I'm sorry if this one is short or somehow feels incomplete, but it was originally going to be the end of the one before this. After the last scene that I added unexpectedly, it was getting to be too long so I had to put this into a separate chapter. Plus I got kinda stuck on what to write since I didn't need to put as much detail in it at first, so I probably rushed it a bit.

Agonizing Wait

Tick, tock...Tick, tock...

Would that stupid clock ever stop ticking? It was agonizing enough for Temari to be sitting in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting any news about her youngest brother. For the clock to actually dare to torment her further by ticking obnoxiously...

SMASH!

Kankuro looked up, surprised, at the sudden noise. He saw the clock, which had previously been up on the wall in front of him, lying smashed on the ground, and his sister glaring angrily at it, fan still open.

"Geez, Temari, calm down," Kankuro said, his tone not in any way helping her. "It's not polite to destroy other peoples' clocks, you know."

Temari shot a death glare at him, effectively shutting him up.

How could he remain so calm when Gaara was in a hospital and they hadn't heard any news about him in two hours? She supposed that he either didn't care or he was really good at masking his emotion. Knowing what a complete idiot Kankuro could be at times, Temari decided to go with the former.

Taking her now closed fan, she smacked him hard on the head with it. "You could at least try showing some concern!"

Kankuro rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain of being smacked by a four-foot-long fan. "Geez, I'm sorry for not worrying to death about Gaara."

Temari narrowed her eyes at her brother's sarcasm, but didn't do anything. She decided that having both her brothers in the hospital in one day wasn't the smartest idea. But tomorrow...She smirked to herself. Tomorrow he would wake up in a hospital bed.

"Temari? Kankuro?"

Both siblings turned their head to see a medic ninja standing just outside Gaara's room. She had a smile on her face. "Gaara is just fine. He received no serious injuries. He'll be free to leave the hospital in just a few minutes, but I'd suggest making sure he gets plenty of rest for the next few days. His chakra reserves are extremely low, so he's not going to be able to do much for a while."

Temari let out a silent breath of relief. Gaara would be okay. Maybe a bit tired for a while, but he was alright. She looked over at Kankuro and was pleased to see a relieved smile on his face as well. It was good to know he cared as well.

The next few minutes were even more agonizing to Temari than the two hours they had already waited, but eventually the door to Gaara's room slid open.

As soon as Temari saw her brother emerge from the hospital room, the first thing she did was embrace him in a huge hug. He didn't resist.