Adopted: Book 1 Refracted Sand [REWRITING]

Adopted Ch. 26 Green Footed

Temari and her brothers walked down the narrow street and maneuvered their way around decorative pots and low hanging wind chimes. Kankuro hit his head on a beam once or twice and Temari got tangled in a giant dreamcatcher. By the time they arrived at the shop, Temari and Kankuro were a disheveled, grumpy mess.

"I don't remember it being so cramped down this way," Temari grumbled as she glared at her reflection in the window and pulling fingers through the tangles in her hair.

"This is an older district of the village, jan." Kankuro rubbed at the purpling bruises on his forehead (which Gaara thought matched perfectly with the hue of his brother's kabuki makeup). "They were trying to use up as little amount of space possible back then."

Being an older district meant the houses were built out of wood instead of adobe. Back during the beginnings of the village, many of the people wanted to mimic the strength and prosperity of Konoha, which also meant their architecture. However, it was quickly shut down as nonsensical since the wood buildings trapped in heat whereas the adobe didn't cook their occupants alive.

Now with the air conditioners and fans, some people have elected to occupy the wood houses again until they have a good reason to move out. Many wanted to preserve such districts as a relic of a foolish past where their ancestors would sacrifice their own traditions to appear as strong as another Hidden Village. Many more simply want to flatten it and build more high-end businesses there.

"But when I was here a while ago, it wasn't this claustrophobic. It feels like it shrunk."

"That's because you've grown, Temari-san," was the opening statement Konata made when she opened the door. She smiled in welcome. "Have you come to do some reconnaissance? I do hope I pass the inspection."

"Konata baa-san," the kunoichi grinned toothily. "It's nothing like that. We came here to give our proper respects and apologies for involving you in our familial problems." 

The old lady chortled and pinched Temari's cheek dotingly. "Don't be silly. Being involved in your family's problems is like I have my own private drama novel. I'm having the time of my life."

Konata released her cheek and Temari rubbed it while chuckling awkwardly. "Uh, that's great."

"Come in, come in." Konata waved the siblings inside and once they were, she tightly locked the front entrance and flipped the sign so the 'closed' side was facing outward. "It's good to take a day off once in a while."

She led them through the store and into the living quarters where she left them to take off their shoes.

"Konata-baa," Kankuro called, kicking off his shoes and in practiced form, pushing them neatly to the side with an absentminded shove of his foot. "Is Suzume here?"

"Ah, no," was the reply and the three of them shared looks. "Suzume-chan is so adorable. You know what she did first thing in the morning? Of course I had a hard time waking her up first of all, but it's nothing a little tough love can't handle, but I digress." The shinobi followed the sound of the woman's rambling through the hallway. "The first words out of her mouth were 'I gotta tell Shiro' and she raced out of the house, well, more like tripped out of the house.

"And even after the conversation we had yesterday afternoon about not giving up, she was still stubborn about finding another way and raced to the archives to bring back an aisle's worth of books." The siblings sweatdropped at what was the aftermath of Suzume's research, the living room was strewn with a landscape of books, the books were covered inside and out by bookmarks and post it's, and notes were taped to the walls until the wood underneath was completely obscured. "She's really something."