(A/N: Okay, I just want to say that this is when the characters are 16 and 14. This is only the prologue-ish chapter, which is why it's so short. I'd also like to express that I have never seen The Exorcist, nor do I have any interest in seeing The Exorcist. I just know that it's the kind of movie that Gaara would choose for movie night. I don't own Naruto, but I have gotten two people addicted to it…which is a small Otaku victory…Now, who's next?)
Not Because I Wanted To
Temari sat on the old, wobbly swing in her backyard.
Struggling to support her weight, the ancient swing set almost jumped out of the ground with every hard pump of her legs.
The chilly, evening, March air danced across her skin and a tingling breeze blew by, rustling the loose hairs that had fallen from her ponytails and making the hair on her bare arms stand on end.
The sky was a bit clouded, and not a star was in sight. The moon, in crescent form, looked like the wide, toothy grin of the Cheshire cat.
She smiled softly, because thinking of smiling reminded her of the lazy half-smirk of someone extremely close to her.
She continued to swing, his voice echoing musically in her mind.
She wondered if he'd changed since she'd last been to Konoha. Was he still the same lanky, short little lazy-ass since the chunin exams?
More importantly, did he ever think of her?
She thought about him continuously-almost obsessively. He never left her thoughts. Her hearth thumped at just the thought of his hand placed lightly over hers, and she shuddered in horror about what her reaction would be if he actually did touch her hand.
She shook the thought off immediately; he would never do something like that.
But the more she thought of it, the more upset she began to get.
What if he was seeing someone?
What if he forgot about her?
What if-
Temari's heart broke in her chest,
What if…what if he was dead?
She shook her head; he wasn't weak enough to die…was he?
"Temarrrriiiiiii," Kankaro whined from the house, "Hurry uuuuuuup, it's Fridayyyy, which means it's moviiiieeee night!"
"Stop complaining," Temari heard her youngest sibling growl from the kitchen, "can't you see that she's in thought? Now help me with the damn popcorn."
She grinned as she heard insane popping noises, followed by Kankaro's screams of terror.
"Can't you two handle yourselves without me for twenty minutes?" she muttered under her breath as she stomped into the house.
Gaara chose the movie that night.
Gaara chose The Exorcist.
Temari hid behind a pillow.
Kankaro screamed like a like a little schoolgirl.
"I'm not Regan."
"Well, then let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras."
"And I'm the Devil. Now kindly undo these straps."
"If you're the Devil, why not make the straps disappear?"
"That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras."
Needless to say, movie night was far from being a success.
"Next time," Kankaro trembled fearfully, a hitch in his voice, "when I get to choose the movie, we're watching The Fox and the Hound, got it?"