For Nobara

Chapter 13: Boy of Sand

When they reach the dome building, Kankurō can hardly look at his sister after he finally explained it to her, despite his reluctance, on why they were called—a reason in what seems like their father's attempt to veer them away from what would be a devastation.

And yet it almost makes Temari laugh at the Kazekage's attempt on being a father concerned for his children, even though he has hardly been present in their lives even after their mother died.

Even though he's hateful enough for arranging assassinations for his own son.

"Temari..." Kankurō says in discomfort. "You know this isn't something we can interfere on—"

"How many more times?" Temari demands even though she knows her brother is as helpless as she is, but the words come out bitterly from her mouth. "How many more times until Father is satisfied that Gaara is worthy of being the One Tail's jinchūriki?"

It's far too obvious to ignore. The ominous silence of the village. Her brother's increasing discomfort even before he told her. The Anbu that slipped by from the corner of her eye.

It's no different from the ones before. The first time had been chaos, when the tailed beast surfaced out of the jinchūriki seal and ran on rampage and almost destroyed the entire village if it weren't for the Kazekage's intervention. And the next few were no less violent and yet still it's heartbreaking each time for the siblings, despite their feelings of fear for their younger brother—for how little their father cared for his life.

Are they really nothing more than pawns constantly urged to prove their worth?

Are they—

"Nobara," Temari breathes as she realizes she just left the helpless child all by herself. And quickly, her anger dissipates in seconds. "You should have told me earlier, you idiot!"

"What... You can't go now!" Kankurō flinches when she suddenly bolts back. He is aware of the dangers to rush out of the streets the moment it's gotten dark. He couldn't care less for a nameless child, but for his sister—

He turns to grab for her, but it's Baki who catches her arm and forcefully whirls her back.

"Temari, what's the matter with you?" their sensei snaps at her.

"Let go!"

Her dark blue eyes are blurry. She doesn't look like she is thinking straight and she hates it too, when she gets like this—when she feels like she's a failure. Whether it is because she has failed as an elder sister or because she has left the only one she thought she could at least take care of as an elder sibling even for a limited amount of time clouds her mind.

Each time, when their father would send people to kill her younger brother, it is no less painful to accept that they are far from a real family.

"I left her there," Temari says.

Even though Nobara is simply someone her father has entrusted to her, she wanted to at least make it worthwhile. Temari doesn't have many friends because of her lineage, so perhaps that's also why she holds on to people so easily. A part of her longed that her own siblings could be like Nobara and rely on her like she does. But that's asking for too much, isn't it?

Something like that...

"What are you talking about?"