A/N: Sorry for the long delay in updating. I may have mentioned this before, but I write several shots in advance of the one to be posted, and the latest one was kicking my butt almost as hard as Lee. _ Anyway - here's the new one! Many thanks to my betareader Herbblade for all her suggestions! I do not own Naruto.

Twenty-one - Vacation - Sand Siblings

It was the Land of Wind's best-kept secret, the most beautiful spot in the country. It was called Saraswati Oasis, located two days west from the Hidden Sand Village, literally in the middle of the desert. A half-mile-wide clump of trees suddenly reared out of the sand, shading a pool of water and a cozy little inn that catered to the wealthiest and most influential families in the country.

"Wow . . . . Hard to believe that we haven't been here since we were kids," Kankurō commented as he looked around. "It really hasn't changed, has it?"

"Are you still obsessed with the koi?" Temari asked, grinning as she gestured to a small pond off to one side. "Remember, you spent a whole afternoon trying to catch one. You actually fell in, too."

"Yeah, because you pushed me."

Gaara watched the exchange between his older siblings, privately imagining what it must have looked like, Kankurō trying to catch a fish. He had been too young at the time to have any memory of it. Mentally shaking his head, he followed after his brother and sister as they headed toward the inn's front entrance.

.:|:.

Afternoon sun filtered through the tree canopy, marking the sand around the pool of water with a mixture of shadow and light. Kankurō was in the water, doing laps around the mostly circular space. Temari sat with her back against a tree, a book in her hands. Gaara lay flat on his back in the sun beside her, both eyes closed, soaking up the warmth of the sand.

"Aren't either of you going to swim?"

The still-dry siblings looked over to where Kankurō stood hip-deep in the water, hand on his hips. Temari immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, Gaara blinking once at his brother's appearance.

"Um, I think you should've taken your facepaint off before you went in," the blonde said after a moment, still fighting not to giggle.

Looking down, Kankurō studied his reflection in the water. Rivulets of purple ran all over his face from the streaks across his nose and chin. The paint around his mouth had run so that it looked as though he wore an exaggerated frown. "Yeah. I think you're right." Ducking down, he splashed water onto his face, scrubbing vigourously with both hands.

The afternoon passed slowly, the sun slowly sinking lower in the sky as Gaara gave in and joined his brother in the water. Temari was content merely to supervise. Finally, the three siblings left the beach, following the short path back toward the inn. Colourful lanterns were strung throughout the trees on either side, giving soft illumination in the gathering dusk.

It was the perfect spot for an ambush.

The three of them had gone only about ten metres into the trees when three masked figures dropped from above, landing directly on the path ahead.

"Kazekage," the one in the middle greeted, nodding once. "We've been waiting for you."

Kankurō sighed. "This is supposed to be a vacation," he complained. "We're not supposed to have to work when we're on vacation." He grinned at the three in front of them, teeth glinting dangerously in the light from the lanterns. "I don't like it when people mess up my plans."

"And you obviously didn't do your homework before setting this little meeting up," Temari informed them, mildly amused. "Or don't you care that the Kazekage has weapons with him at all times?

"What do you mean?" one of the would-be attackers demanded, eyes narrowing above the tight mask that covered the rest of his face.

He got his answer seconds later as an influx of sand came rushing up the path behind the three siblings. "Brace yourselves," Gaara said tonelessly, staring down the group's leader.