This is story is a rewrite of a oneshot I wrote years ago. I changed it in several ways and personally feel like it displays how much my writing style has changed over the years. The portion of this story that is written in italics is a flashback. Anyways I hope those of you reading this story enjoy it and please, please, please leave a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have never will. I also don't make a profit from any of my works. Don't sue me.

Running as fast as she could Mei found herself jumping over tree roots, choosing to stick to the ground instead of taking to the tree tops. No matter how tired she was, she couldn't stop running. She if she stopped there was a chance they would catch her. They couldn't catch her, she was quick on her feet and that was the one thing she had been proud of her whole life.

She hadn't counted on her own fatigue, however. It had hit her much faster than it used to, and she felt herself regretting how comfortable she had grown to be around him. Although she loved the fact that for once in her life she felt safe, she'd grown far too relaxed and hadn't thought she'd need to run again. Now, running for her life, she felt like she was leaving behind any hope of happiness she could have ever had.

Mei stumbled when she thought of him, narrowly avoiding tripping over a log. She skidded to a halt and bent over, her hands clasping her thighs as she gasped for breath. After a long moment she wiped the sweat away from her forehead and straightened, adjusting the straps of her backpack as she prepared to start running again. As her left foot left the ground, she heard the sound of twigs crunching, the noise getting worryingly close at an alarming speed.

"Fuck," Mei gasped.

It was just as he had said. They were going to kill her. She sprinted away from the direction she had heard it from, trying to be as fast as she could, but her body was weak and dehydrated and her muscles cried for her to stop. She could feel her pace slow, even though she tried not to, and she tottered to a halt in a small clearing with a massive tree in the centre. She stumbled to it and leant back against the bark and pulled out the kunai she had strapped to her thigh. She wasn't very good at fighting, but maybe she could use a weak jutsu as a distraction so she could flee. Chest violently heaving up and down, she tried to stifle her breathing as two figures emerged from the bushes.

Mei pushed some stray strands of hair away from her face and grinned at the two men, her chest heaving in her attempt to calm herself.

"Are we going to dance?"

She hoped that maybe she could throw then off a little bit, and get away. She did have to admit, however, that they didn't seem anything like the people he'd been around. The way they were holding themselves; they just appeared a little clumsy to her.

"It's been awhile since we've done this…" One of the men spoke.

"Going to be fun for sure, can't wait to sink my blade into some skin," the other responded, licking his lips.

Mei winced, "That's just gross."

The men laughed, nudging each other and giving her long lecherous looks. She frowned, wiping the sweat from her brow as she studied them. They didn't seem very professional to her in the least. Mei gripped her kunai tight as they stepped forward, but they weren't as agile as he was, or his companions. They walked elegantly, silently, cloaks brushing against the ground. The men in front of her trampled twigs and flowers, being so loud it was almost cringe-worthy. She started to doubt that they were even associated at all with him - perhaps she just had incredibly bad luck.

"Will he mind?" One hissed, eyes locked on Mei's as he unsheathed two daggers which looked delicate in his ape-like hands.

"He'll never know." The other murmured, leering as he snapped out a whip, "He's probably in bed, sleeping like the fragile little prince he is." His voice was mocking and cruel and they laughed amongst themselves at the joke.

They approached her, with toothy grins and shining eyes, and Mei knew that in her state she couldn't win. But still, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Mei moved her body into a defensive stance and prepared for their attack, which much to her dismay wasn't put off for even another minute. She was able to stop the first few blows of their kunai, moving her own at a frantic pace to hold their blades a bay. However the bigger male knocked her blade from her hand and sliced her cheek deeply.

Quickly she twirled her body away from them, putting only a few steps between them, but a few steps were all she needed. Breathing heavily she dove down under and through their legs, bringing her foot up to land a painful blow on their unmentionables. Both men groaned simultaneously and dropped to their knees, hands flying to their groins to offer comfort to themselves.

Not risking any more men from chasing her down she took off into a sprint. However no matter how much she pushed her tired body she couldn't seem to find the right footing and fell to her knees. She didn't understand; these didn't seem like the kind of men he would have sent after her. Determination filled her. She wouldn't be what he wanted, even if it meant giving up her own life that she'd fought so hard for. Quickly she reached for her kunai that had fallen a few feet from where she was. She wrapped her slim fingers around its cool handle and raised it towards her throat.

Before she could make the decided cut she felt cold fingers wrap around her wrist and her stomach sunk. She should have known that he'd never let her escape him.

"You really want away from me that bad my puppet?" He spoke, his voice smooth and deep.

Mei closed her eyes, fighting back the tears the threatened to fall from her eyes. She hadn't chosen this life, but she'd grown to like it. She'd grown to love him. He wanted to her to become what he was, just a doll with a heart in a case, never truly feeling anything.

"Sasori…" She spoke softly, not sure what she intended to say. "Please let me go. I don't want this; I don't want this like this. If I stay I want to be me. I want to be like I am now, I don't want to change. Please Sasori, I won't try to run away again… Please."

The man pulled her to her feet and turned her towards him. His eyes seemingly stared into her as he studied her. He took her chin in his long fingers and studied her face.

Sasori wiped his thumb through the blood that ran from the cut on her cheek and spoke softly.

Sasori removed the blindfold from her eyes and looked at her for the first time. She was a small thing, but from what he had been told she fought like a man. Even now he could see the determination in her eyes. He would break that slowly.

He walked away from her and picked up a cloth, which he then used to wipe away blood from her lip. She surprised him when she didn't attempt to bite at him, which was something had expected. Getting her cleaned of all of the blood that was on her face he straightened and looked her over. Her long auburn hair was tangled and a mess, but her golden eyes kept only a focus on her determination. She kept her back straight and her head high. He could see the spirit that she had. She would fight with everything she had for what she wanted.

"You may be more trouble than what you are worth my puppet," he spoke in a deep voice.

Her eyes flashed with anger, "I am not your puppet! Don't call me that, it's not my name!"

Sasori tilted his head, "I am perfectly aware of your name, and it has no meaning to me. You will do as I say, do what I say, be what I say. You are my puppet."

There it was, the fear in her eyes. The fear of the unknown; it looked nice in her eyes. With her, he decided, he would be unpredictable.

"I am not! I won't ever do any of that, I won't!" She screamed now, tears of frustration falling from her eyes."I'll fight you, I'll get away! You can't keep me here forever!"

Sasori stared at her with a blank expression, "You are my puppet, and you will never escape me."

"I told you puppet, you are mine, and you will never escape me."