sunshineverse | [Closed] Just the beginning of the healing

Who: Temari and Gaara.
When: April, BGS 3
What: Gaara gatecrashes one of her missions for the first time.
Where: The great expanse of sand outside the village.
Note: Gaara is actually giving his sister a hand with managing the giant scorpion population and no one cares but her.

The mission was simple according to the mission assignment desk. To the Kazekage in particular. Help keep the giant scorpion population at a manageable level by taking out some of the more threatening ones. She wasn't the only new-ish chunin being given the assignment, but she was still on her own. The missions broken into sectors and they were given to a shinobi or two. More if it was felt that it was needed. It was a show of trust in her abilities to be assigned a sector solo. A sign that those running the village saw her as capable of managing the sitation on her own, that all her training and private tutoring had paid off in those three years that she waited while her classmates went on a head to participate in chunin exam after chunin exam.

She wasn't expecting to have company as she headed out. Kankuro was either working with Chiyo or Baki or hiding in his puppet cave. If not she could almost see him on the traning grounds perfecting something or other. And Gaara was almost always kept under some sort of surveillance. So she highly doubted it would be one of her brothers. At least until she caught the shock of red hair out of the corner of her eye.

She turned, confusion written all over her face. Normally, Gaara didn't seek out the companionship of her or Kankuro. "Gaara, is something wrong?" Temari asked concerned that something had changed in the twenty minutes since she was assigned her current mission.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The benefit of being under surveillance at all times was that surveillance, unlike Gaara, had to sleep sometimes. Which meant that twice a day, there were two members of the Suna special forces discussing current events and assignments in quiet code within sight of him.

Or within sight of his sand, which amounted to the same thing. It was just that usually Gaara chose to disregard any information he might or might not pick up during those times once he'd determined he wasn't going to be attacked for another twelve hours. But this time they had mentioned Temari, and how fortunate it was that the Kazekage wasn't letting the jinchuuriki hold her back from promotion opportunities any more. He'd never considered it that way, that by accompanying him since he'd made genin she might have suffered.

He didn't like the feeling that he owed her for a situation he had no control over. He had no say in his graduation dates or his team designation. But maybe he could help her progress, instead.

So there he was, arms folded and chin lifted in childish defiance.

"No. I'm coming with you. That's all."

"Oh." Is all she can manage for a moment. She's somewhere between stunned and worried as she takes in her youngest brother's expression. She knows he doesn't hold the highest regard for protocol, normally she doesn't really either. She just... why now was he so interested in her assignments that didn't include all three of them?

"Do your ...watchdogs know?" It was a test. Maybe an unnecessary one, but still one anyway. If they were unaware then it was unlikely the Kazekage had thought differently of sending her solo. If they did...well Temari would just have to prove she didn't need the back of her possessed little brother. She could handle herself, and hadn't she proved as much by being promoted in her first exam?

"No," he replied, shortly. The long version was that his minders were currently watching a Sand Clone run through kata on a training field across the city, but explaining that to her was pointless and got him no closer to the goal of accompanying her. And then, a little less confidently for all it wasn't obvious, "Where are we going?"

If he was expecting her to react poorly to that admission, Gaara was in for a surprise. Instead of ordering him back into the village, Temari shrugs a soft rustle of cloth against cloth as she does and then she's walking again across the sands. If they didn't know, there was no point in getting Garra into trouble.

"About halfway to Rouran."

It certainly was a surprise, and several further objections and one stubborn plan to intimidate her into agreeing all died in his throat. He nodded instead, and made a conscious effort to stay beside Temari instead of lagging behind or distancing himself as they started walking again. Habitually, he also began sending out small pulses of sand, testing for the footsteps of pursuers or wildlife.

His haste was understandable, perhaps, given that they both knew his limits in terms of the duration and distance he could hold a believable Clone and the reaction his disappearance would - rightfully - elicit from the higher-ups. Even if he hadn't killed anyone for three months, the very fact that he could say that with any degree of pride spoke volumes.

"That man can't know I'm here," he added, about a half-mile later.

Temarishoots a glance his way when he falls into step beside here. She says nothing to the strangeness of his actions though. There was no point and she wasn't about to risk her mission on the possibility that a comment would anger her brother. She could and would settle for watchful, one could never really guess what would make the boy snap.

Her pace matching his as they made their way west. It didn't take a great deal of distance for Temari to realize her brother was probably edging as close to nervous as he ever did. She might not be a sensor, but even she could pick up the tingle of chakra spreading across the sand and flying away. She knew the feel of both of her brothers chakra too well not to notice.

"Then we're going to have to rush aren't we so he doesn't know. You up to it?" The last of her words are a challenge, one he could have heard a hundred times in a number of different ways being issued to Kankuro or another chunin. Her small way of trying to make her youngest brother feel welcome even as seh tensed for something bad to happen. Their father almost always knew when someone was trying to hide something after all.

He started at her tone. It had taken him years to distinguish between a friendly challenge and the more violent provocation, even coming from someone he'd known as long as his sister, but he was reasonably sure this was the former... so he nodded, concentrated on the stretches of desert ahead, and drew his chakra back in to gather in his legs.

"I'll match whatever pace you set," he added, voice modulated into an awkward lilt that seemed to be trying too hard to be Kankuro's speech style. Then again, that was the only time he'd heard the challenge returned, so it would have to do.

Her mouth twists into a smirk pleased he'd taken well to her good-natured teasing. She'd spent years scared and avoiding her youngest sibling and if he wanted to help her with her mission, she would take advantage and try to put things in a less antagonistic footing.

"Then lets get moving." It will be some sort of race maybe as she puts on a burst of speed to pull ahead. It would help put out of her mind how he mimicked their brother awkwardly. It was still a much better response than she would have gotten months earlier. And for the first time in sixteen years she feels like there might be hope for a mending the rift they're father encouraged between them.

[Closed] Just the beginning of the healing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject