A very warm dry breeze swept the sand around. Making ripples with in the desert plain.

The four sand ninja are exhausted and sore from their mission from Konoha.

They walk slow. Their sweat soaked their clothes and hair. The grains of sand seeped within their sandals and stuck on their swear sticky ankles.

The three younger ninja were quite sluggish , more sluggish than usual. It was a early and quiet morning. A very quiet morning. They could hear the ever so mellow and very soft note of the wind. Through the wind they heard crunching sound of the sand beneath their sandals, the fabric of loose clothes wave in the wind mingled with the shifting sound of the weapons strapped to them.

As they walked over a small desert hill. Baki noticed the rhythmic foot steps fell out sync . Knowing one of the three genin had stopped walking. To right side he saw Temari and his left Gaara. They all stopped.

Kankuro resting his upper body wait on his knees in a bending position. Swallowing hard breaths. "Jesus Christ , this desert is long" he said in one hard breath, peeling off his black cap , showing thick brown hair. " No duh , Sherlock!" Temari spat as she pulled out a little plastic water gourd from her fanny pack . As she took a drink she watched as Kankuro poured the water from his gourd down his face and hair. He shook his head good and hard , he threw around ribbons of water splashing the dry sand . "Well we could be quicker if we didn't take so many breaks" Baki said while he rubbed his eyes and brow bones in a hard , slow, circular motion. It was quiet again.

Just then , a more intense heat rose in the sand. Looking off to the distance of the sky .

The soft , mellow , blues and purples of the night began wipe away . One lone star was last to be dismissed from the sky, the thin crescent moon began to fade as if it were a piece of wet paper. To the horizon , the vibrant and bold colors the ripe , newborn sun reached the sky and earth with all it's glory. The sun's citrus colors looked as if it was spilled across the sky , claming it.

"I wish I had my ipod " Temari's voice pierced though the serene silence.

Kankuro made a smacking sound with lips. "You just killed a Kodak moment"

"Shut the hell up , stupid" Temari said with a playful undertone.

"C'mon guys we got hurry it up , you got school tomorrow" Baki clapped his hands and made gestures with his arms. With that , Temari and Kankuro groaned in irritation as they walked down the steepness of the desert hill. Instantly after a moment of serenity, a new silence was formed . This moment of silence was very – eerie. The whistling of the breeze intensified. The soft mellow notes were now loud and metallic noises.

It had nearly been an hour of walking. The heat was stronger the sand was dryer and hotter. Though it was still early. Suddenly a loud , musical humming rang out the sound of the wind. It didn't take them long to notice it was Kankuro.

With nostrils moving through out the notes of the unidentified song. Temari wrinkled her nose to the side and squinting her right eye .

" Why are you humming?"

" I'm trying to brighten up the mood --- with a groove" he said coolly .

His humming had stopped for a moment. Just then he began to belt out the lyrics in a nasally , southern drawl.

" I keep a close watch on this heart of mine. I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I keep the ends out for the tie that binds. I walk the line"

Temari's laughter echoed through the air as Kankuro dragged heal in the sand making a 'line' . Gaara dragged behind Baki as the loud, off tune harmony , that now Temari and Kankuro belted out through the desert.

"Find it very, very easy to be true.

I find myself alone when each day is through.

Yes I'll admit that I'm a fool for you .

Because you're mine, I walk the line!"

Kankuro snatched Gaara to his side encouraging him to join in. "Come on lil'bro , walk the line" he said shaking Gaara's shoulders. Gaara rolled his head back ,swiftly running his hand through his wet hair, setting it back. His flushed face was now more pink than red. As Temari and Kankuro kept their bright , stupid stares pinned on him. He fought the muscles that began to form a smile. His small dimples began to show. He gave a sigh when they began the next verse.

"As sure as night is dark and day is light.

I keep you on my mind both day and night.

And happiness I've known proves that it's right. Because you're mine, I walk the line"

"You've got a way to keep me on your side

You give me cause for love that I can't hide.

For you I' even try to turn the tide.

Because you're mine I walk the line"

The melody came to a halt but Kankuro still held the note to the last lyric. Stopping once to take a breath but then continued his long, high note. Closing his eyes and clenching the muscles of his face in a humorous attempt to look funny or professional.

"Liiiinnnee!" The sound of Gaara's loud off key voice tore though Kankuro's 'big finish'. Gaara's attempt to shut him up worked.

Kankuro's sense of awareness had come to as he saw their village gate yonder.

"We're home!" he chirped "We should that more often " Baki pinched the bridge of his nose and his shoulders shook. Temari forced a fake chuckle as she gave him a gentle slap on the face. " Johnny Cash ought to come back from the dead and bust a cap at you"

End

/AN/ Hello. This my first story ever to be published so I am quite nervous.

Well this short story isn't really meant to deliver any morals or hold any solid plot. It is just a short story about good times. I really wanted to deliver a more three dimensional feel to "Masashi Kishimoto's" characters. I'm not saying that they're not already. Though I just wanted to portray these characters personality facets in a more realistic and fresher way than they are played out in the fandom most of the time. I just wanted to do something fresh. It's a start. And I didn't really tend to make this story harbor a whole lot of sense though I didn't make this out of foolishness.

Naruto - Masashi Kishimoto

I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash