(Sanya's Pov)
I sat on the roof of the Kazekage building, listening to the desert wind blow past. My fluttering crimson hair catching the last of the sun's rays before it faded into the rest of the orange-yellowish sky. Small grains of my red sand poured out of my gourd. I absentmindedly started twisting it around my small hand, waiting for Gaara to return from wherever he ventured off to.
He said he had to go alone. Kankuro and Temari ran off to train on their own soon after we returned from the Academy. I was left alone to my own thoughts.
'When is Nii-san coming back...I'm bored.'
We were twins - inseparable since birth. No one understood us like how we did. Our twin telepathy allowed us to talk without the fear of our father overhearing us. He was the current Kazekage of the Land of Wind. Gaara and I never understood why he hated us so much but loved our older siblings.
That also went for the entire village of Suna. Everyone feared us. They would flee from us like we were the walking plague.
But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Gaara was with me. Besides us being carbon copies of one another, our bond was also on a level that we could never share with the rest of our family. When one of us was hurt, the other would take on the same damage. This was due to the Tailed Beasts which are sealed inside both of us.
I don't know why we were given Tailed Beasts. Gaara possessed the One-Tailed sand beast, Shuukaku. The Elders of the village feared his immense power. There are horrifying legends about how he could bury an entire village deep in the sand if his wrath wished it. Some even whisper that the deserts were remnants of his presence.
My tailed beast was the sibling of Shuukaku. Her name was Aria, the closest thing to a mother I've ever known. She was kind to me when others were cruel. Because of her connection to Shuukaku, Gaara and I practically became the same person living in two separate bodies. No one could explain it, let alone understand how such a thing was possible.
I think it's because Gaara and I are special. Out of all the people that could have been chosen as vessels, we were the only ones capable of handling the tailed beasts' power.
Father has always reminded me that I killed my mother. That she died giving both to me - the youngest twin. I didn't understand why that was my fault. Why did I have to take the guilt for the death of a woman that I didn't even know? Besides, if she and Father had the resolve to have more children then shouldn't they had prepared for the worst?
It was unfair that I had to be hated because of something I didn't ask for.
Aria's soft cooing in my mind calmed my rising anger. The sand tightening into a reassuring squeeze around my wrist. 'That's right. It's not a matter of who killed who. I'm just stronger - I was meant to survive.'
"What are you doing up here alone?"
My sand quickly returned to my gourd. I turned my head to find Gaara approaching me. I sighed quietly, looking back up to the rooftops of the village. Most of the citizens had returned to their homes to prepare for the cold night of the desert.
Gaara sat beside me. Even without looking, I knew that he was concerned about me. "Sanya? What's wrong? Did Father do something?"
I shook my head. "Earlier...you went again, didn't you? You went to those kids to give them back the ball from earlier." He remained silent. I gritted my teeth. "Why? Why would you try to become friends with those filthy people?"
"S-Sanya, don't say that."
I glared at my brother. Not out of anger but frustration. He was the only one still holding onto false hope that people would accept us. Even when they're constant cruelty says otherwise, he still carries on believing there's good in them. "That's what they are, Nii-san! Everyone in this village wants us dead. The people at the Academy, Kankuro, Temari, Father - even Uncle Yashamaru!"
His eyes widened. "T-That's not true. Uncle cares for us. He's the only one that doesn't look at us in fear." He hugged himself like he was trying to convince himself of his own words. The way his voice wavered had a different assurance though.
I took Gaara's shaky hands in mine, bringing our foreheads together. Small tears were sprouting in his beautiful seafoam eyes. "I'm sorry for yelling at you Nii-chan. It's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you no matter what. Remember, the only ones we can really trust in the end are each other, okay? Nii-chan and I are different from everyone else. We're the strongest. If anyone tries to hurt us we'll kill them, okay?"
He hesitantly nodded. "B-But I don't want to hurt Uncle Yashamaru. Promise me you won't hurt him, Sanya."
I brought my adorable brother into a hug. I didn't want him to see my real expression. "Of course, Nii-chan. Whatever you want."
'Soon you'll see their real colors, Nii-chan. I promise I won't let them taint you. All we have is each other.'