A thin dust of sand ran wild as feet ran across its desert ground. Some of the light grains got caught in Temari's flying hair as she ran to find her father with the newly-discovered proof.

She slammed the Kazekage's door open, her father didn't even flinch. "I have the proof! You can't keep her in there now!"

"Why would I believe a little girl like you. You women have no respect for men's duties..."
"Stop with the backslashes, you… ugh! You will listen to me if I have to drag you away from that desk of yours and clamp your ears open! You're the one who needs to learn respect for others. Just because you're the Kazekage doesn't mean you have to be such a suck-up. That's the reason why anyone would revolt against Suna. Shall I give an example of the Leaf?"

'How'd she know? She couldn't be a leaf spy is she?' His shock if her knowledge of the threat letter put him totally off guard for a few long seconds of thought. "Well young lady, that is none of your business. But I will now listen to what you have to say."

And so Temari told her father about the events and somewhat discussion she had with Matsuri, although she eventually noticed that he wasn't fully paying attention to her. To draw him back to the earth where she was telling her events, she slammed her fist on the desk on which his elbow supporting his head was rested on. "DAD!"

He aroused himself shortly after the vibrating sensation of his shaken desk. Looking at his daughter, he decided not to argue with her about his weapon any farther and told her his plan.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry I zoned out for a second but I quite agree with your facts and I will release her. However, if she breaks any other laws I have set forth, I will deal with her severely."
"Fine, but I'll give you a warning for next time: if someone comes to you with any problem, crisis, or necessity, you should at least look like you're paying attention before you go telling you're opinion, even if you weren't listening to a word." And with that shrewdness, she turned sharply and walked out the door.

He leaned his cheek on his hand supported on the desk once more and stared at the door. A slight frustration toward her brewed in his words. "Why couldn't I discipline a brat like her more? She's going to be hard to persuade for this next mission of hers to the Leaf. She's just so much like her mother! Well, I hope you have a good enough plan to crack her, Orochimaru."

A figure stepped out of the shadow where the door would usually open over. It was tall and lean as it slowly and stealthily walked over to the Kazekage's desk. And he replied in a soft, semi-high voice to his requester: "Rest be assured, power on either end will be easily attained, especially with your one-tail jinchuriki." The Kazekage then looked back to his work without even noticing the dark-haired thing's bloody sparkle in its eye.

"Hurry up, you pathetic girl! Or did being gone for two days really take that much toll on you?"
"I-I've been b-busy..."
"Don't bother her. She's nothing to fuss over." Her sensei's black eyes were cold toward her. She could tell that he now held no pride in having the top of the class girl on his team. The only good ones on his team were jerks, but jerks were better than criminals. 'It is going to be such a waste of time trying to work with two opposite types of people.'

"Come on, you worthless pile of slut! We gotta start working if we're going to have a chance to be in the chunin exams. Oh wait, we could've gone if you had come to the meeting yesterday but no, you had to be "sick" or whatever your excuse was. You're such a burden. Why couldn't you have been on lover boy's team?"
"He's not a lover. He's an outsider." Hinata replied in a small voice, just barely audible to her teammates.
"Oh, so are you saying you're an outsider too? Then maybe you should be kicked off the team..."
"That's far enough Kega. Now, instead of fussing, we could get some training done. As she's the most capable, you two will attack her and she'll defend herself. Now remember girl, no kicking, punching, or dodging. Ready? GO!"

These had become her new training: resisting pain. Everyday after training, she had also been told not to ice it lest she'd gain no tolerance, so she had to live through the pain day after day. The only time she wasn't the punching bag was when they were on missions. Even then, it wasn't that much better. They were not given many missions but the ones they were given were D-ranked where they usually had to do underground work or help a shop-owner with carrying supplies or something, but everyone was open to conversation, or discrimination in her case.

'Geez, why do they do this to her? She's such a fragile thing!' Kankuro had been working on his own training. It just so happened he was practicing at the same time as his siblings' friend and her group. He had to admit to himself, she was a nice thing. She had heard many great things about her: hardworking, sweet, gentle, and by far, friendly. 'Friendly enough to friend the demon. No, Kankuro, stop it! He's your brother, not a demon,' as he started beating his head to discriminate himself from calling his brother evil again. She had changed him though. He was less intimidating, but ever since Gaara and Hinata have not been able to meet, he lost his softer side and became a little more… anti-social. Gaara hardly went out anymore and stayed locked up in his room. Feeling bad, he often attempted to enter his room to get him to train with him, but only resulting in Shukaku's sand pushing him into the hallway outside his room.

"Temari," Kankuro concernedly called to his sister, sitting on the floor with her back against the farthest wall in the library.
"Hm?"
"Remember that girl?"
"Of course I remember her."
"Is there any way we can help her? She's being tortured almost everywhere now."
"Well, that's how Gaara has been now. I don't know what we could do. If only they could both see farther than the dry cracks, they might be able to find something in sand."