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The Longest Road
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Chapter 12. The flight
Matsuri still couldn't believe her luck when Temari and Kankurō exited the Kazekage Tower at last, their expressions rigid with telltale blankness. The younger girl didn't pay much heed to it, clinging to the siblings in case that Jōseki guy was still hanging around. Casting the frightened glances here and there, Matsuri followed her guardians to the village's gates, and sighed with relief at the vague sight of the dunes looming in the gap between the cliffs. The siblings were completely silent and she followed their example, guessing it would be better to leave any comments on what had happened until later. Matsuri moaned inwardly, thinking about the distance they were about to cross. Fortunately, Kankurō lifted her again once they climbed up the first dune on their way. The puppeteer was apparently aware that her feet wouldn't bear another few hours of walking, and Matsuri's head rested against his shoulder, as an exhaustion rendered her sleepy. The ninja speed amazed her again but as the setting sun gave the dunes an unearthly glow, Matsuri felt her eyelids slipping down. Suddenly, the puppeteer stopped, and threw his burden onto the sand.
"Ow!" Matsuri cried, more of surprise than actual pain. "Kankurō-san, what—"
"Shh!" Temari shushed her impatiently, grabbing her fan. "How many?"
"Six, I think," Kankurō answered, getting his chakra threads ready. "What do we do?"
"We're going to wait." Temari tightened her hold on the fan. "We don't know what they want after all. If they want a fight, it may be we'll have to kill them all."
"Who is it?" Matsuri whispered, looking around. "I can't see anyone let alone hear anything..."
"I suppose they've been following us since we left the village," Kankurō murmured, and turned to the younger girl. "Listen, Matsuri, if there would be a fight, just run away. We won't let them chase you."
"Chase... me?" Matsuri muttered and frowned, rising up clumsily. If the siblings knew that the pursuers were after her, it only meant that she let her hopes get high for nothing because she wasn't safe at all. Someone - and why the man called Jōseki immediately came up to her mind? - really wanted her dead. First the kidnapping, and now this. Matsuri shivered all over as the fear, still lurking behind her calm demeanor, suddenly sprang up to the full-fledged existence, making her forget everything. Her feet didn't hurt anymore when she dashed forward blindly, barely hearing Temari's voice behind her. Her feet getting stuck in the loose sand, the girl panted heavily, and she didn't even notice when she lost her sandals and socks. Like a wild animal fleeing from its cage, stripped of all logic and reason, she ran and ran until her legs gave up, and her breathing turned ragged and noisy. Desperate, she crawled forward on all fours, digging her fingers into the sand. The sounds of battle didn't reach her anymore, and the sun had finally slipped down behind the horizon but she didn't stop, still dragging herself up and down the dunes until she was too exhausted to move even a finger. Even then, she listened intently to the desert noises in the night, forgetting that if there would be ninjas pursuing her, they would come quietly and unexpectedly. However, nobody appeared, and she gradually relaxed, hoping that Kankurō and Temari would find her soon once they were done with fighting their opponents.
The end of chapter 12.
The next chapter: The encounter