It was well after sunset when Gaara returned to the units in the Academy that the visiting Shinobi used. Temari glanced up, coming to her feet when she saw who it was.

"Gaara! Where have you been! I was so worried about you!" She came forward as if to embrace him, but stopped helplessly, hands swinging at her sides. Gaara stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"I went for a walk. I am going to rest now. Do not disturb me, or I will kill you." With that, he retired to his private bedroom. Baki had insisted on that—forcing Kankurou and Temari to share a room was much safer than insisting Gaara share his personal space with anyone else.

At least, any human.

"He will never change," Baki observed, leaning against the doorframe. Temari jumped.

"Baki-sensei! I didn't see you come in," she gabbled, hastily bowing to him. "Why have you come to visit this late at night?"

"Business," Kankurou told her, coming into the room after Baki. "Gaara is becoming more unstable. We may have to push the plan forward."

"Forward?" Temari stalled, trying to think of options. "But—the other Genins won't be scouted out."

Kankurou laughed. "Orochimaru-sama doesn't care about them. As long as he gets that boy, the Uchiha prodigy, he'll be happy."

Baki grunted. "And perhaps one of the Hyuuga clan. Their abilities would serve Orochimaru-sama well." Seeing the perplexed expressions on his students' faces, he elaborated. "Konoha Village's Hyuuga clan possess a powerful bloodline limit, the Byakugan."

"Ah, the white-eyes!" Temari put in, glad to be able to contribute to the conversation. "I do remember that from the Academy."

"Good, Temari-chan," Baki told her. She beamed at the rarely-given compliment. "If Gaara gets out of hand, fetch me immediately," he said then, getting back to business. "He is integral to our plan, but that also means he holds the failure of the invasion in his hand. If worst comes to worst, it would be better to kill Gaara and call him a renegade than to spoil Orochimaru-sama's surprise."

Temari blanched. "B-baki-sensei!" She turned to her team member. "Kanku-kun! Gaara is your brother!"

"A brother who should have died when he was born," Kankurou replied evenly. "I will feel no pity if my kunai ends Gaara's life."

"Let's hope it does not come to that," Baki interjected. "You would do well to smother your emotions, Temari-chan," he went on, stressing the title to emphasise her youth. "Orochimaru-sama does not forgive, and he does not forget. Remember, do not tell Gaara his part in this. You have been given you the opportunity to partake in this grand scheme, and you should be grateful!" With that, he rose and left the room.

Temari glared at Kankurou. "How could you talk about Gaara like that? Like he was just another tool?"

"He is," Kankurou said bluntly. "Gaara is nothing more than a weapon. The blood we share is only an accident of birth. Open your eyes, Temari. How many times did he threaten to kill you today?"

She didn't blink. "Five. But I'm still here."

"For now," Kankurou mumbled, almost under his breath. "He cannot be relied upon! He has no love for us, no loyalty and no guilt! Wake up and see that your brother is dead. Only a monster remains."

Temari gaped. Kankurou looked at her with some trepidation—he hadn't meant to speak so harshly, but her defense of their unfeeling kin annoyed him no end. Then his own eyes shot open wide—the door behind Temari had cracked open! The door to Gaara's room!

Gaara stood framed in the doorway, looking at his two siblings with puzzlement at their obvious fear. "Why are you scared?"

Temari recovered first. "W-we're not scared," she lied. "What's wrong, Gaara?"

"Nothing." He blinked slowly as the other two released heartfelt sighs of relief. They hadn't been overheard. "I... don't want to rest." Gaara's fear-induced insomnia had led him to develop a specialised kind of meditation, lapsing into a fitful trance for an hour or so each night, his body relaxing enough to allow him some sort of recovery. "Will you... play with me, Temari?" He nodded towards the Shogi board they had set up on a table.

"Of course, Gaara," Temari responded, although she had been planning to go to bed. "Shall we play where we left off, or start again?" She couldn't see Kankurou behind her, glaring at both of them with an expression of intense hatred.

"I am going to sleep. Goodnight," the larger Sand-nin said abruptly, striding past Gaara into the room he shared with Temari. He kept his eyes downcast as he passed, not meeting Gaara's steady gaze. Watching him closely, Temari noticed that this simple fact seemed to make him even angrier.

Gaara turned back to her. "Your move," he told her, the slightest hint of a smile touching his face. Shogi was a game Gaara truly enjoyed, although he was still only beginning to learn the subtleties. For such a volatile person, he was a surprisingly good sport, and no matter how many times Temari beat him at her favourite game, he didn't lose his temper.

Not wanting to take the chance, however, Temari carefully lost as many games as she dared. Gaara's pride was substantial, and if he ever guessed her intentional losses, she suspected her life would be forfeit.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. Although she barely got any sleep, Temari figured she would have her chance to catch up on her rest before the Chuunin exam, and didn't regret playing Shogi all night.

Gaara was gone when she woke up, her head on the checked board where she fell asleep.

A/N: Don't stress, guys! Hinata will show up within a few chapters. She gets a fic to herself later, anyway. That was what is technically known as a shameless self-plug. I just wanted to set the stage more than anything in this chapter. More coming soon.

Oh, and thanks heaps for all the reviews.