Temari had been called a lot of things in her life. Bitch or crazy, if people were being particularly uncharitable. That monster Gaara's big sister, if they were particularly unkind and/or terrified. And "troublesome lady," if they happened to be a certain pain in the ass.
The point was, she'd been called a lot of nasty things, to her face and behind her back, and she'd long since learned to grow a thick skin, build a bridge, and get over it. Rain or shine, compliments, insults, the occasional insane fanboy she attracted once in a while, not much fazed her anymore.
Then one day, she unleashed her wind scythe jutsu on a gang of paparazzi pestering Hyuuga Hinata, and for the first time in her life, she was called a good friend. The compliment was so earnest, sweet, and delivered with such solemn sincerity that it pierced through her thick skin and actually made her blink in surprise.
"I...yeah, you're welcome, I guess." Temari grinned sheepishly and hoped the setting sun hid the glow on her face. "But next time, you gotta punch those dumbasses in the face, got that?"
"Thank you for helping me, Temari-san," Hinata repeated, and to top it all off, gave her a gracious bow that combined with a lovely, pricey-looking, form-fitting purple dress, made her look like royalty. Except royalty was never this polite. Temari fought down a smile.
It wasn't often that people were this nice to her, just for the sake of being nice. Hyuuga Hinata was one of a kind.
"I would love to repay you for your generosity. May I walk you to your destination?"
"Uh...sure, but it's just the Hokage Tower," she said. "I know the way, so you really don't have to – "
Temari trailed off as Hinata wrested the tessen from her hands and effortlessly hefted it onto her back. It was a weird, uncharacteristic look, especially with that form-fitting dress that Hinata was wearing for whatever reason.
She shrugged and decided to let it go. Konoha nin were strange.
The wind blew gently on Temari's face as she and Hinata leisurely walked to the Hokage Tower. Not at all the fierce, roaring gusts that characterized home back in Suna. It was different, but nice all the same.
Temari really wouldn't have minded living here.
Not everyone was a pain in the ass.
"By the way," she began. "Why were those bozos after you anyway? Something about a harem?"
The setting sun did not hide the glow on Hinata's face. "Oh...um...there have been very strange rumors about me lately, Temari-san, and they wanted to...confirm what they heard."
Temari quirked a sandy-blonde eyebrow. "That you have a harem? Not surprising, with that huge bust you have. Hey! You don't have to cover yourself up! It was a compliment!"
Hinata uncrossed her arms from her chest, pouting at Temari's teasing. The setting sun definitely didn't hide the glow on her face.
"It was my little sister," Hinata grumbled – grumbled! "She loves embarrassing me, making me try on these awful clothes, putting me into awkward situations. It's like her hobby."
Temari smiled a little at that. An image of more innocent days drifted gently into her mind like a calming Konoha breeze, of Kankuro at the age of four, mischievously bulldozing her painstakingly-made sandcastle and yelping in terror as Kamatari the weasel descended on him.
"Yeah," she said fondly. "Little sibs can be a pain in the ass. Still, she's got a point. You look good in that dress, girl. Maybe take her advice next time?"
Temari received only silence as her response, but as she saw Hinata smiling a tiny smile of her own, she decided she didn't mind. It was a peaceful kind of silence.
By the time they reached the Hokage Tower, it was dark and the moon had begun its nightly climb against the cloudy sky.
"Well, see you, Temari-san." Hinata unstrapped the tessen from her shoulders and kindly handed it back to Temari, waving goodbye.
Temari watched her go, dark, windswept hair swaying gently behind her back.
"Man, I wish I had a harem..." she said.
It was no mystery how Hinata had landed herself one. That kind of earnestness and sincerity was hard to find these days.
Hyuuga Hinata was one of a kind.
Gaara was trying to be a better sibling now. He was.
Before, he used to threaten to kill Temari and Kankuro if they talked too loudly. Now, he merely frowned soulfully and attempted to convey his disappointment in a more age-appropriate fashion.
He had never given his siblings any token of appreciation before. Except that one time when he had casually tossed a horrified Kankuro the bloody shin-bone of someone who had crossed him. Now, he gave them cacti. They were still "bony," but they weren't actual bones, which he considered a significant development.
He even let Temari pat him on the head sometimes, although he was the Kazekage and had an image to uphold. Gaara was making true progress. Now it was time for the next stage of his growth.
"Birthday present...birthday present...what should I do for Temari's birthday present?" He doodled absently on a scrap of paper, gazing at the sandstorm outside as though it would offer him clues to his predicament.
When he was a kid, he enjoyed teddy bears. Maybe...?
He wrote stuffed animals on the paper. Then he crossed it out as he realized that Temari would probably murder any teddy bears he sent her way.
"How about...makeup?" He wrote that on the paper too, then crossed it out again as he imagined her scornful laugh.
"What, you think I'm Kankuro here?" she cackled. Tears prickled in the corners of his eyes at her cruel rejection of his heartfelt present.
He snapped out of his daydream and stared yet more intently at the sandstorm.
"What would Naruto do...?" he asked himself. "...Ramen...?"
His mind conjured up another vision, this time of Naruto beaming and shooting Gaara a huge thumbs-up.
"That's absolutely the best choice, Gaara!" his stupid blonde friend yelled. "Ya know, you should start off with the good ol' miso chashu with extra naruto, but you could mix things up with nori, wakame, kikurage, tamanegi, aonegi, shiraganegi, takana – "
He ended this train of thought before dream-Naruto listed every ramen topping in existence.
No, definitely not ramen.
"How about..." Gaara frowned thoughtfully, scratching the word harem onto his paper. "Harem...harem...what is a harem?"
He had heard Temari muttering about something called a harem last week, after she got back from a meeting in Konoha. She was saying something about someone called "Hinata" having one, and how nice it would be if she had one too.
Gaara may have been the Kazekage, but he was still fifteen, and there were a lot of things he had yet to learn.
It would be a better way to form connections with others, learn more about the medicine for a wounded heart, the one his uncle Yashamaru had mentioned. Love.
He smiled. It was definitely something Naruto would do.
He put a big check mark next to Temari's new birthday present.
Gaara was trying to be a better sibling now. He was.
And if it meant contacting this...Hinata and asking her to donate a harem for his big sister, then...then he would do it.
It was all part of his journey as the Kazekage.
A/N: Icha Icha Ichiraku, I wrote this chapter for you. :) I can't believe you made an account just to give me so many ideas. Thank you!
Wow, I said I wouldn't take any more ideas because I would get overwhelmed, but I'll reopen prompts again. Especially if someone made an account just to review this story. :)
Btw, please don't take Temari's words about Shikamaru too seriously. I like ShikaTema. ;) And if anyone wants my mental image of Hinata's dress, check out her outfit in "Shippu, Konoha Gakuen Den." Although, you are free to dream up your own. I left a lot to your imagination, after all, haha.
Thank you for all the reviews so far!