A/N: And here, sadly, is the last part of the story. I feel like I could go on and on with this story but alas it ends with this chapter but I hope you enjoyed the story none the less.

Location: Sunakakage - Sand Village

Day - New Year's Eve

Time - 8:03am

Temari quietly opened the door and stepped inside her family's home. She was immediately glomped by a little girl. Smiling down at her, Temari picked up her niece and gave her a hug which was returned with great enthusiasm.

"Did you miss me kiddo?" Temari asked the little redhead.

Eriko giggled gleefully and then pouted, "Yeah, Auntie Temtem! I wanted to see you but mommy said you went fawr away. I missed you bunches."

Temari chuckled and tapped her girl's nose, "Well, I missed you too Eriko. Why don't we go see your parents?"

"Okay!" Eriko said her enthusiasm fully returned. Temari set her down and she took off down the hallway toward the kitchen where Matsuri was just barely finishing up her breakfast cooking.

"Temari," Matsuri said happily, "You're home. Come, sit down and eat!"

"No prob," Temari agreed and set Eriko up in her high chair. After Temari strapped Eriko in she placed the tray back into its place and the toddler began using the silverware to make 'musical' sounds.

Sitting down at the already full table she was greeted by her other family. Her brothers gave her their usual gruff and unemotional greetings. Kairai, Kankuro's wife, elbowed her husband and leaned over to Temari and gave her a hug.

"Just ignore him he's being an idiot." She said.

Temari chuckled, "Don't I know it."

The two shared that knowing smile and the brothers rolled their eyes. Matsuri turned around and saw the evil thoughts were starting to broil between the sand siblings.

She decided to break it up before it even started this time. "Alright, no fights at the breakfast table you three."

Though everyone grumbled slightly she knew there were no hurt feelings. The three disbanded their warring thoughts and settled back into their chairs, equally hungry. Matsuri dished out the omelets and sausages like the expert mom that she was; making sure that everyone had enough before finally sinking into her chair to enjoy her own breakfast.

Sometime between Matsuri's food dishing Gaara had quietly gotten up and cut some banana's into little chunks for his daughter. Temari watched him out of the corner of her eye while Kairai was filling her in on everything that had happened during Christmas.

Once Gaara was done cutting he threw the peel and bad parts into the trash and brought the slices over to Eriko's chair. She gigged happily and ate the pieces contently while the rest of the house kept looking over to the pair.

Temari shook her head. Even though it'd been almost a year and a half since

Gaara had become a father she still found herself amazed that her younger brother

could be so, fatherly. Especially after what their father did to him and their mother.

Turning back to Kairai she laughed as the brunette told her about Kankuro's failed attempt to open one of the presents she'd left for them. Kankuro grumbled about getting even but smiled when Kairai looked over at him with one of her special smiles that made your day better somehow. Kankuro blushed and muttered something in Kairai's ear causing her to bat him away, she herself now a furious red.

Matsuri noticed Gaara's helping efforts to feed their daughter and she decided to help him out a little as their little angel started to fuss. This was the way Temari had left the place alright.

It was like living in a fantasy realm sometimes, sure everything wasn't always lovey-dovey but it still managed to keep that certain charm about it. That was what'd convinced Temari she should go on the mission over Christmas. The constant reminder that, even though they didn't know it, she felt like she was apart from them because she didn't have anyone of her own.

'Not true anymore, Temari now is it?' She thought to herself. No, now she had someone too and she wasn't set apart from them anymore. She knew what it was like- or could be like and that made her smile.

After breakfast was over the family slowly migrated into the living room so they could talk quietly while Eriko slept peacefully in her crib. The two women immediately claimed spots next to their sister-in-law while the boys had to sit on the opposite couch.

"So, how was your trip? Did you have good Christmas there? " The two started off at a rapid speed.

"It was okay. I saw the Sixth Hokage (Naruto) and his wife after the meeting and they seemed in rather high spirits. Then I joined the ninja squads as they started off their traditional ninjutsu tournament. Other then that I didn't do much." Temari told them.

She specifically left out the whole Kiba and his courtship idea because she didn't really know how to explain it to them. That and her brothers would probably try and kill him.

The conversation changed and the group began discussing different happenings in the village and the things that Kairai left out about what happened during Christmas for the household.

Everything was going normal and the gang was having fun catching up. Eriko woke up about half an hour later and demanded to sit with her Auntie Temtem. Temari chuckled and helped the little toddler transfer from her mother's grasp onto her lap.

Eriko being Eriko was an inquisitive child and she had to solve everything she came across so naturally she wanted to take off the silly piece of cloth her Auntie had rapped around her neck.

So Eriko did what she always did in these situations; she pulled the scarf off. Temari had been absentmindedly bouncing Eriko on her knee and gasped in shock when she felt the scarf leave her skin. Quickly she tried to shift Eriko onto her other knee so she could cover the mark up.

It was too late however, they had seen it. The tell tale mark that said one thing. Temari of the Sand Village had been with a guy recently and there'd been some heavy kissing say the least.

Matsuri gave her an evil grin that matched her accusing look so well, "Tem-chan is there something you'd like to tell us?"

"Not particularly," Temari said rewrapping her neck again so the red bite was covered.

"Oh come on Tem-chan we all saw it; spill and don't lie because you know we'll know." Kairai said in her practicing mommy voice. Normally Temari rolled her eyes at the tone but right now she was doing it pretty convincingly.

"Alright," Temari said caving. She took a small breath and she put her hands over her niece's ears so she would anything Temari was about to say. Kairai and Matsuri were eager to hear her answer and their husbands were sitting on the edge of their seats awaiting the name of the guy they were going to thrash.

"On Christmas Eve I got drunk and slept with a guy. The next morning he informed me that the mark he left on my shoulder was the way his clan chose futures partners. Since getting married would have been really bad and we couldn't ignore the fact that he'd bitten me we decided to test this whole relationship between us idea."

When she finished gushing out her story she looked back over to her brothers and saw they looked about ready to pop a blood vessel or two. They were practically foaming at the mouth and she decided she'd really better not mention Kiba's name around them for a while. Noticing the quiet Eriko batted at Temari's hands and she removed them and placed them around Eriko's waist holding her like a teddy bear.

It was then time to turn to the girls. Slowly, and almost hesitantly she turned to face them. It was like a thunderbolt. Both of them stared at her with stony looks.

Then in unison they asked, "Is he trust worthy?"

Temari smiled. That was an easy question, she'd already spent a lot of time thinking about it before and after she'd agreed to allow him to court her. "Absolutely."

Temari then reached along her neck until she found the silver string that was attached to an object beyond priceless. She pulled the necklace out and everyone's jaw literally dropped.

"It's his family's heirloom. He told me I could give it back to him at any time if I wanted to end our relationship." Temari explained.

The girls looked at each other and nodded. He'd given their sister an heirloom of his family's and he'd given her control to end it if she needed too. He really liked her.

"Yah!" Both the girls squealed and hugged Temari tightly. They'd been worried about for a while but they hadn't said anything become they didn't want to upset her but now she'd found someone and, who knew, maybe he was the one for her.

Eriko giggled as she got caught in the middle of the hug and was squished by her loving aunt and mother.

"Our sister." Kankuro said.

"Is dating someone." Gaara continued.

"We don't know."

"And haven't approved of."

The poor boys never thought they'd see the day when it'd happen but it did. A strange man had come into their sister's life and she was dating him. They had to know who he was and find out if he was good enough for their big sister.

That was their new goal in life (Aside from being devoted to their wives of course).

Temari knew exactly what her brothers were thinking and chuckled to herself. 'They're never gonna guess who it is,' she thought. I mean seriously, dog boy Inuzuka and the Sand princess of Suna? Some would say not in a million years but it seemed like this might be that millionth year for Temari and she was looking forward to it.

A/N: *Sniff, sniff. That's the end sadly. I'm sorry that people might have seemed like they were on drugs or something. Things tend to blur at the end of these cause I start to fall asleep. Anyway please comment even if it's just to tell me that I need help, which I do.

Please review though! One person favorited this and I almost died of happiness.