Temari was awakened the next morning to the sound of Kankuro singing in the shower. She grimaced as she rolled out of bed. Not the most pleasant noise to start the day with, but at least he seemed to be in a good mood. Oh yeah! Temari remembered as she pulled her thick blond hair up into its usual four ponytails. The Festival! We have to start getting ready today. It was going to be fun to prepare for the dance.

Unfortunately, Temari had to pass by the bathroom on her way to the kitchen table for breakfast.

"Don't go breakin' my heart!"

She was starting to get a headache.

In a squeaky falsetto, Kankuro answered himself, "I couldn't if I tried!"

Temari groaned and hurried past to the dining area. In a few minutes she had a fresh pot of oatmeal simmering on the stove. As she began pouring out the thick mush into three individual bowls, the pigtailed kunoichi glanced out the window. It was going to be a gorgeous day.

"What's that smell?" Kankuro emerged from the bathroom, his freshly painted face wrinkled in disgust.

"Well, if it isn't the Phantom of the Opera himself," Temari remarked dryly. "That 'smell' you're noticing is what you are going to eat for breakfast. It's oatmeal, and it's good for you, so don't complain."

The puppet master plopped down in one of the wooden chairs at the table. "But, Temari, we've had porridge every single morning for the past week!"

The oldest sand sibling's eyes flashed dangerously. She handed her brother a spoon. "You'll eat it. You'll eat it and like it!"

"You guys are so loud I couldn't even pretend to sleep." Temari and Kankuro looked up as Gaara appeared at the bottom of the stairs. His chaotic red hair stuck out in every direction and his pale blue eyes glared from within their permanent dark circles.

"Sorry, Gaara. Perhaps our dear brother should refrain from giving live concerts in the shower."

"Or maybe Gaara should sleep in the attic," Kankuro grouched.

"Alright, you guys, let's get down to business," Temari said, handing Gaara a bowl of oatmeal as he sat down next to Kankuro. "The Konoha Spring Festival is only two days away; we have to start getting ready immediately!"

"What are you talking about?" Kankuro protested through a mouthful of porridge, "how long do we possibly need to get ready? It's a dance, for crying out loud. All you have to do is get dressed in something nice – it takes two minutes, not two days!"

"Do you realize how long it's been since we've gone to a dance, Kankuro? Preparing for a festival is not just something you throw together at the last minute. It's an art form. The three of us are going to show our friends from the Leaf Village that people from the Sand Village know how to attend a festival with style."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Style?" Gaara blinked. He stared down at his oatmeal, stirring it absently with his spoon. "Uh, I don't think I'm going to go after all," Gaara said slowly.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You two go without me. I'm not needed; I'll just stay here."

"What do you mean Gaara?" Temari looked at her brother worriedly. "Of course we want you to come. Is something wrong?"

"N-not exactly. It's just that…" Gaara's face matched his hair.

"It's okay, buddy, you can tell us," Kankuro reassured him.

The youngest Sand ninja exhaled in frustration. "It's just that I…can't…dance."

Kankuro blinked, as if this news was the last thing he was expecting to hear. Temari raised her eyebrows.

"What? Are you serious? You've never danced before?"

Gaara scowled and shook his head. Why was this so hard to believe? It wasn't like you had to know how to dance to become a ninja or something.

"Well, I guess that would make sense," Temari reasoned. "You've never really had an opportunity to learn how."

"But don't feel bad, bro," Kankuro slapped him on the back, but then quickly removed his hand in case Gaara's sand perceived the gesture as a threat.

"Yeah," Temari agreed. "We can fix your problem."

"You can?" Gaara was curious.

"We can?" Kankuro echoed, "how?"

"That's easy, we'll teach you how to dance!"

Gaara's eyes widened. Kankuro choked on his oatmeal.

"Don't act so surprised!" Temari scolded. "We have two days until the dance. Plenty of time for a few lessons, don't you think?" She grinned. "You probably don't know this Gaara, but Kankuro and I used to dance together all the time. We were pretty good, too – we even won a few dance contests in Suna".

"Those were the days," Kankuro agreed.

"Really?" Gaara stared at his siblings doubtfully.

"Really. And who knows? You might even be a natural at it! If Kankuro and I can do it, you can, too."

"Well, alright, I guess…if you say so."

"I say so!" Temari jumped up, a mischievous sparkle in her eye, and grabbed Gaara by the arm. Kankuro followed dubiously as she led him into the living room.

"First things first," Temari said, lifting a beat-up stereo onto the coffee table. "We have to teach you some basic steps and etiquette. Then we'll focus on a couple of different varieties of dances."

"Man, let's skip the intro," Kankuro grinned. He walked over to the stereo, snapped it on, and cranked up the volume.

Rhythmic booming blasted from the speakers. Gaara jumped about two feet. Temari covered her ears.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about," Kankuro nodded, gesturing towards the source of the blaring music.

Gaara suddenly noticed something disturbing. It was his foot – it was… tapping! And he couldn't figure out why; it was like it had a mind of its own.

"Kankuro! What's wrong with my foot? It's having spasmodic convulsions!"

"You hurt your what?" Kankuro looked at his brother strangely.

Exasperated, Gaara pointed violently at his foot.

"Oh, that," Kankuro chuckled. "That's called the beat, Gaara. The beat is the foundation of dancing, the soul of the music. You just gotta let it flow through you, see? If you can feel the pulse of the rhythm in your bones, then you can let your instincts kick in, and your body will do the rest."

He demonstrated a few dance moves, keeping in time with the resonant beat.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

Temari shook her head and switched off the stereo.

"Hey! What'd you do that for? It was just getting fun!"

"It's not that easy, Kankuro," Temari explained. "You can't just 'feel the beat' and POW – you're an amazing dancer. We have to start at the beginning." She switched the CDs in the disc slot and then turned it back on. "Let's begin with something a bit slower."

A melodic, instrumental piece that sounded suspiciously like Pachabel's Canon floated from the speakers. Temari smiled and winked at her brothers.

"What? You're insane!" Kankuro protested. "This is wedding music!"

"It's slow. Perfect for beginners."

Kankuro crossed his arms over his chest. "Nobody ever won any dance contests with wedding music." He sighed and sat heavily onto the living room couch.

"Oh, don't listen to him." Temari turned to Gaara, who was looking very confused. "He's just grumpy because he can't slow dance."

Kankuro leaned back and examined his fingers. "It's not my forte. Give me a break – I'm the champ at every other kind of dance."

Temari ignored him. "Now listen to me, Gaara. Slow dancing is one of the most important styles of dance. It provides an outlet for expression and enables the dancers to show sincerity in their movements."

Gaara stared at his sister as if she was speaking a foreign language.

"But it's the fast, fun dances that impresses the girls," Kankuro added.

Gaara rolled his eyes. Temari placed a hand on her hip.

"However, slow dances show your more sensitive, gentle side."

"I don't think Gaara has a sensitive, gentle side!"

"Kankuro!" Temari gasped, clapping her hands over Gaara's ears. "Don't say that! Everyone has a gentle side. Gaara just hasn't found his yet."

The flustered redhead squirmed away from his sister and shook his arms to keep her hands off his head. "I don't care if it impresses anyone. But if you're going to teach me to dance, please do it already, because I have other things to do."

"Alright." Temari faced her youngest brother once again. "Pretty much all slow dances begin with a basic stance." She took Gaara's left hand and placed it on her waist. "Put your hand here, like this… Good. And then the girl puts her hand here," she rested her right hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Then you hold my hand with your other hand, like this," Temari interlocked the fingers of her left hand with Gaara's right.

"I don't think I like this." Gaara couldn't help noticing that Temari was at least a full head taller than he was. This could be a problem.

"Okay, Gaara. You're the guy, so you have to lead."

"What? But I don't even know how to dance yet – how am I supposed to lead?"

"Don't worry, it's easy once you get the hang of it. Watch what I do." Temari began to move her feet, stepping back and forth, sometimes on her toes. "One, two, three, one, two, three…"

Gaara attempted to mimic her movements, struggling to keep up.

"One, two, three, one, two, three – OUCH! Gaara! That was my foot."

"Sorry."

"It's fine; let's try it again. Ready?"

Gaara nodded, feeling anything but ready. Then for a brief moment, he felt as though he was actually getting it. His feet were moving in time with Temari's; they were really dancing! Encouraged by this mark of progress, Gaara ventured to look up from their feet to glance at his sister's face. Big mistake. As soon as he lifted his eyes from the ground, Gaara no longer had control over where he was going. His feet took off again with a mind of their own.

"OW! Ow! Gaara! You're stepping all over me!" Temari hopped away from him, freeing herself from the painful situation.

Kankuro stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from exploding with laughter.

Gaara stared down at his sandals. "I'm sorry, Temari. Maybe we should stop."

Temari smiled and walked back over to him. "Hey, it's okay." She put her finger under his chin and tilted his face up. "Look at me. It's okay to mess up. Everyone does. In fact, you're doing tons better than some people I know…" Temari glanced over her shoulder towards the couch. "You should have seen Kankuro learn how to slow dance. I had bruises for a week!"

"Okay," she shook out her arms. "Let's start over. This time, pretend I'm the guy."

"Pardon me?"

"You know what I mean! I'll lead. I'll show you how to do it."

The two siblings reversed positions, and Temari proceeded to lead Gaara successfully without any more injured toes.

"You're doing great, Gaara," Temari said. "Now stop looking at the floor; concentrate on my face instead."

A little fearfully, Gaara obeyed. But to his surprise, there were no catastrophes, no broken feet, and no cries of agony from Temari. Slowly, he felt his confidence returning.

"Wonderful! Now, smile. Try to look like you're actually enjoying yourself."

Gaara tried it.

Temari yelped. "No! Not like that! You look like you're in pain. Show a little less teeth. Relax, and don't make me think you're going to eat me."

Kankuro snickered. Gaara tried again.

"There we go, that's better!"

Pretty soon, Temari decided that Gaara was ready to attempt leading again. From what he could tell, it seemed to go fairly smoothly. Kankuro appeared to think so, too.

"Hey," he said when they had stopped. "How did you do that?" He narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you've never danced before?"

"No," said Gaara flatly.

"Not even in your sleep?"

Gaara shot him a look that said: Did you seriously just ask me that question?

"Well, Gaara, it seems like you have the hang of this now," Temari nodded in approval.

Kankuro leapt off the couch. "Yahoo! Now we can move on to more important kinds of dancing!"

"Wait a minute, Kankuro. Let's take a break for lunch first. We've been at this all morning. We can have lesson number two when we're done eating."

"Sounds good to me." Kankuro patted his stomach. "And then I'll take it from there." The older boy slung an arm around Gaara's shoulders and winked. "The Puppet Master will show you how it's done. After I teach you some of my signature moves, everybody will think you've been dancing your whole life!"

Temari sighed. "This is going to be a long day."