A Caring brother

This is NOT Beta-read and English is not my native language so please bare with me. The two betas I have are mia and loa atm. I have the tendency to run long sentences here and there but please try not to mind that! I try my best when my muse hits me so please be gentle when it comes to grammar and sentence issues :p
________________________________________
Chapter VII
________________________________________

Another week had passed and nothing had happened. Gaara had asked if he could get his work home and who was Kankuro to deny the kazekage to work from home? His baby brother had asked him with one of those 'please don't deny me this' looks in the doorway of his room. Kankuro had of course wanted him to only rest but at the same time he understood that Gaara wanted to do more than not do anything at all so he had agreed. He didn't take all of the papers of course, only the ones that were the most critical to be signed and Gaara didn't seem to mind.

"Kankuro… did you hear what I just said?"

"eh? What? … no, sorry. I was daydreaming"

"or dreaming is more like it… you've been like this since two days ago! It's almost impossible to talk to you… get a grip!"

"Sorry Temari… I'm just trying to figure out ways on how to help Gaara, it kind of occupies my mind."

"I know the feeling, otouto… but like you said, I think we should leave him be for a while"

"mh… yeah…umh…he'll get around to it soon, I'm sure"

"I hope so too… Hopefully he's better when I return again"

Kankuro blinked and looked confused. Had he forgotten something again?

"eh... return?"

"..Kankruo! … I'm leaving for a month to spend time with Shikamaru and his family. We're going to camp and see their hunting grounds and meet the deers and all! It's been planned for months!"

"Ah... right, that was today…"

Temari gave him a sisterly death glare only she could deliver, Kankuro returning it with a charming younger brother smile that said 'you know you love me anyway', causing Temari to shake her head at him with a sigh.

"When are you leaving?"

"In a few minutes. I'm just packing my last things now, and I wanted to say good bye to Gaara too before I go"

"Ah…"

come to think of it, Temari idid/i have her traveling gear on, what was he…. Sleeping? Truth be told, his mind had been occupied since two nights ago, in other words… the night when he had kissed his brother on the lips before saying he was sorry that he did so, when in truth he wasn't. He had wanted to do that for a long time just to know how the redhead's lips felt against his, if they were soft or raspy like sand – They had been soft. His eyes had been longing for touch, for the love his heart craved so badly. Kankuro had slowly begun to understand what Gaara meant about the 'deafening silence' during the day he had spent thinking about it. He had been thinking about it constantly, trying to sort the puzzle out.

"Kankuro! HellOoo?"

"eh? Oh sorry… um… come again?"

"I said… is Gaara in his room still or where is he?"

"ah… eeh.. I'm not sure, last I saw him he was.."

Temari nodded and walked out of the kitchen where their conversation had taken place and headed towards Gaara's room which was out in the hallway and to the left. They had chosen to share a kitchen even though they had smaller kitchen in their apartments too. Gaara of course had nothing at all in his fridge and Temari was sure the kitchen was completely unused too. She knocked on the door and she heard a muffled 'leave' from inside.

"Gaara? It's me, Temari… I just wanted to say good bye before I leave. I'll be gone for a month…"

Silence. Then… she thought she heard movement inside and not too long after, the door clicked before the knob was slowly turned and Gaara appeared in the doorway to his apartment. He looked worn and tired where he stood, looking Temari in the eyes with a tired look.

"Have a safe journey."

He said quietly, meant in all honesty but the attempt of closing the door right after was stopped by his sister's hand on the door.

"Gaara… please."

"Nh…?"

"eh… Just… take care and for god's sake.. eat properly. Okay?"
"I'm not a child…"

"I know you're not... but I still care"

"and I don't need pity…"

"It's not pity… it's icare/i. Ask Kankuro to explain that to you. I don't really have time right now, I'm leaving in a few."

"nh…"

"I just wanted to say good bye, like I said."

"Good bye, Temari"

She swallowed a deep sigh and instead gave him a warm sisterly smile and a light hand on his shoulder for a second or two. He looked up at her with emotionless seafoam colored eyes but with a touch of care and that was enough for his sister to be satisfied.

"Like I said, take care Gaara."

She resisted the urge of wanting to lean forward and kiss his forehead like she had done when they were younger and Gaara a mere toddler. The kazekage closed the door again and everything fell silent in the hallway again. Kankuro had listened in somewhat from the hallway to the kitchen but he simply couldn't help himself. He loved his baby brother and he loved Temari but he was also very protecting of them both and currently very much so over Gaara since he wasn't really mentally stable.

Kankuro came out and greeted Temari in the hallway as if he just came around the corner and followed her to the door with a light smile on his lips, placing his arm around her shoulders while they walked the few meters that was left to the front door down the hall.

"You better take care now neesan… and you better be safe or I'll kick Shikamaru's ass"
"Like you could even if you tried, otouto.."

She said with a grin then hugged him as he returned the favor, kissing her cheek in a sign of brotherly affection.

"Yeah… probably right, but I could still try! I can't help he's good at planning ten steps ahead when I'm good at going with the flow!"

They both chuckled a bit before she turned and left with a warm smile and wished her safe journey. Kankuro turned back inside and finished the dishes since breakfast while his thoughts once again came back to Gaara and how he had reacted on the light kiss he had given him on the lips. He had been so needy of touch, craving it like the air he breathed, who was Kankuro to deny his baby brother what he needed? This was truly a fight with himself. To go with his heart, or to go by the rules set by society?

Just as he finished the last plate he heard light footsteps coming towards the kitchen and he knew it was Gaara just by hearing them and not only for the fact they were the only ones inside at the moment. When the footsteps stopped, Kankuro turned around to see Gaara stand by the doorframe, half hidden by it while glancing at him with his seafoam colored eyes.

"Hi otouto"

"Oniisan.."

"mh?"

"… that.. coffee… could I have some of it?"

"Of course, Temari taught me how to do it, it will take a few minutes to get ready though"

Kankuro smiled lightly towards his brother while he seemed to think about something.

"Can I watch?"

"You want to watch me prepare the coffee?"

Gaara didn't reply but the look in his eyes when he once again met Kankuro's eyes said he wanted to and the puppet master waved his brother into the kitchen.

"Come on, I'll show you."

He said and picked the coffee brewer out from one of the cabinets while Gaara stepped up beside him as he plugged the machine into the wall then stretching to get the coffee and filter.

"Here's what you do. "

Kankuro glanced to his right at Gaara who leaned in a bit closer beside him to see what he was doing.
"You open this lid here, put the filter in like this"

He said, doing it while he explained.

"Then you take the pot and fill it with water and pour it in here and stop at the amount of cups you want to brew"

They went over it properly, Kankuro showed how to work the machine and how many spoons of coffee you put in depending on how much water you had and where the water line showed on the brewer. The turned it on by flicking a small red button on the side and the water instantly started to gurgle and be pushed up into the machine and dropping its way down the coffee in the filter then turning brown while it dropped down into the pot.

Gaara watched the event, fascinated of what he saw. This was not at all like you made tea. The concept was the same yet, different. Kankuro watched his baby brother with warm, dark eyes, admiring his looks. His pale skin, his soft features and unusual eyes, not to talk about his dark red hair; Where ever that had come from he wasn't sure but there was obviously some kind of gene somewhere in the family. Their mother had brown hair, their father had dirty blonde so it wasn't from them Gaara had gotten his fiery hair. Suddenly Gaara looked up at him, meeting his gaze full force and caused Kankuro to choke a hitch.

"Is it ready now?"

"uh.."

Kankuro looked at the brewer which gurgled in the lack of water in the machine, all of it now in the pot and was called coffee.

"Yes… it's done. Click the red button again so it sets on 0 then take the pot away and throw the filter with the coffee in the bin."

Gaara did so while Kankuro picked out two cups, enjoying the company of his brother even though he didn't say much. At the same time, Gaara had never been much of a talker.

"I'd like to drink it in my apartment"

Gaara said, Kankuro paused for a moment, hesitating before he asked.

"may I join you?"

Gaara looked up at his brother and thought about it for a moment before he nodded with his usual 'nh' as an answer, placing the pot on a tray, Kankuro placing the cups there as well. He turned around and opened the fridge and took a plate of buns out and placed it on the tray as well in the hopes that Gaara would eat something since he had refused breakfast today. Gaara frowned and looked up at his brother with questioning eyes.

"You usually eat something with coffee, buns or bread or some form of cake."

"nh…"

Gaara seemed to accept the answer before he started walking towards his room, expecting Kankuro to take the tray which he also did. He was making tremendous steps forward with his brother right now and it seemed that the young kazekage was a little more relaxed when they were the only ones here and Temari had gone out. Perhaps Gaara would tell him one of these days but, for now they would concentrate on drinking coffee and eat buns, Kankuro hopefully getting to actually see his brother eat for once.