#especially kanki i think about that bastard all the time

[asksythe]

What is Kankuro and Kagome's relationship in FTGOG? I was curious bc we often see temari and gaara but not kanky

Kanky is the only sane man / reader’s every-man surrogate. 

Heh… To be honest, I am fond of Kankuro. As you pointed out, in between woobie destroyer of the world Gaara and feisty warrior princess Temari, poor Kanky with his weird man-makeup and plain features is often the forgotten sibling. But… I feel like he has a lot of potentials as a character and as a narrative device. I have a fondness for characters who can build and create on top of holding their own in combat-heavy series like Naruto. Any person can hurt and break and destroy, but it takes something extra to build and create. So that’s another point in Kanky’s favor (in my eyes at least). I have such plans for him!!! Ehhh!!! Excited!!

As for the relationship between Kankuro and Kagome, heh… it’s nothing so dramatic as the relationship between Kagome and his father and younger brother. Kankurou is very grounded, very every-day kind of character. He has his own issues, but his chips aren’t the titanic sized ones that Gaara and Rasa have. Their relationship starts out… hmm… I guess Kanky is both curious and intimidated by Kagome whereas Kagome is mostly apathetic towards him (to be fair, during that phase, Kagome is actually apathetic to almost everything with the exception of perhaps Gaara and Rasa. Gaara because he reminds her of herself, and Rasa because the man keeps infuriating her to no end). 

As time passes and Kagome starts to interact more with the Kazekage clan, Kankurou grows increasingly perplexed, worried, wary, and somewhat grateful (and a tiny bit jealous) towards her. Why so many emotions? Because Kagome does things nobody in their sane mind would (in Kankurou’s eyes that is). Trailing behind the homicidal Gaara to supposedly help him with his issues? Treating him like a confused and wounded child instead of the trigger happy murder baby that he is? Going against the Kazekage for the silliest things? Her actions boggle the mind. Kankurou’s view of Kagome goes from intimidated/curious (at the begining when Kagome is something new with the power that promises a better future for Suna) 

-to wary/afraid (when she shows that she can send Shukaku packing in three shots and is fully capable of disobidience against the Kazekage) 

-to perplexed/pitying (when he watches Gaara fight her attempts to help every step of the way. He thinks she’s wasting her time on a lost cause and is perhaps a little dim for trying the same thing over and over despite the many failures) 

-to perplexed/regard (when he sees her seemingly futile attempts finally bearing fruits in the most unexpected way, her breaking through to Gaara, her strange insights on things he hasn’t even thought of)

-to grudging respect / jealous (when he sees her actually changing the village and the people in ways he didn’t think possible. Respect because anybody who can do what she does deserves it. Jealousy because… Kankuro tries so hard his entire life. He is the normal every-day guy in a family of power house ninja. He is overshadowed by his father, his sister, his brother. And yet… he has his pride in his own puppetry. He’s unique in that he’s the only builder of the house, capable of feats other than pure destruction. He holds dreams of changing things in different ways, in ways outside of combat and violence, of creating grand things to help his homeland. It’s a tough thing, a far-off dream, he knows, but it’s something he constantly works towards regardless. And all of a sudden, here comes this girl who is not that much older than him. She appears one day and does the things he has always wanted to do - change the world - in a matter of months. It feels a little like she steals his dream from him. He knows that’s irrational but he can’t help but feel like he’s overshadowed again when he’s just starting to hit his stride)

- to irritation / a little fed up (when she becomes more and more tangled with his family. She starts a relationship with his father. She is friend with his sister. His little brother develops a possibly unhealthy crush on her. It’s like she’s this intruder/virus that he just can’t get rid off and he can’t run away from. She just walks into their lives and changes things as she pleases)

- to resigned / reconciliation… because Kanky is a grounded character. He’s a no drama kinda guy. He has a flare for the dramatics when he’s fighting and when he’s on the stage, but his real life is where he doesn’t want any of that drama. He’s chillax like that bastard Shikamaru from Konohagakure, except he’s more handsome and has wicked makeup skills. While he feels all of these emotions towards her, he’s very aware of himself and his own reactions (He is probably the one with the most self-awareness in his family) so there will come a point where he feels like he needs to come to terms with the fact that Kagome is a fixture that he can’t get around and can’t get rid off and that he feels both respect and annoyance when it comes to her.  Heh… poor Kanky… but really when you think about it, he’s the most normal person in that household and in some way, that’s kinda a super power in itself. 

So… eventually their relationship will develop. Acceptance leads to familiarity. He starts picking up a thing or two from her, starts getting steam from her grand ideas and willingness to go against convention to change the world. 

As for Kagome’s side, as said before, at first she mostly feels apathetic towards Kankurou, but as she interacts more and more with their family and her life becomes entertwined with them, she also becomes more aware of him. When Kankurou starts becoming irriated by her presence, she knows it. If Temari is the eyes through which we see how the Suna ninja view Kagome, then Kankurou is the mirror through which Kagome becomes aware of her impact on the Suna people, both the good and the bad. Kankurou’s presence is a constant reminder for her that she needs to be aware of her own actions. She is an intruder in many ways. She bears ideals radically different from the average Suna people and because of her power, she wields massive influence over their life. She may not mean harm, she may be trying to help, but that does not mean the impact of her actions is always good. 

Once she gets past her apathy, she starts feeling curious about Kankurou. He builds these things, these contraptions that remind her of home especially in a world where a significant part of the populace can casually bend the laws of nature to their whim. 

Once the reconcilliation / acceptance happens, she will start to seek him out more and more for his opinions and to sometimes sees him build his constructs (and perhaps gives him a few ideas too).

In other words, they bond over robots and mechanical sciences (she doesn’t understand most of what he talks about but she enjoyes hearing him talk nuts and bolts regardless because it reminds her of home. Besides which, robots are cool!!).

Eventually, their relationship will come to an easy state of friend/family member where they are used to each other’s presence and know where they stand with each other. An easy dynamics, normal, with no drama whatsoever. 

Heh!…. and then Kankurou becomes Kagome’s second and third children’s idol figure (twin boys. Think the Weasley twins except with ninja magic and a penchant for robotics and mechanics). They think Kanky is way cool with his many contraptions and traps primed for all sorts of mischief! That’s when all the hell breaks loose in the new Kazekage-Higurashi’s family!!! 

Hah! I’m sorry Kankuro. The drama you deftly avoid for most of your life has now caught up to you in the forms of two little rascals following you around everywhere you go while trying to learn all the cool puppetry techniques from you for the sake of epic pranking!!! Like their mother, you just can’t get rid of them. Just what are you going to do, Kanky? Your easy, peaceful no-drama days are now effectively over!! Ahahahahahaha….

…. Oh I can’t wait for the part where I get to play with Kankuro in FtGoG!