This is a slightly late New Year's present! I had to do some revisions before putting it up. Wow I've almost caught up to what I've written...I'd better hurry up my writing!

Posted - 1/2/2011 (AHHHH! NEW YEAR!)

Disclaimer - I don't 99% of this. Or Anko. Or Temari. Sadly...


Previously -

The seventy-eight genin filed out of the room slowly, coalescing back into their respective teams as the left. Temari and Kankurou fell into step once more behind Gaara as they left the room. None of the failed teams were anywhere to be seen outside the room, something Temari figured was a good thing. If the failed teams had seen those who had passed, there was sure to be a scene.

The three siblings were quiet all the way back to their flat, where Baki waited.

"We passed," was all Temari said as she passed her jounin instructor, before heading into her room to get some rest.


Chapter Eight – Crazy Ladies and Murderous Brothers

The next morning, the three siblings were met by Baki when they gathered for breakfast, and he explained what they were to do next.

"The second part of the exams will be taken at Training Area Forty-four," he told them as they ate. "You are to bring any and all gear you want, and supplies to last an undetermined amount of days."

Temari and Gaara simply nodded, knowing Baki knew nothing more than that, but Kankurou protested. "That's it? They won't even tell us what we're doing?" he complained. "That's bull."

"Suck it up and deal," Baki told him harshly. "Sometimes you'll have even less than that to go on."

Kankurou pouted, pushing his food around with his chopsticks, but he didn't talk back to his sensei.

Gaara pushed back his chair and left the table without a word, coming back into the room with his sand gourd strapped to his back. "Let's go," he told his siblings, not waiting for them to answer. Temari raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but got up to fetch her kyodai sensu while Kankurou went to go get Karasu. I guess he's eager to go see that Sasuke kid again.

The training area wasn't hard to find – there was a stream of genin heading in one direction, so Temari and her brothers just joined the flow. The group accumulated at a huge chain-link fence. Warning signs and labels were tacked all over the thing, and there was a wooden observation box with three Konoha shinobi inside against one of the fences. Inside the enclosure were the largest trees Temari had ever seen, and that was saying something considering they were in Konoha, which was known for its huge trees. Branches overlapped with each other, and roots twined around themselves. The trees themselves were green with growth and age. Temari couldn't see very far into the forest, as it quickly became gloomy and dark from lack of sunlight. It seemed even most of the Konoha genin hadn't known the area had existed from what conversations Temari overheard.

Anko, the crazy examiner, was pacing in front of the group as the last stragglers arrived. "This area is where the Second Exam will take place," she announced when all had appeared. "The Forty-fourth training area, also known as the Forest of Death." She grinned at the genin, enjoying their fear. Inside the forest, Temari saw a huge centipede climbing up a trunk, and a large snake that could snap up a bird as no more than a morsel slide over a branch. Konoha certainly isn't lacking on the creepy creatures side to compliment the forest.

Anko gave a disturbing chuckle. "You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death."

The blond idiot in the bright orange suit, also known as Naruto, apparently took issue with her tone. Sticking out his butt and placing his hands on his hips, he mocked, "You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death," wiggling his butt back and forth. His teammates looked as if they weren't at all associated with him, and Temari didn't blame them.

"There's no point in trying to scare us like that!" Naruto challenged Anko. "I'm not scared at all!"

"Really? You seem rather excited," Anko remarked in a friendly tone, that was creepier coming from her than the sadistic one earlier. Quick as a flash, she had a kunai in her hand and had thrown it right next to the loudmouth, cutting his cheek as it passed. It landed in the ground with a thunk a few meters behind him. Before Naruto could even react, Anko had appeared behind him, both arms preventing his escape. Damn, she's good! Temari thought, watching the scene. I didn't even see her move!

"Boys like you die the fastest," Anko told him, reaching out to cup his uninjured cheek. Naruto had a completely creeped out look on his face now. "After releasing all of that red substance I love so much everywhere," Anko continued, almost whispering to him. She began to collect a drop that had leaked from the cut, when another kunai appeared in her hand, and she half turned to see a Kusa genin behind her. The girl had extended her tongue which was wrapped around the kunai, and it was a rather disturbing shade of purple.

"Here's your kunai," she lisped around her extended appendage. Now Naruto had a complete look of terror on his face for being close to two very creepy people. Temari didn't blame him in the slightest. It was like being close to two Gaara's at once. There was nothing safe or sane about the situation.

"Thank you," Anko replied, again in that polite tone. If Temari didn't know better, she would have sworn there was a staring contest going on between the two. "But don't stand behind me like that. That is, unless you want to die young." She casually reached out and collected the second kunai in her hand, and the girl's tongue retracted. Temari couldn't suppress a shudder at that.

"Well, I get itchy when I see blood," the genin said, smiling at the proctor. "Also, my beautiful hair was cut, so I got a little twitchy. I'm sorry." She turned and walked back to her teammates as if nothing had happened. However, all the genin were now staring at her.

"It looks like there are a lot of hot-headed people here today," Anko remarked as she watched the genin walk away. She grinned. "This is going to be interesting." She turned and walked back to the front of the group. "Before we begin the Second Exam," the purple-haired woman announced, I'm going to pass these out to everyone." She pulled a pack of papers out from inside her coat.

Where did she keep those? Temari wondered, her eyebrow twitching. There shouldn't be that much room in there…At the top of each paper was the phrase 'Consent Form'. Consent form for what?

"These are consent forms. Those taking this exam must sign these," Anko explained, her voice for once not having any disturbing overtones. "From here on, people will die. Therefore we need people's consent before we continue." She shrugged, a slight laugh in her voice. "Otherwise, I'd be held responsible."

Great. Gaara will have a field day, Temari thought, disgusted. There's no threat of repercussions to hold him back now. Not like it would actually do anything to him if there were, but still…

"Now, I will begin the explanation of the Second Exam," she continued. "To be concise, you will all go through an extreme survival match." Anko held out the papers to Naruto who came forward and took them, passing them along. When Temari received hers, she looked it over carefully. No liability to Konoha for death, village will not declare war over death, no excessive killing of other genin…the usual.

"First, I'll explain the training area's geographical features." Anko unrolled a map in her hand, marked by a green circle with a path running through it. "The Forty-fourth training area is a circular region surrounded by forty-four locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle." Now Temari saw that what she had thought was a path was instead a river, that forked partway through the training area. "The tower is approximately ten kilometers away from the gates. Inside this space, you will have to go through a type of survival training. The experience consists of," Anko paused here to roll up the scroll and stash it away in her coat, "a competition where anything goes…over these scrolls." She held up two short fat scrolls in one hand, one black and one white.

Where does she keep pulling these things from? Temari wondered, exasperated. If she had half that amount of space on her person, she wouldn't need nearly as many storage scrolls.

"The Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth," Anko announced, holding out the two so all could see the kanji on each denoting which was which. "You will fight over these scrolls. Twenty-six teams in total passed the First Exam. Half of those teams will get the Scroll of Heaven. The other half will get the Scroll of Earth. Each team will get one of these scrolls," she clarified. Basically, you have to fight over these."

"And? What's needed to pass?" Sasuke asked concisely, not wasting any time in finding out his purpose. Again Temari felt a little blush come over her, and ruthlessly suppressed it. I am NOT getting the hots for an arrogant stuck-up genin who will probably be dead soon! she told herself furiously.

"Bring the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates," Anko answered him, pitching her voice to be heard by all.

"What you're saying is that the thirteen teams, or half the people here, that get their scroll stolen will fail," the pinkette summed up. Temari wanted to gag her – there was no need to repeat what the proctor had just said as if everyone around them was stupid. She could understand if Sakura had gotten into the habit with Naruto on her team, but the rest of the genin wouldn't have gotten to where they were without being able to understand situations.

"But it needs to be done within the time limit," Anko responded, a slightly irritated note in her voice as well. "This second exam has a time limit of one hundred and twenty hours." She stored the scrolls in yet another place in her coat. Temari really would have to find a way to take that thing. "Or exactly five days."

"Five days?" a blonde yelped, stepping forward in shock. Temari recognized her as the blonde from the barbeque place.

"What about food?" her teammate cried desperately, his voice cracking slightly.

"Scrounge it up yourself," Anko retorted ruthlessly. "The forest is a treasure box of nature. There should be plenty of food."

Temari reached into her sash surreptitiously, fingering the rations bars stashed there. Apparently Baki had told them more than the jounin of Konoha had.

"However, there are a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bugs, and poisonous plants," Kabuto spoke up. Temari noticed he had another pair of glasses now, after his others had been broken the day before.

"Also, it's not possible for thirteen teams, or thirty-nine people, to pass," said yet another genin. He was dressed in drab colors, and had a weird hook hanging from his hitai-ate – his hair was gathered into a low ponytail on his back. His teammate in green spandex and orange leg warmers continued his train of thought. "As time passes, you will be required to move more. So the time to rest your body will become shorter. This seems quite rough."

"And we're surrounded by enemies," Sasuke continued from them. Really, are all the Konoha genin intent on explaining the whole exam out loud? Temari wondered. Do they not understand the idea of letting their opponents figure things out for themselves? The more they explain, the better an advantage those against them have. "We won't be able to sleep in peace."

"Well, people will get hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll," Anko told them, frowning slightly, "and those who cannot bear this program's harsh regime will fail as well."

The lazy boy from the barbeque joint raised his hand. "Excuse me, can we quit in between?" he asked, boredom in his voice.

Anko turned her head to the side slightly, her whole body indicating satisfaction. "As a rule, you are not allowed to give up during the exam. You will spend the five days in the forest."

The boy crossed his arms over his chest. "Just as I thought," he muttered, disgusted. "Mendokuse."

"While we're on this topic, here are the conditions that will fail you," Anko proclaimed to the group. She held up a finger. "First, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower with all three of their teammates will fail." Another finger joined the first. "Second, any team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note, you are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if you look?" Naruto asked, testing the waters.

Anko touched a finger to her mouth. "That's a surprise you'll see when you look at it," she said in a mysterious voice. "If you become a chuunin, you will be handling top secret documents. It's to determine your reliability." Anko clapped her hands officially. "That's it for the explanation. We will exchange three consent forms for one scroll at that hut." She pointed to the wooden building containing the Konoha shinobi. Next to each was a pile of scrolls. "And after picking your gate entrance, everyone will begin at the same time." Anko heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumping and her mouth forming an 'o'. "Here's a last piece of advice. Don't die!"

Ya think? Temari almost slapped her head. Most obvious piece of information ever…not that it'll help some of these genin. She looked around with distaste at her competitors. Some didn't even look like they would survive a day.

All of the teams broke up into their respective groups to discuss strategies and decide if they should sign the forms. If they didn't, they would be out of the exam for the year. The Konoha shinobi in the booth drew a red curtain across the booth, so none of the teams would be able to know which scroll another team had or who was carrying the thing. The crazy examiner lady was walking among the teams, smiling creepily.

Over by the fence, Temari saw the annoying blonde girl and the too-smart pinkette having a face off, yelling at each other. The emo kid Gaara was interested in was sitting by himself against a rock, looking furtively around at all the other genin. A shy girl with pale eyes was leaning against a tree, reading the paper, and the blond boy in the orange clothes was heading over towards her.

Temari looked at her own form. She might as well sign it now; she had no problems with what it said. Pulling out a pen, she swiftly braced the form against Kankurou's back and signed the bottom, ignoring her brother's protests. "Oi, quit it, Temari!" he yelled at his sister, moving away as quickly as possible. Temari simply stuck out her tongue and waved her form at him, then offered him the pen.

"Sign it now, gaki," she told him, walking over to where Gaara stood. He had already signed his form and was standing with his arms crossed as usual, observing the other genin with an impassive expression.

Temari stood next to her murderous brother for a few minutes, watching him out of the corner of her eye. He was starting to gain that gleam in his eye that told her he was thinking about killing and blood. No matter how much Anko liked blood, Temari was sure it didn't even come close to rivaling Gaara's obsession with the life substance. It was best to leave the Shuukaku carrier alone when he looked like that. She edged backward, careful not to draw his attention towards herself, and looked for her brother. Who was being unusually quiet.

The blonde kunoichi looked over at her puppeteer brother and found him drooling – yes drooling – with his mouth open, staring at the proctor of the second exam.

"Hello? Earth to Kankurou…come in?" she queried with a raised eyebrow, waving her hand in front of Kankurou's face. The boy batted it away without even focusing on the appendage, continuing to gaze wide-eyed at Anko, who was leaning against the fence with her arms crossed under her breasts, accentuating them slightly. The open trench coat and fishnet shirt didn't do anything to help matters.

"Kankurou!" Temari snapped her fingers sharply in front of her smitten brother's eyes. She was not entertained by her brother's evaluative look raking the woman's body. He was fourteen, and it was far too similar to something their father might do. When he didn't respond once more, she pulled her kyodai sensu off her back and hit him over the head with it. That got his attention.

"Temari, what gives?" he yelped rubbing at the top of his head fiercely. "I think you flattened my skull!"

"Stare at a woman like that ever again and I'll do much worse," Temari promised in a lilting voice that nonetheless got her threat across perfectly.

A sullen look crossed Kankurou's face, but he knew better than to go against his sister in such matters.

"And look at me like that ever again, and I'll make sure you won't have eyes to see with," came a whispered voice from behind Kankurou's left ear that Temari heard as well.

The boy froze stock still with shock, his eyes darting to where Anko had previously been lounging; that stretch of fence was abandoned.

Temari simply lifted an eyebrow and smirked, pulling her mouth to the side in a grin. She had a feeling this proctor could deal out torture much more effectively than she herself could as Kankurou's sibling.

"Which should I take first?" Anko wondered out loud. "The ears, eyes, nose, hands…so many choices." A kunai ran over each body part as it was mentioned, passing in front of Kankurou's terrified eyes. "Ever appraise me like that again and I'll teach you a lesson you're sure to never forget," the creepy lady promised, slipping the kunai back in her trench coat and releasing Kankurou with a smile that conveyed her intentions perfectly.

Then she turned to look at Temari. "Good job on trying to keep him in line, but I've found men and boys respond much better to a more…painful form of punishment." Her hand darted out swiftly and tapped Kankorou in three points – two on the legs and one on the stomach. He immediately doubled over, clutching at his nether regions in pain.

"Don't worry," Anko told Temari cheerfully. "He'll be perfectly fine in time to take the exam!" With that she waved her hand goodbye and marched back to the wooden booth where the three Konoha jounin were sitting.

The curtain covering the booth was pulled back by one of the shinobi. "It's time to trade your forms for a scroll," he called. With that, genin began trooping into the structure one team at a time, trading in their forms and storing their scrolls before leaving out the other side. As soon as Kankurou was able to move without wincing in pain, the three Suna genin headed forward. When the Sand Siblings entered, Kankurou and Temari handed their forms to Gaara, and they received an Earth scroll. The two eldest siblings figured it was best to let Gaara hold on to the thing, as he was the least likely to be killed out of all of them. And it would prevent any problems later. Temari took the number though.

Just as they came out the other side of the curtain, Anko announced "If you have received a scroll, follow the person in charge and move to your designated gates. We will begin in thirty minutes!" She waved her hand authoritatively. Kankurou studiously averted his gaze from the woman, keeping his eyes focused on the ground as the siblings passed.

A shinobi came over to the team. "Gate six?" Temari nodded, handing him their number. "Follow me." The man led them around to the right, passing by a few gates until they finally reached a gate with a huge red number six on a sign.

The siblings waited in silence as the time passed, until at two twenty-nine exactly, their proctor began unlocking the numerous padlocks securing the gate. Temari, Kankurou, and Gaara tensed, ready to shoot through the gate. At exactly two thirty, he threw open the two sides of the gate, and the Sand Siblings ran through, disappearing quickly into the forest. They took to the trees, bouncing off the limbs as they headed deeper into the forest. No matter which gate a team started at, if they went in a straight line, they were guaranteed to get to the tower.

They didn't stop to set traps. Any teams they encountered would be engaged in combat, and if Gaara got too bloodthirsty, die. There was no doubt the gleam in his eyes promised anything else. Only ten minutes into the exam, screams were already echoing around the forest, exciting Gaara. Particles of sand began to swirl around the boy, who shot further ahead of his siblings. Parts of tree bark and leaves were rubbed off by the speed of his passing and the abrasiveness of his sand, leaving a clear trail for any team to follow. No one would though. Accompanying the marks and almost permeating them was the dark and evil chakra of Shuukaku. Any genin who felt it would be immediately scared off.

Twenty minutes later, the Suna team found a team from Ame, simply standing out in a clearing as if waiting for arrivals. Without pausing to check for traps or an ambush of any time, Gaara leapt down, his siblings following suit. The team consisted of a short member, a tall member, and one in between. All had umbrellas on their backs, and the one who seemed to be the leader had six, whereas his teammates had two. All were clad in one-piece suits that were a single color with the sleeves and sides being white striped. The leader also had a cape and scars running down his right cheek, along with a bandage wrapped around his head, while his subordinates had broad hats and shades.

"Kids from Suna challenging us straight on," the leader began, staring at the three Suna genin, "You must be quite foolish."

Temari and Kankurou ignored him, disinterested. They had only followed Gaara to keep him from going too insane. However, Gaara was staring intently at the three.

"Hey, kid. You should be more careful in picking your opponents," the head of the Ame team said, glaring at Gaara. He grinned, and it appeared slightly maniacal because of the scars across his right eye and side of his mouth. "You are all going to die."

"Cut the chatter. Let's fight, oji-san from Amegakure," Gaara responded in a monotone.

"Oi, Gaara," Kankurou called to his brother, interrupting the staring match between the two leaders. "Shouldn't we follow them and gather some information before we pick a fight? If they have the same scroll as us, there's no need for us to fight. Unnecessary fights are –"

"It doesn't matter," Gaara said over him, cutting his brother off. "I'll kill everyone we encounter." His voice was deadly.

Temari glanced over at her brother worriedly; Kankurou had a resigned expression on his face, while Gaara had an impassive expression, his face completely set. It was the face he put on when he was about to kill people. Great. The only thing we can do is stay out of his way. Or we'll be killed as well.

"Then let's do this!" the genin shouted, grasping all of his umbrellas. He threw them all up into the air in a quick motion, and placed his hands together in a seal. "Die, gaki! Ninpou: Jouro senbon!" The umbrellas in the sky began spinning rapidly, releasing a continuous spray of needles, and other needles began circling around the combatants. Gaara simply blinked at the display.

"This strikes from above, below, left, and right. There is no escape," The genin told the siblings, holding his hands out in front of him. Temari could almost see the chakra radiating off of them. "The needles are also regulated with my chakra, and will attack any target I choose!" All of the needles began zooming in on Gaara, and a huge cloud of sand and dust flew up, blocking him from view. When the smoke cleared, Gaara was seen encased in a broken sphere of sand, with thousands of needles sticking out. His body could be seen through a large crack in the front of the sphere; his arms were still crossed and he was glaring at the genin.

"Is this it?" he asked, as his sphere began to leak sand, malicious chakra filling the air

The genin recoiled in shock. "What? Not even a single hit? That can't be!" Again he slammed his hands together, and more needles shot at Gaara. Without any movement from the redhead, a spike of sand shot up as a shield.

"A rain of needles, eh?" Gaara asked, glowering through the crack in the shield. "Then I'll make a rain of blood fall." Temari took a few unconscious steps backward at the malice in Gaara's voice; even if she was used to it, it was scary every time.

"A wall of sand?" the lead genin asked, stunned.

"That's right," Kankurou replied leisurely, his hands in his pockets. "It's his absolute protection, created by and made completely of sand. He controls the sand inside the gourd and hardens it with an enormous amount of chakra. It is a technique only usable by Gaara, and is used to protect his body. And regardless of Gaara's will, this is all done automatically. So basically, all of your attacks against Gaara are useless." The sand that had formed Gaara's protective shield began to pool around his feet.

"Damn it!" the Ame genin rasped, watching the sight.

Kankurou cocked his head at the team. "You guys can't defeat our Gaara."

That seemed to spark something in the lead genin and he charged forward, screaming "Don't take me lightly!"

Gaara simply lowered his head and slowly spread his arms, bringing his hands together to form a triangle. He's dead. That's what happens for opposing Gaara.

"Sabaku Kyuu!" Gaara intoned, thrusting one hand out at the oncoming genin. As the genin ran towards Gaara, his foot was snagged by a tendril of sand that quickly twined up his body, until he was completely encased in sand from head to toe in a few seconds.

"I can't move…" he grunted. His umbrellas fell from the sky as his chakra ties were broken. "What's happening…"

Gaara slowly walked forward and grasped one of the fallen umbrellas by the handle. "I can cover your loud mouth and kill you," he told the genin threateningly, flicking open the umbrella and pointing it at the man. He held it back over his shoulder like a parasol. "But that would be too miserable on your side." He stretched his hand out to the side, and the pile of sand encasing the genin rose into the air. With yet another glare, he clenched his fist. "Sabaku Sousou!"

The sand imploded, and blood shot out in all directions, splattering the ground. The reason for Gaara grabbing the umbrella was now evident, as the blood landed on the umbrella rather than Gaara. His sand was also soaked with blood.

"There was no pain," he told the man's teammates in a dead voice. "Because there was no time to even feel it. The tears and blood of the dead mix with an endless quicksand and further fuels the war." Temari watched him with sad eyes. Cryptic, Gaara. Where did you learn that? When did you learn that? Not all life is war, and neither is death. But you didn't have a chance to find that out From birth you were taken into a war to find your purpose.

The taller of the two remaining genin raised his hands to appease Gaara. "We'll give you the scroll…" he stuttered, reaching behind to draw out a white Heaven scroll. He walked forward and placed it on the ground.

"Please, let us go!" his teammate pleaded. Gaara chucked the umbrella away, reaching out both hands with the fingers curled. Sand gathered again, and shot towards the two hapless genin, encasing them and subjecting them to the same fate as their first teammate. Blood once more shot into the air.

Kankurou walked forward to claim the scroll. As he picked it up, he commented, "It's the scroll of Heaven. How convenient." He turned back to his two siblings. "Okay, head for the tower now."

"Urusai," Gaara told him, death in his voice. "I still haven't had enough." His head turned to look at some bushes. Temari could sense the chakra of three genin hidden behind them.

Kankurou turned to face his brother fully. "Let's stop, Gaara."

Gaara looked sideways at the puppeteer. "Are you afraid, coward?" he mocked.

The black clad boy began pacing purposefully towards his murderous brother. "Gaara! You might be okay, but it's too dangerous for us! We just need one set of scrolls! We don't need any more…"

Again Gaara reached out his hand, sand gathering. "You slacker. Don't order me around."

Then Kankurou did something brave. He reached forward and grasped the bandolier across Gaara's chest. "Why don't you listen to what your older brother says once in a while!" he yelled at Gaara.

Gaara looked up at him, simple truth in his expression. "I have never thought of you two as siblings. If you get in my way, I'll kill you."

That wasn't true once, Gaara, Temari thought sadly. Once you were a happy child. Once you were our brother…

In a swift motion, Gaara reached up and slapped away Kankurou's hand. Again he reached out to gather his sand in preparation for Sabaku Kyuu.

Temari held up her hands, an appeasing expression on her face. "Gaara, stop. Don't be so cold." She placed her hands together. "This is your big sister asking you. Okay?"

Gaara's hand moved forward to point at Kankurou, who stared at it, his eyes almost crossing. Then again he pointed it towards the bushes. Sand began to gather, coalescing around the bushes.

"Gaara!" Temari shouted, trying to stop him. But he clenched his hand, and a poof was heard. In his hand he now held the cork to his gourd. Reaching back, Gaara placed the cork in his sand gourd, and began to walk away.

Temari relaxed after the sudden fright. She had thought he had killed those genin in the bushes. Gaara is always so unpredictable. One day, our nerves are just going to snap! We can't keep living like this…

She glanced over at Kankurou. He was frowning after Gaara. No doubt thinking the same things as her. Then both shrugged, and followed their brother. He was heading towards the tower, and the sooner they got there, the less time they would have to spend in his presence.

One hour later, the team arrived at the tower and entered through one of the unlocked doors at the bottom. The one they chose was marked with a number six. On the wall inside was a proverb, stating 'If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the field and seek strength.' Tch, and what if you possess both? Temari thought, reading the thing.

"Gaara, may I have your scroll?" she asked her younger brother, holding her hand out for Kankurou's scroll as well. Both brothers handed over their respective scrolls without comment, something that surprised Temari. She flicked each open, and immediately saw the summoning seal on the inside. Kankurou and Gaara did as well, for all three siblings leapt back and got in ready positions to attack whatever was summoned. But it was simply a Konoha shinobi.

He seemed very surprised to see them at the tower so soon, in just ninety-seven minutes, but dutifully stated, "Three from Sunagakure have arrived." Temari figured it was for the video camera to pick up. I wonder what they will think of our time.

"Please remain in the tower for the time being," the shinobi told the Sand Siblings. "Further instructions will be forthcoming." With that he disappeared, leaving the three genin alone again.

Twelve hours later…no further instructions had been mentioned. The three were roaming the halls, looking for anyone in authority. They walked again towards the room they had first arrived in.

"There's nowhere else to go," Kankurou told Temari as they walked.

"We've waited for twelve hours now," she agreed, watching Gaara's back. She started slightly as she felt the same three chakra signatures that had been hiding behind the bushes earlier that day. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

When they entered the room, the Sand Siblings ignored the three genin against the wall, until they all turned their eyes as one to look at the kids. Each flinched back slightly, apparently not forgetting the fear from earlier that afternoon. Temari and Kankurou smirked slightly as they passed. Even if they themselves feared Gaara, it was entertaining to see others feel an even worse fear.

Just as they began to leave the room, a Konoha shinobi appeared at the other doorway.

"Would all of you please come here?" he called to both teams. The Sand Siblings sauntered back over, while the Konoha genin left as much space as possible between the two teams.

"You two are the first teams to finish this exam," the proctor told them, looking between the genin. "However, the exam will not proceed until the full five days have passed, so we shall provide you with rooms and food to wait out the rest of the exam."

Temari nodded; that would make sense. They couldn't continue the exam until all of the genin had reported in, and they had to give those genin the full five days.

"If you would follow me, I will show you to your rooms," the shinobi continued, turning around and leading the six genin through the tower. Three floors and too many turns later, they stopped in front of two different clusters of doors.

"Each of these clusters are meant for a team," the man explained, gesturing to the doors. "There are three rooms inside, and those three rooms share a bathroom. There is also a short hallway in which to store things. In the mess hall downstairs will be serve yourself meals. When the last team has reported in, we will announce it, and ask you to come down to the main room.

"Also, there is a training area inside the tower, but you are not allowed to enter the huge arena. The smaller area is open for your use however. We will summon you in five days." The shinobi turned and walked away, leaving the six genin staring at the doors, then each other.

"We got these," the boy with the fur around his face and a small white dog in his jacket said, pointing to the door on the right. Quickly, he and his team filed into the door, shutting it firmly.

Temari smirked at the closed door. "I think they're scared," she commented to her brothers, lounging against the wall.

"Of course they are," Kankurou bantered back, inclining his head towards Gaara.

"They are right to be afraid," the youngest brother said in a cold tone, looking at the door emotionlessly.

"Well," Temari stretched, heading for the door opposite that of the other team, "I get dibs on the biggest bed." Before Kankurou could protest, she darted inside the suite, quickly checking all three bedrooms before placing her claim.

"Aw, come on Temari, that's not fair!" Kankurou proclaimed coming to stand in her doorway as she flopped on her bed.

"Sure it is!" she told him, rolling over to lie on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm the oldest, so I get the biggest bed!"

"Let it be, Kankurou," Gaara told his brother as he passed on his way to one of the other two rooms. "You get that room." He pointed to the one directly across from Temari.

"What?" Kankurou moaned, looking at the other room. "But that's the smallest! Gaara…" he pouted.

"It's your fault for taking so long and complaining," the redhead told his brother ruthlessly. "Take what you are given."

"Fine," Kankurou grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest and sulking into the small room. He shut his door slightly harder than necessary, eliciting a giggle from Temari at his childish actions. She heard Gaara's door shutting as well quietly.

"Good night!" she called to her two brothers, before closing her own door and preparing for sleep.


So yup, thats the chapter! I don't think it followed canon nearly as closely as the last chapter thankfully. But be warned - the next chapter is the preliminaries...and I'm not changing the match ups. I'll just try to speed through them to get to the more interesting things like a reforming Gaara and such...And of course Temari's reactions =)