The Sand People

Stage 1. Chapter 3.

Shake Me Down

By Cage the Elephant because of the beautiful bittersweet lyrics and music; if this story had an animated opening, this would be the song.

Note: Continues right where the last chapter left off. Teehee :3 I had uploaded the document a week ago but didn't post the chapter! So dumb….

Warning: Just like four or five bad words.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narutoverse.

The Kana twins were in Yashamaru's bedroom, working on some minor damages that Karura's fan that had received when it'd been tossed carelessly by their sensei the day before. The graceful weapon had been forgotten in the training fields before finally being retrieved by the siblings that morning, and now it was already midday and the girl was yawning and complaining out of boredom.

"It's broken, Yasha. I'll just have to buy a new one."

"It's not broken," her brother mumbled, concentrating on the task. "I can so fix it."

"But it won't be as good as it was before."

Yashamaru glanced at her with sad eyes. "You just love it when mom beats you up, don't you?"

She gulped. Karura was used to being her mother's punching bag, but even then it still hurt like hell. The thought of it made her recall the searing pain on her left cheek from the slap her mother had given her before she had even woken up. "The fan is not where it's supposed to be," the woman had snarled. "Where is it?"

Karura had realized that she had left it at the training grounds, and when her mother followed up by grabbing her by the hair and throwing her against the wall, she stuttered her wince and immediately tried to scram away.

"Go get the fan right now, you stupid idiot!" The woman's claws buried into the girl's left underarm and she threw her out into the hallway.

"Dad!" Karura choked out in terror. She curled into a ball, bracing for the next impact that would surely happen. Her father hardly ever helped her after all.

Her brother, however, rescued her. "Mom, stop," he stepped in front of his sister protectively, looking into his mother's wild teal eyes with his own misty gray.

"That bitch! She lost my fan!" the hysteric woman explained helplessly and started bawling uncontrollably.

Karura hugged her brother's legs nervously. Everyone in Suna was psychotic. The sun cooked their brains! Yashamaru was the only sensible person.

"Don't cry," he cooed comfortingly. "C'mon, Karu. Let's go get the fan back now, okay?" He pulled Karura up to her feet, held her hand tightly, and dragged her shaking body all the way to the training grounds. Together they found the slightly tattered fan right where it had landed the day before, and there they had stayed for a whole hour so that when they returned their mother could be calmer. For as much as he respected his mother, his sister was ten times more loved and if Yashamaru could keep her out of harm's way he would.

Back in the present time, Yashamru continued quietly, "I don't like to see you get hurt. It's a good thing no one took the fan and that it didn't get destroyed. Mom would've beaten the living daylights out of you."

Karura sighed. "Eh, I guess you're right. She does love her damn fan more than me. She'd freak if we declared it officially broken."

Yashamaru gave her a halfhearted smile. "She doesn't love the fan more than you, silly. She just… the fan is special. It was grandma's, then it was hers, and now she really wants you to make it yours. That's why she gets so upset at the thought of you mishandling it."

"But she sure mishandles me…" Karura pouted, the memory of being pushed around at six in the morning nagging at her conscience.

Yashamaru, peaceful mediator as he was, didn't dare disagree.

The twins continued chatting away while the boy fixed the dents and scrapes on the fan and the girl polished it. Their father was reading in his bedroom while their mother was cooking lunch in the kitchen. Compared to the rough morning, it was now all peace and quiet in the Kana household. Until Kaze no Hiro decided to visit and knocked loudly.

The woman of the house left her food preparations and opened the door, glaring down at the cute, brown-haired kid that stood before her.

"Hi," he innocently said. "Are Yashamaru-san and Karura-chan home?"

"Yes," she told him.

"May I talk to them then, please?" he asked.

The insolence the kid had! "And who are you again?"

"Pardon me," he bowed. "I'm Kaze no Hiro. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kaze no Hiro. Her twins' fellow teammate and member of the distinct Kaze family. One of the now Kaze Trio. She had been delighted to work with Kaze no Kankuro-sama and with both Kaze no Akihiro and his defunct wife back in her days of being a kunoichi…. The child in front of her didn't look special compared to his ancestors though. He was rather plain, actually.

"Ma'am, I'm in a hurry," Hiro pressed. "May I talk to Yasha and Karu?"

And he was rather rude compared to them as well. "Yashamaru! Karura!" she called her kids. "The Kaze boy is here!" She looked down at Hiro coldly. "Wait for them here." She slammed the door shut in his face.

Hiro shrugged. He had the feeling Lady Kana hadn't thought too kindly of him— maybe he had come off as a little cheeky, he thought—but it didn't really matter. It's not like he would have to ever see her again anyways. He leaned beside the door and stood there waiting for the siblings, who after a short minute arrived with similar puzzled expressions.

"What the hell are you doing here?" they asked him in unison.

He glared at them pointedly. "I'm here because you two didn't show up for training!"

The siblings exchanged confused glances and then finally Yashamaru spoke for the both of them. "Since you almost killed sensei yesterday we thought it was obvious training was cancelled until further notice."

"Like, when he gets out of the hospital," Karura added cockily, as if talking to a small child who didn't understand anything.

"Nonsense!" Hiro snapped at them. "We have to go out there and train! Who knows when Haruki-sensei will get out, and then all the other genin teams will be way ahead of us! The three of us should start train together for now!"

"That's nonsense, right, Yash?" Karura said. "We aren't getting anywhere close to you, you psychotic little murderer—"

"Wait," Yashamaru covered his sister's mouth with his hand. "Shut up, Karu. Maybe he's right and we should train…."

"Ee en tren ee ee gan ah n yoo n ah tren ooh geh er. Liz?" Karura asked in spite of Yashamaru's hands being pressed tightly against her lips and mumbling her speech. Her brother always understood her anyways. 'He can train with his grandpa and you and I train together.'

And Hiro didn't, but he could put one and one together and understood the gist. "If you don't want to train to me, then fines! I couldn't care less! But, Yashamaru, you're smart. I want to train with you and I know you want to train with me so come on!"

Karura flickered her tongue against Yashamaru's hand, making the blond boy let go of her in his disgust. "My brother is going to train with me so back off, you jerk!"

She was scary, but Hiro was brave. "Yashamaru! Please! What you did yesterday with the whole medical ninjutsu was really cool! Forget all the bad things I've ever said. It would be my honor if you would please be my team member."

"Yasha, don't listen to him!" Karura tugged on his arm. "Stay with me!"

Yashamaru glanced from his sister to Hiro and back again several times, unable to decide what to do. On one hand, Karura was the best. He actually liked spending most of his time with her. Sadly, if he was serious about training, then training with Karura was pointless. She sucked at being a ninja. On the other hand, Hiro was a prodigy. He had been excited at the prospect of teaming up with him because of the challenge it implied. The down side was that Hiro was an insufferable jerk and spending an hour with him was a challenge on its own. Then again he was being nice this time… and he had acknowledged him! He had called him smart and cool! He had picked him over Karura! All his sister had done so far was lick his hand.

"Karu… I think I want to go with him…" he started hesitantly. He saw her face turn somber in an instant.

Hiro noticed it too. The teal-eyed glare from before that intimidated and bothered him. "Karura-chan, you may come with us too, you know? I'm not trying to steal your brother." He laughed nervously.

"Shut up!" she yelled at him. "I know that!"

Hiro flinched. "I just want to borrow him for a while. Don't be so mad. Geez."

"Come with us, Karu," Yashamaru told her with a smile. "I really want to go train with Hiro-san, but I don't want you to be upset over it."

"But Yash…." She looked at him with desperate, pleading eyes.

He cringed away from her well aware that she was a comment away from changing his mind. "Okay, listen up. If we don't go out training at all, what will happen with mom?" Karura shrugged. "She'll train us herself the rough way," he said, answering his own question.

The blonde gulped. Training with their mother had never been fun. It was too painful. She treated them like enemies.

"Isn't training with Kaze-san a better alternative?" Yashamaru asked her.

She nodded in resignation. "I'm not happy about this, but I'll go get the fan…."

"And I'll go get my gear," he smiled widely. "Wait here, Hiro-san."

Hiro nodded, leaning against the wall thoughtfully. Yashamaru was strange. Quirky. On one hand he was reserved, gentle, and relaxed, and on the other strong and intense. Too mature for a genin, and despite being kind he seemed to be frighteningly efficient. Yashamaru was bound to become a phenomenal shinobi and a loyal friend.

"Where do you think you're going? It's almost lunchtime! Come back here! Karura! Yashamaru!"

The Kana twins ran out of their house in a blur and kept running. Lady Kana was screaming after them, and as she approached Hiro, in fear of being attacked, he ran as well. "I'll bring the twins back home safely, Lady Kana!" he told her, but she kept yelling and he doubted she heard him.

Being the fastest, Hiro quickly caught up with the blonds and steered them towards the center of Suna. There was one more thing he had to do before being at peace.

"We are going to the clinic first," he announced. "I need to apologize to Haruki-sensei,"

Karura and Yashamaru halted their run. "Why are you being so weird all of a sudden?" they asked together.

Hiro stopped as well. "You see, I… I really got in trouble yesterday. My grandfather was very disappointed in me. Kazekage-sama was as well. They said…"

"You're an embarrassment to your mom and dad."

"… an insult to your kekkei genkai ."

"… a disgrace to the village."

"… they said some harsh things, and I want to prove them wrong," Hiro finished.

"Well, you have a lot of making up to do," Karura said. "But, admitting that you've made mistakes and don't always treat people right is a good start." She smiled.

"Thank you," Hiro grinned. "I know I'm not perfect, but I am the best Suna has so I should start acting like it."

The twins exchanged amused looks. He was so arrogant, but at least he did have the skills to back his snobbishness up with.

The trio walked the rest of the way to the clinic wordlessly, the twins thinking about the events the day had given them so far, and Hiro mentally practicing his apology to Haruki, only to realize that he had never before in his life apologized for anything serious and had no idea what to say.

"We're here to see Kaneko Haruki," Karura said to the receptionist when they arrived to the clinic.

He still didn't know what to say.

"Sign here, Kaze-kun, and Kana twins," the nurse told them. "Kaneko-san is in room seventeen."

They all signed the paper and were walking down the hall, and he still didn't know what he'd say. So to stall, he picked a fight with. Karura. While she firmly believed real apologies sprouted from the heart, he argued that people should plan their words ahead of time in order to not get caught up at the moment and risk being not forgiven.

"You can't rehearse an apology! It should come natural, you idiot!" she yelled at him in frustration.

"Don't be stupid! How is an apology supposed to come naturally? I'm not completely sorry I hurt Haruki! Am I supposed to tell him that?"

"If you're not sorry then you shouldn't apologize at all!"

"But I am a little sorry! So what am I supposed to say then? Huh?"

"Keep quiet!" a nurse stomped out of a patient's room moodily. "Clinics are no place for bickering!"

Hiro and Karura pursed their lips as the nurse glared at them. Her eyes softened however when she spotted the silent blond boy next to them.

"Hey, you're Kana Yashamaru, correct?" she asked, her frown turning into a wide smile.

"Y-y-yes, ma'am," he stuttered. "Why?"

"Could you come with me? I want us to talk with Chiyo-sama!"

"To Chiyo-sama? The medic and poison expert Chiyo-sama?"

"Yes!"

"But why?" He took a step back.

"We've all heard what you did for Kaneko-san yesterday, and we would love for you to become a Suna medic!"

"Yashamaru a medic?" Hiro and Karura smiled in delight.

Yashamaru panicked, he protested, but his two overexcited companions pushed him into going with the nurse to meet his 'destiny'. Before he knew it he was sitting behind a desk across from Chiyo-sama taking placement exams and answering interview questions he wasn't prepared to answer. All he had wanted was to train with Kaze no Hiro, but of course Karura would end up training with him instead. She always ruined everything.

Even Hiro agreed that she ruining everything. She was cruel! Or probably still angry at him because of earlier and was trying to get revenge! He couldn't convince the girl to give him five minutes to let him practice an apology. She just opened the door of room seventeen and poked her head inside. "Haruki-sensei! Hiro-kun and I have come to visit you!"

"What…?" Hiro heard Haruki say.

He grimaced. His hands balled into fists as he considered punching Karura on the face, but he always avoided hitting girls. His grandfather always taught him hurting females was vile and unmanly if it was done outside a life and death situation. So instead he just followed the blonde into the room, eyes on the spotless tile floor, and hands once again slack.

Haruki sat up on his bed, a scowl settling on his young face as he looked at Hiro expectantly. "What the fuck do you want?"

The boy took a deep breath and exhaled. "Kaneko-sensei…" he started, and he paused. He could hear the gears in his brain working to find the right words for his great speech and finding nothing. Haruki was still glaring at him. "I am sorry I hurt you," Hiro continued humbly, out of ideas. "I was out of line… and I'm so very sorry." He kneeled and bowed as an afterthought. Total humiliation. If that wasn't the most thorough, natural apology ever then he didn't know what was.

Haruki nodded in approval, and considered apologizing in return for having pushed him into attack. Then again, he was the grownup sensei and didn't have to apologize for shit. "And what the hell are you doing here?" he asked Karura casually.

She squealed a startled apology and kneeled next to Hiro.

"For?" Haruki rolled his eyes.

"I don't know!" She gave him a sheepish smile.

The copper-haired man chuckled, a sound that was hoarse and strange coming from his foul mouth; all of a sudden he found that little girl to be kind of adorable. "Get up," he told her, and when Hiro stood up as well he added more fiercely, "No, you stay down, you bastard. You really fucked me up. You got a lot of making up to do."

"Yes, sensei sir…." Hiro bowed back down.

Haruki sneered in satisfaction and Karura laughed loudly. The meeting was short, with her and her new sensei engaging in small talk about his health, about Yashamaru being a great shinobi, about Hiro being a reckless fool, and lastly about the weather. Hiro was allowed to stand up when things got awkward and then Haruki kicked both kids out of his room with the pretense that he needed sleep.

And it was over, and Hiro was relieved. "Now we can go train!" he said triumphantly.

Karura sighed profoundly. "Can't we wait for my brother to come out first?"

"Pff! No! That'd be wasting time. He'll find us when he's done." He started walking out of the hospital, but noticed that she didn't follow. "Hey, are you scared of being alone with me or something?"

She shook her head. "It's just that you said you wanted to train with Yashamaru, and I… I don't think I'm any good to train with the likes of you."

"It's okay," he smiled reassuringly. "I won't hurt you. I swear. We'll just make do with each other until your brother is done here. But in any case, if you want, I'll just help you improve instead. You'll be almost as good as me in no time."

She seriously doubted that but made no comment. She just followed Hiro into one of the training grounds off the outskirts of Suna, where she would show him what a failure she truly was.

"You do suck like everyone says," Hiro pronounced five minutes into training. He had talked her into using the fan but she couldn't even make a breeze of an attack. Maybe she was like those rare kids that couldn't use ninjutsu. "Are you any good with genjutsu or taijutsu?"

"I um— I'm not— I can't do genjutsu. It's out of my league. And I'm not good at taijutsu either, to be honest, but I can put up a good fight if I have to and the other person is weak." She looked down at the ground.

… She really sucked. "Have you ever been able to conjure up some ninjutsu?" he asked more frantically than he intended.

"Oh yes! I can do it every now and then. When Yashamaru is around!"

"Yashamaru. Yashamaru! We need to make you independent from Yashamaru!" Hiro grumbled. "Is he like the most important thing in your life or what?" How pathetic!

"Actually," she looked up at him with a funny smile, "He is." Hiro's felt himself turn dumber. "Who is the most important person in your life, Hiro-kun?" she asked him curiously.

His brow furrowed. "No one really. Probably my grandpa. Or my dad I guess."

"Yasha is my number one most important person, and I don't even have to think about it," she told him.

He had a feeling he shouldn't ask, but he couldn't help it. "What about your parents? Where do they stand on the list?"

"They don't." She shrugged. "Dad scores higher than my mom, but that's easy. She's the last person on my list."

But mothers were supposed to be precious. "Why do you say these things?"

She didn't know why she was telling him, but she answered. "My mom doesn't like me. She blames my brother and me for ruining her life. Her pregnancy destroyed her career in the ANBU, you see. And, as everyone knows, I'm not good with the kunoichi arts. So she hates me because I'm not like her, and I hate her for hating me. It's as simple as that."

"But you shouldn't be saying that," Hiro preached. Her words bothered him more than he thought possible. "Mothers are important. When I was little I would've given my kekkei genkai just to meet my mom, because she died when I was born and I never got to meet her. So appreciate your parents. Be happy you have them both."

"It's so unfair." Her empty gaze connected with his. "You wish you had met your mother and I wish I had never met mine."

Her coldness sent a shiver run down his spine. "Karura-chan, what you're saying is wrong, and it's scary." Who was she? The sweet, playful girl she usually came off as or this hatred-filled creature that held no compassion, love, or loyalty for its own progenitor? Was she bipolar?

"Let's just keep practicing with your fan," he exhaled, wanting to change topic.

She nodded half-heartedly. As much as she hated training she was willing to welcome it if it distracted her from the rage she felt against her mother. It wasn't her fault her father had lost a limb. It wasn't her fault they had married. It wasn't her fault she'd been born. It wasn't her fault she wasn't passionate about shinobi arts. She didn't deserve the beatings and the contempt. But one day she'll leave it all behind and until then she just had to hang on.

That evening the twins arrived home late; Hiro and Karura had spent the day training and then drinking coconut water at the local hangout spot as they waited for Yashamaru, mostly because Karura had been too scared to go home alone after their midday escape. As expected, once there the detached parents yelled at their daughter twice as hard as they praised their son when he told them he was now an official Suna clinic medic intern.

For some reason though, it hadn't hurt Yashamaru as much as it usually did. Maybe because Hiro had high-fived him? Or because Karura had congratulated him with that look of deep adoration in her eyes? Or because they had bought him coconut water? He was happy and proud of his accomplishment and nothing bad mattered.

Hiro arrived to his own house feeling quite satisfied with himself. He'd apologized to his sensei, he had trained for a while, he had started helping Karura with her shinobi skills and got to know her a little more (he was glad she turned out to be a barrel of fun, despite her dark side, and he discovered that she was a little too flirty, much to his chagrin), and he had cleared up his differences with his now comrade and future buddy Yashamaru. He heated up his dinner, took a quick shower, and slept like a baby that night.

I really dislike the part at the hospital before the apology, but after rewriting it for the umpteenth time (a few months ago) I got tired and left it at that :/ Can't just leave it out altogether as it says how Yashamaru turns into a medic and brings Haruki back in the game (again, he is minor but does play a role).
Ummm… oh yes! This is the last 'introductory' chapter; meaning that 'serious' plot (things revolving around canon events) starts next chapter, which I'll be sure to post the chapter in time -_- Thanks for reading!