A/N: This isn't the first story I've written, but the first I've published here. It tells the tale of the kunoichi, Temari, as well as some stories from the other kunoichi of the Naruto series. I hope you enjoy my story and leave me some feedback to learn from, Thank you! ~
~Chapter 1~
Wind.
Sand.
And Dust, as far as the eye could see.
~~~ T ~~~
The atmosphere of this place was a quiet and seemingly-lonely one. But it was, in fact, populated. The village was hidden though, within the sandy region, you could find a definite crop of civilization. The Hidden Sand Village.
~~~ T ~~~
There are many villages in this country. I haven't been to most of them. But of course, that was because I was only a child. The Hidden Sand is where I called home. Along with my two younger brothers; the ever-pranking, Kankuro and the silent and brooding Gaara. I did have a good relationship with both of them. Though you could say that it was a strangely defined relationship. The middle, Kankuro was a master of puppets. He usually carried one around on his back. He constantly wore all black attire that covered most of his body. Though I could never understand why. We did, after all, live in a desert.
He was training as I watched from the back. A natural specialist in the way he handled those wooden instruments. That's what you could call them, as they were like instruments to him. His favorite puppet was the one he called Karasu. The one most predominantly used when he was training. It flicked out from behind him as I watched him now. Desperately trying to land a hit at Baki Sensei.
He was a very well-respected teacher of the sand. He trained my brothers and myself in many forms of combat, and we were learning pretty quickly. I never had any trouble learning while I attended the ninja academy. My peers were all pretty average. But I always felt like I excelled in my studies. Taking on the minuscule tasks of attending class, I learned quicker than the other students. Class was considered a minuscule task for me, since it came so easily. But what I really wanted to excel in was combat.
I took a lot of time out of my day to train with Kankuro, but he was a little along the lines of a boaster. Every time we trained, he would continue to talk about his 'greater ability'. It was rather humorous anyway. Baki Sensei stepped back from him suddenly. "That was really good, Kankuro. You've improved a lot since last time!" He praised him. Of course, Kankuro beamed at the applause, as he always did.
I sighed, growing tired of sitting out in the sun. Sunagakure was a naturally sunny place, but I was still affected by the bright mornings after a while. I stood aptly, in response to my brother's sudden glance. "Well done Kankuro." I added, which only made him shine more. Only he shined like this. I liked approval, but I didn't gloat in the slightest.
Okay, I guess I did. But only a little. I proceeded to approach the two as they prepared to leave. Kankuro reeled in Karasu promptly, strapping it on his back. "I say it's about time for a break, don't you agree?" He shook his head in disagreement. "I need to train more. Once every few hours anyway." I could never understand his crazy drive to train so often. "Besides," He added. "I need to fix up Kuroari. A few upgrades here and there." I nodded like I knew what he was talking about. I sort of did, but puppets weren't my forte. I readjusted the object on my back. My own personal instrument. I had this Kyodai Sensu with me ever since I could remember. It had been a valuable weapon to me for many missions. I watched it as I walked, a little proud of myself for holding up for so long.
I parted ways with Kankuro and waved to Baki Sensei as I headed in a different direction. "Temari!" I turned at the sound of my name. My longtime friend, Sen walked up and stopped in front of me. "Out training again?" She asked. "No, just monitoring." I replied.
"You have some free-time now?"
I nodded. "I suppose so, I might for the time being." She smiled. "Great! Yome and I want to hang out for a while."
~~~ T ~~~
It had gotten later by the time I had reached the inner depths of the village. The sun hadn't set, but was still suspended in the sky. A mission now would be nice. I thought to myself. At the current time, I wasn't really busy, and there were always missions ripe for the picking.
I wondered if Kankuro would be up for it now, he had been training all day. Regardless, he would have to go if Baki Sensei said so. I paused. Then again, some training by myself would be good too. Solo training was helpful, but not always fun.
But it was better than slacking.
I turned to head out of the village, as I was already facing the entrance. Perhaps in the open desert I would be able to practice without restraint.
~~~ T ~~~
I pulled out the fan, swiftly turning it and watching as it snapped into position. "Kamaitachi no jutsu!" I called, all the while swinging the fan around. It loosed a major whirl of wind which formed into a cyclone, twirling and blowing a vast amount of sand up. I spun and swiped the fan in the air above me, quickly bringing it down in front of me. A gust of wind partially pushed the sand aside. My signature technique.
I felled many with this jutsu and it hadn't failed me yet. I lifted the fan and prepared another attack. This particular jutsu was an amazing defensive/offensive combo. Though I usually used it for an offense. I took the handle tightly in my hands, turning strongly, and pulled the fan along with me.
"Kamaitachi no-" I swept it along the sandy ground. "Hrraaah!" I yelled when I was in mid-spin. The sand kicking up dramatically as the massive gust surrounded it. I stopped suddenly, tripping over myself. I attempted to straighten, but only succeeded in falling flat into the dusty area. The fan landed to the left of me a few feet away.
"You have to be more vigilant than that if you want to continue being a kunoichi."
I glanced up at the speaker as he reached to help me up. I moved his hand out of the way. "I can stand up myself." I got up and brushed myself off.
"We have a mission." He continued. "Baki Sensei told me to come and get you."
"A mission?" I retrieved the fan, strapping it back on. I had been hoping to practice a little more, but a mission was like practice too.
~~~ T ~~~
"A visit to Konohagakure?" Kankuro questioned as we arrived. Baki Sensei turned, as he had been looking the opposite way when we had come in. "Yes, I have spoken with Tsunade, the Hokage of the Leaf. It seems a visit to the village would help to strengthen the bond between Suna and Konoha." Would Gaara be coming along? The thought went through as a possible question. But I thought it best not to ask. He was a different person than Kankuro and myself. A quiet and lonely child. I tried to see his reasoning for being such a closed-hearted individual. But regardless, I would never understand completely, the pain he had suffered.
He had been rejected all of his life because of his cursed fate. Being a Jinchuriki wasn't easy, it seemed. The door behind us opened.
"Ah, nice of you to want to participate." Baki Sensei commented. I didn't have to look back to know that the saying, 'speak of the devil' would fit right about then. Gaara didn't comment, but just stood next to Kankuro. He still had that same look in his eyes.
He was unhappy.
I sighed. "Baki Sensei, when do we depart?" Having recently graduated from the academy, I was a little shocked that we would be going to another village already.
"Right now actually. We can leave now that the team is all together."