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crysta-cub · 4 years

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Crysta’s Lamia Experience: Pop goes the Lamia

We've moved into our new house, things are getting settled. Now who is leaving random Pringles cans around. Seems some trickery is afoot and mysteries to be solved as we welcome 3 new members.

(I figured I'd do my own adoption scenario with this one as I had something very specific imagined for the new members. Plus it gives @vex-bittys a break and a chance to read something fun, with a little sadness, but happy endings.)

AO3

I’m working on one of the last boxes of knick-knacks that I have collected over the years. Just things that felt to have meaning to me or just appeased my aesthetic. We’ve been in the new home for a few weeks now and definitely had a few misadventures.

Third day in to living here, while I was starting to teach Munchkin how to swim in the big pool, Hero managed to accidentally fall in. Waves began to form as Hero thrashed about in a panic. I quickly got Munchkin out of the pool before shifting into a crimson red Dragon and helped Hero to right himself in the shallow end. Turns out Hero takes after his King lamia side and never learned how to swim. As a hatchling, Hero had a bad experience in a river, his heritage made swimming difficult for him and he feared drowning. I helped him out of the pool, using my dragon breath to help dry and warm him up. I nuzzled his cheekbone and encouraged him that there was no shame in having a fear of the water and if he was ever ready, I’d be more than happy to help teach him to swim. Maybe watching a few more lessons with Munchkin might help encourage him.

On the eighth day, Eevee managed to bolt out of the house while I was out grocery shopping. I arrived home to a tale of Hero attempting to chase down the agile pup, who found a rabbit to chase after. Guardian and Moonstone attempted to call her home with treats and squeakers. Unfortunately Eevee’s focus was all on the chase. She nearly followed the rabbit into its hole. Hero managed to catch her, picking up the wiggly pup as she whined to get back to the rabbit hole. Both of them needed a bath that evening.

On the tenth day, we had to instil a curfew for Guardian’s wandering. He got the whole household worried when he stayed out past midnight. It didn’t sit well with Butterscotch who deemed that the young Chain should go without dessert for the rest of the week. Guardian attempted to smoothe things by offering a shiny rock and a half wilted flower he found. Butterscotch stood his ground and threatened to add another week.

Butterscotch finally allowed the twins out of their room on the fourteenth day. Nightwish, the little red Honey-bo rode on Butterscotch’s back while Tempest rode on Alpha’s back. The pair showed their offspring around the house, the twins peeping and chirping in delight. There was a tense moment when it came time for the twins to meet Eevee, Hero having to hold the eager pup back so she didn’t rush at them with her enthusiasm. Once she got her sniffs in, she laid down and gave small gentle licks on the baby lamia’s heads, much to Butterscotch’s approval.

After all the excitement, Butterscotch and Alpha had Guardian and Moonstone sit on the couch and gave them the opportunity to hold their little siblings. Tempest squirmed wildly in Guardian’s grasp, grabbing his face and the fur that lined his jack and pulling while Nightwish curled up in Moonstone’s arms, giggling at the face’s the Papython made. Munchkin was placed between the two pairs. He glanced from Tempest and Nightwish, eye-lights growing wide with wonder. Munchkin looked up at Hero and proudly declared “I pr-tect bro-ters!”

Now here we are, the last box to be unpacked. As I’m putting a dragon statue onto one of the shelves, I pause and blink at the random can of Pringles sitting in front of the books. I don’t recall placing a can there, nor snacking on them recently. “Hero, did you have any Pringle recently?” He’s pretty much the only one who would be able to reach that height.

Hero slither’s around the kitchen island, donning his Hiss the Cook apron that I got for him not too long ago. He looked at the cylinder and shook his head. “I didn’t even know we had any.”

I hummed curiously, putting my statue down before picking up the Pringle can, feeling some weight to it. I glanced from the can to Hero, back to it before raising my other hand and began to open the lid.

“raaaaaaar!” Out sprung out a Bitty-sized Coral, springing out of the canister much like those snakes in a can gag toy.

I shriek, startled enough to jump backwards, tripping over a pair of my boots that magically appeared right behind me. Swiftly, Hero lunges forward to catch me before I hit the floor. The Coral laughs his fool head off, hanging halfway out of the can. I look at him in surprise until I hear another chuckle, causing Hero and I to look down at my boots. Sprawled out of the fallen boot laid a gently chuckling Bitty-sized Corny, looking very pleased with himself

I looked stunned at the two laughing comedians until a chuckle began to build. “There’s a snake in my boot!” I laughed out as the Corny gave me double finger guns. I hear another chuckle coming from the hallway and turned to revealed Guardian peaking around the corner, watching the show.

“Guardian, do you know something about this.” I hold up the still laughing Coral in the Pringles can.

Guardian blushed at being caught, slithering forward with a sheepish smile. He was holding a long stick with something round tied up in some cloth at the end. “Maybe.”

I give him a look as Hero pulls me to sit on his coils.

“don’t keep your momma waitin’ kid” the Corny comment, I never saw him move but he was just chilling on one of Hero’s coils.

Guardian sighed, scratching the back of his head as he came forward. “Well, I was out in the woodsss when I saw a moussse and thought I could try hunting it. I followed after it asss quietly asss Alpha ssshowed me and when I thought I was clossse enough to ssstrike, I wasssn’t the only one to get him. The Coral sssaid it was hisss mousse while I ssstood firm that it wasss mine. We went back and forth that it was mine and hisss and then he sssaid it was mine and I accidentally sssaid it was hisss and he sssaid,”

“finally youssse sssee it my way” The Coral barked a laugh as I placed him next to the Corny.

Guardian nodded and continued to “and he took the mousse. I was ssshocked and sssaid that he cheated. He then threatened to fight me for it, sssaid that he and hisss mate hadn’t ssseen prey in about a week.” The Corny waved at the mention of being the mate. “Ssso we ssstarted talking and the Corny came out of the bussshesss with a sssatchel.”

“he told usss all about ya all.” The Coral reached down to grab the satchel on a stick from Guardian. “he invited usss for a meal. maybe a warm place to sssleep for a night.”

“if it’sss ok with ya, i believe the kid called ya Crysssta.” The Corny leaned against the Coral. He peaked into the satchel and seemed satisfied by what he saw before pulling it close and curled his tail around it.

“After I invited them we kept talking and came up with the prank.” Guardian mentions, swaying innocently. “Wanted to make a grand entrance.”

I looked them over, both lamias looked low on magic, even if they had a mouse meal before coming over. They definitely looked to be in rough shape for wild lamias. “I don’t mind you guys staying for a bit. Will have to talk to the others to make sure they are ok with guests.” I look up at Hero. “How do you feel about it?”

Hero glanced down at the two bitties. “I hasss no problem, ssso long as you don’t make Crysssta trip again. Or bring harm to anyone elssse here.”

“promissse no harm.” Corny crosses over his chest.

“ssso long asss no harm comesss to usss.” The Coral positioned himself in front of both the Corny and the satchel.

Hero smiled at that. “You’re sssafe here.”

I noticed the Coral relax a bit, glancing back at the Corny. The Corny returned a thumbs up and a yawn. “Guardian, help them pick out one of the spare rooms. I’ll have Moonstone bring some blankets for them. I need to go speak with Alpha and Butterscotch.”

Guardian nodded and helped them off of Hero’s coils. Once they had gone down the hall, Hero helps me up and we both head towards Alpha and Butterscotch’s room. “Crysssta, I think they have…”

“Yea, I noticed it too. We’ll talk to Alpha and Butterscotch about it.” I smirked back at Hero, taking his hand as we entered the room. I knocked on the doorframe, letting the occupants know we were there. Alpha’s head peaked out of a nest, hood raised in curiosity before ducking back down to talk to the other adult in the nest.

Both Butterscotch and Alpha emerged to greet us. Munchkin peaked from the nest, laying protectively around the smaller lamias, in a near perfect mimic of Alpha. Sleepy peeps could be heard from the blankets, warming both Hero’s and my souls, Hero squeezing my hand.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, I sit down in front of the two Lamias and announce. “Well, it looks like we have guests, Guardian found a Corny and Coral pair. They look to be in rough shape so they’ll at least be staying with us for the night.”

Butterscotch held up a hand, “at leassst?” He said suspiciously.

“We sssussspect that they may have an egg with them. Their magic is low.” Hero informs the pair.

“Low magic isssn’t good for egg development.” Alpha filled in as I nodded.

“I want to offer them a refuge, at least til the egg hatches.” I inform them.

“You’ll get attached.” Butterscotch accused.

“I won’t force them to live here. But an easy supply of food for a while could help them. I want to give them a fighting chance.” I pleaded. “But if they want to make this a home, the house is large enough, or they can continue to live in our woods and stop by for food when needed.”

Butterscotch sighed. “this family isss just going to keep getting bigger, isssn’t it.”

“It doesn’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable. You two were my first lamias, the ones to begin this here family we have going. I’m not going to do anything that would make you unhappy.” I kneel down, rubbing Butterscotch’s back the way I know he likes.

Butterscotch nods, leaning into my touch. Alpha takes Butterscotch’s hands in his own, thumbs working to soothe over his carpels. “We’ll check them out, play it by ear. Besssidesss, you alwaysss sssaid you wanted a big family.” He kissed the Honey-bo’s suddenly blushing cheekbones.

“i ment between you and me. back at Vex’sss, before all thisss. I’m ssstill getting ussse to Hero, no offence.”

Hero bows, “None taken.”

“And you can still have your big family,” I assured, “This land is plenty big, we shouldn’t see any crowding, no matter what happens.”

Suddenly there was a frantic rapping at the door. Hero rushes over to open it, seeing Guardian huffing against the frame. “The Coral… he… he collapsed.”

I’m up on my feet in seconds, going around the room gathering monster candies, a few spare blankets and one of the extra heat pads. “Hero, go to the kitchen, warm up some broth and cut up some chicken for our guests and get the first aid kit.” Hero nods and heads out the door.

Butterscotch shortcuts onto my shoulder. “i’m coming with. to sssee them myself.” He turns to face his mate. “watch the babiesss.” Alpha looked to want to argue when Butterscotch settles in a look. Alpha agrees and moves back to the nest.

“Alright, Guardian, take us to them.” I walk briskly to the door.

“Mama Crysssta, don’t tell them, but I peeked into their bag, they have an egg in it.” Guardian wrings his hands together, looking every bit guilty.

“It’s alright, we’ve guessed that to be the case.” I leaned down to pet his skull. “Which room are they in?”

“They wanted one that was towardsss the back, wanted a private ssspace.” Guardian began to lead me to the lamias.

We rushed into the room, Moonstone is already in there, attempting to use healing magic on the Coral. The Corny is laid up next to him, trying to share his magic with the unconscious lamia with the satchel held at the base of his tail. I sat down next to them, petting Moonstone’s head to get his attention. “Thank you for trying, Moony, we got this now.” Moonstone nodded, wiping the tears that rolled down his cheekbones.

Guardian rushed over and hugged Moonstone, using his sleeves to dry his tears before bringing him into a hug.

The Corny looked up at me, hand rubbing over the Coral’s chest. “I don’t know what happened. he wasss fine one moment and out the next. Sssorry, don’t mean to be trouble.”

“It’s alright, we have everything to help him.” I plugged in the heating pad and placed one of the blankets over it, creating a nest. Carefully I pick up both lamias and their carry-on and place them on the warm nest. The Corny appeared nervous until he noticed I was cradling the satchel securely. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop your egg.”

“How did you…” The Corny sits up and pulls the covered egg closer, a bit of the shell peaked out of the satchel.

“I saw the glow earlier, Hero could tell as well.” I mentioned, noticing Guardian trying to hide his relief. “Before today, how long has it been since you both last ate?”

“just a few weeksss.” the Corny curls against the Coral.

“it’s been longer than that, hasssn’t it?” Butterscotch slithers off my arm and onto the nest, keeping a respectful distance. “A lamia wouldn’t collapssse like this unlessssss it been a lot longer than that.”

“well, maybe.” The Corny seemed to curl in on himself, appearing lost in memory. “I know for me it’s only been that long, assside from the moussse Coral had given me today. he... he sssaid he ate already, both today and the last time he caught sssome dragonflies. but i’ve been sssuspicious that he hasssn’t, not sssince…” He hugged the egg like a precious teddy bear.

Me and Butterscotch exchanged a look. “may i?” Butterscotch asked, arms wide in an offering of a hug, surprising me. The Corny looked up and nodded. Butterscotch approached and hugged the Corny.

“i can’t lossse him too. i can’t lossse him after our Pygmy mate. it’s just too sssoon.” The Corny began to tremble in Butterscotch’s arms, who tightened his hold.

Hero arrived with a tray and the first aid kit. I take both of them, glad to see that Hero had grabbed a dropper to help the unconscious Coral drink until he could on his own. I place the plate of chicken near the Corny.

Carefully I lift the Coral up and dripped some broth into his mouth, half of which spills out and onto the blanket, the other half swallowed down, the glow in his soul brightens momentarily from the broth.

“the egg, was it the Pygmy’sss.” Butterscotch broke the silence.

“yea,” the Corny nearly choked out, watching as I continued to carefully feed the Coral. “it’sss the only thing that sssurvived when we were attacked by sssome hungry bird. I did my best to protect the nest, Pygmy and Coral were coming back from a hunt and Pygmy zipped over to protect me…” The Corny fell silent, my heart ached to hear the story.

I felt Hero squeeze my shoulders. I fished out some monster candy and handed it to the Corny and Butterscotch. “This will help, I’m sure you’ll need a bit of a boost.”

The Corny’s sockets widened. “I haven’t had once sssince the collector’s” He takes it and eats it. “it’sss just asss good asss I remember.”

“Collector’sss?” Hero asked.

“we weren’t alwaysss wild. honessstly we kinda sssucked at it. Coral hunted better with Pygmy. Pygmy would chassse down the prey while Coral would wait for the prey to come close and dispatch it. we ate better, live better with him.” Corny reached out and grabbed the Coral’s hand. “honessstly, I haven’t heard him laugh sssince we lost Pygmy. it was Coral’sss idea to leave the collector, I think he blamed himssself for Pygmy’s de- death. sssure the collector feed usss and gave us tanksss to live in and kept them clean. but there was no love, no attachment. he even ssstole eggsss from wild bittiesss.”

Corny glanced over at Moonstone and Guardian, giving a lazy smile. “you two actually remind me of the one time, two hatchlingsss essscaped. the collector was ssso happy to have finally gotten a Chain, until the Chain broke out and ssstole a papython hatchling. they both sssqueazed through a crack. Coral got the idea to essscape after that. took sssome time to plan it. they would have been your age by now. ”

Moonstone and Guardian looked at the Corny with wide eyes and then at each other.

“Guardian, Moonstone?” I nudge questioningly.

“Wasss that the ssscary place we left?” Moonstone asked, almost sounding haunted.

“I guessssss. All I remember is my sssoul calling for you and telling me to run.” Guardian blinked before looking up at me. “Jussst like my sssoul told me to get you when Moonssstone was ssstuck.”

I blink at the two, surprised. I remember asking them when they were younger where they came from and they’d either shrugged or said something about a scary place. Never in my imagination would I figure out where they’d come from and how they didn’t have parents. Someone stealing them would make sense. I wonder if Vex knows about this.

The Corny let out a hollow laugh. “ain’t thisss a sssmall world then.” He sighed, now more being held up by Butterscotch as he watched for any change in the Coral. The Coral’s soul was glowing brighter, the heating pad doing it’s job to warm him up.

“Corny, we want to offer you two and your egg a home, here, with usss.” Butterscotch began to speak, again surprising me in the best ways. “won’t need to hunt here, unlessssss you want to. you’ll be warm and sssafe and your hatchling can grow up here. already have two little buddiesss for him. what do you sssay?”

The Corny looked up at him, tears brimming in his sockets. “ssseriously?” Butterscotch nodded at him. The Corny looked at his Coral companion. “i... i don’t know if…”

“i’d like to ssstay ‘ere.” The Coral slowly opened his sockets and looked over at the Corny, a weak smile etching his face. “I can be ssso lazy the human will feed me.”

With energy not known for a Corny, the said bitty launched himself into the Coral’s arms. The Coral gave a few low chuckles, carefully moving the egg so it wasn’t squished between them. After a moment of being hugged, the Coral pushed the Corny to arms reach and gave him a look. “do i sssmell candy on ya?”

The Corny grinned at the Coral. “are ya sssayin’ i’m too sssweet for ya?”

“no way. i want sssome.” the Coral demanded.

“Sure, but I think I’ll have to break it up for you.” I begin to dig one out.

“oh, fu-oof” The Coral glared at the Corny who gestured to the egg. The Coral rolled his eyelights before looking up at me. “i want teh whole thing in my mouth.”

I chuckle before explaining how with his low magic he should only take a little at a time. I hand the candy to Hero who breaks it into four equal pieces. I give him a questioning look, which he returns with a dashing smile. I shake my head at him before offering a quarter of the candy. The Coral eats it greedily, belching afterwards.

“Well, if you’re planning to stay, how about some names? I noticed you haven’t referred to each other by name, so I’m assuming you don’t have any.” Both shook their heads. “Got any ideas of names you’d want?”

The Coral huffed while the Corny patted his head. “nah, give usss your best ssshot kid.”

I give him an indignant look. “I’m not a kid.” I began to think… and think… and… nothing’s coming up. I sigh, flopping against Hero’s coil, leaning against his warm belly. Mmmm warm… noo, I have to come up with names. Soon enough I throw my hands in the air and spouted “Who’s on first, what’s on second, I don’t know is on third.” Butterscotch, Moonstone and Guardian chuckle, knowing that I’ll say that when I haven’t a clue.

Both the Corny’s and Coral’s eye-light widen at that and they proceed to perform the entire skit. They had us chuckling for a good while.

“That’s perfect. Abbott” I point to the Corny “And Costello” I directed my finger over to the Coral.

The newly dubbed Costello gave Abbott a cheeky grin, “heeeey Abbott.” He called out, a mirror of the line from Robinhood: Men in tights. Abbott chuckled and leaned in close to Costello before whispering “I hate that guy.” before planting a kiss on the Coral.

‘That was tooo cute.’ I mentally scream, I feel Hero chuckle behind me. Guess he can feel me fawning over the two new lamias.

Once they broke the kiss, Castello gave Abbott a look then looked up at me. “hey, why’d i do i got ta be the dumb one?”

Abbott turned Castello to look back at him, “hey, i told ya a million timesss, Cassstello was really the sssmart one of the two.” Castello seemed satisfied with that.

“alright, but i’ll only accept on one condition.” Castello really seemed ready to keep pushing for more things, even if he looked ready to go back to sleep. Abbott gave him a curious look. Castello glanced at the egg, then at me. “Sssure, we’ll be Abbott and Cassstello, but our hatchling getsss an extra ssspecial name. Our Pygmy partner…” He took a deep breath before continuing. Also was he conscious for the whole conversation? “ya sssee, he had thessse odd markingsss, looked like he had bushy brows and a stash. kept callin’ him Groucho fer it, he hated it… kinda. he alwaysss laughed after yellin’ at me. this egg, he’sss gonna be jussst like him. can feel it in mah bonesss. gotta name him Marx.”

I smile warmly at that sentiment. “I can accept that. A little Groucho Marx. I like it.” I lean forward offering my finger for them to shake. “Well, welcome to the family, Abbott, Costello and Marx. Curious, which one of you is the father?”

Both Abbott and Costello looked at each other and shrugged, “don’t know,” Abbott said, yawning as he leaned into Costello “don’t care.” Costello finished, draping an arm over Abbott and tucking him in close. Costello looked up at me, “can I have more of mah candy?”

I chuckle and hand him the next quarter, the candy going down like the first, swallowed whole and followed with a belch. Abbott’s tail curls around Costello, the egg nestled between the two lamias. “I don’t think I have ever seen such a cuddly Coral before.” I teased, just couldn’t help myself.

Costello huffed indignantly. “i don’t know what yer talkin’ about. i’m taking care of mah mate.”

Abbott nuzzled his chest. “he makesss a good full body pillow.”

I smile, offering my hand to let Butterscotch climb aboard. “We’ll let you guys settle in. The chicken is for you guys, just take it slow so you don’t overwhelm your magic. Same with the monster candy. Feel free to ask anyone of us if you need anything.” I motioned for Moonstone and Guardian to follow before I grabbed Hero’s hand to lead him out.

Hero caught Eevee before she could rush into the room to meet the new members of the household, picking her up as she wiggled and whined. I closed the door and turned towards Moonstone and Guardian, bending down to give them both a big hug. “I’m so glad that I found you two when I did. You two are just so special to me. Why don’t you two take Eevee out to play, she still has a lot of energy to work out.”

Moonstone and Guardian nodded in unison before they each pecked a kiss on my cheeks. Hero set Eevee down and Guardian challenged the pup to a race. Before we knew it, they were racing down the hall and out to the fenced in backyard.

As I straightened, I could feel Hero wrap his arms around me. I began to laugh, “Oh mah gawd, you all are just being super snuggly today.” I let him nuzzle against my head, raising a hand to scritch just under his chin. “Alright, as much as I love a good cuddle we still have one more thing to take care of. Let's go back to Butterscotch’s room.”

Hero nods and lifts me up in his arms. I sigh in amusement. I glance over to Butterscotch and rub his back. “Thank you, Scotchy, for inviting them into our family. That was very nice of you.” Butterscotch only nodded, wiggling when I decided to poke his side. “I though Alpha was suppose to be the leader of you guys?”

Butterscotch squirmed before giving me a sly look, crossing his arms. “only if he wantsss to sssleep on the couch.” He says as we enter his room.

“What did I do?” Alpha perked his head up as he was handing Munchkin some meat from their mini fridge.

Butterscotch smiled at him as I helped him down. He slithered over to Alpha before wrapping his arms around him. “nothing yet, love. but i’m glad you know when i’m threatening you.” He planted a kiss on Alpha’s cheekbones. “We’ve added three more to the family, I’m not letting them back out there.” Alpha gave Butterscotch a curious look. “i’ll explain later.”

Hero sits me on his coils as I dig out my phone, I dialed up Vex’s number and gave the Lamia Bitty shop keeper a call. “Hey, Vex, It’s Crysta. I wanted to let you know we had come upon a situation here at the new place. Guardian found some bitty sized lamia’s in the woods that were in rough shape. A Corny and Coral couple with their departed Pygmy’s egg. Apparently they were a trio before a hungry bird attacked and the Pygmy sacrificed himself to save them. It looks like they will be here to stay. We’ve named the Corny Abbot, the Coral Costello and their soon to hatch lamia Marx in honor of their third mate. Apparently the Pygmy had some odd markings that made him look like Groucho Marx.”

I take a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. “They did bring up something concerning, They said they used to belong to a collector of some sort. They mentioned that the collector was somehow stealing eggs from wild lamias. I’m sure you’d want to find out about them. It seems the collector just gives them their base needs but keeps them like display items. I may have an idea of where this person is located. We think that the collector is why Guardian and Moonstone didn’t have parents or owners when I found them. The Corny remembered two hatchlings that matched them escaping before they did. All Guardian and Moonstone remember is a scary place they had to run from when they became soul bonded. I’m not too sure how far those two traveled before I found them, but the collector may live near that beach.” I give Vex directions to the beach and wish her luck.

After hanging up I lean back against Hero, feeling him wrap his arms around me, Mmmm warm.

Hero seemed to be in thought, before resting his head against my shoulder. “I wasss thinking about the ssstoriesss you’ve ssshared about Guardian. It ssseemsss he hasss a knack of finding lost sssoulsss.”

I chuckle and nod in agreement. “It does seem to be the case. Guardian, Protector of lost souls. Has a nice ring to it.”

“Oh ssstars don’t give that kid a bigger ego.” Alpha sighs

“Oh I think he’s deserved a little ego boost.” I teased.

Beyond the door, two young lamias have their heads pressed against the door, while Eevee lays nearby watching them, tail giving a slow wag. Guardian has the biggest grin and only stopped wiggling when Moonstone wrapped his tail around his. Moonstone presses a kiss against Guardian’s cheek before pulling him away from the door towards Eevee, decreeing that they did enough eavesdropping.

It would be later in the night that Marx, a bitty Pygmy, decided to hatch from his shell, according to the proud parents, he’s the spitting image of their departed mate, same markings and all. Obviously I’m sending adorable pictures to Vex. Seems the hatchling was waiting for a safe place to hatch.

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jouissezduprintemps · 7 years

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Something to Prove, Chapter Eight: The Demon Desert

Rating: T Warnings: Swearing Words: 2515 Fandom: Naruto Summary: As Suna prepares for its first independently-held chunin exam since Gaara became kazekage, the sand siblings must make sure that everything goes off without a hitch.

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It was back to business before the sun finished rising. The dawn lent a red tint to the sand, and life began to stir. This was to the disadvantage of the genin who were gathered at the gate to the demon desert. They talked eagerly with one another, completely unaware of what they were up against. The only teams that seemed to understand the gravity of the situation were a group of older Suna genin and the group with the little artist from Konoha.

Temari took one last head count before turning to Shikamaru, who carried a satchel filled with scrolls. It was early, but at least they weren’t hung over. Ideally, the genin would realize that they were starting with the sun to take advantage of one of the coolest parts of the day. The desert was without much shelter, and water was scarce. If they had any sense, they would get as far as they could into the arena before the sun rose into its afternoon position.

Gaara watched the scene from atop the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Kankuro stood behind him and to the left. His black clothes made him look like a shadow in the morning light. He wasn’t happy with the way his conversation with his sister ended the day before, but it couldn’t be helped. As long as they were hosting the exam, there were more important things to worry about.

“Listen up!” Temari snapped, her voice cracking like a whip through the air. To her pleasure, silence fell almost immediately. “Each squad will be given a scroll. It will be marked either ��Heaven’ or ‘Earth.’” As she spoke, Shikamaru held up the two types of scrolls. “Your squad must collect one of each before making it to the central tower. Any team without both a ‘Heaven’ and an ‘Earth’ scroll will not be allowed inside.” She paused, allowing the gravity of that statement to sink in.

“In addition, each squad will be given a single flare. When lit, it will signal for a jonin retrieval team to extract your squad. Use of this flare results in immediate disqualification for the entire squad. They have been provided in hopes that we can reduce loss of life.

“Other than the scroll and the flare, each genin is restricted to only what they can carry on their person without the use of a large pack. Your jonin leaders should have advised you on the best strategy to survive this test. Three days will be given. If any teams have not entered the tower by sunrise on the fourth day, they will be disqualified.” She nodded to Shikamaru, who began to hand out the scrolls and flares.

“There are no other rules. I will advise each squad not to be stupid; your lives are not worth a promotion. If you are in life-threatening danger, light the flare. You might just live to fight another day.”

“Sheesh,” Kankuro murmured. “She doesn’t play around.”

Temari waited long enough for Shikamaru to return to her side before gesturing for the gates to be opened. The heavy sandstone ground across the sand, thumping to a halt when open.

“You will have fifteen minutes to prepare. There will be no fighting in that time. Use it wisely. When you see the first signal flare, you may begin.” She and Shikamaru jumped up onto the wall, out of the way of the stampeding genin. Temari turned her back on the gate and watched the squads scatter into all four directions.

“Can you see?” she asked her youngest brother, who was surveying the desert with a faraway look in his eyes.

“Yes,” he responded, covering his left eye with his index and middle finger. “You were right; positioning my jutsu near the central tower will be to our advantage.”

With Gaara’s enhanced vision, there was less of a need to hide jonin around the field. The flares would alert them to any danger, and each squad’s movements could be easily assessed by sensory ninja.

“I’ll leave this position to the two of you,” Gaara informed Temari and Shikamaru. “As proctors, your word will be final. I can’t afford to remain outside the village with so few of our jonin within the walls, so I’ll keep watch from there. Do you have what you need for the next three days?”

Temari nodded. “Our packs were dropped off in the north tower last night. Baki is stationed to the south with a few of the jonin from the other villages.”

“Good. That means we can leave our men on standby.” The kazekage looked from his sister to the leaf ninja and back again. “They’re in your hands.”

“Understood.” Temari confirmed, reassuring her brother.

With that, Gaara walked along the wall to the nearest tower, preferring to take the stairs rather than jump. Kankuro followed along behind him, clearly relieved to have nothing to do with the horde of children.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Baki give the signal from the south tower. She removed her fan from her back and opened it to one moon. Forcefully, she twisted the cap off the flare Shikamaru had given her and used her wind jutsu to toss it up into the air. It rose high enough that it could be seen from the other towers, who signaled that the message had been received.

Temari closed her fan and used it to prop herself up as she leaned. “And now, we wait.”

It was only a matter of hours before the first signal flare was lit. The light came from the west, most likely from a set of ruins. Briefly, Temari mused over what might have attacked. Normally, the genin squads didn’t attack one another with the intent to kill. It was possible that they had run into a scorpion or a nest of ants. Either way, they were too far for her to be of any use. A three-man team, much closer to the location, sprung into action.

“That didn’t take long,” Shikamaru commented.

“It’s not surprising.” Temari reached into her pack and withdrew a container of water, which she opened with one hand. “The desert has had plenty of time to wake up and notice the intruders. I’ll be surprised if we don’t see two more before nightfall.”

“You talk about this like it’s normal.”

“My brothers and I have been training here since we were children, still in the academy. Our father wasn’t exactly a gentle teacher.”

Shikamaru was caught off guard when she spoke about the fourth kazekage. That was a name she hardly ever mentioned, let alone so casually.

Temari tucked her water bottle away before continuing. “You know my scar. The one on my side. I got it fighting in this desert.” She hesitated, taking a moment to make sure that they were as alone as she thought. “It was right before we came to Konoha for the chunin exams. We were ambushed by a giant scorpion. I caught a barb to the shoulder, and the poison isn’t exactly for play. Gaara lost control of the one tail and attacked, but I was hit in the process.”

A fraction of a second later, she added, “I almost died out here. So, no, I don’t have a lot of sympathy. They have the flares for a reason.”

Shikamaru nodded, taking in what she had said. He had the urge to take her hand in his, but they had agreed against any displays of affection, even one as small as that.

Silence reigned once more until the sun had hit its peak. Shikamaru swore and removed his vest. The thick material was protective, but he wasn’t at risk, and he’d rather not suffer a heat stroke. Temari offered him her water, which he took and drank greedily. As proctors, they had ready access to water that the genin did not.

“We should move into the shade,” Temari suggested, much to his relief. “Only an idiot would move with his squad at this time of day. Give it four hours, and we’ll probably start to see movement again.”

Shikamaru had fallen asleep in his chair by one of the windows in the stone tower. His mouth was open slightly and he was snoring, much to Temari’s amusement. It was likely that they would spend the next three days sleeping in shifts, so she decided to give him what time he needed. With the sun still blazing, there had been virtually no activity in the field.

They hadn’t spent much time talking about what had transpired the day before. They had agreed to do their best to carry on as usual while refraining from showing affection, but that was as much as they had decided. It wasn’t hard to mimic the behaviors she’d used before to mask her feelings, and she was fairly confident that Gaara and Kankuro were oblivious.

All the same, their short time by the wall the day before was hard to remove from her mind. Unfortunately, their conversation had been put on hold once they entered the village again, ending with their agreement to avoid affection in public, or even anything but complete solitude. She could survive three days. They’d danced around the matter for far longer than that.

She heard a flare ignite and walked over to the window Shikamaru was asleep in front of. This time, it was to the south. The more teams that backed out, the fewer sets of scrolls there would be on the field. She supposed it was a good thing. They might not need to hold an elimination round before the one-on-one matches.

Shikamaru stirred in his sleep, mumbling something she couldn’t understand. She lay a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a slight shake, rousing him. “If you’re going to nap, you’d might as well lie down.”

“I’m not napping,” he lied before stretching along with a massive yawn. “Not anymore, at least. Any news?”

“Nothing we need to worry about.” She looked at the position of the sun through the window. “Although, we should probably move to the central tower before too long. They won’t stay near the walls much longer, and we can’t afford to miss any early squads.”

“Not everyone can finish the second test as fast as you did,” Shikamaru pointed out.

“That’s because we had Gaara,” Temari remarked. “All the same, we should get a move on. The temperature’s dropped, but, jonin or not, we don’t want to get caught in the open after nightfall.”

The first squad completed the test after 23 hours. The genin from the Hidden Rain were battered and bruised, but they were able to turn over both a ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’ scroll along with their unused flare. Shikamaru was awake to greet them, and he sent all three along to the infirmary to be looked over by the Suna medical nin.

Temari’s shift began at 25 hours, and she was the one to greet the first Suna squad. She didn’t recognize the genin, but they were in much better shape than the first group. Realistically, the same could be expected of the other local squads, who were more accustomed to the harsh conditions.

At 30 hours, a mild sandstorm kicked up. Temari kept a close eye on it, monitoring the speed of the wind. For the time being, there wasn’t any immediate danger other than reduced visibility.

The storm didn’t die until 33 hours, by which time Shikamaru had taken over. He had to admit that he was proud when Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon stumbled in at 40 hours.

Progress slowed significantly when Temari traded places with Shikamaru. It was 53 hours when a squad from the Hidden Cloud arrived, looking extremely worse for wear. They were ushered to the infirmary for treatment.

Twelve genin. That was a decent number, especially with time still left on the clock. There were enough ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’ scrolls to pass seven squads, although many of those had been taken off the field when the genin used their emergency flares.

It was 68 hours when a second Suna squad arrived, stumbling out of the dark and into the tower.

As the 72nd hour approached, both Temari and Shikamaru stood at the doors to the tower. Shikamaru kept a close eye on the clock. With ten minutes to spare, one last squad from the Hidden Rock made it to the tower. When the hour turned, Temari shut the doors to the tower, declaring the second test over.

Gaara stood before the six remaining squads, who were having trouble staying on their feet. Their faces were beaming with pride despite their injuries and exhaustion. His eyes lingered on Konohamaru, who wore a grin that rivaled Naruto’s.

“There will be a brief resting period before the last exam,” he informed the genin. “Train, heal, or sleep. How you spend this time is up to you. In exactly one week, you will compete in one-on-one matches to prove your skills. Suna is your host; please, enjoy what the village has to offer during your time here.”

The genin scattered, quickly attaching themselves to their jonin leaders. Shikamaru caught Ebisu in tears as he embraced his team. He had a feeling that it was a mix of pride and relief that the children had made it this far. He knew he was supposed to remain unbiased, but he couldn’t help but root for the awkward trio.

“At least we have a week to finish those reports,” Temari spoke, drawing his attention away. “We might actually get everything done.”

“I hope so.” Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. “We’ve been busting our asses for months. It’d be a drag if we can’t make it through the final stretch.”

“I’m just ready to get out of this damned tower.”

Kankuro clapped his sister on the shoulder, grinning. “We got two squads through. Better than any other village.”

“Don’t get excited yet,” Temari warned him. “It’s up to Gaara and the jonin leaders how many of them pass.”

“Don’t be a buzzkill, Tema,” Kankuro frowned. “You guys should get your stuff. Baki’s taking us to dinner. Shikamaru, too. He wants to meet the Konoha ninja you’ve been spending so much time with.”

“Right.” Temari walked away from her brother, masking a look of uncertainty.

Shikamaru waited until they were climbing the stairs before asking “What was that about?”

“I think Kankuro is trying to use Baki-sensei as a stand-in for our father…” Temari puzzled, trying to follow her brother’s unique form of logic.

“So, what? He’s vetting me?”

“It seems like it.”

“But he doesn’t know anything.”

“No, but that’s never stopped him before.”

Shikamaru began to shove his belongings haphazardly into his pack. They’d managed to avoid Gaara and Kankuro for three days, but with a long week ahead of them, he knew they’d find out sooner or later. If they planned on grilling him tonight, at least it would be out in public, where they would need to keep up appearances.

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