Lord Kankuro

@godaimestrings

“Kankuro….”

A deep breath. Inhale. Hold. Control. He was working himself up, and fast if Kankuro could notice already. This was important. He would not blow it. He would not. Block it out.  Exhale. His shoulders sagged. 

When finally he could meet his brother’s eye, without words Gaara nodded. 

Though they may have a celebration to look forward to, he could be under no illusion. There was still alot of work left to do. So much he could barely stand to think of it. Until then, he would reserve himself. Pay the wicked thoughts no mind. Do not allow them to lower your hopes, just as you have tried each and every day. Someone wishes to be in your company by their own volition. How long have you wished for this moment?

He could not stand to have Kankuro hate him again.

“Can we go to Tsukasa?” he spoke again, trying as much as he could to forget that he nearly did just as he worried. Tsukasa was the single and best Gyutan-only restaurant in all of Suna, a food place Temari could do with learning from. The last time she had attempted the meal at home, they all took turns throwing up for the evening.

❝ Tsukasa? ❞  Why couldn’t his brother just eat normal food? Although his stomach churned at the thought of the Gyutan, he’d just have to suck it up; it was still meat at the end of the day, still better than spinach. 

He nods, accepting Gaara’s request. After all, the celebration was for him. Being Kazekage also granted him enough money to buy as much food as they wanted, all of the highest quality, too. 

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Kankuro leads his brother inside, knowing that anyone inside won’t react severely if they saw the redhead walk through the doors first. A few pairs of eyes glanced in their direction, calm at Kankuro’s presence, but all narrowed towards Gaara behind him. A mother hurried her family and left quickly. Kankuro decided to ignore it, reacting to it would probably upset Gaara even more. 

He looks over his shoulder to check just how his brother was holding up, determining if he would be okay. It was no secret that Gaara sometimes overreacted to things. At least Kankuro was here to stand up for him if anything got out of hand. At least he could protect the citizens if anything happened. Yeah, he kept telling himself that. 

“Wow. Someone is a little upset. Fine then. Just don’t come crying to me when you find out I was right all along like last time.”

Kankuro’s Advice || @ouchtheressandinmyeye @bigbitchofthesand

❝ Gaara. Whenever ya feel like you’re gonna lose it, I want ya to think of somethin’ happy, a’right? Remember when we were little and made all those shapes in the sand? That was fun, yeah? Cling to happy memories like that -- or anythin’ else that’s happy. Focus on the good things, yeah? I’m sure you’re gonna be just fine. If anythin’, I want ya to know that I have faith in ya. Don’t ever forget it. ❞

“Awe. Did I hurt your wittle feelings? I see what’s going on now. You’re so used to everyone kissing your ass now that you’re Kazekage, you can’t take some harsh criticism. That’s all the more reason to listen to me-So everyone isn’t laughing at you behind your back. “

Gaara followed in step with his brother, and then a little quicker to meet his side. Normally, he would continue behind him, trailing like child or some loose animal, but today…

“I want Gyūtan.” He said it almost instantly. For all of his hesitancy, anxiety, SICKNESS, it was nothing compared to what he felt during the failures. In this success, he was famished. It’s because he didn’t let you feed. It’s because he wouldn’t let you taste all of that delicious-

”What about Temari?”

Gaara knew she was off on a mission, but it had been the first thing that tumbled from his mouth. Anything to make it stop. 

❝ Hey -- ❞  He could sense the stress, it was clear in the way he spoke so quickly. He gives his brother a gentle, yet firm look. The last thing he wanted was for Gaara to lose it after they’d come this far. It was supposed to be a pleasant outing, and there was no way that Kankuro was going to let that fail before it had even begun. 

“Of course I do! What’s the local food taste like? How does it tie in to the village?”