https://youtu.be/DJzEiV1sGaY

[Wayfaring Stranger--The Longest Johns]

Temari of Sand Village was resting after training, minding her own business, leaning on a wall along the edge of her village and looking at the sun setting over the horizon when a sharp flash off to the right caught her peripheral.

Picking up her fan, she sprang toward that section of the wall. Sand came sifting past the corner, like someone had kicked it up. Someone clearly not versed in the stealth of walking on it. She noiselessly slipped along the wall and sprang up on top of it to look down at the intruders.

* * *

The first thing Shine noticed was that it was hot and dry--and dusty.

"Oh, crud!" she said, squinting. "It's a desert!"

Dabi, who'd landed almost right into the wall, kicked sand up irritatedly. "I hate sand. Is this the whole world?" [Anakin Skywalker?]

Momo was shielding her eyes and looking around. "I don't think so. See those mountains? I'm sure there's regular country beyond them. This hardly looks like a Sahara."

"No Tatooine, then," Shine said thankfully, before coughing. "Oh man, I'd better take an allergy pill now before I get really going."

She fished in her backpack, also donning her sunglasses. Todoroki wasn't bothered much by the climate. He was more interested in the town. They appeared to be outside--so he was the first to see the person staring down at them from the wall. He made a surprised sound. Everyone looked up.

"Oh, it's just a girl," Dabi said, annoyed. "With a...suitcase...weird."

The girl narrowed her eyes at them, then she hopped off the wall as nimbly as a cat, landing without disturbing the dust at all, and held out some kind of short knife.

"You people are trespassing," she said, in a surprisingly deep voice, since she looked about 15 years old. "State your business, before I kill you."

"Ah, that's cute," Dabi said. "She thinks she's intimidating."

Shine put a hand to her forehead. "I should've known this wouldn't be the usual..." she muttered.

The girl gripped the knife a little harder.

"Excuse me?" she said in a dangerous tone. "I am a Chunin of the Shinobi of the Hidden Sand, daughter of the Kazekage. I suggest controlling your tongue, if you want to keep it."

Momo gulped almost inaudibly. Todoroki frowned. Dabi was completely unimpressed.

"Yeah, sure." He turned his back on the girl. "So, what's a hidden village? Doesn't look very hidden--more like a dump. The h---, Likstar, where are we?"

"Danged if I know," Shine said, looking past Dabi. "Duck."

Dabi ducked as a knife whizzed right by where his face would have been and stuck in the sand several yards away behind Shine. The girl was frowning. "Now do I have your attention? Who are you?"

"Um..." Shine glanced around. "That's a long story, but my name is Shine Likstar."

"What kind of a name is that?" the girl asked skeptically. She already had another knife out.

Momo slowly stepped in front of Shine, since she could better make a shield.

"It's just her name," she said calmly. "I'm Momo Yaoyorozu."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "At least I've heard that," she said--but her wry tone made Shine glance at her with more interest. Maybe the chick had a sense of humor somewhere.

"Shoto Todoroki," Todoroki said coolly. "And this dolt is my brother, Tou--"

"Dabi," Dabi interjected pointedly.

The girl nodded slightly, like this name was also acceptable. "And your business?"

They all looked at Shine.

"We're looking for someone," Shine said, calmly enough. "And we were led here. But we've never seen the place before, so I'm sorry if we trespassed at all. Are you a guard?"

The girl seemed slightly appeased to be asked a more respectful question--but also wary.

"What do you mean by that? I told you who I was--Temari of the Sand Village...which is here, in case you missed it." The last was clearly mocking them, though not as cruelly as one might have expected.

Shine seemed at home with this, but the other three felt on edge. They were still recovering from the jolt of jumping; everything around them looked a little funny, almost like a simulation in an AR device might have looked, both real and off color at the same time, but it wasn't any color or line that you could pinpoint, it was just...like the fabric of the air itself was different, and it made them feel a little disoriented.

The girl, Temari, looked off also, and her features weren't like anyone's they'd ever seen, like they were on a different scale, though certainly human. She had ordinary colored straw-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a pretty face...but it wasn't like their home Japan, and it wasn't American like Shine.... They couldn't place her origins.

"You're named after a handheld toy?" was Dabi's way of relieving his feelings.

[There's an article about it if you're curious. They're kind of like hacky sack balls, originally made from kimonos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temari_(toy)]

Shine smacked him. "That's enough out of you, Loved One." [Dabi means "dearly loved" in Hebrew. Look it up, it's true.]

Momo felt awkward. "Uh, don't mind him. He just likes to tease people about their names," she said hastily.

Temari clearly didn't know what to do with this response to her statements. "Are you really claiming to not know where you are? If you're serious, you're going to be in big trouble soon." She glanced up at the sun. "When night falls, the jackals come out. One look at the lot of you and I'm guessing you're not worth much as fighters."

Before Dabi could protest, Shine gave him a warning look.

Temari tilted her head. "But Sand Village is not known for its hospitality. Only other option is to take you as prisoners for trespassing--since I didn't slay you on sight. What village are you from?"

"Not any one near here," Todoroki replied carefully. "I wouldn't call it a village at all."

"Small farmers?" Temari assumed immediately. "Then that's even worse for you." She smirked in amusement. "How did you ever survive this far out? Should've died hours from here...and what are you wearing?"

Momo looked down at the light exercise clothes Shine had recommended she wear. They didn't look that eccentric to her.

"I beg your pardon," she said, brushing her hair back. "But it's not really so bad as that. Any person of average strength and with proper supplies could have walked that distance." She pointed towards the mountains. "And I'm sure beyond them there has to be a road, right? And water somewhere. As for jackals, there are always ways to keep away wild animals. Plus, I'm sure this village must be on the edge of the desert since it's not much of an oasis, and only a fool would live far from the border of better territory. If your aim was to scare us into submission, it's not going to work. We can simply leave now, can't we Shine?"

She looked at Shine, who smiled smugly. "I mean, sure, sounds like you've thought it out, Momo. I bet we'd find a friendlier village over the mountains." [Knowing this world, I wouldn't bet on it.]

Temari gave them an appraising look. "Not bad," she said. "But if you were sent here to find someone, your solution isn't going to work out."

"Crap," Dabi muttered.

"Perhaps not, but we aren't so helpless." Momo straightened. "And don't you wonder if it might be an ally we're searching for? No one said our mission was hostile."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "That would be novel," she said. "Who is it you're looking for? I know everyone."

They all looked at Shine again, but she shrugged helplessly. "I didn't get a very clear look. I think it was a younger person, and I felt agony, and..." She put a hand to her chest. "...an ache, right here. I felt sadness, but I'd have to see the person, I think."

"But to be clear, it wasn't her." Dabi gestured with his thumb at Temari.

Shine looked at her closely. "No, but she seems familiar somehow. Perhaps she was in it. Anyway, the first person you meet is almost always important. Often they are a guide. Other times they know the one you are supposed to find. Kiri and Denki met us in your home and introduced us to all of you straightaway. Momo became our guide because she took initiative, however.... There has to be that too. Do you understand?"

"I do, but perhaps you should not say this in front of her," Todoroki said.

Shine didn't seem to care if her on-the-job training was all heard by Temari, but the others were pretty sure the girl wouldn't like it. They remembered how they felt when they first heard this.

Temari did look first weirded out, then suspicious again. "Are you from Leaf Village?" she asked.

"Where is that?" Momo asked politely.

"Guess not," Temari muttered. She shook her head. "Unfortunately for you weirdos, this is an even worse time than usual to show up at Sand Village without some written orders. I can't just let you go either, not if you made it this far--how on earth did you get in here without being seen in those clothes? You must have some powerful camouflage jutsu."

"Some what?" Todoroki said.

"Is that a drug?" Dabi said. "Because I don't do drugs anymore."

"Dabi, you did drugs?" Shine said.

"You really think I never did drugs?" Dabi said. "What about the enhancing--?"

"Please stop talking about it." Momo half covered her ears.

"All of you, shut up," Temari said with more command. "Now come quietly and I won't hurt you. I'm tired, so I'm not in the mood for a fight, but if you push it, I'd take all of you, easy, so don't try."

"I'd like to see you back that up." Dabi made a move.

Shine grabbed him by his arm. "Touya, wait. We know no one's abilities here, nor our own fully yet. This isn't so bad. It's not so different from my first day with you. It's best to go along with her. It's not like we can't escape if we need to. Plus, Temari seems okay to me. We can let her capture us."

The two teens made no argument.

Temari shook her head. "I seem okay, huh?" she said. "Well, this should be fun. If you're going to cooperate, get a move on. Don't stand here all day." She motioned for them to walk ahead of her.

She led them to a gate that had a sentry or two at it who looked bored. Stepping inside, Shine suddenly froze.

"What is it?" Dabi asked warily.

Shine shivered even though it was hot. "I...there's something very dark here. Bloodshed, I think, and something else."

Temari glanced at her with a strange expression.

Momo shuddered. "I sense something also. I've never felt it like this before."

Shoto recalled Wally warning them before they left that things might be seen more clearly than they were used to. Could this be that?

Temari was clearly getting more suspicious of them.

"You don't look it, but are you Chunin or Jonin? From somewhere unusual, Water, maybe?"

"Sand, Water--is there Fire too?" Shine asked humorously.

"Is that supposed to be sarcasm?" Temari replied icily.

"Maybe this is Avatar," Shine joked.

"Avatar didn't have a Sand Village. Besides, that's a show," Shoto said. [lol]

"The dub version was worse," Dabi said. "I prefer the original English seiyus. Show was lame anyway. Not how fire works, idiots."

Shine laughed. "Shoto, did you forget what I told you about shows?"

"No, but it doesn't seem much like one," Shoto said.

Shine didn't argue that, and their "guide" didn't comment on any of that exchange.

Since it was hot, hardly anyone was in the streets, but Momo did see some older kids training with what appeared to be their sensei.

All of them wore headbands around their foreheads, or necks, with the same symbol on it, one that Temari was wearing too, now that she noticed. It seemed to mean "Sand".

Most of them wore brown colors, with netting of some sort to cover part of them, perhaps to be cooler.

"What are they doing?" Shine asked Temari, nodding at the kids.

"Them? Ninja training," Temari said. "Some Genin aren't your target, I'd hope." With a wary look again.

"Can one of you three tell me what Chunin, Jonin, and Genin are?" Shine hissed to the others.

"Genin is like the lowest level of class," Momo said. "A farmer, usually.... I wouldn't call someone that to their face. Chunin are sort of the next level class, like townspeople, but subordinate to groups like Samurai--"

"We are not!" Temari said with irritation. "And what are you saying? That's all wrong."

"And Jonin?" Shine ignored Temari's interruption.

"Upperclassmen, but it means to be responsible, appointed, sort of," Momo said. "I'm trying to think of an American equivalent."

"The gentry?" Shine said. "That'd be British.... For a while it was America also, till we eschewed it."

"Yes," Momo said.

"Still wrong." Temari was indignant. "Where are you from, the Samurai land? That might explain the get up. And you don't have headbands either."

"Samurai sounds kind of cool." Dabi put his hands in his pockets.

"Aren't you hot in that jacket?" Momo asked.

"Well, I'm always cold or hot, so I hardly notice," Dabi said flatly.

"Well, you're ignorant of our ways," Temari said. "Genin are the starting level ninja. Chunin are next level, qualified to lead teams or do missions together. Jonin are masters, even more qualified. Often they work alone...and I suppose you've never heard of the Sannin, but there are only three of them."

"I'm guessing they're the top dogs?" Shine said. "The legendary masters of it all? Probably like the top heroes." This to the others.

"You catch on fast enough for someone who doesn't know this place from the Land of Water," Temari said.

"I assure you, Temari, I would know the desert from water," Shine said drolly, fanning herself. "I'm just surprised you don't have more a creative name for it than 'Sand'."

"The village is Sand. The land is the Land of Wind," Temari corrected her.

"Just as boring," Dabi said. "That's like calling Japan the land of cheap, overrated heroes and rice balls."

"Japan means 'sun origin'," Shine said. "I Moogled it once. That's very pretty. America is named after an explorer, I believe."

"What is this Japan?" Temari asked. "I've never heard of such a place. And what is America?"

She said it wrong.

"They're countries you would know little about," Shine said.

"Across the ocean, then?" Temari said.

"In a way, maybe," Shine said.

"Never have I heard of visitors from that far finding their way here," Temari said, more formally. "But how can I be sure you're being honest?"

"If you've never heard of it, Temari-san, then why would we choose such a stupid cover? It would raise more suspicion than saying we were from one of these villages you mentioned," Shine said."

Temari studied her for a moment.

"May I ask where you're taking us?" Momo interjected.

"To the council," Temari replied. "They'll decide if you're a threat."

"Oh...no, that doesn't sound like a good idea." Shine shook her head. "I never do well with councils--they're too suspicious. Did you say ninja before? I thought ninja were farmers, not villagers."

"What are you talking about?" Temari asked. "Is that what they tell you where you live?"

"But we live where there were ninja, and those are the simple facts," Momo said.

Shine pursed her lips. "Temari, may we have a moment to converse?"

"To plot?" Temari said.

"No, not to plot, just to clarify our situation," Shine said.

"Why would I give you that chance?" Temari asked.

"I can make her," Dabi said.

"Touya, cut it out. You're only making her more wary of us," Shine said. "Now, this is clearly not a very safe place we've landed. I've gleaned that much. Usually we get more information going in. We had better consult our information board, if you know what I mean."

Momo mouthed "Camie?"

Shine nodded.

"As for you, Temari-san--I am doing this right?" Shine paused.

"You're doing fine," Shoto said. "Your accent sounds better now also."

"Aw, thanks, sweetie." Shine patted his shoulder affectionately, which still startled him. "But, Temari-san, it seems to me you've taken us for some kind of spies, am I correct?"

Temari tilted her head again. "Wouldn't you?" she hedged.

"If I were you, perhaps I would," Shine allowed. "But it's a misunderstanding. We are not spies, and I'm afraid we're not ninjas either. That should be obvious by now. But if you take us to this council of yours, won't they think what you think? And I somehow don't think they'll be as lenient as you. If you had the authority to pass judgement on us, you would have already. You said you were a chunin before? So you don't have top rank, right?"

"Yes, she said that, and that she was the daughter of the Kazekage," Momo said. "That means 'Shadow of the Wind' in English, roughly."

"So the ruler of this land, probably," Shine said.

"Perhaps more like a war lord," Momo said.

"Not like that." Temari frowned.

"For the time being, kids, let's just assume that all the definitions of things that you know must be a little different here," Shine said. "Notably, they were speaking Japanese...but it doesn't seem like it's Japan, to me.... Must be some kind of parallel to it. So you can't assume it will be like your hero world at all. But words are similar, clearly.... That's what's creating the confusion here. We know just enough to sound like we know something, but not enough to know what we don't know. Is that about right, Temari-san?"

Temari looked at her like she was mad. "And so? I still have to turn you in."

"Yeah, and I bet they'll kill us," Dabi said. "Samurai and ninja ain't known for being the nicest people, Likstar."

"I'm aware of the culture, Touya," Shine said. "But ninja must be less of a secret thing here--she just told us straight up she was one.... I think it must be more like being a special forces soldier."

"You're not far off." Temari must have understood this term. "I'm a very proficient one also. Just so you know, I could have fought you right off. I half thought you were here to assassinate my brother--but if you're serious about not knowing anything about this, how could you know about him either...?" She rubbed her chin. "I don't know if I believe that.... Prove it."

"How can we prove it?" Momo asked her, wiping her forehead. "I think I'm sunburning.... How can you stand it in those clothes?... But we can't prove we don't know this brother of yours."

"Why'd we want to kill someone we never met?" Dabi said.

"Because he is Gaara of Sand Village," Temari said.

"Gaara?" Momo said strangely. "What an awful name--I mean...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Momo?" Shine said.

"It means 'demon'," Momo said, "a sort of one. Remember, I told you we have different kinds, not like yours."

"I see," Shine said. "So perhaps it just means he's tough. I know how you all use that slang--it's repulsive to me, but, there it is."

"I see you at least knew the idea of it," Temari said. "But you don't know him? I'd swear you were being serious, but you could just be undercover agents. You could lie as easily as breathe."

"This place sounds horrible," Shoto said decisively. "Lying, assassination, you're saying all that like it's nothing? What kind of war zone can this be?"

"This is not a war zone," Temari said. "That would be beyond these walls, out there in the uninhabited stretches of land. Here, we're supposed to be safe, but Gaara is safe nowhere." She frowned at them, and held up her small knife. "If you're here to harm him, I'd kill you now."

"Whoa, back off there," Dabi said. "Don't get all knife happy there, chick. We're not here to kill anyone."

"Gaara sounds important," Shine said. "I'd like to meet him instead of the council."

"Nice try," Temari said.

"Perhaps you have a reason to be guarded," Momo said meekly. "It sounds like you have some enemies...but if we wanted to harm him, would we ask you outright about it? Isn't that a bit silly?"

"I don't know, could be some clever ploy," Temari said. "People have tried everything. Our own uncle tried to kill him, not that it's any of your business, but he's dead now...so..."

"That's horrible," Shoto said. "My father is responsible for this." He pointed to his scar.

"Shoto," Shine warned him. "I warned you not to just say that outright to people, I thought."

"But she said--" Shoto said.

"Yes, so she has no filter either," Shine said.

"I have no what?" Temari said. "Look, I'm not about to just take you to see my brother and hand him to you on a silver platter. You can come to the council peaceably, or I can drag you, take your pick."

"I'd like to see you try." Dabi pushed up his sleeves.

"Suppose we are truthful," Shine said. "Your council may decide to lock us up or worse anyway. How do you treat intruders?"

Temari's expression said not well.

"And if we're innocent, is that right?" Shine asked.

"Do you think she cares if it's right?" Dabi said. "She'll be like the heroes, brainwashed into doing whatever the boss says, mark me. We should bail now."

"Touya, with that attitude, we might as well give up now," Shine said sternly. "Give her a chance to think about it at least."

Temari scrutinized them.

Suddenly, someone jumped down from a roof.

He was dressed head to toe in a black costume that looked like a bear (though it was supposed to be a cat more) that obscured all of him from view except his face, which was covered in white and purplish red war paint, like a kabuki mask.

His expression was hard to read because of that, but it wasn't very friendly. He also had a huge, wooden bundle on his back.

"These lunatics bothering you, sis?" he said.

"Sis?" Dabi said. "So you must be Gaara, then. You don't look much like a demon, more like a bear."

"What was that?" the boy said.

"This is not Gaara," Temari said coolly. "This is Kankuro, my other brother."

"Day son," Momo whispered to Shine the translation.

"Weird names run in the family, then," Shine muttered. Then aloud, "Kankuro? Nice to meet you."

"Sure it is," Kankuro said sarcastically. "Shall I take them in?" He held up his hands as if to attack.

"Hold it a moment." Temari was frowning. "They're not quite normal.... They just appeared by the wall. I have no idea how they got in. But look at them, they aren't shinobi."

"I don't care what they are. They're trespassing," Kankuro said.

"So let us leave, then. It was an honest mistake," Dabi said. "Technically, we weren't even inside till your sister here brought us in, so who's fault is it really? There wasn't a sign outside that said 'don't trespass in Sand Town.'"

"Oh, this guy thinks he's funny." Kankuro took a step forward.

"Kankuro, where's Gaara?" Temari grabbed his shoulder before he could do anything.

"Here," said a new voice.

Someone had appeared out of sand, it seemed, or had ridden up on it.

They all looked.

Temari and Kankuro tried to step a little in front of him, but they saw bright red hair, a brown suit that looked like one from the Matrix [which was on purpose, I believe--the writer was a fan]. Also he had dark circles around his eyes.

His voice was hoarse and deep like he'd smoked a thousand cigarettes.

Shoto was on edge already, and Momo was uncertain.

Dabi thought he was the first interesting looking person they'd met so far--at least who didn't look stupid.

"That must be him," he said.

But Shine was staring at him and putting a hand to her chest. The feeling of agony was back, full force. She let out a low gasp.

Momo looked at her in alarm. Todoroki didn't like the look of either of the newcomers, but he didn't think that was Shine's problem.

"Gaara, stay back," Temari confirmed their worries by saying.

"What is this?" Gaara asked. "More assassins?"

"I don't know," Temari said.

Shine hugged her chest. But then she looked up, and her expression and tone were both so full of compassion that the three who knew her felt calmer and the three who didn't were caught completely off guard.

"This is the person," Shine said, in that voice. "Gaara is. I can't explain why I felt such agony from him, but it's a match, no doubt about it."

"Him?" Shoto was skeptical for a moment.

"Well, that makes sense." Momo brightened a little now that she had an explanation. "Since he was mentioned so many times, we could have guessed that, really, and these are his siblings, so that explains why they're worried. It's all right, Todoroki-san." She nodded at him.

"Are you crazy?" Kankuro said to both of them, but especially Shine.

"You get this well received everywhere?" Dabi asked Shine.

"This is about average," she said, now more back to her usual peppy but wry tone.

"All right, that's it, I'm taking them down," Kankuro said.

"Wait, Kankuro," Gaara said.

Kankuro froze at once.... His look said he was afraid of his brother.... Why was he afraid?

Gaara wasn't speaking threateningly, at least Shine didn't think so, but Shine didn't look for threats the way the two boys did.

Momo tried to be more open minded and ignore how menacing his voice might sound.

[Anyone who hasn't watched Gaara in dub doesn't know how well Liam O'Brian made his voice pretty much unforgettable. Sub is all right, but just didn't even come close to sounding as raspy and threatening.... It was hilarious later too.]

"What do you want with me?" Gaara asked them. It might have been a threatening voice, but to Shine it sounded just like vague and uncertain curiosity.

His eyes didn't look quite right. She was scanning him. She also sensed something dark around him...the same feeling as before.

But he wasn't threatening her. It was a puzzle.

"I'd like to know what it is you've got inside you," she said, without thinking too carefully about whether that was smart. "I don't think it's friendly."

Kankuro and Temari both gripped their weapons and glared at her. "Some kind of sick joke?" Kankuro said.

"You don't know?" Gaara answered. "The One Tail..."

"Gaara!" Temari said, but even she sounded subdued compared to before, like she didn't want to upset him. "You told her?"

"She didn't know, so she can't be here for it." Gaara seemed to see no potential deception behind this.

"What is the One Tail?" Momo asked. "Is it like a fox spirit?"

"It's not the fox...it's the Raccoon," Gaara said.

"It's the what?" Dabi said. "Who's got a raccoon inside him? Shine, that's crazy. Animal spirits don't possess people."

"No, not naturally," Shine said in a grim voice. "But it's no ordinary animal spirit, I can promise you that."

"No, it's not," Gaara said. "But how did you not know this already? Who are you?"

"I say we take 'em in," Kankuro said. "They're faking it, no doubt. They just want to get close to you and then they'll attack."

"Oh, no, we have no wish to attack." Momo held up her hands quickly. "Please don't misunderstand us. We're here to help."

"I'm not sure with what though," Shoto said in his odd, spaced out way like when he was lost in thought. "This doesn't seem quite like what I expected."

"After 30 minutes you already think you've got it figured out, Snowflake?" Dabi said. "I'm more concerned about those other ninja that'll be watching us pretty soon."

The Sand three looked around like they expected the same.

"They'll leave us to fight it," Temari said in a low voice to Kankuro. "You know no one here will help Gaara except us, and they'll be afraid of one of his...you know."

"They make a big enough fuss and they might come out," Kankuro replied.

"We can hear you," Dabi said, annoyed.

"Well, then let's not waste any more time." Kankuro raised his hands again.

"This is our cue to leave," Shine said.

"I've got this," Shoto said at once.

Temari and Kankuro both tried to move to do something, but Shoto shot up a wall of ice to block them.

They both dodged like they expected it to do more than just block them, and then they stared at it like they'd never seen it before.... Well, it was the desert; maybe they never had seen ice before.

"It was lovely meeting you," Shine called to them, like nothing had happened. "And thank you. We'll talk later, all right? Meet us somewhere more private than the street."

"Hey!" Temari cried. "What are you doing? If you run, we'll just take you down."

"Like to see you try, b----," Dabi said, as ice shoved past Kankuro, who was still puzzled by it and just trying to dodge it instead of doing anything to stop it.

"Wait," said Gaara--and his voice was scary. "Why are you looking for me? What did you mean by what you said?"

Shoto and Momo were pulling Shine to run down the street, and Dabi was already going ahead of them.

No one was in sight, as the siblings had predicted.

Shine looked back and called, "Long story. Find us later, or we'll find you, but I don't fancy meeting the council. This place reeks of darkness."

"Shine," Momo said, tugging her faster, "perhaps we should explain later. We must go before more guards notice us."

They ran faster, though the heat made it brutal.

The three teens followed them, however.

Temari sprang ahead of the other two like a deer, and she used the walls of some oddly shaped house to jump over their heads like a video game character, and then she got in their path.

She opened something she'd had on her back this whole time that they'd thought was for the sun, but, in fact, it was actually a huge fan.

"You've got to be kidding me," Dabi said incredulously. "Want me to roast her?"

"No," Shine said severely. "Leave Temari alone. She's not the problem. Shoto, a pathway please."

"On it." Shoto used ice to lightly shove Temari out of the way and made a pathway.

She dodged the ice easily and swung her fan. A gust of wind, so strong and sharp it might have been a hand shoving at them, hit the ice and broke it into several large pieces...but Temari seemed to expect it would do more damage than that, and she looked surprised.

Shoto, seeing this and remembering Yoarashi, didn't waste any time reinforcing the ice hard and then, taking Momo and Shine's arms, he skated with them down the street, Dabi keeping up as best as he could.

More wind came after them and shoved Momo and Shine so that they lost their balance and fell into Shoto. They all tumbled over and off the ice, hitting the sandy dirt.

Dabi wasn't hit, but he looked at her. "The heck was that?" he said.

"That's right," Temari said triumphantly. "You don't realize what you're up against."

The two boys were following now.

"Shine?" Momo said, wiping sand off her face.

"Yes," Shine said. "But I have a feeling I shouldn't just show that. We need cover."

Shoto blasted fire at his ice and turned it to steam.

The Sand Three slowed like they thought it was some new attack.

Momo pulled something out of her arm and dropped it on the ground. It shot out smoke.

Dabi ran to join them. He knew what was up.

Shine quickly made a portal, and they all jumped into it.

[Heck of a first impression they made there.

This will be a wild ride, I can tell already.]