Chapter 1
"I'm sorry. He's not here right now. He said he was going out sparring with Shino. They usually go out into the forest out there."
Sakura smiled and thanked Inuzuka Tsume, mother of Kiba, before she bounced off into said forest in search of Shino or Kiba. She jumped skillfully from branch to branch, getting closer to what she believed the heart of the woods. Hopefully they'd be there. Suddenly, she skid to a stop and jumped back to the previous branch. She looked closer at the insect on the tree and put her finger to it, hoping it would climb on.
"You. Um..can you help me find Shino?" she asked nervously.
The insect's wings buzzed a little bit before it was off. She followed it slowly for about fifteen minutes before growing impatient.
"You're not bringing me to Shino, are you?" she called out to the bug before her.
After a few more twists and turns, Sakura heard a bark. She furrowed her brow and studied the insect quietly as it stopped on a branch right above Aburame Shino.
"I didn't think that would work," she said to it, scratching her chin thoughtfully.
'Talking...to...bugs?' Inner Sakura mused confusedly.
She laughed at herself and jumped down from the branch, landing right beside Akamaru. He instantly recognized Sakura. She had healed Akamaru after a mission with Kiba. He yipped his excitement and Sakura smiled at him.
"Testing out that leg, are you?" she asked, scratching Akamaru behind his ear.
"Oi, Sakura. What are you doing out here?" Kiba asked.
"Well hello to you, too," she said with a mock pout. "I was just around, heard you guys out here. Came to say hey." She pet Akamaru again.
Kiba rolled his eyes and sighed. "Where do we have to go?" he asked, dropping the kunai he had aimed on Shino.
"You and I have a mission to accompany the genin to the Chuunin Exam this year in the Hidden Village of Grass. Tomorrow morning we meet at the front gate at seven."
Kiba sighed loudly and eyed Akamaru.
"Oh no. Akamaru is fine. You can't get out of this," Sakura said, understanding Kiba's intentions.
Another loud sigh and Kiba threw his hands over his head. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura."
The pink haired kunoichi waved goodbye to the two as she made her way home.
Kankurou awoke abruptly at four in the afternoon to a shriek and a thunderous knocking on the door to his room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and removed his hat, which he forgot to remove before he went to sleep. Yawning the way there, he opened the door to a very, very angry looking Temari.
"Hey, long time no see. What the hell?" Kankurou yelled as a wooden arm was thrown at his face.
"Why in the HELL are your puppets taking up my room?" Temari screamed.
Kankurou rubbed his forehead where the arm had hit and gave his sister the best glare he could muster after just waking up. Slowly, he stepped away from the door and slammed it shut right in his older sister's face. He locked it quickly and waited. One...two...thr-
"KANKUROU! YOU OPEN THIS DOOR NOW! I swear, I will Kamaitachi this whole house if you don't open this door in two seconds. Kankurou? ARE YOU LISTENING!"
Kankurou could almost hear the 'How troublesome' coming from Shikamaru downstairs. For about 2 years now, Temari had been living in Konoha. She had been exiled, begrudgingly by Gaara, a year ago. She still loved her home village and couldn't help but visit her family from time to time. Truth be told, Shikamaru and Temari were not married per se, but they were living together and had been dating for what seemed like forever; to the Suna family and to Shikamaru.
Behind the door, Kankurou counted to ten, put a smile on and opened the door again. Temari still stood there, hand on her fan.
"That's better," she whispered in a dangerously low voice.
"Temari, it's not like you live here anymore. Your room can be used any way I please because I'm, basically, the only person who lives here and I'm barely here," Kankurou said as calmly as possible.
Temari took her hand off her fan. She frowned.
"Gaara never leaves that office, does he?"
"Of course not. I try to get him to come here, at least share dinner with me because, hell, I'm not even sure the guy eats!"
Temari's frown deepened. She knew that leaving her brothers was a bad idea. Kankurou seemed healthy enough, though she noticed he had lost some weight. Gaara never slept and never eating wouldn't help him at all. She could never convince Shikamaru into moving with her to Sunagakure and she loved him enough to leave her village. The number of shinobi had increased over the years and they still produced some of the most powerful, too. Besides, she reasoned, she was still an active member of the family and a treasure to the allied countries; both of them.
"Maybe he'll come home today," she thought out loud. "Hopefully."
"He will if you talk to him," Kankurou suggested.
At this, Temari brightened up.
"Don't think you're getting off the hook! I'm expecting those puppets OUT of my room by the time dinner is done. Oh and keep Shikamaru busy, will ya? I'm leaving him here!"
Kankurou rolled his eyes as his sister went down the stairs and informed Shikamaru of her intentions.
For the sheer fact that he didn't want to face the demon Temari, Kankurou cleared her room of his puppets. Shikamaru and he had had a fruitful conversation about what they've been up to and Temari. The only thing they really had in common was her. When dinner was served, true to his word, Gaara came to eat. Temari had made one of his favorite foods, and something a little more normal for everyone else. They all sat quietly at the dinner table and ate. No conversation ensued until after dinner.
"I have to go back now. Thank you, Temari-san," Gaara said as he got up from the table and bowed to his sister.
"Why so formal, Gaara? Sit down, let's catch up," Temari said with a warm smile and a pat on the chair he formerly occupied.
"I'm sorry I can't stay. I've been relatively busy here in Sunagakure."
Gaara mumbled something under his breath, which only Temari caught, and her smile disappeared.
"Gaara please, don't do this now," she whispered to him in a desperate attempt to keep from making a scene.
"I'll see myself out," he said and with a loud whip of his cape, he turned and walked back to the front door. Temari seemed on the verge of tears so Kankurou decided to ask Gaara what had been said between those two. He caught up to his brother just before he got out the door.
"What did you say to her?" Kankurou demanded quietly.
For a minute, Gaara was silent. The battle raging behind his eyes, in his mind, was clear. He didn't know whether to tell Kankurou or to let Temari explain things. Finally, his eyes set on his brother's and he inhaled deeply.
"I told her, if she had not left, there would be no need for 'catching up'."
And with those words, Gaara flipped his hood over his head and braved the strong sandstorm alone. Kankurou looked from his brother, to the sand that whirled about him angrily. He narrowed his eyes at the disappearing figure and slammed the door shut. Usually, he wouldn't care what Gaara said to Temari but her leaving Sunagakure was a very touchy subject. Didn't he understand that she felt bad enough? Didn't he understand love had-
"Of course he doesn't understand love, idiot. Not yet, at least," Kankurou commented to himself as he prepared for a moping Temari and a moaning Shikamaru.
Sakura quietly observed the group of genin standing at the Konoha gates. There were fifteen children, or five teams, from Konoha participating in this year's chuunin exams. Sakura recounted the children. There were only twelve. She noticed a few that seemed particularly excited and a few that reminded her of herself when she was asked to participate. She tried silently comforting them with a warm smile but they all seemed half asleep. Shouldn't they be used to the earlier hours of the morning?
"I guess we're all here?" Kiba asked.
"No, there should be one more team," one jounin sensei named Minami answered.
"They have a few minutes yet," Sakura offered.
"We are the last team? We sincerely apologize for being late! Students, when we arrive at the Hidden Village of Grass we shall do 200 squats to make up for this!" a familiar voice shouted. Sakura's eyes nearly fell out of her head. She looked to Kiba who had a similar look on his face. She put on a lopsided smile as she felt the last team approach from behind her.
"Gai-sempai, how are you?" she asked.
"Sakura-san! How great to see you this morning!" Gai said with a blinding smile.
Sakura turned away from Gai and urged the group out the gates. The sooner this trek was over, the better.
Kankurou lazily ran through the desert. Occasionally he would check on the group of twelve genin behind him. Their sensei were covering both sides and his former mentor, Baki, had also been assigned to the mission. Baki ran behind the group and looked around constantly. He was wary of the mission telling Kankurou, "Something is surely happening."
Soon enough, the sand became sparse brush and they rested for the night. Upon the next day, they took things easy. Their travel was laden with small breaks and only short bursts of running. The genin seemed happy for this. The night of the second day found them on the outer limits of the Grass Village, yet miles away from it. At this point they rested.
"What do you think of this mission?" Baki asked Kankurou as they both sat by the fire.
"I try not to think to much about it," was his lazy reply.
Movement in the bushes behind them brought Kankurou out of his sleepy haze.
"Should I-?" Kankurou started. Baki silenced him with a swift nod 'yes'.
Kankurou rushed quietly over to where the four sensei rest. They were all awake, having been aware of the noise and the eerie silence between the two men.
"We're going to check it out," Kankurou told them. "Keep a close eye on things here."
With that, he rushed back to his onetime mentor and they went off into the woods. As they got closer, sounds of battle could be heard. Upon further inspection, they witnessed a fight between two shinobi against four. Was that two shinobi and a dog?
"The two are Leaf nin. The other are..Grass!" Baki needed just a moment to think. "Kankurou, go 'round the other side. We'll aid the Leaf nin."
Quickly, Kankurou jumped tree branches around to the other side, clutching the scrolls at his sides. Before he could make it to the opposite side, he caught sight of pink. He stopped and squinted at the picture before him. A girl with pink hair had several children with her, who looked to be in a trance.
'Genjutsu,' Kankurou thought after further study of the children.
He searched the area, looking for the source of the Leaf's tormenters. It didn't take long to hear the attackers. Two separate voices were screeching in appalling unison. Another, though, he could make out quietly laughing. The laughing voice was above the pink-haired girl, clasping his hands, readying an attack. The girl seemed unaware.
Faster then the enemy nin beneath him, Kankurou summoned Karasu and Kuroari from his scrolls. He manipulated the marionette Karasu to open his wrists and mouth to shoot poison senbon. Kankurou aimed for the shinobi and hit him; twice in the neck and once in the temple. As the nin stumbled from his branch, Kankurou placed Kuroari under the shinobi and called a warning to those below it. They sidestepped the puppet as it came crashing down. Karasu's arms, legs, and head removed from their place in the body. They were sent violently down into the body of Kuroari. Blood dripped from the cracks as all screaming came to a halt.
Note: I'm sorry this chapter is short and took awhile to write (well, constantly fix). I'm still not happy with it. If anyone can help me improve, please let me know. Thanks. In due time, all will be revealed. Thank you for your interest and reviews.