The Feral World of Shinobi

The Village Hidden in the Sand

You'd said your goodbyes to Kakashi before you'd left, and now you were aimlessly wandering, trying to find someone you didn't know the sight, sound, or scent of. All you had to go off of was the rumor mill, really. There was hardly anything this deep in the Land of Fire, but some things still got this deep. A rumor of a ghost Skeleton wandering the border between the Land of Fire and Land of Wind was promising so that was your first location. "I swear I saw him! The fleshless corpse of someone who died in the dessert! He was just shambling around...." You tuned out the conversation, seeing as they weren't giving the direction Sans was going. Maybe if you went to the Sand Village, they'd have more information and you could see a certain someone. You lunged into the trees and finally started on your way to the Land of Wind.

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You could sense some shinobi watching you, but you knew it was because you were in the Land of Rivers. They were probably another team going out on a mission and was just making sure you weren't there to start anything. You only had one goal, that was all. You didn't want to start anything.  You traveled through the night so you could at least get into the Land of Wind a bit faster. You camped out on the border for a few hours and got a bit of sleep before heading out again to begin your second day of the three day journey to the Hidden Sand Village. You kept your senses at their max to see if Sans was in your range at all, but it seemed he'd moved on. Still, you were cautiously optimistic about finding him sooner rather than later and going home.

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You could sense Suna ahead of you as you walked the desert to their Village. Naturally, almost everyone was asleep, all but a certain redhead that you favored. A grin tugged your lips into an upward curve, the pulling started up in your chest. It seemed that Gaara felt it too, because it wasn't long before he appeared in a swirl of sand. "Greetings [Y/N]... I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. What brings you here at this time of night?" Gaara didn't seem at all upset over your appearance in his country, in fact, he seemed rather happy about it. Or as happy as someone who didn't know how to express emotions could look. "I'm on a mission and was hoping I could stay here a bit while I restock my supply and gather information on the person I'm searching for." Gaara nodded slowly. "Sure, if you need assistance, I'll be around." Gaara led you to his village and to an inn where you could sleep. "Thanks Gaara... I'll see you tomorrow..?" Gaara nodded. "Sleep well [Y/N].." You nodded, smiling before you went inside.

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You tracked down a breakfast location early in the morning, listening in for any information regarding Sans. There was nothing yet, but the day had only just begun. "Good morning [Y/N]." You smiled as Gaara joined you at your table. "Good morning Gaara." You greeted back. "I was thinking I could show you around Suna, maybe give you some ideas on where you could look around?" Gaara offered. "Oh! Yeah, that would be great!" Your breakfast was set down in front of you and Gaara took the time to order himself. "You're going to have breakfast with me?" You asked in slight surprise. He nodded. "If we are going to be hanging out all day, I may as well. If I may ask, who are you looking for any?" You stirred your rice with your chopsticks. "My biological father, apparently." Gaara blinked. "Can I tell you a secret? Nobody else can know or it could probably start a war, but I can trust you." Gaara nodded. "What is it?" You grinned sheepishly. "You probably already had some inkling, but I'm not from this world. I was transported here as a baby and Kakashi found me..."

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You told Gaara everything. About yourself. About your unknown power. About Sans. Gaara listened intently. "So you're on the hunt for a living Skeleton so that Konaha's enemies can't get him first?" You nodded. "Yep. And honestly? I'm dreading meeting him after all these years. I have no idea what to do or say." Gaara hummed. "Well, I know you'll figure it out. You and Naruto are the best when it comes to people." He gestured to your likely cold food. "Need that reheated?" You nodded and the meal was taken away. "Thanks Gaara, that helped." He gave you a small smile.

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After breakfast, Gaara showed you around as he said he would, telling you about both the good times and the bad times that be had in the location. For that alone, you'd started to unconsciously pressed closer to him to comfort him. A slight pink hue came to his cheeks, but he didn't push you away. At some point or another you ran into Kankuro and Temari. "Hey, you're that girl who wouldn't leave Gaara alone! Feels like forever ago now..." Kankuro commented. "What are you doing here in the Sand?" Temari questioned. "She's on a mission and is resupplying here." Gaara answered for you. "Yep, I'm looking for someone that looks like a Skeleton, you wouldn't have happened to have seen anyone like that, would you have?" Kankuro paused, thinking, before he shook his head. "Nope, sorry. Heard a few stories that might be worth checking out though."
"Cool, I'll have to follow up. Thank you." You thanked the puppeteer as you and Gaara started to walk away and after that lead. "You two have fun on your date!" Temari called after you both, making you both freeze and look back at her. She merely gave a cheeky wink.