyebrow. I had saved his ass and he thought I was going to rob him. His fingertips began to glow blue. Did the douchebag really think I was going to hurt him.
„What would I want from you? It was just funny to watch you try to pull one over on Daichi. For that reason alone, I saw a reason to help you," I replied, pulling my hood off my head.
That actually defused the situation a bit because the glow disappeared and so did the chakra that had collected in his fingertips.
„A little boy?" he sneered, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. That was almost a little insulting, but well, he would be surprised.
Grinning, I held out my hand to him, whereupon Kankuro took a step back, caught off guard.
„I'm Tora," I said, and had to bite my lips hard as all facial features slipped away from my counterpart. Amazement and disbelief crept into the latter's eyes.
"You are a girl? You don't believe that yourself," he laughed, and I narrowed my eyes. Well, wait friend.
„Wanna find out," I asked.
Kankuro stumbled back slightly and raised his hands.
„Nah, I didn't mean it like that. I believe you. It's just that you don't look like one."
I laughed.
„You're not the only one who thought that. Believe me."
Silently, he eyed me. His features had contracted in thought. I wonder what he was thinking. Possibly my appearance still confused him.
„You really are the first girl I've seen with short hair. Crazy."
He snorted and raised his hand.
„Well, that's how slow I'm going to have to go. Thanks for helping. I guess I'll see you at the chunin selection exam, you're a genin too after all right?"
I nodded and raised my hand as well.
„Yep. Nice to meet you. Just hope we don't have to fight each other Kankuro," I said with a wry grin.
A dark shadow crept onto his face.
„I hope not either, because fighting my team wouldn't be fun for yours, Tora. Besides, you're one of less people I've actually found okay at first glance, so watch out."
Then he turned away and walked out of the alley without looking back again.
Thoughtfully, I remained sitting on the spot. His words had made me think. I should stay away from his team. I wonder if this had something to do with the red-haired boy. Possibly it did. All too clearly, I remembered the strong form of his chakra. And his ability to control sand, along with the cold, emotionless look in his eyes.
The test would not be a walk in the park, that much was already certain.
Motionless, I stood in front of the man-sized supermarket shelf and stared up at the small packet of flour, which looked at me from up there almost mockingly. It was always the same. Every time I went shopping, I had to ask someone to give me something from the top shelves. There was no other way. I couldn't very well climb up there. And with my luck, still destroy everything. In the store it would look afterwards, like on a battlefield and on the screaming of the saleswoman I had at all no desire. If there was anything that could speed up physical growth, I would like it.
As a thief, my size had not been an obstacle, rather an advantage. But now in my new life my size was rather a disadvantage, especially when shopping. "Unfair," whispered a small voice in my head. On the other hand, tall people certainly had to struggle with a few things, such as back pain or the fact of always having to look down on one's friends... I was already digressing again.
My eyes wandered around the store. At the very end, Kiba was standing in line in front of the cash register. No! I wouldn't ask him. Over my dead body. He would bother me with that for the rest of my life. I also had something like pride. But I was slowly running out of time. If I was going to bake a cake for dinner with Shikamarus parents today, I was now obligated to find someone to help me solve my little problem. „
„Can I help?"
I wheeled around. Standing in front of me was none other than Kankuro, grinning down at me from above. Oh yeah, he had some unfinished business with me. After I had saved him from Daichi. I still had to grin at the thought of it.
„This is so depressing," I confessed, which only made my counterpart's grin widen. Finally, he reached out and brought the package down to me. Gratefully, I looked at him.
„Here. Finally owe you one," he said.
„And you did this just for that?", I asked, slightly indignant.
„Nope. You looked pretty lost there in front of the shelf. And I figured being social wouldn't hurt for once."
I laughed. Well, when I had first met Kankuro, he had seemed like a pompous idiot, but apparently, I had been a little mistaken about him. I could not forgive him the thing with Konohamaru, nevertheless. I was not able to understand his behaviour. Maybe he would tell me the reason for his actions, but maybe not.
Together we went to the cashier, paid, and left the store. Finally, I did turn to Kankuro and gave him a friendly smile.
„If you like, you can come to my place and help bake a cake, and I'll give you a piece afterwards."
Thoughtfully, my counterpart ran his hand through his hair.
"All right, then. It's better than having to babysit my brother anyway. Because he's quite ... special..."
„Special?", I asked, grinning slightly. "That's all of us, isn't it? It's not like we're all the same. Otherwise, it would be boring, wouldn't it?"
„No. That's not what I mean. He's just different. I can't explain it to you. You wouldn't understand it, anyway."
I fell silent. Kankuro actually seemed to not want to talk about his brother. Apparently, there was no good relationship between them. Or he was embarrassed, or, or, or. There were countless possibilities of why, why, why. And maybe, I would find out the reason one day. No. I was even very sure that I was capable of it. If Kankuro trusted me enough and I trusted him. Because there was still a certain tension between us, because it seemed to me as if he would hide something. But I could not be sure again.
Fully packed we entered my apartment. Finally arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door shut again with my foot.
„You can just put the stuff on the kitchen table. Meanwhile, I'll get the rest," I said, turning around.
Pondering, I stood in the small closet and looked at the individual compartments. I had forgotten something. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the scale, which of course was at the top of the highest shelf. I grumbled unwillingly. That was not to be grasped, nevertheless.
All at once the scale rose into the air and began to fly towards me at top speed. Quick-witted, I caught it.
„I thought you might need some help," said a grinning Kankuro.
„Laugh at me all you want," I growled, but my counterpart didn't let my foul mood spoil the fun.
Kankuro and I were a good team. Our work went so smoothly and expeditiously that I felt like we were doing it for the 100th time. All the initial tenseness had lifted from him and given way to an unusual relaxation. Nothing seemed to be left of the arrogant shinobi I had met the first time. Admittedly, it was always fun for me to bake with him. When he didn't say anything, like when I had saved his neck, I really liked the young shinobi from Sunagakure.
As if spellbound, we now sat in front of the oven and watched the two chocolate cakes rise.
„Tora," Kankuro began.
„Please try not to cross my team in the chunin exam ... okay. I'm serious."
Again? It actually seemed very important to him. A suspicion began to germinate in my mind as to why he was acting this way. Actually, I should have figured it out much sooner, the solution was so simple.
„Kankuro," I began. "Could it be that..."
The shrill sound of the bell interrupted my words. Startled, the Suna-nin looked up and turned pale as cheese. Except for the paint, all colour seemed to have drained from his face.
„I have to go," he stammered and stood up. I held him by the arm.
„Wait. The cake is ready. Take some of it with you. We made it together, after all," I added when he tried to protest, meanwhile energetically pressing the plate and knife into his hand. Then I turned briskly to the door.
I wondered who that could be.
If Kankuro was in such a panic. A suspicion began to germinate in me.
„This is taking too long for me, I'm about to..."
But before the person could finish his sentence, I had opened the door in one swing. Cold blue eyes gazed expressionlessly into mine before narrowing suspiciously. Oh no. Not him again.
Behind him stood the blonde girl. Temari was her name if I remembered correctly. Her gaze was also serious and closed, though hers was nothing against that of her red-haired teammate. Deadly or icy cold probably described it best. But still, I didn't want to give in or avert my gaze. Stubbornly, I looked into his eyes and suddenly an expression flitted through them.
I couldn't describe what it was. Too quickly it had disappeared again. However, this was proof for me that Gaara, even though it was none of my business, also had something like feelings. Finally, surprisingly, he averted his gaze and stared darkly at something behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know that it was Kankuro.
„You know very well that we shouldn't make friends with Konoha-nins. Have you forgotten Baki's words?"
Kankuro flinched under the redhead's cutting voice. I narrowed my eyes and took a step toward Gaara, not wanting to let him get angry at his comrade, no, his brother. Yes. I had found out that the two of them were siblings. How could it be otherwise? After all, only one team from Sunagakure had come to the chunin selection exam. Kankuro had mentioned having to look after his brother, so it could only be Gaara.
But that still didn't explain why it was his job to keep an eye on the younger one. But that was not the point.
Resolutely, I looked into the cold eyes of my counterpart.
„It's my fault. Not your brother's. It was my idea to invite him to bake cakes with me."
„You and baking cakes Kankuro? If you volunteered to do that at home as much...", Temari let out in amazement, which made me grin slightly.
Kankuro muttered something unintelligible.
„That's not the point now," Gaara snarled in a cutting voice, and silence immediately reigned in the room again. Everyone was now looking at the little redhead, who seemed to be completely cold about the whole situation.
„And what is it then?", I asked. My voice seemed to be the only one that worked. The other two didn't seem to have the slightest intention of addressing Gaara about it. He could scowl all he wanted; he didn't scare me. There was only one person I was afraid of, and Gaara would certainly not be able to replace him, no matter what he did. That much was for sure.
„We just want to pick up our brother and a tiny girl like you won't stop us," was the cool reply." Come Kankuro."
TINY?! WHO WAS HE CALLING TINY!
I angrily clenched my hands into fists, so tightly that they began to tremble. I so didn't care at the moment how dangerous he possibly was or could be, but I wasn't going to be talked to like that. I would show him.
„FIRST, it's not just me that's small, it's YOU! And SECOND, Kankuro is not a dog. You don't have the right to whistle him around when you feel like it," I growled angrily, bringing my face close to his. A surprised expression crept into Gaaras features before a thick, dangerous vein began to form on his forehead and a most unreassuring expression crept into his eyes. They began to glow yellow, and a strange growl escaped his throat. Like this. Then I had already put myself on his who-to-kill-as-next? List on place one set. Super Tora. Congratulations.
Wait a minute! Yellow glowing eyes?!
„Okay...well...we have to go. Bye Tora..." said Kankuro in a shaky voice, grabbing Gaara by one arm, Temari by the other, and dragging them both out the door. With a loud bang it fell into the lock.
What had that been?