Adopted: Book 1 Refracted Sand [REWRITING]

Adopted Ch. 17 Lunar

"You've been searching through my room," Gaara stated.

"What about our uncle?" Kankuro disregarded the attempt at a change of topic.

Gaara's mouth sunk into a frown. "Nothing."

"Bullshit," Kankuro decided. "You're twitching."

His brother scowled and the puppeteer watched him try to calm his shaking shoulders. "You do it before you cry."

Gaara's scalding eyes fixated on him. "What do you know?"

"What about our uncle?" Kankuro tried again.

Gaara threw open the rice paper doors and ran into the training room. Kankuro followed after him. "You're not making this easy."

The full moon was framed in the window frame and the cold air sent from the night nipped at their faces, hands, and feet. A chill settled into the bamboo clad room and Gaara attempted to blend into the all too accustomed darkness.

"Yashamaru was the first person to show you compassion, he was the first person that you found yourself close to!" Kankuro sent the words flying haphazardly into the air. "And he was the first person to betray you!"

"Shut up, Kankuro! Or I'll—"

"Kill me?" he finished for him. "Heard that before."

Gaara's rage sapped away and he turned his back on Kankuro.

"Don't know if you've noticed," Kankuro bit out callously, "but Yashamaru and Suzume are two completely different people."

"You don't know that."

"I think I do."

"Can you prove it?"

"I probably have more evidence than you," Kankuro waved the photo around. "And, unlike you, it comes from trustworthy sources."

Gaara didn't retort.

Kankuro clicked his tongue and closed the distance between them. "When were you going to tell us about any of this?!" He grasped Gaara's arm and made him turn around to face him. He seized his shoulders. "Why do you have to do everything on your own?!" he shook him fiercely. "Don't you trust us?!"

"It wasn't necessary for you to know," Gaara said through his teeth.

Kankuro threw him across the room and Gaara's sand wrapped around him to cushion the fall.

"It wasn't necessary?" Kankuro panted. "Necessary has nothing to do with this!"

Gaara got back to his feet and glared into his brother's eyes. A glare that might've scared Kankuro into silence seven months ago, but not now. And never again.

"I thought you were passed this shit already, Gaara! We're family!" Kankuro hit his chest for emphasis. "We're not a shinobi team! Information isn't supposed to be withheld for convenience!"

"I didn't want to worry you needlessly!" Sand riled up around him and Gaara shot it toward his brother.

"Let us worry!" Kankuro roared as he dodged and maneuvered around the whips of coarse sand. "You don't need to suffer on your own!"

"I wasn't suffering!" Gaara clutched onto his throbbing head. "Why do I need to bare myself in front of you and Temari when I can deal with it on my own?! Why should I place my burdens onto you two?!"

"We're your family! That's our job!" Kankuro said in frustration, trying to get closer to him. "It's a give and take relationship, you dumbass!"

The sand caught onto his leg and crawled up to his torso. He grunted and focused on his brother. His fingers flicked around and the chakra strings made themselves known as Kankuro pulled Gaara forward.