ThrakenaHeart @thrakenaheart - Tumblr Blog

Sekisetsu no Tanuki

Summary: After nearly a decade, Tanuki, the red flash of the snow, and Kankuro's old childhood friend, finally returns to Suna, only to question her life choices. Will she forgive Kankuro, or simply turn her back on him once again?

A/N: Everything concerning Yukigakure is an AU. If you want a bit more information on Tanuki, you can fnd it here.

Warnings: Angst, Swearing, slow burn. Wordcount: 8K

“Tanuki of the Fallen Snow”

“You would never have allowed yourself to be manipulated by others.”

Almost a decade later, during a tournament organised by the sand, the shinobi from the hidden village in the snow were personally invited. Not just to participate, but in the hope to form an alliance between the 2 villages. Despite missing Suna, Tanuki wasn’t too fond of the notion of returning to her homeland, even if it was just for a tournament. To be fair, Tanuki was never too fond of leaving home to begin with. She knew she was gonna have a hard time one way or another, but her fellow shinobi however, eventually managed to convince her to come anyway, "because hey, if anything you can always just beat somebody's ass."

After a week on horseback, they finally arrived in Suna, and were welcomed with open arms by the Kazekage himself, along with his siblings. If Tanuki hadn’t overheard beforehand, she would’ve spontaneously cracked up on the spot by seeing Gaara, of all people, sporting the Kazekage robes. Much to her dismay, Kankuro, being the cocky flirt he was, was the one to greet her. In his attempt to introduce himself, he held out his hand for her to shake, only to be met with Tanuki cocking her head to the side. She looked him up and down, scoffed and clicked her tongue to get her horse moving, leading it to the stables. Kankuro was left standing there with a stupefied look on his face. He cast a glance at the other snow shinobi, as if he was silently asking them what he'd done wrong, but they simply gave him pitiful looks from underneath their masks, stating that's just how she was sometimes.

Right after getting settled in their rooms, they were called into the Kazekage's office. There, Gaara informed them that they would not only participate in the tournament, but that they would also be regarded as if they were Suna shinobi, meaning they too, would get sent on errands within the village when necessary, as well as personally guard Gaara. Tanuki cursed inwards. By now she seriously regretted coming along. When they were finally dismissed come nightfall, she locked herself in her room. But sleep would not grace her that night. Instead she was left tossing and turning all night with a million thoughts swirling through her head. About how the siblings had grown and how Gaara was so much more polite than she remembered him to be. How Suna still looked the same, even after all these years. Memories overwhelmed her in a matter of minutes, and she contemplated disappearing in the dead of night, as she had done all those years ago.

When the sun breached over the horizon, Tanuki still hadn't slept at all, and decided to just get up. Shovelling down her breakfast, she quickly finished up and went to retrieve her tasks for the day. Meeting Temari, she was informed that today would be dedicated to giving the Shinobi from the snow a tour of the village instead, with Baki and Kankuro being their guides. Not long after, they were all following the 2 sand shinobi through the halls of the kage building. Kankuro was lazily drawling on about which door led where until he stopped in front of one and turned around with a grin. "And this, is where I live. Come, I'll show you." He stated excitedly, and opened the door to lead them in. Tanuki sighed silently and rolled her eyes. Cheeky bastard.

It was a relatively empty room, except for several puppet parts hanging from the ceiling, and a workshop area crammed into a nook. Perched on the bed opposite sat Karasu. What was probably an attempt to show the puppet off, resulted in some snow ninja steering clear from the creepy thing. Tanuki however, despite being scared with the puppet countless times when they were younger, decided to inspect it closer. It appeared to have some newer mechanisms as well as some replaced parts, but other than that, it still looked the same. Looking it over, her eyes landed on 2 photo frames on the bedside table. One of all three siblings together, and one of Kankuro and her.

The comfort she once felt in this room left her with a stinging feeling in her chest. Deciding not to think too much on it, she turned back to her group, watching as Kankuro proudly showed off his tools. Once he considered himself done, they went outdoors, which was, for many from the snow, an unwelcome change of temperature. Baki took over leading the tour, and Kankuro decided to hang in the back, walking between Tanuki and her friend. Mentioning how unbearable the heat was, Tanuki waved off her team mate's complaints, though Kankuro was happy to make conversation. She simply ignored them, watching her surroundings instead.

That was, until she noticed Kankuro had turned around, walking backwards in front of her. Slightly annoyed, she silently cocked her head at him once more. He gave her a flustered smile, though it was unclear whether that was because of her, or the fact that he couldn't read her face through her mask. "I never caught your name..." He said, though it sounded more like a question. Tanuki stopped in her tracks, and studied his face.

"Tanuki." She answered shortly, and continued walking. His eyebrows furrowed together for a split second, before he dashed after her. "Alright....Tanuki..," He stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying to act as casual as possible. "I noticed you were the only one who actually looked at Karasu. Say, personal interest or just curiosity?" He smiled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Y'mean the puppet on the bed?" She lied, and side-eyed him before shrugging. "Bit of both I suppose." Though before she could elaborate, Baki, to her relief, announced the end of the tour. "Aww..." Kankuro sighed, before turning back to Tanuki. "Wanna....grab some lunch?" He offered, grinning widely, though it disappeared just as quickly when Tanuki shook her head. "No thank you." She stated and walked off, leaving Kankuro stunned in the middle of the road once again. But instead of sulking, he decided to go to his sister to ask for advice on what the hell he could be doing wrong in her eyes.

Returning to the kage building, Tanuki was called in to Gaara's office. One of the rules of the snow is to never show your face to anyone, except for team mates. Gaara was made aware of this, though he was dead set on knowing the faces of those that were supposed to protect him. After all, the Snow and the Sand were to be considered equals, and they eventually settled on just Gaara knowing their faces. So when Gaara made the request of Tanuki, she went as white as a sheet. Her mask and name change had protected her identity so far. It was what allowed her to steer clear of those she once knew. Looking at the ground, she bit her lower lip. This was a mistake. Coming here was a bloody mistake.

As Gaara continued to press, Tanuki finally gave in. Pulling her facemask down, she took a deep breath before removing the dragon headpiece and looking up at Gaara with a look of utter shame. Gaara's eyes flitted over her face a good while before widening in realisation. He quickly got up to approach her and study her closer. "Please Gaara.... Please don't tell Tem and Kuro..." Tanuki practically squeeked out. Gaara looked pitiful at her, remembering how Kankuro had expressed the turmoil in himself after her disappearance, and that she probably felt likewise. He gave her a slight smile and to Tanuki's absolute astonishment, he pulled her into a hug. Standing there, she awkwardly hugged him back, a storm of emotions brewing within her.

"They miss you, you know... We all do." Gaara stated softly as he let go. The breath had more or less left Tanuki's lungs, and she was gasping for air as tears welled up in her eyes. Gaara offered her a seat and some tea in the hopes to sort things out. Placing her headpiece on the desk, she managed to calm herself some as she inhaled the scent of the tea given to her. She and Gaara spent long into the night together, talking about everything that needed to be talked about. About everything that happened, and about how everyone felt. How some harsh truths needed to be said by both sides, but received equally well too.

Eventually Gaara promised not to say anything to his siblings, understanding all too well that Tanuki needed to do so of her own will, though he did repeat how happy it would make them to know she was safe and well, as she had been missed greatly. Saying their goodnights, they both turned in for the night. After last night's lack of sleep, and the day's distressing events, it was no surprise that as soon as Tanuki's head hit the pillow, she was out cold.

The next day, she woke up feeling a little lighter. Rolling out of bed, she realised she had overslept and practically jumped into her clothes and bolted out the door. Passing Gaara's office, she greeted him happily. She met Baki outside, who, to her annoyance, assigned her to run errands with Kankuro today as they both arrived late. She rolled her eyes and took the list before turning to him. Kankuro however, seemed to be under the weather today. Tanuki assumed he probably slept badly, and decided not to question it.

They made their way to the market in silence. Once there, Tanuki turned to Kankuro again. “You wanna split up or stick together?” She asked softly. Kankuro looked at her for a moment, contemplating his decision. He did seem angry doing so. “We can stick together.” He grumbled. Tanuki nodded her head in response. “You okay?... You seem out of it today..” She finally questioned. Caught off guard, he side-eyed her. “Yeah, had a rough night.” He admitted with a sigh, stuffing his hands in his pockets again. Temari had given him shit for being so straightforward with a stranger. Even if the presence of said stranger gave him such comfort. Not that he could put a finger on as to why that was, however.

Tanuki patted his shoulder to pull him out of his thoughts. “Listen, I didn’t mean to be so harsh earlier. Truth is, I would love to grab some lunch with you, but,” Tapping her headpiece with her nails, she sighed deeply, “I’m not allowed to take this thing off.” Kankuro’s eyes flitted over her, a somewhat sombre expression on his face. “Like, not at all?” He cocked his head to the side, questioning the practicality of it. Humming, she shook her head. “Only team mates are allowed to see my face. Lord Kazekage is an obvious exception to the rule of course. We’re much like the Anbu in that sense.” Tanuki grimaced under her mask. Kankuro, however, chuckled. “But I’m your teammate right now!” He exclaimed hopefully. This earned him a giggle from Tanuki, though before she could respond, her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Rubbing the back of her neck, she pointed at a nearby stall vendor who had breads and pastries on display. “So, wanna grab some breakfast instead?” She offered awkwardly, to which Kankuro nodded his head with a smile.

Curiosity got the better of Kankuro, so he couldn’t help but subtly try to sneak a peek under Tanuki’s headpiece whenever she took a bite of her breakfast. Or at least, he thought he was subtle about it. Tanuki however, playfully threatened to smear his face paint everytime he tried to look. Kankuro more than gladly accepted the challenge, but just as warned, ended up with smeared face paint. As a final insult, Tanuki swiped her thumb over his cheek, and smeared a purple line on his forehead. “Simba.” She exclaimed dramatically, and they both cracked up. The fun was short lived however, as Temari appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and scolded them both for acting so immature in public. Tanuki nonchalantly waved her off, and moved to the next stall vendor. It caused her to miss the silent exchange between the siblings, how Temari shot her brother a small smile, and the flustered look that had crept over Kankuro’s face. Temari did point out to Kankuro that he really needed to clean his face though, as he looked ridiculous.

Against all odds the face paint was quickly forgotten, and Tanuki and Kankuro spend the rest of the day buying everything on the list, occasionally shooting banther back and forth. “Say, how come you have an interest in puppets? It’s hella difficult to control them when your fingers are frozen solid.” He joked, though there was a genuine curiosity behind the question. This caught Tanuki off guard. “Oh…Uh..” She chuckled awkwardly. “My best friend growing up was a puppeteer. That’s all.” She shrugged solemnly, inwardly kicking herself for the obvious connection to Kankuro. “Was?” He questioned, cocking his head to the side as his eyes flitted over her again. She emitted a deep sigh, and shook her head. “It’s not a subject I wish to breach right now, if that’s okay with you?” Kankuro nodded understandingly, and continued walking beside her in silence.

The sun had already begun to set when the pair finally managed to make their way home. They dropped off everything on the list they had bought, and said their goodbyes for the day. Temari intercepted Kankuro on his way to his room, and straight up started interrogating him. “What is that I see, Kankuro?” She chuckled, folding her arms over her chest. “You and a kunoichi from the snow?” She mused. Kankuro huffed, glaring at his sister. “Get your mind out of the gutter Temari. I’m just trying to make friends, okay?” He bit back, before pushing past her and slamming the door. In his defence, Temari had been hounding him about the subject over and over, and he had grown tired of it. Tanuki went to see Gaara again. Why? She didn’t even know herself. Perhaps it was the comfort and familiarity Gaara brought her. To be able to take off the mask and just feel human. Air her heart with someone who wouldn’t tell her what was right and wrong, someone who’d simply listen to everything she had to say. And so she told him about her day. About how she decided to give Kankuro an honest chance. Because despite the things Kankuro had said to her the night before she left Suna, she had still missed him and his siblings. The secrecy had already started to eat at her, and she didn’t know what to do. Gaara suggested to just come clean, but that would mean risking being forsaken by the Snow for bringing one’s identity to light. Even if she’d always have a place to come home to here in the sand. She eventually decided against it, and after a bit more talk, bade Gaara goodnight and returned to her room. It was the first official day of the tournament, and Tanuki was fired up as she was itching to get back into battle. Her fire was even more fueled when the tag team announcement came. Temari, who had personal responsibility along with Shikamaru to assemble the teams, decided to annoy her younger brother by purposely teaming him up with Tanuki. Though it bothered neither her, nor Kankuro. Judging by the flags in the arena, there were 6 villages participating, which explained why the first part of this tournament was almost 2 weeks long. She and Kankuro however, were not to participate before a good few days in. Instead they were to guard Gaara, which neither of them really had an issue with. Occasionally pestering one another with remarks,and mostly discussing tactics, they spend those days standing on that balcony and watching the battles beneath before setting foot in the arena themselves.

“Now introducing! Our very own puppet master, Sabaku No Kankuro! Accompanying him, coming all the way from Yukigakure! Tanuki, The Red Flash of The Snow!!” Kankuro’s eyes went wide as the crowd cheered again, and Tanuki grabbed his hand, pulling him with her into the arena. They had made a base plan, but ultimately decided that improvising would be their best bet. And during their first fight, that’s exactly what they had to do as they faced off against 2 shinobi from the mist. Kankuro had kept one of them busy with Karasu, while Tanuki had hounded the other one, loosening arrows around the arena, but each one of them seemed to miss their target, lodging themselves in the wall instead, one even ending way up by the Kazekage’s balcony. Kankuro’s frustration ran high, and in the heat of it all, he made a back-handed comment about her aim. His lack of focus however, allowed their foe to get in close to him and knocked him down. The impact resulted in a nasty injury to Kankuro’s leg. As the ninja went for Tanuki, she threw her bow and last arrow at Kankuro’s feet in seeming anger, and activated her Flying Raijin Jutsu. Tanuki disappeared, using the arrows to teleport herself around. With a red flash she appeared again behind the other Mist ninja, and quickly immobilised him, before turning to the other. The Mist nin in question was cocky, and taunted the both of them. He had managed to toss Karasu out of Kankuro’s reach earlier, leaving Kankuro defenceless on the ground. Tanuki stared at her foe, calculating her actions. In a last attempt to defend himself, Kankuro jammed the arrow’s tip in his foe’s leg, forcing the focus to be on him instead of Tanuki.

Kankuro hadn't been able to teach Tanuki much when they were younger, only how to form the chakra threads, albeit unstable, and how to connect them to the puppets, which was all she needed. Connecting her fingertips with Karasu, she hurled the puppet at her foe before teleporting to Kankuro. Despite being quite heavy, she managed to throw him over her shoulder, and disappear again. This time, she teleported to the one on the balcony, grabbing hold of the ledge and pulling them up. She set Kankuro down before pushing off the ledge again, allowing herself to freefall down into the arena, disappearing in a flash again. Her foe, however, anticipated her. Concentrating, she performed the necessary hand signs to emit lighting, and the entire ring of arrows glowed red. Charging up, she finally changed course by jumping up, and released the rest of her chakra on her enemy. The lightning bolt attracted the surrounding electricity, and hit her foe hard, knocking him out. The crowd had sat with bated breath, before they erupted in cheers and whistles, calling both her and Kankuro’s name. She gave a courteous bow, and teleported up to the balcony to check up on Kankuro. Cursing, he glared at the medics, who had been a bit too rough with him. She redirected said medics, with the help of Temari, to a room in the back. Helping up Kankuro again, she brought him there too.

Although annoyed, he let the medics do their jobs. “You could’ve told me you knew how to handle a puppet, y’know…” He groaned, even though he couldn’t hide a cheeky grin. Tanuki let out a chuckle and shook her head. “I swear, what you’ve seen is about all I can do.” She awkwardly patted his head, and turned to look out the window, where the next battle was already in full swing. A deep sigh emitted from Kankuro. “I’m sorry for what I said down there. It was a stupid spur of the moment remark that left you without a partner….” His eyebrows knitted together as he frowned. “Nah. Don’t worry about that.” Tanuki shrugged, and sat down beside him in an attempt to console him. “Winning was not my aim anyway.” She chuckled again. Kankuro sighed somewhat content, and allowed himself to rest his head on Tanuki’s fluffy shoulder. For once, Tanuki was grateful for the mask, as it hid the blush that had crept over her face. “Hey, I swear, if you ruin my fur with your face paint, I will beat your ass Kank” She laughed, and to his dismay, pushed him off. “Who gave you permission to call me ‘Kank’ huh?” He shot back playfully, and poked her sides. She cackled and attempted to poke him back, but he was quick to catch her wrist. “Want me to call you ‘Kuro’ instead?” She mused with a light hearted chuckle. Kankuro however, went red in the face and simply stared at her. “Say that again.” He suddenly demanded. “What? Kuro?” She repeated, tilting her head to the side, questioning. Kankuro suddenly leaned in, intensively looking at her. Her eyes flitted over his face, until she realised what it was she had called him.

Kankuro's train of thought was interrupted by the medics stating they were done. And that he was to walk as little as possible for a while. He groaned in frustration until Tanuki got up and offered him her hand. "Want me to walk you back to the kage building?" He simply nodded and took her hand, allowing her to pull him up. They silently walked back, his arm slung around her shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist in order to stabilise him. Once back, he asked her to help him to his room.

Sitting down on his bed, he leaned back against the headrest. Swallowing thickly, Kankuro fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Say, Tanuki….,"He started, but kept his focus on his hands. “Do you…wanna stay for a bit?” He offered, hopeful. Tanuki bit her lower lip, though eventually nodded. “Sure. Want some help getting that paint off before you smear it on me even more?” She teased, to which he nodded with a chuckle. She disappeared to the bathroom to fetch a damp washcloth. Coming back, she gently sat down beside Kankuro again, lifting his chin so she could wipe the purple off his face. He secretly relished in her touch, his half lidded eyes focused on the masked kunoichi before him. Despite never having seen her face before, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel some sort of attraction to her. Once done, under the guise of checking whether she missed a spot or not, she admired him for a moment, being so unused to seeing him with a bare face. “That’s really unfair though,” Kankuro pretended to whine. “You get to see me but I don’t get to see you…” He pouted indignantly. Tanuki giggled and put the washcloth aside, before sitting down beside him. “I’m sorry, Kank. You know I can’t take my mask off…” Laying his head on her shoulder again, he fiddled with his own hands. “Not even in the privacy of my room? I mean, nobody will know…” Tanuki shook her head apologetically as she stared at the spare puppet parts hanging from the ceiling. They remained like that for a while until there was a knock at the door.

Rubbing his eyes, he called out that the door was open. It was Temari who came to bring back Karasu. Plopping down the puppet on the floor, she looked questioning at the pair, but decided not to ask. “Well, lovebirds,” She teased, grinning. “I gotta go back to my duties. Though I do expect you to invite your friend for dinner, Kankuro.” Kankuro simply groaned in response. Temari waved and left the room. Snuggling down properly, it didn’t take long for Kankuro to doze off, most likely due to the painkillers the medics had given him. Tanuki smiled looking at him.

She was quite tired herself, and definitely wouldn’t say no to a nap either, but she eventually decided against it. She tucked him down properly, to which he only stirred a bit, but continued sleeping, and she returned to watch the tournament. Walking up on the balcony again, she informed Gaara about what happened. Though before she could elaborate, Temari snuck up on her from behind. "Sooo, enjoying Suna so far?" Her appearance caught Tanuki off guard. "Sorry? Uh… I suppose? Why?" A devilish smirk appeared on Temari's face. "Oh, just wondering." She shrugged and patted Tanuki on the back. "Temari.." Gaara warned. "Can't you leave it alone?" Temari looked at him indignantly. "What? I'm just trying to do my little brother a favour. I haven't seen him this interested in somebody since Sasha left." Gaara cast his sister a glare. "That's because-" He quickly bit his tongue, remembering that Temari didn't even know the truth. "-Tanuki puts up with him and his puppets." "Or maybe, it's because you scare everybody away by being so bloody hellbent on getting your brother laid." Tanuki playfully shot back, shrugging. If looks could kill, the Snow shinobi would have been dead by now. Deciding against a straight up, public catfight, Temari huffed out a frustrated groan, and practically stomped away. Tanuki simply shook her head and turned her attention back to the battles, and continued to explain to Gaara what had happened earlier on.

Come dinnertime, there was a soft knock on Tanuki’s door. When she opened it, she was met with the sight of a flustered Kankuro. He had apparently stumbled all the way over to her room to invite her to dinner anyway. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she had to remind Kankuro about the rules she was bound to. His face falling, she patted his shoulder. "I'm gonna personally fight your sensei." He suddenly claimed, and stumbled away. This earned him a laugh from tanuki, who quickly went after him. Grabbing his hand, she stopped him in his tracks. "Listen, how about you go eat dinner with your siblings, and I'll talk to my sensei?" She offered. Kankuro gave her a half smile, though it quickly faltered again. "I just looked forward to having you there.." He admitted in defeat. “I know. And I really appreciate the thought. But I’m as much a shinobi as you are, and I too will have to adhere to the rules and customs of my village. Besides, didn’t the medics tell you to walk as little as possible?” She teasingly poked his chest in the hopes to cheer him up a bit. Kankuro simply groaned, before slowly nodding. “Well, see you tomorrow then? You know where to find me, if anything.” He smiled, and stumbled off. “See you tomorrow Kank!” She happily called after him.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that she finally made it back to her room. She had laid out her request to her sensei, about how she asked permission to take off her mask in the company of Gaara’s advisors, as she had put it, making the same argument Kankuro had made. Her sensei, however, shut down her request almost immediately, stating his belief of not being equals at all, but rather superior to the sand. This remark pissed Tanuki off. She was also warned that if she were to ignore orders, she would, without question, be considered a deserter, and never to be welcomed back to the village that took her in when she had nowhere else to go. She dropped the topic, and thanked her sensei for his time. Pacing her room, she went through all possible scenarios to bend the rules without breaking them, but couldn’t think of anything concrete. She already knew that there would be no sleep to be had for her tonight. There were only six days left of her visit in Suna, and she was dead set on making the best of it.

In the middle of the night, Tanuki decided to just walk the corridors instead, perhaps get some tea even. Gaara had retired to bed already, although when passing Kankuro's room, she noticed a streak of dim light underneath his door, as well as the soft clicking of tools, indicating that despite the late hour, he was still awake. She stood there contemplating for a moment, but decided to go get tea instead. Entering the kitchen, the sand shinobi on night watch cast her a few questioning looks, but decided to ignore her. Tanuki grumbled inwards, why was it so hard to choose a tea? Settling on a Suna speciality, she poured her cup and made her way back. A bit further down the corridor, she was surprised to run into Kankuro, who, coincidentally, was on his way to the toilet. “You should be in bed.” She joked, to which he spun around on his heels. “Tanuki!” He chuckled tiredly “I know, I know. I initially couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d repair Karasu instead…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping too?” He yawned. She held up the cup in her hand. “Couldn’t sleep either.” “Ah. You…wanna come in?” He pointed at the door with his thumb. “I’d love to.” Tanuki simply answered. “Very well. I’m just gonna run to… the toilet… real quick, but make yourself at home in the meantime!” He grinned, and hopped away. “‘Run’ huh?” She chuckled, mostly to herself, before pushing the door to his room open.

Putting her cup down on the crafting bench, she looked at the different internal parts of Karasu’s head spread around the table, the head itself sitting in the corner. She carefully picked it up and studied it. If it hadn't been for the fact that one can’t see from the inside, she would’ve used it as an alternative mask for dinner instead. It was bound to get some sort of reaction from Kankuro’s siblings, if anything. Chuckling to herself, she put it down in its spot again, before being surprised by Kankuro standing behind her. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard him stumbling in again. “What’s so funny?” He mused, leaning on her shoulder. “Oh, just thinking of alternatives to hide my face but still have dinner with you guys.” She answered thoughtfully. He managed to connect the dots on her thought-pattern rather quickly and hummed, taking a gentle hold on Tanuki’s chin to be able to look at her mask from different angles. “Say, what are the rules on showing just your eyes?” He suddenly asked. “Uh…I don’t know actually? Why?” “I was thinking, I could probably come up with a temporary solution for your mask, but for that I'd, ironically, need you to take it off.” He pulled off his own hood, and offered it to her. She slowly nodded, finally understanding what he was getting at. She excused herself to the bathroom, and swapped the head piece for Kankuro’s hood. It being too big for her worked in her advantage, as she was able to pull it down over one eye. She quickly made her way back to his room, and handed him the mask. Kankuro however, couldn’t help but stare. Not only because he could finally make eye contact with her, but despite her face being entirely covered, save but one eye, he thought she actually looked sort of cute in his hood. And the fact that one of the ears had drooped, didn’t help either. Tanuki simply chuckled, pulling him out of his thoughts. A blush of embarrassment crept over his face as he took the mask from her. “Eh…sorry.” He chuckled sheepishly, to which Tanuki shook her head. “Its alright Kank." She sat down on the floor by the end of his bed, and leaned back, watching him curiously from a distance. Though it didn’t take long for her tiredness to finally catch up to her, she slowly dozed off. Kankuro was so absorbed in sketching out his ideas and testing them, that he hadn’t noticed, until he turned around to ask for her input. “Tanuki?” He softly called out, but got no response. Moving away from his bench, he squatted down in front of her, and smiled softly once he understood why she hadn’t answered him. A deep sigh emitted from him, before he leaned forward and carefully picked her up, laying her down again on his bed. If it wasn’t for his injury, he would have carried her back to her own room but alas, this was the best he could offer right now. He did fight the temptation to take a peek at her face, after all, nobody would know, right? But ultimately concluded that he didn’t have a right to breach her privacy like that. He scribbled a quick note, and put it on the nightstand along with her mask, before turning off the lights. Tonight, he himself had to make due with the sofa in his brother's office.

Groaning, Tanuki awoke disoriented, with no recollection as to when or how she got to bed. And if she did, why was she still fully dressed? Sitting up, she scanned the room, swiftly recalling last night's events. She rubbed her face, and was reminded of both her mask, and Kankuro’s hood. While turning her head to look behind her, she noticed the dragonskull on the nightstand, as well as Kankuro’s hood on the pillows. She put her headdress in her lap and picked up the note, flitting over it. ‘Hey, you fell asleep on the floor. Figured you’d prefer a bed instead. Left your mask so you wouldn’t be running around without it, even if you look much cuter in my hood. Will be in the Kazekage office. Kank.’ She smiled brightly, and tucked the note in her pocket. She put her mask back on, folded the hood down on the nightstand, and got up. Right as she opened the door, Temari stood in the hallway with her arms folded over her chest. “Oh? Where do you think you’re sneaking off to hmm?” She taunted playfully, jabbing the symbol on Tanuki's mask. Surprised, Tanuki blinked before grinning. “Oops, guess I couldn’t find my own bed after all.” She retorted with a shrug before booking it. “Hey!!” Temari shouted, but Tanuki was already out of sight. The weather was horrendous today, as strong, sand mixed winds whipped at the windows and faces of any poor souls who had the misfortune of being outside. Running up to the Kazekage office, she came to a halt as soon as she saw her sensei, a scowl clearly present on his face, addressed to her. “Sekisetsu No Tanuki!” He roared. All blood drained from her face, and she lowered her head in preliminary shame. “Yes, sensei?” She answered in what could best be described as a whimper. “Do I need to remind you of the rules?” He howled, leaning down with his face mere inches from hers. “No, sensei.” “Then explain to me what you were doing in his bed!” He pointed at Kankuro, who looked equally ashamed and apologetic. Apparently the Snow leader had barged into Gaara’s office just as Kankuro was explaining to his brother why exactly he slept on the sofa, instead of in his own bed, and had only overheard the part where Kankuro mentioned that you were fast asleep in his bed. A look of annoyance washed over Tanuki, and her chest puffed up in defiance. “The rules state that I’m not to share a bed with somebody else. It says nothing about that I can’t sleep in their bed while they sleep elsewhere, which is exactly what happened.” She shot back. “Can you prove it?” Tanuki contemplated the note in her pocket, but handing it over would also betray the fact that she was trying to work around the mask rule, so she simply shook her head. “No, I cannot.” “Very well then. In this case, I consider you guilty until proven innocent. You are disqualified from the tournament, and not to leave the premises until our departure. Nor are you allowed to be in his, or anybody else’s room after nightfall, is that clear?” “Yes, sensei.” And with that, her sensei walked off. Tanuki waited until he was out of sight, and childishly started mocking him. “I Am tHe lEaDeR Of yUkIgAkUrE. mY WiLl iS LaW. wE ArE SuPeRiOr tO ThE SaNd. Fuck off.” She snorted, but froze once she saw both Gaara and Kankuro stare at her. In truth, she was so riled up that she had simply forgotten about their presence. “Want some tea?” Gaara offered sympathetically. Tanuki was so unprepared for the casual question, that she burst out laughing. “Yes, Gaara. I would love some tea.” She answered once she had managed to catch her breath. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, Kankuro still couldn’t shake certain things from his mind. Tanuki had looked so familiar, acted far too familiar and intimate too, for someone who claimed not to like people in the first place. Not only with him, but also with Gaara? Not to mention the things she had said when she mocked her sensei. Superior? Is that why she called Gaara by his name? Because she felt superior to us? Tanuki noticed his absentmindedness, and laid her hand on his knee. Looking at her, the expression etched on his face looked as if he felt personally deceived. “You okay Kank?” She asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. “I’m fine.” He shot back, harsher than he intended. Taken aback, she removed her hand and looked at her lap instead. Kankuro got up angrily, aggressively scraping the chair over the floor in the process, and stormed out. Tanuki was about to go after him, but Gaara’s sand blocked the door. “He needs some time for himself, Sasha.” Looking back at him, she sighed. Perhaps Gaara was right, it was his brother after all. She nodded, and sat down again, chewing her lower lip. “I feel so bad for lying to him though…” She suddenly voiced. “Kankuro deserves better than that… Tem too….” She took off her head piece, put it on the corner of the desk and rubbed her face. "They do, yes. But circumstances make it quite difficult, and I'm sure they would understand that if you're honest with them." Meanwhile, Kankuro had thrown himself on his bed, burying his face in his pillows, groaning. He remained there for a while, allowing his thoughts to consume him. It wasn’t until he looked at the photos on his nightstand that it slowly started to click. The combination of the nightstand being higher, and the hood laying on it, partially obscured Sasha’s face. He sat up, his face scrunching up in concentration. No way. He jumped up and started digging around in his drawers, searching for a marker. Finally finding what he was looking for, he sat down on the bed again, snatching the frame from the table, and started doodling on the glass. First the face mask, then the hood. Once he was done, he stared at it for a while, turning it in different angles. They did have a striking resemblance to each other, now that he compared them. But would Sasha truly go as far as to pretend she doesn’t know him? Or was it just a coincidence? He raked his brain again, trying to come up with a way to definitively confirm, or contradict, his theory without straight up asking her. Tanuki paced Gaara’s office. Something about this visit wasn’t sitting right with her, and it wasn’t the anxiety talking this time. She stopped, to which Gaara looked at her. She looked back at him, before pacing again. “Why would the snow come here if they feel superior, and seem to have no interest in an alliance at all?” She wondered out loud, and Gaara followed her with his eyes. Temari had voiced the exact same concerns earlier, but felt as if her suspicions were ungrounded. She had after all, no idea what the snow was like, and their aloof behaviour could very well be normal back home. “Why waste the time and resources for such a trek, if you don’t plan to gain anything from it?” Tanuki continued muttering, more to herself than to Gaara. Unprompted, she came to a standstill again. “Unless… they are here to-” ''Gather intel.” Gaara finished for her. She looked at him and sighed deeply. “Temari suspects the same thing.” He added. Tanuki shook her head and stuffed her hands in her pockets, fiddling with the note. “I honestly wouldn’t put it past them.” Shortly after, Gaara had called an emergency council meeting to discuss the possibility of the snow looking to deceive the sand. Most members of the council agreed, finding it suspicious that all their offers for alliance contracts were met with resistance, with the snow demanding more than they could offer, and even expecting to partake in council business under the guise of equality and trust. The final verdict was that the shinobi of the snow were not to be trusted, and to be handled with utmost caution. The shift in hospitality was noticed rather quickly by the snow ninja’s, and their leader went to talk to Gaara as to why there seemed to be an air of sudden hostility towards the village. Being backed up by his siblings, Gaara informed him that all negotiations of a possible alliance were off the table, although they were welcome to stay until the end of the tournament. This however, was unacceptable to the Jonin, and he in turn informed the Kazekage that they would forfeit the remaining battles and ride by nightfall, before barging out. A shiver ran down Kankuro’s spine, as this meant that Tanuki would leave too. Gaara sent Temari to inform Tanuki about the changed circumstances. Knocking on Tanuki's door, Temari waited for a response and went in, closing the door behind her. "Temari?" Tanuki sounded surprised by the appearance of the sand sibling. "Hey Tanuki. Gaara sent me. He wanted me to inform you that your unit will leave come nightfall. Your leading jonin has decided so." Tanuki stared at Temari for a moment, processing what she had just told her. "That bad huh?" Is all she managed to say, to which Temari nodded “Thank you for the information, Tem.” Temari’s eyes narrowed. “Tem?” Tanuki chuckled nervously, realising she gave herself away. “Welp.. This was not how I planned this to go down….Listen, Tem.” She rubbed the back of her neck, and sighed. “I didn’t mean to…ah…fuck it y’know.” Deciding it was best to just rip the bandaid off, she took off her face mask and headpiece, tossin it on the bed. “Happy now?” Instead of being surprised, Temari just grinned. “I knew it!” she exclaimed. “What? How?” Tanuki asked, astonished. “Besides the fact that Gaara more or less accidentally gave you away the other day? Come on girl! Kankuro is still glued to you just as he did when we were kids!” “Oh…But Kankuro doesn’t know tho… Does he?” “He doesn’t?” Tanuki shook her head. “Unless he figured it out himself, or Gaara told him…Which reminds me… I should go say goodbye to them too…” She concluded, somberly. “Can’t you stay?” Tanuki shook her head, visibly upset. “I wish I could, Tem, I really do. But right now that would put everyone at risk.” “Then please know that you always have a place to come back to, one where you’re loved and missed.” She offered, wrapping her arms around Tanuki’s shoulders in a tight hug. Tanuki stared at the sketchbook in her hand. How could packing your belongings be so painful? She wanted to scream, to tell the snow that they could suck it, so she could stay here. Here in Suna, where she belonged. She threw the sketchbook on the ground, and trudged to Gaara’s office. “Got a minute?” She wondered, to which Gaara nodded. “Always, Sasha.” “Listen…”

Tanuki bared her heart once more for the Kazekage, laying out her thoughts and feelings. They spoke for a few hours, and eventually, Gaara hugged her tightly once more, and handed her a red Suna headband, telling her to go find Kankuro before it was too late. But despite searching every possible place she could think of, she couldn’t find him. The sun had started to go down, and one of her fellow shinobi informed her that it was time to saddle the horses. With an aching feeling in her chest, she dragged herself to the stables to retrieve her steed. Come nightfall, they were ready for departure, and Baki personally saw them off. Tanuki’s horse however, seemed to have no interest in leaving either, and meandered quite a way behind them, which worked in Tanuki’s favour. She leaned over every once in a while, both to feed her horse a treat, as well as inconspicuously drop a chakra-infused piece of wood , making sure the gelding pushed it down into sand with its hooves. She kept this up until they were a good way out of reach of the village. As she leaned down to drop another one, something suddenly moved in the sand, spooking the horse, who, in its turn, tossed Tanuki off. She landed unceremoniously in the cold sand, but got swiftly back to her feet as she heard the familiar clicking of a puppet. Sanshouo emerged from the sand, but remained motionless. “Don’t you dare leave again.” Kankuro’s demanding voice sounded from behind her. She turned to look at him, and rubbed her arm. He had donned his old costume, with the same face paint as when she left the first time, the one she had loved so much. “I’ve been looking for you…” She said softly, though Kankuro was having none of it. He was not about to let her walk out of here again without putting up a fight. “I’m not letting you go.” He declared, folding his arms over his chest, though his eyes had started to water. “Kankuro, I must…” She pleaded, reaching for his face, but he pulled away and grabbed her wrist instead. They tussled for a bit, before losing their balance and crashing into each other. Kankuro ended up on top of her and pinned her wrists down, but Tanuki was quick to manoeuvre herself on top of him. She took a deep breath as Kankuro still struggled underneath her, and slapped him hard across the face, before dropping back on her hands again, knocking her dragonskull against Kankuro’s headband, causing it to be lifted up. He stared at her wide eyed, with tears running down his face. He noticed Tanuki’s puffy red eyes, and felt a tear falling down on his face. “Please trust me Kuro…” She sobbed, and crashed down on top of him as her muscles gave in from exhaustion. They held each other in a tight embrace, and remained like that for a while.

“Will you be back?...” Kankuro finally asked quietly. Tanuki nodded and sat up, removing her face mask. As Kankuro sat up too, she cupped his face, and looked him in the eyes. “I promise you, I’ll be back.” He gave her a weak smile, to which she shoved his hood up, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’m gonna miss you, Kuro.” She admitted softly, before giving him one last hug and getting on her feet. “Please stay safe, ok?” She added with a smile, before covering her face again. He nodded, and also got to his feet. “You too, Sasha.” He sighed mirthlessly. She clambered on her horse again, and cast him one last look before galloping off into the night.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! <3 If you wish to tip or commission me, you can find my Ko-fi here! <3

#Kankuro #Sabaku No Kankuro #kankuro fanfic #Naruto AU #Kankuro imagine #Naruto OC #Kankuro x OC #Kankuro x Reader

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

ThrakenaHeart