Sand Crossed (Naruto Fanfic)

Rasa's Responsibility

"I really hate that girl." Rasa's stomach churned as he thought about the sandy-haired nine-year-old. The auburn haired fourteen-year-old ground his teeth together wondering why the girl insisted on calling him a pervert, forgetting the day they met he had stared into her indigo colored eyes. He caught a glance of these strange colored eyes again when his mother brought her back, her cheek bandaged up while Lady Chiyo glared at Karura's grandmother. "Still, I wouldn't wish what that man did to anyone."

The auburn-haired teen folded his arms across his chest, watching the sandy haired girl walk over to her younger brother for the opening ceremony. Sasori seemed bored, if not annoyed with the entire thing, and the five-year-old kept glaring at the grandfather of the sandy-haired children. His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth when his father stepped out to make his speech. Rasa folded his arms across his chest, wondering why the third Kazekage ignored his family like he did. "If I ever..." The fourteen-year-old glanced down at Sasori. "Never mind. I never want to be a parent."

Soon Sasori headed in for his first day of class, his small body stopping every so often, and trying to see if it was alright for him to go to the school. Lady Chiyo continued to wave at the boy, while Rasa stood with his hands on his hips, his lips pushed together. When Sasori finally disappeared, the woman turned to him. "Do you have to be so sullen?"

"Does..." Rasa stopped himself from saying something about the third, particularly in front of so many people. "Aren't I acting the way you and the old man want me to?"

Lady Chiyo looked away, sadness in her eyes. "You're picking up Sasori this afternoon."

"What?" The auburn-haired teen flinched, his arms falling to his side as he looked down at his mother. There was a time he used to be shorter than her, and yet now he stood a few inches taller than the woman. The Suna noble turned to look at him, her dark eyes sparking with signs of irritations. Rasa's throat tightened. "What..."

"Weren't you paying attention when I told Sasori you would pick him up?"

Rasa swallowed, his eyes glancing away realizing he'd focused his attention on the sandy-haired nine-year-old again. "I really hate that kid."

"Is there something I should know about?" Lady Chiyo cleared her throat as she spoke, indicating something about his behavior bothered her.

"Something..." The auburn-haired teen tried thinking of what his mother meant, but his mind drew a blank. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"That's what worries me." The third Kazekage's wife said no more, and simply started back to the house.

Rasa folded his arms behind his head, trying to remain quiet, only for a certain concern to force it's way forward. "So... I know I'm not supposed to be training."

"The answer is no."

"Could you at least let me explain myself?"

Lady Chiyo said nothing, simply continuing to walk home until they were both in the home. She sat down and looked Rasa in the eye. "Alright. This is your chance to explain yourself."

"I know I'm not supposed to train in anything regarding my shinobi duties, but I still should be training to maintain my physical form at least." Rasa sat in front of her, his hands placed lightly on his knees.

"I didn't know you were so narcissistic."

Rasa felt his jaw drop, his mind working over what his mother just said. Eventually, he opened his mouth. "Exactly what do you want from me? I'm not allowed to do anything, except do things with Sasori."

"Do you hate doing things with your nephew?"

The mouth of the fourteen-year-old opened again, Rasa's frustration continuing to grow. "Do I hate doing things with Sasori? Sometimes, but not all of the time. There's got to be more to life than just this, though."

"We were hoping you would figure that out for yourself, that you would try doing something on your own. There are plenty of hobbies you could take on." Lady Chiyo watched him glare at her, and she moved slightly indicating she was giving in some. "I'll speak to your father tonight. We might be able to find some kind of activity which will keep you busy and yet fit. Until then, find something to do on your own."

Rasa glared at the woman, his mouth pushing together as his entire body tensed up. The mother of the fourteen-year-old paid her son no mind and simply left the room leaving Rasa to brood. Eventually, the auburn-haired teen headed to his room, collapsing on the bed, burying his head under one arm crossing his forehead. The teen dozed off, not paying any attention to the time. Rasa startled awake at the sound of a tapping sound on the door frame.

"Aren't you supposed to pick up Sasori? My sister said something about that to me earlier today."

The auburn-haired teen sat up, his locks mingling with the sweat at the back of his neck from sleeping during the day. Rasa's entire body felt stiff, and his mind fuzzy. The fourteen-year-old pushed himself away from the bed, letting out a curse. "Lady Chiyo's going to kill me when she finds out. There's no way Sasori's not going to tell her."

...

"See. That's what the old man was really like. He didn't want to have kids, and he's not romantically inclined." Kankuro piped up, leaning backward. The puppet master seemed a lot less upset than he did before, a slight smirk spreading across his face.

One of Gaara's eyebrows rose up, his head tilting slightly. "I can't blame anybody for not wanting to have kids."

The auburn-haired shinobi's comment made his older brother flinch. "Gaara, you have a kid."

"I mean, I can't blame anybody for not wanting to have kids after they dealt with someone like myself and Sasori." Gaara titled his head slightly.

"Wait. The Lord Kazekage has a kid?" Chocho's eyes sparkled. "I thought so. I'm his child."

A silence fell over the room while Shikadai stared at the girl. "You are so not my cousin. Can we please not talk about him, and just continue the story?"

"Yeah, but..." Sarada tried speaking up, but then shook her head, her mind far more interested in where the story had not yet gone. "Let's get going. I want to get to the romantic parts. I'm beginning to doubt if they're really coming. Then again, I'm wondering if any of the guys in the family know what that is."