Red Strings of Fate

Chapter TWO

Chapter TWO

Escaping the village unnoticed hadn't been very difficult. Between them, they had picked a time where the guards switched over, then Gaara had taken them over the walls with his sand while Sakura used her Iron Sand to help blend them into the night.

Once they were actually over, Sasori led them towards one of the few blind spots of the outer wall.

He would know.

He had been on patrol many times, after all.

He then glanced over at two children. He had brought them out on a whim, but he would actually have to think things through from now on.

"You need a way to carry around your sand." Sasori said offhandedly.

Gaara flinched, blinking rapidly at him.

"We will not be able to return to Suna for a while, and you will be vulnerable without your only source of attack and defense."

Gaara hesitantly formed a gourd with the sand around him, to carry around.

The Puppet Master then turned to look at the Iron sand that had been trailing after Sakura ever since they had left the Third Kazekage's quarters.

Sakura blinked up at him curiously, then raised her hand. The Iron sand gathered rapidly around her. They formed several spheres, then floated into the air, circling her.

Sasori nodded. It would have to do for the time being.

The moment the next patrol passed by, Sasori had led them rapidly towards the closest border. They had to rest more times than Sasori liked, and he realized that though both Sakura and Gaara had gone through training with one Kage or another, they were still children, and they didn't as much stamina as him.

They took a few short rests, just enough to let the two catch their breath, before Sasori pushed them on. They were well into River Country when Sasori finally slowed his steps.

  -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Sasori made sure that for the next few months, they kept low. The Third Kazekage had been deemed missing, and even now, the shinobi of Suna searched for him.

Sasori had been a very trusted shinobi, and his disappearance had been linked in with that of the Third.

At the beginning, people had thought that Sakura and Gaara had been kidnapped by enemy nations, or someone who had a grudge against Suna, but when no ransom letter of any sort arrive, they began looking into other possibilities.

The fact that they had vanished at the same time as Sasori and the Third was something everyone noticed.

Sasori, for one, had no problem with being known as a missing nin.

However, he now had an unexpected in his plans, and he needed to make sure both Sakura and Gaara knew what they were truly going into.

He took solo jobs as a mercenary in henged form for money.

He had waited this long, and though he was an impatient person, if he had to, he could wait a little more.

Three months after their departure, Sasori brought the two along on one of his missions. He needed to see their skill level, and he also needed to take them out some time.

The two proved to be more than useful against the group of bandits they had been tasked with disposing.

Sasori was slightly impressed with the massacre they had committed.