I have so many ideas right now, and I can't seem to get them out fast enough. This one was very much inspired by the fic "Divergent Paths" by the talented Ariel D. Seriously, I highly suggest that you go check it out!

Kankuro is another one of the those characters I think has so much potential and is yet so ignored. Oh well. Enjoy a little SandSibs fic, but there will be NO Sandcest. Seriously, what's up with that?

Quick Japanese note: otouto - little brother / niisan - older brother

Disclaimer: Naruto's still not mine. Stop reminding me!

Kankuro, brother and bodyguard of the Fifth Kazekage, walked slowly down the hallway towards the section of the Kazekage's residence where he and his siblings had their personal rooms. He walked with one hand braced lightly against the wall to steady himself. While he wasn't feeling dizzy, Kankuro did feel slightly off balance, his pulse racing and his chest tight.

It had been a long day, to say the least. After performing his standard patrol of the Kazekage's residence and office and debriefing each member of the night watch personally, Kankuro had been a member of the welcome party for Lady Hiro. Lady Hiro was the daughter of the ruling family of their largest neighboring village, with whom relations had been strained for a while. She had been sent as an emissary by her father to participate in peace negotiations with the new Kazekage. Kankuro had spent the entire afternoon by his brother's side, sitting through a welcoming ceremony, hours of negotiation, and finally one protracted dinner. Luckily, negotiations had been successful and unless something drastic happened before Lady Hiro and her entourage departed in the morning, the two villages were officially allies.

Of course, Kankuro was currently the only who knew that Lady Hiro had come with an ulterior motive: to kill the new Kazekage. Kankuro had known what she was up to the moment that overly complimentary woman presented Gaara with "a token of her village's culture," and as soon as she left the room, Kankuro had hurriedly grabbed the sickly pink pastries and eaten them himself. He knew Gaara wouldn't have been able to taste it, but Kankuro had trained himself to detect poison and he could still feel the taste of the nightshade berries mixed in with the rest of the fruit filling sticking to this tongue.

Finally reaching his room, Kankuro stepped inside and shut the door behind him with a sigh of relief. Their guests had finally retired and after handing Gaara's protection over to the nightguard, Kankuro had finally slipped away. And good timing too, as he was beginning to feel the effects of the poison. He'd built up an impressive immunity to most poisons over the years, but it was rare to come across nightshade in the dry desert and he had no doubt that he'd soon be regretting his self-appointed position as his brother's taster.

No sooner had he stumbled tiredly toward his bed when a gentle knock sounded at the door. "Kankuro?"

"Come in," he called, reaching up to pull the cat-eared cowl off his head.

His older sister Temari joined him in the room, her striking teal eyes looking at him curiously. "So, pick up on anything?"

"Dinner was fine," Kakuro shrugged. Of course it was; he'd vetted all the chefs himself and had snuck out briefly during the negotiations to observe the meal being cooked. "Those treats, on the other hand…"

Temari nodded. "I thought as much. What was it this time?"

"Nightshade," Kankuro answered shortly, grimacing at the increasing cramping sensation in his gut. "A little old school, but definitely effective."

"It's hard to believe Lady Hiro's father would be so bold," Temari sighed wearily. "If you weren't able to handle this quietly, an incident like attempting to assassinate the Kazekage could have escalated into a full blown war."

"People are still distrustful of Gaara," Kankuro spoke matter of factly. His otouto had been working so hard over the past year and a half to not only better control Shukaku, but also to understand what it meant to be an ordinary Sand Shinobi. Gaara genuinely wanted to use his powers to protect the Village Hidden in the Sand. In addition, he had started to make an active effort to be interested and involved in his sibling's lives, and as more than just their Kazekage. No way in hell Kankuro was letting anyone hurt Gaara, not when the younger boy had just fulfilled his dream and was finally beginning to show true interest in developing a relationship with his siblings.

Kankuro must have looked worse than he thoughtt, because Temari worried her lip slightly and stepped closer to him.

"You've got a fever," she murmured, pressing a cool hand against his sweaty face.

Kankuro always wondered how being so hot could make someone feel so cold. He shivered slightly. "Should've expected it. It's been a while since the last attempt, and even longer since the last time I ingested any nightshade."

Temari opened her mouth to speak when a sudden stab of pain lanced through Kankuro's stomach. He gave a short grunt, hunching over as if that would ease his discomfort, and his legs suddenly decided to go out on him. Temari cried out in shock as he collapsed to the side, knocking against his work table with his shoulder and sending a tray of tools crashing to the floor. Kankuro hit the floor heavily, barely getting his hands up in time to prevent his face from smashing into the wooden planks.

"Oh, kami," Temari spoke, hovering uncertainly over him. "This is bad."

It certainly wasn't good. Kankuro couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a strong reaction to a poison. Maybe back when he first joined the Puppet Core and had begun conditioning his system? He was pretty sure he wasn't dying - he'd be vomiting and hallucinating by now, if that was the case - but it didn't change the fact he that wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and ride out the pain caused by the invisible knife in his gut.

"Let's just get you in bed and-" Temari broke off, freezing at the sound of light yet hurried footsteps just outside the door. The siblings would recognize that overwhelming chakra anywhere. "Shit, it's Gaara."

Curling in on himself against the pain, Kankuro panted out a short breath. "Don't let him in. He… can't see me like this."

Temari was already moving, sliding the door open just wide enough to squeeze through and slide it shut behind her back. Sure enough, her youngest brother was coming to a stop in front of Kankuro's door, a slight frown marring his normally expressionless face. He eyed Temari suspiciously as she inadvertently took a step back toward the door.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, his deep voice soft as always.

"Hm?" Temari asked, wondering if she could really pull this off. Even after spending most of his childhood completely isolated from others, Gaara had an uncanny knack for reading people. "What do you mean?"

"I heard a crash and a cry." Gaara stated simply.

"Oh, that," Temari said, wracking her brain for an acceptable excuse. She settled for a partial truth. "Kankuro's in a bit of a mood. Something went wrong with one of his puppets and then he knocked over his tools."

Gaara didn't look entirely convinced. "Oh."

Temari nodded, hoping her face was convincing. Espionage had never been her calling. "It's nothing to worry about, though I think it's best if we give him some space."

"Are you sure?" Gaara asked, his frown deepening. Temari looked on in sudden pride; not long ago, such a display of concern would have been unheard of. Her otouto had come a long way. "His chakra feels funny, like he's in dis-"

There was a sudden strangled cry from Kankuro's room, and Gaara forcefully shoved first his sister aside with a burst of sand and then the door until it hit the wall with a cracking sound. Once inside the doorway, however, Gaara found himself unable to move, staring at his older brother who was curled into the fetal position on the floor, biting down on his own forearm in an attempt to muffle his cries. Beads of sweat ran down his pale face and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

Gaara took all this in in a single glance and felt his stomach twist in the strange sensation he was slowly coming to understand as fear. It wasn't a feeling he felt for himself, but he'd noticed it every time he was left behind while his siblings went on missions, or when they got separated in a fight and he couldn't locate them right away. This was the confusing, sickening feeling he got when his siblings were in danger.

Breaking out of his shock, Gaara took three strides into the room and knelt beside his brother. "What happened?"

Kankuro didn't appear able to talk, so it was Temari who answered, making sure to shut the door carefully behind her. But her words were hesitant and she first folded her arms across her front. Gaara's immediate impression was that she did not want to tell him. "Kankuro is… feeling a little ill."

"A little ill?" Gaara repeated, his voice cold despite his incredulity. He looked again to his older brother, who had unclasped his jaw from around his forearm and lay slumped, shivering and sweating with an obvious fever. "When did this come on? You seemed fine at dinner."

No, that wasn't quite true. Gaara remembered towards the end of the meal, when Kankuro's skin had started to take on a waxy sheen and two beads of sweat had rolled down the side of his face. Was it something he ate? Gaara rubbed at his forehead in concern. He'd never been sick much himself, thanks to Shukaku's power, and he felt out of his depth.

"Was it something you ate, perhaps? But Temari and I appear to be fine."

Seeming to revive slightly at his brother's presence, Kankuro shook his head and Gaara found himself unsure of the gesture's meaning. The older boy forced himself up on his elbows, muscles shaking in protest at the effort. "I'll be fine. Just need to sleep it off."

Gaara watched as his brother made to stand, only his legs didn't seem to be complying. It wasn't simply that his brother was suddenly clumsy, but they simply wouldn't move. Gaara could sense Temari hovering worriedly just out of his line of vision. "Kankuro, the paralysis-"

"I know," Kankuro said gruffly, slouching back down.

"Paralysis?" Gaara turned back to his sister. His heart felt funny, like he'd been running for miles and it was trying to pound its way out of his chest. "You know what this is? Has it happened before?"

Temari paused again, indecisive, and Kankuro cut in sharply. "Temari, don't."

"What's the point, Kankuro?" Temari asked, looking at him fearfully. "Look at yourself. You can't explain this away now that he's seen you. Besides, Gaara has a right to know. He's no longer a child. He should know what his niisan has been doing for him all these years."

Kankuro flinched as if he'd been slapped and glared at his sister. "I mean it, stop."

The room was quiet save for Kankuro's sharp, shallow breaths, and Gaara looked uncertainly between his siblings. Just because he was still learning to navigate everyday social interactions didn't mean that the jinjuriki couldn't feel the sudden level of tension in the room, so thick he was surprised it they didn't all suffocate under the weight of it. Was Kankuro sick? Had Gaara been unaware of a crippling condition while he was lost in the throes of Shukaku's murderous rages? But when they'd been a team… True, Gaara had never really cared about his siblings one way or another before, but he had studied them for weaknesses in case he felt the need to take them down. There was no way he could have missed something as big as this.

"Temari," Gaara spoke, his quiet voice firm and demanding, "tell me. Is he sick?"

"Gaara," Temari said, coming to crouch at his side and Gaara picked up on something in her tone. It was different than how people usually sounded when they spoke to him. Was it… approval? Maybe even fondness? "Kankuro isn't sick. These are the symptoms of poison."

"Poison?" Gaara didn't understand. Why would anyone want to poison Kankuro? Yes, he was Gaara's brother, but he wasn't Gaara's right hand man, that was Baki. As far as he was aware, Kankuro had no specific enemies, though he supposed he couldn't rule that out completely. There was, after all, a lot he still didn't know about his siblings.

He tried to put his confusion into words. "Why would someone poison Kankuro when they had the Kazekage in their grasp?"

Temari didn't respond, but her gaze fell away from his, her expression guilty. In his position on the ground, Kankuro's breath hitched slightly and he closed his eyes in some indistinguishable emotion. That was when everything seemed to slide into place.

"Please enjoy, Lord Kazekage," Lady Hiro smiled, her tone syrupy sweet. She placed a small box with two pinkish pastries in front of him. "They are the traditional delicacy of my clan. I doubted you had ever had cause to try them before."

Gaara was glad his default expression was so blank; otherwise, he would be wrinkling his nose in disgust. He had no taste for sweet foods. He simply didn't see their purpose. "Thank you, Lady Hiro. Perhaps you and your party would like to wash up before we begin the negotiations?"

"Yes, my Lord, that would be most appreciated," Lady Hiro bowed deeply. She and her small entourage were then herded out to a washroom by one of his chunin assistants.

The door closing behind his guests, Gaara frowned down at the two little pastries in front of him. He supposed he should eat them, as that would be the socially acceptable thing to do. However, his revery was broken when a large hand reached across the table and swiped the pastries from their tiny packaging.

Gaara eyed Kankuro as the older boy shoved one of the pastries into his mouth. Mouth still full, he raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. "What? Don't tell me you were actually going to eat these."

Gaara didn't respond, watching Kankuro pop the other pastry into his mouth and chew thoughtfully. "What do they taste like?"

A dark expression passed briefly over Kankuro's painted face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Like someone's trying to get on your good side. And berries."

Gaara rolled his eyes at his older brother, but when Lady Hiro returned to the room he reported that he had enjoyed their unique taste. His guest seemed quite pleased.

Gaara blinked, the memory dissipating. He fixed Kankuro with a look, some new emotion trying to claw its way out of his chest. "The pastries. The poison was for me."

Kankuro gave a short nod, the movement so slight that Gaara almost thought he had imagined it. "Yes."

The short answer threw Gaara off guard. In the pit of his stomach, he could feel Shukaku stirring slightly, disturbed by the intensity of the emotions suddenly swirling through its human host. Gaara's tongue felt like lead in his mouth. "You knew?"

Before Kankuro could answer, he gave another gasp of pain, gripping at his stomach and curling in on himself again. Temari moved toward him, her brows knitted in concern. She placed a hand on her brother's cheek. "His temperature is rising. Help me move him to the bed."