Junko stopped running and listened carefully, she smiled at the sound of running water; a stream was nearby.  She ran on and reached it, quickly dunking her teddy bear in hoping to wash off the blood that still clung to it.  She watched in an oddly interested way as the water turned pink and as it washed away the blood.  She pulled out her teddy bear and smiled at it, now all clean.  She squeezed it, trying to get as much water out as possible, causing some stuffing to fall from the torn teddy bear.  Something whizzed past her cheek and her cheek suddenly opened a little and began to bleed.  Junko touched her fingers to her new wound and looked up noticing a senbon stuck in the tree across from her.  She stood and turned around; there was no one there.  She turned back around and jumped at the sight of what looked like a rain ninja.
“Oh lookie what we have here,” she said in a sadistically sweet voice, “A little ninja all alone by herself, I saw the way your team killed the grass ninjas.  Aww but where did the rest of your team go?” she asked while looking around “tsk tsk tsk, out her all alone?  That’s not to smart is it?” she said with a smile.  She held her hand out causing Junko to step back a little, but she didn’t run, nor did she attack.  It wasn’t one of the smartest things she’d ever done, but Junko was the type who couldn’t do anything without someone telling her to, for fear of stepping on people’s toes.
Junko watched the ninja and a drop of water fell from the tip of her finger, and just like that she was entranced.  It seemed like the water had fallen on mid air and now ripples were flowing through the air.  Junko was completely thrown back, unlike anything she’d ever seen, she couldn’t move, and she could feel herself become constricted, but something kept her from struggling.
“heh that should do it,” mumbled another rain ninja as she finished tying the wire around Junko’s stationary body.  She jumped back and vanished into thin air waiting for the arrival of her friend, and sure enough a katana was shoved through Junko’s still beating heart, she fell forward a little and was swiftly pulled back as the man tore his sword from her body.
POOF
Junko’s torn body vanished, and all that was left was a log.  “DAMMIT YOU LITTLE FUCKHEAD WE GAVE HER RIGHT TO YOU!” yelled the two rain ninja girls, who just happened to be twins.  “Shut up! You obviously didn’t trick her well enough!” called the boy.  “Dammit just forget it!” called one twin, “Where’d she go?” asked the other twin looking around nervously, “I’m worried, what if she comes out and attacks us?” she asked her sister, “Stop whining I’m trying to listen!” snapped the first twin and she smirked, “She didn’t get to far lets move quickly,” she said and with a poof she was gone.  “Sister’s really angry isn’t she?” inquired the left twin and the male on their team nodded and they left as well left.

Junko ran as fast as she could attempting to get as far away from the three ninja’s as possible, she couldn’t allow herself to be caught and killed, then Masago and Hideaki wouldn’t advance and she’d never forgive herself for that.  She looked over her shoulder for any signs of pursuers and was happy to find that there were none, however as soon as she turned around she planted her feet firmly on the ground causing her to skid slightly on the dirt as she turned back.  One of the two kunoichi had caught up to her.  However, before Junko could complete her u-turn she was pulled back viciously, pain now coursing through her scalp.  She let out a little gasp and fell on her butt; her head was pulled back by the kunoichi who had a firm grip on Junko’s short messy white hair.  As she stared into the dark eyes of the rain kunoichi she couldn’t help but fell scared, she trembled and her eyes began to tear up as she clasped onto her teddy bear for dear life praying to god that she’d be ok, as the ninja held her kunai at her throat to strike.  “If we kill you off, then it’ll be that much easier to take the lives of your little friends.”  She murmured with a smirk as she ran her kunai across Junko’s throat.
She readied her kunai then stopped abruptly; she looked unwell, her skin turned an unhealthy green and the white around her eyes began to turn yellow and she feel over twitching and shaking, senbon in her back poison burning in her open wounds.  “SISTER!”
The identical twin ran up and shoved a shivering Junko out of the way.  Junko (who had been previously shivering at seeing the rain ninja’s random switch in health) fell into the arms of her savior; she looked up and was surprised to see a purple painted face, and a black cat-like hat.  Kankuro.  “Picking on a lone shinobi?  What kind of low lives are you?” he asked the girl as she shook her sister frantically.  “YOU BASTARD!  YOU BASTARD YOU KILLED MY SISTER!  I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!” screeched the girl as she looked up from her shivering and sickly sister.  Kankuro for a moment paid no mind and whispered something into Junko’s ear “Idiot you’re supposed to fight back,” he looked up at the girl and said “She’s not going to die if you get help for her but I can do much worse to you if you’d like,” he brought his deadly puppet in front of him and Junko.  The single male of the apposing team didn’t bother to look at the two girls as he brandished a katana and jumped to attack.
Junko jumped slightly but wasted no time as she did hand seals and just as soon as the man lunged at them, he stopped abruptly, staring into the distance.  He looked dazed for a moment and then his eyes widened as he looked ahead in a sickened way, he grabbed his head and fell to his knees yelling and screaming and so did the other kunoichi, still clutching her sister’s clothes.  Kankuro watched them curiously but when Junko wrapped her tiny arms around his neck as though preparing for him to carry her away he decided that she had created the distraction for him and took the opportunity to run.

“You ok?” Kankuro said as he sat Junko down on a tree branch beside him and began tying up Karasu.  Junko nodded but said nothing making Kankuro look at her as though she were a nuisance, he sighed but remained silent, “You’re never going to talk to me are you?” he said with obvious annoyance seeping from his voice.  Junko looked away from him nervously once again; however after a moment of silence she chanced a glance at the purple-faced puppeteer and noticed something she hadn’t noticed before.  His turtleneck color was falling oddly exposing some of his neck, which was red as though someone, or something, had a strangle hold on it previously that day.  Kankuro glanced over at Junko feeling her slightly creepy and unrelenting gaze fall upon him.  His innards jumped a little and he could feel his body stiffen under the young mute’s stare, and he soon tensed (if possible) even more as she moved closer to him and brushed her bandaged fingers against his neck.  After a moment, Kankuro moved away quickly, his face slightly pink, slung the wrapped Karasu back on his back and adjusted his collar so it covered his neck once more.  Junko stared at her fingertips for a moment after Kankuro jumped but as usual she remained completely quiet, she lowered her hand and sat on the tree her legs pulled up to her chest and she stared silently into the foresty distance.  Kankuro sighed after a moment and rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his hair under his cat-like hat. “So…” he began, “Why are you out here all on your own anyway?”
Junko shifted herself so she was sitting on top of her legs and pulled up the hem of her hoodie to around her waist almost, revealing a kunai pouch.  With her stuffed bear tucked safely in the bend of her elbow she pulled out a kunai with the same hand, switched hands, and carved quick writing into the tree branch beside her.  Kankuro stared at her curiously and moved toward her, he was originally going to move behind her until he realized that she had written it upside down to her, making it readable from his angle.  His eyebrow rose as he stared at the single word carved into the wood, “Vacation” it read in scratchy, almost childlike writing.  He looked at her curiously and then it struck him,  “you already have your scrolls?” Kankuro asked in surprise.  Junko nodded, but didn’t look at him; instead she occupied herself by picking at the cotton fuzz on her teddy bear that was exposed through a number of holes.
Kankuro watched her intently then grinned slightly, “Heeey Junko…” he said, in a voice that was a little too nice.  Junko looked up at him, unaware of the sudden change in his voice.  “I just realized, I saved you twice now right?” Kankuro asked, his sly tone still in place, “That means you owe me big time,” he said, grinning at her as though he had something dark planned in his head.
Junko stared at him innocently; completely unaware of what the master puppeteer might be thinking.  She racked her brain hard and she began to wonder what she could possibly have that could interest Kankuro?  The more she thought of it the more confused she got until she remembered back when Masago had warned her about something.

“Now Junko you listen and you listen good,” Masago said seriously, “We’re getting older now, both of us, and I’ve always said you’re going to have the nicer figure between us.  Meaning that you and I gotta watch each others backs really good now see?” Masago asked, staring at the eleven-year-old for any sign of comprehension.  Junko stared at her silently, completely lost.  Masago sighed, “What I mean is, really soon, maybe even now, you and I are going to be desirable towards the opposite gender, so if any guy acts weird around you, makes a move on you, or anything of the sort he’s probably trying to get with you so you gotta watch your back carefully,” Masago said, re-explaining her meaning.  Junko looked behind herself for a moment as if trying to see her back but then it suddenly hit her what Masago was talking about, she turned back to her friend and nodded in understanding.  Masago sighed again and couldn’t help but worry.

Junko blushed as thoughts suddenly struck her and then she edged away from Kankuro who was wearing an overly happy smile.  Kankuro stared at her for a moment and laughed, “I was only kidding I didn’t mean anything like that!  And here I thought you wouldn’t get it, guess you aren’t as innocent as you show are you?” he asked in a sly accusing type of voice that caused Junko to blush deeper.  Her face by now, even with its red glow, was growing impossible to see in the light of the new fallen night.
“Common lets go find some place to hide out, well switch shifts, one of us can sleep while the other watches, ok?” Kankuro offered, he pulled his hand from his pocket and offered it to her.  Junko nodded, excepting his offer and grasped his hand tightly, allowing him to pull her through the woods in search of someplace to hide out.  Junko smiled and stopped abruptly, staying rooted to the spot by chakra that she had formed on her feet.  Kankuro, who wasn’t expecting the sudden stop, got yanked back and feel at Junko’s feet, still holding her hand.
Junko pointed at the ground with the hand that was tightly grasped around the arm of her teddy bear.  She was pointing at a tree, whose roots bulgded from the ground and made a sort of cave.  “That’s to obvious Junko,” Kankuro said but Junko shook her head in disapproval and dragged Kankuro down into the shelter she had found.  Junko settled herself on the ground, her legs folded across each other; she put her teddy bear in her lap and took a deep breath, putting her hands together.  “Junko I’m you, tellin’ everyone will be able to find us in here.” Kankuro persisted but Junko glared at him with her finger to her lips then sighed once more placing her palm together.
She made some quick hand signs and then looked up at him once more, satisfied with herself, she had put a genjutsu barrier around the tree so it looked as though their hiding spot wasn’t there.  She moved back until her back was against the back roots and dirt of the tree and settled herself comfortably, patting the dirt next to her as a signal for Kankuro to join her.  He stared at her skeptically but he worked out in his mind that whatever jutsu she cast was to make him stop whining so they must be safe, for now at least.  He settled himself behind her and watched her as she pulled out the kunai she had used as a pen previously and began to scrawl out a message to him in the dirt.  He read it carefully and then looked at her with surprise easing into his eyes but he said nothing.
“You said I owed you earlier, what do you want me to do?”  It read in the same child-like scribble.  The meaning was clear and though it did not come from her mouth, it sounded as though she was serious.  “Well…. I guess…” Kankuro began, scratching the back of his head as he watched her through his peripheral vision.  Junko stared at him, and then rested her head on his shoulder looking somewhat sleepy.  Kankuro looked away from her and sighed, trying to keep his mind clear and his face its natural shade, “Give me a reason…not to go back and see Gaara,” he said causing Junko’s eyes to dart up to look at him, but his eyes wouldn’t go near hers.  “As you’ve noticed we got into a fight with each other and I really don’t wanna risk going back there right now,” he said with a nervous laugh while scratching his head again.  Junko was no longer staring at his face, but instead at his neck, a look of worry now firmly plastered on her childish features.  Kankuro noticed this and patted her kindly on the head, Junko relaxed, feeling comforted by the weight of his hand, and with that he leaned back against his shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.