Elpis.97 (Previously Happy Little Girl): Hello everyone! I'm slowly combing through these chapters and revamping what I can without changing the premise too much! Please let me know what you think!

As you're reading these, please forgive the chapters I haven't updated yet!

Edited as of May 17th, 2017

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A pink haired child sat on the frosted grass floor, a thick blanket of snow cushioning her frail body. She sighed, watching the small puff of air billowing from her chapped lips. Sakura pulled the thin shawl closer around her. Shivering violently when a burst of wind hit roughly against her back.

Slumped against a withering tree, Sakura barely noticed a figure crouching near her. Rust red hair stood out from the winter wonderland like blood. Dull eyes looked at the shivering figure with blue tinted skin.

"What are you doing out here girl." His voice dull and bored, seemingly uncaring about the current situation. Sakura stared up at him and gave him a withering glance. "Okaa-san went to sleep, and I don't know where Otou-san is and the men in white tried to take me away. They chased me and threw knives at me." Whimpering she lifted her shawl to reveal a bleeding side, crusted from how much time had passed. Her once pristine and pink outfit torn to shreds.

He slipped his pack into a better position and knelt towards the girl, who flinched slightly at his actions. He moved slower the next time and picked her up, careful of reopening her wound.

"Where are we going?" Her voice cracked once more from the disuse. Teeth chattering in his ear, his eyes softened and held her closer. "Away from here." Shivering and nodding in and out of consciousness, Sakura barely noticed the time passing before they arrived at a mysterious cave. Ice crystals formed around it's rock making the opening seem like a mouth. A sheet of dead vines hid the entrance from view.

An already abundant fire was present, filling her with a warmth she had forgotten once they step inside. Whimpering as Sasori placed her on a bed of furs, he pulled his pack off and retrieved a medic kit. Cleaning off the wound, he was methodical in treating her injury.

"What's your name, mister?"

He glanced at her for a moment before going back to stitch her wound up. "Sasori."

She inhaled sharply as the antiseptic hit her roughed skin but did not cry. "My name is Sakura."

He made a noise to show he heard her but didn't respond. A roll of gauze was placed around her midsection before mentally declaring the job done. He sat near her on a rock, one leg pulled towards his chest with an arm resting on his knee.

Sakura looked at him for as long as she could before the lack of food and blood loss caught up with her, her head hit her chest and bounced a few times before unconsciousness claimed her.

Sasori briefly checked to make sure she was still alive before following suit and falling asleep as well.

Next Day –

Sakura awoke to the birds chirping, those who had yet to fall into hibernation filling the area with their soft song. She was curled on a bed of furs, a familiar cloak laid over her in an imitation of a blanket.

Her stomach growled and she bent over at the pain of an empty stomach before crying out in pain. The wound hadn't reopened but the soreness and tightness of the stitched skin were prevalent.

A bowl of stew was warming over the roaring fire, its scent overcoming her senses. Remembering where she was and who brought her here, Sakura searched for Sasori. Finding him in the same position he was the night before, but instead tinkering with the arm of a puppet, it's body lying near him.

Brushing matted pink tendrils from her face, she hobbled towards him. He briefly glanced up at her before continuing to screw the metal joint in place when it was clear she was neither injured nor sick.

"What's that?" Childish curiosity causing her to peer over his arm, forgetting all amounts of personal space.

"Art."

"But it's not a picture, it's just wood."

He tsked before nodding and gesturing over to the stew, drawing her attention from his being. A few moments passed while Sakura consumed the simple rabbit stew. Munching on dry bread, Sakura watched as Sasori reattached the arm to the body and willed it to move.

A loud noise of exclamation came from Sakura as the puppet stretched and maneuvered itself. "Is that art? How did you do that?"

Sasori moved the puppet to rotate its new arm before making a movement of satisfaction and sealing the puppet back into its previous scroll. He stood up collecting his items around the small cavern; grabbing various articles of clothing and puppet items to be sealed away for his journey.

"There is a small civilian village 10 miles north of here. If you leave now you should be there by nightfall." With that, he nodded towards the younger girl and left.

Sakura crawled onto her knees and ran towards his retreating figure. "Wait! Please don't go."

Sasori ignored her calls and moved to jump onto the trees to head towards the Land of Iron. They currently resided in Frost, leaving him with a few days' journey ahead of him. As he attempted to push off the frosted floor, a small bundle of warmth attached itself to his back.

Peering back at her, Sasori watched the teary eyed pinkette looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Please don't leave. I don't have anywhere to go."

"My lifestyle is no place for a little girl. I don't have the time nor do I want to defend you from enemies."

"Then teach me! I can learn, I was in the academy when we left. My sensei's say I'm a quick learner. Please."

A moment of silence passed with a tense atmosphere. Sakura held onto Sasori like a lifeline as he looked down at her with half-lidded eyes. After a few moments, he sighed heavily. Sasori crouched down and motioned for Sakura to climb onto his back.

"Don't make me regret this girl. Serve me well, and if you fail or prove useless to me, then I'm leaving you behind."

Sakura nodded and buried her face into the back of his neck.

..~..

Elpis: Here it! Hopefully a lot better than what I wrote in 5th grade! Please read and review, I'm slowly working my way through my stories there will be some discrepancies in writing. Thank you!