That night Sakura was invited to dinner with the sand siblings. She spent a good half hour fretting and getting herself worked up before there was a knock at the door and Temari walked in.

Temari frowned when she saw Sakura's harassed expression. "What's the matter with you?" She asked. "Are you nervous or something?"

Sakura nodded. "How stupid is that? Fighting enemies and saving the country has never made me so worked up."

Temari laughed and put an arm around Sakura's shoulders, leading her out into the street. "Don't be so stupid. What's there to worry about anyway? It's not even like that first date with the family you've never met before. I already like you, and you know Kankuro, and he knows you, a little. We already like you; after all, you saved our little brother. For us, it's just a plus that he's fallen for you." She explained, and added after a moment. "Sometimes."

Sakura looked at Temari. "Really? You're glad that he likes me?"

Temari nearly snorted at Sakura's choice of words. 'Like you?' She thought. 'He's gone crazy, he's a bit beyond 'liking' you.' But she managed to keep any unladylike sounds from escaping her mouth and respond levelly. "Of course. It's always good when Gaara shows some humanity."

Sakura nodded. "Oh. Of course."

Temari frowned, wondering if she had chosen her words badly. She knew she could tip toe around the issue of Gaara's vicious past, but she had never felt that was a good way to deal with the past. There were plenty of people in the city who wouldn't acknowledge what Gaara had done in the past, but Temari felt that wasn't fair. Gaara had accomplished a lot of things; he had done a lot for the city. To ignore who he was before he became Kazekage was too easy, and it ignored how far he had come to be where he was now. She was proud of her brother, as disgusted as it made her feel sometimes.

"It'll be fine." Temari reassured Sakura again. "Just try not to be offended by Kankuro, or any of the rest of us for that matter. We weren't raised in a very proper environment. We don't always act as civilised as we maybe should."

Sakura grinned. "I know. I did live with Gaara for months after all."