I woke up the next morning with a tired yawn and the sun pelting down on me from the window, I sat up rubbing my head with a yawn. I got up and looked down at my clothes with a sigh, I didn't like wearing this outfit, it was too loose and bulky but it was all I had. I opened the door with a yawn then headed to the living area but no one was there.

"Still sleeping maybe..."

I found four shallow bowls and after filling one with water I sat down on the floor in the living room, luckily there wasn't much furniture so I didn't have to go outside. I sat the bowls down summoning fire in one, putting earth in the other and lastly air but that was all around, then I set them around me following the cycle of the avatar, starting with earth in front of me. I sat down crossing my legs then closed my eyes focusing on each element until they were all hovering above their bowls then the rock started to spin around me, next was fire then air and lastly water. They all spun around me as I concentrated on my breathing, it was only a few days ago that I was able to do this with all the elements, I had trouble with air before.

It didn't last long though until I heard someone come into the room breaking my concentration, the air cycle broke first then the fire died out and the earth fell to the ground but I managed to keep the water from falling until I put it back in its bowl. I opened my eyes and looked up to see who it was that interrupted me only to see Gaara standing there, I forgot these guys weren't used to benders.

"Oh good morning" I smiled up at him "I'm not bothering you am I?"

"I want you to attack me" he said calmly with his arms folded

"What? There's no way I'm doing that"

"You won't be able to hurt me"

The second he said that I felt my eye starting to twitch but I had to practice self-control, not to let these things bother me.

"I'm sorry but I don't go around attacking people"

"If you don't I will attack you"

As he said that I felt sand slithering towards me but this sand was different, it wasn't sand he had just got from his backyard.

"Kankuro said it was a special kind of sand... and I am curious about it... but I can't just start attacking him"

I jumped out of the way before the sand reached me but it kept slithering after me, it was slow though so not much of a problem.

"You know you're really starting to bug me" I frowned at him

"Perhaps I was wrong about you, you are just a weakling"

"Weakling!" I shouted at him "that's it, you're going down!"

I pulled off the robe throwing it to the side reviling the pain black shirt reach just under my chest going around my neck and my black skirt reaching just above my knees with a slit on both sides giving me more freedom to move around. Before the cloth even hit the ground I threw some pointed rocks at Gaara but a sand barrier came from nowhere protecting him and not only protect him but it absorbed the rock shooting at back at me in small pebbles.

I only just managed to dodge them but before I could do anything sand started to shoot at me, I jumped up to the roof using the rock to keep me up there while the sand he was shooting at me created a large hole in the side of his house.

"He's trying to kill me" I decided looking at the large hole

He was aiming at me once more but this time I jumped out of the hole in the wall and ran to a large open area in the desert away from harming people.

"Have you stopped running?" he asked calming walking towards me

"I wasn't running, you're already destroying you're house and I thought it might be nice if I didn't add to the damage" I smirked "now let's see what you can do"

The strange sand started to circle around him, it did look a lot like earth bending and if it could dissolve my rocks then I would have to work on a different plan of attack. I hardened the ground under my feet then started to spin around shooting fire from my hands and feet from different directions all aiming at him. His sand blocked all the fire, I was starting to think nothing could get pass that sand of his.

"If I can get that sand away from him... or get him away from the sand"

With a smirk I waved at Gaara before sinking into the ground, now all I had to do is wait for him to move or shuffle so I could feel the vibrations. Even though I had practiced in the sand no matter what it was still a little fuzzy, unlike solid earth sand moved with every little breeze or the slightest touch making it constantly move but right now all I had to do was follow the movements. I created a tunnel from under Gaara leading to the small bubble I had created for myself under here; once everything was set up I pulled Gaara down collapsing the tunnel right behind him so nothing could follow.

"Hi" I smiled as he fell onto the floor

He got back up and looked around, it looked like he was about to do something but I caught his attention as a flame appeared in my hand.

"Right now I could fill this whole area up with fire, I would be fine, my own flame doesn't hurt me but I don't know if what little sand you have left would be enough to protect you so I won't do it but even if it did protect you then I would just collapse the place and head back up. Either way can we call it quits now? I'm all dirty and hungry"

"You are a talented fighter"

"Thanks" I smiled rubbing the back of my head "aww now I have sand all through my hair... oh well, ready to get out of here? I'm sure there can't be much air down here"

He nodded folding his arms so I lifted us up out of the ground back to the hot air above us.

"Hey Gaara!"

I leant to the side and saw a guy running towards us, all I could see was his black clothing and scruffy hair but he looked strangely familiar.

"What happened to the house? And what are you guys doing up here?"

"Kan-Kankuro!" I asked falling over

"You ok?"

"You look different, no bat hat today?"

"Bat hat?" he asked looking a little confused before shaking his head "anyway what happened?"

"Gaara destroyed the house" I explained pulling myself up

"Gaara did?"

"I want it fixed when I return" Gaara said walking away

Kankuro and I looked at Gaara walking away then at each other with a sigh, he was the one that destroyed it after all.

"First he attacks me and now this" I sighed "what is up with him anyway?"

"He attacked you?"

"Yeah, I was meditating and he came downstairs and told me to attack him but when I wouldn't he attacked me and that's about everything" I explained walking away

I went back to the house and took a look at the hole in the wall, plus the mess in the living room.

"Well at least it's made of rock, shouldn't take too long"

After I finished putting the wall back together I headed inside to clean up, it didn't take too long, it was just my mess but still Gaara was the one that attacked me.

"There all done" I sighed wiping my brow

"You're a fast cleaner"

I looked up from the floor and saw Kankuro back in his face paint and bat ears, strangely enough that was more normal to me then when he wasn't wearing it all.

"It wasn't that bad" I said sitting up "I guess I should clean myself up to... can't stay like this all day"

I walked over to my robe and picked it up, it seemed heavier, hotter and more annoying today than ever.

"Temari probably left something behind, you're short then her but I'm sure you could probably find something"

"Oh well I couldn't do that..."

"It's fine, I doubt she will be coming back here any time soon" he waved of heading towards the kitchen

"Well... I guess I wouldn't hurt to look"

I went back to Temari's room and had a look in her closet, most of her clothing was to long for me but I managed to find a light purple long sleeve shirt that (on me) reached just above my knees then using a red sash I pulled it tight so it didn't look so loose and baggy. I found a hair tie and pulled my hair up into a bun with a few bits falling out here and there; normally I would just leave it out or tie it loosely but with all this sand blowing around this seemed the best even if it did look a little messy.

"Not too bad" I decided after messing with my hair a bit

I headed back out and found Kankuro eating breakfast with a bowl set out for me to.

"Thanks" I smiled sitting down "well at least the food seems to be the same"

Despite the strange things the food was kept in and some of the items used to store and make the food it still was pretty much the same kind.

"So what is there to do around here? What do you do for fun?"

"Well I mostly work on my puppets so their ready for battle"

"Battle? Is that likely to happen?"

"Sure is, seems everything is going wrong in the world today"

"Who are you battling? Is it a rival nation?"

"Not really, I guess the main problem is the akatsuki but they haven't been doing much lately"

"Probably planning their next attack"

"Why do you sound so excited?"

"I do? I know war and fighting isn't good but... I've always longed for excitement, the avatars before me all had one major thing happen in their life but I haven't had that... sometimes I wonder if I'll just fade in with everyone else and maybe one day the avatar won't mean anything"

"Well you're welcome to come with us next time we leave" he said standing "how are you planning on getting back anyway?"

"Getting back? Well... uhhh... I'm sure something will come up" I smiled