Sass-suke

Chapter 7

Sasuke paced around in circles, crushing the grass under his feet. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. And that something had to do with the redhead currently making flower crowns next to his other redhaired friend.

The two children were ignoring the Uchiha's pointed looks and excessive pacing, opting to focus on stringing a bouquet of daisies together. What was up with those two and flower crowns anyways?

Sasuke halted his movements, glancing back at the stubborn brats who refused to leave him alone. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. You see, although Sasuke had been pretty preoccupied with killing Itachi in his youth, he wasn't completely hopeless.

He had heard news, and whispers about the Kazekage, and the attack on Suna. About how Gaara, the youngest Kazekage at the mere age of 15, got kidnapped by the Akatsuki while protecting his village.

It was a noble story, and although Sasuke wouldn't admit it, he was incredibly impressed. It wasn't everyday a teenager became a Kage, after all. Except that would never happen now, because not only would Gaara never become Kazekage, he would likely be labeled a rogue nin for associating himself with Sasuke.

The raven haired boy groaned, dropping to the ground with his head in his hands. What was he going to do when Akatsuki attacks Gaara? Suna would be safe because Gaara would no longer be Kazekage, and the Akatsuki would have no motive to bother Suna.

But then that begs the question of who would be Kazekage, if not Gaara? Not to mention instead of Suna, the group of sadistic freaks would be coming after Gaara and in turn, him. Sasuke wasn't sure if he could deal with those people.

In front of him, Karin glanced at him, a worried hint to her gaze. These fast few hours, Sasuke had been incredibly broody. She had no idea if it had something to do with his family, or maybe it was the fact that they were heading in the direction of a creepy old man's hideout.

Karin turned back to Gaara, grinning at the colorful crown buried in his red locks. The girl reached out to Gaara's head, straightening the flowers so that they reflected the sun. The redhead grinned at the boy before standing up and walking over to Sasuke.

Gaara watched with a curious look as she flicked the Uchiha's forehead, causing Sasuke to blink in surprise. "What is it?" Karin grinned. "Welcome back to the land of the living! You were sort of lost in your thoughts, so I decided to bring you back to Earth!"

The boy glared at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, saying, "Whatever you're worried about, don't overthink it. We can figure it out on the way. There's no point dwelling on something you can't solve." Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Tilting his head up, he gave the girl a soft smile. "Thanks." Karin flashed a smile at him. "Your welcome! Cmon, we've rested enough. We should get going if we wanna make it to the creepy old man's burrow."

Sasuke nodded, pushing himself back onto his feet. The red haired girl turned back towards Gaara, helping him gather some more flowers to braid together during the journey. Watching the two kids interact, Sasuke's chest warmed in affection.

'Karin's right. I shouldn't worry about the future too much.' He looked into the forest, taking in the flourishing greens and fresh air. 'But that doesnt mean I can run from it, does it.' Shaking off thoughts of what will be, Sasuke walked over to the two red headed kids.

"You guys ready to go?" Karin nodded enthusiastically, and Gaara replied with a tilt of his head. The poor boy's arms were covered in flowers of every kind, the redhead desperately trying to balance them without dropping any.

The sight was so endearing that Sasuke nearly chuckled. Instead, he gave the boy an affectionate smile, and turned around, leading his new companions into the lion's den.