"You've been searching through my room," Gaara stated.

"What about our uncle?" Kankuro disregarded the attempt at a change of topic.

Gaara's mouth sunk into a frown. "Nothing."

"Bullshit," Kankuro decided. "You're twitching."

His brother scowled and the puppeteer watched him try to calm his shaking shoulders. "You do it before you cry."

Gaara's scalding eyes fixated on him. "What do you know?"

"What about our uncle?" Kankuro tried again.

Gaara threw open the rice paper doors and ran into the training room. Kankuro followed after him. "You're not making this easy."

The full moon was framed in the window frame and the cold air sent from the night nipped at their faces, hands, and feet. A chill settled into the bamboo clad room and Gaara attempted to blend into the all too accustomed darkness.

"Yashamaru was the first person to show you compassion, he was the first person that you found yourself close to!" Kankuro sent the words flying haphazardly into the air. "And he was the first person to betray you!"

"Shut up, Kankuro! Or I'll—"

"Kill me?" he finished for him. "Heard that before."

Gaara's rage sapped away and he turned his back on Kankuro.

"Don't know if you've noticed," Kankuro bit out callously, "but Yashamaru and Suzume are two completely different people."

"You don't know that."

"I think I do."

"Can you prove it?"

"I probably have more evidence than you," Kankuro waved the photo around. "And, unlike you, it comes from trustworthy sources."

Gaara didn't retort.

Kankuro clicked his tongue and closed the distance between them. "When were you going to tell us about any of this?!" He grasped Gaara's arm and made him turn around to face him. He seized his shoulders. "Why do you have to do everything on your own?!" he shook him fiercely. "Don't you trust us?!"

"It wasn't necessary for you to know," Gaara said through his teeth.

Kankuro threw him across the room and Gaara's sand wrapped around him to cushion the fall.

"It wasn't necessary?" Kankuro panted. "Necessary has nothing to do with this!"

Gaara got back to his feet and glared into his brother's eyes. A glare that might've scared Kankuro into silence seven months ago, but not now. And never again.

"I thought you were passed this shit already, Gaara! We're family!" Kankuro hit his chest for emphasis. "We're not a shinobi team! Information isn't supposed to be withheld for convenience!"

"I didn't want to worry you needlessly!" Sand riled up around him and Gaara shot it toward his brother.

"Let us worry!" Kankuro roared as he dodged and maneuvered around the whips of coarse sand. "You don't need to suffer on your own!"

"I wasn't suffering!" Gaara clutched onto his throbbing head. "Why do I need to bare myself in front of you and Temari when I can deal with it on my own?! Why should I place my burdens onto you two?!"

"We're your family! That's our job!" Kankuro said in frustration, trying to get closer to him. "It's a give and take relationship, you dumbass!"

The sand caught onto his leg and crawled up to his torso. He grunted and focused on his brother. His fingers flicked around and the chakra strings made themselves known as Kankuro pulled Gaara forward.

Gaara's sand planted his feet firmly onto the floor to keep from being pulled along and they were stuck in an impasse until they both acted. Kankuro used one of his few water jutsus to make the sand around him crumble and Gaara cut through the chakra strings with his chakra coated fingers like a blade.

They stood panting, trying to collect themselves. Then Gaara's face distorted into pain and his hands flew to his aching head, letting lose a scream.

"Gaara!" Kankuro took a step forward, worry forgetting rage.

"No, I won't let you!" Gaara strained out, shaking his head as if it'd make the pain disappear. "You'll never use me again!"

Despite his words, the sand was buzzing around them and collecting into a huge serpent like creature. It eyed down Kankuro. He stood paralyzed as it lunged toward him, fangs bared.

"NO!" Gaara cried and he reached out an arm, attempting to stop the blow before it was dealt. "Not my brother, Shukaku!"

Kankuro pulled out some kunai, cursing his lack of puppets. This was going to hurt.

Kankuro glimpsed something flash toward him and his eyes expanded. The sand never reached him.

Suzume had her arms guarding her face and her eyes held a fire in them, her body placed protectively in front of Kankuro's. Thousands of grains gouged at her skin and tore her clothes. Blood immediately soaked into the sand and Gaara's jaw went slack once the sand fell away to reveal to him his sister in bloody tatters.

"Yashamaru..."

Suzume drew in hoarse breaths and lowered her painted arms. She offered a comforting smile. "As expected of...Gaara-sama."

"Suzume..." Gaara's voice shook. "You..."

For whatever reason, the will to attack quickly died away from the sand and it scatter onto the floor innocently. The moon was hidden behind a veil of clouds.

Suzume held onto the wound at her side. The blood was saturating her clothes and flowing down her body. She collapsed onto her knees, concentrating on keeping conscious. Kankuro broke through his shock and hurried to her side.

"Suzume!" Kankuro didn't know where to hold her without hurting her. "Are you an idiot?!"

Her face was set stubbornly but her voice shook as it was forced through her clenched jaw, "I'm not hurt."

"Yes, you are! A lot actually! Why would you lie about that?!" Kankuro pulled her arm around his shoulders and looked around at Gaara. "Help me out, Gaara!"

Gaara jumped at the shout and nodded before running over to take Suzume's other arm around his shoulders. The movement sent a wave of agony through her and Suzume finally passed out.

She was back in that inky black again.

"Ookami..." said a nervous voice, "listen, I didn't mean to—"

"But you fucking did."

The large mass shifted uncomfortably. The lady sighed, ruffling up her hair in aggravation.

"Just lay off for a while, Shu," the woman with rich green hair said. "Leave the boy alone. You've lived for centuries, I think you can handle a few more human years."

"Fine," the mass grunted like a child who'd been scolded for eating too many sweets.

The lady twirled around on her heels and headed toward her. She couldn't clearly see her face but she could tell she would've been enthralling. But her actions were contrasting to her apparent grace since the woman roughly grasped her by the nose and pulled her along.

She tried to let out a sound of complaint but before she knew it, the lady threw her into the perpetual darkness. "Next time you stick your nose in here, you better be prepared, Phoenix. You're too green as it is."

She wanted to reply but no noise could escape past her lips. Even as she struggled, the lady was getting further and further away and a light was growing and growing until it consumed her. There was movement around her, colors were blurring and pain hit her hard and enfolded around her body. Somebody was pushing down on her abdomen, trying to staunch the relentless flow of blood.

"It's no use!" said a familiar voice. "We need to get her to the hospital!"

"No...!" Suzume latched onto the person's arm. "Gaara-sama will—will—trouble..."

They pried her fingers off of their arm. "Suzume. You are dying. You're going to the hospital. Kankuro, get her on your back."

Suzume cried out in pain when they helped her up and on Kankuro's back. She could hear his breaths under her body as he ran and it lulled her back into unconsciousness.