Black Sand

Authoer Note: Okay I finally have the next chapter. Man Sai is hard to write for. *phew* Anyway... I hope you guys haven't forgotten this story... since it takes me forever and a day to update. XP Um, so this is fianlly starting to heat up I think, and the foreshadowing of danger is comign along nicely I think. Anyway let me know what you think! Seriously, I realyl want to hear from all of you guys.
Thanks: msuzumaki you're like a number one fan or something lol you always get me to smile, cynaga for reading and then reviewing I love it when this happens, and Mustang89 cuz you're awesome and inspire me to write more.

As always comments will be at the end of the chapter!

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“Chapter Three”

Sai’s dark brown eyes scanned over the sand dunes feeling as if someone where watching him and the three kids he was bringing to Suna for a visit. Shikamaru had a mission in the village so he had said to bring them along, as of now though Sai was alone with them. No expression on his face he turned to the left side scanning there, and from the corner of his eye he spotted movement. Inwardly he frowned, outwardly he just stared where he had last seen the movement.

It could have easily been an animal, though few it was possible, but no it hadn’t been he was sure. Why wasn’t any one attacking then? Was it a simple search and obtain knowledge mission? It could be, but it still meant trouble. Temari had been killed six months ago upon being found in Sound snooping around. Before she had been killed she had sent word back that Sound was in deed planning to strike, but she didn’t know when. They also knew a lot about several different nations and their customs. This made things easy when one was to infiltrate another village. Sai knew this best of all, since that had been what he was good at, well he still was good.

“Uncle Sai?” Seiko asked tugging on his pant leg.

He looked down at her and saw she seemed worried, so he smiled. He’d read somewhere, in a book about how to be around kids, that one should smile at them reassuringly even when they were worried and it was a lie. Occasionally he still had trouble sorting out which lies were okay and appropriate to use and which ones were not. He had asked Sakura why you would smile at a child when it was clearly dangerous and a lie. The pink haired nin had rolled her eyes and huffed explaining that if children were freaking out then it made things harder to get done that and they could give your position away when crying. So he now understood the mechanics behind lying smiles towards children.

The young girl smiled back at him and slowly she relaxed a little bit, “I thought something was wrong.”

“Nope.” he answered patting her on the head.

“Then why you look out over sand?” Chiharu chimed in.

That called for a truth, “I was making sure there was no danger.”

“Oh.” Seiko and Chiharu said together.

He was quite proud of himself sometimes for getting social nuances right, even if it were only between children and him. His eyes over looked the dunes again feeling as if he was still being watched. He then decided he would draw a small hawk to circle up above, the enemy would see this, but it might have them for go the attack. Quickly drawing it he set it to life with Chakra and the youngest, Mairen, clapped and giggled as it flew from the paper into the air. Upon this reaction he decided that he may be able to hide his intentions by performing his jutsu as if it were a trick for the children. With that thought he drew a bunny and it hopped off the paper towards the children causing them all to exclaim in surprise before laughing.

“This is a rabbit, they generally live in forests but they also live here in the desert areas.”

“Really?” Seiko said her eyes growing wide.

Sai nodded.

“Do another!” Chiharu clapped.

Sai whistled and the hawk came down to perch on his out stretched arm. The children oo’d and ah’d as he explained about the bird and places it lived. It was good that he read book after book and he also liked how the three kids seemed to hang on to his every word. It made him feel… that burning sensation in his chest but it was a different kind. It was as if he were receiving praise for a mission well done, what was the word called again? Pride, that was the word Naruto had said when he’d asked him about the feeling.

“Another?”

“No we need to keep moving, would you like to send the bird to the air?” He asked Chiharu.

He nodded and the bird hopped from his arm to the young child’s arm. Sai bent his arm so the bird perched in front of the kids face before pulling back.

“Now throw your arm towards the sky.” Sai directed.

When he did the bird took to the wind and they cheered Sai smiled at them and when Seiko looked at him he was suddenly being hugged by her. Taken aback it took him a moment to hug her in return. Slowly she pulled away from him and smiled.

“You did it totally right that time Uncle Sai.” she told him.

“Did I?”

The three children nodded and he found himself smiling again and their smiles brightened. Maybe he had this smile thing down now. He could hope. Standing he picked up Mairen and patted the other two on their heads still smiling at them. It was time to continue on their way towards Suna, Gaara would be awaiting them and so would Kankuro, his wife, and new baby.

“You guys ready to see your knew little cousin?” He asked them.

“I’m totally ready, I’m gonna be the best ever.”

“I want to be an Uncle just like Sai cause he’s the best.” Chiharu announced.

“Yeah! Let’s all be like Uncle Sai he is the greatest Chiharu.” Seiko seconded the motion.

The one year old clapped and then gave him a sloppy kiss, apparently she too agreed with them. Again that burning sensation was back but stronger making him feel lighter like he was flying on one of his ink and paper birds. He liked this feeling, he hoped to feel more of it. Sai decided that it was best at this time not to explain to them that Uncles and cousins were separate things entirely. They were in high spirits at the idea of being good relatives and it wouldn’t be nice to stop their good moods because of such things.

*******

“Hey I heard about that prank you pulled on that snubby bastard and his lovers. Fuckin’ great, didn’t know you had it in ya!” Kankuro exclaimed coming up to the small group.

“Uncle Rou!” The two oldest yelled and ran to him.

“Hey brats!” He replied crouching down and hugging them close.

“We missed you lots.” Chiharu said.

“I missed you guys too.”

Sai placed Mairen on the ground and carefully the one year old made her way to the man her brother and sister were hugging. Kankurou smiled widely at the smallest of the group and picked her up to twirl her around. Sai watched them the warmth in his chest back and his eyes soft, but he also wondered if he would be able to act that normal or would he always be like he was.

“So I hear the wee one only talks to you.”

“Hm, that’s what everyone says.” Sai replied.

“Does she talk to you?”

“All the time.”

“Huh, wonder why?”

Sai frowned, “Is something like that unusual?”

Kankurou looked at Sai and wondered what his brother saw in the guy. He was so strange, but then so was his brother, both on islands of emotionless-ness. Then there was that knack the guy had for stating the truth you didn’t want to hear. Still if Gaara liked the guy there had to be a reason for it, and so he would just go with the flow, like he always did he didn’t have much choice having the siblings he grew up with.

“Naw, not really. I find it kinda funny actually.”

“Why?”

Kankurou shrugged.

“Uncle Sai can we speak now? Are you done talking?” Chiharu asked.

Kankurou blinked at the small child then at Sai who was smiling. The dark haired man reached a hand out and ruffled the brown locks. It was then that he understood Gaara. The guy wasn’t emotionless, he was just awkward with said emotions and under all that brash bluntness was a man who cared deeply for people. It dawned on him he really should stop assuming people were who you first thought they were.

“Yes, I am done talking.”

“How did you teach them that?”

“They interrupted me once and I made an example.”

“Right.”

“He looked at us and told us not to talk if adults were talking to each other because it was rude. Then he told us we should patiently wait til they were done before talking ourselves.” Seiko explained.

“And then he went back to talking about apples.” Chiharu added.

“And he made us wait,” Seiko continued.

“For like ever,” Chiharu finished for his sister.

“It was five minuets.” Sai corrected.

“Apples huh?” Kankurou asked amused.

“It was a stimulating conversation.” Sai replied straight faced.

“It was BORING, all they did was talk about colors that apples come in and stuff.” Seiko whined.

Kankurou stifled a laugh, “well that is a very important thing to talk about these days.”

“Sai.” Another voice called out from behind.

Sai and the small group turned to look at Gaara. The kids ran over, Mairen carefully walked over to hug the man. Gaara hugged them but Kankurou could tell, he could feel it in his gut, that the atmosphere had changed in the room. He chanced a glance at Sai he was watching everything with a certain level of pain in his eyes. If Kankurou were to chance a guess he’d say the man’s chest probably felt tight as well. At least the man seemed to return his little brothers feelings.

“Hey guys come on! Li is waiting for us with my son.” he announced and picked up Mairen on his wait out.

“How was the trip?” Gaara asked.

“There was someone following us, but nothing serious happened.” Sai replied.

Gaara frowned, “did you get a look?”

Sai shook his head.

“I’ll have to mention something to the council later. We’re on break right now care to walk with me?”

Sai wanted to say no, wanted to turn away because the closer Gaara was to him the more his heart pounded and the more nauseous he felt. Yet his nin would not allow him to do so, someone of higher rank had asked him to accompany them which wasn’t politically correct to refuse. His thoughts warred with themselves even as his head nodded in agreement without his approval.

“Well lets go then.” Gaara replied and turned leaving the room.

Sai’s feet and legs walked the distance to catch up without him tellin them to. It was as if Gaara had control over his body’s functions. It was an odd thing indeed and he wasn’t really sure he liked it. He glanced sideways and looked at the other man, a few inches shorter than he coming up at about his chin. This was something he wouldn’t have allowed himself to do, walk right next to the man as Gaara was of higher rank. No none of this made any sense at all and when he tried to put distance between them he found that it made his heart jump around so he opted to stay in his place.

“How are things in Konoha?”

Sai thought for a moment, “not any different from last you were there.”

Gaara let out a sound that sounded very much like a chuckle, but Sai wasn’t sure, “how are all my friends?”

“They are living their lives I suppose. I don’t really see them much.”

Gaara rose a hairless brow at that.

“I have been on back to back missions.” He explained.

“I see. I imagine that the children were not pleased.”

“They were okay with it once they received small gifts from all the places I’d been.”

“That’s thoughtful.”

Sai shrugged and kept his eyes forward when green eyes focused on him. He could feel his heart start to race inside his chest and then to his utter surprise he felt a strange burn in his cheeks.

“You’re blushing.” Gaara observed stopping in the middle of the deserted hall to look him full on.

Fingers reached up to touch reddened cheeks and he could feel them heat up worse. He turned away feeling something he had never felt before that made his throat tight and his heart sink a little before stopping altogether. He had no idea what this feeling was, but he knew for sure he didn’t much like it.

“It’s called embarrassment, something I was pretty sure you couldn’t feel.” Gaara explained walking around him to look him in the face again.

“Embarrassment?”

A nod.

“I do not like this feeling.”

“I don’t know anyone who does.” Gaara mused a small smirk on his lips.

“Have you felt this embarrassment?” Sai asked his cheeks finally starting to feel normal again.

“A few times, mainly because of my brother.”

“I see,” Sai breathed finally taking in his surroundings.

His eyes scanned the surrounding walls and realized that they were carved into meticulously to form a piece of artwork. Reaching out he traced one of the thinned lines as it swirled around to form a flower in bloom and his eyes softened as the feeling of ease washed over him. Art always had that effect on him, at least artwork that was good, or at the very least someone put a lot of work into. The large mural he was looking at the reached all the way down the hall and even touching the high ceilings was most definitely made with care.

Flowers blooming, children playing, swirls of wind dancing through out the picture, water skippers and dragon flies buzzing through the air, and the sun setting over a mountain. No color just carved lines in detail into the sandy walls brought the scene to life. It was very beautiful, almost as if he was there in that moment right then. He stepped back to get a really good look at it and he smiled. Gaara just watched him, watched as all the emotions filtered over Sai’s face as he took it all in. He knew Sai would appreciate such a thing, when the man turned to look at him he made sure to be looking at the wall his hand clasped behind his back.

“Who made this?”

“I did.” Gaara replied.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Gaara answered glancing at the other man.

“It’s amazingly detailed, and your stroke reminds me of the old Chinese water color on rice paper.” Sai commented.

“It’s a work in progress.”

“Why’s that?” Sai questioned.

Gaara started to walk further down the hall, “as you can see I’m still adding to it.”

Sai followed him his fingers tracing the lines to follow them to their end, “what do you plan to add to it?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“I assume you use your sand to do this.” Sai commented looking back at the lines.

“You would be correct.”

“Why did you decide to show me this?” Sai asked looking at him.

“I thought you would like it, and knew you would at the very least appreciate it for what it was.” Gaara answered looking right back at him.

“You think about me?” Sai questioned sounding as if this was unheard of.

“Yes.”

Something in the tone of Gaara’s voice made his heart jump in his chest and he quickly averted his eyes.

“Have you ever been cared for?”

The question caught him slightly off guard but Sai had an answer all the same, “only for my basic needs for survival.”

“So you’ve never had anyone hold you or touch you at all?”

“Well Naruto tends to tackle me, or lean against me on occasion.” Sai replied the barest sound of annoyance in his voice.

Gaara knew the best way to talk to Sai was head on, if you didn’t ask a direct question you’d be playing ring around the rosy for days, and not even because the man was purposefully doing it. Sai was a man of directness, and though he was slowly learning the way everyone else operated, he still tended to be that man. Something Gaara was starting to like about him, and Sai wasn’t to bad looking either.

“Do you find me attractive?” Gaara asked keeping his face neutral when Sai actually froze up in stunned silence.

“Something like that would be inappropriate.”

“I didn’t ask that, it’s not like you to hedge a question Sai.” Gaara murmured.

Sai once again felt his heart start to race and his face heat up. All his thoughts flew around his head like a startled flock of birds that took to the sky. He hadn’t expected the other man to ask a question like that. No one had ever asked him something like that. Had Ino told the redhead about their conversation? No, she was a loud mouth but she wouldn’t have done such a thing. Which meant Gaara had seen it for himself, and being the man he was had asked Sai directly.

His heart pounding in his ears he answered, “you are nice to look at.”

Gaara walked closer to him and stopped just a foot in front of him, “I think the same of you.”

Before Sai could say anything a man came running down the hall and stopped in front of the two of them. The brunette panted, out of breath and bowed to Gaara, completely oblivious to Sai’s state of shocked awkwardness.

“Kazekage-sama you are needed again for the meetings.”

“Of coarse thank you,” he answered the man before turning back to Sai. “I hope to continue this conversation later.”

He bowed his head minutely and Sai’s body bowed on auto pilot thankful for once that his body just did something without him telling it to. His thoughts were still all over the place as he watched the redhead calmly walk back towards the meeting rooms following the younger man. Had Gaara really said what Sai had heard? Did the man really find him attractive? It was a stunning thought. It wasn’t like Sai didn’t know he was good looking, he knew very well, but no one every really noticed. Well aside from young girls who squealed at just about every nin that walked by.

Really? Gaara?

He shook his head, and decided to look for Kankurou and the children. Even if it was true he couldn’t let anything come of it. It was not something a lower rank did. Closing his eyes he composed himself and set off in search of the young trio and their uncle.

~TBC~

msuzumaki: Thank you so much. I'm trying really hard to get Sai right. It's alot harder than i thought it would be, but its also fun too. Until next chapter! *huggles*
cynaga: I'm glad that I have captured your attention. I'm always happy to see another person review and let me know what they think. Hope to see you again!
Mustang89: Thanks I figured Sai doing a prank would be highly amusing and I just couldn't resist. He gets his smiles sometimes... but if he tries to force one he doesn't do as well. ^^ Thanks I needed that inspiration, I was kinda wondering if I was going to far off character with him. Let me know what you though this chapter! Much love to you!
All My Readers: Please review I really need to hear from all of you ti keep going. Thank you. ^^