the storm bringer | ✓

VIII

eight. 

(—darkening skies)  

As soon as they were out of the Hokage's building Winter leapt up onto the nearest rooftop. "It will be faster if we travel up here." She murmured before sprinting off not really caring if the Genin from Suna followed her or not. She was a black and red blur to the citizens on the ground as she hurdles across gaps and sometimes did a flip to jump over a particularly big gap. The Suna Nin race after her, the two older siblings glancing at each other wondering why the Hokage chose this strange girl to show them around. After a couple minutes Winter slowed down and jumped onto a path stuffing her hands into her pockets. 

"Hey, where are we going?" The blonde girl finally calls out to her. 

"The Hokage ordered me to let you stay where I live, we are going to my house." Her voice was hollow sounding. 

"You're the girl from before right? Winter." She continues trying to break the silence. 

"Yeah, I know that the one with the facepaint is Kankuro and the one with the bloodthirst is Gaara. What's your name?" Winter replies as they come to a fork in the path. One lead into the woods and seemed overrun with weeds, the other was wider and more traveled, they took that latter.

"My name's Temari, where does the other path lead?" She asked thinking that it could possibly be of use for the invasion. 

Winter frowns even though they can't see her, "Nowhere of importance to you." 

Temari is taken back by the sharpness in her voice. Sighing they continue on their way, soon coming across a clearing with a house in the middle of it. "Home sweet home," Winter grumbles before doing a couple of hand signs, taking down the barrier. "Come in." She mutters taking off her shoes and flicking the light on. "You and you," She points to Gaara and Kankuro, "Are going to be sharing a room." Next, she turns to Temari, "You can stay in my room, I never really use it anyway." 

Temari blinks, "You don't?"

Winter shrugs leading them down the hall, "I have insomnia." 

The two sand siblings glance at the third when she says that.

"Boys, you stay here." She said showing them to a room that was quite spacious. It had a window facing the forest and would be big enough to fit two queen beds in it. Right now there was a single bed up against the wall, and a couple shelves bare of anything on the wall. A dresser sat opposite to the bed. "I have a spare bed I can set up." She says leaving the two boys in that room. "This is my room." She said opening up a door farther down the hall. This room had a queen sized bed in the middle, the headboard against the wall. A nightstand it next to it, and above the headboard it a set of swords crossing each other. There is a thin layer of dust on them, giving off the impression that the blades had not been used for a while. A door leads to the bathroom, another to a closet. 

"Make yourself at home." Winter said, "I'll go make something to eat."

Rubbing her forehead Winter made two clones of herself directing them to start chopping up different vegetables and meat. She herself starts setting up the pan to make an old favorite of hers, a stew pot recipe of her mothers. Dumping the ingredients into the pan the delicious smell drifts throughout the house. 

Slowly the Sand Siblings meet up and walk to the kitchen seeing Winter dishing up three bowls. "Here." She mutters handing them each one more bending down and grabbing a scroll. Walking past them she stops suddenly remembering something, "If you know what's good for you, leave the red door alone." She said before slipping on her shoes and walking out the door calling out over her shoulder, "Tour is going to be tomorrow." The door slams shut and they can see her disappearing into the woods.