Temari blew a strand of blond hair out of her face, and moved the kettle from the stove to the table, to let it cool off. She gave sky a quick glance, only to confirm her suspicions. Fall Desert Storms were going to arrive early this year. She sighed for the second time and picked up her chopsticks to taste the curry for salt and pepper. She was waiting for her brothers to return home, worried with the weather conditions, getting worse by the moment.

Today was exactly a year since that fight, and that wound. But she decided not to dwell on it. She wasn't completely disabled or horribly disfigured. She wasn't dead. She still had time to live and spend with her brothers, making decent money as an Academy teacher of Suna. Sure. She was never going to be a Jounin, and the Number One Suna team was already balanced out by a new girl, but it didn't make her upset.

She wanted them to stay safe, rather than loyal to old, pointless memories. She bit her lip again, reminding herself about the promise not to spill a single tear over this. So what if her dreams were shattered to dust, and one of the most promising young ninjas was reduced to a calm life of an academy teacher? She missed the violent days, sleepless nights, the excitement, the danger. The pain, the power, the love, hate – full range of emotions, she missed every single bit of them. She missed this intensity, the insanity, the excitement... but she would be damned if she'd let any of that inner torment show.

Temari knew how much both of her brothers loved her. Even Gaara. Especially Gaara. After that fight with Naruto at the chuunin exams his whole point of view towards the world has changed. The feared and hated Sand Ninja suddenly understood what it meant to be a family. He began to succumb to the warmth of his sister's embraces, and the exciting jolt of encouragement of his brother's words. She knew how precious this little happiness was to him, how important it was that their family would STILL be a family despite all the mishaps, and storms, and wars outside. They will STILL be strong, living, loving and learning off each other. It was never too late to learn how to feel loved and appreciated. It was never too late to be welcomed with opened arms.

What she didn't know, however, was how much Gaara admired her. Despite her blunt and egotistical attitude, she always dismissed the thought of him adoring her. She didn't know that it was her strength that drove him to be better. And he didn't know that it was his wisdom that gave her the strength. They never sat down to think about how much they really meant to each other, but... it wasn't really needed.

They'd figured it out on their own.