Echoes in the Rain ~Completed Story~

Chapter 3: Babysitting

Temari and Kankuro returned to an empty apartment later that night. The super spicy curry rice eating contest had taken longer than had been expected. Kakashi had ended up winning, much to Gai's disappointment. Temari shook her head, dog-like, getting the rain out of her hair. Then, she asked, "Gaara? Are you here?"

Kankuro who was following her, said, "It doesn't look like it. We should check him room though."

"I'll check it," Temari said, walking over to Gaara's room. Opening the door, she viewed the mess inside. Papers and clothes littered the ground. Temari picked up one of the papers and saw that it had to deal with the defensive formations of the shinobis in Sand. So, Temari thought. They gave him homework to do while he's here.

Temari left Gaara's room and walked back into the living room, where Kankuro was wrestling with 'Crow. "He's not there, but his gourd is."

"Well, we know he's not off killing Hyuga. If he was, he would have taken the gourd. He probably is still outside, walking around," Kankuro reasoned.

"You really think that?" Temari was nervous. He was her little brother...

"He's fine. It's Gaara! He can defend himself," Kankuro said bracingly. He was nervous also, but was able to hide it better.

"All right then. I'm going to bed," Temari said, yawning. "What about you?"

"I've got some more work to do with 'Crow."

"Don't stay up too late."

"Who are you, my mother?"

"No; even better: I'm your sister. 'Night," Temari said as she walked to her room and closed the door. Kankuro stayed up for a little while, before falling asleep, right on top of 'Crow.

0oo0oo0oo0oo0

"Gaara! Where have you been?" Temari cried the next morning. Gaara had just walked in the backdoor, soaked.

After a moment, Gaara answered, "I was over by the park."

"What were you doing? Why didn't you come home?" Temari shouted. This was one of the first times that Temari had ever yelled at him instead of Kankuro.

"I was thinking," Gaara said simply. "I forgot to come home."

"You forgot to come home?" Temari said, her voice tense as she stared in disbelief at Gaara. "You forgot?!"

"Temari, lay off, alright? Gaara stayed out the whole night. He's perfectly all right," Kankuro said, walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Temari's shouting had woken him up.

"It seems that I can't trust either of you. Gaara, you're going to be sticking with me for the rest of our trip," Temari said walking into the kitchen.

"Temari! He's a seventeen-year-old! You can't be baby-sitting him! He's Kazekage!"

"Kankuro, it's ok," Gaara interjected before Temari could retort. Temari smiled and nodded at Gaara.

"Temari, you do realize that you are 'baby-sitting' a seventeen-year-old murderer," Kankuro added, "Sorry, Gaara. No offense was meant."

Gaara just shrugged. He was used to be called a murderer. It really wasn't anything new. The way that Kankuro put it did make it sound a little ridiculous. Temari's response to Kankuro's words was just to shake her head and continue into the kitchen.

"Gaara. Go get changed and then have some breakfast. I have some errands to run," Temari called over her shoulder. Gaara nodded and walked past Kankuro who walked into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Gaara and Temari were leaving the apartment. Kankuro decided not to venture beyond the safety of the apartment, or so he said. Temari lead the way. First, they stopped at the Hokage's office. Tsunade had papers that Gaara had to look over. They dealt with renewing the peace treating between Sand and Leaf.