I don't own Naruto.

We get to see the "early morning" side of Daren now . . .


Kankuro popped into the room at eight o' clock. "You awake yet?"

Daren opened one eye and growled at him. "What time is it?"

"Eight." Kankuro said.

She moaned and rolled over. "Wake me up in four more hours."

"Aw, c'mon! It's too bright to sleep now."

"I said get out!" he sat up and yelled at him. Her hair was a mess and her teeth looked extra-sharp in her anger.

Kankuro ran from the room before she could throw something at him.

He came back in at ten.

"Daren, everyone else is up. C'mon, get up already."

"Is it twelve yet?" She moaned from beneath Gaara's pillow.

"No, it's ten."

"Ten?" She held the pillow tighter over her head. Her next words were hardly discernable through it. "I said to wake me up at twelve, damn it!"

"You can't sleep 'til twelve, Dare. Come on, get up!"

"Yes I can! Now leave me alone!" She grabbed one of the other pillows and threw it at him. He ducked and ran out the door.

"Hey Kankuro," Gaara saw him leaving the room. "where's my pillow, I let you borrow it the other day and you haven't given it back yet."

"Daren has it at the moment." Gaara started walking toward Kankuro's room. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you; she'll kill you!" Kankuro warned.

Gaara ignored him and opened the door. He grabbed his pillow and pulled it away from Daren.

"Hey! I was using that!" She sat up, her tired eyes angry.

"It's my pillow." He walked toward the door but turned back when he touched the handle. "You should get up." He opens the door and leaves.

She pouts for a moment but gets up, wipes the sleep from her eyes, and stumbles into the kitchen.

"So you're finally up." Temari said, setting dishes on the table.

"I would still be asleep is someone hadn't stolen my pillow!" She said, glaring at Gaara as he came out of his room.

"It's my pillow, and I left you two other ones."

"I didn't want them."

They sat down to a breakfast of steamed rice and rolled omelets. Daren got nicer as she ate and was soon back to her cheerful self. After breakfast, Gaara leaves to take care of Kazekage business and Temari wandered back to her bedroom.

"What do you guys do all day?" Daren asked, laying her back against the floor and staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, Gaara has a bunch of official stuff to do since he's Kazekage and Temari usually hangs out with her friends or hangs out in her room. I usually work on my puppets or practice."

"Puppets?" Daren looked at him questioningly. "You play with puppets?"

"No! They're a ninja tool! I use them to fight!"

"Oh." She went back to watching dust float across the ceiling. "What this Kazekage thing anyway?" she asked.

"The Kazekage? It's the strongest shinobi in the Land Of Wind."

"So your brother, Gaara is the strongest shinobi of this land?" She looked at him. "Isn't he younger than you?"

"Only by two years!" He said indignantly. "Besides, he's got the Shukaku sealed inside of him."

Daren sat up and stretched. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

"What? You just woke up!"

"So?" She smiled and headed toward his bedroom door. She stopped and turned back to him. "Hey Kankuro, can you do something for me?"

"What is it?"

"Y-you know that pillow that I had earlier?" Her cheeks flushed a little. "D-do you think you could get it for me?"

"What?"

"Please?"

He couldn't refuse her. "All right! Just stop making those eyes at me!" He stood up and went into Gaara's room. He comes back out with Gaara's pillow and holds it out toward her. "Here."

"Yay!" She ran toward him with her arms spread and he thinks that she is going to hug him, but her arms close around the pillow and he feels his hopes shatter.

"Thank you!" She kisses him on the cheek and then runs off to take another nap.

"Gaara's going to kill me." Kankuro touched the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him and smiled. "But it was worth it."


Daren's so mean in the morning--I love it!

But Gaara's so mean, stealing her pillow!