This is only a side fic and it does not follow any sort of timeline from Wild One. The chapters will be short and in no particular order! This chapter, for example, is before Gaara becomes Kazekage, but they're in Suna so obviously there's been a time skip. This chapter has been rewritten: 3-16-2013

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed both of these stories. And a special thanks to katarauchiha653719 for being the 200th reviewer for Wild One! This chapter is out now because of you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but Kida and all her crazy glory, is mine.

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves."

-Thomas Wolfe

Chapter 4: Adjusting to Our New Life

Getting used to living with another person in the house hadn't been nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Kida fit into our strange little family almost seamlessly; filling a gap that none of us had been aware even existed. Though Kankuro would never admit it; he was fond of the spunky little red-head, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of the difference in power she shared with the three of us.

As far as Kida was aware, there was no reason that she needed to be afraid while living with a houseful of shinobi. She acted as if we were just fellow civilians. Kida openly teased, if not borderline harassed, Kankuro. And talked as easily with Temari as she did with me. It was oddly refreshing to have someone so relatively normal in our house. Of course that didn't say anything good about the three of us when we made, Kida, of all people look normal.

Though she had only recently come to live with us; we had somehow already set up a routine in the few short weeks since her arrival. After my short stay at the hospital, I had returned to my training with a new-found passion. I would leave the house at the crack of dawn and not return until the Sun was about to set. I would then come home to find Kida waiting for me on the step, with dinner already cooking.

Of course she complained vehemently that I was turning her into a meek house wife. She often warned me that this treatment would only last until she found a new job. Something that both Kankuro and I hoped wouldn't happen for a while. A fact that Temari seemed only too aware of.

It was strange, to think that there had ever been a time before she lived here; Kida had adapted quickly to living in our house. Modest as it may have been compared to the one we'd had when we were still children of the Kazekage. The most obvious problem being that our new home had only one bathroom. On the bright side, Kida had taught Kankuro to finally start knocking before he barged in. Something he just wouldn't listen to coming from me and Temari.

I'll never forget coming home for lunch to find a screaming, and irate Kida, dressed in only a towel chasing an apologizing Kankuro across our living room with a broom. I wonder if he's forgiven Temari yet for tripping him as he ran by. I probably should have stopped her, but I was still too stunned by the scene that had been unfolding.

The next day Kida had hung the dented broom handle above the bathroom door; serving as a reminder to knock before entering.

Kida's voice broke the long silence that had fallen over us. "You know, Suna's not so bad once you get used to that whole 'The Sun is trying to kill you' thing," she said, wiping the back of her hand across her sweating forehead.

"I suppose," I muttered. "The heat has never really bothered me that much."

She snorted "Of course it doesn't. Hey, that reminds me, just how do you stay that pale?" she poked my exposed arm softly. "I've only been here a little while and I swear I'm already a few shades darker!" She held her own arm next to mine for emphasis.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know; I've always looked like this."

Kida folded her arms with a huff. "Lucky jerk… Hey, do you hear that?"

"Hmm?" I muttered looking at her.

Her head cocked to the side. "That noise. Don't you hear it?"

It was then that a faint, but insistent, beeping finally caught my attention. I focused on the noise, trying to pin point its location. "It sounds like the smoke alarm," I said softly.

"That's ridiculous, why would the smoke alar- Shit!" She jumped to her feet and ran cursing into the house. Even from where I was sitting, the noise that erupted once she'd entered the kitchen was obscene. I heard what sounded like pots slamming against each other, and doors being thrown open and closed; followed by a brief moment of silence before a flaming casserole pan was thrown out the window. I watched as a billow of gray smoke rose into the blazing blue Suna sky.

Kida was soon on it, trying valiantly to put out the small blaze with a wet towel, and failing miserably. I smothered the burning thing with sand, and Kida jumped back with a startled yelp. She looked at me with wide eyes for a moment before a crimson flush covered her lightly tanned cheeks.

"So, I was thinking we'd have take out tonight. What about you?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed chuckle. She turned to close the door behind her only to freeze and look at the smoke wall that was still filtering out behind her.

"You know what? On second thought let's go out to eat, we need to get out of the house more anyway," she said walking past me mumbling something to herself about faulty ovens.

Getting up and following after the crazed red-headed civilian I asked, "Kida, do you even know where you're going?"

"Well of course," she said stopping to face me with a suspiciously blank face.

"Kida-"

"Onward, to the nearest restaurant!" she suddenly screamed, throwing an arm up and into the air with one finger pointed at the sky. To say that she didn't startle me would have been a lie. To say that she noticed would also have been a lie, because she twisted around and began to march lock-kneed down the street.

I forced my gaze to the ground and ignored the stunned stares that both civilians and shinobi alike were sending our way. Trudging after Kida, head bent, I only hoped no one could see the red that I was sure dusted my cheeks.

Sighing, I shook my head. This girl is going to destroy my reputation…

AN: Hope y'all liked it, and if so, feel free to review! Also, if there were any mistakes please let me know.