Searching For Light (Naruto)

Cousins

Family. What a simple word, yet it has such a complicated definition. It's hard to truly define it because it has so many different meanings depending on your perspective. Before everything happened I thought family meant those who share the same blood as you. But now....

"Shikadai!" Temari yelled,"You better not be sleeping!" We were in the Leaf Village. Gaara had a meeting with Naruto and he though it'd be good for me to meet Temari's son. More specifically my cousin.

Shikamaru sat on a stool right next to me, laying his forehead on the counter. Like father, like son, I guess..

"Will you sit up for once!" His wife scolded him. He lazily sat up and let out a long yawn. Almost made me want to yawn aswell.

"Kid." He turned towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder."Stay young while you can, because once it's gone... it's gone."

"Oh, and what is that supposed to mean?!"Temari barked at him, giving him a death glare.

"Whatever you do Shikamaru, don't dig yourself a deeper hole!" Kankuro advised him from the living room. That's when a kid came down the stairs unnoticed. He had spiky hair like Shikamaru, and blue eyes like Temari.
I'm guessing that's Shikadai.

"Well?" Temari waited, looking down at her husband. She crossed her arms, daring for him to answere incorrectly.

"I was just telling my dear niece that..." He tried to come up with some excuse that would most likely just barely get her off his back."She should enjoy her youth because um.... Being a grown up is hard work....Y'know with kids and marriage..."

"She's nine." She gave him a look dryer than sand. Speaking of, where's Gaara when you need him to get you out of the middle of a conflict?"Ruri, can't even look over the counter."

Shikadai looked over at me, and facepalmed in annoyance. Somethig tells me this is a regular occurrence in this house."Well, maybe she doesn't want too look over the counter because there's a scary, troublesome woman on the other side."

I looked over to the doorway to see Kankuro laughing as he watched the scene unfold. Apparently he found all of this entertaining, and seeing me being placed right in the middle was a bonus.

Both him and Shikadai watched me through curious eyes, wondering how I was going to handle this. When I sensed a certain chakra I knew exactly how.

"Ruri, do you find me scary?" Temari asked with a sickeningly sweet smile. It was like she was now daring me to answer incorrectly without even realizing it. I was definitely not afraid of her, but my answer decided whether this whole situation would be dragged on longer.

"Tell the truth kid." Shikamaru urged, though the expression on his face and the tone of his voice made him come off as indifferent.

It was then that Gaara had entered the room. He observed the scene for a few minutes before setting his gaze on me.
I stared at him for a long time, hoping he would catch the desperate glint in my eyes. I noticed Shikadai watching us, wondering what tacit was going on between us.

A small smile came to Gaara's lips, following a sigh."Hello Shikadai." He acknowledged, causing both Temari and Shikamaru to turn their attention away from him to me.

The boy groaned, dragging a hand down his face,"What a drag..." I restate my last claim; like father, like son."Hey Uncle Gaara..."