When they had returned to the Kazekage's mansion, Suzume stood awed at the building.

"This is your home?" she asked. "Isn't this where the Kazekage lives?"

"We only live here because we were the deceased Kazekage's kids. We're allowed to live here because the council said we could, otherwise we would've had a small apartment or something," Kankuro said.

"But we don't have servants," Temari said briefly. "We couldn't pay them, so we had to let them go."

Suzume kept gawking at the building while the three shinobi let themselves in.

"Suzume," Temari's voice broke her out of her awe and Suzume rushed to catch up to them.

Instead of entering through the front door like she expected them to, the trio went around the Kazekage mansion and headed toward the back. The door in the back was not as spectacular as the one in front. Whereas the front door had fresh paint, a smooth surface, and shining doorknobs and hinges, the back door had fading, chipping paint, rusted hinges, and an overall sad atmosphere to it.

Kankuro pulled something out of his pocket and Suzume saw that it was a tiny, metal pick. He knelt down, heaving a sigh as he proceeded to unlock the door.

Temari saw Suzume watching and explained. "We lost all the keys and the Council asked us not to go in through the front door because it's the shinobi headquarters. Apparently, it's distracting if we're around."

"Got it," Kankuro smiled in accomplishment when there was an audible click indicating that it had unlocked. He pocketed the pick again and got to his feet. "Gaara..."

Gaara waved him away from the door and he did a complicated turn of the knob. The door popped open and wood chips clattering onto the ground as he opened it further.

Kankuro smiled brightly at Suzume. "Welcome to our humble abode!"

Suzume looked down quickly, fidgeting nervously.

"What're you standing around for?" Temari grabbed her hand as the guys stepped into the house.

Suzume's eyes widened at the touch and before she knew it, she was standing inside the mudroom. The shinobi were all taking off their sandals and storing them away or else taking off other outer garments and hanging them on hooks. The inside was relatively clean, aside from the disintegrating door.

"Temari, have you finished the files?" Gaara asked as he untied the sash that held his gourd to his back.

"I'm almost done," Temari gently lowered her fan on the floor and let it lean against the wall. "A few more pages."

"What do we have in the fridge?" Kankuro queried as he released the puppet on his back.

"No idea," Temari stretched her arms out.

"Not a good sign," Kankuro pulled off his hood, revealing his mess of brown hair. "I'll throw something together."

"Um..." their eyes landed on Suzume who was awkwardly standing to the side, staring down at the floor. "I... um..." she slid her foot along the floor nervously. "I'm dirty... so..."

Kankuro grinned and went up to her. His hand landed on her filthy hair and he ruffled it up. Suzume stared up at him with wide obsidian eyes. Kankuro pointed at the door leading to the main part of the house. "Bathroom's down the hall, third door on the left. Help yourself, jan. We'll get you some fresh clothes too."

She nodded and hurried out the mudroom, out of their sight.

Kankuro's smile fell off his face and he turned to Gaara. "You sure about this? We give her food and a chance to clean up and then what? Throw her back onto the streets?"

"I agree with Kankuro," Temari pulled the hair ties out of her hair, letting her blonde locks fall around her face. "It feels like we're giving her a false hope."

Gaara remained silent.

Kankuro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'll start cooking dinner, jan," he turned the corner muttering to himself about how he has to make soup since Suzume's stomach isn't used to solids.

_

Gaara was reading the newspaper at the dining table while Kankuro was bustling around in the kitchen. The boys both heard footsteps and lifted their gaze only for Kankuro's mouth to drop open and Gaara's eyes to widen.

It was like she was a completely different person. She was still as skinny as a twig but her dark brown hair had turned lighter, damp from the shower. Suzume's skin was as clean as a whistle and her lips were shining with Chap Stick, no longer cracking and dry. Temari, having come in with the young girl, was staring at her from the corner of her eye, just as shocked.

She was wearing a baggy T-shirt and shorts that reached her knee, provided by Temari. The young brown haired girl kept glancing up at them, unsure of why they were staring.

Temari was the first to recover. "Have a seat next to Gaara, Suzume. Dinner will be ready soon."

Suzume rushed over to the seat as if it was her lifeline. Gaara folded up the newspaper, staring at her sideways. She sat so stiffly, her gaze glued on the table and her fists clenched at her sides. Her head whipped up when Temari placed a cup in front of her and poured ice water into it from a pitcher.

"Drink up," she said.

Suzume was reaching for the cup when it was snatched away. She blinked, confused.

"You want to kill her, Temari?!" Kankuro yelled at his sister, throwing around the cup of water furiously. "This is worse than giving her steak!"

"Huh?!" Temari squawked. "What're you talking about?! I was just giving her some water!"

"Cold water is the worst thing you can give her! Lukewarm water! Lukewarm!"

Suzume was watching them argue when a different cup of water was placed in front of her, this time without ice. Gaara sat back down in his seat and Suzume gaped at him. He looked over at her. "Drink."

Suzume did so.

. . .

Kankuro ladled some soup into Suzume's bowl as her eyes brightened up and she gulped, staring at the clear soup in such longing she might have been drinking in the soup with her gaze.

"Go ahead," Temari said, twirling her spoon between her fingers.

Suzume tentatively picked up her spoon and dipped it inside the soup. She lifted the spoon to her mouth and took a sip. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Kankuro was stunned as Temari rounded on him.

"Did you put something in the soup?!"

"No!" Kankuro shook his hands in defense. "It was only some watered down broth! I didn't think it'd taste so bad..."

"That's not it..." Suzume sniffed, quickly wiping away her tears only to have more replace the former. She whimpered and sobbed, trying to compose herself again. "That's not it."

Suzume's shoulders shook and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly as she wept. "I've never tasted something so good in my entire life!"

The shinobi's eyes softened as they watched her cry.

"Thank you so much...!" Suzume strangled out. "Thank you so much!"

Kankuro grinned. "Our pleasure."

"You should finish up the soup before it gets cold," Temari advised, raising some of it to her mouth.

Suzume nodded and, with a couple of tears still trailing down her cheeks, gulped down the soup. All three siblings took a sip and had varying reactions of disgust. Kankuro hurriedly clamped his hands over his mouth as he felt his tongue and throat rejecting the broth. Temari stuffed a bunch of side dishes in her mouth and Gaara was frozen in his seat, his face turning blue.

This tastes horrible...!

Suzume finished her portion and looked down at it in somewhat disappointment. "Can I have some more?" she asked in a quiet voice, unsure if she was welcomed to request for seconds.

They all shoved their bowls toward her frantically. Suzume was overcome with happiness.

As they watched her eat, Temari was the first to speak. "Suzume, shouldn't you go to the orphanage? They can take care of you."

"They kicked me out," she stated calmly, reaching for Kankuro's bowl next.

"What?" Kankuro arched an eyebrow. "They can't kick you out."

"They were overpopulated," Suzume breathed in the food. "Not enough funds."

"Shouldn't the higher ups be providing money?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know any details."

"How long have you been on the streets?" Temari questioned.

Suzume tilted her head, thinking carefully. "A year at most."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances then fixated their eyes on Gaara, who was tracing the rim of his cup with his finger. That was around the time the raid on Konoha had failed. The large expenses to cover the attack must've affected the public more than they first supposed.

"How have you been getting food, water?" Kankuro asked of her.

"Trash bins and the sewage," she answered so bluntly, like it was a normal occurrence for someone to be living that way. "Amazing what you can find behind restaurants. They throw away tons of good food. But I always manage to throw it back up," Suzume frowned. "Such a waste."

The shinobi remained silent.

Suzume realized she must've overstayed her welcome and got to her feet. "Um. I'll be going now," she bowed to them. "I'll never forget your kindness. Thank you for everything. Oh," she looked down at herself, noticing that she still had on the borrowed clothes. "I'll change back."

She headed for the restroom again when Kankuro stood up. "Suzume, wait!"

The young girl jumped and, using the corner as a protective shield, peered at Kankuro from behind it. Kankuro sweatdropped. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you..."

Gaara twisted around in his seat to look into Suzume's frightened eyes. "Why don't you stay?"

Suzume couldn't believe what came out of his mouth. "Stay?"

"Yeah," Temari walked over to her. "We have plenty of spare rooms."

Suzume gawked at her, speechless.

"You said the orphanage kicked you out, so, we'll adopt you, jan," Kankuro beamed.

"I don't understand..." Suzume was holding her breath. "Why would you want..."

...someone like me?

Gaara knew how that fragmented sentence would have ended.

"If we let you go now, it'll plague us with guilt," Temari said with a straight face and then it split into a cheeky smile as she wrapped an arm around the girl. "I've always wanted a little sister."

"But... I can't..."

Temari stuck her face uncomfortably close to hers. "You have somewhere you have to return to?"

"No..."

"You have anywhere you need to be?"

"No..."

"Then you'll be staying here," Temari decided. "Welcome to the family, Suzume."

"Family?" Suzume was more than overwhelmed.

"Come on," Temari pulled her along. "Let's pick out your room."

"I get my own room?"

The boys watched them disappear up the stairs and Kankuro considered Gaara. "You planned for this to happen."

"I don't know what you mean," Gaara took a sip out of his cup of tea.

_

Suzume was trying to absorb her situation. Just that morning she'd woken up worrying about how she would get enough food for the day, and now she was standing in the middle of a guest room waiting for a blonde shinobi to return with a few toiletries.

The door opened and Suzume turned to see Temari in the doorway. The kunoichi walked over to the bed and laid down towels, lotions, and various other necessities before walking over to Suzume. "What color do you want?" she held out an array of toothbrushes in various colors for the young girl to choose from.

Suzume picked the blue one. Temari returned the others into a tiny box she'd been holding under her arm and approached the girl. "Aaaah," she instructed her to open her mouth.

The brunette opened her mouth wide and Temari examined her teeth, searching for any cavities or perhaps gum disease. She was surprised to see that there were no complications.

"That's unusual," Temari muttered under her breath, straightening up again after finishing her inspection.

"My teeth have always been healthy," Suzume told her after hearing Temari's comment. "Not sure why, but I try not to question it."

"Looks like we won't need to visit the dentist," Temari said. "The visit to the doctor, however, is mandatory."

Suzume kept silent.

"Good thing I have the day off tomorrow. We can go buy clothes for you. We can't have you in those baggy things," Temari continued.

"I...um..."

The kunoichi smiled softly at her and strode over to the door. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Um, Temari-sama!"

Sama?

"Yeah?" Temari faced the girl again.

"Thank you, again," Suzume said sheepishly. "I... really am grateful."

Temari grinned toothily. "It's not a problem, imoto."

Suzume was taken by surprise by that last word, but before Suzume could say anything, Temari slipped out the door.

_ _ _

The girls went to the hospital for the checkup the next morning and Temari was pulled aside to be spoken to in private. The doctor informed her that because of the prolonged starvation, Suzume's body ate her muscles to sustain the energy needed for her organs and brain to function. People who suffer from anoreixia or starvation have a hard time building up muscle mass. The worst that could happen is that she might never be able to build it up at all, that sustaining even a normal weight might be a struggle.

He also told Temari that the girl hasn't been exposed to a proper socializing. Since all the interaction she's done with humans so far were pretty much negative, she won't know how to properly regulate her emotions and this will lead to anxiety disorders. The doctor recommended her to help Suzume recognize, control, and express her emotions as soon as possible.

Temari listened to this last part with her eye twitching. Emotions aren't really the family's specialty. They were all quite reserved and private. She sighed. It'll work out. Probably... hopefully...

The pair picked up a few pills that they were prescribed and went on to the shopping district. Tarps were set up in the streets in preparation for the possible rain shower that the clouds overhead were teasing about.

"I'm not good with this shopping stuff," Temari was looking around at the different stores. "Do you have any particular place you want to visit?"

To her surprise, the girl was biting her lower lip and glancing around nervously. Temari followed her gaze and saw the villagers whispering to each other and glaring at Suzume as she walked. A group of girls in a candy shop sniggered at the sight of the younger girl. Temari threw them a dirty look and they turned around hastily.

She felt a protective feeling rise inside of her and she began to stalk toward the flock of girls.

"Temari-sama?" Suzume had to walk quickly to catch up to her. "What're you doing?"

"I'm going to teach them a lesson."

Temari felt a rather weak grip on her upper arm and saw Suzume clinging onto her, trying to hold her back.

"Let me go, Suzume."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've only known you for a day." Temari's eyes enlarged at these words. "It's weird to have a complete stranger standing up for me."

Temari relaxed her tense shoulders and Suzume let her go after it seemed that she wouldn't do anything.

"Fine. You're right."

Suzume stared at the ground.

"But..."

Suzume felt Temari's hand slip into hers and grip it tight. She lifted her head up in astonishment to see the back of Temari's head as she led her through the street.

"There'll come a time when I'm not a stranger," Temari looked over her shoulder to smirk at Suzume. "And that'll be when I get to beat up anybody who insults you.

Suzume's lips parted, overcome with this feeling... what was it...? It was new... it was... warm.

"Come on. Let's get to know each other better," they rushed off into a store.

Just as Temari thought, Suzume wasn't much of a girly girl. She went straight to the basic colors and her eyes went over the dresses and skirts. At the end of that shop, they had bought two black tank tops, a few baggy shirts, shorts, a pair of gray toned pants, and some underwear.

"Anything else we need?" Temari skimmed through the receipt, checking to make sure they didn't get ripped off.

"All I really need are some pajamas so I can return yours."

"Then we'll go in there," Temari motioned to a fabric store down the street. "I usually go there for pajamas. They're pretty well made and the woman who owns the store is elderly so I try to help as much as I can."

Suzume merely nodded.

When they entered the store, Suzume saw rows and rows of cloth and clothing. On the far wall hung hundreds of colors of thread and there was a display of sewing needles in a glass case. The seat at the counter was empty but there was a door leading to the back room that the owner should be in.

"The pajamas are over there," Temari pointed to a section of the room. "Take your pick."

Suzume followed Temari's finger and went to examine the pajamas.

"Anybody here!" Temari called.

"I'll be right there," answered a friendly voice. The back door opened and an elderly woman stepped out. "Oh, Temari-san! It's nice to see you again!"

"You too, Konata baa-chan," Temari grinned. "How's business?"

"Booming, ever since you recommended me to some of your acquaintances," the old woman smiled.

"It was nothing, I was glad to help."

The elderly lady smiled again. "What brings you to my store today?"

Temari gesticulated to Suzume behind her. "I need to get my imōto some pajamas."

The lady craned her head to see the young girl inspecting some of her products. Her smile faded. "I didn't know you had a younger sister, Temari-san."

"Oh, we adopted her yesterday."

"Is that so?"

At that moment, Suzume joined the two at the counter. "I'm done, Temari-sama."

Temari scrutinized the pajamas Suzume picked as she placed them on the counter. They were light blue with a crown accent on the collar. In short, they didn't give Temari much on Suzume's character, other than her being pretty simple in her clothes.

"That'll be 900 yen," Konata baa-chan said wrapping the clothes in tissue paper and placing them in a paper bag. She handed it to Suzume with a small smile.

"Thank you," Suzume said formally.

"Here you go," Temari said placing the money on the counter. Suzume was already heading to the exit. "See you later, baa-chan."

"Temari-san."

Temari turned curiously at the woman's voice. "Yes?"

"Take good care of the child," Konata said.

She smiled and nodded. "I will. Have a good day!"

After the girls left, the old woman retired to the back room once again. She sat luxuriously on a small chair and sighed.

"That girl is surely..." the woman muttered.