Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Photograph ❯ Defenses ( Chapter 4 )

Theme #4: our distance and that person

 

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His brother was acting really weird. And considering just who his brother was, that was saying a hell of a lot.

 

Kankuro spared a quick glance at the commotion in front of him before returning to Karasu. One of the puppet's joints was sticking. It was minor, but anything that slowed his favorite weapon down drove the shinobi battier then sand in his boxers on a long march. He had a screwdriver behind one ear, a wrench caught in his teeth, and a small hammer in his hands. There were tools and parts scattered everywhere around him. Of course, with the way most of these little sessions went, the grand majority of his equipment would disappear into the sand and never be seen again. Unless he could convince Gaara to retrieve them afterwards. Once in a while that worked. Hell, it was his brother's fault anyways! Kankuro growled around the wrench and yanked Karasu up as the sand around him crested into a wave and rushed off to join the fray. Bits of puppet and stray tools disappeared from sight. `Damn it all! I needed that part!'

 

Spitting the wrench out, Kankuro hollered, “Watch it, would ya'? These parts are expensive!” If he could, he would have moved away, but Temari would bash his head in if he left his brother alone while he was doing . . . whatever the hell it was he was doing. The sand paused, then shifted back into its original position again and revealed the parts. Grumbling to himself, Kankuro nudged the critical piece in closer to his leg. “Thanks, man.”

 

Popping the wrench back into his mouth, the puppet-nin refocused on the delicate joint in front of him. A shinobi went soaring past his left side, probably a good fifteen feet in the air. Kankuro glanced up. `That looked like Amida. Nice distance on that one.' He wasn't worried about the landing. The sand always seemed to be soft enough to keep the victims *ahem* partners from getting more then some scrapes and bruises. The real question was why his brother had suddenly started tossing his shinobi around. Before their last trip to Konoha, he never sparred with anyone. Not even his siblings. Now, all of a sudden, he was doing this fucked up shit every single day! His bodyguards had suddenly gone from having the cushiest job in the world to being toss toys. After all, who was going to mess with the big bad Gaara of the Sand? Sure, he wasn't a jinchuuriki anymore, but it turned out that the reason he had survived was because he was a tough little son of a bitch all on his own.

 

`Oh, what the hell. I think I have sand in my eye.' Kankuro fisted his hands to avoid rubbing at his watering eye. `I hate that! I wonder if I can just blink it out. Ow. Ow. Ow. Damn it all, this day's going to hell already, and I just finished breakfast! How much longer is he going to be?'

 

Kankuro studied his brother through his one good eye. It looked like only two of the original six bodyguards were still up and moving. It shouldn't be much longer. Spitting the wrench back out, he decided to wait. Getting sand out by himself was tricky at best.

 

Behind him, he could hear his sister's voice. `Hell yes! If she can take on Gaara watching duties, I can go rinse my eye out!' Turning around quickly, Kankuro easily spotted the blonde with her distinctive hair. He also spotted an equally distinctive jounin, decked out in green with a pair of orange leg warmers. “What the . . . bushy brows?”

“Kankuro-san!” Lee raised his hand in a jovial greeting. “How have you been?”

 

Still squinting around the stabbing pain in his eye, the puppet-nin caught one of his pieces when the sand shifted again. “I've been better. So, what brings you . . .”

 

A smooth, monotone voice broke into their greeting. “Lee-san.”

 

Kankuro tried to roll his eyes, then was firmly reminded that it wasn't a good idea when pain lanced through his socket. `Gaara really doesn't believe in taking turns, does he?'

 

“Kazekage-sama! It's great to see you again! How have you been? How was your trip back? I heard that three of your genin made chunin. You must be very proud.”

 

Gaara was giving Lee that blank stare. Kankuro wanted to echo it, but he was pretty sure he had scraped his eye to the point that he would never be able to use it again, so he just continued to squint, blink, and dig his fingers into his legs so that he didn't rub the eye that was in screaming agony.

 

The Kazekage looked over to his brother. His expression never changed, but from long term experience, Kankuro was pretty sure his brother had just made an exasperated sound. Gaara raised one hand in his brother's direction. The sand caught on Kankuro's skin and hair shifted and jumped away, along with the grain that was caught in his eye. The relief was immediate.

 

“Thanks, kid.” Sighing with relief, Kankuro moved his puppet off of his lap so that he could stand. There were some benefits to having a master of sand control for a little brother. Nobody could take care of sand in the eye like he could. “So, bushy brows, what's going on?”

 

“I don't know, actually.” Lee looked to the Kazekage.

 

Gaara walked right up to Lee, making the green clad shinobi lean back a bit in surprise. Temari was staring, and out of habit Kankuro started to move forward to keep people out of his brother's personal space. `But . . . he's in Lee's personal space. What the hell is he doing?'

 

The sand was still playing about its master's feet and showed no reaction to having someone so close by. Gaara gave the sand a quick glance, before turning his gaze back to Lee. “Touch me.”

 

“Huh?” Kankuro felt like he'd been hit in the head at some point, and Temari had just turned an interesting shade of purple and made gurgling sounds. “What the hell . . .”

 

Lee obeyed like a good jounin would.

 

`Someone just poked Gaara. Someone just stuck out their finger and poked Gaara. Someone is that close to him, practically touching, and poked the damn crazy man that kills people with sand, and they still have all of their limbs!' Kankuro raked a hand through his hair. “That doesn't make sense. The only people that your sand ignores are me and Temari. Hey! Breathe, Temari!”

 

The blonde sand-nin made a choking sound as she sucked in some air.

 

Gaara was studying the sand that was still peacefully shifting about his feet. “Amida, come here.”

 

The jounin in question cautiously started to make his way closer. Once he was within arm's reach, the sand jumped up and blocked any further movement. Kankuro was putting the pieces together at this point. “What's the deal, Gaara?”

 

“I don't know. Unless I choose to suppress it, my automatic defense prevents anyone from touching me, unless it is you, Temari, and now Lee.” The Kazekage made a quick gesture, dismissing his bodyguards. The jade eyes turned back towards Lee. With no change in expression, he reached out and poked Lee in the arm. The victim raised his eyebrows, but the sand did nothing more then shift lazily at his feet. The fact that the sand was lazily shifting around both Gaara and Lee's feet did not seem to bother either of them.

 

Temari was making odd sounds again and turned away.

 

“I was concerned that my automatic defense was failing when it did not activate when Lee knocked into me in Konoha. However, it is still working with everyone else. It is only him.” Gaara casually stepped back a few paces, crossing his arms.

 

“I remember that. Didn't you give bushy brows a couple of sand burns?” Kankuro looked the green clad shinobi over. `I could have sworn there was blood involved, but it all kind of runs together after so many years.'

 

“That was not from defense. I was trying to right myself when he grabbed me around the waist. The sand burns were not intentional.”

 

“Around . . . the waist.” Kakuro looked over to where Temari was still turned away and making odd sounds. Sounded like she was having some sort of an episode to him. “What the hell is your problem, Temari?”

 

The blonde went rigid for a second before turning around with her composure restored. “So, Gaara. Is that the only reason you summoned Lee?”

 

Gaara looked to his sister and locked on, like a wolf that has scented prey. “Yes. Why did you think I had?”

 

“Oh, no reason.”

 

The Kazekage said nothing, but his eyes narrowed. The sand shifted restlessly, and Kankuro fought down the urge to back up. Sand moving seemed to have that effect on him. “Whatever it is, just save us the trouble and tell him, Temari.”

 

“There was a picture, from the Chunin Exam.”

 

“I remember. Crazy old lady Tsunade wanted a picture of all of the senior level shinobi. ” Kankuro looked at his sister. “I wasn't even looking at the damn camera when it went off. I was too busy trying to defend what's left of your honor.”

 

“What?” Temari turned on the taller of her brothers. “You told Shikamaru to quit messing around and just grab me!”

 

“I thought that was what you wanted! You want him to get off his lazy ass and make the first move!”

 

“Quit reading my diary!”

 

“Uh, Kankuro? Temari?” Lee held up his hand, then slowly pointed at the aggravated Kazekage.

 

Temari took a slow breath and reached into a pouch at her waist. “Here.”

 

A glossy photo was handed to Gaara. Kankuro was rather riveted by the way Lee had changed to a deep maroon color that contrasted hideously with the green and orange he was wearing. Gaara looked at the picture, then looked up to his sister. “It appears that one of the jounin is holding up two fingers behind Tsunade's head. Why?”

 

The blonde shinobi just stared at her brother, while Lee suddenly released the breath he was holding.

 

`Huh? What does that have to do with anything?' Kankuro moved around behind his brother. “It's called giving someone bunny ears and . . . what the hell?!”

 

Lee started to back away, hands up. “It was an accident! I swear!”

 

“Green - kissing - lips - brother - leg warmers - sand - kissing!” Kankuro stared into space, babbling. `I did not see that! I did not see that! Please, someone, bleach out my brain!'

 

Gaara studied the picture for a moment more, then looked up. “It is a terrible picture. Why would I summon Lee for this?”

 

Temari dragged her hand over her face. “Did you notice what you're doing in the picture?”

 

“Yes. This is when Lee knocked into me.”

 

“He's kissing you! Bushy brows is kissing you! On the lips!” Kankuro clamped his hands over his eyes. “Why are you kissing bushy brows?”

 

“Kissing?” Gaara studied the picture. “He ran into me.”

 

“Your lips are touching. That's kissing.”

 

“Really? That is all you have to do?” Gaara looked up. “I thought it would be more complicated then that.”

 

“Exactly! It's not a kiss if neither of us meant it that way!” Lee trotted over to Gaara's other shoulder and looked at the picture. “And I think I can see some daylight between us.”

 

“Where? I don't see it.”

 

“Right here.” Lee casually rested his arm against Gaara as he pointed at the picture.

 

Kankuro grabbed Karasu and the tools he could easily see. He glanced back over his shoulder and put on a bit more speed. `This is not happening. This is just not happening.' His brother had the picture tipped sideways, while Lee leaned over his shoulder and pointed at something. There was no distance between them whatsoever, and neither of them seemed to notice or care. “Temari, I'm getting a drink!”

 

“Wait for me!”