Of the Sand 10
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Chapter Ten: Curiosity
Temari awoke to find herself in the infirmary at ANBU headquarters with her teacher trying to talk to Gaara. Kankuro was in the bed next to hers, though he still seemed to be unconscious. Temari sat up, repressing a groan as she moved. “What happened?”
“We got caught, just like I said we would,” Kankuro answered. Temari looked over to see his eyes blink open.
“I thought you were still out of it,” Temari grumbled.
“The ANBU were unsure whether this was a plot against you or not, so he thought best to knock you out,” Baki answered.
“They didn’t knock Gaara out, I bet,” Kankuro muttered to himself.
“They asked me to come with them after knocking you out,” Gaara answered. “They were afraid of me, just like everyone else except for Daniel, Cam and Jack.”
“Speaking of Jack, where are he and the others?” Temari asked. She glanced around the infirmary, but it seemed to be empty beyond the siblings and their teacher.
“They were taken to another room. While your presence negated the possibility of genjutsu, it did not absolve the possibility that this might be a kidnapping plot or a plot against you,” Baki answered.
“They weren’t forcing us to do anything,” Temari objected.
“Speak for yourself,” Kankuro replied.
“You could have left at any time, Kankuro,” Temari pointed out. “You didn’t have to follow us out of the house and you didn’t have to follow us into the clinic. They wouldn’t have done anything to you.”
“I still don’t see why you think that guy is so great,” Kankuro said.
“Who are they?” Baki interrupted.
“Gaara and I met them a couple of days ago at the market place. Gaara played with the younger ones while I helped their older brother shop,” Temari answered. “They’re from out of town and have only just moved here.”
“Did they explain why they broke into the clinic?” Baki asked. “Are they trying to get you to take drugs?”
“We’re a little young for that, teacher,” Temari replied as Kankuro started giggling.
“Daniel’s sick, he needs medicine,” Gaara piped up. He stared at Baki. “Is Daniel scared of me? Is that what makes him sick?”
“No one gets sick out of fear and needs medicine,” was the only thing that Baki could think to say.
“There’s something called germs that are making Daniel sick,” Temari answered. “Remember, the redhead said that Daniel had a virus.”
“The redhead?” Baki repeated. “You don’t even know their names and you followed them?”
“I hadn’t met the girl before,” Temari replied with a glare, “I told you that I had met Jack before this.”
“Why are these children so important to you?” Baki asked.
“They played with Gaara,” Temari answered. “No one plays with Gaara, but they did. They’re not scared of Gaara at all and I don’t even think that they know that we’re the Kazekage’s children.”
The door opened before Baki could reply to Temari’s answer and a team of ANBU entered the room. Baki stood up from his chair beside Gaara’s bed and Temari sat up straighter in her bed. Even Kankuro moved so that he could see what was going on.
“We’ve talked to the oldest boy,” one of the men in the lead said. “For the most part, I believe in his story, but I thought I should check in with the Kazekage’s children to make sure that their story of a sick brother wasn’t the lead in to an ambush.”
“He’s our friend and he’s telling the truth, as far as we know,” Temari answered before Baki could say anything.
“Right, then, we’ll go pick the boy and the others up,” the man said. “Sekka, will you come with us? We want a medic nin to look over the sick boy to be sure that he’s stable to travel the distance.”
“Give me a second to get my gear,” Sekka said as he moved towards his office.
“I want to come,” Temari said before she could stop herself.
“What?” Baki asked, swinging around to stare at her.
“I want to go with you guys to pick up Daniel,” Temari repeated.
“Me too,” Gaara said.
“We’re not taking any more kids,” the man said.
“I know how to use my chakra to run faster, which is something that Jack doesn’t know how to do,” Temari pointed out.
“We’re going to deal with that issue,” the man replied, “but I still am not going to take the Kazekage’s children with me.”
“Gaara will stay here and help things be set up for Daniel’s arrival,” Temari bargained. “Kankuro can help, too.”
“You won’t let this go, will you?” the leader asked.
“No,” Temari answered. She stuck her chin up in the air. “They’re my friends and I want to help.”
“With your permission, Baki?” the leader said as he turned toward their teacher.
“Isago, take care of her,” Baki ordered.
“Yes, sir,” one of the men behind the leader said as he snapped off a salute.
“I’ll go get the kid and meet you topside,” the leader said before leaving the room.
“I wanted to come,” Gaara said with a frown.
“You can’t come, Gaara,” Temari said. She blinked, experiencing a brief moment of fear, but she quickly brushed that feeling away. Gaara was different around Jack and the others; maybe their theory was right after all. Or, Gaara was just playing with them before killing them, but Temari would go with the first idea for now. “Kankuro can help you pick out some good games to play when someone’s sick and maybe you can visit Cam and the others.”
“Do you have to include me on this?” Kankuro hissed at Temari.
“Yes,” Temari hissed back. “He’s our brother, Kankuro, so be nice.”
“Fine, fine,” Kankuro sighed. “But I’ll haunt you if he ends up killing me because he didn’t like my description of Go Fish.”
“It’ll be fine, Kankuro,” Temari replied. The medic nin came out of his office with a clatter and Temari got up from the bed. “Be good, Gaara,” she said before following after the two men. She was going to see where her new friend lived.
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Chapter 11
Chapter Ten: Curiosity
Temari awoke to find herself in the infirmary at ANBU headquarters with her teacher trying to talk to Gaara. Kankuro was in the bed next to hers, though he still seemed to be unconscious. Temari sat up, repressing a groan as she moved. “What happened?”
“We got caught, just like I said we would,” Kankuro answered. Temari looked over to see his eyes blink open.
“I thought you were still out of it,” Temari grumbled.
“The ANBU were unsure whether this was a plot against you or not, so he thought best to knock you out,” Baki answered.
“They didn’t knock Gaara out, I bet,” Kankuro muttered to himself.
“They asked me to come with them after knocking you out,” Gaara answered. “They were afraid of me, just like everyone else except for Daniel, Cam and Jack.”
“Speaking of Jack, where are he and the others?” Temari asked. She glanced around the infirmary, but it seemed to be empty beyond the siblings and their teacher.
“They were taken to another room. While your presence negated the possibility of genjutsu, it did not absolve the possibility that this might be a kidnapping plot or a plot against you,” Baki answered.
“They weren’t forcing us to do anything,” Temari objected.
“Speak for yourself,” Kankuro replied.
“You could have left at any time, Kankuro,” Temari pointed out. “You didn’t have to follow us out of the house and you didn’t have to follow us into the clinic. They wouldn’t have done anything to you.”
“I still don’t see why you think that guy is so great,” Kankuro said.
“Who are they?” Baki interrupted.
“Gaara and I met them a couple of days ago at the market place. Gaara played with the younger ones while I helped their older brother shop,” Temari answered. “They’re from out of town and have only just moved here.”
“Did they explain why they broke into the clinic?” Baki asked. “Are they trying to get you to take drugs?”
“We’re a little young for that, teacher,” Temari replied as Kankuro started giggling.
“Daniel’s sick, he needs medicine,” Gaara piped up. He stared at Baki. “Is Daniel scared of me? Is that what makes him sick?”
“No one gets sick out of fear and needs medicine,” was the only thing that Baki could think to say.
“There’s something called germs that are making Daniel sick,” Temari answered. “Remember, the redhead said that Daniel had a virus.”
“The redhead?” Baki repeated. “You don’t even know their names and you followed them?”
“I hadn’t met the girl before,” Temari replied with a glare, “I told you that I had met Jack before this.”
“Why are these children so important to you?” Baki asked.
“They played with Gaara,” Temari answered. “No one plays with Gaara, but they did. They’re not scared of Gaara at all and I don’t even think that they know that we’re the Kazekage’s children.”
The door opened before Baki could reply to Temari’s answer and a team of ANBU entered the room. Baki stood up from his chair beside Gaara’s bed and Temari sat up straighter in her bed. Even Kankuro moved so that he could see what was going on.
“We’ve talked to the oldest boy,” one of the men in the lead said. “For the most part, I believe in his story, but I thought I should check in with the Kazekage’s children to make sure that their story of a sick brother wasn’t the lead in to an ambush.”
“He’s our friend and he’s telling the truth, as far as we know,” Temari answered before Baki could say anything.
“Right, then, we’ll go pick the boy and the others up,” the man said. “Sekka, will you come with us? We want a medic nin to look over the sick boy to be sure that he’s stable to travel the distance.”
“Give me a second to get my gear,” Sekka said as he moved towards his office.
“I want to come,” Temari said before she could stop herself.
“What?” Baki asked, swinging around to stare at her.
“I want to go with you guys to pick up Daniel,” Temari repeated.
“Me too,” Gaara said.
“We’re not taking any more kids,” the man said.
“I know how to use my chakra to run faster, which is something that Jack doesn’t know how to do,” Temari pointed out.
“We’re going to deal with that issue,” the man replied, “but I still am not going to take the Kazekage’s children with me.”
“Gaara will stay here and help things be set up for Daniel’s arrival,” Temari bargained. “Kankuro can help, too.”
“You won’t let this go, will you?” the leader asked.
“No,” Temari answered. She stuck her chin up in the air. “They’re my friends and I want to help.”
“With your permission, Baki?” the leader said as he turned toward their teacher.
“Isago, take care of her,” Baki ordered.
“Yes, sir,” one of the men behind the leader said as he snapped off a salute.
“I’ll go get the kid and meet you topside,” the leader said before leaving the room.
“I wanted to come,” Gaara said with a frown.
“You can’t come, Gaara,” Temari said. She blinked, experiencing a brief moment of fear, but she quickly brushed that feeling away. Gaara was different around Jack and the others; maybe their theory was right after all. Or, Gaara was just playing with them before killing them, but Temari would go with the first idea for now. “Kankuro can help you pick out some good games to play when someone’s sick and maybe you can visit Cam and the others.”
“Do you have to include me on this?” Kankuro hissed at Temari.
“Yes,” Temari hissed back. “He’s our brother, Kankuro, so be nice.”
“Fine, fine,” Kankuro sighed. “But I’ll haunt you if he ends up killing me because he didn’t like my description of Go Fish.”
“It’ll be fine, Kankuro,” Temari replied. The medic nin came out of his office with a clatter and Temari got up from the bed. “Be good, Gaara,” she said before following after the two men. She was going to see where her new friend lived.
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Chapter 11