Temari woke up to the pleasant feel of the warm sun bathing her it its soft glow. She sat up and stretched. Her mind felt very clear and sharp, and not tired in the slightest. She got out of bed and went to look out the window.

This is when she started getting confused. She didn't remember the Leaf Village looking like this...

"Strange..." She turned away from the window and looked around the room.

Now she was really confused. Where was her dress, and her fan? Why was her desk practically empty? This looked more like her room back in the Kazekage's mansion...

"Maybe that's where I am? I don't know..." She smelled something cooking downstairs, so she went to investigate.

She came out at the end of a short hallway, with three other doors. There was another door at the top of the stairs, then a few more doors.

She investigated the door at the top of the stairway. "Semi? I've heard that name before..." She went downstairs, following the smell. She paused when she realized what it was. "Kenchin soup?" She continued towards the source of the smell.

A young woman not much older than Temari herself was walked past her, carrying a basket of laundry.

"Ah! Excuse me!" Temari turned to the woman.

The woman turned. "Hm?"

"Where...where am I?"

"You're in the spirit world, dear."

"Spirit world? I...I'm dead?"

"'Fraid so, dear." The woman put down the basket. "This is the house our family's spirits come to when they die. Now...which one are you?"

"I...Temari. I'm Temari."

"Oh! Little Temari? Oh wow, I haven't seen you for...gosh, a long time. Well, I did pass about four years ago..."

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

"You don't? But I used to visit you guys all the time when you were little! I was your favorite aunt!"

"Aunt...?"

The woman huffed. "Semi! I'm Semi! Don't you remember me?"

"Oh...wait...wait, Aunt Semi! I do remember now! You always came over on New Year's and celebrated with us! And you gave me..." Temari's face fell. "You gave me mom's old temari...which I lost..."

"Well, why wouldn't I give her old temari to her new one?" Semi winked.

Temari smiled a little. "Yeah...I felt really bad when I lost it."

"Dear, you never lost it. It's behind your wardrobe."

Temari's face lit up. "It...is?"

"Go check and see."

Temari turned and ran upstairs. She went into her room and looked behind the wardrobe.

There it was, covered in eight years worth of dust and cobwebs.

"You were there the whole time...I never thought to check back here." She took it out from its hiding place. "I missed you..." She blew the dust off of it. "Wow..."

She heard another voice she hadn't heard for years come from the doorway. "You're here. Gaara really did it, then!"

Temari whirled around. "W-w...m-mom?"

Karura was standing in the doorway, smiling. "Hello, firstborn. Look at you, all grown up."

Temari ran and embraced her mother. "Oh...mom...I've missed you so much!"

"All three of you have. Now, though, two of you are here with us."

"Wait...two?" Temari took a step back. "What do you mean?"

"You were killed, and your heart was stolen, so you couldn't come join us here in the spirit world. Gaara went up against the person who had it, an opponent who he knew nothing about and wound up being far stronger than him, knowing full well that he would most likely die trying to destroy it. He succeeded...so I assume he is here with us now."

"Gaara...Gaara died for me?"

"No," Another voice said from the hallway behind and to the right of Karura. "I took his place."

Karura whirled, hands clapped to her mouth. "K-Kankuro..."

"Kankuro?!" Temari forgot about the temari, dropping it as she pushed her way into the hallway. "Kankuro..."

Kankuro bowed his head slightly. "I gave Gaara a chance to escape. If he were to die, I doubt anyone else would be able to kill her. Gaara has the potential to get the power he needs."

"How is he going to do that?"

"There's a scroll written by the First Kazekage, our great-great-grandfather Korogi. It is tightly sealed, and can only be opened by one with the potential to gain his power."

"Where is this scroll?"

Kankuro shrugged. "Only he knows."

"Old Man Korogi? He's always in the garden with his shogi board."

"Let's talk to him. See if we can get him to tell us where it is."

"Old Man Korogi", better known as the First Kazekage, was a very old man. He had lived staggeringly long, rising to the mantle of Kazekage in his fifties and passing at age of one hundred and eighty-four just before their father had become Kazekage. As predicted, he was in the garden with his shogi board.

"Grandpa Korogi?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from the board. "Ah, Karura." His voice was comparable to a treant's. "What brings you here?"

"My children and I wish to know the location of your secret scroll."

Korogi took a pull off his pipe. "Hmm...for what reason?"

"Their lives were taken before their time was here. They wish to aid the one who still lives, my youngest, Gaara, in his quest to...exact vengeance."

"Vengeance? Vengeance is not a proper cause."

"Old man, have you heard of Kakuzu?"

"Kakuzu...? Ah, yes, the ragdoll man who killed Hashirama."

"Someone else has inherited his power. She stole Temari's heart, and mine."

"If that is true, then why are you here?"

"Gaara saved Temari's heart, and she crushed mine in anger."

"Hmm..." He took another pull. "...If you consider this quest as vengeance, you will not succeed. However, if you consider it justice...your cause is just." He blew out a smoke ring. "I will tell you...if you defeat me in a game of shogi."

"Well...I can't play shogi. Mom?"

Karura shook her head. "I'm terrible! Even Semi beat me all the time!"

"I'll take your challenge, old man." Temari grinned fiercely.

"Temari, you-"

"Shikamaru taught me how to play shogi. Almost beat him once." Temari took a seat across from Korogi.

"Ahh...Temari, was it?"

"Sure as the day is long."

"Well then...let's see if you can live up to your boasting."