After the kiss and later that same night...

TEMARI

Temari watched the three boys walk away.

Before Temari could take a beat to process what had happened with Shikamaru, her phone rang. It was Gaara.

Her brothers wouldn't call her unless it was important, so she answered immediately. She heard Kankurou's voice protesting in the background, "She's just going to get mad at the both of us!"

"She will get even more mad if we don't tell her," Gaara spoke.

"Gaara. What's going on." her tone made it more of an order than a question.

"We are in the emergency room at the college's medical centre," Gaara's voice was quiet. "But Temari there is no need for you to come over as Kankurou is only slightly injured-"

Temari didn't hear what he said because she quickly grabbed the things from the ground and sprinted to the main campus.

INO

Ino's night was turning out to be huge bore.

She had planned an exciting date night with her boyfriend Sai, which ended up being postponed due to an 'art emergency'. Heartbroken and cranky, she called Sakura to seek comfort … only to find Sakura more heartbroken than she was, and had run to the library to cry into Hinata's arms. Hinata told her that Sasuke had left the campus for the weekend without telling Sakura.

And just when the two of them had started texting… Ino thought, shaking her head in disgust. She couldn't believe she used to have a crush on him.

She didn't know if Sakura and Sasuke's on-again-off-again-barely-on-the-first-time relationship was ever going to amount to anything, but she was rooting for her best friend's happiness. Ino, Hinata and Sakura had been through it all in their years of friendship. So at Hinata's suggestion, the trio were going to hang out and watch a movie together. Which would have been a perfect night.

But as they were leaving the library that evening, they'd run into one of the "Suna-stars". Ino chuckled to herself at how genius that nickname was - only it was no laughing matter because Kankurou was covered in blood and missing a finger. He had accidentally chopped his finger off with one of the powertools. It's a good thing the three girls were the top of their medical class or he might have had to say goodbye to that finger.

They managed to get him to the emergency ward in time to get him the medical attention he needed. That was when Dr. Tsunade appeared and grabbed them for some spontaneous volunteer work. Dr Tsunade had just started briefing them on how to clean the bedpans when a certain beautiful blonde rushed into the emergency ward looking for her brother.

"I'm here for my brother. Is he alright?" Temari asked the front desk urgently.

Ino quickly brushed Professor Tsunade away, telling her that it was their sacred duty as the Student Council Members to ensure their new transfer was reunited with her family.

"Follow us, Temari!" Ino said in a dramatised urgency, whisking Hinata and Sakura away from Dr. Tsunade.

The four girls rushed through the corridors. Ino noticed Temari in an oversized hoodie and trackpants. Who runs this late on a Friday night?

The same kind of people who'd risk their limbs to make their art, Ino guessed. These Suna-kids were beyond comprehension. Yet - there was something about Temari's outfit that seemed familiar.

"He's just through these doors," Ino told her. "We haven't met but I'm -"

"Sakura and Ino. Council Members. Secretary and Student Welfare." Temari said.

Sakura blinked at Ino, as if to say, she's good. Ino just mouthed 'Suna-stars' to Sakura.

"Hinata was also here - but she's managed to slip away somehow," Sakura said. Ino noted that Hinata had been getting better than disappearing lately. It was an issue she put a pin in to discuss later.

"That's a really nice hoodie, by the way," Ino complimented. There was something about it that caught her attention. Like it looked out of place on Temari.

Ino watched as Temari glanced down, as if she had forgotten she was wearing it. "Urh - thanks," she said in hesitation.

Is she blushing? Ino thought.

The three of them walked to a room and Ino pulled back a curtain, revealing Kankurou on a hospital bed. His shirt had bloodstains and one of his hands was bandaged up. Gaara was sitting next to him, legs crossed. His face looked very intense with heavy smudged eyeliner around his eyes - even more so that his shirt had blood splatters. At the arrival of Temari, the two boys sat upright.

Everyone knew Ino was the biggest gossip on campus. It's not that she was out to harm anyone - she was just perceptive. And her greatest super power was being able to read people well. Having information and insight to campus students and their relationships was what allowed the student council to run smoothly. And right now, Ino could see that Temari was definitely the boss of these two.

Temari must run a tight ship, Ino guessed. Are they in for some kind of lecture? Punishment? Ino loved watching a scene, almost as much as she liked stirring the pot. She was a busybody, so sue her.

There was a pause as the three sand siblings looked at each other. Temari moving her gaze from Gaara to Kankurou. Then the moment released when Temari rushed to her brothers' bedside and wrapped them both in a hug.

The two boys glanced at each other before wrapping their own arms around her as well. Then after what felt like a good minute, Kankurou sniffed the air. "Ugh. Tem, why do you stink?"

"Sister, please... you smell like a chimney... if it was made of meat." Gaara said softly.

Temari let them out of the hug and gave them a good once over. With a nod of her head, she raised a hand and whacked them both on the head. The boys went "Ow" in unison.

"What on earth happened here? Kankurou, how have you injured yourself within the week?" Temari had her arms crossed over her chest.

"I thought I turned off the power saw, but I didn't and well… oops," Kankurou grumbled shyly. Temari looked at the bandage on his hand, her eyebrows scrunching up in distress.

"Don't worry sis, Sakura said I'll be fine."

Temari whipped her head back and her icy glare caused Ino to feel a chill run down her spine.

"It's not as serious as it looks. It was a clean cut and despite the blood loss, it was a very simple procedure of reattaching the veins and nerves."

Ino tried to ease the situation, "Yeah he'll be fine, Temari. Sakura is the top of our class and prodigy of Dr. Tsunade herself. She knew what to do and she made sure he got the best treatment," Ino said, proud of her best friend.

"Yeah, good call on bringing the finger. I didn't know we could reattach body parts like that," Kankurou called out.

Temari rushed over to Sakura and hugged her as well. "Thank you," Ino heard her say softly to Sakura beside her. Sakura shot Ino a glance. Ino signalled her to hug Temari back, which Sakura did hesitantly. Then Temari let her go and turned back to Gaara.

"And Gaara, what happened to you?"

Now the people present turned to Gaara, who had dark rings of eyeliner around his eyes that made him resemble a raccoon. He also had on a torn mesh shirt, huge black platform boots and several studded belts around a very baggy pair of pants.

"I've been wondering the same thing all night," Kankurou admitted.

"I guess it is time for me to inform you both…" Gaara said seriously. Standing up, he looked between his big brother and sister.

Ino and Sakura quietly watched all of them. They were a peculiar bunch. Three very gifted and very good-looking siblings, who took everything they did way too seriously.

"I am in a band," Gaara admitted solemnly. Or perhaps that's just his default tone, Ino wondered.

"A band?" The other two siblings asked in unison. They turned to each other, mouths agape and then back to Gaara.

Temari asked, "Since when?"

"With who?!" Kankurou asked, pushing himself up higher on his bed, ignoring the fact he almost lost a finger a couple hours ago.

"From our day of arrival at Konoha College," he told them calmly. "With my new friend, Lee. He is a drummer. I accompany his drumming with my cello." Then with a smug expression, he revealed, "We are very good."

Temari and Kankurou were too stunned to speak.

Ino knew Lee. Everyone knew Lee. Lee was great, and cheery and an all-round sweetheart. How did he end up in a band with dark and brooding Gaara? That was another interesting story to put a pin in for later - as Ino had to take the opportunity that presented itself.

"We actually need a student band for the Fall Festival," Ino said out of turn. The room turned to her.

"Would you and Lee be interested in playing?"

Gaara looked at her blankly.

"I will confer with Lee. But that sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Thank you for asking me, Ino."

This would do well at the next student council meeting. A fusion of the two schools would look great too! Ino thought gladly.

Then someone tugged at the curtain. Hinata's head popped in, with her wide pale eyes and perfect bangs, "Ino, Sakura - we need to go. Dr Tsunade is roaming the halls." Hinata's big eyes caught onto the addition of Temari. Temari herself looked at Hinata's sudden head in astonishment.

"Hinata Hyuuga!" Temari let out in a soft gasp.

"Temari, I didn't think you'd remember me," Hinata said.

"It has been a long time," Temari said with a warm smile. "How is your father?" she asked.

"He is ... as he always is. And yours?"

Temari shrugged, "The usual - kind of an evil bastard but, ya know."

Hinata nodded with a chuckle.

Ino and Sakura looked to each other in shock. Despite being wildly popular on campus, Hinata was not a very sociable girl and she never talked about her father.

"I wish we could stay to chitchat more, but if Dr Tsunade finds us, she's likely to make us clean bedpans all weekend, " Ino said. "Speedy recovery, Kankurou and let me know about the Festival, Gaara. We'll see you around Temari!" Ino yanked her two friends through the curtains and the three girls rushed out of the hospital.

"That was the most interesting night I've had in a while," Ino admitted to her besties. "And Hinata, you've been holding out on us!"