"Honey, I'm home!.. Hey, where is my lovely sister, huh?"

No answer. Kankurou was all alone in this big house. The puppeteer took off his funny hat and went upstairs. Surely, he needed a bath. Yes! Whole week had been spent on the mission and there was no water Kankurou could use to take a shower. Fortunately, he's been alone on this mission!

Kankurou threw his whole-week-work stinky clothes into the basket in the bathroom and got into the warm water. OH, YEAH!!! THE liquid! God bless THE liquid!

The puppeteer spent an hour in the bath. Kankurou went to his room to put some nice clean clothes on without kabuki back on his face. Then he went downstairs feeling a yummy smell of fried spiced meat.

"Temari? Is that you?"

Kankurou peeped into the kitchen and saw his elder sister cooking.

"When have you returned?"

"About twenty minutes ago. I heard you messing upstairs and decided you would like something to eat, wouldn't you?"

Temari smiled but Kankurou noticed sorrow in her eyes. He came up closer to his sister.

"Is something wrong?" the puppeteer asked carefully.

"Everything is just fine," answered Temari and turned away.

"Where have you been?" continued Kankurou with his voice severed.

"The Leaf Village," answered Temari. Kankurou didn't like it. There was nothing wrong with going to Konoha but there was something wrong with Temari's mood about it now.

"Ok then. Now tell me, sis, what exactly had this Nara-jerk done to you?!"

"Nothing, Kankurou!" Temari answered roughly. Her eyes became wet from tears. "Calm down!" she ordered.

"Oh, no, I won't! He will pay for this, you know!"

Temari tried to say something but that moment the door opened and closed. The youngest of three siblings Gaara came home.

Kankurou went to meet Gaara and quickly took him to the backyard for a talk.

"You've returned sooner than we expected," said Gaara instead of greeting.

"Love you too, lil' bro," answered Kankurou. "There is something I want to ask you. Why did you send Temari to Konoha all alone again?"

"The chuunin exams are about to start. Has she already returned?"

"Fuck, no! It is me trying to cook, huh!.. Ok… Let's see… This time, you know, a certain lazy-ass hurt Temari!"

"What has he done?"

"Does it matter? Her eyes are wet from tears! She is trying hold it in! Have you ever seen our sister crying?!"

Gaara's face didn't change at all. There was no expression on it.

"I'll kill him," he sad calmly. Kankurou liked the way Gaara said those words: slowly, almost soft, no maniacal lust as if he was talking about the weather.

"Good idea, you know!" said Kankurou and the brothers went to the kitchen where Temari had already laid the table and two slices of nice yummy spiced beef and salad were waiting on siblings' plates. For a moment Kankurou and Gaara forgot about their awful revenge for Nara Shikamaru and remembered about their stomachs.

"I was about to go looking for you, guys," said Temari strictly with her hands on her thighs. Everything was fine now. Everything but her eyes. They were still wet from tears.

"I will kill him!" said Gaara roughly. Kankurou shivered as Gaara has never said those words like this.

Brothers were ready to start their dinner but suddenly they noticed their sister was about to loose consciousness. Gaara hurried to use the sand to stop Temari fall. Brothers sat by their sister's side.

"What has this jerk done to her?" hissed Kankurou. "If he will not be able to explain this… No! Even if he is able to, his death will be painful! This I swear!"

"You will not hurt him," whispered Temari.

"Oh, yes, I will, sis! Don't you worry, he will never hurt you again!"

"He will never…" Temari whispered again. Tears started flowing. Gaara helped her to stand up.

"Have you broken up?" Gaara asked kindly. Temari looked into her youngest brother's jade eyes. Gaara blushed. His sister has never looked at him like this before. Suddenly Temari hugged Gaara and started to cry hysterically. The Kazekage had nothing to do but hug Temari back.

"His death will be awful!" hissed Kankurou and hugged Temari too. He put his chin on her shoulder trying to comfort his sister. "No one dare to hurt my sis! Only his stinky damn shadow will be found after I get him! I promise you, sis! I'll find him anywhere even if I'll have to go to hell! I'll get him out of his grave and kick his deadly ass!" After this last sentence of Kankurou Temari began to cry harder.

Temari has never cried before. Kankurou could swear this. Even when Gaara scared her to death when they were younger and Temari was sitting in Kankurou's room trying to calm down. What had Nara Shikamaru done for her to be like this now?

Gaara whispered something to his sister comforting her, Kankurou stroked her hands, and soon Temari stopped crying. Sobbing she looked at her brothers again.

"Wanna tell us?" asked Gaara.

"What happened?" whispered Kankurou and smiled a bit.

Temari always knew that Kankurou's smile is the prettiest in the world and now it was her only chance to escape the sorrow. And when Gaara is holding her hand Temari's heart stops beating so hard. She loved her brothers, they were her only close people. Gaara and Kankurou could be assholes but they were always there to comfort and protect her.

Temari took a deep breath and tears started to run again but the wind kunoichi stayed calm. "Shikamaru… He and his teammates were killed on a mission five days ago…"